-Callia-

  The distant sound of shouting voices echoed across the dim tunnel. The fact that the guards were actually verbally communicating was enough to know that the circumstances at the gate were far different from those within the vault itself. Likely instead of a force composed solely of demons there will be humans present, and if I take too long, paladins complicitly aligned with the demons will arrive in force. Up ahead the slits in the gatehouse let light from outside leak into the tunnel. Previously, walking through the tunnel made this portion seem so much longer than it was. Vault guards were packed into every point of entry. Clearly they intended to deny me the ability to bypass the defenses with blink by having guards in position to exploit any attempts.

  I slowed my jog and came to a stop just outside the defender's normal range. I didn’t have time to make any clever plans on the short move over, especially since I couldn’t see how the defenders were deployed, but with the other side willing to watch and wait for my approach, I had time to scope out my approach. First was the most important check: I focus my mana sense on the gate. I can’t properly make out any details from my distance, not that I’m familiar enough with runes to boast anything beyond a passing knowledge shared by Callen. Still, I could confirm the presence of the runes. The entire array was far brighter than the gate below, likely something that could be attributed to regular maintenance and better quality. Luckily the runes were spread out relatively uniformly, meaning that it likely was designed with only one function in mind. Other than the runes, I felt the presence of one individual with a particularly monstrous mana capacity standing like a beacon on the wall just above the gate.

  Finishing my assessment with Mana Sense, I shift my focus over to my other senses. There were only roughly twenty vault guards like those in the vault itself. The rest of the numbers were supplemented with various people who looked like trainees or vault staff given weapons and commands. While I wasn’t threatened by the rabble, they did compensate significantly in the case of numbers. In total I could guess between two and three hundred fodder. Against numbers like these, they wouldn’t be able to properly swarm me while also guarding against me blinking. However, among the guards there were the three individuals who caught my attention. The mage is at the center with the guard commander standing next to him. On the far right in a tower built into the side of the wall, I barely kept track of a shadow flickering in the window. A poorly placed candle revealed the silhouette of an archer against the back wall of the tower. Without a word said, my instincts whispered to me that if anyone here will be able to stop me, it’ll be these three.

  With my threats identified now, I needed to consider my avenues of escape. Ironically, butchering my prep before blinking previously made the defenders misunderstand my limitations. I had been in a state of maximum awareness, which made the sensory impact hit all the harder. As long as I intentionally reduced my sensory input before blinking, I could shake off the reposition with ease. Seeing the indirect sunlight pouring in through various points along the wall seemed like the simplest solution. Just a simple blink to the light, fight my way over to the window, and a second blink to get outside. However, my gut twisted in resistance to that plan. My instincts whispered of unseen danger on what appeared to be a simple escape. My eyes drifted back to the mage. His eyes were closed in concentration, but next to him a vault guard armed with a bow had his eyes trained on me like a hawk. A spotter and a trap. The old man was focused on holding some skill at the ready while the archer waited to alert him.

  Thinking of the mage, I’m still unsure how he fights. The commander and archer are both apparent from the weapons in hand, but one thing I had learned from our town's mage was how a mage’s fighting style depended heavily on their elemental affinity. With that in mind, I drew my bow. At this range most archers would be useless, and even landing a hit against any moderately skilled foe was unlikely, but forcing a response was possible. The first arrow whizzed off, arcing through the space between us empowered with Unblockable Arrow, but I didn’t send it alone. Immediately I followed up with a variety of other arrows: Empowered, Tracking, and Power Shot all let out in rapid succession. In the corner of my eye, I noticed the enemy archer twitch but hold himself back for whatever they had planned for him. The flight of the arrows seemed to stretch forever, but that was only for those with excellent perception; to all the guards, my arrows were nothing more than a flash of light streaking overhead.

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  “HA!” A powerful roar erupted from the guard commander, letting out a visible shockwave that slammed into my barrage. Some arrows were knocked aside, but others punched through, staying on track. The mage made no move, but at the last moment the air in front of him rippled in a way I couldn’t discern. My arrows vanished. I blinked in confusion, but the faint sound of a startled cry on the other side of the gate whispered its way to me. My mind whirled with the possibilities, but the use of portals or summoning in combat was very familiar for me. It was clearly different from me and Callen’s void, but the mage had displaced the arrows to the other side of the wall. My eyes narrowed as my first guess came to mind, Space.

  Of all the elements to encounter out here, it had to be the one that was almost a perfect counter for my best escape skill. Could a Tier 5 skill bypass a master of space magic? Maybe, but I wasn’t going to bet on a level ten skill. Once the fighting begins, unless I manage to break the mage’s concentration, I can assume his role will be in denying me my best escape skill. With that in mind, the opposition's plan seemed simple enough. First, lock me down, then have the guards distract me, and finally, have the hidden archer aim for an opening to get the kill. If I go for the mage, the commander is right there to hold me back for a similar opening. I can’t help but smirk as a gap in the defensive strategy comes to mind. I charge my palm with mana and draw my knife again. I don’t usually use poison; for some reason, consumable tools other than arrows feel like taboo. Likely a remnant from my memories of gaming, but Callen conveniently keeps a jar of Nightshade's powder in the void. Fighting big creatures has always been a bit too sudden to warrant the boost in lethality, but my next strike would be vital. I summon and spread the contents, giving my black dagger a purple gleam. I relax my senses, taking a deep breath and a long blink, and then I Blink into the archers' tower.

  My eyes snap open, face-to-face with the archer, my knife in hand as I launch myself forward. His reaction is instant, swinging his bow like a bat to deflect my blade while trying to slide back. He almost dodges out of the way of my initial thrust, but the aura of my blade cuts through his bow and lands a clean scratch on his hand. Immediately the hand starts swelling purple, but I have no time to watch as the archer’s other hand darts out with a knife of his own. He reverses his momentum and launches himself at my swiping furiously. I easily intercept his clumsy strike with my dagger while pushing in. The man is strong, but I’m stronger. He crumples under my push, stumbling backwards. I don’t let him get even that as I stomp his foot, crushing it under the heel of my boot. He sprawls onto the floor. I don’t even have a chance to go for the kill, as the purple swelling has crawled up his arm and onto his torso. His eyes roll back into his head as he starts retching blood and suffocating before going limp as it finally reaches his head. “One down, two to go,” I think as the door to the room slams open and guards start swarming.

  Missed by a Hair

  Lidia was torn between running as fast as she could and moving slowly. On one hand the guards really seemed concerned about something; on the other, the faster she delivered the news of her reassignment, the faster she would get locked away filling out forms. In the end her trust in the guards made her lean towards taking her time. She was on the other side of the gate, and she had complete faith that whatever the guards faced, they could handle or at least hold out long enough for her to walk over to the platforms, and then it would just be a matter for the paladins to resolve. Inwardly she was actually hoping that whoever was making trouble caused a big mess because it might mean she is forgotten by the administrator and saved from the evils of paperwork.

  Taking two steps forward, suddenly she noticed an odd shimmering on the wall. She turned to inspect it right as three arrows zipped through. She didn’t have a chance to say a word or even move a muscle as an arrow shaved the hair from the side of her head. Looking down, her mind finally caught up to her heart as her legs gave out. Instinctively she screamed in terror at how close she had come to death. She didn’t dare wait another second as she scrambled across the ground, abandoning all restraint, running for the platforms and safety.

  Psalm 94:19 NIV - When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.