Adya

  On the day of the Guildmaster’s Gallop…

  Breathing heavily, Adya wished she were in better shape for what felt like the 100th time that day. She still wasn’t sure what Cass had done, but whatever it was, it had ignited a terrible fury in every monster currently located within the city.

  Running across the shattered buildings of Liora, something finally made her stop. Though she hadn’t experienced many years, the sight of golden lights drifting across the sky forced her to pause and watch.

  “Beautiful,” Adya quietly whispered, the word slipping out of her mouth before she could stop it.

  Several floated down, spreading themselves out and touching her. Observation told her that the lights could be dangerous. They were an enigma, and things that weren’t understood couldn’t be trusted. But she knew better.

  This was Cass’s work.

  Looking at the trail of letters and words in the air, Adya tracked their trajectories, coming up with an origin point that should be reachable if she moved quickly. But just then, the words came together, pushing themselves directly into her chest as a notification took over her vision.

  Adya Korring, will you accept the Quest to Defend Liora?

  With trepidation, she approved the prompt.

  [Tier 2 Combat Quest]

  To the brave soul accepting this charge,

  I’m not strong enough to defend the city. I wish I was, I truly do. But that’s not who I am. I’m just a QuestWright.

  You are needed. You matter. You’re loved. Not just by me, but by those who came before and those yet to come. Because you’re heroes, each and every one of you. And that heroism, that bravery, is called upon at this very moment.

  So I’m asking for your help. I’m too weak to destroy those who are attacking Liora. I can’t win the day, not without you and what I’m about to ask you to do.

  So please, I’m begging you, do this for me.

  I’ve done my best to format this so you’re all as protected as can be, but some of you may not make it. I’m sorry. There’s more than could be said than that simple word, but I do not have the time. Just know that your sacrifice will be worth it. Know that Liora will prevail.

  In what I estimate to be no more than ten minutes, hundreds of monsters will be running through Kill Corridor B in the Foundry. A fool on a horse will come charging through, with the enemy close behind. Pay no mind to them; they’ll be just fine, promise.

  Take up what long-range weapons you can find, and place yourselves among the fortified windows to the left and right of Corridor B. As the monsters pass, make them pay. Make them suffer for what they’ve done here, and the people they’ve taken from us.

  I believe in you. You are not alone.

  Liora will prevail, always and forever, as long as we have each other.

  Cassio Vale

  Liora Guildhall

  Guildmaster Pro Tempore

  Adya accepted the Quest with a lump in her throat. She knew who the fool was, as would many. And likely just like them, she didn’t trust that he would be just fine.

  Following the tracking and angle he had to take to reach the Foundry, Adya leaped across the roofs for all she was worth. Seconds burned down as she looked for the young man who had a strong hold on her heart.

  This is becoming a habit of his. Doesn’t he know I’m the Guardian? I’m supposed to protect him, not the other way around.

  With quick movements, Adya scaled the side of one of the few remaining towers left in the area. It was one of the temporary ones, though what it was doing in this location was anyone’s guess. Scrabbling up the rickety ladder, she used the dismount pole on the side to move a little quicker.

  Reaching the top, the structure wobbled a little as she planted her feet and looked out on the destroyed city. With Observation up, it was a matter of seconds to locate Cass and Bella to her left, including the large, fast monster moving across roofs in the near distance.

  Her breathing quickened as she grabbed the pole and slid down, a wetness for what might soon happen already attacking her eyes. Holding her spear at the ready, Adya leaned into her training and skills for all they were worth. Graceful Steps paid for itself with gusto as she leaped, twisted, and flung herself from one piece of debris to another.

  Reaching the top of a mostly stable roof, her emotions connected with Cass’s. The fear, pure exhaustion, and stoic determination emanating from him bolstered her in a way that was hard to explain. He was going through so much in that moment, but she already knew he wasn’t thinking about himself.

  Opening her mouth to call out, it stayed that way without a sound as the mutated Driftclaw reached the opposing roof. Without a thought to her own safety, she tapped into the fully powers of her most powerful ability and angled an intercept route as running forward, she leaped across the way.

  Spear held forward, she heard Cass yell out to Bella below her, then, she met the crazed, dusky green eyes of the Driftclaw before her.

  The sharp-tip of the spear entered the Driftclaw’s chest as her momentum only slightly altered its own. Feeling like she’d hit a brick wall, Adya was an unwilling passenger as the Driftclaw and herself sailed and fell past Cass’s moving figure. She felt his fear spike, but then he was gone, and she felt a rush of satisfaction in helping to keep her protectee safe.

  Together, Adya and the Driftclaw landed in an uncoordinated fashion as she left the spear in it and was forced to roll over and over again to slow down her momentum. Roaring to the sky, the monster forcefully turned its body, ripping out her spear at the same time, then began the chase yet again.

  Adya lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath, then turned her head as a great wave of sound reached her ears. A train of monsters approached in such numbers that she had to turn off Observation just to keep her terror from ramping up. Rolling even more, she hid herself in a collapsed portion of the building, her body held tight to the shattered concrete in the darkness.

  Unknowable time passed by as she stayed in the dark, the only sounds being screeches, screams, and her own heavy breathing. After a few seconds passed, and she felt like most had left, she crawled out from beneath the rubble.

  Then, knees and elbows bloody, clothes torn in the fall and from the battles that came before, she remembered how Cass had felt when he passed beneath her.

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  Adya Korring began the long run to the Forge. She had no hope of making it in time.

  But first, she needed her spear.

  Adya

  Six minutes after Cass reached the end of the Corridor…

  In a half-limp, half-jogging fashion, Adya Korring, Guardian of Guildmaster Pro Tempore Cassio Vale, and Scout of Liora, arrived at Kill Corridor B.

  For as far as her exceptional eyes could see, bleeding, crawling monsters blocked her way. Most were dead, there was no doubt about that, but she couldn’t stop for the ones that were still possibly alive.

  So with a grim countenance, Adya did her bloody work.

  She tried to move quickly, though it threatened to topple her into the monstrous mass. A quick spear thrust forever stopped the movement of a large Skreel, her skill saying it was possibly an Alpha. A spearbutt to the already damaged skull of a Scrounger ended its chirping forever. Like this, she moved toward the man she cherished, even if he didn’t fully return the feelings.

  That was nothing new to a Korring. All told, her mother had never loved her father. But the heart was a fickle thing, and she’d given hers to a QuestWright with more courage than intelligence. So she moved faster.

  Adya passed by several Liorans, out from their fortifications and fighting to stop the monsters from coming any closer to the end. She spotted Cass’s friend, Gary, the large Baker holding both a piece of hardened French bread and a massive, sheared-off piece of metal.

  Her eyes also tracked several more non-combatants. A tear-streaked man, unendingly stabbing the body of a Skreel lying atop a woman. A woman with several iron spikes standing out from her body, rolling across the grounded monsters on the Earth. But all of that paled to the robed figure holding the final line.

  In one hand, he held a living orb of fire. In the other, a corruscating, flowing ball of water. As several Scroungers leaped through the air, small parts of both separated and came together in front of him as a strong breeze blew through his robes.

  Mid-jump, the Scroungers screamed as their bodies all but melted in front of him. He caught eyes with Adya after that, “Hurry, girl, get out of there. It’s not safe.”

  “Where is Cassio Vale?” She yelled out. She had enough wherewithal to recognize that her voice sounded hoarse and more than a little manic, but all that mattered right now was the answer to that question.

  “He’s safe, don’t worry.” A blast of fire reached out from the ball and struck a large, thick-bodied monster crawling forward. He took a deep breath in, then spat fire back into it, restoring the size of his orb.

  “I’m Dawdy, from the Capital. You need to get away from here. I’ll clean it all up, have no fear of that.”

  “I need to see Cassio Vale,” She repeated, her spear entering and exiting the back of a grey-beard next to her. It’s drool bubbled and fumed on the ground.

  The tone of his voice changed, “You can’t come this way, girl. Please, go back!”

  Adya stepped over several bodies, moving ever closer, “Are you going to try standing in my way?”

  The man brought his hands closer together. From this distance, Observation said he was only a little older than herself, “I don’t want to, but I will if I must. I’m sorry. Quests are Quests, and you can’t deny the Sovereign.”

  Adya’s skill spotted something, so she stopped moving and placed the butt of her spear on the ground.

  “What’s your name?”

  The man’s hands moved just a little further apart, “Dawdy, from the Capital. Darn it, sorry if I’m repeating myself. I’m a little juiced up at the moment.”

  Taking a breath while keeping her eyes on him, she asked, “What’s your purpose here?”

  “To save Li-”

  Pellin swung the block of wood he was holding, hard. The sound it made as it hit Dawdy’s back was a powerful thud. He fell with a light cry and didn’t move as he lay there. A moment later, Pellin swung the wood down on top of a Scrounger that was crawling closer, inadvertently saving the man after knocking him out.

  When the System Engineer looked up, her skill told her that he’d taken several light injuries, splashes of clear monster blood spread across his clothes, “Cass is just past here, but everyone who goes there doesn’t come back. I don’t know what’s going on.”

  Together, they picked up the man and moved him over to a fortified area, where several people were being treated for injuries. Placing him down, Adya grabbed Pellin’s shoulder, “Can I trust you to do something for me?”

  Pellin’s eyes hardened, “This is about Cass, right?” When she nodded, he nodded back, “Of course.”

  Pellin

  Two minutes later…

  Scratching the back of his neck, Pellin moved down the end of the Corridor. He didn’t know what Adya’s plan was, but he trusted Cass, who trusted her in return. That was enough for him.

  Moving forward, his System Sense kicked in on full strength. Something just ahead was seriously empowered. Caution lost out to curiosity as he moved forward a little quicker, with a little less forethought.

  As he turned around the bend that ended at the Western Gate, he spotted three bodies. One was a huge black-and-green monster, a dark substance spilling liberally around it. The second was a man, a white apron wrapped around his body.

  The third was none other than Bella. She was breathing, so he knew she was alive, but her head was down, and there was a white froth around her mouth. The poor horse looked like she’d run herself half to death.

  Pellin moved closer to the man’s body and flipped him over. Though he’d only met him once, he knew what Cass’s father looked like.

  “Ees fine, just sleeping a wink.” A voice said up ahead, “Say, boy, what’re you doin' here? Where’s that fookin mage, Dawdy?”

  Pellin looked up and spotted a cart sitting next to the gate. His System Sense zeroed in on it with startling clarity. There was no doubt in his mind that something on that cart was heavily enchanted.

  Standing before it was a man holding a metal object that Pellin didn’t recognize. That too had quite the enchantment. It made his teeth itch just thinking about what he might learn from holding it.

  The man repeated himself, though in an even angrier tone, so he replied as Adya had asked. Quietly.

  “He’s fine, just knocked out.”

  “What?”

  “I said he’s fine, just knocked-”

  “I cannot hear you, yah git.”

  Pellin pantomimed, pointing at his throat. The man spit to the side, then took two steps forward, the metal object pointed right at him, “Look, I don’t wanna go zapping every Lioran around here just because yah came to the wrong place. Why don’t you turn around and-”

  Whatever he was about to say, Pellin would never know. The moment he took a step just a little closer to the nearby building, a flying Adya leaped off the roof, spear held forward. With a fury, she plunged it directly into the leading leg of the man just as he braced and turned.

  “Ah! Me pickle!”

  The metal object in his hand rocked out with a sound Pellin had never heard before, but she wasn’t there. Adya had moved to the side like a snake, pulling the spear out and taking a quick step back as she shook her head multiple times.

  During this, Pellin hadn’t been idle. Picking up the cleaver resting beside Dallan Vale, he sprinted toward the cart as fast as his legs were able. He’d never be a fast runner, but fear and worry about his friend lent him speed as he closed the gap quickly.

  But that’s when everything went horribly wrong, as a large man in heavy, shining armor stepped out of the cart. Unarmed, he blurred toward Adya and punched her in the head with a crack. She collapsed in a heap just as he turned toward Pellin.

  I don’t care. I don’t care. I’m not going to die!

  The wounded man pointed his metal object at the System Engineer. A loud boom was the last thing he heard before the world went dark.

  Adya

  Four hours later…

  Adya woke up on the ground, but not where she’d been when the large man had knocked her out. Instead, she was within a mostly-intact building, one of Cass’s planned fallback locations should the siege continue on for a while.

  Beside her was Pellin, and beside him was Dallan and Janine Vale, Gary the Baker, and Vex, that frustrating Silver. It was a motley collection of all the people who loved Cass the most in this world.

  And Vex.

  As soon as she sat up, a woman came rushing over, “Whoa, calm down there. You had some nasty scrapes and a pretty thorough bump on your head. We’re a little drained at the moment, holding people back from the veil, but we’ll get you up and moving like normal soon.”

  Adya shook her head in frustration, a bad idea that brought on a serious headache. She grasped the wall behind her to pull herself up, then looked at the woman. “Where’s the horse?”

  “I’m sorry, horse?”

  “Yes, woman.” Adya stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, as much to keep standing as to imply the importance of this moment. “Where’s Bella?”

  [Tier 1 Scouting Quest]

  Assignment: Wander Without Purpose

  Most movement in the world has a destination. Work. Errands. Obligations. Routes optimized and repeated until the path feels automatic.

  This Quest removes the destination.

  Your Task

  Leave your home or starting point. You can head downtown or to a new neighborhood. Then walk without a planned objective.

  No store to reach. No errand to complete. No timer to beat.

  Turn when something catches your attention.

  Follow the interesting street.

  Take the path you usually ignore.

  Pause when you feel like pausing.

  The only rule is that the wandering must be intentional.

  Do not rush. Do not track distance. Do not optimize the route.

  Just move through the world because you can.

  Completion Condition At least one hour wandering without a destination or task.

  Timeframe: One Week

  Reward 6 XP

  Not every journey needs a destination.

  —

  J D Mullenary Sr The Original QuestWright