The Hero’s Right Hand

“We will support the troops from the ground floor,” King Makani stated. No one challenged the king as he was accustomed to battling on the front lines. The glass panes shifted for us to exit directly from the observation room.

“Makani, are you ready?”

“I’ll do my best,” he said as confidently as possible. It was clear he was overwhelmed.

“I have to check on my moms!” Albert said as he shifted to werewolf form. He leapt out of the room and yelled, “I’ll be back!”

While the royal family prepared to depart, Aisha assigned jobs to each of us. Vofric would enter the city and help with the citizens. His ability to heal and imbue others with radiant energy would be better used defensively. Sariel was to go to the city walls and bolster the city's defenses. The open space would also help the sharpshooter find better angles of attack.

“Avant, can you keep up?” she asked.

The owlbear’s growl was deeper than usual when he confirmed.

“Good. You and Kargon, with me.”

We joined the royal family as they used air currents to get to ground level before splitting up. From the streets it was clear that the undead were overwhelming. Thankfully, there was no reason to hold back as I ignited my fists. Astral arms were pointless as the creatures marched towards us. The better option was to rush in and push them back. Aisha blitzed through a different street. Lightning stunned creatures around her, allowing citizens a chance to run. Avant stayed close but only bolstered himself. His mana manifested violently when he roared and barrelled towards an oncoming group of monsters. One leap sent him hurtling through their chests. The creatures collapsed back to lifeless masses while Avant landed to continue his rampage. He clearly had his own plans but I assured him anway.

“Avant, you don’t have to follow me! Go wild!” I ordered.

He roared happily before biting another monster. I’d make sure he didn’t get sick later.

Though we pushed back against the monsters, it wasn’t possible to move towards the gate. The hordes only increased and began to break through other entrances. Citizens hid in buildings or tried to make a break for the castle. Anyone able to flee on the boats of Ramshorn did so. Not everyone was made for battle.

The center of the city became the eye of a storm as cutting winds circled the castle. Monsters were torn apart by violent currents slicing through them. The King and Queen’s control of air was masterful. It weaved between their subjects and the undead without harming innocents. I tried to do the same and remember the flowing attacks my master had taught me. But my attacks were too weak to take the undead down quickly. I needed to be more aggressive but found it difficult to balance with my monastic teachings.

“Kargon!” Aisha yelled from a nearby rooftop. I hadn’t noticed imps had begun descending on the city. “Stop focusing on what you learned. Your stances suck! Just do what feels right!”

Normally I listened to Aisha in a heartbeat but what felt right was garbage. At least according to Master Avant. I couldn’t rush at someone and drill my fist into it without preparing. Preparation was something I never understood. Then again, I never had a way to prepare my attacks before. When I first learned to ignite myself, it only set things ablaze. Now I could strengthen myself. I could prepare myself.

An undead shambled towards me. It flailed an arm. I ducked underneath while simultaneously igniting my fist. Instead of balancing like I was taught I simply planted my foot heavily in front of me. With a grunt I sent a flaming punch through the monster’s face. Ripping my hand out revealed teeth stuck to it. I brushed them off as the undead crumbled. Another monster approached but before it could attack I lunged at it with my other hand and slammed it to the ground. Without realizing, I yelled as I tore its head from its body. More monsters rushed at me but nothing could stop me. Actions I used to make with blind rage in my childhood were now calculated and more destructive than I could have ever imagined. Yet I was able to stop my flames from setting the nearby buildings and innocents ablaze. The moment an ember was out of place I doused it.

“That’s more like it!” Aisha yelled happily as she cut down another imp.

She was no longer standing atop a building. Instead she leapt from target to target while shredding them apart. The creature’s didn’t plan like the Hero. Uncoordinated attacks were useless against her maneuvers. Like a dancer she weaved through wild attacks while retaliating in kind. Where I put all my strength behind each attack, she could nonchalantly cut down hordes. Though I couldn’t see Sariel and Vofric, I knew they were successful in their roles.

Meanwhile, Prince Makani struggled to utilize the Lightbringer. Anytime he tried to cast a spell he would create a gust of wind. He was practiced enough to use them to push back the undead masses. Thankfully his parents stood by his side and helped fight from the top of the steps leading into the castle. But the longer the fight persisted, the more we were outnumbered. Avant was the first to fall back towards the castle. Aisha retreated by focusing on enemies closer to the center of the city. By the time a dozen had been felled she found herself near the royal family. I summoned my astral arms to eradicate creatures closer to my allies as I ran back towards them. I caught a glimpse of Sariel creating massive tendrils to crush our enemy. On the other side of down, buildings shook and glowed as Vofric destroyed undead.

Upon reaching the castle I noticed Victor and Rusty defending the royal family. The warforged’s cane handle detached from the base and revealed a thin metal blade that easily felled his enemies. His off hand wielded the sheath as a weapon meant to stun enemies. Rusty stiffly swung a longsword with all his weight behind it. Though the greatsword on his back helped with weight it seemed like a waste to carry. There was no way to even wield it as the hilt was spiked. Dozens of guards lined the bottom of the steps outside the castle. They fought ferociously against the undead masses.

But whatever powered the monsters was only getting stronger. The dying screams of civilians filled the air. Guards were overpowered and slaughtered by creatures that could barely walk minutes ago. Blood and decay layered the streets. Horrifyingly, those who fell rose to attack past comrades. The line near the castle stumbled for but a second. It was enough for a single guard to fall. Like dominoes, others succumbed to the hordes. I ran towards the group to thin their numbers.

Suddenly a silver light flew past my head. Upon collision it burned through at least ten undead. After a few seconds it exploded, eradicating a large clump of monsters. Prince Makani held the Lightbringer aggressively in front of him. One swing of the weapon sent another orb through the nearby crowd. Unfortunately it fizzled out before exploding.

“My mistake… was assuming… daylight,” he panted. “The moon shines… just as brightly.”

“How much time do you need to cast the spell again?” King Nasim asked.

“I don’t know… Hard to control.”

Victor commanded the group. “We must buy Prince Makani time! Captain Telos, inform the troops!”

Rusty threw his longsword aside and grabbed the greatsword on his back. The spikes dug deep into his palms. Blood poured into the sheath as he drew the sword. Rust had dulled it more than millennium old Valefor. As the crimson ichor wrapped the blade it grew sharper. With a single swing it cut through three undead. Leftover blood erupted from within and eradicated other nearby monsters. Rusty held the sword high before slamming the blade to the ground. A wall of blood exploded upwards hundreds of feet.

“Guards! Stay strong!” Rusty yelled. His helmet glowed with his words. “We must buy time for the prince! We fight for dawn!”

A cacophonous roar from remaining guards rang throughout the city. “We fight for dawn!”

Aisha leapt into the horde and attacked wildly. To my surprise Avant joined her. The Hero masterfully cut down her enemies without hitting Avant or the guards. Alongside them was Victor with glowing cane in hand. He teleported while swinging his blade and vanished. One second he’d be in front of us and across the castle the next. I stayed back and focused on the openings between the guards and killed any undead that broke through. Waves of blood from Rusty’s sword created momentary walls. Redirected monsters were easy targets.

“Makani! Don’t hesitate!” Aisha yelled, forgetting her decorum.

“It’s unruly. I cannot control my mana output,” Prince Makani yelled back.

A silver blur brushed past the prince and collided with nearby monsters. Guards nearly turned on it until the beast spoke.

“Why are you trying to control it?” Albert asked. “Give it everything you’ve got. The more of these things you take out the less work for the rest of us.”

The prince looked at the werewolf in stunned silence. With a smirk he and the staff began to glow brightly. When he next spoke, his voice carried throughout the city.

“Hold them off.”

It was likely the first command Prince Makani had given in his life. Citizens who had no business fighting raised arms to defend their home. Guards were invigorated and fought with bolstered confidence. A contingent of them appeared from Ramshorn with Vofric in the lead. He skillfully threw his light hammer forward. It ripped through enemies in his charging path. A volley of explosive arrows rained from the city walls. Ballistae with dragon heads were erected at specific points. They provided cover for Sariel as she made her way to the castle. Any imps who dared block her way were quickly disposed of. Avant roared a familiar pitch but deeper than ever before. A wave of energy cascaded over Dicoris district and empowered every warrior in its reach. With newfound energy, the owlbear tore through the undead like children’s playthings. Aisha leapt out of the fray and Albert took her place. Seeing him eviscerate humanoids made me thankful he was in control of his abilities.

Feeling invigorated, I prepared to rush into the crowd but Aisha stopped me. She gestured to the main gate. I had almost forgotten Elmud was still commanding their troops from the air. The best course of action was to carve a path and make room for the chosen one to defeat the enemy leader. Unfortunately, the main entrance to the city was filled with monsters. Every citizen had fled or died trying. No corpses lined the street as they were forced to march forward by their new master. Each undead guard made for a tough monster as their armor had few openings to exploit. While they were detrimental to a living being, an undead one paid them no mind.

An inferno encompassed my body in preparation to engage the horde. Astral arms weren’t enough and this was no time to waste mana on them. Physical combat with a fiery passion was the best course of action. I took a step back to accommodate a long jump. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. No one could handle that heat. I immediately put out my fire. Aisha had warded against it but still hurt herself to stop me.

“I’ll carve a path for you,” I said.

She held Valefor towards the street in front of the main gate. “Look at that crowd. Which is better at handling combat while outnumbered, a sword or fists?”

“But what about Elmud?”

“The Kargon I know doesn’t shy away from a fist fight.” Aisha smirked. “And I bet letting them run from you didn’t sit right, either.”

She was right. I wanted nothing more than to beat Elmud. I tried to say something but Aisha interjected.

“I didn’t just pick you to stay on the sidelines. I wanted an equal.”

Aisha nodded towards Elmud and I made a point to face them. They sneered while an army of undead did all the work for them. It was aggravating. Though my fire was likely to be ineffective in the fight, it didn’t matter. Aisha likely already thought of it yet still demanded that I engage the dragonborn.

“What do you need from me?” I asked.

The hero took a fighting stance, ready to carve a path.

“Take Elmud down.”