The Forsaken Hero-Chapter 1049: Power Unleashed

The last thing I’d seen of Brithlite with my own eyes was the city in flames. Demons had roved the streets, and Brithlitian fought Brithlitian in a struggle for freedom. That had been before I’d fallen into the shadows of Haven, before Brithlite’s king had fallen beneath Arantius’s sword.

But now, over a year later, the city was quiet. There was none of the smoke, screams, or blood that filled my memories. Broken towers and crumbling lengths of wall broke the skyline. A few scattered souls wandered the streets, picking their way through the rubble that still cluttered the city. Only a few markets and main roads had been entirely cleared, with a few merchants hawking wares even more sparse and wilted than those of Heartland.

As the sun spilled across the city, it caught on gleaming armor. Patrols of foot soldiers moved through the streets, the colors of the Last Light Company emblazoned on their chests. Seeing them stop amongst the townsfolk, offer their help, and be gratefully received warmed my heart.

The rift had taken us to the top of the inner wall, overlooking the castle’s ruins. Of the many spires and towers that had once stood, painstakingly designed in mimicry of the Divine Throne, none still stood. The jumbled heaps of stone-work, fallen walls, and splintered wood were covered in scorch marks, with long gouts of glassy earth and stone cut throughout. Scores of destroyed armor sets littered the courtyard, with only a few bones remaining. Whatever salvageable gear they had once had was picked clean by scavengers.

"Ah, the Lord of Ash’s handiwork," Kahlen muttered, letting out an appreciative sigh. "They say he tore it apart himself, looking for you."

I nodded, a lump in my throat, and turned away. I didn’t want to think of how many must have died to save me.

"Lady Lastlight should have set up camp in the old town hall before administration was moved to the castle," Luxxa said. "Is that where our fight is?"

"I hope not," I said, turning to look at where she was gazing. The building was the tallest remaining structure, with a single thick spire that ended in a clock tower. It rose from the edge of the largest marketplace in town, the hub of all that remained of Brithlite.

"Fable." I raised my hand and rested it on his shoulder. "Would you and Borealis please take care of them? I’d rather they didn’t have a chance to see my aura. They’re just below us, in that alley there," I said, pointing to a small alley in the middle of an abandoned section of the city. It was only a few blocks from the edge of the wall, tucked between a cluster of support facilities for the castle.

"How could you possibly—" Luxxa started to ask, then cut herself off with a shake of her head. "Never mind. Of course you would know."

"Are you certain you don’t wish us to participate?" Kaheln asked, an edge to his voice. There was always an edge to his voice, but this felt...cold. Disappointed.

"They have enchantments relaying everything they see back to the Divine Throne. I’ve maintained Silent Stars for so long, most everything from the time the arbiter was slain to now will be a mystery to them. Just a glimpse of my aura will be enough to give them knowledge of my strength and the state of my divinity."

"But you’ll be giving away the demon and your wolf’s strength," Gith said.

My lips twitched in a wry smile. "If they can force out their full strength, then maybe they deserve that much."

I stepped back, and Fable tensed. The crumbling stones shattered beneath his paws as he launched forward. I stumbled a step as the entire wall trembled, but quickly caught my balance. Borealis spread his wings and caught the tailwind of his departure, soaring after him with a screech.

"We could set up an ambush and kill them," Gith muttered.

"I know, but...I want to see," I admitted.

"How strong are the inquisitors? Haven’t you already seen them in vision?"

"No, them," I murmured, nodding at Fable and Borealis.

The ground was thirty feet below, but Fable landed lightly. At least, it looked light, but as he lunged forward, the ground exploded, overloaded by the mana that surged into his legs. He blurred, leaving an afterimage behind, and smashed directly through the three-story administrative building that separated him from the alleyway. He punched through the walls like they were made of paper, breaking through the smaller storage facility and emerging onto the street on the other side.

He turned back toward the alley as the two buildings collapsed in billowing clouds of smoke and debris. In his jaws, he held the spasming body of a woman. Her armor, once gleaming silver, was tattered and torn by his canines, her nice white cloak scarlet with her own blood. The dying embers of her seventh-level soul faded from her eyes, and she went limp. She hadn’t even managed to draw the twin curved daggers sheathed on her hips.

Shouts rang through the crashing stone debris, and a half dozen auras exploded, blasting the dust away. Fable spat the dead inquisitor out, lowering on his haunches, preparing to pounce again.

A white shape burst out of the ruined alley, rising fifty feet into the air. It was the eighth-level inquisitor from my visions. He had his sword drawn, but the wild, panicked look in his eye belied his confidence.

"Ambush!" he cried, locking eyes with Fable.

"How is that possible?" another inquisitor asked, appearing on the roof of a nearby building. "We covered our tracks perfectly!"

"Who cares? Let’s kill that thing before it attracts the Company. We might be able to salvage the mission if we’re quick," the High Inquisitor growled.

More inquisitors appeared above the wreckage, the weakest of them in the upper ranges of sixth level. The high inquisitor alone was eighth, but his mana eclipsed even Luke’s.

Without more words, they split up, quickly surrounding Fable. The High Inquisitor, along with a seventh-level woman carrying a heavy shield and mace, charged at him from the front. Fable growled, but as he moved to intercept them, a few arrows saturated with sun magic streaked from a ranger on the roof. They struck his flank, vanishing into his fur. Crimson blood spurted from the wounds, but the flow cut off almost immediately, the arrows emerging and falling to the ground a heartbeat later, rejected by his regeneration.

"That’s...a sixth-level attack," Gith muttered. "And he just shrugged it off." he glanced at his own bow, clutched tightly in his right hand, and then back at Fable, as if calculating whether he’d fare any better.

"The mana couldn’t touch him," I said as the inquisitors slowed, exchanging grim looks at the complete lack of damage.

"You shared adaptive resistance with him?" Luxxa asked, raising her eyebrow. "I hadn’t even noticed."

I shook my head. "No, he...doesn’t need me anymore."

Fable made the next move, pouncing backward. There was no sign, no coiling in his muscles or flickering in his eyes. He just jumped, practically materializing behind a sixth-level assassin wielding a single curved sword. The man let out a startled curse, spinning with an upward slash, but Fable caught the blade with a single clawed paw. It but into his pad, but barely sank halfway through the width of the blade.

But the momentum of the parry carried on, sending the sword flying and connecting with the inquisitor himself. He screamed as a claw punctured his stomach. A geyser of blood burst out of his back as the claw point emerged, ripping through his spine.

Shaking his paw, Fable tossed the inquisitor into a wall, which collapsed on top of him.

The High Inquisitor had moved almost the instant Fable had, yet was still a second behind. He brought his sword down in a vicious arc, releasing a wave of sun magic that cut a canyon into the street as it flew toward Fable.

Fable ignored the incoming technique, lunging forward and taking it on his shoulder. Golden light sprang around him, and the technique vanished, lost in the light. Fable’s soul surged with a sudden influx of power, drawing on the strength of the technique and giving him a burst of speed. The high inquisitor barely managed to raise his sword in time, blocking a vicious swipe of the thirty-foot wolf’s claws. He flared his soul, utilizing all of his strength, but he was still forced back several steps, panting heavily.

They exchanged a dozen blows, moving faster than my eyes could follow. Fable, despite his bulk, moved almost instantly, without warning, pressing the inquisitor on the defensive. The shockwaves from their clashes shook the city, causing the wall under my feet to tremble.

"I can’t hold it for long!" the High Inquisitor shouted. "Hurry up and kill this thing!"

The other inquisitors shook off their stupor and jumped into action. But as the ranger took aim once more, Borealis made his move. With a deafening screech, he unleashed his aura right as the inquisitor let loose, startling the arrows wide. The demon tucked his wings and dove, claw extending, trailing gold and stars after him.

Sensing the danger, the archer pivoted and released several arrows sheathed in sun magic, each stronger than the ones he’d hit Fable with. His two companions coordinated alongside him. One, a mage, turned the seventh-level spell they’d been casting for Fable skyward, while the other, bearing a spear, lunged to meet Borealis mid-dive. The mage finished their spell, releasing a half-dozen javelins of searing fire magic into the sky. The three inquisitors’ attacks made a net around him, cutting off every possible escape route. He was trapped.