Mark of the Fool

Chapter 539: A Shining Finger

Clear a path to the portal! Alex shouted to his companions, touching Claygon on his shoulder as his feet lifted from the stones. Disrupt their ranks and dont get surrounded!

Right, boss! Ripp acted first.

In a blur of flashing steel and death, the swifting rushed across the portals crossroads, slipping between pazuzites and tiashivas, his knives slashing at their legs. Demons howled as the blades slit both hamstrings and heel tendons like butter, bringing monsters down by the number. They collapsed on anything near, crushing their smaller fellows under their bulk.

The other team members were quick to follow.

Alex finished the incantation for Planar Doorway, and grabbing Claygon, covered them in flight magic then teleported across the battlefield, appearing above the clutch of demons blocking the portal.

Claygons fire-beams rained death, blasting their ranks apart.

Guntile whipped detonating stones, and wherever they landed, something died, while Ezeraks monsters flowed from his tattoosand by his commandleapt on the demon army with zeal.

His horde was far reduced from its original numbers, but enough remained to attack the enemy with the viciousness of double their number.

Kyembehealing his burning armcharged into the battle beside Thundar. The minotaurs illusionary duplicates fanned out, three images entered the demons ranks, confusing and harassing them while they swung their weapons at air. The real Thundar answered with a very real mace, breaking heads and pulping demons, smashing them to the ground in heaps.

The Spirit Killer moved forward with his sword-staff, sweeping the blade wide, clearing a path of ruin through the fiends.

In seconds, they were met with terrible violence.

But violence was in their very essence; they responded quickly.

As one, they charged Alex and his companions, hellbent on maiming and capturing them as their master commanded.

Higher ranked demons called on deadly magics, and so, it was these who Alex targeted.

Claygon showered any demon gathering mana with flame and Alex raised his staff, ready to conjure summoned servants when a bolt of energy sent shockwaves through him.

The Travellers power raged as he called on summoning magic; his connection to any plane he reached out to was now stronger than it had ever been. He summoned swarms of elemental beetles to hound the magic users with little effort. His face lit up. I think I could get used to this.

His summons overran the demons, pincers finding every soft bit on their bodies, crawling into mouths and ears, sending them into frenzied attacks on their own bodies. Alex summoned with an ease hed never known before, calling on a half dozen air elementals. Lightning raked demonic hides, the creatures fell, spasming.

Next, he called on a pack of flicker dogs, they appeared in heartbeats.

Within seconds, hed conjured hordes of monsters, flooding the battlefield with them. Without the Travellers power, hed still be summoning, but her gift had changed that and now he had quickly given his team an edge. The feeling of usinghis staffs summoning magic so effortlessly was incredible, he never thought it could happen as long as he was Marked by Uldar.

Alex watched his teammates and the tide of summoned monsters come together, devastating the enemy. The summons harassed, ran interference, and kept Kaz-Mowangs army off-balance, while Thundar and the mercenaries went in for the kill; slashing, shocking, and pummeling fiends with weapons and terrible magics.

Guntile was inflicting a massive amount of damage, blurring hands kept pelting a hail of stones at Kaz-Mowangs servants, thinning their numbers, ensuring attempts to capture their team were pipe dreams.

Each barrage blew monsters to bits by the dozens.

The battle was going well, but a troubling thought nicked at the young wizards mind as he cast haste magic on himself.

Alex scanned the chaos of battle unfolding below him.

Where was Kaz-Mowang? The enormous demon was suddenly nowhere to be found after hed taken to the air and given his command to capture them. Whered he go? He just seemed to disappea

Shadows shifted, warning Alex.

Claygon! Dive to your left! he thought, while uttering the words for Planar Doorway.

In a blink he was gone, teleporting some twenty feet above as golden lightning shot through the space where he and Claygon had been.

The whoosh of wind on leathery wings followed, and Alex spun away as Kaz-Mowang swept by.

Stop playing hard to get, the bull-headed demon grinned. I am bringing you home with me. Theres no stopping it. Youre only going to end up hurting yourselves, and make me dock your first pay for killing so many of my other valuable minions.

Emphasising his point, he lunged, trident crackling with golden lightning, striking in a blurring attack. The young wizard reeled, darting from the tridents reach with haste-enhanced reflexes.

He held up his staff, conjuring air elementals in flashes of summoning magic. The creatures appeared around him, forming a shield as Kaz-Mowangs trident swept through their bodies, sending them hurtling back to their home planes.

Alex was grateful for the precious inches his monsters had bought him, barely missing the demons mana-disrupting lightning as it crackled along the tridents prongs.

Alright, enough dancing, Mr. jester. Kaz-Mowang suddenly grinned.

A fountain of power preceded a wave of absolute darkness spraying from his hand in a cone. Alex nearly weaved clear of its path, but the hungry energies clipped him and overwhelming fatigue struck: draining energy from his muscles, replacing it with a feeling of listlessness.

He felt like his very life force had been siphoned away.

Kaz-Mowangs eyes lit up with newfound power.

Ahhh, your life force is strong. With just a hint of life enforcement, the greater demon snorted in satisfaction, licking his bovine lips. DeliciouArgh!

Suddenly burns raked his flank as Claygon strafed him with two fire-beams, but his innate magical resistance buffered most of the damage.

Oooo, I like you! He laughed, touching his side. Youre feisty and strong.

And you greater demonstalk too much! Claygons voice box roared as he unleashed another blast of flame, but this time, Kaz-Mowang was ready, sweeping aside the beam with the crackling energy of his trident. All flames winked out.

Alex swallowed.

He had summoned enough monsters to fight the horde of demons, but they were never the greatest threat, it had always been Kaz-Mowang.

Weve got to stop him before he does as much damage as hes capable of.

His trident flared as if hed heard Alexs thoughts. Youre the leader, so its only right that you should be captured first.

Golden electricity played about the weapons prongs.

Using haste magic, Alex sped through the incantation for Planar Doorway, teleporting out of lightning range. Thunder boomed around them, splitting the air as he appeared high above Kaz-Mowangs head, burning pain raked his back though he was covered in greater force armour.

Below, the greater demon looked up at him placidly, extending his claws while bone spikes sprouted from his palm. Suddenly, they streaked toward Alex in volleys.

The young wizard spun, diving away, dodging the onslaught.

I can feel Hannar-Cims energy from you, jester, Kaz-Mowangs confidence was suffocating. Your teleportation tricks wont

An explosion stopped his words, and the bull-headed demons bellow stung Alexs ear drums. Guntiles stones had detonated on the enormous demons flank, charring a wide swath of flesh.

Now, you stop that, he levelled his palm at her.

She snarled, raising another handful of stones, Make me, you cow-headed worm!

Kaz-Mowang snorted. Bone spears shot from his hand, aiming right for her.

Guntile tensed, ready to spring away.

But she bumped into a tiashiva that had escaped the fray against Alexs other companions. Bleeding from a dozen cuts, it tried to tackle the swift mercenary.

She leapt aside, but the movement made her stumble.

A bone spear came down.

There was a ripping noise.

And Guntile howled.

Alexs jaw dropped as the world seemed to slow down. One of Kaz-Mowangs spears hit her with such force that it cleaved her forearm clean away, bringing her to her knees. Her other arm reached for the fountaining wound, her face a mix of pain and disbelief. Alex looked on in horror as her handstill gripping the stones, met the ground.

She saw it too late to spring aside, and the rocks cracked, beginning to glow.

With an act of pure will, she tore the pouch from her waist and hurled it at Kaz-Mowang, giving him the middle finger as the bag soared toward him.

The rocks at her feet exploded.

Guntile vanished in a flash of light and flame, taking every demon close by with her. The concussion knocked Ripp from his feet, he rolled and bounced back up in a somersault.

Guntile! he shouted, his voice pained.

But her final act was not complete yet.

The pouch flew true, sailing at the demon, flaring with mana and a pulsing glow.

Kaz-Mowangs eyes flew wide, he tried to sweep it aside with his trident.

But he was too late.

The explosion was like a miniature sun being born.

Light, flame and thunder ripped the air, drowning even Kaz-Mowangs agonised cry. The greater demon was ejected by the blast, bouncing off the stone, wounded, but not yet dead. A deep burn gaped in his chest, the skin had peeled away revealing charred muscle beneath. He almost smelled like an inviting beef roast, but his rotten nature eclipsed any pleasantness. He was hurt and yet

He laughed.

And kept laughing as he leapt to his feet. Blast it! I lost one, but if you others have the same spunk as she did! Hah! Im going to have the best soldiers when I take over new territory in Jaretha!

Alexs jaw hardened.

One of his companions just died, and this piece of trash could only laugh?

Kaz-Mowang kept laughing as he raised his trident. Alright, no more mana for you.

He levelled the weapon at Ezerak as he fought, leading his minions through the demon horde. Some of his painted monsters had fallen, but the area around the portal was almost cleared.

His jewelled sword slashed tiashivas, until Kaz-Mowangs lightning tore into him through the ranks of the demon's own army. The bolt struck Ezeraks back, and the former king went down, groaning in agony, his body shuddering.

Three fire-beams struck from above: Claygon strafed the fiends, blasting their ranks with lines of flame, then he turned the blaze on Kaz-Mowang. Flame bathed the demons wounds as he gritted his teeth while the golems magic seared his already scorched hide.

His attention turned to Claygon and he levelled his trident, then suddenly startled. A scowl took his face, frowning at a half dozen shallow woundscompliments of Rippcriss crossing his legs as the swiftling sped around his hooves, slashing him from all sides.

Kaz-Mowang snorted with amusement. Ill be with you in a moment.

He turned his attention back to Claygon. Alex raised his staff, poised to conjure monsters between his golem and that disrupting electricity, but Ripp changed course.

With a running leap, he catapulted onto Kaz-Mowang, sinking his daggers into the greater demons wounds like he was carving a roast.

Kaz-Mowang only had time to flinch once as Ripp scaled his torso, leaping up and planting himself on the greater demons shoulder. With a wave of his staff, Alex poured his haste magic into the little mercenary; the blurring swiftling became a flash of light.

Hooked knives sliced the most vulnerable spots on the demons facecheeks, lips, nostrils and eyelids as he barely managed to shut themblack blood poured from a web of wounds.

The greater demon grabbed at Ripp, but the swiftling slipped away, dancing along Kaz-Mowangs massive shoulders, cutting the demon at will. Wounds sprang up. Tongue. Neck. Jawline. Ear. All dealt with precision.

Even as the greater demon whipped his head around, taking to the sky, rolling end over end, trying to escape his tormentor, Ripp held on, slashing at the demon from every angle.

Alex watched the attack, raising his staff and conjuring a swarm of air elementals around the struggling demonic giant to harass him further and support Ripp. He quickly took in the battlefield.

Claygon was in front of the portal, sweeping his war-spear in great arcs. Demons came at him, but he chopped them down like dry grass.

Thundar battled his way to Claygons sidesurrounded by illusionary duplicatesand layed about himself with force magic and mace.

Kyembe was fierce. Cutting a path of ruin through the horde, hed made his way to Ezeraks side. A swift sweep of his sword-stafftrailing hellfirehad blown pazuzites apart as they were taking hold of the former king and raising him above their heads for Kaz-Mowang. The Spirit Killer caught him before he hit the ground.

Now he fought back the hordes that moved to capture them, protecting Ezerak while he recovered. Dozens of cuts marked Kyembe as the enemy surged at him, surrounding them.

Alexs eyes narrowed, falling on the Spirit Killers ring hand.

Kaz-Mowang had absorbed Claygons fire-beams without worry.

But, hed sacrificed his archivist to make sure he avoided Kyembes hellfire.

With a plan forming in his mind, Alex conjured a squad of air elementals to support Ripp, then shot toward Kyembe.

Calling on the power within him, he focused his mind.

Kaz-Mowang was going to wish hed never hunted them.

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