Riley ran down the road, the wind blowing in her face. With her momentum at an all-time high, she pushed herself to go faster and faster. The growing feeling inside was all too familiar. The lingering dread rippled up and down her spine.
I need to hurry. Racing down the road, Riley triggered Assume Disguise and blew past the forts, the wind billowing behind her. Soldiers turned. Some shouted, and the group raced by.
Waiting for spells, arrows, or anything else, Riley ran and didn’t see any. She tilted her head and tried to overhear while racing toward the bridge.
“They don’t want to fight a group of max-level knights,” Roger replied to the unanswered question.
Riley nodded and shot across the bridge, watching soldiers scramble out of their way.
Jumping the last of it, she landed lightly and turned northward, sprinting toward the castle. A lance of agony hit, and she forced herself to go faster, burning stamina to push herself further.
~~~
Tahani sat in a cellar with her hands covering her mouth. She listened to the sound of the guards outside. “Gods, please don’t let them find us.” She swallowed and pushed further against the wall.
“You there, halt!” a guard shouted.
A startled yelp rang through the air, and the door above smashed open. Swallowing, Tahani sat in the cellar. She looked at the orphans next to her. Riley, please.
“How many people does she need?” a guard muttered.
“She wants at least a hundred today,” the other replied.
“Are you sure about this? I can’t imagine the gods approve.”
“Gods, no, but I’m not ending up on her table. Did you see that last one?”
Tahani blanched. Althea? Riley? Please. We need you. She reached up and wiped the water from her eyes.
“Let go of me,” someone shouted. “Help! Hel—mm.” The sound shifted to a muffled scream, and Tahani pulled against the wall.
The orphan boy next to her pushed closer to her. Tahani silently patted him on the back. The sound of boots echoed through the floor, carrying down to the hidden cellar.
A voice rang from above.“No one’s here.”
“I saw a kid come inside.”
“Well, they aren’t here now, and there is a back door.”
Tahani swallowed. She looked at the huddled mass. A young girl was crying, tears rolling down her face. The boy next to her was patting her softly.
Looking up, Tahani tried to suppress the growing fear. The boots thumped around the cottage and stopped above the hidden cellar.
“What the condemnation are you all doing?” a young voice shouted.
Tahani’s eyes went wide, and horror filled her throat. Arjun?
“Hands up!” a guard shouted and ran for the door, his footsteps echoing through the cottage floor.
With a trembling lip, she looked up. “Gods, please. Please help us.”
[I did what I could. ~Beauty]
Tahani grimaced. It wasn’t fair. Nothing was ever fair. She heard shouting, and a body hit the ground. Arjun? She stood and screamed with her mind. “Riley, please!”
~~~
Like a ringing bell, the words and feelings rippled through Riley. Sprinting down the road, she hit shadows and triggered Ambush, blinking through a patch of forest.
With her feet pounding on the dirt, she pushed herself harder and harder. I won’t make it. Dread grabbed her throat, and a burst of green shot by. Althea streaked down the road.
Riley chased after her, burning stamina repeatedly. The capital appeared, and the knights charged past her. Locking on the source of pain, she watched a cloud drift in front of the sun.
Chaining ambush, she blitzed down the road, chasing the group of speedy knights.
The wall grew rapidly. The guards looked out and slammed the gate shut. Althea and Roger slammed their legs into the ground and flew, their jumps carrying them over the wall. Arrows fired and both distorted, the arrows passing through them without doing anything.
Riley left them behind. Flickering through the shadows like a wraith, she shot through the city and appeared inside the castle wall. The smell of blood and death hit her, and she blanched. Undead monstrosities turned toward her, and she triggered Ambush again, skipping across the grounds and appearing in the castle’s cellar.
A macabre scene greeted her. People were strapped to tables. The princess and several others were carving runes into flesh while people screamed. The pain and agony burned through Riley, and she willed her blades into existence, her focus shifting to those surrounding the tables.
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Suffering people screamed. A mage jerked up his head, and Riley let the blades free, flying through the room like an invisible, deadly swarm.
Blood sprayed. Mages dropped, and Lily turned. Black magic crackled around her, and Riley willed her blades through her, attacking in a fury. Like a small hurricane, they ripped through the princess’s neck, sending a spray of blood splashing across the room.
Lily’s eyes widened, and the life left them. Red blood poured down her black dress, and her lifeless body dropped to the floor.
Riley didn’t give her another thought, her focus shifting to a necromancer in a black dress.
“Spell Thief,” the woman hissed. Green magic surged around her. She smiled. “And you’re surrounded.”
Riley sent her blades flying. The blades hit the green magic and slowed. A sickening feeling rippled through Riley, and her stomach churned.
“Unpleasant, isn’t it?” the woman’s voice rang in her mind. “Taste a power that you can’t turn back on me.”
Pain spread through her body. Forcing the rune for Void Magic into her mind, Riley blasted the area with void magic. The green magic vanished and then flicked back into existence. The sickening magic pulsed through her, and she vomited, sending a spray of fluid and blood onto the floor.
“You will run out of mana eventually,” the woman’s thoughts boomed through Riley’s mind.
Staggering, Riley dropped to her knees while it grew. Why isn’t it working? Fury churned through her, and Riley palmed the knives from her dress. Using Ambush, she slammed the blades forward, cutting through the woman’s spine.
The green magic vanished. The woman gurgled, and Riley vomited again, blood spilling from her mouth. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a potion and drank it.
The warm liquid flowed through her, and she stabbed the woman again, driving the metal blade through her eyes.
Standing, she felt the potion slowly heal her injuries. Looking out at the unconscious people, she swallowed and healed the nearby people, relief slowly replacing the adrenaline.
At least that’s —
The door banged open, and a guard froze with a bound boy in hand. He looked at Riley with horror on his face.
“This ends now,” Riley hissed at the guard. She triggered Ambush and searched, finding a nice shadow where the throne should be.
Not bothering to wait, explain, or announce her presence, she stepped through, willed her spirit blades for the queen, and stabbed at the king.
Her metal blades hit metal with a clang. Igniting the blade with spiritual energy, she slammed it down again. A dominating presence slammed into her.
Titus bellowed and punched, his fist connecting with her shoulder and sending her slamming into the wall.
Wiping away the blood, Riley looked at them and willed her psychic blades forward.
The queen’s dress glowed. “Ungrateful brat,” she snarled.
A flickering flame lit the room. Riley turned.
“Timothy!” Lisa shouted, and purple lightning snaked into the flame.
The ball vanished. The doorway burst into flame, igniting curtains, chairs, and the prince. He screamed, and Riley willed her blades through him.
Turning her focus back to the king, she growled and felt a growing pressure push against her.
No, Riley thought.
“I knew you’d be a problem,” Titus snarled, drawing his sword.
Riley sent her blades slamming into him. His armor glowed and then extinguished. Blood oozed from his nose, and he charged.
Triggering Ambush, Riley slammed her daggers into him and ripped them out, sending a spray of blood across the floor.
Titus gasped, and Riley dashed across the room. A wall of stone slammed into existence and flew. Riley ripped the spell from her, sending a blast of psychic energy into the queen’s mind and throwing the stone behind her.
The queen screamed, blood streaming from her nose and ears. The king turned, and the wall of stone hit him in the chest, sending him rolling across the floor. Looking at both, Riley frowned and kicked the fallen crown, sending it rolling across the floor.
[You have killed a level 645 human.]
[You have killed a level 587 human.]
Clearing it away, Riley stormed toward the door, sending what little healing she could to the trapped people below. God. I should have done this forever ago. She swallowed back the urge to cry and vomit all at the same time.
A green blur materialized in front of her. “Riley?” Althea asked, wiping the blood from Riley’s face.
“They were helping her,” Riley whispered. “They were helping her make undead.”
Althea sighed. “I am sorry. Perhaps I should have—”
“The others would have done it,” Riley said, walking into the hall. “Did you clear the undead? There are trapped people below.”
“Yes. The knights are rallying the guard. Nicole and your father are down there.”
Riley triggered Ambush and appeared in the cellar. She looked at the people and burned the last of her mana, healing the worst around her.
Nicole turned. “Riley, where’s Althea?”
Althea zipped down the stairs and began healing the nearby people.
Roger walked over and pulled Riley into a hug. “Are you alright?”
Riley swallowed and shook her head, water gathering in her eyes. “Are they alright? Please tell me we didn’t fail again.”
“They’re okay,” Nicole whispered. “She brought some undead with her and killed a few, but we saved most of them.”
Riley let out a breath of relief. She looked around the room and spotted several classmates. Why would they do this? Would they really fall that far? Frowning, she shook her head and listened to the bells tolling out some message.
[Noble (C) class has advanced to Princess (B).]
Riley stared at it. Oaths began streaming in. The condemnation is that about?