Chapter 7: Enter the L.I.

Being in a strange city was difficult for Malene, as she could not see where she was supposed to go. But she knew that sooner or later she would have to learn to find her way around, and the sooner, the better. Guided by instinct, she followed the current of people streaming into the tower.

After nearly tripping, she realized that she was standing in front of a staircase. She ascended carefully, making sure that she didn't fall. When she reached the door at the top, she knew that she would have to be extra alert. Slowly, she found her way through a narrow passage...with more stairs. She hated stairs.

Her slow pace made her the perfect target for a nearby punk. It easily snuck up on her, being quite silent. She had no idea that something was following her till it attacked her. Well, she sensed it, but she didn't realize that there actually was something on her tail.

She was nearly knocked down by whatever had hit her. Turning, she quickly fired an arrow at her opponent, and something just short of a miracle happened.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, that was the first time in her life that Malene had ever missed her target. Thank you very much.

She knew that her arrow had failed to hit, so she tried again...and again. It seemed as though Malene had met her match.

She felt her strength waning as she took blow after blow, when all of a sudden, she heard a sound that she would remember for the rest of her life as her savior.

"Fire wall!"

The blind Hunter was nearly charred to a crisp from the flames, but she was safe from the monster that had attacked her.

"Fire bolt!"

Malene heard the sound of shards of flames battering down on the punk, the smell of smoke rising up. She already knew the fate of the monster.

"Thank you for helping me..."

"Heh. I couldn't let a cute huntress like you get owned by a punk, now could I?"

Malene smiled. This...wizard seemed nice. Not like the people back in Payon.

"Well, how would I be able to thank a kind arcane being such as yourself?"

"Well...you could help me to train...so I'll be able to graduate."

Malene almost fell over from shock. This boy, whose magic was quite strong, was still just a Mage? He sure fooled her.

"Sure, I'll help you."

"Great! Come on!"

He took her hand and pulled her through a corridor...and down another flight of stairs.

Stairs...ugh.

But waiting for them at the bottom was something which could have killed the mage if he wasn't careful.

For as soon as they reached the room with the pendulum, the boy immediately felt the arrow of an archer skeleton bury itself in his arm.

And there were two more punks headed in their direction.