An Inheritance of Fire

“What the fuck?” Shaw cursed. The sentiment, if not the phrase, was mirrored by the mercenaries behind him. Though he said nothing aloud, Nalos agreed. Ahead of them, a giant wall loomed out of the dark. Even in the gloom, it was clearly of crude construction. Entire tree trunks had skinned and lashed together. Though clearly man-made, there was no sign magic had been used. Did they do this all by hand?

“Was this in the brief?” Shaw asked in a hushed tone. Nalos shook his head as he peered at the giant structure. It stretched into the haze in both directions, further than he could make out. “No. But we’re definitely in the right place.” Shaw snorted. “No shit.” Nalos glared at him balefully, and the scarred man raised his hands in mock surrender.

Nalos turned around. Two hundred weary faces stared back at him, huddled together in the dim forest. Though the Reaver attacks had subsided over the last week, morale continued to drop. That was no real surprise– their reduced numbers were a constant reminder of the dead. Nalos could feel their trepidation; they were on the verge of giving up.

“We don’t have time for this,” he growled. “I agree,” Shaw said roughly, “but what are we supposed to do?” He pointed. “You see that?” Nalos followed the direction. Atop the giant wall stood a small canopy. “That’s a watch station. There’s probably more along the whole perimeter. The fact that we didn’t get spotted right away is just blind luck. If we try to destroy just one section, we get spotted and a warning goes out. I can destroy the entire thing, but I’ll be dead weight afterwards.”

Nalos grimaced, but he knew Shaw was right. “If I get rid of the wall,” he said slowly, “Can you make sure none of them escape?” Shaw peered at him curiously.

“Sure. That’s easy. But how would you get rid of the wall? Even if you’re a higher rank than me, my Sigil is better suited.”

“Just take care of things on the other side.”

Nalos stoked the essence flowing through his body. It responded eagerly, ready to be given purpose. His head swam as he pushed it to his hands, painstakingly giving it shape. He wove it into two tendrils, meticulously binding every thread into place. The ocean of essence pressed against him, eager to replace what he spent, but he ignored it. There were more efficient ways to do this, he was sure, but this was easiest. Once complete, Nalos guided the invisible projections forward. He could feel the rough, grainy surface as they slid across its surface. It was larger than he’d thought. Nalos opened his eyes as the tendrils met in some unseen spot. “Get ready,” he said, and pulled– hard.

His vision brightened, then blurred as his body ruptured. The wall resisted for a moment, but it was just wood. There was no essence to bind it, no spell to give it strength. It shuddered– and then fell. Nalos did the same. The thunderous sound of the falling wall was drowned out as the rupture coiled through his body. It started in his hands and made its way to his head. “You idiot,” Shaw guffawed as he looked down at Nalos. “It’ll be a miracle if you wake up looking like me… but well done.” The green gemstone set in his staff hummed to life as Shaw swung it. “I won’t let any of them run. Raze it all to the ground.”

The sound of rolling thunder shook Selerim from his sleep. Thunder? He thought, still half-asleep. It’s winter. He looked outside, expecting to see clouds above, but it was bright out. Too bright. As Selerim sat up, he noticed Nyx at the foot of his bed. A veil of shadows wrapped around her, swallowing the light as it flickered through. Her violet eyes were fixed on whatever lay behind the glass panel.

“What is it, girl?” Selerim asked softly as he reached for her. She stepped up onto his hand, but stayed focused on the window. Selerim leaned over to look through– and jumped back as bright orange flames crashed against the thin glass. It ate through the wooden frame, filling his room with smoke as fire crept along the wall. In the same instant, Nyx crashed through the window in a whirlwind of flame and shadow. There was a shout of surprise, followed by a scream of pain, and then the sound of crackling fire drowned out all else.

The sight of his Wyrd flying headfirst into danger snapped Selerim out of his stupid. He turned towards the doorway, but the fire spread too quickly. Within seconds, it was wreathed in flame. He could see it spread to the rest of the house. With no other options, he turned back towards the now broken window– and leapt forward. As he hurtled towards the wall of fire, Selerim mentally prepared himself for the burning pain that was sure to come.

It never did.

He felt each fiery limb brush against his exposed skin, and the rush of heat, but there was no burning, no catching of fire. As Selerim burst through the other side, he was blinded by the sheer amount of light that assaulted his eyes. Once the bright orange after image he was greeted by a hellish landscape. He stood at the center of a raging inferno. Flames danced from one house to the next, scattering flecks of orange against the twilight above. Bodies– people he’d known all his life– lay outside of their homes, haphazardly strewn across the snow. Some of them were still smoking.

Selerim started towards them, but before he could make it two steps, a gleaming blade sheathed in firelight reached for his throat. He jerked his head to the side as the weapon– a curved sword– arched towards him, hissing as it caught the side of his neck. Selerim clamped a hand over the wound as he stumbled back. Blood trickled through his fingers, but he kept his attention on the blade that had nearly taken his life.

Its wielder stood with their back to the raging fire. Their face was obscured in shadows cast by their own hood. Selerim could see his own blood on the sword; scarlet rivers running down its length. “You’ll pay for that,” they snarled, their voice barely audibly over the roaring fire. Before Selerim could say anything, another weapon– a dagger, this time– glinted in the corner of his vision. Caught off guard, he shifted to intercept the strike with his shoulder, counting on his armor to protect him from the worst. He realized his mistake a split second too late.

The blade cut deep into Selerim’s unprotected flesh. He screamed in pain, falling to his knees as the dagger’s tip scraped against bone, parting flesh and muscle as it dragged dowards. Its owner stepped back, leaving the blade buried in Selerim’s arm. The sword wielder lashed out, aiming for Selerim’s exposed neck again. The strike never landed. There was a flicker of shadow, and their body seemed to shiver. Their weapon dropped to the ground as they clutched their neck. A shout of surprise sounded from right next to Selerim, and before the second assailant could do anything more, he ripped the dagger free and plunged it into their neck.

Tepid, warm liquid poured through his fingers as he fell to the side, dead. Selerim immediately turned his attention back to the sword user. Their throat had been cut, turning every breath into a wet gurgle. Bile rose at the back of his throat, but he forced it back down as he knelt. He reached for the hood, but as soon as his fingers grabbed hold of the coarse fabric, their whole being shimmered– and turned to dust. “Wha–” He watched as the thick grey cloud scattered into the air. His eyes widened as he looked back.

The dagger-wielder’s corpse was nowhere to be seen. Selerim looked down at his blood-covered hands. They were covered in bright red blood, not the purple-blue he’d spilled for years. It felt… heavier, somehow. Selerim shook the thought away. There was no time to think about it. He raised one arm as he stood. Nyx landed on his outstretched arm, her talons bloody. “Thanks,” Selerim whispered, pressing his head to hers. “Sel?” A shaky voice asked from behind. He turned to Senri and Verad standing some distance away. Though their bodies were littered with cuts, as far as he could tell, neither were seriously injured. Saya was nowhere to be seen.

“You’re hurt!” Senri’s voice rose as she took in his wounds. Selerim winced as she grabbed his arm, extending it to look at it more closely. “This is deep,” she said grimly. “You need to see Arwen as soon as possible.” Selerim pulled away. “I’ll be fine. What… what’s happening?” Senri shook her head helplessly. “We don’t know. The wall just… fell. And then there were people everywhere. Their bodies…” She trailed off, and Verad finished her sentence. “They turned to ash.” Selerim nodded.

“Where’s Saya?”

“You were closer. We were headed there next. Then to Corvus.”

“You should leave me behind.”

Selerim saw the protests form on his friend’s faces, but he cut them off. “I won’t be able to keep up with you! Just go.” It was true. Even without his wounds, he still felt sluggish. “I’ll send Nyx with you. Get Saya, then go find Corvus and bring him to the center. That’s where everyone else will be.” Senri bit her lip. “At least take Nyx with you,” she insisted. “There’s two of us. We’ll be fine.” Selerim hesitated for a moment. “Alright,” he conceded. “Just be careful.” Senri nodded. “You too,” she murmured.

Selerim watched as they ran back the way they came. “Watch me,” he whispered to Nyx. she tilted her head in understanding before vanishing. He looked down at the bloody dagger in his hand. Even to his inexperienced eye, it seemed crude, but it was better than nothing. With one last look back at his burning home, Selerim took off towards the village center.