Chapter 18 - The Magic of Arrogance

Aiden sprinted across the battlefield, lungs burning, his boots slipping against the blood-soaked dirt. Valerie ran beside him, her hand brushing his arm every few steps as if making sure he hadn’t vanished in the smoke and chaos. Ahead of them, Maximus’s body lay sprawled in the churned earth, pale as parchment, chest frighteningly still.

“Maximus!” Valerie’s cry cracked with desperation as they dropped to their knees beside him.

Without hesitation, their hands locked together. “Restorative Spring!” The familiar surge of Heartlink magic answered their call, warmth flooding through Aiden’s arm, mingling with Valerie’s energy. A bright green light enveloped Maximus, spilling across his chest, threading into his skin like veins of living emerald. Color returned to his face, the deathly pale replaced by a faint flush. His chest jerked, then rose with a ragged inhale.

Valerie gasped with relief. “It’s working!”

But Maximus’s hand shot up weakly, pressing against theirs. “Stop… that’s enough.” His voice was gravelly but firm.

“You’re not ready to move yet,” Aiden argued, panic lacing his words. “Just let us keep going—”

Maximus coughed, a raspy laugh escaping his cracked lips. “I guess… I’m not as strong as I thought I was.”

Aiden clenched his jaw. “That wasn’t a fair fight. He blindsided you before you were even ready.”

Maximus’s eyes hardened despite his smile. “No excuses. Listen to me, run. Gather as many townsfolk as you can and evacuate before the tusklings overrun the city.”

Valerie shook her head so hard her loose hair whipped around her shoulders. “No. We won’t leave you.”

And as if summoned by her defiance, a low, rumbling laugh rolled over the battlefield. Heavy footfalls pounded closer. Gortin Tusk loomed, his monstrous frame blotting out the haze. His jagged teeth gleamed as he laughed, a sound like grinding stone.

Aiden scrambled to his feet, stepping in front of Valerie and Maximus, planting himself like a shield. His hands trembled, but he spread them wide all the same. “You’ll have to go through me first.”

Gortin tilted his head, black eyes narrowing. Then he burst into hysterics, his guttural laughter echoing throughout the field. “Hah! This is what stands in my way? At least the other one looked like a man. You…” His tusked grin widened. “…you look like a boy playing hero.”

Aiden’s lip curled. Fear clawed at his stomach, but he fired back before it could choke him. “And you look like someone who lost a fight with a brick wall. What happened, trip and land on your face?”

The Alpha’s laughter turned to a snarl, his massive fingers tightening around the hilt of his weapon. “If you’re so eager with your insults, boy, be ready to back them up.”

Before Aiden could muster a retort, another laugh—high, pompous, theatrical—rang out across the battlefield.

Aiden’s stomach dropped. He knew that laugh.

You*'ve got to be kidding me...*

Two figures emerged through the haze, dressed not for war but for spectacle. Zachary and Everly strode forward, their attire polished and almost sporty, as if they were about to attend a performance rather than a battle.

“Really, Aiden?” Zachary’s smirk gleamed as brightly as his gaudy belt buckle. “You couldn't even back up a single letter of the alphabet, let alone your weak insults.”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed in exasperation. He wanted to scream at Zachary for his timing, but words failed. His thoughts tangled. Should he support him against Gortin, or shove him out of the way before he got himself and Everly killed?

He decided to warn him. “Zachary, take Everly and go. You don’t understand, Gortin is too strong.”

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” Zachary’s grin widened, arrogance radiating like heat. “I saw what he did to Maximus. A cheap shot, nothing more. That’s all he has going for him.”

Gortin’s growl deepened, his tusks dripping with black saliva. Rage ignited in his eyes as he hefted his weapon. “Enough!”

With a roar, he charged at Zachary, swinging the colossal blade.

Zachary didn’t flinch. “Unsophisticated brute.” He snapped his fingers toward Everly. “Now.”

Together they raised their arms. Sickly green energy spread across the battlefield, oozing into the soil. The ground beneath Gortin’s feet blackened, liquefying into a swampy mire that reeked of rot. His advance slowed as his legs sank into the muck. The toxic trap clung to him, hissing against his hide like acid.

Everly beamed despite the strain on her face. “Perfect, Zachary! That was amazing—”

“I know.” He cut her off with a dismissive wave, smirk unwavering. “Who do you take me for?”

Her smile faltered, shrinking away like a candle snuffed. Still, she pushed forward, voice quiet. “I just wanted to—”

“Get over yourself, woman,” Zachary snapped. “Focus. Let’s finish this beast and—”

He never finished. Gortin roared and, with frightening speed, hurled his massive weapon directly at him.

Zachary’s eyes widened, but his arrogance didn’t falter. “Pathetic attempt.” He clenched his fists, summoning a spell. Stone shards whirled around his body, assembling into a jagged armor that encased him in rocky plates. The resemblance to Aiden and Valerie’s Gale Plate was uncanny.

The blade struck. The impact shattered the stone, exploding it outward in a storm of razor-sharp fragments.

“Valerie!” Aiden yanked her close, thrusting his hands into the dirt. A wall of stone erupted before them, thick and solid. The shards clattered against it, sparking and hissing before bouncing harmlessly away. Behind the shield, Maximus lay limp, untouched.

When the storm subsided, Aiden lowered the wall cautiously. Dust drifted, clearing just enough to reveal the aftermath.

Everly knelt in the dirt, her arms trembling violently. Her face was drained, her breath ragged. Whatever strength she had, the spell had sucked it dry. She looked moments away from collapse.

Nearby, Zachary pushed himself to his feet, dismissing what remained of his armor with a sharp gesture. His chest heaved, his usually pristine hair disheveled. “By the Creator,” he gasped, “I hate using that spell.”

Aiden’s eyes darted back to Gortin. The Alpha lowered his arm, thick blood the color of ink dripping from a fresh wound where the shards had torn into him. The beast snarled, enraged, but he remained standing. Unstoppable.

All around, several tusklings that had stood too close lay crumpled, their bodies impaled by stone shrapnel. The battlefield was littered with their corpses, silent testimony to the devastating exchange.

Aiden’s mind raced, trying to make sense of what had just happened. He had seen enough to know Zachary wasn’t using Heartlink magic the way he and Valerie did. It had to be Rift magic. A combination of earth and air, similar in appearance to their Gale Plate, but twisted. Where he and Valerie willingly combined their strengths, Zachary had yanked the energy from Everly, draining her against her will. No wonder she looked so pale, so empty. Worse, the armor suffocated him from within instead of supporting him, choking him with his own arrogance. But for all its flaws, the splintering stone had worked, even if it endangered everyone around them.

Zachary staggered forward, brushing dust off his flashy attire with a grimace. Everly’s hand trembled as she reached for him, eyes pleading. He rolled his eyes, grabbing her roughly to pull her upright.

“If you can’t support me properly,” he muttered coldly, “then what use are you?”

Her head dropped, shoulders curling in shame. “I’m sorry…”

Aiden’s teeth ground together. The words burned in his ears. But before he could step forward, Gortin wrenched his massive frame out of the muck, shaking clods of poisoned swamp from his hide. His snarl stretched into something grotesque as he retrieved his weapon. Black blood dripped, and his eyes gleamed with rage.

Zachary snapped his fingers. “Assist me. Now.”

Everly flinched but obeyed. Together they conjured a new spell, a toxic haze boiling into existence, wrapping around Gortin in a choking cloud. The ground hissed beneath his steps.

Zachary laughed, arms spread wide as if he had already won. “Pathetic beast. You’ll fall to us!”

But then—laughter. Deep, rumbling, mocking. The fog parted as Gortin strode through, utterly unharmed. “Poison?” he rumbled. “Steam? Pitiful. A tuskling’s hide does not burn so easily. You insult me.”

He charged, weapon arcing in a brutal sweep. Zachary shoved Everly forward. “Barrier! Now!”

She panicked, hands trembling, no magic forming. The blade descended.

Aiden moved without thinking. He tackled Everly to the ground, rolling her clear of the strike. The hammer‑sword slammed into the earth where she’d stood, splitting the ground. Shockwaves rattled his bones.

Behind them, Zachary had tried to summon an earth wall but was too slow. The weapon clipped him, sending him flying like a ragdoll into the dirt near the city gate. His body crumpled, eerily like Maximus’s had earlier.

Everly shoved Aiden away, fury twisting her expression. “How dare you save me instead of him!”

Aiden blinked, disbelief cutting through his adrenaline. “He was using you as a shield! And you’re welcome, by the way, for saving your life.”

She glared and stormed off toward Zachary, who was already being dragged over to Robert and Gloria for healing. Aiden’s jaw clenched, but Valerie’s hands were suddenly on him, checking his arms, chest, face.

“You idiot!” She smacked his arm, eyes shimmering. “Reckless, again!”

He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Just instinct.” He leaned in for a kiss.

She leaned back with a huff. “Not so fast, mister. You’ve got some making up to do first.”

Her face softened though, curiosity replacing her glare. “How did you even reach her so fast?”

Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. “Earth magic. I launched myself like a catapult. I was aiming to grab both of them, but I missed. Just barely managed to get her.”

Valerie giggled. “That’s insane. Crazier than Gale Plate in the apothecary.”

Aiden chuckled, but the sound was cut short by Gortin’s furious squeal. The Alpha’s patience had ended. He raised his weapon high, voice booming. “Enough! No more games. I’ll slaughter every last one of you myself, starting with the two of you!”

Aiden’s chest tightened as the Alpha’s shadow loomed closer. But when he turned, Valerie was beside him, her eyes fierce, her hair loose and wild from the battle.

“I’m tired of this monster hurting our friends,” she declared, her voice sharp with resolve. “It’s time to turn this pig into bacon.”

Aiden blinked, then laughed, pride swelling in his chest. “That sounded like something a video game hero would say.”

Color rose to her cheeks. “Careful, or I might just take over as the main protagonist of this story.”

“Look who’s being prideful now.”

She rolled her eyes, but the playfulness lingered. “I’m kidding. I wouldn’t want this story without you.” She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

Gortin’s roar split the air as he lowered his head and charged, his massive steps pounding the battlefield like thunder.

Aiden turned to Valerie, fire blazing in his eyes. “Let’s show him the true power of our Heartlink!”