Chapter 5: The Lost Hero
Randolph and Elara stepped cautiously into the next chamber, the air is gloomy and ominous. The flickering torchlight cast long shadows, twisting and lunging across the stone walls like wraiths yearning to be released.
Elara's heart beat incessantly, each beat echoed with fear of the fresh knowledge that threatening to overwhelm her. She forced herself to focus on her jumbled memory, to sort out the newfound wisdom given by Margot. She’s deciphering Margot’s teachings, about the importance of balance and control. If she could harness the magic correctly, this will no doubt become a boon that help them greatly.
“Focus, Elara,” she whispered softly to herself, trying to raise her own spirit. She’s struggling calm herself from euphoric feelings she felt right now. As she closed her eyes for a brief moment, she felt the cool stone beneath her fingertips, grounding her back in reality. With each shallow breath, she tries to sift through the tangled threads in her head. She’s recalling the recent encounter with Margot, the wise undead who had reward her the understanding of the ancient wisdom. The knowledge that had once reign the world but now perish, lost in time.
“Elara, do you want to rest for a while?”, asked Randoph, worrying about her little sister that seems out of focus.
“Uhm… yeah. Can we do that? I need some time.” Respond Elara, thankful of her caring big brother. “I promise it will be in a jiffy.” added Elara with a smile.
They both taking some rest beside a small stream with a crystal-clear water. Randolph testing the water, and give it to Elara after knowing its safe. It’s even tasted better than whatever water he drank outside.
“It’s a wonder how a stream like this existing in this gloomy place.” Said Randolph, amused.
“Who knows.” chimed Elara after drinking the water given by her brother. “This here is a strange place to begin with.”
“Let’s take it easy for now,” Randolph said, assuring Elara. “I also need some break.”
“Good idea.” Elara agreed to Randolph and begin to look for some cozy spot to sit. While resting, she’s sorting out her mind. The ringing sound of the stream water help her to concentrate more.
The Lich’s presence is an enigma before her. He is an embodiment of darkness, yet she felt that he is full of wisdom and virtue. Elara felt almost instinctively, that she can summon the magic within her in the most efficient way possible. If she could master the equilibrium Margot had emphasized, it would undoubtedly become an invaluable boon to both her and Randolph, for their quest and their survival.
Elara closed her eyes and envision the patterns, a sequence meaning to regulate the flow of magical energy. She open her eyes, staring at the glowing symbols that danced in the air in front of her, each one is flickering with possibility. She envisioned the energies flowing through her, a river of vibrant light that could either heal or harm. She could feel the latent power streaming beneath her skin, eager to be unleashed. It’s perfect, but unstable. She can see the glow undulating here and there, threatening to burst at a moment’s notice.
“Balance,” she muttered under her breath. Recalling back into her head, she closed her eyes and focusing more to tweak at the pattern concept. After a while, the glow become stable. Elara then exhale, unaware that she is holding her breath all this time. She’s looking at the pattern, scrutinizing every corner of it, not wanting to missed anything. She then finds out that the flow of energy is a bit odd. It’s unsynchronous, making a waste on the energy consumption.
“Control,” she added, Elara raised her hands, palms upturned, and concentrating. She envisioned the energy pooling in the space between them. She felt the flow of magic surging like a gentle wave, and with each heartbeat, she drew upon the fountains of her mana. Her breathing is regulated, her emotions steady.
Just then, a soft wind picked up in the chamber, swirling around her, nudging against her skin, urging her to channel this force correctly. Elara focused intently on the energies surrounding her, command it into a harmonious flow that connected with her essence. She felt like it wrapping around her like a protective veil, fortifying her conviction.
If she could harness this power correctly, she could make a difference between ups and downs. She convinced then by understanding and mastering the delicate sync of balance and control, they could overcome the trials that awaited them. She renewed her wisdom and gaining new kind of determination. “We can do this!” whispered Elara to herself.
Elara turned to Randolph, which swinging his sword some distance away, practicing his move just like her with magic. “Randolph! I’m fine now. Let’s move, shall we?”
“Are you sure?” Randolph reply. “I can wait a bit more.”
“It’s fine. C’mon!”, said Elara curtly, teasing him while standing. “Or I’ll leave you behind.”
“Oi, Stop joking! Where do you think we are now.” Randolph cautioning Elara.
After some more light banter, the siblings continued their exploration. They passed many twists and turns, meet some dead ends, and fight some critters. As they ventured deeper, they finally found a vast, open hall. The air on the inside is different from the hallways, signalling something ominous they might face if dare to step inside. And there it is, at the far end, standing motionless, was the Death Knight. A towering figure encased in tattered black armor, still like a statue.
“Margot said he had lost his sanity,” Elara whispered, her voice trembling. “That must mean he’s driven by the darkness.”
Randolph tightened his grip on his sword, memories of their recent fight over the Elder Lich stimulating his nerves. “We’ve face it like before, Elara. I’ll be the vanguard and you try to find an opportunity to strike hard. We will do this…”
But before they could strategize further, the Death Knight came to life with a sudden ferocity, charging forward with blinding speed, a broadsword glimmering with malevolence slashing through the air without a sound, without mercy. The beast made no taunts nor cries, it was simply instinct, a creature of darkness set on destruction.
Instinctively, Elara raised a barrier to defend her and Randoph. The sword struck the barrier with a thunderous crack, again and again, sending waves of energy gushing outward. Elara felt the ground beneath her ripple as though the earth itself reacted to the clash. She grunted in effort, pushing against the immense pressure, trying to hold the barrier against the relentless assault.
“Randolph!” Elara shouted, telling her brother to do something, her heart pounding as she raised her twig, channelling her magic. She shot a bolt of blue arcane energy at the Knight, and it burst when it hit the Death Knight armor. But it’s not fatal, the magic flickering harmlessly against its black armor.
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But then all of a sudden, the Death Knight withdrew, seeming to gauge the scenario as if it recognized Elara as a bigger threat. It twisted its skeletal frame, swinging its sword towards her, attempting to shatter her concentration.
“Focus on your magic, Elara!” Randolph shouted and jump forward, intercepting and countering the Death Knight attack. He relentlessly attacking, sidestepping, rolling, slashing, jumping, pouncing, whatever he can do to beat the knight. He spun swiftly and lunged forward, thrusting his sword toward the knight's exposed side, but the Death Knight batted him away as easily as if he were a mere annoyance.
Elara redirected her focus, settling her fear to determination, preparing a mighty spell. After a while pattern glowing brightly, responding to Elara’s wish while she singing the chant “Light of the heavens hear my plea, Illuminate the shadows set my spirit free. By the brilliance of dawn, I summon your grace…”
“Is it not done yet?!” roar Randolph amidst the chaos. “You shall aim for the gaps in its armor!”
“Shut up! I’m focusing!” Elara annoyed because her brother disrupts her spell casting. “I know that!”
Randolph stumbled back, regaining his footing just in time to avoid a sweeping strike from the knight's broadsword. Determination surged through him for he couldn't afford to give up now. He circled the knight, looking for flaws in its defences, watching for the briefest moments when its dark armor might shift just enough to expose a weakness.
With a deep breath, Randolph feigned to the left, causing the knight to shift its weight, anticipating an attack from that side. In that fleeting second of distraction, he darted to the right, aiming for the back of the knight's knee. His sword found purchase, scraping against the metal, sending a jolt up his arm.
The Death Knight’s roar echoed like thunder, a sound that sent a chill through the air. It turned, its haunting gaze locking onto him, and with a powerful, unrelenting swing of its weapon, it sent Randolph sprawling to the ground. Winded but not defeated, Randolph quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a follow-up swing that would have ended the fight.
“Randolph!” seeing that, Elara panic and calling his name.
“I’m okay!” Randoph pushed himself back up, adrenaline coursing through him.
There had to be a way to exploit the knight's unyielding nature. As he regained his stance, Randolph noticed the way the knight's heavy armor shifted and creaked, a sign of its bulkiness. There was a rhythm to its movements, a tempo he could learn and use to his advantage. He recalls a memory given by Margot, a move that he can use when facing a slow, bulky enemy. Much to his dismay because he doesn’t really like the Lich, yet he can’t be too picky in this situation.
Luring the knight forward, he shouted defiantly. “Is that all you’ve got!?”
The Death Knight, drawn in by the challenge, charged. Randolph’s heart raced, but with newfound clarity, he sidestepped at the last moment, allowing the knight's momentum to carry it past him.
With a surge of courage, he followed up with a swift backslash to the knight's shoulder, hearing the satisfying crunch of metal against metal. The knight staggered briefly, giving Randolph the opening he needed. Summoning every ounce of strength, he gathered himself and leaped high, bringing his sword down in a powerful arc aimed directly at the knight’s left shoulder.
The blow connected, a deep ringing sound echoing through the clearing, shattering its left part of the chest armor and stunning the knight momentarily. This was their chance. Randolph pressed the attack, driving his blade toward the dark figure relentlessly,
“Elara! Now!” Randolph roared, scrambling forward despite the pain that shot through his body. “Aim for the heart!”
“…in the name of Elara Smith, bring forth your might!” she shouted, her voice growing steadier. The air around her crackled with energy as she called forth a shimmering orb of blue light, the essence of everything that she combined into this single punch. “Randolph! Get away from there!”
With a determined scream, Elara unleashed the orb, sending it dashing toward the Death Knight. It shimmered with an intense azure light as it carved through the air, illuminating the darkness around them. For a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze. The arcane orb, a harbinger of hope, struck true, embedding itself into the Knight's unguarded chest.
An explosion of radiant energy erupted, momentarily blinding them both. The Death Knight staggered backward, its skeletal visage twisted in a silent scream as the light pierced through the shadows and consume it.
Randolph crashed against the stone wall with a heavy thud, the breath momentarily knocked out from his lungs. Elara rallied her wit, a determination surging through her veins, instinct flaring hot. She felt magic flowed through her vein like a river of energy, yet she couldn’t let it overwhelm her. She must control it, tame it so it will abide to her will.
Randolph rose, exhilaration flooding back into his limbs. “Good job, Elara! Keep it up!” He quickly regained his stance. “I’ll go for his head!”
“Wait! Randolph…!!” Elara shout, trying to stop her foolish brother which charge forward amidst the chaotic magic explosions reverberating in the surroundings. “You’ll get entangled!”
The Death Knight let out a guttural roar, desperate to defend himself from the sibling’s foray, the sound reverberating through the hall and shaking the very earth they stood upon. The light of Elara’s magic intertwined with the strength of Randolph’s strike, igniting a simultaneous explosion of energy that enveloped the Knight, unravelling centuries of torment and despair.
“Randolph, watch out!” Elara screamed, pushing her strength into another barrier that dulled the Knight’s attack, but it was a weak hold. The knight spun wildly with its rage unchecked.
“Just a little more!” Randolph shouted as he dodged yet another blow, his senses heightened from the thrill of the fight. They were growing tired, every action becoming increasingly laborious as the Death Knight loomed over them, striking with the desperate fervor of a berserker.
Elara locked eyes with her brother, an understanding passing between them, like the flicker of a candle flame in a storm. They had to finish this. In that moment of clearness, Elara recalled Margot’s advice that the dark could consume, but their bond could strengthen them. She darted trough the memories she gets from him in her head, and found a perfect magic for this situation.
“Randolph!” she cried, a resolute fire lighting her gaze. “I’ll use strengthening magic, but I don’t know how it will affect you!”
“Just do it!” he said to Elara.
With her magic surging, she focused on the core of her essence unleashing a torrent of spherical light that coalesced into an orb of swirling power, illuminating her brother’s body. “Now, Randolph!”
Randolph felt the energy coursing through him, like an electric pulse. His heart racing as he summoned every ounce of his strength. “Let’s end this!”
As Elara unleashed her radiant orb toward the Death Knight, Randolph leaped into the fray, his sword glinting like hope forged in the fires of despair. The orb collided with the Knight, exploding in a mighty cascade of light that filled the hall, shattering the dark aura that had enveloped him.
Randolph struck true, his sword plunging deep into the chest of the Death Knight, piercing through the rotten flesh and bone. For a heartbeat, time froze, the chamber resonated with a symphonic clash of light and shadow.
And then, with an earth-shattering roar, the Death Knight collapsed to its knees, the darkness around him scrambling, consumed by the light. The foul energy dissipated as the remnants of the dark knight echoed through the air, leaving behind an unsettling silence.
Breathless and trembling, Randolph and Elara stood victorious, the weight of their triumph mingling with the exhaustion that threatened to consume them. Elara smiled through ragged breath, the light illuminating the remnants of their courage.
“We did it!” she gasped, overjoyed.
Randolph nodded, feeling of disbelief flooding through him. Yet amidst their victory, a sense of solemnity also resonated. “He was a proud warrior once,” he murmured, gazing down at the remnants of darkness. “He lost everything to it.”
With the threat vanquished, a shimmering portal appeared at the far end of the chamber, a beacon of hope leading them forward.
“Come on,” Elara said, her heart swelling with pride as she linked her arm with Randolph’s. “We have to keep going. Margot said there were more trials ahead. This victory is just one step in our journey.”
As they stepped toward the portal, the shadows began to settle, and they could almost hear the whispers of those who had fought before them. An echo of warriors lost, but never forgotten. With their spirits renewed, they entered the light together, knowing that the next part of their journey awaited them, calling them forward. And whatever lay ahead, they would face it as one, bound in trust, determination, and the light they forged in the heart of darkness.