《The Vault of Heaven》 World Map I am honored that I was chosen to draft the newest map for our updated Treatise on Magic. I definitely want to make that clear. It¡¯s just¡­ after finishing the map I was struck by the realization that words like ¡°topographical¡±, ¡°Politically relevant¡±, ¡°Modern¡±, and ¡°Magically Significant Locations¡± were thrown around when I was given this task. I believe size recommendations were thrown around too? I¡¯ll be truthful: I didn¡¯t really hear anything after ¡°You have been selected to draft the newest map for the Treatise¡±. That said, it fits most of the requirements. Probably. I created this map with a mind to the past, and I hope my intention will be appreciated by the committee (sell it to them!). A draft of ¡°Pyres, Bounding, and Manifestation¡±, based on your outline, is enclosed in a separate envelope. I hope you reconsider my request regarding ¡°Pact Making¡±. Should the rumors of a Great War come true, I hope we won¡¯t have to edit the map too much. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I¡¯m glad every edition of the Treatise takes a while. ¡ª V P.S. Another copy of this letter will arrive tomorrow, in case you had a ¡¯moment¡¯ and ripped up my masterpiece. I hear computer-based messaging will be the future--, we should definitely get in on the ground floor (if we can figure out how to not break them¡­)! ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Anyway, that was the letter he sent me back then. After the war and despite everything that happened, I wanted to honor his wishes, so I edited the map in his style. I have some concerns regarding the framing of Colair¡¯s size and other adventurer bias, so I would appreciate a few more sets of eyes on this. We should also look into creating future documentation of individual cities and geographical landmarks. From a big picture perspective, though, it fits the air of the new ¡®spirit of the times¡¯ quite well.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª 1.) Burden
¡°I always told myself I¡¯d have a great quip before I died. Turns out, life-or-death situations don¡¯t instantly make you more clever.¡± ¡ª Kiseki ¡°Ki¡± of The Second Circle
A pale, bloodied woman threw her crimson hair over her shoulder. Moments later, her vision was clouded again¡ªthis time by a much darker red. Her heavy sigh sputtered into a cough. I was so close. She spat at her opponent, ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter to you, does it?¡± Kiseki¡ªKi as she preferred to be called¡ªunsuccessfully tried to wrap her hand around her weapon, but the cold steel of the revolver would have done little to give her courage in front of the monstrous bear dwarfing her underweight frame. Any observer could have foretold the result of the fight before it had even begun: she was one hundred and fifteen pounds on a good day, with ¡°armor¡± that consisted of black jeans, an athletic crop top, and a forest-green jacket that was most useful as a raincoat. Meanwhile, her opponent was a living nightmare of open fractures and purple, bubbling flesh that squeezed against fur to create tight bundles of pseudo-muscle. Even from fifty feet away, the stench of rotting meat and a low, unrelenting gurgling sound threatened to mix vomit with the biting rust that had been ever-present in Ki''s mouth since she had been launched into a tree. She pushed herself to a knee and hugged herself across the shooting pain in her ribs. One bullet left. Definitely won¡¯t pierce it. Maybe I should¡­ No, I¡¯ll go down swinging. She clenched her jaw and grabbed at her revolver again, but this time she was met with a sharp crack and dull stinging in her fingers. Her tears of frustration turned into bitter laughter at the sight: ice. She had created ice. After all of this time. After a lifetime of effort. After a lifetime of no real magic. She had created ice. Too little, too late. Pain, joy, and despair flowed into a current that left her swimming. Ki stumbled to her feet as her consciousness barely stayed afloat. She pulled off the remnants of her jacket, exposing internal bleeding that had become far, far too external. ¡°Alright big guy, why not make it four for four?¡± The living corpse tensed its supernaturally reinforced muscles and spewed out a hiss that grew into a deep roar. As it sprang forward, Ki could sense time moving, yet everything seemed frozen. Twenty-four years of waiting for magic and planning what she would do with it came into her mind like an avalanche. Hope anchored her in the confusion, allowing her to grab onto a memory: a meditation mantra. A lake! Water imagery always helps. Imagine a lake¡­ Now freeze it¡­ Wait, I need to calm the water first. Wait, what about¡ª Ki didn¡¯t realize she had made a mistake until her vision was engulfed by fur and flesh. Her newfound magic wasn¡¯t powering up. She wasn¡¯t having her hero¡¯s moment. Memories had flashed before her eyes in a last-ditch effort to find a solution to an unsolvable problem. Ki couldn¡¯t follow what was happening anymore, and the pounding in her ears had drowned out her thoughts. A cocktail of dread and euphoria stiffened her muscles and made her reflexively shut her eyes. As she lost consciousness, she realized that the last strategy had been decided for her: hope this was a nightmare. I¡¯m gonna di-
¡ªCassie¡ª In the background, a muscular, well-defined figure had been watching the entire fight. Underneath the hood of her sleeveless vest, the only movement from Cassie¡¯s body had been the swaying of beads on a strand of her golden hair that reached just below her chin. She had watched Ki enter the fight with nervous confidence, watched her overcome the monster¡¯s corrosive aura, and watched her be utterly crushed. It was tempting to join the fight immediately, and she had to employ multiple tactics¡ªnamely mindful breathing and focusing on the flavor of the hard candy in her mouth¡ªto remain in place. Let her fight first. She needs this. Cassie¡¯s movements came in phases: after Ki had nearly broken her back against a tree and started to cough up blood, Cassie spit the cherry candy into a wrapper and tucked it away into one of the many pockets of her similarly colored pants. Then, Ki started to fumble for her revolver, so Cassie summoned orange, rain-like energy that coalesced into a baseball bat. When the monster raised its body to bring a deformed paw down on the woman, Cassie adopted a wolfish grin and finally leapt into action. The monster was out of Cassie¡¯s league, but she didn¡¯t care. She had already turned off the part of her brain that worried about the fight¡¯s outcome. Cassie twisted her hips as she exploded through the air, thrusting her momentum through a translucent, hand-length space she¡¯d created between her bat and the skull of the bear. Her visage never wavered while the bear fought the sudden pressure from the intruder¡¯s weapon. As the magically reinforced bubble of pure force sent shockwaves down the wooden handle, a sharp crack echoed throughout the forest clearing, and the hulking mass was flipped onto its side. Being hyper-focused on the present did have its disadvantages¡ªshe fully felt multiple knuckles break from the recoil of her bat shattering. Cassie shifted to the sensation of hitting the ground and let go of the bat¡¯s handle, rolling upwards to scoop up the collapsed woman. She stumbled for a moment; while Ki was roughly the same height and lighter than her, she was ganglier and completely dead weight. Cassie moved with the stumble, throwing the dead weight over her shoulder in a firefighter¡¯s carry. A sudden burst of invisible pressure made her drop her smile as she realized she couldn¡¯t afford a glimpse at her handiwork. Even from a distance, the aura surrounding the bear had made her break into a cold sweat, and when she had been close to the beast she¡¯d gained a million butterfly companions in her stomach. Luckily for both women, these companions overrode an adrenaline-induced battle high Cassie would normally chase. She turned and shunted magical energy through her legs, propelling the two into the forest. She felt a pull on her body for a moment, followed quickly by a sudden rush of momentum. Despite escaping the encounter created by the infinite forest ¡®dungeon¡¯ known as the Mugen Mori, Cassie did not stop. There was little time: her shoulder had started to burn from the freezing temperatures being emitted from Ki¡¯s body, and her breathing was becoming worryingly shallow. There should have been a route immediately outside the encounter, but trees continued to wind onto her path, and the forest overhead blocked any opportunity to get her bearings. Why am I the caged animal? She had always hated the Mugen Mori. She hated the tightly grouped trees, the ever-changing paths, the inconsistent battles, and the unpredictable weather, among other things. One could influence the paths that would appear through specific entrance selection and by performing specific rituals, but it always felt like the so-called Will of the Dungeon, the Madou, was in control. The entire forest felt like a lie, an exercise in restriction dressed up as infinite choices. The near-lifeless body on her shoulder hadn¡¯t helped matters by entering the ¡®Second Circle¡¯, a massive step-up compared to the beginner adventuring areas of the First. I¡¯m not giving up after a year of waiting. She pulled herself from her thoughts and focused on the crunching of grass and flashes of trees. Maintaining her speed while protecting the woman, Cassie recklessly pushed through forest debris, coming the closest she had in a while to regretting her sleeveless shirt. What was that thing you always said? She thought of her grandfather for a moment. He told her to savor the pain like a fine wine: investigate its flavors, catalog them, and learn to enjoy them. Ki reminded Cassie of him. They both focused on analyzing the situation, even to their detriment. It wasn¡¯t bad advice¡­ It was just dwarven beer was too bitter and drinking wine was frustrating (even being a half-elf ¡®granted¡¯ a surprising resistance to lowland alcohols).If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. After what felt like an eternity¡ªthe oppressive atmospheres of dungeons could make even those with the crest of a Rule Breaker exhausted in minutes if they were not trained¡ªshe spotted a tree with a red bandana tied around its trunk. The bandana disintegrated as she took a hard left and leapt over a brook that marked a boundary between the Second and the First. Cassie was grateful Ki hadn¡¯t ventured past the entrance of the Second Circle, and a dull heat gave proof of relative safety: the compass in her hand had adopted a golden hue and stopped spinning. She followed the arrow¡¯s new direction, and just as the muscles in her legs began to pull, Cassie exhaled sharply and hurled herself through foliage shrouded in unnatural darkness. She kept moving, knowing this was the ruined fort where she¡¯d left her two companions. Cassie tried to head toward the center of the encounter, but her heart caught in her throat as her legs finally gave out. She slammed her knees into the soft dirt and caught Ki¡¯s body in her arms. While she tried to ignore the sharp pain in her lungs and catch her breath, Cassie unconsciously squeezed Ki against her chest. Up to that point, Cassie had refused to even let pain enter her mind as a concept. Her subconscious had deemed it too risky to even try her mentor¡¯s technique of reframing pain. Those fears were proven right when the world turned black. ¡­ Cassie suddenly felt nothing. A blissful nothing. She was almost comfortable in the weightlessness of it. ¡­ She felt a forceful shock, like being thrown into a lake in the dead of winter. The initial panic was quickly overtaken by a deep, penetrating coldness. It was a coldness that could be felt in the bones. A coldness that stuck with a person near the warmest of fires and on the happiest of days. A coldness that extended from physical pain to an overwhelming, heart-dropping weight of sadness. The weight made Cassie want to claw her own heart out. Her lungs screamed for oxygen and she tried to flail imaginary arms, but the desire to surface was overwhelmed by the feeling that the world was laughing at her attempts to fight. A part of her began to accept that this was it, that she should give up and let everything end. Just as her awareness was on the brink of fading, Cassie felt a spark of warmth. She took advantage, letting the warmth guide her to a golden light. Something stopped her before reaching it, though: a whisper telling her to not leave the sadness behind. She would never be able to put into words what made her do it, but Cassie kept herself within the crushing weight and reached out to the sadness. Oddly, she didn¡¯t feel ill intent from it, nor did she want to fight it. The crushing feeling didn¡¯t register as an enemy in her head, either. The pull to oblivion was strong, but the alien spark had helped her separate her ¡®self¡¯ from the barrage of sensations. Using her newfound clarity, she reached out, grabbed the sadness, and reached for the light. ¡ª¡ª¡ª As she regained sight, Cassie was shocked at the absence of the cold. She could sense the freezing magic coming from Ki, but there was a distance. She laid Ki down and looked at her own hands. Cassie could tell her heavily tanned skin was turning purple, but she couldn¡¯t blink her eyes into focus to confirm the exact damage. Blurry? Did this girl make me need glasses? The blur emitted a chorus of tiny crackling noises before shattering and drifting away. Her mind raced while her vision cleared. Or did I just use my power on my own body? ¡°Cassie.¡± ¡°CASSANDRA¡± Cassie side-eyed her two travelling companions, namely the man in his late thirties that had yelled at her. ¡°I see you, Aidan of The Second Circle¡± In all honesty, she hadn¡¯t been very impressed by the man yesterday at their first meeting. He slouched enough to drop his 6-foot frame to a generous 5''10 and managed to be both skinny and out-of-shape in all the wrong places. He wore a rolled-up dress shirt (well, was probably a dress shirt at one point) with a rose hanging out of the front pocket, a buttonless vest, and blue, dirt-stained pants that came up short to his oversized boots. Aidan did have a few striking features: crimson hair that hung loosely below his ears, striking emerald eyes, and various nicks, cuts, and burns on his body (including a seemingly perpetual sunburn on his pale skin) that indicated a well-traveled life. Those scars and the sheathed knife on the small of his back showed he could at least somewhat fight. The metal rings hanging from holes at the base of the blade also caught her attention, but she wasn¡¯t going to pry into it¡ªin case they would have an opportunity to fight. Cassie locked eyes with Aidan, almost forcing Aidan¡¯s out-of-focus left eye to remain still. Aidan¡¯s voice cracked from dehydration. ¡°That¡¯s not really how our last name works¡ªnever mind.¡± Cassie interrupted in her own gravel-filled tone, ¡°Bold, maybe-¡± A quiet voice tried to interject, and while neither of the two could make out what he said, it did make them both turn toward him. They stared at the teenage boy while he took off a multi-pocketed, snow-white jacket (that, frankly, was wearing him). ¡®Kossetsu¡¯ said, ¡°Cassie, cover your hands with this and start warming yourself by the fire. If it starts to burn, you are too close. Aidan, help me prop Ki up against this log and try to offset her body temperature with your magic.¡± Impressed by his determination, Cassie and Aidan acquiesced to his expertise as a healer. While Aidan helped move Ki and created a small flame with the snap of his fingers, Cassie sat by the campfire, trying to take her mind from her screaming body. She took stock of Kossetsu. Much like his voice, he was fairly unimposing: he was the shortest of them, and even with his frame covered in oversized clothing, it was obvious he didn¡¯t have a body type suited for combat. Cassie was far more interested in his choice of headwear: he had hidden his face with a medical mask and hood inside the city, then nervously adopted a stoic drama mask at the entrance to the Mugen Mori. While healing was a rare, much sought-after ability, hiding his identity in and out of town seemed like overkill. She''d tried to gauge if Kossetsu had any secrets when he removed the mask, but she only glimpsed a shaved head with hints of speckled, snowy hair that stood in stark contrast to his warm brown skin. Everything seemed to indicate he was a normal human. Cassie also wondered what lay beyond his accident-prone nature. He nearly burned himself when they made a fire, declined to take his leather gloves off when they shook hands, and lost his footing multiple times in their short journey. After getting a feeling for him, Cassie had started to suspect something besides (or possibly including) awkwardness: he couldn¡¯t feel physical sensations. This theory gained more traction after he took off his jacket, leaving him in just an undershirt. In some ways, he looked worse for wear than Ki. He was battling an invading paleness, and various tattooed pathways were unsuccessfully trying to hide a collage of cracked lines across his body. Well, unlike Ki, his lungs are blood-free. Kossetsu didn¡¯t speak while he pointed to different areas on Ki¡¯s body for Aidan to warm. He paused while he took off his gloves, then said shakily, ¡°Ok. Here¡­ Here¡¯s what will happen next: I will not be able to talk to you, hear you, or see you. Beforehand, I will show you where to guide my hand. Once I begin, you are going to hear some disturbing sounds from my body¡­ Ignore them and continue until I pull my hand away.¡± Aidan tilted his head and tried to look at Kossetsu through his drama mask. Kossetsu instinctively looked down. Aidan¡¯s voice changed into a clear, smooth tone as he said, ¡°Your healing comes at a cost, doesn¡¯t it? More than magic.¡± Kossetsu didn¡¯t say anything, and Cassie raised her eyebrows. She¡¯d heard of self-destructive offensive and defensive magic, but having healing magic like that seemed unsustainable. Aidan continued his inquiry, ¡°Do you have to bear this burden alone?¡± Kossetsu¡¯s head shot up. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Do you have to bear this burden alone?¡± For a time, the only sound in the camp was Ki¡¯s softening breathing. Kossetsu¡¯s choked response spilled into a torrent of words: ¡°I don¡¯t. No one ever offers that. I mean, the pain is unbearable to someone unaccustomed to it, and I¡¯m usually paid to be the healer. I couldn''t¡ª¡± Before he could continue, Cassie and Aidan offered their hands. Kossetsu tried to collect himself. After letting out a deep breath, he looked up at both of them and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt. I can¡¯t guarantee how much I will have to take from you¡­¡± He took off his mask, looking toward their voices with pale, colorless eyes. ¡°But if it''s too bad I¡¯ll bear it! I won¡¯t just be some scared kid!¡± At Kossetsu¡¯s command, they covered both of his hands with their own. Aidan and Cassie regarded each other, then started to guide Kossetsu¡¯s hands to the worst of Ki¡¯s injuries. A brutal assault of pain flooded their bodies, but everyone remained silent and accepted the challenge head-on. In a mix of spite towards their new enemy and solidarity with their ally, they refused to utter a sound. ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª They were silent when it felt like they were being stabbed in the gut. They were silent when fresh bruises appeared on their arms. They were silent when they felt like vomiting from the pain. The fractures on Cassie¡¯s knuckles crept down her hand, and a muscle in her calf tore. Aidan felt the burn marks on his stomach grow hot and expand, while his left eye watered from a splitting migraine. Kossetsu¡¯s nose bled, and his bones shivered and screamed from new cracks forming over old breaks. He suddenly got a feeling the worst was yet to come¡ªthis timely instinct allowed him to enter his inner world when he felt powerful consequences surging to his new friends. He didn¡¯t bother looking around. Even though he now had sight, he was surrounded by a void that only held a full-body mirror. In that mirror, he saw a silhouette surrounded in fog. Kossetsu wasted no time and stared at the shadowed reflection, sending a message of intent: ¡°Give me more. I am turning on my sense of pain and ability to speak. If I utter a sound or pull away, I will kill myself.¡± A grotesque, blindingly white smile stretched across the shadow¡¯s ¡®face¡¯. Kossetsu found himself back with his patient. He held his body steady and continued his healing. Unfortunately, he could never adapt to the pain¡ªthat was part of the pact that gave him strength. Kossetsu involuntarily began to weep, and he wondered if he would grind his teeth to dust. Despite it all, he refused to let the pain impede his ability to magically summarize, re-imagine, and transfer representations of Ki¡¯s injuries. The process felt excruciatingly slow. It had to. Any kind of rush would result in the transfer being one-to-one. Throughout the thirty minutes of agony, none of the three uttered a sound. When the pain reached its peak, they all looked at Ki and thought the same thing: If it¡¯s for you, I¡¯ll bear any burden. 2.) Second Chances
Under no circumstances should you enter a circle of mushrooms! ¡ª Hero News: Top 100 Adventuring Tips and Tricks
¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Where are we gooooing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going on a trip, _?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????_?????????????????????????????????????????????????¦©???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????_??????????????????????????????? !¡± ¡°Will it take long? What about my friends?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see them again. Think of it as a family vacation!¡±
¡ªKi¡ª Ki was drowning in quicksand. Her eyes fluttered, attempting to find someone. Anyone. She didn¡¯t want to be alone anymore. Is this Hell? Does it actually exist? She tried to move, to no avail. Great, I can still think and reason in Hell. Kudos to you. Very fitting. Ki¡¯s stay in hell was interrupted by the smell of food, gentle heat, and a crackling fire. A moment later, she felt solid ground¡ªshe was safe. Ki would¡¯ve normally laughed at her catastrophizing, but her attention was consumed by the war in her mind between the sleeping and waking worlds. Her brain told her she was trying to move, but it didn¡¯t feel real. As she pushed more urgently, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn¡¯t hear anything, yet something told her that everything was alright. Maybe I can take a little longer¡­ She smiled and allowed herself to rest. Ki slept like a dolphin: surfacing for a moment and then diving back into the sea of dreams. Most of that time was a blur, but echoes of one conversation remained in her mind: ¡°How we met? Feel free to ask her¡±. ¡°Well, ah, I¡¯m just curious, a year ago¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re her family. Ask her yourself. I¡¯m taking a nap.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª An earthy scent filled Ki¡¯s nostrils, and wet wood sank against her back. She shifted against a coat bundled under her neck. Reaching to take off an eye covering, she heard a familiar chant¡ªseemingly Druidic in nature. She ignored her body¡¯s protests and pushed herself further upright. Safety?¡­ Spirit? ¡­ Salad? Her attempts to decode the chant ended when her stomach gurgled and the loose eye bandages fell. She gasped, drawing Aidan¡¯s attention. ¡°You¡¯re okay!!¡± He blurted, rushing over to Ki¡¯s side. She opened her mouth, but didn¡¯t manage to get any words out. He continued, ¡°A-are you hungry?¡± Ki nodded. Aidan started to reach behind Ki, causing her to flinch backwards and hit her head against something square and solid. ¡°Ah! Sorry!¡± Aidan stammered. Ki gave a pained smile. ¡°The thing is,¡± he waved his hands and revealed a boxed lunch, ¡°I, uh, made this for you.¡± Ki just stared. A magic trick¡­? After all this¡ªwait, besides that, is he making fun of me? I am not in the mood for food poisoning. ¡°I promise I¡¯m not trying to kill you. Just give it a shot¡ªif you hate it, I¡¯ll pack up right now and go.¡± He opened the lid of a surprisingly well-balanced (and cooked) meal of rice, green vegetables, and sausage patties covered in rich gravy. The smell wafted to Ki¡¯s nose, warming her up, and before she realized it, she¡¯d taken the lunch and started eating it with her bare hands. ¡°Ahm¡ª¡± She tried to say something, before being interrupted by Aidan handing her a plastic fork and napkin. Aidan sat on a broken section of wall and looked toward the fire. While an awkward silence developed, Ki finished the lunch and looked at her surroundings. The aesthetic of the ruins they were camped in was reminiscent of an ancient fort or guard station. Through mossy, decaying walls, she could make out four or five room-type spaces, though a few of them were partially hidden by stretches of unbroken wall ranging from seven to nine feet tall. On the outside perimeter, a portion of what was supposed to be a second floor was now about the size of a hunting stand. Maybe just stable enough to serve as a lookout post? The internal logic of the encounter fell apart on closer inspection. There were no remnants of a floor or ceiling, in fact, it seemed that neither had existed in the first place. The corridors had dead ends in illogical spots, more reminiscent of a hedge maze, and the ¡®rooms¡¯ wouldn¡¯t have ever been able to store furniture, much less living things. The chaotic mess wouldn¡¯t even work well as a maze, especially considering the entire area was probably under two hundred feet across. They were clearly in an encounter created by the imagination of the Mugen Mori. She set the box aside, noticing Aidan still had a smile on his face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s just watching you look around¡ªI was thinking back to the letter you wrote me when you were ten, about that presentation.¡± ¡°Oh man, don¡¯t remind me.¡± She cringed. Ki had put in intense effort into the project, believing other people viewed the city like the Druids viewed nature. Immediately after saying ¡°Architecture is my passion!¡±, her popsicle city collapsed during a show-and-tell session in school. It wasn¡¯t exactly the end of the world, but at the time, it felt like a cruel reminder that she was a fish out of water. I wonder what life would have been like if I¡¯d stayed. Aidan¡­ If only you weren¡¯t a coward. Ki took a breath and turned back to Aidan. ¡°Did I hear other voices?¡± ¡°When I finally got that letter from you, I came earlier than when you asked. Something didn¡¯t feel right. The way you phrased¡ª¡± After considering something, he continued, ¡°Well, anyway, a while back I had been looking for you and saw the boxing match between you and Cassie¡­ I also saw you exchange numbers after that alleyway brawl.¡± Ki listened in shocked silence; her normally over-active brain couldn¡¯t even manage a complete sentence. ¡°I called her and said that I thought you were in trouble, and she said she would bring someone else. You definitely made an impression: they both dropped everything to come help. The Circle helped us from there. Having Kossetsu¡¯s True Healing and Cassie¡¯s combat prowess was really helpful.¡± So you spied on me, went behind my back, and brought the only two people whose opinions I care about, so they could see me nearly get killed. Oh, and then didn¡¯t show¡ª ¡°I was late. Again. I don¡¯t expect your forgiveness, but I am sorry.¡± Aidan spoke in a tone she¡¯d only heard him use once. Oh. I¡¯m just as bad. Ki sat beside Aidan. ¡°It was my arrogance that got me in this mess. I¡¯d have to be a pretty shitty person to get mad at you,¡± she saw his eyes, typically dry as the desert, were glistening. ¡°You¡¯re here now,¡± Ki said. Aidan turned to her, ¡°Is¡­ is it okay to give you a hug?¡± Ki surprised herself and threw her arms around Aidan. The floodgates opened between the uncle and niece, who wordlessly squeezed each other tight. She let herself be transported to a time when her favorite uncle was a mainstay in her life. Neither of the two had felt familial warmth in a long, long time. They took their time and enjoyed the moment. Eventually, their eyes grew dry and the embrace ended. He looked at her and cleared his throat. ¡°Are you happy?¡± Ki paused. He was asking two questions, but was clearly afraid to put one into words. She did her best to answer both. ¡°Honestly? I think so. I''m starting to be afraid of losing things, so I guess feeling that fear and anxiety is a nice change of pace. I¡¯m happy that I was actually afraid of dying. I know that sounds dark, but¡­¡± Aidan silently nodded along. Ki said, ¡°I''m sure my brain will find new and even more convoluted ways to challenge my happiness. It already convinced me to do all this. I suppose now at least I¡¯m aware it''s not a reliable narrator.¡± Aidan snapped his fingers, generating a small flame. He blew it into the fire, then said, ¡°The brain always finds a way, doesn¡¯t it? Thoughts like, ¡®why couldn''t I have been born when magic was adored by the public and there were more unexplored horizons to chase?¡¯ ¡± He looked sheepishly at Ki. ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t give your brain more ammo.¡± ¡°That''s a good one. Definitely in the chamber now,¡± Ki replied, laughing. ¡°You know, it¡¯s been a while since we played the Complaining Game. When it¡¯s by yourself, it''s just sad. I¡¯m glad¡ªnow that you can cook, I was worried you were too much of an adult,¡± She said. ¡°Thanks, I guess? If you¡¯ll permit me to do a little ¡®adulting¡¯, I once felt like I was born in the wrong generation, but your dad actually got me out of that,¡± Aidan said. He looked up at the clouds. ¡°He said that every era creates unique challenges suited for the people in it¡± ¡°Not that people are born to meet the challenges?¡± Ki asked. ¡°I guess that''s one way to look at it. It just wasn¡¯t his way¡ªI think a part of him was an adventurer at heart. He truly felt that mortals hold the power to guide the world''s responses. For better or for worse, he definitely lived his life like that. Being around him could be both extremely frightening and empowering.¡± With more venom than she intended, Ki spat, ¡°I wish I could have felt that. My most vivid memory of him is seeing him torn apart. Feeling powerless. You picking me up and running. Other memories are just flashes with an occasional emotion.¡± ¡°¡­I wish it happened when I was older. Losing him at seven, I barely even understand why I hate him.¡± Silence hung over the camp. Oh. I¡¯m worse. A branch broke, revealing a familiar figure frozen in place, meat hanging from her mouth. C-Cassie?? Oh my god, how many times is she going to see me embarrass myself?If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Ki tried to compose herself. ¡°Shit. Sorry, that was too much.¡± She bolted to her feet¡ªbarely keeping the meal in her stomach¡ªand stumbled out of the others¡¯ sight lines.
¡ªKossetsu¡ª Kossetsu was in the lookout area, staring at the cracks of a wall and doing his best to blend in with the scenery. He had absent-mindedly seen Ki and Aidan hug and figured they deserved some privacy. He didn¡¯t have to plug his ears¡ªhe¡¯d already exchanged that sense with sight. A flash of light flew across his face, prompting him to switch back to ¡®hearing¡¯. He grabbed his sight-enabling mask and flipped his head back and forth. A high-pitched voice said, ¡°Wow buddy, you got it pretty bad, huh~?¡± A golden ball of light appeared on his shoulder. Looking closer, it coalesced into a shining, androgynous body the size of his hand. The body sprouted multicolored wings and flew in front of him, wagging a finger. ¡°Suicide pact offerings at, what, sixteen years old!?¡± Kossetsu was too stunned to move and grateful it couldn''t see his mouth agape. The creature stopped moving their finger and put their hands on their hips. ¡°At this rate that dark mass inside you is going to get a Name. Then you¡¯re toast.¡± The being fluttered in excitement. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have any toast, do you? I¡¯ve heard good things.¡± Kossetsu tried to set his shock aside, instead focusing on a separate concern: conscious spirits in dungeons, especially the Mugen Mori, are essentially Devils (though the ¡®public¡¯ definition is technically monster, unless they exist outside a dungeon) capable of bargains, pacts, and high-level thinking. He remembered listening to a book that spoke of nature spirits and faeries, but he couldn¡¯t recall if it was nonfiction. ¡°Um, isn¡¯t it bad to give things to magical creatures? Or is that receiving?¡± The spirit snickered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kossetsu. I¡¯m not what you think. I¡¯m just a friend of a friend,¡± They flew closer and whispered, ¡°See? I know your name. You didn¡¯t explode or anything~!¡± He backed his head away. ¡°¡­Ok, then you should have no problem giving me your name.¡± ¡°Actually that¡¯s kind of an odd thing. Um, I physically can¡¯t tell you my actual name. Not trying to be rude, but you¡¯re not strong enough.¡± He slowly slid his hands behind his back. ¡°You could have just said no.¡± ¡°Nonono that¡¯s not¡ªheh, that¡¯s three nos, well now fou¡ª. Ahem. I think you do have the potential to overcome certain conditions for knowing me in the future, but there are three main obstacles: One, you are on a path of ruin and do not seem inclined to leave. Two, Kiseki will be the first to know my name. That brings me to the third obstacle: I have something blocking me from remembering my name. In honor of mutual friendship, though, you can call me¡­Fey!¡± During the mile-a-minute information dump, Kossetsu prepared to break the fingers on his right hand. I¡¯m not going to let myself fall for a friendly face. Dominant hand should give some extra damage, right? He tried to steady his nerves, then replied, ¡°Okay ¡®Fey¡¯ what do you want? I¡­Let me warn you, I won¡¯t let you hurt my friends!¡± ¡°You¡ªyou are too cute!!!¡± Fey spun around his face. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m a friend of a friend~¡± ¡°You mentioned Ki. How do you know her name?¡± ¡°Asking about her first? What a gentleman!¡± The glow turned pink, then gray. ¡°W-wait, I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned her. She, um, hasn¡¯t completely met me. I¡¯m actually here because of her.¡± Fey adopted a softer yellow glow. ¡°All you need to know is a spirit helped her out in something unrelated to you and she hasn¡¯t talked to this version of me. Without going into detail, it wouldn¡¯t be in her best interest for us to chat.¡± Kossetsu realized he had relaxed his hand. Stupid. Man up. He tightened it again. Eyeing Fey, he said, ¡°So, to be clear, you want me to not tell her she has some kind of magic parasite, and your source is ¡®trust me¡¯? And if by some miracle you don¡¯t kill her in her sleep, I¡¯ll just say, ¡®She sounded trustworthy, she could glow in pretty colors!¡¯ ¡± ¡°She? Do I give that vibe? I don¡¯t particularly care, I suppose. I don¡¯t really understand gender and sex. Seems superfluous to me.¡± ¡°Ok, ¡®They sounded trustworthy¡¯. My point stands.¡± ¡°That is exactly what you should say, when the time comes. I thought me being honest and helping calm down that host of¡ª¡± Fey stopped fluttering and looked into the distance. ¡°Have you noticed that you feel calmer? That someone gave you a warning your healing was about to go bad?¡± Kossetsu paused and loosened his hands. That gnawing feeling in his wasn¡¯t gone, but it was significantly lessened. It reminded him of when he first met Ki. Have I just been acting how I ¡®should¡¯ act? What does my gut say? He knew his sister would disapprove, but he decided to trust himself. ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯m not sure if it''s a preference thing, but your glow is getting duller and you look like you¡¯re in pain.¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± A pink hue surrounded Fey as they put both hands to their cheek. ¡°You really are a kind kid~??¡± His burst of adrenaline had come and gone, and his muscles were beginning to ache. ¡°Please tell me you aren¡¯t one of those riddle spirits that are intentionally spacey.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m ok~¡± Immediately after saying this, Fey fell from the sky, wilting like a piece of paper in the wind and falling directly onto Kossetsu¡¯s shoulder. Fey whispered, ¡°Ok, I don¡¯t have a lot of energy, so I won¡¯t be *around* around for a while. Just let Ki do her own thing, okay? If you¡¯re so worried, I guess you have to stick around.¡± Fey¡¯s body evaporated into pure light. ¡°Sticking around might just give you a fighting chance to solve that problem of yours, too~¡±
¡ªKi¡ª Outside the walls, Ki tried to appreciate the quiet calmness of nature, instead of the previous interaction. Calm down¡ªthis is still a dungeon. One step at a time. She muttered, ¡°Ok Ki, time to be a big girl. Get up and apologize. Don¡¯t be a mood kill. Don¡¯t be a burden. Life is giving you everything you want on a silver platter.¡± A figure dropped from the wall and landed next to her. Ki yelped and fell backwards, then looked up at Cassie, now leaning against the wall. The dynamic was quite similar to a decisive moment in an unnamed alleyway, almost a year ago now¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª Click. Five out of six? Well¡­ The rain was coming down heavily now ???????????????????sat in a puddle of water in the alleyway. They looked at their knuckle¡¯s bruises and then toward the gym¡¯s back door. They let out a bitter laugh. I didn¡¯t think I could feel excitement anymore. ???????????????????? inserted the sixth bullet into the revolver¡¯s chamber and pulled the hammer back. Too bad it also showed me how far away I really am. ¡°You gonna pull the trigger?¡± A woman¡¯s voice asked. ¡°W-what!?¡± In a flash, their previous opponent was leaning against the wall above them. ¡°You gonna do it?¡± Cassie asked. ???????????????????? looked at the gun. ¡°Yeah.¡± Cassie leaned over. ¡°Seems like a bad idea, you got a lot of potential. It¡¯s been a while since someone read my opener.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s not anything about the fight. There¡¯s¡­ Other potential I lack.¡± ¡°Hm. You definitely hold yourself strangely¡ªlike, really tight and jerky. You could train that out of your system,¡± she said. ¡°Some things you can¡¯t train out of a body.¡± ???????????????????? replied. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not your boss,¡± Cassie said, shrugging. ¡°Actually, would you mind staying alive for ten minutes or so? There¡¯s a group of idiots following me, and I could use a partner to help me beat the shit out of them.¡± ¡°¡­Sure, why not.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Cassie¡¯s laughter broke Ki out of the memory. ¡°You good?¡± Cassie asked. ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± Cassie motioned to Ki¡¯s borrowed sweatshirt. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, why didn¡¯t you wear armor? You only had that small backpack. Good thing you left it here and we stumbled across it.¡± No small talk at all. Well, no point in lying, I guess. ¡°Today was actually the second time I tried to go through the Mugen Mori. The first time I had some heavier clothing, but I felt like I was burning up the second I entered,¡± Ki answered. ¡°Interesting. You looked surprised when you used magic back there¡ªyou may have been developing it the entire time. Seems pretty reasonable, considering your spine didn¡¯t instantly break when the bear threw you into the tree.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, I guess so.¡± Was she there the whole time? Should I be embarrassed or mad? Instead of processing the mix of emotions, Ki asked, ¡°Lots of adventurers use lighter armor because of mana conductivity, right?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard something like that. It definitely feels more comfortable to keep my armor limited,¡± Cassie said. Ki went quiet again, the previous questions still eating at her. Cassie powered through the silence. ¡°What¡¯s the Complaining Game?¡± Ki raised her eyebrows. ¡°Wait¡ªwhat? You heard that?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t whispering.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really a game, but Aidan and I called it that when I was a kid. Usually, it was who could come up with the funniest complaint or excuse. Where I grew up, everyone was¡­overly positive. There¡¯s an art to complaining and still doing your work. Everyone needs to vent, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°¡­Did you hear anything else?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± It¡¯s over. It¡¯s SOOO over. Cassie said, ¡°Family stuff aside, nothing wrong with hyping yourself up. I need you in your best form¡ªyou still owe me that rematch.¡± Ki laughed nervously, ¡°No, but really, thank you for helping me. It might sound kind of corny but I¡ª¡± She stopped when she noticed Cassie seemed confused. Ki stood up, trying to mirror her posture. ¡°Oh, you mean it. Yeah, well, don''t regret it when I beat you. I figured out that one combo in our last fight, remember?¡± Cassie¡¯s eyes lit up, and droplets of orange energy fused into a baseball bat. ¡°Oh? Maybe I''ll get to use this guy.¡± Ki couldn¡¯t suppress her inner nerd. ¡°Hold on, that''s the ¡®hidden inventory¡¯ technique, right!? Is it hard to learn?¡± Cassie shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s best when you have a weapon to bind, pulling out anything is pretty hard.¡± Ki went through her mental index of daydreams and found a card that said ¡®What if I had elemental magic?¡¯ She smirked at Cassie and said, ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t even need it. I could make a better weapon out of ice!¡± Cassie instantly responded, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m still up one in the win column. Plus, I won''t give you a chance to make your ice weapon¡ªI''ll be studying you, too.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ki asked. ¡°You''re gonna be late on your promise for the rematch, so I''m going to have to help you train. You''ll be focused on yourself, and I''ll get to study you.¡± Cassie walked over to Ki and stopped when they were side-by-side. ¡°That''s your penalty for being late.¡± Ki didn¡¯t realize she was holding her breath until Cassie started walking again. She breathed out, turned around, and whispered, ¡°Wait. I need to ask: why haven¡¯t you mentioned it?¡± Cassie stopped. Ki continued, ¡°You saw me before. Don¡¯t hold back out of pity. Ask what you need to ask. Make fun of me. Something.¡± Cassie looked Ki up and down, before settling back on Ki¡¯s golden eyes, now on the verge of tears. Meanwhile, Ki braced for all the worst-case scenarios. Maybe she forgot. No, that¡¯s stupid. I¡¯m very obviously¡­ Unless I¡¯m carrying myself badly? Maybe she genuinely doesn¡¯t care? Yeah, that seems like her. Even if she¡¯s just interested in the fight, I''ll take what I can get. I owe her that much. Cassie said, ¡°The interesting part of you hasn¡¯t changed. The reason I¡¯m here hasn¡¯t changed. The color of your soul¡ªit hasn¡¯t changed. It¡¯s just brighter. That¡¯s all that matters.¡± Everything around Ki heightened in intensity. The glow of the sun, the gentle touch of the breeze, and her desire to stay in the moment as long as possible. Ki¡¯s lower lip trembled slightly and tears welled up in her eyes.¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± She cut herself off and stared at her boots, trying to control her wavering voice. What did I do to deserve people being so nice to me? Cassie tilted her head. When Ki didn¡¯t continue, Cassie shrugged her shoulders and said, ¡°If you¡¯re fishing for compliments: you did get pretty hot.¡± All the heat in Ki¡¯s body rushed to her face. When she finally worked up the courage to pick her head up, Cassie was gone. Is this what I¡¯ve been missing out on? No way, right? Ki found herself staring at the sky, trying to catalog the wild swings of emotions from the past half-day. Aidan, Cassie, and Kossetsu. Until today, she hadn¡¯t spent more than a day with either Cassie or Kossetsu, and had avoided Aidan for years. Aidan had obvious family ties, but her only connection to Cassie and Kossetsu was fighting with them in separate back-alley fights. Meeting Kossetsu had been more recent¡ªless explaining to do. Aidan and Cassie, on the other hand¡­ There was more catching up to do. Sounds like a problem for future Ki. ¡­ I wonder if I¡¯ll still find myself getting into fights. ¡­ Then she heard an unfamiliar voice. 2.5) Codex: Mugen Mori You sure about wanting to be an adventurer? Fair enough. You¡¯re too set on the Mugen Mori (it¡¯s less predictable than the Vault). I suppose it¡¯s more logical than the Maelstrom or Labyrinth. I figure you won¡¯t change your mind, so I made you a little summary.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. -V 3.) Zero-Star Adventurers
¡°Extreme caution must be used when dealing with a member of a guild or party¡¯s support apparatus, especially healers ¡­¡± ¡ª SCALE Anti-Magic Taskforce Handbook
¡ªAidan¡ª ¡°Ko¡ªSet¡ªSu!¡± A voice mockingly rang out, breaking the peace of the encounter. Aidan reached towards the fire, causing one of his rings to glow and wreath his arm in flame. He sprinted to the corner of the fort, just in time to see Kossetsu shakily climb down the lookout¡¯s ladder. ¡°Koo-settt-suuu, where are you, my guy!? We¡¯ve been worried sick!¡± The voice echoed. ¡°Do you recognize that voice?¡± Aidan whispered. ¡°It¡¯s someone I really don¡¯t want to see,¡± he said, staring at his shoes and wrapping his coat around himself. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll tell him to go kick rocks, then.¡± ¡°This guy,¡± Kossetsu tried to control his shaking, ¡°he¡¯s actually pretty strong, don¡¯t let his act fool you. I can just go with him¡ªhe probably wants a healer for a dungeon.¡± Aidan placed his free hand on Kossetsu¡¯s arm and scowled in the direction of the voice coming from behind the wall. ¡°Hell no.¡± Kossetsu stepped back as Aidan chanted: ¡°Drink of this wine, slake your thirst, overflow,¡± ¡¸Feast¡¹ The ruby ring on his left thumb glowed, absorbing the fire around his arm. Wasting no time, Aidan adopted a relaxed posture and leisurely walked around the wall. He maintained a slight sway, trying to hide the grip he held on the knife behind his back. ¡°Howdy there!¡± Aidan said, evaluating the situation. About twenty yards away, three figures stopped in their tracks. The first figure was a lanky, bespectacled elf, dressed in woodland garb and carrying a staff. Could be a mage, could have an injury, could be a shut-in. Next to him stood a short, stocky man with wild hair, an unkempt beard, and heavy tufts of chest hair barely being contained by overalls. Dwarf? Seems physically strong. The lead man shouting the taunts was taller than the elf and just as muscular as the bear-man. He had flowing golden hair and showed no obvious tell of being anything but a human man. Personality-wise, the sleeveless jean jacket with no shirt, tight pants, and no visible weapon painted a pretty clear picture for Aidan. ¡°Oh, ¡®sup dude. You here with Kossetsu?¡± The man took a step forward. Aidan gave an apologetic smile. ¡°You just missed him, I¡¯m afraid. Went back with the rest of my party while I wrapped things up. I¡¯m a druid, you see. If you¡¯re lost, I would be happy to help lead you out of the forest.¡± Aidan wanted to gauge the man¡¯s abilities, especially since he¡¯d somehow broken into an encounter that was already underway. The man didn¡¯t give Aidan much time. ¡°While I appreciate your hospitality, bud, I¡¯d love to have a look around. This place is a dope clubhouse. Why¡¯d you stay back?¡± ¡°Like you said, it¡¯s a, uh, dope clubhouse. And I like to stay and take in nature¡¯s beauty. What¡¯s your name, friend?¡± ¡°Reyback. Reyback Razorvayne,¡± he grinned, ¡°soon to be a one-star adventurer, if you stop hiding my healer.¡± Aidan slid a foot forward, preparing a stronger stance. Combat was likely but not guaranteed¡ª Reyback¡¯s companions were significantly less enthusiastic, and the elf had put a hand to his face when Reyback introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m right here, Eric,¡± Kossetsu said, coming out from behind the wall. ¡°I. TOLD. YOU. It¡¯s Reyback Razorvayne now.¡± ¡®Reyback¡¯ looked over to Aidan. ¡°Strikes fear into your heart, right?¡± Aidan raised an eyebrow and moved in front of Kossetsu, who whispered, ¡°Be careful, his power is based on powerful emotions. Cringe and anger are like batteries to him. I¡¯m not joking.¡± Aidan¡¯s scowl returned. He said to Reyback, ¡°Yep, petrified. Unfortunately, Kossetsu is his own person, not just ¡®your healer¡¯. I also don¡¯t appreciate your disregard for his ability. Do not disrespect what he goes through.¡± ¡°Ok guy, enough of this daddy-do-no-wrong shit.¡± No one talks like that. You know that, he knows¡ªactually he might not. Think happy thoughts. ¡°Kossetsu, come over here and help us out. We¡¯re gonna go to the Vault and conquer the First Realm together, then join my brother¡¯s guild. It¡¯s a win-win. ¡°You want to provide for your sister, right? It seems like she just plays mom for you,¡± Reyback stuck out his lower lip, ¡°how sad. I¡¯m sure she wants to live her own life too, right?¡± Happy thoughts¡­ Kossetsu¡¯s curled fist began to tremble. ¡°shut up,¡± he whispered. Reyback put a hand to his ear. ¡°What was that? Come on, I¡¯ll give you an extra share of the loot.¡± Kossetsu continued to stare at the dirt and stepped forward, but found himself bumping into Ki. ¡°Fuck this guy. Do you really want to go with him?¡± Kossetsu¡¯s trembling stopped. ¡°You all don¡¯t deserve to get hurt over this. He¡¯s not wrong, I need to start stepping up and pay back everyone who''s helped me.¡± ¡°You already did! I would be dead without you. Right now, I¡¯m not concerned with payback for anything you did¡ªfriends just help each other, right?¡± Aidan couldn¡¯t help but smile. You¡¯ve really grown, too. Kossetsu stepped around Ki and shouted at Reyback, ¡°I¡¯m staying here, Eric!¡± Reyback turned to his companions. ¡°You gotta be kidding me, this kid is gone for a couple days and he, what, gets a girlfriend? Vince, go grab him.¡± ¡°You sure about this, bro?¡± The stocky man asked. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ do it, dude. This skinny bitch and half-dead grandpa ain¡¯t going to do shit. If you¡¯re so scared¡­ Kale, you go too. Do the vine thing¡±
¡ªKi¡ª The elf rolled his eyes and started walking forward. He kept one hand in his pocket and murmured to himself, then tapped his staff into the ground twice and yelled: ¡¸Grasp¡¹ Four roots as thick as tree trunks exploded from the ground and climbed to eye level, heading straight at the party. Something clicked in Ki¡¯s head. She didn¡¯t know if it was the sudden danger, protective instinct, or confidence from her allies, but she could feel the magic¡ªthe mana particles¡ªaround her. Though the roots were wild, they also made sense. Picturing the fort, she dropped to a knee and slammed her palms onto the ground. A jagged wall of ice came forth, impaling the roots and sending them curling backwards. CRACK The ice shattered, but the advance had been stopped. Ki fell to both knees. I hope this is like TV, where pushing yourself past your limits multiple times makes you stronger. She threw up while blinding pain flashed across her eyes. Or I¡¯m just taking years off my life. Aidan didn¡¯t have time to process: when the vines were stopped, the elf broke a band that was keeping his first two fingers crossed. In the next instant, the ¡°dwarf¡± had grown claws and was clambering towards Aidan on all fours. Aidan slid the ring from his finger. The bear-person picked up speed. And then Aidan swallowed the ring whole. Seconds later, Aidan let out a roar of spiraling fire that set the bear-man aflame. The fire raged as Vince tried to rely on the ancient wisdom of ¡®stop, drop, and roll¡¯. The fire still didn¡¯t die out. Even as burn marks crawled down Aidan''s half-missing pinky, he didn¡¯t release the spell. The elf mage ran to his companion, said something under his breath, and pulled out a cloth pouch. He pulled on a string, and a large bucket¡¯s worth of water doused the fire considerably. Aidan released the spell and huffed out black smoke. As Kossetsu held back Ki¡¯s hair, she sputtered, ¡°I¡¯m fine, keep your eyes on that comic book bully.¡± Reyback grunted and rolled his neck, sending popping sounds through the clearing. ¡°Ok, hard lesson time,¡± he said, continuing to grow taller as he walked forward. Cassie dropped to the ground from the lookout tower and asked Ki, ¡°Is this guy for real?¡± Reyback sneered. ¡°ANOTHER ONE? How much are you paying these people to pretend to be your friends, Ko?¡± Cassie remained unfazed, refusing to even look in his direction. ¡°You can go now. I¡¯m feeling generous.¡± Reyback lifted his chin and walked forward. ¡°I¡¯m feeling generous, too. I¡¯m going to show you the strength of the future number one adventurer!¡± Cassie smirked and moved with casual confidence, meeting halfway between the two groups. The tension in the air was palpable, but a unique energy was emanating from Cassie. She wasn¡¯t trying to intimidate him; rather, the air rang out with an invitation for competition. They stood inches from each other, like prizefighters posing for a pre-fight picture. Even while Aidan and Kossetsu tried to warm her hands, Ki¡¯s focus stayed glued to the standoff. Cassie is at least eight inches shorter than this guy, why does she seem to be the same height? ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t want to fight you. In fact, I¡¯m feeling extra motivated today,¡± Cassie said. Reyback barked out a laugh. ¡°An old guy, a half-dead kid, and two lost girls. Don¡¯t think just because you hit the gym that you¡¯re going to be a match for me.¡± Another loud sigh from the elf mage behind Reyback.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Aidan turned to Ki. ¡°I don¡¯t look that old, right?¡± Before Ki could respond, Kossetsu yelled to Cassie, ¡°Watch out, h¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spoil it!¡± Cassie interrupted. ¡°No, you don¡ª¡± Cassie¡¯s half-smile flashed teeth. ¡°You don¡¯t get it. I¡¯ll figure out if he can do anything interesting.¡± Reyback cracked his knuckles. ¡°Cocky, huh? Gonna show off for your boyfriend?¡± Reyback exaggerated looking at Cassie from head to toe. ¡°Heh, maybe I should say your girlfriend?¡± He yelled over to Ki, ¡°Don¡¯t cry when I break your girl in half¡ª¡± Cassie railed a punch directly into Reyback¡¯s stomach, causing him to bend down and clutch at the pain. She withdrew her fist and stood still. Reyback pulled up quickly and threw a right hook across Cassie¡¯s face. Reyback coughed and Cassie remained facing the direction she was punched. Blows were traded, but the tension in the air still hadn¡¯t broken. Cassie stepped back and laughed¡ªalmost giggling in excitement. She shook her arms loose, hopped back-and-forth, and summoned her bat. Then it truly began. Cassie unleashed a ferocious swing of her bat. In response, Reyback used his forearms to absorb the blow, but the force still sent him stumbling backwards. Cassie gave him no recovery time, flipping her stance and swinging left-handed at his unguarded head. By losing his footing, Reyback may have lost his guard, but his hands had splayed out wildly, allowing him to grab the bat in midair. But Cassie had already let go of the bat. She dropped and launched a fist directly into his kidney, causing Reyback to drop the bat. Cassie caught it in her off-hand and thrust the top into his unguarded stomach. He tried to grapple her, but she spun out of his reach, circling around him while flourishing her weapon. Reyback¡¯s muscles bulged and tore his jacket. He lunged, throwing a wild haymaker at Cassie, but she glided past him and lightly tapped him on the back. ¡°Unlike you, I¡¯m not into bullying weaklings. Usually.¡± She laughed, ¡°I think it¡¯s a lucky coincidence that people¡¯s hate gives you strength. ¡°That or maybe the world pitied you,¡± Cassie taunted. Reyback¡¯s lower body caught up in proportion to his upper body, centering his gravity. He let out a battle cry, reddening his face and making a vein on his forehead look ready to burst. Cassie took a left-handed stance again, then took the initiative and closed the distance. While still out of his reach, she drove her left leg into the ground and spun into the air for a roundhouse swing. Reyback flashed sudden lucidity and grabbed for the bat, but he misjudged the distance. The force of their clash shattered the bat and bent Reyback¡¯s hand backwards with a sickening crunch. Shards of Cassie¡¯s destroyed bat sliced above her eye, while Reyback covered his hand and stumbled toward her, head down. He looked upwards, just in time to be met with a volley of punches. Blood covered Cassie¡¯s right eye, yet she didn¡¯t have a problem continuing to land heavy blows. She finished the combination with an uppercut to his chin, but Reyback dropped his face and met her fist with his forehead. As Cassie recoiled, he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, drew his head back, and headbutted her directly on the nose. Another crunch. The fight stopped, both of them clutching at their heads. Ki strained to ascertain the fight¡¯s status, but the close quarters made it impossible for any of the spectators to see the severity of the injuries. Reyback came out of the concussion-induced stun lock slightly faster than Cassie. He moved to envelop her, but that provided an opportunity for Cassie to slam her hands against Reyback¡¯s ears and direct a stomping kick into his groin. Reyback stumbled backwards and collapsed. While Reyback vomited and tried to stand, Cassie set her nose back into place and shot blood out of her nostrils. After setting her nose, Cassie wrung out her bruised hand and smirked at Ki. Ki tried to hide the horror that had crept over her face. Is¡­ Is she actually showing off? Is it her previous injuries? Or is she in actual danger? I just want this to end with everyone safe. Kossetsu offered a reassuring squeeze of his hand. Aidan readied himself to draw his knife at a moment¡¯s notice. After looking over at Ki, a shadow fell over Cassie¡¯s face. She brought her attention back to Reyback, who had pushed himself to his feet and slipped brass knuckles around his unbroken hand. Reyback was now an inch or two shorter, but his muscles still rippled and shifted in size. He grunted something, causing his two companions to step forward. The bear-man (now back to his normal form) still had smoke hovering around him, but didn¡¯t appear to have any major damage. The elf still looked bored. When they moved to join the fight, Cassie¡¯s face turned stone-cold. ¡°Interfere and I¡¯ll fucking kill you.¡± The air of ¡®competition¡¯ instantly dissipated. Ki struggled against the sinking dread that followed in the wake of Cassie¡¯s one-sided burst of hatred. Meanwhile, the would-be interlopers felt the pressure personally, with the elf involuntarily reaching for an imaginary knife at his throat and the bear-man seemingly unable to move. Cassie¡¯s burst of killing intent was sufficient to cow the two, but Reyback was too enraged to realize he was being threatened. She shifted her weight away from her still-damaged leg and summoned a new bat. Then, Cassie ran her hand along the weapon and encased it in a shimmering, barely perceivable bubble. Reyback slapped himself across the face with the brass-knuckles, then placed both hands behind his back. Cassie responded by spitting out a tooth and crouching low. They moved simultaneously, ready to end the fight in the next exchange. Cassie stayed low and let the bat drag behind her, while Reyback sent heaps of dust into the air with every step. Sparks from the bubble of magic met the cloud of dust and mud. Reyback revealed an empty hand and reached for Cassie; at the same time, Cassie slid and condensed the force-bubble smaller than a fist. Impact. Reyback collapsed into a heap as his knee visibly, and audibly, shattered. He Desperately grasped at his blood soaked pants and rolled around in the dirt, unable to even scream. Cassie let herself lie on the ground, catching her breath. After a minute, she hopped up, side eyed Reyback¡¯s party, and sauntered over to her opponent. Like a wolf going in for the kill. She won¡¯t, though, right? When he rolled over and faced her, she stomped on his left wrist. Reyback¡¯s blood-curdling scream sent Ki¡¯s hairs on end. ¡­Right? Cassie ground her foot into his wrist and moved her bat to his throat. ¡°Run out of power already? Gonna cry?¡± Reyback responded with a gurgle. After Cassie put pressure on his throat, Ki couldn¡¯t contain herself. ¡°CASSIE!¡± Cassie¡¯s blood-covered face stared back. Now what do I say¡­? When Ki didn¡¯t follow up, Cassie looked at the now-unconscious Reyback. She clicked her tongue and threw her compass at his fear-stricken companions. ¡°Get out.¡± They remained rooted in place. Kossetsu made his way over to Reyback, preventing Cassie from issuing another command. ¡°Arteries are definitely pierced. Let¡¯s not have anyone be a killer today,¡± he said. Cassie shook her head in disbelief, but didn¡¯t object. She let her bat disintegrate and walked back to camp. Passing by Ki, she said, ¡°That''s you¡¯re one freebie. Next time, if you can¡¯t¡ªor won¡¯t¡ªstand up for yourself, don''t complain about how I take care of it.¡± Ki couldn¡¯t maintain eye contact. Nod. Respond. Do something. Ki let Cassie continue without a word.
¡ªAidan¡ª Aidan eyed Cassie and Ki¡¯s interaction. Rather than follow Ki, he grabbed his backpack and turned to the aftermath of the battle, letting go of his knife before he approached. ¡°Kale and Vince, right?¡± Aidan asked. Kale nodded, while Vince clenched his fist. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry things turned out this way. Seems to me, no one was a big fan of what transpired today,¡± he said, tossing a water bottle and a small container in front of Vince. ¡°This is some burn cream. Believe it or not, I¡¯m not immune to my own magic. Crazy, right?¡± It made sense to him, given his ability was enchantment and not elemental manipulation, but he wanted to keep every advantage he could. ¡°Thanks.¡± Vince regarded the cream, looked over at Kossetsu murmuring over Reyback, and then to Kale. Kale shrugged. ¡°Ok.¡± He sat down and started applying the medicine. Kale spoke up, ¡°What¡¯s your angle, Mister¡­?¡± He didn¡¯t stop to consider lying. Need to defuse this situation. ¡°Aidan works. No angle, I just want everyone to leave alive. Are we going to have trouble from your guild? We¡¯re just an adventuring party,¡± Kale paused. ¡°We¡¯re not really in a guild yet. His-¡± he gestured at Reyback, ¡°brother has a thing for us when we are more established.¡± ¡°Is he the vengeful type?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, to be honest. I know he¡¯s hard on him. There are a few reasons he wouldn¡¯t want to ruin his reputation, though.¡± Aidan pushed a little farther, ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Hey, about that magi-¡± Vince cleared his throat and deadpanned, ¡°Maybe we just wait in silence.¡± Kale rolled his eyes, but didn¡¯t say anything after that. Aidan put his hands up. ¡°Fair enough, fair enough.¡± I¡¯ll look into them later. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.
¡ªKi¡ª An hour after the fight, the intruders were gone and the party packed up camp in silence. Despite Kossetsu needing assistance from Aidan, Ki using a walking stick, and Cassie moving with a noticeable limp, they decided not to push their luck any further by staying to recover. Aidan called them over to the dying campfire, then opened a pouch and took out a small, chicken-wing sized bone and a half-broken antler. After snapping the bone in half, then tossed both items into the dying campfire. He completed the ritual by placing a match under the wood, creating a column of emerald smoke. Ki let the smoke wash over her, then motioned for Kossetsu and Cassie to do the same. ¡°I assume you did some preparation before entering to try to avoid encounters. This locks in the intent on the return trip,¡± Ki said. Those materials weren¡¯t cheap, either. Monster trophies, I¡¯d guess. Kossetsu spoke up, ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t fight them physically,¡± he coughed, then continued, ¡°I did fight in my own way, though: just because I can heal doesn¡¯t mean I have to do it correctly.¡± All eyes fell on Kossetsu. ¡°I made sure he¡¯d live, but his knee will heal incorrectly. He probably won¡¯t be able to afford the level of healer it¡¯ll take to heal it straight up, so he¡¯ll have to re-break it. ¡®Reyback¡¯ won¡¯t be able to bother anyone for quite a while.¡± Kossetsu shuffled around nervously. ¡°I hope¡­ I hope you don¡¯t think I¡¯m a monster.¡± Cassie patted him on his shoulder. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s badass! You gotta do what you gotta do.¡± ¡°¡­Besides, I¡¯m seen as the monster anyways,¡± she added. Ki hadn¡¯t made an issue out of it, but after waking up, her body felt cold. The feeling was hard to describe¡ªshe wasn¡¯t in pain, it was just a fact of life. The ¡®hot¡¯ tea she had been given tasted lukewarm, and the fire died down around her. Even the food they had just finished tasted like nothing. Her emotions had followed a similar pattern¡ªit was almost like she was viewing them through a window and being told how she felt. Cassie¡¯s words shattered that window and made her heart pound. Ki took a breath and pictured the blood in her body slowing down, letting the cold flow through to calm her nerves. She tried to remember the words she¡¯d prepared. ¡°You obviously have a past with that guy. Frankly, he seemed like an abuser that got what¡¯s coming to him. I respect how you handled that, Kossetsu.¡± Ki then turned to Cassie. ¡°Sorry for distracting you; I just got surprised, is all. You were really cool!¡± Cassie¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Eh, you didn¡¯t really distract me. Nothing like a good fight. I got a little sloppy, and he was decently strong.¡± ¡°I hope you''re OK with the fact I got some advanced scouting on you,¡± Ki said. Cassie put a hand on Ki¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you''re still squeamish about the mess, don¡¯t worry¡ªyou get used to it. We can count that as training.¡± The sound of glass shifted Ki¡¯s attention. Aidan had opened his backpack and taken out three vials, each with a different color liquid. She recognized them instantly¡ªadventuring potions. She couldn¡¯t help herself from fangirling. It¡¯s happening. Adventuring things are happening. Let''s try to remember from college. Definitely not TV. Your everyday red potion will help clot blood, slow heart rate, dull pain, and raise body temperature¡ªbest used topically and when absolutely needed. Blue works on some level with mana affinity and overuse. Yellow helps with physical speed, strength, endurance, and mental processing. All three are best used in desperate situations because of their side effects and really only put off consequences for later. ¡°I brought these in case of emergency,¡± Aidan said, giving the potions to Kossetsu. ¡°How would you hand these out? We can¡¯t afford to have you push your body any further.¡± Kossetsu sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I wish we could give Ki both the blue and yellow, but they don¡¯t work well when taken together. My powers don¡¯t do much for my own recovery, so let''s give her the blue and hold on to the yellow until we see how it works.¡± He handed Ki the blue vial, but she didn¡¯t drink it. ¡°I¡¯ll only drink it if you take the yellow one,¡± She said. Kossetsu started to object, but Ki continued, ¡°We¡¯re a party. Honestly, I¡¯m the least useful member right now. You¡¯re the healer, objectively more important.¡± He shook his head, but still drank the potion. In minutes, Kossetsu was moving around with less assistance, so Ki followed suit. Her eyes widened: she could actually taste. Maybe that¡¯s not a good thing. She squeezed her eyes together, hit by an intense sour flavor that was rapidly turning bitter. Cassie tried to hide a laugh and handed her a hard, strawberry flavored candy. Ki put it in her mouth immediately, then eyed Cassie with suspicion. ¡°Did you know that it would be REALLY sour and then bitter?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Cassie didn¡¯t elaborate. The group pushed through the veil surrounding the encounter. Aidan surveyed the forest, then took out a compass. Once he found the direction that caused the compass to glow gold, he led the group alongside a river, going opposite the current. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®hmm?¡¯ ¡± Ki pressed. ¡°Apparently it tastes different for everyone. I¡¯ve only used it once to see the effects.¡± Cassie responded. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a rite of passage, then?¡± ¡°Dunno, I¡¯m not a licensed adventurer¡± Ki raised her eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re not an adventurer??¡± ¡°The challenge would be interesting, definitely. My annoying mentor gave me a goal to reach before I can do that, though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem the type to listen to another person,¡± Aidan said. Cassie¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°You all certainly have some ideas about me¡­ It¡¯s a battle of wills now. He tries to hide it, but he doesn¡¯t want me to adventure. If I back down now, he wins.¡± Although the relief came slow, it came consistently enough that Ki was able to gradually use her ambient coldness to numb her pain. The rest of their journey through the First Circle was uneventful, and after half-an-hour of walking, the compass began to glow gold. Ki turned to Cassie. ¡°What did your first potion taste like?¡± ¡°Really sour. Then bitter.¡± 4.) Warmth
¡°Following the Yama Accords, ¡®Mortal¡¯ shall be defined as ¡®Human, Dwarf, Elf, [Animal] Person, Mixed Races, and [Afflicted]¡¯¡± ¡ª Fifth Age Edition of ¡®Treatise on Magic¡¯
¡ªKi¡ª The air was so fresh. The difference between the Mugen Mori and the rest of the world was immediately obvious upon exiting: muscles relaxed, breathing became deeper, and the constant whispers of danger finally quieted. After over half a day in the dungeon, Ki felt like she¡¯d finally pulled herself from the sea onto dry land. She could hardly believe there was a time when she had spent a year in that place. She looked for a vehicle of some kind¡ªa horse, a bicycle, anything to take the stress off her body. Aidan noticed and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t get any transportation. We had a taxi get as close as possible without mana interference, and then we ran the rest of the way.¡± He softened his tone. ¡°There¡¯s someone close by that can help. The adrenaline comedown will be especially bad for you and Kossetsu.¡± Ki grimaced. I guess it¡¯s deserved. Even if I didn¡¯t ask for it, I put them through a lot. They had a bit further to walk before they reached any kind of civilization, but well-traveled walking paths made the journey easier. Aidan led them past several campsites, away from the first paved road, and into a wooded area. Ki thought it was a curious turn; she had figured that they would stop at a campsite, adventurer hostel, or even a motel. She couldn¡¯t explain it, but something was telling her this place wasn¡¯t worth checking out. Trying to shake the fatigue from her mind, Ki said to Aidan, ¡°I was almost convinced you had fixed your navigation issues. No way this gets us to Trivia.¡± Aidan failed to hide a smirk. ¡°Think I¡¯m lost, huh? Heh, wanna bet?¡± At least his poker face still sucks. ¡°Alright, I get it¡ªshow-off.¡± After following a stream and clambering down an incline, they continued through brush until Aidan was proven correct. It appeared to be some kind of fort or homestead, but a ten-foot log stockade surrounded the area and prevented them from seeing what was inside. Its entrance was an open archway, but most notable was the haze that prevented anyone from seeing inside. At the entrance of the gate, Kossetsu said, ¡°Could you guys please not say anything to my sister about the fight? She¡¯s over-protective and I don¡¯t want her to go overboard.¡± No one brought up any objections. Meanwhile, Ki looked up at the top of the archway, noticing the glow of an orange ¡®Adventure Welcome¡¯ sign. ¡°Adventure Welcome?¡± She asked. Cassie sighed. ¡°The ¡®r¡¯ and ¡®s¡¯ in ¡®adventurers¡¯ doesn''t light up anymore, but he refuses to fix it. Said it was even better.¡± Before Ki could ask who ¡®he¡¯ was, Cassie put her right hand on the haze inside the archway. Upon contact, it rippled like water and blood-red lines started tracing along the back of her hand. The outline of an ancient-looking key formed first, followed by a circle inside the head of the key. Two interlocking rings appeared inside the circle, with indecipherable symbols covering their bands. Next, a diamond surrounded the rings, followed by another diamond, creating a seven-pointed star. Cassie tilted her head. ¡°What? We all have it.¡± It made sense in a vacuum¡ªeveryone in the party had survived in the Mugen Mori, but it still felt so unreal to Ki. She looked at Aidan and Kossetsu: Aidan¡¯s was fire-red and placed on his neck, while Kossetsu had hints of a purple glow coming from his covered back. Ki¡¯s hands shook with excitement as she looked down. She had one too. The Crest of the Rule Breaker. The indicator that she could be an adventurer. The indicator that she could make use of magic. The indicator she could finally be a part of something bigger. Cassie motioned with her thumb towards the gate. ¡°You need at least one person in your group to have one to open this gate. It¡¯s fine, we can go in.¡± While everyone entered, Ki stayed behind, staring at the icy blue key drawn on the back of her hand. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Kossetsu asked, turning around. ¡°I¡­ I never had one, until now,¡± Ki murmured. Kossetsu¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How did you survive in there?¡± ¡°AHEM.¡± A woman¡¯s stern voice interrupted their conversation. They turned and were met by a stunningly beautiful Night Elf. She was tall, with an hourglass figure, elegant posture, and wore a long-sleeved summer dress that complimented her dark purple skin. The elf woman pulled her braided, jet-black hair over her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips. Kossetsu tried to straighten himself out. ¡°Ah¡ªum. Myrah this is Ki, the person I told you about that helped me out a while ago,¡± he turned to Ki, ¡°Ki, this is my sister, Myrah.¡± Ki reached out to shake her hand, but suddenly lost her footing. The surprisingly strong woman caught her. ¡°Are you okay??¡± The stern voice had turned to silk. Ki was far too tired to be embarrassed. Or so she thought. ¡°I-it¡¯s a whole thing¡­¡± She didn¡¯t remember much after that interaction, except for a brief look around an inn-like building, meeting a concerned man, and laying down in a cozy room. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ki awoke to the sound of clinking glass. She opened her heavy eyelids, turning her attention to the sudden noise. A gray haired man was at a nearby desk, portioning green liquid into a vial. Ki tried to push herself upright against the wall, but her muscles appeared to be on strike. She was struck by the man¡¯s oddly familiar visage. He had a regal, angular face that only showed limited signs of aging, slicked back hair, and circular glasses with a golden tint. He wore a loose robe tied at the waist and a green overcoat, hinting at his role as an alchemist. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re awake¡ªyour friends were worried about you. Even my granddaughter tried extra hard to pretend not to care,¡± The man propped an extra pillow behind Ki and put a green vial to her mouth. She didn¡¯t have the emotional or physical capital to worry, so she drank it without complaint. Thankfully, it tasted like green tea with a flowery aftertaste. No way they¡¯d leave me with someone untrustworthy¡ª ¡°Granddaughter?¡± She asked. The man moved to the desk, transferring various alchemical supplies into a leather bag. ¡°Cassandra. Didn¡¯t she provide you with further information, like her full name?¡± ¡°Um, you haven¡¯t given me your name,¡± Ki said, just managing to bring herself upright. ¡°Oh, You¡¯re right. Benjamin. Benjamin Orthos. Ben is just fine,¡± He turned and gave her a smile. Ki noticed he was trying to avoid pressuring her, so she took the initiative and reached out for a handshake. His hand was calloused and warm. The warmth prompted her to say, ¡°Ah¡ªI¡¯m sorry I should have checked my temperature first.¡± Benjamin put up a hand. ¡°You¡¯re just fine. Your magic is under control, for now. If anything, it feels like a normal person with a slightly unusual body temperature.¡± Ki sighed in relief, then suddenly stopped her breathing. Benjamin. Benjamin Orthos. The Benjamin Orthos. Former guild master of Horizon? The conquerors of the 5th Realm? Once home to the strongest adventurer in history? ¡°Excuse me, are you¡­?¡± He finished putting his supplies into the bag and leaned against the desk. ¡°I am. I¡¯m surprised someone recognized me¡ªI was usually fairly anonymous, even back then.¡± This is the greatest day ever¡ªwell, possibly two days. Still. ¡°Are you kidding me? Without you, the greatest guild in the world never forms! The way you organized and trained¡ª¡± Ki noticed a pained smile across Benjamin¡¯s face. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡­Former guild master of Horizon. A guild no longer home to anyone because they left to form Cipher Dawn. Think about his feelings! She tried to regain her composure. ¡°Oh, sorry, Mr. Orthos. I didn¡¯t think before speaking. I¡¯m sure half the stuff I¡¯ve read isn¡¯t even close to true.¡± ¡°Just Ben, please. It¡¯s okay, but thank you for your concern,¡± he finished packing his supplies and turned to leave, ¡°feel free to come down when you are able, there¡¯s plenty to eat and drink. I¡¯ll say you went back to sleep so you can come down on your own time.¡± Once he left, a polite cough from the corner of the room drew Ki¡¯s attention. Turning, she realized Myrah had apparently been sitting quietly in the corner, absorbed with a black leather notebook. Myrah wrapped a ribbon around the notebook. ¡°Apologies, it was my shift and I didn''t want to interrupt. You didn¡¯t remember meeting Ben, but do you remember me?¡± ¡°O-of course! Myrah, right? Kossetsu¡¯s big sister,¡± Ki said, trying to fix her messy hair. Myrah smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. You took an awfully bad beating¡ªhow are you feeling?¡± ¡°Really sore. That green stuff got rid of the brain fog and muscle stiffness, though. Ben really is an incredible alchemist.¡± Ki looked down, squeezing the blanket covers with her hands. ¡°I should have been more considerate. After the Third Gate fell, things went downhill and Horizon disbanded.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself, you didn¡¯t mean anything by it. Why don¡¯t you take a shower?¡± Myrah nodded over to the attached bathroom. ¡°He uses some fascinating crystal magic to get this running in the middle of nowhere.¡± Myrah offered her hand, helping Ki off the bed and to the bathroom. It was compact, but it had all the required amenities and well-placed lights that kept the room from feeling like a closet. Myrah stepped out and drew the curtain separating the two rooms. ¡°Are you OK if I stay around to make sure you don¡¯t slip or fall? I won¡¯t peek, promise.¡± Ki was thankful Myrah couldn¡¯t see her blush. ¡°Yep, no problem!¡± Ki tried to take her clothes off slowly, not wanting to make too much noise. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. What are you doing? Girl, you¡¯re in a different room. Stop being a useless lesbian and hurry up. The reflection stared back at her. Ki whispered to it, ¡°¡­ Good point, that being my first retort is great progress. ¡°Did you say something?¡± Myrah¡¯s voice called. ¡°Oh, nothing, sorry!¡± She stepped into the shower and noticed a glowing red stone on the wall. Must be the crystal she was talking about. I didn¡¯t think people had this anymore. Actually, didn¡¯t this become pretty rare after the Third Age? She put her hand on the stone, causing water to cascade out of the shower head. Ki waited for the initial burst of cold water, but nothing came. In fact, as long as she was close to the stone, the water temperature was exactly what she wanted. Is that a ¡®me¡¯ thing or a ¡®crystal¡¯ thing? Ah, I should turn the fan on. She opened the shower curtain, but realized there was no switch to be found. Instead, she saw a blue crystal on the ceiling that was absorbing the steam from the shower. Isn¡¯t this way better than electricity? Despite the existence of magic being documented for thousands of years, the exact mechanics behind it were still not well-known. Both the Mages¡¯ Council and Adventuring Association were not forthcoming with exact details, only saying that those with special crests had an ¡®inner spirit¡¯ that created and used ¡®mana particles¡¯, also known as ¡®mana¡¯. Throughout history, most people were fine with the limited information provided. The important thing to the public was that magic helped keep them safe from monsters and powered mortal advancement. When the Fourth Age began with an industrial revolution, more began to find it elitist¡ªeven a threat. Despite this, the focus remained on the ¡®indomitable mortal spirit¡¯ that came with creating ¡®non-magical¡¯ sources of power, like electricity. Until the adventurer shortage during the Great war, most glossed over the fact that magical essence from dungeons often supplemented energy generation. I¡¯ve spent so much time looking into adventuring and adventurers. Why didn¡¯t that bother me more before¡­? She shook her head. Let¡¯s finish up here so Myrah isn¡¯t waiting on me. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Ki put her hair up in a towel and finished changing. She was grateful for how prepared, and generous, Myrah was. Before Ki could even ask, Myrah had already left her a change of clothes and a makeup kit. Myrah was taller than her, but the skirt was long and flowing enough that it didn¡¯t make a major difference. The blouse and underwear were fancier than she was used to, but they were mostly the same size. She looked in the mirror again. Ok, listen up, Ki. In one day you¡¯ve now met and talked with a real life tomboy-slash-athletic woman and could now befriend a mature, elegant woman, too. Do NOT waste this opportunity. She patted her cheeks, nodded to herself, then stepped out of the bathroom. Myrah looked up from her notebook and put her hands together. ¡°You look great!¡± Oh my god. Oh my god. Ki took a seat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Um, yeah, thanks. I really appreciate you helping me out and waiting around. You mentioned something about it being your shift? I hope they paid you overtime.¡± Myrah laughed and waved her hand back and forth. ¡°Nothing like that¡ªAidan insisted someone he trusts be with you at all times when he wasn¡¯t around. It was a little rude to Ben, but I get it. New place and new people. Kossetsu did get annoyed when Aidan said I didn¡¯t count. I suppose Kossetsu earned his trust; Aidan eventually caved.¡± She looked at Ki¡¯s wrapped hair. ¡°You know, I actually have a great way to dry it. One second.¡± She came back with the red crystal from the bathroom. Ki looked at her in shock. ¡°Did you just pull that out? I can¡¯t afford a fine.¡± Myrah motioned towards the towel. ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯m something of a mage myself. I¡¯m sure I can get it back in there.¡± Ki gave in and moved over to the stool. She desperately tried to slow her heart rate down, but her focus kept falling on the warmth of Myrah using the stone like a makeshift hair dryer. It was still calming in its own way, though. Much like the shower, the heat was a consistent and comfortable temperature. They sat in a relaxed (besides Ki¡¯s heart rate) silence for a few minutes. Myrah said, ¡°You¡¯ve got some tangles, I can work through those if you''d like.¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± Am¡­am I in my popular phase? She cringed. Oh no. Don¡¯t start talking like that just because you fought a comic-book bad guy. ¡°How did you and Kossetsu meet?¡± Myrah asked. ¡°He told me you helped him out, but didn¡¯t want to give me any details. I know he thinks I worry too much.¡± Ki chewed on her lower lip. What should I even say? I don¡¯t want to sell him out. A cartoon devil appeared on her shoulder. ¡°Yes, but would Kossetsu ever wash your hair and give you his clothes? Checkmate.¡± I mean, I dunno. Oh. Oh wow, I¡¯m going crazy from basic touch. Excellent. Myrah played the part of the angel. ¡°You¡¯re not betraying him. Please remember, he is sixteen and constantly in way over his head.¡± She sighed. ¡°Though, I suppose it¡¯s not fair of me to ask out of the blue without telling you about myself.¡± Ki didn¡¯t say anything as Myrah continued to work through her hair. ¡°In case it wasn¡¯t obvious, we aren¡¯t blood related, not that he is any less my family. Our family moved from Srerabro to Yama¡ªI guess they wanted to get away from the craziness of night elves. Some¡­stuff happened and when I was around twenty¡ªten years ago¡ªhe and I ended up in Taitale.¡± She''s providing half details, even in the abridged story. That and her tone¡ªit''s very practiced. Makes sense, she''s only inviting me to share too right now. Ki spoke when Myrah and the comb stopped at the same time.¡°You don¡¯t need to go into details, I wasn¡¯t trying to hold out to get information from you or anything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. My point is we¡¯ve traveled far and been through a lot. I deeply care about him and I¡¯ve worked hard to make sure he¡¯s safe, but he keeps going out of his way to put himself in danger.¡± Myrah finished working cream through Ki¡¯s hair. ¡°Do you want me to braid it?¡± ¡°Definitely, I really like yours¡­ I appreciate how hard you¡¯ve fought for your family. I guess I never stopped to think that he¡¯s really just a kid,¡± as Myrah began to braid her hair, Ki continued, ¡°I met Kossetsu by chance, really. It was six months ago, I think? He was, uh, at a fighting ring¡ªbut he wasn¡¯t the one doing the fighting! Just offering some healing.¡± ¡°How legal was this ring?¡± Myrah asked, maintaining her melodic voice while mixing in a stern overtone. ¡°Hm. Maybe legal? I guess we all just assumed the gym had a license. Either way, Xandria doesn¡¯t really have the resources to care.¡± ¡°And were you fighting in this maybe-legal fighting ring?¡± Myrah asked. ¡°No, just watching. I had my own reasons for being there. After one of the fights, I saw a fighter being rough with him, so I told him off. Later, we took the same exit out to an alleyway and ran into that fighter, plus two of his friends.¡± Wonder if she would believe me if I said it wasn¡¯t the first time this had happened to me. Seriously, like random encounters in a game or something. ¡°They threatened me and said Kossetsu needed to give free healing. Kossetsu agreed on the condition that I could leave right away. I had emasculated the guy earlier, so I was surprised when they let me go. But you know how he is.¡± ¡°He¡¯s quite adept at standing up for others, I just wish he¡¯d do it more for himself.¡± Myrah remarked. Collateral damage, ouch. ¡°When I got behind them, they moved their focus to Kossetsu. After he started to heal the fighter guy, I hit one of the lackeys as hard as I could with a pipe to the back.¡± ¡°You what??¡± Ki felt Myrah¡¯s hands jump in surprise. ¡°Maybe that was crazy? It seemed like the right thing to do. I had planned to use my¡­¡± ¡°¡­Stun gun on the next guy, but he was faster than I thought. The next minute I was on the ground holding my eye and Kossetsu was shocking the fighter. Then, we somehow managed together to take care of the one that hit me.¡± Ki realized she had been speaking casually about a back-alley brawl. You¡¯re blowing it! She shook her head, causing Myrah to pull her hair. ¡°Sorry about that!¡± Myrah said. ¡°N-nope my bad.¡± Too late now to make her think you¡¯re really sophisticated and mysterious, just keep doing what you¡¯re doing. ¡°Kossetsu said they would be fine-ish. We ran for a bit, then ended up getting a burger and chatting. We exchanged numbers and I didn''t see him again, until now.¡± Myrah finished Ki¡¯s braid with a blue ribbon. ¡°Why the pipe first?¡± ¡°What?¡± Myrah tilted her head. ¡°Why the pipe first? Did your stun gun not have enough charge? The emotional shock would have had a great effect on the other two before even touching them.¡± Ki straightened her back and tried to add weight to her words. ¡°I wanted to keep them in close quarters; I thought the stun gun would cause them to back up and get too much space. And, if I was going to do something, I wasn¡¯t going to waste time with a plan that involved hoping they¡¯d care about their friend or would negotiate.¡± Ki saw something like approval on Myrah¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you thought that far ahead. Thank you for protecting my brother¡ªI don¡¯t see anything wrong with what you did.¡± Myrah took a seat at the edge of the bed. ¡°May I ask what happened to get you in such rough shape?¡± Fuck. Why didn¡¯t you think of anything ahead of time, brain? Why couldn¡¯t my magic be intelligence¡ª ¡°¡ªther not say. Nothing to do with Kossetsu.¡± Ki found herself finishing a sentence she didn¡¯t remember starting. Myrah helped Ki stand. ¡°That¡¯s okay, as long as everyone is safe. Why don¡¯t we go downstairs?¡± As they left, Myrah offered a smile that made Ki feel like she was drinking hot chocolate on a cold winter¡¯s day. ¡°It was really nice to speak with you, Ki.¡± ¡°It was really nice to speak with you as well!¡± Ki silently pumped her fist. Well done, no stutter. Screw it, even though it¡¯s a little late, maybe you ARE ready for your popular phase. 4.5) SCALE Factbook: The Fourth Age The Fourth Age This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. 5.) Promises
¡°One way of advancement is through obtaining the ¡®Keys¡¯ created by the Vault. Each key can be obtained in the first, third, and fourth realm, with the added benefit of direct transportation to one of the Gates, aka ¡®safe zones''. Of course, you¡¯ll have to beat the Titan that lies at the end of a realm.¡± ¡ª Anonymous¡¯s Guide to Adventurer Rankings
Fire. Cassie¡¯s earliest memory was of fire. Of flames that engulfed her vision and choked away her dreams. In her dreams, she couldn¡¯t feel anything besides the brightness of the fire. She didn¡¯t feel the fear, the smell of smoke, or the scent of death. She was sure they had been there. Why can¡¯t I remember the feeling? A woman screamed. A man¡¯s voice rang in the background. ¡°NO. NO. NO. NO!¡± The man¡¯s voice grew shrill: Accept this offering, O World: ¡¸[???[????_???????????????????_????????????????_??????????????????????????¡¹ Static. Suddenly, Cassie was pulled away from the scream by an invisible force. But her vision was still engulfed in fire. Fire. Her earliest memory.
¡ªCassie¡ª Cassie awoke with a start, barely catching herself from rolling off the slanted roof. She wiped the sweat from her brow and closed her eyes. Don¡¯t let the nightmare win. Look: nothing changed. There¡¯s no fire. Everything is alright. Cassie opened her eyes, slowly this time, and surveyed the closest thing she had to a home. She looked toward the gate, then moved to the open air forge with an attached workshop (and the roof she was currently laying on). Past that lay the ancient willow tree overlooking a pond that glistened from the moonlight. Cassie remembered when Ben caught her attempting to chop down a willow tree with an axe larger than herself. Of course, Ben wasn¡¯t pleased with this development, but still pulled out old training dummies for her to hit instead. Cassie smiled, not realizing she had adopted her natural smile¡ªrelaxed, unguarded. The axe is still stuck there after all this time. She didn¡¯t have the heart to remove it once she¡¯d named the tree Tara. She¡¯d even surprised Ben by making a sign for it. Would you still yell at me if I jumped from the tire swing into the water? Across the pond, on the right side of the walls, stood a garage, as well as a small stable that could accommodate three or four horses. Neither were well-maintained, though thanks to a certain new guest, they looked the best they had in years. Then came the inn, a two-floor log building with eight lodging rooms situated at the back of the structure. Ben spent most of his time in the attached building next to it that held a library on the first floor and his workshop on the second¡ªusually emitting some kind of colored smoke from the chimney. All in all, the entire complex wasn¡¯t enormous, but it was large enough to give some privacy from one side to another. After losing her parents nineteen years ago, it never truly became a home for her, but Cassie did have some fond memories. She loved listening to the adventurers and their tall tales, learning about animals, and even undergoing (self-led) training. She was five and didn¡¯t understand many adventurers were avoiding the horrors of war¡ªto her, it was a glimpse of her parents. Some bad memories, like an extremely rough breakup, still had bright spots: she came back to this place and (unintentionally) helped Ben develop a new hangover cure. The reminiscing sent Cassie back to a lethargic, post-nap attitude. She looked at the stars, tracing imaginary shapes in her mind. The world¡¯s so big, but so small. She sighed. I might finally have an adventuring party like he wanted. I¡¯m done waiting. I¡¯m going to reach for greater heights. Greater than they ever reached. Cassie heard something underneath her, so she shifted her perception, unconsciously heightening her hearing toward the sound of a conversation. She had been compared to a cat before, and she understood why¡ªthings like this situation got her that reputation. She didn¡¯t intend to eavesdrop, but she wasn¡¯t going to move from her spot. Tough luck if they say anything wild. The first voice was a girl, maybe around fifteen years old. ¡°A-are you doing okay, Ko? You were really beat up.¡± The other was a boy, clearly Kossetsu. ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, definitely. Not to brag, but I got told I was the most important part of the party.¡± ¡°I told you! You gotta believe in yourself more,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hit you that hard, you baby,¡± the girl said. ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Giggling. ¡°You¡¯re free to hit back!¡± ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m not just a supporter of women¡¯s rights: I also support women¡¯s wrongs.¡± ¡°What an excuse! Alright, as a representative of all women: I¡¯ll let you off the hook.¡± They both burst out laughing. After they caught their breath, Kossetsu said, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside, I think dinner¡¯s ready,¡± The duo entered her vision as they crossed the path and into the inn. Kossetsu looked more relaxed, settling for wearing a fitted sweatshirt, a beanie, and darkened glasses. Walking nearly arm-in-arm with him was a shorter girl with black hair tied up in an updo, wearing an oversized sweatshirt that fell to her mid-thigh. The new girl¡¯s name was Xia. Cassie didn¡¯t know her, but after not speaking to Ben for a few months, she didn¡¯t feel the need to push for information. Plus, Xia¡¯s reasons for staying away from civilization and why she needed a place to stay were more obvious than Kossetsu¡¯s. Not only was she young and on her own, but she was an ¡®Afflicted¡¯. Each major race of the world, collectively called mortals, had branches, like night elves. Some branches were purely social divisions, while others had tangible differences. The Afflicted were separate from all of those. They all had some kind of ¡®monstrous¡¯ trait like the horns of a ¡®demon¡¯, scales, or anything that deviated too far from the world¡¯s socially accepted animal traits. For most of history, they had either been hunted as devils or whisked away to be a village¡¯s god. Actually murdering them was banned everywhere¡ª except Taitale¡ªby the Fourth Age, but it wasn¡¯t until the end of the Great War fifteen years ago that the ¡®devils¡¯ were finally defined as Mortal. Now, they were just mortals afflicted with dark magic from the dungeons. Xia was an Oni. She had ruby-red skin and two small black horns protruding from her forehead, but otherwise shew as just an overactive, slightly-smaller-than-average teenage girl. A concerning gurgle came from Cassie¡¯s stomach, making her realize she hadn¡¯t eaten since the fight with Reyback. Ah, right. Food. She hopped down from the roof and made her way towards the inn. And Ki. Cassie stepped into the inn and caught sight of Ki, arm-in-arm with Myrah. Her stress returned. Huh.
¡ªKi¡ª It¡¯s. A. Real. Adventuring. Lodge!!! Ki leaned against the wooden railing overlooking the first floor, trying to contain her excitement. After leaving her room, she¡¯d been entranced by the candles¡ªeach with a differently colored flame¡ªsurrounding three chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. The flames danced brilliantly and filled the first and second floor with a warm glow. She took in the rest of the lodge: at the bottom of the stairs to the first level, Kossetsu and an Oni girl were sitting on two large L-sectional sofas set in front of a roaring fireplace. On the opposite side of the room, Aidan and Ben were placing an array of food onto a banquet hall table. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The lighting, her hunger, and the rich fusion of smells from food, smoke, and old wood buried Ki in a trance. Is this heaven? Myrah looked at Ki with concern. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah,¡± she replied, unconsciously taking Myrah¡¯s arm. Myrah guided her across the carpeted walkway, past three other rooms on the second floor, and down the staircase. ¡°Do you want to sit down? Can you walk on your own?¡± Myrah asked. A look of determination came across Ki¡¯s face. ¡°I am so hungry right now¡ªthis is a quest I must overcome myself.¡± Myrah raised an eyebrow, but let go of Ki¡¯s arm. She rubbed her hands together for warmth and headed over to Kossetsu and the girl. Ki started making her way to the food. She was fairly sure she was delusional again, but she swore she saw a golden chalice on the table across the room. The journey will be arduous, but I must undergo this mission¡ª It was suddenly much easier to walk. She looked out of the corner of her eye, finding her arm around Cassie, now bearing much of Ki¡¯s weight. The mission can wait. ¡°Hey, Cassie.¡± Ki said, trying to sound lucid. ¡°Hey yourself. Looked like you needed some help.¡± Immediately after taking a seat, Ki was surrounded. Multiple voices spoke at once, but the clamor was soon quieted by Ben. ¡°Let¡¯s all give her a little space and take a seat.¡± Aidan and Cassie flanked her, while Kossetsu, Myrah, and the Oni girl sat across from her. While everyone got situated, Ki tried to stop her mouth from watering at the feast. It¡¯s like a harvest festival! Ben gestured for them to start, before heading back into the adjoining kitchen. Kossetsu looked over. ¡°Should we wait?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Cassie grabbed food, allowing everyone else to start the meal guilt-free. Ki dug in as well, barely taking time to savor the food. The oni girl stood up. ¡°Hi there everyone! Fo¡ª¡± she swallowed her mouthful of food, ¡°for those I haven¡¯t talked to yet, my name is Xia~. Pleasure to meet all of you!¡± She looked at Ki. ¡°You¡¯re Ki, right? Kossetsu said you have some super-cool ice powers!¡± Ki shyly gripped a mug of beer. Oh you were so wrong, Ki. THIS is the power of a popular-phase girl. ¡°Super-cool, good one.¡± Xia burst out laughing and slapped a jumpy Kossetsu on the shoulder. ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t even do that on purpose!¡± Ki continued, ¡°Ha, either way, I just started using magic¡ªI¡¯m not anything special. Kossetsu, Aidan, and Cassie are all way cooler¡± ¡°Cooler, nishe!¡± Xia said, her teeth sunken into a cob of corn. Xia took a napkin offered by Myrah and kept chatting without losing a beat. During a quiet period, Ki cleared her throat and gripped the mug tighter. ¡°Everyone: thank you for saving me today¡ªer, the other day. I don¡¯t have a great excuse for being stupid, so¡­¡± Kossetsu smiled and Aidan started to respond in a fatherly tone, but Cassie spoke over him. ¡°You gotta be stupid sometimes if you want to test your limits! Only way I¡¯ll be angry is if you keep apologizing.¡± Ki sensed the same look from Aidan that he¡¯d given her on the return journey. He said, ¡°It¡¯s good to recognize dumb decisions and learn from them so you don¡¯t continue to make dumb decisions. Don¡¯t get me wrong: I¡¯ve made plenty of them. Even though I don¡¯t agree with your method, I get why you did it.¡± Xia didn¡¯t let the uncomfortable quiet hang around. ¡°Why did you do what? You fought a bear or something, right?¡± Ki started to stutter a response, until Myrah picked up Xia¡¯s mug and said, ¡°Is this wine?¡± Xia put her hand behind her head and giggled. ¡°I¡¯m, like, a demon basically¡ªso alcohol has no power over me.¡± ¡°Is that how it works?¡± Xia hiccuped. Kossetsu turned to Myrah and hissed, ¡°Sis.¡± ¡°What? Someone needs to be a responsible adult.¡± Kossetsu stood up. ¡°Hey Xia, you full? I wanna show you something cool by the pond.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She raised an arm, cheered, and left with Kossetsu. After they were gone, Myrah sniffed the mug and laughed, shaking her head. ¡°Nope, that¡¯s apple juice.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª After the meal, Ben came back with another green vial. Ki, much to her regret, drank it without question. What is it with the Orthos family and giving me bitter drinks!? She took a drink from the beer she was nursing, and before she could curse herself for drinking another bitter beverage, she widened her eyes. How is it so cold? Didn¡¯t he say my magic was under control? Ben sat down, methodically cutting and portioning a plateful of food. Cassie barely let him take a single bite before she spoke. ¡°Grandpa, I think I got myself a party now. You gonna get me that license?¡± He stopped cutting a slice of meat. ¡°Have you asked your ''party¡¯ if they want actually want to be a party?¡± ¡°Uh,¡± she turned to Ki, ¡°you want to be an adventurer too, right?¡± SAY YES SAY YES SAY YES Ki¡¯s actual response surprised herself, ¡°I¡¯m probably only good for refrigerating food, to be honest.¡± Aidan spoke to Cassie with a tinge of heat in his voice, ¡°She just got out of a life-or-death situation, don¡¯t make decisions for her.¡± The corner of Cassie¡¯s lip raised, but she otherwise ignored him. Catching Ki¡¯s eye line, she said, ¡°Damn, you didn¡¯t seem like the type of person to settle for mediocrity. Not after everything I¡¯ve seen you do.¡± Mediocrity. You did settle for Mediocrity. Over. And Over. And Over. Myrah said, ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Cassandra, Kiseki is clearly trying her hardest¡± Cassie rolled her eyes. ¡°Listen Myrah, I know you have the whole pure and pristine vibe going for you, but I caught the outli¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Ki said, staring into the mug¡¯s ripples. ¡°I am the type of person to settle for mediocrity. In my past life I did it again and again.¡± A tear fell halfway down Ki¡¯s cheek, leaving a glistening, frozen trail. Aidan involuntarily shuddered from a sudden burst of cold air. The mug¡¯s liquid froze as Ki said, ¡°But you¡¯re also right: in this life, I will not be the type of person to settle. I wish you had asked first, but maybe this is the kick I needed.¡± She looked around the table. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s something we could all use?¡± The raging fire in Ki¡¯s eyes met the roiling waves in Cassie¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Ben cleared his throat and stood up. ¡°Cassandra, let¡¯s speak in private.¡± Cassie remained locked with Ki for a while longer, then went outside with Ben. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Ki looked apologetically at Aidan and Myrah. Myrah didn¡¯t respond, while Aidan scratched the back of his head. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not going to stop you,¡± he said. ¡°Will you join me, though?¡± ¡°I tried the adventuring thing a couple times. To be honest, I can¡¯t keep going back to that forest. Not after everything that¡¯s happened.¡± He sighed. ¡°¡­If it¡¯s the other Dungeons, I guess someone should come with you two and make sure no one tries to ¡®learn from stupidity¡¯.¡± ¡°That works for me!¡± Ki said, her tears replaced with a beaming smile. Myrah started piling empty plates. Not knowing how to approach her, Ki just followed suit. After the three cleared the table, Myrah¡¯s normally serene face was replaced with a penetrating gaze that made Ki shift anxiously. ¡°Are you going to rope Kossetsu into this?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. I guess I was going to ask him since¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s barely sixteen.¡± Ki tried to gather her thoughts for a proper response, but Aidan beat her to the punch. ¡°Is he going to stop going behind your back?¡± Myrah¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I do not like your implication. Please, expand on that statement.¡± Aidan¡¯s matched Myrah¡¯s intensity. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s anything you did. I think you know more than anyone that he is pushing himself to worrying limits. Teenage angst will only make that worse. Unless you want to lock him up, I¡¯d suggest a party of people that care about him is the best place for him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Myrah left, leaving Ki and Aidan alone. ¡°Are you going to keep arguing with everyone?¡± Ki said, clenching her jaw. Aidan rubbed his eyes. ¡°What do you mean? I probably just got Kossetsu and Myrah to join the party.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not only that. It¡¯s pretty obvious you have a problem with someone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like arguing and confrontation. In fact, I detest it, but¡­¡± He trailed off and took a seat at the table. ¡°What?¡± Ki pressed. ¡°¡­If I don¡¯t do it, no one will. I¡¯m not making that mistake again.¡± Why does it always end up like this? Why can¡¯t we see eye-to-eye? Why? ¡°Why now?¡± Ki took a breath, ¡°Why care so much now?¡± Aidan winced. ¡°What do you want me to say? That I fucked up? Well, I fucked up. I¡¯m sorry. I let your parents take you on that insane journey, then left you alone and scared in the city. All because of my personal shit.¡± It was Aidan¡¯s turn to clench his jaw. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for your forgiveness¡ªI don¡¯t deserve it. I know I have no right to say this, but I want you to thrive, to speak your mind, and to not change yourself for anyone ever again,¡± he said. ¡°Based on the looks you¡¯ve been giving, I sense I¡¯m not doing those things,¡± Ki said, continuing to let her inner thoughts spill out. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be honest: I see the way you look at Cassie, and I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll go along with anything she says. Because of my mistakes.¡± Ki sat beside Aidan. Don¡¯t give in to the guilt. He¡¯s obviously in the wrong. ¡­ Damn it. ¡°You¡¯re not so important that you¡¯re the root of every issue, and there¡¯s no need to be a martyr. You aren¡¯t the only one trying to make up for their history of avoiding problems,¡± Ki said. ¡°Please don¡¯t treat me with kid gloves. Like, there are plenty of ways I¡¯ve been a massive jerk in the short time we¡¯ve been back together.¡± A smile escaped Aidan¡¯s face. ¡°I mean¡­¡± She returned the smile. ¡°I get where you¡¯re coming from. I¡¯ll promise to be myself if you promise the same.¡± Liar. ¡°Fair enough. Let¡¯s take everything one step at a time, then,¡± Aidan said. They moved to the couches, telling stories about their time apart. The mood improved dramatically, though Ki had a nagging thought in the back of her mind. How do I be myself if I¡¯ve never been myself in the first place?
¡ªCassie¡ª Cassie crossed her arms at Ben, who was pretending to be more interested in his personal garden. ¡°So, what¡¯s your excuse now?¡± Cassie asked. Ben gripped the railing until his hands turned white. ¡°Excuse? Is that what you think it is? Do you think it¡¯s fun for me to tell someone to not follow their dreams?¡± I¡¯m not backing down this time. ¡°Yeah, I do think it¡¯s an excuse. You wanna know what I think the real reason is?¡± ¡°Go ahead, enlighten me.¡± Cassie found her fevered pitch stopped in its tracks. How does he do it? Stop my every¡ª She pictured the roaring fire in Ki¡¯s eyes. ¡°You think I¡¯ll end up like mom and dad.¡± ¡°I know you will.¡± As if that¡¯s a bad thing. ¡°When I was little you shared stories about them defying monsters, the government, destiny, and anything or anyone else that stood in their way. It¡¯s NOT FAIR to tell me those stories and expect me to want something different!¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what you want to do? Be your parents and follow in their footsteps?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put words in my mouth, Ben!¡± She shouted. Cassie let out more emotion than she intended, causing her aura to brush against Ben¡¯s. He showed no signs of discomfort as he walked over. I won¡¯t let you make me feel like a kid. Ben gently placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°What are your words, then?¡± ¡°I want to go past where their footsteps end. Not for them, but for me. I love the rush of adventure, the clash of wills in battle. Sometimes, I even enjoy the people I meet.¡± ¡°And the glory?¡± ¡°Sure, glory is a nice side bonus if it leads to greater challenges,¡± Cassie said. She met Ben¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m going to do this, with or without you. I don¡¯t plan to die and abandon you like they did.¡± Ben took his hand off her shoulder and walked back to the garden. He was a calm, peaceful man that found his thrills in scientific discovery and community. That made it all the more jarring when she saw anger flash across his face. Huh¡­? She saw him struggle to contain his emotions. Why do I feel¡­? Cassie felt an ache in her chest. He lost a daughter. And my dad was just as close to him. He¡¯s been dealing with everything on his own. And I¡¯m treating him like that. ¡°Grandpa,¡± she said, in a low tone. ¡°Grandpa.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was wrong of me.¡± ¡°I want to show you something,¡± Ben said, grabbing a pitcher of water. They moved to the center of the garden, where a plaque lay in front of a bird bath. Each corner had a sun and moon painstakingly engraved into it, and the entire area of the bath was surrounded with multicolored flowers. None of that mattered to her right now. Her attention was fixed on the raised lettering of the plaque: ¡®Dedicated to Tara and Aichen Orthos. Ever forward.¡¯ ¡°I used to talk to them every day¡ªeven about the little things,¡± Ben filled the bird bath, ¡°they even helped me make some major breakthroughs.¡± ¡°I promised them I¡¯d keep you safe. After we saw less of each other, it became harder and harder to tell them I was fulfilling that promise.¡± Grandpa¡­ ¡°There¡¯s something I left off my list,¡± Cassie said, her voice breaking. ¡°I want to make you proud.¡± ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d say that,¡± he wiped away a tear, ¡°I understand you have your own dream and are determined to follow it. You even found someone apart from me that will put up with you.¡± Ben hugged her. ¡°Let¡¯s keep that promise together, okay?¡± ¡°I promise,¡± Cassie said. Ben whispered, ¡°If you are going to do this, you are going to do it correctly. It won¡¯t be easy. When you ask for the same training they did back then, I will make it even harder.¡± Cassie found her own eyes watering. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want.¡± 6.) Baptism
¡°More Adventurers need to ask themselves: Who, what, when, where, and why?¡± ¡ª Benjamin Orthos
¡ªKi¡ª The next morning, Aidan and Ki were on the sofas, waiting for Ben and Cassie. Aidan had dozed off, and Ki was still thinking about an hour earlier, when Kossetsu and Myrah agreed to join the group. Two weeks of training before our first run. Not training with us for the first week is going to hurt cohesion, but I¡¯ll trust their judgement. The smell of freshly baked cookies hit Ki¡¯s inner monologue like a truck. ¡°I finally got these down!¡± Cassie said, setting a plate of chocolate-chip cookies on the coffee table. Aidan¡¯s eyes popped open. ¡°You can cook?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to regret that tone in a second!¡± Cassie said, smugly putting her hands on her hips. They both took a bite. Ki and Aiden looked at each other. ¡°This¡­¡± he began. ¡°Is crazy good!¡± Ki finished. Cassie exhaled deeply and grabbed a cookie. ¡°Whew. Honestly, I was worried after the other failed attempts.¡± ¡°Um, did you not taste test them?¡± Ki asked. ¡°Where¡¯s the sport in that? Don¡¯t worry, I would have finished them if they were bad,¡± Cassie grabbed a few cookies and went back to the kitchen, ¡°hang on, I¡¯m gonna wrap a few for Xia.¡± Cooking made her an entirely different person. Is that actually the first time I see her anxious? Ki giggled, then brought a hand to her mouth in shock. Aidan placed his chin on his hands. ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± ¡°shut up, shut up,¡± Ki whispered at a snickering Aidan. Shortly after Cassie returned, Ben rolled a squeaking whiteboard in front of the fireplace. He cleared his throat, ¡°Okay, I¡¯d like to go over some foundational things before throwing you to the wolves.¡± Right into it!? He totally gets it. Ki opened a notebook and clicked her pen. He cleared his throat again. ¡°How experienced in adventuring and magic would you describe yourself?¡± Cassie said, ¡°Experienced at fighting. I haven¡¯t gone into dungeons, besides going into the Mugen Mori a few times for unrelated things. I can use my magic to basically deal concentrated damage, but it tends to break my weapons. Luckily, I have a knack for Hidden Inventory that lets me stockpile a lot. ¡± Ben nodded to Aidan, who said, ¡°I¡¯ve been in enough brawls to hold my own¡ªnot that it''s my preferred method. I¡¯ve been through the Mugen Mori plenty, though mostly when I was younger and with fairly low stakes. Hopefully, Druidic methods come in handy in other dungeons. He played around with a ring on his thumb. ¡°I can imbue fire effects on weapons, jewelry, and stuff like that. I¡¯ve got an OK understanding of some ritual magic, too. Everyone looked over to Ki. ¡°I did some boxing in college, but I don¡¯t have immense faith in my one-on-one ability. Dungeon-wise¡­¡± Aidan gave her a reassuring nod. Just be honest. ¡°I spent a year in the Mugen Mori when I was really young, and the other day was my only other time. The ice magic and crest are completely new.¡± Ki tried to ignore their looks of surprise. ¡°Ah, one other time too, like a year back.¡± Cassie grinned, ¡°Just a refrigerator, my ass!¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible, were you on your own? Did you use a Banner?¡± Ben asked. ¡°I was with my family,¡± Ki said. Ben caught on to the tone of her voice and didn¡¯t continue the line of inquiry. He switched into teaching mode. ¡°There are a few things I noted from all of your responses. For one: you all have fought people, but the denizens of dungeons are entirely different.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°You only really hear about fun adventures and overcoming great odds, but you need to understand that this is not a game. Adventuring is not an ¡®I might as well since I can use magic¡¯ type of calling, and there are no take-backs once you make a major mistake. And you will make one.¡± ¡°Furthermore, I do not give out zero-star adventuring licenses. It¡¯s great you all have crests, but you will need to meet the criteria for a one-star license before I will sponsor you. Until you have a one-star license, the advice and assistance I give will be limited.¡± Ben waited for objections. None came¡ªit helped that Cassie had briefed Ki and Aidan beforehand. ¡°The criteria being?¡± Ki asked. ¡°The most straightforward method will be to defeat a powerful monster called a ¡®Champion¡¯. Some younger adventurers have called them ¡®mini-bosses¡¯ or ¡®elites¡¯. In the case of the Vault of Heaven, you¡¯ll find them in special encounters, called ¡®Rooms¡¯. For the entrance area, they guard openings to the First Realm.¡± ¡°Take care afterward if you continue, the First Realm is called the Marble Noose for a reason,¡± he added. ¡°Now, let¡¯s gauge your level of knowledge. The questions you ask can help me gauge that, so go ahead.¡± Ki stared at the back of her hand. ¡°What is magic?¡± ¡°Can you elaborate?¡± Ben asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I don¡¯t trust the information I¡¯ve been given. How is it created? Why am I just now asking questions about how magic works? Why isn¡¯t it studied in the same depth as biology? As chemistry?¡± Ben stroked his chin. ¡°You¡¯re asking that right questions. Let¡¯s start with basic knowledge you may not have.¡± ¡°Magic is more free-flowing than you would think. In the early days, using magic was like trying to build with sand¡ªyou could do some rough things, but there was no fine control. Over time, we learned magic could be focused through self-exploration and by setting conditions through promises, oaths, and pacts. Those insights allowed us to delve into the nature of magic. Obviously, when I say ¡®we¡¯, I mostly mean the research available from early and pre-history.¡± ¡°The major theme of magic is that you believe the world should be a certain way, and your creativity and natural inclinations allow you to work both inside and outside of the world¡¯s rules.¡± ¡°You could ¡®break¡¯ these rules with elemental magic that doesn¡¯t follow standard scientific laws. You could also use the world¡¯s rules to your advantage by using magical laws to overpower another¡¯s will or heighten your senses. The popular understanding of the former is where the term ''Rule Breaker'' comes from.¡± Ki wrote ¡®Rule enforcement?¡¯ in her notebook. ¡°Basic, abridged vocabulary: Mana is a grouping of magic particles. When your will interacts with them using a focus, mana becomes magical energy.¡± Ki wrote: ¡®What makes up the particles?¡¯. ¡°A focus can be anything¡ªa chant, a pact, a hand sign, a tool, or even your own body. It¡¯s simply a channel between your will and mana contained elsewhere. Imagery is extremely helpful, which is where different schools of magic come in. Tradition is a powerful pact.¡± ¡°Aura can be thought of as the expression of the ¡®heat¡¯ given off by your will.¡± Cassie asked, ¡°What¡¯s the actual application for all of this? Is this what you meant by making it hard?¡± Ki added, ¡°Will there be materials going more in-depth?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated, which leads me to your other question. Much like tradition, secrecy is a powerful pact. One of the ways we believe the magical community developed magic itself is with Pacts of Secrecy. The two major magical organizations of the world, the Adventuring Association and Mages¡¯ Council, have outlined plans on when, why, and to what extent we reveal the inner-workings of magic,¡± Ben said. ¡°That makes se¡ª¡± Ki stopped mid-sentence. ¡°A pact of secrecy¡ªit doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯d be enough to prevent those without magic from wanting to learn more.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, which brings us to crests. Anyone that can use magic manifests the Crest of the Rule Breaker. The easy, public explanation is that it¡¯s just a representation of the ability to use magic and can be molded into guild tattoos. ¡°There are two other possible explanations: either the Crest gives the ability and desire to understand magic more intimately, or the Crest is involved with a pact already in place among all mortals.¡± Aidan said, ¡°The Crest IS fairly common in Druidic circles, which makes sense. Does the importance of secrecy mean magic¡¯s foundation could crumble if its secrets were revealed?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know. There are times when you¡¯ll physically be prevented from saying something, and other times people will be forced to ¡®mishear¡¯things. This most often occurs with spell chants. The issue is, it has never been stress tested in a world with a nine-digit population level. ¡°That¡¯s why, as knowledge has become more widespread and easily accessible, the Mages¡¯ Council, Adventuring Association, and many governments have played an active role in creating pop-culture understandings of magic. They work very hard in toeing the line between fiction and nonfiction.¡± ¡°This may frustrate you, but I believe it¡¯s a good thing young adventurers and mages have to discover many things on their own. Teaching applications vary, and thus success rates can be wildly different. I¡¯ll leave the uses and applications up to your interpretation.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ben clapped his hands together. ¡°I rambled more than expected, so why don¡¯t you do some self-guided training? Xia should be waking up any minute now, and we have a prior commitment.¡± ¡°FINALLY!¡± Cassie shouted. She vaulted over the side of the couch and motioned to the door. ¡°So all-in-all we¡¯ve learned that you can do things with magic and secrets are good. Great lecture. Let¡¯s get some training done.¡± Ki finished writing her notes. She stood up quickly, surprising herself at her body¡¯s lightness. ¡°Thank you! There are some good hints at places to start!¡± Aidan looked back and forth, then sighed, heaving himself upwards. ¡°Keeping up with early twenty-somethings is going to kill me. Seriously. Just burn the body.¡± Ben laughed, ¡°You might be surprised at how much of an equalizer magic and life-experience can be. And remember: you¡¯re talking to someone in his sixties! No complaints!¡± Aidan smiled apologetically, then headed outside. As Cassie tried to convince them to do a jogging warm-up, another thought ran through Ki¡¯s mind: Discovering the hidden inner workings of magic for myself? ¡­I think I get how you feel now, Cassie.
¡ªKossetsu¡ª THUNK Kossetsu swung the axe down, splitting the log in half. ¡°Hey, I got one!¡± He proclaimed victoriously¡ªto no one. He placed another onto the chopping block. THUNK I can¡¯t believe this is the ¡®training¡¯ Myrah wanted me to do¡­ THUNK
¡ªKi¡ª I¡¯m gonna puke. Ki leaned against the willow tree, trying to catch her breath. For the past three days, Ki had been under a ¡°No Magic¡± ban implemented by Ben. She wasn¡¯t too tempted to ignore it¡ªeven considering adding ice to her drinks sent a nauseous feeling throughout her body. In the meantime, Cassie took it upon herself to accelerate Ki¡¯s rehabilitation. Each day had a fairly simple plan: running, body weight exercises, stretching, and ending with meditation. Ki found ways to break the boredom by going through some of Ben¡¯s ¡®allowed¡¯ books, playing card games with Xia, and going over fighting techniques¡ªin slow motion¡ªwith Cassie. Ki was more sore than usual today, owing to her actually running on her solo midnight ¡®runs¡¯. I won¡¯t let Cassie leave me behind. Cassie was already stretching. ¡°That was a mile! How are you going to survive a dungeon like this?¡± ¡°I-¡± Ki took a drink of water and looked around, but Aidan was gone¡ªapparently he ¡°trained better on his own¡±. She had her doubts. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to work smarter and harder,¡± she said. Cassie rolled her eyes. ¡°Sayings aren¡¯t gonna help when you are face to face with a shadow wolf or whatever¡± ¡°Or whatever?¡± Ki asked. ¡°Yeah, whatever¡¯s in the dungeon,¡± Cassie deadpanned, then sat on the ground to do plank exercises. Ki finally caught her breath¡ªjust in time to be incredulous. ¡°You haven¡¯t looked into it?¡± ¡°No? Do you look up the plot of a movie before watching it?¡± Ah, that¡¯s what Aidan meant. ¡°If it¡¯s all the same to you, I''ll be trying to fill in those blanks in my spare time,¡± Ki said. ¡°You do you. Ready for another run?¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± Cassie laughed. ¡°We¡¯re going to do something new beforehand, don¡¯t worry. Take a seat.¡± She patted a patch of ground next to her, and Ki moved over, sitting down and shuffling herself to be diagonal to Cassie. ¡°Ok Ki, you aren¡¯t under Ben¡¯s little ban anymore, right? Feel like you¡¯re gonna blow up?¡± ¡°Uh, I hope not?¡± ¡°Perfect. I am going to improve your athletic ability tenfold. We¡¯ll cheat a little until we can build your body up more,¡± She squeezed Ki¡¯s bicep. Ki laughed nervously. ¡°That sounds good, but I don¡¯t really want to bulk up too much¡­¡± Cassie leaned in, now uncomfortably close and touching Ki. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with muscle? Don¡¯t I look good?¡± Ki scooted backwards. ¡°What training do you have for us?¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll revisit that later. Close your eyes.¡± Is Cassie of all people going to lead me through meditation? Did she make my heart rate skyrocket on purpose?? ¡°Ok, now what?¡± ¡°Find your magic.¡± Cassie said. Is that it? Ki took a peek at Cassie, who was sitting motionless, eyes shut and focused somewhere else. Ki sighed and closed her eyes again. Ok, that makes more sense. Magic¡­ Ki thought back to the three sessions of therapy she¡¯d tried. Doing a body scan could work. She started from her toes and worked her way up, noting how each of her muscles felt, tightening them, and then loosening them. Ki slowed her breathing by imagining a clear lake in her head. Slowly, but surely, she created an image in her mind. The ¡®lake¡¯ looked more like a stormy ocean. She fought the urge to panic. There are no magic stones to foil you this time. Use the cold. The storm subsided, and the waves slowed to a ripple. At last, the lake froze entirely. ¡­ Nothing else happened. Do I try to use my magic now? Am I trying too hard? Cracks formed along the ice. She felt a tug on her hands. Following the feeling, she turned her palms upward, then crossed each ring and pinky finger. The pulling feeling became stronger as golden light shined through the cracks along the imaginary ice. Her anxiety was replaced with curiosity. She reached for the light, shattering the ice and dropping her consciousness. Feeling weightless and heavy at the same time, Ki¡¯s body told her it wanted to hyperventilate, but there was a disconnect, like it was talking to her through a phone. Her chest started to feel tight and a rush of air surrounded her. She saw the ground approaching at high velocity. Ki tensed for impact. But she only found herself calmly standing on solid ground, surrounded by an unfeeling void. Did I fall asleep? She stared at a bone-white door in front of her. It was covered in blurry symbols, and she had a feeling she should know them, but recognition only scratched at the back of her mind. The scratching only grew louder when she walked to the door. She turned the handle and entered, bathing her field of view in light. She was warm again. The light gave way to a clearing the size of Ben¡¯s lodge. In front of her stood an elevated pool, about eye level to her. A crown of flowers acted as the outer walls, and glowing moss created a staircase to sparkling water. Is this¡ªam I in the Mugen Mori? She raised her eyes, catching sight of a slender woman that radiated¡ªfiguratively and literally¡ª near-blinding beauty. The light faded, revealing a topless woman, with hair somehow displaying a starry night. The woman half-heartedly covered her chest with and faked surprise. ¡°Kyaa~¡± Ki¡¯s eyes shot downwards. NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS KIND OF DREAM. She heard the sound of water splashing, and then her chin was lifted by a golden, glowing figure the size of her hand. ¡°You caught me unguarded when I heard the door open¡ªjust kidding. Hehe, sorry about that. Next time I can make it a male body if you want ?¡± ¡°N-no, that¡¯s ok¡ªwait, that doesn¡¯t matter. Isn¡¯t this¡­?¡± This is where my new life began. It had been almost a year since Ki journeyed to the Mugen Mori, praying that the rumor she had read about was true. After meeting Cassie, she¡¯d spent every waking minute trying to change her destiny¡ªto get a new body and match her outer appearance and inner soul. To go from ¡°man¡± to woman. Ki knew she had been unbelievably lucky. In a mere month, she managed to stumble her way to a secluded encounter, where something had transformed her. She didn¡¯t know if it was a fairy, an elemental, or even a devil. She didn¡¯t care. I never thought we would meet again. The creature of light fluttered around Ki¡¯s head. ¡°So you seem to realize who I am!¡± ¡°Did I get transported to the Mugen Mori, somehow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually the opposite! I hitched a ride with you~¡± Ki took a step backwards. Shit. Shitshitshit. I should have guessed I wouldn¡¯t get off for free. The glow of the creature softened into an orange hue. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have realized how you might be feeling. To be honest, I didn¡¯t think we would meet yet! I assure you, I remember our first interaction, even though it feels like someone else¡¯s dream to me. In fact, my next memory after granting your wish is waking up in this little sanctuary.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ So, what do you want?¡± Ki asked. The glow turned purple. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the catch.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t one~!¡± Ki narrowed her eyes. The creature spoke again, ¡°No, really! All I want is what¡¯s best for you. It¡¯s difficult to explain, but I think we have a resonance. It feels right being here.¡± Ki sat down on the steps. ¡°What if I wanted you to leave?¡± The glow turned blue. ¡°We could try to figure out how to make that a reality. It would break my heart, though.¡± Don¡¯t get guilt-tripped by a random spirit. Despite a lack of facial features, Ki thought she saw a glint in the creature¡¯s ¡°eyes¡±¡ªsomething it was hiding. ¡°Can you give me a reason for you to stay?¡± Ki asked, pushing through a pang of regret. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me here, that¡¯s okay! I¡¯m sure we can figure it out.¡± ¡°Let me rephrase: you¡¯re purposely not giving me a reason to stay. Why?¡± ¡°O-oh. I guess we do resonate really well. I didn¡¯t want to force you or anything. If we are going to be friends, I don¡¯t want you to feel indebted to me.¡± Friends? And indebted¡­ ¡°Are you the reason I can use magic now?¡± ¡°No!¡± The creature somehow skidded to a halt midair and generated a dust cloud. ¡°Sort of,¡± it cleared its throat, ¡°when your new body was made, I noticed that there were some strange blockages.¡± ¡°Something was preventing me from using magic?¡± ¡°Your internal conflicts¡ªbiological, emotional, and physical¡ªall played a part. I may have aligned everything, but your power is your power. I only helped in overcoming an unfortunate circumstance.¡± Ki shifted uncomfortably, then looked at the glowing crest on her hand. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve been really rude. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Well, Kossetsu was under the impression I might be a fairy, so I told him my name was Fey! That¡¯s not my real name, but it felt right. You¡¯ll be the first to know when I figure it out!¡± ¡°Waitwaitwait. You talked to Kossetsu?¡± Fey explained their meeting with Kossetsu. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ki stroked her chin, not noticing Fey copying her. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t have an issue with you hanging out here for now. Where is here?¡± Fey¡¯s glow shifted through the entire rainbow, before settling on gold. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a small portion of your inner world! It¡¯s like a small room in a massive mansion.¡± ¡°An inner world? Isn¡¯t that really helpful for magic?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ A bit. Neither of us are even close to ready to explore the rest.¡± Ki tried to take in all the implications. She knew time was passing, but a comforting breeze kept that thought in the back of her mind. ¡°I have a few questions, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Shoot~¡± ¡°Are you a devil?¡± Fey stood stock-still, their glow turning to a faded orange. ¡°No.¡± Would a devil lie? I mean, obviously, but why do I feel so connected to them? ¡°Can you hear my thoughts?¡± Ki asked. Fey began moving around again, this time circling Ki. ¡°Nope! I mean, you are kind of thinking with me right now, but when you aren¡¯t here I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s happening. ¡°Isn¡¯t that boring?¡± ¡°I struggled to form complete thoughts until recently, so I haven¡¯t had many chances to get bored. It¡¯s pretty easy for me to just nap, though!¡± ¡°Ok, What kind of pact do you want to form?¡± ¡°None. I¡¯m just happy to be here. If I¡¯m right, you would rather have a partner than a contract, anyway.¡± Ki said, ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s make it formal without a pact, then: would you like to stay here? No strings attached.¡± ¡°I sure would!¡± Fey offered their small hand to Ki, who returned the handshake with her little finger. Ki felt Fey adopt a mischievous grin. ¡°I know you said no strings attached, but I have an idea for a rent payment~?¡±
¡ªCassie¡ª Cassie came back from her run and shook her head. Three hours had passed since Ki started meditating. Initially, Cassie also tried to push her own limits, but when she tried to grab Ki¡¯s attention after half an hour, she couldn¡¯t get close. A circle of ice surrounded Ki, and any attempts to break it froze her skin. Adding to her frustration, Cassie was unable to get her body to remember how to use a temperature-resistant bubble. ¡°Are you sure this is her first time?¡± Ben asked. ¡°Supposedly. Don¡¯t press her on it.¡± Cassie finished her water bottle, then started walking closer to Ki. To her surprise, Ki suddenly stood straight up. ¡°You had us worried there for a sec!¡± Cassie laughed. Ki¡¯s eyes remained closed as she moved toward the pond, a trail of ice in her wake. Cassie reached out, but Ben stepped between them. ¡°You¡¯re looking at instant frostbite.¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be safe, right? We should do something!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no danger, yet.¡± Cassie tapped her foot in agitation. ¡°Fine.¡± Ki continued walking, eventually reaching the willow tree. She reached out her hand and pulled on the oversized logging axe stuck into the trunk. ¡°Ben!?¡± Cassie took a step forward, but Ben still shook his head. The branches of the willow tree whipped back and forth from a gust of wind. Ki put a second hand around the axe. This time, she pulled it free. Dragging the axe, Ki walked to the water. They looked on in disbelief as Ki created a frozen path to the center of the pond. She sat back down in a meditative position, with the axe placed over her lap. ¡°Baptism,¡± Ben said. ¡°Are you serious? She¡¯s creating an Edge?¡± Cassie couldn¡¯t believe it: Ki was binding a personal weapon with her own magical signature WHILE completely unconscious. I haven¡¯t even been able to bind a normal weapon. ¡°I¡¯m going on another run.¡±
¡ªSometime, somewhere in the Mugen Mori¡ª Ash and steam filled the air of the once-snowy clearing, now engulfed in a blizzard of heat. The only proof that life hadn¡¯t been completely choked out of the encounter was a towering figure, wearing only a heavy cloak and ragged clothing. Embers parted for the man as he dragged a decapitated troll¡¯s head by the hair and painted a circle of gore around a monument of similarly sized skulls. Once the circle was completed, he looked at the ugly, boulder-sized trophy in the grip of his charred hand. It could be worth a large sum¡ªeven a place of honor in any other guild hall. He didn¡¯t particularly care. He blinked, sending blistering fire down the hair and flaying the rest of the skin from the troll¡¯s head. He picked up the steaming skull and threw it in the pile with the rest. Nothing. He shambled his way over to the skulls and used them as an impromptu throne. Steam surged through holes of the metallic rebreather that covered his mouth and lower jaw. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to do this in the First? Had he been lied to? As he began to feel his body heat rise, there was a rumbling sound behind him. Turning, he found himself¡ª finally¡ªexcited. The crashing of trees gave way to a two-story tall troll. He looked in disgust at the tree it was dragging and the beast¡¯s sickly gray skin, covered in some kind of bone armor. A four-star quarry, at best. His throne turned to ash, and the surrounding air began to quake. He threw back his hood, his shoulder-length hair burning at the tips and covering his face in a pitch-black curtain. He looked to the sky and began to laugh, the rebreather filtering his cracked voice into a hollow echo. ¡°HAHAHAHAHHAHA¡± Blood vessels burst and created a jigsaw of carnage across his eyes. ¡°HAHAHA¡± The troll roared, but his sickly laughter didn¡¯t stop. ¡°HAHAHAHA¡± He didn¡¯t realize a tree twice his size had been thrown at him, but it didn¡¯t matter: it disintegrated well before reaching him. The ground ruptured as he emitted a sudden, overwhelming pressure. He looked down at the flames that licked at his bare feet, his eyes stinging from the heat of boiling tears. ¡°¡­ha¡­¡± He reached for his mask. 7.) Kindling
¡°Suffer no kings¡± ¡ªTaitale¡¯s Official Motto
¡ªKi¡ª ¡°Ok, I see the blue-colored thread,¡± Ki said. ¡°Good, now push your awareness down the thread, until you reach the end,¡± Fey explained. Ki slogged through the muddy blackness, every movement feeling like an eternity. When she reached the blue thread of light, it began to tear apart. ¡°Wait, take in your surroundings before continuing.¡± Ki kept her eyes closed, letting the ripples of the pool wash and glow from the vines walls wash over her. ¡°Ok, you¡¯re calmer now. Continue.¡± Ki skated her awareness across the light at high speeds, generating a head rush. Her awareness collided with a ball of orange energy, shocking her eyes open and bringing her face-to-face with Fey. ¡°You did really well! You¡¯ve connected your spirit to the object. This last part may cause some discomfort. I¡¯ll need you to trust me~!¡± Ki nodded and closed her eyes again. Too late to back out now. She felt a push against her forehead and naturally began to resist it. Before a tug of war could begin, Ki threw her own head backwards as hard as possible. The sound of splashing water reverberated through her ears, echoing inside her mind and drowning out her thoughts. She felt her body sink, yet didn¡¯t feel the need to hold her breath. She inhaled. Energy that resembled a mix of adrenaline and elation surged through every fiber of Ki¡¯s being, filling the dark void with an overwhelming light. ¡°Well done~?. I¡¯ll be resting for a while! I had to use most of my energy to push the limits of some kind of pact. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ki¡¯s eyes filled with water as she crashed through solid ice¡ªice in the real world. She hadn¡¯t stopped inhaling, making her convulse in the water. Using her last remnants of energy, she hauled herself out of the pond and on to dry land. ¡°WHAT THE F¡ª¡± She only saw stars, and ice water fell like shards of glass from her mouth, burning her constricted lungs and throat. Ki gasped for air, but just as the corners of her vision darkened, hot liquid splashed against the back of her neck. Immediately afterward, Ki was moved backwards with great force and slammed into the nearby tree. ¡°KAH-¡± She vomited out water, barely missing both Cassie, who had tackled her, and Ben, now covering her in a large towel. Cassie let go of the impromptu hug and pressed her hand against Ki¡¯s shoulder, keeping her upright. It took Ki another minute before everything subsided. She blinked, looking down at Cassie¡¯s arm. Her right arm and shoulder were covered in a layer of ice. Ben moved to Ki¡¯s side. ¡°Are you okay!?¡± ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Ki tried to push Cassie¡¯s arm away, ¡°you¡¯re going to hurt yourself!¡± Cassie let go, slowly. Then she smirked. ¡°I was trying to figure out how to do that again, thanks.¡± On second inspection, Ki realized Cassie¡¯s skin looked frosted over, like a window in winter. Cassie flexed her arm, shattering the window and revealing her unharmed skin. ¡°That¡¯s twice I¡¯ve used my power on myself. Hopefully the third time won¡¯t involve pulling you out of danger,¡± Cassie said. Ben glowered at Cassie. ¡°Was the tackle necessary?¡± ¡°If Ki¡¯s training, I should be training too, right? Also, it was either that or my bat, and I just ran out of those.¡± Cassie looked toward the water. ¡°We can¡¯t all suddenly forge an Edge,¡± she turned back to Ben, ¡°let¡¯s not forget about you throwing boiling water at her.¡± ¡°Um, feel free to pour more,¡± Ki said, pulling the hardened towel around her. Ben sighed, then, with Cassie¡¯s help, lifted a nearby pot and dumped boiling water on Ki¡¯s head. Wait, was that a smart¡ª The water fell over Ki and steamed away her worries. It¡¯s like a hot spring! The relief was short-lived. However, instead of despairing, she was struck by a different fact. How much was in my head? ¡°Is it bad I don¡¯t actually feel cold?¡± Ben said, ¡°Good question. At the very least, your skin doesn¡¯t look great. It would be a good idea to change clothes and use one of the showers.¡± Ki nodded, motioning away help and standing on her own. Ben continued, ¡°Speaking of the showers, when you use the gem, trace a circle around it. That will give you manual control. Don¡¯t judge by feel; when your magic is overflowing like this, your senses are untrustworthy.¡± ¡°What abou¡ª¡± Cassie began. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about other things later,¡± Ben said. Once they reached the inn, Ben tried to lead Ki to a ground-floor room. Ki, seeing Cassie in the corner of her eye, shook her head and went up the staircase. I. Will. Not. Fall. Behind. The shower was a welcome relief and actually made her comfortable. She fell asleep almost immediately after, not even waiting for her hair to dry. ¡ª¡ª¡ª So warm¡­Ki pulled the covers around herself. Hmm¡­? Not yet. I¡¯m still sleepy¡­ A dropping sensation made her bolt upright. ¡°The Edge!¡± She dragged her body off the bed and threw on a sweatshirt and jeans. Ki rushed down the stairs, through the living space¡ªwhere Ben was currently napping¡ªand out to the willow tree. Where is it!? Ki¡¯s fingers twitched. And what is it? She felt a vibration in her fingers, bringing her attention to an invisible thread leading to the pond. Ki pulled her hand backwards, sending something out of the water and racing to her side. The object stopped and hovered in front of her. So this is what resonates with me. Huh. Ki walked around the hovering weapon, a single-sided felling axe. She couldn¡¯t remember where she¡¯d heard the term, but it was a tool meant for cutting down trees. She grasped the nearly three-foot handle. On contact, glowing lines of ice traced over the weapon and illuminated it in the moonlight. It¡¯s actually not too heavy! An Edge, Fey said it was called. Something even more powerful than a bound weapon to focus my magic¡­ I should probably feel like I cheated. Is it bad I don¡¯t? Ki suddenly heard sniffling, coming from the blacksmith¡¯s house. She let the axe hang over her shoulder and entered the open door. In the dim illumination, Xia placed her hand on an anvil and raised a shaky hammer with her other hand. ¡°Xia? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Eee!¡± Xia dropped the hammer with a loud clang, then fell on her knees and started sobbing. Ki laid her axe against a wall and rushed over to Xia. Kneeling down, she embraced the small figure in a bear hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re not alone.¡± Xia continued to shake in Ki¡¯s embrace, so Ki held her tighter and stroked her hair. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m sorry, I j-just was having a bad time.¡± ¡°No need to apologize. Is it okay if I stay with you?¡± Xia nodded and laid her head against Ki. Even after she stopped crying, Ki continued to hold her. ¡°It''s not safe to be by me,¡± Xia whispered. ¡°I was going to say something similar about me, no worries. I should be thanking you: you¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve been able to touch and feel their body heat.¡± A few minutes later, Xia pulled away from the embrace. ¡°Thank you,¡± Xia said, staying seated and looking away from Ki. Ki tried to offer a reassuring smile. ¡°Of course. I won¡¯t press, but is there anything you want to talk about?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You have my word, anything you say won¡¯t leave this room,¡± she added. Xia let out a jittery sigh and sat on a nearby chair. Ki lit a fire in the forge and found a seat of her own.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Avoiding Ki¡¯s gaze and staring into the fire, Xia said, ¡°I overheard Ben and Cassie, you got some type of new weapon? They seemed really surprised.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s called an Edge. Honestly, I¡¯m still trying to figure out what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome. You seemed really unsure about your powers so that seems like a big step.¡± Open up first, or she¡¯ll stay closed. Ki said, ¡°It¡¯s a really big step, yeah. I get the impression I wasn¡¯t supposed to even consider something like this until I was much stronger. Want to know a secret?¡± Xia finally looked at her. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel bad at all. My whole life, I¡¯ve felt like everyone had a head start in a race I wasn¡¯t invited to. I¡¯m not going to settle for being a spectator anymore,¡± Ki smiled, ¡°huh. That felt great to say out loud.¡± Xia whispered the word ¡°spectator¡± to herself. Ki let silence reign until Xia finally spoke up. ¡°I feel like a spectator. Did you know I can¡¯t leave this area at all?¡± Red, shadowy liquid dripped from Xia¡¯s hand and formed into a swirling ball. She squeezed the ball tightly, and when she opened her fist, a rat made entirely of crimson shadow dropped out of her hand and ran into the fire. After a small squeak, it vanished in a puff of smoke. ¡°These things¡ªand worse¡ªkeep coming from me. I can¡¯t control it without Ben¡¯s help. I¡¯m lucky he found me when things were getting bad. Anyone else would have killed me on the spot.¡± Xia shivered. ¡°And they would have been called a hero, and me a demon. Some days I wonder if it would have been¡­better¡­¡± Should I just be there for her? Should I say something? Hug her? Ki¡¯s mind went into overdrive. She walked over and knelt beside Xia. Putting a hand on her shoulder, Ki said, ¡°Xia, you are not a demon. Heck, if you were, I wouldn¡¯t care¡ªand neither would any of the other people here. Never apologize for being alive.¡± Fresh tears fell from both of them as they embraced. ¡°Even Kossetsu is going to leave and be an adventurer. I-I¡¯m really scared of being alone again,¡± Xia said, between sobs. ¡°Even in the short time I¡¯ve known you two, I can see how much cares about you. I guarantee that he won¡¯t leave you,¡± Ki squeezed Xia tightly, ¡°I can also guarantee I¡¯ll keep coming back until you can leave the inn whenever you want.¡± Ki smiled. ¡°After that, I won¡¯t have to visit: you can join up with Kossetsu and the rest of us.¡± Xia¡¯s head shot upwards, almost bonking Ki. ¡°Do you mean that!?¡± ¡°Definitely! I mean, I don¡¯t know all the details, but by your attitude alone you¡¯d generate enough power for our party to keep going! Let¡¯s keep working hard together, okay?¡± ¡°Ok!¡± Xia wiped away the tears. ¡°Thanks for listening, Ki. You¡¯re like a big sister!¡± Ki tried to play it cool and not show how happy she was. Of course, she failed, breaking out into a huge smile. Big Sister! Xia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Check this out!¡± She stood on her chair and opened a cabinet. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Cassie that I sometimes ¡®borrow¡¯ her supplies.¡± Xia held her treasures in front of Ki. ¡°How do you feel about s¡¯mores?¡± While Ki enjoyed chatting with Xia and indulging in a sugar rush, Myrah¡¯s voice played in Ki¡¯s thoughts. ¡°He¡¯s barely sixteen.¡± ¡­ Am I putting another kid in danger? ¡­ Do I have any right to deny them in the first place? ¡­ Screw it. I¡¯ll just keep getting stronger. As long as I¡¯m alive, no one is getting left behind.
¡ªKossetsu¡ª Kossetsu absentmindedly looked around the forest and headed to ¡°Adventure Welcome¡±. It¡¯s been seven days now. Kossetsu leapt backwards as a squirrel sprinted past him. He exhaled and went back to replaying the last week in his head. ¡°Hope the training was worth it, Myrah.¡± He had been excited when Myrah told him Ki and Cassie were going to invite him to their party, and Myrah joining only added to that feeling. Even though he¡¯d have to fight her oversight, he usually enjoyed being with her. He had still been excited when Myrah said they¡¯d train on their own. Sure, leaving his friends was disappointing, but part of him was excited to do a ¡®training arc¡¯ on his own, then come back and impress everyone. Of course, the other reason they needed to go off on their own was the catastrophic potential of his training, and Myrah had the experience to help him push his powers without harming himself or others. The excitement died by day three, when the only things Kossetsu had done were cutting wood, organizing said wood by hand (and without gloves), meditating, swimming, and going for brisk walks. Every part of him ached. The fourth day was when things became especially frustrating. At random intervals of the night, Myrah would wake him up, sometimes with cold water, other times with an alarm, and once by burning incense in his tent. His lack of sleep continued to pile up, until Myrah let him do his first actual healing practice. On fish. That took another full day. I don¡¯t think I can look at any kind of seafood anymore. One particular scene kept replaying in Kossetsu¡¯s mind. On the sixth day, Myrah woke him up in the middle of the night with a bloody wrist. Even worse, when he started to help her, she said if he messed up, the next thing they¡¯d train on would be rabbits. Naturally, Kossetsu lost focus and ended up with a wound on his arm. True to her word, that afternoon, Myrah brought a rabbit to the camp. ¡°You¡¯re so afraid of me being a monster, maybe you¡¯re the monster!¡± He¡¯d yelled. The pain on her face surprised Kossetsu more than any midnight wake-up call. ¡°Maybe. Maybe I don¡¯t want¡ªfine. Do what you want. Before we left, Aidan mentioned he had an idea, so I¡¯m going to go find him, like I promised,¡± She¡¯d said. Why did I say something? Why does everything fall apart when I try? He chewed on his lip and raised his hand to the inn¡¯s gate. As he crossed the threshold, a loud boom caused him to bite down. ¡°Come on!¡± He hissed. The taste of blood quickly became unimportant when he caught sight of Ki and Cassie swinging their weapons at each other. He ducked, barely avoiding the resulting ice shrapnel. ¡°Gonna have to do better than that!¡± Cassie said, between deep breaths. ¡°I told you this was crazy. Even with us standing apart and only aiming for weapons, we still might hit each other,¡± Ki replied, also barely managing a response. Cassie let her bat disappear. ¡°Heh, you say that, but I saw the look in your eye. Not so sad now about using a heavy axe, are you? Gonna go full berserker?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Keep talking and you¡¯ll run out of bats¡ª¡± ¡°Kossetsu, you¡¯re back!¡± Ki said, catching a towel thrown by Cassie. Just smile. They don¡¯t need to hear about everything that went on. ¡°Hey guys, did I miss anything?¡± Ki grinned. ¡°At the rate we¡¯re going, another week and we¡¯ll end up as two-star adventurers after our first visit to the Vault!¡± ¡°This girl said she was going to be our strategist and is talking like that, you believe that?¡± Cassie said, laughing. Will I be good enough to help them? Trying to keep a smile, Kossetsu said, ¡°That¡¯s certainly something, yeah!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you daydream now, so you can focus when the time comes!¡± Ki said. She turned to Kossetsu as they all headed inside. ¡°Everything okay? Where¡¯s Myrah?¡± ¡°She said she wanted to help Aidan with something, so I thought I¡¯d stop by.¡± ¡°Aidan did mention yesterday he was investigating a place near the Mugen Mori. I know the look of one of his hare-brained schemes when I see one,¡± Ki said. Hare¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve said that twice now, is he unreliable or something?¡± Cassie asked, wiping away a shard of ice. ¡°I would say closer to mad scientist. Maybe that¡¯s an exaggeration. He has some interesting ideas.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Kossetsu half-listened to the two, unable to fight the feeling of being an outsider. I wonder where Xia is? Before he could look around the inn, a thunderclap flashed in front of him with such force and brightness that he had to rip his sight-enabling mask off. All three of them fell to the ground. Rumbling sounds pitched upwards into an overbearing scream. Mercifully, the scream was short, but the ambient buzzing that followed was agonizing in its own way. Kossetsu tried to breathe through the vice-like pressure around his heart. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Cassie grunted. A door was thrown open and banged against a wall. The pattering of feet. ¡°I need you all to listen closely!¡± Ben yelled. ¡°I am not entitled to command you, but this is an emergency and your loved ones could very well die if something isn¡¯t done.¡±
¡ªAbandoned warehouse in Stokebrook, an industrial suburb of Taitale¡ª A young, blue-haired man in formal wear lazed about the warehouse¡¯s second floor, flipping through a hovering magic tome. ¡°Is it time to finally stop hiding?¡± He asked aloud. Growing up, Will Cobbett despised his power. Instead of being able to help his poor family, his magic manifested as a book he couldn¡¯t read. He tried for a time, but eventually gave up and fell in with a criminal crowd. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but it paid the bills. He was content until last year, when he could finally read the first page. Each page described strategies to increase his ¡°level¡±, a unique manifestation of his mana and skill. Every so often, he was told he had ¡°skill points¡± to spend, and then abilities followed, allowing him to cross various disciplines. The thoroughness of the instructions allowed him to train on his own and secretly stockpile power. ¡°Show level,¡± he said, summoning a number-filled screen. The book suddenly caught fire, and as he squinted his eyes, he read: ¡®Game over¡¯ An explosion shattered the remaining windows of the multi-story warehouse, followed by a hooded woman gracefully landing in front of him. The figure, wearing a crop-top sweatshirt showing off her sculpted body and the billowing, tied off pants of a martial artist, moved down the hallway in a flash. Before Will could wonder why he was being ignored, his head had already been removed from his body. The sound of crackling glass gave way to gunshots and another explosion down below. The woman slowed down, allowing a robed guard turning the corner to see her and raise his assault rifle. In the blink of an eye, she slit his throat, while an exact copy of her snapped his neck from behind. The mirror image disappeared, and Medeia Yatagami let the dead body fall. She used the man''s robe to wipe off the knife while disinterestedly looking at the two pools of blood on the floor. ¡°Level? Whatever.¡± On the first floor, members of her guild rushed in, killing dozens of other robed figures in a cacophony of spells, blades, and bullets. Seeing the situation was under control, she shifted her gaze to the catwalks of the second level, spotting the overseer''s room on the far side. Inside, someone was picking up a phone. Dull white light coalesced into a second jagged dagger in her hand. She flicked her wrist, launching the dagger hundreds of feet, through the open door, and into the room. Less than a second later, Medeia was in the room and holding him up by his throat. She pulled her hood down, revealing braided white hair and her infamous purple eyes that bore cracks across the pupils. ¡°Cleared out your competition,¡± she sneered, dropping the gurgling man and grinding his phone under her boot. ¡°Ah¡ªI¡ªwait!!!¡± She stabbed him through the shoulder, pinning him to the wall. ¡°FFFFFFFFFUCK!¡± The fissures in Medeia¡¯s eyes grabbed his attention. It felt like they were whispering to him, urging him to plunge himself into the abyss. He fumbled for words, finding none. The abyss¡¯s call was interrupted by a twist of her knife. ¡°I saw the red tiger on the other group¡¯s wall, were you trying to get us involved in something?¡± Her upper lip curled into a snarl. ¡°Or are you under the impression Kraagen Fang is an errand-running guild?¡± The pressure exerted from Medeia¡¯s aura prevented the man from responding. The man desperately thought to himself, ¡°C-can I cry? Can I talk? Is even breathing okay?¡± ¡°T-they were our competitor, someone paid us to¡ª¡± Medeia sighed, exerting more magical pressure to cut the man off. ¡°Let me guess, it was anonymous.¡± The abyss captured his attention again. ¡°Yea-¡± She slammed her palm into the man¡¯s chest, collapsing his lungs and piercing his heart. The six-star adventurer and captain of the second most powerful guild in the world stood up, ignoring the gurgling coming from below her. She stepped forward, teleporting herself to the first floor and next to a male night elf. He saw she was in thought, so he continued to nonchalantly talk to a crying woman he was holding up by the hair. Medeia took in her guild¡¯s handiwork: three members poured gasoline on various crates, four others were making their way up to the second level, and two roamed about, stabbing trainee¡¯s spears into each of the nearly two dozen collapsed bodies. The phone in her hip-pack started ringing. She grabbed it and flipped the phone open. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s feeling important,¡± replied a deep voice, damaged from years of smoking. ¡°My apologies, master.¡± ¡°Right. How did everything go? ¡°AIIEEAAHHH!!¡± A woman screamed. Medeia flashed a look of anger toward the night elf, currently holding a burning paper talisman to the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Sorry,¡± he mouthed. He summoned a rigid talisman and cut the screaming woman¡¯s jugular before she could make any more noise. ¡°It sounds like the message was sent,¡± her master said. ¡°We reminded them of who we are,¡± she replied. ¡°And witnesses?¡± She held the phone away from her ear, looking at the elf. He nodded toward a collapsed man. She looked away, instead concentrating on his weak aura. She felt the man stand up and throw himself through a nearby window, tearing his skin on broken glass as he scrambled away. ¡°Yeah, we left one,¡± she replied, letting annoyance slip into her voice. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We left one, master.¡± ¡°Good. I assume you did the same at the other site. Have the others continue to search for more information; more importantly, there is a high probability of an incident occurring.¡± ¡°Let me guess¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°I need you to find Surtyr. He will likely lose his mind and do something foolish, again.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± she sighed, ¡°he would. I¡¯m on it.¡± ¡°Good. Your burner card has an extra two million Ele on it, bribe who you have to and don¡¯t drop too many bodies.¡± ¡°As you say, master.¡± The line disconnected. She clicked her tongue and pulled out a small statue bearing the image of a six-winged angel. It was rather grotesque, but she¡¯d been told beggars can¡¯t be choosers with artifacts that can track someone on Surtyr¡¯s level. Tears of blood started flowing from behind the wings that covered the angel¡¯s face. She rolled her eyes and strode over to the elf. He said, ¡°Hey that one was my b¡ª¡± She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in for a deep kiss. ¡°You¡¯re really turning me on right now, but I need you to send me first,¡± She said. ¡°Y-yeah, sounds good!¡± he replied, quickly throwing a stack of paper talismans around her. When she opened her eyes a moment later, she found herself atop a tower of the massive wall between Xandria and the Mugen Mori. She laughed to herself, grateful for conquering her fear of heights as a child. The Mugen Mori was a ways away from the wall, but she could still easily see the ¡°unending¡± stretch of forest. Before Medeia could begin her search, her quarry revealed himself. Pillars of flame incinerated a forest entrance miles to the left, spewing dust into a growing mushroom cloud. She stared in amazement as the pillars became a firestorm that consumed miles of forest in an indiscriminate inferno. ¡°Shit¡­¡± 7.5) Clov3r Rankings
Clov3r Rankings [Mugen Framework]
Top 15 Guilds
Rank1 Name HQ2 Adventurers in Top 15
#1 6* Cipher Dawn Babyl #1, #3, #10
#2 5* Kraagen Fang Xandria3 #5, #9
#3 5* Rogue Fortress Taitale3 #2
#4 5* Dragon¡¯s Roost Colair3 #6
#5 5* Yggdrasil Babyl3 #4
#6 5* Crucible Fest #13
#7 4* Aegea Strife Fest3 #7
#8 4*This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Empty Throne Babyl
#9 4* Overtime Xandria #12
#T10 4* Slash and Burn Taitale
#T10 4* Phoenix Rising Xandria
#12 4* Guragi¡¯s Song Xandria #11
#13 3* Golden Sparrow Colair #14
#14 3* Riptide Colair #8
#15 3* Warband Xandria
[1] Second box is their Official Guild Ranking (Adventuring Association¡¯s ¡°Quest Recommendation¡±). [2] Every Guild must indicate a ¡®Primary¡¯ Guild Hall with their Adventuring Association [3] Per the Yama Accords, all officially recognized countries may enter into an agreement with one guild willing to offer a guarantee of their country¡¯s independence.
Top 15 Adventurers
Rank1 Name Guild Position2
#1 7* Emerick Coda Cipher Dawn Ace3
#2 7* Elizabeth Erigeneia Rogue Fortress Ace
#3 6* Mani Lokasenna Cipher Dawn Captain4
#4 6* Jotunn Egasilia Yggdrasil Master5
#5 6* Surtyr Hearthbane Kraagen Fang Ace
#6 6* Malick Serayu Dragon¡¯s Roost Ace
#7 6* Hana Yeong Aegae Strife Ace
#8 6* Jason Syclus Riptide Captain
#9 6* Medeia Yatagami Kraagen Fang Captain
#10 6* Zachary Tarn Cipher Dawn Smith
#11 6* Fionn of the First Circle Guragi¡¯s Song Ace
#12 6* Diana Saffair Overtime Ace
#13 6* Moses Keita Crucible Captain
#14 6* Amelia Yeong Golden Sparrow Captain
#15 6* Bel Taitale SLAYR Ace
[1] Second box is their Official AA Ranking. The actual list of requirements for a 6* is unclear outside of ¡°completion of a 6* Quest¡± and ¡°sponsorship by 3 countries¡± [2] Captain and Master are the only positions officially recognized by the AA [3]Ace = Widely considered to be most powerful (or up-and-coming if Captain is stronger) in their guild [4]Captain = Can act as guild master¡¯s representative in official capacities, designated adventuring ¡®leader¡¯ for their Guild [5]Master = Official representative to the AA and other governing bodies. Typically, the head of their Guild. NOTE: should be retired from adventuring, Jotunn Egasilia was grandfathered in 8.) Emergency
¡°Random encounters build character.¡± ¡ª Anonymous adventurer¡¯s tombstone
¡ªMyrah¡ª ¡°This is an excellent idea,¡± Myrah said. ¡°Right?¡± Aidan grinned, stepping back and using his hands to frame the entire u-shape of the two-floor motel. Judging by the motel¡¯s damage and lack of an accompanying road, it hadn¡¯t seen occupants for a considerable time. This wasn¡¯t surprising: close proximity to dungeons caused complex machinery to fail, not to mention issues with nightmares and the occasional devil. Special equipment like Banners could ward off negative effects, but they needed constant, expert-level maintenance. When Aidan said he had an idea to prepare the party for the dungeon, she¡¯d been skeptical. He seemed worldly enough, but among the party, Kossetsu was the only one with any real experience¡ªand that wasn¡¯t even in the Vault. Aidan won her over after fully explaining his plan to use the abandoned motel near the Mugen Mori as a training house. In addition, his openness to her suggestions and willingness to debate her had impressed her greatly. ¡°Stress inoculation,¡± Myrah said, under her breath. ¡°What was that?¡± Aiden asked. He doesn¡¯t need to know your past. Keep it simple for everyone¡¯s safety. She took off her overcoat and rolled up the sleeves of her work shirt. ¡°I was remembering a phrase I¡¯d heard once.¡± ¡°Until a person is put under serious stress, you can¡¯t know how they will react. Even after gaining experience, they will likely crumble without consistent practice under non-ideal conditions. I was experimenting with a few methods, but the teamwork aspect you included in your plan may be the final piece we need.¡± ¡°Were you doing something similar with Kossetsu?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°¡­I performed with a carnival for a while, so the concept of stress inoculation makes sense. Animals follow similar principles,¡± Aidan said. He walked toward the building. ¡°Stress inoculation, I like that. By the way, is this really a motel? That¡¯s what, motor plus hotel, right? Not many motors around when you¡¯re within range of the Mugen Mori.¡± Myrah smiled, looking at the lone carcass of a minivan. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the previous owner was thinking.¡± They climbed a rickety staircase, walked past a hingeless door propped against a wall, and approached an open room. She plugged her nose upon entering the trashed space. ¡°Ah. I see why Ben said this place was fine to destroy if it was abandoned.¡± Aidan said, ¡°What would you think about a circle he¡ª¡± Alarm bells sounded inside Myrah¡¯s head. Without hesitation, she crossed the room and grabbed Aidan. The nail on her forefinger grew in length, and as something approached her psyche, she traced a circle on her palm and yelled: ¡°First Chord,¡± ¡¸Halo¡¹ A white-gold magic circle surrounded them. Seconds later, the circle¡¯s walls of light vibrated violently, filtering a blood-curdling scream into a manageable whisper. Myrah caught sight of her now-visible thorn tattoo that curled around her wrist and forearm. Some kind of spiritual attack!? She knelt away, rolling down her sleeves and trying to hide the tattoo¡¯s glow. Once the scream ended, she broke the circle and looked at Aidan. Her personal worries were quickly overshadowed. ¡°Are you okay? You''re crying,¡± she said. Aidan touched the tears falling from his in-focus eye. ¡°I guess I am¡­¡± He blinked away the tears, his attention drifting elsewhere. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with the forest. It¡¯s crying out in pain.¡± Another alarm bell sounded. Myrah whipped her head around and reached behind her, drawing her military-issue handgun. As she moved toward the danger, a laser-sight and extended magazine emerged from her pockets, floated through the air, and attached themselves to her weapon. Black ichor dropped from the sky and landed on the outdoor walkway, rapidly morphing into the body of a wolf. She flicked a switch on the side of her firearm and let loose a burst of bullets at the wolf¡¯s head. The bullets found their target, filling the air with a sickly splatting sound. The wolf fell backwards, but even though it was missing parts of its head, the monster tensed its body, readying a jump at Myrah. Myrah turned on the magically enhanced laser sight and moved the light across the wolf''s neck. Simultaneously, she said: ¡°Sixth Chord,¡± ¡¸Cut¡¹ Slightly trailing the laser, a gash ripped across the wolf and blasted a mess of ichor over the railing. Myrah moved to a kneeling position, ready to continue, but the rest of the wolf abruptly exploded and dissolved. She shook her head, clearing away the haze encroaching on her vision. I suppose I¡¯m really out of practice, too. Aidan moved to her side. ¡°That was incredible! I knew there was more to you than meets the eye,¡± he patted his ear, ¡°for once in my life, I¡¯m glad my hearing is shot. No pun intended.¡± Myrah tried to smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± Aidan¡¯s attention shifted outside. ¡°Do you feel that?¡± Myrah nodded, then began looking through her backpack. She put on a shoulder harness and gently touched the front of the backpack. Various rods, screws, chunks of wood, and other pieces of metal floated out and fitted themselves together. In the time it took Myrah to holster her handgun, the assortment of parts assembled themselves into a semi-automatic sniper rifle. She checked the box cartridge, confirming it had a full ten bullets, then compacted the stock of the gun. ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot about guns, but some of those parts looked fairly random,¡± Aidan said, peeking outside. ¡°Think of my ability as gun alchemy. I can turn firearms into other firearms. As long as the goal creation is similar, and most of the parts are originally from a gun, I can rearrange them as needed.¡± ¡°I definitely haven¡¯t met a mage like you!¡± Their reprieve was short-lived: another three cannonball-sized masses of ichor landed in the parking lot and took wolf shape. ¡°Could you cover me, please?¡± Myrah said, approaching a semi-unstained section of railing. ¡°On it. I¡¯ve got a few tricks of my own,¡± Aidan said, unclasping multiple gold bands from his ears. Myrah calmed herself by remembering an old creed. Walk alongside the shadows¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª¡ª Myrah slowed her breath and, using her left pointer finger, traced a rectangle into the rifle¡¯s wooden hand-groove. She whispered, ¡°Lady in white, guide my hand and pluck the Fourth Chord,¡± ¡¸Claim¡¹ She winced as more stamina left her body, but the spell had its intended effect: creating an orange, sticky platform the size of her arm and extending the width of the railing. Myrah knelt down and set the rifle¡¯s bipod onto the platform. ¡°Get their attention, but let them get closer. With monsters like these, it¡¯s difficult to gauge the effectiveness of bullets, and I won¡¯t be able to make more.¡± She added, ¡°I have ten shots and maybe one more spell left in me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make you do all the work,¡± Aidan said. Crushing one of the earrings now in his hand, Aidan moved to the staircase and threw the remnants into the air. ¡°Flare!¡± Aiden shouted. The dust igniting into a flash of red energy. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The closest wolf turned its head and howled, drawing the other two wolves'' attention. The first stalked toward the fire cautiously, then picked up speed when it caught sight of Aidan and Myrah. BANG The first bullet smashed through the wolf¡¯s forehead. Myrah didn¡¯t have time to wait-and-see, so she fired twice more in quick succession, destroying the wolf¡¯s liquid-shadow body. The second wolf was hot on the tail of the first, making it difficult for her to adjust. Aidan wrapped a coat around his left arm and made his way down the steps. ¡°I¡¯ve got second!¡± He reached inside his vest and drew a folding knife, its locking mechanism making a distinct ratcheting noise as he opened the fifteen-inch blade. Catching sight of the wolf accelerating, he vaulted over the railing of the remaining stairs. Aidan misjudged the wolf¡¯s speed and was tackled before he could reach the ground. Unable to escape, he baited the wolf into biting down on his covered arm. The enchanted coat¡¯s minor barrier flashed from blue to red¡ªpierced in two seconds. Luckily, two seconds was all he needed. After flipping his knife downwards into an ice-pick grip, Aidan let the wolf pull his arm across his body. Once the wolf had momentum, he jerked toward it and skewered the monster¡¯s head. Black gore covered Aidan¡¯s face, stealing his sight. The wolf continued to tear into the coat and was fast approaching his skin. He yelled, letting built up fury power his stabs until, finally, the shadow collapsed. Up above, Myrah¡¯s focus was entirely on the third wolf. Miss. Miss. Two bullets went wide as the wolf zigzagged. Rather than climb the staircase, the wolf vaulted upwards, directly at Myrah. She squeezed the trigger again, hitting the monster¡¯s body and causing it to slam into the railing beside her. She took advantage immediately, quick-drawing her pistol and obliterating the wolf in a hail of automatic gunfire. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Myrah cancelled the spell that was holding her rifle in place. I never did get clarification on how to balance ¡®making sure they are dead¡¯ with ¡®ammunition management¡¯. She hustled down the stairs, finding Aidan wrapping a torn coat around his heavily bruised arm. ¡°I¡¯ll go get my things; I brought a few potions that should help,¡± She said. ¡°I used one already. I think it¡¯s mostly superficial,¡± he grimaced, ¡°have you seen anything like this before?¡± ¡°No, nothing like this,¡± Myrah replied, helping Aidan make a makeshift sling. He nodded at Myrah¡¯s wrist, now tattooless. ¡°I was hoping SCALE had some kind of training for this.¡± Dammit. SCALE: Sanctification, Containment, Arbitration, and Law Enforcement. Some called them the magic police, though in practice they were an advanced tactical team. They took a more public role post-war, when multiple guilds merged with government agencies to create a ¡°united¡± international agency that would take on powerful threats. The Anti-Magic Taskforce was common knowledge¡ªany random person asking about it wouldn¡¯t cause her to bat an eye. But membership (outside of a few intentionally publicized, powerful members) and the spirit resistance tattoo were deliberately kept secret. Myrah wobbled from a wave of fatigue. ¡°I won¡¯t disrespect you by trying to lie. How did you know what that tattoo meant?¡± ¡°I never saw them personally, but someone I knew helped guide an agent out of the Mugen Mori. It¡¯s a training thing for their Judges, right?¡± Myrah was unable to hide her shock. There is no way a civilian should know any of that. *I* didn¡¯t know that. She shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not¡ªwas not¡ªanything like that. I was just a task force member for a few years.¡± ¡°Ok. If it has anything to do with Kossetsu, please let me know. I want to help him too.¡± That''s it? She grabbed her backpack from the second level. ¡°We should focus, I doubt that was the last of them. Let¡¯s fall back to a guard post or adventurer¡¯s camp.¡± They made their way out of the motel, but stopped when they heard a peculiar sound from behind the building. BOING ¡°What is that cartoon-sounding¡­?¡± Aidan asked, before nearly being bowled over by three people scrambling around the corner. ¡°Gah¡ª¡± he gripped his arm. ¡°S-sorry!!!¡± Cried a blond-haired girl, sprinting past him. Myrah leapt to the side, barely avoiding a cat-eared boy running on all fours and a stocky dwarven girl. Someone in the group yelled, ¡°W-we¡¯ll get help!¡± Myrah shelved her confusion and searched the location the young adventurers came from. Halfway between the motel and the Mugen Mori, six human-sized mushrooms were bouncing around a single figure. Myrah approached and got a better look at the lone fighter. He was a bald, muscular dwarf with a close-cropped beard and wore metal plates covering important vital areas¡ªadventuring armor. He ducked under two of the mushrooms, causing them to collide and squeeze their (unnervingly cute) eyes in pain. An iron-colored aura radiated from the dwarf¡¯s wrapped fists as he punched another, blowing a hole through the mushroom¡¯s body. Myrah went prone and aimed her rifle at the frenzy. Fortunately, the mushrooms ran into themselves on their own accord. When she caught two stunned mushrooms in her sights, she sent bullets between both of their eyes. They fell more easily than the wolves, disintegrating into black smoke after a single shot. The dwarf took the opportunity to grab a mushroom monster by the stalk and tore it in half, spraying black blood like a sliced artery. Myrah turned her attention to the remaining two, but when she tried to fire, she only heard a sharp grind. She pulled her eye out of the scope. ¡°Jammed!¡± Aidan stepped forward. The two remaining monsters went into a frenzy, leaping and bouncing in unpredictable patterns. One hip-checked the dwarf and knocked him over, while another jumped at its bent-over comrade and used its head to send itself hurtling toward Aidan and Myrah. In one swift motion, Aidan cut the palm of his hand and threw his knife. When it collided with the flying mushroom, he squeezed his bloody hand into a fist. The mushroom¡ªand his knife¡ªexploded in midair. When the smoke cleared, the dwarf was standing alone and spitting out a chunk of mushroom flesh. He didn¡¯t spot the hail of black acorns lobbed from the forest, now almost directly over him. I don¡¯t have time for this! Myrah kicked her legs around and spun to her feet. ¡°Second Chord,¡± ¡¸Enchain¡¹ A golden chain extended from the ground and wrapped around the dwarf¡¯s legs. Ignoring the blood dripping from her nose, Myrah jerked her hand backwards, pulling the dwarf to their side. Once he was safe, the chain shattered and sent him rolling backwards. No more Chords left¡­ She fell to one knee and was hit by a swell of nausea. The dwarf said, ¡°What was that?¡± Acorns splattered on the ground where he had been just seconds before. Their black goo turned brown and formed into human-looking monsters made completely of tree bark. ¡°Lesser Ents, we need to evacuate!¡± Myrah said, giving the hobbled dwarf an arm to lean on and magically disassembling her sniper rifle. When they turned the corner of the motel, five more puddles in the parking lot bubbled into tree creatures. The ents were not the only new combatants: a flock of doves appeared from nowhere and surrounded the monsters. A tall man wearing blue silk robes dropped from the roof of the motel, landed on the railing, and glided into the fray. He sliced through dove and monster with no wasted motion, alternating between targets with a single-edged blade that changed color after every kill. White to kill a monster, black to kill a dove. Speed and finesse made his sword a paintbrush, and the black-on-red mist his work of art. The last ent fell, and three others ran onto the scene: a fox-eared teenage boy and two identical, antler-bearing girls in green robes. The two deer girls, each with only one antler on the side of their head, rushed over to the injured group. They can¡¯t be more than eighteen¡­ Getting a nod from their new patients, the left-antlered girl laid her staff¡¯s glowing orb onto the dwarf, and the right-antlered girl tore a page from a thick tome and placed it over Aidan¡¯s arm. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± The girl with the right-side antler and tome asked, her demeanor calm. ¡°Yeah,¡± Aidan breathed in sharply, ¡°thanks.¡± ¡°Please stay still!!¡± The other girl healing the dwarf pleaded. The swordsman strode over, opening his outer robe and letting it fall around his waist. He sheathed his blade and left it hovering in the air beside him. Myrah made sure she wasn¡¯t showing any blood, then turned and took note of the colored tattoo peaking below his shirt sleeve. A branch with pink and white blossoms? It¡¯s too big to be a guild tattoo. Stop. Don¡¯t read too much into it right now; his robe has pictures of blue flowers¡ªmaybe he just likes the aesthetic. Take any help you can get and keep everyone alive. The newcomer''s voice reminded her of a wealthy high elf, though tinged with underlying angst. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on? We were camped nearby and felt a terrible presence coming from the forest.¡± ¡°The Mugen Mori is punishing us for some reason,¡± Aidan said, gritting his teeth and pulling his arm out of the sling. Myrah glanced toward Aidan. They hadn¡¯t known each other long, but she knew Aidan¡¯s slight nod to her signaled he was fine trusting them¡ªfor now. It¡¯s quite the luxury having someone that can balance trust with suspicion. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is finished,¡± Myrah said, offering her hand to the swordsman, ¡°I¡¯m Myrah, and this is Aidan.¡± The swordsman kept his leather gloves on and shook her hand. ¡°My name is Song, the one holding the covered cage is Charon¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m Nayeli!¡± The girl with the left-sided antler interrupted. ¡°¡­And I¡¯m Maria, her sister,¡± the other added, sighing. They all turned to the dwarf dusting himself off. ¡°Sigurd,¡± he whispered. His voice still quiet, Sigurd said to Aidan and Myrah, ¡°Thanks for your help. It seems my friends were not friends.¡± Cowards. Myrah smiled, hiding her disgust at the previous adventurers. ¡°I¡¯m glad we could help. You were a force to be reckoned with in that fight.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Song said, ¡°We should decide: do we stay here in the event additional monsters appear, gather more people, or contact Trivia?¡± Their choice was decided for them. The complex symbols of a magic circle appeared underneath the entire motel, covering it in a dark glow at a terrifying pace. Myrah dropped and punched the ground with all of her might. ¡¸Halo¡¹! Blood spilled from Myrah¡¯s mouth and multiple fingers broke. She pushed through the pain and tried to expand her circle¡¯s boundary to the edge of the opposing circle. The unbearable presence started to consume her, but she managed to overwrite enough of the tracings underneath them, shattering both circles. Myrah had never heard of anyone using the same Chord twice in the same encounter. She¡¯d also never constructed a circle of that complexity or size. The price she was now paying made sense. Myrah coughed up more blood and, barely staying conscious, fell into Aidan¡¯s arms.
¡ªSong Yingxi¡ª The twins rushed to the fallen mage¡¯s aid, while Song turned to the chill-inducing presence coming from the motel¡¯s roof. Looking down on them was a different kind of ent. Though it still looked like it was modeled after a human, it was at least ten feet tall, and every limb was thicker than three lesser ents combined. It jumped down, collapsing part of the second-floor walkway and sending a shockwave that knocked the two healers to the ground. It¡¯s gnarled head became an open-mouthed mask, frozen into a permanent scream. Among the eight tentacle roots emerging from the ent¡¯s back, two curled together and became a pseudo-halo behind the back of it¡¯s head. Hideous whispers and the stench of rotting wood assaulted the group, causing Myrah to fall unconscious. While the rest of them fought back against its aura, the ent groaned: ¡°P¡­¡± ¡°PUNISSH¡­.¡± ¡°PUNISHMENT¡± Two of the back roots lifted it up into the air. ¡°Charon,¡± Song said, keeping his eyes on the monster. ¡°S-song.¡± Song glanced over. A thin root pulled itself from Charon¡¯s stomach, sending him and his birdcage to the ground. The magical glow from Charon¡¯s artifact faded to black. Song readied his blade, eyes burning with fury. Its aura is unreadable. Does it have a weak point? CRACK Song braced his blade with his off-hand, barely absorbing a blow from one of the tentacle-roots. The root adjusted and used him as a springboard to ricochet toward Charon and Nayeli. Aidan scrambled in front of them as a metallic voice rang out: ¡¸Bastion¡¹! Seconds before hitting Aidan, an iron shield materialized and destroyed the roots on impact. It¡¯s not your fault, Allos. Full plate armor clanked as the last member of his party rushed over and picked up his shield. Song shifted his focus internally. Let your aura exist within their aura. He closed his eyes and imagined a white lily. Erase ego. His muscles twinged, feeling a foreboding ripple in the surrounding mana. Song didn¡¯t know any of the Lily School¡¯s chants; whispering a single word would have to do: ¡¸Step¡¹ The lily¡¯s first petal turned red. He jumped from the top of the minivan to the second level of the motel. He continued his path around the ent, narrowly slipping between the four roots trying to impale him and the debris being thrown in every direction. On the ground level, Allos carried Charon to the others. He said, ¡°Song will keep its attention, we will have to attempt to deal the final blow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep the mage stable. Left untreated, her mana burn could spiral,¡± Maria said, tearing out a blue, rune-covered page from her book. Nayeli shook away tears and placed her staff over Charon¡¯s gushing wound. ¡°Charon! It¡¯s going to be ok!¡± ¡°Big guy, can you control anything apart from the shield?¡± Aidan asked, taking off his vest. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can I see that gauntlet? I have an idea.¡± 9.) Emergency, pt. 2
¡°Pyres and high-level mages are inextricably linked. I fear the current explanation we¡¯ve given the public¡ªand our lower level members¡ªwill need to be adjusted¡­¡± ¡ªVarus Anmari, ¡°Pyres, Bounding, and Manifestation¡±
¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Song weaved between destroyed furniture and leapt through an open hole in the roof, forcing the roots to slow and adjust their course at an awkward angle. Every piece of shrapnel, every root, every burst of aura¡ªhe had no time to think about dodging them and could only trust where his body would take him next. There was no room for thought. No room for anger. He catapulted from the rooftop and feinted a direct strike at the ent. Sensing the roots doubling back, he aimed for a flying piece of debris and attempted to backflip onto the roof. The rubble exploded as the ent¡¯s main body moved, punching at speeds faster than Song could move. He had milliseconds before he would be pulverized. The lily¡¯s second petal turned red. ¡¸Step¡¹ He pushed off of the air itself, inadvertently creating a minor barrier that allowed him to backflip from the ent¡¯s fist and back to the roof. He hadn¡¯t used ¡°step¡± that way in true combat before, but he had no choice. Every fiber of his being knew instant death was lurking behind every action he took. The ent body-slammed the roof, collapsing more of the motel. Song ignored the shooting pain at the bottom of his foot and dashed for a sturdier location. Down below, Aidan focused on Allos¡¯s metal gauntlet. He set his vest on the ground and lit it aflame with his ruby ring, then started rubbing the gauntlet with a bronze ring. ¡°Keep me covered!¡± Allos prepared his shield, assisted by Sigurd bracing behind him. The healers trusted the defenders and continued their duties. Aidan began imbuing the gauntlet with the fire from his burning vest. ¡°Drink of this wine¡­¡± The ent emerged from the rubble and ran toward the group, so Song attempted to distract it with a physical strike. The monster was smarter than they thought. In the time it took Song to redirect himself, four of the roots expanded into a net and surrounded him. ¡°Slake your thirst,¡± Aidan scraped the bronze ring faster, growing the flames around the metal and burning his hand. Song drew his blade and spun in the air, trying to slow the net''s momentum. The two other roots, no longer being used to lift the ent up, curled into a thick spear and collided with Allos¡¯s shield. Sigurd pushed against Allos¡¯s back, but they were rapidly losing ground. Sigurd vaulted over the knight¡¯s shoulder and pile drove the root spear at its three-quarters point. He put all of his strength into a grapple, filling the air with his iron-colored aura. ¡°And overflow,¡± When Aidan¡¯s energy spike reached the ent, it closed half of its net prematurely and settled for sending Song crashing through a wall. With no roots available, it moved to stop the new threat with its own two hands. ¡¸Feast¡¹ ¡°Now!¡± Aidan yelled. Allos, just before moving his shield aside, surged his mana through the molten gauntlet and sent it blasting forward. Their timing was perfect, giving the ent no time to dodge. The superheated metal missile plunged through the ent¡¯s chest and smashed through the building behind it, its blazing impact lighting the surrounding bark on fire. Sigurd held strong to the two-root spear as the ent collapsed to the ground and retracted the four other roots. Before anyone could follow up to prevent it from healing itself, another magic circle appeared underneath the group and pushed them to the ground with extreme force. No one could stop the ent from knitting its wound together. Black liquid spewed from its ¡°mouth¡± as it tried to speak: ¡°O¡­¡± Complex symbols lit up inside the expanding circle¡¯s ring, sending blinding pain to everyone in the group. ¡°¡­erring¡± Sigurd took the heaviest dose of pressure, but refused to let go, dragging the roots even deeper into the ground with him. ¡°T-this¡ª¡± Allos¡¯s armor dented inwards. Nayeli threw her body over Charon, the orb on her staff shattered. Maria desperately crawled and held a glowing page against Myrah¡¯s chest. ¡°¡­Worldah¡± Glowing lines formed inside the monster¡¯s pseudo-halo, prompting Aidan to regret setting such specific usage conditions on the knife sheathed behind his back. ¡°A-¡± Every one of them realized they were about to die. Tires screeched. ¡°Acc¡ª¡± Half of the ent¡¯s head exploded, destroyed by the bat swing of a woman flying through the air. Cassie landed on the ground and pivoted toward the ent, wide-eyed and wearing a full-faced grin.
¡ªCassie, minutes earlier¡ª Cassie stared at the glass vial filled with golden liquid. ¡°These are the same Horizon wore in the beginning, you know,¡± Ki said, putting on the same brown-colored trench coat Cassie was wearing. They both grabbed the edge of the pickup truck as it accelerated across the deteriorating road. ¡°Don¡¯t forget Ben said they only offer limited protection,¡± Cassie said. ¡°I know. You should drink that now before we get there, so it has time to get in.¡± There¡¯s that look, again. ¡°I¡¯m trying to focus before the fight, you should be doing the same,¡± Cassie said. Ki looked away. It was partially true, but she was also conflicted. After Ben had tossed them a bandolier of vials and two trench coats, he told Cassie to stay behind for a second. Despite the emergency, He¡¯d taken extra time to tell her to use the potion and coat. It was grating, being treated like she was just an adrenaline junky. They don¡¯t get it. What happens when you don¡¯t have that equipment? I was going to wear the coat anyway. ¡°Sometimes you need assistance to push past your limits, and once you¡¯ve pushed past them, you¡¯ll be able to go farther¡ªeven without the assistance!¡± Ki said. She¡¯s not wrong¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not a baby,¡± Cassie said. The truck went completely off-road, rattling the toolbox attached to the side of the truck bed. Ki valiantly trying to hide her jitters by pressing down and fidgeting with her axe. She¡¯s really a bundle of nerves. ¡­ I guess drinking this could make her worry less and perform better. Cassie downed the potion. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Ki smiling to herself. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. My revenge will be not telling you that your eyes move back and forth like crazy when you''re thinking to yourself. The stomach butterflies returned in force when they finally got within eyesight of the Motel. Cassie rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the sudden tension. Even with the coat¡¯s innate resistance, the pressure coming from whatever was in that area made her feel like she was wearing a backpack full of rocks. It was crystal clear that the nebulous ¡°emergency¡± was now a life or death situation. The butterflies told Cassie that death seemed like the more likely scenario. Fire¡­ Ki, wide-eyed, looked at Cassie. ¡°D-¡­¡± ¡°Do you feel that?¡± The engine sputtered. Cassie nodded, trying to keep a straight face. She tapped on the back window. Kossetsu opened it from the back. Cassie said, ¡°Tell Ben: don¡¯t stop, and swing the truck.¡± Without waiting for a response, Cassie crouched low and put a foot up against the right wall of the truck bed. Ki caught on and aligned herself similarly, though she kept both feet on the ground. Kossetsu yelled over the engine, ¡°Ben says get him an opening!¡± The truck jerked and continued to lose speed as the battlefield revealed itself. Both women had to clench their jaws so they wouldn¡¯t bite their tongues in shock from the carnage. Cassie sent magical energy down her foot. ¡°HALO! HEAD¡ª¡± Ben pulled the steering wheel sharply to the left. The level of urgency in his voice told everyone all they needed to know. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Although it would be slower than Cassie, Ki knew her best bet was to let the truck¡¯s momentum do most of the work. She flew through the air, tucking her shoulder and rolling upwards within range of the ent. Ki was skeptical when Cassie said it was important to know how to fall. Now, she was exceptionally grateful for the forced practice. It wasn¡¯t perfect¡ªshe botched getting up and twisted her foot¡ªbut she wasn¡¯t going to let a minor error stop her from using her first ever magical attack. Ki maintained her concentration through the entire action, perfectly timing her Edge¡¯s summoning from the truck. The weapon landed in her outstretched hands mid-swing, filled with light-blue tracings. Instead of creating a calm lake in her mind, Ki froze the waves as they churned. ¡¸Glacier¡¹! She swung upwards with all of her might, creating a mountain of ice at the feet of the ent. The ice erupted outwards in an angled line that froze everything within thirty feet. Most importantly, she encased the ent in ice from the neck-down. While Ki tried to recover from the all-out effort she¡¯d put into her attack, Cassie wrapped her unbroken bat in another bubble. Ben took advantage of the time bought by the two women, reaching the ent on foot while it was still frozen. He pulled the pin on a crystalline grenade filled with glittering dust and threw it at the unmoving target¡¯s head¡ªand halo. The ent¡¯s unfrozen body parts disappeared in an explosion of pure white energy. Ki and Cassie grinned at each other. ¡ª¡ª¡ª After the truck narrowly avoided flipping, Kossetsu broke into a dead sprint at the sight of his sister on the ground. His thoughts on triaging patients had gone out the window. Myrah would always be his first choice. The circle faded by the time he reached the group and allowed him entry. While everyone tried to stand, Kossetsu caught sight of Myrah¡¯s hand. She was giving him a thumbs-up. Her gesture turned into a point that directed Kossetsu to Nayeli, who was frantically trying to apply pressure to her bleeding patient. The old Kossetsu would have frozen in place. The new Kossetsu slapped himself while running and went to Charon¡¯s side. Nayeli stared wide-eyed at the masked man. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve fixed worse,¡± he said, gently replacing Nayeli¡¯s hands. He deafened himself and began healing. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°SHIT!¡± Ben yelled. A terror-inducing screech cracked the ice and blew away the explosion¡¯s smoke. The combatants stared in disbelief as the remaining portion of the ent¡¯s head emerged from its body, and the surviving root attempted to curl into a new halo. ¡°INCOMING!¡± Allos cried, shuffling to defend against five ents approaching from the Mugen Mori. The ice could fully break at any moment; there would be no chance to plan. If they wanted to win, each available fighter would have to make the correct decision on their own. Cassie, thanks to her instincts, and Ki, thanks to her curiosity, responded first. Time slowed down as they ran by one another. Primal fear worse than the bear encounter was attempting to drag them down, but each woman¡¯s determination added more than enough fuel to the other¡¯s confidence. Cassie despised losing to the same thing twice. The screech hurt, but rather than panic again, her body surged its flow of mana upwards. She immediately took the hint and generated two small force bubbles inside her ear canals. From there, Cassie guided the mana flow into her bat and moved to attack. Ki had taken advantage of the ambient coldness coming from her body. Last night, during a meditation session on the pond, Ki felt something flying at her. For the briefest of moments, her aura touched the insect and allowed her to freeze it. Her adrenaline and focus skyrocketed when she felt the actual life force of the bug, giving her the temporary control to stop before she went too far. When she¡¯d opened her eyes, the approaching butterfly managed to end its forced descent and fly away. The pain from the first scream was also an excellent teacher, making Ki consider other potential applications. When the ent let out its cry, she noticed the sound waves pushing through the cold before she actually heard them. She couldn¡¯t actually freeze the sound, but her reaction was enough to freeze her ear canals and mitigate the noise. Ki had less power available and knew Cassie would go for the kill, so she ran to the twisted roots being held down by the dwarf fighter. Both Ki and Cassie were inches away from landing their strikes when the ice shattered. Sigurd managed to hold the thrashing roots still, but paid a heavy price as thorns sprung out and pierced his body. Ki was blasted forward by a shockwave. Stumbling, she stretched out and threw her entire body behind a strike that cleaved the roots in half. Glittering mist trailed her as she crashed face-first into broken concrete. Before Cassie¡¯s eyes could process the ice breaking, the air shook and her target moved just out of range. Instead of hitting the ent¡¯s head, her bat collided with a bark shield on the monster¡¯s enlarged arm. The shield was no match for Cassie¡¯s magic and broke apart, sending cracks down the arm, but her success was short-lived. Her bat shattered in her hands as the ent swatted her across the parking lot. CLANG Her body slammed into a section of railing and fell limp. In the same motion as its attack on Cassie, the ent split its arm in half and punched Ki as she was rebounding off the ground, sending her tumbling in front of Aidan. Aidan continued his chant, lightning crackling around him. ¡°¡­origin of fire¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª After warning the others of the incoming ents, Allos moved without hesitation. ¡°Answer my call¡­¡± Allos put his trust in the new fighters and the intense heat emanating from Aidan, who¡¯d begun another ritual. Allos rematerialized his shield in front of a lesser ent, then sent his remaining gauntlet flying at another. He caught sight of his own hands and stopped moving. The blue skin stood out in the daylight even more, bringing back a rush of memories he¡¯d locked away long ago. He lost control of his breathing inside his knight¡¯s helmet, and sweat blocked his vision. A great clang drew his attention and he turned¡ªjust in time to see Cassie go limp and Ki rag dolled on the ground. The ent worked to finish its repairs, and its only nearby threat, Sigurd, was struggling to stand. ¡°¡­origin of fire¡­¡± A streak of lightning flashed from Aidan as he created a fiery magic circle, but Allos didn¡¯t notice. He was looking up at the tidal wave of panic about to consume him. A far away voice whispered something to Allos through his other gauntlet. He always knew what to say. Clenching his fist, Allos willed his gauntlet over to Sigurd. It fell short, but the whispering voice was already on the move, half-scooping the molten weapon and shuffling it to the dwarf. Even the lightest touch was risky, but Song was willing to do whatever it took to win this fight. He managed to stay standing despite his battered body and the steam rising from his left hand. At the same time, Sigurd bit down on a piece of broken wood and molded the red-hot gauntlet around his hand. Song, currently weaponless, smiled and moved between Allos¡¯s sight line and the ent. Even with a large distance between them, Allos got the message loud and clear: ¡°I trust you¡±. His best friend had left his prized possession behind, and strangers were putting their lives on the line. What was he doing? He heard a cracking sound behind him, and he realized only three lesser ents were being held back by his iron blockade. He wasn¡¯t going to make it in time. A red oni girl decided to fill the gap. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Xia had been watching the fight from behind the truck like she¡¯d promised Ki. Whether it was Ki and Cassie being badasses or Kossetsu looking like a hero, she¡¯d loved every minute. But why was everyone celebrating¡ªdidn¡¯t they realize the ent was hiding its presence? Xia choosing to remain tense and focused, even while the situation spiraled out of control, saved Kossetsu¡¯s life. Seeing that the knight had missed two of the tree monsters, she broke out into a sprint. Fear¡ªfear of her ¡°curse¡±, fear of losing her friends, even fear of death¡ªtried to stop her, but it was met with equal force by images of her friends. Xia thought, ¡°I won¡¯t be a spectator¡± She reached out her hand, sending a cloud of red mist at the closest enemy. Moments before the tree monster struck Kossetsu, the cloud became a shadowy swarm of crimson rats that toppled the ent. The second monster used the first as a shield and tried to finish the job. Out of breath and unable to even throw herself in front of the blow, Xia reached out for Kossetsu and prayed. She felt a thread in her mind reach out and touch Kossetsu. He opened his eyes and grabbed at the ent about to strike him¡ªwhile keeping a hand on his injured patient. A thin crack at the point of contact became a canyon that ripped across the ent¡¯s body and collapsed it into a pile of firewood. Both lesser ents dissolved into nothing. Something set off the knight, who ripped his helmet off. The blue oni then went to work destroying the other three monsters. ¡°Talk about how cool we were later?¡± Xia asked. ¡°Deal, stay right by me!¡± Kossetsu returned to Charon. Ben entered their sight, and energy continued to surge from Aidan. ¡°¡­Purify your domain¡­¡±
¡ªAidan¡ª Aidan started pooling his remaining mana and readied himself the instant Ki entered the battlefield. He touched the handle of the knife sheathed against his back. If you¡¯re going to use it, now is the time. When the ice cracked, a jolt of electricity made his heart skip a beat. Doing this would make him the biggest target, but¡­ I promised her I¡¯d be there for her. Leave no doubt. Chaos. ¡°Answer my call, origin of life.¡± Ki crashed into the ground in front of him. He looked at her bloodied visage and almost released the ¡°lock¡± around his knife early. He took a deep breath and continued the chant. If he didn¡¯t use a companion spell, he was likely to kill everyone in the area. Song unsuccessfully tried stabbing the ent¡¯s halo with its own root spear, while Sigurd and the ent¡¯s fist collided in a thunder-like boom. While Aidan hoped the others would realize to get behind him, his main concern was the members of his party. He tried not to think about the fact he was also hoping Cassie would survive the blast. ¡°Let my wandering be not in vain.¡± He started to place killing intent behind the magic, turning the magic circle surrounding him blue and kickstarting the final chain of events. Ki realized first. She threw her coat straight up and blocked Aidan¡¯s vision. Ki¡¯s axe clattered to the ground as an ice pillar surged out from underneath her and sent her flying. Ki!? Before clearing out of Aidan¡¯s attack zone, Song whispered something and ran around the ent. Sigurd used the distraction to wrap his body around one of the ent¡¯s arms. The ent kept punching, but Sigurd used his armored hand to absorb the blows. Another ice pillar appeared, slamming into Ki¡¯s side and abruptly pinballing her flailing body to Cassie. ¡°¡­let my wandering be not in vain¡­¡± His vision flashed white from restraint. KI!?? Sigurd loosened his grapple and let the ent send him soaring over Aidan¡¯s head. Ki, Cassie, and another glacier of ice suddenly went crashing through a second-floor motel room. The ent was about to strike. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Why did you name yourself Kiseki?¡± ¡°It was on that broken Lost Languages tablet. It means ¡®miracle¡¯.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Mourn and Rejoice,¡± The circle disappeared in a haze of runic symbols. Aidan drew the knife, snapping the three rings at the base of his blade. He swung and unleashed thirty years worth of stored energy. ¡¸¨®enach¡¹