The Forsaken Hero

My eyes flew open as tortured screams rent the peaceful night. Still groggy, I rolled to my feet, nearly tripping over my tail as I stumbled to the tent flap. Bright, flickering lights cast shadowy silhouettes across the canvas’s surface, and deafening explosions seemed to rock the very ground beneath my unsteady feet.

Summoning my staff, I pushed out of the tent, blinking in the blinding glare of the magical attacks. Lightning, ice, and fire blazed across the sky, largely concentrated on the other side of the camp. Dark shapes flit overhead, blotting out the distant stars as they wove around, desperately evading the mage’s reckless bombardment. The shouts and screams of men and women rose with every passing second, joined by feral roars and animalistic cries, growing until the dreadful cacophony rivaled that of any battle I’d participated in.

I flinched, casting Aegis on myself as a dark, wolflike figure tore through the camp. Its soul burned with infernal energy, granting it strength above that of fourth level. Its eyes fastened on me and it lunged forward, howling. I fell back, readying a spell, but as its snapping jaws neared my face, a large sword appeared from nowhere, flying through the air and burying itself in the monster’s head.

I gasped for breath, my heart pounding, as the wolf slumped over, its head avoiding decapitation by the merest thread. A burly man, dressed in only his small clothes, stamped over, retrieving his sword from it sat quivering in the corpse. Although he was nearly naked, I recognized him as one of the ones who kept a watchful eye on me last night. My eyes fell to the countless jagged scars covering his torso. I gasped, covering my mouth at the severity of the old wounds. What kind of monster caused such horrific injuries?

Startled by the noise, he glanced at me, and the rage in his eyes drained away, replaced by a look of shock, followed by a slight blush.

"M-my lady!" he cried, turning away quickly.

I blinked, tilting my head in confusion before a gentle breeze sent a shiver down my spine. Glancing down, I froze, wearing nothing but my nightdress. The material was thin and sheer, with the crimson lines of the slave crest bleeding through the white, translucent fabric. In my haste to leave the tent, I’d knocked one of the ribbon-like straps off my shoulder.

Before I could so much as turn away, several soldiers burst out of a tent across from me, coming up short, their eyes bulging as they saw me. The scarred man shouted wildly and dove toward them, practically tackling the entire squad. Blushing furiously, I stammered an apology and ducked back into the tent.

I slipped out of the tent a few seconds later, properly clothed this time. The man stood protectively, his back rigid, before the tent flap. He glanced over his shoulder as I appeared and, seeing I was dressed, sighed in relief.

"What’s happening?" I asked, unable to keep my tail from trembling in embarrassment.

"Seems to be an Infernal Monster attack. They hit the west flank hard, and are only now starting to circle around." He nudged the wolf’s corpse with his foot and shook his head. "Damned mutt."