Awaken Online: Ember (Tarot #1)

by Bagwell, Travis

  “There are only two ways to return: death or your opponent’s token. The survivor may tap together the tokens to return to this guild hall. The loser will simply respawn here. Points are awarded to whoever returns first. You may hand the loser’s token to the faculty that will be stationed here in the courtyard upon your return.”

  Silence met these instructions as the players processed this information. Finn could see the worried tension deepen in the way the novices shuffled about the sand and glanced at each other. He had to admit, this was beginning to feel more real, dampening the excitement that still boiled in his veins.

  I’m going to have to kill someone today.

  He wasn’t exactly certain how he felt about that. He didn’t relish the idea of hurting someone else, and he tried vainly to convince himself that it was okay – that the pain and injury weren’t permanent. Although, that explanation rang a little hollow given the realism of this world. Finn could only hope that instinct and a healthy dose of fire mana would take care of any reservations he might have.

  “With that, the competition has officially commenced,” Abbad said calmly. “May you fight for the glory of Lahab and the Emir.”

  No one moved, as though nervous to be the first.

  Out of this silence, Zane emerged from the crowd. He strode up to the dais with carefree steps and placed his token upon one of the stone columns. Immediately a shout of surprise went up as another player’s token responded. The novice wove through the other students to reach Zane. Finn noted that he appeared much more hesitant.

  Everyone looked on as the two students glanced at each other, their mouths moving but their words inaudible to Finn from this distance. Then the two players tapped their tokens together, and they disappeared in a rift of rainbow energy – not unlike the portals that opened when a player logged in and out of the game.

  The start of this first duel seemed to thaw the crowd. All at once, the novices streamed toward the platform, rifts of energy opening in the air as the mages paired off and disappeared.

  “Well, good luck, man,” Kyyle said, glancing at Finn.

  “You too,” Finn replied with a nod. “Try not to get wrecked. I’m going to need someone fun to fight.”

  Kyyle snorted in amusement. “Strong words from the old man who didn’t know anything about this game a couple weeks ago.”

  With that, the earth mage took off for a column, leaving Finn alone. Taking a deep breath, he approached a nearby pedestal, picking out one of the dozens of columns that ringed the platform that wasn’t being thronged by other mages. Just before he touched his token to the pedestal, Finn felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Abbad watching him.

  “Come to see me off?” Finn asked.

  Abbad gave a nod, gesturing discreetly at the nearby novices. “Only to check on you briefly and perhaps offer some words of wisdom to a student.” His point was clear. They needed to be circumspect since they were in public.

  “I would gladly accept any advice,” Finn replied, wondering what point the librarian was trying to get across here.

  “Some of us are blessed with unique gifts,” Abbad said. “Yet discretion is the better part of valor. These duels are a marathon, not a sprint.”

  Finn’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded wordlessly.

  Abbad departed, and Finn stared down at the token in his hand. He had a sense of what the librarian was trying to say to him. It wasn’t about winning just this one match – it was about topping the leaderboards two weeks from now. If he revealed all his abilities quickly, that would only make the successive duels more difficult.

  Some of Finn’s excitement had dwindled as the flash of multi-colored rifts flickered around him. The reality of what came next was finally beginning to set in. He could feel doubt and hesitation flit through his mind. Could he really do this? Kill another person? And somehow manage the feat without revealing his more advanced abilities?

  Finn closed his eyes and instinctively summoned his fire mana. The warm energy surged through his veins and swiftly replaced his newfound anxiety with bubbling anticipation. He reveled in the sensation, letting the excited warmth seep into his bones. This wasn’t the time for doubt or hesitation. He needed to think clearly.

  Then he abruptly released the energy.

  Without giving himself time to chicken out, Finn placed his token on a nearby column. After a few minutes of hunting through the throng, another student approached him, raising his token to show the symbol to Finn. He was a younger man, maybe in his mid-twenties. The player was dressed in robes and held a staff in hand – one of the few weapons that Finn had seen since arriving in the guild.

  Likely a more senior novice, Finn thought to himself. He didn’t recognize the man from the small graduation ceremony. Which meant he was either part of another novice class or had completed the beginning courses before Finn. Either way, he was competent if he had sufficient points to purchase the weapon from Charlotte.

  “Good luck,” Finn said, offering a hand.

  The player ignored the gesture. “I don’t need luck,” he replied, smirking as he looked at Finn’s novice attire and lack of weapons.

  Finn didn’t drop the other player’s gaze as he shifted his token forward. It seemed even the pretense at civility was over. They were all competitors now.

  So be it, Finn thought, some of his doubt fading away.

  Then he touched the other player’s token with his own.

  The world blurred around Finn, disappearing in a flash of multi-colored energy and darkness encroaching upon the edges of his vision. Within only moments, the courtyard faded from view, and everything went dark.

  ***

  The world abruptly snapped back into focus. Harsh sunlight shone down on Finn, and he raised a hand to cover his eyes.

  He glanced around, realizing that he was no longer in the courtyard of the Mage Guild. Instead, he stood in an open, level field covered in dry dirt and devoid of practically any vegetation. A lone cactus lingered nearby, standing beside the brittle, stained bones of what might have once been some cow-like creature. This left little to block the hot rays of light that beat down on the field, forcing streamers of heat to rise from the soil.

  Finn’s thoughts were interrupted by a flash of orange in his peripheral vision. He barely dove out of the way in time. It was only his training with Brutus and Julia that had prepared him to react quickly enough.

  He hit the ground hard and rolled, feeling a wave of heat pass over him. A Fireball slammed into the ground nearby even as Finn regained his feet.

  Apparently, his opponent wasn’t as disoriented by the abrupt transition. That confirmed Finn’s theory. He was fighting a more veteran player. The other mage stood at least 20 yards away. Holding his staff firmly, tendrils of flame were already beginning to collect in the air again as he readied another Fireball.

  Fire mage then, Finn thought. That likely limited his opponent’s spells to Fireball, Fire Nova, and Magma Armor – at least if he hadn’t managed to learn another spell like Kyyle.

  Finn didn’t hesitate. His eyes glowed as he narrowed his focus and summoned his own mana.

  His fingers began twining through an intricate series of gestures, arcane words spilling from his lips. He started toward his opponent while he cast, his feet beating against the dry dirt as he tried to close the distance between them. A moment later, he felt a warm sensation envelop his right arm, his Magma Armor sliding into place. The fingers of his left hand kept moving as he continued channeling mana into the shield, and he mimed the gesture with his right – pretending to keep up the channel with both hands.

  He hadn’t forgotten Abbad’s last-minute advice.

  For now, he needed to test how hard the other mage could hit.

  His opponent smirked at Finn, hurling another Fireball. This time, Finn didn’t bother to dodge. He simply raised his right arm and dashed through the flames. The energy slammed against his Magma Armor, tearing off chunks of the molten substance an
d almost destroying the shield entirely. The blast sent Finn staggering to the side.

  Fuck, he hits like a truck.

  Finn managed to stay on his feet – barely. With slightly wobbly steps, he continued his sprint toward the other mage. His opponent’s expression faltered as he saw Finn had not only survived the blow, but his shield was repairing itself, the molten energy thickening and expanding until it had regained its former luster.

  Maybe his defenses are weaker, Finn said. He would have crossed his fingers, but they were already busy. His right hand was moving rapidly, a ball of flame igniting in the air beside him even as he continued his headlong sprint.

  The other fire mage shifted gears, forming his own Magma Armor. Then he formed another until both of his arms were coated in the molten material. Yet Finn noted that his opponent didn’t keep up the channel once the spell completed. His opponent likely intended to save the channel for his offensive spells.

  Finn’s right hand directed his Fireball at the other mage as he completed the spell, the energy speeding across the field and smashing against the other mage’s shield. A flash of flames briefly obscured his opponent, but as it dissipated, Finn saw that his Fireball had been weaker, barely carving off the molten energy of his opponent’s shield.

  Damn it.

  He had been given less time to practice the spell since he had only learned it last night; he hadn’t had a chance to level it. It appeared the other mage had a higher-level Magma Armor as well and likely much better equipment buffing his stats.

  The other fire mage seemed to notice the same thing, his smirk returning.

  Finn could visualize his thinking.

  This was a battle of attrition. Both mages had a limited mana pool, and it was relatively safe to assume that they knew the same three spells, which meant they would just be slamming Fireballs against one another until someone caved. However, the more veteran mage had the advantage of gear, levels, and training.

  Finn saw another Fireball incoming and dove to the side instead of taking the hit. He needed to preserve his mana. He hit the ground and rolled back to his feet. The other mage snorted in frustration.

  So, I’m faster, he thought. He supposed that was one more advantage of the brutal weaponless training he had endured at the hands of Brutus and Julia.

  Yet Finn needed a strategy if he was going to win.

  If he dodged the other mage’s spells and used his Multi-Casting, he could possibly overwhelm his opponent. However, Abbad’s advice still echoed in his head. Right now, he had done little to give away his abilities, and this certainly wouldn’t be his last duel.

  What do I do then?

  Casting another Fireball, Finn sent it hurtling at the other mage to buy himself some time to think. Flames soon curled around his opponent’s shield, and the other mage faltered briefly, unable to see Finn through the flames.

  The other option was for Finn to move in close and use his dagger. He might be able to use a few rapid Fireballs to block the other mage’s sight. However, his opponent had the advantage of reach with that staff, and his arms were well shielded.

  Finn wished he had a way to strike the mage from behind or catch him off guard.

  It was then that an idea occurred to him. Finn could feel his mana respond immediately, fiery excitement pulsing through his veins. He wasn’t certain if it would work, but he was damned sure curious to find out.

  Finn’s left hand stopped moving, dropping the channel on his Magma Armor.

  Then both hands began twining through the gestures of another Fireball, an orb of flame appearing beside him. Finn dashed forward toward the other mage. The man’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t hesitate, forming his own Fireball to put pressure on Finn. The bolt would either destroy Finn’s shield or force him to dodge and slow him down. The other mage seemed confident that his own shield would be able to absorb Finn’s attack.

  Finn finished casting his Fireball, shifting the channel to his left hand, and holding the ball of flame beside him. Yet the fingers of his right hand never stopped moving. From the other mage’s perspective, it likely looked like Finn had cast the one Fireball and was simply channeling with both hands. It would be incredibly difficult to see that his fingers weren’t moving in sync.

  The other mage’s spell completed, and a blast of fire raced toward Finn. He didn’t hesitate, raising his right arm to block the attack. He could feel his Magma Armor shudder and then crumble under the blow, the molten energy melting away from his arm and leaving him defenseless.

  As the flames cleared, Finn could see the gloating expression on the other man’s face as he summoned another Fireball. He likely assumed Finn didn’t have time to cast another shield. Technically, he was right.

  However, Finn wasn’t done yet. He continued to race toward his opponent, swiftly closing the distance.

  As the fingers of Finn’s right hand completed their spell and shifted into a channel, he launched the Fireball he had been holding. His opponent raised his arm almost casually to block the blow, knowing that it wouldn’t break his shield. However, it didn’t need to; it just needed to obscure the other mage’s vision.

  Finn lunged forward the last few feet. The other mage swept forward with his staff at the same time, swinging blindly amid the flames, and Finn ducked under the flailing blow and stepped closer. As the flames cleared, the other fire mage’s eyes trained on Finn. He shook his head as he raised his staff back to a defensive position. His expression practically gloated.

  “Checkmate,” Finn murmured.

  Then he released his second spell.

  A blast of flame crashed into the back of Finn’s opponent, burning through his robes, causing him to drop his guard. His expression twisted into a grimace of pain.

  Finn didn’t give him a chance to recover. Julia’s dagger appeared in his right hand, and as he lunged, time seemed to slow.

  The other mage tried to raise his staff in time, but he was too slow. Finn dipped below the attack and came up inside the man’s guard.

  Finn’s blade soon cut into the other mage’s stomach, slicing through his robes and sliding into his flesh. The impact rippled up Finn’s arm, and he pushed harder against the resistance. At the same time, Finn grabbed the mage’s other arm and batted it aside. Then Finn twisted the blade and jerked upward.

  Julia had taught him that trick. Even if the first cut didn’t kill, the goal was to cause as much damage as possible. Bleeding damage could be quite dangerous.

  The other mage coughed, blood splattering his lips. “What? How…?” he croaked.

  Finn didn’t say a word, his training with Julia taking over. He ripped the blade free and then lashed out with his arm, cutting through the mage’s throat before he could recover. Blood sprayed from the wound as the fire mage slumped into the sand. He let out one desperate gasp, his hands trying to claw at his throat. And then his body went still.

  Finn stood there, his chest heaving and fire mana burning through his veins in triumph.

  His plan had worked!

  With the mage lying face-down, Finn could see scorched cloth and burned flesh along the man’s back where his second Fireball had struck. Finn had gambled that the spell didn’t technically need to be conjured beside him, but could be formed at a distance and then maintained with his channel.

  The other fire mage hadn’t even thought to look behind him – assuming that Finn wouldn’t be able to hold two Fireballs at once.

  And the best part? Even inside the deathscape, Finn’s opponent likely wouldn’t be able to figure out what had happened. The second Fireball had struck from behind – out of the other mage’s line of sight, and it would be difficult to detect that Finn’s gestures didn’t match.

  “I’m going to have to practice that trick,” Finn murmured to himself. Although, he suspected he would get plenty of chances before the day was over.

  He continued to channel his fire mana as he looked down at the corpse, the mage’s blood pooling in the dry dirt.
He didn’t trust himself to handle this next part without the anesthetic effect of his mana.

  Finn stooped, his fingers rifling through the man’s belongings until he found the other token. Then he wiped his blade off on the dead man’s tunic, sheathed the weapon, and forcefully released his mana. He didn’t want to accidentally reveal his affinity when he returned to the courtyard.

  His preparations complete, Finn took a deep breath and tapped his opponent’s token together with his own. Multi-colored energy soon enveloped him, and the world abruptly faded from view.

  ***

  When Finn opened his eyes again, he was back in the courtyard, standing upon the stone dais. He blinked rapidly, although this time the disorientation was less severe. He was growing accustomed to the abrupt teleportation. He supposed that was a good thing. He hadn’t forgotten how quickly his opponent had gotten the jump on him.

  I need to move faster next time.

  He heard murmuring, and Finn turned to find Abbad and the other mages staring at him, as well as dozens of other novices that lingered on the platform. Hundreds of mages still stood on the terraces ringing the courtyard, whispering to each other, and pointing at Finn. On each face, he registered a mixture of surprise and confusion… as well as an emotion that he couldn’t quite place.

  “How long was I gone?” Finn asked.

  One of the instructors beside Abbad coughed, sharing a look with the others before replying. “About two minutes. You were the first to complete your duel.”

  Finn glanced at Abbad in shock, looking for confirmation. “Technically, 87 seconds by my count,” the librarian amended.

  Then Abbad turned back to the rest of the crowd, his fingers twining through a series of gestures. “Congratulations to Finn, the first to complete his duel! He has been awarded 10 points,” the librarian’s voice whispered into each person’s ear.

  Finn looked at the other novices and mages around him and then down at himself, noting that his clothing was undamaged, and he didn’t appear to be injured. He suddenly understood the unfamiliar expression on their faces.