Straightening, I winced, rolling my shoulder. Despite my best efforts, one of Graham's wind bolts clipped me, and if not for my durability, would have broken something. Still, I was able to avoid enough of the attack to disable the battlemage. I worried he would pose a more significant threat or bring along allies, but arrogance was a systemic rot with nobles.

Reaching up, I rubbed my eyes with a sleeve, the powder I rubbed in them stinging and bringing tears streaming down my face. Between that and my act as a careless, dumb teenager, the man had let his guard down. Far from a theater-worthy performance, but not bad for a few hours of preparations.

Well, that was unpleasant.

"You okay, Fortuna?" I said, turning to the feline with a smile. His fur was ruffled, and he sent a glare my way, but otherwise looked unharmed. I had hoped the distraction would throw off the mage enough to keep him from casting as well as usual, but it was still a risk.

That brute of a mage threw me harder than I would prefer, but I am fine otherwise. You owe me for this, you know.

"Noted. We can discuss your repayment once I finish tying him up." I replied, gesturing to Graham.

A few minutes later, I had tied up the battlemage with a length of rope, purposefully leaving his mouth uncovered. After only a moment of hesitation, I dug through his pockets, retrieving his gold and a small book. Flipping through it, I found a personal journal, a potentially useful tool for my purposes.

Retrieving the rest of my supplies, I dressed in my armor, buckling all my weapons onto my belt and placing everything into my spatial pouch. Fortuna hopped into the back on my back, settling into a ball as I tightened the straps. That should keep him safe for the rest of our journey.

Sliding open the window of my room, I looked down, the streets a dizzying thirty feet below. Taking a deep breath, I slipped out, dropping with only a faint flapping noise as my cloak billowed around me as the wind whistled past my face.

Landing on the street, I bent my knees, absorbing enough of the impact to avoid injury, though I still grunted uncomfortably. Straightening, I looked back up at the window for a moment before turning and walking further down the street.

I had one last thing to take care of before leaving, and compared to disabling a battlemage, it was far more manageable. Stalking down the streets with my hood pulled up, I stretched out my senses, confirming there were no guards or mages nearby. Approaching the gate, I spotted multiple trade carts, already loaded with supplies and ready to leave first thing in the morning.

Kneeling in the darkness cast by one building, I slipped out a mana crystal, holding it in my hands as I gathered my energy. After a few seconds of concentration, and a quick check for any unwelcome observers, it disappeared with a small flash of green, teleported onto one cart. A spike of pain rammed into my skull, but I ignored it, turning my focus to another carriage.

Ten minutes and a half-dozen castings later, I straightened before turning around, my job done. Weaving through the streets, I made my way towards the city walls, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. I had no real training in stealth, but my improved balance and agility helped guide my steps.

Stopping near the wall, I looked up the dizzyingly tall fortification, standing forty feet tall. That was a little too tall for me to jump, but adjacent buildings stood a far more manageable twenty feet high. Picking one with a more gently sloped roof, I let out another breath, trying to loosen the tightness in my muscles.

Taking several steps backward, I took off, pushing off with one foot and jumping. My leap took me high enough that half my body was above the lip of the building, though there was still a moment where my feet scrambled for purchase.

Pulling myself up and onto the house, I let out a tense breath before looking around. For ten minutes, I sat still, waiting for someone to shout or raise the alarm at the stranger skulking around across a roof, but the call never came. Letting myself relax, I stood up, looking over at the wall in front of me.

"Alright, just up and over the wall, and I am in the clear. Then it's straight south to the border." I murmured, trying to ease the pounding of my heart.

Again moving backward to give me a running start, I pushed off the roof, not caring that I might make more noise. This time, I cleared the full twenty feet, landing and stumbling on top of the wall. In fact, I nearly overshot my target, grabbing onto the fortifications at the top of the structure as I almost tumbled off the far side.

Gulping and looking down at the darkness below, I let out a shaky breath. I was more durable than before, but falling head first forty feet down would not tickle.

Glancing both ways, I spotted two guards a few dozen feet further along, but if they had heard me, they did not make any indications. Knowing I only had a few seconds, I crept forward, grabbing onto the lip and lowering myself down.

When I reached as low as my limbs would allow, I took a long inhale to brace myself before letting go. I again bent my knees when I hit the ground, feeling vibrations travel up the limbs and into my chest. Shaking out my arms and legs, I tilted my neck both ways before straightening. Looking up one last time above me, I pulled my hood up higher before breaking into a full sprint.

Before now, I never had much opportunity to spread my legs and see how fast I had become. Now, as each stride took up a dozen feet and the wind whistled past me, I let a smile onto my face. Who needed a horse when you could run faster than it on your own two feet?

Within minutes, Aranth faded into the distance, and I let myself relax. Rather than sticking to the road, I ran through grasslands, often moving around delicate farmlands and avoiding homes as best I could. I would rather risk discovery from villagers than mages that might be watching the main roads.

I still do not understand why you picked a fight with that mage.

"Have you ever heard the term 'gambit'?" I responded in between strides, my breath coming easy.

Like in games? I have heard it before, but not many people look to play games with a cat.

"Maybe we can play something when we reach the Cities. Either way, it is a term that essentially means making a sacrifice in pursuit of a better position. For instance, you might purposefully give up a weaker piece to get a chance at taking a stronger one later in the game."

And this was your gambit?

"Exactly. I revealed my location and my "plans" in the hopes of drawing attention. That battlemage, when the innkeepers come by my room in the morning to check on me, will inform his allies that I had plans to get onto a boat. The dockmaster will tell them of a teenager who toured two ships, and they will sense my mana onboard, forcing them to stop and search."

But why the caravans?

"Some of the smarter ones might realize the boats could be a diversion. The crystals on those trade carts will also leave a trail that might draw some attention away from me in other directions. Best case scenario, their attention is drawn in another direction and worst case, they have no real idea where I am headed, and I take advantage of that confusion."

But why go to that trouble? You might have been able to just slip out of town without informing them, right?

"Maybe, but my real goal was to try and divert energy and attention from the border. Avoiding middling battlemages is difficult but possible. But if they sent a master or, Founders forbid, Elden down after me? With a little luck on my side, their attention will be diverted further north or east for a crucial day or two."

Fortuna fell silent, and I carried on running, moving as fast as my body would allow. After hours of running, I felt blisters break out on my feet, my boots unable to lessen the impact. When I stopped to catch my breath and eat, I found that they had begun bleeding, soaking my socks crimson. A regeneration potion would have to do, as I had no intention of slowing my pace.

Midway through my second day, I felt something pass by me to the east, along the main road. There were at least three signatures, each as strong as the mage I encountered in Aranth, and I let a smile cross my face. The battlemages down near the border must have taken the bait, eager to capture me and win prestige. That bought me time, and I needed to capitalize on it before they realized my trick.

Although I could carry on with much less sleep than before, I still had to stop several times to rest, closing my eyes for only a few hours before forcing myself awake. In the end, what drove me forward was not determination or courage, so much as fear and desperation.

On the fourth day, I halted at the top of a tall hill, facing down a mostly arid grassland. A few miles away on the horizon, a wind-blasted stone fortress stood stark against the mostly barren area around it. Smaller buildings stood nearby, and a massive fifty-foot tall tower jutted out from behind walls, overlooking its surroundings.

That would be Fort Morrus, our border fortress with the sandy dunes to the south and the only obstacle between me and freedom. All I needed to do was get past and run a few miles further, and I would officially enter the neutral territory. Ferren soldiers and mages could technically chase me, but few would risk reigniting hostilities with the Wandering Cities.

It was a calculated risk I was taking, weighing the potential risks with rewards. King Lyos knew about the imminent invasion, and resources were scarce enough as it stood. Fighting against the Tinkerers over a single potential Archmagus might be more trouble than it was worth. Capturing me while I was still on Ferren land was one thing, but invading the dunes was a step too far.

At least, that was what I hoped.

Pushing myself even faster, the distance disappeared as I ran, eager to escape Ferris. When I was within less than a mile, I heard bells sound and shouts echo from above. Knowing I had no choice, I grasped my mana, wrapping myself in a protective shell of energy. A moment later, arrows slammed into the shield, bouncing off with loud cracks.

Grunting, I weaved in a serpentine pattern, bolts, and strikes landing nearby. Their attacks occasionally hit, but my defensive spell was potent enough to keep me alive.

Suddenly, the ground in front of me exploded, and I staggered backward. Smoke blocked my view, and I swept an arm, clearing the cloud from my vision and revealing something that made my heart drop.

There, interposed between my path and my escape, were dozens of soldiers. Lined up in formation and with full plate armor and weapons, they looked ready for a battle. But that was not what caused my stomach to turn.

Standing in front was a man in heavy armor, a cloak on his back and a sword in hand. His face was lined, and his gray hair slicked back, a cold, calm look in his eyes. Judging by his aura, he was a battlemage and a potent one, at least Cloud, if not higher.

It seems my luck had run out.