“Oh you wouldn’t dare.” Leon laughed after hearing the plan.

“Of course I would, it’s in my name.” Darren smirked back, “If all else fails you can bring me back right, Silvia?”

“Honestly that’s very high level magic, even with my help she may not be able to for quite some time.” Avarith said. “Especially after imbuing you and concentrating to keep you going.”

Darren felt Silvia panicking as she thought about it.

“Well there’s only one way to find out, and we can’t just sit here. It’s at least a little less suicidal than our other options right?” Darren looked Silvia in the eyes, trying to send confident thoughts. I’m fast already, and you’ll make me even faster.

I’m not sure about this. I’ve never had to focus on something for that long, or at that distance. she sent back.

First time for everything. he grinned at her.

“So everyone knows their job?” Darren stretched his legs in the center of the room, being careful not to be seen by any of the Madmen below them. “Buncha hungry beat up psychos, should be an easy race to win.”

“You’re as crazy as they are.” Hostich said, “But we know our roles, we’ll do our best to cover you.”

“Then let’s hit it.” Darren walked to Silvia, “Light me up, buttercup.” he said as he turned his back to her.

Silvia scrolled through her index hesitantly and selected the symbol for Imbue in both hands. She squeezed her fists before placing her palms together and summoning as much power as she could handle. Avarith did the same standing next to Leon. They each imbued their guardians at the same time, placing their hands on their backs and forging a connection with their mana. The symbols on the guardians’ arms glowed a bright blinding purple, smoke began to trickle from the runes.

Silvia stared at his face from behind as he looked over his shoulder, noticing the wrinkles he got around his eyes when he smiled at something completely insane he was about to do. She stepped aside and took a seat against one wall, closing her eyes to focus entirely on maintaining the bond. Balancing her mind on a scale between his and her own to keep the link alive.

Darren’s purple eyes gave off light of their own as he punched Leon in the arm and sprinted towards the door so hard he kicked up a cloud of dust from the stone floor. As he reached the door he leapt out over the crumbled stairway, easily covering the wide gap to the roof of the next building. He zipped across it faster than he thought possible and jumped another thirty or more feet away. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet in a thinner patch of the shambling monsters near the edge of the crowd. His strength surged as he grabbed one by its ankles and swung it like a bat, plowing a hole through the few between him and open ground.

“Over here mother fuckers!” he yelled as he lobbed the one he was swinging backwards into the mass of aimless bodies.

The ones nearest him let out a scream and ran towards him. A wave went through the crowd as they began shrieking and moving in the same direction. Darren took off towards the temple as the entire horde followed as fast as their decrepit forms could carry them. As he ran more came from the alleys and buildings around him. Any that got close caught a stiff arm with the full power of Silvia’s magic coursing through him. A light push would send one slamming into the ground hard enough to break bones. One reached to grab him and he slapped its hand down so hard the arm snapped backwards at the elbow. He felt unstoppable as he ran, having to slow down slightly so he wouldn’t completely lose the crowd.

As they took off after Darren, Leon drew his sword and jumped through a window heading the opposite direction. With most of them running after the bait he only had to slice through a weak few that couldn’t keep up or were coming from far enough away that Darren hadn’t tempted them. He ducked and smashed through small groups heading back the way they had originally come from. Leon knocked them left and right as his feet practically flew him to the first house they had stopped inside. He hefted the large case holding the artillery onto his back and strapped it on securely. He ducked to get the large box through the doorway and began running back to his mage. Avarith had put so much force of will into him that he hardly noticed the extra weight, besides feeling it slap against his back with every step. Most of the creatures that had tried to follow him were so beaten from his first run he only had to bob and weave to avoid them on his way back. Once he was in sight of their two story safehouse arrows rained from the windows, covering his return and dropping the few creatures that followed him. He saw Hostich and Seven up on the roof waiting for him. His boots slapped against the dirt with everything he had as he fell into a full sprint. He jumped up towards the building just before theirs, stepped off the wall and leapt just high enough to catch the hands of the two soldiers waiting on the roof. With his momentum they dragged him and the artillery case up on top.

“Alright, get this set up.” Leon said as Avarith released his concentration, letting the power flow out of him. Leon fell flat on his stomach and desperately sucked in air. The amount of work his muscles had done now caught up with him. His legs and back burned with the weight and strain they had just endured. He had done his part, now he just hoped Darren fared as well.

Darren was still leaving the creatures in the dust, looping in a loose figure eight around a few smaller buildings to keep them after him and give the stragglers another chance to see him. Careful to keep a close enough distance to Silvia that she didn’t lose their connection. He could feel his legs heating up as they beat against the ground but he couldn’t head back until they sent the signal.

A flare fired high in the air from back where he’d started. He just had to make one more loop to get the crowd to follow him back. Darren could feel his speed waning and had to push harder just to stay ahead of the crowd. The creatures didn’t seem to get tired, no matter how weak their bodies looked. He sprinted around them heading straight back where he felt Silvia sitting, concentrating. As he came in sight of the building he saw Hostich waving him on while Seven sat behind the artillery. The barrel, not aimed up to as it normally would be to fire in a long-ranged arc, but directly at him.

“Fucking fire!” Darren yelled as his speed started dropping off rapidly.

“Not yet!” Hostich yelled, “Not yet..” she watched as the crowd funneled in behind him “Now!”

Darren used the last bit of his strength to jump as far as he could, just as Seven pulled the trigger. A metallic -THOONK- sounded off with a bang. The large metal ball it fired flew inches over his shoulder. He pulled the shield from his back and spun, making his body as small as he could behind it.

The metal ball flew towards the oncoming crowd and exploded, releasing several smaller balls that spanned out several feet on either side before exploding again and unloading fire and shrapnel up the entire street. It shredded through the front of the mass like a hot knife through butter. Guts and limbs sprayed into the air as the shrapnel cut through the crowd in a wide cone, spreading out the farther it went. The blast threw Darren a dozen feet further, he landed in a hard roll and lost his shield as he tumbled end over end.

Most of the creatures were dead, or so damaged by the blast they couldn’t move. A few that managed to avoid the blast, be it by luck or by having enough bodies in front of them, came sprinting towards him.

Darren realized he suddenly couldn’t move, Silvia’s magic had drained out of him when she was surprised by the explosion. He felt her scream in his head. He tried to lift his arms but it was impossible, his legs burned like they were on fire, he couldn’t even scream from the pain. It reminded him of sleep paralysis dreams he’d had, his body too heavy to move. He could see the creatures closing in on him, spit flying from their lips as they yelled.

Half the squad dropped in front of him, the other half fired arrows, striking them down left and right. Avarith fired what little magic he had left, sending gouts of fire and ropes of vine to kill and slow the advance. As they closed the distance the team began their massacre, hacking and smashing they cut down man after man as they trickled in from behind buildings. Luckily, few enough at a time that they weren’t overwhelmed.

Darren felt a weight hit him as one came from the back. It landed on him and began swinging a flurry of blows with its bare hands. He tried to yell out, but his voice only came out as a whisper. The strikes rained down heavily on his face and shoulders as he lay still.

A vision hit him from Silvia’s eyes as she climbed out the window above him and dropped directly onto the man’s back. It smashed the mad man down onto Darren, but stopped it from swinging. The creature reached back raking with its fingernails trying to get at her. She grabbed it by the neck and threw her weight backwards rolling them both away from Darren. He could only watch from her eyes as she pinned its face in the dirt and dropped elbow after elbow directly on its head. The metal of her bracer split its scalp and popped the lumpy growths on its neck and skull. She beat it until the back of its head caved in and it stopped moving altogether. After all the magic energy she expended and the beating she gave she could hardly keep her eyes open. She crawled over to Darren and fell onto his back, covering him as she passed out completely.

Avarith, tired and running low on his own magic, hopped down with his sword to protect them both as the squad stepped back forming a circle around them. They stabbed and slashed, collecting a small crescent of corpses around them as less and less showed up. The screeching grew quieter, until finally no more appeared.

The operations team stood panting, waiting to make sure they were finally in the clear. When they were sure, they used ropes to get themselves and their wounded back up into the second story of the building. Once everyone was in the relative safety of the ruin, they leaned against the walls and collapsed onto the floor.

“I can’t believe we got them all.” Hostich said, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths from the adrenaline still pumping through her veins.

“Darren’s plan worked better than expected.” Avarith said as he looked at Darren and Silvia, unconscious and leaned against each other in a corner.

“That boy is wild.” Leon waved his hand, still barely able to move, lying flat on his back in the middle of the floor.

“Damn right he is. I’ve never fired a shredder straight like that.” Seven laughed.

“We’ll need to rest for a few hours, and eat to regain our strength after all that output. I’m sorry, but we’ll need to keep you in the ruin a little while longer.” Avarith told the team, eyes on the floor. “And… I’m sorry for your loss, as well.”

“That’s alright, it wasn’t your fault. We all knew the dangers when we signed up, and at least you saved one of us.” Hostich patted his shoulder lightly. “Hasn’t even been a full day yet. I expect we have a bit longer before you start to look like a meal.”

****

Darren’s mind became aware of his body before his eyes opened. Every muscle and bone ached deeply to his core. He just sat in the darkness behind his eyelids feeling his body as it throbbed, the bruises and scratches on the back of his head and neck sent little shots of sharp pain to accompany the dull ones. He became aware of the stone beneath him, his hands resting in his lap, and slowly noticed the small weight pressed against his left side. His head lolled to that side and he felt soft hair against his cheek and under his nose. He breathed steadily and recognized Silvia’s perfume, mixed with the smell of sweat and blood. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the pastel orange waves he was pressed against. She was still unconscious, having sent all her energy to him and still having to use more to save him from the last of the Madmen. Her chest rose and fell slowly with each breath, her head against his shoulder. Darren looked up and took in the rest of the team, Avarith and Leon sat near the door looking out. Hostitch and her soldiers sat against one wall eating quietly and resting while One and Two surveyed the ruin out the windows, keeping watch in case any more of the of the sad husks of men were roaming the town.

“Oh, you’re finally awake.” Hostich said softly, nodding to Darren.

“Heeeey, dude. How’re you feeling?” Leon asked as he slid over near them.

“Everything hurts, and I can barely move. How’re you? Did it work?” Darren replied sleepily.

“It worked, Darren, it was a good plan. Or at least well executed.” Avarith reached out to hand him some meat and bread from his satchel. “Eat this, you and Silvia slept through the night. The sun is just breaking the horizon, and after we eat we’re going to finish clearing the ruin.”

Darren took Silvia’s hand and squeezed it lightly, he felt her mind begin to stir as she woke.

She looked around and immediately took the food in front of her and tore into it. She turned to Darren, Are you alright? the thought came clear as she chewed an oversized bite.

I’m alright. How do you feel? he stretched his jaw and rolled out the shoulder she wasn’t leaning against.

Everything hurts. She set her head back against the wall.

Darren smiled as he let out a small snort, That’s what I said.

They ate their food quickly, stretched briefly, but could waste no more time. The team collected their equipment and readied themselves as best they could for whatever they would find inside the temple itself. They scaled down from the second story of their safe haven and proceeded towards the center of the spiraled paths between buildings. Still carefully watching their surroundings in case they had missed anything the first time.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

As they neared the temple they saw the mass of cages that had apparently held all the prisoners they’d had to kill. A few were still locked with people inside, emaciated and fearfully muttering and screaming to themselves.

“They’ve been here too long to help. They’re already lost to this place.” Avarith said as they walked passed them towards the steps. “I’m sorry to say, but the best we could do is put them out of their misery. It will have to wait until we’re on our way out though, we need to hurry and get this done so you all may leave.”

The team hesitated, staring into the cages at men whose eyes didn’t even focus on them.

This is horrible, why would someone do this? Silvia asked him.

I hate to say it, but probably to protect something inside. the thought sickened Darren, to ruin human minds and end their lives just to use them as guard dogs.

‘Guard dogs’ I want to meet the monstrous bastard that would reduce men to this. Silvia’s mind boiled with rage.

They slowly approached the open entrance at the top of the conical structure. The doors long since crumbled and broken inwards. They drew their weapons and stepped slowly into the darkness. Leon and Darren opened the palms of their free hands outwards and cast purple spotlights for the team to see. Some of the soldiers lit torches as they entered. They proceeded past two large pillars and down a long set of stairs that stopped at a landing, two more sets of steps cut back to either side and went down under the first leading underground. They reached the bottom and walked into a large open chamber with doors on either side. The purple and orange lights danced across the walls, revealing hieroglyphs and pictures carved into the great stone walls and pillars. Ancient statues, too worn to understand what they had been, were set between each pair of pillars leading off into the darkness, too far for their lights to reach.

It looked like several of the rooms behind the side doors had caved in long ago. Rubble and loose rock sticking through them, having broken the doors years before.

They continued slowly, in a circular formation, down the center of the giant room heading toward the back.

“Look at that.” Darren said as he broke formation. He walked through the circle and pointed his spotlight at a giant set of stone doors with large ornate golden patterns inlaid on it. Where the two doors met there was a large square with a beveled edge and a hole, as big as a fist, in the center.

“This must be the vault.” Avarith said as he ran his hand over the carved symbols around the square piece. A thick layer of dust came off on his hand, revealing the bronze metal the symbols were made of. “Bronze, when cast with magic it holds the energy better than any other metal. It makes the metal much harder, and can hold curses, traps, or blessings for extremely long periods.” he stared intently as he scratched one of the symbols with his fingernail.

“Well I assume the hole in the center is some kind of key or mechanism for opening it. So we should fan out and try to find something that fits. We don’t know what’s down here though so we should stay in decent sized groups.” Leon aimed his light into the hole in the door and saw grooves cut into the stone on the sides.

They split off into two groups, each composed of one mage and guardian with half the operations team.

“The door gave off some magical energy, so the key might as well, Silvia. Look with your mind more than your eyes.” Avarith said as the two groups went to their own sides of the main hall.

They checked the few side passages that weren’t caved in. The rooms held various piles of what looked like decomposed wood and small rusted metal bits. Tables and chairs of the people that used to worship here, their decay slowed slightly from being sealed within the tomb for most of the time since it had been abandoned.

As Silvia approached a door near the center of the wall she felt a small tickling in her mind.

I think I have it. she told Darren.

He jogged over to her from the previous room and stepped up to the rotting wooden door. They looked at each other as he set his palm against the door. He gave a hard push and it creaked on its rusted hinges before falling off completely. It slammed against the floor with a bang, loud in the solemn silence of the ruin. Darren aimed his palm in, shining the light from his symbols into the dark space. The room was bare, with intricate carvings across the entire floor, save for a small path directly to the center. In the center of the room stood a single stone podium with an altar behind it. On the podium a small cylinder of stone with small grooves colored in blue and red floated. Avarith and the others came over to check on them after the racket they caused.

“Well, that looks about right.” Leon said.

“Is it weird that someone dropped all these people outside but left this here?” Darren asked looking back at Avarith.

“Food for thought, but time for action.” Avarith sighed. “We have to look inside.”

Darren stepped forward carefully, watching the walls and the ceiling. “In my world people laid traps in places like this.”

“You could expect the same here.” Leon remarked as he watched the walls.

Leon and Darren walked in slowly, ready for anything. Closer and closer they got to the podium with no signs of trouble. Darren looked back at the group before reaching up and closing his fingers around the cylinder. He gently pulled and felt resistance, wrenching it away from the pillar felt like prying two magnets apart. It released and he held it to his chest and looked around again, still waiting for something sinister, but nothing came.

“Is it really this easy?” Darren asked as he walked back to them. He held out the key to Avarith who took it in both hands.

They walked back to the immense stone doors, Avarith slid the object into the hole in the center and felt it click into place. He gripped it tightly and rotated it within the doors.

They all jumped as the doors shuddered, thick layers of dust fell from both sides as they began to slide apart. The sound of stone grinding was so loud they couldn’t talk over it. As the doors parted they saw the room beyond was well lit. Two torches rested in sconces on the side walls, and one lay burning on the stone floor near the center of the room. Standing a few feet inside the room was a tall man with bronze armor and a face mask drawn up above his nose, grey runes down his thick bare arms. He stared at them dismissively as if they didn’t matter. Behind him another man in a long grey coat stood in the center of the room near a large altar with a thick book floating above it. He looked at them for a moment and then back to what he was doing. His hands glowed as he pushed smoke and light across the altar, probing around some kind of barrier that separated him from the tome. Against the far wall a large black hole stood open in the air, with grey smoke swirling around it like a whirlpool.

“Who are you?” Leon asked as he stepped forward drawing his sword. The tip of the sword passed through before he was stopped in his tracks as his hand bounced off a glowing barrier covering the entire doorway and barring his entry. He waved the sword through the glowing barrier freely.

“Doesn’t matter.” the man in bronze said “Just keep quiet so he can focus.” he nodded back to the man in grey.

“Is that a portal?” Darren asked, stepping near the barrier.

“It is. Now really, quiet down, this is quite difficult.” the man in grey sounded annoyed.

“We represent the Chevalier family and are here to claim that artifact for the nation of Gardelia.” Avarith called out to the man.

“And yet I’m on this side, and you’re over there. Not looking good for Gardelia is it?” the man allowed a smirk even as his brow furrowed with focus.

Hostich nocked an arrow and leveled it at the mage “His sword goes through, so will this. So I suggest you stop.”

“Funny thing about the Ovrenell, they could imbue magic with intent. Go ahead and shoot, be my guest.” smoky grey energy still whirled around the tome.

“Don’t.” Avarith reached out and touched the barrier with his palm, he sent out small tendrils of magic along the barrier to get a reading. “This is complex, far beyond human magic you’ve seen. My guess is it would send the arrow back at you.” He pushed more magic into it “And I do not think it would miss.”

“It’s been around longer than any of us, Avarith.” the man in grey looked at him as he said his name, watching for a reaction

Avarith’s eyes narrowed suspiciously “We haven’t been introduced. You know my name, may I know yours?” He eyed a glowing amulet around the mage’s neck, a circle pendant with an eye in the center and three circular slots, two of which contained smaller eyes at the vertices of a triangle within the circle.

“Ever the gentleman, how could I decline? And yet” the man in grey mocked “I’m on this side, and you’re on that side. And not a soul in this world will pass through it.”

Darren was struck by a sudden idea, Not a soul in this world. He cocked his head as he looked at the barrier.

Silvia heard the thought, Don’t do something stupid she replied as she put a hand on his arm.

Darren stepped forward and pressed his hands against the barrier. It rippled and slowly he slid into it and emerged on the other side. Drawing his sword he took satisfaction at the momentary surprise on both men’s faces.

“How the hell?” the man in bronze said as he stepped back and grabbed a halberd that had been leaning against the altar.

The man in grey just stared at Darren for a moment before smiling “That’s a neat trick.”

“Wait ‘til you see my next one.” Darren stared right into the man’s eyes.

“Kill him, I’m almost done.” the man in grey looked back to his task as if Darren wasn’t even there.

The man in bronze readied his weapon and took two calm steps forward, placing himself between Darren and the mage.

“Be careful, Dare.” Leon gripped his own sword, even as he knew there was nothing he could do to help.

Darren could feel his bond sever as he stepped through the barrier, it was the first time he’d been without it since coming to this world. He shook his head to focus and held his blade in one of the guards Leon had taught him, advancing slowly. He tried to circle around the man, but the guardian cut off his angle keeping him from having line of sight to the mage.

The halberd launched out in a series of quick swipes. Darren caught and deflected the first few, falling back to avoid the final blow. He didn’t want to give ground, but the man’s weapon had a lot more reach than his own sword. The man in bronze closed the distance slightly and thrusted with the spike at the top of his halberd. Darren caught the axehead with his blade and deflected it to the side, stepping in to close the ground between them. The man stepped back and pulled the weapon, clanging the blade off the armor on Darren’s back before stabbing downwards with the spike at the tip. It pierced the reinforced hide of his pants and sliced the edge of his thigh. Darren grunted as he stepped to the side and took another defensive stance. With this reach he would be picked apart a little at a time. Darren rolled his shoulders and bobbed lightly on his feet like he was boxing, trying to calm down and loosen up.

“Almost done.” the mage called to his guardian.

The guardian struck again, swinging a heavy blow towards Darren’s body. Darren turned, his blade caught the haft just below the axehead. He hooked the axe and held it out with the sword in his right hand as he spun and pressed his back into the haft of the polearm and wrapped his left around the weapon. He reached out to kick the man but the guardian stepped to the side and fired a left hook right into Darren’s face. The metal on the knuckles of his gloves split Darren’s cheek and sent him reeling backwards as the man swung his halberd away, ripping it from Darren’s grip before pulling it back into a ready position and advancing. Darren stumbled but kept his feet under him.

“Fight to your strengths.” Leon called from outside the door.

He readied his sword again and circled to his left slowly. The man kept a parallel line, still blocking Darren’s path. The guardian stepped forward quickly swinging with the axehead in a feint, he pulled it back and caught Darren’s side with the bottom of the handle knocking the wind out of him. He followed with an overhead swing of the axe, Darren caught it with his blade and deflected it overhead as he stepped in to attack. The man used the momentum to launch the handle between Darren’s legs striking him in the groin. Darren doubled over and fell towards the man. He dropped his sword and latched onto the guardian, refusing to give up the close distance. The man tried to shove Darren back with the middle of his weapon, but Darren held on. He dropped his weight and locked his hands around the man’s waist, trapping the guardian’s arms to his sides. He lifted the guardian and turned him mid air before slamming him into the ground on his head. The man in bronze released his polearm and pulled a knife from his belt. Darren tried to isolate the arm, but didn’t see the other hand and the other knife until he felt it drive into his ribs. The pain was blinding, he felt it scrape against bone as it slid in through the leather covered gap in the metal. He fired a headbutt into the man’s face, bloodying his nose and bringing a rage to his eyes. From his back the guardian pushed him away, planted a foot in his chest and gripped his hair and the knife handle to pull and throw Darren over his head.

Darren landed flat on his back, he felt blood leaking inside his armor, down his side. He saw the axehead coming downwards and managed to roll to his left as it crashed against the stone where his head had been. He tried to get to his feet but the man kicked him in the face, he crumpled to his knees for a moment before diving backwards away from another swing from the halberd. He hit the ground on his back, the impact knocked the wind from his lungs again. He clumsily rolled backwards and came to his feet. The man was walking towards him steadily, not rushing because he didn’t need to. Darren reached down and pulled the hatchet from his belt and took his hunting knife out in his left hand. He stepped back with a limp, but brought the weapons up in front of him.

“Time to go, now!” the mage yelled suddenly.

Without even blinking the man in bronze turned and dropped into a dead sprint for the portal. The mage broke the barrier in a burst of white light and plucked the book from the altar before running towards the portal as well. The barrier over the giant doorway began to drop from the top down. Everyone on the far side readied their weapons, but had to wait until it fell low enough for them to get over. Avarith charged a massive ball of magic, never taking his eyes off the other mage.

The grey mage and guardian jumped through the portal, it swirled shut behind them instantly. Just as a giant pillar of fire splashed into the wall scorching the stone black and sending a massive heat wave back into everyone’s face.

“I almost had him too.” Darren fell to his knees dropping his weapons. He doubled over in pain and gripped the knife still stuck in his side.

“Don’t pull it out!” Hostich yelled as she crouched down and grabbed his wrist.

“That guy’s good.” Leon spit towards the portal, his hands on his belt.

“No shit, he’s a fuckin’ asshole.” Darren coughed, a small spatter of blood spilled over his lips.

Silvia dropped to her knees next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

Darren realized with the barrier down their bond was reconnecting. He was flooded by too many emotions to quantify. Worry, anger, relief, and a general frustration with his foolhardy willingness to jump into idiotic situations.

“Yeah yeah, I know.” he said as he looked at her.

Silvia just sighed angrily. She selected Heal from her index and charged up as much as she could.

Darren pulled Hostich’s hand off of his own and yanked the knife from his side in one quick motion. The pain was surprising, You wouldn’t expect it to hurt more on the way out. Maybe it’s the adrenaline wearing off.

Shhhh Silvia set her hands over the wound and pressed her concentrated magic into his side.

He felt a searing pain throughout his right side as the muscles and organs reconnected. Darren fell over to his left and rolled onto his back, his eyes closed as he focused on staying conscious. “Does this mean we failed our first assignment?” he asked from the cold stone ground.

“Yes, yes we did.” Avarith said curiously as he walked back to where the portal had been. “But we learned a few important things.”