Lances and Daggers

23. Confrontation

Having warned Azuria about the danger, Reinfried, Demetrius, and I headed into Ashenbrook to find the Stabilizing Staff. The world was as silent and empty as in the early hours before dawn. We didn't encounter any enemies on our way, but we knew that Faust couldn't have left the portal unguarded. Soon the cultists would leave their insectan nests. Soon they would strike like hornets.

From the shadow of a building, Reinfried scouted one of the town's roads and said, "The coast is clear, but we should still be careful. Our mission will be much easier if we remain undetected."

"I sneak past Aberrations every day," I said. "This should be easy."

"You sound overconfident," Demetrius scoffed.

Without saying a word in response, I moved into the shadow of another building and gestured to him. He followed me, slowed by reluctance and weighed down with doubts. Before he could catch up, however, I was on the move again. I hurried through a small alley and stopped behind a short fence. From there, I looked at one of the busiest streets of Ashenbrook.

"You're moving too fast," Demetrius said as he stopped behind me.

"He knows what he's doing." Reinfried came to my defense.

I blocked out their voices and scanned the street for signs of danger. Two parallel lines of houses ran down the dirt road. The doors were broken after forced entries, and the thatched roofs were damaged as if a giant had flattened them into footstools. On the opposite side of the street, a few wagons were turned over after a seeming crash. Grain was scattered on the ground, but small farm animals scuttled around without touching it.

"It's a trap," I said. "The cultists know we're here."

"There's no doubt about it." Reinfried nodded.

"A trap?" Only Demetrius looked puzzled.

"Look at the roofs," I said. "They seem to be damaged, but what could've caused this damage? If the buildings had caught fire or if Belphegor had stepped on them, they would've collapsed."

"Now that you mention it..." Demetrius began to see what I had noticed.

"The roofs were flattened to allow people to stand on them," I continued. "The cultists are hiding up there right now. But that's not all. Look at the wagons. Why are all of them on the other side of the road?"

"People are hiding behind them," Reinfried said.

"Probably," I agreed. "So, what do you want to do now?"

Demetrius looked at the road again and said, "It seems adventurers use their own kind of magic."

"Yeah, you learn it at the guild."

He smiled and said, "I can protect you from enemy spells. Lance, you get on the roofs. Reinfried, you take care of the enemies behind the wagons. The mage with the Stabilizing Staff may be among our ambushers, so remember to look for him."

Reinfried and I nodded.

Demetrius started reciting an incantation to prepare his defensive spells. The arcane words made his tongue dance to a mysterious rhythm. When he was ready, he strengthened his resolve, left the safety of the shadows, and ran to the middle of the road. Reinfried and I weren't a second late to follow him.

As expected, the cultists appeared on the roofs of the houses. They raised their hands toward the sky and sought power from the giant black sphere—the portal to the Maida. This power arrived in the form of dense dark fumes. Concentrating the gaseous substance in their hands, the cultists fired destructive spells at us.