The Hero’s Right Hand

Flaming planks exploded into the hall. Shards rained down on the closest elves. Marines rushed past us to take advantage of the surprise attack. Captain Julian and Officer Lakelet stood with our party and waited for Aisha to move. She studied the elves packed into the hall. More than half were guards wearing simple armor and wielding standard weaponry. Behind the large group stood the Balurian figureheads. They wore pristine robes that appeared to glow in the light of the embers. Though they sneered at us, they didn’t move to defend themselves. It was obvious they didn’t see us as a threat.

Some elves searched for Aisha’s torturer. The sight of the burnt corpse threw them into a rage. The guards tried to push past the marines, still underestimating their strength. But the crew was invigorated by facing opponents on equal footing. This was no leviathan or powerful mage. Though they lacked the advantage of fighting on the sea it was equalized by clear minds unhindered by magic. For the Vethyean marines this was on par with the fights they faced on a normal basis.

The nearest elven guards were split apart and pressed to the walls. Aisha charged through with Captain Julian, Vofric, Avant and myself. Sariel and Officer Lakelet remained behind the marines and provided cover fire.

“I’m low on arrows,” Officer Lakelet swore as she loaded a large magazine onto the automatic crossbow she’d found.

Sariel grabbed the empty cartridge and muttered a spell. Within seconds, it was packed with ammunition. The draconic elf tossed it back without a word. It was surprising to see someone match Sariel’s accuracy as they both found the openings in the guards’ armor. Each attack granted enough time for a marine to cut them down.

While I kept an eye on the allies behind us, Aisha kept her fury focused on the Balurian leaders. But innumerable guards blocked our way. They fired whatever magic they could conjure but she paid it no mind. Each attack was met with a swing of Valefor, completely negating them.

“Still underestimating us, huh?” Aisha growled as she reached one of the elves. They tried to step away but kept eyes trained on the Hero. Captain Julian used the distraction to kill the guard.

“They ain’t good at working together,” she said and rushed at another one. A cool wind emitted from her opponent’s hands before a jagged icicle shot out. Without thinking I swung my left arm and the astral copy blocked the chilling attack. Captain Julian leapt off the knuckle and plunged her sword into her target. She smirked at me. “Good cover, Kargon.”

I shook my head and focused on the elves at the far end of the hall. Hastios sneered at us with disgust. But he did not move to retaliate, instead leaving with the other leaders in tow. Aisha roared and a chill ran down my spine. The scream was full of rage and sorrow. I knew what she wanted to do and there was no way to stop her.

“We need to clear the fodder,” I shouted.

Aisha sighed aggressively. “Vofric, make a path. Everyone else, occupy them. We’re not wasting time.”

Vofric muttered a prayer and a glow emitted from his warhammer. He spun while swinging it to raise its momentum. I doubted he could aim such a wild attack at a guard. Fortunately, it seemed that was his plan. The hammer struck the ground and forced the nearby enemies off their feet. Golden light burst from the point of impact to create a shockwave of light. Airborne guards were sent flying into their allies. By now, marines behind us had overpowered their foes and pressed forward.

“Glory,” Vofric said as he released his hammer. With a familiar motion he prayed and yelled, “In the name of Yuna!”

A familiar energy expanded from his body and wreathed the marines. Following his lead, Avant roared before engulfing our allies in a blue glow. Those with fresh wounds quickly healed before an animalistic energy overcame them. They fought with reignited vigor. Even when our paladin lifted his weapon, the glow did not subside.

“They carry our strength,” he explained. “Aisha, is it time?”

Not a word escaped Aisha’s mouth. Her mere existence made it clear we should prepare ourselves. Purple light coming from her prosthetic eye was nothing new. However, for the first time a similar hue engulfed Valefor and its sheath. Her hair danced, reaching upward with electricity at its ends. The walls shook as small bursts of lightning erupted from her form. Thunder clapped in the dungeon, signaling the incoming storm. As Aisha opened her mouth, I saw electricity bounce between her lips. I realized she was fighting to keep her attack contained.

“Kargon, help me up,” she said through gritted teeth.

Captain Julian stepped toward the Hero but I stopped her. “Hold on.”

“But, she asked for help,” the captain protested.

“Yeah, I think there’s a reason she asked me,” I said.

With my astral hand I gripped the front of Aisha’s armor. Though I wasn’t physically touching her I could still feel the sparks against my palm. It took more focus than any attack I’d done before to move her. My body subconsciously feared the pain she’d inflict. But I knew, no matter what, our allies and I were safe. An involuntary roar escaped me as I flung Aisha into the air above the crowd of elven guards. If she dropped now, she’d be surrounded and alone. But what hung above the army wasn’t the Hero. Rather it was a ball of lightning on the verge of exploding.

Aisha unsheathed her weapon with an instantaneous motion. A thunder clap erupted from the sheath as lightning burst from Valefor. It stretched into an arc that encompassed the area in front of the Hero. It tore through the guards with no regard for their defenses. Crimson gore showered the marble walls as they cracked under pressure. Armor collapsed to the floor as bodies inside lost whatever vigor they had. Guards further into the hall finally realized what they were up against.

They tried to run but couldn’t get away. Fear and hesitation overcame any autonomy they once had. Those standing between the marines and Aisha were especially lead-footed. She didn’t bother to face them. It was obvious to everyone the guards didn’t stand a chance against her; nor any of us. The marines cut them down, trampling corpses as they advanced. Vofric and Avant focused on bolstering our allies while Captain Julian and I dashed past Aisha to eradicate the remaining guards. Arrows flew overhead, killing any guard who regained the ability to move before we reached them.

Within mere minutes, over fifty Balurian guards were wiped out. A layer of blood coated the ground and lower walls. Only our crew remained and the chance to leave had finally presented itself. We kept a similar formation as we retraced our steps through the dungeon. A few marines led with Captain Julian and myself. Aisha and Avant followed closely behind with Sariel and Officer Lakelet watching our backs. At the rear were the last of the marines and Vofric keeping an eye out for any stragglers. Fortunately, we were not met with any resistance.

As we approached the highest floor of the dungeon, we found the only windows in the entire building. Outside were the Balurian leaders with expressions of shock and disgust on their faces. Before they could act, Aisha ran through the door and swung at the nearest one. But it was obvious they now recognized our capabilities. The elf had readied a defensive spell that summoned a shield and propelled her away from the Hero’s reach. The rest of our group rushed out to back up our leader.

We were on a large platform higher in Balur than we’d visited. It was possible I’d seen it from below but I couldn’t be sure. The air was thin. Clouds were so close enough to reach with a jump. It took everything I had not to succumb to lightheadedness. Many other platforms surrounded us with paths connecting them in a webbed pattern. Unfortunately, every inch of land was occupied by enemies.

“We’re grossly outnumbered,” Sariel whispered. “And we no longer have the advantage of an enclosed space.”

Vofric nodded. “I can feel magic emanating from all directions. They are far more capable than the guards.”

“We need to get out of here,” I said.

Aisha grumbled and nodded, “We’re done here. Everyone, make for the portal station!”

The elders chuckled, causing the elves around us to erupt into laughter. I noticed an elf wearing golden robes that resembled our village elder’s; Hastios. Why he had taken the time to change while we escaped was beyond me. Possibly because the garb demanded reverence. But that wasn’t going to come from our party and his constituents already followed him. 

While I was distracted with pointless thoughts, Hastios watched us intently. Emotionless eyes contemplated our next action.

“You won’t escape after bringing carnage to our home,” he said eerily. As if on command, the elves spat and swore at us. The elder needed only to hold up a hand to stop the commotion of a rabid crowd. He continued, “This is the fault of our brethren and other purebloods. They show you half-breeds mercy. They allow you to exist. That is why one has foolishly wielded Valefor for over a decade. This can no longer stand. We won’t allow it!”

He raised his arm slowly — ceremoniously — and for the first time I could feel magic energy converging. Embers appeared out of nowhere and quickly gathered overhead. The resulting fireball easily eclipsed the platform in size. Its pressure was crushing and I knew there was nothing I could do.

“I can’t stop that,” I admitted.

Aisha muttered to herself as the flaming orb slowly approached us.

“If this is where we fall, we’re taking some of these bastards with us,” Captain Julian said.

“No,” Aisha said. “Everyone spread out.”

Hastios scoffed, “It will do no good. The blaze will engulf you all.”

The threat was pointless after Aisha had already spoken. In dire straits there was no better option than to put our faith in the Hero. I grabbed Avant as the group cautiously stepped away from one another. It felt like Hastios was taunting us with how slowly his magic moved. Part of me thought this was the fastest he could move it and was simply hiding the fact. As the orb grew closer I could see sweat dripping from my allies. I was aware of the heat but felt nothing. But Aisha seemed more unphased than me. That’s when I saw her hand hidden behind her. Tightly packed between her thumb and index finger was a ball of lightning. No one else saw it and even if they had, only I knew what it was.

“You know the problem with concentrated spells like that, Hastios?” Aisha asked. “One little thing out of place and they explode.”

“The only thing out of place here is you,” Hastios retorted.

The fireball grew closer, only an arms length away from Aisha. She moved with conviction. Raising her hand caused lightning to arc off her spell and destabilize the flaming orb. It stopped for mere seconds. More than enough time for the hero to throw her spell at the ground in the middle of our group. The eruption tore apart the marble floor. The few physical support rods shook underneath as a large hole presented itself.

“With me!” Aisha commanded.

She was the first to go through but everyone was close behind. As the last of us escaped, the fireball exploded into a massive firestorm. The initial blast sped up our descent to the lower floors of Balur. Burning meteors endlessly rained from the sky. I hadn’t realized how much mana was packed into the single spell but obviously Aisha could feel it. But that didn’t matter now. We needed to find the portal station while the entire citizen targeted us.

From a vertical viewpoint it was easy to find the openings between platforms, paths, and plant stalks. It wasn’t necessary to land until we reached the portal station. Unfortunately, all the open space made for little cover. Aside from the fire still raining down, a mix of elemental magic chased us. Balur itself received a lot of unfortunate collateral damage. The giant stalks that held the city were set ablaze. Structures crumbled under the power of elven magic. Hastios roared commands as we fell further from reach.

We split up immediately to find individual paths. Sariel shot arrows with vines at the ends into nearby walls. A few people grabbed them and swung through incoming blasts while seeking a way to escape. Unfortunately, some attacks grazed our allies but nothing made full contact. They’d need to be healed later and as long as Vofric made it out we’d be okay. With his size he easily fit through the smallest openings. Any attack aimed at him collided with wreckage before reaching him. I looked for Aisha but she vanished from sight faster than anyone else. I refocused and sought my own escape.

“Hold on tight, Avant,” I said as we approached a broken platform.

He wrapped his legs around my arm and dug in his claws. It stung but wasn’t a problem compared to everything surrounding us. Jagged edges from broken rubble scratched my bare skin as we passed through. When I was close to a flat part I pushed off of it to change my trajectory. Passing by the burning stalks was a better option for me. Through cracks I could barely see a portal a dozen platforms below me. More important was a nearer platform with Sariel fighting alone against three armed elves. The platform was quickly crumbling from a lack of support.

I grabbed one of the burning plants near me and slowed down before planting my feet against it. With focused strength I leapt from the giant. Sariel was holding off two opponents but the last was about to attack from behind. I arrived in the nick of time to kick them aside. The attack didn’t incapacitate the guard but created an opening for me to interject in Sariel’s fight. Her bow was bending under the pressure of blocking two greatclubs. I tackled one assailant, allowing Sariel to retaliate against the other. They were ready to attack again but we didn’t bother challenging them. We ran to the edge of the platform and jumped. I could see fresh wounds on my friend but she was unphased.

Thin vines made for decent cover as Sariel weaved through them. Avant and I split from her and found a route through a cracked building. Only a few more platforms to go before I reached the portals. By now some of my allies had made it already and stared back at me. Even from afar I could recognize fear in their eyes. A quick look around revealed a large cage of ice between us. Though it wasn’t in my way, Vofric was plummeting directly towards it. I could see him trying to figure out what to do but didn’t give him a chance to find a solution. With an opening below me I focused fully on saving my ally. It was farther than I was used to but I tried my best to summon an astral arm near the paladin. Though he was out of reach, Vofric noticed the creation and grabbed it. With a swift pull Vofric was out of harm's way. A followup downward swing threw him towards the hole below us. He looked back at me and held his hands open. I wasn’t sure why but I released him and Avant. The owlbear had more confidence in the decision than I did. Curling into a ball allowed him to drop quickly into Vofric’s grasp. Once they were secure, Vofric turned and searched for a landing point.

There was plenty of room on the platform housing the portal station. Our allies gathered by a single portal and held back elves until the rest of us arrived. I could see everyone except for Aisha. I let out a groan and scanned the surrounding area. If Aisha was missing, she’d done it on purpose. An unbroken platform caught my eye. It was just off the path we were falling through. Standing atop it were Hastios and Aisha, each exuding killing intent. I grabbed another thick vine and changed my momentum to reach them.

Upon landing I heard Hastios say, “This wasn’t very heroic of you. Only a monster would retaliate like this.”

Aisha scoffed. “You admit we retaliated yet refuse any blame in what’s happened here. They’ll be better off without you.”

“There will always be more Balurians to support my cause. They will find you no matter where you escape to.”

“So, you’ll take all that half-breed hate and focus it on me?” Aisha asked. “I can live with that.”

“Not for long!” Hastios roared and lunged at the Hero. Magic wreathed around him but he didn’t summon a weapon.

Aisha easily sidestepped and cut her opponent’s arm. As the elf spun to face the Hero, she stabbed his leg. Aggressively swinging the sword ripped it out of Hastios and across his other leg.

“It’s not easy to survive empty-handed near me,” the Hero taunted.

The elf swore and clapped his hands. A blast of fire exploded between them and launched each backwards. Hastios scrambled to scribble something on the ground in his blood. As Aisha approached he slammed his hands against the marks. A dull hum I’d grown familiar with grew loud around us. Fire appeared at the edge of the platform and quickly traced the perimeter. The flames expanded vertically before enclosing us in a sphere.

“Now there’s nowhere to run!” Hastios cackled as blood dripped from his mouth. “I don’t have to survive! My people will avenge me! Your useless half-breeds can do nothing to save you!”

Aisha looked at me with conviction. Not a word was uttered between us but I knew what to do. I ignited my hand and approached the wall of fire. Dousing a natural flame was child’s play. Even wildfires were no issue but I’d never fought against someone else’s creation. Hastios had a stronger grasp of his magic than I did. But Aisha wasn’t the only one with something to prove. Hastios deserved to know the Hero wasn’t the only half-breed that could overpower him. I planted my palm against the flame and tried to create an opening. I felt the area near my hand weaken but the wall remained unscathed.

Hastios caught on that I was behind him and turned to see me fail. Laughter rang in my ears but I remained focused. I pulled my hand back before knocking on the part of the wall that felt weak. The flames jumped outward to reveal a small opening. Slowly, it expanded and I could see our allies below.

“Looks like my allies can save me,” Aisha said and sauntered towards Hastios. “I can’t say the same for you.”

Before the elf could speak, Aisha slit his throat. Blood dripped from his mouth as the leader of Balur collapsed. The opening grew wide enough to step through. At the sight of their fallen leader the elves rampaged. The rain of magic grew more violent. Tremors cracked the vines and even the sturdiest buildings started to fall. Our own untouched platform began to falter. Aisha ran to me and grabbed my hand as we leapt toward our goal.

The Balurians no longer cared for the city they’d built. Tattered constructs rained from the sky. Rubble crumbled platforms as they plummeted from on high. The portal station was in shambles with half a dozen portals destroyed. Our allies stood their ground against heavily armed elves. Their backs were to a single arch with Officer Lakelet on the other side.

“This is it!” they yelled.

On their command marines dove through. Captain Julian stood her ground with the rest of my party. Aisha and I landed nearby and pushed through the elves. There was no more time for defensive maneuvers. A heavy swing from a hammer cracked the arch and the portal started to waver. Vofric knocked the elf away. He released Avant through the portal and physically held the stones in place.

“Go!” he commanded.

Captain Julian ran through with Sariel in tow. She quickly tied a rope around Vofric’s wrist before teleporting. Aisha and I finally made it as a heavy crash alerted me to the other half of the portal arch breaking. Aisha and I grabbed the rope as we ran through. With firm footing, we pulled and as the portal vanished from existence, our dwarven ally burst through.

“Is that everyone?” Aisha yelled as she frantically looked at the group.

The battered group gave scattered acknowledgements. The Hero let out a deep sigh and fell to the ground. It was an invitation for everyone to relax. Vofric laughed with joyous sadness that he couldn’t contain. Then Sariel started and tears openly flowed down her cheeks. Marines wept for their fallen comrades and comforted one another. I sat by Aisha who stared at the trees overhead. Even Avant was overcome by emotion and cried as he curled into my lap. I stared at the leaves overhead, unsure where we’d go next.