Grand Game 300: The Bridge to Nowhere (Patreon)

You have entered a safe zone.

Aetherstone bracelet deactivated. Remaining stored locations: 2. Charged and unetched gems: 2. Uncharged gems: 1.

I emerged not in the center of the village as I expected but on its northern edge. Hmm, I thought, studying my surroundings with interest. No one was about to witness my arrival.

The aetherstone gem I’d used had been etched before I had acquired it—presumably by Yzark. I’d not thought about it earlier, but I supposed there was no reason to always use the middle of a safe zone as an exit spot for a portal. There were no restrictions on this sector, not like in Nexus. In fact, a mage like Cara could teleport directly to wherever she wanted in the valley, but unfortunately, the aetherstones were more limited in scope.

Turning east, I headed out of the safe zone, not bothering to stop by the tavern. Shael and Saya were likely sleeping, and there was no point worrying them. I didn’t expect to be gone for long, anyway.

I reached the trees without incident and took to the treetops, leaping from branch to branch without pause. The journey passed swiftly, and the sky was only beginning to brighten when I reached the mountain plateau with the wolves’ den.

As I stepped into the icy clearing, I found a delegation waiting: a dozen dire wolves and three humans. My gaze leaped immediately to the ‘stranger.’

It had to be Cara.

Cara proved to be a black-haired and brown-eyed woman who, if appearances could be trusted—which they couldn’t in the Game—was no older than twenty-five.

She wore a silver shirt, form-fitting white pants, knee-high boots, and a heavy gold overcoat. Her hair was pinned up and fastened with a pair of golden clasps that glittered with as many enchantments as the rest of her gear. A brace of wands was sheathed at her hip, and soft white gloves covered her hands.

As much as I wanted to gape, I kept my expression studiously blank while I drew closer. Whoever or whatever Cara had been in her previous life, she had clearly been a player of means.

No wonder she’d seemed amused by my worry about her crossing the valley.

I doubted anyone in the valley except the envoys posed a threat to her—one-on-one, at least. I drew to a halt in front of the large welcoming party. Before I could say anything, words dropped unbidden into my mind.

“I like her.”

My gaze tracked to my right, to where I sensed Ghost lurking. Cara, I noticed, was already looking that way.

“Who?” I asked unnecessarily.

“The nice lady. She glows prettily. And she has the most fascinating tales to tell.”

“You can speak to her?” I asked in surprise.

“No, but she can see me, and she has let me peek into her mind,” Ghost said, sounding pleased. “Do you want to know what she thinks of you?”

“No!” I said quickly.

“Oh.” She paused. “Then, can I show her what you think of her?”

“A definite no to that too!”

“Aw, you’re no fun.”

Everyone stared at me, and I realized I’d spoken aloud.

“Problems?” Aira asked.

“Just Ghost being meddlesome,” I sent to her privately.

“Ah. I’ll speak to her.”

“Thank you,” I whispered back and ran my gaze over the gathering. That Cara was here meant she must’ve passed the elders’ tests, which pleased me, but I was surprised at the presence of the twins. “What are they doing here?” I asked Sulan. “I thought we agreed not to involve them just yet.”

“Still questioning me, pup?” she retorted. “I changed my mind. They are trustworthy and wish to stay with the pack.”

“But the risk—”

“They understand the risks.”

I paused. “You told them where we’re going?” I asked, deliberately speaking aloud this time.

“Safyre did. But I asked her to,” Sulan replied.

“Safyre?” I wondered aloud.

“That would be me,” Cara said, smiling at me.

Of course. I’d forgotten Cara was not her real name. Idiot!

“Can you believe it?” Terence asked, looking awed. “When she told us she was Cara—the same Cara you’d brought to the tavern—I nearly fell over.”

Teresa nudged her brother. “That wasn’t from disbelief. You were overcome by her beauty. Admit it, you think she’s pretty.”

Terence turned bright red. “I do not!” Realizing what he’d said, he spun hastily to address Cara. “I didn’t mean—”

Cara—it was Safyre now, I supposed—laughed. “No offense taken.” Her gaze drifted to me. “I guess I should introduce myself properly.” Her tone, as familiar and soothing as usual, immediately put me at ease.

I nodded. “That would be nice,” I murmured.

“I’m Safyre, a level two hundred and one aetherist.” Her smile faded. “And a forsworn as well.”

The twins didn’t so much as blink, by which I gathered Cara—Safyre—had already explained to them what that meant. Her level didn’t surprise me, not after seeing her gear, but her Class did. “What’s an aetherist?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” she replied. “I specialize in manipulating the aether and summons from the gray void.”

“There are creatures in the aether?”

Safyre smiled—the new name would take some getting used to. “Not as many as in the nether, but certainly. Primarily, they are lost spirits.” Her eyes shifted to Ghost. “Like your friend there, if of less sound mind.”

Which explained how she could see Ghost. I nodded. “Have the wolves filled you in?”

Safyre’s lips turned down momentarily. “With some difficulty, yes. Communicating without words was not easy. I gather we’re going to a nether-infested sector, one whose location is… hidden?”

“Correct.” I turned towards the twins. “Are you two sure you want to come along?”

“We are,” they replied in unison.

“Once you leave the valley, there will be no coming back,” I warned.

“We’re aware,” Teresa assured me.

I sighed. The pair made for two more for whose well-being I was responsible. I glanced at Duggar, and he answered my unspoken question. “The pack is ready to depart and, like we agreed, are waiting in the den. The moment the portal is open, and you pronounce it safe, we will pass through.”

I nodded. “Perfect. Then, let’s begin.”

✵ ✵ ✵

The plan was simple.

Safyre would open the portal to the hidden sector using my logged key point for the tundra’s nether portal. I would pop through, scout the area, and ensure there were no stygians nearby. Cara would follow after, cast purifying dome, and then reopen a portal for the wolves.

If all went well, each dire wolf would spend no more than a few seconds in the nether-infested sector as they ran out of one portal and into the next.

If all went well.

“Stay back,” I told the others. Accompanied only by Safyre, I strode towards the center of the icy clearing, heading to the same spot where I’d met Loken’s envoy.

“Last chance to back out,” I told Safyre, only half-joking.

She threw me a dry look. “The die has been cast already; there is no going back for me. And I must admit I am curious about this hidden sector you’ve found. How did you ever manage to locate it?”

“That’s a story all of its own. I will tell you about it once we reach the tundra.”

“You better,” she said, coming to a stop. “This looks far enough?”

I glanced back at the waiting wolves and twins. They were a few dozen yards away and far enough not to be endangered. “It is.”

Focusing on one of the charged but unetched stones in the aetherstone bracelet, I willed the location of the tundra’s nether portal into it.

You have etched an aetherstone with the aether coordinates of nether portal 1 in Kingdom sector 18,240.

Currently stored aether locations: 3. Charged and unetched gems: 1. Uncharged gems: 1.

Removing the bracelet, I handed it to Safyre. “Here you go. It’s ready for you.”

“Thank you.” She handed me something in exchange.

“What’s this?” I asked, looking at the thin band of gold in my hand.

“Communication device,” she replied.

This is a farspeaker bracelet. It is item 1 of 4 in a matched set of devices and will allow you to communicate through the aether with the other bearer(s) while you both occupy the same sector.

“I’ve used one of these before,” I said and drew it over my right arm.

“Great, then you know how it works,” Safyre replied. “Should I cast my buffs now?”

I nodded. “I’ll do the same.” Closing my eyes, I turned my focus inwards.

Your Dexterity has increased by +8 ranks for 20 minutes.

You have gained an encumbrance aura for 10 minutes.

You have trigger-cast quick mend.

Opening my eyes, I saw that Safyre was surrounded by a shimmering bubble of silver—a mage’s shield. She was still chanting, though. After debating with myself for a beat, I withdrew an enchanted crystal and cracked it open.

You have activated a nether protection crystal. For the next hour, you will be shielded from the ill effects of the nether at tier 4 and lower concentrations.

I was eager to train my nether absorption skill, but with an entire infested sector at my beck, there was no need to rush, and truly, I was not going to chance anything going wrong on this venture.

Safyre has cast aether grace on you, granting you the buff: phantom (50% chance of all physical attacks passing through your body). Duration: 5 minutes.

“Wow!” I exclaimed, turning towards her. “That’s some—”

I broke off, staring at the five identical Safyre copies smiling back at me. “Mirror images?” I guessed.

“Aether projections,” one of the Safyres corrected. “They have limited autonomy but do real damage.”

I whistled. “Impressive.”

She eyed me critically. “I have more buffs that I can cast. Should I?”

“Please do,” I said, more than a little curious to see what she could do.

Safyre has cast aether protection on you (+50% reduced nether damage). Duration: 5 minutes.

Safyre has cast warrior’s boon on you (+10 to all physical attributes). Duration: 5 minutes.

Safyre has summoned a level 188 drow phantom.

Safyre has summoned 3 level 150 feral specters.

Safyre has summoned a level 199 aether saint.

“Wohoo,” Ghost remarked, padding around the five spirits Safyre had summoned. “They’re a little frightening.”

I agreed. In fact, Safyre was more than a little frightening, too. Judging by her buffs and summons, defeating her in battle would be… uhm, difficult. Were all elites this strong? I may have my work cut out for me.

I turned to the spirit wolf. “You shouldn’t be here,” I chided. “Join the others.”

“But how am I going to see what’s going on from back there?” she complained.

Before I could reply, Safyre opened her eyes. “All done,” she said, eyeing the results of her work in satisfaction.

I shook my head ruefully as I studied the aetherist anew. She shone so brightly from the enchantments wrapped about her that I had to slit my eyes when looking at her. “I feel… redundant.”

Safyre laughed. “I might have gone a bit overboard,” she admitted. “But you did say you wanted to be as prepared as possible, and it has been so long since I cast any of these spells that I couldn’t resist.” She shook a finger at me. “But don’t sell yourself short. I know what you’re capable of.”

I raised my hands, palms out. “Alright, I’ll say no more. You ready to begin?”

She nodded. “Opening the portal now.”

Taking a dozen steps back, I crouched in the snow and let myself fade into the background, then checked my blades. For the upcoming encounter, I’d swapped out faithful for my old stygian shortsword.

The chances of danger—on this side of the portal at least—were slim, but I’d not forgotten my last, truncated visit to the nether-infested realm. The moment I passed through the gateway, I expected things to get hairy.

Safyre has cast greater portal. A ley line to sector 18,240 has begun forming…

…

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