For once, there was no arguing. The team understood the need to put an end to the Council once and for all, considering the news—even if we didn’t feel entirely ready. We’d had plenty of luck killing or wiping the progression of Players over the past couple of months, but picking off individual enemies was one thing.
Going after the central Council as a whole was another.
It was bad timing, really; if Lore could have held on with the visions for just a few more weeks, then that was another big advantage for us. Instead of using his gift of foresight to track down our next targets—and to stay alive in the process—we’d have to fall back to traditional methods.
We didn’t know much about the Council. We knew they had a plan to create a new world, and that this plan would destroy our world in the process. We knew that they were led by a woman named Tana. And we knew that they held court in Auricia, in the capital of the Goldmarch, with resources granted to them by the Empress Amira in exchange for helping her with her landgrab to the east—the Dawnwood, Corminar’s homeland.
And so we headed north once more, back towards the Goldmarch. The worst case scenario was that we would hear nothing of any Players until we reached Auricia itself, but I didn’t think it would come to that. Player activity had ramped up in the last couple of months, since Yusef’s death. That, coupled with a spreading disillusionment in the holiness of Players, meant that it was certain that we’d hear about one sooner or later.
As we travelled north, through the central Sundorn, we trained harder than ever, knowing that the fight of our lives would soon be upon us. In particular, I trained harder than ever. When the sun was long set, and whatever local wildlife we could find was slain, the rest of the team went back to the campsite. Whereas I stayed up for hours longer, making full use of the experience boost granted me by the Sisyphus Artifact. I could not fail in the fight to come; to fail meant Val’s death, and it meant my child’s death too. I could not fail, and moreover, I would not fail.
I could feel my Knifework skill teetering on the edge of advancement as I stood over the body of the hag. In months past, we would have struggled to kill a hag as a team, but these days—armed with so many complementary abilities—I could slay one even after hours of hunting, and with so little sleep. We’d found more and more of these creatures in the forests over the past few months, as though they, too, knew that something big was coming.
As blood dripped from the tip of my knife onto the hard, dry dirt, I stood still, closing my eyes, letting the scents of the forest fill my nostrils. I searched my body for aches and for pains, and though I found some, they were nothing I couldn’t work through. I could work for hours, yet, if I needed to. But I would need sleep, too. If I wasn’t fresh, I could mess up. And one error in the days to come could spell the end of our quest.
I sighed, sheathed the dagger, and turned back towards camp.
* * *
It was only two days later that we heard whisper of a Player in the area.
As we’d headed north, the landscape had changed from dense forests to sprawling farmlands. This part of the world was known for its agriculture, its produce being a key export and the means by which its people survived, and sometimes even thrived. At first, it was just as expected—lines of wheat crops as far as the eye could see, interrupted only by the hedgerows separating one farmer’s land from the next.
But then the sights changed. The further north we travelled, the more the farmland was scarred by fire. Those few clumps of old trees at the peripheries of each plot were often dead, blackened by charcoal. I thought it might have been an accident, until Lore—the only one of us with farming experience—pointed out that there were breaks in the patches of blackened crops. This wasn’t just one large fire; it was many.
My gut wrenched at this revelation, and it took me a moment to look within myself and figure out why this affected me so much. It was because it brought about memories of the devastation of Plainside—the town burned to the ground by Jacob the Player pyroknight in his search for the artifact that now hung around my neck.
But that man was long gone, dead at my hand. Whatever had happened here was unrelated. I met Val’s gaze, recognising understanding in those brown eyes. She, too, had seen the aftermath of Jacob’s destruction.
‘How you feeling?’ she asked.
‘Ready for a fight,’ I replied.
Val nodded; she was the same. If someone was responsible for this, then it might well have to end with blood. They hadn’t taken lives directly, but this was people’s livelihoods, their whole existences. If they couldn’t sell the crops they’d grown this summer, then they might not live to see the next.
We continued on, eyes peeled, until we stumbled across the small town of Lonely Hearth. There, among houses thankfully untouched by fire, we began to find answers.
Since we exposed Yusef in Coldharbour, attitudes to the Players had been changing. Exposing Yusef as a fraud had made people question the power, and motives, of these invaders from the ascended world. Though most would still never go so far as to actively voice opposition to the Players—this belief that Players were wholly good was too embedded in our world—there were those out there who were starting to realise the truth.
It was Arzak who had realised that we could capitalise on this changing view. As we travelled, she had sought out those most opposed to the Players, in taverns, in markets, on the road, and she had recruited many of them to her new cause. And this new cause? Information.
Those she recruited to oppose the Players would live their lives as normal, but they would keep an ear out for any news of the enemy, and they would recruit still more to the cause. Arzak’s network of informants had grown at breakneck pace—so much so that when we walked into town, there was usually someone who recognised the symbol on her armour. This icon—a circle cut in half—was nondescript enough to seem to be a simple piece of jewellery, but to those who also carried this symbol, it was the mark of an ally.
So when we entered Lonely Hearth, few of the locals gave us more than a second look. There was one exception to this—an elderly woman, sitting outside her house on the main street, whose eyes lingered on Arzak. Usually, those who met Arzak’s gaze would quickly look aware, but this woman met the orc’s stare unflinching. Though perhaps weak of body, she was stronger of spirit than most.
No wonder she too possessed that split circle icon. No wonder she too had the strength to oppose the Players.
As we approached her house, she rose from her seat, legs shaky beneath her, and stepped inside. She left the door open for us, and Corminar—the last to enter the humble cottage—closed it gently behind us. We stood alone in a living room furnished with fading pink armchairs and a rug that maybe once boasted a pattern. There was no old woman in sight.
‘Hello? Woman?’ Arzak called out. ‘You have symbol?’
‘I’ll be with you in just a moment, dearie,’ our host called out from another room. ‘Why don’t you take a seat? How many for tea?’
‘We all take tea,’ the orc replied. ‘Thank you.’
‘Actually, I—’ Lore started.
Arzak cut him off with a glare. ‘Don’t refuse tea. Is rude.’
Val and I glanced at one of the armchairs, and at once we hurried to take it. We both got halfway into the chair, finding it not quite large enough to share.
‘I’m pregnant,’ Val argued, shoving me to one side.
‘Not that pregnant,’ I replied, playfully shoving her back.
Our host appeared carrying a large metal tray, on which sat six empty cups, a steaming teapot, six small plates, and a pie that made Lore widen his eyes. The old woman looked at Arzak, then over at me and Val, still wrestling each other for control of the chair. ‘Oh, I’ve not seen that trick before,’ she commented.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
This not-so-subtle jab made me embarrassed enough to give up my claim on the chair. It didn’t have the same impact on Val, who was immune to such things as embarrassment.
Arzak took tiny teacup in large, green fingers, holding it delicately and in the same manner as Corminar. That is, with pinky finger sticking out. She slurped the top of it. ‘Mm,’ she said. ‘Is good. Very hot.’
I’d tried explaining to Arzak on previous occasions that the measure of good tea wasn’t simply how hot it was, but now wasn’t the time to remind her.
‘Pie, for you and your friends? I baked it this morning for the grandchildren—I’m seeing them later—but there’s plenty of time to bake another.’
This time, Lore had no problem being a polite guest. ‘Yes please!’ he said, and I think his enthusiasm alone was enough to signal our host to cut him a large piece.
Not that it matters, and some details are best left out of the history books for brevity’s sake, but this pie was a berry pie, and berry pie is my favourite. That’s all I have to say about the pie, so we’ll skip all the rest of the pie talk—there was a good deal of it—and get to the matter at hand.
‘You have intelligence?’ Arzak asked.
‘Intel,’ I reminded her. Her asking if people had intelligence had got us into trouble in the past.
‘Both intel and intelligence, my dear,’ the woman said, pouring herself a fourth cup of tea. I couldn’t quite understand how one teapot had held so much tea. ‘I suppose you saw the fire damage on the way into town? It doesn’t matter which way you came from—north, south, east, west… it’s all the same. Crops burned to the ground.’
‘Perhaps we should reimburse you for the pie,’ Corminar said—a suggestion which was swiftly waved away by our host.
‘You’re saying a Player was responsible?’ I asked.
‘Not just any Player,’ the old woman said. ‘But Elinor herself. I’m sure you’ve heard of her.’
The five members of my team looked at one another with furrowed brows. ‘No, I… don’t think we have?’ Val finally answered on behalf of all of us.
‘Oh! But you are Arzak Blorg, are you not?’ the woman addressed my orcish friend.
Arzak nodded. ‘We hunt other Players. Not hear of Elinor yet.’
‘I see,’ the woman said, and looked down into the still surface of her tea before she continued. ‘Then let me get you up to speed. This is a woman who needs to die.’
I wouldn’t have expected to hear those words come out of this mouth, based on the soft furnishings, tea and delicious berry pie, but they did. There was that inner strength shining through again.
Our host continued before anyone could prompt her. ‘She, and she alone, is responsible for the destruction you saw in these parts. She is a sorcerer, you see, and as far as I can tell, she is using the local fox and wolf population for training. At least, that is what I have heard on the grapevine. That’s to say nothing of the missing people. One might wonder if they aren’t missing because they have been burned to a crisp…’
Corminar drew in a breath, nodded, and stood back up from his position leaning against the door. ‘I have heard enough. I am convinced.’ Looking at our host, he added, ‘Where might be find this menace?’
I was about to interrupt, to make a point to the contrary, when Arzak did so for me. The orc raised a finger to our elven friend before she too looked to the old woman. ‘Agree that she need die,’ Arzak said. ‘But we on mission to kill Council. Not waste time killing any Player.’
I nodded. ‘Unless there is evidence that this Elinor is involved in greater schemes, I’m afraid we’ll need to move on. But maybe we can donate some gold towards a mercenary team?’ I looked to Val, who immediately began rummaging through her coin pouches.
‘Greater schemes?’ our host repeated. ‘Oh, no, I don’t know anything about that. But surely what I’ve said is enough?’
Arzak held the woman’s gaze as she shook her head. ‘No. I sorry. We must stop other plan. Other plan that destroy thousands. Maybe destroy world.’
‘We would help if we could,’ Val added. ‘And I get that this isn’t the answer you want to hear, but we’ll have to move on. Here…’ The witch tipped countless gold coins into the lap of our host—very clearly all that we had. ‘Use this. Buy the best team you can.’
In response, the old woman reached out to cradle Val’s face. ‘You’re very kind. You will make a good mother.’
My wife blushed more profusely than I’d ever seen her blush before. ‘How did you know?’
‘Intuition,’ the woman said, smiling. She looked up at me. ‘You really should have just let her have the chair, you know.’
I resisted the urge to visibly react. ‘We best be off, I think.’
Arzak nodded her agreement, and led the team to the door, me bringing up the rear.
‘Best of luck!’ Lore said. ‘And thanks for the pie! It was the best pie ever, for sure!’
The woman replied, cheerily, ‘It’s no problem at all, my dears! I will, of course, keep watching out for her, keep making notes. And if that horrid friend of her appears again, I’ll jot that down too. Tana, or whatever her name was.’
A chill ran down my spine. I stopped on the threshold of the house, and turned back to the kind old woman. ‘...What did you just say?’
"Styk"
Level 24 Bladespinner
Base Stats:
Vitality — 68
Intelligence — 285
Dexterity — 188
Strength — 102
Wisdom — 92
Charisma — 76
Skills:
Worldbending — Level 77
Knifework — Level 59
Stealth — Level 33
Needlework — Level 31
Abilities:
Enhanced Portals — Create a portal to another location within current range of sight or within a thirty yard radius. Support up to two pairs of portals at once. Uses mana to open portals only.
Portal Slice III — Passive. Portals can now be spawned within non-sentient objects. Doing so slices through all objects except those specifically imbued with Worldbending protections.
Tamed Portals — Passive. Increased efficiency of portal magicks means that your portal glow is reduced by 50%, making them less likely to be detected by enemies.
Titan Husk — Warp your flesh to withstand all physical damage effects, including fire, frost, lightning, poison, and corruption.
Shrill Perimeter — Create a perimeter wall of 20 foot radius, invisible to all but those adept in magicks. If an enemy crosses this perimeter, this spell releases the shriek of a banshee.
Warped Shield — Passive. If an enemy strikes you with a low-level melee weapon, Warp Shield automatically activates to open a portal that deflects this attack. You must not have any portals currently active. Uses mana on activation.
Pocket Worlds — Open and access pocket dimensions. Storage capacity of summoned pocket worlds scales with [INT] of creator.
Silence III — Create a bubble of 20 yard radius in which sound is eradicated. Uses mana to cast, zero mana to maintain. You may only have one bubble active at any one time.
Saved Portals II — Select a location to “save” for future portals. Until your save point is moved, you may always open a portal here, even if it is beyond your current Local Portal range. Mana is used only upon opening the portal.
Portal Relay II — Up to ten small-scale portals can now be positioned stationary to an entity, and used to communicate sound. In addition, your standard portals may be used to communicate sound.
Needle Dart II — Launch needles through minimised portals. Can be targeted to any location excluding living beings. Uses mana per use.
Stab IV — Put your weight behind your wielded blade and force the tip through all but the toughest hides and armour. Damage scales on [STR]. Damage increased by an additional [+100%].
Execution III — Attack a target while undetected for +300% damage.
Closed Reach — Bend reality to narrow the gap between blade and target by up to 8 inches. Uses mana.
Mana-Fuelled — Passive. Optionally, use mana in place of stamina to activate Knifework abilities.
Knifestorm — Lash out at all surrounding enemies in a tornado of blades, using either one or two daggers. All enemies with arm’s reach receive physical damage worth weapon’s base damage and additional damage scaling on [STR].
Throw III — Throw blades at great speed towards your enemy. Deal considerable damage to armourless area, with addition damage scaling with [DEX] and [STR].
Etched Blades — Etch spells into the sides of your blades, giving you the ability to activate said spell on a successful hit.
Stealth Attack IV — Passive. 300% boost to damage when unnoticed by enemy.
In Plain Sight — When activated, you have a heightened abilitiy to hide in plain sight, and are able to spot opportunities to break from combat at a higher rate. Scales on [WIS].
Gentle Step — Passive. Your footsteps are dampened on even the hardest of surfaces. Reduce noise of movement by 80%.
Stitch — Create a basic stitch in common fabrics. Ability scales on [CHA].
Quality Cloth Armour — Craft a cloth armour of higher quality than materials and time should allow.
Enchantment-Ready — Passive. Light armour you craft can be enchanted.
Active Effects:
Legacy of Sisyphus:
XP gain increased by +1,900%