The sky was still clear over the Royal Peak when two large companies of soldiers moved in from above and below. Each group set up a rear guard on either side of the outcropping that made up the outer ‘lawn’ of the Lower Palace. Among those soldiers that were gathered, two figures stood out. One was Commander Irkev, a gruff middle-aged elf with a powerful build sporting a beard and mustache. If it weren’t for his youthful looks and long, pointed ears, some might mistake him for a rather tall Dwarf. His company had marched up from the city at the request of the Elf King. There, he had arrayed his men around the entrance to the Lower Palace with enough troops near the rear to retreat and call for reinforcements if necessary. He wouldn’t be taking any chances.

In contrast was his counterpart, the lithe woman at the very least wore armor but it looked more ceremonial than anything else. Her blonde hair, the mark of a high-ranking noble, was swooped to one side and hung loosely over her shoulder. She held her head high as she approached. The woman, Nagya, was one of the first of her kind, a national secret that was about to become very public it seemed. Only those in the upper echelons in the military knew of what the elves had traded their own kin for with the humans. Even some of the nobility were mystified by the act of ‘exchanging’ their kin to servitude with human nobility. The truth put a sour taste in his mouth. Nagya was an ascendant in training, an elf with five aspects. The humans had finally given over the trick to turn an ordinary person into an aspect being. There were two already that had completed the process.

“Commander,” Nagya crooned, “You made it.”

“Would you expect any less? The Army is more than ready to handle the problems of our kingdom. We do not need your kind,” Irkev growled.

“No need to be so cold,” Nagya laughed, “I am merely here to observe and intercede if it becomes too much of a problem for you.”

Irkev grunted and turned away, gesturing toward the door to the lower palace, “Breach it, let’s get this over with,” he commanded, urging his men to action. His vanguard of twelve broke off of the main group and marched to the doors. One of them carrying a tiny crate that reeked of honey and magic. Another carried what looked like a rope made of black fiber. The other ten held their position around the pair as they worked, setting the crate next to the door and feeding the black rope into the crate. They slowly began to retreat, unrolling the rope as they went. Irkev was so focused on them that he didn’t notice whatever it was that drew Nagya’s attention.

“What is that?” She murmured. He looked up and spotted some sort of black ooze dripping out of the crack between the doors. More slid out from beneath the door and even began to drip down from the top of the door. Soon a light flood of the black substance inched its way across the ground. One of the soldiers readying the crate raised his arm to his face, “It reeks! Is that oil?”

Irkev’ instincts kicked in, “Fall back!” He barked, “Fall back now!”

The men didn’t need more orders than that, they abandoned their task and danced back from the growing pool. The dark ooze climbed up the side of the crate and slipped into the cracks around it. It saturated the crate and spread out until it stopped at the edge of the four great columns that held the small cutting in the side of the mountain open. The soldiers all began to grumble about the smell. Irkev raised his arm to his nose, it did indeed reek of crude oil. He glanced at Nagya and found her expression a bit unsettling. She was disgusted but fascinated at the same time, her eyes sparkling. “An aspect power, perhaps?”

“Not exactly the time for academic inquiry, don't you think?” He growled.

She shot him a withering look and stepped forward only to hesitate when something reached out of the thick black bog. A tiny arm. Irkev raised his arm and made a fist. His men drew their weapons as another arm stretched up elsewhere in the pool. Then another and another. Soon over a dozen tiny figures began crawling out of the foul pit, each of them as disturbing as the last. Their bodies twitched and writhed, their eyes were wide with madness and terror, their faces concealed by animal skulls. One of them let out a shriek and then the others joined it, crying out and trembling in chorus. More rose up out of the liquid but remained within the safety of the dark pool. “Hold! Do not enter that pool!” Irkev barked.

As soon as he gave his order, a voice thick with malice rumbled out from the space within the entryway. He couldn’t tell if it was coming out of the oil or from behind the door. Or both?

“Obey.”

The horrors went very still, their mad eyes staring out at the soldiers. They moved as one until they formed a tiny column, a frankly offensive imitation of the proper rank and file of soldiers. Nagya chuckled and shook her head, “Someone hand me a torch and let’s be done with this.”

Irkev blinked, “A torch?” Then realization as one of Nagya’s men handed her a lit piece of wood. “Wait!”

She ignored him and hurled the torch into the pool. At once the oil ignited and in a flash of sound and force as an explosion ripped through the entryway. With only one direction to go the force was directed outward, throwing Irkev, Nagya, and their soldiers back. Irkev hit the ground hard, his head spinning and his ears ringing. He forced himself to his feet as fast as he could, squinting through the cloud of smoke. Scattered around it were the bodies of his men who had been too close when Nagya had thrown the torch. He swore, reaching for his weapon when one of the horrors that should have been pulverized by the explosion came running out. Its body was on fire but the flames weren’t the right color.

“Red flames?” One soldier behind him shouted.

More of the horrors shrieked and leaped out of the cloud, throwing themselves in every direction. The burning nightmares grabbing onto the living and the dead and ripping skin from flesh. Screams broke out, “Fight back! Put these monsters down!”

A new sound sent a chill down Irkev’ spine. Gutteral, enormous, powerful, he looked for Nagya and found her struggling to her feet, a few drops of blood coming out of her ears. He swore and hurried to her side. She may be an idiot but she was their best bet here. “On your feet!” He barked, wrenching her to a standing position. Green light began to inch its way over her skin as she used her aspect to heal herself. He pointed his sword at the cloud, moving back as more tiny horrors threw themselves out, charging at his men. His men fought back, though, and soon bodies of men and monsters littered the area. Another roar sounded and Nagya came to her senses.

“Reptile,” She breathed, “Large,” She forced herself to stand and pushed him off.

He was about to ask what she meant when a dragon stepped out of the cloud. Jet black and oozing the dark liquid that had birthed the nightmare beasts. Its eyes smoldered an orange-red and he could practically feel the malice radiating off of it. A creature lunged at him from the left and he spun, bringing his sword down in an arc, bisecting the wretch. He spat and kicked the body away lest the strange red flames catch on him. That was when a humanoid finally stepped out of the cloud ahead of the dragon, running his enormous hand along the dragon’s scales. He looked vaguely human, but his body was covered in dark fur that shone like metal. His eyes were the same yellow-orange of the frantic wretches that were thrashing about. His chest was bare but he wore armor on his legs and feet. In his other hand he held what looked like a war mace, red fire burning on it.

“Name yourself!” Irkev demanded, “Are you controlling these things?”

The sullen-looking half-man half-monster raised his head, “I am Conrad Akos! Second General in the service of Queen Akura! She has ordered us to punish this kingdom for its treachery!” The man roared, his voice a terrible hissing rasp. Conrad’s eye twitched, “Betrayal. Betrayal! Your king has betrayed the Azar!” He strode forward and put himself between Irkev, Nagya, and his dragon. “You should feel honored! I have finally been gifted with my fifth aspect! Now I will use you all as my crucible to become something worthy of her praise!”

Nagya clicked her tongue and with a sudden exertion of strength he didn’t know she was capable of, shoved Irkev out of the way. “Get out of here! This is not a fight you can win, little man!”

Conrad threw himself into the air, grabbing onto the dragons neck and in a quick movement mounted it’s shoulders. He raised his flaming mace over his head and bellowed. “Come at me!”

Irkev scrambled to his feet and swatted away another one of the inky horrors that continued to pour out of the opening. The smoke was blocking his vision, making it impossible to see how many of the damn things were left. The dragon let out a terrible roar and charged forward, lowering its head to ram Nagya. Nagya danced aside and the dragon spread its wings, flapping once and darting into the air. Nagya spun, lashing out with her left hand, bolts of ice peppering the side of the creature. The ice fizzled into nothing more than steam when they drew too close. Conrad raised his mace again and his eyes began to glow with unholy light.

“Kneel!” He ordered.

Irkev felt something reach into his mind, he felt sourceless terror rise up in his chest. He gripped his head, pushing back with all his might as he tried to regain his senses. Around him, the soldiers present screamed in panicked horror. Some of them dropped to their knees, begging for mercy. Irkev pushed through the terror, shaking it off and diving into a roll as another horror came lunging at him from the side. He kicked it in the head and brought his sword down on it as black-and-red flames lit up the space far to his right. Nagya threw up her hands and spun them in a circle as a torrent of unholy fire beat down on her form. Irkev watched as she winced, forcing herself through the motions of redirecting the flames. Ultimately the gout of fire sprayed off the side of the mountain.

Nagya took two steps back and flickered, disappearing and reappearing in the air. Her feet landing on what looked like blocks of ice that solidified in the air. She leaped from one to the other, moving toward the mounted man with all the speed she could muster. Her body practically disappeared at times. Irkev rubbed his eyes, he couldn’t follow it. He shook his head and forced himself back into the moment, turning to the troops both he and Nagya brought, he needed to bring the situation under control. “Form ranks! I want order here! Push the monsters back! They’re coming from inside, we will cut them off at the source!”

A resounding shout came from both groups of men, shields locked and elven soldiers began pushing back towards the lower palace. One step at a time. The horror beasts were fast and strong but they could not take a hit well. One at a time both groups took down the freaks, moving closer and closer to the center of the outcropping. Another flare of power erupted behind him and he glanced back to see Nagya whip her arm up and draw a ripple of starlight across the space between her and Conrad. The light ripped across the living horror’s body, the man letting out a cry of pain before swinging his mace at her. She dodged it easily, throwing herself backward in the air only for the mace to leave his hand and hurtle in her direction. The strike took her in the chest, knocking her off of her platforms and sending her to the ground. She hit the snow next to Irkev and he turned to help her up.

As she came to she looked up at him and then her eyes went wide, “No! Move!”

Irkev whipped his head back to see a black rope of something attaching Conrad’s hand to his mace, he’d already swung it back and into the air over his head and was bringing it back down in their direction. Nagya threw up her hands again, hurrying to create another barrier for herself. Irkev darted away, diving for cover. The impact didn’t come. Irkev raised his head and blinked, watching the trajectory of the swing and his heart sank into his belly. The mace arced through the air and in one swing it blasted through the rear of his troops, sending them flying into the air, some of them falling from the side of the mountain. The merciless attack followed through, blasting into the raised shields of Nagya’s men and pulverizing their front line.

Nagya dropped her shield and stared, wide-eyed, “This is between us!” She roared.

Conrad laughed, “Since when was this a duel of honor?” He rasped, his voice curling like a serpent. Something radiated out from his body, another ripple of terror that burst through the ranks of their soldiers. Shields fell and some men started to run away, holding their heads. One man even threw himself off the side of the mountain in terror.

Irkev looked up at the monster hovering above them. No, not a monster, “You are a devil!” Irkev bellowed, fighting through the terror that threatened to cripple his body.

Conrad’s eyes glowed brighter, he raised his head high. “You’re right!” He roared, wrenching his hand and drawing his mace back to his palm. Nagya struggled to her feet next to Irkev, drawing magic into her hand and preparing to resume her battle, helpless tears in her eyes. She shifted her weight and for a moment Irkev felt something wrong pass over them. The world seemed to slow down a little. Reality twisted and Nagya froze, she lowered her hand and stared up at Conrad atop his draconic steed.

“Please no,” She begged, “Don’t-”

Conrad’s voice broke the sky, the sound sending Irkev to his knees, “If that is what it takes to see my Queen’s will done!”

I will become The Devil itself!

Nagya was the first to react, “Retreat! Retreat now!” She shouted, throwing her hand towards her men and pointing up the way towards the upper palace. “Move! Return to the upper palace!”

“What’s happening?” Irkev demanded.

Nagya rounded on him, “Get your men up there now!” She bellowed and grabbed him by the collar of his armor. “That man is now an Ascendant! If you want to live, run!”