MASTER! WAKE UP!

  Rylan’s eyes snapped open.

  For half a second his mind refused to cooperate, tangled in the fog of sleep. Then Akane’s voice hit him again, loud enough to feel like it rattled inside his skull.

  WAKE UP!

  “I’m awake!” he groaned, pushing himself upright. “What—”

  The night exploded.

  Darkness receded as a blinding flash lit the tent walls, followed by a thunderous boom that rolled across the ground hard enough to make the canvas tremble.

  Rylan froze. That wasn’t thunder.

  The skeleton soldier standing guard at the edge of the blanket jerked its skull toward the tent entrance, bones clattering softly.

  Another flash lit the canvas, and this time Rylan saw the color clearly: red.

  A second later, the sound arrived.

  BOOM.

  The shockwave rumbled across the ground like distant thunder.

  Rylan was already on his feet.

  Akane jumped onto his shoulder, her fur bristling as she spoke in his mind: I sensed fire magic being deployed, at minimum Tier 7. Had to wake you up.

  Outside the tent, horses began neighing and kicking around in fright as someone shouted in confusion.

  “What was that?!”

  “Explosion on the wall!” Another voice yelled back, louder this time—probably the watchman on duty.

  Rylan grabbed his dagger, heart suddenly beating faster.

  A third blast illuminated the tent like lightning.

  Next came the distant sound of horns echoing across the night; it was a long and low sound, foreign to his ears.

  “That’s the empire’s war horn! The wretched Varkessian are attacking!”

  The shout came from somewhere near the campfire. A second later, more voices erupted as the remaining adventurers began waking up.

  “Get up!”

  “Grab your gear!”

  “Is the fortress under attack?!”

  Another explosion answered that question in the affirmative.

  The canvas walls flashed crimson again as a distant fireball bloomed somewhere beyond the fortress walls. The shockwave arrived a moment later, rolling across the ground like a heavy drumbeat.

  Akane’s ears flattened against her head. That is definitely high Tier 7 fire magic.

  Rylan swore under his breath.

  The skeleton soldier stood rigid near the blanket, skull tilted toward the entrance as if listening to the chaos outside.

  Then it turned its empty sockets toward him, waiting.

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  Right.

  Rylan glanced at the tent flap. The camp was already waking; people would start moving around any second.

  If someone walked in and saw a skeleton standing in his tent…

  “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

  Akane flicked her tail. You could attempt to explain it.

  Rylan gave her a flat look before focusing inward on the system.

  “‘Good evening, fellow adventurers, please ignore my undead companion here,’” he muttered dryly. “I’m sure that would go over wonderfully.”

  A faint blue panel flickered briefly into existence.

  [Would you like to store Unnamed Skeleton Soldier in the Companion Space?]

  [Yes] [No]

  “Yes.”

  The skeleton soldier dissolved soundlessly into pale motes of light. The particles spiraled inward and vanished into the interface like dust caught in a current.

  Outside, boots were pounding across the campsite now. Someone ran past his tent, shouting toward the others: “Get moving! The fortress is under siege!”

  Another adventurer yelled back, voice thick with panic: “They’re bombing the walls!”

  Rylan grabbed his cloak and swung it around his shoulders.

  Akane settled more firmly against his neck, red eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. You should go outside, she said. You need to see this for yourself.

  Another blast thundered across the night. The tent walls flashed red again.

  Rylan stared at the canvas for a brief moment, then he stepped forward and threw the flap open.

  The cold night air rushed in immediately.

  Rylan stepped outside just as another explosion rolled across the plains. The ground shuddered beneath his boots, faint but unmistakable.

  The campsite was in chaos.

  Adventurers were stumbling out of their tents half-armored, some still pulling on boots, others grabbing weapons with shaking hands. A pair of horses had broken free from their tether and were circling wildly near the watchtower, their panicked whinnies cutting through the noise.

  Someone knocked over a cooking pot near the kindling campfire, sending a shower of sparks into the air.

  Nonetheless, no one was looking at the camp; everyone was looking westward.

  Rylan followed their gaze.

  The fortress loomed against the horizon, its dark stone walls silhouetted against the night sky.

  The sky lit up again.

  A massive streak of crimson fire tore across the darkness like a falling star and slammed into the southwestern outer wall of the fortress.

  BOOM.

  The impact erupted into a blooming sphere of flame that briefly turned the entire night sky red. Even from this distance, Rylan could see large chunks of stone breaking away from the battlements.

  A collective murmur spread through the camp.

  “Gods…”

  “They’re actually attacking…”

  Another streak followed the previous, this one even brighter.

  Rylan watched it arc through the air, gaining speed past its apogee and striking what seemed to be the fortress gate.

  The explosion was even louder this time. The shockwave rippled outward, and a moment later the distant shouts of soldiers carried faintly across the plains.

  Torches multiplied in number along the walls as the garrison scrambled into position to defend.

  A man near the campfire spat into the dirt: “Those bastards brought a siege mage.”

  Another adventurer shook his head: “No way that’s just one mage.”

  As if to prove the point, two more streaks of fire rose into the sky at the same time. They curved slightly as they flew, like guided comets, pounding the walls seconds apart.

  BOOM.

  BOOM.

  The fortress disappeared behind a cloud of dust and flame.

  Rylan felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

  “That’s not a raid,” he muttered.

  No, it is not. Akane’s tail swished slowly behind his neck. Her voice carried none of its earlier teasing. That is a full assault.

  Around them, the adventurers were arguing now.

  “Should we go help?”

  “With what? A cooking knife and half a shield?”

  “We just delivered supplies there!”

  “Yeah, and the soldiers told us to sleep out here instead of inside the walls!”

  Someone else pointed toward the fortress: “If the empire takes that place, the road east is wide open!”

  Another blast ignited the sky before anyone could answer.

  Rylan watched the fire blooming against the walls and exhaled slowly.

  The war that had felt distant for two months had just arrived on his doorstep.

  Akane’s ears twitched. Master…

  What?

  Her voice lowered. I sense something else.

  Another fireball streaked across the sky.

  Rylan didn’t take his eyes off the fortress as he replied internally: What kind of something?

  There was a brief pause before she answered.

  Cultivators.

  Rylan frowned faintly. He couldn’t see anything unusual. Just fire tearing through the sky and explosions hammering the fortress walls.

  But Akane’s gaze remained fixed on the darkness above the battlefield, ears angled forward as if listening to something far away.

  They’re not casting, she continued quietly. They’re moving.

  Another explosion rolled across the plains.

  Rylan stared toward the burning fortress for several seconds longer before finally muttering again under his breath: “Great.”

  This may become very exciting.

  Rylan wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic.