King Torin marched quickly through the halls of the castle, people rushing in different directions around him. He entered a large room with multiple people frantically typing and talking. A map of the city was displayed on a monitoring screen in front of him.
"Give me a sitrep." Torin ordered.
"The Fracture formed above sectors A and E. Sectors B, C, and F have already been evacuated to their shelters, while A, D, and E are still in the process," one of the people reported.
"Headmaster Frode has been rallying the adventurers from the guild. They should be deploying in the next ten minutes. We are dividing our forces between the different shelters." Another report came in.
"What about reinforcements?" Torin asked.
"Multiple cities have responded to our call, but our emergency transportation portal was in maintenance when the Fracture began opening. It will take nearly 7 hours before it is ready." Came a response.
"What about the Fracture?"
"We predict it will open in about an hour. This one is one of the biggest yet, based on the mana readings, we estimate the demons to number in the thousands."
Torin cursed, "The one time when our Hero, Eric isn't here." He quickly regained his composure, "Continue the evacuation, get the citizens to shelters as far from the Fracture as possible. Have Frode send the most qualified adventurers to sectors A and E. The rest will support our forces defending the shelters. Order them to keep the demons out of the shelters at any cost. This is our city, we won't let anyone take it from us."
Multiple affirmations sounded as they got to work. Torin quickly left and made his way to the armory when one of the castle's staff came up to him.
"Your majesty, you should join your family in the royal shelter."
The king shook his head. "No. My place is with my troops. If today is my day to die, then I will do it defending my people."
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Gale and his friends quickly returned to the academy to change into their adventuring gear before rushing over to the guildhouse. They were joined by dozens of adventurers as they made their way into the main room. There, they could see more people gathered around Headmaster Frode near the messenger board. 'Wait, I didn't know headmaster Frode was also the guildmaster.' Gale thought. The screen that normally held the different quests had a map of the city with different areas highlighted. Gale and his friends made it to the front as Frode began to speak. "I am sure you already have some idea of what's going on, but I will go over the situation. Based on our calculations, the Fracture is estimated to continue to grow for another 30 minutes before it finally bursts." He pointed to different areas of the map that then lit up red. "With the demons predicted to number in the thousands, this is going to be one of the biggest assaults yet. To make matters worse, the transportation portal at the castle isn't operational right now, so we are on our own."
Murmurs leaked out of the mouths of adventurers as they looked at each other with unease. "There is an upside. The neighboring city of Dracaena is preparing to send their Dragon Rider squads to back us up." The adventurers looked relieved. "However, we'll have to hold out for at least four hours before they arrive." And back to unease.
Frode spoke again, "We have half an hour to prepare. We have been completely evacuating the citizens from sectors closest to the Fracture to shelters in different areas, so it is not complete. That is why I will be sending E and D ranked adventurers to aid the evacuation. You will also be supporting the armed forces in defending them when the fracture opens up. Rank C and up will be heading to ground zero of the Fracture. You have only one mission: kill every last demon." Frode gave his orders and the adventurers broke up. However, as Gale and his friends turned to leave, Frode called out to them. "Not you, Gale. You haven't regained full control of your magic yet. It's too dangerous to send you to the frontlines." Gale tried to protest, but Frode interrupted him. "Don't worry, I'm not taking you out of the fight completely. Instead, you will aid with the evacuation and defense of sector D's shelter."
Gale opened his mouth again, but closed it when he realized Frode had a point. He turned to his friends, "Don't you dare die out there, guys you hear me?" His friends nodded. "Don't worry about us, we'll kick those demon's asses back to whatever hell they came from. And the next time this happens, we will face it together." Annie said confidently. Gale smirked at them before walking out of the guildhouse.
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Panicked citizens made their way down the street towards the shelter. Soldiers and knights flanked them, guiding them quickly down the road. Another loud crack echoed from above, causing everyone to flinch in fear. The citizens moved faster, sounds of pattering feet, scared screams and cries filled the air. A little girl fell over, hand slipping out of her mother's. The mother tried to get back to her, but the sea of people swept her away from her daughter. The little girl crouched down, covering her head when suddenly she was picked up by unfamiliar hands. She looked up to see auburn hair and green eyes. Gale rushed towards the shelter, the little girl in his arms. He arrived at the doors, guarded by soldiers who called out to him.
"What are you doing? Who is the girl?"
"Don't know, sir. I saw her get separated from her mother and decided to bring her here." Gale responded.
"Well, get a move on. She can find her mother once she is inside. Hurry up, cause we still need you out here."
"Yes sir!" Gale quickly made his way in, where he found a check in station. After reassuring the girl that they would help her find her mother, he made his way back out towards the blockade being set up. The place was a mix of gun-toting soldiers, armor bound knights, and cloaked mages. A soldier was barking out orders as a truck pulled up behind him. Its trunk popped open, revealing piles of firearms that the newcomers quickly grabbed and loaded. A group of mages were using spells to reinforce the blockade as knights sharpened their blades. Gale rushed over to a large tent with a small group of people inside, all looking over a map. The commander looked up as he heard Gale approaching.
"Is your mission done?"
"Yes sir. The north and east sections have been completely evacuated, sir."
The commander nodded. "Good. The last of the evacuees are making their way into the shelter now. The barricade is almost complete. We should be just about ready." They all flinched again at the sound of another loud crack. "Hopefully." A low rumbling sound grew louder around them. Gale looked outside to see multiple tanks roll up the streets toward the barricade. They were joined by jeeps with large machine guns mounted to the back of them. When the jeeps stopped, a soldier jumped on the back and spun the gun outwards towards the road leading to the Fracture. Trucks with large cylinders lined up behind the tanks, the cylinders whirred up at an angle to where Gale could see multiple warheads poking from the top.
Finally, the evacuation was done. The shelter was closed and sealed tightly. Both with electronic and manual locks as well as with magic. Soldiers stood against their barricade, hands shaking as they held their weapons. It had been dead quiet for the last five minutes, making the situation even more tense. That was when they all heard the loudest crack out of them all. It was quickly followed by more. They all looked up in time to see the area around the crack completely shatter. Inside the hole made, they could see only darkness, with the faintest, red glow flickering every now and then. Soon, black specks began to fall through, like a swarm of locusts. Most fell towards the ground, but some danced across the sky as they floated down. Gale swallowed, his hands shaking as he gripped his sword. The commander took a deep breath as he stared at the dark waterfall. "So it begins."
Sometime later, the soldiers could hear bone chilling wails and howls, the inhuman chorus boosted by snarls and a thick, heavy thumping of hundreds of feet. The creatures soon appeared over the horizon, more than any the people had ever seen in their life. Some had human-like features, some crawled on all fours, or had only three legs. Others hovered in the air, snarling at the barricade set up. The demons began to speed up, having caught sight of the humans they desired to feast on. The soldiers aimed their weapons at the enemy in front of them as the demons charged. "Weapons free! Engage!" The commander screamed.
The line erupted with small bursts of flames and loud pops as they unloaded everything they had at the enemy. The demons in front fell almost immediately, but the ones behind quickly took their place. The infantry gunfire was supported by the rhythmic thumps of the large machine guns on the backs of the jeeps. The demons fell in the dozens, but the wave continued to get closer. That was when the gunfire was joined by the loud booms of the tanks' main guns. The shells flew towards their targets, erupting in large explosions on impact. The soldiers heard loud sounds overhead and looked up to see the white trails of missiles that sailed overhead. Some landed amongst the demon horde, while the rest targeted and connected with airborne demons. Gale joined a group of mages unleashing a volley of magic at the wave. The smoke from the barrage hid the street from view, but the horde of demons quickly jumped back through. "Damn! Knights! Phalanx formation!" The commander barked out his orders.
A group of knights leaped the barricade and stood in a large line in front of it. Their shields began to glow before a large, transparent wall formed in front of them. The demons slammed into the wall, pushing the knights back, but they quickly recovered and countered. They slashed and stabbed at their foes, while bullets, shells, and spells flew overhead. The humans and demons were locked in a shaky stalemate. The soldiers continued firing, ducking when the demons fired spells of their own at the barricade. It continued like this for a while before a humanoid demon with wings flew over the mana wall and formed a large fireball before launching at the mages on the barricade.
Gale saw it and grabbed the mage next to him as he threw himself to the side. Many other soldiers managed to get out of the way, but not all were lucky enough as the fireball exploded on the barricade. The explosion distracted one of the knights and the demons took advantage of it. A demon on all fours with large, bull like horns, charged the line and smashed through, bowling over the knights. The demons poured through the gap and smashed the barricade, sending soldiers flying. In a matter of seconds, the battlefield became a chaotic melee. Gale sent a group of ice spikes at a couple demons before blocking an attack with his sword and stabbing that demon.
Two soldiers were distracted by other demons, and they didn't see the one behind them when it pierced them through the abdomen with his claws. A knight frantically waved his sword at another when one behind him bent down and bit off the top of his body. Many soldiers were suddenly stabbed by large earth spikes that came from the ground. One of the tanks was knocked over by a large demon and another was exploded by a fireball. However, the humans were not giving up yet. A soldier was saved by a knight that staggered the large, bull-like demon before slicing its head off. More demons succumbed to gunfire as the soldiers regained their momentum. Multiple demons were covered by flames and more were frozen in the ice from two mages.
Some of the wounded were dragged away to be healed while others defended them. Another volley of shells and missiles hit the middle of the horde. Many of the airborne demons were hit with spells and fell to the ground where the knights were waiting to cut them up. Gale saw a demon that was nothing except a giant, red eye with bat wings about to fire upon one of his allies, but he was able to quickly kill it. He heard another roar and saw a large, cat-like demon pounce on two soldiers before piercing a knight with its barbed tail. He realized quickly it was a Ravager, he also realized that it was looking right at him. The Ravager and Gale charged at each other. As the Ravager jumped up, Gale slid underneath it, pointing his hand towards its underbelly and sending a spike of earth right through it, killing it instantly.
The ground shook underneath him as a 20 foot tall humanoid demon with two eyes, tusks and a large club appeared. It slammed its club into the ground, killing half a dozen fighters. The demon continued forward, bullets bouncing off of it as it crushed a tank with its club. That was when Gale charged forward. He used a spell to enhance his leap as he swung his sword towards its head. He cast another buff on his blade as he pushed it into the demon's head. Gale leaped off of it as it fell and disintegrated. However, Gale realized he had accidently jumped towards an airborne demon. He quickly twisted and used a spell to solidify the air beneath his feet and used it as a platform to jump away from the demon. He rolled as he landed and sent a fireball at the demon, knocking it out of the air with a screech.
The battle continued, humans and demons falling. 30 minutes passed before the fighting began to taper off. The waves of demons slowed to almost none, giving the humans a much needed reprieve. Gale joined a group of healers, helping the wounded recover. Many soldiers laid on the ground, twisting in pain, some grabbing at missing limbs or punctures in their body. Groans and cries of pain echoed across the street, and the black and white road had become completely red. Gale almost vomited from the smell alone. There were also the cries from mourning men and women. They hunkered over the fallen as body bags were prepared to take them off the battlefield and to their final resting place.
Gale looked around, numb. 'So this is war. Why? Why is this happening to us? What crime has mankind committed to suffer like this? What have we done wrong?' His silent questions went unanswered as he walked up to the commander.
"Sir? If I may be allowed to ask, what is the status of the other battles?"
The commander turned to him. "The other shelters have managed to fend their waves off as well. Not without losses though. We have lost over 100 of our people. Sector C lost about the same, and sector B had it worse."
Gale's eyes widened, 'Have we really lost that many?' "What about ground zero?" Gale asked
The commander looked at him. "The fighting there is worse, but the adventurers are skilled. So far only three casualties have been reported." Gale felt a little relief before the commander continued. "This is only just the beginning. You can hear it, can't you? The demons are coming back for round two." Gale looked up and realized he was right. The demons were still pouring from the Fracture. And snarls were beginning to echo from the road. Gale took a deep breath and drew his sword again, preparing for the fight ahead.
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Devastation was all one could see. The streets were ripped apart, the skyscrapers crumbled and burned. The entire sector had been reduced to rubble. Another explosion rocked the earth as the battle continued to wage. Alejandra breathed heavily as she killed another demon. 'There's no end to them.' Behind her, Tom parried a large demon and slashed it in half. Leo used his swords to block the attacks from two separate demons before killing both of them. A bullet killed another and Annie whipped around to blast one more demon. Amongst the horde appeared a large demon with a spiked shell. It stopped and the spikes launched from its back flying towards the adventurers. They dodged as thick clouds of dust erupted from each impact.
A dagger-wielding adventurer slashed a demon in the head before rolling to avoid a black arrow. More demons landed and began rampaging. Annie was nearly hit by a demon when an arrow brought it down. The female Archer that shot it grabbed another arrow. It glowed yellow as it flew through the air. The arrow weaved through the horde and hit its intended target before lightning burst from it, chaining to multiple demons. A faceless demon appeared, its forelegs longer than its back legs. A purple ball formed in front of it before a large beam shot forward. The adventurers were able to dodge it, but the building behind them was destroyed. The beam continued on before a spear pierced the demon's head.
Three humanoid demons with black staffs charged up a barrage of fireballs before unleashing them on the adventurers. Tom grouped his friends together and shielded them from the attack. The battle continued to rage as Alejandra cut another demon down. The adventurers had the advantage, but the flow of demons showed no sign of stopping. It was clear the adventurers were beginning to tire as the close calls grew. Annie killed a group with a barrage of bullets as Leo defended her from a couple demons that nearly stabbed her from behind. Tom was knocked over, but he rolled away and stabbed his attacker in the side. Alejandra panted heavily. We keep cutting them down, but they just keep coming. A loud roar snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a bipedal demon standing four stories tall. It had large horns, bright red eyes, sharp fangs, and wielded a large greatsword. Behind it was another horde of demons. A group of mages unleashed a volley of spells, but to no effect. The demon swung its sword down towards an adventurer underneath it. The adventurer was able to avoid the sword, but the impact with the street sent him flying and disoriented other adventurers.
Alejandra looked on in horror. 'Is this it? Are we going to lose here?' She almost dropped her sword when she recalled their first battle against a demon. She remembered Gale's words when he rallied them into battle and her grip tightened. 'No, he wouldn't give up, and neither will I.' A low, white aura started from her hand. 'They are all counting on me. The innocent people in the shelters, the soldiers, the other adventurers, Gale.' The aura crept up her arm, moving around her body. 'I am an adventurer.' The wind began to pick up, causing her hair to dance and flutter around her. 'More than that, I am a Hero!' The aura exploded, causing the battle to cease as everyone, demon and human alike, turned to look at her. Alejandra's body glowed white, her aura pulsed with power. Suddenly, she shot forward in a blur of light, slicing every demon in her way. The giant horned demon turned and slashed at her. She jumped on its sword and began running up it towards the demon's arm. She blurred past it into the air, slicing its head in half. As she started to fall, she flipped around, sword glowing white. She slammed it into the ground, the white light exploding, cracking the earth and killing over a dozen demons around her.
The adventurers stared at her in awe before one of them spoke up. "Well, are we just going to let the newbie show us up? Let's turn it up!" The adventurers leaped back into battle more ferocious than ever before. A volley of arrows hit a group of demons before exploding. The spear wielder used his weapon to vault into the air. He twisted his body, the tip of the spear glowing, before stabbing it through the body of a large demon. He ripped his spear up and threw it, blasting a hole in multiple demons as the spear flew through and returned to its owner. The spear wielder was almost attacked when a saberwolf hit the demon in the side. More saberwolves joined it, mauling the demon before breaking off to hit another group of demons. Their Tamer stood on the side, a white lion stood near protecting him.
A cloaked man stood in an area before crossing his arms and chanting. "Come forth, wind. I seek the one who bends you to her whims. Hear my cry, and unleash a storm upon my foes. Arise, Zephyr!" A green glow appeared in front of him before fading away, revealing a beautiful woman wearing a bright, green, strapless dress, her long, green hair waved in the breeze. She raised her hands, and a ball of fast moving winds appeared between them. It shot towards the horde of demons and exploded, blowing every demon there away. A woman wearing a brown cloak with a green witch's hat was approached by multiple demons. She raised the staff in her hand, casting a massive circle underneath her opponents. Large, thorny vines burst out of the ground, entangling the demons and lifting them up into the air as the thorns cut them to ribbons. A Brawler wearing silver gauntlets knocked a large demon over. She jumped up over it and slammed her fist into its chest, the force of the impact shattering the ground beneath them.
Tom used his shield to disorient a demon before cutting in half. He then dodged another attack and stabbed that demon too. Annie blasted a group of demons away before charging up a shot and blasting a hole in the chest of a much larger demon. Leo charged towards the demons with the staffs, dodging their spells before slashing all of them to pieces. A white slash cut down a dozen demons as Alejandra continued her onslaught. Demon after demon fell as the tides of battle turned.
A loud roar interrupted the action and the adventurers looked up. A red scaled beast the size of a building circled above them before diving towards the road. The adventurers looked closer to see a person riding on its back. "It's the Dragon Riders from Dracaena! Get to cover!" A sword wielder yelled out. All of the adventurers scrambled out of the way. The dragon flew low to the ground as a red glow grew in its mouth. Red hot flames burst forward, scorching the road and every demon upon it. The flames continued down as the dragon flew. It stopped firing and pulled back up. Alejandra got out of her hiding place to see an empty street. The demon horde had been wiped out. All that was left were a few stragglers that had managed to avoid the dragon's flames. "Holy shit. They're all gone." The adventurers looked around in shock.
A low rumbling sound interrupted them. They turned and saw multiple tanks, soldiers, and vehicles coming towards them. One soldier ran over to them. "Were from the platoon protecting the castle. The battle there is under control so we were sent to back you up. You will find 200 of us ready to fight." An adventurer chuckled. "Well you arrived a little late. The dragon took care of it. Best of all, no more demons are coming down." Everyone gazed at the field and realized he was right. The demons were no longer falling from the Fracture.
"So, that means, we won!" Everyone began to cheer. The long fought battle had finally come to an end. Annie was celebrating with everyone else when she turned back to Alejandra, who was just staring up at the sky. "Hey, party pooper, what's up with you? Come on. Let's celebrate!" Alejandra turned to her. "The demons are no longer coming through right? Then, why isn't the Fracture closing?" Annie looked up and saw it. Usually, no more demons appearing meant that the Fracture would close. However, the Fracture above showed no sign of getting smaller. Annie's jubilation faded into unease. The celebrations quieted down when they all realized this as well. That was when three loud cracks ruptured the silence.
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Gale struck another demon down. The battle had been long, but thanks to the well timed aid of the Dragon Riders, the demon forces were routed. Now, only small groups remained. With no more demons falling from the Fracture, the stragglers were easily being destroyed. 'The demons are no longer coming, why is the Fracture not closed?' Gale began to worry that something else was about to happen. He heard three loud cracks and looked up in time to see the sky shattered.
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The adventurers and soldiers instinctively ducked. Alejandra was the first to recover and saw that the Fracture had gotten wider. At first, nothing happened. Then, out of the shadows, came a massive figure. It was completely black and at least 20 feet tall. Clawed hands extended out from muscled arms that hung from broad shoulders. It had a long, black tail similar to a dragon's. Its head was shaped like a wolf, with a long snout and pointed ears. The fur around its neck fluffed out, looking like he had a collar. Its eyes glowed an even deeper red than the others. However, its most prominent feature was the two pairs of black, bat-like wings, stretching wider than the road.
The people below stared in horror when they all began to feel pressure on their bodies, as if gravity was being increased. The soldiers couldn't handle it and fell to their knees while the adventurers were barely able to stay on their feet. 'This is not an ability or spell,' Alejandra thought as she struggled to stand. 'This is just its mere presence. This power can only come from one thing…' She looked back up at the creature as it descended to the road.
'A demon lord.'