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Three wizards stood outside the entrance to a dungeon, Sunken City. The air around them was stale, and the cobblestone path was ridden with weeds. Dark mist hovered above the ground, eerily clinging to the wizards’ robes as they surveyed the area. Headmaster Ambrose had given them a quest to investigate Sunken City, a mysterious cave connected to Nightside which was hidden behind a waterfall. Instead of being in awe at the prospect of exploring a hidden area, the group was more disgruntled when they realized they had to cross under a raging torrent of falling water. As it was, each wizard was drenched to the bone. Even after removing their boots and emptying out its contents, their boots made a squelching sound every time they stepped.
“Why couldn’t the Ravenwood Academy give us some waterproof robes before they sent us to save the Spiral? It would’ve been nice if they invested more money in us instead of just sending us a Ravenwood banner when we graduated,” the fire wizard snarked. She was currently lounging on her Fire Cat summon while she waited for her party members to finish up organizing their spell book.
Her teammates were gathered close to her, their spell cards floating above them as they tried to figure out which cards to take to the dungeon.
“I heard that Sunken City is mostly filled with undeads—Specters and Wraiths who would swarm you as soon as you got too close to them,” the storm wizard warned, closing her spell book with a snap and tucking it back into her robes. She leveled each of them a glare. “So whatever you guys do, make sure to keep clear of their path and we won’t have trouble.”
The life wizard crossed his arms. “Miss ma’ams, we all went to the same Ravenwood Academy, and you should know damn well how much the school drilled these things into our heads. Stick close to the sidewalk, only take fights that are necessary, blah blah blah!” he rolled his eyes.
“You know what the school didn’t teach,” he threw his hands up, “how every goddamn Academy graduate I met refuses to use their potion until they’re at death’s door, and so it’s up to me to save their pathetic looking ass.”
He pointed at each of them. “If I see any of you two enter a battle at low health, you can bet I’m going to leave your asses to die while I teleport away.” He finished his tirade with a huff, turning away from his assigned party to brood.
If only he could travel back in time and knock some sense into his younger self—what was his younger self even thinking, believing that all life was precious and beautiful? His past naivety was what led him to become a life wizard in the first place, and he had entered the Academy thinking he could make a difference in the Spiral. So far, the only thing he managed to achieve was the status of being a healing slave for his party—a cheap replacement for the potion every wizard carried on their person.
But there was a limit to soloing as a life wizard. He didn’t have enough damage to finish the battle when he was focusing all his pips into healing himself. He gritted his teeth. His low damage output was why he needed to team up with other wizards—hitters who could take out the enemy in one or two attacks when it would’ve taken him five.
“... Gosh, have a little trust in us,” the fire wizard drawled. She shook her potion. “I wouldn’t want the healer to draw aggro by spam healing and be the first one to die either.” She dispelled her Fire Cat and stood up, walking up to the life wizard who slightly cringed away when she placed her hand on his shoulder. “So I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear your little comment about refusing to heal us. Just because I’m nice,” she smiled.
“Are we done yet?” asked the storm wizard. She motioned to the potion attached to her belt. “I also have no intention of overburdening my fellow party members.” She brushed past the life wizard. “Perform your role, and I’ll perform mine.”
True to the storm wizard’s warning, Sunken City was crawling with Specters and Wraiths, so much so that the area resembled a night market, minus the goods, and a lot more creepier. The group slinked along the sidewalk and managed to avoid bumping into any of the undead, although there were a few close calls. They managed to secure the gate key after defeating the three Wraith sisters, albeit with some difficulty due to their high health. Things were going great. They unlocked the gate and ventured into the next section with no delays. Then they were forced to use their potions after clearing the second tower. The undead, Paulson, was flanked by two Wraiths, and they had hit hard.
“Please tell me this is the last gate we have to open,” the fire wizard groaned, unlocking the gate and pushing open the double doors with a creak. The group squinted ahead to see a crowd of Scarecrows milling about, as far as the eye could see before the path veered left. “Well,” she smiled painfully, “at least there’s a change of scenery. I was getting tired of seeing Specters and Wraiths anyway.”
The storm wizard fixed her friend with a deadpan look. “Um, there’s still one more key we need. But,” she said before the other wizard could throw her wand to the ground in frustration, “it’s the last one before we can meet Grubb and ask him why there’s more undead roaming around than usual.”
The fire wizard huffed. “So before we can storm Grubb’s house and beat the shit out of him, we have to borrow,” she said, using air quotes, “the key from some pirate-looking skeleton.“
She cracked her knuckles. “Alright, this Norton guy better watch out because I’ve got a bone to pick with him. Get it?” she snorted, looking at her teammates, “because he’s a skeleton?” she said, cackling with laughter.
Her two teammates shared a look before turning around and leaving.
“Wait up guys!” she said, running after them. “It was just a joke!”
Everything was going fine, smooth even. The life wizard had to grudgingly admit that everyone played their part well, and the battles were over quickly due to the combined efforts of both his teammates. In a sense, it felt like he had won the lottery. He was used to dealing with incompetent teammates who generally had the IQ of a goldfish. But this party was actually decent—he didn’t have to break his back spam healing his ungrateful teammates.
Is this what succeeding feels like? I’ve never felt it before, he thought, a tendril of hope blooming in his chest.
The group peered at the third tower from behind a corner, shuddering at the large number of Scarecrows that impeded their path.
“Just as we planned, guys,” the storm wizard said, taking the lead. Her teammates followed after, making sure to quiet their footsteps.
The life wizard took the rear, flattening himself against the buildings as he inched along the sidewalk. After this, I’m going to get my pay and then become a hermit until I need more money, he vowed. Maybe I’ll even take up gardening.
Everything was going fine. The Scarecrows were distracted, the wizards were almost within reach of the tower, everything was going great. Well, until it wasn’t.
The life wizard was snapped out of his musing by a quiet “oh shit,” before a loud, indignant squawk rang out and they suddenly found themselves boxed in by four Scarecrows. The rest of the Scarecrows stood back, hiding themselves in the shadows, their pumpkin grins emitting a bright glow in the dim lighting.
“Alright! Which one of you did it?!” he screamed, hazardously dodging one of the Scarecrow’s swipes. Pain blossomed through his ribs as he got hit with an acid shot from a Blood Bat summon. He countered with a wand attack, driving the creature back momentarily. He heard a yelp of pain coming from his right and briefly glanced over, deciding to cast Sprite on the storm wizard.
“Thanks,” she gritted out as the sprite began to heal her. She summoned a swarm of Lightning Bats and had them descend upon a Scarecrow, zapping the thing to a crisp. The fire wizard joined in and managed to finish it off with a few flaming volleys from her summoned Fire Elf.
The Scarecrows chittered unhappily at the loss of their comrade and redoubled their efforts into attacking the storm wizard. Two of them casted Fire Cat and unleashed them towards the wizard. They ran in circles around her, flames creating an intense wheel of fire before lunging upon her.
“Watch out!” the fire wizard cried, casting a Fire Shield around her friend just in time to negate most of the damage when the cats barreled into her. Her friend took a stumbling step back, but righted herself quickly. The two shared a look and nodded.
“Lightning Bats!” the storm wizard yelled, summoning yet another swarm of bats that bit and clawed at a Scarecrow. At the same time, the fire wizard casted Fireblade and then Sunbird in quick succession, pointing her staff at the same Scarecrow her friend attacked. The bird appeared in a bright flash of light and dove at the creature, hurling scorching fire from its talons. The Scarecrow turned to ashes, its pumpkin head clattering to the floor.
Meanwhile, the life wizard tried his best to fend off one of the two remaining Scarecrows. After a particularly harsh swipe that left him breathless, he casted Nature’s Wrath in an attempt to create some distance, watching as the humanoid tree bent down to heft a small boulder before hurling it at the Scarecrow.
The Scarecrow’s body snapped back, but it quickly regained its balance and fixed the life wizard with an unamused look. Chittering unhappily, it waved its hand and summoned a Sunbird. The majestic bird unfurled its wings and let out a fierce battle cry before dive bombing towards the wizard. He scrambled away in an attempt to dodge what was the equivalent of a speeding truck, but all he managed to do was fall flat on his back as the thing descended upon him. Or, would have descended upon him, if not for the bright burst of snowflakes that popped out in front of where he originally stood.
“Hello friend!” a voice called out. An ice wizard peered down at him. “Wow, I haven’t seen you in like forever! How are you dooo—” was all they got out before the Sunbird slammed into them headfirst. The life wizard watched, mouth agape, as the ice wizard sailed through the air before smacking into a lamppost with a sharp clang, their body crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
What the fuck is happening? the life wizard thought, turning to look at the Scarecrow. It stared back at him, also with a what the fuck is happening face. Before it could act though, it was quickly Thanos zapped by the storm wizard’s Thunder Snake, and it disappeared in a pile of ashes.
“Are you okay?” she asked, running to his side, the fire wizard right on her heels. The last Scarecrow didn’t even stand a chance as the three wizards proceeded to bombard it with offensive spells.
As soon as the battle was over, the wizards threw themselves across the clearing, collapsing in front of the tower—and most importantly, away from the rest of the Scarecrows’ reach. However, the creatures only seemed to stare at them impassively before dispersing, the fight seemingly long forgotten.
The life wizard put his head in his hands. “Where did my life go wrong?” he moaned. “Am I just forever cursed with bad teammates?” He laughed hysterically, an insane look on his face as he began to walk in circles, hands gesturing wildly. “Maybe this is the gods’ way of telling me that I fucked up somewhere and now they’ve come to torture me before offing me in the worst way possible! They let me believe my team was competent for once before BAM!” he made a swinging punch, “I get bamboozled because people don’t understand how to stick to the fucking sidewalk!” he screamed.
He stopped in front of the unconscious wizard. “And you,” he hissed, kicking the wizard onto his back, “I don’t know what trick you used to teleport yourself to me, but I’d better get answers once you wake up.”
There was a moment of silence. “A friend, perhaps? Friends can teleport to one another,” the storm wizard hesitantly suggested.
The life wizard scoffed. “I’d remember if he was my friend, especially if they’re going around dressed like a blue fungus. Let’s go,” he said, walking to the tower door, “the faster we finish this, the faster we can move on with our lives.”
“Wait,” the fire wizard did a double take, “we’re just going to leave him there?”
He raised an eyebrow, “You think he’ll be safer in the tower? In the middle of a battle?” At the fire wizard’s sheepish look, he continued, “The undead won’t touch him where he’s laying on the sidewalk. Now c’mon,” he said, opening the door, “we’ve got a key to collect.”
They were on the last floor, sweat dripping down their brows. Their palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy, and mom’s spaghetti. That last part didn’t make any sense, but the life wizard was too exhausted to care. Entering the tower with two-thirds of their health was more draining than he had expected. The fourth floor had granted them some mana and health wisps, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the three of them to share.
He summoned a Unicorn to heal his teammates, buying them enough time to kill the last Specter, and now only Norton remained.
The skeleton directed its gaze on him and casted Locust Swarm, his bones rattling with excitement. A tomb head rose from the sand and opened its mouth to reveal a swarm of bugs. They whirled around the life wizard and bit at his exposed skin. He screamed in agony and dropped to the floor, his health excruciatingly low.
“Why you—!” the fire wizard snarled. She was out of pips and racked her brain for anything she could do. In a moment of brilliance, she casted Freeze on Norton, stunning him momentarily to buy time for the storm wizard. The treasure card vanished.
“Just a bit more pips… yes, I got it!” she grinned and waved her wand. “Storm Shark!” she casted, relieved that the battle would finally be over. Until the spell fizzled. Her face paled as the skeleton broke free of his stunned status and began charging up a spell, his sword pointed directly at the life wizard.
“Teleport away!” she screamed at the life wizard. “He’s going to kill you!” She watched helplessly as he fumbled for his teleportation device. She looked on in horror as a Scorpion scuttled to the life wizard, stinger raised high above its head as it prepared to deal the final blow.
“Call an ambulance, call an ambulance,” a voice called out behind them, “but not for me!” The Scorpion swung down its stinger and struck a Tower Shield at the last moment, the shield shattering on impact but reducing enough damage to keep the life wizard alive. Metal fragments rained down on the life wizard as all eyes in the room turned towards the door.
“You guys look like you’re having fun without me,” the figure said, striding into the room. The air immediately became frigid as he uttered two words. “Ice Wyvern.” Ice spikes suddenly erupted from the ground as a bright blue Wyvern reared up, glaring down imposingly at a slack-faced Norton. It let out a piercing scream before blue energy erupted from its mouth, atomizing the skeleton to bone dust. As the air settled, the realization that they had won slowly began to dawn on the wizards.
Before any of them could say something, the ice wizard let out a groan and stumbled his way to the life wizard. He crouched in front of the other wizard and said in a small voice, “Mr. Healer,” he sniffed for good measure, “I don’t feel so good—” was all he got out before he was spewing his guts onto the other wizard’s shoes.
The room was then thrown into chaos as the life wizard screamed bloody murder and started shaking the ice wizard by the collar like a ragdoll. The fire wizard was attempting to prevent the life wizard from committing a felony while the storm wizard ran around the room looking for towels, but she was largely unsuccessful.
All the while, Grubb sat on his throne and glanced at the clock for the fiftieth time, wondering when the wizards would arrive so he could make his grand appearance.
“Okay to be completely fair, you guys left me outside alone when I was sporting a concussion and was conked the fuck out. I’d say you deserved it since I saved your life twice now without receiving a single thanks in return,” the ice wizard huffed, head recently healed and bandaged. The life wizard had begrudgingly casted a Sprite on him as a temporary relief after thoroughly fussing about his vomit-covered shoes. “Did you know how terrifying it is to wake up to several Jack-o’-lantern heads just staring at you from two feet away?” he said with a shudder. “And I had to climb up four flights of stairs while seeing double the whole time!”
The group was now heading towards Grubb’s castle with a new addition to their team. The ice wizard zipped around the area on his broomstick, disappearing from the group’s vision for a few moments before reappearing again. A small bag dangled from his broomstick. “This area’s rich in reagents that you can sell for a high price at the Bazaar if you time it right,” he explained after the group gave him questioning looks. “Supply and demand! You gotta get that bag, y’know?”
“Sorry guys,” the life wizard called out, “but I need to borrow our newcomer here for a bit. You guys go on ahead and we’ll catch up with you in like five minutes,” he said, smiling in a way he hoped was reassuring.
The storm and fire wizard were both apprehensive, but they nodded regardless. “Okay, we’ll be careful,” the storm wizard said. She turned to leave, but stopped as if she remembered something. “I’m sorry about that fizzle by the way,” she gritted out. “I’ll try not to make the same mistake when we fight Grubb.” She left with the fire wizard in tow, both of them talking in low voices before their conversation faded out of earshot.
“I think that was the first time I ever saw a storm wizard apologize. And a novice fire wizard that had the brains to cast a Freeze spell while under immense pressure instead of blasting away with their fire spells? Practically unheard of,” the ice wizard said with an amused shake of his head.
“How did you teleport to me?” the life wizard asked, switching topics. He leveled the other wizard with a glare. “Last time I checked, we aren’t friends—”
“But we are!” exclaimed the ice wizard. He zipped in front of the other wizard and waved his arms. “We even shook on it when you were just an ug—totally adorable child,” he quickly corrected himself. “We met before you even entered the Academy, and boy was our first meeting something else!”
“There I was,” he began dramatically, “just a poor messenger tasked with delivering a letter, but then some kid just started bawling on me and getting snot all over my robes. Did I mention you were an ugly crier? Anyways, it was completely out of my pay grade, but I endured the snot and tears out of the generosity of my heart. Seriously, my name should’ve been listed in the dictionary under the word ‘generosity’.”
The life wizard deadpanned. “I don’t remember any of that.”
“You don’t? Lame,” he booed. “Well, I don’t blame your little kid brain for being overwhelmed by that letter.”
He looked the ice wizard up and down. “Weren’t you a little young to be delivering letters? You only look a few years older than me, so if you met me when I was a kid, that meant you were one too,” he pointed out suspiciously.
The ice wizard grinned. “And that’s where you’re wrong, kiddo,” he winked. “I’m actually a lot older than you think I am. You know what people do when they think they have nothing left to lose? They start attempting things that normally should have never crossed anyone’s mind. So uh yeah,” he fiddled nervously with his bag of rocks, “I kinda froze myself in a block of ice for a couple years, and my body just never grew? Surprise?” he awkwardly chuckled, throwing out jazz hands.
“Are you serious right now?”
He laughed upon seeing the life wizard’s blank face. “I know what you’re thinking.” He mimicked in a shrill valley girl accent, “Why would you do that to yourself? You could have died. Are you like, mentally insane?”
He dropped back to his normal voice and sighed. “There was a time when I was not in my live, laugh, love vibe. I wasn’t eating or sleeping properly, I had no motivation to do anything, and I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was literally dying from depression,” he confessed, digging around his bag to look at his ores, “so I figured what was the harm in experimenting on myself? On one hand, I might die, but on the other hand, I can sleep forever without having to worry about basic necessities. It was a win-win either way.”
“Although~ it’s practically unheard of for an ice wizard to die by freezing to death, and I could undo the spell anytime I wanted,” he said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
The life wizard blinked slowly. “Wow, that was extremely fucked up,” he blurted out after a few seconds of silence. “I’m going to keep walking and pretend I never heard that for my own sanity.” He then proceeded to speed walk away.
The ice wizard cackled and quickly caught up next to his friend. “Sorry for the depressing story, but hey, you did ask.” He gave the other wizard a hard clap on the back. “Your teammates from earlier seemed to really care about you, y’know. You should exchange friend crystals, they might come in handy someday.”
The life wizard scrunched up his nose in disgust. “I don’t need more friends, I’m fine on my own,” the life wizard said angrily. “All people do is just make mistakes and force me to clean up after their mess. We would have easily cleared the third tower if one of my teammates hadn’t gotten caught earlier. They dragged us into an unnecessary battle, and that almost caused me to die against Norton of all creatures.”
“True, but everyone makes mistakes. The storm girl apologized for fizzling and I’m sure the fire girl was racking her brain for anything to save you,” the other wizard pointed out. “Your unrealistic expectations and demand for flawlessness are going to drive people away from you. And sooner or later you’ll find yourself alone with no one to help you when you need it.”
“Listen to me kid,” he said in a measured tone, “the worlds out there aren’t tame like Wizard City. The monsters are more dangerous and they’re intelligent enough to lure wizards into a false sense of security before killing them. You’ll need allies you can trust if you want to progress further. Start forming friends now, and over time your teamwork will start to improve.”
The other wizard mulled things over, his face going through the five stages of grief before he groaned. “Fine. I’ll try my best to make friends. And if it doesn’t work, I’ll threaten them into submission.”
“Awesome! Wait what—”
“Just what is taking those damn wizards so long to get here?” Grubb grumbled impatiently. “Hey you!” he yelled at a Scarecrow. The Scarecrow jumped and quickly returned to sweeping the floor. “That’s right. These tiles need to be spotless by the time those wizards get here. We may be undead, but we still have some class goddammit!”
He heard a doorknob rattle and straightened his back upon his throne. He ushered the Scarecrows to get into position, and they frantically threw their brooms aside before taking a stance beside his throne. He stood up and spread his arms wide as he began to greet them for coming this far.
“—teleported to him because you thought he was in danger? Aww that’s so sweet. I wish I could have friends like that,” a voice echoed down the hallway.
“Haha thanks. I’m sure anyone would be lucky to be your friend. It’s not always common to see a pretty fire wizard with the intellect to match her appearance!”
He cleared his throat as the girl began squealing. “Wizards,” he bellowed. “I hear you have requested an audience with me, and I have appeared. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” His eyes zeroed in on the ice wizard as they apparently paid him no attention and continued to joke around with the fire wizard. Grubb scrutinized the scene playing out before him and did a double take.
“YOU!” he screamed and pointed a finger at the ice wizard. There was a moment of silence as the wizards looked around themselves in confusion before their eyes settled on the ice wizard. The wizard actually had the gall to look behind him before he turned around again and pointed a finger at himself. “Me?” he asked innocently.
“Yes you! I’ve gotten reports from my residents saying they saw a wizard go around trampling and digging around gravestones while giggling to themselves like a little girl. They described the wizard as someone who was dressed like a blue fungus!” Grubb said furiously.
The ice wizard smacked his lips and began, “I think you got the wrong person—” he was interrupted as the life wizard grabbed his bag and dumped the contents out. A large pile of ores and red mandrakes spilled out accusingly onto the floor. There was a tense moment of silence before the ice wizard spoke. “Your Honor, in my defense,” his staff buzzed with energy, “inflation makes us all do morally wrong things like dig up graveyards for reagents. You’d understand if you were still alive, right?”
“GET ‘EM BOYS!” Grubb commanded the Scarecrows as the ice wizard casted Balefrost, shrouding the castle in a bubble of frost. The two sides began casting magic in a frenzy.
“You’re all nothing but trouble! I swear to gods the universe has it out for me!” the life wizard cursed, casting Legend Shield around the storm wizard as a Fire Cat rammed into him.
“Hitters, save up your pips and target Grubb, don’t even worry about the Scarecrows!” shouted the ice wizard. The fire wizard bladed herself while the storm wizard casted Thermic Shield on the life wizard in return.
Grubb and his lackeys launched a volley of spells, but it was only a futile attempt to delay the inevitable. They gaped in horror as a Blizzard swirled around them violently, robbing them of their sight and hearing. Large chunks of ice smashed into them from above, and the Scarecrows all perished. Grubb groaned in pain before he was tossed in the air by a Storm Shark, its jaws closing around him with a mouthful of teeth before disappearing. While he was still airborne, a Fire Elf launched a volley of fire arrows into his torso, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.
“You’ll all pay for this!” he screamed bitterly. “I’ll be back to raise more undead, and one day I’ll take over the world!” he vowed, body withering away as he shouted profanities at them. The group watched as he was stripped of his flesh and reduced to a pile of bones.
“... Soo uh, I guess I’ll be taking my leave now,” the ice wizard said awkwardly after he finished gathering his reagents. He began reaching for his teleportation device, but his arm was grabbed before he was able to do so.
“Oh no you don’t,” said the life wizard. “You got yourself into this mess and you’re gonna stay to see the end of it. You’re the reason why we’ve got to explain to Headmaster Ambrose why there was so much undead activity.”
The other wizard stuck out his tongue and brought both his hands up in a sign of surrender. “Before you hand me over to the authorities, isn’t there something you’d like to say to your teammates?” he drawled.
The life wizard shot him a glare, but the other wizard only gave him a cheshire grin in return. He took a deep breath and turned to his teammates. “Guys, I know this team was put together at the last minute, and we didn’t really click in the beginning, but I’ve been doing some reflecting. I’m sorry for my bad attitude in the beginning and when we got caught by the Scarecrows. I’ll try my best to tone it down if you guys would like to continue working together. As proper friends this time.”
“Okay.” The life wizard looked up in surprise as the fire wizard scoffed and motioned to the storm wizard. “We were talking earlier about wanting to continue on as a permanent team. We’ll do our best to end the battle fast to minimize the need for you to heal excessively. I’m sorry for attracting the Scarecrow’s attention earlier, but I hope I redeemed myself with that Freeze spell afterwards.” She rummaged in her pouch and pulled out two crystals. “Sierra Reddreamer,” she saluted as the crystals flickered to life, “at your service.”
“Mariah Jadesong,” the storm wizard said. “My accuracy is not very high right now,” she admitted, “so there will be many times when my spells will fizzle. I hope you guys can cover me when that happens, and in return, I’ll do my best to get stronger so I can be a reliable damage dealer on the team. Please continue supporting me until then,” she gave a small bow.
The life wizard pulled out two green crystals and exchanged them with his new friends. He looked at the bright red and purple crystals in his palms before tucking them away. “My name is Ronan Dawnwhisper,” he said with a small smile, “and this is the first time in years I ever gave away or received friend crystals,” he laughed in amazement.
“Cherish them, it’s a moment you’ll remember fondly once you’re older,” the ice wizard cut in, casually lounging on his broomstick. “Make sure to take care of each other, alright? Make good choices and say no to drugs, unless you plan on selling them. You can call me Dune by the way, I’m sure we’ll meet again. Byeeeee!” he teleported away before Ronan could stop him. “Your sister would be so proud of you, Ronan,” a small whisper said, lost amongst the burst of snowflakes.
Ronan stared at the pile of snow. His eyebrow twitched. “That fucker never even gave me his friend crystal.”
The funny thing about saving the Spiral is that only the victors are remembered and revered while those who failed are casted aside and forgotten. People only see a hero for what they symbolize—a catalyst for revolution and peace, but they do not see the mountain of corpses underneath the hero’s feet. A hero cannot be born without sacrifices, and that is exactly what Merle Ambrose did. He desperately wanted to forge a hero, a diamond, out of mere stones, even if many of those stones did not survive the process and were instead reduced to dust.
I speculate it was insanity and foolhardiness that led him to try the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. And he would eventually succeed, many years later down the line when a party of wizards finally managed to defeat Malistaire. All of a sudden, it seemed as if everyone had forgotten how many children were sent to their deaths. But I still remember.
I was one of the many who failed, yet lived to tell the tale. My team was the next to be sent by Merle Ambrose to kill Malistaire. Our team included a veteran storm wizard, a high-ranking death and ice wizard, and a life wizard who was a semi-recent graduate of the Academy. She was a recent addition to our team, but she was the last puzzle piece that completed our dynamic.
Our leader was a fierce man who was very knowledgeable in battle tactics. He would often grill us on what to do before we entered a tough battle, but even he softened when she joined. The death wizard was a witty one with a sharp tongue. He would often tease me—like an older brother would to their younger sibling, but he often fumbled his words around her. She was cheerful and kind with a naivety one often had when they had not yet experienced the horrors of the Spiral. I was fond of her—I think we all were. There was just a strong urge to cherish and protect her. I think I loved her.
We had spent six months working together before we were summoned to Dragonspyre. The journey there was tense and the leader was uncharacteristically quiet. Did he know we were marching to our deaths? We had a team meeting before our confrontation with Malistaire. We were drilled over and over again to not harm Sylvia, Malistaire’s wife in ghost form. We were then given our roles: our leader would be the main hitter, the death wizard would support with Feints and Infections while I would focus on shielding and Taunts, and occasionally we would both hit. The life wizard was to keep everyone alive and healthy, but to prioritize herself above all else. Simply put, it was a battle of attrition. A battle we were slowly losing.
He was melting us faster than we could heal, and Sylvia was nowhere to be seen to aid us. The death wizard was forced to take on the role of a secondary healer with Sacrifice, hurting himself to give health to others. Our leader was doing his best to damage him, but the health disparity between him and us was frighteningly enormous. My Taunts were losing their effectiveness as the battle dragged on. Malistaire simply shook them off with a bored look and resumed his Meteor Strike assault. His casting speed greatly rivaled ours, and it took me everything I had to counter his Meteor Strikes with my Legion Shields. Even then, I couldn’t block all his attacks in time, and those attacks hit hard without damage reduction.
I glanced over to the life wizard to see how she was faring. She was panting with exhaustion as sweat dripped down her brow, but she continued to cast Unicorns, Satyrs, Guiding Lights, and Legend Shields with a ferocity, eyes unwavering with determination. She was the backbone of our team, so it was a fitting end when she was the first to fall.
We had been fighting for hours non-stop without a water break or time to rest. The stifling heat of Dragonspyre made it hard to breathe, and we were losing a dangerous amount of water without being able to replenish ourselves when she suddenly collapsed. Malistaire double downed on his barrage of Meteor Strikes, and I frantically casted Legion Shield to meet those blows.
Our leader immediately casted Storm Lord to stall for time. A god emerged from the mist with a trident, his hand brimming with electricity as he channeled his energy into Malistaire and stunned him. I used that opportunity to run over to the life wizard, attempting to shake her awake and get some water into her system. Four meteors abruptly fell from the sky, knocking me away from her and sending me rolling. But he shouldn’t have—I whipped around to see Malistaire break free of his stunned status, quicker than I ever thought was possible.
“How many more children must Ambrose send to their deaths? They get younger and younger every year,” he said in a bored tone, unleashing another round of Meteor Strike. I countered again, using up my last Legion Shield card.
Our health was quickly depleting without an active healer. The death wizard was on the verge of dying due to his multiple uses of Sacrifice. He gave me a shaky grin before he said, “She’ll come through and pull a clutch revive, I just know it.”
Those were his last words to me before he casted Sacrifice and transferred his remaining health to her and then some. He fell to the floor, dead. The life wizard started to stir and regain her senses. Malistaire continued to cast Meteor Strike with a bored face as if he had done this millions of times already. I locked eyes with my leader across the stone floor. He looked back at me with desperation, but he must’ve noticed my conflicting emotions because his look of desperation morphed into resignation—as if he already knew who I’d choose when it came down to this moment.
I casted Tower Shield on her and braced for the meteor, whispering out an apology before agony erupted across my body. I cried out in pain before gritting my teeth, pulling myself up by my staff. The smell of blood and burning flesh invaded my senses, causing me to choke on my own bile. My eyes stung with unshed tears, and I hurriedly rubbed them away.
The life wizard stood in front with her back to me, her legs shaking. I didn’t know whether it was from fear or exertion or both. She raised her staff with a trembling hand and began to cast a spell. This was it. My heart soared. This was our turning point. My friends’ sacrifices weren’t in vain after all.
The life sigil was just about to be completed until it fizzled in the air. Ashes fluttered to the ground and my stomach dropped.
“How foolish,” Malistaire tsked, raising his staff.
She turned around, tears rolling down her cheeks as she mouthed ‘I’m sorry.’ Her final moments were seared into my memory before a meteor smashed into her body.
I found myself on the floor, burning meteor fragments all around me. I coughed weakly, a wet gurgling sound at the back of my throat. Crawling my way out of the wreckage, I made my way to the life wizard and curled up next to her. Her body was scorched beyond repair as were the other two bodies nearby—their charred and blackened bodies the only indicator that they were once human. I pulled her closer to me in a gentle embrace, tucking her head under my chin as I waited for the final blow. My vision dimmed.
I was roused out of my unconscious state when I felt a warm glow envelop me. My eyes fluttered open in time to see a fairy heal me before disappearing with a giggle. The life wizard brought a shaky hand to my chest and pressed a small green crystal against it. She parted her cracked lips and whispered her final words. “It’s too late for me, but not for you. Take care of my little brother for me, will you?” I watched as the light faded from her eyes and her hand went limp.
It didn’t register to me that I was screaming until my voice gave out. Malistaire watched from a distance, face impassive as he casted yet another Meteor Strike. Clutching the crystal to my chest, I activated my teleportation device and fled, appearing outside my cottage before the meteor could hit me. I sat there numbly while my body slowly repaired itself in the safe zone. My heartbeat thudded loudly in my ears.
I closed my eyes and suddenly I was back in Dragonspyre. All the events came rushing back: my brother’s shaky smile as he sacrificed himself for the team, the leader’s look of resignation as he accepted his death, the life wizard’s tear-stricken face before the meteor crushed her body, their charred and blackened remains as the flames ravished them. Malistaire’s apathetic expression as he incinerated my team like it was an everyday occurrence for him.
I immediately retched to the side, the lingering stench of fire and burning flesh overwhelming my senses. My body shook. That man, that monster with 100,000 health could not be defeated. It was madness to try. Choked sobs tore their way out of my throat at the hopelessness of it all. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do. The future that I had looked forward to was now an impossible dream. What was the point of living when everyone I’ve ever loved was dead? What was the point of anything when Malistaire would inevitably destroy the Spiral?
I wearily glanced over to the edge of my floating island and wondered if I would be granted a quick death if I threw myself into the void. It would’ve been so easy to end it all, so easy to join the rest of my friends. It was sinfully tempting. The crystal felt heavy in the palm of my hand, and I instantly felt guilty and trapped at the same time. It was gray now instead of the previous bright green color because I never established a connection with the original owner.
I fell backwards onto the grass, looking up at the stars in the night sky. A cool breeze swept past me, and loneliness began to creep in. You can be very cruel sometimes, you know that? But I still love you either way.
It took me a week before I could muster up enough motivation to report back to Headmaster Ambrose. I dragged myself out of bed and over to the sink, flinching at my reflection in the mirror. The thing that caught my attention first were my eyes. They looked lifeless and dull, like murky water. I had dark bags under my eyes and my face felt wrong—like I was another person entirely. The person in the mirror was almost unrecognizable. It scared me. I cleaned up the best I could and practiced smiling in the mirror until my face looked friendly and cheerful. It felt fake. I grabbed a large pouch of gold coins and teleported to the Wizard City Commons. I approached Ambrose at his desk and informed him that my team had failed to kill Malistaire.
He sighed. “I thought that might have been the case when you didn’t return after a couple days. I’ve already dispatched the next team,” he said, waving a hand to dismiss me. “My sincere condolences to your friends.”
I eyed the four envelopes he had on his desk and noticed that my teammates’ names were written on them, including mine. I tore my gaze away and said hesitatingly, “If you’ll excuse me for my bluntness, sir. Malistaire is impossible to defeat as we are now. Sending in more teams would only lead to more unnecessary deaths.”
He fixed his one good eye on me. “Are you suggesting we let Malistaire destroy the Spiral without doing everything in our power to stop him? I understand that you are still grieving from the loss of your friends, but sacrifices must be made for the sake of the Spiral.”
“Why can’t you fight him instead?” I blurted out angrily. “You’ve defeated him once, and you can do it again!”
He shook his head slowly. “Boy, I am much too old to fight him again. I am not as young and as powerful as I once was,” he said with a weary tone, the voice of someone who has lived for far too long and saw too much. “My responsibilities are tied to Wizard City. Who will protect this city and its inhabitants when I am gone?”
“So you’re just going to keep sending kids to fight Malistaire who is basically the equivalent of a god while you sit here and act like you’re doing everyone a great service? You’re willing to entrust the sake of the Spiral to a bunch of children, but you’re not willing to go fight him yourself? Some savior you are. No,” I narrowed my eyes, “you’re just a child-killer disguised as a savior.”
I snatched my and the life wizard’s envelope and stormed out of his office. I ignored the shouts to come back and ran straight to Olde Town, dodging past wizards who grumbled at me. I began searching for the life wizard’s house using the address that was written on the envelope. In the meantime, I tore open my own envelope and read the contents, scoffing at the default condolence letter. Hell, I wasn’t even fucking dead yet and I doubted the orphanage the letter was sent to would care either.
I stopped in front of a relatively small house off to the side with hanging plant pots. There was a welcome mat in front of the door, but considering what news I was about to bring, I didn’t feel very welcomed. I knocked on the door and heard shuffling from inside before the door opened to reveal a child. He had some similarities to the life wizard, and my heart clenched at the resemblance. I offered a friendly smile. “Hey, are your parents inside? I’d like to talk to them about your sister. She was a member of my team for about half a year,” I said, showing him the life wizard’s envelope.
He appraised me with a guarded look before relaxing slightly. “Are you the ice wizard she was talking about? She would often tell me stories about her adventures, and you guys were mentioned a lot. No one’s home right now, but I can take your message to them.”
Reigning in my curiosity to ask what she said about us, I hastily declined his offer. “Oh no it’s okay,” I rubbed the back of my neck, “I’d rather wait until your parents are here so we can have a proper chat. I can come back another time,” I said, turning to leave.
“My sister’s dead, isn’t she?”
I froze in my tracks as my mind came to a halt. He took that opportunity to dart over and snatch the envelope from me, quickly tearing it open and skimming through its contents. This kid was going to be a handful.
“I knew it,” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “There’s only one reason why someone would ever deliver a fancy envelope to a house on the outskirts of Olde Town.” He crumpled the letter, his lips quivering. “She promised. She promised she’d come back as soon as she finished her mission,” his voice cracked, “but she never did.” He began to cry.
Alarm bells rang in my head and I inwardly began to panic. I crouched down so I was eye level with him and pulled him in for a hug. Kids liked hugs, right? At least that’s what I remembered when I was younger. I made gentle shushing noises. “Hey, you’re okay. I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay,” I said in what was hopefully a reassuring tone. Mentally, I was freaking the hell out.
The kid’s response was just to sob harder. He beated his tiny fists against my chest. “Why’d she have to die?” he choked out. “Why couldn’t she have declined the mission? She knew she wasn’t strong enough against Malistaire, but she went anyway. Why didn’t any of you guys stop her?” His tears and snot began to soak through my robes, and I silently patted his back. It was a small price to pay.
“I wish she was here instead,” he sniffed quietly. The ‘of you’ was omitted, but I got the message. I squeezed him tighter in response as a lump began to form in my throat. “Me too, kid. Me too,” I confessed sadly.
We stayed like this for a while. The sun began to set, bathing the sky in a myriad of purples and blues. Once he began to calm down, I continued. “Your sister’s last words to me were about you, you know? She thought of you even as she was dying. She must’ve really cared for you.” I leaned back and gently grasped the kid’s hands. “Kid, I can’t promise to be someone I’m not. I can’t be an emotional replacement for your sister, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want that either.”
I took a deep breath. “However, if you ever find yourself in a tough spot and need someone to come help, I’ll be there for you. It doesn’t matter where in the Spiral you are, I’ll teleport to you in a flash. I won’t let you die as long as you need me, I can promise you that much.”
He sniffed and raised his head, eyes red-rimmed and puffy. “Pinky promise? My sister didn’t do that before she left.”
“Yeah,” I held out my pinky and we shook on it. “Pinky promise.”
The gray crystal flared to life as it ignited a bright green color.