The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 83: Ambush

Chapter 83: Ambush

The whereabouts of the basilisk were entirely unknown, yet the villagers assured us it found any who wandered too close to the mountains. We traveled at a pace Soltair and Trithe felt cautious and slow, but as the terrain turned rugged, I found myself flagging behind. Large monolithic towers of rock broke the dense forests, gradually building toward the shattered peaks looming high above.

As the sun reached its zenith we successfully penetrated the foothills and began our climb up the jagged mountain roots, sticking to the winding canyons and valleys. The game trail we followed was thin and wild, occasionally vanishing into the underbrush for some time before suddenly reappearing. I stumbled several times, clinging to my staff for balance as much as the reassuring comfort of my hand on its familiar glassy shaft.

At some point, Soltair stopped and raised his hand, scanning the rising terrain on either side of the valley. "We’re no longer alone."

I staggered to stop, taking advantage of the reprieve to fill my aching lungs with air. As my breathing stabilized, I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked around. The walls of the valley were rough and sheer, with little topsoil welding the boulders together. A small stream trickled between our feet, hardly an inch deep this late in the year. Aside from a few twisted trees growing between the rocks, the ground was barren. Everything was quiet, the stillness pierced only by the constant drone of the mountain breeze.

Soltair drew his sword, the metallic screech harshly resounding off the walls of the valley. "Xiviyah, check for magic."

Unsure of what made this particular spot any different than the countless we’d trudged through, I obeyed and activated the Eyes of Fate. Scarcely had the golden haze appeared my hands gripped my staff, the blood rushing from my face.

"Aegis!" I cried, triple-casting the protective spell and shielding Soltair and Trithe.

Before the words had left my lips, the ground trembled, and a hail of stone rained upon me from above. Soltair shouted, hand thrust upwards, and a blinding light flowed from his fingertips, forming a translucent umbrella above us. The largest of the debris clashed with the magic, ricocheting off to the side and piling up around us. The lighter debris penetrated the shield but bounced harmlessly off the Aegis.

"What is it?" Trithe cried, lowering her stance and raising her swords. A fiery aura ignited around her, whipping up a storm and pushing the dust and dirt to the edges of Soltair’s shield.

"We found it," I muttered, tail twitching nervously. "Or rather, it found us."

As the flow of tumbling boulders ceased, Soltair lowered his hand and the umbrella vanished. I waved my staff, churning the air and moving the dust far away. Soft scrapes echoed through the valley above us, but our vigilant watch was unrewarded.

"I thought basilisks only used poison and curses," Trithe spat.

Soltair scowled and jammed his sword back in its sheathe. "Me too."

"It was just a rockfall," I said slowly. "It piled the rocks up and waited for us to arrive here. It must have been stalking us for some time and chose this place on purpose. Look, the way back is blocked."

They turned, eyes widening at the veritable wall of rock plugging the valley. The stream continued to flow between the cracks, but it would be impossible to squirm past.

Trithe laughed hollowly, turning back to glare up the valley. "As if some rocks could stop us. Still, it might attack again if we let our guard down to remove the barrier."

"If it wasn’t magic, how did you know it was going to attack?" Soltair asked curiously.

"I didn’t," I admitted, rubbing my horn bashfully. "When I activated the Eyes of Fate, I could see its curses everywhere. It just startled me, is all."

"Either way, you saved us. I doubt the rocks would do much, but I don’t fancy fighting such a creature half-buried," he replied with a smile. "Now, let’s show him who’s really trapped here."

"One moment," I called, raising my staff once more. "Link Ability!"

After sharing my curse resistance with them, we moved forward, eyes locked on the cliffs around us. As we walked, I cast several more spells, using up a sizable chunk of my mana. Although the party buffs put a constant draw on my pool, I doubted I’d have time for thorough battle prep when the basilisk finally decided to confront us.

The coiled remnants of curses crisscrossed the land and sky, perhaps the creature’s method for marking its territory. Unlike many humanoid species, monsters possessed fine magical senses and would stay clear or risk the basilisk’s wrath.

"Don’t waste too much mana," Soltair said as my casting came to an end. "It might decide to wait until we’ve exhausted all our strength."

"I don’t think it can. The curses all converge up there, on that ridge," I said, pointing upward. "It might be some sort of nest."

"Good. I’m tired of these mountains," Trithe said, hands falling on her hilts.

"Me too," I muttered, glaring resentfully at her light steps and slow breathing. Sometimes, I felt the physical restrictions of the Divine Curse hurt more than the magical ones.

The terrain grew rougher as we approached the ridge, the grade more than doubling as it soared up to meet the horizon. I stopped, staring up at the near sheer cliffs separating us from the epicenter of the Basilisk’s territory.

"I-I don’t think I can make it," I stammered, breathing heavily and leaning on my staff.

Soltair looked back and sheathed his sword. "Hold on."

I squeaked as he leaned down and caught me up in his arms, holding me in the classic princess carry. He grunted and kicked off the ground, and we were airborne. The sudden acceleration caught me by surprise, and I cried out, clinging tight to his neck. The wind tore at my hair and clothes, and I dropped my staff in surprise. It burst into a could of stars, waiting to reform in my hand at any time. We scaled the ridge in the space of several breaths, with Soltair kicking off rocky outcroppings whenever our momentum flagged.

My legs trembled as he let me down on firm ground once more, and I summoned my staff for support. "A little warning next time," I said shakily.

Trithe landed beside us, her hair streaming behind her in the air. "You looked like you enjoyed it. Maybe I’ll carry you next time."

"Gods no," I muttered. Soltair was stronger than her in almost every way but speed. The last thing I needed was snapping my neck with whiplash.

"So this is it then," Soltair said, peering at the mound of boulders several dozen feet before us.

I gasped, looking around at the sprawling vistas. While the mountains continued to rise dramatically off into the horizon, the entire land of Radia opened up behind us. Most of the ground was concealed behind verdant swaths of green, yet the occasional stroke of gray and brown broke through the trees where towns and cities stood. Far off in the distance, visible only as a sliver of white, lay the Divine Throne, nestled up within the city of Roann.

"To think we’ve come this far," Soltair said, eyes glinting in excitement. "And we’re about to kill our first monster, too. This world sure is wide, isn’t it?"

Trithe chuckled wryly and shook her head. "You haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait till we get up north, to my homeland. It’s got all this-" she spread her hand out over the mountains and forest "-along with countless rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. And when the sun sets just right..." She sighed nostalgically, a faint smile on her lips.

"You must miss it," Soltair said. "I can’t wait to see it."

Trithe took a long, deep breath. "Yeah. But let’s finish this first."

We turned as a low growl rumbled across the mountain, overpowering even the brisk breeze that ever accompanied mountain heights. The ring of steel answered as they drew their weapons, and I raised my staff, a spell already on my lips.

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