The Forsaken Hero

Our journey wasn’t as long or hard as I anticipated. Instead of traveling blindly through the fringes of Sylvarus, fighting the forest every step of the way, the scouts of the Last Light Company led us to what seemed like an ancient elvish highway.

”The Verdant Loop,” one of their rangers, Avrass, said as we stepped onto the path.

The road was a hard-packed dirt and gravel scar winding through the forest. Unlike the dark, richly colored dirt beneath the roots, the color was a pale brown, like sand. Low-hanging branches swung just above my head, snapping against the scales of the taller demons, but it was wide enough for two, maybe three wagons. Or a single monstrous evolved demon. Given the numbers of our army, it would take hours to pass any given point, but it was still faster than braving the untamed wilds.

”Those storm demons,” Avrass said, scratching his chin. ”Are they yours to command, my Lady?”

I beckoned to Zephyriss, calling her through the mark. She glided over, doing a lazy flip before coming to a stop, hovering a few feet above us.

”You called?” she asked, looking curiously at the ranger.

Avrass swallowed hard, taking an unconscious step back. The demon lord’s aura was restrained, but there was little she could do about the sheer force of presence that accompanied all demon lords.

”Zephyriss, this is Avrass, our best scout.”

She looked him over, frowning slightly. ”This...mortal? You would rely on him over me?”

”No, nothing of the sort,” I said quickly. I twirled a strand of hair around my finger, struggling to meet her eyes. ”It’s just, um, I was hoping you could, you know, work together?”

Both came to a stop, turning to stare at me.

”You want me...” Avrass began.

”With a mortal?” Zephyriss growled.

”Isn’t that what you wanted to know?” I asked Avrass, gripping my skirt, taken aback by their angst. I’d suspected Zephyriss might be resistant to the idea, hence my insecurity, but why was Avrass so worked up? Demons had been among the last Light Company for a long time, now. Surely he was used to them.

”Well, yes, but I could never ask one so great to stoop the low station of scout,” Avrass said.

Elise sighed, speaking from behind me. ”If it bothers you so much, Zephyriss, why not assign some lesser evolved demons? Then you could remain patrolling the skies above us, ensuring Xiviyah’s safety.”

”Not a bad proposal,” Zephyriss said, her frown lessening. ”Would that satisfy you, Oracle?”

”O-of course. I never really meant it to be you, specifically,” I said, ducking my head. ”I just...thought it might be a good idea. The rangers know the terrain and where we’re headed, and the storm demons can fly. Isn’t that good for scouting?”

”The best, my Lady,” Avrass said. He bowed low to Zephyriss. ”And I would welcome any help you see fit to give one as humble as I. The Risen may be driven back, but the entire region’s destabilized. It’s hard to say what monsters might have been disturbed by the battles.”

Zephyriss waved her hand, sending a command through the mark. Seven fourth-level storm demons peeled out of the clouds above, crackling with sparks. Six of them still bore a resemblance to scions, the only difference being the power they’d accumulated. They were still too weak to acquire any unique abilities or even evolve individual physical traits. Their leader, a fifth-level, looked like a vaguely humanoid cloud, its lower half trailing into a wisp. Unlike the others, it was a light gray color and was constantly surrounded by a light mist of rain.

”I’ve instructed them to heed your verbal commands, though only this one is capable of human speech,” the demon lord said, gesturing to the remaining one.

Avrass swallowed hard, shifting on his feet. The demons stopped behind Zephyriss, scrutinizing the human.

”And they... understand me?” the ranger asked, tense.

”Naturally. At least, probably.” Zephyriss shrugged. ”At the very least, the rainy one does. Just talk to it and it’ll share your instructions with the rest. Do be careful about giving orders, however. Weaker demons lack a deep sense of reasoning, meaning they’re often helpless at improvising or complex thinking.”

”Got it. Simple orders.”

Avrass put his fear behind him and addressed the rainy demon, giving instructions for patrolling ahead and behind our army. I nudged Fable with my heels, encouraging him to get moving again. We’d fallen a little ways behind Korra, R’lissea, and Gayron, who led from the front with Incinderus.

”Oh, wait,” I said as we peeled away. ”Avrass, I wanted to ask. Where are the Star Guard and the demons I left here?”

Avrass broke off mid-sentence, turning to me. ”They’re in Brackencliff, my Lady. We’ve only got about three-fourths of the company here. The rest were left to defend the elves should another horde of Risen move through the area. We weren’t exactly planning on getting involved in a battle of that scale, merely hunting that lich down.”

I nodded my thanks and allowed Fable to accelerate. Elise patted my shoulder, smiling gently.

”Good job back there. I know it’s hard, but if you really plan on allowing both demons and mortals to serve you, it’s good to get started early,” she said.

I lowered my head, letting out a sigh. ”I was hoping they’d get along alright, like Fyren has.”

”Fyren is something of an outlier, I think. But even so, that didn’t go too badly. Just remember to make compromises for both sides. Until they feel comfortable trusting each other, they’ll try to curry your favor to gain the advantage for their faction.”

”Really? But that’s so...”

”Shallow?” Elise chuckled dryly. ”I’m afraid that’s politics for you.”

”Maybe it won’t be this time, right?”

She gave me a flat look, and I wilted, my tail drooping.

”I know, it’s just...I wish everyone could get along. We have so many enemies already, from the inquisitors to the curse demons.”

”What demons? Didn’t you defeat Rash’alon?” she asked.

”Maybe, but I have a feeling he won’t give up on my divinity so easily. But either way, I hope I can rely on you to help me with the demons and the Last Light. You’re so much better at that than I.”

”Always.”

Her answer was curt and confident, with no hesitation. I nodded and turned back to the forest road, watching as it passed us by. Visibility was limited, but soon, the road began to slope up, the lingering hills of the Arboreal Plains rising into the mountains of Sylvarus.

Even after we caught up to the others, I sat quietly, absentmindedly stroking Fable, petting Borealis, or rubbing my horn. There was much to think about, much to plan, and so little time. Front of my mind was the shards. A few days had already passed, and Luke’s deadline was looming. Brackencliff had a shard, but getting access to it was already going to be a chore. And once we did, there was no guarantee I would be able to find the mage at the World Barrier’s core.

The evening wore into the night, and I curled up against Elise, drifting asleep to the gentle rhythm of Fable’s strides. But there was no rest in sleep, for as soon as my eyes closed, I was opening them again in my soul space. Visions came and went as I reached for every memory I had of the southern continent, searching for any mage powerful enough to sustain the ninth-level spell. I’d met a handful of said mages, from Nithalee to the Grand Inquisitor, but none of the visions showed anything resembling what I guessed the World Barrier to look like.

I awoke to someone shaking me, and slowly blinked my eyes open. I’d fallen almost entirely backwards, my head resting in Elise’s lap. She smiled at me, smoothing the hair out of my face. I yawned and nuzzled my cheek against her skirt, having no desire to sit up.

”Good morning. Find anything?” she asked.

”No, nothing,” I admitted. ”I even saw Verity, but she actually noticed me this time. She used a magic item and kicked me out.”

”Looks like you don’t have a monopoly on fate anymore,” she said.

I shook my head. ”Never did. Remember the barrier over Blacksand? This felt a lot like that, just smaller.”

”The barrier...” she tapped her chin, tilting her head. ”Those are expensive to make, right?”

”Very. The most powerful magic items are. Not just in resources, but in mages capable of creating them. Like those arrows, they used to silence our magic when they ambushed us. The reason Lord Evlon didn’t use them to attack us with the Risen is probably because they don’t have any left, and don’t have anyone to produce them on the Northern Continent.”

”Good riddance,” she said, shaking her head. ”Those things are terrifying. But still, they had plenty of time and resources on the southern continent. What if they created another giant ward to protect the person sustaining the spell?”

”But that would be...gods, you’re right,” I gasped, sitting up. My stomach twisted at the thought. Nothing I could think of refuted it. Why wouldn’t they? Even if it left the mage blind and crippled, they could do more holding the barrier than casting a hundred ninth-circle spells.

”How could we find something like that? Just check every city until your visions fail?” she asked.

”There’s no way. I’ve only ever traveled around Radia, but even if I could picture every city, the continent is huge. There are just too many of them,” I said.

”So what are we going to do?”

I shook my head, voice falling to a whisper. ”I don’t know. I just don’t know.”