[Beta] Ashborn - 5. Siege (Patreon)

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Siege

The stench of blood made meditation difficult but not impossible. Essence cycled through me, revolving until all of it had either entered my bones or my core.

Fire Keeper - lvl. 2 -> Fire Keeper - lvl. 4.

6 free stat points gained.

2 SP gained.

Stats, I thought.

Vitality: 5

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 5

Fortitude: 8

Perception: 7

Arcane: 11

Free Points: 9

I barely had enough energy to make it to level four—a benefit of my title.

‘Nine points. I should use them.’

Arcane was my most important stat since it was the only one mentioned explicitly in all my skills. It governed my ability to sense and produce magic—how much essence I could push into a single move or how much my body could store.

Vitality gave me general durability and health. Useful against the storm outside but also to withstand spell effects such as hotter flames. That would be needed as my summons grew in power.

Strength and dexterity did what they said on the tin, while perception controlled how well your mind processed sensory information. Fortitude as a stat was a little more under the radar and visualised your capability to maintain bodily functions under duress.

I put four points into vitality and another four into arcane. The last I put into dexterity.

My fortitude and perception were already decent and strength wasn’t needed for now—I had Saber to kill for me.

I stood and glanced outside, wiping the window pane with my sleeve. The storm was dying down.

‘I should move soon.’

Stepping over the corpse of the second prowler I killed, I reached for the body of the disciple with my spear. I held my breath as I fished their pouch from their side. It weighed the tip of my spear down, which was good.

“Now, let’s see.”

To my chagrin, the pouch only contained a single item. Well, two.

A golden locket encrusted with blue quartz and a piece of paper.

[Jaoma’s Locket - Quest Item]

I unfurled the paper slip.

Quest Offered: Jaoma’s Heirloom. A merchant in Glacereach lost his heirloom. Return it to him.

Reward: 2 Gold Coins + Essence Stone (F) - Common + 5 RP.

‘Glacereach…I have no idea where that is.’

It might be settlement next over. Perhaps the disciple had come thinking it would be a breeze.

I glanced at his half-eaten face.

‘I wonder if we knew each other.’

Fire cultivators were big on family and often bonded together.

…

A pang in my chest. The shadow of a pain whose origin was not with me, but from another.

‘You lost your family too, didn’t you?’

Pity rose from within me. Whatever had happened to the original Ashe, whatever dreams, aspirations or goals she had, they all died after I transmigrated into her.

How that was even possible was a mystery to me? The system didn’t just swap people’s souls. The only explanation I had was that Ashe died just as my soul entered the cycle of reincarnation. But there were no signs of wounds or blood in the cave.

I sighed. Whatever the answer I reached, Ashe wouldn’t care.

“The least I can do is figure out what happened.”

I would appreciate anyone doing the same. That, and I didn’t need her vengeful spirit haunting me.

I stored the sapphire, accepted the quest, then went outside.

Let’s leave ahead of the storm.

I only had a general direction to follow, so the trip took longer than I would’ve liked, but my destination finally came in view.

Sturdy walls jabbed through the cover of snowfall—wooden palisades bound together with nails. The stakes would be enough to deter basic wildlife or a small raiding party but weren’t anything a cultivator or creature couldn’t breach with some magic.

My proposition was currently being tested.

“Keep the line steady!” a burly man wielding a greatsword yelled.

Multiple shadows flitted across the sky, swooping down and falling onto a squad of soldiers wielding pikes and bows.

[Cryodactyl - lvl. 5]

[Cryodactyl - lvl. 5]

…

I counted around six of the creatures. Identifying the guards gave me a whole bunch of level twos and threes.

Alright. This was some decent EXP, though the group part of it would reduce the energy I gained from the kills.

‘Better than nothing.’

A wisp of flame formed into a perfect ball atop my digit, and the flames burnt into the barrier between reality and the Plane.

Saber leapt through his portal into the middle of the conflict.

I rushed forwards and threw my spear, shooting one of the monsters out of the air.

“I’m here to help,” I said.

The burly man saluted and ordered his formation to widen so I could squeeze in.

“Care to give him a boost?” I asked at one of the soldiers.

He stared at me incredulously when I pointed to his shield and for him to square. Right as he did, Saber pounced, used his barrier as a stepping stone, and swiped one of the monsters to the ground.

“Just like that.” I gave him a thumbs up.

Soft laughter rippled through the soldiers.

My attention shifted towards the battle. Four of the creatures were left. Now that they’d seen my earlier trick, they stayed far away from the soldiers. It bought our archers the space they needed.

Metal tips whirled through the air and punctured wings, sending two of the monsters into a free fall.

The pikemen and I rushed ahead, finishing off the grounded beasts.

[Cryodactyl - lvl. 5] x 2 killed. Extra experience gained for killing a higher level enemy.

I slammed down on the rush of energy and spun back to our archers. We’d left a hole in our defence.

The remaining Cryodactyl smelled their opportunity. They swooped down, jaws opened wide. An icy sphere formed in their mouths, aimed straight at our archers.

Well, shit.

I prepared myself for the shouts of anguish. A masculine roar sounded instead. The captain of the guards leapt up high and cut off the head of the beast before it could fire.

“Get out of the way!” the guard captain yelled, still in the air.

The last of the Cryodactyls screeched. It had finished charging, but it was back in range of Saber.

“Saber!” I called.

He leapt, latched on the monster’s neck, and buried his fangs buried deep into its skull. The blast fired into his stomach and Saber released a muffled cry. Both beasts tumbled and landed in a cloud of dust.

I basically teleported to their side.

The Cryodactyl wasn’t yet dead but a quick stroke of the blade finished that dilemma.

“Saber…” I knelt beside him.

Drops of liquid fire poured from the gaping hole in his stomach. His jaw muscles grew to weak to hold on and let go of the beast. He whimpered.

I pulled him into my lap and stroked the side of his head. “I know, love. You did well. Go back and rest.”

Fires drew onto my digit. I lowered him into the gate.

Court of Flame

Summons: Ashenblood Cub (Regenerating)

My eyes closed. The wind whipped at my skin. Already, a dark pit grew inside my gut. It was like a piece of me had been ripped out and devoured.

‘Come back soon, please.’

“Young Lady…”

I turned towards the guard captain standing over me.

“My name is Herman,” he said. “Thank you for your help and your protection. Your spirit beast…”

“He’ll be alright,” I said, rising with a sigh. “I’m glad no one is injured.”

The soldiers lowered their heads, and Herman bowed.

I retrieved my spear. As I stored the weapon on my back, my chest warmed unnaturally. Golden letters appeared in front of my face.

Defence achievement recognised.

Family quest [Defenders of the Realm] triggered.

Family quest? I glanced at my status.

Summon Slot - Tier I: 0/2

SP: 3

Family Quests: [Defenders of the Realm]

I honed in on the quest.

[Defenders of the Realm]: Long have the Pyrestones been the guardians of the Plane of Fire. An infant Emberback Hatchling caught notice of your recent display. It follows your progress to determine if you are worthy of its loyalty.

Objective: Defend your peers [0/25].

Reward: Respect of the Emberback

A soft smile crept up my face. It seemed I was gaining another member soon enough.