Glitch Hunter

by Skyler Grant

  The dissolving of Jess's flesh must have offered some regeneration to the Glutton. It took some time before the notification finally flashed across Alex's vision.

  A Glutton has been killed

  You gained a half share

  5 Black XP granted

  That was that. Alex found one of Jess's feet sticking out from beneath the Glutton’s body, grabbed it and pulled. Jess looked completely unharmed, but then she was also wearing a more festive version of Avery's dress in red and green which meant her appearance was heavy on the illusion right now.

  "That looked pretty horrible. You okay, Jess?" Ryn asked.

  "I wanted adventure. I just got gobbled up by some baron turned into a hungry monster. That was amazing and amazingly gross at the same time," Jess said breathlessly. "I mean, I didn't like my skin being melted off. That was bad, and it ruined my dress."

  "We'll steal you a new one. The keep is up next. I'm sure there are lots of nice dresses to steal," Ryn said.

  "Sabrina doesn't have great taste in clothes," Jess grumbled, and she kicked the corpse of the Glutton.

  It seemed a bit grim to harvest Sabrina's father for parts, but Alex was getting an echo from the corpse. It took all his strength to flip the corpse over and bare the stomach, his Songblade sawing through it, then he drove his hand inside and fished about.

  Black Gem

  'Lifedrain 2'

  When attached to a weapon five percent of all damage done with the weapon is returned to you as health.

  Alex thought that didn't seem to be much in the healing department, but anything done in the middle of a fight helped. It could be particularly useful when facing a lot of lesser-powered foes who could be killed with a single strike.

  Ryn was moving from one open casket to another. Alex saw her slip a gold broach into a pocket.

  "Does this really seem to be the right time for grave-robbing?" Alex asked.

  "We're on our way to wipe out the last of the LaFele line, right? Is there any better time for grave-robbing?"

  Alex had to admit that she had a point.

  There was no way that Alex was going to be able to return the enormous body of Marcus into one of the coffins—he needed to do something else to the corpse.

  While Avery could probably make quite a bit out of the skin of her dead husband, that seemed cruel. It was best to burn him completely. Alex grabbed a backup fire ampule from his potion belt, cracking it open and pouring the contents over the dead Glutton before stepping back and firing the last fire-round in his potion-caster.

  The corpse burst into flames, oily black smoke filling the air.

  "That’s one way to get me to stop looting," Ryn said with a grimace, and went to investigate the other end of the mausoleum. A short flight of stairs led to a wooden door strengthened with metal bands.

  "Be careful. Sabrina really doesn't want us going up to the keep," Alex said.

  "I'm not new at this," Ryn said, kneeling down on the top step to examine the lock before checking the frame itself.

  "Anything?" Alex asked.

  "If she is good, she'll have set the trap on the other side. No way to know what it is or what the trigger is. Most people set their snare on the outside of what they want guarded though, because they want to separate areas into safe space and dangerous space," Ryn said, trailing a fingertip along the stones of the doorframe.

  "You do that a lot. Try to get into the head of the people you're trying to rob," Alex said.

  "If you don't do the same with the monsters you hunt, you should, it works. Everyone wants something and everyone is afraid of something, and if you figure out what those things are you’ll beat whatever security they've set up," Ryn said.

  "Can you steal things as a bard? I went to be all smart and kind of sinister too," Jess said.

  "I'll teach you to pick locks. Get over here, Jess. I've got runes on the door. Can you figure them out?"

  "Still not a mage. Why do you people keep asking me to do magic?" Jess said, as she moved to the doorway and felt along the edges with her fingertips.

  Jess could protest all she wanted, but she’d never failed them when asked for magical assistance. Alex thought that either there were things she didn't wish to admit, or she was comparing herself to some mages on her home world who must have monumental powers.

  "No shielding runes. Just checking for the carrier of some kind of spellstone. If the door is crossed by someone without it, it sends some sort of message," Jess said.

  "Probably to the baroness to let her know, and to some trap to trigger it. Can we disable it?" Ryn asked.

  Jess tapped one of the stones. "That one. You want to cancel out that rune."

  Ryn took out her vial of anti-magic fluid and carefully dropped a few droplets on the rune. There was a spark and flash of light.

  "That does it, but Jess should still take the lead. Just in case," Ryn said.

  "Because getting all my flesh melted off once isn't enough in a day," Jess muttered.

  52

  “A graduate of the Gravedigger Academy does more than put corpses in the ground. They make sure they stay there.” Advertisement seen in the city of Winterhome

  They slipped into a hall. Alex had never been to this section of the keep before. The map in one corner of Alex's vision showed a twisting warren of hallways connecting to several larger rooms.

  Jess led the way forward and they took a peek through one of the doors. It looked to be a store room with supplies stacked high. They kept going.

  The crumpled figure of a servant lay in the middle of a hall. Alex bent down to check for a pulse. He was still alive, although appeared to be in a deep sleep.

  "Think something like the chime monster got to him?" Ryn asked.

  "Or some sort of sleeping spell. The guards were still active, but seemed to be under some sort of mind-control. Sabrina must have less use for the servants and didn't want them getting in her way," Alex said.

  Alex found a stairway on his map and Jess led the way.

  Ryn took no chances, moving to check it over for traps before gesturing they could proceed.

  The next level was a sharp difference from the one below. Red fog billowed along the floors of the hallway, crackling with discharges of electricity that snapped at their boots as they walked.

  "This is spooky," Ryn said.

  Jess knelt down so that she could trail her fingers in the fog, swirls and ripples left in the wake of her touch. "All this power with no place to go. We need to be careful, Ryn particularly, but Alex and me too."

  "Why? What do you think it is going to do?" Alex asked.

  A powerful spark of red energy leapt from the fog, hitting Ryn and forcefully slamming her against a wall.

  "Not again," Ryn hissed, eyes closed as she took several deep breaths.

  "Again?" Alex asked.

  "It is like with that damned sword in the vault," Ryn said, gulping for air.

  "It’s anger. Don't resist it. If you resist it, then it’s going to push you around like it just did. Talk about it," Jess said.

  "I don't want to talk about it. You're not my lover, you're not my bartender," Ryn said, just before another bolt of red lightning struck her and sent her tumbling down the hall.

  "I'm not kidding, Ryn. It is important. Talk it out and let it flow through you," Jess said.

  Ryn let out guttural growl. "Fine, I'm angry. I hate being back in this city, it makes my skin crawl every time I'm here. I'm kind of Cass's friend, but she and I both know she's better than me and she shouldn't have been."

  "If your parents hadn't been killed," Alex said.

  Jess let out a yelp as a burst of lightning struck her, red sparks dancing along her flesh.

  "Guess I'm not the only one pissed off and suppressing it," Ryn said.

  "I'm a grown woman and there isn't a single member of my family that treats me like it. I don't even know who I am, because everyone still treats me like a child," Jess said.

  "At least you have a
family who loves you. The worst part of being a thief is you never really trust anyone. You always see the scam, what others are planning. Even when someone has your back, you're an idiot if they have your trust," Ryn said, slamming a fist against the wall and leaving a bloody smear as her knuckles scraped against the stone.

  Alex got struck next, the blow driving him back as emotion surged through his body.

  Jess said, as her illusions dropped away, "Then I come here and I'm still treated like a child. I can't tell if I'm just the oddity you're dragging along to throw into danger, or your friend that you actually care about." Red energy was crackling along the gold of her runic tattoos.

  Alex said, with a venom that surprised himself, "I'm surrounded by secrets. I feel like I'm stuck in some vast puzzle filled with moving parts and if I get even a glimpse of them it’s only because somebody screwed up. I'm trying my best to do the right thing and it’s all going so wrong."

  "Your best is trying to stop the one woman in this town who wants to do what everybody in this town wants to do. Her means may suck, but if you fail she’s finally going to get the revenge I want. The revenge everybody wants," Ryn said, slamming her fist into the wall again.

  "Good. You've let it out, now we need to help each other give it focus. Forge your rage into intent," Jess said. Another bolt snapped into her.

  "I guess giving instructions isn’t raging enough," Alex said.

  Jess gave him a wry look before turning back to the others, advancing on Ryn and grabbing her shoulder. "You want to make them pay? We'll find a way to make them pay. Remember Alex and Yasmine killing those soldiers to set you free? We've already started."

  "Yeah," Ryn said, with a tired chuckle, clenching her hand again as she rested her forehead against the wall. "It's not something ... I don't go around every day hatching murderous plans, but I never forget you know? A part of me is always angry about it, and it’s even worse after what those soldiers did."

  "The House of Bats might not be officially calling the Youlash enemies, but they're murdering Glitch Hunters in cold blood. There is going to be a reckoning," Alex said.

  "There," Jess said. "United in murderous purpose. Do you feel any better, Ryn?"

  Ryn pulled away from the wall, spinning around to press her back to it. "I know it’s fucked up, but I kind of do. Someone has to pay and I'm not alone in thinking it."

  Alex got hit by another bolt, driven back another few steps, his nails digging into his palm hard enough to draw blood which stirred the mist as it dripped to the floor.

  "You aren't the only one who doesn't know who they are, Jess. I'm surrounded by people telling me I need a code, rules, and I still haven't even figured out if I'm a good or a bad person.”

  Ryn said, "But you are a friend, Jess. I mean, you let a monster eat you for us. I may act all self-confident, but I don't know if I am a thief, or a merchant, or a killer. I'll help you figure out who you are, who you want to be."

  "Jess, I already told you that you can come with me. Wouldn't have done that if I didn't like having you around," Alex said.

  Jess startled Ryn by pressing her against the wall in a half-hug and then she did the same to Alex.

  "You're feeling better than I am," Ryn told her.

  "I'm still pissed. But it is more of a I'll show everyone back home because I have friends and they're total badasses kind of pissed," Jess said.

  "You're a decent person, Alex. I've seen enough to know that. I don't stick by the side of people I don't like. I'm not going to say I trust you, because I have a few issues there, but ah ... I'm really good at finding out people’s secrets," Ryn said. “I can help you find yourself, if you want.”

  "And I'm really good at illusion. If between us we can't get you a few answers, nobody can," Jess said.

  The rage wasn't gone, not at all. Alex could still feel it simmering beneath his flesh, coursing through his veins, but he wasn't alone in it now. There was something to be said for having a direction, a purpose.

  "Can we expect more of this?" Ryn asked wearily. "Because I think that’s quite enough of me being in touch with my emotions."

  "Black and white quintessence are also being channeled into the keep, but what Sabrina is trying to transform into is primarily powered by red," Alex said.

  "So this is how she feels every day right?" Jess asked.

  Alex thought that must be the case, and she'd felt that way for a very long time ever since being infused with red quintessence as a child. It was no wonder that Ebonhart had barely fazed her—it did nothing all that different to her daily existence. To be functional at all as a human being Sabrina must have long ago done this herself—channeled her rage into a terrible purpose.

  "Let’s keep going. I think she'll be in the sitting room, the one facing the sea that she likes," Alex said.

  Ryn wrapped up her hand as they walked, just another injury for someone who was now covered with them. Alex was fully healed after the burst of health that ended the last fight, and Jess looked flawless after she tossed her illusions back up. Ryn was only human.

  "Maybe you should hang back for what’s coming," Alex said to her.

  Ryn gave him a severe look. "We've covered this, Alex. I leave and you almost die."

  "Sabrina is either going to be human, in which case I don't need you, or something a whole lot worse and you shouldn't be anywhere near the fight," Alex said.

  "By 'human' you mean powerful, ass-kicking mage. I know I'm a little battered, but I'm hanging in here and I'm not done."

  "You can't break up the team," Jess said.

  Ryn gave Jess a worried look and said, "Maybe she shouldn't come along though."

  "I'm immortal. There is zero risk at all to me," Jess said.

  "Until she starts losing and makes a ‘w’ word at you. What if she wants her transformation to already be complete? Or Alex dead? Or all of Youlash to burn?" Ryn asked.

  Jess stared at the floor and said, "Let’s not pretend that isn't part of the reason I'm along, even if I am a friend. Alex is going to do exactly the same thing, if it looks like he's lost, and I don't punch him in the throat first."

  "Only in an emergency and if all seems absolutely lost," Alex said.

  "And it will still be the wrong time. It is always the wrong time. If Sabrina is stupid enough to try it, she'll learn that too. I don't think she will though. I've been here over a week and she never made even a tiny wish," Jess said.

  "People try that to test it out?" Ryn asked.

  Jess nodded. "For some reason they always think a small thing will be way less fatal than a big thing. Like 'I want a sandwich' won't result in them choking on it."

  "I guess if you’re going to go for it, you may as well go big," Ryn said.

  Jess nodded enthusiastically. "I mean, it will still probably go wrong, but it doesn't always. Queen Vina ruled a good twenty years before getting burned alive and really I think at that point it wasn't even the wish’s fault. When she made the wish, she was a tavern maid."

  "Yet you would still try to stop me?" Alex asked.

  "If you had a friend who was offered to roll a pair of dice, and roll two ones and they get everything they ever wanted, but anything else they die horribly, wouldn't you stop them? My odds are worse than that," Jess said.

  "There really aren't any ways to cheat?" Ryn asked. "I've known a lot of dice cheats."

  Jess shrugged, "Of course there are ways. You have to be really smart and really powerful, and neither of those applies to the two of you."

  They passed a half-a-dozen more servants unconscious in the halls but encountered none of the keep's guards as they made their way up to the sitting room.

  Alex wished there was a way to know if the paper Kationa handed him was good yet. Without it, he would simply have to hope and if things went bad, be prepared to respond quickly.

  "Jess, when we walk inside I want you to daze her with illusions. Ryn, have your daggers ready but do not throw unless you see me going for my weapons. We
're going to try something else first," Alex said.

  The two nodded. Alex opened the door and charged in with the other two behind him.

  53

  “Fire is good, but for bringing down heavy fortifications nothing beats stone. A good earthquake is a great equalizer.” Vernon Stiles, House of Towers, Red Tower

  Alex rushed into the room. Sabrina stood looking out at the sea, her hands clasped behind her back. Alex strode towards her, scroll in one hand.

  "Illusion," Jess shouted.

  The image wavered and vanished. The room was empty. Alex spun around and saw the doorway was now blocked by a shimmering wall of blue force. He punched the barrier, ripples of energy proving it as solid as any wall.

  "Another trap? How often is she going to keep trying this?" Alex asked.

  "Until it works, probably," Ryn said, as she began to circle the room, searching up and down. "I'm not seeing any runes. Are either of you?"

  A crystal on a mount near the windows shimmered with magical light and the illusion of Sabrina was back, animated this time.

  "Well, I'm hardly going to trap you in a cell with runes you can burn out. I do pay attention you know. You dealt with things? Down below?" Sabrina asked.

  "Your father. I couldn't give him a proper burial so I burned the corpse, it was the best I could do. Your mother is imprisoned, she seems more or less in control of her appetites," Alex said.

  Sabrina let out a sigh, relieved. "I should have done it myself. I know that, my mess, mine to clean up, but I just couldn't. Thank you."

  "You've got a funny way of showing gratitude," Ryn said.

  Sabrina said, "I feel like I'm repeating myself at this point, but you'll be safe here. It won't be much longer. That shield holding me back is just about to collapse."

  If the shield was about to fall that was sooner than expected. While the passage of time had been hard to tell in the sewers, now that they had a view of the ocean free of fog it was easy to tell it was somewhere close to noon. The shield should have hours of protection left.