As [Blizzard] burst forth from the young mage, Kaden had only an instant to activate his Eldritch Shield and step in front of Ashi. The Bone Beast exploded out, drinking in the spell. It absorbed the mana, funneling it into Kaden, who knew better than to use [Mana Well] to feed Ashi.

[Fortress of Stone] let him ignore ice freezing over his skin. Trinity roared in pain, and Kaden hauled her into his soul before she could be hurt more—or kill the prince. After long moments, the bitter cold faded, and the ice began to melt. Kaden couldn’t help clapping.

Ashi’s joyful laughter said she hadn’t been harmed, but then again, he suspected she would cheer a burning building. “Do not listen when others say what you will be. See what you are now!”

Kaden drank a healing potion with numb fingers before putting away the Eldritch Shield. “Consider me impressed.”

The King marveled at his shield. “Where did you get that?”

“It’s alive. A Bone Waller I fed [Wraith Bones] from a Dungeon Champion, which caused it to mutate. Now I don’t have to feed it bones to repair damage, and it has a minor fear effect, but the thing that saved me was that it absorbs spells.” Kaden activated it so the King could look it over. “It can be broken, but I’m not sure it can be killed.”

“Wraith Bones,” The King said to himself. “I will get one of these [Bone Wallers.] I will find and squash a Wraith for its bones. Come, Etrimalu, we still can witness your sister’s triumph. Tell me something, Kaden Birch, would you be available to have dinner? If not tonight, then tomorrow. I would like to get to know my host better. My eldest will handle formal relations between us. Perhaps there could be more than just business.”

Two things Kaden hated about this statement collided. First was that the King treated his daughters as tools. The second was that Ashi had been right. “I would, but, I have to…something.”

“We must slaughter Cultists,” Ashi answered. “It is a sadness that it will consume our time, but Kaden’s lover is waiting to be resurrected, and the demons hold the key.”

The King glanced to Ashi. And gave her a nod. “We will leave our contact information. Should the lowest dungeon be unlocked, I would kill for the chance to see what lies within.”

Kaden actually meant to find out what lay within it as well. “I’d welcome that, and you’ll be notified. Remember, when you come back stay within the outlined path. [Dominion] won’t kill you immediately, but I don’t want any of you hurt.”

He waited until the King and his son had set off into FangWood to relax. “Thank you. He really was going to make one of his daughters ‘negotiate.’ I don’t even know them.”

“And you will not, as this dinner will never be. Unless you were to change your heart,” Ashi said with more than a little worry. “Never trust your heart to someone who wants what you possess. Only those who want you.”

That was advice he could live by. Soon. “I have an idea. You might not like it, because you were affected most. The General was a guest here during the Surge. I was thinking of calling him for a favor. He consumes monster cores to advance, so I was thinking the Infernal Pearl might be a good trade.”

Ashi looked away, but not before Kaden spotted the pain on her face. “Do as you think wise. I was a fool to listen to him, a fool to believe his claims of safety. He could have saved me, and Recinia as well, but he chose his own men.”

“You never told me what happened.” Kaden reached out to put his arms around her in a hug.

“Nor will I today.” Ashi shook harder with every passing moment. “Call him if you must, but do not give him your trust.”

Kaden knew better. “Last resort, I promise.”

After several hours, he grew impatient and sent the FalCrow to Sara. And after several more hours, he gave up and headed to the FarPortal. But as he was waiting for it to activate, dominion flared over and over, a repeated testing.

Kaden sprinted toward the far end of the Holding, closer to Echo Lake—and stopped. A wounded, dying [graht] continued to flail against the edges of Dominion—then shy away.

As he approached, it fell to its knees, and a leech head burst from its mouth in place of a tongue. When the shark-toothed mouth spoke, it was Naski’s voice.

“Kaden Birch. Hiding under a [Shield Tree] will not prevent me killing you. I do not know how you blocked my [Hatred Mark] but if you have the courage, if you have the strength, face me alone. The heart of this demon will let us speak. Use it to open a portal to me.”

Before the Graht could move, Kaden leaped over the fence to hack the head off with Remembrance.

You have helped kill a Graht.

You have gained experience.

He stuffed the whole Graht into Inventory and sent the [FalCrow] to Ashi. Then Kaden ran to the basement to ransack Trella’s lab, and headed for the FarPortal, calling Trinity and Vip as he went. Ashi came sprinting for him, her arm wraps still flailing behind her. “It is good you sent for me.”

“You ready?”

She wound her arms all the way to her wrists. “I am.”

The FarPortal activated, and Kaden stepped through.

Into the Druid Grove.

Sara and Eve waited there, with a level forty two [Geomancer], Mara, Ban, the Huntress he’d met in the Guild, and dozens of others.

“I knew you wouldn’t fall for her trap,” Sara said.

Kaden shook his head. “I don’t care what a Demon thinks about me, I care about wiping her cult off the map. And honestly, does anyone think she’s not going to have an army of cultists, lesser Demons, and the gods only know what else waiting?”

From behind the others came two more [Rangers], one Kaden recognized from the Grove before, the other a tall, almost stretched man. “The only thing that matters is that the demons die. Snake Woman was saying only your party get to kill the Demon’s Daughter. I’ll allow that, but we have to follow the rules of responsibility.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Kaden looked to Ashi, then to Eve and Sara. Sara spoke up. “Our backup can’t even step in unless there’s a Demon Lord. The Cultists are our problem, and Naski is yours and yours alone.”

It didn’t explain why Royalty had no issues helping their family level, but it did match up to so much he’d seen. “Naski belongs to me. She’s the key to some research to save someone. Any cultist who gets in my way, I’ll deal with. If there’s a Demon Lord, it’s all yours. Are level forties really going to be ok versus a fifty?”

The Geomancer began to laugh. “We’ll have it outnumbered. It’ll be a tier past us, but the differences won’t be as vast as you versus a twenty four.”

Eve cleared her throat. “As much as I love the commonality of purpose, I have a different question we need to answer. What does Naski get out of this? Why send Kaden a portal, knowing he could ask a favor from Mr. Dervish and have Centurions drag her out?”

The crowd grew quiet, and not even the [Rangers] had ideas.

“She wants the Eye of Asmodius,” a young [Druid] said. “Demons often miscalculate what humans will do because they can’t imagine anyone acting differently. She’s counting on your pride. She may even have offered sacrifices to Asmodius to regain his favor—or find out how she could.”

Asmodius was obviously aware Kaden had the eye. Like the eye of the Rat God, Kaden had them both stored away and was imagining a staring contest between two gods, neither capable of blinking because they didn’t have eyelids. It was probably very awkward. “So. This demon core portal coordinate. Is a one-time use thing? Or could we let me go through first. Let Naski spring whatever trap she has planned. And then hit them with a trap of our own?”

“Never alone,” Ashi said.

“You go, we’re going too,” Sara answered.

“Someone has to look after Vip,” Eve added.

But that gave Kaden pause. “How long will it take everyone to stage for the attack? The FarPortal’s down. I saw it deactivate myself”

“Nearest town is ten miles away,” the Geomancer answered. “Assuming someone has [Mana Well] and can pay for a potion, I can Portal groups in hops. Sara, it’s your operation. You make the call.”

Sara laid it out again for everyone. Cultists would scatter if it became a losing battle, and the goal was not to let them escape, so there would be adventurers on every side. From the moment the operation started, it would be complete chaos, but thought networks would let Sara stay in touch.

Kaden didn’t mention how similar they looked to the ones from Dervish Summoning Services. How identical they looked. Everyone got a button, and after Kaden fixed his to his Needful Cloak, he waited.

*Excellent.* Sara waved to everyone. *I’ll repeat one last time. No survivors. No resurrections. Any children are to be tested—they could be Demon’s Daughters in disguise. If you can’t handle this, I won’t hold it against you. Back out now, not when we’re comitted.*

Kaden couldn’t admit that his stomach churned at the thought of killing people. Even cultists. But then again, he’d met Darmando, and Asmodius and their Daughters. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to stop them.

“When you’re ready, set the trap,” Sara said.

Kaden removed the [graht] and ripped it open, pulling a still-beating orb from its center. “Naski. I’m coming for you. In a few hours, when my [Holy Hammer] is done and blessed, I’m coming. You won’t run from me, will you?”

For long minutes, no one said anything—the the heart pulsed. “You only delay your death. Your weapon does not matter, choose whatever you want to be holding when you die. It was you who ran last time. You did not have the courage to face me then. I doubt you have it now.”

“You are dead!” Kaden shouted. “You’re dead and you just don’t know it. When I catch up with you, whatever Asmodius will do would be kind by comparison. Count the seconds. Count the minutes. You don’t have hours.”

He squeezed the heart until it exploded, leaving a nugget of silver ore that felt like FarPortal coordinates. The grove had fallen silent, and Kaden couldn’t shake the feeling that every gaze lay on him. “What are you all looking at? Get to your staging points. When we’re ready, I’m heading straight for her. The real question is whether or not there’ll be any demons left for you.”

*Does everyone have the Demoni Quest? If not see a Quest Broker. We may as well get paid.* Sara kept track of every detail.

In the aftermath of Sara’s comment, Adventurers began to move, some heading to the FarPortal, others seeking out Quest Brokers. Eve and Sara and Ashi stayed close. Ashi reached out to brush his arm, one eyebrow raised.

“I’m not really angry.”

“You do a wonderful impression,” Eve said.

“I know. But I need her to believe that’s my goal.”

Eve kept quiet. “I don’t usually care enough about people to pay attention to how they speak. But I believed you.”

“I’m not going to kill her. I’m going to use [Binding Mark]. And then I’ll use her to figure out how to break the tie to Trella. How long until we can do this?” Kaden couldn’t help pacing through the Grove, all the way to the [Ranger] Encampment.

Ashi said nothing. She hovered up slightly and held on to his hand, so he dragged her along after him. “What if I can’t win against Naski? What if she has abilities we didn’t see?”

“You will not be alone. It is not what you can do, or what I can do, or what Sara can do or Trinity. This is the power Demons never know, of strength united by purpose, not fear.”

“You forgot someone. Someone important. Someone we love even if we don’t admit it. Eve—”

“It is true, Vip counts,” Ashi said. “We can win against Naski. Her Cult will receive no mercy. You have rarely seen my true power, but they will experience it. Even against Jagi, my fear held me back. I will not hold back.”

As the minutes ticked away, Kaden finally found a way to calm. Though he wasn’t a [Mage], the methods they used to purify mana were still useful.

*We’re almost ready. Our scouts say something is happening. A ritual of some sort. We can’t afford to let them complete it. All teams to final positions.* Sara’s voice had Kaden on his feet. Ashi was already up and heading for the FarPortal, where Eve and Sara were waiting with a pair of [Druids] and [Rangers.]

Kaden handed Eve the silver rock that triggered the portal. “Send me through. Naski’s not subtle, she won’t wait to attack, so that means you don’t have to either.”

One of the [Druids] grabbed the stone. “I’ll handle the portal since we need you in tip-top shape. If there’s anyone else with the demon’s daughter, kill them first. You know exactly what the demon’s daughter can do. Everyone else is an unknown.”

Sara put a hand on his arm. “Do what you do best. Wreck her and anything that gets in the way.”

“Be careful. Please.” Eve’s request came with a highly unusual amount of caring. “Vip would be sad if you die. Also, I’d lose her forever.”

That was a consideration Kaden rarely made. But something he could handle. Kaden summoned Vip and commanded her to lay down in the grove. “You can’t come, love. I’d tell you to go with Eve if I don’t come back, but I will come back.”

The FarPortal blazed into existence, and then the Druid made an adjustment using the metal stone. “I’ve got the FarPortal address. The rock doesn’t matter anymore.”

One last thing. He pulled vials from Inventory. “These are the last of Trella’s Bleed potions. I’ve already dosed Remembrance and the Levicon Blade. You should do the same for your swords. These are tier two, you’ve got an hour at most.”

Sara accepted the half-full vials. “I collected Death Frogs as well. No holding back.”

Kaden was ready. He drew Remembrance and stepped through. The FarPortal tore at him, buffeting him back and forth, but Kaden had survived Eve’s Portal Piloting. He landed on his feet, with Naski a few feet in front of him. She glowed a deep red in his demon sight.

“You came. I doubted you.” She drew a long sword that dripped purple ooze, then, with a whoose, lit up with a black flame.

Kaden stalked toward her. No others surrounding him, they were underground, perhaps a basement he hadn’t found. The floor was lined with solid black crystals that formed runes. “Where’s the audience?”

“We are alone for now. This is for an audience of one,” Naski said.

Kaden attempted to activate [Binding Mark.]

Subject cannot be bound. Increase your will or reduce target health for greater chance of success.

So much for the easy way. He didn’t know how to increase his will, but he did know how to decrease her health. “I knew you cared about me, Nasty. Setting up this private session. You and I alone. No minotaurs watching. No stupid Demon Daddy, or even dumber Demon Grand-Daddy to make it awkward. Just you and me.”

Naski shook her head, and snapped her fingers. The ground shook, and rocks tumbled from the ceiling.

Kaden risked a glance behind him at the stubby growth of black crystals that had split the FarPortal slab, and at that moment he realized just how badly it could go.

*Attack! Go! Go! Go!* Sara screamed over the thought link.

Then a thousand pound weight landed on him, a sheer pressure that pushed Kaden to his knees.

Naski spoke sweetly. “This performance is not for you. It is for Asmodius.”