The Way Ahead

Side Story: The Silver Legion

Side Story: The Silver Legion

Tara breathed out as the Outsider finally left Vinstead. It had been strenuous, to maintain Imposing Presence of the Empire for so long through her Argent Armory alone. It seemed to be worthwhile, as what limited sensory feedback she received from her combination of Mirrors Gaze and Sight of the Silver One indicated that he had managed to leave without incident.

Content, she allowed her active maintenance of the Skill to dissipate, appreciating the levels her task had earned her. Sustained Construction ensured it would not vanish immediately, and with nothing attempting to break it, it should take oh, half an hour to vanish? Shed never investigated.

Meanwhile, she massaged her temples. The strange senses that came from pushing Mirrors Gaze always gave her a headache, and she wished that the paperwork required for her to be approved to obtain Perception would finally clear. Shed had Sight of the Silver One for a year now, after all. It hadnt been this hard to get paperwork for her Outsider to clear, a thought which prompted her to sigh.

Edwin Edwin was a fascinating case, and such a clear example of why the Empire was so important. He embodied a truly astounding level of wasted potential. If only he had first found his way to Port Torveil or, somehow Vinstead, in lieu of the bearded barbarians in the mountains.

Tara drummed her fingers on her leg, trying to control her emotions. The dwarves were their allies, and it was not her place to allow personal judgement to circumvent what the Empire had decreed.

Trust the system, not the individual.

Edwins story nearly made her wish to weep. Not only was he an Outsider, but a mage as well! The combination would have been one which echoed throughout history and elevated the entire Empire for the betterment of all, if only they could keep him on their side. And yet, the poor fool had taken Breathing and Sleeping instead of expanding his natural mage talent.

It confused her how he might be a mage if there were none on his Earth, though perhaps in his travels the spark had been awoken within him? It was the only reasonable conclusion to be made, and she sorely wished that she might be able to ask one of the scholars what their thoughts upon the matter were.

Alas, such was not to be. Her Honor of the Empire would remain untarnished, and there was no direct obligation for her to report on his existence as an Outsider to others. Such an obligation would have to be added in the future, once proposing it would no longer constitute a potential violation of her Oath. Previously, the concept of a Person of Interest being an Outsider was so utterly laughable that no one had even considered coding it into Law. If only ensuring the Law was useful and comprehensive was a direct duty of hers, rather than an implied one perhaps she could propose the matter when she was next prompted, most likely in thirteen months when her six-year review was scheduled.

Then again, perhaps there was a reason that such a duty was not already present, and asking would only bring with it commendation. It was only through such inquiry which progress could be made, by questioning those above your station for the logic behind their actions. Should they have a sufficient reason, you learned. If they did not, they would know of a flaw within their reasoning and could act to correct it.

The Outsider did not seem to share this perspective, beyond as was natural in his station as an Alchemist. Tara supposed that was most likely typical for those who would take the Path of Artifice, that they would be focused upon the material rather than the political. After all, she usually cared little for the questions asked by those upon the Path of Administration.

Edwin certainly provoked her to wonder those questions, and she was uncertain how she ought to feel about that. Was it not better for one with a medical Skill to provide lifesaving treatment in the absence of a proper Medic? The answer was apparently no, as doing such would encourage unlicensed medics to first mortally wound patients with otherwise minor injuries such that they could legally heal their clients, resulting in more deaths than otherwise.

It still didnt sit right with her, though, even all these months later. Still, what she technically did not witness and had no technical knowledge of was not under her purview. Even then, was she truly in the right to bend the laws in such a manner?

Trust in the system, not the individual, she reassured herself.

In the future, she might not conduct herself in such a manner, though perhaps she would. Something about the Outsiders position on individual choice struck her in an odd manner. Tara would have to ensure Edwin underwent the proper training for medicine when he next returned to Vinstead. Hopefully she would be around to oversee it. No other Adventurer was liable to cause her to question their qualifications, she knew and had dealt with too many of them. And Citizens were required to take the course when they first received their Skill or were approved to earn it.

A message arrived for her, and Tara sighed. It seemed as though not even a week could pass without some new monster beyond the scope of the local guards showing up and forcing her to personally deal with the situation. Usually it was trivial- some Classed wolf, though it would on occasion be more than seconds of work. What was it this time? She tapped the pebble presented. Tactile use of Identification had always been her preference, despite its shortcomings. Something about feeling the stone under her fingers had always been so reassuring.

Her eyes skimmed across the Identification. Hmmm. This might actually be somewhat enjoyable. A small, nameless town near the Frigid Sands was being plagued by a manticore. Winged, no less. With a Class as well. Lord of the Thousand Quills of Death. Lovely. It seemed to have already killed two guards and put their lieutenant in critical condition, and they had sent the message pebble yesterday.

She wasnt as fast as a courier, no. They spent their entire Classes pushing themselves to go as fast as possible. Even avior, winged as they were, couldnt match a true-blood Human for high-speed endurance. All that meant that if it took a full day for one to reach her here, it would take at least three days to make the journey if she pushed herself to her limits.

No time to waste, then. She applied an Imperial Note to her desk regarding her whereabouts and stepped out onto her balcony. A grin flitted across her face as she beheld the clouds of satisfied, safe Citizens going about their daily lives so far below. This was her favorite view in all of Vinstead. This was what she lived for.

Shining Regalia.

Silver Steps.

Thanks to the high levels she had raised Don Regalia to, Taras Skill manifested around her in the blink of an eye, silver armor that felt weightless even before Second Skin initiated. As she stepped into thin air, a tiny disc made of silver force materialized beneath her feet, enabling a full sprint across the sky. Sustained Construction meant that she left a set of sparkling footprints in the sky like stars while she set off for the north.

Avior swooped around her, their added maneuverability and lower rank ensuring that they gave way to her instead of the reverse. She sprinted across the evening sky, feeling Endless Endurance engage and grant her already considerable Stamina an even greater boost.

Tara managed to arrive at her destination in just under two days, having stopped only once at a town to sleep before continuing her quest. Upon her arrival at the nameless town, she located the guard encampment with ease- this far out, there were usually a few upon the Artifice path assigned to local guardsmen. Not a particularly experienced Fortification Builder, from the looks of the building, but the construction was nonetheless fully functional.

A nervous-looking soldier stood outside the temporary barracks. The human looked like he might bar her way, but Tara flashed her badge of office. Insignia might be an ostensibly weak Skill, but its inclusion as the first upgrade to Authority made it useful. Supposedly in days past, and even to this day in some of the foreign lands, their methods of identification within their ranks were incredibly prone to forgery. Pathetic.

Inviolable proof of her identity thus presented, she was swiftly escorted inside. While the interior was almost uncomfortably cramped, her suspicion of an inexperienced Builder confirmed, there was still enough room for her to address the Senior Lieutenant as she reclined on a medical bed, tended to one of the natives. A skinwalker of some sort, or at least descended from one, given the medics eyes and ears.

As she approached, the medic retreated to a respectful distance, eyes downturned. Deferent. Interesting. Not an unpleasant surprise, though rare this far out. Distance seemed to dilute the respect citizens had for their superiors.

Enforcer Tara present. Report, Lieutenant.

Then, the Silver Blade was gone, only a flash of silver light left in her wake as her Skill simply moved her outside the area of the quill attack. Hundreds of needles slammed into the ground, hissing and dissolving the sand where they struck. She frowned. Manticore venom was venom, not acid. Did this one have some special Skill which allowed it to kill inanimate objects?

The manticore was furious at her survival, and with another roar, it swooped down to attempt to claw at her, a single scorpion-like stinger left upon its tail.

Dance of the Silver Blade brought her between the beasts attacks, forbidding the creature from rending naught but air. Her blade flashed up and caught it in the stomach, though the simple attack proved insufficient to pierce its hide.

She wouldnt allow herself to grow frustrated, and drew her blade back, using Sudden Reposition to avoid the beasts retaliatory claw. It possessed some rapid movement Skill of its own, and reappeared mid-strike less than a stride away from her.

Parry

The Skill was a fraction of an instant too slow, and the attack slammed into her side and sent her flying. The Silver Blade slammed into the ground, skipping across the sands. While her Regalia protected her, she could tell that it would not survive a second blow, and she was uncertain whether the claws upon her foe carried the same deadly toxin as its stingers, having no desire to find out herself.

Kip Up

The Skill jerked her upright, going from horizontal to vertical in the blink of an eye, and not a moment too soon, as the beast was once more upon her. It was all she could manage, to conjure a Mirror Shield and slow the beast before it could reach her. The shield was not tested against the charge, as with a flap of its wings, the manticore merely leapt over the barrier, diving down at her.

Brace.

Silver Steps.

For all that she rarely used it for such, Silver Steps was initially meant for this very purpose- giving her a firm footing regardless of the terrain. Brace combined with it well, as it allowed her to give no ground against even the fiercest attacks.

The Enforcer cast aside her sword, using the last moment before her prey slammed into her to conjure a spear from her Armory.

The beasts own momentum carried it onto the silver spearpoint, driving it deep into its own body as the first blood of their fight. Far from being a decisive strike, however, it only served to enrage the creature, and with a roar that would have knocked Tara back if not for her continued Brace.

The manticore attempted to flee, but the Silver Blade effortlessly maintained her Silver Steps in pursuit into the air, where they continued their deadly dance.

The manticore was a formidable opponent, Tara had to admit. It had been quite some time since she had last needed to push herself quite so far in a fight, and she relished the feeling. Regardless, there was never a doubt in her mind that she would prove victorious, it was merely a matter of time. Endless Endurance and Enforcers Physique meant she simply would not tire, not without significantly more Stamina-intensive Skill usage, but the beast had no such Skill. It was an ambush predator, not a true fighter.

It had tried to flee a few times. However, the Silver Blade had taught the beast why attempting such was a terrible idea. The first time, she had used the opportunity to cut off the tip of its stinger, though the action had forced her to discard and recreate her sword, as the venom corroded and shattered the Skill. The second time, she opened a long slice on its flank, and most recently, she had cut a long slit in its batlike wings, forcing it back to the ground.

It was now fully aware of how little time it had left, and was beginning to panic. Taras non-Skill enhanced attacks, or even Sudden Strike, still could not pierce its hide, though its rage and panic were giving her more opportunities to use Power Attack and Piercing Blow, allowing her to slowly whittle away at its health, likely even Health. Attributes were not infinite, after all, and even the strongest Health had its limits.

It had lost a lot of black blood, and given the amount Tara had gotten on herself throughout the fight, she was fortunate it too was not toxic. The spear she had lodged in its chest near the start of the fight had long broken, naturally, as had the second, and as Skill constructs, left nothing in the wound to continue wounding the creature.

It knew it was dying, and now sought only to end her life before its soul left Joriah. She would not leave it to succumb to its wounds, as doing such ran too much of a risk that it might survive against all odds, possibly with the aid of a new Skill or Path, and continue to menace the town. That was unacceptable, and so she stayed.

A Mirror shield intercepted a claw, and Flowing Steps brought her out of range from the beasts bite. Sudden Strike brought her sword inside the creatures human-like mouth, and as it bit down, the blade cut into the manticores soft skin, prompting it to yowl in pain and rage.

Tara didnt pass up the opportunity it presented, and Sudden Reposition brought her in close, her sword thrust forward to strike at the base of the creatures neck. Sudden Strike reinforced her attack, but it still managed little more than a scratch upon the beasts hide.

That wasnt the point, though, and as the manticore attempted to retreat beyond the reach of the Silver Blade, she had enough of an opportunity to chain together every attack she had into a single, mighty blow.

Her sword slammed into the creatures hide, piercing its skin and cutting deeply into its muscle, only stopping when her attack hit its bones with such force her sword shattered. Another attack was already on its way, a curved sickle-sword slipping into the same cut shed just opened and hooking onto the interior of the beast. This time, when it pulled away, Tara kept part of it with her. Brace and Silver Steps kept her and her weapon motionless while the manticore used its movement to flee, and tore open its own guts as it did so.

Blood and bile spilled over Tara, showering her in gore. While disgusting, it was nothing in comparison to the corpse of the beast itself falling upon her a moment later. It was only thanks to Reflexive Shield that she hadnt been squished underneath its body. While it wouldnt have been dangerous, it would have been rather embarrassing, nevermind that few eyes were upon her.

Tara stepped back, opening her eyes as she dismissed and re-conjured her armor piece by piece to avoid getting any blood upon her. She looked upon the body of the marauding manticore with satisfaction. This was her role in the Empire, ensuring the land was safe for the common folk, and she would do her job proudly until her dying day.

Tomorrow, she would begin her long return to the capital, keeping her ears open for other nuisances she could deal with while in the area, such as bandits or a pack of wolves. When she finally did arrive in Vinstead, there would no doubt be some minor incident she needed to give her opinion on, and some days following that, there would be another incident to investigate or intervene upon.

Such was the life of the Silver Blade.

She wouldnt have it any other way.