Shade's First Rule

by A F Kay

  Reluctantly, he placed his last point into Intelligence and confirmed his choices. Two of the debuffs disappeared along with his nausea and aching muscles. On his Inventory icon, the red around his left wrist disappeared as well. He could use his Void Band again. Now the only debuffs left were Clumsy and Foolish. He looked at the summary of his attributes, ignoring the attributes the public saw and focusing on his actual values.

  Class: Worker

  Hidden Class: Root

  Level: 2

  Class Rank: Novice

  Deaths: 2

  Diety: Goddess Uru

  Experience: 0/3000

  Strength: 10

  Stamina: 10

  Dexterity: 08

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom: 08

  Charisma: 10

  Knowledge: 35

  Health: 100/100

  Mana: 160/160

  Energy: 187/187

  What a disaster. He had leveled today, but because the Worker class automatically assigned half of his points, he would have to level another two times just to get back to where he’d started this morning.

  “You don’t look so good,” Hamma said.

  He wanted to scream. He knew he should have added that last point to Charisma. He would do that for sure the next time he leveled. Hopefully, Hamma would still be around. He kind of liked her.

  He opened his eyes in time to see a robe flying at him. He reached up to snatch it from the air but missed, and it hit him in the face.

  “Nice catch,” Hamma said.

  Damn his Clumsy debuff.

  Now that he’d added points to Intelligence his Void Band worked again, and he could’ve removed a set of Worker clothes. Hamma had already gotten the robe, though, and he didn’t want to seem ungrateful. Plus, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself as he left, so he quickly put on the priest’s robe, and the two of them took the same route they had taken that morning. Other priests joined them, but no one gave them a second look. In minutes, they were outside.

  The four Guardians hovered high above the city, and they moved in a slow circle. He flinched when he saw them and thought about going back inside.

  “What’s wrong? You scared of some oversized eggs?” Hamma asked.

  His pride overcame his fear, and he stood up straight. “No, of course not.”

  Hamma laughed and then strode forward onto Center Street. He followed her and glanced up at the Guardians. He could still feel his skin peeling from their terrible weapons, and he was scared they would swoop down and kill him as soon as they noticed him. In fact, the more he thought about that, the surer he became. He needed to get out of sight.

  “Let’s get a drink,” he said.

  Hamma looked at him and then up at the Guardians. “Okay, you have some explaining to do anyway.”

  The only people left on the street were rushing into buildings, obviously afraid to be caught up in whatever had awakened the Guardians. But every window had faces pressed against the glass looking up at the rotating eggs of death. He followed Hamma through a door.

  He stopped to let his eyes adjust to the dim light. There were nearly twenty people in the room, but all of them were at the windows. The center of the room had tables arranged in neat rows. The wall across from him had booths, each with a curtain, and the wall on his right contained a large fireplace but no fire. A long bar took up most of the left wall, and a thin woman waved at them from behind the counter. Her name, Balla, appeared above her head when Ruwen focused on her. Along the top of the wall, in large cursive script, the name of the tavern had been painted.

  “The Fainting Goat?” Ruwen asked.

  “I come here when Yull gets on my nerves.”

  “Hamma! You’re early today,” Balla said.

  “Hi, Balla. It’s been one of those days,” Hamma said.

  Balla came out from around the bar, rubbing her hands on her clean apron. She had dark hair with just a hint of grey. Her brown eyes were friendly, and she held out her hand to Ruwen.

  “I’m Balla. And you are?” Balla asked.

  Ruwen still had his Profile set to private, so he had to tell Balla his name. “Ruwen,” he said as he shook her hand.

  “Welcome to my place. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She turned to Hamma and pointed at the bar. “You want your usual seat?”

  Hamma shook her head. “I think a booth would be better today.”

  Balla glanced at Ruwen and then smiled at Hamma. “Of course, dear.”

  Hamma’s cheeks turned pink, and she waved her hands, but Balla had already moved toward a booth on the far wall. Balla wiped her apron across the booth’s table, but it appeared spotless to Ruwen.

  “Here you go. I’ll be back with your mint tea. What would you like, young sir?” Balla asked.

  Ruwen still felt sick from his resurrection and didn’t feel like having anything.

  “He’ll have some water,” Hamma said.

  Balla nodded and closed the curtain. Enough light came over the top of the curtain that they could still see, but it grew considerably darker. Hamma grabbed a small jar at the end of the table and poured a shaker into her hands. She gave it a flick, and the shaker burst into light. She dropped it back into the jar and slid it to the wall.

  “Okay, spill it. What happened?” Hamma asked.

  “I was going to ask the exact same question,” a female voice said.

  Hamma and Ruwen jerked at the sudden appearance of the woman. She sat next to Hamma and directly across from Ruwen. The woman had a hood pulled over her head that hid her features.

  “Who in the void are you?” Hamma asked.

  The woman ignored Hamma and pointed at Ruwen. “Open your settings and set your Location to private.”

  “I already set it to private,” Ruwen said.

  “Your Profile is but not your Location,” the woman said. “The settings are separated in your Ascendant interface. How do you think I found you? Anyone that knows your name can walk to your exact location. And I’m not the only one looking for you.”

  Ruwen opened his settings and found the woman was right. His Profile was private, but there was a new Location setting, and it was still set to public. He quickly set it to private. He needed to spend some time with his new interface as it had far more options than his student one had offered.

  “We need to get moving. They’ll be here soon if they aren’t already,” the woman said.

  She set something on the table and flicked it. A spinning disk wandered across the table toward Ruwen. It slowed, wobbled, and then fell over in front of him. It was a ring.

  “Put it on,” the woman said.

  The ring was made of gold and silver strands twisted around each other. He reached out for it.

  “Most certainly do not put that on,” Hamma said.

  “I know, I just want to see what it is,” Ruwen said.

  “Touching it would be foolish,” Hamma said.

  She was probably right. But Ruwen’s curiosity was too great, and he touched it. He immediately opened the minimized prompt and was excited to see the green text of a fine quality item.

  Tring!

  You have discovered a blessing from Uru…

  Name: Jaga Wedding Band

  Quality: Fine

  Durability: 10 of 10

  Weight: 0.12 lbs.

  Effect (Passive): Enhance Ambient Light by 15%.

  Effect (Active): Reveal Heart’s Desire.

  Restriction: Active effect requires pair

  Description: Darkness is no barrier to love. Trust ends with “I do.”

  The woman held up her hand. She had a ring on every finger. A ring identical to the one on the table circled her thumb.

  “You want to marry me?” Ruwen asked.

  Hamma gasped and looked between the two rings.

  “Sorry, I’m taken. Put the ring on,” the woman said.

  Ruwen picked up the ring but didn’t put it on. He had never held a piece of magic jewelry be
fore, and this one was of fine quality. It probably cost more than he’d make in a decade of being a Worker. If nothing else, he could sell it to help fund the search for his parents.

  “Who. Are. You?” Hamma asked again.

  The woman turned to Hamma. “You can call me Ky. How long have you been with him?”

  “What? That is none of your business,” Hamma said.

  Ky tapped her fingers on the table and looked down at her waist. “I know she’s not our problem.” Ky paused for a few seconds as if listening to someone and then continued. “Carrying two bodies is not feasible. You know that.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Ruwen asked.

  “Are you okay?” Hamma asked as she scooted away from the woman.

  Ky reached up, rubbed her temples, and then threw her hood back. Her black hair didn’t reach her shoulders, and her eyes were light brown. She was pretty in a severe way, and she looked like she’d missed a lot of meals.

  She alternated looking between Ruwen and Hamma as she spoke. “Here’s the deal. Usually, the only people who see my face are moments from death.” Ky paused and then smiled. “That’s true, they are moments from death.”

  “Is there someone else here?” Ruwen asked.

  “Who are you talking to?” Hamma asked.

  Ky focused back on Ruwen. “You have complicated my life. And I hate complications. We have got to move before they get here.”

  “We aren’t going anywhere with you,” Hamma said. “You’re crazy.”

  “Before who gets here?” Ruwen asked.

  Ky looked at Hamma. “Maybe. Probably.” Then she looked at Ruwen. “Do you think those Mages came here unprotected? They obviously wanted you alive. We don’t know if that is still the case.”

  “What Mages?” Hamma asked.

  Ky looked down again. “I know you were right. I’m trying to be nice.” There was a pause. “Yes, I remember Ishingfal. This will be different.”

  Hamma faced Ky. “Seriously, that is really creeping me out. I know a healer that might be able to help you.”

  “I am beyond help, Sister,” the woman said. “That is why I’m here. To pay for my sins.” The woman tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Yes, two I think…no, it’s too late for that.”

  Ruwen and Hamma looked at each other. Hamma’s eyes were wide, and Ruwen’s stomach turned with anxiety. This woman was clearly crazy.

  Ky flicked her wrist twice, and a strip of cloth struck them each in the face. Where had they come from? Ruwen looked at the notification that had appeared.

  Tring!

  You have discovered a blessing from Uru…

  Name: Scarf of Freshness

  Quality: Uncommon

  Durability: 5 of 5

  Weight: 0.12 lbs.

  Effect: Filters out harmful substances.

  Description: Harmful is subjective, but you’ll look fabulous.

  “Wrap that around your nose and mouth,” Ky said.

  When neither Ruwen or Hamma moved, Ky spoke again. “I’m already tired of both of you. Do me a favor and don’t use them. I only promised her I’d try.”

  Ky wrapped an identical cloth around her nose and mouth and then pulled her hood back over her head.

  Ruwen’s hands trembled as he wrapped the cloth around his face. After a moment, Hamma did the same. It would be better to humor the crazy woman until they could get away from her.

  The curtain opened, and Balla stood there with their drinks on a tray. Before anyone could react, Ky thrust a dagger upward and under Balla’s chin. Hamma screamed, and Ruwen gasped. As Balla collapsed, Ky grabbed the tray as it fell and held it in front of Ruwen’s face. Two daggers struck the tray and the force of the impacts ripped the tray from Ky’s grasp.

  Ruwen’s heart raced as he realized he’d almost died. Again.

  “Get under the table,” Ky hissed, as she threw a small ball into the room.

  As the sphere arced through the air, he noticed all the people along the windows were on the ground, and a haze filled the room. The ball struck a table and exploded. In moments, the room had filled with smoke. Ky had already disappeared, so Ruwen and Hamma crawled under the table.

  His right hand still held the ring Ky had given him, and he quickly slid the ring on his finger so he wouldn’t lose it. His hands were wet from the drinks that had been on Balla’s tray when Ky had killed her. The strong scent of mint filled the air from Hamma’s tea. The scarf must know the smell wasn’t harmful, or maybe it wasn’t working. He hoped it protected him from whatever had put everyone else in the bar to sleep. At least he hoped they were asleep and not dead.

  What was happening? Had Ky really just killed Balla and then casually blocked two daggers aimed at his face? The smoke rolled over them, but the air through the cloth remained clean.

  Hamma reached out into the smoke.

  “What are you doing?” Ruwen whispered.

  “I might be able to save her. I have to try,” Hamma sobbed.

  He cursed himself for his selfishness and reached out as well. After a few moments, he caught hold of an arm and pulled. Hamma grabbed on and pulled as well. Balla’s body slid into view.

  But it wasn’t Balla. Ruwen gasped and jerked backward, slamming his head into the bottom of the table. His vision blurred, his Health bar pulsed red as the number twenty flashed, and another debuff appeared next to Clumsy and Foolish. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at his log to understand why his head hurt so bad.

  You have received a blow to the head!

  Critical Hit! (Clumsy Debuff)

  You have taken 20 damage

  You have lost 20% of your Health!

  You are Dazed

  “Are you okay?” Hamma asked.

  Wincing at his new headache, he closed his log and watched his Health bar tick upward. The Dazed debuff disappeared, and his vision stabilized.

  “I’m fine,” Ruwen said.

  “Why does Balla have gills on her neck?” Hamma asked.

  “I’m not sure. But the thing that attacked me earlier had them as well.”

  Ky emerged from the smoke and Ruwen and Hamma both screamed.

  “You’re both hopeless. Are you trying to get killed?” Ky asked.

  “You surprised us,” Ruwen said.

  Ky looked at Hamma. “Set everything to private. We don’t want them getting your information, too,” Ky said, and then faced Ruwen. “Where is the safest place you can think of?”

  “Probably my house,” Ruwen said.

  Ky stared at him. “You mean the house that literally has your last name attached to it. Are you stupid?”

  Ruwen bit his lip. Well, actually he did have some debuffs that weren’t helping. But she didn’t need to know about those.

  Ky turned to Hamma. “What about you, Sister? Do you know somewhere safe?”

  Hamma’s cheeks turned pink. “I still live with my mom.”

  “Well that’s out, the last thing I want is more baggage,” Ky said.

  “Hey, don’t call my mom baggage. You have a lot of nerve to –” Hamma started.

  Ky turned back to Ruwen. “We don’t have much time.”

  He winced as Hamma hissed at Ky’s interruption and quickly put a hand on Hamma’s arm. “We wouldn’t want to endanger your mom.”

  Hamma nodded.

  Where could they go? He really only went to three places: school, home, and the library. The library! It even had some of its own protections. But Tremine would be there, and he had killed Ruwen. Ruwen needed answers about what was happening, though, and would have to face his mentor eventually. Yes, he would head for the library. Ky didn’t need to know that, however.

  “I appreciate you saving my life. But, to be honest, I don’t understand what is happening, and you seem…” he searched for a word other than crazy, “distracted.”

  “Kid, you have no idea,” Ky said. “But that isn’t the worst of my problems.”

  “How about you leave us alone,” Hamma said.

/>   “On my dagger, I wish I could. But I can’t. You know why?” Ky asked.

  Ruwen shook his head.

  Ky raised her hand and showed him the small tree on her palm. “Because my biggest problem is you.”

  Chapter 10

  Ky looked at the ceiling and spoke to her invisible friend again. “Yes, I heard it. I’m not deaf.” She looked at Ruwen. “Naktos Shadow Blades work in pairs. I killed the apprentice, which means the master is still here. Your best chance of living is if I can kill that other assassin. When I leave, I want you to crawl behind the bar and wait. It’s dangerous to stay where they last saw you.”

  Without waiting for an answer, Ky disappeared. Hamma and Ruwen looked at each other.

  “Why did she show you her palm?” Hamma asked.

  This wasn’t the time to explain Uru’s Hands, so he shrugged. “Who knows? She seems a bit off.”

  “She’s crazy. We should run,” Hamma said.

  “But she saved my life.”

  Hamma bit her lip and looked down at the dead body. “What if the assassin kills Ky? We’ll just be sitting here like two idiots.”

  “That’s true.”

  Indecision warred in Ruwen’s mind. Ky seemed to know what she was doing. Plus, she was one of Uru’s Hands. Didn’t she deserve some trust? The fact that she kept talking to an invisible person was disconcerting and meant she probably was crazy. But the truth was that if Ky failed, then that assassin was going to get him anyway. He didn’t have the skills to protect himself.

  “Let’s go behind the bar for a few minutes. If she doesn’t show up, we’ll leave,” Ruwen said.

  “I thought you were smart,” Hamma said in frustration as she crawled along the floor.

  Ruwen followed her. His knees grew wet as he crawled through the blood and tea. He had ruined Yull’s robe for sure. In less than a minute, they had made it behind the bar. The real Balla lay on the ground, and Hamma quickly crawled to her. Hamma touched Balla’s neck and opened the woman’s eyes one after the other.