A lifeless face stared back at Vel, brown hair mussed and grey eyes soulless upon a freckled face. Approaching slowly, shoulders shaking with each contained sob, Vel disregarded the three priestesses at the opposite end of the room, instead staring at the state they had left Edard in. His right leg wasn’t even attached, laying in front of the altar with a trail of blood that led to it. That . . . It had been his weaker leg, the one he pretended was just fine.

  She pushed forward, but halfway towards the altar, Vel felt her knees crumble beneath her, and the rest of her went with it. Burying her face in her hands, she let the agony escape her in a wail, an excruciating sound that echoed back towards her beneath a domed ceiling.

  They . . . They killed him, she thought, sucking in a sharp breath only to release it again in another sob. And another breath, each short and sharp, as if she couldn’t get enough air in to breathe out her grief. Every fiber of her soul unraveled, as did every hope. And the guilt.

  “It’s all my fault”, she paused. Those words, oh, she remembered those words, the ones that she’d told to herself, or rather, that her nightmare told to her. All of her friends had died, her allies, and even herself, practically condemning the entire world for at least another eighteen years!

  Thick arms wrapped around Vel, followed by a smaller pair, and then an even smaller one. They held her tight, cocooning her safely in their hold. Her friends, her family, her life . . . They were still all here with her.

  It’s not my fault, she thought, time rewinding as she considered how the odds had been against her from the very beginning. Had she died, she may have given Edard a chance to live out her life, but Edard . . . he had died to give her a chance to even have a life. He’d given the whole world a chance.

  Oma’s voice came, grating like nails on stone, “Child,” she started, and while the grief remained, anger made room for this very special woman inside Vel’s heart. She looked up, facing the woman, lowering her brow as she glared. She’d pierce the woman’s very soul with one look if she could.

  [Nightmare Leer level 2]

  Oma’s expression darkened, and she frowned. “Don’t play silly games about dreams with me, child,” she said, slowly and methodically moving around the altar; around Edard’s body. “It’s time that you give up.”

  She leaned against the altar, and as she did, Sigurd straightened up, then did Amalia, and Aden stepped back. They looked defensive around Vel, Sigurd’s hands already reaching for the bow he had in his quiver.

  “Child,” Oma started again, “[Sacrifice],” she enunciated clearly. “He’s gone, you’ve got nothing left to live for, my dear, and none of this would have happened if you had just committed to your sacred duties. Please, it’s time. Offer up your life to the gods of Retribution.” A sickening smile stretched upon the priestess’ face, one that Vel was going to wipe right off!

  “It’s not my fault,” she said, standing up, her voice small and cracked. “It was never my fault.”

  “Yup,” Sigurd agreed, sliding his bow from his quiver. Even Amalia stepped forward, straightening to prepare to use her own power. “About time, Vel.”

  Hearing Sigurd’s words was empowering somehow. He’d known all along how much she’d been beating herself up over everything, not that she was any good at hiding it. By the gods, she was whiny!

  Scoffing at Oma, Vel felt a laugh somehow dance out of her mouth before she scowled. “You and your gods are a scourge! Killing people now? Killing? Wasn’t it you, Oma, who taught me that it was a sin? Save for one, noble sacrifice of the purest and holiest girl every year?”

  Then Vel laughed again, like she couldn’t help it. The absolute irony! “I’m not pure, Oma. I have killed. And if you’re going to stand between me and properly burying the man I love, then you’ll see just how avenging holy I am, child.”

  Oma’s expression darkened. “I had been hoping you would take the easy way out, [Sacrifice], but I suppose you’ll have to see why I was chosen to be your warden.”

  The room darkened, and the ground between Vel and Oma opened up, light shining upward as the remaining light in the room glimmered, gathering to form something. Vel stumbled back as it grew in size, even more when Sigurd grabbed her arm and pushed her back. He nocked an arrow in his bow, and aimed at Oma. She swore she heard the twang of the string when the arrow flew. What should have been a moment seemed to take ages, the arrow slicing through the air straight towards Oma’s face. Sigurd’s aim was true, but it was stopped short as a dark wing materialized in the air in front of the priestess.

  A roar followed, as did the rest of the beast’s body, standing on its hindlegs it released a roar that shook the room. Vel stumbled and covered her ears, gaze shooting for the pillar that collapsed to her far right, as if the sound of the winged two legged lizard was the final blow to it.

  [Skill gained: Summon Familiar]

  [0.5 Magic added]

  The beast continued to howl until it tore the arrow from its wing with its massive jaw. Sigurd already had another arrow nocked by the time it turned its red gaze towards them. He fired as the beast opened its jaw, and not a second later, the arrow went up in flames, burning to a crisp, the air waving with the heat that left the beast’s maw. It stretched towards them, and Vel grabbed Sigurd’s arm, pulling him.

  “Move!” she yelled, feeling the heat on her left side as she pulled him away from the area. The wyvern’s horn covered head followed, the heat growing in magnitude, enough that Vel grimaced as she felt her left arm, shoulder, and cheek start to burn. She swore she even smelled fire.

  [Iridescent Hide level 28]

  [Skill gained: Ignite]

  [0.5 Magic added]

  Vel moved closer to the edge of the room, coming to the rubble of the fallen pillar, ducking down behind it. Sigurd moved over her form, manhandling her until she was pressed completely against the fallen pillar as fire sprayed over it. Looking up, Vel saw the flames just barely singe Sigurd’s hair, sweat dripping from his brow as he held his breath.

  A droplet of sweat hit Vel’s face, and she flinched, trying to lower herself as she watched the flames keep going. They roared on, Sigurd pushing her down against the ground completely. His body shook as he held himself over her form.

  As the heat grew too great, Vel clutched Sigurd’s clothes, closing her eyes.

  [Iridescent Hide level 29]

  He . . . He must be burning. She was burning, and she was beneath him.

  “Sigurd,” she said, opening her eyes back up. His eyes were closed, his face stuck in a permanent grimace. He didn’t respond, but his hold on her was still strong.

  The faintest explosion sounded, followed by the sound of a high pitched singing voice, then a second explosion. Flames vanished, unable to cling to the stone. Blinking several times to adjust to the lighting, Velmira saw fire burning at Sigurd’s clothes in multiple places. She pushed him over, hearing his cry as he collapsed beside her, like a needle to Vel’s ears.

  Hurriedly pushing herself up, she patted the flames out, though his back being against the ground now did the most work.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Sigurd opened his mouth as if to say something, and Vel waited, waiting too long to hear his words before he grimaced and clenched his teeth. Placing her hands under his side, she pushed him over to get to his back, gasping at the blisters and melted skin. Even the back of his head had been grossly distorted.

  Turning, she called, “Aden!” her voice barely above that of the explosions and the song she heard. Risking it, Vel pushed herself up, and the moment she put her hand on the pillar, she seethed, pulling it away. Looking over it, however, she found Amalia facing the dragon alone, mouth wide open as she sang. She buffeted the wyvern back with each piercing sound, the beast shaking its head and walking on its wings like legs as it stumbled back.

  Behind Amalia, Aden ran towards Vel, his every step sluggish. There’s not much left in him, Vel thought, and even Amalia was moving backwards, towards the stairs where they had emerged from.

  Aden collapsed to his knees beside Sigurd, and Velmira . . . What do I do? she thought, furrowing her brow. She considered using the shadow realm, but should fire light up the room again, she could end up straight in the middle of an inferno. That was far too risky.

  Think, think, think! Velmira hit her forehead with a hand, hoping that would somehow help her. All these skills, and yet, she felt so tiny compared to something so strong. While she had many skills, this thing likely had a few mastered skills.

  I need to be quicker than it, she thought. She had the dexterity for that, and the skills to match, but the others probably didn’t. As it was, the dragon opened its mouth up towards Amalia. Her song died, and she was gasping, stumbling to hide away in the stairs. No, no, no! That would funnel the fire directly towards her!

  With no idea on what she was going to do, Velmira leapt out from behind the pillar, careful not to touch it again, and flicked her hand towards the beast’s head. Five strands of silk twisted out from her fingers, shooting towards the beast. It flew over its head, but when it fell, its sticky strands caught the opposite horn, and Vel yanked.

  [Create Silk level 40]

  [Create Silk level 41]

  [Webshot level 63]

  [Webshot level 64]

  [Sticky Thread level 64]

  The beast let out a low yelp as its head twisted. It was heavy! And stiff. As it reared its head, Vel allowed the threads to slip from her fingers, and looking down, she saw that the thing had pulled her too. As it twisted its head in her direction, Vel leapt further to her right, moving towards the other pillars around the room, closer towards the two priestesses at the back.

  No, no, no, Vel thought, widening her eyes in realization. She knew at least one of them was a healer, and she guessed the other was too, being the same priestesses she saw outside earlier. Any damage she actually managed to inflict would be . . . nothing.

  So, take out the two priestesses, and then . . . hope that taking out Oma gets rid of this thing? Is there a way to unsummon a familiar?

  The risk is worth it, Vel thought, feeling a stitch in her side as she dropped herself into the shadow realm with the same movement as she had always done.

  [Feather Foot level 14]

  As she dropped, she crouched low, and launched herself forward. Fortunately, with the sun as low as it was, the room was almost entirely in shadow, though she did still have to dance around the pillars of light that were cast through the windows.

  [Shadow Sneak level 40]

  Pushing towards where the two priestesses were, Vel considered what she would do. She knew the one was at least a healer, and with Aden being almost out of heals . . . Can I capture her? she thought, and flung herself out of the shadow realm behind the two women. Flicking both hands towards each other, threads shot out and wrapped around the two priestesses.

  [Create Silk level 42]

  [Create Silk level 43]

  [Create Silk level 44]

  [Create Silk level 45]

  [Webshot level 65]

  [Webshot level 66]

  [Webshot level 67]

  [Sticky Thread level 65]

  [Sticky Thread level 66]

  [Sticky Thread level 67]

  The healer gasped, but the second one . . . the threads passed straight through her, like she wasn’t even real. No, wait . . . A mirage? Vel thought, and yanked the captured healer to the ground, using the stickiness of the threads to pin her there.

  Looking towards the center of the room, Vel found herself staring at a smiling Oma, her eyes . . . Behind me! Vel gasped, leaping forward just as she barely felt something sharp scrape down her back.

  [Tough Hide level 68]

  [Spry Jump level 8]

  Oma scowled, and the wyvern rounded the room towards Vel.

  No, no, this is bad, Vel thought, knowing that she was pinned with only one direction to go. She pushed to her right, where no one was, only to freeze when she saw a figure emerge from behind a pillar in that direction too. There were four of them?

  Sparing a glance behind her shoulder, Vel saw the second Priestess, standing over the first with a dagger glinting in the low lighting. Damnit, she should have just killed the healer! With any hope, that dagger would get stuck on the sticky threads.

  Turning back towards the figure in front of her, Vel moved the heat in her body, centering it in her palm as she held her hand up. A ball of fire shot from her hand, and passed harmlessly through the mirage. Just how many of these things were there? And . . . and . . . That other priestess. You have to kill her, Vel told herself. Yes, the one with the dagger. She must be the [illusionist].

  Vel twisted around, and just as she did, she threw her arms up, gasping as a fat, fiery lizard tail came at her. As if on instinct, the smallest little rock formation shielded her, though the tail hit that and then bashed into her.

  [Iridescent Hide level 24]

  [Stone Shield level 2]

  Vel coughed, the air leaving her as she flew through the air. Wind swept through her hair, which fell free completely when her body crashed into stone.

  [Skill gained: Fire Whip]

  [0.5 Magic added]

  [Class Dark Avenger level 3]

  [1 Total Renew received from Boon of Renewal]

  [Boon of Skill Consolidation granted]

  Something . . . Something snapped, pain flaring through her left shoulder. It burned, radiating into her chest. When she dropped to the ground, Velmira gasped, then cried out, finally finding the air for it.

  Placing a shaky right hand on the ground, Vel grimaced. She pushed up, and clenched her teeth as a pain hit her clavicle, then stretched into her other shoulder. The approaching wyvern shook the ground, Vel grimacing as she pushed herself up to her feet.

  “Just give up, Child, and this will be over quick,” Oma said. “No one else has to die. No one else but you.”

  Wobbling on her feet, Vel leaned against the wall behind her, hand reaching up to hold her shoulder. While the wyvern approached, Oma turned away, moving from the altar and towards the fallen pillar; towards Sigurd and Aden that hid behind it.

  “No,” Vel groaned out, pushing herself off of the wall and stumbling forward. Everything ached, begging her to just keel over and rest. But if she did that, then she would surely die, and, she suspected, so would the others.

  Heat washed over her, and she looked up at the approaching dragon, its maw wide open, preparing for another attack. Taking a step towards the pillar at her left, Vel felt a sharpness in her left ankle, enough that she collapsed to the ground, the stones beneath her cool in contrast to the heat above her.

  [Iridescent Hide level 25]

  Glancing down at her ankle, she found it bent at a strange angle. How much of her was damaged when she was thrown? What else did she miss? Move! she urged herself, pushing the questions from her mind as she shoved herself up to all fours.

  She heard a spark, several of them as she crawled, dragging her left arm. Just a little further! The heat grew, Vel gasping in, wishing for a single breath of fresh air. Her arm trembled, and her knees scraped against the ground, as she yelled out, her back and side burning.

  [Iridescent Hide level 26]

  [Tough Hide level 69]

  So close! she thought as the heat increased, so much that she was gasping for air. It was almost entirely unbreathable, whatever this [igniting] power did! Her chest heaved, desperate to suck in useful air as she scrambled desperately for the safety behind the pillar.

  “Just die, [Sacrifice]!” Oma’s voice called.

  Vel sucked in a big breath of air as she finally reached the pillar, then there was fire, searing through her toes, feet, and up towards her knees. It wrapped around the pillar, catching the rest of her as an agonized scream escaped her very soul.

  [Iridescent Hide level 27]

  [Iridescent Hide level 28]

  [Tough Hide level 70]

  [Warning: Death imminent. Would you━]