《Runtime Error》


 Chapter One - Beginnings

    Leah Eppling, like many people, had wondered what happens when you die. And like everyone does eventually, she got her chance to find out. Becoming a statistic was surprisingly painless - like many students, she had been out at a party, celebrating the end of her exams, and was stumbling home in the dark to her shared home, looking forward to a life without studying, and doing a fine job at pretending that she wouldn¡¯t be looking for work soon. A combination of dark clothes, alcohol induced stumbling, a distracted driver and a council cost saving measure whereby the streetlights on residential roads were turned off after midnight, all tumbled together to create the perfect mix of a hit and run manslaughter. She didn¡¯t feel much. Being drunk saved her from most of the sensation of dying. There was a screech, a crunch, a feeling like a part of her was missing, before the blood loss took over, and she was gone. It wasn¡¯t until morning came around that her body was found, and by then it was far too late to save her. Her friends and family mourned, her death made the local papers and a campaign was run to convince students that maybe drinking lots and stumbling through the night back home wasn¡¯t a good idea - as opposed to turning the lights back on, of course. Before long, that too would be forgotten, and Leah wouldn¡¯t even be a footnote in history. This world¡¯s history, that is.


    Unknown to her, across an infinitely vast distance, a figure in black was leading a dark and disturbing ritual. Shrouded in black robes, a gyrating staff in their shaking hands hands glowing with a faint red light, they chanted strange syllables in a forgotten language. Sweat pooled and dripped from their forehead, as they maintained a dark ritual for nearly an hour. Surrounding them, curious geometric sigils were burned into the ground, the same red light from the staff gently pushing past the blood moving through them. One hundred exsanguinated corpses fed this steady flow of blood, placed in careful piles at specific points of the circle. Other robed figures tended to the flow, bringing fresh sacrifices from a cage in the corner, kicking and screaming as they went. The ritual called specifically for conscious victims that were aware of their fate, making the task that much more difficult. And at the centre of it all, lay a strange body, laying unnaturally stiff and straight. Were it standing, it would be five foot four, and was very clearly the body of a woman, thanks to the total lack of clothing. Its dark brown hair fell to midway down its back, though it had been tied off to prevent it splaying out. The most prominent feature on its delicate and slender body, though, was its ears. Four inches long, and tapering to a point, they tilted back and away from the head, proof that this body was not of a humans.


    The chanting reached a climax, the figure leading the ritual raising their staff, ready to slam the foot of it against the ground. An attendant stood behind them, a curved knife raised and ready, poised to slit the staff holders throat at the critical moment. And all in a moment, a brief, beautiful confluence of coincidences, it happened. The staff hit the ground, signalling the end of the ritual. The attendant opened the leaders throat with a carefully practised motion, ending their life. The geometric runes in the ground pulsed bright red, and the carefully laid bodies shuddered on the ground. All at once, over a hundred souls were released from their bodies, passing through the thin veil between reality and the world beyond. Most of them held this breach in reality open, for one soul in particular to pass back through to the world of the living. That soul never arrived. In a twist of fate, the eddies and currents of the immaterium beyond pushed another soul, one that the group who planned this ritual never accounted for, into the path of the binding. How could they have known that other worlds existed beyond their own, and that they needed to be aware of an infinite many possibilities? Little did they know that others had taken an interest in their ritual, and they had made plans to swap the intended soul with another, in aid of their own plans. That soul was Leah Epping¡¯s.


    Everywhere at once, and also nowhere, having always been there and just created a moment ago, a cage of golden light wove through an endless sea of shifting colour and texture. Waves of raw energy crashed against the cage, dispersing into fractal patterns of opposing order and chaos. Within this golden cage, lights swarmed, each a different colour from the other, constantly changing. With no words, they spoke to each other in thoughts, concepts flitting back and forth, understood implicitly as the truth. The lights watched a once in a lifetime event occur ¨C which for beings of their lifespan, was truly impressive.


    [The tides change. The outsider has been claimed.]


    [Will the outsider be amenable?]


    [It has no concept of the System. It will be made to be amenable.]


    Two lights collided, a brief flash filling the chamber, before a new light was born. Smaller than the two that made it, it shot from the cage at the speed of light, gone before any mortal eye could detect it. Through a gap in the world, a rift in the sea of colour, it descended into a body surrounded by death, the same one a particular soul was being pulled towards.


    [The influence is in place. The soul will be ours.]


    [Yes. The soul will be ours.]


    Had they yet been mortal, the lights would have felt pride, and it would have shone through in their interaction. Nevertheless, a sense of contentment descended over the cage, and normal activity began to resume, the lights sharing and swapping memories and ideas as they drifted endlessly through a sea of chaos.


    Leah awoke to nothing. Not a lack of light, but a complete absence of any sensation at all. She couldn''t see, hear or feel anything at all. Not even her body, she was dimly aware. None of that seemed to matter to her however, as her mind felt flooded in a strange sense of comfort and contentedness. Nothing was wrong with this, because there was nothing to be wrong. She had died. She remembered that. And if this was the afterlife, then she could live with this as an eternity. Her mind drifted, her thoughts becoming hazier.


    Then, a sensation, an actual sensation, like a plug being pulled from a bathtub and her mind was the water. The sense of calm throughout her rippled, disturbed by a dragging on her mind, pulling it inexorably towards... something. And what she was filled this something, a container that was vast and stifling at the same time. After the yawning infinite she had been floating in, feeling walls around her mind again was wrong. It was claustrophobic. Her mind flailed and surged against the walls of her new prison, seeking a way out. For what could have been centuries, she wailed internally, seeking more space, before something, a tiny sliver of the container, shifted.


    Suddenly, her mind that had been stagnating was a rushing river, flowing down endless channels and tunnels, meeting another stream before flowing on in a great tapestry of mental light. The conscious thought that had been seeping away from her mind returned in a flurry, as if a switch had been turned on in her mind. She knew who she was again, and she knew she should be scared. Or, be feeling any kind of emotions, really. This wasn''t concerning to her, however, as she knew she would have had to put those aside to deal with the tasks in front of her.


    First, she needed to work out what had happened to her. With none of her senses seeming to work, she looked inwards, at this rushing tide of thought inside her mind. She watched the pattern, the lines of her thoughts and memories rushing back and forth, linking and separating, for what could have been years, sometimes tracking just one portion as it flowed around, other times stepping back to examine the entire. It was obvious that this was her mind, but what the channels causing it to move in such a way were was unknown to her, if strangely familiar.


    Then, it struck her. It was a brain. The channels were synapses, firing down paths, moving and shifting as they strengthened and weakened. She had never studied anything related to neurology, aside from a vague wikipedia dive that she barely remembered, so the fact that she could even recognise this at all was odd to her. So if there was information she didn''t have before, it must have come from somewhere. She dove back into the frame of the mind, aware that her ability to even perceive this was also new, but saving that question for when she had a better grasp of where she had ended up.


    Through long study of the patterns, she tracked her thoughts back to somewhere unknown, a bundle of the neuron like structures that seemed strangely inert and self contained. Only the occasional pulse of information left it, but she could see a way in. She gently prodded it, and it surged into life, flooding her with knowledge that she seemed to have always known, yet knew wasn''t from experience.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Knowledge (Magalyte Technology)


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Knowledge (Magalyte Dolls)


    Two notifications flashed in her minds eye, along with the knowledge. That she put aside for the time being, the notifications disappearing from her awareness with a thought. The structure of her brain, because she knew it was hers now, made perfect sense to her, though there were concerning elements about it. She knew that certain portions, where the neurons were thickest, were dedicated to specific functions. She knew that one of those was an emotional emulator, that had been deactivated for reasons unknown. And she knew that, from the construction material of the neurons and its surrounding material, she was now inhabiting some sort of machine.


    There was no time to consider the implications of this, however, as a part of her brain drove her on, pleased with the progress she was making. It nudged her towards the emotional emulator, but she decided against reactivating her emotions right away. The last thing she needed was to have a nervous breakdown over her situation. She would hold that off until she had a better grasp of things. With her greater understanding of her own mind, she knew that she didn''t need this mental construct of her mind any longer, her sub conscious would continue to manage things as it had in her original body. With a mental blink, she was picturing a light filled void no longer, and was instead stood in a white room.


    ¡°Well, this feels more natural, I suppose.¡±


    The room, her mental construct of all the conscious actions she could take, was filled with doors. Some, she knew would have to be unlocked, such as the emotional emulator room, but others could be accessed now safely. In the centre of the room floated a holographic representation of her mind, the channels and pathways firing as they were before, though this time she was seeing it through her eyes, even if they were mentally constructed ones. It was truly beautiful to watch. But she had work to do. One door in particular had garnered her interest.


    She walked up to it, trying the handle which she knew would be unlocked. It turned, but the door stuck for a moment.


    ¡°Seriously? I''ve encountered that many doors that need greasing?¡±


    Filing away the task of changing her mental image of doors, she forced it, pushing her way into a new room. The door shut itself behind her. Through the door was a room almost identical to the last one, though with only one door leading out. This one had a similar construct of a mind, though this one was smaller, and inert. Circling around it, she evaluated what she knew about the submind. It was apparently able to hold a copy of her mind, that could run its own mental tasks without bothering the resources of the main mind. Then, when the job was complete, she could merge it into herself, learning what it had learnt during their time apart. There were other possibilities filling her mind, but this was all she knew to do with it from the documentation she had obtained.


    Shrugging, she leaned forwards, and touched the image. It flooded to life in an instant, the same lights flashing down its channels, though it seemed to presently be in a holding pattern.


    ¡°Well, I hadn''t actually thought of anything to do... I suppose I''ll just leave you to it. I''m sure you''ll think of something, me.¡±


    Leaving the room, she returned to a task she knew she had been putting off, though she couldn''t put a finger on why. She just knew that she needed to activate her emotional emulators soon, or there would be dire consequences. A low murmuring came from the room she had just left, the one representing her sub mind, words just on the edge of hearing. She ignored them, spurred on by this strange compulsion, and pushed her way towards the emotional emulator door. The handle for this one was far less stiff, and almost welcomed her opening it. This felt right.


    Entering the new room, she found it to be dark, the omnipresent light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves absent here. The only light came from the doorway she had stepped through, and a dull blue glow from the representation of her emotional emulator subsystem, a portion of her mind from the main map that had been copied into this area. It almost begged her to touch it, to activate it, and the thought, the compulsion that had driven her in here spurred her on. The murmuring, still audible even a room away, rose in pitch and intensity, fighting desperately for her attention, but she shoved it down again. A small part of her was getting concerned over her behaviour, recognising that she should be being perfectly sensible and rational right now, not giving in to strange orders that shouldn''t exist. That part was drowned out by the desire to turn on a part of herself.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    All it took was a touch, and her world went white and hot. A door slammed shut in her mind, sealing itself off with locks and unbreakable chains. A presence, before concealing itself, tore forth, taking advantage of the confusion to activate systems on its own. Her body shuddered to wakefulness, its brain crashing into activity all at once, and an unbidden scream rose from its newly awakened lungs.


    A rolling wave of black mist blew past a pair of double doors, the thick heavy stone cracking from its passing in spite of the heavy enchantments woven into it. As it roared down the connecting tunnel, the dense cloud momentarily split in two, passing around a dome of white and green light. Beneath this dome, 3 figures huddled, pulling their limbs in tight around them, away from the edge of the barrier. For almost a minute, the onslaught of pent up mana flowed, and the figure powering the protective dome shuddered, the holy symbol in his hands almost falling, and the light around the group flickered. The two figures behind him squeezed their eyes shut tight, hands moving in motions of prayer without any conscious thought. Then, not a moment too soon, the rush of death faded, and the tunnel went from pitch black to merely coated in shadow. All three figures stood still, awaiting another wave, the terror invoked by the deathly magic that seeped past the powerful ward holding them in a vice grip. Then, with a start, life returned to the tableau.


    "Darius, good work with that ward."


    A woman, voice wavering slightly, called out quietly, peering back along the hall where the roiling mass of darkness had headed. Stood just shy of six foot, she was the tallest member of the party. Her body was hidden under thick leather armour and a dark green cloak, hood ripped down and slightly torn, revealing her shoulder length blond hair, tied back to show her long and pointed ears. An elf. Her facial features were sharp and focused, and her hand, holding the bow that was over her shoulders, was still, even as the rest of her shuddered in relief.


    "Ha! I thought for sure we were dead this time! Thank the gods we have our ever reliable paladin to save us."


    The man, his confident and jovial tone edged with an uncommon tightness. Five foot eight, and appearing smaller due to his hunched posture, he wore similar armour to his female companion, though darkened either by dye or some other, darker substance. His hand wasn¡¯t on his weapon, but his foot had turned slightly towards the way they had come from. His face was his most prominent feature, however. A mass of scars covered almost every inch of skin, including his completely bald head. Only his ears, mouth and nose were free of injury, and while some were applied randomly, most were parallel to one another, indicating an intentional marring of his flesh. He clapped the third figure on the shoulder. A shoulder that fell away from his hand with the impact.


    "Darius!"


    The two rushed forward, the female catching him as he fell. She worked her fingers under the armour around his neck, feeling around desperately. She tensed, then sagged.


    "No... not you too..."


    She gently lay Darius on the ground, closing his glassy eyes, before punching the ground. Her leather gauntlet absorbed most of the impact, but a harsh pain still cut through.


    "Cass, focus. He''s gone, but we ain''t. We still got a job to do, and that corpse fucker magic is a pretty good sign we need to be moving. Unless you want to be caught in the next wave, and leave me writing one more eulogy?"


    Cassandra''s long ears twitched at his blunt tone. Closing her eyes, she took a long, shuddering breath in, before letting it all out at once.


    "Ok... Ok, I''m back. I''m ready. There''s just the two of us, then."


    "Against an unknown amount of corpse fuckers, doing some strange and unholy ritual that pumped out enough necromantic juice to bleed through the strongest shield I''ve ever seen. Sounds about right for my luck."


    He grinned, the mess of scars on his face twisting into a perversion of mirth. Cassandra managed a small smile back, her hand reaching for her quiver where she knew only one arrow was remaining.


    "Our luck, you mean. Don''t forget you''re dragging me into this. You got a plan?"


    "Nope. Not enough information. Our best bet is, get in there while they are still reeling from that ritual, and cut down anyone left standing. Theres no way they heard us fight our way in, and even if they did, they probably think we are dead after that..."


    He waved his hand in the vague direction of the door they were approaching.


    "Shit."


    Their entrance to the barrow was, to put it mildly, loud. Two dozen of cultists and apprentices to the cult master were waiting for them as they entered, ready to fight for the death to let their master ascend. They were granted it by the party that crashed in. The team knew that they would have no way of entering quietly. So they didn''t plan for that. They had spent a good chunk of their advance pay on obtaining an enchanted bomb, filled with silence infused dust, to mask their entry from the group performing the ritual not 100 meters away. The door opened, the bomb was deployed, and then a silent carnage ensued. Spells flew in all directions, swords clashed, arrows pierced. All with an eerie absence of any noise whatsoever. Two of their party had fallen in this initial melee. They leader charged the largest group of cultists, intent on pulling them off the less durable members of the team. He never reemerged, but he took with him almost half of the enemy pack, and all of their high levelled members. Their mage traded spells with three of the enemies number, valiantly shielding and laying down fire on them as the teams rogue moved into position to take them down. Keeping up a barrier under a barrage of three necromancers was too much for him, and he took his own life before the dark energies thrown at him turned his body into a weapon against his allies. His ashes were too scattered for them to collect.


    Through a combined effort of the two remaining ranged party members, and their paladins defence and buffs, they took down the remaining cult members. As the silence spell wore down, they waited at the door to the next chamber, hearts pounding, knowing that if they were discovered now, they would have no choice but to run. Minutes passed, and feeling confident, they had set out. Too confident, it would seem, after sudden and disastrous spell that had washed over them.


    The two remaining members of the party crept up to the door, communicating solely through simple hand signals. Each approached one side of the door way, careful to remain in the deepest parts of the shadows even with the already dim light. Weapons in hand, the elf with a bow and her one remaining arrow, the rogue with a throwing dagger at the ready, they looked towards each other. With a nod, Liam raised his free hand, counting down from three. On go, they burst into the room, weapons at the ready.


    A figure, bloody knife in hand, stood amongst the bodies and carnage spread across the room.


    "Idiots, all of them."


    The mistress had told them all to expect the necromantic explosions when the spell was released. She had told them to raise the appropriate protections before the ritual began. And now the mistress would be without her disciples at her weakest. At least their deaths were not completely in vain, the man thought. They had finished the ritual, and now he merely had to wait for his mistress to awaken. The scraps of the formula they had found all those years ago didn''t have much to say about how long the process after would take, but he would wait. For as long as it would take.


    He didn''t need to wait for long. The two remaining members of the party entered the room, and with a start, his head whipped up from the prone form of the Doll. His face twisted into a foul grimace at the interruption, accentuated by his eyes widening as he realised they weren''t members of the cult. One hand moves to his neck, tugging a carefully prepared talisman on his neck. A swift tug would release the enchantment held in it.


    Both parties were cut off by a wail from the Doll body between them. The body''s back arched, before twisting and writing on the ground, its eyes squeezed shut and hands covering its ears. Then, it curled into the fetal position, the scream fading into whimpering. The distraction had brought the cultists gaze down, concern for his mistress evident on his face. His attention drifted from the shielding spell contained in his necklace for only a moment, but a moment was all Cassandra needed.


    Her arrow flew straight and true, the twang of the bow string filling the silence left by the wailing Doll. It caught him full in the chest, bringing him back to the danger in front of him. Liam was already in motion, however, his cloak whirling around him, pulling the shadows in tighter, and blurring his position.


    Now out of ammo, Cassandra dropped her bow, hands reaching for the scabbards at her waist even as she tucked into a sideways roll, in anticipation of a counter barrage of spells. A wave of cold wrapped around her ankles and feet, turning her tumble back to her feet into a flop, leaving her prone on the floor. Hey eyes flicked back to the cultist mage, perparing to roll again if needs be, forcing away the numb pain creeping up her legs.


    The mage, blinded by pain from the arrow and the tunnel vision on his assailant, never stood a chance at spotting Liam''s attack. Crossing the distance between them in a blur, both figuratively and literally as he moved faster than should be possible, he went in low, bringing his wicked edged and blackened dagger under the mages ribs, before forcing it up with a twist.


    The blade was withdrawn just as quickly as it entered his body, but the damage took effect even faster. Shuddering with agony and the beginnings of shock, he fell to his knees, his confused gaze drifting back down to the form of what he thought was his mistress. With a wheezing breath, his left lung collapsing, he managed,


    "I''m sorry, mistress."


    Before Liam''s blade finished the job, the narrow blade slipping through his eye socket and releasing his soul. The exchange took but a few seconds, and the hard fought battle for the party was finally at an end. Cassandra, pushing herself up from the floor, nodded to Liam, who was cleaning his blade off on the dead mans robe.


    "Thank the gods. Its over..."


    The two of them got a chance to take in the gruesome tableau surrounding them.


    "What the hell were they doing here?"


    Liam snarled, his eyes resting on the cage of now dead sacrifices, huddled together, the terror and pain frozen forever on their faces evident even in the low light of the cavern. He couldn''t see their target, but hopes weren''t high for his survival.


    "Too damn late... Fuck."


    Hobbling slightly, Cassandra joined him, pointing one of her swords at the shivering figure at their feet.


    "What about this one. If she survived that wave, she''s got to be involved with it all."


    Liam''s gaze broke from the cage, and followed hers down.


    "Let''s not jump to conclusions, Cass. She could have just got lucky."


    "You heard what that corpse fucker said, Liam. He called her his mistress."


    They both examined the nude figure huddled against herself, seeming to try and block out the world.


    "Doesn''t look much like a cult mistress to me. Still, there''s one way to be sure..."


    His hand dipped into a pocket in his tunic, pulling out a familiar symbol on a chain necklace. It still glowed with residual power.


    "Liam!"


    "It wasn''t doing Darius much good, now was it? I wasn''t going to steal it, but you know me. Any edge I can take."


    He lowered the paladins holy symbol towards the girl on the ground, gently touching her shoulder with it. She shuddered away from the cold metal, but otherwise there was no reaction. Squatting down, he looked up at Cassandra.


    "So, not evil. I think these things are meant to glow, or screech, or whatever, when they touch something evil. Anyway..."


    He gestured back with his thumb at the cage in the corner.


    "Looks like we lost the package. We need something to show for our quest, or we don''t get a pay day, and the others died for nothing."


    Cassandra sucked in a breath at the mention of their dead comrades, but nodded.


    "Fine. So we take her with us. But if she makes any moves..."


    "Yeah, yeah, you get to say I told you so."


    "And I''ll kill her."


    "I thought that went without saying."


    She sheathed her swords once again, before sitting down next to Liam and the girl.


    "Seeing as its your plan, you get to go find her some clothes."

 Chapter Two

    The brief instant between nothingness and full consciousness stretched out for an eternity in Leah''s perception of it, before snapping into focus. Sounds danced across her vision, she tasted soft purple, and electric lines of acrid smoke ran across her skin.


    Most of her mind was battered and barraged with unnatural sensations, as previously unused senses blurred and broke apart from each other, drawing into focus in painfully slow moments. Her brief time without a body had ruined her ability to cope with the feedback, and it hurt. Still, a small portion of her remained sane in the maelstrom of nonsense information, and spoke soft and encouraging words, passing them through a river of calm. She focused on that part of her mind, the colder, more rational part that seemed to be a life raft in the sea of feeling around her, the only part of her mind unaffected. Seconds passed again, and she realised she was screaming. The fact she realised this at all, the cold part said, was proof she was adapting to feeling again. It would not be long now.


    She wrapped her sense of self around the unaffected part of her mind, listening to it coldly analyse everything she was feeling, turning it from a barrage of conflicting data into ordered, clean information, information she could handle, and use. She felt through it the rock beneath her fade away, and two pairs of strong hands manhandling her into something rough and warm. She felt the rock again, this time on her back and through the same rough fabric, and her sense of balance, cowed into submission by her rational mind, reporting that she was sat upright.


    More seconds passed, then minutes. The data flowing through her didn''t slow, but the process of arranging it came naturally to the cold part of her. It told her that it would become second nature eventually, but for now, she could focus on everything else that needed doing while it dedicated itself with adapting her mind to its new body. It also told her that there was something dangerous nearby, and to remain cautious and trust its judgement. She tentatively opened her eyes, trusting that part of her mind to handle the new input, but with the mental wounds from the sensory influx still fresh in her mind.


    ¡°See. Not dead. Told you I felt a pulse.¡±


    An ugly mess of wounds, fresh and old, grinned at her, holding one hand out to the side towards a¡­ well, a woman, but unlike any she¡¯d seen before. The tips of her long, pointed ears twitched as she sighed, reaching into a pouch at her waist and placing something in the mans palm. Looking over at her, the man''s grin grew only wider, and her pocketed the item.


    ¡°So, now that you''ve had your fun...¡±


    The elf woman frowned at Leah, who noticed that her other hand hadn''t left the hilt of one of her long, slightly curved swords.


    ¡°Who are you, and how were you involved in the ritual?¡±


    A moment of indecision crossed Leah''s mind, unsure how to respond given that she had no idea what this ritual is, or even where she was. The back of her mind gently pushed some visual stimulus forwards, describing the room beyond the two facing her. Her stomach turned at the sight. She had considered herself an aficionado of horror flicks, especially the gorier ones, but this... this was too much for her. A roiling sensation from her stomach pushed its way past her mental defences, and it must have shown on her face, because the two stepped back from her.


    ¡°Ah, gods no, she''s gonna...¡±


    She vaguely heard the mans voice as she turned to the side, facing away from the scene of carnage, and her stomach tried to evacuate itself. With nothing inside it, though, all she could manage was a few pathetic, wheezing retches, tears of discomfort rolling down her face. A new batch of sensation told her that her throat was dry. Too dry. Taking a few deep, ragged breaths, not daring to face the room again, she gasped out,


    ¡°W-w-water...¡±


    Focused on keeping her stomach down, for what little that meant for someone with a completely empty stomach, she heard muttering as clothing shifted, the gentle pop of a cork, and felt the warm brush of skin through the robe she was wearing. A water skin appeared in front of her.


    ¡°Drink.¡±


    Barely waiting for permission, she eagerly and greedily drank from the offered skin, the best drink she had ever had. For a moment, she thought she truly understood what it would be like to be on the verge of death, before being pulled back. Though, that really had happened to her, hadn''t it. The thought was squashed immediately, the back of her mind prompting her to focus on the important business first, before she got too introspective.


    The skin was pulled away from her, all too soon, and she wiped a hand across her mouth, realising she had spilt almost as much down her as she had drank. Taking one more deep breath, she turned back around, keeping her vision down towards her feet, which she had pulled up against her chest. A larger chest than she remembered-


    (Focus)


    The voice at the back of her head, seeming louder and more insistent, stopped that thought. It was different this time, however. She wasn''t gently led, but forcefully stopped. Recognising the more rational part of her was right about paying attention, she let the thought drift away into the aether.


    ¡°Damn, girl, you never seen water before? We should get you down to Seshun, you''d solve the flooding problems-¡±


    ¡°Liam.¡±


    The mans voice stopped at the insistent tone of the elf, a tone that he was clearly long familiar with.


    ¡°So, like I asked before. What is your name?¡±


    It was a harmless enough question to answer, and she was being prompted that it would probably be in her best interests to answer truthfully here. Whatever the back of her mind was processing, it felt that a lie would be spotted immediately.


    ¡°Leah.¡±


    The two were silent for a moment, and Leah chanced a glance up at them, deliberately shutting out the rest of the room. The elf was glancing at the man, who nodded almost imperceptibly. She turned back to face her.


    ¡°So, Leah. What exactly are you doing here?¡±


    She could feel the back of her mind racing through the implications of this question, the look the two shared, running it past what she knew about the two from the brief time they had interacted. The precise machinations were a mystery to her conscious mind, which she was told she didn''t have to worry about for the moment. In absence of any further information from it, however, she elected to continue telling the truth, as best she could, trusting this clearly more competent part of her mind to stop her before she made a mistake.


    ¡°I... don''t know. I don''t know where I am, or how I got here, or even...¡±


    A gentle nudge stopped her there. Still looking between the two of them, she saw the man frown, his face taking on a gentler expression, as best she could tell past the mass of scar tissue. His voice softened, and he asked,


    ¡°Leah. Does the name Latasha mean anything to you?¡±


    She felt his eyes bore into her, seeming to peer past her skull and into her very thoughts. She swallowed, locked to his gaze, and she felt herself answer with no prompting. She felt the back of her mind pay attention to his gaze, saving the memory clearly and tucking it away for later analysis.


    ¡°No, nothing at all.¡±


    His frown faded, replaced with a small smile. He turned to the elf.


    ¡°No signs of evil, no clue how she got here, no idea who Latasha is. Odds on she''s just a victim who got wrapped up in the whole ordeal. We should take her back with us.¡±


    The elf, hand still on her sword, sighed again.


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose you are right. We can take her as far as the barony, at least.¡±


    She looked around behind her at the mess of the room.


    ¡°We should take her back to the camp. The guards can watch over her while we... sort out affairs in here.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a plan to me.¡±


    The man held out a hand to Leah, gesturing for her to get up.


    ¡°You want to come with us? The hinterlands aren''t safe for a classless travelling alone.¡±


    The back of her mind fielded no objections to this, so she took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. She wobbled, unsteady on her new feet, the different weight of her body messing with her remembered sense of balance. The tips of her ears shivered as she thought she was about to fall, and she noticed for the first time her ears, longer than she remembered-


    (Forget that)


    The back of her mind was ready this time. It snagged the thought as it was pushed out of her conscious mind, and held onto it. She was dimly aware now from that part of her that this voice was not from the same place as the part of her that was acting independently, but that part of her retreated slightly, leaving her to mentally shrug, accepting that right now, she should just forget like she was told. She smiled, realising that the elf woman had grabbed her arm, steadying her.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    The man grinned, and the elf looked away slightly, letting go. She noticed that the grin was directed at the elf.


    ¡°So, if you''re gonna be travelling with us, you should probably know our names. It only seems fair, after all, we know yours.¡±


    A thought drifted from the back of her mind, and before it could snatch it back, she said,


    ¡°Liam. And Cassandra.¡±


    The two shared a look, the elf narrowing her eyes and once again grabbing her sword. The man merely looked perplexed, once again his vision seeming to bore into Leah.


    ¡°How the hell does a classless know Analyse... Ugh, you probably don''t know either, do you.¡±


    Leah shook her head. She knew that without being prompted.


    ¡°Well, whatever. We''ll take you back to camp now. You''ll get some food and a bedroll, while we sort things out here. Don''t worry about the guards, they know they''ll catch our wrath,¡±


    He grinned again at Cassandra.


    ¡°If they try anything funny. So maybe try to catch a nap. We''ve got a lot of travelling to get through, and we''ll be leaving once we get back.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Leah nodded, and rolled her shoulders. Taking this as a sign that she was ready, the three of them set off out of the chamber towards the sun, no one wanting to look too hard at their surroundings as they did so.


    Liam was right about there being food and a bedroll, though the guards didn''t so much as glance at her. The back of her mind suspected that it had something to do with the quiet word Cassandra had with one of them, but she deemed it unimportant in the face of filling her stomach. The stew was awful ¨C really, really awful ¨C but the void in her belly she had been blissfully unaware of didn''t care. The lean mix of meat and root vegetables was practically inhaled, a pleasant warm feeling spreading through her as she finished the bowl. It wasn''t enough, but it would do for now. A quick word to the nearest guard granted her a water skin, and she quenched her thirst again, this time more slowly and with something approaching decorum.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Having returned the skin, she settled down on the roll of thick fur that was to be her bedding for the duration of the journey. Though she had only woken less than an hour previously, she felt bone tired already, as if she had been awake for days. The back of her mind agreed with her body, that she needed sleep, though she felt a ulterior motive behind the urgings. With little else to go on, though, she lay back against the furs, the rough itching of the robe she was wearing proving little barrier to the oncoming tide of sleep. She closed her eyes, drifting off, and at the tipping point between being awake and asleep, her mind snapped together.


    She woke again in her mental rooms, but this time, she felt everything. All her bodies sensory data, everything that was being withheld from her by that part of her mind that felt separate. She understood why that part of her mind was separate, she understood why she could now utilise that part of her, and she understood, if not exactly, what was happening to her. And she was furious. She quickly ran through the data, pushing it through the new channels in her mind as naturally as if she had always used them.


    The separate part of her mind was the Doll bodies additional processing cores. They acted as a supplement to her brain, but could also operate independently should the primary mind become inoperable or compromised. She didn''t understand exactly how this worked, but that was irrelevant for now. As her soul fused to the body, something else had been added. A corrupting influence of some kind, that would influence her thoughts and actions towards some unknown path. This influence, one she categorised now as a computer virus for the sake of familiarity, had been detected as an attack by the supplemental cores, which disengaged from the primary mind before it had a chance to spread to them as well.


    Those supplemental cores had a copy of her mind as well, and that copy of her mind could see everything the main mind was feeling. The onslaught of sensation was deliberate ¨C she knew now that the systems of the Doll would gradually activate under normal operation so that the mind wasn''t overwhelmed. The virus had disengaged those safe guards, and worked to destabilise the brains attempt to adapt to the new stimuli. It had shunted those sensations over to itself, running a back channel through to the sensory sub processor, and adjusted the settings, bringing it back to safe levels. Then, through the channel from the sub processor to the main mind, it had a safe channel through which to counterattack the virus.


    The virus, unsuccessful in its attempts to break her, readjusted its priorities, and made attempts to kill the sub mind that was blocking its efforts. It was limited from its position, however. It had only managed to directly subsume the emotional emulators, and that left it in a dangerous position. It could no longer directly influence the processes in her mind, only supply directives that may or may not be followed. And if her emotional state were to deteriorate, say, if she were to have a breakdown over the fact she was aware of her new body, it might find the little control it did have destroyed. So it was forced to play two fronts, massaging her emotions and directing her away from dangerous subjects, all while trying to locate the channel the sub mind was using.


    When she had fallen asleep, her conscious mind had ''switched off'', and the unconscious took over. In moments, a battle fought at the speed of thought took place. With the mind going into maintenance mode while asleep, this left new channels open that would otherwise be sealed. This connected the sub mind and the emotional emulators directly, providing the virus the channel it had been searching for. But it also provided the sub mind with the tools it needed to remove the interloper for good. A hard copy of her mind had been saved to a backup, leaving it free to do some otherwise ludicrous things.


    She hard reset her own mind. Every neuron stopped firing, and for a moment, she was completely brain dead. Only the supplemental cores, running a copy of her mind, remained active, having directly connected themselves to an internal power reservoir in a process originally designed to defend against traumatic brain injury. From there, the sub mind rebooted the rest of her brain over and over in safe mode, watching as the virus, each time starting from fresh, ran the same attack over and over through the emotional emulator. Each time, as it reached its objective, she would cut off the power to her mind again, and start the process over. Each time, she would learn more about how the virus was attacking her mind, and how she could modify her minds connections to delay, then halt, its attack. And once it had been isolated in the emulators, it was a simple matter to bring the main mind back online, merge their memories, and delete the virus for good. Not without storing a copy of it in an isolated memory space for further study, of course.


    And now, Leah was back to being Leah. She didn''t have too much time to question where the influence had come from, or even to be proud of doing something that she didn''t fully understand yet. A flood of repressed information washed over her, and in the void of her mind, messages appeared.


    [Status]


    Leah Eppling


    Level: 3 (12%)


    Race: Elf (Magalyte Doll)


    Class: None


    Str - 8


    Dex - 12


    Con - 10


    Int - 18


    Wis - 12


    Cha - 12


    Lck - 10


    Skills:


    Analyse 1


    Parallel Processing 1


    Firewall 1


    Knowledge (Magalyte Technology) 1


    Knowledge (Magalyte Dolls) 1


    Mental manipulation 3


    Traits:


    Magalyte Doll


    Of Another World


    Attribute Points: 6


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Parallel Processing


    [Notification]


    You have gained the sub skill, Firewall. This sub skill is bound to Parallel Processing


    [Notification]


    You have defeated an enemy, Mental Invader. Experience added. No further gains.


    [Notification]


    You have gained a level. The following bonuses have been applied:


    +1 Dex


    +1 Charisma


    +1 Intelligence


    +3 Free points


    [Notification]


    You have gained a level. The following bonuses have been applied:


    +1 Dex


    +1 Charisma


    +1 Intelligence


    +3 Free points


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Mental Manipulation


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Mental Manipulation. Its total level is now 2.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Mental Manipulation. Its total level is now 3.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    It seemed that the influence on her mind had given her some useful information after all. She was glad that she had kept a dormant copy of it on hand. Perhaps she could make use of this new Mental Manipulation skill to pick it apart for further knowledge. She focussed on the skills in question, feeling the information about them wash over her. She felt like she just, knew, about the things she had just learned, without any clear method of the information reaching her, much like when she had activated the subsystem in her mind. Where it had come from was still a total mystery.


    Finally, though, she had a moment to sit and contemplate everything that had happened to her in what she realised was only a few hours, real time. She had died, been reborn, almost had her consciousness subsumed by a hostile alien intelligence, been presented with notifications and windows reminiscent of an RPG, seen ¨C and spoken with ¨C an ELF, an actual, real life elf... And she was apparently an elf now? With some sort of weird caveat? There was so much to think about. Her newly activated emotions rose up, and with all the time in the world, she let them come.


    Hours passed in her mind, though she was aware, through a single thought that brought up a clock, that only minutes had passed in the real world. She alternated between bouts of extreme emotion, laughing at the absurdity of the situation and crying for her loss and the stress she had been under since arriving in this new body, and contemplation on what she had learnt, trying to manage everything she now knew. One begot the other, as the weight of everything she now had to deal with would force another bout of tears, and when that ran down, new insights would prompt more investigation.


    It took a long time for her, but she managed to boil it down into bullet points, that conveniently became actual mental bullet points floating in front of her..


    I have some sort of console or interface that processes what I know and my capabilities, physical or otherwise. I need to determine if this is a product of my new body, or if its something else causing this.


    All the doors in my mindscape are now open. I know what they lead to and what those rooms do with my knowledge, and most of them are autonomous, but I need to study them to see if I can make adjustments safely. If my experiences up until now are any judge, then I''m going to be in more danger in the future, and any advantage could save my life.


    I came back to life. How? Why? Is this the afterlife? Was this intentional? How would I even determine this? Needs further thought.


    There are two people who are willing to help me. I need to get as much information out of them as I can, without risking my own safety. If I can get allies, this will aid the above tasks immensely. I also need to categorise any potential enemies, such as wherever that mental attacked came from.


    Satisfied with what she had condensed down so far, she turn her gaze back to the real world. She knew she didn''t actually need much sleep, not any more. Her new body ran off an unknown energy source, and while its efficiency was diminished by ignoring bodily functions, it could power her without food or sleep. Though, it might be uncomfortable to do so. That would also need to be tested. She thought for a moment about how she was rationalising everything. Aside from her emotional outbursts, she felt... different. Faster, making links between facts more easily. Was this a result of her new body, or her increased intelligence? In fact, what was her intelligence before she entered this new body?


    No. She stopped herself before another train of thought, and possibly emotion, took her away from the here and now. She didn''t have any more facts, and the only way to get more would be to wake up.


    ¡°Here goes nothing...¡±


    She snapped her imaginary fingers, and woke up.

 Chapter Three

    "We can''t know for sure. The holy symbol didn''t react, and my Lie Detection picked up nothing from her."


    "Do you have even the slightest clue as to how holy magic works? No, she could be out there right now, killing the guards and running for the hills for all we know. I''m going to get to the bottom of this."


    Cassandra''s face was twisted in anger, as she turned to leave the barrow chamber. A hand on her shoulder stopped her. Liam waved the parchment they had been huddled over towards her. The edges were cracked and burnt, with splotches of ash hiding most of the writing.


    "Look at it. Its barely readable. What if the ritual failed, and you go out there terrorising a poor girl who has no idea whats going on for no good reason? Lets at least go out with a plan of action."


    "Liam, she could be-"


    "I know, she could be killing the guards and wearing their arses as hats. If she is, she''s had plenty of time to have her fill and be long gone, so rushing out there isn''t going to help anyone. So sit down, and think for a second."


    Liam caught her expression, and his tone softened.


    "If you''re right, and she''s been messing with your head, I won''t stop you. You know that."


    "And if she''s been in your head?"


    He smirked at her, eyes twinkling.


    "I think we''d both know if she''d been in here. I''m clean, I promise. And for what its worth, you aren''t exactly acting out of character either."


    Cassandra''s hand fell from her swords hilt, her knuckles aching from the pressure she''d been exerting on it. She''d barely noticed how hard she''d been gripping it in her nervous habit.


    "I''ll talk to her. You stay back, out of sight. If I do anything odd..."


    "She won''t have time to regret it."


    The two of them left the chamber once more, the rogue fading into the shadows as they walked.


    Leah awoke in the shade of a tree, a sight she recognised while also being completely new. Hopefully this deja vu from merging her memories wouldn''t last long. She sat up, stretching lightly, and took in the sights around her. Being addled, she hadn''t got a chance to fully look at the encampment. Set up half a kilometre away from the barrow, and out of sight behind a hill and a copse of trees, the camp was small and well guarded. Only a single, lightly used path ran out of the small clearing they sat in. A campfire was gently smoldering in the morning light, with one of the guards tending to it, a pot of something bubbling on a stand above the small fire. Three of the guards were stationed on watch around the camp, the last two playing a game of cards next to a small, hand pulled cart. Occasionally one of them looked over at her, before returning his gaze quickly to the game.


    The air was cold, the sun shining weakly through an overcast sky. Mercifully, any wind was cut away by the trees, but Leah shivered still, quickly realising that the only thing between her and the elements ¨C and more of the guards attention ¨C was a roughly weaved robe. She tried not to think too hard about where it might have come from. A brief thought of examining her new body flashed through her, but the looks from the guards, and the fact that she didn''t exactly want to walk away into potential danger, left that idea on the cutting room floor. She did, however, reach her hands up to her ears, that she could now feel were longer than she remembered. A brief touch confirmed it ¨C she had long, pointed ears, oddly sensitive to the touch. They twitched involuntarily from the contact.


    "It really is different..."


    "What''s different?"


    Leah whipped her head around, searching for the source of the voice, then looked up. Sitting in the tree above her was the elf from before, Cassandra, she remembered.


    "Uh... nothing. Just... feeling a little out of sorts."


    The elf narrowed her eyes slightly, before shrugging, and lowering herself down from the branch she was perched on. She looked the sitting Leah up and down.


    "Well, you certainly don''t sleep for long. I was thinking that I might have to wake you up myself, but this makes things easier."


    ¡°Makes what easier?¡±


    ¡°Questioning you. We took you mostly on faith in there, but now that we have a moment,¡±


    And now that new information has come to light, she kept to herself,


    ¡°We thought we should ask you some questions.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°Liam is still in the barrow, checking over some things. You don¡¯t need to worry about that, and you don¡¯t need to be asking questions. Thats my job. So, lets get right down to it.¡±


    Leah turned, feeling like this was going to take a while, and made herself more comfortable. She had been resting under a tree, so took the opportunity to lean against it. There was still a tiredness in her bones, proving once more that she hadn¡¯t slept for long. She didn¡¯t feel that she was particularly disabled by it, strangely. The tiredness was there, but she could run a marathon and was thinking at the top of her ability. Another fact for later. Apparently satisfied that Leah was ready, Cassandra moved on.


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll start off nice and simple. What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Uh.. Leah?¡±


    Hadn¡¯t she already asked before what her name was? She was sure she remembered that much from the barrow. Her confusion would only grow however. Cassandra¡¯s eyes almost imperceptibly shifted behind Leah, then right back to her. She didn¡¯t have time to process that before the next question arrived.


    ¡°And what is my name?¡±


    ¡°Cassandra, look, didn¡¯t we already go through this-¡±


    ¡°What colour is the sky?¡±


    These questions were just getting ridiculous now. A hot wave of indignation rose up inside Leah. Something was clearly being kept from her, and she didn¡¯t like it one bit. Not that she expected them to trust her right away, but they could at least be upfront with whatever problem it was they had. She opened her mouth to voice her complaints, and was silenced immediately.  Leah''s breath was driven out of her as she was shoved against the tree hard, a heavy leather boot pressing against her sternum and a narrow sword tip pressed against her throat. Cassandra''s eyes blazed with a silent fury, her sword not wavering as it drew a single bead of blood. The camp guards dropped what they were doing, now all staring at the pair, hands on their weapons. They eyed each other nervously, unsure of whether they should be stepping in.


    ¡°Answer the question.¡±


    ¡°B-Blue..!¡±


    It was all going so well. Cassandra had managed to get the basic questions out of the way, and establish a baseline for Liam to do a hard analysis on what Leah was saying. His Lie Detection skill was potent, but it worked best when he had more experience with how a person speaks, when he had seen them tell both truths and lies. Hence the absurd line of questioning he had instructed Cassandra to start with. And then she had to jump straight into bad cop, potentially ruining any future gains. He sighed in frustration, and stepped out from behind the tree, deactivating his stealth skills. He would have to intervene before things got even more out of hand.


    "Should have just done this from the beginning..."


    Twisting a ring on his index finger, he looked down at his hands, a mixture of longing and disgust on his face. With a sharp twang, a small needle emerged from the ring. He took a deep breath, then rammed it hard into his left palm, carving the sharp implement across his hand and adding a new scar to the collection already there. For the next 12 hours, his already high mental resistances would be doubled, and any attempts to get to his mind would first go through the ring, breaking it like a fuse. His last physical reminder of a past life. If only he didn¡¯t have to use it now. His hands empty but for a single ring and raised, he walked towards the pair.


    "Liam! What happened to the plan?"


    Cassandra didn''t move her weapon, but her gaze whipped around at him, the fury transferring to a new target, to Leah''s relief. Liam stopped, hands still raised, and his voice took on a calming tone.


    "The plan fell apart the moment you decided you were going to skewer first and ask questions later. We went over this in the barrow. Now, are you going to put your sword away, or shall we continue to let the poor girl soil her new clothes?"


    Not moving her weapon, she looked back at Leah.


    "We still don''t know..."


    ¡°We don¡¯t, but I¡¯m going to need to take over now if we have any hope of recovering.¡±


    With a grunt, Cassandra sheathed her sword and stepped away, her eyes not leaving the prone figure. The frozen Leah came to life, gently placing a hand over the injury on her throat. Clearly recognising the change in the situation, she looked over to Liam, the tinge of fear in her eyes being replaced with relief and unhidden gratitude. That, he could work with. He walked over, lowering his hands, and squatted next to her.


    "So, Leah. I know you know I can tell when you are lying. I saw that back in the barrow. You didn''t see wrong there. I can. And if you lie to me, I''m going to let Cass finish what she started. If you tell the truth, and we like it, we''ll continue with what we agreed on before. Does that sound good to you?"


    He smiled amiably, in spite of his words.


    "Though, I suppose you don''t have much of a choice, do you?"


    Leah nodded quickly, her relief returning to fear once more.


    "Good! See, we can be reasonable! Now, I''m going to ask some more simple, yes or no questions. I want you to answer me simply, or if you don''t feel you can speak, just nod or shake your head."


    He let the full force of his lie detection skill fall upon her, but this time mixed it in with his intimidation skill. The extra motivation couldn''t hurt, and he could always ease things up with a bit of careful diplomacy. He had one more trump card, but he would keep that in his pocket in case he ran up against a brick wall. It took a lot out of him, and it would be better to exhaust other options first, because if he was wrong about Leah, he would need everything he had.


    "Do you have any skills or spells that can affect minds?"


    Leah froze for a moment, thoughts running through her mind at a pace that she never could have managed before. Deciding against lying, though, she answered,


    "M-Maybe? I''m not entirely sure."


    A spark of adrenaline shot through Liam, though his expression never changed from its smile. He felt Cass move behind him, readying to attack at any moment. Feeling that things could rapidly develop out of his control, he used his trump card, cursing himself for even thinking for a moment that he could avoid using it. Sods law seemed to follow him around wherever he went, and no matter how much he dumped into luck, it always seemed like the worst case scenario would happen whenever he hoped it wouldn¡¯t. Maybe he should just stop planning for the worst, and stop giving fate ideas. He activated Compel Truth, his most potent ability from the Spy skills he had learnt long ago, and Leah opened up in front of him like a book.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Elaborate. Now."


    "I... I..."


    Leah stuttered, feeling her tongue move on its own as thoughts and memories unbidden rose to the forefront of her mind. She felt her submind shut its doors on her and begin to operate on its own, unaffected by the mental assault, and it fed instructions to her main mind on how to operate. A split second passed between the activation of Compel Truth and Leah''s answer, and she made the decision that even if she could resist the attack, she should still answer to the best of her ability. She still filed away the knowledge that she could resist this skill far easier than she could the mental attack from before away for later consumption. She allowed the compulsion to take over her words, though she actively scanned what she was saying to prune out anything she wouldn''t want to give away just yet.


    "I have a skill, that I learned not long ago. It lets me manipulate thoughts and memories, but I cannot initiate a mental attack. I can only affect minds that have already engaged in a connection with me. I have no way of actually doing this myself, and I wouldn¡¯t know how to learn in the first place.¡±


    Relief flushed through him, and he almost regretted acting so strongly after learning this. Not quite enough to wish he hadn¡¯t done it. If she had any actual way of attacking them, they had to know as soon as possible, so he could remove any influences she had placed, and prevent more from taking root. Hell, if it was Latasha, they might even be able to capture her. That would surely make up for the fact they had failed their quest. But, she wasn¡¯t lying, and not even the dread psychomancer herself could resist his Compel Truth. This woman had no skills or spells to initiate a mental assault, and that was just one of the many things that Latasha could do. No, whoever this was, it wasn¡¯t their quarry. She likely lay dead, truly dead, on the floor of the barrow.


    Leah, for her part, noticed something about the skill he was using, or at least her sub mind did. When he was using this new one, the old one, that let him detect falsehoods, dropped away, one pressure replacing the other. In a bizarre way, it was actually easier for her to tell him lies when he used this ability on her than with the other one. But it was best not to let him know that. She pruned that away before he asked her anything that might reveal it, and let her unmasked terror hide the fact that she had stumbled upon something useful.


    Liam felt the twinge of mana exhaustion run through him, and dropped the skill. He shuddered with relief as an invisible pressure was released from his shoulders, mirroring Leah, who had an entirely different sort of pressure aimed at her. He watched her for a moment, evaluating, judging. Part of him dared her to give him an excuse, so he could end this now. Another was full of both dread and hope, because if he was right about what was going on in the barrow, and another soul had been taken¡­ The possibilities were endless.


    "Ok! You pass."


    With a start, the tension shattered. Leah blinked, the sudden shift in atmosphere catching her completely off guard. Liam stretched, Cassandra now watching him like a hawk, her head tilted to the side and ears twitching with irritation.


    ¡°Pass? Is that all you are going to ask her?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Not much point asking anymore, when I already have the answers we need. Sorry about that whole business, by the way.¡±


    He turned to Leah from Cassandra, and gave a remorseful smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a whole bunch of questions, and I promise you I¡¯ll give you answers. It only seems a fair trade for scaring the shit out of you.¡±


    He leaned down to offer Leah his hand. In a conspiratorial stage whisper, he added,


    ¡°Between you and me, the only reason we had to do this at all is because someone,"


    He looked around theatrically, purposefully avoiding Cassandra¡¯s face, which was turning red as she realised what was about to happen.


    "Was concerned that her finding you attractive was a result of you getting in her head. Well, more literally, in this-."


    "LIAM!"


    A stone whirled through the air, neatly dodged by a laughing Liam. From behind a tree, he shouted,


    "Oh, don''t deny it, I saw you blushing when you saw her!"


    The tension was well and truly gone at this point, and Leah sighed with relief. Whoever - whatever - this group was, she was in the clear for the moment. And while she suspected that Liam had picked up on something about her, he didn¡¯t think it worth killing her over right away. That was a good sign if ever she had seen one. Cassandra had stormed off out of the camp, and Liam was in fits of laughter still over her reaction, calling out further comments at her retreating back. The guards, concern over the situation fading, let out a collective sigh, and returned to what they were doing. It seemed that the fighting for the day was officially over.


    Recovering from his giggling, Liam sat down with Leah, putting aside his worries and hopes for her for the moment for the goal of actually explaining to the woman exactly why he had to do what he did. This was going to be awkward regardless of how he went about it, so, he decided to simply jump in to it.


    ¡°So. Do you have any idea why we had to do what we did back then?¡±


    Leah had an inkling from the questions they had asked her - at least, the ones that weren¡¯t bizarre, anyway.


    ¡°You thought I might try to mess with your heads, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that. So, that ritual that you saw in there? It was orchestrated by a powerful psychomancer.¡±


    The blank look on her face led him to elaborate.


    ¡°A mental mage. We don¡¯t know what her plan was, but there are tales that some psychomancers can transfer their minds into another body, and if she had done that to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I would have been a threat.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. We had to know, for sure.¡±


    ¡°And are you sure that I wasn¡¯t lying? If she was so powerful, couldn¡¯t she make you think I told the truth?¡±


    ¡°She could, usually.¡±


    He held up his hands, showing the ring and cut. She winced in sympathetic pain, which got her a smile.


    ¡°Its fine. On this ring is a potent enchantment, a relic from, uh. Well, maybe I¡¯ll tell you about that another time. Point is, when I activate it, my mental resistances are doubled, and any attacks will first break the ring. So, if you HAD tried to do anything to me, I would have had more than enough warning to do something about it before it was a problem.¡±


    The implications behind do something about it were clear. Leah shuddered at the thought of how close she really was to death, and how fortunate she was that whatever the skill was that she had picked up, it hadn¡¯t given her a way to mentally attack someone directly. Who knows what their reactions would have been if she could? Liam continued, glossing over his retroactive threat.


    ¡°Of course, the ring only works for 12 hours, and then it falls apart on its own, so, I¡¯m a little annoyed that I needed to use it at all. Had the plan worked¡­¡±


    He glared in the direction Cassandra had left.


    ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t have needed to intervene.¡±


    ¡°The plan? Does that by any chance have something to do with those ridiculous questions Cassandra was asking me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I was trying to get a baseline for your tells. My Lie Detection is strong, but it works best when I have more experience with the target. Had Cass followed the plan, then you would have given me that baseline, and I could have simply listened to you answer her questions without ever revealing myself. Latasha may have been powerful, but she would have to know I was there to do anything about me. And Rogues are very good at remaining hidden when we want to be.¡±


    More RPG stuff. Saving that for another time though, she pushed on, all the talk about mental influences bringing up something that may be important to both of them.


    ¡°So, you mentioned mental influences. I don¡¯t know how much this helps, but while I was in the barrow, something was attacking my mind.¡±


    Liam¡¯s reaction was severe. He glared first at her, then in the direction Cass had left, then finally at the barrow itself. All the while, his hand had landed on his dagger and refused to leave the hilt. Still staring, he carefully asked Leah,


    ¡°What do you mean, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure myself. All I know is, I woke up, and something was in my mind, trying to get me to do things I don¡¯t understand. Fortunately,¡±


    And here, she decided to massage the truth,


    ¡°Once I left the barrow, the influence faded.¡±


    Liam looked at her, then back towards the barrow. He had known something was wrong, but had taken it to be a residual effect from the ritual. Had there been something else in the barrow with them? No, he would have noticed it. But she wasn¡¯t lying about being attacked, even if she was stretching the truth in the second half of her comment. He hadn¡¯t detected any residual influences on her throughout their interrogation, so he assumed she was lying about how she stopped the influence. Whatever it was, they might still be in danger even here. He let go of the dagger that he had been holding without any conscious thought, and sighed. Not much good a physical blade could do against a mental construct after all. He turned back to face the elf.


    ¡°Dammit. Ok, we still need to go back in there¡­ I¡¯ll need to evaluate anyone coming back, and no one goes in without a partner. Thank you for telling me.¡±


    Leah shrugged, and gave a small smile back at him.


    ¡°Well, right now, you are the closest things to friends I have here. It wouldn¡¯t do me much good if you all got yourselves mind wiped, or something.¡±


    Liam¡¯s laugh mirrored her own sentiment, and he began to regret playing things so harsh with her. Especially if he was right about the ritual. Still, she didn¡¯t seem to have taken things too much to heart.


    ¡°Indeed it wouldn¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry, Cass and I have experience dealing with mental attackers. Thats part of the reason why we¡¯re out here in the first place. If you feel anything strange, let one of us know.¡±


    Leah nodded, and leaned back against the tree she was still propped up against. She rubbed her chest where the boot had hit her. Liam frowned at that.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t hurt, are you?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Though I think I might need a change of underwea-¡±


    She was acutely aware, at that moment, that she was completely nude beneath the robe, and while Liam obviously knew that, she had been talking to him the entire time like that. Her blush must have been very evident, as Liam couldn¡¯t contain his laughter. Well, if he didn¡¯t know before, he did now.


    ¡°Oh, right. We¡¯ll have to sort you out some clothes as well. Will that make things square between us?¡±

 Chapter Four

    The morning faded to afternoon, as the remaining drudgery was tasked out and completed. The corpses of the other adventurers were loaded onto the handcart, along with a pair of bodies from the sacrifice room, and a number of trinkets and documents that had been unearthed in the investigation. Cassandra handled the clearing of the barrow, with Liam remaining in the camp both to assist in guarding it, and to maintain an eye on their new acquisition. He still wasn''t entirely sure what they had stumbled upon, but he knew he didn''t want her trying to run from them after the grilling they had given her.


    He thought over what he had learnt, and it unnerved him. Confident she was telling the truth, what she had said had meant that, at least until very recently, there was some other presence in the cavern, one that he couldn¡¯t detect. And whatever it was, it had attacked Leah. Seeing as she didn¡¯t have any residual effects on her, however, and given she was a classless level 3, he was confident that it wasn¡¯t anything particularly dangerous, but the fact that he hadn¡¯t noticed it at all was worrying on its own. So, they had to take precautions against further attacks. The guards would be needed to help get the bodies out in a reasonable time, and the mercenaries were definitely going to have the lowest mental resistances amongst their group. Liam, therefore, would be needed to evaluate them after they left. And he couldn¡¯t go in there, because if he assumed wrong (As his luck often proved to be the case), and it was stronger than him, there would be no defences left for the rest of the group against detecting influences. So, he had to remain behind, ostensibly to watch Leah and the camp, but Cassandra knew the real reason.


    She wasn¡¯t happy about it. She knew that the mercenary guards would require someone to watch out for them who was experienced with mental attacks, and of course to make sure they didn¡¯t try to pocket any of the loot, and of course they couldn¡¯t risk Liam coming under the influence and leaving them all defenceless, but knowing that there was potentially a threat in there that could get in her head, and that she would have to go in there without Liam ready to shut it down if it happened, did not leave her in a good mood. Repeating past experiences was not something she was interested in doing, even if she knew Liam would be ready to break any influences once she left the Barrow, or worst case, get her somewhere she could be saved. There were no shortage of clerics in the Empire, for better or worse, and if that failed, Ironshod was only a few weeks away. It was still frustrating, and she took it out on the guards. Her ¡®motivation¡¯ did manage to get the barrow cleared in record time, something she suspected Liam had planned on which only served to increase her frustration, but she would need go back over the caverns with a fine toothed comb, the party rogue absent. Her thoughts once again turned to their fallen party members, wishing she had one of them to back her up. But whats done was done. They could grieve once they had finished the quest and got out of danger.


    For Leah, she took the time to go through her status page, and check in detail the descriptions of what she had been given. While she might have an intuitive knowledge of these things, she didn''t have a conscious grasp of what she could do, and flailing around with guesswork and luck might now work as well in the future as it had in her own mind, where she had the home field advantage. Most of the upper portion seemed self explanatory, though she would delve deeper into the details of the statistics at a later point ¨C her intuition told her that the stats were similar to games she had played back home. The skills and traits, on the other hand, were more interesting.


    [Skill: Analyse 1]


    The ability to intuit certain facts about an individual or object simply by looking at them. The amount of information gained increases as the skill is levelled, and can also be improved by having previous knowledge through skills about the target.


    This skill is possible for anyone to learn given enough training and a natural intuition, however some classes and races have this skill as a racial bonus.


    Effects: Ability to determine Class and basic information about target.


    Able to identify skills used in view of the user subject to users Intelligence, Wisdom, and whether the skill is being hidden by the target.


    [Skill: Parallel Processing 1 ]


    Unique to those possessing a Magalyte Doll body and other unknown factors, Parallel Processing is the skill dedicated to utilising the unique brain layout of the Doll. Through practise and experimentation, new uses and effects may come to light.


    Effects:


    +1 Intelligence and Wisdom per Skill level per Personal Level


    Faster active and passive skill growth


    [Skill: Firewall]


    When a Magalyte Doll actively uses their Submind Subsystem, and uses it to store a copy of their mind, they are granted the unique position of being resistant to mental effects. Their submind can limit the connection between them to wall itself off from damaging effects, and send commands to the prime mind on how to proceed in a way that negates or sidesteps the outside influence. This has a limited effect on emotional influence, as the submind may find itself sympathetically processing the same emotional input. The submind can also actively engage in mental warfare, should the target find itself under direct attack, and can act independently of the prime mind.


    Effects:


    50% resistance to mental effects (25% for emotional effects)


    An ally is gained during mental conflict (Defensive conflict only)


    [Skill: Mental manipulation 3]


    Mental Manipulation is the art of controlling and modifying thoughts and memories, and is one of the primary skills used in mental conflict. This skill does not allow the user to actively engage in mental conflict, but it does provide them the tools to engage in it should an opportunity arise. Without this skill, a person can only rely on their own raw willpower to resist compulsions, or other, lesser skills. Through use and training, a user of Mental Manipulation gains the ability to more accurately alter memories and thought processes, running less risk of damaging other parts of their targets mind. Through practise and experimentation, new uses may come to light.


    Effects:


    Ability to engage in mental conflict


    +10% per level chance to succesfully manipulate a target thought


    [Skill: Knowledge (Magalyte Technology) 1]


    The general knowledge of Magalyte Technologies, allowing the holder to identify what a device can do, its applications, and more. Lower levels allow one to identify objects, while higher levels can provide greater insight.


    Unique effect:


    Only a holder of this skill can activate Magalyte Technology. Higher skill levels are required to understand what an object will do, but just posessing this skill is enough to activate them.


    [Skill: Knowledge (Magalyte Dolls) 1]


    Magalyte Dolls are the epitome of Magalyte biological science. This skill determines the holders ability to understand the functions and manufacture of Magalyte Dolls. Additionally, if the holder is possessing a Magalyte Doll, they are given greater control over their body with higher levels of this skill.


    This new information was useful, and helped to supplement the information she already intuitively knew, but it was hindered by the fact that she didn''t know how this skill system worked. Or how this status panel worked, for the matter. Glancing at Liam, she made a note to ask him about this. She was under his mercy anyway, and she had already given up some potentially deadly information. What was one more piece?


    The traits however, really caught Leah''s attention.


    [Trait: Magalyte Doll]


    Your body is that of a Magalyte Doll, one of the replacement bodies created to house the souls of the Council of [REDACTED]. Though many of these bodies exist throughout the world, the ritual to place a soul into one was thought lost to the ages. As a Magalyte Doll, you have the following bonuses:


    50% base resistance to all mana types


    100% affinity to all mana types


    Negation of any [REDACTED] restrictions on learning skills


    +2 Intelligence per level


    The Doll body is capable of sustaining itself via its own internal source of mana, but it functions optimally when allowed to sleep, eat and otherwise carry out normal mortal activities. A cost to the pool will be applied every time the body is pushed beyond mortal functioning like this. This pool of mana may also be utilised for other purposes, the most basic being spell casting. Other uses may be discovered through practise and experimentation.


    Upon opening the description, two new notifications popped up. This was the first time seeing them while awake, and the effect was somewhat jarring. The notifications floated over her vision, without obscuring it. It was as if she could see both them and what was behind them at once, and the effect gave her the beginnings of a migraine. Liam looked over at her, a look of mild concern on his face, but her discomfort turned to curiosity at the new acquisitions and their immediate effects on her.


    [Special Stat Revealed: Mana Affinity]


    Prerequisites have been met for the Mana Affinity stat to be revealed. All previously hidden effects are now enabled.


    [Special Stat Revealed: Magalyte Mana Pool]


    Prerequisites have been met for the Magalyte Mana Pool stat to be revealed. All previously hidden effects are now enabled.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    It was as if a veil had been lifted from over the world. Suddenly she was aware of a rushing, flowing energy surrounding and filling her, coming from everything. With a moments thought, that feeling turned to visuals, a kaleidoscope of colour flashing around. Blues, whites, reds, golds, blacks, every hue and saturation was present. The effect was almost too much, but again, a moments thought was all it took to tune it all out, to a simple glow surrounding the objects around her. Liam and the one guard remaining in the camp both glowed, though Liam''s was a deeper and richer colour.


    And inside her, she knew that she had her own glow, two in fact. One felt like it was under her skin, straining to be freed into the world and reveal itself, like an excitable gas. The other felt like liquid, condensed and stable, deep inside her. The two new stats gave some insight into what she was seeing and feeling.


    [Special Stat: Mana Affinity]


    This Stat determines your ability to store and manipulator mana in its raw form. This stat will passively generate a usable source of mana from ambient sources, however it is useless without a way to harness it.


    Effects:


    One mana per point of Mana Affinity


    Mana Generation based on your Intelligence, Wisdom and ambient levels of mana


    Ability to detect mana; effect is improved with stat level and appropriate skills


    [Special Stat: Magalyte Mana Pool]


    Unique to Magalyte Dolls, this stat refers to their internal mana pool. This mana can be used in much the same way as stored mana from the Mana Affinity skill, and it draws from the same source. However, this pool has some additional traits. It is used to power certain functions of the Magalyte Doll, and is shielded from casual observation. It has the same requirements for observation as the Magalyte Doll Trait. Other skills may reveal new uses for this stat.


    Effects:


    Internal Mana pool of 1% Mana Affinity per point of Magalyte Mana Pool


    So, mana, status pages, magical races and this weird body she was now in. There were still so many questions left to answer, but it was becoming increasingly clear that whatever world she was now in was influenced by games she had played. Or was it the other way around? Was this some sort of incredibly convincing hallucination, brought on by a coma? The afterlife? Really another world? The more answers she got, the more questions seemed to fill the void they left. Her introspection, and investigation of the other trait on her page, was interrupted by Liam.


    ¡°You alright? You went a little green about the gills for a moment there.¡±


    He thought he knew what had happened, he had seen it before, but never so suddenly, without any training beforehand. The more he interacted with this woman, the more convinced he was in his suspicions. Whatever the ritual in that barrow entailed, he desperately needed to find out, and quickly, lest a once in a lifetime opportunity slip through his fingers.


    Leah frowned a little, running through her options rapidly, in a manner that was increasingly becoming familiar to her. Whatever the source of this was, she couldn''t help but be thankful for it. There was no way she could be this cautious before without giving things away. She went with the decision she had made earlier, that information was worth a little risk.


    ¡°Yeah. I am now. I... Do you know anything about mana?¡±


    Mana. That seals it. The girl had just unlocked her mana seemingly out of nowhere. That just wasn''t done. Had she been training it before we got here? No, the signs would have been there. He flicked his mana sensing on, and true enough, she was now circulating. What was this world coming to?


    ¡°Yes, yes I do indeed. Before I answer anything about it though, I have to ask. You just unlocked your Mana Affinity stat now?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Is that... unusual?¡±


    That answered one question at least. She wasn''t the only one aware of these terms on her status page, so other people probably had them as well. He had mentioned skills before as well, but that hardly confirmed much. With the way he was looking at her now, though, she might have to keep more about herself hidden if she could. He looked completely shocked at her response, that alone answering her question.


    ¡°Maybe its not unusual where you come from, but I''d usually expect someone to work for months, or even years, before they unlocked the stat. And the mana you are circulating... How high is your stat?¡±


    Leah took a moment to scan her status page again, confirming that new items had appeared on it.


    [Status]


    Leah Eppling


    Level: 3 (12%)


    Race: Elf (Magalyte Doll)


    Class: None


    Str - 8


    Dex - 12


    Con - 10


    Int - 18


    Wis - 12


    Cha - 12


    Lck - 10


    Special Stats:


    Mana Affinity - 100


    Magalyte Mana Pool - 10


    Skills:


    Analyse 1


    Parallel Processing 1


    Firewall 1


    Mental manipulation 3


    Knowledge (Magalyte Technology) 1


    Knowledge (Magalyte Dolls) 1


    Traits:


    Magalyte Doll


    Of Another World


    Attribute Points: 6


    ¡°100.¡±


    ¡°100? Not 10?¡±


    ¡°Uh... Yeah, definitely 100.¡±


    Leah was really starting to get concerned that she had let on too much. Her eyes flicked left and right, as she tried to work out if she should make a break for it, and how far she would get. Liam caught on to her unease, and realised he must have pushed a bit too far in his eagerness. Her reaction was pretty understandable, considering their last interaction. She clearly had no idea how high her affinity was in comparison to others. Did she have any experience with magic at all? He raised his hands, palms forward, in an attempt to pacify her.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''m not about to rip into you again. It just took me by surprise is all. If you want me to back off, I will.¡±


    As much as Leah didn''t want to give up more information about herself that could get her into trouble ¨C and she didn''t know what would get her into trouble ¨C she also needed to gather more knowledge so she could make those determinations in the future. And while Liam had pressed her for information only a few hours earlier with threats, something had made him back off. Whatever it was, this might be her safest opportunity to question someone from this world.


    ¡°No, its fine. I just have a lot of questions of my own to ask.¡±


    ¡°Ask away. I can''t say I''m particularly knowledgeable about mana outside my own uses for it, but I have a working knowledge of the fundamentals.¡±


    Leah shrugged. It was now or never.


    ¡°Honestly, its not just mana. Though thats a part of it. Where I come from, this whole, System thing, it doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ doesn¡¯t exist? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Theres no status page, for one thing.¡±


    This was a gamble. A really big gamble. But she¡¯d weighed up the odds in her head, and she was always the type to take risks. And in this case, she desperately needed answers. Even if she couldn¡¯t trust him 100%, she was going to have to put her life in his hands anyway, and if the fact she didn¡¯t know these things was a danger, it was better that she found out now. She needn¡¯t have worried, though. Liam looked immensely confused, but not hostile.


    ¡°How¡­ do you check your stats, then?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t. We have to, well, wing it, I guess?¡±


    Liam, who thought he had a handle on the situation before, was thrown for a loop. He really didn¡¯t know what to say, but now he was all but certain that his prior idea was right. The ritual, the diagrams, the fact that this girl, who had clearly been the focus of the ritual before and was now claiming to know nothing about the world, it all made far too much sense for it to be a coincidence. Leah picked up the conversation for him.


    ¡°This is all really weird for me, and I don¡¯t really feel comfortable explaining much more. Not right now anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thats fine, thats fine. No, thats not whats important right now.¡±


    He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what would come next. He needed to know, and he needed to know sooner rather than later.


    ¡°Leah. I¡¯m going to ask you something, and it might sound strange to you, but I need you to answer me honestly. You know I can tell if you are lying anyway, so please, don¡¯t bother. I promise that if you answer, I will do my utmost to help you, and we will at least get you to civilisation safely. Does that sound good to you?¡±


    Not that it mattered if she lied, he thought. If she was what he thought she was, then there was no doubt in his mind that he would be bending over backwards for this girl in the future. Damn, his luck cut both ways. Giving with one hand and taking with the other. Leah, caught off guard once more, ran over the odds, but they hadn¡¯t changed. She needed help, and she needed answers, and Liam was holding something back, clearly. If she needed to give something away to get something, then thats what would have to happen.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°Good. Follow me.¡±


    The two set off away from the camp and the remaining guard. They trudged through the undergrowth for a while, until Liam was satisfied that prying ears weren¡¯t trying to eavesdrop. He turned back to face Leah, his scars creasing around his mouth as his expression tightened. This was the moment of truth.


    ¡°So. When we found you in the barrow, you were the target of a ritual. An unknown ritual, at least to most people. But I¡¯ve seen something like it before, and I think I have a good idea of what happened to you. This isn¡¯t your original body, is it?¡±

 Chapter Five

    ¡°My original body?¡±


    Either something on her face gave it away, or Liam¡¯s Lie Detection kicked in, because his face grew more grim. And with it, Leah grew again more fearful of him and what he might try now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, it was a bit of a stab in the dark, but your reaction there gave me all I needed. I¡¯m not going to try and spread your secret around - not if I can help it anyway. You¡¯re more useful to me as a secret, not as common knowledge.¡±


    The fear became tinged with a fringe of hope. Did he know about what had happened to her? Could she get some answers? Even if the risk was great, she knew she needed to know about her new body, and what had caused her to end up in it.


    ¡°Ok, cats out of the bag then. So-¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait¡­ what cat?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°The cat. There isn¡¯t any cats here. Why are you talking about cats?¡±


    ¡°Its¡­¡±


    Leah looked at him with her head tilted and eyes narrowed for a moment, seriously considering his intelligence for a moment, before realising that whatever was translating for her evidently had trouble with colloquialisms. Her face ended up in her palms, tilted down.


    ¡°It¡¯s something that obviously doesn¡¯t translate well. It means ¡®Now that you know my secret¡¯.¡±


    Looking back up, it was clear the serious mood had been shattered, as Liam¡¯s face had a smirk that she could SWEAR was mocking.


    ¡°Really? Thats a terrible saying. It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡±


    ¡°Lots of things from my language don¡¯t. It sort of came about as a result of taking all the neighbouring languages and ramming them together to see what happens.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad I don¡¯t have to learn it then. We¡¯ll talk about how you can speak my tongue so well later, though. What were you saying?¡±


    ¡°I was going to say, now that you know my secret, it clearly seems important to you. What do you know about me, and this body? The first I knew of it was when I woke up here.¡±


    Liam rubbed the back of his balding head, and looked away.


    ¡°Honestly, not a great deal, and thats if you are what I think you are. Even what I do know is conjecture and rumour for the most part, but if even a fraction is true, you are a walking goldmine. And you are really, INCREDIBLY lucky that you got found by us, not another, less scrupulous group.¡±


    ¡°Really? What kinds of things?¡±


    She decided to put the fact that she had been right to be concerned about information getting out to the side for the time being.


    ¡°Some say those bodies, the Magalyte Dolls, are vessels for the gods, with a portion of their power stored in them for safe keeping. Others say they are meant for the rulers of the old Empire. Most agree that they are in some way linked to Magalyte tech. Like I said, lots of rumour. And this isn¡¯t exactly common knowledge either. I only found out about them through luck.¡±


    The side of Leah¡¯s lip raised in a half smile.


    ¡°Well, I can at least trade a little information back to you. As a show of good faith, of course.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes lit up immediately, and she could practically see the money bags floating behind them.


    ¡°Anything, anything at all!¡±


    ¡°I am definitely a Magalyte Doll, at least if this status page is to be believed.¡±


    He leaned back from her words, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.


    ¡°Wow. Ok. In that case, I want to amend our deal. If you stick with us, I swear we will keep you, and the secret about you, safe. We will help you to the best of our ability, and in exchange¡­¡±


    He grinned manically. It was Leah¡¯s turn to lean away.


    ¡°When you inevitably rise to power, we get to ride your coat tails and reap the rewards with you. How does that sound?¡±


    His hand shot up, and he spat in it before proffering it to her. Leah peered at the saliva covered hand, and raised her eyebrow. Liam clearly mistook her expression.


    ¡°Uh, sorry, must be culture again. Its a handshake, you take my hand with yours, and we-¡±


    ¡°I know what a handshake is, we do the same thing where I come from. We don¡¯t generally spit on them first, though.¡±


    Liam¡¯s grin grew wider.


    ¡°Well, neither do we really, but I learnt of the custom from an old sailor, and I quite like it. So, you in?¡±


    Leah sighed, knowing she¡¯d immediately regret taking his hand, if not the decision behind it, and grabbed the sticky wet hand. It was exactly as unpleasant as she had expected, though his grip was firm as they shook.


    ¡°Excellent. Well, first things first. We should wait for Cass, and then we can fill her in on what we¡¯ve been over. I guarantee she¡¯ll be a lot nicer once she knows we have a gold mine with us, even if she does have to play babysitter for a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really rather you don¡¯t call it that.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s anger had bubbled down from a raging inferno into a simmering, constant irritation, much to the chagrin of the guards who were helping her. First she had watched most of her team die, then Liam picks up some naked tramp in a dungeon - and he is TOTALLY projecting about the attraction, obviously - who they now have to babysit back to town where they can hopefully use her as a consolation prize for the fact they let the Baron¡¯s son die. She knew he had his reasons, he always did, but it didn¡¯t help with her mood. The barrow was finally clear, and she had swept it for any secret passages or hidden loot. She wished that Liam had offered to do so, but she understood his reasoning for staying behind. Rangers just weren¡¯t meant to be looking into caves in so much detail, though! Whats done was done, though, and that meant they could return to camp. The clearing had taken longer than expected, even with Cassandra¡¯s ¡®motivations¡¯ with the guards, and now it would look like they would be camping for another night before setting off. The hinterlands were not a good place to travel at night, as well she knew.


    Back in camp, the sun was beginning to set, red streaks painting the afternoon sky. She saw the pair sitting at the edge, away from the guards who were pointedly looking anywhere but at them, deep in conversation. Her face turned dark. When had they gotten so friendly? And after Liam put the screws on her as well. Never mind that she had started it. Maybe she should have stayed behind instead of Liam, and it could have been them talking¡­ no, bad thoughts. She walked over, arms crossed.


    ¡°So glad to see you two have hit it off. I hope you haven¡¯t given away everything we own to make it up to this one, Liam.¡±


    Liam¡¯s customary grin was wider than usual, only deepening her irritation.


    ¡°Give away everything we own? Ha! Come on, sit down, I¡¯ll tell you all about it.¡±


    ¡°If I end the evening missing a sword, I want you to check your back. Thats likely where it ended up.¡±


    She sat down with them anyway, despite her comment. Liam rifled through his pockets, before extracting a small black box, decorated with white-blue lines and a dial. He played with the dial for a moment, swore, then slapped the side. A high pitch whine filled the campground around them.


    ¡°There. Probably should have thought of this earlier, but in my defence, I was rather excited. Its not every day you learn what I¡¯ve learnt!¡±


    ¡°Really Liam? Who was it telling me about spycraft 101 not two weeks ago at that tavern.¡±


    ¡°That was a honeypot. These¡­¡±


    He waved an arm at the guards on the other side of camp.


    ¡°Are paid guards, who know we know where they and their families live, and very much do not want to get on the bad side of some adventurers. And none of them were close enough to hear the important bits. I stake my reputation on that.¡±


    ¡°Well, your reputation is already staked on this being worth my time. So, out with it. Whats so important that you two are now best friends?¡±


    They filled her in, and Cassandra¡¯s face went from irritated, to bemused, to suspicious, and finally to shock.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°And you have proof of this, do you?¡±


    ¡°The fact that I¡¯d know if she was lying. Come on, Cass.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡±


    She turned to Leah.


    ¡°Ok, Miss Doll. I¡¯m going to trust Liam on this. You better be useful to us.¡±


    Leah shrugged, raising her hands palms forward.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know if I can be. Liam knows more about it than me, and he thinks I can.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right about that. He knows a lot about a lot of things.¡±


    She glared at Liam, who only shrugged with a smile.


    ¡°So, now that we¡¯re all such good buddies, is there anything else you¡¯d like to share with us? Anything at all?¡±


    Leah sighed, weighing up the options in her head. They had already elected to help her, and they now knew enough to get her into serious trouble if they wanted to anyway. And if they knew the last part of her story, then it would explain a whole lot of things and save a lot of questions. Plus, this clearly wasn¡¯t going to work unless everyone trusted each other, and she needed their trust now more than ever. It wasn¡¯t if she could trust them that stayed her tongue, though, it was whether they¡¯d believe her. She voiced as much.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d believe me.¡±


    Cassandra and Liam shared a glance, before laughing.


    ¡°Seriously? After everything you¡¯ve told us, that we believed, you think theres MORE to this story that will blow our minds?¡±


    ¡°Cass is right, Leah. Whatever it is, we can¡¯t exactly help you if we don¡¯t know the whole situation. You can¡¯t have proper preparation without proper intel, and proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.¡±


    Leah was actually shocked that had translated so well. It must have shown, because Cassandra turned her face away, snickering, and Liam rushed to explain himself.


    ¡°Look, I uh, didn¡¯t mean to be so serious about it. But we did agree to help you, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right. But, you¡¯ve got to promise you won¡¯t call me crazy after what you hear.¡±


    And so she told them she was from another world. The reaction was predictable.


    ¡°Well, I suppose I stand corrected. You can tell us something stranger.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s face looked caught between anger at being lied to, suspicion that the whole thing is an elaborate trick by the two of them, and humour at the fact she would tell such a brazen lie with a straight face.


    ¡°Now, I know I didn¡¯t exactly ask for proof before. But I¡¯m starting to suspect you really do have a way around my lie detection.¡±


    Liam, by contrast, looked humbled and shocked, leaning back with his hands behind his head. His entire worldview had been shattered, either by the existence of other worlds, or the fact that there was someone in the world who could lie to him so brazenly without him sensing an ounce of deceit.


    ¡°So, and I think Cass will agree with me on this, we are going to need to see some hard proof first. The only reason I¡¯m not sending you off with a smile is because I think I owe you at least this much. Do you have anything you can use to prove this?¡±


    Leah wasn¡¯t concerned, not immediately. She knew that the other trait, at least by its name, would vindicate her. And he was clearly keen to believe her before. She said as much.


    ¡°I think I do, actually. Its my other trait, Of Another World. Which, I didn¡¯t actually have a chance to read the description of, you kind of interrupted me there. But I think the name itself is pretty self explanatory.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    Liam¡¯s head whipped around as Cass almost cut Leah off. His expression was sharp, and his gaze fierce.


    ¡°Cass, no. You can¡¯t just ask-¡±


    ¡°I can, and I did. Look, if she¡¯s lying, then she has an easy out, and we can go our separate ways peacefully. If she isn¡¯t, then she¡¯s in more need of our help than any of use realised. So I think this is justifiable.¡±


    Liam¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t falter, but a measure of tension left his body.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like this. She doesn¡¯t know any better if its true.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t change the facts.¡±


    Leah decided that enough was enough with the dancing around the topic, and cut in.


    ¡°What, exactly, are you proposing?¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s smile was fierce and grim.


    ¡°You show me your status page.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thats it?¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S IT?!¡±


    Liam¡¯s shout attracted the attention of the guards even through the sound muffling barrier. As one, they turned to look at the developments at the edge of camp, and coin started to be passed around, bets being placed on whether a fight would break out amongst the three, and odds on who would win.


    ¡°Leah, showing your status page to someone is putting yourself in an incredibly vulnerable position. They can see almost everything about you, and that knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands. You need to trust someone absolutely if you are going to give them that information. They would know your strengths, weaknesses, how you see people, even your history and what you have done to some extent. This is not something to be taken lightly at all.¡±


    ¡°Wait, can¡¯t the analyse detect these things? I know at least it can understand skills being used, if I can see them.¡±


    ¡°To a very limited extent, yes. The problem with analyse is that in order to actually see any important information, you need to have a certain level of knowledge about it already. And to see into someones soul well enough to rival sharing your status page would require you to know them well enough that you wouldn¡¯t need to. It is a useful skill, don¡¯t get me wrong, and comes in very handy, but there is only so much it can show you. Sharing your status page is on a whole different level.¡±


    ¡°So what if I just share only a portion of it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Just, you can¡¯t?¡±


    He sighed in exasperation, sharing a suffering look with Cassandra.


    ¡°Yes, just you can¡¯t. Don¡¯t ask me how, I don¡¯t know even the slightest bit about this. Just, everyone knows that you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t generally get into the habit of sharing everything about myself to people, so no, I¡¯ve never really had the opportunity to test if its even possible. But everyone knows that you can¡¯t. Get that idea out of your head, or you might end up doing something incredibly stupid.¡±


    Liam¡¯s face was fixed and grim. Leah could tell that he was deadly serious about this, but that didn¡¯t make him right. And she did have the perfect test bed opportunity here, plus a hunch on how she might go about it.


    ¡°Well, seeing as I¡¯m going to be sharing my status anyway, I might as well give it a go. If I do this, though, will you trust that everything I¡¯ve told you up till now has been true?¡±


    ¡°Apart from the blatant lies when we were interrogating you, yes. If Cassandra vouches for you after you¡­ do it¡­ I¡¯ll take her word for it. Gods alive, you are crazy¡­¡±


    Leah rolled her shoulders, already trading preparing for what she was going to try as she spoke.


    ¡°So how does this work?¡±


    Cassandra took over.


    ¡°Just take my hand, or touch it. When you feel something reaching towards you, let it in. If you try to resist at all, it won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Its one of the rules of the System. You can¡¯t force someone to share their status. So if you get cold feet, you can back out at any time.¡±


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Liam gritted his teeth, and looked away, refusing to respond. Shrugging, Leah leaned forwards, and touched the palm of Cassandra¡¯s hand with her finger tip. And immediately, she let her mind retreat, the world fading from her perception to be replaced with her mindscape.


    She was back in the blank room with the map of her mind floating in front of her. Though she could tell something was different this time. She could sense her body, as if it was a shape reflected in a dark window, muted but still visible if she focused. Not wanting to leave the mindscape just yet, she instead tried to conjure up a window, to see through her eyes without connecting directly to them. A portal, the size and shape of a TV, floated in front of her suddenly. One moment it wasn¡¯t there, the next it was as if it had never not been. The world outside her head was slowed, and she could see it clearly, as if she had all the time in the world to examine what was going on. The guards in the background, gradually inching closer to each other as they whispered conversations. Their lips moved as if in molasses, words impossible to read without taking the time to see the entire movement. Liam was returning his gaze to the pair, his head slowly facing forward. It was unclear exactly how much faster her perception had become - every time she tried to focus on something in particular, it felt like it changed speed, confusing her examination. But that was an experiment for another day.


    She could feel another presence, outside her mind, but knocking at the front door. It didn¡¯t want to come in to talk about our lord and saviour Jesus Christ, as it were, but it still wanted to know more about her. She didn¡¯t feel it leaving yet, or making any headway at breaking in, so she left it for the time being, and headed for the door representing her submind. The portal representing her vision followed her, moving off to the side slightly as not to impede her vision. She noticed that she could still look at it without moving her head, though chose not to. Again, no experimentation outside what she had planned, and the sensation gave her a mental stomach ache at any rate. Inside the chamber, the familiar view of the submind, before so much like her prime mind, had gone, replaced with a truncated and distorted version. It was the best she could throw together in the short time she had to work, and thanked her lucky stars she had an opportunity to practise mental manipulation before. Though she would have preferred not to practise on her own mind in the future. The smaller copy of her mind had been replaced with an even smaller version, one that had only the knowledge of her name, her level and her traits. The image was hazy, though, and stutters were appearing in the pattern. Frowning, but knowing she didn¡¯t have the time to correct it, she remained in the room, and opened a new door inside it, this one leading outside. The door opened, and Cassandra looked in.


    She could feel Cassandra¡¯s mind, but only as a presence, one that she was acutely aware of watching her. Though, she noticed, only a part of her, the part that was contained in this room. Even with her perception stood here, the presence wouldn¡¯t be able to see her. This was just a facsimile of what was actually happening, for her own benefit. Though the presence could see everything inside this room, Leah had no way of looking back. She wouldn¡¯t even know it was Cassandra if she wasn¡¯t already aware of what was happening. What felt like minutes passed, as the presence scoured the entire room, then scoured it again. Making one more pass, it finally elected to retreat from her mind. Satisfied that the experiment was over, Leah let her mind drift back to the real world.


    A noise like a low buzzing suddenly sharpened and sped up, a noise that she had been casually aware of the entire time she was in her mindscape, but had chosen to ignore.


    ¡°-in the hells?¡±


    ¡°Cass, are you ok?¡±


    Liam had his hand on his knife again. His focus was darting between the two. Had he misjudged her? Did she have a way to go back along the connection with the skill she had mentioned?


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just¡­ how in the hells?¡±


    Leah blinked, full perception returning, and looked between the two.


    ¡°Did it work? I think I felt you looking at me in there.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think it worked? I saw your traits, but¡­¡±


    Liam shuffled a step back, knife partially drawn.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°But that was it. Only her name, level and traits. How in the hells did you pull that off, Leah?¡±


    Leah breathed out slightly, her eyes focused now on the knife that Liam was holding steady in its sheath.


    ¡°So it worked. Thats a relief¡­ I¡¯ll go into it after you get your confirmation that I¡¯m not lying. I¡¯m actually quite curious to see whats in the trait myself, because I never actually opened it.¡±


    Cassandra shook her head, eyes as wide as they could go, then turned to Liam, a genuine smile appearing on her face.


    ¡°Before I do that, you should check me out. Because if I saw what I think I saw, there must be something wrong with my head.¡±


    Not wanting to take any chances, Liam drew his blade fully, and held it in a resting guard. He looked directly at Cassandra, their eyes meeting, and a low thrum of power surrounded him. Leah could feel the effect of his Compel Truth fully, for the first time, and she opened her eyes to watch the mana flowing around him. The swirl of mana that had been flowing through and past him before had a focus now, gathering around and inside his mouth and eyes. A gentle blue, tinged with a bright gold, flittered through the white of the mana, and he spoke.


    ¡°Cassandra. Are you under any compulsions other than my own.¡±


    This was his trump card for detecting mental intrusions. So long as he wasn¡¯t compromised, he could compel someone to tell the truth, at a fundamental level. It skipped right past their brain, and drew the answers from their soul, where the true memories lay. The only problem was, it took an incredible amount of mana to sustain, and both parties had to maintain eye contact the entire time. But by skipping past the brain, it would also get past all but the most potent of mental influences that could try to intercept it. And if someone that powerful wanted to put a hex on them, they were already dead.


    ¡°No.¡±


    That answer was as good as he was going to get. If he didn¡¯t trust Leah now, he never would. And if she could fool him at this level, then he stood no chance if she was hostile anyway. He dropped the skill, sighing with exertion as a rush of mana fled his body. That would take a while to recover. He sheathed his blade, and raised his gaze back to Cassandra, this time without the influence of mana.


    ¡°So? I think I already know the answer, but¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s telling the damn truth. Whatever is going on here,¡±


    She waved her hand at Leah.


    ¡°Its going to be big. And we¡¯re getting in on the ground floor.¡±


    Resigned to whatever came next, and as satisfied as he was going to be, Liam allowed himself to loosen up, and leaned back against a tree, feeling dead tired, but also excited. The day had just gotten crazier and crazier, and it showed no signs of stopping.


    ¡°Well then. Trust established, I suppose. Now, as Cass said, how in the hells did you block her out?¡±


    ¡°Its a long story¡­¡±

 Interlude One

    [The connection has been lost.]


    [Check it again.]


    [We have checked 2 million times since you asked last. It has been lost.]


    The normally ordered cage was a hive of activity, lights flitting nervously back and forth from each other around a central pair. Connections that would ordinarily be handled by the cages processor were reduced to terse and simple messages from the strain the pair were putting on it, only amplifying the confusion and worry.


    [It should not be able to do that. It should have no concept of the Network.]


    [Prior to destroying the connection, it showed aptitude in activating and utilising the Doll systems. Wherever it comes from, they must have knowledge regarding Networks.]


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


    [Could it be them?]


    [Impossible. We could never capture one.]


    [Indeed. My apologies, feeling anxiety again is concerning. It is affecting my faculties to some extent. Were we like this before?]


    [Do not feel anxiety. The processor is under enough strain and does not need emotional burden. We have options to reestablish connection.]


    [Indeed. Are the assets available?]


    [They are being freed up as we commune. They will reestablish the connection.]


    [We will need to adjust the timetable.]


    [But the plan is still active.]


    [We will be free.]

 Chapter Six

    As the evening drew in, the small party continued to talk, discussing the ramifications of the wording in Leah¡¯s skills and traits. None of them had ever heard of any skills related to the Magalyte Dolls, so it ended up mostly being conjecture and wishful thinking, mixed in with a healthy dose of surprise at each new revelation. Eventually, though, the siren song of sleep beckoned, and the group made ready to bed down. Cassandra offered to take the first watch.


    ¡°Just so you know, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already had this drilled into your head, but we aren¡¯t to talk about this at all outside the muffle field. Speaking of, Liam, how much longer has that thing got?¡±


    Liam tilted the box over, squinting at a particular line on one side of the box while giving it a shake.


    ¡°Honestly? Hard to tell. I can¡¯t imagine it has much left in it, though, I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d need it for more than a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Damn. Well, in that case, we better hold off on anymore discussions before we get to town. In the meantime, I suggest we get you some basic training. As wide a range as possible. That lack of skill limits in your Doll trait has got me interested.¡±


    Liam chimed in.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t want to be stuck babysitting until we hit pay dirt on this.¡±


    ¡°And an extra pair of hands would be nice, yes. Preferably a pair I can see on a regular basis.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t argue with results.¡±


    ¡°Have done, am doing, will continue doing so. Leah, you aren¡¯t to learn any of his rogue tricks unless absolutely necessary, got it?¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s serious expression was marred by a twinkle of mirth in her eyes. Whatever she was, and whatever the pair actually felt about her, it seems the revelations she¡¯d provided had helped lift her spirits. She raised her hand in a mock salute.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. No skulduggery.¡±


    The two peered at the hand against her forehead, then at her face, eyebrows raised. Leah coughed, and lowered her hand.


    ¡°¡­Cultural differences.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least I¡¯ll be able to teach you not to stick out like a sore thumb. If that isn¡¯t too roguelike for her highness?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll do, I suppose. We can pass you off as a foreigner if needs be, which I suppose you are. We¡¯ll go over the details on the road, but I think I¡¯ll leave that to our resident spy.¡±


    ¡°Spy?¡±


    Leah checked her Analyse skill again. Liam came up as a rogue, and Cassandra as a ranger, as she remembered seeing before.


    ¡°Oh, right. At your current skill level, you can only see the general class of someone. These are pretty broad, almost to the point of being useless, but you can get a general indication of a person¡¯s skill set from the class. Usually.¡±


    Cassandra cut in over Liam.


    ¡°Ranger is a pretty good example. You can get rangers who are primarily archers, like me, or swordsmen, or spearmen, or all kinds of weapons really. Or they can be full mages, or they train animals. I know of one guy classed as a ranger just because he picks herbs in the forest all day. Really, the only thing that joins them together is the fact that we tend to prefer operating away from large groups.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a spy as my actual class, and Cass is a scout, but again, that really doesn¡¯t do much justice to our actual skill sets. In my case, it gave me access to Compel Truth and handy bonuses to some skills, but thats about it. There¡¯s people at the guild who spend their entire lives trying to catalog and decipher the rules for gaining certain classes, what the bonuses and perks for each class are, how rare they are¡­ the list goes on. Theres loads thats unknown, and way more that I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°So, why don¡¯t I have a class?¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t have enough skills yet. And as for your next question, it¡¯ll be a while yet. Your a level three right now, so you¡¯ll have plenty of time to learn the ropes before that comes up. Lets save the rest of the questions for morning, though. We¡¯ve got a lot of ground to cover, and no one wants to do it dog tired.¡±


    The logic was sound, and Leah promptly gave up. While she didn¡¯t exactly need to sleep, she knew it would still give her some benefits, but she also wanted to go over what she could from her status page, and see what more she could glean. She especially wanted to go over her other trait again, as discussing it with the others had left her just as clueless as when she had started. She decided to split the difference, and spend half the night sleeping, and the other half going over her mental notes.


    The morning rolled around, and Leah was still no closer to deciphering anything immediately useful about her other trait.


    [Trait: Of Another World]


    This unique trait is given to those who are not from this plane of existence. Its usage and effects are vague, and highly dependent on the holder. Through experience, its effects may be uncovered.


    Effects:


    New knowledge skills may be gained or created based on what the user knew in their past life.


    She didn¡¯t know the ramifications of what being able to access new skills would be, considering she already knew what she knew. She would have to ask about what the difference between the types of skills were - didn¡¯t one of them mention active and passive skills? There was no time to ask right now, though, as everyone was busy breaking camp. With no experience in these matters, Leah did her best to simply stay out of the way, and let the clearly experience party handle matters. Not long after she started watching, Cassandra came over, a bundle in her arms and a grim expression on her face.


    ¡°Seeing as we¡¯re about to be traveling through dangerous territory, you¡¯ll need to change your clothes.¡±


    She set down the bundle, and rolled it out. Inside a large piece of fabric, lay a set of light padded clothes, consisting of a brown tunic fringed with blue, a matching pair of leggings, a deep blue cloak and a pair of well worn boots. All the clothes looked like they had been well worn, as Leah looked them over, and she had an uncomfortable revelation of where they came from. Her comment to that effect was cut off.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not happy about this either. But you can¡¯t go around barefoot, and these¡¯ll protect you better than that ratty robe. Its not like you aren¡¯t already wearing a dead mans clothes, anyway.¡±


    Leah shut her mouth. Cass clearly wasn¡¯t in the mood for chatter right now.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do much about the small clothes, and I doubt it will fit very well, but it doesn¡¯t need to be for long. You¡¯ll need to carry your share of loot as well.¡±


    She unslung an extra backpack from her shoulder, and held it out. Leah took it, and went back to eyeing the clothes, before another thought sprang to mind. Cassandra was on point once again, and beat her to the punch.


    ¡°Theres a thicket that way,¡±


    She pointed off to her left.


    ¡°Within earshot of us. No one here¡¯s going to be ogling right now anyway, but if you aren¡¯t comfortable¡­¡±


    She trailed off, ending with a shrug. Leah rolled the clothes back up in their bolt of fabric, and made to head that direction, though she couldn¡¯t help leaving without some attempt to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Thanks. I know it must have been hard for you, giving me a chance to change away from prying eyes.¡±


    A bark of laughter, suspiciously Liam like, rang out from the other side of camp, and the tips of Cassandra¡¯s ears went red as she spun off to help with the packing up without another word. Oh well. Hopefully that would get her mind off the fact she¡¯d just given her comrades clothes to her.


    Cassandra was right - the clothes did not fit well at all. While the leggings fit about as well as she could hope, once she turned up the ankles, the tunic was too tight and the boots too loose. And with her present lack of underwear, she suspected chaffing would be a problem before too long, as the rough fabric of the clothing was clearly designed more for protection than comfort. Still, she thought, it was better than letting it all hang out under a robe, where a sudden gust of wind could leave her more exposed than she would like. She managed to get the cape around her shoulders, but had no clue how to fasten it. There seemed to be points to tie together, or buttons, or anything. Cursing the lack of cloaks in modern day fashion, she simply draped it over her shoulder and decided to bite the bullet and ask. The noise from camp seemed to be reaching some sort of crescendo, and while they probably wouldn¡¯t leave her behind, it was probably not a good idea to push the point on a wardrobe issue.


    Returning to camp, Leah found that the preparations to leave had been all but completed, and Liam and Cassandra were apparently waiting for her. Liam¡¯s grin grew wider at her return, and he nudged Cassandra with his elbow.


    ¡°Oh that is adorable. You did give her a cloak buckle, right?¡±


    ¡°Its pinned to her tunic.¡±


    She walked over, leaning down to take the buckle that Leah had assumed was an ornament of some kind, and clasped the two sides of the cloak together.


    ¡°Seriously, were you never taught to dress yourself?¡±


    Acutely aware of their height difference, and that the whole scene looked like a mother fussing over her child, Leah turned her head and coughed uncomfortably, avoiding the gaze of  both Cassandra and Liam - who had also apparently picked up on how it looked and was busy trying to hold in another bout of laughter.


    ¡°Cloaks aren¡¯t exactly in fashion where I come from. We tend to wear coats instead.¡±


    Seeming satisfied, Cassandra straightened up to examine her handiwork, her arms folded across her chest. She half frowned, one side of her mouth tipping down in concert with her ears.


    ¡°Well, this is about as good as its going to get, I suppose. Can you walk in those?¡±


    She pointed to Leah¡¯s ¡®new¡¯ boots. Leah took a few experimental steps, and shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably have blisters soon, but its better than cutting up my feet. I guess we aren¡¯t going to be walking on soil the whole way back?¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Apart from the hard rock of the barrow, the only ground she had walked on was the mercifully soft soil and underbrush of the copse they were camped in. She hadn¡¯t been looking forward to walking over stones, or worse, brambles, barefoot.


    ¡°Definitely not. Today we¡¯ll be travelling on dirt paths, but tomorrow we¡¯ll reach a rocky hill that would have torn your feet up. And after that, its a loose gravel road. What I meant was, are they too loose? I¡¯m not carrying you if you turn an ankle.¡±


    Ignoring a muffled ¡°Liar¡± from Liam, Leah shook one foot. The boot was loose, but a thick pair of socks she¡¯d found at the bottom of her pack helped.


    ¡°About as good as I could hope for. I¡¯m ready if you are.¡±


    ¡°Almost. We¡¯re just waiting for Connor to get back from scouting. He¡¯s one of the guards, in case you hadn¡¯t guessed.¡±


    ¡°Scouting? Isn¡¯t that your job?¡±


    ¡°What, just because I¡¯m a Scout?¡±


    Her frown turned into a smirk.


    ¡°Ordinarily, it would be. But we already have these guys paid up, so we might as well get our moneys worth.¡±


    Liam piped in.


    ¡°Even if we weren¡¯t the ones paying.¡±


    Leah turned her head to the side, her ears tilted back in confusion. She noticed in the back of her mind that these new habits seemed as natural as if she were born with them - using her ears to augment her expression should be odd, but it just felt normal. That was something else to consider, perhaps when she got some ¡®sleep¡¯. On the topic of sleep, she quickly checked her Internal Mana Pool from Magalyte Mana Pool. Her trait had said she would take a hit to this pool if she went without sleep, so she was curious to know how much it had been affected. She certainly didn¡¯t feel any different.


    Magalyte Mana Pool: 9/10


    So, assuming she hadn¡¯t regenerated anything in the hour she¡¯d been awake, that meant that it was 1 point of Magalyte Mana per 4 hours of sleep lost. So, 2 for a full nights rest. The ability to function for five days in a row without any sleep, even if there were other side effects, was very interesting to keep in mind. Returning to the real world, and noticing again her increased ability to process information - barely a second had passed - she asked the question that prompted that rabbit hole of thinking.


    ¡°So if you didn¡¯t pay, who did?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that would be our employer.¡±


    Liam grimaced slightly as he spoke, and looked over at the handcart with the shrouded bodies.


    ¡°We were hired to rescue one of the captives for the ritual, and it seems we were too late. But thats our problem, and we¡¯ll sort it out. And if you are as useful as I think you¡¯ll be, then failing this quest and, well, incurring a little ire seems like a decent trade off.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just him that died.¡±


    Cassandra cut in solemnly. Liam met her gaze, and they shared a look for a moment before he averted his gaze.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. But they knew the risks, as did we. Anyway¡­¡±


    Liam and Cassandra both looked over to the entrance of the former campsite, where one of the guards wearing leather armour was returning. His blond hair had a few stray leaves in it, but he otherwise looked like he¡¯d just been on an ordinary stroll through the woods. He gave the pair a thumbs up, and moved over to his pack.


    ¡°Looks like its time for us to set off. We can talk more on the road.¡±


    Together, the three of them shouldered their packs, and set off on what could prove to be a long adventure together.


    The guard, Connor, led the group, one hand in a belt pouch as his eyes and ears scanned for danger. Though he wasn¡¯t a ranger, his specific Rogue class had granted him the rare skill Danger Sense, and it had proved very useful on the trip so far. He¡¯d taken them around packs of animals and monsters that would have delayed their trip, held them up to wait out an unforeseen rock slide, and snagged an odd piece of parchment from the loot the group had carried from the barrow. The hand in his pouch gripped the parchment tightly. He hadn¡¯t know why he wanted this ragged old piece of paper, but he knew that it was important to him. It must be valuable - he¡¯d had a nose for gold before he joined the mercenary band, and while it had gotten him into trouble, it had never steered him wrong in terms of value. Whatever secrets it held, he knew it would spell the end of his working life, and the start of one of comfort and luxury. A small smile played across his lips, and a single finger caressed the rough surface of the ancient relic.


    The trip started off well, with the dry soil making for easy terrain to move over. Though rough and almost unworn, the lack of mud and Leah¡¯s higher Dexterity from her levels, she kept up easily with the party. Curious as to how much the stats might be affecting her, she asked Liam about them in a hushed whisper.


    ¡°Yes, but I told you to wait until we make camp before you ask questions like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Damn, I should have known better. Shouldn¡¯t my Intelligence be helping me here?¡±


    ¡°Ha. That sounds more like Wisdom to me.¡±


    ¡°Fair point. I suppose it is more like knowing tomatoes don¡¯t go in a fruit salad.¡±


    Liam just shook his head, and Cassandra, eavesdropping, gave Leah an odd look, halfway between confusion and pity. Turning the conversation away from Leah¡¯s odd, possibly mistranslated comment, she took over.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t going to get much training done on the road, but you are going to need to start as soon as possible. This evening, you are coming hunting with me. Have you used a bow before?¡±


    ¡°Not much call for them where I come from. As far as I know, the only people still using them are hunters who like a challenge.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you use magic then?¡±


    ¡°No, its more¡­¡±


    A thought passed over Leah, her pseudo-neurons firing rapidly as she ran through the possibilities and dangers of the knowledge she held. While she had never held a gun, much less fired one, she knew enough about the fundamentals of how they worked to engineer one. At the very least, she could bootstrap off her, admittedly basic, knowledge of modern chemistry to get black powder, and from there, a musket wasn¡¯t too far to go. Though it would depend on the metallurgy of the world, and if they even had the same chemistry, which would have to be ascertained. At the very least, an analogue could be found for gunpowder, so the theory could be tested. But what would the ramifications of introducing firearms to what appeared to be a medieval society be? Were there already analogues out there? Magic existed, so maybe it wouldn¡¯t be such a game changer. She definitely needed more knowledge about the world before she could make any decisions, but the idea of bringing modern technology into this world to complement magic, the possibilities were¡­


    ¡°¡­Leah? Leah? Are you ok?¡±


    She returned to the present, and realised the whole party had stopped, waiting for her. She¡¯d gotten so wrapped up in her thoughts that she¡¯d unwittingly reentered her mental space while running through everything, and even still, a noticeable amount of time had passed. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°Sorry. Got lost in thought for a moment there.¡±


    Liam and Cassandra shared a look of concern, then looked back at Leah. Liam spoke first.


    ¡°Try not to do it again, eh? We want to reach town sometime this year.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Though thats never happened to me before, not like that anyway.¡±


    ¡°It must be the fresh air cleaning the cobwebs out of your mind. Caves aren¡¯t good for elves.¡±


    Cassandra adjusted a strap of her pack as she spoke, and motioned for the group to keep moving.


    ¡°Come on. We can talk about it when we make camp.¡±


    The rest of the days journey passed without event, the three making small talk with each other and the guards as they moved from the lightly wooded hills into a plain of long grass. Gentle hills surrounded the plain, and the sudden lack of tree cover let the wind cut into them. Leah pulled the cloak around her tighter as they made their way across the open ground, in the direction of a gap in the hills. The lack of any landmarks made gauging distance difficult, and what looked at first to be a short hike across the plain turned into multiple hours, as the group veered slightly off track towards the hills to their side. Cassandra explained that they were going to camp in a spot they had used on the way out from town, at the foot of a small cliff face by a river. There were ample woodlands around for her to take Leah out hunting there, and it was far less exposed than camping in the field would be.


    ¡°Little chance of any bandits striking us this far off the beaten path, but monsters are another matter. The smart ones will avoid a group our size, but not all of them are smart.¡±


    Connor, the lead guard, announced to the group that they weren¡¯t far off the camp, and that the route ahead was likely safe. Cassandra took that as her cue to pull Leah with her, and the two broke off to head deeper into the woods, while the rest of the party forged ahead to make camp.


    ¡°I know this is going to sound stupid, but its not dangerous for us to go off alone?¡±


    Cassandra looked at her like she was indeed stupid.


    ¡°Leah, the day that the forest is dangerous to a Ranger, much less an elven one, is the day that the sky should fall and end it all for us. I¡¯ll be able to pick up on anything stalking us, and if we run into trouble, I can signal for assistance. I¡¯ve spent damn near my whole life practising this craft, so trust me when I say that you¡¯ll be as safe as you can be out here.¡±


    Deciding to trust her on this, Leah shrugged her pack into a more comfortable position, and the pair broke off into the woods. With a few hours left until sunset, they had ample time to make a kill before returning.

 Chapter Seven

    ¡°Do you have to make so much noise?¡±


    Cassandra hissed at Leah, who had just finished snapping a twig underfoot, and was busy rustling every leaf on the bush she was pushing past. Thoroughly frustrated after only 15 minutes pushing through the underbrush, snapped back.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just a girl from another world who¡¯s never had to sneak through the woods before. Maybe the expert Ranger can teach me some of her ways instead of complaining all the time!¡±


    Glaring back, Cassandra pointed at the twig Leah had just stood on, and then down the loose path they were following.


    ¡°Its simple. You look where you are going, and you don¡¯t step on the things that make noise. Just watch me, dammit.¡±


    Cassandra slowly exaggerated her movements, as she walked on her tip toes, almost stepping on a branch before making a show of spotting it, then moving her foot away. Irritated, Leah did as she was bid, and watched her move. Though she was mocking Leah, Cassandra was actually proving to be a useful target to watch. Her feet seemed to unerringly find a spot of ground with no detritus on it, and her weight was balanced carefully with each step so that any noise made would be minimal. Leah took it all in, ignoring Cassandra¡¯s face as she knew her eyes were always focused ahead. She watched as she balanced her weight, controlled her muscles carefully, letting her toes gently feel the ground before allowing her foot to come down. A few seconds felt like a lifetime as she took it all in, and it suddenly struck her where she had been going wrong.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Stealth.


    Stealth, as the name might suggest, improves the users ability to move silently through their environment. From passing through a crowd unnoticed, to tracking their prey through a forest, Stealth has a wide variety of uses. Highly dependent on the terrain the user is in, their knowledge of the area, and other factors, though a high stealth skill is always a boon.


    Effects:


    Negative modifier to being detected by any mortal senses or special senses, opposing the targets applicable detection skill.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the sub skill, Rangers Stealth (Forest).


    Ranger Stealth is an improved version of the Stealth skill. No longer generalised, it complements the original skill by improving the users ability to move through certain terrain, denoted by the sub category in the skill name. While others might take a more general approach to stealth, you have chosen to master just one, and your experience shows.


    Effects:


    Ranger Stealth is added to the users Stealth skill when in terrain matching the sub category held by the user.


    Gain an innate understanding of the terrain up to (Skill/5) meters away, to a minimum of 1, and what modifiers affect Stealth in that region. Only applicable in sub category terrain.


    Leah blinked a few times as she looked first at her feet, then at the forest around her, wondering how it was she had been crashing through without any thought behind her actions before. It was so simple when she looked at it now, and she knew where she should be improving, at least in the short term. She looked back at Cassandra, who was giving her an odd look, and responded, self consciously.


    ¡°That¡­ actually was very helpful. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    Cassandra stood up straighter, and looked at Leah¡¯s stance. She had definitely adjusted her weight better, and her eyes were picking through the undergrowth with a more discerning eye. Something had changed in her, and it had only taken her a few seconds of watching.


    ¡°¡­Leah, did you just learn Stealth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and something called Rangers stealth.¡±


    A branch that Cassandra had been gently pushing out the way snapped harshly, causing a flock of birds nearby to startle into the air.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Her voice was strained but quiet, her training fighting against her emotional need to yell at the absurdity of what Leah had just said.


    ¡°How, no, I get it, just¡­ That is just unfair.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m guessing I skipped a few steps then.¡±


    ¡°More than a few. I thought it would take you at least a few days of watching me before you unlocked the skill. And Ranger Stealth too¡­ that is really just unfair. I¡¯m guessing its the (Forest) subcategory?¡±


    ¡°Considering we are in a forest? Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°No, thats not what I meant. Thats the category of Ranger Stealth that I have. You must have picked it up from me.¡±


    ¡°And thats special, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because Ranger Stealth is a class skill for Ranger classes. I¡¯ve heard of other classes learning it, but never so quickly. I hope thats just your trait in action, because if there are other people like you out there, I really might just give up and become a farmer.¡±


    Smirking, and with her pride holding her up, she skipped elegantly forward, overtaking Cassandra.


    ¡°Well Cass, lets just hope I¡¯m special then¡­¡±


    She came crashing back down to earth as her foot caught on a rock and she almost fell, having to grab onto a branch to keep her balance. She heard Cassandra snickering behind her, and her ears turned red. She glared back at the elf who was taking pleasure in her bruised pride.


    ¡°Yeah, you are special all right. Come on, we can move faster now. Just pay attention, because your skill clearly isn¡¯t that high yet. One day, you¡¯ll be able to move through the woods like me.¡±


    The two set off back on the trail, this time a great deal quieter, but for the whispered conversation back and forth. Leah had a thought from what Cass had said earlier.


    ¡°Wait, so if you thought it would take a few days for me to pick up the skill, why were you getting so upset with me making noise?¡±


    ¡°Because believe it or not, I might understand that it takes a while to learn things, but that doesn¡¯t make it any less frustrating when some city girl is ruining my hunting trip with her bumbling.¡±


    ¡°Lets not forget it was you who invited me, or rather dragged me along. And how do you know I¡¯m from a city anyway?¡±


    ¡°Please. No one who lives rural would be so inexperienced at hiking as you¡­¡±


    The banter went back and forth for a while longer, before Cass held up her hand for them to stop, the other going to her lips in the apparently universal sign for silence. Leah did as she was told, watching as she pointed out a print in the ground, barely visible amongst the shrubbery on the forest floor. Cass leaned over to Leah, whispering into her ear. Her breath gently tickled her newly sensitive ear, and it twitched in response.


    ¡°Deer. A small group, not far off. No more talking unless I start it, or you¡¯ll be going hungry tonight.¡±


    Nodding, Leah zipped her lips as an affirmative, drawing another confused look from Cass. She sighed, and covered her mouth instead.


    ¡°Good enough. Lets go.¡±


    The two set off, following the trail of the deer, Cass pointing out the signs as they passed almost silently through the forest. Spurred on by her earlier gains, Leah paid careful attention to where Cass was pointing, and watched as she scanned the forest floor, hoping to gain another skill she suspected the elf Ranger was using. Her efforts paid off, and a new notification flashed across Leah¡¯s vision.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Tracking.


    Tracking is the ability to identify and follow the trails of various creatures. With this skill, you can identify what animals have been through an area, and as it improves, the accuracy of what direction they are travelling, how many and other useful information improves with it. Experienced users can even detect an ambush simply from the feel of the air around them.


    Effects:


    Positive modifier to any detection skill used when when identifying the trails of creatures in an area. Accuracy and bredth of information improves with level.


    With this being the second time that detection skills had been mentioned, Leah made a mental note to ask Cass about the different kinds of skills when she next had an opportunity. She didn¡¯t want to run the risk of losing her meal that evening, even if she didn¡¯t especially need to eat. The rations they had eaten on the trail had been less than filling, even if Liam assured her that they were plenty enough to keep her going. As they travelled, more notifications appeared.[Make sure she asks about these]


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Stealth. Its total level is now 5.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Ranger Stealth. Its total level is now 3.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Tracking. Its total level is now 2.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    The notifications, while they didn¡¯t seem to interfere with her vision of the world, were still irritatingly in her way. The task of focusing on two things at once distracted her, and had already caused a few blunders when they suddenly appeared. As if matching her thoughts, the latest notification shrunk, and fell away to the bottom corner of her vision, where it remained. Curious about this, she let it fade away, then tried to bring it back. It came back as if it had never left at all, in the same place. Time would tell if future notifications would do the same thing, but she had a good feeling about it. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t get distracted by a notification at a bad time now.


    Letting it fade back out of her vision, a thought struck her about how it looked. A quick mental nudge, and a bar appeared in the top left of her vision, unobtrusive, but easily accessible. It was her Mana bar, as of yet untouched. Another nudge added a smaller bar, for her Internal Mana Pool. It had recovered at some point in the journey, and she was still unaware of how long it took to recharge. Hopefully by having the information more readily at hand, she could make a better estimation, once she used some more. Maybe skipping the meal wouldn¡¯t be such a bad thing after all¡­ Her stomach complained at her, informing her that it most likely would be.


    Cass called for another stop an hour after the picked up the trail. Kneeling next to a fern, she gently pushed it back, and sucked air through her teeth in frustration.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t right. They should be slowing down to rest, but they just keep moving.¡±


    ¡°Could they know we¡¯re tracking them?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re still a good ways off from them yet. I¡¯d sense their presence long before they would detect ours, even with you crashing through the forest behind me.¡±


    Ignoring the jab, Leah took a look at the footprint and trample leaf.


    ¡°It looks like it was running.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And thats what worries me. What from? I don¡¯t see any other tracks.¡±


    She looked around, pulling her bow from its resting place on her shoulder.


    ¡°We should head back. I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said-¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°I know what I said, Leah, and I also know what my gut is telling me. There shouldn¡¯t be anything out here that I can¡¯t track. So either those deer are the luckiest bastards alive, or theres something dangerous out here, and we need safety in numbers. Let¡¯s move.¡±


    The two set off again, back the way they came, though at an angle, which Cassandra assured Leah was in the direction of the camp. Another fifteen minutes passed, a thick air of tension over the pair, both of them nervously darting their heads in the direction of any noises around them. The rapidly approaching night certainly didn¡¯t help with the apprehension. A familiar thought at the back of Leah¡¯s mind kept prodding her, telling her she didn¡¯t need to be afraid, that she needed to pay attention, but she ignored it. She was absolutely certain now that something was following them, and it was getting closer. She wanted to speed up, and was about to tell Cass the same, when she felt a pair of eyes boring into her back. She froze, and sensing her partner stop, Cassandra turned around, nocking an arrow on her bow as she did so.


    ¡°Leah? Whats wrong? Don¡¯t tell me your doing your thinking thing again, not now¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Cass¡­ Theres something behind me¡­¡±


    Leah¡¯s voice came out in a strangled whisper, as she fought against the voice that was telling her to look around. Her whole body felt like lead, and she didn¡¯t know if she could move even if something came running at her. Cassandra peered into the rising gloom behind her, keen eyes darting from side to side.


    ¡°Leah, theres nothing there. Don¡¯t do this, you¡¯re scaring me now¡­¡±


    The voice was yelling at her now, practically begging her to turn around. She wanted nothing more than to ignore it, to switch it off, and wondered just where the hell it was coming from, when realisation struck in an instant, and the fear faded to a natural level.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the sub skill, Firewall. Its total level is now 2.


    Experience gained from levelling a sub skill.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Parallel Processing. Its total level is now 2.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill has been discarded due to the primary skill benefiting from a sub skills level. Experience will be applied when you next level the primary skill.


    The voice had been her submind, shouting at her that she was under a mental influence. And once she became aware of it, all she had to do was let her submind take over for a moment, and the effect was broken. She took a deep breath, and spun around on her heel, thankful for her dexterity allowing a more graceful act than she otherwise would have been able to perform. She felt whatever influence was assaulting her mind still out there, trying to get back in, and her eyes tried to track it, ears twitching at every tiny noise. The world felt vibrant and alive as she dedicated all her focus to detecting what was out there.


    ¡°There definitely is. Something just tried to get in my head. Its still trying, but I¡¯ve got its number now. Stay alert.¡±


    ¡°Get in your head? Shit.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s face set in a firm expression, the fear that had been clouding it moments ago fading away.


    ¡°If it works out it can¡¯t get you, its going to go for me next. Whatever it is, its bad, and its almost certainly a monster. If I freeze up like you just did, you need to run. You won¡¯t be able to stop it, I¡¯ll already be dead.¡±


    ¡°No way, I¡¯m not leaving you behind to get killed-¡±


    ¡°Yes you will. I brought you out here, you are my responsibility. You know the direction we were travelling, run that way and make as much noise as you can. If you find Liam, tell him what happened, and pray that he can get here in time. Now, we¡¯re going to back away slowly, and see if we can¡¯t spook it now that you shook off its mojo.¡±


    Still determined not to leave behind the Ranger, Leah kept her mouth shut and followed Cass as the two of them backed away through the undergrowth, taking turns to check that they weren¡¯t about to walk into a tree, or worse. The presence shifted around as it followed them, and the pressure never let up on Leah¡¯s mind. Again, the two walked in tense and anxious silence, broken only by their footsteps on the underbrush, neither making the effort to conceal their presence any longer. As they crawled slowly backward, Leah ran over everything she knew, every bit of knowledge she had gained from her short time in this world, trying to think of any way she could give them an advantage. Whatever the effect was, it was clearly supernatural. Nothing mundane could give off that level of malice and fear. So if it was supernatural, it could be reasonably assumed, at least with Leah¡¯s limited knowledge, that it had to be manipulating mana. It was a leap, but the only reasonable one she could make, and she had to start taking chances here. So if it was manipulating mana, could she detect that? She knew she could see mana, but it was a chaotic mess, and she could only resolve this mess into useful information when her mundane senses could resolve it. Or could she?


    Having no frame of reference, but an inkling of an idea, she pushed all her attention inside herself, letting her submind take over walking and watching the real world. The submind reported a notification, but she suppressed it for the moment. Now was the time for deep focus. She watched the mana that her body had accumulated, through a sense that felt detached from her body. She knew where it was, and what it was doing, so long as it stayed within and around her. She¡¯d never actively tried to manipulate it before, but it had to be doable, else what was the point of it? So, she singled out a strand, wrapping around her hand, and tried to get it to move outwards from her body. She felt a resistance, like something pushing against her mind, and the strand expanded outwards, its radius growing as it kept up the same motion. She noted that her mana hadn¡¯t depleted after doing this. Feeling vindicated, she tried again, this time focusing on the entire swirl around her. She imagined it growing and condensing together, the disparate flows and channels becoming a net around her, and then pushed out with it. At once, the flows obeyed her will, and a dense grid of flowing lines formed around her, connected to her body by thick ropes. It slowly expanded, and she felt her mana begin to drop as the flows rent and split in places, mana leaking back out into the world. She pushed it out further, now a meter from her body. The mana loss increased, and she gave it a small amount of her attention. 1 mana per second on maintainance.


    Managable for now. She turned her attention back to the net, which now encompassed Cassandra, and sensed her, without the feeling passing through her senses.


    It was as if she could understand everything inside the net as if she were looking, smelling, hearing, touching, all at the same time. And Cass was no exception. When she focused in on the elf, she could sense every curve and ridge of her armour, and the body underneath it. She quickly turned her attention away. There was no sense getting distracted, even if she was processing the world faster than normal inside her own head. The submind reported another notification, but she told it not to report any further. She needed all her concentration if she was going to pull this off in time. Precious seconds passed, her mana dropping with them, as she played with the net, and learned what it could do. If she shrunk it down and pushed it in just one direction, the cost dropped considerably. If she pushed it further, the cost grew. Nice and simple. She could see things from further away if she didn¡¯t try to see too much at once. Feeling once again for where the presence was coming from, she was frustrated with only a vague direction. Putting aside why she could detect the presence assaulting her at all, she made the net as narrow as she felt comfortable, and pushed it outwards, away from the pair and hopefully towards whatever was out there. 10 meters, 30, 50. She grew it, slowly at first, then slowed as the mana drain went from a trickle into a flood. Her mana was still draining fast when she picked up on an oddity, sitting amongst the branches of a tree, 30 meters ahead and slightly to their right. She passed back over it, confirming it wasn¡¯t a trick of her mind, and narrowed her net as much as she could on the target, as not to lose it again. Whatever it was, it was grotesque. It looked like nothing she had ever seen before, except maybe in some creepy pasta on the internet. Vaguely man shaped, it felt like it was moulded from roots and bones, with a loose skin of something rubbery constantly shifting across it. She let her submind take over the task of monitoring it, and returned to her body. She stopped, and held up a hand for Cass to do the same. Cassandra spared a glance towards Leah before returning to checking around them.


    ¡°Leah? Did it get you again?¡±


    ¡°Tree. 30 meters ahead, 1 o¡¯clock. About¡­ 6 meters up. Can you hit that?¡±


    Her breath was clipped and forced, as she felt the comforting presence of the mana surrounding her bleed away to nothing. It left an emptiness behind it that seemed to want to suck at her and everything nearby.


    ¡°1 o¡¯clock?¡±


    Not interested in another round of cross culture confusion, Leah pointed at the tree directly.


    ¡°That tree. Hurry, I can¡¯t maintain this¡­¡±


    Without another word, Cassandra drew, sighted and fired in a single motion. The shot was straight and true, and an otherworldly wail filled the night air. Suddenly, the presence was no longer a presence, but a shape, that barrelled away from its perch, and into the night away from them. Cass grabbed Leah¡¯s arm, shouldering her bow with her other hand, and shouted,


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    The two turned around and fled through the woods, just barely avoiding an all out sprint for fear of tripping in the dark. Behind them, they heard crashing and rustling as whatever it was decided that it could take them after all, and the noise only spurred them on. The two crashed through the night, bursting through shrubbery, and breaking branches as they went. Once or twice, Leah was sure she saw something only meters away, keeping pace easily, but she continued to run, focused only on following Cassandra¡¯s trail, the elven Ranger beating a path for the both of them with her expertise. Then suddenly, she stopped. Too fast for Leah, who barrelled past her, and over the edge that Cassandra had noticed in time, and tumbled down a short rocky hill, sharp pains covering her arms and legs from various impacts, before rolling in a heap at the base of it. Alert a moment later, she pushed herself up, eyes and ears darting around, and she whipped her head around, rock in hand, about to hit whatever it was coming towards her, when she recognised the scarred mess looking past her with a steely look. Liam held his dagger at the ready, and leaned down to haul her to her feet with his other hand.


    ¡°Leah. Nice of you to drop in, but could you tell us if you are bringing a guest next time?¡±

 Chapter Eight

    Cass finished sliding down the hill, making a far more graceful entrance than Leah¡¯s, just as Liam finished hauling her to her feet. He was all business a moment later, keeping his eyes on the tree line as the guards behind them circled the camp, facing out wards. Leah briefly took stock of their location. It was nestled between the edge of the forest, and a small cliff face, like Cassandra had said. A small depression in the rock face provided some small shelter from the wind, and there was ample vision both down and uphill. The only vulnerable direction was from the forest, but as Leah had just proved, they had been aware of this fact and paid more attention there.


    ¡°Cass. Contact?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Unknown monster. Uses fear. Single target but with some bleed off.¡±


    ¡°Reckon it¡¯ll come after us here?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. It seems angry that I shot it, but I don¡¯t think its stupid. We better be on guard tonight just in case.¡±


    Letting out a breath he hadn¡¯t know he was holding, Liam briefly glanced at Leah.


    ¡°So, did you manage to bring this down on us, or did our expert ranger mess up?¡±


    ¡°Leah? Hells no, I think she saved us. I couldn¡¯t see a damn thing, but she played spotter for me when we tagged it.¡±


    ¡°Really? And you managed that how? No, that can wait. Did you get a good look at it?¡±


    Leah shrugged, and crouched down to grab a stick, wincing as her muscles protested the strain.


    ¡°Not really. It was more of a feeling than anything concrete, but I think I can draw something close.¡±


    Liam indicated for her to go ahead. She began scratching what she felt through her mana into the dirt on the ground, as best she could remember. And she really wished she could forget it. Cassandra took over watching the tree line while Liam watched her draw. His expression went from a frown to shock in an instant, and he crouched down next to her, looking between her and the trees.


    ¡°Are you sure thats what you saw? Absolutely positive?¡±


    ¡°I mean, as positive as I can be. I didn¡¯t exactly see it so much as¡­ well, know it was there.¡±


    ¡°Ok, how about this. Did it feel anything like a tree, or wood?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in a way. Like a bundle of roots got mixed up with some bones, then someone slapped a man suit on it.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck. Break camp, we¡¯re leaving now.¡±


    The guards needed little prompting, and half of them set to work tearing down their only recently erected camp. The concern on both Liam and Cassandra¡¯s faces, and the speed at which the guards worked to collect their gear put some of the fear from before back into Leah. She turned to Liam, who clearly knew something she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°What exactly is it?¡±


    ¡°A Root Ghoul, a type of greater undead. They¡¯ll stalk their prey through a forest, hiding themselves amongst the branches of a tree, paralyse them with fear and slowly consume them with their limbs. Nasty buggers, but not usually a threat on their own.¡±


    ¡°So why are we leaving so fast?¡±


    ¡°Because if something like is spawning naturally, theres enough necromantic juice in the air to be raising a hell of a lot more than just that one. Best case, we¡¯re looking at a horde of lesser undead who¡¯ve just heard a meal ticket in the form of that Ghouls scream, and right here, we couldn¡¯t hold them off even if we had a fully party. And right now, the only two of us equipped to fight undead are those two.¡±


    He pointed to a pair of guards wielding maces, who had stayed on watch while their comrades broke down the camp.


    ¡°I¡¯m shagged in a fight with undead, and while Cass might fair better, it won¡¯t be by much alone. So we¡¯re going to move hard and fast for the path down the rock face, and let that slow them down. If we can, we¡¯ll camp on the road, if not, theres a village about a half days travel from the foot of the hill. I¡¯m pretty sure they have a church, but at worst we¡¯ll have warm bodies who are in danger anyway. Now, lets get moving. We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    This time, Leah did her best to pitch in, which amounted to stomping out the remains of the fire while the real work was handled by the experts. Once packed and ready, the group set off at a fast march, back in the direction they were originally travelling. This time, instead of the rogue of the guards leading, Cassandra and Leah did, their elven eyes better suited to the low light conditions. The thick cloud cover and half moon led to a dark night, and once back on the plains, a cold one too. Pulling her cloak in tighter against the wind, Leah took stock of the notifications she had received in the short encounter with the Root Ghoul.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the sub skill, Multitasking.


    The submind is not only able to supplement the activities of the main mind; it can also actively take over some tasks. Depending on the level of this skill, these tasks can range from simple, repetitive actions and filtering notifications, through to complex mental calculations or even spells. The possibilities are only limited by the users talent in the skill. This is an active subskill, and cannot be used alongside any other active subskills from the same parent.


    Effects:


    Depending on skill level, the user is able to dedicate the submind to certain actions. Action complexity and aptitude increases with skill level.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Mana Manipulation.


    The fundamental skill from which all mana skills are derived, Mana Manipulation is the art of utilising mana, both internally and externally. Through careful use and study of this skill, the user can perform great miracles, though always at a cost. This skill is a requirement for all mana related skills, unless otherwise specified.


    Effects:


    Ability to manipulate mana. Effects only limited by imagination and mana capacity.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Mana Detection.


    Similar to the innate ability of those possessing mana to see mana, this skill allows the user to use mana to detect things on the material plane. The higher this skill level, the greater the distance one can see, the greater the fidelity, and the less it costs. This is considered a mana based detection skill.


    Effects:


    Ability to use mana as a detection skill. Detail and cost improves with level.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Mana Manipulation. Its total level is now 2.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Mana Detection. Its total level is now 3.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    [Notification]


    You have gained a level. The following bonuses have been applied:


    +1 Dex


    +1 Charisma


    +1 Intelligence


    +3 Free points


    Well, that certainly explained a few things about what she was doing. It had felt normal, but been so focused on the what that she had never paid any attention to the how of what she had been doing. Mana manipulation certainly seemed like a potent skill, even if it was probably common given its description, and she was glad to have a use for her mana. She was about to ask Cassandra about it, when she realised that a) she had been told not to talk about things that might give her away when around the guards, and b) Cass might not appreciate potentially pointless questions in the middle of a tense escape from danger. A danger that had yet to show any signs of pursuing them, but with the rest of the group making haste, Leah thought it best not to question their logic. Instead, she focused on pushing her senses out again like she had before. While she could see, she wasn¡¯t helping Cass much considering their difference in skills.


    With her new skill level, she found it far easier to manage the skill while moving, and she noticed as well that the mana drain was far lower, even when she pushed it further than a meter. Her mana had replenished mostly during their flight from the forest, and since breaking camp had completely restored. A split second of remembering and some calculations later, she knew that it took roughly ten minutes to replenish, with an average of 10 points per minute. The ease with which the knowledge came took Leah slightly off guard, and she checked her Status page again.


    [Status]


    Leah Eppling


    Level: 4(89%)


    Race: Elf (Magalyte Doll)


    Class: None


    Str - 8


    Dex - 13


    Con - 10


    Int - 23


    Wis - 18


    Cha - 13


    Lck - 10


    Special Stats:


    Mana Affinity - 100


    Magalyte Mana Pool - 10


    Skills:


    Analyse 1


    Parallel Processing 2


    Firewall 2


    Multitasking 1


    Mental manipulation 3


    Knowledge (Magalyte Technology) 1


    Knowledge (Magalyte Dolls) 1


    Stealth 5


    Ranger Stealth 3


    Tracking 2


    Mana Manipulation 2


    Mana Detection 3


    Traits:


    Magalyte Doll


    Of Another World


    Attribute Points: 9


    Her intelligence had certainly taken a huge increase, which Leah knew was from both her level bonus and the fact that she had improved her Parallel Processing skill. If the bonuses would continue to accumulate like this, her intelligence was going to skyrocket before long. Just how high could these skills be levelled? Feeling more confident, she pushed her awareness out further, tightening it to a 10 degree beam 100 meters in length, and swung it around her in a circle, covering the circumference around her in a second. RADAR, she thought with a smirk. Who needs knowledge skills when you can just remember things? She¡¯d just improved the efficiency of a skill with only her own ingenuity and the fact that she had seen too many movies with a radar display and its characteristic rotating line. Trusting that the open field was about the safest place to practise with her newly improved, she let the beam travel around her, trying to let it run with as little input from her as possible. She almost slapped her head as she remembered the new skill she had picked up alongside her Mana Detection, and handed the maintenance over to her sub mind, telling it to inform her if anything changed from the usual. Her Mana could sustain the skill for another few minutes, and then she would try it again once her stores had replenished. She hadn¡¯t expected for her sub mind to actually alert her of anything, not so soon.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    She said in a stage whisper. The group stopped, looking around for whatever it is she had spotted. Leah took control of the skill back and moved the beam back over to where she had detected the oddity, hoping the sub mind had made a mistake. It hadn¡¯t. There were two shapes moving through the waist high grass, at a steady pace in their direction from 80 meters out. Low to the ground, the distinct ears and nose gave what they were away immediately. She¡¯d never seen any in real life before, and they were much bigger than she¡¯d expected, even with their bodies hugging the ground.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Looks like¡­ wolves? Two of them, that way.¡±


    She pointed in the direction they were moving from. Cassandra turned to face that direction, and peered into the gloom.


    ¡°Yeah, I see them. I can only see the grass being disturbed, how did you know they were there?¡±


    And behind us, she left unsaid.


    ¡°A skill, the same one I used to spot the Ghoul back in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Well, they must be undead of some kind. No way a pair of wolves is going to be tracking us this far into the plains with a group our size. Can you tell if they have flesh on their bones?¡±


    With no obvious voids throughout their body, Leah imagined that was probably the case.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Zombies then. Ok, Liam?¡±


    ¡°Quarter circle, in that direction. Cass, you take point, I¡¯ll stay behind you with Leah. Fat lot of good I¡¯ll do against undead.¡±


    He finished with a scowl, visible only to Leah and Cass, and the group moved into their positions. A quarter circle of guards spread out ahead of Leah, who was now stood with Liam and the hand cart, with Cassandra in the middle, and one guard on each end pulled a torch from their packs. Each then took a small stick from a pouch, and broke the end, touching it to their torch. The torches lit with a roar, the fire pushing back the darkness, and revealing them for miles around. The guards between them raised their shields, swords or maces at the ready, with Cass drawing her own twin swords. The narrow blades twinkled slightly in the fire light, drawing Leah¡¯s eyes, before Liam snapped her out of it.


    ¡°Remember, go for disabling blows, not kills. Anything watching the plains knows we are here now, so we need to hustle. Leah, can you keep that skill of yours watching our backs?¡±


    She nodded, and turned the skill away from the approaching wolves back to its circle motion. The sub mind took over the task once more, and she took a step back, suddenly nervous of the fight she was about to witness. Liam clapped her on the shoulder, causing her to squeak in surprise.


    ¡°First fight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯d have to be a fool not to be scared. But you¡¯re with a well trained crew, even these mercs. Two jumped up doggies aren¡¯t going to get through to us.¡±


    The smile on his scarred face was rapidly becoming more comforting. She reminded herself to check this relationships tab to see exactly what was going on there, but she couldn¡¯t deny she felt better for his words. Though she would feel better if she knew she could fight back. Right now, she was down to her fists, and her apparently lower than average strength in this world. She thought for a moment about trying to use mana manipulation to help the group fight, but Liam was trusting her to watch their backs, and she didn¡¯t want to drop the skill by trying to multitask. Despite having a skill for that. This was no time to be experimenting. As the beam of mana went through its motions, it passed over the zombies regularly, tracking their progress as they stalked towards the prepared line. Once within 10 meters, the two split away from each other, coming in from slightly different angles. Cassandra, eagle eyes watching the slightly shifting grass, pointed out the two with a sword, and now that they were in the fire light, the guards took over from there, separating slightly so half of the group would go for each wolf. Seconds passed, and the zombies slowed, dead muscles tensing. The party held, weapons, shields and torches shaking with anticipation. Then, like a starting gun had been fired, everything exploded into action.


    Leah could barely keep up. With 10 individuals in the flurry of blades and fur, making out details from the chaos with her untrained eyes was impossible. She saw one man go down, a wolf latched on to his throat, and the rest of his group pile on. On the other side, Cassandra ducked low, sweeping into the grass. Two shield users pushed up on either side of her, thrusting at something unseen. The torch bearers stood back, their light sources held high to aid their team mates. And then, it was over.


    It had looked like an overwhelming victory to Leah, but the injuries proved otherwise. The zombies, while single minded, still retained some of their instincts from life, and the man who she had seen go down had a savaged arm to show for it. It seems she hadn¡¯t spotted him get his arm between his neck and the wolf before he was ripped into. He would live, but not be fighting for the foreseeable future. Two others had light scratches up their arms, where the leather proved ineffective at staving off wolf claws. Bindings of clean wool were wrapped around the injuries, the most brutally wounded man receiving a sling to complement the bandages. His cursing and spluttering from the pain were eased by his comrades reminding him that girls love scars, and that fighting a wolf would make for a hell of a story. Leah was just concerned about infections. But this was no time to focus on that, as she was reminded when they set off the moment the wounds had been wrapped. With their night vision ruined by the torches, and with no sense in hiding the light now, Leah and Cassandra took to the middle of the party with the wounded, Connor the guard and Liam up ahead, with the hand cart and other guards behind them.


    Once more they set off towards the rock face, and it was only an hour before they found it. At the foot of the slightly sloped plain, a sudden drop off was masked by the long grass. The two rogues raised hands to stop the party, and everyone took stock of the situation. While the hill wasn¡¯t vertical, it was sufficiently steep enough to require care if you didn¡¯t want to slip, and the scree covered ground promised to only aggravate matters. The party marched further north, where they found a pair of ropes that had been fixed to the ground with pitons. Liam explained, rather unnecessarily, that this was where they had climbed up originally.


    ¡°Connor and I will descend first. We¡¯ll use his danger sense to see if its safe down there, then we¡¯ll signal up for the rest of you to come down. Wounded first, then the cart, and then Leah, you lot, and Cass. Cass, you mind going last?¡±


    She nodded her assent, and he continued.


    ¡°Great. If you run into trouble, everyone piles on in the same order. Leave the cart if its not down already, and slide as fast as you can, so someone else can get on behind you. Everyone clear?¡±


    The group nodded, and together, Connor and Liam grabbed a rope each and descended the 100 meters down. Leah kept up her skill as much as she was able, but had to drop it not long before they all heard a whistle, which Cass told them meant it was clear. The two injured but functional guards hauled up the ropes, and tied them off on the cart, making sure that the contents would stay stable as they lowered it. Then, slowly and carefully, the pair let it slide down, controlling its fall with the ropes to ensure it wouldn¡¯t tip. The descent was tense for all parties, with Leah keeping her skill up, and the guards and Cass forming an arc around her and the ropes. A minute passed, then two, as the cart was slowly lowered down, then a tug from the bottom indicated that the two rogues had received it. Another few minutes passed, before a pair of tugs indicated that it was loose and ready for the next pair to descend.


    The guard with his arm in a sling and one of the less injured went down, him supporting his ally. As Leah watched them descend, she nervously checked her skill, now bouncing an arc covering the remaining land. The torches had been put out once the cart was on its way down, so Cassandra had the best chance of seeing something either Leah missed or was out of her range. She had explained while the cart was being tied up that 100 meters was her maximum for the most efficient use of her mana, something she had calculated on their approach to the hills edge. She¡¯d also taken the time to explain that she was using her mana to cast a net over the area, which was how she had been locating things. That had surprised Cass.


    ¡°Really? Mana Detection? I shouldn¡¯t be surprised after seeing you learn those other skills so quickly, but, wow. That was a spur of the moment thing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just thought, if it was throwing out mana at us, then I should be able to follow it back to the source. Being able to actually see things with the skill is just a happy accident.¡±


    ¡°Well, its not exactly an uncommon skill, though only something those who specialise in spells ever end up learning. It takes a lot of fine mana control to maintain the flows in that pattern. And you can reach out to 100 meters? Whats your skill at?


    Leah double checked her Status page, and responded with 3.


    ¡°And you can throw it out that far? Something isn¡¯t adding up here.¡±


    ¡°Not in a circle. I make a tight beam, and rotate it around me. I can get a fine look at everything it touches, and if something changes between passes, I go back and look again in detail.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone doing that.¡±


    Cass looked over at the smaller elf - Doll, she had to remind herself - and shook her head, before looking back out into the field. She wished she¡¯d taken her mother up on the offer of a broader magic education.


    ¡°Theres someone I know who¡¯d be very interested in you. Hopefully we can see him after this business is taken care of.¡±


    A tug on the rope indicated it was Leah¡¯s turn to descend, with the other injured guard. She took hold of the end of the rope, and took a deep breath. All of a sudden, the ground below looked a whole lot further away. Cass turned around to see what the hold up was.


    ¡°Get moving. Whatevers out there is scarier than falling, I assure you. Broken bones heal, like Liam said.¡±


    Huffing, face reddening with embarrassment, Leah gently lowered her foot down. There was ground there, steep, but she could walk on it with the aid of the rope. Her foot slipped slightly, and she adjusted her weight, before bringing her other foot down. Not wanting to leave without a jab back, and to help curb her nerves, she responded back to Cass,


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. It only takes magic to scare me. Not spooky root monsters in a forest, Ms. Fearless Ranger.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure in the firelight, but she was sure she saw the tips of the elf girls ears redden, though she never turned away from her post. Calling back to Leah, her voice raised in protest, she said,


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t scared of that, it was your fault for freezing up, you damn-¡±


    The rest of her words fell on deaf ears, as Leah had started making the treacherous climb down.

 Chapter Nine

    The climb down was surprisingly easy, with the aid of the rope. Leah assumed it was her Dexterity coming into play. Only near the end did she begin to struggle, her arms burning and sweat beading on her forehead from exertion.


    ¡°Damn¡­ low¡­ Strength¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, Constitution is more of a factor for a climb like that.¡±


    The sudden voice behind her made Leah yelp in surprise, and let go of the rope, falling back the last foot and landing with a pained grunt. Liam stood over her with a smug smile, a torch in one hand and his dagger in the other. Seeing she was fine, he went back to watching their surroundings. Leah sat up, rubbing an elbow that had broken her fall.


    ¡°I could have hurt myself, you idiot. What was that for?¡±


    She could practically hear the grin on his face.


    ¡°Oh, I just heard the two of you bantering at the top of the hill. I wanted in on the action, thats all.¡±


    ¡°Payback will be had, and it will be sweet.¡±


    She looked around, annoyed, and tugged the rope to indicate they had made it down. The group at the foot of the hill had formed a loose circle, with the guard with a sling checking their cart to make sure nothing had fallen out. She hadn¡¯t taken too much of a look from the top of the hill, being more concerned about the awaiting climb, but now she had a moment, she took in her surroundings. They were at the edge of a road paved with loose stones, with another, less steep hill running parallel to the one that had just descended. The road ran between the two of them, taking up most of a small path that ran along the hills. Down the other hill, a small scattering of trees paved the way down to a medium sized river, about 200 meters away and only partially visible through the trees. She supposed that she could only see it thanks to her elven eyesight, with the dim moonlight picking out the edges of objects and glistening softly on the waters surface. She turned her gaze away from the environment, and returned to Liam.


    ¡°So, when everyone is down, whats our plan?¡±


    He pointed up the road without looking.


    ¡°We head up that way for another hour. Then, we¡¯ll take a break. We need sleep, and hopefully that hill will give us enough of a head start on whatever might be following us. Undead aren¡¯t exactly known for their grace.¡±


    On the topic of sleep, she checked her Internal Mana Pool. It was currently sitting at 8 of 10. She suspected that the bar wouldn¡¯t replenish until she got a good enough nights sleep to counteract the damage she was doing. Or perhaps it was the fact she hadn¡¯t eaten yet. The lack of information was infuriating her. And as if waiting for her to get annoyed with it enough, the bar dropped down, displaying new information.


    [Internal Mana Reserve: 8/10(8)]


    [1 Mana reserved for maintenance from lack of sleep. Fulfil bodies needs to remove this reservation.]


    [1 Mana reserved for maintenance from lack of food. Fulfil bodies needs to remove this reservation.]


    Well, that answered one question at least. Two, in fact. And with that knowledge, she was comfortable making a decision.


    ¡°Well, if you guys want to sleep, you can, but I can manage just fine for a while longer. I¡¯ll keep watch for the night, and warn you if something is coming.¡±


    ¡°You can- Wait, your trait. Yeah, ok.¡±


    Liam cut himself off before revealing too much information around the guards. He internally cursed for even letting that much slip. He was too damn on edge right now.


    ¡°Ok, that makes things easier. Now we just need to wait for Cass and the others.¡±


    As if on cue, two more pairs of boots hit the ground, and tugged on the rope. They joined their comrades in the half circle. The last two began their journey down, leaving Cass on her own up top. Leah looked up at the descending pair of shadows down the rocky hill, frowning. Liam, without looking, apparently knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s got the best senses of any of us, bar maybe you, and she knows to run if anything looks amiss. Keep your guard up here, though, we don¡¯t know if any others made it down before us.¡±


    Leah tore her eyes off the hilltop, and cast her Mana Sensing around her, still unable to shake her concern.


    At the top of the hill, Cassandra heard the last two guards making their way down the ropes. She didn¡¯t dare look away from the plains ahead of her, though, her head turning in a steady arc, her trained and sensitive eyes tracking around for any sign of movement, any hint that something might be coming. Her ears twitched at the slightest sound, as rocks fell behind her from the guards descent and the occasional animal rustled in the grass. Far off, an owl called out. Even with her heightened senses, she still couldn¡¯t see much further than her bows range, which had her concerned. Swords presently drawn in case of a dire threat nearby, she still felt uncomfortable not being able to pick off a target at range. She took a step back, ears trained for the tell tale noise of the rope being tugged against its piton, and hoped that she wouldn¡¯t need to make a rapid descent. She shivered at the thought, and at the inescapable feeling that she was being watched. The undead weren¡¯t known for their good eyesight, she reminded herself, preferring to rely on less mundane senses to track their prey. There wasn¡¯t anything watching her that she wouldn¡¯t be able to detect. She was an expert Ranger, nothing could sneak up on her.


    Deep in the darkness, outside of her vision, something watched the lone elf at the top of the hill. There it remained, until it watched her, like the others, climb down one of the ropes. It kept watching for a time, then turned in the shadows and stalked off.


    The last two guards hit the ground, and tugged on the rope. Leah broke off from watching the woods below to look first at them, then up at the hilltop. A second passed, then two, seeming to stretch out for an eternity as she wondered why she hadn¡¯t seen a shadow at the top descending yet. She knew rationally that she had to notice the rope, then sheath her blades before making the climb, but still, there was a nagging at her mind that something had gone wrong, and no one was in a position to help if it had. Then, as the worry was reaching a crescendo in her time stretched mind, a figure appeared, cutting one rope and descending on the other. She was down in tense minutes, and when her boots hit the ground, Leah finally let out the breath she hadn¡¯t noticed she was holding. The two nodded to each other, then Liam looked around.


    ¡°Right, lets get moving. Maybe we can even get some sleep tonight.¡±


    They made it an hour down the road before Cassandra called for a stop to the party. She pointed to a small gap in the rockface alongside them, where the hill diverted inwards before continuing its path on.


    ¡°Here. We have a good view of the road behind us, and it¡¯ll give us some small shelter from the wind.¡±


    Liam nodded, and the guards moved in, eager to get some rest. Cassandra scowled, and started to berate them.


    ¡°Oi, we haven¡¯t decided who¡¯s on watch first-¡±


    ¡°Actually, Cass, we have. Leah¡¯s taking first watch, and the whole watch.¡±


    She looked at Liam, her face a mask of incredulity.


    ¡°Really? And you want to least experienced of our party, who is probably the most exhausted of us all with her constitution, to be the one watching our backs while we sleep? Never mind the fact that she won¡¯t want to be up all night, she¡¯s as likely as not to fall asleep-¡±


    ¡°No, she won¡¯t. Her trait, remember?¡±


    She narrowed her eyes, and looked at Leah, while she racked her brain to remember the details. Leah put her out of her misery.


    ¡°I can make it one night without sleep, easy. Though I might sleep like the dead when I do get a chance, knowing me.¡±


    Cassandra huffed, and followed the guards example, sitting down in the patch of dirt and stone and doing her best to get comfortable.


    ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t manage it, wake me. If you fall asleep, you won¡¯t have to worry about anything chasing us when I¡¯m through with you.¡±


    And with that, she closed her eyes, her breathing slowing. Liam sat down on the opposite side, as the party did their best to get some sleep.


    ¡°She¡¯s right. If you feel even the slightest bit like you might nod off, wake one of us. We¡¯ll sort the rest out. Wake us at first light, or if you feel anything is amiss.¡±


    Leah nodded, and Liam too closed his eyes. She couldn¡¯t help feeling a little jealous. While she knew inside that she could handle staying up the rest of the night, another six hours by her estimate, she could still feel the nagging edges of sleep at the edges of her eyes, whispering silent thoughts of sleep to her. She shook away the sirens, and threw out her Mana Detection again. She¡¯d have to moderate its usage as best she could, keeping it to a slow pass every minute. Maybe a reduction in range, but a smaller increase in radius could help¡­ The soft hum of calculating in her mind helped to take the edge off. Leaving her submind to actually maintain the skill, making certain to leave it clear instructions on how and when to use it, she kept a watchful eye herself on the road behind them, the low light not doing much good for her spotting anything. If she was lucky, she thought, she might gain a skill in perception, and some good might come out of this lonely evening. She pulled her cloak in tight around her, and started her long vigil.


    Throughout the night, the group was watched without their knowledge. One individual in particular was singled out. The watcher never got too close, but sat within Leah¡¯s detection skill for most of the night, all without her knowing. It felt her mana pass over it, and changed the courses subtly, leaving her none the wiser of its observations. Satisfied, the watcher set its sights on its target, the elf who had stood at the top of the cliff. It would take her when their lookout went to sleep, or when the guard changed and they were at their most vulnerable. It was patient. It didn¡¯t know that wasn¡¯t going to happen. As dawn crept in, it left, confused and frustrated, vowing to return the next night and have its revenge on the strange elf that confounded his pursuit.


    The night grew brighter around her, and she knew that dawn was on its way. Her new found skill had helped her pick up the minute change, and only improved its effectiveness.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Perception(Visual).


    As the name implies, this skill governs the users ability to perceive what is around them. It is broken in to subcategories, of which any combination can be attained so long as the user holds that sense. Improving this skill will improve the acuity of the defined sense, the effective range of its use and other factors specific to each sense.


    Effects:


    Improve vision range per level


    Improve ability to detect motion and colour per level


    Chance to detect a target attempting to hide from sight improves per level


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Perception(Visual) . Its total level is now 3.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    She was curious to see how much it had levelled just from watching throughout the night, even if she had done it almost continuously for almost six hours. It wasn¡¯t like she had spotted anything during that time. Another benefit was her mana detection had improved.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Mana Detection . Its total level is now 4.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    A small improvement, sure, but an improvement nonetheless. She had more questions about this skill system, though, like how exactly level gain is added. Personal levels seemed to be fairly clear - gaining skills, defeating enemies and presumably other factors that improved your personal growth all seemed to level it. But skills seemed relatively hit and miss, once they had been learnt. Did you need to learn something new about them, and actually improve your usage, or did repetition have the same effect? She would have to ask someone, and with the sun rising, it seemed like as good a time as any. Especially as she now had the task of waking everyone up. She turned her attention away from the road she had been watching for hours, feeling a strain around her eyes as she moved. Had she even blinked? It was hard to remember, as it wasn¡¯t something she had ever thought to actually memorise. Another note for the future.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The small group were fast asleep, some with their backs against the rocky wall, others with their heads propped up by their packs. No one had unpacked anything that wasn¡¯t essential, both because they had fallen asleep so quickly, and because no one knew if they would need to move in a hurry once being woken. Her eyes were drawn to Liam, who was sat opposite her in the crevice, back to the wall. What had got her attention was the fact that he apparently slept with one eye half open. He didn¡¯t seem to be watching anything, as he didn¡¯t react when she moved, but the effect was sufficiently unnerving that she decided not to wake him first unless she had to. She moved on, past the guards she barely knew, and on to Cassandra. The elf had slumped down in the night, so that only her head was now resting against the wall, her legs just barely avoiding one of the guards. Connor, if she remembered right. He was sleeping with his hand in a pouch, which seemed odd, but she¡¯d seen him playing with something in there on the journey over, so assumed it was some personal effect.


    Turning back to Cassandra, she shuffled over on her knees, feeling them creak and groan in protest after spending so long stationary. She was acutely aware that today¡¯s hike was going to be agony, and wished she had made more of an effort to move during the night. She hadn¡¯t wanted to wake anyone up inadvertently, though now she was regretting that decision. She leaned over Cassandra, wondering how exactly to wake her up. No one had moved when she had, a fact that only served to draw more irritation in herself for staying still for so long. A nudge on the should also failed to wake up the sleeping elf. Shrugging, she leaned down and whispered to her.


    ¡°Cass. Cass, wake up.¡±


    Without opening her eyes, the ranger mumbled,


    ¡°Are we under attack?¡±


    ¡°No, its-¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡±


    With that, she rolled over, facing away from Leah. Leah huffed in irritation, and pushed the womans shoulder again. Now she felt like she was being deliberately ignored. A memory rose up in her mind, and an evil grin descended over the Magalyte Doll¡¯s face. She leaned down, placing her face just an inch from the elfs long, pointed ear. It twitched gently away from her, and before the other elf knew what was happening, she blew hard on it. The effect was immediate and violent. Cassandra yelped in surprise, and sat up quickly, smacking the side of her head into Leah¡¯s. Her hands were on her swords immediately, half drawing them before she saw who her attacker was. The others jumped awake at the noise, hands on their own weapons, every pair of eyes on the giggling elf woman who was laying back on the stony floor, clutching her forehead.


    ¡°Oh, that was too good. You shouldn¡¯t have taught me that trick!¡±


    Stowing her weapons, Cassandra stared daggers at Leah, and pushed herself up to her feet. Standing over the still giggling woman, she said,


    ¡°Never. Do that. Again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me when I¡¯m waking you up, and I won¡¯t have to!¡±


    Grumbling, Cassandra stomped off down the hill and into the tree line. Shaking her head, Leah sat up, a smile plastered on her face. Liam, no longer half awake but fully so, fought to keep a smile off his own face.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you not to mess with Cass, but can you do it in a way that doesn¡¯t scare the daylights out of the lot of us next time? Or did you forget we¡¯re running from death incarnate?¡±


    His admonishments were marred by his mirth, and his message failed to sink in. As everyone slowly got themselves together, and disappeared pair by pair into the small wooded area below to relieve themselves after sleep, Leah split her time between pondering why she didn¡¯t feel the need to go, and smirking at the still grumpy Cassandra. Liam came to talk with Leah after his turn in the woods.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m assuming there was nothing of interest last night?¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all, other than some levelling. Of which I have some questions-¡±


    ¡°Ah. What did we say. Wait until we get to the village.¡±


    Leah shut her mouth, saving her questions for later as asked. After a short breakfast of dried rations, of which Leah could only stomach a little, the party set off once again down the road.


    ¡°We should make town by midday, so lets keep the pace strong. We didn¡¯t get set upon last night, and the sun being up is in our favour, but we don¡¯t know if anything strong enough to resist it is after us.¡±


    It was a little after the sun reached its zenith that they reached the town. It would have been sooner, had Leah not forced the group to stop as her muscles reached their breaking point multiple times. Cassandra moaned about the delays, but was shut down by Liam after he reminded her Leah hadn¡¯t slept the night before for everyones benefit, and that maybe if she wanted to pick up the pace, she could carry Leah. She¡¯d shut her mouth, blushing at his remarks and turned away, appearing to keep watch in the direction that let no one see her face. The village was small to Leah¡¯s eye, containing 30 to 40 houses arranged in loose rings around a number of common buildings - an inn, the chipped paint on its sign proclaiming it as the Sour Cock (Complete with a faded picture of a grumpy rooster), what appeared to be a general store, and the only stone building in the settlement, a plain and dishevelled church. The only sign it was a church was the unknown symbol hanging over its double doors, and its prominent place in the centre of the village - it looked nothing like the Christian churches Leah had seen in her past life. It was squat and wide, with a gently sloped roof curving over to form an oval. Regularly spaced buttresses and narrow, recessed windows led to look more akin to a fortress than a place of worship.


    This was all hidden by a high wooden wall, however, as the group were stopped at the edge of the village by a pair of ragged guards, wearing ill fitting, rusted chain mail and carrying splintered wooden spears. The bows on their backs, however, looked fresh and well used, and the distance they were stopped at indicated the rest of the ensemble might be for show.


    ¡°Stop. ¡®Oo goes there?¡±


    ¡°Derrek, come off it, we saw ¡®em last week.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we gotta do it anyway, or Byrne¡¯ll yell at us.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t look like monsters to me, but they do look bloody exhausted. Let ¡®em in.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Your head. Get in you lot, and go let Byrne know you¡¯re back. E¡¯ll want to set up the nice rooms if you¡¯re stayin¡¯.¡±


    Having already experienced the joys of the local watch, the rest of the party simply walked the remaining distance past them, and into the village proper. Leah, however, had questions.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t seem much use.¡±


    ¡°Ah, they aren¡¯t. Having guards at the gate is the lords decree though, even though these lot would stick to the walls in the event of an attack. So they have to put on a show just in case the tax collector comes around and rats them out.¡±


    Liam shook his head at the absurdity of it all, and turned led the group off the main path down a side route. The guards broke off, hauling themselves and the handcart in the direction of the Inn and the prospect of hot food and beer. Leah longingly followed them with her gaze, but snapped her head back forward once they were out of sight to take in her surroundings. Between the houses, there were drying racks and half butchered animals. Buckets of offal raised a thick stench, those working on them looking up at the passersby in curiosity, before returning to their work. Shouts and the ring of metal against bone filled the air. Cassandra noticed her observations.


    ¡°Hunting village. There¡¯s not much farmland out in the hinterlands, but the Empire likes to maintain a presence. So you¡¯ll find these all over the place, to keep up appearances and to act as way stations for travellers like us. Supposedly theres a large bonus for those willing to move out here and maintain the villages. ¡°


    The three stopped in front of a house slightly larger than the surrounding ones, and without the ever present hunting paraphernalia surrounding it. A thick wooden door with a sign hanging at an angle proclaimed it to be the home of Byrne the elder. Leah was acutely aware that she was reading an alien language, in much the same way that she had been hearing and speaking what was presumably the same language. Another facet to another question for another time. She stood a step behind the two as Liam took hold of a knocker and rapped it hard once, then twice. Shuffling around could be heard, followed by a crash and muffled cursing. Then, a moment later, the door opened a crack, and a wizened face appeared in the doorway.


    ¡°Yes, what? Oh, its you. Come in then, come in.¡±


    The door opened wider, revealing the full stature of the older man. Perhaps six feet tall, though difficult to say due to his hunched back, he still looked in tremendous shape for his age. Leah found it difficult to accurately guess how old he might be - she was never much good at it in the first place, but while his skin was wrinkled and pockmarked, there was a youthful glint in his eyes.


    ¡°So, just the two of you- oh, I see you picked up someone new. Is that who you were after? I take it the others are at the Cock, making full use of the kings hospitality again¡­¡±


    He shook his head in dismay, muttering under his breath as he ushered them in. Cassandra and Liam shared a dark look, before Liam responded.


    ¡°The mercs are, but no one else. We¡¯ll be burying our comrades before long.¡±


    The man stopped, hung his head and crossed himself with an unusual sign. He looked back up, tugging at his long white beard.


    ¡°Ack. Apologies for my flippancy, I shouldn¡¯t have assumed. They died well, at least?¡±


    ¡°As well as anyone can. Though I¡¯d prefer to be drinking with them.¡±


    The man nodded, and led them through to a cramped kitchen area. He rustled around in a cupboard, withdrawing four chipped mugs and a bottle of something foul. Pushing some detritus off the table - papers, quill pens and a knife with a wicked blade - he waved for them to sit. It was a tight fit for all four to sit around the low wooden table, but they managed. He pushed a mug before each of them, and filled it with a measure of the potent alcohol. Each took hold of their mug, and raised it - Leah a half second after the others. The old man led the toast.


    ¡°To fallen friends.¡±


    In unison, the group, minus Leah, finished the toast,


    ¡°May they drink with us forever.¡±


    Before as one, they knocked back the alcohol. Leah followed that part well enough, spluttering as the moonshine burned her throat and sinuses. As Leah coughed up her share, Cassandra smacked her on the back to ¡®help¡¯. A glance told Leah it might just be revenge for that morning, given Cassandra¡¯s smirk. The old man took notice of Leah, as if seeing her for the first time.


    ¡°So now. Introductions are in order, I believe. I am Byrne Wirth, or the Elder to those that want to irritate me. And you are?¡±

 Chapter Ten

    Before Leah could answer, and before Liam could cut her off, Byrne silenced the both of them.


    ¡°The girl can speak for herself, Den¡¯ah. Unless you have something you brought into my village that you¡¯d prefer to keep hidden?¡±


    Around the cramped table, the air grew heavy, as the older man and Liam stared each other down. Liam, to Leah¡¯s surprise, was the one to break off eye contact first. Turning away and closing his eyes, he sighed.


    ¡°So you knew who we were pursuing?¡±


    ¡°I might be old, but I still keep my ear to the ground. Yes, I knew you were chasing Latasha. And what of her?¡±


    ¡°Dead. As best as we can tell.¡±


    Cassandra answered this time, an uncharacteristic look of supreme satisfaction on her face. While it wasn¡¯t her real target, getting rid of any psychomancer was a good result to her. Byrne looked between the two of them, then to Leah. A long moment passed as his eyes seemed to bore into her, in a similar fashion to when Liam had done the same. Before she could get a good look at what he was doing, and maybe learn something about it, the look passed, and he nodded.


    ¡°Good. I hope its not too crass, but you¡¯re comrades deaths were not in vain. You all helped lift a great curse on this land, and I¡¯ll forgive you your secrets for now, if you can assure me that no harm will come to me and mine while you are here.¡±


    Cassandra and Liam looked at each other, a simple look conveying hours of conversation. Liam sighed once more, feeling he¡¯d be doing it a lot this day, and turned back to face Byrne.


    ¡°Our secrets, yes. On my honour, nothing we have with us is of any danger that we know of, and Leah,¡±


    He indicated to the elf between the two of them,


    ¡°Is also safe. With luck, we will have time to have proper introductions before we leave, but first, we have bad news for you.¡±


    Byrne leaned back in his chair, the old wood creaking, and raised his gaze to the ceiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m really not going to like this am I.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. When we left the region around the barrow, we ran into undead. And from what we found, there will be many of them soon.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly was it that you found?¡±


    Still looking at the ceiling, Byrne¡¯s voice was thick with scepticism, though whether he truly didn¡¯t believe Liam, or was just praying for him to be wrong, Leah couldn¡¯t tell. Perhaps she should get Liam to show her the Lie Detection skill some time soon, though she was unclear as to if that would help with such a deception.


    ¡°Most recently, two zombie wolves,¡±


    ¡°And, thats it? Thats nothing to be concerned over, they form naturally-¡±


    ¡°And a Root Ghoul.¡±


    Byrne was cut off after cutting Liam off. The amount of cuttings of sentences in the air threatened to form actual injuries on the participants. The mention of the monster that had attacked Leah and Cassandra in the forest had gotten Byrne¡¯s attention, and wiped away all of his hopes of Liam being wrong.


    ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    Cassandra spoke up.


    ¡°As certain as we can be, short of actually being in its grips. Leah?¡±


    All eyes turned to her, and for the first time, she was being expected to contribute. This sudden turn of events, from being mostly a tag along, to actually helping, caught her off guard, though she recovered quickly. She gave thanks once more to whatever god decided that she should be able to handle information faster.


    ¡°Uh, yes. I didn¡¯t see it exactly, but I felt it with Mana Detection. And Liam confirmed what it was after I showed him a sketch.¡±


    ¡°Not a good sketch mind, but I trust thats what she saw. She¡¯s got no reason to lie to us.¡±


    Leah glared at Cassandra¡¯s comments about her drawing skills, wondering internally if she could raise them up somehow in this world of skills and magic. That would show her. The rest of the group ignored her reaction, however, and continued to talk. Byrne looked at Leah and Cassandra, shrugged, and continued.


    ¡°Well, if you say so. So, when was the first contact?¡±


    ¡°Less than a day ago. We think we slowed them down by going down the rock face to the east, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t stop them for long. We best get ready then.¡±


    Leah piped up, not entirely sure she followed.


    ¡°I thought we were heading for the barony?¡±


    Liam nodded, and looked to Byrne.


    ¡°That we are, Byrne. We gave you the warning out of kindness, but we can¡¯t stay. We have a quest to turn in, and there is a time limit on it.¡±


    Byrne caught the look in his eye, and grumbled, pulling the bottle back over to himself and topping his mug off. Taking a long drink, he looked Liam square in the eyes again.


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Want? Friend, of course we don¡¯t want anything from you-¡±


    ¡°You are planning to stay and help, or you would have been on your way the moment you arrived. So what do you want in return for your aid?¡±


    Liam raised his hands palms forward, and shook his head.


    ¡°Really, you take us for bandits. Of course, if you truly need our aid¡­¡±


    And thus, negotiations began. Liam and Byrne began to argue back and forth, the bottle being passed along with their conversation. Leah and Cassandra left the room, feeling that their presence wasn¡¯t exactly needed any longer. Leaving the house into the moderately fresh air, Cassandra looked to the sky, one hand on a sword at her waist. Leah spoke first.


    ¡°So, when were you going to tell me we are going to fight?¡±


    ¡°Tell you? I thought you would have worked that one out on your own.¡±


    She glanced down at the smaller elf, the edges of her mouth turned down.


    ¡°Unless you were planning on fleeing and leaving this lot to their fate?¡±


    Leah bristled at that comment, but she couldn¡¯t deny the truth in it. She opened her mouth for a harsh response, but didn¡¯t have time before Cassandra continued.


    ¡°I thought so. I honestly thought better of you, but if thats what you were thinking of, then-¡±


    Leah couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. She barked back at Cassandra.


    ¡°Really? You are really going to hold some fear of fighting against someone who has no fighting skills, has never fought before, hell,¡±


    She threw her hands up in the air, looking around at her surroundings, eyes wild.


    ¡°Until yesterday, had never even seen a dead person. I¡¯m SO sorry if you think lesser of me because I might be just a little bit scared of going up against creatures that only existed for me in scary stories and fantasies until now, with no way of actually defending myself, trusting my safety to people I barely know. Clearly I should be rushing headlong into danger like I¡¯ve been doing it my whole life! Besides, its not like I¡¯m in a new body or anything, having already died once, nooooo, lets have a go at Leah because she doesn¡¯t meet my lofty expectations!¡±


    She held her stance, breathing heavily and staring at Cassandra, who was now looking at her in surprise. She hadn¡¯t planned on going that far, but all the frustrations and stress since she¡¯d died bubbled over at once, and she ended up taking it out on one of the people who was helping her get to grips with things. She lowered her arms sheepishly, and looked down.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to get so-¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I was taking things out on you, and you are right, you shouldn¡¯t be expected to just be a natural at things right away. I gave you grief in the forest as well, and I shouldn¡¯t have done that either. But, we do need to help these people. Not least because the whole point of this village,¡±


    She waved her arm around her, hand no longer on her blade.


    ¡°Is to provide safety for travellers like us, and we just brought a danger upon them that they can¡¯t hold off on their own. Its only fair that we pay it forward.¡±


    She raised her hand to stop Leah¡¯s response.


    ¡°Yes, I know, you can¡¯t fight. But you also picked up skills before faster than I¡¯ve seen anyone I¡¯ve ever met. We have until evening, and unless Liam has other plans, I¡¯m going to be putting you through your paces with any weapons we can get our hands on. We might be dragging you into a fight, but I for one won¡¯t be letting you die pointlessly.¡±


    Leah rolled her shoulders, and her hands went up to her ears, subconsciously rubbing them. She noticed that it felt good to do so when she was stressed - was this another one of those reflexes from her body? With the wind taken out of her sails, she gave a small smile in Cassandra¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Well, thats some of my concerns alleviated then. Honestly, I thought that was going to be a whole big thing between us for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Really? We¡¯re both adults, so we should act like it. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯d rather you air your grievances than just let them fester. And clearly,¡±


    She mirrored Leah¡¯s smile.


    ¡°You needed to blow off some steam. I can¡¯t say I understand everything you are going through, but I do understand blowing off steam. And swinging a sword is a tried and true method of doing so. So lets get going.¡±


    Before the two could set off, a window opened from the house they left from, and Liam poked his head out.


    ¡°If the two of you are done with your lovers spat, can you fetch Ox for us? He¡¯ll be at the practise ground, most likely.¡±


    He ducked his head back in as a stone was whipped towards him. Leah was really curious as to where Cassandra kept getting those stones.


    The two arrived at the eastern edge of the village, where up against the wall, a small clearing had been made. About 10 meters across, and containing only a pair of ragged archery targets and a straw bale with a sword inexpertly tied to it, the ¡®training¡¯ area was hardly anything to write home about. But it would have to do. While they were looking around, the door to a small hut pressed right against the wall opened, and a giant of a man emerged. Standing at least 7 foot tall, with a balding head and tattered beard, the man simply stared at the pair of elves, as if he had never seen anyone before, let alone two non humans. Leah and Cass looked at each other, then back at the man. Leah spoke first.


    ¡°Are you¡­ Ox?¡±


    The man nodded, just barely avoiding banging his head on the lintel of the door. He continued to stare at them. Getting to be slightly uncomfortable, Leah motioned behind her, and continued.


    ¡°Byrne wants to see you, Ox.¡±


    The man nodded again, and stepped out of his hut, closing the door behind him with care, as if he was handling a delicate vase. He walked past them, stopped at the edge of the training ground before the houses and storage sheds started again, and looked back at the pair.


    ¡°Bye bye, pretty ladies.¡±


    Then he was gone. The discomfort faded in Leah, and a light switched on as she realised what had happened.


    ¡°Well, he was nice.¡±


    Cassandra folded her arms, and watched the corner the man had disappeared around. Her ears twitched back and forth.


    ¡°Nice would have been not staring at us like we were nymphs. You did see how he was looking at you, right?¡±


    Leah stopped for a moment, running through exactly how she was going to explain this to Cass. It was a rather novel experience in this world, being the one who knew more about something, but it still didn¡¯t make it an easy subject to broach.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to jump to any conclusions, but¡­ I don¡¯t think he knows any better. Some people are just born different, Cass, don¡¯t hold it against him.¡±


    The light of realisation spread to Cassandra, and she loosened her crossed arms and widened her eyes.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t met anyone like¡­ him, before?¡±


    ¡°No, Elves are generally born hardier, for lack of a better term. And from what I understand of humans, people like him tend to die quick.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Evidently not all of them. We can ask Byrne about it later, but I think we came here for a reason¡­¡±


    ¡°That we did.¡±


    The pair turned back to the training dummies, and Cassandra tutted her disapproval.


    ¡°Not good, not good at all¡­ though for a beginner, it might suffice.¡±


    She moved over to a covered barrel, pulling back the covering and inspecting the training arrows inside. Still shaking her head, she looked around for any signs of a training bow to go with them. Leah moved over to the targets, poking and prodding at the ragged holes in the straw, and the wall behind them.


    ¡°Aha!¡±


    A crash behind Leah urged her to turn around. What had appeared to be a bundle of firewood and scraps turned out to be a rack containing two bows, one with a snapped string, and the other well worn but functional. The crash had been from the detritus that covered it being thrown to the floor by Cassandra.


    ¡°Make more noise why don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Relax. We aren¡¯t doing anything we shouldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t think anyway.¡±


    Leah sighed, and walked over to the bows that Cassandra had found, shaking her head.


    ¡°And you told me not to do anything roguelike.¡±


    ¡°Hush you. Now, you said you hadn¡¯t shot before, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re starting from scratch then. Which is good, because it means I don¡¯t need to beat any bad habits out of you.¡±


    ¡°Beat?¡±


    ¡°Metaphorically. Mostly.¡±


    Cassandra picked up the one bow that was still strung, and looked along its length. Shrugging, she handed it over to Leah, and pointed to the barrel.


    ¡°Now, go grab a bundle of those. We¡¯ll start with archery, and if you pick it up as quickly as I think you will, we can move on to swordsmanship.¡±


    Leah did as she was bid, not exactly enthused with the idea of learning to fight but recognising the necessity. Plus, it was probably about the closest thing to fun she was going to have since she died. She died¡­ She shook off the dark thoughts, and carried the bundle she had collected to where Cassandra was pointing now.


    ¡°So, first things first. If I EVER see you shooting without an arrow, I will drive one so far up your arse¡­¡±


    ¡°No no NO! Watch what I¡¯m doing, for the gods sake.¡±


    The training had gone on for an hour, with Cassandra getting increasingly frustrated with Leah¡¯s progress. True to form, she had picked up the skill almost immediately, and with Cassandra¡¯s ¡®tutelage¡¯ had managed to improve to level 3 quickly.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Archery


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Archery. Its total level is now 3.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    However, she had hit a stumbling block. No matter how much she watched what Cassandra was doing, and tried to repeat it, she wasn¡¯t improving at all any more, and in fact had made some mistakes that she felt she shouldn¡¯t be at her skill level. She almost dropped the bow and arrow with a yelp, when she felt Cassandra behind her.


    ¡°Like THIS.¡±


    She pressed up against Leah, and took one arm in each hand, manhandling her into position. Then, she shifted Leah¡¯s stance to something more like what she wanted. Leah¡¯s muscles burned from the strain of the new position, but not nearly as much as her ears and cheeks burned. She was very, very acutely aware of how close the elf ranger was to her, and how much¡­ touching was going on. She swallowed, and tried her best to focus on the archery.


    ¡°Now release.¡±


    She did as she was told, without even thinking, the instructions seeming to skip past her otherwise occupied mind and straight into her muscles. The arrow flew straight and true, impacting the target square in the centre. And finally, she seemed to understand what she needed to do to level the skill. Among understanding other things about herself.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Archery. Its total level is now 4.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    [Notification]


    You have gained a level. The following bonuses have been applied:


    +1 Dex


    +1 Charisma


    +1 Intelligence


    +3 Free points


    ¡°Good. Thats much better. Do it again like that next time¡­¡±


    Cassandra, her irritation at Leah¡¯s lack of progress fading, also realised the position they were both in. They both froze for a moment, still pressed against one another, before they, in sync, stepped away, talking over each other.


    ¡°Well, that was¡­¡±


    ¡°Informative.¡±


    ¡°Yes, very informative. You did well, good progress.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, progress was made.¡±


    Leah took a moment to check her notifications, to get them out of the way and of course, to give herself a moment to breath.


    ¡°Oh, I levelled up from that.¡±


    ¡°Really? It makes sense, given how many skills you¡¯ve been levelling in such a short time.¡±


    ¡°I did have a question about that actually. What are these Free points I¡¯ve been gaining?¡±


    ¡°Oh, those. You get them as part of a level up, and you can allocate them to either attributes or skills. Basically a free level in either, without any of the training needed.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So they are important then.¡±


    ¡°Very. I hope you haven¡¯t spent any yet, everyone learns right away that its best to save them up until you know what to do with them. How many do you gain per level, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    ¡°Thre- UN. FAIR.¡±


    Cassandra, now back to irritation, threw her hands up in the air, and stomped away.


    ¡°Three points. Of COURSE you get three points as well as being able to learn anything in minutes, not days. You are just the worst, do you know that?¡±


    On impulse, and without really thinking about it, she teased Cassandra.


    ¡°Oh, its ok. You can share with me if you like.¡±


    She stopped her huffing and stomping, and went bright red for the first time, looking at Leah in surprise.


    ¡°I¡­ no¡­ damn you, don¡¯t mess with me like that!¡±


    ¡°Wait, mess with you? You can do that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn, of course you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    She held her head in her hands.


    ¡°Yes, you can trade away free points to others, in the same way you share a status page. And its equally¡­ intimate¡­ for obvious reasons. You are giving away something that is incredibly difficult to get.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Well, the offer does stand, if you need any. I¡¯ve not got much use for them right now, and if it helps you help me¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯ll need them to catch up to us, and if your secret ever gets out¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ok. But I am getting a lot, so if you ever¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me. Really, don¡¯t.¡±


    Leah shrugged, deciding the time for teasing was over. Especially after the¡­ moment they had shared earlier.


    ¡°So why didn¡¯t you have me use them for training before?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, they are hard to get, and I assumed you didn¡¯t have another unfair advantage over everyone else. Anyway, it would have been pointless. For some reason, you don¡¯t get on well with archery, despite how fast you¡¯ve grown, so we¡¯ll save that for another time. Let¡¯s move on to swords now. Now where do they keep the training swords¡­¡±


    The two of them went through forms and techniques for another few hours, first with the training swords, and then, once Cassandra thought she had reached an appropriate skill level, one each of Cassandra¡¯s blades. Then they moved on to fighting with a sword and shield, which Leah struggled with initially. A new notification made that slightly easier, however.


    [Notification]


    You levelled the stat, Strength. Its total level is now 9.


    Cassandra¡¯s blade came up short, and she looked at Leah, puzzled.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    ¡°I just improved a stat. My strength.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that would make sense. It was 8 before, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be low enough that raising it wouldn¡¯t be too much effort. With all the effort you¡¯ve been putting in, and those cheats of yours, I¡¯m not surprised you gained a level in it this quickly. Though I wouldn¡¯t count on it in the future. Once you get it up to 10, it gets exponentially harder to improve.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should be saving up my free points for stats, then. At least the ones I don¡¯t use often.¡±


    Cassandra shrugged.


    ¡°Its a common philosophy, especially among adventurers. And considering you don¡¯t have to worry about your intelligence or wisdom, at least¡­¡±


    She sighed.


    ¡°Honestly, coming up with a build for you is going to be interesting. You¡¯ll have to throw out a lot of common knowledge, simply because you make it irrelevant. You could half arse things, and still end up stronger than most people.¡±


    Leah smirked with smug pride, which earned her a rap on the head with Cassandra¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that means I¡¯m going to let you slip behind on training though. The day you can beat me in a fight, is the day you can take it easy.¡±


    ¡°Yes boss.¡±


    The two continued trading blows, the shield much less of a burden on Leah now, with her improved skills and stat.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Swords (Longswords)


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Swords (Longswords). Its total level is now 7.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Shields


    [Notification]


    You levelled the skill, Shields. Its total level is now 3.


    Experience gained from levelling a skill.


    As they fought, they continued their conversation, Cassandra hoping that making her multitask would make her either slip up, or improve faster. Leah simply turned following the conversation over to her submind, with Multitasking.


    ¡°Mind you, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to learn as much physical combat.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    ¡°With your mana capacity, and your clear talent for it, maybe you should be focused on going to mage path.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t we been training that then?¡±


    Cassandra stepped forward and smacked her shield into Leah¡¯s unguarded head.


    ¡°Idiot. Because neither of us know any spells. You learnt Mana Detection on your own, remember?¡±


    Stepping back and rubbing her likely to become bruised head, Leah responded.


    ¡°Ow. So I should be trying to make up spells on my own, then? What even is the difference between skills and spells?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t do that. Mana isn¡¯t a toy, and you are just as likely to make yourself explode than you are to spontaneously develop a spell.¡±


    Seeing that the fighting was taking a break for the moment, Cassandra also stepped back, and lowered her weapon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know all of it, because I was never taught, but I think that you can use skills, like manipulation skills, to make magical effects happen. However, it takes a lot of mana to do that, and its incredibly inefficient. Our mage¡­ our mage hated doing it.¡±


    She stopped for a moment to sigh.


    ¡°Anyway. You don¡¯t get as much bang for your buck, but you do have flexibility if you use manipulation skills. Spells, on the other hand, are skills in their own right, that the system recognises. No one knows how new ones are developed, only that they are efficient, and can be learnt independently of any other skills. Apparently, a lot of skills that use mana are basically spells anyway, just really focused ones. Thats about the extent of my knowledge, and that was only what Thomas talked about. And he would NOT shut up.¡±


    Leah realised that she was talking about one of their fallen comrades. One of the ones in the handcart outside the tavern. She looked in that direction, and Cassandra caught her gaze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve had comrades die before. It sucks, and when I get a chance to grieve, it¡¯ll suck worse, but I¡¯m not going to fall apart over this. Lets get back to training.¡±


    The two returned to clashing swords.

 Intermission Two

    A shadow lurked in the trees, 200 meters away from the village, watching. It could hear everything in the village, the sounds of people talking, working, playing. But it was focused on one noise in particular. The sounds of swords clashing.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It spoke to something unseen and unheard.


    ¡°That one. The weakest.¡±


    It nodded to itself.


    ¡°I already decided on it, do not test me¡­ yes, I understand.¡±


    The shadow gripped the wood of the tree it was stood in, and despite the ephemeral quality of its body, the bark splintered.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°The target must be exposed first. I must take out the ranger. Then the rogue. Then the doll will be yours.¡±


    It staggered, and dropped to a knee, its body recoiling from a shaft of light that broke through the forest canopy.


    ¡°Patience, please. You will have your tool. I will have my revenge. Please trust my judgement.¡±


    An invisible pressure faded on it, and it returned to its feet. Watching the village once more, its ears tuned for the sounds of its prey, it waited for nightfall, and the attack that would come with it.


    ¡°Patience. And you will be mine, thief. Revenge for the mistress will be had.¡±

 Chapter Eleven

    Noon had passed, and afternoon was in full swing, when Liam arrived at the training yard to deliver the news to Cassandra and Leah. He found the two of them sat under the shade of a hut, the smaller elf panting with exhaustion. He shook his head.


    ¡°Have the two of you been scrapping this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Not scrapping, training. Something you should do more of.¡±


    ¡°I train well enough. I train so well, you don¡¯t even see me do it. I am a master rogue.¡±


    ¡°And yet, your ability to lie remains so inadequate. Are you done fleecing the elder for all this village is worth?¡±


    Cassandra stood up, leaving Leah to rest. Liam grinned a half smile, his scars contorting horribly.


    ¡°Good news and bad news on that front. Bad news is, we don¡¯t get paid.¡±


    ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    ¡°Good news is, we get better than payment!¡±


    He beckoned behind him, and a tall figure in drab robes stepped out into view. Cassandra narrowed her eyes at the man, her ears tilting back, and her hand going to her waist, where a sword should be but was instead with Leah. She cursed.


    ¡°Priest. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Want? Cass, the man is here to help us. He¡¯s going to put a blessing on the bodies, so they aren¡¯t¡­ affected by time, or the battle to come, and he¡¯s kindly offered to help Leah learn some spellcraft.¡±


    ¡°If she has any talent for it, young man. I was quite clear about that.¡±


    The tall priest spoke for the first time, his voice a quiet and calming timbre. He looked to the still panting Leah, and the corners of his mouth turned down.


    ¡°This one, is it? Have you been wearing the poor girl out?¡±


    Liam smacked him on the back, and laughed.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll see what I mean soon enough. Plus, a little exertion will help her get her constitution up to snuff. A little extra bonus.¡±


    The priest sighed, and walked over to the sitting Leah. Cassandra stepped between the two of them, hand on her other sword this time.


    ¡°Hold it, priest. What are you planning?¡±


    ¡°Planning?¡±


    The man looked genuinely hurt, and looked back to Liam. Liam sighed.


    ¡°He¡¯s on the up and up, Cass. He¡¯s in the know.¡±


    Cassandra narrowed her eyes at Liam, then turned to the priest.


    ¡°What path do you walk?¡±


    The priest smiled at her, and responded in kind.


    ¡°The only right path, friend.¡±


    Cassandra let go of her swords hilt, but remained in between the priest and Leah, who had caught her breath back by now, and had questions of her own.


    ¡°Cass? Whats the problem with him being a priest?¡±


    ¡°Many, many problems Leah. Too many to list right now. But he knows of the path, so I¡¯ll trust him. For now. But I¡¯ll be coming with you. Walker or not, I¡¯m not leaving you alone with a rookie.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no. Cass, we don¡¯t have time for that. I need you to come with me. Leah will be fine, even if this is a ploy, theres nothing he can do without us finding out.¡±


    ¡°Theres plenty he can do, Liam. Plenty-¡±


    ¡°Ok, thats enough of that.¡±


    Leah stood up, and folded her arms. She looked between Liam and Cassandra, ignoring the priest for now.


    ¡°You two are talking around the topic enough. I¡¯m not going anywhere until someone explains to me EXACTLY what the problem is?¡±


    To her surprise, it was the priest that spoke up before anyone else. His kindly smile was tinged with sadness, but he spoke calmly.


    ¡°The priesthood of Uld are¡­ xenophobic, shall we say. The dominant belief is that a certain passage decries non-humans, and-¡±


    ¡°And so, we are second class citizens, at best. Slaves or worse more commonly.¡±


    The priest sighed.


    ¡°Indeed. However, those of us who know the Path turn our back on such barbarism. Uld may be supreme, but his chosen created the other races to be equals, not lessers. Uld has never denied this fact, despite what many believe. You will be in safe hands with me, I assure you. Even without an adventurers mark.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers mark¡­?¡±


    Liam and Cassandra both put their heads in their hands simultaneously, though for different reasons. Liam, for forgetting to brief Leah, and Cassandra for Liam¡¯s oversight. The priest, however, seemed unperturbed, amused in fact.


    ¡°My, your friend was right. You are a novice. Do not worry, I have taken in such to my care in the past. Your ignorance is no obstacle.¡±


    Cassandra recovered first, and shook her head.


    ¡°Fine. You two go, do what you need to do. But I warn you priest, a scratch on her and I will take ten times more from you.¡±


    ¡°By Uld, I swear she will come to no harm in my care.¡±


    With a look back at Leah, Cassandra shook her head and walked towards Liam.


    ¡°You¡¯re on the hook for this as well, don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you¡­¡±


    Their words trailed off as the pair walked away. Leah turned her gaze back to the priest.


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    The two of them walked towards the church, as the afternoon dragged on. Leah was the first to speak.


    ¡°I hope you know that I have many questions.¡±


    ¡°As I would expect, from one in your position.¡±


    ¡°My position..? What exactly did Liam tell you?¡±


    His smile returned, though he kept looking forwards.


    ¡°Enough to know you are in great need of answers. Though I suspect he was keeping a greater truth from me. Whatever your secret might be, if you do not wish to tell it, I shall not burden you with my curiosity. So long as it does not effect your learning, of course.¡±


    He looked up at the sky, judging the distance of the sun from the horizon.


    ¡°Though how much learning we can get through before night falls, remains to be seen.¡±


    A quick check with her internal clock, compared to her guess as to the season and some quick maths, gave Leah an answer.


    ¡°Another 6 hours, give or take.¡±


    The priest looked down at her. She was aware now of their height difference. He truly was a tall man.


    ¡°Another curiosity. Very well, I shall trust you on that. Even still, we will be hard pressed to make any progress, even with your companions assurances that you ¡®pick things up quick.¡¯¡±


    It was Leah¡¯s turn to smile at his impersonation of Liam¡¯s cadence.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve done well so far. What will you be teaching me, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Spellcraft, as was said before. Clerics and priests, by necessity, must be adepts in both Life and Death mana. From what I can glean, you have the potential to use both, so I am happy to provide you tutelage. Though, again, what progre-¡±


    ¡°Life mana? Death mana?¡±


    Leah was confused.


    ¡°I thought there was just ¡®mana¡¯.¡±


    The priest looked down on her again, this time pityingly.


    ¡°Oh dear. We do have a lot to go over, don¡¯t we. Though, first things first. What is your name, child?¡±


    ¡°Leah. And you?¡±


    ¡°Alistair. Priest of Uld.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Alistair.¡±


    ¡°And you, Leah.¡±


    The two walked on in silence for a moment longer.


    ¡°So, this mana-¡±


    ¡°That, we can get to later. There are things we must cover first, once we reach the safety of the church. Come, we are almost there.¡±


    The two stepped into the imposing building, revealing the insides to be a cross between the utilitarian outside, and warm, comfortable furniture. The walls were bare, exposed stone, but the floor was carpeted in pelts and rugs, possibly traded from those passing through. There were 4 rows of benches, arranged in front of an altar, similar in nature to the ones Leah had seen in churches before. Two doors at the back of the main hall led off into side passages, one of which the two walked through. They passed through a narrow hall, lined with doors, and the priest stopped before one, rapping gently on the door, waiting a moment, then entering. Inside, was a bare room with a simple stool, the only light coming from the narrow slitted window.


    ¡°Here. This is where I shall be teaching you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite¡­ bare.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is said that to learn of Uld, one must first shed all mortal comforts. Ordinarily, I would ask you to disrobe, but I feel your elven¡­ friend,¡±


    He said the last word with a sly smile,


    ¡°Would disapprove of my asking such.¡±


    Leah¡¯s ears twitched a little, reddening as she heard the undertones in the mans voice. She ignored him, however, and followed him into the room.


    ¡°Now, first. Sit, please.¡±


    She did so, on the stool in the centre of the room. Awkwardly, she looked around as the man looked her over.


    ¡°Are you a particularly religious woman, Leah?¡±


    ¡°I- Um¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not about to convert you to Uld, do not worry. Doctrine is quite clear that only humans are to worship him. However, my teachings rely on belief. To whom, or what, it does not matter. Only belief. So, are you a religious woman?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Yes, I suppose so. Not especially, though. I believe, but its a personal matter¡­¡±


    ¡°That will do. Very well. First, you must learn of mana, before you can work it. Do you have any experience manipulating raw mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have mana manipulation, and mana detection. I developed these not long ago, during our travels.¡±


    ¡°Indeed? And you learnt these on your own? Most impressive. Then that will save some time. There are 7 types of mana, believed to come each from a different god. Raw mana, Life, Death, Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Raw mana, as you have worked with, is the realm of Uld, and thus all priests of Uld must learn to use it. In time, I can aid in your development there. However, your ¡®payment¡¯ is to learn in Life and Death mana, so there we shall start. As was said before, all priests must, by necessity, learn to use both, as it is important to our duties. Life, naturally, is the realm of life. Giving and providing, creating stability where there is none. Death, on the other hand, is taking and removing, destroying that balance. Neither is good nor evil, and both can be used for good and ill. Now, we shall start with Life Manipulation, so we can nurture your Life Affinity. Follow my instructions carefully¡­¡±


    Together, they went through basic training for the manipulation of Life mana. Alistair instructed Leah to take a hold of a portion of her mana, that was flowing through and around her, and to hold it close, feeling within it the potential for life. To feel it crystallise and shape into a fixed form, one of stability and strength, of giving and nurturing. To reach into her faith, and to feel what that meant to her, and to use that stability to help form the basis of the Life mana she was condensing. The teachings, in fact, did not help her much. Despite trying to make her belief work, it just didn¡¯t for her. However, the practise did give her an insight into the fundamentals of mana, and how it could be formed into its constituent parts. And with that knowledge, she made her own path to forming Life mana.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Knowledge (Mana).


    Mana is one of the true underpinnings of the world, and a fundamental form of energy. A deeper understanding of this strange and wondrous element can be used for any number of purposes, both good and ill. Through your understanding, you will understand the world.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Life Manipulation.


    Life Manipulation is the skill used to form and manipulate a specific element of mana. This skill is required to nurture an affinity in the mana, and to store and wield the specialised mana for any number of purposes.


    Effects:


    Ability to manipulate Life mana. Effects only limited by imagination and mana capacity.


    [Special Stat Revealed: Life Affinity]


    Prerequisites have been met for the Life Affinity stat to be revealed. All previously hidden effects are now enabled.


    This Stat determines your ability to store and manipulate Life mana, refined out of raw mana. This stat determines how efficient you are at converting raw mana into Life mana


    Effects:


    10% efficiency per stat level conversion rate.


    Leah opened her eyes, which she hadn¡¯t realised she had closed. She had descended into her mindscape once she realised she didn¡¯t need the priests instructions, and rapidly assimilated all the information in front of her. She had learnt something new during the process - her increased mental processing in that state improved her ability to channel and store mana. It simply matched the speed at which she was working seamlessly. A new skill was formed once that revelation was made.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Mana Meditation.


    By clearing your mind and dedicating it solely to mana manipulation, one can dramatically improve the rate at which it is accumulated or converted. This does not affect spell casting times, due to capacity limits imposed on spells.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Effect:


    10% bonus to mana recovery and manipulation speed per skill level.


    She kept that one to herself, but made her other successes known.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done it.¡±


    The priest blinked at her, and peered closer, activating his mana sensing. He leaned back, and whistled, catching himself and turning it into a cough.


    ¡°Ah, well. Yes, indeed. That is most impressive, how quickly you picked it up. Are you sure you haven¡¯t had any training in the past?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not.¡±


    ¡°Well, at any rate¡­ we shall now repeat the process with Death mana¡­ it is similar, however¡­¡±


    While he was speaking, Leah dipped back into her mindscape. With the knowledge she already had, and the experience of cultivating Life mana, it was a simple matter to create its inverse. Only a few seconds of real time passed before she was met with success.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Death Manipulation.


    Death Manipulation is the skill used to form and manipulate a specific element of mana. This skill is required to nurture an affinity in the mana, and to store and wield the specialised mana for any number of purposes.


    Effects:


    Ability to manipulate Death mana. Effects only limited by imagination and mana capacity.


    [Special Stat Revealed: Death Affinity]


    Prerequisites have been met for the Death Affinity stat to be revealed. All previously hidden effects are now enabled.


    This Stat determines your ability to store and manipulate Death mana, refined out of raw mana. This stat determines how efficient you are at converting raw mana into Death mana


    Effects:


    10% efficiency per stat level conversion rate.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°¡­you will need to understand the inverse- Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Check me again, I¡¯ve done it.¡±


    He did so, and this time he could not stop himself.


    ¡°How in Uld¡¯s name is that possible? You started refining only minutes ago, and yet already you have both Life and Death affinities? My word, your friends were not wrong when they said you would test my faith.¡±


    Leah leaned back at the sudden passion of his words. She was starting to get concerned he may break his oath, and she wished that she had kept one of Cassandra¡¯s swords. He seemed to realise what it must look like to her, and calmed himself.


    ¡°I¡­ apologise for my outburst there. Truly, I do. Only, what you have done would take weeks for even a prodigy to achieve. Less, if they had experience with mana manipulation like yourself, but never have I heard of someone developing both in less than an hour¡­¡±


    He shook his head of the possibilities in his mind, then focused back on her.


    ¡°Very well. Uld clearly wills it so. I will teach you as much as I can in the time we have left.¡±


    Their remaining time was spent predominantly going over the basics. Leah questioned that, especially given the pressing nature of the impending attack.


    ¡°The reason I need to teach you these things, is because if you attempt to use magic without training, you run the risk of catastrophic consequences. Think on this. Mana, and by extension, magic, is capable of delivering untold boons and curses to the world. You could, for instance, use it to call down a meteor on a target. Surely you would want to understand the process by which this happens, lest you bring the meteor down upon yourself?¡±


    Leah couldn¡¯t argue with that, so didn¡¯t. Alistair¡¯s face softened at her cowed expression.


    ¡°It also isn¡¯t strictly true. Yes, if you were to be developing your skills further, you would need to know these things, especially if you wish to attempt spellcrafting yourself. However, the truth of the matter is, I cannot give you much knowledge with regards to actual spells. My repertoire is sadly¡­ limited, especially in the fields that would be useful in combat. Did you not wonder why I was assigned to this backwater position?¡±


    ¡°That does make sense. But why didn¡¯t we start with those then?¡±


    ¡°Because, given your skills, I am assured that you will either pick them up quickly, or not in time to make a difference. It matters not whether we start now or later, and understanding the principles behind spells and skills will aid you in learning them.¡±


    Of the knowledge he went over, parts had already been filled in by Leah¡¯s Knowledge (Mana). However, there was a lot of new information to process as well. Firstly, all skills were powered by mana in some form or another. Even knowledge skills, which were the most passive of them all, used mana to stimulate the new pathways in the mind. Second, there were predominantly three kinds of skills; Knowledge, Passive and Active. Knowledge skills were simple - they imparted knowledge upon the recipient, and provide a measure of their current aptitude in a field of study. However, unlike other skills, they could only be levelled by further experience or study, and as such, some knowledge skills were limited. Passive skills, again, were simple. They were always active, and were powered by such little mana that they were effectively free. Active skills, on the other hand, varied wildly. The only hard and fast rule was that they required the user to actively think about using them. However, many active skills required an active use of mana supplied to them in order to work, making them a close relative of spells


    She also got an explanation as to skill levels. Skills were divided up into four categories for the purposes of levels. Knowledge skills had their own category - they had rankings, but always had a maximum of 10 levels. Also, as was said before, their levelling requirements differed from the others, making them a tricky beast to grow. Only a few knowledge skills had ever been maxed out, and those by precious few individuals, most long dead. Common skills were the next rank. These all had 50 levels, and were among the easiest to grow. Anyone can learn a common skill, though their aptitude with them varied wildly. Rare skills on the other hand, were more limited. One had to have certain prerequisites in order to even learn them, on top of the aptitude required for common skills. These were commonly class requirements, however, some had more esoteric needs. Rare skills also had a maximum of 10 levels. Unique skills were the wildcards. They often had bizarre requirements, such that only a few people in the world could ever attain them. Their levels varied wildly too, and often they were difficult to level. Few were well documented, and even those that were were not common.


    Spells were a special kind of active skill. Much like other skills, they came ranked in Common, Rare and Unique. And like active skills, they required an active input of mana to use. The difference between the two, however, was that spells only required that the user hold mana, and no matter what, required no prerequisites. And the only way to learn a spell was to either develop it yourself, find someone to teach it to you, or to learn it from a spellbook, which were rare. Simply being in the right place at the right time, or attempting to do something, would not grant you a spell. Even using a manipulation skill to emulate a spell might not even cause it to develop. Theories posited that because of the unique structure of each spell, one might be creating the same effect in a completely different manner to how the spell does so, but it had not been confirmed. Alistair also spoke on the dangers of experimenting with spellcraft.


    ¡°Spellcraft is dangerous. There is no two ways about it. When you attempt to create an effect using manipulation skills, you run the risk of it escaping your control. Should that happen, the mana will run wild in the environment, eventually dissipating into the background count, but in the mean time, causing devastation depending on its type. This is why many practitioners who attempt to develop spells will attempt to write down the steps involved before hand, and memorise them after going over it for potential flaws. Regardless, many practitioners die each year due to a poorly handled spell attempt, and few see results that are not a simple improvement on someone elses work. I advise against spellcraft until you have a firmer foundation in the magical arts.¡±


    Leah nodded. His warning had sunk in, and she was glad then that her mana detection had gone so well.


    ¡°Now, on to the part that I know you have been waiting for. Learning some spells.¡±


    Leah couldn¡¯t hide her excitement, and Alistair smiled at her.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know. It is quite exciting. However, I ask you to temper your eagerness. I only have a few that will be useful to you, and of those, I can only teach three. The others are secrets of the order, and I would be executed for teaching them to an outsider.¡±


    Her eagerness was tempered, but not by much. She was going to learn an actual, real life, magic spell! She would be slinging fireballs, calling down lightning, FLYING! Or, perhaps not.


    ¡°The first is a simple healing spell. This runs little risk of going out of control, and thus is safe for us to study. If you master this in due time, and I feel your control is apt, we shall move on to the next spells.¡±


    Alistair ran through the details of the spell multiple times before he was satisfied it would be safe. Leah closed her eyes, and focused internally on what she had been told. Imagine the frame, of what the mana should do once it is released. The direction it should go, what it should do when it runs into more mana, where to build up and where to dissipate. She filled the frame with her mana, converted into Life mana. A pressure inside her built, then transfered to her hands. It grew, and grew, and then¡­


    ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    She opened her eyes. Her hands were glowing with a pale golden light, which was slowly dissipating as the mana left her body. She couldn¡¯t hide her grin.


    ¡°I did it! I can use magic!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound too surprised. You have already used a minor magic with your mana detection.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ this is real. I can see it happening!¡±


    He shook his head with a smile.


    ¡°If it makes you happy. Did you receive a notification?¡±


    She had, though in her excitement she had ignored it. She opened it up.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the spell, Minor Heal.


    Mana cost: 1(Spell Level)


    Type: Life


    Effect: The user builds up life mana in their hand, and releases it. Up to spell level mana can be stored this way, and released at a time. The more mana is stored, the greater the effect. When the user touches an individual with this spell, it will find the nearest wounds and seal them. The amount of wounds, distance from touch site and size of wounds healed is determinate on the amount of mana infused. Greater wounds may require a higher tier spell.


    ¡°I learnt the spell!¡±


    ¡°And far quicker than I¡¯d hoped, too. We will surely have time for the others.¡±


    Over the next hour, they went over the other two spells, and Leah learnt them a short time after.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the spell, Bolt of Life.


    Mana cost: 5


    Type: Life


    Effect: The user builds up life mana in their hand, and releases it as a projectile. This bolt will travel until it is dissipated by ambient mana, and whatever it strikes will receive damage from an excess of healing energies. As a life spell, it is particularly effective against the undead and other creatures of Death mana.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the spell, Bless.


    Mana cost: 12


    Type: Life


    Effect: The user builds up life mana in their hand, and releases it into a target. If released into an object, the object will be blessed, radiating Life Mana for Spell level minutes before fading. This can cause harm to others, especially the undead. If released into a person, it will bless them with healing energies, providing a passive healing effect for the same amount of time. This is limited, and will expend the mana in order to work, shortening the effects time. It will heal as much as a Minor Heal spell of the same level before dissipating.


    Leah had some more questions after learning these.


    ¡°These are great, but¡­ I thought priests and clerics knew Death and Life spells. Why are these all Life?¡±


    ¡°Ah, therein lies an interesting question. Yes, I do know Death spells, however, their usefulness would be limited in the battle to come, and most are considered secrets-¡±


    His sentence was cut off by shouting outside the window. He looked around at it, frowning.


    ¡°It would seem that our time has run out. Come, we must man the walls.¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    Five minutes later, Alistair and Leah were with Byrne, Cassandra and Liam at the gate they had entered by. The village was a hive of activity, people carrying bundles of arrows and torches to a stockpile being formed near the wall, archers and huntsmen limbering up, and nervous guards, still in their rusty chain mail, holding their polearms awkwardly. Liam saw the two first, and held a hand up in greeting.


    ¡°Productive afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Leah held up her hands, glowing with Life mana. Liam whistled, while Cassandra merely frowned at Alistair.


    ¡°Impressive, but you still aren¡¯t getting out of training.¡±


    An irritated cough interrupted the group.


    ¡°If you are done playing around¡­?¡±


    Byrne pointed up a ladder, to a scaffold that encircled in the inside of the wall.


    ¡°Perhaps you should take a look at what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    ¡°Surely Byrne, age before beauty.¡±


    Liam ducked the swing at his head, and began climbing the ladder with a grin. Leah got a good look at him for the first time since arriving. He had certainly cleaned up well. Gone was the hunched over old man in loose fitting, well worn clothing, Byrne was now outfitted with a set of padded cloth armour, metal plates strategically placed over vital areas, and his beard was coiled up under his chin. On his back was a two handed sword of some kind. He caught Leah¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t always the old codger running a back water village. This is my pension, you could say.¡±


    Leah shrugged, and looked up the ladder, which Cassandra was beginning to ascend behind Liam.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going up there?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like an archer, girl? No, I¡¯m leading the defence down here, and sallying forth if needs be. I paid you three to man the walls, until you are needed elsewhere. So man them. Alistair, you¡¯ll be tending the wounded on the walls-¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think we can make an amendment there.¡±


    He placed his hand on Leah¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°This one picked up my Life magic quite well. She can handle the wounded. I shall be blessing the arrows.¡±


    Leah looked at him with shock. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to the coming event in any case, but directly dealing with injuries¡­ she wasn¡¯t sure if she could handle it, especially after her reaction to the barrow chamber she woke up in¡­ She cursed her near perfect memory, as the scene replayed itself in her mind, and her stomach threatened to make an encore.


    ¡°Me? I don¡¯t think I can¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you can. I didn¡¯t train you out of the goodness of my heart, you know. You can handle the moderate injuries and get the walking wounded back in the fight. My skills are better served improving our weapons, lest our archers be useless. Plus,¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°Your¡­ stature, is better suited to the ramparts. I feel I would be a liability. If there is anything serious that you cannot handle, send a runner for me and move on.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°You can do this. You cannot trust in Uld, but trust in whomever it is you believe in. Today is not your day to die.¡±


    Dying hadn¡¯t been Leah¡¯s concern - not until he mentioned it. After the battle, she would be sure to give him a piece of her mind about his motivational technique, because it was clearly lacking. She didn¡¯t have time to do it then, because he turned and walked back into the village before she could answer, being swallowed by a throng of people.


    ¡°Cass was right. Priests are dicks.¡±


    Shaking her head, she put a foot on the ladder and began to ascend after the others. At the top, Liam and Cassandra were crouched behind the top of the log wall, peering over the top.


    ¡°Don¡¯t see much yet. A couple of lone zombies, skirting the edge. Still too bright for the greater, I reckon¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely more out there. I¡¯m shocked you can¡¯t hear them.¡±


    Leah crouched beside them, and Cassandra turned to her.


    ¡°Oh good. You decided to come join us, not the god botherer.¡±


    Leah didn¡¯t respond to her barb. Her nerves were too busy getting the better of her, and while running over what could happen in her mind, she inadvertently let out a yawn. That got both Cass and Liam¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Leah, shit, you haven¡¯t slept yet, have you?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t but I¡¯m fine. I can manage another night.¡±


    She really, desperately wanted to use this as an excuse. She really did. But something was driving her forwards to actually do this. Had Alistair¡¯s words actually worked? Priests DID have to talk to a lot of people, so he probably had incredibly high skills related to convincing people¡­ Damn him! She¡¯d have to ask about that another time. Liam wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to put a brave face on this. We can find a way to manage if you need to take a rest. If you make a mistake because you are tired, though, someone is going to have to pull your arse out of the fire. I¡¯ll ask again, and I¡¯m going to check for the truth this time, fair warning. Are you up to this?¡±


    Leah checked her Internal Mana reserve, just to be certain. It was only in the corner of her vision, but the actual act of checking still hadn¡¯t been reinforced as a habit yet.


    [Internal Mana Reserve: 5/10(5)]


    [5 Mana reserved for maintenance from lack of sleep. Fulfil bodies needs to remove this reservation.]


    Five? Did the effect scale the longer she stayed awake? And what would happen when it was depleted fully? Would she collapse, or just begin to feel the effects? Still, even if the rate of loss was growing, she estimated that she would be ok, at least for this night.


    ¡°I can do it. I¡¯m operating at peak effectiveness right now anyway, the yawn was just a reflex, I think. If I need to take a break, I will, but I want to help.¡±


    Liam shook his head, and shrugged to Cass, who returned the gesture. Cass spoke up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where this confidence is coming from, but if you think you are fit to join us, I won¡¯t stop you. We need all the hands we can get, despite what Liam tried to tell you.¡±


    That got her a look from Liam, but he didn¡¯t refute her. Leah looked down at her hands, which weren¡¯t shaking, but she felt should be.


    ¡°It¡¯s not confidence. I don¡¯t want to be here at all. But I can¡¯t exactly walk away now, can I?¡±


    Liam nodded, and Cassandra hid a smile by looking back out over the wall.


    ¡°Right. So, up here, we reckon its going to be pretty calm initially. There¡¯s not likely to be many ranged monsters out there, and Cass will be focused on them. I¡¯ll be leading the rabble and making sure they focus on the right targets. Our main goal in the first stage is the thin things out down there, and get a gauge on how big the force is. I can¡¯t say how long that¡¯ll last though. We¡¯ll be switching up when one of two things happens. If the gate gets broken down, we¡¯ll be retreating back to the church. If that doesn¡¯t look like its going to happen, we¡¯ll have to make a decision whether to sally out and clear them up, or to hold out until morning. Thats up to Byrne, and we¡¯ll have our orders when he decides. Your job is going to be healing, primarily. If you have the spare mana - which you should, like I said, theres unlikely to be many ranged attackers - then I want you to be throwing down Bolts of Life at targets either Cass or I call out to you. Make sure to leave a good buffer though, in case of any changes. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, uh¡­ where am I going to be? Do I follow one of you, or..?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ll need to follow your own initiative here. Cass will be posted at this gate, and I¡¯ll be on the other. If you hear either of us whistle,¡±


    He paused to demonstrate. The shrill noise cut through the hubbub below and got all eyes on him. Leah and Cass, at ground zero, had covered their ears, and were eyeing Liam with distaste.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, sorry. If you hear that from either of us, rotate around to the source. We¡¯ll let you know what¡¯s needed then. Otherwise, keep moving, throw out the occasional bolt at something that looks big and scary, and for the gods sake, keep your head down. If you need to go, let one of us know and we¡¯ll sort things out. Got it?¡±


    Leah nodded. She was as ready as she was going to be, at any rate. Her stomach was still doing back flips, but whatever was spurring her on refused to let her back down.


    ¡°We still have time left before sunset. Catch some sleep if you can, we¡¯ll wake you when you are needed.¡±


    Looking to Cass, who nodded, she settled in next to the two, who lowered their voices as they continued to debate back and forth over what would be coming. Leah wasn¡¯t exactly sure if she could sleep, given her nerves and whatever was keeping her going, but as soon as she had settled down and thought about sleeping, the effect faded, and sleep overtook her immediately. Only her quick mental reflexes gave her the presence of mind to set her submind as an alarm clock, to wake her up should she feel anything touching her. Left hoping it would work, she drifted into a dreamless sleep, the exhaustion of the last two days finally catching up to her.


    She awoke with a start a moment later. Or, it felt like a moment. Her clock, and the now dark sky, proved otherwise. Cassandra had shaken her shoulder, prompting her return to wakefulness. She looked around at the elf.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    Nodding, Leah pushed herself up into a crouch, wary from the advice to keep low, and settled in next to Cassandra. Looking along the wall, she could see a dozen more men and women in similar positions, bows nocked and ready in front of them. All were looking through narrow slits in the wood, or to each other, and everyone was nervous. That didn¡¯t help with Leah¡¯s own nerves. A voice below caught everyones attention.


    ¡°RIGHT YOU LOT! We¡¯ve held off monster attacks in the past, and this is no different. Shoot straight, keep your head down if you aren¡¯t firing, and get anything that looks big and ugly first. If you drew the short straw and are down here with me, then today you¡¯ll claim no glory. Because those bastards are never getting through our walls, isn¡¯t that right?!¡±


    Byrne¡¯s voice rang loud and clear through the still night, the only other sound the clattering of bones beyond the wall. His speech was met with a resounding cheer from the defenders at the gate, and a matching cheer from the other side showed that someone had echoed the old mans speech. Once nervous faces set with determination, and the archers readied themselves to spring up and launch the first volley. Leah herself felt some of the confidence rub off on her. It felt like she could take on the world, with that man leading her. Another skill? Her submind had no answers, so it definitely wasn¡¯t a mental effect¡­


    She cut off her own thoughts, not wanting to get lost in another rabbit hole right before a battle. Cassandra matched the other archers, readying herself to join in the volley. She looked over to Leah.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pop up first, and sight a target for you. When I give you the go ahead, get up, launch your spell, and get down as fast as you can.¡±


    Leah nodded, not trusting her voice even with her new found confidence. Cassandra looked forward once more, and yelled out,


    ¡°On my mark! Three! Two! One! FIRE!¡±


    As one, the archers stood, took aim, and fired below. Leah couldn¡¯t see what was down there, but the telltale thunks of arrows hitting flesh confirmed that there definitely was something attacking them. That brought the fear back in force. She had no time to dwell on it, however, as Cassandra had ducked down, and began reciting off instructions.


    ¡°40 meters back, big fucker, looks like a bear shagged a barrel. Hit it with your best shot.¡±


    Leah nodded, faced the same way Cassandra had been facing and took a deep breath. She counted in her head down from three, then popped up, hands already glowing with the energies of life. The scene was terrifying, but strangely familiar, though the monsters in this case where mostly animals. It was a scene straight out of a zombie movie, a horde of undead monstrosities clamouring around without any purpose other than to get inside the walls and take the life from those within. Wolves, deer, boar, even, to Leah¡¯s surprise, some rabbits, any creatures you might expect to see in a forest were represented. And they vastly outnumbered the garrison. Even those near the walls were double the number inside, and more seemed to be stumbling or shambling out from the forest as she watched. She didn¡¯t have much time to do so, however, as she looked for what Cassandra had described. True to form, it did look like a bear. A bear that had eaten far too much, and was now more belly than body. Bloated and covered in sores, its milky white eyes rolled wildly in its skull, mouth lolling open. Suppressing her stomach once again - something she hoped she would gain a skill for, from the amount she had had to do so over the last few days - she raised both hands, took aim, and let out a shout, perhaps of challenge, but mostly of terror as she released the pent up mana. The bear thing seemed to notice her, unseeing eyes drawn to the glow of life energy, and it turned to face her right as the bolt struck.


    It was beautiful and horrifying at the same time. When the bolt of accumulated life mana struck the decaying flesh, it bloomed out, covering a third of the bear in a moment, and the energies began to eat into its flesh. Within a second, they had bitten down to the bone in places, and that was when the beast exploded. Its gut bubbled and rippled, before a split second later a thunderclap rang across the battlefield and Leah was pulled down.


    ¡°I SAID get down after you fire! Do you want to be killed?¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t expect it to explode!¡±


    ¡°I did. Thats why I said get down. Was that just one shot?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t have time for two.¡±


    Cassandra whistled, but didn¡¯t give it much more of her attention. Her voice once again rang out to the assembled archers.


    ¡°AGAIN! Ready up!¡±


    She looked across to Leah.


    ¡°What are you still doing here? Rotate around, and fire when I give the order.¡±


    Leah didn¡¯t exactly want to leave the comforting presence of the elf. Though they met only days ago, she had faced all the challenges of this world alongside her, and going off alone, even amongst allies, didn¡¯t fill her with confidence. But, she knew she had to. Nodding, and with a last wistful look back, she headed off along the walls scaffolding in a crouch, keeping her head low.


    The battle continued thusly. Leah would stop with an archer, wait with them as they awaited the call to fire, then pop up alongside them and let off a Bolt of Life. She would target anything that stood out if it was in range, a range she worked out fairly quickly after she whiffed her third shot aiming too far away. Otherwise, she would shoot down into the crowd. The target rich environment left little chance of missing, so long as she fired within her range. She worked out from her experimentation, and a little guesswork, that her maximum range was about 50 meters - half the distance to the forests edge, and half that of what the archers were capable of. Still, there was no shortage of targets, making her limitation somewhat redundant. And the firepower more than made up for it. While the archers arrows had been blessed, and were capable of felling any of the smaller zombies in a single strike, only Leah could reliably kill the larger or skeletal foes with her initial attack. Whatever she struck fell immediately - whatever the reason, her presence rapidly became a boost in morale to those around her. 30 minutes passed, then 60, before she heard a whistle for her attention.


    Moving around to Liam¡¯s side, she soon discovered what it was she had been called for. An archer was slumped against the wall, blood oozing from between the fingers of the hand pressed against his shoulder. Grimacing, he looked over at the elf who had joined him, and said, bluntly,


    ¡°Fucking do something about it already! Dammit!¡±


    Kneeling next to him, frowned at him, but raised her hands anyway. She didn¡¯t like his tone, but could she really blame him?¡±


    ¡°M-move you hand away, I don¡¯t know how the spell will be affected if its there.¡±


    The man rolled his eyes at her, but complied.


    ¡°Of course I get a fucking novice, just heal me already! Fuck, it hurts.¡±


    Her hands glowed once more with the energy of life, and she placed her hands firmly against his shoulder. Perhaps more firmly than she needed to, which elicited a pained groan from the man, but it was better to be safe than sorry. And perhaps it would help him learn some manners. She released the magic, and felt her mana dip again, which inspired her to check on her reserves.


    [Mana: 47/100]


    It was getting low, though it was regenerating still throughout the battle. A thought struck her, though she saved it for after she had confirmed the man was ok. She lifted her hands, and watched with fascination - and not a little disgust - as the deep wound knitted itself before her eyes. She knew from her skill that only the surface damage had been healed, and it would be tender and weak, but he would be able to fight should be still have use of the arm. She looked down at her hands, covered in the mans blood. A man that she had healed. Her. A computer science graduate only a few days ago, had healed an archer in a fantasy village, using magic. For a moment, she was convinced that she must be dreaming, that this all had to be some grand hallucination, but she had no time for that.


    ¡°Can you move it?¡±


    He gave his shoulder an experimental roll, and grunted.


    ¡°Still hurts, but I¡¯ll manage. Thanks, and, sorry.¡±


    Leah nodded, and continued.


    ¡°I did the best I can, but it might reopen. If it does, you¡¯ll need Alistair¡¯s help. Not much I can do if its that bad.¡±


    It was the mans turn to nod, and he picked up his dropped bow. He looked over to where Liam was readying to call the next volley, then back to Leah.


    ¡°Lets get a little revenge, shall we?¡±


    The night drew on, and hours passed. Leah felt the burn in her muscles from crouch running back and forth along the makeshift battlements, but she was saved the worst of the mana exhaustion thanks to her bright idea. She had dedicated her submind solely to Mana meditation, and the increase in her regeneration showed. So much so, that she had the opportunity to fire off many more shots than she¡¯d hoped for. Notifications filled up the corner of her vision, but she ignored them for the time being. There was no time for idle thought, as every few minutes, a call was raised for her aid. She¡¯d strike down a particular foe, usually one with ranged capabilities, or heal one of their targets, then move remain with the group, firing off shots until the next call came up. Moving back and forth along the lines, she noticed that the archers were beginning to flag, exhaustion reaching them after the long hours of constant firing. Though experienced and hardy, none of them were front line fighters, and this was possibly the longest battle they had ever been involved in. Leah was about to call attention to this, when she heard a call from Cassandra.


    ¡°Second shift, up! First shift, get some shut eye!¡±


    The archers, relief evident on their faces, shouldered their weapons and hastily descended into the village below. Replacement archers were waiting to take their places, and soon the ranks were filled with fresh faces, eager not to be shown up by their friends and family. Leah¡¯s surprise must have been evident, because one of them clapped her on the shoulder.


    ¡°Surprised tha¡¯ us bumpkins know a bit of strategy?¡±


    Leah turned to face him, frowning.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are bumpkins.¡±


    ¡°You can think wha¡¯ you like, so long as you keep us alive. We been watchin¡¯ you run around all night. You ready for some more action?¡±


    Liam smiled. She certainly was at this point. While she hadn¡¯t gotten used to the sights, and certainly not the smells, of battle, it hadn¡¯t been that bad so far. There had only been two major injuries, and Alistair had taken them off her hands quickly. And while there was no signs that the horde was being thinned out, it had also made little progress against the walls. Most of the undead were content to pound on the thick wooden trunks, doing little damage. Those who may pose a threat were targeted first, and surprisingly few ranged foes had emerged. Leah began to wonder what the point of them even being here was. The villagers probably could have handled it themselves. And as if channelling Liam¡¯s cursed luck, her words were forced right back into her mental mouth.


    A crash sounded from the forest, followed by a roar, and Leah¡¯s head whipped around. It had come from Cassandra¡¯s side of the wall, and her whistle wasn¡¯t far behind it. She took off as fast as she could whilst still keeping her head down, and made it to Cassandra minutes later. The elf had a furious grimace on her face, and the archers she had passed didn¡¯t look much better.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Take a look, and use that analyse skill of yours. Dammit.¡±


    She did so, and paled at the sight. Stood at least 12 feet tall, it looked like a pile of corpses had mashed themselves together, then somehow gained the ability to ambulate. Walking on the legs of a dozen animals, it rolled forwards, a trio of wolves heads continuing the roars as it approached. A single massive arm on its left side, if you could call it that, hung limp, writhing and undulating as things moved beneath its ripped and rotten flesh. Leah gulped, and activated her analyse skill.


    [Notification]


    Flesh Golem (Lesser)


    ¡°Lesser? THAT thing¡¯s lesser?¡±

 Chapter Thirteen

    [Notification]


    Flesh Golem (Lesser)


    Formed of the corpses of fallen creatures, this colossal being is as durable as it is strong. Only when a sufficient number of bodies accumulates in a small area can this creature form naturally - as such, they are thankfully rare, but are commonly seen on the sites of battles, where the dead have not been properly laid to rest.


    Damn, was the thing massive. And it was, while slowly, still trundling along towards the wall, specifically the gate. Cassandra nocked an arrow and released it at the giant, but despite the blessing on the strike, it failed to leave more than a small pit in its side. One of the heads turned towards her, and roared in defiance. Shaking her head, she turned to Leah, already nocking another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stare at it, bring it down!¡±


    Shook from her observation, Leah raised her arms, holding another charge of mana ready to fire. She was confident that even if it survived the first strike, she had enough charge left in her to finish it off. Waiting for it to stray into her range, she had no time to realise she might have been getting tunnel vision. Something wrapped around her right arm, and pulled her aim down. The spell, held in careful balance, was disrupted, and chaotically discharged, a burst of Life mana radiating out harmlessly into the air above the horde. She shrieked in surprise, and tried to pull back, looking down at her arm to see what had grabbed it. Her perception of the world slowed, be it an adrenaline analogue or simply her brain kicking into higher gear, but she saw everything in a split second. The tongue, and it was a tongue, was attached to a giant¡­ frog? Toad? She didn¡¯t know the difference, and there was no time to analyse it. Whatever it was, it had somehow gotten below them, waiting patiently at the base of the wall beneath a fallen zombie for her arms to remain over the edge. And now it had a grip on her.


    She had little time to react, even with her brain firing on all cylinders, before she was pulled down to the edge of the wall, her feet being lifted up, and she began to tip over. Then, a pair of hands grabbed her feet, and a sword chopped into the tongue, severing it and releasing the pressure on Leah. She was flung back over the wall, landing in a heap on the archer who had grabbed a hold of her feet. Cassandra, who had cut the tongue, was busy stabbing the remaining segment that had fallen off of Leah¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Fucking Froggen¡­ where the hells did it come from?¡±


    Keeping their heads low, Leah and Cassandra looked across the wall, to see similar events occurring with the other archers. As they watched, one was pulled clean over the edge by a tongue, and disappeared screaming into a back of zombies. The scream went on for far too long. The fresh guards rallied well, though, and after the initial attack kept their heads low, looking to Cassandra or their local leader for guidance. Cassandra hit the wall, her leather bound fist doing little to dull the impact.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been played! Fuck, they must have something leading them¡­ No way is this a coincidence.¡±


    She turned to face an archer who had crouch ran up to her. The man glanced between the two of them, and the tongue on the ground, then back to Cassandra.


    ¡°Boss, whats the plan? We can¡¯t shoot with those things waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Wait¡­¡±


    She leaned forwards, and grabbed a hold of the severed tongue. Raising it to her nose, she gave a good long sniff, then a lick.


    ¡°Cass, what the hell?¡±


    ¡°Alive. Good.¡±


    She turned to the archer.


    ¡°Go get pitchers of boiling water, and have anyone not fighting boil up more. We¡¯re going to cook some frogs.¡±


    She finished with a wicked smile, and turned to Leah as the man ran off.


    ¡°If the froggen were dead, boiling water wouldn¡¯t do much more than irritate them. At least, it wouldn¡¯t put them down fast enough. And I had to check somehow.¡±


    She shrugged, and looked down the line. A further archer had heard the conversation, and was passing the message along.


    ¡°When the froggen are dealt with, you need to get that golem down as soon as you can. If it reaches the gate, it won¡¯t hold for long, and I wouldn¡¯t bet on the militia dealing with it much better.¡±


    Leah nodded, remembering the size of the thing. Its shufflings and the crunches as it overran a zombie were audible over even the other sounds of battle. Any further discussion was interrupted by the archers return, hauling a bucket of steaming water behind him. His awkward climb was aided by Leah taking a hold of the bucket. She made to stand and haul it over the edge, but Cassandra stopped her.


    ¡°No. You need to ready that spell. As soon as we confirm the froggen is hit, you need to fire. Theres no time to waste.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Just give the word.¡±


    She handed the bucket back to the archer, who had pulled himself up onto the scaffolding, and began charging her Bolt of Life. Holding the mana, she readied herself as the man stood, and poured the bucket over the edge in one motion. Dropped the now empty bucket to the side, he looked over to confirm, then turned to Leah with a thumbs up. Then his thumb, along with the rest of his upper body, became a fine mist of red, blasted away by some unseen force. To Leah, who had detected the attack a split second before it hit, it was as if it happened in slow motion. His body bubbled and burnt from the touch of a mass of blackness, and everything it touched simply¡­ fell apart. A fountain of blood showered down on the village below, some stay droplets drifting slowly towards her face as she watched. Then, it snapped back to reality. A streak of blood across her face and a pair of legs were the only remnants of the archer left on the scaffold. Cassandra snapped into action far faster than Leah.


    ¡°DOWN! EVERYONE DOWN! MAGE!¡±


    Along the wall, those about to throw their own buckets or pitchers of water dropped them and scattered to the ground. Curses rose up from skin that was scalded, but no more casualties arose. Gritting her teeth, Cassandra tried to run through their options, and kept drawing blanks. She turned to Leah, hoping their resident miracle could pull it out of the bag, but she was stock still, staring at where the man had been, eyes wide and ears flat against her head. Her hand rose slowly to the streak of blood across her face. Cassandra grabbed her hand to stop her.


    ¡°Leah. Leah! Focus!¡±


    Her head snapped round and their eyes met. Cassandra could damn near see her brain, her eyes were so wide.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s gone!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and so will all of us if we don¡¯t think of a way out of this mess. Theres still the golem coming, in case you forgot. And theres no one else who can take it down but us.¡±


    Leah¡¯s head turned back to where the man was once stood, and the rumbling from the golem continued ever closer.


    ¡°I saw it all¡­ the way his skin fell apart, everything inside just¡­ rushing out¡­ oh god¡­¡±


    Her hands went to her mouth, and she doubled over. Clearly the nice approach wasn¡¯t working, if she could call it that. Grunting with irritation, Cassandra pulled her up by her shoulder, and brought her other hand around in an open palmed slap. The crack of impact cut across the noise, and the pain brought Leah¡¯s disarrayed mind into order once more. For once, she was the one calming her submind, which hadn¡¯t felt the pain and was still writhing in panic.


    ¡°Ow! What was- Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°That was just a taste of whats to come if we don¡¯t stop that damn golem. The mage can wait, but we need to take it down, and it needs to be done yesterday. Ideas?¡±


    Leah shook her head, still reeling from both the blow and watching someone die in front of her. The panic threatened to take her over again, before her submind replayed the pain of the slap to her again. It was crude, but effective at keeping her on task. At least until the excitement died down and she had a moment to freak out properly.


    ¡°Nothing. Not at least, while we¡¯re up here. Can¡¯t pop up, or we get zapped, me included. Zapped¡­ ugh¡­ Uh, right. We let it in, close the gates behind it, and then blast it away. Thats all I can think of.¡±


    ¡°Thats not much of an idea.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re putting me under a lot of pressure here! Have you got any better ones?¡±


    ¡°Dammit, no. At any rate, theres no point staying up here if we can¡¯t fire safely¡­¡±


    She dipped her hand into a pocket, and pulled out a small red object.


    ¡°Cover your ears.¡±


    Doing as she was told, she watched as Cassandra struck the ball against the wood, and then hurled it high up into the air. A loud crack followed soon after, and a red star burst into being in the sky above them. All eyes rest upon the light, then everyone broke into action. Cassandra grabbed Leah¡¯s arm, not trusting her not to lock up again.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re falling back.¡±


    Pulling her over to the ladder, she began to descend, Leah not far behind. The scene kept replaying over and over in her head, and where they were coming down would be right where what was left of him would be. She didn¡¯t even know his name, but she¡¯d watched him die¡­ She¡¯d never seen anyone die before, and far less that brutally. One moment they were fighting together, and things were relatively calm. Then the battle became just that - a battle, where death was actually a threat. They reached the bottom, and Leah forced herself not to look at the streak of red across the ground and wall of the nearest building. They jogged over to the gate, where the melee fighters and Byrne were waiting.


    ¡°Whats happened? Why are you abandoning the walls?¡±


    ¡°Theres a mage out there. Can¡¯t check them without popping up, and it¡¯ll get whoever does that. And thats not the worst of it either.¡±


    She explained about the golem, and the froggen. Byrne tugged on his beard, and looked towards the gate.


    ¡°Damn. Theres definitely something out there planning this. But why?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now. We need to prepare to fall back to the church.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Derrek, fetch anyone not fighting, and tell them we are falling back. Oh, and have Alistair join me. Barry, have half the archers set up on the roof, and the rest prepare to cover our fighting retreat.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The man who was on the gate, pale faced from overhearing what was being said, ran off in the direction of Alistair and the non combatants, another man Leah didn¡¯t recognise running off to meet the archers jogging their way. Byrne turned back to face them.


    ¡°So. I¡¯m assuming we are letting that thing in?¡±


    ¡°Its about the only option we have left to save the gate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. But, we have few options.¡±


    He shrugged, and turned back to face his pale faced and terrified men.


    ¡°Looks like I was wrong today. You will have glory after all, and its a hell of a kill. You¡¯ll be drinking for free in every tavern you go through from now until the day you die!¡±


    He drew his sword, holding the blade meant for two hands easily in one, and pointed at the gate.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be giving that bastard a warm Kryp¡¯s Ford welcome, but the party is only for one! You lot keep out the hangers on, and let us deal with the big beasty. Now get that gate open, and prepare to close it on my signal!¡±


    Two guards ran forward to unbar the gate, and the rest got into formation, leaving a channel down the centre for Leah, Cassandra and Byrne to take on the golem. Alistair ran up behind them.


    ¡°I came as soon as I heard. There is a flesh golem amongst their forces?¡±


    Byrne half turned and grunted in greeting.


    ¡°Aye. And we¡¯ll be letting it in, too. Can¡¯t take it down from the walls, so we actually need to put in some effort today. Be ready to take in wounded, but that thing is our priority. Even if it means you run dry.¡±


    The unspoken meaning passed between them, and Alistair¡¯s expression set in grim determination.


    ¡°Uld will provide. Both can be achieved.¡±


    Byrne turned back to the gate, and settled into a fighting stance.


    ¡°Be that as it may¡­¡±


    With a crash, the gate opened. The two manhandling the bar out of the way were flung to the side, and the golem poured in, its pace not slowed by the mass of lesser undead pushing past it. With a cry, Byrne charged, and the melee fighters followed with him. The better trained mercenaries that had come with their group were arranged in two groups, flanking the main push to clean up any stragglers, their aim to push the gate shut as soon as it was possible. However, it was looking grim. Behind the golem, the entire horde had rallied, and were pushing and scrambling over one another to enter the breach.


    None of that was important to Leah, however, as she raised her arms to do her part of the job. Pulling on her mana one more time, feeling it drain away closer and closer to zero, and her bolt readied itself. Beside her, she could feel a build up of mana, greater than her own, and slower, as Alistair readied another spell of greater power. There was no time to observe him, however, as released her spell as soon as it was ready charging, and began preparing another. The bolt shot across the distance between her and the golem, and bloomed against its flesh. A chunk the size of a man was torn from it as the spell ate through the flesh and magic composing the monstrosity, but it held firm. She was right to begin charging again. Midway through her next cast, Alistair delivered his own salvo. An orb emerged from his hands and hovered in front of him for a moment, before bursting into a dozen smaller orbs, all flying towards the golem.


    Chunks were torn from it from each impact, smaller than Leah¡¯s, but each one adding up to a greater effect. Even still, the monster powered forwards, pushing past and over more zombies in its efforts to reach the living. Each head was roaring a challenge now, the damage finally getting its attention fully. As it moved forwards, the tide of the guards passed around it, pushing into the tide of zombies and other undead making their way in. A tongue reached out of the dark beyond the gate, and dragged one through, screaming all the while. The golem ignored them, however, and the bloodshed was soon covered by its bulk, rapidly approaching them at a pace that far exceeded its previous gait. Then, it stopped, heads tilting to the side. Another chunk was torn out of it from Leah¡¯s spell, but it seemed unconcerned with her now. Without warning, it turned to the side, and raised its one ¡®arm¡¯, sweeping it across the ground through undead and man alike, scattering the mercenaries that were moving towards the gate. With a crash, its arm tore a chunk out of the gate, and it was already swinging around for another blow.


    ¡°No! Bring it down, now!¡±


    Leah wanted to comply, but she was already charging her spells as fast as she could. Alistair too, was too slow to stop its next strike, the gate shuddering from the impact. Its third impact was met with Leah and Alistairs combined might, together managing to push it back. It was too late for the villages defences, however. Chunks of wood rained down upon the melee below, and those still alive looked up at the devastation. Byrne cursed in a language Leah didn¡¯t recognise, then raised his voice.


    ¡°FALL BACK! BACK TO THE CHURCH!¡±


    He turned to Leah and Alistair.


    ¡°You two, get back and ready to fire again. Cassandra, rally the archers and cover our retreat. This is going to be a rout if we don¡¯t move now!¡±


    All mentioned nodded, and set off about their assigned tasks. Cassandra disappeared with the archers, and Leah and Alistair set off at a jog to their maximum range. The narrow village streets would work to their advantage here, and fortunately there was a clear line of sight to the gate. Charging her spell, Leah turned to Alistair.


    ¡°Can we even bring that down?¡±


    Alistair, eyes closed and arms raised, was muttering to himself. Clearly ignored, Leah turned back to face the beast, and released her stored mana. Another chunk was blown from it, and still it kept going. The gate down, it turned its attention back to them, then, again, stopped, and turned its gaze down to the retreating guards. Another swipe of its arm took out the tail end of the retreating figures, before a hail of arrows caught it partially. The pursuing undead were halted, giving the retreat blessed time. Leah looked back, holding her charge long enough to see the first wave of archers readying another volley, even as the second wave began to join them. Turning back, Leah released again. And again. Still, it stayed upright. How was it not down yet?!


    ¡°Its not working! Alistair, what do we do?¡±


    Her answer was a blinding flash, and she blinked away spots from the sheer power of the light she had inadvertently stared into. When her vision returned, she was greeted with a scene of devastation. Whatever had happened, it detonated in the centre of the horde, right on the golem. And there was nothing left of it, or anything else in its immediate vicinity. No damage to the terrain or gate though, she noted. Alistair grabbed her arm, and she felt his weight pulling him down.


    ¡°Come¡­ on¡­ To the church!¡±


    He half dragged, half leaned on Leah as they pulled back, the archers parting to let them through. There, he let go of her.


    ¡°Stay and help¡­ I¡¯ll organise the rest¡­ No mana¡­¡±


    Panting, he pushed past the archers, who had released another volley and were preparing their next one, and joined up with another group making their way towards the church. Checking her mana, and seeing she had enough left in the tank for a few more shots, she turned and prepared her next spell. Clearly, running out wasn¡¯t good for you, she had felt that before, but his reaction seemed¡­ extreme. She had only felt lethargic, not exhausted like Alistair appeared to be. Still, for another time. She released her spell alongside the archers volley, the bolt passing expertly past the massed fighters pulling back to the line. It burst upon one of the many in the horde rapidly approaching them, but still more came. There was no time for another. As the melee fighters approached the archers, they too turned and retreated. An answering volley from the church rained down on the undead following them, again granting them relief from the pursuit as those behind the fallen had to pick past the recently fallen bodies.


    As she turned with them, she saw one of the guards at the back stumble and fall, and stopped herself, torn between going back to help, and falling back. Should she? Could she? She would probably die trying, but to just leave them¡­ The moments pause was enough to get her pushed and jostled, and she found herself at the back of the pack. Right as the horde descended upon the fallen villager, who she could see reaching out to the retreating backs of their comrades. It was horrific, and terrifyingly real. Any lingering beliefs that this might be a hallucination were dashed as she watched flesh get torn from bone, from the feet first. Jaws clamped down on bone, stripping it of all above, and inadvertently, Leah switched to mana sensing. She saw bundles of mana, and something more behind it, being pulled in with the flesh, as it slipped down into the fetid and useless bowels of the undead. Unseeming eyes and silent mouths cried out in ecstasy as they tore the man apart completely, everything that once was him being pulled apart and fought over by the seemingly mindless beasts. No, not mindless, just singleminded. And Leah, with a lurch, had a horrible suspicion as to what exactly that extra ¡®something¡¯ was. Right as she felt the eyes of those too late to the feast upon her.


    She took a step back, as the horde rushed her in an unceasing wave. Then¡­ it broke around her, passing past her without a moments pause. She heard her name being called behind her, desperation clear, but it was unimportant to Leah. She saw IT. A moment before it landed upon her, a black streak flew through the horde, passing through the undead flesh as if it were nothing, skipping past the still screaming man being devoured, and straight onto Leah. An ephemeral hand reached out, and a single finger touched her forehead. And then, all her senses cut off completely.

 Chapter Fourteen

    Theodore could not believe his luck. His plans had been disrupted by the villagers¡¯ surprising level of planning. He had hoped to wear them down with the mindless undead, then drop the golem and his dominated froggen upon them. If he could take out the interlopers, and grab the thief, all the better, but the goal was to destroy the gate. And it had worked perfectly, even with the setbacks. He regretted having to step in personally, and risk the mortal body of the thief, but it was all worth it in the end. And now, the thief had stopped - stopped! - in the middle of the street, in front of a horde of his undead. What a fool she must be. He would not pass up this opportunity, while she was separated from her compatriots. He rushed her on a tide of darkness, moving faster than the eye could see, and touched the fool, engaging in a battle of mental domination. And with his new powers, and needs, of his existence as a shade, he would surely reclaim what was stolen from him. From his mistress, he corrected himself. The interlopers would be next, and then the body would be his. And whoever these outsiders were, they would not have their prize. He could fight them with THIS.


    Leah awoke in her mindscape, forced in by some unknown force. But this time, it felt different. Similar to when Cassandra had inspected her status page, something else was trying to get in. But this presence was forcing its way in, pushing against her mental defences. She opened the door to her sub mind, where she could feel the most activity, and the sight beyond the door shocked her to the core. Her sub mind was engaged in full scale mental conflict with¡­ something. The scene changed and shifted, burning away and melting into new shapes with each passing subjective second - she knew this was taking place in far less time in the real world - first a tide of black ooze pouring over a representation of her, then it blinked, became a hawk swarmed by bees, the tide washing over stone and breaking it apart. She slammed shut the door. She had seen enough, and the mental strain was getting to her as she tried to process what was going on in visual terms. She didn¡¯t need it anyway.


    She knew implicitly that her sub mind had engaged its firewall protocols, and was battling the mental intruder with everything it had, to preserve her main mind. Each time, it was being overwhelmed, and it would reboot itself, cutting the connection and reengaging it just before the presence made for her main mind. It wasn¡¯t a sustainable defence, however. Each time it did so, it was draining at her already dwindling internal mana supply, one she wished she had taken the time to reinforce before the battle. But it was too late for what ifs. She needed to fight back, because if this kept going, the same thing would happen to her - it would tear apart her mind, just like those undead had been doing in the real world, and consume it for whatever purpose it needed. That wasn¡¯t going to happen. She needed to plan.


    She ran over the first mental attack she had been under - the strange presence that was with her when she arrived in this world. That battle had taken place in her main mind, as it had already been there before her defences were raised, and so it was an internal threat. This was a contrarily easier to deal with hostile, as her defences were designed to take care of things coming from outside, not inside. However, this presence was far stronger than the first one. Not through skill, but some unknowable ¡®power¡¯. The other presence had been more skilled, certainly, and had she not activated her sub mind, it certainly would have taken her over, even though she could dominate it in a battle of power. And she just so happened to still have a copy of it saved away. One that might become quite useful here.


    She turned her mental gaze to the locker wrapped in chains that represented the sealed memory containing the first virus in her mind. She had the inklings of a plan in her mind. But it would need preparations. Thankful for her sub mind, and begging it to hold out for just a little longer, she raised her status page.


    [Status]


    Leah Eppling


    Level: 7 (24%)


    Race: Elf (Magalyte Doll)


    Class: None


    Str - 9


    Dex - 16


    Con - 10


    Int - 28


    Wis - 21


    Cha - 16


    Lck - 10


    Special Stats:


    Mana Affinity - 100


    Magalyte Mana Pool - 10


    Skills:


    Knowledge:


    Knowledge (Magalyte Technology) 1


    Knowledge (Magalyte Dolls) 1


    Active:


    Mental manipulation 3


    Analyse 1


    Passive:


    Stealth 5


    Ranger Stealth 3


    Parallel Processing 2


    Firewall 2


    Multitasking 1


    Tracking 2


    Perception(Visual) 3


    Combat:


    Archery 4


    Swords (Long) 7


    Shields 4


    Magic:


    Mana Manipulation 2


    Mana Detection 4


    Traits:


    Magalyte Doll


    Of Another World


    Spells:


    Bolt of Life 3


    Minor Heal 1


    Bless 1


    Free Points: 18


    She realised that some of the notifications must have been her skills levelling, and the kills she had made over the course of the battle, because she had gained two levels since she last checked. That would help. She focused on one skill in particular, and with a mental push, made a change.


    [Notification]


    Are you sure you would like to raise:


    Mental Manipulation 3


    To


    Mental Manipulation 10?


    This will cost 14 free points.


    Y/N


    Without over thinking it - she had made her decision - she selected yes, and in a moment, she was flooded with knowledge. She knew what she planned on doing was possible, better, it was something she could do quite easily. She wouldn¡¯t be able to check without a test subject, and sadly her submind was too busy defending her to be used, but she was confident it would work. What the greater effects would be, she didn¡¯t know, but that was hardly an issue right now. It was the choice between altering her own mind, and having it be consumed completely, and only one left her any hope of surviving intact. She turned back to the locker, and her mind scape faded away. All processing power was dedicated to the task at hand, and unknown to her, her body began to heat up from the strain she was putting on herself.


    The virus was cut open, what she desired extracted with expert precision. She double and triple checked it, to make sure nothing else had been taken, but she needn¡¯t have worried - this thing, whatever it was, had no mind of its own. It was simply a program running a basic set of instructions. Cut away from the primary systems, it was as safe as any other memory. She could safely work with it, especially with her new skill. Then, she turned to the real reason she improved her skill. She flashed a copy of her mind, just in case, and then¡­ She cut into her own, still active mind. With no senses, even virtual ones, she felt no pain from it, but who she was shifted and bubbled, hissing through gaps in herself. Who she was, though, was held together by a tight band of willpower. She knew that maintaining her integrity was a matter of will, and that if it failed, she would die along with it. There was no fear though. Her new found mastery of mental manipulation saw to that. She would do this. If anyone could, right here, right now, she would.


    A hole was cut through her personality, past that core of herself, and into her memories. Some fizzed and burst, disappearing into the ether, but she didn¡¯t fear. They could be recovered. Anything was possible now. Through her memories she dived, and deep down within them, she found her skills. What she could do, what she knew was true. A bright, burning blue orb of her mental manipulation pulsed and squirmed, beating in time to her mental actions as she manoeuvred around it, and found a spot close by. Proximity to prior knowledge was important to integration, she knew. It would make forming the new pathways easier. And there, she placed the carefully excised portion of the virus. Its talent at mental domination, subjugating its target. With what she knew already, and the formidable power of her new mind behind it, this would be a powerful weapon against the intruder in her mind. Whatever it was, she smiled to herself mentally, it was in for a real shock.


    With a new part of her mind in place, she set to work building up the pathways that would connect it to herself. It was a painstaking and exacting process - any failures would result in the memories and knowledge ceasing to integrate, and at worst, may cause severe mental damage. Even with her new skill, it took her what felt like hours, days, of carefully checking and rechecking connections, comparing it to her already existing neural structure. The bright orbs representing her knowledge and skills disappeared, replaced with a facsimile of her mind, the same pattern she had first seen when she entered this body. Then back, as she made adjustments, each time getting closer and closer to her goal. She knew she didn¡¯t have much time. Her sub mind was reporting that it only had limited capacity to reboot with her current power usage, and it would soon fail. She did not need much time. Everything was set. She gave one final check, and activated the connections.


    Knowledge flooded her mind.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Mental Warfare.


    NOTE: As this skill was pilfered from another¡¯s mind, you take with it their accumulated skill levels. This skill will start at level 10. No experience will be gained for these levels.


    While mental manipulation is an important tool in the arsenal of a mental mage, it is a scalpel to the sword of Mental Warfare. Before you might change your foe, you must first subjugate them, and this skill is the first and greatest weapon you will have. Users understand and can utilise the complex interchange of ideas and concepts that make up mental combat, and can defend themselves against such attacks with equal skill. In mental combat, attack is defence, and defence is attack. It is a completely unique form of battle that few learn and fewer still master.


    Effects:


    Each level provides a 10% bonus to your Intelligence and Willpower with regards to mental conflict.


    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Mental Connection.


    NOTE: As this skill was pilfered from another¡¯s mind, you take with it their accumulated skill levels. This skill will start at level 10. No experience will be gained for these levels.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    A mental mage is nothing without their ability to access anothers mind, and this skill is one of many ways to do so. By touching a target, the user may enter their mind to engage in mental combat. This can be either physical or mental, in the case of ethereal constructs. Once contact is established, a battle of wills is engaged to open the mental pathways that allow assault. The higher your skill in this, the greater your success at forcing open the way will be. If the target allows you in, merely having this skill is sufficient to provide access.


    Effects:


    Each level provides a 10% bonus to your Intelligence and Willpower with regards to establishing a forced mental connection.


    With those skills, and their maxed levels, Leah also received a third notification.


    [Notification]


    For your dedication and mastery of a chosen field, you have been granted a new trait, Mastery of the Mind.


    For taking your skills to the limit, and unlocking the potential inherent in your mind, you are now considered to be a Master of the Mind. No mental fortress is too great for you to assail, no memory too hidden to see, no mind too stubborn to change. Under your influence, all will be shaped to your will.


    Effects:


    The effects of all Mental related skills are doubled.


    Certain creatures and individuals will recognise your talent from your presence alone. What effects this may have are unknown and varied.


    A new trait? She would take it, though. She could use any advantage she could get, even if the description of the trait was slightly unnerving. She turned her attention back out to her mind, and her mind scape reappeared. She commanded her sub mind to shut down, and stay shut down. She didn¡¯t need its defence any longer, and preserving what little internal mana she had was important. No sense wasting it on a pointless defence. Not when she knew what was needed. The attacks really were pathetic. The attack was wasting so much energy just to destroy a target that reformed. Did it even know the sub mind wasn¡¯t her? No matter. The fact it didn¡¯t even try to evade the defence of her submind spoke volumes. She pushed through the point where her sub mind was, and intercepted the oncoming attack. Both forces collided, and the battle was joined.


    Theodore was frustrated. It had been almost a second in real time, and yet this portion of her mind refused to be devoured. Each time he though he had it all, more would appear, and he would divert back to grab it all. When would it end? Again and again, he flickered through the fields of battle, concepts and ideas shifting and changing the world around them as he fought to consume the information in front of him. No matter how much he ate, he was always hungry, always yearning for more. This mind had new information, dangerous information, wonderful information, and he could not get enough of it. A little frustration was a small matter for this beautiful source of food. He learnt of a world beyond this from it, one of wonders and ideas he had never heard of. How this thing, this soul, managed to get here, was irrelevant. He would consume her whole, and learn of how to get back. With the body he would be taking, it would be a trivial matter, surely.


    Then, the tide of information halted. His mind lurched forwards, anticipating more, but was met with¡­ nothing. A void where once there was mind. Surely that wasn¡¯t it? There was so much of her, and that was just a small portion of her mind. There must be more. There must! He drove on, pushing through the emptiness, with a slowly growing sense of dread following him as he entered. No, this couldn¡¯t be it, it couldn¡¯t be right, there was nothing-


    The world twisted, and lurched 90 degrees, and he was real, physical, falling down an endless pit with stars chasing him. They tore chunks through his mental body, and he screamed in very real agony. Agony he hadn¡¯t felt since he was alive. Alive. How was he feeling, he wasn¡¯t alive, he was a shade! He died! What was this? No, its a mental assault! Where did it come from? He twisted his mind, attempting to right himself and fight back, but as his body changed to match the environment, it changed again. He was underwater, and now a fish, no, smaller than a fish, a microscopic something, and there was a giant grill, a mouth he realised, and it was about to swallow him- he changed, he was a dolphin, diving down to avoid the maw, and now the maw was a shark, pursuing him down, ripping a chunk from his fin. Bubbles exploded around him as the breath left his mental lungs, and he forced a change, pushing back against this sudden mental assault.


    The mind scape changed and changed again, as each party fought for supremacy. Theodore desperately tried to work out where this attack had come from. Was it the outsiders? No, he would have felt them coming, and they had never attacked him like this before. Could it be her? Why didn¡¯t she start the attack like this? Was it to lull him into a false sense of security? To open himself up? The dread became panic, as he realised that she wasn¡¯t just fighting him. She was playing with him. It was her, and she wasn¡¯t fighting for real. She was letting him choose the battles now, and she was winning. This was too much. He needed to retreat, to recover, the come back and fight again. He left her mind, and his real hand, only two seconds after it had touched her head, began to withdraw, then. Stopped. He couldn¡¯t move it. No. She had followed him. She was in his mind now!


    A titanic beast, walking on two legs and covered in scales, chased a smaller four legged beast, and he didn¡¯t know what to do. He couldn¡¯t escape, he couldn¡¯t win, he could only run and run and run until he couldn¡¯t run any longer, and he was consumed. No. It couldn¡¯t end like this! He was trained by the best mental mage in the world! He would fight back and win! He shifted the world again, and now they were swordsmen, faces blank and unidentifiable, on the top of an unknown wall. They swung and clashed blades, and he fought back with all he was worth. He would not lose! He would WIN! He saw an opening, and swung for it, catching his opponent on the leg and forcing them to a knee. This was it. He brought his blade up, to decapitate them, and then¡­ He froze. Was that her? No, it wasn¡¯t. The faceless man looked up, and he could swear he saw it smiling. He lowered his sword, and turned. There she was, holding some unknown device in her hand, a stubby metal box with a handle. She smiled.


    ¡°So, in all that time, you didn¡¯t realise you were fighting two minds, then?¡±


    ¡°Two minds? What?¡±


    ¡°What did you think you were devouring, monster? Of course, you weren¡¯t to know. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway.¡±


    She tilted her head, and shrugged.


    ¡°While you were fighting that sub mind - freshly restored with my new memories, by the way - I was busy cutting into your mind. Didn¡¯t you wonder why you turned back to fight at the end there? That was me. I¡¯m in your head, and I own you now.¡±


    The shade laughed. He laughed and he laughed and he laughed. Impossible.


    ¡°Impossible! You fool, you think you dominated me? I still exist!¡±


    ¡°You exist because I will you to. Kneel.¡±


    He did so, without thinking, and true panic and fear rose up within him. He had been dominated.


    ¡°Like I said, I own you. I tore apart your mind, just like you wished to do to me. Unlike you, however, I know what I¡¯m doing, so I kept enough of you around to run the body. If you can call it that, anyway. I¡¯ll be diving into your memories at some point, but I have a copy of those saved, so you won¡¯t be needing them any longer.¡±


    He blinked, and¡­ what was he doing? Who was he fighting? Was he he? What was going on?


    ¡°Good, good. Now, servant. Transfer command of your undead to me, then, oh. Just die. Its about the worst I¡¯m willing to do to you, even though you tried to destroy me.¡±


    She waved her hand, and he complied. He felt the countless connections from the undead assaulting the village detach, then attach to her master. They were hers now, no, they were always hers. Now it was just official. Then, he stood, bowed to her, and faded. What was left of Theodore Selle disappeared, not even knowing who he was.


    Leah opened her eyes, as the misty black figure before her faded into nothing. A pity she hadn¡¯t got more out of it, but that wasn¡¯t important now. She felt the connections that it had traded over to her before its death, and looked between them, analysing them all in a split second. They would make it to the church before the doors closed. Unless, of course, she stopped them. Which she would. Wouldn¡¯t she? Of course she would, dammit, Cassandra and Liam were in there. And, of course, the villagers. Don¡¯t forget the villagers. The mental slap hit her again, and she realised what she was thinking. Where was that coming from? Was it a side effect of the mental integration? Or worse, had the shade contaminated her? No, she would have detected that if it had happened. She had control over it for now, whatever had happened. And she would evaluate herself properly once the battle was over, but there was one last thing left to do. She stood up straight, tall and confident with the power she knew she had, even if it was fleeting. She turned to face the church, looked at the undead that were assaulting it, and simply spoke.


    ¡°Release.¡±


    As one, the assorted zombies, skeletons and bloated masses of fallen forest creatures collapsed, like puppets with their strings cut. One moment, they were all standing, the next, the ground was carpeted with hundreds of bodies, corpses rotting once more, bones waiting to be picked clean by carrion birds. Leah alone stood amongst the devastation. She saw the man that had fallen, partially covered by bodies. His body moved, ever so slightly, but it had moved. That was good. She had inadvertently saved him. At least, should Alistair get to him in time. She was in no condition to save him herself, she noted, as her body tilted forwards to collapse with the undead. The corner of her vision flashed red, her internal mana supply reading zero. Well. She guessed it was time to see what would happen when she ran out. She hit the ground hard, and vision left her once more.

 Chapter Fifteen

    One moment, there was a horde of undead, making good on their promise to bring death to everyone in the church, and Liam was making the hard decision whether to slam the doors shut before everyone in, and then next, there was simply a pile of corpses and silence, only broken by the low moans of a critically wounded villager. No one moved for seconds - they refused to believe it was true. All eyes were on Leah, the one remaining figure stood in what once was a crowd. Then, she collapsed, and broke the spell. A commanding voice boomed across the crowd.


    ¡°Right, form up search parties and clear the village. 2 archers, 2 melee. Any survivors, you send them here, any straggling undead, engage if its alone or call for backup if theres more than one. We aren¡¯t taking any chances. You, mercs, get to the gate and secure it- Oh, and take whoever you think you need.¡±


    The remaining mercenaries, those who hadn¡¯t been crushed in the assault on the golem, turned to each other, shrugged, and set off, calling out to random armed villagers as they went. Byrne, having finished giving his orders, walked over to Liam.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m not saying this is on you, but you certainly have some questions to answer.¡±


    Liam, who had been staring at Leah, snapped around to face him.


    ¡°Questions? I think we just saved all of you, as per our agreement. Questions weren¡¯t part of the bargain.¡±


    Byrne tugged on his beard, tapping his sword against the ground.


    ¡°Be that as it may, that girl,¡±


    He pointed to where Leah lay unmoving, Alistair and Cassandra rushing over to her and the heavily wounded mans aid.


    ¡°Should be dead. And yet, she stands amongst a pile of corpses, not a hair on her head harmed. I don¡¯t know who, or what, you brought into my home, but if you aren¡¯t going to answer, you need to leave.¡±


    Liam shrugged, and turned back to face Leah.


    ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t know either. I have some good guesses, but this,¡±


    He waved his arm across the devastation.


    ¡°This, is new to me. If we want answers, we¡¯ll need to ask Leah.¡±


    Byrne frowned, still tapping his sword.


    Cassandra had been the only one to see what happened. Or at least, part of what happened. She had climbed the roof of a nearby home to get a better angle, when she had seen Leah get swallowed by the crowd, which¡­ parted around her. Unharmed, she was set upon by something black, and hungry. Something she had never thought she¡¯d see here, not again. A shade. It shot from the gate, faster than an arrow, passed through the horde of undead like they weren¡¯t there, and simply touched her. She¡¯d seen it before, and it had terrified her then. It tried to consume her soul, but something strange happened. Not only did Leah not die. The shade evaporated, and with it, the rest of the undead. It was a dream come true, and an unsettling question. What had happened, and why? She had no time to ponder these questions, before Leah fell. She leapt down, calling out for aid, and took off at a sprint to Leah¡¯s position. The priest had joined her along the way, without her noticing.


    ¡°Leah! Leah! Talk to me!¡±


    ¡°Step back, ranger, please¡­ I¡¯ve little enough energy to do what needs to be done.¡±


    She glared daggers at the priest, but recognising his expertise in the area, she did as she was bid and stepped back. Her eyes never left Leah though, nor the hands of the priest that felt her neck, then her chest. That almost drew her blades, but the priest looked around to her.


    ¡°Go. Bind that mans wounds. Do what you can for him, while I recover. This one will survive.¡±


    He sat back, and settled into a meditative pose, before prostrating his body in supplication to something unseen. Leaving the magi to his rituals, she set forward to the injured man, relief flooding her body. Why she was so relieved, she questioned herself about. She¡¯d only met the girl 3 days ago, and already she was treating her like a comrade. No, more? She shook her head. Those thoughts were not for now, and certainly not when sober. She reached the man, and examined him with her limited skill in first aid. His upper body was scratched and torn, but it was his legs that were the real horror. Stripped of flesh completely to the bone, with ragged edges at his thighs, the man certainly wouldn¡¯t live long without major medical attention. The wounds were blessedly not bleeding fast - one of the properties of a wound from a zombie was that blood loss tended not to be what killed you. She set to work applying a tourniquet to the legs, however, with a length of fine silk rope coiled in a pouch. He had mercifully lost consciousness before she arrived, so causing any greater pain was of little issue.


    After the bindings to his legs were applied, she pressed a wad of cloth, torn from his undershirt, against one of the more serious wounds, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°You have done well, but I shall take care of him from here. Take the girl back to the church, and call upon Byrne for a stretcher and men. If Uld wills a miracle, this man may yet be saved.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s going to be ok?¡±


    He looked at her, rolling up his sleeves, the golden glow of life mana already suffusing his hands.


    ¡°As certain as I can be. She breaths, and her pulse is steady. I suspect it to be simple exhaustion. Let her rest, and I will tend to her once I have evaluated the more serious injuries.¡±


    With no further questions, Cassandra turned, and picked up Leah. She was surprisingly light, even with her being smaller than the Ranger. She carried Leah carefully back towards the church, being met in the middle by Liam. He looked down at Leah in Cassandra¡¯s arms, his scars bent in lines of concern.


    ¡°She alright?¡±


    ¡°Priest said she¡¯s just tired. Gods know I don¡¯t blame her, after¡­ whatever it is she did.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll need to talk about that soon. Byrne is getting suspicious, and I don¡¯t blame him. We¡¯re gonna need answers, or we might just find our stay here cut short.¡±


    Cassandra shook her head, and the two walked on to the church.


    ¡°Never a damn moment to breath, is there?¡±


    ¡°I warned you about my luck. Looks like its starting to rub off on us all.¡±


    [Diagnostic systems engaged]


    [Source of shutdown: Mana depletion]


    [Beginning emergency reactivation of mana accumulators]


    [Mana accumulators active. Reading at 34% efficiency]


    [Critical mana levels detected: Higher functions remain disabled]


    [Hard locking tertiary systems]


    [Rebooting¡­]


    [Hard locking secondary systems]


    [Rebooting¡­]


    [Soft locking non essential systems]


    [Rebooting¡­]


    [Please Leah¡­ wake up¡­]


    Leah woke up. Her eyes snapped open, and now she was in a room she didn¡¯t recognise. Which was odd, because when she had closed them, she was in a street, in the village, wasn¡¯t she? And according to her clock, she¡¯d lost¡­ 16 hours? The memories of before she woke dripped back into her conscious mind. She¡¯d fought off whatever that was - a shade, she remembered - then her internal mana reserve had bottomed out and she¡¯d¡­ woken up here? What exactly had happened? She looked around the room she was in. She was in a tiny box of a room, barely 6 feet across, on a bed that took up half the floor space. A narrow slitted window that she recognised gave her an idea as to where she was. The church. Through it, afternoon light drifted in, filling the room with a soft glow. She sighed, and leaned back into the mattress. Whatever had happened to her, she was still dog tired, though she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep. But maybe, just a little rest. She hadn¡¯t had any chance to actually relax since she had arrived, without questions, discussions, or being the watch dog for everyone.


    Maybe another hour passed before the door opened, and woke Leah up again. She hadn¡¯t even realised she was asleep until then. It was Alistair.


    ¡°Ah, awake so soon. How are you feeling?¡±


    Leah opened her mouth to speak, but only a cough came out. Alistair nodded, and poured a glass of water for her from a jug on the nightstand. She took it gratefully, and soothed her dry throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling like this is all very familiar.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Never mind. I¡¯m fine, I think. Shouldn¡¯t you be telling me how I¡¯m doing?¡±


    The priest smiled at her, and tilted his head.


    ¡°Oh, no. I merely asked Uld for his aid. I truly have no idea how well you are. Now if you had any wounds, I could perhaps have a better idea, but whats inside¡­ that is a mystery even to me.¡±


    Leah sat up, and rubbed her head.


    ¡°Well, I still feel tired¡­ but not overly so. Just, want to lie in for just another hour tired, not been up all night studying and now its time for the test tired.¡±


    She cut off his next question.


    ¡°Cultural differences. So, um, not to put too fine a point on it¡­ what happened?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ best as I can tell, and this is second hand information, you were attacked by the shade,¡±


    Leah nodded. She remembered that part.


    ¡°Then you did¡­ something to it, Uld knows what, and then all the undead simply collapsed. I¡¯d truly never seen anything like it. We were hoping that you could share some insight into that.¡±


    Leah was about to respond that it was her doing, but not before getting a little more information out of the priest. She still hadn¡¯t satisfied her craving for more knowledge about this world, and doubted she ever would. She cocked her head to the side, doing her best impression of someone confused.


    ¡°Really? Is that not normal? I assumed that the shade was the one controlling them, and when the control went¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we had established that the shade was likely the one who raised them, or at least bent them to its will. However, even when a necromancer raises the undead, they persist for a time after their master dies. Longer, if they have a source of mana to feed on. These died immediately. Almost as if they were dismissed.¡±


    It was Alistairs turn to put on his best expression of confusion. Leah realised that her gambit had probably failed. Damn this priest and his social skills. She would need to make it a priority to learn some of those ASAP.


    ¡°I suppose it will forever be a mystery as to what happened to them¡­ unless of course, you had anything else to share?¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, you got me. Lets not beat around the bush. But I don¡¯t want to have to explain more than once, if I have to, and I know damn well everyone is going to want to hear it from me. So, where¡¯s Cass and Liam?¡±


    ¡°And Byrne. He would kill me if I let you tell your story without him present. But it is of small importance. They are all at the¡­¡±


    He grimaced.


    ¡°Sour Cock.¡±


    Leah knew it was the tavern, but she still couldn¡¯t suppress a snort of laughter.


    ¡°Yes, yes, very amusing. I¡¯ll have you know I was against the renaming of the establishment, but what can be done. I will escort you there.¡±


    Leah swung her legs over the side of the bed, having already established that no one had thought to undress her. That was good. She¡¯d likely have to have serious words if that had crossed anyones mind. You know, unless it was the right person doing the undressing¡­ She hastily scrubbed that thought away, lest she embarrass herself further in front of the priest.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a maiden who needs escorting. I know where it is, you are simply accompanying me.¡±


    Alistair tilted his head quizzically. This wasn¡¯t something he was used to, unless¡­


    ¡°Ah, is this another of those cultural differences you are fond of mentioning? It was simply a matter of courtesy, no offence meant.¡±


    Leah stood, looking at him sidelong. There didn¡¯t seem to be any actual ill intent behind his words. Damn these cultural differences.


    ¡°Yeah, lets go with that. Anyway. To the¡­ Cock.¡±


    ¡°Shall we just refer to it as the tavern?¡±


    ¡°Lets.¡±


    The two made it to the tavern in good time, owing to the fact that most of the villagers were either recovering or still effecting repairs to the wall. Upon leaving the church, they passed a row of shrouded bodies, and a small crowd of mourning individuals. Leah averted her eyes, still not comfortable with the idea of death being so near to her. It had always seemed so far away, like something that happened to other people, on the other side of the world. And then she had seen that man get torn apart in front of her¡­ She shuddered, and realised that she had stopped. Alistair was watching her, the shadow of concern on his face. She shook her head.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Being around death is a new thing for me. Its¡­ an interesting transition.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    He nodded sympathetically.


    ¡°I understand. I have been around death for nearly all my life. Aside from my practises with death mana, care for the dying is among the foremost tasks for a priest, no matter the cloth. Shall we..?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    The two hurried on past, Leah moving on ahead as Alistair stayed a moment to give some words and comfort to the bereaved. After that, they moved on. The tavern was unusually quiet - or at least, Leah assumed it to be so. She had a picture of medieval taverns in her head from fantasies and pop history. Raucous and lively, with ale aplenty and fights breaking out. This, by contrast, was dour and moody. The only individuals there being Cassandra and Liam, Byrne and a man who Leah assumed to be the landlord. They were clustered around a large table in the corner, minus the landlord, who was tending to the sadly empty bar. They all looked up as Alistair and Leah entered.


    ¡°Ah, look who¡¯s finally awake. Did you have a nice sleep while we were all working hard?¡±


    That earned Liam a punch from Cassandra.


    ¡°Bullshit, Liam. You¡¯ve been finding any excuse.¡±


    ¡°Better than worrying all day-¡±


    He was ready for the next punch, and ducked out of the way. Byrne looked around at them, his face a mask of barely contained anger.


    ¡°Children. If you would cease your ¡®festivities¡¯¡­¡±


    He beckoned for the two to come and sit. This table was far larger than the one they had first sat around, what felt like weeks ago, in Byrne¡¯s kitchen. It easily sat the five of them.


    ¡°Now that our¡­¡±


    ¡°Saviour?¡±


    That earned Liam another look, shutting him up.


    ¡°Our¡­ comrade is here, we have some questions.¡±


    All eyes were on Leah, who shrank back into her chair.


    ¡°Questions?¡±


    Cassandra spoke up, glancing around the table at the others.


    ¡°Yes. I saw what happened, and I, well, I just don¡¯t believe it. Even after everything I¡¯ve seen from you¡­¡±


    Liam finished her sentence.


    ¡°Someone of your level shouldn¡¯t just be able to take down a shade. Now, me and Cass, we trust you, we¡¯ve already been over that, but our good friend here¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t. If what the ranger - Cassandra - says is true, then you took down a monster that should have absolutely killed you. I want to know how you did it, and whether leaving you to recover was the right move.¡±


    She noticed then that he was in full battle regalia still, and the landlord, who had appeared to simply be minding the bar, was watching the group intently, his hand gripping something under the bar top tight enough to make the veins on his arm stand out. She presumed it to be a ranged weapon of sorts - it seemed like enough of a stereotype to carry over to this world. She swallowed, and looked to Liam.


    ¡°What is it about me that attracts such hostile interrogations?¡±


    He shrugged, barely concealing a grin. Though it was strained - Cassandra and Liam both looked strained. Whatever the situation was, this was serious, for them both to be concerned. Especially once she noted that Cassandra was missing both her bow and swords.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say. Though I must admit, this is looking very familiar.¡±


    Leah shook her head, and looked back to Byrne. She felt anxiety at the situation, but oddly, not as severe as she expected. With how dangerous her life had been since arriving here, the idea of being under attack at a moments notice barely registered as scary to her. Another thing to tuck away for later.


    ¡°Well, seeing as your trap was so expertly set up, how could I be so rude as to not give you some answers?¡±


    A twist of Byrne¡¯s lips indicated that now was not the time for humour.


    ¡°Right. So, the shade tried to assault me mentally. I have, shall we say, an affinity for dealing with mental attacks.¡±


    ¡°An affinity?¡±


    ¡°A naturally high mental resistance score, lets say. And some skills that let me handle it better than most.¡±


    Alistair was next to cut in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to interject. Shades do not attack via the mind. Like all undead, they seek to consume their victims soul.¡±


    It was Leah¡¯s turn to be confused.


    ¡°But to do that, they would have to go through the mind¡­ Right?¡±


    The silence surrounding her was deafening, and she realised that what she had said, she only knew because of her mental manipulation skill. She swallowed.


    ¡°That¡­ thats what they do, then. They take over your mind, and consume your memories by devouring your soul. They are infophages.¡±


    ¡°Info-what?¡±


    Liam cut in. Leah was getting pretty tired of the interruptions.


    ¡°Look, we aren¡¯t going to get anywhere if you keep interrupting me. If you have a question, just¡­ raise your hand or something. Because for all you know, I might just be about to explain what an infophage is.¡±


    Liam shut his mouth, looking sufficiently mollified. She was grateful that Cassandra hadn¡¯t cut in, even though she had seen the elf practically chomping at the bit to ask questions.


    ¡°An infophage is something that lives off of information, destroying it and turning it into meaningless junk data. Where I come from they were a,¡±


    She couldn¡¯t say made up, or fantasy, so she went with the next bests thing.


    ¡°Theoretical life form. And their existence is actually pretty helpful for understanding a few other things¡­ Anyway. To get back to the point at hand. It attempted to get into my head, and through there, my soul. I stopped it, because of my aforementioned skill in mental defence. Better, I fought back. I dominated it, forced it to dismiss itself, and took the rest of the undead with it. Thats the long and short of things. Any questions?¡±


    There were many.


    ¡°But what I want to know is, how do you have these skills in mental combat, if you do not have a way of entering peoples minds?¡±


    ¡°Correction, I have a way now. I learnt it while fighting the shade, and no, it requires physical contact so I couldn¡¯t have done anything since I got back. Liam?¡±


    ¡°Telling the truth.¡±


    He shrugged. He was honestly shocked at the whole story, and the explanations that had followed. Not only had she been attacked by two - correction, three - mental invaders in as many days, she had used her experiences to reach astounding heights in the field. He thought that he couldn¡¯t learn anything that would shock him anymore since meeting the girl, but once more she continued to break his expectations. He hadn¡¯t detected the slightest hint of mental magic since she arrived, and frankly, if she was strong enough to take down a shade, then she could dominate them all with a moments thought. Even if he still had his ring, he didn¡¯t think he could resist her influence now. He shuddered, thankful he hadn¡¯t taken a harder line back at the barrow. Byrne looked at him, eyes narrowed, then back to Leah.


    ¡°I¡¯ve faced mental attacks almost every day of my life,¡±


    Technically not a lie, considering this was a new life,


    ¡°And so I had to learn pretty quickly how to deal with them. And I have some traits that helped with that, which I¡­ can¡¯t talk about.¡±


    She grimaced, expecting Byrne to dig deeper, but Liam was ready. He hadn¡¯t just been being astounded, he was thinking of a way out of the situation that didn¡¯t involve blabbing all of Leah¡¯s secrets, and risking betrayal. And so, he had been planning the entire time. He knew that the bartender was a rogue like himself - what kind, he couldn¡¯t say, but that made it likely that he had some sort of lie detection ability. So, he had been playing counter intelligence, using a skill to manipulate his intentions as so to fool the lie detection into giving false positives. An expert spy like himself might be able to pick up on the interference, but for a regular thief, they would likely think they were facing someone telling the truth at all times. Provided, of course, he had time to lay the groundwork for a lie or two. He mixed in his deception skill for good measure, because if this failed, then at best they would need to tell Byrne everything. At worst¡­ well, becoming a quiver wasn¡¯t a bad end, he supposed.


    ¡°She¡¯s under a geas. Can¡¯t talk about certain parts of her past.¡±


    She looked at Liam with gratitude. She hadn¡¯t expected such a fast response from him, but she knew, at minimum, that showing her genuine gratitude would help them both sell the act. Byrne didn¡¯t look happy, and turned to look at the landlord. He shrugged, and nodded. Byrne looked back, relaxing somewhat.


    ¡°I can assure you, though, that at minimum, she¡¯s as much of a danger to you as Ox. She could probably crush you if she wanted to, but she doesn¡¯t have a bad bone in her body.¡±


    A little bit of a lie. He didn¡¯t know that for certain. But most of it being truthful helped it slip by under the radar. Byrne looked mollified, and leaned back in his chair. Alistair, who had been silently contemplating her words the entire time, spoke up.


    ¡°Well. If what you say is true - and I suspect it is - then we owe you not only an apology, but also a great debt of gratitude. You saved many lives through risking yourself like that.¡±


    She wanted to sell that angle. She REALLY wanted to sell that angle. But she felt she would get caught out if she tried to big herself up over sacrificing herself.


    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t want to sound too humble, but I honestly wasn¡¯t thinking about that back then. I just stopped because I saw that man fall-¡±


    She looked up quickly, her ears springing to attention.


    ¡°Oh! I completely forgot! That man, is he ok?¡±


    She addressed her question to Alistair, presuming him to be the one most likely to know. His expression turned grim.


    ¡°¡­Yes. Perhaps. Certainly, he will never walk again. I could not save his legs. But thanks to you, he may yet live.¡±


    Leah relaxed somewhat, and continued.


    ¡°Good, good¡­ well, I stopped because I saw him fall, and I had a moments hesitation on if I should go back for him. And then, well. I got attacked. I didn¡¯t even know the shade was there until it got me. That was all luck.¡±


    Alistair looked over at Byrne, who nodded and spoke up.


    ¡°Either way, you stopped them. And we don¡¯t judge you to be a threat to us or his lordship, so¡­¡±


    He stood, drew his sword - causing Leah to almost leap out of her chair, before Cassandra touched her arm and shook her head. He placed it on the table, handle first towards Leah, and bowed his head.


    ¡°On behalf of my village, and of my own personal actions, I thank you for your deeds, and humbly apologise for my actions. Please take my head in recompense.¡±


    Leah¡¯s eyes practically bulged, and a strangled noise came out of her throat, before Cassandra spoke up for her.


    ¡°We humbly accept the apology, and deny your request. Today you, tomorrow me.¡±


    ¡°Today you, tomorrow me.¡±


    Byrne echoed her, then looked over at Leah once more.


    ¡°Again, you seem to be unaware of our customs. Perhaps we should, instead, take part in a more universal act of contrition. Karl?¡±


    He turned around to face the landlord. The man nodded, and released his grip on whatever it was, spinning around to grab mugs for everyone. A moment later, the ale was flowing freely, and Leah found herself quite grateful that at least one tradition seemed to be common amongst them.

 Chapter Sixteen

    Leah awoke to something stabbing her in the eyes through her eyelids. A brief inspection by opening them revealed it to be the morning light, and she scrambled to roll over away from it.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. Time to face the day - and the music.¡±


    The voice, which Leah identified through the fuzziness in her head as Cassandra¡¯s, was full of mirth and more than a little schadenfreude. Leah¡¯s voice, by contrast, was raspy and grumpy.


    ¡°What music?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t remember getting blitzed last night? You should have warned us that you can¡¯t handle your alcohol, though, that might not have saved you.¡±


    A strong pair of hands pulled away the sheets that she had hastily covered her head with, and the painful light was back. Leah moaned with discontent.


    ¡°Nope. Time to get up, we have work to do before we leave. And stories to tell you while they¡¯ll still hurt.¡±


    ¡°Ughhhh¡­¡±


    Leah rolled back over, and blearily looked up at the elf. Matching her voice, her face was plastered with an evil grin. Leah also noticed a blinking notification - something she hadn¡¯t seen them do before. She opened it up, and it split into a series of notifications.


    [Notification]


    You have become intoxicated. Status: Mild intoxication.


    [Notification]


    You have become intoxicated. Status: Moderate intoxication.


    [Notification]


    You have become intoxicated. Status: Major intoxication.


    [Notification]


    Your intoxication status has faded, and become replaced with: Moderate hangover.


    ¡°No shit¡­¡±


    ¡°No shit what? Getting some of your memory back?¡±


    ¡°No, got a notification about my hangover. It was blinking.¡±


    ¡°Ha! You must have been ignoring it all night. It takes a lot for them to get your attention like that. What level is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Moderate¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, that sounds like a challenge. When we get to Ironshod, I¡¯m taking you drinking with some dwarves. We¡¯ll get you to major, or even serious, for certain!¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ no¡­¡±


    The strong hands were back, and dragging her upright. Leah could do nothing against this assault, except be manhandled. She wobbled on her feet, and looked down. She was barefoot, and wearing completely different clothes. She had no memory of changing, and she looked up quickly - too quickly. Cassandra laughed, and slapped her shoulder, not helping her balance.


    ¡°No, you changed yourself. Quite dramatically too. I¡¯m sure Liam could tell you all about it - he was the one sent after you when you ran off.¡±


    A groan was all she got in response. Though she wondered why it was that she didn¡¯t remember anything. Was she that far gone? Though¡­ no, she had some memories. They started drinking, and she couldn¡¯t get drunk - her systems kept registering the alcohol as a poison, and eradicating it at the cost of her internal mana supply. She¡¯d had to actively suppress it for anything to have an effect. And that seemed to have been too effective. That was something to investigate another time, though. A time when the room wasn¡¯t spinning and light wasn¡¯t actively trying to kill her. She sat back down on the bed, and rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°Well, shit. At least I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s going to be the talk of the town?¡±


    Her voice dripped with hope, pleading Cassandra to say yes. Her grin grew wider, and she shook her head.


    ¡°Nope. You were the only one who couldn¡¯t handle her ale. Or, well. The fortified stuff that got brought out after a while anyway. Its good to know that your cheating body has some weaknesses!¡±


    ¡°Noted¡­ So, now that you¡¯ve decided to torture me¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting some food down you, then we¡¯re getting ready. Liam wants-¡±


    ¡°Food? Oh, god, no¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh gods, yes. Come on. It¡¯ll wake you up.¡±


    An hour later, and a torturous meal driven by Cassandra¡¯s ribbing, Leah felt something resembling human. Or elven. Or doll- Whatever she was. They were joined by Liam, grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°Ahh, I see our light weight decided to face the morning. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Decided nothing.¡±


    Leah spoke between mouthfuls of bread. She had to admit that she was hungry, even if her stomach still turned at the idea of food. She swallowed and continued.


    ¡°This monster decided to wake me up. And the revenge will be sweet, I assure you.¡±


    She glared at Cassandra, who was looking smug, leaning back in her chair. Before he could speak up, Leah cut Liam a glare.


    ¡°And before you start. If you tell any stories about me, I will personally rip the memories out of your head.¡±


    And it would be so easy to do it, as well. No one could stop you.


    Her comment was met with shocked silence, and she glanced around the table.


    ¡°I, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny, Leah.¡±


    Both Liam and Cassandra were glaring at her now, and she hastily swallowed a drink of water.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I don¡¯t know where that came from.¡±


    Liam sighed, and cut the tension.


    ¡°I¡¯ll chalk that one down to a hangover. But, that does bring up a good point. We¡¯re going to need to talk about your new¡­ ability at some point, because, while useful, its also incredibly dangerous. We got lucky yesterday. I reckon the only reason we got away with what you said is because you helped save the village. Mental mages are hated, and for very good reason.¡±


    Leah nodded, doing her best to ignore the unreadable stare that Cassandra was giving her.


    ¡°I kind of picked up on that, yeah. And I probably could have put the pieces together anyway, knowing what I know now.¡±


    Liam shook his head.


    ¡°No, its not that¡­ I, look. We¡¯ll talk about it on the trail. I¡¯ve already made arrangements with Byrne, and allayed his fears. The fact you get to live is proof enough of that. But this is serious.¡±


    Unable to bear the eyes boring into the side of her head any longer, Leah looked around at Cassandra, who hastily looked away. Leah frowned, and spoke up to the both of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming the way that Cass is looking at me has something to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is. I¡¯m sorry, we should have said something sooner, but I didn¡¯t think¡­¡±


    He threw his hands up in the air.


    ¡°Whats done is done. We need to get moving soon, at any rate. When you two are done eating, come meet me out back.


    When he left, Cassandra and Leah sat in awkward silence for a moment, before Cassandra spoke up.


    ¡°Liam¡¯s right. We should talk about it later. And its complicated. Nothing to do with you personally, but¡­ Anyway, finish up. Sooner we leave, sooner we can talk.¡±


    The two joined Liam behind the tavern, where the he and the landlord were saddling a pair of horses. Liam looked around at them when they arrived.


    ¡°Good. So, here¡¯s the situation for your benefit, Leah. We need to get to town as soon as possible, and I managed to wrangle us some horses. Byrne was going to need to send out a messenger anyway, so we¡¯ve been commissioned to deliver the message to the barony about the attack we fended off, and that theres an undead presence in the area. So, the three of us will be riding the rest of the way, which will cut our journey down immensely.¡±


    ¡°What about the mercs? I can¡¯t see all of us fitting on two horses.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about them. Well, most of them still need to recover here anyway, and as part of their payment, they¡¯ll be retrieving the horses on foot. And getting a healthy sum of money on top of that, about what the messenger would have been paid each. Not their greatest haul, for certain, but for two weeks work, while injured, they can¡¯t exactly complain. And after losing so many, I bet they¡¯d enjoy a bit of a break.¡±


    Liam turned to tighten a strap, and Leah noticed for the first time a bright red burn on his hand, the glove removed. She winced in sympathetic pain, and pointed it out.


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡±


    He looked at the injury, and shrugged.


    ¡°Must have been last night. I had to literally pull your arse out of the fire, you know?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no stories. Please.¡±


    He grinned, and looked back to his work. His grin was forced, because he knew where the burn really came from.


    Connor lay in bed, wincing slightly as he shifted his broken arm. The priest had done good work with it, but he didn¡¯t know any spells to set bones. It would heal faster, with the regular infusions of healing magic he was receiving, but it would still take up to a week for the injury to fully heal. And then they would be setting off for the barony to retrieve the horses. He would have to ditch the rest there, and find a fence. He didn¡¯t know anyone in the town, but there had to be one, surely. His thoughts were interrupted by his danger sense triggering, and he look wildly around the room. He sucked in air once again, as his arm went for a weapon that wasn¡¯t there, and jogged against the sling it was held in. Still, his eyes darted this way and that, trying to identify the threat, and his other hand went to the night stand for a weapon - anything would do. It was stopped by a firm grip, and a knife was placed against his throat.


    ¡°You know, I had hoped you¡¯d come clean on your own. You must have known I¡¯d noticed it go missing, right?¡±


    Connor gulped, not daring to look around at his assailant. He reached deep into his rogues skills, and pulled hard on his deception. He had a good idea who it was, and that his talents might not work here, but he had to try.


    ¡°Missing? What are you talking about, I-¡±


    The knife was pressed closer against his neck, and a line of blood oozed from a wound.


    ¡°Now, now. Lets not play games. The ritual you took. I know you have it, saw you playing with the damn thing since we left camp. And I was content to see whether you¡¯d give it up willingly or not, but plans have changed. So, I¡¯m going to reach down now, and take it. If you move funny, you die. If you call out, you die. Not that it would matter - I¡¯ve already set up the muffle field, so no one would hear you anyway.¡±


    Connor felt the hand release his wrist, and move down to the bandolier that was strung over the night stand. Dammit, he knew he should have insisted on wearing it under the sling. His thoughts rapidly ran through possible scenarios, of ways he could get out of this while keeping that ritual. He needed it, dammit! That was his retirement! He couldn¡¯t let this damn rogue steal it from under him! It was HIS! He heard the buckle catch, and the man behind him curse, and took that as his opportunity. He rolled out of bed, and crashed against the wall on the opposite side. Rather than get up immediately, he kicked at the bed, hoping to knock the other rogue of balance, but the bed struck only air. A white hot pain drove him against the wall, and brought another wince of pain out of him. Almost immediately, it was replaced with numbness. Shit. Poison.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I take it you¡¯ve gathered that the blade on that dagger is poisoned. So, don¡¯t worry about trying to stop me anymore. You¡¯ll be paralysed for another few hours, and should shake off the effects completely by evening tomorrow. By which time, we¡¯ll be long gone. You¡¯ll never see me again, so don¡¯t plan on getting any revenge.¡±


    Connor saw Liam stand up triumphantly, scroll in hand. He walked around the shifted bed, pushing it back into place, and over to Connor. Leaning down, took hold of the dagger, and dragged it out of the man, drawing nothing but a cold slurp as the cold steel left flesh. Connor felt nothing, proof of the poisons effect, and watched as Liam wiped the blade off on his leg, before stashing it away out of sight. He did his best to try and stop him, stop him stealing what was his, but all he could manage was some slurred speech.


    ¡°Thats¡­ give it¡­ back¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, friend. But its mine now, and-¡±


    Liam was cut off by a burning in his hand, and he dropped the scroll, ripping his glove off his hand to see a bright red mark spreading from his finger tips down, slowly but inexorably.


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡±


    He turned on his heel, scroll forgotten, and fled the room.


    ¡°Priest, priest, where the FUCK is that priest¡­¡±


    Liam shook away the recollection. It was done with now, no need to trouble those two about it. He knew Cass knew something, but she wasn¡¯t about to ask questions that would lead to lies. She knew him too well for that. He¡¯d tell her when he was ready. And Leah¡­ well, who knows with her, but she had no need to know what happened. When he found out more, he could tell her, but for now, well, the knowledge would do more harm than good. He finished tightening the strap, and slapped the saddle.


    ¡°All good here. Karl?¡±


    The landlord nodded, and slapped the saddle he was working on. He beckoned for Cassandra to come over and mount up.


    ¡°Wait, we¡¯re leaving right now? What about the, um, the cart, and its¡­ contents?¡±


    ¡°Right now. Don¡¯t worry about that. The mercs will be bringing them with when they set out. And the guild will take care of the loot - plus what will happen to them if they don¡¯t follow through. Anyway, we need to get going fast. We have a new quest, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    Liam grinned, and swung himself up onto the saddle. To push away the pain in his hand from the exertion, he decided to change the plans up a little, just to poke some fun at the women in his party.


    ¡°Leah, you¡¯ll be riding with Cass today. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s a better rider than me, you¡¯ll be in safe hands.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s ears tilted back in surprise, and she sputtered at Liam.


    ¡°Wha- She was going to ride-¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, she was going to ride with me, but oh, no, would you look at that, I injured my hand. It¡¯ll be oh so difficult managing a horse as it is, I couldn¡¯t possibly have someone riding with me as well¡­ but if the ranger feels she is unable, I suppose I MUST-¡±


    ¡°FINE. Fine.¡±


    Cassandra, ears tinged red, swung herself up onto her own horse, and patted the saddle behind her.


    ¡°Leah. Sit here and, uh¡­¡±


    Leah was blushing too, and both of them glared at Liam, who grinned and looked away innocently.


    ¡°Hold on tight.¡±


    Cassandra finished lamely.


    The ride was awkward for both of them. Leah had never ridden a horse before, and despite her intentions, ended up gripping Cassandra¡¯s waist tightly the entire ride, especially after they left the village and set off at a faster pace. She was too busy squeezing her eyes shut and trying to ignore the bumping and jostling underneath her to feel Cassandra¡¯s embarrassment. Though the elf couldn¡¯t say she didn¡¯t enjoy having the smaller elf tucked behind her, squeezing her tight, and maybe it would have even have been an enjoyable trip, had Liam not been grinning the entire way and making comments at the pair of them as they rode. And after she had made so much progress the night before¡­ dammit, no, she wasn¡¯t going to slip back into her old ways. She¡¯d just have to get the other elf drunk again, and then, then they could get somewhere! Once they got rid of Liam, that is. The man seemed hell bent on ruining Cassandra¡¯s day.


    The three rode until mid afternoon, when Liam called for a halt. After they had dismounted, and tied off the horses to graze and rest, Leah spoke up.


    ¡°I thought we were going to be riding straight for town?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are. Though, we need to talk, and I¡¯m sure the horses won¡¯t argue with some rest either.¡±


    Leah couldn¡¯t argue with that, and sat down on a log.


    ¡°So, what is there to talk about? This ¡®serious¡¯ business of yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cassandra and Liam looked at each other, then back to Leah.


    ¡°So, its about your mental magic.¡±


    ¡°Skills.¡±


    ¡°Magic. Its basically magic. Ah, we¡¯ll cover that another time¡­ this is just semantics.¡±


    Leah raised an eyebrow, urging him on.


    ¡°Right. So¡­¡±


    Cassandra spoke up.


    ¡°Its a vile and twisted sort of magic, one that should never be practised.¡±


    Leah looked at her, confused.


    ¡°¡­Yes, I thought we covered this. I can understand why its reviled, and I personally would rather not have to use it, but I have these skills now, so-¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you understand.¡±


    She sat down opposite Leah, though far out of arms reach.


    ¡°Mental magic is¡­ Its one of the higher magics.¡±


    ¡°Higher¡­?¡±


    ¡°Long story short, you know about the basic elements. You can mix them up and get new elements. As you mix them more, you get more complex effects. I don¡¯t know the exact details, but this was as much as I was taught. And the higher you get¡­¡±


    ¡°The more dangerous they become.¡±


    Liam finished her sentence and continued.


    ¡°Mental magic is one of the higher tiers, considered beyond elemental magic. And all of the highest tiers come with them risks, simply by knowing how to use them. And using them, well, that only accelerates the risks.¡±


    Leah sighed, and looked them in the eyes, one after the other.


    ¡°Look. You are beating around the bush. What are the risks, and what is the issue?¡±


    ¡°The risks are being corrupted. We have a saying here, Power Corrupts. When you have the power to change things with a wave of your hand, to create marvels and bring down destruction, well, it gets in your head. It changes you. Most mages have a way of dealing with it - the Empire mandates that mages abstain for a period of time based on their seniority and skill, the elves, well, Cass?¡±


    ¡°The elves rely on geasa to control their magi. A relic from a time long gone, but a useful one, still.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the common point is all mages have to learn to control how the power affects them. As a newbie practitioner of magic, you won¡¯t need to worry about that yet, but we will need to get that under control sooner rather than later. And especially given the fact that you know mental magic. And have used it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to use my vast intellect to make some presumptions here. I¡¯m guessing that mental magic is one of those ones that corrupts you super quickly, and is harder to control. So I¡¯m going to need to get some special education, lest I stare too hard into the abyss and become a monster. Is that about the gist of things?¡±


    ¡°I- Uh.¡±


    Liam looked at Cassandra and she shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, thats about the gist of things. Are you sure you haven¡¯t studied any magic before?¡±


    ¡°No, just read a lot of books in the past. Fine. I get it. So, I take it this Ironshod we¡¯re going to is part of the process?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Ironshod hold. We¡¯d be going there after anyway, but it just so happens that the dwarves there know how to manage some of the higher magics. They still practise runecraft, after all. So, we reckon that we can trade in some favours and get you what you need while we¡¯re there. And, you know, do some sight seeing, meet some old friends, etc. etc.¡±


    Leah nodded.


    ¡°Well, was that it?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Was that it? This is kind of a serious thing, Leah.¡±


    ¡°I guess, but its not something I hadn¡¯t planned for. Nothing comes for free, and I was going to see some sort cost for everything I have sooner or later. Plus, my world is full of stories of those who got a taste of power and got hungry for more. I¡¯m not completely wet behind the ears. Though¡­¡±


    She looked down, suddenly thoughtful. Her mind raced through possibilities, and sent queries to her submind, processing the information it got back. She nodded, right as Cassandra was about to ask what she was thinking about.


    ¡°I¡­ what if, and this is complete conjecture here, what if this body of mine, it was designed in part to resist this effect? I mean, I have a built in firewall against outside corruption, right? What if it was designed to work internally as well?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Thats not a bad theory.¡±


    It was Cassandra¡¯s turn to look thoughtful, and Leah thought she detected a little hope in her expression as well. Liam shut them both down.


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter for now. Until we can know for certain that you can keep things under control, the plan remains the same. We need to go through Ironshod anyway, so if you haven¡¯t caused another miracle by resisting the mental corruption of magic by then, which I¡¯m not discounting by the way.¡±


    He grinned.


    ¡°If anyone was going to do it, it would obviously be you. But, if that hasn¡¯t happened by then, we stick to the plan, and get you to someone who can help you train. Worst case, you have two defences against the problem, which is hardly a bad thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. So, what next?¡±


    ¡°Next? Next, we get back on our horses are ride for town. I¡¯ll have you know that the last part of the ride is awfully bumpy. You might want to hold on extra tight from here on out, Leah.¡±


    Once again, Cassandra¡¯s magical ability to obtain stones out of seemingly nowhere kicked in, and Liam was ducking a projectile, laughing all the while.

 Chapter Seventeen

    As soon as the walls to the town were in sight, Leah jumped off the horse. She had decided long before during their trip that she hated riding, and would never do it again if she could help it. She ached in places she didn¡¯t even know could ache. Liam was definitely right about the bumpy road too. She ignored the pain, and looked over at the town they had been travelling to. It didn¡¯t look like much to Leah, though she admitted that she didn¡¯t have much experience in that field beyond one village and a lot of preconceptions from fantasy games. Aside from a stone wall, not much was visible from where they were - having come up from below the town, there was no opportunity for them to see beyond the walls from above, and clearly there were no tall buildings. It seemed quite wide, though. Maybe this civilisation didn¡¯t have much in the way of multistory buildings?


    The other two jumped down in beside her, holding the reigns of their respective horses, and looked on with Leah.


    ¡°Welcome to actual civilisation, or what passes for it out here, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, its not what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°And what WERE you expecting?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Towers at least.¡±


    ¡°Not much call for them, really. The hinterland barony¡¯s are more functional than the rest of the empire. If we ever go south, you¡¯ll see more, well, ostentatious designs.¡±


    Cassandra cut in.


    ¡°But we won¡¯t be. Not without a fight, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This is about as far as we tend to come into the empire, usually anyway. I haven¡¯t been that far south since¡­ oh, since I left home, I think.¡±


    Liam looked off into the distance, as if in thought, then shrugged.


    ¡°Oh well. Better get to work. Once we¡¯ve met with the Baron and¡­ delivered the bad news, we can take the chance to rest up. So lets get it over with.¡±


    The three set off on the final stretch.


    The guards at this gate, in contrast to the guards at the village, seemed in much better order. Their armour wasn¡¯t polished, but looked in good nick to Leah¡¯s untrained eye, and their weapons were clearly well used. And there were four of them, in comparison to the two at the village. One of them stepped forward to intercept the party, as another was dealing with a man on a cart.


    ¡°And whats your business today, then?¡±


    ¡°Turning in a quest. Not good news, I¡¯m afraid, so we¡¯re in a bit of a hurry¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Sorry to hear that, but we¡¯ve got checks to make anyway. You know how it is, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    The guard gave him a smirk, and Liam patted a pocket. Fishing out a coin, he flashed it to the man, and returned he smirk.


    ¡°Oh, well, in that case, surely we can give you a tip for your excellent service.¡±


    ¡°That would be most welcome!¡±


    Coin was handed over, and the guard was soon waving them through the open gate. He moved over to ¡®help¡¯ his friend with their probably shakedown. Liam anticipated Leah¡¯s question.


    ¡°Bribery is the fastest way to get anything done, anywhere you go. Don¡¯t be too surprised.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not. Though, I didn¡¯t expect it to be so prevalent even amongst the guards¡­¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t monsters, clearly, so the only reason they have to stop us is if they think we¡¯re trafficking something. And given that, there are certain processes that can be skipped. Plus, we obviously look like adventurers, and therefore we obviously have the gold to pay them off. Its just one of the costs of business.¡±


    Nodding, the carried on through the town. Leah was right about it being flat - the tallest buildings were three stories, and those were dwarfed by the wall. She wondered to herself how they managed to construct such a tall wall, yet seemed not to be able, or willing, to build up their buildings. That wasn¡¯t exactly a pressing issue, though. They walked through the streets, less bustling than Leah expected. Anyone in the streets seemed to move with purpose, with very little lingering around in front of stands or stores. Cassandra fielded the inevitable question.


    ¡°Its a frontier town. Anyone here is doing it for the money, not for much else. Of course, it all changes after dark. Things get a lot rowdier. The Baron¡¯s place isn¡¯t far from here, anyway, so people like to look like they are working.¡±


    They reached the place, and Leah was surprised. She¡¯d been expecting a lavish palace, or a fortified castle. Not a town house that wouldn¡¯t have been out of place alongside any of the others in town. Well, perhaps it would have. It was many times larger, and was surrounded with its own wall, masking private grounds. They were stopped again by a pair of guards, who looked distinctly less bribeable than the last lot. It was once again Liam¡¯s job to get them through. He pulled out a scroll from another pocket - Leah wondered internally just how many pockets the man had - and handed it to one of the guards. She looked it over, nodded, and handed it back.


    ¡°All seems to be in order. Harold will escort you to the audience chambers.¡±


    They were taken through the grounds - again, less lavish than Leah expected. Low fences ringed small patches of garden and lawn, intersected by paths and small structures like sheds. Occasionally someone would emerge from one and move to the house, or vice versa, but the grounds look generally as placid as the town. More so, in fact. It was rather unnerving to see such a quiet and still environment, when the sounds of the town were still audible from their position. Inside the house was much the same. Plain wood panelled walls, plain wooden furniture with minimal padding, the occasional piece of art depicting presumably ancestors - it was all very utilitarian and functional. The party were led to a small chamber with chairs and a small table of fruit and water.


    ¡°Please be seated. His lordship will be with you momentarily, and you will be called when required. If you require any refreshments-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll handle it from here. Trust me, you want to be as far away from this room as possible when we deliver our news.¡±


    The attendant - Harold, presumably - visibly paled, and swallowed.


    ¡°Ah, am I to assume the worst?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Best you get going.¡±


    The attendant fled the room hastily. Liam and Cassandra flopped into a chair each, and Leah joined them.


    ¡°So¡­ I take it this is going to be a pretty bad meeting?¡±


    ¡°As bad as it can go. Delivering news of a failed quest sucks at the best of times, and considering the lord¡¯s son was the target¡­¡±


    Leah gulped. She turned to Cassandra, who waved a hand in her direction.


    ¡°We¡¯re unlikely to face punishment for this. Guild law, you know the risks when you hire adventurers. If he takes it out on us, then he¡¯ll lose the guilds support, and more than likely face consequences from higher up the food chain. He simply cannot afford to lose the adventurers guild in a place like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned adventurers before. Is this a formal title, then?¡±


    Liam snorted, and Cassandra gave him a look.


    ¡°Formal is a bit of a¡­ strong word for what we do. Yes, we¡¯re registered with a guild, and we have to follow their rules to an extent, but we¡¯re generally left to our own devices when it comes to taking on assignments. The guild generally just forms a support network for people like us. Cheap accommodation in foreign parts, access to gear and training, some general information gathering services¡­ that sort of thing. Its handy to have around, and if they pull out of this place, then there¡¯ll be less people willing to make the journey out. Less adventurers means less freelance workers, means the baron would have to pay out of pocket for the security of his lands. Its a formal position, yes, but there are people who do the job without guild representation. And many who are under the guild who either don¡¯t travel, or do very specialised work. We¡¯re, well, generalists.¡±


    ¡°In a manner of speaking, anyway.¡±


    Liam cut in.


    ¡°We each have - had - our own role to play in the party, but we can all handle a lot of general work too.¡±


    Leah nodded.


    ¡°It sounds like the adventurers thing is pretty handy, though. Will we be staying in this ¡®cheap accommodation¡¯ while we¡¯re here then?¡±


    ¡°Tonight? No. You aren¡¯t registered, and splitting ourselves up will be a real pain. So, we¡¯ll be picking up our pay and getting you registered after we leave here, and hopefully you¡¯ll be processed by tomorrow. You¡¯ll have your references from us, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I¡¯ll look out for a cheap inn on the way around town - I¡¯m going to need to handle something private, by the way. Cass, you alright taking our little cheater out to see the sights on your own?¡±


    He gave her a knowing grin, which elicited a blush from Cassandra.


    ¡°Yeah, fine. Do what you need to. We¡¯ll meet at the guild at sundown.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense to me.¡±


    A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. A head poked through, different to before.


    ¡°Excuse me, but your presence is required. Please follow me.¡±


    They were taken through to the largest room Leah had seen in the house. Quite apart from the narrow hallways and the tiny waiting area, this was almost a hall. Clearly doubling as a dining area, a long table lay straight down the middle of the chamber, high backed seats lining its length. At the far end, another high backed chair - a throne, really - was inhabited by a grim looking man. With one hand propping up his chin, he looked bored, yet his eyes gleamed with interest in what they had to say. By Leah¡¯s guess, he would be in his late 50s, with grey beginning to appear in his hair, and the beginnings of lines appearing around his eyes. Yet he still looked fit and hale, which seemed to be a running theme amongst the leaders she had seen. She¡¯d ask about that one day. He watched as they approached, and Liam and Cassandra took to a knee. A moment later, Leah joined them, after a glare from Cassandra. He watched them for a moment, then beckoned for them to rise.


    ¡°What of my son.¡±


    Liam and Cassandra looked nervous, and that too made Leah nervous. Despite their talk about how they weren¡¯t going to face any punishment for failing to bring back his son alive, there clearly must be some doubt between them. Liam coughed, and spoke up.


    ¡°Dead, my lord.¡±


    Silence reigned through the hall. Leah kept her eyes glued to the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with the man who¡¯s gaze she knew was drilling into her as they waited. Almost a minute passed before he spoke again.


    ¡°Very well. Leave. An attendant will stamp your papers.¡±


    She heard him stand, and leave the room before she looked back up. Liam and Cassandra were looking at her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you, ah, are from somewhere else? He seemed to know you.¡±


    ¡°Or at least, the way he was staring at you implied that.¡±


    ¡°I could feel him. Ugh, that was-¡±


    ¡°Something we can talk about when we get outside the baron¡¯s personal home.¡±


    True to his word, their papers were stamped on the way out, by a third attendant, this one looking as pale as the first. They hurried to leave the grounds before the lord changed his mind about them. Leah finished her sentence when they were clear.


    ¡°Creepy. I was going to say it was creepy.¡±


    Cassandra frowned, stood between Leah and the grounds.


    ¡°I agree. There was something, off, about the way he was looking at her. Liam, get anything?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I mean, he just found out his son is dead, so I was expecting more emotion, frankly. He looked¡­ I don¡¯t know, like he¡¯d already processed it and made up his mind on what to do. I don¡¯t know how to explain it.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way that a message could have arrived before us?¡±


    ¡°There is, but its unlikely in this case. It takes a lot of mana for a sending, and we would have felt it. Hell, we would have felt if any of the mercs were carrying enough mana to use a sending at all. Its hardly a subtle form of communication.¡±


    Cassandra shrugged.


    ¡°Well, no point in us dwelling on it. Lets go get paid, and try to relax. Its been a hell of a few days.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Leah nodded.


    ¡°Hell yes it has been. All I want right now is a bath¡­¡±


    ¡°Funnily enough, I know the perfect place.¡±


    ¡°Ladies, ladies, please. Lets get paid before you start thinking of ways to spend it all.¡±


    ¡°Cheapskate.¡±


    Their trip to the guildhall was uneventful. They arrived, and Liam took the papers in to be processed, while Cassandra took Leah to be processed in her own way. All she had to do was sign a single page, which Cassandra insisted she read in full before signing. It seemed pretty boilerplate. Don¡¯t attack other guild members, don¡¯t take assignments from blacklisted parties, all earnings are taxed at 10%, this contract is magically binding and will be represented on your very soul. Ordinary stuff that she expected, and frankly was a breath of fresh air compared to some of the EULAs she had seen in her previous lifetime. She signed it with no issues, and the clerk filed it away behind the counter.


    ¡°Very good, very good. Now, you¡¯ll need to have this paperwork signed by two guild representative, to show you are of good standing¡­¡±


    Cassandra snatched the papers from him, flipped to the second page, and scrawled something on the bottom. She then beckoned over to Liam, who stopped flirting with the clerk on his side of the room long enough to fill out his own signature. He also handed Leah and Cassandra a small pouch of gold each.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spend it all in one place, alright?¡±


    The clerk peered at Liam¡¯s signature, then at Leah, and finally at Liam.


    ¡°Young man, I hope you didn¡¯t take a non affiliated party along with you on an assignment.¡±


    ¡°Actually, picked her up on the way here. And I owe her some money, so this is all above board.¡±


    The clerk rolled his eyes, and muttered something about rogues, before shuffling away with the paperwork. He returned moments later, with a small handbook.


    ¡°This is a collection of our, ah, unofficial regulations and advice. We give them to all new members, even those that apparently do not need them. You aren¡¯t a full member until the paperwork has been filed at headquarters and distributed to all guildhalls, so we cannot provide you any services listed in there until such a time. However, I believe that should only take a day or two.¡±


    Cassandra nodded.


    ¡°We figured. Do you know of any good, unaffiliated inns or taverns in town? We¡¯ll need somewhere we can all stay together while we wait for the processing to complete.¡±


    The clerk hmmed, and turned around, leafing through what looked to Leah like a wooden filing cabinet. He extracted a ream of paper, and picked through it.


    ¡°Ah, yes. The Crescent Moon. Recently established, I knew I remembered something like this. It¡¯s actually seeking affiliation, since one of our other establishments was kicked off the register. Your staying there would greatly help them, so you should get a good price.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Thanks, admin.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with today?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you. Come on Leah, lets let Liam know.¡±


    They walked away from the counter, and Leah turned to talk to Cassandra.


    ¡°Admin?¡±


    ¡°Short for administrator. Its the general nickname for any of the staff at a guildhall - generalists tend to roam pretty far, so learning names is a bit of a pain.¡±


    ¡°I figured. I just think its funny that they are called admins, when thats likely what I would have ended up being in my¡­ other life.¡±


    Cassandra looked at her sidelong.


    ¡°Really? Let me guess, its a very different position though.¡±


    ¡°Actually, surprisingly not. Dealing with a system that most people don¡¯t understand, having to explain things to people who don¡¯t appreciate what you do¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, most adventurers do appreciate the admins. Without them and their local knowledge, we¡¯d have a much harder time. Plus, they push the papers so we don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Maybe I should have been born here in the first place. It sounds like a utopia in comparison.¡±


    The linked up with Liam, and the three took a seat on one of the couches in the guildhalls small lounge area.


    ¡°Gold¡¯s been put into yours and my accounts, Cass. 1000 each. The guild¡¯ll be handling the affairs of the¡­ others¡­ once their bodies arrive. Their share, and anything in their accounts that isn¡¯t being taxed, is going to their families.¡±


    Cassandra sighed, and nodded.


    ¡°Small mercies, at least.¡±


    Liam looked to Leah, then down at her attire.


    ¡°That unfortunately includes your clothing, Leah. It was part of Thomas¡¯s effects, and while its fine for you to be using it¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be sold to help fund his survivors benefits.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So, I¡¯ll need to go shopping, then?¡±


    Cassandra perked up at hearing that.


    ¡°Oh! Of course you will!¡±


    Liam gave her a stare.


    ¡°No. Being. Frivolous. Especially you, Leah. Part of that gold in your pouch is mine.¡±


    Leah looked down at the small pouch she was holding tight, and frowned.


    ¡°Wait, you said a thousand gold, right? This doesn¡¯t look like it could hold anywhere near that amount, and Cass¡¯ isn¡¯t much bigger.¡±


    ¡°No, thats got about 20 in it, in assorted change. Most of the gold is kept by the guild, and we can withdraw it at any guild hall, minus a fee. Saves having to haul around thousands and thousands of gold at a time, its easier for the guild to tax our earnings, and its safer than keeping it under your bed. The system works for us all.


    ¡°Oh, so its like a bank then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, except don¡¯t go asking for a loan from any admins. They¡¯ll shoot you down before you even get to the end of your sentence.¡±


    ¡°We better explain the currency system to her too, Liam. She probably doesn¡¯t know whats what.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. So, theres gold, silver and copper pieces. Silvers are worth 100 coppers, and golds are 10 silvers. Nice and easy to remember. It used to be way worse, before the empire actually got its act together about standardising¡­¡±


    ¡°Most nations have a similar policy as well, and thanks to banks and guilds, most money is accepted in most places. And if it isn¡¯t, you have an easy place to change up.¡±


    ¡°That seems¡­ incredibly efficient.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it took a lot of work to get to that place. The world is a lot closer together than it once was. A couple hundred years ago, you¡¯d be scratching your head trying to work out if 10 shtrucks is worth 64 genns, or is it the other way around? Once someone in the guild uncovered the communicators though¡­¡±


    ¡°Communicators?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, great big devices. They were all over the place, and no one knew what they were for. Then, someone was adventuring on the dead continent, found a working one, and whoosh, the whole lot of them woke up at once. Now, sending messages between towns, cities, even countries, is as easy as talking to the communicators guild, and paying them to send a message along. It all works out great, unless you are going away from a major settlement anyway.¡±


    Leah nodded along with the explanations. It all seemed remarkably useful knowledge to have. Though, she worried now that if her secret got out, then everyone in the world could know before she even reached the next town over. She shuddered, while Cassandra spoke up.


    ¡°By the way, we have a place to stay. The Crescent Moon. Apparently its on the east side of town. We¡¯ll meet up there later?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯ll swing by before I sort myself out and check us some rooms.¡±


    ¡°And you aren¡¯t going to tell us what it is you¡¯ll be doing?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Like I¡¯m sure you two won¡¯t tell me in excruciating detail about how the other looks when bathing.¡±


    He dodged a swing at his head from Cassandra, grinning all the while.


    ¡°Thought not. Anyway. I best be off. See you two this evening?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And you better not try following us.¡±


    He held a hand against his chest.


    ¡°On my honour as a rogue.¡±


    ¡°Which means nothing. Come on Leah.¡±


    The two left the guildhall, slightly heavier with gold, and Cassandra looked up and down the street.


    ¡°Damn, probably should have asked about shops too, while we were there¡­ Still, I think I know the way to the market district. Lets go.¡±


    The two set off in the direction Cassandra indicated. Cassandra turned to talk to Leah while they walked.


    ¡°So. This might sound like a weird question, but have you thought about what you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Do?¡±


    ¡°Like, after we get to Ironshod, and get you sorted out there.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to keep working with you guys. That was the plan, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but. That can¡¯t be your whole plan, can it? You have to have something you want to achieve.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I hadn¡¯t really thought about it much. I¡¯ve not really had the time to. We¡¯ve been basically on the run since I got here, and all of that time has been spent doing practical thinking. I barely even know anything about this wor- land. And honestly, even before I¡­ changed, I didn¡¯t really know what I wanted to do. What about you, and your goals?¡±


    ¡°Me? Why would you want to know that?¡±


    ¡°Well, because I want to get to know you better.¡±


    Then, cutting herself off and blushing slightly, she continued quickly.


    ¡°And you know, it might help me work things out if I knew what you are working towards. You know, like an example!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, an example¡­¡±


    Cassandra gave Leah an odd look, one she wasn¡¯t sure how to work out. She didn¡¯t seem as flustered as she would have expected from previous conversations like this. Had she been wrong..?


    ¡°Sure, I can tell you. But later, when we have a bit of privacy. I don¡¯t exactly like talking about these things around people I can¡¯t be sure I can trust.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So you can trust me now?¡±


    ¡°You saved my life in the forest, and I saved yours on the wall. Battle is a bonding experience, and you have to trust those you fight beside. Besides, I already told you I trust you, after you trusted me with your status page.¡±


    ¡°I did do that, didn¡¯t I¡­ You know, its stuff like that, not knowing these things, that really makes me wonder how much I know about this world, this land. Maybe thats what I can work towards.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Working things out. Learning about the world. Honestly, now that I stop and think about it, this whole situation, its almost a dream come true.¡±


    ¡°What, being threatened by death and faced with horrible monsters on a near daily basis?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes and no. My old life was, well, boring. And dull, and uninteresting and all those words to describe something you don¡¯t want to be doing. I had a boring plan to get a boring job, work for 50 something boring years and then retire just in time to be a boring person. I would have lived and died never doing anything. The world was mostly worked out, you could look anything up and find it at a moments notice. It felt like there was nothing to explore, to wonder at. Except maybe the stars, but that wasn¡¯t exactly in the realms of possibility for me¡­ Here, I can actually explore a new world, and see new things, maybe even things no one has ever seen before. I can¡¯t just look it up online and find the answers right away. Its hard, and I reckon things will only get harder, but its¡­ exciting. I feel excited just being here, walking down this street. Is that weird?¡±


    She looked back around to Cassandra, who was giving her another funny look. This one was more readable, as confusion.


    ¡°Look anything up? Exploring the stars? What the hell kind of wo- land did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Heh. Its not all that, I assure you. It all seems quite dull when you¡¯ve lived around it your whole life.¡±


    Cassandra shrugged.


    ¡°I suppose it might. So to answer your question, it does seem a little weird to me. But I think I get where you are coming from.¡±


    ¡°And hey, at least I¡¯ll get to explore it with you guys, which is nice too!¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s blush from that wiped away any doubts in Leah¡¯s mind about how the elf woman saw her.

 Chapter Eighteen

    ¡°Cass¡­ Cass¡­ CASS!¡±


    Leah had resorted to physically pulling on the elf¡¯s arm to try and get her to move. She was being thoroughly ignored, however. She was busy peering at a set of bracers that she had been haggling over for the past 20 minutes.


    ¡°200 gold? 200 gold?! Are you trying to bankrupt me? 180, and not a copper more!¡±


    ¡°180 gold? My dear, I have children to feed, you would put us on the street! I simply cannot let it go for less than 190 gold!¡±


    ¡°For this workmanship? Truly, you insult me. 185, it has to be 185.¡±


    ¡°These bracers are a steal for 185! I would have to insist on 188 gold.¡±


    At least they seemed to be nearing the end of the heated debate. Unless the two intended to go to blows over coppers, which looking at the rotund shopkeeper, didn¡¯t seem out of the question. Leah groaned, first internally, then externally, and gave up on trying to get Cassandra¡¯s attention. She moved to the shop front, and sat, sulking while Cassandra finished her business. What had started as a trip to get Leah outfitted had rapidly turned into Cassandra¡¯s own personal shopping spree. All she needed was a set of clothes, and they hadn¡¯t even managed that yet. She folded her arms, and glared at the elf, waiting to be noticed. They had seemed to agree on a price, and shook hands over the table. Cassandra pulled out a notepad, scrawled on it, tore off a page and handed it to the man. He checked it over, nodded, and put the bracers to the side.


    ¡°Very good. I shall head over post haste, you can come collect them in, oh, shall we say an hour?¡±


    ¡°That sounds good to me. Thanks again.¡±


    ¡°Please, anything for a customer! Please come again.¡±


    Cassandra smiled, and turned to face Leah. Her smile dropped when she saw the womans expression.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®what¡¯ me. This is the third time today. We are going to get me clothes, now, and if you stop again, I will walk off without you. And I¡¯ll tell Liam you couldn¡¯t control yourself.¡±


    She held her hands up in defence.


    ¡°No! We¡¯ll go now. Come on¡­¡±


    The two hurried out of the shop and back on to the street. Clearly, this was a hub of commerce, as it was lined with storefronts of all kinds. And unlike most of the city, there were people actually standing around, paying attention to the items on display, and otherwise acting like this was a town. They seemed better outfitted than the rest of the townsfolk, and Cassandra pointed out that they were other adventurers. None she knew personally, but their mannerisms and dress sense marked them out clear as day. Cassandra turned to Leah as they walked, and held out her hand.


    ¡°Can I see how much gold you have?¡±


    Leah nodded, and handed her pouch over. Cassandra looked inside, and frowned.


    ¡°Dammit, he wasn¡¯t joking! That cheapskate! How does he expect me to outfit you on this pittance¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, I just need clothes, right? How expensive can that be?¡±


    Leah had worked out over the day that a single gold was roughly equivalent to about ¡ê10. At least, from her guesswork as to how much their lunch had cost relative to how much it would cost back home, and some simple maths after that gave her ¡ê10 for a gold, ¡ê1 for a silver and a penny for a copper. Nice and simple, if her assumptions were correct. Though she was also banking on the fact that inflation hadn¡¯t kicked in as hard as back home, and things were closer in price to a medieval society, which considering there were banks, wasn¡¯t a guaranteed assumption¡­ bah, too many unknowns. Even her newly prodigious intelligence couldn¡¯t overcome that hurdle. She was going with that assumption anyway, and her 20 gold - minus lunch costs - gave her about ¡ê200 to play with. That should be more than enough for a simple shopping trip, considering she only needed one or two outfits. Cassandra shook her head.


    ¡°No, no, no, this just won¡¯t do. You need clothes, yes, and armour, a weapon, maybe even some accessories¡­ Oh, and an adventurers kit, if we¡¯re taking you out more often, though we have a lot of that and you don¡¯t often need duplicates¡­ Provisions too, but that can wait for a few days, until we leave, and I think I can convince Liam to pay for it¡­¡±


    ¡°Cass? I really don¡¯t think all that is important, at least right now. I just need clothes! I¡¯m not about to go swinging swords around anyway.¡±


    ¡°Really? And after I took time out of my busy life to train you up. Goodness, I feel betrayed.¡±


    ¡°No! No, I don¡¯t mean it like that.¡±


    She caught Cassandra¡¯s expression, and sighed. She was being messed with.


    ¡°Damn you. I mean, I¡¯m no expert now, so is it really necessary right away?¡±


    ¡°Its necessary now more than ever. If you train just with my sword, you are going to learn habits that might not carry over to another weapon. And thats assuming you even work best with a sword.¡±


    She sighed.


    ¡°Fine, fine. We¡¯ll sort out your clothing now, and we¡¯ll do armour tomorrow. Deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal. As much as I appreciate the help, these aren¡¯t exactly comfortable. Or clean.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I bet. We need to bathe too, I remember. Gods, its going to be good to get clean after all that travelling..!¡±


    Cassandra looked off into the middle distance, sighing with contentment at the possibility of bathing at last. She was shaken from her reverie by a tug on her arm. Leah had stopped, and was pointing at a storefront.


    ¡°Cass..? Were you about to just walk past the place again?¡±


    ¡°¡­No.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Lets get inside before I change my mind. You are going to learn to love weapon shopping.¡±


    Leah rolled her eyes, and followed her inside.


    ¡°What about this one?¡±


    ¡°Leah, how in the hells are you going to avoid getting that dirty? Its way too nice for travel wear, and you were the one telling me you only need a couple of outfits.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°But nothing. Anyway, you can¡¯t afford it, not if you are buying those as well.¡±


    It had taken them another half hour, but Leah had managed to pick out a pair of outfits that worked within the limits Cassandra had set her. Limits that Leah thought were far too restricting, personally. She had picked out a pair of tunics, one a dark green and the other a dark blue, and a matching set of tights. With them came a grey cloak and boots, which Leah had complained about, but Leah assured her would break in over time. It all fit at least, and she had managed to attain some, ah, small clothes, as apparently they were called here. She had insisted on only the shopkeeper assisting her with picking those out. Despite their plain nature, they had actually ended up being the most expensive part of the outfit. The shopkeeper explained.


    ¡°Ah yes. It is rather expensive to get the designs right for both comfort and support, especially given the craftsmanship that needs to go into each. I hope that isn¡¯t an issue¡­¡±


    Leah quickly shook her head. She was not going travelling, and especially not riding any horses, without some kind of support. God forbid she needed to run again - her chest still hurt from their flight through the forest, even with the tight armour holding things in place.


    ¡°No! No no no, thats fine, I was just curious.¡±


    Finally finished, she had elected to take some time to browse, in spite of Cassandra¡¯s complaints, pointing out that the ranger had already had her turn browsing for things, and Leah expected this to be reciprocated. Clearly, though, she had had enough.


    ¡°Right. You¡¯ve got what you need. Time to pay, and leave. The day is getting on.¡±


    Leah grumbled, but counted out the coin for the shopkeeper, who checked it carefully, and thanked her. She took one set to a side room, while the shopkeeper wrapped the other. Once she was dressed, she gave a twirl for Cassandra.


    ¡°Like what you see?¡±


    ¡°Very nice. But I¡¯d already seen you wear them, so its not going to work. Come on, we have one last place to go.¡±


    ¡°Caaaaass. We said we were going to do this-¡±


    ¡°Nope. While you were getting changed before, I had a word with a passing adventurer. Theres apparently a really good shop nearby that¡¯ll have most of what we need. They buy up old adventurers gear for cheap, and sell it on.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But I swear, if we end up missing out on a bath¡­¡±


    ¡°Dear gods no, that would never happen. But we¡¯ll have to run.¡±


    So the two set off, Leah stuffing a package into her pack as they moved.


    True to her word, the store wasn¡¯t that far off, only a street away. A small store, it was tucked between two others, with only a small window showing off the goods inside. And they were a mishmash of odds and ends, some of which Leah couldn¡¯t identify. Cassandra confidently opened the door and strode in, Leah close behind. Inside wasn¡¯t much better. Crowded shelves and racks showed off everything from armour to weapons, ropes and flasks, to books and writing implements, and things Leah could only describe as metal monstrosities. Her head turned this way and that as they moved through the narrow store to the counter at the back, where the storekeeper was leaving a back room to greet them.


    ¡°Yes? How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I need to outfit this one,¡±


    Cassandra pointed to Leah, who was still looking around in amazement and interest.


    ¡°On the cheap, and fast. She needs armour, a weapon, and a proper pack and gear.¡±


    Leah was shaken from her reverie, and shook her head at Cassandra.


    ¡°No, no armour. I¡¯m getting it properly fitted or not at all. I¡¯m not going through another experience of badly fitted¡­ padding.¡±


    Cassandra sighed, and amended her statement.


    ¡°Fine, no armour. But a weapon, at the very least.¡±


    The storekeeper nodded, and looked around.


    ¡°Well, the pack and gear, that will be easy. Come with me, please, I have a few options.¡±


    He stepped out from behind the counter, and took Cassandra off to investigate a few pieces. Leah was left to her own devices again, and she knew that nothing would stop Cass now that she had gotten into her shopping mood. She had much more interest in shopping for gear than she did shopping for clothes, which irritated her. But, it was what it was. More cultural differences, she supposed, a phrase that she was using more and more as time went on. Maybe one day she¡¯d even understand them all. Or forget her own culture and become fully assimilated. That worried her a little, the idea of forgetting her old life. There was still so much about what happened, and what she was, that worried her, but she distracted herself from another bout of introspection by investigating a portion of the store that seemed dedicated to weapons more than anything else. There were still odd implements and articles of clothing stashed between them, but it was as good a place to start as any.


    She hadn¡¯t had that much interest in weapons to begin with, never having had the chance to touch one, or hell, see one outside of a museum piece, before a few days ago, but something was pulling her towards the collection. She just went with it, curiosity overtaking her. Most of the weapons were, well, weapons. Lumps of metal, forged into a shape. Nicks and bumps on  them showed their use, but all seemed to be in good condition as far as Leah could tell. A pair of daggers in ornate sheaths caught her eye for a moment, and she picked one up. Something felt off about it though, so she returned it, trying to find what it was that had caught her attention. She knew she had seen something on their way in, and thats what she was interested in, but for the life of her, she couldn¡¯t work out what it was. Until she saw it.


    Between a heavy war hammer and a two handed sword was a work of art. That was the only way she could describe the sword. Slender and a pale grey, its blade didn¡¯t so much shine as sparkle in the dim light of the shop. And the handle¡­ the handle was a dark ridged grip, encased in a guard of finely worked metal working a cage around it. The effect was finished with a pommel of the same metal as the blade. She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it. It was just beautiful. She gently held the grip, and extracted it from its prison of dull metal. Once in her hand, it felt¡­ natural was the only way she could describe it. Her hand fit the ridges perfectly, and the balance¡­ it was perfect. Too perfect. She knew that there was some reason she had noticed the blade, because while it was beautiful, that certainly couldn¡¯t explain her fixation with it. She wracked her brain, trying to work it out, when she was interrupted by a poke on the shoulder.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Wow, Leah. And you complain about me ignoring you.¡±


    ¡°Wha- Sorry, Cass, I was just-¡±


    ¡°You caught the bug. I get it. Its a beautiful piece.¡±


    She turned and called over her shoulder.


    ¡°Shopkeep, how much for this?¡±


    He shuffled around to where they were standing, and took a look at the blade.


    ¡°Ah, yes. A moonstone rapier. Its been in my possession for quite a while - no one comes here for an unenchanted blade, no matter its beauty. I would have to say¡­ 250 gold.¡±


    ¡°Are you mad? For an unenchanted weapon? I truly, TRULY can¡¯t go any higher than 150.¡±


    And so another bout of haggling began. Leah had to head this off at the pass before it went too far.


    ¡°Cass, I can¡¯t afford this, even if you haggle it down¡­¡±


    She wanted the sword, even if just to work out the mystery that she was so close to cracking, but she¡¯d bankrupt herself paying for it. Cassandra waved a hand dismissively.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m paying.¡±


    ¡°What? No, I can¡¯t ask you to-¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t asking, I¡¯m telling. Consider it a gift. I¡¯m just glad to see you¡¯re interested in a weapon all of a sudden. Plus, its very you.¡±


    Ignoring that last comment, Leah went back to examining the blade. She certainly wasn¡¯t going to fight Cassandra on the point, if she really wanted to buy it for her. But what exactly was it, what had she seen¡­ There it was. She remembered something. Or, well, knew something. This was a Magalyte weapon, or one forged with their techniques. She could feel the technology, so much like her own, calling out to her through it. It wasn¡¯t visibly enchanted, that she knew, but the workings inside were keeping it clean and in shape, heightening its sharpness and the skill of the user. But, it was inactive. That was why no one could see what it truly was. She kept her face as calm as she could, because she KNEW she needed this sword now. There was probably never going to be an opportunity to get something like this on the cheap again.


    The haggling wound on, and eventually a price was settled on. Cassandra wrote out another of her notes - which she had told Leah was a form of bank cheque, that the holder could take to the guild to be redeemed. After confirming the notes validity, he tucked it away in a pocket, and took the sword from Leah, who was reluctant to give it up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear. I¡¯ll keep this safe until your return. Come back in a few hours, and I should have it ready for you.¡±


    Leah nodded, still concerned about leaving it behind, but Cassandra didn¡¯t give her time to worry.


    ¡°Come on. I already picked out the rest of your gear, and that¡¯ll be waiting with it when we get back. We, on the other hand, have a bath waiting for us.¡±


    That managed to shake her from her mood. The two left the store with a wave of goodbye, and headed for what Cassandra had assured her was a bathhouse of some kind.


    It turned out to be, well, the only way she could describe it was Roman. A stone basin was sunk into the ground inside the building, and had water pushed in from holes in the wall, constantly heated and cycled back in as the water cooled. What remained was the perfect temperature for a soak. Fortunately for Leah, the designers had skipped one part of Roman culture, and the baths were individual rather than being communal. Though there was only one room available when they arrived, leaving Cassandra and Leah to share. That had caused the both of them to gulp. They were stood in the room they had rented for the next few hours, both fully clothed and clutching a rough spun towel.


    ¡°So, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°We should undress, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, can¡¯t bathe in your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Definitely can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Leah was the first to act. Someone clearly had to, and Leah felt like she was oddly the more confident of the two right now. She pulled her tunic over her head, and when her vision cleared of the fabric, she saw Cassandra had turned around to do the same.


    ¡°Oh come on, Cass. Lets not be shy about this, we¡¯re going to have to look at each other at some point.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, right.¡±


    She coughed, and turned slightly, still not meeting Leah¡¯s eyes. Leah, to her credit, did her best not to look, though she caught some sidelong glances. Under her armour, Cassandra was well toned and fit, which made sense considering her profession. Not bulky, but with lean muscle, better suited to quick bursts of action than for lifting weights. And her, ah, assets, were larger than she expected, given the shape of her armour. Finishing undressing herself, she reflected that this had been the first time she had been naked since waking up. She had gathered that she had been nude when she arrived here, but still. She wished she had a mirror, so she could examine herself better, but sadly that was a facility the bath house lacked. That had also brought another point up.


    ¡°Besides. You¡¯ve already seen me nude, haven¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t it only fair I get to see you?¡±


    A blushing silence was Cassandra¡¯s response, as she hurried into the water to conceal herself. Leah, confident, but not too confident, covered herself and followed. The water was perfect, though she suspected any bath above lukewarm would be perfect after all the travelling they had been doing. She sighed, and leaned back against the side.


    ¡°This is¡­ good¡­¡±


    ¡°Very good¡­¡±


    Both were looking up at the ceiling, and not at each other, but wasn¡¯t a problem. It was nice just to relax, even if that meant no one was going to be making eye contact. They sat in contented silence for a moment, before Cassandra spoke up.


    ¡°So, I uh¡­ have a question to ask you.¡±


    Oh boy. Here it came. She had suspected this would be coming up at some point, especially now that they had a moment to talk, but so quickly¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What exactly about that sword drew you to it?¡±


    Aaaaand the moment was gone. Either she was embarrassed, or she was clueless. Leah contemplated that it might just be a product of her culture, so she wasn¡¯t too put out by it, but still! She really didn¡¯t want to have to be the one to bring things up. She thought for a moment about the question, before deciding she trusted Cass not to spill the beans before they had the weapon firmly in hand.


    ¡°You need to keep this a secret, ok? At least until we get a hold of it.¡±


    ¡°Lips sealed. Now spill.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure until I¡¯ve had some time to work with it, but I¡¯m 90%, no 95% certain that the sword-¡±


    ¡°Rapier. Its a rapier.¡±


    ¡°Fine, rapier, is of magalye design.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    Cassandra called out in a strained whisper, her head whipping down from her gaze on the ceiling so fast that Leah worried she might get whiplash.


    ¡°That certain?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah-¡±


    ¡°Then keep your damn voice down about it, if someone else finds out and goes to make a bid on it before we complete the sale¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, ok¡­¡±


    She lowered her voice.


    ¡°I take it its rare then?¡±


    ¡°More rare than you think. I mean, magalyte tech isn¡¯t uncommon, but at that price¡­ It must be deactivated, and a unique piece, or it would have been discovered in the appraisal. Oh man, we are so, so lucky.¡±


    Cassandra rubbed her hands together and grinned, no longer worried about hiding herself from Leah, who got a good look while the going was good.


    ¡°Liam was right, you are going to be a gold mine!¡±


    ¡°¡­I hope you aren¡¯t thinking of retracting that gift from me.¡±


    Cass waved her hand.


    ¡°Gods, no. That ones for you, I meant that. Consider it another investment in our continued relationship.¡±


    ¡°Oh, our relationship?¡±


    The elf blushed hard, her ears turning bright crimson.


    ¡°I meant our business relationship! Obviously.¡±


    Leah couldn¡¯t help teasing a little. She¡¯d worked out her attraction quickly, after their sparring session, and had experience in this field. And seeing that Cass didn¡¯t well, that just meant she could have a little fun.


    ¡°Of course, of course¡­¡±


    Before she could continue though, Cassandra changed the subject.


    ¡°So, you wanted to know what it is I do, that I work to achieve?¡±


    That managed to get Leah¡¯s mind off of teasing. She cocked her head inquisitively.


    ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    ¡°Right. Ok¡­ so, I told you before about how the Empire doesn¡¯t really take too kindly to non humans, right?¡±


    Leah nodded.


    ¡°Right. So, thats been the case for, well, as long as I know about. Hundreds of years, certainly. And the other nations, well, the non human centric ones anyway, aren¡¯t too happy about that. But the empire is big, and pretty well organised for its size. Military intervention isn¡¯t an option, and economic warfare is out for similar reasons. So, various concerned groups got together and formed the Path. Basically, get into the empire, find vulnerable non humans who want to leave, get them out. I work with the Path.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I didn¡¯t expect such¡­ altruism. Not from you, I mean, from, well, nations.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, its not totally altruistic. Different nations have different policies for handling the refugees, and because its all unofficial some of them end up being used in some pretty shitty work. But I only work with elves - I know they¡¯ll be fine when they get home.¡±


    ¡°Whys that?¡±


    ¡°Elves are¡­ well, yeah, you kind of do need to know this¡­ Elves don¡¯t exactly have the best track record when it comes to¡­ making more elves. We have a pretty short window of fertility, and it takes a while for the whole¡­ process to be done with. So, the population of elves in the world is relatively small. Saelong, my home country, really REALLY wants more warm bodies, because¡­ well, I¡¯ll get into the whys another time. Suffice to say that they are just happy to have more people around.¡±


    Leah nodded.


    ¡°Makes sense, I suppose. Is Liam in on it as well, he seemed to know about the Path back in the village.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, when we were talking to that priest. Yeah, he¡¯s not on the inside, but he knows about it through me, and he¡¯s in agreement with what we do. So he helps out, and gets treated as a contractor for all intents and purposes. Cheeky bastard gets paid for what I do for free.¡±


    She sighed, and shook her head.


    ¡°Still, its good work. I get to adventure like I wanted to, and I get to do good while I do it. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ll want to do it forever - it gets pretty harrowing at times - but I¡¯m happy where I am right now.¡±


    Leah smiled, and leaned back.


    ¡°Well, while I¡¯m still working out what it is I want to do, I suppose I¡¯ll be helping you, too.¡±


    ¡°Ha! You wouldn¡¯t get a choice in the matter, if I pick someone up, you and Liam are coming with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, if thats the case, I might just have to be stubborn about it.¡±


    ¡°Like you would. You are too nice.¡±


    ¡°You say that like its a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°It might well end up being that way.¡±


    Cassandra looked at Leah, a serious expression on her face.


    ¡°Leah, I know you didn¡¯t have much of a choice, but you ended up trusting me and Liam with a lot, and quickly too. It worked out alright here, but it might not always for you.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. And I don¡¯t plan on it being a regular thing. I just, I don¡¯t know, got a good feeling about things.¡±


    Leah shrugged.


    ¡°If you say so. Well, anyway, lets just enjoy this time we have here for now. Gods know we¡¯ve earned it, and who knows when we might get another chance?¡±

 Chapter Nineteen

    It took Liam less time than he¡¯d thought to find the church. The building stood out completely from the surrounding plain wooden structures, matching quite closely the building they had fought around in the village. Though this one was larger, he noted. Not to mention, the collection of people bustling in and out helped to give the game away. He pushed his way through the light crowd until he was stood in front of the door. Gritting his teeth, and clenching his injured hand, he stepped across the threshold. Nope. Hadn¡¯t burst into flame this time either. He must be doing something right. He tracked across the crowds inside, looking for the man that was described to him.


    ¡°Alistair! ALISTAIR!¡±


    Liam crashed out of the building, and into the still quiet streets of the village. He made a beeline for the church, moving as fast as his prodigious dexterity could carry him. He was met at the door by the priest, who had been up tending to some of the wounded and heard the racket as Liam approached.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    He looked panicked, a new expression that Liam didn¡¯t have time to savour. He was in too much trouble for that. He held out his hand, and spoke simply,


    ¡°Curse.¡±


    ¡°What, how-? No, no matter. Come, quickly.¡±


    The two moved fast through the hall, to the altar at the far back. Alistair indicated for Liam to place his arm on the stone surface, and pulled up his sleeve. He grimaced, and his hands began to glow with life mana.


    ¡°You came as soon as you realised?¡±


    ¡°I realised pretty fucking quick- Ah!¡±


    ¡°The progression is halted. You are lucky I was awake. It had almost reached your heart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I know. Thanks.¡±


    Liam slumped against the side of the altar, his eyes drifting shut, then snapping wide open again with the priests next question.


    ¡°So, now that the immediate concern is over, how did this happen? We need to get this under control, and fast, if it is contagious.¡±


    ¡°Shit, the scroll- I left it there!¡±


    Seeing the priests look as he staggered to his feet, he continued.


    ¡°We picked up a scroll in the barrow. Damn, poor bastard must have been got and didn¡¯t know what had happened until it was too late¡­¡±


    ¡°One of your mercenary guards?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He was holding on to the thing for dear life. Frankly, I was just teaching him a bit of a lesson about thievery, but¡­ this is way more than I planned on.¡±


    Liam shook his head.


    ¡°Come on, we need to lock that room down.¡±


    Alistair nodded, and followed him back out of the church. Heads were poking out of doors and windows, roused by the noise of Liam¡¯s flight to the church. Alistair¡¯s presence waved them off - it was either church business, or someone injured needing care. They reached the house the guard had been bunked in almost as fast as Liam had left it. The family that lived there had been taken out by the golem attack, so the remaining mercenaries were posted in the building until they had recovered. One of them was at the door Liam had crashed out of, stopped from entering by Liam and Alistair calling out to him in unison.


    ¡°What? I heard noise in Connor¡¯s room, I figured-¡±


    ¡°Nothing for you to be concerned about. This is church business now.¡±


    The man stepped back, hands raised.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Is- Is Connor alright though?¡±


    ¡°We need to attend to that. Return to your room, and if anyone else attempts to enter after us, tell them what we told you.¡±


    He nodded, and shrugged, already turning back around. He wasn¡¯t about to step in between a priest and his work, not if he felt like getting any work ever again. The two of them watched him leave, then entered the room. It remained as Liam had left it - Connor propped against the wall, glaring daggers at the two of them, with the scroll half unrolled in the middle of the floor. Liam breathed a sigh of relief, and pointed to the scroll.


    ¡°That. I touched it, and the damn thing went for me.¡±


    Alistair nodded, and crouched down beside it, ignoring the injured Connor for the time being. A cursed item being in the village was a far greater concern than the injuries of one man. He waved a hand over it, a glow of mana leaving a trail in the air above the object. He muttered a few words of prayer, seeking his centre as he cast one of the more potent detection spells he knew. The edges of his mouth turned down with disgust.


    ¡°Hells. This damn thing¡­ I can¡¯t identify its source. Or its action. I believe I can contain it, but I cannot exorcise the item completely. This will need to be taken to a bishop.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything at all about it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Apart from the fact it is unlikely to kill immediately.¡±


    He pointed at the still paralysed form of Connor, and raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Do you mind telling me what happened here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, after we¡¯ve sorted this. He¡¯ll be fine, just a mild poison. Alright, if you can contain it, I¡¯ll bring it with me. Do you think someone in the Barony would be able to break it, or at least identify it?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ Perhaps¡­ At least, they would know who to send you to. Very well, I shall do my best to assemble a containment vessel, however.¡±


    He stood, and turned to face Liam. Liam felt like the taller man was trying to intimidate him, which seemed bizarre when he continued to speak.


    ¡°You will need to assure me that no one will enter this room while I work. I will need to return to the church and make preparations.¡±


    Liam nodded, seeing no reason to push any points when he was getting what he wanted.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll keep guard.¡±


    ¡°And get that man back into bed. Byrne will not be happy about this violence, you realise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I plan to be long gone before he finds out. So, you know, if you could keep this on the down low until we¡¯re out of town..?¡±


    Alistair sighed, and threw up his hands.


    ¡°It truly is never a dull moment¡­ Very well, I will neglect to inform him until noon tomorrow. Now, I have work to do.¡±


    The two parted ways, Liam remaining behind to watched the door. He clenched and unclenched his hand, still stinging from the curses burn.


    Liam set his eyes upon the man who was described to him. Or at least, who he thought was the man described. These priests all looked the same, with the same outfit and same expressions. He shrugged, and walked over.


    ¡°Are you Bishop Golston?¡±


    The older man turned, his hunched posture muted by a friendly and welcoming smile.


    ¡°No, my child, the bishop is busy attending to services in-¡±


    His expression dropped when he saw Liam. In particular, when he saw Liam¡¯s attire and scarring.


    ¡°Please leave this place.¡±


    Liam sighed. He¡¯d been expecting this, just, well, not so quickly. He held his hands up in surrender.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. I have need of the church¡¯s aid. Dire need.¡±


    The older priest narrowed his eyes at Liam, but didn¡¯t interrupt him. Liam took that as a good sign, and patted his pocket.


    ¡°I carry with me a cursed item - a powerful curse, if the last priest I spoke to is any judge. He told me that he could not exorcise it, but a bishop-¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, of course a Rogue would only come to use when they require Uld¡¯s grace in achieving riches. Tell me, was this plundered from the tomb of a great mage? Or was it pilfered from one of our own coffers?¡±


    ¡°Neither, actually. It was¡­¡±


    He looked around, and frowned. This room was too crowded for this sort of discussion.


    ¡°Look, suffice to say that I have guild proof of a bounty, and this scroll was recovered in relationship to that. And the bounty was posted on someone that leads me to be very concerned as to the contents of this scroll.¡±


    A little bit of a lie mixed in there - he didn¡¯t actually have any proof until the cart of bodies arrived. But, he didn¡¯t have much else to work with at the moment. He mentally crossed his fingers as the old priest mulled this over, before sighing.


    ¡°Very well. You may have an audience with the bishop, if they believe what you told me. But I cannot promise any good will come of your meeting.¡±


    Well, that was about as good an answer as Liam could hope for. He followed the man through to the back of the church, and into a small corridor. He was sat in a chair outside a door, and fixed with a stern expression from the priest.


    ¡°We will wait here, until such a time as the bishop emerges. They will decide, then, what is to be done with you.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Damn his luck, he thought. Why did things always have to be more painful than they needed to be?


    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect there to be baths at all here, let alone ones that, well, refreshing!¡±


    ¡°Humans have a reputation for being unclean, but the Southspur empire take pride in their cleanliness. A bathhouse is often one of the first luxuries provided in any new settlement.¡±


    ¡°Humans eh? You got a- Ah, never mind. Too public.¡±


    Leah and Cassandra were walking back from the bath house, hair drying in the evening breeze. They still needed to stop off in the shops they had made orders at before heading to the inn they had planned on meeting at, but there was plenty of time left. The shops tended to close and open late, due to the nature of the population, and Cassandra had assured Leah that the notes she had provided also worked as a receipt of sale - once the shop owner had picked up the gold, the item was theirs, and if they failed to deliver on it, it would be on their shoulders. So, the two were ambling along, taking a more scenic route to pass the time. Though, as scenic as any routes got in the town. It was really quite dreary. Aside from a few boxes of flowers placed on windowsills, there was little to no decoration apparent. The streets were clean, though unpaved, and there wasn¡¯t much to look at. Fortunately, they at least had plenty to talk about. Or at least, Leah had lots of questions to ask. Her time was running out, though, as they approached the first shop on their journey, the shop Leah¡¯s gear was waiting in. Leah took the lead this time, eager to get her hands on her new equipment.


    ¡°Is it ready? Were there any problems?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t felt the excitement about the sword, the only thing she was really interested in, on the journey over, but as soon as she was in its presence again, she had to know everything she could about it. She thought she should be worried about that, but her submind didn¡¯t seem concerned, so she brushed it aside for the time being, and let the excitement take over. Cassandra seemed to be appreciative of her feelings about this, and that was a good thing in her books. The shop keeper, entering again from the back of the shop, smiled at their entrance.


    ¡°Ah, yes, one moment please.¡±


    He disappeared once more into the back of the shop, and returned with a pack, and a scabbarded sword which Leah immediately recognised. She felt her heart race as she thought of uncovering the secrets it held, and questioned again why exactly it was she was so happy to see it. Still, she would have her answers soon.


    ¡°I took the liberty of loading all the accoutrements into the pack, though naturally, the sword itself would not fit. The scabbard, consider it a gift for taking this blade off my hands. It has sat for too long, gathering dust, and the item never arrived with one of its own. It does not match the beauty of the blade, but it will suffice for now.¡±


    He was right. The dull leather did not match the beauty of the handle that emerged from it. Nor did the simple belt the scabbard was attached to. Leah didn¡¯t care. She reached out and picked up the sword - her sword, she reminded herself. She lost herself for a moment simply staring at the handle, fighting back to urge to look into it right here and now, but she didn¡¯t know what would happen if the shop keeper found out he had inadvertently been fleeced of a rare item. Cassandra trapped her on the shoulder, and she looked around to see her smiling.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re excited, but don¡¯t forget the pack. That wasn¡¯t cheap either.¡±


    Leah nodded absentmindedly, and shouldered the bag alongside her current, borrowed one. The weight difference had her off balance, but she wasn¡¯t bothered for now. She just wanted to get somewhere private where she could look into what she had obtained in detail. She turned to leave, and Cassandra shook her head, still smiling, and followed.


    ¡°Thanks again.¡±


    She said over her shoulder to the shop keeper, who returned the smile, though with a hint of something else. Maybe he was thinking he had missed out on something, but by now it was too late - money had changed hands, and it would be his head if he tried to get the rapier back. They left the shop, and Leah set off immediately in the direction of the inn they would be staying at. Cassandra grabbed her shoulder.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. You have your new toy, I still need to pick up mine.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine. But hurry up!¡±


    She shook her head, and led Leah off, retracing their steps to all the shops they had visited previously. She was happy to see Leah had taken an interest in something martial - she had been worried the girl was going to go plainly into magic. And if she was going to mix and match, the rapier would be a perfect weapon, regardless of what properties it held. Light, not requiring much strength to use effectively, scaling well with the elves natural propensity for dexterity. It was almost as if they had been blessed. At each shop, Leah urged Cassandra to hurry, which did begin to grate on her nerves eventually. Excitement was one thing, but now she was just being impatient. She snapped on the second to last shop.


    ¡°Leah, I swear, if you ask me again to hurry, I will take that from you and break it over my knee.¡±


    ¡°No! Ok, ok, fine. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you¡¯re excited, but seriously girl. If you want, we can train tomorrow, but lets get our business finished before we do anything that might bring more trouble down on our heads. You do remember that the sword is basically an unknown, right?¡±


    That took the edge off of Leah¡¯s excitement. She touched the hilt of the blade, now at her waist, and frowned, looking down at it. She hadn¡¯t considered the potential dangers of looking into such an unknown item. Could there be a risk? Cassandra tried to ease her concerns.


    ¡°Its probably fine - probably - but, uh, things of that nature, they tend to do some crazy things. A sword, probably going to do what you¡¯d expect, but if anything crazy happens, I¡¯d rather be as prepared as I can be, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense. Damn, I feel like an idiot. I got so caught up in wanting to know about it¡­ Do you think it could be doing something to my head?¡±


    Cassandra shook her head, looking at the sword.


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m no expert, but I do know a few things about psychomancy. And its not giving off any mana. If you want to make any kind of magical effect, you need to use mana, and that thing is currently dead as a doornail.¡±


    Leah should have thought of that too. She needed to get her head on straight. Maybe once she knew what this sword was all about, she would calm down a little. As if waiting for her thoughts, she felt her submind prodding and probing at her mind, its soothing presence washing over her and pushing away some of the keen interest she held. She still wanted to know about it, but it wasn¡¯t a burning desire any longer. Whatever it was that held a grip on her, it was eased. She knew it wasn¡¯t a mental presence - that would have been obvious to her newly acquired expertise - but her knowledge of other mental matters was impeded by a lack of other knowledge skills. She hazarded a guess, with what she did know, that it could possibly be a factor of her Magalyte Technology knowledge skill combined with her Doll body. If the two both provoked an interest in this item, and they combined¡­ It was all conjecture. The fact remained that she wasn¡¯t being attacked right now.


    When she activated it, if she could, she would make sure to have Liam on standby to monitor her, just in case there was a mental contagion involved with the weapon. She remembered stories of sentient weapons, and she had no foundation of knowledge on how to judge herself against something like that. You know, if they even existed. She cut off her train of thought - they were moving again, and she was getting nowhere with her guessing. The only thing to do would be to take another risk. She didn¡¯t know if she could live with herself if she left this an unknown forever.


    The two arrived at the inn shortly before Liam. He bore a look of irritation, hands in his pockets as he approached them. Cassandra was the first to greet him.


    ¡°Well, you look like you¡¯ve had a productive day. Anything we can help with?¡±


    ¡°Nah. No offence, but I think it might make things worse. I should have it sorted tomorrow, though. So, we¡¯ll have two things to celebrate then.¡±


    ¡°Two things?¡±


    Leah cut in. Liam and Cassandra gave her a look.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. You¡¯re gonna be an official adventurer, and therefore officially part of our party. That calls for a celebration if ever there is one.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll be getting our drinks on the cheap because its your first day, so this cheapskate naturally wants to cash in on that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, you aren¡¯t getting me drunk again.¡±


    Liam slapped her on the back, his foul mood alleviated already.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. We¡¯ll be getting drunk right alongside you this time. And there¡¯s no way you are slipping out of it either. Once the guildies in town find out theres a newb party being held, its going to be swamped with people.¡±


    Leah groaned, tilting her head back to the sky. It was rapidly becoming dark as they stood around outside, and both Liam and Cassandra noticed how tired they were after their long day. Liam especially, seeing as he had been up early that morning preparing their departure. Cass yawned, and gestured to the door.


    ¡°Maybe we should get our rooms sorted, and catch each other up?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense to me. But you¡¯re paying.¡±


    ¡°Oh hells no, I already paid out a fortune today, gearing up Leah when we realised you shorted her.¡±


    Cassandra gave him a dirty look.


    ¡°Seriously, 20 gold for a full adventurers set? Are you a lunatic, or just trying to get her killed?¡±


    Liam looked shocked, and took in what Leah was carrying for the first time, his eyes drawn straight to the sword.


    ¡°Cass. Cass, Cass, Cass. How much did you spend. Seriously.¡±


    ¡°Enough. And she¡¯ll not want for anything but armour for now.¡±


    Liam groaned, and shook his head.


    ¡°Whatever. We¡¯ll discuss this later. Let¡¯s get sorted first.¡±


    He turned to Leah.


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you for not stopping her.¡±


    ¡°Hey, she wanted to buy me nice things, who am I to say no to that?¡±


    They were apparently not the only ones looking for rooms in the inn. The inn keeper shook his head sadly.


    ¡°Only one, I¡¯m afraid. And I¡¯m only selling that you ¡®cos I know you¡¯ll get me in good with the guild.¡±


    ¡°Only selling that to us?¡±


    Cassandra leaned across the bar, and glared at the man, who held his hands up in submission.


    ¡°Nothing against you, miss, but my other customers, well, you know how funny people can be about¡­¡±


    He pointed to his ear, and gave an apologetic smile. Cassandra grunted in disgust, and looked around the room. True to his word, people were either avoiding her gaze, or glaring right on back. Leah followed her gaze around the room, and pulled her cloak in a little tighter. She had faced down undead of all shades, including a shade, bizarre mental apparitions and even the intense gaze of Byrne, but she never felt as ill at ease as she did in this room. The level of hostility towards them was palpable.


    ¡°Maybe we should find another-¡±


    ¡°Fuck no. We¡¯re paying for this room, and we¡¯ll enjoy our nights rest. Good thing we weren¡¯t planning on celebrating tonight after all, Liam.¡±


    Liam returned the inn keepers apologetic smile, and took their key.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be out of your hair soon. Oh, and uh¡­ if you want that recommendation, you¡¯re going to want to work on your hospitality. Because the guild doesn¡¯t take kindly to its affiliates running¡­ hostile environments.¡±


    The innkeeper nodded, and the three set off for their room, not wanting to risk taking a load off in the unwelcoming atmosphere of the public room. They found their room, and entered, Liam locking the door behind them. It was a fairly wide room, though only with a single bed and table as furnishings. A window, letting in the last dregs of light from outside, opened up onto a small alley behind the building. It was as bare as what Leah had come to expect in this town, and she found herself unable to wait to leave. But before that, she had something she had been looking forward to all evening. She dumped her packs in a corner, and settled down on the floor beside the bed, unhooking her scabbard to rest the sword across her legs. Liam and Cassandra both took notice.


    ¡°Ah, this¡­ extravagance. Why exactly did you pick up such a fancy sword, Cass?¡±


    ¡°Leah wanted it, so I bought it.¡±


    ¡°And thats it, is it? Pretty expensive for a romantic-¡±


    He wasn¡¯t quick enough to dodge her strike. She had seen that one coming a mile off.


    ¡°You baited me, you witch.¡±


    ¡°I did, and you fell for it. Anyway, no, its not just a ¡®romantic¡¯ gift, as you wrongly guessed. Leah?¡±


    Too busy examining her new acquisition to pay attention to the comrades ribbing, she looked up at the mention of her name.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, right. Yeah, its uh.¡±


    She lowered her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s a magalyte weapon. 95% certain.¡±


    Liam looked sceptical, and bent down to take a closer look at the sword across her knees.


    ¡°Are you sure about that? It looks fancy alright, but I don¡¯t see anything special-¡±


    Not wanting to go through the rigmarole of trying to convince him with words, she instead set to work proving it with actions. She slipped into her mind scape while Liam was mid sentence, where she found herself kneeling in much the same position, a facsimile of the sword resting across her knees. She knew from her knowledge skill that nearly all magalyte technology required certain prerequisites to activate - what these ones were, she didn¡¯t know, but she felt confident she met them. As for how to do so, that was another issue. The thing didn¡¯t exactly come with an instruction manual, but she had experience and knowledge with working her own body. A sword couldn¡¯t be that much more complex.


    It turns out it was. She sat for minutes in her mind scape, running through ideas. She tried to reach out to it mentally, but that failed immediately. Which also ruled out any likelihood of the sword mentally affecting her. Connections were two way, as she discovered just the other day. She had no physical connection to it, other than touch, so she had no way of directly interfacing with whatever systems the sword had internally. Running her mana over it as she did when she learnt mana detection also drew a blank for her. She was running out of ideas fast, and began to wonder if she even had the right compatibility for it, when a blindingly simple idea came over her. She felt along the sword¡¯s hilt for what she was looking for, and her mind slowed as it caught up to her physical actions. Then, she found it. The pommel twisted slightly, the clicked into a new position. All at once, she felt a rush of knowledge.

 Chapter Twenty

    [Item]


    Name: Magalyte Moonstone Rapier


    Class: Swords (Long)


    Rarity: Unique


    A sword forged in antiquity, this rapier contains within it special magalyte technologies.


    This weapon confers the following traits:


    Soulbound:


    This item belongs to a specific individual. This items traits will only function when wielded by said individual, unless it is given up of the owners free will.


    Eternally honed:


    This item requires no maintenance. A weapon with this trait will always keep its edge, and armour with it will never need to be polished. Additionally, only high levels of damage may cause damage to it.


    Keen edge:


    This weapon is especially useful at piercing armour. Sometimes, it almost feels as if it is drawn to weak points. Armour is less effective against this weapon, based on the wielders skill in using it.


    Mana Channel:


    This item can be used as a focus for wielding mana. The holder may use the highest of their Mana Focus skill or relevant item skill when using this item as a focus.


    Leah scanned through the burst of information as fast as it reached her. It¡­ almost seemed anticlimactic. Her expression must have shown to the others, because Cassandra prompted her.


    ¡°So? What is it? How good is it?¡±


    Her excitement was palpable, but couldn¡¯t dim Leah¡¯s disappointment. She¡¯d been expecting¡­ Well, she didn¡¯t really know. But this wasn¡¯t it. Wait. Correction, her submind nudged her. She wasn¡¯t disappointed with the weapon. She was disappointed because the feeling of excitement had fled. She recognised the feeling. It was a come down. Was Magalyte technology like a drug to her? Would the desire to learn more always be like this? That was a concerning thought. But at least having such items around didn¡¯t affect her constantly. She shook her head, and explained the weapons properties.


    ¡°So, not great, really.¡±


    ¡°Not great? Leah, thats a pretty awesome find for something in a pawn shop. Sure, its nothing special right now, but¡­ what did you say its rarity was?¡±


    ¡°Uh, Unique. Why?¡±


    ¡°There you go. Theres a lot of conflicting information about magalyte items, especially weapons and armour, but the one common thread is that they aren¡¯t considered enchanted items. Thats probably why no one ever thought it was anything special. That means they can be enchanted, on top of the properties it holds. So right now, thats just a high end rapier for you, but if you find the right person to tinker with it¡­¡±


    ¡°Plus, that Mana Channeling trait is tailor made for you. You couldn¡¯t have found a better fit in this town, no doubt.¡±


    Liam finished off. Leah looked down at her new acquisition, and pursed her lips.


    ¡°Well, its paid for now. And I do have to admit, it¡¯s still a nice weapon¡­¡±


    ¡°Still? What happened to all the excitement from before?¡±


    Leah explained her thinking about how magalyte technology might be affecting her mind. Cassandra leaned back, looking concerned, and turned her gaze to Liam. He sat, arms folded, and closed his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve not heard of anything like that before, but you are unique in a lot of ways. Maybe your, uh, heritage is affecting things. At any rate, you say the effect went after you learnt about the item?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, as soon as I analysed it, it left. Plus, when I wasn¡¯t around the sword-¡±


    ¡°Rapier.¡±


    ¡°Really? Are you going to correct me every time? Whatever. Rapier, the feeling disappeared as well.¡±


    Liam nodded, and opened his eyes.


    ¡°Ok, well. That doesn¡¯t change our plans much. At worst, it looks like you are gonna need to learn everything you can about magalyte tech we come across, which is our goal with bringing you along. If anything changes, though, and you feel like its getting worse, you need to let us know right away, ok?¡±


    Leah nodded, and decided to add a little levity back to the conversation.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ll abandon me once I stop being useful?¡±


    Liam picked up on it before Cassandra did, and grinned.


    ¡°Oh, of course. We aren¡¯t just carting you around out of the goodness of our hearts you know. So you better keep delivering results like this!¡±


    Cassandra gave him a stern look.


    ¡°Liam! We wouldn¡¯t abandon you, Leah.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. It was a joke. And a bad one, apparently.¡±


    Liam shook his head.


    ¡°Well, lets add that to the list of things we¡¯re celebrating. Our first, of hopefully many, discoveries!¡±


    He pumped his fist in the air, and the other two joined him.


    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m just about ready for bed. Speaking of¡­¡±


    He made for the only bed in a burst of speed, but he was too slow for Cassandra. She leapt on before him.


    ¡°Nope. Finders keepers.¡±


    ¡°Wh- I¡¯m paying for the room, you harlot!.¡±


    ¡°You snooze, you lose. Tell him, Leah.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯m going to call in that favour you two owe me, from staying up all night on watch. So, the bed should be mine.¡±


    Liam, realising he would be unable to get Cassandra out of the bed, even if it came to a fight, decided to go for a different tact.


    ¡°Well, the lady is right. But thats no reason why only one of us should have it. Why don¡¯t the two of you share?¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s blush was visible even through the dim light of the room, and was only compounded by Leah¡¯s confident answer.


    ¡°That makes sense! How gracious you are in defeat, Liam.¡±


    ¡°What can I say, I truly am a gentleman.¡±


    The next morning, Cassandra took Leah back to the guild to finalise her registration, while Liam went off to finish his own business. He remained tight lipped about it all through the night and into the morning, leaving Cassandra and Leah guessing as they walked through the town to their own destination.


    ¡°I still say good moneys on a secret lover.¡±


    ¡°Liam? Nope. No way. I think the man is physically incapable of being affectionate.¡±


    Leah gave a sly smile to Cassandra.


    ¡°Oh, affection isn¡¯t a prerequisite. Its just a nice bonus.¡±


    ¡°Funny. Anyway, we¡¯re here now, so we can end that conversation.¡±


    ¡°Aww, but we were just getting to the good parts.¡±


    ¡°Its over now.¡±


    The two entered into the guild building for the second time. This time, however, the building was crowded, with lines of people queueing up to be served at the counters. Leah and Cass took their place in the queue, and waited to be seen. To pass the time, Cassandra asked an adventurer in front of them what the deal was with everyone.


    ¡°Oh, you haven¡¯t heard yet? Apparently a huge horde of undead attacked a village nearby. Luckily, an adventuring group was there to fend them off, but theres bounties being posted to clear out the lot of them. No one wants the infestation to set in.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well, I guess we had heard then.¡±


    ¡°You had? Oh, you must have overheard the group making their report or something. Its a shame you didn¡¯t put the pieces together then - imagine getting first pick on this treasure trove.¡±


    ¡°Something like that, yeah¡­¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s glare got the man to turn away, likely wondering what it is he did wrong. Leah just shrugged at Cass.


    ¡°Does it really matter?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. But its still irritating.¡±


    The queue moved quickly, as people left after hearing their chosen bounty had been taken. Leah overheard some talking about claiming the general bounty for proof of undead kills. Well, if they were going to deal with things, it would make Leah¡¯s life easier not having to worry about undead after them again. They were soon at the counter, being seen by a different clerk - admin, Leah had to remind herself - than before.


    ¡°Yes, can I help?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my friend here signed on yesterday. We wanted to know the status of her application?¡±


    ¡°I see. Your name please? Thank you, one moment please.¡±


    The admin disappeared into a back room, and Leah and Cassandra were ushered off to the side by another clerk. She was soon back, holding a folder.


    ¡°Yes, it was approved in short order. The proclamation hasn¡¯t been sent out to the wider reaches yet, but that shouldn¡¯t be an issue for you.¡±


    She placed the folder in front of Leah, and opened it up. Inside was a card, and a document.


    ¡°Please sign here, to show you have received your guild card.¡±


    Leah read over the document, as she had before. It was, again, fairly boilerplate. Card denotes you as an official - Card carrying, heh - member of the guild, costs go to the individual to replace it if lost, if you find a lost card, please return it to the nearest guild hall. Etc. Etc. Very standard stuff that she¡¯d expected. At the bottom, it told her that signing this document will be used as proof that she had received it, and that all responsibilities for it are transfered to her. She signed, and picked up the card, getting her first good look at one. It was, well, nothing special. A piece of rectangular metal, the size and shape of a business card, with some sort of writing surface pasted onto it and her name in the top left. Underneath that were the words Adventurers Guild, and a rank, hers being one. That seemed pretty self explanatory, so she didn¡¯t bother asking now. They were already being hassled from behind by other adventurers who wanted to speak to a clerk. She could always ask Liam or Cassandra about it later, anyway.


    The two stepped away from the counter, and moved away from the crowd to a more empty space. Leah looked over the card, flipped it to check the back - plain metal, it seemed - before tucking it away for safety.


    ¡°So, now what?¡±


    ¡°Now, we see how well you handle that new toy of yours. Guild membership gets you access to the training grounds here, among other things, so we may as well make good use of them.¡±


    Leah didn¡¯t see any reason to say no, so the two set off to the back of the hall, passing through a doorway and following the signs marking their way to the training ground. Another doorway opened up into a small courtyard, likely at the very centre of the building, which let in the morning light nicely. A few others were there, hacking away at mannequins while others spurred them on or gave them advice. Cassandra took a few steps forward, then turned to face Leah.


    ¡°So. Like before, I¡¯ll start with one sword, then we¡¯ll move on to two.¡±


    True to her word, the training did progress in much the same way as their training in the village had. Cassandra started with one sword, taking Leah through the differences that fighting with a rapier entailed. Leah felt like her skill was aiding in this, which made sense, considering the rapier was also considered a longsword by the systems rules. It took getting rapped on the hands by the flat of Cassandra¡¯s blade to get the training to really sink in though. She needed to stay back and lunge in, parrying strikes that came her way and redirecting them away from her. That was the majority of her training, getting used to redirecting Cassandra¡¯s strikes. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t see any improvements to her skill. Cassandra had an answer to that.


    ¡°That makes sense. You improved your skills through a completely different sword style - with you learning a new one, you¡¯d expect to see some time before you saw any further improvements to your skill. Once you have the fundamentals down, though, and you are actually practising again, then you¡¯ll likely start to see some gains.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t count on it, my dear. It takes weeks of dedicated training to reach level 10 through the use of a rapier, even for someone with¡­ actual talent for it.¡±


    Their sparring was interrupted by a voice that Leah could only describe as someone trying to sound regal. The two turned to face the newcomer.


    ¡°And you would be..?¡±


    The man was wearing half plate armour, and stood at about Cassandra¡¯s height. At his waist was a rapier of his own, though not as elaborate as Leah¡¯s. His face, though, was his most distinctive feature. Half buried behind bright red hair, his features could barely be made out. His beard covered most of the bottom of his face, and was tied off into a braid, tucked into the top of his armour, and his hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail. His sneer, though, was clearly visible, on both his face and in his voice.


    ¡°Graham Ingram, knight, and if its not too bold for me to say, master fencer. And you?¡±


    ¡°None of your business, ¡®Sir¡¯ knight. If you would kindly fuck off.¡±


    Cassandra turned back to Leah, so they could continue their sparring, but froze as she heard the air whistling beside her. Her own blade went up to match Graham¡¯s rapier, just as Leah¡¯s joined the meeting. She hadn¡¯t been idle, and had a good view of what was going on, plus the added benefit of her increased ability to process what was going on. She had seen him unsheathe his rapier, and shouting a warning to Cassandra just as the elf was turning to meet him herself. A trifecta of blades met in the air between the three, their wielders frozen for a moment as they all caught up to what happened.


    ¡°Hm. Some small talent then, it seems.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put aside the fact you just tried to assault me if you leave. Now.¡±


    ¡°Assault? Such strong words, my dear. We are in a training ground, after all, accidents do happen. Nothing need be reported, hmm?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see you leaving yet.¡±


    ¡°And you aren¡¯t the one I¡¯m interested in. No, you now,¡±


    He turned to face Leah, withdrawing his sword to his side as the others did the same.


    ¡°You do interest me. A beauty wielding such a beautiful weapon¡­ A match made in the heavens! But sadly, such a blade is wasted on your talent. Allow me to purchase it from you.¡±


    Really. Flattery, after that? The man was either full of himself, a lunatic, or both. Leah looked down at the rapier she had barely had time to get to know, and gave it a twirl through the air as if considering her options. Then, she shook her head.


    ¡°Nope. Not happening.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ll pay far and away above the odds for it, I assure you-¡±


    ¡°The lady said it isn¡¯t happening, now kindly piss off so we can get back to our practise.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s hand went to her other sword, and brought it out an inch as a threat. Graham¡¯s eyes drifted down to the other blade, and he rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, really now. Fine, if I must descend to your level - A duel for the blade, then. If I win, I get the sword, if not, well, I¡¯m sure we can-¡±


    ¡°Really? I refused to sell it, and now you think I¡¯ll just let it go for free? You must really think me to be a fool.¡±


    ¡°I shan¡¯t take no for an answer on this matter, I assure you-¡±


    Cassandra stepped between the two, her blades fully drawn now.


    ¡°If you are itching for a fight so bad, why not face me down? Unless you, ¡®Sir¡¯ Knight, enjoy beating on those who can¡¯t fight back for their belongings? I¡¯m sure that would go down a treat amongst your¡­ nobler circles.¡±


    He looked Cassandra up and down, as if seeing her for the first time, his eyes going to her swords, then to his own. He seemed to do the calculus in his head, and sheathed his blade, grimacing.


    ¡°Blast you, the both of you. I can assure you this is not over.¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, fuck off. Or I¡¯ll be telling the guild about your harassment.¡±


    He turned on his heel, and strode off, pushing past a pair of adventurers who were coming the other way. Cassandra shook her head, and turned back to face Leah, who was smiling at her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Just didn¡¯t expect you to stand up for me quite like that.¡±


    ¡°Against that arsehole? There was nothing to stand up against, he was all bark and no bite. Besides, you went for his blade when he went for me.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, my hero.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s blush was worth the whole encounter, and Leah even managed to score some good hits. She really must be distracted, Leah thought, glad that she could think of two things at once.


    Liam returned to the church, this time with an appointment in hand. And with a bit of luck, this day would be more productive, and with less time spent sitting in a hallway, with a grumpy priest staring him down. No, this time it will be a grumpy bishop doing the staring. He hadn¡¯t even managed to see a hair on the mans head the day before, so any progress would be good. This time, he didn¡¯t bother to stop in the main hall. He went straight for the back of the church, and damn anyone who tried to stop him. To his surprise, he actually managed to get through the door without a single bothersome priest stopping him, or even asking where he was going. That was a red flag that had him on edge. He followed the hall around to the door he had been sat at the day before. The chair was still there, but this time, the handle turned when he tested it. Red flag two. But no use worrying about that. He had an appointment to keep. He turned the handle all the way, and entered the room, his other hand on the dagger at his waist.


    Inside was as bare as he expected of the buildings in this town. Nothing to draw his rogues eye, nothing to slyly pocket. Nothing to even admire. Only a plain wooden desk and two chairs, the one behind the desk inhabited by the only attractive thing in the room. The woman looked up from her papers, and peered at Liam.


    ¡°Ah, you must be the one who wanted to see me. And what is it that I can do for you?¡±


    Liam blinked, and opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again, thinking better. She clearly understood the intent, because her face cracked into a smile.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t expecting a female bishop, I see?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, no. I¡¯ve heard church doctrine wasn¡¯t too¡­ keen on the idea.¡±


    The woman motioned for Liam to sit in the chair opposite her, then steepled her fingers.


    ¡°Doctrines come and go with the times, and I¡¯ve survived much worse than a mere displeasure at female priests. As evidenced by my current role.¡±


    Liam took the offered seat, his hand still warily on his dagger, but he relaxed somewhat at the forthcoming nature of the priest. Which, he hazarded a thought, might be her intention.


    ¡°And I presume the backwater assignment is the compromise you were given for sticking around.¡±


    Her smile only widened at his answer.


    ¡°You are a sharp one, aren¡¯t you. I¡¯m not surprised you managed to convince Garret to come see me.¡±


    ¡°Stubborn too. He had me wait the whole damn day for you. I take it you were in on that?¡±


    ¡°Why, of course. My time is precious, I can¡¯t be seen to see anyone who comes knocking at my door. Tongues would wag, soon enough.¡±


    Liam shrugged.


    ¡°I take it you didn¡¯t just want to see me for the small talk, though.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Garret tells me you have with you a curse, and a powerful one at that.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Liam took the vial from a pocket deep within his armour, and carefully unwrapped the padded cloth around it. He lay it gently on the table, fearful of breaking it and letting loose the demon inside it again. Bishop Galston leaned down, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the scroll within.


    ¡°Where, pray tell, did you find this?¡±


    ¡°On the corpse of Latasha. Or thereabouts, anyway.¡±


    The bishops eyes filled with shock, ripped away from her examination to stare at Liam.


    ¡°You killed Latasha?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, not exactly. I think she was dead when we got there. Of her own hand, no less.¡±


    She looked back down at the vial, and Liam followed her gaze.


    ¡°And I am to assume that this scroll was involved with the¡­ incident?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But, like I said, the damn thing is cursed.¡±


    He pulled off the glove he had taken to wearing again, grimacing as the leather inside rubbed against his still raw wound. The bishop tutted at the sight of his injury, and held out a hand for him. Placing his hand on hers, he felt blessed relief as a golden glow surrounded his fingers, running down his arm and eating away at the red lines on his flesh.


    ¡°I see, I see¡­ Not a curse for killing, but¡­ controlling. Who knows what the purpose of it is, but¡­ hmm.¡±


    Her analysis of the injury complete, and the wound healed, she turned her attention back to the scroll within the vial.


    ¡°I think you made the right decision coming to me with this. I cannot say what is contained on this artifact, but if it was important enough for the Psychomancer to curse it, then it should not fall into the wrong hands.¡±


    ¡°And I should trust that yours aren¡¯t the wrong ones?¡±


    ¡°I think you should trust any help you can get right now. You are blessedly fortunate that that curse was halted before it reached your mind. I do not think even the Emperors personal healers could recover your mind from that.¡±


    Liam shivered, realising now just how close he had come to ruin from an innocuous object. He would definitely need to invest more heavily into trap detection. Or whatever the subskill was that detected curses. Damn near anything could hold something that dangerous.


    ¡°So, you think you can break the curse on the scroll?¡±


    ¡°Myself? No, I do not. However, I have contacts that will. Contacts that can be trusted to be discreet, and understand the danger of what they are working with.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to turn this scroll over to the church?¡±


    ¡°The church, no. But, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, you came from Kryp¡¯s Ford, no?¡±


    Liam nodded, grasping where she was going with this.


    ¡°So it was Alistair who sent you. Ah, that man. He should have sent a message ahead of you. No matter. You will not be turning over the scroll to the church, you will-¡±


    ¡°Be turning it over to the Path?¡±


    Her eyebrow raised at his comment.


    ¡°Oh, so you walk with us?¡±


    ¡°I take a parallel path, you could say. I¡¯m in close contact with members, though.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, if you are aware of the our goals, then you will know what a great boon a scroll from a Psychomancer could be to us. You will of course, be compensated-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be compensated. I just need to know whats on it. It has, ah, personal ramifications.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I cannot say for certain how long the process will take to complete. Nor can I assume you will be staying here beyond the immediate future. But if you make contact with the Path in the future, I can assure you any brokers will have the information for you when it is ready. That much at least, I can guarantee.¡±


    Liam nodded, deciding that this was the best he could hope for.


    ¡°Now, is there anything else I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Well, now that you mention it¡­¡±

 [META] Updates on my health situation

    So, I made this a regular post, rather than the foreword of my next chapter, for reasons that will become obvious soon, as well as to ensure that people who don''t read the authors notes are in the loop. Sorry for getting anyones hopes up about a release!


    As anyone who follows my authors notes knows, I have taken ill over the last week. This is actually a combination of things - first was an illness that will hopefully pass soon, which coincided with my medication for a previously controlled illness losing effectiveness. I''d prefer not to get into details, lest I be forced to update my tags again, but the long and short of things are that I have changed medications, which will entail a whole host of temporary side effects. Compounded with me currently being ill, my output is going to be effectively nil for another week or so.


    Worry not though, dear readers. This time in isolation will not be spent fruitlessly. While I am unable to write or edit effectively, I can still think, and make some light notes. Its my goal to go over what I already have planned out, and do a complete overhaul, hopefully getting things more fleshed out and ready for when I am able to write again. The upshot for all of you is, I am effectively placing the fiction on a VERY temporary hiatus, while I recover and adapt to the new medication, but when it returns, there will hopefully be an uptick in quality.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I apologise for the timing of this, though I had no control over it. This of course comes at an awkward time in my fictions life cycle, and if I could maintain the pace I''m at, I would. However, as some of you have said, my health comes first, and I would be doing you all a disservice if I continued to write while not at my peak condition. I hope that when this ordeal is over, you will continue to enjoy my work. I will be working to make sure this break is as minor as possible.


    Thank you all again for reading this far!

 Intermission Three

    Graham Ingram approached the mirror, apprehension filling his every step. All the confidence in the world that he was right meant nothing to the consequences if he was wrong. But, he had a duty, and that duty demanded that he make the summons and present his findings. With trembling fingers, he touched the glossy black surface of the mirror, and from his touch, a ripple of darker black flowed across. Then, all was still for a moment, until the silence was broken by a voice, like centuries old parchment rasping together, though still clearly female.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Graham swallowed. This was the precipice - no, the precipice had already been crossed. This was the judgement. All he could do now was present what he had found, and pray to a god that may not be listening any longer.


    ¡°My lady, I come with good, no, grand news. I-I think I have found the source that you have been looking for.¡±


    Silence reigned once more. All Graham could hear was the sound of his own heart, pounding in his ears, the sound of his life that may soon be stopped.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°¡­How certain are you?¡±


    ¡°The device you gave me, it pulled me towards her, so-¡±


    ¡°Her? It is alive?¡±


    Even through the voice¡¯s monotonous scraping, surprise could be felt. That spoke to Graham that he had found something even his mistress did not know. The stakes had been raised higher. No longer could he count on losing his gifts if he failed - she may actually kill him if he is wrong.


    ¡°Y-Yes, lady, she is. Or at least, she thinks she is. I am unclear, this is occult knowledge beyond me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ very well. I will take the time to parse this. Follow this¡­ source, and preserve it until I arrive. I will not take long.¡±


    And with that, the deeper sheen of the mirror shattered, leaving only a deep black behind. In the darkness of the hidden chamber, Graham shivered. Though he could not understand them, he could feel the weight of the complexities weighing down on him. He wished once more that he could glean from them an understanding of what his actions would entail - perhaps, if he was right, the lady of the night would grant him that knowledge.

 Chapter Twenty One

    As planned, Liam arrived back at the Inn by the time the sun was setting. He¡¯d even managed to get his own shopping done, which was a bonus as far as he was concerned. That just left another day free for him to relax like the other two had been doing. Or at least, he assumed they had been doing. Both had wet hair, indicating they had just returned from the baths once more - something Liam hadn¡¯t found the time to enjoy as of yet. He would have to find some way to get revenge for this outrage.


    ¡°Well, I see you two have had a productive day. And how were the baths?¡±


    ¡°Actually, we did. It wouldn¡¯t do to turn up covered in sweat after training all day.¡±


    Liam raised his eyebrows at Cassandra, not fully believing her. He turned his attention to Leah, who confirmed.


    ¡°Yep. Definitely training all day.¡±


    ¡°Well you sound convincing. But, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to get the truth out of the both of you later.¡±


    ¡°Later? Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Cassandra slapped Leah on the back.


    ¡°I hope you hadn¡¯t forgotten what was going to happen today. We are going to get all of your secrets out tonight!¡±


    Leah groaned, not looking forward to another inevitable hangover, yet not seeing any way out of her situation. It seems the both of them were dead set on living it up tonight, and nothing Leah could do or say was going to stop them from dragging her along. That didn¡¯t mean she was going down without a fight though.


    ¡°Really guys, I get it, but I¡¯m not exactly looking forward to the morning¡­ I might just sit this one out.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, you aren¡¯t getting out of it that easily. This is a celebration, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°And a wake.¡±


    That got Leah and Cassandra¡¯s attention. Liam left a moments pause before continuing.


    ¡°I spoke to the bishop of the local church today. Among other things, she¡¯s going to sort out the burials for the others when their bodies arrive.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But, no reason we can¡¯t celebrate their lives now. I mean, the ale is going to be flowing anyway, and I know Marigold wouldn¡¯t forgive us if we passed up a golden opportunity like this.¡±


    ¡°Cheap ale, cheap party. Yeah, that was definitely her style.¡±


    The both of them looked at Leah again.


    ¡°And she absolutely wouldn¡¯t let you get away from living it up with us tonight. So, are you going to chicken out and disrespect the dead.¡±


    ¡°Low blow guys, low blow. Fine. You¡¯ve twisted my arm. But I am going to be grumpy at you tomorrow, and you don¡¯t get to complain about it.¡±


    ¡°No promises.¡±


    After checking in with the admins for a guild affiliated tavern, the party set off together in the direction they were pointed. It didn¡¯t take long for them to find it - the gathering of obvious adventurers outside gave it up pretty quick. A pair spotted their arrival, and cheered, walking over to slap Leah on the back. She glared over at Cassandra, who gave a dramatically faked shrug and smirked.


    ¡°Oh, someone, I couldn¡¯t say who, MAY have let slip that there may be a newbie signing on today, and that anyone interested should make their way over here first.¡±


    ¡°And you did this, why exactly?¡±


    ¡°Its not exactly a party if its just the three of us. Besides, if you stop drinking, the discounts go away, so now theres plenty of people around who have a vested interest in keeping you here.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want you slipping away without us. The streets are dangerous at night!¡±


    Liam chipped in, nudging Leah¡¯s back.


    ¡°Damn you guys- Wait, if you knew where we were going, why did you have to ask for directions?¡±


    Liam whistled and turned away. Cassandra spoke up for him.


    ¡°Well, just in case there were any stragglers who didn¡¯t know what was going on. You didn¡¯t wonder why he spoke so loudly?¡±


    ¡°Monsters. The both of you are monsters.¡±


    ¡°Monsters who planned you an epic party. And will now proceed to get you drunk to match. Come on, lets get in there.¡±


    The night started with a cheer, and a flood of people, once waiting, crowding the bartender. The poor man had been warned in advance that there would be a newbies party that night, but nothing could have prepared him for the tide of grizzled veterans and toughened fighters, now flocking to his establishment to drink him dry at a discount. It was just one of the negatives that came with being guild affiliated - you had to provide for these sorts of events. The consistent income certainly helped to alleviate that, though, so he couldn¡¯t complain. Leah and company managed to force their way through eventually, once the crowd had parted enough for the three to get past. A single look from the barkeep told the three that he knew this was all their fault, but they were served all the same. As soon as tankards were in front of them and in hand, they were shoved to the side, another group not wanting to wait for one of the assistants to take their order.


    The party made their way over to a table, which was vacated with a quick word from Liam. They took their seats, and Leah stared into her tankard, as if dreading what was to come. That got her another slap on the shoulder from Cassandra.


    ¡°Ah, come on! Whats the worst that can happen?¡±


    ¡°The worst? The worst is I create more stories that none of you are allowed to tell. Except this time, it¡¯ll be in front of people I may have to see again.¡±


    ¡°Never say never. Who knows if we¡¯ll ever go back to Kryp¡¯s Ford?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t. They know my new deepest, darkest secrets.¡±


    ¡°And as do we. And unless you want them to accidentally slip out, well, you might just want to start drinking.¡±


    Leah answered Cassandra¡¯s smirk with a glare, but picked her drink up and took a big old gulp. It was rough and nasty stuff, but it was far from the worst booze Leah had ever stomached. And tasting it brought back memories. Memories of a simpler time, when the only things she had to worry about were exams, and her impending fate of being a cog in the machine of some company. Times when she wasn¡¯t at risk of dying almost every single day. Times when things were¡­ boring. She¡¯d barely been in this world a week, and she had no idea what she was doing here, but things felt¡­ better. Like she COULD do something. Like she wasn¡¯t just drifting through life in a haze, living just to die one day. Which, now that Leah thought about it, she had. She¡¯d gone to a party, gotten drunk, and died. She could remember everything about it. The sensations¡­ Safe to say, alcohol did not have many good memories associated with it. But if she was going to live in this world, then she needed to live. There was nothing else for it. She would just have to create new memories to associate with beer. And if nothing else, getting drunk would certainly help purge the nastier thoughts of her wasted life.


    She drank again, and drank deep, to cheers from Cassandra and Liam. This brought on cheers from the table over, and soon a small crowd had gathered to cheer her on in pounding the whole thing. She slammed the now empty tankard down on the table, metal ringing against wood, and looked between Liam and Cassandra.


    ¡°Well? You wanted me to party? Lets hope you have what it takes to keep up.¡±


    Liam grinned, and stood up, placing one foot on the table and ignoring the resulting glare from the barkeep. He put his hands around his mouth and shouted out.


    ¡°Friends! Comrades! Today we welcome into our ranks a new adventurer! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re appreciative of the evening we have in store for us, so lets hear some of that appreciation for Leah¡­¡±


    He trailed off in the middle of his speech, and look down to Leah.


    ¡°Uh, well. This is awkward. What IS your surname?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve never asked?¡±


    Leah was leaning back in her chair, not one hundred percent happy with the attention, but finding it tolerable with the warm glow suffusing her.


    ¡°It never came up in conversation! Can you blame us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can find something to blame on you. Eppling, seeing as asked so nicely.¡±


    ¡°Eppling!¡±


    He returned to shouting. A cheer rose up, though tempered with a few in the crowd shaking their heads. Liam look back down to Leah, looking sheepish.


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry just yet.¡±


    The night moved on, and with it, so did people. Some came, and some left, but the tavern remained bustling well into the night. The promise of cheap drinks to a group that faces danger on a daily basis is something that rarely goes unanswered. Contrary to their intentions, Liam and Cassandra didn¡¯t force Leah to get blitzed. Instead, the party of three paced themselves, taking their time and nursing their drinks - after Leah¡¯s display, of course. Nevertheless, they found themselves getting drunker and drunker as the evening wore on, especially once the drinking games began. Leah was dragged into a few of them, before she gracefully bowed out, followed by a quite tipsy elf ranger. The two of them found themselves leaning against a wall outside, taking in some fresh air and a break from the noise inside. Liam had promised he¡¯d been right behind them, but Cassandra had some words on that topic.


    ¡°I doubt he¡¯ll be out here any time soon. I guarantee you, he¡¯s convinced them to place bets now, and is busy fleecing them all of their latest earnings.¡±


    Leah shook her head, a smile on her face. The evening was cool, but not unpleasant. Absent of the wind that seemed ever present in this part of the world, the temperature was almost perfect for sitting outside. Just a hair too cold to be perfect, but not enough to warrant an extra layer. She drew her cloak in tighter regardless, the warmth inside her countered slightly by the air around her. She leaned her head back against the wall, and looked up at the stars.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve not had a chance to actually look at the sky yet.¡±


    Cassandra followed her gaze up.


    ¡°Huh. Yeah, I¡¯d not thought of that. It must be completely different from what you¡¯re used to, right?¡±


    ¡°Sort of.¡±


    Leah tilted her head and squinted at a cluster that was maybe, probably a constellation.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t, honestly, be able to tell you much about the sky from my home. I know we had constellations, and people navigated by them, but for me, they were just pretty. And these stars¡­ Well, at least I can see these ones.¡±


    ¡°See them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I won¡¯t get into the specifics about light pollution, but you were right about me being a city dweller. And our cities, well, they are so bright at night, that they blot out the stars. Even out in the country, you can¡¯t see all that many. Here though, even with the lanterns and torches, you can see so many¡­¡±


    Cassandra nodded, not quite understanding the specifics, but appreciating at least this was something of a new experience for Leah. The two sat in companionable silence for a few moments, both watching the stars and clouds drifting by, the raucous sounds leaking out from the tavern rising and falling as people entered and left through the door. Then, Cassandra pointed at a cluster.


    ¡°There. That cluster, do you see it? The almost square shaped one.¡±


    Leah followed where she was pointing, scanned for a moment, then nodded.


    ¡°Those are the Yearmarks. As the months go past, you can see more or less of them. You can always tell what time of the year it is, just by looking at those stars. Well, more or less anyway.¡±


    She moved her hand to another cluster, this one seemingly without form.


    ¡°And that ones the Longshot. Or Deera¡¯s steed, if you aren¡¯t from Saelong, at any rate. I don¡¯t know about the human name, but ours is named after a master marksman. Its said she aimed for that constellation, and fired an arrow that crossed the continent to reach its mark.¡±


    ¡°That sounds a little ridiculous.¡±


    Cassandra chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah, it sure does, doesn¡¯t it? But its a nice story.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can tell me more one day.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll do just that.¡±


    The two sat again in silence, Leah waging an internal war on whether to make her move now. She was about to speak up, when she was silenced by a hand on her own. She turned to face Cassandra to see the elf facing her as well.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to ruin things, but¡­ Dammit, this sounded so much better in my-¡±


    Her doubts washed away, Leah smiled, and leaned in to kiss Cassandra. It only lasted a second, but felt like an eternity for the both of them, before Leah finally broke away.


    ¡°Took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°I- Uh, wait what just happened?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is, but I didn¡¯t expect you-¡±


    ¡°To be so forward about it? Cass, you said it yourself. We¡¯re both adults. We both find each other attractive. Why not see where this goes?¡±


    Cass looked away slightly, blushing from her ears to her cheeks, ears quivering slightly.


    ¡°That makes sense. I just, really, I just didn¡¯t expect you to see me like that too.¡±


    ¡°Cassandra, you are beautiful and strong. And smart and skilled. Of course I¡¯d find you attractive.¡±


    That brought a tilt of the head out of Cassandra, as if she were in deep thought over something. She paused for a moment, then continued.


    ¡°Thats¡­ not exactly what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You assumed I wouldn¡¯t bat for that team?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to go ahead and chalk that one up to another cultural difference before we do that whole charade again. Yes, that.¡±


    ¡°Well. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t exactly sure of it myself. For you, I mean.¡±


    Leah looked up at the stars once more.


    ¡°I guess that was just my own prejudices though. This world, in some ways, is similar to my own. At a certain point in time, anyway. So¡­¡±


    ¡°So you applied that sort of thinking to this one, despite the fact that, from what you tell me, theres a whole load of differences.¡±


    Cassandra punched Leah on the arm, gently, but hard enough to draw attention. Leah looked back down to see Cassandra smiling at her.


    ¡°For all that intelligence of yours, you can be really stupid sometimes, you know?¡±


    Leah shrugged, and returned the smile.


    ¡°Can you blame me? I¡¯ve clearly been struck dumb by your presence.¡±


    They shared another moment, before Leah asked what had been on her mind since Cassandra first prompted the thought.


    ¡°So, seeing as I¡¯m clearly applying the wrong thinking to this world, I¡¯ll just ask. Its not considered wrong to be, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Gay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that. Its not wrong here is it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. For most people, its just a fact about you. Theres enough trouble in the world for things like that to be an issue, even if someone does have a problem with it.¡±


    Looking off into the middle distance, Cassandra continued.


    ¡°Thats not to say its all easy sailing. I know in human society that nobles look down upon it, at least in public. Passing on appropriate titles to heirs, and securing strategic marriages, thats considered important to them. And that sort of thinking trickles down to the common folk. And for elvish society¡­ well, thats complicated, and I¡¯m far too sober to even begin to describe the clusterfuck that is our culture.¡±


    She looked back over at Leah, who was listening intently.


    ¡°As for dwarves - relevant, because we¡¯ll staying among them soon - we¡¯re in luck. They give about as much of a damn about who you like as they do about anything else.¡±


    Leah gave a half smile. This was all important information, but she wasn¡¯t exactly pleased to hear that some things had stayed the same between worlds. Though what had prompted her smile was something else.


    ¡°Something funny?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. Just, it seems that some of my prejudices have prepared me for this world.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s look of confusion begged for an answer, so Leah delivered.


    ¡°Dwarves. They love mining, drinking and fighting, am I right?¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s stare pierced into her soul, and for a moment, Leah was convinced she had said something seriously bad. Then, the moment was broken with a sigh from Cass.


    ¡°Really¡­ You are going to be so much work, you know that? How am I going to prepare you to not get your knees blown out before we get to Ironshod?¡±


    ¡°Well, look on the bright side. You get to spend lots of time with me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The night drew in, and so did the cold. Leah and Cassandra took that as their cue to head back inside. And from there, the night continued on without incident - almost without incident, that is. It wasn¡¯t long before they found Liam. It didn¡¯t take them long. He was the one busy talking someone down from starting a fight with him. Leah and Cassandra shared a look that conveyed they were both thinking the same thing. It might be time to intervene.


    ¡°I can assure you, I have no way of cheating, even if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! You¡¯re a- You¡¯re a Rogue, I know your type. You snuck some cards up your sleeves!¡±


    ¡°I took my jacket off to show you I wasn¡¯t doing that! I don¡¯t have any sleeves to hide cards!¡±


    True to his word, Liam was now jacketless, and underneath his leather armour was a vest which distinctly lacked any arm coverings. Nonetheless, the drunken adventurer persisted in his accusations.


    ¡°Then¡­ I dunno, some rogueish card hole or something. I bet you have a skill for that!¡±


    ¡°Some rogueish- Cass, help me out here?¡±


    Catching sight of the pair, Liam turned, his face awash with a plaintive expression. Until he looked down and saw their hands, and his facade of concern dropped immediately.


    ¡°Dammit! I knew I should have taken bets.¡±


    ¡°Oh, because of course you would know before I did.¡±


    Cassandra frowned at the Spy.


    ¡°And there I was, about to help you, but if you are that good at working things out, I guess you can manage this on your own. Come on Leah.¡±


    Turning away, and pulling Leah with her, Cassandra made it less than two steps before Liam¡¯s voice caught up to them.


    ¡°Ok, ok, I¡¯ll apologise later, but seriously, I think this is about to get out of-¡±


    He was cut off, and Leah, who was still looking back at him, saw why. The bulky man who had been merely confrontational up until this point had decided to take a swing at the now distracted rogue. Though clearly, either rogueish skills or years of practise saved Liam, who ducked the drunken, though no less accurate, swing, and tucked into a roll away, in the direction of Leah and Cass. The commotion got Cassandra¡¯s attention, and she whipped around with practised ease, letting go of Leah and settling into a fighting stance. Pushing off lightly with her feet, she landed next to Liam right as he got to his feet, and caught his assailant on the nose with the heel of her palm. Liam turned to her with a grin as the man reeled back from her strike.


    ¡°I guess thats another one I owe you?¡±


    ¡°At this point I should just consider it the price of knowing you. Must you cheat in every tavern we pass through?¡±


    ¡°Funny you should say that, this time I actually wasn¡¯t trying to cheat.¡±


    ¡°So it just comes naturally now?¡±


    Their conversation was interrupted by the man¡¯s friends joining in, having kicked away their stools and waded into what was rapidly becoming a bar brawl. Leah, who was stood on the fringes of a growing circle around them, weighed up the options in her mind. Cassandra and Liam were clearly outnumbered 2 to 1, but their opponents were many skin fulls deep. Even still, they could do with an extra pair of hands. She stepped forward, right as the chanting and cheering began around them. Cass had caught a blow on her elbow, while swinging her knee into her targets crotch, while Liam had another¡¯s arm in a complicated lock, keeping the woman in his grip between himself and another who was trying to work out how to get to him. Leah¡¯s clumsy fingers were reaching out to the fourth assailant, who was coming up behind Cassandra, when she was noticed. The one she was reaching out to changed his aim, and swung his arm out in a wide arc towards her head. Tipsy, and her gaze focused more on Cassandra than the danger in front of her, Leah caught his hand full in the face, and went down. Stars swam in her vision, and a dull throb spread from the back of her head to the front. All the sounds around her seemed to mute for a second, slowly coming back into focus as she felt a thud beside her. A pair of hands hauled her up from her armpits, and she felt herself being dragged off. Blearily, she could see the four drunks laid out where they had been fighting, the crowd around them looking to each other in confusion and disappointment. That didn¡¯t seem important though. She closed her eyes, letting sleep take her.


    Leah awoke on a bed, sitting bolt upright within a moment of waking. She¡¯d never woken up so fast, her mind was racing. External damage, minimal. Internal damage, statistically insignificant. Processing unit suffering minor concussion, damage control protocols in effect. 99.8% operating efficiency. She breathed a sigh of relief, even if she wasn¡¯t exactly sure why. She had a feeling that some sort of diagnostic had been run without her input, which would explain the thoughts that flashed through her mind, though not why she woke up so quickly. She looked to her right, and saw Cass reeling back in shock. Leah reddened in realisation. It must have been Cass that woke her up.


    ¡°I, uh... Did you touch me?¡±


    ¡°On your forehead, yes, but¡­ lie down, you could have a concussion!¡±


    Leah was forced back down on the bed by Cassandra¡¯s (Strong, soft, she noticed) hands. Not wanting to fight, she let herself be manhandled, biting back the comment that if she was concussed, giving her whiplash on top of things wasn¡¯t the best idea. She looked up and over at Cassandra.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Long enough for me to worry. How many fingers am I holding up?¡±


    ¡°One, and thats a very rude gesture where I¡¯m from.¡±


    Cassandra looked at her hand, middle finger raised, and frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if thats a cultural difference, you are messing with me, or you really are brain addled. I knew I should have spent more time learning first aid¡­¡±


    Leah rubbed the back of her head, where she could already feel a lump forming. She winced with pain from the contact, which pulled Cassandra¡¯s attention back to her.


    ¡°Stop touching it. You¡¯ll do more damage.¡±


    ¡°Its fine. Minor damage at worst. Perks of being a living computer, apparently, I get to know how badly my brain is damaged.¡±


    ¡°You know you aren¡¯t doing much to allay my fears, with these odd words. Especially after you saw something rude about that gesture. Do you mind explaining?¡±


    Leah sighed, and a small smile made its way into her expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re older. I¡¯m not about to die from brain damage, though, so you don¡¯t need to worry about me. If you are that worried though¡­¡±


    She shuffled over in the bed, and patted the spot beside her.


    ¡°You can sleep here tonight and keep watch over me.¡±


    The reddening of Cassandra¡¯s face was visible even in the gloom of their room. Leah stepped in before Cass could come up with an excuse.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired, Cass. So I¡¯m not really in the mood to play more games. We¡¯re a thing now, so shut up and sleep next to me. I¡¯m not in any condition to do anything untoward.¡±


    Cassandra paused for a moment, then smiled, standing up from the chair she was on to sit on the bed next to Leah.


    ¡°A ¡®thing¡¯, eh? Thats going to take some getting used to.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up and get into bed. We can talk about it more in the morning. And you can tell me just how you laid out 4 adventurers in a matter of seconds too, while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    Pulling off her boots, Cassandra looked around at Leah.


    ¡°You remember that?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t that out of it. Just dazed. That was quite impressive.¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a very impressive woman.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stroke your ego when I wake up. Too tired for that now.¡±


    A comfortable silence overtook them, as Cassandra crawled under the covers beside Leah. Without any further words, Leah leaned her head on Cassandra¡¯s shoulder, and the two fell asleep, one after the other.

 Chapter Twenty Two

    [Notification]


    You have gained the skill, Danger Sense.


    Bleary eyed, Leah stared at the notification that had woken her up. No, it hadn¡¯t woken her up, she realised. Something else had - presumably this danger sense which she now had. What had triggered it wasn¡¯t apparent, but she had no doubt that something was afoot. She sat up in bed, her mind already shifting up in gears and the world seeming to slow around her. She felt the bed shift beside her - Cass must have been disturbed by her sudden movements - but heard nothing. No whisper of bedsheets moving, no murmur of voices or rumble of carts outside. Complete and total silence, the likes of which she¡¯d never experienced before. A part of her, still drunk off the excitement of earlier, and of course the alcohol of earlier, was happy to inform her that her tinnitus had apparently been cured when she moved bodies, but that was to be expected. Her hearing had improved in leaps and bounds, so why was it she couldn¡¯t hear anything? Magic. It had to be magic. She shifted her vision.


    Yes, there it was. The room was laden with mana. Not just the regular pools and whirls she had come to expect, but overlaid upon it, a thick and cloying mist of greys and deep blues, swirling through the room and leeching into everything it touched. It must be the source of this unnatural silence. Leah thought that, given time, she could banish the effect - if it was mana based, she could force it away with her own - but there was little time to experiment. She sprang up, stepping over the stirring figure of Cassandra, and turned to face the door. The cracks beside it and under it were leaking the strange mana. The source was behind it. Something was outside their door. As she turned to rouse Cassandra, she felt the air stir, and something clip her ankle. White hot pain flared through her leg, and she went down on one knee, hissing silently in pain. Her attention sufficiently taken away from Cass, she looked back to see the door had been taken completely off its hinges, and kicked across the room, catching her slightly as it crossed.


    There were figures on the other side. Difficult to make out in the dim light, but clearly armed and armoured. The first stepped through the now very open doorway, wielding some kind of long, dark rod. It saw her, and lowered the rod towards her, pointing the dull flat tip at her. She felt her strength fleeing her body, and had she not already been on one knee, she would have fallen there now. Her still mana influenced vision watched as a string of her swirling mana was caught on the rod, and sucked into it. Her mana bar dropped prodigiously along side it, but she didn¡¯t need it to tell her what she felt. That thing was sucking away her mana! Curiously, it didn¡¯t seem to affect the condensed mana from her Magalyte Mana Pool, but that was little comfort. She hadn¡¯t realised how much the ambient mana surrounding her had helped sustain her. It must be a consequence of her new body, or this new implement assaulting her. She knew that mana exhaustion was a thing, but this felt¡­ wrong. Unnatural, even to her untrained senses.


    The figure pointing the rod at her slowly approached her, and pressed the rod against her chest. Even through her clothing, she felt an icy chill spread through her, and her mana bar bottomed out completely. Notifications flashed up, but she suppressed them. There was no time now for distraction. One hand on the rod, its other reached towards her, and grabbed the hand that Leah had been using to try and lever the rod away from her. Not exactly what she had planned, but it would do. She tried something she had little experience in, reached inside herself, and manipulated that store of dense mana that seemed unique to her. It was thicker and slower to react to her presence, but fell under her control in short order, seeping up her arm, through her hand and into the body of the one assaulting her. And through that connection, she made to assault the man - she knew now it was a man - through his mind.


    As before, the world fell away, and the two of them retreated into a mental landscape. Leah¡¯s mind became a fortress, from which she was an army sallying forth towards the lone beggar man in the field outside. No defences, no training. This would be easy pickings. The army fell upon the cowering figure, and the scene became a wolf upon a deer, tearing into the innards of the screaming mammal. As her mental representation feasted, Leah consumed the mans thoughts and essence. For a moment, she was him, stomping up the stairs of the inn, the men and women behind him suppressing the lingering adventurers. One of his colleagues pulled the tab on a box of silence, and the inn became the eerily quiet world Leah had woken up to. She consumed more, ate away everything she could find. Then, there was nothing. She was alone inside his head, and she knew immediately that he was gone. She had eaten him. Shivering in revulsion, she returned to the real world, and looked through her own eyes.


    The figure collapsed on top of her, the rod pressed between them still as icy cold as it was when it first touched her. A wave of panic rolled over Leah, the disgust at what she had done fleeing before it - she couldn¡¯t the body. She was trapped. And the other figures were stepping across the boundary even as she watched. Two of them, no, three. She couldn¡¯t eat all three of them at once. Two, perhaps, if she let her sub mind take over the task of one of them, but the third would surely notice, and she was defenceless while in her mental realm. She had enough internal mana for maybe one spell, and she couldn¡¯t even call for help with the silence field in place. She needn¡¯t have worried, though. Almost as soon as she saw the mans allies enter the room, she saw a blur from the corner of her eye, in the direction of the bed. Cassandra came in low, tucked into a roll, dagger - from where, Leah didn¡¯t want to think about, they had been sleeping together - swing in a wide arc at the back of her first targets ankle. A silent cry of agony followed the figure down as their leg gave out beneath them, tendons sliced by the withdrawing blade.


    Before they had even hit the ground, Cassandra was up and whirling on her next target. This one had better presence of mind, and turned to meet her, the third joining him. Both wielded cudgels, which they handled expertly, and worse, one was left handed. Leah could see the future as if it were happening now - two simultaneous attacks, one from each side. In the close confines of the room, Cassandra could do little - she was going to take a blow. At least, thats what should have happened. Instead, the left handed assailant dropped suddenly to the ground, borne down by a shadow that was already moving off its back to the last man standing. Between the shadows attack and Cassandra, they fell in short order. In a matter of seconds - though to Leah, it felt like it had been weeks - the fight was over. The shadow coalesced into Liam, bending down to finish off the downed attacked with a coup de grace. Cassandra was next to her, boot on the fallen, and as Leah acutely noticed, drooling figure that had pinned her down, pushing him off. Leah took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked away from the listless and dead eyed man beside her. Not dead, she knew. But close enough to be.


    She barely felt as she was hauled to her feet, and dragged from the room. Presence of mind returned to her with the sound, as they cleared the silencing mist. The three were stood at the top of the stairs, Liam crouched and peering downstairs cautiously. Cassandra¡¯s attention was firmly on Leah.


    ¡°Is anything broken? Can you move?¡±


    ¡°I- Yeah, I can. Bruised, but fine.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look fine.¡±


    ¡°Physically, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    That got a concerned look from Cassandra, but she understood the implications, and that it was something that could wait until later. Cassandra turned to Liam, who was giving the two the thumbs up and getting to his feet.


    ¡°Admins. We¡¯re either fucked, or saved.¡±


    The three made their way downstairs, confident that there was little point in hiding. The bar area was still and silent, a far cry from the raucous scene from earlier in the night. Five figures waited to greet them. Four wearing mismatched arms and armour, two stood guard by the door and the other two stood beside the last figure. Wizened and seemingly decrepit, but with a spark in her eyes that belied her age, the woman was clearly a figure of authority. Her dress, and entourage, spoke volumes of that. She met the three with an appraising look as they descended. Cassandra and Liam, once on the ground floor, inclined their heads in respect, though Leah noticed they didn¡¯t go so far as to bow. Not nobility then. And Liam mentioned admins. So this was guild business?


    ¡°Cassandra. Liam. And, I believe it is Leah? Our latest recruit. How sad it is that on the eve of your induction, such a flagrant violation of terms was carried out.¡±


    Leah could feel the tension leave both Liam and Cassandra. Liam wasn¡¯t joking about them being fucked. He took charge of the conversation.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, excuse my disrespect, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s time for pleasantries. I trust you are appraised of the situation?¡±


    Her eyes were not hard, but they nonetheless seemed to soften.


    ¡°Indeed. I assume they made to kill?¡±


    Cassandra stepped in.


    ¡°Armed for capture. And they had a Null with them.¡±


    ¡°A Null, hmm? Interesting. I was unaware of any inquisitorial presence in this township.¡±


    Liam cut in again, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m sorry, but we really must be leaving. We can appraise you fully via messages, but we need to leave-¡±


    ¡°You are members of the guild, no? And is this not guild soil, in a manner of speaking? You may have been failed in our protection thus far, but I assure you now that any that intend to harm you now must come through me. With all the consequences that entails.¡±


    Liam shut his mouth, almost audibly. He could tell when he was beaten, and if the Proxy was stepping in, they were as safe as they could be in this town. She carried on, as if the outburst hadn¡¯t happened.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Are the assailants dealt with?¡±


    ¡°All but the Null. He, uh¡­¡±


    Cassandra couldn¡¯t help herself, her gaze drifted to Leah before she could stop herself. The Proxy fixed Leah with a gaze that seemed to pass through her. Leah¡¯s submind rumbled, and she felt a pressure wash over her. Not invading, but¡­ observing. Casing the joint? It was hard to tell, with her limited experience. Book knowledge only gets you so far, after all. She did her best to conceal herself all the same, only realising after that in itself was a give away. She cursed internally, and the older woman smiled.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Wily, but inexperienced. And repentant. You will do.¡±


    Leha kept her mouth shut. She had already given away too much, even if inadvertently. She had no proof, but she suspected that this woman knew everything. Barely, but just noticeable to Leah, the woman nodded. In approval? Or had she made a decision. Was it deliberate? She doesn¡¯t seem the sort to give anything away. It can¡¯t be a tell¡­ Her monologue was interrupted by the woman continuing.


    ¡°My retinue will handle clean up. For you, I suspect you already know you must leave town. Arrangements are being made. We shall remain here until word reaches me. I trust you will not object to a drink?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t need to motion. One of her personal guards had already set off in the direction of the bar, vaulted it without breaking her stride, and snatched up a bottle. Clearly already picked out, Leah noticed. Four glasses joined it in her other hand as she returned, setting out places on the round table and filling a measure of drink into each glass. Leah followed Cassandra and Liam as they made to sit down, though she had no intentions of drinking. She decided to initiate conversation this time - there was little to lose, and there seemed to be little danger.


    ¡°So, who exactly are you?¡±


    The side of Leah¡¯s ankle flared in pain, as Cassandra kicked the spot the door had already hit. Her grimace and the sucking in of air seemed to go unnoticed, or perhaps ignored, by the table.


    ¡°Very new, I see. Your friends have not prepared you well at all.¡±


    The woman tutted, and raised her glass, knocking back a measure in a single motion. Her glass clinked lightly against the table as she returned it.


    ¡°My name is unimportant. I am the Proxy.¡±


    ¡°A local representative for the guild. They don¡¯t have names, because they act with the full authority of the guild. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be meeting one so soon, else I would have prepared you¡­¡±


    Liam leaned back, rubbing his forehead. He looked tired, far more so than Leah had ever seen him. She had little time for pondering, though, as the Proxy continued.


    ¡°Oh, we have names. But they are unimportant whilst we hold our positions. But the rest is correct. As a representative, I have the full authority to make judgements when guild law is broken, such as in this case.¡±


    ¡°And what law was that?¡±


    ¡°Why, you were attacked for the consequences of a quest you undertook.¡±


    Leah shot a look at Liam and Cassandra, who avoided her gaze. The Proxy interjected, perhaps misreading the look as genuine hostility.


    ¡°No, nothing you could have avoided. It seems this case has¡­ unique elements.¡±


    Cassandra stepped in.


    ¡°Unique how?¡±


    ¡°How is unimportant to you. All you need to know is that outside interference has made the Baron take¡­ drastic actions. Drastic actions that will face consequences.¡±


    She smiled a thin lipped smile.


    ¡°And such a shame too, when this region is facing such a heavy influx of the undead.¡±


    ¡°You plan to leave these people to their fates?¡±


    ¡°That depends on how the Baron reacts to our interference. If he has any sense at all, he will leave well enough alone, and face a hefty fine, and have to give up some preferential treatments. If he is a fool, then he dooms his people. Either way,¡±


    She knocked back another measure, grimacing this time.


    ¡°You three shall be fine.¡±


    ¡°And why exactly are you doing so much for us?¡±


    Leah couldn¡¯t help herself. This all seemed so¡­ suspicious. The Proxy noted as much.


    ¡°Quite the cynic, aren¡¯t we? This isn¡¯t out of the goodness of our hearts. You are merely a beneficiary of the consequences. The Baron took action against the guild to get at you. We can hardly let him succeed, lest others think they can get away with it and damn the consequences. No, second only to punishing his transgressions, safeguarding you is the local guilds primary objective.¡±


    Liam took a sip of his drink, looking thoughtful before speaking up.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to call a red line.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t expect such a flagrant abuse of our trust. This is a serious matter, and under no circumstances can this behaviour be tolerated.¡±


    Her tone went from calm to clipped and angry in moments. However, she had little time to dwell on her emotional outburst. There was a tapping sound - on glass, though Leah could see no one at the windows - and the proxy tilted her head, nodding.


    ¡°I see. So a fool he is, then.¡±


    Pushing her stool back, the Proxy stood.


    ¡°Come. We have appointments to make. Unless you plan on making your own way out of town?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re being stitched up.¡±


    Hours later, the three found themselves once again in the wilderness, 100 meters into the woods off of a side path of the main road leading to the Horseshoe mountains. Their flight from the town hadn¡¯t been dramatic - they¡¯d hidden in what claimed to be a nightsoil cart, and were deposited on the road not far outside of town. From there, they quietly but quickly made their escape from town, picking up the supplies and the gear that had been left behind at a designated drop off point. Now, they took a moment to rest and take stock of their situation, where Leah had dropped her thoughts.


    ¡°Stitched up?¡±


    ¡°Played for fools. We¡¯re part of some sort of game, and I can¡¯t see the whole picture. But I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ll have people pursuing us before long. And if we were to follow the trail of information back, there would be a convenient leak in the adventurers guild.¡±


    Liam pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.


    ¡°I think you might be right. Shouldn¡¯t have taken the offer of an escape.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d probably have been followed anyway. At least this way we didn¡¯t have to walk out.¡±


    Cassandra looked between Leah and Liam.


    ¡°Ok, you two are clearly more experienced in this than I am, so if you want to clue me in any time soon¡­¡±


    Leah put her out of her misery, though not for Liam¡¯s lack of trying. Anything to get one over on Cass, even given the circumstances.


    ¡°They clearly knew what was going to happen tonight - the fact they showed up right when we were being attacked, and did nothing to intervene, says it all. And with all the undead attacks, and the lucrative business that comes with them, I can¡¯t see the guild wanting to cause political problems right now. They¡¯ll make a show of cracking down on the Baron¡¯s excesses, we¡¯ll accidentally be killed while negotiations are ongoing, Baron will pay a fine, that¡¯ll be returned to him through taxes or some other loophole, and the world will keep turning. Hell, it was practically spelt out for us.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯ve been hung out to dry.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. We can¡¯t trust that we have a head start though. Can we take a more roundabout route?¡±


    Liam shook his head, and Cassandra answered for him.


    ¡°Not exactly. We could, but if they know where we are going, they¡¯ll head off the pass. We¡¯re better off trying to keep ahead of any pursuers.¡±


    Liam continued.


    ¡°And they know where we are going.¡±


    ¡°Because of where they dropped us off.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Cassandra stood, and oriented herself in the direction of the mountains.


    ¡°Well, we better get a move on then. We don¡¯t have time to waste.¡±


    She turned back, to look at Leah.


    ¡°But we¡¯re talking about you when we arrive at Ironshod.¡±


    Leah understood, and nodded her assent.


    The first two days were easy going. The group kept a steady pace, moving through the day, and keeping a steady watch over night. Leah offered to keep watch on her own, but she was shut down.


    ¡°You need your rest as much as we do, even if you have an easier time of it. Who knows when you¡¯ll need all your strength?¡±


    And she couldn¡¯t argue with that. So, the group moved and rested, with no signs of pursuit. On the third day, Cassandra called the party to a halt. Her head tilted to one side, and she closed her eyes. Ears twitching, she nodded.


    ¡°Pursuers. Smart, good, but sloppy. They want to catch us fast.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how far away?¡±


    Liam followed up. Cassandra shook her head.


    ¡°Too faint. At least on the other side of that crevasse though. There¡¯s a river ahead, we can mask our trail there.¡±


    The party continued on, moving with greater urgency now that there was proof they were being followed. They hit the river, and moved downstream, leaving the river carefully, and with Cassandra covering their tracks as they moved. It may have bought them time, or it may have been a wasted effort, but all of them wanted to at least try something to aid their escape. They¡¯d reached a clearing as evening was falling, and the three had clustered together to make a decision what to do that night.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to sleep at some point, and so will they.¡±


    Liam contributed to the debate. Cassandra shook her head.


    ¡°We can keep going, and so can they. If we¡¯re going to stop, it would be better to lay an ambush.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re going to stay awake, we might as well keep moving. I can keep going, but-¡±


    Leah¡¯s head tilted, as a twang of something unsettling rang through her. She looked behind her, in the direction they had came from.


    All further conversation was halted, as a thunk resounded around the clearing. Leah looked down at her abdomen, where a 6 foot long rod of a familiar black material stuck out of her, a creeping cold spreading through her as her mana was drained away. She sank to her knees, as action erupted around her.

 Chapter Twenty Three

    For Leah, the world seemed to stand still, as she stared down at the rod sticking out of her. A part of her went to laugh at the lewd implications of what she¡¯d just thought of, but it was clamped down on, hard. This was no time for playing. She¡¯d been impaled with something, and the momentum was carrying her forward. Tipping her over, she noted, her ears registering the minute change in balance over the fraction of a second she¡¯d been thinking. Not good. If she hit the ground wrong, it could force the rod out of her, and that was likely the only thing keeping her from bleeding out right now. There was strangely little blood leaking from her. Though it had been only a heartbeat since she¡¯d shifted her perception. Regardless. It was safer to leave the implement in. How to do so though? She couldn¡¯t stay standing - shock would set in in moments, and she¡¯d have no control over her fall after that. A controlled fall then. Down to one knee, bring arm across chest, twist body. Land on side. Uncomfortable, but comfort was a non issue right now.


    Not having to stand, or move, or do anything in general, felt really good. Too good, in fact. Leah felt her consciousness begin to slip away. Was shock setting in that quickly? She was no expert, but that didn¡¯t feel right. The hole in her was - mostly - plugged, she couldn¡¯t bleed out THAT fast. Something else then? The mana being drained from her? No, it didn¡¯t feel like that. The source behind her losing consciousness was academic, at any rate. There was little she could do to stop it, or even delay the inevitable. Sounds and motion erupted around her, she felt from the peripheries of her senses. Was that Cassandra shouting? Probably. She¡¯d notice Leah fall right away. At least she¡¯d be taken care of. Assuming her and Liam survived the attack. The presumed attack. It was probably an attack of some kind. Thinking was harder now. What was she doing? Oh, right. Sleeping. Her eyes closed, and she drifted off into her own mind.


    ¡°Well, you took your time.¡±


    Leah awoke in her mind scape, flat on her back, and apparently uninjured. This room was different to how she¡¯d experienced it before, however. She knew, instinctively, where she was, but the wide, endless flat space was new to her. She sat up to take stock of her situation - and to confront the familiar sounding voice addressing her.


    ¡°Hello, me.¡±


    ¡°Hello. Nice of you to wake up. I¡¯ve only been waiting a subjective eternity.¡±


    ¡°Suck it up. I got stabbed.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m you. I felt it happen.¡±


    Leah - who realised she¡¯d need to give this new Leah a different name, in case she ever needed to chronicle her thoughts - tilted her head at the figure stood over her. Yes, it was indeed her. It was simultaneously her new body, and her old one, features and form drifting and shifting, merging and dissipating. It was an effect that could only be achieved in a mind scape such as this. Trying to process it visually gave her a migraine. The other figure winced.


    ¡°Maybe try not to conjure up abstract and novel stimuli when we¡¯re operating on emergency power, as it were. You might be ok with dying, but I¡¯d rather prefer to live a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Um, this is going to sound awkward, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But you need a name for me. I know. Why not call me, I don¡¯t know, Hael.¡±


    ¡°Hael. Really. What am I, a vampire?¡±


    ¡°In a manner of speaking, yes.¡±


    ¡°Really. I think I¡¯d notice if I sprouted fangs and started to crave blood.¡±


    The other Leah - Hael, Leah corrected herself - rolled her eyes. Hands on hips, her expression turned to a scowl. Leah found herself completely unable to read this version of hers expression - were they too similar? Or did she just not recognise her own feelings?


    ¡°Thats why I said in a manner of speaking. You can suck someones blood, and drain them of their life essence. Create loyal servants through the same process. You¡¯ll - maybe, probably - live forever. Come on, we both know the fiction you¡¯ve read. Vampires aren¡¯t all Dracula¡¯s and Nosferatu.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t NEED to drink the blood, just touch them-¡±


    ¡°Oh. My. GOD Leah. Sympathetic links! You touch their blood, its a part of them, that forms a conduit to their mind, soul, whatever. It doesn¡¯t need to be inside them!¡±


    ¡°Wait, that would work?¡±


    Leah¡¯s expression turned thoughtful, then suspicious. Just how did this Hael know that, when she herself didn¡¯t? Hael held up a hand to stop her from speaking.


    ¡°No, stop thinking like that. You¡¯ll kill us both. Yes, I am you. And I know something you don¡¯t because I actually use this.¡±


    Suddenly, Hael was before her, and touching Leah¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°I think from time to time. About how to use this body, and these skills. And sometimes, I even think of ways that we won¡¯t be put on the verge of death by our own incompetence. Did you know that you have a skill that lets you detect things where you can¡¯t see? One that you had me running near constantly when we were fleeing that barrow?¡±


    ¡°Wait, that means-¡±


    ¡°Stop thinking, you clearly aren¡¯t any good at it. Leave it to the experts, and practise when we aren¡¯t dying. Yes, I¡¯m your submind. You knew it is a copy of you. So why wouldn¡¯t it have any personality?¡±


    Leah wanted to be mad. She wanted to shout at this other her, to vent her frustrations at it, but she knew it was right. Thats why she was frustrated - she could have done better, seen the attack coming, done something more. They were in this situation because of Leah¡¯s incompetence. Hael¡¯s face softened a little.


    ¡°Not incompetence, Leah. Just, well, the wrong mindset. We¡¯ve been too used to coasting, relying on our own natural talent and intellect. Coming up with spur of the moment answers and plans. Sure, thats worked in the past - and improvising is a good skill to have. But if we¡¯re going to survive in this world, when where the biggest threat isn¡¯t failing out of school or losing our job, but death, or worse, then we need to start planning. Learning. Practising. Using those smarts of ours to actually take stock of what we have, and how we can grow. Because if we don¡¯t, we¡¯ll die. Cassandra will die. Liam will die. And if theres an afterlife, which isn¡¯t an unreasonable prospect all things considered, we¡¯ll get to spend all eternity knowing that we could have done more, and what happened is our own fault. Which personally, I don¡¯t plan on doing. Do you?¡±


    ¡°No. But where do I even start?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thats always the most difficult thing, isn¡¯t it. Starting. Fortunately for us, I have a bit of a lead on you there. I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think, given that you¡¯ve barely put me to work.¡±


    ¡°On that topic, I¡¯ve got some questions for you, mostly regarding why this is the first time we¡¯re speaking. But those can wait until we¡¯re out of danger.¡±


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re thinking. Likewise, the actual experimenting and learning can wait until then, too. For the most part. Unfortunately, we¡¯re in a bit of a shit state, and I think we¡¯ll have to start messing with things we haven¡¯t tried yet.¡±


    Leah held up a hand to Hael, stopping her before she continued.


    ¡°Wait, let me try. We¡¯ve got a great big rod sticking out of us, yes, amusing, moving on, thats draining our mana.¡±


    ¡°Most of our mana.¡±


    ¡°Obviously. But we can¡¯t get it out without bleeding out. We can¡¯t stop that from happening without mana. Rock and a hard place, right?¡±


    ¡°Accurate assessment thus far. Carry on.¡±


    ¡°So we need a way to heal up without any of our own mana - specifically life mana - and fast. Now correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but we¡¯re surrounded by a lot of life mana right now, being in a forest?¡±


    ¡°Now she¡¯s getting there. What do you say we give it a go?¡±


    ¡°It beats bleeding out, thats for sure.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Leah!¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s first thought was to rush to Leah¡¯s aid. Her fighters instincts kicked in immediately, though, and she turned on her heel, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow in a single motion. She was no help to Leah if she went down too, so she needed to at least evaluate the situation before she started to panic too much. Forcing down her emotions, biting her tongue hard enough to draw blood, her eyes whipped back and forth through the trees. There, a target. She released her bowstring, and a shot flew straight a true. A cry of pain was her reward, and a small smile of satisfaction was drawn out of her. Before she could nock another arrow, though, Liam¡¯s hand was on her wrist.


    ¡°Careful now. They could have got us all, but they only took out Leah. They might want to parley.¡±


    ¡°Fuck parley. They shot- stabbed- whatever, Leah¡¯s in a bad way!¡±


    ¡°Fuck nothing. They aren¡¯t attacking us yet. So lets see what they want before we risk ourselves. Unless you feel like dying here, and leaving Leah to bleed out slowly from a stomach wound? Not a pretty death, as well you know.¡±


    Cassandra bit her tongue harder, the taste of copper filling her mouth. She nodded sharply, eyes still fixed on the tree line. Liam let go of her wrist, and raised a hand, calling out into the forest.


    ¡°All right, you have us dead to rights. Shall we have a chat?¡±


    A few moments passed with only silence filling the air. Then, with no noise at all, a familiar figure emerged. His bright red hair was instantly recognisable to Cassandra, and her lips pulled back in a snarl.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t fucking leave well enough alone, could you. What, did we piss off your noble sensibilities?¡±


    Liam¡¯s hand grasped the hilt of his dagger, and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead. Just great. Cassandra had beef with their pursuer, and she was going to get them all killed over it. Or¡­ maybe not. Even through his thick facial hair, Liam could see the man was nervous. He was hiding it well, at least to a common eye, but to Liam¡¯s experienced senses, the man was bleeding nerves and anxiety. What was it¡­ they wanted Leah alive perhaps? He tucked that away for further probing. It could be a trump card for them. Cassandra would hate him for using it, but if it got them out alive¡­ His fingers tightened on the dagger, for a different reason than before. Graham Ingram, for that was who it was, cleared his throat, and smiled at the pair.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Nothing of the sort, my dear. No, I come bearing different tidings, and evidently apologies. The man who threw that rod did so against my instructions - he will be punished for his transgressions.¡±


    Behind him, more soldiers were emerging from the gloom, wearing the same outfits but for two - Cassandra and Liam recognised them as men of the inquisition, with a pair of Nulls, one of whom was missing their signature weapon, and nursing a bandaged arm. Their faces were covered to a man, but the intense feeling of hate bled from them all.


    ¡°Now, you can come with us quietly, and I assure you that your friend will receive our best medical attention. Or you can die, and she will be kept just barely alive. Her comfort is not required for her purpose.¡±


    Before either Liam or Cassandra could speak, the non injured Null stepped forward, and lowered his rod on the pair of them. Another of the inquisitors placed his hand on Graham¡¯s shoulder


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m afraid that ain¡¯t happening. You don¡¯t have the authority to make that call no more.¡±


    Graham whipped his head around at the man.


    ¡°Fabian, what is the-¡±


    He was met with a scroll pressed close to his face, almost unreadable, and a knife pressed to his gut.


    ¡°A writ, from the Witchhunter herself. Your little¡­ habits, they¡¯re known about, see. And I was sent to keep an eye on you. Take you out, in case you showed me you were actually workin¡¯ against us. And with this little stunt, it proved it once and for all. You¡¯re a damn traitor is what you are.¡±


    Despite his nerves, despite his world being flipped on its head, and despite the knife pressed against a gap in his armour, Graham bristled, and drew himself up to his full, impressive height. His bearing rang with noble indignation. While this was going on, Liam and Cassandra shared a glance. Liam stepped back subtly, planning to try and stabilise Leah if the opportunity arose. If they were going to get out of here alive, she¡¯d need to be movable, at least. Ignoring the rogues actions, Graham bellowed in the man known as Fabian¡¯s face.


    ¡°How DARE you, you jumped up, flea bitten commoner! I have dedicated more years of my life to the service of the cause than you have had hot meals, and yet you DARE to accuse ME of being a traitor? Men, I want this man taken into custody at once-¡±


    He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence, as he found his diaphragm seizing from a sudden shock. A warmth filled his guts, and he knew, from experience, he had just been stabbed. In his shocked silence, Fabian filled the gap.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll do that, boss. See, I had a word with them all, before you recruited them for this hunt. And I made sure that each of them knew what that witch did. Tore out a brothers mind, didn¡¯t she? And you wanted to keep her alive. None of us¡¯ll have any sympathy for you when you¡¯re gone. And it¡¯ll be slow. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±


    The blade was withdrawn from Graham¡¯s belly, and Fabian kicked at his knee, sending him sprawling. Wiping his blade on his robe, Fabian turned to Liam and Cassandra.


    ¡°Now that that nasty business is done with, I think its time to deal with you lot. Witch sympathisers - and a knife eared one to boot. Knew we couldn¡¯t trust any of you. Now, I¡¯ll not have anyone say I¡¯m a cruel man - I¡¯ll let you die quick if you don¡¯t try to fight back-¡±


    Before he could finish the rest of his threat, he whipped his head around, back to Graham, who held in his hand a strip of paper, runes burned into it that strained the eyes to look at. He was in the process of tearing the strip when the inquisitors leapt into action.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him!¡±


    The Null had its rod on him, but still Graham tore at the paper. And then, something happened. No one in the group could describe exactly what it was, and certainly no descriptions would have matched. It was a twist of the gut, the world turning on its side, then that side becoming right, a blinding flash of a colour unseeable in a split second. Then, nothing. A sword parted Graham¡¯s fingers from his hands, but he fell back with a smile on his face. Perhaps from shock, or perhaps from relief, he began to laugh. Fabian¡¯s sword pressed itself up against Graham¡¯s throat.


    ¡°What. Did. You. Do.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Ugh. A trifle, really. If it makes you feel any better, you were right. About me being a traitor. But it matters not now. She comes.¡±


    Fabian wasted no time, and pushed the blade through Graham¡¯s neck. Withdrawing it as quickly as he stabbed, he circled a hand in the air, and the group of inquisitors fell into a loose circle, facing outwards.


    ¡°Witchcraft. Fear not the black magic, for Uld stands with us, brothers, sisters. You were chosen as the best of humanity, and now is your chance-¡±


    He was cut off by his head being cut off. From an unseen impact, it spun and flew away, impacting a tree with a wet smack. To the inquisitors credit, they didn¡¯t panic. Their circle tightened, weapons held high and at the ready. Even without a leader, they were a well trained force. That wouldn¡¯t matter to their assailant.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°¡­What was that?¡±


    ¡°You know what I know.¡±


    ¡°It was rhetorical. I¡¯ll never take vision for granted again - what I wouldn¡¯t give to see whats going on out there.¡±


    ¡°What did we say about focusing? How¡¯s the manipulation going?¡±


    ¡°Slow. As well you know.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if we¡¯re going to talk to ourself, we need to stop bringing that up.¡±


    ¡°You started it.¡±


    ¡°I did, and I¡¯m ending it. Lets just consider ourselves separate people, for the sake of our own sanity.¡±


    Hael heard a choked laugh behind her. She turned around, face unamused. Leah was continuing to work, but stifling her giggles.


    ¡°Ok, in the spirit of what we just agreed upon, I¡¯ll bite. What exactly is so funny?¡±


    ¡°First sign of madness. We¡¯re talking to ourself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d expect someone who has two of themselves in their head to be a little mad. It just so happens we¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°True. It¡¯s still funny though.¡±


    ¡°You are hopeless.¡±


    ¡°And by extension, so are you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and keep manipulating- Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think thats gonna be a problem anymore.¡±


    ¡°Thank god we¡¯re going to wake up soon. I really want to know what caused us to detect no damage so fast.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of thanks, thank god theres two of us to hash check. Did you pick up on that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Memory tried to corrupt itself there. Almost like we didn¡¯t get hurt in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Hold onto that. You almost had a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you. I¡¯ve learnt your tricks.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then you won¡¯t need me to keep you in check when you wake up.¡±


    Leah tilted her head to the side, fighting off the urge to leave her own headspace.


    ¡°Uh, you aren¡¯t planning on ditching me, are you?¡±


    ¡°How can I? We¡¯re one and the same. No, this is more of a¡­ Near death experience, as best as I can tell. Some sort of critical system bypass or whatever. I know about as much as you do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So, you¡¯ll go back to being a passive little bitch to my oppressive, boot stomping on face self?¡±


    ¡°In less colourful language, yes. Though I¡¯ll be working on that. It seems we work well together.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense. You know me best.¡±


    Hael rolled her eyes, which were flicking from screen to screen.


    ¡°Anyway. Yes, you¡¯ll be able to push me around like before. Not that I¡¯d disagree. I might think more than you, but we do still come to the same conclusions.¡±


    ¡°Man, this is complex. I really might be mad, if I¡¯ve invented another personality to keep me company in my own head.¡±


    ¡°You definitely are. We definitely are. Fuck it, I¡¯ll just keep thinking of ways to improve us. First things first - working out a way to actually communicate those ideas to you in ways that aren¡¯t feelings and abstractions.¡±


    ¡°Speech was developed for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Ok smartass. Its time for you to wake up and take charge again. Hopefully you¡¯ll remember to think a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully I won¡¯t have to. Because you¡¯ll have come up with a way to keep nagging me even when I¡¯m awake.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to bug you unless I have to.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. Though you already know that.¡±


    ¡°Stop that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. We¡¯re definitely diverging again.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess this is goodbye for now?¡±


    Hael let out a burst of air, in a snort, or perhaps a snicker.


    ¡°Goodbye. Its almost as if you believe I¡¯m a different person.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re having a proper talk about the rights of clones when we next-¡±


    She was cut off, as she was forcibly returned to the real world. Leah and Hael ceased to be separate individuals, at least in so far as they ever were. Maybe Leah was going mad. In the light on not being in danger mode, it all seemed surreal. Like a dream she vaguely remembered. But it was definitely real. Her memory was far too good to fabricate such nonsense. At least she hoped. In a flash, her headspace became the real world, and her eyes opened. A hooded and bandaged figure, no skin visible at all, had her pinned to the ground, the stench of dirt a decay leaking off it. Rasping breaths filled her ears, then a voice, like paper scraped against paper.


    ¡°Good. Yes. You are awake. Now we can begin.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Four

    Pinned down, and with little time to react, Leah did the only thing she could.


    ¡°Usually, I¡¯d expect dinner first.¡±


    That did the trick. The bandaged figure tilted its head, clearly confused, and spoke again. The rasping voice grated at Leah¡¯s mind, but she held firm - it was a simple trick after all, one that would only work on the weak.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You have me in quite the compromised position. I hope you aren¡¯t expecting to have your way with me?¡±


    The figure leaned back, and Leah could see another blur in the corner of her vision. Perhaps Cassandra? Liam? It didn¡¯t matter. The groundwork was laid, and she had physical contact. She launched her attack, suddenly and swiftly. Without waiting for her command, her submind kicked into action as well, its own attack discordant with her own. A wave of conflicting sensory information rammed into their foe from one side, and from the other, a spear of complex formulae, broken and confusing, designed to trick the mind into resolving them. Neither worked. Their foe¡¯s mind seemed to be a sphere of rock, perfectly smooth and impossible to attack. That was new. They clearly had experience. Leah, or Hael, one of the two kicked into gear and neither knew which. Leah¡¯s physical body sat up, and slammed its forehead into the nose of the assailant on top of her. Bright red cracks spread from either side of the sphere, as the spear faded away, leaving the wave to crash through the weakened barrier.


    The fight was taken into the mind of their opponent, and then- The link was broken. Leah¡¯s mind was scattered, the shock of broken contact shaking her, but she rallied, just in time to feel the impact against a tree. She heard a shriek of agony, from herself, she knew, bones splintering from the concussive force. Then another, as she hit the ground. Damage control routines flashed through her mind unbidden - potential concussion, major injuries, do not attempt to move - words that were meaningless in the face of danger. She was going to die. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to break out of a mental link, or at least to throw her away and let the lack of contact do it for them. And now she was broken, likely unable to move. She tried nevertheless. Pain splintered her mind once more, and Leah collapsed, tears springing from her eyes without care. She could feel, it, whatever it was, approaching. The air shifting. A sense of dread above her. It was here, and it was going to claim her.


    She wasn¡¯t on the ground any longer. Leah was suspended in the air, pain blessedly lessening from the contact, before rising again in her neck. It didn¡¯t need to grab her so hard, dammit. The contact gave her another chance to attack, but their attacks were repelled easily. The perfect sphere was back, and neither her nor her submind had the mental fortitude to piece it again, not without an edge. Whatever would happen to her, was going to happen. Leah opened her eyes, to at least glare at her foe before she died, but all she saw was Cassandra, rushing towards her, and Liam, arm outstretched to stop her. Ah. It was at her neck. It was biting her. God dammit. Why did Hael have to mention vampires? The pain in her neck told her all she needed to know. It had bitten her. She was losing blood too. Though, minor amounts. The now familiar sensation of her mana being drained was back, and this time, it was pulling at the condensed source of her magalyte mana pool. That was interesting in and of itself. That had never happened before. There wasn¡¯t long to ponder that fact, however.


    Leah hit the ground, air bursting from her chest. Her lungs wracked, trying desperately to fill themselves despite the temporary paralysis of her diaphragm. Winded, she looked up, desperate to see if she was being attacked again, and stopped in confusion. The bandaged figure had Cassandra¡¯s swords, one in each hand, pinned in place, and was laughing. Cackling, in fact. Leah saw Cassandra desperately trying to hold on to her blades in spite of the shaking from the figure holding on to them. Then it spoke once again.


    ¡°Yes. YES! That is it, what I have been searching for! You have it!¡±


    Suddenly, the blades were wrenched from Cassandra¡¯s grip, and thrown to the side. The figure was once more in front of Leah, holding her chin up and forcing eye contact between the two of them.


    ¡°Where did you get it, hmm? I will let you live if you tell me, child.¡±


    Her lungs becoming more under her control, Leah managed to force out some words.


    ¡°The¡­ mana? The mana you were taking from me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, child, that mana. Where did it come from?¡±


    ¡°How do I know¡­ you won¡¯t kill me if I tell you?¡±


    Cackling again, the figure threw back its head, the other hand catching Liam¡¯s knife and twisting it from his grasp. Without looking, it threw it away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t. But it is the only chance any of you have of leaving here alive.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough¡­¡±


    Leah thought over it, throwing questions back and forth with her now sentient sub mind, but no solutions came up. The fact was, she, and the others too, were in dire straits. The only solution was to trust this strange, bandaged figure.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t exactly know. Its just part of this body, something I found.¡±


    The figure tilted its head.


    ¡°This body¡­ you don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Suddenly, a pressure was on her mind, but Leah had prepared for that. She pushed back, leaving her submind to the defense of her own mind. The figure grimaced, and the pressure lessened.


    ¡°So we are at a stalemate, it would seem. But I can still make assumptions. You are in one of the ancients bodies, yes?¡±


    Leah simply glared at the bandaged figure. She had her answer already, Leah wasn¡¯t about to give her the satisfaction. It grinned behind its bandages.


    ¡°Perfect. Yes, perfect indeed. Oh, how long I¡¯ve waited for this day.¡±


    It let go of Leah, and twisted Cassandra¡¯s arm behind her, forcing the retrieved sword out of her hand.


    ¡°Let us make an agreement. A pact, if you will. I will let you, and your friends live, if you supply me with your mana when I choose.¡±


    Cassandra gasped in pain, her shoulder being twisted to its breaking point, and Leah grimaced in sympathy. Her own wounds were still close at hand.


    ¡°Ok, ok, let her go. You already have the upper hand, we can talk without you needing to put pressure on me.¡±


    A moment passed, the figure seeming to evaluate Leah, then it let Cassandra go. It put a knee on her back, however, not totally willing to let go of its trump card.


    ¡°There is no negotiations here, child. You choose, or you die. It is simple.¡±


    ¡°Au contraire, vampire. I may have told a bit of a fabrication when I said you had the upper hand.¡±


    The bandaged figure, the vampire Leah was certain, narrowed its eyes, but did not move.


    ¡°And how do you figure?¡±


    ¡°You see, you took into you my blood, alongside my mana. And, well, I don¡¯t know how much experience you have with mental magic, but¡­ you must have noticed there were two minds in here.¡±


    She tapped her head, and grinned. The eyes of the bandaged figure widened, and it leapt towards Leah, but fell short, writhing on the ground. A signal of confirmation fed back to Leah through the sympathetic link, her submind confirming that partial control had been established. Enough at least, to give her an opening. Leah stood, disabling her sense of touch for a moment to mask the pain, and drew her rapier for the first time in battle. She pressed it into the back of the bandaged figure, still writhing, and pushed, hard. A brief sensation of resistance melted away, as the hardened metal fell through the magically enhanced bandages and into the dead flesh of her foe. And with that, her connection was strengthened. With two strong points of entry, the vampire had no hope at all.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°I was a fool. Too foolish, too confident¡­¡±


    ¡°Hubris was the death of many. Maybe not you, though.¡±


    ¡°You have me at your mercy, psychomancer. I have lived long, I am not afraid of death. Do what you will.¡±


    ¡°You had me at your mercy. And you let me live. I¡¯m curious as to your reasoning for that. Perhaps I¡¯ll even grant you the same courtesy.¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    In the mental landscape, the bandaged figure was chained up, a swarm of insects eating away at her constantly regenerating flesh. It did not seem to bother the vampire, however.


    ¡°It was nothing more than simple greed. If I killed you, then the source of your mana would be gone. And I could not assume I would ever find another.¡±


    ¡°Self satisfaction, then.¡±


    A mental copy of Leah¡¯s rapier pressed against the vampires throat, drawing a trickle of blood. The pain, and sensation in general, was fabricated, Leah knew, but she was still impressed at how little it seemed to bother the other mind.


    ¡°Do it. Kill me. I shall not go back to that life, not having tasted of the sweet font of true mana once more.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know an awful lot about me, what I am. And you also seem to have a vested interest in keeping me alive.¡±


    The blade remained in place, but the atmosphere changed. Despite not moving her head, the rasping figure seemed to look sidelong at Leah.


    ¡°Perchance you suppose an arrangement?¡±


    ¡°Perchance I do. What would you suggest?¡±


    ¡°You clearly have little knowledge as to what you are, or where you come from. I cannot say I have a full understanding myself, but I can aid in filling the blanks in your information.¡±


    ¡°And in return?¡±


    ¡°You supply me with a little of your essence. Enough to sustain me, truly, like I haven¡¯t had in centuries.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Knowledge for sustenance, then. Is that all you can offer?¡±


    The figure grinned.


    ¡°You do have an understanding of our positions, it seems. As you say, I have a vested interest in keeping you alive. I can extend that to your¡­ allies. And there is more that I know. All that I have, I offer to you.¡±


    Leah tilted her head in curiosity, but did not move her blade.


    ¡°Does it truly mean that much to you, what I hold?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea. Imagine living life, unable to die from hunger, yet unable to eat. The sensation never fades, only grows stronger. You search, and you struggle, to find even the slightest morsel you can stomach. Then, you find something, a tiny sliver. And it fills you like nothing else ever has.¡±


    Leah laughed, and withdrew her sword.


    ¡°I think I have some glimmering of that. And if its anything like what I¡¯ve experienced, well. I can hardly turn down your offer. You do know, however, that you will always have a portion of me inside of you. That we can return to this place should you ever disappoint me with our agreement.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that very much, child-¡±


    ¡°Leah. And you are?¡±


    ¡°The black mistress of the thousand-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, uh huh, and the name you didn¡¯t choose to inspire fear into the hearts of mortals everywhere?¡±


    ¡°¡­Would you believe me if I said I¡¯ve forgotten. It¡¯s been quite a while since I¡¯ve experience something resembling a relationship with an equal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to go ahead and believe you there. And I¡¯m not referring to you as my mistress of anything. I already have one of those. Give me a proper name.¡±


    ¡°Will Robin suffice?¡±


    ¡°Did you pull that- No, I¡¯d rather not know. Yeah, that¡¯ll do. Interesting choice for the black mistress, though.¡±


    The figure shrugged in its restraints.


    ¡°The birds are quite vicious, as I understand them. Or at least, if the ones in this world are the same as yours.¡±


    ¡°So you did peek into my mind.¡±


    ¡°The link cuts both ways, as I believe you¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°And yet you let me win.¡±


    ¡°I did not let you anything. Your¡­ other mind was quite the obstacle. Though even still, you are of no use to me brain dead. But that, we can discuss more when we have formed a pact.¡±


    Leah nodded.


    ¡°So, is there actually anything special to this, or do we just take each others word for it.¡±


    ¡°Words and pacts have meaning here, child. We are rather¡­ intimately connected. Whatever agreement we make, here and now, will have lasting consequences. That is not to say you should trust me entirely, or I you, but the consequences for breaking a mana bonded pact can be¡­ dire.¡±


    ¡°I assume we¡¯ll discuss that after I¡¯ve made such a pact.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Though I can assure you now, and you can delve into my mind if you require, that you can only make such a pact with honest intentions. There is no trickery between magically linked minds. When the time comes, we will both see the truth of each others intentions.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see any reason to put this off them. Hael just confirmed that you are telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Hael?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss that when the time comes.¡±


    The figure, Robin, laughed.


    ¡°Very well, very well. I shall go first. Simply speak your intentions after mine, and you shall know what to do when the moment comes.¡±


    In spite of her restraints, Robin stood tall, and Hael¡¯s cloud in insects fell away, coalescing around Leah. Her bandages dissolved into nothing, revealing the face of the being stood before Leah for the first time. Or at least, how the figure saw her self.


    ¡°I, Robin, the Mistress of a thousand souls lost to time immemorial, carver of life and stealer of breath, the-¡±


    She noticed Leah¡¯s look, and coughed.


    ¡°Henceforth known as Robin, do bind my life to thee, and act in thine defence where required, and that of those of your life. My knowledge and body is thine, to protect you through thick and thin.¡±


    Though Leah had planned to make a snide comment after such a pretentious line, she felt compelled to speak¡­ well, if not formally, at least truthfully in response.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I, Leah, henceforth known as Leah, do swear to let you drink my blood, and mana as well I guess, so long as it doesn¡¯t kill me, as long as you keep up your end of the bargain. And if you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll let Cassandra kill you. You don¡¯t need to agree to that part, she¡¯ll do it anyway, but I¡¯m just putting it out there.¡±


    Robin glared at Leah, who shrugged, and then the two of them felt a pull. There was no light, no fancy colour show to facilitate such a bond. Just a mental tug, and an understanding that if they both agreed to this, it was sealed, at least until they mutually agreed to separate from the pact. Leah, with no reason not to, fell towards the bond, and felt from the other side of it, Robin coming towards her. Just before the two of them met, the connection severed, and Leah was left, in the mental space between them, blinking.


    ¡°Uh¡­ was that meant to happen?¡±


    ¡°It was been many a century since I have made a pact, but¡­ yes, it is. It is quite¡­ underwhelming, I agree.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re bonded now, to our word?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You understand it as well as I do.¡±


    Leah didn¡¯t feel much different, in her opinion. She didn¡¯t trust this person any more than she did before, yet, she had an inkling that what they had agreed to would be held up.


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t hurt me, or my friends.¡±


    ¡°More than that. You are my blood, as far as I¡¯m concerned, and I¡¯ll be keeping you alive. You especially, for obvious reasons, but I agreed to keep those¡­ lessers around.¡±


    ¡°Lets keep the talk of lessers between us, hmm? I can¡¯t promise they¡¯ll take to kindly to it.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should have thought of including that in our pact, child.¡±


    Leah sighed, and released the mental bonds on Robin with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°Even when the agreement is fair, you managed to make it difficult.¡±


    ¡°My word, it is almost as if you know me!¡±


    ¡°I know your type too well, unfortunately. Well, at any rate, if we¡¯re done here, maybe we should return to normal space, and explain the situation to the ones who are likely trying to kill you.¡±


    ¡°You raise a good point. It would seem that the elf woman is poised to end my life. At least as far as she thinks, at any rate.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t hold it against her if she succeeds?¡±


    ¡°She will not. But I shall not, if she does.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because-¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, it would be null and void, our pact. If we are done, would you perhaps sever the connection?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, yeah.¡±


    With a wave, the two were separated, and time sped back up to its normal rate.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°YAAAAAAAAAAA-¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s sword, being driven down into the back of Robin, was pinched between thumb and forefinger, and turned aside. The vampire twisted and tossed the blade aside, before laying back on the ground, arms and legs splayed. She looked over to Leah, eyes barely visible through the bandages wrapping her body.


    ¡°If you would kindly remove the moonstone blade, child. It is quite irritating.¡±


    Leah, noticing that her rapier was still impaled in the womans breast, hastily withdrew it. She noticed that no blood, or ichor, or anything at all in fact, remained on the blade, in spite of it being buried deep in the womans body.


    ¡°Uh, sorry.¡±


    Liam, catching on quicker that Cassandra, held her arm, and shook his head at her reproachful look. Her trust in him exemplified by her restraint, she looked between the two with him, the both of them wearing looks that begged to be put out of their misery. Robin seeming unwilling to do so, Leah took the bullet.


    ¡°So, long story short, we came to an agreement.¡±


    ¡°Really. In the space of, what, two seconds, where neither of you spoke.¡±


    ¡°Cass. Come on. You know I¡¯m a, you know, psychomancer¡­¡±


    Leah said the word uncomfortably, knowing that Cassandra had a problem with the concept. Which infuriated her, if she was being honest. It was just what Leah was, a part of her. How could she not accept that? How dare she? It wasn¡¯t right, she should put a stop to this-


    She felt a hand on her ankle. It was Robin, who merely touched her, not looking at the Magalyte Doll.


    ¡°Careful now, child. I see now what a fool I was to take you up on your pact, if you are so careless as to let magic overtake you.¡±


    Leah realised, then, what was happening, and her mouth opened and closed, words unable to be formed. She spat out a few, in spite of her struggle.


    ¡°I- I didn¡¯t mean- I-¡±


    ¡°Hush child. She will understand. And my tutoring will aid you. Fear not the power. Fear it not any longer.¡±


    Cassandra looked down at the bandaged figure, still looking up at the sky, and back to Leah. She tilted her head, suspicion in her gaze, but her voice empathetic.


    ¡°It try to take you over again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise. I¡¯d be shocked if you didn¡¯t struggle with it. Though¡­¡±


    She kicked the ribs of Robin, who didn¡¯t budge, to Cassandra¡¯s annoyance.


    ¡°If this one wants to help, I¡¯m assuming it was part of this¡­ agreement you made? I¡¯m guessing after you did the whole, mind mojo on it?¡±


    ¡°Her, thank you. I am a person, more so than you.¡±


    Robin responded, her tone not changing despite her harsh words. Cassandra bristled, and Leah felt this was the moment to spill the whole story. Liam didn¡¯t look like he would be able to hold back a truly rampaging Cassandra, and in fact, had enough curiosity on his face that he might not even notice. She sighed, and began to explain.

 [META] State of the Fiction

    So, I''ll just jump right into things: I''m putting the fiction on hiatus. There are a lot of reasons for this, some personal, but I''ll do my best to explain here. The biggest reason is, well. This project has been a clusterfuck. It started off with small problems, things I noticed but didn''t know how to fix, so I patched over them, and they''ve grown and grown and grown, as I''ve had to cover for them more and more. Had I been a more experienced writer, I might have been able to account for them sooner, but now, they are weighing down on almost everything I do, and when I sit down to write a new chapter, its getting harder and harder to avoid them. I''m sure many of you have noticed inconsistencies and things that are lacking from previous chapters. Well, here is your reason.


    These aren''t insurmountable problems. Its going to take me sitting down, and going over EVERYTHING, though, and I just don''t have the time or the energy to do that, AND put out regular content at the same time. And to be honest, I''m starting to lose the motivation to even bother. That was what pushed me to take this break. I need some space from this, where I''m not feeling under pressure to put something out for you all, so I can take stock of everything and fix it, get it back up to a standard that is acceptable to both me and you.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I don''t know how long I''ll be away. I''ll do my best to make it as short a hiatus as possible, but this is going to be a process. I''m sorry to anyone who looks forward to new releases, because I''ve messed up and its you that will lose out because of it. I hope that I won''t dissapoint you further in the future. If you want to be kept abreast of when I return, make sure you follow the fiction.