Shifting his stance, Hei raised his shielded left arm. Bring the upper edge of it to just below his eyes as his right hand kept his sword just behind him. He and Juvi stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then Hei’s eyes flash from gold to green as the glowing symbol of an eye appears on the cult leader’s chest. Putting weight on his left leg, he ran at Juvi. And once at the foot of the stairs leading up to the altar, he disappeared.

Juvi looked around, searching for even a trace of the half-elf. Suddenly, he’s struck in the back twice. Hei’s blade clashing against a layer of chainmail just beneath Juvi’s robes. Juvi jumps away, getting about 5 meters away.

“Ever the tricky one, aren’t you Hei?”

“But you were always the better dance, Juvi!”

Landing on the ground and sliding a short bit, Juvi readies a response.

“Then let’s see just who the better trickster is with a spotlight!”

Putting his hands together, the symbol of Nencog appeared as he channeled the evil god’s divinity.

“Deltan ard Chaos Radiance!”

A rainbow of light and flames rained down on Hei. Scorching him and shoving Hei back a good three meters. His greaves grinding loudly against the ground and leaving drag marks. A bit of steam and smoke coming off him.

“Now let’s turn up the heat! Thetan bel ard Meteor Rain!”

Eight portals that lead to an ever raging dimension of color and flames opened, bringing forth their own raging fireball. Each one a different color than the last. Pointing at Hei, they straight at Hei. Quickly, Hei ran to the left to avoid each one as they crashed into the ground. The first three missed, but the fourth and fifth found purchase. Hei blocked them with his shield, but the last three exploded at his feet in a burst of fire.

As the flames subsided, Hei emerged alive and standing though burnt.

“If not for being as hardy as I am, that might’ve killed me!”

“Explains why you Fateless are seen as threats by the gods! Perhaps Nencog will reward me greatly for taking your head!”

Hei smirked, “Epsmel ble at Shadowed Blade!”

Shadows weaved themselves around his sword, coating it in a layer of solidified gloom and fear. Then, charging at Juvi again, he teleported once within 10 meters. Juvi began turning around, expecting another attack from behind, but Hei went for a frontal assault this time. His sword biting into the chainmail and chopping through it, allowing the second swing to wound Juvi. Strange threads attempt to interfere, but Hei’s blade cuts through and slashes Juvi from the right side of his hip to his left shoulder.

Hei scoffed, “Seems Fate doesn’t want you dying here.”

“If not for you having left its weave, perhaps Fate would do the same for you!”

As Hei and Juvi clashed, Korlos watched and prepared himself to join. And just as he was about to run, Torgrak shot at him.

Korlos forced himself to stop and dodge it. The bullet lodging itself into the distant wall as Torgrak affixed an axe-like bayonet to the end of his rifle.

“Vhere do ya zhink yer goin’?”

Korlos glared at Torgrak defiantly. Gritting his teeth hard as the dwarf looked down at him from atop a pile of rubble.

“Yer fight be vith me.”

Korlos growled, “Fine. I was going to deal with you later, but may as well humor you while his Holiness handles your companion.”

With another shot loaded, Torgrak took quick aim and fired. This one landing in Korlos’s chest. But unlike with the cannon fodder, there was a flickering of weaved threads around where the bullet landed. Causing what would be a fatal injury to be not much more than a slight dent in Korlos’s breastplate.

Torgrak chuckled, “Looks like I’ll need ta use somezhin’ stronger.”

Korlos huffed, annoyed by Torgrak’s attack. Dropping a leaf onto his sword, Korlos empowered it with raging flames.

“Betan ble at Flaming Blade!”

With his sword ready, Korlos ran at Torgrak. Slashing at him after ascending the pile of rubble. The loose rocks squeaking and crunching under his weight.

“Die dwarf!”

Korlos chopped downwards, and Torgrak dodged to the side and slid down the rubble. Swiftly, Torgrak pulled out a sky blue cartridge and loaded it.

“Let’s cool ya off.”

Aiming at Korlos’s chest, Torgrak shot before the traitor could react. On impact with Korlos’s shoulder, it burst out with a flash of ice. A chunk of ice pierced and embedded itself in Korlos’s ribs while the rest froze a good portion of the right size of his body, but only on the surface.

Korlos recoiled, “GAHHH!!! What did you do to me?!”

With Korlos disabled for a moment, Torgrak raised his bayonet to stab at the neck. Unwilling to die just yet, Korlos raised his left arm and turned his body. Forcing the bayonet to deflect and scrape against his armor.

Korlos swung for Torgrak’s head, all but the chunk of ice in his chest breaking off with a loud crack. Torgrak turned and dodged, his beard and armor singed by the fire.

And as all this happened, Tolan’s jaw dropped at the ridiculous fight in front of him. Standing in awe at the level of spells being cast between Hei and Juvi, and how easily both Hei and Torgrak were handling this situation as compared to anyone else he’d ever met. Yet Tessa found this to be nothing more than them messing around with their power. A brief moment of entertainment Hei and Torgrak were reveling in. However, they soon found themselves forced into this battle as what remained of the cult’s weaker members surrounded them.

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Tessa called over to Tolan, getting him to pay attention to the matter at hand as the last fifteen of the cult cornered them.

“Seems they’re not gonna let us just keep watching.”

He replied, “Guessing they feel they need to do something, but don’t want to end up in the middle of their battle.”

Noting the imbalance in numbers, Tolan summoned forth a gale of winds to flow around his staff.

“Beawel ard Descending Storm!”

Cutting winds encircled surrounded six cultists, hacking and slashing away at them. Tearing their robes to shreds and disorienting them. And not willing to end it there, Tolan called storm clouds to his aid and targeted the ones before Tessa.

“Gammelt ard Thunderfall!”

Immediately, lighting descended upon the five of what remained. Frying them and leaving one stunned but heavily injured. But Tolan began panting as he prepared another spell. Lightning danced from his feet before ending concentrating into a bright, sparking light in his hand.

“That’s eleven down, four to go.”

Pointing it at the one who stood there stunned, he cast another spell.

“Melt Thundershock!”

The lightning lept from Tolan’s fingers and straight into the center of the cultist’s chest. Shocking him at his heart just before the cultists fell face first into the dirt.

Only three remained now, but Tolan was pushing it. He panted heavily and nearly lost his grip on his staff, falling to one knee as he tried to recover. Seeing this, Tessa ran to his side to see how he was holding up.

“Tolan! Are you okay?!”

“I-I’m fine. Just using… using more than I’m used to. Just three more, and… and we can make a run for it.”

Noticing Tolan’s moment of weakness, the one cultist summoned forth bolts of fire and attacked. Tolan didn’t have the strength to defend himself, but Tessa did and quickly created a shield.

“Alsanct def Barrier!”

The other two cultists, however, ran at her with swords. The first clashing against Tessa’s barrier with a downward chop. Her defense held, but quickly started cracking. Bits of the light falling like fractured glass, and Tessa wasn’t sure if she could hold it.

Then the second one came and cut at her barrier, destroying it. Tolan, noticing the blade still coming, pulled Tessa back and jumped in front. The sword cutting through his robes and ribs. He cursed under his breath, but took the chance to attack. Punching one in the gut before finishing the cultist off with an elbow to the top of the head. Then gave the other a heart attack via lightning.

“Melt Thundershock!”

However, Tolan was tapped. What was light panting turned to heavy breaths. He could barely keep himself on one knee. Seeing this, Tessa healed him with what divine energy she could summon.

“Alsanct yaha Heal!”

Tolan’s body sewed itself back together. The bleeding stopped and some of Tolan’s strength returned, but Tessa’s miracle only did enough to keep the dragonling off death’s door.

“Thanks, Tessa.”

“Just doing what prefer.”

But it wasn’t over just yet. Seeing the situation before him, the remaining cultist ran. Fleeing for his life and faith shaken by how horribly things had gone.

With the problem at hand dealt with, Tessa tried to think of what to do to help Tolan. Then remembered the vials at her side and grabbed one. Quickly opening it, she handed it over to Tolan. Unfortunately, Tolan could do little more than focus on breathing. Then she remembered what to do with it and splashed it over his wound. It proved effective as Tolan found his body mostly back to normal, aside from a numbness that ran through his body.

“What was that?”

“Something I wish I knew how to make.”

But it’s not over yet as Hei and Juvi slam into each other loudly. A boom echoing as Hei slides backwards, stopping just a few feet short of Tessa and Tolan. Juvi, however, finds himself hurled against the altar. He remains standing, but doubled over and bleeding heavily, mask barely holding together with serious cracks running down the beak and bits missing.

Torgrak laughs as he kicks Korlos in front of the stairs. Multiple chunks of ice stuck sticking out of Korlos’s torso and arms. None of it lethal, but unquestionably painful.

Juvi spoke through pained breaths.

“Let’s… end this…”

Hei smiled, “Happy to oblige.”

Hei charged again, quickly closing the gap between them. Juvi raised his hands, casting another spell and summoning the rainbow of flames again.

Juvi chanted again, “Deltan ard Chaos Radiance!”

“Not this time, Juvi!”

Summoning forth a flood of shadows, Hei slammed his fist into the ground and large tendrils of darkness consumed the lights. Drowning them in darkness before jumping forward and getting close enough to teleport right in front of Juvi.

And as Hei cut into Juvi, Juvi cast again at point blank range.

“Gamtan ard Burst!”

A shock wave of fire and light exploded out. Juvi looked more worse for wear than Hei, but it forced the half-elf far enough away to keep him there for the moment.

Juvi coughed as blood dripped down from the beak of his mask. Laughing through the pain, but apologizing.

“Can’t let you kill me… Hei. As nice as it would be to have my soul devoured by your eldritch abomination of a patron, the ritual needs to be completed.”

Hei laughed, “Ending it on a cliche then? That’s not like you.”

“You’re right, but I have to play my part as one of Nencog’s villains. I wonder what hell we’ll meet in next, Hei! Enjoy my parting gift!”

Juvi drew a hidden knife from his right sleeve. Its blade was sharp but incredibly thin, almost like a sewing needle. And with it, he stabbed himself through the heart. A rush of white and red flames flies out of his corpse and into the flame great flame at the center.

Korlos calls out to the Archbishop.

“Your Holiness!!!”

He dragged himself to his feet and just started climbing the steps when the entire cavern rumbled and quaked. A pair of demonic eyes appearing at the flame’s heart as a distorted laugh filled the room. Symbols of Nencog writing themselves across the ground and up the walls. Tentacles of fire reaching down into the pit and picking up the bandaged corpses. Unraveling their bindings and stripping the mummified flesh into strips before combining them into a single growing and writhing mass.

Torgrak ran to Tolan’s side, picking the dragonling up and putting Tolan across his back with one arm.

“Ve gotta get out of here!”

Tessa asked, “What’s going on now?!”

Hei did the same to Tessa, carrying her like a sack of potatoes under his arm.

“We run! That’s what!”

“Hey! Put me down! I can run just fine!”

“Yeah, but not fast enough! Torgrak, keep the path clear!”

“Aye, already on it!”

Ascending the way the Resistance came in, Hei and Torgrak carried the other two up and out. Running at breakneck speed, while Torgrak kept a shot loaded for any large boulders that blocked their way. Demonic roars chasing them as they ran. And just as the exit was about to close, Torgrak used a red-tipped bullet to blow it out and clear the way. The two kept running until they got a good distance away from the cathedral, it collapsing behind them.

It wasn’t over yet, though, as the streets shook. And out of the fallen cathedral erupted two arms with giant claws for fingers. Tolan and Tessa watched in horror as the avatar of Nencog took its first breath of the world’s fresh air.

Tolan asked, “I don’t mean to question either of your abilities, but… You two got a plan for that?!”

Hei scoffed, “He doesn’t look that mean to me.”

Tessa was stunned.

“Are you kidding me, Hei?! It’s as big as a mountain!”

Torgrak laughed, “Just a newborn in need of a spankin’. Nothin’ vorth vorryin’ about.”

“Is this really the time to be making light of a literal giant monster?!” Tessa demanded.

Hei smiled, “We’re still in good enough shape to take it down.”

Torgrak followed up Hei’s statement with his own. An eager look shining in the corner of his eye.

“And I still haven’t fired my big gun!”

Smoke billowed out from the demon’s mouth as it roars furiously. Its tail swiping buildings away. Then, it turned its attention to the four of them.

“I-it’s looking at us…!” stated Tessa.

“Maybe you should fire whatever you mentioned NOW?!” demanded Tolan.

Opening its maw, a gigantic magic circle formed in the avatar’s mouth. A ridiculous amount of energy charging up in it. Hei quickly set Tessa down before looking at Torgrak. Torgrak nodded and jumped away, running into the remains of Crimsonvale with Tolan over his shoulder.

Hei pulled out his shield and stood in front of Tessa.

Tessa pleaded, “What are you doing?! We need to run!”

“There’s not enough time! Themel def Devouring Barrier!”

Unleashing its attack, a beam of energy consumed Tessa’s vision as all she could see for a moment was Hei’s silhouette. White and red light rushed past them as it slowly pushed Hei back. And then it all went white as the streets and buildings around them were vaporized.