An Assassin's Anthem

Riley looked at the distant fort and the knights next to her. Then she turned and looked at the walls.

“I like this plan,” Ivan said with a grin.

Riley looked at her doppelganger, who was standing on the wall and making rude gestures at the distant fort. Nicole’s awesome. She turned and jogged out of the gate, racing down the muddy trail.

As each of the nearby knights ran, their speed increased. Riley veered off the path and hurtled through the brush, racing to the northeast.

I’m fast enough without Assassin, right? She hoped that was true.

“Gods, slow it down, speedsters,” Summer said.

With a playful wink, Travis scooped her up in his arms and leapt over a log.

“High speed, Riley. Leave anyone if needed,” Ivan said, running alongside her.

Riley nodded and ran, forcing herself to go faster. Leaping over a log, she landed on a patch of snow and skidded like an out-of-control wagon. She skidded across the grounds and threw her feet back under her.

Bounding over a fallen tree, she ran and hit the nearby road. There, her run became a sprint. She raced along the road with the group thundering alongside.

The fort slowly faded from view, and a new one appeared. Looking like it had seen far too much battle, cracks littered the walls. Thunder boomed, and stones slammed into the fort with increasing fury.

Half running and half sliding, Riley shot down a hill and ran up the other side, cresting the hill and getting closer to the mess. Haggard defenders were holed up in the fort, trying to mend things while staying in cover.

Travis granted. “Riley? Can you put an end to it?”

Riley nodded. “It’ll cost some mana, but yes.”

“And will we get hit?”

“I’ll take care of it.” Riley slid down a stretch of road before running toward the muddy fort. She looked up and saw clouds forming. Reaching up, she grabbed them and felt her mind connect.

Sending a stream of psychic energy down the connection, she tossed the lightning back. Looking up, she slipped, and Roger grabbed her.

Grabbing the lightning, she repeated it. Thunder cracked through the sky. Two kill notifications popped up, and a stream of fireballs shot forward. Riley grabbed them and detonated. The distant enemy fort lit in flame while people screamed.

“Gods,” a man on the wall said, looking at the group.

Riley looked up and waved at him. Roger raced up to the gate.

“Let us in,” Travis barked.

Skidding to a halt, Roger set Riley down and gestured. Riley conjured two spirit blades and handed them to him. Then she walked into the fort and looked at the smoldering courtyard. All the wood inside had burned. The stone was cracked, and chunks of the ramparts were missing.

Riley strode toward them. Time to turn this place around. She studied the courtyard.

A grizzled knight jogged out, his metal armor worn and dented. “Travis?”

“Hello, Peyton. They’re fortifying, and we’re capitalizing.” Travis gestured. “This is Knight Riley, Void Mage, heir to the Milvsky barony. Her father, Roger, is out killing people.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Riley.” Peyton frowned and looked up.

Riley sighed. “I’ll take care of it.” She ran to the stairs and raced up them, grabbing the lightning and feeding psychic magic back.

[Level 213 Human slain. You gain 213 experience.]

She threw the lightning and poked over the wall in time to see a wave of at least two dozen fireballs streaming toward them. Flicking her book open, she fed mana into Void Blast and sent it. The web of purple raced forward, and all the fire snuffed out, vanishing to the void magic.

A magus walked up. “Lady Riley?” He asked, straightening his disheveled robes and hair.

“Hello. Nice to meet you.” Locking onto the group throwing stones, Riley didn’t bother spending the mana to send the boulders back. Instead, she flooded psychic magic down the connections, dropping half a dozen mages before it stopped.

A strange quiet filled the air, and two other notifications popped up. Riley ignored them and waited. Archers fired, sending arrows streaming across the gap, and a thunderous boom echoed across the gap.

Triggering Ambush, Riley joined the fleeing soldiers and raced for cover from the cannon. The wall exploded, sending dust and stone billowing everywhere.

Looking out into the courtyard, Riley waited. They’ll come. She looked for the knights and triggered Ambush to jump across the yard. “Travis, I do have enough, but not a lot extra.”

“Keep enough for a void storm, and trigger your aura when I shout.” Travis walked forward.

“At arms! Defend the breach!” Peyton bellowed.

Riley walked toward the wall and waited. The sound of thousands of feet filled the air, and arrows flew overhead. Clouds churned above, and stone rippled out.

Ducking into an alcove, Riley conjured spirit blades and waited. Thunder boomed, and stone fragments flew. Fireballs blazed into the courtyard, and Travis slammed his shield through them, ripping them apart. He grinned and turned back.

The sound of steel smashing into steel filled the air. Riley threw her blades through the wall, volleying them rapidly.

“To arms!” Travis shouted, sending a bolstering cry across the field.

Shouts rolled out, and Riley flooded her aura with Inspiration, watching it shoot from twenty to one hundred and twenty. Gods, that’s a jump.

She turned her focus back to the yard. The melee had surged through the breech. Archers above were raining arrows on the foes.

Using Ambush, Riley appeared on the ramparts and looked out. The mages had constructed a wall in front of the archers. The melee fighters were fleeing toward it while her own pushed.

“Kill that noble!” a man shouted, gesturing toward Riley.

Riley dove back behind the wall. Gods, I need Assassin back. Arrows soared and clattered against the wall, a few sinking into the stone. She sat behind the wall and huffed. What to do? I can’t look out there, and—

A form appeared next to her. Her blade shot forward, and Riley felt time slow. She felt the blade sink into her neck.

Riley triggered Ambush and staggered. Blood poured down her back, and her heart thundered through her body. She tried to cough, and it didn’t seem to work. Nothing seemed to work. Her vision dimmed. Her hearing faded, and a cowled woman appeared.

The assassin smiled, and her head flew from her body. Blood showered around her, and Riley felt a potion insert itself into her mouth. She swallowed and grimaced at the growing pain. Her vision darkened, and an ever-increasing need to breathe spread through her. Why won’t it work?

Someone shouted something. Gods, did I die? Her vision tunneled, and energy rippled through her, growing like the rising sun.

She gasped and felt something familiar. Travis? It was like she could feel him standing there.

“I am a paladin.” The words floated through her mind.

What does that mean? She gasped and heard the sound of the battle outside. Her father was standing there somehow. He looked at her, and she felt so tired. Her body felt numb. The smell of blood was everywhere, it spread through the air, coating it in thick metal.

“Hang in there,” Roger said, picking her up. “Can you cast your storm on their fort?”

Riley nodded sleepily. Why’s everything so strange? She looked down and saw blood all over the floor. They walked outside, and she blinked at the blinding sun. Why is everything wrong?

Looking through the breech, Riley tried to use her skill. Oh, right. I don’t have it slotted. She shook her head and coughed, sending blood spraying around her. With a growing surge of pain, she continued coughing, blood oozing from her mouth and nose.

Pain exploded through her chest, and Roger started shouting again.

Looking up, Riley saw a glowing star. It descended on her and froze in some strange blinding stream of light. Then it vanished, rippling away while her mana drained. That’s strange.

She blinked and saw a strange red orb fly in. Roger raced forward, and Riley happily swatted at it, letting her fingers stream through it. It popped out of existence like a bubble, and her mana drained. Aw. The world erupted in flickering light.

Reaching out, Riley waved her hand through the flickering flames. Why isn’t it warm? She shivered and coughed. Blood oozing down her chin and neck. The fire rushed into her and vanished. I should be warm. She blinked and coughed up more blood.

The air around her blew past, and she found herself in some room. Can I sleep? I don’t think I can storm. Her eyes drifted shut, and she coughed furiously. Strange energy hit her, and she drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Pure rage filled Roger. He looked down at his daughter, who’d had a knife through her spine and was nearly decapitated. His eyes flickered back to the healers.

“Leave her here; we’ll handle it,” the healer said, shoving him toward the door.

“Do not let her die,” Roger said. He unloaded healing potions from his cache and ran from the room. Shooting through the breach, he looked out at the enemy forces. Smoke lingered, and bodies had been thrown everywhere.

Roger ran forward and saw several soldiers surrendering. Several others were fleeing back toward their fort. Pulling out his knives, he vaulted corpses and potholes while charging past his line of allies.

Flickering like smoke, he wafted forward and cut down the first retreating soldier. Blood sprayed, and he flickered forward, stabbing and slashing his way through the forces. Several turned, and Roger spun. Like a snowflake on the wind, he danced through them, burning stamina at a furious rate. Bodies fell in his wake, toppling like cut wheat.

A massive soldier spun and bellowed. Roger stabbed him and continued on, dancing by the A-tier soldier. They can handle it. Cutting through the others, he left a trail of blood before stopping in front of the group. “Die,” he whispered, and the blood exploded, ripping through the group in rain of red, bloody blades.

Turning away, his form became like smoke. He fluttered across the field, heading straight for his daughter.