> "Life is so short. The vast majoirty of people are content to remain with ten or fifteen levels, but the truly exceptional reach beyond. Twenty, thirty, some even attaining the famous reaches of forty. The true movers and shakers, they pushed themselves to their maximum potential. You simply must respect that kind of dedication."

- Darbinnius Ulzone, studying level demographics

Helena ran with the swiftness and alacrity of , form pristine except for having to angle her right arm to properly hold the blade. “,” she said as she breathed out. She could feel, with a fair amount of precision, where he was, and at every intersection she instinctively took the path that led her closer to him.

They were on the cusp of victory, and she realized, as she ran, that it was all coming down to her. Greg and Bim were functionally out of commission; the Coalition had helped them as much as they could, and any other true allies they had were either out in the courtyard, or in distant towns and cities. As she moved, she felt her muscles aching, her body screaming at her in pain as she was forcing herself to her limit, and, as she tripped, stumbled, rebalanced herself, and began running again, her limits snapped, and expanded.

Level 16 earned!

Talent Advancement unlocked!

🠊

Talent Advancement unlocked!

🠊

She felt like her muscles, her blood, her lungs, all of it was on fire, burning with a boiling, nerve-screaming heat of pain as she ran like she had never ran before. She reached deeper into a pool of stamina that expanded in a moment. She ran like fire, like wind, like lightning as it shot down from the heavens.

She dodged past confused and scattered , who gawked at her as she moved like a streak of color through the halls. She wound through wide halls, narrow corridors, seeing beautiful portraits blur past, arcgems set into walls glowing with power, shunting off a few shreds of the power of her momentum as she moved past them.

She ran out into the midday light and found herself running on muddy soil, hail the size of golf balls smacking into her as she moved. She could sense Andrium, on the ground and trying to fend off Zara’s overwhelming onslaught; though he couldn’t be harmed, he could still be confused and not allowed to be given a moment to think. She could barely see anything; she saw scared and miserable rioters, weapons thrown to the ground, huddling in the grass or trying to find cover from the spontaneous storm.

Helena ran forward, so close, which was exactly when Prinner Wilholm, Saral and Stillbottums close behind him, emerged from the gates behind her. She ran, before he could get his bearings, ran through the mud and hail and rain, towards where she knew Zara and Andrium fought, neither being able to really harm the other.

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“I’ve got it!” She yelled through the storm, straining to reach the wizard. Zara grabbed him by his collar, hand shocked by protective magic, bolt after bolt of lightning slamming into her as Andrium flailed and shouted angry spells. Helena acted as fast as possible. She wasn’t a swordswoman; her favor was sniping off enemies from afar, not stabbing in the muck up close. But the blade cut through magic, and little skill was needed. She felt the dozens of protective spells Andrium had attached to himself shred apart and dissipate as she brought the blade back and slashed, and the edge of the blade cut most of the way into the man’s neck, lodging there, sending blood splattering everywhere as he screamed in pain and terror and rage. Zara brought back her mace and finished the deed.

The storm surrounding them began to dissipate and calm with its creator’s death, and in the rain Helena saw Quailen, that grey-skinned, overly tall, strange thin man with the odd way of speaking and deep pockets, appear suddenly with a ripple of glittering light, retrieve the gore-soaked weapon from the ’s corpse with poise and precision, and disappear once again, leaving not a trace.

Meanwhile, notifications rang in Zara and Helena’s minds.

Level 29 earned!

Skill Advancements/Merges unlocked!

+ =

+ + =

Talent Advancement unlocked!

🠊

Collapsed on the ground, overcome with fear and fatigue and pain, Helena heard the voice from above within her thoughts.

Level 19 earned!

Talent — earned!

Back in a slowly warming bath, overseen by Bim and Cobson, through a haze of pain and cold and warmth and exhaustion, Greg heard that blessed voice.

Level 20 gained!

Class Advancement unlocked!

🠊 Level 20 gained!

Talent —

Cobson, standing nearby, leveled for the first time in more than five years, though he was only tangentially part of it all, humming for a moment with a quiet satisfaction.

Level 27 gained!

Bim was the last of the four allies to level, and he leveled the most by far.

Level 10!

Talent — earned!

Talent Suite unlocked!

+ + + + + = earned!

Level 18!

Classes Merging!

+ = Level 19 earned!

All Talents retained

Talent Advancement/Merge unlocked!

+ = !

As they all nursed their wounds, tired beyond belief, the of Esultare and his two living sprinted onto the grass, all three of them confused, then enraged.

So ended their mission to slay the greatest on the Continent of War.