The Forsaken Hero

I let out a short, shallow breath, my head dropping in defeat. I had failed, and Vithrass was gone, taking with him any chance of finding Sari. And now, I was alone with Rasce, whose words still ravaged my heart, tearing apart the wounds I had been suppressing with the hope of finding Ror and Sari.

Slowly, the light of the Dispel Magic and Teleportation retracted, revealing a figure slumped on the ground, bleeding profusely. ”What the hell are you doing? Heal me already, or I’m–”

He broke off, meeting my unsteady gaze, eyes mirroring my own shock. The room was silent for a second as we just stared, demonkin to demonkin. And then Rasce laughed, more of a cackle really, and his bow thrummed.

Vithrass’ eyes widened, and he twisted his body just in time to avoid an arrow in the heart. Instead, it took him in the shoulder, sending him spinning back into a table. The arrow exploded with thorny vines, quickly ensnaring the demonkin. The thorns bit into his flesh, soaking his black robes in blood.

He found his sword by the time the next arrow arrived, managing to deflect it despite the vines restricting his movements, and struggled to his feet. ”What did you do?” he screamed, eyes locked onto my trembling frame. ”How could you possibly interfere with a sixth-circle teleportation?”

His sudden change in countenance shocked me into silence–not that I planned on replying anyway. The shadows responded to his anger, gathering around him, reinforcing his body and tearing away the vines. As he stumbled to his feet, he raised his sword, stalking toward me. Rasce loosed several arrows in quick succession, but Vithrass swiped them from the air with barely a glance. Even heavily injured, he was fifth level, and still possessed over half of his mana.

”Damn it,” Rasce cursed, his voice showing signs of exhaustion. Using such powerful magical techniques back to back must have tired him more than he was willing to admit.

As the demonkin approached, Fable growled weakly, but was so worn he failed to even stand. He had offered me everything to stop Vithrass from escaping, but now that we had succeeded, I wasn’t convinced that had been the best choice.

”I’m going to kill your mutt, and then that blasted human,” Vithrass growled, mere steps away, ”Then I’m going to rape you until you break and beg me for a chance to demonstrate the Heart Curse. But first: bleed for me, Starlight. Bleed.”

I closed my eyes, a scream caught in my throat, as his sword descended. I could hear Fable’s whimper and Rasce’s cry, but they were swept away in a loud ring of steel. I flinched, expecting to feel the sting of his blade, my eyes flying open as a voice snarled in my ear.

”That’s enough, Vithrass. You’re the only one bleeding today.”

In a blurred flash of gray, a powerful figure appeared above me, sword intercepting the descending blade. The clash of steel was nearly deafening, but nothing compared to the explosion of magic that accompanied the parry. The resulting shockwave blasted through the room, leveling whatever remained of the furniture and other fixtures. The doors rattled on their hinges, one even tearing free, revealing a long, curving hallway beyond.

I shielded my face with my arms, my tail lashing with fright, but the wolfkin’s body broke the brunt of the shockwave, leaving only a fierce wind that tore at my hair, sending it rippling behind me in long, crimson waves.

”Sorrin?” I whispered, barely daring to believe my eyes.

If he heard my voice, he gave no signs, instead throwing his weight forward, sending Vithrass stumbling back. The demonkin dropped to one knee, the force of their clash breaking open his wounds, letting blood run freely down his body.

Before the demonkin could recover, Sorrin lunged forward, sword flashing with a fourth-level magical technique. Vithrass barely managed to raise his sword and deflect the first, but the second knocked his sword wide, allowing the third to pierce his stomach.

”Bastard,” Sorrin muttered, giving him a kick that sent him sprawling across the room.

Vithrass choked some response, but it came out as a wet gurgle, blood oozing from the half-healed wound in his throat once more.

The entire exchange took place in a single second, leaving me shocked and disoriented. Where had Sorrin come from? Why was he here? Did he want revenge like Rasce? Questions whirled about my mind, but I trembled as a thought struck me. Ror! That shockwave might have–

I turned and my tail stiffened in shock. A dark, leather-clad human cradled the foxkin child in his arms, his back turned to me, having absorbed the force with his body. Behind Dyson, Tana stood, tightly clasping her amulet, casting a healing spell on Ror. Rasce was beside them, an arrow nocked on his bowstring, though he made no move to draw it.

They were all here—the entire party.

A horrifying cackle filled the air, sending a shudder through my entire body. Vithrass pushed himself up on his sword, the point digging into the stone, and looked at us, face split in a wide grin. His eyes were bloodshot and wild, filled with a madness far more terrifying than any of the dreadful things he had said to me.

”You think you’ve won?” Vithrass asked, his hands outstretched, showing the glimmering ring on his finger. ”The next time we meet, I’ll be...be...”

His words faltered as the ring flashed, beginning to activate the teleport spell again, before dimming again. He tried again, face twisting in panic, but the runes had only begun to materialize before breaking apart and disappearing.

”What did you do?” he cried, staring through Sorrin as though he weren’t there, his maddened eyes locking onto me.

I shook my head, leaning on my staff and struggling to my feet. ”You won’t get away again,” I replied, my voice strained with the sheer speaking required.

Everything was happening too quickly for me to follow, but this, at least, was something I understood well. Dispel Magic did far more than destroy spells as they were cast. An amateur mage could call forth the disruptive powers of the spell, leaving a discordant field of mana around the target and disrupting their casting for seconds afterward. As for me? Vithrass would be lucky to regain the ability to cast spells or activate magic items within a few minutes, much less the few seconds since I landed the spell.

”No, this can’t be happening,” Vithrass said, vainly attempting to activate it several more times. ”I won’t be defeated by slaves! I won’t be–”

He screamed and staggered back, an arrow protruding from his throat. There was a shocked silence as he collapsed to the ground in a heap, leaving the thought unfinished.

”What?” Rasce asked, shrugging as everyone turned to look at him. ”I’ve heard enough from that bastard to last me a lifetime.”

Blood poured from Vihtrass’ many wounds, his chest laboring for breath. It was a miracle he could even move, but, as he tugged at the arrow, his fingers lost their strength, falling limply to his sides. Sorrin breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword.

”Good work everyone. Especially you, Rasce,” he said, nodding at the ranger.

Dyson let out a chuckle, slapping Rasce on the back. ”You almost fooled me, and I’m the one who came up with the plan! Where did you learn to act like that?”

Rasce rolled his eyes, pushing the bubbling thief away. ”They’re not irrational thoughts, but rather the truth. Or, at the very least,” he hesitated, glancing at me, ”A truth I could have chosen to believe.”

There was that word again. Truth. The sound of it shocked me from my stupor, and I shuddered, a lone tear trickling down my cheek. Tana smiled as I met her eyes, and I flinched, taking a step back.

”Why are you here?” I whispered, clutching my staff tightly.

They all blinked in surprise, and Tana tilted her head quizzically. ”What are you talking about? We came to save you.” Then, her gaze hardened. ”And what about you? Why did you run away from us? What in the hells possessed you to think you should attack this place all by yourself?”

Her question caught me totally unprepared, and my lips parted, but it was a long, painful second before I squeezed any words out. ”I-I came to save Ror, and...Sari!”

Reminded of my purpose, I whirled about, scanning the room, my chest tight with fear. Where was she? Sari hadn’t been in any of the cages, and Ror was here by himself. Where could she be?

Suddenly, Vithrass’ labored breathing sounded grating and heavy. My heart beating frantically in my chest, I caught a glance of him still struggling, trying to sit up.

”You...want the foxkin?” he choked, blood dribbling from his lips. ”She’s...gone. He...stole them. All of...the rest.”

”Who? Who stole them?” I cried, running toward him. ”Where is she?”

”Wait, Starlight, get away from him!” Sorrin cried, starting forward.

Vithrass laughed one final time, a cackle broken by another spurt of blood. Too late did I see the bloom of mana in his soul, every last drop he had compressed into one final ball of fury.

”You’ll...see her...in hell.”

In one final spurt of strength, he drove his sword into the ground, sinking it halfway to the hilt. The ground shook, knocking the Glory Chasers from their feet, as a jagged crack snaked across the ground, spreading from his sword. Rocks and dust rained from the ceiling and the ground tore open into a gaping chasm. Vithrass’ mana detonated within the crack, pushing it deeper and wider, threatening to consume the entire room, or at the very least, bring the cavern down upon us. I swayed on the edge, mesmerized by the endless depths yawning beneath me.

”Starlight!” Tana cried. Her voice cracked with desperation, and I had just enough time to meet her terrified gaze before the ground gave a particularly violent jerk, and I was falling.