The Ascendant Wizard

Morena rode alone through the city streets; she didn't take any of the soldiers with her because what she wanted to do, she needed to keep under wraps.

What exactly was that? Well, she planned to meet someone who could give her a clue about whether the church was involved in this matter or not. But she couldn't draw attention to them, or herself, while doing this.

That person was the clerk. The pathetic little man who had been dragged into her service by force rather than by loyalty. The poison still worked; the man hadn't tried to step out of line yet, he was still too scared.

Of course, she didn't trust him completely; she didn't trust that her plan would hold his leash without a chance of slipping. That was why she left someone to keep an eye on him, as well as deliver the 'antidote' to him in regular doses.

Hark.

The man she entrusted to watch over the movement of the clerk. He was trustworthy enough that he never questioned her orders; he executed them with perfection.

He had no trouble keeping a man in line, and Morena intended to pay Hark a visit to see if he knew anything. Anything the clerk knew, Hark would know too. If the clerk had been doing his work properly, good. If not, well, then she would have decisions to make.

Her horse's hooves struck against stone as she cut through the streets, past a handful of merchants opening stalls and servants hauling water. Somewhere along the less crowded areas, she threw her cloak over herself, hiding her figure and family logo.

She was moving quickly, passing by house after house, when the AI voice notified her.

[Warning. Three figures have been detected maintaining a steady pursuit. Distance: thirty-seven paces. Tracking behavior detected.]

Her grip on the reins tightened, the horse snorting as if it could sense her sudden shift in mood.

She didn't look back, but she didn't need to in order to confirm the AI was right. It wouldn't be wrong if it said she was being followed, then she was.

'Three of them? Right after leaving the site, they must have been watching for a while.'

She didn't make any effort to change her pace or direction; she didn't want to give any sign that she had noticed them and possibly cause them to back off.

This was a chance, a chance for her to find out who was behind the attack on the warehouse and who killed her men, at least, she believed these people would be related to it.

The timing was much too coincidental to be otherwise.

Instead she guided the horse down a narrower road, then another, taking multiple pathways that led to an emptier side of the city; to them, she was just moving as usual, but her purpose was to lead them away from the crowd.

Each turn she made, the AI tracked the three figures as they shadowed her. It was basically confirmed after a few turns that they were following her. They were never too far, and never too close; they moved to match her pace.

They were professionals.

By the time she reached an area where the people thinned and basically no one remained, Morena had already decided what she would do. She guided the horse down an empty area, slowing it down as she approached.

She pulled on the reins and stopped. The horse shifted its weight as she swung down from the saddle and landed on the ground next to it. Dirt crunched beneath her boots as she walked forward into the open space.

She took one glance around to confirm one last time that no innocent people would get involved before turning to the three horsemen behind her, who came to a stop as well.

"Enough with the following."

Her voice was calm, even, though her blood had already begun to flow throughout her body, her heart beating with adrenaline.

The three horses came to a halt. On their backs, she could see the men, or rather, she could see what they wore. Dark hoods covered their faces, and their clothing was black, fitted, wrapped in cloth that hid their frame.

But it didn't hide the swords at their side.

As they stopped, they too jumped off their horses, their steps steady and trained.

"Who are you?"

She called out once more, yet she got no reply before they moved forward.

Two of them moved with impressive speed; their steps were silent and agile; if she didn't see them, she wouldn't have heard them coming at all. The moment she saw their speed, she could tell they were apprentices, both, not high but also not low.

If she had to make an estimate, they were probably mid-level apprentices much like herself, but unlike her, they were honed for assassinations.

The third, however, was heavier. He was much bigger; his frame was broad even under his clothing. As he stepped forward, Morena could feel the chill run up her spine, his presence expanding in the area and pressing down on her like a physical force.

A Rank 1 Warrior.

Almost instantly, her eyes widened and jaw tightened. Two apprentice warriors and a Rank 1? Was this what they sent after her to kill her? Did they overestimate her, or were they just trying to make sure she was dead?

'Shit. They're really trying to put me in a tough situation huh.'

They didn't even bother replying to her words before attacking her; the two apprentices leading the attack for the time being. The Rank 1 not moving from his position just yet, but his hand didn't leave his blade.

Morena moved instantly, dagger flashing as she twisted aside from the first apprentice's strike. The man's blade sliced through the empty air where she had stood, and she retaliated with an attack of her own.

She slashed across his forearm, blood splattering as he stumbled back with a sharp hiss; but she could tell the attack didn't go as deep as she had hoped.

In the last second the man had moved, just slightly, but he had moved so that the dagger would miss any vital areas.

'They're trained pretty good.'

The second apprentice came from the right, sword thrust low without giving her a chance to adjust. Morena caught the strike with her dagger, sparks snapping as metal ground against metal.

The force rattled her arm, but she twisted and drove her boot into his knee. He staggered, grunting, but his partner closed in to cover the gap.

She barely had time to disengage before the warrior was on her.

She didn't even see when the man moved; one minute he was standing at the horse, the next he was already directly next to her.

'So fast.'

His speed was like a blur, she didn't even have time to dodge or properly react to it.

His blade came down like a hammer, the sheer weight of it numbing her wrist as she tried to block. She slid back due to the force, boots tearing into the dirt, her cloak whipping as the blade carved down past her guard.

The next swing followed without pause, faster than she expected for someone of his build.

Her dagger caught it again, but the shock pushed her further back; bending her wrist to the point where she could hear it breaking.

'He's too strong.'

She had to shift focus; she had no way of winning against the warrior in a confrontation, so she had to focus on trying to escape him. To do that she first had to deal with the two apprentices that were with him.

They were strong, but not stronger than her, the issue was their teamwork; they moved to fill in the gaps for each other and when she got close enough to dealing with one, the warrior interfered.

She would need to kill them quickly.

Pushing off the ground she slid under the man's blade and rolled towards the two behind him. Her blade carved into the thigh of one as she jumped up, and with a spin, snapped across the other's shoulder.

She could hear their voices under their hoods, cursing, but quickly adjusting to put pressure on her sides.

The warrior didn't let up either.

Each strike drove her toward the edge of collapse. He wasn't even using any special moves, he was just swinging with his blade, sometimes wildly; but he didn't need to. His sheer strength, speed, and durability made him a wall she couldn't overcome.

While she was focused on avoiding him, an apprentice lunged, sword stabbing toward her ribs. Morena twisted and let it slide wide, then buried her dagger beneath his chin.

His gurgled cry cut short as he collapsed.

The other reacted to his death and charged, she couldn't dodge him and the warrior at the same time, she had to pay a small price to deal with him.

Taking his attack, she blocked the apprentice's blade with her palm, but she grabbed down onto it as she did. Instead of letting him pull away from her, she pulled the man in and threw him in front of the warrior's incoming slash.

Maybe the warrior didn't expect it, or maybe he didn't care; but the blade cleaved through the apprentice with ease going so deep that it reached her on the other side.

His sword slashed across her forearm, piercing deep enough to burn. She groaned in pain, retreating as she pushed the dead apprentice towards him to buy some time, but his boot slammed into the body, pushing her along with it.

She hit the ground hard, air torn from her lungs.

She rolled just in time to avoid the next strike, the blade splitting the earth where she had been.

The AI's voice chimed in.

[Warning. Blood loss increasing. Estimated collapse in seven minutes.]

She clenched her teeth, pushing herself up.

'Damnit, come on Morena, think.'