Change in Leadership

Introductions complete, the Headmaster, or rather the Marshal of Almirn, motioned for the guards to unfold a map on the table. It was a detailed representation of the capital as if rendered from above. Judging from the accuracy, it must have involved some advanced surveying techniques or the use of magic.

Seeing it in this manner, Mike had to admit that the city's planners had done an excellent job, at least when it came to the New City based on the mainland. There, grid-like blocks with interconnecting major and minor roadways made for a straightforward and simple design, only interrupted by three rows of defensive walls, which demarcated different regions of the capital.

The outer wall took on the shape of an irregular polyhedral, but like most settlements in this world, there was nothing built outside of its confines. The presence of monsters proved sufficient to avoid the extensive slum districts or shanty towns that had a tendency to form in the shadow of the city walls.

The second wall created a more regular semicircle through the middle of the New City, but there were dozens of gates that allowed for a continuous flow of traffic.

Mike had seen this particular wall during his travels about the city, and he'd quickly noticed that it was poorly maintained. Long years of relative peace had led to large sections of it fallig into disrepair.

Finally, there was a third, much smaller wall, built near the entrance to the Span, which served to regulate traffic heading into the Old City. The Span itself appeared to be a chaotic mixture of buildings and side streets with one major thoroughfare running through the middle, straight to the Old City, which had its own wall despite being located on an Island.

Thus, in terms of defense, the only ways to really assault the city were by air, by sea through the docks of the New City and then through multiple fortifications, or by a series of mini-sieges while the defenders fell back to increasingly reduced defensive lines. Assuming they had sufficient stores to outlast the invaders, Mike felt pretty good about the capital's chances of surviving until relief arrived.

Of course, a lot of that depended on the defenders themselves.

"Today, I would like to discuss what role each of you will play in preparing for the coming siege. Our scouts have already located the combined Tennundian army to our Northeast. Whatever time the Western Army was able to buy, has now been fully expended, and we expect to see their vanguard elements later today."

There was some disquieted murmuring amongst the council which trailed off as Alexander continued. "I've already spoken to each of you individually concerning your responsibilities, and you have all had roughly a week to prepare. So, today I would like each of you to explain what you have to offer to the city's defense, and what steps you will take once hostilities have commenced."

The Headmaster stood, adding emphasis to his words, "It is my hope that this will be the first of many such meetings in which we can plan and prepare for the challenges we face. While I am confident in our ability to resist the Tennundian invaders, it will require the cooperation and unity of everyone in this room. We need to stand together as a city-"

Something hot and wet splashed into Mike's eyes, and he was momentarily blinded. The substance was proving difficult to remove.

From the sounds of it, there was also some kind of commotion going on in the room. He felt a trickle of unease, and with a quick application of Lifestyle Magic, cleared his vision.

In front of him, resting sideways on the table, was the severed head of Alexander Portraian, the Headmaster of the University. By this point the screams had started.

The tiniest amount of hostile intent triggered from directly behind him in a manner that he usually associated with someone thinking insulting thoughts about him, but given the circumstances Mike moved accordingly.

Dumping mana into his Air and Water Magic to enhance his Agility and Willpower respectively, he activated Aerosense while ducking the expected blow and sliding under the table in the process. Something invisible cut the air where his neck used to be, easily severing the back of the chair he had been sitting in.

Although there was a lot of confusion to the air currents of the room, the attacker appeared to be something close to a cloud of vapor, a barely tangible presence that only solidified for a few moments before attacking.

[So, some kind of supernatural assassin aiming to destabilize our leadership at a critical juncture. Don't they have some kind of countermeasure for this kind of thing?]

Rolling past the still bleeding body of General Hargus, who apparently shared the Headmaster's fate, Mike leapt to his feet. Even with Aerosense, it was proving difficult to track, and he was only able to catch a glimpse of it when it was moving to attack its next victim, a certain royal heir.

Moving quickly, Mike threw himself in front of Prince Matthew. He had neither the time nor the ability to do more than attempt to shield him with his own body. Instinctively, he reached out with his right hand to intercept the deadly strike.

He felt a cool, sharp object punch through the center of his palm, up until the hilt. Although it was still invisible to the eye, his Aerosense was telling him that the object was a dagger-like weapon held in a small, almost dainty hand. He tightened his fingers around the attacker's fist, and used it as a point of leverage to force it back.

An almost sensual gasp of surprise sounded.

"My, my, you certainly live up to your reputation. And so strong too, I can see why they are afraid of you." Whispered feminine voice, echoing strangely from the air in front of him, yet his Aerosense could only detect the barest hint of anything beyond his impaled palm.

Pulling on the trapped hand, he punched out with his left hand, and felt it slid across something just outside the range of his perception.

"Close, but not quite close enough." The voice whispered with amusement, before the dagger was painfully removed from his hand.

After losing contact with the attacker, Mike returned to barely being able to sense it. Once again he was forced to rely on the brief flashes tangibility before it struck.

The assassin seemed to have decided to focus on him, because he was suddenly forced to defend himself from a fierce barrage of thrusts and slashes. Unable to sense the attacks until they were almost upon him, he had to rely on increasingly desperate evasive maneuvers.

If it wasn't for his increased Agility, he would have long ago been filled with holes. With his need to maintain his enhanced Willpower for Aerosense to even have a chance of defending himself, he was finding himself limited in terms of options. Anything that might have an effect would be devastating to the others in the room.

"Is this all you have? I thought for sure one of the legendary Dragonknights could do more. Or perhaps, you are nothing without your mount?" The voice taunted him, laughing at his situation.

[Should I drop my Agility enhancement and try for a finishing blow? Maybe I can accept another injury to trap its weapon again.]

Just as Mike was considering his alternatives, the battle changed by the addition of an unlikely ally. Waking up from her nap, Audra peeked her head out from Mike's pocket, fixed the space in front of him with a glare, and unleashed a screeching howl of fury.

Whether this was an underdeveloped version of her dragon's breath, or merely a loud and angry yell, the sheer outlandishness of the situation caught his enemy by surprise.

"What in the...?" The attacker murmured, briefly ceasing its onslaught.

Thinking fast, Mike pushed his Air Magic out of his body, and wrapped it around his already healed right fist. Sliding forward with his left foot, he reared back and delivered an earth-shattering haymaker to the general area the assassin occupied, releasing the howling wind in the process.

The wall immediately in front of him cratered as an invisible object was crushed against it, before flickering into existence. For a moment, Mike saw the attacker, a hooded woman dressed in silky, grey bodywraps and wielding a gleaming dagger made of a blue-tinged metal.

She staggered slightly, spitting blood from her open mouth, before fixing her gaze on him. Her lips split into a crazed smile, one that gave Mike chills, as the woman started fading away again. This time through the wall behind her. He quickly summoned his mana, concentrating it into a tight beam of fire, and launching it at the assassin in an attempt to stop her before she could escape.

Even as he started the process, he could tell it was going to be too late, so he diverted a ounce of his willpower to using Appraise.

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Vivienne

Race: Human (Wraith)

Age: 25

Class: Wraithbound

Title: Betrayer

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A beam of superheated air, more plasma than fire, struck the spot where the woman had been less than a second ago, punching through the wall with ease until it encountered the shell of the Spire.

"Not bad, little Dragonknight." The assassin whispered from somewhere below the floor. "I'm looking forward to what you do next time."

Mike waited a few seconds before relaxing his guard slightly. The woman named Vivienne had sounded strained, and like she was exhausted and in pain. He didn't have any proof, but his gut was telling him that she had gone. He took a moment to glance around the room, heart sinking as he analyzed the damage.

Bodies were strewn about in piles, and blood covered nearly every surface in arterial splashes. In the span of a minute, the assassin had managed to kill almost everyone of importance that had attended the meeting. Of the original twelve major participants, only he and Prince Matthew had survived. One of the guards was still standing, open-mouthed, staring at the carnage.

Mike gritted his teeth in frustration. Even though he was here, he'd been powerless to stop the slaughter.

The doors opened, and the soldiers in the other room finally came in, looks of horror on their faces. A group of men bearing the crest of Almir pushed through and quickly surrounded the Prince, who seemed to have escaped injury.

"Make way! I have a report." A voice called from the waiting room, as a breathless member of the University Guard ran in, mouth opened to shout something, however whatever it was died in his throat once he'd seen the state of things.

"Gods..." Was all he could utter.

One of the members of Prince Matthew's entourage growled. "Spit it out already! What is it?"

The messenger shook his head before snapping to attention. "Sir, the Tennundian vanguard has been spotted approaching the city. What are your orders?"

For moment no one spoke, and all eyes turned to Mike, including those of the Third Prince, who had the gall to ask, "Well, Sir Dragonknight, what do you think we should do?"