Breaching the Citadel, Part 2

An hour had passed before our remaining force was back on their feet. Our defenses held against the horde of undead much easier with a single front. Cycling a few people at a time gave everyone a chance to catch their breath. Using what little supply we had brought with us, the casters had recovered a good portion of their magicka.

We were ready to push forward, but with swarms of undead tailing behind us the whole way there was no guarantee the path forward wasn't a death sentence that we were being herded to.

The way above the staircase led to a wide hallway with paths that branched off behind us in two walkways that encompassed the entire Grand Hall.

I was standing at the apex of the staircase looking down at the seemingly endless struggle against the undead when Julius came into view, brandishing his shield as if he were about to lead a charge forward into the sea of death—Instead, the shield started to glow with a soft silver light. The light's intensity grew and others took notice of his weird stance.

Blinding silver light erupted from his shield. A deafening ringing of metal chains clashing against each other filled my ears. A silver wall had formed between our guardians and the mass of undead soldiers.

Metal chains had been interwoven to create—what was in simplest terms—a net.

A heavily armored skeletal warrior charged the net, but was blasted backwards in a bright flash of light. More of the undead charged against the netting, enraged by the previous blast. They met the same fate.

"That should hold for an hour. At the most. Time to move forward." Julius, the now center of attention, walked up the stairway and the raid members followed.

The main hallway was constructed and decorated in a similar fashion as the hall we were leaving but with one distinct difference—

"Celestials above…" My heart sank at the unnerving sight.

There were hundreds of human skulls piled up from the floor reaching up the arches and pillars. Gasps of shock continued down the formation as the main force rounded the stairs. An eerie silence fell over the raid. I looked to my companions for comfort, but was met with looks of unease and worry.

"Groups One and Three, take center and form a forward line. Group Two, stay in the rear and keep that shieldwall tight. Group Four, fall in with the main force." Julius' orders clipped sharply in the hushed hallway. Words that should have echoed against the stone walls were dulled by the collection of grim totems that lined them.

The muffled footsteps of armored soldiers moving into positions disturbed the silence. The forward group formed up at the entrance to the hallway. The rest of us fell in behind them a few paces back.

"Move out!"

More skulls lined a massive doorway. Enormous wooden doors hung squarely in place, reinforced by steel plating. This was the entrance to the Grand Hall's Commander's Quarters.

Beyond these doors would have housed a lavish bedroom complete with a meeting room, a bath, and a small kitchen.

The guardians in the front pushed the doors in. They creaked open and slammed hard against the stone walls. Instead of a regal room fit for a noble, we met a grotesque display. The soft white stones in the floor were stained red and covered in dried blood. Along the walls on large metal pikes—human remains hung, impaled through the chest.

Julius took point while I followed closely behind with my sword ready. The dried blood cracked like mud beneath our footsteps. A feeling of dread came over me and a shiver ran down my spine.

The last member of the raid crossed into the room. I expected the doorway to shut and seal with another void seal, but nothing happened.

Julius continued to creep towards the center of the room. His shield shined brightly, a beacon of hope in contrast to the unease this gore filled room emitted. That bulwark was his only piece of equipment that didn't look like it had been damaged in a magickal blast. There were dents, punctures, and bends in the metal plating of his armor.

Soren and Alistaire followed closely behind him. Their equipment didn't look any better than Julius'. Soren's steps were hobbled, an uneven stride that favored his right side.

I brought up my party interface. Next to Soren's interface was a small icon. Focusing on it, I was confronted with a grim message.

» SOREN SUFFERS FROM A CRIPPLED LEG

Hailey had come up to me and leaned her head against my back. I gasped when I read the message, my gaze lingered on Soren.

"He took a blow from a warhammer. Shattered his knee completely."

"What the—why would anyone heal it like that!?"

I was incredulous—I was so angry!

I was worried for my friend…

"He had passed out from shock and blood loss… Alistaire dragged him to a healer. It was either that, or he'd die."

"..."

I looked towards Alistaire. He was cautiously scanning the room, but he did glance over at Soren every few seconds.

"Sigils!"

I whipped my head to look for who had called out. An armored figure was pointing up towards the ceiling. Two sigils were forming above us.

"SO YOU HAVE CHOSEN DEATH."

Painful reverberations that felt like they could fracture my skull trembled through my head. The voice was louder than before. Each word felt like a hammer blow to my psyche.

The others in the raid had the same reaction as me. Some were doubled over in pain, cradling their heads between both hands. Others had fallen to their knees and cried out.

Soren and Alistaire leaned against each other, clutching arms.

Even the stoic Silver Bulwark himself had dropped down, leaning against his shield anchored in the paved floor.

Three more sigils appeared in place of the first two.

The fracturing voice hammered again, "THEN YOU WILL DIE."

A thick dark mist flooded into the chamber causing visibility to fall drastically. I could see clearly about an arm's length in front of me, but past that things started to become blurred and shadowed.

The flames of my sword did little to abate the encroaching darkness—though they did illuminate the mists around me. Effectively turning me into a beacon of light.

Hailey stumbled through the mist a few paces, and was now clutching the loose fabric of my sleeve.

"I–I really don't like this…"

I didn't like this either. I was terrified. I wasn't sure I'd even be able to mutter a single word of comfort to her.

They say your life flashes through your mind before you die.

Though I wasn't yet dead—images of dead friends and comrades flooded mine. Towers of stone crumbling down around us. Hungry flames licking at our back as we fled home.

A frustrated scream, pleading for Julius to leave me behind and go with the rest of our people… to let me stay behind and sacrifice myself.

I clenched my right hand into a fist and lifted my sword with my left.

"We have to kill this demon. We conquer this city or die trying. There is no other outcome that is acceptable, and we have no other option."

A terrible shriek pierced the mists. My attention turned to where the awful noise had come from.

Three figures could be made out in front of us. A silver shield held high in the air. A wave of energy washed over us as Julius activated his SILVER BULWARK ability.

The mists stirred around them—swirling as if something was circling them. A dark mass came between us and broke my sight line.

The mass rose up out of the mists. Bowed legs that bent backwards as the figure stood, towered over us. Thick muscles rippled across its skin. Its head turned slowly, and where you'd expect eyes—glowing purple flames flickered in their place. The creature's head looked like that of a hammershark, something that you'd find in the deep ocean.

Infinite rows of jagged fangs smiled a wicked grin at me.

It was the creature from my nightmare.

This was the Terror Demon.

The true battle over the garrison was about to begin.

And with a movement so fast that I couldn't see that the monster had even moved, a long arm crashed down on the three shadowy figures huddled in the mists.

"Aaaah–"

"S-Soren!"

A blood curdling scream echoed through the halls...