Danger was not something unfamiliar to the members of Squad 12, however, the threat of demonic incursion was. None of them had encountered any extraplanar creatures of any type before, let alone creatures of pure chaos and destruction.
For several moments they flowed aimlessly through the temple, the many orbs of light flying in front of them to illuminate their path. Isak led the group with his shield, with Tempest directly behind him with Trent and Darris behind him. Elrik was in the back in case anything snuck up on them from behind as he was the most capable of taking down a creature quickly, at least the weaker ones.
“Why do you know so much about demons?” Trent asked suddenly, glancing up at Tempest’s lavender eyes. All the other’s heads turned to him. Tempest looked around at his squadmates. “I’m a tiefling.” He said, as if that answered the question.
“And? I know a ton of them, but none of them know anything about the lower planes. And it's not like you studied that, there’s no reason for having had to. You mainly use spells of the elements.” Trent rattled off. He might’ve been young, but he was perceptive.
Tempest sighed, then stopped, making the rest of the group stop. “Trent… everyone,” He corrected. “I had a past before joining this guild. I’d much rather not talk about it. Which means no questions.” He said, his face a mix of frustration and sorrow.
“Does it have to do with the ring?” Darris asked, gesturing to the silver ring on Tempest’s finger. Tempest raised his hand to stare at the ring, as if forgetting it was there. He proceeded to spin the ring on his finger as he thought. “In a way.” He sighed. “You had asked the most dangerous creature I'd ever faced? Well, I can say with certainty that it was no measly dragon.” He said before continuing his march forward. “Now let's keep moving forward. We’ve wasted enough time.”
As they continued their trek through the temple, the lights fell upon sections of the wall scarred with large gnashes. The savage marks were very large and cut deep into the masonry. Daris's hand tightened around his scimitar at the sight. Any creature that can make marks like that on hardy stone could cleave a person in half with a single swipe. He then caught a quick glance at Tempest, who was eyeing the marks along the walls as well. He looked more frightened than anyone.
Suddenly, a deep groan reverberated throughout the ancient hallway, causing the entire group to freeze. The group inched closer to the end of the hallway, the mouth of a room beginning to reveal itself as the orbs of light flew ahead. Two creatures stood in the room, facing each other. Both looked mostly humanoid in form, however, they had several differences from each other.
The smaller of the two creatures had the torso of what could have been a decrepit and malnourished humanoid. However, from its shoulders up and the waist down it had the figure of an emancipated gray ram. Flies and insects of various species hovered around the creature, landing on it and flying away for a moment just to attach to the creature again. In its humanoid hands were a crude but deadly spear made entirely of rusted metal.
The larger creature was less humanoid and was just as tall if not taller than Elrik, towering over the other goat-like creature in front of it. Its skin was a pale gray with patches of tough keratin darting across its muscular body. Atop its head were two thick horns, and its legs were set with heavy hooves. In its bulky arms was a large mace, the head of which was nearly half the size of Darris, whose mouth went dry at the sight of it.
“A Tanarukk,” Tempest whispered, just loud enough for the group to hear, staring at the larger creature.
The Tanarukk grunted several times at the smaller creature, waving his heavy club around in annoyance. The smaller creature grunted in kind to the Tanarukk, gripping its spear with both hands.
The Tanarukk roared in the face of the creature who, in turn, stabbed at the Tanarukk with its spear. The spear plunged into the shoulder of the hulking demon, causing blackened bile to spill from the wound.
The Tanarukk, however, wasn’t phased by the spear. Instead, it roared once again and slammed its club into the torso of the slim creature, sending it flying away into a nearby crumbled pillar with a pained bleat.
“When I say ‘now’, charge the larger creature,” Tempest whispered to the group, putting a hand on Isak’s shoulder. Isak looked back to Tempest. “Wait what? No, we need to find another way arou-” He began, but Tempest curtly whispered back, cutting him off. “Just trust me Isak.”
Isak looked back at the Tanarukk, swallowing. It strode with heavy steps toward the goat demon, its footfalls making the stones crunch under its cloven feet. The goat clutched its spear, ready for another attack, but the Tanarukk swiftly slammed its club into the goat demon’s head, caving in its skull. It twitched and flailed before falling limp; its spear clanking to the ground. As the Tanarukk pulled back for another swing, however, three spears of flame shot from a doorway to its right, exploding in its face. Out rushed 5 adventurers screaming in a rage.
Isak was first in the charge, rushing toward the beast and stabbing it in its side with his sword before pulling out and quickly backing away. Darris ran to the demon’s side and slid on his knees, slashing his scimitar across one of its thighs as he passed by before rising to his feet.
The Tanarukk snarled down at Darris, before hearing a frenzied battlecry. It looked up to see Elrik running towards ut, ax raised above his head and rage in his eyes. They both swung their respective weapons at each other, maul and ax colliding mid-air. However, the abyssal creature’s strength was greater than the orc’s, knocking Elric off balance and sending his ax tumbling to the ground.
The Tanarukk raised its club for a fatal slam, ready to turn the orc into a bloody stain on the cold stone. But a bolt of ice shot from within the doorway, intercepting the swing and striking the demon in the center of its chest, causing a thin layer of frost to cover its torso and blacken its flesh.
That is when Elrik roared with an intensity and ferocity that rivaled the demon’s, swinging his ax one final time. The Tanarukk attempted to meet the attack with his own, but the ice coating his torso hindered his speed. The heavy ax blade slammed deep into its chest.
The Tanarukk roared and swung down with its large club, aiming directly for the orc’s head. However, Isak ran and shoved the hulking body of Elrik to the side with his shield. The club of the Tanarukk fell onto Isak’s back, causing the warrior to crash into the ground. The arcane barrier around him shimmered faintly and fractured into shards. Even with the shield’s protection, Isak still struggled to rise to his feet.
“Isak!” Trent shouted from the hallway. In a swift movement, he took a brown feather from a pouch at his side, clutched it in his fist and blew into it as he let it go. From the feather sprouted a hawk that soared at the demon fearlessly.
The massive avian screeched and clawed at the Tanarukk, however, it did little more than annoy the massive creature. The Tanarukk quickly swatted the bird, hitting its wing and sending it flying into the nearby wall. As the hawk impacted the wall it exploded into smoke.
Taking advantage of the opening, Elrik clutched his ax again and swung upward. The blade of the ax cleaved through the hide of the beast once again, raining down foul ichor onto the barbarian. With another roar, Elrik cleaved down with his weapon, digging the ax deep into the Tanarukk’s collar, causing it to roar in pain.
For just a brief moment, Elrik relaxed. To nearly any other creature a blow such as that would have certainly been enough to feel it, even a beast such as that. However, death comes to those who underestimate the ferocity and durability of creatures who live in the desolate ashen wasteland known as the abyss.
The demon roared, raising his club, and swung it into Elrik’s ribs. A deep crack emanated from Elrik as was knocked off his feet, tumbling to the ground. The ward around him shattered like glass as a large wound exposed his ribs and began hemorrhaging blood. He held his hand over it in a feeble attempt to miraculously stop the bleeding.
He staggered to his feet, ready to accept a warrior’s death. Suddenly a high-pitched yell was heard from the hallway as Trent and Tempest came running out, spells flickering in their hands. Tempest swiftly pivoted back around toward the hallway. He held forth his hand, a torrent of flames erupting from his palm toward a creature emerging into the room.
The creature was as tall as any normal person, but grey fur coated its skin all the way down to the very bottoms of its feet. Its face was elongated like a hound’s, but its snout was squished against its newly charred face. Large pointed ears hung from the sides of its head. Its short legs arched back and seemed to just barely hold the creature up.
“Dretches.” Tempest called out, carving another sigil in the air “They come in numbers.” As if on queue three more Dretches stammered into the room. “Elrik, Isak, you handle the big thing with the club. I’ll help with the Dretches.” Darris shouted, running past the distracted Tanarukk to aid the two wizards.
In one swift move Darris dashed forward, cutting across the dretch closest to Trent who, oblivious to the dretch creeping behind him, was firing a ray of ice at another dretch stumbling towards him. Black blood sprayed across Daris's scimitar as he cut through the hide of the wretched creature. A horrid screech came from the demon as it raised a malformed arm to attack Darris. Darris prepared to block a heavy blow, however it was much slower than he’d expected. He easily ducked under its arm, carving his blade into its shoulder as he passed behind it. One final horrid shriek was cut short by another slash from Darris’s scimitar across its chest. The dretch fell backwards, putrid blood oozing from its wounds.
Darris quickly glanced around the room for the other dretches. One was bound by several spine-dotted vines that had erupted through the crumbing floor tiles of the temple, courtesy of Trent. The more the dretch struggled, the more the thorns of the vines dug into its skin, causing it to unleash a chorus of screeches.
Tempest was fending off two dretches at once. One of the dretches had its foot stuck on a newly opened crack in the ground while the other dretch was being pelted with seemingly endless bolts of flame, its fur burning away to reveal charred skin.
“Trent, you help Tempest.” Darris shouted, running toward the dretch wrapped in a thorny prison. Suddenly, the vines around the demon retreated back into the earth. Trent turned from the dretch, no longer paying it any mind.
The dretch, now free from its thorny fetters, turned to Trent as he ran toward Tempest. The creature had only taken a couple steps before a flash of steel carved a fatal gash into its back. Darris took a few steps toward the last remaining dretches, his blade readied to spill more demonic ichor. Suddenly a dretch in his peripheral vision suddenly exploded in an eruption of embers and charred vicera. A smoldering sigil flickered out in front of Tempest, before another torrent of flame soared towards another dretch a second later. A screech emanated from the other side of Tempest; another dretch falling limp and colliding onto the stone floor. All but one of the dretch horde had been wiped out before Darris could even make a move.
Darris was about to attack the last remaining dretch when he heard a scream from behind him. He swept around just in time to see the Tanarukk’s heavy club collide with Isak. Most of the impact was absorbed by his shield, nonetheless he was still sent flying backwards from the force of the blow. He rolled backwards as he collided with the ground, lessening the impact but leaving him with his back against the wall.
Darris ran forward and helped his friend to his feet. “Your shield is cracked.” Darris noted, gesturing to his wooden shield which was barely being held together by the metal trimming.
Isak grunted. “Just a shield, we need to- Elrik!” He yelled in surprised panic. A large ax embedded itself into the wall beside them, having been knocked from Elrik’s grasp. For a short moment, everything went in slow motion yet everything happened at once. Darris and Isak shot up and dashed to Elrik, but even the speed of lighting wouldn’t have been enough.
The Tanarukk swung twice, that's all it needed. The first swing hit Elrik in the ribs, directly on his hastily closed wound, audibly cracking whatever bones remained intact. The second swing collided with Elrik’s head, caving in his skull with a visceral thunderclap that echoed throughout the entire room. Elrik’s body fell limply to the floor, his head nearly turned completely sideways on his neck; his head flattened like a pancake. Tempest and Trent turned around just as he fell, shocked expressions befalling their faces.
Time sped up again. In a rage Darris shot forward, slicing across the Tanarukk’s arm, cutting a tendon within the muscle. The arm fell limp. He made another gash across its chest, causing the beast to double over. Finally, he stepped around the beast and sliced open both of its thighs. With a pained roar the Tanarukk fell to its knees, only keeping itself up with one arm.
Panting, Darris glanced at Isak who was already stomping over to the kneeling Tanarukk. Darris took a step back, knowing full well what was coming. Without a word Isak dropped his wooden shield to the floor, gripping his sword with both hands. With a scream he swung down at the creature’s neck, cleaving its head clean from its shoulders.
The body of the Tanarukk fell lifelessly to the stone floor. A heavy silence pressed over the group. No one in squad 12 had ever died before. They had had some close calls in the past, but none of them had ever considered the fact that, at any moment, one of them could die. With a sudden shout Isak began hacking into the headless body in front of him with his sword, over and over again. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cut through the muscles of the hulking creature, now hitting its spine. He shouted again, and, with one last swing, snapped the spine of the mutilated beast in two.
Another moment of silence passed over the group, the only sound being Isak’s panting. He then walked over to his shield, putting it back over his arm. “Let's go.” He said, sternly. He took a few steps before turning around, seeing that nobody had moved. “Let's go!” He roared, the sound echoing off the walls.
Tempest began walking forward. “Isak’s right, we should keep going. We can mourn Elrik later. Once this problem is taken care of.” He said, continuing to walk past Isak, who was still glaring at Trent and Darris. “Our job is to stop any threat against Sige or her people. We all know the dangers that come with it.”
Darris sighed and began to walk forward, but he was stopped when Trent put a shaking hand on his shoulder. Darris looked back to see tears welling up in his eyes. “Can’t we just leave?” He squeaked out. Tempest and Isak looked back. He hung his head as tears began to stream down his face. “I just want to leave.” His entire body shook and his gaze was locked to the floor. “I don’t want to die.” He stuttered out.
Isak took a step toward Trent, asking. “Why would-”
“Cause I’m scared!” Trent shouted, glaring up at Isak, rivers of tears going down either of his cheeks. He felt pathetic, being scared of doing his job. He was the youngest in the group: only 19.
Darris remembered when Trent had first become part of squad 12. They had been in the same orientation, despite being different ages. Trent had shown a lot of potential, and he’d grown exponentially in the several months he’d been part of squad 12. More than anyone else, in fact. Even Tempest. But now Darris saw how immature he was. Trent was just a kid.
“I don’t want to do this anymore. I just want to leave.” He said, more to himself than his squadmates. “I don’t want anyone else to die.”
In another moment of silence Isak stomped up to Trent, then slapped him across the face. “Then leave. We have a job to do. If you want to be a coward and flee, then be my guest.” He said before turning and walking to the other end of the room where a flight of stairs led upward into the darkness.
Tempest followed him to the end of the room, as Trent went to leave through the way they’d come.
Then there was Darris, standing in the middle of the three of them. Trent on one side of him, and Isak and Tempest on the other. He hesitated for a moment, looking between the two options presented to him: Fight or flee. He glanced at Trent, understanding his plight. In a purely pragmatic sense, it wouldn’t be worth dragging him along if he isn’t going to be fighting at peak performance. In an empathic sense, they were the ones who brought him here. He didn’t choose to die in this temple. After silently deliberating, Darris sighed and turned away.
“Wait… Darris… aren’t you coming with me? Let's leave, please. We’re friends right? I don’t want anyone else to die here.” He pleaded, staring into Daris's eyes.
Darris fought the urge to turn back, to run and flee. And live. But he bit his lip and stepped toward Tempest and Isak. “Tempest is right. We have a job to do.” He tossed him a small pouch of gold for the road, and bid him goodbye. Trent tossed him an ornate dagger with his initials and the seal of the guild, a gift Tempest had given Trent when he first joined. “I.. I don’t think I’ll need this..” Darris solemnly nodded, tucking the small dagger into his pocket before joining Tempest. And with that last gesture, squad 12 went their separate ways. Trent faded into the darkness, leaving behind nothing but silence, whilst Tempest, Isak, and Darris went deeper into the temple. Three living, one dead, and one retreating.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The three remaining members of squad 12 trekked through the dark halls. Everything was silent. No one said a word.
“Do you think we can stop them?” Darris asked from the back of the group.
Another moment of silence.
“I’m not sure.” Tempest responded.
Then more groaning came from the halls. Two small creatures came wobbling forward. They were no bigger than a small child, however it was heavily bloated. Its skin was gray with red spots that looked like old wounds littering their body. Their legs were small and stubby, barely holding up their obese body as their bellies dragged across the floor. Their arms were skinny, nothing but flesh and bone keeping them together. At the end of their arms were hands that only consisted of three thick claws.
Isak dashed towards them, beheading the first one before it could even turn around. The second screamed in what was a cross between a wail and a screech, but was silenced just as quickly by two more quick slashes from Darris.
“Only these two?” Tempest asked, mainly to himself. “That’s not right. Manes normally-” He was cut off by several more screeches from behind them. The hovering lights quickly flowed to illuminate the wall they’d come through.
Nearly 30 more of the small creatures they’d just dispatched tumbled towards them, literally falling over themselves to get to them. “Go now, we can’t kill them all.” Tempest said, firing a ray of frost at the closest Mane as it approached him. The small bloated creature tumbled backwards, blocking the others behind him from approaching. Only for a second though, as the rest quickly washed over the injured Mane like a tidal wave of putrid flesh.
Tempest, Isak, and Darris rushed down the halls, taking many turns and loops around the temple to try and shake the horde of demons that approached them. However, it seemed that when one fell, several more emerged to take their place.
“We need something to block them!” Darris shouted to Tempest. Who was firing several bolts of fire towards the horde.
“Over here,” Isak shouted, a ways down the hall, only illuminated by the glowing orb above his head. “There's a large stone door! I see light.. its a way out!” He shouted. Darris immediately dashed to Isak with Tempest following behind after firing one last ray of frost at an oncoming Mane.
The three quickly bolted toward the door, the Manes scarily close behind.
Once through, Isak and Darris went to either side of the stone doors and began pushing them shut. Tempest stood in the middle, concentrating on a conjured wall of force. Even seconds after conjuring it, the crashing wave of manes battering the wall were quickly draining his power.
The stone doors were heavy. The fact that they grinded against the uneven floor tiles didn't help matters. Isak gritted his teeth as his door closed, however no sooner did the wall of force shatter. The Manes collided against the door, causing it to rattle on its worn hinges.
“A little help here?” Darris shouted through his teeth, just barely holding the Manes at bay as the door stood a few inches open. Manes were beginning to try to squeeze themselves through the small gap, several of them getting their skinny arms though and even parts of their head.
Tempest stepped forward and put an arm toward the Manes, through the crack in the door. “Cover your ears.” He shouted, covering one of his ears with his free hand.
Still pressing against the door, Isak and Darris did as told. Beads of sweat dripped down from Tempest’s brow, and his face was flush with overexertion. The entire party could tell his magical reserves were coming dangerously close to running out.
Suddenly a loud thunderclap was heard from the other side of the door, shaking the entire room. However, for a brief moment the incessant screeches of the manes ceased.
Tempest retracted his arm, slipping a hand into his torn robes. “Close the door! Close the door dammit!” He yelled. Not a second sooner the door slammed shut. Tempest was pale and barely standing, but seconds later he was seemingly struck with a rush of energy.
Invigorated, Tempest stepped to the door and set a hand on each panel. Several spectral chains sprung from his arms and wrapped around the large stone door. Then his flash of power was over, and he slumped to the ground with his back against the masonry.
Isak and Darris stepped back, panting. “Is it-” Darris was cut off when the stone doors rumbled as something on the other side collided with it. However the chains tightened on the door, causing Tempest to grit his teeth.
“That will hold for now..” Tempest gasped out, panting even harder than either of the two swordsmen.
That's when Darris spotted markings on Tempest’s arm. For a moment he thought they were just various scratches and scars. But then he noticed that they were sigils, carved into his arm long ago and now no more than scars. Then he noticed that the sigils were exactly like that of those on the walls. “Tempest, what happened to your arm?” He asked, his grip tightening on his scimitar.
Tempest then looked at his arm and shoved it into his cloak. “I-its nothing Darris..” He said. “Those were sigils.. Summoning sigils.” Darris said, taking a tentative step toward Tempest.
Tempest froze for a moment, glancing from Isak to Darris. Isak had now turned to Tempest and began slowly stepping forward. “What runes? You have those sigils on your arm?” He asked, taking a few more steps forward, anger boiling up through his voice.
Tempest sighed and held up his arm, showing the multitude of runic scars across his arm. “I had a life before joining this guild.” He stated, pausing to take a breath. “I used to be a part of a group that worshiped beings of the lower planes.”
“What?!” Isak shouted, stepping up to Tempest. He raised his blade to his chest, interrogating him through gritted teeth. “You summoned these monsters? The ones that killed Elrik?”.
“No!” Tempest shouted, slightly offended at the accusation. Then he sighed. “I know the dangers of summoning creatures demons. Now at least. I joined Fame to stop anyone else from making the same mistake I did. Doesn’t mean the scars from the incident will ever disappear.” He held up his arm.
Isak lowered his sword. “What happened?” Darris asked, holding his breath. Tempest looked down to his hands, weakly spinning the ring on his finger. “We summoned a devil. A creature from the Nine Hells. An Ice Devil to be specific, one of the most powerful devils within the Nine Hells. It didn’t take kindly to being forced from its home.” He looked up to Darris and Isak, before lowering his head again. “The dragon I'd faced in the cave was a mere inconvenience compared to the devil. I still wonder, even now, how I survived.” He said.
Isak and Darris exchanged glances, sharing a moment of silence.
Tempest looked toward the only other source of light in the room apart from the small orbs that hovered around them. Moonlight shown from a staircase that led up to the top of the temple. He started toward the stairs. “I promise to you both that I will give my life to protect you as long as I can.” He said, turning back to the two behind him.
“Live or die, let's stop these demons from invading our home.” Isak said with a slight smirk, but rage still simmered behind his eyes.
Tempest weakly smiled as they all began up the stairs. Through the top of the stairwell showed the night sky, twinkling with hundreds of stars like small diamonds in the black sky. As they crested the top of the stairs, they entered the top of the temple. Several crumbled pillars stood on the edges of the large flat platform. At one point they might have held up a roof, but now they held up nothing but the sky. At the end of the platform was a large stone statue of an elven woman with a crown, hand outstretched towards the sky, holding up what looked like the cosmos in her hand. The statue was covered partially in moss and half of the woman’s face had crumbled away. At the statue’s feet, was the man responsible for the demonic incursion into the material plane.
It wore a simple dark silk cloak with the hood down. It didn’t have skin, rather scales made of jagged emeralds and a dagger-like tail slithering out from beneath him. Its clawed feet scraped against the stone as he stepped about, finishing up a large and complex summoning circle made from his own blood.
Finishing his magnum opus, the emerald being stood to his feet and turned toward the 3 adventures before him. His face was that of a slim wicked dragon made in green gems. His eyes dimly glowed a sickly dark green. He grinned at the sight of the three warriors approaching him, his thin lips like a crack in the ancient stone around him. His smile spread even further, revealing his toothy maw. His teeth were jagged like obsidian knives, and shimmering scarlet flecks speckled his fangs. A long scar on his lip and cheek crackled as he smiled, as if it was an expression he hadn’t made in a very long time. When he spoke, his voice was deep and gritty, but somehow also sounded young for something that looked so ancient. His voice invoked the sound of gravel scraping against smooth stone, causing the adventurers to slightly grimace.
“Ah, no wonder the demons seemed more excited than normal. What a lovely surprise.. A group of heros have come to stop the apocalypse.” He calmly spoke, his words dripping with caustic sarcasm. He gave a few sarcastic claps. Then he spotted Tempest and his smile widened further than what seemed possible. “Well well well! Could these old eyes deceive me? Farinir, what a surprise for an old friend to drop by.” Tempest’s eyes widened, a breath trapped in his throat.
“Xarterim.. Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Tempest said, taking several steps forward. The dragonborn chuckled. “What needs to be done, of course. You of all people should understand. After all, you’re the one who wanted to summon that devil. What a massacre, its a shame you had to go and sacrifice your pathetic soul to try and kill us all.” He said, violent green light shimmering across his eyes.
“Enough!” Tempest shouted. He thrust a hand forward as liquid jet flames erupted from his fingers. The fire streaked across the air, quickly surrounding Xarterim in a web of flames. Tempest closed his hand and the streaks of flames imploded onto the summoner with a loud blast.
However, once the flames dispersed the emerald dragonborn was unharmed. A thin sheen of magic then dissipated from around him. “My my, Farinir, you’ve actually damaged my soul barrier.” He chuckled. “Impressive. You’ve grown so much in the past few years.”
“Well, I’d love to stay and fight; unfortunately I’ve completed my work here. But fret not,” He made an exaggerated and ostentatious bow. “I still have a lovely parting gift for the three of you. An old pal of yours just begged me to see you.” In a flash it looked as if the blood from his body burst from his scales, then wrapped around him and tightened. Then the scarlet shroud shrunk down and vanished.
“What was that? Who was that?” Isak asked, gesturing to the scorch marks where the summoner had stood.
“Before I was Tempest, my name was Feinir. But I’ve long left that name behind.” He answered. Then Darris spoke. “You’re the one who summoned the devil to kill the people you’d spoke of?”
“I didn’t have a choice, Darris!” He shouted, quickly tuning to Darris suddenly. “I was-” He was cut off when a pulse of magic came from the runes in front of the statue, the air suddenly dropping to below-freezing temperatures. The runes on the ground began to glow, in the center of the circle where the emerald dragonborn had been standing a portal opened up. A creeping layer of frost and shards of ice spread from each run, creating an intricate ring of jagged ice at the center of the summoning circle.
The head of a long sharp spear tore through the stone within the ring of frost, ripping the masonry apart as if it were a thinly-stretched sheet of fabric. A pale blue claw followed shortly behind it, its insectoid talons digging into the stone. The creature pulled itself from the depths of the portal, using its long ice-like spear to heave itself entirely out into the material plane. The blood drained from Tempest’s face as a spine-chilling wave of cold swept across the party. Despite the prior summer heat, the party could now see each shallow breath they took, and they felt frostbite beginning to slowly claim their flesh. The creature was large, bigger than even the Tanarukk that had killed Elrik. Its body was made up of segmented icy-blue plates leading, like that of a beetle. The monster looked like the frozen corpse of a thri-kreen with the face of an umber hulk. It slowly stood up from its hunched crouch, towering over the party as it emitted several low thunderous clicks from its cruel mandibles. It stared at the party with its multifaceted eyes, no semblance of emotion until its gaze reaches Tempest.
“Gods help us...” Tempest muttered. Suddenly, he grabbed both Darris and Isak’s shoulders and pushed them behind him, still staring down the devil. “its an ice devil, stay behind me.” He ordered quickly as he pointed toward the devil with two fingers. The creature charged forward with supernatural speed, its spear ready to impale Tempest like a skewered roast.. A crack of lightning and several thunderous clicks imiminated throughout the temple.
From Tempest’s fingers came a large bolt of lightning that struck the ice devil in the chest, however the devil didn’t stop its charge.
Isak stepped intercepted, holding his shield forward, ready for the attack, but the devil had no issue dealing a countering blow.. The devil’s spear moved like a blizzard wind, slamming the haft into Isak’s side, sending him into the stone railing. After swatting the warrior, the devil continued its charge towards Tempest. Suddenly the devil swung a fienting blow, causing the two adventurers to flinch and duck. It used this opportunity to curve to the side, raising its spear above Isak as it readied a coup-de-gras.
In a rage Darris rushed to the side of the devil and swung with his scimitar against the monster with all of his might. I didn’t even make an attempt to dodge the attack, instead the blade shattered against its exoskeleton, leaving not even a trace of the blow on its scales.
The devil clicked its mandibles in some sort of inhumane approximation of a cackle, stabbing into the stone through Isak’s heart. A split second afterward it heaved Isak’s corpse towards Darris, like a farmer tossing a hay bale. The body slammed into him with incredible force, sending him skidding into the feet of the statue. Darris's skull slammed against the stone queen’s feet, and he felt blood drip into his right eye. His mind had gone numb and cold, barely comprehending the blurry figure walking towards him, barely flinching as a blast of lightning rocked its side. With its free hand it dug its claws into his face and head, lifting him up in the air so he could see its cold insectoid eyes. He heard a faint feminine voice in the back of his mind, but wrote it off as delirium before his life was extinguished by the devil. It stared into his eyes for a painfully long second, seeming;y searching for something deep within his soul. It shook its head and scoffed, before slamming him into the ground by the side of his head, the force of the impact combined with the devil’s claws ripping into his head caused half of his face to be torn off. It turned away from Darris, writing off the human as not worthy of an execution.
Pain flooded the right side of his face, at least with the nerves that still existed on that side. Then he noticed he couldn’t see out of that eye, probably because it lay next to his other blade nearly 10 feet from him. Suddenly, being a coward didn’t sound like too bad an idea. Darris glanced up to the battle in front of him, only partially processing what was happening in a state of foggy delirium.
Tempest was evading the ice devil as best he could, continuously putting magical wards onto himself only to have them shatter from the next blow. In between casting his wards he was using his hand to cast several runes into the air. In the sky, storm clouds began to form, churning above the temple they stood on. Crackling arcs of lightning began forming in the clouds.
Taking a quick step back, Tempest raised his hands and grasped at the air before slamming his forcefully down, gripping the frigid air. In tandem with his gesture, a bolt of golden electricity split the storm clouds and struck the devil directly. The monster screeched as steam rose on its blue scales, electricity coursing through its body. Using its stunned state, Tempest appeared behind it in a blink, thrusting a sword of magical force into the devil’s back.
With a ferocious shriek the devil spun around quickly, its spear cleaving into Tempest's now un-warded chest like a gust of silver wind. digging deep into his chest, tearing apart his ribcage and rupturing many of his organs.
Tempest stayed standing, ignoring the bleeding gash just below his heart. He raised his arms again as a bolt of lightning burst from the clouds and struck the devil. He then thrust his arms forward, another bolt of lightning cracking out from his fingers directly into the monster’s chest.
The ice devil was pushed back nearly 10 feet from the force; grinding its claws into the stone to stop itself. The devil’s insectoid armor cracked and splintered from the multiple attacks; steam rising from its body before quickly chilling to frigid fog.
Darris, still slumped against the statue, managed a faint smile. Even a monstrocity such as that could still die. For a moment he’d forgotten. He stumbled to his feet, nearly falling over in the process. Blood fell from his chest and his face, but he hardly felt any of it, in fact he didn’t feel much of anything. As if possessed by an outside force, he drew Trent’s dagger from his pocket; emitting a fading golden light. Then, as if given a push, he ran forward.
The devil either had not noticed Darris, or simply ignored him, as it dashed forward again, sidestepping a ray of flame from Tempest. It reared back its spear, before thrusting it forward with inhuman force. However, a streak of light flew across the devil and wizard’s vision, colliding with the devil’s spear. The spear was deflected back by a swift golden thrust.
Between Tempest and the devil stood Darris. Half of his face had been torn away, blood pooling down his face and neck. His empty eye socket, however, glowed with a faint golden glow, as did Trent’s ceremonial dagger. His expression was slack, his eyes more devoid of emotion than the devil’s, as if his mind was turned off.
The devil rapidly thrust its spear into Darris. Darris dodged the first stab and deflected the second with the dagger. The third strike, however, pierced right through his chest, the wicked bladed tip emerging nearly two inches out of his back.
Darris didn’t even seem to notice as he raised the dagger above his head and thrust down with the force of both his arms. The glowing blade collided with the ice devil’s head. The devil screeched as its exoskeletal plate around its head cracked. The devil jolted back in retreat, a burning hot rage refracting out in its insectoid eyes as it began to recover from the severe blow. The spear dislodged from Darris's chest, leaving a faintly glowing hole in his chest.
Darris felt a hand on his shoulder, looking back with a blank expression. Tempest stepped ahead of him, pushing him back as he did.
Tempest grabbed the ice devil with both hands, gripping each mandible. A layer of frost formed over him, blackening his fingers. However he did not let go, instead tightening his grip as the ice devil.
Then the infernal runes on his arm began to glow. His skin began to tear open across his arm. He screams in pain alongside the devil. His chest began to glow red with crackling arcs, as if a storm were about to burst out of him.
Then the storm clouds above them crackled angrily. A red bolt of lightning struck down, twice as large as the previous ones, engulfing both Tempest and the devil in a thunderous blast of power.
In the brief moments before the blast overtook him, Tempest looked back at Darris. His face looked relieved, as if an age of agony and horror had finally ended. But his eyes were nearly completely glazed over, as if his life has already partially left him. His skin began to tear away, as did his muscles and bones, nonetheless he managed a smile. “I’m sorry.” Was all he said before his body was torn away by the vicious bolt of lightning.
Then something appeared in Darris's hand. He looked down at the object in his hands. A silver ring, the same ring that Tempest was never seen without. On the inside of the ring was a small engraving. It was written in a language like that of the sigils that lined the walls of the temple. Infernal marks. He couldn’t read any of the words but for one reason or another, the word ‘salvation’ came to mind.
Then the light from his eyes and blade vanished. As did the funneling storm cloud above the temple. Darris felt all the pain wrack through his body all at once. But he didn’t react. Darris shouldn’t have known what they said. He didn’t know any of the runes in the temple after all. But for a reason he didn’t know, the word ‘salvation’ crossed his mind. He dropped his scimitar and slid the ring onto his finger.
He glanced forward at the devil. It looked back. It was injured, but not as much as him. Then it dashed forward.
Time moved in slow motion, almost at a stand-still. Darris began to think of his life. He wondered what his family was doing at that moment. They were nearly halfway across Sige, in a small village of no renown.
His mother, Terissa: a kind woman who had cooked the best buttered rolls he’d ever had.
His father, David: a hard working man who tended the endless fields of grain their family owned.
His younger sister, Susie: a smug little girl who annoyed the hell out of him. Thinking back, she was just stubborn. Just like him.
His older brother, Darek: a worker like their father who wanted to be just like him. In Darris's opinion he was more fit to join a guild like Fame then himself.
Darris wondered what each of them were doing at that very moment. His mother baking; his father working in the field alongside his brother, and his sister playing around the village with the other children.
The ice devil was nearly within striking distance of him now.
Darris wondered if anyone would ever find his body. He knew other adventurers were coming; Tempest had sent out a message. But he wondered if they would be able to fight their way through the creatures that flooded in. The portals seemingly had just begun to open when Squad 12 arrived, and nonetheless all of them had met their end.
The devil reared back its spear, the blood of Tempest steaming off its blade.
Darris knew he would die. He was surprised he’d even made it this far. Whatever that burst of energy was was gone now. He had no strength to swing a blade, much less kill the creature before him. He let out a sigh. They had been so close. Even if the devil had died the portals wouldn’t close. More d would flood through.
The spear thrust deep into his side, splitting his shoulder plate in two.
‘I wonder where I’ll end up’ He thought. Maybe he’d appear at the base of Mount. Celestia, the afterlife for famous heroes. But he didn’t imagine him to be a great hero. Or maybe the endless battlefield of Ysgard, where warriors fought in an endless war, retelling their greatest triumphs. But Darris was no glorious warrior with tales of conquest. He couldn’t even save his friends.
The ice devil laughed, its chittering cackle malformed by its shattered face. In an instant the devil thrust its spear into Darris’s skull, a microscopic yet seemingly endless prick of utter agony burning throughout his last seconds.
Then Darris was without thought. His vision faded to black. And then everything was silent.