Chapter 29

“Steel Wind Strike!” Wil shouted, his blade already sweeping across.

A streak of cutting air sliced through the Fiends in front of him, the goat-like creatures collapsing in pools of blood. Teleporting, Wil reappeared beside another, his sword already crashing downwards. The creature exploded from the force of his blow, disintegrating into a bloody mist, the power of ‘The Dragon’s Tooth’ too much for it to withstand.

Brookmoor Manor was under attack and his return had thrust him directly into combat. He had barely emerged from the portal when the sounds of fighting reached him. Hundreds of fiends assaulted the estate, his guards and friends already engaged with the invaders.

Finishing with the Fiend, he turned to a group of undead that were riding skeletal horses. They were dressed in Brookmoor House Guard armor, but of a much older style, rotted and rusted. Drawing on his mana, he thrust his hand out towards them.

“Incendiary Cloud!” He yelled, and a swirling cloud of smoke and white-hot ash erupted from in front of him. It swept across the ground, consuming and burning everything in its path. The burning cloud devoured the undead horsemen, leaving nothing behind as it continued its path of destruction.

“Wil!” A voice screamed in the distance.

Turning, he saw Astrid, protected by a shimmering field of magic. Several Horned Devils were pounding on the barrier, each blow causing cracks to appear. Behind her, Quentin was reloading a large crossbow. Wil could see several bolts protruding from the Fiends.

Disappearing in a white mist, Wil reappeared next to the Devils, his ringed hand outthrust. A blast of frigid air, filled with razor sharp shards of ice, shot out of the Ring of Frost. The attack blasted the creatures backwards, the ice ripping their skin apart.

Finishing one off with a sword thrust through its heart, he turned to find the other dead, a crossbow bolt piercing its eye.

“Are you both alright?” Wil asked, looking around for more threats. He could see that others were engaged but were holding their own. The fighting was drawing to a close.

“We’re fine. Where have you been!?” Quentin yelled, moving out of Astrid’s protective shield, and throwing her arms around him.

“What do you mean? I’ve been in the other realm. I’ve received Serena’s location from Moloch.” Wil said, hugging her back.

“For two days? I’ve been worried sick! If Bell hadn’t stopped anyone from going into that room, we would have already followed you. I thought you may need rescuing.” Astrid said, coming up beside him.

“Two days?” Wil said, stunned. It had only been a few minutes for him, an hour at most.

“Time must move differently there, it was much shorter for me. What have I missed?” Wil asked, looking from one woman to the other. They seemed fine, haggard but uninjured.

“Things have gone from bad to worse. There have been steady attacks here in Brookmoor, and we’ve heard that most of the western provinces have fallen. We need to stop this, Wil. We can’t hold much longer.” Astrid explained.

“I know where Serena is, we just need to gather a party and go get her. Once we have her, we can look into closing the portal.”

“It’s likely that they are using her to maintain the ritual, a portal like that would need a constant supply of mana. If we can simply disrupt it, the portal should close.” Astrid said.

“Then we need to hurry. Where are Garman and the others?” Wil looked around, hoping to see them nearby.

“In town with Markus, coordinating the House Guards and settling the refugees.” Thousands had fled the west, looking for safety in the south.

“Markus is back?” Wil asked, eager to see his brother. With Markus and Kathryn, their chances of rescuing Serena improved dramatically.

“He returned yesterday once he heard you were missing.” Quentin offered.

“Good, I need to see him. It looks like we’re done here.” Wil said, seeing that the guards had put down the last of the Fiends and Undead. The Negative Energy in the air was reducing at a visible rate, the clerics of the Twin Suns divine powers driving it back.

Bringing Astrid and Quentin with him, Wil traveled to the town of Brookmoor.

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Wil set the Demon Skull talisman on the table in the center of the Tavern, covering the maps and reports Markus had piled there. They had taken over the Inn to better coordinate the refugee’s resettlement, with Garman and Kellerman leading the House Guards on their patrols.

So far, things have been manageable, their supplies adequate. It would soon change if more refugees made their way to them. Every hour, hundreds arrived, tired, and injured.

“She’s still in Aachen?” Garman asked, his tone tinged with disbelief.

“They never left. My guess is they’ve been planning this for years. They likely have tunnels or safehouses within the city, hidden in the rebuild. When Aachen fell the first time, the cultists used the old sewer system to move about unseen. It would make sense for them to employ the same tactic.” Wil responded, settling on a chair.

“Aachen is overrun, the last report was from two days ago, the legion declared it lost and moved back.” Greaves explained, pushing the skull to one side so he could pull out a map of the western provinces.

“All the more reason to believe they are there. She’s alive, Moloch all but confirmed it when he provided me her coordinates. She in Aachen, we just need to go get her.” Wil said. He had communed with Moloch through the skull after his arrival, the information regarding Serena was like a magnet, drawing his attention to the west.

More disconcerting was his growing connection to the Archdevil, but one that could be dealt with at a later time. For now, he needed all the help he could get in retrieving Serena.

“There’s a Balor in Aachen.” Greaves said, pulling out a report and handing it to Wil. It detailed the loss of the city, and an attack by a powerful Demon. Sadly, it also listed the destruction of the Cathedral, somewhere he knew Martin was located.

‘Time to mourn later.’ Wil thought, focusing on the problem at hand. Thousands of Fiends and Demons, led by a high-Ranking Balor would make an assault nearly impossible. Even a group of Rank 18 and 19’s would be overrun.

“Hopefully, it won’t come to a battle with it. We sneak in, assault the cultists, grab Serena, and disrupt the portal.” Wil explained.

“Closing the portal will stem the tide of Fiends and Devils entering our realm, but we’ll still need to mop up the rest afterwards.” Greaves observed.

“Problems for another day. Closing the portal will give us the time we need for the suns to rise. If Illyria is to survive, we need to put a stop to this.” Wil stated.

“When do we leave?” Bell asked.

“As soon as possible. We’ll keep the party small, we’re trying to be stealthy, a large team will draw attention. Markus, Kathryn, myself, and Astrid. Garman, you and Kellerman will oversee Brookmoor. I don’t want to leave this place undefended.” Wil said.

“You’re taking the girl?” Garman asked, surprised. Astrid was a Rank 10, more than capable in normal situations, but compared to the others going, she was significantly underpowered.

“Her artifacts will come in handy. I want to conserve our strength until we’re ready to strike. And if I’m incapacitated, Astrid can teleport us out.” Wil explained, nodding at the silver-haired beauty beside him. Astrid felt a warmth in her chest at the acknowledgment of her strength and abilities.

“I won’t let you down, Wil.” She whispered. Wil nodded slightly at her words, flashing her a quick smile, before turning to the others.

“Make your preparations, we leave shortly.” He ordered.