Jake marched at the head of the battlemages, his heart in his throat. A steady stream of injured dwarves headed in the opposite direction, back to the infirmary outside the keep. Just how bad was it at the main gate? Judging from the thickening smoke in the air, the new runes hadn’t held.

He couldn’t see the gatehouse yet, but this had to be close enough. Jake paused, pictured Luther in his mind, and cast a Telepathy/Target/Communicate spell. A mental presence brushed against his mind. Luther? I’ve got them.

Thoughts came back quickly, clearly from Luther, but devoid of any tone or emotion. Main gate. Come quickly.

A knot formed in Jake’s stomach. They weren’t far. Hold tight. He broke into a jog and a thunderous din rose behind him. Fake clanking from fake armor. When this was all over, would they be willing to teach him some Illusion spells?

They rounded the corner of the street and got line of sight on the main gate. Or, rather, on the twenty-foot-tall troll slamming its club down onto what little remained of the gatehouse. Jake frowned. A troll shouldn’t have been able to break through those runes.

Magic had to be at play. That meant casters. Had they dealt with them already? Or were they still out there, waiting for the right moment to strike?

A torrent of goblins and savage orcs flowed around the troll, feeding a brutal assault against a phalanx of dwarves blocking the street. The interlocked wall of shields and spears held on desperately, the only barrier between the town and extermination.

A thin, insufficient line getting slowly but inevitably pushed back by an endless flood of dungeon spawn. The dead piled up in front of them, but the horde kept coming. Behind them, Luther, Zelig, and several of the other mages healed as best they could.

Pissing in the wind to prolong their deaths. Jake broke into a sprint.

Yana moved up alongside him, her “armor” clanking loudly. “Have them move aside.”

Jake pushed a message out to Luther. Part the battle line. Hopefully, he’d listen.

Luther turned toward them and shouted a command in Dwarvish. The phalanx split in two, each side swinging open, a gate formed of shield and spear. Green-skinned foes surged through the opening.

The battlemages formed into a chevron as wide as the gap, eight abreast, with Yana out front. Their illusions dropped away, and they charged, several of them casting spells.

Mana swirled around Yana and she cried out in Common, “In Marshal Ortwin’s memory!”

Adrenaline rushed through Jake, restoring his stamina. A few of the dwarven mages glanced in their direction, but none of the other soldiers flinched, focusing on the dungeon spawn before them.

Jake glanced over his shoulder. Twenty-five robed orcs in full charge. Maybe they stood a chance after all. Several finished casting, buffing all the battlemages with Armor, Absorb, and an orange magic Jake didn’t recognize.

The formation stampeded around and ahead of him. The front row fired off a volley of firebolts, each shot incinerating a foe. A second volley from the second line rapidly followed, and then the third.

Yana leaped into the air. She spread her arms, and they turned to wings. Green scales spread across her skin as she grew, golden magic swirling around her as she soared into the air and transformed.

Jake’s heart pounded. Yana the Dragon indeed.

The battlemage formation smashed straight through the dungeon spawn lines and kept going, a fist of magical death. Above, Yana strafed the encroaching horde with short, deadly bursts of fire.

Incredible. Surplus to requirement, Jake slowed to a walk and stood next to Luther, watching and learning. These were real experts at work.

A frost barrage froze the troll, swiftly followed by a blastbolt that shattered it into a million pieces. The battlemages carried on past the gatehouse, spreading out as they slaughtered their way through the dungeon spawn army.

Luther barked out orders in Dwarvish before clapping Jake on the back. “Good job, lad.”

“Right.” Jake watched, unable to tear his eyes away, as Yana devoured a savage orc whole. He frowned. Did that count as cannibalism? “Surely they can’t keep this up.”

“Twenty-four plus a dragon? Wouldn’t bet against them.”

Luther barked out another series of orders in Dwarvish. Several of the mages broke off, heading for the burning, wrecked buildings close to the gate. Luther gathered Life magic and cast a Heal area spell upon the reforming phalanx.

Bolts of fire, dark, and blast magic shot into the air at the far end of the cavern. The few that hit the dragon had no visible impact. Yana flapped her wings and dived, incinerating the enemy mages with her fiery breath.

Jake stared at the injured soldiers and bit his lip. “I can’t heal.”

Luther finished casting a healing touch and sighed. “We need a barricade.”

“Right.” A little ball of darkness gnawed at Jake’s insides. Something was wrong. “Have any of the other gates fallen under attack?”

Luther nodded somberly and moved on to healing the next soldier. “Small, probing attacks. This was the main thrust.”

“Any sign of our purple-eyed demon? Yana believes it might be the Transcendent Destroyer.”

Luther’s nostrils flared. “Yana? Yana the Dragon? That dragon?” He looked out upon the carnage being wrought and snorted. “How the wheel turns. No sign, for better or worse.”

Was the totem linked to its ability to manifest? Jake’s gut twisted. That they should be so lucky. Sealed or not, the evidence pointed to it being great at long-range Telepathy. Wouldn’t the Destroyer be overseeing the main assault, at the very least?

“I’m going to check something out,” Jake said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Luther cocked his head, paused, and nodded. “Do as you see best, ally.”

“Stay safe.” Jake gathered his mana and cast Levitate. Hopefully, he was wrong about this.

The stone dwarven buildings rushed past him as he hurtled toward the keep. This wasn’t a disorganized rabble. Whatever it might be, something or someone was guiding it. So why attack where the dwarves were strongest?

Jake’s chest pulled tight. A good general would attack where the enemy was unprepared. What if the main gate was a diversion? The keep would be relatively unguarded. Cut off the head, and the body would wither.

But why waste mages on a distraction? Mages strong enough to break through powerful runes, at that. Unless they needed that to provide sufficient distraction. He glanced up at the ceiling. There! A small hole in the roof. That hadn’t been there before, had it?

Runes supported the roof. No way it had just happened to fall through. He recast Levitate. Should he go back for Luther? He bit his lip. No time. He cast Message and focused on Luther. Roof broken. Heading to the keep.

His heart pounded in his chest. All these people, they didn’t deserve to die.

Dwarven screams filled the air. Jake rounded the pillar which the keep was built into and his blood ran cold. The dwarven medics lay dead in the infirmary and two hulking, bare-chested orcs were making their way along the lines of beds, slaughtering the critically injured dwarves.

A third, less bulky orc stepped over the pile of dead soldiers at the base of the steps up. Its eyes glowed purple, that same dangerous shade of purple.

Dark magic swirled around its hands and it began its ascent. Five guards stood in its way, their heavy armor useless against its power. They glanced between each other, forlorn doom in their postures.

They didn’t stand a chance and they knew it. Jake flew as fast as he could, but he was too far away to help. Too far away to do anything.

They charged the advancing orc. It lifted its hands and cast a spell. Dark magic yanked the soldiers into the air and stretched them out in X-shapes, helpless playthings suspended in the air.

The orc cackled as he ripped them apart limb by limb, savoring every moment of their torture.

Jake’s stomach lurched, threatening to vomit. Levitate expiring, he set down just short of the infirmary beds. The pair of orcs stopped their murderous rampage and sneered.

Savage Orc

Level: 15

HP: 335/335

Stamina: 217/330

MP: 175/175

Status:

Rage roared in Jake’s chest, demanding revenge. He quaffed a mana potion, tossed the bottle aside, and summoned a firebolt into each hand.

100 MP restored!

The orcs charged. Jake hurled both firebolts at the first, reducing it to a pile of screaming death. He pulled on his mana again, stepping backward as he poured the power into a Levitate bolt.

“Ratonaka!”

The spell quivered in his hands, narrowly avoiding an explosion. A solid white bolt shot out, striking the orc mere feet away. Force magic grabbed the orc, overpowered its resistance to magic, and hurled it up into the air.

Force magic skill increased 3 → 4!

It wouldn’t last long. Jake slung his bow from his back and notched an arrow.

58 piercing damage dealt!

The Levitate effect wavered and failed. Gravity reasserted itself, slamming the orc back down onto the ground, stunning it. Easy pickings.

Critical hit! 102 piercing damage dealt! Head Wound injury inflicted!

The orc twitched on the floor, crippled but alive. Jake drew his falchion, growled, and hacked the bastard to death.

Critical hit! 62 slashing damage dealt! Bleeding Heavily injury inflicted!

Critical hit! 88 slashing damage dealt!

5,820 XP received!

Jake stabbed it one last time for good measure. Death was too good for scum like that. He exhaled heavily. No. It was a dumb, non-sentient dungeon spawn. The Destroyer, though? That son of a bitch was going to pay.

Boom! Jake glanced up to see the gate of the keep flying over his head. The glowing-eyed orc fired a volley of dark bolts into the keep and swaggered inside.

Was Ardic the target, or the portal stone? Bringing an army straight into the heart of the city would shatter its defense. Half the town would be dead before they could even discuss evacuation.

Jake downed another mana potion and sprinted up the steps. Either way, the Destroyer—or whatever it was—had to be stopped.

80 MP restored!

He reached the top and cast a powerful Absorb. Not that it was likely to do a damned thing against that kind of power, but he had to try.

More blood-curdling screams came from inside. He dashed through the shattered entrance.

The stench of blood hit him like a truck. Dwarven body parts were strewn across the floor. The door to the war council was gone, incinerated perhaps, and a female battle cry bellowed from inside.

Jake stepped into the council room and hurled. Blood and guts covered the walls. At the far end of the room, Ardic cowered behind Steward Frieda. She snarled, holding up a battle-axe almost as large as her.

The orc turned its glowing purple eyes upon Jake and sneered. “Right on cue, the Hero arrives.”

Jake blinked. Alone, it didn’t look good, but if he could stall in time for Luther… “Leave them alone.”

Savage Orc

Level: 19

HP: 305/305

Stamina: 251/280

MP: 340/340

Status: Possessed, Armor, Absorb

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 10

Endurance: 15

Intelligence: 25

Willpower: 18

Personality: 9

The possessed orc flicked its finger, lifting Frieda up into the air and stretching her out to breaking point. “Or what?”

How powerful was the orc’s Absorb? If he pushed his magic to the limit, could he break through it? Risky, especially given how powerful the creature was. Middle of conquering a town and it stopped to chat? Hubris, sure, but you didn’t do that unless you were sure the ants couldn’t hurt you. “What do you want?”

It licked its lips and gleefully smiled. “You know my name; you know what I want. Utter my name, and I might let this one live long enough to watch her town die. I haven’t heard it in so long.”

Jake swallowed. The power. The purple eyes. Could it really be? “That sounds like a shitty deal.”

The Destroyer raised an eyebrow. A flick of his finger, and Frieda screamed in agony.

Pain stabbed at Jake’s heart. Once he did what the beast wanted, what was to stop him from doing it over and over? Nothing. He’d never be free, no matter what he gave over.

Frieda strained and shook her head, a monumental effort for a minute movement. She wasn’t afraid to die.

Jake bit his lip. He needed leverage. Something that the Destroyer wanted. Maybe… He looked away and clenched his eyes shut. “Transcendent Destroyer! Just… please… let them go.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it, Hero?”

Frieda collapsed to the floor with a thump. Ardic rushed to her side, checking she was okay.

“Look at me,” the Destroyer said. “Look at me!”

A force pulled open Jake’s eyes and forced him to look up at the glowing purple eyes. Each was a maelstrom of unrecognizable magic brimming with more than enough power to rip Jake apart.

What if the plan didn’t work? Jake clamped down on his thoughts. He had to focus. He had to remember what was important.

Ardic was a lord and Frieda was a woman. He had to save them both. They both had to be saved, no matter what. No matter what he had to give up to do so, they had to be saved.

Jake swallowed. Save them, no matter what. “I can lead you to the portal stone.”

That force yanked Jake forward and down onto his knees. The Destroyer gripped Jake’s hair, jerked back his head, and stared deeply into his eyes.

“I may not be able to kill you, Hero, but you’re not like the others.”

Jake blinked. “The others?” His gut twisted. Saving Ardic and Frieda. That was all that mattered.

The Destroyer seized Jake’s throat and squeezed. “Go on. Blink out of existence, if you’re going to.”

Blink out of existence? Could he do that? The orc’s claws dug into Jake’s neck.

No. No way out, he’d tried that so damned many times already. Not that he would run if he could. He had a duty. He had to protect Lord Tonvalbortdelan. He had to protect the steward. No matter how long a shot, he had to keep them safe.

Mental intrusion detected.

“I thought not.” The Destroyer leaned in, its hot breath carrying the stench of death. “If you lie to me, I will torture you for a thousand years.”

The blood drained out of Jake’s face. Ardic. Frieda. He had to save them. “Let them go, and I’ll lead you to the portal stone.”

The beast’s eyes narrowed. It snarled and nodded.

An axe swung from behind and clanged off its head. It turned and waved its hand, throwing Frieda back against the wall.

“Show me,” the Destroyer said. “And I will permit these worthless mortal vermin to persist a little longer.”

Jake swallowed. He wouldn’t get a better deal than that. Whatever he could do to save them, he had to do it. He couldn’t let the town’s lord die if he could help it. “Please let them live.”

“Time ticks forward.” The son of a bitch clicked his fingers and a gut-wrenching snap rang out.

Frieda howled in pain and clutched her hand. Jake winced and looked away. He had to keep them safe. He couldn’t risk them. He had to give the beast what it wanted.

The Destroyer yanked Jake up from the floor and shoved him toward the door. “Lead on, before I lose my patience.”