Chapter VII

With the distortion spell concealing her body, Arisa Kirisan crouched low on the rooftop of the building she was currently on as she gazed down at the road below her. Despite using magic to make sure nobody would notice her, she wore a dark cloak with the cowl pulled down over her face to hide her features. It was important to be as careful as possible. After all, she was currently the most wanted person in Erika, if not Ijiria as a whole. The only other woman who could compare to her happened to be on the rooftop in front of her on the opposite side of the road. Hannah Lynn was also distorted so Arisa couldn’t currently see her, but she knew the former apprentice was there, lying in wait. When Hannah first released her and the other Children of Reiner from their cells in the Citadel’s dungeons, Arisa had believed that they would never see her again. So, when Hannah arrived in the Erikan slums nearly a day after their escape, she was shocked. Hannah had planned to die at the hands of her Master, Ryokumo Caeli, but something had caused that plan to fail.

“He wouldn’t kill me,” Hannah had told them. “No matter how much I begged, my master wouldn’t kill me. Instead, he cut off his own leg and allowed me to escape. And now…I don’t even know if he’s safe or not.”

Arisa sighed, still confused by that turn of events even two months later. Hannah had claimed that they could trust Ryokumo Caeli, but Arisa had been naturally skeptical. Ryokumo was not only a Master of Ijiria, but he helped both Nakoma Taurus and Seiras Ka torture her and the others. So for Ryokumo to willingly let Hannah escape despite knowing that she murdered the Master of the Mind left Arisa even more conflicted.

But I shouldn’t worry about that now. I have more important matters to focus on.

She lowered her gaze to the cobblestone road below. There weren’t any people in sight due to the late afternoon hour. Most were either already at work or were shopping in the market just a mile west of where they waited. The reason she was there was because of the information Irin had gathered just a week prior. She said that on her way to purchase some food, she overheard some merchants talking about a delivery that was scheduled to arrive in the capital. It supposedly had all sorts of materials from magical gems mined in Krainin to various forms of weaponry. Most of it was for the blacksmith guilds, but Arisa knew that if she and the other Children could get their hands on it, not only could they cause more chaos for Ijiria, but they might be able to use some of it to their advantage.

Despite having escaped from the Citadel two months prior, they still hadn’t been able to get out of Erika. The government had strengthened the guards around every gate leading out of the city, and even had battalions of Korrei-Tarr alongside them, one of the most dangerous and elite fighting forces in Ijiria. Their senses were far more refined than the average soldier and so their many attempts to sneak past them hadn’t worked. They even attempted one full scale assault on the western gate, which almost resulted in her death. They only barely escaped and ever since, they had been biding their time until another opportunity arose.

But, if we can get our hands on some of these supplies, maybe it’ll be enough to give us an edge.

She knew it was wishful thinking, but as it stood, there was only so long that they could survive in Erika before they were finally caught and killed. They didn’t have any other option but to be bold, so she, Hannah, Tylo, and Irin decided they would take the risk and go after this shipment.

Let’s just hope it’s worth it.

Arisa took a deep breath as the sound of wheels on the cobblestone reached her ears and when she turned to gaze off to her left, she saw a rather large wagon approaching them, being pulled by two brown horses. At the head of the wagon were two older men in dirty brown tunics with messy hair. It was obvious that they had been out in the forest for a while and were in desperate need of a comfortable place to sleep. They would be tired and anxious to get their job done, and that would make it far easier for them to take the merchants off guard.

Too bad they’re not alone, but that was too optimistic of a thought to begin with. As if a shipment like this would be left unguarded.

The wagons were surrounded by four soldiers with gold and green armor and swords at their hips, mounted on large, black stallions. They had helmets on, but their faces were visible, giving Arisa a good look at each one of them. She was relieved to find that she didn’t sense enough power in them to be Korrei-Tarr and so, it would be simple for the four of them to take them out, especially with the element of surprise.

Alright, once the wagon is right under us, we make our move!

Arisa tensed up, bringing her mana to her fingertips, ready to be used at a moment’s notice. It felt like an eternity of listening to the sounds of the wagon and the horses before it had finally rolled right under them.

Here we go!

Not making a single sound, Arisa dropped the distortion and launched herself from the rooftop, feeling her body beginning to fall as she chanted, “Perkari!”

A blade of wind burst from her hand and severed the head of the nearest guard just as a chorus of other chants sounded out around her. Hannah, Tylo, and Irin had all jumped into action as well, taking out one guard each, and as Arisa soared down to the bed of the wagon, she watched as all four soldiers toppled from their horses, which were already beginning to panic at the sudden usage of magic. All four cloaked figures landed on the top of the boxes in the wagon bed just as the merchants spun around in surprise, frantically pulling on their reins. But before either could do anything, Hannah stuck both of her hands out and grinned darkly.

“Get off,” she said, her tone calm but with a very clear warning.

“W-what do you—?” the one with the reins sputtered. “If you think we’re just going to submit to you then—!”

“Condite,” Arisa murmured, and with a wave of her hand, both merchants were suddenly yanked from their seats by ropes of wind and tossed onto the cobblestone road, where the already fleeing horses of the dead soldiers almost ran them over.

Tylo and Irin then jumped into the spots and picked up the reins.

“Alright, let’s get the hell out of here,” the former grumbled.

Ignoring the desperate protests of the merchants as they scrambled to their feet, calling for the guards, Tylo flicked the reins and began taking the wagon down a side street that was just up ahead, getting the horses to increase their speed as they did so. The reason they had picked this place to make their move was because of the position of this particular street. Arisa knew that it would lead them away from the main part of the city and in the direction of the slums, a place where they would be much safer and would have an easier time transporting the supplies they needed back to their base. With Tylo and Irin directing the wagon, Arisa and Hannah remained in the bed, mana at the ready should any pursuit show up.

“That was easier than I expected,” Arisa mused with a soft laugh.

Hannah nodded in agreement. “I had a feeling it would be. The Citadel can’t defend everything and they probably didn’t think we’d be so bold as to make a move in broad daylight. Especially not with our diversion.”

The diversion Hannah was referencing was an attack they had made at the marketplace the night before. They had attacked a simple herbalist's shop who sold various plants that were often used to aid healing magic, and there hadn’t been anything they actually needed there. However, the one who ran the shop was well known in the slums for ripping his customers off, so Lyla and Ardan had suggested they make their move against him. With their plan decided, Arisa had gone with the twins to attack the shop. They incapacitated the shopkeeper then looted whatever they could carry before using fire magic to burn the place to the ground, though not without at least evacuating the man first. The hope had been that the Citadel would increase the presence of their guards in the market, fearing another attack there, thus keeping them more occupied while the four of them went after the merchants. As for the herbs they stole, they kept a handful of them and then gave them out to the denizens of the slums who needed them more.

“Yeah, I think that really helped us,” Arisa replied. “And since we technically aren’t supposed to even know about this wagon, they’ll probably assume we’d attack the blacksmith in the market before ever going after these merchants.”

“Let’s just hope we can get back without anybody noticing us,” Irin called back. “It’s one thing to steal a couple bags of herbs, but a whole damn wagon is a different story.”

Arisa smirked then turned back to scanning the streets around them. They were sure to be spotted by anybody peeking out of the windows of the buildings on either side of the road, but as long as they could get away before pursuit found them, they would be safe. They didn’t intend to take the entire wagon back to their base. They simply wanted to loot whatever they needed and would probably torch the rest just to keep it from falling back into Ijirian hands.

“Hopefully whatever’s in there will help us get through the gates,” Tylo muttered. “That’s the ideal scenario, but honestly, I’ll take what we can get at this point.”

Hannah sighed. “We were close last time, but I think if we can get even a slight boost in power, we should be able to get away. After all, we don’t need to beat everybody guarding the gates. We just have to get to the other side. And hopefully…” The woman then paused and suddenly narrowed her eyes, as if noticing something the other three hadn’t, but before anybody could ask what was wrong, Arisa sensed the sudden presence just as Hannah shouted, “Nex!”

A shield of wind went up in front of them just as a man launched out of one of the nearby alleyways, a large sword swinging in their direction. It was just barely repelled by Hannah’s shield, sending the man lurching back onto the road, though despite the speed they were traveling at, he landed on his feet with a catlike grace, giving Arisa a good look at him.

Oh, shit. No…

She immediately recognized his distinctive red and black armor of the Korrei-Tarr. He was a broad-shouldered man, probably slightly over six feet tall, with intense eyes and a full beard. He wielded a sword in both hands and was already in the process of sprinting after them, his strides enhanced by wind magic, enabling him to not only match the speed of the cart, but to go even faster.

Damn it! I had a feeling we’d be pursued, but I didn’t think they had any of the Korrei-Tarr on hand!

What made the members of that force so elite was their special type of magic use. They rarely used magic for offense like most mages did. Instead, they simply used it to enhance their movements, making them faster and stronger than the average soldier. They were more prone to using armor and swords to attack, and despite Arisa’s own affinity being wind magic, she was far outmatched by the Korrei-Tarr she’d fought at the gates.

“What’s going on back there?!” Tylo shouted over his shoulder. “Is there pursuit!”

Arisa clenched her teeth, watching as the man was quickly gaining ground on them, knowing he would catch them and make another strike within a mere few seconds. She didn’t see or sense any other Korrei-Tarr around so she had to pray that this one man was all they had to deal with. But, before she could decide what to do, Hannah called out,

“Irin! Arisa! Defend Tylo and the wagon! I’ll meet you at base!”

Then, before they could question her, the former apprentice chanted, “Proto,” and launched herself from the wagon, her thin sword already drawn as she went to confront their enemy. Arisa’s eyes went wide as Hannah collided with the man, her own blade swinging for his neck as he brought one of his up to block her strike. The swords rang out as he parried Hannah, his second blade already moving at an inhuman speed to make another attack, but the former apprentice was ready for him, using the momentum of her first strike to propel herself over his head.

Oh, damn it all!

Coming to a quick decision of her own as she watched Hannah and the Korrei-Tarr getting further away, Arisa propelled herself from the wagon as well, ignoring the sudden protests of Irin and Tylo as she sprinted down the road to bring Hannah aid.

“Condite!” Arisa snarled, once again using the ropes of wind to try and pull the warrior away from Hannah, but unsurprisingly, the ropes failed to reach him. He must have sensed their presence as he hurriedly darted out of the way, using his two swords to cut each one of them down. However, it wasn’t her intention for them to reach him. All she needed to do was be enough of a nuisance to give Hannah an opening. The woman was ready for it, immediately pushing in to take another strike at his neck while Arisa closed the last few meters of distance to attack him herself.

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“Infundite!”

“Corsikei!”

As Hannah activated the spell that would fuse her wind magic with her sword, Arisa sent a powerful surge of air exploding from her hands that violently collided with the Korrei-Tarr. Yet, he was ready for them both. Arisa’s attack barely caused him to flinch as he completely ignored her, sending both blades swinging down toward Hannah. She must have realized at the last minute that she would be overwhelmed as she immediately dropped to the ground, using her magic to slide between his legs, then propelled herself toward Arisa, stopping at her side. Both women readied themselves as the large man spun around, a dark grin on his bearded face as he regarded them.

“Red hair, huh?” he growled, eyeing Arisa with amusement before regarding Hannah. “And you…with your dark skin and yellow eyes… You’re of Noranian descent, yes?”

It was only then that she realized her hood had flung off during her attacks, revealing her face to him. The same had happened to Hannah, which meant it was more than likely that the man had already deduced who they were. His next words confirmed this.

“A very interesting pairing,” he growled. “So you’re the infamous Arisa Kirisan and Hannah Lynn.”

Neither spoke, with Arisa taking this moment to catch her breath and try to come up with some strategy that might get them out of there alive. He was by himself for the moment, so as long as others didn’t appear, she was confident that the two of them could at least beat him enough to escape. However, that didn’t mean she could underestimate him. He was still Korrei-Tarr, and so he was dangerous.

“I honestly thought it was a tad unnecessary to have me watch over that wagon from the shadows, but it seems I was mistaken,” he went on, a cocky and pompous edge to his voice. “However, I will give you both the chance to give yourselves over to me peacefully. I’m sure you’ll suffer far less if you comply… But, if you don’t…”

Hannah slowly crouched down, the point of her sword aimed right at the man.

Of course, she plans to fight…if only to buy enough time for Tylo and Irin to get away.

So, knowing they would have no option but to take the man on, Arisa followed suit, ready to act the moment Hannah did. The Korrei-Tarr narrowed his eyes, eyeing the two of them with disappointment.

“Very well,” he growled. “Let’s see what the killer of Seiras Ka can do!”

““Proto!””

Arisa and Hannah shouted at the same time, the latter swinging her magic-infused blade while the former moved backwards, wanting to put more distance between them so she could attack at a range. The warrior didn’t even move his lips as he dashed forward to take them on, swinging his giant blades down to meet Hannah’s much smaller one. Yet, despite the size difference between the two, Hannah’s determination did not falter and she matched his speed with ease, deflecting each strike of his with a swift and graceful one of her own. She moved like a dancer, her motions fluid while his were harsh and violent. Arisa had seen Hannah in action a few times before, and each time she couldn’t help but marvel at how impressive she was. It really put into perspective why she, of all people, was chosen by Ryokumo Caeli to be his apprentice and perhaps to even succeed him as the Master of Wind someday. In fact, had she not turned traitor, she would have almost certainly risen to that potential.

Yet, as strong as she was, the Korrei-Tarr was trained and led by none other than Princess Anna-Piura Iiji, and so the man would no doubt have overtaken her in direct combat had Hannah been alone. But with Arisa there, the tides could be turned in their favor. She launched herself up onto the roof of a nearby building, then began hurling blades of wind, ropes, and shockwaves at the man, forcing him to dodge and cut down her attacks while simultaneously trying to keep Hannah at bay. Based on the way he fought, he was clearly of wind affinity, like them, which Arisa was grateful for. Back during their assault on the gates, she had confronted a Korrei-Tarr of fire affinity, and his flaming strikes had quickly overwhelmed her.

Come on! Don’t relent! We need to beat him quickly before reinforcements show up!

Hannah refused to remain in one spot as well, using the surrounding buildings to propel off in attempts to strike him from every possible angle. Arisa decided to follow her lead, moving from her current spot and jumping around to different rooftops, sending a few attacks every time she did so. She could tell the man was beginning to tire, but he wouldn’t back down, no matter what. If he returned to his captain and revealed that he allowed them to escape, his pride would be wounded, and Arisa knew the soldiers of Ijiria could be quite obsessed with their pride.

The constant clanging of Hannah’s sword colliding with his continued to ring out, and she was sure they would begin to soon draw attention, so Arisa knew they had to hurry and finish the fight. Throwing caution to wind, she jumped from the rooftop, flying back down toward the road with a new plan in mind. Mimicking a move Hannah pulled off earlier, Arisa used wind magic to pull herself along the road, swinging toward the gap between the Korrei-Tarr’s legs. Naturally, having allowed Hannah to get away via the same method earlier, the man immediately went to react to her, so at the last minute, she placed her hand against the cobblestone and sent a burst of mana through her palm, sending her soaring into the sky.

“Condite!” she shouted, giving another attempt at an onslaught of ropes.

“Condite!” came another shout from behind her.

Hannah must have realized what she was trying to and was providing aid. The Korrei-Tarr had been ready for Arisa’s ropes, but not Hannah’s, and so, while he was able to swing and sever hers, the other woman’s managed to wrap around his right arm, yanking it backwards. Arisa was ready for the opportunity. As she landed on the road just behind him, she sent more ropes toward his left arm before he knew what was happening.

“No!” the man shouted, pulling against the ropes with all his might, but he wasn’t fast enough.

Not letting the chance go to waist, Hannah sprung forward and, without hesitation, drove the point of her blade straight through the back of his neck, and sliced it open in one swift strike.

***

With their hoods back up and distortion magic concealing them, Hannah and Arisa darted across the rooftops of the city and headed back in the direction of the Erikan slums. They didn’t know whether the Korrei-Tarr had been the only one watching over the wagon, so they wanted to get back to Tylo and Irin as fast as they could. Once they were out of the main neighborhoods and into the grimier streets, the two women dropped down to the old, worn-down road and pressed forward. As always, Arisa felt a sense of anger as she regarded her surroundings. There were people huddled together in tattered cloaks, their eyes down and their bodies shaking. The buildings were covered in graffiti with most of their windows smashed and Arisa knew that if she looked inside, most of them would be looted. It was a place long forgotten by the Ijirian government. They didn’t care what the fates of the poor of the slums suffered through. As long as they weren’t causing trouble for them, Ijiria ignored their struggles.

After all, why would the people living at the top of the Citadel care about anybody way down here?

Since they were still stuck in the city, Arisa and the others had been trying to do what they could to help the people who lived there. When they stole food for themselves, they made sure to grab enough to give to those in need. They’d done the same with the healing herbs they stole. She knew they couldn’t help everybody, but the way Arisa saw it, if they all died before they could escape Erika, then at least they would have first done some good.

The slums had always been her home, for better or for worse. It was there that Abigail Reiner’s orphanage was located, and their mother often did her best to provide aid and support to the people who took refuge on these streets. She took orphaned children in, provided her healing magic to the sick, fed as many as she could. It was the actions of her mother that made Arisa want to follow in her footsteps.

I want to believe I survived for a reason. I want to make sure that I wasn’t broken free from that cell only to die a couple months later without ever having done anything. No matter what happens, I want my life to have had a purpose.

She and Hannah continued down the street, their footsteps causing anybody around them to glance their way in confusion since their magic still concealed them. Yet, those who noticed then pretended not to and continued on their way. Arisa smiled, grateful that nobody had yet to try and turn them over to the Ijirians. She knew whispers had spread among the denizens of the slums that they were hiding out there, and Hannah feared that somebody would eventually turn them in, but Arisa had faith in her people.

They would never turn over Children of Reiner to the Citadel.

Finally, she and Hannah came to a stop just outside of an old, two-story house. Its windows were cracked and the stonework was chipped and old. Parts of the roof had fallen off and were laying on the street, while the door looked like it would fall apart with just a light tap. However, Arisa knew that despite appearances, it was a relatively safe place now that she and the others had put up some protective charms. They were constantly on the move from hideout to hideout and this old house was just their most recent spot, though she didn’t plan to be there for too long. Since they were suspected of taking refuge in the slums, patrols of guards were hardly uncommon, and they had made their fair share of close escapes just in the past month alone. Arisa walked up to the door first and knocked softly against it while Hannah scanned the road for anybody that might be watching.

“Who is it?” came a harsh whisper from the other side.

Arisa smirked. “The breadman. I’ve brought the cake you requested.”

“With chocolate sprinkles?”

“No, we were out so I replaced them with pepper flakes.”

With their code phrases complete, the door slowly opened and Lyla hurriedly beckoned for them to come inside. Both Hannah and Arisa slid through the door and closed it behind them, and it was only when they were safely inside that they let their distortions fall.

“I honestly don’t understand why we have to say those weird phrases,” Lyla murmured with a grimace.

“It’s just to be on the safe side,” Hannah replied. “You know that.”

The girl sighed. “Yeah, I know that. But why do they have to be so weird? What kind of psycho puts pepper flakes on a cake? And for that matter, who buys a cake from the breadman?”

Hannah chuckled and shrugged. “The weirder it is, the harder it is to guess, right?”

“I suppose so…”

Arisa chuckled at their exchange as the three of them headed further into the house before stepping into the main sitting room. It was there that she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Tylo and Irin sitting in the back corner of the room, a pile of swords, gemstones, and armor laid out in front of them. Beside them, Ardan was excitedly examining a small red stone. Despite all of the chaos of that day, Arisa couldn’t help but stop and smile at the sight before her. After all of those days spent in the dungeons of the Citadel, she still hadn’t gotten used to being surrounded by her fellow Children again. All four of them had removed their cloaks, giving her a good look at their faces and their childlike expressions as they admired their spoils.

Irin Vixal was young, around seventeen years old, with pitch black hair that she had tied back in a braid, and brown eyes that were narrow and calming. Beside her was Tylo Tannalo, who was about five years older than her, with broad shoulders and dark hair, and his cheerful smile used to be regarded as one of the most charming smiles among the Children. After they’d first escaped the Citadel, Arisa had rarely seen it, but in recent days, his old personality had been peeking back out. The twins, Ardan and Lyla Tessir, were both Noranian, like Hannah, so they had darker skin and the same yellow eyes that she had. Ardan’s black hair normally fell down to his shoulders, but he had been keeping it tied back in recent days. As for Lyla, hers was in a pixie cut that naturally flowed to the left of her head, coming down just above her ear.

Arisa proceeded further into the room, which was devoid of any furniture, much like the other buildings in the slums, leaving only the floor to sit on. With most of the windows broken, they always made sure they had distortion spells blocking them so that if anybody happened to peek inside, they wouldn’t be seen.

Upon their entrance, Tylo looked up and grinned. “Oh good. You guys didn’t die.”

Arisa snorted. “Of course we didn't die! You honestly think we’d let ourselves be beaten by one dude?”

“Not really,” he replied, his attention already returning to his loot. “But then again, for all I know, ten other dudes could have shown up after we left! Not sure what you would have done then.”

“Probably run, to be honest,” Arisa stated. “But anyway, we don’t have to worry about him. Hannah was able to kill him, so we left his body laying in the street as a nice little gift to whatever bastards try to come after us.” She smiled confidently. “Now, what’d the two of you do with the wagon?”

The moment she asked the question, both Tylo and Irin grinned mischievously.

“Oh, nothing too fancy,” Irin said. “We found this really fancy looking inferno stone in one of the boxes, so I just loaded it up with as much mana as I could fit inside it and just left it there. So, whatever poor souls find that thing will most likely be met with a nice and warm welcome.”

The girl winked and leaned back against the wall, clearly proud of herself. Inferno stones were little gemstones often used by fire mages. When infused with the right amount of mana, they would explode with the slightest touch. If Irin truly filled one of those stones to the brim, then whatever guards happened to find the wagon and move that gem even a little would be incinerated on the spot, as would anybody else within twenty feet of the thing.

“And luckily, there were plenty others,” Ardan announced, holding the red stone in his hand up so they could see. “We’ve got about three of them, so if we make them count, I’m sure we could at least bust a few things up next time we attack the gates.”

Hannah nodded. “Good. And what else do we have?”

Tylo shrugged as he sifted through the few sheathed daggers and swords before him. “Nothing too crazy, but it’ll be better if we’re armed. Irin and I snagged five swords and six daggers so we’ve got something for all of us.”

“Perfect,” Arisa said. “And the gems?”

Irin smirked. “Still checking. We took at least one of each color, but to be honest, I don’t know what they all do. It might take a bit of trial and error.”

“That’s fine. Good job guys,” she replied with a smile. “I’d say this was a success. And we were even able to take down one of the Korrei-Tarr so…”

“The Citadel is going to be pissed,” Lyla said with a cocky laugh.

“Exactly!”

Despite their still grim circumstances, there was a sense of victory in the room. In one day, they managed to both take down the wagon and kill a Korrei-Tarr, increasing the possibility that they could soon escape the city. Arisa wasn’t sure what they would do once they were free, but at the very least, she intended to try and track down Malt Territh and the other Children that decided against the Citadel raid and see if they were safe. After that, it would depend. She wanted to keep fighting Ijiria, but she knew that with the Children of Reiner mostly dead, they would no longer have the force to do much. It was probably smarter to escape up north into Trovia and go into hiding, yet part of her had a feeling she would never truly be able to put Ijiria behind her. She would never be able to forget how they stole Abigail Reiner from them and how Seiras Ka and Nakoma Taurus tortured them.

And even if we decided to go into hiding, Ijiria won’t ever stop looking for us. I’m a guide, and Hannah killed a Master. And I’m certain they’ll figure out that I gave guideship to Hannah and the others. They’ll know that all of us are huge threats…so they’ll stop at nothing to kill us.

Arisa sighed, then glanced over to where Hannah was leaning against the wall, gazing out the window. It was obvious what she was thinking about.

Ryokumo Caeli… Hannah trusts him with her life…and he spared hers. I doubt the Master of Wind would risk himself for us any more than he already has…but I can’t help but wonder…