Chapter 22: Siege of the Ember Cathedral
Setting: Velcrest – City Under Siege
Smoke curled through the night air like grasping fingers, thick with the iron sting of blood and the acrid tang of alchemical fire. Velcrest, jewel of Ederlan's northern frontier, had become a battlefield of crumbling towers and shattered faith. The once-proud stone streets were littered with rubble, broken weapons, and the fallen. Screams echoed between buildings like ghosts desperate to be heard.
Flames danced across rooftops, casting an eerie, flickering glow on the ancient murals that lined the inner city's cathedral quarter—depictions of the Flamebound Saints now charred and cracked. Overhead, the twin moons of Aurellia bled through the haze, casting pale light over chaos below.
At the heart of the carnage stood the Ember Cathedral, its once-golden spires blackened by fire, its stained-glass windows shattered. Upon its highest tower, crimson-clad cultists chanted, their voices warped by magic as they poured power into the pulsing symbol carved into the rooftop. It beat like a heart, each pulse sending tremors through the ground.
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Scene: Aerial Descent
From the clouds above, the gryphons descended.
Elias von Durell leaned low over his silver-feathered steed, wind howling past. Velena rode beside him on a storm-gray hippogriff, her eyes narrowed, hair tied tight beneath her helmet. Behind them soared the rest of their band: Ralvarin stood balanced on a flying disk of conjured crystal, robes fluttering; Cambric rode a summoned flame drake, embers trailing from its wings; and Seris clung to a massive black owl, silent and precise.
"There!" Velena shouted over the roar. "The ritual mark—it's carved into the rooftop. We stop that, we stop all of this!"
Elias nodded. "Form in pairs. Cambric, with me. Ralvarin and Velena, flank from the spire's left. Seris—cut off any escaping cult leaders."
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Scene: Battle at the Cathedral Steps
They landed amidst a maelstrom of battle.
At the base of the cathedral, the steps were overrun. Flame-masked cultists clashed with city guards. Twisted beasts—part-wolf, part-man—snarled through the fray, their eyes glowing red.
Elias dropped from his mount, blade already drawn. His enchanted longsword shimmered with ice enchantment, steam rising as it clashed against a fire-blade.
"Push forward!" he bellowed. "They can't complete the rite!"
Cambric flung alchemical vials into the cult ranks, explosions scattering bodies and fire. "I've got your left!"
One of the cult beasts lunged at Elias. With a sidestep and upward arc, he slashed it across the belly, viscera spilling onto the cathedral stones.
A nearby guard captain, armor dented and arm bleeding, turned to him. "Sir! The archbishop's still inside—the spire's base is swarming with the fanatics!"
Elias gritted his teeth. "Then we burn our way through."
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Setting: Ember Cathedral Interior
Inside, the once serene cathedral was desecrated. Pews shattered, holy relics defiled. The massive statue of the Saint of Ash lay toppled, its head cracked open, divine flame replaced by flickering blood-torches.
Velena and Ralvarin emerged from a side passage, engaged in close quarters combat.
"Keep the wards down!" Velena shouted, slicing through a robed cultist. Her blade, laced with stormlight, arced with electric fury.
Ralvarin extended both hands, summoning a protective dome as an explosion tore through the hallway. "They're pulling power from the under-chapel! The ritual is anchored below the rooftop!"
"We'll need to sever it at both ends." Velena met his gaze. "Can you hold the top alone?"
Ralvarin smirked. "Do you doubt me?"
"I've seen your aim," she teased before vanishing down the side stair.
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Scene: Climbing the Spire
Elias and Cambric breached the spiral stairs to the cathedral's upper level. Each step was slick with blood.
At the top, the ritual circle throbbed with dark energy. Three high priests stood within, crimson robes fluttering, eyes burning with eldritch light. A chained figure knelt at the center—Archbishop Mirel, bruised and half-conscious.
Elias stepped forward. "In the name of the Crown and Flame, end this."
One priest raised a hand. "The old gods sleep. We wake the True Flame."
Cambric hurled a fireburst, scattering the outer cultists. Elias rushed the center, blades clashing in a flurry.
"You call this faith?" Elias growled, driving his sword through a priest's chest. "You disgrace every saint buried here."
The second priest unleashed a firestorm, only for Cambric to shield Elias with a wall of molten stone.
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Scene: The Breaking of the Circle
Velena arrived just as the last cultist tried to complete the rite.
"No!" she shouted, throwing a dagger into the cultist's throat. Blood sprayed across the pulsing symbol.
The entire rooftop shook. The ritual circle fractured, lightning arcing skyward.
Ralvarin arrived seconds later, his hands raised. "Contain it!"
Together, Elias, Velena, and Ralvarin focused their energy. The circle cracked, then exploded in a shockwave of violet flame. Cultists were flung from the spire.
Silence followed, broken only by the hiss of rain starting to fall.
Elias knelt beside Archbishop Mirel, cutting his bonds. "You're safe. It's over."
The old man opened one eye. "No, child… it has just begun."
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Aftermath: Velcrest Reels
The skies cleared by dawn. Survivors emerged from cellars and barricades.
Velcrest was broken—but not lost.
Elias stood atop the cathedral steps, watching the sunrise. Velena leaned beside him, her shoulder brushing his.
"We won," she said.
"For now," he replied. "But whatever they were trying to awaken… we haven't seen the last of it."
From the ruins, a shadow stirred beneath the catacombs.
End of Chapter 22