Finally, Some Action!

A stereotypical noble should have some disdain for the disenfranchised rabble, but I bid we simple trudge forward with haughty indifference. I wanted to make some headway before heading back to the castle.

These people still had families. As much as I wanted to recruit some low on their luck citizen, these people still had a chance to pick themselves up. They still had access to support and opportunity.

I needed a hero who had nothing.

There’s no one here who yet fit that description, we continued through the dilapidated quarter.

Heads swiveled toward me and Tanjir. I didn’t believe it would be a big problem to attract attention. People would find out about my excursion eventually. I was just too beautiful to avoid detection. Of course, a royal peach such as I would attract the drooling slack jawed masses. The people were hungry in every sense.

They were also taking in Tanjir as well. Her skin and eye color were a rarity even in the capital, in fact her being here was a dead giveaway of my identity by itself.

The buildings slowly began spread farther apart. We eventually reached the outer fence.

“I insist that we turn back. Do you intend to go into the forest”

“And beyond, my loyal attendant. Please do your best to keep me safe.” I winked teasingly.

Tanjir was not as confident as me. She was stoic at times but also could be adorably animated when flustered. I skipped off toward the final city gate. There strangely weren’t any guards around. I could feel several dozen eyes on my back, and yet I continued undaunted.

The gate was now only steps away. I was vaguely wary but still not worried. It was strange, there didn’t appear to be anyone guarding this post was, leaving it defenseless as it was, was certainly something to be brought up to Kimball, captain of the royal guard. These people were still citizens of Armas and deserved some level of protection. Perhaps the guard was doing a morning rotation and this was simply laziness on their part. Regardless none of that was of immediate concern.

I took a step past the gate.

“AH!” A powerful shock ran through me and knocked me backward onto the walk away.

“What was that?” It felt as though I’d been hit by a spell. It was of relatively low intensity, still though there was no sign of any mana users nearby. Perhaps…

“Are you alright milady?!?”

“Yes, I believe I am.” Tanjir helped me up.

This was an embarrassing sight. I could sense people beginning to gather in the shadows of their homes. They were keeping out of sight for whatever reason. Strangers obviously weren’t welcome though they couldn’t have been so rare as to warrant this level of curiosity. I guess it’s not everyday someone as stunning as I was seen jaunting through their decrepit neighborhood.

Brushing myself off, I once again attempted to leave but was driven back. Tanjir caught me this time.

I tossed my hair in agitation. Was it some kind of warding? It certainly didn’t seem like a Core Skill, though there are some that can apply something like a curse. I only know of one person who has a skill like that. Hmm. I must explore every possibibility.

“Tanjir?” I motioned for her to try stepping across the gate’s threshold.

“Yes” Tanjir stepped through with no difficulty or trepidation.

“It appears as though it’s specific to me, then.”

“May I suggest returning to the castle.”

I knew that I might face a setback but not being able to leave the city was quite vexing. I wanted to take care of this within the month… this would delay me significantly.

“On the other hand if it’s not a skill…”

An idea popped into my head. I realized I might be able to get around this depending on the conditions of its activation. On second thought this felt like a ward rather than a curse. A ward required an object and something to be repel or be repelled by said object. But if the object moved past the ward before it could activate then there was a chance it wouldn’t. A high level ward wouldn’t be fooled like that. I would have liked to test my theory however I didn’t want to reveal any of my Core Skills quite yet. As far as anyone knew I didn’t have one. I would like to keep that way for now.

“Hey! Miss Priss.”

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a husky, attitude filled yell. Miss Priss, I looked around for my husband just then. Right, he was probably referring to me.

“Are you perhaps addressing me?”

“I don’t see any other rich girls around, goldy?”

A swaying man with a bottle in one hand and a pristine sword at his waist emerged. He was impossibly thin and his face gaunt. He seemed more skeleton than skin. A scraggly red beard clung to his neck.

“How rude, wastrel.”

“Is that supposed to be me?”

“Im very skilled at trading barbs as I am blows.”

“Blows, huh?” He chuckled and drew his sword which was way better ornamented than someone like him should be able to attain. Perhaps it was an heirloom.

“This is my neck of the woods, ya see. Why don’t you run along before ya get hurt”

“You don’t know who I am?”

“Ha! All you noble scum look alike to me. This is your last warning.”

Kids and adults alike were now peeking in on our exchange.

I was never one to shy away from conflict. I’d always been the type to never give up and power through any obstacle before me. That was the only path afforded to me before now.

“Get behind me, milady.” Tanjir jumped between me and beardo.

“Oh ho! Very well, if you can get past my lady-in-waiting, I’ll do you the honor of personally turning you to a bloodstain on the ground.”

“Please do not aggravate the man, milady. What has gotten into you lately?” She immediately covered her mouth.

“A good question delivered so half heartedly, I will not punish you, just best this fellow and all is forgiven, yes?”

Tanjir took a battle stance. She’d received similar but much more intensive training than myself plus she had her Core Skill which were always wild cards that could tip the scales of a match.

The thing to watch out for would be his Core Skill if he had one which seemed likely considering his confidence.

“You asked for it, Goldy!”

The man rushed forward, sword above his head. Rookie!

“Take the hit!”

Tanjir tensed her eyes widened in shock at my order. The next instant though her arms here enveloped in diamond.

This was her core skill: Diamond Fortress.

Her silver eyes flashed intensely as the sword came down breaking the blade on impact.

“Holy hell!” His arm was shaking from the kickback.

“Right? I very much think this battle is decided don’t you think? You won’t get through her skin, not with a blade like that.”

He grinned. “That felt nice. I haven’t been challenged in a while. It seems I don’t have to hold back.”

My own confident smile waned slightly. If he has a Core Skill like my father than it would be best not to draw the battle out. He doesn’t seem as perturbed by this development as I had hoped.

“I wonder, what about my blade, Goldy?”

“Your blade…!”

He sheathed and then unsheathed it drawing out a fully formed blade.

“My skill allows me to regrow and repair swords. It also let me do this!” He was still unsheathing it, somehow it had double in length and thickness.

He raised it up. The short sword hand now turned into a double handed long sword.

“You still confident in your maid’s victory, Goldy?”

“Ho! Ho! You seem to believe this is a war of attrition, but I assure you this is the part where you lose, scraggles.”

Tanjir kicked off the ground, spinning in the air and landing behind the swordsman, he whipped his sword around nearly bisecting her torso but she reinforced it with diamond. The impact still rattled her but not enough to stop her follow through. The diamond on her arms turned into a sickle turning back the Blade.

The thin man lurched backward narrowly escaping her swing. Despite seeming to be on the ropes he was smiling. He smoothly reached toward ankle and pulled out a second full size sword. He had a small knife hidden away which he used his Core Skill on. What an ingenious use of one’s skill even I was impressed, but it wouldn’t be enough.

He was now dual wielding, and barely fending off Tanjir’s advances. He would slip up before long and be sliced to bits. In the end this fight would be meaningless. Actually, hmm.

Tanjir finally found an opening she turned took a hit from the swords and sank her feet into the ground. She sent her diamonds down and around. They emerged behind the man’s back and were about to impale him but in that moment I teleported in front of it and in that split second cast the spell Supreme Barrier which blocked the attack.

Tanjir’s diamond sickle shattered on impact. Both Scraggles and Tanjir’s eyes went wide in surprise and astonishment respectively.

How did I get there so fast and how was I able to use such a complex spell. The first question couldn’t be answered yet. The second, however, was much simpler. I was simply an attentive student. Tanjir would never catch me reading, studying or doing homework outside of class because I soaked up magic related lessons like a sponge. I could memorize any runes, circuits, pictograms, and other magical lexicon at a glance. In addition, according to my magic exams, my mana processing abilities are a cut above. Still, if there weren’t a “secret spice” in the mix I would have been happily boasting about my inherent magical genius until my maid’s ears bled. I am blessed to be in such a robust vessel!

Both of my would-be sparring partners began to recover. Scarecrow rolled to the side then seamlessly rolled to his feet and in a fluid motion brought his sword around, hoping I wouldn’t be able to respond fast enough. He underestimated me.

“You bore me. Sever.” I dodged the blade and brought two fingers down at his shoulder. My fingers slid right through, literally disarming the pathetic man.

All three of us stood there for a good silent second. I smiled at my great good work. Tanjir’s face seemed as gaunt as the armless scarecrow. Finally he finished processing what happened and fell to the ground screaming.

As Adrianna Armas’s daughter and a princess, I must uphold my family’s reputation. The throne had a long line of horrifying individuals who have sat in it’s posh seat, and though my family had not had claim to it’s throne for long, we overthrew one of the most powerful and politically entrenched families of the modern age. We showed no mercy to the previous regime. Moving past the laze-a-bout he has become, my father had taken on the third most powerful king to ever sit on the throne and won, and my mother took care of everyone else. She gained the moniker “Beautiful Butcher” through her goddess like presence and beauty, and her unforgiving, savage ability to kill en masse. I was to inherit this lineage and so now that I was finally here outside the royal quarter, in front of an expectant audience it was time to show them what sort of person I was.

I picked up his arm, “Grand Heal.” A large magic circle blossomed out from my feet and surrounded all three of us. Hmm. Despite all the runes and circuits appearing correct, the output was half of what it should have been. There must not have been enough mana in the area to support the spell. The effect was now closer to soft or low heal. In any case it managed to stop the bleeding.

“The mana in this area is nearly tapped out, I won’t be able to reattach it here.”

“I don’t believe we should show this heathen such magnanimity in the first place.” Tanjir sounded ready to spit on his future grave.

“Tanjir, please pick this mongrel up, we’re relocating to the palace.”

“I don’t believe that’s wise. Such filth-”

“Tanjir. You could just have easily ended up in his circumstances should I not have decided to take you in. Think before speaking, I am a benevolent princess who shows mercy to her subjects of which he is one of, as are all of you.” I addressed the unseen crowd.

I turned back to my maid, “We need to go back home anyway.”

And back to the crowd, “I have some questions for the man and the castle has some of the greatest mana concentrations in the kingdom, with such abundance it would be child’s play to reattach his arms and bringing back to his former glory.”

My maid hurled the one-armed man, with no small amount of disdain, over her shoulder as though he was a sack of flower.

“Let us be off, I’m starting to smell like a commoner and I have some suspicions as to who has placed this obstacle in front of us.”

Just as I signaled our departure to the slowly emerging lower class, a young voice pierced though the crowd, “You’re not taking my master away, coward!”

The world is full of principled, misguided idiots. I sighed and turned to face my next opponent.