Chapter 51

If Wil’s time in Aachen had taught him anything, it was that when you were backed into a corner, facing an overwhelming enemy, combat finesse went out the window. Garman had pounded it into his head repeatedly.

‘Keep it simple, you’re out to kill the opponent in the simplest, most straightforward manner. Fancy techniques may work in a duel, but when you’re in life-or-death combat, every ounce of stamina counts.’

Finding himself facing the endless numbers of the Dretch, Wil fell back onto his reliable skills he learned on the wall against the undead. Quick slashes at the enemy’s most vulnerable areas, and spells to keep him and his companions from being overwhelmed.

“Burning hands!” Wil shouted, thrusting his left hand forward as a gout of flame swept through a line of Dretch, before stabbing forward with his sword, the enchanted metal slicing through flesh effortlessly. Pulling the blade free of the fallen Dretch, he sliced another in half on the backswing as it leapt, snarling, at his face.

Next to him, the dwarves swung large, two-handed axes at the Dretch, each blow ripping through multiple foes as blood splashed across the floor and walls. What stunned Wil wasn’t the dwarf’s strength or ferocity, it was that they were singing while they killed. They treated a life-or-death battle like they were swinging picks in a mine or hoeing a field during harvest.

Shaking his head at his companion’s song, he had a moment of rest as a barrage of spell fire from above obliterated a wide swatch of Dretch rushing from the portal. The tentacles, still swinging madly at anything that moved below, paused as the ground cleared.

Turning, he used the moment of respite to assess the progress on the wards. It had only been a few minutes, but already the wards were dim, the lines of power nearly halfway collapsed. It wouldn’t be long before they were through, the seal on the portal reset and the exit open for them to leave.

Wil was brought out of his scrutiny of the wards by a roar from the portal. The profane whispers in the back of his mind had become stronger, nearly overwhelming as the connection between to the infernal realm grew stronger. It took more effort to ignore the voices, as their mad ramblings became clearer.

The roar grew louder as the portal shook, the pulsing power within growing brighter to Wil’s eyes, the crimson light now so strong that it lit the entire chamber.

From the portal, a flood of Dretch emerged, dozens becoming hundreds as they fell over each other in their rush to leave their realm. The black tentacles, sensing new prey, immediately fell amongst them, slamming some of the Dretch into the ground, leaving nothing but smears of blood and flesh.

Wil’s shadow, a silent hunter, appeared in the middle of the group, slashing wildly all around it, its long claw easily cutting them to pieces, as it drifted from one foe to the next.

Not one to be left behind, Wil leapt from the second level, not bothering to slow his fall as he struck the floor just in front of the Dretch. Rolling to absorb the impact, he was already slashing with his sword, his movements a blur as he ran forwards.

Weaving around falling bodies, snapping jaws, and grasping claws, he didn’t stop moving as he pushed ahead, a whirlwind of death as his Shadow Spawn of Fear joined him. The pair were unstoppable as they carved their way forward. Whenever they were in danger of being overwhelmed, the Tentacles would crash down beside them, forcing the Dretch back.

But even the strongest warriors would lose momentum against the horde they were facing. Despite the assistance of the Shadow Spawn and the crushing Black Tentacles, Wil found himself coming to a standstill, his foes all around him.

“Thunder Step!” Wil shouted with a grin, as the teleportation yanked him away, disappearing with a thunderous ‘Bang’ that split the stone where he had been standing and flung dozens of Dretch into the wall, where the impact shattered their bodies.

Reappearing on the second level, next to his dwarven companions again, Wil gave them a quick nod as he tried to catch his breath after the intense fighting.

Moments after he had disappeared, a wall of fire burst from the stone floor, sweeping through the Dretch in a flash. When the fire died, only charred and blackened bodies remained.

“How much longer!?” Wil shouted, as the portal birthed a new horde of the fiends. Turning, he looked at the wards behind him. They were nearly all dark, only a few runes remained, stubbornly glowing despite their intense efforts to deactivate them.

“Not long now, just a few more minutes! We must hold!” Wil heard the mage above call out. Looking up, he saw them surrounded by a glowing blue shield, sizzling and cracking with lightning bolts as the Dretch hurled themselves at the barrier.

Wil didn’t have long to look, as another wave threw themselves at him and the dwarves. His mana was running low now, he would only be capable of a few more spells. Drawing on the little mana that remained in his core, he channeled it into a spell matrix. The glowing lines of green spread quickly, as he thrust a hand outward.

“Dust Devil!” He yelled, as the spell took hold, and a swirling gust of wind was conjured into existence in front of him. The wind formed an intense vortex of air as it lifted dust and debris, spinning them with enough speed that they became a blur of movement.

Wil urged the spell to move forward, as the strong winds blew his long hair away from his face and caused his Ursine cloak to billow out from behind him.

The dust devil slowly inched forward, an unstoppable force that drew everything around it into itself. When the first Dretch touched the swirling mass of air, it was ripped violently away from the ground, spinning quickly before being hurled off the second floor, crashing into the chamber below.

First a handful, then dozens of Dretch were blasted away by the powerful magic. The lucky ones fell to the ground, stunned, and injured, but many others were simply ripped to pieces by the force of the cyclone, the Dust Devil quickly becoming red with the swirling blood and pieces of flesh.

Pushing it forward with all his might, Wil let the Dust Devil go when it was far enough away to no longer be a threat to him or his companions.

Let loose, the spell began the move erratically, the cyclone spinning across the ground, until it tipped over the edge, falling to the chamber floor below.

The impact of the spell’s sudden landing caused the vortex to destabilize, exploding with enough force that it threw dozens of Dretch into the walls, instantly killing them as the chamber rocked violently. Cracks began to form in the already damaged chamber floor, and for a moment, Wil was worried the entire chamber would collapse around them.

Fortunately, the rumblings quickly stopped, as the chamber stabilized and more Dretch began to pour out of the portal. Before Wil could form another spell to stop them, he was interrupted by a shout behind them.

“It’s done!” The mage yelled from above, and Wil spun to look at the wards. They were completely dark, as the Dwarf slowly lifted his hand from where he had it placed against the runes.

“You’re gods damned right, it’s done.” The dwarf shouted, his face splitting into a grin as he turned to look at his companions.

Below, the Portal flared to life one final time, before slowly fading. Wil felt new enchantments in the chamber take hold, as a strong power settled over him, like a weighty blanket. The Dretch must have felt the same because they quickly turned around, diving back into the dying portal.

In moments, the chamber was quiet, except for the ragged breathing of the defenders, before a cheer erupted from a dozen throats.

The exit, an iron portcullis that was sealed by magic, unlocked as the wards failed. Shining in the dim light, three silver tokens rested on a pedestal, a square, golden token floated gently above them.

Leaping to the chamber floor below, Wil used ‘Feather Fall’ to settle softly on the ground. Not even sparing the tokens a glance, he walked pass them, looking at the exit.

Beyond the pedestal, with its shining tokens, was a plain wooden door. Pushing against it gently, it opened on well-oiled hinges. Outside, was a long hallway, filled with doors and side passages. Wil stood there for a moment, before turning around to see the others already arguing over the tokens.

Taking a deep breath, Wil turned away from them, ignoring their argument. He honestly didn’t care much about the loss of the tokens. There would be more available, deeper in the ruins.

Settling his gear and checking to make sure he had everything, Wil didn’t hesitate as he stepped forward, eager to explore.