Chapter 32: Alarm

About an hour past when the group reach the room that leads to the stairway leading to ground floor.

They stop behind the unlocked door and, upon hearing a chatter, Haden ask Erhardt to use his ability.

Erhardt quietly slams his foot to the ground, using his seismic sense, and senses eight guards.

Louise cast another dome of silence in the room followed by the rest quickly killing them and, after looting for keys and ammo, hide the corpses.

They then climb up the spiral stairs before stopping near the trap door where Erhardt used his seismic sense again and, after sensing no one, climbs out.

Delphine quickly rechecks the map before all of them continues climbing the stairs before stopping at the door to the first level when they hear chatter.

Erhardt then senses twelve guards where they prepare to ambush.

Louise then cast another dome of silence and Kurgren open the door and throw a sun bomb, sending a blinding light upon hitting the roof, and all of them attack.

Kurgren punched at one of the guard unguarded throat followed by shattering the ribs of another.

The surviving four then quickly draw their maces and retaliate, managing to nearly kill Haden with a blow to the head if it weren't for Ardent casting a barrier and causing a few bruises, but were killed with the last one retreating.

The group chase him, as he went out of the dome, only for him to turn around the corner when they hear a clonk.

They then turn around the corner and saw a surprising figure.

It was Sofia. Wearing an ill-fitting gambeson and wielding an arming sword.

"Sofia!" Piper and Zarad cried in joy and embrace Sophia who returns the hug.

"Not to ruin the mood. But we're in enemy territory." Kurgren interrupts.

The trio then nods and let go where Piper signals Erhardt to give them the bag containing her equipment.

Sofia then went to an unoccupied room for about a minute before exiting back in her armor and stilleto.

Zarad quickly inform her that Wolfgang had commenced the breakthrough before all of them quickly sneak to the tower, fortunately having the secret tunnels to avoid the patrols, and climb up to the fourth level.

Only to find two stairwells with two signs pointing to control room and interrogation chamber.

Ardent then leads them to the control room only for Sofia to stop him.

"The other room is holding, and torturing, ment- I mean Soloman and that survior. We have to save them."

Ardent looks to her incredulously.

"We cannot. I understand that he's the leader but we our goal is to stop that tower first. Or else risk the guards finding us out."

"No! We can't let him suffer longer, who knows what Bryan had did to him, and if they found us out when we stop the control, they will kill him and the survivors. Don't you knights have a vow to save the innocent. Or are you just a selfish man hiding behind honor" Sophia retorts.

Ardent grits his teeth with, for the first time Kurgren saw, eyes alight with anger.

"I may have sworn to help the innocent. But right now, in the greater picture, we have to shut that tower to stop Bryans plan."

They then argue for a few more second before reaching a compromise and split up, Sofia with Zarad, Piper, Haden, and Delphine to rescue Soloman and the survivor while Ardent and his group stop the magic signal, and went their separate ways.

"I hope that stubborn girl does not jeopardize the mission and makes it safely." Ardent muttered under his breath.

They then reached the door to the room, at the end of the corridor. And with a few calm breathings they ready their weapons.

Erhardt uses his seismic sense, only to look at them with a frown.

"The rooms too big to detect properly. I can only senses there's a second floor and about five Orc-sized figures."

"And there isn't a way for me to make a silence dome large enough to cover our sound."

"So, we have to go in loud?" Kurgren ask with a grimace.

Louise nods.

Louise then waves the signs of a flashbang as the rest readies.

Then opens the door as Louise fired and charge.

Kurgren pulls out his musket and fires at a stunned juggernaut, leaving a hole his abdomen, before throwing it down and smash at his chest with his staff.

A crack rang as his staff bounce off, a fracture dampened to a bruise, before the juggernaut recover and swings his axe.

Kurgren quickly jumps back, the axe embedding and breaking the ground, only to feel a cut lashing from his back. And turns around to see a corpse jumper, a Drow with white robe armed with two kukris.

The Drow then swings her kukris in wild abandon, laughing.

Kurgren quickly hops back and swings the other end of his staff to her knee, shattering it that a bone ruptured out of her leg, then broke off her jaw with a swing.

The juggernaut then pulled out his axe and charge.

Kurgren quickly brace and stabs the hole in the juggernauts armor.

The juggernaut then grabs the staff and push inward, uncaring of the injury, before pushing the staff through him and closing onto Kurgren.

Kurgren then jumps back as axe glances his armor, the left side of his chest splitting open and a rib breaks, before staggering and falling to his knees.

The axe began to drop onto him when Ardent intercepts and deflects the blow, sparks flying as the axe glance off his shield, and counter with a stab through his eye. Then heals Kurgren, who pull out his staff.

Meanwhile Erhardt took down a juggernaut, using his lower centre of mass to throw the Urak onto her back followed by plunging his dagger through her throat, while Solaina quickly killed a few Tieflings with her musket before a juggernaut charged at her.

She quickly jumps back, the axe splitting the ground, putting her musket back and unholster her mana pistols and fire. The first shot bounced off the juggernaut shoulder, leaving a divot of molten iron where it struck, before jumping ten feet and firing in both direction, one to a Tiefling who pressed the alarm from the scaffold on the second floor and the other to the Urak head at full power. A roar echoing as the Daemon head was vaporized with nothing left but a bloody neck stump.

And in the aftermath, most of them panted.

"I'm down to half my spells." Ardent informs as he finished healing Erhardt.

They then quickly go to the control as the alarms blare.

And see the control lever guarded by a strong chi shield.

The doors quake as the soldier try to break through the lock and the barrier behind it.

Kurgren and Erhardt quickly tipped over a metal closet followed by Louise conjuring a pillar at the door.

"How long will it take Louise?" Ardent asked.

"Give me a few minutes."

Circles of magic forms around her and the device as she began to break the shield.

The doors then let out a crack of broken wood. And the pillar cracks.

Kurgren sees Ardent saying a prayer, a technique to calm to the nerves before casting the spell.

"Oh spirits of the veil."

Another pound against the door and the pillar began to crumble.

"Grant me your power protect the frail and become their shield."

Another pound then shook the pillar. Then a few seconds of silence

Then a crash breaks it down and a juggernaut charge through.

"BRUNICE MINDRO!"

A loud crack then rang, and the juggernaut suddenly bounced back, flattening his allies following behind, and the brief shines from the impact showing a divine barrier.

Kurgren quickly charge. Smashing the juggernaut behind the barrier as the Tiefling sword infantry charges.

Erhardt follows Kurgren, unsheathing his dagger, and the both of them began stabbing at the Tieflings behind the barrier.

And after downing the fifth one they fall back. And two muskets infantry takes cover by the door and aims.

Solaina then move forth, putting the tip of the barrel out of the barrier, and fires.

The shot strikes true as the second one fires.

Ardent cringed as the bullet hit the barrier, and Kurgren kill the other shooter with his musket and Solaina reloads. When a juggernaut charge and Solaina fires.

The bullet bounced of the juggernaut shield and she slams against the barrier. Causing it to bend and crack and leaving an opening for Kurgren to shoot her with his pistol.

Ardent the fell to his knee, clenching his jaws like a bear trap, and Kurgren quickly holster his pistol and pull out his bow.

Another juggernaut then crashes against the barrier. And with a yell Ardent removes the barrier and stands up. Kurgren quickly loose his arrow, which snapped upon impacting the helmet, but staggered the Urak and Ardent stabs his neck.

And four more musket infantry advance and fires.

Ardent quickly jumps in front of Louise, cracks echoing as the bullets bounced off his shield, while the rest dove to the sides.

Solaina then retaliates with another shot, incapacitating a musketman, when a Duergar knight, armed with a warhammer and shield, advance with a Tiefling halberdier behind who throws a flashbang.

Ardent quickly knocks the grenade back and the rest fires but to no avail as the bullets bounced off the duergar shield. with the flashbang halting the Duergar and Tiefling for a second and Solaina fires, ending the halberdier with a headshot, before the duergar charged and both knights clashed while Kurgren and Erhardt rush to aid.

Ardent deflects the first strike and slash at his head, and small amounts of blood fly out of the duergar helmet eye, before the daemon retaliates with a heavy swing, the hammer glowing black with a curse, to Ardents chest. Causing an echoing bang as Ardent staggered back screaming, the smell of burnt flesh coming from the stricken area.

The Duergar raised his hammer when Kurgren rush behind him and smashed behind his knee, with all his strength, and smashed through the chainmail. The knee shattered to pieces as flesh and sinew exploded, causing the staff to violently vibrate upon impact, followed by Erhardt tripping him and stabs his chest three time through the armor gaps.

But soon more soldiers began to pour in and they ready.

When Louise went in front and does casting movements, moving in agile yet fierce punch and kicks as Kugren feels the area getting warmer and the soldier realized something and retreat, then punched with a yell.

"Iglio fumante!"

An arrow of fire then flew out of her fist, ripping a cavity of boiling blood as it pass through a soldier who didn't dodge, and when it reached the centre snapped her fingers.

And the arrow exploded into a ball of fire, as those who couldn't escaped are reduced to cinders.

She then switched to a low stance, sweeping her feet and raising her arms, then swings them to the ground.

"Teralam deral."

And the roof and walls collapsed and blocked the entrance.

Louise then fell to her knee, breathing fast, and said.

"It is done."

Kurgren then saw the transmitter off. And soon hears marching below.