A horn bleated to the left, and the army immediately rose up and formed a phalanx on the left side. Creatures, man-like but short, with brown straight hair growing in clumps, dotted the tops of the slopes to the left. They had dark skin and tall faces and were carrying all sorts of weapons.
"Goblins! Beware their bite, it's poison." Ruskin drew his sword and took the end position of the phalanx.
Simon and Monroe lined up next to Ruskin.
Juxta drew power from the crown and great sword and started the wholesale slaughter of the creatures. He killed the first wave before it reached the army. The horn bleated again and again. Juxta killed much of the second wave. About one hundred of them reached the army to be readily dispatched. The third wave crested the hill, and Juxta's power didn't waver, but the waves of goblins got more numerous. Juxta struck down over half of the third wave, leaving about five hundred for the army.
The flow of power from the crown and great sword seemed to increase with every goblin he struck down. The horn bleated one constant tone. At first, Juxta thought it was over, then the fourth wave crested the hill, thousands upon thousands. Undaunted, Juxta threw lightning at them in giant sweeping motions. The first thousand reached the army, and the men held the line. Ruskin frothed at the mouth and wielded his sword with great sweeping motions, lopping off limbs and heads. Simon and Monroe killed with skill and precision usually through the heart, in true ranger form.
Still, the power Juxta wielded swept him up. He knew no rage only the need to be victorious. Thousands more crested the hill, and the army extended its front left and right, so that fresh men could reach the line. Hundreds of the beasts walked right into Juxta's walls of lightning. After an intense melee, the goblin's rank broke, and they fled in every direction while some of the poor saps fled directly into the phalanx of the army and met a swift death. Ruskin looked around surveying the damage. A few of his men had minor cuts. Ruskin cheered, and the army followed suit. Juxta had to focus to release the power he'd summoned.
Ruskin patted Simon on the shoulder. "That Juxta, he takes some of the fun out of it, doesn't he?"
Simon laughed. "We could've held them back without him, for sure."
"We just need to teach Juxta that he's to save some for us," Monroe said.
Juxta walked over to Ruskin. "Are we ready to march?"
Ruskin said, "Yes, Master Wizard."
Chapter 33
They marched through the mountains for another day and came across a featureless plain except for a faint hint of a path with red trees and clumps of vegetation here and there. They crested a hill and saw rows of houses, most with gardens. Simon said, "Shall we knock on their doors?"
"Let's leave them be," Monroe said.
They marched past the houses and again followed a trail marching for hours and hours. Ruskin called for a halt to sleep. Juxta, Simon, and Monroe still didn't grow tired or need water or food. A great temple loomed in the distance on the next day. It was pyramid-shaped but with a plateau of flat rock on its top. The orb said they should climb over the temple, but it showed the shortest path. Juxta said, "We'll go around this place. I don't like the look of it."
Around the perimeter of the temple, they found human skulls adorning the base of the pyramid. Ruskin pointed at the skulls. "Back in our day, at least one religion practiced human sacrifice. My guess is this is what became of them."
"Human sacrifice is the highest form of demonology," Juxta said.
After the temple, the terrain became hills again. Still they followed a path. The deeper they went into the hills the more the wind picked up. Small dust storms formed and dissipated around them, and their tracks were swept away almost instantly. They marched on and on. They reached the end of the hills, and a great green expanse opened before them. Clouds could be seen in the distance, normal, mortal looking clouds. Again they had a path of sorts to follow. Green and brown trees and green shrubberies grew along the path. Here and there they found ground tilled and crops planted.
Simon pointed into the distance. "How close are we to Balron's estate?"
"A few hours," Juxta replied.
They marched on. A sprawling city dotted the landscape in the distance. Juxta called a halt so the army could rest. Ruskin asked, "What do we face in the city ahead?"
"They're keeping Lisa in an amphitheater of sorts near the city center." Juxta stared off at the city. "I think it'll be easy to get in and difficult to get out. There'll probably be many necromancers and lost souls."
"Will we be able to cut them down like with the goblins?"
Juxta sighed. "I think so."
They rested and then marched again. The army had to change its formation to columns of five men across to fit through the narrow streets of the city. Ghostly residents stepped out of their houses and looked out their windows from time to time. They ran from Juxta and his army or darted away. They made it to a bowl shaped amphitheatre sunken into the ground. Lisa lay chained to a cross shaped altar, and a great demon stood guard over her. Juxta marched directly towards it, and the army followed.
The demon cracked its whip over Lisa's head. "Wake up, Bitch."
Lisa stirred, opening her eyes. Her stomach had been cut open and stitched closed with leather strips as if her intestines had been removed. She cried out, "Juxta! It's a trap!"
Juxta's left eye narrowed into a slit. "Yes!"
Balron's voice echoed in Juxta's mind. Finally, you bring me my crown and great sword.
Juxta shouted, "Come and take them!"
The demon cracked its whip in Juxta's direction getting very close to hitting him. Juxta summoned power from the crown and great sword. He let loose a great ball of white-silvery fire, and a magical shield around the demon deflected it. Simon loosed a bane arrow at the creature. It lit up like a streak of fire punching through the demon's arm.
The demon laughed and started swinging a flail with three spiked balls attached to it. Juxta advanced on the demon with the great sword held ready. Simon and Monroe approached directly behind him to the left and right. The demon swung the flail at the great sword, and Juxta jerked it out of the way just in time. Simon leapt forward and pierced at the demon's right knee with his enchanted blade. The knee proved stronger than the blade, and the blade bounced.
Juxta stabbed the demon's stomach with the great sword, but the demon simply laughed. Simon said, "Through the heart, Juxta."
The demon brought the flail back around for another swing. He aimed it at Monroe who ducked under it. Juxta pulled the great sword out and plunged it into the demon's heart, killing it. Lisa said, "Quickly, Juxta. You must pierce me through the heart with the great sword!"
Juxta scowled. "No, we're taking you back to the portal."
"I can't go through the portal. My God has told me so. Free me from this realm. A blade through the heart is the only way. You must hurry. Balron's army is surrounding you while we speak!"
"There has to be some other way," Juxta howled.
"Listen to the woman," Simon shouted. "She has The One True God on her side."
Juxta bowed down his head and plunged the great sword through Lisa's perfect breast into her heart. She grimaced in pain. Juxta withdrew the blade, and a white and blue spirit lifted out of Lisa's body and then dissipated. The altar rose up as if on gears. It turned a full 360 degrees, and then moved back down.
A drum started to beat with a heavy thumping noise. Juxta's army readied itself grasping shields and swords. Simon and Monroe readied bane arrows. Juxta started summoning power. Over the crest of the amphitheatre, necromancers and undead warriors started to appear. The necromancers stood on the edge of the bowl, and the undead warriors charged towards the center. Lightning rained down on Juxta--first from a dozen necromancers, then two dozen, then too many to count. Juxta fell to his knees. His army beat back the undead while Simon and Monroe killed necromancers as fast as they could with arrows. For everyone they killed another took its place.
Juxta's shield held. Balron spok
e in his mind. Give up the crown and the sword, boy!
Juxta remembered Isher's advice. He lifted the great sword over his head to act as a rod to the lightning. The sword worked like a charm, absorbing the power of the lightning and converting it into power Juxta could use. Juxta started throwing balls of white fire at the necromancers, killing them. He shouted, "Come out and play, Balron! Where's Rivek?"
Rivek's in the mortal realm, fool. Gaining strength every day…
Juxta's army held its own against the undead warriors, but their numbers grew constantly. Ruskin shouted, "We must flee this place!"
Juxta killed a few more necromancers for good measure, and then turned around and pushed himself to the rear of the army. He cut down the undead in his way with white balls of fire and ran up the steps of the amphitheatre. Ruskin rallied the troops to follow. Simon and Monroe stayed close behind Juxta. When they reached the lip of the bowl of the amphitheatre, they expected to see the city that was there before. Instead, a huge army of undead warriors waited for them, and a featureless red plain spanned the horizon in every direction. Juxta used giant triangles to focus lightning cutting down a path through the undead army, and then he ran, assuming the others would follow his lead.
They ran and ran, and finally they made it past the undead army. Ruskin called for a halt. "Where are we?"
Juxta withdrew his orb and tried to scry the portal home—to no avail. "I'm not sure, and there isn't even a path to follow…"
"We need to rest for the night. It'll bring back our fallen warriors."
Monroe said, "What?"
"When one of my men dies…" Ruskin said. "He is always back with us, come morning."
Juxta, Simon, and Monroe needed no rest. Simon waited for the army to bed down. "How are we getting home?"
Juxta shook his head back and forth. "I'm not sure, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."
"Maybe the cats know the path home," Monroe said. "They're good at finding their way home when they hunt."
"Why not just open a new portal back from here?" Simon asked.
"I'm not sure if that would work or not, honestly," Juxta said.
"I think Monroe's idea of using the cats is a good one."
"As a last resort, I could summon a demon by his truename."
When the army slept, their fallen warriors appeared among them. Juxta told Ruskin of their plan to follow the cats home. Ruskin didn't think of it as a great plan, but he knew of no other. Juxta went over to his cat and rubbed it behind the ears. "Lead us home!"
The cat looked confused at first, but then seemed to pick a direction and leapt forward. He turned his head as if to say, "Are you going to follow?" then he leapt again in the same direction. Juxta and his army followed. After a few hours of following the cats in what seemed like a straight line, Ruskin called for a halt to rest. The cats set a fast pace for them. A swamp broke the landscape in front of them with black water and red-tinted reeds. The cats steered to the left to go around it. The swamp hadn't been there on the trip to Balron's realm. They stopped to confer, and Juxta decided to summon a demon.
He drew a circle in the dirt with a star within it. "I summon thee, Ackron," while pouring power into the words.
A demonic form appeared within the pentagram, and it spoke, "Your wish, Master…"
"We need to get back to the gates of hell."
The demon looked at Juxta and laughed maniacally. "Finally the first part of the prophecy is fulfilled!"
Juxta hissed. "What prophecy?"
"Every demon, every lost soul, every resident of hell knows the prophecy. And the chosen one shall walk like a god in hell…"
Fire burned in Juxta's heart. "What's the rest of it?"
"No denizen of hell can even speak the rest of the words until they're fulfilled. We simply know them by heart and wait for them."
Juxta glared. "Lead us out of here, Demon."
"There are nine gates in hell. Which one?"
"The one with the portal to the mortal world."
The demon said, "You didn't leave the gate and portal open did you?"
"Yes, we did," Juxta said.
"How did such a stupid fool open a portal to hell?"
The palms of Juxta's hands began to sweat, viciously. "What harm has come of leaving the portal and gate open?"
"It depends." The demon grinned wide. "How highly do you value the mortal realm as it is?"
"Quite highly, yes," Simon said. "You still haven't said what could happen."
"Because I don't know what could happen. I just know it was a mistake," Ackron said.
Juxta pointed at the demon. "Back to the task at hand. How do we get back there?"
"I'll have to go and see which gate is open." The demon nodded once quickly. "It'll only take a moment."
The demon blinked out of sight. Five minutes or so passed, and he returned. "You opened the gate on the topmost plane of hell. You're now on the third plane. You must have gotten here by going through Balron's estate. There is a temple on his estate that connects the second and third planes. If you want to go back to the gate with your portal, you have to go back through the temple."
"If we go to the gate on this level, will I be able to open a portal to the mortal world?" Juxta asked.
"If you're powerful enough, Magi."
Monroe said, "Can you show us the way?"
The demon turned his gaze on the ranger. "How did you get this far from Balron's temple?"
"We followed the cats," Simon said.
"They lead you on a true path." The demon shifted his eyes from one mortal to the next settling them on Juxta. "You don't need me. Don't summon me again on this plane. I've a great deal more power here than in the mortal world, and I'll put up a fight if you try to use me again."
"Fair enough, Fiend," Juxta said. "I banish thee, Ackron!"
The army slept by the swamp. Upon waking they followed the cats and marched on. Within a full day the swamp on the right and red plain on the left turned into rolling hills. Green shrubberies grew here and there within the hills. Some had red berries, but nobody tried them. Once in a while it seemed they stopped while Juxta's cat and Simon's cat conferred. It only looked that way of course, for the cats had no language of their own. Days passed, and they trekked through a few windswept villages. They weren't challenged, and they didn't see any inhabitants.
They reached a set of rusty gates like the one they'd entered at, and this time Juxta picked the lock. It took what seemed like forever. Juxta opened a portal back to the mortal realm. He stepped through and found himself in the backyard of his home at around noon. The cats, Simon, and Monroe came through next. Then Ruskin stepped through the portal. Ruskin smiled broadly. "I'm whole! Even a bit hungry and thirsty!"
Ruskin's army stepped out of the portal in two's. They cheered the name Juxta as they realized they lived again. Juxta entered the house to check on the first portal. He found strange eggshells on the floor. Ruskin identified them as troll eggshells…
Juxta closed the portal.
Chapter 34
Juxta scryed on Lisa in the mortal realm, and she still slept in a coma. Her condition remained the same. It broke his heart yet again. Juxta, Simon, Monroe, and Ruskin went before the king to return the crown and great sword. Ruskin hoped that the king would grant his army a fiefdom.
King William smiled wide. "You survived!"
Juxta replied, "Yes, my liege."
Simon and Monroe merely nodded.
"What happened?" The king fingered the hilt of his great sword. "What was hell like?"
Juxta conveyed the story of their trip.
"Juxta, you brought back an army?" The king asked.
"Yes."
"Did you free the girl's spirit?"
"We think we freed her from hell, but she hasn't returned to her body here on this plane," Juxta said. "We don't know what happened to her."
King William frowned.
"Your highness, my name is Ruskin." He stepped forward and
bowed deeply. "I was a war general in life. My men and I were hoping to build a new kingdom, hoping for a tract of land, perhaps a fiefdom. Would you consider our plea?"
King William rubbed his chin. "How many men do you have, Ruskin?"
"A thousand."
"Where is your allegiance?"
"To Juxta, your highness."
"What would you do with a fiefdom?" The king waved his hand in a sweeping motion. "A tract of land?"
"Live in peace with our neighbors, your highness."
"Our regular army could use you. We could make you a war general again, Ruskin."
Ruskin closed his eyes. "With all due respect, your highness. I'd rather farm the earth, raise livestock, and maybe have a family. My men concur. We don't want to fight unless it's in the defense of our homes."
King William pointed at a scribe. "Bring forth a map of Lynken."
Ruskin bounced up and down on his heels. The scribe brought forth a map into the throne-room. King William pointed to a tract of land on the Northeast corner of Lynken, pointing out crossroads that set it off from the main kingdom. "You may have this land. Take an equal portion from Tercia. They can spare it. You'll need to deal with their necromancers and mausoleums. Burn them to the ground."
Ruskin grimaced. "We don't want to kill anyone."
"The bastards kept me in chains for months. They're not allowed to possess weapons. If we find any with weapons, we'll kill them ourselves."
"Still, my liege…"
"If they have weapons, they're to die. That's my decree."
Ruskin nodded. "We'll follow your order."
"Juxta, we need to talk. We need you to take up the duties as our court magician. There are ranger trials in one month. We need you to start attending those in case there are injuries and to make sure none of the boys are using magic to cheat. Are you up to it?"
Juxta paused in a haze. "I think so. I'm yours to command."
Juxta, Magi Page 25
