Chapter 13: Getting Out (Patreon)

We didn’t have long to get ready.

Alon was right about the courtyard being the perfect killing ground, and if there hadn’t been such a disparity in numbers between the Devils and us, I would’ve even applauded his choice.

But the odds were far from even. And there were too many unknowns.

Right now, it was probably only the Devils’ lead group out there, creeping through the alley. But how long would it take the others to catch up? Five minutes? Ten? Thirty?

I didn’t know, but I knew we could not risk being bogged down indefinitely. For us to have any chance of surviving, we would have to overwhelm the Devils in the alley quickly, and then get out.

And that meant luring them in.

“Adalinda,” I said, turning my focus inward, “come out please.”

We would need to utilize every advantage we had in the upcoming fight, and as anxious as I was about Soren’s reaction to my celestial companion, now was not the time for half-measures.

Adalinda responded eagerly—far quicker than I’d anticipated—and took shape before I had a chance to prepare my brother.

Adalinda has cast manifest, taking the form of a fire lizard. She has 20% psi remaining.

Soren reacted instantly.

“Elana, watch out!” he hissed, shoving me aside and putting himself between me and the lizard that had appeared seemingly from nowhere.

Adalinda stood her ground. Opening her jaws wide, she displayed her rows of gleaming teeth. “I know he is your brother, Elana, but if he doesn’t back down…”

Regaining my balance—Soren had shoved me hard—I stepped between the pair. “Stop!” I said, my voice low and urgent. “She’s on our side, brother.”

Soren stilled. Other than that, he did not react, but I knew him too well not to know my response had startled him. Stepping out from behind me, he eyed me carefully.

I dreaded the inevitable questions, but before my brother could voice any of them, fate intervened.

Or rather, the Devils did.

Voices rose from the alley.

As one, our gazes swung to the crack in the wall and the sounds emanating from beyond. Our pursuers had caught up with us, and contrary to my expectations, they were making no attempt to conceal their approach.

“We know you’re in there,” a gruff voice bellowed from the alley. “We also know there’s no way out of that courtyard but this here alley. Stupid chits, you’ve gone and trapped yourselves!”

Swinging on Alon, I glared at him. “I thought you said this place was a secret!” I hissed.

He shrugged. “I never said that.” Unease flickered across his face. “But I hadn’t thought the Devils would know its layout,” he added contritely.

I shook my head. So much for ambushing the Devils.

“Come quietly,” the Devil shouted again. “And who knows? Maybe Cantos will go easy on you.”

The other thugs jeered, showing what they thought of that.

“How many do you think are out there?” I asked in a whisper.

“I counted seven voices,” Soren said.

“There’s eight,” Adalinda said in the same breath.

Eight. More than I hoped but less than I feared.

“The plan can still work—with some tweaking,” I said. Turning back to the opening in the wall, I shouted, “Give us a moment. We need to discuss your… proposition.”

“You have one minute,” the voice warned. “No more.”

A minute would be more than adequate. I glanced at Alon. “You’re going to have to lure them in. It’ll be dangerous, and you’ll be on your own. Can you do it?”

He nodded, supremely confident. “Leave it to me.”

I gestured to the scaffold. “Go, then.”

The axeman did not hesitate. Dashing right, he began scrambling up the rickety structure. For all that he was a big man, Alon could move quickly when he wanted to. In no time at all, he reached its heights and gave me a thumbs up.

Acknowledging his readiness, I opened the courtyard’s side door. It did not squeak—I’d made sure of that earlier. Waving Soren into the empty building, I followed with Adalinda in tow. Once we were inside, I placed the solid bar across the inside of the door to stop the Devils from using it the same way we had.

The moment the door shut, I heard Alon call out. “Generous as that offer sounds, I’m afraid we’re going to have to decline.”

“Who’s this?” the gruff voice retorted. “The fake watchman? Is the girl no longer speaking for you lot?”

Alon didn’t bother replying.

The Devil barked out a laugh. “What’s wrong? Doesn’t she have the stomach for a fight?”

“Come on in and find out, why don’t you?” Alon replied easily.

“We just might,” the Devil taunted back. “But if…”

As the pair continued to heckle each other, Soren, Adalinda, and I weaved through the building until we reached the door at the other end. “This is it,” Soren whispered, bracing himself against it.

“Is it open?” I asked anxiously.

Reaching out, he turned the knob a half quarter to check. “It is.”

I closed my eyes in relief—at least something was going right. We were set. All that was left now was for Alon to draw the Devils into the courtyard.

Needless to say, the original plan had been for the thugs to enter the courtyard on their own—blissfully unaware we lurked nearby—and for us to hit them as a group from the rear.

Now, we were split, and Alon was left to face the brunt of the Devils’ attack alone. Not ideal.

“Alon is a competent fighter. He’ll be fine,” Adalinda assured me.

“I hope so,” I murmured, biting my lip. The scaffold my friend perched on should buy him enough time for us to reach him. But there were never any certainties in a fight.

“They’re moving,” Soren said from where he waited with his ear pressed against the door.

“Into the courtyard?” I asked.

“I think so.” Not waiting for instruction, he pushed open the door and slipped out.

Following after, Adalinda and I re-entered the alley. Alon had been right; we were less than four yards from the crack in the wall. The Devils had disappeared—into the courtyard, presumably—and from the loud voices carrying to us, Alon and the thugs were still hurling insults at each other.

“You better tell us where your friends have gone, boy!” a Devil screamed as we crept closer.

“Yeah? Or what?” Alon shouted back.

“Wherever they are, they can’t have gone far,” the leader—gruff voice—said. “We’ll find them. Better for you if you tell us now.”

“Not on your life, scum!” Alon retorted.

Nearing the crack in the wall, I slipped past Soren before he could stop me and peered into the courtyard.

There were eight Devils.

Adalinda’s estimate had been spot on. Spread in a half-circle, they faced the scaffold but were making no attempt to scale it just yet. None of them appeared to be aware of our presence on their flank either.

Given the circumstances, it was as perfect an ambush as we could hope for. I glanced at Soren, and he mouthed, “Go.”

Nodding jerkily, I dashed into the courtyard with Adalinda and Soren close on my heels.

Misfortune chose then to rear its ugly head.

Before any of us reached striking range, the closest thug turned our way. “Matthew,” he shrieked. “They’re behind us!”

The other Devils swung to face us, weapons bared and ready. “Damn,” I muttered. Things were already going pear-shaped—I’d hoped we would be able to take down two, if not three, of the thugs before they rallied—but there was no turning back now.

“How good of you to join us,” Matthew said, a delighted grin on his face. Pointing his blade at us, he roared, “Get them!”

The Devils, though, had made a fatal mistake. They’d turned their backs on Alon. Matthew had barely finished speaking when my friend leaped down from the scaffold. Landing lightly behind the largest thug, he raised his oversized axe and, in one fell sweep, decapitated him.

A level 5 human has died!

Blood arced from the corpse, splattering the closest Devils. Two spun around to face the threat at their rear. I smiled tightly. We had our foes flanked. It was the time to press the advantage. Drawing mana, I slipped magic into the stiletto in my hand.

You have cast light’s fury.

On my right, Soren was a step ahead, his sword out and ready to face the two thugs rushing to meet him. Adalinda was on my left. Seeing the light infusing my blade, she swung around wider, drawing away another two thugs. That left me facing only a single Devil.

Do they think I’m no threat?

Was that because I was a girl or because of my size? I bared my teeth. Whatever. They’ll learn.

A leer on his face, my foe swung his club lazily at me. I don’t know if he truly intended to hit me with such a sloppy attack, but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Dancing past the blow, I struck.

You have evaded a level 8 human’s attack.

You have critically injured a level 8 human.

Cold steel and searing light struck my foe nearly simultaneously, piercing hardened leather and flesh with equal ease. Screaming, the thug staggered backward.

Didn’t expect that, did you? I thought, pursuing him.

Flames blossomed on my left. Adalinda had engaged her targets as well.

Adalinda has cast fire-breath, dealing fire damage to 2 hostile targets.

The smell of burning flesh permeated the air—confirmation of Adalinda’s success. I didn’t know how Alon and Soren were faring, but I didn’t have time to check on them just yet.

Lunging past my foe’s flailing arms, I buried my glowing stiletto into his exposed chest.

You have killed a level 8 human.

With a quiet sigh, the thug slagged listlessly backward. Yanking out my blade, I swung around. Soren had engaged the Devils Adalinda had set on fire.

His first two foes were down—already dead.

I don’t know why that surprised me, but it did. I’d always known my brother was lethal with a blade, but I’d never seen him fight in earnest before. He lacked Alon’s bulk, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous.

His every movement economical, Soren sidestepped the blows aimed at him while riposting with his own weapon.

A flowing uppercut.

A well-timed lunge.

And both devils were face down on the ground.

A level 6 human has died.

A level 5 human has been critically injured.

The immediate vicinity clear, Soren spun to face me, and it was only then I noticed the blood clotting his shirt. He must have been wounded during the opening exchange. Concerned, I stepped toward him.

Motion around the corner of my eye stopped me.

Alon was approaching. He, too, had finished with his opponents. My breath caught. In nearly no time at all, we’d taken out seven of the thugs.

So easy, I marveled.

“That was simple,” Adalinda said, echoing my thoughts. “Almost as easy as—”

One of the downed men near her twitched. “Watch out!” I yelled, dashing towards him.

The Devil must have been pretending to be more injured than he actually was. Alerted by my cry, Adalinda swung around to deal with the threat.

The thug was faster.

Screaming in wordless rage, and with the wild abandon of a man who already knows he’s dead, the Devil slashed at Adalinda with his switchblade.

The fire lizard’s armored hide was no match for such a blow, and the bright, hard steel sliced cleanly through her side, trailing blood in its wake. Through our bond, I sensed her pain.

A level 5 human has injured Adalinda!

The Devil jerked his blade free and wound back his arm for a second strike.

I stopped him.

Stomping down hard on his arm, I plunged my dagger, blazing as bright as my fury, through his neck.

You have killed a level 5 human.

“Enough!”

My head whipped up at the shout. It had come from the Devil leader, Matthew. He was the only thug still standing. Despite this, no fear marred gruff-voice’s expression.

Backing away, Matthew faced us from the far end of the courtyard. His blade was noticeably clean, I noticed, and when I replayed the skirmish in my mind, I realized he’d played no part in it.

I turned towards the Devil and sensed the others do the same—even my injured companion.

“Stay back, Ada,” I sent. “Let us handle him. You’re hurt.”

“It’s a scratch, nothing more,” she replied.

I was tempted to argue, but querying the Game, I realized she spoke truly. My fear had been unwarranted. While the thug’s blade had drawn blood, the wound was superficial.

“Besides, this one is different,” Adalinda went on. “You will need my help.”

Before I had a chance to ask what she meant, Soren and Alon advanced.

“Time to end this,” Alon growled.

Nodding in agreement, I stepped forward.

Matthew sneered. “End this? Oh my, you three really are clueless.” Uncorking the vial that he’d held concealed in his left hand, the Devil upended the contents into his mouth.

And disappeared.

I jerked to a halt. What? Pivoting on my heels, I searched the surroundings. But my eyes had not deceived me.

Matthew had vanished.

Extending my arm above my head, I poured magic into the blade until the light shining from it was bright enough to illuminate even the courtyard’s most shadowy corners.

But I still couldn’t see him.

You have failed a Perception check!

“Where’d he go?” Alon hissed.

I glanced back. Alon was searching the courtyard as frantically as I’d been, but Soren… Soren was staring at the blazing stiletto in my hand, his expression troubled. His gaze found mine, and I looked away. I couldn’t deal with his questions now.

Mathew. He’s what’s important. We had to find him before he escaped.

I swung to face my companion. “Ada, what’s going on? Why can’t we see the Devil?” Whatever Matthew had done had to have involved magic, and of all of us, the celestial was best equipped to understand that.

“I don’t know,” she said. “It didn’t feel like a spell...” Her eyes narrowed. “The vial. It must have contained a potion of—”

Matthew reappeared—behind Soren.

“Look out!” I shouted.

With catlike reflexes, Soren threw himself to the left. His speed saved him from what likely would have been a fatal blow, but not even my brother was fast enough to escape unscathed.

Matthew has injured Soren.

The thug’s blade scored a line of red down Soren’s cheek, leaving skin flapping in its wake but, thankfully, not penetrating deep enough to nick any vital arteries.

Blade in hand, I lunged for the Devil. He was only a few feet away. But before I could reach him, Matthew shoved something else into his mouth—the contents of a second vial—and vanished again.

You have failed to detect a hidden entity.

Suddenly bereft of a target, I stumbled to a halt. Reaching down, I helped my brother back up. “Are you okay?” I asked, shielding him with my body while I swept the courtyard with my gaze.

“I’ll be fine,” Soren replied curtly, despite the blood running down the hand he held clamped against his cheek. “How did he do that?”

“Invisibility potions,” I answered, having guessed as much from what Adalinda had said earlier. “He will be impossible to detect.” I bit my lip, considering our options, then added reluctantly, “We should leave.”

A darkly amused chuckle floated toward us from the east side of the courtyard. “Oh, but it’s too late for that.”

Whipping around, I faced the direction the voice seemed to have come from, but only emptiness greeted me. My mouth twisted. The Devil was toying with us. “Let’s—”

I broke off, spotting a half-seen blur around the corner of my eye.

I swung around—

You have failed a Perception check!

You have been backstabbed for 1.5x damage!

—but managed no more than a half-turn before cold, hard steel kissed my skin, and pain spiked across my lower back.

“Aah,” I gasped. My body wanted to collapse, to curl up in a ball. I didn’t let it.

Forcing myself to keep moving, I completed my turn and slashed blindly at my foe.

Matthew has evaded your attack.

Unbalanced, I stumbled, but Soren caught me before I could fall. The wound in my back was serious but not debilitating—yet. I could still move and fight and intended on doing both.

To my right, I spied a fast-moving shape—Matthew again, somersaulting away. Alon and Adalinda were hard on his heels. Grimacing against the pain, I straightened.

“Wait, El,” Soren cautioned. “You shouldn’t move. It’ll only tear open the wound further.”

Ignoring him, I pushed away and joined the chase. We couldn’t let the bastard vanish again. I only managed two steps, though, before our quarry disappeared once more.

“Damn him to hell!” Alon smashed his axe into the ground in frustration. “When I get my hands on that wretch, I’m going to break him in half,” he muttered.

I slashed my hand down. “Quiet! Pair up and watch each other’s backs.” I didn’t know how many potions Matthew had, but it was clear he wasn’t going to let us go.

Somehow or the other, we would have to kill him.

Obeying my own instructions, and despite the blood soaking the back of my shirt, I braced my back against Soren. I could feel his heart thumping, and I was sure mine was too.

“Watch the sides,” Soren whispered. “He won’t attack from head-on.”

I nodded in understanding, my blade out and ready. A few feet away, Alon and Adalinda had paired up, too. They made for a mismatched duo, but for all that, they still cut a menacing picture. I doubted Matthew would go after them, anyway.

It was Soren and I who were most badly injured. It was we who bled profusely. And the Devil, I suspected, was the type who would look to cull the herd’s weakest first.

The seconds ticked by, and still no attack arrived.

I was sure, though, that Matthew was still around, biding his time, and I continued to scan the courtyard.

“Perhaps he’s gone,” Soren said quietly after another dozen seconds passed.

“I doubt it,” I whispered. “I can’t imagine him running back to Cantos, cap in hand, and telling the Butcher he failed.”

No sooner had the words left my mouth than I heard a faint hiss, like rushing wind, coming from above. Suspicion shot through me. The Devil had used our voices as cover to launch his next assault.

My head whipped upward.

A silent figure was arcing away from the scaffold on a collision course with Soren and me.

“Move!” I yelled. Throwing myself out of the way, I sensed Soren do the same.

You have evaded Matthew’s attack.

Matthew has missed Soren.

My quick thinking saved us, and instead of landing atop us as he intended, the Devil hit empty ground. He landed lightly, though, and with barely a pause, attacked again.

I leaped back, barely dodging the blade snaking toward my throat. Instead of pursuing me, Matthew spun around in search of Soren, but he, too, had retreated and was out of immediate reach.

I smiled. The Devil’s third assault had failed.

“Gonna disappear again?” I taunted, fully expecting him to do just that.

Matthew glanced over his shoulder at me but didn’t respond to my jibe. Had he run out of potions? I hoped so. Hand tight around the hilt of my blade, I studied my foe intently, waiting for his next move.

That’s when I noticed it.

A faint haze hung around Matthew. A shimmer that seemed like no natural phenomenon. It was indistinct, and I couldn’t really be sure I was actually seeing anything, but just as I began wondering if I was imagining things, a Game message opened in my mind.

This entity bears a Mark of Minor Dark.

My eyes widened. He’s a player!

A sneer flickered across Matthew’s face in response. A heartbeat later, he jerked into motion.

Perhaps it was my expression that caused him to attack instead of retreating, or maybe he really was out of potions, but whatever his reasons, the Devil chose then to rush me. Still half-frozen by the shocking realization we faced a player, I didn’t react as he charged me down.

Adalinda, though, was not likewise impaired and launched her own charge. Matthew ignored her, judging my companion too far away to reach me in time.

He was only half right.

Opening her jaws wide, the fire lizard released a condensed jet of flames.

Adalinda has cast fire-breath, dealing fire damage to Matthew!

Fire bathed the Devil, missing his torso but causing his hair and cloak to catch alight. Yelping in surprise, Matthew threw himself to the floor, rolling across the ground in an attempt to smother the flames.

Throwing off my shock, I jumped forward and pinned the thug in place. The flames scorched me, too, but I ignored them. This could be our only chance to kill the player, and frenetically, I jabbed into the Devil with my dagger.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

You have injured a level 14 human rogue.

You have injured a level 14 human rogue.

You have critically injured a level 14 human rogue!

It was still not enough.

Despite his wounds, Matthew fought on, but whether he knew it or not, the battle had turned against him. Rushing forward, Soren and Alon grabbed the Devil’s arms and legs, holding him helpless.

Panting—a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration—I placed my blade under the Devil’s chin and looked down on his face. He’d stopped struggling and, unexpectedly, was smiling. “This isn’t the end, girl,” he sputtered. “This is only the—”

I thrust my blade upward, not wanting to hear whatever meaningless threat he sought to utter.

You have killed Matthew.

✵ ✵ ✵

The light leaked out of the Devil’s eyes, and I rolled onto my back, chest heaving while Game messages scrolled across my mind, flashing for attention.

You and your companion have reached level 12!

Adalinda’s fire magic has increased to level 12, and her natural armor to level 11.

Your light magic has increased to level 13.

Celestial trait triggered!

Your fire magic has increased to level 12, mirroring your companion’s skill. Adalinda’s light magic has increased to level 13, mirroring your skill.

Dismissing the alerts, I wiped away the beads of sweat dripping down my brow and looked around the courtyard.

Blood soaked the ground, and the smell of burned bodies lingered in the air. It almost proved too much, and I felt bile rise in the back of my throat. Swallowing my revulsion, I sat up.

There was still much to be done, and I couldn’t forget there were more Devils hunting us. Rising to my feet, I shuffled over to Matthew’s body and emptied his pockets.

The Devil wasn’t carrying much, only a few odds and ends. Still, I faithfully examined each item in turn.

You have acquired a basic steel shortsword, 2 minor healing potions, 2 moderate darkvision potions, and 1 moderate healing potion.

You have acquired 1 invisibility potion. This item will completely hide your presence for 1 minute. Taking hostile action will break the enchantment.

So, Adalinda had guessed right. Matthew had been using invisibility potions. What I couldn’t help but wonder, though, was why a player would work for the Devils.

Players, I corrected myself. This was not the first player I’d encountered since running afoul of Cantos and his gang.

But the mystery would have to keep a while longer. Time was not on our side. “Come here, Ada.”

When the celestial drew to a stop beside me, I upended the contents of one vial in her mouth, then drank the contents of another myself.

You have restored yourself to full health with a moderate healing potion. You have restored Adalinda to full health with a minor healing potion.

“Perfect,” I said, feeling reinvigorated. Looking around, I saw that Soren and Alon were done looting the other corpses, and once more, were glaring daggers at each other.

I sighed.

“Men,” Adalinda remarked, sounding amused. “Always posturing.”

Ignoring the celestial’s apt, if unhelpful, observation, I turned to face the pair. “We should go,” I said loudly.

“What you did was remarkably foolish, Al,” Soren said, not breaking away from his staring contest with the other man. “We could have died.”

So. It was to be this again.

Alon shrugged. “But we didn’t. And now there are a few less Devils around to trouble the world.” He smiled, but it was a twisted expression absent of true mirth. “A happy outcome, I’d say.”

I’m not sure what Soren saw in Alon’s expression, but whatever it was, it had him rushing forward and shaking the bigger man. “What’s gotten into you, Al? You never used to be this stupid! Don’t you see the bodies? The people we killed. Cantos is not going to let this go.”

Alon scowled. “Maybe I don’t want to let this go either—ever thought of that?” He pulled free of Soren. “And besides, you should be thanking me. If not for me, we’d be dead now!”

Soren rubbed his temples. “There are times I wish I could smack sense into you.”

Alon’s hands curled into fists. “Go on, do it. Let’s see what happens!”

I shoved my way between the pair. “Stop this,” I said firmly. “Are you grown men or children? You both should know better than to believe fighting will solve anything!”

Folding their arms, Soren and Alon looked away, refusing to acknowledge my point but not resuming their argument either.

“Look, we can pick this up later,” I said. “But right now, we need to get going.” I pointed to the corpses strewn across the courtyard. “Or all of this would’ve been for nothing.”

Silence.

I sighed in exasperation. “Do either of you have any idea where we can go? Somewhere we can lay low until things die down, maybe?”

Soren finally looked at me. “I know a place,” he said grudgingly. Without waiting for my response, he swung around and left the courtyard.

Alon made no move to follow.

“Come, let’s go,” I said, tugging on his arm.

With a look that said he was doing this for me, not Soren, he stomped after the smaller man. Rolling my eyes, I glanced at Adalinda.

The celestial was sniffing around the corpses. Just as I turned her way, I caught her forked tongue darting into a pool of blood. I wrinkled my nose. Was Adalinda feeding?

I don’t want to know, I decided.

“Come, Ada,” I called. “Time to go.”

She gave me an opaque look from which I gathered she’d guessed the direction of my thoughts, but she forbore comment as her body unraveled into wisps of smoke.

Adalinda has cast unmanifest.

With my companion in her incorporeal form and safely nestled in my chest, I rushed out of the courtyard after the others. The day had only just begun, and we’d already run into a mountain of trouble.

Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were only going to get worse.