The child of dark must be slain! The voice came from nowhere again. She is caged, destroy her! Stathis looked around, trying to see the speaker – other than Semari and Pajaran, all she could see were other fighters, hazing in and out of vision. She tried to think-talk back – it would have been useful to talk to Janaxia about how she did her thing, at least if she had any idea about it herself.

Where are you? Who are you?

This world lies close to destruction! Should she awaken, then even with her mistress weakened, her power will be great!

I don’t know what you’re talking about! Was this some weird trick or deception to try and distract her? Semari was already moving forward, arms trailing behind herself as she dashed back into the fight. It would be nice if Hakara or Vrintar could join them as well – the more power they had the better!

Stathis started to move forward, readying her shield.

She stirs! The cage cannot hold her for long!

You need to tell me what the hell you’re talking about! Trying to split focus between the mental communication and moving was harder than Stathis would have expected, and she trailed behind Pajaran, trying not to trip over the uneven ground.

That which was defeated will wake again soon! The voice petered out, as though tired or talking from far away, as a magical blast of energy rippled out of the fissure, Semari leaping to avoid the blast wave.

Hey! Don’t just vanish on me! There was no response as Stathis advanced. The darkness to her side faded away in the light of her wings, revealing a clustered group of undead. These ones looked fresher than the others, with armour hammered onto their bodies, lumps of metal slowing them down but making attacks simply bounce off without effect. In their midst was a robed figure, a wand in her hand, hood falling back to reveal a more youthful face than Poratia, her robe cleaner.

She saw Stathis, eyes going wide before she jabbed with her wand. A cone of amber light flared out, a sickly fear rising up within Stathis before she quenched it with her will and continued to advance, getting reader to fight.

A sliced-off limb flew towards her, hurtling from somewhere out of sight before an axe cleaved through one of the animated corpses, moving with such force that it simply smashed through the armour and shattered through the body beneath. Vrintar stepped into view, axe swinging and smashing, edge smashing into the metal.

‘Leave this one to me!’ She spun and grabbed one of the zombies, using it as a club to knock out the legs of another. Whichever of Janaxia’s siblings it was thrust a hand forward, magical energy shooting out and impacting into Vrintar, ethereal hands grabbing at her skin, trying to slow her. A look of effort crossed her face as she took a ponderous step forward, ignoring the scrabbling of the undead, managing to swing the zombie she had in hand again. The wizard stepped back, already trying to cast something else.

‘Go! Whatever is happening inside is more important!’ Vrintar tensed her body, shaking the effect off before wading into combat, axe singing through the air.

‘Thanks! Don’t die!’

‘Wasn’t planning on it!’ A zombie-head flew through the air as Vrintar decapitated one, grunting in pain as a ghostly skull appeared and bit at her before vanishing. ‘Come here, you damned she-witch, and let me kill you!’

The wizard had pushed herself against the castle wall and pulled herself up the wall, somehow adhering to the surface, Vrintar jumping towards her as Stathis ran back towards the tunnel.

‘Semari! You help her!’

‘Sure thing. See if I can rip off some more arms!’

‘Don’t make a habit of it, but I’m not going to argue.’

Stathis cut through another zombie before ducking back into the tunnel – In some ways, it was preferable, giving less space for attackers to come from. Zarazonnia was somehow suspending herself in empty air, two of her hands now empty, fingers shaping themselves through magical patterns to sustain whatever power kept her there.

Compared to Poratia, she was large and ungainly, but she tossed her sword again, the blade hurtling forward only barely deflected by Poratia’s magical shield. In return, Poratia was putting out a large amount of magical darts and bolts herself. She was manage to parry a large number of the attacks, but some got through, slamming into her scaled torso.

The air was getting colder and colder, ice forming on the metal chains. Stone and metal both cracked, the giant falling downwards, splashing into the pool of its own blood. The temperature was dropping fast, sheets of white ice forming over the chains. The light from her wings now reflected off frozen shards and crystals. The chill was so intense that a thin sheet of ice was forming over Zarazonnia’s scales, the dark green covering itself with a thin layer of white.

Poratia was on the back foot, as Pajaran ran to the edge and threw out another magical bolt herself, while Stathis took wing again.

The giant looked even larger now that it was moving, huge arms coming up to wrench at the metal helmet, trying to yank it off, the metal digging into pale flesh. Poratia was retreating, her staff whirling and managing to deflect a thrown sword-strike. Stathis tried to get close to her, having to duck and weave around plummeting metal and ice, managing to get within slicing range.

Poratia couldn’t move fast enough to dodge the strike, her magical barrier slowing Stathis’ blade. Energy crackled and sparked as the magic of the sword sliced through the protective aura, before cutting into Poratia’s enchanted robes. They were far tougher than they looked, reducing the force of Stathis’ attack but Poratia still seemed to feel it, shying away from the strike.

She glanced down at Stathis, her face mishappen by rage, dark lines marked around her eyes, throbbing with a dark light. Ones of her eyes was a bright and vivid red, the other the same green as Janaxia’s, her mouth twisted into a snarl. She spat a single word at Stathis, carrying with it bitter hatred. It rattled through Stathis’ mind, her vision turning black for a moment, feeling herself start to drop, before she was able to gather herself enough to attack again. This time she was better placed, bringing her weight around and slashing across her own body, her attack biting into Poratia’s leg. She felt the shock of impact, felt it biting into flesh, Poratia glaring down at her again, before gesturing with her staff.

Even though Stathis was sure that she’d landed a strong strike, Poratia didn’t seem concerned. Was she so suffused with magic that it sustained her, even after taking such an attack? It wouldn’t be entirely a surprise if she wasn’t entirely alive, in some sort of part-way state to undeath and immortality.

Zarazonnia couldn’t move fast enough to keep up, having to stay back and settle for throwing her enchanted sword, unable to even manage other magical attacks as she focused on her flight spell.

Her eyes burned brightly, the green and red lights mingling, staff surrounded with thick shadows. It traced a swift symbol, a wave of force rippling through the air, knocking Stathis backwards – she grabbed a broken chain, using it to steady herself and to try and keep her momentum up.

Poratia took advantage of this to move above the giant, swinging her staff to produce another wave of force. Stathis was able to dodge this one, but that left her unable to move closer, as Poratia landed on the huge head. As soon as she did so, she struck her staff downwards against the metal, a circular rune of power flashing into existence. The thing moaned, emitting a loud groan, the now-frozen liquid cracking beneath its weight.

The sickly yellow light got brighter, flaring brightly enough to banish back the darkness, fully illuminating the huge chamber for the first time. The bottom layer was entirely frozen, the black liquid frozen solid, even the weight of the giant not enough to break it.

It froze in place, suddenly stiff and unmoving, paralysed by Poratia’s spells. Lines of darkness trailed over pale flesh, skin starting to melt and wither away. A sphere of darkness appeared above Poratia’s head, a wind sucking towards it. The yellow light danced, brightly clashing with the dull and pitted steel, power surging towards Poratia.

Ice started to pull itself through the air, shards and lumps hurtling towards the black sphere. Zarazonnia was moving away from whatever it was, only able to make slow headway back towards safety against the sucking power.

‘I shall plunge this world into ever-lasting darkness! And I shall rule the eternal night! The power of the child of darkness shall be mine!’ Poratia reached out a withered hand towards the sphere, black-edged lightning arcing towards her hand. Stathis let the suction drag her forward, picking up speed and slashing at Poratia as she flew past. Her blade shattered through a magical barrier, the field collapsing with a crunching noise and her sword cutting into skin. Sunlight burst into being, a queasy mixture with the yellow rune-light, Poratia showing an expression of pain, not yet beyond all sensation.

Stathis kept pushing, trying to shove her blade right through Poratia, but felt resistance gathering, having to change the angle of attack to just a slice, shooting past and having to veer away or risk getting sucked in. Poratia was slumped at an odd angle, part of her lower torso now smoking and destroyed, her robes partially-obliterated. Beneath the enchanted material, Stathis could see grey and weathered flesh, marked with dull tattoos, and skin that squirmed and twisted, dark paste flowing out and starting to reform her body.

As she stared at Stathis with hatred, her face darkened, both eyes burning with mismatched light. She stumbled as a bolt from Pajaran struck her from behind, outlining her with a bright radiance, the regeneration halting. She half-turned, phantasmal skulls flashing into existence and shooting towards Pajaran and Zarazonnia.

Stathis tried to take advantage of her distraction with another attack, flapping down and landing on the head, feet landing with a clang. The suction from the sphere was stronger now, forcing her to lean away from it. The icicles and grit that fell into it vanished, although Poratia seemed unaffected. One of her hands was still stretched towards it, a rough-nailed claw, black lightning arcing between her and it.

She turned her gaze back onto Stathis, who felt a cold energy trying to overpower her and pin her in place. She ignored it, raising her shield to intercept another chattering skull, hearing wood splinter.

‘I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’m going to stop you!’ Stathis had to circle around the edge, trying to keep Poratia between herself and the sphere, keeping her balance low, not wanting to get pulled off her feet. She feinted, Poratia’s only reaction a single syllable, a magical barrier flickering into life.

‘I have worked my life for this! And will not be stopped by some whelping brat, no matter what mouldering prophecy may say. You will wish that my daughter had killed you – to be caught in the grasp of eternity is to never die, yet never be able to live!’ Her flesh started to slough off her fingers, revealing bones underneath, somehow mottled with a black sheen. She appeared unconcerned as the sphere consumed her skin, strips of leathery material getting pulled from her arm. Despite lacking connective tissue, her hand and arm somehow stayed together, whatever magical energy sustained Poratia keeping her body intact as a single unit.

Statis stepped forward and ducked low, slicing at a leg. It was like hitting a wall, her blade slamming against an invisible surface, jarring her arms and making her hiss in annoyance. She attacked again, angling upwards, Poratia awkwardly blocking with her staff. Metal bit into enchanted wood, sunlight surging from the blade, Poratia wincing and closing her eyes to avoid being blinded.

Stathis took advantage, stepping in close and still keeping Poratia’s body between herself and the sphere. The staff flicked up, haft knocking against Stathis’ armour, even the slight impact sending a chill through her bones, knocking her back on her heels.

This might be a bad time, but everything’s about to go wrong. Sorry, this is Hakara. I’ve been told to get you out.

It was Hakara’s voice somehow in her head. Was everyone able to broadcast telepathically now? She blocked another awkward staff-strike with her shield, seeing that Poratia’s arm was now completely stripped of flesh, all that was left mottled white-black bone, unearthly shiny.

Can you hear me? Grab Pajaran first! I’ve no idea what’s going on. She attacked, putting all her weight behind it, letting herself get pulled forward, feeling a magical barrier interpose itself in the way, but slamming through it, sunlight bursting from her sword. If you can do anything about whatever the hell this is, then… The sense of connection was suddenly lost, Stathis’ blade connecting, skewering Poratia. The eyes glared at her, green turning to red, Stathis close enough that she could see Poratia’s teeth turning black, her already thin skin starting to pull off her face.

‘I will not be vanquished so easily!’

She staggered backwards, the blade sliding out of her ribs, seemingly unconcerned about the injury. She turned back towards the sphere, bending her bone fingers, and the thing jolted forward, moving at her command and shooting towards Stathis.

She threw herself to the ground and rolled, hoping she’d dodged it – the thing moved without a sound, presence only detectable by how it pulled things towards it. She rolled off the edge of the platform, spreading her wings to try and fly, flapping to try and stay in position.

A dark ripple appeared behind Poratia, a hand poking through. It spat out fat spheres of fire, as the wizard from earlier stepped through. They were heavily injured, limping, and with one arm hanging limp, but the balls of fire flew towards Poratia. One of the woman’s eyes was jet black, blood oozing down their face. As soon as the spheres touched Poratia, her robes caught fire, the enchanted material burning with a strange violet haze.

‘Die! And then the family will be mine. And with this at my command…’

Stathis felt a sudden force yank on her dragging at her waist, and she was enveloped in chaos, falling up-down-sideways, all at once. It felt warmer than the abyssal chill around that orb, but that wasn’t hard.

She slammed back down, normal gravity reasserting itself, as she landed on her back on something hard. It creaked and groaned before breaking beneath her, and she slammed onto a stone floor.

‘Guhhh….’

‘I’m sorry, Stathis. It was rather rushed.’ It was Hakara’s voice, Stathis having to take a moment to orientate herself, head spinning from the impact still. A magical circle was still glowing around her, and it looked like she was in a castle room somewhere.

‘Where are we, and what’s going on?’ Getting to her feet made her whole body ache as Hakara shaded her eyes, until Stathis dismissed her wings.

‘I would suggest that we leave rather swiftly. I, um, think that matters might be about to get rather worse.’

Stathis moved to the arrow-slit window – it was looking down on the courtyard, although she could only see a small patch of it, filled with multiple swirling scrums of combat.

‘How much worse?’

‘I think that, um, Janaxia’s mother may be making, or have made, a hole in reality. Which will try and consume everything within reach.’

‘Can it be sealed? Or plugged, or something? And where is everyone?’

She looked around – they were in a wizard’s laboratory, it looked like, although everything was in disarray. Hakara was here, Kivata hovering around awkwardly, ritual implements in hand. Vrintar was stood by the door, blood streaming down her body, but able to turn and smile at Stathis, before swinging her axe at something out of sight, a heavy weight slamming against the ground.

‘I believe that Parth and Brina have already secured their own escape to a safe distance. Janaxia managed to broadcast a message to me, which gave me the idea for how to grab you and Pajaran.’

The air popped, Pajaran’s armoured form appearing, Stathis managing to grab her, their armoured bodies smashing together. Hakara visibly relaxed as she saw Pajaran.

‘That’s a relief. It was a very hasty calculation, and doing anything that crosses planar boundaries so near to a rent is dangerous. But it would have been even more dangerous to stay.’

‘What would have happ… Actually, I probably don’t want to know. So what’s going to happen?’

‘The rent will grow as it consumes more power. Such events happen sometimes when planar disruptions occur, but they normally seal themselves in short time, as they lack the energy required to sustain anything larger.’

‘But this one is hooked up to a power source, so it’s going to keep growing and growing?’

‘Very good! Yes, exactly.’

‘Right. And there’s nothing we can do to immediately seal it?’

‘I believe not, no. It would take significant resources, as well as…’

Stathis cut her off, not wanting to hear the full list. ‘How far away do we need to be? Can you teleport us?’

Hakara shook her head. ‘Any planar disruptions carry a non-trivial risk of being drawn towards the rent and consumed. It would be possible, but seems unwise. It would be best to at least travel some distance away and then assess the situation.’

Pajaran pulled herself away from Stathis, trying to get her bearings. ‘Not being here sounds pretty good!’

‘Agreed. And we need to pick up Janaxia as well.’

Hakara winced. ‘Yes. She was rather vehemently objecting to her confinement.’

‘Well that means she’s unharmed. If we can get any survivors as well, and get the hell out of here.’