by Aaron Oster
When Sarah didn’t immediately reply, Morgan looked up from what he’d been doing and saw her standing there with a sickly sweet smile on her face.
Oh crap. He knew that look.
“Morgan?” she asked in a terrifyingly calm voice.
“Yes?” he asked nervously, wondering what he could possibly have done to upset her this time.
“Unless you’d like an ice bath, you will leave. Now.”
The two stared at each other for a few moments, she with a smile plastered across her face and him, with a look of incredulity.
“I don’t understand what the big deal is…” Morgan tried to say but was forced to roll to the side when a ball of freezing water came flying at his head.
“I’m leaving! I’m leaving!” he yelled, diving to the side once again, then ducking quickly out of the open cave mouth.
The moment after he left, a block of ice formed over the entrance, sealing it shut.
What was with this girl?! A group of soldiers could have been passing by!
Morgan quickly looked around, making sure he hadn’t been spotted. They were pretty close to the border between the Central and East Kingdoms and planned to go over the wall tonight. It wouldn’t do to get caught now, not when they were so close to escaping.
Not spotting anyone, he let out a sigh of relief and sat down inside the bushes near the cave. He fished the core out of his pocket once more and turned it over in his fingers.
He really hoped he’d gotten enough training since his last rank up. It would suck to gain fewer attribute points because he hadn’t put in the correct amount of work.
Steeling himself, Morgan opened the core’s status and assigned the energy. A shiver ran through him as he felt himself rank up, and the core crumbled to dust between his fingers.
This rank up hadn’t felt like any of the previous ones he’d had before unlocking his supermage ability. It felt a thousand times better. Like the feeling of eating all the best food, sleeping in the most comfortable bed, and fighting the most dangerous beast, all at once.
Morgan grinned to himself, basking in the after effects of the rank up. It faded after a few seconds, leaving him feeling oddly relaxed.
Now for the moment of truth. He had to see if he’d been correct.
Morgan opened his status and looked over the changes from the previous rank.
Name: Morgan
Supermage: Rank - 10
Energy to next rank - 5,889/20,000
Ability - Divine Gravity & Air
RP - 610/610 (Regen - 6.0 per second)
Strength - 57
Agility - 68
Constitution - 60
Intelligence - 61
Wisdom - 60
Skills - Enhanced flight, Heavy impact, Gale force, Condensed wind blade
Traits - Gravity field, Recovery
Extra - Gravity storm
So he’d been right. All of his attributes had increased by 3 or 4 since rank 9.
Next, he opened his skills tab to see if there had been any changes.
Skills:
Enhanced flight - Manipulate gravity and air to reduce your weight and move quickly through the air.
Cost - 10 RP per second
Max. height - 60 Ft
Max. speed - 40 Ft per second
Max. carry weight - 200 pounds (Adding any more weight will reduce speed by 1 foot per second for each additional pound).
Heavy impact - Manipulate gravity and air to make your blows land significantly harder (Currently X2.25).
Cost - 15 RP per second
Condensed wind blade - Manipulate gravity and air to create a dense whirling blade in the shape of your choice. The type of weapon you create will determine additional effects.
Piercing weapon - Double damage is dealt to mages, or beasts with mage abilities.
Slashing weapon - Double damage is dealt to supers, or beasts with super abilities.
Cost - 350 RP
Duration - Until dismissed
Gale force - Manipulate gravity and air to significantly increase your speed (Currently X2.25).
Cost - 15 RP per second
So no changes. That was surprising to him, considering the way his skills had kept improving when he’d previously ranked up. Maybe this was normal. He would have to ask Sarah once she ranked up just to be sure.
He opened his traits tab next.
Traits:
Gravity field - Your body is surrounded by a dense field of gravity, making all attacks- both physical and magical- 10% less damaging.
Recovery - The spirits of the air have blessed you with the power of healing. If you can survive for 24 hours after being wounded; no matter the injury, your body will be completely healed.
Once again, there were no changes. Perhaps now that he’d gotten past rank 9 they wouldn’t change until he ranked up again?
Morgan moved on to the last tab, and the one he was most excited to check.
Extra:
Gravity storm - Create a storm of intense gravity, damaging winds, and lighting in a targeted area.
Cost - 600 RP
AOE - 30 Ft
Duration - 30 seconds
Cooldown - 8 hours
Morgan could have jumped for joy.
He had done it! He could now - if only just barely - use his new extra skill. He couldn’t wait to try it out on someone, but he would have to be careful when using it. From the way it sounded, gravity storm would be an extremely showy skill, so unless it was life or death, he would only use it in a beast zone. Not to mention the ridiculous cost, as well as the 8-hour cooldown.
Morgan heard a slight cracking sound off to his right and closed his status. A moment later, the ice blocking the entrance exploded outward, showering him in bits of ice and freezing water.
Sarah walked out, dressed in a clean uniform and looking quite happy. Her long red hair was slightly damp and fell loosely down her back, out of its customary braid. Her green eyes sparkled in the dimming light and her cheeks had a rosy tinge to them. Judging by her appearance, Morgan could only guess that she’d doused herself with her own icy cold water and shivered at the thought.
He’d been on the receiving end of Sarah’s impromptu baths more than once, and he didn’t relish those memories. At all.
“What are you doing?” she asked, walking over and taking a seat next to him.
“Just finished ranking up,” he answered, brushing bits of ice off himself. “You should probably do so as well. It’ll be dark soon and we’ll be making an attempt at the wall.”
“So you were right?” she asked excitedly.
Morgan nodded.
“All of my attributes went up by three or four each. I know yours work a little differently than mine, but you should be good all the same.”
Sarah nodded, pulling a core from the small spatial pouch Gold had provided and quickly absorbed the energy. The core crumbled to dust, and she shuddered lightly as she ranked up as well. The next moment, her eyes unfocused and Morgan knew she was looking at her status.
Morgan stood and walked around the cave. Peeking out from behind the large outcropping, he could just make out the road about a hundred yards away. Looking further up, the vague outline of the wall was just visible on the horizon. Squinting his eyes, Morgan could see figures moving down the road.
Most likely a group of refugees hoping to make it into the East Kingdom. Not that they would have any luck. The East began turning people away as soon as news of the war broke out. He didn’t blame them. If he were the one in charge, he would likely do the same. He just wished that they would enforce these rules after they had let them through.
They’d already tried to get in the right way the day before, so now it was time to go in his way.
Morgan smiled as he imagined the smug gate guards congratulating each other of not letting them pass, while he was flying in over their heads.
Maybe he’d teach them a lesson once they’d gotten over, like having Sarah dump a bun
ch of water down on them.
Morgan shook his head as all these thoughts invaded his mind.
Since when had he become so petty? Maybe hanging around Sarah for this long was having a negative effect on him.
Morgan heard the sound of rustling leaves and turned to the girl in question, approaching him. Her hair was once again in a braid, and she’d even taken the time to tuck a flower into it.
“All done?” he asked, turning his attention back to the road.
The group of people he’d seen earlier was heading back this way. They’d likely been turned away by the guards and were now probably heading to the South border, in hopes of getting through there.
“What, no comment on how I look?” she asked, turning her head and giving him a smile.
Morgan honestly didn’t know what to say.
He didn’t know why, but she’d constantly been asking him about how she looked. At first, he’d just shrugged, then she’d get annoyed at him and walk away. Then he’d tried the opposite, telling her she looked nice, but this also seemed to annoy her, as her face would turn red and she’d walk away. There was just no winning with her, so he would just have to keep his mouth shut.
Sarah stared at him for a few more seconds before letting out an explosive breath.
“I don’t even know why I bother!” she said, tearing the flower from her hair and throwing it at him.
Morgan sighed as she stomped off in a huff and he mentally added ignoring her to the list of things not to do.
Maybe next time he would ask her what she wanted him to say. This way she couldn’t be mad at him if he gave the wrong answer.
Morgan nodded to himself, content that he’d found a foolproof way to avoid her ire the next time this came up.
Thankfully, Sarah’s anger always seemed to pass quickly and just five minutes later she was back at his side.
The refugees had already passed and Morgan had caught a brief snatch of their conversation. Apparently, someone had tried to sneak into the East Kingdom earlier that day and the guards had killed them for it.
They really weren’t messing around. If they were willing to kill instead of jailing, then the East must be taking the threat of war a lot more seriously than he’d originally thought.
“Do you think it’s dark enough to go yet?” Sarah asked, snapping him out of his thoughts and back to the present.
“Yeah, I think we can risk it now,” he said, bending slightly as Sarah clambered up onto his back.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Sarah said, as he floated up off the ground.
“Yeah?” Morgan asked, as they rose above the treetops and angled toward the wall.
“How about I drop a bunch of freezing water on those guards as we pass over. I bet it’ll be hilarious!” She shook lightly against him, giggling with suppressed mirth.
Of course.
4
Morgan took a long deep breath of the cool night air as he reached the maximum height his skill would allow. From this high up, the wall, about two miles to the east, was clearly visible by the bright moonlight.
He felt Sarah shiver and press herself tighter to him as a gust of wind buffeted them. Morgan didn’t mind the wind or the cold in the slightest. Oddly enough, neither seemed to affect him at all.
It probably had something to do with his ability. He still found it interesting that Sarah, who had an ice and water ability, would be bothered by the cold.
Morgan must have been hanging there for too long without moving, because Sarah began squirming in his arms, signaling her discomfort.
They’d decided not to talk until they were well over the border wall. Sound carried far out here, and they didn’t want the guards spotting them.
Morgan tightened his grip on Sarah’s thighs, then shot forward, heading to the wall. The wind whistled around him as he picked up speed, approaching the border at a rapid pace and it didn’t take them long to cover the two-mile gap.
Morgan could feel his pulse pounding in his ears as the wall drew near.
Just five more seconds and they would be over it. Four, three, two…
Morgan’s power suddenly cut out; his momentum being halted at the same time. They hung in the air for a few heartbeats. Then, they fell out of the air, heading for a collision course with the ground, sixty feet below.
Sarah lost her grip with a panicked scream and she fell away from him, thrashing and flailing as she fell into an uncontrollable tumble.
Morgan felt his heart rate skyrocket as he fell, trying desperately to reach for his reiki.
What the hell just happened? One second he was about to cross over and the next he couldn’t feel his power at all.
Morgan took a deep breath and concentrated.
No, his power hadn’t been cut off, just partially suppressed. He could do this, all he needed to do was concentrate hard enough and…
Morgan breathed a massive sigh of relief as he felt his power flood back into him. He cast around for a few breathless moments until he spotted Sarah. She was falling off to his left and would hit the ground in just a few more seconds.
He had to act fast. The wall was most likely the reason for his skill being suppressed, so if he got far enough away, he should regain full use of it.
Grunting with effort, Morgan forced himself back and away from the wall. The process took less than a handful of seconds, but with Sarah’s life on the line, it felt much longer. Finally, he got far enough away to feel his reiki completely once more. He turned on the spot and used gale force, then plummeted towards the ground at more than twice his normal speed.
He saw Sarah, face white with fear, now just thirty feet from impact with the ground. Redoubling his effort, Morgan poured on more speed, as he rushed to catch her before it was too late. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted movement as border guards began streaming onto the wall. A few of them took shots at him with their various skills, but he was moving too quickly for them to hit.
Morgan pushed harder as he rapidly closed the distance, but the ground was rushing up at an alarming rate, and he wasn’t even sure he could pull out of the dive in time once he did catch her. Then Sarah’s eyes landed on him and she seemed to calm somewhat. She spread out her arms and legs, stabilizing herself and slowing her fall just enough for Morgan to finally catch her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he scooped her out of the air, pulling herself tightly to him. As soon as his arms tightened around her, Morgan cut off his gale-force skill and tried to pull out of the dive. He fought desperately for control, but he was still moving way too fast, and the ground was just a few feet away.
Gritting his teeth, Morgan used his heavy impact, then flipped in the air so he’d hit the ground feet first. Next, he used his supermage shield, despite the risk that they’d be seen. The wind shrieked around him as he fell, and Morgan gritted his teeth and prepared for the impact.
This was not going to be pleasant.
Morgan crashed into the ground, thrusting his legs down as hard as he could to try and counteract the momentum of his fall. It worked, in the sense that both he and Sarah survived.
Morgan plowed into the ground, his supermage shield instantly shattering, and leaving an impact crater five feet across. He grunted in pain as both his legs snapped, and he lost his grip on Sarah as they both went tumbling, and bouncing along the ground until the momentum of his fall was all used up.
Morgan gritted his teeth against the overwhelming pain.
His legs felt as though a thousand hot needles had been shoved into them, and someone was trying to pull them out by pushing them clean through.
Sarah was at his side in an instant. She had a bloody scrape across her forehead but otherwise looked to be unhurt. She took one look down at his legs and winced.
“That bad?” Morgan asked with a pained smile.
There was a loud shout from the direction of the wall and Sarah spun, using her condense water skill to form a wall between them.
Despite the agoniz
ing pain in his legs and just about everywhere else, Morgan had to admire how much stronger she’d become with the skill since her rank up. The condense water skill hadn’t changed when she’d broken through into rank 9, rather her control of the skill was what had changed. She could now summon vastly more water then she could previously and controlling it cost quite a bit less.
Sarah squatted down next to him as attacks began hitting her ice wall.
“We have to leave now! I know you’re in pain, but can you fly?”
Morgan tried to concentrate through the agonizing pain and managed to rise an inch or so off the ground before he fell back down.
“Guess I’ll have to carry you then,” she said, taking a quick look at her ice wall as another attack slammed into it. “I won’t be able to carry you on my back with the way your legs are, so I’ll need you to get at least a few inches off the ground.”
Morgan’s vision was starting to become hazy as the adrenaline wore off and the pain began to really set in. He shook his head and nodded, concentrating as best he could to get off the ground.
After a few more tense seconds, he managed to shakily hover about half a foot off the ground.
“That’s good,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling it over her shoulder. Next, she got a grip on the inside of one of his legs and straightened from the crouch.
The position was far from comfortable, as his frame was hoisted over Sarah’s narrow shoulders, but there really was no other way. She adjusted her grip and Morgan winced as her hand aggravated the injury.
“Hold on tight. There’s an inn we passed not too far from here. I’ll try to get us there as quickly as I can.”
Morgan grunted in reply and Sarah took that as a confirmation. She tightened her grip once more, then took off running down the road, and away from the border wall.
***
Arnold was in a sour mood.
He felt like this was becoming his default over the last few months, and he could trace all his misfortune back to the day that he’d accepted the mission to retrieve Sarah for Lord Simon. Now here he was, somehow caught up in a conspiracy to overthrow the king.