The tale of the first marathon is a heroic, if tragic, story.

-Quoted from an unnamed bard, weaving tales at a tavern in Pallis

She looked at the map. Something felt off about it. She’d seen maps of her homeland dozens of times throughout her life and staring at this one now, she knew there was something wrong, but she couldn't figure out what…

Rose stumbled backwards, reaching out for support that wasn’t there. She barely stayed on her feet, heart thumping in her ears.

Fairwater Bay was gone from the map.

“Why…” she muttered.

The room had fallen silent, everyone experiencing varying degrees of shock and horror at the realisation of what had occurred. An entire village had been wiped from the map in a single moment.

Rose couldn’t think straight. All she knew was that her parents were there, facing an onslaught from Minenblum.

Her village, everyone she knew. Even Daniel, the smug bastard, he couldn’t be…

She rushed out, past the thick steel door and into the chambers of governance. Her uncle yelled something after her but she didn’t hear it.

The only thing she could think was that she needed to be there. To save whoever she could. To slaughter the bastards who did this.

Her heart pounded, pumping adrenaline through her veins as she ran. All of her skills were being pushed to the limit, but she knew she could do more.

Skill up!

Athletics 11 > 12

Reaching inwards, she pulled on her arcane core. It hummed to life, sending power surging through her body. Thus far she’d only really used it for this purpose—enhancing her physical strength.

It was damn good at it though.

Instantly she felt a wave of raw power fill her muscles. Her speed almost doubled and she staggered as she got used to her new pace. She was racing through the cobbled streets of Greengate.

Skill up!

Athletics 12 > 13

Arcane Resistance 4 > 5

Houses and people whizzed past her in a tangled blur. She heard a few shouts as she passed, but they weren’t of any concern.

Rose only had one purpose right now. To make it to Fairwater Bay—or what was left of it—as fast as possible.

A minute later, the grey and black blur of buildings suddenly vanished, replaced by green and brown. She’d left the city behind.

Skill up!

Arcane Attunement 14 > 15

Athletics 13 > 14

It still wasn’t enough. The journey usually took a week on foot. She wanted to get there in just a few hours, even if it took everything she had.

So she pulled even more power from her core, her muscles screaming as they filled to bursting with arcane energy. She sped up again, triple her original speed.

Skill up!

Arcane Resistance 5 > 6

Endurance 11 > 12

Athletics 14 > 15

She barely noticed the endless splashes as her skills levelled up. All she cared about was keeping herself moving. Her eyes were glued to the pillar of black smoke crawling into the sky, rising from the horizon.

It had grown thicker since it first appeared and they’d seen it from her uncle’s window. She grit her teeth and pushed herself even harder, not caring about the damage she was doing to her body.

Rose knew she could heal later, but she only had one set of parents. They might already be dead, but they might not.

If she made it in time, she could save them from the invaders. Her effort could make the difference between life and death. And not just for her parents.

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She might be able to save any of the villagers who had survived. Though if what her uncle had said was true and a Commodore was leading the invasion, she would be limited in her options.

The difficulty of running suddenly became twice as difficult and she needed to expend more arcane energy with every step. Her breathing grew ragged, even with her lungs empowered by the force of the tide.

Skill up!

Athletics 15 > 16

Arcane Resistance 6 > 7

Arcane Attunement 15 > 16

As she climbed further and further up the mountain, it became almost impossible to maintain the same pace. But she continued to try.

Cresting the summit, she could finally see more than just the ominous pillar of smoke. What she saw didn’t give her much hope.

And it was difficult to see much through the thick clouds of smoke, but most of what could be seen was consumed by flames. The whole village was burning, half of it… gone.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realised that the houses that remained were the ones closer to her home. At least a burning home was escapable. The deep crater of ash and dust was not.

Offering a silent prayer for the souls of the departed, she at least knew they would have a grave they deserved. The sea water was rushing to fill the crater, since half the beach had been blown away by whatever caused such a giant chasm.

Beyond the smoke, perched on the waves, she saw three colossal ships. The flagship was easily the biggest she’d ever seen, with the other two only matched by a few of the larger ships she’d seen in Highbream and Clissolt.

A flash of orange came from the side of the flagship and a few seconds later, an gigantic explosion rocked the coast as the shot landed. A few more houses were turned to rubble in an instant.

Another few seconds after that, a gentle breeze buffeted her. That she could feel the shockwave of the cannons from here meant they must be ridiculously powerful.

However, that knowledge only made her more determined to get there as soon as she could. Rose redoubled her efforts, harsher on herself than she’d ever been.

Skill up!

Endurance 12 > 13

Athletics 16 > 17

The land passed in a blur. She’d long since left the forests behind, marking a third of the journey from Greengate to home. Further than most would walk a day.

Only now did she truly realise quite how much… more… she’d become. This was a superhuman feat of speed and endurance, one that was punishing but frankly not outright insane.

Rose felt she would still have strength left to fight when she arrived. And she hadn’t even tapped into her most precious well of power yet…

But that would remain untouched until she needed it most. That moment hadn’t yet arrived. Muscle fibers snapped and blood vessels burst with every few steps, but her body was keeping pace.

Arcane energy was a good enough replacement for just about anything organic in a pinch. Right now she was using every drop she had.

She passed a few buildings along the way. Farms perhaps, or roadside taverns. Quaint, idyllic places hidden away from the raging storm of the world beyond.

That could’ve been her life.

A shiver ran down her spine. If she’d never run away from home, never met Trent, she might be burning alive right now. A powerless fisherwoman.

Rose had always dreamed of being a pirate for freedom and adventure. It wasn’t until she’d actually ventured into the seas that she realised quite how much power lay out there, ripe for the taking.

And she’d barely scratched the surface. She squeezed even more from her core, feeling a spear of pain lancing through her gut.

She ignored it and pressed on, even as her legs started to creak.

Skill up!

Athletics 17 > 18

Arcane Resistance 7 > 8

Endurance 13 > 14

Arcane Attunement 16 > 17

The wave of splashes almost broke her focus as she narrowly missed sprinting into a tree. There were stars in her eyes, all the blood in her body diverted to her pumping legs, starving her brain.

Rose realised the column of smoke was massive now, almost consuming the entire horizon. She had nearly arrived.

It had barely been ten minutes since she raced out of that room with her uncle. He’d mentioned a rapid response squad of soldiers, led by a Prince? Rose hadn’t spotted many people on the way. Certainly not a group large enough to be what he’d described.

It didn’t really matter. She would take on the fleet alone if necessary. Even if that was a futile battle.

Her goals were important to her, more than almost anything. One of those ‘almosts’ was her parents. She would happily throw herself into danger to save them.

Soon she would have the chance. She felt the terrain sloping upwards once more, letting her know she’d reached the hills around Fairwater Bay. This was where her mother herded doori.

She passed by a few small herds of the scaled bovines, all terrified and unmoving. They were alive at least, which was more than could be said for many of the villagers.

As she crested the hill she saw the small forest by the edge of the village. Just beyond the trees was her home. A deafening roar echoed through the air, shaking the land itself.

Seconds later a shockwave slammed into her, actually slowing her pace a little. Damn, those are some powerful cannons, she thought to herself.

The trees turned into a blur as she darted through the forest, knowing the path like the back of her hand. She saw the flames now and felt the heat of the inferno, having reached the village.

Breaking through the treeline, she was finally close enough to see her home. Just then, another deafening bang shook the world.

Rose gasped, her momentum coming to a devastating end as her legs gave out beneath her. She couldn’t believe what had just happened.