Grand Game 366: Red Beard (Patreon)

I sat down opposite my host. “What did Adriel tell you?”

“Everything,” Regus said carelessly, his gaze not straying from mine. “But I want to hear it from you.”

I took his measure for a moment. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

He snorted. “You think I’m trying to trick you?” Lurching forward faster than I would have thought a man his size could, Regus stared at me from less than a foot away. “I know you are not really Castor. I know you are player. And I know you’ve been talking to Adriel.”

He held up three fingers. “Those three things alone are enough to get you strung up by the archlich and tortured for days.” He sat back again, at ease once more. “I have no need to trick you, Wolf.”

“So, Adriel told you what I am,” I remarked mildly.

“She trusts me,” he said in a tone that implied I didn’t.

Which was fair enough, I supposed. Because I didn’t. Still, it was too late in the game to be questioning my ally’s judgment. “Alright, I said, “I’ll tell you. But I think we’re wasting time. If you already know the plan, we should get going.”

“We can spare the time,” Regus assured me. Spreading his arms expansively, he added, “Just tell me. It’s always better to double-check and avoid later misunderstandings.”

Also true, I thought. A sharp mind lurked behind the thickset man’s bluff exterior. Shrugging, I told him what he wanted to know.

✵ ✵ ✵

“Satisfied?” I asked when I was done.

“Very,” Regus said, rubbing his hands in glee. “Loskin will finally get what’s been coming to him these long years.” He rose to his feet, and I with him. “Now, we should—”

A loud bang interrupted him.

It had come from the door. Someone was pounding on it with a heavy fist. I spun around, hands dropping to my waist in search of blades that weren’t there.

“Regus! Regus, you in there?” a loud voice demanded.

“Damn,” my companion spat.

“What is it?” I asked tersely.

“That’s Gork, one of Castor’s cronies. The gate guards must have talked.”

My lips turned down. It seemed like I was about to pay for my mistake at the gate. “Sorry,” I muttered.

“Open up, dammit!” Gork yelled.

Regus very graciously waved aside my apology. “Don’t worry. We’ll deal with it.” He eyed my blue robes. “You’re armed?”

“Always.”

“Good, get ready. This might turn ugly.”

Nodding sharply, I withdrew my sword belts from the mage’s satchel and equipped them before following Regus into the foyer.

“I’m warning you! If you don’t open this door, we’ll kick it down,” Gork threatened.

Standing next to the ornamental statue, Regus looked at me and held up a thick finger to his lips.

“Go,” I mouthed, as I crouched down in the room’s darkest corner.

You are hidden.

The red bearded man’s eyes widened slightly as I disappeared from his sight, but he did not remark on it. Pressing the hidden stud on the statue, he placed himself in front of the door.

“We know you’re in there, you big oaf! Open up this bloody—”

Regus yanked open the door.

“What did you call me?” he asked ominously.

Someone tried to shove through, but Regus’s big frame blocked them. From where I’d placed myself, I couldn’t see who it was, but I suspected it was the loud Gork. Drawing on my psi and stamina, I began casting my buffs.

“Where is he?” Gork demanded.

“Who?” Regus asked innocently.

“Don’t play the fool,” Gork sneered. “Senak told us you escorted Castor in.”

You have trigger-cast quick mend.

Senak, I recalled from my earlier analyzes, was the elven gate guard.

“Then he must have also told you it was on Loskin’s orders,” Regus growled. “Where Castor is, is none of your goddamn business.”

You have cast fade.

“Come, Regus, be reasonable,” another voice interjected. “You know who Castor is to us.”

My hands tightened around the hilt of my blades. I recognized that voice. It was Avery. Twenty days had passed since I’d killed him, and I supposed it was no surprise he was back already.

“That’s no concern of mine,” Regus said, folding his arms across his chest.

You have cast heightened reflexes and load controller.

“It’s only I scryed Castor two days ago and then he was still in New Haven.” Avery continued as if Regus hadn’t spoken. “There’s no way he traveled overland across the dungeon in two days.” The possessed paused. “Whoever you let in; it wasn’t Castor.”

Regus stiffened in a remarkable pretense at surprise. “What!”

It looked like things were going awry. Preparing to shadow blink, I opened my mindsight. If we killed Avery and Gork quickly, the plan could still be—

Twelve consciousnesses appeared in my awareness, all crowded around the door. Avery and Gork were not alone. Hells.

I couldn’t kill that many on the open streets without being observed. I settled back down. Perhaps red beard would think of something.

“Someone has been lying to you, Regus,” Avery said. “Whoever gave you your orders, it wasn’t Loskin.  I want to know who it was and where they told you to take Castor.”

My eyes narrowed. Interestingly enough, Avery did not appear to suspect Regus of being the traitor.

“I let an intruder in?” Regus muttered, his shoulders sagging.

“Yes, you did,” Gork chipped in smugly. “Regus the infallible has finally been fooled!”

Ignoring Gork, Regus moved aside from the doorway. “Come on in,” he said, hanging in his head shame—he really was an admirable actor—“Let’s talk inside.”

Not suspecting anything amiss, Avery and Gork accepted the big man’s invitation. Ten others trampled through after them. Gork was a half-orc, and the others were a mix of dwarves, elves, and humans.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden.

I was tempted to burst out of hiding then and there, but my ally was handling things well so far, and I stayed put, waiting for his cue.

Regus closed the door. “Follow me,” he said, pushing past the other possessed. “We can chat in the lounge.” Just before he stepped out the foyer, his gaze paused—as if by happenstance—on my corner before flitting to the statue.

Getting the message, I nodded, even though Regus had no way of seeing my response.

✵ ✵ ✵

After Avery and Gork’s gang marched out of the room and into the next, I rose from my crouch and tiptoed to the statue. The stud on the rear was cleverly concealed, but having observed Regus earlier, I knew its approximate location and found it easily.

You have been enclosed in a ward of silence that will prevent any sound from escaping.

I turned to face the open doorway leading to the lounge. Gork and Avery were in the center of the room while their followers were bunched up near the entrance. The half-orc was yelling again. “I’m telling you; this was the satchel he was seen carrying!”

I drew psi. The time to act had come. Focusing on the six rearmost of the hostile possessed, I flooded their minds with psi.

You have cast slaysight.

You have induced 4 of 6 targets to sleep for 40 seconds.

Your mental intrusion has gone undetected!

The sound of four bodies hitting the ground carried loudly to my ears. I paid them no mind. Drawing psi, I began a second casting.

Midstream, Gork broke from his rant. “What was that?” he asked, then, obviously spotting the prone fighters, he demanded, “What did you do to them?”

Regus snorted. “Did to who? Those idiots following you? You’ve been standing next to me the entire time. What could I possibly have done to them under your eagle eye?”

In the middle of my spell I was only half-listening, but even so, I didn’t fail to hear Avery’s response. “There’s someone else here,” he said tersely, not as slow on the uptake as Gork. “We’re under—”

My spell completed before he could finish, and I released the casting, driving psi into the minds of the eight hostiles  still standing.

You have cast mass charm.

4 targets have passed a mental resistance check!

You have charmed 4 of 8 targets for 20 seconds.

“—attack!” Avery snapped. “Draw your weapons and defend yourselves!”

Unsheathing my own blades, I dashed into the room. Only four of the twelve possessed were still a threat, Gork and Avery included.

But they did not remain amongst the living for long.

Before I could cross the threshold, Regus whipped his spiked maul around in an arc that ended at Gork’s face, pulverizing the half-orc’s head in a single, mighty blow.

Gork has died.

Avery spun on him in shock. “What are you—”

He didn’t get to finish as Regus heaved his bloody weapon up and around before bringing it down in a two-handed chop that caved in Avery’s skull—and kept going.

Avery has died.

Even from halfway across the room, I couldn’t help but wince at the puddled mess. Note to self: don’t get on Regus’ bad side.

Staying by the door, my gaze flickered to the remaining two possessed. On observing the swift demise of their leaders, both turned tail and, obligingly, headed my way.

Perfect.

I let the first pass, and then as the second drew even with me, I struck.

You have backstabbed a level 168 human monk for 2.5x more damage! You have killed your target!

You have backstabbed a level 155 elven ranger for 2.5x more damage! You have killed your target!

Neither possessed saw my attacks coming and both fell without resistance. Stepping over the corpses, I entered the lounge. “Yikes,” I muttered, studying Regus’ blood-spattered clothes and the bits of gore all over his hands and face. “You look a sight.”

Ignoring my remark, Regus casually wiped his face clean with the back of his hand. “What’s wrong with them?” he asked, pointing to Avery and Gork’s bespelled followers.

I gestured downward. “Sleeping.” Then at the others. “Charmed.”

Regus grunted. “Nice work. I thought we were going to be in a spot of bother there.” He hefted his maul. “Now, let’s see to it that none of them can trouble us further.”