The last in the throuple, Galen, shook his head. “Indeed,” he said in a patronizing tone as he stepped forward. “My magic allows me to hear things from a distance. Imagine my surprise when your companions told you about the prince.”

Iris let out an exaggerated sigh. “Ah, so you do work with a terrorist. Good to know,” she said offhandedly as if she were completely unconcerned.

The soft thud of Tanith’s boots hit the ground behind her, and she glanced back, seeing the man with his sword out and holding her helmet.

“Here,” he said, tossing her the helm.

She smiled and caught it. “Thanks,” she said before turning back to the terrans and lifting a finger. “One second, I’m probably going to need this.”

Eira growled, which elicited an angry neigh from Mocha.

Yeah, I’d love to see her try too, girl.

Quickly placing the helmet on, she almost laughed that they actually let her. Settling the visor in place, she nodded. “Okay, I’m good.”

Erick sighed. “You know that we can’t let you go,” the man said with a shake of his head. “You have one chance here, Iris. This world is fucked. It’s filled with people who don’t give two shits, who want to keep the world living in squalor. I don’t think you realize how rare magic is. Don’t let your life go to waste for these… elves.”

She almost believed he felt regret at needing to potentially kill her.

Iris remained unmoved by Erick's little speech, her eyes cold and unyielding. “I won't be swayed by your words, Erick,” she said. “Using magic for nefarious purposes is not something I will ever condone, no matter how rare it may be. And I certainly won't abandon my morals for the sake of a few coins and a misguided cause.”

The man scoffed and gestured the armored men forward. They lined up, lowering their spears, and took a step toward the wagon.

“I tried,” Erick said with a shrug.

Mocha did not like that. Her horse reared up and let out a high-pitched, piercing squeal. The sound startled the armed men, causing them to take a step back. Iris took advantage of the momentary distraction to step closer to Tanith and draw her sword.

She channeled her [Arcane Capability], despite still feeling the effects of her [Rushing Wind].

Mocha took a few charging steps at the five men before stopping and snorting at the group. The spear wielders seemed wary of her steed, and rightly so. She’d bet on Mocha in that fight.

“It’s just a stupid horse. You have spears!” Eira shouted.

Iris narrowed her eyes. “Do not call my horse stupid. That’s strike one.”

“What are you going to do, bitch?” The woman sneered. She turned to Erick. “Clearly she’s a lost cause, let’s be done with her and move on. The prince will want us to investigate the harpies she warned the village about.”

That made Iris raise a brow. Why would the bandits want to investigate the harpies too?

Erick sighed. “My sister is right. Last chance, Iris. We can put this all behind us.” He gestured to the river. “Water under the bridge and all that.”

One of the armed men darted forward and jabbed his spear at Mocha. Her horse dodged to the side, snapped at the spear with her teeth, and ripped it from the man’s hands. He let out a cry of surprise followed by pain as Mocha swung it at him, breaking it against his arm, and causing him to fall.

Iris’s [Danger Sense] went off.

She turned just in time to see Eira throw what looked like a handful of fire at Mocha. Her horse saw it at the last second but wasn’t able to get away before the spell hit her in the shoulder. Mocha let out a squeal of pain as the fire burst against her.

Iris's heart raced as she watched Mocha suffer from the unexpected attack. She quickly focused her magic and rushed forward to defend her companion, feeling the anger and determination coursing through her body. She was not going to let anyone hurt her horse or get away with such a cowardly attack.

She looked over at Tanith. “Get the healing goop! Help Mocha, I’ll handle them.”

He took one look at her before nodding and rushing to help her friend.

Iris pulled in every bit of mana that she could, letting [Storm Armor] settle into her, and channeled [Mana Conduit] into her sword before switching it to her right hand.

She turned and faced the people arrayed against her.

“Time’s up. It was unfortunate that your horse had to be made an example of, but it’s just a beast. We have plenty more if you join us,” Erick said.

Her fingers curled into tight fists, nails digging into her palm and the others into the hilt of her sword as she fought to control her anger.

“I was willing to let you go without a fight, but then you hurt my best friend,” Iris ground out, lightning crackling around her as the smell of ozone filled the air. She saw their hair start to stand on end.

Making new spells had always been about trials and tribulations for Iris. Moments of desperation and need. This definitely qualified. She needed to help her injured friend, and these people needed to be punished.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

[Arcane Capability] and mana surged through Iris even as [Storm Armor] sent lightning cracks around her. She prepared a spell, altering it, enhancing its strength.

Eira’s eyes narrowed and her hands burst into flames. Pitiful flames.

She glared at the terrans standing there, the group overconfident in their numbers. “You obviously know who Thor is,” She sneered, [Focus] settling into her. “Here? I'm the closest thing to the goddess of thunder, bitch.”

Her hand shot up and an overcharged [Chain Lightning] lashed out, altered to concentrate on a single target. The blast hit Eira with her stupid robes right in her unarmored chest. Before the blonde mage even fell, a hole bored through her chest, mana and magic bent to Iris’s will and she stepped. She felt herself transform into lightning, and surge toward where she wanted, arcs of superheated energy shooting out from her form as she moved. She arrived in a burst of electricity and instantly struck with her sword using [Arc Lash]. Galen tried to get his sword up in time, but the man was just so slow. He barely registered what was coming just as her blade sliced right through his throat. Hesitation killed. She raised a hand and fired a [Spark] point-blank at Erick. The man managed to get his shield up, but then she was there. She bashed her sword into his shield three times before his knee buckled.

The armored men sprang into action, charging at Iris with weapons at the ready. The man that had fallen to Mocha’s attack lagged behind but held a sword as he joined his comrades.

She cast her [Arcane Torrent] and a flurry of slivers of pure energy launched out like miniature homing missiles, causing the men to cower behind their shields as the deceptively small spells burst against them in a cacophony of power.

Without hesitation, she unleashed her [Static Discharge] spell by altering a flurry of [Sparks], channeling her mana to fire bolts of piercing electricity that connected with the first man, and shot out two more crackling balls of lightning with each hit. With a flick of her wrist, [Chain Lightning] followed, releasing a spray of lightning that surged through the five attackers. The men's armor glowed and smoked as they fell to the ground, dead before they even knew what hit them. Iris spun around, scanning the area for Erick, but the man was already making a hasty retreat.

She narrowed her eyes and used [Lightning Step], her form shifted and surged toward the man, emerging in a crouch right in front of him with bolts of electricity arcing from her to the ground.

Erick stumbled backward, a look of fear on his face as he scrambled to draw his weapon. But Iris was already upon him, delivering blow after blow to the man’s face that sent him reeling. He fell to the ground, and instantly tried to scramble away.

She took a deep breath and surveyed the area. Everyone else was dead except the large telv man who she could see fleeing in the distance. He would probably warn the Marauder Prince about what happened, but for now, she couldn’t care less.

Iris looked down at the blonde terran, the man's eyes wide. “Erick, Erick, Erick… I have it on good authority that banditry’s something that gets you sentenced to death. Give Relena my regards.”

He opened his mouth, but he never got to finish what he was going to say. She flicked her wrist again, firing a [Chain Lightning].

Erick’s body collapsed in a smoking heap.

She sheathed her sword and walked back over to where Mocha was waiting, lifting the visor of her helmet and patting the mare soothingly. She remained quiet as she watched Tanith work, the man liberally applying the healing poultice to the burns.

As Tanith rubbed the poultice into Mocha's burns, the mare let out soft whines, her nostrils flaring with discomfort. She shook her head a few times, trying to relieve the pain, but Tanith's gentle touch kept her from getting too agitated. The whines became more and more subdued as the poultice took effect and the pain subsided. Eventually, Mocha's breathing slowed and she stood still, seemingly at ease once more.

“Thank you,” Iris said softly to the man, her voice filled with emotion.

Tanith nodded. “I’m going to check on Sera, then we should leave.”

Iris looked around. “We should gather what gear we can. I’m sure Sera can sell it.”

The man paused and scanned the area. “I agree.”

As he walked away, Iris moved to look Mocha in the eye. She could see the pain still lingering in the horse's expression, despite the healing poultice applied by Tanith. Iris reached out a hand and gently stroked Mocha's mane, trying to reassure the animal that she was there and everything would be alright.

Mocha let out a soft whinny and nuzzled her head against Iris's chest as if seeking comfort. Iris wrapped her arms around the mare's neck and held her close, feeling the warmth of the animal's body and the softness of her fur.

“Shh, you did good, girl. You used that spear like a pro!”

Her horse blew out some air and grunted.

“I'm sorry you got hurt. Can you walk with us? I'll ride on the wagon again,” Iris asked Mocha, her voice filled with concern.

Her friend lifted and stretched the leg of the shoulder that was hit, seeming to consider the question. After taking a few more steps, she turned around and nodded a few times toward Iris, indicating she was okay.

“Alright, then let me start gathering all of this stuff. Rest until we have to leave,” Iris said, looking at Mocha.

The horse made no complaint.

✦ ✦ ✦

As the wagon approached the top of the hill, the sprawling city of Brightburn came into view, stretching out amongst the hills that made up the region. They had traveled all night, with Tanith and Iris taking turns driving the wagon with only oil lamps as their lumination in the cloudy night.

Despite the hazards of traveling in a wooden wagon at night, the fear of more bandits attacking had sucked out any desire of stopping for the night after the battle of the bridge.

Just seeing the city had both her and Tanith sighing in relief.

And it was a sight alright. The early morning sun was just beginning to rise, casting a warm glow over the city and illuminating the tops of the tallest buildings. From this distance, Iris could see the towering spires of the castle in the center of the city, rising above the rest of the buildings like a beacon.

The city walls could be seen as well, tall and imposing, made of dark grey stone and lined with small figures, only visible by their glinting armor, patrolling the battlements. The walls encircled the entire city, creating a barrier against the outside world. Beyond the walls, the city was a sea of rooftops, each one sloping at a slightly different angle and made of a different material.

In the distance, she could see the fields and farms that surrounded the city, patches of green and gold that stretched out to the horizon. Smoke rose from chimneys of the houses both within the walls and the small farmhouses outside of it, and she could see the glittering surface of a nearby river that snaked its way toward the city.

As the wagon continued toward the city gates, Iris couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sight before her. Brightburn was a city unlike any other she had seen, and she couldn't wait to explore its streets and find the best place to set up the new guild.

But first, they needed to complete the contract, alert the Guard about the Marauder Prince and his bandits, and then meet the lady of the city to request aid for Stilstead, while informing her of the harpy threat.

All in a day’s work for an Adventurer.