There was no easy way to deal with Narq and Agtor.

Killing the pair would be simple enough but slaying them before they could cry out in warning—whether verbally or through the farspeaker link—was going to be a little trickier. I would have to rely heavily on both my stealth and speed.

The other two players in the room were not an issue though. Reaching out with my mind, I sent psi delving into their minds.

You have cast slaysight.

You have paralyzed 2 of 2 targets for 60 seconds.

I smiled in satisfaction. That’ll keep them out of the fight.

Crouched on my haunches in front of Narq, I refocused on the thief. Despite my proximity—I was close enough to reach out and strangle him—Narq was blissfully unaware of my presence. As was Agtor who was immediately beside him. Moving with deliberate care, I drew faithful.

Two targets. Two blows.

I would have to strike cleanly and fast, killing instantly with each attack.

Fortunately for me, Narq and Agtor were close enough to each other to make that possible. Sliding soundlessly along the floor, I shifted position until I was between the pair, then took a moment to plan my attack, picturing the arc of my blades and the exact spot I needed to land each hit.

And when I was certain, I moved.

Uncoiling as fast as a striking viper, I rocked forward half a step and struck—first with ebonheart, then with faithful.

A split-second, that was all the time my targets had to react and save themselves. But neither player sensed death rushing down on them, and my swords crashed home without resistance.

You have killed Narq with a fatal blow.

You have killed Agtor with a fatal blow.

Blood spurted as I ripped open the thieves’ throats, coloring my hands and blades red. I paid the mess little heed, though. Frozen in position, I listened intently.

All remained quiet on the farspeaker link.

Perfect, I thought. As messy as the killings had been, they’d gone unnoticed and that was all that mattered. Wrenching free my swords, I rose to my feet and swiveled around. My work was not yet done.

Dripping blades in hand, I advanced on the paralyzed thieves.

✵ ✵ ✵

You have killed Cari and Inaya.

There were six rooms on the second floor of the yellow house, and one long corridor joining them all. There were traps aplenty too, but thanks to Hugo, I knew where they were and how to bypass them, and slaying the gang members in chambers two to four went as smoothly as killing those in the first one.

However, as I was about to teleport into room five, a new wrinkle presented itself.

“Everyone, report in,” a voice—Sintar’s, I guessed—barked through the farspeaker bracelet.

“Still here, boss,” someone else replied lazily.

“Where else would we be?” another quipped.

“Cut that shit out,” Sintar snarled. “Or have you clowns already forgotten about Hugo and the player that killed him? I doubt he just upped and left. The bastard must still be nearby.”

“Sorry,” someone said contritely.

“You think Hugo’s dead, boss?” another asked worriedly.

“I said report in, not pester me with pointless questions,” Sintar retorted sharply. “Narq, Chez, how are things on your end? Any sign of the mark yet?”

I grimaced.

My presence was about to be uncovered, and I still had fifteen gang members to deal with. Room five held four thieves, and room six—the large central chamber which I was leaving for last—housed Sintar himself and the gang’s reserve, a full squad of ten.

“Damnit, Chez. Stop ignoring me!” Sintar growled. “What’s going on there?”

Chez had been one of the players in room two and, being dead, couldn’t answer, of course.

Time to move, I decided. Weaving psi, I shadow blinked.

You have teleported into Lyle’s shadow.

I emerged from the aether behind a rail-thin thief who appeared more interested in inspecting his nails than watching the street below. Knowing things were about to get loud soon, I didn’t hesitate. Lunging forward, I drove ebonheart straight through his heart.

You have killed Lyle with a fatal blow.

Three hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Chez, I’m warning you… if you’re toying with me, I’ll have your head! Now, report in, you whoreson!”

Retracting ebonheart, I spun around to find the room’s other three occupants staring in horror at their lifeless companion. Grim-faced, I advanced on the closest.

“Chez—”

“The intruder is here, boss!” a thief named Khamalin shouted.

A pregnant pause. “What did you say, Kham?”

“He’s here!” Khamalin shrieked again. “The bastard has just killed Lyle and—”

Khamalin’s warning was cut short as I sliced open his throat.

“Kham?”

“Kham’s dead!” Orly, one of the two remaining thieves yelled at the top of his lungs. “The mark killed him! Help!”

Turning away from the corpse, I faced the surviving pair. Standing back-to-back, they were scanning the room fearfully. They couldn’t see me, of course, which, no doubt, accounted for a large part of their terror.

On the farspeaker link, Sintar was still speaking, alternating between issuing orders and demanding answers. Ignoring him, I rushed forward to deal with the room’s remaining threats.

A task that was altogether too easy.

Orly was weaving his sword around in a misguided attempt to keep me at bay. Unfortunately for him, the arcs he moved his blade through were too large and too wild. Ducking beneath the swinging blade, I ripped open Orly’s gut with ebonheart.

You have critically injured Orly.

Shouting incoherently, the large man clamped his hands to his sides to keep his innards from spilling out. It was no use, of course. Death was inevitable. Flowing past, I struck at the last thief, plunging faithful through the nape of his neck before he could react to my assault on Orly.

You have killed Menzo with a fatal blow.

And that quickly it was over.

The room was clear—or nearly so. Leaving Orly to his noisy struggles, I exited the room.

✵ ✵ ✵

“They’re all dead, boss, they must be,” I heard someone whisper as I crept toward the last room.

“We should flee!” another hissed.

“No!” Sintar declared. “There’s eleven of us. Even if that bastard somehow managed to kill all the others, there’s no way—”

The gang leader broke off as I stepped through the door and strangely enough, his eyes darted to my exact location.

I paused, too, surprised that the gang leader had sensed me—and that he had I was sure of, the man was staring straight at me! But I had not been dispelled and both vanish and my stealth were still active. Nor had there been a ward on the door, none that I could detect anyway.

“What is it boss? What are you staring at?”

Following Sintar’s gaze, the other thieves in the room turned to face the doorway.

Yet, still failed to see me.

Ten hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden.

Ten, not eleven, I mused. The Game message was revealing in what it had not said and could only mean that the eleventh player—Sintar—had detected me.

“Run,” Sintar whispered, his face pale as a sheet.

“What’s that, boss?”

“Run!” the gang leader repeated more loudly. “The bastard is invisible.”

“What’s that?”

“Invisible. How can he—”

Sintar’s face devolved into a scowl. “Fools! Heed me or not, but on your heads be it!” Tucking tail himself, the gang leader raced toward the closest window.

“Not so fast, Sintar,” I said lazily over the farspeaker link.

The gang leader missed a step and almost stumbled, but he managed to keep his balance. and if anything, he ran even faster. Sighing, I drew psi.

You have teleported 9 yards.

I stepped out of the aether on Sintar’s left flank, with my right hand fully outstretched and ebonheart cutting a wide backward arc.

Blade met neck.

And tore through.

You have killed Sintar with a fatal blow.

“Goddamn!” a thief shrieked as the gang leader’s head went flying.

“Did you see…?”

“What did that?”

“It’s the intruder! Sintar said he was invisible.”

“Run! Flee! Warn the chief.”

I chuckled softly. “No one is going anywhere,” I said with deliberate menace. “This is where you die.”

Unleashing the spells I held ready, I got to work.

✵ ✵ ✵

You have paralyzed 8 of 10 targets for 60 seconds.

You have cast windborne.

You have killed 10 hostile players.

You and Ghost have reached level 237!

Despite the thieves’ best efforts to flee, it did not take me long to chase down and finish them. After I was done, I leaned out the closest window and gave Shael and Hugo the all-clear. I had tasked the pair with watching the building from afar in case any of the thieves made it out.

An unnecessary precaution, it turned out.

Returning my attention to the blood-spattered room, I picked out Sintar’s body. As eagerly as I wanted to check out Nicola’s stash, I was admittedly just as curious about the gang leader. Somehow—either through an ability or item—he’d managed to see through my invisibility, and I wanted to know how.

Bending over the headless corpse, I rifled through Sintar’s gear until I found what I was looking for.

You have acquired the rank 5 ring: true-seer. This item allows the wearer to pierce illusion and concealment spells of tier 5 and below. It requires a minimum Perception of 20 to use.

I sighed as I read the ring’s properties. Of course.

Truesight was the obvious counter to invisibility, and I’d known that sooner or later I’d run into a foe equipped with the ability, or in this case, one with an item that granted a lesser variant of it.

Removing Hugo’s farspeaker bracelet—I didn’t need it anymore—I equipped Sintar’s ring in its place. Hopefully, the artifact would serve me better than it had the gang leader.

You have equipped the ring, true-seer, gaining the true-seeing ability. Equipped items: 27 / 30.

Next, I turned my attention to the rest of the gang leader’s gear. But sadly, except for a pair of rank five daggers, the thief had little else of note. And unfortunately, as nice as the daggers were, they were of no use to me.

Still, I can sell them, I thought, pocketing the items. Or maybe Nyra will find them handy.

You have acquired a cache of miscellaneous items.

You have acquired the rank 5 dagger: snake bite. This item increases the physical damage you deal by 50% and bears the enchantment, weaken, which slows your opponent on every successful hit. This item requires a minimum Dexterity of 20 to wield.

You have acquired the rank 5 dagger: ghoul-maker. This item increases the physical damage you deal by 50% and causes any wound you inflict to become infected and the surrounding flesh to rot. This item requires a minimum Dexterity of 20 to wield.

Rising to my feet, I moved to the next corpse. Nicola’s stash could wait a little longer. For now, it was better to get the more laborious—and messy—chore of looting out of the way first.