A building to the west exploded in debris as two unis, hoo god unis with red coats and shining horns, smashed through the wall and into the square. The Cleric, Hector, followed. Behind him was the ginger, who sent a line of fme at the barricade, lighting it with defenders still on it.

  This was all going to shit.

  I ran as fast as I could. As soon as I got to the door at the base of the clocktower I kicked it open. That huge axe just barely missed my shoulder and buried itself into a wooden beam. I saw the green sparks too te.

  I wheeled backward, avoiding Helena’s terattack, and suddenly Bernie was there swiping with both Edge and Thorn. I ran around them.

  I pounded up the steps, taking them two at a time.

  Something smmed into my babsp; I gnced behind. A hatchet nded oeps. A green shimmer, and there she was again.

  I swiped at her with the new greatsword, and she parried it with the haft of her axe.

  Bere ran along the wall, and lu her.

  Helena disappeared in a puff of green sparks. Ber the edge of the banister, and fell over.

  I kept running up the steps.

  Eventually, I made it to the ope the tht uhe massive gears and maery of the clock tower. The face of the clock glowed in the moonlight. Everywhere was blue are light.

  Mark stood up from his desk.

  “She’s trying to kill us!” I said. “Do something!”

  Another hatchet arced over the railing and nded between us. I dropped Rachel, whdolled to the floor, then put both hands on the sword.

  I was just able to parry Helena’s blow. Even with the belt, she was still monstrously strong. I parried the sed blow as she went from light pink to normal. My adrenaline rush ended.

  Bernie leapt over the side. Luca came running up from behind me.

  Mark sent a firebolt at Helena. She disappeared into sparks. The bolt hit me straight in the chest. It hurt like hell, like someohrew a softball at my chest, but my breastpte ta.

  “Watch it!”

  “How was I supposed to know?” Mark pined.

  Green sparks shimmered around the hatchet again. Berossed a dagger, too soon, it went right through. Helena appeared, spun, and swung at me again. I stepped back to let the swing pass, then stepped in with a lu the gap in her armor near her shoulder. She swung bad batted my sword out of the way.

  “I ’t cast the spell when she’s in the way!” Mark said.

  “Then she’ll e with!”

  “What about Cal?” he asked.

  “He catch up ter,” I said, parrying aerrible blow from the axe. “Just do it!”

  Helena tossed another hatchet behind her, and shunted away just as Bere lunged for her. A teleportation circle began trag itself on the floor.

  Just then, in a surge of electricity, appeared Braelyn.

  “Do something about her!” I said, as Helena lifted her axe for arike.

  Braelyn pointed her wand at Helena, a a shiver of electricity over her body. Helena froze in pce, t her fa pain.

  The teleportation circle went off.

  And suddenly I was s over Vesperalis as if a ghost, flying above it at a thousand miles per hour. No, faster. I screamed across the try so fast the world blurred below me.

  And then I was standing in front of a tower in the snow.

  I leapt on Helena, tore the axe from her hands, and pulled her into a bear hug.

  “How long does this thing st?” I asked Braelyn.

  “Seds,” she replied.

  “Get rope,” I said.

  Luca had rope. The paralysis wore off before we were fiying her arms, but at that point she had three pairs of hands to keep her down. I’d never really tied a before, so I was a little weirded out by it, but it had to be done. She snarled and tried to bite, yelled long strings of course nguage at us in Spanish, and even mao draw blood from a headbutt.

  Not that I bmed her. I would have dohe same thing. Except bite. For some reason that just seemed out of line.

  “You have a prison?” I asked.

  “The tower has a dungeon,” Mark sighed.

  “Good,” I replied. “But first things first,” I gnced around and grabbed Luca by the arm. “Make sure Rachel is taken care of.”

  Braeyln burst into tears, but helped Luca carry Rachel inside.

  The days went by quickly. But first, let me give you an uanding of where we were — Mark’s tower was an imposing, smooth skyscraper, not quite a hundred floors tall. Hundreds of glowing points of light in the bck stone revealed to be windows, but only the upper floors had balies. They ringed around the spire as it came to a point. The whole thing had something of a look like a chess piece, a blocky, tiered bishop maybe.

  The inside lush, well furnished, and lit with are light.

  It was truly a marvel. Every floor had a colleague or a student, hundreds of them across the whole tower. Part schorly campus, part magical research ter, and all under Mark’s supervision, we had damn near all the help we would ever need.

  And we .

  The head of the neancy floor, Quentin, or just Q, handled surgery. Chiseled features, imposing frame, with a square jaerpetual stubble, he had more the look of an Old Hollywood private eye than a professor. The look of weariness, the bags under his eyes, cshed with his ready smile, and agreeable nature.

  And while he had no powerful healing magiore so than me, he was an expert in corpses and anatomy. Luca provided the healing. I insisted on being there too, and so I hahe sleep spells that kept her under.

  It took a day and a half of careful work. First the bone was broken, theached with sturdy copper wire, then thinner wire and sutures for the muscle and tendons. The arteries had mostly been healed where they hrough my magic, but smaller blood vessels needed replication. The most difficult and time ing process was the nerves.

  After we were done, I slept for 12 hours straight. I didn’t dream of Berryhop anymore. I was grateful, but not sure why.

  Upon waking, I tried to get a sense for where I was.

  I had a double dormitory all to myself. The other bed had been made, sheets pulled tight. A single desk waited to be shared. A small waist-high nearly empty bookshelf sat near it, and the window opposite let in the harsh light of the sun and snow.

  Simple aodations for home, dht luxurious for this world.

  I checked my ste. A couple messages and a level up notification. I’d deal with that tter.

  I thought for a moment about using the bedpan provided, then decided better of it and crossed the roily. I grabbed one of the two books on the shelf. The first was an introductory pamphlet about the history and norms of the Academe Are. The other was a hefty tome entitled ‘The Math of Magic’ by Marcus Justinius Ailmer. I tossed it on the desk, then made my way across the hall to the shared vatory. It was far more sophisticated than anything I’d seen elsewhere here, but mostly revealed itself to be a rge outhouse with a magically refreshing water basin.

  When I returo the dorm, I found a small piece of paper folded on the desk. It was a letter.

  Zachary,

  I know that we’ve been through a lot tely, and because of it, I wao unburden you of this versation in a way that is most fortable for us both. When you are ready, I should still be in the mess hall for the rest of the night. eet me, and maybe we eat. Maybe ractice our songs.

  As for your fession, and the situation we’re in… I find myself uo say the things that I feel like you want to hear from me. Not because I do not have feelings for you, but precisely because I feel for you deeply.

  I’m worried the words will cheapen it.

  But more than that, I am worried that it will ge things. I have e to rely on you more than any other person I know. So much so, that it’s scary. What if, in giving in to a typical romantid sexual retionship, we promise it in some way?

  I know there are a dozen things you may want to say to ge my mind, and I will be gd to hear it. Later.

  We have only just nded. We have only just started to breathe again. Let’s breathe. We talk about what the words mean ter.

  Yours,

  Bere

  I folded the paper, and slipped it into Mark’s stupid magic book. I thought about going down to see Bere, to maybe che Rachel too, but I decided I wasn’t ready. I o look at numbers.

  I opened my ste and immediately leveled up Bard to 5. Fifth level was huge for most csses, but I didn’t get a whole lot that ged my build. I basically just got better at the stuff I already did.

  Beznik of the Red Hand the level 4 Mageknight and level 5 War Bard

  Hit Points 67, Armor Css 12

  STR 12 (+1) DEX 14 (+2) 14 (+2)

  INT 13 (+1) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 16 (+3)

  Items: none

  Abilities from Fighter: Adrenaline Rush (170% time dition, double movement speed) and Sed ce (Twice per day heal +25% HP), Sympathetic on (you may pce a on you have sympathy with in a dimensional pocket spad remove it at will). Spellcasting.

  Abilities from Bard: Dazzling Strikes (ons attacks give off sparks, potentially distrag oppos). Inspiring Words (+60% movement speed, 10% instant healing, and +30% extra damage modifier to a party member of your choice). Improved Inspiration (You add your charisma bonus to the damage allies inflict while under your inspiration, and your Inspiring Words refresh twice as fast). Student of War (extra on damage equal to CHA bonus). Spellcasting.

  Skills: History, Performance, Persuasion, Social Drinking

  Basically I got a buff to Inspiring Words, and I got some effort values added to my dexterity. I also was able to choose a hird level spell.

  At-Will Spells—

  Little Light

  Mend Item

  Tiny Tricks

  First level spells—

  Bubble

  Charm Person

  and

  Curse, Minor

  Heal Light Wounds

  Healing Phrase

  Sleep

  Sed Level Spells—

  Invisible

  Shatter

  Ward

  Third Level Spells—

  Mass Healing Phrase

  I ass Healing Phrase because, well, I’d be an idiot not to. It was the absolute most important spell as a healer. If I’d had a ce to use it in that st fight with Captain Wen, I may have been able to… well I’m not sure. She kicked all three of our asses pretty handily.

  I couldn’t figure out what to choose for the spell phrase yet, and resolved to do it ter once I had a ull it over.

  The sword leaned against my bed. This was the on that had taken my friend's arm, that I’d just spent damwo days trying to repair. I wao throw it out the window and hink of it again.

  I decided to check its stats anyway:

  Certainty +4. This sword was issioned by an elven princess as a symbol of her undying affe for a knight sworn to her servibsp; Sadly, her father didn’t approve of their illicit affair, ahe knight away before she could present him with the on.

  This is a masterwork of elven craftsmanship. It possesses the qualities sharp, and sturdy. Once per dawn, you may say the phrase ‘good m princess’ and any css abilities that are on cooldown will refresh.

  ‘Sturdy’ was a new one. The tooltip said that wielders of sturdy ons mreatly resist being knocked from their feet.

  The ‘good m princess’ got a chuckle from me. What a wild thing to have to say in battle, but I presumed it held some kind of significe to the person who issio.

  Having found that I’d dallied around in my room for long enough, I left the swainst my bed and walked out into the hall.

  I ran into Rachel.

  She wore a sleeveless undershirt and shorts. Her arm still in her sling, the scars and sutures on her shoulder red and ugly looking. She really shouldn’t be up yet.

  The magical healing had basically cut her required bed rest after surgery into nothing, but the physical therapy on the arm would still be pretty intense, and she he sleep to recover from the rest of the trauma the fight had put her through.

  “Hey,” she said, scratg at her sutures, then thinkier of it, and pointedly putting her hand at her side.

  “I thought you were a floor up,” I said.

  “I am, but I wao walk around.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Shouldn’t you be—”

  “Also, I wao thank you for helping to get my arm back.”

  “You’re wele,” I said. “But professor Q was the oh the real expertise. I mostly just kept you under with sleep spells.”

  “Oh. Handy,” she said. Then looking around a bit said, “you want to go get a drink?”

  “Would that interfere with the recovery?”

  “My liver ain’t in my arm, bud.”

  “Good point,” I admitted.

  We mao find some alchemy students just south of the mess hall who sold hootch, and brought a small keg of it up to my dorm. I saw Bere on the way, but she seemed busy singing balds. Plus, Rachel needed me more.

  She hadn’t said it, but I could tell she wanted pany. I offered to let her take the other bed, she agreed, and after drinking and pying some cards she went back to sleep.

  I didn’t sleep for many hours past that, well into early m.

  Just as I was getting ready for bed, I checked my messages.