The stairs led the seven heroes and their entire summons down to the third level of this once holy temple. They had come down to what seemed to be a long hall with an exit to their right halfway thru. In the middle several pillars were jointed with thin arches. The hall was not big. 6 meters wide and somewhat above 100 meters long. Several torches hugged the walls on all sides dancing dim to give just enough light for orientation.

Corelic and Thet still had the lead and walked a few step forward to the exit to the right. All seemed clear. Corelic did not sense anything and that made him feel uneasy. ’I do not like this at all’, he whispered. Thet showed no reaction and that told Corelic he felt the same way. When they reached the exit, Thet hugged the wall and got down on his knees. Corelic stood close waiting for scout results. With a swift act, Thet stuck out his head into the exit and hid again. ’Four more of those Council Members’, Thet said excited. Corelic turned to the others and head back to them.

’ Well?’, Andorif asked. ’Four more Councils’, was Corelic’s short reply. ’If these are same as those we met in Travincal, we should concentrate on the leader and let Tear-Rain’s skeletons distract the others.’ Saranne stepped forward. ’Provided there is one leader only’, she added. Corelic’s positive view did not budge. ’Most likely there is only one’, he said firmly. ’Let us remove them now.’ With that he turned around and head back to Thet whom now stood tall again.

’The leader has something about him, a green glow of some sort’, Thet spoke as quiet as he could to Corelic. ’Green… Glow?’, Corelic said with curious thoughts. ’A bright glow so smooth like the waves in a slow dream but slowly vanishes in mid-air?’ Thet was amazed at Corelic’s description. ’That is a fair telling about it, yes’, he replied. ’He has a mighty aura. If we get too close most likely we will have less protection against any elemental threats. Considering the lightning skills and the Fire Hydras of those Councils we met earlier, this does not bode well.’ Corelic felt concerned and was thinking about changing the original plan. It all had been too easy, far too easy.

Chances of any further planning was scratched as Thet suddenly, with his huge sword in both hands stepped right into the open and leaped with sword straight at the leader. His cry made enemies and allies all jump. The Council leader was hit severely and retreated back along what seemed to be a bridge over a lava pool. Corelic could do nothing but to start the attack run and barged right in with sword and shield ready and screamed ’CHARGE!’.

’ Nice to let us know the change of plan’, Natalya said annoyed. ’Thet’s fault I assume’, Saranne said. And so they all head into the exit. When they went thru, they saw a huge room. They could not see the other end and a pool of lava restricted access to the other side. A bridge in the middle went out into the pool and there they saw Thet chasing a Council around. Between those two and themselves Corelic was dancing around with three Council Members. Natalya and Andorif shot towards him to aid. Annikel stood near the exit and fired arrows whenever a clear sight was available.

As Tear-Rain and Saranne was about to join the festivity, fireballs came flying from the left. Annikel was closest to the left and saw Undead Wizards floating towards them. She directed arrows towards them now. Saranne quickly teleported herself behind these and shouted ’Hey!’. The Wizards halted, turned around and saw Saranne standing there innocently and alone. That was enough to drag them towards her. It gave Annikel time to shoot arrows at them while they had their backs turned against her. Tear-Rain ordered his skeletons to attack the Wizards and the skeletons made a wall of themselves to separate the two ongoing fights.

Three Wizards had fallen by arrows and elemental blasts from the Tear-Rain’s minions. Two were left, the leader and one of his follower. Saranne danced and spread cold all around her. The cold arrows did not pose any threats to the Wizards and they halted, looked at her and let out evil smiles. She only smiled back and summoned a fire wall right were they stood.

The Wizards screamed with hollow voices. Trying to step off the fire wall, Tear-Rain summoned wall of bones around them trapping them inside burning away. They screamed and pounded on the walls trying to break free. They even tried with their own fire abilities but the walls of bones stood surrounded still. The smell of burned flesh and old cloth fumed the air. Saranne felt a bit queasy. The Wizard follower had once again left this world but the leader Wizard still clung on.

A few more seconds and the life of the Wizard almost had withered away. However, that did not stop him to avenge. With one final cry he summoned a rain of fire and he aimed all his might towards Saranne.

Saranne heard a roaming sound flying around her that increased in volume and before she had a chance to react fire balls in different sizes came down as if they had come thru the ceiling and landed around and on her.

As the leader Wizard’s burning body stopped motioning and screaming, Saranne took over the screams and with burning flames embodying her she ran around the area. Flames on the ground made matters worse and blinded by the fire she was heading towards the lava pool towards her doom.

When she had reached the lava pool and was just about to fall in, a glowing Spirit was summoned where she would have fallen in and embraced her, soaking her with its life, drying out the flames. Saranne almost fainted and would have fallen to the floor if the Spirit had not helped her slowly laying her down on the floor on her back. As the fire all around and on her had vanquished the Spirit removed itself from her and now was floating in the air. Saranne opened her eyes and she quickly gained her eyesight back. She looked at it with amaze. The Spirit smiled back. It consisted of an oval standing head and glowing branches around it only. ’But... how?’, Saranne managed.

Then she noticed another presence and from where she laid, he looked taller than he usually was. ’Andorif?’, she said surprised. He stood only quiet, as the quiet being he always seemed to be and just gazed at her. She felt somewhat embarrassed but also some kind of serenity in her heart and in her mind. ’I...’, Saranne could not even let out a simple ’Thank you’. They had always avoided each other in the past and now here they were, hero and lady in distress.

Andorif took his axe into his left hand, leaned forward and offered her his right hand. She took it and for the first time they had touched. He lifted her up gently. A brief moment, they looked into each others eyes and then she looked away, behind him. Andorif turned around and he saw the others gathering themselves from the fight, coming towards them. All but Thet. Andorif quickly noticed his whereabouts. ’What is Thet doing?’, he spoke. Everyone looked at Thet. He was standing on the bridge and it seemed as if he was scouting the other side.

Thet saw two non-human figurines on the other side covered by shadows talking to each other. He could not hear much more than mumbling from this distance. Suddenly they stopped talking and turned towards him and started walking. They had not noticed him and it was not until they came out of the shadows the two had noticed him as well as he saw what they were. Thet’s eyes widened in shock and he screamed with fury. ’BAAL!’

Mephisto looked surprised but Baal only grinned. Thet made no hesitation and leaped over the pit with a strike ready at Baal. Baal evaded fast and one of his tentacles went round Thet entrapping his arms.

His friends could do nothing but to watch and Annikel screamed ’No!’ revealing their presence two the evil lords. Baal only laughed out loudly and same time started chanting. Mephisto walked back into the shadows. The heroes, all but Saranne walked left on their side thru an exit to this room. Andorif remained with Saranne. He took out some herbs and began to tend Saranne’s wounds.

They ended up on a small hallway that lead North. Thinking they had a clear path up the hallway towards the other side of the lava pit made them halt in surprise when another Council Member greeted them by running towards them. Natalya and Corelic readied themselves to strike him.

Before he had reached them an arrow came whistling between the two straight into the Council’s belly and it went thru him. The Council halted in shock. With no chance to react the arrow by magical will turned instantaneously around and struck the Council’s back. But the Council was still standing and the arrow did not give up. It turned around again and hit him, this time planting itself in his throat and there it stayed. The Council fell silently down to the ground. Corelic and Natalya and turned around. Annikel stood there stout with bow in hands. Then they all looked again at the poor Council and he lay there on the ground lifeless.

Corelic and Natalya wasted no more time and rushed to aid Thet. Annikel was right behind them. Tear-Rain remained to summon more skeleton minions from what corpses he could use.

---

’ Stall them while I open the portal!’, Baal hissed to Mephisto. Mephisto placed himself between the exit and his brother ready to strike down any enemies. Baal engaged his chanting again, this time with humming sounds and he held a yellow glowing stone that was hanging around his neck in his hand. Thet tried with no luck to free himself. Great was his strength, but no match it was against Baal’s tentacle. The harder he tried Baal’s grip became more tight. Finally it became so tight Thet dropped his sword. It fell to the ground and its weight echoed in the room from a loud cling.

The chanting stopped. His powers were no longer needed. The entire room started tumbling softly and in the middle of it, on their side of the lava pit, where another short bridge stood, a red portal appeared from thin air. The portal was a bit different from the other red portal Thet had previously encountered. This seemed larger somehow and not only did it glow red but around it, an aura of dark colours flowed smoothly.

Mephisto noticed the portal had been open. He also noticed his foes coming towards him from the right exit. He could make out a Paladin, what seemed to be female Assassin, a wretched Amazon and behind them, not far, someone more of his own taste, a Necromancer.

Mephisto laughed with a dark and low voice that echoed in the room and shot a widespread lightning bolt towards them. They all took cover by laying themselves down on the floor.
The Necromancer’s minions were fearless and did not evade. Most of them got shattered into pieces. The remaining skeleton minions still walked towards him. The four humans walked behind the skeletons using them as shields.

Mephisto lashed out more lightning bolts and smashed the skeletons into oblivion. The four now had to rely on their own gear. The Paladin still had his holy shield and the Assassin her claw weapons to block any strike, missile or melee. The Necromancer had in his hand a distasteful non-human skull that served to protect him from harm. The Amazon had only a bow in her hands and no means to defend herself other than evasive actions.

Baal did not stick around to play and went thru the portal with Thet still in mid-air uplifted and bound by his tentacle. The Amazon had seen that and yelled the Barbarian’s name. She rushed towards the portal but it already had begun to close. The Paladin acted quickly for he knew she would not make it in time and used his special charge to rush pass her and he jumped into the portal just in time before it closed up completely.

Mephisto laughed again and commented them. ’You are too late!’ He was close to the Amazon and she was not ready to defend herself. ’Annikel, watch out!’, the Assassin yelled. Just as Mephisto was about to strike her, a Spirit appeared blocking the path of the strike. Mephisto’s might embedded into the Spirit and it screamed silently and short thereafter vanished. The Amazon gained awareness and stepped backwards quickly to the other side of the room with bow and arrow ready, firing at him. Mephisto was quick and managed to block some of the arrows that flew rapidly against him.

With his back turned against the other two remaining foes he knew he could not fend off all of them at the same time. Still, though, that did not make him less dangerous. He summoned a heavy green gas around him and the Assassin and Necromancer inhaled it unwillingly.

’ Poisonous gas!’, the Necromancer coughed. He did not seem to be too much affected by it though. The Assassin withdrew from the fight to heal herself. Mephisto readied another lightning bolt, this time concentrated into a thick one and shot it straight at the Amazon. The shocking blow made her fly several meters back and she landed on her back dropping bow to the ground. Mephisto laughed and turned around. ’Now who’s next?’, he said and smiled.

’ I am!’, a female and a male voice could be heard in duo. Where he had turned to, stood a Sorceress and what appeared to be a Druid. ’Where did you two come from?’, Mephisto hissed annoyed. The Druid wasted no time and dashed with axe in both hands towards him. Mephisto loaded another lightning force and shot at him. The Druid embraced it and only got minor bruised and a little stun.

The Prime Evil started working on another one but alas, this time he himself got struck by a lightning from above. ’A taste of your own medicine!’ the Sorceress could be heard from behind him. He turned around and he saw she had teleported without him noticing it. With another swift act, she summoned a fire wall where he stood and lashed with him cold arrows.

Mephisto screamed with anger more than of pain. He stepped out of the fire she had called for and went towards her to attack her. His strike was blocked by her staff, but still it was a mighty blow and she fell down. She managed to hold on to her staff and she held it in front of her to protect her from any more blows.

Next strike was in the doing but Mephisto broke it with a scream and he blew up right in front of her. Debris of souls flew around and several relieved screams followed them and vanished into the air. On the ground now remained some worthless skulls of different types of creatures. Some of them appeared to be human. In the midst of it all, a glowing blue stone lay. Fog around where Mephisto’s unexpected kill took place quickly dispatched itself to reveal the slayer. Andorif stood there with his mighty axe and a disgusted look, eyes focusing on the pile of skulls. Saranne looked down from him and focused herself on the blue stone. Its glow began to fade and it went into a dormant blue crystal stone.

As Saranne rose to her feet, Tear-Rain and Natalya joined Andorif where he stood. ’Is it me or did this all go way too easy?’, Tear-Rain blurred out. ’It went way too easy’, Natalya replied with irony. Tear-Rain looked at her with no expression in his face. ’I saw your flight away from the poison nova. Is there any kind of poison you can handle?’, Tear-Rain started teasing her. ’Yes’, she replied blatant. ’I can handle more brew than you.’ Next thing was, the two started attacking each other with crude comments.

Andorif looked at Saranne. He saw beyond her almost torned blue dress and the visible scars, beyond that which he saw only beauty. His race and hers had for several centuries lived apart. They were not exactly hostile but they where not friends either. Here they stood and he felt attraction. He knew it cannot be a possibility and the confliction gave him pain. His life had been so humble and peaceful until great evil came crossing his path. Now, with she visible to him, he had evil around and within to defeat. There just was no way she and he could be together. The only reason for them two existing in the same company is because of the greater evil that pose a threat.

His thoughts were squashed as Annikel appeared before them. ’Where have you been?’, Saranne asked as polite as she could. ’I fell back into the hall back there’, she pointed towards an exit that resided on the opposite of the one they came thru. ’There I ran into another Council and some of those Wizards. Was tough to get good aim in close quarters with bow and arrow.’ ’Oh’, Saranne said short. ’And yet you survived. Amazing.’ Annikel smiled. ’What was amazing was the weapon rack found there. On it was a sword that saved my hide. Took a while though, the sword was a bit plain for my taste.’ ’I can understand that’, Saranne said with agreement. ’We sometimes rely too much on fixed abilities that other means seem so farfetched.’ And the two ended up on discussing their different fighting styles.

Andorif did not dig into deeper thoughts about Saranne, the situation or anything else for that matter. He just looked around him and smiled, not knowing what to do now. Luckily, he did not have to be lost for so long as a light in the middle of the room appeared. All conversations stopped and all eyes turned to the centre of the room. That red portal had been re-opened. The five heroes looked at each other. Without their two leaders they lacked guidance on how to proceed.

Annikel spoke first. ’Thet and Corelic are somewhere on the other side and we have to find them.’ Tear-Rain said with eyes still fixed on the portal: ’Sure we can enter it safely? What if we end up landing on Baal himself? That would make the trip short.’ ’It is a risk we have to take’, Annikel said firmly. With that she walked up to the portal and the others were close behind.

When she reached the portal she did not hesitate to go through. Andorif looked at Tear-Rain and then back into the portal and then slowly walked into it. He felt the surge of the portal, sucking him in as he touched it. Next thing, he came out on the other side. A bright light dazzled his eyes and he covered them up with his free hand. It did not take long to get adjusted as he slowly removed his hand.

What he saw made his body warm and he felt joy and a surprise as well as relieved. ’Cain!’, he burst out with a happy smile. Cain stood there almost straight leaning on his staff and nodded at first. ’It is nice to see you all again’, he spoke with a friendly slow voice, hiding his true joy.

Andorif noticed Tear-Rain and Saranne also had gone thru and the portal was then shut. ’You... made the portal?’, Andorif asked Cain still trying to grasp it all. ’At such greater distance and to such a location like this it is beyond me’, Cain replied and then looked and motioned his left hand to the right. There, with all his glory but dimmed illuminated aura, stood Tyrael himself!
’ It is good to see you again heroes’, he spoke to them.