Across Eternity: Book 7 - Chapter 10

THIS STORY CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT AND ADULT THEMES AND SHOULD NOT BE READ BY ANYONE UNDER 18.

Temple Grounds

“Lupin is alive?!” Berholm exclaimed.

Noah, in his ethereal form, was standing in the Colbrand throne room, addressing Tarnas and members of the court.

“Indeed. He’s being held captive by the Profane, and we’re on our way to rescue him.”

“They must want to use him to take the Wassengel for themselves,” said Tarnas.

“That’s my thinking as well. However, once we get him back, Tarnas, you can abdicate the throne to him and help lead Uther’s armies against Handent.”

“Excellent. I’ve been aching to return to the field.”

“Fighting Scyler had a heavy toll, though, didn’t it?”

“More so than you can imagine. To use the full power of Light’s Emisarry is a painful and exhausting process, and it only gets worse with age. What I’ve gained, in terms of experience and control, I’ve also lost in terms of stamina and endurance. I’ve already warned Seraph about using that form, but I doubt he can even activate it yet.”

“Seraph’s training is going well, though I had hoped he’d be improving faster. He has the strength and power, but his thinking is too limited in how to utilize them effectively. He still fights like it’s a duel at the academy, just without the insufferable ego. I’m trying to get him to think big, to explore the true potential of his powers.”

“He’ll get there in time. He needs to be pushed harder, not by you, but by his enemies. Nothing breeds innovation like desperation.”

“How are things looking in Duravound?” Berholm asked.

“They’re preparing for war quickly and diligently. We’ve been training them on Profane tactics and improving their weaponry. Speaking of which, how is it going here?”

Standing nearby, Elyot adjusted his glasses. “We are making great strides in developing our anti-Profane arsenal. The bones we harvested from Scyler’s army are being turned into weapons modeled after those spider legs you showed us. However, those fiends are far weaker specimens than she probably was, and rather than genuine venom, our ink is made with the parasite venom, so though we can produce a great deal of weapons, they won’t be as powerful as your blades.”

“Let me see what you’ve come up with.”

Elyot signaled to a soldier, who left and came back with a wooden box. Held away from the sunlight shining in through the windows, Elyot opened it to reveal a tomahawk made from the scapula bone of a fiend’s shoulder blade. It had a magic circle inscribed with black ink.

“As you can see, we have plenty of materials to work with, minus all the fiends that were completely annihilated by His Majesty,” said Elyot. “We can create maces out of femurs and skulls, spear blades out of ribs and forearm bones, and swords lined with fangs and claws. We have no live specimens to test it on, but with the formula you created, we expect these weapons to negate the healing abilities of other fiends and wound them like they were just regular monsters. We’ve also been imbuing regular steel weapons with the holy element, but again, unless wielded by genuine paladins, the added effect is minimal.”

“Even a small difference is a difference. If these weapons save lives and kill Profane by any measure, then they’re worth the effort.”

“Still, I can’t help but find these weapons unpleasant,” said Tarnas. “I feel like we’re inviting calamity upon ourselves by creating armaments of such… dangerous materials.”

“Using the strengths of your enemies against them is one of the oldest concepts in war. Just make sure that the magic circles are covered in some kind of lacquer or sealant so that no one is exposed to the venom in the ink. How are the other war preparations going?”

“Excellent. Those mountains of diamonds you created for us after the battle will easily fund our entire war, along with the reconstruction. We are conscripting soldiers and hiring every mercenary we can find. We have every blacksmith available forging armor and weapons. Leather workers are crafting saddles for horses, and we’re gathering enough linen and wool to make all of the bandages we’ll need. Farmers were complaining about the food orders needed to sustain our troops, but thanks to those growing techniques you passed on, we’ll be able to cultivate a surplus in no time. We’ve also been mass-producing the other weapons you taught us about.”

The weapons Tarnas described were based on science rather than mysticism, like the holy blades or the bone tomahawk. Precise machining and methods of fabrication were still a long way off, so it wasn’t like they could arm soldiers with machine guns, even with alchemy. Still, they were able to produce ample chemical agents, such as the allergens and poisons that Noah had been experimenting with since Handent. There were also acid-based weapons and incendiaries like napalm and white phosphorus. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, subatomic alchemy remained an unreachable peak, so even if Noah were to get his hands on some uranium or plutonium, he couldn’t enrich them or use them to make atomic bombs.

Things were going swimmingly. With all this preparation, perhaps the Profane could be vanquished after all. This would not be like the last war, where the united races faced the demon horde with nothing but swords and magic. This time, the world had the knowledge of over a hundred other worlds at its disposal. Although it would have been better if they had access to heavy machinery like tanks, planes, or even spacecraft, the anti-Profane alliance would be fighting with the best weaponry available. There was no telling how many monsters they had cultivated in Handent, but they would be bested. Once again, Noah thought of Seraph calling him the War Chief of the whole movement.

“And how is the rebuilding of Colbrand going?” Noah asked.

“Excellent. We’ve been applying your designs for improving our sanitation, infrastructure, and so on,” said Berholm. “Thanks to everything you’ve taught us, Colbrand will soon be the most advanced city in the world.”

Noah walked over to the windows and looked out over Colbrand. Just as Berholm had said, the new city looked completely different from its original form. The buildings were being designed and built with new methods and materials, making them resistant to flames, earthquakes, and other disasters, both natural and manufactured. The roads were sturdier with proper drainage and an intricate sewer system below, both delivering fresh water and removing waste to be magically treated. They were also working on developing a magical power grid system that encompassed the city, with the development of corresponding technology soon to take a massive leap forward. The advancements that Noah had first implemented in Welindar were just the rough draft, with Colbrand set to leave Duravound in the dust and rival the lost cities of the Enochians.

Everyone in the room seemed to be thinking the same thing as he was.

“Lord Noah, you’ve given us the means to fight this ancient enemy, to build beyond what we thought possible, and to deliver us to a bright future. Our nation, and perhaps our whole world, would be lost if you had not arrived here,” said Berholm. “You’ve given us hope.”

“I’ll give you more than mere hope. Just watch.”

Noah concluded his business in Colbrand and then moved on to Sylphtoria, where he found Elisandra reading in bed. From the swelling of her belly, it was clear little Rain was itching to get out and meet the world.

“Noah,” Elisandra said dreamily.

“Are you sure there’s just one baby in there? I swear, it looks like you’re ready to deliver triplets,” he teased as he lay down beside her.

“Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me. I certainly feel like there’s a trio of little troublemakers wrestling there. And forget my belly, my breasts have grown so big I feel like they’re going to fall off.”

“That boy is going to be very well fed.”

Elisandra giggled and blew him a kiss. Since they couldn’t touch, such gestures were all they had.

“Liasai told me you fully awakened your magic. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I was worried that its nature might worry you. Though you and your subjects insist on naming me king, would anyone truly listen to the King of Lies?”

“False, a power I have never heard of. Still, I know why you have it. You’ve had to hide your true self for so long, using deception to survive and blend in among people who couldn’t hope to truly understand and appreciate you. If anything, it is a tragic power, born of the loneliness you’ve had to endure. But when I look into your eyes, hear your voice, and feel your love, I sense nothing but truth within you.”

Noah sighed in happiness, relieved to hear her say that.

“Things are going well in Colbrand and Duravound, and, what’s more, we’ve found out that Prince Lupin’s still alive. He’s being held captive by the Profane, and if we can rescue him and get him back to Uther, it will change the war.”

“If anyone can save him, it’s you.”

The two continued to lie in bed, talking about everything going on in Sylphtoria, Vandheim, and everywhere else. They’d discuss the war and how preparations were progressing, then take a break from such dreary topics to exchange thoughts and stories.

“A long time ago, I took my wife and son on vacation, and we went to this mountain to hike. It was right at the perfect time of year, late spring, when the wilderness and weather were at their most beautiful. You would have loved it. It was absolutely gorgeous. My son, Thomas, was around eight or nine, I can’t remember, but just happy and curious about everything. He was especially curious when we stumbled upon two bears humping.”

Elisandra choked back a laugh.

“Yes, he was very confused and curious, and didn’t quite believe his mother’s explanation that they were just wrestling. Anyway, we carefully and quietly pulled away, but I had the feeling the bears were far too busy with what they were doing to care about us. The strange thing was that it wasn’t mating season for these particular bears. Anyway, we keep hiking, and we keep finding squirrels, deer, and all other animals all humping away. It’s like an orgy. My wife keeps covering Tom’s eyes, but it seems like wherever we look, animals are in full-blown coitus.

Then we start finding other hikers doing the same thing. Men and women, men and men, women and women, just fucking like crazy in the dirt. It’s as if everyone and everything is possessed, and there is just no way to adequately explain this to Tom, but boy, my wife sure tried. We realized something was amiss and quickly left the mountain, only to later find out that a chemical spill had occurred in the local reservoir and rivers. It was some kind of toxin that caused hypersexuality, along with hair loss and kidney failure.

My wife had insisted that we only drink these juice blends she made herself from the vegetables in her garden, so we were all fine, but months later, there were all these pictures of bald men and women, and all the women were pregnant. As for the animals, well, it wasn’t so funny in their case, but my son would tell the story of that trip to everyone he could find for the rest of his life.”

Elisandra laughed herself silly, nearly giving herself hiccups. Noah smiled and looked at her belly. “Laughing is one of the best things you can do for Rain right now.”

“I’m just surprised you didn’t join in on all the fun, toxin or no.”

“Were I a single man at the time, I would have.”

“Now I’m going to imagine having to explain things like sex to Rain when he grows up. That will not be pleasant.”

“I’ve done it so many times before; just leave it to me. There are few subjects in life that I haven’t had to thoroughly explain to a child at some point.” Noah then grunted in annoyance. “I’m getting the prod. It seems like every time I come here, something happens back in Vandheim that absolutely requires my attention. Can anyone else be trusted to handle it? No, it has to be me, every single time.”

“That’s because everyone has come to trust and rely on you. Go, do what you have to. I’ll be here.”

Noah returned to his real body and opened his eyes. “What?” he sighed.

“You’re going to want to see this,” said Alexis.

Noah sat up in his saddle and looked ahead, seeing vast clouds of smoke rising up in the distance. “A forest fire?”

“Apparently not. A whole crowd of people rushed past us, saying they’re being chased by monsters, burning down forests and villages as they travel south. It sounds like the Profane are making their move.”

“It’s always one thing or another. All right, let’s go.”

They picked up the pace, heading towards the smoke. As they traveled, more and more dwarves fled past them. It was a flood of refugees trying to escape the marauding Profane, and as Alexis said, they seemed to be fleeing from numerous villages and communities. It seemed like the entire northern horizon was burning, like a wall of flames stretching from one end of Vandheim to the other. Cynatas and Roc went ahead, with Cynatas using her powers to extinguish the inferno and purify the air, and Roc scouting the enemy forces. They soon returned with puzzled expressions.

“What’s going on?” Noah asked.

“It’s strange. There aren’t nearly as many fiends as I expected. I counted maybe a dozen, but they were pretty far scattered and just seemed focused on lighting stuff on fire. This isn’t like some kind of marching army or raiding pack,” said Roc.

“To move like this in broad daylight, they must be lower-level fiends. Why is such a small force trying to cause such a ruckus?” Noah pondered.

“It could be that they’re just the harbingers. Maybe all these flames are meant to generate a cloud cover to block out the sun for stronger Profane,” Valia suggested.

“Possibly. Either way, we just have to take the good with the bad. Fewer fiends means they’ll be easier to mop up. Let’s get to work.”

The group raced ahead and split up to take on the Profane. Cynatas had extinguished the flames, so they were riding among charred trees, their mounts leaving tracks in the ashes. As per Roc’s findings, they uncovered several fiends, but they were spread out and isolated. They carried torches, which they used to light every tree they came across. Though they were superior in all physical aspects to regular beastmen, these fiends still paled in comparison to those who could only move at night, but they were far less disfigured than their predecessors from Handent. It was clear that the Profane had all but perfected their parasite program. For Cynatas, this was her first time seeing the hulking monstrosities, and her aloof demeanor was replaced with wide eyes of fear and disgust.

Alexis chased three down, striking them down with exploding arrows. Seraph dispatched another two with his hammer, but the ease of their deaths left him more concerned than relieved. Valia also had no trouble dispatching a handful of the peons, experiencing more trouble with simply tracking them down, rather than actually fighting them. Cynatas continued flying overhead, putting out the fires, while Roc killed the fiends that had started them, but it was taking them farther and farther away from the group.

Noah and Shannon closed in on one fiend, looking to have been initially born with a wolf totem beast. He carried a torch in one hand and a sword in the other, and snarled in warning and fury at Noah’s arrival.

“I must say, that parasite you’re using is certainly of better quality than the ones I encountered in Handent this time last year. I hope you appreciate how much less ugly and deformed you are compared to your predecessors. They walked so that you could run,” said Noah. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what you guys are doing out here? I can ask nicely, or I can make you talk.” The fiend, refusing to answer, charged towards Noah instead. “So be it. You like spreading flames, but maybe you need to cool down a little. False World.”

As Noah cast the spell, he flashed the fiend with the Rune of False in his eyes. At that moment, the charred forest around them was replaced with an icy tundra. Shannon was amazed by the sight, looking around in all directions. She could not feel the wind or the cold, but she could smell the ice and snow. The fiend, however, was feeling everything. Although his body wasn’t actually being subjected to a drop in temperature, he felt like all of the heat in his body was being sapped away, experiencing a level of cold he never thought possible. He dropped to his knees, trying to stay warm, but every breath was agony.

“Welcome to the East Antarctic Plateau, where temperatures drop to lower than -100ºF. I know that number probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but on many Earths, this was the coldest place in existence. Only the heartiest of organisms can endure such temperatures, and not for long. You may be a wolf-based fiend, but even you would quickly freeze to death there, like I did. This is the kind of cold that sucks out your soul.”

As Noah spoke, frigid winds blasted the fiend, inflicting greater pain than he ever thought possible. He was caught between desperately wanting to escape the cold and wishing he’d just hurry up and die, but despite the agony, he was suffering no physical damage. If anything, his temperature was rising because of the stress. Noah strolled over with a bottle of truth serum and poured it into his throat, then lessened the intensity of the illusion so that he could speak.

“Now, tell me what you and your friends are doing here.”

The serum went to work, dragging the fiend’s secrets up through his throat, but before they could be uttered, the monster began to convulse. His muscles twisted and mutated, spikes of bone burst from inside his chest and impaled him, and his flesh blistered and molted, with death claiming him after a few moments.

“My Lord?” Shannon asked.

“Damn, I was hoping this case would be different. These parasites kill their hosts whenever they start spilling secrets. Elutrin stopped working on them over the winter, and now even truth serum is obsolete. It doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting answers from these guys.”

With the firebugs taken care of, the group continued on, searching for the main force, while Roc and Cynatas continued dealing with the fiends farther to the east and west. Noah and the others stuck close to each other, knowing that a small army of fiends could be hiding around every corner and bend in the road, ready to advance using the smoke as a cover. However, they found no such force. There were some more scattered Profane performing a secondary sweep on their way south, but no invasion force. It made no sense, and the group eventually arrived at a dwarf village that had been burned to the ground. Noah examined the area, searching for clues.

“I’m seeing some blood and body parts, but they’re all around dropped weapons and pieces of armor,” said Valia. “It seems like only the warriors and those who tried to resist were killed, but even then, it seems like there should be more casualties.”

Noah studied the tracks in the ashes. “All these prints are disorganized and moving south. If they were taking prisoners to turn, they’d be bound in chains and moving single-file, either north to the west. What are they trying to accomplish here?”

Roc landed nearby. “Noah.”

“What did you find?”

“The wall of fire just keeps going, stretching almost from the Paleon Channel to the eastern coast of Vandheim. It’s like they’re trying to burn down the entire country. I also think I’ve found the bulk of their forces. They’re besieging a dwarven martial artist temple to the east. There must be around a hundred of them, maybe two.”

“A hundred?” Noah muttered.

Compared to the army the Profane unleashed on Colbrand, an army of a hundred fiends was nothing. Were the Profane ranks so heavily reduced in that battle, or were they just devoting a small force to this endeavor? True, one fiend, even a lower-ranked one, was equal to around half a dozen human soldiers, but surely, with the vast population of Handent available to cultivate their armies, the Profane would be able to devote more troops to taking over Vandheim.

“We can’t let the Profane continue this scorched earth plan of theirs,” said Valia.

“But we don’t have the time or manpower to stretch across the entire width of the country,” Noah countered. “Roc, I want you and Cynatas to continue putting out fires and killing the fiends starting them. We’ll go to that temple and bail them out. Meet us there tomorrow morning. You have until then to kill as many as you can. Trust your instincts. If you get a bad feeling about anything, I want the two of you to pull back. Can I trust you with that?”

“Easy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Roc took off, going to rejoin Cynatas and continued their work. Noah then gave a loud whistle to signal everyone and gather them over.

“Come on! There’s a fight ahead!”

Following Roc’s instructions, they adjusted their course and headed east towards the dwarven temple. Like all dwarven temples, it was built into the side of a mountain, high off the ground. The single path leading up to it was well defended with a mighty wall and massive gate, once again displaying the strength and engineering prowess of the dwarves. Archers stood atop the gate, trying to keep the fiends at bay. Simple arrows wouldn’t be able to stop the fiends, nor could the gate, yet they insisted on maintaining their distance, instead using intimidation tactics, causing the biggest ruckus they could. Those with wings attacked from the sky, trying to burn the temple down by dropping torches, with the dwarven warriors fending them off with arrows and magic. The fiends also built huge bonfires upwind of the temple to try to smoke out the inhabitants.

Noah and his friends surveyed the scene from a safe distance.

“I see dwarf ghouls down there,” said Valia. “They’re still wearing their original armor and carrying weapons.”

“It seems not all who resisted were slain. That would explain why we saw so few signs of casualties at that village. They must have led the fiends here once they were turned,” said Noah, studying the forces through his spyglass.

“Why don’t they just go in? They’ve all gathered at the gate, and they’re strong enough to break it down, or even just climb over it,” Shannon asked.

“They must be waiting for nightfall, when their strongest forces will be able to join in the fight. But why aren’t they more spread out? They should be surrounding the temple from all directions to catch anyone trying to escape.”

“We should strike now,” said Seraph. “All of us together should be enough to wipe them out.”

“No. Something doesn’t feel right about this. Let’s get into the temple and speak with the monks there before we start picking any fights.”

“That gate is the only path leading up to the temple,” said Valia. “Even if we used magic to somehow scale those cliffs, we’d have to leave the horses behind.”

“The gate it is, then. We just need the monks to open it for us, and for that, we need someone they’ll listen to.”

Everyone turned to Foley. “When you all look at me like that, I can’t help but get nervous,” he said.

They formulated a plan and moved to execute. Everyone hung back as Noah infiltrated the enemy army, approaching the gate. He had carefully gauged distances so that his plan would only affect the Profane. The problem was that they weren’t all clustered in front of the gate, so while he could target a great number of them, most would be unaffected. Once he found the right spot, he gathered up his mana.

“False World.”

The fiends reacted in confusion as the landscape melted away. Although they had no love for the sun, its sudden disappearance and the darkness that followed unnerved them. The mountains and trees were replaced with the stone walls of the massive cavern below Kisara Island, in which a ferocious beast dwelled. The dwarves on the gate were beyond Noah’s spell, but they could still somewhat see it from the outside looking in, and they gasped in terror as the mighty basilisk appeared. The fiends were equally terrified, for not even their Profane strength could allow them to compete with such a horrendous monster.

The basilisk reared back its head and released an ear-piercing scream, attacking the ears of the Profane. Just like in the Colbrand battle, the unholy minions could not endure the horrible shrieking, making them vomit and soil themselves in agony and leaving them writhing on the ground, feeling like death would claim them. The dwarves didn’t hear its scream, but they watched with wide eyes as the fiends all collapsed. Noah kept the attack going for several moments, making sure the fiends in the area were thoroughly paralyzed. However, he couldn’t get them all, and once he released the spell, they’d come rushing in.

Finally, he called off the magic, and in that moment, his friends galloped through the crippled army and past him to the gate. Valia, blessed with super strength, grabbed Foley by the collar and threw him over the gate, much to his loud displeasure. He cast his shield magic to protect himself upon landing, though he was not happy about it. Still, he got to his feet and faced his fellow dwarves.

“Open the gate! My friends and I are here to help! Open the gate and let them in!”

Normally, they would have refused to obey this stranger, but the fact that Noah had just incapacitated most of the fiend army convinced them these outsiders were on their side. They hurriedly opened the gate, and Valia and the others rushed inside.

Outside, under the shade of the trees and wearing black garb to protect himself from the sun, the ghoul in command pointed at Noah and the others. “Do not let them get away! Kill them all!” he hissed. All of the Profane that hadn’t been exposed to Noah’s magic rushed forward to kill him and the others.

“Noah, come on!” Valia shouted.

Noah’s advance was slowed by the relentless Profane nipping at his heels. He sliced them with his holy sword and riddled them with mana bullets, but, if anything, their dedication was commendable, and they were doing whatever they could to keep him from escaping. The fiends were easy targets, but the dwarf ghouls were far trickier. They were faster and more agile than before they were turned, dodging Noah’s attacks and magic with bloodthirsty grins. He fended them off, using flashbangs and his clone to confuse them, then ran through the gate and watched as it was sealed behind him. He and his friends were now within the temple grounds, but surrounded by surly monks armed with various weapons. They all wore similar white uniforms, and although their beards were long, all their heads were shaved.

“State your name and purpose!” one dwarf yelled.

“I am Sir Noah, knight of Uther, and these are my friends. We were heading north from Duravound when we passed the wildfires those monsters had been starting, and we discovered your temple under siege.”

“What are those things? Huge savage monsters, and our own kin turned into madmen!”

“They are the Profane, and their rise threatens every living thing on this planet. We need to speak with your leader.”

“This could be a ruse,” another dwarf muttered.

“Oi, I just got thrown over your gate like an egg at a neighbor’s door. Show me some proper respect for what I’ve gone through for you fuckers,” Foley muttered.

His words were rude, but his indignation was honest and convinced the monks. Noah and the others were led up the mountain steps towards the temple. The architecture and aesthetic reminded him of the Shaolin temples he studied at in previous lifetimes, with many signs of similar weight and balance training. It was rather unfortunate that his first opportunity to explore one of these dwarvish communes was under such dire circumstances.

“So many people here,” said Alexis, seeing all of the men, women, and children who had been forced to take refuge while fleeing the Profane. The despair on their faces told their stories. They had lost everything to the invaders and carried scars on both their bodies and minds.

“They’ve been flooding in the last few days from the north, speaking of monsters raiding their villages and setting fire to everything,” said the monk, Ren, guiding them. “It makes fighting the demons far more difficult, as we have to protect these people and ourselves.”

“So many people displaced by the Profane,” Shannon whispered.

“That’s what confuses me,” said Noah. “You see refugees, while I see an overabundance of survivors. This is nothing like what was happening in Handent. There should be more casualties, more dwarves being captured and turned.”

“Isn’t that why they’re knocking on the gates? To do exactly that?” Daniel asked.

“Is it? That’s what’s bothering me.”

Noah and the others were brought to the main prayer hall of the temple. Past rows of candles, the master of the temple sat before a large, smooth, polished boulder. Ren bowed at his back.

“Master Kai, these people say they are here to help us.”

The master turned around. Like elves, it was hard to tell the actual age of most dwarves, as they lived long lives, but from the white of his beard and the lines of his face, he looked like he could have been around two hundred years old.

“Humans, an elf, two members of the beast races, and a dwarf who does not give the impression of being native born. I cannot remember the last time we’ve had outsiders like you enter our temple. You have never been to this temple before, and we did not send word seeking help. The fact that you suddenly appear out of nowhere, claiming to help us, is quite suspicious. I’m sure you’ll understand if I’m hesitant to believe such words of aid.”

“You misunderstand. We did not come out here just to help you. Coming to this temple to save you is simply a detour on our real journey up north. As enemies of the Profane, we cannot allow them to claim victory here, and wish to vanquish them as quickly as we can so we can get back to what we are supposed to be doing.”

Noah’s words sounded harsh, but they actually put Master Kai’s heart at ease. If something sounded too good to be true, then it usually was. The idea of Noah and his friends suddenly arriving at this temple in the middle of nowhere to save the day, purely out of the goodness of their hearts, was understandably doubtful, but Noah’s explanation put the whole scenario in a far more realistic light.

“You called these monsters the Profane. Is that what we are fighting? The evil from legend?”

“That’s right. They’ve made great strides in their return. They’ve already taken over Handent and attacked Sylphtoria and Uther, and now they’re advancing through Vandheim.”

Master Kai sighed. “That these dark days would be mine to bear… You seem to understand these creatures. What would you have us do?”

“Assuming the status quo were to remain the same, with the Profane staying outside and just maintaining a perimeter, how long do you think this place could hold out?”

“We do not have the food stores to feed this many people. There are farms beyond the temple where we grow our crops, but we cannot hope to reach them and resupply. Our stocks may only last a few more days.”

“Is there a way to sneak the refugees out of here? If they can’t stay, then they need to be evacuated.”

  “This temple was originally built atop a mine,” said Ren. “It lets out nearby, but the exit is right in the middle of those monsters’ territory. The people will be easy prey.”

“Not if their attention is turned elsewhere. When night falls, they’ll probably ramp up their attack, with more powerful Profane joining in.”

“Then how do we stop them and keep them out?”

“We don’t. Send the noncombatants down into the mine once night falls, then open the main gate and let in the Profane. Lead them into the temple while the people slip out through the exit.”

“You expect us to let these monsters set foot in our sacred temple?!” Ren boomed.

“It would be the biggest mistake of their lives. My friends and I have ample experience fighting the Profane. We’ll be the tip of the spear that those monsters will impale themselves on when they enter. With our help, I guarantee you victory. As for you and the other monks, I ask you: is this not a temple of warriors? What’s the point in all that training if you’re not going to use it when the time comes?”

Kai turned to Foley. “Look me in the eye and tell me that I can trust this human with the lives of my fellow dwarves.”

“I know these lankies look sketchy, but my own village was attacked by Profane, and they saved our asses. I swear on my ancestors and Terranora that you’re in good hands.”

“Very well. We shall go with your plan, but while your assistance is welcome, WE shall defend our temple. What kind of warriors would we be to let outsiders stand at the front line in our place?”

“Excellent. If you want to be the ones to deliver the killing blows, then more power to you. My friends and I will help set the board for your win.”

“And what do I call you, sir?”

“I’m Noah. This is Valia, Shannon, Foley, Daniel, Cyrilo, Alexis, Sophia, and Seraph. Consider us at your service.”

Word was spread about the new plan. It was getting late in the day, and the sun was quick to set among the mountains, so they had to work fast. All of the dwarves who could not fight were ushered into the heart of the temple and down into a mine cutting through the mountain, while the monks prepared themselves for battle. Since they were outnumbered, they had to utilize other methods to handle the Profane, including traps and barricades to control their movements and funnel them together. While Noah enchanted weapons with holy power, he spotted some monk initiates preparing themselves for battle. They were practicing punching through boards to psyche themselves up, imagining punching through the ribcages of their enemies.

“Mind if I try?” Noah asked as he approached.

They seemed bewildered by the sudden appearance of this human, then one of them laughed. “Only we of the Stone Fist School can do this.” He then pulled back his arm, gathered some mana into his hand, and then threw forth his punch, drilling straight through a board. “Your frail hand would just shatter like glass if you tried.”

“So you say.”

Noah set up one of the boards at his height and gently touched the tip of his middle finger to the surface with his hand flat. Then, with a sharp breath, he curled his hand into a fist and drove it clear through the board, shocking the initiates. Not only had he accomplished it without imbuing mana, but he didn’t even have to pull back his arm. Instead, he gathered all the strength and speed he needed with just a few inches of space. Noah pulled his hand back and shook it to dispel the soreness.

“Whew, it’s been a long time since I did that. I wanted to see if I still had it in me. However, I’ve definitely fallen out of practice and haven’t trained my hand for that. You boys keep practicing, and you’ll be able to do it that way too.”

He walked away, hoping to find Sophia, but she was already nearby, watching him with a smile.

“Showing off?” she asked as she gently clutched his hand and applied her healing magic.

“Just feeling nostalgic. I spent a lot of time in places like this, honing my skills. But where I studied, we didn’t have any fancy magic to make things easier. It was nothing but technique, strength, and dedication. If there was still any flesh on your knuckles at the end of the day, you weren’t done yet.”

“That sounds awful. I wish I had been there with you in those past lives to keep you from doing stuff like that. You’re the smartest man I know, but it’s astonishing how reckless you can be.”

“I’m smart because I’ve been so reckless. You learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes, so I’ve gone out of my way to make plenty of mistakes throughout the multiverse.”

Sophia had finished healing him, but still, she held his hand lovingly. “You never made any mistakes with me. I wouldn’t have followed you here if you had.”

“I’m glad you did. I never want to make a mistake with you, and I want to ensure you don’t either. Come on, there’s still a lot more to do.”

Sophia released his hand, and though she remained smiling, her eyes took on a sad hue. Noah could read her heart so clearly and always knew when to pull away. He’d speak to her with kind words and a warm expression, then disengage before Sophia could give in to her desires. She was grateful that he was looking out for her, stopping her from doing anything that would sabotage her relationship with Alexis, but would the day ever come that she’d stop aching for him? That she’d no longer dream of reliving that wonderful night they spent together? She wished she could just be friends with him, the way Alexis was, but her love for him refused to be extinguished.

Finally, the sun sank behind the mountains, casting the temple and surrounding lands in shadow. The intermediate Profane, unable to bear the sunlight while possessing greater powers, were free to shed their protective layers and come out of hiding. The ghoul in charge aimed his hand at the temple gate, and from his arm, several mighty tentacles shot out and pierced the amalgamation of wood and iron. The archers atop the gate shot him with arrows, but they were utterly useless against him. With a mighty heave, he ripped it open.

“Drive them out. Send them running,” he ordered.

The lower Profane rushed in to do his bidding, first targeting the archers before they could escape. The powerful monks had been well-trained, but were outnumbered and ripped to pieces. The ghouls and fiends hurried up the temple steps, but the monks and Noah’s friends were ready. Barrels of oil, created with alchemy, had been prepared atop the stairs, and with the dark legion swarming towards the defenders, they knocked the barrels over. Oil flooded down the temple steps and washed over the Profane, causing them to trip over themselves and fall back down in a disorganized heap.

Regardless of the setback, the fiends and ghouls got back to their feet and made the climb once more. However, the steps were slick and difficult to navigate, and anytime one of their ranks fell, every beast behind him would get knocked over as they tumbled down the steps. Though their advance slowed to a crawl, they continued pushing each other up the steps. Alexis, Shannon, and other archers rained arrows down upon them, many imbued with holy power. They were more painful than regular arrows, and the wounds they inflicted were much slower to heal. Winged fiends swooped in, trying to take out the archers, but Seraph shot them out of the sky with blasts of divine light.

Finally, when the stairs were completely packed with oil-drenched monsters, torches were tossed into the midst. The Profane, having used fire to terrorize and destroy, howled as the flames swallowed them whole. Not even their healing abilities could cope with such intense flames, and the parasites attached to their bodies screamed in pain as they burned with their hosts. While this was going on, out in the woods, behind the Profane army, a moss-covered hatch opened up, and dwarven refugees rushed out. They hurried south away from the temple, hoping their escape would go unnoticed. However, the ghoul in charge watched them from a distance. He gave no orders to recall his troops, nor did he pursue them himself. After all, their escape was all part of the plan. He just hoped his minions remembered that.

Back at the temple, the Profane used the charred corpses of their brethren as stepping stones to get up the stairs. The defenders pulled back to the next defense point. It was a long corridor between two buildings, with several barricades and barriers fencing off other paths around. Once the Profane decided to bust through, there would be no stopping them, but for now, they followed the path of least resistance. At the end of the corridor was Daniel, trying to keep his nerve, but Sophia was behind him, helping to stop him from shaking.

The Profane saw him and charged, furious and hungry. With a deep breath, Daniel struck a sharp chord, with a wave of mana-imbued sound rushing down the corridor like a flood and washing over the ghouls and fiends. They writhed in pain as the sound assaulted them. With Sophia’s holy enhancement added to his own magic, it grated on their ears like nails on a chalkboard and also thrashed the inner canals, hindering their balance and coordination.

They continued to advance, with Daniel strumming his guitar and blasting them with music. Rather than the classic rock and beautiful melodies he normally played, this was more like heavy death metal, discordant and jarring, leaving the Profane unable to think and barely able to stand. Their steps were slow and unbalanced, each beast feeling like they were walking through a tornado as Daniel’s notes threatened to knock them back. Their hunger and fury drove them to bear the pain, not to mention all their allies pushing them forward. When they were close to reaching Daniel, he suddenly switched the tune, casting Mood Music. Though Sophia’s holy mana still sapped the strength of the Profane that heard the music, it lost its discombobulating effect, giving the dark spawn back their coherence, but they were no longer the target.

On the roofs of the two buildings running alongside the corridor, the monks of the temple appeared, ready for battle. The thought of protecting their home gave them courage and strength, and Daniel’s music, though they could not truly appreciate it, boosted their abilities. With a bellow of determination, they all pounced on the Profane below. Their hands, burning with mana, fell like guillotine blades upon their enemies, slicing off their heads, crushing their skulls, and pulverizing their organs. The Profane, weakened by the music and caught by surprise, stood no chance against the honed martial arts of the monks, and were exterminated.

The monsters further back, beyond the corridor, realized their allies had just run into an ambush and changed tactics. They broke down the barricades and barriers the monks had set up, and climbed through windows into the many buildings of the temple. However, this was all according to Noah’s plan. Caltrops, laced with various chemical agents and made with blessed metal, had been scattered in all the areas the Profane were predicted to go. The monks knew where they were and how to avoid them, but the fiends and ghouls, clumsy and reckless, got stabbed through the feet. With their wounds refusing to heal and the pain breaking through the threshold, they struggled just to remain on their feet, and as the drugs entered their systems, their bodies turned against them. In their moments of weakness, the monks attacked with holy weapons, severing heads and limbs. Cyrilo, in her cat form, would taunt the Profane and lure them into chasing her, leading them into more traps and ambush sites.

As the Profane continued to swarm into the temple, Valia and Foley waited near the main gate. Once all the unholy troops had passed through, they leaped into action, closing the heavy doors once more. They had been severely damaged, but they remained standing. However, this wasn’t to keep more Profane out, but to keep them in. It wouldn’t be long until many came back, desperate to escape, and when they did, Valia and Foley would be waiting for them.

Meanwhile, all of the superior Profane, those who had not fallen for the same traps as the others, made it to the main prayer hall. Inside, Noah and Master Kai were waiting.

“Welcome, friends, to the Temple of the Stone Fist, one of the finest schools of Martial Arts in Vandheim,” said Noah. As he spoke, he activated the Rune of False, with all the Profane that met his gaze falling under his spell. “On behalf of our most gracious host, I feel I should tell you the rules.”

Noah approached the fiends and ghouls as he spoke, confusing and infuriating them with his cavalier attitude. A lion-type fiend tried to slash Noah with his claws, only to pass right through him. “Rule 1: Please clean your feet before entering any buildings.” A dwarf ghoul with a sword tried to slice Noah in half at the waist, only to end up cutting a fellow ghoul standing behind him. “Rule 2: Do not take all the food you can eat, but eat all you take. There is no room for gluttons here.” A cobra fiend sprayed Noah with poison from its fangs, only to afflict his own allies and leave Noah untouched. “Rule 3: Obey your teachers and respect your fellow students.” Noah walked through the Profane crowd, all of them lunging to attack, but with False Self activated, none who met his eyes could harm him. “Is there anything else, Master Kai?” Noah then asked.

“No, thank you, Sir Noah. I’ll teach them the rest,” the old dwarf said as he got to his feet and removed his robe, revealing the iron physique of sculpted muscles underneath. “The first lesson of this school is to strengthen your feet. You must truly feel the ground and connect with the land, able to withstand any pain that may arise. And, of course, that means learning to walk on hot coals.”

“False World,” Noah asked, on cue.

The floor of the prayer hall was replaced with a vast bed of scalding hot coals, vibrant red. The Profane, under the effects of Noah’s magic, felt the heat with painful clarity. It completely bypassed their demonic pain tolerance, and no matter where they stepped, their feet burned. However, they weren’t the only ones affected. Kai had insisted that he bear the pain as well, to make things fair, and had been exposed to the Rune of False so he’d be in the same boat as his foes. The difference was that he handled it well. He strode towards his foes, his stony face unflinching against the pain of the illusion. With all the Profane writhing in pain and unable to find a place to put their feet, they were too distracted to properly coordinate and attack as a group.

“Rule 4: Keep the grounds tidy and clean up any mess, even if you didn’t cause it!”

As he spoke, he swung his arm at a bear-type fiend almost four times his own height. His hand, wrapped in mana, struck the fiend’s knee and nearly cut his leg off. With a roar of pain, the fiend collapsed, and Kai jabbed him between the eyes with his middle finger, imparting enough strength to blast off his cranium and expose his brain.

“Rule 5: Keep noise to a minimum during practice and especially meditation!”

He turned to a dwarf ghoul trying to attack with an axe and delivered a kick to the side of the ribs, not only pulverizing his torso and all his organs, but sending him flying so fast that he crashed into a stone pillar and splattered like a dropped egg. The cobra fiend that had attacked Noah earlier lunged, trying to block the pain with rage as he aimed to sink his fangs into the dwarf.

“Rule 6: Honor the gods and ancestors, and keep them in mind no matter what you do!”

He grabbed the monster’s fangs and yanked them out. Then, jumped into the air and drove them into the cobra’s eyes, piercing his brain. The venom clinging to his fangs spread throughout its brain, melting the corrupted gray matter and ending the fiend’s life. Kai then turned to the lion fiend, searching for a safe place to stand.

“Rule 7: Always maintain a presentable appearance, both in your clothing and demeanor!”

Kai once again jumped up and delivered a spinning kick, striking the fiend in the side of the jaw, not only ripping it off his face and sending it flying, but also making the fiend’s head twist all the way around and snapping his neck. Another dwarf ghoul charged towards him, aiming for a stab with his sword. However, Kai blocked the tip of the blade with just his finger, not only accepting it without a single drop of blood, but overpowering the ghoul’s physical strength.

“Rule 8: Chores, training, and meditation always come before rest, leisure, and personal interests!”

He struck the ghoul five times in the chest with his fingertips. The first two strikes caused his lungs to pop like balloons, the third shredded his heart, the fourth ruptured his liver, and the fifth made the parasite on the ghoul’s back explode like roadkill. One by one, Kai dispatched the Profane, and any who tried to escape found themselves facing Noah. But instead of killing them, he’d simply knock them back towards Kai and let him finish them off.

Throughout the night, the Profane were laid to waste, and their corpses were stacked before the temple gates and burned. The sun inevitably made its return, as did Roc and Cynatas, arriving to find Noah and the others eating breakfast with the monks.

“It looks like you had a busy night,” said Roc with a laugh.

“Just threw a fun little party, and like all good parties, there is a big mess to clean up. What about you two?”

“We covered as much territory as we could, extinguishing fires and lives,” Cynatas boasted. “Thanks to us, Vandheim will not be reduced to an ashen scar upon the world.”

“Still, I have a feeling this isn’t the end. I’m sure there are more out there, waiting for things to quiet down so they can start burning and killing again,” said Roc.

“You two helped save a lot of people. There is a huge crowd of refugees now heading south towards Duravound. Hopefully, they’ll make it in one piece.”

“We can worry about them later. Right now, I’m too hungry to think about anything other than food.”

Roc and Cynatas joined them for breakfast, and after taking some time to rest and help with the cleanup, Noah and his group returned to the road, continuing north towards Lupin.

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