Shade's First Rule

by A F Kay

  “Okay, we have to talk about a few things before we proceed. There are some risks to where we are going. First, I have to mark you. If you are not allied with me when we enter, there are safeguards in place that will kill you. Which brings me to the second risk. Where we are going is outside Uru’s Blessing, so if you die there, you lose everything you’ve gained.”

  “We’d have to travel hundreds of miles before we left the area of her Blessing.”

  “We are going much further than that.”

  “That isn’t possible.”

  “Listen, you and Tremine can stay up late and rub books and talk about what is and isn’t possible. I’m trying to keep you alive until you can do it for yourself. And that looks like it might be a while.”

  Ruwen frowned. He didn’t like not knowing things, and what Ky was talking about sounded like nonsense.

  “One last thing. I’ve never had anyone with a Void Band in here before. Traveler Bags and Belts work, so I assume yours will, too. But, since I don’t know much about the Void Bands, I’m not completely sure.”

  “What are you worried about?”

  “It is kind of a hole within a hole situation. I’m not sure how the universe handles those things. Maybe we should just try it as soon as we enter. Then if you die, I can throw your body back out. Assuming you don’t get sucked into some sort of vortex.”

  Ruwen flinched at the horrible possibilities. “Now I understand what you mean by the hard way.”

  Ky laughed. “We haven’t even talked about the hard stuff yet. This is just the first few seconds. Which brings me to my third warning. Time.”

  “Time?”

  “Where we are going, it moves differently.”

  “How differently?”

  “It varies, but it’s around four to one.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “For every day that passes there, only six hours pass here.”

  Ruwen shook his head. “Can we go back to the beginning? Where is there?”

  “Not sure, kid. It will be easier to show you the details once we’re there. I don’t like taking you there. It’s a refuge for me, and you can probably tell how fond I am of people.”

  “Is it safe there?”

  “Not even remotely. Also, I should mention if someone erases the door on this side, that pathway between the…let’s call them worlds, becomes unstable.”

  Ruwen took a deep breath. “Let me see if I got this straight. We are going through a portal to a different world. If someone erases the drawing on this wall, we might come out someplace else. We lose our connection with Uru, and if I die there, I won’t resurrect or keep any memories or skills I’ve learned. The place is dangerous. To survive your booby traps, I have to take a mark that will probably cause me issues with law-abiding folk.”

  “That is a decent summary, Ruwen. I’m glad you were listening. But the mark will probably cause issues with more than just the sheep.” Ky looked down at her waist. “I’ll be careful. The last few were accidents.”

  “What is its name?” Ruwen said, pointing to the dagger at Ky’s waist.

  Ky stared at him as if she were trying to decide something. Then she looked down again. “You are not a king!”

  “It’s an Elder weapon, isn’t it?”

  “Smart kid. You’ve done some reading, then?”

  “Some.”

  “That is a story for another time.”

  Ruwen knew he wouldn’t get anything else out of Ky about her weapon, so he quit pushing her. “What did your dagger mean about accidents?”

  “Oh, it wanted me to tell you the biggest danger is me and your training. But, I’m not the most dangerous thing in that place, and I have someone else in mind for your training. I’ve worked hard to carve out a place of my own. My cottage on the beach, so to speak.”

  “Thieves want a cottage on the beach?”

  “Oh, kid. I’m no mere Thief. Let’s get going. We won’t be wasting so much time if we’re talking on the other side, and I’m starting to believe you’re stalling. Hold out your right hand.”

  Ruwen slowly raised his hand. He wasn’t sure about this. It seemed to be full of danger, and there was no upside other than the time dilation. His heart beat faster, thinking about Ky’s dagger. She hadn’t wanted to talk about it, but maybe she would later. Sentient weapons were thousands of years old and incredibly rare. No one knew who made them or where they came from. But the weapons were nigh indestructible, and their intelligence made them infinitely more dangerous than a standard weapon. Ruwen had read that some of them could even do magic. He definitely wanted to get a closer look at her blade. Maybe if he went along, she…

  His forehead stung, and he focused back on his surroundings. Ky flicked his forehead again, and he stepped away to avoid a third.

  “Where do you go when you do that?” Ky asked.

  “I was just thinking.”

  “You do that a lot. And —surprise— it will get you killed. So, stop it.”

  “Stop thinking?”

  “Yes. In my experience, thinkers don’t last long. Tremine is the exception.”

  Ky grabbed his right hand and turned it palm up. She placed her wrist on top of his and locked gazes with him.

  “Ruwen Starfield, do you swear upon your eternal soul to keep the secrets of the Black Pyramid and, to the best of your abilities, obey the commands of the High Mistress while in her realm? Furthermore, do you promise to aid any others who carry the mark and do all in your power to help them attain their goals so long as those goals do not conflict with your own? And lastly, if a member of the Pyramid is killed, will you do your utmost to avenge them? Do you, Ruwen Starfield, agree to take this mark freely, and without ill intent?”

  A notification appeared in his vision even though he had them set to minimized. It wasn’t the standard yellow but a deep red. Instead of print, the notification was in cursive, and his whole body felt tingly.

  Thrum!

  You have been offered a Soul Oath…

  Another Block in the Pyramid

  The High Mistress of the Black Pyramid has offered you her mark and a place in her realm.

  Reward: Access to the Black Pyramid

  Warning!

  This is a soul binding and bridges death.

  Accept or Decline

  Ruwen stared at the notification. He hated having to make this decision with so little information. He had no idea what the Black Pyramid was or what it stood for. For all he knew, they could run around killing children. But Ky had been picked by Uru herself, and while he didn’t know much about his Class, he knew the goddess wanted to protect him. That is what Ky was here to do, and Ky said she needed the resources of the Black Pyramid to do it. He really didn’t have a choice. If he wanted to live instead of being killed until he was a vegetable, he needed to move forward down this path even if it was full of risk.

  He selected Accept, and his whole body grew ice cold. Ky removed her hand, and he could see a small black pyramid on his wrist. As he watched, it faded away. A notification pulsed and he opened it.

  Ping!

  You have learned the Ability Black Eye

  Ability: Black Eye

  Level: 1

  Class: Any

  Effect: Detect the presence of a member of the Black Pyramid.

  Type: AoE

  Ky lifted the tapestry. “If you ever need to show your mark, just focus on it, and it will appear. Welcome to the fold, Ruwen.” She motioned at the wall. “After you, my young novice.”

  Ruwen turned sideways to fit through the narrow rectangle Ky had drawn. He pushed forward expecting to hit the wall. Instead, he kept moving, and his left arm and shoulder disappeared into the stone. He stopped, and his heart raced. What was he doing? He had no idea where this place was or how to get back. He needed to —

  “On my dagger, I didn’t deserve this,” Ky said.

  Then she shoved Ruwen hard, and he stumbled into darkness.

  Chapter 13


  Ruwen regained his balance a few feet after exiting the wall. He stood in a large circular room. He doubted he could throw a rock and hit the other side. The ceiling, thirty-feet high, looked rough like a cave while the walls were smooth. A yellow-green light came from the floor, and he knelt and touched the glowing moss that carpeted the entire room.

  He stood and turned in a slow circle. The entire room was covered with narrow rectangles like Ky had drawn at the library. Each had different runes down the middle. His feet tangled as he turned, and he fell.

  He knew his debuff made him clumsier than normal, but this was ridiculous. Trying to push himself up before Ky could see him, he realized his hands were trapped in the moss. He hadn’t been clumsy. The moss had grabbed his boots and tripped him.

  His right wrist grew intensely cold, and the Black Pyramid mark briefly appeared. Almost reluctantly, the moss let him go, and he stood.

  Ky stepped out of the wall. “Well, it looks like you were sincere.”

  Standing, he rubbed his wrist to warm it. “What?”

  “If you’d been lying about the no ill intent when you took my mark, the Blood Moss would have you mostly digested by now.”

  “I thought this was just for light. It’s a trap?”

  “It’s both. The most successful things have more than one purpose.”

  “I feel like it’s disappointed. I think it really wanted to eat me.”

  “Oh, it does. Sift is probably keeping it a little too hungry. I’ll talk to him about it.”

  “What do you feed it?”

  “Blood.”

  Ruwen’s stomach turned, and he tried to not step on it, but it filled the entire room. He also realized there wasn’t a normal door in the room. Only narrow rectangles, each with runes etched an inch into the stone.

  “How do we get out of here?” Ruwen asked.

  Ky waved her hand around the room. “We take the right door.”

  “There are wrong doors?”

  “Most of them lead to instant death.”

  “So, if someone enters through one of your doors, the Blood Moss eats them. If they somehow survive, they’ll likely go through a door that will kill them?”

  “There are other things in here that might get them before they reach a door.”

  Ruwen looked around and his mouth went dry. “What happens if someone gets here by accident?”

  Ky shrugged.

  “That seems really harsh.”

  “Listen, kid, it’s a harsh world, and curiosity always kills you in the end. It’s the universe’s way of keeping her secrets.”

  Ruwen’s raised his eyebrows.

  Ky pointed at him. “You and Tremine have the same insatiable curiosity, which is probably why he likes you. But it will get you killed.”

  “So, stop thinking and don’t look at anything interesting,” Ruwen said sarcastically.

  “Yes. Maybe then you’ll survive,” Ky said, ignoring his tone. After a pause, she continued. “If you arrived here alone, knowing what you do, with what you have, how would you find a safe door?”

  Ting!

  You have received the quest…

  My Doors are Always Open

  The Mistress of the Black Pyramid has asked you to find a safe door. Caution should be exercised, as guessing will most certainly find a painful and unpleasant death.

  Reward: Ciphered Gate Runes

  Accept or Decline

  Ruwen accepted the quest and wondered what gate runes were. He thought for a minute, and Ky left him alone. “Okay, I have an idea.”

  “Show me.”

  “I’ll have to open my Void Band.”

  “Well, if you explode, at least Sift won’t have to feed the lawn.”

  Ruwen took a few deep breaths and then opened the Band.

  “Boom!” Ky yelled.

  Ruwen screamed and slammed the Band shut.

  Ky laughed for what Ruwen thought was a little too long and then wiped her eyes. “I really needed that.”

  “Very funny.”

  “You are really jumpy. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You just need to control your reactions better.”

  “Thanks, I guess.”

  “Okay, go ahead. I’ll be good.”

  Ruwen stared at Ky, not trusting her to keep her word, as he opened his Void Band. He reached in and thought about the priest robe he’d stashed there. It was still wet from soaking it in the stream to clean the statue of Uru at the park. The dampness wouldn’t matter for his plans. He tied the sleeves into a loose knot and then pulled the hood through it, making a sort of bag.

  He gently pulled a clump of the Blood Moss, about the size of his hand, from where it met the wall and placed it inside the hood. Walking up to the doorway next to the one he’d entered, he knelt in front of it and gently tossed the hood portion of the robe through the door. Holding the bottom of the robe, he counted to ten and then pulled it back.

  The robe returned hard as a rock, and he could feel the coldness coming off it. The cloth immediately steamed in the warm air. After the hood had thawed enough to open, he looked inside. The Blood Moss had turned brittle and collapsed into dust as soon as he touched it.

  He dumped out the dust, peeled another section of Blood Moss from the floor, and added it to the hood. Moving one door down, he repeated the process.

  After counting to ten, Ruwen pulled the robe back. The white cloth now looked black. What could have caused that? The robe moved, and he realized centipedes covered it. Gasping, he threw himself backward. He hated things with too many legs. Hundreds of centipedes writhed on the fabric, and they crawled onto the Blood Moss and wall.

  As the bugs crawled on the Blood Moss, they disappeared, replaced a second later with a red pool, which vanished after another second. Even more frightening, the Blood Moss grew over the cloth. The robe sunk like a ship in a sea of green. In a few seconds it had disappeared, and Ruwen only saw occasional splashes of red in the green tide. The centipedes that made it to the wall sizzled and popped as the walls grew super-heated wherever they were touched. The centipedes either stayed on the walls too long and were burnt into black powder, or fell onto the Blood Moss, which consumed them immediately.

  “Uru save me,” Ruwen said.

  “She can’t help you here, kid.”

  “That was horrifying.”

  “Yeah, that is a bad door to choose.”

  He tore open the Blood Moss and pulled his robe free. It was spotless. Carefully, he held it away from himself and spun it, making sure no bugs were left. But the Blood Moss had done its work, and the piece in the hood still looked okay and maybe a bit larger than before. Kneeling in front of the next door, he paused.

  “I thought I could test the doors with the Blood Moss. If it survived, the door must be safe on the other side. But, I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because of the bugs. I’ve realized the threat could be something less obvious than lava or lightning or whatever. What if it is some sort of noxious gas –”

  Ky pointed to a door ten down from him.

  “Or bugs too tiny to see –”

  Ky pointed to a door across the room.

  His voice grew quieter. “Or a thousand-foot cliff —”

  She pointed behind him. “Over three thousand feet actually.”

  “What is wrong with you?” Ruwen whispered.

  “Safety first is what I like to say. Well, my safety and the safety of my people.”

  Ruwen shook his head and placed the robe back in his Void Band, leaving the Blood Moss in the hood. As much as it made his stomach turn, the Blood Moss fascinated him, and he wanted to study it later.

  A notification appeared that he’d never seen before. It had a timer, which had already started counting down from ten. Ruwen quickly read the notification.

  Notice: A living entity has entered your Void Band. Estimated Energy consumption to sustain life: 0.20 Energy per second. You have ten seconds to make one of the follow
ing choices:

  Choice 1: Remove the entity.

  Choice 2: Select Yes, incur the Energy cost, and sustain the entity’s life.

  Choice 3: Select No and the entity will perish.

  Ruwen focused on his energy bar, relieved that it only dropped from a one hundred to ninety-nine before returning to one hundred about every five seconds. Bliz had said plants would be an almost unnoticeable drain on his Energy and it appeared the Blood Moss was considered a plant.

  He selected Yes and then looked at Ky. She either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care about the Blood Moss.

  “This is a good example of you overthinking,” Ky said.

  Did he overthink, though? He felt like he didn’t think enough. If he had spent a little more time thinking about the problem, he would have realized this wouldn’t have worked. Then he wouldn’t have wasted all this time. In fact, the –

  His forehead stung, and he looked at Ky. She was about to flick him in the head again.

  “Stop that,” Ruwen said and got to his feet.

  “Stop thinking, then. The right answers are simple. You complicate everything.”

  He had never been here before, was only level two, and had almost no skills. Whatever the solution was, it must be related to his recent interactions with Ky. Which had mostly been her appearing and disappearing or making him take soul oaths that would probably end up –

  The thought of the soul oath caused Ruwen’s brain to feel cold, and then another idea crashed through his mind. He opened his Abilities tab and reread Black Eye.

  Ability: Black Eye

  Effect: Detect the presence of a member of the Black Pyramid.

  Type: AoE

  “Detect the presence of a member of the Black Pyramid,” Ruwen mumbled.