Piper continued to move away from the burning warehouse, with one arm wrapped around the aspirant’s shoulders to steady the young woman. Once she reached the end of the alleyway, she started to turn left before the wayfarer corrected her and pointed in the opposite direction.

  “What’s your name?” Piper asked, maintaining her false cheerfulness. “Like I said, mine is Anna.”

  “I’m Eleni,” the young woman said before a coughing fit wracked her body. After a few seconds, she stopped and brushed back her black hair. “I’ve never seen illusions that powerful before. That knight was yours too?”

  “It was—” Piper’s coughing cut off the rest of her sentence. Her throat felt raw, and her chest ached. More than anything, she wanted to use [Demonic Blood] to heal her many wounds. But her mana was dangerously low, and she’d probably burn Eleni if she tried.

  Anyway, Xander could heal her once she reached him. If she ever did. The alleyway kept branching off and heading away from the burning building. Who designed a city like this?

  Finally, after a few minutes had passed, they emerged onto a street. A group of guards raced past them, each of them carrying several empty buckets in their hands. The ringing of the bells hadn’t stopped and instead had grown more insistent.

  Piper and Eleni followed the guards down the street until they rounded the corner to see a beehive of activity in front of the warehouse. Dozens of guards had gathered in front of the burning building.

  A handful of the armored men and women were busy putting down the last of the smoldering zombies, while the others had formed a bucket brigade to the nearby river. Meanwhile, a mage was spraying the building with a jet of water. So far, the flames hadn’t spread to any neighbouring structures.

  After a few seconds, she spotted her group across the street from the burning warehouse. Hector stood patting his lizard companion’s head, the reptile having returned to its normal size.

  A short distance away, Lydia lay propped up against a wall, while her brother tended to her wounds. Silvery magic streamed out from his palms, flowing over her legs and pulling out the chunks of bones shot by the cultist, Eldric.

  “Is everyone alright?” Piper called out as she trotted over.

  As one, the aspirants turned to stare in her direction. Hector looked unsurprised, while Xander smiled at her arrival. Lydia, on the other hand, looked so stunned a feather could probably knock her over.

  “You’re alive!” Lydia cried out. “How is that possible?”

  Piper shrugged. “I just got lucky.”

  Xander finished casting his spell. Then he rose to his feet and walked over to Piper’s side. He clapped her on the back and grinned. “If you stick with us, we’ll all reach the rank of adventurer in no time. All you need is a bit of weapons training and some tactics, and you’ll be amazing.”

  “I think I did fine,” she retorted. “You didn’t have to come barging in to save me.”

  Xander raised his brow. “Do you honestly think that went well? If you had told me about your abilities and unusual bow from the beginning, I could have concocted a better plan. One that didn’t end up burning down a warehouse.”

  “Who are you calling unusual, pal?” Gorebark barked. “I’m not the one who looks like a shaved monkey.”

  Piper grimaced at Gorebark’s words. In the aftermath of the battle, she’d forgotten to return the bow to the abyss. She quickly used [Demonic Recall] and her bow and quiver disappeared. To her surprise, none of the other aspirants even blinked at the display of power. They must be getting used to seeing strange stuff from her.

  Eleni stepped forward, clasping her hands. She had long black hair hanging past her shoulders and wore form-fitting armor. An empty scabbard hung from her belt. Her blue eyes scanned the group. “I can’t thank you enough for saving my life. Though I have to admit it’s a surprise to be saved by aspirants of all people.”

  Xander rose to his feet. “Think nothing of it. But perhaps you would let me take you out to dinner sometime? Just to ensure you’re still doing well after all of this, of course.”

  Eleni blushed slightly. “I’ll consider it.” She then turned to Piper. “If you ever need anything, come and find me. I’m a member of the Silver Hippogriff Guild. And if you’re interested, we could always use a powerful caster like you. I know I’d be happy to join your group.”

  Before she could say more, Eleni sagged to her knees. Her breathing became ragged, and the next round of coughing splattered blood across the muddy road. She bent forward, her chest heaving, as she struggled to draw in a breath.

  For the first time, Xander seemed to notice their condition. “By the Undying Emperor. Both of you must have inhaled a lot of smoke,” he said. “Please let me heal you.”

  The healer hurried over to Eleni. He held up his hands, and silvery strands of light wove their way down his arms. The magic coalesced in his palms before shooting forth and sweeping across Eleni’s body. Her visible wounds rapidly faded, while her coughing lessened. After a second, she straightened up and sucked in a deep breath.

  “Thank you,” Eleni whispered. “I think I’d like to grab dinner with you after all.”

  “Wonderful,” Xander said. “Now, your turn, Anna.”

  The healer repeated the same process with Piper, and his magic carried away every ache, pain, and discomfort she had. She even felt her exhaustion receding slightly. His magic was far more powerful than Althea’s.

  “That feels much better,” she said, sucking in a deep breath.

  Xander pointed at her stomach. “What is that thing?”

  Piper glanced down, and her eyes widened with alarm. A glowing sphere of hellfire was slowly circling her body. “It’s nothing,” she said quickly. “We need to get moving to the sewer.”

  She could feel the pull of the infernal realm intensifying on her soul. But she couldn’t go there yet—not until she saved the others. Still, she had a feeling she was running out of time.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Piper swiftly cast [Shifting Veil] on the surrounding area, hiding the swirling ball of hellfire. It cost her nearly all of her remaining mana, but she couldn’t walk around the city with a huge sign above her head saying she was an infernal caster.

  Eleni pressed her lips together. “Are you being called to the fire realm for your third class?”

  “I guess?” Piper shrugged helplessly. “I’ve had a strange leveling experience.”

  “Fire, illusions, and martial arts.” Eleni flashed a brilliant smile at Piper. “If you don’t come find my guild, I’m going to track you down myself.”

  “I’m sorry,” Piper said. “But we really need to get going.” She handed the pouches, knives, and staff to Xander. “As promised, here is the loot. Now we need to head to the sewers.”

  Xander took the items and juggled the pouches between his hands as he tried to get a grip on the staff. After a moment, he handed back the necromancer’s dagger. “I have no need of a cursed blade. But the rest of this must be worth a few gold pieces. Are you certain you want to give it to us?”

  Piper thrust the dagger into her pouch. “How long would they take to sell?”

  The healer shrugged. “Perhaps a few weeks?”

  “I need the coin now.”

  Eleni frowned. “Why do you need money?”

  “My friends were injured, and I’m trying to pay for their treatment.”

  “If that’s the case, take what I have.” Eleni flipped open her coin purse and fished around inside. After a moment, her hand emerged with two silvers and three coppers. “It’s not much, but it’s all I have.”

  Piper took the coins and stuffed them into her own purse. “I promise I’ll pay you back when I can.”

  Eleni gave a musical laugh. “You don’t need to pay me back. That’s the least I could do after you saved my life. And like I said, come find me when you become a wayfarer.”

  “I will,” Piper said, considering the offer. “I promise.”

  With a half wave at Eleni, she set off in the direction of the sewers. She heard Lydia scrambling to her feet, and the lizard splashing through a puddle on the street.

  After a few blocks, Xander trotted up to her side. He held the fire mage's staff in one hand, the crystal on the head glowing with silvery light. “Didn’t you say we’re heading toward the sewers?”

  Piper nodded.

  “The main entrance is that way.” Xander pointed to the left.

  “Oh…” Piper slowed down and gave a sheepish grin. “I’m not great with directions.”

  “I can see that. Why don’t I take the lead?”

  “That would probably be best.”

  Xander angled off down a side street and hurried through the warehouse district. They passed carts filled with fish and travelled under nets hanging between buildings. Before long, they reached an area where burly men were loading barrels into wagons.

  As they left the riverside, the streets slowly filled with people. Food vendors dotted the sides, and the delicious smell of roasting meat replaced the stench of rotting fish.

  Before long, they arrived at the gates she’d entered only a few hours earlier. The same guards still stood on duty, though none of them even acknowledged their presence as they approached. A few of them were playing a board game, while the others lazed against the wall.

  “Ummm... hello?” Piper said, placing her hands on her hips. “We’d like to go into the sewers?”

  A guard finally looked up from the game and scowled. “The sewers are closed. Haven’t you heard there’s a high-level rot mage down there?”

  “We’re here to kill him.”

  The guard guffawed. “Four aspirants are going to take down a rot mage? Get lost, kid. I’m busy.”

  “I have a quest to defeat the rot mage,” Piper said stubbornly. “And I’m not leaving until you open the gate.”

  The guard pushed himself up from the game with a grunt. “Listen, all you’re going to do is get yourself killed down there. The bastard has already taken out a group of adventurers and a bunch of aspirants this morning.” The guard chuckled. “No great loss there if you ask me. Aspirants like you are barely one step up from vagrants.”

  Piper’s eyes narrowed, rage flooding her veins. “Either you open the door, or I’ll open it myself.”

  “Fine, fine.” The guard walked over to the gate. “If you want to die, have at it. Don’t come crying to me afterward, though.”

  Motioning to the others playing the board game, the guard walked over to the enormous iron-bound door blocking the entrance to the sewers. The four men took up positions and struggled to pull off the crossbar. Once the bar had been placed aside, one of the men swung it open, revealing the stairs leading downward into the pit of darkness.

  Piper looked over her group members. “I guess you won’t listen if I tell you to stay behind?”

  Xander grinned. “Does your class allow you to read minds as well?

  She sighed. “Let’s get going then.”

  The group formed up before descending the broad brick stairway. About halfway down, Piper realized she hadn’t brought a light source. She was rushing so much she wasn’t thinking straight.

  Xander seemed to sense the problem and reached into his pouch. A moment later, his hand emerged holding a glowing stone. Unlike Basil’s, this one emitted a soft blue light.

  They continued downward until they reached the river of sludge at the bottom. Only then did Xander raise his hand. “I believe we should discuss tactics. Generally speaking, what are everyone’s skills and spells?”

  Piper brushed back a strand of her illusory red hair. “Most of my spells have to do with personal illusions,” she said. “I’m also pretty handy with a bow, a meteor hammer, and hand-to-hand fighting.”

  At the mention of her hammer, she scanned through the many notifications she’d received until she found the one she was looking for. “Give me a moment, please.”

  Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Hammer Wielder, Level 1.

  Battling against powerful spellcasters and undead, you have learned how to swing a hammer. This skill provides a minuscule bonus when fighting with a hammer.

  Learn this skill (Yes/No?)

  She immediately selected ‘Yes’ before being greeted with another notification.

  Please choose an existing skill to remove to continue.

  Without hesitation, she removed [Stick Wielding]. A part of her had hoped to learn staff combat, but that was looking less and less likely. And she’d liked fighting with the meteor hammer. If she stuck with it, she might learn some really cool moves.

  A wave of wooziness washed over her as the skill was ripped from her mind. She steadied herself against the wall as her stomach rebelled. She dreaded the thought of ever having to get rid of a high-level skill; the backlash must be terrible.

  Hector darted over to Piper’s side, offering her his arm.

  She waved him off. “I was just replacing a skill.”

  “Oh yeah… that’s most unpleasant,” he said. “I try to avoid doing that like the plague.”

  Hector stepped back and seemed to realize Xander was staring at him. “Oh right. skills and stuff. Mine mostly have to do with making Cronos stronger.”

  Xander frowned. “Cronos?”

  “My buddy here.” Hector reached over, drawing his lizard closer. He rubbed its head affectionately. “I also have some heal over time spells, but they’re limited to my companion.”

  “Very good.” Xander leaned on his staff. “As you’ve probably already realized, I can heal, fortify, and create barriers. My sister is primarily focused on durability and martial skills. If no one objects, I’d like Lydia to take the lead, while Hector and I take the middle. Anna, I’d like you to act as the rearguard. Please use your bow and spells to sow confusion among our enemies.”

  “We only have one enemy,” she said before correcting herself. “Actually, two. He can summon a huge elemental.”

  “The rot mage isn’t the only thing living in the sewers.”

  Piper chewed on her lower lip. She hadn’t thought about what else they might encounter down here. After all, she’d originally been sent to hunt giant rats.

  “Alright. But we need to hurry.”

  Lydia unlimbered her shield. “If you hurry down here, you die.”

  “Fine,” Piper said. “Let’s move at a steady pace. Is that alright with you?”

  Shaking her head, Lydia turned and moved off into the darkness. The others followed at a slower pace.

  Piper watched them go. Part of her wanted to cast [Wraithskin] and slip off alone into the sewers. In the process of saving her friends, she didn’t want to cause the death of anyone else. But they had helped with the undead cult, even if they had prevented her from casting some of her more powerful infernal spells like [Umbral Terror].

  Exhaling, she hurried after Hector. She would just have to do everything in her power to keep them safe. But she swore when she returned to the Infernal Realm, she was picking the most powerful class possible. If she was going to protect her friends, she needed a lot more power.