Hump withdrew the essence in his staff and raised it to an upright position. Before him, Marshall Merrick appeared as a black knight in his plate armour. It was less bulky than Bud’s or Owen’s—built to be more agile. Merrick removed his helmet, revealing the handsome man beneath that Hump recognised from the briefing with Drexel. His dark hair was slicked back with sweat, and his face marred with dried blood. As Hump looked over the rest of his squad, he saw no obvious injuries, but from the blood and dirt on them Hump was sure that they likely had healing to thank for that.

Merrick gave Anara a playful smile. “It is good to see you are well. Your squad has fared better than my own, Anara. Did you encounter no resistance?”

“We were ambushed by the imp lord’s forces but defeated them,” Marshall Anara said. “The gods were with us. While the fighting was fierce, we came through relatively unharmed.”

“I wish I could say the same,” Merrick said. “The demons were ready for us when we crossed through the node portal and into the Infernal Halls. A large force waited for us. We emerged victorious, but not without losses.”

Anara sighed. “How many?”

“Our losses were not as catastrophic as it appears—three were killed, while six more I sent home through the portal once the battle concluded. Their injuries were too severe to continue.

“I shall take that as a small blessing.” She looked over the eleven members that remained of his squad. “May those you lost find the gods swiftly.”

“We shall give their deaths reason in our victory!” one of the members said. He looked a few years older than Hump and carried a staff with essence stones embedded all along its top half.”

“We shall indeed,” Merrick said. “They died well. They will be welcomed with songs of valour, I have no doubt. You should know, Anara, that we met with Drexel’s squad on our way here. He intends to assassinate Gorvol.”

“The Gatekeeper.”

Merrick nodded. “He wishes to kill him before the main army arrives.”

Hump swallowed. The mighty demons that the orcs worshipped as a god, and the one tasked with guarding the Infernal Gates. He was powerful, no doubt.

“Then that leaves us to deal with this,” Anara said, turning back to the now open door. “Our wizard identified this as the keep’s essence source. Now that I can see it, I’m inclined to agree.”

“Whatever we’re going to do, it had best be fast,” Marian said. “I think we’ve been detected. Enemies are on their way to the stairs.”

Merrick came to stand beside her, peering inside. “Can we smash it to pieces?”

“That’s probably not a good idea,” Hump said. He pointed at the large essence stone at the centre of the room. “There are defensive wards all over this place, and they’re powered by that. Any effort to forcefully disrupt it will result in powerful backlash. You would likely not survive the blow.”

“I have some ideas to get through it,” Soren said. “Leave this with Wizard Humphrey and me. We shall get it done.”

“Will you need this demon?” Anara asked, pointing at the creature she had charmed.

“Not likely, but it’s possible,” Soren said.

“Then it shall sleep.” As she said the words, the creature dropped to the ground, unconscious. “The rest of us shall hold the hallway.”

The two marshals started to organise the squad members. With Hump assigned to another task, Bud would be in command of the party. They would be holding the base of the stairs to the left along with Marcela and Anara’s parties, while Marshall Merrick’s squad would hold the right, supported by Owen’s party.

“Oh great, here comes trouble,” Emilia whispered to Celaine just as they started to move to their position.

Hump looked up as a beautiful woman approached, a happy smile on her face, and blue eyes that didn’t seem to miss a thing about Emilia’s reaction. The woman looked a little older than them, and even just her walk put Hump on edge. This was the kind of woman that was dangerous.

“Robert! I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said.

“Lysandra,” Bud said, nodding a greeting. “Where is Faelan? He wasn’t…” he trailed off.

“He’s alive, thankfully,” she reassured him. “He was sent home an arm short though.”

“I shall pray for his swift recovery.”

Bud squeezed Hump’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

“You too,” Hump said. He looked at Celaine, and she met his eyes, giving him a small smile.

Hump turned from them and to Nishari. The little dragon was watching him with large eyes. Guard the door, Nisha. Make sure it stays open.

It was too dangerous for her to come inside a place filled with unknown magic. Better she remained in the hall, no matter how unhappy she looked about it.

“Are you ready?” Hump asked Soren.

The man swept his golden cloak behind him dramatically. “There are few things I’d rather do than pick apart the magical workings of demons and warlocks. You couldn’t keep me out of here if you tried.”

The Sorcerer led the way in, and Hump followed, stepping into the heart of the keep. In truth, Hump was grateful for the Sorcerer of Osidium’s aid. Most of the runes were etched on either metal of earth—his powers would no doubt be useful.

There was a faint hum in the air, caused by the sheer density of essence in the room. It resonated deep within Hump’s bones and prickled his skin.

His eyes roamed the many components in awe. He had heard of the skill demons had with magic, but he never imagined they might create something so complex. The intricate network of runes etched the floor like a spiderweb, filling the room in luminous patterns that pulsed with the glow of the floating essence stone at the centre of the room.

Careful not to step on the runes directly, Hump placed his feet carefully between the lines of runes, making his way toward the floating essence stone at the centre of the room while trying to comprehend how it all might function. Large runes formed the core of formations, while tens or even hundreds of smaller runes surrounded them. Without understanding the language, the details were impossible, but a few things stood out to him. Firstly, a powerful ward lay across the entire chamber. It was unreactive to their presence, but Hump was willing to bet that any attempt to disturb the formations within would be met with force.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“This is marvellous,” Soren said at Hump’s side. The man was spinning around as if trying to take everything in. “I almost don’t want to destroy it.”

Hump gave him a look and raised his eyebrows.

The man chuckled. “I said almost.”

“Even if we wanted to, I’m not sure we could destroy it,” Hump said. “I sense powerful defensive wards at work in here.”

“Yes. Whatever magic is at work here, it shall be no simple feat for us to break through.”

Hump walked past tables and workbenches spread about the space. Most were empty now, but a few still held various artifacts, traps, and weapons—the same ones Hump had seen the demons deploying in the courtyard above. Essence stones lay in bags upon them, brimming with power. Hump could hardly imagine the value of everything in there.

Quickly, he reached the colossal essence stone at the centre of the room. Channels of light shot from the corners of its facets, piercing through the air in all directions and connecting to different areas of the chamber. Pressure radiated from it, reminding Hump of the aura of powerful Chosen or a manifested soul. It was larger than any essence stone he had seen—larger even than a dungeon core. It pulsed with a rhythmic light, its surface inscribed with a complex array of runes that shifted constantly, reordering themselves with each pulse of essence, twisting and turning like clockwork. Each time the colour of the stone changed—blue, red, yellow, white—it sent a wave of energy through one of the many channels connected to its facets.

Hump glanced at the smaller essence stones that floated around it, each adorned with similar, albeit simpler formations. At a guess, they somehow supported the function of the central stone; perhaps to maintain a steady flow of essence and prevent it from overloading.

“What do you make of it?” Soren asked.

“It’s complicated,” Hump said vaguely, “well defended, and likely beyond our capabilities to destroy.”

“I agree.”

An explosion sounded in the hallway and they both turned. Nisha was looking to the left, her body hunched, her eyes focused on what could only be fighting.

“At least in the short time that we have,” Soren concluded. “Fortunately, we only need to disrupt it.”

At his words, it was like a spark went off in Hump’s head. “For that, I have an idea.”

As per Hump’s instructions, Soren manifested pebbles of stone across the entire chamber, suspending them over the many spell formations. He held them there, shining with bronze essence, ready for when Hump needed them.

Withdrawing his spellbook, Hump let his essence surge, bronze light streaming between his book and the focus of his staff as he utilised the upgraded version of Compact Formations to enhance the Tier 4 spell, Titan’s Wrath. The tendril of light danced before him as power concentrated into a ball in the air, shining brighter and brighter until the light went dark. A black crystal spike formed within the ball of light, growing until it was as large as a stalagmite.

Focusing, Hump compressed the obsidian shard into something more manageable, concentrating its power into a dagger of a spike.

Hump gave a nod and Soren swept his golden staff down. All at once, the pebbles reacted, shooting at the ground, propelled by a trail of bronze essence. The chamber filled with the sound of cracking stones. Essence erupted everywhere, a barrier taking form over the arrays of runes to keep them safe. With the barrier in place, Hump had a target to attack.

He levelled his staff toward one of the larger lines of runes beneath the essence stone floating at the heart of the room. One of the key channels that connected it to the rest of the keep. With the barrier spread thin across the entire room, penetrating a single spot should be possible.

There was no room for doubt. He’d gathered what power he had, now he needed to trust that it would work. “Titan’s Wrath.”

The obsidian spike shot forward, striking the barrier with a thunderous crack. Essence exploded from the point of impact—bronze rings pulsing around it, while pure blue essence evaporated from the barrier in thick mist. As the spike pulsed with Hump’s intent, willing the barrier to break, willing for the spike to pierce, the barrier slowly gave way. Then suddenly, the spike was through. It pierced the runes below, stabbing into the ground and disconnecting the line of runes. The main essence stone pulsed faster, essence flooding the rune as if it somehow detected the disruption, yet Titan’s Wrath continued to pulse with intent. As the essence reached it, it burst from the runes and smoked into the air, dissipating without reaching its objective.

“It’s doing something,” Soren said. “Is it working?”

“I think so,” Hump said, though he was unsure. He looked over the floor. There were dozens of similar runes spreading out around the central essence stone. Even if they destroyed one, it would take time for them to cause any real damage.

He glanced back at the door to the chamber, seeing flashes of light in the hallway. He heard a demonic roar and bellowing shouts. The fighting was escalating. Time was limited, and this was their best option. The only choice was to continue.

Minutes passed. Hump manifested Titan’s Wrath as quickly as he could without sacrificing the strength of the spell. Each time, it became a little easier to pierce the barrier. Part of that was that it was already disrupted, but more than that, Hump was becoming more and more certain of their success. Whatever they were doing, it was working. The central essence stone was pulsing faster with essence, seemingly trying to repair the damage but unable to. With every failed attempt, more of its essence was wasted, leaking away into the air and achieving nothing.

Just as victory seemed certain, a bright flash erupted from the stone. Essence poured from it and through a line of runes that fed to the rear of the chamber, the end point concealed behind a table with a floating pyramid of steel atop it. Shadow rose from beyond it, filling the air and radiating strength.

Hump and Soren shared a look. Together, they advanced toward it, their staffs ready. On the ground beyond was a large, circular spell formation, alight with essence. Hump frowned—he recognised those runes. They weren’t the spidery lines of the demons, but the sharp, box runes of the warlocks.

A vertical black slit formed above the formation, spreading upward until it was as tall as a person. It started to widen, the shadow expanding, the edges glittering with all colours of light.

“Soren, get back!” Hump said. “I think that’s a rift.”

They started to retreat, but the slit tore open. A strange crunch shook the room as a black rift ripped open the space before them. Three figures stepped out—two men and a woman, all in dark battle robes.

Hump and Soren both stopped and stared at them. The figures stared back, equally surprised.

“Rockshot!” Hump shouted, taking aim with his staff.

Soren’s own essence whirled, circular metal blades manifesting in the air before him that shot out, slicing through the air. One of the figures pulled a wand from their belt and swept it upward. “Shield.”

The barrier deflected their attacks, shimmering with essence as their own spells ricocheted off its surface, crashing to the warded floor below. Suddenly, one of the figures vanished in a swirl of shadow. Hump felt a sharp impact in his head. Pain flared through his skull as the world swam and he crumpled to the ground. Dazed, he rolled over, instinctively lashing out with his staff.

“Blast,” he snarled through gritted teeth.

The man standing over him grunted as the force of the spell hurled him backward, sending him crashing into a workbench. Humpt tried to stand, but his legs gave way, balance lost. He felt liquid trickle down the back of his head and neck. Another attacker charged him, staff in hand. Hump thrust his own staff forward, casting another Blast, but they swept it aside.

Before Hump could get off another spell, the attacker had closed the distance. The woman stood over him, looking down at him with a smirk as she slammed her staff against his chest., pinning him to the ground with an invisible, crushing force. The ward beneath him shimmered, its magic pressing against his back with unwavering toughness.

Hump let loose a scream of agony—a desperate, choking sound as the air was driven from his lungs. The edges of his vision darkened.

A ferocious roar thundered through the chamber. Through the haze of pain, Hump sensed a sudden surge in his bond with Nishari. There was a flash of gold in his periphery and then the woman standing over him was tackled backward. She screamed, and the crushing weight abruptly vanished. Hump heaved in a desperate breath, gasping for air as he looked up.

Before him stood Nishari, her usually black scales transformed into a brilliant, shimmering gold. She held the female attacker in her powerful jaws, teeth clamped shut around the woman’s throat. Nisha snarled, a sound so primal and vicious it seemed to shake the very walls of the chamber.

Blood pooled around the woman’s limp body. She kicked weakly, her hand brushing Nishari’s side, but her strength was spent. Nisha shook her head in a final, savage motion, and the attacker went still.