An Assassin's Anthem

The sun shone, and Riley studied the group of distant mages. Stone surged around them, flowing out into the bridge. That’s amazing. A guest of wind sent her hair fluttering, and her cloak tugged.

Nicole leaned closer. “I wonder what you’ll look like as an elf.”

Riley turned and stuck her tongue out at the cloak thief. “Stop stealing my cloak.”

“No.” Nicole scooted closer. “You’d be so cute.”

“What has gotten into you?” Riley asked, shaking her head and studying the growing bridge.

“Nothing. I just wonder.”

“Tell you what. Next time when we go scouting if you agree,” Riley replied, looking at her.

“Deal.” Nicole turned back toward the river. “It looks good enough.”

“Don’t ask me. I know nothing about building bridges.” Riley turned and looked at her notifications from the previous night.

[Assassin (B) has advanced: 264 → 266!]

[Bard (C) has advanced: 318 → 319!]

[Ranger (C) has advanced: 288 → 290!]

[Spell Thief (B) has advanced: 269 → 271!]

[Noble (C) has advanced: 36 → 43!]

[Infiltrator (D) has advanced: 27 → 34!]

[Enchanter(E) has advanced: 110 → 115!]

[Alchemist (D) has advanced: 237 → 240!]

[2587 people have sworn loyalty to you. This bond will break if you fail in your noble duties.]

Clearing them away, she debated resetting Bard. Or do I toss Noble into it? I could. She sighed and failed to think of the answer.

“What’s going on?” Nicole asked.

Riley sighed. “I’m debating sacrificing a class. I could push one up.”

“Wait. We’re doing fine, and it’ll be stronger.” Nicole sighed and turned; she looked out toward the snow-plastered surroundings. “Where’s your dad?”

“No idea.” Turning away, Riley looked at the surrounding fields. We’ll need to fortify this spot. She walked down the steps and entered the barracks below.

Waving to the soldiers, she passed through the room and entered the planning room. Travis was standing there with an angry frown. He looked at the map and back at the surrounding group.

“We’re doing what we can,” a mage said. “But constructing structures consumes a lot of mana. The bridge will be complete, but we don’t have the mana to fortify it all.”

“They’ll sabotage it,” Travis said. “Do we have word from the other forts? We need more people here, now.”

Riley frowned and walked back out the door. He’s right. She walked back up the steps and searched the horizon.

“Do this from inside the tower,” Nicole said, dragging her into the nearby structure.

“What are the odds that they will attack today? The snow is a mess, but they aren’t that far away.”

“High.”

Riley grimaced. She looked through the slots, trying to spot anyone approaching. “Tell me if you see any spells.”

“I will. Just be calm, Riley,” Nicole said, peering out the slots. “And remember that most of their forts are probably understaffed, too.”

Great. It’s a race to reinforce. Riley sighed and searched the horizon. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her. She spun, and Nicole pointed.

Peering through the slot, Riley failed to see anything. She sighed, and a scout shouted out an alarm. I need Ranger if I’m going to be scouting. She peered through the slot and waited, searching for the telltale signs of magic.

“They’re arcing down to hit the bridge,” Nicole said.

Riley sighed. Of course. “Will they get out of range of us?”

“Maybe? Depends on your range and theirs.”

Riley frowned and walked from the tower. She jogged along the wall and entered a tower on the other side. A scout turned and nodded. “They’re getting into position.”

“How good is their range?” Riley asked, frustration filling her.

“Very. That’s what we practice here.”

Huffing, Riley frowned. “And they’ll attack with stone?”

“Yes. The rest is too risky. The goal is to destroy the bridge. If they damn the river.” The scout shrugged.

“This is entirely too easy for them, isn’t it?”

“Yes. There is a reason that no one crosses here.” The scout smirked at her.

Riley ignored him and drummed her fingers on the stone. So, they’ll throw rocks at us. Even if we stop them, they’ll win. She rubbed her brow. We have to attack them, and our mages are low on mana. But they do have a weakness.

She turned and walked out of the tower.

“Beauty, how are you today?

I hope that things are grand.

I need to blend in with the snow

to carry out this plan.”

Descending the steps, she triggered Assume Disguise and headed for the gate. Her attire shifted to a dirty white, and she stopped.

Nicole sighed. “Are we doing what I think we’re doing?”

“Yes.” Riley looked at the guard. “We’ll be back soon.”

“You’re the strangest noble I’ve ever met,” the soldier replied, opening the gate for her.

Riley chuckled and walked out of the gate. Turning toward the enemy forces, she jogged across the snow.

After a few minutes, the enemy forces came into view. The line of people were preparing. A mage gestured, ripping out a chunk of earth and lobbing it toward the bride. The frozen earth flew and slammed into the stone, oozing into the water.

Mages down the line began lobbing mud and stone, sending it soaring. Riley watched. She turned and bumped Nicole. “Do we dare?”

“No. We can’t get close and live. If they see us, we run.”

Riley nodded and crept forward, using the occasional drift as cover. The sound of dripping mud filled the air. There is no way they aren’t just dropping control after throwing it. She watched the arcing mud. That’s so absurdly far.

Creeping closer and closer, Riley propped herself behind a drift and grabbed Nicole’s arm. “Lookout?”

Nicole nodded, and her appearance shifted. A female elf with white hair and green eyes stood there. A smirk spread across her face.

Riley looked at her and blushed. Gods, she’s a lot prettier as an elf. Stealing another look, Riley triggered Assume Disguise. She felt her form shift. Her hair became a dirty blonde. She grew slightly taller, and her ears poked out from her hair.

Moving even closer, Nicole pulled her into a hug. “You look amazing.”

Heat blossomed across Riley’s face. She triggered Assume Disguise and looked back at the army.

Nicole let go and signed a message. “Awww. Fine. Let’s end this.” Her form shifted back. She turned and took up the lookout position.

Riley poked her head up and grabbed earth and stone. Hurling it straight back, she locked on the tethers and flooded mana into them. Distant mages crumpled, and dirt smashed into the group of soldiers, knocking them away like snow in a storm.

Peering up, she studied the group and ignored the notifications. The soldiers stood and gathered. Perception skills swept across her. Hmm. She ducked down and contemplated what to do next. They’ll block stuff now, which is good because they’ll stop trying to turn our bridge into a dam.

Leaning back slightly, she looked up and waited for the sight of any dirt.

Nicole’s hands flicked. “Guards are getting ready. Archers and mages.”

Riley nodded and leaned back a little further. Perception skills continued to flash by, and dirt ripped from the ground. Grabbing a hold of it, Riley slammed it on the group with a thunderous boom. Screams rippled through the air. You’d think they’d learn. She paused to listen to the distant words.

“Where was the condemning block?” someone bellowed.

Riley chuckled silently. They are rusty. Shame I can’t get them to surrender. She waited for the next mage to try it.

Nicole turned. “They’re fighting. I think they’re going to wait for their Void Mage.”

Riley smiled and nodded. “Can we get them to surrender?”

“Doubtful.” Nicole frowned.

Riley looked at her Assassin class. I could sneak up and kill a few, but it’s high risk. She paused and gestured to Nicole. “Want to spread some rumors?” A smile spread across her face.

Nicole paused. “What?”

“Visit the villages.”

Nicole nodded.

Riley grinned and darted away, monitoring the retreating group in the corner of her eye. Her stealthy run quickly became a jog as she followed the group back toward the road.

Skirting through trees and meadows, the two followed other footprints and jogged toward a distant, sleepy village. The stone wall around it was covered with snow. “I need to look like a young unawakened,” Riley thought, triggering Assume Disguise. Her attire shifted. She looked over at Nicole and watched her shift into a young boy. “What?”

Nicole laughed. “Come on. Let’s have some fun.” She jogged toward the gate.

Riley followed, her dress swishing around her legs. She walked up to the gate and smiled sadly at the guard.

“What are you two doing out here?” the woman asked, studying each of them.

“We’re just playing,” Nicole said. She leaned closer. “We wanted to see the forts.”

The guard sighed. “It’s not safe. Get inside.”

Riley nodded and walked inside. “We saw the army. That big one, with the blue lady.”

The guard grabbed her shoulder. “Blue lady?”

Riley turned and nodded furiously. “She had purple and blue magic. I saw her use it on our soldiers.”

“Condemnation,” the guard whispered. She looked into Riley’s eyes. “Did you see what happened?”

“Our troops were throwing dirt at their bridge. She used the magic to throw it back on them. Some gut hurt, maybe killed.” Riley frowned and wiped at her eyes.

Nicole nodded. “I heard the mage say they wouldn’t be hurt if surrendered. What do we do?” She reached over and patted Riley’s back. “Will they hurt us?”

The guard captain walked up. He looked at each of them, and Riley felt the insight skill pass over. She shivered and quivered her lip.

“We have elites coming,” the captain said. “It’ll be fine.”

Riley swallowed and nodded. “Okay.” She started sobbing loudly, pushing the sound to anyone nearby.

“We’ll be brave,” Nicole added, patting Riley furiously. “Come on.” She pulled on Riley’s arm.

Riley continued sobbing while she staggered down the street. People turned.

Nicole feigned embarrassment and began reassuring her. “It’s fine. You heard the guards. Their army won’t make it here. It’s fine. I know it was a lot of blood.”

Riley stomped down her desire to burst into laughter, feeding it back into her sobs while Nicole continued her loud consoling.

Walking down some side streets, the two ducked out of view and went quiet. Nicole’s form rippled, becoming female. She winked at Riley and skipped off down the road.

Riley triggered Assume Disguise and bolted after her, her long black hair bouncing around her. Giggling, the two ran to the wall. Riley triggered Ambush and flickered outside. She looked up to see Nicole jump down with a wink.

Reaching over, Riley signed another message. “Want to do it to another?”

“Yes.”

Riley Milvsky

Level: 342

Bard (C)

Level: 319 + 4

Dominating Presence C +1 level to the assigned class. Enemies within 100 meters of you lose 20 strength, 20 dexterity, and 20 speed. You may expend bardic inspiration to increase the effect.

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

Restoring Presence B +2 to the assigned class. Subjects regain 1% stamina and 1% mana every 30 minutes; their healing is augmented by 50%. Allies within 100 meters count as subjects. You know of injuries and may use mana to heal allies within fifty meters. You may use inspiration to expand and increase the effect.

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

Psionic Assassin (B)

Level: 266 + 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.

Spell Thief(B)

Level: 271 + 2

Predatory Sight C +1 level to the assigned class. Your perception and insight are boosted by 30. This boost is not reduced by low light or no light. You may use 1 stamina to double this effect for ten seconds.

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.

Pretty C 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.

Ranger (C) Level: 290 Inactive.

Noble (C)

Level: 43 Inactive.

Enchanter (E)

Level: 115 Inactive.

Alchemist (D)

Level: 240 Inactive.

Infiltrator (D)

Level: 34 Inactive.

- -

Psionic Storm C +1 to the assigned class. Conjure a storm of void or psychic energy. Variable cost.

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

Conjure Potion C +1 to assigned class. Conjure a potion that you understand. You may add an additional minor healing effect to any potion. Cost varies based on the potion and potion duration.

Heavenly Refrain C +1 levels to the assigned class. Use this skill to have the heavens join your song. Grants +100 charisma for the duration of the song and may only be used as long as the gods are willing.

Dexterity 1553

Strength 684

Speed 567

Intelligence 1226

Charisma 1036

Stamina 960

Mana 2422

Inspiration 664