Chapter 13 (Patreon)

Stef threw himself up the stairs two at a time. The young man had blown past the guard post at the bottom of the stairs — go figure.

They put layers of signs in brilliant red letters, constantly illuminated, telling people NOT to go into sections reserved specifically for security personnel. It was dangerous on top of Spearpoint’s walls! They weren’t made for random people to strut about the top!

Let alone in the middle of a devastating monster attack!

The stone stairs were slick from rain, but the moss and lichen that were growing in the cracks provided plenty of footing. Stef couldn’t even tell what class the young man wielded; he had the robes of a mage. But judging by the speed at which he climbed the stairs, he had the physical attributes of a monk.

And he carried a sword! Monks didn’t carry swords! As far as Stef knew, none of the religious orders of monks even operated on the Savage Expanse!

“Stop!  This area is restricted!” Stef shouted right as the young man… monk… mage… stopped moving. He finally landed [Identify] on the young man.

[Feng Sai, Level ??? ???]

Stef’s eyes widened. He was already throwing himself at Feng’s back. It was too late to back out now. His hand closed around a fistful of cloth.

He saw the look on the young mans face — bewilderment, panick, fear. Then the world exploded around them in green fire, the horizon blurring before being ripped away.

Stef screamed as he felt himself being pulled far, far, far away. A white pillar larger than anything he could ever imagine or perceive was approaching them, flying toward them until it obscured the horizon, stretching for as far as he could perceive in any direction.

The young man seemed frozen, unmoving, and Stef was stuck to him. He saw worlds pass beneath him — then continents — then nothing.

“Don’t! You — ” Feng spoke, took a step back.

Stef hit the ground with a thud, scraping his hands against cold, sand covered stone to rise to his feet.

“What the hells was that! Didn’t you see this…” Stef stopped and looked around. “That area was off limits to civilians, Feng! Are we… where did you teleport us to?”

Stef looked around. A small, dark, dry room confronted him, cold stone lit seemingly by magic orbs embedded in the wall.

The guard’s training rolled through his head. When in doubt, [Identify.] 

[Spirit Stone Wall, Level ???]

[Spirit Stone Floor, Level ???]

[Feng Sai, Level ??? ???]

The door to the side burst open and four men started shouting in a series of noises unlike any word Stef had heard a human make. Stef grabbed the bow at his back, pulling it free.

Feng’s hand shout out, landing on Stef’s. Feng gave a pained smile, shaking his head no. His other hand was held up towards the guards who had burst into the room.

“Apologies.” Feng said. “It looks like you’ll be staying here for a while.”

“Where… where is here?” Stef asked.

“Apologies. I’m afraid that you’re very far from home.” Feng said. With a hand motion, the guards spun around, two of them pulling the heavy stone doors completely open, the other two standing aside the door and staring at Stef.

“We’re not in the Savage Expanse anymore, are we?” Stef said, following astride Feng.

Feng stopped dead only a step into the hallway, stopping and searching Stef’s eyes. At the same time, he barked a string of alien words to the guards around him. Two began running down the tunnel ahead of them.

“No.” Feng said to Stef.

Stef opened his mouth to complain. Then stopped.

He was only a few months into a two year commitment to tour as a guard on behalf of Spearpoint. The pay was minimal — in exchange, there were supposed to be plentiful opportunities to level and see the world.

Bullshit. He thought to himself. Only a few months in and a level three hundred Calamity was stomping it’s way down to destroy the city!

“Thank the gods.” Stef said. “You evacuated the city? And I just hitched a ride. Where are we?”

“You’re… alright with being so far from Spearpoint?” Feng asked.

“Fuck yes. There was a good chance I’d die if we had to defend the wall!”

They rose out of the tunnel into the cold night of the desert. Feng looked unnerved as he stared up at the sky. Stef, for his part, began casting [Identify] on everyone around him.

His heart started to sink with what he saw. Without fail, every last person here was either marked as level zero, or with their level as question marks. That meant that each of them, without fail, was either completely unleveled — or fifty levels above Stef’s own. Which made this a very, very dangerous place for someone only leveled into the tens.

“What is this place? We’re far from Illyria, aren’t we?”

“Apologies. I’m afraid so. This is the Bloodstone continent under the control of the Grim Tempest Sect.”

People were gathering in the street just to stare at them as they crossed the tiny desert town. The entire city seemed alive in spite of it being night time; Stef had heard of desert city’s where they slept through the day. Raging winds cut across the desert, whistling through the brickwork buildings above them. 

The entire city was constructed around what must have been a precursor ruin.

“Was the situation truly so bad? The Trailblazers seemed confident you had the power to repel that monster.” Feng said, pulling Stef from his thoughts. 

“The Trailblazers, sure, yes, they had more than enough power to stop it, but the local Guildmaster apparently hasn’t even been seen in over a year! She could probably kill the damn thing herself. Iscassia the Green, off gods know where doing gods know what. Can you believe that? Off gallivanting in an unexplored jungle. Guess that’s why they’re Trailblazers and not Protectors.”

“That monster seemed on the level of the Feng Patriarch, at least. You’re saying this guildmaster… Iscassia… is at least that strong?”

“Are you the Feng Patriarch?” The guard asked, staring at him. “That was an incredible teleportation magic. I assume its linked to this precursor ruin and not your own power, though? I hadn’t heard of a cross continent teleportation… are you able to teleport me home?”

Feng laughed.

“Apologies. No. I am not anywhere near the level of the Patriarch.”

Stef scratched his chin.

“Yes, Icassia could definitely defeat it. Easily, even, with the help of the other high rankers in the Trailblazers.” Stef said. “Spearpoint is supposed to be a relatively safe city — in all its history, there’s never been an attack on that scale! That they’ve told me about. I’ve spent the last few months mostly just arresting drunks. I’m done with that city! Just point me towards the nearest boat home. I — ” Stef reached for the pouch of coins that he typically kept at his belt. Then he realized he left all of his money behind. “I think I’ll need to find a few weeks of work.”

“I will help you with that.” Feng said. “And please, call me Sai. Feng is the Patriarch — my… father.”