Delve - 106: Imprint

106: Imprint - Delve | Royal Road
“Bip, Bop, stop playing with that thing and follow me. You have to see this!”

Myth looked up from the Crystal Slime to see Meloni staring at him. She looked like she was out of breath. Cloud was standing beside her, tail wagging happily and tongue lolling.

“An appreciation for novelty begets wisdom,” Reason said, prodding the unhappy Crystal Slime with a stick. It didn’t move toward the bowl. “Those who—”

“Oh, stuff it,” Meloni interrupted. “You’re not going to get that thing to purify alcohol for you. Stop messing with it and just ask Rain. Wait, that’s not his slime, is it?”

“No,” Myth said. “We couldn’t find Rain, and that’s not the point. We are trying to understand how these work.” He gestured to the slime. “If we know what aspect they are using to attack the moss, then we can—”

Myth stopped. Meloni was tapping her foot. That was usually bad.

He sighed, rising from his crouch and walking over to her. Cloud’s tail started wagging even faster. “Fine, what do you want us to see?”

“There’s something strange going on in the Lee. Some weird glowing crystal thing.”

“Hmm,” Reason said, somehow managing to make the noise sound deep and mysterious. He dropped the stick and rose, adjusting his black coat. “Anger of the world made manifest?”

“Yes, what?” Myth echoed, looking at his partner.

Reason didn’t answer, walking past Meloni and heading for the southern wall. He ruined his mysterious image by stooping to scratch Cloud behind the ear as he passed. Meloni shook her head and followed.

Smiling, Myth hurried to join them. I wonder what it could be. He hadn’t been up to the wall himself, too busy with his work, but he’d heard rumors. Supposedly, there was a cervidian among the survivors. He’d always wanted to meet one.

When they reached the foot of the wall, they were brought to a halt by a bored-looking Watch officer. “No access to the wall,” the man said, holding up a hand. “Too dangerous.”

“Fifteen minutes,” Meloni said flatly.

“An hour,” the man countered.

“What? No!” Meloni said.

Myth tilted his head. What? Why is he bargaining up?

The officer shook his head, gesturing to Myth and Reason. “They’re important, so the price is higher. I could get in trouble.”

“They’re also awakened, Kellen,” Meloni said. “They’ll be fine. Fifteen minutes, and we’ll only be up there for five.”

“Thirty,” said Kellen, folding his arms.

“Fine,” Meloni sighed, stooping to pick up Cloud. She grunted from the effort.

“What the hells is going on?” Myth demanded.

“Bribery,” Meloni said. She pushed Cloud into the officer’s arms.

The man laughed as the excited puppy squirmed, licking at his face.

“Don’t you dare feed him anything,” Meloni said. “He’s big enough already.”

“Yes, yes, up you go,” said the officer, happily cradling the dog. “Remember what I said about the torches, and stay away from the edge.”

Meloni nodded to him as she passed, climbing up the narrow stairs. Myth and Reason followed and joined her in looking out across the nascent mushroom swamp when they reached the top.

“You see?” Meloni said, pointing to the Lee. “What are those glowing crystals?”

“Hmm,” Reason said. “Crystal of black, crystal of white. The will of the user joins the fabric of the world.”

Myth nodded to him, recognition flashing through his mind as he stared at the formation. “It’s a mindcaster,” he said to Meloni, watching the glowing blue and red pulses of magic in fascination. He’d never seen one himself, but there was no mistaking it. Unfortunately, it was too far away for him to make out the specific runes being used, not that he was an expert on runelore anyway. Materials were more his thing.

“Oh,” Meloni said. “I had no idea what they looked like.”

“Mmm,” Myth said, unwilling to admit the same. “I think there’s one in one of the strongholds, but I don’t know which, specifically.”

Meloni tilted her head. “Will it work through the barrier?”

Reason laid his hand on Myth’s shoulder, and Myth looked at him. When he spoke, his voice was serious, his mysterious air discarded. “Unlikely, Meloni. Myth, do you recognize the user?”

Myth looked, squinting. “Female. Grey hair, so probably older. It’s too far to make out her face, so I can’t say that I do.”

“I believe it to be the Guilder Lavarro,” said Reason, his tone grave. He removed his hand from Myth’s shoulder and moved closer to the wall.

“Okay, so?” Meloni said. “We knew she was out there. What’s got you all worked up, Bop?”

“I am not worked up,” Reason replied. “And do not call me Bop.”

Meloni rolled her eyes. “Fine. Reason. If you aren’t worked up, then why are you talking like a normal person?”

Reason just frowned and shook his head. “The Watch is angry because they lost their city, the Bank will doubtless be furious that their vault has been taken, and the Guild, well…” He gestured toward the glowing mindcaster. “The ice mage Mahria is her daughter if you did not know, as well as the daughter of Halgrave, the former leader of the Guild branch. That makes it personal. Her presence here… I fear that the conflict over Fel Sadanis might lead to a Faction War.”

“What?” Myth said, turning his head sharply. Damn it, Fel Sadanis was supposed to be out of the way! “The factions wouldn’t unite against the DKE, not if it would tip the balance to the Empire.”

“Watch, Guild, and Bank,” Reason chanted. “Three pillars apart. When united, nations tremble. When opposed, so trembles the world. A Faction War grinds all to dust.”

“Gods, I hope you’re wrong,” Myth said, returning his gaze to the glowing mindcaster and the woman at its center.

The Warden’s smile widened into a vicious grin as the walls rushed to fill her vision. I am going to enjoy this.

Moments before impact, she activated Unstoppable Force. For the next several seconds, her trajectory was locked, her velocity absolute. Anything that stood in her way would yield, or be destroyed.

Westbridge was an old city, older than the DKE itself. It was built in an era of war, and its marble walls were far more than they appeared. Ancient enchantments would be lurking within them to strengthen the stone and to shred anyone attempting to fly over.

Such things were of no concern to the Warden. In an unranked zone, her defenses would be sufficient to protect her, and Unstoppable Force would get her through any attempted entanglement. However, the Warden hadn’t activated the skill for that reason, nor was she on a trajectory that would have taken her over the wall. She was on one that would take her through.

At the moment of the impact, reality diverged. In one reality, the wards lacing the stones brought the Warden to an immediate stop, violating the absolute truth of Unstoppable Force. In the second reality, the wall was shattered as if it had offered no more resistance than a pane of glass.

Neither scenario was possible. The system imposed a limitation on the amount of damage that a single object or entity could sustain. The damage limit. It was not something that could be broken so easily.

The wall’s durability was above the limit, as were the Warden’s defenses, and yet, Unstoppable Force brought the two into direct conflict. Thus, the paradox was formed. An outside observer would have seen the Warden halted, pressed against the wall. Frozen in time.

Three seconds passed. Three seconds in which the wall’s enchantments resisted the impact. Three seconds in which the Warden’s own defenses were tested.

Reality converged, and the Warden’s truth triumphed over that of the wall. A colossal detonation rocked the city as she shot through, shattering the surface and revealing the marble to be nothing more than a facade. A cloud of earth and stones filled the air, and the buildings on the inside of the wall were flattened by the pressure of the detonation. All of this happened in an instant. For the Warden, there was no discontinuity, but for everyone else, three seconds of destruction appeared to take place in no time at all.

The Warden’s flight continued until Unstoppable Force expired. She smoothly corrected her trajectory with Force Pillar, crushing a building in the process. The rubble fell in slow motion as she stole its energy with Kinetic Absorption, partially replenishing her mana reserves.

She hadn’t needed to destroy the wall to enter the city. It was about sending a message. The cost was worth it.

Increasing her speed further, the Warden hurled herself above the streets, shattering buildings deliberately and hauling the rubble with her in an ever-growing maelstrom of stone. She left a wake of destruction leading toward the palace, feeling only the slightest pang of remorse for the lives she had doubtless snuffed out. It was necessary. To defeat someone like Westbridge, she needed to be cold. To strike without warning, offering no chance for him to prepare his defenses.

By killing the Citizen, I will save more lives than I take. He is the monster here. Not me.

The city shook as the palace was buried under a deluge of stone. The Warden hadn’t been content to simply let it fall. She’d driven it down with Force Exchange, hurling it against the building with all of her might and launching herself upward in the process. The very air shattered around her body, ripped apart by the speed of her acceleration. Kinetic Absorption was still active, acting on the wind, slowing her and filling her reserves.

Reaching into a pouch, the Warden retrieved a vial. This was a potion of her own creation, one that would be dangerous to consume for anyone without the proper resistances. Resistances that she had. She downed it with a grimace, thousands of Tel’s worth of rare ingredients and days of work, consumed in an instant.

The Warden’s mana roiled as she reached the peak of her arc, her eyes scanning the rubble far below her for movement. A stone shifted, and she grinned. Found you, cockroach. Momentum Release.

This far in the air, there was nothing for her to push off of, save the air itself, which was highly inefficient. Instead, she released the stored momentum of a collapsing mountainside that she had collected earlier. She instantly found herself shooting toward the ground, faster, even, than she had flown into the air.

Redirection. Redirection.

An explosion of fire rocked the city as Westbridge cast some unknown spell to free himself from the rubble, but it only served to guide the Warden directly to him. Her body crashed straight into his, slamming him down into the stone and through the earth.

The Warden grit her teeth in pain as fire seared into her. Perhaps some spell of retaliation, or an automatic defense. She doubted that Westbridge would have had time to react otherwise. The bracer on her left arm was warming rapidly, absorbing some of the heat. She wouldn’t give Westbridge time to overcome it.

Faultline. Force Crush. Piercing Bolt. Faultline. Constriction.

The earth cracked and shifted as the Warden harvested its stored energy, directing it against the man grappled in her arms. Earth magic was not her specialty, but as a derivative of Force, she had more than a few spells. Metamagic boosted all of her attacks, each strike blasting into the Citizen with enough power to level buildings.

Too late, she realized that Westbridge was chanting. She couldn’t hear him, obviously, but Mana Sight let her see the motion of his lips as he formed the final words, his very skin glowing with magic.

“Fulminating Eruption!”

The Warden screamed as the bracer on her arm instantly flashed red hot, then exploded. Lava squeezed through cracks in the shattered stone around them, overcoming her defenses as she frantically released Westbridge and pushed herself away. Arcane lightning crackled through the lava, striking her over and over as she swam through the viscous liquid. She reached the surface and launched herself into the air, half of her health gone from that one attack. Lava dripped from her skin as she caught herself on pillars of Force.

Westbridge rose smoothly from the surface of the lava, protected by a shimmering bubble of red energy. To the Warden’s immense relief, Mana Sight revealed that he wasn’t nearly as unscathed as he appeared. Her attacks against his defenses, plus the doubtless absurd cost of that spell, had drained him thoroughly. He was almost out of mana. She still had a chance.

[What have you done?!!] Westbridge’s voice screamed in her mind as he flung streams of lava toward her, drawing them up from the bubbling pool of destruction below him. The earthquakes she had caused with Faultline had collapsed buildings, and lava was flowing through the streets as people fled for their lives. The Warden barely noticed these details, so consumed was she in her rage.

“You attacked my daughter!” she screamed, using her power to amplify her voice. She lashed out with Chain of Force, wrapping the invisible links of the spell around Westbridge’s ankle, shattering his shield in the process. She then yanked, pushing against the ground with Force Pillar to increase her leverage.

Westbridge screamed, hurled into the sky, unable to resist her spell. The Warden grinned wickedly as he jerked to a stop at the end of the chain with a whipcrack detonation. She pulled again, swinging him down into the ground as he feebly attempted to resist. He hit with a massive impact, sending lava and broken stone flying. His defenses are broken. I have him.

[Stop! I yield!] The old Citizen’s voice sounded desperate. Frail.

The Warden shook her head. If she let up for an instant, he could recover. His weakness could be a ploy. Again and again, she whipped the Citizen into the air, then back into the ground, not giving him a moment to recover. It was relatively gentle, all things considered. She didn’t want to kill him yet, after all.

At the peak of Westbridge's fourth trip into the sky, there was a sudden release of tension from the chain as his leg tore free from his body, sending his limp form tumbling through the air.

The Warden shot after him. She scooped him up with a cradle of Force, carrying his broken body with her out of the city.

[Release me,] Westbridge said, the words weak. He couldn’t even speak normally, not with the condition he was in.

“No,” the Warden said. “You will tell me how to lower the barrier.”

[I will not,] said Westbridge. [You will get nothing from me, enemy of the Kingdoms.]

“Is your life of so little value to you?” asked the Warden, holding a blade of Force to the wounded man’s neck. “My daughter is all I have left. I have thrown the rest away.”

[If you kill me, then the barrier will never fall,] Westbridge said, his breathing ragged. [Save your empty threats.]

The Warden frowned. Let’s try this instead. “You have children, yes? Perhaps I shall visit them next.”

She wasn’t sure if she’d be willing to follow through on that threat, but Westbridge didn’t have to know that.

The Citizen wheezed, blood bubbling from his lips. The Warden realized he was laughing. “You…” he gasped, choking out the words. “You understand nothing. I am a Citizen. I would kill my children myself if it were necessary…for the survival of the DKE. They are…nothing to me.”

“Lies,” the Warden said, pressing the blade deeper into his neck. “Tell me how to lower the barrier.”

“You cannot lower it. I am the only one who can.”

“Then you will lower it for me,” the Warden said.

Westbridge laughed again. He tapped the bare skin of his chest through the burned and tattered remains of his clothes. “They saw all of this, you know. Through the…Link. They are coming.”

“FUCK!” the Warden swore, spinning away. She looked up at the stars in the night sky, panting with anger and frustration. I still have enough time… I could bring him… No. They’ll follow me.

“They will not…kill you…for this…” Westbridge choked, then stopped, consumed by a fit of coughing. He continued mentally. [They will make you wish that they had.]

The Warden whirled, seething with rage, not only at the Citizen, but also at herself. She knew that he was right. There was no way to get him to do what she wanted. She had been a fool, blinded by anger.

The Warden tightened her fists. The Citizen’s Link would lead the others straight to Westbridge, it was true, and even if he was lying about being the only one able to control the barrier, he’d never tell her the secret. He’d made his position clear. What was she going to do, rip off his other leg? She shook her head as the old man continued to laugh, bleeding his life out into the dirt.

There was still one thing that she could do. She could make herself feel better. Plus, who knew, the barrier might even be tied to his life. She’d have to test it and see.

Westbridge’s head fell to the ground, severed neatly by a blade of raw Force. His expression wasn’t one of surprise, or even pain or anger. It was one of satisfaction.

The Warden—the real Warden—frowned as the memory faded away. The worst part of interrogating a criminal was that she experienced everything as if she’d done it herself. She’d been murderers, thieves, rapists, and now, exterminated half of a city in an ill-planned act of vengeance.

[Happy now?] Lavarro said, her voice defiant. [See what you wanted to see?]

The Warden ignored her. She was in control, the silverplate Guilder no more able to resist than a fly could resist a spider. To use a mindcaster was to lower your defenses, not that they would have stopped the Warden for long anyway.

[I will kill you for this,] Lavarro said. [I don’t know how, but I will. The formation is failing. I can sense it, and I know you can too. You can’t hold me forever, and I know where you live.]

Taking the entirety of Lavarro’s memories for later perusal, the Warden sighed. People like the exGuilder were why the Watch had to exist. The insanity in the woman’s mind was plain. It had been building for years, her control eroded by her own power. The Warden would let it serve as a reminder to herself. As the head of the Watch, she was justice, but that did not mean she was above corruption. With what she could do, she could rule the entire world, if only she wished it. Even that bastard Kev wouldn’t have been able to stop her, once she got going.

One of the crystal pillars shattered as a rune failed, and the Warden felt the link tremble.

[Ha!] Lavarro shouted, struggling against the mental chains that bound her motionless.

The Warden smiled, amused. [I think not.]

Lavarro’s eyes rolled back in her head as the Warden shoved aside her consciousness, replacing it with an imprint of her own. The copy would only last for a few weeks before Lavarro managed to erode it, but that would be long enough.

[Shit. I’m the copy, aren’t I?] the Warden said, lifting her hand and staring at another woman’s fingers.

The original Warden smiled as the link collapsed, returning her to her own body in Jarro. She could understand the sentiment, as it was her own to begin with. Still, her copy knew her duty.

She got to her feet and stretched. It would be a long trip back to Vigilance, and travel was growing increasingly hard on her these days. Once more, she wished that she had a way to relay her mind through more than one connection, but without something like the DKE’s Link, that was impossible.

Short of starting a full war, there would be no getting one of their implants to study. They could track them, after all. It wasn’t like she could just steal one. No, the Watch and the DKE were allies, at least for now.

As angry as she was with the Citizens, she feared what would happen if Fecht won their little squabble. That man was dangerous. As it stood, his empire was only a thorn in her side, but if his power grew further, the steps she would need to take to stop him would bring the world to its knees. She didn’t want that, which meant working with the DKE. It didn’t mean she had to like it, though.

I am getting too old for this.

She shook her head wearily as she made her way out of the building, casually editing herself out of the minds of those that she passed. The city was mostly deserted at this point, abandoned by the DKE, though the evacuation was ongoing. The Shift had reached far, covering Jarro, Vestvall, and Southguard, though none of those cities had been hit nearly as hard as Fel Sadanis. The magnitude of the Shift was still being measured, and time would tell if it would be necessary to abandon the strongholds. For now, they were needed to facilitate the evacuations.

The Warden stepped up onto the teleportation platform, joining the group of refugees. They made space for her while remaining completely unaware of her presence. The entire group hushed as the platform began to charge, then there was a flash, and the Warden was gone.

Kettel was bored, and as his father had often told him, that meant trouble.

“Firebolt!” he shouted, pointing at the Stumper lumbering in the distance. A crimson ball of flame formed at his fingertips and flew through the air, striking the mushroom man in the back. Its roar of anger was matched by the officer standing beside him on the barricade.

“What the depths is wrong with you?!” Officer Grumpy yelled. “Fucking Guilders!”

The Stumper roared again, charging at the barricade.

“I been waitin’ all mornin’!” Kettel said, firing a second Firebolt after the first. This time, he didn’t shout out the name of the spell. As fun as that was, he had to concentrate. Why won’t these fuckin’ things shoot straight? Firebolt! Firebolt! Firebolt!

“Damn it!” Officer Grumpy shouted, jumping down from the barricade and raising his axe. He charged at the incensed Stumper, easily dodging its strike and leaving a long gash along its arm. He was less able to avoid Kettel’s next Firebolt, which struck him in the back of the head. Fortunately, he was wearing a metal skullcap, which greedily absorbed the magic.

“Shit, sorry!” Kettel shouted. “Kinda yer fault, though. Ye dodged right into it.”

“Fucking idiot!” the officer shouted, slashing at the Stumper. “If I live through this, I’m going to murder you!”

“Now tha’s no way ta talk ta’ yer ally!” Kettel hollered back. His next Firebolt struck the Stumper directly in the gills. “Yeah! Nailed em!”

“Move!” an angry woman’s voice shouted, and Kettel found himself shoved roughly out of the way. The female Watch officer jumped off the barricade, her spear leading. She flew through the air in an impressive leap, jamming the weapon deep into the mushroom man’s cap. The monster’s health dropped precipitously, visible from the decrease in the green bar hovering above it. The officer released her spear, leaving it buried in the monster as she flipped adroitly through the air. Right, her name’s Officer Badass from now on.

Before Kettel could bring his arm back to bear so he could help, he was shoved again, this time almost falling as the unsteady wooden palisade shifted beneath him. “Oi!”

“Firebolt,” said a deep voice calmly. Kettel groaned as the crimson projectile struck the monster and detonated with several times the force of his own. He’d recognized that voice.

The Fungiform caught fire, flailing its arms wildly, the spear still sticking out of its cap as Grumpy and Badass backed away. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud, the last of its health consumed by the flames.

Your group has defeated: [Fungiform Stumper]

“Aww, come on!” Kettel whined, “I did more than tha’!”

“Clearly not,” Officer Vincke said derisively. Vincke was Kettel’s rival, a Fire Mage, just like him.

“Say tha’ again!” Kettel shouted, whirling on him and balling up his fists.

“Sir!” Officer Grumpy said, clambering back up the barricade. “I can’t work with this…child.”

Vincke nodded. “I hear you, Officer Cassel. I’ll deal with this.” He turned to Kettel. “You were told not to attack unless given a clear order.”

“I had a shot!” Kettel protested, pointing at the burning Stumper. “And we got the bastard, didn’t we?”

“You almost got a man killed,” Vincke said.

“We have the barricade,” Kettel replied. “They can’t get at us up ‘ere. I was jus’ gonna—”

“Silence!” Vincke roared, crimson flames coating his body and forcing Kettel to take a step back from the heat. I gotta’ figure out how he does tha’.

“Vincke, the barrier!” Officer Badass said, having retrieved her spear and climbed up to join them.

The flames vanished as if they had never been, though the wood where Vincke was standing was charred black. The man panted heavily, staring at Kettel. “You’re done,” he said, pointing back at the camp. “We don’t want your help.”

“Wha?!” Kettel shouted. “No, that’s no fair! Ye can’t tell me what ta do!”

“We do not need idiots,” Vincke snapped, pushing a finger into Kettel’s chest. Kettel angrily opened his mouth to reply, but the officer rode right over him. “A Fungiform Stumper is a level eleven monster. You’re what, level two? Your spells aren’t even strong enough to hurt it. You know this, and yet you attracted its attention anyway. Officer Cassel had no choice but to engage it, risking his own life to stop it from destroying the barrier and letting who knows what else inside!”

Kettel shook his head stubbornly, pointing at the Stumper. “It wouldn’t a been able to break through all this wood.”

“It would have,” said the female officer. “I’ve seen it. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t have the training, let alone the experience.” She looked away dismissively. “Or the aim.”

Kettel’s cheeks burned as Cassel snorted out a bark of laughter. “That’s for sure, Adri, though I suppose he did manage to hit me instead of the fucking enormous mushroom monster. Good thing he’s got no power behind his magic.”

“Fuck ye!” Kettel shouted, fire coming to his fingertips. He didn’t intend to actually launch the spell, but to the Watch, the threat was enough. He found himself flying through the air, hurled from the barricade and back into the camp.

The impact with the ground stole his breath, and he had no time to recover before a pair of boots stomped down in front of his face.

“I could kill you for that,” Officer Grumpy—Cassel—said. “My orders are to keep the peace, and we don’t exactly have a dungeon to throw you in.”

“Fuck, man! I weren’t gonna fire it!” Kettel hissed, touching the shoulder he’d landed on. It hadn’t been that long of a fall, and while his shoulder hurt, his health hadn’t dropped more than a few points.

“Cassel, enough,” said Vincke, jumping down from the barricade as Kettel pushed himself back to his feet. “We don’t need your help. I’ve got better things to do than file a report on this, but if I see you on the barricade again, I will.”

“Vincke,” the female officer said, jumping down as well. “That’s not procedure. Want me to take him in?”

Vincke shook his head. “No.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he glanced at Kettel, then shook his head and turned, walking back toward the barrier. “Cassel, back on the wall. I’ll send someone to join you. Adri, with me.” He turned on his heel and left. Cassel took one last angry look at Kettel, then shook his head and clambered back up the barrier.

Kettel was furious, but he knew better than to do anything about it, at least not directly.

I need ta get me bloody class. Then they’ll see.

On Rain’s advice, Kettel had decided to focus all of his skill points into a single tree, namely, Fire Evocation. He didn’t even have any metamagic, only the two foundation-tier spells Firebolt and Flamestrike. He needed to level at least one of those to five before he could get anything else. Training wasn’t easy when using too much magic gave you a crippling headache, not to mention burned fingers. Gloves helped with that, at least.

Still, it could have been worse. He could have been stuck with just Firebolt. Flamestrike had been hidden, only appearing once he met the requirement of having at least one other fire skill. It wasn’t that good of a skill, as it required him to get close to things he wanted to set on fire, but it was nice to have the option.

Kettel sighed. That’s it. I’m findin’ Rain. Fuck tha headache! I’m gonna’ have em pack me with mana till I puke. Maybe he’ll even let me hit em with Flamestrike.

He reached up to touch the bronze plate hanging from his neck and sighed. He’d joined the Guild once Velika had released him, but there hadn’t been much to do other than hunt slimes. Now, the only jobs available were well above his level, and nobody wanted to take him along in their party. It was a common plight for a lot of the lower-leveled bronzeplates, though unlike him, most were capped. Theoretically, as he was at level five, he could have picked a class at any point, but the options available to him sucked. He needed more skills.

Status. Skills. Fire Evocation. Class Selection.

Where Rain saw blue boxes, Kettel simply saw words. No, ‘saw’ was wrong. The words were inside his skull, and he didn’t so much see them with his eyes, as read them in his mind. At first, they’d been plain, but now, they burned, written in fire and ash. Rain had said that the system would respond to desires, so Kettel had changed it. It was better this way.

Launch a small bolt of fire from your fingertips

Call upon fire to enhance your next strike with a melee weapon

Launch a viscous ball of magma in an arc

Requires 5 ranks in Firebolt

Summon a curtain of fire that travels along the ground in a line

Requires 5 ranks in Flamestrike

Snap your fingers to cause your target to spontaneously combust

Requires 10 ranks in Fire Evocation skills

Effect: Boosts non-combat skills by 1 in 2

Warning: Experience may no longer be gained through combat

Requirement: Focus greater than strength and endurance

Requirement: At least 10 kills with magical skills

Effect: Boosts the effects of the focus attribute by 1 in 2

Requirement: Strength greater than endurance and focus

Requirement: At least 10 kills with physical skills

Effect: Boosts the effects of the strength attribute by 1 in 2

Requirement: Endurance greater than strength and focus

Requirement: Absorb at least 1000 total points of damage

Effect: Boosts the effects of the endurance attribute by 1 in 2

Kettel wandered aimlessly, his anger cooling as he reviewed the words burning in his mind. The officers were right. He was weak. It had been almost two weeks since his awakening, and while his progress was fast, it wasn’t fast enough. His level had grown quickly, true, but his skills were taking much longer. Killing monsters didn’t help, only practice did, and his low mana regeneration was killing him. Hanging out near Rain helped immensely, but he was usually busy, and the Watch didn’t take kindly to magic use within the camp. Kettel needed to be on the walls for that, not wherever Rain happened to be. Being banned from them was going to be a problem.

Fuck Vincke. Flaming bastard.

Kettel sighed, headed for the southern Watch stronghold. Rain was usually around there somewhere.

I need ta convince em to bring me huntin’ or somethin’. Could get a lotta’ practice out there. Breggeh might come if I ask nice, an’ maybe Rina. The others… fuck em.

He shook his head. The other nobles from their delve had all vanished, returning to their families. Arlo, he could understand, given what had happened, but the others were just being pompous jerks. Rina was little better, in truth, but, well, she was hot, so…

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” an angry voice said.

Kettel stopped, letting his status fade from his mind as he stumbled, barely avoiding falling over. He looked at the woman he’d almost crashed into and grinned.

And speaking of hot… “Oh, hey. Mahria.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Do I know you?”

“Not yet,” Kettel said, “But ye will. I’m Kettel. Greatest Fire Mage in tha world!” He rubbed at his nose. “Workin’ on tha whole ‘greatest’ part.”

Mahria laughed, and Kettel felt his stomach do a somersault.

“Aren’t you adorable?” she said, pressing her hand to his chest for a second before sidestepping around him.

“Hey!” Kettel said, turning to follow her. “So, um. I was thinkin’ I were gonna’ go hunt monsters later. You, uh, wanna come?”

Mahria barely glanced back at him. “Not interested in dying, sorry.”

“Wha?” Kettel said, hurrying after her. “It wouldn’t be jus’ us.” Though that’d be nice. “I was gonna’ ask Rain ta’ come. An’ maybe Rina Ashworth. You know her, right? All ye women know each other.”

Mahria stopped, turning to face him, her expression suddenly icy. “You’re lucky I’m going to ignore that.”

“Ignore what?” Kettel said, blinking.

She sighed and shook her head. “You know Rain?”

Kettel nodded. “Yeah, o’course.”

“Hmm,” Mahria said, her frown softening. “Fine. If you can get him to come, I’m in. He’s been avoiding me.”

“My mother,” Mahria said, turning away. She muttered something under her breath, then spoke clearly again. “Just find me once you have a whole group. I’m not going out there without numbers on our side, especially if Rain is coming. The mana’s nice, but he’s useless in a fight.”

“No he ain’t,” Kettel said. Though… Once I level up some, I might be able to take em…

Mahria shrugged, walking away. “See you later, Kettel.” It was a clear dismissal, but Kettel didn’t mind. She’d said his name.

The sudden tolling of a bell made him jump, and he realized that he was staring. He glanced over at the bell tower, one of the few remaining structures within the camp. He shook his head and resumed his course toward the stronghold. It wasn’t an attack; they were just sounding the hour. Sixth bell. Time for supper.

Where the hells is Rain, anyway? I ain’t seen em all day.