The sound of footsteps filled the air, and Roger sprinted away. The snowy fields flowed past him, and he ascended a large hill.
Reaching the top, he turned and looked at the approaching army that had been sent toward Riverfront. Can’t fight the elites in that. Turning, he looked at Ivan.
Ivan’s eyes moved quickly. He frowned and nodded to Roger.
Roger turned and sprinted, burning stamina and becoming a blur with a miniature storm billowing behind him.
Racing up and down hills, he cruised past towns and villages. The sun arced high above, and he listened to the sounds from the nearby village. Oh, gods. “Ivan, wait,” he shouted and slowed, skidding across the snow.
He turned back to the village, listening to a girl sing. What the condemnation is Riley doing out here?
~~~
Riley danced across the tavern’s floor, her dress flaring widely. She grinned innocently at the crowded people who were raising glasses and toasting.
“Oh, they say that there is no one
who can stop the king.
Our troops are trained and remain
the best at everything!
The heroes of the ages.
They will win the fight!
That is why we sing and dance,
and sleep so well each night!
Oh, they’ve never lost a battle,
not a single one,
unless you count the tragedies
that recently begun.
The battles in the northern land,
they have gone quite well,
ignoring any forts we’ve lost.
That’s just some tall tale.
And as for dear old Riverfront,
that’s simply one great bore.
You needn’t fear the bridge they built
or the knocking at your door.”
Summoning her lute, Riley’s fingers raced along it, plucking away the strings. The cheer in the tavern was gone. Anger was showing on faces. A man stood.
Riley danced by.
“After all, they say the truth is
that they don’t wish you harm.
So if sometime you need to flee,
they’ll extend an arm.
Make a simple oath to her
if you wish to live.
For the Void Mage doesn’t wish you dead,
and she will forgive.”
“Rotten bard,” a man shouted, grabbing for her.
Riley spun away, and the door slammed open.
“Assassin!” a woman screamed.
Roger stood there. He glowered at Riley. “You!”
Riley jerked to a halt. How’d Dad find me? She willed her lute away.
Roger walked inside and grabbed Riley. “You’re wanted for treason!” he bellowed and hauled her out the door. Nicole slipped out behind them.
Riley flailed half-heartedly. “Let me go, assassin!”
“Not a chance.” Roger strode down the street and set her down. He shook his head and jogged for the wall.
Riley followed. “Hi, Dad.” She chuckled and used Shadow Stride to appear outside the wall.
Roger and Nicole landed outside moments later. He spun towards her. “Can’t you talk her out of these wild ideas?”
Nicole shook her head, laughing. “No. That was hilarious. You should have seen the guy that spit up his ale.”
Roger groaned. “You two are trouble.”
“We were spreading rumors,” Riley said, jogging alongside. “And we already drove off their forces for the day. They’re waiting for reinforcements.”
“Those will arrive in a day or two,” Ivan said, studying the two.
Riley swapped back to her blue-haired appearance and winked at him.
“How’d you know it was her?” Ivan asked.
Roger sighed. “Easily. No one else is known to cause havoc with their songs.” He jogged forward. “This is not the first time.”
Riley burst into laughter and ran after him. “I got a free meal from that!”
“I’m aware.”
Riley turned. “It was a good steak.”
Nicole laughed.
“How is progress?” Ivan asked.
“They’ve built the bridge, but we can’t secure it.” Riley frowned.
Nicole nodded. “They may be moving upstream. If they flood it out, it’s easy to destroy.”
Riley frowned and failed to think of a way to solve the flooding problem. We need to strike inward. Ideally, we take the entire river. She ran down the snow-covered road. Singing was more fun.
“We have to expand then,” Ivan said, frowning. “That means we need more people.”
Riley nodded and watched kill notifications appear. The experience was minimal, but the list continued steadily growing. Someone has to be fighting somewhere. Intermittent oaths began joining the mess.
Forcing it all aside, Riley ignored it. Hopefully, that means the north-west conquest is going well. We’ll need them. Running back down the road, she saw the distant fort. Beyond it was a river that looked shallow. Gods, condemn it.
Her jog became a sprint, and she ran toward the fort, throwing the snow behind her.
Racing across the last stretch, she skidded up to the gate. “Are they building a dam?” she asked the soldier inside.
The soldier unlocked it. “Probably. That’s the fallback. It works.” She let them inside and shrugged. “You may want to retreat.”
Riley sighed and walked back into the fort. She looked around at the crowded place and strode toward the barracks, weaving through the crowds.
Roger bumped into her. “How’d you get this fort?”
Riley laughed and walked into the barracks. “Ask Travis.” She wove through the crowds and knocked on the shut door. It cracked open and swung open fully, revealing a crowd of captains, commanders, and knights huddled around the map.
Stepping out of the way, Riley let Ivan go inside. She peered in. Do they need me in there?
“Riley, come in,” Travis called, looking at her.
Riley walked in and raised a brow.
“We’re thinking of marching down the line. If we can take another, we can limit the flood’s damage. How’s the mana?” Travis asked.
“Not an issue,” Riley replied. She glanced to the corner of her eye and saw a stream of notifications roll by. What is it now? Ignoring them, she looked at the group.
Travis stood. “Gather the soldiers.” He gestured, and the group streamed out. Turning, he looked at Riley. “Stay close and be safe.” He walked to the door.
Riley followed him, striding out of the barracks. She listened to people bark orders and walked over to the other mages.
Summer was giving them rapid orders. She paused. “Riley, slot in your storm.”
Riley nodded and turned inward. She slotted in the skill and opened her eyes to see the gathered group, each receiving assigned groups and positions. They really don’t treat me the same. If I wander off, would they yell at me? She contemplated doing it, and soldiers began filing through the gate. Following the group of mages, she walked out of the fort and counted. How many soldiers do we have? Two hundred? She studied the group, quickly locking on the higher levels.
The group slowly sped up. Some mages began jogging. Riley continued walking. I guess my speed has gotten a nice boost. She studied the surrounding fields.
The group slowly progressed across the snow-covered grounds, following the winding river toward the coast. Riley watched the fields and grew increasingly bored. She looked over at the two next to her. Reaching over, she bumped a message on her father’s back. “How do you stand going this slow?”
Roger chuckled. “You’ll get used to it.” He turned and scanned the area.
Riley walked through the broken snow and looked over at the forest. The trees pushed closer and closer to the water. The nearby river moved slowly, chunks of ice drifting down it.
Like the ice, the group slowly made its way across the fields. A distant fort appeared, and the first arrows arced across the sky.
Riley looked up. Just trust them. The group continued forward. Ice and stone smashed into incoming arrows. A few soldiers raised shields, and arrows thudded into them.
An arrow arced high, and Riley felt a current of energy flowing with it. Like ice forming on the river, magic gathered around the arrow. What skill is this? Her class thrummed, and the arrow split, becoming a hundred. The arrows fell, and Riley let her skill trigger. Purple and blue crackled through the conjured arrows, snuffing them out of existence.
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In the distance, the arrows appeared and rained down on the fort. The lone real arrow descended and was batted aside by a shield. Balls of fire flew and slammed into conjured water. Clouds swirled and churned.
“Riley?” Summer called out.
“Got it,” Riley called, reaching out and grabbing the spells. She tossed them back at the enemy fort and leapt, moving closer. “Let me get the next fireball.”
Searching the sky, it took only seconds for the next fireball to appear. Riley reached out and grabbed it, sending it soaring back toward the enemy while trying something else. Rather than flooding the link with psychic energy, she tried willing words. “Surrender now if you wish to live.”
She let the message reverberate through the connection and felt the fear of the mage on the other side. The man tried to break the link, and Riley held it.
“Last chance,” Riley thought toward them.
“Wait! Gods, please!” the man thought back. The connection snapped, and Riley sighed.
Riley turned. “I’m in range.”
“Go ahead,” Summer replied and turned. “Prepare to charge!”
Turning her focus to the distant fort, Riley triggered Psionic Storm and brought it coalesce. Purple and blue colors danced through the fort, and people screamed, racing for the exits. A barrage of fire and lightning flew, slamming into the exits and creating a death trap.
The melee broke off and charged, surging across the field in fury. A bank of earth erupted in front of the rangers and mages. Riley darted up to it and saw her father and friend nock arrows.
Roger aimed, frowned, and spun. His bow twanged, and his arrow flew into the trees. Nicole spun and did the same.
“Backwall!” Ivan shouted.
Earth surged around them, and the sound of bows filled the air. Arrows zipped out of the forest, sinking into the rising earth.
Diving under an arrow, Riley looked up and saw three balls of flame. They glowed, pulsing softly. Condemnation. Reaching for them, the balls ignited, blasting outward. The heat hit, and her class reacted.
Purple and blue flooded the area, and a wave of fire erupted in the forest. Looking at the burning soldiers, Riley burned her inspiration, sending half to each of her auras. The nearby rangers poured healing through the area.
The sound of feet filled the area, and panic flooded through Riley. She looked up to see a wave of soldiers charging from the trees. Gods. How’d we miss that?
Riley ran to the hastily made bank and conjured knives. Bows twanged, and arrows flew, sinking into the charging line. A mage sent out a ball of fire. Water shot forward, and Riley grabbed it, tossing it aside.
Soldiers dove and scattered. Arrows rained on the charging foes, and a barrage of arrows hit.
Diving back into the makeshift ditch, Riley’s face buried in snow while an arrow sunk through her arm.
Gasping, she felt pain lance through her. The smell of blood filled the air, and the sky went dark.
Riley coughed. The sound around her faded, and a ranger pulled the arrow from Riley’s arm.
A new wave of pain slammed into her, and a scream ripped out. Her vision and hearing faded, and a strange warmth filled her. Not again. Two arms reached out and picked her up.
Blinking, Riley looked up at the angelic figure. Beauty? She squinted and tried to move her arm. A resounding wave of pain filled her instead. Gasping, she coughed; blood sprayed from her mouth, and another wave of warm energy hit.
A strange liquid poured down her throat. It burned, and she coughed. Can I just pass out instead of feeling all this? The warmth expanded, and she heard something. What?
“Heal her!” Roger barked.
“I am. Calm down, sir,” a woman huffed.
Riley turned and looked at her arm in horror. Is that my bone? She felt her stomach churn. The metallic taste of blood lingered on her tongue. I hate war. She felt another wave of pain smash through her, and she screamed and watched things fade.
Embracing it, she tried to slip away. A wave of magic pulled her back, and tears streamed down her face. No one talks about healing like this. Coughing up another burst of blood, she looked at Nicole’s face.
Nicole reached down and wiped away the blood. “It’ll be alright. Just hang in there.”
Riley coughed, sending more blood spattering upward. She felt a dull ache in her ribs. Did it go into my side? She looked up at Nicole and smiled.
“Is she okay?” Summer demanded.
“Give it a minute. Bones take time,” the healer huffed. “Focus on the defense.”
Riley blinked. What did I break? She felt the dull ache in her arm and ribs slowly fade. She looked up at Nicole’s green eyes and blushed.
Nicole smiled. “Doing okay?”
“Are we under attack?” Riley asked.
“Your dad murdered that group. He’s hunting stragglers, and Travis has broken into the fort. Just wait and heal if you can,” Nicole said, smiling at her. She looked over at her hair, which was tangled around Riley’s finger.
Riley flushed and dropped her hand. She looked at her blood-covered arm and sighed. I need to be more careful. Looking in the corner of her vision, she saw a stream of new notifications appearing.
Riley Milvsky
Level: 342
Bard (C)
Level: 319 + 5
Dominating Presence C +1 level to the assigned class. Enemies within 100 meters of you lose 20 strength, 20 dexterity, and 20 speed. You may expend bardic inspiration to increase the effect. Psionic Storm C +1 to the assigned class. Conjure a storm of void or psychic energy. Variable cost. Restoring Presence B +2 to the assigned class. Subjects regain 1% stamina and 1% mana every 30 minutes; their healing is augmented by 50%. Allies within 100 meters count as subjects. You know of injuries and may use mana to heal allies within fifty meters. You may use inspiration to expand and increase the effect. Empowering Presence C +1 to the assigned class. Your subjects gain +20 strength, +20 dexterity, and +20 movement speed; allies within twenty meters count as subjects. You may use Bardic Inspiration to temporarily boost the range and the effect.
Psionic Assassin (B)
Level: 266 + 12
Assume Disguise S +30 charisma. Enhance your current disguise by altering your displayed information and taking on the disguised form. Grants +5 levels to the assigned class. Perception and Insight suffer -250 levels against your disguise and -50 levels against your deception or stealth. Penalty applied: Gods’ Oversight. Momentous Tempo B +10 speed. This boost will increase to up to +100 for every ten seconds you are in motion. Slowing in any way will reduce the effect. +2 levels to assigned class. You may use a charge of inspiration to boost your movement speed by an additional 10 for a minute. Death's Cloak A Slain enemies will grant experience to your base level and active classes. +3 levels to the assigned class. Perception and insight suffer -25 levels against you. Penalty applied: Covenant. Ambush B +10 speed. +2 levels to the assigned class. Costs one stamina to use. On use, you teleport to a shadow within 20 meters. Penalty applied: Covenant.
Spell Thief(B)
Level: 271 + 2
Predatory Sight C +1 level to the assigned class. Your perception and insight are boosted by 30. This boost is not reduced by low light or no light. You may use 1 stamina to double this effect for ten seconds. Spirit Blade C +1 level to assigned class. Manifest an ethereal blade of psychic energy that will vanish after thirty seconds or six seconds after being thrown. Costs one stamina or one mana to manifest a blade.
Pretty C Use a mana to get Beauty’s help! She may provide it anyway. Oh, and you’ll stand out in a crowd! After all, everyone knows a Beauty. Music's Lute - You may summon this lute from the heavens. It will return to the heavens when you will it away.
Ranger (C) Level: 290 Inactive. Noble (C)
Level: 43 Inactive. Enchanter (E)
Level: 115 Inactive. Alchemist (D)
Level: 240 Inactive. Infiltrator (D)
Level: 34 Inactive. - -
Conjure Storm D Manipulate or conjure up a storm. Mana cost varies. Conjure Potion C +1 to assigned class. Conjure a potion that you understand. You may add an additional minor healing effect to any potion. Cost varies based on the potion and potion duration. Heavenly Refrain C +1 levels to the assigned class. Use this skill to have the heavens join your song. Grants +100 charisma for the duration of the song and may only be used as long as the gods are willing. Control Water E Manipulate the water around you. Cost varies based on amount.
Dexterity 1553 Strength 684 Speed 567 Intelligence 1226 Charisma 1036 Stamina 960 Mana 2422 Inspiration 664