Grand Game 298: A Choice of Paths (Patreon)

For a drawn-out moment, I stared off into space, dumbstruck by the options the Adjudicator had presented me with. Then, my thoughts started churning, and I began analyzing the choices on offer from the—albeit meager—information the Game had provided.

The similarities between the paths were obvious. All three modified my void armor ability and worked using the damage it absorbed from incoming attacks. In the process, they added an offensive element to void armor, which had served me only in a defensive capacity up to this point.

But the new abilities would only come into play after I was attacked. They would not benefit me against foes who inflicted physical or psi damage—my void armor not being keyed to those damage types.

The limitations were concerning and made the new Classes more reactive than I liked. How much of a problem that proved to be, though, depended on what the Game meant by ‘temporarily.’ It had applied the term equally to all three Classes.

If ‘temporarily’ meant something in the order of seconds, then the buffs I received would have to be used immediately, but if it meant minutes or even hours… then I could employ them more aggressively in the next encounter—assuming there was one.

I bit my lip. Which Class suited me best, though?

Witch hunter was the simplest. The Class looked like it provided a direct damage boost to my blades and would barely affect my fighting style—regardless of whether the buff lasted seconds or hours.

Voidstealer seemed inordinately complex. Stealing and applying an unknown spell during a fight sounded fraught with peril. Then, too, the benefits I derived from the Class would depend less on me and more on the caliber of my foes. My lips twitched. It’s a good thing, then, that I am usually heavily outranked in combat.

Spectral assassin was intriguing. If I was interpreting the Class properly, it would let me astral walk and attack my foes while disembodied. This time I did grin. I wonder what Ghost would think of me becoming an unclothed spirit like her?

Of the three choices on offer, it was no surprise that spectral assassin drew me the most. I already had a host of abilities—astral blades, slaysight, charm, and so on—to engage my foes while in spiritform.

Void shift also sounded like an excellent escape ability. With it, I could disengage and reposition at will. There was no doubt about it, I was well-suited to the role of spectral assassin.

But…

For some reason, my gaze kept drifting back to the voidstealer Class, and it took me a moment to identify why.

What was bothering me, I realized, were the repeated warnings I’d received about reaching tier five. Morin had mentioned it, and so had Moonshadow. Even Kesh had alluded to it. Then, too, there was what I’d witnessed myself. Despite all the time I’d spent in Nexus, I’d encountered few players over rank twenty.

All the evidence suggested reaching player level two hundred would be… difficult and, worse yet, time-consuming. It would take years of battling tier four foes before I obtained any tier five abilities and was ready for bigger challenges.

But with void thief… I could bridge the gap instantly.

With void thief, I could face a tier five foe today and win.

Undoubtedly, the chances of such a victory were slim, and sure, voidstealer was a heavily situational Class—it would only benefit me against certain foes—but that did not change the fact that, of the three Class abilities, void thief was the one with the most potential to shift the course of any given encounter.

Stealing a tier five monster’s spells might give me a greater chance of defeating it than my own lower-tiered abilities. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. If I chose the voidstealer path and it proved unusable in battle, then I lost… little. My void armor would still work to repel damage, and instead of investing my Class points in it, I would develop my other Class ability—slaysight.

But if I did manage to employ void thief to good effect, my leveling could continue apace—despite the purportedly vast gap between tier four and five.

Voidstealer is the right choice.

There were more than a few downsides, of course. A big one being that before I could steal a spell, I would have to incur damage, and a single attack from a tier five foe could prove fatal in and of itself.

I will find a way to make it work, though.

My decision made, I closed my eyes and willed my choice to the Adjudicator. In a flash, knowledge downloaded into my mind, and my vision exploded with Game messages.

Your Classes have melded!

You have retained your existing rank, abilities, and traits and are now a rank 6 voidstealer.

Legion are the players in the Game, and many are the paths to Power. Some paths are sure and well-traversed, others are dangerous and risky, yet others are hidden behind twisted and convoluted turnings that leave their destinations shrouded. You have stepped onto one such path.

The mantle of a voidstealer is one that no one has dared take on before and wearing it will be as much a journey of discovery as of growth. The Class is available only to those with awakened Wolf blood and blends the Wolf’s talent for telepathy with the Void’s capacity to absorb, granting you a powerful, if select, set of abilities.

Your Class base traits, slayer’s heritage and void touched, have melded together to form the new trait: void heritage. It increases your Dexterity by +2, Strength by +2, Mind by +4, Perception by +4, and Magic by +6.

Your Class ability has changed from basic void armor to basic void thief.

The mana pool of a voidstealer is trained not only to absorb his foes’ attacks but also to decode and remember their spell signatures, allowing the voidstealer to employ his enemy’s casting as his own. However, since the stolen knowledge is not actually learned but stored in the voidstealer’s mana, it will, in time, fade away.

The void thief ability is an improvement of void armor in every way. Where all tiers of the void armor ability provide only defensive benefits, void thief allows the caster to enact progressively more powerful ‘thefts’ against his foes with every tier the ability is advanced.

Basic void thief allows your mana pool to record a single direct-targeted hostile spell; this excludes area-of-effect spells. The spell is automatically learned once a foe inflicts damage equal to 50% of your void armor. The theft cannot be resisted. The stolen spell is a mirror copy of your target’s specific casting and is based on his mix of skills and attributes.

When you employ the stolen spell, it will manifest with same power as your foe’s own casting. Your mana will retain memory of the stolen knowledge for 4 hours. This ability can be upgraded with Class points.

Your secret blood trait has triggered!

To conceal your bloodline, your Class will be reported as being that of a voidstalker to other players and Powers.

For long moments, I didn’t move as I read and then re-read my new Class’s description.

“Unique,” I murmured. My Class was unique. I was the Game’s first-ever voidstealer. That made my choice of Class rather valuable or… especially foolish. Only time would tell, I thought, turning my attention to the new ability itself.

It was both less and more than I expected.

For one, it had no dependence on my own skills and attributes. I grinned. Theoretically, I could steal even a Power’s abilities and use it to the same effect as they did. On the other hand, the fifty percent void armor damage requirement was… harsh.

I suppose that was a reflection of how long it took for my mana pool to decode the hostile casting. Still, it meant I would have to take a pounding first—not my forte at all. Then again, retaining knowledge of the stolen spell for a whole four hours made it worth it.

Correctly applied, I realized, void thief would make the ideal dungeoneering tool.

I rose to my feet, cutting short my daydreaming. I’d finished what I’d come to the hotel room for, and as pleasing as my new Class was, it was not the reason I’d returned to Nexus.

Before I took a step toward the door, though, I yawned. Then yawned again.

I sighed, realizing, last night’s exertions were finally catching up to me. I glanced at the bed—it looked too inviting to resist. A short nap wouldn’t hurt, I thought. After that, I’ll head south into the plague quarter.

Laying down on the bed, I closed my eyes and, before I knew it, was fast asleep.

✵ ✵ ✵

I awoke in the middle of the night.

“Damn,” I muttered, gazing at the stars visible through the window. I hadn’t meant to sleep as long as I had, but perhaps this was better.

I’d planned on visiting Anriq around midday, then passing the rest of the day in one of the dungeons before returning to him. This way, at least, I would only need to make a single trip to the saltmarsh. And better yet, I would be well-rested for whatever followed tomorrow.

Rising to my feet, I exited the room, intent on hurrying through the hotel’s foyer and out of the safe zone. But to my surprise, I spotted two distinctive red-robed figures idling nearby.

I made a beeline for the pair, and they turned my way.

“Ah, I’d feared we missed you,” one said.

“Cara,” I greeted, recognizing her voice. “Is everything alright?” She was early. We’d planned on meeting first thing in the morning. Why was she here already?

“Everything is fine,” she assured me. “Kesh was more amenable to the idea of me leaving than I expected.”

“Really?” I asked, my eyebrows rising.

“Really,” Cara confirmed. She gestured to the other figure next to her. “This agent will take my place in the valley.” She paused. “She is ready to leave. If it’s alright with you, I was thinking of making an early start.”

I pursed my lips. Cara had told me that the Triumvirate robe would have to be left in the safe zone. She didn’t know the full extent of the enchantments the garment bore—no one did—and it was a distinct possibility the Triumvirate could use it to track her.

I’d agreed with her, of course. Whether or not the Triumvirate could track Kesh’s agents by the robes they wore, it wouldn’t do to take the artifacts of any Power into what I hoped would become our secret base.

But that meant Cara would have to travel across the sector with her forsworn Marks exposed, and while night was certainly the quietest time to cross the valley, I hadn’t told Cara where to find the wolves yet. Nor was I comfortable with her making the journey alone, which she would have to if she left now.

My eyes darted to the second agent before returning to Cara. “Hmm, can we have a word in private.”

The unknown agent said nothing, but Cara nodded, and turning around, I led her a few steps away. “Are you sure everything is fine?” I asked in a whisper. “Kesh didn’t say anything?”

“On the contrary, she had lots of questions, but it seems I am not the first agent to leave the emporium’s service.” Cara shook her head sadly. “There have been others, who after decades of hiding, also grew restless and relinquished their robes. Kesh only wanted to be certain I had thought matters through.”

I frowned.

“She had lots of… practical advice, too,” Cara added, her hands tightening about the pack she clutched in her hands.

“What’s that?”

“My old gear,” Cara said, wonder in her voice. “Kesh kept it safe all this time.” She laughed self-deprecatingly. “It seems the old lady was better prepared for this moment than I was.”

I nodded slowly. There was more to Kesh than I’d suspected. Given all she had done for Cara and other forsworn like her, perhaps the old woman was not as tightly bound to the Triumvirate as I had been assuming. One day, Kesh and I would need to have a franker discussion. But not today. “You didn’t tell her…?”

“I told her nothing about your own part,” Cara said, allaying my worries. “In fact, Kesh was careful not to ask for any details about where I was going or with you.” She shrugged. “As I said, I am not the first soon-to-be-fugitive to leave her service.”

I nodded again. That was becoming abundantly clear.

“So, are you finally going to tell me who exactly I’m meant to take and where?” Cara asked pointedly.

I studied her faceless hood, wishing I could see her face. “The where is not important for now. The who—” I bent closer—“is a pack of dire wolves.”

“Wolves! How did—” Cara began, then stopped herself. “Never mind, stupid question. They are in sector 12,560?”

“They’re hiding in the mountains bordering the valley. Head dead east from the safe zone, and you will find them—or rather, they will find you.” I eyed her. “But I’m not sure you should be traveling alone through the valley, especially considering—”

“I’m not helpless,” she said primly. “I have my gear, and I have the skills I honed over the course of a lifetime. No matter how long it has been, I’ve not forgotten how to use them.” She patted her pack. “Besides, Kesh has gifted me with a few enchantments that will see to it that no one short of a Power can find me. Don’t worry. I will reach the mountains unseen.”

“You’re sure?”

Cara nodded. “I’m more worried about the wolves. How will they know I’m a friend?”

I grinned. “Oh, I’ve told them all about you, don’t worry.” My smile faded. “But they will have questions of their own for you and will require you to bare your thoughts to them.”

Sulan and Duggar had insisted on being allowed to inspect Cara’s mind before they trusted her with the pack’s safety. She would be met by a delegation and rigorously interrogated before being allowed near the pack. And while I was certain—mostly certain—of Cara’s loyalty, I found the pack’s precautions reassuring.

“Dire wolves are telepaths, right?” she asked.

“They are.”

“Good. That will make it easier,” Cara said, not sounding fazed by the promised questioning. She turned around to rejoin her companion. “I will see you in the mountains?” she asked over her shoulder.

I nodded. “Once I’m finished here, I will head there straightaway.”

Not saying anything further, Cara strode away, and I turned to the hotel’s exit.

It was time to visit Anriq.