Grand Game 448: A Meeting of Blades (Patreon)

“Who’s Blythe?” I asked lightly, ignoring Cine’s glare.

For a drawn-out moment no one answered. I couldn’t tell if that was because my question had caught them off-guard or if they had been struck speechless by my audacity.

Ye, right.

“Blythe is our lord and the leader of the Silent Blade faction,” Yara replied finally.

I inclined my head in her direction, or tried to anyway, but the net still ensnaring me made that hard. “Thank you.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know that already,” Deklan growled.

“I’m not a Reaper,” I said, striving to keep my voice free of exasperation. I’m a stranger to the Marches. I landed here by… accident.”

“More lies,” Deklan scoffed.

“I’m not lying,” I said evenly.

“But you don’t deny you’re a Power,” Cline interjected abruptly.

I glanced at him. “I don’t.”

His eyes narrowed to slits. “So, why shouldn’t I kill you?”

“Well, for one, you’d find that hard to do,” I replied blandly. “And for another, I can help the Blades regain the sector the Reapers stole from you.”

Deklan snorted. “What, all trussed up like that, you’re gonna help us?”

I shrugged. “Looks can be deceiving.”

The rogue opened his mouth to retort, but before he could Yara spoke up. “How?”

“How?” I echoed.

“How can you help us against the Reapers?” she elaborated.

“Surely, I don’t have to spell it out?” I asked. “I’m a Power, what more is there to tell?”

None of the Blades looked impressed by my response. Cine even went so far to shake his head. “You may bear a Power Mark,” the elf stated, “but that does not make you a Power. And no Power I’ve ever met would allow themselves to be captured the way you have. In fact, I’d hazard to guess that you’re not even rank thirty yet.”

I kept my face smooth, but internally I winced. It seemed I’d erred in feigning helplessness. I opened my mouth, ready to change tack.

Before I did, Cine stepped back. “No, whatever you are, you’re still an intruder. And there’s only one way to deal with those.” Raising his voice, the elf shouted, “Kill him!”

✵ ✵ ✵

Cine’s order did not catch me entirely flatfooted.

Regardless of what the Blades thought, I was not easy prey. My buffs were cast, Ghost was primed and alert, and my escape spell was ready.

No sooner had the words left the elf’s mouth, than I cast.

You have teleported into Ghost’s shadow.

Stepping out of the aether, I dropped flat onto the ground and wrapped myself in shadow.

You are hidden.

Fifty yards away, I heard Deklan curse. “The bastard’s gone!”

“I can see that,” Cine snapped. “Find him!”

“Cine, you fool, what did you do that for?” Yara rasped. “We could’ve—” 

“Shut up!” the elf snarled. “Or are you forgetting who’s in charge?”

The orc snorted. “You won’t be for long, once Tyelin hears about this.”

Even from across the distance, I saw Cine’s face turn purple with rage. “Do as you’re told Yar, or it’s you who will be facing his wrath.”

Wordlessly, the orc spun around to face the other seven silently waiting players. “You heard the commander,” she said, somehow managing to make the word sound like an insult, “spread out and find the intruder.”

Turning my attention away from the ten Blades, I scanned the surroundings beyond. Yet, I still failed to spot any of the players Ghost had seen leaving the hidden base earlier. 

“Where are they?” I asked.

“The other Blades went to ground,” Ghost reported, not needing to be told who I meant. “But before they did, they dispersed.” She paused. “I think we’re surrounded.”

I nodded thoughtfully. The news was not unexpected. What was, though, was that the hidden Blades were not visible in my mindsight. It likely meant the cordon the players had formed around me was larger than four hundred yards in diameter. 

“How many did you spot leaving the base?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” Ghost admitted. “Sorry, Prime, I’m still not great with numbers. A hundred maybe? Or two?”

“Hmm,” I murmured. Against those numbers it would be safer to flee than to fight. The question, though, was fleeing wise? I’d not drawn Blade blood—deliberately so. 

After the mishap with the Reapers, I’d gone out of my way not to do so, not wanting to anger a second faction. But, in hindsight, that might have been a mistake.

Cine spoke truly, I acknowledged. 

No Power I’d ever met, not even Loken at his most affable, would tolerate the disrespect I had during my pretense, and I’d messed up in approaching the Blades from a position of weakness instead of strength.

It was too late to go back and rectify the situation, though. 

Still, I was not about to let myself be hounded across this sector and however many others the Blades controlled. Attacking Cine’s people might earn their enmity, but it was better than being run to ground like prey.

It was time for a show of strength.

That at least might make them wary of tangling with me further.

“Ghost, here’s what we do.”

✵ ✵ ✵

A minute passed and still the Blades failed to find us. 

Not that their search was a thorough one. Spreading out, they thrashed at the bushes with their weapons. 

I could tell from the muttered comments of some, and the tentativeness of others, that at least half of Cine’s people lacked night vision. But despite this, no one released a magelight—something I would’ve found suspicious if I didn’t already know about the other Blades hidden nearby.

Whatever the case, given the haphazard manner of their search, Cine’s people were not going to find me, and I suspected they didn’t expect to, either. 

The Blades were obviously trying to flush me out and into the waiting arms of their hidden comrades. It was a cunning ploy and might have worked too—if Ghost hadn’t spotted the emergence of the rest of the Blades earlier.

I turned to my companion. “Ready?” I asked.

“Ready,” she replied, her gaze fixed on the nearest of the searchers, a pair of human Blades twenty yards away.

“Go,” I ordered softly.

With all the stealth of a natural born predator, Ghost rose to her feet and slunk silently up on her targets. I stayed where I was watching. 

Fifteen yards. Twelve. Ten. And still the pair didn’t notice the giant wolf creeping up on them from behind. 

I snorted. And these two fancy themselves rogues?  

But perhaps, I was being unfair. The darkness camouflaged Ghost nicely, and the duo lacked my own night vision.

Eight yards. Six. Four.

Now, I silently urged. Any closer, and even half-blind as they appeared, the pair were bound to notice the pyre wolf. But Ghost didn’t need me to tell her what to do.

Right on cue, she pounced.

The pyre wolf’s large frame arced through the air. Her massive paws made contact with her target’s shoulders. A split-second later, her jaws closed on the back of the players’ throat, and he collapsed with nary a squeal.

The perfect takedown.

Ghost has killed Walsh with a fatal blow.

“Wha—?” Walsh’s companion cried.

He didn’t get much further. Spinning around, Ghost leapt off the corpse and directly at the second player, and he went down hard.

But not before shrieking loud enough to wake the dead.

Petre has been knocked down.

Ghost has activated astral bite.

Your familiar has critically injured her target. 

Cine, Yara, Deklan, and the others were not slow to react. Weapons were drawn and eight pairs of eyes jerked in the pyre wolf’s direction.

Multiple hostile entities have attempted to analyze your familiar. 

Secret blood triggered!

Ghost’s true Class has been concealed, and instead, she has been identified as an unknown stygian of level 212. 

I chuckled softly. Since gaining the sire wolf commander Class, I’d know my secret blood trait would hide Ghost’ true nature but what I hadn’t known was how it would accomplish that. 

Misidentifying the pyre wolf as a stygian, though… 

… that was perfect.

“A stygian!” a Blade cried.

“Powers above!” Deklan swore. “Where did it come from?” 

“It’s the intruder’s doing, you idiots!” Cine growled. “He’s a summoner. Kill it!”

Ghost has killed Petre.

As one, the remaining eight players converged on Ghost, but she didn’t stay to meet them. Sticking to the plan, she bolted back the way we’d come and toward the river.

“After it!” Cine howled.

“No, you fool!” I heard Yara mutter, but not so loud that any of the others picked up on it. “Don’t you realize this is a ruse?” But despite her reservations, the orc followed after her companions. Wisely, though, she hung back.

Smiling, I waited until the players were out of earshot, then I began chanting. Until I completed my casting, my familiar was on her own. But I had faith in the pyre wolf. She would do her part, leading the Blades on a merry chase while I did mine—readying the stolen spell.

“Good luck, Ghost.” I murmured before turning my attention inward and doing my best to speed up my spellcasting.

✵ ✵ ✵

A little later, I stopped chanting and opened my eyes. 

Spellhold enchantment activated.

You have successfully stored the nature unchained spell in the ring, mage’s surprise. This spell may now be trigger-cast when required.

Note, nature unchained is a channeled spell. After it is initially triggered, the casting will draw from your mana pool in order to remain active. 

The stolen spell was finally ready to be cast. It had taken over a minute to prepare—which time I’d only gained thanks to Ghost. 

Next time, store the damn spell immediately, I chided myself. Turning my attention outward, I glanced in the direction of my familiar.

The pyre wolf was not only alive and well, she was still leading the Blades astray. Even better, she’d drawn some of their hidden players out into the open.

By the looks of it, Ghost had managed to jump the unseen cordon, and was now dashing across the grasslands with two dozen players in tow. 

She’d not escaped unscathed, though. 

Even from this distance, I could spot the burn marks and scars riddling her torso. Reaching out with my will, I inspected the pyre wolf. 

Ghost’s health is at 50%.

Wincing at the damage she’d incurred, I rose into a half-crouch and loped silently across the plains in her direction.

With their attention fixed on the sprinting pyre wolf, none of the pursuing Blades noticed me. What the hidden watchers were doing, I couldn’t say, nor did I care. After I reached Ghost and activated Leafbright’s stolen spell, there would be time aplenty to deal with them.

“Ghost, head back my way.” 

Mutely, the pyre wolf arced around, a long line of players trailing behind her. 

You have detected multiple hidden entities!

Multiple hostile entities have detected you! You are no longer hidden.

The concealed Blades spotted me nearly the same time I did them. I had anticipated being uncovered though, knowing I was moving too fast for my stealth to hold under scrutiny.

And besides, I wanted to draw my foes out. The more of them that converged on me and Ghost the better.

“There he is!”

“Get him!”

From all around me, dozens of players emerged from the long grass. Not slowing down, I glanced over my shoulder. Ghost had been right. The Blades had formed a cordon around us. Taking a quick count, I estimated we were facing about eighty foes.

Not bad odds. Not bad at all, I thought. We can—

You have triggered a trap! 

The instant the Game alert arrived I threw myself upward and forward into a somersault. The trap was not unexpected. In fact, what surprised me was that it had taken me this long to run into another one. 

After the sorcerer’s coif failure, I’d come to the conclusion that the Blades had forgone wards in favor of traps, camouflage, and cunning. In hindsight, I’d realized that for a faction of their supposed specialization this was the ideal way to conceal their base. 

The whole region was probably seeded with traps—which was why I’d ordered Ghost to head back the way we’d come and not toward the hill where I expected the concentration of traps to be greater. 

Still, my attempt at evasion was not entirely successful.

You have dodged a bear clamp trap.

You have failed to dodge a fan of knives trap. 3 of 5 knives have struck you. 

One after the other, the trio of steel blades thudded into my calf, causing pain to shoot up my leg. I grimaced. The triple strikes hurt but were far from life-threatening. Completing my maneuver, I hit the ground hard and slumped into the long grass.

And stayed down—deliberately. 

“Prime?” Ghost cried in alarm.

“I’m alright,” I assured her. Gritting my teeth, I yanked out the knives. “They’re scratches, no more. But better our foes don’t know that.”

“Ah,” she exclaimed in relief. “You want to lure them closer?” 

“Yes,” I replied, watching the rapidly approaching Blades through my mindsight. 

Having seen my collapse, most of the players had abandoned even the appearance of caution and were racing headlong towards me. Like hunting dogs catching sight of a wounded stag. No doubt, they wanted to be in on the kill—and share in the experience gain.

I smiled. Little did they know what awaited them.