Page 24 of Blackwood Milk Farm #7

Fallen Honor

Time slowed as the ranger and mage stared at each other. A breeze blew through the clearing. A shaft of sunlight remained the ruby laying on a weathered stone, refracted crimson light striking the surrounding trees with shards of brilliance.

Asher swung the quiver over his shoulders as he held Frost-Fire in his hands. The bow gleamed with enchanted energy.

Sontar’s hard gaze was on the ranger. “Is this the moment where we truly test our strengths, proving our love and devotion to Lady Moonwhisper?”

“I have nothing to prove. Our souls are one and you have already lost,” Asher said with sharp eyes.

“You had some clever tricks back there, but you seem to be running out of potions,” Sontar glanced at Asher’s alchemist strap.

Asher didn’t need to look down to know what he meant. He used four out of eight potions from the strap, but it in no way hindered the ranger. He still had more than enough items to end this contest.

“Let’s end this,” Sontar said and then whispered several arcane words.

A wind whipped through the clearing. It struck the ruby and sent it flying up to Sontar’s out-stretched hand.

In one smooth move, Asher grabbed an arrow and nocked it to the enchanted bow. He pulled back the arrow and aimed just as the ruby flew into Sontar’s waiting hand. With a relaxed exhale, he let loose an arrow as he whispered the word “Frost.”

The arrow turned a frosty white as it flew towards the turning mage.

Sontar took comfort in knowing the ranger would not shoot him in the back. Whatever enchantment the bow had could easily be undone by his spells.

The elf turned to bolt away when the frost arrow shot past his head, missing his pointed ear by a few inches. He ignored it as his legs moved with mystical power. Time slowed further as the mage moved forward in a blur, just as the frost arrow struck a thick branch to the side of him.

The moment the arrow struck the branch, magical ice splashed away from the branch and into the path of the mage. Spreading ice caught the mage’s side and grew over him.

Sontar stopped short as ice grew along him. With his powered muscles, he grunted against it, cracks forming along the ice.

Asher had already nocked another arrow and let it loose. It crossed the distance in a blink and it struck the same branch again, more ice spreading out onto the half-trapped mage.

Sontar whispered angry, arcane words when he was stopped short, ice growing along the side of his head and mouth. The spell fizzled as he struggled against the ice growing over him.

Asher darted forward. He saw the hand with the ruby clutched within. He put the bow over his shoulder as he pulled out his enchanted dagger.

With a hard strike with the side of the dagger on the wrist, fingers opened and the ruby fell. Asher scooped it up and darted into the forest.

Fury filled Sontar’s eyes as his body surged with power. Cracks formed along his ice encased body and shattered it into pieces.

Sontar called upon the Air Sphere as arcane words dripped from his lips. He pointed a hand in the direction of the fleeing ranger and shouted the trigger word.

The power of the hurricane blasted out from his hand in a cone shape. Trees were blasted from their roots. Trunks shattered into splinters. Thick broken branches were launched in one direction.

Asher was running when a wave of wind struck his back. He was sent flying as a shard of wood struck his shoulder and sank deep into flesh. Blood spurted from the wound as a piece of tree trunk struck Asher in the back of the head.

Asher struck the ground hard as pain curled along his senses.

Memories of his wounded body running from powerful monsters filled his addled mind. The ranger was up and was stumble-running with the ruby still clutched in his hand. Numbness filled his shoulder as he continued to run, daring not to look back.

Sontar watched as the forest before him was flattened for six-hundred-feet. With the forest blown over or ripped apart, he saw Asher running. Sontar’s body not only had increased with speed and strength, but his senses were beyond normal. He saw the wood shard impaled in the ranger’s back. Blood dripped from not only Asher’s back, but the back of his head as well.

“Still alive. Good. I want to see your face as I take the ruby from your hand,” the mage hissed before he darted after him.

The world turned fuzzy in Asher’s eyes. He stumbled along as he felt blood dripping down his neck. He roughly grabbed a healing potion as he slowed down. A tension began to build as he could sense Sontar approaching. With the cork pulled, he guzzled down the red healing potion.

Pain ebbed and then fully abated. The wood shard in his back was pushed out and it fell to the ground. The bleeding stopped from his head. The ranger felt better as he returned to his hard pace.

A hand grabbed his arm and squeezed hard. Asher grunted as Sontar grinned. His hold was like an iron vice on the arm holding the ruby.

“Let go before I break your arm!” Sontar shouted.

Asher’s other hand grabbed a potion with an orange liquid within. He swung his arm around and smashed the bottle on the side of Sontar’s hardened head. The liquid touched air and flashed into the thick cloud. Despite being unable to see, the mage didn’t let go.

“Ha! I still have you,” and he squeezed more.

Pain blinded the ranger as he grabbed his enchanted dagger. Moving with purpose through the pain, he pulled the dagger and drove the point into the mage’s leg.

Sontar grunted as the enchanted dagger sliced through hard skin, thick muscle, and through hard bone. It was enough for the mage to let go and Asher slipped away, pulling the dagger from the thigh he just stabbed.

Sontar stumbled, barely able to stand up. He saw that Asher had vanished in the thick, cloudy mist. He called upon the Air Sphere and whipped his hand around to blow away the mist as his leg quickly healed on its own. His magic caused the cloud to curl, but not dissipate to it.

“Clever,” Sontar muttered as he crossed his arms.

Leg healed, the mage charged into the thick cloud, his body smashing through branches and small trees like a battering ram.

Asher stumbled through the thick cloud. Using it to disguise the use of his dagger helped, but now he was lost in a thick fog of his creation, but he continued to run. His shoulder slammed into hard tree trunks. The crashing of low branches filled his senses from behind. Trees appeared before him a split second before he moved out of their way as he ran deeper into the forest.

When the mist lessened, Asher saw familiar trees. He whispered his thanks as they guided him the way home.

Legs pumped with power as he pushed on. In the distance he could barely see the chimney of his home.

This contest is nearly over.

Asher clutched the ruby in his hand. Legs cramped as he continued to run. He let out an exhale of relief, when a lightning bolt shattered a small nearby tree, shards of wood blasting against him and leaving small bloody cuts in their wake.

Time slowed down again as Asher’s hand moved to his alchemist strap. He had two potions left, a healing potion and a giant’s form potion. He only had time to use one.

The cuts were not deep enough to use a healing potion, but I can sense the next bolt of lightning will strike my back. If I consume the healing potion while it strikes, it will negate his attack. But his next attack after that will surely end me.

“This contest is over, Blackwood!” Sontar shouted as he aimed at Asher’s back.

The ranger grabbed a potion bottle, popped the cork off with his thumb and drank.

From a distance, Sontar aimed at Asher’s back. Arcane words touched the air as energy coiled and boiled before his out-stretched hand. Sontar’s eyes held a manic gleam as his reason fell away like leaves on the wind.

The man that had stolen his true beloved, continued to run. Sontar already thought of a lie to tell his beloved as he whispered a trigger word.

Lightning blasted out in a thick stream of energy. It surged past trees and branches. When it was close to striking Asher’s back, he grew bigger.

Sontar watched as his lightning struck the man firmly on the back. His excitement died as the man stumbled when he should have fallen dead. Instead, the man grew bigger and bigger.

Asher kept up a fast pace as his body grew bigger. He crashed through branches as each foot fall thundered. Everything about him grew bigger, as did his clothing. The magical potion sank deep into his form as he reached eight feet, and then ten feet tall.

When Asher reached twelve-feet-tall, he lumbered through the brush and toward his home.

Sontar ran as he aimed and unleashed lightning bolt after lightning bolt. They struck Asher’s back hard as he stumbled forward but kept running.

Asher’s eyes widened as each blast to his back hurt. Energy arced along his limbs as he pushed on. The relentless power struck his back harder, brighter. Asher cried out, a faint memory filling his mind of Brynda’s giant from taking lightning bolts. Giants were resistant to all kinds of magic, and Asher knew this was his last card to play.

On the road before the Blackwood Estate, women watched with wide eyes. They saw trees knocked aside as energy flashed. It was like a storm within the forest.

Elara’s heart beat with worry, holding onto hope her beloved was approaching.

The family watched with bated breath as the storm continued.

From the edge of the forest, Asher’s giant form broke free. He roared as a lightning blast struck his back again.

Everyone on the road scattered to the sides. They watched helplessly as Asher’s giant form thundered, his back burning and smoking.

The pain blinded the giant lord once again. The world grew fuzzy as he saw his fence. He let out a groan as he blacked out.

Everyone watched as Asher’s shins shattered the two-beam fence by the front gate and he crashed onto the ground with the thunderous boom!

The small crowd ran to his downed form. Elara fell to her knees by his large head, her eyes wild with fear.

Asher’s eyes barely opened. He gave her a small, loving smile as he curled his arm around her, turned his hand and opened it. A ruby gleamed on his large palm.

Sontar stalked out of the half-destroyed forest. His eyes blazed with power as a snarl exposed some of his teeth. He lifted a hand as energy formed a ball before it.

A blond dwarf appeared between Sontar and the downed giant of Asher, her arms out to her sides.

“The contest is over. Asher is the winner,” Bolla said without fear in her eyes.

“Move dwarf. I need to put him down,” the mage snarled.

“No,” Bolla said sternly.

The wind picked up. Sontar’s eyes still glowed with powerful mana as he floated into the air.

Brynda moved behind Bolla, the giant standing tall with protective power.

Sontar sneered.

“The man cheated. He tried to kill me but I was stronger. He failed at his attempt and I will not fail mine. If I must kill everyone here but Elara, I will, unless you move out of the way,” the powerful mage said with a growling snarl.

“No, you will not,” came a voice from a farmhouse porch.

Sontar glanced at the voice. When he saw a face he knew like the veins along the back of his hand, his glowing eyes widened. He lowered his hand and the ball of energy vanished. His form slowly lowered as he lowered his head.

Lyn stepped off the wood porch, wearing a black dress with gold runes. Her wavy black hair was out and down. She looked regal as she stepped onto the ground and walked toward everyone gathered.

Sontar’s boots touched the ground. He knelt to one knee and bowed his head deeply.

Lyn looked over to Asher. She saw the faun administering a healing potion to the giant Asher as Elara rested her arms, chest, and head on his head, neck, and shoulder, in loving care.

The regal elf in black walked through the broken portion of the fence and approached the kneeling elf on the dirt road.

“Forgive me, Empress,” Sontar said with a weak voice.

Eyes widened across the area. Everyone but Asher and Elara were standing. They stared at Lyn and Sontar, their hearts beating hard in their chests.

“Thee Empress?” Bolla said in disbelief.

Nyn also knelt to one knee and bowed her head.

Lyn had her fingers curled into each other at her stomach with her elbows out. She turned slightly to the group by Asher.

“How is he?” the Empress asked.

“He’s healing, your grace,” Amber said with a bowed head.

Lyn gave a light nod and turned her annoyed gaze on Sontar.

“There was an agreement to your wager. Why have you broken it?”

“Please, forgive me,” Sontar said with tears in his eyes. “I have fallen for Elara Moonwhisper. My heart is sick for her.”

Lyn kept her stoney gaze on him.

“You are a fool. A leader in the magical arts, acting in such a disgraceful manner is unthinkable. You disgrace yourself and the academy. Students look up to you and you have clearly failed them,” the elf admonished him.

“Please, forgive me,” Sontar said again.

Asher began to shrink down to his normal size and was turned onto his back. When he opened his eyes, his head was on Elara’s lap as she held him close. The mature elf looked down on him with love in her eyes.

“You took a lightning bolt to the back for me,” she said with tears in her eyes.

“I took many,” Asher chuckled and twitched in pain as the healing potion had not finished its work yet. “And if I remember correctly, you took a lightning bolt to the back to save our little family,” Asher coughed.

“I remember,” the elf said as she snuggled her face to his.

Their lips met in magical bliss. Tongues slipped into mouths and played. Asher dropped the ruby and lifted his hand to her cheek, enjoying the touch of her beauty.

Bolla stepped next to Lyn and looked down on Sontar.

“What will you do with him?” the dwarf mayor asked.

“I haven’t decided,” Lyn said with regal flair.

“I swear on my honor, I will give up this obsession. It has poisoned me and I will rid myself of it. Chasing a woman who doesn’t love me is folly. I have learned my lesson, I promise,” Sontar sobbed.

“You swear to an honor you yourself betrayed? You were going to take this man’s life over jealousy?”

Sontar squeezed his eyes shut as his soul cracked in half.

“I will step down as magus of the academy. I will retire and never let my weakness infect the mages under my care. I will work tirelessly to improve myself and the empire. I can be valuable to you once again,” the elf begged.

“It will be a start,” Lyn said as her perfect eyebrows made a hard V. “We will not speak of this moment again. And if you think of telling anyone else of what transpired here, you will be executed. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Sontar nodded.

“When I return to the empire, I will inquire about your stepping down. If it has not come to pass, the royal guards will pay you a visit. Now begone from my sight.”

“Yes…Empress,” Sontar sobbed.

The mage never lifted his head as he spoke a few arcane words. An instant later, he was gone.

“How do you know he will be true to his word? He may move against you, knowing you are here?” Mayor Bolla asked.

Lyn let out a small, dainty laugh.

“The empire is not a simple kingdom. Even the Magus of the prestige Mage Academy doesn’t have the power or influence to reach the emperor’s ear.

“Besides, I have a few lords and ladies who ensure my safety. If he would dare such an attempt, he would be a traitor to the crown and would be executed. He knows he doesn’t have the power to change anything within the empire, so we will do as he said. If he wants to keep his head,” The last part coming out dark from the empress.

Bolla nodded.

Lyn and Bolla turned to see Asher up with Elara at his side. They approached the pair with happy smiles and bright eyes.

“Thank you, Vana,” Asher said with a bow of his head.

The word struck Lyn’s heart. Her gaze looked away as a wet gleam grew. She blinked it away before she looked at the couple, especially Asher.

“You’re welcome, Lord Blackwood. I’m sure there is much to be discussed, but let us enjoy your victory on this bright day,” Lyn said with a small smile and warm eyes.

Asher smiled at the regal elf before turning his attention to the love of his life. Elara looked at him with warm, dreamy eyes.

“We never had the chance to tell Sontar we bonded before the gods this morning,” Asher laughed.

“It would have made him furious,” Elara laughed.

A small memory filled their minds, Mayor Bolla speaking to the gods as she stood before man and elf. Asher and Elara held hands as they looked at each other, their family with them.

After the small ceremony before dawn, the couple promised all present, aside the mayor, would be bonded before the gods. Heads nodded as tears filled their eyes.

Bodies stepped closer as Lyn and Bolla stepped back. The whole family hugged the couple in the throes of joy. Brynda was on her knees, almost hugging everyone as Blyss hugged Asher’s leg. The rest hugged deeply, their hearts beating as one.

Asher and Elara kissed each other again, their hearts truly of one soul.