"What a lovely day," Meredith said while taking a sip of her very expensive, imported tea. It was nice living in the noble part of Osta. Osta was a massive capital city that had grown from a small trading center established in the middle of the desert.
Meredith sat back in her chair and looked out the window at the people and carts passing by. There were sounds of the merchants shouting out the discounts on their goods and produce, and children giggling as they went about their business. She smiled, and that feeling of satisfaction washed over her again.
“Eldrin, bring me some more of your delicious tea, ” she said without turning her head to the elven servant who was standing nearby. Eldrin, a tall and graceful-looking elf with sharp features, nodded and quickly moved to do as he was told. "Delicious."
Meredith looked at him for a moment, watching the fluidity of his movements. She had always liked having male elves as her servants; they were handsome to look at in her otherwise boring existence.
When Eldrin came back with her tea, she did not even look at him and took the cup without saying thank you. “try to be quicker next time,” she said in a rather unfriendly manner, and after taking a sip, she waved him away.
She focused on the view again and started to think about the social events in Osta that were to take place in the near future. The nobles were all chattering about some great feast or a grand tournament. Meredith’s lips twisted into a grin at the prospect of seeing the sub-races kill each other over some trivial trinkets and gold. She was in a world of her own when the sound of hurried footsteps brought her back to reality. An elven servant flushed and with eyes popping out of her head, entered the room in a hurry.
“My lady, there is—” the servant attempted to utter the words, but Meredith stopped him with a scowl.
“How dare you come in without even a knock!” she yelled loudly in the room. Undefined “I should have your ears chopped off and have hounds eat them!”
The servant looked frightened and bowed deeply. “I-I’m terribly sorry, my lady. Please forgive me. It’s just that there’s a—”
Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard in the city, interrupting the servant in the middle of her speech. The windows shook, and in the distance, a column of smoke could be seen. Maeredith’s teacup fell from her hand and broke into pieces on the floor.
“What in the world was that?” she said, her voice shaking with both anger and terror.
The servant, who was still in a bowing position, looked up with big eyes. “I do not know, my lady. It came from the market square. ”
Meredith’s mind raced. An attack in the heart of Osta? Unthinkable. She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. “Eldrin, Lorian, gather the guards and find out what’s happening. Now!”
The elves bowed and hurried out of the room, leaving Meredith alone with her thoughts. She clenched her fists, trying to steady her breathing. Whatever was happening, it was clear that her peaceful day had just been shattered.
The market square was in disarray, and Seraphina had anticipated it would be that way. Dark grey smoke rose from the area of the blast, and people were running all over the place, crying and yelling. In the middle of all that chaos, Seraphina was a vision of calm and order, her short hair flying in the wind, her white wings unfolded. She was also masked to conceal her identity but her laughter was loud and victorious – “Ho ho ho ho!”
“Fools! Did you really think you could keep us down forever?” she exclaimed her voice ringing loud above the noise. “It is time for change now!”
Seraphina looked at the destruction beneath her, her satisfaction growing in her heart. Her comrades were busy, everyone was doing his or her part in the operation.
Andrew, the gnome artificer, was near a stall; his hair was long, and his scruffy beard gave him an appearance of a wild sage. He began to set up another magical bomb and his hands flew across the board. “This one is going to be a real blast!” he muttered to himself.
Her brother Zarinthe was sitting on the roof, and his long black hair and black wings were barely distinguishable against the dark background. He was a ranger and a skilled sharpshooter; his arrows were whistling through the air, effectively pinning down the guards. Seeing Haku on the ground, Zarinthe dived elegantly and landed near his partner.
Haku, the white-scaled kobold, was nervously casting spells. Despite his fear, Haku’s intelligence shone through as he muttered incantations, his hands trembling. “We need to move quickly,” he rambled, “the guards will regroup soon, and we’ll be in trouble if we don’t—”
“Calm down, Haku,” Zarinthe said, putting his hand on his shoulder. “We’ve got this. ”
Finally, Tigers, the beast-man who looked like a tiger, funny enough. He was in the middle of the battle. His muscles were well developed and whenever he moved, the muscles contracted and he easily disposed of any guard that came close to him. “Sweet and simple,” he growled, then punched again. “Just the way I like it. ”
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Seraphina laughed and flew up, her wings reflecting the light as she did so, leaving the square behind. “This is just the beginning!” she shouted with the spirit of a rebel and a dreamer. She understood that what they were doing today was a statement—a statement that the voiceless would rise.
As she flew into the smoke-filled sky, Seraphina felt a rush of excitement. It was not the end of the battle yet, but today they had left their impression. And she would be there to see it through to the end.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her left wing. Seraphina gasped, her laughter cut short as she looked at her wing, a thin trail of blood dripped down her white feathers. An arrow just grazed her wing. She wobbled in the air for a moment, her flight unsteady.
“Damn it!” she hissed, scanning the ground for the source of the arrow. She spotted a guard with a bow, already nocking another arrow. “You’ll pay for that!” she shouted, her voice filled with fury.
She knocked her bow with one of her own arrows and aimed at the guard, who dared to fire at her. the air itself swirled around her arms and surrounded her arrow.“Windpiercer Arrow!” She shouted as she let loose a deadly shot.
The arrow flew with blinding speed, a swirling vortex of wind trailing behind it. It struck the guard with precision, piercing through his armor as if it were nothing. The force of the impact sent him flying backward, crashing into his fellow guards and creating momentary chaos.
A burst of wind exploded from the point of impact, disorienting the surrounding guards and knocking them off their feet.
Despite the pain, Seraphina forced herself to stay aloft, her determination unwavering. She knew she couldn’t let this setback stop her. With a final defiant laugh, she soared higher, disappearing into the smoke-filled sky.
Below, her comrades continued their efforts. Andrew set off another magical bomb, the explosion adding to the chaos. “That should keep them busy!” he shouted, a grin spreading across his face.
Zarinthe and Haku worked in tandem, Zarinthe’s arrows flying with precision while Haku cast protective spells to shield them from the guards’ attacks. “We need to regroup,” Zarinthe called out to the others. “Seraphina’s hurt, and we’ve done enough damage for today.”
Tigers, still in the thick of the fight, nodded in agreement. “Let’s get out of here,” he growled, his powerful fists taking down one last guard before he turned to join the others.
The group moved swiftly, and their years of working together were evident in their coordinated retreat. They knew the city well and had planned multiple escape routes. As they made their way through the narrow alleys and backstreets, Seraphina rejoined them, her wing still bleeding but her spirit unbroken.
“Nice work, everyone,” she said, her voice steady despite the pain. “We’ve sent a message to all the humans today! Don’t mess with us!”
Andrew nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “And we’ve got plenty more where that came from. This is just the beginning.”
Zarinthe wrapped an arm around Haku, who was still trembling slightly. “You did great, Haku. We all did.”
Tigers grunted in agreement, his expression one of satisfaction. “Simple and sweet,” he repeated, a rare smile crossing his face.
As they disappeared into the shadows, the sounds of the city’s chaos faded behind them. They knew they had made their mark, and they were ready for whatever came next.
“God, I hate the desert,” Michael complained. After sleeping all night on the rocky ground, his body was understandably sore. It didn’t help that he and his new companion had been traveling since dawn.
“We’ve been walking all morning! How much longer do we have to walk?” Michael shouted through the rough, sandy wind.
“Not used to traveling, young master?” Aldrina replied, the last part dripping with sarcasm. She walked with a steady, confident stride, her eyes scanning the horizon. “This is just the beginning. We’ve got at least another half-day of travel ahead of us if we’re lucky. So suck it up and keep moving.”
Michael groaned, the idea of dealing with the sand all day wasn't very appealing to Michael, it's coarse and rough, and it gets everywhere. It didn't help that Michael didn't have any shoes on. It made things worse; the hot sand burned his feet with every step. As he winced, a new window appeared in front of him.
[‘Fire Resistance 1’ leveled up to ‘Fire Resistance 2’]
The burning sensation in his feet faded slightly, and he sighed in relief. "That's way better," he muttered, feeling a bit more at ease.
Just then, an idea struck him. He tapped on the window, curious to see if he could learn more about the ability. A new description popped up.
[Fire Resistance]
[Level: 2]
[Description: This ability grants the user increased resilience to heat and fire-based damage. As the skill levels up, the user's resistance to high temperatures and fire attacks improves, reducing the impact of burns and heat exposure. At higher levels, the user can endure intense flames and scorching environments with ease.]
[Warning: You can not level skill past your base level]
Michael read the description, impressed by the level-up but then discouraged by the restriction. “Well…that sucks.”
“Hmm? What sucks?” Aldrina asked, turning her head to look at Michael.
He sighed. “I just leveled up my ‘Fire Resistance’ skill, but it can’t go any higher than my base level. So, it’s stuck at level 2 for now.”
Aldrina chuckled, shaking her head. “Be grateful you have that skill at all. Not everyone has such advantages.. especially out here in the desert”.
“It's true Michael, you are quite fortunate to have gained such a skill this early. Even more fortunate that you have it in the desert.” Embora added.
“Then I should count myself lucky,” Michael added.