The Forsaken Hero

”Should we make a break for it?” Korra asked, looking over the billowing clouds of darkness at the wall behind them.

I shook my head and let out a long, defeated sigh. ”There’s no point. They’re already locked on to you, and their spell is stronger than Adaptive Resistance or they wouldn’t have been able to cast it on you in the first place. I might be able to break it with a targeted Dispel Magic, but my soul...it hurts.”

She jolted in surprise. ”They’re tracking my soul? Are you sure you can’t-no, never mind. I know you’re doing your best, and you would if you could.”

I nodded, but her words did little to make me feel better. Powerful presences appeared one after the other in the courtyard below, multiplying until their combined souls glowed so brightly it nearly overpowered the stifling darkness.

The surviving crowds of refugees surged away from the mustering army of demons. Terrified screams finally split apart the dreadful silence as they caught sight of glowing red eyes, gleaming blades, and flickering fires within the shadows.

I frowned as the demons remained in the cloud, showing remarkable restraint instead of attacking the civilians. Perhaps it was because they were all above fourth-level, and thus evolved demons. Scions had much self-discipline, and would usually go berserk the moment they sensed refined mana in a soul. Even so, a force this powerful might be able to take the keep by themselves, especially now that they were within the ranks of the city.

There was little chance that this was their objective, or why teleport exactly to where we were on the fringe of the city? With that in mind, I swallowed my fear and patted Fable’s flank. He glanced at me, a question in his eyes, but I merely nodded.

”Let’s see what they want.”

Without further hesitation, he slipped off the guard house and landed lithely on the cracked paving stones, a silver shadow against the shadowy tendrils writhing throughout the courtyard. The last of the humans fled at our appearance, leaving us alone with nearly two score demons.

I could feel their eyes gathering on us as we slipped off Fable’s back. I summoned my staff in a burst of starlight and held it in both hands horizontally across my waist. It was tempting to lean on it for support, but I felt that showing weakness now wouldn’t do us any favors, so I bore the pain with a stalwart face. This much was nothing compared to the agonies I’d suffered before, not to mention the anguish tearing at my heart for Sari and Elise. Even now I didn’t know if the young foxkin had made it, and could only pray.

”It seems you’ve been abandoned,” a cold voice echoed out of the darkness. ”I was hoping for two heroes, but I suppose I can settle for one. The Water Hero, is it?”

I stiffened in surprise at the voice, recognizing the speaker as Luke, the Apostle of the Descent. However, unlike the normal warm, almost friendly voice he addressed me in, his tone was low and dangerous, reflecting the cruelty anyone would attach to the leader of the demon hordes. Korra frowned as well, and we both shivered as a powerful aura swept the darkness away, revealing the demons.

The small army was a mix of blade, curse, and fire demons, the weakest being fourth level. Some of them were huge, easily thirty feet tall, with cruelly twisted horns and claws longer than my arm. A few were lightly armored and carried staffs or wands, with fewer still holding actual weapons. The burning coals of their eyes fastened on me the moment the darkness faded, seething with lustful hunger for my soul.

Luke’s voice came again. ”Surround them. Leave no opportunity for escape, we’re settling this here.”

The demons sprang into motion, moving so quickly they seemed to disappear and reappear in various positions around the courtyard. The larger ones blocked the streets, while a few spider-like blade demons clawed their way atop the larger buildings, staring down at us imperiously. Flames filled the air with acrid smoke

The entire force oozed killing intent, sending a shudder down my spine and tail. I kept my composure save for my tail, which flicked nervously behind me. My wards were gone, broken by the Dead Wing soldier, and both Korra and I were completely exhausted. She’d acted strong and cavalier in the bar and now, but I could tell her fight with Grace had drained her. We were in no condition to face something of this magnitude.

”Move in and engage. I’ll finish the hero with an eight-circle–”

Luke’s voice died in his throat as the smoke finally parted and his gaze found me. His mouth worked soundlessly for a second as his tail stiffened with shock. Everything else seemed to fade into the background as we locked eyes, two demonkin in a world of ash and shadow. His eyes were....captivating, so dark they drew the light toward them, devoid of even a glistening reflection. So unlike my own, which shone with soft golden light and sparkled with stars.

He held a dull black staff held loosely in his hand. A pure black onyx stone hovered just above the tip of the black rod, acting just like his eyes, drawing the light into its darkness. Gone was the flowing black cloak I’d always seen him in, in its place was leather armor with a graceful cape, both black as his staff. His dark hair was tidy, short enough it covered only the base of his graceful horns and pointed ears.

His infernal attributes were harsher than mine, but they were...nice. His face was handsome, too, with the thin white scar that cut through his left eye only adding to his masculine appearance. In the year since we last met in the flesh, he had filled out some, losing the awkward scrawniness and gaining the fine, toned muscles of a warrior.

Korra nudged me, and I tore my eyes from the black-haired demonkin, blushing a bit despite myself. We were enemies, and he was here to kill us. No matter how he’d treated me in the past, I was nothing more than an idle curiosity, like an interesting bug or spell. I had to remember that, or I would end up feeling betrayed again and blame him for it, even if he didn’t deserve it. He’d never been an ally or friend, after all. I couldn’t let what happened with Levin and Alverin, and their lies, hurt me again.

”You’re hunting me?” Korra asked, answering Luke’s original question.

Luke’s eyes lingered on me a second longer before he regained his composure and faced Korra, his eyes as cold and merciless as before. ”Hunting? Does a wolf hunt an ant? I am here to crush those who might stand in our way, to cripple the gods’ slaves before they have time to fully mature.”

Korra snorted. ”Wolf, ant? What, you saw Fable and said the first thing that came to your mind?”

Luke’s eyes narrowed, but his tail was still. He held much greater control over it than I did, making me feel a little envious. ”You’re a lot weaker than I anticipated. I was worried about you vermin growing more powerful then we could handle, but now I see my fears were in vain. How is it a hero can only be fifth-level this late in the game?” he asked, returning her barb with venom of his own. ”I imagine the one that got away might have proved a challenge, but you?”

”Ah, so you were really after Grace,” Korra said knowingly. ”Sorry, you got caught with us instead. Tough.”

”No matter, I plan on killing every hero by the end. It simply means my preparation was a little overkill this time,” Luke said, sweeping his hand around the encirclement of demons. As his hand returned to his side, his face remained passive and expressionless, but I tensed as his soul began gathering mana. If I didn’t do something, he would give the order to attack, and it would be over.

”Luke, you don’t have to do this. We’re not a part of your war,” I said pleadingly.

”Such disrespect from a lesser spawn. Prostrate yourself and beg for mercy from the most distinguished Apostle or you shall suffer in your inevitable death,” a blade demon beside Luke spat. It was similar to the one that had brought Korra and me together in Heartland, yet nearly twice again the size. A sixth-level evolved demon, judging by the strength of its soul.

”Enough, Keen Edge,” Luke said, holding up his hand. ”Have you forgotten that I too am a ’lesser spawn?’”

The blade demon froze, a discordant hum running through its blades like a human shiver. ”Forgive me, milord, I meant no offense. It simply irks me to see these mortals,” it spat the word like a curse, ”standing before your greatness. Would it not be better to make them kneel and beg for their worthless lives?”

Luke’s tail twitched exactly once, and, suddenly, the blade demon stood alone. All the others nearest it had somehow retreated several steps in an instant, leaving a wide space around it. The demon’s blades hummed nervously and it lowered what served as its head in submission.

”You’re hurt,” Luke said, suddenly eying my injuries. I was hopeful for a moment, but there was no concern in his voice, simply wariness mixed with a touch of curiosity. ”You truly fought the humans?”

I nodded in response, and it was Korra who said, ”They stood in our way and threatened Xiviyah. What else were we to do?”

Luke pondered that for a second, then abruptly looked up. I flinched as his dark, piercing eyes landed on my face, tracing over the dried blood and cut on my cheek. ”They still haven’t accepted you, then. I suspected as much, and yet you still choose to live among them?”

His words struck something in me, and I looked down, twisting my skirt in my hands. ”What else can I do? I don’t want to be alone...”

Luke’s eyes widened slightly. ”Alone?”