An Assassin's Anthem

A bell rang, tolling out the wake-up call for the students. Riley stood, stretched, and then stashed her book and notes. Grabbing her bag, she walked out of her room.

Pausing near Emma’s room, she frowned and shook her head. No need to let them get sucked into my mess. Walking past, she exited the building and hurried into the academy.

Walking into the dining room, she walked over to the first empty table and sat. Then she looked around the empty room. I guess that’s what I get for coming this early. She pulled out her book on storm magic and frowned. I really need to find out more about psychic magic and spell thieves.

With a growing frown, she mused on that.

“Gods, I ask a favor.

Is there such a book?

Help me on my mission.

Guide me as I look.”

Riley smiled, and text appeared.

[Oh, where, oh, where has the little book gone?

Oh, where, oh, where could it be?

Did it burn away or hide some place

where nobody would ever see?

Perhaps it’s off on a mission.

A quest for knowledge untold.

Or perhaps it’s simply there hidden,

awaiting a thief who’s so bold! ~Mischief]

They’d probably hide it in the palace. Or here. Standing up, she walked down the academy halls, peering into the various rooms and stopping at the library of books.

Walking inside, Riley strolled through the books, searching for anything and promptly finding far too many distractions. Books on enchantments, magic, classes, and skills littered the place.

With a growing apathy to the prince and princess, Riley considered staying in the room for breakfast while searching the shelves. Then she froze and stared at the book A Student’s Guide.

Pulling it off the shelf, she flipped it open.

This class is often sought by those who wish to become scientists, chemists, alchemists, enchanters, or countless other classes. It is through the tenacious acquisition of knowledge that one may progress so many classes. This class will aid you on the quest.

Riley shut the book and added it to her bag. Turning back to the books, she resumed her search. Minutes rolled by. The bell tolled once more. Riley shook her head and headed back for the dining room.

Walking into the room filled with students, she sat at a table and smiled at the approaching servant.

The girl kept her face neutral.

“Half an omelet with toast,” Riley said, smiling at her. “Discard the excess from this meal and any future meals.”

The girl smiled and curtsied before walking away.

I should have done that ages ago, Riley thought, leaning back in her chair. She listened to the growing whispers.

“…the prince will be upset.”

Ignoring them, she pulled out a book and read while she waited.

The servant girl returned and placed the omelet on the table. Her hands flickered. “Thank you.”

Riley smiled up at her and nodded. “I do hope anything old was thrown out.”

“Of course, my lady.” The servant curtsied and walked away.

Picking up her fork and knife, Riley started eating, and the room went quiet.

Looking up, she smiled at the princess, who strode over with a perplexed look.

“What are those?” Lily asked, gesturing to Riley’s hair.

“I’m currently staying out of it per the king’s request,” Riley said cheerily. “These are so that everyone knows.” She took another bite of her egg.

Lily frowned and then stopped. She studied the red ribbons. “Join me, and I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Sorry, princess. The king has given me orders. If he found out that I’d directly or indirectly caused an issue, he would likely to have me killed.” Riley shook her head. “Sorry.”

Lily frowned.

Olivia leaned close. “Let’s talk first,” she whispered to the princess.

Lily nodded and walked to the back table. Riley made a sandwich with the remainder of her omelet.

Timothy strode into the room, turned, and stormed forward. “Riley,” he hissed. “What are you doing?”

“Staying out of it per the king’s orders,” Riley said, gesturing at the other chairs. “You’re still welcome to sit, of course.”

Timothy huffed and sat. He shook his head. “You are throwing it all away. Everything.”

“Pardon, my prince?”

“We have a deal. You need to help me get ahead.”

Riley frowned. “My deal did not mention the princess, just your level.”

“It was implied,” Timothy shot back. “If you don’t help me get ahead of her, the deal is off; do you understand me?”

Riley sighed and looked at her food. And there it is. She looked up. “No, I’m not getting myself killed by angering the king.”

“You could have left,” Timothy said, huffing angrily. “Level two would have been plenty.” He scowled. “You left after level two before.”

“Yes, because we were weaker then. This one had other options, and levels three and four ran together.” Riley resumed eating.

“Take those ribbons out of your hair,” Dwight said with a growing scowl.

Riley swallowed. “Nope. You’ve already screamed at me as if this were my fault. Now, I’ve lost the deal. There’s no winning. So, unless you want me to remove the black ones, I’m keeping them.”

Shock spread across Timothy’s face. Riley resumed her meal while they went quiet. She finished her breakfast before the prince broke the silence.

Timothy frowned. “I overreacted,” he stated while biting at his lip. “Our deal… it…” He went quiet.

Riley didn’t bother answering. She grabbed her book. Can I use this without getting expelled or in trouble? She frowned. The risk was high.

“Don’t help her get ahead,” Dwight said, attacking his slab of ham.

“I will do what I can for any group I go with. Those are the king’s orders,” Riley said, looking up from the pages. I should ask the magus about classes. Maybe she can help me plan this better.

She turned back to the book. The three boys ate.

Timothy finished his meal. “Riley, don’t join her. I’ll find an answer. Then we can make a new deal.”

Riley looked up and nodded. Sure. Go wild. She flipped the page of her book.

Magus Victoria walked forward, and the room went quiet.

“Attention, students,” Victoria said with a glowing smile. “We had a very competitive weekend. All students faced a battle scenario of some kind. Several received some very important leadership skills. We would encourage everyone to share any new skills or abilities so that we may better customize your curriculum.” Her eyes scanned the room, pausing on the prince and the entire table.

The magus walked forward. “We had our first group to reach D-tier. Congratulations on the advancement.” She handed each a crystal and paused. “With an extremely impressive level three clear, they set a record for the year, which was then surpassed by another group who cleared the fourth level.”

Victoria handed another crystal to Riley, who quickly slipped both into her bag.

The magus walked over to the princess and handed out crystals while whispers spread through the room.

“That’s not fair,” Randalf said with a growing frown. “Why does she get two runs?”

“The king lobbied to allow it. Her fifth-week trip was moved to this week.”

“Well, how do I get partnered with her?” a girl asked with a huff. “They shouldn’t get…” she trailed off and blushed.

The prince and princess glared furiously. Didn’t think that one through, did you? Riley kept up her mask, her desire to laugh growing with each moment.

Several students fidgeted. Riley raised her hand.

Magus Victoria walked back to the front and turned. “It is His Majesty’s prerogative,” she stated firmly and turned. “Yes, Riley?”

“I’d like to request the current rules regarding how many runs, schedules, groups, and crystal distribution.” Riley smiled up at the Magus.

The Magus sighed. “Riley, please don’t cause a scene.”

“Apologies, Magus,” Riley replied. “I wanted to avoid any potential scenes.”

Whispers of confusion rippled through the room. A girl raised her hand.

“Yes, Tiffany?” the magus asked.

“What’s she talking about?”

“The royals are considering altering some of the rules. I will inform you when it is official.”

Riley bobbed her head. That works. They can’t blame me if they don’t tell me. Pausing a moment, she studied the prince’s response. He remained quiet. Yeah, he’s going to steal from me.

“Off to class now,” Victoria called.

Riley stood. Maybe I should get the thief class. I’m going to need it. She walked out of the dining room, following the magus to class.

Walking into the room, she took a seat.

Emma sat next to her. “Riley? Your hair?” she whispered.

“Don’t get caught in my mess,” Riley whispered. “I’m under orders from the king.”

Victoria walked to the front of the room. “We’ll be working through your selected spells. Please pull out your focus and begin practice. I will monitor and advise. Riley, you first.” She gestured to the seat in front of her desk.

A wave of noise spread through the room. Some started practicing. Others chatted. Riley stood and walked to the front of the room, sitting down and waiting for the magus to do the same.

Victoria moved over and sat. “Before we begin. I’d like an update on your skills.”

“For magic? Manipulate Storm, Control Water, and Healing Burst,” Riley lied. “I’ve been researching storm magic and healing, but I have some questions if you don’t mind?” she asked with a smile.

Victoria jotted down her response and looked up. “Please don’t bring up the crystals, Riley. I’d hate to see you expelled, and the royals are watching.”

Riley nodded. “Of course. I wanted to avoid any issues. Could you please tell me if there is anything I need to know?”

“I will,” Victoria stated with a small breath of relief.

Riley smiled at her.

“Your ribbons?”

“The king gave me orders, and I’ll need to help whoever is on my team,” Riley said with a shrug. “It’s my way of saying that I support the family.”

Victoria studied her. “You aren’t escalating, right?”

“Of course not. It’s my way of saying that I can’t get involved.” Riley looked down at the parchment on the desk and saw a report on her skills and classes. A few were blotted out. “I was wondering if I could get some advice?”

“Certainly,” Victoria said with a nod. “I imagine reaching D-tier has caused questions?”

Riley nodded. “First, the Student and Alchemist classes? Any ideas how to get them?”

“Those are useful skills, and you would be compatible.” Victoria made a note of the parchment. “The easiest way to get Student is to spend a few hours reading inside a dungeon. Alchemist requires a conjuration class along with Student, Potioneer, Chemist, or something similar. To get Chemist, you’ll need to make some potion or compound inside a dungeon, or you’ll need to practice a great deal and consume an Advancement Crystal. Though, it’s not a promise. You may have qualified for other classes along the way.”

Riley nodded and pulled out parchment, writing it down. “Do we have books on it?”

“Yes. You’ll find them in the library here if that’s a path you wish. It’s certainly a useful one. There is a book catalog on the front wall that has them listed by topic.”

Riley nodded with a growing smile.

“Now, given what I’ve observed, your focus is on storm magic, but that does allow some minor healing. I’d focus on that along with any other strong potentials that pop up. Keep advancing your storm magic; it has uses in and out of combat.”

Riley paused. But Althea said that wasn’t for me. She looked at the Magus. “How do you know that I have that magic? My classes?”

Victoria smiled and nodded. “Yes. Your early classes represent latent talent. If someone acquires a skill without a crystal or the gods, it’s a sign of some inner gift. Almost every mage has at least one base element: fire, earth, water, air, etc. From there, it splinters into lightning, darkness, light, divine, psychic, void, etc. The list gets quite long, even for non-mages.”

Riley nodded. So, I have water, song, and psychic magic. She looked at the rest. “I do have water. Is that enough for air?”

“I’m uncertain, but since your storm magic built from it, it’s a strong option. I’d try to add lightning. That’s the best offensive option to add to the mix.”

“Can you add others?” Riley asked, raising her brow.

“Yes, but it can destroy options. A storm of poison is good for one thing and one thing only. A storm of earth? Honestly, I don’t know of anyone that’s managed that. Some elements are just too opposite. While you could create rain, a firestorm will likely be impossible for you. However, a healing storm is better than you’d expect, like a spring shower. That is the heart of fertilization rituals.”

Riley nodded. “Thank you. What about Noble?”

Victoria smiled. “Noble is a bit tricky to advance. You have to sacrifice the common classes to it or practice leadership. The best place was during the siege dungeons, though you are facing a struggle in your group.” Victoria frowned. “I’m unsure what to do about that.”

“It’s tricky with two leaders in the group.”

“Yes. You may want to try to get Druid or Storm mage.”

“How do I do that?” Riley asked.

“For Druid, you defend or aid nature using magic. That does present a challenge for most dungeons and can be stifling for nobles who live in the city. Storm Mage is a better option. I’m something of an expert.”

Riley looked at her classes and laughed. “Of course. How do you get it?”

“It’s typically a combination of water and air mage. Mix in electricity for maximum effect. Though, it’s difficult to get mage classes in dungeons. You have to learn a new spell and cast it while in a dungeon.”

Riley considered it and then shook her head. “You’d need to guess the right book, read, and learn it well enough to cast it?” She grimaced.

“Yes. It would take days. That’s the problem. Most rely on crystals to acquire them. I’d advise it.”

Riley nodded. “Thanks.”

Victoria looked back at the parchment. “How are your skills coming?”

“Manipulate Water? It’s not ready. I know it’s not.” Riley spun; the sound of fire rippled through the air. The ball of fire blazed forward, casting everything in a flickering light.

Victoria snapped her fingers. “None of that!” she barked, and a ball of water smashed into the fire. “Aim at the hearth if you wish to practice such spells!” She glared at a student and then turned back to Riley.

“Try to use it more offensively or defensively,” Victoria said. “Like I did. You can get it to Water Wall, Water Orb, or Geyser.”

Riley nodded. Add those to the list. “Can you tell me anything about the bard class?”

“It’s very illegal,” Victoria said sternly. “It’s a versatile caster that can dabble into everything. In theory, its primary magics are Sound and Psychic. Both are regulated.”

Riley nodded, not daring to push that further. “Sorry if I overstepped.”

“That’s alright.” Victoria raised her brow. “Any reason why?”

Riley made herself blush. “There are a lot of rumors. Do you mind me asking about another?”

“Go ahead. That’s why I’m here.”

“I read about one called Spell Thief? How does that work? You steal spells?” Riley scratched her head.

Victoria chuckled. “As strange as it seems, that is a core part of the class.”

Riley blinked. “How? What?”

“When we create spells, we turn our mana into something more. It exists outside of us. We can counter it. Water and fire don’t mix. Void mages can nullify it, and Spell Thieves can take it. The class is rooted in theft, but it’s theft of the incorporeal, namely knowledge and magic instead of the physical. I wouldn’t advise trying to get it.”

“It’s a thief class? That’s what it becomes?” Riley asked. “How sad.”

“Yes, but no. It’s a highly specialized thief, one specialized in stealing knowledge and magic. Only Seekers are allowed to have the class.” Victoria paused and studied Riley again. She looked down at her document and the blacked-out portions. “I can tell you a little because you are a member. The rest must come from a seeker.”

Riley nodded.

“Spell Thieves specialize in psychic magic with void magic secondary. The psychic magic is how they take magic and knowledge. They also make terrifying seekers because they can take thoughts from people’s minds. The cornerstone ability for those types of seekers is some psychic skill. I do not know how they are acquired, but if you can master connecting to another’s mind, you can begin to pull secrets from them.”

“What’s void magic?” Riley asked.

“It’s an anti-magic. It destroys any magic that it hits. If used on this room, it wouldn’t harm anyone, but it would break enchants and destroy any active or forming spells. It’s quite possibly the most instrumental magic when dealing with magical sieges.” She paused. “Do you have a void magic skill?”

Riley shook her head. “No, I want one, though. That sounds very useful.”

“Me too,” Victoria said, sighing. “I am water, air, and electric. The standard storm mage package. Though I’d be sent to the front instantly if I managed a void magic skill.”

“If you only had water, what would that do?” Riley asked, capitalizing on the moment.

Victoria smiled sympathetically. “Work to add in some air and electric. Even if they aren’t innate, you can likely unlock some skills with them. You have one already. Push on it. You’ll get there.”

“And you can’t reveal anything else about psychic magic?” Riley asked.

Victoria shook her head. “Seeker Holt or another can answer further. I’d advise discussing it with them if you manage such a skill.” She paused and looked at the parchment again. “Ensure you aren’t neglecting your skills and classes. I’ve heard reports, and this time will be crucial for you.”

Riley nodded. “I’m working on them, and I’ll discuss it with the seeker.” She paused. “One last question. Do you have any books on void magic?”

Victoria nodded, stood, and walked over to a shelf. She pulled out a book and walked back, handing it to Riley. “It will be difficult without a capable class, but that book has some enchantments and a few spells. I’d advise starting there. A shield that can nullify a spell is a very useful tool. And the weapons are very effective against wraiths.”

Riley eagerly took the book and stood. “It’s good against wraiths?”

Victoria nodded. “Null magic is one of the best counters to them. Psychic is the second. It’s problematic since that specialization comes from illegal things.” She smiled. “Do focus on your skills and future. It will be worth it.”

Riley nodded. “Thank you, Magus.”

“Oh, and don’t anger the royals,” Victoria whispered. “It will cost you greatly.”

Riley nodded, darted back to her seat, and started reading.

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