“FUCK!”

  Pushing an absurd amount of mana into her weapon, Ana smashed it into the nearest tree hard enough that it sank in to the shaft. The Engravings she’d empowered with her mana were all that kept the weapon itself from shattering from the force as living wood exploded into splinters around it. With a furious jerk she levered it loose, leaving a terrible wound behind. Then she gave the innocent tree a vicious kick for good measure.

  “What is it with you and trees?” a flippant voice asked from behind her. Ana turned just enough to see Kaira approaching. She wondered for a moment if the Evoker had seen her walk away from the gully and had come after her by her own choice, or if the others had sent her.

  “Pining for your girlfriend, didn’t catch the guy you were after, anything can be fixed by murdering a tree, can it?” Kaira continued, walking up and patting the tree gently, as though consoling it.

  Ana fought down the impulse to tell Kaira to go fuck herself, choosing not to say anything at all. She wasn’t even sure why she was so damn furious. Sure, the burns, cuts, and bruises she’d taken in the one-sided battle hurt, but they were no worse than anything she’d dealt with before.

  “Do you feel any better at least?” Kaira asked a little more seriously, closing in so she could lay her hand on Ana’s arm. “Look, I know it’s disappointing, but we were going to have to go into that Delve anyway. It’ll just… suck now. Suck worse, I mean.”

  “They’re not in there!” Ana tried to growl, but it came out as more of a groan. “The Wayfarer can tell. Nobody’s entered except the people who fled inside when we attacked.”

  “Oh.” Kaira said, running her hand over her smooth head in disbelief. “The damn Wayfarer says… can’t believe you’ve got the most important goddess in the Splinters scouting for you.” Then her face fell as she realized what that meant. “Oh, shit. So the fucker got away?”

  “The fucker got away.”

  “But the scouts didn’t see any tracks leading off or anything, either from here or along the way,” Kaira objected. “When in all the hells could they have snuck off?”

  “I don’t know. Just like I don’t know where they’d’ve gone. And just like I don’t know how much longer this… this goddamn—”

  Ana’s voice suddenly failed her, vanishing in a thin wheeze. She turned her face away from Kaira, wiping angrily at the tears that streaked unwelcome down her cheeks.

  “Oh! Oh, no,” Kaira stammered. “Uh, shit, Ana, just—”

  Ana stood stiff as Kaira wrapped her arms around her. It was that or crumple into the pine needles that carpeted the forest floor. She was so furious that she felt paralyzed; furious at the Earthbreaker for outwitting her, furious at herself for getting outwitted, furious at the Sentinel for everything that had happened to her since that summer night when she’d stood outside a club in London. Furious at the world, for never giving her more than two weeks of fucking peace.

  “Ana. Gods, Ana, I had no idea,” Kaira murmured, shockingly gentle as she ran her hand up and down the center of Ana’s back. “Everybody looking up to you, expecting you to know what to do, to lead them. The strain must be insane. I had no idea.”

  “It just never ends,” Ana whispered, and the words unlocked something, allowing her to relax a little into Kaira’s embrace. “Every time I think I can breathe, it just—”

  “Yeah,” Kaira said, one arm tight around her shoulders, the other keeping up its steady, gentle up-and-down motion.

  “It’s never going to. They’re just going to keep coming. Every time I relax. They’re just going to keep coming.”

  “Maybe. But you’re not alone, alright? Messy, me and the guys, Jisha, Ray… you’ve got people watching your back. We’re never going to leave you to fend for yourself.”

  “You kicked me out.”

  “Temporarily,” Kaira agreed. “You’re still our friend. And Messy’s going to be getting back out there, isn’t she? And she’s got a combat Class now. We’ll all team up! It’ll be great!”

  Ana’s tears subtly changed flavor, and she sniffed as she felt a warmth growing inside her, right beside the cold rage.

  “And did you forget?” Kaira continued. “We already promised to come with you when you leave the Splinter. That hasn’t changed. I don’t know where you’re going exactly, but we’ll be there with you.”

  “Why?” Ana choked out as her crying finally changed from silent, impotent rage to the more familiar racking sobs of emotional release. “Anyone close to me— they’ll—”

  “Because we like you too damn much, you heroic gods-damn lunatic.” Kaira pulled her arms tight, holding Ana still as she shook and reminding her just how strong the one-time Ranch Hand was. “What you’ve been asked to do is too damn important for us to let you face it alone. We know it’s dangerous. We don’t give a damn. You’re that important. Any bastard comes for you, for us, for anyone important to you, we’ll see how they like one of these!”

  Ana had a second to feel the mana shift around them as Kaira Channeled, before the Evoker stretched her arm out toward the savaged tree only feet away, palm flat, and a tiny, blinding bolt of lightning arced into the wood, which cracked with a small pop and a sizzle of boiling sap.

  “Except, you know. A proper one,” Kaira added happily after Ana gave off one single snort of laughter, signaling the beginning of the end of her tears.

  “Sorry for being so damn dramatic,” Ana said a minute later, wiping her face on the sleeve of her tunic. “I usually do this behind a locked door somewhere.”

  “We’ve all got to let it out some way,” Kaira said amiably. “Come on, Marshal Chosen. Let’s get you back to the others and decide what to do.”

  With a clearer mind, Ana had to admit that the battle had gone well. Thanks to their overwhelming advantage, they had only three real injuries: Part the Bulwark, who’d led a Party of volunteers during the campaign against Karti, had taken a direct hit from a Binder’s enervating lightning. He was in a bad way, but was responding to the healing potion he’d been given and didn’t seem to be getting any worse. From Ana’s own party, Lesirell and Waller had been hit by fire bolts as they advanced. Both were resting and should be fine, and Kaira had kindly offered up her burn ointment to help against the lingering pain and to prevent scarring. On top of that the three Parties had an impressive collection of cuts, scrapes, bruises, minor burns, a few sprains, and a host of other little ways of getting hurt, but nothing that had taken anyone out of the fight. It really couldn’t have gone much better — except, of course, if that had been the end of it.

  “The Wayfarer insists that no one had gone in before we forced them to,” Ana told the gathered hunters. “And no one saw neither the Earthbreaker nor Karti enter. Kosh, Split, is it too much to hope that either of you heard anything about where they might’ve gone?”

  Kosh, who bore the marks of having been cruelly beaten and looking equal parts pissed and embarrassed over being taken captive, shrugged. “Afraid so,” she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. “Most of ‘em spoke Wanteul, which neither of us does, and when they didn’t they didn’t say shit that might’ve been useful. I mean, we heard ‘em planning their ambush and all, but nothing about their leaders.”

  “Yeah, didn’t think so.” She looked at the Party of scouts, who all stood gathered around their rescued friends. “You’re all sure that you didn’t see any signs of anyone leaving the enemy force on the way here?”

  “None, Marshal,” Darr said. “Not a trace.”

  “In that case, here’s what we’re doing. With my Party Abilities my Party can move faster than anyone else here, by a large margin. We’re going back to see if there’s any tracks we missed, or any new ones to find. With any luck we’ll be able to run them down. Lesirell, Waller. All respect, but with you both still recovering I’m going to have to leave you here. Instead I’m taking Yna and Darr to scout for us. Wandak, Tarkan, deal with the bodies, then camp out here until you feel ready to go in and clear out that Delve. Once you’re done, return along the same path we took here.”

  A murmur rippled through the gathered hunters at her declaration.

  “When you say clear it out…” Tarkan said. The reluctance in his voice was unmistakable, and when she looked around, Ana saw a lot of haunted faces. A lot of people who’d seen too much death already. More importantly, people she liked, whom she’d be spending another two months with and didn't want to resent her.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  With a soft sigh, she said, “Look, I know what I said when we started out. And I meant it, but I understand if the idea isn’t quite as appealing now as it was. Just… don’t take any risks in the name of mercy, alright? I’m not expecting any of you to execute your neighbors if they surrender, but if we lose someone because you felt kind and forgiving…”

  She trailed off, letting them fill in the blank themselves.

  Tarkan nodded sharply. “Understood, Marshal.”

  “Good. Then we’d better rearrange the Parties and get moving. Any comments or objections before we go?”

  “Getting late,” Kaira said, looking up. It wasn’t quite twilight, but not far from it. “How long can we go?”

  There was a bright flash from Jancia. A small, white orb had appeared above her, quickly mellowing into something not quite as blinding. “I can help with that,” she said, finally settling on a brightness that left the area around her almost in daylight.

  “I’ve got Darksight,” Yna said, followed closely by a “Same” from Darr.

  “I see heat,” Omda added, a rare tidbit of information about the big man.

  Ana nodded to the three. “Great. I’ll want you on point. Anything else?”

  “You sure you want to go with just one Party?” Kosh asked. “Bastard’s tricky, and he's got, what, four guys with him? Besides the priest?”

  “I am. I’m not going to pretend that it's the safest option, but we need to move fast, and we need to be able to keep moving. Every moment we wait, they get further away. Hell, they could be heading straight back to the outpost for all we know.”

  There was a sharp exclamation of “Aw, shit!” from someone who apparently hadn't considered that possibility.

  “Yeah,” Ana agreed. “If there are no more objections: Yna, Darr, leave your Party. My Party, get your gear in order. We’re moving out as soon as everyone’s ready. Lesirell, Waller, sorry about this. I’ll make it up to you, alright?”

  With that, Ana removed the two from her Party and invited the two Scouts. And then, while she waited for everyone to check their gear and get their packs on, she went over her notifications.

  The battle might not have been the end of their troubles, but at least it had been profitable. Ana had seen a few new Levels among her hunters, most notable to her being that Omda was now a Ranger, Level 15, and Deni an Evoker, Level 8. They were both slowly catching up to their friends, and good thing, too. Right now, every Level would help.

  Ana had done well for herself, too, as her notifications were only too happy to tell her.

  All in all, the notification credited her Party for defeating no less that 16 enemies, and she’d been up close and personally involved with most of those. Along with her bonus, it translated to a total of 5 Medium, 11 Minor, 11 Lesser, and 5 Least Growth Crystals. And while that was the bulk of the Crystals she received, they weren’t all. She got no less than 6 from Skill Levels as well, along with two very welcome Perks.

  She wasn’t sure that she liked what On the Chin said about just how badly her hard-earned discipline in a fight had been slipping. It was a consolation prize; a “you’re not doing it right but I’ve got to give you something” from the System. That said, she certainly wasn’t going to complain. No matter how carefully she defended herself, with multiple opponents something was going to slip through sooner or later. When that happened she’d be glad for every bit of mitigation she could get.

  In sharp contrast, Living Weapon was just what she’d wanted. As much as Ana loved grappling and believed in the supremacy of a strong ground game in one-on-one, she was very pleased to get a Perk that improved her stand-up fighting. She’d been forced to grapple in the middle of a battle more than once, but it was rarely the best option, given the choice. The fact that the Perk synergized perfectly with Hammer Blows, her 50 Strength Enhancement, was the cherry on top. Even steel armor shouldn't be much of a concern at this point, if she had to face an armored man barehanded.

  Besides the Perks, hitting Level 15 in Unarmed Combat meant a much appreciated increase to the bonus Strength, Endurance, and Vitality from Iron Body. She was a little disappointed not to have felt it when she got the actual Skill Level, having been pretty caught up in killing anyone around her. But every Point helped, especially when that bonus applied to each Attribute’s Base value and was amplified by the respective Multiplier.

  So, yeah. The battle had been very profitable. Not least since the Crystals Ana had gained mean that she now had 26,000 Experience Points in her Storage, well above the 18,000 she needed to reach Level 19. And for once, she wasn’t going to put it off. There was an enemy out there, a high-Level, high-Tier mage who’d shown that he could predict her moves and outmaneuver her. She didn’t doubt that she could take him once she caught him — she had to deal with him, so allowing herself to doubt wouldn’t do any good — but she also wasn’t going to be dumb enough not to give herself an edge that she’d want in the near future anyway. And so, before moving on, she consumed the Crystals she needed, stopping only to give her Party a much appreciated warning that their Vitality was about to increase.

  She managed to hold on to her Ascendant Growth Crystal. She was glad for that; not only was it worth something like 40 gold if she, against all likelihood, decided to sell it, but it felt special in a way, since she’d gotten it for her part in defeating the Ascender. She was a little peeved that she was only something like 2 Shards off from being able to keep her Greater Growth Crystal as well, but the math was what it was. Instead she ended up keeping a whole bunch of Leasts and Lessers.

  She didn’t agonize long over how to spend her 19 new Advancement Points. She spent 9 Points on 2 Steps in her Endurance Multiplier, pushing her Effective value to 52 and gaining her an Enhancement. A bit of quick arithmetic had told her that she could get 1 Step, which would bring her Effective value to 49 and get her the Enhancement for free, so to speak, with Class Level 20. But an Endurance Enhancement now, when she was still hunting an enemy, was potentially far more valuable than a few more points in some other Attribute, considering that Bastion would let her share that Enhancement with her Party.

  Of the remaining 10 Points she spent 6 on a Step in Acuity, and the last 4 on Dexterity. The way the Earthshaker had slipped between her fingers left her feeling a bit insecure — she could admit that much — but she also intended to get Acuity to 50 soon anyway. And a bit of extra Dexterity would help her train up her Throwing Skill, or so she hoped.

  She might have argued with herself that Indefatigable made Endurance and its other Enhancements less valuable, but she’d run herself almost literally into the ground before; she’d rather avoid repeating that experience. She also couldn’t imagine that any Attribute might have an Enhancement that effectively made all others obsolete, and as she exited her Summary to see what she’d received, she was relieved to see that she’d been right.

  There were times when Ana wondered if the System was sentient. There were times, like when it seemed to have a sense of humor, like when it gave her the Connected Enhancement which let the Wayfarer speak to her directly, wherever she was. There were times it gave her something that just fit her, like the Perks and Enhancements that improved her ability to grapple. And then there were times like these when it seemed to be listening, and determined to give her just what she needed.

  “Everybody ready?” Ana asked her Party. “Alright! Let’s head out.”

  and read 8 chapters ahead of both Splinter Angel and Draka! You also get to read anything else I’m trying out — which is how Splinter Angel got started.

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