“You sure you want to do this?” Finn Callahan, Knight-Defender of Blackwood, looked at his sister. Esther scrunched her nose in that exact same way she always did when she was about to tell him, in no certain terms, where he could shove it.
The brother and sister pair were crouched by the outlook rocks, an outcrop of mossy-covered boulders in the depths of the North Woods a few hours out from Blackwood. The outlook was one of the wilder trails of the small proto-city and rising Realm of Blackwood, and the furthest out that Finn would have normally let any untested scout or ranger go.
But you are nothing if not insistent, aren’t you, Es? Finn sighed. His sister had always been . . . adventurous.
The sun was high in the blue sky, and from their vantage point, they could see the gold and green display of the North Woods, reaching from there all the way to Wild Ridge and back to the walled city of Blackwood.
Double-walled now, Finn thought as he cast a proud look back the way they’d come. Blackwood had been literally ripped from one of the other assimilated worlds, Tierra, and its central space still looked like an old town market from that world. Further out, though, the different quarters had taken on their different qualities. The Lamakai had built with stone toward the river, creating a decidedly serpentine, alien neighborhood. The humans from Earth and human-like Tierrans preferred their wooden huts, while the elf-like Verdainians had stone halls and preferred their underground vaults…
Finn couldn’t help but notice that the Verdainian people looked like elves from Earth fantasy novels but seemed to possess many of the traits of mythical dwarves.
A stout wooden palisade wall surrounded the inner city, and after that were more small neighborhoods of houses, warehouses, and market gardens. Blackwood had been swelling with newcomers in the past few months as more survivors from the assimilation eventually found their way either to there or to their much bigger sister city of Malvas to the northwest. Around that was the second wall, which was barely up to Finn’s sternum in most parts, but it had a good ditch beyond, kind of like a dry moat. It did well against the occasional beasts that the Celestial Engines sent against them.
Which was why they were scouting. There had been reports of a band of the trolls nearby, and that could mean trouble.
“You’re not paying attention. Over there, see?” Esther sighed in a way that told the world exactly how boring brothers could be.
Finn looked, and for a moment only saw the moss, ground ivy, and thick trees…
There. His sister had been right. There was a place where the ivy was more flattened, the stems more broken than they normally should be. When Finn took a step closer, he saw something gleaming in the undergrowth.
“A troll buckle,” he said, picking it up and recognizing the rough-cast, large belt or weapon strap buckle that the imposing, seven-foot-tall brutes wore. It even had a few rudimentary scratch marks and swirls that was their angular, fang-like language.
Concern flooded him at once.
“Right. That’s it. We’re getting you home now. Goreth can—” Finn began.
“Oh, shut up! You said yourself I need the experience, right?” Esther stuck out her chin defiantly. “I, like, need to ‘level up,’ right? After spending who knows how many months larping a frozen Han Solo…” She was rolling her eyes as she reached for the solid Blackwood staff at her side.
She wasn’t listening to him. She never listened.
And that’s why she was always in trouble! Finn complained internally.
“Esther, come on! It’s not just your level! It’s your path!” He tried to explain for the umpteenth time.
She needs an Ascension Path. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, even Time or Shadow or whatever other weird one there is out there. Anything but—
Their argument was interrupted by a piercing whistle made by the same piece of bone and reed that all scouts and rangers from Blackwood were given.
“Goreth! We need to go!” Finn hissed, sprinting away from the outlook rocks and plunging into the dark woods. His feet had only taken him twenty or more paces when he heard a grunting, roaring sound and the rush of heavy feet.
“Finn, I’m coming!” Esther cried out, tumbling and charging behind him, despite the fact that her level was far lower than his.
“Esther, stay back!” Finn shouted.
Then, there was a roar, and creatures burst through the trees.
> You are challenged by 3 Trollish Advanced Scouts
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The creatures were trolls, that much was for sure, but they were unlike any trolls that Finn had fought so far.
They still had the gray-and-green mottled skin, the large frames banded with muscle, the talons, and heavy jawlines filled with sharp teeth, but each one was sat upon what Finn could only describe as a mutant boar.
The boar-creatures were almost the size of a small pony, with tusks as long as Finn’s forearm, and thick, brindle fur. A bare cross of leather straps on their backs was all that each troll hung onto with one hand while the other bore their weapons.
“Esther, look out!” Finn shouted as the first, fastest troll threw their short spear with deadly force. Finn saw it flash through the air, heard the whistle of wind as it sought out his sister…
Esther had already leaped to one side, hitting the forest floor and rolling in a spray of leaf litter as the spear embedded itself into a tree.
Finn ignored the other two boar-riders coming for him as he leaped to his sister’s defense. Spectral flames rippled across his body, springing into existence and surging down his arms as he thrust a hand out toward Esther.
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> Finn Callahan
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> Ascension Path: Fire
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> Shield +1 Armor per 20 Mana
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> Shield +10 Defense (200 Mana)
The red flames leaped the short distance from Finn’s arm to entirely surround Esther in a ball of red light. Finn felt the thump of power run through him as his feet hit the forest floor and he skidded, turning around, one hand reaching for his Pyrrhic Blade.
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> You have been struck by the Level 15 Trollish Scout for 55 Health Points of damage.
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Something crashed into Finn, and he was flung through the air as the giant, mutant boar hit him. He felt a moment of weightlessness, saw the disorientating flash of leaves and flickered light.
Smash!
He hit the ground and slid through the leaves.
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> You have been struck by the Ground for 15 Health Points of damage.
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Esther! Where is Es!?
Finn scrambled to his feet just in time to hear a thundering sound as another boar-riding troll burst through the leaf litter and swung their notched scimitar straight at him.
Frack!
Even surprised, Finn managed to spin out of the way—but just barely. The boar-rider skidded past, their blade whistling through the space where he had been.
Finn’s hands were on the pommel of his blade, drawing it as he saw the boar skid further through the forest, their little legs struggling and stamping as they turned, ready for another charge.
“Esther!” Finn shouted as he felt the magic of his blade—his reward from the Order of Celestial Grace—burst into life. The Pyrrhic Blade looked like a shard of steel, serrated on one edge, and cast so that its eerie, blue steel appeared more like a flash of lightning than any straight blade. As soon as it was in Finn’s hand, he felt it answer his call. Flames rippled across its surface.
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> The Pyrrhic Blade
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> +5 STR, +2 Armor
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> Fire-based attacks gain +10% strength.
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> Can cast ‘Fire-Bolt’ at a cost of 50 Mana.
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“Esther! Stay back!” Finn shouted as he took out the troll charging at him with one leaping strike. It was a simple blow, deadly fast, and flaring with a plume of flame behind it.
Finn Callahan, Level 24 and Knight-Defender of Blackwood, was good at what he did.
The troll rider was struck from his mutant steed and almost split in two as his boar kicked and squealed in panic. Without its rider, the creature snorted once and surged into the woods.
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> You have defeated the Level 15 Trollish Scout. Experience awarded.
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Behind Finn, there were more grunts and cries. He spun around and saw that the other two trolls had cornered his sister. She had climbed the first few branches of a tree and was trying to thwart their laughing, lunging attacks with her staff.
As Finn ran to save her, one of the trolls jumped off their strange beast and sunk their blackened claws onto the lower trunk, cruelly laughing even as Esther’s blows hammered across his back and did nothing.
His sister hadn’t been able to advance the way that he and the others had since the New Zone had been assimilated. She’d been kidnapped by the Qlippothi as soon as the Asai decided to seize Old Earth and add it to their murderous challenge. Finn didn’t know what advancement level his sister was at, because every time he scanned her, all he saw was her name and nothing else—not like when he inspected anyone else.
But Finn was sure that she wasn’t advanced enough to even defeat a Level 15 Troll.
“Aargh! Finn!”
There was a shout from behind him as Finn jumped toward his sister.
Goreth. It has to be Goreth!
He spared a look behind him to see that the large, bald, black-bearded Guard Captain of Blackwood was busy swinging his double-headed axe back and forth. He too was cornered by more of the boar-riding trolls. Blood flowed freely from one shoulder, where they had already managed to stab him with their spears.
As loyal as he was, Finn was always going to be more loyal to his sister. She was his only family. She was vulnerable. He had looked after her ever since he was little…
And Goreth is far more capable of taking care of himself then Esther!
Finn spun back toward his sister, just in time to see a sudden flash of lurid green energy.
It was coming from Esther’s hands.
What!?
It was the same power she had displayed against Kano, Finn’s sworn Adversary—and Esther’s ex-boyfriend—in the Celestial Engines.
Esther’s lips pulled back into a feral snarl as she reached down from her perch and slapped her hands around the climbing troll’s head. Green energy burst from her palms.
The troll gave a shrill scream of agony as Esther held on for a long moment before letting go. She leaned back to catch her balance, and the troll plummeted to the forest floor, his face scorched black.
What the hell power IS that!? Finn skidded to a halt, his heart thumping in his throat as he watched in horror as his sister turned her attention to the second boar-rider, flinging out a hand and pointing at him. More of that green power burst from her fingertip, and this time, it spat across the distance between her and her target, growing in force and strength until it engulfed the stunned, terrified troll.
The troll didn’t stand a chance. The green flames blew him from his steed and appeared to stick to his flesh as he writhed and howled in agony. Thankfully, the damage was great, and the agony was short.
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> The Trollish Incursion has been defeated. Experience awarded.
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> As Realm Founder, you receive an extra 15% of the total experience gained when your realm succeeds.
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Finn ignored the upgrades and boosts that appeared across his inner vision as his eyes were fixed on his sister.
“Esther!” Finn cried out. His sister appeared to be in some kind of a trance as the green light leaped back up into her arms, racing along her form. Her head snapped toward him, and Finn could see that her eyes were glowing with that green fire. He watched in horror as her mouth again twisted in an angry scowl, and she raised a flame-filled hand toward him...
“Sister, stop it!” Finn gasped. He was certain she was going to fire that same deadly energy straight at him. “Esther, it’s me! Finn!”
Esther blinked abruptly and shook her head. The green flames winked out in her eyes and off her hands just before she moaned softly and fainted. She fell from the tree and landed heavily on the forest floor.
“Esther!” Finn cried out in shock, running forward to crouch beside her. He turned her over to see that she was out cold. She’d probably been unconscious before she even hit the ground.
“Finn!” There was a low grunt of alarm as he looked up to see Goreth limping toward him, holding his wounded arm across his chest as his other held his massive war axe, dragging it through the leaf mold behind him. He looked exhausted. He looked lucky to be alive, Finn thought. He saw the bodies of the two trolls and their steeds dead on the ground behind him.
“Goreth, thank the stars you’re okay. My sister…” Finn began, gently putting his hands under her back and knees, using his 53 Strength to lift her easily.
She was so light. Esther had always been slight, but this was ridiculous. Was she unwell? How would she ever survive this dangerous world!?
“We have to get her back to Blackwood. Something is wrong,” Finn said quickly.
He was interrupted by an angry grunt from Goreth. “Damn straight something is wrong.” His tone was full of reproach.
Finn shot a glance at him and saw the Guard Captain glaring at the bodies of the trolls that Esther had killed. His face was a mixture of surprise and horror. For a moment, Finn felt anger surge through him.
How DARE anyone question my sister!?
However, in that same moment, he knew what Goreth must be feeling, because he knew that he felt it too.
Shock. Fear.
The energy that Esther displayed since Finn had broken her from the Qlippothic Realm was unlike anything that any of them had ever seen. She shouldn’t have such power, should she? No one should.
“My sister is ill. I’ve done a whole lot worse defending the ones I love,” Finn muttered angrily, turning toward Blackwood and breaking into a hurried jog.