The Forsaken Hero

My eyes flew open as tortured screams rent the peaceful night. Still groggy, I rolled to my feet, nearly tripping over my tail as I stumbled to the tent flap. Bright, flickering lights cast shadowy silhouettes across the canvas’s surface, and deafening explosions seemed to rock the very ground beneath my unsteady feet.

Summoning my staff, I pushed out of the tent, blinking in the blinding glare of the magical attacks. Lightning, ice, and fire blazed across the sky, largely concentrated on the other side of the camp. Dark shapes flit overhead, blotting out the distant stars as they wove around, desperately evading the mage’s reckless bombardment. The shouts and screams of men and women rose with every passing second, joined by feral roars and animalistic cries, growing until the dreadful cacophony rivaled that of any battle I’d participated in.

I flinched, casting Aegis on myself as a dark, wolflike figure tore through the camp. Its soul burned with infernal energy, granting it strength above that of fourth level. Its eyes fastened on me and it lunged forward, howling. I fell back, readying a spell, but as its snapping jaws neared my face, a large sword appeared from nowhere, flying through the air and burying itself in the monster’s head.

I gasped for breath, my heart pounding, as the wolf slumped over, its head avoiding decapitation by the merest thread. A burly man, dressed in only his small clothes, stamped over, retrieving his sword from it sat quivering in the corpse. Although he was nearly naked, I recognized him as one of the ones who kept a watchful eye on me last night. My eyes fell to the countless jagged scars covering his torso. I gasped, covering my mouth at the severity of the old wounds. What kind of monster caused such horrific injuries?

Startled by the noise, he glanced at me, and the rage in his eyes drained away, replaced by a look of shock, followed by a slight blush.

”M-my lady!” he cried, turning away quickly.

I blinked, tilting my head in confusion before a gentle breeze sent a shiver down my spine. Glancing down, I froze, wearing nothing but my nightdress. The material was thin and sheer, with the crimson lines of the slave crest bleeding through the white, translucent fabric. In my haste to leave the tent, I’d knocked one of the ribbon-like straps off my shoulder.

Before I could so much as turn away, several soldiers burst out of a tent across from me, coming up short, their eyes bulging as they saw me. The scarred man shouted wildly and dove toward them, practically tackling the entire squad. Blushing furiously, I stammered an apology and ducked back into the tent.

I slipped out of the tent a few seconds later, properly clothed this time. The man stood protectively, his back rigid, before the tent flap. He glanced over his shoulder as I appeared and, seeing I was dressed, sighed in relief.

”What’s happening?” I asked, unable to keep my tail from trembling in embarrassment.

”Seems to be an Infernal Monster attack. They hit the west flank hard, and are only now starting to circle around.” He nudged the wolf’s corpse with his foot and shook his head. ”Damned mutt.”

”T-thank you,” I said, shivering. If I’d been anywhere but surrounded by soldiers, that wolf might have ripped through to me before I’d even awoken.

That wolf had been headed straight for my tent even before emerged. It reminded me of the demons, who recklessly charged me whenever I drew on my mana. The arbiter had claimed that the demon’s purpose was to consume mana. Perhaps they sensed my ninth-level Fate magic and were drawn like moths to a flame. If the infernal mana also imbued that hunger on those it corrupted, then it would only be a matter of time before more came hunting for me.

”Rally to the Last Light!” Captain Bethiv roared, suddenly appearing in the center of the camp. He was fully decked in armor and carried a large spear.

Another well-armed soldier chanted a spell, summoning a light to illuminate their war banner, flapping proudly above the tents. Disoriented soldiers shook off their confusion and rallied to the standard, streaming in from all directions until the entire company had assembled. Many wore but what little armor they could find and most blinked away sleep, but it didn’t matter. Their bodies jerked as if moving on their own, driven by the instincts earned through decades of hard battles and wars. Before a single other company had so much as raised their flag, the Last Light was ready for war.

Dark shadows ripped through the far side of the camp, taking on monstrous forms as they entered the torchlight of the camp. Large beasts and monsters of all kinds, joined by more than a few smaller shadows wielding gleaming weapons, rampaged through the camps, killing indiscriminately. The few soldiers who managed to gather their wits were cut down by a storm of claws and swords, leaving nothing but their screams behind.

Captain Bethiv began calling orders, and the company split into teams. The soldiers moved like a well-oiled machine, tearing down tents and removing any difficult terrain the infernal beasts could use to ambush us.

”Jackal!” the captain cried, storming over to us.

”Don’t worry, captain,” the large, bare-chested man replied, crossing his arms smugly. ”I managed to arrive in time. Safe and sound, see?” He gestured with his head toward me.

Bethiv sighed and his face slackened with relief. But when he turned back to Jackal, his eyes hardened and he bellowed, ”What are you doing standing like that in front of a lady? Get the hell out and change into something proper!”

”Right away, sir!”

As the man scurried away, Captain Bethiv drew close, resting his naked blade on his shoulder. ”Sorry about that ruffian. He’s my vice-captain, nicknamed Jackal.”

”He saved my life,” I said, nudging the lupine corpse with my boot.

”He’s nothing if not dependable,” Bethiv nodded. ”But that’s hardly the last monster. Would you honor our ranks with your presence?”

I gripped my staff tightly, plagued with a moment of hesitation before reluctantly nodding. ”I don’t know how much use I’ll be, but I’ll do my best...but if I go, people might get hurt.”

”Because you’re a hero? That makes sense,” he stroked his chin, ”there seem to be organized cultists among the creatures, so they might try and assassinate high-priority threats.”

”Um, well...yeah, I guess.” I shrugged helplessly. As long as he understood the danger, the real reason didn’t really matter. Perhaps hiding the magnetic draw my soul held on these monsters was for the best. I wanted to trust them, especially after they saved me, but could I? I’d thought I could trust Soltair and Fyren, too.

By the time Jackal returned, the company was ready to fight. While clearing the camp, the soldiers had mostly managed to equip themselves with armor, and the mages had begun casting reinforcing blessings upon the teams. I soulcast a few protective wards on myself but lacked the capabilities to provide large-scale support.

”Here they come!”

Scarcely had one of the outward sentries raised the warning then a wave of monsters broke through the Brithlite’s camp, charging straight toward us. I gasped, shocked by the quality of the monsters. Some creatures looked relatively normal like the wolf, but the majority of them were twisted beyond recognition. Black miasma coated their souls, driving them through their typical limits and twisting their minds into madness. Some dove from the skies, carried on wings of shadows, while others leaped through the air, clearing the final gap.

”Fire!” Bethiv called, waving his sword forward.

The heavy thrum of bowstrings reverberated through the air, followed closely by rushed incantations from the mages. Magical techniques and spells tore the sky asunder, dwarfing the resistance thrown up by the sentries when the creatures first appeared. Shrieks filled the air as the airborne monsters plummeted to the ground, leaving the sky empty. The accuracy and ruthless efficiency of the mercenaries superseded any soldiers I’d seen to date, including the elite soldiers of the Crimson Guard, who had cleared the first gate in Radia with us.

As the battle overhead came to an abrupt end, the front lines clashed. A monstrous bear, towering twenty feet at the shoulder, smashed through the mercenaries, sending men flying with every swipe of its titanic claws. Its soul blazed with sixth-level power, emitting a terrifying aura that pressured even the battle-hardened captain.

But the Last Light was no pushovers, either. Soldiers poured in from the rear, surrounding the monster and consuming it in a wave of magic. Swords coated with Sun Magic pierced its iron-like hide, drawing spurts of blood that reached dozens of feet in the sky. Within seconds of breaking through, the monster fell, and the line closed once more.

I glanced at Captain Bethiv, certain I’d find a smug grin on his face. Instead, his eyes were clouded with doubt, his fingers tapping nervously on the hilt of his spear. He watched the battle closely, occasionally beckoning a soldier and sending them off with a message to revise a squad’s positioning or rotate out soldiers who’d been fighting the longest.

”Is everything alright?” I asked quietly, not wishing to disturb his concentration.

He nodded slowly, attention never leaving the battle. ”I’m not sure. The generals have reacted by now, and the monsters and slowly being pushed back, but the casualty rate is high. None of those demonkin have come our way, which I find worrying. It’s like they’ve been avoiding our company, and sending only the fodder our way.”

”Perhaps they just know our reputation!” Jackal said, chuckling mirthlessly. ”I’d be scared too, after all. It’s not like there’s many dragon slayers on the northern continent.”

”That’s not it. According to our scouts, several sizable forces of demonkin attacked the Fire and Undead Heroes. Do they not know Xiviyah’s here?”

”No, they know, I’m sure of it,” I muttered. Any demon would be able to sense my soul, after all.

He raised an eyebrow, glancing at me. ”I won’t doubt your confidence, but that only makes it more puzzling. Unless...” his eyes widened, and he jumped up, shouting commands to the troops. ”Jackal, take her!”

”Reform the lines!” the Captain shouted, ”Prepare for an ambush!”

Though the monsters were on the verge of defeat, none of the soldiers had lowered their vigilance in the slightest and reacted instantly to his command. The mages circled up, preparing large-scale defensive spells but leaving them unfinished, able to be deployed anywhere with a few words. The armored soldiers on the front lines threw themselves at the faltering infernal beasts, trading blow for blow until they crushed their chaotic attack and sent the remaining fleeing.

No sooner had the battle finished than a titanic magic circle appeared overhead, spanning hundreds of feet and enveloping the entirety of the Last Light Company. My heart dropped as five more circles rotated into existence, rapidly absorbing mana and forming a sixth-circle large-scale destruction spell.

A distant voice cut through the panicked shouts of the soldiers, a voice so cold it sent chills down my spine. I looked up, finding a dark, shadowy figure floating a hundred feet in the air, nearly standing atop the magic circles.

”Explosive Cascade!”