The Hero’s Right Hand

Before I could make a decision where to go, Avant nudged my leg and started leading us. The dungeon halls were constructed like the rest of Balur. Pointless gold embellishments lined the walls. The cells were well lit but noticeably empty. It was like we were the only prisoners. That meant Avant must have located Aisha but needed us to rescue her. We crept in the shadows to avoid any unnecessary conflict. The deeper we traveled, the more confused I was of where this building might be located. The corridors stretched to lengths that Balurian platforms couldn’t match. It was possible the stalks we saw were hollow but they didn’t have this depth. My only other idea was that the building was enchanted but if that were the case I wasn’t sure if finding Aisha would be straight forward. Worse yet, I had no way of knowing if we could leave.

On the way to Avant’s destination, we arrived at an intricate wooden door. It reminded me of the inn door Hastios had magically opened. The hall continued past it but guards stood on high alert. There was no way to sneak past them. Sariel signaled for us to remain quiet and step back. She summoned her bow and two arrows with arrowheads thin as needles. She leapt out of the corner to minimize how much sound she made. During the short air time, she let loose her sedating arrows. Precision shots like hers easily found the small opening in the guards’ armor. They didn’t get a chance to turn before being pierced in their necks then collapsing to the floor. I worried about the metal creating a sound but was surprised to hear nothing.

“There is a silent barrier around the door,” Vofric whispered. His necklace and eyes were glowing a soft golden hue. “Whoever is inside does not want to be disturbed. Lucky for us.”

We quietly walked to the guards and stepped into the zone of silence. The soft footsteps we had were completely gone. If only we could travel like this at all times. I couldn’t help but wonder what could be so important that guards couldn’t make a sound outside the room they were protecting. My curiosity got the better of me and I leaned close to the door.

“—sword in that stupid forest. Neves was never meant to exist!” a voice said. It carried the overconfidence of the few Balurians I’d interacted with.

“Had Valefor never been taken from Balur, the new Hero would be discovered here. An elf is rightfully meant to take such a grand role,” another spoke. “If only Kharim understood that and didn’t betray us this wouldn’t be happening.”

I immediately recognized the name; Kharim, the first hero. Stories were told about how he planted Valefor in a stone upon completing his quest. He built a reclusvie cabin but over the years people built homes near him. After a decade, the roots of Neves were developed. Kharim was an elf of Balur and I’d always assumed the city would appreciate a hero from our village.

“Agreed, Tenyorel,” said Hastios’s familiar voice. “With the capture of the foolish hero and her party, we can make sure the next blessed one hails from the correct domain.”

An unknown voice scoffed. “Did you see that dwarf sympathizing with the half-breeds? I never knew his kind to be so unintelligent. I mean, really? He is not only traveling with half-breeds but following their orders? Disgusting.”

The group laughed but I was more focused on the sadness in Vofric’s eyes. Yet he remained stoic with his trademark fortitude.

“I’m rather intrigued by the dragon marked elf,” another Balurian chimed in. “How idiotic must she be to challenge a dragon? Or worse, fallen into the clutches of a biomancer? I’m sure she’s aware of how far she’s fallen compared to how a pureblood should present herself.”

For the first time, I saw Sariel’s confidence waver. Her eye twitched as she fought back tears. It was clear we’d learn nothing of her predicament from these people.

“How do we plan to deal with the failed hero?” Tenyorel asked.

Hastios hummed and replied, “She may be a half-breed but has gotten the full mana capacity from both her tiefling and elvish heritage. We’ll siphon that and when she’s no longer of use, we will show her mercy.”

“The others?” someone asked.

“They are of no importance. Use them as you please,” Hastios answered.

A gross snicker sounded from some people in the room but I’d heard enough. Avant must’ve noticed my readiness to leave. The others followed as we snuck away from the meeting room. My mind was racing but I needed to focus on the task at hand. Meditating wasn’t an option in the slightest. We needed to save Aisha and get out of Balur. She’d surely have some idea of where to go. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for me to realize Avant wasn’t leading us to our leader. After dozens of empty cells we finally arrived at an occupied one.

“If it isn’t our intrepid heroes,” said Captain Julian as we approached. “Good on you for bringing them back, Avant.”

He tossed the keys to Sariel and she quickly cycled through them to let out the prisoners. It was all the surviving marines from the island and then some.

“The elves didn’t bother feeding you, did they?” Vofric inquired.

“I don’t think we were worth wining and dining,” Officer Lakelet replied, as haggard as when we last saw them.

While Vofric healed everyone, Sariel and I checked the hall. It looked like we could only go deeper into the building. If I’d learned anything since our time in Wolden, our goal was at the end. Without thinking I started to walk away. Sariel called the others to follow.

“I was wondering where Miss Hero was. Looks like they locked her up alone,” Captain Julian said. “Don’t worry, she’s a tough one.”

I nodded but her words didn’t ease the rising tension in my head. The elves’ disgusting conversation played repeatedly in my head. Refusal to understand the myriad species of the world had created a superiority complex that excused killing. In their eyes, my own upbringing made me so worthless that I wasn’t worth discussing. The only reason Aisha mattered to them is because they viewed her as a thief.

And we’d foolishly walked into their clutches.

I felt a pounding in my head I couldn’t alleviate. Vofric and Avant were close behind me and made sure our group remained hidden. Sariel was behind everyone keeping an eye out. We were still short on equipment but the marines looked ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Even so, I couldn’t put my mind at ease. Everything had fallen apart the moment we arrived in Balur. One of us should have noticed something was off but we were complacent.

The nonstop self loathing stopped upon our arrival at a hall with no exits except for the path we entered from. At the other end was another intricate wooden door. Two guards stood watch and again Sariel disposed of them effortlessly. To my quickly dwindling surprise, the door was unlocked.

I threw it open and stepped into a room with weapons of various makes hanging on the walls. Armor was piled on the floor like forgotten garments. A metal arch was bolted into the center of the room. Chained to it with arms spread wide was Aisha. Though she was still standing, her head hung low. She was stripped of her metal armor. The remaining leather was cut and revealed bloody wounds dripping onto the floor. A slowly expanding crimson pool lay at her feet. The elf standing in front of her wound up to attack. He gripped Vofric’s warhammer and prepared to slam it into Aisha’s leg.

“Come now, Failure. This is a conversation. If you stay quiet, I’ll have to do something we might both regret,” the woman cackled.

Without a word I approached the torturer. It didn’t take long for her to notice our group. She laughed and said something I didn’t catch. Once she was within my grasp she burst into flames. The scream echoed through the room and surely into the halls. The marines scrambled to shut the door. Using whatever they could find, they created a barricade.

“Been a long time since you’ve had that look on your face,” Aisha choked out.

Unsure what she meant, I looked at my reflection in her blood. Furrowed brows covered expressionless eyes. A cold air emanated from my jaw, clenched so tightly it felt like my teeth would shatter. I looked back at the burnt husk that couldn’t survive immolation. Upon release it crumpled to the floor with the warhammer. I let out the breath I’d been holding for longer than I realized.

“We need to go,” I said.

“What’s the point?” Aisha replied.

Sariel brushed past me and grabbed Aisha’s collar. “What are you saying?”

“I doubt something like this will stop her,” Vofric said while pulling Sariel back. He made eye contact with me and nodded towards the door. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. The closer they got, the more voices I heard.

“We will prepare ourselves,” Vofric continued as he picked up his hammer and ran to the pile of armor.

I turned back to Aisha and asked, “What happened?”

“Vofric’s hammer,” she said dryly. “And Captain Julian’s saber. It’s sharper than I thought.”

“That’s not what I meant,” I insisted. “Why are you hesitating to leave?”

Aisha finally lifted her head. The sadness in her eyes was something I hadn’t seen since her father passed away. Even while looking at me it was like she was staring into the distance.

“You don’t know what they think of me.”

“We overheard,” I replied through gritted teeth.

“Are they wrong? I got cocky against the leviathan and people died!” Aisha yelled. “I thought that people would help the Hero, no questions asked. I’m a naive idiot. A failure…”

Tears mixed with the blood on her cheeks but Aisha didn’t break eye contact. Some part of her, no matter how small, was still willing to fight. It was the part that knew I could help her. I wracked my brain for what to say but found myself distracted by banging on the door. The marines armed themselves with whatever they could find. Vofric and Sariel were able to find their armor and set Aisha’s aside. Strapped to it was Valefor, untouched by the Balurians.

“We only just started. Is it so wrong that we made mistakes? Have you forgotten that we’ve also succeeded?” I said while looking at our allies. Turning back to meet Aisha’s eyes I continued, “Take it as a lesson. We can’t blindly trust others. You can’t hold back. Hell, you can even get stronger.”

“All my strength comes from Valefor.” Aisha spat blood and said in disgust.

I shook my head and replied candidly, “Wrong. Valefor might bolster your physical strength but you’ve always been good with a sword. Not to mention, your magic is even more powerful. Even the elves admitted that your mana comes from Devlin and Ella. Valefor may help you. But it’d be impossible to wield if you didn’t have your own strength to begin with.”

Aisha’s eyes fluttered at the mention of her parents. I hoped something I said pulled her out of whatever rut she was in. It was hard to read her puffy and wounded face. The chains and exhaustion made it nearly impossible to understand her body language. But as long as she mentally recovered, the physical wounds were unimportant.

While Aisha continued to think I checked the door. Our allies had lined up and were preparing for battle. The frame was shaking wildly as the other side was bombarded with attacks. My body shuddered remembering the storms of the Balur Sea. But I was stronger than before. Primarily because I agreed with Aisha and would no longer hold back. She always knew what I needed to hear to overcome any obstacle.

“I couldn’t use a sword and would’ve been an unreliable guard. You said it yourself; it didn’t suit me. I should focus on what I know,” I said assuredly. “I understand falling. But it doesn’t suit you to stay down. Getting back up suits you. Fighting to shut people up suits you. Being the smart one suits you so tell me how to free you so I can stop thinking so hard!”

Aisha’s distant gaze focused enough for me to see myself in her eyes. My rage subsided and I could finally think clearly. The racket in my mind stopped but the one at the door only grew louder. The barricade was close to collapsing. The marines readied their weapons alongside Vofric and Sariel. Avant inhaled deeply, ready to bless everyone. I almost stepped away but Aisha stopped me.

“I need my sword.”

Within seconds I returned with Valefor. I could only carry the enchanted sheath. Nothing in this realm or any other would allow me to draw the blade. With the hilt near Aisha’s left hand, I nodded. She gripped it tightly and reciprocated the gesture. Once the sword was in its owner’s grasp the binding seal released. In a single motion I stepped back to assist in unsheathing the Hero’s sword.

“Vofric, please heal my wounds,” Aisha commanded.

He smiled and stepped towards her. A glow surrounded her as the cuts on her body closed. She twisted and pulled until the chains had no give. One powerful thrust broke her left hand free of its binding. Using the sword she destroyed the other chain. As the healing finished, Aisha donned her armor. The barricade fell and the door was crumbling. The Hero remained calm and commanded our forces.

“Sariel, the door’s wooden. Think you can create vines and bolster it? Just for a few more seconds.”

Sariel smiled her usual cocky grin. “Undoubtedly.”

Thick stalks burst from the splintered wood. It moved quickly to wrap around the damaged door frame. Even with the non-stops attacks on the other side, they didn’t falter. I could see Sariel trying her hardest to hold them back.

“The only way out is through this door,” Aisha said boisterously, drawing the attention of the marines. “Once we open the path, we don’t stop until we reach the city portal station. Any portal will do but we must escape together. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Hero!” the marines barked. Even Captain Julian and Officer Lakelet joined in.

“Good,” Aisha walked in front of everyone with Sariel, Vofric, and Avant. She specifically left a spot for me on her unarmed right. “Kargon! You talked pretty big so I’m expecting you to back it up with that astral magic I saw on the ship. On my signal, burn this wall down and show them they can’t mess with us!”

I stood by her side as she had requested when I first joined her. Flames erupted from my fists. With ease I manifested glowing arms in the air ahead of us. As my right arm pulled back, so did the astral right. I burned as hot as possible. I looked at Aisha and she raised her sword high. With a deliberate swing she pointed to the door as I blasted it open.