The Forsaken Hero

I stared at Alex’s hand for a moment before moving my gaze up to his smiling face. ”I’m really okay, Alex. Why don’t we just go with them?”

”Please, no need to be modest. I can tell you’re exhausted. When we first made camp, I was told you weren’t given a tent, so I tried to find you, but no one seemed to have noticed you. It must have been hard, being surrounded by such common men. They didn’t try anything with you, did they?”

”Of course not!” I snapped. I bit my lip as he raised an eyebrow, regretting the uncharacteristic outburst. ”I mean, they were nothing if not polite and respectful. When the Infernal Monsters attacked, they threw themselves in harm’s way to protect me. I don’t know if I’d even be alive if it weren’t for them.”

”I see,” he said slowly. ”Then what about that Explosive Cascade? I was on the other side of the camp battling the leaders of the attack when I saw it being cast, otherwise, I would have been there to protect you.”

I frowned, starting to grow irritated with his constant excuses. ”I managed to turn it back. I don’t know what happened to the mage who cast it, but he seemed to be targeting me.”

”Which means he knows about the Amulet and the damage your soul suffered. It must have been scary,” he murmured, ”But don’t worry. I’ll help you forget all of that.”

”Alex, I don’t wa-” I began, before my soul clenched, my mana writhing in warning. I froze, searching around with the Eyes of Fate

”What was that?” he asked, tilting his head curiously.

”Something’s coming,” I muttered. ”We’re under attack.”

He laughed, throwing an arm about my good shoulder. ”What are you talking about? We killed thousands of those beasts and demonkin the other night. If any had survived, they either would have fled or come back for revenge by now.”

I slipped out of his embrace, summoning my staff and casting a fourth-circle spell. ”Detect Presence!”

Although such a powerful spell took about half my mana, I’d learned it specifically for this situation. Detect Presence allowed me to sense the location of souls, which, when combined with the Eyes of Fate, gave almost perfect awareness of every living creature within a mile radius. Of course, that was when I was at my peak, with the current range of about a hundred yards, but it was enough.

”There,” I said, pointing at a figure hidden behind a tent two hundred feet away. ”He’s the one who ambushed me.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed and a flaming longsword appeared in his hand.

”Die.”

The Flame Hero slashed forward, releasing an arc of fire. Despite its relatively small size, the arc contained the full strength of a seventh-level magical technique. The tent evaporated before the fire got within ten feet of it, exposing a very startled and frightened demonkin. The man wore a dark cloak, but even that was unable to hide the terrible burns scorching his body. He was stuck mid-chant, with six magic circles surrounding his hands.

The demonkin screamed as the arc swept him up, exploding in a dazzling display of fireworks. To Alex’s credit, the magical technique was extremely contained, consuming only about a hundred feet of the camp. I could feel the presence of several soldiers in the blast, but the majority of the army was training or preparing for the march. Even so, my stomach twisted in a knot as I thought of those men dying as collateral damage.

Alex blurred, his movements as quick as Soltair’s, disappearing into the lingering flames of his attack. A moment later, he returned, carrying the charred body of a demonkin. The man was somehow alive, proving remarkable resilience for a sixth-level soul.

”This bastard,” Alex muttered. ”Daring to ruin my chance!”

I glanced at him curiously, but he continued to grip unintelligibly to himself. Ignoring him, I knelt beside the demonkin, dragging the ruined scraps of his hood off his face. New burns mixed with the new, making him almost unidentifiable, but his singed hair was red. For some reason, I found myself sighing in relief, grateful it wasn’t black.

”Know him?” Alex asked, prodding the man with his foot.

I shook my head and cast a second-circle life spell, bringing him back from the brink of death. After a moment, the Demonkin’s eyes shot open, revealing bloodshot whites and black irises.

”You!” He screamed, a clawed hand shooting for my throat.

I flinched back, but Alex was quicker. His sword blurred, and the demonkin’s face contorted in pain. I blinked, unable to tell what had happened, when the demonkin’s outstretched hand suddenly slipped from his wrist, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

I gasped, jumping back as his wrist released a spurt of blood, splattering the ground where I’d been standing. The demonkin screamed, finally reacting, and clutched his wrist. I stumbled back a few steps, my hands and tail trembling from the shock.

”Y-You can’t do that!” I cried, staring at Alex.

He shrugged callously. ”Sure I can. He tried to attack us, even after you healed him. I’d say he’s lucky I didn’t just kill him outright.”

I opened my mouth but had nothing to say. But, even if he was right, I didn’t like it. Huffing, I knelt beside the demonkin and cast another Life Spell, stemming the flow of blood.

”Why did you attack me?” I asked.

”Damn it!” The demonkin screeched, suddenly breaking out of his stupor. ”How are you alive? What did you even do? My attack was perfect! Explosive Cascade should have been able to crush anything a fourth-level mage can do, even if you’re a hero.”

”Shut up,” Alex snapped. ”Or do you want me to kill you?”

The demonkin’s eyes rolled madly in his head, oblivious to the Fire Hero’s words. ”Why was he right? Why couldn’t I do it? If only you weren’t such a freak. What kind of spell was that anyway? And just now, you actually saw me?”

”Who was right?” I asked.

”That bastard!” The demonkin’s face twisted into a sadistic smile. ”I guess that’s it, huh? I failed. Not that it matters. Our defeat today guarantees our victory. Glory to the Descent!”

Before either of us could react, he cast a first-circle spell. A tattoo-like magic circle appeared on his forehead, and he slumped over. I stared, my eyes wide with horror, as his soul faded and his chest slowed, coming to a stop after only a few breaths.

”Well that was unexpected,” Alex said. ”But it adds up. At least it’s more original than cyanide pills.”

”He killed himself,” I muttered blankly.

”Yeah. Obviously. He probably had secrets the higher-ups didn’t want him to share. What was he even talking about at the end there? I feel like it’s something to do with the mainline quest.”

”The descent? I’m not sure,” I said, averting my eyes. That wasn’t technically a lie, as Luke hadn’t explained the exact meaning. Was he who the demonkin had been talking about?

”Whatever. I don’t suppose we can still go to my tent?” Alex asked hopefully.

I gave him a flat look, and he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. ”Didn’t hurt to ask. I’ll take this guy to the generals. You’d better get ready to go, I’m sure we’ll leave soon now that it’s clear this location isn’t safe.”

I nodded before a sudden thought struck me. I had no idea why the demonkin was targeting me, but it couldn’t be good. If the church picked up on it, I had no doubt it would only increase their suspicion of me. I was supposed to be completely helpless and harmless, so the focus of the enemy would only reveal I had some threat the church wasn’t aware of. Fortunately, there was an easy scapegoat to take advantage of.

”Good thing we managed to catch him before he released that spell. Still, it’s kind of strange he tried to assassinate you in broad daylight. Doesn’t he know the Fire Hero’s tougher than that?”

”Hmm?” Alex glanced at me, then slowly nodded. ”Yeah, you’re right. Maybe these demonkin are dumber than I thought. If they come for me again, I won’t show any mercy.”

He grabbed the demonkin mage by the leg and dragged him off, whistling happily to himself. I shook my head, sighing, and turned back the way we had come. By the time I arrived back with the Last Light Company, the army had begun to break camp, preparing to march on the Gate.

We found the gate several hours away on a small mountain. The mountain jutted into the circular mass of energy, its peak falling just short of the center. Titanic swirls of mana crashed against each other like ocean waves, disturbing the mana for nearly a mile in all directions.

”Damn,” Captain Bethiv swore. ”Looks like the intel was wrong. We should have had a week to clear it, but I doubt it’ll last a day.”

Even as he spoke, the Gate shook, and a massive burst of Infernal Energy blasted outward, striking a nearby mountain peak. The ground trembled, nearly shaking me off my feet, and the distant mountain collapsed in on itself. A plume of dust and debris rose hundreds of feet in mere seconds, casting a deep shadow over miles of terrain.

Infernal Mana lingered after the initial explosion, slowly spreading out and infecting what remained of the mountain. Birds fell from the sky, their souls corrupted by the mana, slowly mutating into Infernal Beasts. As we approached, the crazed creature clashed with the front lines, disappearing in a flurry of arrows and gleaming steel spears.

”At least we know where that ambush came from,” Jackal muttered.

The unstable Gate erupted twice more before we reached the peak, leaving two more craters to join the dozen already dotting the landscape. A soldier appeared as the armies set up base camp, beckoning me to follow.

”Your presence is required at the command tent,” she said stiffly, keeping her eyes pointed away from me. ”You’ve been given an assignment.”