Unwilling Arbiter

The flickering flames danced around Kael, their roar smothering the battle cries. Kael’s gaze dropped from the wizard at the far end of the hall as the swirling fire licked his armor. The moment they collided with him, a cold sensation flared, blunting the heat of the wild flame.

Kael straightened and brushed off the embers that drifted onto the plates along his thighs. They slid across each other, expelling the danger of the blaze. As he marched through the magical barrier, the sigils embedded into his pauldrons flashed, competing with the flames. Once beyond the wall of fire, Kael rolled his neck as he raised his blade.

“You’re supposed to defend me!” The wizard turned, plucking a trinket from the nearby shelf. “I crafted your arms to protect me from my enemies.”

Kael twirled his sword to his side before bringing it to a ready position over his head, his feet widening. “You should remember what you created. You designed this to deal with what you considered wicked.”

“You were built to be a bulwark against my rivals!” The wizard flung his trinket at Kael.

He sliced his weapon through the object, and the stored magic sputtered, dispersing without harm. “The armor is still directing me to fulfill the obligation of eliminating evil.”

“Then why are you attacking me?”

Kael rested his blade on his pauldron as he marched forward. “The magic woven into this armor compels me to confront anyone who threatens peace by trying to improve the world for themselves.”

“Then why are you here?” The wizard asked as he thrust a finger at Kael, releasing a bolt of power.

It crackled as it raced at the armor-clad avatar. It slammed into the gleaming breastplate and collapsed into nothing. Kael glanced down at the unblemished metal. He brushed it with his gauntlet, shaking his head. “I figured you would exhibit better judgment than to try. After all, this was your creation.”

“I made you!”

“I agree that you created the plate and the blade.” Kael grabbed the wizard’s neck as he lifted him off the ground. “As you tried to grow your influence, the armor flared to life, forcing me to march against the ambition you once condemned in others.”

The wizard’s eyes widened as he clawed at Kael’s gauntlet. “You were never supposed to target me or my allies.”

“That’s not how you created this.” Kael leaned in and squeezed. “Perhaps you should destroy your creation.”

The wizard nodded.

Kael’s masked face looked to the struggling wizard in his grasp. “In order to do that, do you agree to abandon your ambition of expanding your power?”

The wizard tapped Kael’s gauntlet as his head fell.

Kael released his grip, dropping the wizard to the ground. “Keep in mind what you’ve created. If you try to attack me, I won’t be able to restrain the armor’s reaction this time.”

The wizard rubbed his neck as he reached out and touched the armor.

As Kael studied the wizard’s workbench, his arm flew out and lifted the wizard up by his head. With a groan, he regarded the dangling wizard. He sighed and drove his sword into the floor. “I told you not to try anything.”

“Let go of me!”

“You intended something other than undoing the compulsion.” Kael stalked over to the bench, depositing the man on it. He patted the wizard’s cheek as he leaned forward. “Don’t forget how the armor reacts to any perceived confrontation it senses. Though once you destroy that enchantment, that behavior will be meaningless.”

The wizard nodded his head. “I’ll need access to the back of your helmet.”

Kael sighed as he removed the helm and handed it to the wizard. “While you might have anchored absolute obedience, I don’t have to wear it to act on its commands.”

With a nod, the wizard turned, retrieving a stylus from a nearby shelf. “The compulsion is a cornerstone of every rune I embedded into this armor.”

Kael nodded, but his hand snatched the implement. He cocked his head as he stared at it resting between his fingers. “It seems you were lying to me.”

“I cannot let this construct roam free without being bound.”

Kael ground his teeth as he shoved his face into the wizard’s. “It would seem the other enchantments recognize the lie of that previous claim. You’ll only destroy the compulsion. You must release me to act in accordance with my own will.”

The wizard released a breath as his head fell. “You’ve proven the armor can never be free. It wields too much power.”

“You do realize it drove me here to deal with your ambitions.” He returned the wizard’s tool to him and slammed his fist onto the workbench. “If you don’t remove this binding, then I’ll be forced to extinguish the danger it identified. And considering you created the weapon and armor, you know that’s not an idle threat.”

The wizard twirled the stylus around his finger. “I’m uncertain about destroying the enchantment that drives the compulsion.”

“It’s the only chance you have of escaping the fate you condemned your rivals to.”

“Sounds right,” the wizard said as he grabbed the implement like a dagger before slamming it down on one of the helmet’s runes. However, Kael’s arm shot out, grabbing the wizard’s hand. With a quick jerk, he snapped the man’s wrist, then drove a fist into his chest, hurling him into the nearby wall.

As he slid down, Kael slipped his helmet back on before he positioned himself in front of the wizard. His head tilted to one side as he sighed. “I warned you about doing that.”

“I… couldn’t release… you from…”

“And I couldn’t prevent the armor’s actions.” Kael rose, turning around to march through the flickering flames as he headed for the study’s door. The sigils along his armor flared as the fire tried to consume him before their glow dimmed. “I’ll find one of your surviving rivals to break your compulsion.”