The Forsaken Hero

The skies behind Bluekeep Fortress churned and roiled, a vortex of dark clouds shot through with veins of molten gold. The storm was small but intense, a driving mass of thunderheads that speared directly toward the city. Lightning danced across the sky, each strike a brilliant explosion of light that illuminated monstrous silhouettes hidden in the clouds. The thunder that followed was a deep, guttural growl, shaking the city to its core.

”Is that what I think it is?” Korra muttered to herself.

I shook my head, pursing my lips as I analyzed the incoming storm. This was as much an ordinary storm as the Anomaly’s blizzard, which still buffeted the city from the portal high above. Mana laced within every electric eruption, fueling the light show and bringing the clouds ever nearer.

”Lady Xiviyah, what are your orders?” Bethiv asked, looking up at the storm, worry apparent in his gaze.

My tail twitched uncertainly at his words, the pressure and expectation of the company resting heavily on my shoulders. I didn’t know what this thing was, why it was here, or even if it was an enemy. I looked at Korra for help, but her gaze was fixed on the storm, almost seeming to stare through the clouds at whatever lay in its heart.

”I-I don’t know,” I whispered, biting my lip.

Bethiv nodded. To my relief, he didn’t seem the least bit disappointed with my lack of confidence.

”Then we’ll continue as we have been. It’s not like we can abandon the shard anyway, not when my soldiers are still out there. By Gith’s estimate, we’ll need to hold on for at least another ten minutes.”

”Alright,” I agreed quickly, latching onto his quiet confidence. ”The mana within the storm isn’t strong enough to come from an eighth-level mage, so we’ll be able to hold on. We have to.”

”Sir, another company’s approaching the gate!” Orion’s voice carried over the courtyard, causing our heads to snap forward.

Bethiv groaned and spared a final glance at the storm. ”Very well, get in position. Hold strong, and we’ll take ’em just like we have the other bastards.”

The last Light Company sprang into motion, preparing spells and techniques just as the first enemy soldiers poured out of the inner district streets. This company seemed far larger and better prepared than the previous ones, having already cast their support and barrier spells before reaching the discordant field of mana.

Just as the battlefield erupted with explosions, screams, and the clash of steel, the thunderstorm collided with the thick clouds of billowing snow. Lightning crackled and thunder roared as the storm surged forward, its winds whipping the snow into a frenzy. The sky above the city became a swirling vortex of black and white clouds, the mana within the two systems battling for dominance.

Soldiers on both sides looked up in awe and terror, their faces pale in the unnatural light. But they didn’t have long to gawk, as Bethiv waved his hand and ordered a magical bombardment. After a second of chants, the lightning above became a secondary concern, dwindling into the background as a pitched battle erupted.

”Xiviyah, look out!”

Before I could respond to her cry, Korra dove into me, sending us both tumbling from the battlements. Her arms wrapped around me, attempting to shelter me, but I screamed as her hand tightened on my hip, igniting the sunpurge. Her fingers dug into my glowing scar as a shockwave shook the air behind us, pulling me in closer, but I was in too much pain to even notice.

We hit the ground hard, and my screams choked off as the impact knocked the air from my lungs. We rolled for nearly a dozen feet over the coarse, unforgiving courtyard before our momentum finally came to a stop. Korra absorbed most of the impact, and my wards helped dampen the rest, but my body was far from ready to handle the pain that exploded each time my scars scrapped against the ground.

At some point, I was vaguely aware that we had finally stopped moving, and that someone was speaking. It was Korra’s voice, desperate and pleading, but it muddled to gibberish before reaching my ears. The sunpurge burned with the fires of hell, overloading every single one of my senses. I gasped for air, but my lungs were too stunned to comply. Even when I finally managed to gulp a lungful, every frantic breath I took tore from me in an agonized scream.

My life measured in heartbeats, each one sending a fresh pulse of fire through my veins. I could no longer feel Korra’s arms around me, or hear her pleas in my ear, but I couldn’t tell if that was because she had left or the pain simply overwhelmed them.

The following seconds dragged into eternity, but eventually, the firm pressure of a hand gripped my arm. A cool wave of Life Magic swept over me, healing the multitude of cuts and bruises and soothing the searing pain of the sunpurge. When my senses finally returned, I blinked away tears and looked into the eyes of my savior.

”L-Luxxa?” I croaked, my throat raw from screaming.

The female knight let out a breath of relief as I recognized her, letting her grip on my arm relax. ”Are you alright?”

I tried to nod, but the motion inflamed my shoulder, driving my head side to side instead. She carefully eased me off the ground into a sitting position, and I felt a warm, familiar presence slide in behind me, supporting my back.

”Fable,” I whispered, instinctively wilting into his fur. His rough tongue rasped playfully over my cheek, but from our bond, I could tell he was more than a little worried. Looking up at Luxxa again, I managed to ask, ”What happened?”

Her face darkened and she pointed to where I’d been just moments before. ”That did.”

My eyes widened as I took in the scene before me. Deep shadows smothered the courtyard, the sun blotted out by the thunderheads which reigned overhead. Lightning dropped from the black mass above among our soldiers, each one exploding with the power of a fourth-circle spell. My magic shielded them from the worst of the impact, but each strike added to the confusion and stress of the sudden attack.

The stone battlement we’d been standing on was nothing but a broken, blackened heap of glass. Smoke rose out of the cracks in thick waves, curling around the lithe body of a woman who rested on one knee in the center of the impact sight, a beautifully ornate spear held in one hand. She couldn’t have been much older than I was, but her soul was at the peak of seventh-level and every fiber of her body was charged with mana. Small arcs of electricity danced around her body and sparked in her eyes, giving her a wild, alluring sense of beauty.

When she spoke, her voice was strong and firm, yet held a hint of wonder. ”Korra, it’s... been a while. But what the hell are you doing here? Did you come to close the gate too?”

Korra stood directly before her, arms crossed sternly beneath her breasts. ”Grace.”

Grace? My breath caught in my throat as I recognized the name, my tail giving an involuntary twitch.

”You’re a lot weaker now,” Grace said, sizing Korra up. ”I doubt you could even last a single move against me.”

Korra’s stiffened at first, but forced herself to relax. ”There’s more to life than power, Grace. Some things are worth sacrificing for.”

”Yeah, like the world, right? Isn’t that why we were summoned in the first place?” Grace replied with a click of her tongue.

They stared at each other for a second longer, Korra maintaining her silence. After a long silence, broken only by the constant peels of thunder, Grace looked away.

”Did you find her?” she asked softly.

”Idiot. Didn’t you look before you attacked us? Who do you think I’m with?” Korra snapped, rolling her eyes.

Grace flinched at the retort and her eyes quickly found me. My tail stiffened at her gaze, and I took an unconscious step behind Fable and Luxxa. It felt like I was being stalked by a dragon or some other deadly predator. The female knight shifted to a more defensive stance, keeping a tight grip on her sword.

”Just as skittish, I see.” Grace chuckled, then turned back to Korra. ”I can’t overlook this, though. Xiviyah’s a condemned criminal now and I’ve got orders to capture her on sight. Oh, and you, too.”

Korra tensed. ”Even if it’s you, I’m afraid I can’t let that happen. Besides, the demons are assaulting the city right now. Didn’t you come here to deal with them?”

The Storm Hero shrugged. ”Yeah, technically I’m here to close that random gate that just showed up, but this seems a lot more fun.”

I looked between the two, lost in the subtext of their conversation. By their words alone, they were tense and on the edge of bloodshed, and yet, I couldn’t help but feel neither was taking this seriously. Korra’s eyes didn’t flash like they normally did whenever she was truly angry, and Grace seemed as likely to sit down for a chat as engage in a battle. I tried to recall what kind of relationship the two shared, but my head was still spinning from the pain, and the most I could manage was the impression that the two had been friends.

Korra sighed and embraced her mana, letting it fill her to the brim. ”You always were one for excitement, weren’t you. I’d have thought you’d learned that violence wasn’t the only way to settle things...” Her reluctance faded into a fiery grin. ”But I can’t say I’m any different. I assume you’ll restrict your level?”

Grace laughed and stood, spinning her spear expertly between her hands. ”Of course. I couldn’t possibly leave you an excuse like a difference in levels to justify your loss. Now then, winner walks away with the Oracle?”

Korra didn’t hesitate to nod. ”Let’s do this.”