The heat was oppressive and Ban’Koliath felt dizzy the moment he stepped up to the inferno. The hazy outline of the armored shadow became clearer as he readied himself for the coming attack.

“Monster!” He shouted, “You will die by my hand if I have to strike you down a thousand times!” With the destruction surrounding him, with his Brothers and Sisters and friends dying behind him, he could not, would not, allow it all to be for nothing.

“Wait, Custodian Ironroar!” Reige called out.

Ban’Koliath’s shoulders slumped and he hung his head. The pair cleared a path through the flames and rejoined the other. Reige assessed their predicament and formulated a plan. He reached behind his back and produced an ornate silver disk. He held it up and a series of clicks and whirrs sounded as the metal expanded into a shield. The shining disk of metal ebbed and flowed like water. He drew a matching silver sword from his hip made from the same mercurial metal. He stepped in front of Roland and planted himself in the doorway.

“Drop the shield, young mage. If you please," Rieige requested, never taking his eyes off the horde beyond the door.

Roland looked at Reige like he had said Paragore was flat but he dropped the barrier. Ban offered Roland his support which the mage took gratefully. The pair watched as Reige deftly destroyed any and all who approached the door. The fanatics stood no chance and fought to back away as Reige’s sword and shield proved an insurmountable duo.

Even Mal backed away from the door. He sat next to Ian trying to keep him awake. His wound was becoming a bigger problem each passing minute. And already the wolf could smell the faint whisper of shadow coming for his human friend.

“Tomb Guard, aid the Commander!” Gormath barked, seeing the familiar glow of the Commander’s weapon. He was still engaged with Kaelic who had run out of daggers and was fending off Gormath’s cavalry sword with twin short swords. The pair were on even footing in terms of martial prowess, but the remaining Tomb Guard could not press their way into the melee. It took their all to control the surrounding forces.

Gormath had to break the stalemate; had to get help to the Commander. He barreled forward and locked blades with Kaelic. Electricity crackled along his scales as he glared at the assassin. The bland man was straining to hold Gormath back and the Sub-Commander pressed harder.

“Today it ends,” Gormath said through clenched teeth. The words leaked out droplets of pure electricity and Kaelic’s eyes went wide as Gormath opened his mouth. Pure blue lighting poured from Gormath’s mouth as he let out a tremendous roar. The electric death struck Kaelic in the chest and cut a line across the floor. Court members fell to the ground, or were hurled into the air, as the lightning-breath tore into them. When the glaring light faded Kaelic was missing. Gormath took a look at the battle, recovering his breath, and realized that The Order of Brass was winning. The fanatics were being pressed away from the door and Ian’s rescue was imminent.

“Enough!” A voice boomed out. The sound coming not from the ears but in the mind. Some of the men cried out in pain and some dropped to their knees clasping their hands over their ears. Neither friend nor foe was spared from the assaulting thunderous mental attack.

The mental slap served to stir Ian back to the present. He’d been drifting on the edge of consciousness on the edge of blessed sleep. He wearily turned his head towards the battlefield. The fighting had stopped.

“Give me the otherworlder and you may all leave this place with your lives,” The voice came again softer this time but no less persistent on their minds.

A white rune appeared in the middle of the fanatics and soon after came the source of the voice. In a flash of black fire, Ivy appeared. Those who hadn’t scrambled away from the flames fast enough became stains of ash on the floor. He stepped around the piles of roughly a dozen men, pacing toward the door, toward Ian.

“This can all stop if you merely accept the inevitable, Ian!” Ivy’s voice continued to project into everyone’s minds. His cheshire grin shining through the shadows of his hood. “Do you want all of these people to die pointlessly? Because I will take you. And I will make it painful for every one of them if I have to come and get you.” Malice leaked out of every word like a cancerous promise of things to come. Blood began leaking from the noses of those closest to Ivy as he walked through the stunned crowd.

“We are all prepared to die to stop you!” Called out a particularly brave Brassman.

Ivy turned raised his hand and swept up the fire from the smoldering ash piles into a ball.

“Infurgueo daemonium,” Ivy whispered to the fire in his hands. The ball morphed into a black flaming lance and he hurled it at the would-be-hero striking him in the chest. It consumed his entire body emanating outwards from the point of contact until nothing was left behind but a blackened skeleton and the soldier’s head. His face remained untouched capturing the terror and anguish of his last moments.

“Would anyone else like to die?” Ivy asked, straightening up to look over the crowd, “I would so hate to keep you waiting.”

Ian made a throaty grunt in response and bracing his back on the wall rose to his feet.

“You can’t go out there," Roland whispered, as he and Ban rushed to steady Ian.

“What choice do we have?” Ian asked giving the mage a calm smile, “He’ll kill us all and take me anyway. At least this way you get to live and fight another day; maybe even figure out how to kill the son of a bitch and avenge me.”

Ian waved them off and stumbled out into the entryway. Reige looked as though he planned on stopping him but relented and stepped aside. Ian nodded in silent thanks. Each step brought a wave of nausea and pain from the wound in Ian’s gut.

Ian stopped and looked back to Ban, “Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m doing.”

The others filed out behind him.

The fanatic sea of Red Robes parted creating a path straight to Ivy.

Ian closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath as he pressed his hand harder against his wound. Ian had a plan, one that would in all probability result in his death. He always thought that in the moments coming up to his death, his mind would play out his greatest hits. But he found himself thinking of one thing, Vale. She’d given everything to save him and here he was about to throw that away.

“I’m sorry,” Ian breathed opening his eyes. He kept his focus on that cheshire grin and took a step forward. He wobbled on his feet to the sneering of the Court members nearby. He took another step and fell. As he fell, he saw the grin shift into a frown. Ivy said something but Ian didn’t hear it. He was too focused on his goal, his gun. In a burst of motion, Ian grabbed his gun and in one fluid motion raised it and fired.

BANG!

The muzzle flared, the slide kicked back, and the bullet slammed into Ivy’s chest. Ivy reached down feeling the hole in his chest. His fingers came away with blood. The liquid dribbled off of his fingers and he stumbled back. Kaelic caught Ivy’s faltering body before the echo of gunfire had even faded.

“Lord Ivy!” Kaleic’s shouted his tone seething with anger. He dashed a small sphere against the stone floor and the pair vanished in a cloud of smoke. His voice echoing a final command, “Kill them all.”

Ian collapsed. His wound had torn open unraveling Pandora’s efforts. His heart pounded and pumped his life’s blood out across the floor. Everything was chaos around him as his vision began to blur.

Ban was there protecting him as he had done all along. Roland too was slinging spells with sweat dripping down his brow. Mal fought like a dervish. They were giving their all to protect him; even Pandora channeled an enhancement spell around them. Ian wanted so desperately to thank them but his tongue was too thick to move anymore. Everything felt too thick to move anymore. Ian closed his eyes.