“So this is magic.”
Mark watched with amazement as veils of water swirled in the air around him, forming shapes of creatures one second and breaking into seamless walls the next. In the middle of the swarm of water streams was a beautiful woman waving her hands gently. With each wriggle of her fingers the water shimmered and changed, controlled as though held by the strings of a master puppeteer. There were twelve streams in all. Each one held the shape of a different creature as they moved through the air; A dragon, a tiger, a phoenix. Mark found the rest unrecognisable before they once again shifted out of shape.
“It’s beautiful.”
Freya gave him a small smile in response but continued to concentrate on manipulating the water. This maneuver of shaping water and then dissolving the thing made was what the Goddess Freya had designated the best technique in teaching Mark one of the fundamental concepts of magic; magic control.
Bruno sighed from the side, “Beautiful, indeed. But this cannot be considered magic. This is a fundamental exercise in harmonizing magic that you must learn before you can cast spells. If you do not have complete control over the balance of magical energy, if you develop a single blockage which builds up energy or allow a disruption in the flow of magic then any spell you attempt to cast will fail, or worse, backlash and cause you harm.”
Mark turned to Bruno who held up three fingers to him, “Magic sensing, magic control and magic spell casting. These are the three fundamentals which apply to every branch of magic. Some magician’s talents lay in one or two, others in all three. It is said that if you can master a single one of these fundamentals you will be as close to being a god as is possible in this world. However to do so is nearly unheard of. It would require prodigious talent, a teacher exceptional beyond measure, unrelenting hard work and most important of all, time. You current have three. Though we shall see how dedicated you become under our tutelage. It will be no simple task of that I assure you.”
At Bruno’s words Freya’s eyes opened and the streams converged into a cocoon around her body, “Now, mortal. In order to begin your training you must first awaken your ability to sense magic. Senior Bruno, you have made the appropriate preparations?”
Her final words held a hint of doubt and Bruno’s eyes flashed with derision.
Mark could see that he was a clearly a prideful person underneath his kind persona.
Bruno placed his hand on the ground and the nearby grass drained of its colour, turning into a grey mass. A candle erupted from the grey area and Mark’s eyes widened as he saw that in the middle of the candle was a skull. Carved into it was his name and a single word.
“Unawakened.” Mark murmured.
“This is the title given to those that have not yet awakened their ability to sense magic.” Bruno lifted the candle into the air and even Freya gave a purr of approval, “This candle was created using the powers of my soul. The moment it burns the spell to unblock a persons mind will activate, causing you to experience things you have never before experienced. You will be gaining a sixth sense above and beyond your current senses. You must not fight it, you must only accept it and explore it.”
Bruno snapped his fingers together and a bright white flame appeared. He placed the candle gently on the ground and Mark watched in anticipation as Bruno moved his fingers towards the flame and lit the candle.
“Ah.”
Formless, untouchable, without scent and yet profound and undeniable. These words are the closest Mark thinks of to describe what he is sensing. Because that is the ability he gained at that moment. In a sense, it was tapping into a different energy, a thing so powerful in its presence that all aspects of life seemed to flow through it and out of it. To try and measure it would be impossible, because that would be like trying to restrict infinity. The mere presence of it, the ability to connect with what had previously been disjointed gave him a feeling of invigoration and empowerment. Continually shifting it seemed to offer him possibilities, where joy was missing it could be found, where deficiency existed it could be expunged. Contagious, intoxicating, there was no power exchange, no mutual benefit. There was only a force which transcends imagination, worldwide because it was the world, timeless because it formed time, beyond art and natural, beyond technology and any manufactured marvel. There was no coincidence in its movements, there was nothing like it, everything unusual yet familiar. Everything in harmony.
This was magic.
To his side was a guardian spirit, radiating pure magical power, and to his front… to his front…
An unruly being, fluid, dream-like and yet all too terribly real. Invisible in nature yet an amalgamation of positive and negative forces, a radiant being that seemed to exist above and beyond the physical plane and the magical planes of energy that surrounded it in stream of water. It exuded defiance of all things, it wanted to dominate, and it wanted to control.
This was the true form of the Goddess Freya.
Mark heard a chuckle echo out from in front of him, vibrant with power, “It is not often that a being gains the ability to sense even the true form of a god. I have never seen or heard of a being capable of doing so when they have only just awakened.”
Mark looked at her with fear in his eyes, “What are you?”
He had assumed that the term Goddess was simply a title. That she was still human, simply proficient in magic beyond understanding.
He had been wrong.
“I am a god child. A concept. A being which has crossed the boundary between what is and what isn’t. I see your confusion. It is a problem and a solution which few are graced with the wisdom to grasp. Perhaps you too shall one day become my peer. Though I do not foresee that happening in the near future.” Freya gave him a wry smile.
“Now you are ready.”
****
“In the name of Kabikaj stop pestering me.”
Ryan held out a book in front of him as he spoke and it glowed bright blue, causing the nearby insects and vermin that swarmed the woods at night to run away from him.
His magical tool, the book of shadows. Tools are similar to spells in that they are created as ways to manipulate and control magic for a beings own ends. This particular tool was a book which had fallen into his care after the previous Ryan Oswald passed away. Books could serve as magical sources for spells, be a spell in physical form or even serve as an amulet or charm which could draw good fortune towards the owner. Ryan knew of two major types of book tools in this world, sacred texts and books of shadows. Sacred texts were magical tools gifted their power by a belief in them. Essentially the belief itself would transform the book into serving the purposes of the believer and as the believers belief grew, so too would the books power. Books of shadow were the most common type of book tools used by magicians, they were simply a record of spells written by magicians which could also be inscribed by magical symbols and the like. Once enough magical knowledge and power had been written and inscribed in the book then it would become highly charged with magical power. A book of shadows would increase in magical power as more and more knowledge was kept inside its pages.
Kabikaj the djinn. A magical entity with dominion over insects. If his name is written within a book of shadows the book may be used to temporarily ward off bugs and other vermin around the user.
One simply had to utter his name with the intention to use his powers in order to initiate the spell.
When their party had stopped in the estate outside the major city of Trei the governor of Trei had somehow gotten word of their arrival. He had naturally sent an invite to the young heiress of the clan to attend a banquet and she had gleefully agreed, much to the chagrin of Matilda and Ryan. Naturally she had been curious about how life in a city was. Although the Oswald family was a major power they did not govern a city, preferring to remain anonymous to the general public and well known to those who had the right to know. Because Marie was only allowed to stay in the Oswald family mansion and nearby area and the Black Dragon Clan mountain this was naturally an opportunity that was rare and exciting to come across.
Matilda had been suspicious as to how they had known of Marie’s location but she was hesitant to outright reject the invitation due to the true power lying behind Trei city. One of the ten still living senior magicians within the world.
Gregor Idritch.
It was as of yet unclear how Gregor was involved in the activities surrounding Mark but Marie had determined that it would be beneficial to scout out the city and determine where its allegiances lay. Though Ryan suspected that she was simply looking for excuses to play around. Matilda had mobilized the entire shadow guard to protect Marie. It was safe to say that Marie was more heavily guarded than an emperor might be when expecting an attack on his palace. However even then she had deemed Ryan an unnecessary addition and had sent him into the nearby forest to follow up a rumor involving this location. The rumor was that the area was cursed so that any traveler that slept within its inner confines would experience nightmares most terrible, and even wake up with injuries identical to those suffered in their dreams.
It was possible that the rumor was simply a myth made up to scare newcomers to the city. But if it was real then it might present a rare opportunity.
The forest may house a spirit from the realm of dreams.
Regarding the nature of spirits it is difficult to say what they are. The general consensus is that spirits are beings of pure magical energy similar to gods. Others state that gods are concepts that occupy their own realm and spirits are the beings that split off as a by-product of their existence. What is certain however is that there are several realms of magic above and beyond the physical one that this world occupies. Some, such as the light realm, the realm of darkness and the realms of fire, wind, water and earth are easy to access as their realm entrances connect to corresponding elements in the physical realm. But dreams are elusive and immaterial, pure thought brought about by something beyond wakeful consciousness.
Entrances to the realm of dreams are rare, and when opened usually only one spirit passes through before the realm entrance disappears.
Ryan muttered curses as leaves smacked against his face and the thick bushes and branches attempted to halt his progress as best they could. He had already entered the inner sanctum of the forest and was searching for a suitable clearing.
A spirit from the realm of dreams could only be communicated with when a person was dreaming.
Ryan whacked a bush out of his path and breathed a sigh of relief as he came across a clearing that gave him enough room to sit down and meditate without suffocating him in foliage. After a few minutes of clearing and adding protection Ryan brought out three different incense ingredients from his pouches, acacia leaves, myrrh and star anise. By mashing them into a powder and burning them he could activate a spell which would send him into the dream realm, or at least the section which the dream spirit had brought through with it.
“Dream Incense Spell; Next Realm.”
****
“We are going to be attacked, young mistress.”
Matilda’s elderly voice carried a tone that left no doubt that the words being spoken were true. She had exited the shadow dimension she occupied in order to accompany Marie personally through Trei’s capital. Her gold and silver senior magicians robes were replaced by somewhat expensive clothing that left no doubt she was a maidservant or nanny to the rich mistress she accompanied. It was a minor disguise but a necessary one that could lower the guard of potential attackers watching them. In the darkest corners of their surroundings the entire shadow guard had been deployed and lay in wait with orders to attack first and ask questions later if suspicious activity was seen.
Marie skipped along the stone corridor happily. They had entered the capital hours ago and she had explored every nook and cranny she could access. She had gazed in wonder at shops and sighed in awe at the fashion sense of the people walking the streets. She had even begun to feel self-conscious about her own robes, purple seemed so drab compared to the rainbow she had seen. But it was a necessary sacrifice to make in return for protection.
Marie smirked at the old woman’s words, “I plan on it. However we must find out if Gregor Idritch is an enemy or an ally, and if he is even still alive.”
“Willing to put your body on the line for the clan’s interests. Your father would be proud.” Matilda wriggled her nose coyly, “And yet you had me send out Ryan on some fools errand when his abilities could have been crucial in turning the tides of a battle. I am well aware of his pacifistic tendencies but he shall have to grow up sooner or later. You yourself have a less than stunning track record of freezing in place when a minor event occurred.”
Marie’s face reddened, “Ryan’s safety is no concern of yours Matilda. I am more than capable of defending myself given any unforeseen events. Besides, I trust in your abilities.”
Marie and Matilda passed by a series of large tapestries and pillars engraved with carvings of magnificent beasts and ferocious warriors. They were currently walking in a castle located in the middle of Trei. Officially it was known as the governors main base for his office of affairs and other faculties belonging to those that ran the city. Unofficially it was the residence of the senior magician Gregor. In front of the two was a guide bringing them to the banquet hall where the governor had prepared a feast for their arrival. As was the custom in this world for guides of such esteemed guests, his tongue had been cut out, and his mind shattered so that there was no possible way for him to reveal anything that he heard. He had only been gifted the use of his ears so that he would be capable of listening to basic instructions, his duties so engraved in his mind that they could be understood even through the damage done to his psyche.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The stories depicted by the paintings, murals and tapestries were not random in any sense of the word. Each one was a testament to Gregor’s accomplishments, from his beginnings as an orphan living in the slums of Trei, to his discovery of a self-made form of magic practice, body strengthening magic. It was said that during his journey of magical discovery and practice Gregor had used a means to magically charge his very flesh and bones with magic, allowing it to become his magic tool. As for the means to accomplish such a feat, only he knew what was needed to be done. As a senior magician his powers could not be underestimated, unbreakable skin, instantaneous casting and it was impossible to separate him from the materials and energy he needed to cast magic.
Marie ran her fingers through the woven works with admiration. By the time they had reached the end of the corridor there were three major stories being told. The first was of Gregor finding and killing an ancient dragon, plunging his hands into its heart and bathing in its blood. The second was a village of people cut off from civilization by a blizzard beyond anything they had experienced before. Although Gregor had been unable to escort the villagers out he had cut off and burnt his own flesh to provide food and warmth to the villagers that were weeping in joy. The third and final tale was of Gregor sitting at a pond and meeting a group of beings that lacked any features, yet looked vaguely humanoid in shape. It was said that he had commissioned this one and oversaw its creation personally, and nobody knew its origins or the reason behind it.
“Gregor Idritch is a great man with little patience for politics or subtleties.” Matilda nodded around her in acknowledgment, “It is more than likely that if someone moves against us he has already been eliminated. We must remain cautious. If he is present then it is possible he has been possessed or replaced by an impostor.”
Marie nodded, “Understood.”
Neither of them harbored any doubts that the person that called them to Trei was maliciously aligned against them. They knew that something was occurring in the world, the events in the dessert shop had proved that, but if there was someone deploying magics which could baffle even the shadow guard being used by three minor minions then they had to determine who their leaders were before they could move forward. The protagonist theory, although still held in their minds, was mostly rejected in favour of a more practical answer. The young mistress and the Black Dragon Clan was being challenged by someone. But they were a clan with thousands of years of history and even in the heart of an enemies territories they held the utmost confidence that they could escape if needed. In the clan’s eyes only Marie and maybe Matilda needed to survive.
The rest were expendable.
The guide let out a gurgle and stopped just before a large arched set of doors. Marie swept up her white shawl in her hands with an air of majesty and strode through the doors, flicking them open easily with the palm of her hand. Inside was a large room with numerous people sitting around a dining table and chattering excitedly. The moment the door opened the talking and laughter died and not even a murmur could be heard. At the very end of the table a sturdy and proud looking man with long hair stood up with a grand smile on his face.
He was draped in a luxurious gold and silver robe.
“Matilda! I was hoping you would be able to join us in our little soiree.”
The guests at the dinner table looked at Marie in confusion and then widened their eyes in surprise as the unremarkable old maid next to her stepped forward in response the the man’s words and inspected him. Marie had never seen the governor before but the man standing next to Gregor was draped in ceremonial robes that denoted his status as the appointed leader of Trei. The short man narrowed his eyes at Marie and Matilda as Gregor spoke and he waved his hand at one of his attendants to approach him.
Matilda visibly relaxed as she spotted Gregor and returned a small smile, “Gregor. I had wondered why you would reach out to the Black Dragon Clans young mistress to come and visit you. You had only to mention that it was a personal request and I would have visited you.”
Gregor’s eyes sparkled and he flicked his hair behind his broad shoulders, “Oh, ho. I invited you did I?”
He paused and his eyes shifted to his side towards the governor, whose eye’s widened when he noticed the gesture and hastily whispered a sentence to his attendant in response, it was only a second of movement but in that moment Matilda let out a sharp screech and in the entire room filled with purple armoured men and women armed to the teeth. The shadow guard moved as one unit to attack the dinner guests. Each guest let out a disjointed smile and their outer bodies exploded, dark creatures that seemed more liquid than solid bursting out of their skin husks and meeting the shadow guard head on. The governor himself let out a nervous little chuckle and immediately moved behind Gregor, sprinting for a small door at the side of the room.
Gregor’s black eyes glowed white and he raised his head to face the roof and bellowed, “Did you think I wouldn’t notice you? You DARE underestimate me?!”
More creatures dropped from the parapets when Gregor shouted and his body shimmered with two lights, one white and one black. The liquid creatures completely ignored him as they fell towards the shadow guard and several others exploded into black goo as Matilda appeared in mid air and ran them through with a pair of short swords. Each one emitted a purple smoke that increased with each creature they passed through. She jumped by several more creatures and flew directly towards Gregor who was visibly trembling as the brilliant lights seemed to fight each other for control of his body.
Marie was instantly surrounded by five of the strongest members of the shadow guard that forced her into a shadow in the ground. From inside the shadow dimension she could see the entire proceedings occurring within the banquet hall as though looking through a hundred different mirrors. Each shadow was a screen that gave her a different perspective of the field.
Aside from Matilda who was able to kill the creatures with a single swing of her swords the shadow guard were struggling to finish off their enemies who could twist and morph their body into any shape. If they stabbed towards the creatures then they would meet the air as the creatures shifted their liquid bodies to avoid it and any magic seemed to be absorbed, doing minimal damage. But these were the shadow guards of the Black Dragon Clan, each one a formidable magician or swordsman hand picked and raised by the Black Dragon Clan. If a creature avoided one attack from the front it was instantly killed by an attack from behind, the shadow guards making sure to act in duos so that if one member was overwhelmed other would be able to bring them out and reposition for a better chance to both survive and kill the enemy.
“Interesting” Marie muttered, “There appears to be no end to them. Though I sense the source of their origin within that man.”
She looked through the nearest mirror that reflected Gregor’s struggling figure. Strong energy fluctuations indicated that the man was fighting an internal battle though over what she couldn’t tell. Nor could she sense the source of this invading force in his body. But she could sense that it was it that was calling these creatures from some external area to fight against her forces. The invading magic was serving the dual purpose of a beacon and a means of attack on the most powerful being on the battlefield.
The shadow guard were no fools, the clan had sent a hundred to secure her safe passage to the Oswald mansion and the moment the fight began fifty of them had rushed out towards Gregor Idritch, ignoring the hostiles in favour of eliminating the thing calling them. As though sensing their intentions the steadily growing supply of creatures flocked towards the shadow guard trying to cut them off from Gregor. Several found themselves swiftly destroyed as Matilda cut a path for the swarm of guards to break through. Sensing that Matilda was the greater threat most of the creatures combined into a sea of black that enveloped her entire figure.
The shadow guard surrounded Gregor from all sides in an attack formation, with swordsmen in the front and magicians at the back. In synchronized movements the shadow guard let out their most powerful attacks. Gregor’s eyes hazed as the attacks reached and his body swayed in an arch, lifting his hands into the air and then smashing them to the ground. The moment they hit the cold stone the floor exploded and magical energy spiraled maliciously in a circle, the shadow guard soldiers were blasted away like insects in the face of a tornado. The attack didn’t discriminate as it smashed against the creatures and even the black sea was swept away, a single shadow leaping out from within it.
Matilda landed in front of Gregor and stabbed her swords towards him, leaving after-images in her wake, “What has happened to you Gregor? What has gotten to you?”
As though moving by instinct Gregor grabbed the sword blades that were aiming to bisect him and he yanked them out of Matilda’s hands, throwing them into the air.
Gregor’s eyes shone black as he viewed the defenseless Matilda, “Dearest Matilda I do hope you can do your old friend a favour. Die for me.”
Matilda grinned, “I refuse.”
Matilda pointed her fingers down and the swords that were swirling in the air immediately flew down and stabbed into the ground on both sides of Gregor, covering him in layers of purple smoke.
Gregor watched the proceedings with an air of superiority, “Mere parlor tricks. A few seconds and my body will adjust and eliminate the poison. Is this the best plan you could think of?”
“No”
Marie’s spoke calmly as she stepped out from behind Gregor through a shadow and his eyes widened as he felt a hand place itself on his back, a bright light enveloping his body.
“I am.”
****
Mark sighed coolly, “Amazing.”
He was staring intently at a pitcher of water in his hand. There was only enough water to fill up a tea cup inside but this little pool amounted to hours of hard work on Mark’s part. Freya’s lessons in control had pitched him against her. She had given him the task of learning to control water via sensing and attempting to actually manipulate magic, but there was no real water inside the soul of Bruno. The only water present were the twelve streams Freya had brought with her. So in order to learn magic control he’d had to contend with her own magical control in a clash that had led to many severe headaches. Slowly he had managed to steal drops of water away from her, and steadily he had controlled it inside the pitcher to form a constantly swirling whirlpool while he continued to pit himself against Freya.
Bruno had stared at him wide eyed since he had managed to steal the first drop away from her control.
Freya smiled as another three drops of water fell out of her control and into Marks. Although it didn’t seem like much of an improvement, it spoke volumes that he was able to contend with a god’s control of magic in the first place. Had this been a true contest she would never have relinquished control of a drop so easily, but for training she had made her magical control akin to a wall, if he broke through then whatever he found he could keep. The wall itself was self-repairing, but the insides contained no magical control to contend with Marks so this was merely an exercise in brute force, increasing his magic control without refining it through intricate battles for control.
Of course, this is only how it looks like on the outside. Within their magical senses it looked to mark as though they were fighting a battle of wills. There was no random actions in this sequence of battle, there was only their intentions, their goals and desires. What Mark was accomplishing is a harmonization of these things in such a way that his very being in its totality existed at this moment to steal yet more drops of water from Freya, to dominate them and manipulate them. Magic control is the conscious attempt to enact this manipulation. To be able to harmonize your thoughts in such a way requires more than talent and hard work. Though what this thing required is has been the subject of many debates in the magical community.
Freya tilted her head and Mark was surprised as she suddenly conceded an entire pitchers worth of water which immediately splashed onto his body as the lack of resistance caused his magic control to completely dominate the magically charged substance. Mark waited patiently instead of stealing more water. It was clear that something had distracted the Goddess.
Freya frowned, “My apologies, it appears that my charge, the man you met before in the town, is in need of my services.”
Mark snorted, “Ryan? That crazy guy that thinks I’m a protagonist from some story?”
Freya chuckled calmly as though the thought of Ryan being called crazy amused her. She wrapped her shoulders with waves of water and nodded appreciatively.
“Yes. Though do not think of your intelligence as the know all, end all. The mysteries of the universe are limitless. There are such things as protagonists, although they are known by a different name on this world.”
Mark looked at her in surprise,”What?”
“Indeed, and you, my dear little Mark… are most definitely a protagonist.”
****
Ryan could sense its presence from the moment he fell asleep. The dream spirit was restless, scared, because someone had intruded on its realm with it as the sole desire in his mind. Very few spirits were as ephemeral in nature as dream spirits, and fewer still required so heavily ones desire to meet with them. The desire held in Ryan’s heart was the only thing keeping him in contact with the spirit. It was like a homing beacon, if he swayed for a moment in his beliefs then the spirit would be able to disappear within the dream and he may never come into contact with it again. Even as he walked through the dream his surroundings began to twist and change, manifesting into a defense that the spirit was using to stir his desires and distract him. The fog surrounding him became a series of buildings, people and cars filling a long street and the sounds of a busy day manifested themselves onto the picturesque scene. It was the dream that the spirit had conjured from a desire deep within his heart, brought to the forefront of his mind in order to disturb him and upset him.
It was Earth.
Ryan ignored the blurred yet familiar images surrounding him, concentrating all his thoughts and will towards finding the spirit.
Ryan felt a touch disturbed, but he kept on walking, ‘Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you?’
This spirit could manifest a dream out of desires that he had held long ago in his heart. That simply meant that it was extremely powerful, yet it had been unable to conjure his family, his pets or his old home. This was not normal for a dream spirit that was concentrating on solely distracting him. It should have been able to full give life to these Earth world it was morphing the dream into, instead of the blurred faces and foggy buildings that appeared. If it was unable to do so that could only mean one thing.
It was fighting more than one person at once.
Ryan tossed the possibility around in his head that someone had coincidentally entered the dream realm at the exact same time he had.
‘Yeah right.’
The entrance to the dream realm was not a simple as casting a spell and falling asleep, there was a need to place a desire in your heart and intent in your mind as you entered, or else you would simply enter one of your own dreams. For someone to enter at the exact same time he had simply meant that they had been hovering between being awake and asleep, with their intent being to fall asleep the moment he stepped into the dream realm so that they too could enter without having the spirit manifest a proper defense against them. It was as though they were waiting for him to open the door and then followed him into the realm before the door closed. With Marie staying at the estate it would be impossible for this to be a coincidence.
‘This forest is too close to the Black Dragon Clan’s estate.’ Ryan frowned, ‘They clearly had time to prepare, so who could have possibly entered and set up such a trap without them noticing.’
The Black Dragon Clan’s young mistress was heavily guarded. Even if someone had wanted to enter the forest to follow up a rumor on a dream spirit they would have been chased away or killed without much care. To have successfully stayed in this forest for a period of time showed that they had both power and a means of entering the nearby territory without alerting the guards.
Ryan recalled the words that Matilda had spoken to him yesterday before leaving his training to Marie, ‘Ah, the messenger, of course.’
A messenger had arrived for Matilda and the next day she and Marie had left for Trei despite the obvious dangers they would face. That alone spoke volumes for the power of the messenger. No weakling would have been trusted with a message addressed to the young mistress of the Black Dragon Clan, and clearly the messenger was strong enough to hide in the forest without notice until Ryan had plodded along. By entering the dream spirit’s territory first the enemy had ensured it would waste most of its concentration on him, distracting him enough that he wouldn’t notice that someone else had entered with him. In terms of doors the dream realm was just like any other, the entrance would stay fixed and could be located by using magic sense.
‘But if they entered after me then they should be… behind me’
The moment the thought crossed through Ryan’s mind he felt a tingle on the side of his face and moved his head to the side, narrowly avoiding a dagger that would have struck the back of his head.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he spotted the very real looking weapon, ‘Spirit weapon.’
He jumped forward and turned around, coming face to face with his enemy. The person was draped in a thick black robe engraved with magical symbol, covering their entire body and hiding their features and gender. A white mask in the shape of a dog covered their face. They had prepared well for this fight, armed with a weapon capable of manifesting itself within dreams and armour that no doubt provided a fair amount of protection. The dog masked assassin brought back the dagger and leapt forward, moving so fast that afterimages were created and holding the blade in front of them like a spring loaded nail.
Ryan took a look at the fully equipped speeding assassin and then down at himself.
‘Well, crap.’