We made it through the night without interruption, and after a light meal from our meagre supplies, we climbed out of the hole.

The early morning sun reflected from the snow, revealing a clear day for as far as the eye could see. There was still a sharp wind blowing across the barren expanse, but it was a positively beautiful morning otherwise.

As we left our encampment for the night, it was with great sadness, knowing that the cool little shelter we’d made complete with grass and pool would disappear in just one storm and would never be seen again.

We continued our trek north that day. There was, according to the map, a second larger mountain range that was actually an extension of the Crasters that swept westwards to the coast, and that was where we hoped we would find Stada the Gran. Danivra still had doubts that he lived, which ate away at me the further we traveled despite Grastad staying firm in his belief.

Before we even saw the mountains in the distance at the end of the third day, all

of our supplies from both the restaurant and the remaining reindeer were gone.

There was nothing to hunt other than birds, and though the Fensalfar had shot down a good number as we traveled, we couldn’t cook them up as there was nothing to burn. So we had no choice but to store them away until we reached the mountain range and just hope that there was some scrub to burn. Otherwise, we were going to have to come up with something inventive with our powers.

We made the mountains by early evening on the fourth day, starving and, for those with lower Constitution, cold right through. The first thing on everyone’s mind was fire. So we split up, searching for any and every twig, bush, and bramble we could find.

Everyone seemed to find sparse growth here and there in their desperation to for food and heat, but Sania and I flew up to look for a suitable place to camp. We found a waterfall higher up in the mountains, which while mostly frozen had an area of flat land around it and a literal treasure trove of almost dead bushes and grasses. And by treasure trove, I mean it was a sparse, barren, little area that at any other point in my life I would have thought was a terrible place to rest or start a fire. But not today.

Once everyone was up into the area, it didn’t take long for the two fires we thought we could risk to be lit. At Rella’s insistence, I fired a few very weak Spicy Balls at the pool to melt the ice formed over the top of it. It had the effect of both melting the ice and killing a surprising number of fish that made their homes in there. Once it was cleared and I’d warmed it up a few degrees, the Fensalfar were straight in once more.

They could re-energize themselves from the water in a similar way as they could from trees, and they’d soon brought the pool's temperature up enough to have it gently steaming in the cold environment. I put my hand in to test and it was barely lukewarm, but I was happy for them. They’d suffered the most from the temperature.

We were soon fed and something approaching warm. Everyone seemed content, and it felt like a well-deserved rest before we scoured the mountains in earnest for Stada the Gran.

As I lay back against the mountain wall with Sania, almost ready to go to sleep, Sula, one of my Nystiobek Aspirants who was out on guard, spoke into my mind.

“There’s something out here. I can't see anything, but it's close.”

“Bring everyone back in now,” I said, springing up and shouting to those around me.

“We have incoming. Everyone up and at it! Let’s have the Fensalfar at the back against the mountain wall bows ready, Krysan and Dokalfar next. Nystiobek, Wultr, with me,” I shouted, lining up at the front of the quickly forming ranks, facing outwards. We lined up in front of them.

I pulled out my cleaver as Sula and the other scouts came racing back in and taking their positions. Then we waited.

It was deathly quiet. We waited, but there seemed to be nothing there.

“Hold my arm in case I fall,” I told Sania next to me as I set my feet to try to stay standing before explaining I was going to use the Ethereal Spirit Awareness.

She linked my arm tightly and I left my body. I was instantly aware that my body had remained in its standing position and would without Sania’s help, which was worth noting beyond that there was nothing else of note in the area apart from our people standing grim and ready for anything.

Trusting Sula though, I remained in that position and stayed attentive with my small area of god-like vision.

After a few minutes, and my attention beginning to wane, I spotted something move on the periphery of my range.

“There’s something,” I told all of my followers, who passed the message to those who wouldn’t hear. They all stood a little straighter.

The movement occurred again before it came fully into my awareness, crawling down the mountain side we were faced away from—an all-white humanoid crawling headfirst down toward us.

I could see him clear as day in my Ethereal Spirit, but when I fled back to my body and cried out to turn, looking up the cliff face, I could see nothing. I still launched a Spicy Ball at where I suspected the creature to be.

Everyone had turned without hesitation, though they were clearly confused until my attack hit the mountainside, bringing a shriek of rage as the creature took a direct hit and fell to the floor among the group of Fensalfar. As the light hit, it illuminated even more of the creatures that were making their way down.

To their credit, the Fensalfar didn’t hesitate and hammered the side of the cliff with arrows. Though none of them were charged with energy, they were still more often than not deadly.

“Isthaling!” Danivra cried out. “Clive, Sania we need the light from your powers to reveal them.”

I launched a few Spicy Balls out around us, briefly illuminating the night sky as they sailed away until each one hit an Isthaling. They also illuminated the area around them to reveal yet more of the large force of Isthaling that had been invisible until now. Now they were visible to us.

I could make out the details of their appearance more clearly. They looked like an albino version of the Karucja that Angelica had kept as a familiar. Only much bigger and completely white apart from a pale pink face and striking red eyes that seemed to glow brighter as they charged forward.

They attacked with wild ferocity, abandoning all effort at stealth. I heard screams from behind us and turned to see the ten-foot creatures throwing themselves from the top of the cliff into the Fensalfar.

Gouts of blood from both Isthaling and Fensalfar painted the white snow, but I couldn’t help them as we were attacked from down the mountain too. I charged the cleaver and activated Claws of Brutal Dismissal, and stepped forward from the frontline so that I didn’t inadvertently kill a loved one.

The first creature hit me, then died with a glowing red fist to the head, pushing it away as I hacked into the next creature a heartbeat behind the first, cutting from shoulder blade abdomen. It fell away from the Neuma-enhanced blade like butter from a heated knife.

From the downward sweep of the blade, I came up with a backhand from the Claws of Brutal Dismissal, crushing the jaw and windpipe of the third. The cleaver found its way into the side of another’s arm, removing it and slashing a deadly wound through its chest and ribcage.

All the while, I was hit and clawed by incredibly sharp claws and powerful blows, but I was oblivious. My only drive was to protect those around me, the people who I’d brought here with misguided promises of a future. Unless I killed every last one of these things, there was no future. I lost myself in the hack, slash, slap, and punch, both cleaver and claw making devastatingly short work of those I faced. Without those weapons, I would have had no chance against the powerful, fast-moving creatures.

A notification flashed over my eyes mid swing of the cleaver, distracting me. I was so close to just swiping it away, but thankfully part of my mind stopped me.

Warning: Sula, Aspirant of Clive, is about to expire.

Expire Restore

“B!” I screamed out loud as I punched a lunging Isthaling as it materialized in front of me.

Then I felt like I’d been hit in the gut when Thador’s bond was severed.

Warning: Thador, Aspirant of Clive, expired.

I spun to where he had stood moments before. He now lay there headless, the Isthaling next to him dead, skewered from the large spider leg that had spouted from Spider Danivra. I hadn’t even noticed, so lost in my own world of blood and death. Her legs shot out, skewering Isthalings at lightning-fast speed, and she spat out webs that took out Isthalings by the dozen.

Beyond, I saw a good number of Fensalfar were down, dead. “Shit, I’m going up, Sania.”

Once in the air, Sania quickly joined me, and together we began blindly hammering the land all around where our people fought desperately. As the balls of light hit, they illuminated the invisible numbers we were dealing with. There were still hundreds of them all around us. Both Sania and I desperately picked up the pace of our barrage. I only wished we’d flown up earlier, as one thing the Isthalings didn’t have was the ability to fly or attack in the air.

I kept expecting them to retreat, but the crazy bastards just kept coming, and we had no choice but to keep killing. The slaughter was horrendous, and only my anger at the people we’d lost kept me firing down. It wasn’t until the earth itself shook, like an earthquake had hit, that they all bolted.

“What the fuck was that!” I cried out across the bond as a flood of notifications and sickening numbers came flooding in over my vision.

Forty-three Level 30 to Level 50 Isthalings deaths were attributed directly to me and a further thirty I had something to do with. I received a total of 18,230 experience points from the battle.

Congratulations you have leveled: 45

Congratulations you have leveled: 46

Congratulations you have leveled: 47

Congratulations you have leveled: 48

Congratulations you have leveled: 49

You have 3 levels unavailable until you choose your Demonic Evolution path.

The earthquakes grew more frequent and closer.

“It’s Stada!” Grastad bellowed. “He’s saved us. He comes!”

“Clive, use whatever points you have immediately,” Danivra said urgently. “Constitution. Only Constitution,” she said almost pleadingly.

“What the fuck, Danivra?”

“Do it! Quickly,” I heard her shouting the same message to everyone, and the panic in her voice, joined with the pounding of the approaching Stada, had me freaking the fuck out.

I quickly scanned the Demonic paths I could take.

Progress to Ascension Tier 4: Pit Demon Level 50

The Pit Demon Tier allows for:

Higher Maximum level across all stats.

+5 to all Physical Statistics.

Paths of the Pit Demon

1)Path of Attack. Choose Weapon that best suits your fighting style and bond it with your inner power. While in this state, Weapon will be indestructible. Weapon can only be defended against with opposing inner power.

Weapon of Ascension active time +10 seconds per level above Elman rank.

6-hour cool down.

2) Cursed ground: Cast a field of energy around you which drains the stamina of all antagonistic forces who are within the area of effect by 50%.

Duration: 10 minutes. Increase area of effect by 1 foot every level above base Pit Demon Rank. Every 10 levels provides a 10-minute duration increase.

3) Call to Action: Your roar fortifies friendly forces with +10 points to Strength, Speed, and Constitution. Increase effect by +1 point for every level above base Pit Demon Rank.

Duration: 5 minutes. Every 10 levels provides a 5-minute duration increase.

I wasn’t even sure if I could get another weapon of ascension again or if it would be a total waste. I hadn’t expected to be involved in a massacre so I had given this no thought, but right now, I figured the best I could do would to be to give my people a better chance, so I hammered Call to Action and pumped all ninety available points into Constitution.

Level 53

Physical statistics:

Strength: 60

The capacity to exert and resist force.

Dexterity: 28

Skill and ease in hand-based activity.

Agility: 28

How effectively the body can move into a range of different positions.

Speed: 58

Rate at which the body can move.

Stamina: 58

Period over which the body can effectively sustain prolonged activity.

Constitution: 208

The ability to withstand physical punishment.

Mental Statistics:

Intelligence: 45

Knowledge and its application

Charisma: 38

Charm, coerce, inspire.

Perception: 23

Awareness of surroundings

Spiritual Statistics:

Ethereal Awareness: 0

Attunement with the Gods and spirits of Gulithea. (Necessary for Ethereally supplied magical ability.)

Internal Connection: 50

Attunement with oneself. (Necessary for cultivation of one’s own inner power)

Singularity: 14

Innate understanding of universal essence (Neuma). Will increase with personal level. (Cannot be leveled by other means.)

World sense: 6.3%

Knowledge of Gulithea.

Experience Points to next level: 20/2700

My body began to grow, my demon parts in particular sprouting new spikes. It became a struggle to keep myself aloft in the air. Sania grabbed my non-demonic arm to help, but her attention wasn’t even on me. It was off to the east of our position.

As I regained full control, a huge shadow came into view. There was no way to make out any details in the current light, but it was mountainous, two hundred feet plus at least.

“This can't be,” Sania muttered. “How can anything be that big?”

My brief glimpse at her showed she’d gone up to Level 51 from the battle. A look to the ground showed at least thirty of the Fensalfar were dead. A number of Wultr Krysan and Nystiobek had died in the fighting, too. In that moment, with the shadow mountain approaching us, and the sight of all the people who’d lost their lives, miles away from anywhere, I questioned if this had been worth it. All so I could save my own arse from Natom.

“No, Clive. There’s no time for that!” Sania snapped.

She hadn’t spoken to me like that since I’d first bonded her, and the abruptness of it snapped me out of my spiraling self-doubt.

“If you want to mourn, mourn after we achieve what we came here to do.”

She still hadn’t taken her eyes from the approaching shadow, so she didn’t see my resolute nod of agreement as I joined her in staring at what I’d hoped would be our savior. The eardrum-shattering roar suggested a different outcome.