Grand Game 399: Passing Unseen (Patreon)

You have cast heightened reflexes, load controller, fade, and trigger-cast quick mend.

With my buffs in place, I rose to my feet anew and peered through the small window.

Five hostile entities have failed to detect you!

The guards had resumed their card game, and no one was looking my way. It was time to act. Drawing psi, I flooded their minds with my will.

You have cast slaysight.

You have induced 5 of 5 targets to sleep for 40 seconds.

Your mental intrusion has gone undetected!

Almost simultaneously, the guards fell asleep. Four of them simply sagged in their chairs, their heads drooping until their chins rested on the chests while their cards fell from deadened hands. The fifth, though, slumped forward fully, his head hitting the table so hard I couldn’t help but wince in sympathy.

That’s going to leave a bruise.

Fortunately, the accidental bump on the head had not disrupted my spell and the guard in question stayed asleep. Still, I waited a heartbeat longer to make certain.

When none of the guards stirred, I moved on to the next stage of my plan. Drawing psi, I shadow blinked.

You have teleported into Manir’s shadow. You are hidden.

I stepped out of the aether in the guardroom. Adroitly avoiding waking any of the sleeping dark elves, I tiptoed to the inner door and peered out. A wide, poorly lit corridor stretched out before me. More importantly, it was empty.

Good, I won’t be disturbed. I turned back to the guards—and for a moment, was tempted to simply leave.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t rely on the elves not figuring out they’d fallen foul of a hostile spell. Even though none of the prison guards had detected my mental intrusion during the casting itself, even the most thick-witted of them would realize something was amiss when they all woke simultaneously.

Somehow, I had to stop that from happening.

And the only way I could think of was to distract them. Hurrying back to the table, I gently pulled the sergeant’s chair two feet away, then one by one, lowered the remaining guards’ heads onto the table. My movements were slow and careful enough that my sleep spell remained undisturbed.

Stepping back, I inspected my handiwork. Manir was out of harm’s way and the others were in position. I was ready. Backing away from the table, I measured the distance to the inner door. Two quick steps were all it would take to slip into the corridor and out of sight.

Good enough. Inhaling deeply, I kicked out sharply.

The toe of my right boot drove into the underside of the table, toppling it over—and not so incidentally striking the four sleeping guards whose heads rested on it.

Spinning on my heel, I dashed out of the room, not waiting to observe the outcome of my actions. The Adjudicator would tell me soon enough. Sure enough, just as I dived into the corridor and pulled the shadows around me, a Game message flashed into my mind.

You have taken hostile action against 4 of 5 sleeping targets. Lushiel, Hase, Torne, and Kol have awoken!

You are hidden.

A small smile stole across my face. My ploy had gone just as I’d hoped, but my work was far from done and success was not yet guaranteed. Drawing on my will, I readied my next spell while the four now very-much-awake guards lumbered to their feet.

“Urgh… wha…?”

“…did something happen?”

“I could’ve sworn we were…”

“Sarge? Where’s sarge?”

“There he is.”

“Is he… sleeping?”

My spell completed—and not a moment too soon either. Without hesitation, I released it.

You have cast ventro.

“Open up, you louts!” I bellowed, projecting my voice to originate from somewhere on the staircase. “In the name of the First, I demand entry!”

The confused muttering of the four ran aground, their attention captured by the ‘visitor.’

“Who’s dat?” one hissed—Lushiel, I thought.

“A visitor?” Kol hazarded.

“Now? But isn’t it nighttime up there?” Hase protested.

“Does anyone know what happened?” Torne asked. “Weren’t we in the middle of a—”

“Imbeciles!” I shouted. Did you not hear me? I said open up!”

The visitor’s strident demand drew the guards attention again. Then, as I had hoped, one headed towards the outer door. Listening to his footsteps, I pictured him peering through the grille window.

“Who’s there?” Kol called out.

“Impertinent buffoon!” I shot back in an affronted tone. “Where are your manners? You shall address me as milord!”

Momentary silence.

“Who is this clown?” Lushiel muttered.

“Sarge should be dealing with this,” Hase added.

“How did the table topple over?” Torne asked in a bewildered tone. “Does anyone know?”

“Who cares,” Kol snapped. “Wake the sarge.” His voice dropping into a more respectful tone, he asked, “Where are you milord? I can’t see you.”

I smiled. That’s because you’re looking in the wrong direction. “Did you not hear me the first time,” I demanded in pretended annoyance. “I told you—the First doesn’t want my identity revealed. I cannot show myself.”

“Uh-huh, of course…” Kol mumbled, clearly at a loss on how to proceed.

“Wha, urgh— uh…”

Your slaysight spell has expired.

“Oow! That hurts.” That was the sergeant, awake once more. I couldn’t see him, but I guessed that right now he was rubbing furiously at his forehead.

“Who hit me?” he demanded.

“You there!” I interjected before anyone could think to answer him. “Are you the one in charge?”

Another long pause.

“Who in the devils is that?” Sergeant Manir demanded eventually.

“A visitor,” Kol replied, then added in a low undertone, “a highborn visitor.”

“One with a bone stuck up his ass,” Lushiel muttered just as softly.

“I heard that!” I snapped.

“A visitor?” the sergeant asked, studiously ignoring Lushiel and my interjections. “No one informed me we would be receiving any today.”

“That’s because this is an unscheduled visit,” I declared airily. “No one will ever know it happened. That’s the way the First wants it and that’s the way it will stay. Now, let me in, godammit!”

Footsteps. The sergeant, I imagined, had gone to peer out the outer door himself. “Can you see him?” he whispered.

“No,” Kol replied.

Manir chewed over this for a moment. “Do you have a letter of authorization, milord?” he asked tentatively.

“Of course not!” I replied in an offended tone. “That would make this visit official, wouldn’t it? And we can’t have that!”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t let you through, sir,” Manir said. Was that a smile I heard in his voice? Did it please the sergeant to deny the highborn twat?

I let the silence draw out. “Is that what you want me to tell the First?” I hissed. “That you, a mere sergeant, refused me, her agent, entry?”

“If you must,” Manir replied stiffly, but this time there was no mistaking the underlying glee in his voice. “I have my orders, too, milord, and without the necessary paperwork, I can’t let you in. I’m sorry,” he finished, sounding not at all sorry.

“I see,” I said thinly. “Goodbye sergeant.”

I ended the conversation there, letting it hang abruptly. I’d done what I could to redirect the prison guards’ attention away from the mystifying events of a minute ago. Now, it was time to find out if I’d done enough. Sitting still, I listened intently.

Quiet still reigned in the guardroom, the five elves no doubt somewhat perplexed by their highborn visitor’s sudden departure.

“Is he gone?” Torne asked finally.

“I think so,” Kol said.

“Good riddance,” Lushiel scoffed.

“Should we inform the captain?” Hase asked.

The others fell silent, waiting for the sergeant’s response. I did, too, my hands wrapped tightly about my blades. Whether he knew it or not, what Manir said next would determine the fate of the five.

“No,” Manir said at last.

“But sarge,” Hase protested. “Orders require us to report—”

“Report what? That we had a visitor we never saw?” Manir sneered. “What do I say when the captain asks, ‘What’s his name, sarge?’”

No one answered.

“How about, ‘Sorry, cap, never got it,’” Manir continued, answering himself. “Knowing the captain, he won’t let the matter lie there. He’ll ask: ‘What’s he look like then?’ Then what do I say?”

Once more, the others stayed one.

“How about: ‘Oops, sorry cap, we never got a look at him,’” Manir said, shouting now. “‘Have you been drinking, sarge?’ he’ll ask next. ‘Of course not,’ I’ll reply. ‘Then what were you doing when the visitor arrived?’ And what should I say to that? Hmm? Anyone?”

I winced, the sergeant’s voice had gone up more than a few octaves and he was clearly worked up. From the palpable silence of the other four, I guessed they were as much in awe of their sergeant’s outburst as I was.

“Should I tell him I was asleep?” Manir asked, resuming his tirade. “What do you think the captain will do then? He’ll come down on us like a ton of bricks, that’s what. He’ll send his bully boys to search this room from end to end, because clearly, we must have been drunk to have been so derelict in our duties that we failed to gather so much as a single useful detail about our visitor! In fact, I have an idea,” he hissed. “Why don’t be the one to report to cap, Hase. Would you like that?”

“No sarge,” he replied weakly.

“Then shut the hell up and forget about that highborn idiot!” Manir yelled. “I don’t know what you four did to me, and I don’t care, but I’m not about to endure a chewing out from the captain over any of this.”

“But Sarge,” Kol protested. “I swear, we did nothing to—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Manir snapped. “Torne, Lushiel, get that table back up. Hase, deal the cards. Enough of this shit. Let’s play!”

✵ ✵ ✵

Grinning happily, I crept away from the guardroom. My gambit had proved even more successful than I could’ve imagined. Even better, in the process, I’d reached another significant milestone in my player development.

Your sneaking has increased to level 200 and reached rank 20, allowing you to learn tier 5 abilities.

Your insight has increased to level 201. Your deception has increased to level 185.

My smile broadened. At long last, I’d achieved the necessary skill to upgrade my fade ability. All that was left was to acquire another upgrade gem.

Which will happen soon enough, I promised myself. I was in a tier five dungeon, after all, and had found plenty of the gems so far. Now, though, was not the time to be thinking of that. I had an elite to kill.

Returning my attention to my surroundings, I studied the corridor. Steel doors lined the left and right walls—all closed. From the lack of sound emanating from beyond, I suspected the corridors and rooms they led to were deserted.

Pausing at one of the doors, I peered through the small windowpane built into it. A tiny chamber lay beyond. The room was barely eight feet across, and its contents—a dirty mattress and bucket—were equally sparse.  They’re prison cells, I concluded. Unoccupied prison cells. Frowning thoughtfully, I resumed my passage down the corridor.

For the next minute, I journeyed in silence, passing more empty cells, but encountering no branches, side passages, or turns in the corridor. Finally, though, just as the first guardroom passed out of view, the passage’s end came into sight. Drawing to a halt, I dropped to my haunches.

A door was up ahead—a half-open door.

Little light escaped from beyond, and if not for my keen dark vision, I doubted I would’ve noticed the door, much less that it was open. The room’s contents were still too far to discern though. Without my mindsight, I was half-blind and less in control than I was used to being—an unhappy state of affairs that I found myself enjoying less and less—and until I got closer I wasn’t going to learn anything. Sighing, I resumed my advance.

“…”

“…tired?”

“…long… can… morning.”

At the sound of the voices, I paused again. The room was occupied. But not by prisoners, I decided. The door was open and the entrance unwarded—I’d checked already.

Who then? Possessed?

Possibly. If it was possessed up ahead, though, they were about to pay for their carelessness. Gripping the hilt of my blades in readiness, I padded onward.

“you… what... did?”

“…disgusting!”

“… blood… I… he likes it.”

“Ssh, not so loud. You’ll wake the cap!”

They’re prison guards, I decided, my shoulders sagging. I’d been hopeful the chamber would prove to be the start of the possessed’s domain, but alas, it seemed I’d have to search a while longer. It must be just another guardroom.

Sliding up to the door and bracing myself against the adjacent stone wall, I carefully peeked into the room.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you!

The chamber was larger than the guardroom I’d just passed through and was lined from one end to the other with bunks. Not a guardroom, then. A barracks. Only half the bunks were occupied, which I guessed meant the other half belonged to guards still on duty. Running my eyes over the still forms on each bed, I took count of their number.

There were twenty guards in the barracks, eighteen of whom were sleeping. My eyes drifted to the pair lying on adjacent bunks in the right corner of the room. They were still whispering furiously to each other, and even though I was less than a dozen yards away, they were ignorant of my watching presence.

A closed door caught my attention. It was not far from the pair. The sign affixed on it read: “Captain’s Quarters. Do NOT Enter.” My gaze flickered to the left side of the room. Three doors stood there, respectively labeled: “Wardroom,” “Mess,” and “Officer’s Quarters.”

Finally, I turned my gaze to the far wall and the single open door it contained. No sign graced its surface. That’s my exit. Pursing my lips, I considered how to get there. There was a clearly demarcated aisle between me and the door, but it passed straight through the neat lines of bunks. Still, I didn’t think the snoring guards were much of a threat. Nor, for that matter, the two sleepless ones in the right corner of the room.

Retreating a few steps, I dropped flat onto the ground. I’ll crawl my way through, I decided.