There were too many variables and too many players—both seen and unseen. Who could he trust? Gaesin, Adra, Aiken, and even the undead, certainly. But beyond them?
Mirien and the Brotherhood? Perhaps. After he learned more of their motives.
Iyra? Perhaps. She had encouraged him to seek her out.
He blew out a troubled breath. He had a lot to ponder.
✽✽✽
Xetil kept his spirit coalesced as he slipped through the ether. It was more difficult traversing the ether this way than as a diffused being, but he hated the loss of control that went with unfurling his spirit.
Battling the raging ether winds, Xetil dropped back into the physical realm once he reached the mountains. He scowled as he felt the world tear at his unshielded spirit. Channelling essence, he wove a spirit ward around himself. The ward reduced the damage he sustained, but had to be maintained with a constant supply of essence.
The price of this venture in divine essence would be high, he knew—walking Myelad outside his temple, even in spirit, always bore a cost—yet it was a price he would gladly pay if he found his quarry.
He gazed about him. Empty, barren mountains filled the horizon in all directions. They did not interest him, though—the dark hole in the ground at his feet did. It was the self-same pit through which Lesh had entered the labyrinth.
Floating forward, he studied the blackness delving into the mountain’s depths. It was a sheer drop from the surface to the labyrinth, hundreds of metres below. There is no way the elf managed to crawl his way out of the pit, he realised.
He frowned. If the free agent had not escaped from here, then where? There were no other labyrinth exits in the southern Skarral range. None other than the Duruhl south gate, but that had been sealed for centuries.
Did the blasted dwarves construct a back door into the city? One he didn’t know about? Even with Misteria’s information, he realised his hunt would take much longer than he had anticipated. Without a starting point, he would have to expand his search wider, he thought balefully, and he would have to expend more of himself doing it.
Weaving together strands of divine essence, Xetil cast sense spark, another of the few spells the Game permitted him to use. The weave exploded outwards and quested amongst the surroundings for the divine signatures which all sentients—except the free agent—possessed.
A second later, the weaves retracted back to Xetil with nothing to report. There was no intelligent life close by. Certain now that the elf, or rather, his companions, were not here, Xetil floated away from the pit and cast sense spark again.
Searching in this manner was painstaking and laborious, but Xetil would not give up. He would track down his quarry.
However long it took.
✽✽✽
A few hours later, Kyran returned to the campfire and shook Gaesin gently. The youth startled awake and was about to speak, but Kyran pressed a finger to his lips and shushed him.
Kyran glanced over at Mirien. She appeared to be fast asleep. Gesturing for Gaesin to follow him, he crept back to the lookout position. He resumed his seat on the ledge, and Gaesin hurriedly followed suit, looking worriedly at Kyran.
“It’s nothing serious, Gaesin,” whispered Kyran. “I only wanted to talk to you without any prying eyes looking on,” he went on, with a meaningful glance at the sleeping elven woman.
Gaesin, looking guilty, nodded. “Kyran, about the woman. I’m sorry, but earlier she got me to reveal Aiken was your companion,” he whispered, bowing his head in shame.
Kyran grimaced, then placed a comforting hand on Gaesin. “Don’t worry about it. If she is to travel with us, she would have figured it out sooner or later.”
Gaesin looked up, relieved by Kyran’s reassurance. “Then you mean to travel with her? To the Brotherhood?”
Kyran pursed his lips. “I haven’t decided yet. But I do think we have to be open and listen to what she has to say. Even if we don’t take up her cause, there is likely a lot that she knows that could be of help to us. We will travel with her a few days at least. Then we shall see.” Kyran looked at Gaesin anew. “What do you think of her?”
Gaesin’s ears twitched in thought. “I don’t know… She is not how I imagined a Brotherhood fanatic. In my mind, I pictured them all as cold, remorseless killers. She seems a bit nicer than that, though.” He paused, and rubbed his neck where her blade had rested. “She didn’t kill me after all.”
Kyran nodded. “Do you think you could befriend her?”
Gaesin appeared startled at the notion. “Why?” he asked, perplexed.
“Because we need to learn more of her, and her organisation. I don’t think she has been entirely forthcoming with everything she knows. We need to figure out what she doesn’t want to share with us. If you befriend her, she may let something slip. And with you, she is likely to be less on guard than with me or Adra.”
“Why? Because I appear to be a naïve youth?”
Kyran hesitated, then nodded. “Partly. But not only that. She has obviously already picked you as the one to target for information on our party. To do that, she will likely attempt to befriend you. What I am asking you to do is not resist her attempts. Instead, let her believe she is succeeding, then gather what you can from her. Can you do that?”
Gaesin meet Kyran’s eyes, his own full of determination. “I will.”
Kyran squeezed Gaesin’s shoulder. “Thank you, Gaesin.” He rose to his feet. “Oh, one more thing. You’ve reached level twenty, right?” Gaesin nodded. “Good. Make sure you see to your classing and levelling tonight. You are still certain of your chosen path?”
“I am, Kyran. Have you decided your own?”
“I think I have, though I need a few more levels before I can meet the requirements.” He retrieved the frost staff of freezing and the cloak of protection from his inventory and held them out to Gaesin. “Here, these are for you.”
Gaesin’s brows shot up at the appearance of the two items. “Are you sure, Kyran. Should you not use them?”
“No,” said Kyran, “I don’t have the necessary skills, nor can I afford to invest in them. They will serve you better.”
Gaesin took the items tentatively. “If you’re sure.”
“I am,” Kyran said firmly. “Good night, my friend. We’ll chat more in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Kyran.”
✽✽✽
Hours later, Xetil was still searching.
His hunt had expanded far from his original starting point and grown to encompass much of the surrounding mountains, yet his prey still eluded him.
I will not let the worm get away. Even though the essence cost of maintaining his spirit ward was mounting with every hour, Xetil vowed to himself that he would not leave, not until he had tracked down his quarry.
The mountain’s barrenness aided his hunt. With very few sentient creatures in the vicinity, Xetil rarely had to break off his search to ascertain whether the divine signatures sense spark had uncovered were his quarry’s party.
It was only knowing the free agent was accompanied that allowed Xetil to search out his target in the manner he did. It was the single most crucial piece of information Misteria had revealed. Xetil had been nearly beside himself with glee when she told him.
Yet…he could still not help but wonder why Misteria had shared her information. What did she hope to gain? It could not be simply to end the threat of the free agent as she had claimed. No, he decided, she must have some other motive.
A concentration of divine signatures, deep within the inner range, pulled at Xetil’s attention. Startled, he considered the spell’s results. It was unusual to find such a large gathering of sentients within the barren mountains.
He sent his spirit winging their way and saw with surprise that it was a gathering of ogres. They were encamped outside a network of caves in a tented village surrounded by a low rock wall. In the village’s centre was a tattered flag. One that Xetil recognised. It belonged to a trib
e that had failed him years ago and been exiled for their failures.
So this is where they went, he thought. The ogres appeared to have been living here for years. And while most were rail thin and sported deformities from perpetual malnutrition, the tribe had seemingly managed to eke out a living. Despite himself, Xetil was impressed. But the ogres didn’t hold his interest for long. Leaving them to their fate, he returned to his search.
Ground that would have taken days to cover with scrying, Xetil searched in mere hours with sense spark. But while the mountain was awash with trolls and feral ogres aplenty, he detected neither half-elf nor wolven.
He kept searching.
Eventually, nearly a day later, Xetil found what he hunted for. And in the strangest of places…
Game Data
Ability: Detect truth
Skill: Governor.
Description: With this ability, the caster establishes a mental link to a single subject to monitor their thought patterns.
Rank: Base.
Cost: 80 will per hour.
Execution time: 10 seconds.
Range: Up to the caster’s range of hearing.
Duration: Infinite (activated ability).
Buff: Detect when the target speaks truth. Can be resisted.
Kyran’s Profile (Condensed)
Name: Kyran Seversan. Race: Elf.
Player type: Advanced player, free agent.
Combat level: 20. Civilian level: 19. Health: 200/200.
Stamina: 500/500. Will: 1020/1020. Essence: 1200/1200.
Attacks: 44.2 (slash), 40.8 (psi), 43.4 (fire).
Defences: 24.6 (physical), 20 (psi), 20 (spell).
Class: Unclassed (rank II, apprentice).
Class traits: None.
Class skills: None.
Class abilities: None.
Other skills (0 combat and civilian SP available)
Beast bonding (50.8), body control (20.4), light armour (14.4), psionics (40.8), telekinesis (26.5), telepathy (40.8), air magic (51), earth magic (51), fire magic (43.4), supportive magic (51), spellcasting (51), water magic (51), longsword (10.4).
Commander (15.2), governor (0.7), mage lord (45.6), scrying (13.7), travelling (13.7), nature lore (22.8), feudal lord (0).
Vassals: 2 of 14.
Combat abilities (1 AP available)
Beast bond, rank II: Beast befriend.
Air magic, rank II: Shock wall.
Earth magic, rank II: Oil slick.
Telepathy, rank II: Psi wave.
Beast bond, rank I: Calm beast, beast bond, extend bond, enrage beast.
Body control, rank I: Mind-over-matter, boost speed.
Telepathy, rank I: Mind shock, confusion.
Telekinesis, rank I: Teleport (self), hold, teleport (object).
Air magic, rank I: Blend, truesight, shocking hands.
Fire magic, rank I: Flaming hands, fire dart, fire shield.
Water magic, rank I: Water armour, slippery ice, ice wall, freezing hands.
Earth magic, rank I: Barkskin, grasping roots, earth tremor, poison ward.
Supportive magic, rank I: Restore health (self), restore health (others).
Civilian abilities (6 AP available)
Travelling, rank I: Show portals, travel (self).
Scrying, rank I: Show hostiles, basic scrying, detect scrying.
Nature lore, rank I: Show plants, gather plants.
Commander, rank I: Inspiring, shared sight.
Governor, rank I: Detect truth.
Mage lord, rank I: Channel essence, channel novice spells.
Equipped items
Heir’s mithril scale armour (32 armour, +8% commander).
Elven mageblade (35-40 slash damage, +8% longsword).
Bone shaman necklace (+2% earth magic).
Gaesin’s Profile (Class Data)
Name: Gaesin Illineiros. Race: Half-elf.
Player type: Basic player, vassal to Kyran Seversan.
Level: 20. Health: 180/180.
Stamina: 450/450. Will: 520/520. Essence: 800/800.
Attacks: 38 (water).
Defences: 20 (physical), 20 (psi), 20 (spell).
Class: Hydromancer (rank II, apprentice).
The hydromancer is a water magic-healer hybrid class that provides bonuses to both life and water magic. As the hydromancer advances in rank, he can increasingly make use of his supportive magic skill to further empower his water spells and vice versa.
Class traits
Empowered life: effective skill of life spells is increased by +20% of water magic skill.
Fire and death anathema: cannot cast fire or death magic spells.
Class skills
Water magic (36.6), supportive magic (35), spellcasting (35), wands & staffs (38).
Class abilities
Healing rain: The hydromancer can summon a healing shower than restores all allies that feel its touch.
Chapter 6
09 Octu 2603 AB
The hydromancer is a strange class and not one favoured by many players. Specialising equally in water and life magic, it makes use of one to empower the other. At higher player ranks, a hydromancer’s power in either school rivals those of his peers, but at lower and mid-ranks, the hydromancer is vastly underpowered. Yet despite the seeming inefficiency of the hydromancer class, it is still actively encouraged by one of the preeminent water mage schools, the Iltenial mage academy. —Lillian Aimes, sorceress.
Zarr was in his workroom.
Gazing deeply into the wardstone, he painstakingly renewed the wards around the citadel. Time had caused some to decay, and the player, Kyran, had tripped others.
Recent events had given him cause to worry, and he knew it was past time the wards were revived and expanded. With Crota again the focus of the gods’ attention, the undead could not afford to be caught unprepared.
At a clatter from above, the lich king froze—with the stillness that only the undead could manage—before relaxing a moment later when he realised it was only the tramp of patrolling skeletons.
Zarr sighed. He was not used to the noise. After long centuries of silence, the citadel was awakening, its undead stirring from their eons-long slumber. He wondered if that was a good thing.
The door creaked open, and Zarr glanced up. Aveyad and Tyeliss stood waiting patiently on the threshold.
“Come in, Aveyad, Tyeliss. What news?”
“The divine force encamped in the city is stirring, sire,” said Tyeliss. “It appears as if they are readying themselves to leave.”
Zarr frowned. When the Iyran company had first arrived, he had wondered at their appearance. Why had they come to Crota? And why, after journeying all the way into the wilderness of Crotana, had they simply sat encamped for weeks in the city’s ruins? He had suspected their presence was tied to the free agent. Now, he was certain of it.
The timing could not be coincidence. Only last night, Kyran had escaped the labyrinth, and today, after weeks of sitting idle in Crota, the Iyran paladins chose to move out. The champion accompanying them had to be in Crotana for the free agent, but how were they tracking him?
“Do we know in which direction they are headed?” he asked.
Tyeliss shook his head. “Not yet.” He grinned. “But they don’t appear to be readying themselves for an assault on the citadel.”
Zarr snorted. That would be foolish. “And still no signs of any other champions?” asked Zarr, glancing at Aveyad.
Aveyad’s expression bore some of the confusion Zarr felt. “No, Zarr. I’ve scryed under every stone and tree in the surrounding area, but have not caught the slightest hint of another divine scent.”
Zarr pursed his lips. That was the other aspect of the Iyran endeavour that bothered the lich king. He had easily penetrated the wards the paladins had erected around their camp and spied on the champion within. She was only of journeyman rank.
If Zarr had been not so puzzled, he would have been insulted that Iyra took the undead so lightly. Why
had the goddess sent such a low-ranked champion to Crota? It made little sense.
He had to assume that another champion was lurking about and that the paladin company in the city was only a ploy to hold the undead’s attention—or bait.
It was a troubling thought, but one that he had little time to worry about now. If Zarr was going to act on Kyran’s behalf, he would have to move quickly. “Aveyad, gather the mages and erect a containment ward around the paladins. We will entrap them in the city for some time yet.”
“Shouldn’t we try for a more permanent solution, sire?” asked Tyeliss.
Zarr shook his head. “I will not risk moving out in numbers. This may be a ploy to draw us out from the citadel. Another champion with a greater force could be lurking nearby. If Iyra wishes to kill us, she must march into the citadel to do it.” Zarr had not kept his people alive this long by being incautious.
“With a containment ward alone, we will not be able to keep the paladins confined for long,” cautioned Aveyad. “Two weeks perhaps.” He paused, then added. “Unless Iyra intervenes.”
“Even with Iyra’s aid, the champion will not be able to break the wards,” said Zarr, dismissing his concern. “The two weeks will have to suffice. We cannot do more for him.”
“You think they are after Kyran?” asked Aveyad.
“They must be,” replied Zarr.
“And if there are other forces in Crotana seeking him?” asked Tyeliss.
“If there are, they are out of our reach,” said Zarr. “We must hope Kyran can evade them on his own. Or that our allies can help.” He looked questioningly at Aveyad. “Have the elves responded yet?”
“Yes, sire,” replied Aveyad. “Their representative will be here tomorrow.”
“Excellent.”
✽✽✽
Kyran awoke to the sun glaring down on his face. For a long moment, he lay still, with his eyes closed, and bathed in the simple pleasure of its warmth. It was good to feel the sun again.
Sovereign Rising (The Gods' Game, Volume III): A LitRPG novel Page 9