The Forsaken Hero

The inquisitors turned from the pulverized remains of my elemental spirit, their eyes locking onto me with predatory hunger. I stumbled back, gasping for breath, until my back hit a cold, unforgiving stone wall.

Allana advanced, spinning her spear gracefully in her hand. ”I heard the Empire had you dancing on a string,” she sneered, ”but to think their little tricks left you this desperate?”

I pushed myself off the wall, retreating further down the street. They pursued slowly, matching my pace. Of them all, the high inquisitor wore the cockiest grin.

When Lord Evlon summoned me for the task force, I thought I’d have some fun, but this...?” She shook her head, clicking her tongue with exaggerated disdain. ”This is just pathetic. You’re so useless, I’m surprised you managed to cling to the Sun Hero’s coattails for as long as you did. If it were me, I’d have sold you to the Circle the moment I laid eyes on you.”

I stiffened, my breath catching in my throat. ”You knew?”

”Knew what?” she purred, tilting her head, that infuriating grin still plastered on her face. ”That you were sold to the Circle to be disposed of? After how much they bid to claim you, I’m surprised they didn’t do a better job.”

Of course they’d known. They’d overseen me from the moment their leader had collared me with the Soul Binder. It was only natural they’d be behind the church’s ploy to make me disappear.

”Why?” I whispered, the words torn from my throat. ”Why would you do that? How could you deal with those monsters?”

”Monsters? How can a human be a monster in a world where demons exist?” Her grin faded. ”Have you truly become so blind you forget how many have perished by their hands? The Circle may practice unsavory means, but they are nothing compared to horrors of true monsters.”

”Demons hunt and kill, but the Circle...” I choked, a sob building in my throat. ”He raped her over and over because I wouldn’t beg him to break me. And then, when he got bored, he...he...”

I poured every drop of mana into my staff, burning through almost half of it to pierce the crystal enchantment. The crystal star floating atop the haft ignited, and warmth blossomed in my soul, filling the hollow void that had haunted me since I woke up alone in the city.

”What are you playing at?” the inquisitor sneered, striding toward me, her spear spinning gracefully in her hands. ”Throwing one last tantrum before I drag you back?”

”Fable!” I cried, dropping to my knees. ”Please, I need you.”

The mana I’d gathered erupted in a brilliant blaze of gold, swirling in a gate between the inquisitors and myself. A faint pressure emitted gripped the street, wiping the nonchalance from the inquisitor’s faces. They reacted instinctively, striking wary stances and slowly circling the gate.

”What the hell?” the high inquisitor muttered, her grip tightening on her spear. ”What kind of–”

A deafening howl silenced the street. The pressure increased, causing the weaker inquisitors to stumble, and the stronger to gasp for breath. Allana’s knuckles whitened on the haft of her spear, and she opened her mouth, gesturing to the priests, but another howl cut off any commands before she could give them.

The gate flickered open, and Fable leaped through, landing gracefully on the ground before me. His coat was streaked with blood, and a long cut broke across his shoulder. A faint starry light emanated from his fur, the same as Adaptive Resistance that shielded my soul from the crystal enchantment.

The golden vortex dissipated a heartbeat later, consuming the remainder of my mana and plunging the street back into relative shadow. Fable padded over to me and rubbed his head against my chest, nearly knocking my trembling body over.

”Fable,” I sobbed, wrapping my arms around his neck, letting a few tears soak his coat. ”You came.”

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he pulled away and surveyed the street, his tail lashing like a whip. The inquisitors hadn’t moved, scrutinizing us.

”A wolf?” Allana scoffed, though her voice wavered slightly. She swallowed hard and shifted her stance, keeping her spear leveled at Fable. ”I was expecting more.”

The High Inquisitor glanced at Dalen, who shook his head.

”Can’t read it, either,” he mumbled, ”But it shouldn’t be stronger than seventh.”

”Good. Then let’s kill it.”

She lunged into the air, the tip of her spear erupting in blinding light. Fable roared and met her mid-air, batting the weapon aside with a powerful swipe of his paw. Her eyes widened as his jaws snapped for her throat, and she shouted, unleashing a burst of sunlight to force him back.

Fable ignored it and bit down, allowing the magic to dissipate against the starry light of Adaptive Resistance. Allana twisted her body at the last second, offering her shoulder instead of her neck to the snarling wolf, and screamed as his teeth tore through ward and pauldron, rending her flesh beneath.

Using his grip on her shoulder, Fable dragged her beneath him and lashed out with his back paws, tearing into her torso. His claws sparked against her armor, leaving thick furrows in the enchanted steel. One dug into a seam between plates on her side and drew out a crimson arc of blood. Allana cried out and bashed his snout with a gauntleted hand, breaking free of his grip.

They landed hard thirty feet apart, barely a second having passed since they met in the air. Allana dropped to one knee, holding her side, blood soaking her gauntlet. Fable’s tail lashed as he growled, ears flattened, slowly circling the wounded inquisitor.

”Damn, you’re quick,” she muttered, sealing off the wounds with a burst of Life Magic.

She spun her spear, leveling the tip at Fable, and darted forward. Light streamed from the weapon, leaving lines lingering in the air as she slashed at his paws. Fable leaped back, mustering his mana for a counterattack, but she pressed him with a flurry of lightning-quick jabs, so swift that afterimages were clear and distinct, creating the illusion of ten spears attacking at once.

Instead of retreating, Fable met her assault head-on, redirecting his gathered mana From his claws to his fur. The spears bit into his chest and legs, drawing blood before glancing off in a storm of sparks. She stumbled, caught off guard by unexpected resistance.

Fable’s claws flashed beneath the spear, slicing through the inquisitor’s outstretched arm. She screamed and spun her spear in a wide arc, carving a bloody gash across his chest before throwing herself backward into the safety of her party. They closed in around her, shields raised in a wall of magic and steel.

Fable paced back to my side, growling softly. Blood dripped down his chest, but as I worriedly examined the wounds, they were already starting to close. In just a few breaths, the flow of blood had ceased completely.

”It’s definitely seventh level, but it’s nothing we haven’t fought before.” the High Inquisitor said, wincing as a priest cast a healing spell on her.

”Looks like magic doesn’t affect it,” Dalen said, eyes narrowed at Fable.

She nodded. ”It’s up to the front line. Priests, keep our wards up and injuries healed. Everyone else, watch its claws. I’ll keep its attention at the front, so try and cripple its legs.”

She waved her hand, and the inquisitors spread out, forming a loose formation around Fable. Almost half of them wielded staves or wands, clothed in priest and mage robes. The others, clad in heavy armor, carried two-handed swords, axes, and maces that gleamed dully in the dim light. Spells and enchantments laced their equipment and souls, the mana so dense it made the air waver like evaporating water.

Watching them move reminded me of my time with the Glory Chasers. Is that what they saw this as? Just a party hunting down an errant monster?

A chill crawled down my back as I noticed their gazes subtly flicker toward me. No, this wasn’t a hunt. Their goal wasn’t to kill Fable, but capture me. A single lapse in Fable’s guard could allow one to slip through, and at this distance and with their strength, I might not even notice they’d moved until it was too late.

The mages began chanting spells, filling the sky with magic circles. My chest tightened from the combined pressure of so many fifth and sixth-circle spells, but my eyes never left the high inquisitor. The Life Magic had died away, and she reclaimed her position at the head of the melee inquisitors, yet she hadn’t initiated the attack.

I glanced at the mages again, tail twitching. They were all casting light and fire spells, all of which they had to know wouldn’t be able to penetrate Adaptive Resistance. The best it could do was generate a lot of light and smoke, so...a distraction?

The Oracle of Eternity buzzed, agitating my recovering mana. My heart skipped a beat as the edge of a cold blade pressed against my throat, but when my hands flew to my neck, there was nothing there. My vision flickered, and I caught a glimpse of a phantom wearing a billowing cloak. He moved gracefully, refusing to make a noise even as he stepped over piles of shifting rubble. It was like watching Dyson, my old adventuring companion, only a thousand times better.

”F-Fable!” I gasped, reaching out for my wolf, my eyes still blinded by the waking vision.

His fur smoothed under my groping hand, his warmth soothing my rapidly beating heart. I blinked away the phantoms and tightened my grip on his fur, sharing my impressions of the vision through our bond.

The mages released their spells, filling the street with explosions of light, fire, and smoke. Adaptive Resistance shielded us from the heat, but horns itched from the proximity with sun magic. It was so thick I couldn’t even make out the cobblestones beneath my feet, let alone the silhouettes of the inquisitors I knew were charging toward us.