Rayne Read online

  She was still wreathed in a shadowy haze as she exited the building and into the alley. Rayne crept after her and tried to maintain some distance. He followed the shadow as it weaved through different alleys and across roads. After twenty minutes of following it, she took off in a dash and quickly rounded a corner.

  Afraid that he would lose her, Rayne chased after the thief. As soon as he rounded the corner, he came to a quick halt. A dagger was inches from his throat, and the woman was no longer wreathed in shadow. Instead of the shadow from before, he was confronted with the striking beauty of a woman that had raven black hair. She was roughly five and a half feet tall with a lithe but muscular build. Her eyes were the color of honey, and her skin was a porcelain white.

  “How are you following me?” The woman asked in hushed tones.

  “I was following the outline of your surrounding shadow. I don’t know how you hid yourself, but it looked like it covered you in a thin layer of black smoke.” Rayne blurted as he held his hands out to the side.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. Her eyes seemed to writhe with shadows.

  “That shouldn’t be possible unless you have access to Shadow Magic.” She said with suspicion.

  “I have no magical skills of any kind. I would love to have that luxury, but alas, I do not.”

  She studied him for a few more moments, and he could hear her muttering as she stood in front of him. She cocked her head back and forth a few times as she kept up her muttering. Eventually, she lowered her dagger and looked him in the eyes.

  “How would you like to train in a new skill?” She asked with a smile. “I could use a new apprentice and no one has been able to follow me and track me as you just did in a long time. I also don’t remember the last time someone could see me when I was stealthed.”

  Rayne was hesitant to accept this woman’s offer. She said she was stealthed but her power didn’t look like ordinary stealth. He thought back to his conversation with his sister the previous night, and his will hardened. He promised to do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  “I’m in,”

  “Your training will start now, and you can call me Rose.”

  ***

  The next month flew by quicker than Rayne had ever imagined. His new position with Rose had allowed him to provide food for his family. He always made sure that his sister and mother were fed first, and if there was any food left after them, he would give the rest to his father out of pity.

  His first bit of training with Rose consisted of learning the art of Stealth. He had picked up the skill himself with his time in the city as a lowly thief, but she taught him some of the more advanced techniques. The most valuable thing she taught him was the ability to make smoke bombs. Being able to drop a pouch that would emit smoke would allow him to escape dangerous situations.

  The smoke bombs were an interesting combination of herbs that had to be ground and mixed in a specific way. The concoction itself made no sense to Rayne, but he assumed there was something in the activated skill portion that made them smoke as they did.

  Stealth wasn’t the only thing they worked on. She taught him the use of blades. He had never used blades before because they caused more trouble. If you got into a confrontation on the street and no one was armed, the worst that would happen was you might get knocked unconscious. It never failed though that if one person pulled out a blade, more would quickly appear, and at least one person would die. Combine this with the trouble from the guard that dead bodies would draw, and most of the thieves at his level would never dream of using a dagger of any kind.

  The training was thorough, and she taught him the weak points in armor, the best angles to thrust, and even the sensitive organs on the body that would allow for clean and efficient kills.

  There were more than a fair number of cuts and Rose was always quick to chuckle when he hissed at a stinging slash. She did her best to minimize damage while still firmly teaching lessons. Her attacks were incredibly precise.

  Fighting skills were almost impossible to train without being in real combat. To work on his fighting skills and his stealth, she often took him on small missions. As the training continued, she had him do more of the work himself on those missions.

  Their missions didn’t focus purely on combat and theft. It was common for them to work on information-gathering missions. Blending in with crowds and finding places to hide in plain sight were critical aspects of these missions. His ability to observe areas and discover the best way to get in had become a tremendous asset of his.

  His skills rose higher, and he could also branch into some talents for the first time in his life. He stuck with the talents for his blades that increased their attack speed.

  One of his most surprising talents was a tier 2 talent he hadn’t been expecting. It was Unconventional Weaponry. This talent taught him how to make a unique set of blades. One was a stiletto dagger, and the other, a parrying dagger. The parrying dagger was also referred to as a swordbreaker.

  The swordbreaker was unique because it had grooves on the back of the dagger designed to catch a blade. When you had a blade trapped, you could violently twist the dagger to disarm your opponent. With weapons made of iron, it would commonly bend or distort them since their hardness was low. With a weapon of steel, their hardness would work against them. If they were not perfectly heat tempered, it was common for them to snap from the violent action.

  The stiletto dagger was a long and thin dagger that looked like a triangular spike. The base of the blade was less than half an inch in diameter, and it was a deadly piercing weapon. The weapon was not designed to be used to slash anything but primarily to puncture. It had a great effect on thicker clothing and leather, and with the weakness of metal armor, it could often punch through it. It would be almost useless against steel, though. You also wouldn’t want to hit the tip with a blunt edge, such as a shield, for fear of damaging the thin weapon.

  This talent also had the added benefit of teaching him a little about the properties of the metals. It came with the knowledge of the swordbreaker’s use and the stiletto’s ability to punch through armor. The process of making steel required the items to be heated until the metal was red hot and then it needed to be rapidly cooled in oil or water. This process would make the steel extremely hard but also brittle. From here, you would need to keep a slow heat on it for an extended time to gradually increase the flex while not damaging the granular structure of the metal and reducing its hardness. If you heated it too hot, the steel would soften again. This proper balance was one thing that differentiated a fantastic blade from an okay blade.

  After he had unlocked this skill, he had brought them up to Rose and sketched their designs for her. She was very intrigued by the weapons and seemed genuinely interested in seeing them in use. She tucked the designs he had drawn away that day, and they continued their training.

  His skills progressed quickly, and before long, he had even risen to a personal level of 10. He had gained more experience and skills training with Rose than he had most of his life combined. This also allowed his level to climb from the experience. His stats were balanced for Agility and Endurance. Rayne was fond of ignoring his notifications, except for damages, but he took the time to check on his overall stat page and his new skills following all the training he had been doing.

  Name: Rayne

  Level: 10

  Age: 14

  Race: Human

  HP: 250/250

  MP: 100/100

  Stamina: 250/250

  Strength: 8

  Agility: 20

  Intellect: 2

  Wisdom: 2

  Endurance: 20

  Charisma: 10

  Luck: 5

  Experience: 2085/6000

  Skills (0% boost to any skill for level up)

  Combat Skills:

  Block: 1 (380/500)

  Distract: 4 (600/1400)

  Dual Wield: 6 (700/2500)

  Identify: 5 (500/1900)

  Parr
y: 5 (820/1900)

  Small Blades: 8 (1995/3800)

  Stealth: 8 (2370/3800)

  - Detect Hidden: 5 (1150/1900)

  - Shadowcraft: 3 (800/1000)

  Swords: 2 (635/750)

  Traps: 3 (200/1000)

  Unarmed: 4 (1205/1400)

  Wall Running: 3 (420/1000)

  Professions:

  Barter: 2 (500/750)

  Cooking: 4 (800/1400)

  Firemaking: 5 (1300/1900)

  Rose’s willingness to teach him was surprising, but in his desperation, it had never occurred to find out why. The fact of the matter was that she was the reason his family was alive, and it was worth the cost to keep it that way. She approached him at the one month point of their training and sat him down for a discussion.

  “You have been progressing well, but I think it’s time for you to prove your worth now,” Rose told him.

  “What would you have me do?” Rayne asked.

  “I’ll send you on your first mission by yourself. Now is when we will see if my time training you was a waste or not. I task you with infiltrating the noble house of Lord Lyan and stealing his personal seal from his study.” She explained.

  “I have so many questions about that,” Rayne said and then paused. He remembered a few issues during their training when his questioning of her orders meant a lot of tortuous work to follow.

  Rose saw the hesitation on his face. “Please continue. I must never be questioned during training, as you know. If I am leading a mission you’re on, this rule also applies. Asking questions about a mark is always welcome and encouraged, even more so since this is your first mission.”

  That made sense to Rayne. The more details he could gather on a mission beforehand would mean a better chance of succeeding.

  “Is there confirmation that the seal will be in the study and not locked away somewhere else?”

  She nodded her head. “Good question, and yes, it was confirmed as of yesterday.”

  Rayne considered that statement but then moved ahead with his questions.

  “How many guards are in his employ and on watch?”

  She eyed him for a moment, and a small grin came to her mouth.

  “That wouldn’t be fair for me to reveal. This is a bit of a test for you. On most missions, I would be willing to tell you almost anything I knew that might help you, but part of this test is to see if you can complete not only the objective but also do your own scouting and information gathering. This key element won’t be revealed, and you’ll have to scout that information.”

  “Are there any escape protocols?” Rayne asked as he considered the task.

  “It’ll also be up to you to determine the exit strategy. I won’t provide you with an escape route or an entry point.” Rose said with a sweet smile.

  It seemed Rayne wasn’t making any leeway with these questions. He was about to give up and accept the mission until he remembered one more thing he wanted to ask.

  “What’s the combat and engagement protocol?”

  “I’ll allow you full reign of combat in this mission. If you deem it necessary, you’re allowed to neutralize any you wish. Keep in mind that non-lethal options are always best and cause the least trouble in town. If you have no other options, though, you are authorized to disable your enemies permanently. That applies for all but the Lord’s family and the Lord himself.”

  “I appreciate the confidence, and I suppose my weapons should suffice for this,” Rayne stated as he ran his hand over the two small daggers he had in sheathes at his sides.

  “What’s the deadline for the task?”

  “You have three days to complete your reconnaissance and retrieve the item. After three days, you’ll have failed your task. If you fail, the consequences will be dire.” She told him with a serious glance that let him know it was no mere threat.

  “Why do we need the seal?” He asked with curiosity.

  Rose looked startled at the question but answered anyway, “Our missions require us to spy on different people. Having a lord’s seal allows us to better impersonate their correspondence and arrange meetings that we wouldn’t be privy to otherwise.”

  Rayne nodded his head in understanding.

  “I’ll start at once.” He said as the seriousness of the situation took over.

  “Before you go, take these.” She extended her other hand to him. Rayne took the small pouch from her and checked the contents. It was pleasing to see a handful of smoke bombs in the pack. She had taught him how to make them, and he had some practice with it, but he wasn’t given many of the resources needed to create them himself. This meant he rarely ever had any on him for an emergency.

  Rayne smiled at her. “I knew you cared.”

  She gave a lopsided grin. “Can’t have you be a complete waste of my time by letting you get killed on your graduation mission. Now, get out there and do your job.”

  Rayne gave a slight nod and backed away a few steps. He crouched and attempted to blend in for a mysterious disappearance.

  “Stand up, dumbass, you know I can see you. You look like a fool trying to hide from me.” Rose told him in an exasperated tone.

  Rayne grimaced at her tone and stood back up. Deciding to avoid further embarrassment, he turned and walked from the room. Working his way out of the abandoned warehouse they used as a headquarters, he figured now was as good a time as any to get some work done. The path to Lord Lyan’s house was easy to follow, and there was a small crowd around the streets. Even though food wasn’t overly abundant, there was enough to hold people over and enough to encourage people to keep working.

  The Lord’s manor came into view, and Rayne studied it carefully. It had a short curtain wall around the perimeter that was only about eight feet tall. Nothing difficult to scale, but he would need to find a concealed spot to do it without raising concerns from nearby observers.

  There was a tall, two-story building across the street from the manor, so Rayne casually walked directly to it. The building itself wasn’t anything to be impressed by, but judging by the siding and some of the window trim, Rayne was sure he could make it to the roof. The climb was a little perilous, and he ended up slipping a few times on some of the siding that had worn smooth with age. One loose board almost caused a terrible fall that would have done some serious damage. Luckily, he made it to the top and rolled onto the roof.

  From up here, he had a clear view of the courtyard of the manor. The building was a large three-story building that was primarily made of quarried stone. The better houses and larger manors in the cities were usually made in this style. The craftsmanship wasn’t bad, since it was made back during the glory days of the kingdom and not in the sad excuse for a world they lived in currently.

  Rayne maintained his stillness and stayed flat on his stomach for hours as he watched the way the manor operated. He could see different people coming and going. It was important for him to be familiar with those that worked in the manor and those who were visiting for business purposes. Both would be key to figuring out a good way in.

  His best option to enter would be in the dead of night. During the day was almost completely out of the question because of the crowd. The fact that the lord would more than likely be working in his study where Rayne needed to get to would further complicate that situation. This same logic holds for the evening. Many people liked to stay up and work late. Rayne had learned this lesson with Rose, along with the other skills he needed to know for small missions throughout the town.

  There didn’t seem to be anything special about the layout of the building, though. Rayne determined that the study was probably on the northern side of the building. Whenever anyone he marked as a business contact entered the grounds, they were directed to that portion of the building as they entered. Rayne couldn’t see where they went from there, but it gave him a place to start. This mission would be tricky. He didn’t have any established connections in the underground, short of Rose, and she already told him that fact-finding
was part of his mission. With no intel resources to work with, he couldn’t get any detailed floor maps of the place to discover his target. Blindly walking through halls and opening doors was a supremely bad idea.

  Rayne was losing hope in the plan when he saw something that sparked an idea. During the time he had been there, multiple people had been coming and going, but there was a fair number of messengers as well. Rayne merely needed to take the place of one of them. They each used the same routes in and out of the manor house, so Rayne located an alley close to the entrance and waited. This area wasn’t heavily guarded, and this section of the road wasn’t visible from the gates on the lord’s manor wall. It gave him a perfect chance to grab a messenger as they came by.

  After about an hour of waiting, he spotted a person he was sure was a messenger. She seemed to be in her teens, like he was, with dirty brown hair and an athletic build from all of her running around. Rayne felt bad about what he was about to do, but it needed doing. He surveyed the area real quick and saw no one in the area that could spot him.

  As the woman passed the alley he was in, Rayne dashed out and grabbed her from behind. He clamped one arm around her throat and his left hand over her mouth to stop her from yelling. The woman thrashed and struggled to break free, but he was too strong for her with the training he had been put through lately. He didn’t want to strike her with anything and cause any lasting damage. He merely needed to borrow her messenger bag for a few minutes.

  After a little over a minute, the struggle ended, and she passed out in his arms. Rayne took the bag from her shoulder and rummaged through her pockets. She had some coins on her and Rayne felt guilty about having to take them from her, but it would look suspicious if she weren’t at least robbed.