An Assassin's Anthem

The sound of birds chirping filled the air like some horrible wake up call. Riley groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. Gods, make it stop. She massaged her temple and saw Death’s warning fading. Okay. I pushed way too much for a single weekend.

With her body on fire, she forced herself to sit up. Then she blinked in confusion. Where even is this? A hearth was blazing. She was sitting on a fancy bed with a fabric curtain around it. To top it all off, there was some servant sitting in a chair nearby. She stared blankly at the wall.

“You can read or something,” Riley said. “Can I go back to sleep?”

The servant girl turned and smiled. “You can in a few hours. They brought you back in a carriage.” She stood. “Run into trouble?”

“Something like that.” Riley groaned and shook her head. Where’d that bag go?

“Your things are in the prince’s study. I’ve been instructed to take you there.” The servant walked to the door.

Sitting up, Riley looked down at the yellow dress. She shook her head and stood. “Do I look alright?” she asked, triggering the Pretty skill to take care of the rest.

“You look fine.” The servant chuckled and opened the door.

Riley followed her from the room, striding barefoot down the hall. Please don’t tell me that they stole my shoes. I will kill this entire palace. Turning the corner, she walked into the prince’s study and sighed. No one was in it. She searched and saw her things.

“It may be a little while,” the servant said apologetically. She turned and walked away.

“Thanks!” Walking across the room, Riley headed to a pile of attire. Looking at her armor and bag, she looked down to see her shoes, still disguised as moccasins. She happily slid them on and looked at her bare legs. It’s not very proper, but who cares?

Wriggling her toes in the soft shoes, she sat and rifled through her bag. Well, they took all the crystals and the bag. She huffed. Do I get Dad or Althea to steal it? She considered it while standing back up. Time to collect some payment for it.

She walked to the prince’s books and looked for any potion books. Grabbing one, she sat, crossed her legs, and started reading.

After ten minutes, Dwight walked into the room and paused. He studied her. “Yellow?”

“Yes. The palace lent me a change of clothes.” Riley looked up. “Do you know what was in the bag?”

“Bag?” Dwight asked, raising his brow.

“Oh. Right. You saw the chest?” Riley asked.

Dwight nodded and took a seat, yawning widely.

“There was a Bag of Storing in it. I don’t know what was inside, but I assume it was good.” Riley shrugged. “I was curious.”

“Probably five crystals. Maybe some other things? We did clear level four.” He grinned. “That was awesome. Of course, it knocked me out hard.”

“Me too,” Riley said, shaking her head.

“What was the boss like? Did we get boss crystals?” Dwight asked.

Riley shrugged. “It was a naga, but it didn’t even fight me. It sacrificed itself to summon that giant flying snake thing.”

“Too bad we couldn’t kill that.” Dwight chuckled.

“Nice try. I was not ready to deal with that.” Riley chuckled and shook her head.

“Can people clear level five?”

Riley nodded. “Some, but you need the gods’ favor multiple times over. You also need to be very, very careful. Remember our classmates.” She shook her head.

Dwight winced. “You only tried because you knew what it was?”

“Yes. It seemed confined to the temple. There might have been stuff in the swamp, but I didn’t see anything. So, we stayed close to safety and tried it.”

Dwight rubbed his eyes. “The real secret is scouting and not overreacting.”

“Yep.” Riley turned back to her book, and the door swung open.

Timothy walked in with a massive grin. “Hello, you two.” He sat in the chair at his desk and chuckled.

Riley looked up. “What was in the bag?”

“We’ll get to that.” Timothy gestured to the door.

Riley turned, and the king and queen walked inside.

Lucas followed, closing the door behind him. He walked over and sat next to Riley. “You can keep the dress.”

The king studied her. “You knew that we’d lost two students. Yet, you chose to camp and push forward?”

“I scouted, and we had resources,” Riley replied. “That’s why we camped. It was a secure spot with a very fast retreat.” She paused and looked into the king’s eyes. “Your majesty, we had the gods’ favor. That is why I agreed.”

“Why do you say that?” the queen asked.

“Because we were fighting undead that were trapped in rooms,” Dwight replied with a growing smile. “I get it now. You knew that the four of us could handle it and that I could slow them long enough to leave.”

Riley nodded. “It’s that. If it had been a different group, without fire, I would have left. If the foes had been immune to fire? We would have left at level one or two depending.” She looked at the king and queen, who seemed to have relaxed.

“I did tell you that we were careful,” Timothy added.

“You did not tell us that you were so favored,” the queen said, turning to him. “It makes far better sense now. You were lucky to have them in some structure. That makes a large difference.”

Riley nodded and turned to the prince.

Timothy flushed. “It was still a challenge. You don’t need to tell everyone that.”

“We can’t afford to lose people to foolishness. They should know why your group managed,” the king said sternly. “I will ensure they do. It is a very impressive accomplishment, but this test was easy for you.”

“So was Lily’s,” Timothy said with a growing frown.

“And that will be stated too,” the king said sternly. He looked back at Riley. “What movement skill do you have?”

“Momentous stride,” Riley said. “Along with Ambush and my classes, my king.”

“And that’s why you felt confident running,” the king said. “I’ve informed the instructors. Expect a chat on Monday.”

Riley nodded and looked at them. She turned, and Lucas handed her a purse full of crystals. She happily took it and peered inside.

“Trust issue?” the queen asked with a growing frown.

“No. I didn’t see how many we received, my queen,” Riley replied, looking up with a fake smile. “I apologize.” She looked over at Dwight, who was peeking into his own.

“Understandable,” the king said. “Now, let us discuss the bag. As you know, relics are the property of the crown. The bag is a relic and will be used for the war efforts. Inside the bag were five crystals. These were taken for the war effort. Expect such a tax in the future.”

Riley nodded. Of course.

“I will not list the other items. However, you will receive the items that were attuned to you.” The king stood and opened the door.

A servant walked in with a shield and handed it to Dwight. Riley studied it.

[Spell Shield: This shield can intercept and reflect a spell hit by the shield. 24-hour cooldown. Attuned to Dwight Schwartz and will not work in the hands of another.]

Riley paused and waited. A servant walked in, holding a dress with tights.

[Enchanted Armor: This armor remains comfortable in any weather. It is impervious to standard wear and tear. Beauty may alter its form. Attuned to Riley Milvsky.]

Riley looked at it. That explains why it’s a dress. She took it from the servant and mouthed quickly, “Thanks.” She smiled and folded it onto her lap. If it’s like my shoes, I’ll be warm. A smile spread across her face. Not bad. I don’t know if we can risk the bag, but that was a good run.

She looked up and studied the rest. Each had some item. I wonder how many the palace took. She looked back at the dress and smiled. Still, this will be nice, and I can take some contracts.

The king cleared his throat. Riley looked up.

“Now, for the bad news,” the king said, his face turning stern.

Riley Milvsky

Level: 235

Bard (C)

Level: 184 + 1

Dominating Presence D Enemies within sixty meters of you lose 10 strength, 10 dexterity, and 10 speed. You may use inspiration to boost the range and the effect temporarily.

Spirit Blade C +1 level to assigned class. Manifest an ethereal blade of psychic energy that will vanish after thirty seconds or six seconds after being thrown. Costs one stamina or one mana to manifest a blade.

Restoring Presence D Subjects regain 1 stamina and 1 mana every half hour; their healing is augmented by 10%. Allies within 50 meters count as subjects. You may use mana to send out a burst of healing. You may use inspiration to expand and increase the effect.

Empowering Presence D Your subjects gain +10 strength, +10 dexterity, and +10 movement speed; allies within twenty meters count as subjects. You may use Bardic Inspiration to temporarily boost the range and the effect.

Assassin (C)

Level: 184 + 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.

Momentous Tempo B +10 speed. This boost will increase to up to +100 for every ten seconds you are in motion. Slowing in any way will reduce the effect. +2 levels to assigned class. You may use a charge of inspiration to boost your movement speed by an additional 10 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: 184

Predatory Sight D Your perception and insight are boosted by 25. This boost is not reduced by low light or no light. You may use 1 stamina to double this effect for 10 seconds.

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

Pretty D Your appearance is nice, but it could be so grand. Use a mana to get Beauty’s help! She may provide it anyway. Oh, and you’ll stand out in a crowd! After all, everyone knows a Beauty.

Music's Lute - You may summon this lute from the heavens. It will return to the heavens when you will it away.

Spell Thief (C) Level: 184 Inactive.

Noble (D)

Level: 250 Inactive.

Enchanter (F)

Level: 50 Inactive.

Alchemist (D)

Level: 119 Inactive.

Infiltrator (F)

Level: 126 Inactive.

- -

Conjure Storm D Manipulate or conjure up a storm. Mana cost varies.

Conjure Potion D Create a potion. Cost varies based on the poison type and requirements.

Dexterity 1035

Strength 470

Speed 400

Intelligence 470

Charisma 685

Stamina 850

Mana 1024

Inspiration 420