Greyson stifled a yawn as he rose from the comfort of his bedroll. The cool morning air sent a familiar chill down his spine, but it did little to dampen his spirits. He had been sleeping outside under the elements for countless nights. Though the makeshift shelters Dorian created made things a whole lot easier.

He stretched his body and proceeded to dress himself. He had a smile on his face as he exited his small shelter and took a breath of the clean air. There had been a massive battle the day prior, and their plans had again moved forward nicely. Mu’Dok had given them the task of opening the gates, cleansing this world of the evil that plagued it. The only problem was, the gates required an unimaginable amount of power. More power than he or his companions could muster. So, to compensate for their lack of power, they siphoned the Dunamis from dead Dae. Why let their spiritual energy go to waste? As long as he was close enough to use the technique Mu’Dok taught him, he could store the energy of the Dae who died.

“You look happy.” Ashly greeted, sitting down in the grass and brushing her teeth.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Greyson’s smile broadened. “We got a shit load of energy yesterday. As long as these people keep killing each other, we’ll be home in a few months.”

“Yeah.” Ashley gargled some water and spit it out. “You said that six months ago. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Dorian entered the camp from the surrounding woods, carrying some supplies. “Killing Dae isn’t fast enough.” He grunted, placing the supplies down in an orderly pile. “What we need, is more humans.”

“We can’t get to them.” Greyson’s smile faded, and an annoyed scowl replaced it. “I told you already, it’s impossible. They’re in too deep.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me.” Ashley said. “Bring them in or not, as long as we open the gates, we can get home.”

Greyson sighed, feeling a bit disappointed that his companions had managed to sour his morning. He scanned the area, and frowned, noticing Lauren was missing. “Where’s Lauren?” He asked.

“She’s coming back from the river.” Dorian pointed without looking, staying focused on the pile of supplies he was organizing.

On cue, the slender form of Lauren entered the camp from the forest. “Got breakfast!” She said cheerily, holding up a dozen large fish, which were conveniently already cooked.

Greyson chuckled, happy that at least one of them was able to properly use fire magic.

Ashly rolled her eyes, mockingly mouthing the words Lauren had spoken.

“Perfect timing.” Dorian said, gathering some plates and utensils.

The smell of the fish reached Greyson’s nose, and immediately his mouth began to water. They distributed the food and sat themselves around in a circle, but just when Greyson lifted a savory piece of meat to his mouth, there was a cold gust of wind that blew past him. Immediately the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he whirled around, summoning his magic into his hands. He blinked in confusion at what he saw. A woman, standing nearly twice his height, with no eyes, and a black gown made of smoke that billowed around pale skin.

“What the fuck is that?” Ashley said, no small amount of fear in her voice.

“Who are you!?” Greyson yelled, fully prepared to hit her with everything he had at his disposal.

“Finally…” The woman said. Her mouth unmoving, but her voice loud and terrifying. “You are a difficult bunch to find…”

Greyson’s senses flared as her power flooded his perceptions. She was much more than she seemed. But her power was unmistakable.

“Is that a spirit?” Lauren asked.

“No…” Greyson let his hands fall to his sides, allowing the power being channeled in them to dissipate. “She’s a demon.”

The woman’s small mouth curled into a smile. “I am no enemy of yours… That is all you need to know… for now…”

“What do you want?” Greyson asked.

“I wish to ask you for… a favor…”

“You’ll have to get in line, demon. Mu’Dok is already at the top of our list in favors.”

“What I ask… does not impede on his mission… in fact… it will help you in its completion.”

Greyson raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

The woman lifted her hand, and her dress began to swell, until the form of a man tumbled out onto the grass. “This… is Robert… one of the Spirit-Sent…”

Greyson’s eyes bulged. “Holy shit…” He said, looking at the terrible state of the man. “What the hell happened to him?” His clothes were shredded and soaked in blood. And his left arm was gone, looking like it had been lopped off by a blade.

“He was nearly killed by Boros of house Ignos… the Hego of Southern Lokkon… during yesterday’s battle… I was able to rescue him… and brought him here… to you…”

“Why?” Dorian asked.

“Because Mu’Dok’s plan to open the gates seems to be the only way forward now… I had other plans… plans that would take longer to develop… but the other side is moving… and we must accelerate.”

“Other side? What the hell are you talking about? The Dae? They have no idea what we’re doing.” Greyson crossed his arms.

“It is not the Dae…” The woman floated a bit closer to them. “The human, Daniel… has developed a power… something that will be a problem, if we allow it…”

Greyson’s interest was peaked. “What kind of power?”

“The kind that makes him dangerous to… spirits…”

“And demons?” Ashley asked.

“I do not know…” The woman pointed a pale finger toward Robert’s prone form. “I can’t be sure… but I think he is the reason Robert’s power failed him during the battle.”

“W- what do you want us to do with him?” Lauren asked, sheepishly.

“I want you to wake him… and get his help in your mission… It will be difficult… as he has a great deal of sympathy for the Dae… But he must help… whatever it takes… you must convince him. His power will be more than enough to open the hell gates…” She started to shrink to a much smaller size. “I healed his wounds… but he will need tending too… Do not… fail…”

Greyson saw her shrink so much that she literally disappeared into thin air. “Hey!” He reached out instinctively. But the creature was gone.

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“What the fuck was that all about?” Ashley said, walking up to Robert’s prone form. “I don’t trust it. It’s gotta be a trap.”

Greyson quickly approached Robert; nudging Ashley aside, he knelt and inspected his face. Then closed his eyes, extending his magic into his body. “I don’t sense anything out of the ordinary.” He grunted. “He’s definitely human.”

“And a Dae sympathizer, apparently.” Ashley spat. “Look at what they did to him though.” She shook her head. “what if we can’t convince him?”

Suddenly Robert’s eyes opened, and he shot up, nearly smacking Greyson in the face.

“Ahh!” He screamed, his voice dry and hoarse. Robert’s eyes darted between all of them, “W-where am I?” he stuttered, bringing his hand up to his head, then seemed to notice his left hand was missing. Because he let out another terrified yell and scrambled to get to his feet.

“Calm down!” Greyson shouted, reaching to restrain him. “We’re humans! You’re safe now.”

Lauren rushed forward, “It’s ok, it’s ok. You’re alright. You’re with friends.” She spoke softly and gently grasped his shoulders. “Robert, you’re alright.”

Her presence seemed to work, as Robert began to calm down. Taking deep breaths to control the shaking of his body. “Where the hell am I?” he asked through chattering teeth. “And why is it so damn cold?”

“Here.” Lauren smiled, holding her hands out and creating a small ball of flame, that had an immediate effect.

Greyson put his hand on his chest. “I’m Greyson.” Then pointed to each companion as he named them. “This is Dorian, Ashley, and Lauren. And you’re in our camp.”

Robert eyed him suspiciously. “How did I get here?”

“A demon brought you here,” Greyson replied. “She showed up, told us you could help with our mission and disappeared.”

Robert thought for a moment. “Did this thing have no eyes and a smokey black dress?”

“That’s the one.”

“She’s a spirit.” Robert shook his head. “And her name is Dio’Mar… and she saved my life, apparently.”

“I see.” Greyson glanced at Dorian, who shrugged. “Well, she wasn’t a spirit. I know a spirit when I sense one. And she was definitely a demon.”

Robert’s face seemed to go slack. “What are you talking about?”

“Look,” Greyson gestured toward their unfinished breakfast. “We’ve got plenty of food. Let’s sit down and talk. You must be hungry. Then we can get you cleaned up, get you a fresh set of clothes. What do you say?”

Robert’s eyes focused on the fish, then nodded. “Yeah… that sounds good.”

They all resumed their spots around the food, this time with Robert, who sat between Greyson and Lauren. They didn’t speak for the first several minutes. Allowing Robert time to adjust and start eating. Once Greyson felt it was appropriate to continue, he pressed on. “So, tell us what happened. How did you get so badly wounded?”

Robert glanced at him, finishing the bite of fish in his mouth. “I was in a battle… I don’t know how long ago it was.”

“It happened yesterday.” Lauren said. “If it’s the big one that happened between the clans down here… thee— uhh.”

“Rexunii and Lokkadonians.” Dorian interjected.

“Yeah, them.” She winced. “We travel a lot. Too many clans to keep track of. Sorry.”

“It’s only been a day?” Robert looked perplexed. “It felt like I was asleep for… a lot longer.” He pressed his forehead with his hand. “I was helping the Rexunii in the battle. I used my Dunamis.”

“Your magic.” Greyson nodded.

“Yeah… Then I was knocked on my ass by some powerful technique. The next thing I knew… Boros…” Robert sagged. “He almost killed me.”

“One of the Dae?” Greyson grimaced, looking at Dorian and Ashley.

“It’s a long story.” Robert let out an exasperated breath, then brought up his arm’s stump to look at it. “I guess I got what I deserve.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ashley growled. “The Dae have fucked over every single one of us. How did you deserve what you got?”

“I…” His eyes turned steely. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Regardless.” Greyson eyed Ashley. “You’re here now. And that will help move things along well.”

“Move what along?” Robert asked.

“Getting us all home, of course.”

Robert’s eyebrows raised.

“Got your attention, did I?” Greyson grinned.

“How?” Robert leaned closer. “I was working with some Dae and spirits on trying to figure it out. But they didn’t even know where to start.”

“Because it wasn’t their power that sent us here.” Dorian said. “Of course they wouldn’t understand it.”

Greyson nodded, “We were sent here, by demons.”

Robert’s face morphed into one of shock, then disbelief, then finally to severe skepticism. “Bullshit.” He spat.

“Nope.” Greyson stood, wiping his hands on his trousers before drawing his incisor. “You see, I met one of them. A demon named Mu’Dok, who helped me escape my captivity and torture at the hands of the Dae who got me when I first arrived. He told me that they used their power to bring forth the heralds of the Dae’s destruction. The only problem was, instead of them opening portals to hell and bringing forth the eldritch horrors they were expecting. Our dumb asses popped out of their portals, all over Pelemont.”

Robert’s face scrunched. “That still sounds like bullshit to me. How do you get something like that wrong?”

“Spiritual energy makes it difficult for them to operate here. They can't really use it.” Greyson lifted his blade in the air. “Because of that, It’s almost impossible for them to cross over. They need immense power to do so. They accumulated it for thousands of years, little by little, until they were able to open portals large enough to bring their kind through in massive numbers. But, like I said, humans came out instead.”

“But why though?” Robert shook his head. “Why the fuck would something like that even happen?”

“They don’t know.” Dorian shrugged. “But, we’re here.”

“And the only way to get home.” Greyson continued for him. “Is for us to open these portals back up.” With a grunt, Greyson brought his blade down in a perfect horizontal strike. Slicing the air itself, and leaving a glowing gash, that started to expand. Clawed hands grasped the edges of the portal from within, and pried it open even further. Until a gruesome face poked out, stepping through it onto the grass.

Robert scrambled to his feet and held his hand up defensively.

Greyson laughed, waving him off. “Don’t worry about this guy. He’s a thrall.” He gestured to the creature, who was now standing outside of the portal he had created. The demon thrall stood seven feet tall, had massive horns that protruded from his head, and a spiked tail that extended nearly ten feet behind him. That, with his scaled red skin, and razor-sharp teeth. He looked every bit, the classical image of a demon.

“You see.” Greyson continued. “We humans don’t have the same drawbacks as demons do here. We aren’t negatively affected by Spiritual energy like they are. We can actually use it! Which means, we can open these portals up ourselves, and control these weaker ones to do our bidding.”

Robert narrowed his eyes. “Wait. You can’t be suggesting we help actual demons open portals up, and pour through to destroy this world, right?”

Greyson took a steadying breath, then waved his hand toward the thrall. The creature turned back toward the portal and passed back within it. Then as quickly as it was created, the portal closed. “Robert, it’s the only way to get home.”

Robert scoffed. “You’re serious. You guys are talking about Armageddon here. Millions of dead people. Billions, maybe!”

“Not people.” Ashley hissed. “Dae.”

“I’m sorry.” Robert lifted his hand. “There’s a difference!? You’re all fucking insane.”

“It’s more complicated than that, Robert.” Greyson narrowed his eyes at the man. This wasn’t far from what he expected. After what Dio’Mar said to them, but it didn’t make this any less annoying.

“No.” Robert’s eyes started to scan the surroundings more carefully. “It’s not the reason I was brought here.”

“Look.” Greyson held his hands up. “I’m not going to argue with you about this right now. You’ve got nothing to fear from us. We’re on the same side.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.” Ashely, chuckled.

“Ash! Would you kindly, shut the fuck up, please!? You’re not helping.” Greyson let out an exasperated sigh and looked back at Robert. “Rest here for a few days at least. Let’s talk about it some more. Maybe there’s a way we can get home without unleashing the end times on the people here. I don’t know. But please, don’t just run off.”

Robert’s face seemed to twist while he thought about it.

“Robert.” Lauren spoke, approaching him slowly. “Just give us a chance to—”

“Yeah.” Robert retreated a step, his voice firm. “I’m not sure that’s going to happen. There’s a lot more at stake for me here than you realize.”

Shit, Greyson thought, bracing himself for what appeared to be an unavoidable conflict. We can’t kill him. Maybe if we can overpower him, we can restrain him somehow. But we definitely can’t let him leave.

Robert, seemingly sensing the shift in Greyson’s stance, attempted a swift dodge but was halted by some unseen force. He clutched his head, letting out a pained cry, then crumpled to his knees and collapsed, unconscious.

“W-what just happened?” Lauren asked, her voice trembling as she edged forward.

“That demon is what happened,” Greyson answered, his eyes sweeping the area. “She must still be lurking nearby. I felt her presence just now.”

“Well,” Dorian said with a nonchalant shrug as he approached Robert’s limp form, “we’d better secure him then.”

“Make sure he’s comfortable, Dorian,” Greyson said, his voice heavy with reluctance. “We’re not like the Dae. We’ll treat him humanely.” He knew it felt like a compromise of their ethics, but they were out of options. They needed more humans to fulfill their mission, and this was only supposed to be temporary. At least, that was what Greyson hoped.