The Duchess

All around me, men and women of the noble class whispered.

“A Teleport spell!? Is a mage in our midst?!”

“But the pact!”

"There's bound to be a few crazies that hide away.”

“Duke Greystone! He fought back a Ninth Circle teleport spell…Bloody monster! I thought he was only a fifth circle now.”

“Fought back a sixth as a fourth and survived. It’s to be expected of the beast.”

“Are you sure he was sick before-”

“SILENCE!” Tarion’s uncle yelled out.

And the crowd became as quiet as church on a Tuesday morning.

“Fucking, bloody arseholes talking~” He mumbled quietly.

My mother held me tight as I kneeled on the floor, drowning in terrible thoughts. Where had he gone, who took him, and was he safe? Is he… My mother stroked my head, trying to calm me down, but with no effect. Tears didn’t flow. But my anger erupted.

“Uncle in law!” I showed him the ring. “How does it work?”

Tarion’s uncle examined the ring on my pam with a doubtful face. “Not sure, niece. All I know is that they are wedding bands. Once worn by my brother and his first wife.”

Wedding bands…? I slipped the ring on as fast as I could. Think of him? Easy. I twisted the ring, looking at the engraving, which subtly glowed.

“A rune?”

“Focus your mana not on the metal but the lettering.” Out of the crowd, an Alarian of mahogany skin walked out. Wrapped in the traditional attire of the tropical country of Alar, he stepped to me, folding his long, lanky arms. Green eyes full of wisdom peered down at me. Long, pointed ears wiggled as his round-eared friends of the same skin colour advised him. He shooed them away and continued to step towards me.

He bowed. “Rydel Jassin, Your Grace. Merchant, and rune seller at your service.”

The audience gasped as he kept bowing. And Elf Rune Seller was a spectacular sight but was not the issue as of now.

"Lettering, you said?”

He nodded, showing his bracelet glowing. I turned my two circles. I focused the mana from my heart to my finger and I felt a tingle from the ring.

The elf stood straight. “Think of your husband.” I did, and information undiscernible to me flashed in my mind, images of trees, dry grass, weapons, and the dead pile on the ground.

“Keep the connection and will it,” Rydel said.

Find him. Find Tarion!

My ring tingled again and I could feel their presence, as if they were standing close by. The presence was hurt and tired but still charged on. He faced an army alone.

I fell out of the connection, feeling a bit light-headed.

“For a second circle, you did fantastic.” The elf complimented me.

“He is miles away…” My mind worked quickly to make a decision. “Joshua!”

“Yes, Your Grace!” He straightened at my call.

“Find Jimmy; get the Osberg regiments fitted with weapons and ready to ride.”

My brother-in-law stamped his cast on the floor, breaking it into bits and ran for the door. I found the cardinal trying to hide away. "Come, uncle. Bring him along. My husband needs some healing.”

“Good idea, niece.”

I heard my uncle-in-law trudge away as I ordered Kurt. “Get my horse ready.”

Mother pulled on my arms. “Please, Vanessa! you can’t! It's too dangerous. Please tell her, Jen!”

“Sorry. She already decided.”

“But-”

I hugged my mother tight. Calming her as he did with me. “My husband is lost and has asked for my help. This would only pay back a tenth of what I owe him. I will be back safe. Tarion taught me and taught everyone well.”

I let go of my trembling mother. “Jen, bring me better-suited clothes before the horse arrives.”

The Alarian elf came forward. “I would like to come along.” His bracelet hummed and snapped into a long spear etched in radiant runes. “I am quite proficient.”

“As will I!” Marquess Bradshaw bellowed.

Some other nobles shout out their willingness to come along.

I gave a simple nod and rushed to the stairs.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“What about the ball!?” Lady Bradshaw.

I shrugged. “You take over.” My circle’s spun, and I ran with my dress waving up the stairs.

The Duke

Status [https://i.imgur.com/tJRhCbV.png]

My finger hummed. Did she figure it out already? I thought with a big smile, looking down at the dead below. Shields of blue mana wobbled as my hail of swords bounced off the upper levels while the lower died, pierced with their comrade's swords. I sent down my tethers again to pick more swords and shoot again. I fired mana thrust at the still-healing Hymir, which was blocked by bandits below. My senses alerted me to an attack from the rear and I erected a mana shield of my own. A mysterious acid melted the shield and I looked to the trees.

“Spitters? You must be kidding me…”

More acid was flung at me from a distance. My shield prevented acid from touching and I improvised. Two fingers pointed on my empty left at a spider. Mana hummed as I charged and I fired a small bullet of mana. In an instant, the bug exploded into a green mess.

Plonk.

mana bulet created level 1. [https://i.imgur.com/A66CcEY.png]

In quick succession, I blasted seven spiders off the trees. Out of view, a sword whipped and my blade sparked off the attacker's weapon. A third circle leapt up, slashing with no care for defence. My steel met his at every strike and I moved to parry an upward slash. Three more assailants leapt above me from behind. The blue weapons broke my shield, forcing me to guard high.

My chest pulsed.

“Fuck… you smart bastards…” I said, struggling with a new stomach wound from the third circle. My mana armour jammed the blade, stopping it from going further in. My right boot, powered by Qi, splintered the sword arm of my attacker. With his grip weak, I repulsed the mana out of my stomach, hitting him in the chest with the pommel.

“I will come back to you later!!”

I let myself fall and the three men fell with me. I slid three blades of mine, spinning with unnatural acrobatic prowess. A mana bullet exploded a falling bandit's chest, my sword decapitated another and I tagged the last with many tethers.

Become my step.

A flailing bandit crunched on the ground under my weight. I flew up to meet the bastard who stabbed me, cutting his torso from his legs. Arrows cut through the air, shredding me while I was unaware as Body parts fell to the earth. Hitting arrows away, I tried to find Hymir.

My breath became heavy. The pain halted by adrenaline started to surface and Tethers gently put me down to rest. Points to Vitaity eased my pain and gave me increased regeneration of my stamina.

I must hold on. Endure in until she comes with help.

“HEY MAGE! CAN'T YOU HELP A LITTLE!?!”

Silence as the roars of mad-eyed bandits came closer. I looked at my status.

Plonk.

image [https://i.imgur.com/t9Z9Viv.png]

My senses will save me. Vitality is a must. I can do without technique as of now. Keep mana capacity the same. Strength and agility are needed.

I inhaled as deeply as possible, trying to absorb as much mana from the air as possible. My circle whirred and churned, converting the mana and thumping it through meridians. With an azure light cast on my tired and worn face, I rested my greatsword on my right shoulder.

A flash step and a slash eviscerated dozens in the blue crescent lights way. With Qinggong, my greatsword smashed through ribs. I evaded death with a flash step, leaving a sword to cut my afterimage. I slice from my six o'clock, cutting into arms and another bandit's chest with one move. I weaved to the right, gave three stabs to a man's torso, and moved on from the dead. I parried, two weapons shattered, shot two mana bullets and moved on again. Slash, dodge, kill, flash step, punch to the liver, mana sawed into the bone and I carried on.

A rusty blade caught me on the right thigh. The same sword narrowly missed my head and I retreated a step to gain my bearings. My bones creaked under the power of the new attacker. Muscles tighten with Qi as they absorb every bone-shattering blow. With an exchange of jabs, we judge the distance from each other. He dealt with the length of my great sword well, knowing when to advance, to pull back. Our swords were locked in a battle of strength as we tried to force our enemy's blade down. A slight push on the fourth circle’s sword to the left and I lunged deep, penetrating his right shoulder. Mad like the rest of his friends, he sacrificed his shoulder to cut my arm.

I mana repulsed my blade from my hand, boring a large hole and I saved my arm with a flash step backwards. I pulled on a tether and the fourth circle's head rolled on the ground. The sword of Osberg returned to me and I finally saw fear in the bandits' eyes. The slight fear was immediately replaced with wrath.

“Oh dear…”

My chest pounded.

My ring finger hummed and I gripped my hilt, awaiting the horde. I charged forward in a tail stance, intercepting hundreds of blades. Every kill drained me, and every sword blocked disturbed my wounds while I received new ones. I flipped my greatsword to hold it by the edge, breaking bone with the heavy pommel like a berserker. Spinning my circles, let a hurricane form, blowing away stragglers. Little by little, I am getting closer. Each step and each kill got me closer to Hymir. His head is all I need and my promise was fulfilled.

I broke through a sword, bursting brains on the forest floor. Three arrows soared at me and I only blocked two. I yanked the third from my arm and carried on, repaying the archers with bullets of mana to the heads.

Almost. There.

“Too late, Duke.”

The bandits writhed around me, shaking and foaming at the mouth, Hundreds of men collapsed as black mist floated out of their mouths, converging into one being. The survivors waited with swords at rest. Hyrim smiled whimsically, cross-legged with scarred-over injuries. He opened his mouth, sucking in the black fog. With a big gulp, he swallowed. Blackened eyes stared at me with arrogance. His summoners gave him two gold-hilted swords with red tassels on the ends. Touching the shiny finish on his swords, Hymir smiled thoughtfully.

“Ahead of schedule but with you gone, this will all be worth it.”

My chest thumped.

My eyes saw a sitting, shaved man, but instinct swung my blade. My radius cracked as I guarded against a black mana coated blade. My feet left the grass as I flew back into the forest, crashing into a tree.

I rolled off broken wood, splitters stinging my back and a blade of black hit the ground, forcing me back with the shock wave. I flipped, finding the forest floor again below my feet and instinct leaned me back to avoid death by a double slash. I titled back, counterattacking with an upward strike. My sword was thwarted by a Hymir's left blade and the right stabbed into my doublet.

“Shit…”

The point of his weapon scalded me. And with death close, instinct took over.

Plonk

Bloodline activated [https://i.imgur.com/fLOnWZr.png]

I woke up, lying in a pile of rock and soil. My skin burned and sizzled on my chest. I looked back at the forest I flew from, a great canyon was burrowed by Hymir's power.

I survived.

A familiar energy filled me. I spun my circles, and reddish black ebbed from me. I felt sharpness in my mouth, and my eyes peered yards into the distance, seeing the bald bastard's disgruntled face.

My finger hummed and I rose from the dirt to fight once more.

Two minutes.