Stopping briefly at the barracks, I armed myself with new throwing knives, found a more durable sword, and wore pieces of light armor to protect my chest. Simultaneously, Demetrius checked the stables, found two horses, and saddled them for use.

As the dusk fell, we mounted. Our destination was the home of the Exploration Guild, the city of the Sixth Labyrinth, Azuria. A trail of enormous footprints ran through the grasslands and past the hills, and our horses galloped, following this ominous path. I couldn’t tell whether we would make it on time. The journey to Azuria was two days by the traders’ wagons, but a disciplined horse could cover the same distance in around eight hours. I wondered how fast Belphegor walked and how many stops he would make.

“Don’t overthink it, Lance,” Demetrius said as if he had read my mind. “The road ahead is long. We were too late in Ashenbrook, but that won’t happen again.”

“How are you so sure? My friends, the guild… Azuria is my hometown. I want to believe everything will be fine, but I just can’t.”

“If you let the situation pull you down, you’ll always be late.”

“But—”

“Your spirit promises a dazzling performance. Don’t let anxiety ruin it.”

It seemed that Demetrius was trying to help in his own way. I understood his good intentions, but the way he spoke didn’t lend credence to his words. In the end, I managed to force a silly grin.

“How’s this, Demetrius? Are you satisfied?”

“Yes, nothing suits you better than this annoying grin.”

“You know, I hate you.”

“I love you too, dear Lance,” he smiled.

I sighed.

“Why don’t you call your friend again?” he added after a moment of silence. “He can update us on the situation in Azuria. It’s better than worrying.”

“I don’t know. If we stop for a call, we’ll be wasting more time.”

“Well, the horses could use a short break. We’ve been galloping for an hour.”

I looked at my horse, and it seemed slightly exhausted. The empire’s horses were a special breed that could gallop for long hours, but it was a self-evident truth that an eight-hour trip couldn’t be completed in one sprint. As the horses decelerated to a trot, I took out my badge, infused it with the little magic that it needed, and called to Rick, “Are you there?”

There was no response. It seemed that the connection was never established, and I feared that something might have happened. After a few moments, however, Rick’s voice came loud and clear: “Lance, you called at the right time.”

His image formed on the device, but the background wasn’t Azuria. He was standing next to a tent in a grassy plain. There were people behind him—city guards, mages, and adventurers—carrying torches and lanterns.

“What’s going on? Did you evacuate the city?”

“About that…” Rick averted his eyes. “It wasn’t feasible. Even Master Azemir wasn’t convinced.”

“What? Then…”

“Don’t worry. The City Hall has acknowledged that the threat is real. That’s why we’re here.” Rick waved his arm as if to welcome me wherever he was. “The city dispatched a legion of guards. Many adventurers tagged along to help, and we have a group of formidable mages on our side.”

“I told you to evacuate, not plan a fight. You don’t understand the threat.”

“Lance, the decision was out of my hand. These people won’t retreat even if I asked them to. I’m not in command.”

His words forced me to accept the status quo, and I said, “Where are you now?”

“The middle of nowhere. We’re setting up camp and waiting for the giant Aberration to show up. I will send you the coordinates.”

Two numbers appeared on my badge, and I took out my map and compass. A distance of two hours separated me from him.

“How did you get there that fast?”

“You don’t need wagons when you have teleportation magic,” Rick said, reminding me that the City Hall employed specialized mages.

“We’re on our way. Expect us to arrive in two hours.”

“Waiting for you and the magic professor.”

“One last thing,” I said. “If you spot any ghosts, black shadows with crimson eyes, you have to retreat. These things take control of humans.”

“You told me about them before.” Rick paused to think. “All right, I’ll warn everyone. We already sent out scouts, and we won’t do anything rash.”

The call ended, and the horses began to gallop again.

***

The two hours passed faster than Demetrius and I expected. As we approached the location of the Azurian forces, we began to feel tremors and shock waves. Then it happened ten minutes later that we finally caught sight of the ancient demon. Under the strong moonlight, Belphegor was plodding toward a distant hill. He was different from before: his lower body was no longer underdeveloped, and he could stand upright, although with an arching back from which two wings protruded.

“What a sight…” Demetrius said. “This is closer to Belphegor’s real form than any of their previous summons.”

“We shouldn’t let it detect us.” I veered away from the road. “Let’s find Rick’s camp.”

“I’m right behind you,” Demetrius said and kicked his horse.

As we circled past the hills, I could see Belphegor better. His face was still like a human’s, and his eyes were still black with yellow irises. But his horns were longer than before and had several smaller thorns growing out of them. I noticed one more thing in the moonlight: black fumes were rising toward the sky.

“Belphegor’s bleeding,” Demetrius said as he looked up at the fumes.

“Bleeding?”

“The power is dissipating from his body because we closed the portal. Faust must be quite frustrated right now. Speak of the devil…”

At that moment, we saw Faust’s silhouette. He was standing on Belphegor’s shoulder. I couldn’t see him clearly from this far away, but I knew it was him. I felt the blood boiling in my veins. The root of evil was right there, leading Belphegor toward my city to bring more misery and destruction.

“Patience, Lance.” Demetrius noticed the expression on my face. “Let the devil be for now. Finding the Azurian forces is our top priority.”

I almost lashed out at Demetrius for what he said, but I stopped myself after I realized that he was right.

“There’s someone over there.” He pointed to our left.

Three men were crouching behind a fallen tree and observing Belphegor’s movements. We decided to approach them, and as we did, to my surprise, I found Rick among them. He was talking with the other men, who wore the armor of Azuria’s city guards, and his eyes were fixed on Belphegor. He didn’t notice that I was approaching until one of the city guards warned him.

“Rick!” I shouted and waved.

“Lower your voice! The Aberration will notice us!” he shouted back.

“Your voice now was even louder than mine.” I grinned mischievously and dismounted from my horse. “Did you join the scouts for reconnaissance?”

“No, we’re preparing an ambush, and I’m here to monitor the Aberration. Our camp is behind these hills.”

“That was my second guess.”

“Sure, it was.” Rick saw Demetrius. “And you must be the magic professor.”

“Demetrius Zahr, at your service.”

“I’m honored to make your acquaintance, Professor Zahr,” Rick said. Then he turned his attention to the city guards and said, “Take the horses back to the camp.”

“Yes, sir!” the two guards shouted.

“Lower your voices!”

“Yes, sir,” the two whispered.

I couldn’t keep a straight face, and Rick looked at me angrily. The two guards grabbed the reins of the horses and led them away. Rick, Demetrius, and I followed. Our gait was fast, and our footsteps light.

“Killing that Aberration is a dangerous business,” Rick said. “But we have a plan. We’re waiting for it to reach the hilltop. Then the mages will fire their spells and send it tumbling down. When it hits the ground, more magic will restrain it, and the ground troops will attack. Our only concern is the man on the Aberration’s shoulder. Who is he? Do you have any idea?”

“He’s the one who summoned the monster,” I said, “the Lord of Ashenbrook.”

“Oh boy, a nobleman?”

“Yeah, Clement Faust.”

“I think I heard that name before.” Rick tried to remember.

“His daughter was killed in an accident involving a guild member.”

“Yes, yes, that’s him.”

“But that doesn’t matter right now. We have to arrest him. If he escapes, he’ll come back with worse monsters.”

“We won’t go easy on him,“ Rick said.

The camp appeared. The flags of the empire fluttered in the night breeze, which blew gently among the tents. There were few people around, and I had to search the dark before I found the Azurian forces. The mages were positioned at the foot of the hills. They were divided into several units, and their staffs and grimoires were poised in a silent wait. Meanwhile, the city guards were organized in a military formation. They stationed themselves west of the camp. And around them, several adventurers were scattered as supporting troops.

“Everyone’s ready for the fight,” Rick said. “Lance and I will join the ground forces. Will you support the mages, Professor? Or will you stay at the camp?”

“I prefer to be with Lance,” Demetrius said, “so I’ll join the ground forces too.”

“Of course, as you wish,” Rick said as we entered the camp. “We will take our position right away. I just need to get my baby from the tent.”

Demetrius looked at me.

“His war hammer,” I clarified. “They got married last year.”

“I heard that!” Rick said. He entered one of the tents and returned a moment later with a two-handed steel hammer. It was his weapon of choice, and only a muscular man like him could effectively wield it. He swung it around twice as a test and adjusted his armor a little to allow more freedom of movement.

“All set,” Rick said. “Let’s go.”

Demetrius and I followed him.

“Your friend looks scary with that thing,” Demetrius said.

“Yeah, no need to say that twice. Rick used to be a fearsome adventurer. He’s also a bit violent and stubborn, but he’s a good guy.”

“I can hear you,” Rick said.

“I know.” I grinned.

We arrived where the ground forces were waiting. A man with ornamented armor accosted us. His face was plump and slightly pink, and his cleft chin jutted out. He looked at us from head to toe like an irritable mother-in-law. Curling his mustache, he said, “You’re back, Rick.”

“Yes, Commander Medina, the Aberration is following the course we predicted. We can proceed without problems.”

“And they are?”

“Lance Ainsworth and Professor Demetrius Zahr, the two who sent the warning from Ashenbrook.”

“I see,” Commander Medina said curtly. “A brat and a pseudointellectual.”

“Let’s take our positions.” Rick pushed Demetrius and me away. When we had distanced ourselves from the commander, he said, “He’s a nobleman… with an attitude.”

“As if I couldn’t tell,” I said.

“I pity people like him,” Demetrius sighed. “They spend their lives in a bubble.”

We took our position on the right flank.

“Get ready, soldiers!” Commander Medina shouted.

The anticipation heightened. All eyes watched the hilltops as the tremors grew strong. After a few moments, I would be facing Faust again. This time, however, he wouldn’t have any dirty tricks or negotiation cards.