Noble Hero: Chapter 1: Hero of Calamity
[“They are demons!
Monsters! They taint the soil and corrupt all they touch! They poison the world and pervert the natural order of the gods. Crawling in the shadows of our society, tempting our honesty and virtue with cruelty and wickedness.
They are demonic creatures of sinister and jagged carapaces, and spindly mandibles that click together the sounds of cracking bones. Damned insectoid aberrations, abhorrent and twisted, eldritch and barbarous. Savages birthed by the devil himself.
They bring nothing but death and destruction, an antithesis to the nature of us light born, made to create and live. They are beings of darkness, deserving of no mercy, for their nature is one without free will. They are mindless bug-men, whose sole existence is to sacrifice and bleed for their dark god, to cannibalize and pillage. Mindless bug-men, who face themselves as human, but cannot hide their chitinous horns, pretenders to be knowing of love and compassion, but in truth, only monsters that seek to twist and ruin all that is good in the world.
Burn! Burn them all! It is your duty! It is your mission! It is your destiny.
Daythen, Elven mage, raise your staff, unleash your blaze, and leave nothing, not even ashes, to linger.
For you are our Elven Hero.
You are our Hero of Calamity.”]
Walls of fire surrounded me. Cracking and dancing. The air warped from the rising heat. Beads of sweat drying as soon as they appear. While my blood spilled from my mouth, dripping down my chin. Steam rising from my body as I coughed into my hand, marking it with my blood. I took a deep breath before wiping the blood on my clothes. Shaking my head, I told myself that I must push through, that I must do what is necessary.
Burn everything. Burn it all. Burn until there is nothing left to burn. It is my divine mission.
My body illuminated bright red, as the stone road around my feet began to melt. Blaze burst from my body as a shockwave of flame unleashed all around me, cutting the wind and destroying the clay huts and stone shelters of the dark city. Fire balls launched away from me and into the sky as they landed at random in the city, eradicating everything that their blasts reached. Nothing will be left. Nothing must be left.
Not a single bug will escape.
Raising my staff above my head, I cast a spell, forming a magic circle around my feet. I hunched down in pain as violence screamed in my spine. Several tens of serpentine dragons of fire hatched from my back before all at once leaping into the air, each three times my width. Leaving no mark or wound in my body, yet I still trembled, barely holding on my knees. Their snake lengths launched everywhere at random. Dozens of them crashed at the ground like a meteor shower, flattening every bug-house in their path, and toppling the countless black spires that were scattered around the city. The collapsing black towers blot the horizon with darkness as they one by one fell to crush the demon capital.
Dropping the staff to the ground. My hands shook uncontrollably…
Was I… pushing myself too far? I felt my lip with a finger, and when I checked, blood was printed on my glove.
No… I could handle this easily. I vomited a puddle of blood in front of me. I have pushed myself worse than this. I was just being a coward. Weak, useless, and powerless. A fool I was, daring to empathize with the Demonic bug-men.
The scene around me was too familiar. A sight I saw long ago, when the Liches arose. But this was different. It is not my people facing calamity. It was not my home being destroyed. It was the Demon Lord’s capital.
Letting doubt challenge my mission was evil, for I dare let all the light born sacrificed by demon kind out of my mind. I dared to look past all those that had suffered under the darkness. I cannot let my kindness blind myself from the true nature of demon kind. This is for the future, a future without evil.
I grit my teeth, remembering all the atrocities these savages have committed. They are filthy bug-men, carrying the faces and skins of humans. They were never given free will by the divines. Created to be slaves by the Devil himself, existing solely to spite all creation.
This was the righteous cause. I am no longer the coward that I once was. I will strike down evil no matter the cost.
That’s why, I must destroy them all. I clenched my fist. I must do what is necessary, lest they find the means to resurrect their Dark Lord.
I began to glow red again. Flames rising from my body. Crosses appear in my pupils as I feel the Divines themselves descend to witness my power. Picking my staff up, I raised it above my head. One last step, and it will all be over.
My vision was dizzying, getting darker.
One deep breath. One final move.
And thus, I summoned from my body, The Sun. And the world was blinded in light.
---
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---
Something was nudging my shoulder. I opened my eyes, waking up to the ear piercing noises of laughter and banter.
“No sleeping in this establishment, Miss!” The waitress looked down at me, her hands at her waists with a frown on her face. I was lying down using two chairs as a bed. She was not impressed.
I rise, still sitting down, my mood slightly ruined by my broken sleep. I fixed my hood, making sure that it was hard to identify me. Most of the tables were full, even though night was visible through the windows. It seems the people were still energetic. I wished I was too.
“If you have money to spend on drinks, I’m sure you have some to spend on one of our rooms upstairs, Miss."
I shook my head. “No need. I have somewhere else I need to go.”
I grabbed the half empty bottle of alcohol I left on the table on one hand, and my staff on the other, and exited the building. Tripping on myself, I fell face first on the stone road. Shattering my bottle of alcohol, and throwing my staff far from my reach.
Shit… It seems drunkenness has yet to leave my system. What a pain…
I pushed myself up, before picking a hand to touch my nose, when I checked my palm my glove was stained with my nose’s blood. My heart skipped a beat. The sight of crimson in my hand reminded me of less than pleasant memories.
I knew what I did was necessary. That it was the only choice I had. But it never felt right to me. It always felt like there was always something else I could’ve done.
But what could I have done? Demons are simply incapable of emotional thought. They may wear the faces of humans, speak of diplomacy, of exchange, of peace, but all of it only leads to betrayal. Connecting with them is falling for their trickery. Killing them all was the World Alliance’s only option.
Stop thinking about it.
I activated a spell circle on my hand and pointed it on my face. Whatever I ended up breaking slowly mended itself with my healing magic.
Standing up, I moved to pick up my staff, and gave a regretful glance at the puddle of alcohol and glass shards. Had I been more careful, I could’ve gotten to know the spoiled fruit juice better. Alas, I cannot change the past, it’s just poison anyways… addictive poison. Maybe I should come back and get another-
Stop.
I can only keep wandering on. Heading to the dark streets. I suddenly became dizzy again, shambling to a nearby alleyway and leaning on a wall
Ugggghhhh.
I took deep breaths.
Oh no… it's coming…
BLECH
I spilled vomit on the ground.
There are no gods. I hate everything.
“Help!!!”
My long ears twitched under my hood. I thought I heard something. I waited for a moment, looking around, but heard nothing. It was probably just a hallucination. I picked myself up, and readied to head my way.
“Help!”
I heard it this time. I turned to look deeper down the alleyway, which was where I swore the call came from…I needed to save whoever it was. I needed to start moving, to begin searching for the origin of the plea.
I had the power, I had the speed. All I needed to do was to just get going.
But why… Why was I just standing still? I was waiting for something. Right! I must just be hallucinating again, there’s no way now of all times there’d be a crime happening by my reach.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
… They just need to call for help again. Then I’ll be sure that it’s real.
…
Any time now…
…
Just one more call…
…
Come on… say something…
…
A minute passed. I was gritting my teeth as I faced the alleyway.
…
I knew deep down, I was just looking for an excuse, any reason to turn away. I just wanted to go doze off at a library, or settle the night in some abandoned building. This is what I always do. I was not Arthur, I was not going to spend every second of my life seeking for some guy to rescue.
…
Another minute passed. A bead of sweat trailed down my face. Nothing. There was nothing. Proving myself that I was right. There was no call for help, I was just hearing things, surely.
It's too late now. If I head there now, I won’t save anyone.
I smile at my own ugliness. Business as usual. Besides, this shithole city faces a murder every other day. What difference could I make anyway.
I looked down at my hands. They look the same, as they have always been. Nothing has changed. I have never changed. All my righteousness was tied to my leash. With no collar, there is no Hero.
I never wanted to be a Hero anyway.
“AAAAAAGHH!” A young one’s blood curdling scream. Louder than his calls before, loud enough that even human ears could hear it.
My body goes into overdrive, my doubt washed out by the screaming in my heart. I get ready to run to the source of the shout. But suddenly a cloaked figure dashed past me, and without hesitation, they rushed down the alley.
Another person with the same idea? Before I even had a chance to ask, they were already long gone. Nonetheless, I chased on, trying my best to navigate past the alleyway, before finally reaching the slums full of dilapidated buildings. Guilt in my stomach, but there was no time to think, so I shook the feeling off.
A labyrinth of ruined and makeshift buildings. I could see some clay mound-like structures, half collapsed. The old demon huts repaired with wooden planks and whatever the unfortunate could get their hands on. Moving past them and the unwelcoming gazes of rough looking people around. They should’ve heard the shout, and yet they seemed more interested to stare down at me.
I ignored them, and turned a corner..
Three thugs lying on the ground, blood pooling around their slit throats. Branching burns all over their skin, the kind you’d get from lightning.
The cloaked figure was there by the boy grunting in pain. She was covering a stab wound on the kid’s stomach with bandages from a pouch by her waist.
I stepped closer, and the hooded person noticed me. Immediately pointing a short sword at my direction, they noticed my staff.
“Are you a healer?” A feminine voice. She asked me.
I hesitated to answer.
“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Answer! Don’t you see he’s in pain!?”
I rushed to crouch by the kid and laid my staff nearby. Magic circles appeared on both of my hands, as I faced my palms on the boy’s wound. My healing was weak, but it was more than enough. The boy’s face expressed clear relief as the bleeding stopped and the hole in his belly closed.
The cloaked figure sighed in relief. “Next time, be careful who you steal from.” She told the boy.
“Eh? Just don’t steal.” I said.
She tutted. “I don’t want to hear that from you.” She eyed my clothing, her gaze moving along my gold trimmed clothes. She blinked and stood up, helping the boy back up.
“We’re done here Goldie.” She said, referring to me. “Head on your merry way, I’m walking this kid back home.” She said while covering the boy’s eyes from the bloody scene just by. “Good work.” She looked back at me.
I looked at the puddles of blood nearby. A heavy feeling in my chest. “What really happened here?”
“Some child killers died.” She answered bluntly, not amused by the question.
“Did they have to? We could’ve brought them to the authorities. Put them through the necessary processes.”
She tutted again. “If I had been any second later, they would have driven a knife through the kid’s throat, don’t talk about things you know nothing about.” She turned around, pulling the kid by the hand. “Where are you from?” She asked him. He answered shyly. She gently nodded in response.
No, there’s something wrong here. My eyes scanned the bloodied corpses. Moments later, when the two were moving, about to leave my sight, I realized.
“You’re lying!” I shouted. She stopped at her tracks.
“What?”
“I can see the burns on their bodies.” I pointed at the corpses. “You used lightning. You could’ve easily incapacitated them. And yet… you still slit their throats. You didn’t have to kill them.”
She let go of the boy’s hand, and turned to face me.
Her red eyes, visible, for a moment I thought were glowing under her hood. “So what? I killed them because I wanted to.”
Her frankness shocked me. “Wha- I” For a moment, I stumbled to find the right word. “Why? You just killed them? For the sake of it?”
“Yes, I wanted to, and they deserved it. Is there a problem with that?”
“You weren’t backed into a corner, you didn’t need to do it!”
“Tough luck. Shouldn’t’ve stabbed a kid then.”
“That doesn’t matter!” I shouted and pointed my staff at her. “How can I expect righteousness from someone who could murder so easily? I-If we let people like you, just enact vengeance however you want this world would be in shambles!”
She tutted one last time. “Why do you care so much? You aren’t even from around here. Come on. There’s no need to be violent over this.” She raised her hands in surrender. “We saved the kid didn’t we? Let's just talk this out like adults.”
I furrowed my brows. Gripping my staff tightly. Smoke coming out of my every exhale as crosses appeared in my eyes. “Take off your hood. Now.”
For a moment, she was confused, but then quickly caught on to the meaning of my request. She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” With one swift movement, she revealed herself. Short black hair, red eyes. An ordinary human woman in her 20s. What I had been afraid of, two chitinous horns on top of her head, was nowhere to be found. I lowered my staff in relief, and a little disappointment.
Disappointment…? I felt guilty, realizing that I wanted her to have been a bug-man. I wanted an excuse to kill her.
“Never mind… I’m sorry. J-just, forget about all this.”
She raised a brow at my patheticness, shook her head, and turned to lead the boy again… that is until she realized the boy wasn’t there anymore.
“What the…” She froze, realizing something terrible had occurred. Her hands slowly reached down to her waists. Her pouch was gone. In a panic, she patted down her entire torso. Her coins, potions, bandages, and even- “The damned pamphlets!” were all in her pouch, and now it was gone.
She frowned at me with intense rage, my sensitive elven ears hearing her growl like a rabid dog at me. “This is all your fault!” Her face flushed red.
She dashed away in a random direction, presumably to chase the kid down.
And I stood there, left alone in silence with three dead bodies.
—
I headed to the guard station by the city gate. I needed to report the three deaths after all.
Now… How am I going to sell it to them? Should I call it a murder, or was it self defense? It didn’t feel right to me to incriminate someone who just saved another’s life. Especially not someone who I almost killed by my rashness to accuse her as a demon.
As I entered the station, I witnessed someone familiar, a face I’ve known for decades, speaking to a guard behind the counter.
“Arthur?”
He turned around to face me. His blue hair now with streaks of white. More wrinkled now than he was decades ago, scars that I could not recognize were on his face. His new sword tied on his back was twice the width of the agile and slender one that he used to use. A man now in his 50s, yet somehow, he was bigger and bulkier than the last time I saw him. Noticeable even under his heavy plate armor.
“Well, well. Daythen, you haven’t aged a minute. I didn’t expect you to act like a Hero now after all these years.” A warm smile.
“W-what do you mean?”
“Didn’t you get the letter from the World Alliance? The mission? Call to action?”
“Oh… I burned it…”
We stared at each other awkwardly.
He scratched his graying hair. “No matter, even if you’re only here by coincidence, I’m just glad to see you again. Though you did not intend to, would you like to join me in this mission? We can work together again, like we did in the Party during the olden days.”
“N-no, I’m fine. I just… wanted to report some deaths in the slums.”
“Deaths?” He perked up. “Do you think it could be connected to the Devilian Cult?” He grabbed me by the shoulders, making me give a short squeal.
“Devilian cult?” I was shocked, where did that assumption come from? “No, nothing of that sort!” I pushed his face away with my staff.
He sighed in relief and let go. “Apologies. You did read the letter right? So you should know what’s been going on around the Shieldmarches. You know, the remnants of the cult are beginning to move. They say they have been agitating slaves and peasants to rebel against the King.”
I raised a brow. All of this, and I didn’t notice? How could that be… “I didn’t… I had no idea.” Was I really this blind? This useless?
…
He laughed. “You never change! Ever!” his words slightly hurt. He wiped a tear from his eye. “It’s been so long Daythen. Why don’t we spend some time together while we’re in the city? Talk about what we’ve been doing all these years. Catch up on each other, what do you say?”
I bit my lip, frowning at myself. I looked away, unable to face him. He was bright… too bright. He’s the perfect Hero that everyone loves. The perfect Hero that never doubts his mission. The perfect Hero that saves everyone. A Hero that nobody is afraid of. Even 30 years later, he never stopped helping others, all while I drowned myself in drink and mindless adventure to learn spells I couldn’t even use because of my blasted curse. I don’t deserve to face him.
“I-I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? I have a lot of time.”
“Yes… just… I’m good.”
…
“That’s alright” he said. “I understand.”
I walked past him, not looking at him once. At the counter, I reported the deaths to the sitting guard.
Moments later, as I was about to leave.
“Hey, Daythen.”
I stopped. Slightly looking back.
“I know you’re not interested in dealing with the cult, but at least help me out a little. Let me know if you find any leads. They say their leader is a woman with short black hair and red eyes, one that is skilled with wind and electricity.”
I froze up. Horror in my eyes. “Y-yeah… sure…”
I closed the door behind me as I left.
No way.
No way, no way.
No way, no way, no way, no way.
I should just say it… get it over with. Tell Arthur. Now! But was that really true? Would a devilian just go around helping children in need? It would be so easy… to just turn around and tell Arthur. But… I couldn’t.
When she dashed without hesitation at the call for help.
When she shouted at me for hesitating to heal the kid.
And when she tried to walk the boy back home.
She was everything that I wasn’t. Diligent, decisive, and kind. I lashed out at her for her mercilessness, when in truth, I just wanted any reason to criticize her, to see myself better, when I should’ve looked up to her for inspiration, I just looked for an excuse to take her life, to prove that someone like her was too good to be true.
I didn’t want to betray myself any longer. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did. If I snitched on her now, that would just be the easy way out, I would just be succumbing to my jealousy and laziness. I needed to discover it myself. I needed to find out if she really was a cultist with my own eyes. I wouldn’t accept it any other way.
No more excuses. No more shortcuts.
However, if she truly is a devilian, I must not hesitate to kill her.