The Forsaken Hero

Korra was hurt.

That one thought penetrated the lingering haze in my mind, driving me into a state of panic. She’d taken on two fifth-level demons on her own. Why hadn’t she let me protect her?

While remaining mounted on Fable’s back, I thrust my hand forward and cast Earth Wall, aiming to cut off the demons. The demon’s focus shifted as the ground trembled, their piercing gazes locking onto my soul, before rock and stone erupted between us, cutting the dreadful visage off. I shivered but didn’t hesitate, urging Fable forward toward Korra.

As we skidded to a stop beside her, she looked up, lips curled in a slight, teasing smile. ”What took you so long?”

The bright, playful smile looked out of place on her blood and grime-streaked face, but I let out a sigh of relief. If she had the strength to tease me, she couldn’t be hurt too badly. ”I’m sorry. We managed to hunt most of the scions, but the villagers were reluctant to trust me. Not that blame them,” I replied. It came out a touch more bitter than intended, but it had hurt, after all.

Her smile faded. ”I’ll have to have a chat with them later,” she muttered. Before I could respond, she winced, clutching at her burned arm. ”But never mind that now, let’s take these demons out first. That Blade Demon is the one causing that horrible sound, so be careful.”

”I’ve got it sorted out,” I replied, gesturing at the slight distortion in the air around us. ”I modified the Sound Ward to only suppress any noise above a shout, so we can still talk if you get out of range.”

She shook her head. ”Amazing. Other than that ability, it seems identical to the one we fought in Westfall, so be careful of its charge attacks.”

I unconsciously pressed a hand to my chest, feeling the smooth, unblemished skin. She flicked her short brown hair out of her eyes with a swift jerk of her head.

”This Fire Demon’s the real problem. I can’t get close to it without getting burned, and it’s resistant to my debuffs. I can’t get them to stick longer than a few seconds.”

My gaze lingered on her bicep, tracing the burns and blisters responsible for the tightness around her eyes. ”I fought one just like it in the first Demon Gate. If you hold off the Blade Demon, Fable and I will take the fire one.”

”Are you sure? I thought you only took on a fourth-level demon commander there. Soltair bragged about it all the time, and–”

In a flash of silver blades, the stone wall shattered, cascading down on us in an avalanche of earth and stone. Fable wove around me, shielding me from the rockfall, the debris bouncing harmlessly off his silver pelt. I shrank against him, grateful for his protection. I could have blocked it, but expending some of my very limited mana on such a mundane threat was daunting when faced with a fifth-level demon.

”Fine, just let me know if you need help!” Korra cried. Before the cloud of dust had even settled, she lunged out, vanishing through the gaping hole in the Earth Wall. A moment later, the Blade Demon shrieked, the horrendous noise rising until it abruptly vanished, cut off by the Sound Ward.

”Wait, Korra...” my voice trailed off. She was already gone. Why hadn’t I healed her when I had the chance?

There was no time for regrets. Black flakes drifted through the air, singing my lungs with every breath. The remaining half of the Wall of Stone turned red and glassy, deforming as it took on the consistency of ooze. Just as it was beginning to slough off, a clawed hand, punched through the wall in a shower of stone. The hand flexed, shuddering with gathered power, and the entire wall exploded. Droplets of glowing lava filled the air, splattering across the ground and hissing angrily, rapidly cooling into beads of obsidian.

Blade Ward protected us from the physical impact of the micro meteors and lava shower, but the heat was literally unbearable. Despite barely a second passing since the demon broke through, my skin was red and angry, the air scorching my lungs. Simply breathing was like drinking fire, and I rapidly found myself growing faint. Letting Fable handle this one was no longer possible.

This time, I was forced to take action. ”Fire Shield!”

I double-cast the fourth-circle spell, and took a deep breath, almost crying in relief to find it cool and breathable. I’d suffered fiery torture at the hands of Byron and the Inquisitors, but those brief seconds in a veritable volcano eclipsed it all.

Through the rain of burning stone, I made out the hulking form of the Fire Demon. It was huge, perhaps twenty feet tall, with black, craggy plates of natural armor and curved, scythe-like claws. Fiery red light ran through the cracks like lava, the very air crackling and wavering from the extreme heat exuding from its core in waves.

The demon’s human-like eyes were burning coals, now familiar to me. I’d seen them in many different demons throughout my visions and the Fire Gate. And though this one was certainly powerful and impressive, it paled in sheer destruction, lust, and presence to the Fire Demon ravaging the eastern reaches of Brithlite. Compared to that monster, this seemed no more than an angry lizard. Well, a fire-breathing lizard, but certainly less imposing.

I tensed as the demon rose to its full height, gripping my staff tightly and readying a spell. It looked me over and snorted, then, unexpectedly, spoke. Its voice crackled and popped like a furnace, thick with disdain. ”So, you are this Daughter of Fate I’ve heard about. Pathetic.”

He spat on the ground, a thick wad of sizzling magma. My grip tightened around Fable’s neck, a shiver coursing through my body. I’d been the recipient of the rude gesture countless times, but receiving it at the hand of such a monstrous demon was truly unsettling. It was to...human.

”How do you know me?” There was a slight tremor in my voice, a hint of uncertainty. This demon knew something I had only learned several weeks ago, and told no one. Even the Charlatan might be unaware of it. So how could this random, fifth-level demon possibly know?

The demon took a step forward, his clawed foot sinking several inches into the stone, and smirked as I flinched. ”To think I was defeated by such a small, pitiful child. You’ve grown since then, filled out into the beauty he always said you were. After I’ve killed that water slut, I think I might even let you live. You’ll make a pretty pet, especially if it lets me get under his skin.”

He took another step forward, and Fable growled, lips curling over his teeth. I was practically trembling now, my tail twitching anxiously. Nothing the demon said made sense. Why did everyone I met want to claim me?

It was then truly glimpsed his soul, My eyes widened in shock, my lips parting a breathless gasp. ”What are you?”

”Ah, did I forget to introduce myself?” The demon asked, rearing up to his full height and puffing out his chest. ”I am Gayron, Apostle of Fire and leader.”

Apostle. A violent shudder traveled down my spine to the tip of my tail. I slid from Fable’s back and summoned my staff, holding tight in shaking hands.

”Knowing that, you choose to fight? It seems you are more tenacious than I gave you credit for,” Gayron said and let out a low chuckle ”In that case, I won’t mind reminding you of what true power looks like. Don’t mind me if that precious mutt of yours gets hurt. If you play with fire, expect to get burned. Of course, I will–”

”Link Ability: Adaptive Resistance.” I didn’t bother waiting for him to finish his threat, casting the third-circle spell without hesitation.

Before the demon could respond, Fable lunged forward, carrying out my unspoken command. Gayron was at the fifth level, Fable only at the peak of fourth, but in that moment, the demon faltered. His eyes widened in surprise as Fable streaked through the flickering flames of his aura, taking a step back but unable to avoid the attack.

Fable’s claws punched through his chest plates, digging out great gouges of fiery blood. Gayron’s scream cut off as the wolf scrambled up his chest and clamped down on his throat, releasing a fourth-level magical technique. The resulting blast of starry light knocked the towering demon off his feet, and they landed together in a heap of flashing claws and teeth.

With a shout, Gayron released a wave of power, blasting Fable off him. The wolf landed softly at my side, ears slicked back, a low growl reverberating in his throat. The demon stumbled to his feet, a clawed hand pressed to his chest. Blood flowed freely from the multitude of gashes lacing his chest, and his eyes smoldered with unrestrained hatred.

”Damn you!” he screamed, any semblance of control gone.

Mustering his strength, he launched himself forward, claws extended toward me. Fable leaped to intercept, bowling into him from the side, knocking them both to the side. One of the demon’s claws caught Fable on the side, tearing through his silver flur and flinging thick blood streams into the air. They both landed hard, far from each other, cratering the cobblestone streets and sending micro fissures spreading through the earth like snakes.

”Fable!” I cried, running forward. What had happened? Why hadn’t the Blade Ward stopped the demon’s claw?

The wolf struggled to his feet, heavily favoring his side. Blood splattered to the ground beneath him, flowing from the gaping hole in his side. I fell on him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and cast Restoration. He whimpered softly, nuzzling my head, eyes tight with pain.

As the green light danced over his wound, slowly drawing it closed, a tremendous wave of mana surged behind us. My tail stiffened, and I looked over my shoulder, eyes growing wide, reflecting the incoming wall of flame. It swept out to fill my vision, cascading toward us with the force of a raging volcano. A fifth-level spell.