The Forsaken Hero

The devastation of the city was far worse than I’d before restoring my sight. Evidence of the earthquakes, shockwaves, and battle were everywhere. Houses were reduced to crumbling shells, their walls listing precariously, the ground littered with shards of glass. Even the magical streetlights were dark, making it difficult to navigate the streets, which were choked with rubble from collapsed buildings. Fires flickered in the distance, casting an eerie glow on the thick plumes of smoke that rose from every corner of abandoned sections of the city.

My vision had shown nearly a third of the city evacuated, but it hardly seemed enough. The empire wasn’t as ruthless as I’d initially believed, but still... if I hadn’t intervened, tens of thousands would have perished. Were they truly so desperate that they’d gamble the lives of an entire city for a chance to defeat us and slow the demon horde?

My gaze drifted upward to the lone skyship hovering above the central keep. Its mana cannons were dark, but the souls blazing atop its decks were blinding. If Luke truly threatened their hold on the region, they wouldn’t hesitate to turn those cannons on the city and obliterate him, innocent lives be damned.

I tightened my grip on my staff and started toward the city center. My legs were unsteady after the healing and from disuse, but I quickly gained strength and confidence, and soon walked with only a slight limp. Gusts of wind buffeted the streets, generated by whatever battle raged beyond the horizon, Dragging my hair in crimson waves behind me. The light of Adaptive Resistance continued to emanate from my skin, filling the street with a flickering, golden glow.

As I neared an intersection, I froze, ears twitching. The clank of steel floated on the wind, sending shivers down my spine.

”Spread out and search the homes!” came a man’s rough voice.

I ducked into an alley, heart pounding. Footsteps drew near, sounding as thick and numerous as an army. Faint waves of mana drifted through fate, causing my soul to tingle. The sensation grew worse, and I swooned, leaning my head back against the hard stone wall behind me.

Images flickered against the back of my eyelids, giving me glimpses of a squadron of armored soldiers. There were close to thirty of them, with souls anywhere from third to fifth level. A sixth-level mage rode on a horse in the middle of it, wearing the crest of a captain.

The pictures dissipated and I slumped, panting hard. My eyes cracked open, blinking in the violet light, and I screwed them shut again. The Oracle of Eternity continued to burn, sending tingles racing through my soul, giving me an impression of the approaching souls.

I smoothed a hand over my horn, collecting myself with a deep breath. There was no way I could hide with this Adaptive Resistance lighting me up like a torch. I could investigate whatever the Oracle of Eternity was doing after dealing with the soldiers.

I mustered my mana and began to soulcast, retreating further into the shadows of the alley. The soldiers drew close, rank after rank marching past the entrance. As none glanced my way, I started to relax but stiffened, as in the third rank, a soldier’s gaze happened to snag on mine. He froze, but just as he opened his mouth to shout, the man behind him collided with him, sending them both sprawling.

”There she is!” the fallen soldier cried, scrambling to his knees and pointing. ”She’s in the alley!”

I tightened my grip on my staff, retreating further as the ranks dissolved into chaos. Soldiers drew their weapons, jostling for a view, but none seemed eager to enter the alley. Just a few more seconds...

The mage captain’s horse shoved through the throng of armored bodies. The mage raised his hand, shouting a spell, and a blazing ball of sun magic erupted overhead. I flinched as the light slammed against Adaptive Resistance. It was only a fourth-circle spell, but just being close to such raw sun magic made my skin crawl.

”Surrender, filthblood!” the mage roared, brandishing his wand. ”Or I’ll be forced to subdue you. You’ve caused us a great deal of trouble, and I can’t guarantee my men will be gentle. In fact, they might just require some... compensation.”

His men calmed, breaking out into lascivious smirks. Their leers crawled over my body, lingering on the exposed skin of my chest and thighs. My tail curled around my leg, but I tightened my grip on my staff and met his gaze.

”Please, I don’t want to fight you.” My voice trembled, but I met his gaze unflinching. ”Take your families and flee. This city is lost, and I–”

”Good. I was hoping you’d resist. Seize her!” the captain cried.

He lowered his wand and released a streak of dazzling light at my chest, chasing away the alley’s shadows. It disappeared the instant it passed into the starry light, leaving the mage staring at me, mouth agape.

The alley was large enough for two soldiers to squeeze in side by side, pauldrons scraping against the stone walls. They sheathed their sword and advanced toward me, gauntlets raised menacingly. Their grins caused me to shudder, my tail rustling, but I raised my staff toward them.

”Quick, grab her!” one shouted as the crystal star erupted in light.

”Elemental Spirit: Earth!”

Both lunged forward, crossing the distance between us in the blink of an eye. I tried to retreat, but they were too quick. I let out an involuntary squeak as my wards flared up beneath their hands, stopping them just inches from my throat.

”Break it! She can’t have much mana left!” the mage roared.

The soldiers threw themselves forward again, but jerked to a halt. Their eyes bulged as two huge fists made of cobblestone rose from the ground, clutching them around the waist.

”What the hell?” one shouted, slamming the pommel of his sword into an earthen finger. The impact jolted his sword out of his hand, but the fist remained unshaken.

The street flowed toward the elemental spirit, moving like water beneath the soldier’s feet. They screamed and toppled to the ground, smashing into one another as they desperately fought to escape the tide of earth and rubble. The spirit rose in the air above them, taking on a bipedal, thirty-foot-tall body, its head above the roofs of the nearest buildings.

”Kill them,” I whispered, averting my eyes.

Two screams rang out as the spirit crushed the soldiers struggling in its grip. There was a moment of stunned silence as they fell with a clang before the others regained their senses.

”Bring it down!” the captain roared, ”Target its ankles first, then attack the core!”

The soldiers regained a semblance of control and fell into ranks. The largest ones, holding maces and war hammers, charged the elemental. A few sun and fire magic blasts roared over their heads, enveloping the spirit in light. My hand twitched as I instinctively wanted to link it with Adaptive Resistance, but I let go of my mana. Even if the mage was sixth-level, earth elementals were among the most resilient creatures. As long as I didn’t give him to properly cast a sixth-circle spell, there would be nothing he could do.

The elemental spirit met the soldiers’ charge with a massive, spiked foot, kicking the leader of the group. The impact tore through the soldier’s breastplate and sent him spinning back, spraying blood as he slammed into a nearby building. The elemental swung its hand, crushing another soldier’s head before any could even reach its massive body.

A blast of ice launched over their head, striking the spirit’s chest and causing it to turn toward a mage. A soldier took advantage of its brief lapse to slam his hammer down on its ankle, unleashing a burst of fifth-level mana. The resounding crack echoed through the street, and cracks spiderwebbed up the elemental’s leg. It retaliated with a swift kick, obliterating the man’s arm, but several more landed solid blows. The spirit stumbled back, trampling through a house, but the rubble clung to its body, flowing to reinforce the damaged areas.

I retreated, tail flicking nervously, as the fight raged and more soldiers fell. The mages grew desperate, their spells increasing in size and power. I didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire. Even if my defenses could withstand the direct spell, a collapsing wall would damage my wards, requiring mana to repair. After casting the Elemental Spirit, I couldn’t afford a reckless loss like that.

The fight reached an abrupt conclusion as the Spirit lunged over the heads of the front line, landing directly atop the sixth-level captain. His wards shattered beneath its massive weight, giving him just enough time to scream before he was buried beneath a literal mountain of earth and stone. The other mages stared in shock at his death, allowing the spirit to crush several more before they reacted.

Without the mage’s support, the elemental made quick work of the rest of the soldiers. A few tried to flee, but it stomped on the ground, and the street turned to mud. The soldiers tripped and fell, and the ground hardened again, freezing them in place. I covered my eyes, shrinking back into the alley, as the spirit approached and casually stomped each one to death.

Just like that, silence returned to the abandoned streets. A sixth-level mage, several fifth-level, and a whole squad of third and fourth-level soldiers dead. And the elemental hadn’t even lost half its durability.