An Assassin's Anthem

Riley woke from her nap and stretched, kicking off her blanket and thumping her head against something hard.

She blinked and picked up a book with Elven script on the cover. That sneaky Althea. She shook her head and flipped it open to find writing on the cover.

Pardon my snooping. I thought this might be of use to you. Do be safe out there.

Love, A

Riley smiled and flipped through the pages of Elven script. Runes were drawn throughout it.

Climbing out of bed, she moved over to her stash and pulled out the book on the Elven language. Then, she slowly translated the title, A Bard’s Handbook. Flipping it open, she slowly made her way through the first page.

Bards are a versatile class, capable of great harm and help. One may advance the class to help hide in shadows, live in disguise, craft, or do a myriad of things.

While this versatile class is limited in most skills, one truth remains: its ability to manipulate the masses stands supreme.

Weaving together song and psychic magic, bards make terrifying enemies and amazing allies. Their skills let them bestow strength on allies or weaken foes. The skills let them charm masses and walk past you unseen. Perhaps the most inspiring and feared are the Paragons.

This book will not state the requirements or pathways to this class upgrade. That is far too dangerous. However, it will provide instruction on some of the more common uses of inspiration and song.

Riley looked up. Are the elves afraid of that, too? She paused.

“Music, I know you’re out there, singing out your song.

Do you know about these lands and the things long gone?

Did they earn your ire? Did they burn your books?

Should I trust them with this gift, one that they forsook?”

[I leave that option open. Perhaps she speaks the truth.

The bardic path has a past that I gave to you.

Yes, they lost much knowledge. Yes, they’ve made their vows.

But in time, we’ll see the truth. I do not know it now. ~Music]

Riley looked at the book. Or does Althea want me to get it? She considered it and looked back at the book. Is this different than the one I already have?

Standing and stretching, she looked at the shuttered window and saw the sun creeping in. The mayor can wait until the evening. Walking over to the compartment under the floor, she removed the board and pulled out her old book from Music. She walked to the desk and read.

Idly humming while she worked, she spent three hours copying the two basic heals, one for a single person and the other for a group. Then she stood and grabbed her gear, carefully pulling on her new shoes and lacing them tight.

These are way too comfortable. Standing up, she watched them shift into her familiar moccasins, except they seemed to have extra padding. She turned and paced, enjoying the feeling of the soft fur inside.

Pulling on her cloak, she exited the room and locked her door. She strode down the hall, stretched, and jogged to the gate, waving to the guards.

A guard shook his head in reply. “Lady Riley, you should be careful going out there unescorted.”

“It’ll be alright,” Riley said with a smile. She jogged down the lane and darted into an alley. “Courier!” She triggered Assume Disguise and looked down.

Surprise flooded through her. Her eye twitched. Should I change my pronouns? She considered it and just started running. It wouldn’t matter for now.

Running out of the alley, she shot down the road and danced through the swarms of people. Gods, they’re everywhere. She broke through a traffic and hit a large, crowded intersection.

Running forward, she leapt and pulled herself onto a large brick wall. Then she ran, using it as an expedited escape from the crowded street below her.

Building up her speed, she ran, following a speeding courier toward the gates. With each step, her momentum grew. The shoes pushed it further, and she leapt over the street below, landing lightly on the other side.

A few paused to look, then looked away. Riley focused on her distant guide, shooting down the wall and relying on her boosted agility to stay upright.

With a growing smile, Riley ran, passing throngs of people and rapidly reaching the gate. Waving to the guards, she shot through the east gate and ran down the dirt road.

Pushing herself, she started using Dancer’s Form to boost her speed further, hitting speeds nearly three times normal. Loose rocks and gravel shot behind her while she closed the gap with a caravan.

Merchants and guards turned. She blazed by them, not bothering to slow down while focusing entirely on avoiding any large holes in the road.

After a few minutes, she fell into a natural rhythm. The road stretched before her. Trees, meadows, and fields rolled by. Minutes turned into hours, and the sun descended behind the horizon before a large town came into view.

Continuing her pace, Riley raced past the cleared fields. Patches of snow sat in the shadows, and the first stars appeared.

Slowing, Riley studied the town. The gate was built into the stone wall; both were in good repair. Smoke billowed from chimneys, and cheerful people bustled down the cobblestone streets. Everything seemed calm, quiet, and peaceful. The job said this town was a nightmare. Riley frowned and slowed further, letting the momentum from her shoes drop. It said there were missing people and that the mayor was corrupt. She studied the town and slowed, jogging up to the gate.

“Business?” a guard called from the small hut with a blazing fire.

Riley wiped the sweat off her brow. “Quick meal and break before I’m on my way. Long run to the duke.”

The guard studied her. A skill slammed into her own. Riley bore it; the levels deflected it far more easily than the last time a guard tried.

“No funny business,” the guard called and opened the gate.

“Of course, ma’am.” Riley jogged into the town and headed for the nearby latrines, ducking into one.

After relieving herself, she considered her best option. Servant? She chuckled silently. It’s always a servant. She triggered Assume Disguise and looked down. Her attire and face shifted, but nothing else did. That’s a surprise. She wasn’t sure why the gods did it. “Done having fun, Beauty?”

To her surprise, the goddess didn’t respond. A shiver ran down Riley’s spine. That wasn’t like her or Mischief. Walking out of the makeshift shack, she jogged down the streets, heading for the distant manor while scanning the streets for anything amiss.

Wandering through the streets, she paused at a tavern and listened. People were drunk but seemed to be in good spirits. Why not? She wandered inside and headed to the drunkest-looking table, taking a seat.

A grizzled man looked over and raised a mug. “Be a good lad and buy me another.”

Riley pulled out five sil and gestured. A barmaid scurried over.

“Supper and a refill for my friend,” Riley said.

“It’s seven,” she said cheerily.

Riley gestured to the servant’s uniform. “Come now, miss. Have pity. You know the mayor.”

She scowled back. “He’s a fine man, and the lady is as well. They’ve done wonders for our town.”

“Aye, they have,” the drunk man slurred. “Cleaned up them urchins, he did.” He hiccuped.

Riley felt her rage surge, churning like a river overflowing its banks. Keeping up her mask, she stood. “Changed my mind.” Spinning, she headed for the door and walked out into the cold night. If he’s killing the urchins, I’ll burn his entire manor to the ground.

Her breath billowed, matching her mood. The buildings blurred by. Noisy taverns and crowded inns went ignored. Passing cottages, she spotted the orphanage. It was in good repair. The windows were shuttered. The door was shut, and no cracks were to be found.

Riley’s rage dimmed. She walked up to it, carefully listening. Not a sound came back.

Looking up and down the street, she saw guards and nodded to them before jogging toward the distant manor. The large building sat on a small hill. A small brick fence surrounded it.

Riley studied it. The balconies and windows were in good repair. There was only one thing that was strange. Where are the guards?

Forcing that aside, Riley locked onto her lie. I’m just here to help. I’m a servant eager to please, she chanted and jogged up to the manor’s wall.

The small brick wall wasn’t much of an obstacle. She jumped over it and landed in the yard. The grounds were small but well taken care of. No garbage or remaining dead plants were in sight. Instead, it was just cold soil, ready for next year.

Darting forward, Riley headed for the back door while scanning the empty grounds. No guards back here? She slowed. Why?

Skulking up to the window, Riley saw the reason. The mayor and his wife were sitting at the table with a group of six guards. A cook was walking into the room with food.

Riley smiled and darted forward. She opened and walked through the back door, entering the warm kitchens.

Ignoring them, she moved swiftly and quickly entered the polished wooden hall. Darting forward, she peered into rooms. It became obvious in moments that the home was well-kept. The rooms were tidy, organized, and only full of normal things. Finding the study, Riley checked the drawers and walls, discovering a dozen gold and a handful of silver in the locked chest. Leaving them behind, she moved on to the next room.

The bed was made and tidy. A pitcher and basin sat on the cabinet. An empty desk stood there, and Riley frowned. There was nothing. No sign of corruption. No sign of the orphans.

Were they wrong? If I were evil and killing kids, where would I do it… The cellar. Turning back to the entrance, she walked to the kitchen and waited.

As the cook and servant walked to the dining room with their arms filled, Riley darted by and descended the steps, entering the cold room beneath the manor. Peering into the gloom, Riley saw bags and barrels filled with goods for the winter. A butcher table was sitting there, stained red with blood. Well, that’s normal anyways.

She wandered around the room and found nothing beyond the norm. Growing frustrated, she searched for any sign of a secret room, moving barrels and bags, only to reveal nothing.

Running out of options, she scowled. Well, then, where? Somewhere hidden? She paced the cellar and concluded there was no room for some buried lair unless it was under the cellar.

She looked at the floor and spent ten minutes examining the dirt, only to find nothing. It was just a cellar, and she’d gotten dirt on her pants and shoes.

Dusting off the dirt, she used Ambush and appeared in the empty guest room above. She searched it again, prodding the bed repeatedly.

Hitting something hard, she searched and found loose stitching on the mattress. Slicing it open, she reached inside and pulled out a lockbox.

Grabbing her lock picks, she picked it up and looked inside. A pile of nobles was sitting on top of a book. She ignored the nobles and picked up the book. I know this book. The prince gave it to me. She flipped the pages to be sure, revealing the instructions on harvesting crystals from killed creatures. Are they authorized? They probably are. She closed it and slid it back into the mattress, bumping into something hard.

Reaching in, she pulled out a bag. Crystals. Well, now. She opened the bag and looked inside. Horror grabbed her throat and washed through her.

[Tainted Fallen Advancement Crystal (F) - This crystal is all that remains of a slain and harvested person. They cry out for vengeance against those who killed and harvested them. Warning: Such crystals will impact class and skill growth. Killer…]

Riley forced herself to read, memorizing the names. Then she shut the bag. She didn’t need anything else. Thinking of the kids, she wiped the water from her eyes. “Gods, guide them.”

With memories of her past surging, she shoved them down and focused on the group in the kitchen. I need to scout and leave if they’re too strong. I’ll put these back in a second.

Grabbing the things, she used ambush and appeared outside. Then she looked into the window at the group. She carefully studied each. Same names, and they are only E-tier.

Riley embraced her growing rage. She looked at the mayor. Grabbing her mana, she used fifty mana on Psychic Strike. Blood burst from the mayor’s ears and nose. His wife jerked up. Riley triggered it again. The woman screamed, blood gushing from her face. She slumped over.

The guards lurched up, and Riley moved through them quickly, rapidly draining her mana and dropping each into a pile of their own blood.

[Your base level has advanced: 161 → 162!]

Riley cleared it and used Ambush, appearing in an alley before walking out into the city.

Walking down the streets with a forced smile, she waved at several people and entered the latrine. Then she looked into the bag. The crystals had changed.

[Avenged Fallen Advancement Crystal (F) - This crystal is all that remains of a slain and harvested person. Their cry for vengeance was completed. Attuned to Riley Milvsky.]

The taint was gone, but Riley just felt sorrow. Do I really want to be this person? The one growing from slain orphans. She shivered at the thought. “Gods, you can have them.”

[You don’t have to use them, but the spirits know your heart. They wouldn’t have changed if you were that person. ~Beauty]

Riley shook her head. It still felt wrong. She looked back at the text. Why didn’t she answer before?

[That’s best undiscussed. There was a reason. It’s gone now. Cheers! ~Beauty]

Riley felt her Assume Disguise skill trigger. She looked down to see a female form and the shortest shorts she’d ever seen. Most of her leg was revealed. She blushed, and pink hair fell onto her face.

Oh, of all the absurdity. Riley sighed and heard Mischief laughing hysterically. Using Ambush, she appeared outside the wall and started sprinting before she froze to death in her ludicrous outfit.

Riley Milvsky

Level: 162

Bard (C)

Level: 110

Dominating Song D Use 30 mana to reduce nearby enemy strength, dexterity, and movement speed by 3. This effect extends 20meters, and the radius of influence expands by 1 meter for each inspiration spent.

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

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

Assassin (C)

Level: 110 + 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.

Ranger (C)

Level: 110

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

Manipulate Storm E Attempt to control or augment elements of a storm. Cost varies.

Ice Blade E Conjure a weapon made of ice. Costs 2 to 20 mana depending on blade durability.

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.

Spell Thief (C) Level: 110 Inactive.

Noble (E)

Level: 115 Inactive.

- -

Empowering Presence E Your subjects gain +3 strength, +3 dexterity, and +3 movement speed; allies within 20 meters count as subjects. You may use Bardic Inspiration to temporarily boost the range and the effect.

Inspiring presence D Your subjects regain 1 stamina and 1 mana every hour. Allies within fifty meters count as subjects. You may temporarily expand the range by 15 meters for each bardic inspiration spent.

Dexterity 666

Strength 324

Speed 252

Intelligence 324

Charisma 464

Stamina 556

Mana 654

Inspiration 272