Arabella's small, trembling voice broke through the tension in the air. "Did you find Mum and Pops?" she asked, her wide, hopeful eyes scanning past Zeus, searching desperately for a glimpse of her parents.
The answer she sought was nowhere to be found, and the somber expressions on Karlach, Shadowheart, Gale, and Wyll told her everything. They averted their eyes, unable to bear the weight of the grief they were about to lay upon her.
Zeus, his towering form stoic and faceless, knelt before her. Despite his imposing presence, he tried to make himself as gentle as possible, but there was no softening the truth. "Your parents are dead. We found their corpses." His words were blunt, direct—there was no comfort in them, only the cold, hard reality.
Arabella's world shattered in an instant. "No. No, no, no!" she cried out, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face, leaving wet trails on her cheeks. She shook her head violently, as if sheer denial could bring them back. "I don't believe you!"
Wyll, standing off to the side, his usual confidence replaced by a profound sadness, tried to offer his condolences. "I'm sorry, Arabella," he said softly, but the words felt hollow in the face of such raw pain.
"It isn't true! It isn't!" Arabella screamed, her voice cracking under the strain of her disbelief. She stumbled back from Zeus, her small hands pushing at him weakly before she turned and fled, her sobs echoing in the air. "Get away from me! Go!"
Zevlor, immediately rushed after the girl. His heart ached for her, knowing the depth of her loss, but also knowing that there was nothing he could say to ease her suffering.
Zeus remained kneeling for a moment, his head bowed in silent contemplation. He couldn’t relate to Arabella’s grief—how could he? He had never known the warmth of a parent’s love. His father was a shadow, a figure he had never met, and his mother had only ever looked at him with disdain, blaming him for the pain his existence reminded her of.
"I hope she'll be alright. Poor girl," Karlach murmured, her voice heavy with sympathy. She stared down at her feet, unable to shake the image of Arabella’s tear-streaked face from her mind.
Zeus finally rose to his feet, his thoughts already shifting to the task ahead. The party walked in solemn silence until they reached the lakeshore, where the air was thick with anticipation and the weight of what was to come. Beyond the protective dome, Halsin, took a deep breath, centering himself for the trial ahead.
"Now we can begin," Halsin said, his voice filled with determination.
"What should we expect?" Zeus asked .
Halsin nodded, understanding the need for preparation. "Very well. Once I begin the ritual, a portal to the Shadowfell will open—one that will help me save Thaniel. Whatever happens, I must go alone."
"What do we do then?" Zeus asked, his voice steady, ready to do whatever was necessary.
"You will be the beacon that guides me home," Halsin explained. "With the Oak Father's blessing, I can infiltrate the Shadowfell, but doing so will sap my strength. I'll need your help if I'm to return. You must stay here, keep the portal open until I return—and defend it at all costs."
Zeus nodded in understanding, the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders.
Halsin’s voice grew more solemn. "It’s important that only I pass through the portal once it opens. The magic is fragile—any mistake, and our one chance will be lost forever." He turned away, his eyes closing as he drew in another deep breath, steadying himself for the ritual. "It took me years of study, of seeking the Oak Father's favor, to find a way to part the veil. Pray that this works."
Halsin’s hand began to glow with a soft, ethereal light as he started to chant, his voice a reverent whisper. "Oak Father, hear me, aid me. Force open the jaws of Darkness. Make passage for your vessel of Light." As he finished the prayer, the air before them shimmered, and a portal began to form. The darkness on the other side was absolute, a void that seemed to devour the light around it.
"It’s ready," Halsin said, his voice steady but laced with the gravity of the moment. He turned to the party, his eyes lingering on each of them. "I'll return with Thaniel as soon as possible. Stay close to the portal—buy me what time you can." With a final nod, he stepped through the portal, his form swallowed by the darkness.
The moment Halsin disappeared, the world around them seemed to erupt. A cacophony of screeches, howls, and screams filled the air, coming from the shadows that began to stir. The surface of the lake rippled violently as shapes began to emerge from the water—dark, twisted forms , shadows. Movement flickered to their right—Shades, corrupted beings, shadow hounds—all converging on their position. The ground beneath them trembled as something massive approached, its figure barely visible in the darkness, but its presence undeniable.
"Hells," Karlach muttered, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and fear. She stepped forward, her body igniting in flames as she prepared for the battle to come, the fire casting a fierce glow around her. She was a warrior , and the flames were her shield and weapon.
The rest of the party drew their weapons, the steel glinting ominously in the dim light. Zeus raised his hand, summoning a golden light that enveloped the party. It seeped into their bodies and their weapons, filling them with strength, their muscles humming with renewed power.
Two glowing blades materialized in Zeus’s hands—one golden, the other silvery, each a testament to the divine power coursing through him. He assessed the situation, his mind racing with tactical calculations. He quickly checked his reserves—40% left of divine energy , his elemental magic nearly full, and his magic slots nearly at their peak. They were ready.
Zeus’s voice cut through the chaos, calm and authoritative. "Karlach, Minthara, and I will hold the front line. Wyll, Alex, and Astarion, you provide support. Shadowheart and Gale, stay in the back and use your spells to keep us alive."
Karlach, already ablaze, stepped forward, her fiery aura scorching the ground beneath her feet. "You got it, boss," she said with a fierce grin, her voice filled with the thrill of the impending fight.
The others quickly fell into formation, their expressions hardening with resolve. There was no room for fear, no time for hesitation. They would defend the portal behind them with everything they had.
Zeus and Minthara took their place beside Karlach, the three of them standing as the first line of defense against the darkness that approached.
As the first wave of creatures lunged at them from the shadows, Zeus’s golden and silver blades flashed through the air, cutting through the darkness with precision.
Karlach surged forward with a feral roar, her war axe cleaving clean through a lunging shadow hound. The beast barely had time to yelp before it was split in two, its dark form dissolving into the shadows from which it came. Beside her, Minthara raised her shield just in time to block an ethereal claw that lashed out from the darkness. The impact rang through her arm, but she held firm, riposting with a powerful swing of her mace. The weapon crashed into the shadowy figure, divine energy bursting from the strike, and the creature disintegrated into a cloud of inky smoke.
Wyll, stood just behind the front line. His rapier flickered in and out of the fray, delivering quick, precise strikes to any enemy that slipped past Karlach and Minthara. At the same time, his other hand flared with arcane energy, unleashing a rapid series of Eldritch Blasts that ripped through the dark ranks advancing toward them. Each shot was followed by a thunderous boom, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Astarion, perched on a slight elevation, was a whirlwind of lethal precision. His fingers danced over his short bow, firing arrows with deadly accuracy. When the targets drew too close, he switched to casting Fire Bolts, the flames illuminating his sharp features in the darkness. Each bolt struck true, lighting up the night with fiery bursts.
"Sing," commanded Alex, his voice cutting through the chaos. The air around him filled with the hauntingly beautiful sound of a song, ethereal and invigorating. It bolstered the party, giving them the strength to press on. Alex's blade flashed as he cleaved through a shadow that had slipped past the defenses, the creature vanishing with a shriek.
Suddenly, a massive fireball, as large as a carriage, crashed into the ground ahead of them, exploding with a deafening roar. The inferno revealed the monstrous creature that had been lumbering toward them—a hulking abomination made of mud, corrupted roots, and twisted vines. Its form was a grotesque parody of life, its eyes glowing with malevolent intent.
Shadowheart, seeing the creature’s approach, summoned a golden orb of divine energy and hurled it at the monster. The orb struck the creature's chest, but it did little to slow its advance. Instead, the abomination roared in fury, rising up on its hind legs before slamming down onto the ground with immense force. The earth quaked, and roots burst forth from the ground, slithering toward the party like serpents, wrapping around their legs and pulling them down.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Zeus reacted swiftly, driving one of his blades deep into the ground. A wave of golden and silver fire erupted from the sword, spreading outwards in a ring. The corrupted roots caught fire, writhing and shriveling as the holy flames consumed them. The ground itself seemed to recoil from the purity of the fire, the vegetation burning away to nothingness.
The creature, charged toward the party, its massive frame shaking the earth with each thunderous step. Zeus's body rippled with power as he extended his hand, dark tendrils of flesh shooting forth from his arms , unleashing the devastator. The tendrils pass trough the creature, halting its advance and tearing a gaping hole in its body. A silvery spear materialized above Zeus's head, and with a thought, he sent it hurtling toward the beast. The spear struck the creature's core, igniting it in a blaze of silver fire. The abomination let out a horrific bellow as it was consumed by the flames, its body crumbling into ash.
But the battle was far from over. Smaller creatures, twisted versions of the one Zeus had just felled, emerged from the vegetation. Thorny roots burst from the ground all around them, lashing out like whips. The party was beset on all sides.
Zeus quickly glanced at Karlach and Minthara. Karlach took a step back, her chest heaving as she inhaled deeply, before unleashing a torrent of flame from her mouth, incinerating a corrupted Harper that had been advancing on her. The creature’s charred remains fell to the ground, smoking and lifeless. Minthara, on the other hand, raised her mace high above her head, golden light enveloping the weapon. She brought it crashing down upon a shade, releasing a powerful wave of divine energy that obliterated the creature in an explosion of holy light.
"Ahh!" Gale shouted as he ducked behind a thick root that lashed out at him, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. Shadowheart, rushed to his aid, her mace swinging with fury. The root was severed with a single blow, its dark life force dissipating into the air.
Zeus’s blade sliced clean through one of the smaller shambling mounds, but instead of crumbling to the ground, the severed parts bulged ominously. Reacting on instinct, Zeus kicked the pieces away with a forceful strike. They exploded in midair, sharp needles spraying in every direction. Fortunately, the distance was enough to keep the deadly shrapnel from causing harm, but Zeus’s eyes narrowed as he saw more of these twisted creatures advancing on the party.
At least a dozen of them were closing in fast, their twisted forms writhing with dark energy. The fiery light flowing through Zeus’s armor began to glow even brighter, the power within him surging in response to the threat. The lower part of his face cracked open. Then, with a roar that echoed across the lakeshore, Zeus unleashed a torrent of fire. The flames poured from his mouth like a dragon’s breath, washing over the entire battlefield.
The firestorm incinerated the oncoming horde, the smaller mounds reduced to ash before they could even detonate. The undead creatures, which had been rushing towards them, were vaporized in an instant, their forms disintegrating into nothingness as the flames consumed them.
Karlach, covered in soot and blood from the relentless battle, turned to Zeus with a mix of awe and respect. "That was a hells of a move," she said, impressed by the sheer power of his attack.
For a brief moment, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence. The onslaught had been pushed back, and they had managed to keep the undead at bay. But the reprieve was short-lived. In the distance, four massive figures loomed, their grotesque forms towering even over the mound Zeus had just destroyed. These were different—larger, more monstrous, and filled with an ancient malevolence that made the ground tremble beneath their steps.
"Cover me," Zeus ordered, his voice calm but commanding. With a powerful leap, he launched himself into the air, soaring dozens of meters high. His body twisted in midair, and as he descended, his fists transformed into massive hammerfists , glowing with fiery light. He came crashing down on the nearest mound, the impact sending shockwaves rippling across the ground. The creature’s legs buckled under the force, the earth quaking as Zeus's full weight drove it into the ground.
Zeus raised his hammerfists high above his head, their forms glowing with an intense, fiery light—each resembling a miniature sun, burning with the promise of destruction. The heat radiating from them was palpable, causing the air around him to shimmer and warp.
With a thunderous roar, Zeus brought his fists crashing down onto the mound's massive body. The impact was cataclysmic, sending a shockwave rippling outward, tearing through the earth and knocking back any undead creatures that were too close. The ground beneath the mound trembled and cracked, unable to withstand the sheer force of Zeus's strike.
As his fists connected, fiery red spikes erupted from the mound's body. The spikes burned with a molten intensity, setting the creature's innards ablaze. Cracks began to spread rapidly across the mound's surface, glowing with an ominous red light as the flames consumed it from within.
The mound howled in agony, a guttural, earth-shaking scream that echoed across the battlefield. Its body shuddered violently as the fiery spikes continued to emerge, splitting it apart. The once-massive creature was reduced to a smoldering, molten heap, its form crumbling into ash and molten debris as Zeus's devastating blow obliterated its very essence.
But the other three mounds moved past him, their singular focus on the portal where Halsin had disappeared. Wyll and Gale desperately hurled fireballs at the approaching titans, but the spells seemed to have little effect. The mounds plowed through the flames, their massive fists slamming into the ground, causing roots to shoot up and wrap around the party’s legs.
Minthara, Karlach, Alex, and Wyll found themselves trapped, the roots secreting a caustic substance that began to burn through their armor and skin. Pain shot through their bodies as the corrosive liquid ate away at their flesh. The roots tightened their grip, pulling them down, making them vulnerable to the undead that now surged forward, drawn by the scent of their blood.
Zeus growled in frustration. With a tremendous effort, he expanded in size, his form growing to five times its normal height. But he wasn’t finished—he cast an Enlarge spell on himself, his body swelling to a size even greater than the gargantuan mounds that were attacking them. A holy aura formed around his colossal frame, the light so bright it forced the advancing undead to recoil.
In a blur of motion, Zeus phased through one of the mounds, his fists bulging with muscle mass as they shifted, becoming battering rams of raw power. He unleashed a torrent of blows upon the mound, his fists moving so fast they seemed to blur into a single stream of destruction. The creature’s body crumbled under the onslaught, its form pulverized into nothing more than a pile of shattered roots and mud.
The remaining two mounds turned toward Zeus, their massive fists raised to strike. But Zeus’s arm shifted into a shield, a wall of impenetrable force that easily absorbed the blows. The impact resonated like thunder, but Zeus remained unfazed. His other arm morphed into a blade, a massive, glowing weapon that he swung with brutal precision. With a vertical strike, he cleaved the mound in two, its body splitting cleanly from top to bottom before collapsing into a heap of smoldering debris.
The last mound, sensing its imminent demise, roared in defiance. Zeus’s arm shifted once more, bulging with even more muscle mass. With a ferocious roar, he grabbed the creature’s arm, tearing it clean off with a sickening crunch. The mound howled in agony, its body trembling as Zeus raised his fists high, the air crackling with energy. With a single, devastating strike, he brought his fist down, crushing the mound with a force that shook the earth. The creature's body imploded, molten roots and mud splattering across the battlefield.
Despite the desperate situation, the rest of the party couldn’t take their eyes off Zeus’s behemoth form. His sheer power and the holy aura surrounding him were both terrifying and awe-inspiring. But the fight was far from over. More undead were approaching, their numbers seemingly endless.
Zeus retracted his holy aura, his form shrinking back to its normal size. "We’re not done yet!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. Karlach, Minthara, Alex, and Wyll quickly hacked away at the roots that still held their legs, freeing themselves just in time to face the next wave of undead.
The air was thick with the stench of burning flesh and rotting vegetation. The ground was littered with the remains of the creatures they had slain, but there was no time to rest. The battle raged on, and every second counted. They had to hold the line, to protect the portal and ensure Halsin’s return.
"Where the hell are they coming from?" Karlach panted, her breath ragged as she cleaved through yet another shadowy figure. They had been fighting for what felt like hours, and exhaustion was beginning to set in. More shambling mounds emerged from the darkness, their twisted forms bearing down on the party. Despite their efforts, the waves of undead seemed endless.
At some point Lae'zel came to help against the unending waves of undead .
Even with the aid of the Harpers, who had joined the fray, the relentless onslaught showed no signs of stopping. The party fought valiantly, but their strength was waning. Dozens of undead had fallen, but more kept coming, an unending tide of darkness.
Jaheira, cut down a corrupted Harper with a swift slash of her blade. "I hope Halsin has a damn good explanation for this!" she shouted over the din of battle, her voice tinged with frustration.
Just then, Halsin's voice rang out from the portal. "It’s done! I have him!" he shouted, stepping through the portal with a boy cradled in his arms. His face was a mixture of relief and grim determination.
A golden orb formed above Zeus’s head, emitting a brilliant flash of light that bathed the battlefield in a holy glow. The undead screeched and howled as the light washed over them, their forms disintegrating or recoiling in pain. The brief reprieve gave the party just enough time to retreat behind the dome of silvery light .
The undead, however, were relentless. They battered against the dome, their attacks growing more ferocious as cracks began to spiderweb across its surface. The barrier, their last line of defense, was failing.
Zeus, sensing the imminent collapse, raised his arms high. From his body shot a beam of silvery light that merged with the dome. The light grew brighter, intensifying until it shone like a small sun. The undead recoiled in terror, their dark forms unable to withstand the purity of the light. They shrieked and fled into the shadows, the ground trembling under their retreat.
Zeus seemed to buckle for a moment.
As the light dimmed, Halsin knelt down, carefully laying the boy on the ground.
He had short, dark brown hair that was closely cropped, giving him a rugged look. Small antler-like horns protruded from the top of his head and his ears were pointed, adding an otherworldly or fae-like quality to his appearance
His skin had a rough texture in some areas, particularly on the right side of his face and neck, where prominent scars or markings were visible. These scars had a branching, almost root-like pattern, and they extended down his neck .
His clothing appeared to be made of leather, and it seemed to blend with the organic elements of his appearance, like the horns and scars.
"No, it can't be..." Halsin whispered, his voice filled with disbelief and sorrow as he looked down at the boy.
"Is he dead?" Wyll asked, his voice soft, barely more than a breath.
Halsin shook his head, his gaze never leaving the boy’s face. "No... but some part of him is missing. He is... hollow." The words came out strained, as if they were physically painful to say. "I need to examine him. There may still be a way to save him, but I need time." He gently scooped the boy into his arms, cradling him as if he were made of the thinnest glass. "Come see us later," Halsin said, his voice weary but resolute, before turning and walking back toward the inn.
Seeing that they were safe at least for now the party collapsed on the ground , exhausted from all the fighting .