Edgar flexed his claws, and the Key readied another tattoo-skill as the unseen foe drifted down from the rafters, floating on the magic of some skill, tendrils of darkness extending from their feet, and another wicked knife in their hands. By the contours of their body, Edgar presumed they were a woman.

Eyes scowled at him over a mask of silver with a long, warted nose and silver hair rippled from underneath a black mage’s hat. She was shorter than him and looked younger, although he was realizing that in this world, people could be much older than they looked. She also had pointy ears, maybe an elf or a drow.

“Why are you following me?” Edgar asked, shuffling behind the Key.

“They say you are the Prince, and yet you cower behind another.” She grumbled to herself, looking him over and finding him lacking. “Why have a Prince, when we could have something better… I’ll show those hags…”

Prince? What the hell is she talking about?

“What do you mean, Prince?” Edgar asked, flexing his claws at the tone of her voice and readying himself for a fight. “Who are you?”

The Key’s eyes flaring with a new magic.

“I’m Briar-” The witch blanched, clapping her hand over her mouth. “Truth speech?”

She threw her knife at Monte, who stumbled backwards to avoid it, tripped, and fell to the ground. Edgar groaned, but the woman rushed him, producing a wand from inside her sleeve, and Edgar felt the hairs on the back of his neck go up as [Monstrous Awareness] kicked in.

Move!

With [Shadow Step], he slipped into a shadow behind the woman just before her wand unleashed a bolt of black-purple lightning that vaporized a chunk of the wall. Roof tiles clattered to the ground, and the building creaked like an old ship but held. Edgar could hear shocked yelling from the neighboring buildings.

“There are people all around us! What are you thinking? This is a town. You can’t just blow things up!” Edgar yelled.

“Then give me your head and I’ll be on my way!” She whirled, wand held high, and a wave of black sludge surged towards Edgar, coating the floor and his feet in an instant. He tried to run, but his feet were heavy with the stuff.

Condition: [Sludged]

* Creatures affected by this condition have their agility lowered to 20% and cannot move by magic, skills, or abilities.

* The effect wears off after ten seconds, once the creature is no longer standing in sludge.

Edgar reached into his core, finding [Shadow Step] cold and inert, although [Hot Foot] was still warm and ready.

I’m gonna need some ranged combat options to keep up with Mirai. The mage has me feeling like I’m on the ropes after one skill.

The woman flexed her hands and another black-purple blade appeared there, glittering in the low light. Edgar fed fifty percent of his mana to [Hot Foot], which increased his speed just enough to step out of the way of her dagger.

He walked towards the edge of the sludge, with the [Sludged] condition like a great weight attached to each foot. The Key was on his feet again, touching tattoos to surround himself in a golden barrier and conjure blades of various elements, throwing everything he had at the mage, but she blocked it all, disappearing behind a sphere of black energy. As Edgar glanced over, he saw that the man’s tattooed arms were looking bare. His garment was now thrown open at the top, so he could access tattoos on his chest.

Edgar strained, reaching the edge of the sludge and pushing beyond. He started running towards the black bubble, claws drawn, and with every second that passed, his agility and speed increased. He leapt at the sphere, combining [Dark Strike] and [Tail Whip], and struck the bubble. The mage’s shield cracked, but didn’t yield, and Edgar jumped back. However, the cracks spread and the shield broke.

“You’re a fraud!” She shouted. “Just die!”

Edgar was at about thirty percent mana and this wasn’t just some training round with Raiden—this mage wanted him dead. He could see crackling black energy forming at the tip of her wand again.

He had enough mana for one last combo. Hopefully, it would be enough. As the mage released the beam of lightning, he absorbed into the shadows around him and reappeared just behind her, wisps of dark energy surrounding his claws. [Dark Strike]. He sliced at her unprotected back, landing a heavy blow. She staggered forward and spun. With a flick of her wand, Edgar felt a force slam into his gut and launch him backward into the wall.

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As he slid to the ground, his health settled at about seventy percent, and he smiled, sensing that he had hit her harder.

She spat blood on the ground, leaning heavily to one side. She pointed her wand at the ground and large black vines erupted outward, rapidly filling the space. They twisted around Edgar and squeezed the Key’s protective bubble. One vine close to the mage curled around her and sprouted a giant red rose.

Edgar’s health ticked down and he could almost see his vitality traveling along the branches to the flower, which glowed with light—healing her. He sliced away the branches with his claws, but the nubs regrew like the heads of a hydra, keeping him pinned.

“I’ve toyed with you enough. Just be a good boy and—”

At that moment, a figure leapt through the busted wall, wielding a sword glistening white, so cold it left a steaming trail behind it.

“Klein!” Edgar coughed, the vines squeezing tighter at the sound of his voice, and another tick of health disappeared.

Klein wasted no time, and vines fell to the floor in vast swaths, leaving frozen nubs that couldn’t regenerate.

The woman yowled in frustration, reaching into her satchel and removing a stone.

“Damn it all.” She said, tapping the stone with her wand. “I’ll see you again soon!”

Edgar sensed she was using magic to flee. “Where? Why are you doing this?”

The witch’s eyes widened as the magic compelled her to speak. “In the Woods of Yor! Our order, the Sisters of—”

She poked her face with her wand and a band of dark magic tightened around her mouth, sealing her speech. Then, the stone exploded with dark magic, surrounding the woman in the black-purple light of a rift that formed around her. Klein roared, sending a crescent of ice slicing through the tangle of vines, but the rift winked away before the strike reached it.

The vines slumped after the woman departed, cut off from her magic, and as Edgar cut himself free, they fell to the ground.

The Key weaved through the vines. “Pharaoh’s beard. A rift stone?”

Several colors flashed in the Key’s eyes as they flipped through perception skills, staring at the spot the woman had disappeared from.

“Thanks Klein!” Edgar called over to Klein, who nodded.

“It was hard to find you, until the explosion, anyway. That made it rather easy.”

Edgar smiled. Klein sheathed his sword. “I’ll keep an eye outside in case she wasn’t alone.”

“What’s a rift stone?” Edgar asked, turning to hack vines out of his way and reach the Key.

“A means of travel that is untraceable.” The Key said, releasing all their perception skills, defeat on their face.

The Key sighed, climbing through the tangle of branches over towards the stove, and one last skill flashed in their eyes. “Are you hungry?”

It certainly smelled good, but Edgar shook his head. The Key’s lack of fear was astounding. “Is that a good idea? That mage, Briar, is bad news. What if there are poisons in there you can’t see? Like, high-level ones or something?”

The Key spooned soup into a bowl and began to blow on it, walking around the room, examining the mundane things in the room on the wall and floor, although the tangle of vines made it difficult. “Unlikely. Besides… I’m hungry”

The Key heaved, a great hacking cough that sent Edgar rushing over, but the Key waved him off.

He began the quiet whisper again that was carried to his ears by magic. “My voice is just… tired.”

“Should we head back? Maybe some rest will help.” Edgar glanced around the room, taking in all the vines and damage to the building. “I don’t think we’re going to learn anything else tonight.”

The Key regretfully agreed and began squeezing through the vines towards the door. They emerged into the street to find Klein speaking with the guard captain from the Adventurers Guild. The captain waved them over, but Edgar paused, turning to the Key.

“What’s your name? Mine’s Ed and I’m glad you noticed the mage and offered your help. We might not have noticed until it was too late. She was strong.”

“Monte.” He whispered, smiling. “You could say that is my job, noticing things.”

They shook hands.

Edgar smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Any interest in joining our party? If I remember correctly, the Woods of Yor is on our way to Central.”

The Key sighed, glancing at his plain torso and arms. “As much as I would like to, I need to refresh my tattoos and report back on what I’ve learned, but I hope to see you again.”

The Key flinched, mumbling to themselves. “Agh, and a replacement will need to be sent. The leaders aren’t going to be happy.”

He examined the back of his calf and tapped one of several small bird tattoos. With a gesture, a crow appeared on his upheld arm.

He whispered to it for a moment, and then it flew off.

“Let’s hope they are in a good mood when my crow arrives.”

Edgar smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, if I were stronger, you wouldn’t have had to use all your tattoos. I know Keys aren’t meant to fight.”

“It was worth it.” The Key smiled. “This order, the Sisters of… something, and this agent Briar. The silver masks. This feels important, the inkling of a threat.”

~~~~~

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