The Hero's Sidekick

As soon as I was sure the others couldn't see me, I reached out to my familiar using our mental bond and she came to me in her blazing fox form ready to help me carry out my plan.

In the midst of the madness going on in the city, a young mage covered in blue fire and riding on the back of a giant fox was the least of anyone's worries. A few people still searching for places to hide were dumbstruck by Deotra's majesty but once she had passed their main concern became survival again. Works for me. Right now I need to be somewhere and I need to be there now.

From my previous visit to Blossom City about three or so years ago, Alverd and I had visited the part of the city that housed the many mercenary guilds that had headquartered themselves there. While the Noble Wolves were by far the most well-known mercenaries in the city, they were only one of several that plied the trade; at least six other guilds marketed themselves as competent bounty hunters, bodyguards, monster exterminators, and general muscle-for-hire.

Because of the Four Stand as One policy, the defense of the city lies solely in the hands of the Four Pillars. Military action wouldn't be allowed by independents unless the Emperor deputized them into Imperial service with their consent. So even though we have an army of mercenaries that could and probably want to help defend the city, their hands are tied unless a representative of the Emperor gives them authorization to do so.

"I'm sure the Imperials meant well when the policy was made, but now it's a hindrance," Deotra said through our telepathic link. "After what happened with the Valley of the Last Sunrise, the last thing people wanted was for the Emperor to have the power to strong-arm people into fighting for him." The telepathy made it far easier to have the conversation, as I didn't have to fight to hear her clearly over the wind whistling in my ears as she ran at breakneck speed through the streets.

"Yeah, but now it's going to get innocent people killed. We may have to tell a little white lie, but better that than let the Divernian Swords wreak havoc unchecked." I detected a twinge of reluctance through our link. "Deotra, I know you hate lying. But in this instance the alternative is death, which we can still prevent."

An undercurrent of anger, resentment, and bitterness came back with her response. "I know. And I know you wouldn't do it without a good reason. I just don't like lying. Even if it's for the right reasons, I can't bring myself to condone it." I caught something on the tailwind of her words like the scent of burning wood, smug satisfaction, then the horror of realization, followed by anger. Woah. What is that? Her feelings are strong enough that I can almost relive the emotions buried in her memories. Is that another byproduct of our bond, or something more?

A sudden upwards movement nearly bucked me off Deotra's back; she had leapt over an overturned rickshaw that lay discarded in the street, landing gracefully and without any loss of her speed. With no saddle, I was forced to hold onto the fur on the scruff of her neck. I almost miss those Ishmarian dragon saddles. Although the idea of making Deotra wear one seems very demeaning. I'll just have to hang on tighter.

The Golden Hand District lay to the north of the Palace District, sandwiched between a residential block and a lesser market area that didn't compare to the Silken River. Named for the fact that the statue next to the north entrance of the district had a single golden hand to symbolize some ancient proverb about wealth, the locals preferred to call it the Gold-in-Hand District due to the mercenary presence there.

The trip there would've been uneventful if Deotra and I had chosen to take a more circuitous route around the east side of the district to reach that northern entrance, but that would've taken significantly more time. We instead chose to ride straight to the Gold-in-Hand's southern entrance, which was unsurprisingly packed with citizens begging to be let in through a hastily assembled makeshift barricade.

Noble Wolves were trying to establish an orderly queue, but the panic of the civilians was making it a more difficult task than it needed to be. A ten foot tall barricade had been made to keep people out, and thus people had to be lifted up and over the barricade by Wolves standing atop it. Anyone who wanted to try scaling the ramshackle assembly of wooden furniture had to contend with the spears poking haphazardly out of the many openings in the barricade that had been placed there to discourage such behavior.

Children were pushed to the front of the line where four Wolves were reaching down from the top of the barricade to receive them from civilians at the bottom. Once the children were lifted up, another Wolf would take the child and pass them back and over, where more mercenaries would ensure the kid was safely deposited on the ground. This human daisy chain was the best that could be done given the circumstances, and although it was working it was like trying to fight a raging fire with only a water bucket.

On top of the barricade was a familiar face. Yuzuruha, clad in her full Noble Wolf silver, was doing her best to assist a mother in getting her child over the barricade. The child, a young elf with muddy red hair, did not want to be separated from her mother and was screaming at the top of her lungs. She had to be no more than six, and despite her mother's pleas the girl would not calm down. The disruption in the daisy chain was causing the other civilians to look at her nervously, and I knew from experience that if nothing was done then desperation would kick in.

Nothing good ever came from that.

Evidently Yuzuruha understood that as well. "Listen! Hold onto yer kid as hard as ya can. Put yer back to the wall and reach up with one arm." The woman did as she was told, and Yuzuruha knelt down. With all her strength, she grabbed the woman's arm and lifted her, child included, up the full ten feet with a grunt of exertion.

The Wolf next to her cradled the woman so she made it up safely, then patted her on the back. "You're good! Keep going!"

"Sorry about yer arm," Yuzuruha tried to say, but the woman hugged her briefly before jumping down to the Wolf waiting to catch her on the other side. Invigorated, she turned back around. "Alright, keep it movin'! We got more people ta'..." Her voice trailed off as she saw me astride a massive red fox and her jaw dropped.

I waved at her, then cleared my throat. In the most authoritative voice I could manage, I spoke loudly and clearly to the Wolves and civilians. "I bear an edict from the Emperor! In His name, I hereby deputize all available mercenaries to assist the Imperial Throne in defending Blossom City!" I can only pray that Alverd knows what I'm up to. As long as he follows through on his end, my little white lie isn't so much a lie as a promise that hasn't been made yet.

"Hell yeah!" Yuzuruha pumped her fist in the air. "About damn time them highborns remembered we exist. We all thought maybe their messengers got lost on tha' way here." The other Wolves laughed, but their faces still gave away how relieved they were. "As soon as we get these civvies over the wall, the Wolves go huntin'!" A chorus of wolf howls echoed behind her.

There was a clamor as the Wolves on top of the barricade looked behind them. "The rope ladders finally got made! Everybody back up. Ropes are comin' down!" A few seconds later a set of rope ladders were unfurled over the barricade. "Everybody keep calm! One person per ladder at a time! Children first, then the adults!" A few nervous kids took to the ladders. The Wolves helped them get over the top when they got high enough.

Yuzuruha lifted a cat beastchild over the wall and then turned back to me. "Kuro, what's happenin' up at the Palace?" Deotra brought me closer, and the crowd nervously dispersed to give her plenty of room.

"The Guard is holding the Palace for now. But there's a greater problem here," I told her. "The Ishmarians are working with the Divernian Swords. The attack on the west gate is a diversion to draw the Four Pillar forces there and leave the rest of the city undefended when the Swords rise up. They just need a signal."

She exchanged a nervous glance with the other Wolves. "What's the signal?" Before I could answer, a gargantuan dragon flew over the city, its long shadow passing over us like the specter of Death. Stunned into silence, we watched it destroy one of the bunkers defending the Repository. As it tore at the Repository itself, ice water ran through my veins.

"I think that was it."

Snapping out of her trance, Yuzuruha clapped her hands impatiently. "Double time! Get these people over this damn wall! Move like y'all got a purpose!" She stomped her foot and the Wolves got back to work helping the last of the kids over the barricade. As the first set of adults began climbing the ladders, she called to me. "Get in here! If the Swords are gonna be makin' a move, we need a plan. And yer the one ta' come up with it."

Deotra took a few steps back and then charged forward, making a flying leap over the barricade and easily sailing over it and the Wolves. She landed on the other side in a flourish of fur and flame, scattering the people gathered on the other side. A few civilians in the area, mostly older men and women, fell to their knees in prayer and awe.

"Eternity sends a divine messenger! We are to be delivered from this suffering! Praise her!"

Through our link, I scoffed. "They seem to think you're some kind of celestial creature." She responded with an amused tone. "There's nothing divine about me. But if it helps keep them calm to think their goddess sent me, then at least they're not panicking anymore."

I raised my eyebrow at her. "Don't you think that's a little bit like deceiving them?"

The giant fox turned her head to look at me, her expression unreadable. Before my eyes, the form melted away, a sweep of blue foxfire obscuring her from view before subsiding. In place of the fox was just Deotra, her ears twitching with mild irritation. Her eyes and face told me that she had probably not appreciated my comment. "Did you really have to push that point so hard?" She asked in a quiet, oh-so-slightly menacing voice.

"I'm just saying, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to in order to get things done. The real trick is making sure we're getting it done for the right reasons." An old man with a hunched back and stiff movements made his way to Deotra, his eyes watering as he fell to his knees before her. He was a beastman, probably some kind of lizardman based on the scales along his neck and the back of his shaking hands. Bursting into tears, he blubbered in front of her.

"In all my years, to see a divine messenger! Please, milady! Save us!"

Others, including more than a few Noble Wolves, were following his example. Many knelt, some prostrated themselves, and others began quoting scripture. The look of discomfort on Deotra's face intensified as the seemingly harmless lie we'd enabled ballooned out of control.

"Well there's no helping it now," I said to her through our link. Her childlike face scrunched up, but then she took a deep breath and addressed the people.

"Do not worry. The Goddess has turned her gaze upon you. She will not abandon you." Then her voice sounded in my head. "You're going to owe me for this." Something about that made me shiver. I didn't know if it was a statement or a threat.

I had a feeling it might've been both.

The streets inside the Gold-in-Hand District were packed to the brim with mercenaries bearing their guilds' colors and emblems. Said mercenaries were occupied with rushing supplies where they needed to go, directing civilians to shelters, or checking their gear. In the middle of it all, a large table had been placed with six people seated at it, each of them cross-legged as they drank from tankards filled with fizzling ale.

Yuzuruha jumped down from the barricade and came over to me. "Ah'm gonna take ya ta' the boss man. He needs ta' know we got the approval from the Emperor to start knockin' heads." I held out my hand and rested it on her shoulder.

"First, what's the situation here? How many mercenaries are ready to move out once the order is given?" I asked.

She shrugged her broad armored shoulders. "Dunno. We weren't able ta' put out a city-wide call, so we only have the mercs that were here when shit went down," she said. "Lucky fer me, Rol and Lou were visiting the district to bring me somethin' when the attack started, but a lot of the boys and girls here are all worried that their families might be in trouble." She pounded her fist against her chest, giving me a determined scowl. "Trust me when I tell y'all that they're ready ta' bust some lizardrider heads."

I nodded. "They'll have plenty of opportunities to work out that aggression. By the way, is it really okay for the guild leaders to have their HQ out in the open like that? Aren't they worried a dragon rider will come along and get some ideas?" I pointed at where the men and women at the table were still drinking as they carried on a spirited debate.

"Oh, some rat bastard did." She tilted her head to the west, to the left of where the table was sitting. A three story building with a massive hole somewhere between its second and third story had a dragon's tail leaning out of it with quite a bit of dark crimson blood streaming down the wall. "My little angel saw it comin' and put a shot right through its goddamn eye." She put her hands on her hips and beamed proudly, her amethyst eyes twinkling. "Sons of bitches haven't tried again, so they probably got tha' message."

"Well let's see if we can spread the word." I followed her to the table. Three men and three women sat on small futons that had been brought out for them. They were all middle-aged, showing signs of decades of field work in the form of scars on their skin to trophies on their armor. The men comprised of a bear beastman whose armor looked too small for him, a human with a set of claw mark scars on his left cheek, and an elf with a mask that covered the lower half of his face. The women were a cat beastwoman with a scar under her right eye, a human with a ruddy complexion, and an elf with glass beads woven into the braids of her brown hair.

All six of them turned to me when Yuzuruha brought me to the table. "Kuro, meet the bosses. Bosses, this guy says the Emperor is ready to deputize us ta' save the city." The human man, who wore the same silver-colored iron armor as her, slammed both of his hands on the table. "It's about damn time. We've all got reputations to uphold." His fellow guild leaders laughed and guffawed, their mercenary bravado on full display.

"Hold on." I held up my hand. "As much as you may want to march over to the west gate to introduce the Legion to the pointy ends of your swords, we've got bigger problems."

The bosses exchanged confused glances. "Explain yourself," the cat beastwoman said in a stiff, no-nonsense tone.

"The attack is a diversion. The Four Pillars are going to be busy fighting the Ishmarians, which leaves the rest of the city vulnerable to the Divernian Swords. They have a presence inside the city, and they were waiting for the signal." I pointed up and in the general direction of the Repository, which was still being attacked by the giant dragon. "When that monster dragon tears down the Repository, that'll be the signal for the Swords to rise up and try to take the city."

All six of the bosses' eyes widened. "Sword activity has been increasing outside the city as of late. We've all been getting more contracts to deal with convoy attacks. Perhaps it was part of a smokescreen to make the Throne think that the Swords were just an external threat?" The elven man's face was harder to read than the others due to his mask, but the anger burning in his eyes was still clear to see.

"Regardless of what their tactics were, if what this young man says is true, they're in the city now," the human woman said. Her voice was hoarse, as if she'd already spent the last hour yelling at the top of her lungs. "We don't have enough manpower to sweep every district and still maintain the defense of the Gold-in-Hand. Even if we could call up all of our forces throughout the city, we don't know where the cultists would strike first."

As the bosses argued about what the cult's most likely target would be, Deotra appeared beside me, her hands folded inside the sleeves of her robe. "I feel like I'm looking at this all the wrong way," I told her through our connection as the debate raged on. "We've already been misled based on assumptions made about Guunzel's motives and knowledge. Am I missing something?"

She stepped beside me, leaning slightly against my left arm. "This all started as an Ishmarian plot, right? So instead of considering the Swords' motive for going along with the Legion, cut them out of the equation. Think only about what Guunzel wanted." Her fuzzy ears twitched, then flattened out to the sides. "He was the type of man who played the angles, sacrificed his own men, and broke the most sacred beliefs of his own country. So what did he stand to gain?"

My mind raced. "He came to Kierhai under the pretense of building an alliance with Ishmar. We know the truth now that he only came here for the Hand of the Usurper. But the Hand isn't in the Repository, so now he is using the Swords to cause chaos in Blossom City. What still doesn't make sense is that if the Hand isn't here, why would Guunzel believe endangering the Emperor will still get him what he wants?"

A subtle shift in our mental link was the only warning I had before Drache's sinisterly sweet voice poured into my mind like dark chocolate mixed with caramel. "Start by answering one question at a time. The most important question is, where is the Hand of the Usurper?"

The gears in my head were grinding and whirring at maximum speed. "Look, Drache. I don't have time to play these stupid games. People are going to die. You're jerking me around as we're running out of time. If I knew, I'd already be working off that line of thought. Give me a hint if you're that far ahead of me." I pushed my irritation through the link so she could pick up on it, although there was plenty of it in my tone as it was.

"You assume that the Hand is here in Blossom City, but the safest place it could be isn't where it is. So, if the Hand is still being stored somewhere safe, then where would that be, if not in Blossom City?" Her voice resounded with arrogance, but there was also a trace of hesitant expectation.

When the answer came, I nearly smacked myself in the head as to how obvious it was. "I'd put it in the most secure location in all of Kierhai. Crawling with soldiers who don't answer to a ruler that might misuse the Hand, but instead a military leader who has authority to act without the Emperor's approval in a time of crisis. Authority capable of marching an army to the country's capital city to quell a cultist uprising. The Hand of the Usurper is in Standing Stone. It's been there the whole time."

Drache's voice was full of pride. "Very good. If the Encroacher was unleashed from his prison, then it stands to reason that the custodian of the Hand could not wait around for approval to take the artifact from its resting place, and that it would need a significant military escort to deliver it to where it had to go." I could almost imagine the smug smirk on her face. "We must contact the Steadfast. His men must begin the journey to Blossom City immediately."

"It'll take days for him to get here. Meanwhile the Encroacher will have free reign to destroy everything. There might not be a city left for the Steadfast to save by the time he gets here." I clenched my fist. "We can't let another city be wiped out. Not again."

"Don't you worry about that, boy," she said in a terrifyingly calm drawl. I could almost see her smiling, baring her immaculate teeth like a hungry predator. "I know just what to do to get Burundus away from the city. With me as the bait, we'll lure the Encroacher straight to the Steadfast. First, you'll need to make sure these mercenaries are prepared to fight the Swords. Even if I get Burundus to follow me, the city will still have its own threat to deal with."

I turned so I could look Deotra in the face. Her eyes were still crimson, the telltale sign that Drache was still in control of her body. Holding her gaze, I took a deep breath. "Thank you, Drache. Whatever your reasons for wanting the Hand, I'm glad you still care about the fates of these people."

She didn't blink, although the corner of Deotra's mouth turned up into a familiar smirk. "This time our goals and interests aligned. Don't be so quick to give me so much credit, boy. You might just end up trusting me." Then her eyes closed, Deotra sighed, and when her eyes opened again they were her normal golden color.

"So what is the plan, Kuro?" She blinked, waiting for me to answer. The bosses quit their arguing when she spoke up and turned towards me, listening intently.

"Alverd and the others can handle Guunzel. Our job now is to help rally the mercenaries." I waved my hand at Yuzuruha, who had gone off to one of the buildings adjacent to the street. She was talking to her partner and his sister.

She brought the two of them over when she came to me. "So what did the bosses say?" I lowered my voice. "Right now they can't agree on where the cultists would strike. I have an idea where they'll start, but even the cult uprising is a cover for the real plan."

Roland, his hands holding the long firearm I'd see him with before, fiddled with the aperture sight mounted on the top. "What's the actual target, then?" His sister Lou was carrying her medical bag, but her wrist was shaking. There were also bloodstains on her sleeves, and given that she didn't look injured they probably weren't hers.

"The cultists are going to follow their demonic god king everywhere it goes. General Guunzel wanted it loose to draw the Steadfast out of Standing Stone. I might have a way to get the demon out of Blossom City, but we can't let the cult follow it. So your job is gonna be preventing the Swords from leaving the city limits. Keep them here, and put them down."

Roland broke his weapon in half near where his hand was holding it. He took a long, pointed bullet and inserted it into the tube before shutting it with a backward flick of his wrist. "What about the people here?" I shook my head.

"The Swords will try to follow their god. Trust me. As long as I can get the demon out of the city quick enough, the Swords will be more concerned with escorting it than attacking civilians."

"I'm also gonna need a bubble. I've got to get a message to Standing Stone."

Yuzuruha crossed her arms. "Can't help ya there. I don't have access ta' that. We got one in the HQ over there, but I don't rank high enough ta' use it." Roland took his left hand and cupped it against her cheek, causing her to flush red.

"Sweetheart, you more than anyone know that we've gotta do what's right, right now. You're the one always saying that to me." Her mouth moved, trying to form words, but then she grit her teeth and nodded.

"Alright. I'll get ya in, then cause a ruckus out here. I'll buy ya' as much time as I can."

She led me over to the Noble Wolves' HQ building, which flanked the street on the east side, just past the table where the bosses were now close to yelling at each other. "Damn pissin' contest goin' on over there while people are in danger. Assholes." She spat on the ground, her teeth grinding. The building itself was four stories tall and had a statue of a seated wolf wearing a helmet similar to the ones many of the other mercenaries were wearing in front of it. A lone guard, young and green-looking, was standing in front of the door.

"Hey, y'all look like ya need a break." Yuzuruha clapped her hand on the guy's back, nearly knocking him over. He straightened his helmet. "I'd really like to check on my mother. She got brought in with some of the other civvies before the barricade got put up. I hope she's not panicking."

She gave him a wolfish smile. "Well, ah'm sure yer ma would appreciate that. Tell y'all what, I'll watch the door while you go see her. I won't tell nobody." She winked at him, then pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Get goin'. I'll hold down tha' fort here." The grateful mercenary bowed his head, then ran off down the street. "Hoof it, Kuro." She took his place standing in front of the door, her hands perched on the haft of her large club.

"Bubble is in the boss' office. Second floor, on the left." I thanked her and went inside. All the furniture in the lobby had been taken, leaving a room with no tables, couches or chairs. The mercs took everything they could get their hands on to make that barricade. Somehow I doubt it'll hold up against an army of rabid cultists, much less dragon riders, or those Talionis. The door to the boss' office was wide open, the door frame was broken. The Wolves had forced something big through, most likely the desk that had been in the middle of the room if the conspicuously shaped dust square on the floor was any indication.

Discarded on a shelf anchored to the wall was the bubble, its translucent spherical form indicating that it was inert. I picked it up before realizing there was nowhere to place it, then waved my hand over it impatiently. Aw, hell. I just need to get this message sent. Sending a message via bubble was a simple enough task if you knew your intended recipient and their location, and thankfully I knew both.

Once the connection was made, the bubble would manifest itself as a floating image of my face within a sphere of magic, hence the name, in front of my target. I hope Mingsheng isn't up to anything important right now. It would be really weird if I interrupted his bath or something. Recalling the room at the top of Standing Stone where we met him for the first time, I painted the mental picture that would help establish the bridge between my location and his.

The raised dais, the incense burners, the sand garden with the little old elf woman in her green robe, all the details came together in my mind's eye. The last piece of the puzzle was Mingsheng himself, seated upon his luxurious pile of pillows with scroll in hand. A sharp sensation of heightened awareness made my peripheral vision go blurry as my eyes gazed into the crystal ball, its innards turning into a swirling sea of twinkling light.

When the image took shape, I beheld Mingsheng. He was still sitting on his makeshift throne, taking a drag from his long pipe. He took his time in blowing a ring of smoke off to the side before addressing me, seemingly undisturbed by my sudden appearance. "Well, now. I was beginning to think you'd run away. So glad to see I was wrong- "

"We don't have time. Listen to me. Call up your forces. Ready whatever defenses Standing Stone has for dragons and leave enough soldiers to man them, then send as many as you can spare to Blossom City, now." When he didn't immediately respond, I pressed him further. "Bring the Hand of the Usurper. The Encroacher is about to break free, and Guunzel made sure that he'll have an army of cult fanatics at his beck and call."

If Mingsheng was distressed by this news, he didn't show it. His eyes narrowed, but other than that he remained calm. "Of all the things I expected you to tell me when you reported back, this was not at the top of the list. But action is needed, so it shall be done. Baba! Summon the generals. I want a force ready to depart in less than an hour."

"Now, boy. You understand it will take days for my troops to reach Blossom City? By the time we get there, we'll be fishing you and the entire population out from under a pile of rubble." I shook my head. "No, I've got a plan to get the Encroacher out of the city. You'll meet us halfway between Standing Stone and Blossom City. There's a perfect place for us to wage a battle against a demon and its army, and I think you know where."

A sly smile crept across the old beastman's face. "The Valley of the Last Sunrise. Clever. Very well. My troops will double time it to the Valley, and set up whatever defenses we can. When you bring us the enemy, we shall meet them with our backs to the sun and our spears ready. May the Goddess turn her gaze upon you." He bowed his head to me, and I severed the connection. The bubble closed, and I was back in the empty office with the ball in my hand again.

Yuzuruha was still standing guard outside. No one had thought to question her, so she was trying not to draw attention to herself. I tapped her on her shoulder. "It's done. Now we just have to-"

The cry of the monstrous dragon still demolishing the Repository sounded across the entire city as it finally smashed its way through the outer walls of the spire. For a heartstopping moment, it perched atop the spire like some creature spawned from a nightmare, its triumphant roar echoing through the air.

The space beneath it exploded in a shower of glistening blue slime, engulfing it instantly. Guunzel's dragon barely had time to struggle before the entirety of its body was absorbed into the writhing, undulating mass, its teeth gnashing futilely before its head disappeared from sight.

Underneath our feet, the ground rumbled. The stone streets shook as cracks opened up in them, shooting across the ground with incredible speed. Civilians still out in the open fled for any cover they could find, pushing into buildings or leaping into alleyways to get off the street. Roland grabbed his sister by the back of her medic uniform's collar and yanked her away before a section of the street almost caved in below her.

From the southern entrance of the district, where the barricade had been erected, the low chanting of cultists began to build up into a chorus. The sound of their heretical song was swelling, like a massive wave building to hit the shore of a coastal city. Wolves on the barricade started to shout, then jumped off the barricade and away.

Seconds later a heat wave smashed through the barricade, destroying it like a tower made of toothpicks. Stepping through the hole in the burning barricade was an Ishmarian dragon, the smoke and fire roiling off its golden-black armor as it stalked towards us. Atop its saddle was a Talionis, its sword already dripping with blood. Every nearby mercenary rushed forward and formed a line some thirty feet away, but I knew we were in serious trouble.

The ground shook harder as the uncoordinated marching of the cultists heralded their imminent arrival. Their profane chant was louder than ever, and I felt the familiar psychic pressure pricking the edges of my mind despite my best effort to tune it out. Cultists, the most eager of the lot, were now making their way through the opening left by the Talionis, gleefully scraping their weapons along the ground in murderous anticipation.

The Talionis was about to give the order to attack when a massive blue fireball streaked down the street and impacted it, bathing it and the dragon in an explosion of searing flame that I could feel even though I was more than forty feet away. All eyes turned to the young fox girl walking towards the attackers, her right hand raised and already conjuring another ball of blue fire. At first I expected Drache, but as she passed I saw that her eyes, while furious, were still golden. It was not Drache that had struck the first blow, but Deotra.

The mercenaries parted when she approached, moving away from her out of fear and reverence. She angrily planted her feet not twenty feet away from the Talionis and its mount, and even the cultists looked like they were having second thoughts. Putting as much resolve into her voice as she could, Deotra stood up straight and held up her blue fire. "You wanted to unleash Hell on earth?"

The fire burst into a conflagration, engulfing the whole of her body. She burned like an avatar of righteous fury, the stone beneath her liquefying as she radiated heat like an open furnace. Cultists wailed in pain as their clothes and armor ignited, their weapons glowing red hot as they cowered before her. She raised both of her hands, creating two new balls of flame.

"Well here I am!"