The Forsaken Hero

Ripples of unease washed through the stone of Blue Canyon, a tremor in response to the gathering storm above. The sky above the city dimmed, not with clouds, but with an oppressive presence that blotted out the warmth of the sun. Frigid winds spiraled out of the magic circles in cyclonic gales, battering stalls, shattering windows, and tearing the rooves off houses. White fingers of frost crept across the streets and walls, encasing everything in a shining skin of ice. It was all I could do to cast an Ice Shield to keep from freezing.

In the heart of the spiraling storm, a serpentine shape emerged, obscured by the whipping winds and mists of ice. There was a flash of gold as a titanic, glimmering eye opened, staring imperious down on the city. My skin prickled as its gaze found me, singling me out among all the chaos of the city. Every hair on my body stood on end as my chest tightened and tail stiffened, and I found myself unable to so much as breathe.

A sharp crack echoed through the canyon and the snake’s eye faded, becoming translucent, less tangible. I gasped as it released me from its hold, pressing a hand to my chest a my thudding heart sent pulses of pain through the Sunpurge on my shoulder and side. Another crack followed the first, a sound like shattering glass, and I mustered the strength to look skyward again.

The magic circles warped and buckled, jagged cracks spiderwebbing across their once-pristine lines. The runes blazed chaotically, struggled to contain the absurd amounts of volatile energy crackling through the array. The sheer volume of mana eclipsed not only what was required for the spell, but also what I had cast into it, an unnatural conglomeration of my power and a foreign tide of infernal mana.

As the circle was consumed by entropy, the serpent within continued to fade. Whatever had just tried to come through the summoning circles was far stronger than the spell permitted, and even the extra reinforcement it must have provided was insufficient to support its tremendous presence for more than a few seconds. The aura alone had transcended the theoretical limits of an Elemental Spirit, touching the lower realms of eighth level.

All at once, mana began to empty out of the array, seeming to vanish entirely into thin air. The summoned spirit collapsed in on itself, shrinking and condensing until it regained a tangible form. Once the mana lowered to something resembling a normal sixth circle spell, the circles flashed once and vanished, resolving at last.

Where the titanic serpent had coiled, a tiny dot remained. It plunged downwards, blurring into a decidedly human form sculpted from flawless diamond, or perhaps the heart of a glacier. In less than a heartbeat, it came to a stop just inches above the ruined street, radiating waves of cold that cracked the paving stones for a dozen feet in all directions. The spirit was entirely a translucent, monochromatic icy blue, yet the detail was astonishing, far exceeding any spirit I’d summoned before. It took the form of a hulking man clad in full plate armor that shimmered like frosted glass. His face, framed by flowing, icy hair, was strong and handsome, yet a shiver ran down my spine as my gaze met his. His eyes, smoldering like molten pools of sapphire, were alive, radiating an enigmatic warmth and intelligence. His soul burned at the peak of sixth level, suffocating the air with the same intensity as the inquisitor standing openmouthed just a few dozen feet away.

Intimidated by the spirit’s presence, I stumbled back a step. A searing pain lanced up my side as I shifted my weight onto my injured hip, and the ravaged muscles collapsed. I cried out in agony as the world spun, another flash of black crossing my vision. When my vision finally cleared, I was staring into a translucent face creased with concern. A sharp gasp escaped me as I realized I hadn’t fallen at all, but was cradled in two strong arms. The spirit had caught me?

Before I could fully grasp the situation, a torrent of pressure tore toward us. Still holding me close with one arm, the spirit raised its free hand and released a channeled burst of mana, the air rippling as it parted the incoming aura like a river around a rock.

The inquisitor stood atop a giant chunk of rubble, staring down at us. ”An awakened ice spirit? No, that can’t be right...just what the hell did you summon?”

I shook my head and opened my mouth, but was unable to find a voice to the question. All I could think of was that the spirit’s arms were firm, and safe, and not at all cold. Its soul was strangely comforting as well. Spirits weren’t supposed to have souls, not like a person’s, and yet the cycle of mana was...familiar. As similar to my own as Fables.

A thrill of unease ran through me as the spirit gently touched my side, caressing near the Sunpurge. His crystalline fingers were smooth and glassy, cool against my bare skin, sending a shudder down my spine and tail. After a moment, he withdrew his hand and tightened it into a fist, and raised his head to stare at the inquisitor. And then, it spoke.

”You dare hurt the Star Mother?”

The spirit’s voice was pure and melodic, like tinkling crystal, yet the condemnation buried within was cold and hard as a glacier. It wasn’t so much a question as an accusation.

The inquisitor paled with shock and his hand tightened on the haft of his spear. Had I not already been white from blood loss, I would have looked much the same. Spirits couldn’t speak. They weren’t intelligent, sentient. They just weren’t!

Fable alighted beside us, stumbling on the landing. Blood ran off his coat in thick streams of gore, tainting his glossy, silver fur. Most of it was human blood, but I gasped, tracing the long, vicious lacerations on his legs and flank with my eyes. He sank to the ground and summoned the nimbus of stars, shrinking down to conserve energy.

As the glowing light faded, the inquisitor scoffed. ”Your mutt was rather fun to play with. It’s been a long time since I’ve been challenged by an infernal monster like that. Given another few months of growth, he might have been able to evenly contend with me.” His smile arced cruelly. ”All the more reason to end this quickly. You’ve proven yourself too dangerous to be left alive. I suppose you’ll be out of cards once I kill that abomination?” he asked, gesturing toward the ice spirit.

My tail twitched back and forth, and I clutched my hands together anxiously. The spirit, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the inquisitor, stepped in front of me. The inquisitor raised an eyebrow as it held out its hand, fingers grasping as though gripping empty air. Small droplets of mana condensed in the air and flowed together like water, freezing into a glittering sword.

”I won’t stand by and watch you insult the Star Mother any longer. Retract the words you have spoken or perish by my hand,” the spirit said with solemnity.

The inquisitor was silent for a moment, before breaking out into a low chuckle. His voice practically dripped with disdain as he said, ”You, a mere summoned aberration, think you can kill me? This spear has slain seventh-level monsters before, and it certainly won’t fail me now.”

”So be it,” the spirit spoke. It glanced at Fable and its face warmed, the light of kinship in its eyes. ”Protect her, Starblessed, and see her far from this place. I shall vanquish this dishonorable foe and return the hurt he has inflicted on our precious master.”

His words muddled in my mind, the words and manner of speaking completely foreign, yet Fable dipped his great head in understanding. Before I could protest, he wove around me in a tight circle, knocking me off balance and catching me on his back. I groaned as his fur whispered across the Sunpurge, biting my lip and holding back tears. When the pain receded and I recovered my senses, we were bounding through the city.

Moisture gathered in my eyes again, not from pain, but from a desperate wrench in my heart. Just what was this spirit, and why was it so willing to protect me? It fearlessly stepped before an opponent stronger than itself, and for what? So I could run and abandon it? I didn’t know it, or what it wanted, but fleeing as it took on the inquisitor sent a spike of pain through me. Even so, I gripped Fable’s fur tightly in my hands and forced the feelings away. Survival was all that mattered right now. I could apologize and beg its forgiveness later.

Before we could clear the rubble of the fortress, the first shockwaves of the battle overtook us. I glanced over my shoulder to see the spirit trading blows with the inquisitor, their bodies and weapons blurring faster than my eyes could track. They fought evenly at first, but by the end of the first exchange, it was the inquisitor who was forced back a step. His superior strength and speed were wasted as he was forced onto the defensive. The spirit’s sword was slow compared to him, yet it moved in unpredictable arcs, always attacking from an unexpected angle.

”Damn it!”

The inquisitor cursed as a small cut appeared on his cheek, the first injury he had suffered since the battle began. He jumped back thirty feet and raised his hand, rapidly chanting the words of a sixth-circle spell. The spirit responded with a magical technique, raising his hand and releasing a burst of ice in a hemisphere around him.

The inquisitor’s lips curled in a smile as he shouted the final words of the chant. ”Explosive Cascade!”

I shuddered as a shockwave of pure mana accompanied the completion of the spell. Once, this very spell had threatened the lives of myself and the last light company, cast by a mysterious demonkin on our way to the Ice Gate. It was meant for war, a so-called large-scale destruction spell. What was the inquisitor thinking using it in a populated city? There was no way the tens of thousands of civilians had all managed to evacuate in time!

But as I began to worry for the innocents, another thought struck me. Korra!