-[Act 1 * Part 5]-

Aidan readied his sword and took up a guard stance. “You won’t fool me twice,” he said and activated his abilities that had just come off of cool-down, “{Greater Agility}! {Greater Dodge}!”

The dungeon keeper smiled and gave the bracing warrior a nod of courtesy. Basil then launched into an all-out attack on the man. Now that the proper abilities had been chosen to counter his agile fighting style the warrior was able keep pace with him.

Aidan countered his attempts at closing the distance by keeping his sword between them all the while delivering swift jabs and cuts at Basil’s limbs as the demon prince tried to get around the blade's uncommonly sharp edges. This back and forth continued as the warrior desperately sought to fend off the infernal monk, but even with his abilities boosted Aidan was finding the task almost impossible. The demon pressed his attack without reprieve.

Finally, it appeared as though Basil was about to deliver a telling punch when a bolt of golden light struck him in the back. The demon tumbled forward and into the reach of Aidan’s sword. Seizing the opportunity, the warrior delivered a grazing strike across the demon’s left torso.

The dungeon keeper winced in pain and ducked to avoid a follow up attack. He successfully used his downwards momentum to roll past the warrior, leaving him in the clear on the other side.

Nadia stumbled through the fading hellfire towards her brother. She had been scorched by it, but having held out until the very last moment she had only faced the withering flames at their weakest.

“So, you have chosen to join us,” Basil said. “Shame, I was hoping that I could go on dueling your brother for a while longer. Rarely do I face such a worthy opponent.”

“[Healing Bond]!” Nadia said and pointed her staff at Aidan. Once the magic bond had been established she commenced casting healing spells on him and by doing so recovered a portion of her own lost constitution.

Reinvigorated by his sister’s magic, Aidan appeared to recover from some of the wounds that Basil had inflicted. He could not be healed back up to his prime without taking some time off to recuperate outside of combat, but Nadia could at least keep him at peak fighting capacity.

Basil intentionally took the next strike of the sword on his left arm as he pressed past the bracing warrior and towards the priestess. In a few long strides he had placed Aidan behind him and was almost at his sister’s throat.

Nadia crossed her arms on her chest and cast a defensive spell. “[Divine Shield]!” The golden shield of light appeared just in front of her, baring the demon from striking her directly.

With little time to exploit his breakthrough, Basil resorted to grabbing hold of some of her spell books that were still hovering in-front of the priestess, just outside of the protective shield. He caught the small one, the bestiary, in his teeth while clutching at the covers of the much larger spell book with both hands.

Aidan invoked an ability to force the demon away from his sister. “{Lionheart}!” he cried out and his voice turned into a roar—a blast that he directed towards his enemy. The stone floor cracked along the path of the warriors shout.

Just as Basil was about to break free with the arcane tome in his hands, the shockwave struck him from the left. It parted him from the book and sent Basil crashing into a nearby pillar.

Dazed from the impact, the demon prince rose to his feet and backed away from the two with Nadia’s bestiary in his teeth. He then proceeded to tear it to shreds once he deemed himself to be at a safe distance. Now she could no longer spy on him without wasting her precious mana on specialized divination spells.

“We must press our advantage,” Aidan said and advanced towards the demon lurking behind the pillar.

Having done away with the bestiary, Basil circled the room, slowly drawing closer to the steps of the throne.

“You are—tough,” he mumbled while picking out the scraps of the book from his teeth. “Two on one you might have stood a chance against a lesser demon prince. But not me, I’m afraid. Today is not the day I die.”

“Running away, are you?” Aidan taunted him.

Basil backed away towards the throne. “Hardly,” he replied and raised his arms to the sides. “Why would I leave now? The best part is only about to begin.”

The demon prince took out a scroll from his bandolier and held it out for the two to see.

“Don’t tell me he has another Tier 8 spell in that scroll?” Aidan asked. “How many of those things can the bastard have?”

“Might be another illusion,” Nadia reasoned, “Might be something else entirely.” This time the priestess took up a position in front of the warrior to shield him from the incoming spell.

Aidan noted the growing concern in his sister’s voice.

“It’s not the scrolls that worry me,” she told him. “The dungeon keeper has been saving his mana for something. I just know it.”

Basil slowly climbed the stairs of his throne while holding out the ready-to-be-triggered scroll in his hand. “It won’t be me alone that you have to face at the steps of this throne,” he assured them.

“Stop stalling!” Aidan called out. “You promised us a fair fight! Well? Are you going to break that vow? ”

“Oh, I am going to finish this myself,” Basil replied. “But I did prepare a special suprsie just for you! It would be a shame to waste it.” He waved at the two champions now standing beneath him and bowed. “Now that you stand before my throne, I have your own power to draw upon for my spell,” he said. “I am sure you will find it as entertaining as I will.”

The dungeons keeper released the scroll allowing it to unfold completely and broke the magic seal. “[Corrupted Mirror]!” he said and begun channeling his mana into the arcane circle. Blue streams of energy left his body in waves as he fed them into the spell.

“No way…” Nadia whispered in disbelief.

The chamber was engulfed in a blinding blue light. Walls of blue burning mana rose from the summoning circle that materialized around the throne.

Aidan looked to his sister for guidance.

“I didn’t sense the ritual circle because of the illusion spell,” Nadia said. “That is why he lured us this close to the throne.”

“What is the ritual for?” Aidan asked.

“[Corrupted Mirror] is a Chaos summoning spell of the 9th tier,” Nadia explained. “This ritual must have taken weeks to prepare. The scroll was just half of the spell—a catalyst; a key of sorts.”

“You are correct!” the dungeon keeper called out. “But do you have the resolve to face the minions that I am about to summon?” Basil shifted his wicked gaze onto Aidan. “Can the brute really take the life of his own sweet, little sister?”

Aidan eyed the twin twisting portals of mana at the sides of the throne with grave concern. “What is he summoning?” he asked.

“Us,” Nadia answered. “He is summoning chaos corrupted copies of us.”

Nadia struck down hard with her staff and began channeling her divine magic. “Protect me,” she said to Aidan, “I need to interrupt the summoning.”

“Don’t think that I will let you spoil my fun,” Basil said.

“It is time for you to do your part,” Basil said and looked to the succubus standing at the side of his throne, “See to it that the priestess does not succeed with her meddling. I need to remain out of combat while I channel the summoning spell.”

The gorgeous she-demon grew tense upon receiving her master’s order. “It will be done!” she replied. Elnora then pointed her wicked halberd down at the intruders and launched into a charge. In a few lightning quick steps she had descended the throne and made a dash for the priestess.

Aidan immediately placed himself in-between his sister and the incoming she-demon. “You won’t pass!” he declared and raised his sword to parry her halberd.

Elnora was about to get within striking range when she suddenly shifted the spear tip of the halberd downwards, lodging its tip into the ground just a short distance ahead of Aidan. It buried itself deep into the frozen surface and the succubus jumped up, vaulting over the bracing warrior.

Aidan swung around in an attempt to strike the she-demon with his sword, but was only marginally successful. Elnora winced in pain as the edge of the blade grazed her upper back, but the succubus pressed on towards the priestess regardless of her injury.

Realizing that she would not have enough time to finish her spell, Nadia reluctantly ceased the channeling and took up a defensive stance, ready to fend off the charging she-demon. With Elnora already upon her, the priestess cast a [Divine Shield] at the very last moment.

Elnora swung her halberd from the left and lodged the axe head of the weapon behind the edge of the magic shield just as it materialized. But instead of pulling the weapon away for a second swing, Elnora proceeded to push it further, sliding the shaft along the edge of the golden shield and grazing the shoulder of the priestess with the axe head along the way.

Nadia cried out in pain. Seeing that Elnora was about to strike again, she raised her staff in an attempt to parry. The priestess was successful in deflecting the next blow of the weapon, but the succubus followed it up with a kick to her chest. The metal clad heel of her boot dug into the body of her enemy like a spike, leaving a bleeding wound as well as pushing the priestess back.

“Get away from her, you infernal whore!” Aidan cried out as he charged towards the she-demon.

Nadia stumbled backwards and cast an offensive spell to repel Elnora: “[Holy Blast]!”

A wave of golden light erupted from her staff. The barrage of divine energy struck hard and sent Elnora flying towards Aidan. The warrior cleaved at her with his sword, but Basil’s apprentice was quick enough to throw her halberd into the way of the blade.

“{Thunder Strike}!” Aidan screamed just as the sword was about to touch his target. A bolt of lightning ran down the blade and up Aidan’s arms. Empowered by the special ability, he struck the shaft of the halberd so hard that it launched both the wicked weapon and the demon wielding it towards the nearby row of pillars at great speed.

Elnora snagged her halberd on the first pillar in her path and lost it. She then slammed into the second pillar with such force that something cracked—either the stone or her bones. At any rate, she had been so badly wounded by the combined attack that the succubus could no longer stand.

“Get that bitch!” Nadia yelled while clutching her wounds.

Aidan complied and went in for the finishing blow. In a few strides he was almost upon the downed she-demon and was about to deliver the fatal strike when Basil decided to intervene.

The last they had seen of the dungeon keeper he was still channeling mana into the ritual spell from the top of his throne. They certainly had not expected him to come to the aid of his downed minion.

Having noticed his arrival at the very last moment, Aidan tried his best to position his blade so as to parry Basil’s kick, but the demon managed to land a hit across the warrior’s face that sent him reeling sideways. The dazed warrior immediately came back in to try and finish off the she-demon, but Basil followed up his kick with an incredibly heavy punch on Aidan’s abdomen that blew him away from Elnora.

A brief moment of silence settled over the battlefield.

“Well, that was…” Basil searched for the right words as he looked down upon the frail body of his defeated assistant. “Quick? I suppose it was to be expected. They are nearly twice your level, after all.”

Elnora smiled as she noted the missing ring on her master’s finger. “You took one off,” she said.

“I needed more mana to finish the summoning,” Basil explained.

The demon then picked at his teeth until he removed a shred of the leather bindings that had once held together Nadia’s bestiary. “Not that they will find out now,” he said and smiled. “The difference shouldn’t be that noticeable with just one ring missing.

“But still, good effort, Elnora. You did your job. They didn’t get to interrupt my summoning.”

The she-demon looked with dreamy eyes at the dungeon keeper standing over her.

“I didn’t—think,” she struggled to speak, “that they would be so strong.”

Basil nodded. “Well, now you know,” he said. “You are not the first demon to underestimate the native kith. They might come from weak societies, but some of them rise to be our equals. Never underestimate your opponents, no matter what species they are.”

While the two of them were having their conversation, Aidan used the opportunity to launch an attack on the dungeon keeper from behind.

“{Lionheart}!” he screamed activating his ability in an attempt to stun Basil. It struck the dungeon keeper in the back, but this time the demon weathered the blow by holding onto the pillar with one hand. He did not even look back at the attacker.

Nadia cast a support spell on her brother. “[Holy Fury]!”

Empowered by her magic, Aidan swung his sword with divine anger. He placed all of his might into one final cleave that would finally rend the rock hard flesh of the demonic monk.

Basil reacted by slamming down his foot into the frozen ground and sent a number of stone slabs flying up and into the path of the charging warrior. They did little damage, but were enough of a hindrance that Aidan tumbled over them and fell. He landed right next to demon prince who then proceeded to kick the struggling warrior aside.

Elnora graced him with a contemptuous smile as the great human champion was sent sliding across the iced over floor like a soapy mop.

With Aidan out of the way, Basil opened up one of the pouches on his bandolier and pulled out a dark purple piece of cloth. Upon closer examination it turned out to be a cape of sorts, but how such a large thing could have fit inside such a small container was not made immediately obvious.

“Here,” he said and wrapped the cape around Elnora’s shoulders. “This should protect you from further harm.”

“Master…” Elnora whispered and reached out for Basil’s marble smooth face.

In the meanwhile Nadia followed up her brother’s unsuccessful attack by launching one of her own.

“[Greater Magic Missiles]!” she said and several colorful bolts of light erupted from her staff. They arched their way across the open field and struck the demon in the back.

Basil easily shrugged off the damage. He turned to the priestess to deliver his protest. “We are having a moment here,” he said. “Show some respect, please.”

He pointed in the direction of Aidan. “Go and heal up your brother!” he commanded. “We are not done yet.”

Basil then turned back to Elnora. “You are in no condition to keep fighting,” he said. “Sit the rest of it out, alright?”

Elnora’s eyes glistened with expectation as the dungeon keeper carefully picked her up from the floor. She took the opportunity to cozy herself into his protective embrace and closed her eyes.

I wonder what’s on her mind, Basil through as he carried her towards the steps of the throne.

“You saved me,” Elnora whispered. “I knew that you cared…”

“Of course,” Basil said. “It would reflect badly on my reputation if they killed you while I was watching.”

Elnora’s eyes popped open and her body tensed up at the realization that all was not well.

“I can’t let you die yet,” Basil explained to the confused succubus, “or I will lose out on my down payment for the apprenticeship program. And, frankly, I can’t be bothered with the paperwork to get that tax exemption revoked.”

Elnora’s expression flat lined.

“You know my stance on these things,” Basil continued. “The less I have to deal with the Guild regulations, the better.” He tapped her once on the nose, “That’s what I have you, my faithful assistant.”

He climbed the stairs of his throne and left Elnora resting in his seat.

She looks unhappy for some reason, Basil thought. Why is that?

An idea came to his mind and he acted on it. Basil brought forth a red health potion from his bandolier and placed it in her hands.

Elnora stared at the item with clear indifference.

Basil then went rummaging through one of the pouches. “I know I had a straw around here somewhere,” he mumbled.

While he was busy searching for it, Nadia once more cast a spell of [Greater Magic Missiles] on him, through at this point it didn’t appear to do more than annoy the demon.

“Do you mind?” Basil barked at the priestess. “I told you to go and fix up your brother! I’m coming for his ass next!”

“Wish you’d… come for… mine,” Elnora whispered angrily.

Basil did not seem to catch that remark.

When he finally found the straw in his pouch he handed it to the succubus.

“Stay here now,” he told her and turned around to face the intruders. “We are about to get to the best part. My new servants are about to arrive.”

The twin shadow portals at the steps of the throne expanded. Beyond the magic veil two shapes appeared and reached out from the shadows into the world beyond.

The shadow clones of Aidan and Nadia finally had awakened.