Blue Pine town is a trade goods hub. The various villages produce food and goods to send to town to be sold. A fair few of these goods find their way to the markets in town. Great food wafts in the air while beautiful textiles and clothes capture the eye. Travelers going to the big city or heading out of the country find themselves here to rest and spend their gold. On this fateful day, Ren finds herself being dragged around by a nun.

  “So where to first?” Mona asked.

  “I don’t know!” Ren said flatly. “You brought me here.”

  An awkward silence passes between the two of them. They are two work coded people trying to have a day off. It is beginning to dawn on all involved that this was a poorly planned day off. Thankfully, someone with a lighter heart came to save the day. A little 12-year-old girl came to say hi.

  “Hi, Ren! Hi, miss nun!” Sally had skipped over and waved hi to the two of them.

  “Oh! You’re the kid.” Mona said.

  “Hi, Sally!” Ren said. Her next words came in an exceptionally flat tone. “Please save us.”

  “You got it! Sally to the rescue!” Sally said, puffing out her chest.

  It is at this point that Samson and Mila Vert catch up to their daughter.

  “Sally, don’t run off like that.” Mila said.

  “Hey, mom! Ren needs saving again!” Sally said.

  “Gods, preserve us. Ren!” Mila sighed as she approached the growing crowd.

  “Hello!” Ren waved at Mila and Samson as they approached.

  “Glad to see you’re doing well. Now what’s this about saving you?” Samson asked.

  “How do we have a day off?” Ren asked in as confusing a manner as one could ask such a question in.

  Samson just gave a heavy sigh and shook his head.

  “Looks like we’re all taking a day off.”

  “You have a day off?” Ren asked.

  “It’s the weekend.” Samson said.

  “What’s a weekend?” Ren asked as bluntly as ever.

  There is a long pause in the conversation after Ren asks that question. Eventually, Ren, Mona and the Vert family went off to eat and do some shopping. Although, it seemed that Sally and Mila were having a bit too much fun dressing Ren up. After a while, they picked out 3 sets of clothes for Ren. As the day gives way to the afternoon, the party comes to an outdoor cafe of sorts.

  “But why don’t you wear the clothes we bought?” Sally asked.

  “Maybe later.” Ren said.

  “But why?”

  “Later, Sally.” Ren gave Sally a pat on the head.

  “Let’s look for a table already.” Mila said.

  “Right then! Ren, let’s look for a table over there.” Mona said as she pushed Ren around a corner. “So, remember when I said that there were two men sent to kidnap you last night?”

  “Yes.” Ren said blankly.

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  “Don’t look now, but they’re on the street around here.”

  “Whoa!” Ren gasped in a low tone and immediately began around.

  “I just said don’t look.” Mona slapped her hand on her forehead. She winces in pain as a gunshot wound she received last night radiates a flash of pain. “Anyway, it’s bold of them to try this in broad daylight.”

  Ren faces forward, seemingly following Mona’s instructions. Apherward is glad that no one realized that it didn’t need to make Ren do that and it could look for itself. The book uses it’s own senses and does not find anyone sneaking around.

  “I don’t see anyone.” Ren said.

  “Just take my word for it.” Mona said.

  “Can I beat them?” Ren asked.

  “They’re, like, over twice your level.” Mona said.

  “I can take them.” Ren said.

  “If you say so, but make sure you at least keep one of them alive?” Mona said.

  “Okay! I got it!” Ren said. “Come on! We have to finish up before Sally and her parents worry about us.”

  The two lead their tails to an alleyway not too far. Apherward only sees these tails when they follow Ren into an alleyway. When they become plain to see, Apherward plans on just turning around and blasting them with one of the various spells it imparted to Ren. It would seem that Mona had a different plan.

  “Stay on this side. I’ll be behind them.”

  “Wait what?” Ren said.

  “Dark Step!” and Mona vanished at those words.

  Ren stares at the space where Mona once stood.

  “Oh!” Ren flatly said.

  “Aw shit!” one of the men who followed them here said.

  “Dark Step!” the other said before he too vanished.

  In the next moment. Mona appears behind the man at the entrance to the alleyway, while the other man appears behind Ren at the center of the alley. Thankfully, Apherward saw him this time. Ren steps away as the rogue tries to grab at her. The rogue is frustrated by this since Ren didn’t even turn to face him. Still expecting to have the drop on the girl, he steps forward and grabs for her again only for her to side step him while still facing away from him. However, her hand was pointed towards him.

  “Water Arrow!”

  Water appeared in Ren’s hand to form an arrow. It lances out towards the rogue. Caught by surprise, the rogue takes the magically conjured arrow to the shin. Just shy of striking him in the knee. The arrow punctures his skin, flesh and rapidly spinning water grazes his bone. The rogue can only stumble forward onto his hands.

  “Water Arrow!”

  Another arrow made of water pierces his hand against the dirt ground of the alley before it turns into water. The hole in his hand is still there. He winces in pain as Ren raises her hands and cheers in her usual tone of voice.

  “I win!”

  At the entrance of the alley, the other rogue leaps away from Mona and throws down another smoke bomb. He sees his cohort on his hands and knees while Ren was cheering. He wasn’t sure what the plan was now. The original plan was to grab her real fast and run like the hells were at their feet. They had an escape route planned, but that was the extent of their plan’s complexity. Unfortunately, he now needed a plan B. The rogue didn’t exactly have one in mind, but he still reached for his grab bag of tools. He just pulled out his pistol and shot it at Ren. The next step of Plan B would have to be extrapolated on later.

  Apherward had successfully subdued one of the rogues. It is an incredible magical tome of dark magics. A simple rogue stood no chance against a mage who benefitted from wielding it. The sentient tome wells with pride as a crack of thunder resounds. The sound was close too. Apherward had seen no signs of rain or a storm coming. As it questioned the sound of thunder, Ren fell over. Apherward was taken aback, and looked around at what happened to Ren. She was bleeding from a wound in her upper thigh. The tome still had no idea what just happened. Searching for an answer, it checked Ren’s status.

  Ren

  Level 6 Mage

  Strength: 9

  Magic: 20

  Agility: 7

  Vitality: 6

  Magic Capacity: Low

  Titles: None

  Skills:

  Swordsmanship Level 1

  Housekeeping Level 1

  Spells:

  Ice Bolt Level 1

  Fireball Level 1

  Haste Level 1

  Raise Zombie Level 1

  Stone Wall Level 1

  Water Arrow Level 1

  Blind Level 1

  Locate Location Level 1

  Project Mind Level 1

  Magic Soft Fall Level 1

  Chain Lightning Level 1

  Status: Injured

  Left Leg Gunshot Severity 3

  The tome spoke inside Ren’s head.

  “What in the world is a gunshot?”

  The rogue made a mad dash to grab Ren. He prepared another smoke bomb and prepared to use it as he grabbed her. Unfortunately for him, Mona easily caught up to him. Realizing that it’s now or never, the rogue tosses the smoke bomb at Mona with the hope of blinding her. The bomb came too late. Mona was already in striking distance. Blinding her wouldn’t do any good now that she was already close enough to swing for his neck. She swung her dagger down with her right hand at him. The smoke bomb exploded just fine, but at this range it didn’t matter. The rogue could only bring both hands up to stop the knife. He grabbed her wrist before the dagger could come down on him. He grabbed it with both hands. Mona’s right arm already had a gunshot wound. The swing probably wouldn’t cut too deep if it hit anyway. Mona knew this and set the rogue up to fail. With her right arm injured, she dropped her dagger. Her left hand came up to grab it. With both of the rogue’s hands trying to stop a wounded right arm, Mona catches her dagger in her left and stuck the blade into the rogue’s gut. He doubled over as Mona retracted her dagger.

  “Figures. All I needed was a good night's sleep to kick your ass. I owe someone for her wise words.”

  As Mona recovered some of her pride, a certain red headed adventurer exclaimed in a flat tone.

  “Ow!”

  “Right, Ren. Oh, she got shot.” Mona looked over at Ren, the two rogues and the entrance to the alleyway they left the Vert family around.

  “This is going to be a tough one.” Mona said with a sigh.

  A crowd of people were drawn and dispersed by the guards in the coming minutes. The rogues were handed off and Mona bandaged Ren’s new gunshot wound. The Vert family weren’t happy when they got back.

  “One day! Can’t either of you go one day without causing a ruckus?” Samson Vert was resting his head in his hands as the two approached.

  Notably Ren had bandages around her leg.