Unknown POV

“My lord.” I said, infusing my words with spirit. “I bring news of the raid.” I kept my head bowed, awaiting the time when Apophis would grant me his presence. Even the last of his Vipers would need to be kept waiting for a little while, not to mention how he would have to send a bit of his spirit to infiltrate this world without drawing attention. I kept my breathing slow and even, focusing only on the image of the god I served. While I always lost track of time doing this, it helped pass the time.

“Adder.” Apophis’ voice rumbled in the room. “Raise your head and report.”

I looked up from my kneeling position to see a spectral head hovering over the black altar. Unable to stop my body from betraying me, my eyes widened in shock at his appearance. One eye had a cloudy look to it, and four scales from the center of his forehead had greyed out and looked like they would fall off at any moment. “My lord.” I said to center myself. “We drove the monster waves toward the wall as planned. Unfortunately, we were unable to coordinate everything. Eustache attacked at night, but was defeated. Somehow they made a moon appear and it empowered the berserkers enough that their status was restored. Asp was unable to corral her harpies, and they attacked late in the afternoon of the second day. He did manage to time it so that his attack was immediately after two of the walls were attacked, but they had a reserve force at the headquarters that countered and destroyed her.”

“And how did they manage to attack something so high up?” Apophis hissed.

“They summoned a phoenix, my lord.” I answered immediately. “While that distracted everything, streaks of flame appeared in the very skies themselves and pierced through the clouds that Asp was using to hide her harpies. They stood no chance.”

“And you don’t know the skill or spell used?”

“No, my lord.” I said, hanging my head in shame.

“No matter.” He said after a minute, letting the silence bear down on my shoulders. “What is the excuse for your swamp minions being destroyed?”

“Traps.” I whispered.

“SPEAK UP WHEN YOU ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!” Apophis’ voice thundered through the room, dislodging dust from several corners and sending a spike of agony through the scale that had pierced my heart.

“I’m sorry my lord! I’m sorry!” I screamed in agony, writhing on the ground for a full minute while he poured the agony through our bond.

“Now that you remember your place, what destroyed your group?”

“T. Traps.” I gasped out as loudly as I could. Delaying an answer was not an option! “Dirt, loosely packed into ramparts with metal shards and spears in it. They added alchemical explosives and detonated them with lightning.” I lay there, trying to gather myself as I felt his burning gaze resting on me.

“So. With no voids, your earth magic wouldn’t have detected them. Anything different you just discarded as more metal, yes? There was no magic involved, they had to be detonated by hand. Clever. Very clever. The explosions would have turned all that metal scrap into flying crossbow bolts, shredding whatever is near.”

“Exactly, my lord.” I said, rolling back to a kneeling position.

“And yet, you didn’t think to destroy the ramparts with your earth magic. Why?”

“Overconfidence.” I immediately replied. “My minions were smart enough to go around, or to climb over carefully without injuring themselves. I didn’t see the need to exert myselAAAAAAAHHH!!!!” I screamed once more as pain shot through my body. My muscles burned as my bones cracked. Several times I nearly blacked out, but with his connection Apophis knew and dialed back the pain just enough

“Let that be a lesson to you. Now tell me how Mamba fell.”

“Yes. My. Lord.” I panted, forcing my abused body to move back into a kneeling position. “She was toying with her food, using her illusions to fool them into believing she was that much faster and more skilled than them. The leader of the Golden Lions fended off her pet, protecting the walls. Mage reinforcements arrived, and they gave the leader enough of an edge to kill the mole. That’s when everything broke down.”

“Explain.” He ordered.

“One of the new mages realized she was using poisoned arrows, and had his fellows cut his arm off for protection. Thinking him disabled from the pain of cauterizing the wound, Mamba focused on the other two members of the Lions. She killed one, but it revealed her illusions. Before she could kill everyone, the mage she thought incapacitated managed to launch a flame spell unlike any I have ever seen before. The heat was so intense that I felt it, and I wasn’t even within 20 feet of the spell. That destroyed Mamba’s invisibility. The death of the fire mage sent the other one into a frenzy, and she borrowed against a month of mana to cast a lightning spell so potent that only Mamba’s deformed armor was left.”

“I see. Do you know the names of any of these spells?”

“Apologies my Lord. The fire spell was called Plasma Wave while the other was Thunder God’s Vengeance.” I lowered my head for forgetting such vital information.

“Plasma?” Apophis asked, and I felt his presence in the room magnify. “Tell me the mage that called forth the plasma was killed?”

“Of that I can be sure my Lord.” I replied, looking up. “I saw the light leave his eyes as two of Mamba’s arrows stuck out of his gut. He is no longer of this world.”

“Yessss! YESSSSS!!!! And did you catch his chant? What did they chant say?”

“I can’t recall all of it my lord. Something about the surface of stars, and a stage of matter?”

“HA! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! OH THIS IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!!” Apophis crowed, and I felt all the lingering pain from earlier wash away in the light of his affections. “Oh, this is beyond my wildest dreams! Though we didn’t get the dungeon, a far greater prize has fallen into our laps! Adder my dear, the summoned hero has been destroyed! Those pesky gods lack the ability to summon another for years!”

“Truly?” I asked, hope flaring in my chest. No wonder our best was overcome! They had a summoned hero!

“Indeed! Now, here are your new orders.” I immediately straightened, unable to keep the smile from my face. “First, continue north before crossing into the human lands. Take the heart of the altar here and carry it in a lead case. Remember, it must stay in this world, so no inventory rings!”

“Of course, my Lord.” I said.

“Good. Take the heart, and carry it into the middle of the Bog of Eternal Shadow. You may need to crack the box open just the tiniest bit to ensure safe passage, but do it fast. No more than a fraction of a second. Leave the box in the middle of the bog. It will do the rest. After that, you are to head south and join up with our elven allies there. They have most of the items for a shrine, but lack the means to implement it. Craft the shrine for them, and you will become the bodyguards for our puppet rulers. Care must still be taken, but we are gradually weakening the Soul Oracles power. Be my voice behind the scenes, and soon we shall have this world.”

“By your will!” I said, energized once again. With the death of the hero, none would stand in our way! Apophis’ presence disappeared, and I set about putting his will in motion. Of course, I would need to tie off loose ends here. I’m sure Apophis wouldn’t mind a few more sacrifices in his name on this altar before I moved it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sean’s POV, Evening of the third day of the raid

“We are gathered here for conflicting reasons. As always, to celebrate life, and another victory over the Monster Waves that periodically threaten our survival. And yet, any sort of celebration seems hollow, as there are faces missing from our midst.” Brian spoke solemnly, his voice magically enchanted to speak to everyone in the crowd. We were gathered in the largest open space in town, there in front of the dungeon. Between us and Brian were all the remains of the warriors who had fallen, resting peacefully on pyres awaiting a touch of flame. “We embrace the life of the adventurer, testing ourselves against foes. Death is our constant companion, one we always feel lurking, waiting for his opportunity. Despite the dangers, we constantly go forth, confident in our skills. But sometimes. Sometimes it is not ourselves that Death lays claim to. And each death hurts, no matter their legacy. So we gather when we can, to remember. Remember, and in doing so ease our sorrow. Remember the young men and women of the South Wall. Too young to have forged themselves a mighty name to precede them. Talent, cut short in its prime. Yet their tale will light the fires in the hearts of thousands yet to come. They will see the memorial to those known as the Tribe of the South Wall, and burn into their souls the meaning of their sacrifice. They were given a charge, and held to the last. Together they fought against a far superior foe, each knowing that to do so would end in their death. And they held for long enough.”

“No.” He shook his head after a second. “Not just long enough. Even as death took the last of them into his cold embrace, their defiance flared! Underestimated, forgotten for dead. In a final act of defiance one rose up to strike a blow against the one who slew so many! And in doing so ensured his defeat at the hand of those who will continue their legacy! The Tribe of the South Wall shall live on, and though each that falls shall have their name chiseled into the wall, it shall grow ever stronger! For within each that joins burns the spirit of a defender! Those who know no greater end than to lay down their life in defense of their charge! One shield my buckle, one warrior may fall, but a thousand of his brothers and sisters stand behind him!”

Brian took a moment to compose himself, calming for a minute. “And yet, not all died in glorious combat, the type sung about on drunken winter nights.” He walked over to a few bodies, some weren’t even warriors. “Some fell in these previous days, to attacks unseen. No, twas not a mysterious assassin that managed to slip by our walls. It was much simpler. Harpies, flying high on the wind rained down an unexpected assault. They cared not for their target, simply searching for destruction. In the end, their attack too was repelled. But it still leaves a scar in our midst. A reminder that sometimes it isn’t the warrior on the front lines that falls to the horrors of war, but those civilians brave enough to stay behind and support us. Those who say, ‘Go forth and fight those battles that you can. When you return, I shall fight. Fight hunger and injury, pain and exhaustion. These shall be my enemies, and I’ll not back down!’. Though the gentlest souls among us, when pushed to battle they become the hardest steel. Perhaps this change is often why these losses cut the deepest.”

Walking on, he came to the center of the array. “In war, even the giants among us may fall. Few will recognize the name Tawnya Millersdaughter. Many of you will recognize Tawnya of the Golden Lions. The Ferocious Fang, whose blade never failed to pierce an enemy. How many times has she mentored a group on a dungeon run? Or gone out to the wilds with you to give you practice fighting in different terrains? I don’t know how many hours she spent in the training grounds, honing her skill and passing on her knowledge. She, like everyone else will be sorely missed.”

Slowly, he walked to the body I had been dreading. I felt Elendria’s hand slip into mine, and I gave it a gentle squeeze. “Yes, there are many figures that can be counted as giants that walk through this city on a daily basis. Little did we know, that hiding among them was a titan. Few know the moniker of Cantrip Carrigan, even fewer know the stories behind his accomplishments. That’s how he always liked it. He wasn’t one to take center stage while slaying mighty foes, or to become an indominable presence to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. No. Instead, he prided himself on two things. The simple one would be his cantrips. Small spells that damn near anyone could learn, but would make life infinitely easier. I know he picked up a cleaning cantrip while in the desert on the demon continent. In the barren tundra of the north, he brought back one to keep a small barrier of warm air around the body. Rumor has it he had to learn it to escape from an overly affectionate giantess.” Brian chuckled a bit at that. “If you were heading into a swamp, he had a cantrip to keep off the bugs. There was one to remove wrinkles from clothes in case you needed to meet someone important. Nobody gives much thought to these cantrips, but I know Carrigan made it part of his life to learn as many as he could and spread them far and wide.”

“But the thing I liked best about him, was his dependability. You knew when things got hot, that Carrigan would be there. And when an enemy was bearing down on you, a timely lightning bolt would strike them down. Or a gust of wind would deflect the arrow set to pierce your heart. As free with his knowledge as he was with his love, the world is a bit darker without you in it my friend. And so, it is with a heavy heart that we consign our friend’s bodies to the flames, and entrust their souls to the gods. May your next lives be as bright as your last ones. Farewell.” As he finished, purple flames erupted from beneath each pyre. The entire town was silent, until the last of the flames died away. Tears were wiped away, and slowly the air was lightened with the passing around of ale. I couldn’t take it, and escaped to our room in the inn. Elendria followed me, and we spent the entire night wrapped up in each other’s arms, crying for our lost friend.