James huffed as he hurried through the snow covered forest, his hand on the scabbard that bounced on his hip. He looked up ahead at the awaiting mountain, the billowing smoke pillar now slowly fading away. He could even see how the day waned, the sky slowly turning orange as it indicated the oncoming evening.

James had hoped to get here faster, but he wanted to make sure he was well prepared. He had put on his new armor and equipped his sword, doing it all in record time. Yet even that wasn’t fast enough for him.

‘I… I really need to work on my stamina,’ James thought as he gulped breath after breath of the frosty air. He had barely made it halfway through the forest that separated the mountain from the rest of town, putting him at least ten minutes away from reaching the mountain entrance. And that’s if he could keep up a consistent pace.

‘Now’s not the time to dwell on hindsight,’ Faust reprimanded. ‘Just keep moving! Dahlia and the rest are probably there already. Let us hope that they managed to control the situation.’

James mentally acknowledged the spirit, his speed picking up as he managed to control his breathing. At least he wasn’t wearing a stuffy helmet while running. As much protection it gave him, he was almost thankful that he had forgotten to put it on before his run.

Just as he was about to pass the Shaman’s hut, James felt it. He stopped his sprint, his boots skidding against the snowy ground.

‘You felt it too?’ James asked Faust.

‘Of course I did. It’s your Alert going off.’

James furrowed his brow.

‘That’s not just it.’

James looked all around him, his eyes scanning the tree canopies. His Alert skill had gone off, sure, but it was where it was coming from that bothered him. It didn’t come from one direction. No, it was detecting a threat coming from all sides.

James felt his eyes heat up, Faust’s spirit flowing into his sight almost on instinct. Then and there, the detail in his vision increased and the darkening forest became much more visible to him. James had this ability for as long as he had Faust. It was useful when it came for him to see through foggy or dark conditions, allowing his sight to pierce through it all the same.

Yet now it came with an additional benefit. One that had become apparent to him after his ‘revival’ in Vindis. James could now see traces of magic, their residue almost glowing to him. It was through this ability that James could see traces of what looked to be the spell Shadow Step and another unknown one all around him. He guessed the person using it was currently dashing around him in the canopies, the sound of their movement silent to him.

“Ice Lance,” James chanted, his left hand quickly forming the rune towards a spot in the trees. Blue glyphs appeared in front of his fingertips, their magic quickly summoning a small needle-like lance of ice, its length shooting off into the canopy of one tree. His gamble paid off when a person was nearly hit by the lance, their figure barely managing to avoid it as they changed course.

“Carapace,” James muttered, making sure to activate his buff before things got messy. And messy they got.

Once the stranger made contact with the ground, they immediately bolted for James. The young Jarl quickly took a step forward, his right hand raising as it formed another rune. As expected, the stranger quickly changed their approach, their feet kicking them off to the left side.

James almost chuckled at his attempted feint.

“Instant Reflex,” James chanted under his breath, his physical casting making itself present. The world turned slow around him, the stranger’s movements slowed to a crawl. James watched as they rushed toward him, dagger in hand.

With a slow and methodical motion—as to not overdo himself—James shifted his hand to his sword’s handle. He unsheathed it, the world around him still in slow motion as he moved to defend himself. His muscles burned with exertion, and his body emitted heat that he was sure could melt snow.

The reflexes only lasted for two real-world seconds. Four seconds if one were to bolster it. One might think it was way too short for the cost, perhaps even useless. The thing was, one real-world second felt almost like an eternity in Instant Reflex. While James was still new to the casting itself, it didn’t take long for him to figure out how it worked.

After all, he just imagined he was Neo.

James’ sword flashed in a glint of steel, the world returning to normal as his arm swung to deflect the dagger strike. There was an audible clang and James could only grin as his attacker was parried.

Without giving him time to attack, the stranger backed away in a rush, creating distance. It was for naught, as James was still recovering from the sudden outburst of heat that resulted from his Instant Reflex. His body felt like it had gone through a blender as well, soreness making itself apparent in his muscles.

Still, he didn’t want the other person to know that detail. So he kept his posture, hiding his discomfort and pain behind a smile.

“Should probably think twice before you try that again,” he called out. He hoped he didn’t sound out of breath.

James flourished his sword a bit before he pointed it toward the stranger. He was well aware that his eyes were still glowing, and he could see its ethereal light reflect off the woman’s knife. He could even see his reflection, displaying him as the ghoulish looking man he looked like whenever he did the eye trick.

The stainless steel also gave him some hope that his friends were still alive and unharmed. Not much hope since he knew there were countless ways to end one’s life, but it was enough for him to worry much less.

“Now, who are you? Why are you here?” James asked. He almost expected not to get an answer. He instead half-expected this stranger to start throwing knives or running away. Both outcomes would be equally annoying.

However, the woman before him decided not to do either of those things. She actually stood up straight, her left hand pulling her hood back to reveal her face.

At first, James was confused. She looked… painfully ordinary. Short auburn hair. Fairly pale skin accompanied by one dark brown eye, her other covered up. Attractive, sure, but James had seen much more interesting people. Even her makeshift eye patch made of bandages didn’t do much to make her unique. It was like she had this aura of—

He blinked, and the realization hit him like a semi-truck.

“You’re an Earthling, aren’t you?” he asked slowly. This was the same feeling he had felt back when he had fought Arthur. Back when he had seen the fates of the tree. When he saw the two Earthlings in that blossom’s fate. He remembered the names of both of them. How could he ever forget them?

“I suppose you’re James Holter,” the other Outlander said almost coldly.

Naomi Miller looked much different than what James recalled. Then again, he had seen an older version of her. In the vision, she looked like she was in her late thirties, maybe forties, if he were to be critical. Now, however, she looked his age. Younger perhaps. She had already lost her left eye, which meant that she had been in Azura for some time. That was already evident in the way she moved and the castings she used earlier.

She had been here longer than him. James felt it in the way she looked at him condescendingly. The way her single eye judged and examined him. She was sizing him up.

James shifted uncomfortably, his body tensing up. Without even realizing it, his feet were already positioning themselves, his sword arm raising defensively. Both Outlanders stared at each other, the air around them taut with tension.

Before James could even attempt to say anything, Naomi had made the first move. Her boots scraped against the snowy gravel, her right hand flashing forth a sword. James managed to block it in time, his eyes widening at the new weapon that contested with his sword.

It was a curved blade, its length comparable to a straight sword. The hilt was wrapped in white, and the guard was a black disc, intricate in design. James recognized it almost immediately. It was a katana.

‘How did she manage to pull it out so fast? Then again, where did she pull it from?’

James could have sworn that Naomi was wielding a smaller knife, one closer to a dagger’s length rather than an entire sword. Before he had any time to even question where she had pulled the katana from, Faust’s voice echoed in his mind.

‘Her left!!’ Faust shouted.

James quickly glanced to his right, his blood running cold as he saw a formed rune aiming straight for him.

“Arcane Bolt!”

James dodged the bolt by mere inches, its burning magic grazing against his beard. The smell of singed hair reached his nostrils just as Naomi pulled back her sword. She dashed back from him, her gaze still glued on James as her left hand reached into her cloak, her fingers producing two knives.

In only a second, both daggers were airborne, their silver edges glinting as they flew at James. He felt Faust force his body to the left, dodging the first one while James raised his sword to deflect the second. His short sword sparked as it made contact with the knife, stopping its flight in time before it could reach him.

‘She’s going to go for a rush right now. Got to use Instant Reflex and—’

James blinked. Naomi was gone. She had disappeared from the spot where he last saw her, the snow barely disturbed. He didn’t even hear her footsteps across the gravel. Not even a—

‘Behind you!’

James felt every part of his body tense up at the sound of Faust’s desperate warning. He turned around, the world around him going slow. He could feel his heart drop as he caught sight of Naomi, her crouching form right behind him. Her single eye was wide with focus, her left hand gripping onto the dagger she had just thrown.

“Instant–”

His casting was interrupted when Naomi’s palm struck his chest, her voice calling out to him.

“Paralyze.”

James felt every one of his muscles start to seize up, his arms and legs going stiff as Naomi’s spell took hold. It was like having pins and needles, his body doing its damndest to resist as it held him in place. For a moment, he thought he was done for. He had lost the fight. Then he felt it. The feeling of warmth that encompassed his chest, its heat comforting and spreading throughout to his arms and legs. James felt control return to his muscles, his voice coming out in a breath.

“—Reflex.”

James could see Naomi’s reaction of utter disbelief as he got his words of power out. The world slowed to a snail’s crawl, his body exploding with more heat as the Physical Casting’s effect took hold. In that second of slow motion, James did what he thought was best. He retreated.

His legs burned with exertion as they moved him back, kicking up snow and gravel as he retreated away from Naomi’s stunned figure. Once he was a reasonable distance away, he turned off Instant Reflex. James caught his breath then, his lungs taking in as much air as they could. He was doing his damnedest to control his breathing, so as to not hyperventilate. His body was growing hotter than expected, a foreseen drawback to using so many castings in a short time. For most self-respecting spellcasters, three spells in the span of a couple minutes were considered child’s play.

For James, however, it was a near death sentence. For one, he was wearing layers upon layers of clothing underneath steel armor, his body’s heat trapped underneath it all. Add that with the quick use of Instant Reflex and Carapace, and James was overdue for a heatstroke. He was lucky his recent casting wasn’t enough to cook him inside out.

He could feel his left arm discharge basic cyromancy on instinct, the frost growing over the left side of his body. That was a skill remnant of his revival in Vindis. James’ arm could now discharge ice and freeze things without much impact to his ley lines. It barely affected him, and it cost him nearly nothing. It wasn’t even enough to warrant the use of his precious reserves.

“Magic-resistant runes, huh?” Naomi’s voice called out to him. “Well hidden at that, too.”

James blinked and glanced at his armor’s breastplate. He could see his armor’s runes burning a bright orange, their magic emanating light and radiating with heat. Nathan’s enchantments had come in as a clutch, saving James from being paralyzed.

‘Thank you, Nathan. I feel like I’m starting to say that more and more as time goes on…’

James took a deep breath as he focused on Naomi, his sword raising once more. His overheating body was slowly cooling down, and his cryomancy was helping in that regard. Yet he was not so eager to use another spell so soon. James felt at his ley lines—a feeling that he couldn’t even begin to describe—and peered into their reserves of mana. He only had enough for one more casting.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

‘Damn. Talk about limited options.’

Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t even cast another spell. Not when his body was still in the stages of recovering from the sudden heat and stress he had put it through. James was in no shape to risk his life. He needed to fend her off until backup arrived.

‘Then again, that’s starting to be less of a possibility.’

The sun was setting, turning the forest darker by the minute. If this fight was to last any longer, then James was certain none of the other guardsmen would be able to find him. He really only had one course of action. Fight Naomi and hopefully win.

‘Well, there is another option.’

“Naomi, right?” James asked. He decided to resort to diplomacy and hopefully talk this out. Not a sound plan by any means. She had obviously heard of him. Knew his name. He wondered if she knew that he knew about her.

“I’ve… heard of you before.” James had to refrain himself from revealing that he had seen her before. There was no telling how she’d react if he told her that she had been part of an ideal future for him. That sounded way too creepy out of context.

“I’m sure Iendis has told you much already, huh?” Naomi asked with a huff, her body language still unchanged. Her katana was held out in front of her, her hands gripping it tightly. “That bitch likes to talk and talk about fate and chaos. I bet she told you I’m her least favorite.”

“Actually, I’ve been told that you’re Thien’s favorite,” James admitted with a breath that sounded like a chuckle. He remembered the words Arthur had told him back during their encounter in Vindis.

> “When you see Thien, tell him I’ll be coming for his favorite summon.”

>

> “Summon…?”

>

> “Naomi Miller.”

James recalled the situation, his heart hurting a little at the memory. It was right when he had a brush with death, his body kicked into the black sea. Right before he was forcibly revived.

“Ugh,” Naomi reacted to his words in the same way a woman from Earth would if some homeless man had asked her out to a fun romp in his alleyway tent. Then again, she was a woman from Earth.

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like either Thien or Iendis,” James admitted aloud.

“Yeah, I bet,” Naomi sighed, her shoulders relaxing a bit. Just as James thought he made progress, the young woman in front of him rushed forth, her legs kicking her body towards him at great speed. James barely had time to block as her sword contested with his.

“Talking’s done,” Naomi muttered as sparks flew. James tried to hold back the Outlander’s blade, his own sword pushing it back little by little. Just as he was sure to win the contest of blades, Naomi’s boot came in and kicked him in the belly. It surprised him more than it hurt, but it was still enough to send him back in a stumble, almost making him lose his foothold.

“You’re focusing too much on my katana,” Naomi chastised as she swung once more, this time aiming for an upward slash. James didn’t have time to use his sword to block, resulting in Naomi’s blade finally connecting with his front torso.

The edge of the katana slashed against his breastplate in a shower of magical sparks, the steel by its guard flashing with the glow of runes.

‘It’s enchanted?!’

James cursed to himself as he was sent back again, his armor’s own runes fizzling out in reaction to Naomi’s attack.

“The Wizard who put those is quite the engraver,” Naomi muttered.

James whipped his head back to the Outlander, whose sword was raised in a defensive position. Her footwork was different, her hands holding the weapon horizontally in a way that covered the bottom half of her face. He had never seen anyone with that kind of stance. The closest was perhaps Miles, the Chaos Follower, but his fighting style was still different from what Naomi was using.

James raised his sword in front of him, his eyes focused on her as he tried to think of a plan. A strategy. Anything that could grant him a chance to end this fight.

‘One spell reserve left. Do you have an idea how to use it?’ James asked Faust.

‘Never used any castings when I was alive. Outside of the blessings Caelus granted to me,’ Faust admitted. ‘Honestly, I feel as if you should have invested your time in learning evasive spells like Fog Cloud or perhaps even Nimble Feet. Instead, you’ve decided on the two most baffling of castings.’

James almost chuckled at that. The spirit had a point. If he had only put his time into learning appropriate castings, he could have been able to get out of this situation much easier. Then again, he had gotten out of tougher stitches with even lesser options.

‘Desperation is the crutch of innovation.’

James repeated those words in his head. He didn’t remember where he heard it or if it came from Earth or Azura. He honestly didn’t care, either. He only focused on the remaining options he had in his back pocket.

‘There is one casting Naomi doesn’t know I have.’

She obviously knew he had Instant Reflex and Ice Lance. Those alone probably clued in her in that he had both Power Strike and Summon Ice. However, James doubted she knew of his much more recent casting.

James grinned a bit at the thought. At the same time his manic plan materialized in his mind, he could feel Faust’s discomfort.

‘Oh gods.’

Without acknowledging the spirit, James prepared himself with a deep breath. He took a step forward, his sword rising. Just as he was about to enact his plan, Naomi moved.

She stepped back, her sword lowering as she whispered something. James didn’t hear any of it, but he guessed what it was as soon as he saw the young woman shift into the shadows.

‘Shadow Step. Fuck.’

James focused more on his sight, the darkness alleviating even more as his eyes burned with spiritual energy. He couldn’t necessarily use it to spot those using Shadow Step, as the casting literally turned its user into the shadows for a brief moment. Still, James had enough practice with the Thieves Guild to spot anomalies within the environment.

He held his breath as he looked around, almost expecting to see Naomi’s form among the shadows. Yet there was nothing. Nada. James was completely alone now, not a single thing around him.

‘That’s… impossible, no?’ Faust commented. ‘Even with some of the more advanced users, we could spot slight movements. Yet there’s nothing.’

There wasn’t even a rustle of leaves or snow. James could see nothing. Naomi had turned invisible.

‘No. Not invisible.’

James turned to look up at the canopy of the trees above, certain that the young woman was hidden among the branches.

Nothing.

“Impressive control,” a voice came from behind James. He immediately swiveled his torso to the source, his sword swinging. His weapon clashed with Naomi’s own, their blades contesting once again.

“As expected from Iendis’ favorite,” Naomi muttered as she held off the attack. “I almost don’t want to kill you.”

“Kill me?!” James reacted with a shout that had a little too much fear in it. He quickly backed off from the contest of swords, his left hand raising toward the other Outlander.

“Ice—”

Naomi quickly raised her katana, her slash strike fast enough to interrupt his casting. James quickly sidestepped the slash, the wind whipping against his face. He positioned himself once more, his left hand raising to form another casting.

“Ice—”

“Dispel.”

Naomi’s words were followed by a magical response, the rune formed at James’ fingertips, dispelling into the air. He didn’t even have to reform it when she rushed him, her katana’s tip aimed at his torso.

Luckily for him, he didn’t need to reform it. James shifted in place as Naomi got close enough, his body losing balance almost immediately. He was falling back now, his weight dragging him to the ground. It was enough for him to dodge the attack, which hit nothing but air. He saw as Naomi looked at him with a look of confusion.

From her perspective, he had just made himself an easier target by dropping to the ground. However, for James, this was the perfect setup.

In that brief moment of weightlessness, James grinned at her, his body burning through its last reserve as he prepared to cast his spell. He could see how Naomi’s eyes widened in realization, her hands desperately trying to redirect the katana’s strike.

“Jump.”

James felt his legs burn with excess energy, his feet already positioned. His left hand grabbed Naomi’s cloak, gripping it tightly as his casting took hold. With the angle he was in, the Jump casting rocketed him horizontally. Naomi in hold, James flew back in a flash.

He prayed his gamble was correct and that he wasn’t about to collide with a tree.

James felt as the ground flew below him in a rush, his back grazing against rocks and twigs. He shifted his body mid-flight, watching as Naomi attempted to break free from his hold. He wouldn’t give her a chance.

Using every fiber of his being, James threw Naomi away. The momentum of his Jump carried over into the toss, sending Naomi flying deep into the forest. His muscles burned, and he nearly blacked out from the heat. Yet he kept his composure and stabbed his sword into the dirt below. It resisted at first, but his blade found purchase within the hard soil.

James felt his body jolt violently against the anchor, his shoulder screaming with pain as he came to a sudden stop. He felt as if his arm was about to rip out of its socket, but it thankfully held. He was now on the ground, his arm radiating pain as he tried to stand.

‘Stupid,’ Faust chastised.

‘Well, it’s the only thing I could think of,’ James admitted. ‘Not really the best of ideas, but at least the results didn’t disappoint.’

James turned to the direction of the town, which didn’t seem too far now. If he could just retreat back to its border, he could properly call for backup. Not that it wasn’t coming regardless. The forest was getting darker, and James doubted Felix would be able to find him.

“Just gotta hurry and—”

“That was some gamble,” Naomi called out in a breath. James stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze moving to the source. The other Outlander stood nearby, her figure resting against a nearby tree. She had her arms crossed, her katana nowhere to be seen. Instead, she carried around one of the smaller daggers, the same ones she had been tossing at James.

“How did you…?” James could have sworn he had thrown her quite the distance. After all, he had put all his strength into it, using the jump’s momentum to increase his throw. Yet here was Naomi, visibly fine and without any physical damage to her clothes.

“You’re not what I expected at all,” Naomi admitted aloud as she took a few steps closer to James. He immediately raised his weapon in defense, almost expecting another attack.

“Relax, I’m not gonna try anything.”

“Doubtful,” James responded with a chuckle. It was more of a nervous response rather than actual humor, however. In reality, he knew well that he was pretty much at the mercy of this strange Outlander. She had just mentioned she was going to kill him. Not only that, but James was fresh out of castings. He only had his sword and an overheating body. Not even Faust could help in his current state.

“I mean it,” Naomi said. She frowned at James’ reaction. “If you’re talking about the kill comment I made earlier, well, that was more out of intimidation.”

“You seriously expect me to believe that?” James asked with a scoff.

“Not really,” Naomi admitted with a shrug.

“What do you want from me?” James pressed. “Why are you here?”

He thought back to his meeting with the last earthling he had encountered. Arthur Clarke had nearly killed him. They barely knew of each other yet their meeting had resulted in a fight to the death, with James nearly losing had it not been for the abomination reviving him.

Needless to say, James didn’t have a good track record with meeting fellow earthlings.

“I suppose it’s only fair to answer that. However, let me ask you something first. Do you know anything about this?” Naomi put her dagger away, her hand depositing it into her cloak. She then brought out a small glass cylinder in return. James could see that it was filled with a black substance that swirled around a singular eye. An eye that bore a glowing four-pointed star.

“How did you…?” James started. He stopped himself.

“Beholder eye. Nasty thing,” Naomi said. “Said to corrupt those who hold it. I wonder why you have it?”

James could hear the accusation in her voice, the young woman staring at James with a look of clear distrust. It was clear to him that this looked bad.

“It’s… not what it looks like,” James said.

“I suppose you were just keeping it as a keepsake? A trophy?” Naomi asked. “Or perhaps you wanted its power for yourself?”

“Of course not,” James responded quickly, his words nearly coming out in a shout. “There was an incident involving the person who had that eye. I wanted to look into it to figure out where it came from. That’s it!”

“Why is that?” Naomi stepped a little closer, her hand still holding onto the vial. “Why do you want to figure out its origin?”

“Because I don’t want any more of my friends to get hurt,” James admitted without hesitation. “If it means protecting my clan and my people, then of course I’m going to do what I can to prevent them from getting hurt.”

Naomi faltered at that, her brow furrowing as she looked at James. There was a moment of silence between the two, both sides adamantly standing their ground.

Finally, after what seemed like a minute, Naomi laughed. Heartily. The young woman was chuckling and giggling, her arm raising to cover her mouth. James could only stare in stunned silence, his eyebrow raising as he watched the other Earthling giggle to themselves.

“I don’t understand,” James muttered.

“No, I don’t expect you to,” Naomi chuckled, her laugh dying in between breaths. After a couple seconds, it faded away entirely. What was left was a small smile and a glint of sadness that James could swear he could sense beyond it.

“You just happened to remind me of someone,” Naomi sighed. She looked off at the darkening sky, her posture relaxing. “It’s clear to me you haven’t been in this world for long.”

She turned to the young Jarl, her brow furrowing as she took a step forward. Before James could ask what it was she was talking about, she tossed him the glass vial of murky darkness. He fumbled to catch it, his sword dropping as he did his best not to let the vial slip his fingers.

Once in his grip, James examined the glass cylinder. He felt his heart drop when he saw that the eye was gone.

‘She must’ve—’

“James,” Naomi’s voice caught him off guard. He turned his head up to see the other Outlander farther away from him, her fingers holding up an orb. He soon recognized it as the beholder's eye that was once contained.

“You’re a good person. Even I can see that,” Naomi said. “Don’t let these people change that part about you. Don’t let them beat you down.”

“What are you…?”

“I hope we don’t see each other again. At least, not like this.”

With that, she dropped the eye to the ground. Without hesitation, Naomi stomped on it.

“Wait—” James was interrupted with a bright flash, the Beholder Eye’s destruction emitting a small wave of magic. He stumbled back from it, his eyes shutting tightly. Once he regained his vision, James could see that Naomi was gone.

The only thing left was a small smoldering stain on the ground.