The Wandering Spire

Val pointed, and the orbs of fire launched out toward Jeze and Mikal.

“Watch out!” Ziplocke cried.

The Goblin dove off Jeze’s shoulder, and she dodged the attack in the opposite direction. The orb exploded when it hit the ground, and the concussive force sent Jeze soaring through the air. Mikal negated the attack toward him with his flash freeze spell, and he shaped glyphs with his hands and arms.

Demonstrating excellent body control, Jeze twisted in the air to land in a crouch with a snarl on her face. Exploding fire magic? She was both impressed and enraged. Jeze Shaped her Earth aspect into boulders and Controlled them to launch at Val from two directions. The cult leader Summoned the Rift aspect again to cause a tear in reality in front of her that split a boulder in half. Jeze’s second rock spell struck Val and knocked her to her knees. She is tougher than she looks, Jeze admitted. A quick glance to her right showed that her other teammates were in trouble against the two Goreraptors.

Rolfe had lost his shield and was using his spear in two hands to keep one beast at bay with fierce jabs. The second Goreraptor snatched Helga up in its jaws and tossed her against the wall. Dunar defended Rolfe’s flank with his shield, and it was only a matter of time before they would be overrun. Jeze Shaped her final pile of dirt into a boulder to strike the knee of the Goreraptor that was about to impale the prone Helga. The beast roared in pain as it stumbled to the ground, and this gave Helga a chance to scurry away. An explosion of intense heat sent Jeze onto her back with burns along the exposed parts of her body that were not protected by her armor.

“Who would have guessed that you, a girl from nowhere, could be such a headache? It ends today. You and your team will die,” Val hissed.

The Cult leader was in bad shape and clung to an injured arm as she rose unsteadily to her feet. She had used the last of her fire orbs, and Jeze doubted that Val could shape another Glyph. Then again, Jeze was injured and wouldn’t be able to tap into the Runic magic either. But, there was one difference between her and the Cult leader, Jeze realized with a grin as she rose to her feet with her battleaxe and sword in her hands. She could fight.

“Why won’t you just die!” Val cried as she limped toward the red Monster Portal.

Jeze saw that Mikal had joined to aid the others with his healing magic, which allowed her to focus on the Cult leader. “You are not going anywhere,” Jeze promised and gave chase.

She was so close to avenging Seb and Jonah’s team, but the universe had other plans. Jeze slid to a stop as more robed cultists armed with curved swords and bows emerged from the Monster Portal. They formed a protective circle around Val, and the cult leader sneered at Jeze.

“Kill her! She has the tome we need,” Val ordered.

Jeze saw that there was a golden glow around her. Mikal had cast the Vitality Spring and she felt her Will and body recover. The Cultists charged and shot arrows at her. There were too many, and Jeze ran as the arrows whizzed past her. Despite the renewed energy, her teammates were still in trouble against the two Goreraptors. Jeze knew that the Frostsworn would not retreat, so she needed to think of something.

“Why are the Goreraptors listening to her?” Jeze asked Ziplocke as she ducked an arrow.

“It’s the Rift aspect! It allows her to tear holes into reality and bring monsters here that will do her bidding,” the Goblin answered.

“How do I stop it?”

Jeze and the Proven were surrounded as the Cultists began to aid the Goreraptors by firing arrows at Dunar, Helga, and Rolfe. Mikal was on one knee with two arrows in his shoulders. The Healer grimaced in pain as he treated his wounds.

“You had the right idea by trying to take out Val. Without the caster, the Goreraptors will be free to rampage,” Ziplocke gleefully answered as they ran.

Several Cultists were circling around the house-sized Goreraptors in order to find a better shot at the Healer.

“Jeze, protect Mikal!” Dunar ordered.

“On it,” she called back.

Jeze ran fast, and before the archers could switch their aim toward her, it was too late. She slammed into them. Jeze hacked and slashed with her axe and sword and left the four Cultists on the floor, bleeding and dying. But, many more Cultists remained. A Goreraptor charged and missed Helga with its horn but still struck the warrior maiden with the side of its hard head, which sent her sprawling to the ground. The warrior maiden struggled to get up as Dunar stood protectively over her. The Leader’s shield blocked the Goreraptor’s horn but broke in half. The team had no more shields as Rolfe kept the other beast at bay with his spear. Dunar grimaced in pain as an arrow thudded into his side. If not for Mikal’s restorative Vitality Spring, the team would have been finished. But the spell would not last forever.

“You need to take out the Rift caster!” Ziplocke cried.

Jeze leaped and crashed another squad of archers with her axe and sword. Several were able to draw their curved blades but could not match her skill and ferocity. The Goreratpor engaged with Rolfe withdrew and swung its enormous tail at Jeze. The Scout flipped over the attack and continued to run toward Val. More Cultists formed a protective circle around the blonde cult leader. As she ran, Jeze tapped into her Earth aspect bracelet and Summoned several mounds of dirt. Jeze needed to merge her Rune casting with her combat skills. That was the only way for her to succeed, and luckily, her abilities were boosted by the Vitality Spring.

“Kill her! She is just a girl!” Val roared.

A dozen Cultists and one Goreraptor chased her. Dunar, Rolfe, and Helga now faced only one monster, but they were wounded and were still in serious danger. Mikal had crawled to the edge of the chamber and was healing himself. With a mad grin on her face, Jeze charged the gathered cultists who protected Val.

Berserker Orn once said, “What separates adventurers from everyone else is the ability to perform under pressure. Gaining a higher rank does not only mean greater strength and skill but also the greater ability to perform well when it is most needed. Where failure is not an option. This is Mastery, and it can only be forged through great adversity.”

Those words rang true in Jeze’s mind as she shaped Glyphs while holding weapons and charged her enemies. The Cultists tried to swarm her, but she weaved too quickly in between them while she swung her weapons with deadly accuracy. With one chop of her axe, she also Shaped her Summoned dirt into a boulder. With a stab of her sword, she Controlled the boulder to smash into a group of Cultists and scattered them like leaves in a windstorm. Jeze dodged curved swords and grasping hands as she tapped her Darkness channeling ring. With a slice of her sword, she also Summoned shadows. With a swing of her axe, she Shaped them into opaque blackness that covered the Goreraptor’s head. The behemoth charged blindly past her and crashed into the wall. Its legs scattered more cultist, and that left Val unprotected. The Cult Leader recognized her plight and scurried toward the portal as fast as her injured body could take her.

“Die bitch!” Jeze cursed and lunged with her sword to close the remaining distance between her and Val.

The blade pierced through Val, and the Cult leader let out a gasp. Jeze felt the hum of energy in the chamber as the Rifts snapped shut. The Goreraptors appeared to have awakened and showed their true nature. The change was sudden, and they rampaged through the chamber, attacking Cultist and Frostsworn without discrimination. Val glared as she pulled herself free from Jeze’s sword and fell back through the red monster portal.

“No!” Jeze cried. She was distracted by the change in energy and swung her axe too late and missed as the Cult leader escaped.

The Goreraptors went berserk and attacked everyone in sight. With their magical chains broken, they were much more fierce. Luckily for the Proven, the beasts had plenty more targets that divided their attention. Dunar took advantage of the small window of reprieve.

“Proven, fall back!” He roared.

Dunar scooped up Mikal as Rolfe helped Helga and the four made their way toward the chamber exit. Jeze dove out of the way as the Goreraptor pounced toward her. The behemoth’s massive hind legs kicked up stones and shook the chamber as it landed. The beast blocked the red Monster portal and forced the cultists to flee toward the same corridor as the Frostsworn. Jeze ran after her teammates. It was pure chaos as the unleashed Goreraptors wreaked furious destruction. Most of the cultists ran for their lives, while a few tried to fight the Frostsworn. They were outclassed by the skilled warriors and easily cut down. The two Goreraptors gave chase.

“Watch out!” Jeze cried and shoved Dunar to the side.

Rolfe and Helga stumbled in the other direction as a Goreraptor barreled in between them to crash against the wall. The beast had splattered a few helpless cultists. The corridor split into two directions.

“This way!” Ziplocke shouted and pointed down the right corridor.

The Goreraptor, covered in gore, turned around. Jeze heard the thundering footsteps of the second beast behind them as it charged out of the chamber in their direction. Cultists ran down both corridors. The Proven complied and ran as fast as their injured bodies could go down the corridor, which Ziplocke had suggested. Jeze slid under the Goreraptor to join her team as the beast snatched up another cultist in its massive maw. Jeze flinched as she heard the screams and bones crunching from the victim.

At the moment, the Goreraptors were occupied with the cultists and did not give chase. The corridor opened up into another square room with three doors. The Proven arrived behind a pair of cultists. In a panic, one of them reached to open a door.

“Wait!” Jeze called out, but it was too late.

The cultist opened the door, and the magical Rune trap was triggered. The room, with Jeze and the Proven inside, was plunged into Darkness, Fire, and Madness.