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Medius, the realm between Heaven and Hell and naturally a place of contest between the two powers. The people of the realm know little of peace as angels and demons clash across the world, one in the defense of the mortals and the other, in attempt to conquer and corrupt all. For millennia, both sides had been stuck in what many believed to be an eternal stalemate, neither side able to gain the upper hand over the other.

As the years went by and with no end in sight to the war which had left entire kingdoms in ruin, Malus an Arch-demon who had for many generations, avoided the fighting devised a plan to end the war for himself. In a vision, he dreamt of a place that had been left unmolested, not only by the agents of hell, but of heaven as well. He knew not of what this place was, only that he wanted to get there and conqueror it with no others to contest him.

Secretly, Malus gathered ancient relics of power from across the world, using the shadow of war to hide his movements. He brought this all to his citadel in the Salted Wastes which was far away from the unfriendly stronghold. It was a defensible position that sat atop a singular plateau that allowed him to see any approaching force for miles since they would have to march across salt flats that went all the way to the horizon.

Deep in his fortress that was defended by a host of demons of all sizes, Malus began his dark incantations with the intent of opening a portal to the new world in his vision. This created a wild storm across the world that not only attracted the attention of the angels that were sensitive to demonic magics, but other arch-demons that, in their greed, felt the power of the spell that was being cast. It was not long before two armies laid siege to the demon's fortress.

--

Thedius, Knight Commander of the mortal armies of heaven and direct representative of mortals to the divine, stood at the edge of the Templar camp that had been set up some two kilometers from the Malus' citadel. The sweltering heat beat down on the camp, causing discomfort that could only be relieved temporarily by the mages and priests. The Templar ignored the heat, he had been in worse over the years leading armies for the angels. He had been to the Frozen Glades in the North where without cold dispelling spells and runes, a person would freeze to death in seconds. To the east he had marched across the Dead Bogs which was full of the undead and where the air was poisonous. The heat was nothing to him.

Thedius gazed at the citadel and its formidable defenses. The plateau went up some fifty meters where it was then extended even further upwards another twenty meters by the fortress walls that were bristling with all kinds of armaments and plenty of demons to use them and fend any attacks off. It was a going to be a costly attack.

"Commander." A runner approached Thedius. He was much smaller than the heavily armored wolf that thrummed his gloved fingers across the top of his tower shield that had a bronze cross on the front of it. "Antes wishes to speak with you."

Thedius' ear's twitched in minor annoyance. As much as he was devoted to serving, the angels were always asking for him, bringing him away from his duties. "Better not keep him waiting." Thedius grumbled and lifted up his shield from the ground with some effort. He was getting old and even though he was more than capable of fighting, he was definitely getting slower. He wondered just how long he would remain in charge if he imagined himself an old cripple by the end of the decade.

The camp was expansive and more like a small city. There were vendors that sold everything from trinkets to entire sets of armor. There were even brothels on the outskirts since it wasn't only Templars, who were sworn to abstinence to keep them fully dedicated to the cause, there were mercenaries and forces from kingdoms that wished to see the demons defeated or were simple there for their own glory. These adventurers that often followed armies offered vital help in the form of their diversity. Many could fight off hordes of enemies while others could seemingly infiltrate just about any place. Any advantage gained from them was lost however since there were adventurers that fought for the demons as well. They were useful nonetheless.

Thedius walked across the camp to the section that housed the Templars. There, he found his tent where he knew Antes was waiting for him.

The tent was guarded by two soldiers who stood at attention at the approach of their commander. They saluted by pounding their chest once and holding their arm across their chest-plate that had the same cross as the one that was on Thedius' shield. He nodded to them as he opened the tent flap and stepped inside.

The tent was humble in its furnishing with only a cot and a storage locker, it was no better than the accommodations of any other Templar other than it was bigger.

Anyone who would have taken the time to appraise the inside of the tent must have been blind due to the angel that stood in the center of the room doing just that.

"You should think about getting a better bed." The angel picked at the cot's covers, scrutinizing its cheap, but hardy make. It looked ridiculous to see the being that had massive metal wings that sprouted out of his back fuss over something so mundane.

"Is it not encouraged to be humble."

"Yes." The Antes nodded. His face was hidden behind a cloak that was always pulled up. It wasn't impossible to see the face of an angel, Thedius had seen their faces before and it was nothing special, they looked just like any other being, but the angels did prefer to hide them anyways. "Though as the person leading this attack, you need to be well rested. "He dropped the covers back onto the cot and stood up fully erect.

Thedius was always in awe at the sight of Antes who would look like a feeble man if it weren't for his wings. Thedius knew better than to judge the angel by his appearance, Antes was one of the most powerful angels in all of Heaven and was sent down to help the Templars.

"What can i do for you old friend." Thedius gave a short and curt bow to the angel who returned the gesture.

"I need you to accelerate your plans." Antes said with some urgency. "My masters tell me that the spell Malus is conjuring one to open a portal."

"A portal to nowhere good." Thedius finished the thought and nodded. "I can have army mobilized by nightfall."

"Be quick." Antes warned. "I fear that the demons that have taken camp on the other side of the plateau will attack tonight as well. We mustn't let them get to Malus before us.

--

Gorgon, a filthy and rather large in girth demon sat on his throne that sat in the middle of his own war camp. He sucked at some meat, using his long and prehensile tongue to dig out the hard to reach bits, slurping them up into his gluttonous maw. Around his were his slaves which kept him clean, wiping away the copious amounts of food that seemed to always miss Gorgon's mouth. They were of a variety of beings, humans, dogs, cats, bulls, each one representing a kingdom that he had the pleasure of burning to the ground. Other slaves provided entertainment by dancing, often naked to humiliate them and put them in their proper place.

The other arch-demons which had come with Gorgon did their best to hide their distaste with the beastly demon's loud eating and waited for him to finish.

With the last bits of food finished and his hunger actually somewhat satisfied, Gorgon finally turned to address his brothers.

"I thank you all for coming." He said bubbly and spread his hands out to the banquet table. "Do help yourselves, there is plenty to go around." No one stepped forward, instead, a taller demon that wore black robes and held onto a large book that was made with the skin of something that seemed to have a major acne problem cleared his throat.

"Malevolence, there is no time for pleasantries at the moment." He stopped talking only to open up his book to somewhere near the center, the pages were made of skin and the text was in a green ink that may have been the blood of some creature. "Malus' spell is nearly complete."

Gorgon grumbled distastefully. "He must be trying to finish it before we can get to him." He slammed his fist down, nearly hitting one of the slaves that was cleaning away some of the junk from between his folds. "I want that spell."

"We will have it in time." Another demon, one that was obviously ready for war with a set of spiked armor that was of a rusted color spoke up. "We can attack at any time you want, though it will take time to breach their defenses."

"Then what are you waiting for." Gorgon threw a chicken bone which bounced harmlessly off of the demon's chest. "Get in there and bring me this spell and Malus' head. I don't care how you do it, just do it!" He spat and the demon turned around and left.

"The rest of you." Gorgon pointed at the rest of the demons who were already annoyed that they had to deal with him. "I want to know where this spell goes. Why is it so important."

"I may have some answers to that." The taller demon said. "I believe that Malus plans on trying to travel to another realm entirely. One which has remained unknown to both us and the angels."

"Oh?" Gorgon raised one of his pierced eyebrows.

"I do not know much more than that, but the world would be ripe for the picking with no angels to stop you."

This was indeed interesting to Gorgon whose hatred for the angels was unmatched by any. He had been fighting the angels since very near the beginning and had originally planned on attacking the Templars and the angels as soon as he learned of their arrival. Now he wanted to get into the citadel and take the spell for himself.

"We shall attack at once." He announced.

--

"Damn fools." Malus cursed as he paced around his spell chamber. The room shook as the battle above raged. Both armies had begun their attack almost simultaneously and forced Malus to flee down to the spell chamber where his most trusted lieutenants were slowly putting the spell together. It was slow going as they poured pure energy into cauldron that contained the artifacts he had collected.

The spell was taking much longer than Malus would have like, but he knew better than to try and rush his people. The smallest mistake and the spell could go wrong.

Another tremor shook the room, causing some books to fall from the shelves. "Damn them all." Malus cursed again. "Don't they know that if the spell goes wrong, something terrible can happen." He was speaking to himself since everyone else was too concentrated on their own tasks.

"Master." A tiny voice called out to the demon that had many aspects of a dragon with two sets of horns, a long swishing tail and scales that made armor pointless.

"What is it?" Malus didn't turn to look at the imp that he often used to carry messages for him. He had a soft spot for the small demons that were often the weakest, but most loyal of his minions.

"The Templars are going to reach us first."

"How soon?"

"Very soon, Antes leads from the front."

Malus stopped mid stride and looked down at the imp that was laden with scrolls and books that aided in his duties. "The battle is lost, pull everyone back and we shall hold them back until the spell is finished."

"As you will." The imp bowed and scurried off, running between the legs of the much larger demons that hurried about.

"Antes." Malus said to himself. Though he had never even seen the demon before, he knew that he was well endowed in magics, but weak in straight hand to hand combat. If he could defeat the angel, the Templars would route. That would only leave the fat slob Gorgon and his rabble of odd alliances which would fall apart with ease. He only needed to offer a place in the new realm to some of the weaker and they would quickly turn on each other.

The remaining demons fell back to the spell chamber where they waited for the Templars to arrive. Malus himself waited at the front.

"We only need to keep them at bay for a little while longer." He said to reassure his minions. Unlike many other demons, Malus valued each of his followers since for many years, he had only a limited supply of those willing to fight for him. It was not uncommon for him to know most by name.

He looked back at his lieutenants as they slaved away at the spell which was becoming more powerful, but more volatile at the same time. The cauldron was now floating half a meter off of the ground and pulsed with raw arcane energy, casting a violet light across the room.

The defenses were made with the intent of funneling the attackers through a narrow path and concentrating them to a single point. It was crude, but effective.

It wasn't long before the first Templars began to find their way to them. The first was a large knight that had some enchantments on his armor which kept him safe for some time as he charged at them, but alone, he didn't last long. He was quickly followed by more and more Templars, and other mortals whether they be simple soldiers or adventurers. The battle quickly escalated to a close quarter bloodbath as demons and mortals clashed.

Three times the mortals attacked Malus defense and for three times, he beat them back. On the fourth assault, Antes arrived.

Malus didn't notice the winged being at first since he was smaller than the armored soldiers that surrounded him, but as soon as he began to cast spells, he was the only person he was focused on.

"Begone." Malus yelled as he charged at the angel, trying to close the distance. "You cannot interfere."

Antes easily fluttered away, sending bolts of ice as he did so. "I cannot let you finish the spell." Antes landed as lightly as a feather as both demons and mortals gave them room as they fought each other. "You demons are all the same. Always trying to find new ways of bringing ruination."

"And you angels are all the same." Malus yelled back as the ice bolts bounced harmlessly off of him, his scales dispelling most of the magical properties of the attack turning it useless. "Always so self righteous and getting involved where you have no business."

Malus was trying to stall. He could sense the spell as it neared completion. "Why did you came here and sacrifice so many?"

"I know that this spell is to a realm that you wish to conquer. I must protect all from your corruption." Antes made a fist in front of his face. "At any cost." He shoved his hand out and a stream of ice shot out.

Malus readied himself for the attack, but yelled out in anger as the spell cut down one of his lieutenants, disrupting the spell just as a portal was opening.

At the eve of its completion, the spell was at its most volatile. The interruption sent out a backlash which killed the other lieutenants instantly, they screamed out as their bodies were overloaded with magic and they exploded one by one.

"What have you done?" Malus cried out as the portal ruptured.

--

Henry laid back in his bed with his feet kicked out and his arms folded behind his head in total relaxation. The day could not have gone better. He looked over at his dresser where his acceptance letter to Yale sat. "The Big Envelope" it read on the front.

After what had been two long weeks of anxious waiting, the letter had finally arrived inconspicuously in the mail. He had almost overlooked it, the packaging was so plain. When he saw what it was, he had nearly collapsed into tears and after what had been a short, but exciting celebratory dinner with his parent, Henry was tuckered out and ready to go to sleep, but adrenaline kept him awake.

A knock came to the door and it opened before Henry could tell what he thought was his mom to stop coming and kissing him. While he loved the attention, there was only so much that he was willing to deal with.

"Guess who?"

"Jason?" Henry sat up as his boy friend walked in. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" He looked at the letter on the table. "Congrats man." He ran over and jumped onto the bed and hugged Henry tightly. He was much more fit than Henry who never really enjoyed physical exercise versus Jason spent much of his time at the gym.

"How did you find out so fast?" Henry wrestled himself away from his overly affectionate lover. "I only got it this morning."

"Your mom of course." Jason laughed and picked up the letter and read it over.

"Dear Henry Stam, I am glad to inform you that after much deliberation and review, you have been accepted to Yale University. We..." He mumbled the rest to himself with a giant grin on his face.

"You don't need to read it all." Henry rolled his eyes as Jason was quickly absorbed into the letter. "It's for me." He took the letter away and set it back down on the table as if it was a priceless artifact which it might as well have been.

"No matter." Jason shrugged. "Yale, man. That's great."

"Yeah." Henry sighed and rested his back against the wall.

"What's wrong? You should be stoked, not glum." Jason wrapped an arm around Henry and pulled him close. "We need to go out and celebrate."

"What going to happen between us?" It had been a thought that had crossed his mind on several occasions, but now that Jason was here, he couldn't push it away.

"What do you mean? Like with you moving?" Henry nodded and rested his head on Jason's shoulder.

"Yale is nearly five hundred miles from here." Henry pointed out. "We won't be able to see each other as often."

"No?" Jason said slyly and reached into his own pocket and pulled out a letter. He handed it to Henry with the same silly grin on his face that he had when they first met.

Henry took it and unfolded it.

"You got transferred to Scranton!" He jumped up and looked at Jason. "How?"

"Been working on this ever since you applied. It got approved a week ago."

"What if I didn't get accepted?"

"Nonsense." Jason ruffled Henry's hair. "You have a perfect 4.0 GPA, a 2300 on the SAT and more community service hours than anyone will ever need. There was no way you weren't going to be accepted." He put a finger up to Henry's lips before he could argue more. "It's done and done. You go to Yale, I go to Scranton which is much closer and we all live happily ever after." He reached down and began lifting up Henry's shirt, revealing a bit of a belly. "Now let me give you your gift." He leaned forward and kissed Henry passionately on the lips and pushed him down onto the bed.

"My parents are downstairs." Henry whispered and looked at the door which was wide open, letting anyone that would come up the stairs see them.

"They left as soon as I came." Jason smiled. "Your parents aren't ignorant of what we do." He reached down and undid Henry's belt. "They won't be back for some time."

Henry bit his lip as he looked back and forth between the door and Jason. "Can you at least close the door?"

"Nope."

The next day was spent out in town celebration. Henry and Jason met up with Crystal and Martin, two friends from high school. Crystal worked at a local smoothie shop which kept her in town and gave them discounts while Martin was waiting to be shipped out to the Air Force where he was to become a mechanic. This was their last chance to hang out before they split to go on with their lives.

"How are you going to afford it all." Crystal said as she sipped at her strawberry-lime smoothie that she had brought with her after she had gotten off work. She wore a green sweatshirt that was one size too large and some tight fitting jeans that looked as if they were one size too small.

"If he joined the military, he could pay for it with the G.I. bill." Martin said with a sense of pride. He had always wanted to go into the military to follow in the footsteps of his father who was a major and flew in Vietnam.

"I have some money saved up and I plan on getting a job. Though in the end, I'll need to get loans." Henry answered as he swirled his own blueberry smoothie with his straw. He sat next to Jason who had already finished his own smoothie and was looking expectantly at Henry's. "It will be tough, but not impossible." He shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

"I'll help too." Jason said and used his own straw to steal a quick drink from Henry's cup. "I get paid plenty." It was true, Jason worked for a trading company and his family was friends with the CEO which landed him a well paid job.

"I can't ask that of you." Henry felt a bit of guilt at being somewhat passive-aggressive.

"You don't have to." Jason said. "But if you want, you can give me that smoothie." Henry handed it over, he wasn't feeling like finishing it.

"How sweet." Crystal cried out. "Where's my phone?" She turned around in her chair and started to dig into her purse.

"May not have time for a picture with these cloud rolling in." Martin looked up at the sky as large, dark clouds were starting to roll in.

"Where did those come from?" Jason questioned. "The report said today was supposed to be a perfect day."

"When are those ever right?" Henry got up. "Well, it's been fun. But, the day is getting late and it's a bit of a walk back home for Jason and I."

"Yeah." Crystal and Martin both said at the same time.

"Be sure to ca-"

A flash of lightning interrupted Crystal and the thunder roared overhead.

"That was close." Jason said as a series of lightning bolts arched across the sky, spider-webbing. "We really should get moving before this freak storm really gets under way."

A lightning bolt came down and struck a nearby tree, splitting it in half and sending other bystanders who had been watching fleeing indoors.

"You know what..." Henry said as he and the others went under some cover.

"I have a spare room at my house." Martin said and the others nodded.

They ran went back to the parking lot, careful to avoid trees on the way where Martin's car was parked. It was small blue coupe that he had bought from his parents. He had gotten a lot of rap for getting something so small, but now everyone was grateful that they were going in something with low potential of being struck.

The weather began to take a turn for the worse as the wind picked up and it began to hail.

"Fuck." Jason cried out as the hail began to bite at him since he was using himself to cover Henry as they all climbed into the car just as a bolt of lightning struck it.