Chapter 263: Lies
The dim darkness of the lower chambers echoed with the sound of battle. The Shadow Golems snarled and roared, lashing out with their claws and charging clumsily about the room. Fable’s movements were growing impatient, the wolf continually throwing agitated looks over his shoulder, helpless to interfere as Vithrass continued his assault on the Blade Ward.
He wasn’t the only one feeling tense, either. I flinched with every harsh clang, sweat trickled down the side of my face, my tail twisting in agitation. I clutched Ror in my arms, holding the small foxkin close, counting down the seconds until my mana failed.
"It must be frustrating," Vithrass said, "To have so much power and skill, yet unable to do a thing. Your gifts are wasted, Starlight, made worthless simply by belonging to you. Just surrender to me, and I can give them purpose. Together, we can find Joys no one else in the circle has even dreamed of achieving."
My face fell, and I squeezed Ror tightly, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes. Never before had I felt so helpless. If I could just cast a single combat spell, this fight would be over. I knew dozens of them, memorized from books and observed in battle, yet they swirled in my head as meaningless as a bow without arrows, a sword with no wielder.
One of the Shadow Golems screamed, flying into a wall with enough force to shake the complex. Dust rained down from the ceiling, long cracks splitting the stone apart, but the supports held strong. The monster’s eyes dulled, and its body fell limp, the great slashes across its throat finally claiming its life.
Fable’s fight turned desperate as he sensed my panic, realizing just how little mana I had left. He snapped and tore at the remaining golems, succeeding in felling once more, but, as he turned to leap at Vithrass, the final one hit him with a tackle, sending them both crashing to the floor.
Vithrass laughed as the Blade Ward wavered, stepping back and charging up a powerful magical technique. "You knew you couldn’t do this alone, yet still you came. Ah, it must be infuriating. How many had to die for you to reach this point? They had lives, families, that you stole from them! And for what? Do you think this selfish little quest was worth more than them? That you are worth more than them?"
His words struck me hard, dropping me to my knees. The demonkin dug deep into the wounds of my heart, the true reason I faltered at every death. I was cold and numb to killing, yet the thought of taking something from these people I didn’t deserve myself rent my heart. Even if they were slavers, I was just...just...
Vithrass brought his sword down in a vicious arc as wide as his smile. With the sound of shattering glass, the Blade Ward exploded into shards of golden light that dissipated into the air. My soul ached, bone dry, and I stared at the ground, barely even registering his boots that appeared before me.