The novices glanced between Finn and the corpses, and he saw recognition in their eyes. “Finn,” one of the mages croaked. “Oh, shit…” The other two looked like they wanted to run.
“I’m in a hurry, so I’ll be merciful today. If you leave now, I’ll save you a 45-minute respawn timer,” Finn said, stalking forward with slow, ponderous steps.
“You have five seconds to decide,” he added.
Then he began counting down. “Five, four…”
He never made it to three. The mages turned on their heels and bolted down the hallway like the devil himself was following them. As Finn released his mana and his blades slid back into their sheaths, he supposed that wasn’t too far from the truth.
The last few days had taken their toll on him and left him feeling… Well, he wasn’t sure how to describe it. Even now, he couldn’t force himself to turn to look at the corpses behind him. He knew what he would find – jagged burned flesh and seared blood.
No, it was better – and easier – to simply keep moving forward.
With the brief respite, Finn decided to take a moment to regroup.
“Daniel,” Finn said aloud.
A moment later, the AI flashed into existence. A brief pause as Daniel took in the sight of the dead bodies. “Um… how can I help you?”
“Scout the nearby area. Make sure no one sneaks up on me,” Finn ordered. The glowing orange ball started to speed down the hall and Finn called after him. “And try to be discreet!” Daniel pulsed once and then disappeared around a corner.
Finn tapped at his UI, re-enabling his system notifications. While the other mages no longer seemed to be gunning for Finn specifically, skirmishes like the one he had just interrupted were now far too frequent. Between the duels and these small-scale battles, he had continued to level quite quickly. It was sort of like he was living inside a dungeon, except instead of monsters, he kept fighting respawning players.
x17 Level Up!
You have (85) undistributed stat points.
x2 Spell Rank Up: Magma Armor
Skill Level: Intermediate Level 3
Cost: 100 Mana
Effect 1: Creates a damage shield capable of absorbing 340 damage (170 damage if water/ice).
Effect 2: Damage absorption increased by INT x 35%.
Channel Effect: Repairs the shield at a rate of 60 damage/second at a mana cost of 20 mana/second.
x1 Spell Rank Up: Fireball
Skill Level: Beginner Level 10
Cost: 100 Mana
Effect: Creates a ball of flame that deals 200 + (INT x 50%) damage.
Channel Effect: Controls the Fireball within your control range at a cost of 10 mana/sec.
x3 Spell Rank Up: Imbue Fire
Skill Level: Beginner Level 10
Cost: 145 Mana
Effect: Imbues a weapon with fire mana, increasing the weapon’s base damage by INT x 9.5%. Can only be used on unenchanted metal weapons.
Channel Effect: Allows user to control the weapon within his control range at a cost of 24.5 mana/sec.
x1 Skill Rank Up: Learning
Skill Level: Intermediate Level 1
Effect 1: 15% increased learning speed for skills and spells.
Effect 2: 1% increased experience gain.
x1 Skill Rank Up: Concentration
Skill Level: Beginner Level 9
Effect: Ability to split your focus between [2] tasks.
x2 Skill Rank Up: Multi-Casting
Skill Level: Intermediate Level 1
Effect 1: -42.0% casting speed on second spell.
Effect 2: -11% reduced channeling cost.
The stat gains had basically stopped since Finn had no time for training, but he was able to compensate for that stat loss with levels. With the additional Intelligence he’d gained, Finn could now maintain both knives for nearly five minutes without recasting. This had opened up more options, allowing him to weave in Fireballs and more easily cast or repair his armor while staying on the offensive.
Despite the chaos that the faculty’s decree had created, Finn had benefited.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a notification crashed down into his vision.
Local Area Notice: Mage Guild
The headmaster has called a general guild meeting in the courtyard in 60 minutes. All guild members are required to attend, and all duels that are not currently in progress have been temporarily suspended.
Please complete any task or duel that is underway and make your way to the courtyard promptly.
Finn felt a sense of unease settle in his stomach as he reviewed the prompt. It didn’t take a genius to realize what this meeting would address. The obvious issue was the infighting between the mages – which had reached an unreasonable level within only a few short days.
Finn just hoped that he wouldn’t be blamed for the fallout.
***
By the time Finn arrived in the courtyard, he was surprised to see hundreds of mages shuffling across the sands and filling the terraces that ringed the area. Even from the edge of the courtyard, he could see members of the faculty standing upon the dais, Nefreet taking a position front and center.
“There are more guards than I remember last time,” someone commented from Finn’s elbow, and he turned to find Kyyle standing beside him. The young man gestured to the soldiers that stood in the shadow of the terraces, armed with wickedly curved swords and bows and robed in heavy mail.
“And a few more experienced mages that don’t look like they’re here for the meeting,” Kyyle added, pointing out robed figures that weaved through the crowd, their attention focused more on the students than Nefreet and the faculty.
Finn grimaced. “It’s like they expect a full-fledged riot or something.”
“I mean, is that really so strange?” Kyyle asked with a wry grin. “We’ve been killing each other for a couple weeks now, there are only three days remaining in the competition, and the faculty basically authorized us to slaughter each other outside of the duels.”
Finn winced again. That had been a real winner of an idea…
“So, what he’s saying is that it’s time for you to tell me those three little words I love so much,” Julia snapped, popping up beside Finn as she dropped out of Sneak.
Kyyle started slightly in surprise, his fingers twitching. However, he stopped himself from casting as he saw that it was just Julia. It seemed everyone was on edge lately. “What does she mean?” he asked cautiously.
“Oh, you don’t know?” Julia interjected. “Finn here is the one that got the faculty to agree to let the novices murder each other. Brilliant idea, right? Truly a winner.”
Finn glanced at the nearby students, noticing that more than a few had turned to look at him. “Hey, keep your voice down,” Finn whispered at Julia. This just earned him an arched eyebrow in response.
Kyyle, for his part, was staring at Finn like he had grown two heads. “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Finn muttered in response to his unspoken question. “I was tired of getting attacked and not being able to fight back.”
“Uh-huh,” Julia replied. “And how is that working out for you now? Feel like the attacks have really died down since then? I bet that’s why all the A-listers have beefed up their entourage of bodyguards,” she offered, gesturing at Zane and Vanessa, who had entered the courtyard surrounded by other mages. “Oh, but you must be number one now, right?” she asked with mock innocence.
Kyyle chuckled. “Still number three the last time I checked. I have to say the mass murder decree didn’t help my rank much either. I’m just a lowly number four.”
Julia assumed an expression of mock disappointment, cupping a hand to one ear as she turned toward Finn. “Well, damn. I guess you were… what’s the word again? Wrong? I’m ready whenever you are, though. Lay those sweet, sweet words upon me.”
Finn muttered under his breath.
“Sorry, didn’t quite catch that. You’ve gotta speak up.”
“You were right
,” Finn grunted.
Julia closed her eyes and tilted her face to the sky. “It feels soooo good.”
“Yeah, well let’s hear what Nefreet has to say,” Finn offered, crossing his arms defensively as the pair laughed at him. Although, they did at least turn their attention toward the podium as Nefreet gestured at Abbad. The librarian’s hands wound through a series of gestures, and an unnatural breeze drifted through the crowd.
“Good afternoon,” Nefreet said, his voice at a neutral volume. It sounded like he was standing right beside Finn.
Damn, that’s still a cool trick, Finn thought. It would be incredibly useful for distracting people in a duel.
“As you are all aware, only three days remain in our competition to choose a champion to represent the guild in the Emir’s contest,” Nefreet continued. “We understand that this competition is grueling and has become increasingly competitive as each day passes.”
He took a deep breath before continuing, “As you are all aware, a few days ago, the faculty met to discuss the attacks that had been reported by many novices. These students claimed that they had been waylaid in the hallways on their way to a duel. We determined that some students were working to manipulate the rankings, targeting high-profile competitors – specifically the top few ranked mages. I believe you all have come to refer to this group as the ‘A-listers.’
“In response, the faculty decided to lift our policy banning violence within the guild hall – at least as it applied to travelers. The thought was that this would act as a deterrent, allowing the competitors to defend themselves.”
Nefreet paused, his typically passive expression cracking briefly as he grimaced. Meanwhile, the crowd murmured, frustration and anger simmering among the sea of students. Clearly, most of the novices weren’t happy at the full-scale war that was now being waged in the halls. Finn hunched his shoulders, trying to avoid drawing attention to himself. He could already imagine the angry mob that would be chasing him if they discovered that he had been behind that change.
“This policy, however, only served to further escalate the conflicts among the novices,” Nefreet explained. “Understandably, this has created additional tension among our students. In fact, some of you have been quite… vocal about your displeasure with this policy.
“Unfortunately, there is little we can do to address these problems now. If we remove the restriction on violence within the guild hall, competitors cannot adequately defend themselves from nefarious acts. If we permit students to defend themselves, then we encourage a free-for-all that harms everyone,” Nefreet explained.
“Which is why the faculty has arrived on a third course of action.”
The air in the courtyard stilled as the students looked on anxiously. Even Finn could feel himself involuntarily holding his breath. What did a third option look like?
“At this point, the faculty feels that we have adequately ranked the novices among one another – at least with regard to identifying the most talented mages among the travelers and residents. Mathematically, it is nearly impossible for the closest competitors to surpass this group with the time remaining,” Nefreet explained.
“Therefore, we have decided to alter the competition. As of this moment, the leaderboards are now frozen. Since we have only three days remaining, the top four students from among the residents and travelers will be selected to participate in a final tournament.”
Everyone in the crowd stared at the headmaster in stunned silence.
“Among the travelers, the current top-ranked students are Vanessa, Zane, Finn, and Kyyle. Among the residents, the top-ranked students are Khiana, Quail, Sana, and Khan. Over the next two days, we will host a semi-final competition to select a champion among each group.”
Nefreet glanced behind him at Lamia and received a curt nod. “In order to provide an educational opportunity for those who didn’t make the cut, these competitions may also be viewed from the courtyard. This will give the remainder of you an opportunity to observe your peers and learn from them.”
The headmaster’s gaze swept across the crowd one final time. “With that, I will leave you to it. Consider the duels suspended until further notice. As for our potential champions, use this time wisely to prepare.”
Nefreet abruptly stepped away from the podium, the faculty swiftly encircling him as they made their way out of the courtyard. Within only a few seconds, the crowd finally reacted, a ripple of sound sweeping across the players in a wave. It was a mixture of excitement, relief, outrage, frustration, and jealousy. A disharmonious cascade of noise that set Finn’s teeth on edge.
“Well, shit,” Kyyle muttered.
Finn glanced to the side to see the youth staring into space, his mental wheels already spinning. Finn idly wondered what it would be like to fight the earth mage, which immediately conjured the memory of Kyyle’s conspiracy theory. He didn’t actually know Kyyle’s fighting style, or Zane’s, or Vanessa’s. Because the top-ranked students had never been paired together. Although it seemed that they would now get that opportunity.
It all felt too… convenient.
As Kyyle’s eyes snapped back into focus, and he met Finn’s gaze, he saw the same realization reflected there. It felt like this had been set up intentionally. Finn was beginning to question whether he had really convinced the faculty to lift the restrictions, or if this had been Nefreet’s intention the entire time. But, if so, what was the goal?
“Well, this is going to be a real shitshow,” Julia observed, her lips pursed as she watched the other students. “Now I need to find a good place to set up shop before the crowd moves in.” She frowned in thought. “Maybe Brutus will let me borrow his umbrella, and I can find some beer somewhere. We can turn this thing into a magical tailgate…” She wandered off as she spoke, her eyes skimming the crowd for the large fire mage.
Which left Finn and Kyyle standing alone. “You know there’s something else going on here, right?” Kyyle said softly.
“Yeah, I’m coming around to your theory,” Finn replied.
Kyyle side-eyed him. “Our deal still hold?”
A grin tugged at Finn’s lips. “Truce until we have to fight each other, I remember.” He glanced at Kyyle. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious how you made it this far.”
Kyyle snorted in amusement. “Says the guy who everyone claims is a cheater.”
Then the young man’s expression sobered, and he offered a hand. “I’ll admit, I’m interested to see if I can beat you. However, I also don’t want to be like these other assholes. Regardless of the outcome, I’d like to stay friends.”
Finn looked at the hand for a moment, a strange feeling washing over him. Was this where he was now? About to shake hands with a goofy-looking college kid that he might have to murder tomorrow? It seemed like his entire world had been turned upside down and then shaken thoroughly. But he supposed he might as well lean into it at this stage.
Finn grabbed Kyyle’s hand. “Sounds good to me. Good luck.”
“You too,” Kyyle replied. “I may as well go get ready. See you tomorrow, man.” With that, the youth stepped away, making his way across the field.
As Finn’s eyes followed the earth mage, he saw Zane and Vanessa lingering in the courtyard. They both eyed Finn, and he nodded at them. In contrast to Kyyle’s reaction, he saw no goodwill in their eyes – only a cold appraisal.
The next couple of days were going to be interesting, to say the least.
Chapter 34 - Sturdy
When Finn returned to the courtyard the next day, it was a madhouse. The sands were packed with mages, their robed forms shuffling in one giant, brightly colored mass. The terraces weren’t much better since many of the students had opted to set up camp on those balconies to get a better view.
Yet it wasn’t the number of people that surprised Finn.
It was the object of their attention.
A massive circular pane of water, approximately thirty feet wide, now floated above the dais
. The moisture was being suspended by at least a dozen water mages – staves held in hand – that ringed the platform. They each channeled a constant stream of water toward the circle, their staves glowing with a soft blue light.
Finn had no idea what he was looking at – although, the pane of water did resemble a screen. Perhaps the water affinity allowed some sort of scrying? That might explain Nefreet’s comment about allowing the other mages to view these final matches. Although Finn had no idea how that was going to work.
He heard a sharp whistle and looked over to find Julia waving at him. “Hey, over here!” she shouted at him. Julia was standing near a familiar-looking umbrella, several glass chairs spread out under the canopy and a drink already in hand. It seemed his daughter had made good on her promise of a magical tailgate.
A minute later, Finn had managed to navigate through the mass of limbs and feet. He was greeted by the sight of a few familiar faces. It seemed that Julia had collected some friends while setting up camp in the courtyard. However, she didn’t give him time to greet them, shoving a mug of something into his hand and herding him toward a chair before flitting off to talk to another mage.
She’s not exactly keeping a low profile, Finn thought to himself.
“She roped us into this too,” Brutus grunted at Finn, noting his confusion. Kyyle sat beside the fire mage and kept glancing not-so-discreetly in Julia’s direction.
Finn just shook his head, his attention on the mages that filled the courtyard. “This seems like… a lot. I didn’t realize there would be this many people watching.”
“You nervous?” Brutus asked, side-eyeing him.
Finn rubbed at his neck. “I suppose so, although I’m not sure that matters. We’re going to be competing whether I like it or not.” This earned him an eye roll from the large fire mage and a snort of agreement from Kyyle where he sat nearby.
Awaken Online: Ember (Tarot #1) Page 35
