Horatio marvelled at the Clarent Sword in his hand. It was so powerful, glowing bright and red whenever he used it against a monster, and sheared through every substance—hide, flesh, steel, iron, anything. He felt stronger and faster just wielding it, and with it in his hands he seemed instinctively to know where to strike next, where the next attack would come from, where to aim to fell each monster most efficiently.

Once they had dealt with the first wave of monsters, the party regrouped, falling back a little and forming a tight back-to-back circle with each other, near to the flaming circle and the dark energy-ball in the centre of the chamber.

‘Alright,’ Horatio called out to Alex, and anyone who would answer, ‘we’ve got the Sword, we’ve killed the Leader--what do we do now?’

‘If you attack that ball of dark energy with the Sword,’ Alex called back, ‘you might be able to defeat Brax and send him back to Hell before his summoning completes!’

A sudden wave of doubt passed over Horatio, and he wavered, physically wobbling on the spot. Had Alex given him the Sword because he judged that wielding it would lead to his own death (again)? Was Horatio the safety measure to stop Alex from being killed again?

Oh well, he thought. No time for second thoughts now. I’m all in by this point. If I’m going to die in a moment anyway, I might as well die doing something heroic, like Primus.

‘Got it!’ Horatio called. ‘Everyone, just hold off the monsters long enough for me to pierce that energy ball with the Sword!’

The others called back their assent, standing their ground against the next incoming wave of monsters. ‘We have you covered, Horatio!’ cried Ceres.

‘I’ll boost you up to it,’ said Alex.

The Trickster ran to Horatio, and the two of them pelted towards the energy ball.

‘Now!’ yelled Horatio.

Alex grabbed hold of him around the waist, and jumped.

The two of them were propelled up into the air from the force of Alex’s jump. The flames of the summoning circle flickered underneath them, singeing the soles of Horatio’s boots.

Alex let go of him, flinging him at the energy ball.

As Horatio flew through the air, he just had time to pull back the Clarent Sword with one hand to ready a piercing blow, then thrust it forwards at the energy ball with all his remaining might.

Everything went dark for a moment and there was a noise like a thunderclap.

A tremendous force smashed into Horatio and sent him spinning backwards through the air.

He hit the ground hard and tumbled over several times, sustaining nasty bruises to his head and limbs, and landed near his companions.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

‘Did you do it?’ Ceres and the others were asking. ‘Did you do it? Did you get him?’

‘No,’ said Horatio as he pushed himself up with great effort. He hadn’t connected with the energy ball before the explosion. He hadn’t been fast enough.

Once again, every monster and cultist in the chamber stopped stone still, as did the party.

The flames that had filled the summoning circle had disappeared.

The ball of dark energy that had been suspended above them had disappeared.

In their place, in the middle of where the circle had been, at the centre of the chamber, stood a man.

[Bit repetitive because the Leader was a man who mutated as well. Could edit so that the description here is actually the description of the Leader, and go straight to demon form of Brax. Could also have Primus meteor attack happen here instead of with Leader. Easy to move around and re-write in editing.]

The man was dressed in a blue, purple and gold robe—the colours of a King, with a strange flowing headdress that might have been some variation on a crown. His face was a blank mask—the face of an ordinary human, except where his eyes should be were two sunken pits of blackness, from the depths of which burned two pinpricks of white, otherworldly light.

Every person and creature in the chamber waited watching the man for a moment.

He opened his mouth and spoke.

‘I have returned,’ he said calmly, a simple observation of fact. His voice, like much of his appearance, was ordinary. Just another slightly condescending, sardonic man’s voice. ‘I am released from my imprisonment. Who summoned me?’ The points of light ranged around the room, then settled on Alex. ‘You. I would not expect to see you here. You did not summon me.’

‘That is correct, demon,’ said Alex. ‘You have been summoned by the depraved Cult that worships you. But my companions and I are here to put an end to this, and send you back to deepest circle of Hell from which you were summoned! We have the Clarent Sword and we are not afraid to use it. We have already banished the ‘Leader’ of your Cult, and now we will deal with you!’

The man chuckled. ‘Do you jest?’ he said to Alex. ‘Do you really think you can stop me while you are wearing that pitiful human form?’

‘Why not?’ said Alex. ‘You are wearing a human form for the moment, too.’

‘Yes,’ said the man, ‘but only for the moment. This was but the most convenient shape to take to make my return. You, however—I have never known you to take any form at all in Gard before. And this is the one you choose? Ridiculous!’

Alex sighed. He seemed almost sad. ‘Why do you do this, Brax?’ he asked of the man. ‘Why do you hate and rage against me, so? Why do you persist in fighting and resisting me when you know that your cause is doomed?’

The man’s eyes suddenly flared very bright and he raised his voice. ‘You know why!’ he shouted. ‘Don’t ask me when you know why! I will not share glory with you! You made me great and beautiful, but you wouldn’t let me rule for myself! You demanded that I serve and worship you! Well I won’t! I won’t do it! And even if I’m sentenced to eternal damnation I’ll take as many of your creatures with me as I can! Arggghhh!’ The man’s speech degenerated into a roar of pure fury and hatred, but then he found words again, and screamed, ‘ATTACK HIM, MY MONSTERS, MY TWISTED AND MUTILATED CREATURES OF QIND! HE CANNOT STAND AGAINST YOU IN THAT WORTHLESS FRAIL FORM! ATTACK HIM AND KILL HIM!’

And a massive wave of monsters smashed against the party.

Battle 3 and Battle 4.