Heroes & Villains

SOLVEIG

“This girl… s-she’s a monster!”

The twins gritted their teeth, their heels dragging against the dirt as they were pushed back by Solveig’s majesty!

Slowly but steadily, they fought against her null magic tide and trudged forward shields-first.

“Guys, c’mon!” one of the twins shouted. “She can’t keep this up forever!”

The other slavers on Solveig’s flank followed suit instantly, moving to stack their numbers, probably thinking sheer numbers can overwhelm her fragile frame all at once.

Well, jokes on them!

The Demon King’s army used to pull the exact same maneuver back when she was failing them, too.

The glaring flaw with enemies who loved to charge—which accounted for roughly ninety-nine percent of trolls—was the sheer, unstoppable momentum behind them. And what was her null magic best at exploiting?

“REDIRECTION!” she screamed.

The twins stopped dead in their tracks. Or rather, their forward momentum was instantly hijacked, grinding to an agonizing crawl as the air warped violently around them.

The pressure twisted their bodies like tops on an invisible axis until they spun a perfect 180 degrees—leaving them face-to-face.

Solveig grinned. “Now kiss!!!”

MWAHHH!!!

Their lips mashed and crushed together, brick upon brick. They bounced off each other with a dull thud and collapsed into a tangled, sobbing heap on the dirt.

“What manner of sorcery is this?!” Principal Mackenzie trembled.

“It’s just null magic!” Solveig said. “A perfectly normal form of reality manipulation! Honestly, it’s just really misunderstood and unfairly demonized because people are too lazy to learn it!”

“SOD IT!” one of the remaining slavers cried. “She’s probably used all her mana up already! She can’t get all of us!”

He raised his weapon high. “CHARGE!”

“RAAAAA—”

“—AAAAAAA—”

“—AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!”

Even with the near-deafening stomps of her incoming aggressors, Solveig’s expression curdled into a manic sneer.

She knew she had to appear more measured—more controlled in front of the Duke.

But in the heat of battle... she just can't help herself.

“Careful what you wish for…”

Solveig's feet snapped tightly together. She stood completely rigid, throwing her head back toward the sky.

“Especially when you don’t know how deep this rabbit hole goes!”

She hoisted both arms straight up and outward into a wide 'V'.

And soon, the world obeyed.

Dirt and rock burst upward like festive confetti—dozens of shimmering Mage Hands erupting underneath the feet of her adversaries.

Some tried to react, get away, do something, anything.

But for a former demon king slayer like her, they were mere insects to be slapped around.

“Bwahahaha! Look at you!!" Solveig bellowed. "Who's worthless now?!”

\\

CAIN

Principal Mackenzie melted down, to the point he dropped directly onto his knees. 

“Endless… upon endless… formulaless casting…” The old man stared at his trembling hands. “Relying solely on raw, un-channeled mana… shaped entirely by her own mind…?”

The principal pointed a shaky, paralyzed hand at her.

“She’s no human," he whispered. "She’s a goddess…!”

Cain, likewise, looked on with a curdled expression as yet another raider flew into the air.

That girl…

“HAHAHAHA~!”

She’s a mental case…!

“DODGE THIS!!!”

What she’s doing to those slavers…

“Cat got your tongue?! Wrong! That’s null magic for ya~!”

It was psychotic!

His father growled. “Mackenzie, don’t just sit there on your mount! Help the girl keep the flank!”

“R-Right!” the portly man replied.

“AND CAIN!”

Cain gripped his hands around his horse’s reins. He felt mana tingle in the extremities of his fingers. 

His time was now. 

“Yes, Father?”

“This is too much for you! Just hide in the jail cart!”

…What?

“Dad, back in the office you said—”

“I know what I said! Just… you’re not ready for this yet! Now go! GO!”

PHEWwww—

Cain ducked. A stray arrow whisked past Cain’s ear, thunking hard into the wooden jail cart beside him.

He felt ill. And not because he was squeamish about violence either.

I am not a little boy anymore...

Yet Father treats me like a piece of ceramic.

How can I ever possibly grow like this...?

Father wanted Cain to stay put, to hide like a child. But he was part of this battle too, whether the Duke wanted to acknowledge it or not.

He was exactly two name-days away from legal adulthood. Two days away from being forced to shoulder the crushing weight of the Cunningham legacy. He couldn't just sit here and cower. There had to be a way he could help.

…But how?

“Stay back!”

Cain started.

“HELP US! PLEASE!” a foreigner screamed in their tongue. “SOMEONE!”

Cain felt sweat break on his forehead, looking deep into the forest from where the scream originated.

Foreigners… no—tribesmen. Of course. The slavers carried cargo...

It made total sense that the slaves-to-be would try and escape at a time like this. They were probably galvanized. 

But a slaver probably stayed behind to watch for stragglers...

Cain looked at his father’s back for a few moments, his jaw tight.

It was an easy decision, in the end.

He leapt straight from the saddle, hitting the dirt hard and rolling shoulder-first into the brush before instantly springing back to his feet.

He whipped his head back toward his panicked mount.

“Fair Steed, I’m sorry!”

With a heavy kick to the animal's flank, he sent the horse bolting forward, away from the fighting and the danger.

Cain didn't hesitate after that. He scrambled toward the direction of the screaming voice.

He sprinted through the blinding smoke and tangled roots for a few agonizing seconds, until eventually, the brush parted.

Found you!

In a clearing, a family of four tribals huddled together, a father and mother shielding their children.

A man, burly and crude, an axe slung at his hip, chuckled slimily as he drew closer.

But Cain faltered. Suddenly he didn’t feel so brave now that his father wasn't visible.

No...

There’s no time anymore for that, it is either here and now or another family ends up dead!

This was just one slaver, and if Cain couldn’t deal with a singular enemy, then he may as well die anyway!

"STOP!"

The raider turned. He looked rather delighted to have been interrupted. That did not bode well for Cain. At all.

"Well, well. Heard some fights were starting back up on the road," the man sneered as his eyes raked over Cain’s pristine tunic. "Shame I have to lose out on the fun… owing to these damn savages." 

The raider gestured at the family, cowering and weak enough that a slight breeze might tip them over. 

"And what falls on my lap?" he continued. "A little noble pup. Come to hide in the brush like a coward, huh?”

“Rather, the opposite…”

“Oh?”

"Your friends are either dying or being rounded up as we speak," Cain shot back. "It's over for you. Surrender."

"...Really?" The raider looked offended. “That was weak, even for an empty threat.”

Cain felt the wind coalesce toward him, and it was less than a second—

Metal raced past his body, but he’d pulled back just in time.

"Come on! FIGHT BACK!" the raider screamed ferally.

Then in a flurry, the raider swung again, and again, and again.

Cain’s feet scrambled, dodging attack after attack.

"You think this will end once you poach these people?!" Cain tried. "You'll be hunted for the rest of your lives!"

"Not once we cross the border, though, hah!"

On and on the raider came, blow after blow, each one closer than the last.

But the difference was…

I'm runnin'... outta... steam! Cain panted. Can't get far enough to get a spell off…

Think. He couldn't attack. He couldn't defend.

But he could try… something new.

But I haven’t used it before…

Once more he strained to listen for his companions, praying they were nearby.

But the sound of spellcasting was happening very, very far away.

So that's it, then. It’s now or never.

Cain breathed in.

By Solvei…

Urgh, whatever.

By Solveig’s strength—I beg of you, give unto me courage…

The raider started. “Don’t try anything stupid—”

“[Life: Reflection].”

\\

SOLVEIG

Dealing with humans was such a nice change of pace.

It reminded her of her early years trying to consolidate all the tribes into one super-megatribe. Hey, it was needed. The Demon King wasn’t pulling any punches at all! But it also gave rise to a lot of opposition!

One thing that differed between humans and demons? Humans had a lot more concern for their own life. That in of itself made things both easier and harder at the same time.

It meant she couldn’t really go all out…

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little bit of fun either.

“I AM SORRY. I AM SO SORRY. I WILL NEVER BE A SLAVER AGAINNNN!”

“What’s that?! I can’t hear you over the sound of your incoming imprisonment!!! Hehehehe~”

“Oh gods, I am going to puke—mmrphmp!”

Before the final plea could even leave the slaver's mouth, a violent blast of kinetic force made her tumble through the air…

Plap.

…And onto a hill of groaning bodies.

“Please,” one of her victims wheezed. “We surrender…”

Solveig sighed, looking up at her handiwork. “Gods, the standards for villainy have really gone downhill these days, huh?”

The Duke let out a heavy cough. “Villainy is in the eye of the beholder.”

“Someone’s missing.” Principal Mackenzie rode his mount up, having circled the area looking for any lingering threats. “Cunningham, where’s your boy?”

“No…” The Duke’s jaw tightened. “That blundering idiot of a son!”

“And this is why you employ an archmage,” Mackenzie muttered, his eyes glowing green and his fingers already moving and signing. “[Life: Signature].”

The man focused for a split second.

“You're lucky that boy doesn't make his mana signature subtle. He’s over this way!”

“Girl, follow me!” the Duke commanded, slamming his spurs into his mount.

They drove their steeds into the jagged undercroft of trees and bushes. 

Snap, snap, the branches went as they rode, every shadow stretching endlessly as they drilled  through the thicket.

And still, Solveig was not pleased with their urgency.

If Cain died on my watch... all my efforts just now would be for naught! The Duke would just kill me on the spot...!

So she violently shoved past the horses, tearing through the final thicket with a frantic plunge.

It was a peculiar sight.

A family of cowering tribals were being backed into a rocky corner—a lone slaver was closing in on them with a drawn blade in some sort of screwed-up trance—Cain… standing right there in the clearing, as if waiting for the slaver to come closer?!

Oh, crud! Solveig panicked, her mana flaring out of her control.

She had to act!

Her hand glowed icy blue.

Now!

\\

CAIN

SHUOOMM!

His spell had no travel time at all. Cain may not have been the greatest mage in the world… but none could deride his aim.

A green pulse struck the raider square in the forehead.

Immediately, there was a response.

The grip on the raider’s swords loosened to nothing, his arms falling sideways slack.

Holy… hell…

It worked…

It worked!

The raider stood there, staring into space for what felt like minutes.

Then Cain saw the tears.

"How… how was I such a fool?" the slaver said slowly.

Yes… Yes!

Keep going!

"How could I…" The man's throat stumbled clumsily, each syllable shakier than the last.

The raider looked down at his own hands like they belonged to someone else.

Then suddenly, impossibly, he looked remorseful.

“How could I do this to these people—”

SHRINGGGGG—thud!

Spurt…

“—ghlk…”

NOOOOO!!!!!!!

An ice spell, out of nowhere, had found its way through the raider’s unguarded throat.

The raider’s hands grasped at it as he fell on his knees with a slump.

It didn’t take long for the slaver to finally crumple.

But before the man did, he looked straight into Cain’s eyes as if to ask why. 

Cain breathed hard, blood pooling on the grass.

He didn’t need to look back to see who did the deed.