The Forsaken Hero

R’lissea and Selena took to opposite sides of the fields, both holding their staff in hand. Fable padded next to R’lissea, sitting down on his haunches. His tail wagged, flattening the trim, ankle-length grass. He was still brimming with energy from the gate, and from our bond, I could tell he was anxious to let loose.

The sparring ground was bordered by a small grove of fruit trees. Shaded beneath their boughs was a fountain encircled by an arc of stone benches with a good view. Elise, Korra, and I sat together, while Aerion, the mages, and a dozen other elves who had somehow heard of the duel watched from the sidelines.

Selena changed a seventh-circle spell, erecting a translucent green barrier around the thousand-foot sparring field. Once it was finished, she nodded to Aerion.

”I’ll oversee the spar and make sure things don’t get out of hand,” The elvish adventurer announced. ”As per the grounds rules, no spell, technique, or ability may utilize power above the sixth level. The purpose of this spar is to evaluate your abilities, not level the garden.”

The elves both nodded, and Aerion stepped back. Selena acted first, summoning five fifth-level life elementals. They took the shape of bears, towering fifteen feet tall, made of bark, stone, and leaves. They formed a semicircle around Fable, threatening him with long, scythe-like claws.

”Show me what you can do!” she called.

”Right!” R’lissea raised her staff, soul-casting a fourth-circle spell. ”Angry Teeth!”

Life Magic poured over Fable, condensing on his teeth and claws. Fable shot her an irritated look as long, translucent green magic jutted out of his mouth, extending his fangs to comical length. His claws were a little better, not quite so unwieldy, resembling long, curved swords.

”That’s...a new one,” Korra said, hiding a grin. ”How’s he supposed to run around like that?”

Fable wasted no time charging forward, leaving long grooves in the ground with every step. He lunged at the nearest bear, swiping his claws, leaving an arc of lingering green light in their wake. Though blisteringly quick, he kept the mana coursing through his muscles carefully restrained, just beneath the threshold of seventh-level.

”Iron Leaves!” Selena cried.

The bear roared as her fifth-level spell enveloped it, turning its verdant green leaves silver. They gleamed in the sunlight like blades, sharp and strong as steel.

Fable’s claws clashed against the bear’s brambly fur in a shower of sparks. Sharp cracks filled the air as metallic twigs and leaves snapped, but the bear’s defenses held, deflecting Fable’s claws.

Before Fable could recover, the bear brought a paw the size of Fable’s head down on his shoulder. The wolf’s soul flared with mana, but again, he limited the output, leaving his body far more vulnerable than he could have. The paw landed hard, sending him flying back twenty feet.

I gasped, covering my mouth, as he landed on all fours, my heart racing. Even if I knew there was no real danger, I couldn’t help it. That was Fable. He was supposed to cuddle with me, not fight bears made out of trees!

”That’s a strange spell,” Selena said, studying Fable’s claws and teeth. ”Angry teeth? You’ll have to show me that one later. It seems...ill-suited for a wolf, but I can see it being extremely effective for a larger, slower beast that could truly utilize the increased range.”

”I don’t know many augmentation spells,” R’lissea admitted.

”We’ll work on that. Using the right support spell for the right monster is essential. But first, show me what else you have.”

The battle continued for another twenty minutes, with R’lissea using every trick and spell she had. Villie had taught her much in the short time we battled through the Curse Gate, but as with Angry Teeth, it became apparent that much of the magic was ill-suited for her combat style. In the end, they were only able to destroy half of the elementals.

”That’s enough,” Selena said, ”I’ve seen enough of what you can do.”

”I’m sorry it wasn’t much,” R’lissea said, panting lightly.

Selena shook her head. ”There’s no need to apologize. It’s not your fault you weren’t taught about combat.”

”But I should have–”

”No, there’s nothing you could have done before now.” Selena’s voice was gentle but firm. ”The church carefully curated the material they shared with you during your time of training. You were meant to be the heroes’ healer, not a combat mage, and they didn’t want you wasting any time with something the other heroes would do better.”

”That’s true,” Korra said to me, nodding. ”Water magic has a ton of support utility too, but my tutors explicitly taught me large-scale destruction and summoning magic.”

”They never got that far with me,” I said, hands clasped in my lap. ”What I couldn’t learn about fate magic from Selena, I had to study for myself in the library. If she hadn’t been so willing to teach me, and Thron hadn’t guided me in finding the right books, I would have left the Divine Throne knowing little more than first and second-level spells.”

”Good thing you’re such a hard worker,” she replied, flashing me a smile. ”I never would have gotten as far as you did.”

”I think it’s time for the main event,” Selena said, turning to me with a smile. ”Do you mind if I go all out with your wolf?”

My fingers curled into my skirt. ”B-be gentle. I don’t know how strong Adaptive resistance is now. It could have weakened or been altered when I was...lost. I don’t know its current limits.”

She nodded seriously. ”Then I’ll be careful. But Fable’s strong enough that he can probably survive anything I throw at him, regardless. He is eighth-level after all.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. Even if I knew that, every time I pictured Fable fighting an eighth-level being, it reminded me of Lord Evlon at Tormod’s breach. He’d come so close to killing Fable. If he hadn’t underestimated us...

I shook my head, clearing the thought away. Fable was just as excited for this as Selena. It wouldn’t be fair to deny him the chance, and besides, Selena was right. This was as good a chance as any to figure out how much Adaptive Resistance, if at all, had been impacted.

R’lissea had already left the sparring field, standing in front of me with her staff raised. ”Ready?” she asked.

At my nod, she cast Link Soul. Her power soaked into me, warm as opposed to Sari’s cold, but the effect was the same. My soul lit up, and this time, I felt my abilities. They were strong and bright, sheltered in the depths of my soul. Instinctively, I reached for the Oracle of Eternity, but before I could touch it, R’lisesa’s spell ended, successfully linking me with Fable. I swallowed my disappointment, quieting my twitching tail. There would be time to practice later.

”So how strong did your ability grow before the southern continent?” Selana asked.

”Um...seventh for general spells. Eighth for sun and curse magic.”

”So it reduces the effect of seventh-circle spells? We shouldn’t push that, so let’s go for a–”

I coughed, flushing slightly. ”Well, erm, not ’reduces.’ More like...negates.”

”It’s true,” R’lissea added.

Selena’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She stared at me for a heartbeat, and then another.

”Sorry? I must have heard that wrong.” She let out a strained chuckle. ”Did you say negates? Like...Dispel Magic?”

”I...thought you knew,” I said, avoiding her gaze, playing with a strand of hair.

”I knew you could negate lower-level spells, but seventh? Like all seventh?”

I nodded, consciously aware of the whispers going around the courtyard. Their gazes weren’t curious this time, or even admiring. Aerion released a burst of aura, bringing silence to the courtyard.

”That information falls under House secrets,” he said, sternly meeting each and every one of their eyes. ”There will be hell to pay if I discover it’s leaked.”

”It’s really alright,” I protested. ”The inquisitors already know. Well, maybe not how strong it’s gotten, but that I can ignore most of their spells.”

”Then that makes it all the more urgent that we keep it secret. If they know the exactly limitations of your abilities, they’ll be able to plan countermeasures more easily. For instance, they might not be aware that your ability differentiates various types of mana, and assume that because you negated an eighth-level sun spell, it’s futile to attack you with any eighth-level spell. That would mean mustering a ninth-level mage, which is all but impossible given the current circumstances.”

It was my turn to look stunned. ”R-really?”

He allowed a smile to break through his sternness. ”You didn’t think of that, did you?”

I shook my head, sheepishly rubbing my horn.

Korra chuckled, shaking her head. ”To be fair, none of us did. Not even Bethiv.”

”It’s not his fault,” I mumbled, ”I never really explained all that to him. I wasn’t...like that when we were together. I’m sorry.”

Elise put a hand on my knee. ”It’s alright. You did the best you could. We’re just glad you’re willing to talk about it now.”