The street bustled with activity, but Linde had never felt more alone. Her father was dead, and the few people she trusted had either died with him or were far away. Ever since Gharnef had killed her father, she had been on the run. Gharnef's men had hunted her because she had inherited the Aura tome, making her a significant threat to the sorcerer. She had been pursued across the continent, forcing her to move constantly and don heavy robes to disguise herself. However, today might finally be the day she stops running. Linde had heard rumors of the Archanean league, led by the prince of Altea. It had been said that princess Nyna had joined up with them. They opposed Gharnef, giving the young mage more than enough reason to join up with them. She hoped that on this day, their paths would finally cross. With their strength, she would have her revenge on the twisted Gharnef. Believing them to be West of Knorda, Linde had gathered what little belongings she had and prepared for her journey.
Even now, Linde had to be careful. Gharnef had eyes everywhere. She used the crowd to her advantage, slipping through towards the edge of town. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much further...
Suddenly there was a shout, loud enough to be heard over the clamor of the market.
"Oi! Listen up, you lot!" Shouted a man, brandishing an axe. "Nobody leaves! Stay put and don't cause trouble, or you'll get what's coming to ya!"
The man was flanked by countless ruffians. At his signal, they poured into the market with shouts and roars. Many of them threatened the townsfolk, herding them like sheep. Some broke into nearby houses, chuckling as they moved to loot the buildings. Still others cut innocent people down instead, making a statement about what will happen to those that resist. Screams and shouts filled the air as the townspeople tried to flee, creating a human current that dragged Linde along with them.
"No! Wait!" Linde gasped, trying to move against the flow at first, but she soon saw the horde of bandits blocking her path out of town.
Ugh, why now? Linde wondered. I can't afford to be caught here! I have to escape!
Against her instincts, Linde moved with the townsfolk, bringing her closer to the middle of town. More bandits started appearing to the side, funneling the flow of people.
Realizing that the ruffians were rounding everyone up into one location, Linde looked for a way out. Just ahead, she saw a small side street that had gone unnoticed by the bandits.
"Out of the way!" Linde shouted, pushing her way through the crowd. She felt sorry for the panicked townspeople, but she had to ensure her own safety before helping others.
With enough persistence, Linde finally made it to the alley. Fortunately it was still empty, though she knew it likely wouldn't remain that way for long.
In her arms was Aura, the tome containing the strongest spell she knew. There were far too many ruffians for her to be able to fight her way out, but she could easily take out one or two of them if she needed to. While she could try to hold her current position, the problem was that Aura was far from discreet. Using the spell would attract too much attention, spelling doom for the mage.
Linde's attention was drawn to the nearby buildings. The walls might provide enough cover for her to use her magic without alerting every bandit. Her plan in mind, Linde ran to the nearest door.
Linde tried to open the door, only to find it locked. She went for the next one, only to also find it locked. The third door was thankfully unlocked, the mage hurrying inside. She closed it behind her, but without a key she could not lock it. There was a stack of boxes next to the door. She pulled them, causing them to fall and form a makeshift barricade.
"H-hello?" Linde called out. There was no response. Either the building was empty, or its occupants were hiding like she was. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room she stood in, only boxes. There were so many that they lined the walls.
Is this... A storeroom? Not wanting to linger so close to the door, Linde moved further into the building.
Moving through the doorway, the mage found herself behind a counter. The rest of the room was open, which would look rather inviting if it were not for the ongoing bandit attack. There were several shelves on each wall, an assortment of items on each one ranging from concoctions to strange trinkets.
This is a shop. Linde realized. A likely target for the ruffians, but going back outside would be too risky now. Walking over to the front door, she peered through the glass. There were still many ruffians outside, searching various buildings across the street. Looking to the doorhandle, Linde saw that the key was still in the keyhole. Locking the door, she then retreated back behind the counter. As she Crouched down, Linde decided to lay low and wait for things outside to die down.
A few minutes passed. Linde could still hear people outside, so remained in the shop. Her hands did not leave her tome, her only lifeline were she to be found.
Father... staring down at her tome made her feel sad. It was one of the few mementos she had of her father. Keeping it close made it seem like he was still around.
She opened the tome, flicking through the pages. It had been quite some time since she had last read the book, though she knew it well. Her natural affinity for the magic had made it easy for her to cast, so she hadn't felt the need to consult the tome too often.
Examining the pages closely she saw some notes scrawled in the margins.
This is... Father's writing! Though she also saw writing she did not recognize. Her predecessors had added to the tome, studying it to further their own skills in magic.
Turning the page again, something slipped out. The page drifted to the floor, Linde leaning forward to grab it.
"Huh? What's this?" She murmured to herself. The parchment was different to that of the tome, possessing a strange blue color. It was adorned with a magic circle, and annotated with unfamiliar writing.
This doesn't seem to be an attack spell... Linde noted as she studied the page further. There was an elegance to the design of the spell, an intricacy that she couldn't help but admire. At the top of the page, she spotted some script that seemed to represent the title of the spell.
"Concealment?" She deciphered the text.
This sounds promising! Linde thought. I could certainly do with concealing myself right about now!
Suddenly, there was a bang from the back door. Linde gasped, knowing immediately what the sound meant.
They're coming in! Linde stood, glancing around for a place to hide, but couldn't see anywhere good. She thought about fighting her way out, but she knew there would likely be too many of them.
Her thoughts turned to the newly discovered spell. She couldn't help but feel a divine force of sorts, revealing the spell to her at her time of greatest need.
"Father... Are you watching over me?" She wondered aloud. The spell was her best bet at escape. Clutching the page, she began to invoke the spell.
"Here goes!"
Linde felt the magic of the spell straight away. A pink glow emanated from the page, bathing her body in light. She absorbed the magic, the energy flowing through her very being. Once the spell finished, the page drifted to the ground
I did it! Linde thought. So what now?
She looked down to her hands. The glow had faded, and she didn't look any different than before, but she could still feel the magic.
Maybe this magic will make me invisible to others? Or harder to notice?
The many possibilities swirled through her head. Though still worried about the bandits, she felt some excitement about what the mysterious magic might do.
Linde looked up when she noticed the shelves moving.
"Oh?" She suddenly had a funny feeling, like a cold sensation across her body. She also felt like... She was falling somehow?
Wh-what's happening? She wondered. She turned to see the top of the counter, suddenly inches from her face.
"Whoa!" She stepped back, startled by how close it was, but tripped. She fell on her backside. When she landed she suddenly lost her vision, obscured by her hood.
"This blasted thing!" She threw her hood off. The distance between her and the counter had been magnified somehow.
"Huh?" She stood, only to find herself tangled in a mess of clothes.
"What?" The long cloth she used as a hood was pooled on the ground, and her dress was overly large. When pulling herself free to stand, the neck of her dress had somehow moved down over both shoulders.
Confused, Linde looked up. The counter was now high in the air, even though she was standing up. The wall had also become much further away. But what finally made Linde realize what was happening was the sight of her Aura tome, now magnified many times in size.
"I-I... I've shrunk!" Linde screamed.
She felt her dress slip further down her shoulders, and noticed that she still felt the falling sensation.
No... I'm still shrinking! She realized. The spell!
Linde slipped out of the dress and moved for the blue paper, lying just beyond the tome.
I have to stop this! I need to cancel the spell!
Her new-found size didn't help matters, the mini mage scrambling for the spell. She hoped she could dispel the magic, before she shrunk out of existence...
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