The Heavenly Host

Davron and Gandros came online at that moment. “We are working to ward the foyer; we will need to be able to contain the damage as much as possible!” Gandros said.

Randolf looked; sure enough, the two were making their way around the edges of the foyer, working on trying to create containment wards. They should consider installing permanent runes to make such containment systems easier to bring up. They were really starting to have too many deadly events around here, Randolf thought to himself.

Lenamare came online with the link; Jehenna was still busy casting various protection spells around the two of them. “Damien is not responding; I have everyone else. You’ve studied the wards; do you think you can take his place?” Lenamare asked Randolf.

“I can try, with the wards in their current state, the destabilization should be minimal,” Randolf replied.

“Let us go for that, then. Even once you are in, it’s going to take me a bit to get everything back up. Particularly with both of us up here rather than down there,” Lenamare said.

∼

Master Hortwell and Zilquar banged on the door of Sier Barvon. “Open up!” The two wizards shouted over the klaxon. Finally, after a few minutes the door opened.

“What the Abyss? What is that damn racket?” Sier Barvron complained. “Loud enough to wake the dead!”

“But not you!” Zilquar yelled.

Sier shrugged. “I’m a deep sleeper.” He stuck his head into the hallway. “It’s louder out here! What the hell is it?”

“Do you not attend any of the emergency preparedness meetings?” Zilquar asked in disbelief.

“I’m always prepared, so there is no point in going,” Sier stated.

Zargoffelstan snickered behind Hortwell, who shook his head. “Well if you did, you’d know it’s an evacuation klaxon!”

“Evacuation? Why?” Sier shouted over the klaxon

“Gandros ordered it after Ruiden cleaved Exador in twain!” Zilquar shouted back.

“Well, that seems a bit rude,” Sier said with a shocked expression on his face.

“Exador thought so too, and now the two are dueling it out in the Grand Foyer,” Hortwell yelled.

“How do you out duel a self-wielding sword?” Sier asked loudly. “What do you aim for?”

“That’s exactly the problem! Exador is going to realize that at some point, give up and start blasting the demon dung out of everything!” Zilquar yelled.

“So, we are sure he’s an archdemon then?” Sier yelled.

“Well, how many wizards get cleaved in two at the waist and re-form in a blaze of fire, fully armored with a large sword?” Zilquar replied at the top of his lungs.

“Seems like a fair point!” Sier conceded. “What now?”

“Gandros is putting up a containment field around the foyer; we need to put one up around the entire palace in case it expands beyond the foyer!” Hortwell shouted.

“Abyssal arthritis, that’s going to be a pain!” Sier stated, shaking his head. He gestured for them to lead the way.

∼

“Lilith fornicator!” Exador screamed at Ruiden as the archdemon fell over after losing his balance when Ruiden sliced his right leg off at the hip.

Randolf looked up in surprise upon hearing the loud clatter of the archdemon falling over. He had just gotten into the wards and was working with Lenamare to stabilize them after the handover.

“Enough with this farce!” Exador screamed as he engulfed himself in flames that seemed to grow higher and higher.

“I think we are about to experience full archdemon!” Randolf yelled over their communication link.

“Really getting tired of demonic invasions,” Jehenna said; she had come online a few moments earlier.

“We are almost there on the foyer containment spell!” Gandros said. “Zilquar, Sier and Hortwell have rounded up some other senior wizards and they are working on a palace containment spell!”

“Where is Alexandros?” Tureledor asked.

“I got a reply that he is coming, but not sure how fast he can get here,” Gandros said. “He said he had to get some components together.”

“I hope they’re worth the wait, because this could get ugly fast!” Jehenna said.