Chapter 32

They had hung her body from the ceiling by ropes wrapped tightly around her limbs. She was wearing a dress stained with blood, and her skin was covered in wounds and cuts. The Cultists had done something to keep her alive, but bleeding, a combination of healing magic and rituals to keep her alive enough to be useful.

Serena looked like she was sleeping, except for the deathly paleness of her skin. In the few days since she had been taken, she had lost weight, her body desiccated from blood loss.

The chamber was quiet, the only sound was the steady drip of blood striking the ground, joining the river as it flowed through the engraved runes covering the pyramid.

“God’s Bones.” Wil whispered, the sight of Serena filling him with a mixture of fear, despair, and intense anger at what had been done to her. He ‘Misty Stepped’ to her, reappearing in mid air, his sword slashing the ropes that bound her.

Catching her in his free arm, he settled her on the ground. She was still alive, but barely.

Digging into his bag of holding, he pulled out red healing potions, removing the corks with his teeth and pouring them into her mouth and splashing the liquid on her wounds. He used potion after potion, some strong enough to cure the harshest of wounds, but they were barely effective. Some colour returned to her pallid skin, and the wounds showed signs of healing, but Serena stayed unconscious.

“Kathryn.” Wil whispered, picking up Serena and dashing down the passageway. Serena needed healing, now.

The path back seemed longer somehow, like he was fighting against the tide. He was only conscious of the body in his arms, Serena’s ragged breaths and her cold, clammy skin.

Bursting free of the passage, he returned to the main chamber, where a scene of utter devastation met his eyes.

Half the chamber was simply gone, destroyed in the conflict. Piles of stone and debris that covered the bodies of the fallen. The Lidless Eye symbol that hung above was now embedded into the floor, covered in cracks and damage from the fall.

Through the haze of dust and smoke, Wil could see Markus, still fighting against the armored warrior. His Echoes were missing, as well as his left arm, leaving him with a stump, the wound cauterized hastily. Even as Wil watched, Markus launched himself forward, his sword held steady.

The armored figure appeared unhurt, his armour scorched and showing signs of wear, but he moved causally, as if this were all a game that he was winning. And Wil couldn’t fault him for that logic, seeing the state of the others.

Kathryn was huddled over the unconsciousness body of Astrid, who was lying in a large pool of blood. Seeing her still form, Wil felt his heart clench. There was so much blood, more than her small figure should hold. She was covered in wounds, and her face was bruised, the little that he could see through the crimson.

He could see Kathryn working her divine magic, covering the injured silver haired woman with divine light, a look of intense concentration on her face.

Disappearing, he reappeared next to the cleric, Serena still clenched tightly in his arms.

“I have her, but she requires healing! How’s Astrid?” Wil said, placing the young girl next to Kathryn.

“I’m losing her! The negative energy is interfering with my healing. We need to leave, Wil, or I’ll lose them both!” Kathryn hissed out through clenched teeth, not taking her eyes off her patient.

“I’ll grab Markus and teleport us out!” Wil said, spinning around and dashing towards his brother.

The fight between the armored figure and Markus was winding down, his brother clearly on the losing end. In the short time Wil’s eyes had left him, Markus had been struck multiple times, his body so battered that Wil was surprised he could still stand.

“Steel Wind Strike!” Wil shouted, drawing his sword, and sending a slash of magic towards his brother’s attacker. The armored warrior was caught from behind, the impact sending him reeling. Wil followed up with another attack, this one with enough force to slam the warrior into a pile of debris, burying him from Wil’s sight.

“Come on! We need to go, now!” Wil shouted, dragging Markus to his feet a propelling him towards Kathryn. All around them, the chamber shook as more rocks tumbled from the ceiling and walls from the Armored Warriors attempts to free himself.

“The ritual…did we end it?” Markus gasped, stumbling forward.

“Serena is free, we can confirm the ritual’s end once we’re out of here!” Wil replied, half carrying his brother. They had nearly reached Kathryn when an explosion of pure, black mana burst from behind them, sending rocks and debris flying in all directions.

Standing, shrouded in mana, the armored figure roared, the sounds causing a shockwave that nearly sent Wil and Markus lurching to the knees.

“FOOLS!” The warrior roared, and his eyes glowing a bright red in the darkness. They narrowed as they focused on Wil, and the sword still gripped in his hand.

“WILHELM BROOKMOOR…” He hissed out, his voice clearly heard over the falling stones.

“You have something of mine.” The warrior said calmly, walking forward. “I was promised my revenge by Mammon for my assistance. Years locked away, bound under an unending ocean. Do you know what it is like, mortal, to be trapped for eons, unable to stretch my wingssss…” He whispered, drawing out the last word.

Wil felt his blood run cold, and a feeling of despair welled up from his stomach. He recognized this warrior, from a vision of the past, a dream of a life extinguished so long ago by a wish.

“That’s…not possible. I saw you fall!” Wil shouted, pushing his brother towards Kathryn as he spun around.

“Trapped, but not killed. Although, I was forced to accept outside help. Degrading as it may be…” The warrior hissed, dropping the large mace by his feet, and lifting his helmet off with both hands.

Long black hair framed a handsome face, pale and elegant. His eyes glowed red, and streaks of black tar streaked down his cheeks like tearstains. Wil had seen this before when Desire was attempting to retrieve the Shard of Divinity, the clear signs of infection.

An Elder Dragon stood before him, in human form, infected by the same darkness that had driven Desire and countless others to madness.

“Your interference cost me the key to my prison, human. But locks can be broken in other ways.” The warrior said, tossing his helmet away.

“So, you sold your services to a Archdevil? I thought Dragons had more pride than that!” Wil responded, backing away slowly towards the others. The warrior’s eyes flashed a bright red at the remark, before calming once more.

“A partnership, nothing more. My freedom in exchange for the portal remaining open.”

“You’ve failed. Serena has been removed from the pyramid, the portal will close.” Wil said, peeking behind him to see the others gathered together, Kathryn’s divine magic wrapping around them. He just needed to reach them, and they could teleport away.

“You’re a fool. The Tiefling was a catalyst, nothing more. The girl’s connection to Moloch opened it, but Mammon controls it now. It will not close so long as the taint of his presence remains.” The elder dragon said, calming reaching down and picking up its massive mace in one arm. It made the weight of the weapon seem effortless.

“Then we’ll remove it.” Wil said with confidence.

“Go ahead, human. It stands before you now, in here.” The dragon said, patting its chest with its free hand. “Kill me, and the portal closes.” The warrior smiled, the feral grin of predator looking at prey.

“Wil, no! We need to leave. We’ll regroup, gather a party and strike together.” Markus whispered to him through lips so battered he looked nearly unrecognizable. Wil looked at him for a moment and nodded.

“I’m sorry.” Wil said, thrusting his hand out towards them. In a flash, they were gone, the light of teleportation sending them far away.