Josh looked around. He was probably the one who'd be affected first. "Thanks," He said, feeling like the response was bland.

"He saved me. He made me. I was the one who failed him, why wouldn't I?" Corrine asked, turning to watch Xin.

The group approached the entry to the trees, which Christian noted didn't seem as dense as he first expected once he'd taken a closer look. He took his weapon out and cut through the branches obstructing the path ahead, coming to a stop once it was revealed beyond the trees was the edge of a cliff. The drop below was steep, but more of the volcano was visible now, "There's a path carved along the mountain." He stated as he put his weapon away and melted away the visor of his helmet, "Wait - do you see that too?" He asked, squinting. Halfway up the path along the volcano was the outline of several structures. What looked like ruins situated along the side of the stone slopes. Through his keen eyesight he could make out small blips posted around it - what looked like humanoids.

"A man does not save a broken tool." Xin responded, "He merely casts it aside and seeks another. Empathy and kindness are inconceivable to Solthurax. He only understands hatred, destruction and suffering. Something he cannot change, as that is how he was made. Tell me: how did it make you feel to destroy the homes and families of countless children? Did you feel satisfaction? Joy?"

Guy's impact sent the occupied knight tumbling aside. His shield faltered and Ciroc's projectiles struck him from the other side shortly after, causing him to snarl out in pain. Saul took the moment to strike and released a lightning blast from his palm, sending the fiend hurtling back. He stuck his sword into the ground to stop himself and picked himself up. He quickly cut forwards, slicing an incoming boulder. Saul ran forwards closely behind boulder, his conjured sword leaving wispy coils as it became enchanted with ice.

Solthurax was alert this time. With one hand he let loose a wave of hellfire, engulfing and exploding the first projectile. He turned to track Boel and wrapped his wing around his side in anticipation whilst readying his colossal sword.

Unbeknownst to the group, an angel keenly observed them. He was called out of the war some moments ago for a different mission, an order that came straight from one of the Divines. Who was he to turn down this opportunity? Why wasn't a question to be asked, and surely not during times like this.

"Yes. Looks like they're moving." Christian commented before his visor reappeared. He looked down below but the drop looked far too steep. The ground below was cracked and flickered orange where streaks of lava penetrated the surface, "Yotaizan, are you able to take us to the volcano path? Slightly below those ruins where we can get a better look at these figures." He briefly took out the vial he'd been given and looked at it, "Maybe they're the guardians Master Xin mentioned."

"I see." Xin replied, sitting down on a step and looking at her, "You claim to have spared them pain - but just their deaths is not what Solthurax wished. He desires to spread suffering. I think you know that." He tilted his head, brow raised, "You were chosen by fate to defeat a king spreading just that. Suffering. You succeeded, to which we all owe you our gratitude, but do you not now see you have fallen in service to something far worse? You have aligned with what you were destined to defeat."

The servant bellowed as the explosions forced him to lose his footing and trip forwards, the frustration of the battle clearly hampering his concentration. Saul and Guy met him with their weapons and he immediately felt a chill to the core as ice spread across his chest, before violently shattering after the Warforged's impact. He went flying back once more and hurtled violently across the ground before managing to land on his feet and skid to a halt. He stood up slowly and huffed, his armour dented, "You ar-" "Too slow!" Ciroc screeched as a glowing red foot punted sharply into the side of the warrior's head. He was utterly taken by surprise and crashed along the ground yet again, dropping his weapon. He picked himself up, wobbling for a moment in a daze before his weapon returned to his hand in a flash, "Enough!" He roared, "Who are you? Who dares to face me?"

Solthurax's great wing blocked the majority of the projectiles, though some hit his flanks. He hissed as they exploded against him and intensified the storm of meteors from above, making the skies evermore hazardous. His weapon caught ablaze, an enormous weapon the size of a castle spire, and he swung it for Boel with a roar.

"I could teleport all of you closer, if you get close to each other." Yotaizan offered.

"Wry Gay and his steely companion, Steel Guy!" Wry declared, creating fireworks behind the two of them as he landed on Guy's shoulder.

Boel was quick about dodging the sword, but was caught off guard by a meteor that impacted him from behind. He twisted, placing a hand on the meteor and causing it to erupt so that he could get out of its push and back into the air. Right, not as easy as he had hoped.

"Wouldn't it be less noticeable if we teleport?" Christian asked, although he was okay with whichever choice.

"It wasn't like they had a choice. You could say it was an abduction, if for their own wellbeing." Xin replied, "Was it before or after your change in alignment that they departed?"

"A redundant bad joke!" Ciroc chimed, springing above Wry and Guy and adding more colour to the fireworks. Saul simply discarded his weapon and raised his arms, chunks of earth rising up and starting to quickly spin around him, "You can use your dying breaths to tell Solthurax he's next." He hissed, before firing them in rapid succession at him.

He was ready, slicing through each projectile, but the daze from Ciroc's kick was abnormally persistent, and the last caught him.

Solthurax had took the meteor impact's moment to recover and charged his sword. He swung it again and released a cyclone of fiery wind towards Boel.

"Then what are we doing? We should hurry." Yotaizan stated. "If we're going to teleport, you all need to get together to make this easier for me."

"Haha!" Wry cheered, creating a giant fire hammer and throwing the explosive weapon at the demon.

Boel moved out of the way of the sword, having ample time to do so, but had to create an orb light barrier around himself to protect him from the cyclone. Not as simple as dodging now, it seemed.

Felicia stepped up on the other side of Christian. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Some sick game?" Corinne guessed, her voice bitter. She didn't have the two fighting in her head anymore, they'd perished when Solthurax released her, she had no more arguing to pick from. She didn't understand anything. She didn't understand why they kept her alive.

Christian blinked a couple of times under his helmet. What a weird experience. He ran up to a crumbled spire beside them and ran several feet up the surface before climbing up. He could see one of the figures ahead now in better detail, its features made it clear it wasn't human. Gnarled horns protruded from his head and his flesh was ash-grey. He softly dropped back down, "They aren't friendly. Demons."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps compassion." Xin said, "I could not claim to be well acquainted with any of the people you arrived with, save for Christian. However they wouldn't strike me as wicked. We have both gazed into the eyes of evil - and one day you'll realise that. The distinct emptiness in a true fiend's eyes is often masked. You need to be actively seeking it to uncover their true nature." He stood up slowly and gestured with a hand to one of the doors behind him, "The Demon you sought for comfort has a particularly dark tapestry. You aren't the first to be brought low by his temptation, and unfortunately you likely won't be the last. Would you care to see?"

The barrier eventually cracked and shattered under Wry's magic, although their foe was nowhere to be seen anymore.

"He's our enemy!" Saul barked, "Do you remember, you sick-minded filth? Five years ago. You stood in my way at Solthurax's doors. To ensure he could rise to power unobstructed! Why?!"

Ciroc shrugged, "Funny."

Yotaizan reformed beside Josh, making sure his sword was still on him. "We should observe what they're doing here first. They may lead us where we need to go."

Wry patted his hands together to get rid of the non-existent dirt on them, then flew over to Guy. "Maybe it was a blessing in disguise!" Wry declared. "After all, why rush into a risky fight when you must be way stronger now, right?"

Boel eeped, turning into light and reappearing several meters away. "Okay, not ideal." He mumbled, and created several orbs around himself.

Corinne looked over the book and the picture for a moment, quiet. It surely was thick, and she could see the long list within the table of contents, but... "I don't know how to read," She admitted quietly.

"Lead the way, then," Felicia said to Christian.