Ignis’ First Firesday of Harvestfall, 1442, Tidebreaker Watch, Silvergale Strand.

The sea creatures, propelled by an unseen force, surged toward Vaelith with unexpected speed; their strange, floating forms wriggled through the air, their slick, wet surfaces gleaming in the sunlight.

Crabs aren’t supposed to move that fast! And don’t get me started on fish out of water! What kind of insane logic is this world running on?

Panic flooded her dracan veins, an icy wave of fear, before her instincts kicked in, overriding the terror. Without a moment’s hesitation, she spun around and ran, the stones of the rocky beach shifting beneath her feet.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she heard the splashing thud of tentacles and fins behind her, closing the distance. She had no time to think—just enough sense to run.

She activated her Sprint ability, gaining some distance from the swarm chasing her.

Soon, a loud explosion, the sound of one of Orion’s Fire Blast, resonated behind her. Still running, Vaelith chanced a look over her shoulder. A cloud of smoke obscured her view, but soon a singed enemy surged out, speeding towards the hooded burrovian at full speed. The rest of the swarm still chased her.

Orion stared in horror at the enemy. “Oh… shit!”

“Careful, dude! I don’t have any threat on any of them!”

Zyra’s warning snapped him back to the situation, and Orion began the long process of chanting another Fire Blast. Vaelith knew the monster would get to him before his spell went off.

This is my fault! I’ve gotta do something!

Recalling the amount of damage their spells dealt from the previous group of enemies, Vaelith stopped running and channelled her Telekinetic Blows spells, targeting the wounded enemy. After the third projectile streaked out of her hands, she interrupted herself.

I think that should do it!

But she could not linger. She turned around, back to running for her life; two enemies were still rushing after her, and they had nearly caught up on her because of her heroic stunt.

I’ll lose them if I just—

The crab-like creature, having finally caught up, slashed at her exposed leg with its sharp pincers and drew blood. Vaelith let out a sharp cry of pain.

Blink! A sharp flick of her wrist and the familiar surge of magic sent her body lurching forward in space, appearing several metres ahead in a sudden burst of light. The familiar crackle of her energy rippled across her skin and scales. She hit the ground hard, the jagged tear in her leg sending a jolt of agony through her as warm blood seeped down her calf. But she stayed upright, her tail whipping for balance. For a moment, relief washed over her—she had outpaced them!

They can’t possibly—

But as she looked up, her hopes shattered. The sea creatures had not given up, and they were speeding after her. The first one—a floating fish with spiked, bony fins and—was almost on her already, hovering unnervingly above the ground. Following just beside, the second skittered on the ground at full speed. Both creatures’ beady eyes glared at her, even more irate after her narrow escape.

“Oh no. Oh, no no no no!”

Another Blink, this time as far as she could push it. The world blurred as she teleported up a small rise. She was wheezing now, more from fear than exertion, her heart hammering in her chest. She could hear Ryssa and Orion’s spells crackling and popping in the distance. They were too far. She was too far.

“Vaelith, what are you doing?” Ryssa’s voice cut through the chaos, but Vaelith was too panicked to listen.

As soon as the cooldown came back, she blinked again. The world spun as the non-stop use of the teleportation spell wore on her. She started feeling light-headed, and her body no longer responded as precisely to her commands; Vaelith’s senses swam, the world tilting around her like she was heavily intoxicated.

“Come back!” Ryssa’s voice came again, louder now, a hint of frustration lacing her usual calm tone. “You’re outrunning me, and I can’t heal you if you’re out of range of my spells!”

Vaelith’s stomach lurched. In her panic, she had not realized how far she had got from her party, especially Ryssa. She tried to glance back but stumbled forward as the crab-like creature snapped at her heels, a terrifying scissors-like snip coming from its razor-sharp pincers. The crab drew blood again, tearing muscle and flesh on the back of her other leg this time. A wave of searing pain washed over her as her body tore apart; the stench of blood mingled with the sickening sound of tearing flesh and scales.

It was too much, and she screamed in pain. “Zyra!”

She cried through tears, half-praying the guardian could somehow reach her, even though she was busy dealing with her own swarm of enemies. She could not just leave her post to chase down one skittish mage. But Vaelith could not help it—her instinct was screaming to get away from danger, not toward it.

Another Blink. She materialised on the other side of the battlefield, near some jagged rocks, her hands shaking. The creatures kept giving chase—they were relentless. Vaelith clenched her teeth, preparing another spell to fend them off, but her thoughts were in chaos.

“Stay within range!” Ryssa repeated. Her voice snapped Vaelith out of her spiralling panic.

But it was Zyra’s commanding shout that hit her harder.

“Dudette, stop running around and come to me!”

A sudden heat shot through Vaelith’s face as shame and embarrassment mixed with fear. All her running around had not helped—she had only made things worse. She started running towards Zyra, waiting on Blink to come off cooldown. Her foot skidded on the sharp wet rocks, nearly sending her sprawling. The enemies closed in again, faster this time, angrier than ever.

Zyra’s voice boomed, her tower shield smashing into the nearest enemy as she turned toward Vaelith. “Blink to my left side, now!” she ordered, the command cutting through Vaelith’s panic.

Without thinking, Vaelith obeyed, picturing herself appearing directly behind Zyra. The moment her feet touched the ground, Zyra’s massive frame blocked the oncoming sea creatures, her shield swinging up to meet them head-on. The floating fish rammed itself straight into the immovable wall, stunning itself with the sheer force of the impact.

Zyra swung her massive hammer sideways, landing a blow and knocking the crab away. It had tried to circle around her, still intent on tearing Vaelith’s legs to pieces.

The guardian took one step backwards, inching closer to Vaelith. “Stay behind me. I’ll cover you!”

Suddenly, her shield glowed with a soft, golden light. Vaelith felt an odd warmth wash over her, as if an invisible barrier had sprung up between her and the creatures.

Crouching behind Zyra’s imposing figure, the wild, frantic beating of Vaelith’s heart slowed as the storm of panic subsided; this was safety, an anchor in the swirling madness of combat.

“They’ll target me now,” Zyra said as the enemies turned their attention to her. “Next time, if you pull aggro, blink through me when you’re in trouble, not away from me. Got it?”

A blush, hot and prickly, stained her cheeks as she nodded, heart still racing. She had made it harder for Zyra to protect her, harder for Ryssa to heal her. The echo of her own thoughts, a bitter self-reprimand, reverberated in her head, almost loud enough to hear.

Vaelith, you idiot. What were you thinking?

Zyra, still holding the line, gave a tight smile as she absorbed another hit on her shield. “Lesson two today, dudette. If you somehow get aggro again, come close enough to hug me. I can cover you, and I can peel ‘em off you that way. You’re safer next to the tank, not ten miles away.”

A surge of relief washed over Vaelith as she adjusted her position, still safely behind Zyra’s towering frame. She raised one hand and took a steadying breath.

Time to get back to killing things.

She focused on one of the crab creatures still pushing against Zyra’s shield. Magic flowed through her fingertips again, this time more focused, more controlled.

From the safety of the tank’s shadows, Vaelith unleashed her Telekinetic Blows. The arcs of invisible force slammed into the enemy with satisfying crunches, each hit sending it stumbling backward. But now she had cover—Zyra’s shield absorbed the brunt of the retaliation. This time, the fight felt... right.

Ryssa, now in range to do so, finally cast a healing spell, the soft glow of divine energy mending the wounds on both legs.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“There we go,” Ryssa said, her voice calmer now that Vaelith was in range. “Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it.”

Zyra, her shield still held firm, called back to Vaelith between grunts, “Just keep nuking. Four to go.”

Vaelith, still trying to shake off the adrenaline, nodded again. She was steady now. She picked a target, and her spell landed with precise strikes as she blasted the remaining sea creatures, one by one. Every once in a while, one of Orion’s spells would detonate right next to Vaelith and Zyra, taking away more than half of a creature’s life with it.

Vaelith had to admit she was getting class envy. Standing this close to his deafening explosions and blinding clouds of dust made his spells seem a lot more impactful than hers. Although their two classes were in no way mechanically equivalent, the elementalist’s spell selection, characterised by its bright explosions and loud detonations, possessed an undeniable and alluring quality that made it incredibly enticing.

Finally, the last enemy flickered out of existence, leaving only the sound of waves lapping against the shore. Vaelith exhaled, tension draining from her shoulders.

In the real world, running away from danger and pain was the logical choice. If she had been in danger as Jason, those instincts could have saved his life. But here, she had to learn to think with her head. She had to learn the ways of this world, with its rules. Counter-intuitively, the best way to deal with danger was not to run away. It was using the tools you had access to. Your party members were valuable and reliable tools she needed to learn to trust.

Ryssa walked up to her with a gentle smile. “Lessons learned, right?”

Vaelith gave a sheepish grin. “Yeah. No pre-casting for me. And no running away from the tank.”

“Good girl,” Zyra said, adjusting her shield on her back. “Running away is a classic newbie mistake.” She gave a quick, teasing wink. “Don’t worry about it. Orion wasn’t any better yesterday.”

Vaelith let out a soft laugh, the embarrassment slowly fading as her heart rate finally returned to normal. She goofed twice in the same pull—she hoped she would never make a mistake like that again.

Orion stepped closer, holding his staff behind his neck, resting on both shoulders.

“So, uh, is ‘pulling a Vaelith’ going to be running off like a headless chicken, or is it pre-pulling mobs? We need to clarify for future references!”

Ryssa glared at him. “Should we tell her what ‘pulling an Orion’ means, then?”

He threw his hands up, a nervous laugh escaping his lips, deflecting her question without further comment. “Point taken.”

Vaelith was relieved to know even Orion had done mistakes. But she was even more thankful about the fact her group did not hold it against her. They were not even angry at her for her two blunders.

Although I really wouldn’t mind learning what Orion did. I’d love to learn from his mistake, too.

Ryssa walked next to Vaelith and smiled. “Just the boss to go, and that’ll be your first duty down.”

Zyra started walking towards a solitary crab that had just emerged from the sea.

That thing’s the size of two SUVs! Is that still even a crab at that point?!

Vaelith paled at the sight. If the tiny, knee-height crabs had hurt her so much, she wondered the kind of damage this thing would do if it hit her.

But she did not see a hint of fear on Zyra’s face. “Oh.. wow. Will you be okay tanking this?”

“No worries, dudette. This is a level five duty, remember? I could handle it with no heals, even if I had to take it down by myself. It would just take me a while.”

So the gap between a tank and a caster is that wide?

While Vaelith had to be prudent around tiny crabs, Zyra could duel a crab that was probably five times her weight and size, and win?

As they walked, Orion glanced towards Vaelith, then patted her behind the knee. He seemed to recognise what was going on in her mind. “You could probably solo that thing too, if you wanted, you know?”

Press X to doubt.

“… You really think so?”

He nodded. “Oh yeah. Between your blink, the fact your main nuke has no cast time? Easy. Maybe you could bring a couple of healing potions just to be safe. If you tried it often enough and learned the ins and outs of your class, I’m sure you could solo the whole thing, not just the boss.”

Ryssa walked by their side, letting Zyra take the lead. The fact she did not correct Orion on his explanation was telling. She agreed with him.

It’s not a question of levels, or unlocking skills I currently don’t have. They think I could do this? With my current toolkit? Is the gap between a veteran player and a newbie this vast?

Vaelith noticed how both Ryssa and Orion drank from their water-skins as they walked.

Are they low on mana, already?

Despite having repeatedly cast Blink and Telekinetic Blows for the last two battles, Vaelith’s mana showed little sign of strain yet. Ryssa had mentioned that Orion would literally burn through his.

Maybe mages were more about sustained damage, while elementalists had powerful bursts but long downtimes? Slow and steady versus bursty?

Wiping her mouth, Ryssa finally commented. “He’s right, you know. Every class has tools to help them deal with combat encounters solo. You probably need to check your spell list and figure out which ones they are.”

They were about to start the encounter, so Vaelith resolved to take the time to read up on her spell and ability list after the battle was over.

The sylvani continued. “Confidence and experience comes next. You’ll also have to learn to cast despite getting hit and all the pain. When you’re solo, there isn’t anyone to take the hits except you.”

That doesn’t sound fun at all.

Vaelith vividly remembered the sensation of getting clipped by the tiny crab, and she had a hard time imagining taking a hit from its massive cousin. That thing could probably split her in two with those pincers.

The thunderous clash of the battle—the metallic clang of giant pincers against steel, the sickening crunch of chitin shattering, and Zyra’s grunts of exertion jolted Vaelith from her reverie.

Ahead of her, the guardian kept blocking every hit with her massive shield, and swung her hammer against the crab’s carapace. Neither of the two seemed to be really doing much to each other.

Orion winked. “Let’s get to it, girl. Z will be at it all day if we don’t help.” He started chanting his Fire Blast spell.

Vaelith took her battle stance and felt the surge of power transfer from her grimoire to her hand. She locked her gaze on the giant crab, and unleashed Telekinetic Blows, one after the other.

When her first missile impacted against the giant crustacean, Vaelith observed how her spell barely chipped any of the monster’s health. Even Orion’s Fire Blast only took five percent off of its total health. She had run the math earlier. A single Fire Blast hit seven times as much as her individual projectiles.

That means each of my missiles hits for 0.7% damage each and a full cast of the spell hits for 3.5%. Solo, I would have to channel my spell twenty-eight times to kill that thing? Talk about an endurance battle…

As the fight went on, Vaelith realised how the elementalist class had a ramp-up mechanic with their fire magic. After the first, each subsequent fire spell kept hitting harder and harder. But after the fourth blast, Orion switched to a completely different spell. He used some kind of ice blade. They had a faster cast time than the fire spells, but did significantly less damage.

That seems to align with my theory of how elementalists have front-loaded, high damage, but long downtime. Ice magic is probably a mana-regenerating stance?

Zyra kept swinging her hammer and blocking the pincers. Ryssa occasionally used light-based attack spells, but mostly focused on watching Zyra’s health bar, casting Cure or Regen spells as needed to keep their tank topped up.

Vaelith kept firing off spell after spell, but the process soon became mechanical, her mind wandering as the giant crab’s health barely dipped. Orion kept muttering the same chant on repeat.

Vaelith could only describe it as anticlimactic. Compared to the chaos of her mis-pull earlier, this boss fight felt dull. Too orderly. Too predictable. It was simply rote fighting. A battle of attrition. Slipping up from boredom almost felt like it would be the biggest threat here.

Surely there’s more to epic boss battles than that? This was just a glorified target dummy.

No chaos, no excitement—just the endless cycle of whittling away at the giant enemy’s health bar, little by little.

The fight had lasted a little over thirty seconds. The great crab finally collapsed, evaporating in wisps of ethereal smoke, accompanied by an eerie chorus of high-pitched wailing spirits.

Several messages showed up in front of Vaelith’s eyes in quick succession.

“Party Duty Completed! Bonus rewards granted: First time bonus, swift completion of all objectives, no adventure casualty in your party.”

“You have reached level seven for the mage class. You have reached level eight for the mage class.”

Both Vaelith and Orion were showered in bright yellow light as they levelled up from the reward.

“Woot! Congrats!” “Good job!” “Two in one? Way to go, dudette.”

The sounds of clapping and joyous shouts filled the air as her party members celebrated with her.

“You have unlocked the spell Telekinetic Lance.”

“You have earned six cuprum pieces, seven cuprum chips and two cuprum shards.”

Vaelith felt the weight of the coins as they materialised in her right hand. She opened her hand, looking at the bright and pristine, newly minted copper coins with a smile on her face.

“Oh, hello there.”

Orion smiled warmly at her. “The first time bonus is pretty big. It gives you ten times the baseline reward. We got seventy-eight cuprums each over here.”

Ryssa explained further. “This duty’s baseline is sixty cuprums. We got three bonuses here: no deaths, quick completion, and bringing a first-timer with us. Each increase the base reward by ten percent.”

“You have earned a special reward: enchanted hempen hat.”

In her left hand, she felt the weight of the large hempen hat materialising. She examined it, holding it in one hand by the brim. It looked like a typical witch’s hat in the same navy blue as her cloak. The hat sat at a jaunty angle, its crookedness charming and reminiscent of wizards and witches from countless fairy tales.

Orion gazed at her reward with stars in his eyes. “Oh, you got a random piece of gear? Lucky!”

With a fleeting glance at the hat, Ryssa held Vaelith’s gaze. “Gear from duties like this have the same stats as the store-bought ones, but with extra, randomly determined attributes. What did you get?”

Vaelith inspected the hat while she reached for her coin pouch to put away her reward.

“Hmm. It has Intelligence, Wisdom, Recovery and Spell Speed?”

Ryssa pondered the attribute distribution for a brief moment before giving her analysis. “That’s actually a pretty balanced piece. Int is for caster damage, Wisdom for healer damage and cures, Recovery helps health and mana recovery, and Spell Speed helps with cast time and recasts. You’ll get a lot of mileage out of it, I think.”

Orion arched an eyebrow. “Heh, whatever. Crit would have been better, but any stats beat no stats. Hey? Put it on! I bet it’ll look cute on you.”

After securing her coin purse back on her belt, Vaelith held the hat in both hands and tried to picture herself wearing it. As she did, some kind of semi-translucent mirror showed up in front of her vision, showing what the piece of equipment would look on her when worn with the rest of her current gear.

Oh, gear preview window?

Vaelith held her breath, mesmerised. This was only the third time she had seen herself from a third-person perspective; a strange mix of pride, a blush warming her cheeks, and a sense of awkwardness washed over her. She looked like a young witch; the new hat sat perfectly atop her head and her amethyst necklace seemed to hum with a faint magical energy. Her golden fins, peeking from under the brim of the hat, were utterly adorable.

This is me. The real me.

Vaelith’s reflection staring back at her felt right. This was no longer just a character in a game. It was someone she wanted to be. No, not simply wanted. Someone she was proud to be.

She looked right—like this was who she truly was. Not Jason, that person in meat space with a neural jack inserted in his spine. Vaelith. A dracan mage, someone who could stand tall.

So she closed the preview window and donned the hat, for real this time. Overall, she felt satisfied with her performance so far today, despite her small blunders.

Orion nodded approvingly. “Cute. Like I said.”

Even though they were strangers she barely knew, her team had not chewed her up after her mistakes, and she was learning to play better in a team. She was learning to fit in.

The thought made her smile. And, as they walked back to Tidebreaker Watch, her infectious smile brightened the mood, and soon everyone joined in her joyful expression, their steps light and easy.