Atreus was walking home from the nearest bar to his home. Sometimes losing his balance along the way, and once the contents of his stomach. He could still feel the bruising all across his body and up his face. So he considered the money he spent on hard liquor mostly wasted. “Fuck all their clerics.” He muttered to himself. “And they wonder why I worship a different god.” He felt someone shove him, and he stumbled forward and turned around. He was twenty something, expensive clothes. He was big and broad, with a pale face and sandy blond hair. He had a dwarf behind him looking menacing. The lackey was almost as tall as Atreus, meaning he was huge for a dwarf. His rock hard muscles were almost as intimidating as the broad ax slung over his shoulder. The short blade at the side of the human’s waist and the family crest emblazoned on his overcoat didn’t go unnoticed by Atreus. He also noticed that he had clearly been drinking as well. “What’s your problem?” Atreus asked as calmly as he could manage. The guy took a step forward, looking down on him.

“I’ve heard about how you’ve been messing around with my brother.” Atreus took another good look at his face and spotted a resemblance. He chuckled “Sure, him and I had some fun.” Another hard shove. Almost knocking him off his feet. “Stay away from him.” Atreus felt his face scrunch up. “And why the fuck should I?” The man growled down at him “He has obligations to his future. He has an arranged marriage and we don’t need people like you trying to ruin him.”

Atreus stepped up into his personal space this time. “I don’t give a shit. Like I know you don’t really give a shit about what he wants.” This time he was met with a hard fist to his face, the already bruised side of his face. Atreus straightened up to face him again. Then he saw a flash of silver and felt a horrible burning pain rip through his lips. He lifted a hand to his mouth and saw the blood pooling in his palm. Then he looked up to see the person with a blade in their hand.

Atreus saw a blue box appear in his strained vision. “Take that as a lesson. Never-” He never got the chance to finish that sentence. Atreus reached up and pressed his split mouth into his face, tearing his nose off with his teeth. The short sword clattered onto the brick road. He fell to his ass, feeling his flat face as blood stained his front side. The dwarf looked in shock and anger at Atreus as he fumbled for his ax. Atreus spit out the blond guy's nose and it hit the dwarf right in the chest and fell to the ground. The dwarf paused and looked down at it, wide-eyed. At that moment Atreus smoothly pulled out the blackjack from his belt and swung wide and fast directly into the side of his head. The dwarf hit the road like a bag of sand, gasping as blood ran from his ear. Atreus put away his weapon and tore the fat coin purse off of the screaming, bleeding man. Walking away with a horrible shaking in his legs and hands. He glanced at his reflection in a shop window. Atreus saw the ghastly visage of blood and injury that was himself.

Arthur jolted awake and yelled in a moment of panic. That startled Filantriam out of his own restful slumber and made him groan in annoyance. Arthur touched his lips and felt the scar. Noticing how he was covered in cold sweat. “What the fuck was that.” He laid his head back down and turned it towards the horizon. Dawn was just breaking through the clouds. His dog floated out from his chest and panted at him. Arthur smiled and sat up, petting the scruff of his neck. “What’s up, Casper?” Filantriam groaned again. “Oh gods, you’re the kind of person to talk to his pets all the time.” Arthur chuckled “You’re just jealous.” Filantriam turned around and rubbed at his eyes. “Tired is what I am.''

They reached the wheat fields that surrounded the city, but the warlock lamented that they were still many miles away from it. Casper perked up and squirmed away from Arthur’s grasp to pointedly look out over the wheat that was rolling past. Then he growled and barked at it. “This is not what I need right now.” Filantiram complained. Arthur got onto one knee “What’s wrong buddy?'' He couldn’t see much in the dim light of the early morning. So he couldn’t see the slight movement in the tall wheat that surrounded the road. Arthur heard the horses before an arrow sped past him, and he dropped to his stomach. He slammed his fist into the top of the cart to try to get Mop’s attention as several more arrows stuck into the hardwood below him or flew wide above him. “We’re getting shot at!” Filantriam ducked for cover behind the front seat of the cart.

The magic shop sped up much slower than Arthur would have liked. Arthur saw two people on horseback break from the tall wheat. They wore simple cloth armor with a deep green color, face-concealing masks and hoods over their heads. One raised his bow and arrow and tried to narrow his aim onto Arthur. Casper suddenly expanded into a tent-sized cloud of smoke, and the bandit’s arrow stuck a foot away from Arthur. The angle suggested that if it’d been an inch higher, it probably would have impaled his skull. The cloud of smoke seemed to follow the cart unnaturally, giving Arthur the opportunity to slide himself back and join the warlock in the front seat. He dug into his bag and pulled out his sling, then realized he only had a few smooth pebbles to work with. Before he had the chance to curse himself for not remembering to pick up some rocks; Filantriam pushed him hard against the seat and raised his hand up to blast a bandit that had just ridden up behind Arthur’s side of the cart with a lighting bolt. Arthur watched the bandit yell as he and his horse rolled into the standing wheat.

Without even giving him a glance the warlock spun back around and peered around the other corner to ready another attack. Arthur pressed a stone into the sling and peered over the top of the cart. Casper reformed from the cloud and began barking. Each time the small dog yapped it became louder until it was a violent woof that forced the remaining archers to slow their horses and try to cover their ears. They then tried to focus fire on the cute puppy. Each arrow passed through Casper harmlessly. Even though it wasn’t really doing anything, the fact that they were trying to kill his dog irked Arthur deeply. He spun the sling in his hand and stood up on the seat of the cart. He breathed out and loosed the small stone. It flew low and right of its intended target and struck the rider’s horse right below its eye. Arthur ducked back down as the horse recoiled and tripped forward. The bandit was flung forward and landed hard on his back. Then his horse rolled directly on top of him.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

You have dealt 77 damage to

Riding horse

You have inflicted Riding horse

with Cracked skull

Arthur bit his lip, he felt awful for the horse. He didn’t even think about the bandit but he truly felt awful for hurting the innocent animal. Casper had stopped barking and had retracted himself into Arthur. He patted his chest and whispered “Good job buddy.” Filantriam was holding his hands together and muttering an incantation, a deep blue light started to glow through his skin as if he had his own version of bioluminescence. The warlock stood on the seat as his tattoos started to glow the same color as his hands. He shut his mouth and opened his hands and A dozen rapidly moving wisps of brilliant blue light shot forward from them. He pointed his fingers at the remaining archer and the lights perfectly followed his direction. The bandit lifted his bow as fast as he could and loosed an arrow as more than half the magic missiles collided with his head. An Arrow hit Filantriam in his side and he cried out and let himself fall onto the seat. Arthur watched as the bandit slumped off his horse and hit the ground. Then looked back at Filantriam

“Where’d you get hit?” The warlock shakily ripped open the now torn and bloody side of his robes to show that the arrow had struck him right in the hip. “I’ll live…” He then rested his head back down and groaned and cursed as he tried to endure the pain. Arthur peeked his head back over the top of the carriage again just in time to see another bandit rapidly approaching. The way he was standing on the back of his horse instead of sitting greatly concerned Arthur. The fighter was tall and lithe. He wore a tight silvery chest plate that was beaten and battered, the rest of his armor was some kind of silky blue cloth that flowed over his arms and legs like an oddly cut dress made for fighting. His headwrap only showed his eyes which were trained on Arthur. He drew something that looked similar to a plain scimitar. A short curved blade with a wicked point and a guard that completely covered the dominant hand.

Saanvi Mahajan

Level 29 Human

Sword Dancer

HP:1540/1540

Afflictions: None

“Shit.” Arthur pulled one of the knife’s from his bag, and a cigarette that he put in his mouth. He realized two things at once. That this enemy was much more suited to real battles than he was; and that he was going to try to cheat this fight. He stepped up to the roof of the now rapidly moving cart and activated burning hands. He swapped his grip so he held onto the knife by the blade, and he used one finger to light the cigarette. He looked back at the remaining bandit as he closed the space between him and the cart and leapt off his horse. He landed surprisingly quiet on the cart and suddenly there was only about 6 feet between him and Arthur.

Saanvi Mahajan

Has used the ability

Size Up on you

“A berserker.” The bandit said. Arthur raised an eyebrow. Realizing by the voice that it was actually a female. “So I bet you could also see my level.” He commented as she extended her sword arm out to her side. “I also see how little health points you have.” Her accent was rich and pleasant to listen to despite the venom in her tone. Arthur took a deep drag off his cigarette and exhaled without letting it fall from his lips. Then he took it out of his mouth with his red hot hand and flicked it right at Saanvi as it started burning up. She took a hard step forward and swung her sword. She cut the cigarette in half in mid air. Just as she was bringing her sword back Arthur flung the knife in his hand as hard as he could at her. She couldn’t bring her sword down fast enough to knock it out of the way and it sunk into her leg. She seethed as it started burning her flesh and she yanked it out.

Saanvi locked eyes with Arthur and started forward. But she couldn’t use her footwork with such a fresh wound. Her eyes widened as a small dog appeared in her opponent's hand, and was thrown at her. She instinctively blocked it with her blade but was startled as the canine passed right through her sword and diffused into smoke that obscured her vision. Arthur quickly lunged forward and jumped, bringing both of his legs in and drop-kicking her clear off the edge of the cart. He landed on his back with a thud and looked up over his chest. The sword dancer rolled for almost half a minute before settling.

You have dealt 260 damage to

Saanvi Mahajan

You have inflicted Saanvi Mahajan

With unconsciousness

You have defeated Saanvi Mahajan

750 exp. gained

You have gambled with your life...

and won!

500 skill exp. gained

Casper settled back into his normal form before disappearing back into Arthur’s soul. He felt at his chest and looked over his own body. “How did I get through that without getting cut?” Filantriam groaned extra loud when he heard that. Arthur jumped and realized he still had an arrow wound to help out with.