Cover of The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)

Mistborn, #3

The Hero of Ages

by Brandon Sanderson


Genre
Fantasy
Year
2008
Pages
760
Contents

Chapter 3

Overview

Elend launches a surprise attack on the koloss but risks collapse when they frenzy. Vin arrives, turning the tide and drawing out a Steel Inquisitor protected against his dorsal weakness. After a brutal fight and the Inquisitor’s death, Elend uses overwhelming emotional Allomancy to subdue the entire koloss army, securing victory and proving his growing power.

Summary

Elend Venture leads an undertrained force in a surprise assault on a koloss camp, using pewter for strength and brass to bolster his soldiers’ courage. They cut down many koloss before the creatures frenzy, at which point the human line begins to buckle. Elend intentionally draws some koloss away toward the village to split their focus.

At the crisis point, Vin descends in a storm of horseshoes, carving through koloss and using duralumin-enhanced Pushes to scatter them. She demonstrates dominance by felling a massive koloss, then begins seizing individuals with emotional Allomancy, assembling a small force fighting on her side. Elend mirrors her tactic, shifting from combat to capturing koloss minds.

A Steel Inquisitor reveals himself, bearing eye-spikes and a sleek metal plate shielding the dorsal spike—removing the usual quick-kill weakness. Vin engages, is wounded, and momentarily loses ground. Elend arrives as a Mistborn, wounds the Inquisitor with coins, and momentarily overpowers him with an unexpectedly strong Push.

The Inquisitor displays unnatural, non-pewter speed and moves to kill Elend with a metal spike. Vin, too far to intercept, Soothes a nearby koloss into striking first; the koloss crushes the Inquisitor’s head, killing him despite the back plate. The shock ripples through the horde.

Seizing the moment, Elend burns duralumin with brass and unleashes a sweeping Soothing that halts thousands of koloss. With their weapons lowered and control seized, Elend secures victory, validating his risky plan and revealing the extent of his Allomantic strength.

Who Appears

  • Elend Venture
    Leads a surprise attack, fights as a Mistborn, displays overwhelming Soothing to seize thousands of koloss and win.
  • Vin
    Arrives mid-battle, devastates koloss, duels an Inquisitor with a protected dorsal spike, and engineers his death.
  • Fatren
    Local leader fighting alongside Elend; panics as the line buckles but survives the battle.
  • Steel Inquisitor
    Unknown Inquisitor with a back-plate over the dorsal spike and bursts of unnatural speed; killed by a koloss blow.
© 2026 StoriLuna