The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 391: Gift

Chapter 391: Gift

The whiteout blizzard finally let up as we advanced ahead of the Last Light Company toward the demons. The snow drew back like curtains on a stage, retreating past trees and hills one at a time, slowly revealing the world. A few rays of sunlight broke through the clouds, reflecting off the freshly fallen snow. It was dazzling, the first unfiltered sunlight I’d seen in almost a week. For some reason, that gave me courage.

As we reached the crest of a low hill without any trees, I leaned forward and patted Fable’s neck, bringing him to a stop. Korra folded her arms and leaned on one hip, staring out over the rolling hills of white. The Star Guard fanned out around us with Orion and Luxxa in the front and Gith and Jenna behind. Everyone held their breath as the receding wall of falling snow made it past a hill, and several figures came into view. Their eyes met mine, and I tensed, a nervous thrill running down my tail.

The sixth-level demon was a blade demon. As far as high-ranked evolved demons went, it was small, only about ten feet tall. Like other evolved blade demons, it was a mass of glittering blades shaped in roughly humanoid form. The central core of the demon was protected by a cage of blades shaped like broad swords. The demon had four arms with long, scythe-like blades and no discernable head.

Of the three fifth-level demons, only one was a blade demon. It was almost identical to the demon Korra and I fought in Heartland, save it was about thirty feet tall. The gargantuan creature towered over the other two, one of which was a curse demon, the other a fire. They were both similar to others of their kind before, the fire looking like a bipedal lizard with fiery spines and the curse demon an empty suit of armor bound together with shadowy tendrils.

"That’s...odd. Why are they all different types?" Korra asked, frowning.

It was a strange group of demons, especially considering demons arrived in gates exclusively with their own kind. The revelation completely destroyed the admittedly far-fetched theory we’d been holding to, that they were a group of a recently broken gate, and we’d already established they weren’t from a multi-gate demon horde. So how in the hells had such a medley of demons come together?

"I don’t like this," Luxxa muttered, adjusting her grip on her sword. "They’ve seen us, so why aren’t they attacking?"

"Perhaps our Oracle is right," Jenna said. She giggled when the female knight turned to her, giving a playful wink a wink. "I say we trust her a little more and see if they’re willing to talk."

Luxxa bristled a bit at the teasing jab in her words. "Of course, I was planning nothing else regardless. I’m only pointing out the need for caution."

"That’s enough," I said softly. "Please, save your bickering for later."

The two sniffed and turned away, and Orion chuckled wryly. "You’re getting the hang of this leader thing."

I sighed, running a hand over my horn. "Thanks."

As the demons drew closer, we slipped into silence. They rapidly narrowed the gap between us with their large, powerful strides. The points of the blade demon’s spindly legs sunk deep into the snow, and the fire demon left a wake of evaporated steam behind him. The difficulty of their advance left no question in my mind that they weren’t from Luke’s army. With as much trouble as they were having, it would have been impossible for them to catch up somehow and head us like this.

They stopped at the bottom of our hill just twenty feet away. Despite the elevation, the fifth-level blade demon towered over us, catching what little sun penetrated the winter clouds and refracting it off its many blades in a smattering of dancing points of light.

"I seek an audience with the Oracle of Eternity and request permission to approach," the sixth-level demon said formally.

Its voice was sharp and shrill, like two swords scraping against each other. It lowered the upper half of its body in a makeshift bow, awkward as it was. Its body wasn’t made for such a motion, and the curved blades on its arms dragged awkwardly through the snow. The other demons made similar gestures save the fifth-level bade demon, which settled for a salute of sorts.

As the clang of the giant blade demon’s salute faded into the hills, Orion responded for me. "Come alone."

The sixth-level glanced at the others and motioned them back. As it picked its way up the snowy hillside, each of the demons seemed entirely at ease, as though they were taking an evening stroll. The Oracle of Eternity, however, told a different story. Their souls shivered with tension, mana a heartbeat from being violently released. They were as prepared for battle as we were, a thought I found comforting. It would have been stranger if they hadn’t.

All too soon, the blade demon was before us. It didn’t have eyes, but I could feel its attention fixate on me, on my soul, and my chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. Despite my claims that Fable would help me escape, this was a sixth-level demon. If it wanted to, it would be able to land at least a single blow on me before my allies could protect me. It wouldn’t have been an issue if I could cast high-level magic, but in my injured and weakened state, it would take too long even to complete a Blade Ward.

We stared at each other for a second longer before the demon moved. Myself and the entire Star Guard flinched, seizing their mana, but the demon simply dropped to one knee. The motion was smooth and practiced, far more polished than anything I would expect of a demon. They didn’t bow to superiors, not like mortals did in Enusia. Had it...practiced?

"My name is Kahlen, Gate Commander of the Infernal Horde. I come with a greeting and a request." It raised itself slightly as though waiting for a response. When none of us offered one, it continued. "The Lord of Ashes sends his greeting. As proof of his sincerity, he has sent us–" the blade demon gestured with a limb to itself and demons behind it "–to serve and protect you."

I’d prepared myself for everything from a declaration of war to something as absurd as the demons being lost in the snow. But this? I blinked several times, my tail swaying across the freshly fallen snow, and rubbed my horn. As the silence stretched on, I found myself wishing they’d chosen to attack. At least then I’d know how to respond!

Korra came to my rescue, stepping forward and folding her arms. "What in the hells possessed you to make a claim like that? Do you think we would believe such a ridiculous claim?"

"Indeed," Orion said, his eyes narrow. "I’d thought demons were cunning, but it seems I’ve overestimated your abilities. Did you think we would fall for such an obvious ploy? Your blades would be against us the moment we turned our back, if not before."

"Honorless scum," Luxxa spat in agreement.

I looked at my friends, then back at the demon. It had no face or head, but its soul was tranquil. A slight frown crossed my face, and my tail fell still.

"You said your name was Kahlen, demon," I said slowly. "Why is that?"

"Why do you care about its name?" Korra asked, bewildered.

The demon bowed again, its blades vibrating with what I assumed amusement, or perhaps satisfaction. "Very impressive; I hadn’t assumed you were this knowledgeable about demons. To answer your question, my name is not unlike your own, Defeated One."

There was no insult in his voice, but I bit my lower lip and felt my tail curl between my legs. "Don’t call me that...please."

"Forgive me, I shall not speak it again. But to more fully answer your questions, the Lord of Ashes gave me this name so that, like you, I would never forget my purpose. To that end, you may do with us as you wish, whether it be to kill or enslave. I will serve you tea, destroy my own soul, or anything else that pleases you."

I thought about his words, idly stoking Fable between his horns. Korra shifted at my side, turning to look at me.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

I sighed long and hard, my hand coming to rest on Fable’s head. "Kahlen is the name of a rune commonly ascribed the attributes of ’gift,’ or sometimes ’devoted.’ Demons don’t normally take names beyond titles they earn in battle, and a high-ranking demon assigning one like this is very unusual."

"Even so, you can’t seriously be considering this. Did you forget what happened last time you trusted an enemy? How Levin tried to kill you the moment he was healed, or how Alverin tortured and maimed Sari once you gave him what he wanted? You know the demons are obsessed with your soul, so why are you even considering this?"

"She’s right," Jenna said, her sing-song voice serious. "Not even I give a man a second chance once he’s tried to hurt me. And these are demons. They don’t even deserve one."

Orion moved to stand in front of me and leveled his sword at the blade demon’s core. "How about we put his word to the test. If he really lets us kill him, it’ll give a bit of credibility to this ’Lord of Ashes.’ And we rid the word of a sixth-level demon."

"No," I said, shaking my head and sending my hair dancing about my shoulders. Everything they said was true, especially the points about Levin and Alverin. And yet...I could feel it. I couldn’t trust these demons, not now or ever, but fate had led me here for a reason, and I wouldn’t ignore it.

"Xiviyah, listen to me. They’re demons! You can’t–" Korra began.

"And why does that matter?" I asked. "Humans are demons, too. I don’t know why yet, and I don’t trust them, but please believe in me."

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