Legends: The Knight of Helm (#1)

Chapter 36

Volohs looked at the giant portal that Azera had summoned. This was it, the moment his legend would spread throughout the lands, on poems, bard tales and songs, this was it. He was destined to marched through Hell, and slay Oxroses, he would will himself to Godhood if needs be. The woman gave all her energy into the portal, other wizards lending her their magical energy. Her eyes glowed with an unworldly color, magic swirling around her body and hands.

The Ommart army traveled behind Volohs, ready to back him up. Volohs entered the portal, as his men followed behind. Instantly, as they entered, imps attacked them, Volohs hitting them with his hammer, as if swatting flies. They were lesser than an average man, and in his exalted state, Volohs was stronger than even a legion of Ommart. Demon blood flew around their armor as the portal slowly faded behind them. Their only way of return would be their victory of the God of destruction.

The men looked on, the steady stream of demons, devils and fiends pouring into their ranks. The Ommart tried to fight back, but surprisingly didn't fare as well as Volohs thought they would. The battle raged for hours, screams heard from both demon and Ommart, or tortured souls. The screaming was to never cease, it even began to pull at Volohs's soul. The tormented souls seemed to act as a weight pulling not only Volohs down, but his Ommart soldiers.

After hours of fight, they had begun to make a path way through the hostile fiends. It was hard to tell how long they had been fighting for, the dark black sky masking most light seen. It was almost as if entering a void. Volohs started to breath heavily, as he looked around at the now calm mounds of dead bodies, he had lost a good sum of his forces already, and they had made little progress. Rock spires with jagged edges formed from the ground, with a musky stench of heat nearly choking a man. The poisons gasses in this realm where strong enough to affect the Ommart negatively, but not quite enough to kill them. Volohs could barely see in the darkness, the almost black, but still red stone below his feet, was ice cold and relentless. The deathly air was making it hard for the almighty man to breath, and he was practically immortal. He had come a far from being a prince under his dead father's control.

"Light a torch." Volohs commanded impatiently.

The Ommart around him spared no waste of time to perform this action. There were at least twelve torches within the first minute of the command. Volohs was glad to have some competence around him, these killers were much better than the legion of men he had trained. He had spent years trying to make the greatest army known to man, and now he had an army that could march along-side him through Hell.

Not even Helm could make such a great force. They continued through the agony of Hell, the anguish and pain of both demon and souls waxed against their endurance. It was as to press a hot coal against one's lips holding it there with nothing but your hand. Even the Ommart began to grumble and complain from this evil place. Holding their hands over their ears when the chance was given, though they were admittedly brief; Volohs felt as if this would last forever. It was no wonder the demons wanted so badly to leave this realm. They was no sign of life, nothing grew, no, not a thing, as if the ground had been salted. It was now understood why the demons would eat each other, and anything they could get their hands on, they were starved. Volohs wondered how anything, demon or devil, could grow in such an environment, how could they even think to have offspring, or compromise to do such.

He thought that his world had gone astray, neglecting their old gods, but still whispering their names with their lips. Helm, Dechoneus, even Inger, they all blasphemed, with one hand they would give, and the other steel from their gods. Now, Volohs was painted a villain for his zeal. Yet, no man had the courage to do what it took, to march through Hell. He was alone; he was going to be the one to fulfill prophecy, regardless of what it would take.