Empyrean Interlude 006: First Kill (Patreon)

I watched Alon and the Devils leave.

My friend had been superb.  Brazen and brash, he’d convinced the ganglord of his authenticity. I only hoped the rest of his performance went as smoothly. Stay safe, Alon.

Alon would draw out matters with Cantos for as long as he could, but eventually, he would have to share his news with the Butcher, and when that happened, I could expect things in the hideout to get busy. If I could help it, I needed to get in and out of the sewers before then.

It was risky telling the Devils about the impending raid, but our entire venture was a gamble and relied as much on misdirection and the gang’s fear of the goddess and her sworn as anything else.

My gaze slid back to the sewer gate. It was time for me to play my own part. Only two thugs had been left to guard the entrance. They hadn’t shut the doors either.

I studied the thugs. The pair were whispering to each other. I didn’t have much time and would have to act soon, but I could spare a moment to listen.

“... can’t stay here,” the first was saying.

“Don’t be foolish,” the second replied. “If Cantos finds you out, he’ll slit your throat.”

“You heard that officer,” his companion hissed. “The Watch know we stole the goddess’ items. Soon the entire damn lot of them will be down upon us.” He shook his head. “The Devils are finished. Best we make some money while we still can.” He paused. “I’ll share the profit with you. Seventy percent for me, thirty for you.”

The second thug licked his lips. “Fifty, fifty.”

The first hesitated, then reluctantly agreed. “Alright, deal.”

“Go then,” his fellow said. “And make sure you sell the news to Boris too. He will pay handsomely.”

The first nodded and ran up the street, leaving his companion to stand guard alone.

I smiled. Perfect.

✵ ✵ ✵

I’d killed someone before. Once.

Now for only the second time in my life, I contemplated murder. He is a Devil, I reminded myself. Scum.

If the situation were reversed, the thug in front of me would not hesitate. Still, I could not escape the fact it would be murder, no matter how well deserved. Unlike the only other time I’d been forced to kill, this time could not be excused as self-defense.

I exhaled softly, making peace with what I was about to do, and drew the dagger from the sheath strapped around my forearm. It was a stiletto, thin, hardened to a point, and nearly eight inches long. It had only one purpose: stabbing.

Blade at the ready, I stalked forward.

“Elana?” Adalinda asked, stirring from her slumber. “What’s going on? I sense… danger.”

“Shh,” I replied tersely, not wanting to split my concentration or risk an explanation.

My companion seemed to sense the intensity of my thoughts and didn’t question me further. Instead, she roused herself fully and peered through my eyes.

“Do you need me to manifest?” Adalinda asked quietly when she spied my target.

“No,” I said curtly. Blocking her out, I narrowed my focus to the thug ahead.

The Devil was oblivious to my approach. Muttering to himself, he gazed fixedly up the street—the direction in which his companion had disappeared only moments before. Truly, he made for a poor guard.

I closed to within a yard.

Luck was not with me. Either by happenstance or because I’d somehow given myself away, the thug glanced back over his shoulder. He scowled when he spotted me.

Then he noticed the stiletto, and his eyes widened.

Dropping his hands to the weapon at his side, the Devil began to spin around. “Who the hell—”

I lunged, sliding the thin blade in my hand through his leather armor and deep into his lower back.

The thug’s words cut off abruptly. His mouth, still open, worked soundlessly like a fish out of water, and in what seemed like a desperate last gasp, he swung about and reached for me.

Reflexively, I ducked beneath his wild grab and thrust the stiletto deeper, twisting it in.

It was enough.

With a soft moan, the Devil sagged and slipped off my blade to slide lifelessly to the floor.

For a moment, it was all I could do to stare at the corpse.

I’d done it. I’d killed him.

So much blood. It was everywhere, on my hands, my blade, and pooling beneath the dead Devil. Is this what it will always be like?

Slaying the thug had been so much easier than expected. Even more disturbing, I felt little remorse. Only one emotion filled me: a grim determination to do what I must.

A message appeared in my mind, interrupting my inner monologue.

You have killed a level 5 human.

Congratulations, Elana! You and your companion have successfully defeated your first opponent and gained experience.

You have reached level 3! Adalinda has reached level 3!

You and your companion each have 2 attribute points available.

You have failed to advance your skill with daggers: you do not possess this skill.

The Adjudicator’s words made little sense to me. All I gathered from them was that I’d advanced as a player. Still, they served to shock me out of my inaction.

I can figure out what it all means later. Now I must move. I’m too exposed out here.

I scanned the streets but spotted no observers. By all appearances, my kill had gone unnoticed. Good. Bending down, I wiped clean my blade on the corpse before sheathing it again. Then I examined the dead Devil more closely.

Noticing a money pouch on his belt, I pulled it off and transferred the coins to my purse. In the slums, no one let anything go to waste if they could help it.

You have acquired 10 copper coins.

Looting completed,  I tugged off the Devil’s cloak and wrapped it around the jagged wound in his back to stop the body from leaking more fluids. There was little I could do about the blood already pooled on the ground. Trying to wipe it away would only make things worse and take more time than I had.

Unexpectedly Adalinda spoke up. “I can take care of that.”

I paused. Had my companion just read my thoughts?

“I did. But don’t worry, I can only do it when I’m listening.”

I blinked, not reassured in the least by her response.

“Let me manifest,” she continued. “I will clean up the blood.”

I didn’t ask how. “You’re sure you can do it?”

“I am.”

“Go ahead then,” I said, tugging the cloak-wrapped corpse away.

I intended on hiding the body. Sooner or later, it would be found, of course, but if the Devils didn’t have immediate evidence of the thug’s death, they would hopefully assume he had run off like his fellow, buying me a little more time inside before the alarm was raised.

As I dragged the body, I felt Adalinda’s spirit stream out of me. It was a strange sensation. An ache almost. As if I’d been suddenly bereft of some vital part of myself.

I shivered, a little scared by how quickly I was growing attached to the celestial. But before I could dwell too deeply on the fact, another message arrived from the Game.

Your companion has taken the form of a fire lizard. Adalinda has expended 20% psi, 60% remaining.

I paused, troubled anew, but for an entirely different reason, as I considered the implications of the Adjudicator’s words.

“Adalinda,” I asked hesitantly after a moment. “Do you... uhm... lose psi each time you take physical form?”

“I do.”

A frown flickered across my face. My companion had manifested only twice since our bonding, and already she’d spent forty percent of her psi reserve. While I was no expert on the Game’s mechanics, I knew conserving one’s energy pools was critical. “How do you get it back?”

“The same way you do. By sleeping. I can do that while manifested or when in spirit form.”

“Your last sleep didn’t count?”

“It was insufficient for me to regain my lost psi.”

“I see,” I murmured and made a mental note to keep close track of the celestial’s manifestation.

Tugging on the corpse again, I resumed dragging it.

A few yards later, I reached the out-of-the-way alley I’d been aiming for and stowed the body beneath a heap of rubbish. Unless someone rifled through the garbage, the corpse would not be easily found. Turning about, I hurried back to the sewer entrance.

On my way there, I was greeted by a disturbing sight.

My companion was lapping up the thug’s blood.

Urgh, I thought, making a face. As I drew nearer, I saw she was nearly done, and only faint traces remained.

“Stay back,” Adalinda said before I could get too close.

I didn’t get a chance to ask her what she meant. Unhinging her jaws, the lizard scorched the nearby ground with a narrow jet of flame.

Adalinda has cast fire-breathing.

I jumped back, startled. “What the hell was that?” I demanded, gaze flitting nervously about the surroundings again. No one had come to investigate.

“My second ability: fire-breathing,” Adalinda replied unperturbed. The lizard eyed the spotless cobblestones in satisfaction. “That’s taken care of the last of the blood. No one will ever know anyone died here now.”

My mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. I’d assumed—incorrectly, it turned out—that my companion was bound to my will and couldn’t act without my explicit consent.

She’d proven me wrong.

It seemed that even though she was inextricably bound to me, Adalinda had her own ideas, and I would do well to not forget that.

I’m going to have to have a serious conversation with her, and soon.

But not now. We were on a timetable, and it was past time we got moving.

“Let’s go,” I said and headed into the black sewers.

✵ ✵ ✵

We slipped into the Devils’ headquarters without fuss.

Beyond the gate was a stone corridor. The passage was wide enough for three men to walk abreast and sloped steeply downward. Torches lined the wall on either side, and visibility was good. Crouching down, I took a long look.

The passage was empty, at least to the limits of my vision.

I'd expected it to be the case but was relieved nonetheless. So far, so good. Rising to my feet, I crept warily down the corridor, Adalinda following soundlessly in my wake.

Five minutes went by without the passage deviating from its downward course. During that time, we encountered no side tunnels or enemies. With each passing minute, the air grew colder and mustier, and I got the sense that we were already many levels deep beneath the city.

I’d never been in the black sewers myself but had overheard plenty of tales about it—none good.

Mesina was built atop the ruins of an ancient underground civilization. The black sewers had been part of that civilization and was only one of many such underground complexes hiding in Mesina’s underbelly. It wasn’t actually a sewer either, but it had served that function early on in Mesina’s life.

That had stopped, though, when dark creatures had begun to crawl out from its depths.

Since then, the black sewers, and the other underground complexes like it, had been sealed off and avoided. Until the Butcher had chosen it for his gang’s headquarters, of course. And while no new tales of horrors resurfacing had emerged just yet, many in the slums believed it was only a matter of time.

But that’s all ancient history and no concern of mine. Banishing my fanciful musings, I focused fully on my surroundings again.

Eventually, I heard a faint noise in the distance. Pausing, I listened intently. After a few moments, the sound came again, and the second time around, I had no trouble identifying it. It was a bark of laughter. Other sounds followed in its wake.

There were Devil enforcers up ahead.

I stiffened and slowly dropped down to my haunches, waiting to see if I’d been spotted. The thugs were still not within sight, but the reverse was not necessarily true.

“Trouble?” Adalinda asked.

“Undoubtedly,” I replied.

The seconds ticked by, but no alarm was given, and the longer I listened, the more sure I was that the noises I was hearing were that of relaxed conversation. I’d not lost the element of surprise yet.

Rising back into a half-crouch, I resumed my advance.

As I crept closer, the Devils’ voices grew louder, and soon I could distinguish between them. My heart sank. There were four thugs, and by the sound of it, they were squarely in my path and unmoving.

What are they? More guards?

That seemed likely.

I still hadn’t come across any branches in the passage, which meant… I would have to confront the thugs ahead. I cursed softly.

“We can take them,” Adalinda said.

I glanced at the fire lizard keeping pace beside me. “Don’t be too sure,” I warned. “There’s four of them and only two of us.”

“Numbers matter little,” the celestial scoffed. They aren’t players—as we are.” She paused. “Although before we engage, we should probably prepare.”

“That sounds wise,” I agreed and drew to a halt. “I still don’t know the limit of your abilities,” I said, studying my companion anew. “What can you do?”

“I could tell you,” Adalinda said. “But it’s better if the Game showed you.”

I blinked. “Show me? How?”

“Ask the Adjudicator to display my profile,” the celestial said. “And while you are about it, your own as well.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what my companion meant, but I saw no harm in trying. Closing my eyes and feeling slightly foolish for doing so, I spoke to the other voice in my mind. “Adjudicator, show me our profiles.”

The response was instantaneous and caused me to rock back on my heels.

Companion Profile: Adalinda

Level: 3. Rank: 0. Current Health: 100%.

Stamina: 100%. Mana: 90%. Psi: 60%.

Species: Celestial. Lives Remaining*: 3.

Attributes

Available: 2 points.

Strength: 0. Constitution: 0. Dexterity: 0. Perception: 0. Mind: 0. Magic**: 1. Faith**: 1.

Class

Available*: 0 points.

Class: celestial companion.

Companions can only have a single pre-defined Class.

Traits

companion: shares lives and Class points with the player.

celestial: mirrors core skills and attributes with the player.

Skills

Available skill slots: 1.

Air Magic** (current: 1. max: 10. Magic, basic).

Fire Magic** (current: 1. max: 10. Magic, basic).

Light Magic** (current: 1. max: 10. Faith, basic).

Tooth and Claw (current: 0. max: 0. Strength, basic).

Natural Armor (current: 0. max: 0. Constitution, basic).

Abilities

Magic ability slots used: 1 / 1.

Fire-breathing (Magic, basic, fire magic).

Other abilities:

Manifest (Class, basic).

* denotes shared characteristics.

A player shares her Class points and Game-granted lives with her companion. If either the companion or player dies, a life is deducted from both. Similarly, when the player gains a Class point, she may invest it in either the companion’s Class or her own.

** denotes mirrored characteristics.

On the other hand, core skills and attributes are mirrored between a player and her companion. Both will benefit when either— companion or player—increases a core skill or attribute. Note that abilities must still be learned individually by companion and player.

Player Profile: Elana Shanis

Level: 3. Rank: 0. Current Health: 100%.

Stamina: 100%. Mana: 95%. Psi: 100%.

Species: Human. Lives Remaining*: 3.

Attributes

Available: 2 points.

Strength: 0. Constitution: 0. Dexterity: 0. Perception: 0. Mind: 0. Magic**: 1. Faith**: 1.

Classes

Available*: 0 points.

Primary Class: empyrean.

Secondary Class: none. Tertiary Class: none.

Traits

elysian: +1 Magic, +1 Faith.

Skills

Available skill slots: 3.

Air Magic** (current: 1. max: 10. Magic, basic).

Fire Magic** (current: 1. max: 10. Magic, basic).

Light Magic** (current: 1. max: 10. Faith, basic).

Abilities

Faith ability slots used: 1 / 1.

light’s fury (Faith, basic, light magic).

Equipped

Dark clothes, common stiletto, common dagger, backpack.

Backpack Contents

Money: 0 gold, 3 silvers, and 0 coppers.

None.

Open Tasks

Save Soren (cure your brother).

“Powers above!” I exclaimed, studying the wall of text scrolling through my vision in wide-eyed horror. “What in hells does all that mean?”

“It’s your player information and my own as well,” the lizard said absently, her eyes darting left and right, almost as if… she was reading.

“You can see it too?” I asked.

Adalinda bobbed her head. “Yes.”

“And you know what it means?” I probed further.

“I do.”

“Well, that’s fortunate,” I muttered. “Because I don’t.”

“I’ll explain it all later,” Adalinda assured me. “But for now, what’s important is spending our attribute points.”

The lizard’s lips rippled. Is that a frown?

“I suggest you invest in Magic and Faith,” Adalinda continued. “That will increase the power of both your own light’s fury spell and my own fire-breathing one.”

I scrutinized my player profile anew and saw what my companion meant. Some of my attributes and skills were linked with hers, although I had no idea if that was normal or unusual. “What about you?”

Adalinda hesitated. “If you agree, I will invest my own points in Constitution and Strength.”

I scanned my companion’s profile again and observed that the attributes in question influenced the two skills the lizard had that I didn’t. “Is that to improve your physical attacks and defense?” I asked, trying to follow her logic.

“Exactly,” Adalinda said.

I pursed my lips while I considered the celestial’s proposal. If I was interpreting the Game data still splayed across my sight correctly, I had only three Game-gifted skills, and they were driven by Magic and Faith. Adalinda had the same three skills but also two more, and both those required different attributes.

Given that, my companion’s suggestions made sense. More importantly, Adalinda seemed knowledgeable about the Game, whereas I was still very much lost. And until I understood more of the Game myself, it was better I followed her advice.

“We’ll do it your way,” I said. “But uh… uhm… Just how do we go about that?”

“Let the Adjudicator know, and he will see it done,” Adalinda replied. A moment later, a message dropped in my mind as she did just that.

Adalinda’s Strength and Constitution have increased to rank 1.

It’s that simple, is it? I wondered, struck anew by how easy some aspects of the Game were. Not questioning my companion further, I did as she bade, and more words wrote themselves across my mind.

Your Magic and Faith have increased to rank 2. Your level cap for magic-based and faith-based skills has increased to 20.

Celestial trait triggered!

Adalinda’s Faith and Magic have increased to level 2, mirroring your core attributes.

“Ah,” I exhaled softly as I felt the changes being wrought inside me by the Game.

Between one second and the next, I’d grown nearly twice as powerful, and already, I felt stronger than I ever had as a prole. It made me doubly glad for my companion’s advice, but I was still puzzled by her knowledge. “How do you know all this?”

I felt the celestial’s mental shrug. “I’m not sure,” she said. “Truthfully, I wasn’t even aware how much I knew until I saw the Adjudicator’s words. Then understanding filled me. Unlike my own history, it seems whatever knowledge I possessed of the Game is intact.”

“And that’s fortunate for both of us,” I said. “But you must admit, somewhat curious—and unsettling.”

The fire lizard didn’t answer immediately. “I agree, Elana,” she said, her mindvoice grave. “It’s a mystery I myself am keen to solve.”

I nodded. It was another matter requiring further consideration, but now it was time to deal with the guards. “Alright, let’s go.”