The Emissary

It had been many years since Ariana first woke in this new world of magic, but not a day had gone by that she didn’t think of that moment with the light… or of her son. These thoughts raced through her mind as she loaded up some of the late spring and early summer crops onto her cart for the market. She knew that the strawberries were out of season at this point, but she just enjoyed having them so much that she had to keep them going with her magic. Just one more week, she told herself for the 3rd week in a row. The cart laden with goods, she made her way to Loomholm.

As she set up her stand for the day, she heard a bit of a commotion among the townsfolk. There were murmurs of the demon lord’s army approaching the village within the day. She had heard mention of the demon lord’s march for the past 5 years, but this was the closest they’d been to Loomholm.

Some of the regular buyers make their way to her stall, but there are decidedly fewer people about, and she couldn’t help feeling that the people were more wary of her. It was quiet until right around midday. The sound of a horse trotting echoed through the village. On the back of a horse was a man of the demonfolk appearance with slicked-back hair and red eyes. He stopped in the middle of town and spoke with purpose. “People of Loomholm,” he boomed, “Today is a glorious day, for today you join the empire of our magnificent Lord Xander!”

Ariana froze. Her vision tunneled as she looked at the man. She stepped from behind the stall and walked up to the shouting man, no longer registering a word from his mouth. There was only one thing on her mind.

She approached the man. “Excuse me,” she said, “Who is-”

“YOU!” The man interrupted her. “How dare you so casually address me!? You who wallow among the peasants!”

Ariana’s many years as a mother have taught her what a bratty child looks like, and she was looking at one. She scowled and reaffirmed her stance. “Who is Xander?” She spoke louder this time.

The man looked enraged and leaped from his horse toward her, shouting violently. “RRAAGH! You dare to speak Lord Xander’s name so casually!? Your insolence will be punished!!”

The man gestured forward and summoned a line of fire directly towards Ariana. Her arms rose swiftly to conjure a responding wave of water to barricade against the fire. The clash of elements generates an obscuring steam cloud. Normally, Ariana would avoid such confrontations, but she needed answers, and it was clear what kind of person this man was.

She threw her arms forward to summon roots and vines to rise from the ground towards the man. He retaliated with a strong gout of flame. She threw out a wide splash of water towards him. As the flashier displays of magic clashed, she also carefully weaved roots and vines under the man’s feet.

Every time he stepped to move in, she pushed back, and every time he would step back, she retreated a bit. She would walk left and right to reposition him. It was difficult to focus, but years of dealing with the boars attacking her garden had taught her subtle magic not even they could detect. Her roots and vines arranged themselves to complete the trap. All she had to do was ensure an opening.

The man started moving away from the spot, an unfortunate situation since weaving the trap cost her much of her magic energy. Ariana felt there was only one other option: subdue him the hard way. She ran straight forward at him, a wall of water in front of her to shield her from the fireballs. With a downward push of her arms, the wall of water came crashing down on the man, and she tackled him to the ground. “Who is Xander!?” She shouted.

The man struggled against her. He snarled like a wild beast and screamed with fervor. “HEATHEN!! BEGONE!!” The man’s body became engulfed in flames, forcing Ariana to release him. Her magic was almost entirely spent at this point. She lay on the ground, reeling from the burning. The man stands over her, foot raised over her head. With a feverish cry, the man brought his foot swiftly down.

In that moment, fight or flight made a decision: Fight.

There are tales of mothers gaining superhuman strength and lifting cars off their children in times of desperation. This adrenal strength now surged through Ariana. The fivefold strength granted to her when she came to this world had doubled in the time since from the toil of laboring in her gardens and fighting boars, and now that strength was multiplied even further still by her sheer will to survive and the possibility of seeing her son again.

Her arm swung up to the side as the man’s leg came down. The force and speed of her punch were several magnitudes greater than his leg, coming up to meet this man’s groin. Her fist had enough stopping power to fully arrest the motion of a truck several times larger than the one that sent her to this world. The man was knocked sideways with a shrill scream, tumbling several feet.

Ariana pushed herself back up to her feet, seething. She ran to the man, picked him up over her head, and slammed him down with an enraged scream into her trap, setting it off with the last of her magic. The man was pummeled thoroughly by the roots and vines that were poised to spring and entangle. She had defeated the man… but now he was out cold.

She panted to catch her breath and leaned on the entangled man. Mirabelle hurriedly came to her side with a blue potion. “Ariana! The market!” They yelled. She snapped to attention and looked around. Many of the stalls were on fire. She panicked, took the potion, and chugged it. Filled with magical energy again, she set about quickly dousing the fires and profusely apologized for the commotion. 

Her head spun. She felt a desperation she hadn’t felt since first arriving in this world. Demon lord. That couldn't possibly be her sweet Alex, but that name... She had to see him. The only way she could know for certain was by seeing him with her own eyes. THE demon lord... she wasn't much for politics, but that definitely meant he led the demons. She would have to go where the demons are, straight to the heart of Indrock. 

Without another word, she rushed back to her cottage on the hill, panting and wheezing. She didn't know how far the journey would be, but it didn't matter. She had to go. She took up a pack and filled it with whatever she could think of: a change of clothes tailored by Filian, a cooking knife made for her by Alvin, her flint, a pot for stew, a set of cups and bowls that were gifted to her by Joseph, about a pound of dried boar meat that Inga and Carlov shared with her, and about a dozen bottles of blue potion she bought from Mirabelle. 

She stepped out to the garden and swiped her hand across. Seeds were pulled from several plants into her palm. While she could grow anything she desired, she found that growing from seeds took less of a toll on her magic reserves. The same was true of pulling from a water source as opposed to generating it from her magic. One important addition to her crops was pumpkins; she made sure to fill a palm-sized satchel to the brim with pumpkin seeds. 

Once that was settled, she hurried back inside to change her clothes to something better suited for a long hike. She decided on some leather breeches and boots, another gift from Inga and Carlov, as well as a cotton tunic, a gift from Filian. The last thing she thought to bring was a waterskin or a flask. She didn't have one. 

She ran back to town to see the Emissary screaming and belting flames, trying to break free. She rolled her hands in a knot-tying motion, and the vines squeezed tighter around him. He spotted her and screamed at her. "RELEASE ME, WITCH!!" She paused for a moment. This wasn't like with Albert. This man would gladly harm everyone here. She couldn't just leave him; he was a real danger. 

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She once again stepped up to the man. 

"I'm going to speak", she declared, "You're going to listen. And then you will give me answers."

He snarled at her. "Lowly peasant, mud-blooded bitch, you are unworthy!"

Ariana remained calm. Her head tilted to the side. "What's the matter? Didn't you come here to tell us about Xander?"

"INSOLENCE! How dare you address your lord and master in such a casual tone!"

She smiled gently. "I don't know much about this world. I've been part of it for only a decade or so."

The demon man seemed thrown off. "You... what?" He growled. "Lies and heresy, there has never been a demon Outworlder... except for..." He seemed to have a realization and looks at Ariana.

"Except for who?" she mused.

"Lord... Xander..." 

She leaned in just a bit closer, speaking softly. “When I first came into this world, I died protecting my son, Alex… which is short for Alexander.”

The man gazed at her with a slowly creeping horror spreading on his face. “You’ve said lots of very nasty things to me. Now, I can’t be certain, but the more you tell me, the more I feel it’s true… this Xander of yours could be my Alex.”

The man looked around. “I… I…” 

“Now,” Ariana continued. “I’m going to release you, and you’re going to go back where you came from. We’re going to pretend this conversation never happened. Is that alright?”

The man nodded profusely. 

She let out a soft breath and lowered a hand. The vines untangled from the man. He did not struggle. Once he was free, he sprinted frantically to his horse and rode out of town. Ariana paid careful attention to the road he took, that was where she would go next.