The Sworn Defender

by The Ranger

  "Is there anything we can do?" Richard inquired, crouching down closer to him.

  "Find Eren," he murmured. "The last time I saw him, he was going to help Danis fight. He may be with… the Marinians."

  "But is there anything we can do for you?" Khora pushed.

  Aven raised his head as high as his crumpled form allowed.

  "Leave," he groaned. "It's taking everything in my power not to shed this skin, and I can feel my… my humanity dissolving. Devoured by… by what lies within."

  "We can't abandon yo-" Edmund started.

  "Leave!" Aven bellowed, the echoes of a snarl reverberating around them.

  Richard laid his hand on Edmund's shoulder, but the young boy recoiled and turned away from his touch.

  "I'm s-so sorry," Edmund whimpered as he stepped away.

  "I'll find Eren, and we'll save our home," Richard trembled, a few tears trailing down his face. "I promise you."

  Aven gave him a lazy nod as he stormed away to join Edmund, but he stopped for a moment and glanced back at Khora.

  "Give me a moment," she told him, her voice choked. "I'll find you on the outside."

  Richard gave no response and trudged out of the room and away from the temple. Khora stood there silently, eyes on her friend, as Richard's footsteps slowly grew quieter. When she was sure that they were alone, she knelt down and gingerly approached Aven. His eyes followed her suspiciously, but she knew the fury within them was not meant for her.

  "You need to go, Khora," he repeated.

  She took a breath and steeled herself.

  "I wanted to offer you my help," Khora whispered. "If you wanted it."

  Aven shuddered, his limbs twitching beneath her gaze.

  "There's nothing anyone can do to help me now," he told her.

  "No, Aven," she sighed, tears leaving lines across her face. "Do you want me to help you?"

  Khora's hand slowly moved and found itself hovering above Jira's blade.

  Aven's eyes widened, and she could see in them a singular moment of genuine clarity. There was no monster then, just her friend.

  "Yes," Aven whispered, his own eyes beginning to water. "Thank you, Khora."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Richard

  Stray thoughts formed a maelstrom within Richard's mind as he and his companions traversed the road to the Marinian's camp. The battering winds and the icy snow they trudged through did little to help his state of mind.

  He glanced behind him to peer at Khora. She marched along quietly, dark circles beneath her puffy eyes. She held her spear in one hand and the Spriggan Lord's arm in the other. She had retrieved it from the ruined temple before departing. After watching her trudge out of the structure, he noticed she no longer carried the blankets she had wrapped around her shoulders nor the silver dagger she had acquired in Solton.

  He spared a look to Edmund, who seemed to be in no better spirits than she was. His eyes were cast to the ground as they walked, carefully shepherded by Khora on one side and Ranger on the other. Unlike the rest of them, he had been entirely silent since leaving. Even the drifting questions Richard ushered his way had been ignored as he shambled forward.

  He wondered how worse his friend's condition might have grown if he could have heard what he did; the sounds of a muffled wail and the clatter of an abandoned blade. He had almost wanted to denounce whatever power Tala had embedded in him: the curse to witness what others could not. However, he knew the burden he was forced to endure would not fail him when the time came. It was the only thought that pushed him forward as he began to sense that their journey would soon come to an end.

  "We're nearly there."

  Richard glanced towards Tonya, who had quietly turned to look back at him. She was the only one among them who seemed, at least partially, unbothered. After a few short words and the looks on their faces, she had not pressed them for news of what had happened with 'the monster.' Instead, she diligently led them out of the ruins of her home and towards the outskirts.

  It felt as if Tonya had sensed the discomfort surrounding her traveling companions and kept a distance between them as they walked. This was the first time she had spoken to them since then.

  "Good," Richard answered. "It's fortunate we set out so early… if we find our friend among your people, we can leave for Azra immediately."

  While the sun was still hidden by the darkened heavens, it had yet to climb the sky and mark midday. Richard hoped that they would pass Solton not long past noon and return home soon after that.

  Then, he knew, another battle would begin.

  "It's just another half hour ahead, isn't it?" Richard questioned, earning a surprised look from Tonya. "Just beyond those hills on the horizon?"

  "Yes, actually," she answered. "I suppose it's safe to assume a handful of vines aren't the extent of these abilities of yours…"

  He allowed a short laugh, ready to explain his strange power to her, when he stopped abruptly. His eyes fell on a small ravine that dipped to their right. While he knew their objective was ahead, every instinct in his body begged him to abandon that path to pursue this new one.

  "What is it?" Khora asked, sidling up to him.

  "I can feel something calling me this way," he explained. "It feels like a familiar presence lies ahead."

  "Is it Eren?" Edmund poked, his voice cracking as he spoke.

  "No," he muttered, focusing on the sensation. "An arcane presence."

  Without another word, Richard stepped over the edge and slid down the dirt wall. He looked back up at the rest of his companions.

  "It's less than four feet; you'll be fine," he beckoned.

  "It's not the drop that concerns me," she returned. "Are you sure… that this is what we should do?"

  "Yes, I am," he murmured back at her, extending his hand upwards.

  She stared at him reluctantly before nodding; however, unexpectedly, it was Edmund who followed down next.

  "Eren's waited long enough for us," he scolded them. "Whatever we do, we should be quick about it."

  After him, she climbed down, followed by Tonya and an even more hesitant Ranger, who Khora caught in her arms.

  "Show us the way, then, Richard," she ordered.

  The forest almost seemed to bend beneath the powerful winds that shot around them; however, they were offered a small degree of protection by the dirt walls that stood to either side. The disadvantage to the pass was the narrowness of it and the need to walk in a single-file. Even with Richard leading them, they found it was remarkably easy for their feet to snag on a stone or root hidden by the snow. Although tripping was amongst the least of their collective concerns, it was still a thought that meandered through Richard's mind with each careful step.

  "Are we close?" Khora asked, her voice loud in his ear.

  "Yes," he answered. "It's just ahead— right there, within that cave."

  The path ended a few feet ahead of them, where the mouth of a cave began. He could see a light source flickering within the darkness and feel a magic energy pulsing just beyond his reach.

  His errant mind wanted to believe it could be Lucan; it wanted to think that the sorcerer had come here to take refuge after his great battle, and the struggle was at an end. However, his senses told him it could not be the mage, for there was no darkness gathered here. Simply… a different kind of magic.

  It was not a question Richard had to struggle with for much longer, though, as a form began to take shape in front of them.

  "Julian?" Tonya called out.

  "It's good to see you're safe," Julian smiled. "Bogar wanted to cut me in half when I told him I hadn't marked you."

  Richard watched the man cautiously. He looked just as he had before, besides his clothes seeming a bit more tattered and muddy now. The medallion on his belt pulsed with the same magic it had possessed previously, yet it seemed much more potent now. It nearly masked Julian's presence regardless of Richard's proximity to him.

  "Your medallion," he pointed.
"How is it concealing you?"

  The warlock offered a small grin as his hand landed on the artifact.

  "It's not something I like to do often, but it's possible to let the relic's power radiate. The ambient magic cloaks my soul, preventing those monsters from finding me."

  Richard wondered how the Seekers could be tricked by such a simple measure, but then he remembered he had not been able to sense him either.

  "Why are you here?" Tonya questioned. "I thought you made it out with Bogar and the rest."

  Julian's eyes widened for a moment before his smile returned, and he stepped to one side. Behind him, slouched against the wall, sat an unconscious Eren.

  "I marked him when he shook my hand," the warlock revealed. "Once our people and I were safe, I tried to see what had happened to all of you. But the only thing I saw was destruction. He had fallen in the battle against the sorcerer, and I thought he would die if no one intervened."

  "So, you went back…" Khora murmured, her eyes watching him closely.

  Julian nodded, his smile beginning to fade.

  "If it hadn't been for you, I'm not sure all of us would've survived the attack. With that in mind, I couldn't stay behind and let another tragedy unfold. Bogar and the rest continued to the ship, and I came to pull Eren from the ruins. I was waiting here, thinking about what to do next, when all of you appeared."

  Richard trudged over to his friend's sleeping form and knelt beside him. He scanned him carefully and searched for any indication that he could be hurt, yet, there was none.

  "There's not a scratch on him," he commented. "His clothes and armor look all dinged up, but his body seems unscathed."

  "I thought so too," Julian remarked, coming closer to the pair. "I don't see why he hasn't woken up. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him."

  Richard looked back to the others and saw they had all crept closer and looked at him expectantly. With a careful gesture, he moved his hand to Eren's forehead and let his palm lay flat on his skin.

  Richard closed his eyes as a flash of darkness crashed through his mind, and a wisp of Lucan's dark power coursed through his limbs. It had been suppressing Eren and kept him from waking. Having drawn the magic out, Richard pulled his hand away and saw his friend begin to stir as he did so.

  "What… what happened?" Eren grumbled, his eyes opening lazily.

  He looked up at Richard, weariness clinging to every movement as he took in his surroundings. Until suddenly, alarm cracked along his face as he shot to his feet.

  "The battle!" he yelped, clutching his friend's shoulders. "What happened? Did we— did we win?"

  "I'm afraid not," Richard revealed. "Lucan escaped after damaging Marinia even further."

  "What about Aven?" he questioned, practically shaking him. "I saw him turn into a wolf-man or something, and he's not here… did he… did he survive?"

  He looked into Eren's eyes as he felt his friend's fingers trembling on his shoulders. His face was creased with distress while he waited for an answer. It pained Richard to see him like this.

  "He did not," he finally managed to say. "I'm sorry."

  A single groan escaped Eren's lips as he let go and slunk back to the ground, landing on the dirt with no more grace than a child.

  Richard watched him carefully, but he did nothing more than close his eyes for a few moments before opening them again. He leaned against the cave wall and let his head slowly fall back on the stone.

  "It happened again," Eren finally whispered. "It seems like everywhere I go, death lingers in my shadow."

  "It isn't your faul-" Richard tried to assure him.

  "But it is. I don't know why I keep surviving when people that are better than… I just… it isn't fair, Rich. Don't try to tell me that it is."

  There was silence as the two of them stared at each other, a look of defiance and resentment spreading across Eren's face.

  "How did you survive?" Khora asked. "You look perfectly fine for someone who exaced that mad-mage."

  "No, I don't. I got slashed across my head," he murmured, raising his hand to just beyond his hairline.

  His expression softened as his fingers found the spot, and he brought them back to his eyes.

  "No blood?" he muttered. "No… no wound?"

  "Was there one?" Richard inquired, his curiosity climbing.

  "A Seeker formed one of those black blades and cut up my head," he recounted, searching his scalp for an injury. "I even saw Lucan standing over me, with his masked face looking down at me. I don't know what happened next, but I thought I was done for."

  "The Gods blessed you with a miracle," Julian replied, an amazed look in his eye. "They must still have plans for you."

  "I don't believe in any shitty gods, warlock," he spat back, annoyance crossing his face.

  Richard wanted to smirk because he knew it was true. Eren's inability to acknowledge the Fate-Maker's existence had been a great matter of contention between him and their old battlemaster. It was a conversation that often ended with either Eren or Finnegan fuming and pacing around the barracks.

  Simpler times.

  "Here," Khora murmured. "We found this."

  Richard turned back and saw her outstretched arm reaching towards them. Clasped in her hand tightly, rested Torfir's limb.

  Eren scoffed as his eyes fell on it, and his expression tightened for a moment before he released a shaky breath.

  "Thank you," he whispered, taking it and sliding its vine over his shoulders. "We should probably get going, eh?"

  Richard took a few steps back as he rose to his feet. His posture seemed uncertain at first, his legs wobbling slightly, but he quickly composed himself. He left him and Julian behind as he made his way to the others.

  "Thank you for saving his life," Richard smiled, extending his hand to the warlock.

  "You're welcome," the man returned, clasping his hands within his own. "You'll defeat him, I know it."

  Richard nodded sheepishly as he moved away from him and turned his eyes towards Tonya.

  "We have a camp with those who survived the mage's attack," she told Julian. "We'd welcome you if you've nowhere else to go."

  "Actually, I think it might be best if all of you came with me," the warlock smiled. "I'm heading back to our ship."

  "B-Bogar's still here?" she questioned.

  Julian took a deep breath, and Richard felt the magic surrounding his medallion vibrate as it was recollected. The warlock squinted his eyes for a moment, his attention turned to the east.

  "They made it back safely," he informed them. "The danger for them has passed. The Chief is pacing around the deck, yelling at Rowan to make sure everything's ready for departure, though it has been for an hour. They're waiting for me to get back. I suppose he decided against leaving without me…"

  The warlock turned back to her, and Richard felt the artifact's energy seep back into the air as he masked his presence again.

  Khora stepped closer and set a hand on Tonya's shoulder. The girl turned to look up at her and saw a supportive smile on the warrior's face.

  "Yes," Tonya agreed. "Let's rejoin our people."

  Richard felt warm observing them, as if, for a moment, he were growing more optimistic while their reunion unfolded.

  The warmness faded as a cold itch stung his nose. He looked up, and a few more icy droplets pricked his face.

  "Rain?" he murmured.

  "Just a light drizzle," Eren muttered. "Let's go; it's nothing."

  "No," Julian rejected, his eyes on the clouds. "This is the start of a storm. We had weather like this often up in Royvar, and this looks like the start of something nasty."

  Richard felt the tiny droplets crash upon his skin and trickle onto the snow below.

  "It's time we go, then," he announced. "Before this worsens and the snow turns to sleet."

  He stumbled away, being mindful of each step forward.

  "Be careful, and be safe," Khora told Tonya, sparing a glance to Julian. "Good luck
in your new home."

  "Good luck to all of you, as well," he said softly, his smile wavering slightly as he watched them tread down the path they had come.

  Richard could not be sure, but a tugging in his chest told him whatever luck they had managed to latch onto would soon slip through their fingers.

  The rain had begun to fall in force, just as the warlock predicted. The withering cold seemed to cut through all of them, even Richard, who had felt so invincible until then. Eren, who tried his best to look unaffected, seemed to be shivering the most beneath the frigid knives that lashed down upon them. His time in the northern mountains seemed to have done little to prepare him for such an eventuality.

  "I'm sorry," Edmund murmured, setting a hand on Ranger's soaked coat.

  The great beast did nothing but look up at his master and huff as his attention moved back to the road ahead.

  "We should stop in Solton and see if they could lend us some cloaks or something to get the rain off our backs," he suggested.

  "I think the little one has a point," Eren trembled, his warm breath appearing in front of him in a puff. "Maybe we can — I don't know — borrow a few horses if they've got any to spare. I'd like to not have to keep walking the entire way."

  "I didn't see horses when we were there," Richard told him. "It's not that large a village— bigger than some of Azra's farming settlements, certainly, but much smaller than the Ashlands."

  "If the path is clear, then it might be beneficial to pass through Solton," Khora joined in. "But, if there are enemies along the road— we should not delay ourselves unless necessary."

  "It may be necessary," he muttered, stopping along the path. "I think… I-I'm beginning to sense-"

  "What is that!" Eren exclaimed, pointing far ahead of them.

  His finger led their eyes to a gigantic dome formed of golden light poking out from above the trees.

  "It's magic," Richard told them. "It's the biggest collection of arcane power I've sensed so far. Even greater than… than Lucan's powers."

  "That can't be Eilon's work, can it?" Edmund whispered. "I mean, he seemed strong, but… that's massive."

  "I can't sense anything within it, it's too far away, and the energy is… is clouding my perception. But I can feel the Seekers gathered outside the barrier. It feels like… it feels like Solton is under siege."