12.30 - Staff, Sword, & Sorrow: Inheritance of an Archmage, Ch. 1

General Summary

Elfriede looks out from the northern parapet of the Last Rest as a red dawn breaks over his shoulder. He looks out as long as he can, until the distant speck of Robin's skiff moves beyond the northern mountains. He makes a silent vow as he watches his friend disappear, then turns his attention to the choas behind him. He grips his Staff of the Magi in his hands. He is the Sage of the Reach, the successor of the Archmage Emelyn the Grey. His home is under attack. He glances once more at the cold mountains to the north, then turns back to his duty. He is a hero now. This is what he is meant to do.
Arcane silver wings sprout from his shoulders as he launches himself towards what seems his first priority--the burning eastern quarter of the town. He comes to the aid of the ragtag bands of townspeople attempting to keep the conflagration at bay, making quick work of the flames with magical sleet and rain. However, as he turns toward the next task, the ballista he knows lies a few blocks away and the unprotected Ogre Gate, open wide to the oncoming invasion force, a blast of fiery slag nearly hits him, and a massive Clockwork Dragon attacks.
Elfriede masterfully staves off the mechanical dragon's attacks, using every magical trick up his sleeve. As the dragon descends upon him with its full force, he slips into the Ethereal Plane, where he spies a hovering Emelyn gazing down serenely at the scene below. The dragon, however, with his main target gone, looks for other prey, and finds it in the defenseless townspeople around him. As Elfriede attempts to slow down the dragon with offensive magic, the clockwork monster massacres nearly a dozen innocents.
Finally, Elfriede draws his ancestor's blade, unlocking the final Wish his great-grandfather made with the legendary weapon--that his blood would once day be a true hero of the land. The song of his family on his lips, the evocation-wizard-turned-bladesinger slides beneath the belly of the metal beast, splitting it open with an additional shatter blast and exposing its nanotech heart. The dragon, however, beats at hasty retreat, trailing molten slag in its wake, and prepares a surprise attack for when the wizard next appears.
When Elfriede does blink back into the material plane, the dragon hits him with a second breath attack--a debilitating gas that knocks him immediately unconscious. To be continued...
Songs of Glory: Elfriede +2

Report Date

12 Oct 2024