Crystal sighed as she counted the money TruckNutz had given her. A solid 30 coins to add to her already heft purse she kept hidden by her post.

[Measure Bribe] pulling through once again.

Now, she had to wait for him to come and give her the loot he had promised. A spellbook, she thought, giddily rubbing her hands together. It's too bad Flake is missing out on this...

The other {Guard} had run off to fight the invaders and, seeing as it was TruckNutz who came back instead of him, she wagered he'd lost the battle. Hopefully, the invader would come back before he was revived by whatever mystical power they both had. She didn't know what he would do if he saw their final transaction.

Would he attack her? That was likely, given his reaction to her suggestion they take a bribe instead of fighting. Her eyes narrowed as she called mana to her fingertips.

[Fire Bolt] wasn't very high leveled and he'd proven he could dodge the spell easily enough but if she could hit him one time, that would be enough. The burn effect would catch on the fabric of the gambeson, lighting him up almost instantly. Of course, if that wasn't enough, she could always hit him again.

Crystal frowned and roughly shook her head. Flake was her friend, no matter how annoying he could get. She shouldn't be thinking about how best to kill him. He probably wouldn't fight and just...ignore her for a little while or something. She was being weird, thinking like this.

She dispersed the gathered mana and sighed. The {Great Warrior} was taking forever. How long did it take to sneak in, take some stuff, and bust out?

Just be patient, she chided herself. He's probably having trouble with the {Elite Guards}.

Her memories gave her foggy visions of men and women in gleaming metal armor, equipped with broadswords, shields, and crossbows. They looked professional, compared to her and Flake.

She felt a spark of jealousy at the blatant lack of care showed by Lord Kakos. They were supposed to protect his gate, yet he gave them a wool gambeson and a flimsy spear? Who knows how many times she died before she woke up!

Kicking the wall with her heel, she glowered at the snow falling from the sky. I should've asked for a map. Getting out of here is my new top priority.

Would Flake leave with her, though? The thought of venturing out into the great unknown without her co-{Guard} soured her rebellious thoughts. He probably wouldn't give up his post. 'Protecting the keep' was more important than freedom to him.

Crystal scoffed, disgusted at the thought. She couldn't believe she used to believe that crap, even after she started taking bribes from Players. Just how twisted had she been before? How could she have thought that this - getting killed over and over again, standing in the cold for hours, not even eating - was worth her time? It wasn't; she saw that now.

Some part of her resisted, though. She was supposed to stay here; she's an Elden Keep Guard. She was made to protect this place; why would she give up her sworn duty? Because...it wasn't right. It wasn't right that this awful job was supposed to be her entire being! She didn't want to live and die for some uncaring nobleman she never saw.

That's why she was taking bribes. Hoarding enough money to live off of once she escaped from this place. She hoped Flake would come to his senses and snap out of whatever reverie had trapped him. His strength surpassed hers greatly and she had no doubts that both of them would be able to survive out there...wherever there was.

I definitely need a map. Maybe I can convince the next Player who comes around here to get me one.

Or...she could steal it herself.

Why was she limited to asking Players to do things for her? What was stopping her from taking charge herself? It didn't matter if she died trying to do it; her revival power made death a distant memory. So then...what? What was stopping her from going over there and pushing open the gates? Nothing, right?

Crystal swallowed, pushing off the wall. Right. There was nothing stopping her. Nothing at all...

She took a deep breath then stepped toward the gate. Another step brought her even closer. Three more and she was in front of the silvery metal bars. All she had to do is push it open.

Trembling hands reached up to do so but they stopped mere centimeters away. Push it open, she commanded her hands. But they didn't budge. She tried to force them, tried to exert her will over her own extremities but they stayed put. Scowling, she pushed harder, yelling louder in her mind. Push. IT. OPEN.

Familiar energy rose up from within her, unbidden and uncalled for as it hastened toward her hands. It gathered in her palms, heating up rapidly as it spun in a ball. Crystal had never seen her mana act like this before but instinctively, she knew what to do. Calling forth a tiny spark of mana, she ignited the broiling globe of power growing in her hand.

The resulting explosion knocked Crystal back, sending her sprawling into the snow. -40 HP rose above her head before fading away; she chuffed. Taking damage from her own spell was a rookie move. She took a quick glance at her new notifications and status.

For exhibiting incredible intellect by creating two new spells on your own, you have gained +3 INT.

You have created the spell [Fire Bomb]. Spell info: A very hot orb of fire-attuned mana that creates a fiery explosion once released, dealing 20 Blast Damage and 15 Burning Damage. It has a range of 15 feet. (Active, +5 damage each level). Costs 15 MP to cast.

You have created the spell [Ignite]. Spell info: A small spark of fire-attuned mana that deals minimal damage, having a burn effect of 5%. (Active, +1% effect each level). Costs 1 MP to cast.

Name: Crystal (Elden Keep Guard)

Class: Guard

Sub-class: Fire Mage

Level: 1

HP: 50/90

SP: 120/120

MP: 0/19 (+3)

TP: 0

AP: 0

STR: 9

END: 12

AGI: 8

VIT: 7

INT: 16 (+3)

CHA: 12

Skills: [Measure Bribe] - 3; [Lesser Radar] - 1; [Thrust] - 1

Spells: [Fire Bolt] - 3; [Fire Bomb] - 1; [Ignite] - 1

Crystal smiled as she closed her status and got to her feet, inspecting the keep. She'd blasted the gates wide open, earning two spells in the process.

Frantic yelling from inside told her the blast had not gone unnoticed, but that was fine. She could see the {Great Warrior} lumbering toward the open gates, holding her new spellbook and coin sack in one hand.

Her pleased grin widened further as he easily took off the head of an {Elite Guard} that tried to intercept him. He cleared the rest of the {Guards} out quite easily before stepping over the keep threshold.

"Thanks," he rumbled. "Didn't wanna have to pry the gates open by myself."

She stuck out her hand. "My spellbook?"

He grinned, flashing pearly white teeth at her. "Nah. Think I'll take this and my coins back, too. This game is awesome for letting me do this."

Crystal cursed, preparing to fire off another spell before she realized she was out of mana. Eyes widening, she reached for the dagger Flake had given her and - it wasn't there! He'd forgotten to hand it over!

The {Great Warrior} didn't notice her plight, hefting up his ax as he stepped menacingly toward her. She backpedaled quickly, putting some distance between them as she tried to find some way to fix this monumental mistake.

I just need to stall until I have enough mana for [Fire Bolt]! Heck, even [Ignite] will do. I just can't let him-

She stopped when TruckNutz roared and spun around, swinging his ax. Then there was Flake, ducking under the strike and stabbing the {Great Warrior's} side again, scoring a shallow cut.

TruckNutz roared and swung down but Flake was already gone, retreating to Crystal's side.

He nodded to her, gesturing toward the Player. "You gonna help me with this guy?"

She had enough mana for an [Ignite] it seemed. Nodding, she called a little bit of mana out. "Gladly," she said.

With a grateful sigh, they attacked in unison.