by J. T. Wright
It was hard to say who was more surprised, Lyra or Frank. Maybe it was the Knight, who suddenly found his perfect thrust being pushed aside by a wooden staff. Lyra certainly didn’t know what had come over her as she batted the sword aside. Was she still moving? Yes, even though the Corporal was safe, Lyra had stepped around him, and lifting her staff above her head, she chanted the words of her Spell. Her staff slammed down on the Knights helmet as she shouted the trigger, “Purification!”
The Undead creature froze as the Spell washed over it. It didn’t feel pain but the sensation of being undone wasn’t something you could fight through. Lyra’s staff went up and came back down again, “Purification!”
Her eyes widened in disbelief as the creature disappeared. Disbelief at her actions, and astonishment that they had worked. She had never struck another in anger in her life. A tilt of the chin at just the right angle was the weapon of a lady’s maid. A disapproving sniff was all she needed to make her point.
She found herself being shoved back, roughly, and almost brought that chin tilt down on an undeserving target. Frank had regained his feet and was pushing her behind him because the battle was far from over. She stepped back.
You have learned the Skill, Staff Weapons. New specialization, Battle Healer, available.
If her actions had been a surprise, this message from her Status was a mind-blowing event. She was a Healer, a Basic Class. Part of her admiration for the Corporal came from realizing that he, like herself, also lacked a Specialized or Advanced Class. It amazed her that he was able to fight against Skeletal Knights.
As an Adventurer, Lyra had always felt like a failure. She had reached Level 20 during this infuriatingly frustrating Trial, but she still hadn’t received a specialization. The rest of her party, her Lady’s Party, had gained strength over time. Only she was left behind, struggling to keep up with only the most basic healing spells, the simplest of Skills.
Now, here was her chance. She had finally fulfilled the elusive requirements that would allow her to progress! She opened her Status and examined the new Class immediately, completely heedless of her surroundings. She frowned when she saw what her new possible path was.
A Battle Healer, Lyra had never heard of the Class before. She had researched Healer specialization extensively in the past, trying to find one that suited her.
Technically, the Basic Class Healer was just a Mage who couldn’t use offensive spells. They used a mixture of elements to tend and care for the injured. Purification, for example, was a mixture of Light Element and Fire Element Mana. Her Balm and Minor Aid were both Earth spells. All the spells Lyra had learned were Charms or tier one. Without specialization, she hadn’t had the talent to learn the more powerful spells.
Nothing fit the lady’s maid. She didn’t have the faith to become a Cleric. She lacked the affinity to become a Life Mage. She had learned the simple Earth, Water, and Light spells, but never once had they led to specialization. All the well-trod paths of Healers seemed to be closed to her.
Combat Medic was one Class she was familiar with and had thought she might be suited for. It was an Agility Class that focused on quick treatments and emergency aid, fast spells that could keep her party fighting, or keep them alive until more serious healing could be found. She had actively trained for this Class, thinking it was her last chance. But as Level after Level passed her by… nothing.
Now, Battle Healer, such a similar title and yet they were nothing alike. A Battle Healer was practically a Warrior Class! From what she sensed in her Status, if she chose this Class, she’d have to be in the center of the fight to be of the most use. Battle Healers used a wide range of spells, most of which had an area of effect that was centered around the caster.
Lyra was shocked out of her daze when Frank roughly grabbed her shoulder and forced her to step back so he could step onto the stairs they were guarding. The palisade’s walkway was narrow. That had been a boon to the defenders at first. The Undead were having trouble swarming the group, but that advantage was beginning to turn.
Lyra was the only one able to put the Skeletal Knights down for good, but she couldn’t do it fast enough. She looked around, startled to realize that the Knights now held the center of the wall, and the defenders were separated and being pushed back. Frank held the stairs, and Joel and the Guardsmen still held the corners of the walkway, but…
Frank grunted when a mistimed parry resulted in a cut to his left arm. He was facing two opponents now, and, while he didn’t look too hard-pressed, he had to be tiring. Lyra made her choice. Specializing was different then Leveling up, it could be done any time after Level 5 if you met the requirements. There was no rush of power involved, no surge of new Strength or Agility. Specialization came with knowledge instead.
Area Purification, Minor Area Heal, Area Refresh, and the Light Armor Skill; three Spells and a Skill that Lyra was suddenly familiar with. Area Purification was Level 1, but with Class bonuses and a greater cost, its effect would be… she didn’t know for sure. There was only one sure way to find out.
The chant spilled from her lips, and her staff slammed against the stairs beneath her as she shouted the trigger, “Purification!”
Slamming the butt of her staff against the ground was part of activating the Spell. But as the rickety and aged wood shivered under her, she decided to perform that part of the Spell less violently from now on. Still, the light of the Spell spread out around her, forming a circle forty feet in diameter. One cast and the Undead caught in its wake fell. Just one cast!
The Corporal found himself without an opponent as a light swept past him. The Skeletal Knight that had been raining blows down on him evaporated, leaving coins and equipment behind. He hadn’t come to terms with what had happened before Lyra pushed by him.
Another Knight was climbing over the wall. Before it could even find its footing or draw its sword, Lyra’s staff bludgeoned against its helm, and her Spell sent it to find its brethren in whatever place the Trial sent the fallen. Lyra didn’t stop there. She ran towards the enemy, leaving her supposed protection behind. When she lifted her staff and chanted her Spell, the Undead fell.
Kirstin and Dirk were running to join the fight. They stopped as they reached the foot of the stairs, unable to believe what they were seeing. They had thought to find a situation where they would be desperately needed and instead… was that Lyra?
It couldn’t be! Lyra was not a timid woman, but she had become an Adventurer out of a sense of duty. She had never struck anyone, person or beast, in anger or fear in her life. It had to be someone else swinging a staff and banishing the Undead. Lyra didn’t know any area of effect spells. Could it be the lady’s maid they saw rushing from one end of the wall to another, standing amid death, and handling monsters by casting one sweeping Spell after another?
Kirstin and Dirk slowly climbed the stairs to join the Corporal on the walkway. Potions, equipment, and silver littered an area that was suddenly lacking foes. The remains of twenty-two Undead Knights lay all around, all vanquished by an unassuming Healer in a dirty robe, wielding a stick. Disbelief, and in the Corporal’s case, indignation, were the only feelings the Warriors could muster.
“Has she always been able to do that?” Frank held his nearly useless short sword limply in his left hand, while his right hand probed the lightly bleeding wound on his arm. This was the problem with Adventurers! How was he supposed to lead a group that kept their talents hidden?
“She couldn’t a half-hour ago,” Kirstin muttered. She sheathed her sword and walked forward to look over the wall. The field was empty except for the two Knight Commanders. The Undead horses had vanished, along with their masters.
Dirk joined her, carrying his new halberd over one shoulder. He looked out at the two remaining Knights. The Commanders had lost their amused air. With lances held upright, they glowered at the defenders.
All the Guardsmen and Adventurers gathered at the center of the wall. Joel half-carried Lyra, who had used up a
ll her Mana and a great deal of Stamina in her enthusiasm. The Healer smiled weakly at the Corporal. “I specialized,” she said weakly, with a smile. “I'm a Battle Healer now. I’m a little tired.”
Her eyes weren’t focusing right for some reason. Or maybe they were, maybe they had gotten reinforcements. Had there always been twenty people on the wall? A little extra help would be nice.
The Corporal’s face lost some of its gruffness as he handed the Healer a Stamina potion and called for Arisa to bring a Mana potion. He absently congratulated Lyra as she drank the restoratives, then his attention turned to the enemy commanders. “Think you can handle them as well?”
Lyra shook her head doubtfully as the potions took effect. “I need to be within thirty feet, I very much d…”
The maid broke off, and the group paled as they watched the Undead Knights raise their free hands in unison. Twenty-four Skeletal Warriors rose up from the dirt. Weaker than Skeletal Knights, and lacking fire resistance, the Warriors still presented a problem.
“How many Mana potions do we have left?” Frank asked numbly.
The answer was ten, ten weak Mana Restoratives, not nearly enough. One could replenish Arisa’s meager Mana pool, but it would take three to completely refresh Lyra or Matt. If the Commanders could send an unending wave of Warriors at them, even if they were weaker than Knights, the defenders would be overrun soon enough.
Frank took a vial of Weak Health Restoration and drank it. His wound slowly began to heal. Lyra’s spells would be more effective, but she would need her magic for other things soon enough.
“Gather up all the equipment drops. Mages can keep them off us and buy us some time to get ready.” Frank didn’t like it, but they couldn’t sit still in place. If the Commanders didn’t come to them, they would have to leave the wall and face the Undead in the field.
The Skeletal Warriors never reached the wall; Matt annihilated them before they could come close to the ladders. He couldn’t keep it up forever, though, and the Knight Commanders seemed to know that. Their mocking, self-satisfied, sense of amusement was back. Their Warriors hadn’t been able to take the fort. The wall had countered the mounted Knights’ strength, but that didn’t matter in the end. The living would have to abandon their fortification if they wanted to finish this. Unlike the Undead, they didn’t have the option of waiting out their enemy.
The Commanders didn’t even pressure the defenders by sending more warriors. They could wait; they excelled at waiting. The hated living would come to them; they had no choice. They would come. They would die, and their corpses would bolster the Undead ranks.
Looking at the rewards offered by the Trial for the recent battle, Corporal Francis couldn’t help but curse Tersa once more. If she hadn’t been following behind Trent so closely, the boy would still be with the group. If Trent hadn’t been knocked into that hole, that gateway, the Corporal would still have a squad member with Appraisal, and, with Appraisal, he'd know just what the hell he was looking at.
Frank threw away his nearly destroyed short sword and replaced it with a spear. A spear which felt very good in his hands, even if he didn’t know its exact qualities. All the guards had replaced their weapons; the last fight had not been kind to their standard issued gear. What was left of it was a mix of arms and armor that may or may not be better than what they had.
Maybe some of it would serve the recruits who were still basically unarmed, but without Appraisal, it would require testing to see if the young trainees could even wield or wear the items. That would have to wait. What was coming wasn’t a fight the recruits would join in anyway. Only Lyra was able to make use of a leather jerkin and cap from amongst the gear.
Frank looked at his men. Keller, Braum, Merrill, and Horace were all senior Guardsmen. They were experienced and tested, and he would be hard-pressed to find four men he would pick over them for a fight like this. Their jaws were set, and they looked ready but tired. They had borne the brunt of every attack the group had faced that day, and they had done so without complaining. It was their job, and they did it well. Their wounds had been treated, and they would fight again, but they needed rest. Frank couldn’t give it to them.
The Adventurers looked excited. Sickeningly so, if Frank was being honest. This Trial had pushed them in a way no Trial had before. It had tested them, and they had been found wanting. Instead of crumbling and falling, like many did, they had faced the challenge and changed. Frank was proud of them for that. But did they have to look so eager?
Even Lyra, young, sensible Lyra, now wearing a simple leather jerkin over her robe with her hair pulled back and a basic cap on her head, was clutching her staff and grinning broadly. It wasn’t an encouraging sign. Young warriors made mistakes when they were overconfident. If Frank had a choice, he would prefer to leave these Adventurers to man the wall, but because they had the Skills best suited for dealing with the Undead, that wasn’t going to happen.
The Corporal led his team of eleven to the top of the wall. After only twenty minutes of equipping and planning, much had changed on the field. Frank had put the Recruits on watch duty while their seniors prepared. He resisted the urge to give them a lecture on proper reporting. It wouldn’t change anything and would only hurt morale.
The Commanders hadn’t waited patiently, after all. Seven squads of Skeletal Warriors were now arranged on the field. Two of those groups had mounted Skeletal Knights leading them. Eighty-eight against eleven.
The squads of Undead had spread apart and were waiting out of Spell’s range. There would be no wiping these out with a single Spell! They would have to be met head-on, but Frank didn’t worry about the warriors, much. There was a limit to how much damage any Undead could withstand, and those basic Warriors were no match for his men. The two Knights were a concern, though!
On foot, climbing the wall, the Knights had almost overrun them. Mounted, in the open… And there was also a clear message in the forces arrayed against them. The longer they waited, the more they would face. In the first assault, they had only attacked one wall. With enough troops, they could swarm the fort, and it would be over. Even with twice the number of defenders, they could never hold all four walls.
Frank ordered the group down the ladders. On the ground, weapons were drawn, and spells prepared. Still, the Undead didn’t move. They dared the group to come to them, and they weren’t denied.
Dirk held his shield and hammer as he trotted forward. He wanted to use the halberd, something in him itched to pull it from his storage device, but he couldn’t use it with his shield. He offered to pass the shield to someone else and had gotten a sneer in return. Hadn’t he gotten a Shield Wall Skill? Wasn’t his main class Defender? Who was going to use a shield more effectively then he could?
So he stored his new weapon and lead the way with his familiar gear. Frank ran with his spear to the left, Kirstin with her undrawn sword on his right. She still carried it by the sheath in her left hand. Dirk wondered about that. She had had the time to rig it to her belt or back, why carry it? He didn’t have much time to wonder.
They crossed the distance to the enemy quickly, moving much faster without the recruits to guard. They ran for the squads lead by the Knights. The Undead were still spread out, the Knights in front and center, while the Commanders were behind their squads on the far sides.
They reached Spell range, and Matt cast Flame Wave on the run, directly at the center squads. He couldn’t harm the Knights much, but those warriors were just kindling to him. As his Spell flew, all the Undead, except for the Commanders, surged forward and collapsed down upon the Corporal’s forces.
Matt’s Flame Wave took out two full squads, leaving only the Knights. If he could cast another Spell or two before the two groups engaged… The hands of the Skeletal Commanders rose, and summoned more Warriors, replenishing their ranks! What were the limits of that Ability? There had to be restrictions, didn’t there?
Matt got off another Spell, and another twenty Warriors fell. Then
the Knights were upon them! Dirk took a knee and slammed the edge of his shield into the dirt while activating Shield Wall. It was his first time using the Skill, and he forgave the Corporal for making him store his new halberd.
Shield Wall was an excellent use against cavalry. Shimmering and sparkling, the transparent barrier was forty feet long and ten high when pushed to its limit. It was Heavy Infantry's answer to mounted opponents and Archers. The impenetrable wall of force spread out from Dirk’s location, ending the Knights’ charge abruptly. It would be even more effective if a dozen infantrymen used it at the same time, but Dirk was more than enough to stop two Skeletal Knights in their tracks.
The Knights reached them, jerking their mounts to a halt in the face of the sudden obstacle. Their horses reared at the sudden change. In a moment of inspiration, Dirk surged to his feet, and, as the horse’s hooves came back down, he forced the Shield Wall to intercept them. He laughed out loud at the picture of Skeletal Knights and their mounts tumbling to the ground.
The reality was a little less satisfying. Yes, the horses fell, and the Knights were unseated, but Dirk was also flung backward. There was a reason Shield Wall was meant to be used while in contact with the earth. It was an advanced Skill that used Mana and Stamina, and it drew power from the earth to support it. Unmovable while planted, but unstable when lifted.
Dirk landed in the dirt ten feet away, dazed from the impact as well as the collapse of his Skill. The Knights recovered faster than the downed Adventurer, and Frank cursed as he moved to intercept them. This was not the plan; the plan was to hold the Knights in place while Lyra Purified them from a distance. Damned Adventurers, always improvising when there was no need!
The hoard of Warriors was closing fast, and Frank called for the group to circle up with Lyra, Dirk, and Matt at the center. Matt was casting Fireballs and Burning Whip now, taking out Warriors in twos and threes, not dozens. Lyra waited; she needed the enemy close.
Kirstin pulled Dirk to his feet before drawing her sword and taking position. Back to formations again! She hated formations. She wanted to move freely, meeting the foe and crushing them in passing as she swept by. That wasn’t to be. She stood hacking, slicing, and thrusting as the Undead surrounded them. Dirk moved in beside her, still rattled and embarrassed but needing to get in on the fight before Lyra…
