The cold morning air crackled with magic.
Kael stood in the clearing, eyes shut, lips murmuring the last incantation of the teleportation spell. Selena placed a hand on his shoulder, her calm masking the storm of anticipation raging inside her. Arya and Luther flanked her, eyes set forward, hearts steady. The moment Kael finished the final word, the world spun in a flash of blue fire.
They reappeared at the base of the stronghold—Northreach. A towering fortress carved into the northern cliffside, black stone walls reinforced with slabs of shadowkin skin. Spikes jutted from parapets. Guard towers loomed, but no horns had sounded—yet.
The team crouched behind a pile of broken crates near the gate. Luther's eyes scanned the scene. "We're in."
From behind, Arya whispered, "Kael will teleport the others now. We hold here until the chaos starts."
Seconds later, another shimmer of blue light flickered behind the inner wall, and Stormclaw, Ariwin, and Kael appeared near the barracks. No alarm yet.
Stormclaw inhaled and let out a roar that split the sky. His fur lit with elemental flame, and fire spiraled from his jaws, incinerating the nearest guard post. Soldiers scrambled out of buildings, shouting in panic. Kael raised his hands, calling forth a wave of water that crashed through a corridor of tents, sweeping men off their feet. Ariwin, staying close, used the magic Kael had taught her—stones from the earth rose like spikes, barricading paths and isolating groups of enemies.
The distraction had begun.
Selena turned to the others. "Now. Move."
They dashed across the open yard, ducking beneath arrows and darting between buildings. Luther's sword met the first soldier—steel flashing, then blood. Arya spun into a strike, dropping two men with graceful, precise cuts.
Selena raised her hands, the divine energy in her veins pulsing. A wall of radiant light burst forward, blinding their opponents long enough for the team to breach the main gate.
Inside, it was chaos. Kael, Stormclaw, and Ariwin wreaked havoc along the eastern wall. Flames erupted across storage buildings. A tower crumbled as a beam of Kael's concentrated fire tore through its foundation.
Meanwhile, Selena, Luther, and Arya pushed through the central stronghold, cutting down resistance room by room. Selena enhanced Arya mid-strike, and the archer's blade glowed with light, each blow landing with supernatural force. Luther fought like a tempest—unshakable, brutal, yet calculated. Selena protected them, shielding them from falling debris and enemy spells with bursts of divine power.
They reached the inner sanctum.
Heavy double doors carved from blood-darkened oak creaked open. Torches flickered in iron sconces. And there, standing atop a raised dais, was the monster they came to kill.
Billmar.
Twice the size of any man. A hulking brute, muscles layered like forged iron. His armor was made entirely of tanned shadowkin skin, stretched tight across his chest and limbs, layered like scales. A massive black mace rested against his shoulder—its head etched with the symbols of old, cruel gods.
He grinned, his teeth yellowed and chipped. "So. You're the rats who've come to bite the lion's throat."
Selena stepped forward, flanked by Arya and Luther. "You're not a lion. You're a parasite living off stolen flesh."
Billmar laughed. "Big words for a girl wearing silk. Did you really think this ends with me kneeling?"
Luther raised his sword. "No," he said coldly, "it ends with you falling."
The giant raised his mace and slammed it into the ground. The room shook.
Selena whispered, "He's the head of the snake."
They spread out into a triangle formation, the final confrontation looming.