Grim Ruination, Birth of a Soul (On Hiatus)

The Truth

The three remaining members of squad 12 trekked through the dark halls. Everything was silent. No one said a word.

"Do you think we can stop them?" Darris asked from the back of the group.

Another moment of silence.

"I'm not sure." Tempest responded.

Then more groaning came from the halls. Two small creatures came wobbling forward. They were no bigger than a small child, however it was heavily bloated. Its skin was grey with red spots that looked like old wounds littering their body. Their legs were small and stubby, barely holding up their obese body as their bellies dragged across the floor. Their arms were skinny, nothing but flesh and bone keeping them together. At the end of their arms were hands that only consisted of three thick claws.

Isak dashed towards them, beheading the first one before it could even turn around. The second screamed in what was a cross between a wail and a screech, but was silenced just as quickly by two more quick slashes from Darris.

"Only these two?" Tempest asked, mainly to himself. "That's not right. Manes normally-" He was cut off by several more screeches from behind them. The hovering lights quickly flowed to illuminate the wall they'd come through.
Nearly 30 more of the small creatures they'd just dispatched tumbled towards them, literally falling over themselves to get to them. "Go now, we can't kill them all." Tempest said, firing a ray of frost at the closest Mane as it approached him. The small bloated creature tumbled backwards, blocking the others behind him from approaching. Only for a second though, as the rest quickly washed over the injured Mane like a tidal wave of putrid flesh.

Tempest, Isak, and Darris rushed down the halls, taking many turns and loops around the temple to try and shake the horde of demons that approached them. However, it seemed that when one fell, several more emerged to take their place.
"We need something to block them!" Darris shouted to Tempest. Who was firing several bolts of fire towards the horde.

"Over here," Isak shouted, a ways down the hall, only illuminated by the glowing orb above his head. "There's a large stone door! I see light.. It's a way out!" He shouted. Darris immediately dashed to Isak with Tempest following behind after firing one last ray of frost at an oncoming Mane.

The three quickly bolted toward the door, the Manes scarily close behind.

Once through, Isak and Darris went to either side of the stone doors and began pushing them shut. Tempest stood in the middle, concentrating on a conjured wall of force. Even seconds after conjuring it, the crashing wave of manes battering the wall were quickly draining his power.

The stone doors were heavy. The fact that they grinded against the uneven floor tiles didn't help matters. Isak gritted his teeth as his door closed, however no sooner did the wall of force shatter. The Manes collided against the door, causing it to rattle on its worn hinges.

"A little help here?" Darris shouted through his teeth, just barely holding the Manes at bay as the door stood a few inches open. Manes were beginning to try to squeeze themselves through the small gap, several of them getting their skinny arms though and even parts of their head.
Tempest stepped forward and put an arm toward the Manes, through the crack in the door. "Cover your ears." He shouted, covering one of his ears with his free hand.

Still pressing against the door, Isak and Darrriss did as told. Beads of sweat dripped down from Tempest's brow, and his face was flush with overexertion. The entire party could tell his magical reserves were coming dangerously close to running out.

Suddenly a loud thunderclap was heard from the other side of the door, shaking the entire room. However, for a brief moment the incessant screeches of the manes ceased.

Tempest retracted his arm, slipping a hand into his torn robes. "Close the door! Close the door dammit!" He yelled. Not a second sooner the door slammed shut. Tempest was pale and barely standing, but seconds later he was seemingly struck with a rush of energy.

Invigorated, Tempest stepped to the door and set a hand on each panel. Several spectral chains sprung from his arms and wrapped around the large stone door. Then his flash of power was over, and he slumped to the ground with his back against the masonry.

Isak and Darrriss stepped back, panting. "Is it-" Darris was cut off when the stone doors rumbled as something on the other side collided with it. However the chains tightened on the door, causing Tempest to grit his teeth.

"That will hold for now.." Tempest gasped out, panting even harder than either of the two swordsmen.

That's when Darris spotted markings on Tempest's arm. For a moment he thought they were just various scratches and scars. But then he noticed that they were sigils, carved into his arm long ago and now no more than scars. Then he noticed that the sigils were exactly like that of those on the walls. "Tempest, what happened to your arm?" He asked, his grip tightening on his scimitar.

Tempest then looked at his arm and shoved it into his cloak. "I-It's nothing Darris.." He said. "Those were sigils.. Summoning sigils." Darris said, taking a tentative step toward Tempest.
Tempest froze for a moment, glancing from Isak to Darris. Isak had now turned to Tempest and began slowly stepping forward. "What runes? You have those sigils on your arm?" He asked, taking a few more steps forward, anger boiling up through his voice.

Tempest sighed and held up his arm, showing the multitude of runic scars across his arm. "I had a life before joining this guild." He stated, pausing to take a breath. "I used to be a part of a group that worshiped beings of the lower planes."
"What?!" Isak shouted, stepping up to Tempest. He raised his blade to his chest, interrogating him through gritted teeth. "You summoned these monsters? The ones that killed Elrik?".
"No!" Tempest shouted, slightly offended at the accusation. Then he sighed. "I know the dangers of summoning creatures demons. Now at least. I joined Fame to stop anyone else from making the same mistake I did. Doesn't mean the scars from the incident will ever disappear." He held up his arm.

Isak lowered his sword. "What happened?" Darris asked, holding his breath. Tempest looked down to his hands, weakly spinning the ring on his finger. "We summoned a devil. A creature from the Nine Hells. An Ice Devil to be specific, one of the most powerful devils within the Nine Hells. It didn't take kindly to being forced from its home." He looked up to Darris and Isak, before lowering his head again. "The dragon I'd faced in the cave was a mere inconvenience compared to the devil. I still wonder, even now, how I survived." He said.

Isak and Darris exchanged glances, sharing a moment of silence.

Tempest looked toward the only other source of light in the room apart from the small orbs that hovered around them. Moonlight shown from a staircase that led up to the top of the temple. He started toward the stairs. "I promise to you both that I will give my life to protect you as long as I can." He said, turning back to the two behind him.

"Live or die, let's stop these demons from invading our home." Isak said with a slight smirk, but rage still simmered behind his eyes.