Adeline awoke to a hand on shoulder, shaking her gently.

  “Adel,” Farris said softly, “we’re almost to Jellis. It’s time to wake up.”

  Adeline blinked a few times, coming awake fully to Farris’s face over her prone figure. She smiled and sat up, but before she could speak, a yawn forced its way out of her. Her stamina boon was powerful at Adept level, but it didn’t remove all need for sleep, and her body still took a few minutes to wake up.

  “Already?” she asked after she stretched away the yawn.

  “That’s what the driver says.”

  That was amazing, even to Adeline. The coach they rode in was no simple draft-drawn carriage, dependent on the stamina of the beasts pulling it. Of course, this wasn’t the first time Adeline had ridden in a self-propelled wagon, but the runecoach they had hired in Correntry put all the others to shame. A massive, luxurious affair of steel, wood, and runes, it was a feat of engineering and artifice, normally outside even Adeline’s means.

  But this mission had been given to her by the Knight-Radiant himself, and there was apparently no time to waste. Drawing on the Order’s coffers had been more than sufficient to purchase a fast coach from the trade city to Jellis, and the money had clearly been worth it. They had made a journey that should’ve been over three weeks in a matter of days.

  Adeline could only hope that was fast enough.

  While Adeline gathered herself together, Farris pulled the curtains on either side of the plush coach cabin, revealing the blur of the landscape speeding past them. The ride was far from smooth–the Flax Road was rarely smooth enough to accommodate high speeds, and no matter how complex the coach’s design was, there wasn’t any way to fully absorb the constant shock of the vehicle bouncing along stones and ruts in the road.

  Something dark slid by the carraige’s window in an instant. Adeline’s bright eyes went wide, and she called out, “Driver! Stop!”

  The coach immediately began to slow down, but there was no quick way to stop at the speed it was going. Artificers were supposedly working on a design for a brake that wouldn’t shatter or ignite when suddenly applied, but so far they hadn’t produced anything notable. So Adeline didn’t bother to wait, flinging the door of the coach open.

  “Adel? What’s wrong?” Farris asked. The warden office must’ve been looking out the other window and missed what Adeline had spotted.

  “I don’t know! Come with me!”

  Without further explanation, the knight leaped from the coach,disregarding its continued speed. A golden barrier flickered around her a split-second before she hit the ground, absorbing just enough force that she could land safely. A tight tumble allowed her to manage her own momentum, and she kept moving as she got to her feet, absently throwing a hand back to give Farris her own barrier.

  [Shining Shield] - Active, Defense, Support - Create a barrier of energy to defend yourself or an ally. Lesser duration and durability increases to moderate if used on an ally. Lesser focus cost decreases to minor if the target is engaged by three or more enemies.

  There it is. It had been hard to make out details in the blur of the coach’s speed, but Adeline had been right to trust her instincts. Along the side of the road, not far from Jellis, was the corpse of a war beast, a massive boar of blood and iron.

  Farris caught up while Adeline was still investigating the body. It had been killed cleanly, with a straight hole through one of its eyes being the only visible wound on its body. It couldn’t have been more than a couple days old–the miasma that had warped the beast had left the body magically tainted, enough so to scare off the usual vermin and scavengers that would normally feast on such a corpse. Still, it showed little natural decomposition.

  “That’s not good,” Farris observed as she approached. “It’s a war beast, right?”

  “Definitely,” Adeline confirmed. War beasts meant there was miasma, the semi-sentient magical corruption of the Chained World, somewhere in the area. That meant goblins and more beasts like this one, and possibly even a hag to tend to the corruptive magic.

  “Jellis has their militia, though, right?” Farris said. “I would think them able to handle something like this easily enough.”

  “Maybe,” Adeline agreed. She knew Jellis’s sheriff, Elway, by reputation. The man was an Adept, and supposedly quite formidable. “In normal times, I have no doubt they could. But…”

  “These aren’t normal times,” Farris finished, her voice grim.

  “I shouldn’t have stopped us. Let’s get back to the coach.”

  #

  Both women examined their weapons closely as they approached Jellis.

  Farris ran a honing stone over her axe blade, working at a burr she had noticed. Though a runed weapon, the battle axe was otherwise mundane steel, and had to be treated carefully to keep its edge.

  Adeline had little need to do the same, but she looked over her sword anyways. The majority of her longsword was made of steel similar to Farris’s own weapon, with its own runes engraved along it, giving her an assortment of brief, but powerful, kinetic abilities to activate, but its blade was something special. Edged in brassy-gold eldrite, the weapon cut with potency all its own, and its edge would never dull. For Adeline, whose skillset emphasized support so much more than simple power, the expensive runeblade was a straightforward and dangerous weapon.

  Still, she took the time to inspect the runes along the blade, ensuring they hadn’t worn or warped in a way that would impact their efficacy. While Adeline was no artificer, she knew enough of the art to maintain the precious runes.

  She looked down at her left wrist, and the little silver sword talisman hanging off of it, considering. But she decided against conjuring her other blade. The coach was cramped enough, and one of the strengths of astral steel weapons was that they were always conjured in the same shape and condition they were forged in. That’s what made them worth their considerable cost.

  Of course, Adeline hadn’t paid for hers, but still.

  “Elder’s beard!” The driver suddenly swore. The coach, which had already been slowing as they approached Jellis, pulled to a full stop.

  Adeline and Farris got to their feet, and they were ready when the first gnolls reached the doors of their carriage.

  Adeline swung her door out suddenly, just after the first had passed by, hitting the second slavering creature in its elongated face. Before either could react, Adeline was out of the wagon. Her runeblade stabbed straight through the door, the fine-paneled wood posing little obstacle to the eldrite-lined blade and allowing her to kill the second gnoll before it could recover from the sudden impact.

  The first lunged at her, snarling, clearly thinking her unarmed. It reeled back an instant later, its raidblade cut in half, and its skull quickly following suit, as Adeline’s astral blade warded it off.

  On the other side of the wagon, a crash heralded Farris’s more aggressive entry to the fight, as a kick sent her door flying off the coach entirely, knocking it into a surprised gnoll. A sweep of her axe killed the second creature on her side, and then a brusque gesture with one hand sent thorns curling around the sprawled-out gnoll. It didn’t get to stand before those thorns shredded its life away.

  Ahead of them, there were screams, and smoke rose throughout Jellis. Shapes of all sizes ran back and forth, fighting and killing each other wantonly.

  Farris and Adeline didn’t need to say a word. Warden or knight, this was what they did.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  #

  It was always hard to keep track of time in a fight, so Adeline could only guess at how long it took her to reach the center of the massive, bustling town that anchored the bottom of the Flax Road. She had lost Farris a little while back–the warden’s combination of gifts made her a menace against even a large number of weak enemies, and she had relieved the militia on the entire north side of town, taking that border for herself while Adeline kept moving.

  The attacking force was considerable, with no small number of goblins, gnolls, and warbeasts charging through the town’s streets. However, it appeared that Jellis’s militia was doing their duty, for better or worse. Adleine had encountered near a score of human corpses so far, but the vast majority bore the arms and armor of Jellis’s guards, and those few who didn’t had the look of citizens with the ability and willingness to defend themselves and their families.

  While the town was holding thus far, it was clear that the militia was losing gifted at a rapid rate. They simply couldn’t hold against a force of this size.

  That was why people like Adeline existed.

  Adeline turned a corner into the town square and was throwing up a hand even as she did. A golden bubble barrier popped up around one guardsman moments before a raidblade hit, absorbing most of the gnoll’s attack. Another gesture sent a golden aura around another guard, the woman’s wounds slowly closing and giving her enough of a second wind to fight back against the goblins mobbing her.

  [Blessing of Health] - Active, Healing, Support - Target gains a passive healing effect. Lesser duration and potency is increased to moderate when used on an ally. Duration is only consumed when the effect is active. Lesser focus cost.

  Once Adeline reached the skirmish, it was over quickly enough. The three surviving guards looked at her with wonder, but the knight had no time for admiration.

  “Where’s Elway?” Adeline knew the town’s sheriff was an Adept battle-gifted and a veteran sentinel. He should’ve been leading the charge to push back the invaders, but she had yet to see any sign of him.

  “The river,” one militiaman gasped breathlessly, the one she had shielded. “There’s a few mills out that way, and the schoolhouse.”

  “Balls,” Adeline cursed. “The northern road is handled, start gathering up what survivors you can here. There’s strength in numbers. I’ll get Elway and we’ll meet back up with you soon.”

  Adeline didn’t wait for a response, turning in the direction the man had indicated and running at a full sprint, relying on her enhanced stamina to keep her moving.

  #

  It was a good thing she had run. The riverside was ablaze. Two of the town’s mills had gone up in flames already, and the third would’ve as well if not for Elway. The sheriff, a dark-skinned giant of a man, stood directly in front of the building, facing down a trio of cackling gnolls.

  Witches, they had to be. Adeline had heard that gnoll women were rare, but they were uniformly dangerous, leaders among the bestial soldier race, given access to some the same dark magic their matrons used. Most often, that magic took the form of blasts or waves of black-tinged fire, as heated and insane as their madness.

  Elway, heavy mace and oversized shield in hand, parried each of the blasts of flame aside, preserving the last of the mills with what had to be abilities from the gift of the guardian, but the salvo kept the man from making his way forward to ply his might in melee.

  Not far from the fight, separated from the flames by the single remaining mill and a small fenced-in yard, was a finely made, peak-roofed building. The school, it must’ve been. There, Adeline finally saw some familiar faces. Beryl stood astride the entry to the schoolhouse, warstaff in hand, batting aside a handful of malicious goblins trying to enter the building. The girl moved with uncharacteristic hesitance, not quite committing in any direction. Adeline recognized the behavior–Beryl must’ve been wounded, and was favoring the side she was hurt on.

  Unfortunately, the other two with her were unlikely to be much help. Rose and Oliver were facing down the massive, bloated form of an ogre. No, Adeline realized, it wasn’t Oliver. It was another swordsman, tall and lean, moving with a level of skill and grace beyond her squire’s. That, and Rose’s healing, was all that was keeping him alive against his powerful foe.

  No sign of Oliver, nor of the legion hag that would no doubt be leading a force of this size. But there was no time for that. This piece of the battle was a stalemate now, but it was held on a knife’s edge, ready to tip in either direction. Adeline needed to end it before she could get any answers.

  First, Adeline threw out a Blessing of Health at Beryl and an Inspire Energy at the swordsman, giving the two lower leveled combatants a boost before she turned to Elway’s fight.

  Twin blades arced as she ran forward, cutting down one of the gnoll witches before it even noticed her presence. The next turned, sending out a gush of those hateful black flames, but Adeline was ready for it, a Shining Shield springing up a split second before the flames washed over her. The moment the heat dissipated, Adeline dove forward, her runeblade cutting the witch’s stomach open and spilling her guts to the ground.

  Unfortunately, the last of the gnolls proved smarter than her sisters. She conjured the same black flames, but hers rose in a wall, a barrier surrounding her on all sides.

  Adeline growled. She had few options for ranged damage, one of the biggest weaknesses of her skillset. She’d need to use another Shield and Blessing to break throu–

  Before she could finish planning, a mace of dark iron spun through the smoky air and crushed the gnoll’s skull. Once the pressure was off of him, Elway had apparently decided to help.

  Adeline dropped her astral steel sword, letting it vanish, and hauled up the massive mace. The weapon was incredibly heavy, clearly designed for someone with superior strength, but she managed an awkward toss, sending it back to the sheriff.

  The veteran warrior didn’t need any direction. He came close enough to catch his mace, tipped his head respectfully to Adeline, and started towards the ogre.

  Adeline grimaced. It was going to be a nasty fight. Ogres were moderate ranked monsters, brutes on par with the minotaur she and Farris had fought. The lower leveled gifted would be of little aid, especially tired as they were, but… Adeline’s eyes went wide as Elway simply charged the ogre, seeming to grow with every step forward, his armor and weapons somehow growing with him.

  The gift of the titan, Adeline thought, dumbstruck. She had heard of the rare gift granted by the Veteran archetype to experienced sentinels, but she’d never seen it in action. By the time Elway reached the ogre, he was practically the same size as it was, and far better armed.

  Adeline tossed out another couple buffs onto the sheriff, her efficient abilities and high-level stamina and focus keeping her moving, and finally turned back towards the trio that had defended the schoolhouse. Between them, the remaining threats along the river lasted only minutes.

  “Adeline!” Rose gasped, once the last of the goblins had fallen. “Thank the Mage–is Farris with you?”

  “Up by the north gate.” Adeline lifted a hand to forestall any further questions. “We’ll catch up later. Stay here, protect the school.”

  “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Elway rumbled. The man was still overgrown from his abilities, easily twice his already massive size. Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Milady.”

  “Save the titles for after this mess. I have your militia collecting in the town square, and a warden officer is holding the northern gate.”

  Elway grunted. His gifts and bearing marked him as a bruiser, but he proved more thoughtful than Adeline expected. “We go south, push up to the square then towards your friend.”

  “Let’s go.”

  #

  The attack lasted little longer past that point. Once they realized that they no longer had their ogre and witches to occupy Elway, and that the town had gained two more powerful defenders, most of the gnolls broke ranks and fled, leaving behind the goblins and warbeasts. The miasmic monsters were too stupid to flee without direction, but they seemed to be left intentionally to cover the more clever gnolls’ escape.

  It became a clean-up job from there, Elway and Adeline rallying the town’s militia and ensuring that Jellis’s citizens stayed behind them. Overall, it could’ve been worse, though not by much. The sheriff’s militia had proven its worth, and though it took more than one-in-three losses, few other townsfolk had perished at the raiders’ hands.

  It was evening by the time Adeline and Farris got the chance to sit down with the warden recruits and the swordsman they had been working with, a mercenary named Aton. Or so Rose had claimed, at least. Adeline didn’t miss the surprise on the eclipsed man’s face when the girl introduced to him as a sellsword, met on the road.

  “And where, exactly, is Oliver?” Adeline forced down the queasy fear in her gut–had her squire been killed, she knew that the warden girls would’ve led with that.

  “We don’t know,” Rose admitted. “We split up almost a week ago–I had to get Beryl back here to heal her. Oli went after the leader of the bandits.”

  “You split up!?” Farris shouted at the girl.

  “Well… she had Cadence with him.”

  “And who exactly is Cadence?”

  Adeline lifted a hand to cut off the warden officer. There was too much happening. Chained World raiders, bandits with undead assistance, unknowns like Aton or this Cadence…

  Adeline wasn’t foolish enough to think she knew everything that was happening in the heartlands, but it was clear that events were coming to a boil, possibly to an extent the Order and the Crown wasn’t aware of. Someone needed to do something.

  The woman grimaced. Why else would she have been sent here?

  “Let’s start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”

  and reading the conclusion of the Corpse Hag arc~