Side Story - Alice - Chapter 2 Rebellion (Patreon)

Author's note: Hey, so finally got around to do another one for Alice :). Let me know what you think of the two. I just like how badass Maria and Felicia are at this point, especially the latter.

Roland and his daughter are on the list but I kind of want to wait a little longer with it. Open for suggestions as always.

Chapter 2 Rebellion

I should have invested more into Stamina…, Alice was breathing heavily, her feet taking her through the dark corridors of the sewers. She heard the shouts behind her, the light flickering on the walls of the tunnel before she was once again in the dark. Her Azarinth Sphere lit the way, Not much farther. She blinked the last stretch, appearing in a dome like circular room. Statues of stone lined up on the walls, a crypt of old, lost and forgotten and now a part of the sewage system.

The woman rested her hands on her knees, the dome a dead end. Is this it? She wondered, the shouts growing louder before two mages appeared inside the crypt, her feet staggering back a couple steps. Four warriors rushed through the doors, carrying spears and swords, power emanating from them. Body Enhancers. She staggered another step back, finding the wall pressing against her back. Her breathing had steadied somewhat.

[Mage – lvl 89]

[Warrior – lvl 110]

The highest leveled of her opponents, the warrior nearly reaching her own level. She activated her Meditation spell, the blue light of State of Azarinth faintly visible where her leather armor didn’t cover the dark blue shirt below. Parts of it were torn, blood stains coloring the once beautiful long sleeved garment. Her pants at least were a little more sturdy. “Another noble caught.” The warrior said, his flamberge readied and angled in a defensive stance. The man didn’t underestimate her because of her healing tag, not like many before him. “Forkspear colors, why were you running through the sewers?”

Maybe you should have asked yourself that a little earlier. Alice thought, her mana back where she needed it to be. The whole group was in the crypt now, advancing on her slowly as they prepared their skills and waited for the leader’s sign. She had to be quick, there were six of them after all. The warrior opened his eyes wide. Deafening Boundary. The enchantment activated, runes around the crypt glowing with blue light in her mana sight, a dome of magic forming instantly.

“She’s the hunter we…,” One of the mages said after his teleportation spell brought him close to the wall but not beyond.

Echo of Paralysis, Another set of prepared runes flashed, three of them unable to move and the rest slowed. Alice appeared behind the mage, Negative Fortification. The runes were too far away but a part of the effect might still apply. Her fist hit the man’s spine, only a thick robe in the way of her strength and Destruction, the mana flowing into him as she hit a second time. A crack resounded, the man buckling forward with a yelp, Alice moving on to the next target.

The trap had been a success again, the second mage going down with three punches, his body completely immobilized by the runes. The leader of the band rushed at her with a sudden burst of speed, Alice teleporting once again only to find her blink interrupted by a spell of his, the blade cutting into her leather armor, digging deep with the serrated blade. He ripped it out, disturbing her balance before he kicked at her, Alice jumping back with the force as her Reconstruction started healing the wound.

“A battle healer. I should have suspected something when you barged in on us like that. Are you really with the Forkspears? You don’t look like any of their high profiles.” He said, watching the wound recover. Two of the other warriors were pressing forward, their movements slowed as if in mud. “Come on guys, shake it off. It’s a minor paralysis spell.” He looked annoyed as he focused on her, “I don’t like it but we will torture you until we know everything you can share, noble girl. If you don’t resist now, I might let you go after we get what we want.”

This is your entrance. She thought, glancing around the room. One of the warriors was still immobilized, all below level one hundred except the leader staring her down. He was a good man, Tain Crevis. The fact that he was still offering a non violent solution after two of his mages were taken down was surprising. Neither is dead at least. She saw an aura radiate out of him, a minor healing spell? She wasn’t sure.

Finally, a man with a burning sword entered through the door, the barrier sizzling over him before he cleaved the paralyzed warrior in two. The two warrriors behind Tain turned and faced the newcomer, only to meet a similar fate in a couple quick slashes. “You… I know you! Why would…,” Tain exclaimed, stepping back and facing Jaime, the butler looking at him with his black eyes, the plate helmet of the same color obscuring the rest of his face.

Alice used the opportunity, appearing behind the man, her fist slamming into his back as he toppled forward, catching himself and slashing at her. A blink brought her back. “You… are with the resistance!” He shouted, Jaime’s sword slammed into his flamberge, the blades pressing against each other. Alice once again appeared closer, kicking into the back of his right knee, the swords grinding against each other before they slid off, Jaime’s body twisting before his blade slashed the warrior’s neck.

A noise resounded in her mind, Jaime and herself finishing off the people still alive in the room shorty thereafter. Alice sighed, checking on the beheaded warrior. May you find rest. I’m… sorry. She repeated the words again but found she didn’t truly mean them. Her friend and butler collected the dead in his storage ring, the most valuable item they had managed to retrieve from a hidden Forkspear vault and now a crucial part in their plans.

“He was dangerous.” The man said as he stepped next to her. “We should move.” The corpse vanished into the ring, their terrible crime gone in an instant, as if it had never happened at all. “How are you feeling?” His hand was on her shoulder but she brushed it off, turning to leave.

Twenty minutes later, the two reached their hideout in the sewers. One of many, more being built and occupied by the week. “We should rest for a while. Raids are planned for dawn.” Jaime said but she didn’t reply, simply laying down on the hard floor, a blanked appearing on top of her a moment later.

‘ding’ ‘Your groups has defeated [Sword Guardian – lvl 110 / Light Enhancer – lvl 103]

She ignored the rest of the messages, none of her skills or classes leveling anyway. He was a sword guardian, a defender of the weak. She knew about the class, had learned about it back in the Corinth Order. Alice closed her eyes but all she saw was his face, his question, why someone with the resistance would slaughter their own. His unwavering view on all nobles proven one last time. She wouldn’t let it get to her, yet she wouldn’t forget him either, would carry his face until the day she died. Sleep didn’t come easy that night but the exhaustion from fighting for days without pause overwhelmed her eventually.

Alice woke before her butler, the floor damp, the smell of the sewers horrendous. Something she hadn’t gotten used to even after a month down here. The darkness added to the uncomfortable feeling but thanks to the sphere she had gotten at level one hundred, she could at least make out the immediate surroundings. Her mana was high enough to allow a constant upkeep for both her Aura and the Sphere. The defensive enchantments she had placed around their hideout luckily didn’t need constant mana from her, at least not if they weren’t activated. It had been a great boon for the two of them, when they had traveled around Karth and through the western wild lands, both finding rest without having to hold watch.

She watched the man’s chest rise and fall, letting him sleep a little longer. The magic device on his arm told her that dawn was still an hour away. Standing up, Alice focused on her sphere, her aura and all the enchantments and runes around her. She moved into the first Azarinth stance, her gaze focused forward and into the darkness of the tunnel. You will prevail, you will.

Half an hour later, she tapped Jaime’s shoulder, the man’s eyes opening instantly. His hand was on the handle of his sword before he relaxed, realizing it was her. “Good morning, Alice.” he spoke and summoned some jerky and bread, handing her half.

Sweat was dripping down her brow, the messy blond hair having grown a little longer again, bound in a messy pony tail. She took the food and wolfed it down, the man taking his time to eat his. “There will be a raid of the Forkspear estate as well. I will try to get information on their defenses, who is killed and what is taken.”

Alice nodded. She knew they couldn’t participate, not until a big enough force attacked to take down her brother and cousin, the two likely at a higher level than both herself and Jaime. Training in the wild however was not an option anymore. Not with the war, the destroyed independent cities and the uprising happening in Dawntree. This was the opportunity she needed, to finally take back what had been taken from her. As if fate aligned, just for her. Together perhaps, they could take down her brother but it was a gamble, Jaime guessing his level to be at one sixty at least, perhaps near the two hundreds at this point.

While the guards were paid, there were some mages and warriors loyal to the family remaining. For how long however, they didn’t know. Food had been scarce even a month ago when they had sneaked back into the city, the repeated elven attacks breaking down the little trade that had remained with the distant kingdoms and Riverwatch, the only remaining independent city in the west. Nature mages and food growers tried their best but the winter in these altitudes was cold, only so much possible with the amount of people that needed to be fed, let alone the survivors and refugees that had fled westwards instead of east.

It really was a mess. She sighed. To think she would side with a resistance trying to topple the nobles of Dawntree. Somehow she liked it. A part of her wanted only to see her brother’s face, when she broke every bone in his body. Another part wanted to help lead the people of this city, the nobles fighting amongst themselves, the barriers and resistance weaker with every elven attack, be they scarce. It had been months as they were told but another attack might be too much. A group of ten elves would be enough to slaughter thousands. She purged the thought from her mind, focusing on the next goal.

They could think about defenses, about paying mercenaries or contacting possible allies as soon as they had taken control of the city. Alice would be amongst those healing people on the front lines, representing the change of an influential noble house. A flower growing out of the corrupted Forkspear house, her trusty butler saving the estranged and thrown away child from the assassins sent after her. Returning to fight and protect her people. That at least was the plan. Alice was surprised at how well it was going so far, neither her focus on healing and enchanting nor participation in the raids causing any problems or suspicion.

What she hadn’t expected was the guilt she had felt, murdering those opposed to a noble in their midst, no matter their intentions or actions. In the chaos, it was simple to accuse the enemy for the dead, none of the resistance leaders of fighters openly suspecting her. There will be those voicing doubts but it will be too late. When they would finally be rid of the ancient nobles, their vaults will pay for food and riches, the fighters wallowing in their newfound power will forget such suspicions quickly.

For anybody else, they had her fists and Jaime’s sword. “We should join the group going for the Valias estate, one of their highest leveled members was killed in the last elven attack and the remaining powerful mages are supposedly hiding in their vault.” Jaime suggested.

Alice nodded. It wouldn’t be done quickly, the stronger houses having members capable of slicing through even level two hundred adventurers. The defensive behavior of the nobles suggested that some of them had already left the city behind. A wise decision perhaps, pragmatic and selfish. They would be welcomed with open arms in the Empire of Lys or Baralia, their war making them thirst for gold and strong warriors. The elven threat was real and their once proud defenses had been weakened, their food stores emptied. All that remained of Dawntree was its people and Alice believed that was enough.