While their friends were off doing something incredibly dangerous, Gray Guardian was going about their usual routine. Ever since the fighting in the area had started, that generally meant touring around and finding people that they could help on the various battlefields that they came across. While they were almost certainly the most powerful healer in the area, they were having trouble keeping up.
Lightforge had mentioned reaching level 10, and the others seemed to be pretty close to that point as well. Gray Guardian, on the other hand, had just barely reached level 8 earlier that very day. So far it wasn’t a large gap, but it would only grow over time. They needed to work day and night just to stay in the same general power range as the others.
And so they were wandering the streets, healing all sides of every conflict that they came across. It didn’t make them any friends, but it did give them some great practice at multitasking. Monitoring their force field while also spreading around healing and status buffs was actually a lot of work.
There were undoubtedly a few people in the area who would be able to punch through any barrier they could make, but that’s what running away was for. It really was a shame that they couldn’t convince their friends to take up the practice. They seemed all too happy to charge headlong into danger.
Actually, Gray Guardian had been hoping to have one of them around as a bodyguard for some of these rounds of theirs. Unfortunately, Cannoneer already had previous plans. Circe had offered to come along, but Gray Guardian wasn’t comfortable being alone with the woman. Oddly, that unease didn’t come from her obviously villainous tendencies.
The issue was that the healer was spying on the villain. Someone was going to a lot of trouble to keep a close eye on Circe, and Gray Guardian was a small part of that. In fact, they would almost certainly be annoyed that the healer hadn’t taken the opportunity for some closer observation. They were alright with that, as it felt like the most rebellion against them that they could manage at the moment.
They were sneaking through yet another alleyway when a message popped up in front of their eyes.
Sunbird: SOS. Where?
Well, that didn’t bode well. The SOS was one thing; Sunbird had once sent out an SOS because she was hungry and didn’t want to go out to dinner alone. The part that was truly worrisome was just how short the message was. Sunbird was a lot of things, but she didn’t go out of her way to be succinct. Between that and what they knew that she’d been up to, it had to be bad.
They relayed their location to their friend and waited. After a moment, a glowing sphere of bright white energy formed around them. It was late in the day and the light would be enough to pinpoint their location for anyone who knew what to look for.
Within two minutes the sky filled with golden light as Sunbird came crashing down to the ground in front of the healer. The pavement cracked as she landed hard with Lightforge in her arms. For a moment Gray Guardian was confused, as neither of them looked any worse for wear.
That confusion lasted until Lightforge touched the glowing barrier and a Synergy ability activated.
Name: Sensor Field
Effect: You can detect and identify status ailments affecting allies within your barrier.
The healer’s eyes went wide as the ability gave them a rough explanation of the affliction that their friend was under. And it was bad. Easily the worst status ailment that they’d seen so far in this world. They could feel the blood draining from their face.
“What the hell happened?”
Lightforge rushed through a general explanation, and it made sense. A status effect from a much higher leveled person made a lot of sense, but it also made their stomach twist and contort in fear. They set their hands on the gadgeteer’s shoulders and activated one of their healing abilities.
Warning: Insufficient level. Odds of success less than 1%. Would you like to proceed anyway?
They pushed past the notification and tried to force the cleansing energy to do its work. White light surrounded them, but it seemed to recoil back from the gadgeteer’s body, unable to get inside. It faded a few seconds later.
Healing Failed.
Gray Guardian shook their head and said, “I’m sorry. It didn’t work.”
Sunbird was bouncing back and forth around them and looked about ready to burst. She shouted, “What do you mean? Try it again.”
“It won’t work. Whoever did this is way stronger than me. According to my ability, I have less than a 1% chance of success here.”
“Ok, so you just keep trying. Sooner or later it’ll work, right?”
“Sunbird,” Lightforge said, “Take a breath. As bad as it is, it isn’t killing me. You’re asking them to completely drain themselves on a longshot.”
“They can regenerate their AP with a little time. That psycho could attack you anytime.”
“And I can stay safe inside my base. As much as we all want this status cleared away, we don’t have to panic. Gray, do you know if we have any options?”
Beneath their mask, Gray Guardian was chewing their lip. They were pretty sure that there were ways to boost healing abilities, but they were only vaguely aware of them. They doubted they could even name them, let alone where to find them. It would be different if they had a better source of information.
They stood a little straighter as they realized that there might be a better option after all. At the very least there was a possibility, though they doubted that they would enjoy the price involved. But they had to at least give it a shot.
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You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The others were safely hidden away in their bases as Gray Guardian snuck through the streets. There weren’t too many people out and about, but it didn’t matter. It had been one of the very first terms of the deal that they had made: always act as if someone is trying to have you watched.
And so they snuck through the streets, following a long and circuitous path that they’d been forced to memorize in excruciating detail. It wasn’t a direct route to anywhere, but rather a signal. A signal that they’d hoped never to use, but they didn’t have a choice. It was this or let their friend live in constant danger of an overwhelming enemy.
When they finally climbed to a balcony overlooking an empty street, Salem was already waiting for her. The witch wore a slight grin that made her look like a particularly pleased cat. She was leaning against the railing, looking for all the world to not have a single care. Closer inspection would reveal that her careful position would render the witch well hidden from most angles.
Gray Guardian leaned beside the woman and took a few slow, deep breaths.
“I need something from you.”
“I know. You wouldn’t have reached out if you didn’t. The question is, what do you have to offer?”
“I don’t know, but I need something right now. I don’t have time for your games right now.”
“Ah, ah, ah. Careful now. Remember, we know your little secrets.”
And there it was. The leverage that was being held over the healer’s head. Somehow, Salem and the people she worked for knew Gray Guardian’s real identity. They knew details about their life outside of the game world.
From a world that they might never see again. It was something that they didn’t like to think about, but it was the truth. There was no indication that any of them were ever getting home. If that was the case, then what did they really have?
Gray Guardian took a deep breath and locked eyes with the witch. They said, “You have Jamie’s secrets. But mine? There’s really nothing to tell.”
Salem raised her eyebrows, but her grin stayed firmly in place. If anything it might have grown a fraction.
“Well, well, look at you. I wondered how long it would take you to figure it out.”
“You were expecting that?”
“Of course. It’s not exactly a hard conclusion to reach. Though I suggest that you think twice about playing hardball with me.”
“Oh yeah? And why is that?”
“The information itself isn’t what matters. What matters is the fact that I was able to get it. My group has power, resources, and reach. Even if that flavor of influence isn’t right for you, that doesn’t mean that we can’t reach out and touch you.”
“Uh huh. Sure. Now can we please skip the speeches and get to you helping me?”
“What is it that has you so desperate all of a sudden? Did you make someone mad?”
“No, it’s a friend of mine. He went to check out a high level area and got hit with a status effect that I’ve never even heard of. I can’t get rid of it on my own.”
“Oh, really? Now that is interesting. Maybe we can make a deal after all. Tell me what you know about this status ailment and maybe it’ll be worth something.”
“It’s called ‘Marked by Blood.’ Nasty piece of work…”
The healer trailed off as Salem’s posture went very still. The witch’s pale features became deathly white as a look of recognition came over her. While it didn’t give any insight into the affliction that Gray Guardian needed to heal, it was still an upsetting sight.
“Bloodwing,” the witch said, “That effect is unique to a villain named Bloodwing. He leads the most powerful villain Alliance in the city.”
“Oh. I guess that explains why I couldn’t cleanse it.”
“Yeah, you could say that again. What’s your friend’s name?”
“Why?”
“Because that affliction has a powerful tracking element to it. Bloodwing uses it to keep an eye on people he’s interested in. So that begs the question: what low-level person could have possibly caught his eye?”
“His name’s Lightforge, and he’s a gadgeteer in the area.”
“I’ve heard the name. And I’m going to help you.”
“You are? Thank you!”
“Don’t be too quick to thank me. Knowing that Bloodwing is taking a personal interest in the area is worth the price. But even for me, getting a hold of a cleansing agent powerful enough is going to take time. I’d suggest that you keep a close watch on your friend, or else they might have a very rough time ahead of them.”
“Right. I can do that. Thank you.”
“Don’t. This was an exchange, nothing more. Information on the movements of the great and powerful are worth a lot, but it might not be enough to cover this. I’ll be needing something more out of you.”
“Of course. Let me guess, more spying on Circe?”
“No, actually. Just keep an eye on your friend’s gadgeteer shop. If he’s already getting attention from people that high up the food chain, it’s in our best interests to keep him safely in business.”
“That sounds suspiciously like your ‘price’ is just asking me to do something that I would already be doing.”
“While our relationship has been mostly adversarial, that isn’t how I generally prefer to operate. It makes too many enemies and too few friends. I would rather we both walk away happy, and this is an example of how we can do that. Now, are the terms agreeable?”
“Yeah, I guess they are.”
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The frenetic energy of Gray Guardian’s departure from their friends had completely faded as they made their way back towards the Gadget Forge. The group had agreed to meet there, but now the healer was returning almost empty-handed. All they had was a promise that, somehow, they would eventually get the item that they needed.
By this point, sneaking from shadow to shadow was all but second nature. They did it as naturally as breathing, and it was a skill that had paid dividends dozens of times. There was no reason to stop doing it, so they simply kept it up at almost all times. They had never regretted it before.
That trend continued to prove itself as they rounded a corner near the shop and froze in place. There was a small gathering of people huddled close together in a dark corner of their own, speaking softly even in an out of the way area. The healer crept as close as they dared to see if they could hear anything. It was faint, but they could pick up on the conversation with some effort.
“I don’t know about this, Razorhawk. Bad [BLEEP] happens to people who attack that place.”
Razorhawk? That name sounded familiar, but Gray Guardian couldn’t place it. It belonged to a woman who looked to have a scowl permanently carved into her face. She was all but growling as she responded.
“I have word from on high that he’s in no condition to fight.”
“Oh sure, of course you just happen to know that.”
“I won’t repeat myself.”
“Come on, how ‘on high’ could your source actually be?”
“It’s from Anarchy Unleashed. Still doubting?”
They group fell into a hushed silence as the former doubters tried not to so much as breathe. Razorhawk nodded at the sudden obedience.
“That’s what I thought. Now hurry up. Our window won’t be open for long, and we have a long lesson to give to that damn gadgeteer.”
That was more than enough. Gray Guardian didn’t dare move as they began to leave, instead bringing up their menu and throwing together a quick message. It wasn’t much, but it would have to be enough. They could only hope that their friends were all there together, because they would need all the help that they could muster.
As soon as the villains were out of sight, Gray Guardian darted down a different side street and made towards the shop as fast as they were able to move. That help needed to include them, and they refused to disappoint.