Awaken Online: Ember (Tarot #1)

by Bagwell, Travis

  A notification flashed in the corner of Finn’s vision.

  -15 Damage (Glancing).

  “Fuck,” Finn muttered, his fingers touching at the rip in his robes. They came away covered in blood. He was surprised by the dull ache that radiated from the wound. It didn’t have the sharp sting of a real injury – feeling more muted. Although, he decided right then and there that he didn’t love getting hit in-game.

  More important, that single glancing blow had shaved off 10% of his current health. Despite the panic he felt flooding his mind, it set to work analyzing his situation. There were two takeaways here. First, the game’s damage system seemed realistic, modifying the damage based on where and how he was hit. A shard to the face would probably kill him, but a scratch along his arm would just leave him wounded.

  Second, he could probably only take one or two direct hits before he died.

  Lamia observed him coldly as Finn stared at the blood on his fingers. “You didn’t even try to cast your defensive spell,” she observed, her voice eerily calm. “Have you even managed to summon your mana after the first class?”

  Finn gritted his teeth. This was what he got for trying to hide his abilities. Lamia thought he was an idiot. He had thought the woman cruel before, but something about channeling her mana had changed her – and for the worse. Those cold, glowing eyes watched him with detached disinterest, as though he was a bug in a jar. There was no animosity there, but also no remorse.

  “Our guild is no place for the weak,” Lamia stated in that same impassive voice. “I need to make an example of you to show the others that the stakes here are very real.” Even as she spoke, her fingers were moving again, ominous moisture already beginning to accumulate around her.

  “However, in the interest of fairness, I will make you a deal,” the ice mage continued. “If you aren’t able to defend yourself, then you will be expelled – immediately. Your mana purged and you will be forced to wander the sands.”

  “And if I manage to defend myself?” Finn asked, although the possibility seemed hopeless. It didn’t help that he could hear the anxious murmur of his classmates. They had just increased the stakes of this little “lesson.”

  Lamia smiled, but the expression didn’t reach her frigid eyes. “I’ll let you stay in the school. I’ll even go ahead and pass you from the beginning class with flying colors.”

  She didn’t give him time to respond. A second icy shard formed in the air beside Lamia, a pair of frozen lances now floating on either side of her.

  Finn’s eyes widened.

  The spears launched forward, and he dove to the side, hitting the ground hard. He felt a rush of air as one of the lances raced past, slamming into the wall behind him and shattering explosively. Yet he never heard the second shard hit the stone. It took a fraction of a second before he realized what had happened, muted pain rippling from his thigh.

  He looked down to see the shard embedded in his skin; the ice was at least a few inches deep. Finn stared at the wound in horror, feeling the pain radiate from the injury and his mind flailing. The flashing notification that had appeared in the corner of his vision didn’t help either.

  -110 Damage.

  He was nearly dead.

  Even worse, Finn could only stare at the shard. He remembered the last time he had felt this sort of pain – the vague image of tumbling car upholstery and a feeling of weightlessness returning to him. He could feel his breath coming in ragged, frantic gasps. It felt like he was drowning, gulping at the air like a dying man.

  Rachael’s face returned to him. He saw her eyes, pleading. Frantic. The way her hand reached for him. He remembered the feeling of helpless despair – the same feeling that settled in his stomach right now.

  “You stand on death’s door, and yet you still do not act,” Lamia observed with icy precision. “And this is what the Emir and our headmaster fear? Travelers who are too afraid to even fight back?” She sounded confused, a trace of disgust entering her voice.

  At her words, Finn suddenly felt… angry. She mocked his helplessness, the same way he had tortured himself for years. He hadn’t been able to protect Rachael. And he was too weak to stand up to Lamia now. Yet hearing it coming from her felt different. It gave him a target for his anger.

  Although he hadn’t summoned it, the familiar warmth of his mana seeped through his limbs, flowing through his veins, and settling in his chest. This feeling was different. It wasn’t the soft glow of a candle’s flame. It was a roaring, angry fire that crackled and popped.

  Before he knew what he was doing, Finn grabbed the icy shard embedded in his thigh. With a quick jerk and a hissing breath, he yanked it free, blood pooling around the wound. Then with a grunt, he shifted his weight, struggling to push himself to his feet with his injured, unresponsive leg. Yet he was used to that feeling. He had lived with it for years now.

  Then he met Lamia’s sharp gaze. He could still feel the rage burning in his chest, urging him to fight back. To do something, even in the face of impossible odds. It gave him strength, and he clung to that fiery sensation.

  “Ahh, I see your spirit isn’t entirely broken,” Lamia said, tilting her head as she observed him. “Yet it doesn’t matter.”

  Finn watched, almost in slow motion, as her fingers began to curl into another intricate pattern. He needed a plan. He couldn’t cast Magma Armor, and he doubted Lamia was going to let him dodge again. Even a glancing blow might kill him now – a point that was driven home by the red notifications that continued to flash in his peripheral vision.

  What did he have left?

  Could he cast anything?

  Finn’s thoughts abruptly returned to the library, remembering how he had summoned the orbs of flames – even without the incantation for a spell. He also remembered how the girl had injured herself during their first class, summoning a massive blast of lightning. Behind Lamia, he could still see the board flashing with multi-colored lights, the indecipherable words of Magma Shield mocking him.

  Even as Finn noticed moisture beginning to accumulate around Lamia in a dense cloud, an idea tickled at the edges of his mind, a thought born of desperation and pain and anger. The words of the spell had a structure, one he hadn’t quite noticed before. Almost like it was a rhyming couplet. A magical haiku with its own internal syntax and restrictions. He also knew a few words – a child’s magical vocabulary, but maybe it was enough.

  What if he created something of his own?

  That question swam through his mind. Challenging him. Taunting him.

  Shards of ice were forming around Lamia now, at least a dozen lances materializing in the air like a deadly hailstorm, the tips of each frozen spear homing in on Finn’s position.

  He was running out of time.

  Finn’s hands began to move. His fingers twined through a set of now-familiar gestures. He didn’t hold anything back this time. Instead of a small tendril of warmth, he fed the spell the molten anger that surged through his veins. The burning sensation in his chest only grew hotter in response, the flames pushing away any lingering doubt or reservation.

  At the same time, he began muttering arcane words under his breath. He drew on the vocabulary he knew – words that conjured an image of flames and fire. Aura. Area. Hot. Heat. It wasn’t artful. It was an incantation born of desperation.

  A ball of flame emerged between Finn’s hands, the flames lapping at the air hungrily. He wasn’t able to focus on anything else anymore. The world bled away until all he saw was the flicker and dance of the orange flames. They weren’t nearly enough. So, he fed it more. The fire grew, expanding rapidly until the air around Finn began to ripple with heat.

  And still, he gave it more.

  The flames began to encircle him, the fire burning brightly.

  Finn was having difficulty breathing now, his lungs heaving frantically but filling only with superheated air that burned his throat. New notifications were flashing in the corner of his vision. Yet he didn’t let himself stop or be
come distracted.

  Finn looked up then. He saw Lamia facing him, her sapphire eyes wide as she took in the globe of fire between his hands and the tendrils of flames that now encircled him. She quickly launched the icy projectiles toward him.

  And then he was done, the final words of the spell slipping past his lips.

  The world exploded around Finn.

  He saw nothing but fiery flames and felt torrential heat engulf him. The fire didn’t burn him – at least, not really. But he still couldn’t breathe, slowly suffocating amid his own flames. His vision swam and danced in time with the fire. For a fraction of a second, he thought he saw a familiar face staring back at him, burning eyes set above a silken veil. However, as he tried to focus on the image, it disappeared, and darkness crept into the corners of his vision.

  And then Finn finally let go...

  ***

  Finn woke to the sensation of icy cold water splashing across his face. He sat up abruptly, sputtering and coughing, feeling suddenly disoriented and confused.

  He pawed at his face, trying to clear the water from his eyes.

  “Are you alright?” someone asked. Finn glanced at the source of the noise, a familiar face hovering in his vision. It took his mind a moment to connect the dots. This was Vanessa – the water mage. Possibly the reason he was very wet right now?

  “Uh, I think so?” Finn croaked. His voice sounded dry and hoarse, and his throat felt like he had swallowed sandpaper.

  Then he saw the scene around him, and his mind went blank.

  Finn sat in the center of a ring of charred stone, the material burned a stark black. Around this circle was a wall of half-melted ice. Even as he looked on, the frozen barrier was breaking apart, revealing that most of the class was now pushed back against the far wall of the classroom. Although, they were creeping closer now that no one was flinging spells around the room.

  “What happened?” Finn choked out.

  “A question I’d like answered as well,” a voice bit out.

  Finn glanced over to find Lamia standing next to the classroom’s ruined podium. She looked like she had just run through flames, her robes charred and stray tendrils of smoke still curling into the air. As he looked on, she patted at her arm to put out a stray ember.

  “What was that you cast?” Lamia demanded, her eyes focused on Finn. He saw anger there and something else that he was having trouble putting a name to. Fear maybe? “I just barely managed to protect myself and the rest of the classroom.”

  “I-I’m not sure,” Finn replied, not even sure he could answer that question himself. He remembered coming up with words for a spell – a new spell, potentially. However, he sure as hell wasn’t going to say that. Even in his disoriented state, he could recall that he was supposed to be keeping a low profile.

  Although, as his eyes skimmed back across the ruined classroom, he could feel an uneasy weight settle in his stomach.

  It seems like I bungled that goal. Even if Lamia doesn’t kill me right now, Abbad will probably be waiting in line.

  “Well, you better get sure quickly,” Lamia snapped, stalking toward him. “Are you a spy from another guild? A foreign mage?”

  He needed an explanation that Lamia would buy. Finn glanced at Vanessa out of the corner of his eyes, the winner of their little Mana Mastery challenge the day before. A sudden thought occurred to him.

  Finn looked back at Lamia, meeting her eyes and trying to sound confused and naive. That wasn’t as hard as it sounded under the circumstances. “I was… I was desperate. I thought you were going to kill me. So, I just summoned my mana – all of it. Like that girl that blew herself up did the other day.”

  Lamia stared at him, and Finn had to resist the urge to hold his breath. Had she noticed him chanting under his breath? Seen his mouth moving maybe? Or had the flames obscured him from sight?

  She looked away, gritting her teeth. “That does seem more plausible than you somehow infiltrating the guild,” she said at last.

  Her eyes refocused on his face, anger flashing. “Although, I should kill you right now for endangering the rest of the class and myself. That was reckless. Stupid. I’ll make sure you never get out of this beginning class—”

  A cough interrupted her tirade. “Uh, if I might interject,” Kyyle said, stepping forward. “You mentioned that if Finn was able to defend himself that you would automatically pass him.”

  Finn looked at the gangly youth in surprise. He did sort of remember that. Although it felt hazy after everything that had happened.

  “You did say that,” Vanessa offered hesitantly.

  “It might also look bad for you to kill an unarmed student after he clearly passed your test,” Kyyle added, gesturing at the other students. “That might be the sort of thing that riles up the other travelers.”

  Lamia froze, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then her gaze shifted to the remainder of the class that lingered at the back of the room – the group watching anxiously. Anger flared in her eyes again, but she forcefully tamped down on it. She had clearly been backed into a corner.

  “Fine,” she bit out suddenly. Her voice grew a bit louder so that the other students could hear, “Finn has passed.”

  She whirled back to the remainder of the novices. “As for today’s class, it is over. I will need to see to the repair of the classroom. Go and practice the spells that we discussed today,” she barked, trying to regain some semblance of control.

  “Tomorrow you will all be meeting in the courtyard for physical training. We will regroup in two days,” Lamia barked.

  When she saw that no one had moved, she grimaced. “You are dismissed,” she reiterated, waving toward the door. The novices must have taken this as a sign to retreat. Finn had never seen the students disappear so quickly. They practically bolted for the door, with the exception of Vanessa and Kyyle.

  Vanessa spared Finn a serious look. “Congratulations on passing the class,” she said, although Finn noted some reluctance in her voice. “I look forward to meeting you in the duels.” Then she walked out without another word.

  Kyyle was more sympathetic. He offered Finn a hand up, which he accepted gratefully. However, as soon as he regained his feet, he let out a yelp of pain, accidentally putting pressure on his injured leg.

  “Need some help?” Kyyle offered. “I bet it’s going to take a few minutes for the wound to heal.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Finn replied.

  The youth threw one of Finn’s arms around his shoulder. The pair then limped toward the door. As they made their way forward, Finn finally noticed the notification lingering in the corner of his vision.

  New Spell: Fire Nova

  In your desperation, you created your first spell, allowing you to summon a ring of flame that erupts outward from your body. This spell should only be used as a last resort, as the flames will make it difficult to breathe and may devastate the area around you, harming friend and foe alike.

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 1

  Cost: 50% of your mana

  Cooldown: 60 minutes.

  Effect 1: Creates an explosion of flame centered around the caster. Deals 100 + (INT x 200%) damage.

  Holy shit, Finn thought. So, he really had created a spell!

  The implications of that were already cascading through his brain. If he could create this spell, could he build others? Were there any limits? Had any other players discovered this? The possibilities seemed incredible.

  Finn was so enmeshed in his own thoughts that he didn’t catch Lamia’s parting glance. She leaned against the podium as the last pair of students left the room, staring at Finn’s back. There was no anger in her expression, only a perfect clinical detachment, her glowing sapphire eyes appraising.

  Chapter 12 - Popular

  “Okay, what the hell was that?”

  Finn turned to find Kyyle staring at him, his gaze containing an awkward mixture of curiosity and accusation.

  “Uh, what do you mean?” Finn tried to diss
emble.

  “You’re really going to go with playing stupid, huh?” Kyyle replied. Despite his tone, Finn noted that the young man looked a little hurt.

  “I wouldn’t say that our friend here is stupid,” another voice spoke up.

  Finn felt someone clap him on the back roughly, almost sending him toppling forward with his bad leg. He discovered that his new “friend” was none other than Zane, the large man giving him an appraising look. His crew lingered around them, eyeing Finn as though he might explode at any moment. Other students edged around the group warily. They likely expected a fight to break out.

  “I mean he is the earliest graduate of our little tutorial classes,” Zane offered with a grin. “That takes some brains, not to mention balls of brass.”

  “More like I painted a target on my back,” Finn muttered, shrugging off the larger man’s arm. “What exactly do you want?” he asked, doubting this was a social visit.

  “I like a man who gets to the point. I actually wanted to extend an olive branch,” Zane offered, spreading his hands widely. “What you did in the class was pretty impressive – even if it wasn’t exactly controlled.”

  Finn noticed that Kyyle was glaring at the man skeptically.

  “Well, consider the branch extended—” Finn began.

  Zane cut him off, leaning forward and his eyes gleaming. “I suspect you’ve already noticed players beginning to group up. Information and allies are important here – even more so once the duels begin. I think you’d make a great fit with our crew,” he offered, gesturing at the pack of players that loomed around them.

  “We have big plans once we get out of this wannabe magic school. We’re going to form a guild. Maybe focus on PVP, if you catch my drift,” Zane offered, his smile widening.

  “You mean you plan to kill people and steal their shit,” Kyyle muttered.