Beyond Light's Reach (IC Reboot)

[Tomia]

Quentin
As Quentin was surrounded by enemies, a bolt of lightening shot towards a nearby Guardian who was barely able to dodge it in. Quentin took advantage of this, aiming his sword and shooting his own lightening. This one the man couldn't dodge and he flopped lifelessly onto the ground. He took a set back, putting some distance between him and his enemy. He turned to see where the assisting lightening bolt came from. He saw Essie the girl he had told to head to safety behind him. He didn't like being ignored but he couldn't say he didn't appreciate the help. He gave her a nod of recognition before turning back the fight. He pushed forward towards the hammer, but a particularly large guardian stood in front of him. He wielded a heavy blade, much like Quentin. The two men stared each other down for a moment before the Guardian charge forward in attack. Quentin quickly parried, blade slamming into blade. He pushed forward and exchanged blow after blow where their blades crossed each other. Then however Quentin did a quick back step as the elf went in for a heavy blow. The blade hit into the ground and as it did so the knight saw his opportunity. He swung his mighty blade horizontally and it stuck into the guardian's neck, spraying blood everywhere including on Quentin's face. The man wasn't dead yet however, and charged forward with the rest of his strength. His fist rammed forward into Quentin's nose and he heard a sickly pop and his mind filled with pain. He had to ignore it now however as he pulled his blade out of the man's neck and stabbed him through the chest. The Guardian fell lifelessly to the ground and Quentin pulled his bloodied blade out. He was breathing heavy, his face covered in his own blood and that of the elf.

Still the hammer was now only a few feet away he just needed to keep people away as the fighting went on. However a Dascian mage suddenly launched a fireball his way and Quentin was forced to roll out of the way, losing sight of the hammer temporarily.

Dulen
Holy shit the Dwarf thought to himself as he watched Neffy burn a man alive. He quickly reached for his cross bow, attaching a number of potions to the mechanism. The first of which was a deep blue mixture that glowed slightly. Got to remember not to piss her off, he thought to himself as he readied to aim his crossbow. He also saw the giant lion-folk he was calling courage smash an elf against a pillar. It was a gruesome scene, far worse than anything Dulen could imagine for his books. Dulen had been in fights, and skirmishes, but nothing like this. He willed himself not to vomit as he aimed his crossbow. He looked around unclear who he should actually be shooting at. Then he saw a Tashar soldier running towards Neffy from behind with his spear pointing towards her. She didn't seem to see him, and so Dulen launched the bottle at him. It smashed the man in the chest, and suddenly ice was rapidly expanding around his body and soon he was frozen in from chest to feet.

"What in Benthoral's knickers is going on!" Dulen shouted as he held his crossbow ready in case a new target presented itself. He saw a Athelaian soldier nearby who wasn't standing with his own troops. He seemed to be on the defensive. Dulen took a few steps towards him and aimed his crossbow. "You there Guardian, friend or foe?"

Briayla
Great, more people... She thought to herself as a newcomer approached. Still, it seemed like the man with the golem was willing to take action, so she followed the hulking creature down the the tunnel he had made into the main temple. She saw the fountain with the orb, displaying bizarre images along the walls.

"What is all this..." She found herself wondering, before snapping back her attention to the fighting before them. Gwen seemed intent on charging in, whereas Brialya made her way towards the corner where she could get a clear shot. The problem was she really had no idea who she should be targeting.

She turned to Sael, "You said something about a hammer right? I think I see it..." in fact she did, as it sat there pulsing with energy. She raised her bow, prepared to fire at anyone who tried to grab it. A elven soldier ran towards it and was stopped cold by an arrow jutting out of his throat.

May my faith guide may hand, and lead me along the path of the righteous.

[Theyra]

Dulen

Ivaran watched as the opening actions of the fight started from his position. Watching keenly as one of the Thalarian mercenaries. At first, feigning that she did not have a weapon and pulling an Athelaian forward by his spear. Later burning his head with her hand and after tossing his body to the ground. The she-wolf taunted them and as she was being surrounded when a larger Thalarian stepped forward and pledge to defend the she-wolf. Taking on some of them and It was not easy to watch his fellow Athelaians die like this. Especially when the Lion-folk swung and slammed an Athelaian to death on the nearby pillars. But, what were they dying for, an accursed artifact and something about this did not feel right to Ivaran.

As he was debating to himself in his head as he watched the scene unfold, a dwarf called out to him. Asking if he was friend or foe, that surprised him since Ivaran figured he would be a clear enemy to all with the Athelaians betraying the truce. Staring at the dwarf with his odd-looking crossbow and replied. "That depends if you fire that crossbow at me or not mr. dwarf". Ivaran prepared himself to dodge the crossbow if it fired at him. He saw what the dwarf did that a Tashar soldier with an ice potion and did not seek to suffer the same fate. "I may not know why my kin is doing this but I will defend myself if needed". Ivaran scanned the rest of the crowd, it seemed that no one else was going towards him but, it looked like others were moving to the rest of the Athelaians and themselves. Weapons raised and it seems like this battle is going to be chaotic.

[North Timeria]

Aymeri slowed down as he approached the temple. He took his time to look enjoy the view as he rode up. He had been riding for four days and it felt good to finally arrive at his destination. While Aymeri seemed relaxed something was chaotic and he began to feel uneasy the closer he got. Before approaching the temple he decided to scout the area out. He dismounted and observed those that had set up camp outside the temple. Something was going on inside the temple and Aymeri wanted to know what.

He rushed back to get onto Aquarius as he looked for a way to get into the temple. The main path was blocked off and he didn’t want to get tangled into the fight. “Alright looks like we’re going through the forest.” Aymeri said as he mounted. He readied a bow as they slowly made their way through the wooded area. Aymeri made sure to keep eyes on the surrounding area for anyone that may spot them.

Their progress was slow as Aquarius struggled to maneuver through the heavily wooded area. As they continued Aymeri took note that there could be over 100 people at the temple and all of them seemed to be of different races. He wasn’t sure of what was going on but the longer he stayed the more he put himself at risk. As he got closer he noticed a group fighting. A dwarf was armed with a crossbow aiming it at an elf. “What’s going on here?” Aymeri thought to himself slowing his horse down to see how the situation would play out.

[Auropa]

Ylva Pathmaykr
Main entrance
As the surrounding chaos finally boiled over and the camp started its descent into violence, Ylva angrily chewed the last of her snack and looked around the field annoyed, but not surprised by the lack of a certain white-haired knight.

“Well friends, this has been lovely but I’m afraid duty calls.” She stated simply as she rose to her feet and brushed off a few loose blades of grass. “Hardly seems right to take it easy while the group falls apart, besides, if we let everyone go around killing themselves then how would we get paid? Krook, Werakoya, it was a pleasure to meet you both, if you need me I’ll be knocking a few heads over there and breaking way into the temple. I’ve got a crazed knight I need to find and probably end up saving. Well, until the next time our paths cross.” She added placing an arm to her chest and offering a small bow to the others as she left.
‘Okay then, time to get to work.’ She thought as she pulled her Warhammer free from her back and moved towards the fighting.

Chaos rarely felt like an understatement, but somehow it just didn’t feel crazy enough of a word for when she tried to think of a way to describe everything she was seeing. Sure she's been in a few dozen fights and sure she's seen a few larger skirmishes but something about watching a bunch of elven plate wearing soldiers armed with the finest of their weapons going against the hide, claw and magic of a few oversized beastkin as mad dwarf fired what looked to be coloured bolts into the frey just seemed confusing. Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts and let the image sink in, she pushed her comments aside for the moment, made her choice for a target then walked forward with a clear purpose. As things were, she wanted to get inside the temple and elves were in her. One way or another, that meant they needed to be moved.

“You! Throw down you’re weap-“ One of the Tasharian soldiers began to say to her before just barely managing to catch the goliath’s first attack with his shield.

“You’re gonna have to speak up. Couldn’t hear you over all the clanking!” Ylva jeered as she pulled back her hammer and with lightning speed, cracked it back down against the elf’s shield. This time the metal buckled under the weight and dropped the soldier to a knee. Knowing better than to let him recover, Ylva took a half step back then lunged forward and slammed her own knee into the man’s exposed head, sending him airborne for a moment before crashing hard against the floor in an unmoving heap.

“N’aww, wee man’s all tuckered out. I don’t suppose any of you knew what he was trying to say?” She asked with a wide grin as two of the nearby soldiers placed her as a threat and broke off from the main attack against the nearby beasts.

“What not feeling too chatty? No matter, never been much of a wordsmith myself.” She added before surging forward with her hammer once again.

Seeing what had happened to their comrade moments before, these elves knew better than to try and block the attack and as one stepped back to avoid its wide arc the other ducked low and went for a quick stab to the goliath’s gut in an attempt to bring the fight to a quick close. As his blade closed in on its mark though, a sudden movement flashed by and Ylva’s knee shot out once more and crashed into the attacker. Before the man could so much as finish stumbling back from the blow, Ylva moved one of her hands from her hammer and slammed the back of her palm against the man’s helmet then followed up with a brutal punch to the gut that sent him to his knees. As her hammer came back around to finish him, the second soldier seemed to find his courage and rush in with a heavy attack of his own. As strong as it might’ve been against another elf though, the goliath was able to batt it away with her weapon’s handle and slam her shoulder into the attacker as a twisted form of counter attack that sent him clear off the ground and a few feet back. Interrupting her planned attack though gave the elf just enough time to clamber back to his feet and take a wild swing towards her. The moment he did so, Ylva’s smile faded as she casually backpedalled out of its range then with a flick of her wrists, sent her Warhammer directly into the man’s chest causing a sickening crunch as the armour and any organs under it were crushed beneath the attack’s weight.

“Should’ve stepped back friend. Bad idea to swing blindly, even worse when you've just been winded.” She stated to the corpse as she gave a quick respectful nod before turning back towards the remaining elf as a few more began to shift their focus and join by his side.

“As much as I’m enjoying our dance, I really need to get inside and you’re all in the way. So let’s go ahead and get this over with quickly.” She stated as she brandished her warhammer and charged forward once more.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Saelaam of Trelia

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The last member of the ensemble finally spoke once he had declared his intention to follow the group, and as Saelaam turned to look at her more closely, he saw that she was a fetching white-haired young knight, with an uniform that, while worn, gave her an air of gallantry. The priest of Oadot listened to her curt words and though they made him frown, he simply nodded, impatient to finally go aid the Knights of Shotarr. He could take care of himself and didn't particularly enjoy being treated like a helpless child, but starting an argument over something so trivial would just delay them further.

Before the four explorers - plus the golem - could get a move on and go help the knights trapped further inside the temple, another voice called out to them, clearly cautious yet also unaware of the gravity of the situation at hand. The man with the golem simply told the knight to deal with it despite lacking any sort of authority, and the woman responded with irritation, dismissing the man. Saelaam looked back, unable to see the newcomer in the darkness of the side entrance, but knowing he was there nonetheless. "I apologize for their rudeness, but we need to handle a dangerous situation deeper inside the temple. Follow if you will, but it isn't safe in here." He warned, before turning around and trailing behind the others.

The group, led by the knight and the runesmith, advanced towards the artifact chamber before quickly splitting off - while the others went into the thick of the melee, the elf archer headed to the corner so that she could take better aim. Knowing that he would be of no use in the melee, the young crow followed her, keeping a respectful distance but also eyeing her warily, still not fully believing that she was honest about her intentions. Seeing her let loose an arrow, he feared the worst, but a quick look confirmed that she had only attacked one of the Athelaian traitors, and with deadly aim at that.

"Yes... the hammer. The Athelaians seem to be intent on keeping it for themselves." The Chosen spoke after a moment's delay.

Perhaps my suspicion is mis-

He did not have the time to finish the thought, as suddenly a Guardian barreled out from the thick of the fighting, having clearly noticed the arrow jutting out of his comrade's throat and knowing that whoever did it was a threat to be taken seriously. He seemed to glare with cold fury at the woman who wore the armor of his people and yet had turned on them, but Saelaam had no sympathy for him. They had all become traitors first.

"Ergis." He spoke just before the elf attacked, a barrier materializing in front of Brialya and causing the Guardian's heavy sword to bounce off harmlessly. However, this only caused the warrior to turn his attention to the winged priest, who gulped and prepared to defend himself.

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Neferis Lahari

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Her threat had clearly had a large effect on all those around him, as the word of a royal well should. The elves went into a quiet frenzy at the sight of their charred comrade, moving in to surround her, but that wasn't the only result - the soldiers and mercenaries who had gathered due to the commotion went into a frenzy as well, many of them moving to take arms against the elves alongside her. One of them was the lion man from before, Prax, who moved to face off against the elves attempting to surround her. The dwarf from before, Dulen, had seemingly tagged along as well, and Neferis frowned at this - she could easily smell his fear. She'd have to make sure he didn't lose his life in the coming bloodbath.

Though, it seemed he was the one who had her back, seeing as he appeared to aim his strange crossbow at her only to end up freezing a spear-wielding human who had been headed towards her. She raised an eyebrow at this, wondering how she didn't sense him approaching, but either way she nodded in appreciation at the dwarf. This one is full of surprises it seems.

Still, that was not an elf, but a human. It's going to be that kind of battle, huh?

Sighing, the she-wolf nimbly sidestepped the spear of a warrior that broke off from the elven Phalanx to try and avenge his comrades. He was strong and agile, but his power couldn't match the power of the wild. Dodging all of his spear thrusts, Neferis suddenly moved forward and slammed her knee into the man's chest with such force that the impact left a dent in the armor. Without letting up, she took a step towards the soldier as he staggered back and repeated the attack with her other knee. It would probably leave a bruise, but that didn't matter right now.

The knight fell to his knees, and Neferis reared up her fist before sending it straight into the dent. The man's chestplate finally broke apart and several metal fragments lodged themselves into his chest. If he's not dead, he will be soon. The Shi'el thought as she inspected her fist, stained with blood - whether hers or his, she wasn't sure, though the stinging sensation she felt indicated that it was probably a little of both.

Neferis looked around. The melee was intensifying and people of all factions had begun fighting each other. She spotted a Tasharen mercenary clad in leather rushing towards her with a sword. She scoffed, but didn't take a defensive stance just yet.

"Athela is your enemy, not me." The towering woman spoke.

"The truce is broken and Dascus has been our enemy for hundreds of years, lady, ain't my fault you picked the wrong side." He said before charging at her.

The wrong side he says...

Before the man reached her, she took off with a powerful leap and landed behind him. In shock the man quickly turned around, only to see something that utterly terrified him. Standing behind him was not the tall woman from the desert, but a mighty wolf as tall as he was. Only for a moment, the man screamed, and the next he was bitten at the neck and ferociously shaken this and that way before being tossed aside, now but a lifeless husk.

Turning back to her original form, Neferis spat on the ground. Her mouth was now bloodied as a result of her display, but she paid this little mind and instead searched for the lion man with her gaze before moving towards him.

"Prax, it looks like our employers are now at each other's throats." She stated. "Would you like a truce? You aren't a traitor, I have no desire to fight you."

[Tomia]

Quentin
Quentin rolled onto the ground as fire sailed above him. He turned to see the scene around him was as chaotic as ever. A nearby Athelaian was running around aflame, and Quentin noticed a woman out of the corner of his eye throwing potions that created a good deal of chaos. However, Quentin ended up being distracted and there were now two Athelaians along with a Tashar Enchanter fighting over the hammer.

"No!" Quentin shouted, cutting through a soldier that was now in his way as he tried to close the gap between him and the hammer. The Enchanter was now hurling flashes of lightening at the Athelaians but they quickly disappeared as one of them chanted ritualistically and began to glow faintly. He was a purifier and against him the Enchanter's magic would be useless. The other elven soldier charged forward but he was stopped by Quentin who tackled him to the ground. The elf threw an elbow which hit Quentin's already broken nose forcing him to recoil in pain. With his new found freedom, the elf crawled forward, and ripped the hammer from its resting place.

The hammer's light blue glow turned into a much deeper color and shined much more brightly. It could be seen throughout of the temple. Quentin then heard a huge cracking sound as the black stone in front of him began to crack and crumble away. In its place an other-worldly black portal opened. It was like nothing Quentin had ever seen before. Before he could even process everything that was happening, a gravely deep voice entered his mind and sent a shiver down his spine.

Freedom at last

Out of this nightmarish portal came four hellish beasts Quentin watched as the beast tore into the elf holding the hammer, the carnage flying and spraying all around. Quentin heard the screams of people all around him as some tried to fight and others tried to run in terror.

Shotarr preserve us.

Just then, the orbs throughout the temple that were magically illuminating the room suddenly stopped and the voice spoke in Quentin's head once more.

Submit, give in to your urges. You are weak, there is no need to pretend.

He shook his head to resist these voices, but he heard more screams from around him and suddenly the room was more illuminated. The Tashar mage who once stood near him had been replaced by an abomination that glowed red with magma.

Quentin raised his blade, which sparked brightly with lightening in the dimly lit room. He aimed it at the creature and blasted it with as much energy as he could muster. The creature screeched in rage as it hurled fire at Quentin. The knight just barely managed to duck under the fire ball as he plunged his sword into the former mage. He wasn't sure what he was doing, and he didn't even know if these things could be killed, and so Quentin relied on the logic his former master had shared with him about dealing with monsters.

Everything dies if you cut its head off.

And so Quentin swung his blade up vertically, slicing through the creature with great strain until he ripped through the top of its head. It howled until it eventually fell silent. Quentin stood above the dead creature, panting heavily and feeling like his shoulder had been dislocated. He looked around and noticed others were struggling with the voices in heads, especially the mages. Some were even starting to turn into those...things. He looked down at the glowing hammer that laid at his feet, and he remembered the stories he had heard as a child. The Hammer of Eboris triumphantly exiling demons beneath the earth. Staying at this hammer a nauseating truth was starting to form in his mind.

We need to get the fuck out of here.

Brialya

Dulen
Dulen was about to reply to the elf, and the human who suddenly approached him but suddenly he heard a huge crash coming from the forest around the temple. Out of the ground seemed to spawn three massive behemoths as they started charging towards the crowd that was currently fighting each other.

"Holy shit!" Dulen shouted, as he took a step backwards in terror. "Wolfie we have to get out of here!" He shouted to Neferis. His books included a bunch of wild bullshit, but nothing like this. Were these... demons? He had never seen anything like this, but he also knew he didn't very much want a part of it. Could he even hurt these things? The only thing he knew about demon were the old stories dwarfs told their children. He never actually believed any of that nonsense of demons driving them from underground. But was it really true? He decided he'd have to think about that later, surviving was the most important thing right now.

He turned to the elf as well as the human who had spoken to him. "Look, I don't care who you are or what you're doing here. Right now I need you to help me kill these demons alright?" He shouted to them. Meanwhile some mages around him were turning into the same kind of abominations that appeared in the temple were now appearing on the surface. He loaded another potion and aimed it at one of the stomping behemoth's feet. Ice formed all around its right foot, and it slowed down somewhat, struggling to move as a result of the ice.

He then turned to Prax and Neffy who were standing together, "Hey Wolfie, Courage! Mind smashing this thing for me?"

From the nearby road came an odd pair, a human Repentant Knight and a Goliath mage. The mage was charging forward with a look of resolve on her face. From her hands stemmed two bolts of fire and she stabbed one of the corrupted mages that approached her right through the eye with the flaming construct until it almost entirely melted away from the strain of the heat.

Brialya
Brialya nodded in appreciation as Sael had protected her from attack. They didn't know each other and he had every reason not to trust her and he protected her none the less. She now needed to return the favor as the guardian turned his attention towards Sael. She turned and fired off a quick arrow which slammed into his armor but didn't seem to harm him. His attention was now on her however which was her intention. He charged forward, swinging his heavy sword which the smaller elf managed to swiftly dodge. She pulled a knife from her belt, it was a throwing knife but she would improvise if she had to. She aimed it at the under belly of the army but was quickly knocked back by the larger elf. She gritted her teeth, as this didn't seem like it would be easy. Just as the fight stalled however a knife came out of nowhere and pierced the Guardian's throat. He fell to his knees and choked on his own blood as the life left his eyes. Just as Brialya looked around to see where it was coming from another knife flew at her at a deadly speed. She barely raised her bow in time to block it, and the knife actually stuck into her bow.

What the-

She was suddenly tackled backwards by an unknown foe and the two slammed against the nearest wall deeper into the temple. Bria was now on the ground with her foe mounted on top of her and she finally got a look at who it was. It was another elf but a... strange looking one. She was no Athelaian that was sure. Her foe pointed a knife at Brialya and was making some strange gestures with her hand.

What in Benthoral's Beard... Brialya thought to herself.

"Uh, I don't know if you're trying to speak to me or..."

That was when Brialya heard the huge crack and screams from within the temple. Brialya pushed the clearly startled elf off her and saw that the temple was now filled with hellish creatures. One of which had the two of them pinned against the wall, snarling menacingly.

Brialya turned to the elf next to her. "We work together, or we don't survive. What do you say?"

[Finland SSR]

Brialya

Syn of Ashar

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The hellish, beastly creature gnarled and got itself ready to strike, but before it could feast upon the two elves, a massive contraption of stone and iron slammed straight into it from the side. The sheer force of the Golem was enough to tip it over and toss it onto its back. Screeches and grunts filled the air and the creature immediately lashed out, striking the Golem with both of its horns, but the contraption's enchanted armor endured the blow, only getting it to slide across the floor for a few meters.

The Golem grabbed the "bull" by its horns, slowly lifted it up from the ground, and slammed it down with a painful smash - then drew its greatsword and swung forth. With a single, powerful slash, the creature's head got severed, and the rest of its body unceremoniously slumped down to the ground.

"The Freelander's right. Either you go with us, or you die." Syn stated - the runesmith was hiding behind a corner, watching the battle unfold while peeking over and trying to not alarm anyone of his presence. If this was confusing before, then now... well, he wasn't even sure what to think except to go with the flow. What were these things? Where did they come from? What do they want? At least he could just assume the Athelaians were being dicks and needed to be beat down tto not be dicks - but what can he assume here?

The Golem stood in place, staring at several more approaching creatures.

"Let's go, it'll cover our retreat."

[Awesomeland012345]

Tarkin

Tarkin stepped into the tunnel. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself in some kind of hallway. A dismissive voice called out. A moment of silence passed, but then another, deeper one apologized and said that there was danger ahead. By now he could see pretty well in the gloom. There were two male and one female human, a golem, and one elf. The golem must have been what created the hole in the wall. It seemed big and powerful. Good thing it didn't think he was an enemy.

The group creeped forward. Tarkin sneaked along with them. He wondered if they saw the huge scar marking his face and decided not to comment or didn't see it. He decided on the former. After a few yards, the elf split off to stand back.

"You can't use a bow as a sword." he muttered. "I'll stand back too." It would be easier to mange his potions from afar. Suddenly, the knights charged into the fray and the elf let loose and arrow. It struck and elf, killing him instantly. For some reason, there was smoke crowding the air, making it impossible to see far.

"What the heck is happening?" he thought, "aren't those Athelians supposed to... oh... oh... why did I come?" He stepped back, assessing everything that was happening. A dark form leaped out of the smoke, but was stopped cold by a glowing barrier he presumed was made by the golem's owner. This was becoming more dangerous than he liked. Tarkin stepped back a few more steps. He could make out the form of the elf being attacked by the same Guardian that had attacked them earlier. But for some reason, he slumped to the ground, dead.

Wham! Someone slammed into the elf. But Tarkin no longer cared about the elf. Something almost as large as the golem seemed to come out of thin air. At the same time, there was a mysterious glow in the background, and... a voice in his head. He couldn't make out the words, but the voice was deep and evil, unlike anything he had heard. He glanced back to the elf. She had made a truce with her attacker, apparently another elf, to fight the beasts.

"I'm just going to hide behind this golem here..." he stuttered to himself. "The golem will kill anything that tries to kill me..." It suddenly rushed forward, smashing into a beast next to the elves.

"Well, there goes my protection." Tarkin spotted another beast heading toward him. He fumbled with his coat pockets, trying to grab an explosive potion. At the same time, he ran toward the golem, in case anything went wrong. Yes! He tossed the potion toward the beast, which hit it straight on. Boom! Cracks ran through the roof of the temple, and stone came crumbling down. At the same time, he saw that the potion had missed the beast, but that it was now stumbling along like it was lost, smashing into anything that got into it's way. The explosion had most likely blinded it, and even if it didn't, it would've hurt.

The golem seemed to have moved to guard his exit. It's owner seemed to be heading out. Tarkin decided that he should get out too. He sprinted faster than he had ever before. He panicked.

"Don't leave without me! Wait! Wait wait wait wait wait!"

[The Republic of Atria]

Lud stood back as everyone quickly went from bad to worse. What unsteady peace there was shattered almost instantly, thanks to the elves. He held no love for any of the three factions and just wanted his money. The good news was that the captain just hustled back into a tent probably to get someone to send a messenger out to call for reinforcements. Lud himself stood guard outside the tent. He drew his sword, the magic coursing through the blade, doubling its size and giving it an eerie glow. If nothing else it would keep away anyone who had ill intent towards the captain.

Being, for a human, very large and muscular had its advantages, even if he rarely ever intended to make use of it. Maybe he should try to learn at some point? He made a fair living by scaring the crap out of bandits, and it would only be a matter of time before a group of them decided to test their luck against his. He had a fair bit of gold tucked away, and could probably pay someone to teach him.

Lud didn't get the chance to continue his train of thought when he heard an extraordinarily loud BOOM. Loud enough that for a few moments, all of the fighting stopped and the entire camp looked towards the source of the noise: The Temple. Moments later, it erupted with...

Lud blinked a few times and made absolutely sure what he was seeing wasn't some sort of hallucination. It wasn't. Demons. Once thought to be an old legend, and here they were. Giant hulking monsters and beasts, corrupted red skin and violence. He needed to be away from here as soon as he possibly could. He glanced around, seeing a perfect route of escape and was just about to bolt, the captain poked out of the tent, his eyes widening when he saw everything that had take place in the last few minutes. "Alright, whatever you're being paid, I'm going to triple it if you get in there."

Lud winced under his helmet, he could probably talk his way out of it, but he had a reputation to uphold. If he ran away, he knew for a fact that he'd be lambasted as a coward. Without skipping a beat, Lud replied.

"Sure."

Now he just needed to find someone he could hide behind.

[Galnius]

Tenna

In the frenzy that had quickly enveloped the temple, Tenna had been forced to take action. If she could find a lone Athelian, she could see if she could figure out where they were taking whatever was hidden within. From there, it was just a matter of taking it under from the other elves' noses.

Slinking through the shadows, she managed to avoid the bulk of the elven forces. However, soon came a point that she had to get through. Tenna, however, appeared to be in luck. One of the Athelians was attacking the other ones, perhaps overcome in a frenzy or a traitor to the cause. Regardless, they were definitely alone in this, and the latter was not only more likely, but more useful. So, she threw a knife into the throat of one of the attacker, quickly followed by another blade meant to incapacitate the other she-elf. And then-

....the elf blocked it. It was impressive, regardless of the annoyance. The archers reflexes must have been honed to crazy degrees to block a flying blade. Either that, or they had just gotten lucky. Still, Tenna didn't let this stop her.

Tackling the girl, Tenna thought quickly. It was an off chance, but if the other elf knew thieves' cant it would make things a lot simpler. Simple, however, was not in Tenna's stars. Not only did the other elf have no clue what she was signing, the ground soon shook as if the temple was rejecting them and trying to force them out. If only the gods could be so kind....

Instead, a group of horrifying, red creatures that seemed to bleed flame clashed into the opposing Athelian forces and quickly pushed them back. A large beast barreled through the ranks, pushing both Tenna and her mark against the wall.

The air rushed out of Tenna as her back was forced into the stone structure and a gasp of pain left her mouth. It was clear this was the end.

Still, the archer seemed to believe otherwise and proposed they work together to get out. Is she crazy? If either of us get out of here it'll be by sheer luck, or divine providence.

As if on cue, the large golem of the party ripped the beast off the two girls and freed them. Behind it was a scrawny, unassuming man.

He must be that things controller. Gotta be a mage or alchemist. No self respecting thief would run with a monster this obvious, and no warrior would let their hair grow that unruly. Everything points to magic of some sort.

The man repeated the archer's statement, though this time making it seem like she needed him, nothing mutual. She wondered if he'd act so arrogant after getting lost in the streets of Tashar. He looked the type. Still, she obliged. As much as she hated it, she wasn't likely to escape this on her own. Tenna recovered her blade from the deceased elf soldiers throat and caught up to the golem master and archeress.

Once Tenna had, she stopped in front of the other elf to impede her and pointed to the woman's bow, and the blade still sticking out of it. With an open hand, she awaited the return of what was hers.

[Ceystile]

While Vissra immediately tossed a potion of acid toward the elf who had gotten the closest to the hammer, Essie was preparing another spell and gave a smile in return for Quentin's nod when all of a sudden, she saw that very same Athelaian that Vissra had just tried to attack...the vial may have made contact or not, but in the end the elf grabbed the hammer that they'd been trying to protect. She stepped forward to grab it from this enemy but then the hammer glowed and an ear-splitting crack reverberated throughout the stone halls. As the black stone fell away, a portal opened and something that looks like it was formed in a nightmare lumbered out...the temperature in the room seeming to drop several degrees.

"Demons." Vissra's voice came out as a squeak behind her mask, and even Firethroat who had been so confident before nearly dropped his halberd. "I thought they'd been banished years ago." Essie seemed to act on her own, in a panic she launched the spell she had been preparing at the nearest demon, who groaned a little but immediately straightened itself and merely chuckled.

A fiery one you are...I think you'll make a fine servant.
"Get the hell away from me." Essie hissed at the voice that had entered her mind. "I don't know who you are, but you don't pay rent in my mind and my mom said not to let anybody live in my head rent-free so you can bugger right off."
It's useless to resist. Why would you want to, we don't have to be your enemies.
"SHUT THE HELL UP, CRETIN! Go away, I got important things to do!"

Vissra shouted, trying to bring the girl to her senses: "Child, snap out of it! Don't let it overtake you!"
Don't you want the power to help your beloved king? We can give it to you.
"Adrian?" Essie said with a little gasp, the mental energy she was using to struggle against the demons seemed to slip a little.
Your dear Adrian...you want to protect him. You don't have to put yourself in danger, you can have all the power you seek. Just give in, child.
"Come on lass, fight it!" That was from Firethroat, going up to the girl and shaking her by the shoulders. "They're lying, demons mean you no good! You're smart enough to know that!"

You could marry him, without royal constraints. You could be the greatest of wizards, your king will be safe as well as your people...you two would have it all.
"And be happy?"
And be happy.

[Tomia]

Quentin
The Knight of Shotarr was scanning the temple, trying to make sense of what was going on when he saw the Dascian mage who he had spoken to earlier clearly struggling with the voices in her head. Meanwhile a voice was still speaking in his own head.

You can't save her from us. You can't save anyone, "Wolf Knight"

I can try Demon, and once I do I'll shove you back in that hole.

When he reached Essie he grabbed her by the shoulders. She was muttering about things he couldn't exactly make out but that didn't matter. He needed to find a way to snap her out of what ever tricks the demons were playing on.

"Snap out of it mage! You're stronger than these monsters!" He told her forcing her to look at a nearby abomination. "This is what it wants you to become! Whatever you hold dear, whatever its offering you, its only possible if resist right now!" The knight told her, hoping he wouldn't have to kill her. This was nightmare like none he could have imagined, he didn't know if he would be strong enough to come out of this alive.

Just then one of the beasts charged towards him, knocking him on the ground with its sharp teeth baring down on him.

"Mage! Help me!" He shouted to her as he held the beast off with his blade.

You are still a peasant. Your armor and title means nothing. You are nothing.

I am a Knight of Shotarr and I will kill you demon.

Brialya
The undercover Faithful agent was starting to get frustrated with all the characters who seemed to be surrounding her. First the Golem wielding man reappeared and destroyed the demon who was standing in front of her which she was grateful for but didn't like the idea of someone thinking they were doing her a favor. Once that was done some other human ran over to them in a panic, which was the last thing she needed to deal with. Finally there was this other elf who had tried to kill her and was now standing in front of her with her hand out.

"I really hope you can''t speak and aren't just messing with me. I don't know what you are trying to say!" Brialya told the other elf before seeing the knife in the bow. She realized what she was saying and removed it with a sigh. "This what you want? Fine, I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw it at me next time." She said handing the knife to the other elf before turning to the group.

"Look demons or no demons, I have a mission to do. If the leader of the Athelaians is still alive I need to find him. So I'm going into that temple, if you want to come with me fine, but you're probably better off running off into the woods.

Elvesh... You will suffer.

Bria heard the voice in her head, and had a shocked look on her eyes for a moment and but soon recovered and ignored it before running off deeper into the temple in search of the Athelaians.

Yasema
Yasema charged forward through the crowd, moving with far more confidence and calmness than everyone else. She stabbed another abomination with her fire constructs that were shaped in the form of a spear. Then the demon began to speak in her head.

It's your fault they died. They all hate you now. We can make you forget, we can take away the pain.

"I have seen the future demon, and your tricks do not work on me." Yasema said confidently as she advanced towards the man she knew to be Lud. He currently had no idea what he was doing, and he was terrified. But Yasema knew he had a powerful weapon and just needed a push in the right direction.

"Lud, you do not know me, but I know you. In fact, I know what no one else knows." She said to him cryptically. "The weapon may not be yours, but you can make it so. Even if you do not trust your abilities, trust its power." She told him in a sagely tone. "Sualdir has determined that you shall not die, and I will make it so. So if you still fear using your weapon, follow me, I will protect you." She told him as she shot a powerful blast of fire at a nearby behemoth that was attacking a group of soldiers.

[Absolon-7]

Rudolph Thorbecke

---

Once his smoke bomb had been thrown Rudolph prepared his weapon and shield once again to face the elven onslaught. He sidestepped away from Quentin to give both of them room to fight but that left him open to an attack by a Guardian that had been next to their leader. He was covered in soot and he could barely open his eyes but Rudolph knew he still had to be weary. The elf swung his sword and Rudolph let it glide long his shield before suddenly jerking his arm forward to pierce at the elf's chest. Unfortunately he didn't angle it right and his own sword bucked off the chest plate. The elf returned a swing and he brought his shield up in time to block it but that high of a block left him open to his knee getting kicked by the elf. Rudolph staggered back and the Athelaian sent his sword to jab at Rudolph but the swordsman spun around the sword fast enough for it to completely miss its mark only grazing his back armor cutting a bit into his cloak.

Rudolph swung his shield to his back and took out his dagger, Shield Breaker, as he ran towards the elf. He got behind the elf and stabbed the glowing dagger right through its chest as easily as butter. Once it hooked into the ribcage he pulled the elf downward to finish him off with a sword straight to the face through his helmet's face slit. He backed away from the bloodied corpse breathing out heavily. During this bout Rudoplh failed to notice the scuffle Quentin had gotten into near the hammer thus the dislodging of the hammer with its side effects blindsided him. The gaping portal's gifts to the clashing group came in a herd of beasts and the sudden turning of several mages into glowing indescribable monsters.

"Shit, I knew I should've gone to that gold mining expedition to Eshon instead," said Rudolph as he backed away from the carnage creating beasts.

Apparently he had been near two mages as two of the abominations were lumbering towards him charging fireballs in their hands. He sliced upwards at the face of one making screech in an otherworldly howl but the second chucked a fireball at him which almost burnt his cloak. The first with its now split face toppled over into death and the second had its arms hacked off with a swift strike before being finished off with a sword plunged into its head. Rudolph would have to time to celebrate his victory however as one of the four demon beast came charging right at him. He put away his dagger and swung his shield right in front of him right in the moment it tried goring its horns at him. The horns instead tore through his shield effectively ruining it and once it crumpled he was effectively launched away from the shield to land near Quentin.

The beast itself changed its attention to Quentin as well and was locked in a duel on the ground to keep the beast from chomping into him. Rudolph struggled to get up his head pounding and spinning from the attack. He threw away his ruined shield and held his sword in both hands as he walked behind the beast. He raised his sword high into the air before swinging it down to lop off the tail entirely. The beast cried out in pain its attention no longer on Quentin and instead spinning back towards Rudolph.

"Stab it in the back Sir Knight!" shouted Rudolph swinging his sword at the beast's face to keep it away and even chipping at a horn, "Not chivalrous but its a nasty little demon!"

[Theyra]

Ivaran Miaris

"By the Light", Ivaran spoke under his breath as he watched three massive beings seemly appeared out of the ground. Focusing his attention away from the dwarf on the massive beings. Are those demons? They are supposed to be nothing more than legends and myths. Old wives' tales and yet they are seemly here and Ivaran looked around and saw that some of the mages were turning into abominations. What is going and as he was planning his next move. Ivaran heard the dwarf talked to him and he wanted help against the demons. Which is something Ivaran certainly has no problems with and replied. "I am more then willing to help you with that mr.dwarf".

Seeing how the dwarf had temporarily immobilized one of the behemoths, Ivaran chose it as his target, and hopefully, he can hurt this thing. As he was making his way to the behemoth, Ivaran noticed a fireball coming at him from the side and barely dodged out of the way in time. Feeling the heat of the fireball as it went by and he turned his attention to the abomination that fired at him. Ivaran saw that is was somewhat close to him. Not close enough to strike but, enough that he will not have to run far to close the distance. So he ran as fast as he could towards the abomination and it fired another fireball.

This time Ivaran dodged it more smoothly and as soon he was in striking distance, Ivaran pierced the abomination with his glaive, and Ivaran noticed that the thing still lived. What will it take to kill one of these things, Ivaran thought and quickly pulled his glaive out of the abomination with all of his might, he pierced the abomination in its head and the thing would make a howl and then fall to the ground dead. You think killing this thing means anything?

"What? Ivaran looked around for the source of the voice but, only found no one near him. You are weak and have no chance up against the behemoths, less you end up like your father.

"What about my father.... no, you are trying to trick me demon and I will not have it", Ivaran shook his head in an attempt to silence the voice. Hearing a roar coming from one of the behemoths as it smashed a group of soldiers with its fists. Ivaran snapped to his senses and focused on the immobilized behemoth. Though it looked like the ice was starting to break and it would be soon before it was free. "My father would not flee from this fight and neither will I". Saying it almost like a prayer and charged at the immobilized behemoth. As soon as he got in range he sliced its free leg with his glaive and the behemoth responded by trying to smash Ivaran with its fists. He dodged out of the way, not knowing if he did any real damage to the thing. I will not run and hide I am a Guardian and I will not fall today.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Saelaam of Trelia

---

Luckily for Saelaam, the white-haired Freelander was quick to reciprocate his aid, once more drawing the attention of the Guardian and attempting to fend him off, though he was unable to see whether she succeeded in doing so, let alone help her - he was soon grabbed from behind by a Knight-Enchanter.

"You'll make a fine hostage, Chosen." The woman spoke, betraying her plan to use him as leverage to gain access to the hammer and possibly the aid of the Knights of Shotarr. Struggling against her, the priest was nonetheless unable to overcome someone with martial training, but he was not without resources. Grabbing the knife from his belt, he stabbed it into the woman's arm, taking advantage of a gap in her armor. The woman screamed and released him, and Saelaam was quick to back away from her, though he quickly found himself facing the tip of her sword.

"Why, you little-"

No more words came from her mouth. There was no chance. Suddenly a great rumble shook the cavern, a blue light glowed brightly and a black portal was torn open behind the black stone wall. In just a moment, everything became completely chaotic. The magicians inside the artifact chamber started acting erratically, with some outright becoming nightmarish red abominations that retained their ability to use magic but were otherwise bent on annihilating the rest of the research group. Not only that, but strange beasts seemed to rush out of the portal to begin causing carnage and mayhem.

The Knight-Enchanter was understandably confused, and turned around only to be skewered by a lance of fire. She promptly fell to the ground, mortally wounded, as her attacker revealed itself: one of the arcane abominations.

She cannot protect you, Chosen. No one can protect you.

Give in.

Saelaam gritted his teeth and ignored the voice that seemed to be trying to take hold of his mind. Instead of thinking about it, the priest of Oadot rushed to the Knight-Enchanter's side and pressed his hands against the hole in her chest, hoping to save her somehow, despite the fact that she had attacked him.

"Oadot, She who dwells in Heaven
Who protects Eboris from the Dark,
Bestow upon me your gift of mending
Grant me your aid in providing respite."

You cannot save her. You cannot save anyone.

"Give this humble servant your blessing,
So that he may serve others as well,
give him strength and give him hope,
For he is an instrument of your will."

The Chosen's hands glowed with a bright white light as he used Oadot's blessing on the Knight-Enchanter, but his prayers didn't seem to be able to heal the woman, whose eyes soon glazed over as what little life remained in her left her, and her soul traveled to Chtholes' abode under the earth.

There is no hope. Give up. Give in.

"SHUT UP!" The young man screamed at the abomination, as if the voice belonged to it. As he looked up however, he noticed that it seemed to shy away from the white light of Oadot, its mutated flesh burning away as the corruption was forced from it. Saelaam's eyes widened at the realization, but he wasted no time in standing up and continuing his prayer, further driving back the entity and disintegrating its tainted carcass until only something resembling the charred remains of the former magician was left.

Your prayers will not save you when the walls fall down.

Saelaam looked around frightened, realizing that the voice wasn't coming from the abomination, but rather... from something else.

When the walls fall down? What?

Pondering these cryptic words, the crow's eyes fell upon the black portal, and the black wall that had fallen apart to reveal it.

Are those the walls? But haven't they fallen already?

Trying to find meaning in all of this, Saelaam realized something. The hammer, brightly glowing with azure, was no longer in its resting place, and the wall had fallen apart. Surely the two events were connected, and the bitter realization dawned on him that if the others had listened to him before, none of this would have happened.

"You idiots." He spoke under his breath. "You released the demons into this world..."

Wasting no more time overthinking everything, the priest of Oadot began trying to weave his way through the melee while extending a hand towards the fallen hammer and concentrating, another word of power coming from him like before, albeit a different one this time.

"Ara fel."

Suddenly, the hammer disappeared from its place in the ground and appeared in his grip. And just as suddenly, the Ar'el felt a certain clarity wash over him. No longer was he susceptible to the insidious whispers of the unseen fiend, and the demons around him seemed to shy away from him just like the abomination before, as if the energy of the hammer itself was repelling them. Finding newfound courage within himself, Saelaam began walking, then running towards the black portal. If there was anything in the world that could seal it shut again, it was this hammer.

Before he could reach it however, a beast like the ones he had seen before charged out of the portal and barreled straight towards him, barely giving him time to shield himself with magic, though the impact still put him on the ground after sending him reeling back several paces. Looking up, he saw the beast approach menacingly and was helpless to stop it. Gripping the hammer tightly, he held it up just as the creature began to charge, causing it to stop in its tracks and begin circling around him instead, but a feeling in his gut told him that this situation would not last...

Oadot, protect me...

[Finland SSR]

Tarkin

Tenna

Brialya

Syn of Ashar

---

The events inside the temple were chaotic and hard to keep track of, with people showing up and leaving in the span of seconds. There was no plan, no order, no follow of any reason, and that was all leaving Syn seriously frustrated. In the end, however, what the runesmith was left with were several demons felled by the Golem's blade in their retreat, and two people following him - the alchemist from before, frightened to the core by the entire ordeal and sticking to the gang for the sake of protection, and the silent white-haired elf who was here for reasons which Syn was unfamiliar with, but had somehow ended up next to the Freelander archer when she needed help. Unlike the alchemist, she stayed silent. At least one person here kept to their discipline.

Wait, was it two or three? Where's Lady Gwendolyn? Syn had missed her during the heat of the battle, and as he retreated from the temple, he did not bother looking for her. If anything, it's not like the white haired knight would be easy to miss in a crowd.

The Freelander was gone. She chose to instead run deeper into the temple, in pursuit of the leader of the Athelaians, and wasn't going to listen to anything otherwise. Syn tried to convince her out of it as she left, anyway.

"If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a war AND an invasion by god knows what these things are! Are you out of your mind?!"

What do you truly know of the nature of this world?

"Huh?"

Faced with an inner voice of unknown origin, Syn stopped. His Golem was still in the back, fighting off a swarm of demons with the help of only a few warriors from the depths of the temple - they all fared far worse than the contraption.

"Who said that?"

The world is so vast, so unbelievably profound and alien. Are you really above the "superstitions" which crafted it, can someone really discover it all and subjugate it with only their force of will?

What if your destiny has already been decided, and it will not grant you power over nature?

"Someone's speaking to me from a distance, isn't it. With the help of a some sort of Magika connection." Syn spoke to himself, calmly trying to put two and two together and explain it all with rationale. He shook his head and stepped back, once again returning to the heat of the battle.

"The exit is that way. It'll lead us back to the forest," the runesmith continued, waving towards one of the corridors - light was filtering through a wall disassembled, with a hole large enough for a man to fit through. "Golem, follow!"

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Prax

The Lionman pulled his Farx out of an elf to see Tashar and Dascus beginning to duke it out. Turning to the wolf who offered him a truce, Prax nodded his head and said "Aye, Shi'el. Antorans have no quarrel with each other, especially in the slaughterhouse these men are about to create. I see no reason why we should partake in it as well."

As he said that, it seemed like hell itself broke loose. Large stone like monstrosities broke out of the ground, as several of the mages began to morph and change. Prax looked at the rock monstrosity, and laughed. "NOW THIS IS GLORIOUS. INDEED MASTER BARD, WE SHALL SMASH IT TO PIECES. COME SHI'EL, WE HAVE DESTINY TO FACE!" before running forward with his Farx. Slicing through an abomination in his way, Prax leaped into the air and slammed his blade onto the Behemoth's foot, causing chunks of ice and rock to break off. Rolling out of the way of one of it's swings, Prax shouted in Antoran "Come on you big bastard, give me more than that!"

[North Timeria]

Aymeri was caught off guard after the demon began to rise. He had only heard stories of them as a child. As the demons came to life Aymeri began to feel fear, a rare emotion for him. The demons were large and towered over him leaving him in their shadow. For a second he felt himself freeze and regret ever accepting the job. Did they know the enemies Aymeri would face?

He quickly cleared his mind and refocused on the issue at hand. As the dwarf called out to him Aymeri readied his bow and released an arrow at the demon. He snapped at Aquarius and the horse galloped into the fight. With his bow in hand, Aymeri was ready to fight.

As he entered the fight he noticed that some mages were now shifting into something unrecognizable. As he watched he could feel something pulling at him. As his head fogged and his vision became blurry he could feel it even more. He didn’t know why but he could feel the same thing changing the mages fighting him. As a demon began to charge in his direction Aquarius jumped out of the way snapping Aymeri back to reality. Aymeri wasn’t ready to die yet there was still much he wanted to accomplish.

“Dwarf I hope you have a plan.”

[The Republic of Atria]

Yasema

Lud kept to himself for the moment, it didn't seem like the demons had noticed him yet, but someone else did. A tall woman, slightly taller than him, a Goliath if he remembered correctly, approached him and said words that against all logic, were accurate. She somehow knew that the sword wasn't his, to try to make it his sword. She said someone determined that he wouldn't die and even promised safety if he followed her. Right after that, she shot a blast of fire at a large demon, and probably angered it. "Look lady." Lud started.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." He said, taking a half step forward and then back because of the aggravated demon. She mentioned that his sword was powerful and that he should use it. "Yeah, the sword is really nice and all, but that's not a godsdamned bear or some idiot bandits. That looks like some monster out of myth and... you know what, we'll talk about this later, assuming we don't all die from the monsters." He said and stuck close to her, taking the offer of protection.

Not that he wasn't suspicious of her. She was right, but that meant she had the potential to go around spreading that information. He didn't know how to use the sword very well, but he did know that stabbing the ground made a really cool and powerful explosion. Of course he prayed that he wouldn't ever have to do that.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Neferis Lahari

---

---

---

The wolf warrior simply nodded at Prax and turned her attention back to the melee unfolding around her, only to be surprised by the deep rumbling that came from the cavern and shook its surroundings to the core. Easily maintaining her footing, she nonetheless saw many of the combatants fall over, though that was nothing compared to what followed: three towering monstrosities all rose from the ground and unleashed their hate and violence upon the unsuspecting races of Eboris. Neferis had only heard of creatures such as these in stories, old legends from a thousand years ago that spoke of the nightmares from another world that lashed out against the world itself, and the heroes that drove them back. Stories of Antores, Gules and Kalik tearing fiends apart limb from limb and rending them with talon, fang and claw.

She was no Gules, but in the face of such ancient threat, she had no intention of backing down.

"Get out of here?" Neferis scoffed at the dwarf's words. "I will not return to Amarkar to be known as the wolf who ran." She growled. Despite her bravado and her intentions to remain however, her mind was hard at work trying to figure out how to face this coming threat. While Prax and a nearby Athelaian got to work stabbing the creature in the leg, she observed the fiend. Its skin was stone and its blood looked like flowing magma, so she doubted her fire would harm it, and attacking it with her fists or claws would be a futile effort at best. Most of the time, she was able to deal with every challenge in front of her without a weapon, but at present it seemed clear that she would need one.

Fortunately, there were plenty of weapons on the ground around her from dead Athelaians and soldiers belonging to the other factions. Grabbing a hefty lance from the ground, Neferis looked back up at the fiend, though she also saw, beyond it, two new combatants approaching the scene. One of them was clearly a Goliath woman clad in tribal armor, and the other was a mysterious armored figure dressed all in black. Th former was quick to dive into the fray, approaching the tall human from before, Lud, but the former seemed to be waiting, watching for a moment before unsheathing a sword, which was promptly wreathed in flames.

What is she-

Before the Shi'el could finish formulating the thought, the black clad knight suddenly leapt towards the behemoth's free leg. With strength that seemed impossible for a creature so small to have, the warrior's sword cleanly sliced through the behemoth's leg, severing it at the knee. With one of its legs missing and the other encased in ice, the fiend began to fall forward, and Neferis immediately took the cue. The she-wolf pointed her newly acquired lance to the sky and used the demon's own weight to skewer it through the chest. She immediately found herself drenched in the magma that flowed through its veins, except it did not burn her. It was just... alien blood, which made her feel deeply unnerved.

The behemoth fell, dead, and with some effort, Neferis managed to crawl out from under it.

"I hope this washes off quickly. I do not want to be covered in this thing for any length of time." The she-wolf remarked, before looking towards the mysterious warrior who had aided them, noticing the red hair flowing freely behind her helmet and the remarkably slender armor design. She had landed gracefully after her feat of strength, but a moment afterwards, she fell to her knees, stabbing her no longer flaming sword into the ground to support herself and breathing heavily with exhaustion.

[Auropa]

Saelaam of Trelia

Gwen Sirade
Inside the temple

When the battle came into view, Gwen wasted no time throwing herself into the thick of it and surged forward with her blade at the ready. By the time they arrived the fight had already devolved into a faction free for all, effectively making the already blurred lines between ally and enemy borderline non-existent. Flowing like water as she darted in, out and between the fights raging around her with her thin blade occasionally shootting out from her side to wound, disarm and occasionally cutdown the more bloodthirsty or dangerous members of the fight, she steadily cut her way through the mob with the goal of joining the knights in their defence of the artifact. Sure enough she could see those she had travelled with start to enter the frey and as she felt the twinge of excitement and anticipation begin to grow, everything changed. Interrupting the melee came something new and dark. As the battle raged on, a push had finally broken through the knight’s guard and the hammer came loose from its pedestal, as it fell, a tide of monstrous creatures started to spill into the temple, and a dark, powerful voice broke into Gwen’s mind and shut out the world around her.

They believe you to be weak, fragile, pathetic.

‘Who? What are you?!’

The world sees you as less than an annoyance, less than even a person. Look to your past and accept what is fact. You have nothing and no one. Even your one taste of success was brought low by treason.

‘I won’t ask again! Show yourself!

But this doesn’t have to be the case. Join us. We can make you truly strong, give you power beyond power. With us, you will need no other, you will never be weak or vulnerable again and nothing, not man nor god would be able to take that away.

‘How do you? I am not- I am a knight, I need nothing from you or anyone!’

Were that true, we would not be talking. Lay aside your pride, accept this boon and become a force. Prove all who doubted you wrong.

‘I... No… No! I am Gwendolyn Sirade of Dascus! I fought, climbed and earned my place! I did it alone and I’ll do again, as many times as I need to! I will not submit and I will not take your pathetic handout!’

As the words formed in gwen’s mind no response came, instead she felt a low growl emit from nearby as the darkness was pulled back from around her and world came rushing back. This place was wrong, she didn’t know what or why but something about it now was just wrong and she needed to leave. The already chaotic battle for the artefact had completely devolved into a number of desperate skirmishes as the remaining warriors fought and fell to the new monsters appearing around them and while a few were managing to break through, many more were being cut down by the creatures or turned into something…. else. ‘Can this happen to me?’ Gwen thought with icy chill running up her spine. Shaking the doubts and fear from her mind, she tightened her grip on her blade and tried to scan the hellish scene around her.

Amongst the chaos, she could make out the golem and its master practically in the clear as they helped a few others escape, the shotarr knight captain and his armoured companion meanwhile were trying to help some high station mage while the demons closed in. Seeing opportunity presenting itself, Gwen prepared to charge in and assist but just before she did, a stray thought crossed her mind. ‘Where’s the artifact?’ Surely something that could cause this level of conflict was incredibly powerful and important. Yes, helping the knights would earn her a nod of approval or two but saving the mission despite everything happening around her? That would earn her a title. And besides, they were warriors, they could handle themselves well enough. Before she could start looking for her prize though, the battle finally caught up to her. With a guttural roar, a once human mage now turned abomination lashed out at her with a heavy blow.

“Irritant.” Gwen stated with a scowl as she sidestepped the lumbering attack and drove her blade deep into where the heart should’ve been. When the creature responded with another attack though, Gwen’s scowl deepened and with lightning speed, struck several more blows before finally, the monster toppled. As it fell, she caught a glimpse of a familiar avian Thalarian thrown against the floor as a creature paced around him and demons began to encircle him. ‘Idiot! Why does no one ever just do what their told!?’ She asked herself before her view was closed off with the emergence of a another blood red foe moving against her and the realization that ever more dangers foes would be closing in.

Knowing exactly what fate standing still would bring, Gwen summoned a magic circle at her feet and flung herself over the creature before summoning another to propel her towards the beast circling the fallen priest.
Landing close to the its side, Gwen carried her momentum into a run and without warning, moved in close and unceremoniously jammed her blade deep into the creature's side once again aiming at where its heart should’ve been. Instead of falling on the spot like she had hoped though, the creature turned its head and set its sights on her with rage filled eyes. Cursing her luck, she rose herself up from the ground and kicked off from the creature’s hide to dislodge her blade and escape a viscous bite sent towards her. Summoning her power as she went, her free hand turned a brilliant blue as a spear of energy formed in its grasp before being released towards the demon. Released too close and too fast to dodge, the spear crashed against the side of the beast’s head and burst into a blast of energy, shattering one of the monster’s larger horns and leaving deep magical burns across its face. Wounded and missing an eye, the beast however stayed standing. Meanwhile, after clicking her tongue in frustration at her foe’s refusal to die, Gwen moved between the creature and its original prey, ready to call out for the man to run but nearly loosing her focus when she saw what was in the chosen priest's hands.

“That’s the- What are you still doing here?!” She snapped as she steadied her blade at the demon, practically daring it to attack as she charged another blast.
“On second thought, I couldn’t care any less about the suicidal tendencies of an idiot bird. Just hold on to that hammer and get ready to run. On my signal, I’ll make an opening and keep you clear.”

[Tomia]

Yasema
"You are correct, we shall speak later." Yasema said to Lud, unshaken by his confusion and skepticism at her words. After all she had once been a skeptic even whilst she was dreaming of the future. It mattered not right now, for her future duties would be impossible if they died here. She had yet to see the one who would lead them but she knew he was here. She wondered for a moment if she should go find him and assure his survival but she thought better of it. Sualdir would ensure his survival, that was not her mission. For now she moved through the chaotic battlefield gratefully with Lud in tow. She watched as the warrior she had arrived with worked to destroy the nearby behemoth. She hadn't told the knight much of what she knew, it was always important not to share too much of what will happen with others. If she knew... Yasema thought briefly before returning to the task at hand. Another behemoth stood before her, howling demonically and sending its large fist down towards her. Yasema calmly did a circular motion with her hand, and time slowed down around her and she moved away from the hand with ease.

She then created a large bolt of fire and hurled it at the bent down giant. It pierced the monster's eye, which let out a vibrating howl as it swung its fists wildly.

"Lud, it is weaken. Attack now! Trust yourself!"

Dulen
"We're staring down literal demons and you think I have a plan kid? The plan is don't die, try your best to execute it." Dulen told the human who had approached him. He turned back to see a new knight devastate the behemoth and Neffy to deliver the final blow.

"This is what I get for being too cheap to hire someone to write for me..." He muttered under his breath as he watched Neffy emerge from under the huge beast. Meanwhile he saw another behemoth being attacked by a fire mage, with Lud nearby. He took inventory of who was nearby, Prax, the elven guardian and the new human kid. That should be enough... "The limbs are clearly the weakness. You human! We're gonna help that mage distract it, use that bow of yours. Courage and Shiny over here are going to help that mercenary cut its limbs off, that sound like a plan? Remember, not dying is key!" He shouted as step forward firing another potion at this behemoth this time aiming for its head and causing a lightening like blast to strike it in the face which forced it to stagger backwards.

[Segral]

Krook Tolasthes

"Well, it's a very long story actually. My first bow must've came when I was...five years of age. Or...maybe it was seven. Or six. It was a nice, supple yew, with a thick piece of deer sinew for the bowstring. And of course, the arrows. Three of them. Father knapped the flint himself, it must've taken him ages to-ARRRRRRRGGGGHH!" he suddenly cried out in surprise, feeling his entire body rise off of the ground and begin to glide through the air. All he had seen was a small gray blur...okay, a large gray blur at the corner of his good eye, and out of completely nowhere, something had slammed right into his side and sent him flying as he was now, tumbling through the air. Tyr'el were never meant to fly! What could it be? A big animal, like a buffalo, or a raging bull? A wild mage? A goliath? 10 GOLIATHS?! He didn't know, all he knew was that it was strong, strong enough to make a Tyr'el fly. For a short while, it was almost...peaceful, serene, just like floating on your back in a lazy river. Until he slammed back on the ground, right on his belly with a huge thump.

He slid across the ground for some time, tumbling and rolling as his Tyr'el's Coat ripped up the earth beneath him, before finally sliding to a stop thanks a handy rock. Not so handy for his shoulder though; it stung badly from the rough stop. Groaning, he tilted his head up, shaking it and rubbing his eyes in order to turn his vision from a Mud Flood, where your vision was all blurry and you couldn't even tell the water buffaloes apart into a Clear Pond, where your vision was all nice and clear, and you could count each buffalo down to the tips of their horns. Maybe if had worn his helmet, his vision wouldn't be such a Mud Flood. He had left it beside him in the grass, right beside...his deer. Now what would he eat for dinner and supper? Perhaps whatever had thrown him like this had good, tasty flesh, a nice, warm greasy animal that would make his headache go away. After all, that shadow looked promising, right?

...Right?

Oh no, this wasn't prey. This was not an animal. This wasn't a "squishie". This wasn't even a plant, a root, a berry. This was...something evil, and terrible, and...rocky! It was massive, even larger than him, spewing fire from the head, the chest, the hands, everywhere. The fire was...everywhere.

It was everywhere...

It was everywhere. The reds, oranges, and yellows, everywhere. The heat, everywhere. The broken branches, the fallen trunks...everywhere. It looked like tongues, trying to lick the bark off of the trees, trying to eat away at the forest. Eat away at his home. He didn't understand why he was so afraid. Fire was natural, that was what the Thalai taught. Without fire, the Thalari wouldn't have heat, or light to see in the dark. Without fire, Thalari's clothes would take days to dry. Without fire, the trees would grow too old and block all of the young saplings, and the whole forest would soon be filled with rotten, dead trees. But this wasn't a regular fire, where the tongues were just licking. The tongues were eating, they were hungry, and there was so many, so many mouths to feed.

This fire was not natural.

Panting and wide-eyed with fear, Krook broke through the brush, a doe with a limp in his arms. He had found the doe struggling to keep up with the rest of the herd as they bounded through the bracken. He couldn't let such a noble animal suffer in the fire, so he kept cradling it in his arms as he ran through the burning forest, the roots and leaves scorching his feet and making him bare his teeth. The animal was heavy, and it slowed him down, letting flames touch his clothes, his skin. It caused him to trip and stumble, snapping branch after branch, muttering a prayer every time he did so. He could barely see in his helmet, but the smoke and soot and ash still found its way in, making him cough and gag. The doe cried in his arms and it made him rush even more, his legs beginning to grow numb. His whole body felt numb. He couldn't see the end, where the fire stopped. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see the end. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe.

There was fire everywhere...

He could smell the smoke and the ash, and he could feel the heat, but he wasn't numb. And he wasn't scared, not even a tremble ran through him. He needed to beat this...rocky thing, pound it into fine gravel. If he didn't, people would get hurt again, he was sure of it. Not people from The Great Swamp, but people right here. People like his new friends, Werakoya and Ylva. Usually, he hated using his claws and jaws; he had more dignified, more noble skills than that. But arrows wouldn't pierce stone, and besides, this creature wasn't living, like a bird, or a mushroom. It was a monster, it was evil, he was sure of it. What else would have a monstrous face like that, and a monstrous body? There was no shame in fighting with his arms, not even one tiny bit.

It was a time for a good ol' mud-wrestle.

Roaring loud enough to split Krook's ears, the behemoth bore down and grabbed Krook's shredded Coat, taking hold of it with its thick, stubby fingers and attempting to use it to flip Krook hard into the ground, head-first. However, at the last second, Krook stuck his own arm out and shoved it into the monster's own shoulder. The impact caused the beast to roar again, but it was (thankfully) clipped and brief, as both combatants lost their balance and flopped hard onto the ground, with Krook pinning the behemoth down by the arm. It tried to swing its legs up and roll Krook over onto his back, but Krook knew better than to fall for that. After all, how many times had Keagan tried to pull that trick?

With a grunt, Krook slapped the beast's legs hard with his tail, not even pausing for a second as he followed up with a strong punch to the face. And another to the chest. The strikes burned, searing and branding his knuckles, but he barely noticed it, he was too focused on tearing apart this heathen. So focused, that he brought both hands together for a two handed strike down on the monster's chest, unaware of the mistake he had made until it was too late. The first double-hand strike hit hard, slamming the beat down onto the ground and letting its head bounce. The second one was not so lucky; the monster grabbed it, the heat of its palms causing Krook to give his own, somewhat weaker, roar as he felt his own fists being slammed into his chest, causing him to cry out in pain as he rolled over into his back, legs and arms stuck up in the air like a fool. The behemoth moved surprisingly quickly, jabbing Krook hard in the belly and causing him to crumple. The hand shifted from his belly to his neck, and soon, it's counterpart joined it, gripping Krook hard by the throat.

The Tyr'el thrashed around, but it was of no use. The monster's hold was too tight to break or breathe through, and he could slowly feel himself becoming lightheaded. He gagged, and that just made it worse, his burning chest and neck screaming for air, any air at all. Something was pressing on the edge of his mind, trying to edge its way in, like a fly buzzing at the corner of his vision. So he swatted at it, but instead of striking the fly, his claws ripped through the rock caking the goliath's wrist, causing the vice on his throat to loosen slightly. It was all that he needed.

He flailed out with his legs and tail, eventually striking a hard piece of stone after a few seconds. The behemoth's knee. It shifted back and dropped down, its right hand beginning to slide off of Krook's neck. The rock that had flown into was still there, still standing just behind his shoulder. He pulled his right elbow up onto the crumbling rock, using it as a hinge to suddenly push up and cause the remaining hand's grip to slip even further. They were locked in an odd twist, the big Ronda now, with the behemoth desperately trying to keep his grip on Krook's throat, and Krook desperately trying to push the demon off of him, teeth bared. The demon's rough skin was no problem to him, nor was the heat, but soon, his muscles would give out, and they were already weak. He needed help, and if Fate smiled upon him, it would come soon. And hopefully, it wouldn't be a Squishie.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Saelaam of Trelia

---

The priest of Oadot continued to fend off the demonic beast with the aid of the engraved hammer, though he knew that the situation would not last - he could see, from the corner of his eye, abominations approaching him cautiously but steadily, intent on taking down the one who wielded such a dangerous artifact. Before something happened to him, however, a new arrival jumped into the fray, or rather, an old arrival who found him anew, the knight, Gwendolyn. Her movements were graceless, but undoubtedly pragmatic, and her magic was potent. Before long, the beast had lost an eye and received several injuries, though it looked just as dangerous and ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

Worse still, the knight hardly seemed to be taking this seriously, as instead of doing something to finish off the creature she decided that now would be a good time to chastise him for some reason, snapping at him over staying here and calling him a suicidal idiot. Saelaam scowled, indignant at the woman's rudeness and clear ignorance of the situation, and took a breath in preparation to respond to her yelling with more of the same.

"Ergis!" He shouted immediately - there was a great many things he wanted to tell this woman, but as soon as he saw the beast make a move towards her, his decision was made. Just as the beast pounced on the knight, a white barrier appeared around her, protecting her from the impact and from the beast's horns, though it did not prevent her from getting knocked onto her back

"Suicidal idiot? I'm not the one wasting time yelling at people while demons are about." The young Thalari said coldly, glaring at Gwen. "I need to close that portal. Help me, or leave me alone." He stated. Then, turning towards the beast, he raised the hammer in front of him and began offering another prayer to Oadot, invoking her blessing. The azure light of the hammer combined with the white glow of his hand as the prayer's effects manifested, and the beast quickly backed away from Saelaam, howling in agony, its flesh beginning to melt away under the holy light.

[North Timeria]

Aymeri was mounted on his horse as the demon continued its onslaught. He had never been in a situation like this and his nerves began to work up. It was up to him to decide if he would step up to the challenge. He whispered into Aquarius’s ear “Alright boy time to put our abilities to the test.” With this, he sent his horse into a full sprint.

As Dulen hit the demon with some sort of magical crossbow, the demon staggered backward. While it was still stunned Aymeri fired a stray arrow at him to get his attention. As the demon turned around to face Aymeri he fired a second arrow. The demon turned around and the arrow immediately struck him in the eye. This took out one of its eyes and Aymeri was ready to take the other. As he lined up his next shot the demon reacted and shifted full attention to Aymeri. Aymeri quickly shifted and moved into the new blind spot he had created, dodging the demon’s attack.

Aquarius used his speed and agility to circle around the horse as it struggled to keep an eye on them. Aymeri managed to get behind the beast and fired another arrow into the back of its head.

“Alright dwarf I think I’ve got its attention.”