Grand Game 295: Departure (Patreon)

Hours later, the pack council and I finished our planning. The challenge was twofold: one getting the pack to their destination, and two, surviving the destination.

I’d spent much of the time making sure the elders understood what to expect. The tundra was not just cold, its snow storms could kill, and the dire wolves were less prepared than the arctic wolves for such weather.

Then, there was my worry about how Snow and the others would react to what they might perceive as an invasion of their territory. It fell to the elders to reassure me. Sulan, Duggar, and the others were certain they would be able to handle any… disagreements that arose.

When everything was settled, I rose to my feet and, accompanied by Aira and Sulan, went in search of the twins. I found them whispering excitedly to each other. “What are you two so happy about?”

Teresa turned around, a cheerful grin on her face. “Oh, nothing important,” she said lightly.

“Besides how good it feels to have completed our first task,” Terence chipped in. “Which reminds me.” Reaching into his vest, he pulled out an item and threw it my way.

You have acquired a small bag of holding.

“Thanks,” I said, catching the bag. “And congratulations. Did you get the beast tongue trait?”

Terence’s lips turned down. “Sadly, no.”

“But we’re not letting that get us down,” Teresa added. “We’ve just been discussing what secondary Classes to choose.”

“Oh?” I prompted. Teresa’s words confirmed what I had suspected: the pair had not progressed beyond their primary Classes .

“We’re going to become druids,” Terence announced.

My eyebrows rose, and I sensed Aira and Sulan’s amusement from beside me.

“Really?” I remarked. “Is that so you two can get the beast tongue trait?”

“Amongst other things,” Teresa said defensively. Her amusement faded. “Aiding the dire wolves has made us realize there may be more creatures out there that need help. What better way to spend our time than by serving others?”

“A noble cause,” I agreed solemnly.

Teresa’s gaze flickered to the silent wolves. “But you didn’t just come over for an idle chat, did you?” she asked shrewdly.

I shook my head. “I’m leaving.” The pair rose to their feet. “Alone.”

“What?” Terence asked, sitting back down. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the safe zone,” I replied.

Teresa’s brows drew down. “You’re leaving us here? Why?”

I sighed. “By now, you two must’ve realized that the pack’s presence in the valley is not widely known. I want to keep it that way.”

“You don’t trust us?” Terence asked, looking disappointed.

“It’s not that,” I assured him. “But there are ways of getting information out of unwilling subjects that you two are helpless to resist,” I said, thinking of Shael’s abilities. “I’m sorry, I can’t risk the pack’s safety.”

“We understand,” Teresa said.

Terence looked at her. “We do?”

“We do,” she said, not looking away from me. “Then we are to stay with the pack?”

“Yes.” I gestured to my companions. “This is Sulan and Aira. Both are elders amongst the dire wolves. They will teach you to hunt and communicate with the pack.” I shrugged. “It will not be the same as talking with beast tongue, but it will allow you to get by.”

“Oh,” Terence said, brightening. “That’s alright, then.”

“How long will you be gone?” Teresa asked.

“Hopefully, I’ll be back in a couple of days,” I replied. “And when I return, you can go your own way.” I studied them consideringly. “Or choose to stay with the pack.”

The pair exchanged glances, looking intrigued at the possibility.

Clamping hands with each in farewell, I turned around and headed out of the cave. I had already said my goodbyes to the wolves and had a hard night’s journey ahead of me. “Take care of them,” I said.

“Rest assured, we will,” Aira replied.

✵ ✵ ✵

I was halfway across the icy plateau when I sensed an anomaly.

There were no wolves in sight, but a consciousness burned bright in my mindsight, and I ground to a halt. “What are you doing, Ghost?”

“Accompanying you,” the spirit wolf replied.

That was what I was afraid of. “You can’t.”

I was certain most players wouldn’t be able to sense the spirit wolf. I, myself, could only see her using my mindsight. But the creatures in the Mind trial had detected my spirit form easily, and it would be foolish to assume that there were no players with similar abilities.

And that would endanger Ghost.

As a curiosity, she would be attacked on sight, either in search of experience or unique loot. “It will be safer for you with the pack,” I added.

“But I want to see the wolf-man,” she complained.

Her reply gave me pause. “How do you know I’m going to visit him?”

“I saw it in your mind, of course.”

I rubbed at my temples. The spirit wolf seemed frightfully adept at reading my thoughts and memories. Perhaps, allowing her that second dip in my mind had not been wise.

“You can’t,” I said. “Not only is Nexus too dangerous for you, if you’ve seen that deeply into my thoughts, you already know you can’t enter a safe zone.”

Ghost was silent for a moment. “Will you come back?” she asked forlornly.

“I have every intent of returning,” I reassured her.

She brightened. “With the wolf-man?”

“Call him Anriq,” I said. “And yes, I will do my best to bring him, too.”

“Oh. Alright then.”

I sensed her retreat to the wolves’ hideout.

“Goodbye, Prime,” the spirit wolf said.

“Don’t call me that!” I yelled back.

A mischievous giggle was my only reply.

I sighed in exasperation. Despite this, I felt my lips twitch upward in a smile. Ghost, I suspected, was going to be trouble. I waited a full minute, and only after I was certain she’d left, did I turn around and begin the slow journey back down the mountain.

There was a certain red-robed player I needed to speak to again.

✵ ✵ ✵

I slipped into the village just as dawn broke.

My immediate plans for the future were coalescing, and despite traveling all night, I felt energized. There were only a few more hurdles to cross before I could get the pack to safety, and until then, I couldn’t rest.

The tavern was quiet as I strode in. A barkeep I didn’t recognize was on duty, but neither Shael, Cara, nor Saya was anywhere to be seen. They had to be asleep, but I couldn’t wait. Rushing up the stairs, I headed, not to my room as would be prudent, but to Cara’s. What I had to chat to her about couldn’t wait.

I hesitated outside her door, hand raised to knock.

You sure this is the best time to speak to her, Michael? About this of all things? I wasn’t, but on this matter, there was no ideal time.

It would be better if I spoke to her now. If Cara refused, I would have to move on to my second plan, which was infinitely more tricky. Taking the plunge, I knocked.

There was no response.

I banged harder.

“Who is it?” a sleepy voice called.

“Michael,” I replied.

A pause. Then, “Give me a moment.”

It was longer than that. A full five minutes later, the door peeked open to reveal Cara’s faceless hood.

“Can we talk?” I asked, too wound up to comment on the delay. “It’s urgent.”

“I gathered so,” Cara replied drily. She opened the door wider. “Come in.”

I stepped in slowly, feeling uneasy about invading her privacy. The room was sparsely furnished and absent of mementos, but then Cara had only been here a few days. Pulling out the room’s only chair, I offered it to her.

She shook her head and sat on the bed. “You know, in Nexus, I had resigned myself to being woken at the oddest hours, but here, I expected to get more sleep.” Her hood turned in my direction, and I could almost sense her smile. “I should have known better.”

I ducked my head. “Sorry, but this won’t wait.”

Cara laughed. “Business never does. What do you need to sell?”  She tilted her head. “Or have you come to buy this time?”

“Neither. Nor is this business,” I shifted uncomfortably. “I have a favor to ask. And one to offer.”

Cara grew still. “Michael, if this concerns what we spoke about the other day, I told you: it’s best forgotten. Those days are—”

“Hear me out. Please.”

Cara studied me for a second, then motioned to the empty chair. “Sit.”

I sat.

“If I allow you to say whatever you feel you must,” Cara continued, “do you promise this will be the last we speak of it?”

Forcing myself to a calm I didn’t quite feel, I folded my hands in my lap. “Only if you accept my offer.”

Cara sighed. “You are relentless, you know that, right?”

“So, I’ve been told,” I murmured, tension easing.

She snorted. “I didn’t mean it as a compliment. I could have chosen a harsher epithet, but I was striving to be kind.”

My lips twitched. “Thank you.”

Cara shook her head—in despair?—amusement?—both? Without seeing her face, I couldn’t be sure, but I thought that the banter had eased some of her own stiffness.

“Go on, then,” she said. “Tell me. What is it you need?”

I rubbed my palms along the top of my pants. Now that the moment had arrived, I found the topic harder to broach than I thought. Telling Cara what I planned would be one more irreversible step along a path that would put me in direct conflict with the new Powers.

And it could all go horribly wrong if I’d judged Cara incorrectly.

I trust her, I told myself for the hundredth time. She won’t betray me. There was no way to be certain of that beforehand, though.

My bout of nerves didn’t go unnoticed. “Don’t worry,” Cara said lightly, the last of her humor seemingly restored. “I won’t bite.”

“Very funny,” I said drolly and took a deep breath. “First, a few questions.”

She waited expectantly.

“Do you know the spell, purifying dome?”

I felt her stare.

However she’d expected me to start the conversation, it was not like that. “I do,” she said when I said no more. “It’s a casting often used by mages in hazardous environments to keep their parties safe. The emporium always keeps a few dozen scrolls of the spell in stock.” She paused. “Are you sure you’re not here to buy something?”

I shook my head. “Positive. Can you cast the spell yourself? Without or without the aid of a scroll?”

“I can’t. Purifying dome is considered a combat casting, and my robe prevents me from using any such,” Cara replied, sounding confused.

I frowned. I hadn’t known that. It was an interesting twist but didn’t affect my plans.

“What is this about?” Cara asked. “When you started this conversation, I thought—”

“What about without your robe?” I cut in. “Could you cast the spell then?”

The discussion had entered dangerous territory, and understandably, Cara didn’t reply immediately. “I could,” she replied quietly. “But so could thousands of other mages. You don’t need me for that.”

I held up my hand for patience. “You’ll understand soon enough. Will the spell work in a nether-infested sector?”

“Of course.” She paused. “But only if the nether toxicity in the region is below tier five. Purifying dome only offers protection against tier four and lower hazards.”

I nodded. Cara had only confirmed what I’d known. I’d seen Moonshadow employ the spell in the rift we’d entered and knew it worked against the nether, but I had to be certain. The dire wolves’ lives depended on it.

“Could you cast purifying dome while holding a portal open?”

“Hmm, that’s infinitely harder but not necessary. Purifying dome is not a channeling spell. It would be simpler to set up the dome then open the portal.”

“I see,” I said. “And could you open a portal to somewhere you’ve never been?”

“I couldn’t, not normally.”

“Oh,” I said, disappointed. That did complicate things. It meant I would have to escort Cara to both the portal’s exit and entrance locations before she could do what I needed. And how long was that going to take?

Unexpectedly, Cara laughed. “Weren’t you paying attention, Michael? I said, not normally. I’m reading between the lines here, but I’m guessing you want me to open a portal to somewhere you’ve already been to?”

I nodded. “Essentially, yes.”

“Then, in that case, it’s easy enough for any mage to help you. You already have the solution on hand.”

I blinked. “I do?”

“Of course. Or have you forgotten about the aetherstone bracelet? The gems are also used to transfer aether coordinates between players. If you etch one of the aetherstones with the location you have in mind, a mage can use the stone to anchor the portal’s far end.”

“That’s… brilliant news,” I said, grinning.

“Are you going to tell me what this is all about now?”

My smile faded. “I am. One last question first.”

“Go on.”

I leaned forward in my chair. “What do you know about the Primes?”