A New Hero

Elizabeth el' Straya, flanked by ten members of the royal guards, walked unsteadily through the simple wooden gates of Tel.

She leaned heavily upon her staff, an ornate, ruby encrusted treasure that was worth more than this entire village tenfold. Not that any who obtained it would ever sell it, for its magical powers far exceeded its paltry monetary value. Fortunately, it was a World Item, bestowed upon her by the goddess of light, Vani herself, and would be taken back by the goddess upon her death. Only a hero, chosen by fate itself, and duty bound to serve the world could wield a weapon like this.

Villagers lined the streets to watch the procession of armored men and gilded carriages that rode in behind her, but they weren't the object of the peoples' attention. In fact, they barely seemed to notice the ostentation in the face of the women who led them.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, loud far beyond its numbers. Cries of "The Hero!" and "Battle Queen!" rose through the crowd. Elizabeth smiled graciously and did her best to wave at the people, though she found it difficult to walk without grasping the staff with both hands.

"The last ride of the Battle Queen!" came a voice from the crowd, and soon everyone had joined in. "The last ride! The last ride! The last ride!" Children sitting on their parents shoulders pointed at her with awe, though there were some who looked back at their parents with questioning gazes.

Those young ones would have heard the stories of the Battle Queen, the taker of Doom's Forge, the Hand of Light, and the Slayer of the Demon Resplendent herself, and grown up hearing of her incredible feats and powers. They must have been disappointed to see what Elizabeth had become now.

Thinning white hair lay beneath her legendary battle tiara. Her arms and legs, once rippling with powerful muscle, were now little more than skin and bone. She had been renowned for her height and threatening aura, but now she struggled even to take these final steps into the town.

"Should I call your horse captain?" That was Bjorn, the second in command of the royal guard. He was the eighth man to serve underneath her in her ceremonial role as captain general of the royal guard.

When she had led armies, his grandfather would have been riding on his parents shoulders just like all of these children. He was a good lad, but he often failed to understand the gravity and responsibility that Elizabeth held in her hands.

"That won't be necessary," Elizabeth commanded. "These shall be my final steps in this world and I'll be damned if I don't take them myself."

She was pleased to find that even if her body had deteriorated, her reputation had not, and Bjorn fell back into line with a nod.

She was forcing the retinue down to a crawling pace, but she didn't care. There were some things that you just had to do yourself.

Had she been in a great city like the capital Selevar, these processions might have gone on for hours through winding streets with tens of thousands of people.

Here, though, the main road, or path as it were, was hardly more than a few hundred meters long and only a small portion was lined with people.

Ahead the village hall stood tall against what were mostly one story, thatch roofed houses and shops.

It was nothing compared to the great marble structures of Selevar, but it still rose three stories high, dwarfing even the wooden walls around the village.

Furthermore, it was the only building made of stone; sandstone that was likely quarried nearby in the great plains.

Her feet were trembling by the time she arrived at it's modest steps, but she still refused assistance as she climbed them one at a time, until she finally reached the top.

She turned to face the rest of her retinue and the village, and took a moment to catch her breath before projecting her voice.

"People of Tel and citizens of Selevas, I thank you for your hospitality." She found that a tear had begun rolling down her face as she looked out at the people and beyond them to the great plains. She could even make out the Ankeh Mountains far in the distance. A hundred years in this world and somehow, at the very end, it seemed like no time at all.

"Though I will not be partaking of it myself, know that I am honored beyond words to have served you and this nation. Though I will one day be forgotten, I hope that my legacy shall live on through the honorable deeds of my successor. Perhaps they shall succeed where I could not."

A wave of protest exploded from the onlookers, but Elizabeth silenced them with a wave of her hand.

"There is no need to console an old woman. I hope that you will instead look to the future and work hard to forge an even greater one."

Applause broke out from the crowd, but Elizabeth did not wait any longer. She could feel the end in her bones. It was time to complete her final task.

The village hall was somewhat more impressive on the inside. The main hall was open all the way to the ceiling, and balconies which constituted the second and third floors were adorned with the Selevas flag on either side.

The woodwork was simple, but sturdy and the building was furnished with red and blue furniture. Even the decorations looked utilitarian, but that was to be expected this far from the capital.

Most importantly, though, the building was entirely empty. Elizabeth made her way across the main hall, relieved to no longer have to keep up appearances.

A tall, decorated chair where the mayor would sit to settle disputes and issue orders, sat at the far end of the hall. Like everything else, it was modest, but it would play an important role in displaying authority.

Elizabeth approached it and lifted her staff. The surge of magic rippled through her, invisible to any who might have watched, but it strengthened her allowing her to stand straighter.

Her mana reserves were still as deep as they had been eighty years ago, but her body could no longer hold up to that kind of power.

Even this small amount would leave her sprawled on the floor for hours when she let it go, but that was no longer an issue. She would be dead very soon.

She stood up straight, allowing herself to stretch to her full height, feeling strength rush through her one last time. She wanted to be strong in this final moment.

She reached out and gripped the seat of the chair in one hand and lifted it over her head. A chunk of stone that would have weighed four times what she did was attached to the bottom leaving a rectangular hole big enough to easily accommodate her.

There was nothing but darkness visible inside, but she leapt down anyway.

Down and down until, Thump. She landed hard on top of the wooden floor, spreading her arms as she hit.

There was a burst of light, as twenty glowing sparrows burst from her arms and flew out to perch on top of the twenty pillars, bathing the room in golden light.

There was little to see here, and it had a stale smell which made sense considering no one and nothing had been here in nearly ninety five years.

In fact, she herself had been the last one inside. All those years ago. It was here that the goddess of light Vani, had proclaimed to her that the next hero, her successor, would be born.

Elizabeth approached the final pillars and knelt on now steady feet. She had imagined this moment since she had been born into this world a hundred years past, knowing that it would eventually come, but to be here was different.

"Goddess of light, your servant has completed her task. She has served this world with all of her strength and with all of her mind for one hundred years."

Elizabeth paused. She wished to say more, but now that she was here, did she dare? She looked up to see dancing beams of light swirling through the room. This was the end, so why shouldn't she. Hadn't she done enough?

"I know that you know this, but there was a time that I resented you for this. A time when I would have given anything to return to my former life."

The lights swirled faster and faster. "I still feel his touch sometimes," Elizabeth said, tears now streaming down her face. "I have moved on, and I lived as full a life as any could ask for. I found new friends and new love in this world, but I still find myself awakening to his voice."

The lights were too bright to look at, but Elizabeth reinforced her eyes with mana and looked on. "I pray that if it is possible, that I…" she nearly choked on the words. How long had it been since she last cried and now…? "I pray that I might live my next life with him, wherever that might be."

The lights converged in front of her and she was forced to look away, despite her reinforced vision. Slowly the light coalesced into a form, but still it was too bright to look upon.

It wasn't until Elizabeth felt a hand on her shoulder that she was able to look up. Elizabeth had heard the goddess many times in her youth, but she had only looked upon her three times, and this time, she seemed more beautiful than ever before.

"That was always the plan, my daughter. You fought valiantly and now it is time to go home."

"But I failed," Elizabeth cried, falling into the goddess's embrace. "There may have been peace for a time, but the war will wage once again after I am gone."

"That was no fault of yours my daughter," the goddess said, pulling Elizabeth close.

It had been nearly 120 years since Elizabeth had been a child, but in this moment she felt like a little girl again, safe in her mother's arms.

"It is not the war that is important, but that we preserve what we can. The time will come when the one who can end the war comes. Until then we must preserve."

"Will it be my successor?" Elizabeth asked knowing that she was unlikely to get an answer. What she did not expect was silence.

She felt it before she saw it. The goddesses' warm embrace seemed to cool. Her gentle touch turning rigid and sharp. Elizabeth looked up in horror to see darkness streaming from the goddesses' body.

She pulled away in fear as the darkness enveloped the goddess until only her face remained. Her light had dimmed to the point where Elizabeth could see pain and fear in the goddesses' eyes. What could do that to a goddess?

Then just before the darkness consumed her, she whispered. "One final task daughter, I'm so sorry it had to be you."

Darkness exploded into the room, pushing back the light. Her sparrows cowered, returning to her and sheltering under her arms. This couldn't be happening.

The light was pushed back and the room went dark; then the room itself became darkness. And then a voice spoke from everywhere at once.

"I believe that it is finally my turn to play."

The voice was icy and smooth. Not the terrible rumblings of a thunderstorm or the deep pressure of the ocean, but the slow dripping of water as it accumulated into an icicle.

"It's time to toss the dice." And with that, the darkness vanished, leaving in its place a man lying facedown on the ground.

This couldn't be happening, she wasn't supposed to be the one to do this. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

She approached the figure carefully. There could be no mistakes now. It wasn't that the fate of the world rested in her hands.

She held the key to the world having a miniscule chance, but if she was wrong, then it could just as easily destroy the world.

She flipped the man over and watched as he suddenly started breathing. Her enhanced hearing allowed her to hear his heart slowly begin pumping.

She took a step back preparing herself. The man opened his eyes. And she saw death.

Elizabeth forced mana into her staff. Not just a trickle, but everything that she had.

She poured it in desperately as the man slowly stood up and looked at her. He looked at his body and felt his arms.

"This will do nicely."

Then he lunged at Elizabeth and she was forced to divert part of the flow to hold him back. The man looked at her inquisitively, as if Elizabeth's power was disappointing to him. Then he began pushing forward. On and on until finally he grabbed her arm.

She screamed as he snapped it like a twig and slammed his leg into hers snapping it as well. Elizabeth couldn't afford the energy to fight back.

This man was as strong as she had been in her prime, perhaps even stronger.

The man crushed her other leg and Elizabeth began levitating to keep upright. If she could just hold on a little bit longer then.

There! She slammed her staff into the ground, but the man caught it as it fell. No! It couldn't end like this, she wouldn't allow it.

She pressed down as hard as she could, but the man held it still without trouble.

"Is this truly the best you can do? I expected so much more from the legendary Battle Queen."

He spat the last words. Did she know this man? He didn't look familiar, but that voice…

"You!" she howled in fury. "You won't succeed. I've beaten you once before and I'll do it again!"

"Yes," the man replied lazily. "I'll admit that you did beat me, but it won't happen again."

He reached out to grip her by the throat, but Elizabeth forced all her remaining energy into her fist and punched him in the face.

It wasn't even enough to draw blood and she gasped as bits of shattered bone were forced into her flesh, but it did stun him for one precious moment.

The staff slammed into the ground, and a shockwave rocked through the room.

The man looked fearful for the first time, but nothing happened. He looked around this way and that.

"What did you do?" he asked quietly. Then louder, "What did you do!? What did you do!?"

"I beat you again." Elizabeth said, feeling life drain from her. "I did it mother, I did all I could do."

Then the man lashed out, slashing her head off her shoulders in one swipe, and she saw no more.

Outside the village hall, the crowd and royal procession waited anxiously.

Bjorn Haverthall, second in command of the royal guard, knew what to do. There was protocol and he had prepared for this moment, but none here had even been alive the last time it had happened. How long would it take?

Did they dare move before…The door opened and a tall man with long blond hair stepped out of the building. There were the beginnings of cheers before they saw what he was holding.

In one hand, he dragged the body of Elizabeth el'Straya, and in the other, her head hung by the hair.

This was all wrong, the Battle Queen should have passed peacefully, and he should be carrying her body reverently. Something was terribly…

"Good evening," the man said, sounding every inch the gentleman despite what he was holding. "I am your new hero."

Somewhere in the crowd, a child began crying.