The force gathered just out of sight of the temple, their presence covered by a large, rocky dune in the fading light of the day. General Korteg moved among them, checking on each of them and issuing orders. His tone carried the weight of the looming battle, but Hump only felt confidence. This wouldn’t be like the last temple. Illusions would be of limited use, and there were far too many guards for them to simply approach under veils. The temple’s defences were formidable—imposing walls, reinforced gates, and vigilant guards.

Which meant they would need to strike hard and fast. The defenders were spread out along the fortifications. Hump looked around at their group of Chosen and practitioners, nearly two hundred strong, not to mention the eighth circle Chosen in their ranks. A concentrated attack from such a powerful force would be overwhelming. No matter how much effort the warlocks had put into guarding this place, Hump was certain they would not expect a force this strong.

Most likely, the enemy were there to guard against an attack from within Elevine, which left a similar possibility that Hump and the others would need to consider: warlock reinforcements might arrive at any time. There was no telling what the state of Elenvine was. The battle might still be ongoing, or perhaps the army that had assaulted Elevine was in the temple now, gathering their strength before moving on.

Whatever the case, it was a mystery that would have to wait. The general had given them twenty minutes to rest, eat, and prepare themselves. As powerful as they were, they had fought a war and travelled for an entire day since—they were poorly rested. If not for their perceived advantage, assaulting such a fortification would be incredibly risky.

Ther break wasn’t much, but Elenvine was in trouble. Every minute they wasted here could be the death of someone. Already, they were around a day late. The battle had possibly concluded. But if warlocks were still here, then that left a chance for another attack at any moment. They had to eliminate that opportunity.

“I hope they’re in there,” Bud snarled, taking a bite out the bread Celaine had handed out from her Belt of Storage. “I have only grown more furious as I think about our homeland under attack. The more warlocks the better.”

Hump’s stomach churned at the thought, but he was so hungry he didn’t slow down as he ate. The only one that wasn’t eating was Emilia. He noticed the weak smile on her face. She was worried—a worry that had only seemed to build as they drew closer to Elenvine.

“Are you with us, Emilia,” Hump asked gently.

She looked up at him, her thoughts broken. “I am with you. It’s just… imagining Elevine is hard. My people are suffering, my family might still be fighting.” She let out an exhausted breath. “And I’m here snacking.”

She raised the bread in her hand as if in disbelief.

“You must eat,” Dylan said gently. “This may be the last meal you have for a while. Blessings can only sustain you for so long.”

Emilia stared at the loaf in her hand. “I know, I know.” She took a bite and grimaced.

Celaine awkwardly shuffled closer to Emilia. “Are you doing okay?”

Emilia nodded. “I will be. Once I kill a few warlocks.”

In truth, Hump was pleased too. An opportunity to take out so many warlocks at once was a good thing, even if he needed a very long break.

“All this has put things into perspective for me,” Bud said. “I didn’t truly grasp how many people these warlocks have working for them.”

They all looked at the knight. It hadn’t truly sunk in for Hump either.

“You’re right,” Hump said. “They’ve left an army to guard a temple in a realm that is supposedly out of reach. Not to mention that they managed to assault ten cities at once. There must be thousands in their ranks.”

“They have the support of demons,” Emilia said. “That will bolster their numbers.”

“I didn’t see any demons when I looked over the temple’s fortification,” Celaine said. “Perhaps they didn’t come to Elevine.”

Emilia winced. “If they didn’t, that likely means they have an even more powerful force waiting. Elenvine is protected by the two most powerful Chosen of the Pantheon.”

“So it will not fall easily,” Bud said, meeting Emilia’s eye. “It will not fall, Emilia. Have faith in our gods, and in our people. Evil twists its way into our world, corrupting all it can, but good always triumphs in the end.”

That sounded like a line straight out of a bard’s tale, but Hump wasn’t about to voice that. On the eve of what would be their third battle of the day, they needed all the morale boost they could get.

Instead, Hump said, “You know what would mean, don’t you? There’s a chance—a good chance—that the Seal of Elenvine was not yet broken. As you said, the city’s defences are the strongest in the kingdom.”

“I will not dare to hope for that,” Emilia said. “But it would be wonderful if that were the case.”

“It is,” Bud said. “I’m sure it is. You heard the general, you saw the blessings in the dungeon, the gods are guiding our path. This will work out.”

“I just hope it works out quickly,” Celaine said. She chucked a piece of meat into the air, that Nisha snapped up hungrily. “I am tired of fighting.”

“Never thought I’d hear that from you,” Dylan said.

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Celaine looked at him and shrugged. “I enjoy a hunt. I even enjoy dungeons in a way. There’s a thrill to going out into the middle of nowhere to see what we might find. But this is different. I know exactly what I’ll find.”

“Death?” Bud said.

Dylan shook his head. “I think she means war.”

Celaine nodded. “People turning against people is not something I enjoy. Not that I am one to complain, just that I get little thrill out of killing people.”

“You and me both,” Hump said. “I’m a little glad to hear you say that though. Makes you feel a little less dangerous.”

“I may not like it, but do you truly think that makes me less dangerous?” She narrowed her eyes at him, the green sparkling with essence. It was a look Hump had seen a thousand times when she had found her prey.

He had to admit, it stirred something strange in him when it was turned on him. He kind of liked it.

Hump swallowed and then smiled. “A good amount of dangerous maybe.”

Nisha looked between the two of them and huffed. She brushed up against Hump, then Celaine, huffing again before letting out a long grumble. Food.

“Oh, sorry Nisha,” Celaine said, chucking her another piece of meat.

Snapping up the piece, Nisha let out another disgruntled huff.

“You tell ‘em, Nisha!” Dylan said. “Seriously, you two. We’re about to take on a bloody stronghold and you’re leaving your dragon hungry. You could be more professional!”

“Well said, my friend,” Bud said. “Some people are simply too shameful. Imagine flirting at a time like this.”

“We are not flirting,” Celaine scoffed.

Hump gave her a side-eye. “Were you not just ogling me?”

Celaine glared at him, and Hump grinned a challenge.

“You’re blushing, Celaine,” Emilia said, her voice light with amusement as she rolled her eyes.

“Emilia!” Celaine gasped. “Not you too.”

Emilia smiled. “It’s cute. And I need a little of that right now.”

Celaine’s face softened as she looked at her friend. “We’re here for you, Emilia. We all are. You just point us where you want to go, and we’ll get you there, whatever’s in the way.”

As she spoke, Hump leant forward to get a better look at her face, Dylan and Bud also investigating at his sides. Nisha looked between them curiously and then joined them, leering at Celaine.

“There’s definitely a little redness,” Bud whispered.

Celaine whirled back around to face the three of them and they sat back down. Her jaw clenched.

“Oh, now that looks dangerous!” Hump said.

Bud and Dylan both nodded quickly.

Talk soon turned to the assault after that. It was not long until they were as rested as they could be. The strategy was a simple one. The force would be divided into two, one led by General Korteg that would take the walls, while the other by Count Daston that would breach the front gates.

Three parties would secure the wall first, each of them using a Chosen of Vesta to transport them directly to the battlements. General Korteg would lead the rest of his half up under a veil while the defenders were distracted. Upon reaching the walls, Chosen of Seres would use wind funnels to launch the force onto the walls.

In the meantime, Count Daston would lead an assault straight through the front. Hump’s party would be with them, which suited Hump just fine. Sneaking around wasn’t something he was very good at, and his magic wasn’t exactly subtle. They would advance under illusions for as long as they could, but once they were spotted, it would be an all out assault.

***

The assault began spectacularly. Owen’s party along with two others appeared on the walls and began assassinating the guards while the rest of the force approached under the cover of veils. It took only minutes for the strike force to take the temple’s walls, and only when they opened the gates was the alarm raised. It was a near perfect infiltration, yet the moment they were inside, the situation changed.

A shimmer of magic pulsed from the temple, a ward that disrupted their veils in an instant. Hump felt the blessings of the Chosen of Light unravelling, the illusion shattering like fragile glass. The air crackled with energy as the temple’s second defensive enchantment activated—a deadly wave of fire. It erupted from the walls in a roaring, blazing arc.

“Behind me!” Count Daston’s voice boomed over the chaos. The blessings of Avaroth poured from him in a flood. A shimmering barrier sprang to life, forming a silvery dome around the entire force. The air glowed with the liquid shimmer of his blessing, ripples spreading across the barrier’s surface as the fire met it.

It was consumed by the barrier. Hump had seen the count at work in the Infernal Halls, and knew how powerful his blessings were, but seeing him swallow up so much essence so simply was spectacular. Yet that was only the beginning. The power was siphoned into Count Daston, until he swelled with a silver radiance.

He gazed across his half of the force with a confident grin. “Let us hunt some warlocks!”

And it was a hunt.

Hump’s party surged forward into the temple hall, rampaging through the ranks of warlocks with deadly efficiency. On his left, Marcela’s party was ablaze with blessings. On his right, Anara’s party advanced, her flower blossoms spreading over the force to provide them with enhancements. General Korteg had requested that they try to avoid large-scale attacks, attempting to keep the temple as intact as they could. That meant no lava or fire magic for Hump, a thing that Hump was more than fine with. Burning people alive was still not something he had quite gotten used to, even if they were warlocks.

He thrust his staff forward, and sent shards of rock shooting through the temple, striking heads and bodies like arrows. Rock Missiles homed in on those out of sight, seeking out his foes and felling them.

Nearby, Celaine conserved her actual arrows, plucking arrows from the shadows around her and loosing them into the warlocks. Emilia had pierced the ranks of the defenders, finding her way into the rear of their line where she carved through spellcasters like a whirlwind of steel. They could not catch her, and her blade was a red needle through the air. Dylan leapt throughout the enemy ranks, leaping like a monkey and striking out with his quarterstaff. The staff elongated at the command of Growth, launching him into the air or sending enemies flying. Other times, he would make the staff as thick as a three and let it fall upon the warlocks, crashing through their shields and spells with ease.

And then there was Bud.

The knight marched alongside Count Daston, his steel plate gleaming with icy blue. Spells fizzled out and died as they came near him, the cold aura of his Heart of Frostfire overwhelming their magic. Arrows shattered against his armour, and the few foes that dared to get close were met with massive, crushing blows from his blade. Where Emilia was finesse, Bud was raw power. Where her blade weaved past enemy defences, his battered them aside, his strikes brutal. He fought with overwhelming might, pushing back the enemy ranks like a furious boar, his entire body a weapon. Each swing of his sword sent warlocks crumpling back, coated in a debilitating layer of ice, or their bones shattered by a powerful blow from his fists.

For a moment, Hump couldn’t help but admire him. Bud had become a force of nature, unstoppable, his presence on the battlefield almost as clear as the count that stood beside him.

The battle was fierce but brief. The warlocks had been powerful, their defences strong, but they had not expected such a strike. There had to be three hundred defenders within, but none were close to a match for Count Daston and General Korteg, let alone the rest of them. Within minutes, the temple hall was strewn with fallen enemies, their spells broken, their lines shattered.

Hump lowered his staff, breath steady as the last of the defenders was captured. He looked around at his companions standing amidst the wreckage of battle. They exchanged grim smiles, but this was far from over.

Elenvine was next.