[center][h3]Guild of Tal'Zaroth[/h3][/center]
Yrios felt rather saved when something managed to block the giant spell the Dark Wizard tried to cast on him and his band. He would have been able to stop it, no doubt. In fact, he already stood ready on one knee, converging the warlocks their ward power into one focal point. To stop the giant orb. But at the cost of his sorcerers and warlocks, who now had to fight toe to toe against the shadow warriors. But when the blind light dimmed and he saw what blocked such power, he grinded his teeth. Of course, the Theurgists of Trismigestus had to summon an angelic being. Rising from his knee now, it was apparent that Yrios was suddenly in a lesser mood. He was not fond of the Defenders and Scholars of the Sacred Seal. An order that, in his opinion, acted overly zealous upon anyone who did not practice their very precise form of magic. Which they conveniently guarded with secrecy. Or did they simply not want to share their wisdom with the Guild of Tal’Zaroth? Yrios certainly tried.

Now, not willing to bear the shame of being saved my some knightly order, Yrios was ready to fully retaliate against Garth. But right when he wanted to start casting his barrage of spells, Garth vanished, leaving in his place a massive monster. “You’ll do.” Yrios simply said before he turned around to his Warlocks. The Shadow Warriors were gone, but some apprentices and sorcerers did get hurt. Right then did Alicia return, feeling that she would be more of aid at the side of her master. She didn’t have any mages with her, but Yrios didn’t expect any. The mightiest companies were too far away for her to reach in such short time. Those who had mages probably needed them more than ever now.

Alicia didn’t need to say that. “You alright?” Yrios did not expect compassion from his old Witchblade apprentice. Yet he was happy to receive it. “I am. But some aren’t so lucky. Witchblades aren’t going to be of much use against the thing.” Yrios said as he looked at the giant cleaving its way through some troops. Alicia nodded in agreement. “Order your Witchblade to escort the wounded out. In case more Shadow Warriors pop up along the way. Make sure we don’t lose anyone that could be saved. After that, come find me again.” Again, Alicia merely nodded. The evacuation effort went smoothly. The Witchblades themselves reckoned their role in the fight was done. When the groups of wounded men and women started moving away from the battlefield, Alicia returned to the Warlock band, which moved up towards a dune. The once flowing sand now hardened under their feet, making everyone far faster.

“So what’s the plan?” the young Witchblade asked, with her sword sheeted again. With a few minor elemental spells, the dune flattened into a plateau. The flat surface now supported several objects. 10 Sorcerers were etching a circle in the ground with their shards. Others mediated on the edges, opening up their orbs to show the glowing symbols, runes, and diagrams. Every piece moving and orbiting the central power source. Warlocks stood around the circle, maintaining a ward. Happy others choose to attract the attention of the giant. The blue glowing dome once more protected the Guild. “The plan is to fight fire with fire.” Said Yrios, as he drew the book from his side. His very own Grimoire. Alicia could help but swallow. “Soul magic.”

“Yes.” The Warlocks that weren’t maintaining the Ward moved in towards the second ring of the now finished circle. Each put down a black gem a little smaller than the size of their hand. Soul stones. Alicia put aside her doubt. Desperate times required desperate measures. Yrios, Alicia and the Warlocks that had placed the Soul Stones moved to the center and began their incantations. For those magically attuned surrounding them, they would detect a sudden, different source of dark-like magic. While akin to the dreadful magic Garth pulled from the Shadow Realm, it wasn’t exactly that. The chanters their eyes began to glow and the stones started howling and moaning in pain. But the chanting did not stop no matter how loud the howling got. The sorcerers outside the circle started chanting something else. Channeling the mana from the air, the earth and the water deep below as a river inwards the circle. Through the circle and the crying stones. From there the pure blue mana flow got corrupted by the very life essence stolen many years ago, during the Purge of Tal’Zaroth. The now purple glowing energy converged to the center of the circle, where the chanters ushered it into the sky. An endless barrage of purple, unholy but powerful magic flew straight at the giant.