An Assassin's Anthem

Riley hurried into class and took the desk next to Emma. A quill and inkwell were in the corner, and a small stack of paper was beside them.

Looking up, Riley looked around the classroom. A desk sat at the front, and a woman was reading papers. Desks and chairs lined the room. A blackboard sat in the front, and a hearth blazed in the back.

The woman looked up. “Welcome, everyone. I’m Magus Victoria Aerie. We will focus on the art of ritual casting. Who here is aware of the basics?” She paused and nodded. “Princess?”

“Ritual casting is the use of a focus in order to cast spells that you don’t have as skills. To do so, you feed mana into a sequence of runes on the focus. Enchanting is the process of engraving them on the crystals and then embedding them into objects.” The princess smirked. “It’s a simple process, and frankly, if you cannot manage it in a day, you’re a simpleton. We are here to practice control and learn various rune sequences.” She turned and scowled at anyone with a black ribbon.

“Sit down,” Prince Timothy said, rolling his eyes.

Lily glared at him. Heat wafted through the air.

Riley slumped in her chair, not wanting to catch the eye of either.

Victoria coughed. “Thank you, Princess. Now, it should be noted that ritual casting does cost mana. In addition, some of you have incompatible mana for certain types of spells.” She turned and picked up a piece of chalk.

From there, she started outlining the different schools and writing the corresponding runes next to them. Riley grabbed a piece of paper and took notes.

The minutes turned to hours, and Riley happily took notes throughout the lesson. Her quill scratched rapidly, and ink flew from the tip. Riley used her magic to pluck it away and continued her rapid-fire scratching.

Several turned to stare. Riley was too focused on the lesson to notice. She continued her rapid note-taking.

The bell above boomed. Victoria finished off her lecture. Riley carefully gathered her notes while the others streamed for the door. Carefully picking up the last paper, she looked up and only saw the professor.

Victoria looked at the notes and nodded approvingly. “Have a good day, Lady Riley.”

Riley bobbed her head and walked to the cafeteria. It was crowded. Most of the seats were full. Spotting Emma, Riley headed over.

A boy snickered and stuck out his foot. Riley stopped and stared at him. She let the surprise show while studying his gray uniform. “Really?”

The boy jerked his leg back. “Sorry, Lady Riley. I wasn’t looking.”

Riley walked over to the table and sat, carefully setting her notes down next to her.

“That’s a lot of notes,” Emma whispered.

Riley looked around the room. No one else was carrying papers. Instead of feeling embarrassed, she felt a note of sadness play through her. They take everything for granted, don’t they? She turned back to the table. “I wanted to learn it all.”

“You could just buy the book,” Lin said.

Riley nodded, turned, and felt like screaming.

Randalf took a seat. “Hello, ladies, betrothed.” He nodded toward Riley.

“We’re not betrothed,” Riley snapped. “Stop saying that.”

Randalf leaned over and looked at the pile of papers. “You should just buy the book.” He smiled. “I could help with that. Our territory together would be a force. So, let’s put it behind us.”

Riley huffed at him. I’m not marrying a guy like that. She paused in confusion over her own thought. Why would I marry him at all? Is this who I’m meant to be? She looked up and quickly donned the mask again. Whatever, I’ll figure it out later. She looked at him. “We’ll see if you can behave for a few years.”

Randalf smiled. “There you go. Now, you need to get some black ribbon.”

Riley shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“He will win. Fence sitters will be marked, Riley,” Randalf said sternly. “Unless you want to be a mayor, it’s time to pick the winner.”

Riley looked at the sandwich that was presented to her. She started eating and debated that development. Am I going to get forced into this already? A shadow hit the table. She looked over, and panic drummed down her spine.

“Hello, Lady Riley,” Prince Timothy said with a smile. He held out a black ribbon.

Seriously? Riley looked at it and looked back up at him. “Hello, Prince Timothy.”

“I heard the most interesting things about you.” Timothy bounced the ribbon. “I’m certain that you don’t wish to offend.”

Riley failed to see an alternative. She could refuse him and align with the princess; that would likely anger the duke. And if she refused both, she was just asking for problems down the road. Which would Dad pick? Riley neared laughed aloud. He'd just leave. Reaching out, she took the ribbon. “Thank you.” She tied it around her wrist and contemplated swapping. Who's better? She mused on it.

“You’re welcome. Now, join me. I have questions.” Timothy turned and walked to the back of the cafeteria.

Realization slammed into Riley. Only one thing could have caused this: information—information that Randalf had given. Nothing else could explain this.

Grabbing her notes and the plate of food, she turned and followed, walking up to a table in the back of the room. Timothy sat and gestured to the seat next to him.

Riley sat, carefully tucking her dress under her legs. She set down her plate of food.

“Is it true? How did you manage so much from a single visit?” Timothy asked.

Riley felt an insight skill push against her. Like a light breeze, it passed by without any pressure. “You know the answer. Lying would only cause me problems. As to how? I used several crystals after defeating some fish and things. Then I fought and died, but the gods rewarded me for my efforts.”

A brown-haired boy looked up from his food. He smiled and turned to Timothy. “She’s telling the truth. Dungeon collapse prevention is the only way.”

Timothy nodded and studied Riley. “You must have some level of competence. I’ve heard that you are helping Hassan?”

Riley nodded and looked at her sandwich. Am I allowed to eat?

“Do so, and push yourself in the dungeon,” Timothy said, picking up his knife and fork. “If you manage the first floor by yourself, I’ll consider changing up the groups.” He took a bite of his steak.

“Yes, your grace.” Riley took a bite of her sandwich and mused on her newest complication. She was now aligned with the prince.

She ate and tried to find the perfect way to ensure it didn’t end poorly. Her imagination ran wild, and she saw herself fleeing the kingdom. Shaking out of the thought, she turned and looked at the other side of the room.

The princess met her gaze and glared. A few girls nearby made rude gestures. Riley turned back. Power and position. The game that’s all around. Two together fighting. What solution can be found? She mused on it, ultimately falling back to the same thing. Pick one and help them win.

Finishing her sandwich, she looked out around the room. Students everywhere were eating. Reaching down, she untied the ribbon and tied it around her hair.

Timothy finished his meal and looked over. A smile spread across his face. “Don’t mess this up, Lady Riley. I treat my friends well.”

“Can you stop Randalf’s ridiculous claims?” Riley asked.

“Of course. I —”

A clatter rang through the room. Two chairs crashed on the ground, and two boys began brawling, throwing punches at each other.

A wall of ice burst from the ground, throwing both away from each other. Victoria stormed forward; her breath billowed out in a frosty cloud. “We do not tolerate brawling. First and final warning to you both,” she hissed.

Riley looked at the magus in surprise and then looked at the boy beside her.

“Don’t brawl. Even if they insult the prince,” the boy whispered. “It’ll get you kicked out.”

“Thanks.” Riley grabbed her notes and started reading. The bell tolled moments later.

Grabbing her notes, she walked toward the Magus, who was directing students. Following another ranger, she walked down the halls and entered a small room. There was no paper on the desks. There was no ink. The drapes had been drawn, casting the room in darkness.

Riley walked inside and took a seat. Several bumped their way inside and navigated to chairs. Sitting in silence, she waited and waited. The bell rang again.

Chatter broke out. Riley turned and studied the small group. There were only a dozen of them, and most weren’t nobility. She spun and searched for the instructor. He had to be somewhere.

A man in black surged out from behind the drapes, slapping desks as he passed. Then he spun and kicked the door shut.

“Darkness. Shadows. Deceit,” the instructor said. He flung open the drapes, letting sunlight stream into the room. “We are those who stand against them.”

Riley studied his black uniform and cloak. Mischief wouldn’t approve of that outfit.

[Prank him! Add a nice splash of yellow or something! ~Mischief]

Riley held back her chuckle.

The instructor pulled down his mask and removed his cloak. “For today’s lesson, we will focus on the basics. Truthseekers are responsible for hunting down criminals, and we have no shortage of them. In fact, a massive crime happened less than a month ago.” He held up a sketch of a man. “This man has stolen crystals worth hundreds of nobles.”

The man’s heavy beard and short stature were a giveaway to Riley. Hi, Dad! she thought to herself.

“Worse still,” the instructor continued. “This thief has avoided capture and is training an apprentice. A student your age fell victim to the deception. That is why we must be vigilant.” The instructor set the pictures down. “I’m going to aid you. Regrettably, none of you were gifted with an insight skill. However, we’re going to push your skills so that you can upgrade them.”

“No one gets that skill,” a girl murmured.

“Almost no one,” the instructor corrected. “I’ll admit that it is rare. But the flip side is also true. After all, you’d need to spend a massive portion of your life deceiving others to get it.”

Riley thought about all the time she’d spent hiding her heritage. No wonder I got it.

“Now,” the instructor said. “We’ll use this recent example. How would you hunt them?”

“Neighboring cities? See who saw the young daughter?” a boy suggested.

“Good. What else?”

“Posters.”

The instructor spun and looked out at the rest. He waited, looking at each of them. The silence grew.

“Contact the thieves' guild,” Riley added.

“Good. We can contact the guilds. What else?”

Riley shrugged and looked at her classmates.

“Try to find the stolen goods?” one guessed.

“Yes, if they are foolish enough to try to sell them.” The instructor smiled. “How else?”

Silence spread through the room. The students looked at each other.

“Magic,” he said. “There are spells to search for things. While expensive, they can be used. We will cover some here since many of you have at least a little from one of your classes.”

A boy spoke. “Then how did they escape if we can just find them?”

“They can resist the spell using their skills. We can boost our attempts with the right items.” He walked to the board and picked up a piece of chalk. Then he started writing.

“So, why not just find those two with magic?” the boy asked.

“Oh, someone will. But they are out of reach for the lowest seekers. We’ll need one of the best. Isn’t that right, Lady Riley?” He spun back around. “I heard you offered to hire one.”

“Assassins' guild,” Riley admitted.

“Yes. While we are the seekers who will ferret and find, they are uniquely suited to pursuing and then finishing those we find.” The instructor looked at the others.

“Why do we let them exist at all?” a girl asked. “They could be in the military.”

“Many are in the military. We control the thieves’ guild and assassins’ guild. It’s easier for us to police it directly.” The instructor looked at the group. “It appears that only one of you has dealt with them directly. So, let us cover some basics. The assassin class is given to those who specialize in killing without ever being seen. They don’t fight fair. They don’t fight honorably and are one of the classes that best counters us.”

“Which is why we should get rid of them,” a boy finished.

The instructor chuckled. “That was tried nearly a century ago. It did not end well for us seekers. Our classes specialize in finding the truth, not killing silently. So, we work together and use them for our own ends. By the end of the term, I will expect you to locate and contact the guilds without assistance.” He spun back to the board and started writing.

Riley carefully listened, noting things she’d need to be wary of in the future.

Riley Milvsky

Level: 100

Bard (C)

Level: 101

Inspiring Song F Bolster your allies with magic and music. Strength and Move Speed increased by 1 for one minute. Costs five Bardic Inspiration and impacts allies within ten meters. The radius of influence expands by one meter for each additional inspiration spent.

Psychic Spike F Wield your mana to cause psychic damage to a target. Cost varies based on allocation.

Manipulate Water F Manipulate the water around you. Cost varies based on amount.

Assassin (C)

Level: 101 + 12

Assume Disguise S +30 charisma. Enhance your current disguise by altering your displayed information and taking on the disguised form. Grants +5 levels to the assigned class. Perception and Insight suffer -250 levels against your disguise and -50 levels against your deception or stealth. Penalty applied: Gods’ Oversight.

Dancer's Form B +10 speed. +2 levels to assigned class. You may use a charge of inspiration to boost your movement speed by an additional 5 for a minute.

Death's Cloak A Slain enemies will grant experience to your base level and active classes. +3 levels to the assigned class. Perception and insight suffer -25 levels against you. Penalty applied: Covenant.

Ambush B +10 speed. +2 levels to the assigned class. Costs one stamina to use. On use, you teleport to a shadow within 20 meters. Penalty applied: Covenant.

Spell Thief (C)

Level: 101

Predatory Sight E Your perception and insight are boosted by 5. This boost is not reduced by low light or no light.

Pretty E Your appearance is better, but it could be even grander. Use 1 mana to get a little help from Beauty! (Upgrade me again!) Penalty applied: Unequippable. Beauty may alter your appearance at her whim.

Ranger (C) Level: 101 Inactive.

Noble (F)

Level: 7 Inactive.

Dexterity: 515

Strength: 200

Speed: 234

Intelligence: 301

Charisma: 331

Stamina: 313

Mana: 503

Inspiration: 201