The Forsaken Hero

Was this the power of six-circle spells? My mouth dropped at the staggering amount of mana present in the spell, far overwhelming anything I’d experienced. The massive magic circle rotated slowly, hundreds of feet above the arena, and emitted a terrifying aura. Chunks of rock and fire materialized within, clumping together to form a solid mass at the center. Even with my mind muddied with pain, I knew we couldn’t survive this.

Soltair slashed toward me, releasing a wave of light from his sword. I turned, open-mouthed as it flew above my head and into the descending sword of Kirla. She’d gotten within striking distance without me noticing, and would surely have landed a finishing blow.

The elf screamed as her sword was blown away and she was sent tumbling through the air. A hollow grunt escaped her lips as she hit the ground, rolling several dozen feet. I breathed a sigh of relief as she tried to get up, but failed. Niece screamed and fired a few arrows, but Soltair was already at my side. He deflected the shots and raised his hand, unleashing a third-circle spell. A golden burst of light swept the archer off her feet and smashed her against the arena wall, sending thick cracks running through the reinforced stone. The archer cried out as her arm bent at a horrific angle, the shattered bone breaking the skin and leaving her crippled.

I turned to Rochelle, but it became apparent we had nothing to fear. She remained in the same position, covered in blood and staring blankly at a cracked crystal in her hand. It took me a moment to realize it was the focus of her staff, which lay in splinters around her. I almost felt bad, as the weapon obviously meant a lot to her, but her previous arrogance kept me callous.

An immense pressure overshadowed us, and I was abruptly reminded of the meteor. ”Soltair!”

”I see it,” he said, gripping his sword tightly. I shifted nervously, finally able to behold the full majesty of a sixth circle spell. According to Selena, this was when magic really started getting scary.

The meteor was fifty feet of craggy rock and fire, blazing with the fury of a raging volcano and overshadowing everything within the colosseum. With a triumphant look, Ronin slashed his spear down, and the magic circle disappeared. The meteor shuddered as gravity seized it and plunged downward, rapidly blotting out the entire sky. The rushing wind overpowered the roar of the crowd, but I could still see the thousands of shocked and excited expressions heralding the mighty spell’s descent.

I ran through our options, but came up dry. Even if I was stronger than Ronin, I lacked the mana to use Dispel Magic. Reflection was out of the question. There was no way a third-circle spell could contain something of that magnitude. Even if it could, Ronin himself would be unlikely to survive it. I recalled hearing that powerful wards protected the lives of anyone in the colosseum, but were they really accounting for this?

A comforting hand fell on my shoulder, and I looked to find Soltair calmly gazing upward. ”You can rely on me,” he said, lips rising into a confident smile.

I nodded, and took a deep breath. Of course he could handle something like this. He was the Sun Hero, after all. Despite his reassurance, butterflies churned in my stomach as he took a step forward. Ronin wasn’t idle either, and charged forward, spear and sword extended.

”I’ve got this!” I cried, using some of my remaining mana to cast an Aegis. Ronin’s weapons clashed against the Aegis, shattering it, but the spell took away his momentum and he stumbled to a stop.

Soltair closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just moments from the meteor’s impact, they flashed open, and he released a pressure far greater than even the meteor’s. Streams of light erupted around him, casting a blinding veil over the entire Colosseum. When my sight returned, I caught a glimpse of Soltair as he kicked off the ground. He disappeared, and I looked around wildly, finally finding him above the meteor. Was that just an afterimage? A long trail of light traced a line from his sword’s tip to the ground, passing through the center of the meteor.

Before anyone could react, a deafening roar shook the colosseum and the meteor exploded. Chunks of burning rock rained from the sky, strafing the entire ground of the colosseum. As ricocheting fragments reflected back into the air, they caught on some sort of forcefield, which flashed into sight momentarily whenever it blocked something. At least the audience was safe.

A rock struck the ground beside, sending a plume of ash into the air. The hot cinders filled my lungs, prompting me to cast an Aegis. Immediately after, more rocks pelted the spell, but none made it through.

A sudden thought struck me, and I turned to see Kirla vanishing into a series of white lights. The other two elf girls joined her, saved moments before flaming rocks killed them. So there was that kind of mechanism.

Soltair landed on the ground, sword leveled at Ronin. Despite his overbearing Aura, I could see his legs trembling. His face was pale and he looked as though he’d fall over at any moment. Whatever that last attack was, it drained a lot of mana. I struggled to my feet and stood beside him, hoping my presence brought some him some strength

”Do you dare to continue?” he asked, maintaining his confident act. ”I doubt you have enough mana to do something like that again. Not without your companions to distract me.”

Ronin looked at him for a moment, then his eyes narrowed. ”Of course. What have I to fear from a half-dead hero and his slut?”

The crowd remained quiet, absorbed in the uncertain tension. Only I alone could see the War Hero was also putting up a front. That last spell had drained most of his mana, leaving him no better off than we were. No, wait, was he slowly regenerating?

I grabbed what little mana I had left and cast Life Dew. The restorative water gathered in beads on my hand, soaking into my skin. I gasped as a terrible itch crawled through my body, concentrating on where I suffered the most damage. Blackened skin cracked and peeled away from my chest, revealing soft, pink skin beneath.

The newly healed skin contrasted against the scorched shreds of my dress, and I covered my exposed chest as Soltair turned, staring at me. I expected the prying eyes of the crowd, but to think he would display such obvious indecency at a time like this wa-

”When did you learn Life Magic?” he asked.

I looked down, a crimson blush staining my cheeks as I realized my assumptions were off. Good, glad he wasn’t so-wait, was I feeling disappointed?

”Let’s finish this,” I said quickly, adjusting my dress before casting a few spells.

I placed another Aegis on him, followed up with the spell Sure Strike, which added a layer of luck to his attacks. Like many of the other Fate spells, the books weren’t too clear on how it functioned, leaving only vague comments and promises.

”I won’t lose to someone like you!” Ronin said, gripping his weapons tightly. He slashed the air with his sword, sending a crimson arc of magic slicing toward us.

I relaxed as Soltair rushed forward, catching the attack on the Aegis. The spell shuddered but held, allowing him to get within melee distance.

As a heated exchange of blows took place, Soltair proved his ability and pushed Ronin to the brink. But, as time passed, he slowly fell on the defensive. The longer the fight dragged on, the stronger Ronin seemed to become. A bloody mist surrounded him, and his eyes turned darker and darker, eventually becoming pool’s of dried blood.

Through the Eyes of Fate, I could make out a web-like structure of runes covering his body, feeding him speed and power. The magic lacked magic circles, meaning this must be one of the War Hero’s special abilities. Did it strengthen him the longer a fight dragged out?

”Soltair, we need to end this now!” I cried.

”Too late!” Ronin said, a triumphant smile on his face. ”Taste my ultimate power! Blood Reckoning!”

His spear drew in the Crimson mist, absorbing it all until only his eyes remained dark. The gleaming steel point turned a blackish-red and emanated a stifling pressure, greater even than the Meteor.

As his spear shot forward, Soltair shouted, and a golden nimbus sprung up around him. The Aegis took the first hit, shattering immediately and without truly dampening the blow. It was too much to ask for a first-circle spell to hold something of six-circle power.

The golden light around Soltair fared slightly better, but it vanished after consuming barely half of the spear’s magic. He tried to parry, and my heart leaped in my throat as his sword was blown away.

”Die!” Ronin cried, thrusting at Soltair’s neck.

Time seemed to slow down, with the spear point creeping inch by inch. Soltair eyes locked with mine, and he gave me an encouraging smile. I’d experienced it enough to know he had given up. No, this couldn’t be the end. He couldn’t be defeated!

I grasped at empty air, reaching for him as the spear struck his throat. He screamed as blood spurted from the puncture, and collapsed to the ground. I couldn’t watch, but my eyes refused to close. The spear ripped through his throat, emerging from the other side of his neck. He clutched at the wound feebly and dropped to his knees, face contorted in pain. Despite the pain, he forced himself to look at me. His lips opened with a spurt of blood, and his lips formed words without sound. As he collapsed, the colosseum enchantments activated, bringing him out of the arena in a flash of light. A deadly silence choked the air as he vanished, and the crowd watched with bated breath.

”To think it ended so easily,” Ronin smirked, holding the pose a moment before retrieving his spear with a dramatic twirl and pointing it at me. Soltair’s blood dripped from the spear point, running down the haft and staining the War Hero’s gauntlets. ”I guess that just leaves you.”