The Forsaken Hero

As the light of the fifth-circle array fell upon him, Vithrass dove aside, gathering his mana in a defensive magical technique. His face was pale and his tail stiff, surprise coloring every corner of his expression.

”Impossible!” he gasped, ”You’re only fourth level!”

I took a deep breath, ignoring his question and soaking in the power emanating from the spell. ”Blade Ward.”

The spell resolved with another flash, bathing me in the comforting golden light of Fate Magic. A translucent, glimmering shield solidified around me, forming a sphere that felt as solid as the ancient mountains of Heartland themselves.

”The hell?” Vithrass asked, bewildered. Slowly, the panic drained away, replaced by a cruel, mocking grin. ”A shield? I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to do, but do you think such a pathetic imitation can withstand an attack from the real deal? I’m a true fifth-level, remember?”

He emphasized his words by releasing his full aura, filling the room with an awful pressure. Ror shivered and choked, his already labored breaths forced, and blood oozed down his body, dripping onto the floor. I felt a shudder run through me, and my eyes narrowed.

”Fable,” I urged softly, my eyes returning to Vithrass.

The demon tapped his ring and his cruel, curved long sword appeared in his hand. ”Let’s get this farce over with. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you, not when there’s so much we still have so much to do together.”

Fable lunged forward with blinding speak, leaving a blur of silver in his wake. Vithrass raised his sword defensively, mustering another defensive magical technique, but his efforts fell flat as Fable streaked to his side.

With the hard sound of shattering steel, Fable swiped his claws around Ror, breaking him free of his chains. He gripped the unconscious foxkin gently and appeared by my side, depositing him just without the door.

”Thank you,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. Having him safe was a weight off my shoulders, allowing me to turn my full attention on Vithrass.

”A clever move,” Vithrass murmured, taking a step forward. ”But futile nonetheless, I have no intentions of using dirty tricks or hostages now. I will show you the sheer difference between us, that you are nothing more than a weak, worthless girl deserving of my chains. You’re alone now, Starlight. No one’s coming to save you.”

My expression fell, a spike of sorrow piercing my heart. In the split second I faltered, he struck, charging forward in a flash of darkness, shadows wreathing his sword. His fifth-level speed caught me totally off guard, and I only now realized just how much he’d been holding back before. My eyes had yet to register him as having moved before his sword struck the Blade Ward.

My magic shrieked in protest, warding off the attack in a shower of magical sparks. The magical technique exploded in a wave of shadowy tendrils, groping and grasping around the barrier, searching for any form of weakness.

Fable’s howl split the air, echoing off the walls and growing to a deafening crescendo. Vithrass faltered, wincing in pain, his eyes flashing with hate at the wolf behind me. Freed of his assault, I stumbled back, clutching my ears, every bit as sensitive to the noise as he. A streak of silver crossed my vision, and Vithrass was gone, rolling across the floor, desperately fighting off a snarling storm of claws and teeth.

VIthrass shouted, releasing a wave of power, sending Fable flying. My wolf landed beside me, hackles raised, ears slicked back aggressively. The slaver threw several black orbs forward, activating each with a thin stream of mana. Shadows streamed from all corners of the room, condensing together and forming shadow golems. The cores burned with fourth-level power, as strong as the toughest we’d fought before.

”Keep the mutt busy,” Vithrass snarled, walking between the golems, dead set on me.

The room wasn’t large to begin with, and the addition of the three ten-foot-tall shadow golem made it claustrophobic. The light crystal, which had burned so brightly before, was dull and wavering, dimmed by the oppressive darkness of the golems. I took a nervous step back, my tail stiff with fear, as the shadows seemed to peel off the walls, stretching toward me like menacing claws.

No, it wasn’t just an illusion, but actually happening. The air was thick was curse magic, fine lines of Vithrass’ mana woven throughout. Startled, I glanced down to find an all-too-familiar magic circle beneath me.

Fable growled, lunging at the demonkin before he could complete the spell, but the shadow golems intercepted, forcing him to land short or face their jagged claws. He seemed small and unassuming before the three towering figures, but his soul blazed furiously, shining with the same confidence I felt through our bond.

”Chains of Shadows!” Vithrass cried.

I bit my lip, suppressing a scream, as the black tentacles lashed toward me, coiling around my body and drawing tight. The shadows passed right through the Blade Ward, which had no effect on spells, slithering across my skin like cold, slimy snakes.

Scarcely had they drawn taught, squeezing the breath from my lungs, then the sleeping power in my soul rose, flowing forth against the tentacles. The shadows vanished before the unassuming light, dissipating like fog before the noonday sun, leaving me free again.

”Damn it,” Vithrass muttered, though he didn’t look distraught. ”I suppose it was fair to assume your magic resistance scaled with your soul anyway, but that confirms it. I didn’t want to resort to this, but now that you’ve hidden in your shell, I have no choice but to break you out. I hope you’ll forgive me for being a little rough.

A little rough? He’d already attacked me once, though there was no point in reminding him of it. A sucked in a breath as he shot forward again, sword cutting through the air in a line of darkness. I was ready for it this time and could follow his movements, but there was nothing I could do to respond to it.

The Blade Ward rang out again as his sword connected, then again and again, until the air practically hummed with the constant clash of his sword against my magic. His attack speed might of been terrifying, but I had fought many months beside Trithe, whose movements were so swift it made Vithrass seem like he were moving through water.

Even so, I lacked the ability to keep up with it, but even if I could, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. Casting a fifth-circle array had left me drained; it was a miracle I was standing at all. This was nothing like the Ice Gate, where I could cast over-leveled spells one after the other. My mana was very limited here, and now I barely had enough to squeeze a single fourth-circle spell out.

After a few seconds, I lost count of the times he attacked, yet the Blade Ward held firm. Despite reacting to every blow, the entire field of energy was soft and stable, easily distributing the force of his attacks throughout the entire spell. Unlike the wall the inquisitor had summoned to trap me, there were no weak points in my spell, no glaring or even subtle vulnerabilities.

”What the hell is wrong with your shield?” Vithrass cursed, finally backing away. ”And how did you cast a fifth-circle spell? Is it some kind of array? No, that can’t be right. Those only combine spells together, not give you the power to cast them above your soul. Well, whatever the reason,” he said, raising his sword again, ”I suppose I’ll have to go all out this time.”

His mana condensed along the edge of his sword, continually flowing from his soul until he gasped from the effort, sweat rolling down his forehead. I hesitated, twisting my staff in my hands uncertainly, as a fifth-level magical technique took shape, freezing the air with its power.

”Break!” Vithrass cried, plunging his sword into the Blade Ward.

The blade slid through the magic for a heartbeat before it came to an abrupt halt, releasing a shockwave that swept the instruments from the tables and disrupted Fable’s fight on the other side of the room. The blade shivered a hairsbreadth from my chest, but no matter how the slaver grunted and strained, it refused to budge. Releasing a clear, ringing note, the blade ward flashed, and Vithrass stumbled back, his sword vibrating with the full force of the recoil.

”How? It’s only a fifth-circle spell!” he cried in disbelief, gazing at the unmarred, golden sphere shining in defiance.

For some reason, his confusion sent a thrill of satisfaction through me. Aegis, a first-circle spell, would normally withstand only first-level attacks, yet when I cast it, could easily handle second, sometimes even third. Even if my array for Blade Ward was only at the beginning stages of fifth level, it could easily withstand a few attacks from Vithrass, who was only just beginning to near the peak of fifth.

Scowling in frustration, Vithrass set about attacking again, this time forgoing any sort of magical technique. ”It won’t matter how strong your spell is if you run out of mana,” he said between blows. ”I have all the time in the world to wait. Do you?”

Despite knowing the jab was meant to distract me, I glanced at Fable. He was surrounded by the Shadow Golems, but seemed to be faring alright. In his small form, he was formidable, but he was only capable of exerting his true strength in his natural form. Only, had he taken it here, his sheer size would surely have brought the cavern down on our heads.

Limited as he was, Fable fought bravely. Every time he lashed out, sizzling black blood spurted across the room. More often than not, the golem’s attacks hit empty air. Even in the tight confines of the lower chamber, his agility kept him a step ahead, allowing him to maintain a careful balance in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Seeds of worry blossomed in my heart, which began to beat faster. Vithrass was right; every attack sapped my mana and concentration. After the initial expenditure, Blade Ward was mostly self-sufficient in mana, but maintaining it required a constant trickle of mana. My passive recovery, combined with the Final Star’s restorative ability, kept it in a state of balance, but with the stress created by the demonkin’s continual attacks, I was slowly starting to run dry.

Once again, as with the battle with the inquisitors, I was in a race against time. Fable would win his battle, of that there was no doubt, but would it be in time?