Month 1, Day 4, 17:45:12; Arvium, High Council Tavern

A massive thud filled the air and the busy atmosphere of the tavern quieted.

Aella twisted, looking toward the entrance. A group of players with scarlet armor and black uniforms were standing just inside a gaping hole that used to be the doorway. The two men in the middle dragged something from behind them, tossing it to the ground.

She gapsed as she saw a player, his clothes dirtied and ripped. He rolled over onto his side with a groan and she recognized his face. The man in the alley.

"Garron," she whispered.

"Mortia," a deep voice called from the center of the tavern.

Aella turned her head to see Giescul, his silver armor gleaming in the flickering candlelight. A blue cape hung from his shoulders, and two swords extended over his shoulders from their hilts on his back. Several players from around the room, dressed in similar attire, started making their way forward.

"What brings you here so early?" Giescul said, his arms hanging loose at his sides.

"Quickly," Orion hissed as she leaned over the bar, waving them to her. She held up a partition that allowed them to come behind the bar, and pointed to a door behind her. "You need to get out of here. "

Aella frowned as she saw Orion's narrowed eyes. The tip of a dagger peeked from a pocket she hadn't seen before, and she swallowed, feeling her palms start to sweat.

"Let's go," Sigmund said.

Aella jogged toward the bar, making sure to move as quietly as she could. She followed behind Sigmund as he passed through the partition, opening the door and holding it open for her.

A blast filled the air, and a bright light made shadows dance on the wall in front of her. It seemed like time stood still for a second. She staggered for a second, turning back to look as the screams and yelling began.

The silver and black-armored players were moving toward each other, swords drawn. A blast of white magic arced through the air and exploded on the far wall, raining chunks of plaster down onto the tables.

Then, out of nowhere, a massive shadow materialized between both groups. The smoke surrounding the figure seemed to crackle with electricity. The ground rumbled and a hole appeared beneath the figure, smoking and crackling with flames. A wolf emerged from the hole and lifted its head, howling.

The sound made Aella cry out as she slapped her hands over her ears and bent over in pain. "No," she yelled.

"Come on," Sigmund shouted, placing his hands on her elbows and pulling her forward with him.

She stumbled, then ran after him. The pressure on her wrist was tight, but not harmful. She blinked as she entered the bright sunlight outside, and hurried down the few steps into the small area at the back of the tavern that looked like a loading bay.

"We need to get farther away," Sigmund said, walking toward the street a few yards away.

Aella watched him walk away, his hands in his pockets while he strode forward. Does he get rattled by anything? She stepped forward, then paused as she felt the hair rise on her arms. She walked to the right a few feet, glancing down the alley that ran between the tavern and the side of the High Council Building. At the other end, several guards ran past the entrance, heading for the tavern entrance.

In the distance, smoke rose from the tops of the buildings, and the ground rumbled with the sounds of explosions. A roar filled the air, and more smoke filled the air. The alley was starting to fill with smoke, and she heard a massive roar echo from the direction of the fields.

Something caught her eye and she glanced up, seeing a black-armored figure appear through the smoke. It stood on the roof, one leg on the small wall, hiding behind a chimney, looking down at her.

She smiled, then glanced down at the alley.

As soon as the last guard ran past the entrance, the figure stepped backward out of sight, then leapt through the air toward the roof of the High Council Building.

She frowned, running down the small road in the same direction that the figure had gone.

"Aella, wait," Sigmund yelled after her.

She stopped in the High Council Square, her eyes wide. She turned around, feeling a blast of cold wind blast her body as she held up her hands and shook her head.

"Aella?" Sigmund asked, stopping a few feet away from her.

Bright light ripped through the city square as the bomb exploded, sending the side of the High Council building to the pavement, shards of stone and billowing dust covering the players. Screams filled the air, and the pandemonium began.

Aella froze, her muscles tensed. It seemed like a nightmare as one bomb after another blasted the fronts of the buildings in the square, the line of fire moving ever closer.

"Get down," Sigmund shouted, ramming into her and pushing her to the ground.

She hit the marble stairs of the building as the blast from the building beside her exploded the air, slamming them several feet away, and showering them with debris. Pain flared through her limbs as she rolled over, her ears ringing and vision spotty. "Summon armor and bow," she whispered.

Dust and small rocks pelted her armor as they fell from the sky, and she coughed, the acrid smoke filling her lungs. She stared up at the smoke billowing from the entrance to the West High Council Building, her breath coming in gasps. She could see more clearly now that her visor protected her eyes from the smoke.

Sigmund.

She shifted, her limbs moving slowly. She leaned on one arm, her eyes searching the area. She moved forward, recognizing the limp figure several stairs above her, his red hair white from marble dust. She stopped next to him, scanning him for any broken bones. She leaned over him, pressing her fingers to his neck. He's alive.

She sat there, feeling her heart race. A tear slid down her cheek, then she growled, slamming her hand down onto the marble steps. She glanced up as a team of black-armored Alphas made their way into the ruins from one of the side streets, weapons drawn.

Metal screeched against metal as an Alpha appeared in front of them, sending blue arcs of magic bolts into the group. Two of them moved faster than she thought possible, cutting the Alpha down with one cut. She reached up, pulling out her bow and an arrow. She stood, then nocked an arrow as one of the players split from the group and started making its way across the rubble toward her.

A cloud of smoke filled the area, making it hard for her to see.

"Enact Galaxium crystals," she said. "Scouting spell. Binding spell: Defense spell to bow."

She gasped as heat flared through her limbs, and blue lightning crackled along the edge of her bow, making the arrow glow with golden energy. Her head felt as if it were on fire, and her limbs pulsed with each beat of her heart.

She lowered her head, taking a deep breath. The area around her seemed to quiet, and she focused on the player. The cloud moved, and the scarlet Alpha appeared. He stood, two curved swords in his hands glowing with red energy.

He started running toward her, dragging one sword behind him.

She pulled back on the string and released with a yell. She screamed as the heat intensified, and it felt as if molten lava and needles were pulsing through her veins. She fell to her knees, a blast of golden energy exploding outward from her hands as they touched the ground, taking with it the pain.

A roar echoed in her ears as someone screamed. Her muscles trembled and her breath quivered as she glanced up, seeing the Mortia player prone on the ground, the smoke and rubble cleared for fifty feet.

Her necklace swung in the air below her, the crystal glowing gold. She pulled her sword out, the blade glowing with the same gold light. She was wearing her full set of armor, and the interlocking armor pieces seemed to glow with fire in the light of her sword.

The other Alphas were coming her way, and a roar filled the air.

She ran forward, then paused, using her force to slam her sword toward the ground. "Defense spell" she whispered. The blast ripped up the cobblestones, knocking the player off of his feet. He rolled over, then stood, swinging his own sword. She brought her sword down in a sweeping arc. It hit the Alpha's sword, and she jumped as he brought his sword down where her legs had been. Her other hand pulled her staff and it extended, the tips sparking with electricity.

She pushed it up, wincing at the force of the blow as the player stood and hacked at her. She swung her sword, the blade making contact with his side. She pulled it and turned as a second player appeared behind her, red magic glowing around her hands.

Above her, a black dragon soared overhead, roaring. Fire blasted the area where the other Alphas had been, and then it landed, the force making the ground rumble.

She raised both hands in defense, but the blast slammed into her, sending her sliding across the ground. She lost her grip on her staff, and her arms burned. She yelled as the first player swung his sword down, her arm moving her own sword to block the swing.

Red magic filled her vision, and ice filled her body, making her limbs feel thick and heavy. Her vision flickered and she faltered, the player forcing her sword closer and closer to her neck. The golden glow from her sword faded and she felt her body drain of energy.

As her eyes closed, she saw the player stumble, the wraith standing behind him with both swords drawn.