“So?” Chloe asked.

  “So?” Tag said incredulously. “If they defeat more dreyda than we do, they get the bonus points, remember?”

  Chloe waved them away. “We can take them. I mean, have you seen the competition? They’re about as scrawny as I am in real life.”

  “Still,” Gideon said. “For all we know, they may be faster to find the other dreyda. If that’s the case, we’ll be in trouble.”

  “We don’t need to worry,” Chloe said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because we’ve got the best monster detector around. Isn’t that right, buddy?” She slapped Ben on the shoulder and grinned.

  “You bet,” Ben replied. He stared into the distance. “There’s a horde of demons over there. That’s gotta be a sign, right?”

  Ben was right, and battle ensued again. With every dreyda encountered, the band of parties developed their strategies and worked together to bring them down.

  Although they were technically still in competition, they listened and obeyed instructions. The KieraSlayers (now easily the biggest party among them) worked even harder than before, determined to take home the gold and put the others to shame.

  Demons came at them, then several more orga, and then the dreyda was down. Chloe laughed ecstatically as she floated in the air again, earning her next level-up. She was getting torturously close now to level 15 and wondered what, if any, benefits that might bring.

  “Damn! What level does that make you now?” Veronica asked, a note of envy in her voice.

  “13,” Chloe said smugly, making a mental note to look at her attribute points a little later on.

  Chloe and the rest of the parties reassembled after the battle, discussing which direction to head next. Chloe was excited at being ahead of the competition, the count now down to 5/12, meaning that there were only five dreyda left to find and several hours to do it in.

  But the excitement didn’t carry through the rest of the parties, many declaring that they needed to find a place to heal and regenerate their stamina and mana. Although shepherded by the KieraSlayers, they still had to ensure that they were battle-ready, and of those who had managed not to lose their lives, many of them needed rest.

  “I suppose that’s not a bad idea,” Ben said, nodding toward his empty quiver.

  “How many more potions do you have?” Chloe asked Gideon.

  Gideon rifled through his bag, pulling out one last mana potion.

  “That’s it?”

  Gideon nodded.

  Chloe exhaled, instructing everyone to head back to Killink View to re-stock. Although she couldn’t shake the feeling that others would be out there now, hunting and trying to destroy the dreyda without them, a good leader knew when to take a moment to rest.

  Once inside the keep, the parties made to disperse, with Chloe giving them the order that she would be ready to ride again by noon.

  “Noon? That’s only four hours away,” one mage complained. “I have to log off and go for dinner with my family.”

  Ben added, “He’s right, Chloe. I’ve got things I need to do, too. As awesome as this is, the dreyda aren’t going anywhere. We’re making good time, too.”

  “What if we lose our lead?” Chloe asked.

  “How do we even know we’re competing against one other party? For all we know, each of those three additional kills were made by separate parties.”

  “Maybe,” Chloe said. She thought about it some more and resigned herself to saying, “Fine. Meet back here in 8 hours, not a second later. By that point, four more dreyda could have spawned, and the gates could be attacked by demons.”

  The others accepted gratefully, disappearing down the various different streets to their abodes. Chloe addressed Veronica, Huk, Therese, and Leonie.

  “Where are you all staying?”

  “Just up the hill. Third tier. There’s a chapel up there that offers lodging for free for clerics and their friends.” She gave a half-hearted invite to Chloe. “You guys can come if you want?”

  “It’s okay,” Chloe said, sensing Blueballs standing behind her. “We’ve got a safe space for this one that we need to get him back to. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

  They nodded their heads, about to set off when Chloe added: “You guys did great out there. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

  The four of them smiled. “Thanks.”

  Before they disappeared around the corner, Chloe heard Huk shout, “And I made it to level 10. Wahoo! Class-specifying time!”

  They made it back to the Twisted Spire, retiring to their bedrooms for some rest. Chloe and Gideon got Blueballs into their room, snuggled him under a large sheet that still barely covered his massive frame, waited for the others to log out, then headed back into the city.

  They had some provisions to stock up on and some research to do. There was no rest for the fully immersed.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  “Back in here reading again?”

  Chloe looked up from her textbook. She had been in deep concentration mode, doing her best to soak up the information the book contained. It was difficult. Although her intelligence was growing, it seemed that certain books were designed in a way to stop those under a certain level from reading them.

  The words swirled and fuzzed in front of her eyes, but she strained and tried her hardest to keep them still, soon seeing the notification appear:

  You’ve unlocked a new skill: Scholar (Lv 1)

  Your hunger for knowledge is insatiable. Whether you’re learning from people, experiences, or books, you can take comfort in knowing that you will learn faster from this point on.

  Requirements: Read a book that’s above your level.

  Bonuses: +1 intelligence, skills can now upgrade 5% faster

  “Well, slap my butt and call me Sally.” Chloe had grinned before telling Gideon what had happened.

  A moment later, Gideon had obtained the same skill.

  Now Chloe looked up from her book and saw a radiant-looking Arizona standing there. Her hair flowed to her chest, there was a sparkle in her eyes, and her grin was kind, warm, and loving.

  Chloe shook her head. “Oh, hi!”

  “You know there are better ways to learn. Faster ways,” Arizona said. She nonchalantly picked a book up and started rifling through its pages. “I mean, these are great, but nothing beats learning from experience.”

  “Yeah, we heard,” Gideon grumbled. “Learning from masters is great, but we can’t access them, yet.”

  Arizona winked. “Says who?”

  Chloe and Gideon looked at each other. The next thing they knew, they were being whisked through the academy, Arizona closing the door as they studied an empty stone room. The ceiling was high, their footsteps echoey.

  “Let me guess…you’re a master?” Chloe said.

  Arizona swanned to the other side of the room with a grace Chloe couldn’t believe. She wore robes in the colors of fire and pulled her hood over her head.

  “Not exactly,” Arizona replied. “Masters are few and far between since they have studied their craft for years beyond measure and committed to the endless pursuit of perfection. Masters can often be found in the hearts of guilds and academies, or out training in the mountains and plains of Obsidian. To become a master is quite a feat in itself.”

  “So what is this, then?” Gideon said, his tone friendly enough. “Are you now going to tell us you’re a bad guy and we have to fight you?”

  “Oh, no.” Arizona laughed. “Clearly you’ve been set back by the obstacles you’ve faced. The truth is that while I may not be a master, I am a Guardian.”

  “What’s a Guardian?” Chloe and Gideon said as one.

  “A Guardian,” Arizona explained, “is someone who walks the path to Masterhood. A Guardian has the power of training apprentices, getting mages onto the right path and boosting their proficiencies in magic.

  “It’s a path every potential mage wants to take. The reason we let dozens of students into our halls is to scout potential. To find the best of the best to take under our wings and train up to the next level. By training with a Guardian, you two can learn more than you ever dreamed of, powering your potential ten-fold.”

  Chloe stared at Arizona hungrily.

  More power? Increasing your potential?

  “What are the downsides?”

  Arizona smirked. “Sharp. I don’t know why I expected less. There is no downside. The only limit to what you can learn comes from your determination to grow. You have already demonstrated enormous strength and an eagerness to continue to learn from the greats within the pages of our books. You wouldn’t believe how many mages refuse to read, particularly the blessed.”

  Gideon grinned and Chloe nodded her head, a determined expression on her face. “Okay, then. Let’s do this.”

  Arizona started by showing the pair a better way to channel their energy. While magic could be conducted through a brute force pull against the etheric, they learned there were cleaner and more efficient ways to access the strange force that gave them their powers.

  “You don’t just call the spell and expect it to come. To bark instructions at the etheric is to yank a horse on a leash. There will be resistance. The horse will not come easily, and most importantly, the horse will take a lot longer to trust you.

  “The etheric is like that. When channeling your energy, close your eyes. Feel your way into the etheric. Connect with the power flowing inside you. Imagine you are blindfolded, feeling for the pool with a bare toe without disturbing the water.”

  “I think I have it.” Gideon beamed.

  “If you’re able to talk, you most definitely do not,” Arizona replied.

  Gideon deflated.

  Chloe could feel it as she sat on the floor with crossed legs. The warm, liquid power of the etheric in her mind, swarming around her. A bubble of power that enshrouded her very aura.

  “Once you have that feeling, coax the etheric toward you. Find the connection that binds your soul to it. It may come in many shapes and sizes. For me, it is a horse, an ethereal steed that comes when I call, and summoning my power is to ride on the back of the horse and charge into battle.”

  Chloe could only see the ever-morphing shapes and colors surrounding her. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope that shifted and changed any time she tried to lock onto one particular image.

  “Focus,” Arizona breathed, her words encouraging. “Patience…”

  The harder Chloe tried to concentrate, the harder it became. Her mind began to throb. She could feel KieraFreya inside of her, willing her onward, but this battle was hers alone, and she needed to quell KF’s involvement.

  Or at least she thought she did.

  Chloe shifted her position, taking a second to quiet KieraFreya. When she looked for the etheric again, the colors and shapes were all but gone, only a strange blackness remaining.

  “Often, the merging of the etheric takes the person a moment to quiet their soul. To come to terms with the demons and voices inside in order to progress. Don’t fight the spirits. Embrace them. Embrace all that is you.”

  I am you, KieraFreya piped up. Don’t forget that. We can do this together.

  Chloe tried again, this time allowing KieraFreya to come up to the surface of her mind. The duality of it felt strange, but then the colors began to coalesce. She could make out the shapes as they began to appear in crystal clarity. A bird. A tower block. A bicycle.

  A rabbit?

  “Got it?” Arizona asked.

  Chloe gave a curt nod, locking onto the small rabbit, a replica of the one she had on her bed. The cuddly toy had been a gift from a friend at school, her first real show of affection from anyone other than the cold, corporate drones that were her family.

  The rabbit had been by her side for years as a symbol of the other side of the coin. While her siblings worked their hardest to please their parents, Chloe saw the warmth and nurturing in her friend’s gesture. Maybe that had been part of the reason she had focused on trying to make real connections rather than study?

  Not that that had panned out. In the cosmopolitan age of young, attractive females hitting the city, only a shallow and vain connection could be found.

  The rabbit hopped, animating itself. Its floppy ears folded forward.

  Chloe concentrated, KieraFreya still with her. She cooed the rabbit forward, willing it toward her. The rabbit hopped, skipped, and jumped, inching closer.

  “Then, when it’s within reach, instruct it. Will it with gentle words of encouragement. Make the etheric your friend. Its personality is ever-shifting, its presence almighty, but the etheric remembers. It trusts. It yields.”

  Chloe did so. The rabbit was now at her feet. In her mind, she imagined herself crouching, a hand flattening the stuffing on the rabbit’s back. She stared into its eyes, whispered the commands that she wished to see enacted, and suddenly felt her hand move. Her eyes snapped open, a purple fireball dancing in her palm.

  “Woah,” Chloe said. “I hardly asked for anything.”

  “And yet you see what the etheric can yield?” Arizona smirked. Beside Chloe, Gideon jumped. He had a fireball in his hand, too.

  “Wow.”

  “Right?”

  “But...Arizona,” Chloe asked, thoughts swirling in her head. “This is all well and good, but in the time it took us to cast these, we could have easily fired several fireballs at our enemies. I don’t see what the advantage of all of this is?”

  “That may be true.” Arizona chuckled. “But the more you practice your connection with the etheric, the faster it’ll become. All good things take time to learn. You aren’t born running toward your father, are you? Birds can’t fly straight from the egg. Why should honing your skills be any different?

  “Oh, and another thing,” Arizona snapped. “Check your stats.”

  Chloe and Gideon did, not sure what they were looking for until she spotted the anomaly in the numbers.

  Stats

  HP: 425/425

  MP: 665/700

  Stamina: 389/410

  Active effects: Null

  Boons: +15% luck to experimental magicks, 5% proficiency in skill-learning

  “The spell hardly took any mana.” Gideon laughed. “Like, hardly anything compared to usual.”

  Arizona nodded. “Bingo.”

  Chloe gasped. “So channeling through the etheric will mean we can cast better, strong spells for longer?”

  “Once mastered, of course. Check your skills.”

  Chloe checked her menu and saw the blinking notification.

  You’ve unlocked a new skill: Etheric Manipulation (Lv 1)

  Channeling the etheric is an art. Few have tried, and many have failed. Thank the force that has given you your power by showing it the appreciation it deserves.

  Requirements: Study with a Guardian

  Bonuses: +5 etheric potential, spell cast cost dramatically reduced

  “That’s awesome,” Gideon breathed.

  Chloe couldn’t agree more. The power to increase the volume of spells she could cast with one full mana charge had been blown out of the water. With this, she’d have no trouble defeating the rest of the dreyda.

  They spent another hour practicing channeling their etheric power. With each plunge into their minds, they were able to summon their etheric familiar more easily.

  By the fourth or fifth attempt, Chloe had gotten it down to just a few seconds, the rabbit ready and waiting for her when she closed her eyes.

  Gideon’s familiar—a bald eagle which apparently hovered and flew around his head—was a lot more difficult to catch. According to Gideon, his father had always been hot on the bald eagle as the symbol of American freedom, and this had been something that followed him as he headed out of the door.

  Still, after some practice, even he managed to refine his skills. By the end of the hour, Arizona smiled at them excitedly. She clapped her hands together as she appeared before them in a puff of smoke.

  “You’ve got to stop doing that,” Chloe said.

  “I will,” Arizona replied. “When it stops being fun.”

  They left the Mages’ Academy soon after, agreeing that they would return tomorrow for another lesson with Arizona. She had told them that although they were still eager to learn more, playing with the etheric can take its toll on the mind.

  “You can’t learn too many new things at once.”

  “I can too.” Chloe sulked.

  Arizona had put a hand on her cheek. “Do not place too heavy a weight in your mind. It’s incredible what can be done when one feels free of burden and is refreshed after a day of work. Your mind is a muscle that can tire, too, even if you don’t feel it. Rest.”

  Chloe said she would, but even as she walked back along the streets of Killink View with Gideon, stopping by several different apothecaries in which Chloe let Gideon do all the talking, she couldn’t help but feel like she wanted to do anything else besides rest.

  She opened her menu and re-read the Scholar and Etheric Manipulation skills, thinking just how successful her trip out had been while everyone else had rested. She reminded herself of her attribute points, placing them all in Intelligence as she made a further effort to even the scales on her skills.

  When she was done and Gideon was stocked, she was raring to go back out and try her new skills in practice.

  The only problem was that she still had several hours to go until she met the others.

  Ah, well, Chloe thought. I can still go to the Warriors’ Guild and practice my fighting skills.

  Chloe said a brief goodbye to Gideon and headed off down the street.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Finding the remaining dreyda was a whole game in itself.

  Although more had spawned (Dreyda: 8/15) by the time the others rejoined Chloe at the gates, it didn’t make the job any easier.

  Not only were there more demons out in the wilds than ever before, keeping the city’s gate archers pretty busy on their parapets, but not all of those who had partaken in the battles from earlier that morning had returned.