ã€ŠDemonic Magicianã€‹


 1 - Behind the Curtain

    The greatest showman on the continent!

    At least, that¡¯s what the flyers said. For several years I had held a firm grasp on fake-it-till-you-make it, and I had wrung out every last drop that I had the strength to. It wasn¡¯t so much of a lie - I mean, of course you had to suspend some disbelief anyway, seeing as it was a magic show. What was a little fluff around the edges?

    Before the print run, I had already had the argument with my manager about whether it should be continent or globe. Although, at this stage, I couldn¡¯t remember which of us was for or against which option.

    I gave my final bow for the night. The bright lights overhead had been melting me for the last half an hour, and I was sure to find my purple suit permanently affixed to me once I managed to shy away to the dressing room. A show expertly performed, just as rehearsed. The applause of the crowd was heartwarming, and even if I couldn¡¯t see their individual faces due to the near blinding illumination beating down on the stage, their blobby appreciation for my act was enough dopamine to carry me home.

    My cut of the ticket price certainly helped, but wasn''t exactly my main motivation. The figures just vanished - as if by magic - into an intagible space to be used when needed.

    As the lights dimmed and the various stagehands scurried across to collect the spent equipment, the curtains began to separate me from the two worlds. The permanent smile across my face faded and lethargy sunk in as the shade blocked me from view of the roving throng.

    ¡°Great show, boss,¡± one of the assistants nodded to me as he passed. I recognized him - his thick mustache and flat cap had been backstage at most of my current tour events.

    ¡°Greatest one on the continent, Larry.¡± I returned the smile despite my heart not being in it. It was a mediocre show, in the grand scheme of things. How I had managed to turn amusing family and friends into a career of fame, I still was unsure. The people needed entertainment, and it made me feel complete, so who was I to judge?

    I slid my way off the side of the stage, trying to find the corridor that led to my quiet resting place. Nods and faux assurances to all that passed. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t appreciate them or the work - it was just the facade that came with the job tended to wear me down quicker than I liked these days.

    Of course, that was the whole thing - anyone with the knowhow and enough practice could pull off most of what I could do - it was just the spectacle of it that made the difference. Let the people turn off their brains and be dazzled by the sparkles so they wouldn¡¯t be wondering if I had just moved the ball to my pocket or in a hidden compartment.

    Dark gray corridors filled my vision as I found my way through the depths of the building. No need for pomp and pageantry back here - the plain brickwork and barely safety-standard wiring would be for those with eyes already behind the curtain. Racks of costumes and large containers filled with props and who knew what else lined the sides of the passageways to my salvation.

    My doorway loomed ahead of me - yet the day was not over. One last obstacle lay in my path. A portly man of dark skin and graying goatee stood next to his daughter, a young girl with a long ponytail and nerves in her bright eyes.

    They saw me approach - although how could they not? Dressed in a shimmering purple suit with matching top hat, I was halfway sure I could be spotted from space if the clouds were clear. My dour expression beneath messy brown hair turned to a radiant smile before they even clocked it.

    ¡°Ah! Maximilian, I hope you don¡¯t mind, but - ah, Reggie said it would be fine for us to ask for an autograph?¡±

    The slight nerves in his request comforted me. When a fan felt they were putting you out, they were usually much more sympathetic. The ones that acted as though you owed them your time and energy were the worst.

    ¡°Of course!¡± I beamed at them both with arms raised. ¡°Always fantastic to meet a fan.¡± Reggie was my manager, and was usually pretty good at keeping the hordes away from me - these two would have passed his basic test to determine if they were worthy taking up my time. At least, in his mind.

    ¡°Anna here has been following you since the early days.¡± The man nudged the girl forward. ¡°She¡¯s quite the budding magician herself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± I tilted my head as she produced a top hat of her own for me to sign. She seemed more nervous than her father, and shy. Pretty normal reaction to meeting your hero - as dubious as that title may be.

    I slipped a silver marker from my back pocket and twirled it between my fingers. The hat was a simple thing - black with a white ribbon encircling it. One with a false layer to hide things under when held out, and some wear around the edges from loving use. I popped the cap from the pen and wrote on the inside of the hat - my signature long enough to scrawl the full diameter of the inside. It amused me as it made it look like some manner of runes or an odd spell. Magic by another name.

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    With a smile, I handed it back to her. ¡°Anna, was it? Do you have a new hat that you are using already?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, I really like this one.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± I gave her a brief bow. A favored item was always more precious, and I felt slightly guilty to have marred it with my own name even if at their request. ¡°Here - I think the shop is still open.¡± I ruffled around in my inside jacket and withdrew a gift card. Perhaps the least magical thing on my person - but it did allow the wielder to acquire some of my overpriced junk. Well, not all of it was junk, but merchandise was purely a Reggie thing.

    ¡°Thank you, Max,¡± she grinned, clutching at it.

    ¡°We really appreciate it,¡± her father extended his hand, which I shook.

    ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡± My smiling-muscles were starting to cramp, despite how much earnest emotion I put into them.

    ¡°Before we let you go - I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired,¡± he continued, ¡°is there any advice you can give to Anna?¡±

    I paused and clucked my tongue. Truly, quite an open-ended question that had a multitude of answers depending on how jaded or truly helpful I wanted to be. Internally, I sighed.

    ¡°As cliche as it is, I have often found the best advice,¡± I raised a finger in the air, ¡°whether in life or in magic, is that the show must go on. Whatever setbacks or mistakes you make, you have to keep your chin up and take it in stride.¡±

    And avoid getting into show-business. Probably don¡¯t get into a career that revolves around dazzling people with sleight of hand and sparkly lights, only to have your soul drained away. ¡°Oh,¡± I added, ¡°and keep smiling.¡±

    She did smile at me. Her father nodded his thanks again, and then they left. I stood and watched them go and turn the corner down the hallway, before my face sunk and I deflated once more.

    The door relented to body weight as I slunk against it, and the dimly lit room beyond welcomed me with cool but stale air. My temporary place of solitude for this leg of the tour. One show every night for a week, and then I¡¯d be off to some other nameless city that had a slightly different flavor from the last. Not that I¡¯d ever know, between the blinding stage lights and darkened corridors. It was almost as though they just changed the outside world, but I played the same arena every day.

    Light flickered around the room as I hit the switch on a lamp, closing the door behind me with the intent of keeping the rest of the world at bay. Jacket off - straight onto a hanger. Slacks off next. As dazzling as the suit was, it was not made for lounging. And that is what the rest of my schedule had me booked in for.

    Without ceremony, I sank into the leather chair that faced away from the wall mirror. I preferred my introspection without the judgement of my reflection. I wasn¡¯t vain - although it was hard to fake so much grandeur without admiring the scent of it. Staring at my own tired face was definitely a line in the sand I had yet to cross. My career hadn¡¯t waned that far.

    The leather cooled my bare legs as I tried to shove the echoes of the night¡¯s noises from my head. A dull replay of all the cheers, minor explosions, and flashes of light danced amongst my tired brain. It left me feeling withdrawn. Perhaps a part of the dopamine and adrenaline wearing off. Did I adore it and crave it? To some degree, sure. It¡¯s what kept me constantly performing.

    I was an entertainer. Always had been. A bit of a trickster, smart with the tongue, and quick with my hands. I could have turned to pick-pocketing, or stand-up comedy, although I truly had neither the stomach nor charisma for either. I could put on a show where people just had to watch and follow along - give me the occasional gasp or applause¡­ but actively interacting¡­

    With a sigh, I rubbed at my face. Two more nights in this city. Four more cities - and then down for the season. Then it¡¯d be practicing new things, research and development of new tech and routines. A few months of practice, and then back at it again. Some merch deals or occasional one-offs to keep the pot filled up. For the most part, I just had to smile and nod, do my little tricks.

    Reggie was¡­ affable enough. Had the scent of business firmly sussed out and liked to keep me lining his pockets. Not particularly unfair on the distribution of wealth, I couldn¡¯t label him as predatory. Shrewd, yes, and quite the taskmaster when it came to it. But he kept the wheels rolling when sometimes I¡¯d want to hit the brakes.

    ¡°The show must go on,¡± I murmured to myself, repeating the mantra he¡¯d always tell me. What they all told me.

    And it did. I grinned from ear to ear and greeted every blurred face that cared to give me the time of day like I was their biggest fan. Behind the curtains I was solitary. No real friends, little family, and no close relationships. I was friends with the road. The show was my family. Magic was my lover. All things Reggie had drilled into me right from the start, and I had lapped it up - wanting a taste of the full experience.

    Now, five years on, had he been wrong? I was easily in the top twenty well-known magicians in the world¡­ which was no easy feat despite how ridiculous that now sounded in my head. Is this what I had wanted? That was a more interesting question, closer to the point - the sharp edge of reality.

    The chair groaned as I sunk further, and my eyes lazily moved to the poster on the wall. It wasn¡¯t a current one - probably from last year''s tour. I had no clue why they thought I¡¯d want my dressing room plastered with my own advertisements. Maybe so that I could look upon them in moments such as this, and have some confidence in what I had achieved.

    My mouth had become parched, and I wasn¡¯t keen on letting my brain share a similar fate ruminating about my life. I stood from the chair with a grunt, knocking off a deck of cards from the arm. My intention was to stand and have a reaffirming internal monologue about what a great magician and showman I was, and the handful of cards ejected from the small rectangle box put a dampener on that notion.

    I kneeled and pawed them together. It was my favorite deck - one I usually practised with in my dressing room, but didn¡¯t use on stage. By now, this one was a little worn and I''d need a fresh deck soon enough. There had always been something about this specific design that brought me comfort. A white rabbit was depicted on the box art and card backs, atop an etched purple and white pattern.

    Back into the sleeve, they went. I stood again, but something caught my eye.

    Over by the door, on the floor, looking as if it had been pushed under the slight gap.

    An aged piece of paper, the color of sand, folded neatly.

 2 - Suspension of Disbelief

    How to start this journal? Magic was something I once thought was anything but. Tricks of the hand or carefully orchestrated illusions that had a set pattern and answer, just overlaid with the art of performance. It was a show, and the audience was just as much a part of it as the magician - for without their disbelief, there was no magic. Just riddles or puzzles that left you guessing. Without the show, nothing could go on.

    I tilted my head at the offending page. There would be very few reasons for a message to find its way underneath my door. An assistant that didn¡¯t want to disturb me? Something from Reggie - or dare I consider some hastily delivered fan mail? As much as my life was steeped in the illusion of mystery, it wouldn¡¯t do for me to stand around and postulate.

    Not wanting to drop the rabbit cards anywhere else by accident, I stowed them in the breast pocket of my shirt. I probably should have changed by now, but I hadn¡¯t the necessary willpower for buttons. Once again I kneeled, this time to retrieve the paper that had managed to derail my whole train of thought.

    The texture of it was¡­ odd. Familiar. Very old. I allowed myself a little patience to return to the comfortable chair before daring to unfold the creases and reveal the disappointment. It reminded me of the faux old letters I had made as a child using tea bags to stain the paper brown. But it felt more authentic than that.

    I shuffled down into the seat and sighed deeply. Why I allowed myself to put such weight on the reveal, I didn¡¯t know. Gingerly, I unfolded it.

    And gasped.

    Memories came flooding back. One of the first books I had read that had made me interested in magic - an ancient tome my grandparents kept. Yellowed, dusty, somewhat illegible - and with pages missing. Whilst I hadn¡¯t learned any magic from it as such, it had painted my imagination for the things that could be possible. A whole new world that was beyond the technical application of my craft.

    This looked to be a missing page - or at least most of one. Part of it was worn, but there - yes! The style of illustration was exactly the same. A stone archway with a doorway of luminous pink, wavy as if made of fluttering cloth. The words around the page I didn¡¯t quite understand, but the sensory stimulation was nigh overwhelming.

    I still had that book too - it would be over at¡­ wait. So caught up in the prospect of reuniting this lost page to its rightful place, I had not considered who or why it had come into my possession.

    Grasping the paper tightly, I turned my gaze back to the door - as if expecting narrative reveal of the perpetrator. Silence, as reality didn¡¯t seem to have the same amount of flare I had expected. The more I thought about it - the stranger it seemed. If this was a specific missing page from the exact book my grandparents used to have, who would have had access to it?

    My hotel room was a ten-minute cab ride away. Their house was almost two hours, by my rough estimation. Not that they lived in it currently, of course - they had passed on a good handful of years ago. How time flew. My father had inherited it, but he was working overseas for a few months. Quite the shame, seeing as my tour took me so close by. It would have been nice to see his blurred face out in the crowd. Ships in the night, we had only seen each other a handful of times since my grandmother''s funeral.

    I idly tapped at the armrest, unsure of how to proceed. Grueling day tomorrow - some rest and relaxation would be nice. Yet¡­ something intended to lead me on the trail of mystery - a little after-show special. A wry grin cracked the side of my mouth - the show must go on, of course.

    The chair complained as I left the indentation perfectly made for me. We traveled with it - much to the ire of some of the poor chaps who had to get it through doorways and into every new venue. There was something about always having it just where I needed it that kept me grounded. I pulled on my purple suit once more - better to be properly dressed if there was some game afoot here.

    My phone illuminated my face with a pale glow. No new messages - actually, no - there was one from Reggie. He was feeling under the weather tonight, so would grumble at me in the morning. His actual words, not mine. I tried to filter through the events of the evening to try to remember if there were any big enough issues that he might chew me out for. Nothing exceptional - it was a pretty tight performance given we ran it five nights in a row.

    In my early years, I had been hailed for my non-stop shows, the enticed masses wondering how I had the energy for it and didn¡¯t get burned out. Well, the show must go on, for starters, I repeated the mantra at risk of it becoming trite - and secondly; I had held my feet to the fire for so long the heat comforted me. I¡¯m sure that would look great engraved on my urn. There was time enough for future Max to worry about other problems, and I had yet to meet the man.

    I hit the buttons on the technology to arrange for a cab to come and collect me. The true magic was modern innovation, for sure. There was nobody to witness it, but I span the phone into darkness with a flourish - pocketed away for safekeeping. I would get chewed out by a handful of people if I were seen to leave the premises with my suit still on, but¡­

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    Even with my resignation to endure a brief rest, I had left my top hat on. So used to it that it no longer itched at my scalp or brought discomfort by overheating my brain. It was a part of me almost, a visual representation of my inability to separate myself from the job. No, it was a way of life. I lived and breathed the show.

    Thankfully, most of the others working the performance had the invisible strings of other commitments dragging them away from my route out of the building. An almost abnormal absence of interlopers, in fact. For them, it was just a job. Clock out and go see friends, spend time with family, celebrate¡­ holidays? Had I really fallen so far as to forget what normal people got up to? Even Reggie didn¡¯t breathe the business the same way I did - but that was okay.

    I hailed my driver and got into the back seat. A bright smile widened across my face as the twinkle of recognition played in his eyes. The others may be just cogs in the machine that allowed me to perform, but they were important and I understood their necessity and drive. While the passion was mine, they helped make it into a spectacle. I knew of other magicians who treated those supposedly ''beneath them'' with contempt, and it was no surprise to hear of their technical or theatrical blunders along the circuit.

    ¡°Where to Max? If I can call you that?¡± The driver brimmed with excitement, as if I held the cure for what ailed him.

    I raised an eyebrow and gave him a brief nod. It was my given name, after all. There was a pause as I decided on my destination. The driver would want to chat with me, and I would be too polite to decline the conversation. Ten minutes to the hotel would be a lot less stress on my tired psyche, rather than two hours¡­ but I could endure one fan to satisfy my curiosity over the piece of paper now safely placed in my card deck, secure in my jacket pocket.

    Thus, I gave him the address of my grandparents'' old house. And the questions began. Some of them repetitions of previous interviews and I could easily reel off a concise answer with ease, my face enigmatic and animated. Others required a little thought, but every response was delivered with as much joy and sparkle of mystique as I could manage. The darkened trip through the night went by quicker than expected, which I might have been thankful for were my mouth not dry and eyes aching.

    As the cab door shut behind me, I turned to give him a generous tip. To a cynic, it probably seemed like a gimmick to increase public relations - but he was genuine and a nice enough fellow despite the inability to see through my front and know when to shush. And I couldn¡¯t fault him for that. I was a master of illusion, after all.

    He drove away, contented. A job well done, and a story to tell his friends and family. Even other passengers in the near future. Adoration and fame could act like a firework - one small spark and the crackling lights that illuminated your career burst out with wide reach to dazzle all. I just had to ignore the smell of gunpowder and appreciate the spectacle while it lasted.

    I turned to face the building. A pleasant and modest home that my brain had painted eggshell blue and slightly off white - comforting colors under the glow of springtime. Currently, it was just dark and foreboding. Now the corpse of a happier place since the original owners passed, as if the shell had shared the same fate. My father had kept it in good order - even in the shade of night and several months of absence, the shapes of it were at least prim and proper.

    From my purple slacks, I withdrew my keys, and tried to cycle through them under the dim glow of the nearest streetlamp. The one with the green tag. Located, I stepped across the gray slabs that led to the front door. Still the same wind chime that had a carved wooden dove atop it, and the welcome mat looked even more worn that I had remembered it - despite it being practically antique already when I was a child.

    The key found the lock, and the door pushed open smoothly, although it pushed a small mountain of mail across the floor as it went. My finger found the light switch, just where it always had been - and a glow flooded the room after a brief hum. Dark wood and pale marbled surfaces. The flood of familiarity was overwhelming for a moment. Not much had changed - certainly some things had been replaced, but my father had opted to keep the authenticity of the original design, even if it was dated. It was all about the presentation, after all.

    Door closed, I then passed through the open-plan kitchen and into the sitting room beside it, nostalgia both warming and saddening me. Picture frames hung on the wall, showing my grandparents from their early marriage, all the way up to old age. Full lives lived and now gone. With a sigh, I pushed past any reflective thoughts and a bead curtain into what my father liked to call the ¡®weird room.¡¯

    They had always been into odd things. Magic, the occult, those supposed photos of fairies and ghosts that were popular before the advent of modern technology. The room was little more than a converted study. A door to the left led to the pitch black garden, two bookshelves and a couple of cupboards arranged along the walls to loom over a small round table and two chairs.

    My favorite place to be as a child.

    Despite nobody else around to see it, a wide smile crossed my face, and I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I tipped my hat to Roger, the stuffed white rabbit that still sat in one of the shelves, and still felt a twinkle of excitement within me for all the charms, crystals, and other knick-knacks decorating the place.

    I kneeled beside the various tomes that filled the bookcase - half expecting to spend the next hour constantly distracted by long-lost memories and renewed passion - but there it was, straight away.

    With a brief, pensive pause, I took the dark leather book in my hand and slowly slid it from its resting place. A lump formed in my throat as I felt as though I had just disturbed a grave.

    One of the small chairs let out a surprised squeak as I sat. From my jacket I withdrew the gifted page and placed it on the black table that was engraved with various runes and spiraled designs.

    I brushed the dust from the front of the cover.

    Demonic Rites and Foul Magicks, it read.

 3 - Not an Illusion

    Home. An interesting word. One that could house many meanings¡­ but, perhaps I should use the sharpness of my wit to better beat back the unrelenting conflict I now lived between, rather than box myself in and stroke my own ego through my¡­ memoirs? Diary? For me, home had become whatever grip of existence I could cling to with tired hands in this new life - any normality that kept me grounded. Between a sharp rock and whatever had lain before in my murky history, I had lost the tangible comfort of what the word had previously meant.

    I plucked through the aged pages slowly. Despite the banality of the action, my heart rate had risen in my chest, and I briefly regretted not getting something to eat or drink this evening. Every turn brought new symbols, odd diagrams, and archaic scrawling. Some things familiar - particularly one about possession that had a rather perturbed looking devil bursting from the body of a woman. Something that struck a nerve to my impressionable young mind. Perhaps there was a trick for the show to work out there¡­.

    No. I shook the thoughts from my head. A bit too macabre for my shtick. I turned another page, and there it was.

    The missing space.

    Unfolding the paper, I slowly placed it in the gap. Half expecting some world changing revelation, and half anticipating the reveal of the person who had labored me with this tiring journey to pop out from a corner and shout surprise. Nothing of the sort happened either way. The page was a little easier to read now, however¡­

    With the picture fully formed, there was something about it that was starkly familiar. It was an archway, made of a dark stone, with engravings along each brick. I furrowed my brow as I traced one of the patterns - almost as though the texture was something that I¡­

    I stood, holding the book open with my left hand as I slowly walked towards the garden door. Narrowed eyes against the unrelenting darkness, my finger moved towards the lighting that should illuminate the pitch black space - before my brain could start imagining all manner of other horrors that could be lurking back there.

    A flash and what was darkness became shades of green and brown as the floodlight plunged the garden into false daylight. The grass recoiled in shock with the breeze, as the various bushes and closed-up flowers around the edge in different stages of dimming light remained impassive. The middle of the garden had been where they¡¯d grown vegetables, and had a walkway going through it that used to be covered by the most beautiful vines in spring.

    I now stared at the entrance to this walkway, and held up the book for comparison. It was as perfect a replica as you could get. My tongue felt around my teeth. Things were now getting slightly weirder. Again, I wondered when the page could have been taken from the book, and more importantly - by whom.

    Curiosity once again got the best of me, and throwing caution to the wind, I unlatched the backdoor and was greeted by the cool night air. I stepped, gradually, over to this monolith of strange. Near perfect in mimicry. My shoes were soundless across the soft grass as I approached, allowing just my thudding heart and the rustle of leaves to be the only fanfare at the start of this show.

    As I stood before it, I was in awe. I hadn¡¯t thought much of it as a child, not having the missing page, but it seemed they had this actually made at some point before it was torn out. You had to give it to them. They knew what they liked. The picture had a bright pinkish-purple glow in the center - I supposed they didn¡¯t have the time or LED technology to illuminate it as such back in their day.

    I stepped up to it, placing myself in the threshold, and looked down at the book. There wasn¡¯t really much of a ritual here, or an explanation of what the supposed device was used for. Something about destiny and souls. My eyes rolled. I reached out my hand to feel around the engravings that I remembered.

    Immediately my hand shot back as pink light encircled the groove. My mouth hung open. It looked as though someone might be playing a trick on me. Maybe a rival hoping to catch me on video, looking dumbfounded and out of my element. I stood taller - if they wanted a show, I would give them one.

    With a smile, I snapped the book shut and placed my hand back on the arch. Pink energy once again flared where I touched and started to travel to the next brick and engraving above and below. I waited with a mix of boredom and smugness on my face, ready for the inevitable reveal - Maximilian would not be fooled by a simple-

    As every brick became alight with energy, a flash filled my vision. Everything became pink, and I struggled to keep a grin masked over my displeasure at being briefly blinded. Vertigo struck me and I dropped the book as a deep breath of cold air filled my lungs.

    Then there was nothing but darkness.

    My body felt numb against a firm surface.

    Gradually, my senses took hold. Dried dirt thick with grass, my face wet with dew. No - as my aching arms lifted me up to be briefly blinded by the bright green, I saw with blurred vision that it wasn¡¯t dew damping my face, but blood. I must have passed out. Slept all the way to the next morning¡­

    A fist-sized stone stood proud, marred by the crimson once belonging to my throbbing forehead. It had come close to felling a giant, yet I persisted. Although¡­ where I now came to be, and my previous state of being were currently more muddied than my outfit. It wasn¡¯t hard to come to the conclusion that I wasn¡¯t at my grandparents'' house¡­ not at the¡­ hmm, my brain felt fuzzy.

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    I wiped down the purple suit. Very familiar to me, yet slightly off. A top hat in the same color lay on the grass a few feet away, but I was apprehensive to give it any due attention. My surroundings were vibrant in the greens and browns of spring, illuminated by midday sunshine. Very odd. My eyes closed to darken out the visual stimuli. One painfully concerning problem at a time. Something about a portal? Some manner of hell my mind wanted to escape?

    With a deep sigh, I chose to investigate my head wound. Whatever I now knew, it included the knowledge that my soft brain was an important piece of the puzzle. Gingerly, I felt around in the darkness of my own making, allowing the bruised and tender flesh to tell me the tale. Nothing too dire - although I was not an expert on¡­ this. Probably many other things that I had yet to address, as well.

    Soft hair of medium length, partially matted by dried blood. Clean-shaven face, and the usual nose and mouth that I found no discrepancies with. It was me. I was me.

    Not as comforting a revelation as I had hoped.

    I slowly turned to gauge the world that now lie around me. It appeared I was in a clearing in the middle of a forest. Very little else could be gleaned, other than it was objectively very pleasant. As I started to feel around my person for any clues, I noticed a glowing symbol on my left wrist.

    As my fingers went to touch it, to see how real it was, a two-dimensional screen of blue flickered into my vision, white text blaring my name into my skull.

    [Player: Maximilian Russet]

    [Error - Unassigned Class.]

    [Error - Unexpected Soul Designation: Duplication]

    [Scanning¡­ please stand by¡­]

    I stood and waited. Half because I didn¡¯t care to sit upon the grass and dirt. Half because I was slightly taken aback as to what was occurring. For some reason, despite how strange this process was, it didn¡¯t move the panic needle much. Dissociation, perhaps. Either I was too far gone to believe this was anything more than a dream, or the part of me that was tethered to reality was off on holiday. An alien notion.

    A second notification came up while the first sat in the background, doing whatever a ¡®scan¡¯ was.

    [Health Report]

    [Severe Stomach Lacerations - Healed 100% (System)]

    [Foot Injury (Hole) - Healed 100% (System)]

    [Light Head Injury (Blunt) - Healed 40% (Natural)]

    [Soft Landing]

    My stomach and foot felt just fine, other than the small amount of nerves keeping me on my toes. A little observation and light prodding determined I no longer had either of these supposed injuries. It seemed I had arrived here in less than one piece, and after being patched up good-as-new, I had shown my gratitude by immediately smashing my head open on the nearest hard surface.

    [Soft Landing] didn''t seem like an injury, but in focusing on it with a furrowed brow, it then brought up a secondary window to further berate me with details. No surprises that it wasn''t refering to the harsh stone that had been my welcoming party.

    [Soft Landing] [Welcome to the System, you are refreshed and renewed. Ready for adventure!]

    With my head injury, it was hard to agree to some of the bright white text. I did feel... relieved? The malaise and exhaustion that had painted my after-show evening was all but gone. Too soon to jump the gun and say I was ready for another show in whatever fever dream I had wound up in, but I couldn''t deny there was the wriggling worm of renewed passion for my craft. It was just hidden behind a layer of brain fog and bemusement. Some part of me was comforted to be distant from my usual schedule, but I wasn''t sure adventure was my second choice of vocations.

    The needless factoid vanished away, and I resumed the search of my jacket and slack pockets for any convenient truths. My hands withdrew from my trouser pockets to find they were filled with a nominal amount of¡­ ash? Whether these were useful items rent to dust from my transfer to this currently serene place, or the dark powder was a sign of my last location - or vocation - wasn¡¯t really something for me to know.

    My jacket, however, was a place of actual treasure - and my hand withdrew a thick rectangular object. A pack of cards. The cover was deep purple, etched with an intricate white pattern, the colors shifting and vibrant in the light of the day. On the front of one side was the simple logo of a white rabbit. This looked almost just like the card pack I had in real life, but had the extra edge of¡­ well, it appeared to be brand new instead of worn.

    Any further musings were interrupted by the System, eager for my attention.

    [Scan Complete. Compromise Found. Soul Merge Partially Accepted.]

    [Assigning Unique Class: Demonic Magician]

    [Level set to Level One]

    [New Ability:

    ]

    [New Passive: <Sleight of Hand>]

    [New Passive: <Illusion Proficiency>]

    Never in my life had ¡®finding compromise¡¯ felt like a good phrase. Especially when it came to things pertaining to my apparent soul. Max didn¡¯t do compromise. I could remember that much. I had yet to decide on my feelings on what Classes were, but Unique seemed like something with some pizzazz to it - so I let the rest of the internal scream-inducing details slide for now.

    [Magic Item Acquired: Unique Demonic Deck (Rabbit)]

    The barrage of information continued, my apparent intrusion on whatever world I had become part of now trying to catch up with the paperwork lest I become untenable. Something about being a Magician, having a rabbit deck of cards, and the top hat I was still trying to avoid, told me it was at least accepting of my prior vocation - even if it had not heard of me. It was overly charitable to accept it just as it had accepted me, but maybe part of that was Soft Landing nudging my brain into staying put and suspending disbelief.

    The System wasn¡¯t saying anything useful, but I at least wasn¡¯t subject to horrible dissociation. I still felt out of place, but part of me had begun to hope that if I just stayed put, then eventually something more realistic would cross my path. Although what realistic meant was neither here nor there - the grass and trees, even my stone nemesis - all looked and felt real. The breeze brought the smells of dirt and vegetation through my nose. Warmth radiated through my back, where the sun watched me eagerly. It would be comforting if I wasn¡¯t just wrenched from my previous life without explanation.

    The glowing light of the System appeared as a star on my wrist, and tentatively I gave it a tap with my index finger. A rotating menu of words, each with the promise of more flickering screens of information. Easy enough to understand - I wasn¡¯t a total fossil when it came to technology. There was a Player screen, an Inventory, one for Quests, and even something to check the Skills I had just received. There seemed to be gaps for additional things, but I didn¡¯t worry myself with the horrors yet to be unlocked when there was plenty for my muddled mind to drown in currently.

    First up, I chose to check out the Skills - the use of abilities seemed like something the old me used to do - like tricks at my disposal, maybe. This was familiar ground. Even if it had a totally different flavor to it, I found mentally consuming it palatable. Somehow.

    Heartbeat pounding in my chest, it was time to see what I was capable of.

 4 - Edge of the Deck

    For all the beauty in the world, there was the constant presence of conflict. Few places were truly free of danger - and the System expected you to rise up and meet the challenge. Kill and grow, lest you become a stepping stone for those more ambitious and less scrupulous than yourself. And what was the reward for being at the top of the ladder, for surviving and slaying your way across the world to reach the highest apex? I did not know, even at this stage. Any glance of the truth I hoped to steal was buried amongst those who fell before reaching the pinnacle.

    [

    Ranged Attack 15ft - 100% INT Damage. Illusion Magic.]

    [<Sleight of Hand> Your Deception success chance increases with both INT and DEX]

    [<Illusion Proficiency> Effectiveness increased with skills that use this Magic School]

    I tilted my head, trying to absorb the information. It sunk into the back of my mind like a thick paste. All the words made sense, but the context was still beyond me. It might as well have been a recipe for lasagne, for as clear as it was. Slowly, I massaged my tender head. I barely had the time to play video games in my actual life, I''m not sure why my mania had defaulted to this manner of set up.

    But, the show must go on... It was time to throw caution to the wind - and apparently some cards. The

    skill required a Deck equipped - the System was keen to inform me. My feet moved stiffly across the soft grass. Either my muscles were reluctant to accept this new existence, or I had been laying on my rocky pillow with stars circling my head for longer than I had thought.

    Distaste painting my impressionable mood, I grasped the top hat in my hand. My face wrinkled up, my features recoiling from the look. Instead of donning it myself, I gifted it to the one that nearly put me back in the ground - the bloodied rock. Perhaps it was the lingering concussion, but I thought it suited him.

    Some life began to filter into my limbs in earnest. I stepped back to what I considered about twelve feet away from the dapper stone. With my deck in my left hand, I furrowed my brow.

    For some reason, I had expected it to be a bit more effortless. A natural extension of my physical form. Where I dredged those aspirations from, I wasn¡¯t sure, but felt confident enough to drag the lid back over that dirtied pool. Instead, I sighed and put my right index finger atop the magic deck.

    I felt it before I saw it - the slight thrum of energy. The smallest of vibrations of the air, or rather, something within the air. White and purple light curved into existence to form a flat rectangle between my index and middle finger. It felt¡­ not exactly tangible, but it had a presence.

    I flicked my fingers forward, and it left my hand. The skill itself made manifest. It shot across the short gap and embedded into the hat, jostling it backward and leaving a narrow slice in the fabric with a lingering faint blur of purple. The breeze rustled through the clearing as I stood and stared at what I had done, the magical card fading from existence after a handful of seconds.

    My first trick in this new world.

    It didn¡¯t necessarily seem like something I could kill a man with, unless he were to walk around carelessly flaunting an exposed neck. But then again, I wasn¡¯t sure why I expected to have to murder when I was more of a showman. Perhaps I needed more INT - assuming it stood for Intelligence.

    Clearly I didn¡¯t have enough, if I needed to assume that much.

    Despite myself, a wry grin started to form across my face. Magic. Some manner of actual magic - this would work wonders for my performance. My eyes scanned the ground to see if the book had made the jouney alongside me, but it seemed I made the trip solo. I wasn¡¯t sure how my skills of throwing cards would impress those local to this world, but the burgeoning weight of potential fame - of becoming this world¡¯s greatest showman - had started to sink into me.

    Without wanting to get too far ahead of myself, I opened up the next menu to start me on my path to adoration and riches - Quests.

    [Available Quests: 1]

    [Welcome to Othea!] [Travel North to Greenrest, defeating 10 Slimes along the way.]

    [Progress: 0/10 Slimes. Location not reached.]

    Direction gave purpose, even if it didn¡¯t really clarify much. Perhaps answers lay at¡­ Greenrest. Already the System expected violence of me, as if there were no choice in the matter. Become a killer or don¡¯t progress. I was slightly concerned that my reaction hadn''t been obstinate panic at the suggestion.

    I smiled and brushed my hair back, flakes of dark burgundy falling from my scabbed injury. Lucky for the System, I had been a killer - I could at least remember that much. Although, I stopped to run my brain past that last thought. I had been a magician, not a killer, surely? Untoward memories rose and faded just as quick. Eyes amongst the shadows. Any true answer was fogged amongst mist in places my recovering mind couldn¡¯t reach. Strange.

    ¡°Keep the hat, rock. You earned it.¡± I brushed down my suit once more, somewhat put off to hear my voice externally for the first time here. It was my voice, however. The System on my wrist had a small arrow illuminated, pointing in the direction I need to travel. On second thoughts, I took the hat - it was part of the whole outfit, after all.

    North. To exploration, conflict, and hopefully, answers.

    I stopped after two steps, as a warmth began to radiate through the pack of cards. It was calling to me, in a manner of speaking. The familiarity it bore to something from my past felt even more real, as if a reassuring voice was whispering in my ear. No words sunk into my subconscious, but the message was clear. Grow stronger.

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy.¡± I said this aloud as there was currently nobody else to reassure me. My internal voice would take an idea and run with it faster than I could catch them. But speaking my voice into the world made it more real, as if my life was worthy of dictation.

    As my feet made headway through the woods under sunlight broken by the canopy above, I worked my jaw in contemplation. Puzzle pieces aligned, but I couldn¡¯t quite work out what picture I was supposed to be making. Part of me was familiar with the occult, the bizarre, and the untoward. The other part of me was as well - but in ways that weren¡¯t so flashy and painted by the recognition of fame. Where this world fell on that shifting scale, I was yet to fully absorb, but I was gaining a tentative grasp.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I felt like I had a rough enough understanding of the process. Do tasks to gain power and unlock better abilities to repeat the process. It seemed more like a hamster wheel than any real progress, but perhaps there was a path I could carve for myself. Gaining the power to escape seemed like an odd phrase - sure I had come here from somewhere else¡­ but would it be so simple to get back? Sparks of memories faded just as soon as they bloomed.

    If anything, there was just a growing weight within me, knowing something terrible was going to happen. Great. If there was one sure bet to kill my mood, it would have to be bad omens. Both the System and I wanted to gain more power - but I didn¡¯t have the depth of knowledge to understand what that encompassed - would I just be throwing cards harder? Or were there more tricks up my sleeve that I required permission to use? If there was one thing the book left behind had taught me, it was that I wouldn''t want to be someone unlucky enough to have destiny waying down on my existence.

    I stepped forth, northwards, as the System commanded it. My body had gotten used to the prospect of living and being usable, which made the stroll through the forest entirely more pleasant. If it weren¡¯t for the odd feeling of not understanding my past, and the constant reminder that I hadn¡¯t murdered ten souls yet, this would be a small slice of bliss compared to¡­ whatever it was that I had come from. Some manner of Hell.

    The more I looked around and the further I traveled, it seemed almost too picturesque. As though everything had been created from the same handful of near-immaculate set pieces. I supposed that wasn¡¯t too out of the realm of possibility, especially as-

    My feet rooted in place at the sound of something nearby. The shuffling of bushes just ahead, to my right. I placed a tree between myself and the offending movement, fingertips atop my magic deck.

    A spherical object leaped wetly from amongst the foliage to land in an open space as if deliberately revealing itself to me. Despite its pink hue, it was slightly transparent, with two dark pits of eyes above an all-too-cute mouth. The System sought to hold my hand further, and a blue message flickered over the creature.

    [New Monster: Slime <1>]

    I daren¡¯t breathe just in case I scared away the Monster. It hadn''t seemed to notice me so far. The simple thing content to squish around and watch the leaves of the surrounding trees wave about in the light breeze. I almost felt bad about the looming prospect of murdering the poor thing in cold blood. Almost.

    With a wide step out from my hiding place, a card of purple energy formed between my fingers and I threw it out at the surprised foe. Within a second, it struck him directly in what I would call the forehead. The rounded part over its eyes... which was the rest of it, really.

    Briefly, it gave me a sad look as if I had labored upon it the worst kind of betrayal, despite not knowing it previously - and then it popped. A small spattering of pink slime dotted the area as its remains sunk into a thick gel-like puddle on the ground.

    ¡°That was¡­ underwhelming.¡± I tilted my head, perhaps expecting a slight fanfare from the System for taking the first step on the route to being a mass murderer. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t wish for greater hardship.

    [Progress: 1/10 Slimes. Location not reached.]

    The quest had updated, and I was one step closer to an unknown reward and perhaps some amount of exposition. I was being a bit presumptuous to assume I could bring any manner of further hardship to my journey that destiny hadn¡¯t already begun to put in motion. Often, once you started coming into some fortunate luck, the deck became further stacked against you until karma could deal you a terrible hand with a knowing smirk across its face.

    ¡°What now, then? Continue onwards to the meeting point?¡± I worked my jaw again in having to talk aloud to myself, juggling with my sanity. My eyes fell down to the remains of my first victim.

    Of course. It wasn¡¯t enough to take a life when you could also rifle the pockets of the deceased for anything of value. Although, whatever manner of valuables a living ball of slime might hold was as clear to me as to if they even had a soul to begin with. Everything in stride, I reminded myself.

    As I crouched down beside the damp patch of mud and grass, I was somewhat surprised, but entirely whelmed to find that instead of having to delve my fingers into the essence of the Monster, a blue box had appeared to ask if I did indeed want to loot the body. My finger hovered in the air and somehow selected the confirmation of my intent.

    [1 Gold]

    [Slime Gel (1)]

    ¡°I suppose I could take it all. The Slime doesn¡¯t need it anymore.¡± Text notifications filtered down through the side of my vision to inform that the ill-gotten proceeds were deposited in my Inventory.

    Part of me assumed I would be getting some form of experience for my part in ending the near defenseless Monster¡¯s life. Nothing had overtly pressed itself into my tiring eyes, but it was a decent assumption if I were to level. I seemed to have a firm grasp on things, which was more worrying than anything - not because I would prefer to be floundering in the new world, but because it only meant that harsher encounters would surely be leveled my way if I was doing well.

    With a shrug, I returned to the task at hand - moving north towards the location my quest required of me. It was not long before I came across a second, then third, Slime and each one equally fell from a single thrown card. The fourth Slime I completely missed, and I almost died - of embarrassment - as the hapless creature just beamed up at me as if it wanted to be adopted. Cuteness didn¡¯t seem to be an evolutionary trait that was working out well for it today.

    By the sixth Slime, I stopped to stretch out my fingers. It would have been nice of the System to allow me to function with the granted skills without getting cramps or throwing out my elbow - but perhaps these were just growing pains. I bent over, with a sigh, to loot this felled foe.

    [Gold 2]

    [Slime Gel (1)]

    [Unidentified Gloves]

    ¡°That¡¯s something new,¡± I tilted my head.

    Perhaps it was about time I investigated one of my other menus. Inventory popped up to show a grid of squares - two of which were filled. A stack of six pieces of slime, and the newly acquired gloves. Gold seemed to just add to a counter - of which I now was the proud owner of ten pieces. How unusual to have things stored in this intangible space - although perhaps it was the same kind of magic flowing through the deck of cards?

    [Identify?]

    Without the necessary skill to do this on the regular, the System gave me a reminder that I could only Identify Uncommon items at my level or below. The green box around the gloves apparently indicating the rarity. A short bar of arbitrary time sped across my vision and the task was complete - the briefest of jingles accompanying the successful process.

    [Basic Gloves] [+1 DEX]

    Basic seemed a bit mean. Certainly, as I withdrew them from the two-dimensional space to pull onto my hands, they weren¡¯t ornate or expertly made¡­ but they were functional and almost fit with my outfit. Dexterity would help with <Sleight of Hand> so it¡¯s not like I could complain.

    ¡°Getting the hang of this now, soon I¡¯ll be-¡°

    I stopped mid-sentence as the sound of snapping twigs caught my attention. Coming from my left now, it was something bigger and heavier than a Slime.

    Multiple footsteps and murmured voices.

    My right eye twitched as I placed my fingers atop the card deck. Surely they wouldn¡¯t be foes? Most likely other¡­ Players? The word felt odd even though that was what the System had called me. My heartbeat started to rise and thrum in my ears as the footfalls grew closer. Something potentially worse than adoring fans.

    Muscles tensing, I stepped forward as two silhouettes came into view.

 5 - First Audience

    First impressions were everything, I knew this well. Especially in a world where violence was part of the populace¡¯s love language. In all my time here, despite the friends and enemies I had made (and the countless crushed beneath the weight of my self-deluded destiny) I still never really forgot the first people I had met. A quaint and amusing interaction viewed through the rose-tinted glasses on the other side of the mountain of trauma I now sat. At the time, however¡­

    I paused, as I stood out in the open, opposite the two approaching figures - both of them now a mirror of my awkward surprise.

    Both of them male, mid to late twenties if I were to guess - which I currently was. The first looked like he had spent most of his youth in brazen affront to the sun and had a deep tan that aged him beyond the life in his eyes. He wore a simple tunic of gray with a green waist jacket over the top - the color matching a headscarf covering light brown hair and baggy slacks covering his modesty.

    The second had leather armor in a rich brown color, well-worn but sturdy, over a deep crimson undershirt. His black beard and shaved head drew contrast to his bright green eyes. They appeared to be armed with melee weapons, and held them in a casual manner which didn¡¯t seem any less threatening to me - the idiot standing there holding a pack of playing cards.

    ¡°Oh, who are you?¡± The man in green tilted his head, unsure of what to make of me.

    ¡°I am Max, the magician.¡± I bowed - perhaps a foolish act, unless I wanted to invite a blunt object to open my cranium. The hope was that I could disarm them with my charm or the minute chance they had heard of me from the world I had once come from.

    As I rose, the pair exchanged glances. I hadn''t yet been informed by the System on whether Player-on-Player violence was even possible, let alone encouraged, but the looks in their eyes were a better tutorial than any floating bit of text. To them, I was perhaps no different than the Slimes.

    ¡°You¡¯re just Level One, yeah?¡± Red asked me, almost on the verge of licking his lips, his intent being clear in his expression.

    I nodded, considering what would make me look like less of an appetizing dish. ¡°Still in the midst of learning what is on the inside of Slimes.¡±

    Once again, they exchanged a glance, and any tension held deflated as apprehension turned into annoyance.

    ¡°Not worth the trouble for a handful of gold,¡± Green hissed at Red.

    Curiosity got the better of me. I yearned for more knowledge to fill in the blanks, and it was only the dim view of my own abilities that stopped me from cracking their heads open to absorb everything they knew from their juicy brains. Metaphorically, of course. Monsters were one thing, but I hadn''t yet signed up to being a murderer in this strange world.

    ¡°What level are you both, gentlemen?¡± I shot a pleasant smile and tried to look vacant, in the hopes of appearing simple and less of a threat.

    ¡°Three.¡± Red said plainly.

    I worked my jaw, the wrong diaglue option worming its way from my mind. ¡°So, are you purposefully searching out low levels to kill for easy loot, or is our meeting just an unfortunate circumstance?¡±

    A two-level deficit might not mean much, or they might shrug off my attacks as if they were made of thrown cardboard. I narrowed my eyes as they chewed on their response... to see if they had easily accessible necks.

    ¡°Talking a lot of shit for a freshie.¡± Red spat onto the grass.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to kill easy marks, but we¡¯re opportunists.¡± Green grinned, clearly proud about their pragmatism, and more of a talker than the rougher Red. ¡°Not everyone finds it easy to level, so we take what power we can.¡±

    I understood this, to a degree. Depending on how the world functioned, that might even be a very smart viewpoint. If you had to eke out any advantage to stay alive and functioning, then a little punching down at the expense of your morals made sense. Not that I agreed at this juncture.

    Judging by the cute faces upon the Slimes and the vibrancy of my surroundings, it didn¡¯t appear to be that kind of world. Which meant these two gentlemen were nothing if not merciless killers. No doubt I wasn¡¯t their first mark. Whatever death led to in the System, I was not so keen to find out. Not enough answers to fully flesh out how I should feel about the pair. So far, they didn¡¯t look too keen on receiving my autograph.

    There was a coldness in their eyes, the more they waited and stared at me. The realization that they might just be patrolling the area and I may run into them again in the near future - perhaps after the system had fattened me up a little - sank uncomfortably into my stomach. They would become my problem for certain if I didn¡¯t grow stronger, and quickly.

    My thoughts echoed around my skull. I wasn¡¯t about to offer myself up to the wolves, but I would be selling myself short to continue to be unprepared. If they did crop up again in my adventures and wanted to try their luck - well, I hoped the System looked more favorably on self-defense.

    ¡°Understandable,¡± I eventually nodded with a smile. ¡°Well, don¡¯t let me keep you from your business - there''re Slimes calling out for me to silence them.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Right,¡± Red nodded, his face twisting into some confused acceptance of my dismissal. ¡°C¡¯mon Pozza, let¡¯s go find some business to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Business,¡± Green grinned, an overtly obvious wink to his companion, the addition to his slobbering comment thick with their true intention.

    Utilizing a strength brought from my previous life, I managed to hold a polite grin as they wandered off. After their footfalls and murmured chuckles eventually faded into the distance, I exhaled and deflated.

    The decision came rattling through my tiring body - I did not like the pair. Somehow, I could sense my magic deck didn¡¯t either. It wouldn¡¯t do well to make enemies so soon, and perhaps there was another way I could win them over¡­ but the prospect of having to go against them in combat chilled the part of me that just wanted their acceptance.

    I shook my nerves off. Their unsaid threats had left a sour taste to the day, and I found myself annoyed at the supposed System I was now a prisoner of. ¡°Seems underwhelming not to have some concise conclusion to an encounter,¡± I murmured, perhaps still trying to fill an invisible audience in on my inner thoughts. I assured myself that becoming a corpse so soon would be an even more underwhelming outcome for both myself and the world yet to bask upon a single show of mine.

    My eyes rolled at my indignant need to perform, but I had long accepted it. I wanted a sizeable slice of this new pie, but biting off more than I could chew would leave me crushed by a weight I could no longer carry. Pick each battle as it came. Right now my equals seemed to be balls of contented gel - although they did die in only one hit.

    I began my journey to the designated point once more - thankfully a different direction than my potential murderers - and happened by enough of the level one Monsters to fulfill my quota. In fact, ever the overachiever, I slew another four along my travels. Mostly in the hopes that they would drop me something more useful than money and goo - but it seemed I had used up all my luck in avoiding having my level one brain cracked from my skull like an egg.

    The surrounding trees thinned as I stepped out into a small clearing. A handful of wooden tables, ripe for a prepared picnic, sat sporadically in the space. Empty, save for the sparse dusting of loose green leaves from the rescinded canopy. A noticeboard stood proud across the other side of the space, a name spelled out in bold beige text against the dark wood.

    Greenrest, it announced.

    Nothing immediately happened as I stood at the edge of the treeline. Perhaps my nerves were still a little on edge, and I had expected some manner of trap. That would be rather rude of the System to lure me into danger so soon into our relationship. It should at least butter me up with some undue powers first.

    Clearly, I just needed to step closer. Maybe vocalizing this knowledge would settle my confusion. ¡°I fully intend to go read the noticeboard, and accept my ready reward for diligently murdering innocent creatures as demanded¡­¡± I rubbed at my forehead, still pretty sore from my rough arrival. There was just some apprehension, part of my gut hesitant to stride into the open so naively. Still, a fading hope that another doorway would spring up to take me home, or I''d wake from a coma into my more grounded life of illusion and showlights.

    This had been my first step into the new world, and it was already lined with blood and corpses. Not quite what I had imagined, actually - but enough of a sobering thought that it prompted me to step forward. The grass didn¡¯t immediately immolate me, and assassins from the shadows didn¡¯t step forth to fill me with arrows and regret. Small victories. There wasn¡¯t even the sense of being watched, which was almost underwhelming, as if the System was going off-script.

    [Quest Complete]

    [10/10 Slimes Killed. Location Reached.]

    [Receive Reward?]

    I clicked the Yes that was marked in green, as if I needed visual confirmation to do the right thing. Good brain, time for dopamine.

    [Experience Gained]

    [30 Gold]

    [Adventurer''s Kit (3)]

    [Health Potion (1)]

    The items filtered into my intangible Inventory. More things to investigate and allow the knowledge to sink into me. In fact, I would have started immediately - if not for the System message on my wrist pulsing a golden glow. It would be rude to ignore it, so gingerly I reached out to press down.

    [Level Up - 2]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Mana Manipulation>]

    [New Passive: <Demonic Magic>]

    [New Ability: <Summon Demon>]

    ¡°Demons¡­¡± My thought process halted as I felt atop my head to where I was now apparently wearing a purple top hat. I lifted it down, a frown across my brow. I was sure I had left this behind with the rock. No, I had picked it back up - my brain seemed to be playing catch-up still.

    It seemed natural enough to just dig my hand straight in - and I was rewarded by feeling¡­ well, nothing at this stage. Clearly I would have to do some magic the old-fashioned way if I were to woo and wow my way across the land. Where I would find the necessary equipment in what appeared to be a fantasy universe, I wasn¡¯t so sure.

    Destiny. That¡¯s how I viewed it. Knowing that this was a completely different world didn¡¯t make my desires waver. The greatest showman across worlds - as soon as I had my bearings and some slice of civilisation before me, I could perform once more. The show would go on and I would be fulfilling my due purpose. The fact that my current skills might help me along that path was a boon rather than a distraction.

    Exhaling through my nose, I brought up some of the information in the Skills window.

    Demonic Magic seemed pretty straightforward, in that it allowed me proficiency or access to said school of magic. Similar to my already held Illusion Magic. Being a magician in my former life, one made more sense for me to have than the other, but apparently the System knew what it was doing. Perhaps something about the book had been dragged along for the ride after all?

    Mana Manipulation allowed me¡­ some manner of leeway with how I used my magic and the mana used to power it. That was about as vague a description as I could imagine. At this stage there was no explanation of what mana or magic really was, so being able to manipulate it seemed as useful as being a Slime-whisperer. Being a passive skill, I was sure it would perhaps crop up during normal proceedings.

    For Summon Demon, the flickering box of blue was a lot more information-heavy. I brought up the skill description and glazed over the duration and mana requirements to note that I had two options - a melee focused Hellhound and a ranged support Imp. I could only have one out at a time.

    No rabbit to pull from my hat, yet. But the ability to bring forth hellish animals out of supposedly nowhere tickled me in a way that warmed my distant memories. I almost wished that I had an audience ready to test it out - but at least the System had made good on the earlier class designation.

    With a smile, I span the menus around, feeling better about myself. ¡°I guess I am a summoner now, then.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a summoner, are you?¡± A familiar voice crooned from the treeline behind me.

 6 - Showstopping Entrance

    Death would become a close companion on my adventurers, in more ways than one. Taking the lives of monsters seemed vaguely guilt-free even from the outset, and would only numb with time. Avoiding my own demise was a rough road of occasional spikes, that my boots were barely thick enough to tread through without some trauma. Taking the lives of other Players¡­ now that was something that still clung to my soul to this day, even as common as it became. A weight that would one day drag me to the depths if I allowed it.

    I turned my head slowly and was not surprised to see the pair of Red and Green now standing at the mouth of the pathway that I had entered the clearing from. They were both slouched against trees, a twinkle in their eyes now that they had found a morsel worth the risk. Perhaps I''d now learned the lesson of not speaking my thoughts out loud. Externalizing the process made it feel like I was pandering to an unseen crowd, but it looked like the current attendees had tickets for a different kind of show. A lesson hard learned for yours truly.

    ¡°Back so soon?¡± I asked with eyebrow raised, as I glanced briefly at the empty clearing around me to see if there was an easy escape. No.

    ¡°We knew something was up with you,¡± Red offered, as they pushed themselves from their stoops and took their first steps into the clearing.

    ¡°Not just your smart tongue, neither,¡± Green added.

    ¡°And a Summoner always has a special item they use for their skills. Quite valuable, usually.¡±

    Green licked his lips. ¡°Always.¡±

    Their intentions laid bare. Part of me grew colder and steadfast. I held my hand up as they approached. ¡°No closer.¡±

    They stopped, but even wider grins crossed their faces. Red drew a sword, and Green unhooked some kind of cudgel from his belt. Their next steps were written clear as day across their faces.

    Unsure as to where my confidence had come from, I was more worried about how the System saw Player on Player violence, rather than questioning whether my life was at stake. Did I need to wait for them to make the first move to be seen as the aggressors? I doubted it took nuance into account.

    I drew a card from my deck as their bodies tensed up, ready. It had a picture on it that I had never seen on a usual playing card - a dog of crimson fire. My arm extended to show them the small rectangle and a circle of red started to spiral into existence in front of me.

    <Summon Demon: Hellhound>

    A burst of red flame waylaid the assault of the two briefly surprised men as the demon crawled into existence. With the appearance of a doberman who seemed to be constantly on fire, the beast then crouched down and growled at the assailants.

    Red looked to be a duelist of some sort, intending to be the beater, while Green could flank and get opportune strikes in. Neither could be particularly skilled at only a level above me now, but used the advantage of numbers to prey on the weak.

    How my mangled brain managed to glean and scrawl that information into my skull so quickly I did not know. The last true struggle I can remember was getting into my slacks before they had to be readjusted. Holiday season was Hell. I wasn¡¯t sure I could even command my summon to do anything - but I at least thought really hard about what action I wanted it to take.

    Attack the one in green while I deal with red.

    Whether by chance or it that was how this actually worked, my demon started to angle toward facilitating my plan. I threw out a card at the man in red clothing, the purple energy of my magic scoring through the air as it struck him in the chest - leaving a brief mark across his leather.

    ¡°Hah! Maybe not so valuable after all,¡± he grinned, briefly looking down to see the lack of damage sustained. ¡°But now we¡¯ll kill you, anyway.¡±

    He raised his sword as he sprinted toward me, brief panic shuddering through me at my lack of defenses. Green and the Hellhound were facing off, frustration in the man¡¯s face at not being able to assist his duo partner as my summon kept him at bay with the threat of sharp jaws.

    How best to avoid a sword swing? I was woefully unprepared. I neither had the Agility to really dodge, nor anything sturdy enough to hold in the way of the blade. Accepting my fate seemed like a poor choice, but there wasn¡¯t a lot of illusion in my back pocket to deflect a sharpened hunk of metal.

    His attack was heavily telegraphed, the intention to slam the sharp edge of his weapon straight into my torso almost as clear and to the point that he could have told me prior. I leaned away from it as my right hand went up, a handful of [Slime Gel] thrown and obscuring his vision just as his strike landed. The angle of his distracted slash was enough to bite through my suit and into my chest, but not cut too deep.

    "Asshole," he growled, wiping away the gel with the back of his arm. Enough time for me to withdraw a card. There was a rustle of leaves behind me. Hopefully a spooked wild animal and not a third Player come to knock my brains in.

    At this short distance, I didn''t have much choice where to fling it other than straight at him. With my hound tying up the other thug, I would only have a couple of chances before things turned in the favor of the one with an actual weapon. The purple light flicked out toward him as he stabilized himself, and he raised his sword to block the projectile. Illuminating the blade, the card hissed as it slid from the weapon and scored a line of crimson along the back of his forearm.

    Not enough damage. He grimaced through the pain and lashed out with the hilt to punch at me. My arms raised, and I blocked it. Numbness flooded down my left forearm as I staggered backward. His eyes were now aglow with a predatory malice. With a flourish, his sword took on a red sheen to it. His body tensed and then he leaped toward me.

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    The sound of air being cut tore through the clearing, a sharp sound moving at speed ever nearer to my position. I saw Red¡¯s eyes widen as I watched the glowing sword curve down toward me. The flash of pain across his face came as a shock to us both. He looked past me as his attack faltered and the color drained from his sword just as quickly as it did from his face.

    A figure dropped down from one of the trees just to the back of me and rolled across the grass. In my peripheral, I saw them bring a bow up and pull back another arrow.

    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s that crazy bitch!¡± Green yelled. ¡°Run!¡±

    Red stumbled before me, falling short of introducing me to his blade as he looked down at the arrow lodged in his side. There was anger in his eyes as he looked back up at me, but also indecision - this close to his quarry and yet having to escape. But could he escape now?

    He would certainly try. His own life in this moment was worth more than whatever possessions I may hold.

    Green stumbled over my Hellhound as he went to make his escape. In trying to bat the demon away, it instead latched onto his outstretched arm, tugging at his sleeve. Red turned from me and made the movements to run, but his body had become sluggish and unresponsive. The pulse of radiant energy flared across the clearing from the intruding figure to my right, and a glowing golden arrow struck the leather-armored man in the head, imbedding through the back of his skull.

    I may not know much about how this System works, but I knew that getting a solid object through the brain was a short sentence. Punctuated by death. Ah, my introspection was still a little rusty. For what was only a few short seconds I had become a magician''s rabbit caught in the stage lights and had barely moved an inch, yet bore fewer wounds from my indecision than was expected.

    As my hound pulled on the man, blood ran down his hands as the demon found purchase - and then I saw it, the perfect opening. My hand touched the deck and then a purple card was in the air, spinning almost as if in slow motion across the clearing.

    Much greater than fifteen feet, but the card continued despite going beyond the signaled limitations. A twinge of pain ran down my fingers. Yet I watched, almost as though my will guided the projectile, as it slit across the man¡¯s exposed throat while he was busy trying to wrench away the Hellhound. A crimson line grew from where the purple energy faded away.

    Not an especially deep cut, but his shock caused him to grasp at the wound by reflex, allowing the demon to assail him unhindered. After tearing a shred from his arm, it leaped and latched onto his bloodied neck, the crunch of his windpipe soon following gurgles as he slumped to the ground, the hound growling all the while.

    I turned to raise an eyebrow at my supposed savior to see if I was about to receive a pointed hello as well - but also to avoid having to stare at my demon eating through the freshly served corpse. Even if I was no stranger to violence in my previous life¡­ one of my previous lives¡­ it didn¡¯t mean I had to take any joy in it. Part of me knew I was contented by it. The thugs had chosen their part to play in the show, and although I wasn¡¯t center stage for the performance, their display had been admirable.

    The figure stood up to scowl at me.

    An... elven woman, if what I knew about fantasy tropes held any weight. Radiant blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her leather armor of muted forest tones was padded and muddied - some leaves and errant twigs still stuck to it after bursting from her hiding place. I had not seen an elf before, of course, but from the pointy ears and other context clues I felt confident at my assumption. Although, I never imagined them having so much tangible disdain to express.

    ¡°I owe you my thanks,¡± I bowed. ¡°Max, at your service.¡±

    ¡°Manners don¡¯t get you anywhere in this life.¡± She crossed her arms and glared at me, undeterred by attempt to escape her ire.

    ¡°Perhaps not, but they are still freely given.¡± I smiled, despite the daggers she continued to stare at me. Not aggressive - but still growing tired of my presence. A tough crowd, but I¡¯d had a few in my life previously. ¡°What do I call you, Miss¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t at all.¡± She huffed and glanced over at my hound chewing through the would-be assassins. Sliding right past my question, she instead leveled her own statement. ¡°Summoners are pretty rare.¡±

    As much as I wanted to take that as a compliment, that sounded much more like a warning. Surely if these two louts happened to want to pry my magic item from my cold dead hands, then they wouldn¡¯t be the only ones. The elf was hard to read at first, with the constant scowl, but she didn¡¯t seem interested in what I had. Or I would have been next on the list to be filled with an arrow. Something I was even less prepared to defend against.

    Eventually I relented, as she didn¡¯t seem keen to fill more of the empty space in the conversation. ¡°Apparently so. Worth killing over, it seems.¡±

    ¡°A lot of things are, a lot of things aren¡¯t.¡± She remained staring at my summon as if lost in some thought.

    It would be nice to have an almost-friendly face show me the ropes, although it looked like it would be a hard sell. If I could gain some information, that would be the second best thing, so I took my shot at the risk of annoying her away. ¡°Why were you in the tree waiting for them?¡±

    ¡°They would have seen me if I were sitting at a table.¡± She rolled her eyes and turned back to me. ¡°Assholes have been a problem around here for a bit, so staking out some of the first Quest objectives seemed like the best way to catch them in the act.¡±

    ¡°And they recognized you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to give you my life story, magic-man.¡± She sighed, her bright eyes burning through me. The first step in our parlay was reached, as she begrudgingly relented her name to me. ¡°¡­Ren.¡±

    I nodded politely, not wanting to give her reason to regret divulging that information. ¡°I¡¯m rather new here. Is it too presumptuous to ask someone¡¯s level?¡±

    ¡°Four.¡± She looked as though she would cross her arms if she weren¡¯t already doing it. ¡°I could be higher, but¡­¡± Briefly her mouth opened and closed before she shook her head.

    A strong ally would be worth their weight in gold, whether I was aiming for fame or escape. She was the highest level I had seen so far and not only saved my life, but was engaging in¡­ tense conversation without wanting to put an arrow through my neck. Practically best friends.

    ¡°I won¡¯t pry,¡± I attempted to reassure her. "But I was looking for a group to Quest with."

    She shook her head. ¡°I work alone.¡±

    There was an air of finality to the statement. She bore some weight for that decision, and I wondered if that was the cause of her prickly nature. ¡°There must be something I can trade for information, though?¡±

    She eyed me up, searching me for something that may be worth her time. ¡°You just got Adventurers Kits, correct?¡±

    ¡°Something you wanted from them?¡± I hadn¡¯t had the chance to check with the interruption of the two thugs. ¡°Just received three.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± the words seemed to be held back briefly. ¡°There¡¯s a type of cake you can only get in them, and I haven¡¯t had one for ages.¡± Rather than appear embarrassed, she simply scowled at me harder.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you all I have if you tell me your story, or at least some information.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t tell whether the growl that emanated from her was because of her ire, or her hungry stomach anticipation of the snack she craved. Her jaw worked in trying to decide if it was worth her time.

    ¡°Fine.¡± She finally relented. ¡°But the first time you interrupt me - I walk away.¡±

    With a grin, I spun open my Inventory window. ¡°Deal.¡±

 7 - Magic Words

    Friendship was something that didn¡¯t come easily to me, despite the charm and manners I liked to ply to most that I met. I had been solitary in my life before. But this world required actual firm connections, not only to survive the horrors and challenges of the System¡¯s design, but also to retain your sanity and will to go on. Some relationships weren¡¯t meant to be. Betrayal or differing paths separating those that were once close. And some stood the test of time, became pillars of who I was, of who I needed to be to ascend.

    We sat down at one of the benches opposite each other. She rested her bow beside her and caught me giving it an eye-over.

    ¡°Rare.¡± Her singularly worded sentence was meant to fill me in with all the questions I hadn¡¯t asked.

    It looked nice, and I hadn¡¯t seen a bow in the flesh for¡­ maybe a decade? It was hard to remember where or when I had actually last set eyes on one, but it had definitely not looked as well made or ornate as Ren¡¯s. A vibrant wood with blue and silver detailing, small shapes resembling flowers in bloom along the body of the weapon.

    Not wanting to frustrate the elf further, I swung through my Inventory to check out the Adventurer Kits. They seemed to be some sort of pack that I was able to open from within this nether-space, which seemed handier than making a mess all over the table. I tapped the Open All pop-up.

    [45 Gold]

    [Rope (2)]

    [Bandage (4)]

    [Random Armor Box (3)]

    [Sweet Cake (6)]

    ¡°I received five cakes.¡± I smiled at her.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty lucky.¡± Her resolve briefly faltered before her eyes narrowed at me again. ¡°I think the drop is zero-to-two per Kit.¡±

    I chose to ignore the rest of the items for now, and focus on the problem that lay before me. Information needed gathering. ¡°I¡¯ll give you three now, and then the other two, depending on how much I like your story.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She bared her teeth. ¡°That wasn¡¯t part of the deal.¡±

    ¡°I realize now I have the advantage in bargaining power, and the house always wins.¡± I smiled and withdrew three of the cakes, amused to see the elf with a plate at the ready before her mouth could argue any further. They were a simple pastry in an almost cylindrical shape with white icing along the top. She seemed eager enough to get a taste that my transgression could slide.

    She exhaled from her nose. ¡°Alright, close that trap. My side of the deal still stands. Interrupt me or disrupt my enjoyment of the cakes in any way and I¡¯m leaving, shrewd ass.¡± She pulled the full plate towards herself as she struggled to keep eye contact with me.

    I nodded and allowed her the space she required.

    The elf picked up the first cake in silence and bit into it. I averted my gaze to watch the Hellhound, now content with whatever it was able to eat from the fallen assailant, patter over to me. It sat on the ground beside me and whined.

    Unsure what it really wanted, I patted it on the head and nuzzled around its jaw. In my previous life, I had only a few animal companions in my shows over the years. Some days, it was hard enough for me to stand before the light and raucous cheers. I didn¡¯t want to force that on others who didn''t have as much choice as I deluded myself into believing I had.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t burn you?¡± Ren asked, peering over the table as she was onto the second cake.

    I hadn¡¯t thought much about it, but I suppose it didn¡¯t for whatever reason. The hound still flickered in dark crimson as if he was permanently alight, and other than some human gore wetting my hand, I felt nothing. With a glance at the elf, I shook my head.

    ¡°You can answer direct questions.¡±

    ¡°No, just feels like a normal dog.¡± As I withdrew my hand away from him, an arcane circle spun up underneath him and he faded away into mist. None of the dogs I had known had done that before, but from an outside perspective, I had maybe played similar illusions. That gave me ideas.

    I frowned up at the thought of the System I was now bound by. I had some questions for it when I wasn¡¯t so otherwise engaged, and could find some manner of putting the words forth somewhere that would get me an answer. Another time, perhaps.

    Ren picked up the third cake and wagged it at me. ¡°Why do you keep looking up into the air?¡±

    ¡°Thinking about how I can learn new tricks.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes. ¡°You mean abilities?¡±

    ¡°Those too.¡± I rubbed at my chin as she continued to scowl, perhaps trying to decide if I had suffered some kind of concussion... I now realized that my visible head wound was on her side in regards to that idea. Silence fell between us as she tried to read my vacant face.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She took a bite of the long cake and deflected with a sigh. ¡°I came here a while back through a portal of pink energy. My memory is hazy. Nothing unique there, right?¡± She raised an accusatory eyebrow at me. ¡°Probably similar to your own story? That seems to be the common theme for all the Players.¡±

    I nodded slowly. I couldn¡¯t fully remember the circumstance that led me to entering a portal, and the thought that this place was some melting pot of people who stumbled into the wrong dimensional doorway was odd. Like a net being dragged through the pond of existence.

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I¡¯m still Level Four - and those two mangled corpses are part of it.¡± She pointed the nub of the end of the cake towards Red and Green. ¡°They were part of a gang who¡­ are a problem here. So I¡¯ve been trying to track them down and kill them. They deserve it, believe me.¡±

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    She put the last of the cake into her mouth and paused to savor it. She closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. ¡°Hard to get Adventurer Kits often.¡± She returned to scowling at me, possibly remembering I had two more waiting if she gave me sufficient information. ¡°Thing is, once you hit Level Five, you¡¯re out of here.¡± She jerked a thumb backward.

    Out of here seemed pretty vague, and the twist of excitement in my stomach was soon quelled when my sensible brain considered she meant the area rather than the System itself.

    ¡°This place is called New Forest.¡± She rolled her eyes at the basic name. ¡°It¡¯s a small island for the newcomers to get to grips of the System and world. Then the Quest at Five takes you over to the main island.¡±

    I nodded again and bit my tongue. If she leveled up, then she would be whisked away from her revenge plot and there would probably be no way of getting back. I admired the tenacity.

    ¡°With these two in the ground, it still leaves eight alive. Might sound like I¡¯ve been resting on my laurels, huh?¡± She narrowed her eyes at me.

    Despite it being a direct question, I shook my head to be on the safe side.

    She paused briefly, as if trying to recall the taste of the cakes - or perhaps deliberating on whether she should even be sharing this information with me. ¡°It¡¯s difficult as they don''t often travel alone, and the System isn''t well balanced for Player on Player attacks. It gets deadly, very quick.¡±

    Most likely why she was waiting and using me as bait. A little illusory trick where the true ploy was playing out in secret while all eyes were upon me.

    ¡°So I take what I can get, no matter how long I have to spend. So¡­ I appreciate your help even if you weren¡¯t party to the decision, and¡­ I also appreciate the cakes.¡± She crossed her arms and glared out to the forest. It looked like she was ready to leave, but was allowing me to get a word in first.

    Oh, more likely she was waiting for the extra cakes. The plate sat empty before her even as her gaze was looking away as if trying to avoid the obvious. Certainly that was plenty of information - more than I had expected, and while she hadn¡¯t told me what the dirty dozen had done to earn her ire, some secrets were allowed. That was part of the magic.

    ¡°Fair trade, I thank you, Ren.¡± From my Inventory I withdrew two further cakes and placed them on her plate. I then withdrew the final one for myself.

    Her eyes went to her plate and then up to me. ¡°Fucker. Either you¡¯re terrible at maths or there¡¯s something going on behind that silver tongue.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Life has enough hardships without hard words.¡± I took a bite of the cake. Maybe it was just that I hadn¡¯t eaten since my arrival - but it was delightful.

    Ren gave a brief snort. ¡°Good, right? Can only get them in the Kits on this island - and they¡¯re either a rare drop or from Quests.¡±

    ¡°And you can do neither as you don¡¯t want to level.¡±

    She nodded, somehow already halfway through the second cake. ¡°So, what about you?¡±

    ¡°Same really. Weird portal, loss of memory. Unique Class-¡°

    ¡°Unique Class?¡± She actually paused her meal to stare at me. ¡°You¡¯re not bullshitting?¡±

    I shook my head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d never bullshit you, Ren.¡±

    Her scowl could have cut me in half. ¡°You literally just did with the number of cakes, you asshole. Unique is¡­ something, though. I¡¯ve seen a couple of summoners, but none with demons.¡±

    My cake was now finished, and I was somewhat sad I hadn¡¯t tilted the scales a little more in my favor. Still, I could now add finding more of them to my to-do list. ¡°So my goal is to get as powerful as possible, put on a good show, and escape the System.¡±

    I was surprised that she nodded in return.

    ¡°You and most that come through here. Well, apart from the ''show'' bit. A few change their tune before even leaving this island, but I have no idea how good or bad life is on the mainland.¡± She was finished with her cakes now and had stowed her plate back in her Inventory.

    I worked my jaw. Never had I been very proficient at asking for help. Not that I needed help, as such - I was sure I was competent enough to overcome anything¡­ but it took more than one person to run a show. I could use an assistant. Although, I made the mental note to never call her that.

    Instead, I had to offer her something she wanted. ¡°Would you like some help with killing the eight?¡± Murder was a foul word, but I would dazzle all into the grave if it meant I got to dance upon it rather than rest below it.

    Although she looked antsy to leave, she raised an eyebrow. ¡°I told you I work alone.¡±

    ¡°I can bribe you with further cakes if you please, but I¡¯m offering you a far greater meal in getting your revenge sooner. Wouldn¡¯t that be sweeter?¡±

    Ren clucked her tongue. ¡°What¡¯s in it for you, trickster?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple, m-Ren¡± I stood and avoided calling her ¡®my dear¡¯ in case I was added to her kill list. ¡°Allow me to assist in your revenge and prove my worth as a combatant. When we reach the mainland, I would then ask you to consider joining my Party to adventure further if it suited your ambitions.¡±

    Her jaw was clenched, and she slowly exhaled through her nose. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still not sure why you¡¯d want to¡­¡±

    ¡°I admire your tenacity and strong will, and you have great taste in cakes.¡± A little honesty could go a long way, even if I was laying it on thick. Briefly, I wondered if the System considered this Deception - even if I was being earnest.

    Ren rubbed at the bridge of her nose. ¡°Fine. Can¡¯t believe you talking me into this, you ass. But I have some ground rules.¡±

    ¡°Naturally,¡± I nodded.

    ¡°First, all dropped loot is shared equally. Secondly, you have to pull your own weight - so get to Level Four before making promises you can¡¯t keep.¡± She drummed her fingers on the wooden table. ¡°And third, no flirting with me, or I¡¯ll pin you to a tree.¡±

    I opened my mouth.

    ¡°With an arrow.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± I grinned. My effective power had at least tripled with my new ally, and the prospect of carving a path through this world seemed all the more doable. I could almost see my name in lights from here, down in the mud.

    ¡°Try not to smile so much, too.¡± She sighed and shook her head. ¡°If the System sees that you are too happy, it¡¯ll find a way to ruin your day.¡±

    I pressed at the notification to see what Quests I now had available to me; the light illuminating my wide smile.

    ¡°Well then,¡± I shot a brief glance toward my displeased companion. ¡°We¡¯d best stock up on cakes to cheer us up from that eventuality.¡±

    She shook her head, but her expression didn''t seem to disagree. "What we need to do is go loot those two." Her eyes gestured over to the corpses I had a hand in creating.

    It was something inevitable that I hadn''t really let sink in so far. Sure, it stood to reason that Players could be looted the same as the monsters I had been erasing from this world, but there was a thin curtain of my prior morality that dimmed my view of the process.

    [32 Gold]

    [Leather Bracers]

    [Apple (1)]

    [Bandage (4)]

    I stopped for a moment, looking down at the shocked face with an arrow in the back of his head. There was an uncomfortable feeling, and not just because the System didn''t seem to allow me to strip them completely. Perhaps it would be even more uncomfortable if I could. As much as I could have spent hours deliberating over what was worth taking, I chose to be pragmatic and not delay the elf further.

    "Here." She stood from the thug with the torn out throat. "Some linen trousers with damage absorption. You''ll need that."

    The sinking feeling in my stomach told me that was underselling the truth.

 8 - Sorry to Boar

    The System liked to be¡­ inconsistent when it came to how much danger a Quest should be for you. While the beginner ones were meant to hold your hand, once you had moved beyond the safety of the more pleasant climates it cared less about your well-being. Were the rewards even worth it? The number of things that were ¡®worth¡¯ what I had endured on my travels was a short list. But those few may have well been chiseled in stone, for how they kept me grounded.

    ¡°Do you always breathe so loudly?¡±

    I frowned at the elf. Sure, the trek through the woods on to the next Quest had been a bit more cardio than I was apparently used to - but I did have ''magician Stats'', after all. Or something to that effect.

    While the churlish nature of my companion had been amusing at first, the fact that her mood had gone unchanged was edging it closer to being worrying. Whilst I was usually unflappable on a good day, the near endless scowl of the supposed Ranger was having me doubt myself.

    ¡°The world I am from has a different atmosphere. I am still adjusting.¡± I gave her a shrug.

    ¡°Do you always bullshit, too?¡± She rolled her eyes and looked off into the distant woods.

    I took a moment to consider the question. If I were honest with myself, then certainly - it seemed I was liable to lie or bend the truth to wiggle free of social discomfort - but there wasn¡¯t a malicious intent to it. Just part of my charms... which is something I at least believed I had, even if reality hadn¡¯t caught up to that fact.

    ¡°Are you always so grumpy?¡± Not the best example of my alleged charm.

    ¡°I am.¡± She stopped and looked up at me. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I just wanted to make sure it was your default state and not an error of my making.¡± I gave my best try at a polite smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re annoying, but it¡¯s not you. As self-centered as that makes you sound.¡± She sighed and shrugged. ¡°Pa always told me I had the temperament of a dwarf rather than an elf.¡±

    I barely remembered much beyond a small handful of things I had been. My father was... someplace not often present. ¡°You remember much about your parents?¡±

    Ren bit her lip and her eyes unfocused, as if trying to reach inside her mind for the memories. ¡°Occasionally, it¡¯s foggy and comes and goes.¡± She snapped out of it and scowled at me. ¡°Boars are nearby, trickster.¡±

    For all the confusion rolling around in the back of my mind, I was pretty sure I had parents, too. Seemed natural. Something about a house... lots of magic. A white rabbit¡­ I knew I didn¡¯t like pigs, for whatever reason, and was slightly pleased that the next batch of murders the System commanded of me was to kill ten Boars.

    Just two more levels and then we¡¯d work on Ren¡¯s personal Quest. I had signed up for actual murder with little complaint, despite only hearing one side of the story. Was it because I owed the elf my life? Or because she had such conviction about the task? Maybe I didn¡¯t feel someone so easily won over by sweet pastry could have ill intent. Definitely wasn''t those bright blue eyes that drew me in.

    ¡°There.¡± Ren pointed out to a clearing a few dozen feet out. Three boars stood around, snuffling at the ground. ¡°Two will flee when you attack one. I can¡¯t do much as I don¡¯t want to get any experience.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± I nodded. I rifled through my magic deck, and it seemed to be normal cards at first. No interesting pictures like when I had summoned a demon. This time, I would probably give the Imp a try.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren crossed her arms.

    ¡°Just wondering things. Are the demons I summon the same ones every time, or different?¡± I hummed and tapped my fingers at the top of the deck, as if an answer could resonate through it.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Ren was tapping her foot now, clearly unimpressed about missing out on half the conversation I was having with myself.

    ¡°It¡¯s likely it¡¯s a different demon every time, but I suppose I¡¯ll know for sure once I use the ability more.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± She nodded and relaxed her posture, looking back at the boars ahead of us.

    Perhaps she just wanted to know how things worked too, or had a vested interest in demonology. Or dogs.

    I narrowed my eyes and crept forward, unsure as to how close I could get without attracting the attention of the monsters. The Slimes had been content enough to hop up to me as if we were friends, but I doubted things would be that easy going forward.

    [New Monster: Boar <2>]

    My hand drew a card from the deck - one with a picture of a spherical demon of crimson with a little pitchfork and pointy tail. I held it aloft and cast the spell.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    <Summon Demon: Imp>

    An arcane circle swirled by my feet as the foot-and-a-half-tall Imp crawled out from Hell. Much like the picture on the card, he had ruddy crimson skin and was almost comically round in shape. Ears, nose, horns, and tail were all pointy in contrast - although he didn¡¯t hold a pitchfork.

    ¡°Alright, champ. We have some little piggies to cook.¡± I gave him a nod, and he returned the gesture with a hint of excitement in his beady eyes.

    I drew a purple rectangle for

    and held it ready. Despite the skill description having a fifteen foot listed range, I seemed to be able to throw it almost double that. Perhaps it was more of an effective range than a hard limit. Testing would need to be done, and I had a feeling <Mana Manipulation> had something to do with it. The Imp watched me, waiting to see which target I would strike.

    With a flick of my arm, my wrist snapped the card through the air - a slight arc to it as it curved past two trees and sliced along the flank of one of the grazing Boars. It turned to me with pain and anger in its eyes, as the two other beasts sprinted off in different directions in panic.

    The Imp started gathering energy, creating a small fireball between his tiny hands. As I drew a second purple card, the flame was thrown forth toward the charging boar. The bright amber of the fire attack left a glow across the forest floor before it struck the creature straight in the face.

    With a shriek, the boar stumbled, blinded by the burn across its face. Just enough distraction for my thrown card to strike it dead center in the skull - piercing it with a sharp crack. The creature took another step and then flopped over heavily.

    ¡°What was your plan if it got into melee range?¡± The scouring tone of Ren came from behind me.

    ¡°Probably get gored and spill out all that freshly eaten cake from my punctured insides.¡± I turned my head back to her, and wasn¡¯t surprised to find my casual attitude didn¡¯t soften her sharp edges.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll have to take things a little more seriously if you¡¯re going to help me.¡±

    While it was nice to hear again that she had accepted my help, I didn¡¯t feel it prudent to espouse my feelings on the benefit of having a joyous take on life, to deal with the rather ridiculous world I now found myself in. Instead, I just gave her a nod and turned to walk over to my prey.

    [Boars Killed: 1/10, Boar Meat, 0/5]

    ¡°I can definitely see a lot of meat on this little piggy.¡± I frowned toward my Imp, who had come to stand beside me and inspect the corpse as well. ¡°How do you even quantify five meats?¡± It looked like two or three meats to me.

    ¡°It¡¯s a specific drop.¡± Ren followed up behind us and leaned against a tree. ¡°I realize how bizarre it is, believe me. You¡¯d think you could just butcher and cook up the boar as it is, and you can, but for the Quest you need the specific Inventory item drop.¡±

    I looked at the slot in between its eyes where my attack had struck it through the brain. ¡°Well, we will just have to get lucky with the bacon, then.¡± Tilting my head, I gave the Imp a pat on the head. ¡°Well done, bud.¡±

    One of the two boars that had run off had settled not too far from me, rather unrealistic, I thought - although my knowledge of actual boars was probably rather limited. My fingers drew a card, and I held it briefly to feel the power of it. The magic had a vibration to it that I was manipulating with my ability. Perhaps if my passive skill was the cause of the extended range, I could do even more with that. If I could only work out how to make a show of it¡­

    The card zipped through the air, swerving around a tree just before hitting the boar. With the spark of fire, we played out the same couple of attacks for this boar, and then two others. Each one fell from a card, fireball, card combo. Satisfyingly consistent - just like all good magic should be.

    My Imp turned to me and waved a thin little arm at me, as an arcane circle started to glow around his feet. I gave him a quick bow as he descended into mist.

    [Boars Killed: 4/10, Boar Meat 1/5]

    ¡°Finally.¡± I checked my Inventory to see the icon of some well-butchered boar meats. ¡°Hope the drop rate picks up.¡±

    ¡°Did you open your random boxes yet?¡± Ren again hovered in the backdrop, arms folded.

    ¡°Are they worth it?¡± I stood and brushed my suit down. ¡°I already look pretty snazzy.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be dense, armor has Stats and actual defensive bonuses. Your¡­ suit is just cosmetic.¡±

    ¡°I did find gloves with Dexterity on them.¡± I looked at my hands with furrowed brow in the realization that it didn¡¯t look like I was actually wearing them. Seems there was both an equipment set that you could gain stats from, and one that was on show. ¡°Alright,¡± I gave her a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve convinced me.¡±

    Fingers on the menus, I opened up the Inventory again to check the boxes. Knowing my luck, I might just get another three pairs of gloves. Open All saved me some intangible-button pressing.

    [Basic Leather Boots]

    [Basic Leather Boots]

    [Basic Cloth Helm]

    ¡°I am thoroughly whelmed.¡± I gave Ren a shrug as I equipped the various things. It wouldn¡¯t let me put two pairs of boots on, or one of each - which was almost as disappointing at just getting only Common rarity gear.

    ¡°The rates are terrible, but you¡¯re slightly further away from having your intestines gored out.¡±

    ¡°Now I¡¯m truly living.¡± I smiled out at the forest. Part of me hoped she would at least attempt to save me if it came to that - she couldn''t be totally on the cusp of leveling out of being on the island.

    With a stretch, I allowed myself a yawn. I wasn¡¯t sure what time of day I had arrived in this world, but it now looked to be in the post-noon period of sunshine. Assuming the sun rose and sank like in my previous world. Still, things had been more tiring here, with violence being the main activity. The socialising had been a strain, as well.

    ¡°There¡¯s another Quest after this one, then you¡¯ll Level up again most likely.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t wait. Despite the spot the cake had hit in my empty stomach, I was hungry for something greater. The desire for more power had sunk in behind my eyes, and the promise of furthering my demonic abilities was almost enough to put a spring in my step. Even more so because it would annoy Ren.

    Doubly so, as ideas were popping in the back of my brain for ways to use my new abilities as tricks in my next show. I¡¯d need a pen and paper to really scour my intent into being, so the invention was on pause until we had rest in some town or city. Things seemed to be looking up for me, and I couldn¡¯t wait for what the future may bring.

    Between two fingers, I drew the Hellhound card and grinned out at the world ahead that opposed me.

    Two red eyes glared back at me. The snuffling of a nose bigger than a normal boar, followed by the shaking of chains came from the dense bushes to my right.

 9 - Dire Situation

    Some lessons were easily learned compared to others. It seemed that the ones that required you to be dragged bloodied and screaming into acceptance were the most important, however, if only so you didn¡¯t make the same mistake again. That was human nature, though. To strive for a goal no matter how unreachable, all the while repeating terrible history over and over. You just had to hope your brain caught up with the acceptance before your folly dug a nice hole to lie down in, forever.

    ¡°What is that?¡± I clenched my teeth together, gripped with panic as the creature came into view. My Hellhound sprung from the ground and immediately began growling.

    [New Monster: Dire Boar <4>]

    Oh, thank you System, for having killed the intrigue of the encounter. It wasn''t like I couldn¡¯t have assumed as much myself, although knowing the level was handy to know how much danger I was in. As the crimson eyes loomed through the shadows, my quick glance told me that the current hound was a different one, although similar in appearance and just as eager to defend me.

    The large monster stepped out from the bushes. Its short, coarse fur was a deep gray and its skin scarred from the supposed battles it had survived. Around the four stout legs were metal cuffs and short lengths of a broken chain.

    ¡°Not sure¡­¡± Ren seemed slightly hesitant. ¡°Those aren¡¯t usually native to this area. The chains suggest an escapee.¡±

    ¡°Pet of one of your ¡®friends¡¯ that has escaped?¡± I put my hand to the deck and felt the hum of energy. Somehow I doubted a couple of cards would fell this beast.

    ¡°Somewhat likely. Are you going to flee?¡± Her voice was impassive, clearly intending to see what my course of action would be. Judging me for it.

    The creature was worrying, certainly, but I wouldn¡¯t baulk at such an early stage. Test or not, I was capable and confident. As the Dire Boar stopped to pad at the mud, ready to charge, I flung out my first card.

    My Hellhound sprung forward, keen to meet the monster and halt the attempted charge. The purple card struck along the edge of his face, a dark line burned through his thick fur. No blood that I could see. Second card was already being made manifest as the hound was halfway to our target.

    The boar rose up and then slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave around it that cracked the ground. I paused in surprise before sending the second card out. My hound was slightly stunned from the wave of force, and wasn¡¯t able to move as the dire creature sprinted forward and struck the demon with his tusks.

    As the Hellhound yelped and slid across the ground, spilling demonic blood, my card buzzed through the air where the boar had once stood - completely missing. Anger burned through me at seeing my little friend injured.

    I couldn¡¯t accept this. My magic tricks didn¡¯t miss. Unforgivable.

    My fingers clenched together, and I took a grip on the energy flowing through my deck. The spinning card slowed in the air behind the boar before reversing course and slashing into the back of one of his hind legs. It grunted in anger, but after glaring towards me, it turned his attention back to the injured demon.

    A stinging sensation radiated around my hand. I ignored it and drew another card. Flinging it into the air higher than the opponent. As it blurred upward through the air, I pulled it down atop him - a spark of purple as it severed through part of the boar¡¯s ear.

    The monster snapped at the air as if it expected the cause of the damage to be above them. The Hellhound leaped up from the prone position on a broken leg to snap against the exposed throat of the dire beast. Blood dripping from the puncture wound, the boar kicked out and tried to shake the demon loose - but the demon was latched on tight.

    With aching fingers I threw another card out, this one wide to the right. I circled it around in the air, awaiting an opening - and then with a flick of my wrist it tore down into the boar¡¯s right eye. I tensed my hand even as sharp pain flared through my bones, and the card remained present and spinning for a couple of seconds before fading.

    I hadn¡¯t realized I had been holding my breath, and the air left my lungs so I could gasp deeply. Sweat was running down the side of my face and my right arm felt numb. Still, my focus was entirely on the battle ahead. Eye on the prize. I even had a smile affixed to my face to impress the crowd.

    The boar had slowed now. As the limp body of my summon dangled unfettered from its neck it was draining precious lifeblood. My next attempt to draw a card felt harder to realize - I was slowing too. No time to contemplate whether I had expended my mana reserves or had just physically worn myself down. I clenched my teeth in a grimaced grin as I forced another to appear.

    It flew through the air without the energy of the previous attacks, and I didn¡¯t have much hope it would do much with weaker power. It hit the back leg again, not really enough to score damage, but enough for the boar to stumble and succumb to lethargy. The Hellhound dropped to the ground as the dire beast stopped moving.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Immediately, I ran over to him, and scooped his blood-soaked head up into my hand. He had at least a broken leg and gored chest. It was hard to see any more through the flickering flame and boar blood. I stroked his head and ears. ¡°You did perfect, buddy. I¡¯m proud. Go home and rest.¡± I unsummoned him, and his form returned to a dissipating mist. He would heal back in Hell. Knowledge I had, even though I wasn¡¯t sure where it came from or was even true. I had to believe it.

    With a sharp, gurgling growl, the boar reared up and leaped at me. A last-ditch attempt to mete out some anger it held with its tiny brain. Somehow I managed to grab onto the tusks, avoiding being impaled as it trampled atop me instead. Blood and saliva splattered down onto my face, the constantly leaking neck injury soaking my suit. It took all my strength to try to wrench the mouth away from my neck, and we rolled across the ground, his heavy weight briefly crushing me.

    Muscles in my arms burned and shook as I found myself underneath the beast again. My body was in pain but adrenaline kept me focused on the present danger. Warm air burst across my face as he breathed heavily and tried to destroy me in his death throes. Mentally, I focused and manipulated the mana stream that I could feel from my deck several feet away in the mud. A card withdrew and, with difficulty, made it over to me.

    I sent it up into the throat wound. Focused on nothing but my arms holding the tusks away, and the card persisting and spinning. The world was dark around me as I danced with almost passing out. My opponent became lax, and with pained arms, I slowly gained enough ground to where I could push the still body off.

    With bleary eyes, I stood and stumbled away. My chest was covered in blood and my breathing was ragged. Pain flared in my skull as a headache barged in wearing heavy boots. Footsteps drew near as I doubled over, hands on knees, and I tried to keep those sweet cakes in.

    ¡°What did we learn today, then?¡± Ren admonished me, but there was the slightest soft edge to her words. Or perhaps that was wishful thinking.

    ¡°Blood tastes awful.¡± I spat out a mouthful, undecided on whether I was hoping it was mine or the boars.

    Pain started to wrack through my body as the wounds I had actually taken came by to make their presence known. My left shoulder had a gash through it, my legs a few scrapes and bruises, the thumb on my left hand was probably broken, and my right hand just burned as though I had stuck it in some fire.

    I breathed deeply, which was also painful. Maybe broken ribs? Or just bruised. I didn¡¯t have a lot of experience with being put through a wringer. ¡°I bet that was quite the show, though?¡± Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t raise my torso to shoot her a smile. I settled for coughing up a bit of agony and blood again.

    ¡°Stupid asshole, this isn¡¯t a game.¡± I heard her sigh. ¡°Here, but don¡¯t let this become a habit.¡±

    She pressed a hand against my sore shoulder and immediately a wave of soothing energy passed through my whole body. I wiggled my hands, which were now pretty functional, if not just aching still. With a furrowed brow, I stood up straight, finding myself mostly put back together.

    [Total Health: 85% (Healed: Ren)]

    [Full Report?]

    I chose to not review the full extent of my injuries. I was already thankful enough that I hadn¡¯t died beneath the large pig. What a way to go. Against the dirtied sleeve of my suit, I rubbed the sweat and blood from my forehead.

    ¡°Thank you, Ren. I owe you again.¡± Tempted to bow, I didn¡¯t want my head to fall off my delicate shoulders just yet.

    ¡°Adventuring is a lot of dragging each other from the brink. As long as you reciprocate eventually, then it¡¯s nothing.¡± She tilted her head, still disappointed in me, but not as curt.

    The amount of healing was a surprise. I had thought she was some manner of Ranger, and she would have a focus on bow attacks and survival abilities. Although the reasoning that had led to me to this conclusion had now vanished off into some nether inside my brain.

    ¡°What is your Class?¡± I wanted to ask in a less direct way, but my nerves were currently shot.

    ¡°Surprised by the healing?¡± She could read between the lines. ¡°Yeah, I like to be underestimated and seen as just a Ranger.¡± A scowl crossed her face. ¡°I¡¯ve actually¡­¡± she paused, briefly unsure if to give me the information. ¡°I¡¯ve got a Rare Class, called Oathwarden.¡±

    I nodded slowly, not really understanding what that meant. At least mine did what it said. I summoned demons. I did magic. I was a Demonic Magician. Did she ward oaths? Maybe I was just shaking a little too much to fully understand the basics. Perhaps I needed a quick nap - a sharp visit to my friendly floor-rock again.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit like a mix between a Ranger and a Paladin.¡± Her eyes tried to read me, slight concern for my well-being behind them. ¡°So, some healing, some defensive abilities, bow attacks¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, you killed Red with something that had like a¡­ radiant glow.¡±

    ¡°Red? Oh, yeah. You can¡¯t see what skills are called when other people use them, unless you have a certain ability yourself - so it¡¯s been easy enough to keep my Class secret.¡± She looked off into the woods.

    ¡°Well, your secret is safe with me. A Rare and Unique teaming up would be quite the force multiplier, huh?¡± This time, I did manage a smile. I opened up my Inventory to check those Bandages found earlier - and was contented, if not bemused, to see that they healed a flat 15% of my Health.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t die first. You need to get some smarts knocked into you.¡± She rolled her eyes at me.

    She hadn¡¯t interfered, and I understood it. It had been my decision to engage instead of flee. In that moment I had committed to my fate, and had to either overcome or sink below. Had it been worth it? Well, I lived and had worked out what <Mana Manipulation> allowed me to do. Mostly destroy my hand in the process, but it was early days. I hadn''t even needed to touch the deck to summon the card.

    As I finished wrapped my arm in a Bandage, a little meter went up - and I was just about good as new. I checked my shoulder and legs and all cuts had healed over. My muscles were still achy, and I was sure to have bruises tomorrow - but I was about as far from death as I could possibly be.

    My feet stumbled the rest of my body over to the dire boar''s corpse, half expecting it to rear up against me again like some kind of zombie. I would need to get something to protect me from close range death. The loot button appeared and my eyebrows raised.

    [46 Gold]

    [Tusks (2)]

    [Boar Meat (2)]

    [Rare Chance Box]

    Now that might have made the whole grueling performance worth it.

 10 - Hidden Coin

    As things stood, my first brush with death was not the sobering event it should have been. Certainly, I had come closer to ceasing to exist many times in my travels, but the dire boar had a special place in my heart. Not one I enjoyed reliving of course, but there was something about the ferocity and feral nature of writhing for my life in the dirt against a terrible beast. It played up to that part of me that desired to mete out violence and eagerly held hands with the other part of me that wanted to put on a good show.

    Ren continued to glare at me. ¡°Why not open it already?¡±

    I imagined that her scowl would be a permanent companion for as long as we traveled together, and after staring at death in the slobbering maw a few hours earlier, her temperament no longer bothered me.

    ¡°Suspense is an important part of the show,¡± I murmured, eyes slightly glazed over as I looked at the path ahead.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a show. This is real.¡± There was an element of actual annoyance in her statement this time.

    ¡°Shows are real, too.¡± I raised my eyebrow at her as my eyes focused. ¡°I¡¯ll open it when we hand the Quest in, I promise.¡±

    The elf sighed. ¡°Fine. I just¡­ sorry, I have no patience for unopened things.¡±

    On the other hand, I was not a fan of the Chance Boxes or any sort of randomly assigned loot. Give me a solid outcome, some known factors that I could work with and plan accordingly. ¡°This one won¡¯t have cakes in, right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    If I could trade it, I would probably give it to Ren. There was a chance it would be something I couldn''t or didn¡¯t want to use, anyway. Like a two-handed axe, or plate armor. The System had already given me a Unique weapon to match my Class, so that may be something I needn¡¯t worry about for the near future.

    The boars had been a bit more skittish after I had felled the dire one, as if word had gotten around that I was a dire portent of pork-ending malignancy. It hadn¡¯t stopped me from farming up enough of the required meat to be able to turn the Quest in. Apparently, this would be where I¡¯d meet my first NPC - a non-player character that was wholly System-created. Like some kind of puppet, come to life.

    I was partially hesitant to start seeing more of the System laid bare. So far, everything had wanted to kill me. Especially things that I wasn¡¯t trying to kill. Any poeticism or further reflection was lost, as my brain had become too tired. It had been an eventful day for a man who had only just spawned in this world.

    ¡°The dire boar won¡¯t have caused me to jump up enough experience to level sooner, will he?¡±

    ¡°Probably not. Experience is geared towards Quests, mostly. You really have to grind Monsters to put a dent in it.¡± She idly tapped at her belt. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how that translates past the island.¡±

    The whole world, beyond the island. It was hard to imagine, and I was thankful for the introductory space despite how bloody it had been. Not that it was any less of a shock compared to my existence previously, but at least they kept the wild differences to a minimum. I was walking alongside an elf. I could summon demons. I still couldn¡¯t get the taste of boar blood from my tongue.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you, Ren. I am certainly missing the taste of those cakes.¡±

    ¡°They must put something addictive in them.¡± She shook her head.

    ¡°I bet you there¡¯s a shop that sells them all the time on the mainland.¡± I smiled at her and she rolled her eyes, her scowl briefly softening.

    ¡°Well, I try not to dream too big, trickster. But if there is, then you owe me the first handful.¡±

    ¡°A dozen, at least.¡± I narrowed my eyes out to the woods. The trees were starting to thin again, which usually meant some kind of hub or landmark was nearby. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have plenty of opportunity to save my life before then.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll start pulling more of your own weight.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± I turned back to her with a smile. ¡°And you just said you try not to dream big.¡±

    I almost got a brief smile out of her - perhaps my most hard fought and glorious victory so far. Although she had been pretty against the idea of our partnership, part of me suspected she was warming to the idea that not everyone was bad news. I would press her on what happened with the twelve goons at some point, but for now, the boat didn¡¯t need to be rocked.

    Whatever brief moment of camaraderie soon faded as she looked away. ¡°You saw how quickly I dropped those two. You need to be more decisive and ruthless when it comes to fighting Players.¡±

    In my mind, I remember having killed one of them, but I understood her point. An actual person wouldn¡¯t be so simple or easy to wrestle with as a boar. Not with abilities. If we had to fight through another eight¡­ well, I hoped now that we could single them out. The actual weight of the matter hadn¡¯t truly sunk it yet. I had agreed to murder, but had just as easily signed myself up to be erased.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Soon the treeline rescinded to open up to a small field. To our right was a log cabin of dark wood, a simple fence surrounding it. Out on the front porch, a man was sitting. Long gray beard, checkered shirt, and worn slacks. Bare feet, which I found both intriguing as I did impractical. I raised my eyebrow at the elf.

    ¡°Quest NPC,¡± she nodded. ¡°Go hand your meat to him - boar meat - and he¡¯ll give you the next part. Completion will level you up.¡±

    I nodded and prepared myself for the potentially awkward conversation with the not-real person. Although, I wasn¡¯t sure where that line could be drawn. Rather than have an existential breakdown, my mouth curled up into a smile and I approached the¡­ person.

    ¡°Greetings!¡± I announced, stepping through the gate and onto his property. Normally not something I¡¯d be so forward with, but after meeting my death a few times, my personal boundaries had been shaken a bit loose.

    ¡°Evening, friend. Looks like you have been out fighting boar.¡± The old man gave me a wink from his chair, but didn¡¯t stand. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have five [Boar Meat] you could trade me?¡±

    ¡°Trade, huh?¡± I rubbed at my chin. ¡°What do you have to give me?¡±

    He leaned forward in his chair, not really getting that much closer as I had opted for a safe dozen feet away. Just in case he suddenly developed large tusks and wanted to tussle.

    ¡°I have the know-how to reach some hidden treasure,¡± he winked. ¡°Share half of whatever you find and we have a deal.¡±

    I clucked my tongue and shot a glance back to Ren, back at the road. She had her arms crossed and an impatient scowl across her face. Not really a useful read. In turning back to the man, it appeared as though he was waiting for my response.

    ¡°There must be enough danger that you cannot retrieve it yourself, yet you trust me enough to return and not keep it fully for myself?¡±

    ¡°Part of the treasure is a family heirloom that belonged to my late wife.¡± A sadness came over his wrinkled face.

    Given that he wasn¡¯t¡­ real, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me than many Players found no issue with running away with whatever they found - although, now that I considered it, if they couldn¡¯t complete the Quest without returning it then that was an artificial reason to stick to the narrative.

    ¡°Consider it a done deal, my friend.¡± I gave him a short bow and then retrieved the five meats from my Inventory. ¡°For you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, kind adventurer. Here, let me mark the place on your map.¡± He shuffled towards me and made the motion in the air, but missed the mark by eleven feet still.

    [Map Updated]

    [New Quest: Retrieve Family Heirloom.]

    [0/1 Heirloom]

    ¡°Consider it done,¡± I beamed at him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the required item,¡± he replied, a glum expression on his face.

    I turned a quick one-eighty immediately, before the uncanny valley could crack at my psyche. The fact that Ren hadn¡¯t changed position or expression this whole time wasn¡¯t helping, but I was at least sure she was a real person¡­ I thought. Asking her might be a bad idea. No, not might. It would certainly earn me an arrow for my troubles.

    ¡°How was it?¡± She asked, as I made my way back to the road.

    ¡°My sanity was already wearing pretty thin, so I think I can move past it for now and scream into the void at a later date.¡±

    She nodded slowly, unsure how seriously to take me. ¡°This next part might crack at your little skull too - you alright with spoilers?¡±

    I worked my jaw. There was part of me that wanted to experience the vibrancy and authenticity of the world one step at a time, as the System intended. That small part of me had been squished into a box at the back of my mind with the lid nailed shut. Show me behind the curtain so that I may learn every trick and know the outcome of certain events. Familiarity bred competence.

    ¡°Go for it.¡± I gestured with my hand for the beans to be spilled.

    ¡°The treasure is being guarded by bandits - actual humans like that guy, but also System-created.¡± She jabbed an accusatory finger at the old man, who was now staring off into nothing.

    This all made my brain itch, and I rubbed my head. ¡°So¡­ wild assumption here, but they come back to life - they respawn after some time? But we as Players do not?¡±

    Ren nodded. ¡°Huh, some smarts survived the dire boar then, trickster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ halfway decent at working out the background of how things work.¡± Somewhat true, it was part of being a magician, of course.

    ¡°That how you got Mana Manipulation to work so well already?¡± She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes as if I was hiding something more untoward in my backstory.

    I shrugged. ¡°It kind of hurts to use it. Perhaps I¡¯m overextending what I should be capable of.¡±

    She stared at me for a couple more seconds, before relenting and gesturing to the road ahead. ¡°Sounds like the kind of bullshit a Unique Class would do. We have a bit of time before night. I suggest we rest before the Quest.¡±

    ¡°I submit to your more qualified knowledge.¡± I looked off into the woods to avoid whatever glare she was giving me. It wouldn¡¯t do well to get caught out in the forest at dark. Already the late evening sun had started to depart, and the last thing I wanted was for one of the thugs to give me a quick death in my sleep.

    She led on in silence, giving up on brow-beating me for a while. The silence was somewhat nice - having someone almost at the edge of friendship was something new to me. As fun as it was to have someone to talk to, someone you didn¡¯t need to talk to was almost as good. There was no awkwardness to it, but perhaps my social walls had all been eroded by the trauma of the day.

    Either way, I persisted, and a smile lay across my face, just as I practised for so many years.

    ¡°Here,¡± Ren eventually gestured into the side of the woods.

    I followed her through and perhaps a hundred feet in. She stopped and pointed with her hand at a bush. My brows furrowed before realizing it was a camouflaged entrance. If she hadn¡¯t been pointing it out so sternly, I would have walked straight past. The sun had fallen behind the trees now, and only dim light graced our position - adding to the hidden den.

    At her behest, I crouched down and wormed my way inside. A small alcove had been dug into the ground - and I did mean small. Briefly I panicked that this was all a ruse, and I had just literally crawled into my own grave. Then what scant light could filter in was blocked as the elf followed.

    ¡°Move over, asshole. This was meant to be a one person thing, so I suggest you keep your ego facing the other wall. I have two hidden knives in here.¡±

    I shuffled over and laid on my side facing the left dirt wall. Ren did the same facing the right. The dirt beneath me was rather cold, and her stern words did little to comfort me into easy sleep.

    Still, after a few tense minutes expecting a knife in my back, I eventually relaxed my muscles. No sooner had I done so, my exhausted mind drew me straight into the darkness.

 11 - A Light Grilling

    Often, I found that brief interludes of my life spent in peace and contentedness were often just moments where I sat in the eye of the storm. It was important to have these spaces where you could catch your breath and remind yourself what happiness was. What you were struggling and bleeding for. Beyond the storm was a clear sky and warm sun to greet you, if only you could weather the hardship long enough before the next incliment disaster rolled around.

    ¡°Max? Hey, Max.¡±

    I opened my eyes and panicked, briefly disorientated as to where I had awoken to. Dark and cold. Muddy. The dirt was uncomfortable, and I rolled onto my back to observe the daylight dimly illuminating the hiding place from one end.

    ¡°Wake up, trickster. You like bacon?¡±

    Ren¡¯s voice came from just outside the hole, although I couldn¡¯t see her. ¡°Yeah, sounds amazing, actually.¡± I worked my jaw, the muscles down my side aching from the terrible sleep. Still, I had definitely needed it, if my oversleeping had been the result.

    I relented to awkwardly pushing out of the hiding hole, born once more into this new world and scoured by sunlight. It took my eyes a moment to adjust from the glare, but I now saw the elf just a dozen feet off. She was standing by a miniature grill, pieces of uncooked meat starting to sizzle and pop. The smell hit me and I almost melted on the spot.

    ¡°It¡¯s the last of the bacon I had, but I¡¯ve got a couple bread rolls. No butter though.¡± She tilted her head at me, and her scowl didn¡¯t have as much weight behind it this morning.

    ¡°That sounds divine, thank you.¡± I stretched out and then rubbed my eyes. Never had been much for camping, myself. Picking out a hotel with a nice enough bed had become one of my secret skills over the years. For all the good that did now.

    Ren scrunched up her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so prickly last night. There¡¯s been a few fair-weather friends pass through whose compassion didn¡¯t extend further than their¡­¡± she wagged a pair of tongs at me.

    ¡°Understandable.¡± I nodded politely.

    She waited for a moment, either expecting for me to elaborate more, or had something herself that she was considering saying. Eventually, she broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you have some convictions, given that you look like a Bard¡¯s College reject.¡±

    I looked down and my muddied and blood-stained outfit. The sparkling purple had lost some of its lustre, but I perhaps had to agree that I probably stood out amongst others. And the surroundings. ¡°In truth, I¡¯ve never been too good at the whole relationship thing, anyway.¡±

    The elf raised an eyebrow as she brought out a pair of plates from her Inventory. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Too much of a workaholic.¡± I rubbed at my chin, trying to find a way to skirt past this conversation. ¡°All my time went to that. It¡¯s hard to form connections when most people I met were fans of my persona, rather than the real me.¡±

    She handed me a plate and placed an open bun on it. ¡°A little common ground there for us then, trickster. There¡¯s plenty of elven-princess fetishists that can¡¯t see past that in trying to befriend me.¡±

    I nodded, a smile across my face. ¡°You¡¯re a princess?¡±

    A scowl was leveled my way, but she instead focused on turning the meat over. The smell was making me salivate. ¡°Not in the traditional sense.¡± She sighed. ¡°More of an heiress¡­¡±

    ¡°But not of a crown and untold wealth?¡±

    ¡°Inherited responsibility.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You have a lot of questions this morning, Max.¡± The elf removed the meat from the small cooker and placed some in my pensive bread, before adding some to her own. The grill then vanished into her Inventory, taking with it the nice glow of warmth.

    ¡°You seemed as though you were in a good mood, so thought I¡¯d press my luck.¡± I smiled and gestured my thanks for the meal with the plate.

    She glared at me, but tilted her head. ¡°As if you can tell.¡±

    Even with our brief time spent together I had learned to look past her grouchy demeanor and pick up on the tells for her actual emotions. So I thought, anyway. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time I was wrong, but I liked to think I happened to be a decent judge of a person.

    It was part of the job - at least some of it. Not so useful on the big stage, but when you were doing the crowd work at smaller gigs, a little sleight of hand and social awareness could help you along. There was no need to labor her with my supposed qualities, so I just smiled and we ate in silence. It was a little on the dry side, but having not eaten much aside from a cake the day prior - it felt life saving.

    ¡°Another thing I feel like I owe you for.¡± I bowed as I returned the plate back to her.

    ¡°Everyone needs to eat.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re no good to me dead. The portable grill you¡¯ll get during a level three quest - do you not have any food of your own?¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I brought up my Inventory to look at the slime and assorted boar parts. ¡°No? Perhaps I should have done some normal butchery.¡±

    She sighed loudly. ¡°You should have received some items during your introduction to the world.¡±

    With an apologetic shrug, I wasn¡¯t sure what else to tell her. My appearance had seemed like something even the System was a little surprised by, given that it had struggled to give me a Class at first. It must have skipped over some of the usual welcoming information while I was busy sleeping on the sharp rock.

    ¡°Here.¡± She held out a dagger withdrawn from her own stash. ¡°I feel like I can trust you enough now. Do not make me regret it.¡± Her glare painted out the picture of what would happen if I tried anything.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± A [Dagger] was pretty basic, but it at least gave me an option for when I had a large boar trying to crush me to death. I found that I could equip it to my belt, in a leather sheath that I didn¡¯t have before. That was some convenience I could definitely appreciate.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get water from a stream that is on the way.¡± She slung her bow over her shoulder. ¡°Can¡¯t spend the morning drying out our tongues with inane chatter.¡±

    We most definitely could, but I nodded and tapped at my STAR. The glow of an arrow to point us in the direction of the treasure turned slightly to notify us it was to the left, through the forest. Ren knew the way already, of course, but it was probably a good idea I got used to using the System for all the benefits it had.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be quicker to circle back via the road, unless you have a desire to kill all the wildlife we come across?¡± Despite the tone used in saying this, she seemed open to the possibility.

    ¡°Road.¡± I nodded, and we set off. As much as the idea of getting more practice with my skills and looting some basic items sounded like an otherwise pleasant day, the sooner I could get these Quests done to level up to Ren¡¯s level, the sooner we could kill the bad guys and progress.

    I use the term ¡®bad guys¡¯ to help smooth other the fact that we would be committing murder. It was nicer to believe that we were in the right, and whatever ire they had invoked from the elf was worthy of such harsh punishment. She didn¡¯t seem like a particularly bad person, and had shown me enough niceties to convince me of her nature.

    Sleeping in a hole in the ground was a bit of a red flag, but if you were potentially hiding from a large group of people that wanted you dead then it seemed pragmatic enough. I would perhaps kill for a decent bed, so our goals aligned perfectly.

    ¡°A lot on your mind, trickster?¡±

    She roused me from my thoughts and I realized we had already been walking down the road for a few handfuls of minutes. The day was beautiful, with hardly a cloud in the sky to prevent the sun from warming and illuminating all the vibrant greens, earthy browns, and light grays of our surroundings. It made my brush with death seem like a distant memory.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I worked my jaw in trying to think of how to best sum up everything that was whirling about in my mind without it becoming a constant stream of word salad.

    ¡°I was the same. It takes a few days to really accept and get used to.¡± She looked out into the woods to our left. ¡°Can¡¯t say it gets much easier¡­ but it becomes normal.¡±

    I grunted an acknowledgement. The world was nice enough, even if bizarre in ways. Heartbreaking and bone-crushing in others. There wasn¡¯t a succinct way to sum up how I felt, nor did I wish to babble on with complete nonsense. I took everything in stride, after all, as the show continued to go on.

    ¡°How long have you been here?¡± Rather than falsely flaunt how much I was enjoying my time, I deflected with a question.

    ¡°A while. There¡¯s been one or two new Players every few days. It''s been slower lately, not so many. A lot I don¡¯t get to meet. Most I choose not to meet.¡±

    ¡°Some you wish you hadn¡¯t met, and some you wished never left.¡±

    She turned to me with a scowl on her face, but some of the fire was gone from her bright eyes. ¡°You should stay in your own head, trickster.¡± With that, she began to walk slightly ahead of me. A nerve struck, perhaps.

    After another ten minutes or so, the arrow illuminating the direction to my Quest told me to turn into the forest - almost at a ninety-degree to us.

    Ren held up a hand for us to stop and scoured our surroundings. I followed her gaze around, assuming four eyes were better than two, even if her eyesight was potentially better than mine. Probably checking for the shadows of those we were intending to erase from existence. I wasn¡¯t too sure how things worked around here, but it was safe to assume Red and Green¡¯s disappearance would have been noticed by now. Whatever conclusion the rest would come to was far beyond me.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a little way through here.¡± She pointed a finger in the same direction as the STAR arrow was directing me. ¡°I¡¯m going to be shadowing you, but you¡¯ll mostly be on your own.¡±

    ¡°More tough love?¡± I grimaced and peered into the depths of the trees.

    She exhaled through her nose. ¡°You need to learn aggro range and threat management. It¡¯s your choice to clear the camp or just take out the groups of bandits that you need to. But if you fuck up, then you¡¯ll pull half the encounter.¡±

    I nodded, understanding most of it. The System-created seemed pretty dense and short-sighted most of the time, but I¡¯d need to be cautious and not so flagrant with my attacks. Hellhound probably wasn¡¯t the best to lead the charge - perhaps picking small gatherings off with range would be a little more sensible.

    Ren stepped up beside a tree and pulled a leaf off. She held it between her hands and after a brief whisper, a radiant glow bloomed briefly in her grasp. Extending the leaf towards me, I could now see that she had inscribed some manner of rune upon it. Gingerly I took it from her, enthralled by the shifting golds of what magic she had emblazoned it with.

    ¡°Crush it for a 25% Heal. It¡¯s the only way I can assist without drawing aggro myself.¡± She turned to lead into the forest, before pausing and looking back at me. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching, and I¡¯ll pull your dumb ass from the fire if I can, but don¡¯t rely on it.¡±

    She stepped aside and gestured for me to go first.

    Somehow, I managed a brief smile, and headed inwards beneath the canopy. It was cooling after being in the morning¡¯s sun for so long, but made me apprehensive. As if every darkened trunk or thick bush could be holding any manner of danger ready and willing to leap out and tear my throat out.

    Without realizing it, I had begun creeping and placing my feet carefully amongst the light vegetation and fallen sticks - as if to avoid the cliches on my approach.

    And then, after a few minutes of tiring tension, I heard the murmur of voices and saw movement up ahead. For a few seconds, I stopped to check my arrow, and it told me I was in the right place.

    Carefully withdrawing my deck, I tilted my gaze back to see that I had been walking alone.

 12 - Spell Thief

    Although, as a magician, I was used to things being not as they seem. This world had a way of bringing about surprises that I could never have imagined. Deception and sleight of hand could only do so much when people had literal invisibility, the ability to conjure firestorms, or genuine telepathy. Had the System not granted me the Class that it did, I may have found myself overwhelmed and minute in the grand scheme of things. A Unique class meant I could feign who I really was - a skill well honed over most of my adult life.

    My mouth ran dry as I stared out at the figures moving about just beyond the blocking foliage. How I managed to get myself into this situation, I had no idea. Well, that wasn¡¯t quite true - I had been present for all the events that had led to this moment. The surreal-ness of it had just caught up to me at this juncture.

    Stalking through the bushes towards a group of supposed bandits - who looked like real people, but apparently were a close and limited approximation at best. To steal back some family artefact or heirloom, so that I could¡­ level up and gain more power. All to convince an elven not-princess that I was worthy of joining her murderous revenge tour. Hardly my usual audience.

    More uncomfortable was the thought that I might be able to try some of my magic on them. Old magic, that is. How fooled would they be? I apparently had some bonus to being deceptive, but would the System-created humans be receptive to my attempts to charm or just stick me with a sword as soon as I showed my face?

    The latter seemed more likely at this stage. Certainly if I wanted to test my capabilities, then something slightly lower stakes, such as the old man at the little farm, would be the more sensible option. I had to start small and build my audience up again. It bruised my ego in a way I didn¡¯t think possible - as if part of me was convinced going for the bigger haul of wowing all the bandits at once would be the better option.

    I took a deep breath to cool my nerves. Clearly I was letting things get to my head if I was just going to stand here like a statue and ruminate over things neither here nor there. Ren was probably watching me from a distance and scowling at my inaction. Or for any other reason.

    Just to make sure I wasn¡¯t full rooted to the spot, I made a few steps closer to my quarry - and slightly to the right. If I could flank one edge of the camp, then perhaps I¡¯d have less chance of bringing terrible danger upon my neck. Gradually, as I got closer, more of the situation became visually evident to me. I circled further to the right, where a slight incline gave rise to some higher ground that bordered one edge of the campground.

    Overselling my ability to move stealthily out in the open in a sparkling purple suit, I slithered on my front up onto this ledge, and crawled myself towards an opening in the vegetative cover. One light green branch shuffled slightly out of my face - and then there it was.

    Three wagons of dark wood had been arranged in this clearing as a loose border to the camp proper. Two dozen tents sat around the wagons and further afield from the stone bordered campfire directly in the middle. Several half-log benches were strewn around the inert fire and over by a makeshift table where they supposedly ate. Indeed, two bandits seemed to be sitting there in idle conversation.

    Each wagon had a group of three bandits each, the fire had a group of four, and then there were three groups of two who seemed to be making patrols. Nineteen total, unless there were some in the tents. Best to operate under the assumption that there was and avoid them.

    From here, it looked as though if I stood up and waved my hands, I could easily be seen by everyone present. Ren had said I needed to learn about aggro and threat, and the boars had been pretty indifferent after the initial attack on their brethren. But where the piglets had run, these bandits would come straight to attack.

    The three at the wagon would be closest to me as long as I waited for one of the patrols to move away. Fighting three bandits at once seemed like a bit of a step up from solo wildlife¡­ but it was just something I had to get on with and learn. I had the feeling Ren was putting me through a bit of a trial of fire, but if I couldn¡¯t deal with some basic thugs, then how was I going to help chew through actual Players?

    If things got too hairy, I¡¯d have to run. I had the imbued leaf, along with some bandages to keep me alive. Still, there was the thought of staring death right in the eye that had my psyche recoiling. Part of me was used to it, although I wasn¡¯t sure why. There was more going on in the background than I truly understood.

    I lifted the deck and withdrew the Imp card. Gradually I got up into a crouch and moved back as far as I could while still keeping a line of sight on all three enemies. If I didn¡¯t know any better, they passed as normal humans. Grubby looking, a mix of worn leathers and sun-scorched skin. Rough around the edges, but life was full of all sorts.

    <Summon Demon: Imp> brought out a pudgy little caster beside me, and I tipped my hat toward him. Slightly different than my first one. I pointed my finger out towards my first intended target, a broader bandit among the three with a dusty-brown bandana covering his hair.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    The Imp nodded and started preparing a fireball. My eyes darted back to the camp - thankfully, the patrol was away from our targets.

    [New Monster: Bandit <2>]

    A purple card hovered into my hand without me needing to touch the deck. It spun slowly as I waited for the right opportunity. Part of Bandana¡¯s routine involved chuckling at some murmured joke. I imagined it was something completely unrelated to rough banditry - like something about baby chicks. Not that it made my next action any easier.

    Magic card flew out, arcing through the air and slicing into his throat. My fingers twitched as I held it there and pushed it into the wound for a brief extra second before it faded away. Bandana clutched at his neck as blood ran between his fingers. He then turned to face my direction, his eyes wide - just before he was struck by the thrown fireball of the Imp.

    The other two turned and started after me, anger in their eyes as the bleeding one fell to the ground. A second card was already forming in my hand and I aimed it for the closer enemy. His weapon dropped from his grip as my card sliced into his forearm. I didn¡¯t hold this one for long as I needed to cast a third with the next bandit now bearing down on me.

    Fire shot from my Imp and struck the third bandit in the legs, scorched flesh and melted linens, causing him to stumble and drop to his knees. I sent the card out to the second bandit and spun towards the third, withdrawing the knife and stabbing into his throat as he collapsed.

    I jumped back in brief shock at my own actions, and my eyes darted towards the second bandit - the card had pierced through his shirt and straight into his heart.

    The Imp did a joyous little dance as the bodies collapsed to the ground. I looked at the bloodied dagger. Surely sleight-of-hand skill didn¡¯t really translate over to melee combat? Perhaps this was just something I knew. Other Max smiled - which was possibly the worst sentence I had ever thought up. Why tell myself that?

    Air escaped my nose as I exhaled and took to looting the two closest bodies. The third by the wagon would have to wait.

    [30 Gold]

    [Armor Chance Box (1)]

    [Ration Box (1)]

    Now, did the Quest say the heirloom was on one of the people here - or is there a chest or place it had been stowed away that I should be looking for? That was part of Ren¡¯s test. Could I complete the Quest without getting myself into trouble - or could I handle myself and clear the camp with no issue? Either option had merit, and based on that combat - the latter one might work out. More loot and chances for [Sweet Cakes].

    The patrol had now returned and my eye twitched as they approached the dead body by the wagon.

    ¡°Hey, Hank here is dead.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s search around.¡±

    They had reacted to finding it, which was one of my questions ticked off. Now, with weapons drawn, they were making an exaggerated effort to scour all the surroundings for any clue as to who had done the foul deed.

    My first card gashed along the closest bandit¡¯s head, severing off half of his ear. His rush toward me was stalled as a fireball burst on his chest, burning through his shirt. The second was much quicker, and I barely got a card out before he was near me. A spurt of crimson followed the purple dash of magic as it missed his neck and struck along his collarbone.

    I stepped away from his flat-footed swing of a sword, gripping the dagger tight in my right hand as I willed a card up from the deck in my left. Metal rang out as I deflected his follow-up with my shorter blade, although the warm stinging pain along my arm told me I didn¡¯t come out fully unscathed. With his next attack already in motion, I flung the card in panic - striking him in the mouth.

    Blood and broken teeth sprayed across me as the man recoiled away, grabbing at the shredded skin and gums. I stepped towards him and stabbed downward into his eye socket. The weight of him collapsing was surprising and caught me off guard - right before I was struck by something hard in my left upper arm.

    I rolled to the ground, my deck bouncing twice on the soft earth. My arm was numb throughout - but not broken. As I went to stumble to my feet with bleary eyes, the shadow of the mace-wielding bandit loomed over me, his weapon raised above his head. I knew this trick. He wanted to make my brains appear all over the ground.

    As he went for the downward swing, he paused and swore - the Imp¡¯s fireball striking him on the back of one leg. I willed a card from the discarded deck through the air - gashing the back of his other knee and twirling it back into my left hand. I leaped atop him, knocking him to the ground. He tried to stop my dagger with his hand and received impalement for his efforts. While his attention was focused on that, I jammed the held card into the underside of his jaw, cutting both my own hand as well as his throat open before it vanished.

    Dagger out of his hand. Into his neck. Twice. Three times. I just didn¡¯t want to hear that gurgling sound anymore.

    I took two deep breaths. The show was still going on. Put a smile on, Max. Finish the job.

    With a groan, I stood to my feet. I could move my left arm now, but the upper half was numb and complained with bruised agony when moved. My right forearm had a gash down it which continued to drip blood. I felt pretty miserable, but that was neither a physical malady, nor able to be healed by any of my items.

    I stretched out my neck and spat some blood on the ground. Stepped toward my deck and retrieved it. Despite the roughhousing it had received the past few days, it still looked flawless. From my Inventory I brought out a Bandage and gave myself a little heal. Trial of fire meant getting used to enacting and being on the sharp end of violence. Dissociating from death... in which I was slightly uncomfortable at being halfway there already.

    Without realizing it, as I watched the progress bar of my heal slowly increase, I started humming a little tune to myself. Continued as I looted through the bodies. Fame and fortune, the lyrics went. Fame and fortune, as I slew and looted.

    My old show''s intro song, still just as fitting all these years on.

 13 - T-H-I-E-F

    Even as I sit here, so far beyond that day, I still remember it clearly. The time I grew tired of blood. Well, maybe not tired - but an uncomfortable acceptance for it became part of my repertoire. A neccessity. You had to be cold to survive. That¡¯s why I needed to surround myself with things that warmed my heart and soul. Otherwise I''d just end up frozen and forgotten.

    I drew heavy breaths as I applied another bandage. Wounds closed back up. The good weather didn''t seem to bring me the same amount of contentedness anymore. My hands kept on bleeding despite the fact I could not see any cuts. Something to do with the mana manipulation, no doubt. While the progress bar on my healing sauntered towards the finish line, I idly threw a card out.

    After about fifteen feet, I curved it around to return to me - and I caught it from the air like a boomerang. With a twinge of pain down my arm, I put a pulse of power back into it, renewing its lifespan instead of letting it fade away.

    Slowly and painfully, I was gaining better control. The magic deck now sat in my chest pocket of the purple jacket. Now that I could draw the cards without needing to touch it physically, it left one of my hands open.

    I had managed to chew through half of the camp so far, and the inert corpses of those I had maimed were a quick ticket to trauma town. Even knowing they weren¡¯t truly real, they acted like it. Bled and died the same. I¡¯m assuming, anyway - what knowledge I had of death seemed to be locked away in the back of my brain next to my personal baggage on the subject.

    One wagon group, the two at the table, and a pair on patrol were all that remained.

    Humming to myself again, I conjured up another Imp card to replace the last who had returned to Hell just prior. I had sent him off with a bow of gratitude, and as the new one crawled into existence from the magic circle, he looked in good enough spirits to assist. His tiny nose was a little stubbier and horns a little longer, but he was built the same as his brethren.

    Now this was the harder part - the table was relatively close to the wagon, and I had a feeling that I would pull the whole group if I was sloppy. At this stage, I was feeling pretty sloppy. What had started out as a rough ride through some manner of video game world had become gritty and exhausting. Then again, this wasn¡¯t supposed to be a one-person job.

    I had the feeling that groups - or Parties - were meant to be the default. It only made sense when you had classes with different strengths and weaknesses. Put me behind a knight who could take a beating and this would have been a breeze. Perhaps Ren was just trying to get me killed without the blood being on her hands? I shook these thoughts from my head. Fruitless to injure myself when the bandits were just as willing.

    The clock was still running, and I still had time to put in. We had discussed respawning before, and if fresh bandits started to appear into the empty spots, then I¡¯d find myself in a lot of trouble.

    Patrol first.

    I waited till they were out of the way, putting myself back down closer to the side of the actual camp. From here I could even smell the leathers, the fat used on the tents to waterproof them, the musk of charcoal briefly in the air¡­ and a lot of body odor. No mystical scent of the heirloom, and the STAR just blindly pointed into the middle of the camp.

    The card spun over my hand as I held it aloft, and then by my will it flew towards the two bandits. As if steering it with my hands, I slammed it into the side of the throat of one, pulling it to the side like a blade to open up the arteries and windpipe. I dropped the card as my fingers ached and prepared to draw another - before my Imp let off his fireball.

    This one was slightly different than the others, and as I watched it illuminate the path towards the second patrolling man, there was crackling red lightning arcing all over the ball of fire.

    It struck the man and burst, the explosion easily double that of a normal attack. The heat escaped into the air with a puff of smoke as the bandit dropped to his knees, his upper torso ablaze with flame.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡±

    The Imp looked up at me sheepishly as I scowled at him. ¡°Overachieving is a fast track to ruin,¡± I muttered to him. We started to back away, as the tents were blocking a proper view of the campsite - but it sounded like the table pair had noticed our impromptu firework display.

    A card hovered into the air as they both rounded one of the tents and came into view. Each of them wielding crossbows, which seemed remarkably unfair to me. The Imp charged up another attack as my card went out - slightly wide due to my apprehension about the sharp ends of those projectiles.

    The purple magic tore into the shoulder of the man on the left, only just disrupting his aim as they both fired. A warm pain radiated across my chest as the bolt struck one of my ribs, skirting around into the softer flesh of my flank instead of breaking bone. The second bolt was aimed true - and burst through the forehead of my Imp.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    As he started to fade into mist, he held a hand up into the air - either for me to help him, or in apology for bringing this on himself. A brief nod of acceptance and finality was all that I could offer him, alongside a beaming smile despite the burning anger within me.

    The next card was out already, as one started to reload and the other dropped the ranged weapon to approach me with a sword. My left hand held my right wrist and my hand shook from the pain. I hoped that the tight grip would at least stop my hand from bursting away from my body. With my eyes narrowed, I curved the glowing purple rectangle through the air, cutting at the back of the enemy''s ankle before slashing across his other calf. As he started to drop to the ground, I moved the sharp magic card around him, zipping side to side until it reached his throat, leaving a zig-zag of crimson to soak through his plain linens.

    With a flick, I dispensed the card across and into the forehead of the crossbow bandit, cracking and embedding into his skull just as he had done to my demon. I scowled as the blood soaked through my jacket, running in a stream from my hand. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do much more of this without causing myself actual ruin.

    I sighed as the two bodies sunk to the ground and my card dissipated. Now that my hands were slowly running out of use, I made the discovery that I could manipulate the STAR mentally with my willpower too. Now we were talking - briefly all manner of application circled through my mind, all the tricks I could do by accessing my Inventory in secret. In this instance, I actually went through the Health tab.

    [Right Hand - No recent injury]

    [Left Hand - No recent Injury]

    That didn¡¯t seem right, on account of the amount of blood I was currently losing from the two. Unless the blood was all in my head? Some byproduct of using demonic magic? I would have to ask Ren next time I saw her. If I saw her again. Despite my trusting of the elf, part of me did wonder if she had just dropped me off at bandit daycare so that she could go and do adult stuff. Like murder.

    Only three bandits left? I felt slightly silly for having to go through the whole camp to get what I came for - but none of them that I had looted held the heirloom in their possession. When I had the high ground, I saw no obvious looking treasure chests. I guess now it was time to head into the camp proper to search around.

    I skirted between two of the tents, towards the central campfire, peering around to make sure I hadn¡¯t missed any groups. The last wagon group stood just off to the side in idle conversation. From my deck I conjured the Summon Imp card, but was confused when it was monochrome - as though it was inert or spent. Perhaps I could only do so many in a certain time span - or it was because he had died and this was my punishment for allowing such a fate to befall my helper.

    Well, the show must go on. <Summon Demon: Hellhound> it was then. The card burned away as a magic circle spun near my feet and the demonic canine rose from the beyond. I gave him a pet on the head, and he nuzzled into it.

    Standing once more, I shook the pooled blood from my arm and withdrew a purple card. The Hellhound crouched low, ready to leap off into a sprint at my behest. There was some slight hesitation within me as I didn¡¯t want him to get injured like the Imp, but I knew I couldn¡¯t stop him from eagerly doing his duty. I would just have to do my best.

    I empowered my card, focusing my mana on this single one - and was contented to see it glow brighter. Instead of spinning it, I pushed it flat, a trail of bright energy scoring the air behind it as it went at almost twice the speed. Just as it was about to collide with one of the bandits, I pointed my fingers upwards, and it corrected course. Now briefly going directly up before entering the underside of the man¡¯s chin.

    While attacking the neck was getting pretty old, it seemed like the quickest way of encouraging the bandits to shuffle off this mortal plane. Even if it didn¡¯t kill them outright, they¡¯d still grasp at the wounds or struggle with the blood or breathing. Once they started wearing neck armor, then I¡¯d need to be a little more inventive.

    The Hellhound sprinted off to one of the others, mostly just keeping them at bay with growls and bared teeth. If they went to hit the hound, he would move away. If they started to come for me, my demon friend would start to nip at them. It was surprisingly effective and allowed me to whip round another card to slay one and humble the other enough to where the hound could bring him down and have a snack to eat.

    I stumbled over to the bodies with a groan and looked through all the loot.

    Still no heirloom. I looked down at the STAR, which just pointed me toward the campfire. With a sigh, I just closed my eyes. So tired, despite it still being barely afternoon... maybe early afternoon at worst. As I opened my eyes again, something caught my attention.

    Just past the inert campfire, nestled against some of the tents in a position that would have been blocked from the ridge above - was a chest.

    Or at least some kind of wooden locker. Wearily, I approached it, allowing my hound to do whatever he liked. With iron struts and a lacquered wooden finish, it almost looked too pristine for a bandit encampment - but perhaps it was stolen too. Bending over, I tried to grasp at the latch.

    [Locked]

    Ah. Typical, now where was I going to find a-

    The growling of my hound distracted my thoughts. I turned at the sound of footsteps. Large furred boots, way too much exposed skin aside from a loincloth and bearskin cloak. A large two-handed axe, which was already on the upswing towards me.

    [New Monster: Bandit Leader <3>]

    Before I fully realized it, I was tumbling across the dirt. I didn¡¯t need the System to tell me that I had broken ribs, and that the soft wet parts my hands were clutched against were probably meant to be inside my body.

    ¡°Trying to steal from me, eh? Nobody steals from me.¡± The gruff voice of the leader was adamant I not retrieve the heirloom, but didn''t seem phased I had just dismantled his whole gang.

    The following crunch and whine told me my pup did no better against the axe. With pained determination, I brought forth the healing leaf and crushed it, a pulse of radiant light washing over me and healing over my wounds. No time to bandage while he was still alive, so this would have to do.

    [Health Critical - 35%]

    The leader flicked the blood from his axe as he stepped toward me, my own legs seemingly unable to offer the same support, cursing me to remain on the ground as his shadow loomed closer.

 14 - Treasured Memories

    Violence often led to more violence. Something that was drilled into me with sharp screws again and again over time. Did the knowledge ever stop it from occurring? Sometimes, certainly. Knowing how to read a room was both useful when trying to ply trickery as it was gauging which people were likely to want to carve their name in your chest just to be heard. Infamy cast you as an empty whiteboard just dying for anyone with a marker to deface - and some of them were permanent.

    I fought the urge to empty out my stomach as the bandit leader approached. Something about having half of my chest carved apart and then magically stitched back together hadn¡¯t sat well with my organs, who had to bear witness to the act. I hadn''t eaten enough as of late to generously share with the ground.

    Where had he even been hiding? Perhaps the System-created could just appear where they needed to be - on some trigger? Like part of a rehearsed show, he crawled out of the woodwork once I sought to meddle with his treasure chest. Not as big of a threat to a Party of adventurers, but to a distracted and wounded-

    I rolled to my side, further away from the camp as the axe bit into the soft dirt where I had been laying. Now wasn¡¯t really the time for prodding about the inner workings of the how the System did things - unless I wanted to find out what happened when you died. It turned out I did not want that.

    Against aching muscles, I managed to roll back onto my feet, some long forgotten muscle memory helping me with the amateur acrobatics. The bandit leader was fast, already winding up for a second swing. A card flared up in front of me, some pain from exerting myself preventing me from doing anything too fancy with it. I still had no idea what mana was or how it worked, but a finite resource that was harder to grasp the more power I used seemed about on the mark. Going too far seemed to cause me pain rather than refusing to function outright, but even that had a limit.

    He tried to block the flung card with his axe shaft, but I turned it at the last moment and cut into his chest. Wrong position and not deep enough for a heart shot. In his brief moment of pain, I leaped over some fallen stools and tried to circle around a couple of tents to buy time.

    The bandit kicked through the wooden items, sending their broken parts across the ground behind me, as he continued to advance.

    I dropped a Hellhound card by the front of an open tent and moved to lure the leader closer to the center of the camp.

    ¡°Quit running and face me,¡± he growled.

    ¡°Are you capable of going off-script?¡± I asked as I backtracked closer to the inert campfire.

    ¡°Stop talking and die.¡± The bandit crouched and tensed his legs, looking like he was ready to leap forth toward me.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if that answered my question or not. It could have gone either way. Not that I thought myself capable of dissuading him from parting my head from my neck - but extending their union worked in my favor. A card span out in front of me.

    He made his move, but just as he did - the Hellhound that had been waiting in silence jumped forward and bit him just above the ankle, causing him to falter and stop his intended sprint.

    As he turned to strike at the latched-on canine, my card zipped through the air and struck him in the forearm. Not enough to stop his blow, but it rendered it inaccurate, and he sliced at the earth beside my summon. While he rose, another card slashed him on the side of the head. Blood ran down his face, but there was no fear or panic in his eyes - just anger. One of the few things that took me out of the encounter.

    Calmly, I drew card after card - the bandit now stuck between the hound he was unable to shift and the constant barrage of gashes from my magic deck. As if he couldn¡¯t decide who was more worthy to attack first, he now just paused in confusion, until he could no longer hold the axe. Weakened from my relentless assault, one final card to his neck and he was as good as dead.

    I clutched at my pained chest as his body fell, more blood soaking my suit as my hands were doing the whole bleeding thing again. Mentally, I made the note to add absorbant gloves to my shopping list. For when I had some place to shop that didn¡¯t mind my current appearance. I added getting a proper wash and change of clothing to my to-do list slightly higher than the gloves. Couldn¡¯t be seen in public this way, I had an image to build.

    My Hellhound came over and sat before me. ¡°Good boy,¡± I said, ¡°or girl. I haven¡¯t really been checking. You may go now, you did great.¡± I gave the flaming canine some pats on the head and neck, and they faded away back to Hell.

    With a slight spring in my step, and awkward gait due to my lethargy, I approached the bandit leader to loot him.

    [75 Gold]

    [Unidentified Axe]

    [Rations Box (2)]

    [Supply Box (3)]

    [Bandit Key]

    As nice as the gold and weapon were, the [Bandit Key] was the real winner here. My aching eyes went over the bloodied camp to see which bandit it would open up. Oh, no - it was more likely for the treasure chest. Something to draw me towards Quest completion. I turned and approached the chest, wondering if I should use a bandage first¡­ after a brief pause I relented and used the two I had remaining. Greedy and reckless, maybe, but I also wanted to be as far from anything remotely death-adjacent.

    After two progress bars, I felt a little sharper and less like I was about to collapse into core parts on the ground. With key in hand, I opened the locked box.

    [80 Gold]

    [Antidote]

    [Power Token]

    [Family Heirloom]

    A wide grin spread across my face as relief took grip of my soul, the desire to locate the heirloom glazing over whatever else I found. Any joy was briefly halted, however, as soft footsteps came from my side. Purple energy flared up into a card as I stood and turned. The magic dissipated as soon as I clocked the shape of the figure with piercing blue eyes, and I gave a glum nod to Ren.

    ¡°Got the Quest item?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± I rubbed at my tattered suit where a sword had torn into my now mostly healed forearm.

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    She looked tired and her usual glare was narrowed off to the ground. Maybe there was some guilt there for trying to feed her lamb to the wolves without intervening. If anything, I was more surprised and impressed she might have had regrets but still not intervened. Showed some strength of conviction, even if a little cold-hearted.

    ¡°You look like shit,¡± she said with an eventual sigh. ¡°Let me heal you back up, at least.¡±

    Still wasn¡¯t giving me eye contact, which was a shame, but we¡¯d get around to process things once we were back in the clear away from all these bodies. I hadn¡¯t realized it, but I had my ¡®show¡¯ smile across my face since looting the box. The elf put her hand on my arm and a radiant pulse of energy filled me, soothing my aches and pains.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get beaten up for a bit, you¡¯re still not at-¡° She stopped to turn to look behind me with wide eyes. ¡°Move!¡±

    I was shoved and hit the dirt, my head catching the side of the treasure chest. Sparks danced within my eyes as a flash of amber and yellow engulfed the elf. Radiant light flared from inside the vanishing fireball, leaving a scorched Ren grimacing and drawing her bow.

    My head swam as my vision blurred and wobbled in the direction of the attack. Not bandits. Three figures stood just at the edge of the bounds. Shaved head in a robe - some kind of wizard. Dark gray metallic armor that reflected the sun, with a full plate helmet looked to be a knight. Third was a man in greens and browns holding a shortbow - an actual ranger, I presumed.

    Even as I struggled to my feet with lopsided balance, I threw out a Hellhound and mentally had them set their sights on the ranger. The wizard was building another fireball as Ren fired off an arrow. With a quick step, the knight moved in front of it, batting it away with a plain iron shield.

    ¡°Kill the dog,¡± the wizard seethed, diverting the ranger away from attacking us. My card was already in motion though, and with the plated man in the way, I swerved the projectile wide and brought it down into the robed figure, striking him in the hand and severing fingers.

    He dropped the spell, shocked as his missing digits fell to the ground. Whilst the System had been great at healing bodily damage, I had no idea if it was able to regrow missing appendages. He wouldn''t have the chance to find out either.

    Ren lit up her arrow with the flare of an ability - it didn¡¯t look like the radiant glow of before. This one had a green hue that danced with golden waves. As it flew through the air, it lit a trail across the camp, like a firework or streamer. A simple enough attack for the knight to move in front of and block.

    As the arrow struck his shield, it burst out in golden light. From the ground around the three, vines grew up and encircled their legs.

    My Hellhound wasn¡¯t able to dodge the return fire, and an arrow struck him in the front between his chest and foreleg. He tumbled to the ground with a yelp as my card spun through the air above him. I clenched my teeth. Too slow to try to intercept the arrow and save my pup.

    Instead, I whipped it around at the ranger, going for the neck shot. Just as it went to strike him - he blurred, as if turning intangible briefly, and the purple rectangle went straight through him and struck the knight. A flare of energy, but it did no damage to his suit of armor.

    We scattered to each side now as the ranger drew another arrow and the spellcaster began to charge something with his one good hand. I leaped over the chest and rolled between the two tents, unable to see how far Ren went. The first fireball had done quite some damage to her, but it looked as though she had healed through the worst of it. If she had mana that worked the same way mine did, there might be a limit to how much more support she could provide.

    From my Inventory I withdrew the Healing Potion and popped the cork. I couldn''t entirely rely on the elf, and that treasure chest had left a dent in my head that threatened light-headiness. Immediately I cupped at my mouth and avoided retching and drawing attention my way. It tasted horrible. Warm aniseed with the sharp bite of alcohol at the end. Perhaps I would have to rely on Ren if they tasted like that.

    I placed the empty bottle away and cursed myself for letting them sneak up on us. There was no doubt these were three of the Players that Ren was trying to kill. That they had shown up right after I was done was a small blessing, rather than catching me in the-

    The air changed as a super-heated ball of fire surged across the clearing toward the tent next to me. It turned out that my moving while being out of sight was paying dividends - especially if they themselves remained rooted in place. Their missed attack also did something else. It gave me a good idea of where the wizard was casting from.

    I crouched at the back of this tent, smelling the burning fabrics and wood from beside me, hearing the crackle of consuming flame¡­ but eyes always focused on where the fireball had originated from. A card bloomed up in front of me and I almost growled in focusing my energy onto it. Forward, through the tent and out the front - across the clearing that I couldn¡¯t see. I told it to do nothing but go straight ahead.

    Reward came with a yell - a pained cry to signal that my card had found a mark amongst them. Likely, my position was now compromised, but I wasn¡¯t about to stand around and find out.

    ¡°Max!¡± Ren yelled.

    I moved immediately, going around the tent with the card in motion already to see what was happening.

    The enemy ranger was trying to shrug away the hound nipping at him, drawing a knife to better melee the wounded dog. Behind him, the wizard was pale, blood soaking through his clutched chest. Now several strides away, the knight had broken free of the entrapping vines and was approaching Ren. The elf laid back with an arrow through her thigh. Her bow appeared to be caught on part of the tent nearest to her.

    It was time for the show-stopping finale. I ran on tired legs, anger forcing my shaking hand to create a stronger card - and it was off. A wide arc that circled from their views before zooming in, taking the distracted ranger through the neck and curving around to strike the mage in the actual heart this time.

    The knight turned to me as I continued running towards him. Crimson energy flared up around his body as he readied himself. His helmet only had the slit visor, with the mouthpiece just dozens of holes. It wouldn¡¯t look out of place with a feathered plume out of the top, and I briefly remembered using one as a prop.

    ¡°You cannot beat my defenses,¡± he crooned.

    As a card spun up over my hand, a radiant flare of light flashed across towards him as Ren used her arrow skill. The knight raised his shield and deflected it, a flicker of crimson pooling from the armor as he did so.

    I was about in melee range now, so I threw my projectile.

    With a clang, he brought his shield up in front of his face and blocked it. ¡°See?¡± He chuckled, ¡°I told you¡­¡± as he lowered his shield he saw the [Tusk] falling to the ground.

    Holding my card between bloodied fingers, I collided with the heavy man, jamming the glowing rectangle in one edge of his visor slot and swiping it to the other. He yelled and struck me with his sword. It was¡­ unpleasant, but my closeness to him dampened some of the force of the blow.

    Plus, my body was already aching with pain, my suit torn and soaked with blood. It was difficult to know what he did. I stumbled away as he swung wildly through the air, blinded by my attack.

    ¡°Do you need to question any of them?¡± I called, stepping to the side so as not to give my position away too obviously. The knight stumbled toward where I had spoken from.

    ¡°No.¡± A simple reply. Cold and business-like.

    I rolled my neck and watched the flailing man. For my next trick, the vanishing blade. Once he had swung and left himself open, I stepped forward, pushing the nose edge of his helmet and stabbing the dagger up through the small gap into his throat. I received a bash from the shield, numbing my left arm as he staggered backwards. He slowly dropped to the ground, trying to clutch at the blood pouring from his neck.

    My eyes closed for a second, and I wavered - enjoying the breeze as the heat of adrenaline started to wear off. I clucked my tongue and walked over to the Oathwarden as she pulled the arrow from her leg with a growl. She glared up at me.

    I gave her a bow and a smile, extending my hand to help her up.

    ¡°And then there were five.¡±

 15 - Backstage

    It was important to have times where you did nothing. Not only to let your body recover, but to allow your mind to process and move past the trauma and descent into chaos. Mixing the bandits with the Player ambush was a recipe that left a sickness deep within me for some time. My first dance with darkness. Not the last, and in time my footwork would improve, and I¡¯d really put on a show once death extended a skeletal hand for my time at the ball once more.

    We sat on chairsm, although I did not remember where we got them. Before us was a crackling fire, set up within the woods some distance away from the bandits. Even in the afternoon¡¯s light, beneath the canopy the light from our own camp illuminated both us and the nearby surroundings with an amber glow.

    For a while, we just stared at the flames. I watched as they danced against the light breeze. The wood cracked and split from the heat, occasionally shifting the pile abruptly. The warmth enveloped me and brought comfort.

    The ambush from the other Players had gifted me some actually useful armor. I seemed to have an affinity for spellcaster gear, so the wizard had been a special little trove of clothing to increase my mana and Int. Just words to me, at this stage. Whoever designed the System would be annoyed that I preferred to play things by feel rather than quantify how the numbers worked. Ironic, given how I spent the idle processes of my mind. Enough food to last us a few days, but they carried little else of use. They must have a storeroom or safe house in their hideout. I worked my jaw in thought.

    ¡°Max, are you okay?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at the elf, who was frowning at the fire still. ¡°Never better. I¡¯m having the time of my life.¡±

    She chose to ignore the sarcasm. ¡°I watched you. Figured you¡¯d need rescuing or have to run off from the fight. You did well.¡±

    Part of it had felt natural to me. The taking of lives. Maybe it wasn¡¯t some hidden facet of myself, but just something inside that could separate the fact that they were real. In the sense of having¡­ a soul? My brain was still behind the times and had no intention of catching up.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I eventually offered. My first proper show, successful to rave review. Audience of one, but that''s how things started out way back when I was a child.

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth¡­¡± she trailed off before looking into the surrounding woods. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to put you through that. Both the bandits and the Players.¡±

    ¡°Forgiven.¡± My frank response actually drew her glare, a brief surprise within the scowl. I smiled, while internally I screamed. All the turmoil would pass in time, I just had to soldier through it. Show must go on.

    ¡°Just like that, really?¡±

    ¡°Your methods of teaching me are rather harsh, but I understand it to some degree. You expect me to measure up to some standard to be of any worth to you and your cause.¡± I tried to position myself more comfortably in the chair, but my body wasn¡¯t having it.

    She glared at me, and I tried to read her bright eyes. Despite her brow, there wasn¡¯t really anger behind them, a lot of anguish maybe, some internal conflict I wasn¡¯t privy to.

    From my Inventory I pulled out a Sweet Cake for us each and passed one over.

    ¡°More?¡± She took it eagerly, but eyed me with suspicion.

    ¡°Ration boxes or something, just the two, though.¡± I took a bite and slunk down in the wooden chair, closing my eyes in an attempt to relax.

    Silence covered our small clearing, except for the occasional bite of cake and the crackling fire. It was peaceful, and any residual pain had started to become a numb ache across my battered body.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here alone¡­¡± Ren said quietly.

    I turned my head toward her and opened my eyes back up, the glow of the fire illuminating an odd expression across her face.

    ¡°He¡­ we were engaged. Planning to run away from my responsibilities to be together. Somehow we ended up here. And he¡­ he died, as we tried to escape from the group that attacked us.¡±

    My tongue caught in my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really sorry.¡± That¡¯s all I could manage. Barely had I been able to get over the loss of my mother in my previous life, I was in no position to advise on something so close to her heart. It pained me that her expression was no longer that of a grouch, but of exhausted sadness.

    Just as soon as it was there, she shook it away. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve killed four of the fuckers for me. That makes you alright in my book.¡±

    I stared back at the fire for a bit. ¡°The other five will come for us now?¡±

    ¡°No, more likely they¡¯ll hold up in their hideout. They won¡¯t be so reckless now. I doubt they expected both of us to be here, and for you to be so¡­ capable.¡±

    Capable was a word I wasn¡¯t sure I could affix to the action of being a proficient murderer. Although she had perhaps just meant the use of my new abilities.

    ¡°I¡¯m probably not supposed to bleed from the hands, though.¡± They looked fine now, and I brought them up to check. Some bruising, otherwise healed and fine.

    ¡°Looked like blood magic. I was worried you were going to explode or something.¡± She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at me.

    I caught her look and smiled. ¡°You were worried?¡±

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    ¡°Don¡¯t be an asshole, trickster.¡± She scowled at me. ¡°I just opened up to you and everything.¡±

    ¡°I figured that was more the Sweet Cake than anything I had done.¡± I leaned back in my chair and smiled to myself, content enough to just hear her sigh in resignation. From my Inventory I withdrew another cake and waved it towards her.

    ¡°So full of shit.¡± She took it from me. ¡°But, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Life is both full of shit, and full of pleasant surprises, Ren.¡± The smile faded from my face as I looked up at the canopy. ¡°You need the ebb and flow to keep you going.¡±

    ¡°Poet now, are we?¡± She shook her head and stood up, finishing the cake and wiping her fingers off. ¡°If you want to grumble on or espouse romanticisms, we should at least walk while you do so. Your level up is soon.¡±

    ¡°And then you¡¯ll take me a little more seriously?¡± I stood and watched the chairs collapse into her Inventory.

    ¡°You said I was forgiven,¡± she said as she glared at me.

    ¡°You are. When you called for me, I came immediately to your aid. Like a proper Party member would.¡± I crossed my arms and smiled, enjoying the last of the fire''s warmth before it went out.

    Ren looked down and away. I wondered if she felt shame for having to call for my help, or embarrassed that I did so even after she had thrown me to the wolves. Her brow had softened, despite the glare cutting into the patch of dirt on the ground.

    ¡°Max, I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡± I walked past her. ¡°Don¡¯t trust easily. Have high expectations. Those feelings are rooted in your past and are valid. Just have a little faith in me, suspend your disbelief.¡±

    I carried on toward the objective marker, allowing her to get rid of the fire before catching up. The interesting thing about faking it till you make it was that sometimes it actually worked. Whether the System smoothed out the edges using Deception was neither here nor there. Inside, I was full of panic and uncertainty. My hands were fine, but looking at them, I still saw the blood. I could hear the last dying breaths. Pulses of crimson, shocked eyes, the snapping of bone. Escape was gnawing at my insides.

    Latching onto pepping Ren up was a shackle to keep me grounded. An act borne from a scared truth given full bloom of life. I wasn¡¯t lying to her with what I said. It was just a thought that had been given center stage, buffed up by my best grandstanding.

    Ren caught up, and we walked on in silence. This time, there was a bit of awkwardness in the air. At this stage, I honestly didn¡¯t know what to do. Conflict and close personal relationships were as foreign to me¡­ no, more foreign to me than ending lives. My tongue rolled my teeth as I tried to recall something.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°When I started here, the System said something about soul duplication and merge.¡±

    At first, I wasn¡¯t sure if the elf would respond, but she eventually scrunched up her face. ¡°Really? Shit.¡±

    ¡°What do you think that means?¡± I looked off down the road. The little house should only be fifteen minutes or so, I reckoned.

    She exhaled through her nose. ¡°No idea. You have two souls in you, but combined into one? I¡¯m not sure how that could happen.¡±

    I didn¡¯t feel like any less of myself, or any more of anyone else. Despite the weird feeling that I had a life I couldn¡¯t remember different from my magician past¡­ I somehow knew it had still been me. Just a different me. My body shuddered at the thought. Also, my jacket had a few holes in now that let the breeze through.

    Magic was my normal life. Perhaps demons were my alternative life - hence the Class I now had. Questions beyond me, yet settled in for the long ride.

    ¡°We might have to push you a bit to get your level four.¡± Ren tapped at a side pouch on her belt. ¡°We¡¯ll want to strike while the iron is hot and get the five before they really fortify themselves in.¡±

    I glanced at the elven woman. The burns she received from the wizard earlier had all but cleared up. Tired, but her radiant hair and bright eyes didn''t look any worse for wear. I wondered if scars were even possible here - I certainly still felt the toll on my body even if I wasn¡¯t outwardly injured.

    ¡°We can¡¯t see Classes or Levels, right?¡±

    Ren nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a skill for that. It¡¯s called¡­ Analyze, I think. There was one other before you here that had it.¡±

    It was my turn to frown at the Oathwarden. ¡°By one other, do you mean you had a friend?¡±

    ¡°Someone who wasn¡¯t a giant asshole, yeah. Human named Fiona. Some kind of fighter Class.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t want to stick around and help you?¡±

    Ren worked her jaw, perhaps unsure as to how talkative she really felt. ¡°Everyone has their own ambitions, trickster. Hers took her to the mainland.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°No objections to finding her and asking her to join our Party then?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said I¡¯ll¡­¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°One bridge at a time, Max.¡±

    Personally, I considered it a done deal. She may come off as cold and aloof, but now that I had shown myself as a dependable and definitely mentally stable person, she was bound to agree to Party together on the mainland.

    As far as other Party members went, sure, that could be a bridge to cross or burn later. If everyone had to crawl through the dirt to catch up to us, then that¡¯d slow us down and leave our options limited. But we would need someone we could trust with our lives.

    My eyebrow raised as I looked off into the treeline. ¡°I trust you with my life.¡±

    She deflated, clearly tired from my haphazard attempts at conversation. ¡°What? Why say that now? Do you expect me to say it back?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Either you do, or you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Fucking dickbag, Max." She scowled off towards the woods. "Yes, alright? I do."

    Unfair of me to push her when she clearly wasn¡¯t the opening-up type. Maybe even hypocritical, if I let the thought sink too deep in my brain. Part of me did need the reassurance, though. If she wanted to grind me to dust to find out what I was worth - that was fair. But I needed to know there was something greater worth the suffering. Those who helped your performance didn¡¯t need to share your vision, but they need to be competent and on the same page. That was the mirror we held up to each other.

    The farm house loomed up on the road now, the old man still sitting and awaiting my triumphant return.

    ¡°After you level up, we¡¯ll go inside. Get washed up before the next Quest.¡±

    I nodded. He probably wouldn¡¯t mind, being stuck on the porch and having to give out quests all day. He probably didn¡¯t get much use of the place. ¡°We can spare the time?¡±

    ¡°You smell like a morgue shat you out, and I have been roughing it for almost a week. Yes, we can spare the time.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much anger in the statement, but an edge of desperation for some creature comforts. After the death of her partner, I was sure she had gone through a lot - although perhaps not a good idea to get creative with more than she had let on. Every life has a shadow, and all that.

    ¡°You return, adventurer!¡± The old man grinned, a sparkle in his eye that disarmed me. Easy to forget who they were - or weren¡¯t, as the case may be.

    ¡°Certainly, Sir. One [Family Heirloom], and lots of bodily harm and trauma. Although I think I¡¯ll hold on to those!¡±

    ¡°Please do,¡± his grin persisted as he held his hand out. The heirloom, some form of jug, touched his hands and then vanished.

    ¡°Feel accomplished yet?¡± Ren was leaning on the wall near the front door, a dull look on her face.

    ¡°Thank you, adventurer. I don¡¯t have much, but please accept these.¡±

    [Quest Complete - Rewards Received]

    [Deployable Grill]

    [Rations Box (3)]

    [50 Gold]

    [Level Up - 3]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Master Summoner>]

    [New Passive: <Mana Extension>]

    [New Ability: <Demonic Pact>]

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± I smiled and tipped my hat toward the elf. ¡°I certainly do.¡±

 16 - Clean Cut

    With one foot usually halfway in the grave, the mud and grime of adventuring was like a friend. Not one you particularly cared for, or spent much time around if you could help it¡­ but, okay, more of an acquaintance then. Mental note to go back through these introspective musings at a later date and remove the terrible parts. Which seems to be most of it. If this text still remains, then either I died before I had the chance, or perhaps I finally learned to love all the minor imperfections in life and accept them for what they were. The former being more likely.

    The couch in the otherwise relatively plain house was reasonably comfortable. At least, compared to the hole in the ground and the weapons of the bandits. Other than the inert fireplace across from me, the table and chairs in the corner, and two doorways leading to other rooms, there wasn¡¯t a lot going on in here.

    Ren stood at the bottom of the stairs, her arms folded. ¡°I¡¯m going first. I trust you can stay alive for ten minutes by yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll set a timer,¡± I said as I smiled, before recoiling from her glare. ¡°Oh, want to see a magic trick first?¡± Although her glare didn¡¯t fade, her continued presence told me that she was at least humoring the idea.

    I withdrew a gold coin from my Inventory and held it in my right hand. The brief thought of how they ran an economy based solely on the singular denomination threatened my suspended beliefs, but I harried them away. It was cool to the touch, and just the right size to make it comparable to what I was used to.

    Not quite feeling myself, I didn¡¯t stand to perform the brief illusion. Instead, I reveled in the continued safety of the cushioned seat. I held it up to show her the normal coin, nothing untoward about the object. Placed it between my knuckles and flipped it over and over to the next - before, with a quick flourish, I revealed my empty palm to her. Something simple to get the ball rolling and enrapture my first potential fan.

    A slow blink was my only reward. ¡°You could have just put it in your Inventory. I¡¯m going to have my bath.¡± She turned and walked up the wooden steps.

    I frowned as the coin dropped from the back of my hand, and I held it to feel the texture. Her footsteps could be heard moving above me, followed by the sound of running water. With a sigh, I put the coin back away.

    A purple card appeared over my hand and I idly spun it as it hovered a few inches from the air. Perhaps a good time to review my new skills.

    The <Master Summoner> one gave all my summons 10% additional health and damage - which, I supposed, was okay. It was an upgrade at least. It was flat. Guaranteed. The sort of thing that contented me. Would have been nice if it increased my damage as well, but I felt too fresh to the System to want to write a letter of complaint.

    <Mana Extension> gave me a higher capacity for mana storage. This one would be a massive boon, as I seemed to starve myself bloody of the stuff given half the chance. Hopefully, it meant more card tricks without being them such a drain.

    The <Demonic Pact> ability, however, was something else. I had already read it once, and closed it away from my vision - thinking I maybe had read it incorrectly. On second glance, I had not. Why I had considered that my demonic abilities would be limited to bringing about cute little temporary followers, I didn¡¯t know.

    I could place the Pact on a corpse¡ªthere were plenty of stipulations on what that encapsulated¡ªand my demonic patron would inhabit the body for a short duration. It sounded a bit like possession-based necromancy. What interested me most, past the appalling visuals of the skill, was that it seemed like it would be the same demon every time. I didn''t remember signing any pacts on arrival, but it looked to be something already dyed in to my existence. The deck felt heavy in my pocket, pulling at my thoughts.

    Brain totally overwhelmed, I breathed out my nose, shut down the blue boxes and began throwing my card out - and then brought it back to catch it. Just to see how close I could get to the wooden wall opposite. The running water had stopped, so Ren must be bathing now. An inch or two closer to the wall, and then I caught it on the return. A small sliver of blood ran across one of my fingers. I¡¯d put that to rest for now.

    Relenting to accept what the elf had said, I sighed and brought down my tattered top hat to give it a try. Surprised it had even made it this far intact and reamained on my head. I put one hand inside of it and pulled out the Power Token - from my Inventory, but for all intents and purposes it looked just as the magic trick would have if I had performed the trick manually. It was¡­ saddening that it was that simple, yet also small waves of ideas began lapping at my barren shores. While others two-finger tapped to mentally access their STAR, I could touch type, and it felt more innate. Intriguing.

    I held the odd stone up. It looked almost like a ruby, but more opaque, shaped in a smooth diamond shape, with a thick frame of gold around it. Even holding it in my hand, I could feel the residual¡­ magic within it. How odd. I brought up the information screen.

    [Power Token]

    [Use (1) to Upgrade a Basic skill to Advanced]

    [Use (10) to Upgrade an Advanced skill to Expert]

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Hmm. I hadn¡¯t known that skills could be improved, but that was through fault of my own ignorance. Getting my feet wet with immediate violence and seemingly having bypassed the usual handholding the System usually dealt out. All of my skills seemed to be Basic level currently, and I wondered how rare these Tokens were or how much it really improved the skills. Which even would I choose to advance when I had so many to pick from?

    I must have been pondering for longer than expected, as Ren started down the stairs. Her armor was pristine and undamaged, and she looked clean and radiant. Whatever sweat, grime, and vegetation she had accumulated as of late had been scoured away - I¡¯d have even less of an issue imagining her as a princess in this state. Briefly, my tongue caught in my mouth.

    ¡°All free for you.¡± She returned to crossing her arms across her chest.

    ¡°Look what I found - a Power Token.¡± I held it up between my fingers, mostly stalling, as I didn¡¯t want to leave the couch even with the promise of a bath imminent.

    ¡°You found a¡­ can I have it?¡± She tilted her head.

    I rolled my tongue across my teeth. Clearly, they had some rarity then. Still, it wouldn¡¯t go amiss to crawl further into her good books for now. ¡°Sure.¡± I flicked it across the room and she caught it.

    She held it up to the light to observe it, and after a few seconds, walked over to the couch. She chucked it back in my lap. ¡°Dickbag.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± My surprised mouth was unable to formulate a full sentence past that.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to beat that people-pleasing attitude out of you.¡± She sat down on the couch next to me. ¡°You¡¯ll get us killed otherwise.¡±

    I popped the token back into my Inventory for now, still taken aback from the very accurate point blank skewer straight into my psyche. Plus, she called me a dickbag again, which didn¡¯t feel much like an elven princess thing to do. Based on my very limited knowledge of both of those things.

    Before she could dig deeper into my inner workings, I decided now was a good time to get washed up, so I stood.

    ¡°Inventory, Other Options, Repair Cosmetics. You¡¯ll want to do it in private usually, unless you are an exhibitionist.¡± She glared at me. ¡°Which, I wouldn¡¯t put it past you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a showman, but that doesn¡¯t mean¡­¡± I rubbed at the bridge of my nose. She was riling me up on purpose. It was sometimes hard to discern the banter when she looked as though she wanted to bend both my elbows back the wrong way. Getting my suit fixed up sounded great, though. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± I gave a brief bow out of habit and went for the stairs.

    ¡°Hey, Max¡­¡±

    I turned my head to see her scowl had softened.

    ¡°Could you summon a Hellhound down here?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I smiled and brought the card into the air. I kept it hovering in front of me for a second, my brow furrowed. Instead of summoning close to me, I focused on keeping the card empowered - and threw it down beside the couch.

    I continued up the stairs as I mentally commanded the pup to keep the elf company. He wouldn¡¯t last long, but perhaps if I kept the bathroom door cracked I could fling a card all the way down the stairs and¡­ did that count as people pleasing? She would probably be content enough with the time she had. If only life were that simple in all things.

    The bathroom was small, and the air was pleasantly warm from whatever residual steam had come from the Ren¡¯s bath. The tub itself simple, a circle of wood with a tap at one end. With the door closed behind me, I twisted the tap on and hummed to myself. My show tune again. I went through the menus to select the repair option, and my clothes vanished, aside from my underwear. That the System had surpassed me in magic already was humbling, but if anything, it would soon become a tool I could wield.

    I took the rest off the old-fashioned way and sat in the filling tub. Already it was warm¡ªthe perfect temperature, in fact. The little progress bar in the air told me I had five minutes before my suit would be done - and I assumed it would pop straight back on to my bathing body. As much as I would like to spend hours in the comforting water, I relented to washing myself before that inevitability.

    Bruised in places, and some soft scars still healing, but no real damage despite what I had endured. Medical miracles. It would just be my mental capacity that would suffer under the constant turmoil of battle. Washed, and still with some time to kill, I went through my Inventory and opened up the Rare Chance Box.

    [Robe of the Caster] [+2 INT, +10% Mana Regeneration]

    Straight on the little box where the basic leather armor from the thugs had been sitting. I wasn¡¯t really much for robes, but if I didn¡¯t need to show it then I could live with wearing whatever beneath my show suit. My brain needn¡¯t concern itself with how that worked.

    With a sigh, I exited the warmth. Stood for a moment in the room just steaming from the damp heat. Ren had been right. We did have the time for this. It was only a sadness that it couldn¡¯t go on for longer. But I was now only a level behind her, and catching up would let us get her revenge and move on from the island. Was taking up her burden also people-pleasing?

    My clothes popped back into existence upon my body. Thankfully, I was dry enough to not make it an uncomfortable experience. Pristine and perfect, just as Ren was. Her armor and outfit, I meant. To the small mirror at the side of the room, I gave myself the side-eye. Now that the bath was behind me, the drab future started to darken my spirit. Death and bloodshed - and apparently my demon patron possessing those that I slay. Briefly, I wondered if the old man was looking for permanent tenants.

    I popped out a purple card as I walked toward the door, flipping and twirling it just above my hand. The more time I spent getting used to them, the more things I¡¯d be able to do. It was like any normal deck of cards in that regard. Learn the texture, the shape, and the way they slid and cut against each other. Muscle memory needed forming. It was different now with actual magical power involved, but some of the core components were the same.

    Down the stairs I came into the main room, where Ren was looking rather forlorn, and staring at the floorboards.

    ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡± I asked, flipping a gold coin into the air and having it vanish as it disappeared into my Inventory.

    ¡°I had a dog once.¡± Her blunt reply was edged with enough of a story to paint a clear picture.

    ¡°Anytime you want, just let me know.¡± I looked out of the side window, the quiet woods shifting slightly in the breeze. I didn¡¯t want to see her glare at me for that offer, but even more so, I didn¡¯t want to see anything but a glare.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going, trickster.¡± Some of the usual terseness was missing from her tone. ¡°We have a bunch of goblins to slay.¡±

    I nodded, already halfway through my skill list, ready to pick which ability to upgrade. ¡°Well then, we''d best get this show on the road.¡±

 17 - Stagehands

    A whole new world of possibility before me, I had stumbled over some of the smaller blocks on the way. With aching hands I had tried to hold on to the things of my past, stuck in my old ways and unable to grow. Once I had been forced to adapt, I was in then freefall through almost infinite possibility. Getting to that point without all the blood and heartache would have been nicer, but wishes seldom came true.

    Although I now had the Power Token burning a hole in my pocket, I was cautious to spend it so soon without knowing how rare they truly were. At worst, I would wait for my looming level four abilities to have the full picture of what I had available before we started preparing for what lay ahead.

    I stopped to let the elf go beneath some overhanging branches before I did. ¡°I suppose most people are rather tight-lipped about their Class and abilities?¡±

    ¡°Most,¡± she said as she nodded briefly, before going ahead. ¡°It¡¯s not like they can be stolen, but sometimes the threat of the unknown is enough to keep people wary of you.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes,¡± I agreed, following her through the foliage.

    ¡°If one of the thugs had escaped, they would be able to report back that you can summon demons and throw cards. They could prepare for that.¡± She stood in the small clearing beyond the trees and crossed her arms.

    ¡°I can also turn a corpse into a demon, too.¡± I grinned, my stomach sinking at how terrible that sounded.

    She tilted her head. ¡°Is this new demon also a dog?¡±

    The skill description hadn¡¯t really mentioned, so I shrugged a response, not ready to commit either way.

    ¡°There are a few other quests you usually do first, but we can skip ahead to this next one. It¡¯s quicker to get your next level up and you only miss out on some junk items.¡± She gestured her head to the side, and we continued walking.

    ¡°So you can¡¯t get to level Five without being teleported?¡±

    She scowled back at me as we resumed traveling between thick trees. ¡°No idea, exactly. But I don¡¯t want to risk it.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your friend, the fighter-¡°

    ¡°I pushed her away before she left.¡±

    We carried on in silence. Once again, unfair for me to fill in the blanks, but I could imagine a conflict where one wanted to stay and one wanted to leave. I didn¡¯t want to pry, mostly because conflict and I were often at odds. She would elaborate if and when ready.

    After a few more minutes through the woods, a Quest popped up on the side of my vision.

    ¡°Kill thirty goblins, really?¡± My shoulders already felt tense at the mere mention of the mass murder.

    ¡°It will go by quick. They aren¡¯t as sturdy as the bandits, but there are a lot more of them. It¡¯s a repeatable Quest.¡±

    ¡°Repeatable,¡± I repeated, mostly due to not being able to help myself. ¡°That means I¡¯ll be killing more than thirty.¡±

    She nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯m glad you catch on quick. They¡¯re just over this ridge.¡±

    I could see now that the treeline about forty feet off petered out, and the horizon was almost visible. Straining my senses, there was the slight sound of something, and the smell was different. Less clear vegetation and more¡­ burning wood and leather. Perhaps that was placebo and my brain was filling in the details it wanted.

    Walking ahead, I tried stretching out my fingers to limber them up. Maybe I could go back and have another bath after this - that almost made the ordeal seem worth it. Reaching the edge of the trees, I kneeled down and moved to peer closer to the edge, rising up slowly from a bush.

    Below me was a small valley teeming with little green bodies milling around. Stout shacks of rough wood and leather roof coverings dotted the edges of the valley walls, while a well-worn dirt path stretched from one end to the other. The goblins themselves were short - maybe three to four feet tall, by my estimation. Pointed ears and noses, grim mouths full of sharp teeth. Either equipped with some manner of tools, or at least having a weapon stowed on their sides or backs. Their sharp features gave them a malevolent look, not helped much by their bright yellow eyes and constant scowls.

    ¡°I take it you¡¯ll just be watching from a distance as usual?¡± I murmured as I focused on the little greenskins.

    At the back of my neck, I felt the pointed tip of something metallic press against me.

    ¡°What would you do in this situation?¡± She asked in a level tone.

    An arrow to the back of my head, point blank. I could now hear the slight flex of the bowstring and arms. I worked my jaw. Although at this distance it wouldn''t have the full force of a fired arrow, I still wouldn''t want to see what the actual effect would be on my head-holder. A confident smile sparked at the corner of my mouth.

    ¡°There¡¯s already a card behind you, and an Imp to your right holding a fireball.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? No, there¡¯s-¡°

    The card spun around back into my hand, and the arrowhead bounced down my back to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re right, I lied. I just needed a moment to actually cast the card without you spotting it.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    She relaxed the bow and crouched beside me to look down to the village. ¡°Acceptable, but you can¡¯t always rely on tricks.¡±

    I smiled, knowing that was my whole thing. ¡°What would you have had me do?¡±

    The elf shrugged. ¡°Wasn¡¯t my place to imagine a win condition.¡±

    Exhaling through my nose, I furrowed my brow at the goblins. She could probably tell I wasn¡¯t much of a fighter in my previous life, and was massaging my brain into thinking like someone whose life was on the line. Shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to pretend to be competent, although I had been pretty close to shaving off the back of my head or some of her fingers if I had rushed the card any further. Despite the test, I trusted her - just as she must have trusted me to actually have a way out of that situation without hurting either of us.

    Looking at the slope before me, it seemed to be the best spot in the area to really breach into the goblin throng successfully without drawing too much attention. I stood and readied myself to go in hot - a group of three goblins sat at a table right at my proposed landing spot.

    ¡°Hey, Max?¡±

    I raised my eyebrow and looked down at the scowling elf.

    ¡°Don¡¯t die, okay? I¡¯ve invested too much time into you already.¡±

    A smile crossed my face. ¡°I can only promise to put on a good show.¡± As I went to give her a bow, my footing slipped, and I began to slide down the loose gravel towards the goblins. Something that would have been much more amusing had I not been living it, and if I could stand any slapstick in my acts.

    My card went out into the air, striking the first goblin in the neck as I hit the dirt. I rolled forward to absorb the impact and brought my dagger out, stabbing it into the head of the closest one as the magic card zipped into the neck of the third and dissipated. That may have just saved my reputation.

    I drew the dark card of <Demonic Pact>, the picture on it showing a similar rabbit as the deck box had upon it. I threw it at one of the dead goblins.

    Immediately, purple mist began to swirl around the body, and it slowly clambered back to its feet. The yellow eyes then popped fully out of their head onto the ground, to be replaced by burning circles of bright purple light. From the top of the goblin¡¯s skull, two long ears of purple energy burst upwards, shattering through the skull.

    ¡°Oh fuck! I exist. Who am I?¡± The demon¡¯s voice was tinny and harsh and he clutched at the face of his new temporary abode.

    The inhabited corpse turned to me with a look both bordering on confused elation, but to me was just abject horror to see the puppet body look so grim.

    ¡°Uh, you are Roger. It¡¯s time to kill goblins.¡± Bringing up names on the spot wasn¡¯t one of the tricks I held up my sleeves, but something about that seemed to fit. ¡°I am Max.¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± Roger shrugged, and he picked up a discarded sword from the ground. ¡°Straight to the action. I like that, boss.¡±

    I hadn¡¯t imagined I¡¯d need to make rapport with a demon so soon in my journey, and probably shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that he would be so intent on violence from the get-go. From the deck, I threw out an Imp and readied a card toward the next group of four goblins.

    The purple card sliced off the arm of the first before embedding into the chest of the second. Roger was already halfway over to them, running awkwardly as if he didn¡¯t quite know how the body should function, with sword raised.

    With a flash of amber, the Imp¡¯s fireball shot across the two dozen feet to explode against two of the group just before my pact demon arrived. He waved the loosely held sword around wildly, doing a decent amount of damage while receiving a few choice stabs in return. This didn¡¯t seem to bother him at all, however.

    I spun the next card around him, slashing at the backs and hands holding raised weapons before twisting through one of their necks. Roger cracked the skull of one of the pained monsters and did a little dance of joy, his left arm being lopped off in the process.

    There was a mania to it that I struggled to parse. My brain couldn¡¯t work its way around the macabre cartoon character having a blast using a corpse as a living host to enact further violence. Even standing here, severing goblins to pieces myself, there was a slight dissociation that made me feel like a spectator.

    Already the next fireball was on the way to a second group of goblins as my card finished off the last of the first. Although I hadn¡¯t directed him overtly to pull more enemies, there was an unspoken acceptance that we were capable. Perhaps he could read my intent the same as the lesser demons. I gave the Imp a nod, which his little round head returned. My card twisted and cut into the leg of the closest goblin, hobbling him to a knee so that Roger could run in and club him around the head.

    ¡°This is fun as fuck!¡± Roger yelled out, now starting to use the sword to attempt to block attacks.

    From way in the back, I felt like a conductor. Moving my hands around and directing a card at a time so as to not force my mana reserves too hard. I tried to imagine music to dull out the sounds of violence. The Imp tugged at my slacks and I looked down to see him wave goodbye. So soon? He had done well, and I gave him a brief bow. Without realizing it, we had gotten through another two groups while my mind had been trying to block out the process.

    I paused as my card finished off the last goblin in the group. Let myself breathe so that I could summon another Imp. My pact demon paused and rested his good hand on his knees, as if out of breath.

    ¡°You okay, Roger?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, boss. Having the time of my fucking life over here.¡± He stood up straight and worked the goblin body into grinning. I hated it.

    We were now in the middle of the village and had cleared maybe a fifth of it. As I held the Imp card ready, I checked the quest progress.

    [Goblins killed 23/30]

    ¡°How long are you with me, Roger?¡± With only two packs until completion, we could either push ahead to get it done, or take a break if I needed to bring him back.

    He tilted his head from side to side, his purple ears of energy flopping back and forth. ¡°Time¡¯s almost up - but I can jump into one of these other bodies if you want me to stick about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love that,¡± I smiled and nodded, despite thinking the opposite. I¡¯m sure I would see worse in my time in this world, but today had been filled with death and the taste of it was numbing my senses.

    I watched as the mist pooled away from the body; the ears dissipating and eyes fading as if blown away in the breeze. The empty corpse dropped to the ground and a different goblin rose, his eyes bursting out as his skull cracked open to allow the ears.

    ¡°Either these guys are short as fuck, or you¡¯re a fucking giant, boss!¡± Roger stumbled his puppet body over to me and looked up, hands on his hips.

    ¡°It¡¯s the former,¡± I managed to grin. ¡°Try a different weapon. You need to get used to a variety if you¡¯ll be borrowing all the time.¡±

    He nodded way too violently and hopped over to the last pack we had killed, this time bringing an axe into his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go, boss. Chop, chop!¡± He mimed waving the weapon in the air.

    I wondered if the System had a way to check my sanity. Doubtful. As Ren had become my mentor, I too had to teach my fledgling demon to become more effective.

    Another Imp was summoned from a magic circle, the pudgy demon giving Roger a quizzical look before offering me a slight bow.

    After returning the gesture, I brought up a card, spinning it over my hand. It turned out that killing was relatively straight-forward, even easy. The smile faded from my face, as I could almost feel Ren¡¯s glare burning into the back of my head.

    The part that was actually difficult was remembering to loot everything.

 18 - Twisting Aces

    I never really got the idea of experience - in terms of how the System decided you should progress. There were moments where I had suffered and learned a lot about life and my own strength that had no reward, and then other times I handed a box of cakes from one town to the next and received jubilant praise, lavished with gold and a few notches closer to a boost of power. At the end of the day, I was just a performing animal, jumping through hoops for the treat at the end without understanding the nuance of the show. Yet, knowing this never stopped me.

    Sweat ran down the side of my face, and I hunched over to catch my breath. Dark crimson marred the thighs of my suit, where I had wiped off some minor exertion blood from my hands. Mostly under control. Pacing myself. Looting had become tiresome, as most of the goblins only had meagre gold and basic equipment on them. Leggings and Bracers with +1 Dex had been the best prizes earned from the massacre.

    Roger twisted a dagger around in a flourish, his current body covered in the insides of some other goblin.

    ¡°This is fun, boss - we doin¡¯ this all day?¡±

    The sun was now waning in the sky. We had been at this for hours. We were on the fourth repeat of the Quest. Each time a reward of gold, experience, and an Uncommon Chance Box. By the time we had cleared the area, the earlier sections had started to respawn. An odd visual of moving and living beings just fading into view, as if they were there all along as ghosts, now made real. We could do this all day, but I was exhausted.

    [Goblins Killed 16/30]

    ¡°Fourteen more, Roger,¡± I said with a smile, now partially used to his terrifying visage.

    ¡°Aw, then I¡¯ll have to go. Fuck! But you¡¯ll call on me again?¡±

    Despite being bits of near white light shaded by purple, there was an amount of earnest innocence in his eyes. Innocence perhaps being the wrong word, after seeing the joy in him as he slaughtered mass goblins - but he had simple desires and wants. My friend list wasn''t too picky, at this stage.

    ¡°Of course.¡± I tapped the side of my nose. ¡°We have a pact, after all.¡±

    Did things work like that? I didn¡¯t really know, but it helped make the demon happy. Despite my apprehension, I realized I would probably be quite sad if my next attempt to summon him brought a different demon forth. For the more simple creatures, it was fine, but after spending quality time with¡­

    Quality time? I must be losing my sanity.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with. I¡¯ve had a long day.¡± I drew a Hellhound card and threw it out at the next pack of goblins.

    Roger was getting used to the goblin physiology now and ran toward the group with more efficiency. My card circled around the fray, cutting and interrupting to allow my summons the advantage in the melee.

    I hadn¡¯t seen or heard from Ren during this time. It must be somewhat boring to see me so efficiently dispatching all the foes for hours on end - it wasn¡¯t a trial of fire like the bandits. Roger acted as a distraction, and paired with the hound, I rarely needed to worry about a goblin coming in my direction. Naturally, any armed with ranged weapons I took out first, and the times we¡¯d draw two or three groups by accident, I could just exert my mana for a more durable card.

    My left hand held my right wrist, and I did just that. A blazing card hovered before zipping through the air, leaving a trail of energy behind it. Into a new group, neck, neck, neck. Like a surgeon¡¯s scalpel, I expertly cut through all three goblins before allowing the card to vanish. I flicked the blood from my hand onto the ground.

    ¡°Seven more.¡± I grinned at Roger as he withdrew his blade slowly from a dead goblin. The hound trotted over and sat by my feet, and I gave it a pat on the head. They may all be different, but word of mouth traveled fast. Assuming they had a way to communicate in Hell, and that Hell was an actual thing.

    ¡°Do you give your card techniques different names, boss?¡± He slowly pushed the blade back into the body.

    ¡°No, should I?¡± I supposed all tricks had different names.

    ¡°It¡¯s a well known fact that skill names are fucking awesome!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you only start existing a few hours ago?¡±

    ¡°Well, I made up the fact, so it must be true.¡± The puppet body frowned, and he shrugged.

    I couldn¡¯t really fault that logic, or want to attempt to have it darken my thoughts for a moment longer than necessary. While card tricks had a variety of names, there weren¡¯t many for when you slit the throat of three mortals, or punctured through someone''s head.

    ¡°Let me think on that.¡± I had already established I was bad at thinking up names on the spot - and if I was one thing, it was reliable. Mostly.

    Remembering to loot these last few along the way, my card returned to my hand as the last goblin dropped to the dirt.

    [Quest Complete!]

    [80 Gold]

    [Uncommon Chance Box]

    ¡°You have much time left?¡± I raised an eyebrow at Roger. ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet Ren. She¡¯s¡­ a friend of sorts?¡±

    ¡°Couple minutes, boss.¡± He shrugged, not having any frame of reference to what I could be referring to.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    My STAR was glowing gold, which meant I had leveled up. It was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time - knowing there was more power to be had, yet also aware that we were soon to be fighting more Players. Plus, I didn¡¯t want to go through that right now until we were out of the goblin village.

    I narrowed my eyes to the place where I had fallen down here and watched as the end of a rope now mirrored my journey down, albeit more intentionally than I had. Roger faded away and came back into one of the nearest bodies to have a bit of extra time, and then we jogged over to the side of the valley.

    With a last pat for the Hellhound as it faded away, I sighed and looked up at the rope. ¡°I should have put more points in Strength.¡± I grinned, hoping that was a thing that made sense. My pact-bound demon just stared at me blankly. Whether that was because he knew Stats were automatically assigned by the System, or because... well, given how new to existing he was, I couldn''t fault him for not getting the context. I barely allowed it to settle in my own mind.

    Perhaps the most humbling task of the day - realizing how hard it was to pull myself up a short rope was a battle both hard won and not worth the reward. As I rolled over the bushes and lay prone on the soft grass, Ren stood over me with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Still, after the hours of grinding out death with a corpse-puppet, I was happy to see her and those disarming blue eyes.

    ¡°You could have done that a little faster.¡± She tapped her foot.

    Roger followed my example, tripping over my legs as he tried to power through the bushes and fell atop my back. ¡°Ack! Oh fuck. That¡¯s a weird-looking goblin, disgusting.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Ren, Roger.¡± I shuffled him off of me. ¡°She¡¯s an elf.¡±

    ¡°Then elves are disgusting.¡± The demon rolled into a sitting position and crossed his arms.

    I pushed myself to my feet, dusting down my suit. ¡°She is not, Ren is very¡­¡± I caught her intense glare and any compliment that tried to balloon into my mind was quick to burst and wither away under the heat. ¡°¡­pleasant?¡±

    ¡°Your new pet has a terrible mouth, but seems useful.¡±

    I managed to nod slowly, now caught between the two who were giving each other the most intense glares I had thought possible. They would need to get along if this was going to be a long-term Party thing¡­ but currently I didn¡¯t care to invoke any more of their ire onto myself.

    ¡°Oh, let me do my level up.¡± I forced a wide smile to hopefully distract the pair from any brewing argument.

    ¡°Actually.¡± Roger raised his hand. ¡°Wake me when you need something killing, boss.¡± The purple energy blew away in an invisible wind and the goblin corpse, now inert, fell back across the ground.

    ¡°Pleasant, Max?¡±

    ¡°You have a certain charm I find pleasant,¡± I murmured, slowly turning away from her and focusing on the blue windows now appearing.

    [Level Up - 4]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Soul Bind>]

    [New Passive: <Hell Born>]

    [New Ability: <Card Fan>]

    I rubbed my eyes. Now level four and twelve things I could use my Power Token on. ¡°Is it always one ability and two passives per level?¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply at first, and I turned back to her to make sure she hadn¡¯t vanished. But no, she was there, looking like she had something to say she had been chewing on. Whatever it was passed as her frown met my gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard at five there are no passives, but you get a core ability - like a keystone skill for your Class.¡± She deflated and rubbed at her head.

    Core ability? I wondered what that could be for me - I could already summon demons, including one that was semi-permanent. I couldn¡¯t imagine the System would give me another summoning ability so soon. Ren began walking, and I followed behind as I brought up my Ability window.

    <Soul Bind> shared 5% of my stats with my summons, which didn¡¯t sound like much. It was a flat benefit though, and the stronger I became then the more they would reap the advantage. <Hell Born> just increased both my Fire and Demonic Resistances - which was a little abstract, but sure, I could go with the flow on that. Anything that kept me further from death''s door was appreciated.

    The active abilities were always the interesting ones. <Card Fan> used three cards and created a brief wall in the direction I aimed that would absorb a certain amount of damage on a short cooldown. It didn¡¯t say whether I could use my magic cards through it or not, so some testing would have to be done. Currently, it seemed I could only cast one ability at a time, so I''d need to temper some expectation, but a defensive skill for a supposed spellcaster was definitely a boon. Not every enemy would be a weak goblin or distracted by my summons.

    ¡°Anything powerful that can save us a headache?¡± Ren asked, briefly looking over her shoulder at me.

    ¡°Tell me your abilities first, and I¡¯ll tell you mine.¡±

    The look in her eyes grew tired, but she slowed down to walk beside me. ¡°Smite Shot is the radiant shot you¡¯ve seen. Entangling Shot is the one with the vines. My heal, Nature''s Blessing, can also be imbued into an object.¡±

    I waited a second before it looked like she wasn¡¯t about to continue. ¡°The fourth one, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve used?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± she said plainly, then looked up at me. ¡°It helps me kill... demons.¡±

    I looked back at her, trying to read the look she was trying to give me behind the constant scowl. As an Oathwarden, it made sense to have abilities to help thwart whatever was threatening her¡­ grove? I had started making things up now to justify my thought process. Being some manner of Paladin that could fight demons gave another layer to the constaint disdain she tried to point my way.

    ¡°Nice. Mine are the magic card, the summoning of either Imp or Hound, Roger, and now I have a defensive wall I can bring up.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply at first, maybe expecting more of a push-back on the reveal of her ability. If anything, I just felt bad that it wasn¡¯t more useful currently. Perhaps she thought I wouldn¡¯t trust her knowing that she could expel my fighting force easily.

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± she eventually agreed. ¡°Apart from Roger, but the defensive ability will help since we are both ranged.¡±

    I looked around the quickly darkening forest. ¡°He¡¯s a demon, but he means well.¡± Before she could argue the point, I continued. ¡°You know, is it odd that we haven¡¯t seen any other Players?¡±

    She followed my gaze around. ¡°No, new Players are becoming uncommon¡­ there seems to be some metric as to how they¡¯re added - maybe related to rarity? Word of mouth says there used to be a dozen or so a day at one point.¡±

    Interesting. My hand rubbed at my chin. ¡°You think the thugs hanging about and not moving on could be a bottleneck, keeping new people from joining?¡±

    ¡°If so, we are about to do the System a favor.¡± She looked off away from me. ¡°We will rest tonight, unless you can see in the dark and have the energy for it?¡±

    ¡°Sleep sounds nice. Give me a chance to go through my Inventory and prepare. Tomorrow we will kill those that remain.¡±

    Ren looked back at me, her frown full of her determination to see the deed done. With a brief nod, we set off to find somewhere to camp.

    I took the opportunity to open the four Chance boxes, as much as I disliked the process.

    [Gloves of the Sea] [Minor Water Resistance]

    [Shoulder Pads+] [Increased Defense]

    [Boots of Quickness] [+1 AGI, +1 DEX]

    [Sandals of the Wise] [+2 INT]

    A sour expression crossed my face as I looked over at my Equipment boxes. Incredibly thankful that the System allowed me to keep my suit over the items rather than look like a clown with so much mismatching gear.

    I''d hate to be a spectacle.

 19 - Audience Participation

    Judgement was a double-edged sword. Although the System had a dim view of Player on Player murder, it didn¡¯t really do much to prevent it. That a gang of those with bad intentions could hold part of the world almost at ransom with no recourse for punishment showed a serious flaw in the grand design. Perhaps I could let my ego have this one, think of myself as the solution brought into the world to carve such tumors from those more law abiding. Although, that didn¡¯t allow me to feel any better for what I had become.

    With our potential enemies holding down their fort, we elected to be more overt in our creature comforts for the evening ahead. One campfire, two tents. An uncontested night¡¯s rest. A multitude of boxes to sift through and equip whatever gear gave me an Int or Dex bonus. The bigger question of what to use my Power Token on.

    I was a man of simple flare. When you started from the beginning, you worked on the basics.

    [Use Token on

    ?]

    While I had started growing quite the crop of interesting skills and abilities, it seemed pertinent to start with my bread and butter. Without a second way of dealing damage aside from my summons, it seemed as though the card throwing might be my long term solution. A basic attack, if I allowed myself to make it sound so plain. An upgrade would remain effective no matter what.

    Despite her inquisitive glares, I didn¡¯t allow Ren to be part of the selection process. It had to rest solely on my shoulders, and now I knew in part the reason she had given the Token back. Not just that I had found it and should allow myself the share of my own spoils, but because a Unique Class had more potential. I assumed, anyway. A bit of late night melodrama had put the sparkle in my eyes.

    [

    is now Advanced: Two cards may be summoned at once.]

    I sat outside my tent and grinned, earning her ire as I felt content with my choice. Not wanting to encourage her to move over and throttle the information out of me, I drew a purple card into the air, and then slid it to the side to reveal a second.

    ¡°More card tricks.¡± A statement delivered impassively.

    It was much harder to move them separately than together as a double card. I focused on trying to juggle them like a cartwheel. Possible, but without the finesse I was used to. More things to play with and learn.

    ¡°You¡¯re impossible. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Ren turned and entered her tent as I allowed the purple cards to vanish.

    I looked down to see my hand was bloodied. At least it didn¡¯t hurt that time. Resigning to getting some proper rest, I entered my own tent and laid on the bedroll. Not quite as beautiful as seeing the stars, but a step above a hole in the ground. With the thin slit of the front of the tent open, I attempted to thread a card through it. Narrowed my eyes and cooled my breathing to focus. At first, succesful as it zipped out into the night. Then, after putting a card-shaped hole in the side of the fabric after a near miss on the third repeat, I decided to call it a night. Closed my eyes and let the worries flood out with a deep breath.

    A dreamless sleep hit me like a sack of bricks, and before long, the murmur of a voice barely roused me from my bedroll.

    ¡°Max? It¡¯s your turn to cook.¡±

    With a groan, I slid from my tent out into the dew-laden grass and bright light of early morning.

    ¡°It¡¯s murder-day, trickster. We¡¯ll need our strength.¡± She wasn¡¯t smiling, but there was an energy to her. Apprehension? Excitement? Hope that I had more sweet cakes stowed away?

    I did, but that was beside the point. Murdering through the goblin hordes had earned me enough boxes of food that we could have a banquet. As I groggily got to my feet I stretched out and clocked that she had called it murder-day. Not that I was capable of forgetting such a fact. Perhaps some kind of mistranslation.

    With a deep breath, I picked my jacket up from the ground, not really remembering taking it off. I waved it through the air to reveal the grill now standing on the grass.

    Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°Are you always this insufferable?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Usually more so, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°Even when you¡¯re alone?¡±

    My mouth opened and closed while my brain tried to catch up. Internally, one of the boxes at the back of my mind was bulging, about to explode. ¡°No?¡± I eventually offered to release some pressure.

    ¡°Then just act as though I¡¯m not here. Although still make me food because I have quite the appetite this morning.¡± She brought out a chair to sit on.

    I considered that saying ¡®yes, your highness¡¯ was liable to get me an arrow through the neck. Her bow lay against the front of her tent, just about within arm''s reach. Still, that gave me a thought.

    ¡°Who do you think is faster out of us?¡± I asked, taking some meat from my Inventory.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± She raised one eyebrow, but the other doubled down on scowling.

    ¡°See that tree over, about sixty feet through the clearing? You reckon if I said ¡®go¡¯ now, you could hit it before me?¡±

    She looked over at the tree in question, then back to me, where I had tongs in one hand, a slab of raw meat in the other. ¡°Say ¡®go¡¯ and we¡¯ll find out.¡±

    I waited a few seconds to build the suspense. I could see her tensed up. The meat squished in my tightening grip, the grill sizzling beneath.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    I dropped the meat and my card was the first out, slicing through the air in a tight arc just as she had rolled into a crouch - bow picked up and drawn with arrow at the ready. It took her a split second to aim and then it was on the way, traveling much faster than my skill.

    And then, just as her projectile would pass mine, I split the card out into two and criss-crossed them quickly in the air. The diced parts of her arrow lost momentum and fell to the ground as my two cards slammed into the distant trunk.

    She turned her scowl to me and sighed.

    ¡°Ta-da!¡± I announced, as I took a bow. Blood immediately burst from my hand, spattering across the nearby grass.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re burning the meat, trickster.¡± She rolled her eyes and moved back to her chair. ¡°If you injure yourself before the fight, I¡¯ll be pissed.¡±

    Her facial expression might say otherwise, but I could tell she was impressed.

    <hr>

    "The leader is a woman called Lady in Red... I know.¡± Ren rolled her eyes in seeing the look on my face. ¡°She¡¯s some kind of wizard or similar. I only know her name because of her second in-command, Grak. Huge orc barbarian, dual wields, and talks loudly in third person. He¡¯s the one who¡­¡± she trailed off.

    I nodded. ¡°The rest, any specific Classes?¡±

    "Not exactly, it''s been a while since I''ve been up to date on information." The elf put her forearm over her eyes to shield them from the sun as she thought. ¡°A type of fighter and a healer, for sure. Not sure on the other - possibly something melee.¡±

    We had been making our way to their hideout - a small village in a cove by the shore - for several hours. Somehow, I had become calmer about the whole ordeal rather than more anxious. There was some finality to it, the last act before the curtains went down and I could relax. Possibly in a shallow grave.

    I watched as Ren fired an arrow off, striking a deer through the chest and killing it outright. We walked over and I summoned Roger through it. The same purple energy, bright eyes, and weird ears despite the corpse not being humanoid.

    ¡°Woah, this thing has weird fuckin¡¯ legs. Oh. Hey, boss!¡±

    Definitely Roger still, not a different demon - which somewhat comforted me. ¡°Just giving you a heads up, the next time I summon you, you will be in a human like me, most likely, and I want you to do your best to kill anyone you see that aren''t us two.¡± I jerked my thumb between myself and Ren.

    ¡°Of course, boss.¡± He tilted his head to the side to glare at the elf standing behind me, who I assumed was glaring right back at him.

    ¡°It would mean a lot to us both if you could give it your all, and once you decide what kind of weapon you like, I¡¯ll try to get you something nice and Rare to keep.¡± I gave him a wide smile.

    ¡°Yeah? Okay, count on me then, boss. I¡¯ll go then, if that¡¯s all - I don¡¯t think I can actually move without falling on my face.¡±

    I gave him a nod, and he vanished away, leaving the deer to collapse to the ground after giving the elf one last grimace. It was nice to know he could leave at his own discretion and wasn¡¯t forced to stick around, even if I forced him to join this plane of existence.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡± Ren walked off. ¡°We¡¯ll be there within the hour.¡±

    We had chosen a path that would weave around the various monster spawn points and anything that could interrupt our progress. While not a short of a journey as we would have liked, it did mean we arrived at the cove uninjured. We had the best gear we had found, enough healing supplies to carry us through, and I had secretly been holding onto two Sweet Cakes for our celebratory party.

    The only ingredient left was murder - something I had become blissfully cozy with.

    Ren stopped, and I did the same. The sound of waves lapping at the island could be heard clearly now. Something I hadn¡¯t heard in probably-

    ¡°Boost me.¡± She gestured to the nearby tree.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, sure.¡± I stood with my back to the tree and interlocked my hands so she could hop up to the nearest branch. As she clambered up, I shook the mud from my hands. ¡°Your boots are filthy,¡± I murmured.

    She paused and looked down at me. ¡°Do you want to climb the tree?¡±

    I shook my head and wiped my hands across my sparkling purple trousers. They already had enough blood and who knows what else pasted across them. I really needed to get better adventuring clothes. Or be more diligent at repairing them when I had privacy.

    After a minute or two, the elf climbed down, landing deftly on the ground. ¡°They have two watchtowers near the road in. Our side is a steep hill like at the goblin village. The other side is remarkably mountainous. Then at the back of the hideout is the sea, opposite the road in.¡±

    My brain tried to jumble the picture around to make sense. I tried to think of it as we were South, and the road in was from the East leading to the West where the sea was.

    ¡°Watchtowers don¡¯t look occupied, but we¡¯ll see.¡± She was scowling off at the far distance, her eyes moving about as if trying to read the plans her mind was concocting.

    I let her ruminate without interruption. This was her show, after all. While my life was on the line, and I had an important role to play, this had to go how she wanted things to. While the front of my head liked to think I was being altruistic, the back of my mind knew this had been an anchor for me. A purpose for a man in purple; lost within a dangerous world.

    ¡°You ready?¡± She turned to me, still frowning, but blue eyes now searching me. Last chance to run and hide away, save my skin and escape the small pocket of terror she willfully inhabited. Just as others had done to her previously - I could read behind that expression all to well. Might not even blame me for losing heart and fleeing.

    Unable to force myself to grandstand or come up with some heroic spiel to carry us forth, I just nodded, a grim expression on my face. ¡°Ready.¡±

    No further words were spoken until we were on the ridge, prone and crawling to peek over. Time seemed to go fast when you had murder on your mind. It was a small village, with little huts dotting the sandy area, waves lapping at the shore only a weak stone throw away. Idyllic, really - the sort of place you¡¯d holiday to, or maybe retire once all the magician debt had been paid off.

    To our right, the two watchtowers flanked the road leading into the village. The furthest one seemed empty, but the closest had a figure leaned against the back wall, staring off at the road away from us. Even with the vegetative cover we had crawled through, I¡¯d stick out like a sore and sparkly thumb if they were even barely proficient in their role.

    Down between the houses, a pair of figures moved from one house to another - and knocked on the door. Two more figures stepped out. None of them looked to be particularly green or red - and including the watcher that would make the cove a little more populated than we had ancitipated.

    I raised my eyebrows to Ren, and she just worked her jaw as she glared back at me. Nothing needed to be said, evidentally they had done a little recuiting since she last had a chance to check. Even being this close to her, seeing the vibrancy of her eyes and concern wrinkling her otherwise-

    She leaned in and whispered in my ear. ¡°Plan stays. Take tower, burn them out into the open.¡± She moved back away.

    For a second, part of me short-circuited and took me out of the large scoops of belief I had managed to suspend so far. Being corralled by a beautiful elf almost-princess to murder a village of possibly-real people to avenge her fallen lover, by summoning a host of demonic entities by manner of magic. Perhaps I had hit my head, and this was a fevered coma dream, or the afterlife. No. I wasn¡¯t that lucky.

    I nodded at her, and gave her the best smile I could muster, before turning to look at the watchtower.

    A card of purple energy appeared over my hand and began to turn. I forced more energy into it, expending my mana as it glowed brighter - ready for what I considered an empowered single shot.

    With a brief prayer to whatever entity might be listening to my inner monologue, I sent the attack off.

 20 - Escape Artist

    The beauty of the System was the flexibility it allowed. Even excluding the powers it gave us, the application of some of the options made us almost superheroes. Almost. For when faced with strength and the ability to punch down, many chose to be more of a villain. Although, perhaps not that dramatic - after slaughtering hundreds, it was hard for even the most benevolent of us all to not become numb and apathetic. And I was certainly not benevolent. Being harsh on myself, I might draw a line from the hard points in my life back to this day, and how the ball was sent rolling far off course due to our actions and the resulting chase that ensued.

    The card beamed across the gap, splitting at the last second to gouge both sides of the person''s neck. I held them with a twist in hopes that I could cut through the windpipe if not the arteries, and then let them vanish. I wiped my bleeding hand on the grass idly as we both stared and awaited the outcome.

    With a jolt, they clutched at their throat, and turned wildly as if confused or trying to raise an alarm. Their eyes met our half-concealed shapes up on this ledge before they then slumped down out of view. I raised an eyebrow at Ren, and she nodded.

    I threw a second card - an Imp one. Partly worried that I wouldn¡¯t have the range or skill to land it where I wanted. With a little pain through my hand, I was pleased to have it land just on the edge of the watchtower wall. The Imp rose up from a circle and wobbled a little, surprised to find itself on a precipice. After he stabilized himself against one of the wooden supports, he turned and gave me a little wave.

    Start fireballing the houses, I thought toward him. I even tried gesturing with my head and eyes, for the little that I could move while remaining prone.

    Regardless of which manner of communication he understood, a ball of fire began forming in his hands.

    ¡°Get ready,¡± Ren muttered, ¡°maintain positional advantage until they force us out.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± This was what all the training and tough love had been for. Running our own ambush over the slight cliff gave us the height advantage and a means to escape if need be. The previous battles had put me through the wringer so that I didn¡¯t falter when I stepped onto the main stage and all eyes were upon me. There was slightly more on the line than a few bad reviews. We had faced death before, but this had the almost tangible weight of Ren''s revenge labored upon it. I could almost feel her radiating anger.

    The first ball of fire careened down from the tower and struck the wooden roof of a hut, catching it alight.

    Silent tension thickened the air between us. No immediate response from the cove, where the figures had gone into various buildings before our assault. A second fireball went out and struck one of the larger buildings. The door flung open and two figures stepped out, their raised voices catching the attention of two more that had been wandering over from the back where we couldn''t see.

    After some confused yelling, a fifth figure emerged from a different house, stepping out to where the others were gathered. A wizard in white robes cast a spell to douse some of the flames, as the rest of them scoured the area for the culprit.

    "Up there!" A ranger pointed a finger toward my Imp, before bringing his bow up. Other than a wizard, it looked as though they had a medium armored fighter with a shield, a lighter armored fighter with an axe, and what might be a healer or other spellcaster.

    Target the healer, I told my Imp. He switched targets and let the ball loose, just as the ranger fired his arrow. The latter traveling a lot faster, my Imp took the attack straight to the forehead and dropped back into the watchtower, out of view. Bastards.

    "To me!" The wizard yelled.

    They rushed together into a group, and just before the fireball struck, the spellcaster raised a dome-shaped shield that absorbed the burst of flame.

    "Now," Ren hissed and leaped to her feet. I followed suit, in my... suit. Stressful performance, I apologized internally.

    As the fire and shield faded out, Ren''s entangling arrow immediately struck the wizard through the chest, blood soaking through his white robes. Just as soon as the light had left his eyes and he slumped to his knees, my card then struck him. Pact Demon. A difficult distance to throw Roger''s card, but through bloodied hands I made the attack with enough precision and purple light began to pool around the dead spellcaster. Entangling roots gripped at the group, holding them in place. Rookie move to group up.

    "Up there," the ranger pointed unnecessarily, at the two now very obvious figures on the ledge. Part of me wondered why Ren allowed me to continue to wear my garish suit, but I supposed that could be a question for a time less dangerous. As the opposing ranger drew back a skill, Roger lurched up at him, using the wand he was holding as a dagger and jamming it up into the underside of the man''s jaw.

    "Where the fuck are the main two?" Ren seethed as she drew back another arrow. We had been somewhat lucky in that these chumps had clumped up to avoid the fireball, which left them easy pickings. Punching down had clearly left them weak in other aspects. She was right though, something was off. Her arrow deflected from the warrior with the shield, and I feigned my card toward him before twisting it into two¡ªone hitting the supposed healer in the face, the second severing fingers of the other fighter. Pain wracked my hands.

    The entangles broke on the other two, the shield-bearing warrior now stuck between defending against our ranged attacks or helping against the demon possessing the dead wizard. Roger leaped unhindered atop the blinded spellcaster and renewed his assault. Ren drew up her Smite Shot and held it, waiting for an opening. It went out and struck the shield-bearer in the shoulder just above the metal object, rendering that arm weak and inert.

    There was something in the air, and not just the smell of burning wood. Magic perhaps? A card spun over my hand as I paused, a noise distracting me from taking my next strike. Ren heard it too, and we turned around.

    From within the forest, a large green figure burst out of the treeline towards us. Must have used a skill to get close. Invisibility? Teleportation? With a large hammer in each hand, he roared in delight at getting the jump on us. His face was a mess of scars between yellow tusks and yellower eyes.

    ¡°Grak knew you were sneakin¡¯ about!¡± he bellowed with a grin, running at us full pelt.

    Ren drew an arrow - but he was quick. A red energy flickered around his body, some ability giving him power. He swung both hammers down at us as she let off her arrow. I dropped my card to raise a Card Fan in front of us just in time.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    They weren''t enough, and the glowing cards shattered. The remaining force pushed us back¡­ over the edge.

    A brief slideshow of pain, brown dirt, gray rock, and then I was on the sandy road with a thud. Blood dripped onto the ground in front of me. Naughty, I hadn¡¯t allowed it to leave my body. My head rang as it tried to catch up with the distance traveled. Mentally, I made the note that I no longer liked heights. I broke the stick on my belt that held one of Ren''s heals within it. My legs no longer felt numb, and I dropped a Hellhound card as I stood.

    Vision still shaky, I raised my eyes to see Ren laying prone on the ground. Blood running from her mouth, and a leg looking like it forgot proper anatomy. Roger was rolling on the sand-covered road, grappling with the last of the group, and I''d help him right after sorting the elf. Ren healed her injury with a grunt, the bone cracking as it snapped back into place, and I stumbled over to offer my hand.

    ¡°Bad luck with that leg, huh?¡± I smiled as I helped her up, her eyes immediately shooting up.

    ¡°Move!¡±

    We leaped apart, rolling across the ground as the orc slammed down onto his feet in the middle of us. How he managed to crack the ground but not shatter his legs was a trick I¡¯d probably not find out the answer to. Maybe he was just built differently.

    ¡°Aw, Grak wanted to crush little friends.¡±

    I stood back to my feet with a wobble, my hound standing in front of me and growling. Ren was not so eager to stand around and start a monologue to savor the moment - as soon as she was back to her feet, another radiant arrow pulsed into her bow and she fired it from the short distance.

    The arrow burned out and was deflected mere inches from the large orc by a shield of crimson magic.

    ¡°Now, now - who is this come to spoil our fun?¡± A smooth female voice came from behind me, but I was hesitant to look away from the hulking barbarian in front.

    ¡°Lady in Red, I assume?¡± My hands were lowered, but a card spun in my right one. I tried to calm my nerves. Performing for a small crowd was always more stressful. All eyes on me.

    ¡°Correct. Are you looking for gainful employment, bard?¡±

    I winced. A change of outfit was definitely necessary. A figure stumbled back to back with me, and somehow I could tell it was Roger.

    ¡°She looks even more disgusting than the elf,¡± he hissed through a mouth he wasn¡¯t used to. ¡°Being a giant is fun, but I¡¯m pretty ruined. Have three more bodies to transfer to.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Roger. Doing great.¡± Why I was whispering to my demon during this standoff, I wasn¡¯t sure.

    Ren fired another arrow at the orc, which again was blocked. I could see the fury and frustration in her eyes. Months of build up and she was driven to one thing only. That he was just ignoring her and her attacks were ineffective must be driving her mad.

    ¡°I guess not then¡­¡± the Lady continued, unconvinced by my silence. ¡°Grak, show them out of this world.¡±

    The orc tensed up and licked his lips. ¡°Grak going to enjoy this. Will break man first¡­ again.¡±

    ¡°Can you hear me when I command things in my head?¡± I muttered to Roger, flexing my hands.

    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±

    Then he knew what to do. So did I, which was - not die. I didn¡¯t fancy my chances against the figure a good two feet taller and three times as wide as me. From my side, I drew my new dagger into my hand. Ren was focused on Grak. Grak was focused on me. Lady in Red was focused on...

    ¡°Good news, Grak. You¡¯ll be the first to die by my [Dagger of Luck].¡± I grinned and flipped it around. It only gave +1 Luck, whatever that did, but I needed all the help I could get.

    He chuckled briefly. ¡°Funny words for a pancake!¡± The orc leaped forward, amber energy flaring up his body. He was fast.

    Hellhound darted in with a growl. Roger moved away, screaming as he went. Ren drew back another shot, unbridled fury in her eyes. My card left my hand, a calm amount of acceptance across my face.

    The hammers hit me, unopposed. Upper right arm, shattered. Left shoulder, dislocated and broken. I hit the ground like a sack of potatoes and rolled, skimming my head on the sand-swept stone. My ears rang, but I still heard the sound clearly.

    ¡°No!¡± a female voice screamed out.

    Not Ren¡¯s though. Different. I twisted my head around on a complaining neck to see the orc standing confused, an arrow lodged in the back of his neck. He pawed at it briefly before a second hit right next to it.

    A flash of blue illuminated his face, and any other surrounding objects my fading vision could see. My body dissociating from the pain, I had perhaps been more injured from the cliff fall than my hubris allowed me to believe.

    Third arrow - then a forth struck the back of the barbarian. His arms were slung low now, as if his energy was being drained. An awkward plodding came over to me and my vision was filled by the face of a corpse with purple eyes.

    ¡°Ugly bitch vanished, boss. You okay?¡±

    He stood back up straight, allowing me to see the elf run up and stab the dying orc over and over. I closed my eyes so I could pretend not to see her tears. My Hellhound came over and licked my face to make sure I didn¡¯t fall asleep.

    ¡°Good¡­ job, guys.¡± I managed to murmur out.

    They had telegraphed their scheme too easily and I saw through their trick with Ren''s assistance. The Lady put some manner of shield over the orc so that he couldn¡¯t be hit. He thought himself invincible and overconfident. Ren was hellbent on putting an arrow through his thick skull, so I had to work around that - take away the shield.

    On my mark, both the hound and Roger had run straight for her. I had the demon scream so that I could approximate her location and send my card her way, split it to be sure. Forced the error. Overwhelmed by sudden threats, she had to save her own life rather than hold her protection up on Grak.

    A gamble on my part. I couldn¡¯t aim the card at the same time as bring up the Card Fan. If I had been struck in the head, I would be dead. If I had been way off the mark on how her abilities worked, I would be dead. For telling myself I was averse to risk taking, I had taken a big gamble.

    Still, though. Some tricks you can only pull off once. It wasn¡¯t good magic, but made for a good story. As long as there were people around to see it.

    A burst of radiant energy flowed through me, the awkward crunch and pop of my limbs resetting grating at my senses. The heal was comforting and warming, for as long as the pulse lasted. I opened my eyes to see the whining hound paw at me.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    I exhaled. The side of my face against the ground seemed to be wet with what I hoped was my own blood. ¡°Yeah, Ren?¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply. Which was partly concerning, but perhaps it wasn¡¯t right to address a sort-of-princess while laying as a broken body on the ground. Arms aching, but mostly functional. I managed to push myself to my knees, and then to my feet, allowing myself a long groan as I rose.

    The elf stood before me, a furrowed brow as usual, but a face spent of emotion. Eyes red and tear tracks down her face, she had managed to compose herself almost to her normal state.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    I smiled and held my arms open, unsure what really to do with myself. Shocked that she actually came in for the hug. It was brief and awkward, but I managed to hold my own emotions in check.

    ¡°Easy,¡± I said as she stepped back and observed the carnage we had wrought.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t do dumb shit again. You¡¯re not actually expendable.¡± She sighed and rubbed at her face.

    Behind her, the orc began to move and stood up straight again. Tension flooded through us, before the barbarian¡¯s eyes popped out and ears burst from his head.

    ¡°Woah, this fucker is rrripped!¡± Roger flexed the arms.

    ¡°That¡¯s half the job done, at least.¡± Ren shook her head, a long sigh escaping her mouth as she lowered her bow.

    ¡°Half?¡± I narrowed my aching eyes across the village. For some reason, I expected another wave of bad guys to pop out of the rest of the huts. As if I hadn''t courted death enough for one fight.

    ¡°Lady teleported to the mainland.¡± She gave me a glum expression, almost too tired to keep her brow lowered.

    I clucked my tongue. ¡°You want to level up and go hunt her down, then?¡±

    ¡°Most sensible thing you¡¯ve ever said.¡± She nodded and a bit of life returned to her eyes.

    ¡°One thing first, though.¡± I gave her a stern expression and raised a finger.

    I brought down my blood-soaked top hat and twirled it around. Reaching a hand inside, I withdrew two sweet cakes and held them out.

    ¡°You are the worst.¡± Ren shook her head with a sigh. She grabbed the cake, and a smile almost graced the very edges of her mouth. Not allowing me the satisfaction of seeing if anything further was about to bloom, she crouched down to pet at the hellhound as she ate.

    Giving the rest of the buildings in the cove a side-eye, I imagined the worst was yet to come.

 21 - A Bigger Stage

    We had cut the green tumor out from New Forest, and bought some manner of closure to what ailed Ren. The cancer still remained, and it would take more than one brief and desperate act of violence to truly scour those that sought to cause pain wherever they trod. What drove a person to have such little disregard for another¡¯s life was something I still didn¡¯t grasp, fully aware of the irony as I stood at the end of a bloodied path of those I had killed myself. Delusion was one of the greatest tricks I ever mastered.

    I furrowed my brow as I concentrated. It seemed as though Bandages just needed the ''act'' of being applied to the body for the healing effect to take hold. Arbitrary, sure¡ªbut something I could work with. Currently, I was focused on manipulating one with my left hand, trying to roll it around my fingers single handedly. It''d take a bit of practice to get the muscle-memory down pat, but with a glare of insistence, I was rewarded by the little progress bar¡ªand then the warmth of healing.

    After having a little too much fun with Grak''s body, Roger departed as Ren and I split up to loot the cove. She hadn''t been wrong about the System not being well-equipped to deal with Player on Player violence. Defensive skills were one thing, but a sharp object to the neck or heart and you''d be good as gone. I was opposed to high-stake gambles, but had the feeling I''d be eating humble pie on that stance more than I''d be eating Sweet Cakes.

    The dead Players offered me paltry loot for whatever their lives had been worth. The feeling there was that they hadn''t gotten to Level Five, for whatever reason. Still, I gathered enough Bandages to dress up as a mummy should there be a spookier themed area, and a few choice pieces of equipment that looked useful. All their gold too.

    [Wizard Hat of the Wise] [+2 Int]

    [Mana Belt] [+5% Mana]

    [Quick Bracers] [+1 Dex]

    I also took a couple of basic weapons to give Roger a selection next time I needed him. Everything else was either broken, unavailable, or I didn''t think I''d ever need. We instead checked through all the houses, a time consuming act but pragmatic before we left the area. Other than supplies, Ren had retrieved a sword and affixed it to her belt. The hilt was silver and engraved in a way that told me it was elven. Her eyes told the rest of the story. Of who it use to belong to.

    For my efforts, I had found a book.

    "What''s in that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

    I turned it over in my hands. "An attempt to burn it has been made, but... it''s not recent. This was not in one of the huts that the Imp struck."

    "Does it belong to the Lady? Why didn''t she just hide it her inventory?" Ren scowled, but was eager to learn more.

    It hadn''t taken me long to get through what few pages remained visible. "Hard to say. It''s like a diary... she wasn''t too pleased about being portalled here. Thought that most new Players were easy to manipulate, that they all wanted the same thing."

    Ren rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Willing to murder those that threatened the status quo of her little gang?"

    I shrugged and put it away in my Inventory. Not enough to truly determine her exact motives without painting in the gaps ourselves. She wanted safety, perhaps, and saw being the overlord of the starter area being the simplest way of doing that. Whether through her charms or her Class, she had convinced others she held the key to happiness.

    It had been pragmatic for them to kill, loot, or recruit new Players. Keep the equilibrium and maintain their control. At the end of the day, the only one surviving was the Lady in Red - level five and abandoning her dead gang to avoid the same fate. Survival meant more to her than staying her ground. Although such callousness and self-serving interests didn¡¯t shock me, it still chilled my spine if I thought too hard on it.

    She only saw them as a meat shield between herself and the inevitable, not something to truly strengthen or enrich her time here.

    <hr>

    I wiped the blood from my hands.

    ¡°That really isn¡¯t normal, you know?¡± Ren scowled at me as she fired off another arrow into the last troll of the group.

    ¡°It¡¯s normal to me.¡± I grinned and then wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my arm, trying not to mix fluids. ¡°Gives the whole demon summoning a dramatic flair.¡±

    She remained unconvinced.

    I yawned and checked my log¡­ still eight trolls to go. Now that Ren had relented to leveling alongside me, combat had been not only quicker but also less stressful on my mana. Although we were both keen on getting to the mainland and tracking down the loose thread, the elf had seemed much calmer since killing the orc.

    Still just as grouchy, but there hadn¡¯t been the same amount of pressure for us to both excel. Combat remained relatively low stakes and brief. Perhaps that was a low level thing and a reason why the gang had chosen to stick around.

    My Imp gave a short bow before disappearing into mist. Their fire helped prevent the trolls from regenerating their health, which allowed us to get through this Quest without too much stress. I had been giving Roger a break as he wasn¡¯t able to control the larger monsters very well - some limitations on his power. I dropped another Imp and sent out dual cards, circling each other through the air into the next target.

    ¡°One more Quest after this one,¡± Ren reminded me. Third time so far.

    Not that I didn¡¯t understand her anticipation - she had been stuck at level four for way too long. Being able to grow in power again must be nice. I was a bit apprehensive about my keystone ability. As if somehow it was part of a performance review and the System was going to decide on my career path.

    Of course, I hadn¡¯t had much choice so far, so I shouldn¡¯t worry. My cards sliced upwards on the pale flesh of the monster, driving gashes across its chest. Already starting to heal up, an arrow then struck it in the left, piercing a lung. A fireball blasted into it. The charred and injured creature lumbered toward us, but didn¡¯t make it more than five feet before our second volley dropped it to the ground.

    ¡°Your cards are good at soft targets, but we¡¯ll have issues against armored targets.¡±

    I nodded, unsure whether to take that as a criticism or a plain statement. We did need someone to be the meat shield for us - as capable as we were at felling slow and brainless targets, we were bound to fall into trouble once on the mainland. Still, with only the recent agreement that Ren would Party with me when we got there, I wasn¡¯t about to rock the boat by suggesting finding a tank should be one of our first ports of call.

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    ¡°We¡¯ll need to at least find someone to take aggro for us.¡± She tilted her head as she scanned the hills for the next troll. ¡°Perhaps make it one of our priorities.¡±

    ¡°I suppose.¡± I smiled to myself. Currently, I wasn¡¯t a huge fan of being almost snapped in half by anyone strong enough to throw about melee weapons bigger than me. The fact that the orc had wanted to debilitate me before killing me outright was the only thing that prevented me from currently being a smear across the sand back at the cove.

    ¡°I would even say a Rare Class, but chances are most will have a Party by now.¡± She scowled out at the hills, as if they were part of the problem.

    If people liked to keep their Class Rarity secret, that would be quite the problem, anyway. If the Rarity had any effect on the power level of the individual, then it would put people like Ren and I in high demand - but might also draw unwanted attention. Better to not stand out in a world where murderers could get away acting like warlords. My overtly dazzling suit glared back at me. Better to not stand out, I repeated.

    Roger worked well for taking a hit, but he didn''t exactly have any skills of his own¡ªand certainly wasn''t too careful with his own well-being. His sporadic appearances were a downside too, and I''d rather not have to drag corpses around with us in case of an ambush. We needed some kind of stability. An unfunny joke in the System so far.

    ¡°If the island starts getting more new Players seeing as we cleared it of the¡­ supposed blockage, perhaps we might find someone around our level soon enough?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± The elf shrugged.

    Despite the unspoken agreement we''d need a third, there was still apprehension in her for finding another person to trust, no matter how desperately we would need it going forward. Even my help had been a hard sell until I had shown my worth. Anyone with less patience for the arduous tasks - or an apparent numbness to grand violence - may have given up on her by now. Especially with the constant sour face she displayed. I never failed to win over a fan... although, I would also never refer to her as a fan to her face. But I knew.

    ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re grinning to yourself and not helping with the trolls?¡± She glared down at me from a dozen feet up the hill.

    ¡°Just thinking about¡­¡± My brain clicked a few notches, like the dial on a safe. ¡°¡­the first big failure I had at a show.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°I feel like I will regret asking for more information.¡±

    She definitely would. ¡°A tale for another time. Let¡¯s get these trolls down. What was the Quest after this?¡±

    ¡°All the troll hearts we¡¯ve been looting, we need to go take them back down near the coast. It¡¯s a long way, but will get us to level five.¡±

    ¡°All the troll hearts we¡¯ve been looting,¡± I repeated, nodding slowly as she clenched her jaw.

    ¡°Or¡­ I¡¯ll be leaving the island and you can stay here?¡±

    My gaze moved gradually over to the last Monster we had killed. ¡°How many hearts does a troll have again?¡±

    <hr>

    I yawned as we strode through the woods in the waning light of the early evening. Adventuring was tiring work, even more so than a week long show schedule. Although magician work usually didn¡¯t involve so much of my own blood. Or the blood of others, I supposed.

    We had been walking in comfortable silence for the better part of an hour. The day had been both a physical and emotional drain, with our social batteries both on their last legs.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m most looking forward to?¡± I raised my eyebrow at her. ¡°A proper warm bed.¡±

    She nodded, validating my desire. ¡°I hope to find a merchant that sells Sweet Cakes, and then I will spend all my gold there and eat until I die.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°A good way to go. Do you not have¡­ oaths you have to ward?¡±

    ¡°What drives you, trickster?¡±

    The deflected question was clear, but her return caught me off-guard. ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to think you weren¡¯t just riding around on my coattails. I appreciate your help with my vendetta, but you don¡¯t exactly have a tie to the conflict.¡± She paused and crossed her arms. ¡°So, what are your ambitions?¡±

    I stopped and furrowed my brow.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem selfish enough for it to be about fame and fortune, even if you are self-absorbed.¡±

    My tongue rolled around my mouth in search of a concise answer. How far was I willing to stretch for some truth when something adjacent was much closer? ¡°Performance is like¡­ art. Growing in power will allow me more options and skills to use. Plus, I like to see people happy.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll do that with tricks and illusions?¡±

    ¡°Probably a greater chance than with wholesale murder.¡± I smiled.

    With a roll of her eyes, Ren shrugged and deflated. She turned to continue our journey. ¡°Latter worked with me,¡± she murmured, just loud enough for me to question whether that was what I really heard.

    I certainly hadn¡¯t made the group of thugs down at the cove very happy. It probably should revolt me more than it did, that I conflated them with the goblins in how easily they died. Perhaps they were still low level, and the gang had recently recruited them but not allowed them to level up. No use working myself up over the past¡ªI rolled my eyes at the irony of the statement¡ªplus,I had almost died in one hit, so shouldn''t judge.

    Ren had a point in that I had latched onto her own personal quest pretty easily and there was perhaps nothing really forcing me to continue that path. We could split ways on the mainland. She was more than capable of hunting down the loose ends of the gang, and I could go and¡­ be a magician for a few gold a night? Despite my constant drive to be a showman, part of me was working up the courage to convince the rest of me that combat could be a performance in and of itself. What would the System allow me to weave into my Class, to excel beyond simple themed wizardry?

    Blend the two parts of me. Correct the evils of the world and bring a dazzling display to woo whatever local populace was under the darkened cloud of hardship. Yes! My mind started to roll with it, the momentum of what was so simple and yet ticked all boxes - I just couldn¡¯t keep it in.

    ¡°I¡­ want to be a hero.¡±

    "A... hero?" The elf looked over her shoulder at me as we continued onwards, her face a conflicted amount of interest and disdain. ¡°You¡¯re certainly no gallant knight, Max. But you¡¯ve... got the heart for it.¡± Her eyebrow raised. "You''d think the portals would bring the heroic types in, but most people I''ve seen here are complete assholes. It''s no wonder they fell in line with the Lady. At least you''re... pleasant." She turned back away to look ahead.

    Not that I was seeking her approval or acceptance of my new dream, but it was nice to hear she was reluctantly on board. Already the images of posters and statues of me in heroic poses set in village squares had started to fill my mind. The Master Illusionist and Savior of Whatever Town. I could already do the hard part of killing monsters and not dying in the process. All the rest was just public relations. Faux confidence was already waiting in my back pocket for a chance to spring forth.

    Always had been, really. Ever since arriving in this world, I''d let any horror or disbelief slide right past my mind. The show must go on. Wherever I was, whatever I had to do. Keep going, keep learning, keep dazzling all I came across.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Ren eventually said, as I realized I had been lost in my thoughts for a while.

    We had reached the shoreline of the other side of the island from the cove. The twin moons reflecting across the pitch sea that seemed to stretch on forever - only the peaks of the waves close to shore picking up the pale light of the early night. Just to the side, against deep gray rocks, was a small shack illuminated by a flickering amber light inside.

    ¡°Hand hearts in, level up¡­ teleport straight away?¡± I raised my eyebrows at her. Apprehension filling us both, despite her frown.

    She nodded slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to spend another night here. We¡¯ll surely be able to find an inn or something on the other side.¡±

    ¡°Ladies first then,¡± I gestured with my hand, earning a scowl. It erased some of her nerves, however, and we walked down to the shack.

    ¡°Hellooo,¡± an old lady cooed from the doorway. ¡°How can I help you, adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Troll hearts for your illness,¡± Ren replied bluntly, holding them out.

    We hadn¡¯t accepted the Quest yet, but the elf had known about the requirements from word of mouth. Getting the items while we did the other troll Quest was a smart move that saved us probably half a day¡¯s travel back and forth.

    ¡°Thank you, dearie!¡±

    ¡°Same here,¡± I leaned it to hold out the necessary hearts.

    ¡°Thank you, dearie!¡±

    ¡°See you on the other side, trickster.¡± Ren gave me a pensive nod. The mixture of relief and weight of the action illuminated by the amber glow of the fireplace in the shack.

    With a flash of blue light, she vanished.

    [Level Up - 5]

    [Stats Increased]

    [Class Keystone: <Demonic Magician>]

    [Teleport to Mainland?]

    I reached out a finger and pressed the Yes button, the physical act giving it more weight than doing it mentally.

 22 - The Rest

    The world had opened up. Not just a bigger stage for me to be a spectacle of, but a box full of more than I could have bargained for. Much like the handkerchief that never ends despite how much you pull it from your sleeve, conflict and desperation flowed out one after another before us. The New Forest had dazzled me with the veneer of a pleasant and well-crafted world, but the fight against what was soon to be known as the Crimson Shadow was but a taste of what power-hungry sentients could bring to the corner of the playground - kicking sand in the faces of others as they laughed maniacally.

    A wave of inertia struck my body, and everything became blue briefly. Like a water slide, it felt like sinking through a tunnel - but was over in apparent seconds despite part of my body feeling like it stretched my core being out across infinity.

    I stumbled onto wet sand, sinking to my knees to make sure my stomach didn¡¯t empty itself. Never much for adventurous rides, but glad I didn''t crack my head open on anything this time. My eyes scrunched closed as the vertigo swirled around my head, eventually diminishing. The dimming hum in my ears was the final reminder of the completed process.

    Then, the sound of waves behind me, lapping at the shore. A cool breeze unhindered by terrain, briefly chilling my body. I opened my eyes to see the shaded darkness of night, the grains of sand briefly illuminated gray by the closest moon¡¯s reflection. There was a blue box, too.

    [Party request received. Accept?]

    Looking up, I saw the extended hand of the Oathwarden, her face obscured by shadow. I just assumed it was a scowl under there, but I took the offered help and stood to my feet. Her hand was oddly warm, but the amount of damp sand now on my purple slacks distracted me from any further prodding at that thought. I brushed it off and checked the notification again.

    [Party Invite Accepted]

    ¡°Let¡¯s go be heroes then, trickster.¡± She turned away, and I followed her gaze.

    Cliffs rose up almost a hundred feet off, and a pathway led up between them. Over the horizon, there were darkened shapes illuminated by small dots of amber light. ¡°A town,¡± I whispered my conclusion out loud.

    ¡°More walking.¡± Ren sighed, but started to set off.

    I joined her as I looked around us. In the darkness of night there was little detail across the beach - and it didn¡¯t seem particularly large. More of a staging area to receive the fresh level fives and funnel them to the first point of civilisation. The Lady in Red would have had to come through here earlier in the day. Other than the cringeworthy name, there was something else unsettling about her. About her abilities. Perhaps if I had actually seen her, or it had been a more protracted battle, then I¡¯d know more.

    With the potential different classes, knowing what skills the enemy had was invaluable. Now she knew mine. I was at a disadvantage.

    Speaking of which, I brought up my skills to look at my keystone.

    [Demonic Magician] [Your successful Deceptions can now apply Dazzle to targets, and damage is increased per stack of Dazzle debuff.]

    My first thought was, what does Dazzle even mean? As a noun. My heart beat harder in my chest, something akin to wondrous excitement building in my stomach for the reveal. Dazzle was a keyword that I could delve deeper into, to find out more.

    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± I placed my hand on my chin and shuddered. Could this be real? I read it again to be sure.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ren sounded concerned, and looked me over as if I were about to explode or mutate.

    ¡°My keystone. It uh¡­ there¡¯s¡­ if I perform a trick or ability that impresses or confuses an opponent, they get a stack of something called Dazzle - and then I am more effective against them.¡±

    The elf stared at me for a few seconds. ¡°Are you bullshitting me again?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± It was difficult to hold back the wide grin from forming across my face. ¡°The more prolific a magician I am, the more powerful I am!¡±

    Ren groaned. ¡°Great, like I need the System encouraging you as well.¡±

    I felt energized. Every foe was now my audience and now the better a performer I was, the easier it would be to conquer them. It was as if the System had been setting up dominoes, knowing exactly how I needed them placed, and then knocked them all down. To raucous applause - mostly my own, but still. It was early days.

    ¡°What did you get?¡± I asked, trying not to make the show all about me just yet.

    ¡°Nothing so flashy or bizarre.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You... ass. Defensive things so I can ward my oaths better.¡±

    ¡°No need to be jealous.¡± I grinned. ¡°Rising tide raises all ships, and all that.¡±

    ¡°Drowns anyone who isn¡¯t a giant, too.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess you¡¯ll have to ride on my shoulders.¡± In response, she muttered something that I didn''t catch, but I smiled. I doubted she was actually annoyed at my Class being more powerful - more likely it was just the nerves of becoming part of the wider world.

    I felt it too. As we walked up the stone slope and the buildings drew closer, there was a reality that was sinking in to which we were both out-of-place outsiders. Given that she was an elf, I had assumed she had come from a more fantasy-based world¡ªalthough that was just from my viewpoint of it; I supposed. While it was an unfamiliar setting to my previous lifestyle, Ren had also spent way too long on the small island. It was like we had just had a nice camping trip, and now returned to a land foreign to us because we had run out of cell signal and Sweet Cakes.

    The tension in my chest continued as we came to the outskirts of what appeared to be a small, and rather quaint town. Dark wooden houses with thatched roofs were dotted around slim streets. A town square further down the road looked to house a fountain and rows of flowers hiding away from the twilight. The brickwork building further down looked to be an inert smithy, and a stable flanked the far end past the square before nature began once more.

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    Most important was the first building we came up to - it was only fitting that it should be the tavern of the town. Perhaps the largest structure, too. Amber light pooled from the ground-floor windows, whilst the ones above just had darkened recesses. A sign hung untouched by the breeze, the name written in golden foil - Driftwood Tavern.

    Fitting, I supposed. But then again, I wasn¡¯t very good with names. I ascended the three short steps and pushed the door open, eager for rest.

    Warmth flooded through my body, causing me to shiver. A roaring fireplace sat at the left end, near the staircase leading upward. Round tables, well-worn from use, seemed sporadically placed,and had barely a tentative grip on where the chairs should be arranged - or how many each should have. Why I wanted to organize them, I had no idea. A glass window filled most of the right-hand wall, looking out to the ocean.

    Across from us, the sole other figure in this downstairs area was a portly man with a thick mustache stood behind the bar. He rested his arms on a long counter of earthy brown planks. In seeing our entrance on a slight delay, he nodded toward us as we gingerly entered the tavern. New ground for us both.

    ¡°Evening, adventurers. Late one?¡± His grin was wide but barely made it through his facial hair. There were currently no other patrons on the ground floor, System-created or otherwise, which seemed... concerning.

    ¡°Evening, Sir.¡± I gave him a bow before Ren jostled me forward. ¡°How goes, uh, the business?¡± We approached the bar, and it seemed the elf was content enough with me being the face of the Party.

    ¡°Can¡¯t complain,¡± he said as he smiled.

    Probably because he was System-created, I mused behind my own smile.

    ¡°Can I get you two some ale?¡± His almost equally bushy eyebrows raised as he gestured to the stack of empty mugs lining the wall behind him.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t drink.¡± - Both Ren and I said the same thing together.

    We exchanged a brief glance before I returned to the barman. ¡°What we could do with, however, is room for the night.¡±

    ¡°Ah, not an issue, Sir.¡± He jerked a thumb back towards a small wooden board that had numbers and keys affixed to it. ¡°We have one room available tonight.¡±

    ¡°Just the one?¡± I exhaled through my nose and grimaced at the elf. ¡°I¡¯m okay with bedroll on the floor?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± she said with a nod, looking more exhausted than annoyed. ¡°Barman, did a woman come through here today, maybe take a room? Bright red dress and wide hat, dark black hair.¡±

    He rubbed his chin in thought as I tried to paint a mental image of our current foe. A dress didn¡¯t seem like an advisable combat outfit, unless she was a spellcaster of some kind. The few scant details I had created the picture of a witch in my mind - still, she would be as easy to spot as I was.

    ¡°No, can¡¯t say I recall, Miss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be all then.¡± The elf shrugged and looked back at the tavern door. It made sense that she wouldn''t shack up in the first safe place if we may be hot on her heels.

    I paid the man and received the key. A paltry five gold for the night. Again, I tried to not question how the economy worked in this world. I supposed the System side of things didn¡¯t need to make sense. The barman would be the barman no matter what he earned and presumably didn¡¯t need to scrape about for food or other necessities.

    We ascended the stairs, a squeak resounding every other wooden plank. Well, at first every other¡ªthen nearer the top, it skipped to the third. Down the hall, more squeaks from the planks. Small paintings lined the wall opposite the doorways. Scenes of waves and boats, the shore in summer, and seashells. Not masterpieces, but it was clear time and effort had been put into them.

    Door three relented to the turn of the key, and I stepped into the darkness. A beam of moonlight filtered in through the window and struck the plain linen on the bed. It was almost claustrophobic after spending a few days out in the open woods. A real building we''d spend more time than just a quick bath in. Ren lit a lantern by the side of the door and the details of the room came into focus under the light.

    A wide double-bed was the key feature, with a cupboard, dresser, and small table with a chair arranged around the edges of the rest of the room. All made from the same wood, a simple and plain design that at least gave the impression they¡¯d come from the same woodworker. Certainly wasn¡¯t the worst hotel I¡¯d had to sleep at.

    Ren moved around me to glare at the room herself, inspecting it for anything untoward. ¡°You can take the bed. It was your desire, after all.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± I was already half-way through my Inventory to remove my bedroll. "You take it."

    ¡°Because I¡¯m a woman, because you think I¡¯m a princess, or because you put your suffering before others as you can¡¯t stop people-pleasing?¡± She crossed her arms and glared at me.

    I worked my jaw to chew on the answer. ¡°¡­yes?¡±

    The elf sighed and rubbed her face. ¡°There¡¯s enough room for us both. A hero that puts everyone else before them ends up a dead hero.¡±

    As much as I would have liked to argue further, I was actually exhausted, and an actual bed would be divine. ¡°I relent to your wisdom, Ren.¡±

    ¡°Less relenting and more thinking for yourself. You prefer the right or left side?¡±

    My brow furrowed. The times I had needed or allowed myself the luxury of a double-bed had been scarce the last few years, but¡­ ¡°Right side?¡±

    ¡°Good answer.¡± She went and placed the lantern on the nearby dresser.

    I walked around to my side of the bed and the room was plunged into darkness once more. Before my eyes had the chance to fully adjust to the gloom, I removed my hat, jacket, and shoes. Anything more than that would have been more comfortable, but I would wait until I had my own room to disrobe any further. Under the covers I went, facing the wall, and the bed shook as Ren repeated the same process on the other side.

    As much as my brain was spent from the day, I relented to doing a little bedtime reading to soothe out my nerves before the darkness could take me. Although I had nothing but begrudging disdain for my natural prowess being defined by numerical values, it would at least be a good idea to have a grasp on the inner workings so I had a base amount of knowledge to work from. Eyes narrowing to focus on my menus, I brought up my Stats. Seems they showed the total, and then in brackets it was split between base and bonuses.

    [Stats]

    Strength - 5

    Constitution - 6

    Agility - 5

    Dexterity - 12 (11 +1)

    Intelligence - 17 (11 + 6)

    Wisdom - 5

    Luck - 9 (8 +1)

    My equipment was pulling some weight for my Intelligence. With my energy sapping away, it looked as though I received an average of 1.5 increase per level for Int and Dex, 1 Increase to Luck, and 0.5 for the rest. Enough to ballpark my progress, I shouldn''t have to keep tabs on this every five minutes. Just pump my two main Stats and everything would be fine. Although, some more health and Constitution would be nice for the times Luck couldn''t save me from injury. With a sigh, I closed the windows down.

    Despite the plain nature of the bed, I relaxed and sunk into the softness of the mattress and melted from the warmth of the thick sheets covering my tired body. So much better than my bedroll in the tent. With my brain now accepting it needed to shut off, all the hardships of the day washed away like the distant sound of the shore from the open window. Almost immediately, I fell asleep.

    Squeak.

    My eyes fluttered open. The gloom of the wooden wall opposite me stared back impassively. This was a common thing, my mind reminded itself as confusion slunk away into the darkness. Sleeping in a new place was often difficult. Just a part of the brain that kept-

    Squeak.

    I held my breath as I regained control of my waking thoughts. Floorboards from outside the room. Light breathing from beside me - Ren was still asleep.

    Squeak.

    Every other step. Slowly approaching. My heartbeat raced. It was still dark out; the moon having left our room in near complete darkness. Another squeak, ever closer, dried out my mouth.

    Just another patron heading back to their room? The barman moving through an on-rails patrol route through the night?

    A final squeak just outside our door. I turned in the bed slowly to glare at the open darkness gradually coming into some focus. The closed door told no tales, but my senses ached for a continuation of the movement. I needed to know either way whether my panic was justified or the days of slaughter were catching up to the sane part of my subconscious.

    Silence.

    My blood pulsed in my head, a rhythmic thumping that threatened to override any more important sounds that may arise. From beneath the covers, my hands withdrew, fingers flexing in anticipation.

    With a brief crack of displaced air, our door opened an inch.

 23 - Room Service

    Ever since my arrival in this world, I had a target on my back. Fame acted as a multiplier. As a magician, I had my share of fans who took things a little too far. Put me on a podium too high, thought of me as something greater than I really was, and wanted me to fulfill their odd delusions. None wanted my... death - even my detractors weren¡¯t so cold. So now, for the world to grow a crop of beings that wanted my existence erased, the only option was to fight back. Be greater than every new threat. One step ahead. The exercise was tiring, but I could do with the cardio.

    As soon as I saw the silvered glimmer of something caught in the brief moonlight peek through the gap of slowly widening pitch black, I brought Card Fan up in front of the bed. It flickered and dissipated as something struck it, and then I was up.

    I leaped over Ren to the floor on the other side as the door burst open fully, a cloaked figure enveloped in shadow emerging and moving toward me. Darkness covered the room as something blocked the open window, and the growls of the Hellhound I had dropped on my side of the bed during my brief acrobatics caught the second would-be assassin before they could fully enter.

    Why I had dove straight into the danger was beyond me. To protect the elf? As the first figure leaped toward me, hands both full of sharp steel, I reconsidered the bravado. I could hear the Oathwarden roll awake, standing atop the bed behind me.

    My card went out, the bright purple glow illuminating the room as it skirted past my assailant''s head. He flinched slightly from the light, but grinned wildly at my missed shot as the dagger in his right hand cut through the air towards me. I barely blocked it with my own [Dagger of Luck], and my arm bucked from the force - which left my side open for his off-hand swing.

    ¡°Oh, what''s this behind your ear?¡± I hissed, as my card made the return journey. Split in two, it came back past him, cutting through his hood and lopping both ears off before disappearing. The light of them briefly illuminated his shocked face as he went to clutch at his head. I turned to the side as Ren sprung from the bed over me, impaling the man with her sword and knocking them both to the floor.

    Another card spun over my hand as I faced the struggling window-bound killer. My Hellhound had a grip on his leather trousers, not letting him abort the attempted murder. He was left stuck halfway through the opening, his hands clasped against the frame in trying to gain leverage. My magic projectile removed some of his fingers and turned the tide in favor of my canine glowing with crimson flame.

    Ren stood from the corpse of our first attacker and moved over to flick the lantern back on. Her nightwear shirt was now soaked through with blood, clinging to her althetic form, but we had been one heavy sleep away from that being her own dead body laying on the floor. Her eyes burned with fury as the second of the men slumped heavily onto the floor, clutching at his injured hand.

    I kneeled down and pulled his hood back. A panicked man, sweaty and pale. His dark hair was cut short and scars ran down one side of his face. I grabbed his ear and twisted it - not really intending to torture him, but giving enough pain to get him to focus.

    ¡°This a hobby of yours, or someone put you up to it?¡± My voice was considerably calm, despite the circumstances.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say,¡± he spluttered, wincing from my grasp.

    ¡°That means the latter, then.¡± I raised an eyebrow at Ren, who was now in her normal adventuring gear. Being woken up mid-sleep had done nothing to improve her usual mood.

    ¡°Lady in Red.¡± The elf rolled her eyes. ¡°She knew we¡¯d likely be here soon.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t say,¡± the man repeated. The Hellhound moved closer to sniff at his face.

    More the fool us for wandering into the potential trap, but the tiring and emotional day had thrown a heavy blanket over our usual caution. It was such a nice sleep while it lasted, too. The fact that I had awoken before Ren meant she had been a lot more spent than she gave away. I clucked my tongue and tried to gather the thoughts bouncing around inside my head. As the adrenaline wore off, I found out how tired I really was, and how little I cared for this man attempting to murder us.

    ¡°There are some gloves with Action Speed and Luck on them here. Also, there''s a letter.¡±

    I turned my gaze to see Ren looting the body of the first. ¡°The gloves would be great. Dibs on the crossbow as well.¡±

    She exhaled and stood, showing the rectangle of sealed paper. It had a picture of a top hat with an arrow through it on one side.

    ¡°Our first fan mail.¡± I grinned, and turned back to the assassin to avoid any potential glare. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t usually do crowd work these days¡­ but I bet we can find something to loosen that tongue, right?¡±

    Ren cleared her throat as he folded out the letter. ¡°If you are reading this, you have thwarted the hired goons I sent after you. I am not surprised if that is the case. If you desire to chase me down, I warn you that will be a fatal error. This is your one and only warning. Lady in Red.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I suppose we don¡¯t really need you after all, then.¡± I released his ear and stood while he dropped to the floor. ¡°All yours, boy.¡±

    The hound leaped atop him, tearing through his neck.

    My right eye twitched as I turned back to the elf. A little heartless of me, but it was clear this was a dog eat dog world. Or dog eat assassin world. ¡°I suppose we won¡¯t get our deposit back?¡± I grimaced at the amount of blood now soaked through the room.

    ¡°I saw you trying to tip the barman last night. Or... earlier this night?¡± Ren shook her head. ¡°Things don¡¯t work like that here.¡±

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    I flipped my dagger into the air and clicked my fingers, the weapon vanishing as it went into my Inventory. Unnecessary flourish, but it felt good. ¡°Sorry to wake you.¡±

    ¡°Asshole. I should be thankful you were awake.¡± Her brow furrowed as she looked across the room. ¡°You weren¡¯t doing anything weird, were you?¡±

    ¡°Light sleeper.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m often traveling, and new places disorientate me.¡± What I wouldn¡¯t give for a permanent place to settle down in, have a bed of my own to return to every night. She had a point, though. I should have been up practicing some magic tricks.

    "How are you even hiding items without touching them?"

    My reluctance to give away trade secrets was quickly worn away by the glare of her bright blue eyes. "Something to do with Mana Manipulation or Sleight of Hand, I assume. It allows me to extend my energy as if I was touching the object. Then it''s just me focusing to bring up the Loot option as you would a held item."

    She stared impassively at me for a couple of seconds as if she was trying to gauge my sincerity. With an eventual shrug, she changed the subject. ¡°Thoughts on this, trickster?¡± She held up the opened letter.

    I deflated and closed my tired eyes to think. We were being offered a potential out. Live a life less dangerous and more fruitful. Part of what Ren had said yesterday stuck out at me. How this wasn¡¯t really my battle. I had been along for the ride and needn¡¯t throw myself in front of danger just because she had an axe to grind.

    ¡°We should call her bluff.¡± With a sigh, I opened my eyes again. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her to leave us alone, nor would she have turned a new leaf and not begun starting a new dangerous scheme already.¡± While we weren''t exactly vigilantes, let alone heroes, we had pushed the Lady onto the mainland so I felt we bore some responsibility for anything untoward she wrought upon it.

    Ren shrugged. ¡°Alright, if that is your plan, I agree to follow you.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes and paused for a second. ¡°Oh¡­ very clever. You made me choose for myself what I wanted to do. Do you agree with my conclusion, though?¡±

    ¡°I would have let you know if not. If you had decided not to pursue her, then we would have parted ways.¡± The elf yawned into the back of her arm. ¡°Fuckers for disturbing our sleep.¡±

    ¡°She deserves to die for that alone.¡± I smiled wryly.

    Her scowl was more tired than anything, and she relented to sitting at the edge of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m not expecting you to be the leader, just as you shouldn¡¯t expect me to be either.¡±

    A duo-act. An interesting proposition that I hadn¡¯t fully considered. It was clear to me that Ren would be more than an assistant, and it was probably a fault of mine to want to shuffle my new contacts into the boxes of my old life. She didn¡¯t need the dramatic flair that I did to be a hero - there was the more pragmatic business-sense that kept me on the rails.

    ¡°Point noted.¡± I sat on the edge of the bed at the side closest to me. ¡°An equal partnership, then.¡±

    She didn¡¯t respond at first, and as the silence continued, I started to wonder if she had fallen asleep. Certainly, I felt doing so myself. Something about the bloodied corpses in the room had me on edge, however. The hound whined at me, his time just about up. I gestured for him to go say goodbye to the elf, and saw her pet him on the head before he went. Not asleep.

    My eyes went to the window. The night sky had now taken on a deep blue tone, the first sign that a new day may be soon starting. ¡°Looks like a couple of hours till dawn. You able to get back to sleep?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Me neither. Want to get started on finding a Quest?¡±

    She sighed. ¡°Beats sitting around staring at dead bodies. I had hoped the first night on the mainland could have been¡­¡±

    ¡°Less stressful?¡±

    ¡°Mmm. There¡¯s¡­ no, never mind.¡± She stood up and scowled at the dead bodies. ¡°You wanted this?¡± From her Inventory she brought forth a crossbow.

    ¡°Ah, yeah!¡± I stood and moved over to her, placing my hands on the weapon - but as I went to take it, she held a tight grip and stared me in the face.

    ¡°Why is it you can take a life so easily?¡±

    As disarming as her bright eyes were, I didn¡¯t think my explanation of being two Max souls mixed together would earn me a reprieve from the perfectly reasonable questioning. I was just a showman, after all. An entertainer. Murder should leave me in a frazzled mess of sweat and vomit in the corner. ¡°Would you have me any other way?¡±

    Her eyes tried to read my face. A question to answer a question, and something not as dazzlingly annoying as I tended to be.

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t lose sight of yourself.¡± She relinquished the crossbow.

    I stowed it away in my Inventory, making a mental note to work out how it functioned later on. ¡°If I become a monster, Ren, then I would hope that you¡¯d be the one to put an arrow through my neck.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± She nodded, an impassive frown across her face. ¡°And I hope you¡¯d do the same for me.¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡±

    We stood staring at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before I cleared my throat. ¡°Ah, fresh air?¡±

    She looked away at the floor and gestured towards the still-open doorway.

    Having an intangible Inventory space to store everything certainly made checking-out easier. With one last glance around the room, I led us out into the hallway and then down the stairs. My mind buzzed like a beehive. Some thoughts about Ren I¡¯d need to arrange in their proper place when I was by myself, so she wasn¡¯t close enough to hear my inner monologue going full tilt.

    The barman was still standing in the same place, which was remarkably creepy considering the time of day.

    ¡°Morning adventurers. I hope your stay was pleasant.¡±

    ¡°It¡­ sorry, we were assailed by assassins in the night and they left a mess in the room.¡± From down here, he would have been able to hear the thuds on the floor and growling of my hound¡­ that it hadn¡¯t prompted him into action made sense, but left me with an uncomfortable feeling. My eyes narrowed at the board that held the room keys. All were present except for ours... perplexing.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± His brow furrowed. ¡°There has been a lot of that lately.¡±

    ¡°Assassinations in the tavern?¡± Ren asked with a scowl, stepping around to the front of the bar with me and jostling my thoughts from my head.

    ¡°Lots of bandits and thieves. There should be information on the Town Board.¡±

    I nodded slowly. There was an uncanny amount of understanding of our conversation mixed with reading prompts from a script. The hint that the town had some issues washed away the nature of our night¡¯s stay, and had moved on quickly to telling us we should point our adventuring noses in the way of a noticeboard for Quests. It was all so¡­ predictable?

    ¡°That¡¯ll be our first stop, then.¡± I sighed and raised an eye to Ren. ¡°I¡¯d rather gain a bit of power today rather than chase footsteps fading in the sand.¡± The Lady was unlikely to be standing around nearby waiting to hear back on if her goons had done the job. We were a thorn in her side, but not a blockade to her ambitions. Getting a few more levels under our belts would hopefully give us some advantage while we got the lay of the land.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± she said with a nod, ¡°but less poetic.¡±

    The barman leaned forward towards us. ¡°If it¡¯s power you¡¯re after, rumor has it there is a dungeon out in the Silent Forest that holds Power Tokens.¡± He moved back to his default position and lifted a mug to clean out.

    ¡°A dungeon,¡± I echoed. ¡°Sounds¡­ gloomy.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll hit that if we get another Quest in that area, we need to be efficient about this.¡±

    Something about it drew me in. A subterranean lair built by sinister purposes and filled with all manner of devious traps and monsters from the darkest shadows of existence. It was a place I needed to conquer - to survive. A badge to affix to my belt to show my achievements. There must be other dungeons in the world, and I wondered if there were any sort of accolades for-

    ¡°Max.¡± Ren raised her voice from the front door. ¡°Move already!¡±

 24 - Board Already

    Part of me always liked Quests. Something about a set process gelled well with me. Do ''this'' and then you get ''that'' as a reward. No need to negotiate, work on time management, rehearse, budget, and all the other facets that got in the way of doing a show. It simplified life. When you had death knocking at your door and threatening to push you down the hill into the graveyard, having fewer complications allowed you to dodge his advances for a little longer. It was one of the few things enabling me to have a hold on my sanity.

    ¡°Looks like three options, then?¡± I tilted my head as if that would change the number of pages affixed to the Town Board. A number of planks painted white with notices nailed to it were as loose as they could get to the term Town Board without it just being an unfinished pile of debris. Still, the way the STAR System interfaced with it gave it some credence.

    ¡°Bandit camp. Thief Hideout. Boss Monster Hunt.¡± Ren confirmed the options.

    None of them sparked any joy within me. If anything, I wanted to go back to sleep somewhere. Preferably somewhere with fewer hidden assassins... which might not be anywhere, if they were hidden. Now that the barest crack of sunlight had started to edge over the horizon, I doubted my chances of getting some shut-eye were anything more than slim. The slight amount of light illuminated Ren¡¯s blonde hair to glow almost more so than the lantern she held, which was interesting.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± She asked, glaring up at me.

    ¡°Pretty sick of bandits, if I¡¯m honest. Which I always am.¡± She rolled her eyes as I continued. ¡°But I¡¯ll go for whatever is either closest to our current position, or has the best reward.¡±

    ¡°Pragmatic, trickster. In both those cases, the bandits are the answer.¡±

    I groaned and rubbed at my forehead. At this time of the day, the town was still deserted. It was almost a shame we¡¯d come and go without seeing it in full bloom. Like a shadow through the night, we had barely paid lip service to civilisation and almost lost our lives for the brief benefit. Part of me wanted to hang about and see it come to life, but the majority of my soul felt on edge. Like there was pressure on us to keep moving and grab out at any power offered.

    Rather than let my feet continue to itch, I relented to her wisdom. ¡°Do you have a preference?¡±

    ¡°We can accept three quests now. Did you not get the pop-up? There¡¯s a route we can do all three and hit the dungeon on the way back.¡±

    The Map came up, and she sent through the coordinates and planned path we could take.

    ¡°After the second point, the Boss Monster, we should camp for the night, then hit the dungeon and bandits on the way back tomorrow.¡±

    I needed to bring Ren back to my world and replace Reggie. Logistics were a nightmare on the road. If you had someone with the brain for that, then¡­ no, I was distracting myself again. Two days of adventuring was quite the plan, but it was efficient. Get all the Quests done and then circle back for more¡ªassuming we didn''t run into the Lady or any other potential trouble along the way. Rather than feel like I had just doomed us to that, I mentally jumped into gear with both feet.

    ¡°Brilliant, Ren.¡± I grinned at her. With things planned out, I almost had an appetite for the inevitable danger we would be putting ourselves in. Almost.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to keep an eye out for Lady Red and whatever lackeys she has hired. If she is trying to level, there is a chance she is in the same area.¡±

    I was glad we were on the same page. With the Map, I orientated myself and told the STAR to point in the direction of the first objective. ¡°Alright then, the thieves first. Kill on sight, no grandstanding.¡± Probably ironic coming from me.

    She again rolled her eyes at that statement. ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡±

    <hr>

    It wasn¡¯t long before the town slowly fell away behind us as we traveled slightly uphill towards a small woodland. Although our terrain being even more trees seemed a bit old hat now, I had a feeling Ren had more of an affinity for them than I. Instead, I just allowed the pleasant beauty of nature to soothe my tired senses. Pretend we weren''t off to go kill things.

    I looked back at the town as the treeline of the woodland began, now slightly populated by tiny moving figures half shrouded in darkness. It was a shame we couldn¡¯t make use of the amenities there, or perhaps look for a third Party member. I understood it, though. We had to be careful with our trust, especially around the town that we were almost murdered in. There was always the possibility the low level Players there could be compromised. Even more the fool us if we took on someone with ill intent in their hearts, after everything we''d been through.

    Ren stood waiting for me to catch up. ¡°Apologies in advance, but I get really grumpy when I¡¯m tired.¡±

    I maintained eye-contact with her scowl and slowly nodded. It was hard to tell if that was a joke or not. Safer to err on the side of caution - her normal glares didn¡¯t usually reflect her actual mood, so an actual grouchiness might be worthy of being wary of.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± I eventually offered as I caught up beside her. ¡°I get less annoying when I¡¯m tired. We¡¯ll maintain our usual standing.¡±

    She rolled her eyes, doubting my statement could be factual. ¡°Do women in your world find you too annoying?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± My eyebrows raised as the shadowed canopy of the trees enveloped us.

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    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t have anyone close to you. For all your faults, you¡¯re¡­¡± she tapered off.

    ¡°My schedule made it hard to socialize. If I wasn¡¯t working, I was practicing. Any woman I met was usually a fan¡­ and we both know how that is.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, gross.¡± She shook her head.

    ¡°We have hardly been apart since meeting, Ren." Ignoring the parts where I had been put through a trial of fire. "This is the most social I¡¯ve been¡­ in years. It¡¯s refreshing that you don¡¯t care who I am.¡±

    ¡°You must have hit your head too hard yesterday.¡± She sighed and brushed the hair from her face. ¡°It¡¯s the opposite, Max. I don¡¯t care about who you pretend to be.¡±

    I wrinkled my face up. The Max I ¡®pretended¡¯ to be was just the larger-than-life figure I was trying to grow into, surely? It wasn¡¯t a¡­ well, part of it was an act - but that was the point. I was left chewing on my thoughts as the elf continued.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t care who I am, which makes you tolerable.¡±

    ¡°Nicest thing you¡¯ve ever said to me.¡± I shot her a grin. Coming from a world that didn¡¯t have elves, and never having met a sort-of-princess before, Ren was both an odd novelty, but something so plainly normal at the same time. With softer ears and less radiant beauty, there¡¯d be little difference between her and a human - at least on the surface. A little less demon summoning and I''d be a normal human too, I supposed.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll probably have time to socialize here, without the baggage of your old world.¡± She looked off into the deeper woods. ¡°If you don¡¯t die, you will eventually find someone to break you out of that shell.¡±

    I slowed my pace, with a frown across my brow. My internal organs seemed to want to continue at the same speed, and an odd churn within me grew uncomfortable - but I didn¡¯t know what part of her statement had caused such a reaction. By instinct, a smile went across the outside of my face and I exhaled slowly from my nose.

    <hr>

    Under the early morning sunlight, the small, rocky hill before us looked otherwise unassuming. Actually, it was quite the opposite, the longer I looked. Very assuming.

    ¡°Definitely in there,¡± I murmured.

    A wooden door painted gray sat over a dark hole hewn through a similar gray stone. Not quite the same hue, but an effort had been made. The ground around the supposedly hidden entrance was scuffed and muddied.

    ¡°Terrible thief hideout,¡± Ren agreed, from beside me. ¡°Based on the Quest I¡¯m assuming two dozen or fewer on the inside.¡±

    ¡°Close range, maybe traps.¡± I nodded. Although still a foreign world to me, I was starting to put the puzzle pieces together based on what tropes and brief knowledge I could pull from the back of my mind. Close range meant Hound and Roger, fewer opportunities for Ren to use her bow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll switch to sword if I need to.¡± She caught my raised eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ve trained using them before, but my stats are dexterity and wisdom based, agility is my minor.¡±

    ¡°Intelligence and dexterity here, luck minor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s surprising.¡± She tilted her head and her bright eyes narrowed slightly.

    I opened and closed my mouth, then narrowed my eyes in return. Definitely a jab about my smarts. Or that my luck seemed to involve barely surviving hitting my head on things. In fairness, I tried not to think too hard about that side of the System. I would increase the stats it said benefited my abilities, but trying to tie the loose numbers against tangible existence seemed futile - or at least beyond my current tired brain.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first then,¡± I ventured, so that we weren''t just glaring at each other all day. ¡°Let me kill something to get Roger out, and then we¡¯ll go from there. I¡¯ll support you.¡±

    Ren placed her hand on my shoulder, oddly warm through even my suit jacket. ¡°And I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡± She nodded, which I assumed was in place of a reassuring smile.

    I then stood from our hiding place - more of an awkward formality given my sparkling purple suit - and began walking toward the hidden entrance.

    It was even less of a perfect disguise as I stood before it. The woodwork was so shoddy that I could see clearly into the dark cave beyond - the dull amber of a torch further in. In fact, if I were a little slimmer, I could just slide in between the gaps in the planks. An exaggeration - so unlike me.

    Now, if I were a thief''s guild, I would probably either have a very well hidden entrance, a tough lock to break, or some manner of trap or alarm that only guild members would know about. The latter option seemed the most plausible, given the circumstances. I moved my face up to the gaps and narrowed my eyes, peering around the inside and - ah!

    ¡°There¡¯s a small wire tied to the door.¡± It looked like pulling the terrible covering open would pull on it and ring a bell hanging from the ceiling a bit further back. Assuming it wasn¡¯t magic, cutting the tension beneath the bell should disable the trap.

    I could feel Ren¡¯s presence behind me by a few feet without hearing her make any noise. Perhaps I had been too focused on the door, but she was remarkably quiet when she wanted to be. I needed to learn that. A card of purple magic filtered through a gap in the wood and quickly snipped through the cord attached to the bell.

    Hands clenched tightly, I waited a few tense seconds. Nothing happened, and I relaxed. Shot a glance back to the Oathwarden, who nodded her readiness, her sword already drawn.

    With one last deep breath of fresh air, I pulled the door open and stepped through. There was an expectation of a second trap, and my body was tensed, ready for something to suddenly pop out and cause me ruin. A lesson from the System to be diligent. But, after a few seconds of remaining unassailed, there was no second trap.

    ¡°Amateurs,¡± I whispered back at the elf, who just shrugged in return. If I had been in charge of security, well - I could at least think up some better traps than a bell. Perhaps I should save that mustache-twirling for later in the day. This was presumably still early level stuff, if we came here straight after our starter island landing.

    I crept toward the light further down the tunnel. It was pleasantly dry, but dusty, and whoever had carved this place out had done a reasonable job. The tunnel twisted to the side, and the Hellhound card sat ready in my left hand to be thrown.

    Murmured voices ahead. I peered around the corner to see another door. Just as badly fashioned, but this time they had forgone the gray paint. I gestured for Ren to look, and she held onto my suit as she leaned past me. Her eyesight was better, and may be able to make out more from the gaps in the woodwork.

    Eventually, she moved back and whispered in my ear.

    ¡°Four figures around a table, two further in.¡±

    I shivered for some reason, then nodded. There were bound to be more - but knowing we¡¯d have to deal with potentially a handful at once was good to know. System-created should be easily held at the chokepoint of the doorway, if we were smart. Which we were, on occasion.

    As I moved across the hallway I took the torch from the wall, putting it in my Inventory and plunging the tunnel into darkness. With held breath, I waited to see if I had been noticed. No, it didn¡¯t seem so. Only after the act did I wonder how the thieves would react to the darkness, if it even affected them. There was one way to find out.

    Keeping the hound card back for now, I instead drew dual cards, held together in my right hand. The tunnel illuminated in the dim glow of purple. With one eye closed, I focused on the gap in the door - the darkness now showing the slits filled with the amber glow of the light beyond. A difficult angle against targets I could hardly see, but free damage and a chance to tip the scales in our favor.

    I smiled and set them both free.

 25 - Secret Compartment

    Sometimes I tried to look back and find the point where my real world illusion mixed with the magical abilities that I now had. I had treated the deck of cards just like any other, fiddling, moving them around, and trying to extend my capabilities any chance I had. It was perhaps one of the things that smoothed over the jolt of joining the System. Something similar, but slightly off. The answer I could never pinpoint. As soon as I had recovered from my head injury and sent the first card off - it was a natural part of me that grew in strength alongside me.

    With practiced precision, the cards span off into the room through the slim gap in the wood, and I split them out of view towards the seated bandits. I made a mental note to try for thinner gaps when we had downtime. If we had downtime.

    ¡°Ow, the fuck?¡±

    ¡°Who was that?¡±

    Ren exhaled from behind me. ¡°Didn¡¯t kill them?¡±

    Footsteps thudded towards the door, and I shook my head. It wasn¡¯t just the near-blind attack that dampened my first blow, but they also hadn¡¯t been as fragile as the bandits we had fought on the starter island. I''d hate to think my card damage was falling off already... perhaps I should have better gear at this point¡ªwe did skip some Quests to get here quicker.

    ¡°Hold this and duck.¡± The elf pushed her sword into my hand as I threw down the Hellhound card out to summon a demon before the door. It was surprisingly light, even compared to the other swords I had held in my brief time here. The handle was slightly warm, too¡ªbut that could just be from her holding it. Overthinking. I needed to focus.

    With a hefty kick, the door burst open and revealed the first thief. A slender man with tied back brown hair and a nasty-looking slice across his face, courtesy of my magic deck. The arrow fired from behind me into his eye socket did little to improve his appearance. He levied no complaints, however. As he dropped, blocking the way of the second thief, I threw out the pact card to allow Roger to inhabit him.

    Ren awkwardly drew a second arrow in the confined space, my squirming blocking some of her movements. The dark passageway burst into light from the radiant glow of her Smite Strike as she aimed it toward the room.

    The first thief regained his footing as purple ears burst from his skull. Without turning to us, Roger leaped at the more portly second enemy and knocked them to the ground, his arms flailing wildly at his target.

    ¡°I¡¯m a fuckin'' giant again,¡± the demon growled with joy, trying to choke out the prone figure.

    Under my command, the Hellhound ran into the room as the other occupants readied their weapons toward us. The radiant arrow was let loose and arced over my canine to slam into the chest of a thief near the back.

    ¡°Go now.¡± She quickly slung the bow and took back her sword from my grip.

    I stood back up straight after avoiding her shot to the back of my head, and threw out a purple card, splitting it in the air over Roger and embedding both into the raised arm of a thief trying to cudgel the demon off his comrade. His attack faltered as he grimaced from the pained arm, saving my demon from having his brains knocked out. Well, not his brains.

    Another two cards went out and struck the same man as I stepped closer, but he didn¡¯t drop. My right eye twitched at the System pop-up.

    [New Monster: Thief <7>]

    Ah, that might be why. I hadn¡¯t checked the level of the Quests as we accepted them, assuming that Ren would have bought it up if it was going to be any issue. It wouldn¡¯t be, I was sure¡­ just a little more of a slog that I had hoped.

    ¡°At last, a worthy audience,¡± I boomed, slightly distracting those not currently being throttled to death. My hat dropped from my head and I reached inside to withdraw a sword twice as long as the hat was deep. I then flipped the hat back up onto my head perfectly. That one was a hard coded skill from months of practice. Nice of the System to give me the hat I was so used to wearing.

    The sword felt awkward to wield, just from the length rather than the weight. Nothing as easy to hold or as warm as Ren''s sword. But with some effort I swung it around in a wide arc at the thief with a cudgel. He raised his weapon in an attempt to block¡ªand then my sword vanished¡ªinstead, one highly powered card zipped from my grip. He didn''t have the time to react from this short distance and it went below his raised weapon and into his throat.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead, Roger.¡± I sighed and put Card Fan up by reflex to block a crossbow bolt.

    The Hellhound whined and withdrew as he became outnumbered, sporting a gash down his right flank. Ren leaped over the dead body as my pact demon rolled away up to his feet, her sword glowing a light blue as she swung it through the air.

    My eyes blinked as I could see a little hovering box depicting Dazzle stacks by each of the remaining two thieves for the first time. Little white squares with sparkling stars in deep gray. Wait, two thieves? No¡­ there should be three? My eyes darted around the room as a card spun in my hand. Ren had engaged the crossbow thief, and the hound was harrying the other to keep it from gaining the advantage against the elf. There was a closed doorway out of here, but¡­

    I spun the card out and split it, causing them both to circle around me in orbit, with a slowly increasing diameter. My hand started to bleed, but then¡ªthere.

    One of them struck something in mid-air to my left and a muscled man appeared into view again. My fist flashed out, and I punched him in the chest. Which did nothing.

    He chuckled. ¡°Weak!¡±

    I threw out another punch, hitting him ineffectively. His grin widened, and he raised his weapon. As I readied another punch, he had all the confidence in the world that he wouldn¡¯t need to block it. I had set the precedent, of course. At the last moment, my dagger appeared in my hand, stabbing straight between his ribs before he could bring his own weapon down. He twitched away with a growl and swung wildly at me. My Card Fan shimmered out and burst from the blow, with the remaining force sending me stumbling backward.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Roger and the Hellhound had taken the other thief down, the demon continuing the strike the inert figure with something heavy as Ren withdrew her sword from the guts of the last. She kicked the female thief to the rough floor and finished her off by slitting the throat of the wounded System-created.

    Not too shabby. Being able to see the Dazzle stacks just incentivized me to go for racking those up. It was probably a fool¡¯s errand to chase down more dopamine in the process of murder, but my mind had already bolted from the stable and hungrily rooted around for ideas amongst the fertile ground. Magic. I turned my attention to our surroundings, a gleam in my eye.

    Ren furrowed her brow further and wiped her sword off on the dead body. ¡°You¡¯re really looting all that junk?¡±

    The thieves had been gambling, and the table had an assortment of interesting little things. Poker chips, small trays, and even some dice. But by far the most important thing was a pack of loose cards. Not a full deck, for some reason, but it was a start. ¡°Yeah, trust me, it''ll be worth it. Oh, I¡¯ll have that crossbow too, if you don¡¯t want it?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± She shrugged, retrieving it from the ground for me.

    I flipped one on the poker chips into the air. Once it spun back into my hand, I flipped it again - only now it was a gold coin. As the coin touched my hand, a purple card repeated the same process.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ exceptionally quick at switching through Inventory items.¡± Ren tilted her head as she handed over the weapon.

    Was that a compliment? I''d take it. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s just remembering where everything is, mostly. Like sleight of hand, but for my brain.¡± The actual sleight of hand, not just the System granted skill of the same name. Although both seemed to tick the right boxes.

    ¡°So just thinking quickly, then.¡± She rolled her eyes.

    Roger stood up from the body and dropped the rock he had been carrying. ¡°Being a giant is powerful,¡± he hissed.

    ¡°You¡¯re normal size, it was the goblins that were¡­¡± I paused as his form dissolved into mist as he transferred to a body he hadn¡¯t beaten to a pulp. ¡°Never mind.¡±

    Ren tutted as she watched the new puppet stand. ¡°I know he is a demon, but you shouldn¡¯t let him maim dead bodies.¡±

    I opened my mouth to disagree, but she had a point. It wasn¡¯t as though he was a child, but I was still responsible for how he interacted with the world. He stood up in the body of the crossbow-thief, his ears bursting from her skull. I winced, but it didn''t move the needle much.

    ¡°Roger, don¡¯t play with dead bodies. Kill the target and then move on.¡± I wasn¡¯t used to being stern, but being bound by a pact should at least carry some of the weight of my request.

    ¡°Right, boss.¡± He looked down at the mashed head of the dead thief, but didn¡¯t have anything further to say.

    Ren kicked one of the bodies. "This one has boots with mana bonus on them, and a Power Token. Rest is junk. We''ll split gold at some point?¡±

    ¡°No rush. Flat bonus or percentage for the mana? What are you using the token on?¡±

    ¡°Flat. My heal.¡± She looked as though she was already on the way to doing it.

    ¡°Pass, then. Good choice. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll need pulling from the fire often enough.¡± I gave her a grin, which she dismissed with the wave of her hand as if I were a System notification.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if we both stay alive. It has increased the heal percentage and I can have two charms now. One each.¡±

    I nodded and looked around the room. It would be rather greedy for me to take both, she couldn''t heal if she was dead, of course. I relented to looting the corpses beside me, hoping to find something useful.

    [32 Gold]

    [Metal Bar (Scrap)]

    [Soap]

    [Orange (3)]

    I pulled a face at the loot disparity between what Ren had found and... whatever you could call that. There wasn¡¯t much else in the room aside from some spare furniture that looked like it had been exclusively used to store dust. The exit door was considerably better made than the two prior, and looked rather secure. Oddly so. Roger caught my gaze and went over to it.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± I raised my hand and furrowed my brow.

    Ren loosened up her sword arm. ¡°Trapped?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even that. ¡°Most definitely, but there¡¯s something else.¡± My brain did a quick rewind and checked around the room again. ¡°There¡¯s a body missing - we saw six at first, right?¡±

    The elf pet the Hellhound on the head as it sunk from this realm. ¡°They probably went through the door then, unless they¡¯re invisible too?¡±

    I rubbed my face, briefly distracted by the fact that I found I couldn¡¯t put corpses in my Inventory. Probably not living things either. Made sense, but somewhat disappointing. Some of the furniture on the other hand¡­ ¡°Ah, no, I think we would have seen or heard it. I think that is a fake door.¡±

    Roger leaned forward and sniffed it. An awkward motion for the body he was puppeteering. ¡°Looks real to me, boss.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too perfect.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s the first thing I''ve seen in here that is well made and in good condition.¡±

    Ren tilted her head. ¡°So what are you thinking then, trickster?¡±

    A poker chip appeared in my hand, and I turned to the wall behind me. The only one not cluttered with aged wooden furniture and debris. I flicked it to the left and after spinning through the air; it bounced from the wall and rolled across the stone floor. Then a second one more towards the middle. Bounce. Then at the far end, the chip sunk straight through, the slight sound of it rolling across stone dissipating beyond.

    ¡°An illusion.¡± I grinned, congratulating myself for not also saying ''ta-da!''

    ¡°You''ll send Roger in first then?¡± The Oathwarden rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯d hate to go through and find there are thugs on the other side waiting to break my skull open.¡±

    ¡°Might be an improvement,¡± the demon murmured.

    If she heard it, she made no sign of it - which was either an extraordinary poker face, or something to do with the pact.

    The demon walked over to the part of the wall I had designated and felt around for the upper edge of the secret passage. Part of me expected him to go full speed into it and knock himself over - perhaps that was just me hoping for some levity rather than wishing slapstick injury on him. Just above waist level - crouching but not crawling. He slunk down and then was gone.

    After the demon had fully disappeared down into the hidden passage, Ren sighed. She caught my slightly raised eyebrow. ¡°I have what you might call ''holy'' energy. That¡¯s why he finds me so distasteful.¡±

    ¡°That makes some sense.¡± I nodded. Demonic and Holy energy¡­ or magic¡­ seemed opposite to each other, and somehow that explanation was more palatable than just the idea that he didn¡¯t think she was pleasant on the eye. He was strange, but surely not that crazy. I briefly took her in before looking back to where he had gotten to.

    I tilted my head, trying to hear his progress. As much as I had wanted to send cards through, attacking blindly when I didn¡¯t know the depth of the passage was futile. ¡°I feel somewhat guilty for sending him to test for traps.¡±

    ¡°Better him than us. At least he can come back with another summon.¡± She shrugged and walked over next to me.

    If he ran out of time, then it was simple enough to throw another card at a corpse. If he actually died in combat, then it wasn¡¯t so straightforward¡ªthere was a much longer cooldown. At this stage, I wasn¡¯t sure if it would then bring me a different demon, or he would need to reform back in Hell before coming back. Either way, I¡¯d be down a pact demon for a while.

    ¡°Feeling okay, Max?¡±

    I looked at her; her glare was no less menacing than usual. ¡°Better than ever,¡± I responded, actually with a healthy handful of truth to it this time. Not only was I getting a better hold of my magical abilities, but fireworks of inspiration for new tricks were in constant bloom in the darkened reaches of my mind. My eyebrow raised. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s just furniture missing from this room now.¡± Her impassive stare gave no hint at her actual concern, or perhaps amusement. "Odd that you pale at the idea of looting beneficial items, but want to fill your Inventory with junk."

    With faux surprise on my face, I glanced around as if I had only just realized the room was half as cluttered as it previously was.

    Her bright blue eyes narrowed in anticipation, already knowing me well enough to see that I was about to earn myself a renewed glare.

    "Couldn''t have been me..." As I tipped my hat with a nod, I barely hid my grin. ¡°Must have been magic.¡±

 26 - Prop Work

    One of the most concerning things about the System was how it broke its own rules. You could encounter a monster that acted a certain way - simple, routine, and barely a hindrance - then suddenly there would be one who broke the mold. This was even before the consideration that some enemies had Elite or Champion designations that improved their abilities and intelligence. We were talking about normal foes who one day decide to ruin your life just for the amusement of it, as if some childish god was sitting behind the switch, gleefully watching you flounder.

    As we stood and waited for my demon to report back on the secret passage, there was an odd sound of... ripping? I didn''t want to add any more visceral clarifiers to what my mind tried to imagine was the cause.

    ¡°Clear, boss.¡± Roger¡¯s voice came from inside the secret passage. Not dead, then.

    I sighed as I couched down, feeling around for the height again so that I didn¡¯t knock my top hat off. It might offer my vulnerable skull a little protection, for all that was worth. My face went through the illusion and beyond was a rough, dark tunnel that went on for a dozen feet before turning to the left. The bright purple pits of light that were Roger¡¯s eyes glared at me from the other end.

    A smell then hit me. Blood and other worse, damp things.

    His face contorted in the dim light. ¡°Well, there was a trap, but I think my legs jammed it up.¡±

    Now, with my eyes adjusting to the darkness, I could see some kind of saw or spike trap had extended out halfway through the tunnel. The corpse he had been puppeteering had been caught on them, splitting the legs from the rest of the body and leaving a trail of internal organs down the last of the passage. Even the trap had been surprised at the process, and was now gummed up and stuck with gore and other things my mind tried to ignore.

    ¡°Oh joy,¡± I muttered. Trying not to breathe in most of the smell, I leaned back out of the passage and grimaced at the elf. ¡°Roger has been cut in half. We¡¯ll have to crawl over the parts, but the trap looks to be inert.¡±

    Her expression dulled, which wasn¡¯t saying much, but she nodded.

    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a dark room to my side here. It¡¯s empty, but I can hear voices. Whispering voices. They beckon me to the light¡­¡±

    ¡°Roger?¡± I watched as the purple faded away and the spent corpse went limp. From checking my ability, it looked like he had self-dispersed rather than died¡ªbut clearly had to add a little bit of melodrama on the way out... because this whole encounter wasn¡¯t stressful enough, apparently.

    I crawled through and held my breath, trying to ignore the squelches and fluids soaking into my suit. Squeezing past the torso of the woman he had been piloting, I pushed into the dark room he had mentioned. In the dim light, I could see boxes to the right and left walls, a rather normal and worn door ahead of me. My breath escaped and relatively clear air entered my lungs. The System truly didn''t pull any punches, and I wondered if the lack of Players encountered so far on the mainland was due to the more na?ve and carefree being turned into mulch by the harsh world. A far cry from the cute slimes.

    A small amount of grunting behind me, and Ren came through next. I offered a hand down to help her up, which she took.

    ¡°Hate that demon,¡± she grumbled, looking back toward the remains of the spent body.

    I wasn¡¯t a fan of how we had to crawl through the remains of the body he had possessed, but couldn¡¯t fault him for disabling the trap. Much rather him than us, as she had said. I was sure she still held the same view, but was also unhappy about getting gore soaked through her outfit. That or the whole holy-demon thing went both ways. I''d better not dwell on that.

    She crept towards the door ahead of us and moved her long ear closer to it, while I squinted around the room for anything of interest. It looked like it was used as a storeroom, although all the crates had lids on. It would be too noisy to open them right now with potential enemies just through the threshold. Somehow I doubted they had much useful to loot, anyway.

    Ren moved back from the door quietly and put her mouth near my ear. ¡°At least five in there,¡± she whispered, causing a shiver to run up my spine. ¡°Ready when you are.¡±

    I brought a card into my hand, putting it away, and drawing it again. Purple light flickered through the room. My right eye twitched and a short pain ran down my fingers as I split the card into one magic and one Hellhound. I wasn''t sure the System was meant to allow me to do this, but I saw no reason why it shouldn¡¯t be possible. It just hurt.

    Dagger of Luck came up in my other hand, and I nodded to the elf. She had drawn her bow, and the green energy that swirled with strands of gold began to rotate around the arrow.

    Assuming they didn¡¯t all have ranged weapons, pinning them in place would allow us to pick a couple off and raise Roger again with little danger to ourselves. Hoping I didn¡¯t make a fool of myself, I stepped forward and kicked the door. Thankfully, it swung open, relenting to my show of force. As I immediately drew the attention of all within, I then ducked and threw my cards out at the nearest figure.

    Six thieves in the room - two by a closed doorway to the right, two around a table in the middle, two further back on a slightly raised area with some wooden boxes. None of them looking too happy to see us appear from their hidden room. Perhaps we should have brought a gift... oh¡ªI did, but they probably wouldn''t like it.

    I curved my pair of cards around in the air, pain radiating from my wrist as the System fought the use of my summoning card this way. With a final flick, I sent the magic card into one of the thieves by the doorway, the canine card striking the wall beside him. As it was a summon card, I couldn''t use it to attack. Seemed arbitrary, but I''d play by the rules as long as I could keep bending them.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Ren''s arrow flew over my head straight after, striking an opponent near the table. Vines spiraled out from the rock floor and held the four in that direction, the two by the door either out of range or resisting the effect. My Hellhound spawned out from an arcane circle on the wall and set upon the legs of the bandit I had struck.

    ¡°Go,¡± Ren commanded, a statement to let me know she wasn¡¯t about to put an arrow through the back of my head accidentally rather than through her impatience.

    I did go, vaguely unsure as to why I was approaching the danger, but still knowing I had to erase it from my view. As I stepped into the room, the two at the back started to draw crossbows.

    One at the table growled, unable to come at me with a rather wicked-looking curved sword. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have come h-¡° he began.

    My card found his open mouth wanting, and just as it reached his maw, I split it in two to slice through both cheeks on the way to his throat. His eyes flashed wide, and he dropped the sword to the ground to clutch at his face. The sound of an arrow zipped past my ear and slammed through his hands and into his head.

    Card Fan flashed up in front of me, absorbing one crossbow bolt while the second was dulled, but still struck me in the shoulder. Painful, but superficial, hardly worth worrying about. I pulled the bolt out and threw it at the second table thief - but switched it for a dagger at the last second. Expecting a harmless stick, the gruff man instead raised his arm to be pierced by the sharp blade. I dropped the pact demon summon on the first corpse as radiant light illuminated Ren¡¯s bow.

    The sudden rush of air beside me had me stumbling backward by instinct, the slash of a blade cutting through my left arm as a seventh thief appeared from invisibility. I clutched at the wound as it burned. Some kind of poison? As he stepped towards me, I moved backward again, and he stumbled against a chair that was suddenly in front of his feet. While brief confusion flared across his bearded face, I hopped atop the chair and brought both hands down - the metal cooking grill appearing in my grip, which I slammed down onto his head. I hopped down after him and spun with a flourish, both objects vanishing behind my flared jacket as I stood straight with a click of my heels.

    Dazzle icons popped up on all the thieves paying me attention. With a quick twirl, I popped the cork from an Antidote potion and downed it. Almost as gross as the healing one.

    A flash of golden light came from the door where Ren stood as she shot one of the thieves with her smite arrow. The figure stumbled backwards, their plain tunic soaking through with blood. Next to them, a sweaty woman scowled at the hound, her arm and leg shredded from his attacks.

    Roger flipped the table over as his ears burst from the top of his skull, pinning the other thief behind it. He took two crossbow bolts to the torso and stumbled slightly, the arrow Ren had fired also still sticking from the head of his puppet. The demon then flopped atop the trapped enemy, clawing at the man¡¯s face and trying to gouge his eyes while his own bloody maw hung open, drooling blood.

    Purple cards flew from my hand, splitting through the air and coming down on the two at the back - but not aimed for them exactly. Their weapons jostled as I cut through the taut cables of their crossbows, rendering them loose and inert.

    After a brief look of confusion, they dropped the weapons. One of them drew a sword and broke free of the entanglement to come straight for me. An arrow zipped towards the door pair. A crunch came from the table where Roger lay prone. I grinned and drew two cards, tense in anticipation for the imminent melee with the sword-wielding thief.

    As he reached me, I held out my empty left hand toward him - the lit torch from earlier then appearing from my Inventory, blinding and waylaying his sword swing. My cards went out straight into the forearm of his weapon hand. The pain made him let go of it and blue System boxes flickered quickly in the side of my vision. The commands activating at speed; I pushed in toward him and the weapon vanished, now in my possession as I looted it from the air. I spun, the flame of the torch circling behind me and then emerging from the other side as my dagger instead, stabbing straight into his wounded arm as he tried to block it.

    His other hand punched into my stomach. Not exactly damaging, but winding. As I stepped backward, a blur of blue enveloped his foot and he stepped forward to trip me. The whole hideout shifted and the stone floor hit me hard, knocking the hat from my head as my skull earned a new bruise. Neither of these events I really appreciated - even less so when the wounded thief landed on top of me, knocking the air from my lungs and then wrapping his rough hands around my neck.

    I needn¡¯t have even bothered panicking, really. I was in a room full of allies, and despite the dark spots flickering through my vision, it was only a matter of time before one of them- oh, there it was.

    The horror show that was the possessed corpse loomed over the thief. With jaw open widely and running with blood, Roger''s eyes of deep purple pits stared down at me, before the hands that had been punctured by Ren''s arrow wrapped around the chin and neck of my assailant.

    Having the life choked out of me wasn¡¯t exactly fun, but watching my demon slowly snap the man¡¯s neck backwards while my vision dimmed wasn¡¯t adding to the experience either. At last, the hands relented, and I took a big gasp of air - only to be rewarded with a hideous crack of bones as the man''s struggling muscles were overcome. Roger pushed the body from me and helped me up with his bloodied hand.

    ¡°You okay, boss?¡±

    I was still panting and regaining my vision, but I gave him a nod and a smile - just before a hammer cracked his head in two. He dropped to the ground with the last spasms of life, the purple mist fading away to reveal the assailant. The last thief from the back, an arrow in his chest, and his face contorted from pain. The Hellhound leaped from the side and took his arm, disarming him as a second arrow struck him in the forehead.

    Silence now filled the chamber, except for the growled gnashings of the hound, and my own heart and lungs screaming out inside my head.

    ¡°Sorry about Roger,¡± Ren said, stepping over.

    Either I had hit my head too hard in the fall, or that was genuine sympathy for my bloodthirsty pact demon. ¡°Oh? He¡¯ll be okay. He gets a little holiday now, I suppose.¡± I turned to the elf, and she handed me my top hat. I twirled it up to its rightful place.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a brawler, Max. Stop getting so friendly with death.¡± She sighed and rubbed her face. ¡°As good as I am, I can¡¯t risk firing arrows into melee with you.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I did get a little carried away.¡± That was putting it lightly. I ran up and hit someone with a cooking appliance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say anything that might encourage you, but you seem to be able to do a lot with bullshittery.¡± She glared at me, hoping I didn¡¯t take it as permission to flaunt with danger. ¡°From what I''ve seen, people aren¡¯t normally able to interact with the Inventory that quickly, especially to switch things mid-combat.¡±

    I likened it to typing. While most people could plod along using one or two fingers, my words per minute were bordering on showing off. Naturally, that was just par for the course, for the world¡¯s greatest magician. Open, select the intangible grid square, select Hold or Drop. A process that I seemed to take to like a duck to water.

    My mouth turned up into a wide grin. ¡°I feel like I am just getting started. I¡¯m practically salivating for another Power Token.¡±

    ¡°Next one is yours, trickster. Just don¡¯t waste it by dying immediately after.¡± She raised an eyebrow, knowing she was inviting destiny to muddy my plans.

    I smiled and nodded, though. There was no intent to die just yet.

    In fact, if I got good enough, we¡¯d never had to worry about dying ever again. We''d be infamous.

 27 - Luck of the Draw

    From that day onward, any time that I almost died, I would make a mark on the ace of diamonds card I had acquired from the thieves. Of course, at some point in my journey I had lost it, or it had become damaged beyond recognition. At first, it bothered me that I could no longer tally up the truly lucky days. After a short while I realized the lucky days were the ones where I was in no danger, and could just enjoy living. The fewer and further apart they became, the harder I pushed to bring them back.

    Ren sighed and rolled her neck. ¡°Pretty disappointing in terms of loot.¡±

    [68 Gold]

    [Deft Leggings] [+1 AGI]

    [Crossbow (Broken) (2)]

    She was correct. Other than gold, and the random assortment of odd items I had been filling my Inventory with, there wasn¡¯t anything spectacular in this room. The leggings gave a single point of Agility, which wasn''t really necessary for my build, but was better than the default gear I still had on. The other equipment with Stats were even less useful.

    Nothing to fit the slots I already had filled. ¡°Lots of Strength gear. Shame we didn¡¯t have a warrior or something in the party.¡± I drummed my fingertips on the boxes at the end of the room I had rifled through. Mostly things that even I couldn¡¯t see the value in, which was saying a lot.

    The elf walked around the room, scowling at everything as if it may reveal another hidden passageway. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯ll do with half of what you pick up. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t take the table.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t let me,¡± I said with a shrug. She was looking away, but I could almost hear her eyes rolling. Empty bottles, a large tarp-like sheet, a jeweler''s hammer, a pencil, and a handful of plain marbles. Sure, it was no Arch-Magi¡¯s Slippers or Axe of World-Ending, but some of the most functional of items could bring great form to a show. You never knew when a situation would require a specific, odd item.

    ¡°As long as you aren¡¯t too focused on tricks to be effective in combat. It sounds like I¡¯m admonishing you, but¡­¡± She rubbed her face and turned to me. ¡°Big balls are no good if they¡¯re easy to cut off.¡±

    My brow furrowed, and I leaned back against the crate. ¡°Is that an elven expression?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Maybe. We are speaking¡­ the same language?¡±

    It stood to reason that if portals pulled people from all manner of worlds, it''d have to utilize some kind of translation between Players. ¡°Probably something the System smooths over. You just mean being overconfident is a long step towards a sharp blade.¡±

    ¡°Is that a human expression?¡±

    I smiled and shrugged.

    [Thieves Killed: 12/16]

    ¡°Only four of these useless thieves left.¡± I yawned. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up. ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d have better loot being a whole hideout of them. What have they even been stealing?¡± Of course, being System-created, they would be stuck here doing whatever routine they were destined to repeat. More of a failure on the System, then.

    ¡°Shitty thieves,¡± she muttered as she shook her head at one of the mangled bodies on the ground.

    The Hellhound had gone already, and I couldn¡¯t call Roger for a while. While it was nice to assume the rest of the thieves were sitting patiently in the next room, it would be careless to start making assumptions at this stage. Even with my brain wanting to hit the snooze button. For the most part, I was annoyed that we wouldn¡¯t be able to nap anywhere without one eye open. One little assassination attempt and now I was paranoid that death was just waiting for my eyes to close for long enough to make a move. I shook that thought away and focused on the present task.

    ¡°These doors are probably combustible, right?¡± I hopped down from the raised area, being careful not to slip on the slick blood slowly congealing on the rocky floor.

    ¡°I suppose.¡± She immediately turned to go stand in the furthest corner.

    Although I still hadn¡¯t decided if creating a barricade of burning wood between us and the next room was a good idea or not, now that she had made the decision to move out of the way... I felt like I had to do it. You couldn¡¯t create the expectation and then squander it.

    I dropped the Imp Summon beside me and gave the plump creature a nod. Part of me wanted to know how the whole summoning thing worked. Were they just created when I cast the skill? I had felt that the wounded Hellhound would be okay on the island when I sent him away - but if there was an actual Hell, did that mean there was a pool of potential demons I was drawing from? What were the chances I could pull the same one twice?

    With a shake of my head, I let the thoughts drift away for now. As much as I didn¡¯t like not knowing, I was sure to not like the bandits respawning atop us because I was too busy even more. Lost in my own head, I needed to sharpen my thoughts. Like their swords would be, otherwise¡ªsharp and in my head. I gestured toward the door and the Imp began to form a fireball.

    A purple card twisted over my hand, and Ren had drawn an arrow ready. It was not our fault if the System-created had a blind-spot when it came to different rooms. If we could get the jump on them due to this, then that was one less bruise for the next morning.

    The fireball zipped across the chamber, illuminating the dead and debris we had left scattered around, then struck the door. I watched it catch alight and start to burn. Not exactly the explosive result I had expected - so now we just had a door on fire in our way. I narrowed my eyes at it, willing it to collapse.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit to being a bit underwhelmed.¡± Ren relaxed the tensed bowstring. ¡°It¡¯s not like you to disappoint.¡±

    Her expression was hard to read, but the words prodded the soft part of my brain that needed to perform to be accepted. I smiled. The failsafe option. ¡°Have a little more faith, Ren, for the real trick is-¡°

    The door burst open towards us, wafting heated air and smoke our way. A large figure silhouetted the hallway beyond.

    ¡°Enemies!¡± He growled and gestured to whomever was behind him, his angered face sandwiched between two thick sideburns that put most people''s normal head hair to shame.

    ¡°Ta-da,¡± I muttered, at the sudden appearance of our foe. A little coincidence could be twisted to my credit. Another notification appeared in my vision.

    [New Monster: Head Thief <7 E>]

    Briefly I wondered if that meant he stole heads, but then again - if given the chance - I¡¯m sure that was part of his intention. The ¡®E¡¯ next to his level must mean Elite - nice to have something written in plain text to let you know you were about to meet the blunt end of a heavy lesson.

    Arrow out and card not far behind, the large man flared up in a brief sphere of gray; the attacks doing no damage to him. He stumbled forward, raising a thick cudgel in one hand and a long knife in the other. Behind him, at least three other thieves were readying weapons.

    The Imp¡¯s fireball did strike him, and his leg burst into flame. It was quickly extinguished but left his clothing smoldering around the burn on his flesh. Ren quick-drew another arrow that was again blocked by his gray shield as it zipped across the room.

    Hmm. It was a neat trick, but I had worked it out already. Unless I was wrong and my brains were about to decorate the back wall, it was simple. He was too close for repeated failed attempts, so it was time to see if this Intelligence stat was correctly named or not.

    The elf started to draw her sword as I whipped my hand around and threw a poker chip at him, anger flaring in my eyes.

    Gray shield.

    Then, my imbued card struck him through the side of the neck. An imperfect strike as he moved away from it at the last second - but he dropped his knife to hold the wound with a thick hand. One weapon down was better than-

    <Card Fan> came up as he swiped at me, my damage doing little to stop his charge. The shield shattered and sent me back against the wall - air once again knocked from my lungs. I wasn¡¯t a fan of that. The Imp scrabbled out of the way as Ren fired her entangling arrow into the other room, rooting the rest of the thieves in place so they couldn''t assist their boss.

    As the leader stepped toward me, I threw my hat at him. The gray shield flickered around him as he knocked it out of the way - the second of the two cards I threw along behind it biting into his chest.

    Every third hit would go through his shield.

    I rolled to the ground as his cudgel slammed into the rock wall where my head had been. As I stumbled back to my feet, I watched him pause and shift uneasily across the marbles I had dropped along the way.

    ¡°Duck.¡±

    I did without hesitation, as a flare of radiant light bloomed behind me. The Elite looked pretty confident as his shield of gray started to wash over him. It flickered twice, as my split cards hit right before the arrow imbued with smite shot struck him through the mouth and out of the back of his neck.

    A blaze of orange flashed from within the next room as my Imp sent a fireball into the restrained thieves, setting them alight and charring their exposed skin. It was over. A quick pair of cards and an arrow or two, and they were dead with nowhere to escape to. The smell of burning was heavy on my lungs, and I looked forward to getting some fresh air.

    I leaned over to grab my discarded top hat and then rested my hands on my knees. Closed my eyes for a moment, and allowed the exhaustion to take hold as the adrenaline and heat of battle wore off.

    ¡°Good job, trickster.¡± Ren gave me a pat on the back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get past the shield alone.¡±

    ¡°Teamwork makes the dream work,¡± I murmured, smiling but not looking up at her.

    ¡°If your dreams are like this¡­¡± she trailed off, little more else needing to be said. How far we had come from killing cute slimes and boars. Combat now felt gritty and high stakes, as if the System couldn¡¯t decide how to pace or theme the areas.

    ¡°Right now, the dream is a soft bed and safety. Again.¡± I stood and stretched my bruised back out before taking a moment to bandage my minor injuries, practicing my one-handed approach. ¡°Maybe a round of applause?¡±

    ¡°I can agree on the first two. After seeing how terrible combat is and how eager you are to hop into an early grave, we¡¯d best temper our expectations.¡±

    I exhaled and flexed the fingers of my free hand. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. The system tried a bit too hard here, but we¡¯re leaving with barely a scratch.¡±

    She looked rather unimpressed beneath her scowl, but she turned to continue to loot the other bodies.

    [Quest Complete: Return to Town for Reward]

    Exhaustion wanted to take the reins back now that everything in the hideout was dealt with, the show was over but we''d be moving on soon enough. No chance of slumping over in one of these rooms and decompressing for the rest of the day. We wouldn¡¯t even be back in town for a couple of days, which was a shame¡­ but at least it gave us something to look forward to if we survived that long.

    I looted the leader, expecting nothing worthy of our efforts.

    [85 Gold]

    [Unfinished Letter]

    [Power Token (2)]

    [Knife of the Trickster]

    [Sausages (3)]

    Other than the blue border around the dagger, and the shining Tokens, everything else was unimportant. I stowed away the food and letter for later, and I left behind other less important things.

    ¡°I found a Rare dagger.¡± I grinned. ¡°You¡¯re going to love it.¡± I sure did. It gave a two Int and one Dex boost.

    She raised an eyebrow and stood from the body she was investigating. ¡°Oh? How so?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called ''Knife of the Trickster''.¡± My smile widened.

    ¡°Match made in heaven.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Nothing much on these aside from gold, unless you need more random junk?¡±

    ¡°No, not right now.¡± Although, I could do with picking up all those marbles again. ¡°I have a Power Token for you, however.¡±

    ¡°Shit, really? Next one is yours, though?¡± She stepped back over the corpses and over to me.

    ¡°Found two.¡± I grinned and withdrew one to hand over to her. ¡°I wonder if we are meant to have upgraded a handful of skills before attempting more dangerous Quests like these.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Probably, we skipped most of the town Quests to do the challenge board.¡±

    ¡°Challenge board? I thought that these were just normal Quests?¡±

    Ren actually paused and crossed her arms, her normal permanent scowl almost breaking. ¡°Max, please. You want to haul around bolts of linen for village-folk and herd sheep for five gold and a loose handshake? We are doing the hard-mode Questline. Don¡¯t you read anything?¡±

    ¡°I try to interface with the System as little as possible.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed further. ¡°You literally¡­ you know what? Never mind. Token, please.¡±

    As she reached over to take it from my clasped fingers, I clicked them together and instead it became a card - the Ace of Diamonds. ¡°Is this your card?¡± I grinned.

    Her eyes slowly went from the card to my own. ¡°If I chose to kill you in your sleep, I wouldn¡¯t make any creaking noises to wake you.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± I raised an eyebrow, clicking my fingers again to change it back to the token. "At least I¡¯d still get some good rest, then.¡±

    I turned from the elf as my STAR menus spun up. Spoiled for choice, I tried to decide what ability to upgrade.

 28 - The Fool

    There seems to be some parts of my notes missing here. Somewhere between ¡®thieves are terrible¡¯ and ¡®bandits are terrible¡¯ there¡¯s a gap. Not by itself a cause of concern, but as my memory is fragmented by so much now, sometimes the minutiae of the day to day got lost. Usually a gap meant either something happened that drew me away from the routine of note taking - for better or for worse.

    I breathed in the fresh open air of the outside world and sighed in contentedness. Quest complete and we had escaped the odd burrow almost unscathed. I turned to the elf as she stepped out from the darkness just after me, her eyes focused on System windows.

    ¡°I went with one of my passive abilities, to increase my attack speed.¡± Ren blinked and frowned as she became awash by the daylight. Her blonde hair was practically glowing with radiance as the light struck it, and it took me an extra second to parse what she had said.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ valid.¡± I nodded and rubbed at my chin. ¡°It might not be as flashy as your active abilities, but aids your overall effectiveness.¡±

    She rolled her eyes as she pushed past me. ¡°Thanks for the approval.¡± She exhaled and waved her hand. ¡°Sorry, that''s the tiredness talking. What did you decide to pick?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m struggling between two passives.¡± I stretched out. Although there was plenty of headroom in the thief cave, being in the outdoors again was remarkably freeing. An amusing thing for a man who spent too much time in his home studio or up on stage rather than enjoying nature. ¡°Mana Manipulation or Sleight of Hand. To be better with the cards, or with the-¡°

    ¡°The bullshit?¡± she tilted her head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you which is best. Just decide before the next stage of our dance with death.¡±

    I gave her a brief bow, and we set off northward towards the bandit encampment. We had altered the original plan and had put the Boss Hunt after the bandits. Less travel for ever tiring legs. After the dim hideout, the warmth and color of the surrounding woodlands was calming, and just made me feel even more like I needed a good sleep. The aching muscles and bruises didn¡¯t help either.

    Ren could see it in me, and even her immutable brilliance beneath her normal scowl had lost some of its lustre. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t burn out on the first day.¡± She grimaced and looked up into the treetops. ¡°Some form of hammock might be reasonably safe.¡±

    I shrugged and gave her a tired smile. ¡°It sounds preferable to death from exhaustion.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go a bit further from the caves and find somewhere suitable.¡±

    We went on for a while longer, although the scenery didn''t change much. I occasionally stumbled on thick chunks of grass or tree roots attempting to trip me. The Token still hung unused as I deliberated on which was better to pick. Mana Manipulation would give me better control over my cards, but Sleight of Hand should increase the speed at which I could access and swap things from my Inventory. I could already do that pretty quickly though¡­ so I chose <Mana Manipulation>.

    [<Mana Manipulation> is now Advanced: You have greater control over your mana reserves.]

    Another slice of vagueness from the System. There wasn''t even a numerical figure for how much mana I had, nor a bar that would decrease or regenerate. It was just innate¡ªsomething I could feel. That it was a specific ability that my Class had been given could mean that most other spellcasters weren''t so flexible in their magic usage. This was all new ground for me, and some things were harder to learn than others.

    ¡°You know, you don¡¯t always have to be fine?¡±

    I raised my eyebrows and looked over at the elf as she took me from my thoughts. "Hmm?"

    She stopped to lean against a tree and rubbed at her eye sockets. ¡°You¡¯re always fine or smiling, or needing to push forward. You can be more open with how you really feel.¡±

    ¡°This coming from someone who is permanently scowling?¡± I crossed my arms, subconsciously trying to hold the snappy retorts back. Well, not so subconscious, I supposed.

    ¡°I have a lot to be angry and sad about, trickster.¡± Her impassive eyes looked up at me. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡±

    My jaw was clenched, but I wasn¡¯t sure why. Things were fine. I took a second to breathe deeply in and out, twice. ¡°The show must go on.¡± I eventually said with a grin, even if my heart wasn¡¯t fully behind it.

    ¡°Why? What happens if it doesn¡¯t?¡±

    I opened my mouth, but my mind was blank. Some knot had formed in my stomach and I stared at the elf to try to see what she was trying to get at. Other than clearly being tired, she was both remarkably hard to read and stubbornly not accepting my silence as an answer.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± I licked my lips, ¡°unsure as to what response you are trying to elicit. Am I not trying hard enough?¡±

    She tilted her head, but her expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°I just want you to actually be fine, not just say it. If you are, then that¡¯s okay. Forgive me for twisting the screws.¡±

    I felt remarkably warm. A purple suit was not the best clothing to be wearing on a warm hike through the woods, it turned out. I removed my top hat and wiped my brow on the back of my arm. ¡°Wow, and I thought the thieves were tough.¡±

    ¡°If you can deflect crossbow bolts as well as you do my questions, then you¡¯ll be twice as useful.¡± She stood and nodded through the forest. ¡°A little bit more and we¡¯ll stop for food.¡±

    I smiled, but it faded from my face as soon as her back was turned. Not that I was even annoyed at Ren exactly, or blamed her for the weird cramping inside me. I was just tired and hungry, and wasn¡¯t prepared for thinking about it any more than that. So much killing, not enough downtime, perhaps? I pushed any further thoughts from my mind.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Instead, I drew a card. Held it in my hand, and let it hover above it, as I tried to feel for any difference. Nothing major. I threw it out a dozen feet and split it in two.

    There it was. I brought one back alone, the other hanging in the air as I walked. I put energy back into the first as I sent it back and withdrew the second, repeating the process. Better control over the split cards. I could now juggle them. With my fingers relaxing, I let them dissipate. No blood on my hands.

    Well, none of my own.

    I looked out into the woods and deflated somewhat. For some reason, I didn¡¯t feel much like practising, even though I was fine. It was at least a small blessing that the route we had traveled had not been dense with wild Monsters - or crawling with Players wanting to literally pick our brains. They''d have to try extra hard to get something worthwhile inside my cranium at present.

    "Here should be fine." Ren stopped and put her hands above her eyes as she looked up. ¡°Canopy is dense enough. We should be near invisible if we go high up.¡±

    My eyes followed her gaze and whatever joy I had left in me sunk out to be lost in the thick grass. I was suspicious of heights after the thing with the orc, and preferred not to tempt fate. That said, I''d court death for a decent nap. ¡°I have¡­ some sheets and rope?¡±

    ¡°Perfect. Finally, a good use for your kleptomania.¡± She stepped forward and held her hands out.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a¡­¡± My brain replayed the scenes of me looting every odd and end from the thief''s hideout. ¡°It¡¯s no different from¡­¡± I sighed and gave up the point. Two sheets and a couple of bundles appeared into my arms and I handed them over.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are excellent at tying knots.¡± She continued to impassively stare at me. ¡°But I¡¯d feel better for both our safety if I made the hammocks.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, your highness.¡± I gave a bow, but couldn¡¯t manage a signature smile.

    She turned and flipped me off as she walked away. Not an especially elven hand-signal, but then maybe some things were universal. The exhaustion was eroding at my sensibilities. Usually a tough tour run would burn me out, but I could at least be solitary and lay in bed all day. Watching videos on new tricks, of course, but it was still resting.

    I kept an eye on our surroundings as Ren did her work. Even sat on the soft grass for a little and enjoyed nature for what it was. There was a small clearing just beyond our trees after a short slope. Any wandering adventurers should be too focused on their footwork to be gazing up at the canopy where we would be dozing. Even the thought of it was lifting my mood. Sleep.

    Ren descended, dropping to the grass near silently. ¡°That¡¯s yours done, trickster. I¡¯ll put mine up a little further away, but still within arrow distance."

    Presumably she meant for assisting if trouble found us, rather than potentially assassinating me if I snored too loudly. She walked behind me as I stood to my feet, her shadow passing over me as the sun lit her hair.

    ¡°Hey, Ren. I¡¯m sorry for being an asshole sometimes.¡±

    She nodded and gave me a pat on the shoulder as she continued to her chosen tree. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can¡¯t help it.¡±

    Regardless of whatever expression she had as she walked away from me, it did give me a little smile. That was until I turned to my tree and grimaced at the prospect of having to climb.

    And it was agony. One branch at a time and trying not to think of the distance. I wondered if she put it higher than needed just to spite me, but that was unfair to her. Maybe. Eventually, I reached the proposed sleeping arrangement. It looked like a death trap, with two ends attached to thick branches with a further tether to the trunk. With trepidation, I sat into it; the linens absorbing my body as my internal organs panicked.

    I didn¡¯t immediately die, which is all I had wished for - and after a few minutes of being fully tense, I relaxed into it. If I closed my eyes, it was easy to imagine I was a lot closer to the ground.

    But I didn''t want to sink into the darkness just yet. Hunger still gripped my insides. I opened my eyes again to check through my Inventory. It slightly amused me how certain items stored inside the intangible space. The torch had remained lit. An inkwell didn¡¯t tip or spill. I withdrew it, alongside a journal I had nabbed from one of the rooms, as well as a fountain pen. While I had intended to use it to stab someone in the eye eventually, it might make do to start keeping a diary of some kind. As I opened the book onto my lap, I withdrew some food into my left hand to chew on.

    The first couple pages of the tome I would need to remove, as they had already been used briefly by one of the thieves. Nothing interesting. The next page, blank, stared back at me as I thought. After tapping my chin for a minute, I eventually wrote down ¡®thieves are terrible¡¯. I¡¯d fill in the earlier stuff when my brain wasn¡¯t so exhausted - oh, but that reminded me the leader had a note on him.

    I tried to adjust my position and panicked briefly as I forgot where I was, rocking the hammock. The motion was... slightly relaxing once my muscles gave up the ghost. The piece of paper snapped into my hand from my Inventory and I read it. Something about an important shipment of something, stopped just off the road a little way off. It looked as though there was going to be a further piece of information, but it hadn¡¯t been finished. Probably a warning. I stowed it away and marked the location on my map. Food downed, it was time for the final curtain call.

    Exhaling slowly, I closed my eyes. Putting the trials endured so far today behind me, it didn''t take sleep long to blanket my tired mind.

    In this hard-earned darkness, a weird dream took me. Being chased through a shallow pool of crimson. I couldn¡¯t turn around to see what was after me, and only darkness surrounded me. The splash of footsteps behind me, keeping pace. Somehow, just hearing it was even worse than knowing what was trying to track me down. An echo calling my name hummed in my ears as I felt constricted and trapped. My limbs felt numb and unresponsive as I struggled and fought against the invisible restraints, desperate to break free. I reached out as far as I could.

    And then, with a sudden jolt of vertigo, I was free. My eyes shot open and the light of day hit me just as quickly as a thick branch did. Warmth flooded through my head and cooled instantly from the rush of air as I dropped.

    Pain lit up my face as twigs and leaves scraped past me. It happened so fast, but I must have hit at least another three main branches before bouncing on the ground and sliding down the brief incline to the clearing beyond.

    [Health Status]

    [Nose - Broken]

    [Left Wrist - Fractured (Heavy)]

    [Ribs (3) - Fractured (Light)]

    ¡°Fuck you, System,¡± I hissed through the pain, blood running down my face. Unfair. I had brought up the information by instinct - although it didn¡¯t take a genius to see the odd angle that my hand currently faced as I clutched it to know that it was broken. ¡°Fuck you, trees.¡± I added, my eyes blurring.

    The sound of Ren quickly descending her tree came from over behind me, and she slid down the incline.

    ¡°Asshole, Max - I even made it so that it was more difficult to fall out.¡± She put her hand on my shoulder, and I could see the concern breaking through the admonishing scowl. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine,¡± I grinned through a face that felt like it was bruising already. A pulse of radiant energy flowed through me, warming and soothing my injuries. Still, my head throbbed even as my wrist clicked and I regained the uncomfortable use of my left hand.

    ¡°Stupid shit, you can¡¯t even be honest when you-" She paused and looked up, the slight worry in her face immediately washed away by a stoic frown.

    Blinking away the pained tears, I followed her gaze out to the other side of the clearing.

    Stalking through the treeline was a large creature. Bright amber eyes that were set amongst thick brown fur. It was massive.

    As it stepped out of the shadowed canopy and into the light of the late afternoon, the sharp fangs of the grizzly bear glimmered with saliva. He growled and moved toward us.

 29 - An Odd Dance

    There was a time where sanity felt like an actual skill I could write off on my list of character traits. Went through hell and back, but still sane. Gradually, I wondered whether my definition of insanity just changed over time. Plenty of things you had to just accept and move on if you wanted to survive in this world. Some of it was beyond my understanding, but you couldn¡¯t let that shape you. Allow yourself a little ignorance if you hoped to be even a little happy.

    I had never seen a bear in person before. Well, no, I had seen one in a zoo once. A dejected and bored looking beast. This one was almost twice that size and looked full of ambition. Mostly a desire to make a meal out of us - but for a wild animal that was as good a reason as any, no matter if I had any disagreements about it.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bear,¡± Ren whispered. Her eyes were focused on it as her hand slowly went for her bow.

    Perhaps she thought my world didn¡¯t have bears, or maybe assumed I had made scrambled eggs of my brain on my greatest hits tour of the tree branches. There was another quip in there somewhere, but I was too preoccupied with the hulking creature slowly approaching us to really draw it out through my mouth.

    ¡°I can fight,¡± I weakly muttered. I¡¯m not sure how the System divided up healing between my broken parts. The nicest assumption would be that it prioritized the life-saving stuff rather than share around equally. Ribs were still tender, but my left hand could now move - even if it hated the process.

    ¡°Might need to entangle and run.¡± Her voice was calm despite the clear danger.

    I stood to my feet slowly, rising with her. Somehow, my hat was still on my head. True magic. My legs could probably run, given the alternative. Where to wouldn''t really matter, System-created must have some kind of aggro drop at a certain distance.

    ¡°Ugly packaging for a boring meal,¡± the bear growled at me, drool running from his open jaws.

    ¡°What?¡± I wrinkled my face up. ¡°You can talk?¡± Also, my suit wasn¡¯t ugly, but that seemed like a point to make when so many teeth weren¡¯t being bared.

    ¡°Irrelevant.¡± He stepped another large paw forward.

    Ren had an arrow at the ready, but hadn¡¯t nocked it yet. Thoughts clattered down through my brain like I had through the tree.

    ¡°Are you a Player?¡± I asked, slowly removing my hat.

    He paused. ¡°That sounds like something the boxes said. Do you control the boxes?¡±

    I shook my head and grinned. With my good hand, I reached into the awkwardly held top hat and brought out a slab of meat. I could also audibly hear Ren¡¯s eyes roll. ¡°No, but I¡¯ll trade food for conversation.¡±

    ¡°Give me the hat.¡± The bear licked his lips, but his body language relaxed slightly.

    ¡°No,¡± I repeated. ¡°But as a show of good faith¡­¡± I lobbed the meat across the clearing, which the bear grabbed and devoured.

    ¡°I feel as though this is a dangerous game you are playing, trickster.¡± The elf had now lowered her weapon and was prepared to cross her arms for added effect. Lecturing me clearly worth risking being a second slower if we were attacked.

    ¡°What? You never wanted a pet familiar? Seems cliche, I know, but-¡°

    ¡°I would much prefer a wolf.¡± She shrugged and stared at the bear impassively.

    The large creature licked the last of the meal from his lips and sat down, his amber eyes no less full of fury. ¡°I will talk, food-giver.¡±

    ¡°My name is Max, and this is Ren. What¡¯s yours?¡±

    His nose twitched, looking between my held hat and the elf. ¡°¡­Wolf,¡± he eventually decided.

    Ren¡¯s brow lowered further. ¡°Your name is Wolf. As a bear.¡±

    ¡°I like it.¡± My eyes dazzled. A stage show set in my mind, the magnificent magician and the talking bear that could do tricks. The elf assistant in a shimmering blue dress with a wide smile on her- oh. No, that broke the illusion.

    ¡°Could you think any louder?¡± She glared at me as I refocused. ¡°One track mind, Max.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of a- of whatever you¡¯re saying I was thinking.¡± I ran the risk of becoming too predictable. That or I had spoken some of my daydream out loud but didn''t realise it due to my head injury.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Red is not my color. Plus, I don¡¯t wear dresses.¡±

    I clucked my tongue. ¡°It was blue, actually.¡±

    ¡°See! I knew it.¡± She shook her head, exasperated. ¡°One track mind.¡±

    Plus, I didn¡¯t really work with animals as much as I could help it. If Wolf could consent and was intelligent enough to understand, then that was different. I turned to give him a resigned shrug, and he looked mostly perplexed.

    ¡°Are you going to attack me or give me more food?¡± He tilted his head, looking as though those were the only two options he was used to.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    I tapped the rim of my hat. ¡°Answer me three questions and you can have three more pieces of meat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll answer ten questions,¡± he licked his lips.

    A smile crossed my lips, but faltered slightly in seeing that he was injured. His flank on one side, mostly obscured by his thick foreleg, was matted with dark crimson. I turned to Ren and raised an eyebrow, and she gave a nod.

    ¡°My good friend here is going to heal your wounds, too. Is that okay?¡±

    Wolf looked at the slowly approaching elf and sniffed at the air. ¡°I accept.¡±

    ¡°First question then. Do you remember coming from a world prior to this one?¡±

    He tilted his head in thought, then turned to sniff at his wound as it closed up. The radiant warmth of the Oathwarden seemed to comfort, if slightly confuse him - but he allowed the elf to place her hand on his broad shoulder.

    ¡°Yes. It was different to here, like a dream where I couldn¡¯t talk. There was something new near my home¡­ I remember pink?¡± He chewed at the air as if continuing to process the words after the sentence had finished.

    Ren continued to brush at his fur. It was hard to tell if she was secretly enamored with the animal, or was just plying a bit of kindness to keep him calm. The bear dwarfed her and could easily bite her head clean off if given half the chance. He had already answered my intended second question in regards to the potential portal¡­

    ¡°Second question. How did you get to this forest? Did you not start on a smaller island?¡±

    He raised a large paw to scratch at his chin. ¡°No, I¡¯ve been here for a few weeks. Sometimes people attack me, sometimes I attack them. Nothing else.¡±

    How interesting. I was starting to put some of the puzzle pieces together, even if the picture didn¡¯t make any sort of sense. These portals could appear over different worlds or¡­ realities - that part wasn¡¯t clear. Anyone unlucky enough to enter was transported this world. Even if they were an animal, it seemed.

    ¡°Do you know how to work with the boxes?¡± Ren asked softly. ¡°See what they say?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Wolf looked at her. ¡°They were overwhelming, so I try to pretend they don¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°Could you, though? For me?¡±

    I almost opened up mine by instinct. Partially I wondered if the bear was keeping track of all the questions the elf was also asking and would expect payment. Part of me hoped that he did, if only to show his Intelligence was up to snuff.

    The grizzly furrowed his brow in focus. ¡°What did you need to know?¡±

    ¡°Class. Highest Stats. Level.¡± Despite her softer tone with the animal, she hadn¡¯t been able to shift her default expression - a testament, if anything, to the times that she did.

    ¡°Forest Guardian, Rare. Constitution and Strength are highest, then Intelligence. I am level five.¡±

    She nodded at each of the nuggets of information. ¡°And, how are you doing emotionally?¡±

    The bear looked down at the ground, no longer having to read from his System interface. ¡°I miss the simplicity of my home. Everything here seems to drive me into conflict.¡±

    The elf tilted her head toward me and gestured with her hand.

    I shrugged, not sure what she was getting at. Animals had feelings. I already knew this. It was part of why I began a discourse with the large and threatening bear. Did System-created have feelings? Perhaps best to unravel that morality question another time.

    Another Rare Class though, that was something. The System must have filled out his Stats as best as it could imagine, putting him here amongst other bears, maybe in confusion, before layering on the Player parts of whatever ran this world.

    ¡°I realize you just said you didn¡¯t like conflict¡­¡± I stepped toward him now, and suddenly remembered how much pain my body was still in once it had to do more than exist. ¡°But would you like to join up with us?¡±

    ¡°If you can handle a little fighting.¡± Ren added. ¡°There is a lot of food in it for you.¡±

    Wolf looked between my hat, me, Ren, and then back at the hat. ¡°I¡¯ll help you kill food and I get a portion of it?¡±

    ¡°Probably most of it.¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°I imagine our diets are different enough where we all had plenty?¡±

    Ren nodded and stood next to me, turning to face the bear. ¡°Max is annoying, but he is strong.¡±

    I held a poker face, which was difficult due to how bruised it felt. ¡°Ren is also very strong, and very pleasant.¡± Her glare burned into the side of my head. Pleasantly.

    Wolf looked back out to the forest. A totally different animal than the feral beast that was previously stalking us. He now looked pensive and thoughtful. I wondered if we had judged him too simply to consider that he would be swayed onto our path of destruction just with the prospect of eating the spoils.

    ¡°Alright, I will join you,¡± he said as he nodded. ¡°You still owe me the question-meat, though.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± I bowed before him, only a tiny part of my brain considering he might crush it. What was left still unbroken after my fall, anyway. ¡°There are some ground rules, though. First, we share all loot equally. Second, do not eat us - ever. That¡¯s probably the most important rule, really.¡± I withdrew some meat from my hat and placed it on his open paws. ¡°Thirdly, do not flirt with Ren.¡±

    She glared and me and looked as though she was considering escalating to physically admonishing me, before she saw the amount of damage gravity had wrought upon me. ¡°And I was hoping the tree knocked some sense into you.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Really, Max. How did you even fall out? You could have died. And then I would too, of second-hand embarrassment.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that I was having bad dream doesn¡¯t make it any better.¡± I handed more meat to the bear, feeling a little lightheaded.

    ¡°Bad dream as in a premonition of things that may come, or a shadow of the trauma and emotions you have been suppressing?¡±

    ¡°Hopefully the former,¡± I replied, watching Wolf and not looking at her. ¡°How far are we from the bandits?¡±

    [Wolf has joined the Party]

    ¡°About two hours,¡± she sighed and rubbed at her eyes. ¡°It looks like we slept for about three hours, before you decided to leave the nest like a baby bird.¡±

    Wolf nodded, his tongue lapping around his lips as he finished off the meat. I intended to give him the ten pieces, which seemed reasonable considering he could easily eat us if he wanted to. ¡°You do look tenderized under that offensive wrapper.¡±

    I handed him more with a tired frown. ¡°It¡¯s a suit.¡± Sure, it was garish. It was part of the act - I had to stand out and be larger than life. There was a plan in the back of my mind to swap to the gear that I had equipped for stats. Just as soon as it wouldn¡¯t make me look like a drunken wizard at a renaissance rave rooting through lost property for a costume.

    ¡°It makes my eyes sad,¡± the bear added, his paws out to receive more of his reward.

    ¡°He even sleeps in it.¡± Ren crossed her arms.

    It turned out that I missed being surrounded by fans. While criticism was valid, being under constant scrutiny just made me want to¡­ double down. I grinned and gave them both a short bow. ¡°A true showman never quits.¡±

    The elf exhaled through her nose, clearly not having slept enough for more of my bullshit. ¡°Do you need any more healing, showman? You look like you¡¯re about to throw up your own brain.¡±

    ¡°Dibs,¡± Wolf interjected.

    ¡°I¡¯m fi-,¡± I stopped myself. ¡°I¡¯ll use a couple of bandages. You should save your power. I will need another Charm, though.¡±

    Her brow furrowed further. ¡°You used it already? When?¡±

    I pointed back up to the tree about a third of the way up. ¡°About there, when my skull actually split open.¡±

 30 - Filling Seats

    The System would keep you alive, if you let it. Not that it cared whether you died or not, but it liked it when you played by the rules. Healing magic or items could bring you back from the brink, as staying alive was the core desire of the ability. It couldn¡¯t mend your soul, or mental health, and was content enough to leave you bruised and achy - but broken bones and split organs could be mended in a flash. If you were quick enough.

    I sat on the grass as the elf slowly circled me, inspecting my hatless head for any signs of damage. The System message was quite clear that I had a healed skull fracture, although there was little current evidence for the claim.

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely some bruising. A bit of blood dried in your hair. No other signs of trauma.¡± She stopped in front of me and kneeled down. ¡°Focus straight ahead.¡±

    My eyes stared off toward the horizon, while she loomed in closer to make sure my pupils were the right size or something. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but after two bandages I was feeling back to normal - aside from some soreness. My right eye twitched as she moved her face even closer. Could almost feel the warmth of her body heat.

    ¡°This is a medical examination, Max. I can get Wolf to do it if this makes you uncomfortable.¡±

    The bear moved his wet snout down to sniff at the other side of my head. It was a sensory overload, and I found myself unprepared for¡­ pretty much everything that was happening. Bring on the near-death experiences instead.

    ¡°I smell nothing wrong with him. It¡¯s just the suit, I think.¡± Wolf moved away to sneeze across the grass.

    Ren sighed and stood back up, patting me on the head. ¡°Alright, trickster. Don¡¯t exert yourself too hard. We don¡¯t need your head bleeding all the time too.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± I said, allowing myself a few seconds to relax and adjust before I stood up. Top hat back on and I felt complete. My decrepit social life in the old world hadn¡¯t prepared me to be assaulted by the constant presence of¡­ these two. ¡°We should head out.¡±

    There were no disagreements, so with one last look at the Map, we began our journey. It was actually nice having a third in the Party, as now the pair of them could make small talk and I didn¡¯t feel like I had to speak as much. Not that I didn''t enjoy having all eyes on me, but I was still trying to settle my jumbled thoughts. Not least of all because most of them had just tried to tangibly paint the surroundings. Whether that dream had meant anything or not... I put aside. I was content enough to keep to myself and observe nature. All the trees and grass, some more trees. It was¡­ nice.

    The temperature cooled as the sun headed across the sky. We¡¯d arrive at the bandit encampment a little before dusk, so light shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Assuming they were easy enough to murder, then we¡¯d be out and safe before night fell. With Wolf on our side, we could up the pace and the danger. Roger was a good demon, if you could stretch the definition of ''good'', but he couldn¡¯t be our main threat absorption. His cooldown was clear now, so he could come help us with the bandits. Oddly enough, I was looking forward to seeing him again. Abrasive in his own way, but weren''t we all? He at least didn''t ask pointed questions about my emotional competency.

    Idly, I brought up a magic card and moved it through the air. I could slow them down a little now, not that it seemed helpful on the surface. After it returned, I caught it and allowed it to vanish. My brow furrowed in thought, and then I opened up my Inventory.

    ¡°Hey, Ren?¡±

    She turned and caught the apple I threw to her. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Throw that back, please.¡±

    She shrugged, but did so. I held out my hand, and it vanished instead of landing into my grip. With a flourish, I brought it back out into my hand. The gears were still turning in my head.

    ¡°I can see where this is going, Max. No.¡± Ren shook her head.

    Interestingly, Wolf had a Dazzle debuff on him. Ren did not, and I had not seen one over her in the fights against the thieves. I put a bookmark on those thoughts for later.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably sensible.¡± I grinned. ¡°How about just throwing the apple at me?¡±

    She rolled her eyes, but caught it deftly as I returned it. She bared her teeth and wound back, pitching at me as hard as she was able.

    The apple thudded off of my chest, and then vanished. ¡°Ow,¡± I complained, rubbing at the spot where my next bruise would form. ¡°But, thank you.¡±

    Another tick-box filled with details on how the System worked. I could loot items from the air if they were nearby, but not if they were an attack. Probably a good thing we didn¡¯t immediately jump to testing it with an arrow as I had first imagined. The showmanship of plucking ranged projectiles out of the air clouding my sensible desire not to be a pincushion.

    Wolf just looked perplexed, his amber eyes wide.

    ¡°Max uses magic and tricks,¡± Ren tried to explain as they continued walking. ¡°He can manipulate things in and out of his Inventory.¡±

    "So he doesn''t have lots of meat in his hat?"

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    She shook her head, but that seemed to make the bear appear more impressed rather than disappointed.

    I was too busy inside my own head to capitalize on that. My mental footwork was stepping on crunchy gravel, new ideas underfoot and underway. The more questions I could answer, the more I would be able to accomplish. Answers would just have to hurry up. I was impatient.

    ¡°I¡¯m a visual learner,¡± the bear said with a blank expression, clearly now interested as to where the food actually came from. ¡°Can you show me an example?¡±

    Ren didn¡¯t look too enthused about it, but raised an arm to me. Enter stage left. Or right?

    I shrugged. A smile crossed my face, and I gave a bow as the bear turned fully to face me. I brought down my top hat and pulled a set of meaty ribs out from within. Dazzle icon. I drew my arm back and went to throw it to Wolf - his eyes lighting up and maw opening. Just as the meat left my hand, I had it swapped, and instead of the tasty morsel a handful of red flowers flew out and landed limply on the grass. Second Dazzle icon and a rather sad bear''s face.

    ¡°Do not fret, young¡­ Sir.¡± I walked up to him. ¡°As - what is this behind your ear?¡±

    I cupped his furred ear and then withdrew my hand, now holding the ribs once more. Third Dazzle icon. ¡°All yours.¡± I smiled and placed it into his wanting maw.

    ¡°I think the best part of the trick was the faux charisma.¡± Ren stood with arms crossed and no Dazzle icons.

    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve had my fair share of hecklers who looked like they would still be unimpressed if I tore my own heart out on stage.¡± It was hard to gauge how much of this was just friendly banter with how she scowled at me all the time. Perhaps there was something cultural I was missing.

    ¡°Probably the only...¡° She stopped herself and shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Let¡¯s save our energy for the Quest.¡±

    ¡°I liked the bit where the meat came back,¡± Wolf murmured.

    We continued onward again, and Ren filled the bear in on all the details. About not eating the little demons that I summoned. Lady in Red and a potential gang on the rise that might be after us. Everything important that happened in New Forest. Some of what being a Player and leveling up in the world meant. I didn''t really listen in too intently.

    My mind was mostly elsewhere. A headache loomed that made me wish I had some normal human painkillers to take. The fact that I could Dazzle my allies was odd and stuck out like a sore thumb. The most straightforward answer I could come to would be that I may get an ability that could buff or assist my Party in some way in the future. That¡¯d be a tough sell, considering Ren hadn¡¯t been fooled by a single trick yet.

    Perhaps that just meant I needed to try harder. Nothing too simple or easy to wave away as being Inventory tricks. Something for a clearer mind. Mine was fast becoming foggy, and I needed any wits about me for the bandits.

    Ren slowed down to walk beside me. ¡°You seem off. Did I go too far?¡±

    ¡°No, just feeling a bit rough. Sometimes you need a harsh critic to sharpen your tools.¡± I gave her a smile but could already see her glare cutting through the attempt to downplay my status.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to call me out. I¡¯m only your harshest critic because I believe the show could be better. I¡¯m... invested in your successful performances.¡± She pulled a face at herself. ¡°Gross. How can you use all that terminology without cringing?¡±

    ¡°Many years of gaslighting myself into believing that I was some kind of visionary.¡±

    ¡°Careful, trickster.¡± She shook her head as she sped back up to join Wolf. ¡°Some cracks starting to show there.¡±

    Yeah, right down the middle of my head. Or at least, that¡¯s how it felt. It was only by a miracle of my Sleight of Hand bonus that I had the foresight to grab at the healing Charm as I fell. A second or two later and my brain would have decorated the ground beneath the tree. I could still remember the brief flash of pain, the instant my skull split before the radiant magic sealed it back up. As much as I hated knowing, my idle thoughts brought up my current status.

    [Health Status]

    [Mild Trauma]

    Nothing specifically broken or wounded in a way the System cared for or could assist with. My physical body disagreed. Chest and arm, bruised and sensitive. Left wrist aching and stiff. Nose tender, and my head still felt like it wanted to continue the job and open up like a walnut. Mild trauma.

    Once upon a time, I was doing a show that involved some ladder work. I had put the wrong shoes on and slipped halfway up, fracturing my ankle as I landed awkwardly. Still put on shows through the recovery - but I had to change up tricks. Less movement and a more static experience, but still with the same flair. The restriction had made me a better magician - shuffled me down a path to thinking outside the box I had been comfortable in. That''s what I told myself, anyway.

    Did my current pain now do that? No, I¡¯d much rather find a real bed somewhere and hibernate. Fighting had forced my current improvements, though - I couldn¡¯t deny that. Figuring out how to win a fight or ply the tools that I had at my disposal was¡­

    My mind drifted off as a small patch of flowers caught my eye. A beautiful sky blue. As much as it was a shame to pick them, I was sure the System could find more. A select handful made it into my Inventory to replace the roses I had thrown to impress Wolf.

    Kleptomaniac, she had called me. A little on the harsh side, even if she was pulling at threads to annoy me. As adventurers, we spent plenty of time looting and taking whatever things that we wanted. I just had a broader definition of what was valuable or useful. I brought up my Inventory again and started to arrange items. It looked as though the display only showed a six-by-five grid at once, which was reasonable for now. Small objects to be thrown in the top row. Heavy items to drop in the middle. Healing and other useful consumables in the bottom row.

    For a moment, as we walked, I read over each item a few times to remember their placing. Then I messed around with changing tabs and different menus options, trying to see if I could speed up the process. The throb of pain down the middle of my head made it less of an optimal practice, and eventually I gave it a rest. Part of me wanted to split the assortment of cards up in a way that made it easier to grab an Ace, or a specific suit¡­ but currently there was no benefit. I wasn''t doing actual tricks.

    Nevertheless, my brain still buzzed with how many slots it would take up, and how best to organize them - for when I did. Apparently, traveling around a new world with a radiant elf trying to pry open my bottled emotions with a crowbar, and a talking bear who¡­ well, that required no more qualifiers - all this had become too mundane. I had barely even registered that the pair had now stopped in front of me.

    I stepped up between them and narrowed my eyes over the bushes just before us. If the bandit camp in the New Forest had been a town, then what lay ahead was a city. A miniature fortress made of cut logs blocked the view of how many bandits lay within. At each corner, a watchtower sprung up, two figures sitting in each.

    Two small groups patrolled close to the walls in a clockwise direction. Two groups much farther apart circled wider in an anticlockwise direction. Some amount of noise could be heard even from this distance. The murmur of talking, clang of metal, and occasional jeer or humored laugh.

    ¡°Wow,¡± I murmured, ¡°what an audience we have tonight.¡±

 31 - Uninvited Guest

    Repeat Quests were an interesting oddity. In the traditional sense, a Quest was to achieve an objective, and you were rewarded for completing the task. ''Kill thirty bandits'' sometimes had a tangible victim or town guard where you could trace the line between action and motivation. Sometimes the System would just praise you for completing the Quest fully detached from any sort of reasoning. And then you could do it again, and again. If anything, it cemented the fact that the System held no compassion for the beings it created. It would look you in the eye and shake your hand the same whether you had killed the minimum thirty, or had been on a rampage for a week straight and erased thousands. Here¡¯s your gold and dopamine, Player.

    The ensnaring arrow lit up the path in front of us as it struck the closest patrol group. Four bandits, in better leather armor and mismatched weaponry than the ones from the small island. The bulkier of them now sported the projectile from his side, as they glanced our way, weapons drawn. Shock spread across their faces as if we had appeared out of nowhere, despite our obvious presence.

    My split cards struck those surprised eyes of the one raising a crossbow, blinding him. With their ranged damage neutered, the rampaging bear then closed in under less threat of injury. With heavy feet that thundered across the earth, Wolf roared as he leaped at the group.

    One of them tried to block the swipe of a giant paw with a buckler, but Wolf''s overpowering strength still knocked the bandit to the ground, even if the man wasn''t shredded in the process. The ensnare that had been wrapped around his lower legs broke as he slid away from the remaining trio. With panic, he tried to stumble back to his feet until an arrow struck him in the thigh and then my empowered card cut across his exposed throat.

    A bandit still entangled lashed out with a sword, stabbing into Wolf''s dark fur. In return, the bear hopped forward with a bite, catching the attacker on the collarbone and neck. The crack of bones followed as he crunched down onto their torso before tossing the bandit away like a rag doll. My

    card flew out to the first one that had been felled, a pain radiating up the center of my head as I controlled it to its destination.

    Ren lowered her bow, unable to get a clear shot now that the large form of our third Party member was fully intent on thrashing through the remaining two. A small wave of vertigo made me step forward as I watched Wolf crush one before disemboweling the last. Despite his otherwise pleasant demeanor, once in combat, he was feral and unrelenting¡ªsomething that put even Roger''s enthusiasm to shame.

    ¡°Even more effective than I¡¯d hoped,¡± the elf said as she tilted her head. ¡°This might change our plans?¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± I winced, more due to the cracking headache forming again than our schedule being adjusted. Although...

    ¡°This is repeatable. We farm this out as much as possible, sleep nearby. We can get our next level here before moving on.¡±

    I nodded. With Wolf, our combat effectiveness jumped a substantial amount, and we wouldn¡¯t struggle as much to get through the Quest. If we could do this three times quicker than without the bear, then it made sense to make use of the resources. We had somehow stumbled into a reasonably trustworthy tank for our little group, as if the System had thrown us a bone after hearing our grumblings.

    ¡°Oh, fuck me!¡± Roger jogged over to us, his eyes and ears having pierced through the head of the fallen bandit. ¡°You got a much bigger dog now, boss.¡±

    ¡°Bear, called Wolf.¡± I deflated slightly at how useless that explanation might be to the demon. ¡°He is our new Party member.¡±

    Roger turned to watch as the bear tore the face off of one of the dead bandits and chewed on it. My rabbit-demon whistled, which came out strange from his puppet. ¡°I fuckin'' love everything about him.¡±

    ¡°He gets in the way of my arrows.¡± Ren tapped the end of her bow against the side of her boot. ¡°We¡¯ll have to find a solution to that.¡± Her voice caused my demon to convulse, as if he hadn''t acknowledged her presence until she spoke.

    ¡°If he can circle around targets so that he is at the side of them, and can knock some back from the fray, that should help.¡± I tilted my head and felt like my brain was about to find the emergency exit door by accident. Almost put my hand to my ear to make sure it wasn''t successful, but I didn''t fancy getting my hand-blood on my face.

    We caught up to the bear, and I tried not to stare at the half eaten corpses. While death and dismemberment hadn¡¯t chilled me as much as it should, there was still something uncomfortable about seeing someone¡¯s insides on display. They were meant to be private, and I was happy to keep the knowledge of how bodies actually worked a secret. At least the bear was eating well.

    ¡°Good job, Wolf.¡± I gestured a hand to my demon. ¡°This is Roger. He is a temporary friend.¡±

    ¡°Is that how you feel, boss?¡± The demon stared at me impassively.

    ¡°No, not like that, I-¡° I exhaled and rubbed my forehead, getting myself bloody anyway. A grumpy elf was one thing, but the manic demon and talking bear made me wonder if hitting my head adjusted some dial that made my life weirder. Not a theory I was keen to do some testing on.

    ¡°Looks like dead meat still." Wolf sneezed out a brief spray of gore and then shook his head.

    Ren kneeled down beside him and put her hand against his wounded foreleg. ¡°How hurt did you get? Do you have any skills to absorb damage or regenerate health?¡±

    ¡°At first I was angry because the meat was spiky, but then I felt better.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes. ¡°That doesn¡¯t really answer my questions, Wolf.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ no meat reward?¡±

    I sighed and turned away. ¡°You can eat your fill of the bodies once Ren is done looting them. I¡¯ll get ready for the next group.¡± My head was pounding and the oddball antics felt like someone was pulling a bloodied zipper down my forehead. Normally adverse to looting when in a good mood, the prospect now made me want to empty my stomach out. Possibly my eyes and anything else that could be contributing to the pain in my skull, too.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Roger padded up to me as I strode away from the carnage. ¡°You alright, boss?¡±

    [Health Status]

    [Mild Trauma]

    ¡°Doc says clean bill, so I¡¯m peachy." I gave him a grin, which probably came out as more of a grimace.

    ¡°I know some of those words,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°Just point me in the direction of what needs murderin¡¯.¡±

    I flicked through my Inventory, but it wouldn¡¯t even allow me to apply a bandage. This world couldn¡¯t be so advanced and yet have no way of painkilling? My eyes closed for a moment so I could refocus. No need to worry, a little headache never killed anyone. We were doing a lot worse to the bandits - if I just pushed through it we could get this over and done with and I¡¯d probably feel better. I''d feel fine. Not something worth complaining about.

    A Hellhound popped up beside me, and I gave it a brief pet on the head. The second of the wide arc patrol groups was now coming around to our position. Another four bandits. Being able to fight from ranged again was nice, and having Wolf deal with all the problems made my life easier. No need to pull odd tricks from my sleeve just to survive.

    Partly, I missed that. Maybe at present it was more of a blessing due to my brain being only partially functioning. I felt tired and my core being ached, despite the nap having energized me. Falling from the tree clearly knocked something loose that would take a little longer to recover from. I shook it from my head and held up my hand. ¡°Oh, Roger. Can I give you a weapon?¡±

    ¡°Sure, boss.¡± He shrugged, fully content to run in and attempt to beat the bandits to death with his fists.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how his level or power scaled, and as capable as he had been, we were nearing the point where running in blindly would get him banished from my control near instantly. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but if you like it, I¡¯ll keep it safe for you.¡± And if he didn''t, I''d find something different. He deserved some comfort while he was doing my bidding.

    From within my Inventory I withdrew a mace. Uncommon, with an enchantment that gave two Constitution. Dark metal, leather wrapped handle, and the bulbous head had tiny silver spikes. It wasn''t the best that I had found, but it felt like it fit his nature.

    ¡°Fuck! Boss, that¡¯s gorgeous!¡± He took it and gave the air a few test swings. He was still awkward and sloppy with his movements, but I couldn¡¯t blame him when it wasn¡¯t his body. There was enough force in his swings that he¡¯d do damage no matter how amateur the strikes - as long as he hit.

    ¡°Keep up the good work and I¡¯ll see what else I can get you.¡± I gave him a smile despite my brain burning up. For a violent psychopath, he was at least loyal and friendly enough. Every show needed someone to grind away at the unpleasant jobs, and his enthusiasm was almost catching. ¡°But for now¡­¡±

    I raised my hand up, drawing a card and filling it with mana. It glowed brightly and for a moment; I was enthralled by the light. Roger and the Hellhound tensed up, ready to sprint toward the approaching patrol. But¡­ I almost didn¡¯t want to let it go. Was there a limit on how powerful I could make it? Certainly. Had I reached it yet?

    My arm shook slightly, and my fingers twitched. Why couldn¡¯t I let go? My hand was illuminated in pale purple light. A beauty that warmed me as my eyes rose back up to the bandits. Or it could just be the tracks of blood forming in my tensed hand. Right before it became untenable, I gave in.

    It was gone. The light scoring the air as it traveled and my demons sprang forth. I saw the brief surprise on the face of the crossbow bandit as the glow of my magic attack reached them. Their brains exited the back of their skull with a wet pop through the thin slit I gouged straight through their head, and I let the card vanish.

    I wiped the blood running from my nose with the back of my shaking forearm. Either I had achieved a new flavor, or I had just tasted the hint of greater power.

    Ren fired off an arrow from just behind me, as the thundering paws of Wolf vibrated through my boots and he charged past.

    For a moment, I just stood there and watched. My fingers tapped my side as if trying to remind me to draw another card. The bear barreled through the group, knocking them to the ground or out of the way, and then positioned himself to the left. Out of the way of our ranged attacks - and although this would normally leave an opening for enemies to come at myself or Ren, my demons distracted and prevented any from leaving the range of the powerful beast.

    ¡°Roger probably wouldn¡¯t mind if you accidentally shot him.¡± I worked my jaw, watching the three in the melee pound and tear the remaining bandits into mush.

    ¡°Would you?¡± She stepped up beside me.

    ¡°If you shot me, or Roger?¡± The marble inside my head rolled around the track slowly.

    Ren gave me a look over, her brow furrowed. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be taking it easier now we have Wolf, not pushing yourself harder.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m f-¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re fine, I get it. We have a lot of bandits to get through. If you¡¯re spent on the second pack, then you may as well leave the Party now and save us the headache.¡±

    Before I had the chance to respond, she had stormed off. Not that I was even sure what I was going to say. It was just a headache, and whatever ¡®mild trauma¡¯ was. Mild wouldn¡¯t stop me from doing anything. I just needed to pep myself up a little and not ruin the show. The Quest. Whatever.

    We took the next two patrols down with little issue. Roger switched corpses with each, which slightly confused Wolf and made him less inclined to gorge on the bodies of the dead. I let Ren do the looting, and so far nothing exciting had dropped. I tempered my ability and didn¡¯t go over the top again. Every time I pushed a little too far, my nose would bleed - which felt a lot worse than when my hand usually did. My headache didn¡¯t get any better, but trying to play safe kept it from getting worse. I found some balance.

    ¡°Watchtowers might aggro too much of the camp.¡± She held her hand over her eyes to stare at the closest one.

    ¡°Ignore them and stay out of range until we¡¯ve cleared some of the camp?¡± We were in parallel to the gates now and could see clearly inside.

    Maybe three dozen tents in total. Perhaps a dozen more than we couldn¡¯t see. No, that couldn¡¯t be right - unless they stacked the bandits three to a tent. There were at least five groups of between three and five enemies just in the area we could see by the gate.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather pull three groups than seven,¡± she agreed.

    I couldn¡¯t draw much comparison to what this was like. A game where the prize was violent combat. We were just playing for how potentially deadly it could be. ¡°The stage is all yours.¡± I gave her a bow and stepped back away from her narrowed eyes.

    Roger was leaning against Wolf and trying to wipe the blood off his mace on the leather trousers of the body he was in. Or maybe trying to paint them. It was hard to tell, given that it wasn¡¯t very effective either way. The bear himself had eaten his fill of bandit, but had a sharpness to him still. Fighting for the fight, I was glad to see it.

    Ren exhaled and drew an arrow, getting ready to aim it for the closest group through the gate. Bowstring held back. She paused and slowly released the tension. Her eyes went to me. ¡°Can you hear that?¡±

    I had a slight hum in my ears for the last hour, so I shook my head slowly. Wolf sniffed at the ground and tried to flatten his ear to the dried dirt.

    ¡°Vibration,¡± he grunted. ¡°Something approaches.¡±

    We looked back at the bandit camp. It was gradual now, but I could¡­ almost sense it in the air. Looming danger. The gathered figures inside the walls turned to see something further within. Ren and I exchanged a glance and readied our weapons.

    And then a figure burst out through the wall of bandits - someone on horseback. Black hair flowed behind his head. On his wild face was a bloodied hand print. His armor was a dark ebony and crimson mix, contrasting with the light brown horse he rode on.

    Behind him, the entire campground full of bandits chased, waving their weapons and firing crossbows that didn¡¯t hit. He was riding straight for us.

    ¡°Lady in Red sends her regards!¡± he yelled, a wide grin across his face.

    Ren drew her arrow and fired - just as the man and his mount vanished in a blur of blue light. Teleportation?

    Dozens of pairs of eyes now switched to us as the ire of the entire angered bandit camp focused our way.

 32 - Crowd Work

    ''Griefing'' was something I wasn¡¯t particularly familiar with when I came to this world. I could understand it when people were assholes, even in malicious ways - but the ways in which Players could exploit the nature of the System to ruin the days of others was surprising to me. I learned later than the method employed at the bandit camp was called a ¡®Mob train¡¯ where a Player would draw all the aggro in an area and then dump it on someone unsuspecting. Why you¡¯d want to do this rather than just kill your victim yourself, I didn¡¯t quite understand. The direct route was often quickest.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Ren hissed. ¡°We should run. Should try to run.¡±

    We were about in crossbow range, maybe a handful of seconds before the melee was inevitable. I didn¡¯t particularly trust my cardio enough to believe it could take me far enough away to keep me from danger before the bandits got bored. Didn''t even know how long they would chase us before giving up. They were an audience primed for my gradually slipping sanity. My legs had already made the decision for me.

    ¡°I¡¯m fighting.¡± I drew a card, split it and sent it out into the throng.

    ¡°Max.¡± She worked her jaw. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t let the fans down,¡± I murmured, a smile curling up at the side of my mouth. The biggest show yet needed an air-tight performance. A true test of what I had learned so far.

    My cards cut into the forearms of one bandit, disarming him. I twisted them downward in the figure running behind, in the knees and bringing them to the ground. Let them vanish as a twinge of pain ran down my hand, and instead I drew the Imp card, throwing it off to my side.

    The vines of Ren¡¯s entangle shot burst out amongst the first group almost at our position, causing some of those running too close behind to collide and trip to the ground. Wolf jumped in, slashing down with his weight and crushing them into the dirt.

    ¡°Roger, stay by Ren and keep her safe.¡±

    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±

    Ren glared at us both. ¡°I don¡¯t need your-¡°

    I flipped her off, then withdrew my finger and brought up a card in it instead. Not especially something that was like me, but we only had time for killing and staying alive. What remained of my sensibilities had worn thin. I could rise above the mountain of dead bandits, and keep them all safe, and look fucking good doing it.

    Wolf would draw the most aggro, so supporting him in staying alive was the most important thing. Ren would be able to deal with that if she was allowed to act unhindered. The bear wouldn¡¯t be able to handle them all, of course, and some of the System-created would go for the softer targets. Roger had a clear directive, and I¡¯d have to trust him on that if I was able to focus on my role in this. The Imp would pelt the approaching horde as often as it could. A little firework display as we went painfully into the night.

    A burst of amber surrounded the bear, and at first I thought he had been struck by some manner of spell - but it pulsed through him and empowered him. He finally found a skill to activate.

    The first fireball illuminated the bandit targeting me as it flew past into a more distant group. Purple card up. It went out and split into two, the cards circling each other as I curved them through the right arm of my target. He stumbled to clutch at the wound and I brought both cards back, embedding into the back of his head.

    In my peripheral, I could see two had run past Wolf to attack the elf. She put an arrow straight into the forehead of one, while Roger jumped on the other. The crack of bone as he struck out with his mace enough of a tell that they were fine.

    Another opponent was already by me. Either things were moving faster now or my brain couldn¡¯t process the second to second detail. No matter. Attack the weak points. I sidestepped the swing of their hammer, drew a card out into their hand, holding it there until it cut through their thumb and the weapon dropped. Kicked them in the knee and brought my dagger round, the weapon appearing in my hand as they stumbled.

    Reached inside my inside jacket pocket and withdrew a crossbow, firing it off to the milling crowd. Spun it around and replaced it with the second crossbow, letting off the bolt immediately - then the weapon turned into shredded paper to drift away to the ground.

    The Dazzle icons racked up across dozens of enemies. Some hadn¡¯t been paying attention - and they¡¯d pay for that - but this was it! A receptive crowd where you could tangibly see how amazed by the performance they were. My overcooked brain felt great. Sure, by now it was just a skull-shaped bowl of custard, but this new revelation put sprinkles atop it.

    A grin that almost drew me into laughter painted my face as my card bloomed ready. Powered it up, despite the reservations from the nerves in my hand. Wide arcs through the air as if I was trying to draw my name, I carved gashes through two handfuls of banditry, letting go of it only when my fingers started to cramp.

    The radiant light of Ren¡¯s Smite shot pierced through the neck of a bandit. Roger rose from a new corpse, caked in gore. Wolf was a dervish of slaughter, amassing small wounds of his own until a heal came in from the elf. This drew some aggro from the less mortally wounded bandits - until a fireball struck a trio of them, their burning bodies dropping to the ground.

    ¡°Hand the Quest in. We¡¯re on a roll!¡± I jumped up and landed on two chairs that I dropped from my Inventory one after the other in quick succession, a foot on each like a miniature stage.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    I spun around twin cards like a halo behind my head. If only I had some explosives to send off confetti or-

    <Card Fan> came up a split second too late, a bolt sinking into my chest while a second was deflected. I didn¡¯t need the System to tell me my lung had been punctured. The first awkward breath from reflex burned, and that was enough. I dropped to the dirt as the chairs vanished and bowed to dodge two further projectiles headed my way.

    A fireball slammed into my assailants as another came for me in melee range. I stepped backward, withdrawing a blanket from my sleeve to use to obscure my actions. With a swirl I left a chair in my wake to stagger the bandit, giving myself a brief moment to swig a Health Potion. Disgusting, but necessary. The bolt fell from my chest as my respiratory organ healed up. Didn¡¯t do much for my splitting headache still, asshole System.

    The Dazzle icons were still stacked up, although much of my potential audience was being chewed up by the bear. As the bandit caught up and swung for me, I caught the weapon with the blanket and wrapped it around, pinning his arm from making any further attacks. Left me with no hands to use magic, however.

    An arrow struck him in the side of the head and he slumped over as I whisked back the fabric and his sword into my Inventory.

    ¡°Quit showboating,¡± Ren growled. She had a few small wounds of her own, but most of the blood didn¡¯t look to be hers.

    I shrugged. This was just how I worked, although¡­ I think there was a wedge of mania trying to pry my head apart. A recklessness that I should know better to avoid. If the chest-shot had struck me in the heart or head, it might have been a different story. The Imp gave me a wave to signal his departure, and I nodded my thanks. Time for a new assistant to take the stage.

    Numbers were thinning, but I seemed to have drawn the attention of two more bandits. The man dressed in bright purple, wavering like he was drunk, and seemingly mostly attacking with household items probably seemed like a safer bet to engage than the giant form of the thrashing bear.

    Into my hand, a poker chip. With a flick, I flung it high into the air over the approaching opponents. It didn¡¯t distract them, which was fine. I was beyond simple tricks. Stepping back, I threw a card out, too high to hit them. It struck the poker chip instead, and a magic rune circle appeared in the air above the first bandit - a Hellhound immediately bursting out and landing atop of them.

    The Dazzle counter went up by one on the next bandit, unsure if they should stop to help their System-created ally or just run straight toward me. They chose the latter. I held my hand out, my card immediately splitting and zipping off in a staggered manner. As soon as the first bit into the opponent, I brought it back and sent the other. Only doing light damage, but as they stumbled closer, the intervals became shorter until they had to stop to take cover, their face cut to ribbons.

    Both cards vanished, and I flicked the running blood from my hand, strode up to them and jammed the stolen sword into their back between their ribs. The hound finished off the other, tearing their throat out - and I sent him over to assist Roger. The demon had a limp left arm and a couple of bolts in his current body, but was still swinging away with the mace, like he was just having a fun day at the park.

    Ren looked actually annoyed. I¡¯d be sure to apologize for my part in this as soon as we-

    I hit the ground. It wasn¡¯t intentional, but an aftereffect of whatever had just hit me. Adrenaline didn¡¯t care where or how bad, there was pain somewhere but I was more disorientated than anything. I turned to my back to see a figure above me about to bring down a two-handed axe. To split me in half, like a... oh, no time for that.

    The appearance of a wooden chair took the brunt of the swing, the blade wedged almost completely through. He growled in pain as an arrow struck him in the side, and as he tried to dislodge his weapon, I spun up an empowered card like a miniature circular saw. His axe came free, and he stumbled back from the ruined furniture. Then I flicked my card towards him. Ran it up his leg and into his groin. Held it until my hand twitched it away and a second arrow struck him in the side of the skull.

    I pushed the remains of the chair away from me, the broken wood no longer having a home in my Inventory. As I rose to my feet, vertigo told me to stay down. But, I wouldn¡¯t. Sounds came across echoed and distant, probably an aftereffect of something. It was hard to put my thoughts together. The sun was setting and the last of the bandits were being mopped up, I knew that much. Couldn''t decide if I was cold or warm.

    Most of my energy went into focusing on breathing, and I was sure I had it down to perfection. The oxygen went in, circled around my blood. I breathed out the rest in hopes of more. My body loved it. It kept me going.

    ¡°Boss? Boss, you okay?¡±

    I turned my head slowly in case it fell off. It was hard to say that my pact demon looked concerned, as his face, hiding behind the corpse of another, looked more terrifying than any other emotion he might be putting on. Still, he was asking.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I smiled, with way too much blood coming out of my mouth alongside those few words to make it seem genuine.

    A hand placed on my back, and I felt a warmth radiating throughout me. Expecting some sharp words to be plunged between my shoulder blades, I was shocked and maybe disappointed to hear the soft voice behind me instead.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not do that again.¡±

    She moved away, and I shivered from her absence, as if she had taken my body heat along with her. Wolf came over. He was panting heavily, the whole front half of his body completely soaked through with blood and gore. He said nothing at first, a thousand-yard stare in his amber eyes, before finally he looked up at me.

    ¡°That was actually traumatic.¡±

    Roger scratched his back with his mace. ¡°You get used to it.¡± He then held out the weapon for me to take into my Inventory. ¡°I¡¯d like to use that again next time, boss.¡±

    I nodded as he faded away, leaving the empty body to slump to the ground.

    "It''s not usually that... intense." My apology to the bear tugged at my insides, and I felt like we may have dragged him into something more than he bargained for.

    He slowly nodded at me. "I don''t like to rush my meals. I will have a stomach upset tomorrow."

    ¡°Hmm.¡± I blinked my eyes slowly, trying to not take in the carnage or acknowledge any of my injuries. ¡°That went from bad to worse pretty quickly. Nice of the Lady to have someone nearby to help us power-level, though.¡±

    With a deep sigh, I leaned against the bear and held my head for a minute. Just to make sure it was still there, and would remain so. The sounds of Ren looting through everything became a dull tone, low and numb to my ears, as if they were underwater. She said something I didn''t understand and then was gone. I groaned and tugged at my lobes, the popping feeling bringing normal hearing back into my brain. "Did I just get rightfully admonished for not helping to gather loot? Or for being a giant asshole?"

    Wolf pawed at his nose before shaking his head, spattering the area in droplets of crimson. ¡°Ren said something about knowing the horse-meat man.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± I turned around, my eyebrow raised, to see where she had wandered off to.

 33 - Truth behind the Illusion

    When cracks form in something, it is often impossible to fully repair it. Even with the right filler or adhesive, once the weakness is introduced, it can never get better. Keep ignoring the problem for too long and the crack grows, threatening the stability of whatever metaphorical object you are imagining. Yes, this is an indirect shot at my emotional openness. The greatest trick had been convincing myself there wasn''t even a crack in the first place.

    I sat on the wooden chair, staring at the fire. Whatever ills had ailed me were now healed, aside from the apparent trauma. The elf had gone to find us a place to make camp just out of range and view of the bandit camp, and was in the sort of mood where I didn¡¯t want to prod her with any questions. She was now at the right side of the fire from me, sitting up against the sleeping bear. Staring at the fire just as I was.

    My tongue felt around the inside of my teeth, a last idle act before I gave in and was the first to speak. I felt like it was my line, given I had taken the lead in committing to the combat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making us fight.¡±

    She tilted her head to the side and looked at me with tired eyes. ¡°You called me your friend earlier.¡±

    I nodded briefly, some slight confusion on my face. An odd change in conversation that didn''t make me feel like I had been forgiven for enduring the bandit swarm. She pat the ground beside her, and as much as my body protested the movement I stood to go sit next to her. I sank briefly into the bear, and was surprised at how comfortable he was.

    ¡°I think that we are,¡± I ventured. ¡°We¡¯re a little above being business partners¡­¡±

    We stared into the fire. The crackling light was comforting, despite the potential dangers around us. The amber light melted away at the stress that had been building up within me. Something natural and archaic about it that spoke to the back of my brain.

    ¡°Friends share information about themselves.¡± She stated, turning her face to me. ¡°I¡¯ll begin. The reason I don¡¯t like dresses is because my mother would make me wear them on all the boring formal occasions. You were right though, blue is my color.¡±

    ¡°Brings out your eyes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what my mother would say, too.¡± She sighed and looked up at the night sky. ¡°Do you know how long I was on the island?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No, you were pretty vague.¡±

    ¡°Three months. The first month, I was a wreck. I hid away and cried for everything that I¡¯d lost or left behind. Flynn, my parents, my sister, and the responsibilities I was bound to inherit.¡±

    That was a long time to be stuck there, compared to how long it took me to get up to level five. At some point, I was envious of all that she had in her old existence compared to my¡­ work-only lifestyle, but she probably envied me for having less heartache and loss over my past life.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really spend too much time around other Players¡­ until Hadrian. That was the guy on the horse.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what else to add at this juncture.

    ¡°He started off as the gallant knight type. Rugged, strong, determined and capable. After he tried to make a move on me, I told him I wasn¡¯t looking for that. I gave him the whole story of Flynn and Lady in Red. Gave me his word he¡¯d help me find justice.¡±

    I nodded along. ¡°But he didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°No. The next night, he tried making a move again. I think out of everything, knowing that I had just lost the love of my life... still trying it on hurt me the most. I kicked him in his stupid balls and stormed away. Never saw him again.¡± She exhaled and deflated.

    ¡°And now he is working for the Lady, too.¡±

    ¡°Fucker. Can¡¯t wait to tear his miserable head off and stick it up his betraying ass.¡± She looked over at me again. ¡°This is one part of the reason I was so tough on you, and I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s understandable.¡± I gave her a glum smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you were treated that way.¡±

    Her face softened slightly, and I almost thought the scowl would disappear. The barest of frowns remained, which I took to be as close to a smile as I¡¯d get.

    ¡°I think the point I¡¯m leading to Max is¡­ you can be annoying, and I¡¯ll tolerate it. You can flirt, and I¡¯ll tell you to fuck off. If you get us into shit, I¡¯ll forgive you. I don¡¯t actually expect you to be perfect or get everything right. That''s just me projecting based on my own faults." She raised an eyebrow. "You don¡¯t need to impress me, okay?¡±

    I looked into her tired eyes as she tried to read my face for my reaction. There were words inside me somewhere, but in honesty, I was stunned. I wavered as if I might burst, before allowing my rolling inside to calm. ¡°That honestly means a lot to me, Ren.¡±

    From inside my jacket, I withdrew the small bouquet of blue flowers.

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    ¡°Dickbag.¡± She snorted, taking them from me. ¡°But, thank you. Were you keeping these for me, or for one of your tricks?¡±

    ¡°Fifty-fifty.¡± I shrugged. There was an odd feeling within me, both of being grounded, exposed, and yet so far away, as if I were watching myself from a distance.

    Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, just to prove my point, I¡¯m not going to pressure you to give me information about yourself in return.¡± She ran a finger around one of the closed flowers, almost as if she was trying to remember something.

    I leaned back into the thick fur of the warm bear and looked up at the dark sky. There were stars. Two moons, one of which hid behind the other. Mostly there was the heavy weight of something in my gut that was worming its way up.

    ¡°Imagine this,¡± I began as I closed my eyes, my heart louder than it needed to be. ¡°A young Max, about to go on to do the most important show of his career. Some of the top critics, talent scouts, booking agents, and a full house in the largest venue I had been to yet. I had practiced for months to get it all perfect.¡±

    I turned my head to her to see that she was listening intently, and she nodded politely for me to continue. My eyes went to the dancing flames of the camp.

    ¡°Almost a year''s work in total, here and there, to get it flawless. The best tricks I had, a dazzling show - my chance to get my foot on the ladder. I was in my changing room the day of, getting prepared. An hour¡­ maybe two before the curtains went up. Then my phone rang.¡±

    My jaw worked, and I paused for a moment, the vivid memories I had tried to store away making themselves known.

    ¡°It was my dad. I thought he was going to wish me good luck, but¡­ but he was crying.¡± I exhaled through my nose, closed my eyes, and looked down to try to keep myself in check. The sounds flooded back in, each uncharacteristic sob that he had taken twisting the knife in my heart once again, even after all these years.

    A hand rested softly on my shoulder. I couldn¡¯t open my eyes to see her face. Not when I hadn¡¯t even said the line that threatened to break the dam yet. I took a deep breath.

    ¡°It was my mother¡­ an accident.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Max.¡±

    Compassion just made it worse somehow. As if it was a reminder that it was something actually valid that I should be more emotional over. Made it real when other people accepted it¡­ maybe because I hadn¡¯t.

    Long overdue tears rolled down my cheeks, my energy too spent to feign the smiling showman facade any longer. ¡°I wanted to go see her one last time¡­ but my dad said to do the show. My manager said to do the show. The show must go on.¡±

    ¡°And you did the show?¡±

    I nodded, flinging the quiet drops of age old sadness onto my lap. ¡°Gave it my all. Did it for her, I told myself. Heart and soul¡­ and I aced it. Then¡­ I just didn¡¯t stop. Somehow, I thought I could work past it if I kept on running, kept on being a better magician.¡±

    Ren gave my shoulder a squeeze and withdrew her hand. ¡°My dad had a saying, ¡®you can¡¯t fill a hole by building a tower over it.¡¯ Eventually, the hole will get bigger and the tower will come crumbling down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling pretty crumbly now.¡± I deflated, somehow even more exhausted despite resting.

    ¡°At least you¡¯ve now addressed the problem. Only you can fill that hole in, though.¡± She handed me a single flower back. ¡°Thank you for sharing, Max. I know it wasn¡¯t easy.¡±

    ¡°And you said you weren¡¯t my therapist,¡± I grinned, looking over the blue petals.

    ¡°If you want to do adventuring long term, we¡¯ll need to be that for each other. It¡¯s not only about killing things and¡­ doing better tricks. It''s difficult and draining.¡±

    My body ached, and I felt like I had been fully tenderized inside and out. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ thank you, Ren. I feel like I don¡¯t deserve the effort or perseverance.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t be an ass, Max. It¡¯s not wholly selfless. I need someone I can trust to keep me sane, too. Help stop me from building towers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± I smiled. We fell into a tired silence, our emotions as spent as our physical bodies, and the fire became our focus again. She unclasped her boots and took them off, wiggling her toes toward the heat.

    I did the same and made the mental note to find some boots that matched my outfit that I could replace my dress shoes with. The equipment I had on currently was a pair of sandals that gave Intelligence - and I was smart enough not to show them to anyone.

    ¡°You think we¡¯re safe here with the fire?¡± I asked, shuffling into the soft wall of bear behind me.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be safe anywhere.¡± She closed her eyes and crossed her arms. ¡°We can¡¯t live in fear, though. If we die, we die.¡±

    ¡°Would be pretty miserable having this emotional revelation and then getting gutted in the night, huh?¡±

    There was no response from her. I stared out amongst the darkened trees surrounding us, the lower branches illuminated by the glow of our lowering fire. The Lady already had a new gang, it seemed, and was poking at us to see how soft we were. Hadrian had found us somehow. It wouldn¡¯t have been too difficult for him to return a few hours later and come find our fire, if he cared to. If that was their intent.

    But did they want to? It depended on her actual goals - we might just be a bonus side quest because Hadrian was in the area at the time. Maybe Ren was right. There was no solution to sleep easily until they were dead. They had the advantage in this situation, and I hated that. I needed the control.

    I looked over at the elf, who had fallen asleep. Something ached in my chest to see her face relaxed without the tension of a scowl or frown. We were both posturing outwardly non-stop, but remained fragile on the inside. Cold to the process of murdering for power in the hope that we could carve out a new life that fit us right in this world. Would the System even allow it? If this world was in constant conflict, willing to hold a knife to our throats just for existing, then we''d need to be strong to rise above it. Be above those threats.

    My fingers held onto the single flower she had returned to me and I placed it back in my Inventory. Dragged it to one of the grid squares where I wouldn¡¯t accidentally draw it into the world in the middle of combat. I wasn¡¯t even sure what significance it held to me yet. It just felt¡­ symbolic of something.

    Perhaps I was just too tired. We had completed the bandit Quest twice over, and a third repeat in the morning would get us to the new level. The spark of excitement lit up inside me even as our campfire waned. What new tricks would the System allow me? How powerful would I be this time tomorrow? I tried to remind myself to temper my expectations, and not push myself to the limit so often.

    A quick glance over at the elf just cemented the fact that, if anything, I needed to take this more seriously. Not to be as reckless with my health and sanity¡­ but the limits did need to be tested. We all needed safety - even Wolf, too. Naturally, only through crashing through the greatest of dangers would we find the path to what we needed. So I needed to be strong. Unmatched.

    Learning only half a lesson, I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.

 34 - Back on the Road

    Once you let go of things, you could feel weightless. There was the temptation to push the rest of whatever was holding you back off a cliff and dust off your hands. Pure freedom. You¡¯d soon find that you needed the baggage to keep you grounded, otherwise your ego could inflate like a balloon and carry you off into the great beyond. Striking the balance that allowed you to walk tall while still having your feet firmly placed on the ground was a lesson learned slowly, through mistakes.

    "Max?"

    A sharp pain in my leg woke me. My eyes fluttered open to early morning light, and a brief panic that maybe the bear had seen me as an early morning snack. No, I had been lying against him, and yet now I was flat on the ground. My suit was damp, not with blood, but with dew. It was morning and I was alive.

    The shadowed figure of the Oathwarden loomed over me. ¡°Morning, trickster. I¡¯m cooking up sausages.¡±

    ¡°Mrff,¡± my tongue lagged behind my brain as my mouth was dry. ¡°Uh- sounds perfect.¡±

    I sat up and rubbed my eyes. There was a dull ache across my head, but it paled in comparison to the pain of the previous day. A light mist permeated the surrounding area, and I made a face at Wolf being missing.

    Ren caught my gaze. ¡°We thought you¡¯d wake up when he moved, but you¡¯ve been dead to the world. Wolf is out in the woods.¡±

    My mouth opened to ask what he was doing, but I could probably guess based on context clues. Instead, I stood up and put my feet back in my shoes. Bones clicked along my back as I stretched out, which paired well with a groan. ¡°How did you sleep?¡±

    ¡°Best sleep in a while, if I¡¯m honest.¡± She tilted her head as she shuffled the sausages on the grill. There was a frown there, but it looked as though it was more from constant habit than anything bugging her.

    ¡°Lots of combat.¡± I nodded. ¡°And Wolf makes a great pillow.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes and pointed the cooking utensil at me. ¡°And¡­?¡±

    ¡°And your hair looks radiant this morning.¡± I snatched one of the sausages from the grill and vanished it into my Inventory, withdrawing a plate from behind me and having the cooked meat slide out from my sleeve onto it.

    ¡°You¡­ ass, Max. I suppose that is on me for expecting an overnight change.¡± She rolled her eyes and got her own plate ready.

    ¡°Hey, I complimented your hair - that¡¯s different.¡± I smiled, waiting for her to be annoyed at herself for allowing me to be imperfect.

    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if I give it a proper wash again.¡± She sighed and scowled at the grill. ¡°Funny thing is, I always used to be so jealous of my sister. She had such beautiful silver hair that would almost glow in the moonlight.¡±

    ¡°Where yours almost glows in the sunlight?¡±

    She nodded and took a bite of the sausage. ¡°And she was jealous of that.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a story like that in my world.¡± I looked around us, the slight mist obscuring my vision from peering too far into the woodland. ¡°About the moon and the sun.¡± Wolf must have been gone for a little while. I wondered if he was okay. Surely the smell of cooking meat would draw him back.

    ¡°¡­and you¡¯re not going to regale me with the tale, just leave me in suspense?¡± She withdrew a wooden chair to sit on from her Inventory.

    I clucked my tongue and sat down on my own chair. ¡°It may surprise you that I¡¯m not much of a storyteller. The sun was a blazing extrovert and the moon a shy introvert. They swapped places somehow because people could stare at the moon, but not the sun.¡±

    Ren slowly nodded. ¡°You were right. You are a shitty storyteller.¡±

    ¡°I know my weaknesses,¡± I said, and winced as she narrowed her eyes at the statement. ¡°Strong willed elves, being one of them.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯d follow a goat off a cliff if you thought you could enrapture it with one of your tricks.¡±

    ¡°A goat wouldn¡¯t call me such foul names all the time.¡± I waved my fork in the air in admonishment. ¡°And you¡¯re supposed to be a princess.¡±

    ¡°A princess shouldn¡¯t have to pull your ass from the fire when you try to fist-fight gangs with no combat experience.¡± She tapped her plate. ¡°Or when you fall out of a tree.¡±

    ¡°That tree was very powerful,¡± I murmured to myself as I looked out into the mist to see the large form of Wolf return.

    ¡°I¡¯m done shitting,¡± he announced as he lumbered up to the inert campfire.

    It was good timing, as I wasn¡¯t too sure where the back and forth with the elf was leading to. This was all new ground, and I wasn¡¯t sure where to tread. We had ascended a step in our friendship that seemed to be filled with giving each other shit. I took her talk last night in earnest. The number of people I had opened up to about my mother were¡­ well, I wouldn¡¯t need my whole hand to count them. Which was convenient, with how violent our adventures were getting¡ªI was liable to lose it at any hour. Maybe due to my own hubris.

    ¡°Morning, Wolf. Hungry for more bandits?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I actually found the whole ordeal emotionally draining and I am apprehensive about getting into such a big battle again.¡± He sat and scratched at his stomach. ¡°But also, yes.¡±

    I caught the eye of the elf and nodded towards the bear. ¡°It certainly didn¡¯t help my mild trauma, so I mirror your feelings of apprehension.¡± Not so much on the wanting to eat the bandits, however, but I wouldn''t discount it if my sanity took another dive or two.

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    ¡°Shit,¡± Ren interjected. "The fight gave you the Mild Trauma status? Has it gone now?¡± Concern furrowed her brow.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s gone. And no, I had it before.¡±

    ¡°Before? What is wrong with you?¡± She covered her eyes and sighed. ¡°That means you need to rest. Like a proper day off. I¡¯m going to beat your brains in with a rock one of these days.¡±

    ¡°That would probably also give me mild trauma.¡± I nodded with a smile, as she growled at me. It probably helped loosen my tight lips over my past day. It certainly loosened something up in my head, but the Health Report was actually all clear this morning, so I had survived whatever it had been.

    Wolf sniffed the air. ¡°If you kill him, can I eat him?¡±

    She shook her head, and he got the hint. Ren stood and packed away all the items. I¡¯d like to think that there might be some manner of resurrection magic in this world, and that I¡¯d prefer to keep my corpse intact just in case Ren had it in her heart and the capability to bring me back.

    I hopped up on the chair and stood tall. With a short spin, the chair vanished, and I dropped to the ground, turning on the spot as my hands were also free of plate and cutlery. Instead, I held a chunk of boar meat, which I flung toward Wolf. He grabbed it from the air, and I grinned at the Dazzle icon over him.

    My eyebrow raised toward Ren, but it looked as though she was waiting for me to look at her, to roll her eyes.

    ¡°You are relentless.¡± She shook her head again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you with one of my tricks eventually.¡± I crossed my arms. Maybe it was more than her cynicism that made her such a killjoy. Her elven eyesight might be too good - paired with her knowledge of how the System and Inventory worked¡­ I¡¯d have to go for something really out of the box.

    ¡°Flattered as always, trickster. Perhaps use your skills for more than trying to impress me.¡± She crossed her arms too, and we stared at each other with narrowed eyes.

    I knew a challenge when I saw one. She didn¡¯t think that I could do it. It had to be inevitable. There must be a point where I could catch her off guard or her disbelief would have to be suspended, even for a moment.

    Wolf looked between us. ¡°Is this some kind of mating ritual?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± we both said in unison.

    Rubbing her eyes with the back of her forearm, the elf gave me a renewed glare. "You didn''t care to loot much, you want your share now?"

    "Keep the gold for now, but did you find any gear I could use?" We hadn''t had a great need for money so far in the world, aside from the pittance for the room at the tavern. I''m sure she wouldn''t withhold funds if there was anything important we needed when it came to it.

    "You don''t have anything on bracers, right? I have some with one Int. Also... about three belts you could use?"

    "Pretty sure I can only wear one at a time." I grinned as she rolled her eyes again. "What stats?"

    "I''ll just give you them all, and you can sort it." She took each out one at a time into her hand, and I was intrigued at how long it took her compared to if I had done the same action.

    [Lucky Belt] [+2 Luck]

    [Cat''s Belt] [+1 Agi, +1 Dex]

    [Choice Belt] [+1 Luck, +1 Int]

    [Smooth Bracers] [+1 Int]

    I wrinkled up my face in having to choose. My current belt gave +5% mana, which was potentially useful, although without the numbers behind it I couldn''t say for sure. Still, Intelligence increased the damage of my cards, and I could certainly use more Luck so that I would stop cracking my head open on things... so I went with the [Choice Belt]. Most of the rest of the loot must have been mundane or not the right stats for me. I trusted her judgement.

    The two belts I didn''t care to equip, I held up in one hand. In the other, I took my hat down and inserted them. Turned my hat upside down and gave the top a tap¡ªand a thick rope slid out of it onto the grass.

    "Looks familiar," Wolf said, although a Dazzle icon did appear above him.

    Ren sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just go kill some bandits and level up?"

    I nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. Hat back on and rope already scooped away. We should be able to get away with killing the patrols and maybe a couple of other small groups. Then level six, and we¡¯d make our way to completing the Hunt Quest. Probably get into trouble along the way, no doubt. It was quite the distance, and I doubted the way ahead would be devoid of anything other than our objectives.

    ¡°I still feel bad about putting us in danger. I may have been a bit too wrapped up in¡­¡±

    ¡°Showing off while your brain leaked out of your ears? Two brain injuries in one day isn¡¯t healthy, trickster.¡±

    I rubbed the side of my head, which felt perfectly intact and normal. ¡°Two?¡±

    ¡°The guy with the big axe. You must have been pretty out of it.¡± She tilted her head. "My heal must have allowed you to recover before some sense was knocked into you."

    ¡°Shame.¡± I furrowed my brow. The injury must have been worse than I remembered. There was the shock and numb feeling, but adrenaline pasted over the gaps of what had been done to me. Nothing I hadn¡¯t survived, though.

    I turned to our bear companion as we rounded the hill and the bandit camp came into view. ¡°How was your first day as an adventurer, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°I ate more than I should have and made two friends that will drag me into more senseless murder for the pursuit of something beyond my understanding.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ good then?¡± I grimaced and raised my eyebrows.

    ¡°Our paths align, and I am content.¡±

    That was good enough for me. He had already proven his worth and had done most of the heavy lifting in the fight last night. There was still some manner of weirdness at having a talking bear following us around that my brain was trying not to have to process. I may have died during my escape from the tree, and this was the waning memories of a mind struggling to accept defeat. That, and the more cordial openness with Ren, painted this day in an odd light.

    ¡°This Hadrian, then. Kill on sight?¡± I change tact to something a lot more sane. Murder.

    ¡°Yeah. Especially now.¡± Ren fired her entangling arrow off at the closest patrol group as they rounded their route.

    My card was already out and close behind her attack so that I could take out the one with the crossbow. ¡°Good.¡± Wolf thundered past us towards the enemy at an angle to not block our view. ¡°Because he tried to kill us and is allied with our target. Not because he was a jerk toward you.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    After having survived through half the bandit camp the previous evening, taking out the smaller packs was a breeze in comparison. No need for theatrics, or pushing myself too far with Mana Manipulation. It was almost relaxing, if you could ignore the whole violence of it. I let Roger have a rest, and only used the occasional Imp to soften up the packs before Wolf tore them to shreds.

    I tilted my head to the elf as she let off another shot. ¡°You don¡¯t run out of arrows, correct?¡±

    She nodded, but didn¡¯t take her gaze away from the battle. ¡°Replenishing Quiver, the arrows vanish after a while, though. So no long-term shenanigans.¡±

    Some short terms one''s might be possible though¡­ although I didn¡¯t care much for having to wear a long quiver on my back just for the occasional trick. Maybe there was a crossbow equivalent that could fit on my belt, the smaller bolts might-

    ¡°That¡¯s it, trickster. Quest complete, revel in your level up.¡±

    That went much quicker that I had anticipated. Perhaps not having my skull splitting in half slowly made things seem more mundane. I moved away from my pondering and looked up to see the bear returning over to us, his fur matted with blood. Ren stared off into the horizon as she worked with her System messages.

    [Quest Complete: 30/30 Bandits Killed]

    As soon as I had accepted it, my STAR illuminated gold. With the weight of anticipating what new skills the System could labor me with, I brought up the information to become level six, slowly nodding to myself as I read the descriptions.

 35 - With Wings

    I often wondered who made the System. Although there were plenty of things I could perhaps believe came into existence naturally - if you stretched the meaning of the word - there were also a lot of things had too much purpose of thought behind them to come about just by luck. How did the System decide what Class you were, and what skills that pertained to at certain levels? There was a design to it that seemed both flawed yet beyond the scope of mortal thought at the same time. More than once, I believe us to be in some manner of game conjured up by a bored and sadistic entity. But then, anything was possible when you believed in magic.

    [Level Up - 6]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Star of the Show>]

    [New Passive: <Summon Demon: Ember Bird >]

    [New Ability: <Finale>]

    Even without checking any of the descriptions, I knew what the new Summon would be. I turned to my Party and removed my top hat. Placing the card inside, I took hold of the creature that spawned within and brought it out in my hand. A superfluous flourish, or actually no- it couldn''t have happened any other way. Not for the debut.

    A dove - although a patchy gray-purple color with bright orbs of amber for eyes. I released it and it fluttered about before settling on my shoulder.

    Wolf had a Dazzle icon, but Ren just had her arms crossed. Early days. The bird might not be the most combat-orientated of my summons, but it would find some use and was practically free as a passive skill. Not that there was any opportunity cost when I had zero choice in what I received.

    <Star of the Show> was something I had expected to show up eventually. The first skill to mention Dazzling my own allies. For every stack I had on a Party member, it would increase the chances of getting one on enemies. After all, if my closest friends could suspend their disbelief, then why shouldn¡¯t the unwashed masses? I narrowed my eyes at Ren as she did something with her own menus.

    <Finale> paired with my keystone and the subsequent Dazzle focus the System was shoveling toward me. It had a long cooldown, but when used, would take the total number of Dazzle icons in the area and do a wide attack that may have extra effects at certain thresholds. What ¡®extra effects¡¯ were it wasn¡¯t so clear - but reading between the lines it sounded like the skill leveled a stun on my afflicted opponents.

    Anything that took away the capacity to act was powerful, given how easy it was to inflict mortal damage at this current level. Especially on other Players. Although, if I had recieved this a day sooner, we could have had a much easier time with the whole bandit camp last night.

    ¡°Dare I ask?¡± the elf asked, already looking tired with my potential answer.

    ¡°The System is keen on me to keep on performing tricks, I¡¯m afraid. An area stun depending on how wowed the audience is.¡±

    She nodded, and I seemed to get away with using show terminology without admonishment. It just came naturally, an inside joke that never left the thick walls of my skull. ¡°How about you?¡±

    ¡°Defensive shield that I can cast on one of you two, and my heals now also do a portion extra healing as regeneration over time.¡±

    ¡°Nice.¡± I smiled, glad that at least one of us was getting something more stable and normal. My eyebrows raised at the bear, who had been staring at my demon dove. ¡°What about you, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°I got¡­ hungry.¡± His eyes switched to look at me and then at the elf. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    He seemed to have issue in using the System, which made a great deal of sense considering he was presumably a normal bear in his previous world. If only there was a way that I could see his STAR menus to help assist him. ¡°You used a skill last evening, though. Did that just come about innately?¡±

    The bear tilted his head from side to side in thought. ¡°I suppose. It¡¯s like discovering a new food growing somewhere and already knowing if it is edible.¡±

    ¡°So you just have to dig around mentally to find the tasty treats and get a lick of them?¡± I rubbed at my chin as the talking animal nodded.

    Ren held out her arm and I willed the dove to fly over and sit on it as I mulled my thoughts over. She brought the demon closer to her face to give it a proper look over. Wolf not knowing his skills but being able to activate them in certain circumstances that just felt right wasn¡¯t ideal¡­ but it was better than not having any skills at all. If anything, it was a bit of a balance - he was naturally powerful already. Went hand in hand with how the System didn''t really know how to process making a grizzly bear a Player. Not that I had any brighter ideas.

    I settled for giving him a pat on his large shoulder. ¡°We should get moving, then?¡±

    The elf looked up at me from the bird and nodded, extending her arm again to usher it back to me. I dismissed the demon, mentally giving it my thanks, just as it reached my hand to give the illusion it had just vanished into mist. Which it had, of course. It was enough to give Wolf a Dazzle icon - my number one fan; it seemed.

    ¡°You might find some use for these, trickster.¡± As we began to circle around the outside of the encampment, she reached out to hand me a pair of glass bottles. ¡°Oil.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I stowed them away with a smile, my eyes already running through a list of possible scenarios that I could use them. There must be other bottled substances or magical potions that I could use in my act - maybe even explosives if I dare-

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    I wavered as I almost walked straight into the stopped elf. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± She sighed. ¡°Just give your brain a break for a change. Help me keep an eye out on the journey?¡±

    As much as I considered both of them to be much better suited to keeping watch in the woods, I nodded. We needed to look out for the Lady in Red¡¯s goons and hopefully find some information about them to get the upper hand.

    With the morning starting to wear on, the mist in the woods had rescinded. A brisk breeze had settled in, and the rustling of the canopy overhead had a somewhat calming effect on me. Perhaps my mind did actually need a little rest. As we walked, I let my brain attempt to take a break from work and dabble in some other lines of questioning.

    ¡°If Oathwarden is a Rare Class, does that mean there are others?¡± I was apparently Unique, which seemed more self explanatory.

    She shrugged. ¡°Never met one if there are. My understanding may be flawed, as it¡¯s just from the people I have been able to talk to, but the rarity seems to be more based on your power in your previous life.¡±

    ¡°I see. So it might not be that there are only a few Oathwardens, but the abilities that you are granted, few may have?¡±

    Ren tilted her head as if letting the prospect sink in. ¡°Or my abilities might not be Rare, but the combination or order in which I am granted them to maintain my prior power would be considered beyond the norm?¡±

    I nodded slowly. ¡°I was not powerful in my old life, but perhaps the other soul of a different Max was - and I¡¯m Unique due to that.¡± He was certainly more used to death and violence, so it might give credence to that thought.

    She stopped to put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brow. Wolf went over to sniff some trees as she thought. ¡°There was an old man back on the island. Used to be a farmer. He found the portal beneath a sinkhole in his field or something. Common class. Hadrian was apparently a soldier of some kind, his was a Rare class.¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s a disparity. Common for no skills, Uncommon for some, Rare for experienced. Unique for whatever it doesn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I can accept that until we know for certain.¡± She shrugged and started walking again.

    Although that all seemed reasonable, there wasn¡¯t an exact way for us to find out, and I doubted the System would be keen to fill in the gap of knowledge. I worked my jaw in trying to chew some sense out of this world. Maybe we had missed some important exposition between our odd takes on the leveling process. Then again, things did seem a little unmanaged and out of control once you got past the initial prospect of simple Quests.

    ¡°What happened to the old man?¡± Wolf asked lazily as he caught us up.

    ¡°Found him dead. Looked like he tried to solo the bandit camp.¡±

    Despite not knowing anything about the man other than that he existed, I felt bad that he had met that fate. It had been rough for me and I had a comparatively well rounded set of skills compared to what he may have had. Whether through overconfidence or a lack of friends and understanding, he had met his demise on something the System had led him to with the promise of greater power and riches.

    I snapped my fingers as my brain remembered a nugget of information. Without saying anything, I brought up my map and shared the co-ordinates with Ren.

    ¡°Treasure cache? You got this from the thieves?¡± She bit her lip in consideration. ¡°Alright, sure. It¡¯s not too far off our course.¡±

    ¡°And it might have something worthwhile.¡± I grinned. At some point between the top of the tree and the ground below, it had slipped out of my mind.

    ¡°Like meat!¡± Wolf added, although his blank expression gave a hint he wasn¡¯t sure what we were talking about.

    Ren nodded. "More likely it will be things that Max won''t even bother to loot."

    My mouth opened and closed, but any excuse was dead before it left my lips. I let the silent ghost of my argument lead us on toward our target.

    <hr>

    An hour and a half of meandering through the woods, and we arrived at the location to find that at least one of us was correct.

    ¡°I guess we now know why the shipment was abandoned,¡± Ren murmured, as she narrowed her eyes through the foliage.

    Conversely, I said nothing. While fighting boars and bandits had some semblance of normality, and the talking bear I let slide, what stood ahead of us tugged at my brain in uncomfortable ways. As if I couldn¡¯t already take a poke at it, the System was keen to fill in the details for me.

    [New Monster: Cyclops <8 E>]

    Tough flesh tanned by years spent with only a leather loincloth to hide their modesty, their large singular eye gazed lazily around the small clearing. A large club that looked like it was just an uprooted tree trunk sat in his hand, Fifteen feet tall, perhaps, and built like a barn. By his feet, a handful of containers sat beside the remnants of what was probably a horse-drawn cart. The remnants of said horse were also on display. More likely set dressing than something natural, but it sold the experience pretty well.

    ¡°Eight Elite,¡± I eventually whispered. ¡°That¡¯s easy enough, right?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a chance our basic attacks might not even break his skin. He has high absorption, very sturdy.¡± She caught my inquisitive gaze. ¡°One of my passives lets me see some Monster information.¡±

    I nodded. That was really nice, in fact. She just need to be able to tell me what manner of tricks each creature preferred and that would make my life a lot easier. It would perhaps be unfair to expect Wolf to run in without a say, given that he might be the one taking hits from that club.

    ¡°They can talk, right?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Maybe I could go talk to him, impress him with a little-¡°

    ¡°Run that scenario through your head twice. Best possible and worst possible outcome.¡± Although she was glaring at me, she seemed to be earnest in trying to temper my whims rather than outwardly shutting me down. ¡°If the worst version is too dangerous, then we don¡¯t do it.¡±

    As much as Best Version Max was having a laugh, impressing and coercing the cyclops into giving us the goods, Worst Version Max was a miserable paste on the grass. ¡°Alright,¡± I ventured. ¡°Let¡¯s play it safe.¡±

    Perhaps a bit too soon to call it character growth. In fact, I was already thinking of tricks I could pull off even we didn¡¯t go the charismatic route. There were Dazzle icons to earn, of course, a reminder of my successes. They gave me a damage boost, too¡ªso it wasn''t solely for the act of it. I tried to remember to bring that up next time I was chastised for my over the top manner of fighting.

    Wolf looked eager to go, and hadn¡¯t moved his eyes from staring at the large humanoid since we got here. He just needed the word to be set loose. No muscle in his body was hesitant to launch himself into the fight. It was easier when you were a giant beast and could take the damage; I supposed. Part of me was apprehensive for him, but I trusted his instinct. Better him than me.

    A swing from that club when I wasn¡¯t prepared would easily break bone, if not worse. Still, with potential treasure only a stone¡¯s throw away, we would take our best shot. As I raised my left arm slightly, ready to prepare a card or two, Ren put her hand on it.

    ¡°Hey, trickster. Do you have any cloth left over?¡± A small twinkle of something mischievous blazed in the back of her blue eyes.

 36 - All Eye on Me

    When your world could apparently draw on people or creatures from across a multiverse, you eventually gathered some odd characters. Why you would force such unknown factors together in hopes that they could dance to your intended tune on a functional level was beyond me. Would I ever find an answer that satisfied me in this regard? Doubtful, for many reasons. You just had to take everything in stride, unless you wanted to trip on the small details and crack your head open on something untenable... something I had become well too experienced in.

    My hell-dove flew out into the opening and fluttered around the head of the cyclops. At first, he showed nothing but brief annoyance. With a grunt, he stared down the flapping bird as his anger level almost visibly increased. His patience hit the breaking point, and he lashed out with his empty hand and grabbed my summoned demon from the air. A brief crunch, and he held his fist up over his head to drop the remnants of his caught prize into his open maw.

    Only, there wasn¡¯t the crushed corpse of a bird to drop out. Instead, a wisp of dark smoke floated away as broken glass and a clear liquid splashed down his front. The confusion in his one eye was almost childlike, which made the arrow also doused in burning oil seem rather cruel.

    Out from the bushes were we remained hidden, the projectile struck his chest. Down his arm and across his chest, where the majority of the payload had been dropped, flames immediately burst from his skin. The thought of whether oil actually did that was quickly wiped from my mind. It clearly did in this world. The cyclops stumbled around, trying to put it out. Probably wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill him, so we still had to act. Now we just had the advantage of the distraction.

    My card swung out in the clearing and narrowly missed his eye, driving a cut along the side of his head as he tried to pat out the flames. I was disappointed that our ploy hadn¡¯t been enough to earn me a Dazzle icon, but given that the monster hadn¡¯t seen me, it felt somewhat fair. The real bonus was having Ren come up with the idea and be willing to do a little scheming. Something to dazzle my own mind with when we were in less danger.

    The cyclops turned his large blue eye toward us, managing to pick out our attacks just as a radiant arrow slammed into his chest. ¡°Tiny cowards come fight fair!¡± He bellowed out and made to run toward us. Despite my bright suit, it didn''t seem as though he had actually seen us¡ªjust where our attacks had emerged from.

    Wolf burst out of the bushes slightly away from us and growled at the Monster, his deep tone shaking throughout the trees. The large humanoid immediately turned to him and stomped heavily across the worn dirt to bring his club around.

    Some kind of Taunt, I imagined. Or perhaps the bear was just that loud. It was hard to judge. Ren held her palm forward beside me and a radiant shield appeared around our tank, orbiting him like a golden moon. That¡¯d be her new skill then.

    The club came down toward Wolf and struck him hard. He dropped to the dirt onto his stomach and the radiant shield broke and faded away. Panic flooded through us both at seeing the bear fall from a single blow. He didn''t look bloodied, though. It must have been some kind of stun.

    ¡°Shit!¡± The elf cursed and began to cast her heal.

    The cyclops chuckled to himself, and brought the trunk back up over his head for a follow-up smash on the prone and dazed bear. Small flames still lapped at his burned chest, although they were now mostly extinguished.

    ¡°Ren, I trust you.¡± I gave her a smile, which did nothing but confuse her, before I turned back to the fight. ¡°Hey, big guy!¡± I called out, stepping through the bush into the clearing. ¡°Want to see a magic trick?¡±

    I could hear the Oathwarden grumbling as her heal went through to the bear, but I¡¯d rather Wolf didn¡¯t receive an unprotected strike from the weighty weapon of the cyclops. It was my job to receive the head trauma on the regular. While the bear might be tough and hardy, he had little actual avoidance from strikes - which was a big deal when it came to being out of our depths. We would need to come up with something for that, assuming I wasn¡¯t about to get my head eaten off.

    ¡°What trick?¡± The cyclops turned and stepped toward me, his brow furrowed. Despite being engaged in a fight, he was surprisingly receptive to my offer. Might just be boredom or how great my suit looked in the sunlight.

    Top hat in my hands, I reached inside and drew a handful of meat. Some kind of pork chop, as if I had properly butchered it at some point. Dazzle icon. I passed my hat over the front of it, and now I was holding a jug. Two icons.

    ¡°Bring meat back,¡± he frowned at me as he leaned in closer. Close enough for me to smell his burnt flesh and stale breath.

    ¡°Hold out your hand then, and I¡¯ll change it back. You¡¯ll never see a trick like it again, I promise you.¡± Not a lie, but a bending of the truth.

    He was enamored, drawn by the lure of potential food and the mysticism of the little human that could conjure it out of thin air. I too, felt enraptured by this audience member, so besotted by the simple trick. Almost made the final reveal such a shame¡­

    His empty hand extended before me. The thick fingers intimidating. He could easily crush my head just as easily as he had the demon bird. I placed the jug upon it.

    ¡°Now, watch very¡­ carefully¡­¡±

    The cyclops was bent over, his head getting closer to his hand as his bright eye widened in anticipation. Drool fell from his mouth and onto the muddied ground in front of me.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Slowly, I lowered my hat over the jug until it was now sitting on his palm. My heart was pounding in my chest as he stared in the hope of a tasty snack soon to appear. A whistle of displaced air went somewhere between my shoulder and ear as an arrow barely missed me and struck the monster straight in the eye.

    He roared in pain, and I leaped backwards, diving across the grass to roll away from him as his club swung through the air wildly. With a growl of his own, a patient Wolf jumped up from his prone position and bit into the back of the cyclops¡¯ thigh, ripping into the thick skin and muscle.

    I threw another dove card at the nearby tree and the bird flew out from a brief magical circle. Sent it to harass the head of the monster. It wouldn¡¯t do any damage, and he was already blinded - but if we could confuse his hearing and make him believe something was right above him constantly, it¡¯d draw the focus away from us. Well, mostly me.

    It was one situation where we didn¡¯t want to use the entangling shot. As he swung in an attempt to dislodge the bear and escape the dove, he was walking blindly about. One of his errant attacks struck a tree, and the combined shock mixed with the cluttered branches held the weapon caught. A magic card sliced across his stomach before embedding in his outstretched forearm. Damage, but not much. At the base level, my cards were having a tough time getting through his skin to do anything substantial.

    He let go of the club and turned to grapple at the bear. Wolf saw the attempt and bit into one of the encroaching hands, slashing out with his paw at the other arm. An arrow embedded into the back of the monster''s neck. Lethargy was beginning to overtake him from all the wounds he was sustaining.

    ¡°Not fair,¡± he huffed, dropping to bloodied knees. ¡°Man make trick on me.¡±

    He slumped over to the ground, either the pain or eventual blood loss overtaking his desire for violence. With a tearing sound, Wolf bit through his neck and put the creature out of his misery.

    I walked over and picked my hat from the dry dirt. Dusted it off and turned to the approaching elf. ¡°Are my tricks unfair?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say overdone more than unfair. He was just too ignorant to understand them.¡± She shrugged.

    Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. ¡°Please. Try to tell me you didn¡¯t have fun getting him with the oil trick.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a trick.¡± She wrinkled up her face and frowned at me. ¡°I admit nothing.¡±

    Wolf walked over to us, licking his maw. ¡°My head hurts.¡±

    ¡°You alright?¡± I moved over to him and rifled my fingers through his fur to check for any serious damage. It was matted with blood, but I couldn¡¯t see any wounds, so it might have belonged to the cyclops. I turned back to the elf, who had her head tilted to the side.

    Wolf looked up and rubbed the side of his face against my arm. ¡°I''m happy that you saved me, Max.¡±

    I grimaced at the slobber soaking through my jacket, but turned it into a warm smile. Genuine, despite the situation. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that I saved you¡­ it¡¯s just part of what we do, right, Ren?¡± I raised my eyebrows at her.

    ¡°Something like that.¡± Her face softened. ¡°We keep each other alive. That¡¯s just being part of being a fam- a Party.¡± With a nod to us, she looked away, back over to the crates that the monster had been guarding.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we got here then.¡± I agreed with her unsaid gesture. My hand gave Wolf another pat on the head before I could consider if that was condescending or not, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind it.

    I hummed to myself. All things said, that went a little better than I had expected. Certainly, I had put a bit of pressure on Ren to fire past my shoulder without impaling the back of my head. That brought a smile to my face. Imagine dying to that and flopping my corpse atop the cyclops¡¯ open hand as the end reveal to the trick? Ta-da! Here¡¯s the meat, just like magic. The meat was me. Although the other two might not have seen the humor in it.

    ¡°Should I be worried that you are smiling while looting?¡± Ren looked up from the first box as I checked from the other end of the pile.

    ¡°If I said no, would you still be?¡± I scooped through what the meagre items were in this container. Everything else was junk.

    [18 Gold]

    [Candles (4)]

    ¡°Probably,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°This was good practice for fighting large enemies, though.¡±

    ¡°Definitely room for improvement.¡± I looked over to Wolf, who was sniffing around the dead body of the cyclops. I¡¯d have to remember to loot the dead body if Ren didn¡¯t get there first.

    ¡°That¡¯s where you excel, trickster. Improvisation.¡±

    I turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. She perhaps had a point, but I hadn¡¯t seen it that way. Each trick or ability I had was just a part of the process - like matching dominoes. I just had to see what the enemy had going on and pair it with the numbers I held. Usually these things were planned out well in advance, rather than on the fly. That said, I would definitely hold onto that compliment and cherish it for longer than was healthy to.

    ¡°Oh.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±

    I gave up on trying to decide if I wanted to take the set of cutlery from the second box or not. I did, and I did. She had moved over to the cyclops whilst I had been deep in thought.

    ¡°Four Power Tokens.¡± She looked half ready to express her excitement, but decided against it. ¡°There¡¯s a spear with a point of Luck, and a couple pieces of Strength gear, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to put clothes on. Or if I want to.¡± The bear tilted his head and managed to look disgusted with the notion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep them until you see sense, then.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Spear, trickster?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡± I held out my hands as she passed me the weapon and two Tokens. It might not be immediately useful, but seeing as I could only withdraw items into my hands or onto the ground within my reach, having something with a bit of distance to it could be beneficial.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look after Wolf¡¯s for now, if that¡¯s alright?¡± She looked down at the beast with a wrinkled up nose. Our tank was seemingly no longer interested in this necessary part of adventuring.

    I smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± It wasn¡¯t even a matter of trust. She didn¡¯t seem too power hungry despite how much of a boost the items could be. Wolf definitely needed his own when he could understand how to work the STAR properly. Perhaps I¡¯d save one of these so that he could have two when ready, and catch up to us quicker. I was amazing that he was this strong without playing to the System rules, but that only meant we needed to get him on board with the rest of it to make the best use of his capabilities.

    The bear growled as Ren put the Tokens back away in her own Inventory.

    ¡°Easy, bud.¡± I raised my hands. ¡°It¡¯s just temporary.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t looking at us though, but past me and out to the woodlands.

    ¡°Someone is nearby.¡± He continued to glare off at the trees and bushes.

    There was no reason for me to doubt that his senses were good enough to tell, even if now I could not hear the approach of anyone. In saying that, Ren was almost silent when moving sometimes, so I couldn¡¯t really be the best judge. Already the elf had an arrow to her bow.

    A purple card appeared in my hand as my mouth dried. Standing in this clearing, I suddenly felt exposed, expecting an arrow or spell to find itself in my neck from one of the shadowed bushes. Without consciously doing it, I was pooling more mana into the card than I needed, causing it to glow brighter as I held it.

    From within the bushes, a dark shape sauntered into view.

 37 - Changing Shapes

    Knowledge equalling power was a common saying, probably across all the realities that most Players came from. It could be a key to open a doorway that hindered your progress. Just as easily, that door could have been preventing something untoward darkening your porch, and the knowledge had instead just drawn you closer to your doom. Perhaps I should draw some smiley faces next to my notes to make them feel less drab. :) No. That just seems disingenuous.

    We tensed up as a black cat walked into the sparse light of the canopy swaying in the breeze. With the shimmer of a dark mist, the small creature rose up into the figure of a woman. Her adventuring gear was various shades of black and dark gray, a slight bagginess to them that signaled to me she possibly wasn¡¯t much of a melee fighter.

    Her bright green eyes were a contrast to her dark skin and black hair - but perhaps the second and third most striking thing about her were the cat''s ears atop her head, and the tail that waved behind her as she leaned lazily against a tree.

    My fingers gripped my card too tightly, drawing blood from my own hand. ¡°Who are you? Do you work for the Lady in Red?¡± My voice came out a lot sterner than I was used to, my usual flare washed away by the stress of potential antagonists.

    ¡°Me? No¡­ I do not.¡± She grinned widely, seemingly amused at the attacks readied toward her. ¡°I¡¯m perhaps one of the few that do not work for the Crimson Shadow now.¡±

    ¡°Crimson Shadow?¡± I asked, still not convinced this woman was worth trusting.

    ¡°I see you are lacking in knowledge. Allow me to introduce myself.¡± She bowed, her tail flicking side to side behind her, before she leaned back against the shadowed tree. ¡°My name is Hannah. Perhaps we can trade?¡±

    I shot a side glance toward Ren, and the elf just shrugged in response. Wolf was still on edge, possibly slightly confused that the cat had turned into a person. That could just be me projecting. I had seen enough oddities to know when to suspend my disbelief, but the regularity was almost unpalatable.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Hannah narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is your bear a shapeshifter too, or a pet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a Player,¡± he grunted in response.

    She nodded slowly. ¡°Fascinating. This System really is something, huh? So how about the trade?¡±

    I exhaled through my nose and allowed my card to fade away, flexing some comfort back into my fingers. Ren kept her arrow drawn, which was fine. I could be a little careless if she had my back. ¡°What did you want, and for what are we trading for?¡±

    She sucked her teeth. ¡°Well. That depends. Are you after information on the Lady and her new gang? She¡¯s quite the up-and-comer around here.¡±

    ¡°And what in return?¡± I worked my jaw. This information could be worth its weight in gold, and perhaps the shapeshifter knew this. We were currently stumbling around in the dark when it came down to the Lady and the goons she had gathered. If we could get the upper hand then perhaps we could sleep a little easier at night.

    ¡°I may have overheard you received a couple of Power Tokens. You¡¯re new here, so I¡¯ll even make you a deal. I¡¯ll give you the information first, and you give me a Token once I¡¯m done.¡±

    Ren huffed. ¡°What¡¯s stopping us from taking the information and not paying up?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Hannah grinned widely. ¡°The Crimson Shadow might pay me well for your location.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s stopping you from telling them even if we do pay you?¡± I was already growing tired of the games. It was easier when someone was a friend or foe from the outset. Despite my usual charms, I was slowly starting to accept that I didn¡¯t need to wow everyone over to be a fan. Just most people.

    She shrugged. ¡°I suppose you¡¯d need to trust me.¡±

    Ren and I exchanged glances. Still a scowl there, but I reckoned we were on the same page. I adjusted my hat and stood up straight. ¡°Very well, we accept.¡±

    ¡°Purrfect.¡± She grinned again. ¡°That¡¯s a little cat joke. You have no idea how it tickles me to annoy people with it.¡±

    ¡°I can imagine,¡± Ren said plainly, ignoring my questioning glare.

    ¡°So, this ''Lady in Red''.¡± Hannah rubbed at her face. ¡°She came over and almost immediately herded all the black sheep of the area. No idea how. She must have some kind of ability for it, right?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°She was running a criminal group in New Forest before we forced her out.¡±

    ¡°So we have you to thank.¡± She rolled her green eyes. ¡°Good information, thanks. Anyway, she formed a group called Crimson Shadow - which is as cringeworthy as your costume.¡± She waved a finger at me. ¡°But they are all business. Player killing, theft, trying to exploit the System. The System always had bad apples, but they were usually self-serving, or at least stuck to the usual rules of society. Now they''re all on the same page and willing to do whatever she wants.¡±

    ¡°Which seems to be ''be more murderous''.¡± I grimaced. How had she managed that so fast? We were barely a day behind her and she had roused a mercenary group to do her bidding in the time it took us to beat up some thieves and fall out of a tree.

    ¡°Yeah, no kidding. There was a Party of five that liked to hang around this area to help low levels that came through. Crimson Shadow poison bombed them in their sleep while they were camping and then peppered them with arrows as they stumbled around, disoriented.¡±

    I could feel the tension in our group rise. Whether that was because of the cruelty against our fellow Players, or because that could have easily been us last night, it didn¡¯t matter. We couldn¡¯t be safe while they still roamed the area.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Hannah sighed and pushed away from the tree. ¡°Honestly, part of the reason I¡¯m giving you this up front is because it sickens me. Not that I expect you three to do anything about it. But you are at least warned. You know what¡¯s out there.¡± Her eyes unfocused a little as she stared off at the side. Accessing her STAR. "Honestly there aren''t many good apples left, things are moving fast. Apocalyptic, almost."

    ¡°Are there any places the Crimson Shadow stay on the regular?¡± I asked.

    The shapeshifter tilted her head toward me. ¡°Heroic type, eh?¡± She looked at Ren and then back at me. ¡°If you know what you¡¯re doing, there¡¯s a small camp due east of here, but I stay as far as I can from it. Some horse-riding nob and a gaggle of jerk-offs. No Lady though, she moves around a lot.¡±

    ¡°Hadrian,¡± Ren muttered, perhaps just tasting the name to make her hate more concrete.

    I popped the Map up on the side and checked potential places. It¡¯d be out of the way from the Monster Hunt. But in a way, it was towards a greater one.

    ¡°That¡¯s about all I have time for, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Her smile returned to her face, and she held a hand out. ¡°Worthy of a payment?¡±

    With a sigh, I went through my Inventory as I took a few steps closer to her. ¡°We¡¯ll see you again?¡±

    ¡°Doubt it.¡± She shrugged. "By choice, of course, not that I intend to fall foul of the Shadows."

    With a brief smile, I flipped the small object through the air, straight toward her rather than in an arc. She caught it deftly and immediately pocketed it. She gave a brief bow.

    ¡°Best of luck to you.¡± With a twist of brief smoke, she shrunk into cat form and padded off nearly silently into the woods.

    I watched the Dazzle icon fade from view and then turned to see Ren with arms crossed, a Dazzle icon also over Wolf.

    ¡°What?¡± I shrugged, grinning. ¡°Do you think that was a mistake?¡±

    ¡°I feel like that it will become a problem for us in the future,¡± the elf said as she deflated. ¡°But I appreciate you not giving away some of our power.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised she didn¡¯t check it before leaving. More the fool her.¡± I smiled off at the woods. A simple trick that shouldn¡¯t have worked - perhaps my bonus to Deception paying off?

    Ren gave the bear a pat on the side before walking over to me. ¡°Is that why you were dicking around in the thief hideout so much? I think we are done here. We should move.¡±

    I nodded to both parts of her sentence. ¡°I had hoped to get some gold paint at some point, but splitting that metal bar up into fragments was worth the effort.¡± It was too good to pass up - almost the right shape and thickness to pass as a faux Token. One from each end of the bar I had looted. I figured they¡¯d come in use, eventually.

    ¡°Not a lot of good meat there,¡± Wolf grumbled as we headed back into the woods.

    ¡°Afraid not.¡± I gave him a smile. ¡°But I¡¯m sure a better meal awaits us right over the next horizon.¡±

    He lifted his head up and glared at the mass of trees before us. ¡°Seems a bit far.¡±

    Ren said nothing, and just looked out into the surrounding as we continued on. After a few minutes of silence, the tension was too much, and I had to say something.

    ¡°Still letting the information sink in?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­ bugging me that they¡¯re there, and we know they¡¯re there¡­ but I don¡¯t know if we should¡­¡±

    ¡°Surprise-attack their camp and kill them all?¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± She sighed.

    ¡°It would be nice to strike while the iron is hot, but we should get a little more powerful first. Be more prepared before jumping into danger.¡±

    Ren gave me a nod but didn¡¯t continue the conversation, once again looking off to the side through the trees. I could understand her frustrations. A known threat should be dealt with as soon as possible before they became more a problem, but I was equally keen not to have our plan backfire and cause us injury. First time for everything.

    Instead of worrying over that, I turned my attention to my Inventory and activated the Power Token. While we were getting more skills than tokens currently, I assumed that they would level out eventually if we had to gather ten per ability after the first upgrade. There was the temptation to start stockpiling, maybe get something important powered up early¡­ but I had already spent this one in my mind. The other I was keeping safe for when Wolf could use them. As desperate as I was for further power, we each deserved to rise together.

    <Sleight of Hand>. While not something that overtly strengthened my fighting capacity, it had become the lynchpin of my fighting style. There must have been some manner of intention in the System for that to be the case, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be rewarding the actions with Dazzle icons and powers that worked together. There must be an element of procedural development to guide the progression of Players.

    [<Sleight of Hand> is now Advanced: Your Deception success chance increases with both INT and DEX.]

    The skill upgraded, although the description didn¡¯t change. Not even a vague ¡®increased¡¯ to show that my Token hadn¡¯t been spent for nought. Only the border of the skill window changing to a silver color denoted that the upgrade had been successful. A small plus symbol beside it when viewed.

    I furrowed my brow. Maybe I¡¯d just have to try it. Mentally, I went through the menus and brought my Inventory up. No real increase in speed there. Perhaps there was a hard limit? A knot in my stomach started forming, thinking I¡¯d made a mistake. I took a deep breath and went to retrieve an orange from my Inventory - to find it was already there in my hand.

    It swapped to my dagger, and I flipped it into the air before it vanished.

    ¡°Everything okay, trickster?¡±

    Ren was looking at me with a tilted head, and Wolf was mostly oblivious, but had a Dazzle icon over his face.

    ¡°I seem to be able to access certain items innately without having to go through the process of quickly going through the STAR options.¡± My furrowed brow continued as we stepped through the thick grass beneath the shadowed canopy.

    ¡°Sounds like more bullshit, then. Just Inventory?¡±

    I nodded. There wasn¡¯t a way I could swap equipment that quickly. Quicker than most, perhaps - but the Inventory System was where my abilities really shone. From my head, I took down my top hat and held it in my right hand. From my left, I pulled the orange out from behind my ear and dropped it into my open headwear. I then tipped the hat upside down, and after a couple of seconds of nothing, the spear began to slowly slide out onto the ground.

    Wolf had a couple of extra Dazzles, but Ren was unimpressed as usual.

    ¡°Can you turn the orange into meat next time?¡± The bear asked with wide eyes.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I grinned. As I leaned over to retrieve the spear, putting my hat back on with a flourish, I brought it up to reveal it was now a linked chain of sausages.

    He gasped as his icon increased by one, and I threw him the meat to consume. It felt smoother to do the switching, like I had more control over the speed or where and how things came into my hands. Barely registered the screens in my vision, actually - it was almost like I was doing it by thought alone.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re getting better, or I¡¯m just tolerating it more.¡± Ren tilted her head and her frown relaxed slightly.

    I gave her a brief bow and a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯ll accept either at this stage. What did you end up choosing?¡±

    ¡°Entangling shot. Slightly wider area, stronger entangle. It¡¯s one of the few crowd control skills we have, and helps us all out.¡± She shrugged.

    ¡°Pragmatic. You really do pull most of the weight for us. Sure, Wolf can take a hit.¡± I gave him a pat on the side as he finished lapping up the meat. ¡°And I have my good looks and charm, but you¡¯re keeping us alive.¡±

    Ren just rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re trying to flatter me or yourself with that statement. Enough trickery for now, we have a Monster to hunt.¡±

    I grinned as we started back out, pausing briefly to glance around the terrain behind us. There was an eerie stillness to it that I couldn¡¯t quite shake. Something telling me to be wary.

    Quite frankly, I felt like there were plenty of monsters hunting us.

 38 - Similar Pages

    I recall a time I had sprained my ankle on one of our many travels through the wildness. It was an amusing abstraction where we had all this power and magical ability, yet an slippery step could humble you just as easily. Apparently not dire enough for the System to consider it an injury, I had just hobbled along in the hopes that everything would be okay. Poignant.

    Wolf stopped to scratch himself up against a tree. The branches shook and a few leaves fell down from the force jostling them about.

    My mind felt reasonably blank. The walk through the woods was as pleasant and tiring as always, but it felt like¡­ not quite like we were being watched. More that we were being judged. We had the location of some of the Crimson Shadow, yet we were walking over to some Monster that would probably beat the stuffing from us.

    All for Quest experience and gold, presumably. It felt disingenuous. We were out filling in surveys instead of saving the cat from the burning barn. Leveling up was important. Neither of us could deny that, but combat between Players had been so brief and visceral that we fancied our chances. Of course, the deadliness of it was one of the reasons we should get more powerful.

    Ren must be feeling the same way, as her expression had been¡­ well, I could just tell. Mostly because she had been ignoring the tricks I had been practising along the way rather than feigning disdain or admonishing me for it. Wolf had seemed interested at first, but gradually his focus had faded and I was rewarded with no Dazzle icons. I wondered if that was some form of diminishing returns, or he just stopped caring.

    Either reason made me a little sad.

    ¡°You going to say it, or should I?¡± I stopped to watch the bear continue to scratch himself.

    Ren paused and tilted her head, looking like she was tired of the conversation already. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be more specific than that, Max.¡±

    Hmm. My mind started to race over all the possibilities that she might be expecting me to fill. I stuck to my guns. ¡°That this is a poor use of our time when we could be killing people." I wrinkled up my nose. "That sounded better in my head.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t have it both ways.¡± She relaxed and rubbed at her eyes. ¡°Either we Quest to get more powerful or we hunt down the Crimson Shadow in hopes of getting a lead on the Lady.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a thorn in our side. Any other situation and I¡¯d gladly get my teeth punched in by whatever monster we¡¯re hunting down. But now that we have information...¡±

    ¡°That we don¡¯t know if we can trust. It might be a trap.¡± She raised a hand to stop me from speaking. ¡°And are you saying you haven¡¯t read the Quest objective yet?¡±

    I closed my mouth and shook my head.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Is that some kind of executive dysfunction thing? Where you can¡¯t do everything because you¡¯re so hyper-focused on your tricks?¡±

    As much as my brain wanted to try and imagine an executive elf, that was probably some kind of translation from the System that smoothed over the difference in languages. In the end, I just shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± She gestured for us to continue moving. ¡°If you¡¯re like that, it¡¯s fine - I just need to know so that I can plan around it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d think I¡¯d be all the details.¡± I began walking with her as Wolf joined us. ¡°Although my show sets were very tight and structured, they usually started off with me just going to the feel - or the flow of the act. If that doesn¡¯t sound too weird.¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. I imagine it¡¯s like painting without a sketch. Once the idea takes form, it has a proper shape that you can work from¡­ but before that-¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s messy, yeah.¡± I smiled. Her take on the process was a lot more generous than my own.

    She brushed some of her hair from her face and looked between me and the bear. ¡°I¡¯ll take on the heavy lifting when it comes to reading then, but that means I have more control over what Quests we end up doing.¡±

    I gestured to Wolf, who shrugged his large shoulders. ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded. ¡°I trust your judgement without question.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± she said with a deep sigh. ¡°Then we are going to kill the Monster, which is a big owl.¡±

    My tongue rolled across my teeth. A big owl was probably not an accurate descriptor if it was a Monster worthy of a Quest being generated for it. I wondered if that was a permanent fixture on the board back in town, and if the creature just respawned after a certain amount of time. If the System could procedurally generate Classes and skill sets, then it could probably make up Quests or make new Monsters. Some questions for a different time.

    I brought up the Quest Log to avoid annoying the elf further. While my charming personality was slowly eroding at her default disdain, being that our new vocation was prone to violence, I didn¡¯t want to rock the boat too much.

    [Quest: Defeat Ghostgust, Ethereal Owl Sovereign]

    A big owl... that was also a ghost and could probably use wind attacks, if the name was anything to go by. Now that I had actually read the briefing, my brain went into overdrive thinking about the possibilities. Could we even damage a ghost? Ren had a radiant attack, and I assumed my magic would be able to, but that would be reducing our effective damage output a lot.

    If they were an Elite or worse, my cards wouldn¡¯t be that effective - aside from cutting off a few ethereal feathers. Expecting Wolf to tank something he couldn¡¯t hurt, that was possibly as damaging as the cyclops seemed unfair, too. Ren had seemed pretty dead set on fighting the Monster and it was experience and rewards, assuming we survived.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    A war raged within me. The cold knife of my survival instinct met the warm softness of wanting to people-please. How could I win my Party over if I didn¡¯t support them in their choices? I¡¯d be even worse off in that regard if we were dead, however. My heartbeat was unnecessarily loud and muddied my thoughts. In the end, the lump of pensive energy blurted forth and out of my mouth.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should fight the Monster.¡±

    Ren stopped and turned to face me. She crossed her arms and stared at me blankly. ¡°You would like us to abandon and fail the Quest?¡±

    The words stabbed into my ego, and I physically winced. My mouth opened in instinct, ready to walk back my outburst. I closed it again and waited for the swirling panic to calm. ¡°After reading the Quest, it feels as though we are under-prepared for the encounter.¡±

    She didn¡¯t change her expression in the slightest. ¡°Is that your decision?¡±

    My muscles tensed as if trying to stop me from making the motion, as if it went against all that I had been building up. I nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to convince Wolf, too.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at the bear, who looked tired of the words back and forth. ¡°The Monster is a ghost and would have no meat.¡±

    ¡°Gross.¡± He shook his head as he stuck his tongue out. I had expected a little more pushback.

    Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve convinced us. Now what?¡±

    I brought up the map and narrowed my eyes. We were almost at the furthest point from the town and would need to circle back now to avoid whatever was beyond the woodlands. We had only taken up the challenging Quests from the town, but if there were some basic floating ones we could hit on the route back¡­

    ¡°We¡¯ll go around toward the Dungeon, avoiding the middle part where we think the Shadows are. Pick up any minor Quests we are offered along the way. Hit the town safe and in one piece to hand in the thief Quest and get some rest.¡±

    She nodded and gestured off to the side. ¡°Lead on then, trickster.¡±

    I did, and we started back down through the forest at an angle. There was still a pit in my stomach where I felt that I had forced the issue and changed our course. Had I made the right decision? Perhaps this was another point the elf was trying to force out of me. My brow furrowed, and I tilted my head at her.

    ¡°Was this a test to see if I could override my need to people-please? Or to be more of a leader?¡± I rubbed at my chin in thought.

    ¡°Perhaps I just wanted to make sure you could actually read.¡± She didn¡¯t meet my gaze, but she seemed calm enough beneath the usual scowl.

    ¡°After you said you¡¯d deal with the Questing stuff.¡± I clucked my tongue.

    She turned to me now and narrowed her eyes. ¡°If you want to follow blindly, I could gouge your eyes out now.¡±

    I glanced at the bear, perhaps the biggest third wheel on this side of the continent. Whatever his thoughts on the matter, it seemed he was content enough to let us work our way through the problem first. In honesty, I wasn''t sure where I stood on the matter, or what Ren''s actual complaint was. With a shrug, I gave her a glum smile.

    Ren sighed deeply and rubbed at her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m... sorry, Max. Not everything should be a test. I''m not sure why I have to keep trying to squeeze change out of you.¡± She looked away from us, out into the woods, and stopped walking. ¡°Growing up, I had so many expectations forced on me. I feel like I¡¯m just lost to the wind in this world. Trying to build something I am more used to as if it could make me...¡±

    Some of the pieces clicked together in my mind. Aside from the loss of her family and groom-to-be, I imagined that the pair of them were being shaped into being leaders of their enclave, or whatever elves had. The weight of a community needed certain skills to keep it afloat. Without them and her equal, she felt adrift and was trying to see if the boots fit me in some manner. Meet up to her expectations, but I had missed the whole presentation on what she really was looking for.

    I sighed and gave Wolf a pat on the side. ¡°Party meeting, huddle up.¡±

    Conflict was something I tried to avoid in my own life. Even when some of the stagehands were sloppy, or someone had failed to take direction as was their role... I maintained good standing and tried to guide them with a smile on my face. Often forced, and giving them more leniency than deserved. Reggie was usually better at that sort of thing. It didn''t really feel like my place. I was no prima-donna, despite my flare for seeking fame. A rousing speech to rally the troops? I''d done one or two before, and perhaps that was what we needed to maintain course.

    Ren turned back around with her arms crossed, and Wolf circled so that we were in a loose triangle.

    ¡°Right. We¡¯ve been running like a rudderless boat recently.¡± I eyed between them, trying out my stern expression for a change. ¡°And as much as you are both equals in my eyes, without each of us performing as expected, the show will be a flop.¡± My right eye twitched.

    Ren opened her mouth to speak, but I raised my hand up to stop her. ¡°If you want me to lead or be more decisive, you need to approach it in good faith rather than trying to break me down with tests.¡± I put my hand on her shoulder, a pang of panic rising within me in expectation of how long it would take for me to regret it. ¡°I can¡¯t bend to the shape you expect me to be, but we can meet halfway?¡±

    Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, before she relented to nodding, and looking down at the ground.

    ¡°Wolf,¡± I put my other hand on his shoulder. ¡°Your voice is no less valuable, even if your needs are simpler. You will often suffer the brunt of our decisions, so do not be afraid to weigh in.¡±

    The bear wrinkled back his nose. ¡°I think you both have more issues than I¡¯m qualified to engage with.¡±

    I nodded with a wide grin. ¡°To conclude, although I may take center stage, a good performance is only the sum of its parts - I¡¯m just the pretty face at the front, but without your support and guidance I¡¯d just be¡­ a bloodied mess in the dirt.¡± The metaphor started to fall flat once I realized that I couldn¡¯t get away with copying my prior speeches wholesale. A lot less murder in my usual acts.

    My hands withdrew from them as the enigmatic fervor faded away and I had to continue to talk to my peers instead of abscond to my backstage hideaway.

    ¡°Almost convincing.¡± Ren tilted her head. Wolf sniffed at the air and started to wander away. Something inside me was burning, a flickering flame that was unfamiliar.

    I turned to face her and pressed my index finger on her shoulder. My eyes met her renewed scowl. ¡°We can lead this together, I will do my part in my own way. If you think you can handle that, and will support me.¡±

    As much as her brow was knitted together, the tension around her eyes softened and her eyes shone brighter.

    In comparison, my face tensed up, more due to self-inflicted shame than anything. ¡°So no more tests. I need you and you need me. Can you accept that?¡±

    She nodded, but her tongue appeared too caught up to give any more of lucid response.

    "I accept it too," the bear murmured, continuing to sniff at the air as he wandered further away.

    ¡°Good.¡± I smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s go level up.¡±

    I turned from the stunned elf and walked away, mostly to hide both the panic and grimace on my face. My insides were a turbulent sea. It felt like briefly I had let something out. My own demon. I tried to think of the last time I hit my head... did I really emerge unscathed from the cyclops fight? I hadn''t walked away in a particularly useful direction, I just moved and my eyes stared unfocused while my brain flashed warning lights.

    Eventually, I blinked them away to see that the bear had stopped dead. I cautiously approached him, unsure if he was just answering a call of the wild.

    Wolf had his eyes narrowed ahead over an outcropping, his large form squashing the bushes between two trees. He turned his head as I approached, my head a still whirl of false bravado and unabashed panic.

    ¡°Trouble ahead,¡± he growled, as a Quest notification popped up on the STAR.

    [Quest: Rescue Villagers from Orc Convoy - 0/3]

 39 - Blinding Lights

    Finding my place turned out to be more than just adjusting to the new world. I had to juggle new friendships and social entanglements amidst all the potential death and strife. Being the showman, there was an expectation that I could be a one-man powerhouse, when often I just felt no better than a performing animal. Repeating the same basic motions while those with bigger vision created the show worth watching. Turn off the lights and remove the glitz and glitter, and I was just a small man struggling for attention and validation. At least in this world... I could kill my critics in cold blood.

    Standing alongside the bear, I narrowed out my eyes down into the valley. It looked like three groups of figures escorting a prisoner each. System-created orcs, that looked larger than a normal humanoid, but not as hulking as Grak had been.

    Ren came up beside us. She didn¡¯t look visibly flustered, but seemed a little out of sorts compared to her usual grumpy fare. There had obviously been a lot of gears spinning in her mind after my odd outburst, just as there had been in mine. I even had to double check my memory to make sure it had been me. Walking across the knife''s edge, I pressed my point and tried to slide into being something we both needed.

    ¡°Three groups of orcs, hostage rescue. Thoughts?¡± I raised my eyebrow.

    ¡°Reward is poor, but it¡¯s still experience. Combat should be medium threat.¡± She nodded to me, her intent that we should accept this Quest. Why not, when it had been provided to us so conveniently?

    ¡°Wolf?¡± I nudged the bear, who hadn¡¯t moved his gaze from the troupe since I kneeled beside him.

    ¡°Yeah, I could eat. Can I have puppy friend?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Hellhound seemed to be a firm favorite among my peers, assuming he meant to assist him, rather than to eat. I accepted the Quest.

    We slid down from the outcropping and started to work our way down the slope of the valley to the dirt road they were leading their captives down.

    ¡°Six normal orcs each group, with what looks like an Elite in the front group.¡± Ren withdrew her bow as she scoured their formation. ¡°Focus to reduce their numbers and draw the rest up the hill.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Roger¡¯s mace appeared in one hand as I drew the Hellhound card.

    She paused to ready her aim and fired the upgraded entangling shot into the air in a high arc. As the blazing green arrow flew toward her target, she drew a second to empower with radiant energy and leveled it more directly at the back group of orcs.

    I split the card, so that one was of purple energy, with only a slight pain in my hand. The three groups were almost out of sight now as they traveled through the more wooded area - but then Ren¡¯s first shot struck.

    Larger vines sprung up around the now confused orcs, just as her smite shot struck one through the chest. Wolf powered forward, his large paws thudding against the grass. I felt the vibration of his charge through my boots as my cards circled over his head.

    The middle group turned and looked our way, angered shouts ringing out as they ran in our direction. Group one at the front was slower on the uptake, but had now seen something was wrong. All too late for the back six.

    My card struck the face of one, the Hellhound hitting the ground and jumping out of the magic circle to bite out at the unprepared foes.

    [New Monster: Orc <6>]

    Only level six, that brought me some amount of calm. Wolf thrashed through the remaining opponents, tearing the arm off one with his sharp jaws and mauling a second to disembowel them. I may have the Unique Class and a whole host of things to work with, but the simple power of the bear was something to behold. From a distance, and as an ally.

    The other two groups wanted nothing to do with that torrent of violence, and were using the space entangling shot had wrought between their troupe to ignore the bear and run up the hill toward us. Not exactly ideal, but after my speech, my ego was still at the top of the rollercoaster before the inevitable drop.

    Ren planted an arrow in the forehead of one just before my pact demon card hit it, and Roger burst out of his new puppet. Too far for me to pass him his mace, so I pocketed it for now. Wolf had finished with his group and would need to catch up to lure some of the ten remaining away from us. Time to see what this old dog had learned.

    I picked up a stone from amongst the sparse grass and went to throw it at an orc with a small buckler. He didn¡¯t seem too bothered, raising it slightly in preparation for the weak attack - before the stone left my hand as the Spear of Luck. It was a terrible throw and my lack of Strength did me a disservice¡ªbut the surprise attack caused the orc to impale himself on the sharp point as the blunt end hit the soft ground first and friction gave me the assist.

    After the throw, I continued the inertia of my movement, spinning in a circle as I drew my hat from my head. I threw it in the air and a blanket of dark fabric dropped from inside, obscuring me from the onrushing assailants. Two cards burst from the middle of it, splitting the fabric and arcing wildly to strike a pair of orcs. I clapped my hands, and the blanket vanished, leaving my hat to twirl back into my grip.

    An arrow pierced the heart of another, but there were still too many. My grin was widening at seeing the Dazzle icons amongst those approaching. Ren had stepped backward, about to draw her sword. Wolf would join a couple of seconds after we were engaged in melee, Roger was down the hill and looked to be trying to wrestle with the Elite. Hellhound was just behind the bear and gaining just as quickly, but still too slow to save us the hassle.

    ¡°You¡¯re all so eager to see more,¡± I boomed, my best stage smile illuminating my face. ¡°Shame this is the <Finale>.¡±

    Bright lights flooded the area as small explosions popped one after the other behind me in a row. The orcs stopped, blinded and briefly shocked - no - enraptured by my performance. It had been a short show, but unlike anything they had ever seen. Briefly, for the two seconds that it lasted, I basked in the adoration. The acceptance and validation. I put my inner demon back away as the dopamine took the reins. I gave them a deep bow¡ªmy sincerest thanks.

    Just as quickly as it had appeared, the lustre and pomp vanished, as if sucked from the air itself. The orcs shook their heads, regaining their senses, just before Wolf plowed into them.

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    I watched one get crushed immediately, broken spine, before the bear''s claws tore the face off of a second one. Once again, I was thankful we had him on our side. Radiant light pulsed briefly as Ren shot one of the nearby enemies, who looked as though they were beginning to waver.

    There were now only four remaining, undecided whether to engage the two ranged targets or turn to face the bear chewing through their peers. In the end, they chose to try to escape. I cut the ankle tendons of two as Ren dropped the third. The padding of paws through grass followed as the Hellhound leaped up to the last and dragged him to the ground. Wolf stomped up to the injured ones and finished them off with the wet crunch of broken bones.

    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Ren scowled at me, slightly taken aback at the sudden loud noises and bright lights. No Dazzle on her, still.

    ¡°That is how you end a show.¡± I grinned, but she didn¡¯t seem impressed with that answer. She already had some idea, but I waved my hand as I went to catch up to my pact demon. ¡°My area stun.¡± I tried to mentally remember how many Dazzle icons were in play - I needed to do better next time to see how extra it could get.

    Roger and the Elite were still rolling around the grass, grappling and trying to overpower one another. Any weaponry had been discarded down the hill slightly further away.

    ¡°Hey, boss,¡± he gasped as his throat was being constricted by the thick hands of the green orc. ¡°How¡¯s things?¡±

    ¡°Up and down. Trying to strengthen the Party under the constant threat of an organized crime group.¡± I watched them tumble about a bit. ¡°You need help?¡±

    ¡°Fuckin''... nah¡­ just about¡­ got him, boss.¡±

    The orc leader was a good head taller than me and as muscular as they came. The fact that Roger had managed to get this far was either a testament to his Strength or lack of common sense. Wolf came to stand beside me, licking his lips. Out the side of my peripheral, I saw Ren petting the Hellhound.

    ¡°Who¡¯s your bet on?¡± The bear asked, watching the two figures scrabble about.

    ¡°Roger.¡± Although the odds should be against him, I was getting used to being able to punch above our weight. Plus, he could hear me¡ªI wanted to support his efforts and give him the drive to succeed even if he was outmatched.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit cruel?¡± Ren now joined us, with her arms crossed.

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°For the demon, or the System-created bad guy?¡±

    ¡°To the prisoners.¡± With a nod, she gestured down the hill to the road where the three that needed saving had just stopped in place, awaiting release. The one at the back had apparently been in spray distance of the massacre Wolf had committed and was drenched in orc viscera.

    Fair point, we had experience to claim. ¡°Finish it up, Roger. Show¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°Yes, bossssss.¡± His hiss turned into a gradual pained growl, before the rough cracking of the orc¡¯s neck vibrated through my ears and the figure beneath him lay still. The rabbit-demon stood up and gasped for air, hunched over in his muscled puppet.

    ¡°Top marks for taking down an Elite bare-handed.¡± I shot him a finger-gun as we started to walk down to the dirt road.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Wolf disagreed.

    ¡°You did great too though, Wolf.¡± I patted his side, getting blood on my hand. ¡°You as well, Ren.¡±

    ¡°It could have been more efficient. We should have attacked from the back to draw them through Wolf, or used the entangle on the second group to relieve the pressure on us.¡± She scowled back up at the corpses.

    ¡°We got through it without injury. That is a success. But I am open to your tactical changes next time.¡±

    She turned to me and nodded, her eyes lingering on mine for longer than I was used to. I smiled and looked over at the prisoners as a way to escape the glare of the piercing blue eyes. The villagers seemed to be System-created too, which I found to be a good thing in the grand scheme of it all. After we removed their bindings, they ran off toward wherever they felt was safe, without much in terms of thanks.

    The third one, however, paused and scratched at his rough brown beard. ¡°Thank you, adventurers. There¡¯s an outpost you can rest and resupply at nearby. Let me mark it on your Map.¡±

    He leaned forward and made some pen-like motion in the air, before turning and running off like his fellow detainees had. I raised an eyebrow at Ren, who shrugged in return. Opening up the Map, there was indeed a new location marked, not too far off from here.

    [Quest Complete!]

    [50 Gold]

    [Bandage (3)]

    [Common Chance Box]

    Not really worth the price of admission, but at least it was something. Even the experience of combat was worth the effort even if the ''experience'' gained was minimal. Grimacing as I opened up the Chance Box, my mind turned towards what the freed villager had said.

    [Crossbow]

    ¡°I wonder if they have proper beds,¡± I thought aloud. From my Inventory, I dropped the two broken crossbows to replace with this whole one, silently cursing myself for not making a trick out of the process.

    ¡°And nice meats,¡± Wolf added.

    ¡°There¡¯s enough distance where if we take a slightly scenic route, we can possibly pick up another location Quest or two, and arrive there by dusk.¡± The elf was frowning at her own Map with her eyes unfocused.

    ¡°Perfect.¡± I grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s loot these bodies and get moving.¡± Oh, maybe I had turned over a new leaf?

    Roger gave me a brief salute, which I returned with a nod as he went away and the body fell to the ground. The Hellhound had already gone, and I hoped Ren told him that he did a good job.

    Picking the battlefield for spoils was one of my least favorite parts of this new existence. It was different if treasure was found from a chest or delivered unceremoniously by the System itself, but looking through the corpse-menu to see how much a life was worth was¡­ it felt like learning the secret to a trick you saw someone else do. Once you had the formula and motions down, saw it for what it really was, it took some of the lustre away.

    ¡°Anything good?¡± I asked the elf as we finished looking.

    ¡°Not much. A couple of things I¡¯m saving for Wolf. You have any rings on? I have a basic Mana increase one you could have.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t - that¡¯d be great.¡± Despite the odd paper-doll of me with boxes in my Equipment screen clearly having ring slots, it hadn¡¯t crossed my mind before. My search through the bodies hadn''t revealed anything more than gold and basic weaponry. Most damaged or paled in comparison to what I already had. I had been on a bit of an unlucky streak with looting lately, and I hoped it was just in preparation for the System giving me something worthwhile.

    She flicked the ring through the air and I caught it in my hand, opening it back up to reveal an orange now in my palm instead.

    [Ring of Mana] [+10% Mana]

    Ren rolled her eyes - but no Dazzle icon.

    ¡°Aw, I missed the trick.¡± Wolf came and sat down to watch to see if I would continue.

    Well, I couldn¡¯t let an eager audience down, could I? ¡°I¡¯m not much for juggling, but¡­¡±

    My left hand went into my trouser pocket and I withdrew two more oranges. I relaxed my shoulders and exhaled as I began juggling the three of them. Wolf already seemed completely sold, and was grinning with his mouth open wide. Ren was less impressed, but I still held her attention. Sometimes that was enough.

    On one of the rotations, I changed an orange to a dagger and continued. A few rotations later and the second orange became another knife - and then soon after a third, and I was now juggling three blades. Wolf clapped his paws together.

    With a flourish, I threw each of them high into the air as they reached my right hand, and then I held my palm out. As the first knife went to pierce through my hand, it turned back into an orange. The second struck atop it as an orange too, with the third remaining a dagger and piercing through them both, holding them together.

    I took my hat off and dropped the offending items into it, before taking a bow to the raucous chuckling of the bear.

    ¡°Now turn it into meat,¡± he suggested.

    With a smile, I pulled out a pork chop from my hat and threw it to him.

    Although I rarely did requests, I felt we needed all the levity we could get before the inevitable shadow of something terrible smothered us. We each had different things we desired... it was only right I did what I could to make us all happy. Not exactly people-pleasing, but... I caught some awkward eye-contact with the elf.

    Well, people deserved happiness. Even me, sometimes.

 40 - Burning Within

    We had wrought our fair share of evil onto the world - although that word perhaps needed a qualifying asterisk. Even the adventurers who tried to be the model Hero had their fair share of blood on their hands, and we were a couple of rungs lower than that. Rather than allow the gloomy clouds to prevent us from climbing higher, we held strong and acted as a barrier to those far below, lurking in the filth with bloodied claws and gnashing teeth. Certainly, at several points we could have fallen and become one with them, but our true strength lied in the balance of not deluding ourselves that we could be any better, while having disdain for any who were worse.

    I rolled out my right shoulder. ¡°That doesn¡¯t really seem like something that should be a Quest.¡±

    Ren pulled a face and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s experience without risk.¡±

    Other than the risk of carpal tunnel, I presumed. I leaned back to look up at the tree, bringing the Quest back up to make sure I wasn¡¯t missing anything.

    [Quest: Cut down the tree blocking the path 0/1]

    This was clearly the tree. We had made sure of it. The fact that it seemed to be twice as wide as all the others nearby and a slightly different hue gave our decision credence. There was hardly a path for it to block, but Ren was right. Cutting a tree down should be murder-free and I did suggest we look for Quests to find. Perhaps it might fall on my head, in an odd twist of fate. I didn''t think the System had that good a sense of humor, however.

    ¡°Not scared of a little physical labor, are you, trickster?¡±

    ¡°Only one thing scares me, Ren.¡± I sighed and started to remove my jacket. The freedom of movement would help, although I didn¡¯t really know what I was doing.

    ¡°Failure? Lack of attention? Emotional vulnerability?¡±

    I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.

    ¡°Me?¡± Her eyebrows raised, in a rare holiday from her usual grumpy expression.

    ¡°Maybe at least two of those things. Do you have an axe?¡± I worked my jaw and rolled up my shirt sleeves. They had long dirtied from blood and sweat soaking through them. It was about time I gave them a repair.

    ¡°For the tree, I hope?¡± Her eyebrows lowered again, and she looked through her Inventory. ¡°You should have looted some from the orcs.¡±

    I turned my dull glare toward the bear, who shrugged. Sure, the orcs had some and it would have made sense to keep a couple around, but I was hoping for something smaller - hand-axes that I could juggle or throw with greater ease. The spear that I owned had suited my need for a long weapon, but perhaps I needed to start diversifying.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t tried using your magic first, before trying to impress me with your muscles.¡± She handed over a heavy two-handed axe.

    Despite looking smart in a suit, I was pretty lean of build - even without the System needing to quantify how low my Strength and Constitution really was. ¡°Probably more chance of that than with my tricks,¡± I murmured louder than inside my head.

    I closed my eyes and stepped toward the offending tree, peddling from one embarrassing situation to the next. The plan was to weaken it enough to where Wolf could then push it down, or something. I felt very out of place and yet was unable to stop myself from continuing the charade. I had accepted the Quest, after all. The call to action.

    Clenching my jaw, I gripped the axe tightly, hefting it backward before making the first cut into the thick trunk. A sharp thud echoed out around us from the impact. Then, a crack vibrated throughout the full four-foot diameter of the tree and with a grinding snap it began to topple over away from me. My brain was relieved it wouldn''t have to dodge away from it.

    I turned and gave the pair a bow, flourishing the axe with a twirl as it turned into my jacket to hang over my shoulder. ¡°Impressed yet?¡±

    Wolf had a grin across his face and a Dazzle icon over his head, continuing the trend of being my longest living fan. Ren looked rather impassive, which I took to be a sign of her surprise.

    [Quest Complete]

    [10 Gold]

    [Wooden Planks (5)]

    ¡°Didn¡¯t move the needle much experience wise, but we got a little show and it took no effort,¡± the elf said with a shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±

    I put my jacket back on, trying to gauge which show she was talking about. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I also wondered why that had been so easy. Something to do with my Sleight of Hand? A bug in the System? Perhaps it was even intended that way, as bizarre and immersion breaking as it was. Wooden planks, though. Score.

    ¡°You doing okay, Wolf?¡± I gave him a pat on the flank as I caught up. ¡°You¡¯ve been quiet lately.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± He lifted his head to look at me. ¡°There¡¯s only so many thoughts in my head, and I am not yet used to talking so much. If anything, it amazes me how you two manage to talk near constantly.¡±

    ¡°Such is the burden of a busy mind,¡± I said as I smiled at him.

    ¡°All I know is when I''m with you two, I enjoy the rush of combat and the taste of meat even more. Although you two do not mate, I consider you part of my sleuth.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    I winced, then tilted my head. If Ren heard, which she most definitely did, she made no sign of turning or commenting on his statement. ¡°A sleuth is what you call a group of bears? Like a family?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Family. I like that word.¡±

    It was kind of strange, but I did too. For whatever existence I now had to eke out in this world, my current two companions were some of the best I could have hoped for. Ren might be prickly, but there was an earnestness in her heart and a drive to push me to be better. Wolf was a simple brute, but he was loyal and was always impressed with my tricks. That¡¯s why he was my favorite. I narrowed my eyes at the back of the constantly unimpressed elf.

    She turned her head and gave me the same look, perhaps assuming I had been ogling her, rather than knowing I was plotting to Dazzle her, eventually.

    ¡°Something to say, trickster?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes further to emphasize the point was something valid. ¡°Is Ren short for something?¡±

    ¡°Renesara. It¡¯s only used on formal occasions, though. I dislike it.¡± She turned away to look ahead, but slowed down so that we were walking together.

    There was some comparison there to my own. ¡°I only use my full name for the stage. It¡¯s so gaudy otherwise.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°Did anyone used to call you-¡°

    ¡°Little wren? Yeah, Flynn did.¡± She exhaled through her nose and looked out to the horizon.

    ¡°My dad would say ¡®I didn¡¯t name you Minimum¡¯ whenever he thought I wasn¡¯t putting in enough effort.¡± I tried to turn the wheel to skirt around the sad point of the deceased elf, more because I didn¡¯t want to feel like a dickbag, rather than thinking I could course-correct that easily from something so important to her.

    ¡°He should have seen you cut down that tree.¡± Ren whistled and turned her eyes to me. There was something in them I couldn''t quite pinpoint, but certainly more emotion than I was used to seeing from her¡ªdespite the soft frown still being present.

    ¡°Well, I know what my vocation will be if this adventuring thing doesn¡¯t pan out.¡±

    Wolf sniffed into the air, raising his head. ¡°Hmm. Burned wood. Death.¡±

    Any budding rapport quickly cooled at his words. ¡°Which way?¡± I frowned and scoured the surroundings as if we might have just been oblivious to something untoward in our midst.

    The bear stood up tall on his hind legs, possibly the first time he had done so in my presence. It was humbling, as he was nearly twice my height. It was no wonder he shredded through most of the humanoid opponents.

    ¡°That way,¡± he pointed a paw up before settling down back to being on all fours.

    Ren already had her Map up and her face turned into a grimace. ¡°That¡¯s the direction of the outpost.¡±

    Part of me had known it as soon as Wolf had said death. Our scenic route hadn¡¯t dragged up many potential Quests, and we were close to circling back around to the intended resting place for the night.

    I nodded, and we set off at a slightly quicker pace. Apprehension caused a knot in my stomach, and I was too focused on the possibilities of what we might find to be fiddling with tricks or talking with the others. Ten minutes later, as we drew closer, I could smell it now too.

    The harsh, smokey tones of burned wood were unmistakable. Nothing as soft as a campfire put to rest. This had the odor of unwanted property damage written all over it. While I couldn¡¯t pick out whatever death the bear had been able to smell, there was definitely something wrong that prickled at the back of my neck.

    Another five minutes, and the sun was clearly sinking toward dusk. I was thankful now that our journey had been mostly uneventful and we¡¯d arrived here while daylight still graced us, rather than stumbling into the unknown at dark.

    We came across a pathway that led to our destination, and with weapons now drawn, we followed it until its conclusion.

    The outpost.

    Or perhaps, what was now left of it. The log wall smoldered, and had been completely burned away or destroyed in parts. The watchtower was little more than a weak ladder leading to a sheet of charcoal. Various shacks and small tents had been set alight, and only the charred skeletons of their previous structure remained.

    We stepped slowly into the area, eyes looking around for potential saboteurs.

    ¡°It looks like a dragon hit it,¡± I murmured, unsure how likely that was in this world.

    ¡°Not a dragon, look.¡± Ren gestured with a nod.

    To our side, upon part of the wooden wall that hadn¡¯t been scarred by the flames, was a hand-print of crimson blood.

    ¡°Macabre coincidence?¡± I worked my jaw and looked around. As much as I... hoped for that to be the case, part of me knew it couldn''t be anything but what it clearly looked like.

    ¡°Same as what Hadrian had on him.¡± She exhaled, putting the nail into my thoughts.

    There were other places around the destroyed outpost that had similar prints. Some had been half burned away or dried and flaked off in parts, but it was now clearly a deliberate act. A warning to anyone who came here that the Crimson Shadow was around and in charge.

    ¡°Over there.¡± Wolf sniffed around the dirt and led us around one of the husks of the prior buildings.

    There were the bodies.

    Ren grimaced and averted her eyes, but I could not. I stepped forward and kneeled, drawing a cloth from my Inventory to cover my mouth. There were maybe a dozen or so corpses stacked into a corner like refuse. Each had been terribly burned to the point of being little more than shriveled flesh and charred skeletons. Dark red and black, it reminded me of Hell for some reason.

    I blinked away the thoughts of memories I didn¡¯t understand. There wasn¡¯t much I could tell from looking at them. As much as I had hoped to be able to chalk it up as them being all System-created, something told me it wasn¡¯t that easy. The truth would be closer to the worst-case scenario than I could imagine.

    ¡°Why would they do such a thing?¡± I stood, my mouth still covered. So destroyed were the figures that the System hadn''t even prompted me to loot them. They were inert.

    There was violence, and then there was¡­ this. Slaughter, sacking, and the absolute disdain for life. It was abhorrent.

    Ren said nothing, but her eyes were practically alight with blue-flamed fury. She stepped away to look around more of the ruins, and I nudged the bear to follow suit. System-created should respawn, or so I believed. What if the destruction of the area had turned it into a zone where the System wouldn¡¯t bother to bring things anew? Seemed futile to destroy something if it would pop back into existence at some point. Unless the outpost was just collateral, and Player-murder was the true goal.

    The bear continued sniffing across the ground. Marred with different hues of ash and mud, I wouldn''t have been able to pick out any tracks if I tried.

    ¡°Lots of blood,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°The hope is that the cremation was post-mortem then.¡± I exhaled, not particularly comforted by that thought. How long had it been since the act was carried out? I knew little about that sort of thing. Not that we could have stopped it, we should be owl feed around now.

    ¡°Fuckers.¡± Ren deflated and her arm holding her bow sagged.

    ¡°I guess this settles it, then.¡± I rolled my neck around, but it didn¡¯t loosen the tension. ¡°Killing Crimson Shadow is going to be our priority.¡±

    ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t find you-¡°

    Ren swiveled at the sound of the voice, her radiant arrow streaking through the ruined outpost even as I still drew my card up.

    A blur of shadow went to move, but was too slow. The pained yelp following the voice was familiar, and I held my card as they came into view.

    ¡°Assholes! What the¡­¡± Hannah growled, looking at the end of her tail, part of it severed from the rest by the arrow, and stuck to the wall behind her.

    Her pained anger turned to confusion as her wide cat eyes took in the surroundings. ¡°¡­fuck?¡±

 41 - Contracted

    The scene had been set. Murderers. Vigilantes in a way, trying to wipe the filthy stains of those intent on ruining the System in this world. Some of these stains were more stubborn than others. A little bit of elbow grease, in the form of personal hardship. It was an acceptable price to pay if we could ever complete our goal. Even after all this time, the visual of those poor souls at the outpost had stuck with me. Not the last horror to hang its coat up on the rack inside my mind, but one of the first to truly weigh on me.

    Ren rose her bow back up at the woman, arrow readied. ¡°Stand perfectly still, otherwise the next one goes through your skull.¡±

    The shapeshifter narrowed her eyes but stayed put, only wrapping her injured tail around herself so she could hold and nurse it. Whatever her combat abilities may be, she didn''t fancy her chances against dodging a second arrow.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked as I crossed my arms.

    The reason was clear enough by the scowl on her face. ¡°Somebody plied me with a fake Token, so I came to leverage a real one from them.¡± Her green eyes looked around the outpost. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°We came here to use the outpost, but found it burned to the ground by the Crimson Shadow.¡± I gestured with my hand and she looked over to see their marking. Her expression sunk, but I still had to ask the next question. ¡°Did you tell them about us once you realized we had tricked you?¡±

    "No." She shook her head. ¡°You called my bluff. Congratulations. You¡¯re still assholes, though.¡±

    I bowed. ¡°Guilty. That was all me though, so aim your ire here. We¡¯re pretty on-edge right now, so what will it take to smooth this over?¡±

    ¡°Two Tokens.¡±

    Impassively, I turned to Ren. Her arrow was raring to go, and currently, to my lagging mind, that seemed like an easy solution to our current problem. I didn¡¯t want to be like the Shadows, despite the call of the void. We needed to be¡­ pragmatic, sure. Cautious, even. But we shouldn¡¯t chase them down the dark path, lest we lose the actual warmth worth fighting for amongst cold hearts. Still, I wasn''t eager to give up the power we had bled for. Earned.

    ¡°How about your life?¡± I grinned.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    My grin persisted. ¡°Did you want to call our bluff?¡±

    She looked at the three of us and sighed. ¡°Fine. No use having information if everyone wants me dead. I was just going to guilt trip you into paying up.¡±

    I stepped over close to Ren and leaned over to whisper in her pointed ear, perhaps a lot closer than I had originally intended. Told her my intentions, and she gave me a brief nod of acceptance. Wolf¡­ I figured he would be indifferent, so I broke protocol and didn¡¯t ask his opinion.

    ¡°Hannah, how would you like to help us fight against the Crimson Shadow?¡±

    She pulled a face and stuck her tongue out in faux disgust. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a fighter, so I¡¯d rather not sign my own death warrant, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Not as a fighter, but as a scout. We can always use information, and we¡¯d actually pay you for the efforts.¡± I had told Ren that the Tokens would come out of my share if necessary, but good information could keep us alive. She knew as much that we were still mostly blind in this area - knowing how bad the threat was and where could keep us out of harm''s way until we were ready.

    She swirled her shorter tail around. ¡°You want to¡­ employ me?"

    I shrugged and let her word it how she wanted. Currently, we held all the cards. There was also the feeling that my senses had been overworked from the overbearing smells around us and had numbed. It wasn¡¯t the nicest of places to hold negotiations.

    Hannah worked her jaw and bared her teeth - sharper than a normal humans. ¡°Fine. If you are going to unfuck the woods, then I¡¯d rather help than get in the way.¡±

    ¡°Perfect!¡± I beamed, and with a glance, Ren lowered her bow. I brought down my hat and pulled a Power Token from it.

    All eyes on me, I flipped it into the air straight vertically, then reached back into my hat again. The hell-dove flew up from my hand as I withdrew it, catching the Token in mid air. The bird then flew it over to the shapeshifter, who caught it as the small object was dropped.

    Ren was glaring at me in my peripheral. ¡°You are ceaseless,¡± she murmured.

    I was. Part of it was my compulsion to constantly be a showman, regardless of my own feelings or wants. It was expected of me. The other part of me reveled in it, perhaps in the same way gamblers chased the high of a win. I too now sought the dopamine of seeing the Dazzle icons pop up.

    ¡°Anything else we should investigate before we leave?¡± I turned to her properly now, addressing her as the Party leader rather than the over-the-top magician.

    The elf shook her head. ¡°Nothing more to see here.¡±

    Hannah was still eyeing up the Power Token to ensure it was real and not one of my other tricks. Consuming it would be the easiest test, but I didn¡¯t want to seem overbearing so soon into our working relationship to pressure her into validating it. We had nothing to prove.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back into the woods to discuss?¡± I gestured off to the side toward the entrance. Now that she had what she wanted, there was the possibility she could run and never return, but I had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t be satisfied if there was the possibility of gaining more left on the table.

    She nodded, and I pat Wolf on the side to get him to follow along. He may have an even dimmer view of death and destruction than us being so disjointed from humanity, but he looked like the smells of the place had become oppressive and his eyes were unfocused. Perhaps he was trying to work his System, which would also explain the sour expression on his face.

    Without ceremony, we left the place behind. At least, physically. I''m not sure my brain truly accepted or processed what we had seen. Now I just ached for vengeance, or some manner of justice. A couple of minutes later, our feet had taken away from the remains of the outpost and we stood amongst some trees in the waning light of the evening. It was cooler and the fresher air was a relief, even if it made me feel more tired.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°So, what are the terms?¡± the shapeshifter asked.

    Understandably, she was a little put off at having to stand before us three. Wolf was imposing enough on his own, without the glare of the elf, and... whatever I had going on. I rubbed my chin and looked at Ren. ¡°I¡¯d say the most important thing is, don¡¯t die?¡±

    The elf nodded and narrowed her eyes at the cat-woman. ¡°A dead scout is a worthless scout.¡±

    ¡°Secondly,¡± I continued. ¡°We mostly need information on their campgrounds, any bases, and their movements. If you can work out Classes or Levels then you get a smiley face on your end of quarterly peer review.¡±

    She rolled her eyes at this. ¡°So just somehow find you every so often, give you coordinates and anything else I can safely get?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise you a Token every time you return, but we¡¯ll find some way to compensate you fairly.¡± After all, the power was best kept in-house. The odd Token here or there for information that could keep us alive would be worth the cost in the long run, now that she seemed more trustworthy, at least.

    Ren tilted her head and shot a glance at me before looking at Hannah. ¡°If you could find out their actual motives, that¡¯d be nice, too.¡±

    Of course. Evil for the sake of it usually only happened in fairy-tales. On the small scale, burning down an outpost or killing a group of Players could easily be the actions of someone sadistic or malicious - but there had to be an end goal of the group as a whole. What did the Lady want, and why did it involve so much wholesale violence?

    ¡°Sure.¡± Hannah exhaled, ¡°I¡¯ll see what they like for breakfast too if it helps?¡±

    I nodded slowly. She was being sarcastic, but I was sure I could do something with poisoning or switching out ingredients. ¡°Anything you can get will be useful.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Other than the camp I told you about, I know of two other groups. There¡¯s a small one than moves about a lot. Like their own scouts, but more violent. There''s also a larger one down south past the town to the west. Lot''s of activity there in the past couple of days, I''ll probably head there soon to see what they''re doing.¡± She turned to leave. ¡°I¡¯m still pissed about my tail, but I¡¯m glad it wasn¡¯t my head.¡±

    Ren worked her jaw. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I am sorry.¡±

    Hannah waved her off as she departed. ¡°You can owe me an ale. Meet you back at the town if you¡¯re not dead by then.¡±

    After two dozen steps, she turned into a cat and vanished into the bushes beyond our vision. A few moments of silence followed before the elf turned to me.

    ¡°You think we can trust her?¡±

    ¡°For now.¡± I took a deep breath and then gave her a smile. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look to have a Party, so she is perhaps just a lost soul in this world as we were.¡± Partly I wondered if we should consider offering her a Party invite. She wasn''t so eager to engage in violence as we were, however. We couldn''t provide the safety she needed in the direct sense either. While flexibility could be a strength, consolidating the three of us was working out well.

    She narrowed her eyes at me, but gave me a nod, turning once more to look past the sparse canopy. ¡°It¡¯ll be dark soon.¡±

    The statement didn¡¯t seem to have a follow-up coming, which I took to mean she was waiting for my lead for our next steps. I gave Wolf a pat on his side. ¡°No point getting our brains bashed out wandering around in the dark. Camp tonight, Dungeon tomorrow, then head back to town where Hannah will hopefully have the actual location of the Shadows.¡± With all things going well, the dungeon would give us some power worth the effort, too.

    ¡°No campfire tonight, then.¡± Ren glanced backward at the outpost. ¡°We also don¡¯t want to draw any attention to ourselves.¡±

    I agreed. There was something comforting about the warmth and light of a fire, but after seeing the burned-out ruins, I was less inclined to put myself beside the destructive force and invite whoever was in the area to join us.

    With little else to say, we ventured away from the site. Anger still rolled around inside me, but it needed to cool. Riding our emotions into battle would sharpen the edges of our blades, but also just as easily get us in over our heads. Currently, I was hoping to keep mine on my shoulders, even if the System was keen for me to dash it upon every hard surface in my vicinity.

    As the light darkened across the sky and the twin moons began to show themselves, we eventually found a suitable enough spot to hold up for the night. A shallow cave set into an outcropping of rocks where there was just enough room for Wolf to curl up and blend in to the shadows and obscure our presence. We could squeeze in beside him and be hidden from the outside world, to a degree.

    ¡°Pretty cozy,¡± I murmured, shuffling in after Ren, between the bear and the cold rock wall.

    ¡°Reminds me of the dirt hole I used to hide in.¡± Ren had sat up against the warm body of our other Party member, facing the side. "Not exactly a fond memory, though."

    I sat down almost right beside her. ¡°Here, it¡¯s pretty chilly.¡± From my Inventory I withdrew a blanket to share across us. From within this nook, only the barest amount of moonlight shone through.

    ¡°What a fucking day." She sighed, sinking into what warmth she could.

    With a smile, I looked up at the low ceiling. ¡°Yeah. Plenty worse to come, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s been bad enough to erode your positive attitude, trickster.¡±

    The mental images of the charred corpses threw themselves in front of my mind before I turned my head to her. She looked as exhausted as I felt. In the light, she put on a good show of being cold and stoic, but the trials of the day wore on her the same as it did me. Honestly, right now I could barely conjure up a true smile, let alone put on a performance up to my normal standards.

    ¡°Can¡¯t all be fun and games,¡± I eventually relented. Straightened my head and closed my eyes, only the briefest difference in darkness compared to having them open - yet still, it was relaxing.

    ¡°Not all, sure. Some of it has been.¡±

    ¡°Hard to tell with you,¡± I smiled, hoping she could see it in the low light to know I was just trying to rile her up. There was silence for a moment before she spoke again.

    ¡°There was one guy who said I¡¯d look a lot prettier if I smiled more.¡±

    ¡°Did you kill him?¡±

    ¡°What? No, that¡¯s a bit extreme, Max.¡± I heard her sigh.

    Sleep was trying to get me to hurry up, the exhaustion and emotional turmoil of the day finally allowing my brain to turn into mush and rest. ¡°I would have killed him for you,¡± I murmured.

    I didn¡¯t hear her response, as the darkness took me just as soon as the thought had slunk from my mouth.

    Actual rest didn¡¯t come easily, though. Between all-too-vivid dreams, I found myself waking in a brief panic every hour or two at any sound or imagined movement. Heart beating and tired eyes trying to focus on the darkness to see if something untoward was nearby. Nothing. One time was because Ren had slid over and her head was resting on my shoulder. The next time I awoke, she was back in her normal position, so I was unsure if that really happened or my half-lucid dream state was running roughshod over my grip on reality.

    How I wished for my own bed. A proper thing of comfort and peace. Even the worst of the hotels over the years were a step above a hole in the ground with a giant animal to rest upon. A life without demons and murder, where everyone showered my efforts with praise and didn''t call me a dickbag.

    ¡°Hey, Max? Time to get up.¡±

    My eyes cracked open like eggshells as I turned to the elf, who was trying to prod me out of the way.

    ¡°Shit, you look like garbage. Get out of the way and I¡¯ll fix you up.¡±

    I groaned and leveraged myself from the shallow indent, body aching and stiff. Hopefully, by fixing me up, she meant she was just going to break my neck and put me out of my misery. The morning sunlight burned at my retinas and I grasped at my eye sockets in hopes my brain wasn¡¯t about to rupture itself out and escape.

    ¡°See, the trick is not to tense your muscles.¡±

    My glare escaped from between my fingers as I watched her clamber out, too. Her hair burst into radiant gold as soon as she stepped into the light, and despite her soft scowl, she seemed all too glad to be existing. It was almost enough to melt away at my thorns, but not quite.

    She brought out her grill, which was enough for the bear to pop up to his paws in expectation, amber eyes wide.

    ¡°This is not really my sort of thing, but you look like you could use it.¡± From her Inventory, she withdrew a glass bottle and handed it over.

    Cyanide, maybe? A Sleep potion? Some manner of Healing miracle?

    No, something even more valuable and magical.

    Coffee.

 42 - On Tour

    Some days blurred into one another, especially ones that involved nothing more than travel and light skirmishes. Others stood out like streetlamps, painting the surroundings with their distinctive hue. While I often loved to stand in the limelight, some of the lanterns along the path were too bright and hurt my eyes. Others, just a color that would be more warranted being displayed at a horror show. Still, anything was better than the darkness. Anything.

    The first part of the morning was a brisk and picturesque scene of joy. Perhaps it was the coffee, but the illumination of the bright morning sun made everything feel vibrant and put the dark images of the previous day far back in my mind. The rich browns of Wolf¡¯s fur paired with his affable spirit, Ren''s elegant poise and canny wit, the radiant gold of Ren¡¯s hair, and the piercing blue of Ren''s eyes. The trees and shit were nice, too. I did not do well with lack of sleep.

    I lent a hand down to help the elf up a ledge, which she took without complaint.

    ¡°If I had known coffee made you less insufferable, I¡¯d have gotten it out sooner.¡± She rolled her eyes but gave me a nod of thanks.

    In truth, I felt off-kilter still. Between the lack of sleep and the odd caffeine, a mania had set in - good natured, but slightly weird. It wasn''t necessarily stronger than what I was used to in my own world, but there was something odd about it. A magic, if I dared use the term unironically. I looked down at the bear, who was waiting to see if I¡¯d lend him a hand of help next.

    ¡°All the good intention in the world, and I would sooner end down there than you up here, my friend.¡± I grinned and stepped back to allow him to clamber up himself. He looked a little more morose than before, but accepted the reality of the situation. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t work miracles yet.

    But in the future? Certainly. I was sure of it even if I currently wasn¡¯t too sure of myself. There were limitations of the Inventory that I needed to try to override. Objects being too large to store being one of them. Items only being withdrawn into my hand or dropped to the floor was another. I could briefly adjust their exact position and place to some degree, but it was still within the reach of my wingspan.

    Some things I¡¯d just have to wait for the System to allow me with further skills. I was already a stenographer in a world of two-finger typists. Whenever Ren used her Inventory I could see the motions made with her eyes or slight posture changes - it required a certain amount of concentrated effort to work around, and she wasn¡¯t exactly slow of mind. Whereas I was close to just thinking things into existence. Almost a magic unto itself.

    ¡°Do you think it is some degree of force, or the intent that prevents me from snatching arrows from the air?¡± I asked the surrounding forest, my internal monologue too loud to contain.

    ¡°I doubt the System can read intent.¡± Ren narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°More likely that it has a way of calculating potential damage that would meet an ¡®attack¡¯ threshold.¡±

    Now it was my turn to furrow my brow at her. It wasn''t like her to delve into the gritty side of things, especially if it came to my trick-adjacent musings.

    ¡°What? I can¡¯t have been thinking of these things too?¡± She looked behind to wait for Wolf to catch up.

    She had a point, however. Things must have some manner of measurement when it came to the physics and damage that could be dealt. Intent just wouldn''t track unless the System was constantly subjected to my inner monologue. Even if we could trick the System into thinking she was just passing me an arrow at high speed in a friendly way, it was unlikely I could convince our enemies to play the same game.

    ¡°So then...¡± I tapped at my lips in thought. ¡°It would depend on when the calculation is made - when the attack is released, or when it strikes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d need to either reduce their damage, or increase your defenses?¡± She bit her lip and wrinkled up her face.

    ¡°Thinking about me in a suit of armor? Yeah, me too.¡± Despite wearing my cosmetic suit over my actual armor, the thought of clunking around in full plate seemed too restrictive. Too slapstick.

    ¡°It would ruin your aesthetic, trickster.¡± She gestured with her head and began walking.

    It certainly would. Sleep had seemingly given a boost to the elf¡¯s mood, too. She seemed less prickly than usual, and more radiant. Perhaps that was my own perception. There were a handful of reasons why that may be, but I chose not to over-analyze it. I¡¯d live for the day while it was good. No doubt it wouldn''t last.

    ¡°Any luck with your menus, Wolf?¡± I turned and walked backwards a little as he came up between us.

    ¡°No.¡± His amber eyes looked between us. ¡°I tried, but I¡¯m not sure what I am doing, so it¡¯s just a lot of windows and words in my eyes that make me mad and confused.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I wish I could see your STAR information and help you.¡± I swiveled as he matched our pace so that I could see where I was going. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a skill for that, Ren, like Identify?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me. Whether either of us would get it is another thing, though.¡±

    True enough. There would probably be Classes that got them early on, but we seemed to be built for combat. Or doing magic tricks. I rubbed my chin in thought. Maybe I was thinking about it the wrong way¡ªdid I need to see it?

    ¡°Hang on, Wolf. Let¡¯s try something.¡± The bear stopped in place as I circled around to his left side, just behind his head. I kneeled down beside him as the elf leaned against a tree in impassive interest. ¡°The boxes appear on this side, right?¡±

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    He nodded.

    I clucked my tongue and squished up a bit closer to him. In my hand, a sausage appeared. ¡°Don¡¯t eat this yet. What screen do you have up now, the text at the top?¡±

    ¡°Says ¡®Map¡¯.¡± His eyes darted between the held meat and the intangible screen.

    ¡°Okay.¡± I closed my left eye and brought up my Map. ¡°This might not work, but I want you to follow the sausage with your eyes, and then focus on the end when I stop.¡±

    He gave another nod, the prospect of food enrapturing him.

    I lifted the sausage up and moved it in the air, up and then to the left. Mimicking the motions along my own menu. After I paused, Wolf narrowed his eyes and licked his lips.

    ¡°Did the menu change?¡±

    ¡°Map is gone. Now says Inventory.¡±

    A grin widened across my face, and I looked up at Ren. She seemed amused, for all that she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Alright, there should be a grid. You¡¯ll need to tell me what is in the first box and we¡¯ll go from there.¡±

    Gradually, we went through the items that he had managed to loot despite his awkward grasp on the System, and with some trial and error, he equipped what we could. Mentally, it was exhausting - but it was time well spent. Eventually we''d need to work out how to trade the Tokens and other things we had been keeping safe for him.

    ¡°Great job, bud.¡± I flipped the sausage into the air for him to snatch and consume. Dusted my slacks off and noticed that Ren¡¯s clothes were clean and prepared. Did she do that while we were sleeping? More the fool me for not doing the same. Although my sensibilities were worn and soft today, I wasn¡¯t quite at the point where I could walk around in my underwear for five minutes without dying of embarrassment, so it¡¯d have to wait.

    ¡°You ever work with kids?¡± Ren asked, an eyebrow raised.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, not really. Couple of kid shows, birthday parties and the like when I was starting out.¡±

    She pushed away from the tree and started walking off again. ¡°How old did you say you were, again?¡±

    I rubbed my chin. ¡°Don¡¯t think I did, but twenty-eight.¡±

    ¡°Twenty-five.¡±

    Wolf licked at his chops. ¡°Eighteen, I think.¡±

    Both answers seemed reasonable, although I half-expected the elf to be three-hundred or something else outrageous and fantastical. ¡°That¡¯s rather old for a bear, isn¡¯t it? No offense.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. It wasn¡¯t something I used to consider.¡±

    That stood to reason. There were a lot of things any of us hadn¡¯t considered before we landed in this world. Personally, murder was one of those things. Although... it had come easy to me, so who really knew who the demon lurking within me truly was? Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t personify them lest they get any smart ideas. Especially when lack of sleep thinned the veil.

    Gradually, the colors around me dimmed, and I grew tired of walking through the woods. No surprise, as it was now twenty minutes later, and the coffee had worn off.

    ¡°Is it odd we haven¡¯t come across many Players?¡± I wrinkled up my face as I looked through the woods, fully aware I asked this question almost every day.

    ¡°The disparity between free agents and Crimson Shadow is worrying.¡± Ren stood up beside me as if she could assist in my directionless glare. "I can''t imagine it''s meant to be this... sparse."

    I nodded, but had little to add that wouldn¡¯t sound melodramatic. It felt as though the world was against us, with any allies few and far between. Well, just Hannah at this point, although the barkeep had been amiable. Didn¡¯t seem too bothered about the assassination attempt, but he had a solid customer service voice. If the island hadn''t been sending new Players across, then that might be part of the equation. If it only took a couple of weeks to level out of this area, then perhaps that was painting a more plausible picture.

    ¡°I took a chance in aiming to do only for the toughest Quests to level quicker.¡± She looked up at me. ¡°There¡¯s probably a lot of exposition we missed out on.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t her fault, and I offered a warm smile as a consolation prize. ¡°It¡¯s fine. If I wanted an easy life, I wouldn¡¯t be here with you two.¡±

    ¡°Dickbag.¡± She exhaled through her nose. ¡°You sure about this Dungeon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be dangerous, but it¡¯s guaranteed experience, right? Walking around hoping to run into random Quests and avoid the Shadows will just get us tired and killed. You have reservations?¡±

    Ren paused for a second, then shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s the smart choice.¡±

    Something was going unsaid there, but I didn¡¯t push her further. My brain felt like a handful of broken stone rather than something solid I could wield around. I needed my wits to pull together if we were going to get through whatever the Dungeon could offer. It would be my greatest show yet.

    I wondered how many times I could tell myself that before even I grew tired of the cliche. At least once more, I hoped.

    Another hour later and my feet were aching from my poor choice in footwear. I had been enduring it for a while, but my ability to smile and carry on was a few cards short of a full deck after my terrible sleep. I leaned against a tree to try to stretch them out.

    ¡°Ren, I don¡¯t suppose you have any good boots I could wear?¡±

    She stopped and raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear the reason first¡ªin case I had a trick or something in mind, maybe.

    ¡°You know how I love to suffer, so this is a true cry for help.¡± I doubted the System would care about trying to heal up some blisters, and I didn¡¯t want any more agony in the Dungeon than it was already offering.

    ¡°I have some basic boots with no stats. Can¡¯t you switch to your Equipped gear?¡±

    Slowly, I shook my head with a wince. ¡°My equipped footwear¡­ is a pair of sandals.¡±

    ¡°Sandals,¡± she repeated, a blank expression on her face as she passed over the black boots.

    There was no question that she knew what those were, but was clearly trying to imagine me clopping about the woods with my bare feet barely gripping to them. Even worse than my dress shoes - but the Stats were important.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just stick these in my Cosmetic, and store the dress shoes for a more appropriate time.¡±

    Wolf came to the side and sat down as he watched me swap footwear around. ¡°Like a funeral?¡±

    ¡°They were murder on my heels,¡± I said as I grinned at him. "So... eventually." I lifted one of the offending shoes into the air and made the motion of pushing it into my mouth, instead placing them in my Inventory.

    Ignoring the rolling eyes of the elf, I hopped back onto my freshly booted feet. A new lease on life granting me a few minutes of contentedness before I found something else to rain on my parade.

    Actual rain, now approaching, would be most likely culprit. As if my thoughts could twist the ear of narrative intent, gloomy clouds filtered over the sky as we progressed. Once the gray blanket had obscured the previously bright sky, a light rainfall started to patter amongst the leaves.

    ¡°Hate rain,¡± Wolf grumbled, eyeing up the surroundings in hopes of finding more cover.

    ¡°I like it.¡± Ren held her hand over her brow to look up toward the canopy, the drab weather almost sapping away some of her own drabness.

    I found the middle-ground between the two opinions. ¡°It¡¯s nice to watch, but I don¡¯t want to get ill being out in it too long.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in luck then, trickster.¡± Ren pointed out ahead of us, slightly to the right. ¡°We are here.¡±

    Between the gaps in the treeline, a mound of wrapped vines and aged bark sat shadowed under the gloom of the day.

    The Dungeon.

 43 - Wooden Response

    Dungeons were an oddity in the System. While most of the world had degrees of procedural randomness to mimic a normal world, Dungeons were a construct more akin to a puzzle. Something for me to try to solve. In the times I had the time and inclination to repeat one, it became obvious that they were set pieces. Same Monsters and same traps. Combat was more fluid and affected success more than anything else once you knew the rooms. This never helped the first attempt, of course, which was the crux of why they were so deadly.

    [Dungeon: Fallen Grove]

    [Open - Expected Difficulty: Medium]

    I pulled a face. ¡°Nice of the System to forewarn us.¡± I looked at the portal entrance. A swirling vortex of pale green and brown enshrined in the thick vines covering the area. ¡°Medium difficulty.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust that.¡± Ren glared at the shimmering doorway. ¡°Something tells me that the System has a skewed view on what is difficult.¡±

    Another reasonable take. When an arrow to the neck could end our adventuring careers early, any trap worth its weight should be taken as being above ¡®medium difficulty¡¯. ¡°Probably just means the Monster levels.¡± I scrunched my tired eyes up to try to bring some life into them. Maybe the dungeon would have lodgings with soft beds¡ªeven a little cafe and gift shop to make the whole process pleasant and pedestrian. Now I really was losing my sanity.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Wolf pushed up against me, eager to get out of the rain.

    ¡°Lead on, trickster.¡±

    With a sigh, I straightened out my jacket and walked toward the portal. Half expecting to be tossed into a spiked pit immediately, I was almost disappointed that after a brief moment of wavy vertigo I stepped into an empty chamber.

    Constructed of rough gray stone, it looked long abandoned. Vines and spent leaves covered most of the walls and some parts of the floor. Lanterns sat in small alcoves cut into the walls sporadically, spreading a light glow across the room toward the single exit - an open doorway to a corridor that went to the left immediately.

    I stepped to the side as Ren and then the bear walked through behind me.

    ¡°Initial impressions?¡± My eyebrows raised, and I crossed my arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad the hallways look wide enough for Wolf.¡± She gave him a pat on his flank. ¡°How did you want to approach this?¡±

    Not being able to take our big pal through with us would have been detrimental to our success. While I didn¡¯t want to just push him forward to absorb all the danger, he at least needed to be present to assist when things got dicey.

    I spun on my heels, the spear now in my hand when I came back to face them. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do this old-school. I¡¯ll go first and we¡¯ll take it slowly.¡± I tapped the blunt end on the stone floor for added effect.

    Ren didn¡¯t respond at first, as if processing something, before she blinked and an eyebrow raised. ¡°Old-school?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°I had a¡­ friend?¡± Now the word seemed awkward, but at the time it was true, to a degree. ¡°Back at school, he was into the whole roleplaying thing and was relentless with filling my head with information. First, you need a large pole.¡±

    ¡°Can we start over?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I think I lost you about three times there.¡±

    ¡°It was the ¡®friend¡¯ bit, right?¡± I grinned and held the spear up. ¡°To poke around the floor for traps, I guess.¡±

    Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°This room doesn¡¯t look like it needs assailing. Shall we take a minute to prepare?¡±

    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°If you make me another coffee, I would be greatly indebted to you.¡±

    ¡°How indebted?¡± She put her hands on her hips. Wolf shuffled uncomfortably.

    My tongue rolled across my teeth. I really needed that coffee, and there was almost a tangible feeling of my inner self starting to unravel. I¡¯d rather not see what lurked within the core. ¡°Name your price.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you''ll owe me a favor.¡±

    Before I had the chance to process or agree, she already had the grill and kettle out. I shrugged at the apprehensive bear. How bad could owing her a favor be? ¡°Hungry, Wolf?¡± I withdrew some steak and lobbed it to him as he nodded, snapping it out of the air. We¡¯d need to gather some more supplies at some point. Some of my meat reserves were getting low.

    Not a sentence I expected my brain to ever have to think.

    ¡°Here.¡± Ren passed me the steaming mug. ¡°Hope it¡¯ll be worth it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d walk into the maw of a dragon for a strong brew on a bad day.¡± I lifted it up to take in the smell. Bliss.

    ¡°Noted.¡± She went into her Inventory to get her own food out.

    It was perhaps the most mundane start to a dungeon possible, but with the addition of a pair of chairs, we had ourselves a small picnic. There was a gloomy dampness to the chamber, but after walking all morning it was heavenly just to rest and recuperate for a handful of minutes. In a way, I felt more safe in here between these unknown walls. If I closed my eyes, it almost reminded me of some backstage areas. The feeling grounded me, just as the caffeine soaked back into my bones.

    ¡°I feel like I could destroy giants.¡± I grinned as I stretched out, our late breakfast now all packed away.

    ¡°You never want an ego big enough that you¡¯d die falling from it.¡± Ren tapped at one of her side pouches. ¡°Although I¡¯m sure you could pull it off doing some of your usual bullshit.¡±

    I gave her a bow. ¡°Your faith in me is almost as uplifting as the coffee was.¡± Perhaps I needed to tone it down a bit. While the warm liquid had filled in the cracks of my psyche to give it the appearance of an unblemished surface, if anything, it was just adding fuel to the fire that had been growing from embers since I arrived in this world.

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    Wolf stretched out and was ready, so with spear in hand, I walked toward the exit of the first chamber. I paused at the threshold and observed the frame. More the fool me to make it one step and get eviscerated because the Dungeon constructor was especially devious.

    Nothing looked untoward, so I stepped forth. Immediately I was completely whelmed. To the left, a short staircase that led to a closed stone door. Although there was a lantern by me, and one down by the door, the stairs themselves were partially obscured by the gloom.

    Without needing to say anything, Ren went and brought one of the lanterns from the chamber. I placed the spear tip through the curved handle to extend it over the darkened area. Our caution was soon rewarded, as amongst the littering of leaves and aged vegetation clawing at the edges of the staircase, there was a step that looked off.

    ¡°Pressure plate, I think.¡± Ren pointed it out, her eyes better than mine.

    I crouched down and surveyed the surroundings. ¡°The ceiling looks different to the rest, like it¡¯s intentionally obscured. I imagine there¡¯s something that swings down from there.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also a tripwire near the door.¡± Ren crouched down beside me. ¡°Can¡¯t see what it does from here.¡±

    ¡°Devious.¡± I smiled at her. How her eyes remained so bright and energized in this¡­ I shook the thoughts mentally. ¡°Right.¡± I stood back to my feet. ¡°Watch me mess this up and turn into bloodied mist.¡±

    Neither of them tried to stop me, or said any last words of encouragement... that it was nice to have known me. My feet took me cautiously down each step, my eyes switching between the pressure plate that definitely needed avoiding, and the ceiling full of death. I made it to the bottom unhindered and shot a thumb up to the others. ¡°Let me check the wire first.¡±

    The last thing I¡¯d need is the bear stumbling down after us, crushing our bodies into the door and setting both traps off. They nodded their agreements, so I turned and kneeled down by it. A tense cord ran from one wall to the other, around ankle level, about a foot and a half from the door. With my finger, I traced the path into the wall, trying to imagine where it could lead. There was part of my understanding of magic that helped fill in some of the gaps with rough assumptions.

    A purple card spun into my hand, and I cut through the cord. I could hear the two up the stairs physically tense up, whereas I didn¡¯t move a muscle. Frozen, I waited for the hint of a sound or slight movement. Nothing. ¡°Interesting,¡± I muttered, and gestured for them to descend. Some kind of door lock or alarm, to alert the inhabitants of our arrival or keep us out. Such a simple thing that would set a Party on the back foot through the whole encounter. Nice of the two traps I''d come across to be tension related, and easily solved by cutting.

    I placed my hand softly on the door as the other two carefully made it down to shuffle in behind me. Enough room for Wolf but he couldn¡¯t exactly move to the front. If there were traps, it would better for me to continue leading, anyway. My eyebrow raised as I turned to them, my words caught in my mouth as Ren put her hand against my upper arm.

    ¡°Are you alright, Max?¡±

    My brain span around briefly. Odd time to have some emotional exposition, and physically the traps hadn¡¯t maimed me. ¡°I believe so, why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s probably nothing. Just a bad feeling.¡± Her hand withdrew, leaving me somewhat perplexed. There was concern in her glare.

    I blinked, trying mentally to parse that situation. ¡°I¡¯m expecting combat beyond the door. After I enter, I''ll swing to the right to make space for Wolf.¡±

    The bear nodded, and so did the elf after a brief moment of consideration. I wasn''t sure how troubled I should be that she worried for me, but didn''t know why. I hated premonitions almost as much as I hated having my head split open. Which was a lot.

    Fingers tucked into the handle indentation, I opened it to the side as quickly as my strength would allow. The stone doorway slid into the wall on one side with a deep grinding noise.

    I stepped into the square chamber, to the tune of six pairs of eyes turning to me in surprise. Four figures sitting at a table on the top left, playing¡­ cards. Two more standing to my direct right in the corner, discussing something over a held book.

    [New Monster: Treant <6>]

    While the system filled in the specifics, the tree-like Monsters were something else to behold. Seemingly made of wooden trunks and thick roots themselves, their shoulder and heads covered in dense moss-like foliage. Their humanoid faces looked sinister as their deep-set eyes were cold yellow light amongst shadowed recesses. They also didn¡¯t appear to appreciate my unwelcome entrance. Needed more fanfare, surely.

    Two cards already left my hand toward the pair on the right as I strode towards them. The purple card embedding and severing some of the first treant¡¯s thick arm, where the Hellhound card struck the book, my canine friend leapt out of a magic circle to cling to the opponent. The second Monster lurched to swipe out at me.

    Ren¡¯s entangling shot blasted through the room and pinned the table-bound four as they tried to rise against us, right before the large form of Wolf burst through the doorway after the elf and charged the short distance toward them.

    <Card Fan> blocked the slashing tips of the vegetative fingers, and as the Monster rose back to follow-up, I withdrew the lit torch into my left hand. The treant shirked away from the sudden appearance of fire and allowed me to press the advantage as my right hand now swung in, holding my dagger. Embedded straight into the pit of their left eye, and they screeched. Arrow struck the side of their head as they stepped back. They went for one last-ditch attempt to grab at me and I moved away, a sheet of cloth suddenly obscuring their vision. Empowered single card straight into their chest, destroying what I assumed was their heart.

    The cloth fluttered to the floor, revealing my showman''s bow as the light faded from their eyes. Carnage was being wrought in my peripheral as Wolf disassembled treant and furniture alike in a fury of heavy paws. Splinters and shards of wood clattered and slid across the stone floor as he tore through everything. My Hellhound had caused some damage to the one remaining by me, but wasn¡¯t really built for breaking through their tough bark-like skin.

    Weapons gone, I flipped my hat to the floor, turning as I drew one crossbow to fire the loaded bolt into the side of the treant¡¯s head. I dropped it to my hat as I drew the second with a turn to repeat the process. As they hit my upturned top hat, they vanished as if they had fallen inside. The treant stumbled away with two bolts lodged in its head, the lights in their eyes dimming. My boot stomped to the floor, and the spear ejected out of my hat into my grip. With a short flourish, I jammed it through the wooden neck with a fatal crack.

    I turned, spinning the spear further to see if my assistance was required. Wolf had finished off the other four already, and now was just chewing and cracking their remaining pieces. Perhaps it was good for his dental health. With the tip of the spear, I flipped my hat back up off of the floor and onto my head. Shot Ren a grin. ¡°I know. You can say it.¡± I was insufferable.

    She sighed. ¡°Frankly, it¡¯s stunning both that you do that intuitively, and that it actually works most of the time.¡±

    Stunning. That was a new one. I hadn¡¯t even paid any attention to the Dazzle icons this time around, but I was sure she wouldn¡¯t have had one. Things had just seemed to flow, like my exhausted brain allowed things to happen on autopilot. Smoothing over the gaps where I might usually overthink.

    Why my autopilot defaulted to near-slapstick violence was something I would think about later.

    I kneeled down and pulled a face as I went to loot the monsters. Not only did they not drop gold, but a lot of their loot was... assorted tree parts? Not even planks, just vines or bark. My brow furrowed harder at them, as if that would reveal some secret items they were holding back from me.

    "You seem unimpressed, Max." Ren tilted her head as she watched me rifle through the bodies a second time.

    With a shrug, I stood. "I was hoping for more of a show..." A wry grin formed at the side of my mouth. "But their performance was rather... wooden."

 44 - Polished Woodwork

    The world was created for us. Although that sounded egotistical, there could be no other explanation than there was some thought given to the fact that we were intended to experience what it had to offer. The levels of Monsters in certain areas, the dangers in Dungeons, Quests that took you through conflict for the chance of reward - all were made with the intent that you should grow at a certain pace. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, and you could die along the way, but there was a route to follow. We often found ourselves taking shortcuts, haivng our own ideas for what we wanted. Taking the offerings piecemeal and leaving the suggested paths to gather dust.

    It took a few minutes before Ren would even talk to me again after the bad pun. Still worth it, though. I rolled out my shoulders. ¡°There¡¯s a necklace here. Increase to radiant damage?¡±

    ¡°Definitely need.¡± Ren flexed her hand out in anticipation to grab the loot from me.

    Nothing much worthwhile for me, so far. I handed it over and rubbed at my eye sockets. It was now three rooms since the first, and whatever energy I had was quickly wearing off. There wasn¡¯t much appetite to stop again so that I could refuel - which was probably a good thing. If I got reliant on the caffeine to get by, then we¡¯d run into problems once it ran out.

    I yawned. ¡°Just to forewarn you, I¡¯m liable to get grumpy soon. I apologize if I snap.¡±

    They exchanged glances.

    ¡°You, trickster? You¡¯d wish your own murderer a good day as they plunged the knife into your heart.¡±

    I rubbed the back of my neck and shuddered. ¡°Why would you put that out into the world?¡± I wasn''t that bad, was I?

    Wolf wasn¡¯t looking too sharp either. After another dozen treants, he was getting pretty bored with wooden Monsters that weren¡¯t very edible. He had tried, of course, and the vomited regrets lay in one of the prior rooms. You could only have so much of a good thing. Bad things, too.

    With a sigh, I shuffled part of the latest inert corpse away from my feet. ¡°Say, Ren¡­ this isn¡¯t like¡­ against your beliefs or anything?¡±

    She furrowed her brow at first. ¡°Oh? No, not really. I have an affinity for the woodlands, but I¡¯m not a ¡®Wood Elf¡¯ as you might understand it.¡±

    Watching her do the air quotes was amusing, and perhaps a reminder that this wasn¡¯t a world based on my own pop culture references. ¡°For some reason, Oathwarden sounded like something where-¡°

    ¡°Where I had promised to protect the forest, nature, or life? Something cliche like that?¡± She tilted her head.

    I nodded. ¡°Although maybe that¡¯s closer to what Wolf has, then?¡±

    ¡°I like to eat meat,¡± he complained, only halfway between the conversation and his own rumbling thoughts.

    With a grin, I looked over at the next doorway. The inside of the Dungeon proper hadn¡¯t really had traps - with the treants presumably ''living'' here that would make it inefficient. Still, I kept my eyes out as best as I could. I trusted the System to betray my complacency, so I would try not to give it the satisfaction. ¡°So, what is your oath to protect?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± She avoided my inquisitive gaze. ¡°A longer story for an easier day.¡±

    That was fair enough. All things in time, and it wasn¡¯t exactly important information right now. I looked at my hands. A little blood, but nothing terrible. I had been managing my mana a lot better and not exerting so much. Using my inventory tricks often allowed enough time to regenerate enough of the magical power to not constantly burn out. Having Wolf about to manhandle more than his fair share of combatants also made things less stressful on me. Once again, I was thankful for our third Party member.

    I placed my hand against the cold stone of the door, wondering who did all the masonry, seeing as the treants lived here. Perhaps it was something prior? Or maybe the System didn¡¯t think too hard about that kind of thing. Was I thinking too hard about this kind of thing? My tired eyes idly went back around the room. There might even be lore amongst all these books and containers. Neither of the other two had seemed concerned about doing a little learning in here.

    As they nodded their readiness, I pushed through into the next chamber. This one was different. No enemies, and one side was curved instead of squared off. A recessed part on the right was filled with water like a shallow pool, and said water had an almost unnatural blue hue to it.

    Wolf went to push past.

    ¡°Nope.¡± I held my arm outstretched to keep him in place - a fool''s errand given his massive size and strength, but he did stop.

    He pouted and looked up at me with bright amber eyes, reflecting the light from the water. ¡°But I¡¯m thirsty from all the wood.¡±

    Ren tried to push through, too. ¡°It¡¯s not normal water. Probably some sort of treant juice.¡±

    Exactly my thoughts, as amusing as her choice of phrasing was. Perhaps a translation hiccup. With no way of properly detecting magic or what the effects might be, I wasn¡¯t about to risk getting ill or cursed from it. ¡°Best we just pass it?¡±

    The bear looked a little forlorn at the prospect of missing out, but relented to our caution. Ren nodded to agree with me, her blue eyes even more dazzling in this chamber. It would still be here if it turned out to be useful for the Dungeon progress - I imagined some places might have puzzles¡­

    I stopped and kneeled down beside the pool, feeling the sudden glare of the elf on the side of my head. Perhaps it would be useful¡­ like maybe a magical fire covering a doorway that could only be put out with this water. Or it was used to regrow part of a root that blocked our route. It surely wouldn¡¯t hurt to scoop a little up - I had an empty potion bottle in my Inventory, after all.

    But then¡­ I could just use my hands too. I stared at the surface, as it shimmered with light movement. It looked so inviting. I bet it was really cool and calming. After all, I was tired and definitely deserved a rest more than my companions. So selfish of them to deny me this. The fucks.

    Yet, I didn¡¯t move. My eyes blinked away a blur that had covered them and I stood up. ¡°Huh,¡± I said, and stepped over toward the door. Ren had a look of concern across her face again, but all I did was look at the pool of water for a bit, just in case. Then, with a warm feeling in my chest like a flickering flame, I stopped looking at it. Simple, and nothing to worry about.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t summoned Roger yet, not that I¡¯m complaining.¡±

    I turned my head back to look at Ren. ¡°True, I wasn¡¯t sure how much he¡¯d like to be a wood-person.¡± There was another reason, but I couldn¡¯t grasp as to what. Maybe I was just tired enough already and didn¡¯t need his crazed antics grating on me. That¡¯ll do for now - I pushed that excuse into the void to fill the gap so I didn¡¯t have to think about it further. For some reason, the exhaustion gave me less patience for who I was or what I could do.

    The next room was longer than the rest, and slightly wider, with a tall ceiling. Roots and vines ran up the walls to host a large bulb in the middle of the roof. Green and blue hues shimmered across the chamber as a podium illuminated within and filled with water stood in the center. There was little else inside other than something that looked like a long treasure chest on the opposite wall, but was more likely a carved bench.

    I narrowed my eyes up at the large bulb as Ren stood next to me. Easily a dozen feet in diameter in the shade of dull red, I imagined it either held a beautiful flower or something macabre that was going to try to eat us. Despite having a moderate Luck stat, I was erring to the latter option.

    ¡°If this is the Boss room,¡± I ventured, ¡°I¡¯d rather not find out what that does the hard way.¡±

    ¡°There is a doorway out of here, so it may not be.¡± She gestured with the tip of her bow to the side wall, where an exit was overgrown with vines and vegetation.

    ¡°Can I drink that water?¡± Wolf pressed his large head in between us to look at the raised area.

    ¡°Unlikely, friend.¡± I made the mental note to start storing more liquids when I had the chance. Maybe a large dog bowl - although that seemed condescending. Thinking about it, a few large glass containers filled with water - or worse - could be a nice addition to my repertoire. Especially if I started messing around with fire, which seemed like an inevitability.

    ¡°I could just shoot the bulb from here.¡± Ren tilted her head. ¡°If you think it¡¯ll attack us.¡±

    What didn¡¯t want to kill us? At this point, it felt like steam was coming off of my brain. This was some manner of puzzle to access the Boss room, I was almost sure of it - as if part of me could just read between the lines of the Dungeon. One last trap or encounter to wear us down before we headed into the true danger. My normally astute mind was lagging behind, and only the barest notion of what I was meant to do started to gather fragments of a plan together.

    ¡°It¡¯s a puzzle.¡± I yawned and rubbed at my eyes. ¡°Let me go look and then if it eats me, you can shoot it.¡±

    I stepped forward, not waiting for the confirmation, and put my hands in my pockets as I made my way around the outside walls. Although I wasn¡¯t immediately assailed by anything, there was an uncomfortable feeling the closer I walked over to the raised podium with the water atop it. My nose wrinkled up as I looked between it and the plant looming above me. Following the roots than ran down from around it, they all seemed to stop at points along the stone floor.

    Air exhaled from my nose. The ticking of a watch inside my head as gears worked around. The podium of water, the trough atop it about a foot square, didn¡¯t seem to have any markings or places that could move or indent. Ren watched me from the entrance still, an interest in her face to see what I would conclude. While disassembling a puzzle or trap wasn''t entirely similar to working out how a trick was performed, there was a familiar thread of deductive reasoning. Not that I had the hubris or mental energy to pat myself on the back any harder for my supposed Intelligence for realizing that.

    Wolf had checked out long ago, and looked to be trying to get something out from underneath one of his nails. Wood pulp, most likely.

    ¡°The bulb appears to be parched. Judging from the slight lines on the floor where the light moss has been disturbed, I assume that it drinks from this offering pool to rejuvenate.¡±

    Ren nodded slowly. ¡°The bowl is full, yet it does not feed?¡±

    I glanced back up at the large bulb. Perhaps a particular spell or phrase woke it up? Had our disdain for the written word left us with a missing answer? It was probably a simple thing. I shouldn¡¯t get ahead of myself when my brain was already rattling around. Too many sharp edges in here that I might trip and strike my battered skull on.

    In my Equipment, I swapped my gloves to being shown - and now some rather gaudy light brown gloves appeared on my hand. They were nice enough for their purpose. Useful. I clapped them together and then an empty glass bottle was between them as they parted. Cautiously, I stepped up to the water and scooped a portion out, not wanting to look into whatever was illuminating it.

    Once contained, it looked relatively normal except for the slight blue hue to it that remained. I still wanted to drink it. Delicious and refreshing, undoubtedly. My lips felt dry, so I licked them. I gradually raised the bottle towards my mouth, eagerness dancing in my eyes.

    ¡°Max!¡±

    And then it was gone, as I put it in my Inventory. I shot the Oathwarden a sheepish grin, and no longer felt the need to drink it. If my brain had been sharper, I would have done that immediately. Whatever effect the tainted water had didn¡¯t seem to work when stored away, as evidenced by my lack of desire to withdraw it even though it took little more than a conscious thought to do so.

    I stepped over to the largest of the partially withered roots that led up to the bulb and gestured for them to be ready. Ren drew an arrow and Wolf hunkered down, ready to pounce. Partially, I wanted to pause my action for a bit to draw out the tension, but wasn¡¯t so keen to test my arrow catching abilities on the fly.

    Into my gloved hand, the glass bottle. As soon as I could grasp it, I poured it out atop the root. It splashed, dampening the vegetative appendages as well as the floor around it. Nothing immediately happened, as if it was waiting for me to make a note of such out loud so it could surprise us. I held up a hand to keep the others silent, and I called the bulb¡¯s bluff. I wouldn''t be beaten at my own game.

    Eventually, with a begrudging creak, the petals slowly opened as the roots slithered across the stone to the podium. The reds and amber within the bulb as it bloomed were much more vibrant than the outside, and it pulsed with a rose glow. No giant teeth or barbed vines to assail us with.

    The roots went up into the stone basin and drank from the odd water. Why it was already full was beyond me, but it seemed to give the plant life - and as it pulsed and brightened, the vegetative coverings over the door began to crack and shift away.

    ¡°Not the strangest lock I¡¯ve seen,¡± Ren shrugged and relaxed her bow.

    At her word, a brighter pulse came from the flower. Tiny motes of pollen burst down around us, saturating the air before we had a chance to cover our mouths. I winced, and we ran for the exit, pushing it open and closing it right behind us.

    I took a gasp of air to find that I felt¡­ reasonably fine.

    ¡°It¡¯s a curse.¡± Ren deflated. ¡°Nothing dire, but you can see it on your Status window.¡±

    [Fallen Grove Pollen] [Curse: Exhaustion, Manaburn, Reduced Stats for one Day]

    The joke was on the System¡ªI was already exhausted. I hadn¡¯t seen Manaburn before, so I brought up the description. Magic skills were twice as effective, but used three times as much mana. That almost seemed like a buff in the short term. Living for a whole day causing agony to my hands might make me change my tune on that.

    I rose my eyes to see the room that we had gotten ourselves into. Our short walkway was more of a bridge that led to a circular stone platform. Around this area was a moat of water. The walls were thick trunks and vines intertwined that rose up to a high domed ceiling. Blue light flooded the chamber from a large glowing crystal at the apex.

    Due straight ahead of us was a large tree in the moat. Deep brown and aged wood, verdant thick leaves. It was a beautiful specimen, if you liked that sort of thing. Also very out of place, considering. With a nod, we started off down the bridge, and I wondered if either of them had noticed me swiping another bottle full of that liquid before we walked in. Not that I intended to deceive my Party members, but sometimes a good trick took a little calculated risk¡ªand they may not appreciate that stance. I just had to prevent myself from drinking it.

    As we stepped into the middle of the circular chamber, ripples in the water emanated from the trunk as two large arms rose out of the shallow pool. It wasn¡¯t just a tree, after all. Large eyes of bright yellow opened up as a crooked maw split in the middle of the trunk to grin at us. Although it went without saying that this had to be the Boss of the dungeon, I had the-

    [New Monster: Treant Elder <8> (Boss)]

    Oh. Thanks, System.

 45 - Root of the Issue

    I never got tired of the taste of victory. Whether it was for gold and magical items, or just to sleep a little better the next day. When you saw how much this world could wear you down, you clung to the good times. Finishing a Dungeon was an accomplishment, even if it left you feeling as though you had been pushed through a grinder. Sometimes they weren¡¯t as rewarding as doing Quests, but they were contained. You could complete them without worrying about outside interference. :)

    Throughout the Dungeon, treants hadn¡¯t seemed to be too impressed with my magical tricks. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was something to do with their culture, perhaps, or their minds just didn¡¯t work the same way. Maybe they could just see through it, like Ren could. Either way, I didn¡¯t fancy my chances with dazzling the large one now emerging from the surrounding pools. Which was a shame, as it always felt good to win over a critic.

    Wolf slid across the stone, already snarling with a pulse of amber energy flowing over his fur. I dropped an Imp to the floor beside me and started spinning up a purple card. Ren let off a radiant arrow to strike into the Boss. The tree was slow, we shouldn''t have trouble keeping at range from it¡ªespecially with the bear constantly on it.

    The smite shot struck the Monster but the flare of light didn¡¯t seem to do much to dissuade him from continuing toward us, closer to dry land. In my peripheral I saw movement.

    ¡°Ren, look out!¡± I shouted, throwing my card towards her. She dove to the floor as a barbed root lunged for her. I twisted my magical attack and sliced it lengthwise, the appendage shuddering and shrinking away. It was long, reaching from the moat and across the circular platform to grab at her. Undoubtedly to try to drag her toward the foul waters.

    The elf was already up into a crouch and leveling an arrow toward me. Well, past me - I hoped, at another vine. I turned as she let it loose, to see the thick vegetative tentacle raise up and be impaled by the shot. From my hand, a card went out to sever the tip and then return like a boomerang.

    Around the room were several more that weren¡¯t an immediate threat, but I seemed the best equipped to deal with them. They didn''t seem to care for Wolf, but waved in the air as if to signal they were happy to become a problem for us at the back.

    ¡°Focus the Boss," I assured her. "I¡¯ve got the vines.¡±

    From beside me, my Imp threw out his fireball, striking the treant elder in his dense canopy and igniting some of the leaves. The Monster seemed a lot less impressed with this show.

    Wolf jumped away from the large fist of the Boss, swiping and biting into the outstretched arm. An upswing from the other arm knocked him back slightly as a radiant shield absorbed some of the impact.

    While the bear kept the large tree occupied, Ren started filling it with more arrows. I spun a card out around the room, circling the perimeter to zoom in to the closest vine, severing it. I held the card in motion, a slight pain in my hand. Second vine sliced and then I had to let it go. Wiped the blood from my fingers.

    The curse was doing more damage; I was certain of it. Could almost feel the exact power I was putting into the cards - even with the minimum amount of effort they were stronger and more durable than normal. I almost didn¡¯t want to split them as I could feel my mana draining incredibly quick. Even after throwing a handful out, my hands had bled from the exertion. Drips of crimson splattered against the gray stone beneath me. Currently uninjured, but that didn''t stop me from risking doing worse to myself.

    Ren hit the Boss with an entangling shot as Wolf backed away so that she could heal him. Although he was holding up well, he had a nasty gash that ran from his shoulder down to his head.

    Another fireball illuminated the chamber as it burst on the treant, more flames coursing over their body.

    A green light began to orbit around the tree Monster, before a pulse of energy rocked the platform we were standing on. The floor began to glow with pale green runes, and my eyes darted around to see where to escape to. Nowhere. The whole stone circle was awash with the light. Back to the bridge? It would take too long.

    Vines burst up around each of us, in almost mimicry of Ren¡¯s skill. Except these were barbed. Sharp thorns dug into my right leg as I protected my left with a quickly withdrawn plank of wood. The others were pained, and my Imp faded away under the damage wrought to his small, round body.

    Magic card flew out to shred the vines away from the plank so I could step away out of them. Wolf had burst from his, another glow of orange around his body. It looked like Ren had healed him, so that he was prepared to engage the Boss again. The elf seemed to be stuck amongst the vines, blood staining through her leggings.

    My right eye twitched, and my heart lurched to see her in pain even if it was minimal. I let another card go, and threaded it between her calves, cutting through half of the vines so that she could use her sword on the rest. I carried the card on through to sever another creeping probe that was coming from the water on her side before letting it vanish. Imp card to the bridge behind us so that he had some high ground. My forearms ached from the constant casting.

    More vines were on my side as another radiant arrow slammed into the Boss in my peripheral. Fingers twitching, I dealt with the encroaching problems before they became anything more. I could almost feel the heat of the fireball as it went across the chamber, my Imp summons gunning hard for promotion with how well they were taking to this encounter. Effective damage.

    The treant roared, plumes of water shooting up like jets around the circular area. With a loud hiss, the flames across his canopy were extinguished. His bark cracked and shed, revealing a darker ash-gray body, and his eyes swiveled to a red hue.

    He looked angrier. Even less likely to be Dazzled, I sighed to myself. My wrists and hands ached to a degree that set my jaw clenched. Part of me wished for a chance to use all my tricks again instead of pure casting - although I shouldn¡¯t invite malady onto myself. Too late to take it back.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    No corpses for Roger, which was a shame. As I watched Wolf gouge a chunk of wood from the tree, part of me felt bad for not inviting him on this adventure. Maybe I felt guilty that I only drew him to this world to enact violence in my name. Or maybe the fact that he was a demonic entity who only craved violence made me uncomfortable. Or too comfortable, I hadn¡¯t decided which.

    The treant began sucking in air, even as his new torso became peppered with arrows. He then leaned forward, pointing his half-burned branches towards us. His canopy changed hue slightly, as if the leaves were becoming thicker, or-

    ¡°Defend!¡± I yelled out, right before the burst happened.

    As if mimicking a cannon blast, the Boss blew all the leaves out right after they hardened, like scores of throwing stars. A wide cone that covered most of the chamber.

    <Card Fan> protected me from the initial blast, only a few sharp leaves making it through to shred at my suit. Ren stood, bloody lines across her skin fading away as one hand held an emptying Health Potion, her other hand held out toward Wolf - her healing spell keeping the point blank bear on his feet.

    Even with that, long tracks of his fur had been scoured off, but were now regrowing back. Wolf had even leaped closer to the Boss immediately after the attack, and clattered through the thinner branches, snapping them as he bit into the main body of the treant. His claws tried to find purchase and dug through the eye sockets of the tree.

    With some minor struggle, the Boss faltered and fell to the ground. The bear tore a large chunk from him and went to town on crushing and ripping as much of the remaining body as he could.

    I stretched out my bloody fingers. ¡°Ah, well, that wasn¡¯t too bad for our first dungeon boss, right?¡± My Imp sat down and played with his little pitchfork, awaiting his time to go. I let him vanish with a wave and dismissal.

    Ren was breathing heavily and didn¡¯t look too pleased, but she nodded her agreement.

    ¡°Next one needs to be made of meat.¡± Wolf sat glumly and began licking at his paws.

    [Dungeon Complete]

    [Reward Received]

    [360 Gold]

    [Manastone (2)]

    [Antidote (1)]

    [Cloak of the Forest]

    Ren grumbled as she looked at the body of the fallen tree. "Two Tokens, after all that."

    "Anything else?" I wrinkled up my face in hoping that was not the only spoils.

    She clucked her tongue. "Agility hat, Strength boots, a staff with Wisdom and Luck, and then gold and the usual stuff."

    "Pass, then." Who needed Wisdom, when I had a cool trickster dagger?

    A little pain and suffering for some medium reward. I¡¯d still count it as a win. I equipped the cloak, which hung over my left shoulder and covered that arm. Exceptionally useful for obscuring that hand when bringing things out of nothing, I was enamored immediately. It even gave a small amount of Dexterity.

    [Cloak of the Forest] [+2 Dex]

    The Antidote removed curses, and I watched as Ren and Wolf both drank one, the latter struggling a little until the elf helped. Slightly unsure why, I feigned curing it with an empty bottle as she turned back. Something at the back of my mind liking the surge of new power, despite the cost. Well, the Antidote was still there for after I had my fun - or had been admonished. Manastones appeared to be something to put in gear sockets, but I was yet to have anything of the sort. Still, I could swoosh the cape around and it added a certain flare that seemed to immediately tire Ren¡¯s patience.

    Just as I was finished flourishing it around, our gazes were drawn away as a portal opened up across the foot of the bridge back into the Dungeon. Similar in appearance from the one we had first entered by.

    ¡°And they just let us out like that. No need to backtrack?¡± I pulled a face and gestured toward it. Almost seemed too kind.

    Ren sighed and stretched out her back. ¡°Perhaps the System likes us after all.¡±

    Would be one of a few so far that did. I smiled to myself as I took in the scenery, now that it was calmer. The curse was annoying and felt like it was tugging at the edges of my patience - at the sensible me weary for a good sleep. But there was something beautiful about the place. Perhaps it was just wildly different from what I used to. The bright lights of the stage, ruddy tones of Hell, the plain brickwork of my dressing rooms, and bland hotel rooms. Hmm. Something wasn¡¯t right there, and my brain danced around the misunderstanding of the odd one out.

    ¡°Ready to go, trickster?¡±

    Her voice took me out from probing further. ¡°Sure. You ready, Wolf?¡± He nodded in response.

    We gathered our wits and strength and made toward the portal.

    ¡°You know, I was thinking we should head to the town already - get some actual rest?¡±

    Light shimmered as I stepped back out into the light rainfall and cool air of the day. I turned to walk backward as my eyesight adjusted, so that I could continue talking as Ren walked through behind me.

    ¡°Yeah? You could do with a bath,¡± she said, some softness around her eyes.

    Then they immediately sharpened.

    Warm pain flooded my back as I was struck by something, and I spun to face four figures of shadow before us. The lowering bow one of them held painted the picture clear as day that my panicked muscles hadn¡¯t processed yet. Was my lung pierced? I held my breath and tried to focus.

    Wolf burst out from between us, knocking me to the side before stumbling and dropping to the floor, unmoving. A spellcaster in the opposing group held a shape in his hands, some manner of enchantment or channeled spell. Not dead, but out for the count.

    A clatter sounded on the stone behind me as Ren dropped her bow, and I turned my head to see a fifth member had grappled her from behind. The burly man with a short goatee held a knife up to her throat.

    ¡°Well, well, well¡­¡±

    My glare turned back to the group as a figure stepped forward. Each of them wore dark clothing and had a red hand-print on their face. Crimson Shadow. My insides burned just at the sight of them. I was beyond exhausted now, the fire within me stoking something red-hot and eager for violence.

    The ragged man, who looked like he had dropped his sanity down a well long ago and bathed himself in the suffering of others, continued toward us. Black hair and beard, slick with oil, and a wild look in cold eyes. A dangerous look, someone who killed even more freely than us. ¡°Looks like Hadrian was right. You did survive the bandits.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I seethed. My heartbeat thundered in my chest. It was both a general question as well as pointed one to his current plans. My left hand beneath my cloak was tensed as if I could squeeze the life out of him from here. He was some sort of fighter, and they had a ranger, two spellcasters, and the one with Ren was probably a thief type. Not great odds. I wasn''t a gambling man...

    ¡°It¡¯s always difficult to decide whether to kill the guy or girl first.¡± He tutted and withdrew a shortsword made from a dark obsidian metal, giving his group a leering glance. ¡°I can see that look in your eyes, though. You¡¯ll fight harder if you think you¡¯ve got a chance of saving her¡­ and luckily for you, my sword is itching for a little combat.¡±

    We couldn''t have foreseen this. Not without living in constant paranoia that the enemy was around any corner. I clenched my jaw.

    Still, I felt foolish to have been caught off guard. It could have been over so easily, our corpses a testament to our complacency. Still could be the end. Normally, I wasn¡¯t an angry person. But currently I was furious, shaking with rage. Something inside of me burned and fought for an escape. My incensed eyes turned back towards Ren and the man restraining her.

    I trust you, she mouthed.

 46 - Snap Shot

    Life was fragile and fleeting in this world. Well, it was in my previous world too - but at that time it had been filled with significantly less violence and conflict. There was me, and my job. Stress sure, but I got by. Now I had murder on the mind and blood on my hands. A heart full of care for others that could just as easily fall and cease to exist. It was maddening, and all I could do was gnash my teeth together in rage and become stronger to keep them safe.

    The grisled man spat on the damp ground as he flourished his sword. ¡°Here are the rules. You try to help the pretty little elf, Garren there will cut her throat open. You try to help the animal, and Henikk will put an arrow through his skull. This is just mano v mano.¡±

    Adrenaline and anger shook within me, a dangerous cocktail that had me drunk on bravado. He was full of it, too. Considered himself something of a duelist, or just liked toying with his prey.

    ¡°What if I kill you?¡±

    His crooked smile widened. ¡°Then you can kiss my ass in hell, as you three will be there soon after.¡±

    What a bind we found ourselves in. My breathing was slow despite the rage, and my back ached from where I had been shot. Thankfully, I had been able to activate a bandage in my hidden hand without them knowing. Still, even being back to full health didn¡¯t exactly put me at even odds with someone built for melee fighting.

    It wasn''t like I had any other option but to perform my best. They had set the stage, and I knew what role I had to play. Already exhausted and drained from the day, I was in danger of slipping further past my auto-pilot and into something my subconscious was trying to hide away from. The part of the Other Max. They intended to kill all of us either way, so I needed to think beyond the scope of just saving my own skin.

    ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready then, asshole.¡± My opponent flourished his sword again and got into a stance ready to attack.

    ¡°Prepare to be amazed.¡± I grinned, mania grasping at the insides of my brain, trying to push through. ¡°As this will be the finale for one of us.¡±

    My dagger spun into my right hand as I ran toward him. His confidence briefly shook as my attack from too far away with the short blade suddenly switched into the large two-handed axe. Sparks flew out as he blocked it, one of his defensive abilities kicking in to enable him to weather the surprise strike.

    ¡°Smart fuck are you?¡±

    He slashed outward at my exposed torso, but the axe I held turned into the spear in a vertical position. I was knocked back from the force, but the wooden shaft took the brunt of the attack. It spun as I flourished it to create distance, then I went to throw it at him. He dove to the side, and the spear vanished. Instead a chair appeared in front of my boot already lashing out - kicking the furniture into him as he rolled back. Not really doing a great deal of damage, but the Dazzle tokens were starting to rack up.

    There was some amount of chuckling going on within his ranks, that his death-glare silenced as he stood back to his feet. Shame I couldn''t see humiliation stacks¡ªalthough the amount of increasing rage in his eyes did almost a good enough job.

    ¡°Some kind of object-creating wizard, very fancy. I¡¯m surprised the Lady in Red didn¡¯t try to recruit you.¡±

    ¡°Do you always monologue right before you die?¡± I seethed back at him. My eyes were wide and blood ran from my right hand. It wouldn''t take much for me to be cut down.

    He growled and his sword burst into green flames before he launched himself back at me. I drew a sword to block the first strike, another for the second. Being able to conjure things directly into my hand gave me better dexterity than trying to wield a single weapon into the right places to defend. Especially with my lack of actual melee proficiency. Weapons thudded onto the damp grass as I didn¡¯t have the time to properly swap, only draw anew and then release. Leave nothing to chance. Always using my right hand.

    A cut across my right shoulder that drew blood. Then a near miss across my stomach that ripped my shirt but left my skin mostly unharmed. We circled as his attacks seemed unending. Anger in his eyes blazing away at failing to fell me, and in being made to look foolish in front of his underlings. While relentless, his mood was making his moves sloppy. More desperate to end me and gain back his standing. I didn¡¯t care. My ego was the only one here intending to be stroked. An ill task for a bloodied hand, but a necessity all the same.

    Plank of wood went up and split in half as I tried to stop one of his combat abilities reaching me - the tip of his blade still pierced near my collarbone, causing me to twitch in pain. The follow up was blocked by a second plank, which I vanished to then grab at his wrist. Whipped my head forward to headbutt him. I received a weak slash in return, my hat dropping to the ground as a line of warmth throbbed across the side of my head.

    He stumbled backward, clutching at a broken nose. While I didn¡¯t have the Strength to do much damage, I had at least wounded him with the surprise act. As much as I was tiring, and slowly weakening due to only using one hand, the mental damage I was causing to him gave rise to some odd elation within me. Bullshitting my way away from what should have been an easy kill for him.

    ¡°You¡¯re bloodied.¡± I grinned. ¡°Making me the victor.¡±

    ¡°Fuckin'' idiot.¡± He spat on the grass. ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to pass out from blood loss.¡±

    I raised my right fist to see that it was soaked in blood. My blood. I clenched it closed, causing drops to fall onto the grass. My right eye twitched from the constant pain. I had been ignoring it, but it had gotten to the point where the reveal was long overdue. Nothing more to gain except further cuts and potential death. It was time for me to take control of the performance.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me,¡± I said in a hushed, shaky tone, an uncomfortable feeling rising in my core. ¡°A lot of this set I¡¯ve never tried before. It might not be perfect.¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­?¡± His brow furrowed, voice cut off as I revealed my left hand.

    Equally dripping with my own blood - but much more impressive was the card I held within it. Bright white, as if cut from the sun itself. The purple energy around it was all but scoured away by how much mana I put into this. Not just all my mana, but more beyond that. Using the treant curse I had poured and poured everything I could muster until the agony almost became enjoyable. Couldn''t cast any other spells while holding it, so I had relied on my Inventory to bide time. A little twist to turn the tide and subvert expectations.

    I was riding a high that was about to hit its peak, like a firework. Max was about to explode and whatever was left would shock and awe¡­ I only hoped what was left after was more than a spent casing when the dust had settled.

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    ¡°Nice trick, but-¡°

    The bloodied finger of my right hand rose to my lips, telling him to be quiet. I was shaking. Grinning from ear to ear. Manic. ¡°This next part isn¡¯t suitable for all audiences.¡±

    I turned, and the card was gone. It cracked through the air like a lightning bolt, a near instant transmission of energy from my grasp to the intended end point. There wasn¡¯t much option, there was no real option. I hoped I could be forgiven as my spent hands hung low. The after image of the power hung in the air between Ren and I. Surprise in both our eyes. I wasn''t a gambling man, the thought once again sunk from my slowly eroding mind. Yet with that one action, all our lives were on the line.

    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ dick,¡± her restrainer growled, ¡°now I¡¯ll slit her-¡°

    He paused, confusion furrowing his brow as he could not move his arm. A line of crimson ran around his forearm by his elbow like a a lit fuse. He jostled to try to get some feeling back into the limb, but with a slick slurping sound, the hand holding the knife lowered as his arm separated at the joint to drop to the ground.

    My hands raised in the air <Finale>. Shock radiated throughout the group as they stood, stunned. Lights painted the area, and I felt on top of the world. My greatest trick so far, perhaps¡ªyet the show not over. The blood loss made me lightheaded, and even with the dopamine coursing through my system, the anger had not abated. What they had tried to do to Ren. How they intended to kill Wolf, and even myself. Unexpected. Unpalatable. Unforgivable.

    Ren stamped on the thief¡¯s foot and flung her head back into his face to knock him back.

    I turned my head toward the ringleader - or was that a circus thing? Purple electricity danced around my body as I smiled calmly. The demon dove I had dropped immediately after sending off the magic card swooped up from the shadows and into the spellcaster''s face, trying to peck at his eyes. It was enough to disrupt the sleeping enchantment that had persisted through the brief stun, and Wolf began to stir.

    Ren rolled forward to pick up her bow, leaping into the air in the same motion to draw her smite shot back at the stumbling thief. Too quick for him, the radiant shot blew straight through his neck.

    Their ranger let loose an arrow toward the bear, but my Card Fan appeared in front of him to block the shot. Agony through my hands at the first time I had used the shield away from my own body. Wolf stood and roared, two different skills activating and pulsing around his body, painted the drab area in bright lights. Beautiful, in its own way.

    For my efforts in protecting him, I received the sharp end of the dark sword straight into my side. It was uncomfortable in the way it sliced through skin and muscle and jabbed around in my precious internal organs. I was disjointed from the pain now. Distant, dissociating. Too heavy a day for the part of me that was still soft. But part of me lived for this. Heavenly, amongst the hellish scene.

    Lazily, I turned my head to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Max is not home right now.¡±

    The crossbow in my hidden left hand fired a bolt into his thigh, and he stumbled back as I dropped the ranged weapon to switch to the second loaded one, firing a bolt into his other thigh. He lashed out at me and tore a gash through my cloak and left arm.

    I brought my right arm around with a plank of wood, numbing his arm and causing his grip to falter. He dropped the blade, and then it was mine. I brought it out as he dropped to his knees, his legs weakening. Held it to his neck.

    ¡°Are you the ones that destroyed the outpost?¡± I crackled with energy. My face loomed up close to his as the tip of the sword drew blood.

    ¡°Eat shit.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any. But I have this.¡± My left fist swung around and smashed him in the face, the glass I held breaking and covering us both in the contents. He sputtered and choked, a mouth open but spewing no apologies or regrets. I filled it with the hot end of the torch, igniting the spilled oil.

    Their healer attempted to cast something on him as I rose to face them. An arrow struck his knee, and the spell faltered. I was already upon him, even though I barely registered moving. Just a blur of purple and anger. I heard the rip and tear of muscle and sinew as Wolf broke the screaming wizard into more digestible pieces in the background. The ranger lay dead already, an arrow in the head not the most becoming fashion trend, but he wore it well.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to talk,¡± I hissed and pulled the man closer to me. ¡°Or I¡¯m going to open up your skull and retrieve the information with a fucking spoon.¡± Into my hand, a spoon emerged. A very real threat.

    He was faltering. Face pale, the sudden shock of the bullies getting their just deserts making him doubt every decision that lead him to this point. His watery blue eyes tried to search me. I¡¯m not sure what for. Did I feel different? Maybe it was the blood loss.

    ¡°Where is the Lady in Red?¡± I pressed my bloodied forehead against his so I could stare into his eyes, draw the information that I craved. I could always take the eyes out if he didn¡¯t want them. Feed them to him, make him see that his tongue wasn¡¯t offering up the goods.

    ¡°S-she¡¯s across the river now, past the Golden F-fields.¡± His mouth trembled.

    Purple cards burst over my hands and spun like saws, cutting through his neck and spraying me with arterial blood. Comforting. I dropped the limp body and stood, contented. The rain was loud now, combat having abated, as if I hadn''t even noticed the incliment weather until now. My heartbeat thudded in my head as I idly twisted a bandage around in my left hand. I stared off into the horizon, trying to ignore... all of this. Show was done, I was spent. Max must go on. They had to suffer.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    I turned my gaze to the side to see Ren with an arrow leveled at me. An interesting white energy circled the arrow in a slow spiral. She lowered it, no scowl upon her face, but worry.

    ¡°Everything okay?¡± I asked. As soon as I spoke the words, agony immediately rushed over me like a switch had been flipped. I stumbled and held my hands up. Both pure red, my left one also embedded with glass. My suit was soaked through in several places, especially my side, where it felt as if someone had thrown a match inside me to cook my organs from within.

    ¡°Your eyes¡­ they¡­ here-¡° she held her hand out and her radiant healing flooded through me. Oddly uncomfortable at first, but then soothing and warm.

    I groaned and sat back, a chair appearing underneath me. My eyes burned, that was for certain. Across from us, the leader of the group lay aflame like a bonfire, flickering against the light rain. Wolf was eating his fill of the others behind.

    Catching her eye, I placed a second chair beside me, and she sat. Not even the heat from the fire warmed me. I felt cold and empty.

    "The wizard had this on him. You think it was used to track you? Since we keep getting ambushed?"

    I turned my eyes over to a page she held. It looked like a child''s drawing, a crayon approximation of a man in a purple suit with magic runes plastered on the rest of the paper. For all that I could muster, I just shrugged and groaned.

    The elf ripped it in half, and then into further pieces that fluttered away in the air.

    "I didn''t take my Antidote," I admitted, the empty feeling allowing some truths to slide out.

    She shuffled in her chair. "Figured. Why didn''t you say? To avoid the argument, or some things just have to be a surprise?"

    My face screwed up as I couldn''t take my eyes away from the burning corpse. "Closer to the latter. I''m not trying to hide things from you both... I just..." I shuddered as my aching body tried to relax against the wounds I had accumulated. "Part of it is the need to grandstand. Have all these little tricks and options only known to me. It''s not something done with malicious intent."

    "Okay," she replied. "Secrets aren''t good, but you don''t have to tell me everything. As long as you''re acting in good faith for the Party."

    I managed to look towards her tired blue eyes. "Always. I promise, and I''m sorry."

    With a nod, we both sunk back into the morose silence. Listening to the rain. Being alive and drawing breath for another day.

    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to go to the town now,¡± she eventually ventured, when we had been doused with enough of the light rainfall to make this untenable any longer.

    ¡°I could definitely use a bath.¡± I stared out blankly at the far distance. Idly, I worked through another bandage or two to try to repair whatever the System thought was dire enough. I tried not to look at the damage report to see what was exactly wrong. Too much, for certain. But it wouldn''t list what really mattered. The shards of glass dropped from my hand as I raised it, the healing ejecting the painful objects to fall to the grass.

    The demonic dove fluttered over and sat on my numb hand, tilting its bloodied beak to observe me. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could spare the energy to thank it out loud, so mentally I commended it for its service.

    ¡°Max¡­¡± Ren began, staring out at the corpse crackling from the heat of the burning oil as she stood. ¡°Do you think your Class is more¡­ literal?¡±

    ¡°Demonic Magician,¡± I murmured, savoring a taste I didn¡¯t yet understand.

 47 - Beyond the Shadows

    A magician that summoned demons. It seemed simple on the surface. Even from day one I seemed like an odd mix of capabilities. Summoning demons was one thing, but to have a classical magician slant to it was another. The real question mark was my ability to manipulate my Inventory to move things around at will. That almost seemed like a potential Class of its own, yet the System had accidentally slid me something more powerful than intended. Of course, the real trick was that this was all a distraction from what I really was. What I could really become.

    We had looted the remains of the Crimson Shadow and left the area as quickly as we could. Some small equipment upgrades, but no information. Other than the Lady not being here.

    [546 Gold]

    [Shoulder Pads of the Wise] [+2 Int]

    [Bracers of Hope] [+1 Int, +1 Dex, +1 Luck]

    [Forest Leggings] [+2 Dex]

    [Blade of Shadow] [+2 Str]

    More bandages, a few Health potions that I put away with a grimace. Ren and Wolf had their pick of other items. If you ignored the hardship and stress of the attack, it had been a truly efficient way of increasing our own power. Still, what I craved even more was an end to this. I had opened the Map maybe a dozen times as we were walking, to see where the river was. The distance we had to cover to find her.

    Even beyond the dampness from the persistent drizzle, I felt cold. Completely drained of any strength and emotion. Short scenes played in my mind. Snapshots of the battle still aching in my muscles. Most of them were of Ren. Her pained panic when she had been grabbed. The calm and determined glare when she told me she trusted me. The uncertainty in her eyes as she held the demon-killing arrow aimed toward me.

    She hadn¡¯t said that''s what it was, but I could read between the lines. We had been dripping the paint for a while, and the resulting picture should have been no surprise. The vague mention of the ability. The promise to end each other should we fall into darkness. How ironic for her radiant powers to fight alongside my demonic ones. I wasn''t a demon myself, though. Felt like one, for the low I had sunk to craving satiety through violence.

    There were several other realities, or splits in time, where we all died there. Where I failed or the plan went awry. Our lives gone in an instant. I tried to clench my jaw and will the what-ifs away. We were here now, and we had survived. There was no elation about it, though. It hadn¡¯t been a fairly fought duel where the noble victor had just been the better combatant. I had risked it all. Everything. If I hadn''t practiced my aim so much with the cards, or had overdone the power and gone through the both of them...

    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up so much.¡±

    I startled slightly at Ren¡¯s soft voice beside me, so lost in my own head I hadn¡¯t been concentrating on much else.

    ¡°It¡¯s what I do best.¡± I grinned, but my heart wasn¡¯t in it.

    She didn¡¯t seem to want to jostle me from my pity party, which was fair. But they hadn¡¯t brought the cake out yet, and I wanted to snuff out those candles that burned deep inside me. Until then, I would stay a mirror of the gloomy skies that continued to pelt us with light precipitation.

    Did I become a demon? It was the elephant in the room that my mind was keen to ignore. Ren had said there was something different about my eyes briefly before the battle abated. And during it I¡­ if I were honest, I felt like I was acting like Roger. Sure, I used my tricks and Inventory manipulation to kill people in pragmatic and uncaring ways before¡­ but I¡¯d never showered myself in the fresh lifeblood of an enemy. Perhaps I was just having a bad day. Needed more coffee.

    I kept telling myself the Crimson Shadow deserved worse. They did. The images of the outpost flashed through my mind, and I knew it twice over. Did I intend to lose myself and become worse than they were? It was due to my mana exhaustion; I was mostly sure - along with my physical exhaustion. It weakened the barriers to whatever lurked within. Unabated and uncaring. Willing to be the worst to save those close to me. Could I guarantee I could bounce back after the fact, every time? That was the crux of it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said out loud, unsure if that was to myself or not.

    ¡°We¡¯re alive because of you. What you can become is a problem, but we can work through it if you trust us.¡± Ren wasn¡¯t even glaring at me, her expression neutral.

    Wolf turned his head and nodded. ¡°We need to be stronger. Less sleepy.¡±

    If I trusted them? My understanding was they should have to trust me for this to proceed. The tired marbles clacked around inside my head as I tried to make sense of everything.

    ¡°We¡¯re at the town,¡± the bear noted.

    Immediately, I felt some relaxation hit my bones, to be near something normal and not in the depths of the wilderness. Would have run toward it, even, were my legs capable of that currently.

    Despite the gloom, there were plenty of System-created wandering around and facilitating the function of the small town. There was the temptation to try talking to some of them, but sleep was calling for me. I looked at Ren, and she had the same look. We scoured the surroundings for any hint of either Crimson Shadow, or any unaffiliated Players. None.

    Surprisingly, Wolf got no odd looks, despite being a giant bear. Even as he struggled to squeeze into the tavern behind us, he was greeted by the barkeep the same as any other Player would be.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just sleep down here by the fire,¡± the bear grumbled after one glance at the stairs. There were a few System-created patrons in and drinking, but he shuffled them out of the way to collapse beside the crackling fireplace.

    I scrunched up my eyes a few times before addressing the man behind the bar. ¡°Ah, do you have any rooms to rent?¡±

    ¡°Yes, indeed. All rooms are vacant at the moment.¡±

    With a nod, I readied to bring out my gold. ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll have two-¡°

    ¡°Just the one, if that¡¯s okay?¡± Ren interrupted, working her jaw as she stared at me. ¡°Safety, after last time¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course, one room - with a bathroom?¡± Pragmatic of her. I had expected she maybe wanted more space, but with potential assassins about perhaps it was safer.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be room one then, sir.¡± He placed the key down, and I paid him. The en-suite was apparently an extra two gold, but I would literally murder for a hot bath - so it was a good deal all around. I imagined the gold came from the stash looted from the Crimson Shadow, for petty reasons.

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    I gave Wolf a pat on the head. ¡°Any trouble and I¡¯ll send a dove down to you? If you get any trouble¡­ just roar and break everything.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me,¡± he muttered, keeping his eyes closed.

    Ren and I went up the stairs, and I locked the door behind us. The room looked practically similar to the one we had previously slept in, except for the door presumably leading to the en-suite. With narrowed eyes, I slowly pushed it open to reveal a plain tub - not unlike the one from the old man¡¯s house in the New Forest. Nothing lurking in shadows.

    ¡°You go for it first,¡± I gestured toward it and slunk back into the room.

    ¡°Sure?¡± she asked, but was already halfway through the door, closing it before I had the chance to answer.

    I grinned and palmed at my eye sockets. It can¡¯t be that late in the day, but I was fully spent. Even some of the rougher tour weeks didn¡¯t shatter me this badly. Then again, I didn''t often have a sword jammed through my side, or have to avoid being crushed by living trees. The sound of running water was comforting, and I exhaled, sitting on the edge of the bed. As much as I wanted to lie down, I didn¡¯t want to dirty up the bed with my soaked clothes. It would be nice to get them fixed up.

    Interestingly, as my STAR menus came up, I saw I was able to hand in the thief hideout Quest from where I was sitting.

    [Quest Complete]

    [120 Gold]

    [Uncommon Chance Box (3)]

    My soul felt like I had done enough gambling for one day. Well, at least this kind didn''t threaten death over my head... so I relented to giving in the the System''s demands. I''d never hear the end of it, otherwise. They''d just be there, waiting for me, every time I opened up my Inventory.

    [Ring of Regeneration] [+10% Mana Regeneration Rate]

    [Ranger''s Gloves] [+2 Dex, +1 Agi]

    [Boots of the Brave] [+1 Str, +Con]

    Not as terrible as I thought it would be. The ring went into the second slot. Apparently I could only receive the Stats from two at a time, despite the physical limitations not being so restrictive. I''d ask Ren about the gloves, and the boots might fit Wolf... which was an amusing thing to think about. I sighed and closed down that menu.

    The experience received from the turn in was enough to push me over the edge, and the STAR glowed a bright gold.

    [Level Up - 7]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Bloodletting>]

    [New Passive: <Stacked Deck>]

    [New Ability: <Vanishing Act>]

    I closed the windows without even looking at the descriptions. Too tired for whatever the System wanted to labor me with right now. My palms hid my eyes again, before I relented to covering the window with one of the blankets from my Inventory. Despite the overcast sky, there was enough daylight left to burn away inside my skull. Soon, I promised myself.

    Time must have flown while I existed in agony, as Ren opened the door and stepped out. Radiant once more, her clothing and hair pristine. Still the worries of the day playing on her eyes. But if a simple bath could wash away the horrors we endured, then this world would be that much more palatable.

    ¡°Better?¡± I asked, with a grin.

    ¡°Heavenly. I could have stayed in there for hours, but I didn¡¯t want to be rude.¡±

    I tilted my head and paused as my legs willed me toward the bathroom. ¡°I just realized your Cosmetic outfit is what you¡¯d of worn in your old world too, right?¡± The muted shades of browns and greens of her leather and linen outfit just seemed to make sense for a ranger-adjacent Class.

    ¡°Hmm? Oh. Yeah, it¡¯s not exactly ¡®battle gear¡¯ but it¡¯s what I wore when out¡­ it was an expected look. A uniform, in a way.¡±

    ¡°Certainly more appropriate for adventuring than this.¡± I gestured to my purple suit, realizing that it was torn to shreds and soaked with dark reds and browns.

    ¡°You make it work,¡± she said, averting her gaze. ¡°Thanks for covering the window.¡±

    Too late to continue that conversation, I was already in the bathroom and closing the door. Hit the taps to allow the spray of water to start filling the tub. Stripped the old-fashioned way.

    There was a mirror in here, and I allowed myself a glance. Despite the healing, a lot of my body was bruised or had bright red lines of fresh scars. I had taken a beating and wasn¡¯t sure how I had survived the blow to my side. That place was especially sore and unhappy looking. Taps off and I stepped into the water.

    I clasped a hand to my mouth to avoid groaning out loud. Heavenly was putting it lightly - Ren had really undersold it. There was a chance I might melt and become part of a Max soup. The screaming of my healing wounds just made it a little bit more exciting and stopped me from falling asleep. It was a slippery slope to start tempering my mood with pain, but I allowed it in this instance. I deserved it.

    In fact, sleep was probably an actual concern, as I felt my eyelids sag even despite the protesting wounds. Instead of being bested by the tub, I gave myself a quick scrub down. Stepped out of the beckoning warmth to sit, steaming, on the edge of the bath. Clothed myself and set it to repair, returning to my underwear. Had a dig around and finally found my Sleepwear slot of equipment, and changed to that. A simple beige linen top and trousers. Modest, comfortable, and other descriptive words my lagging mind couldn¡¯t parse.

    With one last longing look to the emptying bath, I exited back into the bedroom. Ren was already under the covers, the light of the lantern low.

    Funny how earlier I had risked it all to keep my life, but at this scene, I would gladly slip into the abyss. Around my side of the bed, I lifted the covers and slipped in. Yes - between these soft covers, completely relaxed and clean - sleep could take me forever. I''d allow it. No regrets.

    ¡°Heavenly,¡± I noted, grinning at the plain wall at my side. There were a few moments of silence, where I considered she may have fallen asleep already¡ªI could hardly blame her when I was in danger of drifting away almost immediately myself.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    I turned onto my back. She was on her side facing away, but had turned her head to talk. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d like to call in that favor you owe me, now.¡±

    Not so relaxed now, was I? ¡°Of course. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Could you put your arm around me?¡± I could see her jaw working. ¡°This isn¡¯t an invitation to-¡°

    ¡°I know,¡± I interrupted. ¡°And, sure.¡±

    I shuffled a little closer to her and put my arm over her in the most platonically appropriate way I could muster. She leaned toward the side table and turned the lantern off before settling down.

    ¡°I just¡­ need to feel like everything will be okay.¡± Her voice was soft, sad almost. One bad decision away from having her throat slit, I understood her feeling a little vulnerable.

    ¡°It will be.¡± I honestly didn¡¯t know that it would be for certain, but it seemed like that best thing to say. She had lost so much, a lot more than I had. Yet we were both struggling to keep hold of our past normality. Both showboating in front of our more fragile selves, just in different ways. Even the brief impasse where we butted heads felt years ago after the more traumatic afternoon that we had just endured.

    She had wanted me to fit the gap that her previous life had lost. Strong and decisive warrior, disciplined. I wanted her to be an adoring and encouraging equal, bringing her radiance to my constant need to perform. We had agreed to meet in the middle, and both be better for it. It was a weird juxtaposition to go from having almost nobody, to baring my heart, killing and risking my life, for someone I had only recently met. I didn''t dislike it, however.

    After ten minutes, it seemed as though she had fallen asleep. I waited another ten to be sure, then slowly rolled away to the other side. Took a deep breath of air that wasn¡¯t thick with hair and tension.

    Perhaps Looking at my Stat sheet will help clear my mind of thoughts I wasn''t sure I wanted to dwell over.

    [Stats]

    Strength - 6

    Constitution - 7

    Agility - 6

    Dexterity - 19 (14 + 5)

    Intelligence - 24 (14 + 10)

    Wisdom - 6

    Luck - 12 (10 + 2)

    Yeah, that helped. It didn''t count the stats from any of my weapons while I was in my sleepwear, which made some sense. I now had +20% Mana Regeneration, which seemed useful, given my apparent disregard for how to properly use that. Satisfied with the numbers for now, I closed my eyes and relaxed.

    Ren''s mood reminded me of the sun and moon story from the other night. During the day, the elf was stoic and stubborn, headstrong. At night, the darkness allowed her to show her softer, emotional side. Nothing like a near death experience to remind you how fragile you truly were.

    And what of me? Had I learned anything?

    Before my brain had a chance to gather up the script for an already-prepared response, I let out a deep sigh and sunk into a well-earned sleep.

 48 - Into the Light

    Things often seemed to progress in chunks, like the toothed blade of a saw. After danger, you had a period of conflict, then some time to recover. Tension led to further danger, and the cycle repeated. Sawing someone in half was a classic magic trick, but when it was reality trying to split your existence into different parts, it stopped being such a spectacle. The issue with realizing the movement of the waves was any lull just felt shallow when you knew the change was coming. Still, less chance of getting swept away if you were always prepared.

    ¡°Max? Max.¡±

    I awoke, briefly unaware of where or when I was. Why my mornings had devolved into someone calling my name to wake me, I didn¡¯t know - but any brief annoyance quickly fizzled out when I saw that it was Ren. The elf was already dressed and looking bright-eyed and energetic.

    ¡°How are you already this alive?¡± I groaned and covered my eyes with my forearm. It felt like another week and I might be ready to face the world. Might.

    ¡°Elves need less sleep than humans, it seems.¡± There was some mirth in her tone, a life to her I''d rarely heard previously. ¡°But it¡¯s been fifteen hours or something ridiculous, so get up, trickster.¡±

    I relented to sitting up, my muscles aching with every movement. A grimace crossed my face as a sharp pain flashed up my injured side. Healed, but complaining from the trauma. Good morning to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually going to take Wolf and do a bit of shopping. Try not to die while I¡¯m gone? Meet us at the town board when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    My head nodded, and I watched her leave. She turned to chuck me the key before shutting the door. Not only did she have the energy to be up before me, but also make plans for the day - and look happy while doing it. As happy as she ever looked, anyway. The blanket had been removed from the window and bright morning sunlight illuminated the room. I shuffled my aching body up against the headboard and sighed.

    [Health Status]

    [No reported Injury]

    If only I could bounce back from the trauma that easily. The thoughts of turning into a demon had played on my mind, even though the long sleep had made me question how much of yesterday was real. The flare of pain in my side told me the answer was too much of it. There was some worry about letting them out of my sight, but I couldn''t allow myself to live in paranoia like that. Despite the dead bodies that hopefully weren''t still littering the other room, the town in bright daylight seemed like a safe enough place.

    Better check the skills from my level up, at least.

    <Stacked Deck> had the shortest description, which easily made it the first target of my dreary morning eyes. Ten percent bonus to

    damage. It should hopefully allow my magic cards to stay relevant against more than unarmored or exposed opponents. Time would tell. The amount of Intelligence I was stacking was certainly helping too¡ªalongside my apparent ability to funnel more mana into the skill than intended. Or perhaps it was intended? It was hard to tell with the System.

    I left Bloodletting for last because the name alone gave me the chills, and I wasn¡¯t keen on seeing the path the System wanted to drag me down just yet. I switched my focus to <Vanishing Act>.

    [Vanishing Act] [Make a medium or smaller object that isn¡¯t being held or equipped invisible for ten seconds.]

    I prickled with delight. The conditions were fair enough - it would be wild to make my opponent''s held weapons invisible, or obscure a runaway wagon as it careered towards my foes. I wondered if it counted things I was holding, or rather could I briefly let go to do the action before grabbing it again.

    Not wanting the question to go unanswered so early in the day, I rose from bed onto the wooden floor and switched to my Cosmetic outfit - my suit now perfect and unblemished. Into my hand, my dagger went, and I held it limply.

    With a quick flick, I spun it into the air and used <Vanishing Act>. The weapon immediately evaporated from sight. A moment later, a sharp pain scratched across my fingers, drawing blood, before the metal clattered to the floorboards.

    Lesson learned - I couldn¡¯t see invisible things, nor did I have the option to stow them in my Inventory. After a few more seconds, the dagger reappeared on the floor. ¡°Et tu, dagger?¡± It didn''t seem to feel any guilt for its role in my injury.

    I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it on my summoned demons either, so despite it being a potentially powerful aide to my trickery - I¡¯d need to have a good think on the best use cases.

    Now that I had bloodied myself, I relented to checking out <Bloodletting>. Nothing overtly sinister. I hummed to myself as my eyes darted across the text. I could expend ten percent of my maximum health to use instead of mana if I was fully exerted. More temptation to ruin myself, it seemed. How that translated to actual card damage, I wasn''t too sure, and wasn''t about to beat myself up about working it out. Despite that being the key point of the passive.

    The card that I had used to sever the arm of the man had been empowered by the treant curse - even with using Bloodletting and my full mana reserve, I wouldn¡¯t be able to repeat the act at this stage. Hah - act, stage. I shook my head and then the rest of my body followed. Limbered up to meet the day ahead. Perhaps I should have gone shopping with them.

    With a sigh, I left the room and traveled down to the tavern proper. A couple of patrons, all of them dressed in generic villager outfits. None of them turned their gaze to meet me, but I drew a fine line across the room with my glare. I was supposed to be good at Illusion Magic, and if anyone was in disguise or keeping eyes on us, I would hope to know. Nothing tingled at the back of my mind.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Hope you had a good evening, adventurer. Fine day out.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at the barkeep. ¡°Nobody tried to murder us last night, so it was better than last time.¡± Briefly I considered whether the way my heart had pounded in my chest last night was a coy attempt from Ren to off me, but brushed those thoughts away. Focus on the show, Max.

    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± he took me from the careening thoughts.

    With a shrug, I went to the door and waved him off. It was a fine day out. Whatever gloom of the day prior had equally been satiated by the long sleep, and now a soft warmth lit the town. It burned at my eyes, but I couldn¡¯t let that ruin the moment. All the hardship seemed so far away once more. As if there was no danger to our lives ever present. I smiled and walked over to the town board.

    New Quests that had replaced the ones prior. I wondered if Ren had glanced them over yet, but whilst I was here, I might as well put in the effort to keep the Party on the ball. I had agreed to, of course. Seemed rude to go back to old habits so soon, especially after she put so much trust in me.

    [Wanted: Reggie Drake. Smuggler, Murderer, Tax Evader. Dead or Alive.]

    [Cull: Enraged Dire Elks 0/15 (R).]

    [Investigate: Suspected Witches Coven.]

    I nodded slowly, as if I was getting any useful information out of the requests. Go to place and kill things. These were all challenging, however - so perhaps we should be talking around town to try to get some less terrifying options. Then again, we rose to any challenge leveled our way so far. Knowing the Lady was in the next area made me keen to go a little rougher on the Questing to level faster.

    Movement in my peripheral caught my attention, as the unmistakable mass of Wolf drew closer. I turned with a smile, confusion passing over my face to see who he was with.

    ¡°Ren?¡±

    Her eyes were alight - smiling, even if her mouth hadn¡¯t budged. ¡°What do you think?¡± She gave me a brief twirl, some awkwardness in her face at the out of character act.

    No longer in her usual ranger garb, she had changed into a totally different outfit. A white blouse partially covered by a soft pastel blue waistcoat. Matching slacks that went down to smart boots. Atop her golden hair was a top hat, slightly shorter and wider than mine, with a black ribbon around it.

    ¡°You have that tailored? It looks like it fits you perfectly.¡± I was as amazed as I was confused. It was always a struggle to get my suits to match my figure, which is why I always stayed so lean. Ren had a lot more going on in that department and yet it looked like it was designed with her in mind.

    ¡°System shenanigans,¡± she said as she rolled her eyes. ¡°However, I couldn¡¯t deal with the dress shoes.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m¡­ at a loss for words.¡± I was trying to take it all in while also not trying to stare too much and appear rude. ¡°Just very confused at why.¡±

    Her eyes softened. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk down to the coast. The breeze is nice.¡±

    I nodded, shooting a look at Wolf as she walked beside me. He looked like he was off in his own world, perhaps trying to work his STAR.

    ¡°I had a think about what you said last night,¡± she began, as we walked down the street toward the beach. ¡°About my ranger outfit.¡±

    My head was nodding still, agreeing with the words but unsure where this was leading to. It had mostly been an off-the-cuff observation, not meant to jostle some change in her outlook on life.

    ¡°My heritage¡­ my family¡­ it all means a lot to me. Always will. But they¡¯re gone now and I¡¯ve been trying to cling to them in hopes they don¡¯t fade away.¡± She sighed and looked out toward the sea now that we were getting closer. ¡°This morning I realized that to get stronger, I needed to learn to let go of some of that.¡±

    ¡°Then, what¡¯s with¡­ this?¡± I gestured to her outfit. Our feet hit the sand, and we kept on going until our full 180 degree vision was open sea and horizon. Wolf had sat back at the edge of the road, not too keen on getting sandy paws.

    We stopped, and she turned to face me, crossing her arms across her chest. ¡°The only other outfits were slutty nurse and some kind of dinosaur.¡±

    I opened my mouth, but the light in her eyes gave me pause. Instead, I settled for a tired smile and allowed her to explain.

    ¡°I realize it¡¯s pretty weird to mimic your style, but the truth is, I want to learn. I want to bullshit like you can.¡± Her eyes tried to read my face, searching for something. "We''re meeting half way, right?"

    My hands rubbed at my temples. ¡°I don¡¯t know if¡­ I don¡¯t know what I am yet. Whether I¡¯m even safe to be around.¡± I turned from her to look out at the gentle waves that extended to the horizon. Admitting that to myself was exhausting. What if the violent me took over from the pleasant me, and I was no better than the scum working for the Lady?

    With a sigh, I sat down on a conjured chair; the legs sinking slightly into the sand. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m on a destructive course that will only be filled with hardship and loss.¡±

    She stepped up behind me and put her hands on my shoulders, which did more to make me tense up rather than relax. ¡°When I met you, Max, I told myself not to care about you. Everything I cared about was taken away from me. I didn¡¯t want that to keep happening. Yesterday you, Wolf, and I could have died.¡±

    ¡°Very true.¡± Especially if I had made any mistake.

    ¡°So I don¡¯t want to live without living if death could take us at any time.¡±

    I saw her reasoning. The shadows might be safer, but what use was allowing our enemies to keep us miserable and where they wanted us? We might burn out twice as fast, being twice as bright, but it will be a life better lived. We''d still have enemies either way. I was mostly trying to avoid the subtext that she cared for me. Then again, I couldn''t deny I cared for her¡ªand Wolf¡ªafter yesterday.

    Perhaps she was right. ¡°Alright, I relent to your reasoning. But why dressed up as my assis-ah!¡± Her fingers pinched into my shoulders.

    ¡°We don¡¯t use that word. You¡¯re not just acting your assigned Class, you are bullshitting beyond what the System should allow. I want in on that - we need every advantage as we grow in power.¡±

    My jaw worked as I stared at the waves wetting the sand at the edge of the shore. I felt unequipped and unqualified to do this. A danger to the group if I truly did turn into a demon and lost control. Could I be responsible for our abilities going forward? I didn¡¯t feel enough to hoist up my own ego that I had falsely inflated all these years.

    Ren leaned down beside my ear, the brim of her hat pressing against mine. ¡°Max. Just think about how great a show you could pull off with a prot¨¦g¨¦.¡±

    I shivered. For a variety of reasons. Perhaps she was right, though. She might not have the capability to manipulate her Inventory - but with two of us, or even with Wolf too - the possibilities grew exponentially. Ideas bubbled up within me.

    The elf backed away from me, and I stood from my chair to face her. Her arms crossed again, but those brilliant blue eyes had a life to them that radiated beyond her impassive expression.

    I smiled, and as the chair vanished, I stepped up onto nothing. Seemingly hovering in mid-air, I flourished my cape and gave her a bow.

    ¡°Welcome to the first day of becoming insufferable.¡± I grinned widely.

 49 - Taking Stock

    Another blank page lined my journal at this juncture, aside from a few stars I had doodled. I remembered it clearly, even without the visual reminder. That outfit. Her intention to become part of the show. Despite the slideshow of horrible images that ran through my mind, that time on the beach shone out amongst them. The sound of the waves lapping at the shore. Warmth of the sun. How radiant and full of hope she was. How we both were. The System had ways of correcting that, but it could never shake that memory.

    I dropped to the sand once the chair reappeared and went into my Inventory, my grin maintaining. ¡°My new ability lets me make things invisible for ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°Not clothes, I hope?¡± She narrowed her eyes at me.

    ¡°Nothing... equipped.¡± Somehow, I managed to maintain eye contact, my grin only slightly wavering.

    She turned her head to look back at Wolf. ¡°We should make a move soon. But first, you should teach me something.¡±

    I screwed my face up in response. Although I wanted to ascertain some key principles of the order of magic and ease her into the whole journey, I also didn¡¯t want her glaring me to death all day. My fingers rubbed at the bridge of my nose. ¡°I suppose, first off¡­ you¡¯re an Oathwarden - you never mentioned what your oath was to ward.¡±

    ¡°You,¡± she stated plainly and didn¡¯t change expression.

    My brow furrowed, but I didn¡¯t have much to say, slightly caught off guard by the simple and rather personal answer.

    ¡°What?¡± She scowled. ¡°You think you can tank a sword through your guts without some kind of divine intervention? I¡¯m already embarrassed enough about last night. Let¡¯s not dwell on the details.¡±

    Quickly, I nodded, if only because I was keen to not address anything to do with any of that until necessary. Today had already been a rollercoaster, and I was beginning to feel like my heart had given out in the night and this was a last dream before I headed into the light. It made a change from being my broken skull; I supposed.

    ¡°Okay.¡± I shook my head to get the train back on the tracks. ¡°What about Smite Shot - is that specifically a bow ability?¡±

    Her brow furrowed as she looked through her System windows. ¡°It says¡­ it¡¯s a projectile attack.¡±

    I smiled. Silly System. ¡°And what is a projectile attack?¡±

    The simple answer popped into her head before the more out of the box ones tumbled in. I handed her over a knife.

    She turned to the side, a scowl of concentration along her face as she held the weapon''s sharp end between her fingers. It would probably take more effort than the way she had been doing it innately, but¡­

    Ren leaned back and then launched the dagger, a radiant light illuminating it as it careened over the beach before landing in the loose sand with a small pulse of energy.

    ¡°Holy shit, trickster.¡± She turned to me, either impressed or perhaps expecting that to have been more difficult.

    ¡°Obviously not as damaging as an arrow would have been.¡± I held up a finger. ¡°But¡­¡±

    I turned away and walked to the water sloshing up the damp sand as she watched me. Empty bottle came up, and I filled it with sea water, putting a cork in the end. Humming to myself, I stepped over and held it out for her. Some apprehension in her face, but understanding the process.

    ¡°Entangling shot,¡± I offered.

    She repeated the same actions, this time the green and golden light swirling around the thrown bottle before it broke on the sands ahead. Vines wriggled about the empty area and then sunk away amidst a wet patch.

    ¡°Now imagine that bottle was filled with poison gas or oil.¡± I grinned.

    ¡°Root them and cause more damage.¡± She cupped her chin in thought, looking out to where the skill had landed.

    Again, not as damaging nor as far-reaching as an arrow would have been - but the spark was set and I could see the possibilities whirring around in her head. I held my hand out for her to shake. ¡°To being the greatest magician duo in the world.¡±

    She eschewed the extended offering and moved in for a brief hug. Already, she had moved away before I had a chance to process. She dipped her hat to hide half her face as she stepped back. ¡°Embarrassing acts come in threes. Better to get it over with. Ready to go see how we¡¯ll die today?¡±

    My brain clicked into place, still unsure as to what was happening today. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m starting to get a taste for living.¡± Rubbing at my eyes, I turned to face the road, where a familiar figure was slouched against the wall and talking to Wolf.

    We exchanged glances and walked back across the sands toward Hannah.

    ¡°I knew it¡¯d only be a matter of time.¡± She clucked her tongue and grinned.

    ¡°That Ren would become my prot¨¦g¨¦?¡± I blurted out before anyone else got a word in. ¡°It was inevitable. Did you want to join us?¡±

    ¡°Pass.¡± The shapeshifter pulled a face and frowned. ¡°Wolf was telling me you ran into some trouble yesterday?¡±

    There had been the thought that Hannah may have tipped our position off to the Crimson Shadow, but even with her confidence, she wouldn¡¯t be so overt and in our face about it if that was the case. Mostly, I felt I just didn¡¯t want to be wrong about her.

    ¡°Group of five ambushed us outside the Dungeon exit.¡± Ren crossed her arms.

    Hannah whistled. ¡°Shit, yeah, that sounds like a death trap. But you managed to escape okay, you lost them?"

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    ¡°We killed them.¡± I shrugged at her visual disbelief. ¡°Mixture of our luck and their arrogance.¡±

    ¡°Good eating, though,¡± Wolf shrugged and laid back down on the warm stone road.

    She stood, working her jaw and trying to chew through the truths she had trouble accepting. Eventually, she had no reason to think what we were saying wasn¡¯t true, and she shrugged it away. ¡°I¡¯ve got the coordinates on Hadrian¡¯s camp, if you can pay.¡±

    Ren raised an eyebrow at me, and I nodded. She withdrew the Token and handed it over, as the shapeshifter sent the location to our Maps.

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you that I don¡¯t know their full numbers and power. This is just where the rat is holed up. I couldn¡¯t hang about for too long because they have magic that could detect what I really am.¡± She rubbed at one of her cat ears. "I''m going to stay away, probably head west to see what''s going on there."

    ¡°I understand. Staying safe out there is the most important thing.¡± I looked past her to the road leading up to the town. It would have been very impressive if a new Player had teleported to the beach, which I was faux floating atop the invisible chair. Another time, perhaps. ¡°We know that the Lady is past the Golden Fields now, but we want to clear up the area here before moving on.¡±

    Hannah pulled an even more exaggerated face. ¡°You¡¯d risk death for what? When your prey is-¡°

    I held up a hand. ¡°How are we supposed to grow an audience with the trash here killing them off?¡±

    She scowled and looked between my devious grin and the stoic glare of the elf. ¡°Whatever.¡± She threw her arms up. ¡°Just follow through. I could use the continued Tokens, and to breathe a little easier in this area. Maybe if you can really do it, then I''ll follow you west over the bridge.¡±

    With a nod, that was the end of our business meeting. The woman transformed into a cat and scarpered up the road to the town. I watched her leave, for some reason expecting something to happen - but nothing did.

    Ren sighed and leaned against the bear, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°I tried to get Wolf to wear a little hat, too, but he wasn¡¯t having it.¡±

    I beamed at them both. Despite the danger on our doorstep, the day had been¡­ good? I had never considered having an understudy before. While Ren didn¡¯t really have the natural gifts that the System was keen to give out, there wasn¡¯t anyone else I¡¯d rather have as my equal. We¡¯d already built the trust, killed for each other, saved each other''s life¡­ and hugged a few times - my fuzzy brain was quick to add. The performing tricks part was the easy bit once we had more time to workshop.

    ¡°You two check out the Quest board?¡±

    They shook their heads. ¡°Oh, I did spend some of your share of the gold on supplies.¡± Ren tilted her head. ¡°Health Potions, Bandages, and so many bullshit things.¡±

    I frowned and tilted my head. ¡°You have my attention, Ren.¡±

    She sucked her teeth and looked upwards, narrowing her eyes to try to remember everything. ¡°Nails, parchment paper, a hammer, pliers, three different colors of paint, caltrops, rope, yarn, a shovel-¡°

    I held up my hand. ¡°You had me at whatever the first thing was. My brain will literally explode if you give me too many options to think about¡­ but, thank you.¡±

    Her eyes smiled. ¡°Shall we go murder some Shadows, then?¡±

    With a sigh, I nodded. It was a shame to leave this snapshot of idyllic comfort, but greater things drew us to harsher times. Even hiding out here and enjoying our time, there was a chance they¡¯d track us down and send people to kill us amongst the town. Again.

    ¡°See any other Players here?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Either they have moved on or¡­ moved on.¡± She drew a finger across her neck, just in case I didn¡¯t catch the difference. I did.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then, and you¡¯ll need to tell me every skill and what their exact description is along the way.¡± She nodded as I continued. ¡°We¡¯ll have you full of bullshit in no time.¡±

    Wolf groaned as he stood to his feet, shaking himself off. ¡°If you expect me to do tricks, then you are¡­ well, you best have enough food to convince me.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at the elf, and she nodded eagerly to let me know she''d stocked up on provisions too. Ren had thought of everything.

    Other than to hand in her thief Quest and level up, apparently. It seemed as though meeting halfway also meant she would be a little more slack on things. We did so and took the three from the noticeboard. Even if we had no intention of completing them at this stage, it would be handy to have them ready in case we stumbled upon the targets. Plus, we could equally dead soon, anyway.

    With one last glance at relative safety, we set back out into the woods as Ren began to list off her current abilities and passives. They certainly didn''t have the intentional flare that mine did.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Eventually, I rubbed my chin in consideration. ¡°Not a lot to work with there. The System has you pegged to your role quite well.¡±

    Ren looked glum at my take on it. ¡°The ability I received at level seven lets me imbue a projectile with an elemental bonus, but only one time per element per day.¡±

    My brow furrowed. ¡°So you could throw a bottle of oil already on fire to explode where it lands? Probably plenty of other interactions I¡¯d have to think about.¡±

    She nodded and looked around. We had traveled a decent distance from the town, and as beautiful as the woods were in this weather, we were only stepping ever closer toward the fight against the Shadows.

    ¡°Small breakfast stop? I picked up more coffee, too.¡± From her Inventory she withdrew a full jar of the stuff to hand toward me.

    ¡°Oh.¡± I stepped back from her. ¡°You best look after it - I, uh, will over indulge otherwise and you don¡¯t want to see me when I¡¯m super wired up.¡±

    ¡°Delegating your coffee making to me, huh?¡± Her eyes narrowed as she set up the grill, before her face then softened at seeing my brief panic. ¡°We have a saying in elvish that means ¡®bound by trauma¡¯ or ¡®deathforged¡¯. I believe it¡¯s common for adventuring groups to grow tight knit due to this.¡±

    I nodded and looked over at Wolf, who sat down after a stretch and a yawn. That certainly seemed possible. We had shared the near-death experiences, the bloodshed, and rising above odds. It certainly beat out the surface-level conversations I¡¯d have with my previous colleagues or acquaintances.

    Maybe this could be even more.

    "I have a bear saying," Wolf added, "that means feed me or become the food."

    "Poetic." I smiled.

    Ren withdrew some meat and threw it toward him, the slightest of smiles at the edge of his muzzle.

    ¡°Say, before we all go off and die¡­¡± I drew out a chair to sit on as the kettle started to boil. ¡°What¡¯s one of the best memories you have of your previous world?¡± I gestured toward the bear first, as he had been quiet as of late and I didn¡¯t want to distract Ren from making my coffee.

    He scratched at the underside of his chin for a moment as he finished chewing on his snack, trying to cast his mind back to when he was a normal bear. ¡°When I was a cub, I had two siblings. A sister and a brother. My sister was poorly and passed at a young age, but I recall a time when we were all together, snuggled against our mother. Warmth and safety.¡±

    I gave him a soft smile. Perhaps one of the reasons he didn¡¯t mind us using him as a bed to rest up against in the night. My eyebrow raised to the elf as she passed me over a mug of steaming salvation. ¡°Ren?¡±

    ¡°Probably my family dog I had as a child. Apparently, I never smiled so much as when she was around. You, Max?¡±

    My mind was still trying to imagine the younger elf beaming at whatever type of dog she had. It was hard to parse and set me back in coming up with my own memories. The flap of pages only half filled brought up a few of my shows or points in my career, before the inevitable settled into my mind.

    ¡°My grandparents on my dad¡¯s side were always into the weird and occult. They had an old book on magical tricks - somewhat taboo back in the day as magicians were quite tight-lipped about their tricks.¡± I stared down at my drink. ¡°But I picked some things up, and my first ever ¡®performance¡¯ was for my mother. Still remember the sparkle of¡­ joy and pride in her eyes even as I did just a handful of basic things unsuccessfully.¡±

    Ren nodded at me. ¡°Just imagine how impressed she¡¯d be with you now.¡± She handed me a bread roll that she had put cheese in and melted on the grill.

    I tried to imagine it. Remembered her smile and the kind words. But it still didn¡¯t feel like I was doing enough.

 50 - Crimson Flag

    Going into a situation with only half the necessary information was a cue to have the gaps labored with whatever the System deemed the most dire. A glass half full was all well and good until fate used your blood to top it off. Unfortunately, knowledge was scarce at the best of times, limited by time or untenable emotions. Work with what you had, and hope that what you gained was greater than what you lost. Learn the hard way, as long as you actually learned.

    The rest of our journey was done in near silence. Both from the weight of the task ahead, alongside the reflections of our past memories. Growing closer as a Party. Friendships and proper emotional connections that I hadn¡¯t had previously in my adult life. Every step up that ladder making the inevitable fall all the more dangerous. How would I even deal with Ren dying if I survived?

    I supposed the answer should be no different from all the other people who had died in my life. But, despite knowing the elf only a short time, she had left a bright mark on my life. Part of me¡­ cared deeply for her. We had become each others coping mechanism. She accepted my flaws, tolerated me when I wavered, and pushed me to be better. Harsh mentor, but now eager prot¨¦g¨¦. I could hardly imagine any joy in this world were she was no longer by my side. Not that I''d ever tell her as such.

    ¡°I regret having to tell you this,¡± she began as she walked beside me. ¡°But I respect you a little more for wearing this kind of outfit constantly. It¡¯s not the most comfortable.¡±

    ¡°You get used to it.¡± I grinned. ¡°Eventually. Form fitting clothing is more for the appearance than comfort. Short term.¡±

    She gave a dull glare out at the woods. ¡°I¡¯ll get used to it.¡±

    I found it an amusing thing for her to be so stubborn about. Even though her reasoning had some basis that made sense - she wanted us to look like more of a team, and it might help with my performance tricks - it seemed to make her somewhat uncomfortable in more ways than one. I felt on edge, so I opted to rock the boat.

    ¡°Good. Confidence is part of making the act seem authentic.¡±

    She scowled at me in my peripheral as I looked ahead. ¡°Dickbag. You know I¡¯ll never do the fake smile thing, though.¡±

    I nodded and turned to look her in her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll never ask you to do anything you don¡¯t want to do. This is all your choice.¡±

    Wolf sidled up beside us with a huff, a small bowler hat sitting atop his head. Black, with a purple ribbon around it. ¡°This is my choice, too.¡± He looked up at me with his amber eyes, looking more like he wanted us to be quiet than anything else.

    A wide grin spread across my face. Even Ren looked a little amused.

    The expression slowly wore from our faces the further we traveled. Despite my unbridled joy at our shared theme now, those coordinates were getting closer. Some distraction along the way would have been nice, but it was if the System saw the route we led ourselves down and we saw barely a woodland critter. Better not to arrive tired and bloodied, however.

    Wolf stopped, his snout probing the air as he sniffed. ¡°Close. Group of smells, but no Hadrian or horse.¡±

    I nodded. The Map said we¡¯d be there soon. The bear seemed to have a good a nose as the elf did eyes. Perfect, as I had good taste.

    My jaw worked, already knowing some of the answers to the impending question. ¡°Does our plan change if he isn¡¯t there? How should we approach?¡±

    We paused to gather ourselves. Ren removed her hat to rub at her head. ¡°We¡¯ll just kill whoever is there, then. So, either we just charge in, try to be stealthy and pick them off from range, or¡­ try to get information from them.¡± She narrowed her eyes at me as if that was certainly my plan out of the three.

    ¡°What?¡± I shrugged. ¡°You were thinking I was about to suggest I go in disguise and try to join them to see if they let up on anything useful?¡±

    Neither of them said anything, but their expressions told me that is exactly what they thought. It would have been such a good plan, too. Maybe when there was less at stake. ¡°I was actually going to say a bit of both should work. If we can attack from range at one angle and they hunker down behind cover, we¡¯ll get Wolf to charge in from a different way and disrupt them.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± The bear nodded.

    ¡°Rather than head straight on, then...¡± Ren unfocused as she looked at her Map. ¡°We¡¯ll circle to the east slightly, and then split with Wolf and go toward the north-east more?¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± I agreed, and we started walking again. A plan agreed upon with no arguments. It was too early in our career to fully lean into my way of doing things. It was slightly more important we all lived, unfortunately,

    Although the Shadows might not be expecting combat, the route straight from the town would be the most likely direction people would appear from. Their camp would be designed with that in mind. If they were smart enough or thought it was a threat, anyway. We had experienced nothing but reckless arrogance from their members so far.

    It would be nice to know more about their purpose and how the Lady was gathering such forces in so little time¡­ but if she had left the area, then cleansing it of their evil was the second best thing. They did no good for the area, and if the System was going to bring in new Players, we didn''t want them falling to the Shadows¡ªor joining them. It was dawning on me that I might not be the only Player with broken or unexpected skill interactions. It seemed rude that the Lady would be even more overpowered than me and use that power to be so destructive.

    Before I could busy myself with any further distractions, we had visual on their camp. A loose gathering of assumed stolen wagons with a perimeter lined with spiked wooden constructions.

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    ¡°Cheval de frise,¡± Ren muttered, somehow filling in my mental blank for the correct term. The fact that she even put on the accent when saying it did odd things to my internal organs. Thanks, System.

    We backtracked a little, so that we were out of sight, and left Wolf. The signal was simple - when things went bad, come and join in. He was already licking his lips in anticipation. With the inclusion of the bowler hat, it was somehow more unsettling a visual than normal. I wondered if the defenses were made with the bear in mind, but they surely didn''t expect us to assault their camp. They might not even know about the dead group from the previous day yet.

    Ren and I circled around. My mouth felt dry and the low murmurs of our targets conversations were just in earshot as we kept ourselves out of line of sight. It was hard to not feel like a bad guy when we were actively stalking people we intended to murder. I had once thought the System would have certain walls up to prevent this sort of thing, but it turned out to be more brutal and real than the casual video-game-esque experience it had originally waved in front of my eyes.

    We stopped at the helpful cover of a small bulge in the ground where a tree sat, a minor hill blocking our visuals as we peered over to observe our prey. I could see at least three figures, maybe four. Awake and alert. Two of them conversing beside a grill. One a little way off on a chair, a mug in her hand.

    ¡°Four to six targets, unknown levels or classes. Most defenses are wooden in nature. Two of the wagons offer cover against our position.¡± Ren reeled off some information so that we were on the same page.

    ¡°Eliminate biggest threats first. Healers and any casters before breaking cover down.¡± My response was shrewd, but I understood the basics. Destroying the cover first gave us an advantage, but taking out a key target or two before they could act left a lot of danger in the dirt rather than leveled at us. Despite my predilection for getting into the thick of danger, pelting from a distance sounded preferable in this instance.

    She nodded and withdrew an arrow. She whispered a word in elven that the System didn¡¯t care to translate, but with the swirl of blue around the projectile, I assumed it was ¡®water¡¯.

    I threw an Imp card out to our right further away, to have him appear hidden amongst some trees. Mentally, I told him to target wagons once Ren had fired. His little arm waving in response told me he understood. Then I drew a magic card and split it in two. At this distance, I wouldn¡¯t be able to pick out necks or other soft spots, so solely dealing what damage I could would have to do.

    Ren aimed and then let loose the magical arrow. I could see her intent - hit one by the grill in anticipation that the water might splash onto the hot metal and cause steam to rise up, obscuring their vision. If only I had something to appear from the cloud, that would have been perfect.

    Instead, a flash of light blue rolled over the camp as her arrow struck a previously invisible barrier. The now inert arrow felt to the dirt, down the domed wall of the ability.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± she whispered and dropped to the ground beside me.

    ¡°Enemies!¡± a voice growled out.

    ¡°Who¡¯s out there? Show yourselves and we might allow you mercy.¡±

    ¡°Looks like it came from the north east,¡± a third voice offered.

    The sounds of spells and buffs being cast and weapons being drawn were soon accompanied by boots on dirt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t wander too far from camp. Three of you guard Gustov so the barrier stays up. You three come with me.¡±

    Eight in total, then. The spellcaster defending the camp was the biggest issue and the one probably hardest to reach currently. Wolf hadn¡¯t jumped the gun, which was great. I just had to think a little harder. Imp vanished, and I brought out the last glass bottle of oil. Needed to stock up on these when we had the chance.

    Footsteps drew closer, and one of the opponents was humming with energy. No more jeers or offers of mercy; they were tense. Somehow, I remained calm. Ren¡¯s jaw was clenched, and an arrow was clutched at the ready, but she was waiting it out. These people weren¡¯t likely to be caught in trying to duel me for their ego. We''d be killed on sight. Crossbow into my right hand, left holding a card I was empowering. Ren waited for the signal.

    ¡°Fuck! Fire!¡± a voiced yelled back from the camp.

    Good. They had left the grill out in their hurry, and my demonic dove had delivered the oil without being spotted. The magical dome only blocked actual attacks¡ªthat was good information.

    ¡°We¡¯re being played for fools here,¡± a nearby voice growled. ¡°They must be nearer the west.¡± There was a pause, as if they were surveying the area one last time, before they staggered off further to the right.

    With their backs turned, this was our best chance.

    I leaped to my feet to peer over the hill and let my card off, pulling the trigger of the crossbow. Ren followed suit almost as my shadow, the green and gold entangling shot arcing through the air just behind my shots.

    A knight in crimson armor turned to block my bolt with a flare of red, my card passing beyond him to strike a robed figure across the face. The entangling shot rooted the wounded spellcaster and a slim man in leathers, but didn¡¯t affect the knight or a woman in a padded gambeson.

    With a yell, said woman went for us immediately. She was faster than the knight, a blur of red around her feet as she rushed toward me. The hand-print of crimson across her angered face a contrast to her short blonde hair. Her held weapon - an axe - burst into flame as she prepared to strike when she got close enough.

    Her footing stumbled as she tripped over thin air, falling to the ground and sliding down the slight incline toward us. The wooden chair appeared back into view as she tried to get the air back into her surprised lungs. My Hellhound leaped from behind me and immediately tore at her throat.

    Heavy plated footsteps thundered right after as the knight was close behind, a radiant arrow causing him to have to lift his shield up to block the damage. Full helm, but this one only had a mess of small circles rather than a handy eye-slot for my cards to burrow within. The symbol of the hand-print was on his shield in deep black. I didn¡¯t really have much to deal with heavy armor, so I just stood in place.

    The roar of Wolf came from our side. Those four in the campground were about to have a very bad day. We needed to get in and support him.

    ¡°Stop,¡± I told the knight. Seeing if I could just bluff my way into another Dazzle icon.

    He reached for me and swung his sword. With a flash of incandescent light, it cut through my suit and into my skin - straight from my left shoulder to chest.

    ¡°Stop. I mean you no harm," I repeated, with a friendly smile. My right eye twitched from the pain, but I was already twirling a bandage in my hidden left hand.

    He hesitated. Ren fired off an arrow, and he didn¡¯t have the reaction time to block it. It wasn¡¯t aimed for him, however, but for the injured spellcaster - who took the unopposed arrow through his head as he tried to heal his face.

    I threw up a blanket and went to dive away, but the knight shot out a beam of blue light that struck me through it and drew me closer to him like a fishing line. My feet caught on the ground and I stumbled backwards, right as his sword came down to meet me.

    <Card Fan> blocked the slash, but I felt pain across my back. An elven word whispered across my ears before the sound of shattering glass hit the plated figure. I turned away to face him, seeing some of his metallic armor melting away. Acid. Some manner of fantasy stuff, as I didn¡¯t think it worked so effectively in my world.

    Magic card out, and he raised his shield to block it. I stopped it before it struck and circled it around him. Humming to myself, I let it orbit him before splitting it. He was briefly dumbstruck, trying to avoid the attack or anticipate when I¡¯d pull them in against him.

    ¡°Go help Wolf,¡± I told Ren. ¡°I¡¯ve got it here.¡±

    She nodded and was off. No doubt in her mind that I believed what I said. The other combatant was out of the entangle now and was being harried by the Hellhound.

    ¡°You''ve been great.¡± I grinned widely at the struggling knight. "But now it''s time to for the curtain to fall."

 51 - Sparkling Turncoat

    One of the impressive things about fighting other Players was how slow they seemed to use their abilities. For the longest time, it perplexed me - as if they had some manner of a mental block like Wolf and could only use things innately and didn¡¯t have a proper grasp of their class or how to interact with the System. Could it also be that they were inferior classes and had worse ability options? Maybe. It sounded cruel of the System to put others on unequal footing, but even by now I had established that the System - or whoever had built it - just didn¡¯t care.

    As the knight continued to stand waiting for my attack to land, I didn¡¯t even send the cards to him - he was starting to suspect they wouldn¡¯t do a lot of damage and he could just empower some ability to skewer me with little damage to himself instead. So I pulled them toward him and let them vanish, instead I threw one of the blankets over him.

    He slashed about wildly, getting it out of his way just as Roger slammed a rock into the side of his helmet.

    ¡°Knock, knock, fucker!¡± The demon grinned as the knight fell to the ground, before leaping atop him. The puppet-body of the woman I had slain now sporting two purple ears from her skull.

    I turned to the last of the group as my pact summon tried his best to be a can opener, just as the fourth member ran my hound through. He gave a look to the carnage, and then back to the camp - weighing up his options. He didn''t look like the type to think he could take on the man who had just destroyed the rest of his group. Sweaty and pale, going to get reinforcements was his ultimate decision. He turned from me and ran toward the main camp.

    Poor choice.

    From my hand, I split my cards and sent them through the air. The magic one cut into his lower leg, causing him to stumble. An Imp one struck the ground just behind him. Wagons, I commanded. The escapee didn¡¯t get much further as an arrow appeared out through his back, his route clearly taking him straight toward the elf. I grinned, but immediately regretted the action as a surge of electricity pulsed through the left of the camp, light flickering against all the wooden objects obscuring my vision of the other two.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long,¡± I yelled back at Roger as I ran. An increasing tempo of repeated clangs from behind me was the only response I received as he plied his rock against the armor to get at the meaty part inside.

    Another explosion bloomed in pale green light from between the wagons and spiked defenses. I swore under my breath. Despite her arrow coming over from there, I couldn¡¯t see where she was. A fireball head off from my Imp to the right side of the camp where the grill fire was still burning away at some wooden crates. It struck a wagon and flames stuck to it, lapping around and growing in ferocity by the second.

    I slid into the camp to see Ren leaning up against one of the wagons, breathing heavily. The left sleeve of her blouse had been charred off and etchings of red ran all the way up her arm. Wolf looked equally as injured. Patches of fur had been burned off, and a limp, robed figure lay bloodied in his mouth.

    ¡°Lightning spell,¡± Ren hissed, healing herself with radiant light. ¡°Spellcasters are motherfuckers.¡±

    ¡°Mfmff,¡± Wolf agreed, before spitting the corpse to the ground. ¡°Taste weirder, too.¡±

    Probably not the right time to remind them I was some form of spellcaster. Whatever classes the other three here were, they didn¡¯t have the necessary defenses to stop Wolf crumpling them like cardboard. One lay several feet away from a severed right arm. The other had a crushed skull, a sight that sent a twinge of pain through my own head.

    ¡°You two get healed up and let¡¯s pick the camp clean and move on?¡± I rubbed at my temples. Something wasn¡¯t right, but I couldn¡¯t think what. Adrenaline was draining away, and I felt unaccomplished, barely a handful of Dazzles in that brief fight. Didn''t get to pop the <Finale>. Did that mean things weren''t over yet, or was I holding the wrong end of the stick? I caught the eye of the elf.

    ¡°Max, you need healing too.¡± Ren scowled at me as the redness on her arm faded away.

    I looked down, briefly surprised to see how much of my front was soaked with blood. There was some pain there, but I hadn¡¯t really focused on it.

    ¡°Use some bandages? And probably next time, don¡¯t just stand in front of people attacking you.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Even if it did look badass.¡±

    ¡°Careful.¡± I grinned. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t encourage me with compliments.¡± My eyes turned away from her glare as Roger stumbled over in a suit of dented crimson armor.

    ¡°Hey, boss¡­ and witch, and big dog, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Wolf,¡± the bear corrected, as the elf narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Roger.¡± I nodded. ¡°Thanks for your help. How have you been?¡±

    He awkwardly moved over and leaned on one of the spiked walls, the sharpened wood scraping against his metal side. ¡°Can¡¯t complain. It¡¯s nice to get away from the wives and kids every so often, though, you know?"

    ¡°Wives and kids,¡± I repeated, slowly looking back at Ren.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± His head shuffled like a nod, purple ears atop the helmet waving. ¡°Seven wives, twenty-three kids. Couple more on the way. The gals always dote on me more after some time in this plane, and the kids love the stories.¡±

    My imagination was working overtime, but couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°The stories of you murdering people?¡±

    ¡°In a way.¡± He leaned over and creaked further against the spikes. ¡°They see me as an adventurer. Being summoned by you is an honor.¡±

    I bowed, not really knowing how else to process all that information. ¡°Always a pleasure to have you assist us, Roger.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going now, boss. Florentine is cooking today, and her caramelized mash is to die for.¡± With that said, his body slunk lax as his energy faded away.

    All of that was pretty unexpected, and hard to accept. For a variety of reasons. There was a brief moment of awkward silence before I turned back to my Party. ¡°Is it bad I wanted to ask him to bring us some of the mash?¡±

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    ¡°Get looting, trickster,¡± Ren said with a sigh, hoping to move on from that odd conversation. ¡°This place already gives me enough of a bad vibe.¡±

    Glad that it wasn¡¯t just me that felt it, I nodded and began looking around as she healed up the bear. As much as it tempted me to take everything not nailed down, the more I cluttered my Inventory the longer it would take me to cycle to what I wanted - even with the speed I could currently do it.

    I whistled. ¡°This wizard was stacked. Rare equipment with Intelligence and Spell Crit Chance, some with Elemental Damage too. You¡¯ll probably want the ring with that on?¡± I turned and spun it in the air. She easily caught it and turned away from us.

    Wolf watched her walk off to the corpses back in the woods before looking up at me. ¡°You¡¯ve both exchanged rings now.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± My brain froze for a second. ¡°Oh. No, that¡¯s not¡­¡±

    ¡°You share the same sleeping quarters and dress the same.¡± His amber eyes bore into me.

    For some reason, my brain felt like mud. ¡°I think you are reading too much into it, Wolf.¡± Technically speaking, we had all shared sleeping arrangements at some point - and he too now wore a hat denoting his place in our troupe. No need to grasp for anything further.

    He stretched out and looked idly over to the woods where the elf had gone. ¡°The details do not concern me. I only wish to ask that you do not leave me behind wherever the path leads.¡±

    I kneeled down on one knee to look him in the eyes. ¡°You have my word, Wolf. Whatever happens, you are part of this team.¡±

    With a grunt, he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t eat you before.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡± I stood back to my feet and grinned, before picking the wizard clean of what I wanted.

    [Mad Mage Hat] [+2 Int, +5% Spell Crit Chance]

    [White Magic Gloves] [+3 Int]

    [Slippers of Magic] [+2 Int, +5% Magic Damage]

    [Belt of Magic] [+2 Int, +5% Magic Damage]

    Ten percent more damage already, even without the extra Intelligence. Seems like it didn''t do the wizard much good, though. He had gotten a few spells off and damaged the Party. Probably holding the barrier up during most of the start of the battle weakened his effectiveness. Then, once you had a bear in your face, your options were limited. I went through the other bodies as Wolf yawned and lay down. Some gold and consumables, but no gear that was worth upgrading what I had. A couple Strength and Constitution things for Wolf to go through later.

    The smell of burning caught in my nose, distracting me from ruminating any further. Imp had departed, but not before setting some tents on fire. My eyes moved around the campground, looking for the most prime sources of loot before everything was consumed by flame. A journal lay sprawled on the worn dirt, pages gently moving about in the slight breeze.

    I relented to checking it out, despite time being a precious resource. Information was perhaps more valuable than the new equipment I now sported, if it could keep us alive. The pages flicked across in front of my eyes as I leaned against a crate. Thankfully, this hadn¡¯t ended up on the currently-burning side of the camp.

    My brow furrowed. Nice of them to document things. Recruitment attempts. Oddly enough, it sounded like they were all... willingly joining this charade. The process of how all this had been brought forth... the dead wizard and the red knight appeared to be in charge of¡­

    As Ren approached, I turned around and kicked over the crate I had been leaning against. The clatter of glass was accompanied by the lid popping off, dozens of bottles pouring out into a pile on the ground. Most empty, but some full.

    ¡°What are those?¡± the elf asked with her own furrowed brow in full effect.

    ¡°Blood.¡±

    Ren kneeled down to inspect one, not willing to touch it with her hands. I joined her by the side of the crate. She flared her nostrils and shook her head. ¡°I suppose the two questions are whose, and why?¡±

    I met her questioning gaze with nothing but a blank expression.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± she whispered. ¡°She¡¯s a blood mage or vampire or something?¡±

    All I could do was nod slowly. The information was still trying to worm its way through my brain, and I¡¯d need some quiet time to properly dig through the journal to get an accurate grasp on what it was all about. A rough formation of the bigger picture took shape, and I squinted to make it out.

    Whatever her Level Five skill had been must have granted her this ability. Using her blood, she had somehow offered them power or an end goal that was too good for them to pass up. Either way, it had enabled her to gather up or kill the majority of Players in this area. It didn''t read like hypnosis, possession, or corruption. But I hadn''t the time to fully inhale the words into my head.

    Ren sighed and stood again. ¡°At least that gives a little more exposition to what we¡¯re up against. Seems you¡¯re not the only one bullshitting the System.¡± She moved past me, placing her hand briefly on my shoulder as she moved over to Wolf. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. I hate the smell of burning wood.¡±

    I wondered if she had found anything useful on the other figures. Something to go over somewhere safer. ¡°Just have a couple more boxes to check and then we¡¯re good.¡± My Inventory now had three bottles of blood, and five more empty within it, as I turned and stood. Again, not intending to be deceptive, but I had a knack for knowing what might be useful. Until we knew better, the Lady''s blood could be used to our benefit.

    ¡°I doubt there¡¯s anything else worthwhile.¡± She gave Wolf a pat on the head. ¡°There¡¯s some new gear for you. That¡¯ll be great, huh?¡±

    The bear nodded, but didn''t seem too enthused. We had managed to get him into the bowler hat, which was the biggest win we were likely to have on that front.

    Shame the Shadows weren''t filled with unused Power Tokens. I was still sore that the Dungeon only gave us two. Ren was probably right, though. We had achieved our goal here and there was no sense getting greedy by trying to scour every last container for scraps of loot. If there was a treasure chest, maybe - but the boxes not on fire didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d be filled with anything important or valuable.

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve won me over with your sound reasoning.¡± I walked over to join them. ¡°Where should we head to next?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking north,¡± she replied. ¡°Wait for the area to cool off and see if we can hit a couple Quests until we have more information on where we should strike next.¡±

    That made sense to me. We were fast becoming the biggest thorn in the side of Crimson Shadow. They were not likely to give us this kind of chance again to act so unopposed, if there were any actually left in the area. Hadrian sure, but there couldn''t be...

    My mouth opened and closed to signal my agreement, but no words came out. Even as their eyes widened, a numbing pain flooded down my neck. As a radiant heal pulsed through me, the bloodied arrow fell from my neck. My eyes blurred briefly, death avoided by a sliver of luck.

    From the woods, Hadrian, mounted atop his horse and followed by four others. Some spell had silenced their advance, I was sure of it. As I went to move, ethereal chains appeared around me, keeping me in place. Their archer fired a skill into the air, an arrow bursting into two dozen more, ready to pepper the area like a rain of projectiles.

    If we took shelter from the spray, their melee fighters would be upon us before we recovered. Number advantage was theirs. Too risky for us to attempt to overcome, any hubris I once held melted away as my need to protect the others overrode it.

    ¡°Both of you run, now.¡± My eyes blazed with anger, and they didn¡¯t hesitate. Around one of the wagons and through the barricades, an aura burst around Wolf as they sprinted back toward the woods. Was it the right call to make? I wasn''t used to this kind of leadership, but I was willing to risk sinking with the ship if they made it away on the life rafts. What mattered most was that they heeded my word without hesitation. Something frightening, if I had the time to process it at present.

    The lobbed arrows began clattering around the camp, and I crossed my arms. None of them struck me, more from luck than anything else - but my indifference had an effect on the approaching five. Slight confusion and amusement on the face of the wild-eyed man at their front.

    I leveled a stern gaze at the mounted man. ¡°Let them go, and I¡¯ll join the Crimson Shadow.¡± Either he would buy it, or I was about to lose my head.

    He grinned as his halberd glinted in the sunlight, his decision already made.

 52 - Once more with Soul

    I kept reminding myself every so often that I wasn¡¯t a gambler. Or rather, I tried to convince myself that was true. While I liked my tricks to have a certain amount of sureness to them, it seemed that time and time again I would put my life on the line and see how highly fate regarded my continued existence. Perhaps I was just writing these memoirs as a ghost. The fading thoughts of a man lost to the endless sea. Sure felt that way more often than I cared to acknowledge.

    Hadrian pulled back on the reins to make his horse stop before me. Gestured for two of his lackeys to pursue my Party. ¡°Trail ¡®em, but don¡¯t engage until my signal. They¡¯re tougher than they look.¡±

    His scowl then turned back to me as he dismounted his steed and strode over to me. He was a large man, a good half a foot over me, and overtly muscled in a way that wasn''t normal. More like something you''d see in a comic book. Wide shoulders, barrel chest, and arms that could surely snap me in half. Nothing like a superhero though¡ªa wild mania blazed in his eyes¡ªhe looked unstable. Perhaps that was rich coming from me, currently. Or at any point in the last week.

    The two companions remaining were an odd pair. A wizard in deep red robes, his face shadowed by a tall peaked hood. A gray beard spilled out from the darkness, and his clothing was painted with eye-shapes all over. The ranger was a female dwarf, a heavy crossbow in her thick arms. Short mohawk of bright orange hair, and a smudge of dark war paint across her bright green eyes beneath the traditional hand-print denoting their allegiance with the Lady in Red.

    ¡°Got some huge fuckin¡¯ balls on you, eh?¡± Hadrian moved up to my face, rubbing at his stubbled chin. ¡°Thinkin¡¯ acting up the hero will save yer little Party?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of switching sides, anyway.¡± I continued to stare at him impassively. Although I wasn''t an actor, I could fool myself into playing a part. Suspend my own disbelief. ¡°You seem like you could use the help.¡±

    He glared at me, then looked around the camp. ¡°Aye.¡± He slowly nodded. ¡°You¡¯re a competent asshole, at least. You the one that killed the scouting party too?¡±

    ¡°Greasy dickbag with the dark metal sword?¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    Hadrian grunted in response and began to walk slowly around me. The dwarven woman took the reins of the horse and moved it to our side, gave it something to eat. While the wizard stood with his face still covered, focusing on the chains holding me in place. How inconvenient. Channeled spells seemed to put you at a disadvantage, yet I could see the benefit.

    ¡°Lady is always on the lookout for promising recruits,¡± the man began from beside me. ¡°You should see the size of the new fucker she left in charge of this area. Was meant to be me.¡±

    A clear sore spot, but he seemed willing to give up this information. One step more on the ladder for us to climb to get across and find the Lady in Red. As much as I wanted to probe him further, if I was caught digging, then it''d put my ruse under question.

    ¡°However¡­¡± he continued, moving behind me. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like little shits like you and the frigid elf prancing about and killing off parts of the gang.¡±

    I had hardly pranced. ¡°You¡¯d rather have a gang of weak fighters, then?¡±

    He stopped behind me. Perhaps deciding whether lopping my head off would stop my smart mouth or not. It would - unfortunately. I knew my time here was limited, but there wasn¡¯t a way to seal the deal against all three of them. Improvisation, the internal me paled. Something I was meant to be decent at. Look where it had gotten me currently.

    ¡°You make a point, smart arse. But do you know what gives us our power, our unity?¡±

    ¡°Blood. From the Lady herself.¡± I heard him exhale behind me. The ranger returned to the position in front of me with her crossbow readied, the horse now satisfied to look over at the fire, or something. I daren''t turn my head to see, unless it fell off.

    Hadrian moved his mouth close behind my ear, the warmth and smell of his body washing over me. ¡°Done me a little favor, in a way. Less competition means more blood for me.¡±

    He made it sound like vampirism. They needed the blood to maintain their strength and whatever bond they had with the Lady. Perhaps a little too hopeful to think he''d just lay it out and tell me exactly what it did. Probably not something I should find out firsthand, however. I wondered what withdrawal did to them.

    ¡°How about a toast, then? I looted a couple if you wanted to celebrate your new member joining?¡± I licked around my teeth. Felt like my brain was overheating. Using up all my bluffs and about to fall down a painful path. Not thirsty for what was potentially about to occur, but dry enough to walk toward the danger.

    Slowly he continued around me, back to the front. I could see the hunger in his eyes. The mania and desire for the sweet juice.

    ¡°Show me.¡± He narrowed his eyes.

    I made the show of reaching for my side pouch, drawing two of the blood bottles from my Inventory. They knew some things about me, but I was unsure as to what degree they knew I could manipulate my items. Extending my arm slowly, I offered them both to him. No tricks, yet.

    He took them both and held them up in the air, gave them a little shake. Another grunt and he placed them back in my open palm. Halberd stabbed downward into the dirt he then wiped his hands off on his dark leather leggings. He turned to his two companions with his hands open in the air, making sure he had their full attention as if they were children.

    ¡°Any objections to this man joining and we celebrate with our extra rations?¡± The only response was heads shaken in the negative. I assumed they just wanted the extra blood rather than to welcome me with open arms. It must be good stuff.

    Hadrian turned back to me and snatched back up a vial. ¡°To the Lady, then.¡±

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    ¡°To the Lady,¡± I confirmed, popping the cork of the one remaining and lifting it to my lips.

    He stared me down as he did the same action to make sure I wasn¡¯t bluffing. His brow furrowed as he downed the contents of his own. I removed the empty bottle from my lips. Barely a trick at all, I probably could have done this with normal sleight of hand if given a bit more time. Too eager to watch me do the deed, it took him a couple of gulps to notice what he held. Then again, something was telling him to drink it, even after he knew something was amiss. A draw that I had resisted for the few seconds that he had his back turned.

    The man took a step back from me, confusion on his face. He raised the remnants of his drink, the odd blueish hue of the water reflecting in his widening eyes. Anger flashed over his face as he turned back to me, right before a fireball flew past and struck the mage, disrupting the man and freeing me from his spell. My patient Imp had almost run out of time, the card having followed behind the bear as he escaped and landed on the other side of the wagon, hidden from my opponents.

    Hadrian panicked as one hand clutched at his throat. His eyes looked around wildly for his halberd that he thought was just beside him but now appeared vanished. Invisible for a handful more seconds. A little closer and I could have put it in my Inventory instead. He started coughing as the ranger stepped forward and let a bolt off toward me.

    The fresh dove rose from a magic circle to be impaled immediately from the shot, taking enough force out of the projectile for me to deflect it with the dark sword, which I drew into a flourish. As the wizard recovered, he leveled a spell toward me, a ball of cold blue energy that blew apart the wooden chair I kicked toward him.

    <Finale>

    Lights crackled in the air behind me as I rose both hands into the air, sparklers streaming amber lights from around where I stood. They were stunned. I had pulled it off. Not a great amount of Dazzle icons, but I was playing by ear here¡ªbringing out everything but the kitchen sink during the brief chance I had to overpower them with their leader out of action.

    Roger came leaping from off-stage to brain the wizard with a rock, knocking the man to the ground. Purple card cut the cable off the crossbow and severed some fingers of the ranger. Purple electricity arced from my body as anger and elation filled me. Invincible. Immutable. Infamous.

    As the dwarf recovered, she saw her inert weapon and didn¡¯t fancy her chances trying to withdraw a second out in the open. She dove to the dirt and rolled as my follow-up card scored a line against the ground. The horse was spooked but hadn''t bolted. Probably tamed to be calmer around battle, I imagined, but it wasn''t important right this second.

    Hadrian dropped to his knees, clutching at his throat. I could have ended him there. Didn¡¯t want to. He deserved to suffer. All of them did. Alarm bells rang inside my head. Locked doors inside my core buckled and cracked open. Get rid of the ranger and take my time with the man. Crossbow in hand, the bolt blew up dirt by her feet, while my card cut grass passing her, before I drew it back into her side. She was fast. Hellhound card went out. He could chase her.

    I turned back to the choking man, my eyes burning with energy. Perhaps I could get some questions-

    ¡°Nice try, motherfucker.¡±

    My head barely turned in time as I received the metal horseshoe of one outstretched leg from the now apparent Player-horse, straight to my dome. I probably had a Dazzle token from that twist, if I could see it from the bloodied ground, which I couldn''t.

    There weren¡¯t many other thoughts after that. Muffled sounds, odd sensations, and barely any vision. Finally, my time to shuffle from this strange world into whatever was beyond. Even if nothingness was the answer¡­ it had been a reasonable last show. I could even vaguely hear the crowd calling my name. Or at least, someone was. Max.

    A large shape, warm brown fur, went across my dim vision. Some sounds of violence. Two orbs of purple came down before my face before being pushed away. Warmth and my head was lifted slightly. Warmth again, and softness. Some of my senses started to filter back.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s not working¡­Max?¡­¡±

    Preaching to the choir. Many things were not working for me now. Most of my muscles, for one. The rest of my body, for two. I closed my eyes as my brain was about to combust. Couldn¡¯t have that, it was too valuable. Needed to temper those flames, lest it consume me.

    As if hearing my inner monologue, it started to rain. Although, it was only a handful of drops, located on my face. Warm drops.

    ¡°Fuckfuckfuck!¡±

    ¡°Is he going to¡­?¡±

    ¡°Boss?¡±

    I wanted to assure the shadows waving around me that I wasn¡¯t dead, but my mouth wouldn¡¯t work. Perhaps it would be better if I just slept for a while instead. Good idea. Gradually, the light slipped away.

    There was darkness.

    And then there I was. Standing in a pitch dark room of unknown size, ankle deep in water illuminated with a shimmering purple light. Not the worst place to go after death, I supposed. Only, I wasn¡¯t alone. That familiar feeling, the one who had pursued me in my previous dream. Here he was.

    Across from me was... me. Another Max with his hands in his pockets and a grim smile.

    ¡°Looks like you got us into a little pickle, Max.¡± He pouted and sighed.

    ¡°Did I die? Did we die?¡± My mouth felt sore even in this space.

    ¡°It¡¯s touch and go. Apparently, you have a habit of dropping our brains out all over the place.¡± The other Max rolled his eyes. ¡°Only Ren¡¯s Oathwarden ability is keeping us from becoming worm food right now.¡±

    ¡°So, why am I here with you?¡± I looked around in hopes of seeing some manner of clue or landmark. Other than having wet feet, I was none the wiser. "Is this a dream, a hallucination?"

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing Max...¡± he began to walk slowly toward me. ¡°The System said it merged our souls, but we both had such a force of personality that was incomplete.¡± He gestured to show himself off, a clear separation of two people.

    ¡°Who were you before this?¡±

    The other me smiled and shook his head. ¡°Short answer is a warlock, bound to a demon. Long answer has your brain leaking over Ren''s lap as we talk backstory.¡±

    ¡°Fine. What¡¯s your suggestion?¡± My patience was wearing as thin as my skull. He had cards up his sleeve and for once I hadn¡¯t caught the thread of the explanation.

    ¡°We merge fully. I don¡¯t know enough for sure, but it might jumpstart the System into thinking you¡¯re alive again.¡±

    ¡°Shame. And we¡¯ve only just met.¡± Not that I wanted to have a series of talks with myself, but the System could have really done something with this and dragged it out further. Made a real thing of it.

    ¡°You¡¯ll still be you, but you¡¯ll also be me. And I¡¯ll be you, and blah blah. You were the stronger soul for some reason, so you¡¯ll inherit all my memories and life experience. Or it¡¯s the other way around, but there¡¯s no way of really knowing.¡± He shrugged. "I don''t really know how this works."

    ¡°We¡¯ll just be Max." We already had been, in a way. Just lopsided. He, a cold, demon-adjacent killer. Me, a people-pleasing, performance artist. Perhaps the other way around. But there was no time left, I couldn''t keep the crowd waiting. "I''m ready."

    He nodded, and walked up to me, hand extended to be shaken.

    One of the books that my grandparents had in their collection had a section on demons. It had said they often left it to the last possible moment - when you were most desperate - to offer you a deal. Something you couldn¡¯t refuse. This could be a demon masquerading as my other soul, but at this stage, it made no difference. I had to let him in to survive, no matter what the long-term cost. It could also be the waning fever-dream of a man dying from his own hubris.

    My own hand extended, almost a perfect mirror image of the other Max, and I took his.

    We shook, and it was done.

    [Soul Split Detected¡­]

    [Pending¡­ Pending¡­]

    [Partial Merge Detected. Correcting.]

    [Complete - Soul Merge Accepted]

 53 - Horsing Around

    This page of my journal is just a crudely drawn picture of a horse with a cross through it, a little angry face with a top hat on the side. That might be me.

    I took a gasp of cold air, as pain and waves of numbness pulsed through my body. Immediately, I was enveloped in warmth. My ears still rang, but context clues told me this was Ren beside me.

    [Health Status]

    [Skull - Fractured (Extreme) (Healed: 40%)]

    [Major Trauma]

    [Exhaustion (3)]

    [Nerve Damage (Temporary)]

    Vertigo hit me, and I leaned into the elf. ¡°Sorry,¡± I slurred, wanting to fully apologize for being so forward, but unable to hit more than one word at a time. She righted me and rested me against the warm fur of Wolf. Still not quite able to see or understand where I was or what had happened. I lived, maybe?

    Whenever my heart was empty, the System found a way to fill it. If my soul reached its breaking point, the System would mend it. When I became nothing more than a bloodied bag of internal parts, the System became the world''s best puzzle-completer. There was an underlying suspicion that some Players were meant to be heroes, that the strongest and most capable were favored by the System to carry out a cleansing of those who were weak enough to corrupt the status quo. That or I was just lucky.

    My eyes found their purpose, and it looked to be nighttime already. Ren¡¯s face was illuminated by the glow of a fire to the side. She looked stressed, worried, and like she had been crying.

    Wolf¡¯s face circled around beside her, his eyes drab but sparkled with something in seeing me active.

    ¡°Max?¡± the elf asked. ¡°Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Loud¡­ and clear,¡± I managed, attempting a nod but collapsing back onto her, unable to hold my own weight. ¡°Sorry again.¡±

    ¡°Just ask if you want to be held, dickbag.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡± I sighed and felt my own eyes blur up. No use putting on an act anymore. I didn¡¯t think my brain was capable of such ego at present. She put her arms around me and held me against her chest. I¡¯d never really listened to someone¡¯s heartbeat before. Not this closely. It was remarkably humbling. Also, it was giving me a headache. That might be me finally feeling the damage my skull had earned.

    ¡°I ate that horse for you, Max,¡± Wolf offered, already providing his furred flank as a comforting recliner seat for my numb body.

    ¡°Fuck horses,¡± I murmured. The elf shook slightly, a relieved laugh inaudible but soul crushing in its own way. That they had cared so much for me. Talking horse, though, who¡¯d have guessed that? The look on my face must have been something, the first trick played on me and it almost ended my career. Something was poignant there, but it just hurt to decide on what.

    ¡°You had us so worried.¡± Ren sniffed and ran her fingers through the back of my hair. ¡°My heals wouldn¡¯t fix you. We couldn¡¯t get you to drink a potion. Even Roger looked distraught.¡±

    ¡°I tried licking your face,¡± Wolf added.

    ¡°That might have been what saved me.¡± I smiled, wondering if he cleaned the horse gore from his face first. Somehow I felt content, despite the agony flaring back down my nerves. My muscles tensed from the pain. ¡°Ah. Try healing me now.¡±

    Ren did, and this time it worked, to a degree. I sat against the bear, relinquishing the generous hug now that I had a bit more of my normal sensibilities. I groaned and sank back into the warm fur.

    ¡°Coffee?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You are a literal angel,¡± I murmured, trying not to let sleep take me away. I didn''t see her reaction to that statement, but she stood and her shadow crossed my vision as she went nearer the fire to set up the kettle. They arrived just in time, and I needed the story there to believe it. ¡°Tell me what happened your end.¡±

    ¡°We ran for a bit, and saw two were chasing. We laid a trap and killed them. Ren''s idea.¡± Wolf¡¯s deep tone vibrated through his body as I listened.

    Ren continued. ¡°Did you know Wolf is excellent at climbing trees? It was simply a matter of getting him up one once we were out of sight, then when we drew them under it, I fired an Earth arrow to distract them with disturbed dirt.¡±

    ¡°Then I dropped down. Squish.¡± Wolf shook as he chuckled.

    That warmed my heart. ¡°I would have liked to have seen that.¡±

    ¡°What did you get up to on the main stage?¡±

    I opened my eyes against their will to narrow a glare at the elf. Despite the number of emotions that had been wracking her face, her eyes were smiling.

    ¡°Pretty simple, actually.¡± I sighed and looked up at the night sky. How beautiful and perplexing the stars were. ¡°Bunch of bullshit they fell for.¡±

    ¡°Details please, Max,¡± Ren requested. Of course, they had more of a vested interest now. They were learning.

    ¡°Said I¡¯d join them. A little social engineering to play their ego up, and make myself seem worth it. Switched the blood vials. Empty one to look like I had drunk the blood. Treant water one for Hadrian. I had already hid a card to follow you both and land behind the wagon. My Imp struck the wizard in the confusion and the spell holding me was dropped. Quickly let out a dove to block the ranger''s bolt. Sent off Roger¡¯s card and conjured a chair to block a spell. Roger took the wizard. I disarmed the ranger and had a hound chase her down. Then the horse kicked me.¡±

    There was silence for a few moments after. Perhaps it was all too much bullshit to sound believable. It could be that getting mashed in by a horse was a pretty miserable way to go after all that effort. They had a trick up their sleeve the whole time and I hadn''t seen it. It would be more humbling if it weren''t so amusing.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ren eventually said, moving her free hand to the side. ¡°I suppose that explains that, then.¡±

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    I looked to see where she was gesturing, to find that there was a treant bound and gagged at the outskirts of our little camp. Some fury in his eyes. So now we knew what drinking that water did.

    ¡°Can he talk?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, not really.¡± She shook her head and glared at him. ¡°We kept him alive just in case there was a way he could¡­ bring you back.¡±

    ¡°Hate to disappoint there, Ren.¡± I smiled. ¡°I survived purely through bullshit, too.¡±

    The kettle whistled, and I almost sat up straight as a pavlovian response. Well, if only my spine were capable of it.

    ¡°Explain,¡± she demanded, holding the preparation of the live-saving liquid hostage.

    ¡°My soul merge¡­ it wasn¡¯t properly completed before, and I suppose clicking it in place reset my life a little.¡± She seemed reluctantly content enough with this response. The brief conversation with my alter ego I''d keep to myself - I didn''t want to sound crazy. ¡°But it was your Oathwarden ability that kept me alive, so the most thanks goes to you.¡±

    She feigned a brief curtsey, before pouring herself a coffee too. She came over and handed me a mug, ensuring that I was able to hold it, before sitting close to me. ¡°It¡¯s my job to keep your dumb ass alive. I should¡¯ve been there.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here now.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°Although I have something to admit. I¡¯ve been holding out on you.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes at me, having to lean slightly away to not be right in my face.

    I raised up my free hand, two Sweet Cakes in my palm.

    ¡°There are a lot of curse words I could call you, Max. But instead, I will graciously accept your gift.¡±

    ¡°Kept them for our darkest hour. At least you could have looted them from my body had I died. You''d have two then.¡±

    She glared at me, mouth already half full of the cake. ¡°I¡¯d punch you if you weren¡¯t holding scalding liquid.¡±

    If only our enemies were so considerate. But then they wouldn¡¯t really be enemies, I supposed. We sat in silence as we drank coffee and ate the cakes. Took me a little longer, but I savored it more than usual. Pain decreasing, but I felt spent. Too many head injuries in such a short period. And now a really mixed Max?

    ¡°You thought you lost me, huh?¡± I stared at the fire as it waved and crackled at the wood.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    I wished I could say something romantic or cliche about how my last thoughts were of her, or even of the Party. But they weren¡¯t. I had considered the show and how I had performed. A broken man chasing something adjacent to what mattered but not hitting anything that really built to something greater.

    ¡°Max?¡± The remnants of my coffee sloshed about as she leaned against me, head against my shoulder.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t part ways after killing the dumb vampire lady, right?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m here as long as you want me.¡± I placed my mug away and withdrew a blanket to pull around us both.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Too traumatized and exhausted to feel awkward about the situation. I accepted it for what it was. In truth, I hadn¡¯t thought too hard about what came after defeating the Lady in Red. This didn¡¯t seem like the sort of world where we could just buy a cottage and settle down into a normal life. Always power to gain, some danger ahead of us to fight. If she wanted to invite tragedy by us growing closer, then that just meant we just needed to get stronger to protect it.

    She turned over, away from me to get more comfortable. Wolf was already asleep, snoring every so often.

    My tired eyes stared at the treant Hadrian. Cold malice sunk through me, even against the warmth of care around me. I pictured myself standing without waking the others. Dragging the bastard deeper into the woods, hands clenched around his thicker branches above the impassive face. I''d throw him against a tree in the pale light of the moon. Withdraw the hammer and nails from my Inventory...

    Hmm. Best stop there, lest I get too excited. My brush with death and physical trauma had left me a little unhinged - a dim view of those who opposed me. Certainly it wasn¡¯t the part of me who was¡­ now me.

    I dug about in the fresh earth of the memories once buried. The other me used to hunt demons in Hell on his own world. That joined a few dots together. He was also a magician and was bound with a pact to a demon who appeared as a white rabbit. It had been so easy for the System to mash the two things together. I had even read books on demonology and the occult during my life, so some of the edges were easy to smudge across the gap between us.

    What did that really mean for me now? Any tangible benefits to the proper merging of my whole being? The System hadn¡¯t sprung up to tell me I had any new abilities or powers. Other Max had used a portal to escape from certain death against pigmen demons, wounded - which explained the healing done by the System at the start. Maybe the immediate head injury was what caused the merge to be offset. Came to this world by chance the same time that I did, and perhaps bore the brunt of the sharp rock that greeted us, so that I may continue on.

    Gradually I worked my way through the menus of the STAR, each change of menu a short stab of pain in my mind.

    [Soul Merged]

    There it was, a passive ability at the bottom of my list. I couldn''t press it for more information, and there was no obvious change to my stats or abilities. Did that mean that it did nothing but signify the process had been completed? Perhaps the true ramifications wouldn''t reveal themselves until the right moment? Why did I think the other Max was cooler than me? Which Max was thinking that?

    I chased far too many errant thoughts deep into the darkness of night until my mind was too exhausted. Allowed to rest fully, no dreams dared cross my path.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    I opened my eyes. Daylight that burned at my retinas. I groaned as I looked up at the elf. ¡°One day, I¡¯ll wake up without you prodding at me.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°I doubt it. You¡¯d sleep all day if allowed.¡±

    ¡°He did lose half of his brains.¡± Wolf came to my defense, turning his head. He looked like he had been awake a while, but had stayed put to aid my rest.

    I held up my arm. ¡°In my defense¡­¡± My brow furrowed, and I lowered my arm back down. I couldn''t actually think of much to say, actually. Maybe I did lose half my brains.

    Ren tilted her head and sighed. ¡°Come on, Max. I can¡¯t be soft on you night and day. You know how this works. What¡¯s your health status?¡±

    [Health Status]

    [Medium Trauma]

    Medium trauma. Reminded me of the time that Reggie thought we needed a psychic as our opener. My skull seemed to be in one piece, even if bruised and sore still.

    ¡°It says I¡¯ve contracted horse-ism. I have three days before I turn into a centaur.¡±

    Wolf gasped. Ren worked her jaw, not willing to budge an inch until I gave her a proper answer.

    ¡°Minor trauma.¡± I shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s new?¡± I clenched my hands into fists. ¡°Actually... no, sorry. It¡¯s Medium.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, Max. But, thank you for being honest.¡±

    I could have lied and even wanted to at first. Be fine. Pretend to be fine. We were slowly peeling off the layers around each of our damaged cores; the sunlight burned away and cleansed. I smiled at her as I grunted and stretched up to my feet, only wavering slightly as I was lightheaded. Wolf was just too comfortable for his own good.

    ¡°If I pretended and got myself into trouble, you¡¯d break me in half.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± She frowned and shook the tongs at me as her grill started to cook up some meat. ¡°You just need to make a choice about how strong you want this partnership to be. Lies will cool my drive, make us less effective.¡±

    I nodded. Understandable. She would give it her all if I gave it mine. Got to learn how each other fought so we could enact plans without needing to speak. It made sense for survival. Reading into it any further was not something for a day where a growing headache threatened to pulse my mashed brains out of my ears.

    The kettle was already boiling, the question not needing to be asked. Wolf stretched out and yawned, licking his muzzle in anticipation of the cooked meats.

    I turned my gaze over to the bound treant still lurking at the edge of our happy space. A haunting shadow we didn''t deserve to have darkening our flickering candle. Something cold prickled inside of me. The need to go to any length to protect our troupe, the need to kill any demon not allied to us, even if it was just figuratively.

    ¡°Make sure to keep the embers of the campfire going,¡± I said with a grin, maintaining eye contact with our captive.

 54 - Brain Waves

    There¡¯s a marked changed in my notes from the... horse incident onwards. Whether it was due to the brain injury, the near-death experience, or part of my apparent soul merge, I wasn¡¯t sure. I still felt like myself and acted like myself. Well, that was the crux of it - some of my actions were slightly skewed. One half charming showman, the other ruthless combatant - the resulting mix was a boon to both sides. As if my very being had been hit with a Power Token. Max+.

    Ren sighed. ¡°You can¡¯t torture information out of him.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at her, unsure if she meant morally or because he couldn¡¯t speak. Probably the latter. Not that I particularly wanted to torture him and get bad information in the process. There was a part of me who wasn¡¯t sure if he had suffered enough yet. Not that I knew his crimes, but they couldn''t be much better than the gang who had destroyed the outpost. Complicit, at the least. An eye for an eye left me with a smaller audience, however.

    Hadrian continued to glare at us with the impassive yellow eyes that treants were known for. Based on that one encounter. He had remained remarkably still during the night, and I wondered how the System saw him now. Surely not as a Player, otherwise it would translate his speech. Had he somehow become a Monster, but with his memories intact? Not something I wanted an answer to. Maybe it was just a curse that needed lifting.

    I turned back to Ren and rubbed my chin. ¡°Do elves have something like ¡®good cop, bad cop¡¯?¡±

    She blinked, the System doing the hard work of smoothing over the idiom. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be the bad cop.¡± I grinned.

    ¡°Unfair, that¡¯s kind of my thing.¡± She pouted and made a show of possibly wanting to argue over it, but relented with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡±

    Bad cop wasn¡¯t exactly my thing either, but I was feeling off my normal game due to the cracked skull, and it might put off the treant enough to work better. Maybe demon Max could carry the burden for me. Unfair to name him that, when he was me. I withdrew my lit torch, and we walked over.

    ¡°Morning, Hadrian. If that is still you in there. Ren here is insisting that we untie your little tree arms. Personally, I''m against that¡­ but if you try anything, then I¡¯ll be illuminating your internal organs.¡± I waved the torch in front of him and he winced away. ¡°I''m fair, though - I¡¯ll let you decide from which end.¡±

    Ren kneeled down to work on the bindings. ¡°Best behave. He¡¯s been getting gradually more unhinged every day. He¡¯ll listen to me, okay? I won¡¯t let him hurt you if you play nice.¡±

    I watched Hadrian for any kind of reaction, but he remained impassive. If he was a Monster he¡¯d probably attack immediately. One arm came out, and he kept it to himself. Wolf came and sat behind us to watch. I tilted my head over my shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, bud, you might have your new chew toy soon.¡±

    Second arm out and he rubbed at his wooden wrists with his little claw hands, but continued to glare. Some part of him must remain.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing well,¡± Ren said to him in a hushed tone beside his head before rejoining me for the interrogation.

    ¡°Alright!¡± I began, louder than necessary to cut him from that comfort. ¡°Now we¡¯ll see how useful you are. Raise your right hand if you understand me.¡±

    After a brief pause, he did.

    ¡°Lower it. Now left arm.¡± The process was repeated, and he understood me. ¡°Right hand is for yes, left is for no. Do you understand?¡±

    His right hand raised with hesitation.

    ¡°Just answer honestly,¡± Ren added, ¡°things will be okay.¡±

    She was selling it too well; I almost believed her. ¡°Let¡¯s start off easy.¡± I worked my jaw. ¡°Are you still Hadrian?¡±

    Right hand, he was still in there. Part of me paled at that reality, and how close I had come to drinking the stuff in the Dungeon. Would this have been my life? At least I wouldn''t have gotten kicked by the horse¡ªI doubted treants had a proper skull to crack. Those thoughts aside for now, I went back to the questions.

    ¡°Is this a permanent transfiguration?¡± Left Hand. ¡°A curse that needs lifting?¡± Right Hand.

    ¡°I have an Antidote I could give him!¡± Ren offered, being ever so helpful.

    Hadrian seemed to perk up at this, wanting to nod if his current physiology allowed it. His right clawed hand rose up eagerly.

    ¡°Hand down,¡± I demanded. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question. Your honesty may earn you lenience, but I need further questions answered first.¡±

    An outside observer may wonder why we didn¡¯t turn him back into a human first and get the information in its fullest form. Have an actual conversation about it. Well, a magician never revealed his secrets. We kept him desperate.

    ¡°First question. Are there any other groups of Crimson Shadows in this area?¡± Right hand. ¡°There is one by the bridge over the river?¡± Right hand.

    Ren leaned towards him. ¡°Is that the only one left?¡± Tentative right hand.

    That filled enough of the gaps for me to be contented. We had killed just over a dozen of the gang. It¡¯d be hard to imagine there were many more lurking around, given how quiet the woods had been in terms of Players. One last group to prevent people gaining access to the Fields and beyond seemed reasonable.

    ¡°Are there more than five members there?¡± I narrowed my eyes. Right hand. ¡°More than ten?¡± He paused, raising both hands slightly - unsure. It looked as though Parties were often the maximum of five people. They had three scouting groups causing havoc throughout this first area. Probably a group or two would be at the bridge.

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    The three of us might have an issue. I wondered how they would respond if I suggested stowing a corpse on Wolf for easy Roger access. I wondered if he enjoyed his mash. Suddenly, I felt very hungry. I''d need to bring him back soon to let him know that I was okay. Would he even be worried? Probably busy making more little Rogers. Why was I so hungry?

    My eyes scanned through my Inventory as the other two waited. Just needed something to snack on really¡ªwhy was so much of it raw meat? I was just about to settle for some plain bread when I scrolled to the consumable bottles.

    Into my hand, one of the vials of blood. ¡°This pique your interest, firewood?¡±

    He almost went to leap from his sitting position to grab for it, before a calm hand from the elf kept him seated. I rolled my tongue around in my mouth, wondering how it tasted. Probably worse than my own blood, which I wasn¡¯t too keen on - based on way too much experience to be healthy.

    ¡°Addiction is a terrible thing.¡± I swirled it side to side. It was fair to assume he probably didn¡¯t know how the Lady¡¯s ability worked, or couldn¡¯t explain the nuance of it even if he did. ¡°Perhaps we can cure you of this, as well?¡±

    He shook, and his left hand went up. They seemed reliant on it, or at least desired it more than was reasonable. A knife I could use to twist.

    I popped the cork, watching the panicked reaction on his wooden face. Slowly, I started to tip it until the first drop escaped and fell to the uncaring ground.

    Hadrian squirmed and shook as though I had plunged the torch into him.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Ren interrupted. ¡°Maybe if he really helps us, then you can give that to him?¡±

    I clucked my tongue and watched her bright blue eyes. It was hidden far below her surface expression, but there was the hint there that she was enjoying this. It was fun; I was enjoying it too. ¡°Well, it¡¯d have to be something very helpful for me to reconsider.¡± I didn¡¯t tip any more, but I held it at a threatening slant. Maybe it should be worrying we found joy in tormenting someone, but then again, the history between us all...

    ¡°You can do that right, Hadrian?¡± Her eyes searched his yellow orbs. ¡°Do you know where the Lady is going?¡±

    Despite his lust for the liquid I held with such contempt, he wavered before slowly raising his right hand.

    ¡°Somewhere in the second area, past the bridge?¡± Right Hand. ¡°The Mills?¡± Left Hand. ¡°One of the towns?¡± Right Hand.

    I raised my eyebrow at Wolf as the elf went through all the towns in the second area. Sitting there with his little bowler hat on, he looked quite the character. I gave him an ¡®are you okay¡¯ nod, which he answered by rubbing his stomach with a large paw. With a grin, I acknowledged his desires. We had already had breakfast, but there was no law against a second one. Did we already eat? Things were starting to blur, and an ache spread through my head. I was hungry.

    ¡°Candlekeep! Perfect, thank you, Hadrian.¡± Ren didn¡¯t have it in her to fake a smile, but at least her voice sounded happy to have gotten an answer.

    With a minute gesture to her, I wanted to see if she had anything to ask - which she declined with the slight shake of her head, reading my intent loud and clear. Being on the same page felt good.

    ¡°Alright, Hadrian. I guess you¡¯ve earned this then.¡± I chucked a bottle to his root-like feet.

    Immediately, he dropped to the ground to scrabble for it, his sharp fingers digging through the dirt. He got it in his clutches with some effort and lifted it up into the air to see that it was just an empty container instead. One sad, singular Dazzle icon. A shadow passed over him as Wolf stomped down upon his body and began to tear him to pieces.

    ¡°Shame we didn¡¯t have any Antidotes, huh?¡± I watched the carnage impassively.

    ¡°Oh, I did.¡± Ren shrugged and looked at me. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t about to waste something we might need.¡±

    I nodded and then winced as a sharp pain radiated up the front of my head. My hand held it to make sure I didn¡¯t have a trap door about to open and spill my brain matter about. Fertilize the soil, see what grew from my mind. Probably something remarkably impressive to look at, but structurally flawed and liable to leap beneath the first hoof that came near it. Foot, not hoof. Although...

    ¡°You okay? You need to rest.¡± Ren put her arm around me and walked us away from the sound of Wolf chewing wood into shrapnel.

    ¡°Need to sit and maybe eat. Definitely eat, actually. And sit.¡± Conjured up a chair - my last one. I¡¯d have to steal more. I sat, and she gave me a squeeze on the shoulder before moving away. My eyes held closed, I tried to will away the pain.

    ¡°No adventuring until you¡¯re recovered. I know you¡¯re burning up to go get maimed at the bridge, but this is the first time we¡¯ve got the upper hand, right?¡±

    She was right, on all accounts. Her chair moved across the dirt and stopped beside mine. If we had taken out most of the gang here, then they couldn¡¯t afford to try to chase us around. They¡¯d hold the bridge at all costs - if that was truly their plan. That put them in one place that we could assail at our leisure. When I was a little healthier.

    I turned my tired head to see her beside me. "You¡¯re a great good cop."

    ¡°Thanks. I was impressed by your bad cop routine.¡± Although her eyes narrowed, there was no tension in her face. ¡°You do the unhinged thing really well.¡±

    ¡°Hardly had to act at all.¡± I smiled and looked at the sky. Cloudy, but pleasant. I closed my eyes as Wolf padded over to lie down near us. Both the trauma and the merge had left me feeling both not myself, and too much of myself. An odd mix that didn''t seem to have settled yet.

    I felt Ren¡¯s hand on my arm. ¡°Hey, Max. Take a break from being full-on today, okay? Let me be in charge.¡±

    ¡°My life is in your hands.¡± Too tired to open my eyes, I tried to tune out most things. She asked the bear to collect wood, specifying clearly that it shouldn¡¯t be wood from Hadrian. The campfire was renewed. The sound of cutting. Pouring water. I fell asleep with a complaining stomach.

    I awoke, briefly concerned, sometime later. By my own volition and not at the behest of the elf. My vision blurred as I tried to click everything back into place. Still daytime, so just a nap. There was a smell that was¡­ divine. I leaned forward to see Ren stirring an almost cauldron-sized metal pot hanging over the fire. Wolf was lying on his side against my chair, asleep, like an oversized dog.

    ¡°Sometimes it feels like I did die and went to heaven.¡± I smiled softly at the elf as she turned to me.

    ¡°Smells good, huh? My aunt used to have a plot where she¡¯d grow vegetables. In the colder months, we¡¯d hunt rabbits and then make stew.¡± Her eyes unfocused as she dug around at those memories. ¡°Just a hot meal, a fireplace, and warm blankets, against the unrelenting cold.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like the perfect day.¡± I furrowed my brow. ¡°I seem to have mixed memories now. Although, only at a certain point do things diverge. Same childhood. The love for magic... also similar. Mother passing, then it gets a bit murky.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of spooky in a way.¡± She began ladling some stew into bowls. ¡°Like there must be other versions of me somewhere? Ones where I didn¡¯t come here?¡±

    I grunted. ¡°No point worrying, you¡¯re you and this is your life and existence.¡±

    ¡°I suppose.¡± She walked over to hand me a bowl before sitting on the chair beside me with her own. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to be a different Max, in a different time? Somewhere less dangerous?¡±

    My tired eyes looked at the raised spoon, and I blew the steam away and cooled it. Put the chunks of cooked vegetables in my mouth. Heavenly.

    Glancing at her bright blue eyes eager for my response, I shook my head with a smile. I didn''t know whether it was the comforting food, or something about the way she was looking at me, but the answer was a clear page in my otherwise clouded mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m right where I want to be.¡±

 55 - Wand Waving

    Rest and recovery were always worth the time spent. There was the temptation to go full speed constantly, but that just led to stretching yourself too thin. In this world there were dozens of things waiting in the wings for that to happen, just to snap you in half or pierce you through. On the flip side, you didn¡¯t want to get to used to the easy times, lest you found yourself a pincushion for the hard times eager for a share in ending your existence. A balance had to be struck.

    We ate the amazing stew. Several helpings, in fact. Just sat and enjoyed the moderate weather, and some time not being under constant threat. I dozed off a few times, always waking to see that Ren was nearby. It comforted me as much as I felt guilty about my current predicament. Was I holding us back? Could I look after her just as well if something similar happened to her? I hated to think she may get as injured as me. As if I could choose to solely take on the burden on myself.

    Now that my mind was closer to being in one piece, I withdrew the journal taken from the Crimson Shadow camp. Given that it had only been a handful of days, it wasn''t exactly information-dense. The start was a few weeks prior. A group of them had been an adventuring party, and they were... disillusioned with the System. Not a particularly villainous take. I would admit that I held my own disdain for the world I now found myself in. Well... parts of it. I gave Ren a sly glance before returning to the pages.

    There was a marked change in the tone and language used after the point where they had met the Lady. For a moment, I considered someone else had written the rest of the few entries¡ªbut no, same idioms and structure, just... less concise. My tongue rolled around in my mouth as I tried to read the bigger picture that the writing wasn''t really telling me. Eventually, I sighed and snapped it shut, returning it to my Inventory with no accompanying trick.

    "What is it? Mind control? Is she a vampire?" Ren had been patiently waiting for me to finish, not wanting to rush my brain and turn it to slurry. I presumed, at least.

    I rubbed at my forehead. "No, it''s not something so... cliche? Uh, do you remember when you first came here, there was a Soft Landing buff?"

    She nodded. "To smooth over our initial acceptance of the System."

    "Imagine if there was an opposite, something that took your rejection and amplified it. And then someone came along and told you-"

    "That there was a way out. If you followed them?"

    With those sharp blue eyes, she had no issue reading between the lines. I looked into them for a second longer than I intended before I nodded. "If my assumption is correct, it reduces some Stats as well. Unless the author was an anomaly, his writing simplified after the... change."

    "Lower Int and Wis would certainly explain their reckless actions. And how easily they fall for your tricks." She narrowed her eyes, testing the waters. It mostly reminded me of how close I was to success before the equine interruption.

    ¡°I¡¯m never going to live down almost dying to a horse, am I?¡± I groaned and sunk into my chair further. On my to-do list, I added stealing a more comfortable chair to the bottom.

    ¡°Probably not. But you also almost died from falling out of a tree, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Touche.¡± It seemed as though I could overcome any odd danger aside from things that would be an anticlimactic way for me to die. No doubt, after besting the rest of the Shadows, I would slip off the bridge and drown myself after hitting a rock in the river. That said, I did come into this world with a head injury. Perhaps the System like repeat things like that. I was doomed to slowly batter my brain on the regular until I couldn''t survive it any longer.

    I rubbed my fingertips on the wooden chair arms, feeling the texture. ¡°Where are we?¡±

    There was brief concern on her face, as if my traumatic brain injury may have knocked something loose. ¡°We went north from their camp. Wolf carried you in a sling I had fashioned until we felt we were far enough away.¡±

    I smiled, unsure why I didn''t just check my Map. That prompted my lagging brain into action, however. Thoughts spinning back up as if I had never been out for the count at all. ¡°Perfect. We can hit a couple Quests on the way back to town. Level up and then make plans for our assault.¡± Things were really coming together now. Knowledge was indeed power.

    ¡°How is your recovery?¡± Her words a damp blanket on my ambition ablaze.

    [Health Status]

    [Minor Trauma]

    ¡°Down to minor now. That stew is powerful stuff.¡± I gave her a grin, and she rolled her eyes.

    Wolf returned to our camp having been out ¡®patrolling¡¯. He had seemed fulfilled enough to sleep and laze most of the day away, quiet and content. Ren had helped him with his STAR at some point during my on and off napping schedule, using the same sausage-pointer method. Got some items equipped on him, and even used some of the Tokens we had saved for him¡ªalthough my brain was too mushed up to hear what they had settled on.

    ¡°There¡¯s some System-created to the northeast.¡± He yawned, now in close proximity to our fire again. ¡°And to the northwest there¡¯s a house that smells bad.¡±

    ¡°How bad?¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Like bad magic.¡±

    Ren removed her hat to place on her lap and scratched at her hair that was tied up. Still radiant, as always. ¡°Sound like it could be the witch for that Quest?¡±

    I didn¡¯t even have my hat on, and hadn¡¯t for a while. No wonder my brain felt so exposed - it was definitely that and not the broken skull. ¡°Could be. Was it made of wood?¡±

    ¡°We should probably double check first before we go immolating random buildings, trickster.¡± She tapped at the edge of the wide brim. ¡°If we are careless, then we¡¯ll end up falling to the bad side.¡±

    She had a point, even if I was reluctant to agree. As much as I trusted Wolf¡¯s nose to determine danger, it could easily be something unknown. Still, a fire arrow to the building followed up by an entangling arrow through the window seemed like a decent way to approach a witch. Of course, I didn¡¯t really know much about them to say¡ªit was a decent way to kill anyone with an allergy to being burned alive.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Some of the books I had read as a child mentioned witches, for all the good that was. Often just female spellcasters when wizardry was seen as a more masculine title. Some were like hags - demented and cruel, whereas others were closer to druids and crafted potions - were closer to nature. If the town board wanted the witch killed, then she was probably more likely the former and quite likely not to be so easily taken down with a little fire.

    ¡°Are you truly embarrassed about the horse thing?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Her question took me out of the pondering, and it didn''t look like she was teasing me. ¡°Ah. Not really. It¡¯s okay to fail sometimes, right?¡± I grinned. ¡°There were a handful of moments I could have died if things didn''t work out perfectly. Can¡¯t plan for everything.¡±

    Ren smiled.

    It briefly alarmed me, and my heart skipped a beat - probably just due to the shock. My brain tried to reverse to see what I could have said to elicit such a reaction.

    ¡°You must have really hurt your head, trickster.¡± Her face softened to a normal neutral expression as her eyes focused on her STAR menus. ¡°There is something I needed your help with, speaking of planning.¡±

    Despite the initial surprise, I settled into a comfortable smile, too. I watched her eyes look around at the unseen screens as she gathered her thoughts. She had some ideas, and I was all ears.

    We spent the rest of the late afternoon and early evening going over skills, Inventory uses, and Equipment. It was nice to have time to sit and mull over problems rather than be constantly traveling between battles. She was earnest in her attempts to learn, and I tried not to gush at having someone to share all the details of my tricks and illusions with.

    Her brow furrowed as she looked at the pack of cards in her hands, the glow of the fire illuminating one side of her as the light of day faded away. Working her jaw, she withdrew the top card and held it up. Three of Clubs. ¡°Is this your card?¡±

    I shook my head and smiled. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± She wrinkled her face up. ¡°I think that¡¯s because... you already have it.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    She looked toward my chest, and my eyes fell to my jacket pocket. I reached a hand in there and felt the shape of a card. Out of the pocket and into the light. Nine of Diamonds. ¡°That is my card,¡± I grinned. ¡°Very impressive.¡±

    ¡°I learned from the best.¡± She stuck her tongue out and returned the deck to me.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to introduce me to them,¡± I murmured, eyes focused on shuffling through the deck. One of the cards had a slight defect, as expected. Very minor, yet I assumed easy for her elven eyes to pick up. No Dazzle icon for me. As I turned it over, it was also a Nine of Diamonds. ¡°Placed the card in my jacket earlier and forced my hand into picking the same one from the deck.¡±

    ¡°Makes it less impressive when you explain it.¡± She pouted and leaned back in her chair.

    ¡°No, no.¡± I smiled and waved the card at her. ¡°This is very solid. I am impressed.¡±

    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Impressed, but not fooled?¡±

    ¡°Magic is my life¡¯s work, and you are never fooled by what I do. We are both too perceptive for such tricks.¡±

    Ren shrugged, but took the compliment without wanting to argue about it. ¡°What about you, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°I am easily fooled. Everything Max does is beyond my understanding.¡± The bear rested his chin on his crossed paws as he watched us.

    ¡°What about the trick I just did on Max?¡±

    ¡°I saw you place the card when he was asleep, so I already understood the deception.¡±

    Ren screwed her face up in defeat. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was due my injury, but she was a bit more relaxed in showing her emotions. Somewhere between the scowls, unrelenting showmanship, and bloody murder, we had become somewhat inseparable. My brush with death had prompted the part of her scared of losing everything again into perhaps cherishing the time we did have before something really bad happened to one or both of us.

    And what of me? I had accepted that it was okay to be a little broken. To have a day off and not be so focused on perfecting my tricks. Failure and being miserable. Took a split skull to finally release the built pressure, but I felt¡­ calmer than I had in years. Happier even despite the hardship. My eyes settled on the grumpy elf. It was hard not to be totally enamored with her. If anything, wanting to carve out a space in this world where she could be happy and safe was worth a dozen kicks to the head.

    ¡°What are you thinking about, Max?¡± Her head was tilted as my eyes had glazed over in thought.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± I smiled. ¡°You have any magic wands?¡±

    ¡°I think a couple?¡± She sat back up and started looking through her Inventory.

    I avoided certain thoughts by getting back to work. Ironic given my inner monologue just now, but I didn¡¯t have the heart to address certain things yet, even as they swelled within my chest. ¡°Wolf, could you grab me some¡­ chunks of the treant, please?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He yawned as he stood up and left for the pile of Hadrian-parts.

    My eyes spun through my Inventory, as I started planning my next attempted bullshit maneuver. The System would end up regretting my existence, I was sure of it.

    I spent some time cutting, carving, and attempting to sew parts together out of whatever junk I had managed to accumulate over the adventure so far. It wasn¡¯t exactly perfect, and probably wouldn¡¯t last more than a few days - but for a prototype it¡¯d do.

    ¡°Here, hold your arm out.¡± I gestured for her to show me her right arm, which she did. I frowned in thought. Outside arm would probably be best so that it didn¡¯t get in the way of drawing arrows. With a shrug, I placed my contraption on her forearm and began to tie it around her. An awkward, weighty silence sat in the background of the act as she watched me patiently.

    ¡°Only slightly less charming than the flowers you gave me,¡± she eventually said, as I finished tying the last knot.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I sighed, and sank into my chair. ¡°Another thing I¡¯ll never live down.¡±

    ¡°You will." She looked up from the roughly created apparel to me, before gathering her composure. ¡°So, what¡¯s this thing you¡¯ve burdened me with?¡±

    ¡°Probably something over-engineered that doesn¡¯t work. But you can slot wands into it, and depending on how strict the System is, you should be able to focus and use them from this arm mounted thing rather than solely holding one out.¡±

    Her furrowed brow returned, and she gave it a look over. ¡°So if it works, it¡¯ll give me some pseudo magical powers, essentially?¡±

    ¡°Essentially,¡± I said, and nodded. ¡°Either that, or I just spent my evening making an ugly bracelet for you that does nothing.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the latter, then it doesn¡¯t need to do anything. I¡¯ll keep it as something you spent time and effort making.¡± Her eyes moved from it to me. ¡°And I''ll keep it nice and safe in my Inventory where it can''t be seen by anyone.¡±

    I waved her off. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Give it a try already.¡± If it didn¡¯t work, then I had other ideas, but if it did, then it opened up a whole can of worms for me to dig into. ¡°It should fit Spell Scrolls in too, barely.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to waste those on a test, though.¡± Her eyes were unfocused as she was looking through her items. ¡°Here¡¯s a plain Zap Wand. Does hardly any damage, but ten charges that replenish every day.¡±

    My head nodded slowly, trying not to think of what I could do with that. Ren withdrew it and slowly inserted it in the grooves on the gauntlet. She flexed her fingers back and forth a few times and then leveled her fist towards the fire.

    Wolf and I widened our eyes in expectation.

    Nothing happened, and I began to deflate. Worth a try, but back to the-

    A zap of yellow light arced from the wand and out into the fire, briefly causing it to flare up brighter before it simmered down.

    ¡°It¡¯s not super intuitive,¡± Ren said, focusing on the gauntlet. ¡°But¡­¡± She fired a second and then a third soon after, her face a scowl occasionally illuminated by the magic fired. She nodded slowly after the third shot dissipated and turned to me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Not bad, trickster.¡±

    ¡°I would bow, but my head would roll from my shoulders and crack on the ground.¡± Instead, I smiled and closed my eyes, looking up at the night sky. The amber light of the fire illuminating the darkness. ¡°Best stick around," I said, mostly to fill the silence, "because the show is just getting started.¡±

    ¡°I intend to,¡± she said quietly.

    Which I couldn''t reply to, as I had fallen asleep once again.

    Or was just about to, anyway, and could pretend that I didn¡¯t hear it so that I didn''t have to address it.

    Possibly the least commendable show of Deception yet.

 56 - Just a Spell

    Down to business. The System certainly expected you want to continue to grow in power. Do Quests, level up, unlock new abilities, and travel to new locations. There were Players who had given up the rat race to varying success. Tried to settle into normal jobs or whatever closest proximity to it they could get. Some lucky ones even had the System on their side to facilitate some normality. Others were punished and flung from whatever safety they tried to shroud themselves in. Attempting to understand what the System wanted from you was to court madness.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I awoke, standing up by reflex. ¡°Ow¡­¡± I groaned and tried to flex my back out. Morning light blinded me as I recovered into the waking world.

    ¡°Serves you right for falling asleep in your chair rather than being comfortable with me and Wolf.¡± Ren stood with arms crossed, a scowl leveled my way. ¡°Health report?¡±

    I blinked twice, still trying to process everything. The information popped into the side of my vision while my brain caught up.

    [Health Status]

    [No injury]

    ¡°Clean bill of health.¡± I smiled, rubbing at my eye sockets.

    ¡°Good, get packed up. We¡¯re leaving soon.¡±

    I let my eyes free again to see her walking off. Wolf sat beside me and I gave him a grimace. ¡°Ren okay? She seems... annoyed at me.¡± While that was hardly irregular - at least visually - it made our closeness over the days of rest seem like something I had only dreamed.

    ¡°No. She is more annoyed at herself. But it is your duty to take the brunt of it until she can come to terms with her feelings.¡± He looked up at me with his amber eyes.

    ¡°Is it?¡± I yawned and stretched out again. Sleeping in the chair was a real mistake. Couldn''t deny her that, whatever feelings she was having issue with.

    Wolf yawned in response, a louder echo of my own. ¡°I¡¯m certainly not going to. If you are to be her mate then-¡°

    ¡°Ah-ah. None of that, please.¡± I tried to push him away. He was very heavy. ¡°Let¡¯s just go murder things and not get ahead of ourselves.¡±

    ¡°You are both impossible.¡± He rolled his eyes and moved away to catch the elf up.

    Having an intangible Inventory meant there wasn¡¯t really much to pack away and everything that I did need to was a simple matter of getting close enough. So eager was I to catch up, I didn¡¯t even flourish about as the chair, blanket, and some of my crafting things vanished into nothing. Not everything had to be a show. I shuddered. Who was I?

    I relented to a little jog to catch them up, as they were just on the outskirts of our safe area. The cardio wasn¡¯t necessary, but at least my head didn¡¯t feel like cracking like an egg under the pressure, which made a nice change. Not a bad idea to make sure I was in top form before submitting myself to violent combat once more.

    ¡°No funny business until we know you¡¯re top form again,¡± Ren admonished me as I approached, seemingly catching the tail end of my inner thoughts.

    ¡°Of course.¡± I nodded, although I wouldn''t call it funny business. ¡°Everything okay?¡±

    She opened and closed her mouth before exhaling from her nose. ¡°Yeah. Just spent too much time in my own head last night.¡± She narrowed her blue eyes at me. ¡°Sorry if I snapped at you. We¡¯ll talk later, okay?¡±

    ¡°Promise?¡±

    My persistence seemed to relax her more than annoy her further. ¡°Promise,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Now, we going for the witch?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Tough magical opponent, but it¡¯ll be useful loot. Hopefully.¡± Who knew with the System - we might get nothing for our efforts. Plus, magical users seemed to get the short end of the stick when faced with the long end of Wolf''s claws, so if we could get close enough, it might not be such a hardship. Touch wood. I tapped the closest tree.

    Ren nodded. ¡°Confirm target, then burn the house down?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking about that.¡± I leaned against Wolf and crossed my arms. ¡°We¡¯re looking at this a little too simply.¡±

    The bear turned his head. ¡°How so? House was small, I could probably knock it down.¡±

    "Wolf also upgraded an ability that allows him to absorb magical damage," Ren added.

    I stretched my neck out. Spending most of the day on the wooden chair had really done me a disservice. ¡°The witch might not be a Player, but I¡¯ve been thinking about what I would do in their situation. Like a Dungeon.¡±

    The elf nodded slowly. ¡°So, traps and passive spells in the area - like that dome over the Shadows camp?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± I clicked my fingers. ¡°I might just be overthinking it - but it was on the challenge board, so it is supposed to be difficult for a whole group.¡± My right eye twitched. ¡°You ever think we¡¯ll be a full Party?¡±

    The elf shrugged, and the bear had nothing to add. At this stage, I didn¡¯t care to add anyone else - it would just mean more voices clogging up the poor bear¡¯s brain. But when the default was five, we were less effective as a three. Of course, that would just mean we¡¯d need to try harder, our Class rarities might pull us through.

    ¡°So,¡± I continued, glazing past that train of thought and lukewarm reception. ¡°I expect that our presence will be known as we get closer, and that we should be on guard.¡±

    ¡°Your suggestion is to knock on the door and see if she answers?¡± Her eyes narrowed.

    The witch would be a System-created Monster, so I couldn¡¯t exactly rely on my charms. In fairness, I wasn¡¯t feeling too mentally spry, anyway. ¡°Magic users are weakest at close range, for the most part. I feel if we engage from afar, she will have more use of whatever spells she has.¡±

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    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Wolf grinned. ¡°Although if she tastes as bad as she smells, then my view is more neutral.¡±

    Ren sighed and looked out into the woods, drumming her fingers on her belt. ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to burn it down from afar, I think you¡¯re right. Any good witch would have protection from that, and then we¡¯d be on the back foot. Plus, we haven¡¯t even confirmed it¡¯s her yet.¡±

    The Quest just gave a vague region where she might be found. The house was within the region, but then a lot of things could be. It had also said ¡®suspected witch coven¡¯, which could mean between zero and three witches, as far as my knowledge took me. ¡°In the event that it¡¯s more than one witch¡­¡± I frowned and rubbed my head. Maybe not so perfectly recovered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not really a nuanced encounter, is it?¡±

    ¡°I trust your judgement. Confirm targets and then deal with accordingly.¡± The elf nodded to sign off on the conversation. The die had been cast.

    We started walking, and I felt better about it. Not really less achy - but the ball had been pushed down the hill and all I had to do was keep the momentum. Back to adventuring. Dipping toes into the violence to gain stronger, to go be violent somewhere else. The group at the bridge worried me, but I wasn''t sure why, yet. Maybe it was just that it was an end point. The final part of the tumor to cut out of this first area, before it could be deemed safe. Or safer, perhaps.

    Ren walked up beside me. ¡°Here, peace offering.¡± She held out a sandwich.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I took it, realizing how hungry I was. No breakfast, as I had overindulged on much needed sleep. I took a bite and smiled at her, swallowing it down before responding. ¡°All is forgiven. It''ll be my turn to cook tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°I look forward to that, then.¡±

    ¡°Temper your expectations.¡± I grinned in response. ¡°Let¡¯s just survive the day first.¡±

    Wolf turned his head to me, a smile at the edges of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for any horses.¡±

    I groaned, but was secretly thankful.

    It helped to keep us in better spirits, in fact. I didn''t mind a little levity at my own expense. Not unlike me to be a spectacle, of course, so I could be the butt of the joke to keep the mood light. And it was, at least up until the point that the house came into view.

    A small cottage by any description, the mixture of cobbled stone walls and off-white plaster broken up by a deep brown wooden frame made it look like something from a storybook. Perhaps I was living in a storybook. Was I the main character? Maybe Wolf was. He was much stronger and looked rather dapper in his bowler hat. I should just be thankful to be his assistant.

    Ren nudged me, and the growing mania fell off my mental shelf. Her glare of concern told me she could see me losing focus. Despite the System giving me the go ahead, my mind was still reeling from the¡­ accident. In the real world¡ªmy real world¡ªthere wouldn¡¯t have been a recovery from that kind of injury. At least not without months of rest, and even then, to have bounced back like I had would be unheard of. System be damned for the unrelenting violence, but a shaky thumbs up for being able to put its toys back together again after they broke into pieces.

    Her ability to read me so well might be part of her Oathwarden Class, or she could just be perceptive and I had a terrible poker face when losing control of my mind. Back on track, I focused on what lay ahead. The thatched roof looked like it could go up in flames easy enough. With enough of a running start, the whole thing could be leveled by the bear if he charged it down. More the fool us if it turned out to be the quaint home of an elderly grandma or young family trying to make a start off the grid. Although there was no grid, only violence.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, more to get out of my own head than wanting to get into the cauldron looming ahead.

    I stopped as we entered the clearing that surrounded it. About sixty feet away. Little wisps of smoke waved from the brickwork chimney. Magic surrounded us. I could feel it. Steeped into the ground. Something odd about it - not familiar, but perhaps adjacent. Definitely present, and something to be cautious about.

    ¡°You were right,¡± I murmured to the bear, ¡°there is the bad taste of magic here.¡±

    Even from the outside, there was a sense of foreboding, as if the sky were darkening as we approached. Still not enough of a clue to destroy the building - it could just be cursed. I wondered briefly why I was talking myself out of the easy option. Was it part of the spell? Maybe I was just too worried about becoming like the Shadows and leave nothing but ruin in my wake. The points where compassion and warmth won over along our journey were few and far between. We couldn''t let that be an excuse to fall down to their level.

    Twenty feet away, and the door opened. We stopped.

    A short figure emerged into the light of day. An old woman with silver hair wearing an aged yellow sundress, a circle of flowers as a belt. Simple leather sandals and a crocheted white shawl around her. A matching yellow ribbon in her hair, and a small wooden cane in her hand.

    ¡°Hello!¡± Her voice was cracked and shaky. ¡°Are you adventurers? I¡¯ve been waiting for my daughter to visit, but she has been missing for two days.¡±

    Tension filled the air. Apprehensive, sure. But I wasn''t so easily dissuaded from my gut feeling. System-created ran from a loose script, and I wanted to skip to the last page.

    ¡°How many are in your coven, witch?¡± I glared at her.

    ¡°What¡¯s that, young man? I didn¡¯t quite hear you?¡± She made the motion of cupping at her ear, eyes narrowing in concentration.

    I ran my tongue across my teeth. ¡°You see it?¡± I murmured to Ren. She returned a slow nod.

    Good. I wasn¡¯t going crazy. Perhaps rude not to ask Wolf, but I could see his fur was on end - he could smell it even if he couldn¡¯t see it.

    A smile crossed my lips, and I pulled my cloak tightly over my arm. Perhaps you could catch more flies with honey, after all. ¡°I said it¡¯s chilly out. We¡¯d be glad to help you in exchange for some warmth.¡±

    ¡°The stove is on.¡± The old lady smiled. ¡°I can make tea.¡±

    ¡°Delightful.¡± My fake smile widened as I started walking closer.

    Her eyes narrowed, and she glared at all three of us one after another. ¡°You are nice adventurers, right?¡± Smarter than she looked, she wanted to see behind the curtain more than we did.

    ¡°No,¡± I said, flinging back my cape to reveal the Imp tucked under my arm. His fireball went out immediately.

    Amber light obscured the witch as the attack blasted around her, the flickering of a purple shield painting the flame in a foul hue. A radiant arrow went out from beside me and burst into the shield just as the fire faded away.

    ¡°Miserable shits, you¡¯ll pay!¡± The woman hissed, her appearance now a dark-robed figure with scratchy black hair, the life in her pleasant appearance now replaced with the grimace of something more evil. Ren''s arrow was embedded in her shoulder.

    Wolf charged forward, blazing energy around his feet as he surged toward the small cottage.

    And then, with a click of her fingers, it was gone. Or rather, we were now somewhere different.

    Darkness loomed overhead. Underground. A chamber, roughly the same size as the clearing around where the cottage had been. Dimly lit by a few candles melting atop of skulls. A little too on the nose, but I admired a little cliche when it came to appearances. Tables strewn with a random assortment of jars, ingredient containers, and potion crafting apparatus. The smell of damp earth and a twinge of bad smells¡ªfoul magic, warmth, and untoward ingredients.

    A few skeletons chained to one wall, probably not-skeletons at one point, and if I had the time I would have pondered over whether those were captured Players or just System-dressing to set the mood. The second most important thing in this new space was the large cauldron in the center of the room, heated by a glowing fire that flickered between the expected oranges and a strange green. It bubbled and steamed in a way most displeasing, yet remained enthralling, despite the fact.

    Of course, the most important thing to note was the three figures. The old lady with an arrow in her shoulder was now accompanied by two other witches. One tall and lithe, her curly ginger hair a contrast to skill being prepared that was almost green in hue. Their third was portly and covered in necklaces and jewelry made of dried insect parts. Her tongue didn¡¯t seem to know its place and writhed around the outside of her mouth as she glared at me hungrily.

    ¡°Fresh meat!¡± The first cackled, as the other two readied spells to be cast.

    My feet dug into the soft earth as I tensed to move, a wide grin across my face as purple electricity arced along my arms. There was a new show to be put on.

    A contest of magical prowess, mine for the winning.

 57 - Powered Up

    I wasn¡¯t a demon, at least not in the traditional sense. There was some manner of blurred lines where I certainly had demonic abilities, but I still had a tight grip on my humanity. No growing horns or wings bursting from my back. Not so far, anyway. For the purposes of these memoirs, imagine that I just touched wood. That phrase might not even be a real thing in any world other than my old one. But neither were demons, or at least that¡¯s what I told myself.

    Spellcasters were bad news. Three of them, as we found ourselves stuck in a near open space, were even worse. Still, I was fresh off a day of rest and eager to put on a good show. Other Max was a combatant, and where I believed I had previously drawn my competency and cool head in regards to violence. Now fully formed, it felt even more natural. Born to perform, to live at any cost. To erase any that threatened me.

    Even as their spells were about to be cast, my cards went out, split. Purple one burst along a shield on the insect-witch, while the second flew off behind them all. An energy flooded the cavern as Wolf activated an ability. There was a loud hiss, and some darkness filled the area as Ren hit the fire that was beneath the cauldron up with a water arrow, extinguishing it. Pragmatic. I seemed to have made myself the primary target by rushing forward already.

    The tall witch had begun casting a dark spell, but had to switch to the bear as he launched himself toward her. The smell of something arcane sunk through the chamber as blazing light flickered through the darkness where the two clashed. I had to focus ahead and trust he was fine.

    Behind the cauldron, the older witch had her arms raised. A pulsing orb of black energy formed and then launched out toward the center of the cavern. As soon as it had been released, an arrow impaled her thin arm. Other than growling out loud, the witch didn¡¯t even flinch. The card thrown earlier burst out a Hellhound from behind her, the flaming canine drawing some focus away from her next spell preparation. The dark orb rose above the cauldron and burst, sending shards of pointed black energy throughout the area. One scoured through my left thigh, a second along my back¡ªnarrowly missing my neck.

    Insect-witch sent a spell at me. A curse. I suddenly felt very slow and sluggish, now unable to get any closer, as if I were dream-running. In anger, I sent a single imbued card out. I didn''t need to get closer, more the fool her. The pain and feeling of warm blood running down my leg cooled my need to show off. I wanted nothing more than to get revenge. Purple energy crackled along my arms as the flare of her shield glowed brightly in the darkness. But I didn''t drop the card¡ªI held it there, keeping it powered. She dropped her follow-up to focus on keeping her flickering shield up, pouring her mana into it. I just poured more of my mana into my card in return.

    The card glowed bright purple at first, before starting to turn white as it grew in power. The smell of something burning filled the air and overpowered all the other odors in this underground coven as our two magical energies fought against each other. I didn¡¯t even pay attention to anything else going on in the room. Card stayed energized. Card overpowered all. Card always won.

    As electricity continued to arc along my arms, I held my right wrist with my left hand. Both soaked with blood. Pain throbbed through my head as the card shone brightly, constantly pushing against the shield. Mana exhaustion hit and the purple arcs around my arms turned crimson. The card breached the struggling magic shield slowly, carving into it gradually, right before her spell failed.

    It was difficult to control the blazing card at such a sudden change of velocities. As soon as it sprung forward, I flicked it straight vertically into the ceiling and let it drop. Muddy earth fell from the ceiling onto the witch''s head as she stared at me impassively. Not very flashy, I¡¯ll admit - no wonder she wasn¡¯t impressed. Part of me wanted my strength tested to find out my limits. My attack had gone halfway through her before I shot it upwards, slicing through most of her insides and out of the top of her head. Her hat fell in two halves as she dropped limply to the floor, dark blood and worse leaking from the wound.

    My tired eyes scoured the rest of the room. Probably shouldn¡¯t have worn myself down just in the first fight. Three on three was good odds for us, anyway. The crunch of bones from the growling bear was proof enough. A spellcaster''s weakness was usually melee, and Wolf was a force of nature just on his own. I looked at the older witch, who was promptly headshot with an arrow, her spell fizzling out. They had more than one weakness, I supposed.

    The Hellhound, happy with his contribution to the fight, padded around from behind the cauldron and went over to the elf, who bent over to give him pets.

    ¡°It¡¯s sweet of you to always have them come to me.¡± She didn¡¯t look up at me, but continued to stroke the demonic dog.

    ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t do that. Not since the first one, really.¡± I flexed out my fingers, wondering if I had a better way of cleaning my hands rather than marring my suit.

    ¡°Really?¡± She looked up at me now, a raised eyebrow as I looked back at her. ¡°Max, did you know your eyes are glowing purple?¡±

    ¡°No?¡± I looked around to try to find a mirror or reflective enough surface. ¡°Have they done that before?¡±

    Wolf coughed up and sneezed. ¡°Ugh, they do taste as bad as they smell.¡±

    ¡°Only once before, when you lost control that time outside the dungeon.¡±

    I caught her look as I stepped around to try to find something to look at. ¡°I¡¯m not possessed or anything.¡± My eyebrows raised toward her and I held up my bloody hands. ¡°I feel totally normal and calm.¡± Perhaps not the most convincing show, but hopefully enough to not meet the sharp end of her evil-destroying ability. It must just be an aftereffect of pushing my magic too far.

    She rolled her eyes and returned to ruffling the ears of the hound.

    ¡°I suggest we loot and find our way out as soon as possible. This place gives me the creeps worse than the Shadow camp.¡± I narrowed my apparently purple eyes at the tables filled with all sorts of things that I could use - or at least clutter up my Inventory with.

    ¡°In my world, witches gain power from their cauldrons. It¡¯s like the focus for the coven, so that¡¯s why I put out the fire.¡± She stood from the hound to approach one of the bodies.

    ¡°I figured it was something smart like that, thank you.¡± The occult books that I had read weren¡¯t so instructive, and witches were not actually real in my world - so her knowledge was appreciated.

    She whistled. ¡°Two Power Tokens, some Scrolls and Wands.¡±

    I checked the body near me.

    [138 Gold]

    [Power Token (2)]

    [Fleetboots of the Strider]

    [Necklace of the Wise]

    [Wand of Frost Cone (1 use)]

    [Odd Skull]

    [Emerald]

    [Witches Pride]

    I whistled at the boots. Three Dex and five percent movement speed increase. One of the better things we had found so far, in terms of Stat distribution. "What do you have on your boots currently?"

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Just Two Dexterity.¡±

    ¡°Here, have these then.¡± I grinned. It annoyed me that the pure-Int suffix seemed to be ''of the Wise'' when really that should be for Wisdom. Perhaps it was the Intelligence that made me think that. [Witches Pride] fit in the vague Accessory slot, and increased Spell Casting Speed and Magic Damage both by 5%. As if I needed more excuse to push my cards to the limit.

    Wolf threw up part of the witch he had eaten. ¡°That¡¯s better." He smacked his lips together in disgust. "My body here also has items to loot, but I keep accidentally closing the blue box every time I go to read things.¡±

    ¡°Did you try imagining a sausage?¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    He shook his head and then furrowed his brow in concentration. Bizarrely cute, if not for the blood covering his face and bowler hat. After a moment, elation struck his face and he smiled, tongue hanging out. ¡°I got the two Tokens, but I¡¯m not looking at the rest.¡±

    ¡°Good enough, bud. Nice effort.¡± I gave him a pat along his flank, mostly as an excuse to wipe my hands off on his fur rather than my own clothing. I helped him out by looking at the loot on his kill.

    [155 Gold]

    [Ruby (2)]

    [Warriors Breastplate]

    [Normal Skull]

    [Sword of Fire]

    [Headband of Woe]

    I blinked slowly. Surely not? That was a lot of loot, and not particularly useful for me. Except for the orange border around the headband item¡­

    ¡°Everything okay, Max?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± I said, as I stood and turned to face her. ¡°Just found my first Legendary item, is all.¡±

    [Headband of Woe] [Magic Damage increases 5% per 5% Mana spent.]

    She returned my gaze impassively. ¡°Is it a bow?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Will it stop your hands from bleeding?¡±

    ¡°Uh. Maybe the opposite.¡± I grinned sheepishly. With <Mana Manipulation> allowing me to funnel the stuff into my card made this a potentially broken item in terms of increasing my card damage¡ªit was worth dropping the Int and Spell Crit for the extra boost, even if it didn''t click with my summons.

    She sighed and threw her arms up in resignation. ¡°I give up with you. If you¡¯re done stealing everything, let¡¯s find our way out?¡±

    I watched her pace about, looking for a switch or magical device to flip us back up to the surface. There were certainly no obvious doors or stairs out of here. ¡°Are you just disappointed we didn¡¯t get to do any magic?¡±

    She crossed her arms and bit her tongue. ¡°Am I becoming that easy to read?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes overpowering enemies the normal way is just safer. If you can put a threat down from a distance, then that¡¯s less of a headache.¡± With a smile, I leaned against a table. I knew that the combined trick stuff would come to us slowly, being how it wasn''t such a natural thing for them - but it was great to see she remained eager. ¡°That said, I am also disappointed.¡±

    ¡°Good, I¡¯d hate to think we¡¯d swapped prerogatives.¡±

    Wolf sniffed and looked up at me. ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t-¡°

    ¡°That¡¯s not what that means,¡± I interrupted, waving him away. ¡°This cavern sure is stuffy, huh? Let¡¯s find the switch.¡±

    [Witch''s Brew]

    [Empty Bottle (3)]

    [Incense (4)]

    [Sapphire]

    Most of the table-bound loot looked a little too gross to want to carry around. Small body parts once belonging to animals, dried leaves and herbs, or mysterious liquids that I didn''t like the look of. Useful if I wanted to poison someone, maybe, but my cards seemed to be quicker at getting people dead. The [Witch''s Brew] was a potion that the System wouldn''t even describe the purpose of¡ªbut it looked evil and reminded me of the treants transformation water.

    Given that I could barely stand the thought of drinking healing potions, there wasn''t much chance of me casually taking a sip to find out what it actually did. A sudden guilt sunk into me, as I realized that Roger was still out of the loop on everything. Walking over to the witch that looked the least maimed, I threw down the

    card.

    The figure rose, ears cracking out amidst the wiry hair of the puppet. "Boss? Boss!" A wide grin twisted up from under his glowing purple eyes.

    "Roger." I grinned back. "Just wanted to let you know I still live."

    "Thank fuck!" He leaned the body back against one of the tables. "I was worried as shit after seeing how fucked your head was. Absolutely fucked."

    "You''re telling me." I tried not to think about it, lest my head start hurting again in reliving the moment. "We have a super important gig coming up tomorrow. More people killing."

    He nodded, an awkward expression for the puppet corpse. "That''s like my second favorite thing to do. Big dog and the gargoyle will be there too?"

    I winced. "The team is still together, yes."

    He looked past me at the surrounding area for the first time, seeing where we were and undoubtedly catching the glare of the elf. "I''ll get to training then, boss. I''ll be ready to crack skulls as soon as you call me."

    "Thanks, Roger. Give my best to your family."

    As he sunk away and the body dropped to the floor, I turned to the expected furrowed brow of the Oathwarden¡ªbut there was none. Either she hadn''t heard it, or had just moved on and not taken it to heart. I rubbed my eyes, already tired of the gloom of this place.

    With everything now scoured for what looked vaguely useful, I assisted with finding a way out. It took some awkward prodding around, and some interesting revelations that made it look like the coven might have eaten people at some point, before we eventually found the spell artefact that swapped us back to the surface. Thanks to my apparent magical training, I was able to understand and activate it, otherwise we would have lived down there forever. Or at least until Wolf ate us.

    ¡°Fresh air!¡± Ren breathed deeply as we stood in the clearing once more, amongst the grass and beneath a clouded sky.

    I grimaced towards the building. The witches were System-created, so might respawn at some point. Should we destroy the house? Was there even a point? Futility pressed down on my sore brain and I attempted to shrug it off. Quest was done. That¡¯s all that mattered right now.

    ¡°Did you get any lightning-based spell scrolls?¡± I stretched my neck out as I gestured for us to leave the area.

    ¡°Yeah, one. Arc+.¡± She withdrew it and handed it over.

    ¡°Thank you. Keep any others, use them for devising tricks.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes, but nodded. I practised putting it into my Inventory and then into my hand a few times before putting it away. Scrolls were something I should look into more. There was a slight delay to activating them that made it obvious I was doing so, but not everything had to be an act of deception.

    Oh, how I¡¯d changed.

    Ren sent me across some Map information, which I brought up as we walked.

    ¡°Assassinate the target, do the Elk repeatable twice, and then head back to town to return Quests and level up?¡±

    The route looked fine. We were still quite north and heading to the west. Bridge was far west straight from the town, along the road, so we weren¡¯t in any danger there. ¡°Sounds perfect. I know it said ¡®dead or alive¡¯ but I think the less time spent there means getting through the Elks quicker.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. If the timing is right, we might be able to get a night in at the tavern before heading to the bridge.¡±

    One last night of some comfort before our imminent demise. Almost sounded too good to be true, and my brain was hesitant to even play out the actions in my head. I looked at Ren to find she had been gazing at me, her blue eyes piercing through my distracted skull. A shared room seemed like a given, and if I were honest with myself, then I-

    ¡°Oh!¡± Wolf pushed in between us, breaking whatever conversation was going unspoken. ¡°I worked out how to use the Tokens by myself!¡±

    ¡°Great job, bud. That¡¯s super helpful, actually.¡± I raised an eyebrow in thought. ¡°I suppose I should decide on mine too.¡±

    With so many abilities and passives, it would take forever to eventually upgrade them all, so I¡¯d need to make a shortlist. I wasn¡¯t able to upgrade my keystone <Demonic Magician> - it appeared to be something innate for the Class that increased in power automatically.

    I had already upgraded my most useful passives with Sleight of Hand and Mana Manipulation. Perhaps it was time for something else. Vanishing Act, Finale, Card Fan, Demonic Pact, Summon Demon - all still at base level. Tough choices.

    After some humming to myself, and almost tripping over a tree root, I made the decision.

    [Summon Demon+] [Demons are more powerful and last longer.]

    [Card Fan+] [Card Fan is larger and can absorb more damage before breaking.]

    I used both of these skills all the time - and while they weren¡¯t as flashy or trick-adjacent as the others; they increased the base efficiency of how I worked. Unable to let my curiosity go unsated, I dropped a Hellhound+ card to the floor.

    A slightly larger summoning circle of crimson runes, and then the hound himself appeared. Slightly taller, and much more muscular. His wide head turned to me as his body lapped with dark red flames. His tongue stuck out as he panted at me as a greeting.

    ¡°You¡¯re a handsome chap, huh?¡± I kneeled down to give him a rubdown. ¡°No heavy lifting for you, my friend, but tell all the others I¡¯m proud of them and can¡¯t wait to see them again.¡±

    He huffed in my ear, a half-bark of acknowledgement, before I let him fade away back to Hell. I looked up at Ren, who had her face screwed up into a pout.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll share next time.¡±

 58 - Last Scraps

    Things felt good when you were on a roll. And roll we did. In a different timeline where the Crimson Shadow weren¡¯t a constant threat, we would have easily run circles around everything in the first area and sucked every mote of good loot from any Quest offered. Our time there was shorter than necessary, and we would fall into the habit of scraping by with the bare minimum power needed. Bad habits died hard.

    I sunk into the thick grass, itching as it tried to prod me in the nostril. Ren slunk up beside me and we peered over the ridge. A small encampment a good three to four dozen feet below. Some wooden structures, including a basic shack. Dozen or so people idling around. One of them looked less generic and more like the mugshot on the wanted poster.

    ¡°Reckon we could just pop him from here and be done with it?¡± I murmured.

    ¡°If he stopped twitching around, looks like he¡¯s on something.¡±

    He was rather¡­ energetic, to say the least. As if he had forgotten where he left five different things around the camp and switched which one he wanted to go find every three seconds. Erratic and unpredictable. A missed shot could potentially draw the whole camp up to our position¡ªwhich we could handle, I didn''t doubt¡ªbut that sounded very tiring. A direct killshot would save us a lot of headache.

    ¡°I bet I could kill him in one hit from here.¡± My eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Oh yeah, what do you bet?¡±

    ¡°If I''m successful, then you owe me¡­¡± I turned my head to her to see that she was laying a lot closer than I had realized. ¡°¡­something.¡±

    ¡°Deal,¡± she whispered. ¡°If you balls it up, then you owe me¡­ something.¡±

    I looked away from her blue eyes and back to the target, letting the building steam flow out of my ears. Couldn¡¯t have just said something simple, could I? With a deep breath, I cooled myself and focused. Pushed myself up a little so that I wasn¡¯t so buried in the grass, and let a card appear in my hand.

    Held it, the mana pooling from me and empowering it, and it grew brighter. Hit the exhaustion and my health started to drop, blood running from my hand and down my sleeve - which was rather unpleasant. A quick glance at Ren showed she had a dim view of my casual attitude about harming myself for more power. The System let me do it, although that sounded like a poor excuse.

    I hit my limit, the card pure white and crackling with pale electricity. Exhaling through my nose, I took aim and let it fly through the air. The man moved.. so I turned the trajectory, my hand shaking at trying to control the amount of power as it flew further away. It was just about there, and he turned again. The card narrowly missed lopping off an ear as it went past his head towards the ground.

    Ren exhaled and pushed herself up to see better, perhaps more in surprise than celebrating her win.

    But it wasn¡¯t over.

    ¡°What the-¡° his voice came out from below.

    My fingers clenched into my palms and pain radiated through my head, but I brought it back like a boomerang. A struggle with how much power was soaked into it, like a lead weight on the end of a fishing line. As he looked down at the slim card of white light, it then appeared from the back of his head and vanished into nothing. His body toppled over, to a lot less concern from his group than I had expected.

    I dropped back down into the grass with a gasp before holding my breath as I let the pain wash away. Probably shouldn¡¯t push myself so hard just yet, but I wanted to see how well my new headband worked. I rolled onto my back and exhaled, finally letting the air out as my senses calmed. No shouts or sounds of pursuit from below, so I counted that as a win.

    Ren loomed over me. Her face, way too close, was shadowed against the day-lit canopy above. ¡°Looks like I owe you something, trickster.¡±

    ¡°Have mercy,¡± I groaned and waved her away, before clarifying. ¡°The mercy isn''t the something, just a normal request.¡±

    She snorted and moved away to stand, while I took a few seconds to compose myself. My brain just need to refresh and reboot since my blood was all the way¡­ across my hands. With a sigh, I sat up and brought out a linen sheet to wipe them on. Not the most hygienic, but it beat using my suit. I stood and walked over to her, where she was now watching Wolf roll around in the dry dirt on his back.

    ¡°Fascinating how his hat stays on,¡± she noted.

    The gears in my head were still spinning without the teeth engaging, so I didn¡¯t have anything to say to add to the conversation. Nothing that didn¡¯t taste like a foot, at least. Other than crushing me with awkwardness, Ren seemed to be in a better mood this afternoon. Two Quests down and a couple of Power Tokens each - that should put a smile on anyone¡¯s face.

    I enjoyed the moment for what it was. The humor in her eyes as she watched the bear wriggle around and get all dusty. A little snapshot for the future when times were difficult. This seemed like one of those cliche moments where I could turn and open my emotional hatch. Shower Ren with everything going on within me. But I didn¡¯t. Not yet. There were things still guarded that I was¡­ scared to reveal in case the Crimson Shadow came and took everything away. When they were gone, I could breathe easy.

    ¡°What are you thinking about, Max?¡±

    Thoughts popped like bubbles, and I watched the bear right himself and shake off the dust from his fur like a dog out of a bath. I raised an eyebrow at the elf. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Bullshitter.¡± She rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill some Elks?¡±

    They weren¡¯t too far away, and before I knew it, we were doing exactly that. It felt too strange to try to Dazzle the wild beasts, so we played it straight. Wolf mauled them, while Ren and I did damage from range. No need for Roger or other demons, really. Once we got into a routine, the first Quest was completed and we handed it in to repeat it.

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    [80 Gold]

    [Regeneration Potion]

    Slow healing over five minutes. Could be useful if it didn''t taste like alcohol and vomit. I knew now that part of my aversion to the stuff was due to the other Max. While I wasn''t a drinker in my normal life due to the negative effect it had on my work, the pact my other half was bound with restricted him from imbibing the stuff. Still, I could hold my nose if it meant not dying. Currently, I was thankful I''d been able to get by mostly on bandages and Ren''s healing.

    ¡°Hey Max,¡± Ren stretched out her back as we took a breather. ¡°If I asked you a direct question, you¡¯d answer honestly, right?¡±

    I narrowed my eyes at her. ¡°It might depend on what you ask.¡±

    ¡°What kind of answer is that?¡± She frowned and crossed her arms.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I would be honest with you.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ I have a question for you.¡± She shuffled her feet on the floor, some eagerness mixed with apprehension.

    My right eye twitched. ¡°Okay, go for it.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any Sweet Cakes left?¡±

    I worked my jaw and stared at her impassively. This is why it depended on what she asked. We held eye contact, but I didn''t respond.

    ¡°Max¡­ why aren¡¯t you answering? You¡¯re holding out on me, aren¡¯t you? Dickbag!¡± She strode toward me.

    ¡°I never said I had any!¡± I started to back away.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t denying it! I can¡¯t wait till the next time you almost die to have another.¡±

    I stopped and pulled a face, and she stood a couple of feet away to glare at me. Wolf was almost audibly rolling his eyes from a little distance away, and I saw his point of view on how this looked.

    ¡°Okay.¡± I raised up my hands in resignation. ¡°I have one left. I was waiting until I had two to share. But since you¡¯re so insistent¡­¡± It popped up into my hand and I moved it toward her.

    She took it without hesitation, snapped it in half and pressed part of it back into my palm. ¡°You make things too complicated when the answer is right in front of you.¡± The elf stared at me as she practically inhaled the pastry. The fact that she hadn''t managed to find any when they went shopping the other day was perhaps in the top five worst things to happen this week.

    ¡°Guilty,¡± I managed, with a tied-up tongue. Her intensity today had been more disarming than usual, and I wasn¡¯t sure if that was my fragile mind just being more malleable or¡­ I stopped, realizing we had been staring at each other while my brain tried to hastily put matching shapes together. ¡°Elks!¡± I said, unceremoniously shoving the cake into my mouth and walking away.

    I approached Wolf and shook my hand at him as I exhaled. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t need to say anything.¡±

    ¡°She was smiling.¡± He raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°I don¡¯t understand your rituals, but it¡¯s easier to be happier before you¡¯re dead, rather than after.¡±

    My mouth opened, but he turned around to get ready to charge the next monster. The greatest tragedy was the other Max being just as much of a dweeb with women as I was. A sigh drew away those thoughts. I should focus on the enemy before us, then gather the pieces. If there was actually something between us, I could deal with it once the dust had settled. Too much danger and the unknown in the way. So many things to plan, and so little-

    ¡°Are you ready, Max?¡± Ren called, arrow up to her bow as her default scowl was back.

    ¡°Almost.¡± I grinned slightly maniacally, dealing damage to my own mental fortitude.

    And then we were back into it. The killing cooled me down, which was possibly not a good sign. I enjoyed the artistry of swirling the cards around, avoiding Wolf, as Ren peppered the beasts from slightly further back. Our team skills had been a little rusty from where we had mostly been focused on high-stakes Player combat. Now that we were grinding through System-created like nothing, there was a peace to it. A comfort that there wasn''t much personal danger. The slightest hint of safety that I was loath to accept at more than face value.

    Before long, we had finished off the Quest requirements a second time. Lots of meat to feed to Wolf, but no gold or useful equipment, which was disappointing after a couple of good spates of luck in that department.

    [Quest Complete]

    Same reward as before. I yawned and stretched out. Some of the meat I considered cooking later on, if we had the chance - which was a nice thought. My hands ached, but I kept things under control and hadn¡¯t exerted myself. No more blood.

    ¡°Must be our lucky day,¡± Ren whistled as she looted through the last group. ¡°Two more Tokens.¡±

    I nodded and sat down on my conjured chair. Exhaustion seemed to be hitting me harder, even though the System said I was fine. ¡°Give one to Wolf, save another for Hannah?¡±

    ¡°Shapeshifter can go without. I doubt she has a lot of information with the bridge being the last bastion of the shitbags.¡± She flicked one through the air toward me. ¡°You and Wolf can have.¡±

    I didn¡¯t move. The Power Token just vanished once it got into my perimeter. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Do I make mistakes?¡± She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. Narrowed them further as my mouth opened to respond.

    It closed without objection. While I didn¡¯t want to start getting greedy and getting all the power myself, I also didn¡¯t want to argue with her. Back to looking at upgrade options, then.

    Finale upgrade lowered the number of icon stacks for the greater effects, whereas Vanishing Act would allow me to hide two objects at once. There was also Mana Extension - having a greater mana pool meant more strength for my cards. Last time I went for the useful combat skill, so this time it was time for the pizzazz. Especially with the looming production, I wanted to really make it memorable for whoever''s corpses remained afterward. Maybe my own.

    [Finale+] [Decreases the Dazzle thresholds for certain effects.]

    Somewhat vague, but I imagined it would just stun things for longer or let me do it with fewer icons in play. Let¡¯s see if I could get it going before I died.

    ¡°What did you pick, Wolf?¡± I glanced toward the bear who had been laying down and licking his fur clean.

    ¡°Some sort of extra damage when I''m hurt.¡± He yawned, yapping his maw. ¡°So many words annoy me.¡±

    ¡°And you, trickster?¡± Ren raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Finale. If there¡¯s a group we have to break, the area stun seemed useful.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving to the town. We should get there by dusk if we don¡¯t get distracted.¡±

    I groaned and got back to my feet, waving my cloak over the chair as it went into my Inventory. There we go, getting some of it back. My eyes closed, and I focused on my breathing. Not enough practice recently. With a smile, I turned to the waiting elf and held a gold coin up.

    ¡°Call it for who gets the bath first?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t born yesterday, Max. You can just change it to what you want.¡±

    I ignored her and flicked it into the air, raising an expectant eyebrow.

    ¡°Heads,¡± she said with a sigh.

    Caught it. Onto the back of my hand for the reveal. Heads it was.

    Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that was meant to prove, but I¡¯ll take it. Let¡¯s head out.¡±

    I smiled as she walked away, Wolf following alongside her. I didn¡¯t often do a setup to be called back on later, but it was there to draw on if the situation ever arose. A little pre-planning might go to waste ninety percent of the time... but when it hit, that''s when magic could really dazzle.

    Too caught up in living, I almost forgot what I was best at. Rest and violence had drawn a cover over the showman waiting to reemerge like a butterfly from a cocoon. There were things I needed to practice before the main event. I followed slowly behind them as we walked south, drawing and switching between things in my Inventory to prepare.

    Our harshest critics lay in wait for the curtain to open and lights to come on. Eager for the best, and last, show of their lives.

    I wouldn''t leave them wanting.

 59 - Life and Death

    Another gap in my journal here. I knew why, and liked to pretend it was the looming battle for the bridge. I didn¡¯t care to put into writing the actual reason, lest the unfaltering text altered the memories that I held close and ruined the illusion.

    As soon as the town came into sight, part of me relaxed. The amber sky as the sun started to depart calmed me, despite the creeping danger of the next day.

    ¡°From the book, there¡¯s one high-level guy in charge of their defenses. Half-giant or something, full plate, and bad attitude. Rest of the group is a mix of ranged focused, some melee, from what I can gather. There''s only some vague records because Hadrian was jealous over it.¡± I sighed and rubbed at the back of my head.

    ¡°Not very fun for us then,¡± Ren agreed. "Plate is tough to crack."

    Wolf grumbled. ¡°Metal, gross.¡±

    Melee was usually easier for us to deal with. Rooting them in place and doing damage from afar while Wolf chewed everyone up. More arrows and spells meant we would be taking a lot more hits without being able to contest them. Maybe not something to worry ourselves over right now. The large metal opponent might be the exception to the usual rule, unless Roger fancied putting some dents in their helmet, too.

    I felt like I had walked enough for a lifetime over the last few days and hoped there were carts and possibly horses that didn¡¯t want to maim me in our near future.

    Our mood was rather subdued as we slunk into the perimeter of the town. It was quiet, as it usually was, with the System-created starting to pack up and get ready for the evening themselves. It was odd, and the promise of a warm bed was the only thing stopping me from standing around and taking it all in. Still no Players that stood out. Aside from our enemies, this whole area had felt disjointed, like a ghost town. A one-woman apocalyptic event had rolled through and bathed the world in blood.

    The misery sunk in as we walked into the tavern. It looked near identical to the other day, down to all the System-created in similar positions. Again, a few patrons that Wolf shoved out of the way to settle down beside the fireplace.

    ¡°Greetings adventures. How can I help you this evening?¡±

    ¡°One room. En-suite.¡± I gave him the plain details. Anything else was just set dressing he wouldn¡¯t care for.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he put the key on the counter. Same room as last time. ¡°We have full vacancy tonight. Enjoy your evening.¡±

    I gave him the gold as I raised an eyebrow at Ren. A fully empty tavern again wasn¡¯t concerning in of itself, but it added to the dramatic air. I had come to the conclusion that on the first night, the assassins had bought out all but one room to guarantee where we''d be. But now it felt like the world was devoid of normal Players. Well, we couldn''t know that for sure, but it was the impression we were being presented. ¡°Sleep well, Wolf. Same security measures as before.¡±

    He grumbled his acknowledgements.

    We headed to the room and locked it behind us. A little shrine of safety. Immediately, I went and sat on the bed. Then I just flopped backwards onto it and sighed, unable to hold myself back from truly relaxing. Heavenly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get the bed dirty. I¡¯m going to bathe.¡±

    I closed my eyes and smiled, listening to the door close before the taps started up. Next time, I mused, and sat back up. Put the gold coin back away and rubbed at my eye sockets. Time to hand those Quests in while I waited my turn.

    ¡°Take as long as you want,¡± I called to her. ¡°I¡¯m going through my new abilities.¡±

    ¡°Gladly.¡±

    The blue boxes appeared, and I got rid of them immediately, not particularly interested in whatever terrible rewards the System wanted to give me. The STAR glowed golden light as all the experience filtered in as the Quests were complete. I exhaled, hoping for something overpowered to make the next day easier.

    [Level Up - 8]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <All Hands>]

    [New Passive: <Top Deck>]

    [New Ability: <Demonic Transposition>]

    I clucked my tongue and brought the ability up immediately. <Demonic Transposition> allowed me to swap places with one of my summoned demons. Decently long cooldown, certain restrictions on distance and such, used a lot of mana¡­ hmm. It seems the System was listening, after all. There were plenty of non-combat related scenarios where that would be exceedingly good, especially considering I had a demon that could fly. Despite being dragged through the prickly bushes, I almost felt like the System''s favored pupil.

    <All Hands> was nice too - for every ally that assists me in gaining a Dazzle debuff icon, a second one would be added. How the System determined ¡®assist¡¯ was just another part of the vague way it worked. This meant that Ren and Wolf could actually help me out with my tricks, probably my demons, too. More icons meant more effective Max. I smiled, wondering really how much our life choices changed the course of our progression, or if it truly was coincidence that we were one step ahead of the design.

    Top Deck allowed my

    magic attacks to crit at my normal Spell Crit chance - after a bit of swapping through screens, it turned out that it was pretty low. It was at least helpful enough to tell me a critical card would be red in color and do extra damage. Couldn¡¯t really argue with passives like that. Previously, it didn''t look as though it could have crit, which I thought was unfair. Yet... I shouldn''t complain when two out of three skills were winners.

    I stood and walked around the room. Covered the window with a thick blanket even though it was heading to nightfall, anyway. Put the lantern on medium. Placed my chair by the door with my hat and jacket on it.

    Eye of the storm.

    The bathroom door opened, and Ren stepped out.

    ¡°Good news,¡± I grinned, pausing in brief surprise as she was already in her nightgown.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Sorry, we were heading to sleep anyway, and I didn¡¯t want to squeeze into that waistcoat again.¡± She wrinkled her face up and headed for the bed. ¡°It¡¯s all yours - but what¡¯s the good news?¡±

    ¡°Oh - uh, I can now teleport and when you help me with tricks, it gives me Dazzle icons.¡±

    She walked across the room and got under the covers with a yawn. ¡°All my efforts won¡¯t go to waste then. I haven¡¯t done mine yet. I hope I get some bullshit, too.¡±

    I smiled and waved her off as I went into the bathroom and shut the door. Taps on, stripped down, and sat in the warm water as quickly as possible as it filled. I grew tired of my own dried blood getting everywhere - it wasn¡¯t exactly very becoming of a great showman to look like he had rolled out from a fistfight in a butcher¡¯s shop. I scrubbed down fully. All the sweat and grime from the day, my hair matted from being stuck under my hat for hours. Just fresh, clean, and ready to be served up on a platter tomorrow.

    How does one even assault a bridge? Taps off, I sunk into the hot water and tried to relax my brow rather than furrow it. Neither part of me was particularly well versed in siege warfare, but the hope was that it¡¯d just be a bunch of goons standing about preventing access and we could just hit them with everything we had with the intent that they buckled before we took any serious damage. Never that easy, though, was it?

    I had a few tricks on the sidelines, but needed to think of more - just in case. Might even lose a little sleep in thinking up potential new plans. Ultimately, improvisation in situ would just be me clicking the practiced skills into place. What would fit and give me the win¡ªor at least a few Dazzle icons.

    With a sigh, I left the warmth of the water. Despite how much I needed it, the soft bed was too big a draw, and I yearned for the comfort of a proper sleep. Sleepwear on as the water filtered out. I yawned and rubbed my hair backward. Needed a cut soon enough. A little time roughing it out in the wild, and it wasn¡¯t as sharp as it used to be.

    Into the bedroom and the lantern had been lowered to almost nothing. Enough for me to see around my side of the bed, however, and I climbed in eagerly. Completely melting between the cover and mattress once again.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    I turned over, expecting her to have something to bring up about her new ability - or even just ask for me to hold her again for comfort. I hadn¡¯t realized she was facing my way in the bed already and I rotated to be face-to-face with the elf. A lot closer than anticipated. ¡°Ah, of course?¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about tomorrow?¡± Her voice was soft and her eyes stared into mine, not scowling, but perhaps concerned.

    My jaw worked more than my brain did. Always at night time, she came to crack me open and see what emotional response she could get from me. Safety in the dark. Well, I was about to test that theory. Maybe some of the bath water got in through my ears, as my brain felt like soup.

    ¡°You want my honest answer?¡±

    She nodded slowly. ¡°Always.¡±

    My heart caught in my chest, but I allowed the truth to come out unabated for once. ¡°The only thing I¡¯m scared of¡­ is losing you.¡±

    Her eyes widened slightly and searched my face to see if I was trying to pull a fast one. ¡°You¡¯re not bullshitting?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± No tricks, no deception, and no illusions.

    A soft smile crossed her face. ¡°Good. I''m scared of losing you, too.¡±

    I raised my hand and brushed the blonde hair away from her face. Leaned forward to kiss her, and she reciprocated. She wrapped her arms around me as I pulled her in closer.

    Just as I had known all along, magic was real.

    <hr>

    My eyes flickered open. Daytime, but the sun struggled to get through the blanket covering the window. Briefly, I panicked at not being woken up by the elf, before I turned to see her still beside me in bed, smiling.

    ¡°Ren, I-¡° My words stopped as she put her finger to my lips.

    ¡°Today is going to be noisy, trickster. Let¡¯s just enjoy a little peace while we can.¡±

    I nodded and laid back down. She put her arm over me and rested her head on my chest while I idly rubbed my fingertips on her back. More to live for. More to die for.

    My brain felt empty. For the first time in a while, I let it stay so. Enjoyed the moment for what it was. Two flawed people just existing despite the odds. It was maybe ten or fifteen minutes that we stayed like this, although it felt like hours. I wished it could have been. She gave me a pat on the chest and rolled out of bed, throwing the covers to obscure my vision from her escape. As they dropped, she stood, fully dressed in her magician¡¯s outfit.

    ¡°I was about to do the same...¡± I grinned. ¡°But realized I¡¯d probably crack my head open on the bedside table.¡±

    She rolled her eyes, but a soft smile stayed on her face. ¡°Too preoccupied with trying to feel me up that you didn¡¯t even ask about my new ability.¡±

    ¡°Unfair.¡± I threw back the covers and stood, changing into my Cosmetic outfit in the least flashy way possible. ¡°I seem to remember-¡°

    ¡°Ah!¡± she interrupted, holding her hand up. ¡°New rules. Mild flirting is acceptable, but no pillow talk during the day.¡±

    ¡°Acceptable.¡± I crossed my arms.

    ¡°Let¡¯s survive today before we go any further, okay?¡± The smile faded from her face as cold reality cooled the new flames we were trying to stoke. ¡°My new ability is another arrow attack. Like entangling shot, but it¡­ makes targets more susceptible to debuffs.¡±

    ¡°Like Dazzle,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°System really knows, huh? About the Party dynamics, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she replied, and shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s get Wolf and start making the journey? If we don''t leave now...¡±

    "We might never do," I agreed. Too easy to sink into comfort. We needed to keep the fires lit.

    The room was unlocked as I donned my hat and jacket keeping guard, chair back into my Inventory. I also stole the lantern, but forgot the blanket over the window - so it seemed a fair trade at the end of the day. We walked down the stairs to see Wolf waiting for us. The bear stretched out and yawned.

    ¡°Ready to meet the day, bud?¡± I grinned at him.

    He looked between me and Ren and raised his eyebrows, his amber eyes twinkling beneath the bowler hat.

    I raised a finger and wagged it at him. ¡°Don¡¯t even start. I just want to know your new ability and then I¡¯ll go die of embarrassment. Or head trauma, as is tradition.¡±

    ¡°No dying before you¡¯ve cooked for us.¡± Ren sidled in beside me. ¡°You were supposed to yesterday.¡±

    I waved off the System-created barkeep as we exited and headed for the western road. ¡°I did say that, didn¡¯t I? Sorry, my mind was quite preoccupied.¡±

    They both raised their eyebrows at me.

    ¡°With the whole battle thing.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s grab food from a shop, and I¡¯ll cook later if we survive.¡±

    ¡°When we survive,¡± Wolf corrected. ¡°Positive attitude manifests what you want in this world.¡±

    Somewhat true, I had to relent as I deflated. The System certainly gave me the skills I needed to succeed. I just had to do the hard work myself.

    Soon enough, we were back on the road eating meat pies. They were adequate - filling enough to keep the nerves from shaking at my stomach. The day had started sunny, but gray clouds were looming from the east and the breeze was carrying them straight toward our path. Typical that gloom would know where some tragedy was about to take place.

    We rounded a hill, the cobbled road rough and overgrown in parts. Odd, considering it was the main way over the river to the next area. A dark shape loomed into view as the trees slid along the sidelines.

    ¡°Is that some kind of sign?¡± I narrowed my eyes at the cross shape, like a large X, sitting on the side of the road.

    ¡°No,¡± Ren said, her face paling before she ran to get closer.

    We followed suit, more of the picture becoming clear as we neared the logs tied together. It didn¡¯t take elven eyesight to see what it was now.

    A body.

    Tied to the shape by hands and feet, the man was long dead. The elements and nature having worn away at his frame already. There wasn''t much to signify whether it was a System-created or not, but the pit in my stomach told me it was a Player.

    ¡°They are monsters.¡± Ren worked her jaw, cold anger burning in her blue eyes.

    I looked beyond, eyes darting to the road leading toward the bridge. There were more of the crosses, every so often. Some had blurred into the woodland around them, making them harder to spot at the outset, but now that I knew they were there¡­ there were dozens along the part of the road we could see.

    Ren stood beside me and narrowed her eyes. Her hand gripped my forearm as she pointed at the next one along.

    ¡°Max, that¡¯s Hannah.¡±

 60 - Sandbagged

    They say to fight fire with fire, but the best method was to smother it. Deprive it of oxygen until the flicker of light died out. That was my dim view of how the Crimson Shadows should be dealt with. Violence was a part of my daily life now, but the cruelty and barbarism they showed toward their fellow Players was beyond me. Beyond acceptable. Beyond my mercy.

    We ran toward the cross, my card in the air well before our feet arrived. It cut the ropes around her wrists, and her limp body fell into Ren¡¯s arms. The shapeshifter was beaten and bloodied. Unresponsive.

    The elf poured some healing into the woman, the glow of radiant light fading and nothing. I cut the ropes around her ankles.

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ come on, you fuck¡­¡± Ren exhaled and closed her eyes, deflating. ¡°She¡¯s... gone, Max.¡±

    She laid the shapeshifter on the ground. Anger burned within me as seeing her impassive face. I kneeled down and put my fingers to her neck. Pointless, but I was a loss at what to do. Her skin was cold to the touch. No heartbeat. Guilt mixed with the rage, she must have been caught in trying to find out information for us. I withdrew my hand and clenched it into fist.

    ¡°Look at me, Max.¡± Ren was stern in her demand, and I met her eyes. ¡°I feel that too, but the only viable solution is revenge. We kill them and pay for what they did.¡± Her eyes were watery, but there was the same burning inferno behind them that I felt.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± My jaw was clenched, but she was right. Beating ourselves up was just doing the Shadows job for them. I raised an eyebrow at Wolf.

    He gave a sad nod, already knowing what I was going to ask. In the softer area of mud, he began digging a grave. Shallow for now, but if successful in avenging her, we would return to put her to rest properly. Maybe all of them, if we had the heart for it. I helped Ren move her and then Wolf covered her over with the churned mud. We hadn''t known her long, but we had built rapport. She was the only Player we had met that wasn''t one of them.

    ¡°Why are they even doing this?¡± I narrowed my eyes to look down the road at more filled effigies. It was a warning, but why was the Lady so intent on building a ruthless gang to squash out any other possible Player? Why was it join her or die?

    ¡°Your eyes are purple again, Max.¡±

    I took a deep breath and looked towards Ren. Being that they were my eyes, I couldn¡¯t see when they were doing that, but she gave me a nod to let me know they were calming down.

    ¡°You can ask them yourself when I tear their arms and legs off,¡± Wolf offered, glaring out down the road.

    Not only to provoke fear, the bodies were presented to ignite an emotional response. Our anger and sadness were valid, but we couldn¡¯t let that drive our attack. As much as I wanted to pry apart their jaws in search of answers until the cracking of broken bone deafened me, a clouded approach would get us pegged up to one of these crosses ourselves.

    I rubbed at my eyes and wondered if we could just rewind a little from this impending horror show. No. The show must go on. We had our parts to play. ¡°I¡¯m sick of these assholes. Sick and tired, and angry as fuck.¡± My fingers flexed into fists and back. ¡°So let¡¯s go.¡±

    We fell into step, back to the road. If they caught Hannah, then they might have some manner of detection magic. It would be fair to assume they would be well prepared to deal with any manner of Player type. They¡¯d never come across a Party like us, though. I let my ego elevate me above their degeneracy. It didn¡¯t matter who they were, we would win over them and continue chasing down the Lady in Red.

    Ren put her hand on my shoulder, which startled me from my thoughts.

    ¡°Win, escape, die. We will do it all as one. We''re not leaving you behind again.¡±

    I nodded. There could only be one outcome. I wouldn¡¯t allow anything aside from the win. A couple more levels or Power Tokens would have been nice, but the sooner we could remove the festering tumor clogging up the start of this world, the better. New Players might be on the island already, and the least we could do is allow them a normal System to thrive in. They were potential fans, after all. I ground my teeth at the dual parts of me wanting control. Wanting to kill, wanting to impress.

    As we passed each dead body on display, it did little of the intended effect. If anything, we grew colder and more hardened to the macabre displays. Barely started to register them. The shapeshifter had been a gut punch because we had a connection and a brief relationship with her. Although the rest were Players too, it was easy to disassociate. Think of them as just more System-created, for a suddenly very grimdark area as opposed to most of the forest.

    ¡°Hey, forgive me for breaking the new rules...¡± Ren wrapped her hand gently around my left forearm. ¡°I wanted you to know¡­ last night wasn¡¯t just because we might die today.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°And I forgive you.¡± With my right hand, I took her hat off, allowing what remained of the sunlight to illuminate her blonde hair with an almost unnatural radiance. I felt tired, even though the day had hardly begun. My eyes looked over her face, taking in her piercing blue eyes, soft features, and glowing hair. She smiled, and I plopped the hat back onto her head.

    My luck had been a pretty mixed bag since arriving in this world. On the rare few occasions I would catch her smile, it washed away all the bad. The only things remaining were the scrawls in my journal saying how terrible bandits were. Allowing my heart to be open, knowing it might get broken, made me stronger. Not weaker.

    Typical that I¡¯d have such a breakthrough right before dashing myself on the rocks below, but such clarity was often born of hardship. Tell that to the broken figures we were still passing. My internal self rolled his eyes. Their hardship was at least over.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    I stopped and turned on the spot, my eyes scouring the road behind us. Ren already had an arrow up and readied, reacting to my sudden movement.

    ¡°Hear or see something?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± I flexed my fingers. ¡°But if I were them, I¡¯d have a scout on the road.¡± Maybe it was paranoia or the dead lining our route, but something definitely felt off. My Illusion Magic sense was tingling, and I had hoped Ren would be able to pick up something that I couldn¡¯t. They wouldn''t let the route go unprotected and had a way of detecting the shapeshifter. The throbbing in my head started up again. "Something isn''t adding up."

    ¡°You''re¡­ right¡­¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure what. Wolf, can you smell anything?¡±

    ¡°Only death.¡± He sniffed the air again for extra measure, but shook his head.

    I blinked my eyes slowly and calmed my breathing. It couldn¡¯t be invisibility to last this long, and we weren¡¯t close enough to the woods on either side for someone to properly stalk us. Not without being detected. What would I do, as a magician? A little bit of trickery, naturally.

    My eyes went to the backs of the two crosses we had just passed. One was a good twenty feet away on the left, the other closer to sixty on the right. Slowly, I turned my head to the other two and raised a finger up to my lips. I had seen the deception now, hidden on the side you wouldn''t normally see. With weary and distracted eyes, I didn''t doubt that it would go unseen by most. I nodded toward the pair as I imagined a card. They nodded in return.

    From the inside of my jacket, a dove. Into the air I sent it off to the closer wooden beamed cross. Into my hand, I flipped my dagger. So tired. I turned to face away from the cross.

    As soon as the demonic dove flew up between the bottom of the structure, I hit <Demonic Transposition>. A blur of light and I had taken its place. I swung my dagger into the thigh of the body held in position.

    ¡°Ow, you fuck-¡°

    Only the body wasn¡¯t held in position, and wasn¡¯t dead. The man brought down his fist at me as I dropped to the ground, leaving the dagger in his wound. Some manner of horn dropped to the dirt, fumbled, as he went on the offensive. My card came up in my left hand and empowered, slicing through his fingers as they punched out at me. Took a lot of force from the hit but sprayed me with his blood. He went to move, and an arrow pierced through the thick beam and into the back of his leg.

    He growled in pain, now unable to move.

    ¡°Hello.¡± I smiled widely as my dove flew over and sat atop my hat. ¡°I have a few questions and seem to have lost my moral compass.¡±

    He was covered in fake grime and dried blood. Stage makeup to appear bruised and dead. A round and wrinkled face beneath the mask grimaced in pain. His leather cap barely held in a messy mop of hair. Although his eyes were an odd yellow color, which I assumed meant he wasn¡¯t human - the rest of him was otherwise as expected. Dirty clothes to fit in and not looked like part of the Crimson Shadow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll not tell you fuckin¡¯ shites anything!¡± He spat and growled, writhing against wounded legs that didn''t want to associate with him.

    ¡°You killed one of our friends. There are at least five things I can think of that would have you praying for us to kill you.¡± I ran my tongue across my teeth, trying to maintain composure. Letting off steam on the first bad guy to fall into our laps might feel good in the short term, but we had to remember not to lose sight of who we were.

    I raised an eyebrow to Ren, hoping she would play good cop and not just encourage me. A beautiful accomplice in crime almost sounded nicer than being heroic. Thankfully, she got the hint.

    ¡°I¡¯d listen to him. I was only able to stop him from killing Hadrian because he cooperated.¡±

    ¡°Lies,¡± the man continued to growl his admonishment. ¡°Hadrian hasn¡¯t been heard from in days.¡±

    Ren walked around in front of the cross and folded her arms across her chest. ¡°I told him to run, gave him some vials of blood to keep him safe as long as he stayed out of our way.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Wolf,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Come here, bud.¡± I waited for the bear to come up beside me. ¡°You said you were after some legs, right? You think you could take one without killing him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the bear said as he licked his lips. ¡°He might bleed out slowly, though. Or quickly. I''m no surgeon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in no hurry. We can find out together.¡± I tilted my head and stared at the scout impassively.

    ¡°Empty threats won¡¯t scare me, heroic fucks! Once Jokkar hears about this, he¡¯ll-¡°

    ¡°Please!¡± Ren begged, her eyes wide. ¡°He isn¡¯t bluffing. You don¡¯t know him like I do.¡±

    That almost got me to break character. Although, I wasn¡¯t sure how much of it was character now, and how much was the real me wanting to extract some pain on someone possibly partially responsible for the ache in my heart.

    ¡°Get fucked, elven whore!¡± He writhed and tried to move away from the arrow holding him loosely to the raised wooden structure.

    ¡°Wolf,¡± I gestured. Not just because he insulted Ren, of course. Partially, but not entirely.

    The bear moved up to him, sniffing at the grass first and lapping up the severed fingers to chew them down. He looked up at the scout with amber eyes. ¡°Appetizers, yum.¡± He licked his lips slowly.

    Ren shot me a glance. It wasn¡¯t to dissuade me from letting the bear have a snack, but I understood what she was getting at. Some grievous bodily harm would put any subsequent information extracted into question. I nodded back at her, but I couldn¡¯t call off the bear without looking weak.

    ¡°What about if we gave you some of the Lady¡¯s blood?¡± She grimaced. ¡°We just need some information and we¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    The man was wavering a little now that Wolf was sniffing around his lower leg. ¡°H-how many do you have?¡±

    ¡°Three,¡± I answered. ¡°But it¡¯d have to be good information for more than one.¡±

    He licked his lips, weighing up his options. As Wolf opened his mouth wide, the scout lifted his bloodied leg away gingerly.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Call the fuckin¡¯ bear off. What do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Wolf.¡± The bear sighed and sat down, disappointed. ¡°What¡¯s at the bridge? How many people? What do you plan to do after we let you go?¡±

    That was a little trick - to end with the phrase about letting him go, let that sit in his mind. All he had to do was get rid of the pesky prior questions. It worked way too easily on a man eager to scoot himself away from the looming jaws of our third.

    ¡°They¡¯ve built up a shanty town - more of a fort really. Maybe twenty odd there now. I suppose¡­ I¡¯ll run away and try to live a good life?¡± His desperate facial expression gave away how likely that was.

    A fort with more people than we had expected. I rubbed my chin in thought.

    Ren added her own questions. ¡°That¡¯s so helpful! I bet they have magical wards or protections too, right?¡±

    ¡°The main building has an anti-attack dome, and the road itself has traps.¡± He grinned nervously, now eager to squeeze his way out of this problem.

    I withdrew two bottles of blood into my hand, pretending they came from a pouch. ¡°Assuming you haven¡¯t lied, then that¡¯s enough for two, I suppose.¡±

    Greed illuminated his eyes. ¡°No lies, I promise! Jokkar even has weakness to elemental damage - but I don¡¯t know which. Maybe all?¡±

    ¡°Ah, eager for that third. Well¡­ I hate to disappoint, then.¡± I raised my hand up, and the bottle changed to a crossbow. Bolt to his neck. He convulsed, trying to clutch at it, but his motor functions were already failing. Leaning forward, he dropped from the cross onto the grass. Better than he deserved.

    ¡°A mercy, really,¡± Ren complained, giving his body a kick.

    ¡°Method to the madness, sorry.¡± I gave her a glum smile and withdrew a large linen sheet from my Inventory. Just because his tongue held no further use, it didn''t mean the rest of him couldn''t serve us still.

 61 - Opening Act

    It always amazed me how productive evil could be. When you cut corners and didn¡¯t care who you had to step on to steal materials or labor... anything was possible. The knowledge that the Crimson Shadow had managed to produce some manner of fortifications in however many short days was as impressive as it was tiring. Breaking things down didn¡¯t seem like the ¡®good guy¡¯ thing to do. They were trying to clog up the System and cause errors in the process of things, and it was up to us to destroy their foul machinations at any cost - in the hopes the System might notice and reward us.

    We switched to traveling off the side of the road. It was slower going, but we would hopefully avoid any potential traps. Ren was still a little sour at being called names, despite being the good cop. I was a little sour at not taking the man apart limb by limb, despite being the bad cop. Truth was, I let the sensible Max take the reins. Show to run and yada yada. Other than giving us the brief satisfaction of hurting someone who had hurt us, the man had a greater role he could play being intact. I could be cold, but to let sadism in was a short road into staring into the abyss.

    I told Wolf it was a one-time thing, but I don¡¯t think any of us truly believed it. The heavy sling at his side was a testament to how macabre things truly were. How I truly was. If we got through this day, then it just meant the cycle would repeat, surely. Bigger problems for our stronger hands and harder hearts. Perhaps I was giving this more noir overtones than it deserved, but as the dark clouds rolled overhead and brought gloom to the sight before us, I figured the set pieces were pretty on-point. Had to stick to the theme, naturally.

    Once again, I found myself shuffling over dirt and wild grass like a worm, attempting not to dirty my suit right before the opening act. It had already been bloodied by the scout, so seemed like a moot point. A small rise in the terrain would offer us a glimpse of what loomed ahead - even though the rough battlements were starting to show between the trees. Normally I tried not to peek out into the audience prior to a performance, but when they held something more dangerous than a poor review over your head, it paid to be well informed.

    Ren writhed along aside me - although further away than usual. Whether that was to try to conceal our rather overt costumes better, or she just wanted us to go into this with cooler minds¡­ I didn¡¯t know. Perhaps I should invest in a more covert outfit if we found ourselves the saboteurs on the regular. Put a purple handprint on our foreheads.

    The bridge came into view as we crept to the crest of the muddied embankment - or rather; it didn¡¯t. Hastily constructed, a ramshackle fort had been built up around it, obscuring the path across the river. The latter being much wider and faster flowing than I imagined - putting the more sensible option of crossing it elsewhere to bed. The System had designed a funnel, and the Shadows were now blocking it. We were up on the right-hand side, looking down at the construction at an angle.

    A barred gatehouse sat in front of the bridge itself. Perhaps they intended to ferry materials, or worse, across the border. There was a higher floor above it to look out over the road, with a roofed area open to the air that was empty aside from one small awning where two figures sat playing¡­ cards, I hoped. I still didn¡¯t have a full normal deck. Either side of the central gatehouse were two extensions with two or three floors each. Slim openings instead of windows, enough to fire arrows through. As we were peering over to the right of the structure, I couldn¡¯t see the entrance to the left side - but on the right there was an open doorway almost at the back of the building, nothing too easily breached. A grand structure, in some ways, even if it did look like a stiff breeze would collapse it.

    Three figures stood around the back opening, discussing something, while a wagon and several crates sat beside them. Not only did it not look like the most sturdy of buildings, but it was entirely made from wood - aside from the gatehouse bars. They couldn¡¯t be so blind as to not have something to protect against fire. Surely? The scout had mentioned a barrier or something, so any attack we attempted by range was likely to be thwarted. I imagined a dome held up by some spellcaster in a similar manner to the camp we had attacked. That left us one option. Well, actually, two...

    We slunk backwards out of sight again. Back to the waiting bear as he watched us patiently. Although they might not be on high alert due to their scout not reporting anything, it¡¯d be a big disadvantage to be spotted before the show had even started. Especially if there were almost two dozen Shadows in there - or more. We needed every upper hand we could grab hold of.

    ¡°Thoughts?¡± Ren whispered to me as the three of us gathered, sitting down amidst the darkening woods.

    ¡°We need to kill any spellcasters first, reduce their defenses.¡± I rubbed at my chin. ¡°My guess is they¡¯d be above the gatehouse.¡±

    Ren scowled at me. ¡°With the barrier up, I can¡¯t protect you. Not from range and not if you are indoors.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get bogged down in melee if we try to do it head on from the outset.¡± I understood her frustrations. My option put me out of reach, alone, to fend for myself. Foolish? Perhaps. Bullshit? Inevitable. "That''s why I need to take the spellcaster out before anything else."

    ¡°Fine. Assuming you don¡¯t throw your life away playing hero, you¡¯ll give us a signal when the barrier is down? I can then hit it with a flame arrow and Wolf can start mauling through the confusion?¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± I grinned.

    ¡°Sounds like bullshit,¡± she murmured in response.

    There was a calm that sunk over me. Normally there would be a brief moment of elation before stepping out on stage, the overwhelming brightness of the overhead lights and roar of the crowd sending adrenaline and dopamine flooding through my system. Nothing now. I didn¡¯t want to impress my audience. I wanted them dead and for me to be flourishing above their surprised corpses. Manifesting.

    I turned my gaze away from the pouting elf. ¡°You okay with that, Wolf? Ren will help you get into the building and then you have free rein.¡±

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    He nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t die, Max.¡±

    ¡°Ah." I stood up and stretched my back out. ¡°They didn¡¯t appear to have any horses, so I¡¯ll be practically invincible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to fist fight Jokkar either.¡± Ren stood and admonished me. ¡°If he is built like a tank, then trying your tricks will just get you turned into mincemeat.¡±

    Wolf licked his lips.

    I withdrew a crossbow into each hand and gave her a tired smile. Despite agreeing to keep things cool until the day was done, part of me still wanted to give a cliche goodbye. Hold or kiss her and tell her I''d be fine. That would be unfair to us both, not knowing truly what was in store. Her eyes were full of concern, and I could see things were going unsaid behind her eyes, too. I gave her a nod. We were both smart enough to read behind the lines.

    "Break a leg," I said, with a brief bow to them both.

    And then I vanished.

    An abrupt rush of air, and then I was atop the battlements. Crossbow triggers pulled toward the shocked faces of the Dazzled guards sitting under the awning as they were trying to catch a glance at the odd colored bird that was just there. The first one took the bolt straight through the neck. The second had a defensive skill that activated just in time and he moved, taking it to the shoulder. In panic, he stood to draw his weapon and went to lean on the chair to come toward me. Chair went straight into my Inventory, and he fell forward, now supported by nothing. Got a good view of my dagger - a little close-up magic that left him wide-eyed. Well, one of them, anyway.

    I withdrew it from his socket as he dropped to the floor. Scooped up the playing cards in to my stash to arrange later. They had a different back design, which was frustrating. There was a downward staircase behind me, nearer the back of the fort, which should lead to the floor above the taller gatehouse. I dismissed the dove and narrowed my eyes. Couldn¡¯t see the others out in the woods - which was good. They needn¡¯t get involved until the alarm was raised.

    Into my hand, the lit torch, which I dropped to the floor. No oil or accelerant, unfortunately, but the match was struck. Burning the place down from afar and then picking through the rubble had been a consideration - but if they had a mage or other way to put out the fire, then that would be a losing battle once more. The only option was to go all out. Get as close to the danger as our mortality would allow.

    Speaking of which¡­ I dropped an Imp+ card and was briefly shocked to see that instead of the pudgy ball demon, they were now a foot taller and in better shape. Still deep red skin, a little tuft of black hair between stubby black horns. Long tail with a barbed end, pitchfork in one hand. I gave him a brief bow and gestured toward the far side of the battlements. On my signal. He nodded and plodded over.

    Roger burst from the corpse of the one I had given an impromptu eye exam. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed it in seeing my finger to my lips. From my Inventory I withdrew his mace and handed it over. With a gesture, he followed as I walked over to the stairs. Murmured voices could be heard from below. The quick scuffle up here hadn''t alerted them, and I hoped a short burst of violence could silence those below just as easily. Shouldn''t wish too hard. I took a breath and powered up a card in my hand.

    We descended and came into a wide room dimly lit by a sparse number of wall-mounted lanterns. A handful of figures, two in robes by the far wall looking out the front of the fort - both seemed to be holding a spell each. Another leaned against the wall on the far left by a doorway where someone else was standing and relaying some information. Each of them in drab clothing with a crimson hand-print on their foreheads. The final figure, dressed in thick leathers, was right by the bottom of the stairs. He didn¡¯t seem to be too pleased with my unannounced presence.

    His brow furrowed in brief confusion. ¡°Intruder!¡± he yelled, pushing forward and slashing out at me with an ability.

    I backed against the wall of the stairs, Card Fan+ illuminating my vision as the shield of larger magical cards barely absorbed the blow. Any brief thanks to my foresight for upgrading that skill was interrupted as Roger leaped down the stairs and struck the man with his mace. The pair of them both crumpled to the floor in a mass of struggling limbs.

    The card I had fired off had gone astray during the interruption, and as one panicked male wizard went to move behind the two Shadows near the doorway, the other spellcaster stood in shock. A crimson gash across the side of her face. I flung a split card toward her as I dove over Roger and his opponent, landing into a roll across the wooden floor. The woman had recovered enough composure to bring up a shield to protect from my attack and they were deflected.

    I spun back up to my feet with a twirl of my cape, blocking the sword swung by the approaching fighter from the door as my spear appeared into my hands.

    ¡°You got some fuckin¡¯ balls trying this,¡± the man growled from behind a thick red beard.

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t even know.¡± I grinned, as purple electricity began sparking along my arms. The man stepped back, a skill empowering his weapon for the follow-up. Panic flashed across his face as his footing slipped - the floor by my feet now full of marbles.

    Dagger in hand, I went to step toward him, before my feet burst into ice, pinning me to the floor. I raised an eyebrow at the female spellcaster to the right. ¡°Really?¡±

    Either this meant that the male wizard was holding the protective enchantments up, or they had dropped them in favor of killing me. I couldn¡¯t take either assumed answer as fact.

    ¡°Brett, go raise the alarm,¡± the red-bearded man growled at the other combatant who was trying to get a gauge on me with a ranged weapon.

    I also couldn¡¯t allow that. Clapped my hands together to vanish the spear and instead I held a blood vial in each hand. Immediately caught of all their attention as there was no denying that I held what they coveted most. They could almost sense it, like hot meat to a grizzly bear. I started juggling them. All eyes on me. I held a small hessian bag out as the glass bottles flipped through the air and caught them with a slight clink. Threw it over toward the stairs.

    No eyes on me. Lots of Dazzle icons though. What a great crowd. The man closest to me stepped forward and bent over towards the small bag. It had been fun, but now it was time for a brief <Finale+>.

    As lights illuminated and crackled through the room, I rolled across the back of the hunched man. Poured all my remaining mana into a card in the process and flung it at the stunned wizard by the door. Straight into the middle of his head. As he dropped, I ran at the one meant to be raising the alarm, leaping from a conjured chair to come down on him with the black-bladed sword. With what meagre Strength the System told me I had, I slammed it down through his chest. Shocked that I found a place between ribs and into his internal organs, but not as much as he was.

    I turned to see the bloodied and broken Roger slam his mace into the head of the bearded man, the stun wearing off a second too late for the Shadow to react. His body convulsed as he dropped before my demon gave him a second strike to the back of the head, finishing him off. Behind him, the bloodied eye-sockets of the prior combatant gave away he had taken in his fill of the show. And Roger''s thumbs.

    With a thought, I unsummoned him from this plane, his energy evaporating just before a spear of magical energy pierced the puppet¡¯s skull.

    ¡°Rude.¡± I tutted and shook my head. A card of bright purple blazed in my hand as I glared at the woman. ¡°No interruptions during the show, please.¡±

    As the magical card turned a bright white, I gave the Imp+ the signal.

 62 - Consistency

    This section of my memories always gives me a headache. The smells, the sounds, the violence. Makes my brain feel clogged and smoky, desperate for fresh air. A prison of my own making, perhaps.

    I wiped my hands off as I walked back up the stairs into the open air. Briefly, I had looked through the bodies for equipment, but it was just a scan for the high rarity stuff. Stakes were too high to sit and deliberate over all the corpses I was about to make. If we survived, then the spoils would be ours, the second-best prize next to our lives at the top.

    My stomach felt uncomfortable, so I looked down. Some blood. I was unsure at how I got the cut across my side, but it was shallow and didn¡¯t really hurt¡ªI was already halfway through a bandage, in fact¡ªit just felt awkward. Still, just made a mess of my suit, as was apparently tradition now. The Imp+ was already readying a second fireball to throw down at the other side of the fort and I was just in time to see the arc of an arrow blazing with fire emerge from the woods and also strike that side of the building.

    Wolf burst from the woods toward the grouped figures now to my left. The sling that held the dead scout dropped from his side and rolled down the hill. Quite the distance, but I was a natural by now. With the flick of my wrist, the card was out, traveling the large distance before striking into the corpse. Roger emerged, grabbing at the lantern and sword I had left in there with the body. A moment to gauge where he was and then he was following the bear.

    Ren emerged from the treeline and fired an arrow out toward the Shadows shouting at the approaching bear. Entangling shot hitting them mere seconds just before Wolf would. Even from this distance, she was radiant and looked quite the part in our team uniform. I grinned to myself and looked at the lower floor of the next section of the fort. Imp+ vanished, so I summoned another and told him to repeat the same actions, still focused on that side. Disable the middle barriers, set the far side ablaze, fight through the closest side. Push the rats into the waiting maw of the bear.

    A small fire had started where I had left the torch on the floor. Nothing major, but the smell of charring wood was starting to become oppressive. Not a fan. A glance over my shoulder and most of it was coming from where the Imp+ had scorched many places, and dark smoke was now waving into the air. They must know something was awry by now. It was only a matter of time before the main stage was crowded by potential volunteers.

    I leaped from this building to the next, intending to join my Party somehow. A linen sheet into my hands like a parachute to try to soften the blow slightly as I hit the wooden roof of the side section and rolled. Brief pain, but nothing that I couldn¡¯t live through. I popped the cork of a Rejuvenation Potion. Tasted warm, and like cherries. Still disgusting, but at least there was a brief soothing-

    A large creak and groan drew my attention to my feet. It turned out that whoever had been the designated carpenter for this section of the fort had-

    The roof collapsed, and I dropped into the room below, amongst a clatter of split planks and broken furniture. Something had broken my fall, but pierced through my side as a show of its disdain. I winced, although the potion should slowly fix that up. A figure silhouetted against the dust cloud and scant daylight stepped into view.

    ¡°Jokkar?¡± I narrowed my eyes with a grimace.

    No, only his head was encased in metal plate, strange horns jutting in the air from where his ears would be. A dark metal flecked by a red paint job that looked like it was wearing off. The rest of him was pretty much stark naked, aside from a chain-mail loincloth covering his modesty. Lean but muscled, two chain-wrapped pipes ran from the back of his helmet into the handles of the two shark-toothed swords he held. Almost looked like-

    ¡°Nope,¡± he growled, the helmet muffing his voice. A burst of harsh noise accompanied the whirr of the jagged edges of his weapons as they spun around the main shape. Chainswords, my panicked brain helpfully finished the sentence.

    He stepped toward me, and I aimed a drawn crossbow. Metal-encased head snapped back as the bolt struck it but ricochet straight off. I pushed myself away, crawling backward across the debris as he recovered. The illusion of the fantasy world was partly shattered, before I considered he may have come from a post-apocalyptic world. The System wasn''t picky where it drew Players from, after all. Now it looked like I had run out of goons and had dropped right into some of the more proficient members of the gang. Chainswords, my inner monologue repeated, slightly higher pitched this time.

    The saw-wielding man went to leap at me and immediately stumbled, tripping on something with a curse. A clang of metal as hot coals were spread across the wooden floorboards towards me - the damage breaking the invisibility as my grill came into view.

    ¡°Wise-guy, huh?¡± He seethed. As he went to step forward again, a Hellhound+ burst out from the side wall and latched onto his bare leg.

    Purple electricity worked its way around my arms as I stood. The yelp of the hound as he was struck filling me with cold anger. I unsummoned him before the man could level a follow-up, the saw-blade instead chewing into the floor briefly, sending splinters into the air.

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to use my ultimate attack,¡± I seethed at him, my eyes aglow and three tomatoes in my hand.

    He turned to face me, cutting the first thrown fruit out of the air with his blade. I lobbed the second, which he didn¡¯t even bother to dodge, his overconfidence allowing it to burst across his toned torso.

    The third left my hand instead as a bottle. The [Witch''s Brew] from the coven, the dark liquid that felt too evil to consider drinking. If the System wasn¡¯t even keen on telling me the contents, then perhaps the latest attraction could assist me. A hands-on experiment seemed to be the best way to tick off that mystery at hopefully no danger to my own well-being.

    He went to block it too late, only realizing it was not a tomato halfway through the air. With a blur, he activated some manner of dodge, but it wasn¡¯t enough to fully avoid the projectile. The glass burst on his shoulder and the liquid splashed across his right arm. This seemed to displease him and he launched toward me.

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    A sword appeared into my hand. I blocked the initial swipe, but the toothed blade flung the weapon from my hand and bit through my upper arm. Card Fan+ went up for the follow-up, the cards shimmering and bursting almost immediately. Thankfully, the diverted thrust slid to the side and slammed into the wall instead. I dropped to the floor and sent a pair of cards up at him. He leaped backward with surprising agility, my attacks just drawing lines up his stomach and chest before vanishing.

    He paused slightly at the sight of his left arm where the potion had hit. His skin had swollen up and looked bulbous and discolored. Whether he was in any pain was hard to tell with his encased head, but dark smoke had begun billowing out of the horns, which I now saw as exhausts for his macabre living machinery.

    With the buzz of sparking metal, he clashed his blades together before lunging toward me. I threw up a blanket and rolled to the side - his swords bursting straight through the wall and carving a chunk our of the thin wood as he withdrew them. He hadn¡¯t seemed to notice the room wasn''t as strewn with loose debris as before. Just as I was considering some options for the final part of the act, the door at the end of the room swung open and a woman with bright red hair and a silver crossbow stepped in, leveling the weapon at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must bow out,¡± I said, purple energy crackling around me. The floor where I stood collapsed, my cards having weakened a circle of the wood during the fight. I dropped to a roll and ran for the opposite door, leaping to slide across a table and knocking paperwork all over the place. Behind me, I dropped all the planks of wood from the above room I had sucked into my Inventory. Not really enough to stop a man wielding two chainsaws, but it¡¯d waylay him a little and give me time to prepare the next attempt to wow.

    I slammed through the door and almost ran straight into one of Ren¡¯s arrows as she turned her bow toward me. Relief painted her face, and I felt a little more comforted, too. Wolf blew through one of the walls to my right, a warrior with a large shield being pushed along as he blocked the charge. Roger hobbled along in the broken body of a different goon, giving me a brief wave as he went to assist the bear.

    ¡°Two behind me,¡± I yelled and jerked a thumb backward. My eyes went upwards as rays of light bloomed through the wood floor. Above me, rather than behind, perhaps. I flung my body to the side just as the wood burst downwards, the heat of the attack warming me even through my clothes. Amongst the clattering debris, the chainsaw-man jumped down and started toward me.

    I groaned and struggled to push myself back up on my left arm. It was numb and didn¡¯t want to cooperate. I must have landed on it oddly. An arrow struck him in the good shoulder, and he stopped to look Ren¡¯s way with a growl. Small flames flickered out of his exhaust. Behind him, the cloaked woman with the silver weapon dropped down and aimed toward the elf, a volley of five bolts firing out in quick succession.

    The purple, swollen arm of my attacker had worsened by a large degree by now. It was a wonder he could even move that arm, and as he turned back to me and took a step, the agony was clear in his body language. Just as his weapons buzzed up with energy again, his infected arm burst. Like a water balloon, flesh and muscle spread across the surrounding area, leaving just a limp skeletal arm that relinquished hold of his weapon.

    He was stunned - as was I. The other woman had moved to where I couldn¡¯t see to chase down the rest of the Party. The metal head turned to observe his spent appendage. He couldn''t move it, and that weapon weighed heavily to the floor, holding him back. With the whirr of his good blade, he raised it to himself, chewing through the bone near his shoulder and then the tubing holding the weapon, allowing both useless arm and weapon to drop to the floor.

    I wasn¡¯t even sure what to think at that point. Despite how hardened to violence I had become, the act was coldly pragmatic and yet utterly horrifying in every way. My right hand raised, bloody, as I held a card of bright white. Straight for his neck.

    He blurred as an ability let him dodge the attack, the beam of my attack traveling straight through him ineffectively. He readied his good sword to pounce on me, and then I brought the card back, bursting out from where his heart was. With another step, he paused and then slowly tipped over, blood draining down his bare torso. I had to give it to the System - while I didn''t like the Stats side of things, where my cards used to struggle against tough skin, I could now burst through people with enough stacked damage.

    With my right hand I applied a quick bandage as I stood, and then I could use my left arm again. Needed to find the others to make sure they were okay. I picked up one of the chainswords he had severed from the tethering machinery. My brow furrowed at it as I turned the corner. There were crossbow bolts across the wall and blood on the floor. Holes through the structure where Wolf had just pushed through on a destructive path. The whole building was groaning and creaking now, thick with the smell of smoke and death. Warm, too. I rubbed the back of my neck. Roger would have smashed the lantern at the start of this side as intended.

    I paced through the destruction with clenched teeth and stopped at the circular hole to the next room.

    A figure lay on the floor. Ren¡¯s cloak. Blood had soaked through it where crossbow bolts had pierced. The elf¡¯s bow was lying on the floor nearby. The woman with red hair stood, leaning over the body with a smile on her face. It didn¡¯t seem like she had noticed me, and I paused, my eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Can¡¯t run from me, little rabbit.¡± She cooed, pushing the cloak from the figure¡¯s face.

    ¡°Surprise, motherfucker!¡± Roger beamed back up at her.

    Ren stepped into the room from the opposite doorway, throwing a dagger that burst into radiant light. It struck the surprised woman in the chest, and the elf followed up with several Zaps from her wrist-mounted wand holder, scoring small chunks of flesh and clothing to burst from her target. The woman dropped her weapon and toppled backward as Ren gave a twirl and a bow.

    ¡°Hope I didn¡¯t have you worried?¡± She grinned.

    There were no Dazzle icons over my head, but I was still very impressed. I returned the smile. She hadn¡¯t been wearing her cloak previously, so I knew something was off. The woman had only seen her as she fled from fighting the chainsword guy, so it was believable enough. I wondered if Ren could see the Dazzle icons she had inflicted on the woman. That would be a good confidence boost. As I went to ask her, I paused - something still felt off¡­

    I ducked just as a blade passed over my head. My elbow shot back, catching the assailant in the leg, and then they hopped back into the other room. My boots spun on the wood and I launched myself through, straight into a clutch of thrown daggers.

    Deflected two with the inert chainsword. One scratched across my head, almost catching my eye. One to the side and one to the thigh. Painful. Also possibly poisoned.

    The female figure darted away, her clothing a dark blur against the mixed browns of the ramshackle wooden building. She wanted me to chase, but that wasn¡¯t happening. My right hand had already cast the die, while my left bandaged me. A tune played in my head and I hummed along while I waited for the audio cue. I heard her yelp out in pain, and then there was a growl and the sound of gnashing. There we go.

    I shook the blood from my hand as Ren and Roger came over.

    ¡°You okay, Max?¡±

    ¡°Antidote, please.¡± My pained smile was enough to convince her to do so immediately.

    Against the warmth of the burning building, I strode off around the corner, downing the contents. Almost as gross as the regeneration one, this tasted like grass. The assassin was bloodied, limp from where my Hellhound+ and thrown card had struck her. Unable to run now, panic and sweat covered the part of her face that wasn''t masked.

    She attempted one final, last-ditch attack against me that I blocked with Card Fan+.

    ¡°This next trick is quite the classic...¡± I smiled coldly, purple light illuminating my eyes as I flooded my mana into the held weapon.

    After a small amount of hesitation, the saw blades spun up and screamed rapturous applause.

 63 - Smoke and Pressure

    I could almost taste the blood as the sounds vibrated through my skull. Even now, the first time I had¡­ it had always been something that could happen. The moment I stepped through the portal my fate had been decided. The death, the blood, the suffering I would both enact and overcome. Would I change any of it? No. Every step had brought me to where I was now.

    ¡°Excessive,¡± Ren noted, after a brief pause to take in what I had just enacted.

    ¡°The real tricky part is getting the two pieces back together again.¡± I dropped the gore-soaked weapon to the floor. Any longer and my arm muscles would have burst from the bone. I wasn''t meant to use a weapon like that. The single word from the elf repeated in my head, echoing around. There was some nuance to the whole thing that was more of an ironic joke that would be a lot less funny if I explained it to her. Not that this was currently very amusing. ¡°Sorry.¡± It was excessive, unlike me. But it was me, so I was apologetic. I felt cold, withdrawn.

    ¡°I know what you are and can do. These are no friends of ours.¡± Her bright eyes turned to me and her hand raised to fill me with radiant warmth, a needed heal that only felt uncomfortable at first due to her insinuation that I was a demon. Well, I was reading through a few lines there - perhaps a little self realization. "Just, don''t lose yourself."

    I nodded. The current atomosphere reminded me of Hell, or at least the new memories I held. It wasn''t very healthy for my mental state, I was able to admit that much to myself. Not a demon, but I had hung around them and did demon things. The situation sunk back into me as the anger cooled. ¡°Let¡¯s go find Wolf.¡±

    Roger had found a new home in the red-haired ranger, and I flung him his mace as we went back through the ruined rooms. It didn¡¯t take long to find the large bear a couple of rooms down, which must now be back up against the gatehouse wall, if I were to guess. The fort seemed bigger on the inside, but that might just be because all the rooms were similar in design, and oddly devoid of furniture or decor.

    Wolf had a number of arrows in his right shoulder and flank, and a gash that ran over his eye. His little bowler hat was also mostly cinders. Worse could be said for the remains of the warrior he was currently chewing on, the scraping and cracking of armor vibrating around the room. Another figure, a female spellcaster, lay dead slumped against the opposite wall - mostly disemboweled.

    Ren ran over and healed him as I tried to focus. My hands were sore already, I needed to pause and let my mana regenerate fully, otherwise I¡¯d be running on empty for the rest of the fight. I hovered over the option to fix my outfit. While I would no longer feel any embarrassment to be in my underwear, I doubted we had five minutes where I could get away with being so vulnerable. I wanted to look my best for the big piece at the end, but perhaps just crossing the finish line would be the better outcome.

    ¡°How you holding up?¡± Ren came over to me, concern across her brow.

    I''d freely admit the heat and smoke were getting to me, my senses numb to it. We were long past being fine. ¡°I feel like I am in Hell.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re smiling?¡± She raised an eyebrow.

    "It is close," Roger added from behind. "Hell stinks a lot fuckin'' worse, though."

    I hadn¡¯t even realized I had been smiling this whole time. Something that was potentially worrying. Maybe dissociation from the violence. ¡°Are my eyes purple?¡±

    ¡°A little, yeah. They get more intense when¡­ things are more intense.¡±

    ¡°Just in combat, right?¡± I narrowed my questioning gaze at her.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, dickbag. Now, what¡¯s our next move?¡±

    We had probably killed most people in this section of the fort, along with a good amount of those defending the gatehouse. All sections were on fire, and liable to collapse eventually. Being outside would be beneficial, but might put us in danger of the rest of the Shadows.

    ¡°How many have you three killed?¡± I asked, rubbing at my eye sockets. Briefly clocking that I, a humble magician, was currently going on a killing spree through a fantasy gang hideout. Humble magician, and demon hunter, apparently.

    ¡°These two, red-hair, three outside¡­ oh, there was one other. Seven?¡±

    ¡°Nine for me then.¡± I clucked my tongue. ¡°That shouldn''t leave too many, if the scout was well enough informed.¡±

    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not that it¡¯s a competition, but nine is impressive.¡±

    ¡°I had help from Roger and my demons, of course.¡± Plenty of luck and exploiting how brainless a lot of the gang was, too. ¡°Perhaps we can just go through the walls and into the other side? They¡¯ll be expecting us to use doorbs.¡±

    ¡°Doorbs?¡± She tilted her head.

    ¡°Doors. Sorry, this smoke is making me woozy.¡±

    She nodded, but looked concerned. Wolf dropped his current chew-toy and backed up, ready to go through the wall. Red light pulsed around him as he charged and blew through the wood into open space. He slid across cobblestone and waited for us.

    The middle of the gatehouse, caged bars blocking the road to the left and the bridge to our right. From beyond, the sound of the running river was almost calming. But only almost. It wasn¡¯t the most well-defended fort. If you reinforced a wagon, you could probably slam through the large metal gate by the process of shifting them from their wooden hinges - or however they were attached. If we were a little more selfish, Wolf could have just run us straight through and over the bridge and they¡¯d either have to chase us down or let us go.

    A thought that was cut short as the bear repeated the process and blasted a hole into the next building. The figure inside was trampled in surprise before Wolf crunched down onto their skull. With how powerful he was, I didn¡¯t doubt we could slowly take on a whole city of bad guys, just going room to room without them having the opportunity to do much. Not that I wanted to put that out into the world.

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    We entered in behind him. The smoke was thicker here, the heat more oppressive. Perhaps not the best idea to enter the more damaged side of the fort, probably the most damaged thanks to my Imp+. However, we did need to clear out all the Crimson Shadows, and had some manner of advantage in restricting range. Couldn''t leave any behind to poison the area once we had moved on past the river.

    The door on the right side burst open and a robed figure leaped out, a spell prepared in his hands. He took an arrow to the leg and immediately stumbled straight into the bear''s face. Wolf glared at the man and he recoiled just as my card slit across his throat. Chest crushed straight after by a massive paw. Roger stood behind us, fingers tapping on his mace as though he had something on his mind.

    ¡°See, does that count as mine or yours?¡± Wolf raised an eyebrow with a grin.

    I gave him a bow. ¡°All yours, my friend.¡±

    Ren nudged me as she walked past. ¡°Been looting?¡±

    ¡°Ah, not much. I figured we could circle back to it if we lived.¡± I scratched the back of my head and smiled. ¡°Picked up a couple of crossbows, just in case.¡±

    ¡°They work well with your Dexterity, and that you can swap through them quickly.¡± She nodded.

    ¡°I just have to remember to reload them.¡± In saying that, I hadn¡¯t so far today. Three loaded ones, the rest were spent. Prep work was important, but I had been rather distracted lately.

    I peered through the next room, card in hand. Everything had an amber hue to it, with the flames licking at the rooms above us. A few tables and chairs, but nothing¡ªor rather nobody¡ªuntoward in sight. Then again, invisibility was a thing. I threw a conjured plank of wood into the room. As it arced toward the floor a figure appeared as their crossbow bolt fired prematurely from down the end of the room by the next doorway.

    ¡°Shit!¡± the person hissed as the impaled plank cluttered to the floor.

    ¡°Mine!¡± Roger pushed past me and ran awkwardly after them, mace in his hand. I let my card vanish. Although I had a good sense for it, I was still partially likely to impale him in the back of the head with it, rather than the opponent.

    ¡°When we get out of here...¡± Ren removed her hat to wipe the sweat from her forehead. ¡°We need to design more comfortable outfits.¡±

    As much as I liked our ensemble, perhaps if this was going to be a full-time thing, we could make some adjustments. ¡°And Wolf could do with a little bowtie,¡± I added.

    The bear grunted and glowered at me. ¡°No, I don''t think so.¡± He shook his head as he tried to wipe his muzzle on his thick forearms. ¡°But some armor would be nice.¡±

    I grinned. We had started painting a picture of success already, even while things were still in progress. Ambitious? Maybe. We had cleared through the majority of the fort. The Crimson Shadow lay in ruins, save for wherever Jokkar was hiding. The building itself was being burned away. Even if we were to fail now, we had set them back by a huge margin in this starting area.

    But¡­ would there be any other Parties that would come along and do the same as we had? Eventually, perhaps. It was the nature of adventurers to rise up against evil, of course. By that time, the Lady may have achieved whatever mad plans she was trying to put in motion - and that could prove detrimental to any who stood opposed to her. We needed to find more information.

    After surviving the day, of course.

    Roger came back into the room, now in the body of the figure he had chased out into the next. Their masked head was dented inwards, but the purple ears that had burst from their skull probably didn¡¯t improve that situation.

    ¡°Today has been fun as fuck, boss. Super glad you didn''t die.¡± He stepped over and rubbed the viscera from his spiked mace across his clothing. ¡°Oh, I wanted to apologize.¡± He turned to Ren and gave her a bow. ¡°I treated you like shit before because I only recently realized you are an actual person.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Ren furrowed her brow. ¡°How did you not previously?¡±

    ¡°Just like¡­ the way that you are.¡± He waved his free hand up and down toward her. ¡°I just didn¡¯t believe something real could be like¡­ that. But now that boss-¡°

    I raised my hand. ¡°That is too many threads of discussion I do not want to get into, especially not in our current situation.¡± I gave an exasperated shrug toward the elf and she rolled her eyes in response. She had an arrow against her bow still. Things were tense, despite the moment of brief manic levity between the odd bunch that we were. Aching fingers flexed, ready to draw another card.

    My brow furrowed as a vibration shook through the wooden floor. Was the building starting to collapse already? We¡¯d need to get out as soon-

    The wall beside us exploded, showering us with splinters and wooden shards. A huge figure stepped into the room, easily ten feet tall and completely covered in thick plated armor painted bright red. Atop the helmet, a white hand-print decorated the forehead, blazing eyes peering out of darkened recesses. There would be no points for guessing who this could be.

    ¡°You dare question the Lady?¡±

    Immediately, he swung a large mace around, pure force surrounding it. Ren fired off her arrow, but I didn''t have time for a magic card. The next few seconds were a slideshow. He struck us all. My Card Fan+ hardly appeared before being immediately erased. The walls exploded. We were sent tumbling across the hard cobbled road. Light rain began pelting me. Refreshingly cool, almost a blessing compared to the hellish insides of the fort.

    I blinked slowly. Still alive, but in a lot of agony. The echos of a stunning attack faded from me as I pushed myself up. Turns out it wasn''t fun being on the receiving end of one of those. Broken ribs pained my breathing, slowly healing as I idly bandaged myself despite the disorientation. My eyes darted around the outside as realization brought panic to the forefront of my brain, chilling me further.

    Wolf off to my left. His breathing was heavy and tongue lolled out his mouth as he laid with eyes closed. Maybe just the effects of the stun, but I couldn''t see that kind of icon to be reassured. To my right, the corpse Roger had been in was empty. Killed in action. I couldn¡¯t bring him back for a while. It was either disperse him or raise my shield up.

    I craned my neck back to see Ren. She lay still, blood matting her blonde hair and running down her face. The slight breeze took her hat, and it rolled across the road toward the embankment. I couldn''t tell how injured she was, but either she hadn''t recovered from the stun or she was unconscious. Couldn''t be dead. Just... couldn''t. I wouldn''t allow it, not at this stage.

    Fear and anger filled my insides, burning for control. The pulse of purple electricity shuddered through me as energy arced around my body.

    Jokkar stepped out of the ruined building and onto the road. His plated boots ground against the stone as he struck a martial pose.

    ¡°Look at how easily those who stand against Her fall.¡± His booming voice filling the open space, the only other sounds to oppose being the light pattering of rain and the crackle of burning wood as the fort degraded in the background. He spun the cylindrical mace around in his hands. It was studded at the end. Pearl-like teeth. It had the slight mar of crimson across it. Ren¡¯s blood. Above his head was a new icon I hadn''t seen before. A question-mark of black upon light gray. I knew what it was by instinct. Ren''s new ability, making him more easily debuffed, and dazzled.

    A parting gift, setting up the main event so I could really shock and awe him. Even if she wasn''t awake to watch it, I couldn''t let her down now. I slowly rose to my feet, which seemed to amuse him.

    ¡°You dare stand? Stronger than you look. <Max Stun> usually puts most down for much longer.¡±

    The interlocking parts of the anger and power within me found their purpose. Pain and adrenaline flooded through me in waves as the crackling energy that pulsed around my body grew wilder and more intense.

    ¡°Max Stun?¡± I grinned, blood running from my mouth. ¡°Don''t mind if I do.¡±

 64 - Critical Reception

    The bigger they are, the harder they fell. That¡¯s what they say, anyway. The problem for me was that my ego had gotten pretty big. I was under no illusion that my time was coming, and indeed there had been some close calls. You would think I¡¯d be more humble after being nearly bested by gravity, or a horse, or even hubris. The trouble was, I had gotten away with it. Time healed all wounds, as if the System was keen on showing all the different types of injury I could amass yet still hold myself together in one piece.

    Jokkar chuckled, a deep rumbling thing that did little to improve my own mood. ¡°My stun usually makes it easy to smash people into paste. I¡¯ll have to kill you normally, before your friends wake up.¡±

    He was in thick plated armor, and even the joints look like they were padded with something difficult to pierce. Other than the shadowed circle areas where his eyes were, and thin vertical slits where his mouth would be, he was totally covered in metal. Not great for me. Yet, before I knew it, my feet were taking me toward him. Self preservation was out of the window. I wanted to keep his focus away from the others even at the cost of my own mortality. All eyes on me. I was the showman, after all.

    I slid across the cobbled road as his mace swung over my head, the gust of displaced air taking my hat off. A pair of cards scraped across his arm, but did very little. As he went for a backhand follow-up, I threw a conjured bag at him. A blue shield flared around him as he jumped back. The bag fell to the floor, and an onion rolled out from the opening. Testing the waters, seeing what he was made of.

    As his helmet turned back to me, my crossbow bolt was already in the air, denting the metal just to the side of his right eye. His arm went up and blocked the second. While he was distracted, I ran around him. He had strength, but his movement speed was terrible. I rolled past his leg and he shoved the end of his mace downward, cracking the stone road. Another card went out and scratched around the side of his helmet, doing little more than removing some of the paint to show brighter silver. The ground around him burst with a shockwave and I stumbled backward.

    He swung in a wide arc and I jumped atop a chair and into the air over it, my beloved furniture piece shattered in the process. As I dropped back down, a cloth went over me. I rolled forward as he swiped at it, catching the head of the spear that I used to prop up the fabric in lieu of it being my head. Dazzle icons were doubling up at an impressive rate, my tricks mostly for survival at this stage, but working all the same.

    His mace came around in another wild swing as his boot stomped toward me. <Card Fan+> took the brunt, the excess force still sending me tumbling to the floor. I turned over on my back and fired off the last primed crossbow. The surprise caught him off-guard, and the bolt found his eye. He growled out in pain and yanked the offending projectile from the socket. Crossbow away, I went to move back to my feet just as he raised up a glowing hand. There was a swell of power beneath me but I couldn''t escape it in time. A circular platform of the road burst upwards, taking me with it as it rose to meet his downward swinging mace. I had just used Card Fan+ so I-

    It collided with me, and for a brief moment, I felt dead. The warmth of the Healing Charm broke at the same time as most of my bones, and the worst of it snapped back into place right after. My body slunk from the raised stone onto the ground. Still exhausted from the trauma of it, my body struggled to function against the draw of having a peaceful nap.

    ¡°Nice try,¡± he growled at me as he looked down and saw the rope tied around one leg, now visible. I hadn''t the time to do anything more with it before the invisibility wore off. ¡°For taking my eye, you can watch me kill your Party first.¡±

    He turned away and started walking towards Ren, mace slung up onto his shoulder.

    ¡°No,¡± I seethed, pain wracking my body.

    His plated feet stopped, and he looked over his shoulder. ¡°So stubborn. Do you not know when you have lost?¡±

    ¡°It ends, when I say¡­ that the show is over.¡± I wavered as I stood to my feet. My eyes felt as though they were on fire. Beneath my cape my left hand worked through a Bandage. Just a few more seconds of inaction, please.

    ¡°Oh, a show is what you want?¡± He turned back to the prone elf and raised his mace into the air.

    A blur of a dark shape brushed in front of his helmet, and then I was in the air in front of him, switched with the hell-bird. From my hand, I threw a handful of nails into his face. As I hit the ground, pain flaring up my tired legs, I held out my hands and cast Arc+ from the Spell Scroll. Lightning pulsed from my hands, sharp yellow electricity arcing across from his body to the conductive nails and back to him again. He staggered back, clutching at his face and convulsing.

    ¡°Bastard, y-you¡¯ll pay for this.¡± He dropped his mace to the road and held his head as he absorbed the last of the magical damage. As he went to pick the weapon back up, it vanished into my Inventory.

    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s mine now.¡± I grinned from beside him, the glow of my purple eyes reflecting off of his armor.

    He turned and punched me, Card Fan+ causing me to slide across the rain-slick road, my back slamming up against the embankment. I coughed up a little blood as he ran toward me, anger blazing in his one good eye. I grinned and crossed my arms. A blanket suddenly hung over me as he launched his next punch, striking something that burst out bright red across the muddy embankment. I had left the can of red paint in the way as I dropped and rolled forward between his legs.

    As he tried to turn, he got caught on a couple of chairs that I had ejected from my Inventory to get in the way. Too heavy to fall over such small obstacles, he crushed his way through them. When he gained his footing, I was juggling three blood vials again. There was a tune playing in the back of my head. Pleasant. Complimentary. Soothing.

    ¡°That won¡¯t work on me, mewling shit. I get that stuff by the jug load.¡±

    ¡°Huh? No, this is just to distract you.¡±

    He glared to the side just too late as a fireball from my Imp+ struck him on the side of the head. The red paint cracked and flaked away from the armor as he winced away. From near the woods, the Imp+ was starting up a second attack already. There was no way he could go out there to kill the demon while still trying to kill me, I had thrown that card as far as I could while he was busy punching dirt.

    ¡°Tell me the Lady¡¯s plans and I won¡¯t kill you.¡± I spoke calmly, despite the energy pulsing through me. Vials away, my hands hung low.

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    ¡°You¡¯re not getting a word out of me, shitstain. She¡¯ll be sitting in the palace long before I¡¯m done torturing you. My regeneration will heal these wounds once I get more blood, no problem.¡±

    That was enough for me. Minimum threshold for everything reached.

    ¡°Any last words?¡± Any humor was gone from my face. I felt cold now, almost wanted to shiver. Needed to keep him busy. Blood ran from my nose. I wavered as I became lightheaded, eyes burning as if they might bleed too. It all needed to escape, I had pushed too hard. Sometimes you had to give the show your all, and then some.

    ¡°Fuck your tricks.¡±

    Amusing, in its own way. I probably couldn¡¯t have thought of anything more poignant if I was in the same situation, really. The cobbled road was littered with small indents of all the times during the fight where I had attempted to get this one specific card¡­ and as fresh blood ran from the rest of my suffered wounds, I wondered if it would be enough. Well, I wouldn''t have to worry for much longer if it wasn''t.

    He launched himself toward me, and from underneath my cape, I withdrew the card.

    Not purple, and not even white. Bright red, crackling with energy. The fabled critical card that the System promised me. Had taken a lot of attempts during the fight to get it, but as soon as it bloomed into my hand, I knew it. Could feel the difference immediately. It was beautiful, in a way, to my tired mind that was so bored with blood and flame. Something radiant yet hellish at the same time, perfect for my demonic side. Even time seemed to slow as I performed my final trick.

    One last calm breath and then the card was out, a trail of bright crimson illuminating the path as it cut through the air. Turned it vertically, then at a slight slant, even as blood dripped from both my hands. So much practice in using my cards, all for a moment like this. I exhaled as I made the last adjustment before¡­ oh, yes.

    <Finale+>

    Amongst the gloom and light rain of the battlefield, show light illuminated me. The sounds of applause and cheers overrode the burning fort, filling my ears with something so comforting and familiar despite this new world. Small fireworks blossomed with color into the air above me. Reds, greens and blue. I was almost sure some bouquets were thrown at my feet. A risk to let the card go uncontrolled as I cast the show-stopping spell. But now he couldn''t move. Frozen in place by the greatest and last performance he''d ever see.

    I threaded the needle. Despite all the odds and the risk taken by the man who never gambled, the card passed through one of the thin mouth-slits in the helmet. Red light briefly illuminated the insides of the metal before flesh and bone burst out of the eye-holes.

    Blood sprayed across me as his body stumbled to the ground, right before a second fireball hit him, warming me. The perfect execution, in more ways than one.

    "How''s that for ''Max Stun''... fucker?" I slurred as my tongue and brain hadn''t quite gotten back on the same page yet.

    As his life and Dazzle icons faded away, so too did the elated glow of appreciation. I popped the cork of the second Rejuvenation potion and stumbled over to the prone elf.

    Her eyes flickered open slowly as I kneeled beside her. With my bloodied hand, I pushed the hair from her face. ¡°Sorry,¡± I murmured, painting streaks of my own red across her cheek, ¡°that made it worse.¡±

    ¡°Max?¡± Her brow furrowed, and she struggled to push herself up. ¡°Shit! Ow. Think I dislocated my leg. You okay?¡± Panic flashed across her face as she tried to read me before looking at the dead-Jokkar situation behind me. ¡°You did it?¡±

    I handed her a Health Potion and sat beside her to prop her up. ¡°I guess. To all three questions.¡± I didn¡¯t feel the elation of success. Even the finale showering me with brief adoration hadn¡¯t brought me the dopamine it used to. The bear yawned and began to come to, as well.

    She took the potion with a grimace and grunted as her leg popped back into place with a loud click. Wolf got up to his feet shakily, noticed us and padded over, still light-headed and dazed.

    ¡°Sorry," he grunted, "I think I napped through the battle.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re good, bud.¡± Warmth flooded me as Ren healed me, before she cast a second one onto the bear.

    He sat beside us and we watched the fort aflame. A section collapsed, sending embers up into the sky. They faded as they cooled in the air, dropping again as soot and ash. The largest campfire I could imagine, I was enthralled.

    Ren leaned her head against me. ¡°You look like shit. Was it a tough fight?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± I lied. ¡°I¡¯ve fought tougher horses.¡±

    She exhaled through her nose. ¡°I suppose he wasn¡¯t the talkative type?¡±

    I looked over at the bear, who was just idly licking around his maw as he stared off at the burning building. He didn''t seem too much worse for wear, probably the toughest out of all of us. Despite how things turned out, I wasn''t sure whether I was the lucky one not taking the full stun length when these two did. It would have been the Oathwarden ability that kept me up, my shield only stopped damage. No use worrying about the what-ifs. Instead, I rested my aching head against the blonde hair of the elf.

    ¡°He might have just been posturing, but he mentioned something about the Lady taking the palace.¡± Lofty ideals - it seemed clear she wasn''t getting her levels the traditional way.

    ¡°There¡¯s a palace?¡± Ren sat up away from me. ¡°Oh, where¡¯s my hat?¡±

    I pointed over to a muddy area near the woods where it had gotten caught on a branch. ¡°Here.¡± From my aching hand, a Hellhound+ went out, and the large canine grabbed the hat softly between its mouth and brought it back. Ren gave the demonic dog a hug in thanks, and I let him hang about with us until his time was up.

    We took the time to heal up properly, but barely moved. There was something about the large building slowly burning away and collapsing in parts that captured our full attention. Possessed us, almost. The whole left side went down, having sustained the greatest amount of fire damage alongside Wolf and Jokkar breaking most of the lower floor structure. There wasn''t much to say, really. I was tired and had endured enough hardship for one day. It was nice just to see what we had accomplished. Somehow defeating greater odds, because why? We were stronger? Smarter? Luckier?

    Eventually, I sighed. ¡°We should head back to town.¡± It seemed obvious, but we had been sitting out in the light rain for a good twenty minutes. Rushing headlong into the next area in our state was just asking to get knocked into the river by a trap - or we¡¯d find there¡¯s another fort on the other side. Or worse.

    Some rest and relaxation allowed our enemy to get a couple of steps ahead, but better than us putting more feet in an early grave. Then we wouldn¡¯t be able to help or save anyone. Not that I felt like a hero at present.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed, as I helped her to her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Despite the journey along the road being arduous enough on the way to the fort, it was even worse on the return. Drab showings of the corpses on display were not facing toward us, but moving past the blank sides didn¡¯t make it feel any more like a victory parade.

    Even the rain picked up as the breeze pushed in our faces to harry our return. We hobbled and winced. I helped Ren walk some of the way, Wolf helped us both when we needed to stop and rest. It had taken a lot out of us. Even with all the healing we had, our bodies were just aching and sore. If the System had something hidden away that dealt with all the minor traumas, I¡¯d be spending half my gold on stocking up. Not injured, just worn down.

    Entering the town once more, it felt the same as usual. As if our actions hadn¡¯t even moved the needle. While it was nice to think there would be handshakes and celebrations for the adventurers who thwarted evil, the System-created didn¡¯t know and didn¡¯t care. We had fixed the area for future Players, maybe, but there was no fame and fortune granted to us for our self-imposed heroics.

    The barkeep didn¡¯t pay too much notice of how bloodied and beaten we looked. Gave us the key for our usual room. Nobody else in the tavern, save for the mindless patrons that Wolf nudged out of the way a little more forcefully than usual.

    Ascending the stairs felt like agony, and as Ren locked the door, I sunk to the floor, my back against the side of the bed.

    ¡°Flip for the first bath?¡± I asked, a tired smile across my face.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, go for it.¡±

    A coin in my hand, I flipped it in the air for her to call it.

    ¡°Heads.¡±

    Caught it, flipped it onto the back of my hand. I slid my hand back to reveal two coins, one heads and one tails.

    "Smooth, trickster." She smiled and shook her head in exasperation, before gesturing for me to follow her to the bathroom.

    After all, what good was being the best showman around, without an audience willing to suspend their disbelief?

 65 - Crowd goes Wild

    That was the beauty of it all, really. Struggle, resolve conflict, then rest and enjoy your life. Repeat. I wasn¡¯t too keen on the repeating part. That¡¯s what made us adventurers, though. Drawn to danger, wanting to overcome odds and carve a better world for everyone. It involved a lot of over the top violence sometimes¡ªassuming this isn''t just me going over the drab point in the future, then you read the part where I sawed a woman in half, right?¡ªbut our intentions were always good. The road to hell may be paved with such, but I had enough dealings with demons for that to feel like home.

    I groaned and rolled from the bed. Three days of bliss. Altogether too much and yet not nearly enough. Wiped my bleary eyes to see that Ren was not there. One day I¡¯d get used to her waking before me. She mentioned heading out for supplies the night before.

    There hadn¡¯t been as much to worry about in terms of imminent danger since breaking down the fort, so having her out with Wolf and me here alone wasn¡¯t a cause for concern. I switched to my magician outfit and adjusted my hat. Although, this was probably one of the few times I had been alone in the past three days. Being around the pair had become so normal that I couldn''t imagine how I used to live such a solitary existence before.

    I had spent a lot of time in bed, eating food, and generally just living for these few days. Cooked for Ren as promised. Got Wolf some padded armor - and a bow tie, as much as he grumbled about it. Made some slight adjustments to our outfits so that they were less tortuous to fight in. Checked the shops every day for anything new to add to my repertoire.

    Aside from avoiding anything that looked like a Quest, we had been enjoying the System experience as it was probably intended. Peaceful. Three days seemed like the perfect amount of time to fully recover from our injuries, both physically and emotionally. Any more than that, then we¡¯d run the risk of wanting to stay. Part of me did, despite the prickling knowledge that something untoward was happening a few steps ahead of us.

    We had learned that the continent was ruled over by a King and Queen, several areas away. My best guess was that the Lady wanted to become Queen and take over control of everything, if not the System itself. It seemed a big stretch, but given how easily she could convert people to her cause, I could see it happening. Just because she could make people despise the System and the proper experience of it, reject their place and humanity... it didn''t mean she had the power to control or change it. Least of all escape it.

    From the bedside table, I picked up my journal and flipped it into the air to vanish into my Inventory. Ren had watched me scrawl in it the night before. Her question had been why all my notes were so dire, and was I really that miserable? I had given her a non-answer that made her roll her eyes, but the truth was, this was my coping mechanism. Allowed me to scream into the void and vent out the trauma so that my brain was left with the good memories only. Sure, it painted our travels in a dimmer light than what we truly lived, but I hoped one day to look back and scoff at the notion things had been so bad. Thieves and bandits still sucked, though.

    With the first area soon to be a distant memory, I relented to checking my stats one last time. A brief record of what I had accomplished, without seeing any of the corpses and ruined scraps of my suit that had gotten me to this point.

    [Stats]

    Strength - 6

    Constitution - 7

    Agility - 6

    Dexterity - 20 (15 + 5)

    Intelligence - 29 (15 + 14)

    Wisdom - 6

    Luck - 12 (11 + 1)

    [Other]

    +10% Mana

    +20% Mana Regeneration

    +15% Magic Damage

    +5% Magic Damage per 5% Mana Spent

    +5% Magic Cast Speed

    I sighed and left the room. With my [Knife of the Trickster], that put my Int over double the base amount. Didn''t actually make me feel any smarter though, but at least my magic cards could do more than scratch tougher opponents. Was I powerful? Perhaps. Killing other Players seemed to come down to striking first and getting lucky most of the time. I''d save some of those musing for my diary. My legs took me down the stairs and into the main tavern.

    ¡°Hope you had a great evening, adventurer,¡± the barkeep greeted me.

    ¡°Was alright.¡± I waved him off. Didn¡¯t want to give him all the details, and I only responded because it seemed rude not to - even if he didn¡¯t actually listen or respond in kind.

    Outside, the sun was bright, and the day was warm. Pleasant. With my eyes closed, I could hear the ocean lapping at the beach. Something I¡¯d miss when we moved further inland. Maybe on better days we could return here, like a vacation. Relive some of our better moments, as few as they were.

    ¡°Morning, Max.¡±

    I opened my eyes to see the burly man with a handlebar mustache and a large axe over his shoulders addressing me. A Player.

    ¡°Morning, Sven. Off out Questing?¡± He had come to the island yesterday, the fifth new Player we had seen since recovering. It was like the System was healing.

    ¡°Yeah, some bullshit about getting lumber from trees. Easy experience though.¡±

    I nodded, and he went off. The other four had been equally as amiable. Bright eyed and bushy tailed after having survived the starter island under a lot less pressure than I had. After another deep breath, I went off towards the town center where the shops were. At least, I assumed the rest of my Party would be there - certainly would be handy to have a way for us to communicate when we weren¡¯t together. I wasn''t sure if there were any tricks I could do to help us there.

    Before I reached my destination, I stopped at the Town Board where the challenges were posted. There was now a fourth page that wasn''t part of the System messages. Something we had placed across the wooden planks . A warning about the Crimson Shadow, painting them as the danger and enemies that they were. We hadn¡¯t heard of any activity in this area during our rest, but it was better to be proactive. Early days, after all. The area was large. It wasn''t impossible for a few to have been missed and we could only hope that without the main recruiters, they would soon die out.

    Any fears of losing my Party members soon melted away as I turned to see Wolf sitting in the town center looking bored out of his skull. His padded armor resembled a waistcoat, which he didn¡¯t find as amusing as we did. Certainly made him look the part, though. His nose twitched in the air as he turned to me.

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    ¡°Morning Max.¡±

    ¡°Wolf.¡± I nodded. ¡°Today¡¯s the day.¡±

    ¡°Shame,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Getting used to lazing around and eating good food.¡±

    ¡°I hear that. World won¡¯t save itself though.¡± I grinned at him. ¡°Plus, the next area might have even better food.¡±

    He licked his lips in anticipation, and then his nose twitched.

    Someone stepped up behind me, and something metal pressed against my spine through my suit.

    ¡°What now?¡± A soft voice said.

    I smiled and vanished, appearing back up the road by the Town Board. My grin widened as the Hellhound+ jumped up at Ren in excitement, trying to lick at her face.

    ¡°Ah, Max!¡± she complained as she turned to me with her face wrinkled up. ¡°Bullshit that you foresaw that!¡±

    I walked back down to the square with my hands in my pockets. ¡°What?¡± I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°If I tell you how I knew, it¡¯ll ruin the mystique.¡±

    ¡°Ass.¡± She kneeled down and gave the hound pets. ¡°Did you tell him, Wolf?¡±

    The bear shook his head. ¡°No, never!¡±

    Perhaps if they knew how often I sent out a just-in-case demon, then it wouldn¡¯t sound so wild. You only had to hit once to make it seem like a miracle if they didn¡¯t see all the misses. Plus Wolf had the tell. He knew our smells and reacted when we got close enough by twitching his nose.

    Not that I was about to tell them either of those things. I had been teaching Ren some more magic in our downtime, but some secrets had to be kept. If only for my own ego at being the best showman in the System. Perhaps the next area would have enough Players to throw a proper performance¡­

    I smiled at the elf as she stood and returned a grin. Still no closer to getting a Dazzle icon over her. I often wondered what it would take... but then again, I was close to letting it slide. Personal growth? Sure, we could go with that.

    ¡°Look what I have.¡± She extended her arm to show a device of polished wood and leather that matched the gray-blue of her waistcoat. ¡°I took the prototype you made and had it constructed. One of the Players, Petra, has some crafting abilities.¡±

    It was beautiful, a lot more practically functional than what I had managed to cobble together. Plus, it wasn''t made out of parts of Hadrian. ¡°I am amazed. You just got the one?¡±

    She narrowed her eyes, but a sly grin went up at the side of her mouth. ¡°Hell no. I have one for the other arm that fits Scrolls better.¡± She showed me an equally well-made one, now appearing on her left arm.

    I wrinkled up my nose, feeling rather green.

    ¡°And if you¡¯re good¡­¡± She adjusted my jacket to make me look a little tidier. ¡°I got you a pair as well.¡±

    Three wands and three Scrolls at my beck and call. I might be able to swap them at will too. Not as powerful as a real mage, but the possibilities¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± Wolf grumbled. ¡°Otherwise, Max will spend all morning thinking of new ways to get us into trouble.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right - ready, Max?¡±

    I nodded, although my brain was still trying to process in the background. We¡¯d need to hit up the next area for better magic shops - if we can get new wands on the regular, then that would be a huge boost. Scrolls too, although-

    ¡°Here.¡± Ren tipped the table containing my thoughts as she handed me a Sweet Cake.

    ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± I smiled at her as we left the outskirts of the town. ¡°I thought we¡¯d get tired of eating these by now, but they¡¯re still just as good.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± She nodded, her mouth already full.

    Our comforted elation become somber silence the further along the western road we traveled. The giant warning crosses were toppled now. It had taken us a while, and it was perhaps disingenuous to say the first day of rest was just that. Bodies were buried best we were able to without being able to carry them too far.

    A graveyard of our own making, on our right-hand side. Small plots that grass would probably overtake it in no time. Flowers we had gathered and left. It all felt so¡­ disjointed from reality, yet still the right thing to do.

    We hadn¡¯t gone as far as the fort. Even with the partial recovery, it sat out like a sore thumb on the horizon as we approached. Most of it was a burned out and collapsed shell, hardly recognizable compared to its former shape. About the only good thing I could say about it was that it didn¡¯t look like it had been looted, nor anything recovered.

    ¡°Still stinks like charcoal.¡± Ren scowled at the surroundings.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Wolf grumbled.

    We picked our way across the debris, moving past the dead bodies and ruined furniture. I didn¡¯t much care to loot them, all things told. If it were possible, I wanted nothing to do with them anymore. Most of them didn''t even give the option to. Either left too long to spoil or the fire had ravaged them, just like those in the outpost. Even my memories brought a bad taste to my mouth of the fight from three days ago. So much blood and suffering, and for what? So someone on a power trip could rule over everything? It seemed too basic.

    Therein lied the reason why it was so evil, perhaps. Uncaring about the lives crushed or changed by her path. Still, all it would take was a crossbow bolt or two, and this thing could be over. I was too clever to fool myself into thinking it could be that easy, unfortunately.

    We stepped over the ruined gates, charred black in places from the fire. Wolf pushed them to the side, the large metal beams creaking from the movement, causing small chunks of wood to clatter from the decaying floors above. After he relented when we moved ahead, we found ourselves on the edge of the bridge.

    It was long. Several hundred feet, by my rough estimation. As we moved from the shadow of the broken fort, the daylight illuminated the river and everything seemed vibrant again. I¡¯d never seen such a large and fast flowing body of water before - it was mesmerizing. All the way to the north, it seemed to come down from a mountainous region, and off in the other direction, it eventually flowed out to the near endless sea.

    ¡°It¡¯s both beautiful, and humbling at the same time,¡± Ren said, her eyes wide as she was also enthralled with it.

    ¡°Makes me thirsty,¡± Wolf added, peering closer to the edge.

    ¡°The sooner we get across this, the better I¡¯ll feel.¡± I grimaced, and with a nod, we began walking.

    It wasn¡¯t so much that I had a phobia of water, but there was something about this that unsettled me. The intrusive thoughts wanted me to hop in and see how fast I could flow down, and find out what was at the end. Nothing healthy or helpful for our current task, I told my panicked brain.

    Thankfully, it listened, and while we remained on-guard... nothing terrible happened. We reached the other side and were officially in the second area of the continent.

    Ren narrowed her eyes at her Map. We had gone over it a few times already, but it was always worth triple checking to be sure. ¡°There¡¯s a small village just to the north. We should stop there and see what¡¯s going on. Maybe pick up a couple Quests?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Perfect.¡± In amongst the struggles against the Shadows, we still needed to focus on dancing to the System¡¯s tune in gaining new powers and keeping up. Usually adventurers would hit the second area at level ten, but I considered the fact we were punching above our weight. Wouldn¡¯t take us long to catch up.

    In fact, I almost allowed myself a chance to cheer up. The sun was shining, and I had some amazing company. I grew more proficient by the day, both in combat and magical ability. For the most part, we were on top of things. That was plenty to be content about. I even allowed myself to look forward to finding better equipment in the new area, where things would be scaled for higher levels. What heights I could reach if I just put that extra effort in?

    We rounded the curve of the road as it rose up a hill, to be greeted by a sign post dug into the ground. In the distance behind it were the shapes of cottages all gathered together amongst farming fields.

    Warning, it read, this area under control of the Crimson Shadows. Trespassers will be killed.

    Atop the signpost, lending some streaks of crimson to the notice, were three impaled heads.

    Any vibrancy to the area immediately dimmed, and the optimism froze in the pit of my stomach. I glanced between the others and they had the same drab expressions on their faces.

    My right hand clenched into a fist as we strode toward the village.

    I hadn''t considered an encore so soon, but the crowd wouldn''t be told no.

 66 - Dressed for the Part

    We had swept up the broken shards of the first area and only slightly bloodied our hands on the sharp edges. Tore out parts of ourselves so the rough edges could gel together. More surface area so we could be the perfect Party. Still early days, and things hadn¡¯t properly set before the sinister shadows started to cling to us and try to break us apart. It was a good thing we lived in the limelight to scour the darkness away.

    I adjusted my purple suit as I approached the village. Took the top hat down to smooth back my brown hair. It was getting unkempt, but I didn¡¯t quite trust my troupe to smarten me up just yet. Hat back on and I looked the part. Or at least, as good as it got. The dried hand-print of blood across my forehead was itchy, and I was keen to get that washed off as soon as possible.

    Hardly two steps into the second area of the continent and already the Crimson Shadow cast a dark shadow across our existence. I couldn¡¯t deny the name of the gang had some gravitas even if it was a little cliche. That said, if their leader¡ªthe Lady in Red¡ªwas indeed a blood mage or vampire, then it made even more sense.

    Did our Party need a name too? Perhaps I would float the idea with the other two when our tempers and imminent amount of violence were closer to base level. If there was one thing to rile us up, it was the sight of another area taken over by the Players that had fallen under the insidious banner of the ever avoidant woman.

    Now I was strolling up to the small village on my own. Fist clenched. Anger overrode any worry or trepidation about what could actually be lurking within. The signpost with three severed heads atop it was reasonably clear about what might be awaiting me. Still, if you knew the stakes, it was easier to tip the odds in your favor. Or so I told myself.

    The cobbled stone path led toward a group of small single-floor houses. White and dark brown, with thatched roofs. I could see System-created villagers standing around¡­ but there was something wrong. They were immobile, the closest ones looking dazed or spaced out. Frozen in place.

    In the middle of the huddle of buildings was an open space¡ªa circular staging area where a fountain sat. Broken wood and refuse had been piled in and around it, and it now flickered with a low flame. Around this campfire was a number of chairs and tables, figures sitting around and murmuring to each other. Players, I was sure of it.

    I didn¡¯t feel much like putting on an act, even as my show-smile spread across my face. It¡¯s what I did, though - a compulsion. Center of attention to dazzle and wow. Cold-blooded murder on occasion, but show-business could be pretty cut-throat. My magic card deck weighed heavily on my inside breast pocket. I no longer needed to physically paw at it to bring forth my summons, but knowing it was close-by was comforting. The rest of the scene was anything but.

    Now that I had passed the first few houses and groups of zombie-like System-created, it was unnerving. It was as if someone had flicked a switched and they became paused in time, doing whatever they were before the Shadows took over the village. Not even really breathing, but wavering slightly as if to mimic the process. It was no surprise that my movement drew the attention of the seated figures. That and my almost sparkling suit, no doubt.

    ¡°Oi,¡± a man shouted. Long beard and shaven head. Looked like he hadn¡¯t even heard of a bath and avoided the rain by instinct. Crimson hand-print on his forehead¡ªjust like the others. ¡°Who the fuck ordered a clown?¡± He grinned with more malice than humor.

    Three other figures turned and leered at me. Movements up to my left signaled they had a ranger on the nearest roof. I didn¡¯t turn to check¡ªeyes remained forward at the crowd. They needed a little finessing.

    A whistle came from the first to stand. Easily seven feet tall, the woman had short ruddy hair and a tongue that spent more time outside her mouth than in. Her muscled figure was bound in leather straps, most of them studded to an extent that seemed conventionally uncomfortable. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s kinda cute. Maybe I can keep him?¡±

    ¡°Boss said to kill all trespassing Players. No trophies¡­ or toys.¡± The third of them was a man with long black hair and a slim mustache. He seemed to be concentrating on a book sat upon his blue robes more than my presence.

    The fourth of them said nothing, but glared at me with yellow eyes. A crocodile-person. I was at somewhat of a loss at seeing the stocky figure in chain-mail, twin axes at his sides. Sure, I knew the System could bring all sorts of oddities through the portals, but¡­ hmm, focus on the act, Max.

    I continued to ignore the ranger on the roof. Their part had already been cast, I just had to start the show.

    ¡°You seem lost, little chicken. Can you not read?¡± The bald man stood up and took a couple of steps toward me. Still plenty of distance between us, but he was making a show of being the decision-maker. Mouth of the Party. His eyes narrowed in on the hand-print partially obscured by my hat. Seeds of doubt were sown. I just had to nourish them.

    A wry smile curled up at the side of my mouth. ¡°I see communication here has been as bad as she said.¡±

    He narrowed his eyes at me and shot a glance back at the woman. She shrugged, and he returned his ire in my direction. ¡°The fuck you on about?¡±

    ¡°The Lady said there hadn¡¯t been anything from Jokkar lately. Sent me to investigate.¡±

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    ¡°Bullshit,¡± he spat on the floor. There was a wavering in his eyes, close to buying the ruse, but not quite.

    The wizard spoke up, still focused on his book. ¡°It¡¯s true, Cran. Is it not? Jokkar hasn¡¯t sent missive through for a couple of days. He usually isn¡¯t so quiet.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± The man shrugged as if he was trying to shirk off the truth. ¡°Bastard is probably dicking around playing king in Fort Asshole.¡±

    My turn. ¡°That¡¯s why the Lady sent me. To see who is at¡­ fault.¡±

    They didn¡¯t like that word, and all but the crocodile winced. My silver tongue shone brightly in the daylight, and I twisted the nails further. A slight risk, as I was terrible at coming up with names on the spot. Sometimes these things just clicked into place, however.

    ¡°You may call me the Man in Purple.¡±

    The woman snorted. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard of you before. Where¡¯s your proof? You don¡¯t even have a party.¡± That was a good point for her side, and their disbelief wound up a little tighter. A shadow over the sproutings that were desperate for sunlight. Seemed as though the Lady required her converts to gather in groups of five.

    Faux confidence carried my impassive head tilt, as if their questions were so beneath me. ¡°I¡¯m her clean-up guy.¡± I grinned. ¡°For example, your defenses here are atrocious. I was able to walk right up near you and wasn¡¯t spotted, despite my garish garb.¡±

    Cran narrowed his eyes up at the ranger behind me, a scowl across his face for my valid point. Even if I wasn¡¯t who I purported to be, I was right. I continued before they had a chance to poke holes in my ruse.

    ¡°As you should all know, the Lady has a dim view on those that fail her. Perhaps this will be enough of a show of my position.¡± I rose a hand into the air, making sure to assure them it was empty.

    I clicked my fingers together.

    There was a brief zip in the air, and with a groan, their ranger collapsed. The body clattered down from the roof and then thudded against the ground. I raised a lazy eyebrow toward them. Their neck bleeding from two puncture wounds. The arrow that had done the deed was invisible as soon as I had glanced at it.

    I clapped my hands to draw their attention. The invisibility only lasted ten seconds so we¡¯d need to move on from the short trick. Internally, I smiled at the Dazzle icons over their heads. They had been tricked, after all. Each icon improving my damage toward them, I would need to build as many stacks as possible before the polite discourse ran out of steam.

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Cran waved his hand. ¡°You made your point. Fuck. Nex was a good ranger.¡±

    ¡°Clearly not.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°May I come closer to discuss, or do you need further proof?¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem too pleased about it, but he gestured me over. The woman looked as though she couldn¡¯t wait to throw me on the fire and cook me up, whereas the croc seemed fine with me being raw. The spellcaster was still more interested in that book. So... now I wanted it.

    I took my top hat off and put it atop one of the System-created villagers. Portly man with a vacant look toward the horizon. There was no reason for me to feel bad for them, as they weren¡¯t¡­ real in the same sense that Players were. Still, they looked close enough to be the real thing, and I was annoyed that this village had been ruined by the gang.

    A few steps closer, and I was within smelling distance of their leader. Somehow, it managed to overbear the burning wood of the fountain. I rolled out my shoulders and made a show of withdrawing my ledger and a quill. Slowly, so they didn¡¯t catch my other key ability¡ªbeing able to manipulate my Inventory items by whim. ¡°Let¡¯s start from the top, just so I have the full picture.¡± I raised my eyebrows at him as if I were asking his permission.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± He pulled a face, but with the ire of the Lady looming behind my words, he didn¡¯t have much of a choice. I also didn¡¯t have all day while certain plates were spinning.

    ¡°Was it just the five of you here?¡± I held the inked quill to the page in anticipation. The process was set now. It was easier for him to fall into the rut I had created.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He crossed his arms, which sent a cloud of odor my way. An offence I wasn¡¯t soon to forget. They should have used the fountain to bathe in rather than turn it into a pyre.

    ¡°Some of the System limitations aren¡¯t ideal, are they?¡± I mused, mostly just thinking out loud as I pretended to make notes. Parties were usually limited to five for some reason. We made do with three, at present, but it seemed pragmatic for those possibly weaker than us to have strength in numbers.

    The wizard turned another page. ¡°Yes, that is why the Lady intends to unclasp the clutches of the System and send us back to where we belong.¡±

    ¡°May that day draw ever closer.¡± I smiled at him, even though he didn¡¯t look my way, before I returned my gaze to Cran. This was somewhat newer information. We had heard that she was looking to take over the throne, but that might just be part of the greater plot. Returning to our real worlds didn¡¯t sound like the worst thing¡­ the way she was going about it was the issue.

    I wanted to press them more on the motivations and actual workings of the Crimson Shadow - why they felt the need to kill or recruit all Players in their path, or why they drank the Lady in Red¡¯s blood¡ªbut if I was the man I was pretending to be, then I should know already.

    Instead, I pulled a face. ¡°Last time you saw a group of unaffiliated Players?¡±

    Cran rubbed his chin. ¡°Nobody from the bridge since the Lady came over. The fort probably helped with that, although the place looked like a fuckin¡¯ death trap.¡±

    I nodded slowly and glanced over in the direction of the now-destroyed ramshackle defenses. Between the village itself, the surrounding hill, and the tree cover, they couldn¡¯t see down to the bridge. They must have been pretty stuck in place to have not made note of the fight where we had burned the fort to the ground.

    ¡°But there was a small group who poked their nose in two days ago. Not new to the area, but hoping we would abandon our duties.¡± The wizard turned another page. ¡°I assume you met the three of them on the way in?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Little else I could say to that, not without losing my temper. I had done well to remain calm, so close to these killers¡ªand their stench¡ªbut what show-face I had been able to keep was slowly waning. About time that we wrapped this up.

    I cleared my throat, coughing a little. It wasn¡¯t just the stench, but it was part of it. ¡°Ah, also, any complaints you¡¯d like to bring up to the Lady?¡±

    Cran opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head. ¡°No, sir.¡±

    She commanded an amount of fear and respect in them then.

    A thunderous noise came from one of the houses to our left.

    ¡°What was that?¡± He turned away just as, with a second heavy blast, the front of the cottage burst open. Dozens of shards of wood and broken plaster were sent across the village center. The dark shape of a large grizzly bear careened out of the wreckage, drawing all of their eyes. Not least because he sported a rather dapper waistcoat and bowler hat.

    ¡°That¡¯s my cue to leave,¡± I said with a wide grin, giving the wizard a wink as he looked back down to find his book missing.

    And with that, I vanished.

 67 - Overachiever

    On reflection, as I look back at the different passages of text within my diary¡­ or memoirs? I haven¡¯t decided on that. Everything has such a sour slant to it. I let the good days stay as memories, but allowed the bad times to paint these pages as if they were somehow more important. More painful, and more plentiful¡ªsure, but my heart wasn¡¯t driven by that. It kept them away from my day-to-day; I supposed. Left me to relish on what good times I truly had amidst the struggles.

    I reappeared under my hat, and I spun away from the inert System-created that had been wearing it. <Demonic Transposition> put the hell-bird I had hidden beneath the purple headwear where I had been standing by the Shadows, and immediately the bird flew into the face of the wizard. Distraction was a powerful tool, not just for a magician, but for anyone looking to keep their brain in their skull for as long as possible.

    The new main attraction on stage was Wolf, a grizzly bear who was a brawler beyond comparison. Even with his newly acquired padded waistcoat and bowler hat, there could be no denying he was a fearful sight to behold. Easily towering above any humanoid when on his back feet, the System had decided making him a Player with offensive and defensive abilities was a good idea¡ªturning a powerhouse into a walking whirlwind of destruction.

    More importantly, he was also my biggest fan.

    Less impressed were the Crimson Shadow members, now somewhat caught off-guard by the large creature blazing towards them, while I had taken a bow and was waiting in the wings. Not idle, however, as a purple card of magical energy blazed in my hand.

    The wizard cast a shield that flickered red, and my dove was suddenly immolated from touching it. As he jerked away from the resulting flash, my aim faltered. Swerving through the statuesque villagers, I missed the mark of his neck and instead struck him in the side of the face, slicing open his cheek and severing his tongue. I wasn¡¯t about to wait and find out if he could still cast spells, so I moved back through the small forest of passive System-created to get more cover.

    With a roar, the giantess had strode towards Wolf, her weapons blazing a deep orange as they went to clash. The crocodile-like man had slipped back and was trying to gain some positional advantage rather than face the large bear head-on.

    Cran turned to face me, anger painting his face deeper than the layer of filth he embodied. ¡°What manner of trick is this?¡± he growled as he moved to hunt me down, weapons moving into his hands.

    ¡°This is just the opening performance,¡± I said with a grin, moving further away through the villagers and toward one of the cottages. ¡°For me anyway. This is your final act.¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡± He jumped forward, stalking me as fury blazed through his eyes. Slashing through the inert System-created with his curved blades, their limp bodies falling to the floor as he killed them without care.

    Somewhat callous, even if they weren¡¯t ¡®real¡¯ in some sense. I was using them as human shields, of course, so I couldn¡¯t exactly take the high ground. The sight of it irked me though, and speaking of which¡­

    I clapped my hands together, and a cloud of thick fog suddenly enveloped the area around me. My [Wand of Fog Cloud] attached to the inside of my sleeve in the specially created holster activating at my command. A purple card left my hand and circled out, illuminating a trail through the dense gray shielding me from his intense search. The aim wasn¡¯t really to strike him, even if I had a pretty good idea where he was due to the angered grunting he persisted with.

    From my Inventory, a mace popped into the grip of my right hand. Judging based on memory, I lobbed it out into the fog. It did not clatter to the floor, which just made me grin wider. The sound of breaking wood from near the fire was accompanied by the sound of Wolf roaring. The large woman must be quite sturdy to still be holding up against him. Perhaps I should take a peek.

    My hands clapped together again and the fog instantly vanished. The ability canceled with a thought but I added the physical actions to make it more of a show. Cran immediately locked eyes with me from a dozen feet away, my magic card having misled him to where I was not. The true trick was when I had dropped my

    card, just as we had been obscured.

    The demon struck the man a split second after the fog cleared, the spiked mace crushing into his skull. Cran convulsed as he dropped to the floor and Roger struck him once again to make sure the deed was done. He turned to me as he did so, a wide smile on the body of the slain villager that he was possessing. The eyes replaced with pits of bright purple, while two similarly colored rabbit ears had burst from the top of the puppet''s skull.

    ¡°Hey, boss! This fucker didn¡¯t see me coming, huh? Dumbshit.¡±

    I gave him a nod, my focus more on the battlefield in its entirety at this point to engage with him in conversation. The wizard had a hand over his mouth, blood still seeping through his fingers, while his other hand was casting a buff on the tall woman. Keeping her in the fight¡ªif only barely.

    The crocodile person lay against a table, their vacant eyes staring up at the sky as three arrows protruded from their body. Shoulder, lungs, heart. My eyes went up to the top of one of the buildings to see her. My prot¨¦g¨¦ and the last to round out our trio. Three point five, if you counted Roger.

    The elf was dressed in a blue waistcoat over a white blouse. Her deep blue top hat was wider and shorter than mine, and hid her radiant blonde hair. Even at this distance, I could see the glare of her bright blue eyes scour the village center as she drew another arrow to her bow. While not as proficient in trickery as I was, she made up for it by being able to kill things from a distance, and healing me up when I eventually split my head open on something.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    It was worrying how common an occurrence that was.

    I empowered a card up and sent it out in an arc, controlling it through the air around the villagers still standing. Before it reached its target, I split it. One magic and one a demon summon. Blood ran down my hand, but I wasn¡¯t quite overexerting myself. Yet. The System didn¡¯t like me using

    this way, but a little bloodletting wouldn¡¯t dissuade me from persisting.

    The purple card struck the renewed magic shield of the wizard, the bright red flickering but not failing. His eyes turned toward me, to see where I was attacking from¡ªand that was my plan. The second card passed behind him as he turned, hitting the nearby table. A Hellhound+ burst out from a magic circle of hellish runes and leaped atop the robed man, crashing through his shield and gnashing at the extended casting arm.

    Wolf swiped and struck the woman, breaking whatever enchantment was keeping her up. A wide gash of crimson spread across her torso from his claws, and she stumbled backward. Her weapon blurred as she readied a counter, then an arrow pierced through her shoulder. Arm now weakened and falling limp, the giant bear crashed atop her and wrapped his jaws around her head. Crunch, like a watermelon.

    Mentally, I told the hound to keep the wizard alive. Walking over, I dusted off the dried blood from my head. Down to two vials of the Lady¡¯s blood, but we hadn¡¯t found another use for them aside from taunting the Crimson Shadow. Good thing they only had an effect when drunk, not just used as face paint. Otherwise that would have been a short-lived mistake.

    Ren dropped down from the house and walked over to join me while Wolf continued to chew through the corpse of the fallen woman. Her scowl was the default look her face usually held, but there was an additional hint of annoyance to it. I had become somewhat proficient in gauging her actual mood, but waited for the coming admonishment to be sure.

    ¡°You saved the only one unable to talk?¡± She stood and crossed her arms across her chest.

    I raised my eyebrow at the remnants of the gang holding the village hostage. ¡°In fairness, I haven¡¯t personally killed anyone.¡±

    She rolled her eyes, but knew I was right.

    Technically, anyway. Cran would have been the best to save for questioning, and I had summoned Roger to take care of him. Wizard was second best, and I had done a number on his mouth. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t too bad that we couldn¡¯t heal him?

    ¡°Hey, Boss?¡± Roger awkwardly stumbled his puppet body over to me. ¡°Glad you¡¯re still kickin¡¯ after the trouble in that deathtrap. I knew you¡¯d fuck up that metal shitcan.¡±

    ¡°Hardly broke a sweat,¡± I lied. Broke plenty of things in that fight and it was only luck and my persistent practice with my craft that got me the small opportunity to win.

    He handed over his weapon. ¡°You can have the mace back. It¡¯s fuckin¡¯ fun, but I¡¯m eager to expand my¡­ repertoire.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I nodded and furrowed my brow. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Let me have a think, yeah? Looks like you got the rest of these fucks already, so I¡¯ll go for now? Barbs promised me a foot massage and we both know where that kinda shit leads.¡± He turned toward Ren and gave the elf a half-wink with the awkwardly controlled body.

    ¡°Thanks¡­ Roger.¡± I gave him a brief bow and the purple energy blew away in an unfelt breeze, the inert body dropping back to the floor. Letting the breath out of my nose slowly, I allowed most of that conversation to sink out of my head.

    Turning back to the problem at hand, Ren also seemed eager for me to focus on the maimed man currently being pinned by the upgraded canine rather than address anything my demon had said. ¡°Good boy,¡± I gestured for him to drop the wizard, and he did so. He panted at me, his tongue lolling out from a blood-soaked mouth, before he trotted over to the elf for pets.

    I stepped over to the man. He wasn¡¯t in very good shape, and although I wasn¡¯t a fan of torture, I also had no mercy for those who killed other Players under the name of the Lady. The three heads decorating the warning sign outside the village were enough for me to condemn them to death¡­ but then again, that wasn¡¯t exactly the magician side of me making that decision.

    Two different versions of me had somehow wandered into the portal taking us to this world at the same time. The first, a workaholic magician tired of the grind but unable to stop craving the adoration and praise. The second, a Demon Hunter from a world where Hell was a literal thing. He was also a magician, which is where the System blended the two realities to make my current Class. We had become fully merged after I suffered a near-fatal blow from a¡­ well, best not dwell on those sorts of things.

    The point I was trying to get at was he was a lot more used to death and brought the callous attitude to the mix. While I certainly had a lot of¡­ care for those around me, I thought as my eyes drifted back to the elf, my enemies saw none of it. The wizard being no exception.

    Other than the split mouth and tongue, the Hellhound+ had shredded most of his right arm and some of his leg, his robes dark and soaked with blood. I crouched down beside him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about trying to cast a spell. You fate depends on how far your common sense can take you.¡± In truth, he might be able to get something out before I could react. He was somewhat outnumbered, however, and unless he planned on coring my head, I would probably survive whatever attempt he made¡ªespecially with Ren¡¯s Oathwarden abilities tuned to keeping me on my feet.

    ¡°Is it even worth saving him?¡± Ren stood behind me now, her arms still crossed. ¡°Does he have any answers that will be useful to us?¡±

    Internally, I grinned. I was ninety percent sure she had got the ball rolling on the good-cop, bad-cop act. Although, usually I preferred to be the bad cop, as it was endearing to see the Oathwarden have to play nice when it was so opposite to the constant scowl she gave the world. Most of the world.

    ¡°He looked like the smartest of the bunch. He probably would share information, right?¡± I raised my eyebrows toward him and gave the slightest of nods.

    He gurgled and stared at me with a pained expression across panicked eyes.

    ¡°See? Useless. Put a knife on him and let¡¯s get going.¡± Ren shuffled her feet in the dirt to sell the idea.

    I shrugged and removed my [Knife of the Trickster].

    Wolf came over, putting his gore covered muzzle close to the panicked wizard and sniffing at him with his nose. ¡°Can I have him if you¡¯re done?¡±

    In hearing the bear talk, the Shadow squirmed in shock, apparently at his limits of how wide-eyed and out of his element he could be. Wolf was smart for a bear, but other than being my new assistant-in-training, his desires were simple and mostly involved filling his stomach.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I pulled a face and wiggled the blade in my hand. ¡°If he isn¡¯t going to give any answers¡­¡±

    The man removed his shaking hands from his split mouth and tried to mime a shape with his fingers. Some manner of rectangle. He looked pale, like he was close to passing out from shock, if not blood loss.

    ¡°Hmm, the book?¡± I brought up my Inventory in the side of my vision. ¡°Answers are in the book?¡±

    He nodded eagerly, bloodied hands going back to cover his shorn mouth.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, giving Wolf the nod before grinning at the spellcaster. ¡°I suppose we don¡¯t need you then, huh?¡±

 68 - Cursed to Act

    Despite the System giving me a spellcaster-adjacent Class, I didn¡¯t care much for reading that often. Not to sound like a dullard¡ªbut I was much more passionate at engaging with learning through practice. Words just got in the way when I could dissemble a mystery by observing it. While most of the enemies we came across weren¡¯t the sharpest of tools, they did enjoy writing down important things. Currently, I am staring at this page as I write it, wondering if I appreciated the irony. Perhaps I did.

    Ren pulled out a chair from her Inventory and sat down on it. ¡°Anything good in the book?¡±

    I wrinkled my nose up, glancing between her briefly before looking back at the tome I had stolen from the spellcaster. Wolf was asleep, having had his fill of the corpses. ¡°You want the abridged version, or we have time for a tale?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already established you¡¯re a shitty story-teller,¡± she said, then gave me a glum smile. ¡°Just a summary, please. I left the wizard¡¯s remains for you to loot. Then I want to be far away from this place.¡±

    That was fair. I was somewhat numb to the smell of death and burning wood here, but it was still eerie with all the frozen-in-place villagers still standing around. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s both this chap¡¯s spell book and diary¡ªso most of it is useless¡­ but some of it paints a useful picture.¡±

    I stood, my chair vanishing into my Inventory, as I started to pace while holding the book open in my hands. ¡°They were originally two groups of adventurers that hung around just north of here. When the Lady came through, she offered them a way out of the System. He even wrote down her terms and all¡ªbut his diction has a remarkable drop off at what looks like the point after they took the blood.¡±

    Ren slowly nodded. ¡°So our thoughts on it possibly lowering Stats might hold water?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± That was why he was trying to intently stare at the pages. He probably had issue understanding his earlier work. I stopped and tilted my head at her. ¡°It¡¯s almost like a doomsday cult, from reading between the lines. Everyone can only be free if everyone is on the same page.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it¡¯s a ¡®join us or we¡¯ll kill you¡¯ kind of deal?¡± The elf rolled her eyes and sighed.

    It was pretty basic on the surface of it. Have an in-group and an out-group and pit them against each other. I snapped the book shut. ¡°This is mostly only gathering speed due to her blood¡ªonce she has persuaded them to join, it brings out their hatred for the System and their inability to abide by living within it.¡± Even if joining up was their own choice at the outset, I wondered if they had the option of changing their minds once they had drunk down the red stuff.

    ¡°Plus, we don¡¯t exactly know her abilities,¡± Ren agreed, ¡°there could be even more going on there.¡±

    I put the book into my Inventory and brought up the Map. There could be no way¡ªeven if the Lady had broken abilities¡ªthat she could have gone across the whole area already, or even twisted everyone present here to do her bidding. Unless she could infect the System itself¡­ but then maybe that was her end goal after dethroning the current occupants of the palace.

    ¡°Hey, trickster?¡± The elf brought me out of my thoughts. ¡°Do you think it is ironic that while she is erasing people¡¯s ability to suspend their disbelief, you are defeating them by tricking them?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head impassively. ¡°I usually defeat them with demons or cutting their throats open.¡±

    She narrowed her glare to try to gauge if I was intentionally being dense. I was.

    ¡°Let me loot this unfortunate disbeliever then, and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± While the grin I shot her was genuine, my joy in having to interface with looting something was not. Despite my aptitude for filling my Inventory with junk for potential tricks, the rest of what the System wanted from me I felt was beyond the pale.

    Something I was soon to change my tune on, I could feel, as I opened up the window to see what he had.

    [3452 Gold]

    [Health Potion (8)]

    [Smart Bindings] [+3 Int, +1 Wis]

    [Smart Leggings] [+3 Int, +1 Wis]

    [Shoulders of the Trickster] [+3 Int, +2 Dex]

    [Arcane Ring] [+15% Mana, +5% Magic Damage]

    ¡°Alright, you can both be witness¡­¡± I stood and saw that Wolf was still sleeping. ¡°Well, one of you can be a witness to my character growth. I now enjoy the looting process.¡± It wasn''t lost on me that the best Stat distribution for my Class seemed to be items of the trickster.

    Ren blinked, but her expression otherwise remained unchanged.

    A hard sell, perhaps. Internally I rolled my eyes that it was easier to convince these hardened murders that I was an assassin called ¡®Man in Purple¡¯ for the Lady in Red, than me to have suddenly become an avid loot goblin. That¡¯s what they called that sort of thing, I was sure.

    ¡°What did he have on him?¡± she asked, clearly seeing through my announcement to the core reason behind the change of heart.

    ¡°Mostly Intelligence equipment, but the Stat bonuses are higher than the first area.¡± I grinned. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m more contented that killing other spellcasters seems to be the most efficient way of increasing my own power.¡±

    Ren stood and put her chair away in her Inventory¡ªa slower process than what I was capable of¡ªbefore turning back to me. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but you need to be careful about how you approach that line of thinking.¡±

    I gave her a bow. ¡°Of course. Crimson Shadow only, and only if we are already intending on combating them.¡± Or if I could find a good reason to fight them, or if they¡¯d be easy pickings... maybe she was right.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    She went over to wake Wolf up. While they both had the outfits to match whatever mania I had dragged them both into, we still hadn¡¯t gotten a proper show organized. For me, it was easy to weave in the performance as my combat skills had been flavored to my previous profession by the System. Magic and trickery was my bread and butter. For the other two, it was something they¡¯d need to grow into.

    Ren was an Oathwarden¡ªsome mix between Ranger and Paladin. Although she was vague on the details, her main Class function was to assist and keep alive those she had sworn an oath to. At some point this had become me, although any attempt to dig through my memories and remember when or how was just blinded by her radiant hair and piercing blue eyes.

    Wolf was¡­ well, gullible wasn¡¯t a fair label to put on him. He had emotional intelligence and some smarts about him. He didn¡¯t care much for most of the System, but was content enough with the life he now had. While he had agreed to kill and protect us in return for eating his fill at the start, it was hard to not see him as the backbone of the team. He saw us as family now and had more than earned his place by being an unequaled mass of strength and damage absorption.

    They were both happy enough to play their roles as the System had doled them out. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to expect them to do the sort of things I was capable, or approach a problem with the thought processes that I did. But likewise, I couldn¡¯t do the things that they could. The fact that they had agreed to be part of my big charade was a show of their strength of trust in me, more so than my capabilities as a leader.

    ¡°Everything fine, Max?¡± Ren came up to me and pressed her hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± My brain halted before it could say fine. ¡°I¡¯m apprehensive about what this area will bring.¡± The truth was hard to get out of me sometimes, and I had needed to be humbled before I stopped putting on such a good front when I was crumbling within.

    ¡°Same.¡± She looked back at the flickering fire. ¡°Sometimes it feels like we stumbled into some kind of apocalypse, and we¡¯re the only sane ones.¡± With an eyebrow raised, she looked back up at me. ¡°For certain definitions of ¡®sane¡¯.¡±

    [Quest: Save the Villagers]

    ¡°Huh?¡± I could see her eyes unfocused and we had both received the same message. ¡°So it wasn¡¯t the Crimson Shadow that did this?¡±

    We turned and looked at the small forest of statuesque figures. Perhaps it had been, and now the System wanted us to fix things back to normal. Was it able to make procedural Quests like that? We had only completed a relative handful after the starter island, mostly settling for the challenging town board ones, or simple pop-up tasks like this one.

    ¡°You think it¡¯s worth our time?¡± I asked them both.

    ¡°Is the reward more meat?¡± Wolf huffed, looking like he would prefer to be napping still.

    Ren tilted her head and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s experience, and we¡¯re already here. No meat, though, Wolf. Haven¡¯t you eaten enough?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, and returned a glum expression.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done, then.¡± I nodded my agreements. It would be nice to leave the village in a better place than how we found it. Not only to correct the trouble the Crimson Shadows had caused, but also for the newer Players¡ªit¡¯d be nice for them to come to find a normal world when they eventually got here.

    ¡°Initial thoughts?¡± Ren asked, crossing her arms.

    I took off my top hat and rubbed my forehead with the back of my forearm. ¡°Magic, probably, for it to be this persistent. Close by, like an aura given off by either an artefact or a person hiding.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°And what do you think, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t in the house I destroyed.¡± His amber eyes looked back at the wreckage off to the side. ¡°Can¡¯t smell anything else over the smoke and death.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s becoming standard fare for us, huh?¡± I grimaced and eyed up the remaining buildings. Even if the spell was local area only, it could be just outside of the village in the sparse trees and hills. As much as we needed the experience to catch up to level ten, I didn¡¯t fancy rooting around in the undergrowth when we weren¡¯t certain of how hostile the area was.

    I rubbed my chin. ¡°Usually I¡¯d suggest splitting up, but that might not be a great idea at present.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Ren nodded as she began to walk off. ¡°You¡¯re likely to find something to crack your skull open on, otherwise.¡±

    As she turned away, I caught the slip of a smile at the corner of her mouth. A rarity, and always a delight. Slightly more common these days, where we were¡­ oh, were we dating? It had all been so casual and natural that it hadn¡¯t occurred to me there might be a more official label for our close companionship. Not that I had anyone else to tell that I may have a sort-of-princess elven girlfriend. Ah, even thinking about it just made me cringe. Probably better I table that train of thought for-

    ¡°You think it¡¯s in that building, Max?¡± The bear nudged into me. ¡°You are staring at it.¡±

    ¡°Call it a hunch,¡± I said as I quickly rolled with the play, ¡°but that¡¯s where I¡¯d like to start.¡±

    Ren stopped and turned from where she was headed to look at the cottage that had been the focal point of my absent mind. ¡°Want to make a bet on who can pick the right house?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a gambling man,¡± I lied, knowing full well how often I put simple things such as my life at risk on the regular. ¡°Plus, you already owe me a something, if you recall.¡±

    Her mouth opened and closed a few times as the memories came to the forefront. ¡°You ass, trickster.¡± She sighed. ¡°Double or nothing?¡±

    ¡°On one condition.¡± I raised up a single finger. ¡°I get to change my first choice.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes, but shrugged. Wolf just looked confused as to why I¡¯d change my mind after staring at the other cottage for so long. That¡¯d stay my little secret¡ªprobably even from myself if I could help it.

    Turning around to glance at the small alcove filled with stout cottages, I tried to imagine which would be the most cliche place the System might have stuck the offending item or person. My knowledge of the tropes was pretty thin, but if I viewed it as a show, then I considered where I may put it for the reveal with the most flair. And then I¡¯d dial it down a couple of notches, because the System was not as sharp as me.

    I felt that I would probably live to regret that inner monologue.

    There was no well in sight, or cottage that looked like it might belong to a morally ambiguous¡ªyet still mustache-twirling¡ªspellcaster. I settled for the next best thing, and leveled my finger at what might be the village hall, on account of it being slightly bigger than the other buildings. The sign saying ¡®Hall¡¯ out the front helped with my deduction, too.

    ¡°A bit cliche,¡± Ren smirked, ¡°but we¡¯ll see, I suppose. After, I¡¯m saying it¡¯s that house.¡± She pointed toward one of the cottages. The only defining point that made it differ to the others was that it had more flowers out front. A suspicious amount of flowers, almost.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes at it. She returned the same expression, and I stared at her blazing blue eyes.

    Wolf cleared his throat. ¡°I pick the one over¡­¡± he turned and raised a paw to what looked like either a bakery or butcher. ¡°There.¡±

    I smiled and gave him a nod, before leading them towards the Hall. As to what favors I would ply from them, should I win¡­ well, once we found a safe haven, I had a few tricks in mind that I would like us to learn as a team. I hadn¡¯t pushed them in the aftermath of the fort battle¡ªI hardly cared to perform magic in those almost three days of rest. Now, though, back where the stakes mattered¡­

    It was time to become greater, truly reach for the pinnacle of what we were capable of.

    My grin furthered as I put my hand on my magic card deck in my breast pocket. I had a good feeling about this area.

 69 - What Lies Beneath

    I don¡¯t often write in here before going into battle, as many of our conflicts were ambushes or unexpected. The ones that weren¡¯t were usually too stressful to think of anything but the looming battles. Tomorrow will be¡­ tough. I will do what I can for all of us. Nothing more could be asked. If you are reading this diary and this is the last entry, well¡­ I¡¯m sure you can read between the lines. I left enough space.

    I pushed the door of the hall open with a small amount of flair, hoping the reveal would have the cursed artefact or whatever to appear before us and I¡¯d have the win instantly. As my luck would have it, that didn¡¯t occur.

    Instead, we were greeted by a softly lit large room. Tables and chairs were stacked in these closer corners, while a few short benches sat in rows near the front facing a slightly raised stage. I shivered, salivating slightly. A small venue¡ªnice and comfortable for the comeback tour. A side door that we could put a curtained area across, bring through all the props from the back rooms. Maybe get some extra lanterns up across these awnings and-

    ¡°Max?¡± Ren pushed me into the actual building a bit more. ¡°I swear to whatever gods the System has, if you¡¯re just standing there imagining putting on a show here then-¡±

    ¡°Just checking for traps,¡± I said with a certainly convincing smile. She saw right through it, naturally.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to terms with the fact that we¡¯ll have to do a show at some point.¡± She sighed, crossing her arms as she looked around the hall. ¡°That¡¯s just part of being with¡­ of being in a Party with you. Hence the costumes.¡± Her blue eyes glared at me as if daring me to make a point about anything she had said.

    I had mostly tuned out everything after she had insinuated we were together. Perhaps a rather empty-headed and immature response, but for someone who had been starved of any sort of close relationship in my adult life, I was savoring every second of it. It made for a nice contrast to the cold-blooded murder and threats on our lives.

    ¡°What do you think, Wolf?¡± I turned to the bear, who had stuck his head through the door, but had not committed to breaking the frame off with his wide shoulders to follow us in.

    ¡°A larger venue would suit me better.¡±

    I grinned widely. A remarkably on-point observation and agreement, as if it was directly targeted for my ears. Maybe he had said something else, and I''d imagined what I wanted to hear.

    He wrinkled up his nose and sniffed the air. ¡°Do you usually eat the audience after a show?¡±

    There it was. I deflated and shook my head as Ren started to walk around the room. It was unlikely for what we sought to just be atop the stage or the center of a room. If I wanted to hide something cursed, it¡¯d either be in the back room, or perhaps underneath the building with a trapdoor blocking our progress.

    I circled the other side of the room. ¡°Keep an eye out on the village for us, Wolf? Just in case our battle attracted some vultures.¡± He gave me a nod and turned around, placing his large rump in the doorway instead. As I passed the left side of the room, I vacuumed up a handful of chairs. Could never have too many. Well, that was a lie, but a few spares at the back of my Inventory wouldn¡¯t hurt.

    My eyes fell to Ren as she reached the end of the room and stepped up onto the stage. She took a few steps, looking around the floor and walls for anything that looked untoward, before she caught me watching her.

    She crossed her arms and glared at me. ¡°Quit gawking and let¡¯s get this Quest over with.¡± Her eyes went over to the distracted bear, before back to me. She did a little twirl on the stage and flourished her hands.

    If it were possible to receive my own Dazzle icons, I''d be overflowing with them. Maybe I was hallucinating. I didn¡¯t think I could be any further enamored. With Ren, sure, but with the idea of putting on a show¡ªthere was brimming passion for the great performance that was slowly blooming.

    ¡°This never happened.¡± She reset into a more relaxed expression and stepped down from the stage. ¡°Now move your ass, trickster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll check the back room.¡± My face muscles ached from smiling. How easily the bloodied death from the past hour had just washed away to be replaced by the fantasy of showmanship. The hard part was actually finding an audience. The System-created wouldn¡¯t really get the nuance of it, and Players were either the Crimson Shadow or beneath their boots.

    I hummed to myself as I walked to the end of the room and pressed a hand against the door. It¡¯s not like I had any special sense that I could determine if something was awry just beyond it, but I had once seen a magician set themselves alight. Prop malfunction has caused a fire, and as they opened the¡­ box or room, it was unclear in my mind¡­ the added oxygen caused the flames to flare out. Some outfits were pretty flammable, too. I shuddered and gripped the handle.

    Twisted and opened it up into darkness. I furrowed my brow at the furnishings inside, before a lantern came out of my Inventory and into my hand. Surprisingly, it was mostly barren. A few empty shelves and cupboards that looked as if they had been stripped of all contents. Odd, and rather unrewarding. Down on the floor was a trapdoor.

    ¡°There¡¯s a trapdoor,¡± I announced.

    Ren appeared at the doorway behind me as I stepped toward it. ¡°If you fall down the ladder and crack your head open, I am leaving you here.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± I turned my head to raise an eyebrow at her. She tried to maintain her glare¡ªbut I could see the cracks, just at the edges of her eyes. Looking back at the simple square in the floorboards with a small metal ring inset, I ran my tongue across my teeth. ¡°You never know, I might knock a third soul awake within me.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully that one will be good at¡­¡± the rest of her sentence drifted off.

    ¡°Good at what, Ren?¡± I gripped at the ring and put the lantern down on the floor. ¡°Good at what?¡±

    ¡°Landing on their feet?¡±

    That sounded like something made up on the spot. I wasn¡¯t sure whether to take it as a compliment as she realized that I was pretty well rounded, as far as people were here, or be suspicious that there was something she wanted me to improve on but wasn¡¯t able to vocalize.

    I lifted the hatch and cool air wafted over me, alongside the smell of¡­ something strange? Like damp, but with a hint of something acidic to it. ¡°I sense danger, or perhaps a larder that has spoiled.¡±

    Reaching atop my head, I brought my hat down and placed it at the side of the opening. Hand inside, I brought out a dove and had him perch on the brim. After giving it a little pat, I turned to the concerned-looking elf.

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    ¡°If it¡¯s bad, I¡¯ll teleport back up here, okay? You stay there and keep eyes on Wolf. Maintain a chain of visuals.¡± Wolf, Ren, bird, me. She nodded at me and calmed. I wasn¡¯t naturally a group leader, but she always appreciated it when I took this sort of thing into consideration. We met halfway with our personalities and ideals, and Wolf was just happy to scrap and eat our enemies.

    I held the lantern down, and it illuminated rough stonework. Bricks that were uneven and oddly shaped, but it didn¡¯t cast light on anything worthy of note at this angle. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at the wooden ladder. It looked sturdy enough, yet could easily be my toughest opponent yet. My ability to suffer traumatic skull injuries was nigh legendary, but I wasn¡¯t keen to continue the trend.

    ¡°You want a rope?¡± Ren asked from the doorway.

    As I turned to put my feet on the rungs, I narrowed my eyes. Her expression was actually genuine, which was more sad than comforting. It was nice to know they thought the insides of my skull were actually worth saving, though. Perhaps I should focus more on my movements than that whatever this was.

    Clasped the lantern to my belt for the journey down, and made it down the handful of wooden rungs to stand on the solid ground below. I looked up at the hatch to see the dove silhouetted, before he hopped onto the top rung to get a better angle on myself and the elf at the same time.

    I turned and held up the lantern, casting long shadows off of dusty furniture that had long been abandoned down here. The smell was even worse, but couldn¡¯t just be from the aged wood and mildew. A few steps forward and light hit the back walls. Slowly, I rotated to illuminate the rest of the objects down here, half expecting a ghost or strange monster to hop out of the shadows at me.

    Turns out, I was half right.

    The amber light washed over a seated figure. Black cloak obscuring most of their body, only their pale gray face visible. Wide, pitch-black eyes with small circles of white in the center glared back at me, over a near featureless face. A small mouth slowly widened to smile at me, sharp teeth protruding along the way.

    ¡°Are you the Monster who has frozen the villagers?¡± My question came out remarkably level, given the situation. My eyes shot to the side. Bird was just in view at the top of the ladder still.

    ¡°Anssswer my riddle, and I will ssset them free.¡± The thing hissed at me.

    Preferably, just killing the Monster would have the same effect. Why it thought I could be swayed into engaging in word-games in a musky cellar was beyond me. Unfair me to judge, perhaps, but their physical appearance didn¡¯t fill me with a lot of confidence that this wasn¡¯t some kind of trick. And I knew tricks.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I am allergic to riddles. Do you have a second option?¡± I was apprehensive about going full tilt into an attack, given that the System should anticipate such action and had done something to make that not a win-condition for the Quest. Not like I could ask for a second opinion right now.

    ¡°No. Anssswer incorrectly and I will curssse you too.¡±

    I moved the lantern to my right hand and held it up. With a grimace, I nodded for the creature to continue.

    ¡°Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± I blinked slowly. ¡°Could you repeat that?¡±

    ¡°That issss incorrect!¡± Their eyes widened and the white circles turned crimson and started to spin, distorting as if they were going down a drain. A gray hand with long fingers reached out from their cloak.

    System, I rolled my eyes. Switched places with my dove, who ate the curse and dropped to the floor. Landing surprisingly deftly back on the ladder, I sent a card out into the darkness. One toward the creature and one toward the lantern that I had dropped beside some of the dry furniture.

    With no hesitation, I hopped up the ladder to the ground floor and flipped the hatch shut, then pulled a nearby cupboard over it¡ªonly slightly struggling.

    ¡°Should I ask?¡± Ren asked, clearly asking without asking.

    ¡°Just¡­¡± I turned to her and frowned. ¡°Let me process it for a while first.¡±

    ¡°I can smell burning.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Perhaps a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now the doors to the hall would have a dangerous fire behind them, eager to burst out at the next person who stumbled across them.

    The elf tilted her head, trying to read my odd mania. ¡°Did you find the source of the curse and deal with it? Or are you adding pyromania alongside your kleptomania?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied, picking my hat up off the floor. Poor dove, I thought. They always got the short end of the stick.

    She sighed. ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, Max. Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Uh, someone is approaching.¡± The bear¡¯s deep voice came echoing through the hall.

    Whatever odd conversation we were trying to force each other through ended just like that, our faces resolute again and we head back into the hall with hardly a nod. Ren drew her bow as we strode through to the doorway, as Wolf moved to the side and allowed us to exit.

    The outside air was refreshing and somehow helped put the odd creature far behind me. I had dodged the cast curse, right? No System messages had popped up to tell me I had anything wrong with me, and other than being a little disjointed from reality¡ªthis reality¡ªI felt perfectly fine.

    Of course, in saying that, my stomach immediately sunk in seeing the five figures walking down the path toward the village.

    ¡°What can you see?¡± I relented to her better eyesight.

    She worked her jaw as her eyes narrowed. A couple of seconds and then she slowly responded, as if unsure whether she trusted what she could see. ¡°No crimson hand-prints, for starters.¡±

    Odd, but too early to start getting excited.

    ¡°They don¡¯t smell the same as the bad-meat,¡± Wolf added, sniffing into the air. ¡°Just normal bad. Unwashed, stressed, and bloodied.¡±

    I shivered, almost ready to accept we had met some normal Players.

    ¡°Two in armor, two in robes, one in leathers,¡± Ren filtered potential Class information to us.

    My fingers tapped against the side of my leg. It was enough for me, so now I had to fill my role. They weren¡¯t being overtly aggressive toward us¡ªalthough we need to be wary that could turn on a dime. I had already placed a Hellhound+ out of view beside one of the cottages closer to them, and was charging up a magic card in my obscured left hand.

    Whether Ren had seen, or just anticipated, that was my course of action, she nodded to me and held her bow at the ready.

    ¡°Play it cool,¡± I told them. ¡°See what they¡¯re all about. If they attack, then we¡¯ll need to give it everything. You know the drill.¡± They grunted their acknowledgements.

    I walked forward and hailed the approaching group, one of their fighters returning the action. Now that we were almost in parlay distance, I could make them out better.

    At their front was a fighter in full armor, silver and worn. Based on the shape of the breastplate, probably female¡ªtheir helmet obscured their face. Shield on their back and sword still away in their scabbard. Which meant either they were overconfident or weren¡¯t looking for a fight. Body language told me she was most likely their leader.

    To her right side, a much shorter figure. A female goblin in robes of blue and silver. Long staff in her hand that rose to a loop where a bright silver bell hung. Her eyes were a bright yellow and pierced me even from this distance. No points for guessing some kind of spellcaster, although the potential theme intrigued me.

    The other spellcaster standing behind them was much taller, possibly elven if I were to guess, from his sharp features. A rather plain robe of beige that was colored more by the stains of battle than anything else. As he turned his head to say something to the larger figure in the middle, his long, brunette ponytail flopped over his shoulder.

    Said larger member of their ensemble was a giant of a man¡ªor rather a lion? While their wide body was humanoid, the head definitely resembled that of a golden-maned lion. Mostly chain-mail armor, with large shoulder plates that radiated energy as if they were heated. Across his back was a large two-handed battleaxe.

    The last member was a rather average look man with short brown hair, wearing simple leather armor. In fact, how ordinary he looked was almost jarring. It made me uncomfortable just to look at him, especially compared to the rest of his group.

    They stopped a good twenty feet away from us, and the goblin whistled.

    ¡°Rolo was right. Someone did fuck up the Crimson here.¡± She grinned up at the armored woman.

    Their leader lifted up her plated hands to remove her helmet. Short black hair, shaved almost bald, and bright amber eyes. Two deep scars ran across her dark skin, down her whole face with the hint of the damage having continued down her chest. Either something brought here from her previous world, or a testament to such a terrifying attack that even the System couldn¡¯t fully mend it.

    One of her eyebrows raised as she looked over our Party, sizing us up perhaps. Her glare stopped at the elf and her expression changed.

    ¡°Ren?¡± she asked, surprise on her face.

 70 - Peer to Peer

    Ren¡¯s expression turned into one of surprise too, in realizing who we were faced with. ¡°Fiona?¡±

    The fighter that she had mentioned back on the island. With the vague information provided, it sounded as though they had been briefly cordial before one wanted to move onto the wider world. Ren, of course, wanted to stay and enact her revenge¡ªwhich I helped facilitate, as agreeing to murder seemed more palatable than trying to learn about the world alone.

    It had worked out well for me, all things considered.

    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see that scowl again,¡± Fiona shook her head. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s a relief to see that you¡¯re not dead or part of this cult shit.¡± She spat atop one of the bodies¡ªI couldn¡¯t tell which after Wolf had given most of them a good chew.

    ¡°We¡¯ve had our fair share of run-ins with them,¡± Ren said with a sour expression on her face. Left out the part where we had pushed the Lady into the wider world, which I appreciated. ¡°This is Max, and Wolf.¡±

    ¡°Wolf,¡± the fighter nodded, repeating the name as if trying to taste the validity. ¡°And, Max.¡±

    I gave her a low bow, as was tradition. While I wasn¡¯t in much mood to start performing tricks, I still had my manners about me. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I straightened back up and clapped my hands twice.

    All the villagers unfroze and started wandering about towards their homes as if nothing had happened.

    Fiona, Ren, and the plain-looking man at the back didn¡¯t receive a Dazzle icon, but the rest did. I also received a very warranted glare from the elf. Sometimes, timing was everything. How long did it take a Monster to bleed, burn, or suffocate to death? Not even the Demon Hunter part of me knew the answer exactly. The showman inside me could see the thread of eventuality, though¡ªas if I received subtle help from the System to ensure I could pull off the tricks and not look like a total ass in front of present company.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Fiona¡¯s facial expression didn¡¯t sell the remark. ¡°You must come from a world where clowns are revered?¡±

    I returned a blank expression, not really sure how far I wanted to dig into that question. Pretty sure there was a smirk on Ren¡¯s face in my peripheral, but that could just be my mind filling in the gaps with what I expected. Instead of replying directly, I risked a pointed question of my own. My verbal swordplay was rusty, but the stakes were low.

    ¡°Forgive my rudeness, but I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve had a run-in with a chap with chainswords previously?¡± If this was a miss, I might just swap places with my patient canine and make a run for the horizon.

    Her face clouded, and any humor she had drained away. ¡°Yes, I have.¡±

    ¡°I hope it brings you some comfort to learn that I have killed him.¡±

    She worked her jaw, and her eyes went over to the elf, who nodded briefly. The glare returned to me, but some of the iciness had melted away. ¡°Doesn¡¯t surprise me that Ren has kept competent company. There¡¯s only two of you?¡±

    ¡°Three,¡± Wolf interjected.

    The goblin jumped backward. ¡°Oh fuck! It talks!¡±

    ¡°Wolf is a Player,¡± Ren explained. ¡°Has all the things we do, just packaged into a half ton or so of grizzly bear.¡±

    Fiona whistled. ¡°That makes your survival make a lick more sense then. Look at us yapping on, though. We have a camp a little way away from here. We can walk and talk?¡±

    Ren looked at me to see my thoughts. I gave her a nod and smiled toward the Party. ¡°Certainly, a place to rest and have people that don¡¯t want to cave our heads in sounds nice.¡±

    I handed the Quest in as we set off, our trio walking beside their Party. Only experience. That was rather anti-climatic. Hopefully the villagers would clear up the mess that the Crimson had made, and things would be normal by the time new Players rolled through this area.

    ¡°We have a scout in the area,¡± the fighter began. ¡°We¡¯ve been keeping an eye this way since the fort burned down.¡±

    ¡°Also us,¡± Ren said with a nod.

    ¡°Excellent. When nothing immediately happened, we assumed they just fell apart because they¡¯re thick as pig shit.¡±

    ¡°Or bear shit,¡± Wolf added, helpfully.

    ¡°So with Rolo telling us three figures had come across the bridge, we anticipated either it was some poor sods about to get killed by the Crimson¡ªor perhaps new cult members ready to join this area.¡±

    I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°We took a few days of rest. It turned out that cleansing the first area of the Shadows was moderately traumatic.¡±

    ¡°Cleanse?¡± The goblin piped up. ¡°You killed all of them?¡±

    Ren shrugged as I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°We hope so,¡± I rubbed my chin as I answered the goblin. Although she had the same pointed nose and ears as the scores I massacred my way through on the starter island, there was a life in her that set her apart from the System-created versions. ¡°I think in total we must have removed almost forty of them?¡±

    ¡°Including the ones on the island, perhaps.¡± Ren tilted her head, but ultimately was in agreement.

    I tried not to count them out too hard¡ªlest I become aware of being a mass murderer. Damn, there it was. Their Party exchanged glances, and I wondered if we committed a faux pas by being Player-killers.

    ¡°Not to sound like we have been slacking¡­¡± Fiona began, her brow furrowed, ¡°but we have killed maybe¡­ four.¡±

    ¡°Today? That¡¯s not so bad.¡± I wrinkled up my face. It was high stakes and could wear on your soul¡ªand the Shadows didn¡¯t always fight fair.

    ¡°No.¡± The fighter grimaced and rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°In total.¡±

    I stared at her blankly, before looking at Ren. For a change, I couldn¡¯t really read her expression. It was like some odd reveal where we found out we were the bad guys. Either that or things here were much different from the first area. Unlike me, I wasn¡¯t really sure what to say¡ªwithout making us sound like monsters, or paint them as weaklings.

    ¡°We ate more than that just in this first village,¡± Wolf snuffed from behind us.

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    ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± Fiona exhaled through her nose. ¡°We have plenty of problems of our own.¡±

    She must have fought the chainsword-man in the first area, I considered. But the Lady had only converted people to her cult in the last week¡ªFiona should have been in this area for longer than that. Timeline didn¡¯t really add up, so I made a mental note to think more about it later.

    Ren moved across and we switched places so that she was next to the fighter. ¡°Tyler? Katie? Rektar?¡±

    Fiona grimaced. ¡°Katie¡¯s dead. Rektar is in a different Party further north. Tyler is¡­¡±

    ¡°One of your current problems?¡± Ren nodded.

    I leaned my head forward and raised an eyebrow, hoping to be included in the loop. Perhaps a little too energetically, as a wave of vertigo made my vision blur.

    The elf raised an eyebrow toward me. ¡°Remember I said I had seen summoners before? Tyler is one, a certain kind of summoner.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to leave me in suspense or tell me what kind?¡±

    ¡°Not so funny when it¡¯s the other way around, huh?¡± Her eyes narrowed, and a crack of a smile illuminated the corners of her eyes. ¡°Necromancer.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± That was a puzzle I could put together. If he had fallen to the Crimson Shadow, then the Party here had probably been busy fighting off groups of undead to properly focus on getting rid of the root cause themselves. Or I was being overly generous with my assumption.

    ¡°He has been hiding away and sending groups of undead toward our camp every so often. It makes it hard to sleep and rest. Hard to move forward when we could be attacked at any moment.¡± The fighter shrugged apologetically.

    ¡°The undead fucking suck,¡± the goblin added.

    ¡°My apologies.¡± I gave the short greenskin a soft smile. ¡°I do not believe we¡¯ve been properly introduced.¡±

    ¡°Shit, sorry,¡± Fiona waved a plated hand. ¡°I get so caught up in things I forget my manners. This is Ruby. Then behind we have Larius, Magnus, and Clive.¡±

    The very average man being called Clive seemed to fit, as did Magnus for the large lion-man. They nodded their greetings as politely as they were able, but they didn¡¯t seem much like socializing. In fact, they had spent a lot of time looking at our surroundings, when not give us odd glares. I had considered the possibility that there might be a trap here awaiting a reveal, but I trusted Fiona¡ªas much as Ren seemed to, anyway.

    ¡°Pleasure.¡± I grinned with my show smile. Unlikely we¡¯d be acquaintances for too long, but it paid to be on good terms with potential allies in such a conflict driven world. ¡°Your scout, Rolo, hasn¡¯t been able to pinpoint the necromancer?¡±

    ¡°Too dangerous. He tried, don¡¯t get me wrong, but Tyler has other Party members assisting him that make it difficult to get close without being spotted.¡± Fiona shrugged.

    Not something we couldn¡¯t accomplish. Unfair, given I didn¡¯t know the whole situation and was just riding the high of having survived the village. Another wave of vertigo made me shudder. I looked out at the scenery as we continued down the road; the village sinking away behind us. Hills, fields, and sparse groups of trees. There were some Monsters out to our right, but I couldn¡¯t focus my eyes without them hurting. Terrible timing for a migraine.

    ¡°If you have space for us, we¡¯d love to help you out,¡± Ren offered. A very strong statement from the elf, but I had no disagreements. Fixing the wrongs of the Shadows seemed to be our bread and butter now. Winning some applause from an actual audience was starting to warm me on the inside. Or was that nausea?

    Wolf nudged me from behind. ¡°You okay, Max?¡±

    I turned my sweaty face to him and nodded. ¡°Better than ever.¡± I maintained eye contact, then corrected course. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m feeling a little under the weather.¡±

    He looked up toward the sky, and then nodded back to me.

    Ren and Fiona had walked slightly ahead during my mania with the bear, so I don¡¯t think she heard. Ruby certainly did, and prodded me in the side with her staff, causing the bell to clink a little.

    ¡°What¡¯s your status say, purple man?¡±

    I grimaced, hating to interact with the reports to find out what current malady was ruining my day.

    [Health Report]

    [Cursed]

    ¡°It says I¡¯m cured?¡± My eyes blurred the text as I struggled to focus. The statement came out as a question, but she didn¡¯t catch the nuance of it¡ªso possibly my comprehension was correct. Cured of what? I sighed as I realized this was something I was meant to be better at now.

    [Curse] [SSSS sssSS ssSSSs]

    So, I couldn¡¯t read most of that, but it certainly didn¡¯t say ¡®cured¡¯ anymore. Unless I was cured of the curse? The looming inevitability that I may have mistakenly assumed I got away with the misdirection and my dove caught the curse started to weigh on me, and I-

    I walked into the elf, not noticing that they had stopped just ahead of us. ¡°Ack, sorry!¡±

    She grabbed me, partially so that we didn¡¯t end up on the ground, but also I could see her bright eyes burning into me. ¡°Max, you look like shit¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Cursed, I think.¡± I grimaced. As much as I wanted to put up a front whilst we had company, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to lie straight to her face. Couldn¡¯t even bend the truth most of the time. We had agreed to honesty and openness, to grow as a Party, and although it took me a few mistakes, we were there.

    ¡°What kind?¡±

    She didn¡¯t let go of me yet, which either meant I looked a lot worse than I felt, or she was worried and not afraid to put a front up while in present company either. It would have been a moment to reflect on, perhaps, if I didn¡¯t feel like turning my stomach inside out onto the ground.

    ¡°Let me try to read it again,¡± I offered. ¡°My vision is a little blurry.¡±

    ¡°Any of you have curse removal?¡± She turned her head to glare at them. Warmth came up behind me and she gently pushed me back to lean against the side of Wolf.

    I slowly sunk down to sit on the ground. The comfort the bear provided was better than many medicines, and over our time together, it had become a bonding point for the three of us. He might not talk as much or engage in the System bullshit to as great a degree, but he was family to us all the same. ¡°Thanks, Wolf,¡± I murmured, and narrowed my eyes at the text boxes again.

    ¡°Depends on the type of curse,¡± the goblin hopped over to me and put her hand on my head. ¡°He is very warm.¡±

    Ren plucked my hat off and put it on my lap, the slight breeze cooling my hair. It was messy, needed cutting at this point. Couldn¡¯t be seen¡ªno, focus, Max. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s from the house monster. Apparently, killing it also gives you a curse, which is why I had to answer the riddle.¡±

    The elf crouched down beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. If anything, it just made me feel warmer. Now that she showed me care and compassion on occasion, it made me feel worse for getting into these situations. Shouldn¡¯t be putting that burden on her.

    ¡°What was the riddle, Max?¡± She asked me, eyes soft despite her concern.

    ¡°It was bugged or something, it just hissed at me.¡± I pouted, as if given a bad deal. Not that I would have tried to answer it, unless it was easy. Perhaps a lesson that killing my way through things wasn¡¯t always the best problem solver. No, I didn¡¯t like that lesson.

    The goblin still had her hand on my forehead, which seemed unnecessary. The large lion head of the other Party member loomed into my vision. Why people felt they needed to be in my personal space all the time was beyond me.

    ¡°What did the creature look like, man?¡± His voice was deep, and just as how I imagined he would speak.

    ¡°Dark robes, pale face, large back eyes with white pupils. No other real features, I guess.¡±

    He stood back away, his shadow passing and allowing the dim light of day to wash over me again. I felt relatively stable considering, wobbly and sick¡ªyes, but it wasn¡¯t getting worse yet. Magnus murmured something to the goblin, which I didn¡¯t catch, as I was distracted by Ren. What an odd life I now led.

    She leaned forward, her lips near my ear. ¡°I fucking hate people. I can¡¯t do this without you.¡±

    I shivered, the words almost chilling me enough to break the fever.

    A pulse of energy flooded through me as she moved away, coming from the goblin spellcaster rather than something borne from how my heartbeat had skipped. Some of the odd feeling washed away, and I regained my composure.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled, placing my hat back on my head but instead missing by several inches. It dropped to the floor, and I pouted again.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a cure.¡± Ruby shrugged. ¡°Some curses are super fucked, but it¡¯ll keep you lucid until we can get you back to the camp.¡±

    ¡°Lucid?¡± Ren tilted her head and helped put my hat back on properly. ¡°That¡¯ll be a first for Max.¡±

    ¡°Listen,¡± I said, allowing her to help me to my feet. ¡°I haven¡¯t even-¡± One last wave of vertigo threatened to tip my head directly into the cobblestone road, to crack my head open just as I was about to say it. Probably my tight lips were the only thing saving it from becoming destiny. That and the tight grip Ren had on me.

    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, trickster,¡± she murmured, wanting to release the near-hug she had on me, but also not wanting me to break across the ground.

    I leaned forward to her ear. ¡°Show must go on. Can¡¯t do this without you, Ren,¡± I whispered.

 71 - Chewing Through It

    The rest of the walk went by rather quickly, which might be due to the fact my head still felt like it was full of bubbles. Whatever the goblin had cast on me, it allowed me to walk along at a normal pace and keep my thoughts on the right page. The page being the inside of my skull. I traveled alongside Wolf, partially for stability if a wave of vertigo came up by surprise, as Ren walked and talked with Fiona.

    As much as I hated being out of the loop, I doubted I was in the right mind to fully participate or keep hold of whatever details they were discussing. It might be important things about the Crimson, or perhaps just gossip as they caught up on whatever had happened since they last saw each other. Ren might feel uncomfortable being around all these people, but she was able to feign that she was fine with it quite well.

    Wolf growled at me in reflex as I pulled at his fur while trying not to tip over. ¡°Sorry, Wolf,¡± I apologized, a sheepish smile across my face.

    ¡°It is more the surprise than the pain. I am not angry.¡± He looked up at me as his expression softened again.

    ¡°What do you make of our new pals?¡± I murmured to him as their attention moved back away from the bear¡¯s growl.

    ¡°Not particularly keen,¡± he raised an eyebrow. ¡°Especially the goat one.¡±

    I gave him a pat on the flank. The assumption was that he meant Magnus, but hadn¡¯t any knowledge of lions in his previous life¡ªwhich made perfect sense to me. Still, I narrowed my eyes in contemplation, wondering if any of them might secretly be goats, and he could see something that I couldn¡¯t.

    My intense look apparently drew the attention of one of them, and Clive slowed down to walk beside us.

    ¡°Hello, Max and Wolf, correct?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Clive. It¡¯s a pleasure.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he replied. ¡°I find your outfit very interesting. Both of you are, actually.¡±

    While I could definitely agree that my very purple suit was, in fact, spectacular... coming from a man that looked like he was the living equivalent of stale bread, I was a little suspicious. Perhaps unfair for me to judge based on appearances too, I reminded myself. There was definitely a benefit to blending in that I was too stubborn to internalize.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I managed. ¡°I find it suits my both my Class and personality quite well.¡±

    ¡°I find it garish and unbecoming,¡± Wolf murmured, ¡°but I¡¯m a team player.¡±

    Clive smiled and scratched at his short brown hair. ¡°System is funny like that, right? Seems to know what you like, how you should progress based on your current goals.¡±

    I nodded at him, but didn¡¯t feel keen to blurt out my thoughts on the matter. Not while the curse was making mashed potatoes of my brain. He did have a point, though. Even our level up abilities had drawn closer together, to becoming influenced by each other as if it was intended all along.

    Maybe something to encourage people to work together? That just made me wonder what happened to the Lady and her ever-increasing cult. While the first area was just Shadows or the dead, this second at least had pockets of resistance. Even if they were ineffective at removing the blight from this world. I shouldn¡¯t be eager for the conflict, but I was.

    ¡°Camp is just up on the left here,¡± Clive noted, raising his hand to a figure sitting atop a rock at the split in the road. ¡°That¡¯s Rolo.¡±

    A cloak that made them blend in near seamlessly to the moss-covered stone, I might not have noticed him if he wasn¡¯t pointed out. Clothing a similar color¡ªdrab grays and greens. His face was shadowed by the garment covering his head, but a singular eye of pure white sat in the middle, reminding me of the cyclops. An awkward shiver ran through me, but I wasn''t sure if that was due to being watched by the odd figure, or my brain had finally given up the ghost.

    We circled around the large stone, following the road down to our left, and the camp was immediately visible. Down at the bottom of a valley, hastily constructed wooden walls blocked some of the view of the pale tents and dark browns of crates and the like dotted beyond.

    As much as it looked like safety, something within me told me it was anything but. The showman side of me was practically salivating at the potential non-violent audience now before me, but the part of me that killed demons paled at the thought of being around so many unknowns.

    Ren slowed to walk beside me. ¡°How you feeling, trickster?¡±

    ¡°Been better,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But, have been a lot worse.¡±

    She nodded. It didn¡¯t need to be said that the time my head was cracked open was probably my worse day. Either of the times that it had happened, I supposed. She leaned in a little closer.

    ¡°This place makes me nervous.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡± If she was able to readily admit that in the cold light of day, then things had definitely got her danger senses up. As much as that made me happier about my own dislike of current proceedings, it did also further worry me.

    Ruby turned around and waved to me. ¡°If you come with me to the med tent, Max, I¡¯ll get you fixed up.¡±

    ¡°Just the curse, or can you do other things?¡± Ren asked, nudging me with her elbow.

    I rolled my eyes, which somehow helped me counterbalance my inner ear, and I didn¡¯t stumble into the bear from her jostling.

    ¡°Magnus will find you some tents if you plan to stay,¡± Fiona offered. ¡°We have empty vacancies, as of yesterday.¡±

    We could read between the lines. Well, Wolf might not be able to, but he was currently preoccupied with staring at the lion-man.

    I looked at Ren and she gave me the briefest of nods. The question didn¡¯t need to be asked. Shared tent with Wolf on our doorstep. Together, and safe. Even in the middle of potential allies, we didn¡¯t want to take a risk. If it weren¡¯t for the elf knowing the fighter previously, I doubted we¡¯d even be in this position and we¡¯d be off grinding Quests and looking for our own place to sleep.

    It was no tavern, but perhaps we could allow ourselves a little creature comfort before the show truly started.

    ¡°How many stay here?¡± I asked, seeing a couple of figures moving around within as we closed in on the gate.

    Fiona wrinkled up her face. ¡°Just¡­ slightly over a dozen now. Fourteen? Sixteen?¡±

    ¡°Three groups and Rolo,¡± Magnus confirmed. ¡°Sixteen, plus you three, man.¡±

    I didn¡¯t like that. The number of people here, at least. Referring to me as ¡®man¡¯ didn¡¯t really move the dial¡ªit was expected when you had talking animals and people from worlds more fantastical than my own.

    The gates opened wide as we reached them, a stout dwarf that was more snow-white beard than anything else, apparently on guard duty.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°This way, purple-guy!¡± The goblin hopped up and down to get my attention as the sight of so many tents and potential Players briefly overwhelmed me.

    I turned and started off in her direction as Magnus led Ren and Wolf to the right; the elf catching my eye before our line of sight was obscured. She looked uncomfortable, to say the least. Despite being raised to inherit the responsibilities of watching over her community in her previous world, she was perhaps the least people-person I had ever met.

    Being in conflict with nearly every person you met on arriving here certainly hadn¡¯t helped¡ªand even as a natural and insufferable performer, I had my reservations about the campground. Just the one night, maybe, and then we¡¯d forge our own path.

    Ruby lead me through a few rows of tents, before arriving at one with a red cross painted on the side. Some things appeared to be universal. Lifting the flap hardly near high enough, she gestured for me to enter¡ªwhich I did, stooping so that I could push the canvas doorway over myself.

    Inside, a simple space with two beds and several cabinets or containers in different shapes and sizes. Drab grays and off-whites, which were reassuringly clinical. I took a seat on one of the beds, mostly just thankful my legs didn¡¯t have to strain to keep the rest of me from toppling over like a tower of cards any more.

    ¡°Now then.¡± She entered behind me and pulled out a stool to stand on before walking over to a cabinet. ¡°This isn¡¯t related to your cure, but I always ask my patients how they are doing¡ªlike with the System ¡®n¡¯ shit.¡±

    ¡°It¡­ definitely took some getting used to.¡± I frowned, unsure what my actual thoughts were. It was horrifying and restrictive at times, and the good part was¡­ I had met Ren?

    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± she snorted as she withdrew a bottle of something green and slimy. ¡°This icky crap helps me diagnose which other icky crap I can use to remove your curse.¡± She gave me an apologetic grin.

    ¡°It¡¯s all ¡®icky crap¡¯?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Fraid so, bud. System determined my years of medical research and training was just good for slapping different kinds of goo on people.¡± She grinned widely and hopped up on the stool in front of me.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t use goo in your previous life?¡± I removed my hat and placed it beside me.

    She popped the corked lid and tilted her head. ¡°Oh, I did, but there was more¡­ nuance and shit, you know?¡±

    I nodded. Same with how my tricks were now just borne from magic and manipulating the tools the System labored us with, rather than manually having to do all the hard work. Energy slowly drained from me as she stuck a finger into the jar and withdrew the sickly-looking paste onto her finger.

    She rubbed it across my forehead, and while it was cold and soothing, it was also pretty gross.

    ¡°Takes a minute before I can ¡®read¡¯ it,¡± she rolled her eyes, clearly not a fan of how the System viewed how her work should be done. ¡°Wanna tell me more about the first area? Fiona fucking hated the chainsword guy. Had a weird name¡­ Valpor¡­ Velorp¡­ or some shit.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. He was with the Crimson,¡± I worked my jaw as my fevered brain felt a little calmer. ¡°In the Fort, which we went and destroyed.¡±

    Ruby whistled. ¡°Fiona thought you looked like a right nob, but killing that douche won you some favor with her.¡±

    ¡°Being a leader involves a lot of tough calls.¡± Like, calling me names was a hard sell, at least in my opinion.

    ¡°So does taking a life.¡± Her eyes observed me for a moment, as if there was more to that sentence, before she changed course. ¡°If you can break the neck of that gangly necromancer, Fiona would be your number one fan.¡±

    I did need more fans, that was true. Another reason to defeat the group keeping these people stuck here. With almost three Parties, however, I wondered why they hadn¡¯t made a play for it.

    Ruby licked her finger and then placed it against the muck on my forehead. Her eyes looked off to the peaked ceiling of the tent as she considered¡­ whatever it was that she was doing. A handful of seconds passed before she removed the offending digit. While I was usually put off by people invading my personal space, there was something about the goblin¡ªor perhaps just the medical setting¡ªthat didn¡¯t bother me.

    ¡°Got some good news, and some bad news.¡±

    ¡°How long have I got to live?¡± I gave her a grim smile.

    ¡°In this world¡­?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°System allowing, you¡¯re fine. It¡¯s not a curse that I can cure¡ªbut the good news is that it goes away after a nice sleep.¡±

    I deflated slightly, unsure whether I was happy about that or not. ¡°Are we talking about a duration of sleep, or it resets after a certain time of the day, or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Fuck if I know,¡± she shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a curse. But hey, I¡¯ve got something that¡¯s not slop that can help take the edge off until you can snooze.¡±

    The goblin hopped down off of the stool and went to a different cabinet to slide out a drawer. After some inaudible grumblings, she returned and held up what looked to be some kind of bark or root from something.

    ¡°I realize this looks like I¡¯m bullshitting you,¡± she wagged it at me. ¡°You just have to trust I take my job very seriously.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to chew?¡± I gingerly received it in my hand. To her credit, it wasn¡¯t slimy at all.

    ¡°Won¡¯t lie and say it doesn¡¯t taste like shit, but it¡¯ll keep the symptoms from getting any worse. You¡¯ll just have a little fever and light-headedness until the morn.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ruby.¡± I managed a smile, but hesitated to put the root into my mouth. After a few seconds of her patiently staring at me to complete the act, I started to slowly move it towards my opening maw. Sure, I could Dazzle my way out of this¡­ but I shouldn¡¯t turn down healthcare advice. Ren would disapprove.

    As if hearing my panicked woes, a shadow passed over the tent entrance before a figure started to enter. Not my prot¨¦g¨¦, unfortunately, but Fiona.

    ¡°How¡¯s the patient, Rubes?¡±

    The goblin shrugged. ¡°Be back to ¡®normal¡¯ tomorrow.¡± She shot me a grin, apparently finding amusement in the normal that included dressing as I did. ¡°He just has to chew that root and there will be no further complications.¡±

    Now, with both of them starting me down, I had no choice. It crunched as part split off into my mouth resigned to its fate. The shards then became somewhat chewy, like gum. It didn¡¯t actually taste that bad, which was potentially concerning. It was like caramel almost.

    ¡°Excellent, if you could give us a few minutes alone?¡± Fiona smiled warmly toward the short greenskin, who nodded and left with a brief curtsey toward me.

    I nodded my thanks to her as she departed, before clocking that the expression on the fighter had cooled dramatically.

    ¡°So, got a magic dick on you, huh?¡±

    The helpful root betrayed me, and I coughed, almost choking on my surprise. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Ren.¡± The woman crossed her arms across her breastplate. ¡°Even got her dressing up in a similar clown outfit.¡±

    ¡°Magician,¡± I corrected her. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m lost on what the question was?¡± My brow furrowed, and I picked my hat back up to place upon my head.

    ¡°The Ren I knew was very aloof, cold, and reluctant to spend time with anyone else. I just wanted to find out what you have going on that could change her so much.¡±

    Her scowl was probably intended to intimidate me, but it had no effect. ¡°Perhaps I just didn¡¯t abandon her.¡±

    ¡°You fuck.¡± She stepped toward me and leveled a plated fist as a threat. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it was like. What she was so hell-bent on doing.¡±

    ¡°Murdering a gang to seek her revenge?¡±

    Fiona worked her jaw. ¡°It was foolish. There was nothing to be gained and everything to lose.¡±

    A smile ran up my face as I chewed the root. It shouldn¡¯t be a humourous situation, but the fever was warming up my brain something fierce. ¡°Then isn¡¯t it obvious what we did? What I did?¡±

    She deflated slightly, not really relaxing, but just unable to hold that spark of anger within her any longer. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still struggling to parse that you are both admitting to being mass murders. You killed all the people on the island, and then in the first area too? No bullshit?¡±

    ¡°No bullshit,¡± I confirmed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t blind to the join-us-or-die attitude the Lady and Crimson Shadow have. We just chose the third option.¡±

    Now she relaxed, but I could see there was a fuller picture I wasn¡¯t privy to. How long they had known each other, what they had been through, and what caused their split. Clearly Fiona cared for Ren, in some manner, but it was also clear that she wasn¡¯t able to offer the elf the vengeance she sought. Interesting that they had such strong views to differentiate killing Players to killing Monsters. We did one and the same without such hold-ups. Potentially a bad look.

    Eventually, she shook whatever thoughts were clouding her mind away. ¡°Fine. Perhaps what we need is people like you three to get us out of this fucking hole. But¡­¡± her eyes bore into mine, ¡°you better never let her down. Or we¡¯ll see how magic that dick is when I cut it off.¡±

    She barely gave me a second to acknowledge before she turned and exited the tent.

    I chewed for a few seconds, in silence, wondering why my unmentionables had become a necessary part of that conversation. In an attempt to avoid letting my mind wander down adjacent paths, I stepped down and left the tent.

    The daylight burned at my eyes, and I wavered for a few seconds before getting my bearings. Ren and Wolf should be roughly straight ahead, maybe to the right a little?

    Over on the left, however, was a small grouping of trees just outside of the main camp. Shaded and lush with grass and vegetation. Perhaps I could have a brief nap and shake this curse? Or at least get out of this damnable sunshine.

    I stumbled over, stepping out of the camp proper into the edge of the wilderness. They¡¯d be able to find me easily enough with this suit on, and I must have caught some eyes on my journey.

    Slowly, I sunk myself down between a couple of trees, hoping that the coolness of the shade would seep into my head and solidify my brain. I chewed like crazy. Nope, still too uncomfortable to nap¡ªit would be better to find Ren and lay in the tent. Maybe she could hold the pieces of my skull together and comfort me.

    Smiling at the possibilities, I went to stand¡ªbefore I was plunged into darkness.

    Before I had a chance to fight against the head covering, something weighty struck me in the side of the head, forcefully giving me the desired nap.

 72 - Lock and Key

    I groaned as my eyes opened. Blurry at first, before dim light tried to paint me a picture. As I attempted to lift my hands to rub some clarity in my tired orbs, I found I could not, for they were bound behind me.

    Gray stone walls filtered into view. I was seated, and¡­ I looked down and blinked. In nothing but my underwear and undershirt. My ankles were bound to the legs of the plain wooden chair, while my wrists were to the back supports, as well as to each other. Something else heavy and metallic sat on my right forearm. A manacle? It had an odd feel to it.

    I looked around with an eyebrow raised. Mostly a plain, albeit rather grubby, room. A dozen or so feet square, with me somewhat near the back wall. Directly ahead of me was the doorway, made of a dark metal with a closed slit probably used as a window. A table in the front left corner, with my clothes folded upon it next to a wooden case. The floor around the chair was especially discolored. Soiled with all manner of body fluids, if my imagination allowed it.

    It was all very reminiscent of a horror movie, which bordered on being too cliche to be any valid sort of threat. I smiled and tried to draw a card to cut the rope bindings. Nothing. The panic meter moved up a notch.

    With the thud of footsteps close by, the door then swung open on creaking hinges. A man walked in. Stocky but strong, a dirtied leather apron covering gray linens that were grubby despite the protection. His face was obscured by a mask that was either cured leather or something made to look that way. My bare toes wiggled in amusement. He looked like a pigman, and I couldn¡¯t wait to kill him. So very eager, the other side of me salivated at the prospect.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake,¡± he grunted, his lower mouth just about visible beneath his covered face. Wide, stubbled chin and a cruel grin.

    ¡°Could have left me out for a little longer. I¡¯m trying to sleep off a curse.¡±

    He snorted, continuing to add to the piggish similarities. ¡°Don¡¯t have all day to wait for yer beauty sleep.¡± His thick hands shuffled through my belongings. ¡°Doubt anyone will buy these stupid fuckin¡¯ clothes. But the summoning item¡­¡± he whistled as he picked it up and waggled it.

    Rage prickled through me. While I had been able to use it when it wasn¡¯t quite on my person previously, the Equipment screen confirmed that it was properly unequipped now. No cards and no summons.

    ¡°You seem too smart to sign up with the Crimson Shadow,¡± I lied, trying to buy some time. He looked dumb as shit and I wanted to break that hand touching my deck. Tear those fingers off. My inner monologue was on fire, the showman Max cowering away from the raging inferno building under the other, less patient one.

    The man chuckled wetly. ¡°I¡¯m not with those stupid fucks. I love being here in the System. It¡¯s my playground. No authorities to come knockin.¡±

    I winced and looked around the room, as if some less benign answer lay in a corner somewhere. ¡°So, what do you do here?¡±

    ¡°Black market deals. Some people pay top gold for the best items without having to farm it for themselves. Lazy, if you ask me.¡± He shrugged and opened up the wooden case.

    ¡°Then why am I here?¡± Surely if robbery was their main motive, whoever had the balls to poach me in broad daylight could have just stripped me and made off with the goods.

    ¡°The gold is just the side hustle.¡± From within the case, he withdrew a scalpel. ¡°It¡¯s just so happens it aligns with my personal hobby.¡± He snorted. ¡°My calling.¡±

    He stepped closer, and his body odor washed over me as he blocked some of the light. An imposing figure, for certain, but I had fought worse-

    The blade pressed against my bare thigh and he moved it down towards my knee, increasing the pressure as he went until I clenched my jaw and growled.

    ¡°Good,¡± he said, standing back up. He moved over to the case and placed the blade away.

    Didn¡¯t even disinfect it first, I was horrified.

    ¡°Some people have pain resistance or regeneration passives. The handcuff only restricts active abilities.¡± He tilted his head from side to side. ¡°Yer pretty normal. Had one guy in that barely flinched even when I could see his bones. Fascinating, really.¡±

    All of that aside, I needed this handcuff when I eventually escaped. Imagine being able to restrict someone from casting skills? Amazingly powerful. I grimaced at the trail of blood now running down my leg. Fucking pigman.

    ¡°You don¡¯t really know who I am, do you?¡± I smiled. Either the curse was working overtime on my brain, or it took a lot more than this B-movie act to rustle the feathers of Other Max. Shouldn¡¯t call him that, really. We were the same Max now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± He stooped a little to pull out a little cupboard on wheels from beneath the table. ¡°Although, soon we¡¯ll find out what you¡¯re made of.¡±

    He placed the open case atop the cupboard and wheeled it over closer to me. He wanted me to see the tools of his trade¡ªwhich was unfair as he had taken mine without asking. The only fair thing to do would be to return the favor¡­

    The inside was dirtied, as though it hadn¡¯t even been cleared of dried blood from the used tools previously. It had all the sorts of things you¡¯d expected to find if a handyman and a dentist had a baby and it grew up to believe it was a surgeon, but had no formal training. Or manners.

    ¡°Any you prefer I don¡¯t use?¡± The bottom of his wide grin was illuminated beneath his mask.

    ¡°Is that like a reverse psychology thing? I hate tricks, I hope you know?¡± If he could see the amusement on my face, he did nothing to acknowledge it.

    ¡°Sometimes, I take the tongues first, but smart fucks usually change their tune. More fun to hear the pleading.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t really listening. Instead, my eyes were cycling through my Inventory. I hadn¡¯t arranged things for a while, and I might need to make space shortly. Maybe for my own severed body parts¡ªwhich was an amusing thought, if not a bit macabre.

    [Restrained] [Cannot take Inventory items into your hands]

    [Nullified] [Cannot use active abilities]

    A knock at the door waylaid his hand from reaching for something from the assortment of jagged metal implements. He turned, and his wide waistline jostled the small cupboard a couple of extra inches towards me.

    The window slat opened and two beady eyes peered through.

    ¡°Sorry, boss. We¡¯ve got a problem.¡±

    The piggy deflated. ¡°What is it? I¡¯m about to work.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°We were¡­ we were followed?¡± The man¡¯s voice cracked, clearly not pleased about drawing the short straw to break the news.

    ¡°Stupid fucks.¡± The butcher shook his head. ¡°Go take the lads and run them down before they find this place. Don¡¯t bother with prisoners. Is it the assholes from the camp?¡±

    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s¡­ an elf and a bear.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can handle that. Fuck off already.¡±

    He turned back to me as the slat closed. ¡°Seems your girlfriend and pet are about to¡­¡±

    His masked face turned down toward the case, now completely empty, before looking back at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about girlfriend,¡± I wrinkled up my face. ¡°It¡¯s not really something so¡­ official yet, right?¡±

    ¡°Give those back.¡± His fists clenched closed. ¡°You have a passive for looting quickly. Well done. You have prolonged your suffering.¡±

    Part of me wished I had been better at escapology. I was neither a contortionist, nor had the man given me an easy to reach knot to try to work through. Of course, at some point in my career I had given it a go, but after pulling the muscles through my back and wiggling on the floor in pain for five minutes in my flat alone¡­ I had decided it wasn¡¯t for me. Didn''t mean I was totally incapable, however.

    ¡°I¡¯ll trade you.¡± I smiled.

    He slowly shook his head, trying to control his anger. It probably wasn¡¯t fun for him if his emotions took over. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to breaking you bone by bone with my bare hands.¡±

    If only Wolf were here, I could have made a pun. ¡°You¡¯re out of time already. Sorry. Either you¡¯ll have to blue ball yourself by killing me right now, or your life is forfeit.¡±

    Purple electricity began arcing around my body, slightly illuminating the chamber. I could see the reflection of my bright eyes on his leather apron. Was this even a passive? Didn¡¯t matter. The brief confusion giving him pause abated, and he drew back a fist to punch me.

    A little bit of finesse was required, but his weighty fist slammed into the blunt end of the sword, the point of which was pressed against the chair between my legs. Dangerously close to my alleged magic manhood.

    He was strong, although it wasn¡¯t enough to split the chair. Instead, he went to grab the weapon, but it vanished back into my Inventory. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t play with my food. He needed to pay for touching my magic deck. Hah.

    As he stepped back away to right himself, his foot slipped on the marbles rolling across the floor. He dropped onto his wide rear end with a growl as I stood up to my feet, the ropes dropping away like water off a duck.

    ¡°How?¡± He seethed.

    ¡°Short answer?¡± I grinned as purple energy crackled around me. ¡°Fucking magic.¡±

    Fog burst from around me, immediately filling the small room with an impenetrable dense gray. He stood to his feet, both hands bursting into red flame as he swung out for me. I wasn¡¯t there any longer, however.

    ¡°Tell me how to remove the cuff, and I won¡¯t kill you.¡±

    He swung again for my voice, but I had moved. My enraged electricity had abated, so as not to give up my position, but his flaming fists left no guesswork required for where he stood.

    ¡°Fuck you! Show yourself!¡±

    ¡°Wrong answer,¡± I hissed. A thunk shortly followed, with his growl of pain immediately after. And then another, and his left fist extinguished.

    ¡°Karn!¡± he yelled out.

    ¡°There¡¯s no help on the way,¡± I whispered, as the fog instantly vanished.

    I clicked the triggers on both the held crossbows, splitting his mask as the bolts impaled through his face into his brain. He twitched and went to swing for me as he dropped onto the floor.

    [Nullification Cuff Key]

    [Prison Cell Keys]

    [Regeneration Orb]

    With a click, I slipped from the cuff and put it into my Inventory. Plenty of tricks in that magic item''s future. No time to check everything else, I need to find the rest of my Party.

    Clothing looted for later and magic deck in my hand and equipped. Pact Demon into my grasp and a bright grin on my face. Stupid fucking pigman was struck and rose to become Roger.

    ¡°Hey¡­ Boss?¡± He looked around. ¡°Fuck, what did you summon me in for this time?¡±

    ¡°Escaping torture,¡± I explained. ¡°We need to murder our way into the daylight.¡±

    The demon whistled. ¡°Say less, Boss.¡±

    From my Inventory, I withdrew Jokkar¡¯s mace. A large weapon, studded with pearl teeth. ¡°See if you have the strength in that body.¡±

    I struggled to pass it over, but he managed to lift it with little issue. ¡°I may cry with fuckin¡¯ happiness.¡±

    ¡°After the violence, please.¡± I wrenched open the door and stepped out into a cool corridor. Underground? It had that murky, damp stone look to it. Two further cells to my right where there was a dead end, one more cell to my left, and then a further illuminated passage.

    ¡°Watch the corridor,¡± I commanded him, and dropped down a Hellhound+ card to go assist him. I strode to the dead end and opened up the slat of the last cell. Empty. Then the next one. Not empty, but the mutilated figure within was long gone. I closed it and clenched my jaw. Fourth cell now, closest to my demons.

    I stumbled back against the rocky wall, as the hastily summoned plank of wood struck me in the face. It had saved me from getting impaled by the sword jabbed through the opened slat, so I couldn¡¯t complain, even with the blood running down from my nose.

    Roger was already there, the large mace slamming into the metal door¡ªbuckling it and shattering the hinges. It struck and collapsed onto the figure beyond, knocking them to the ground. My canine pal was ready to pounce and had grabbed the struggling man by the throat before he could free himself.

    The chair was occupied by a bloodied figure. Alive, but they had done some work on him. Black mustache and goatee, shoulder length wavy hair all matted with blood. His one remaining tired eye looked up at me. Too out of it to speak.

    I stepped into the room, a purple card circling around the chair to cut his binds. In my hand, a Healing Potion. ¡°Roger, come help this man. Protect him as you would me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±

    My head hummed. Perhaps it needed covering. I went into my Inventory and shuffled my hat over into the Equipment window, and it appeared. Comforted. Back out into the hallway with Hellhound+ by my side. There were now echoes of familiar sounds and I couldn¡¯t help but grin¡ªoh, I was already grinning. Face muscles ached from it, in fact.

    Split my cards into the air and circled them like a spinning wheel as I walked forward. Kept me on track. Follow the light, find the Party. There was shouting now, and shadows washed over the next corner in the passageway. Two panicked men stumbled backward, as if hoping to find backup from what they were running from. Out of the frying pan and into the second, more demonic frying pan.

    Card through the head of the first, the second humbled by the second before my demon dog knocked them over. Ripping and tearing, and then something more palatable slid around the corner.

    ¡°Max!¡± Surprise and worry across her face. Then, confusion. ¡°You¡¯re just in your underwear?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I slurred, shaking slightly. ¡°I am wearing my hat.¡±

    ¡°Dickbag.¡± She power-walked over to me and gave me a hug. ¡°Do I need to put a leash on you?¡± Her grip was released so that she could burn through me with a signature glare, knowing what was going through my mind.

    Mostly the curse, actually. As much as I wanted to enjoy her company, I was mentally melting away. ¡°Thanks for coming for me,¡± I said with a straight face.

    ¡°Good thing your Party has a bear with a good sense of smell, and I know a bit of tracking, otherwise you¡¯d be¡­¡± she stopped and pulled a face in seeing I was out and thriving, in a manner of speaking.

    ¡°I had things under control, but I much prefer having you both around.¡± I smiled as Roger moved up to join us, the injured man propped up under his arm.

    ¡°Fuck.¡± Ren grimaced at my pact demon''s puppet. ¡°This was the guy who was going to¡­ torture you?¡±

    ¡°Not even for a good reason.¡± I yawned, the fading adrenaline taking my desire to stay awake along with it. ¡°Just sell my items and then get off on hurting me.¡±

    ¡°At least I let you keep your stuff, huh?¡± She prodded my chest and gave a slight smile. ¡°Put your clothes on already.¡±

    Eyes unfocused, I did so¡ªputting all my equipment and clothing in the right slots, while she gave a heal to the rescued man.

    ¡°Wolf is stuck a little further in, where the passageways are too narrow. But he is doing okay,¡± she informed me. ¡°This guy, however¡­¡± she crouched down to give him a look over. ¡°Lost an eye, maybe use of his right arm. Trauma for sure.¡±

    I clucked my tongue. ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can. Nobody else from the camp cared to help you?¡±

    She shook her head and her expression dulled before she gestured for us to move along.

    ¡°It¡¯s like they¡¯re afraid to die.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Although I don¡¯t think Fiona is fond of me.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a hardass,¡± Ren said with a shrug. ¡°You know her opinion doesn¡¯t matter though, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t need to people-please.¡± I grinned, only slightly shaking as we walked down the passageway.

    She raised an eyebrow at me.

    ¡°Well,¡± I relented, ¡°not everyone.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Max!¡± Wolf said, his face full of apparent joy and thug gore. ¡°Guess what I found?¡±

    I raised my hand for him to continue, as we stepped into a wider chamber that had several mauled bodies¡ªsome of them sporting arrows.

    He sat down and wiggled his head to jiggle his bowler hat for added effect.

    ¡°There¡¯s a treasure room,¡± he pointed a paw toward a broken down door off to the side.

    I licked my lips with anticipation. Time to loot.

 73 - Safety In Numbers

    I had skipped a few pages of the diary, left some blank as if to trick any potential reader into thinking I had died. No such peace for me yet. For most of our time spent on the island and in the first area, it had felt as though it was solely us against the world. We never got to fully appreciate the normal nature of the world around us, the sense of community that it was supposed to provide. As much time as we spent fixing things, we always had our feet in a new problem before seeing the results of our struggles behind us.

    Ignoring Ren¡¯s rolled eyes at my apparent desire to actually search for items for a change, I began to claw my way through the room Wolf had helpfully opened up for us.

    ¡°Don¡¯t have a lot of time left, boss.¡± Roger leaned his head forward so I could see his bright purple eyes. ¡°Need me to stick around?¡±

    My own eyes roved around in my skull as if he had jostled them loose from their moorings. ¡°Uh, no, we¡¯ll be good. Thank you, Roger. Top work, as always.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t even murder anyone,¡± I heard him murmur as he slunk away into mist, the body of my jailer dropping to the floor inertly.

    ¡°Think we could sling up our friend there, if you¡¯re okay with that, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°You alright, Max?¡± Ren asked from the doorway, about to help Wolf with the part that needed hands with opposable thumbs. ¡°I mean, clearly you¡¯re not¡ªbut do I need to be worried?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head and then looked over at her with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re perfect. I mean, there was nothing more that I could have asked for.¡± My brain was not having it. The sooner I could sleep this curse off, the better. ¡°You came here to save me, is what I¡¯m trying to say.¡±

    Her face softened. ¡°Of course, dumbass.¡± She went to assist Wolf, and I was left alone to sigh deeply.

    Could I have murdered my way out of this den? Quite likely, once I had gotten the cuff off and retrieved my deck. Between Roger, my cards, and Hellhound+ any of these kidnappers and shady market dealers would have been at a disadvantage in these close confines.

    I thumbed through the furntiture, pop-up boxes letting me know what lay inside. Mostly junk equipment in the first three boxes. Early level stuff that they probably couldn¡¯t sell as easily.

    The fourth gave me pause, and I looted everything from it to share around at a better time. I put the gloves on right now, however, despite my brain trying to do three things at once.

    [Spiked Gloves] [+2 Str +10% Melee Damage]

    [Gloves of the Trickster] [+3 Int, +2 Dex]

    [Fast Shawl] [+4 Agi]

    [Hardy Boots] [+3 Con]

    [Red Necklace] [+2 Wis, +2 Agi]

    [Slacks of the Wild] [+2 Agi, +2 Dex]

    The last chest was actually a safe. One of those where you had to turn the dial back and forth in the right combination to unlock it. I didn¡¯t know the right number sequence, and they hadn¡¯t written it handily nearby.

    ¡°Quinn is strapped up, Max,¡± the elf reappeared at the doorway.

    ¡°Quinn?¡±

    She nodded and stepped over to the ruined door to get closer to me. ¡°He can barely talk. Just about said his name and then fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°Wolf does have that effect, huh?¡± I smiled and returned to frowning at the safe.

    ¡°We need to get you back, too.¡± She lifted the hat from my head and placed her hand on my hair. No heal was given, she was perhaps just checking to make sure I was in one piece. ¡°There was no combination on any of the ones we killed.¡±

    I gave the safe three taps on the top, and with the third, it vanished into my Inventory. The System would regret allowing me to do that. Even Ren¡¯s sigh was one more of apprehension than disdain. We¡¯d crack it eventually, I was sure. She placed my hat back on my head, and I stood and turned to face her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be allowed to leave my sight,¡± she informed me, her bright eyes narrowed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not nighttime yet.¡± I smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be emotionally clingy.¡±

    As she opened her mouth to admonish me, I leaned forward and kissed her. A brief thing, but reciprocated. We parted slowly, her eyes almost immediately narrowed after. Hopefully I couldn''t pass the curse on that way, although part of me considered the forward act was only due to my worn-down sensibilities.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, you¡­ ass.¡±

    ¡°Not keen on joining the commune, then?¡± I tilted my head as she moved away and we went to leave the storeroom.

    ¡°Fuck no. Fiona and Ruby are pleasant, but I can¡¯t stand the rest. Perpetual do-nothings. Especially as they can¡¯t see that they¡¯re just slowly dying by allowing themselves to be picked off.¡±

    ¡°And what of these guys?¡± I extended my hand and gestured around at the corpses, picking up Jokkar¡¯s mace into my Inventory along the way. ¡°They aren¡¯t even allied with the Lady. They¡¯re just fuckers.¡±

    Ren snorted, seemingly amused enough by the rare times that I swore with such gusto. ¡°Really? I can¡¯t believe they picked you up right outside the camp in broad daylight. Didn¡¯t even wait for night.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    I nodded and rubbed at my eyes. ¡°Normally I¡¯m not such an easy mark, but this curse has me pretty loose. I just wanted a nap, and the trees seemed like they¡¯d be comfortable.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re okay now?¡±

    ¡°Bruising to my head¡ªwhich is pretty standard at this point, and a cut on my leg. But he made the mistake of underestimating me.¡±

    She bit her tongue, clearly wanting to make some jabs, but also not wanting to undermine how potentially dire this situation could have been.

    I held my hand out and emptied all of his horrible tools from my Inventory onto the corpse of the one who had jailed me. Even if they had a use, knowing what pain they could have caused prior to my capture¡­ I didn¡¯t want them to have a career past this point.

    ¡°Nasty things,¡± Wolf echoed my thoughts as he watched them drop to the floor.

    As much as I had hated and burned to cause the death of the pig-like man, there wasn¡¯t the desire to take pleasure in his suffering. We had killed plenty, often in ways that would get us locked up for life in other realities. But we didn¡¯t seek it out and revel in it. I looked around the room at the dead and wondered how much I could believe that. Better to have these thoughts when my mind was more comfortable.

    Demons at least had the excuse they were born and lived through sin, wholly beings devoted to and fulfilled by evil. This man didn¡¯t have that excuse. Human, or at least adjacent to, he should have known better. Aimed to be better. Ren was right that the System seemed to pluck mostly assholes from their respective worlds. A reflection mirrorred by the lack of assistance from the camp. No necks sticking out on my behalf just yet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± I gestured for them to show me the way out. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left for us here.¡±

    It was a simple hideout, not too dissimilar to the thieves'' hideout from the first area. Built into a rocky outcropping, it seemed more likely that they had somehow taken over a System-created space than carved it themselves. Their attempts to hide it away were at least more proficient, with an uprooted tree and crushed bushes now laying where Wolf had scuppered their ruse.

    Not even that far from the camp, which was a chilling thought. They may have had abilities that made kidnapping me away in the daytime a piece of cake¡ªbut if they had instead waited for the dark of night, then they may have had me for hours before someone noted my absence. Once again, our enemy''s desperation and overconfidence were our blessing. Perhaps they too anticipated apathy from those around me.

    ¡°I have some equipment for you to look at when we get back,¡± I told Ren as we began walking back to the camp.

    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡±

    We stared at each other blankly for a moment as my brain continued to hiss in the background. ¡°Some for Wolf, too,¡± I added. My eyes turned away to focus on my System windows, as I was currently unable to accurately read social cues. The kiss had been somewhat out of character for us both, even if the sentiment of wanting to be close and safe was our unsaid normal.

    [Regeneration Orb] [Slowly regenerates health when out of combat.]

    I just needed to strap this to my head, and then I¡¯d be invincible. Took up the Accessory slot, which currently had +5% Cast Speed and +5% Magic Damage in it¡ªbut considering it was for out of combat only, I saw no reason why I couldn¡¯t just swap them in our downtime. Even share it around. I equipped it now, shivering when I considered what it might have been used for previously.

    In the den, I had counted eight opponents in total. Should things be as typical as anywhere else, that could mean there were two free agents somewhere¡ªmaybe on errand runs or looking for their next victim. The elephant poked their head out from the treeline to butt into my roving thoughts; could anyone in the camp be complicit?

    ¡°Ren?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, trickster?¡± She turned her head away from whatever she had been focused on.

    ¡°Am I being paranoid?¡±

    Her frown narrowed, and I considered that she hadn¡¯t actually been privy to my inner monologue, no matter how loud it had to be to drown out the humming noise. If there was one thing I could rely on, it was her ability to read me like a book.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± She ran her fingers through Wolf¡¯s fur. ¡°We¡¯re used to it being us against the world. Anything that challenges that feels suspect.¡±

    It was possible that we were both paranoid then. A group of Players not allied with the Lady, but seemingly not doing much to push back against the Crimson Shadows either. Some black market torture site a stone¡¯s throw away from them. Paranoia was something that keep us safe in a world that wanted us dead.

    ¡°Thoughts, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°I can almost taste the goat-man.¡±

    I grimaced. Not exactly a sane response, but then again, I was asking a talking bear. Quinn remained in the sling, fast asleep.

    Ren exhaled loudly. ¡°I don¡¯t think Fiona is a¡­ bad person.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m out of the loop on though, right?¡± I tilted my head and stumbled in that direction as my inner ear took a brief holiday.

    She removed her hat to brush some of her radiant hair to the side before donning it once more. ¡°Short version of the story,¡± she began, as she worked her jaw, ¡°she had a bit of a crush on me.¡±

    I nodded¡ªanother terrible action for my lack of balance. ¡°That explains the chat she had with me then.¡±

    ¡°When was that?¡± She raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Right before I was kidnapped. Which sounds more suspicious than it probably is.¡± Probably.

    Ren sighed and shook her head, scowling out at the sparse woods surrounding us as we passed through. ¡°She has no right. As if she has any say on what is good for me after she ran off when she couldn¡¯t accept just being friends and helping me on the island.¡±

    The fact that she was just another in the line of people who wanted to pucker lips with the elf put a wet blanket on the ire she had shown me for doubting my care for Ren. I would have rolled my eyes if it hadn¡¯t felt like I¡¯d lose them. Not willing to help the elf with her murder spree, but feeling like she had something to say about her wellbeing and romantic choices now seemed shortsighted, even if somewhat realistic. At least the murdering part.

    ¡°She¡¯s with the goblin now, right?¡± I put my hand up to my forehead. Burning up. ¡°Ruby doesn¡¯t seem like an asshole.¡±

    ¡°Fiona isn¡¯t an asshole. People just do stupid things when led by their hearts.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± I said with a smile.

    She scowled further. ¡°Fuck you, Max. You¡­ you prick.¡±

    I grinned widely and relaxed. If you ignored all the bad things, then life wasn¡¯t so bad. My feet stopped me and I put my hand against a tree to try to stop the world from spinning out of control. They should really fix that.

    The wide face of Wolf came up into my vision, his amber eyes regarding me with a tired look. ¡°If you spent more energy on breathing instead of talking constantly, you wouldn¡¯t get so tired.¡±

    ¡°Yerps,¡± I slurred, as sweat dripped from my head.

    Ren was then beside me, shouldering my arm to make sure I didn¡¯t flop over toward the nearest rock. History did try to repeat itself. I shouldn¡¯t get in the way.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too far now. Do you have another tarp and we¡¯ll get you in a sling?¡±

    I must look pretty bad for that to be the plan of action. In truth, I felt pretty bad¡ªwith no root to chew, the curse was slowly eroding me away into sweaty mush. How rude of the pigman to discard my medicine.

    My mouth opened, but instead of words, I allowed a second tarp to fall slowly from within. A few awkward seconds passed as it unraveled into a small pile on the ground before me, the last corner of the faux-vomit leaving my lips as my mouth curled to form a soft smile.

    ¡°¡­I really hate you sometimes,¡± Ren said with a sigh.

 74 - Happy Campers

    I awoke with a bit of a start. Laying down with gray above me, my mind shouted tent before I could leap straight into blind panic. Soaked with sweat, and my heartbeat racing. Back in my underwear and shirt, I half expected the pig-faced kidnapper to appear over me. As if I had been drugged and the escape was all a dream.

    A shadow loomed over me and I flinched, before the long hair of the elf fell over my face.

    ¡°Oops, sorry,¡± she said softly, and brushed it out of the way. ¡°Are you okay, Max?¡±

    ¡°I drifted off in the sling. Fill me in.¡± With the blanks painted over with the proper play of things, I¡¯d be able to determine my current status.

    ¡°We arrived in camp. Ruby took Quinn, gave me something for your fever. Wolf brought you to the tent while I had some terse words with Fiona about their lack of care. Then I came back to play nurse, again.¡±

    No sharp edges in her expression as she told me that. Although it was more likely that she had stripped me of my suit, I found it more amusing to imagine Wolf trying to do the task without tearing me to shreds in frustration. Why that was the most important thing for my mind at present was perhaps worrying.

    She could see the furrowed brow. ¡°It¡¯s late evening now, you haven¡¯t had a full night¡¯s sleep.¡±

    ¡°Balls,¡± I said, deflating into the bedroll. Some manner of permanent camp, and they couldn¡¯t even get proper beds. I¡¯d complain to the manager if it wasn¡¯t likely to end in bloodshed. What didn¡¯t though?

    As if to answer my errant thoughts, Ren laid down beside me and put her arm across me, her fingers drumming gently on my chest.

    ¡°Moon is out, huh?¡± I asked, a smile across my face.

    She sighed, her breath buffeting my bare shoulder. ¡°Dickbag.¡±

    ¡°Go on, though.¡± Consistency was key, and I had learned to read when the darkness would bring out her softer side.

    A few seconds passed before she responded, her fingers pausing their intended tune as the words found their way out. ¡°Sometimes you scare me, Max.¡±

    ¡°The whole purple eyes and demonic energy?¡± Considering the System had given her a demon destroying skill, that wouldn¡¯t be surprising. It made me wonder if the world had prepared us for the possibility that we¡¯d become enemies, instead of¡­ what we had now.

    ¡°No.¡± She squirmed a little, trying to get more comfortable.

    ¡°My ability to kill without care?¡± It should certainly be concerning that I could put a den of people in the ground and not bat an eye.

    ¡°Not even that.¡±

    I stared up at the gray of our tent, the fading light of the day causing our interior to be dim. The large shadowed shape of Wolf was outside the front, already sleeping. Maybe I got three guesses. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was waiting for it or if I¡¯d never find out if I made another incorrect guess.

    ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± she eventually started to fill the silence, ¡°you give me hope.¡±

    My brow furrowed, and I turned my head to face her. ¡°That¡¯s a bad thing?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She moved closer and pressed the end of her nose against mine. ¡°Just scary.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to call one of those somethings that you owe me.¡± I smiled widely at her.

    She narrowed her eyes and moved her face slightly away to get a better picture of me.

    Before she could fill in the blank with assumptions, I turned away from her onto my side to face the opposite side of the tent. ¡°Could you put your arm around me?¡±

    ¡°Asshole,¡± she whispered, but I could hear the smile on her face through it. She moved up close behind me and put her arm around.

    Not quite as comfortable as Wolf, and I was too exhausted to ask if they could swap. If I were Ren, I¡¯d be more worried over the fact that I was one bad day away from becoming what we sought to destroy. Even the happy campers here could see it, as if we had flashing danger signs over our heads. Kill, struggle, strengthen. The showman act allowed me to put a heavy blanket over the fact that I could be something a lot worse.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    I opened my eyes to the bright light of day permeating through our tent. Morning already? Sleep had hit me harder than¡­ I turned over to see the elf already dressed, kneeling beside me. Her hand cupped my face, and she leaned in for a kiss.

    ¡°Survive the day and you¡¯ll get another,¡± she said as she moved away.

    Tongue-tied, I nodded and tried to put the pieces of my waking brain back into working order. Not that I wasn¡¯t planning on living through the day anyway, but that was as good a motivation as any.

    ¡°We have a guest,¡± she continued, gesturing to my current lack of presentation. ¡°Wolf has been hosting, but he is at his limits.¡±

    A brief amount of awkward stumbling around the surprisingly enclosed space, and I was fully dressed and ready for the first audience of the day. Why Ren had stayed to watch me rather than join the bear, I wasn¡¯t sure¡ªbut it made the process of clothing myself feel more complicated than it needed to be.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    But then, outside the tent I strode, dazzled by the morning light. The soft warmth was even more pleasant than the stage lights I was used to. I turned with a smile to see the rather bored looking bear sitting beside a man with wavy black hair. An outfit of yellow and amber linens, encased with a plain leather breastplate. Black eyepatch and his arm was bound with a splint and bandages.

    ¡°Max!¡± He smiled, his accent hitting some manner of familiarity that I couldn¡¯t place. ¡°My humble thanks for saving my life.¡± He stepped toward me and then kneeled, bowing low to the floor. ¡°I am forever in your debt.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I waved him off with a grimace. Fans were one thing, but that was a little bit too full on. ¡°Luck smiled down on both of us yesterday.¡±

    Ren exited the tent to stand beside me as the man rose back to his feet. His good eye looked between her, me, and then to the bear, before back to me.

    ¡°Never in my time here have I seen such a beautiful Party. Truly inspirational.¡±

    I could feel Ren¡¯s disdain radiating from her even without glancing to see what expression she held. ¡°Thank you?¡± I ventured.

    ¡°The great Doctor Ruby has told me I must rest until my Trauma status has gone, but if there is anything I can do to repay you, please.¡± He gave a slight bow again. ¡°I am at your service.¡±

    A wry grin went up the side of my face. ¡°There is something, actually.¡± Ren shot me a sharp glare before I leaned over and whispered my plan in her ear. She nodded her acceptance, even if her expression didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°We are often short on receptive audiences,¡± I began, moving to stand behind the elf. ¡°If you could just stand and observe, and give us your thoughts after, that would be a great help?¡± I grinned widely and put my hands on Ren¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he shrugged, perhaps a little disappointed the task didn¡¯t involve putting himself in mortal peril to pay back the life I had apparently saved. Maybe I was reading too much into his confusion¡ªwe were a lot on the best of days.

    ¡°Perfect.¡± I walked beside Ren and passed her over a thick gray blanket from behind me. We could really do with a silk sheet, or something velvet? Once she had it, I walked over to the pair waiting with apprehension, and stood behind them. ¡°This is our first try, so allow us some lenience,¡± I murmured.

    Ren cleared her throat and then took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m not doing the whole introduction thing,¡± she grimaced. ¡°But¡­¡± She extended her arms so that the blanket was beside her, before it unraveled to the ground to create a curtain. ¡°Here¡¯s¡­ Max!¡±

    She swooshed the blanket to the floor to reveal¡­ me! With a flourish of my hand, I bowed.

    Dazzle icons on both Quinn and Wolf, as they turned to look to where I had been¡ªthe faint mist of the unsummoned dove barely noticeable behind them. ¡°Not bad,¡± I murmured to the elf, as I unclipped the small perch from the back of her waistcoat, straight into my Inventory.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± She whispered, unable to see the icons.

    ¡°Like a charm,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll cut the bits that make you uncomfortable, though.¡±

    ¡°Sure?¡± She raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Always.¡± I turned and walked back over to the man who was trying to get an explanation from the bear. The show worked best if you played to your strengths, the passion and drive more believable that a fake smile. Not that the latter didn¡¯t help, of course.

    ¡°Impressive magical skills, Max.¡± Quinn turned to me. ¡°Some manner of teleportation, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°If I told you, I¡¯d have to kill you.¡± I grinned. ¡°Which would make saving you pretty pointless, huh?¡± Although I had checked the reports and the curse had been lifted, my normal patience for people hadn¡¯t returned. The camp had me on edge, and my eyes scanned around as Quinn fumbled for a pleasant response.

    ¡°Ah¡ªof course, I didn¡¯t mean to pry.¡± He gave a smile and nodded to us all. ¡°I really must be resting. I just wanted to give my thanks first.¡±

    I nodded in return. ¡°You can repay us by being a good person.¡±

    ¡°Meat, too,¡± Wolf added.

    Silence, as I had expected Ren to add something like ¡®information¡¯ or ¡®staying out of our way¡¯, but as I turned my head, it looked like she was busy in her own head with something.

    ¡°Stay safe, Quinn.¡± I turned back to him.

    With another bow, he turned and went back amongst the groups of tents towards his own, I presumed. His eyes lingered on the distracted elf for a few seconds longer than I felt comfortable with, and I watched him depart, my smile faded to an impassive glare as he disappeared from view.

    ¡°There are a lot of bad smells in this place,¡± Wolf began, as he watched the man depart. ¡°But he is not one of them. Talks way too shitting much, though.¡±

    I gave the bear a pat on the shoulder, still unsure if that was demeaning or not. ¡°Let¡¯s get some food in us, and then find something to kill.¡±

    He looked up at me, a grin across his large mouth. ¡°Now those are my kinda words.¡±

    The sound of sizzling meat hit my ears, as the elf had brought out her grill as soon as I had said the word. I turned to her, and despite the turmoil the day was sure to bring us, there was some amount of contented calm in her eyes.

    <hr>

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡± Fiona crossed her arms. Ruby stood beside her, looking a lot less put off by our intentions. In the slight background, Magnus was leaning against some crates.

    ¡°Why would we just sit around?¡± Ren frowned and crossed her arms in response. "Max was kidnapped from here yesterday, and you said undead attacks are regular."

    I chose to sit this one out as much as I could. There was still a little part of me, hiding away in the pit of my stomach, that wanted to murder everyone in the camp. Just in case. Not exactly the most mentally stable of thoughts, so the less I could rile myself up, the better.

    Ren was right to be annoyed, though. Apparently Fiona hadn¡¯t exactly been as enraged and surprised to hear of the kidnappings as she should have been¡ªaccording to the elf. There was a pool of apathy and passiveness that enveloped this valley, and we didn¡¯t want any part of it. Although the equipment from the black market den was reasonable, we hadn¡¯t gotten any experience, and were already under-leveled for the area.

    We needed to grow, not languish.

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous,¡± Fiona worked her jaw. ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s out there.¡±

    I could see Ren seething, and now, knowing the history between the two, it put the conversation in a much more awkward light. Whether Ruby could see the nuance or not, she didn¡¯t appear bothered. At first I had considered that two of the camp might want to join our group for leveling, but that thought soured at record speed.

    ¡°Well, we are going to find out.¡± Ren shrugged and turned away. I followed suit, while Wolf gave Magnus a glare before following alongside us.

    Fiona grumbled and complained to the goblin, quiet enough to be out of my hearing.

    ¡°Is it us, or them?¡± Ren asked me, as we walked up the hill towards the rock where the road split.

    ¡°We are removing the tumor that is draining the life from this world.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But we¡¯re using a ballista to do it.¡±

    Not that I wanted to start debating the morality of utilizing wholesale cold-hearted murder to solve the issues plaguing the System. When the alternative was the Shadows doing the same, we were a necessary evil. Assuming the first area was now blooming with normal Players, the proof of our methods effectiveness went without question. Fiona hadn¡¯t seen what we had been through.

    I shook the gloom from my head as Ren looked like she was still chewing her own thoughts.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a repeatable Quest,¡± I said. ¡°I need to feel in control again.¡±

 75 - Playing Catch-Up

    My back clicked as I leaned side to side. ¡°What were these, again?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re called Wildfolk.¡± Ren removed her hat to rub at her forehead. Her hair caught the light in a way that drew my eyes, before she covered it once more.

    ¡°Look like meat,¡± Wolf added.

    Not entirely inaccurate, I supposed. Although they weren¡¯t up to my culinary standards, they would make quite the meal for the bear. While their lower halves were humanoid, from their chest upwards they were¡­ feathered? Mostly hues of brown and the occasional white, their faces like those of owls, with small antlers from the tops of their heads.

    ¡°Are they a thing in your world?¡± I worked out my shoulders to limber out.

    She shook her head. ¡°No. They are strange.¡±

    Well, we¡¯d better go kill them. I didn¡¯t say that part out loud because it sounded bad enough just echoing around in my head. The System hadn¡¯t given us much incentive as to why they needed to be culled¡ªour adventure just taking us close enough to the area where the pop up promised us reward for wholesale slaughter.

    ¡°We¡¯re under leveled for the area, so we should get good returns here¡­ maybe for two levels?¡± She removed an arrow from her quiver.

    I looked around the area. Mostly unassuming. Woodlands to our left¡ªlight brown trees with more rounded shaped leaves. A field in front of us with the monsters pacing around. Just to our right was a ledge that dropped down to an emptier field, with spare trees and some low houses further away.

    ¡°Sounds good.¡± I nodded, but my mind was elsewhere. Something wasn¡¯t right with this area and I couldn¡¯t quite place it yet. Still, out in the relative open, we should see anyone trying to get the jump on us, and it looked otherwise quiet and pleasant¡ªif you ignored what we were about to do.

    Swapped my Accessory back to the damage increasing item, and strapped the wand and scroll holders to the insides of my forearms underneath my suit.

    ¡°Fog Wand is down to one charge, shame it doesn¡¯t reset.¡± Somewhat lucky of me to have stored those away during my doctor''s appointment so that I could drop and activate them when I was kidnapped. Probably a waste of a use, but it was done now.

    ¡°Want to take one of mine?¡± She shook her own leather containers at me.

    ¡°No, thanks though.¡± I brought a magic card into my hand. ¡°Let us begin the show.¡±

    Although her eyes rolled, there was less ire in them than usual. I didn¡¯t have the ego to assume I was winning her over to being just like me¡­ but perhaps some acceptance was starting to paint over the gaps now that we were meeting in the middle. Sometimes to kiss.

    My card wavered slightly off course as I threw it, my distracted thoughts causing it to flutter wildly at the last second to strike the first Wildfolk¡¯s feathered shoulder rather than where I supposed their neck was. They turned toward me and received an arrow directly to the forehead. They stumbled before dropping to the floor.

    [Wildfolk 1/25]

    ¡°Just do that twenty-four more times, easy.¡± I grinned at her, before my eyes were drawn to two more of the monsters, who turned toward us as the first had died.

    Rather than draw weapons or charge towards us, they began to charge a ball of green energy between their hands.

    ¡°You were saying?¡± Ren clenched her jaw and was already pulling back another arrow.

    Wolf surged forward, his body glowing orange as his paws pounded across the soft grass. We had hoped to just draw the enemy into his waiting jaws, but it looked like these were all spellcasters.

    My cards raced ahead of him, splitting as they passed over. One struck the Wildfolk on the right, severing some of his fingers¡ªthe second landing behind them to release a Hellhound+ from a magic circle.

    Ren¡¯s arrow blazed with radiant energy as her Smite Shot burned through the air to strike the second monster in the chest. Feathers soaking through with crimson, it let loose the spell before keeling over. The green orb flew from their hands and burst against the bear, singing some fur but not doing anything too dire. He slammed into the wounded monster and crushed them beneath his wide paws.

    As Wolf bit through into his prey, the Hellhound+ came over, panting and tail wagging. He sat down in front of Ren and tilted his head with a whine.

    Her face softened, and she raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t send them to me?¡± She crouched down to give him pets.

    ¡°I do not, honestly.¡± At first, I had, but after a while, they just did it of their own volition. I wondered whether they could tell how much she adored dogs, or it was part of our own bond strengthening that they saw her as an equal to me. Roger certainly had cooled on her after we had¡­ actually, I¡¯d rather not think about the distraction, nor the implications.

    Speak of the demon, though.

    card went out into the least mangled and chewed monster, and it rose back to its feet. Purple ears tore the antlers from the head as their wide eyes burst out to reveal deep pits with a small light in the middle. He held his feathered arms out and looked down at his puppet body.

    ¡°I¡¯m a fuckin¡¯ bird!¡± He tried to smile with the beaked mouth and it just looked as though he was in great pain instead.

    I withdrew Jokkar¡¯s mace and handed it to my demon as he waddled over to me.

    ¡°Thanks, boss. You and¡­ ¡®the elf¡¯ doin¡¯ alright?¡± He leaned to the side to see past me.

    ¡°Still breathing, Roger. You and the family?¡±

    He fidgeted awkwardly. ¡°Eh¡­ less said the better. What you want me to kill?¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°More of these¡­ bird people. If you and Wolf split up to tag opponents, and we¡¯ll assist from range? They are magic casters, so¡­ have fun?¡± It didn''t feel necessary to warn him, I doubted it would dampen his enthusiasm to learn things the hard and bloody way.

    ¡°On it, boss.¡± He nodded and turned to face the still-living creatures ahead, waddling off to get closer to the bear.

    ¡°We¡¯ll loot as we go, fight from the ones felled, like a chain.¡± I tilted my head and then felt her hand on my arm. My eyebrow raised as I turned to her.

    She seemed rather calm, beneath that blue top hat. A slight scowl, but something more from habit than any true feeling. Whatever had darkened our souls when staying at the camp had shifted, and getting back into having a clear enemy to grind through had done wonders for both our moods.

    ¡°Fiona told me that the maximum level is twenty, and progression is tied more to skill advancements.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t the most romantic or heartfelt thing she had said to me, but she won me over with those eyes. ¡°Oh, so looting things for stats will be even more important?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I just wanted to make a note that you¡¯ve been doing better with that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I was going to say condescending, but perhaps she had a point. A little bit of personal growth never killed anyone. ¡°¡­just one of the ways you¡¯ve improved my life.¡±

    ¡°Ass.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve had it easy lately. Don¡¯t make me grouch on you again.¡±

    I gave her a bow, just as a crunch came from down field. Roger had broken the arm of a Wildfolk, and was trying to swing his large mace around for a second strike. The blast of magic sent him stumbling back and his attack faltered. Mine did not, as a blazing card zipped across the grass and pierced through the opponent''s chest.

    ¡°You wait for our signal, Roger!¡± I exhaled through my nose as I flexed my fingers. No blood.

    ¡°Sorry!¡±

    I turned back to Ren, only barely missing the slight smile fading away.

    ¡°Your eyes went purple again.¡± She gestured for us to get back to work.

    The hound ran off as I circled another card into the air. ¡°When I threw my magic card or when I admonished Roger?¡±

    She raised an eyebrow as she fired off an arrow. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡±

    That was generally the point of asking questions, but I saw what she was trying to do. It had long gone unspoken that my eyes would glow and I would arc with some manner of electric power when things were most dire. When I exhausted both my mana and my emotional reserves. Whether it meant anything or not wasn¡¯t really something we had deliberated over.

    None of my passives mentioned it, so perhaps it was just an aftereffect. Something visual that didn¡¯t hint at something untoward and demonic within me. I flicked my card around the next enemy, slicing them three times before Wolf slammed into them.

    [45 Gold]

    [Egg (3)]

    [Chance Box]

    Back to those again, huh? I¡¯d save them until we were done fighting around here and then open them at once. The eggs felt¡­ these were bird-like people¡­ so I wasn¡¯t sure where my moral scale put looting their potential young. Perhaps they were unfertilized? Actually, I didn¡¯t want to know either way, so into the Inventory they went.

    ¡°Chance boxes,¡± Ren groaned, looting through a different Wildfolk.

    ¡°Right?¡± I stood up and threw another card out, walking over to the next corpse. Wolf was having no issue against single spellcasters, even as more aggroed, with the occasional heal or shield, he tore through them, taking very little damage. Roger was getting a little more beat up, but changed corpses every so often to stay fresh.

    I looked down at my hands. They were fine, which was a relief. No blood yet. ¡°What do you think of Quinn?¡±

    She withdrew an arrow, still focused on the targets ahead. ¡°Is the context of this question you fishing to see how open I am to expanding our¡­ stage show?¡±

    ¡°You can call it Party,¡± I wrinkled up my face. Was I asking that? Neither of us trusted new people very easily. ¡°Not join us, no¡­ but he could be useful?¡±

    Ren grunted, but didn¡¯t have any further thoughts to add.

    Perhaps not a subject to tackle quite yet. I wasn¡¯t even that keen on growing a full five-person group either, truth be told. With my summons, we were practically that, without the added dynamics of inter-party conflict. Loot shared three ways. Plus, we knew nothing about Quinn and he might be a terrible mix, anyway.

    My Hellhound+ faded away, giving a short bark to us both, tail wagging, before he departed. I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you think if we gave them name tags, we¡¯d eventually see the same one?¡± If they even went to Hell, or however it worked. I felt like they did, but didn''t know where that assumption came from. In fairness, I did feel all sorts of odd things on the regular.

    ¡°I think we should try,¡± she nodded, her expression nothing but business. ¡°Speaking of, got any tricks we can practice while we grind?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± I grinned. ¡°You¡¯re an accurate shot. You think you could place an arrow a foot above the next monster?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    With a nod, I drew another Hellhound+ card into my hand and flung it near straight upwards. Reaching high into the air, I curved it into a wide arc¡ªway out of normal visual range of whoever was standing around. Ren drew an arrow as it started to head down towards the intended target.

    Then she fired, and the arrow zipped across to strike the card exactly where we had both planned. The magic circle beamed into the air and a fresh hound dropped down atop the Wildfolk¡¯s head.

    ¡°Summons have to land on an inanimate surface. I wondered if an arrow being an attack wouldn¡¯t work, but¡­ good shot.¡±

    Ren nodded. ¡°You can already throw them any distance you please, almost, but this way they can spawn in mid air if needed.¡±

    I had done something similar before with a thrown object, which was fine for short range¡ªbut it always paid to have different options and someone else on board. With a sigh, I brought up the Map to ensure we weren''t wandering near the danger zone.

    The area was a rough square, with the intended progression path being to follow the main road that went diagonally from the bridge in the bottom right, up to the largest town in the top left. The Crimson Shadow held most things above that line, while the ¡®resistance¡¯ survived below it. I used that term loosely, seeing as the only thing they were resisting was taking action against the gang.

    The necromancer and his Party were a little way to the right, away from dead center, if I excused myself the pun. We were slightly above the road, but much closer to the bridge to the point we shouldn¡¯t need to worry. Chewing through the Wildfolk was taking us further north¡ªbut we should be in the clear.

    ¡°So eager for more trouble, trickster?¡± She caught me glaring at the invisible screens. ¡°You were almost tortured to death yesterday and you¡¯re just waiting for the inevitable ambush, huh?¡±

    ¡°You can feel it too, though?¡± I closed down the STAR and brought out another magic card.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She erased another monster from this world.

    [Wildfolk: 18/25]

    I looked out at the woods to our left. Pretty well illuminated, with nothing hiding within other than a few of the monsters wandering away from this field. To our right, it was clear as well. Something vibrated at the back of my mind, though. An uncomfortable feeling like I was being tickled with a feather. A flare of something that reminded me of the pigman from yesterday, but different. Familiar and unwanted. My card went out, and I began to orbit us both.

    Ren stopped and frowned at me.

    Split them as they spun around us both, switched the direction of one, slowed the speed, lowered the height. Then I expanded the orbit away from us. Increased the speed as they got further away. Wolf and Roger turned to see what I was doing. Blood ran down my fingers as I concentrated.

    Then, there it was¡ªa shift in the odd feeling in my head. I spun to face behind us and launched both cards to swirl around like a vortex. A dozen feet. Two dozen. To the left a little, my brain nudged the cards. One stopped as it struck something as the other zoomed off into the distance.

    A figure dropped out of invisibility and stumbled. Facing away from us, they scrambled to sprint away, but Ren¡¯s entangling arrow slammed through their leg, dropping them to the ground as vines curled up around them.

    I stepped over, already there before I had even realized it. They turned, and underneath the shadow of their mottled gray cloak, a singular white eye glared at me in panic.

 76 - Demon Hunter

    Click.

    A satisfying sound. Just as Rolo attempted to hold me away while I loomed menacingly toward him, I had snapped the Nullifying cuff on the outstretched arm. The surprise in his eye was only second to our own, as I pulled back his hood.

    Ruddy skin, two small horns, sharp teeth on an otherwise featureless face beneath the bright eye. The hand-print of red was barely visible.

    ¡°You¡¯re a demon.¡± I said. More of a statement than a question. Context clues aside, part of me knew already. A reason why I had been able to sense him despite his abilities.

    ¡°And part of the Crimson Shadows,¡± Ren added from beside me.

    I suppose that part was important too. Might explain why the scout wasn¡¯t able to get a lot of useful information from the side he actually controlled. Maybe even assisted in the campground apathy by making going forward seem impossible.

    ¡°You can talk, right?¡± I narrowed my eyes at him.

    ¡°Fuck you, unbelievers.¡± He hissed back, disdain starting to build behind facial expressions.

    I raised my head up to look at the elf. ¡°It is more of a cult here, huh?¡±

    Her brow was furrowed. ¡°Your eyes are¡­ do you need me to take over?¡±

    Hmm. I didn¡¯t feel particularly emotional or full of power, so it was odd that my eyes were reacting. Just looking at the demon, though¡­ He needed to die, and I was willing to do it right now. No hesitation or need for further questions. ¡°Yeah, please do.¡±

    I stood slowly, and walked backward, unable to keep my eyes off him. Warmth behind me as I bumped into Wolf, so I leaned back into his side and crossed my arms.

    ¡°Weird demon, boss.¡± Roger was resting against the large mace as he watched proceedings. ¡°All should obey you and follow your commands ¡®n¡¯ shit.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure why I¡¯d get them to do that, but he had a point. This insolent demon should learn his place. A card flickered into my hand and then faded away. He needed sending back to Hell, but it was Ren¡¯s turn and I wasn''t rude enough to interrupt her.

    Wolf nudged me. ¡°Focus yourself.¡±

    My eyes blinked, and I looked away from the abomination to regard the bear and his earnest amber orbs. He was right, this wasn¡¯t the normal me thinking. Or even the abnormal me. I opened up my Health Report, and it was all clear. Just an average psychotic break, perhaps.

    ¡°Thanks, bud.¡± I gave him a pat on the side, partially to wipe some of the blood from my hands. The ploy was short lived after I realized I was just getting Wildfolk blood on me from his fur. How the tables turned.

    Ren deflated and held a knife towards the neck of the scout. The vines had slowly sunk away now, so he was only held in place by the insinuation of violence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much energy for this today,¡± she began. ¡°So play nice and I won¡¯t let Max¡­¡± she leaned in closer and whispered to him. His eye widened and looked over toward me.

    ¡°Sick fuck,¡± he murmured.

    Unsure as to what I was being signed up for, for some reason I decided grinning and licking my lips was the appropriate nail to hammer into the coffin Ren was promising. He paled and looked as though he might throw up.

    Roger hopped over a little closer to me, more because of his awkwardness in moving the puppet-person than because he was a rabbit-analogue. ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, boss. If you kill him, can I be him? Be the demon?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Sure thing¡­¡± I didn¡¯t get to finish my sentence as he blew away in the breeze straight after hearing the affirmative. The mace topped over to the floor, the thick handle almost landing on my toes. Maybe I wouldn''t do it, actually. I wasn''t currently sure if I could view the demon as a friend even with Roger in there.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Ren continued. ¡°We¡¯re going to do this easy way, okay? Just a couple of questions and then we won¡¯t kill you.¡±

    Not even a lie, I could tell from her voice. We¡¯d hand him over to the camp and he¡¯d be their problem. If they wanted to outsource the executioner, though¡­ I knew someone with freshly licked lips. No, that didn¡¯t sound right. I brought up my Inventory, sorting through my items to try to keep my brain on track. Oh, maybe I could open those Chance Boxes¡ªI had three of them now.

    I played a drumroll in my head, ready for disappointment.

    [Ring of Critical] [+2% Melee Critical Chance]

    [Belt of the Trickster] [+3 Int, +2 Dex]

    [Necklace of the Quick] [+2 Agi, +5% Movement Speed]

    Not the worst haul in the world. I paused in deliberating who could use the items, equipping the belt myself, before something felt strange. My jaw clenched in anticipation.

    With the flash of yellow light, a wave of warmth washed over us. My eyes adjusted to see what now lay before us. The green grass and soft dirt had now been replaced by dry sand, almost endless, until it reached the horizon in all directions. The other thing to note was the large sun in the dull sky, pelting everything with continuous waves of heat.

    As Ren got her bearings, briefly as confused as Wolf and I, Rolo sank down into the sand where he lay as if it was just water.

    I stepped up closer to her, card in hand, as she drew an arrow.

    ¡°The fuck is this?¡± she said through clenched teeth, eyes darting around the empty surroundings.

    ¡°Demons of a certain power are able to cast a Domain, like a pocket dimension. Usually gives them certain powers or advantages. I would guess that this is his Class ability, since he can¡¯t use active skills with the cuff on.¡±

    She turned to me, confusion across her face. ¡°How do you¡­ shit, Max? Your eyes are practically on fire.¡±

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Strange, because I felt pretty calm. As to where the knowledge came from¡­ it was the Other Max, of course. He had dealt with other demons¡ªkilled them, in fact¡ªas a matter of priority, usually. Drawing on the memories of that side of me, I hadn¡¯t been inside more than a couple Domains in my time.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like sand,¡± Wolf grumbled from behind us. ¡°Get us out of here, Max.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ try.¡±

    The card in my hand empowered brighter, but in truth, I didn¡¯t know where to begin. The idea of a Domain was to give the demon a home-turf advantage. If anything, it just made me wander to other questions. Could I, or Roger, receive a Domain in time? I already knew what mine would look like, and I licked my dry lips. Not that I was a demon, I was quick to remind myself.

    Not in the technical sense.

    ¡°Vibrations,¡± Wolf said, lowering his head.

    ¡°Direct me.¡±

    He sniffed at the air and then sharply turned his glare towards the left.

    My card went out, twirling through the air and then carving through the sand. A trail burned through in a line before the card ran out of energy.

    ¡°He moved away, but you were close.¡± Wolf turned slowly as he tried to track the vibrations circling behind us now.

    The demon appeared to be swimming through the sand as it was water, too. A simple trick that probably worked out fine against System-created or confused Players. I knew too much though, and I was molded into the killer of demons. If anything, he was delaying the inevitable.

    ¡°Ren, apex,¡± I commanded, throwing a card straight up above me before a second was already glowing in my hand. Her bow drew back, not needing to question my request or thought process.

    Wolf began to growl at the sand as he focused. The arrow was let loose. I removed my hat into my left hand, feeling the approaching attack just as well as the bear could.

    A mound appeared in the sand a few dozen feet away from us, and as we readied to attack, it zipped forward and burst out from the ground. Awash with falling sand was a giant snake, a ruddy color and with a singular white eye. The ridges of their hooded head caught the odd sunlight, illuminating the tough-looking scales that covered their body. Without hesitation, they burst forward toward the bear, large fangs dripping with venom in a wide open maw.

    Then a large fireball struck the sand it was trying to move through, the intense heat turning it to glass. My card was out and sliced straight down the middle, turning it into two sharp edges that Rolo was pushing his body between. Imp+ landed from above into my hat as I sent him away.

    The sharp glass panels opened up darker crimson lines down his body as he squirmed and slowed his assault. Briefly, I wondered if my ability to push Deception also worked on physics, as that whole charade worked conveniently well. I didn''t know the correct heat fire needed to be to melt sand into glass, but it seemed that neither did Rolo''s Domain. The show continued despite our shared ignorance, not wanting to let a good plan go to waste.

    Wolf leaped forward and clobbered the giant snake to the ground. Ren had her Smite shot ready for when he gave her an opening.

    I looked around. There really was nothing except heat and dried rock. Reminded me of Hell, and I wasn¡¯t sure if that was some comforting nostalgia or age-old nausea rolling around inside me. Deal enough damage to the demon and the Domain would shatter away. I had no doubts Wolf was about to achieve that, even without Ren¡¯s help. It had been a last-ditch attempt to gain the upper hand, but without his abilities still, he was far outmatched.

    There was a cracking tear noise from behind me, and then everything washed away in a cool breeze, as if I had been staring at a painting that suddenly shredded before becoming ash. The bright greens made me wince as I turned to see the scout in the bear''s mouth.

    ¡°Dead?¡± I asked.

    Wolf shook his head, which just elicited sharp groans of pain from the demon.

    Ren sighed and shook her head. ¡°Never a normal day.¡± She turned to me. ¡°You want to try this time?¡±

    I pulled a face. ¡°Literally, I cannot. Won¡¯t even make it through the first question before I¡¯ll murder him in cold blood. Colder than usual.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Your eyes are still bright purple. How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°Prbbly bttrr thn hmm,¡± Wolf said with a full mouth, to the added pain of his current captive.

    ¡°Good, actually.¡± I frowned. Heath Report was clear. My hands were in decent shape. ¡°It might just be a reaction to him being a demon.¡±

    ¡°You use demons¡ªfriendly with them to a fault¡ªand yet any outside your control you detest and must erase?¡± She raised an eyebrow, but she already knew what the answer would be and had accepted it. As much as it needed acceptance, anyway.

    With my shrug being the only response, she sighed. ¡°Well, give me some pointers on what to ask them, trickster.¡±

    ¡°Get info on the necromancer and nearby threats. See if there¡¯s anything actually untoward going on at the camp.¡±

    ¡°Shame we can¡¯t do good-cop, bad-cop.¡± Her eyes lingered on me as she walked away.

    I watched her walk over, mostly unsure of how to process that. In the pragmatic sense, the pair of us could work over a mark pretty well with the carrot and stick approach. The continued eye-contact might give rise to a secondary desire, but then again, perhaps she was just spooked by my glowing eyes. I probably would be, if I could see them. Somehow during my travels I hadn¡¯t procured a mirror.

    The camp might wonder where their scout had vanished to if we played a little too rough with him. I winced as he screamed; the bear dropping him to the grass. Without proof of his betrayal, they might assume that we were out of control, and they already weren¡¯t keen on how dirtied our hands were with other Player¡¯s blood. Of course, there was also the possibility that they were in on it, and admitting things would get us in deeper trouble.

    There was another crunch and Rolo yelped and started to sob. Ren was talking quietly to him, and I couldn¡¯t hear what was asked or what the replies were. Didn¡¯t really matter¡ªdespite the sounds of it, I knew she wasn¡¯t torturing him. She would assure me of such in a moment after she had got all the information she could and then his fate was in my hands. That¡¯s just how this show was going to play out. Written in blood already long dried.

    I kept my eyes on the back of us, to make sure he had no way of calling backup or the Monsters didn¡¯t start respawning. The sobbing increased, and then Ren rose to walk back over to me.

    ¡°That probably sounded bad, but he did that to himself with squirming on his injuries,¡± she began. ¡°I wasn¡¯t torturing him. Got what information I could, so what are we going to do with him now?¡±

    A wry smile touched the side of my mouth before I turned my face to her. ¡°He is a Crimson Shadow, yet he was not a brainless murderer. Is he redeemable?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± She blew air from her mouth. ¡°We¡¯re not really well-equipped to be the law enforcement around here, or judge on morality.¡±

    I nodded. If the gang had a few more brain cells and less desire to murder everyone in this area, then we might have to employ a more nuanced take. What the Oathwarden said was true, however. If not killing them outright, what could we even do? Left alone, they might cause further trouble. Return to their gang. Track us down for revenge.

    Before I even knew it, I had stepped around to the prone figure. Ren had followed me, and Wolf was still guarding his potential next meal. I kneeled down beside the demon and grabbed him by the bloodied shirt, pulling him up to face me.

    His single eye was bloodshot. While on first appearances he didn¡¯t seem to have a pupil, it was actually very light gray, and I could see it move about to regard me as I held him. Blood ran from his mouth, darker than normal humanoid blood, but very familiar to me.

    ¡°Do you know what I am? What I was?¡± Now that I was so close to him, I could see purple light illuminating his large orb, my own eyes full of something that he seemed to recognize.

    ¡°Hunter¡­¡± he gurgled.

    ¡°Yes. It is second nature for me to destroy beings like you. At least¡­ in my old world. I¡¯m willing to make a change here, but you have to meet me halfway.¡± My jaw clenched as I struggled against the desire to kill him.

    ¡°Just¡­ fuckin¡¯ kill¡­ me.¡± His breath was labored.

    He wanted it. Gave me permission. I could be the killer I was trained to be and bathe in his demonic blood. Serve my purpose. Rend another life into the nether. One less demon in Hell.

    But that performance was rather played out. Where was the showmanship, the desire to wow and dazzle? I wavered as if my head was weighted by the conflicting thoughts.

    I let go and dropped him to the floor. Stood back to my feet.

    ¡°Team meeting,¡± I said, my eyes beginning to ache.

 77 - Pact Showing

    Ren rubbed at her face before looking at the demon laying a little way off. Her eyes were tired. Perhaps already full of tribulations for the day. ¡°I don¡¯t know, trickster. It sounds like a lot more trouble than it¡¯ll be worth.¡±

    I shrugged. It definitely would be - I couldn¡¯t deny that. ¡°You¡¯re curious, though, right?¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah. But I¡¯m also looking out for my own neck.¡±

    Another very fair point. ¡°Your thoughts, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°I feel my morals are vastly different due to my simple nature. My heart does not care for the nuance.¡± His eyes turned back to our injured captive. ¡°And my stomach hungers to be filled.¡±

    I exhaled through my nose. Well, I knew it would be a hard sell. Keeping a prisoner to see what happened if they didn¡¯t get the Lady¡¯s blood, if they could be cured, was a drag both in the figurative and literal sense. Plus¡ªthe part of me that was keen to rip his head off added¡ªthey had joined up with her by choice at first, anyway. It wasn¡¯t my job to fix their life choices.

    Ren put her hand on my arm. ¡°Do you think they would offer us a shred of the same leniency?¡±

    Normally, I might argue that we should be better than them. That sort of cliche argument. But did we need to be? We¡¯d be doing the System a favor to erase such a bad actor. Surely the Players in the first area had seemed irredeemable, and Rolo was also a demon. A demon.

    ¡°If you want to override our views,¡± Ren relinquished her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t like it, but I won¡¯t argue against it. Follow your heart. I ask nothing more.¡±

    I nodded. Star of the show, I turned and walked over to the bleeding body of the scout.

    From atop my head, I removed my hat and held it over him so that his face would be shaded from the sun. His white eye was half-closed, but still glaring at me. He was fading away and would need Ren¡¯s healing soon, before his wounds took him away from us.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said softly, a smile across my face, ¡°you¡¯re safe now.¡±

    Before he had a chance to respond, the stolen safe dropped out from the underside of my hat and crushed his skull with a dull crack. Top hat returned to my head as the large metal cube rolled off of his pulped face, and I furrowed my brow.

    Ren stepped up beside me. ¡°That was a little more sociopathic than I was expecting.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± I turned to her, a little confused.

    ¡°Your eyes are back to normal now,¡± she noted. ¡°Purple eyes mean pendulum mood swings?¡±

    I looked back down at the dead body and waved the safe away back into my Inventory. Would have been nice if that opened it, but I winced slightly at seeing the damage done. I kneeled down to loot him.

    ¡°My turn after you, Max?¡± Wolf pushed his head alongside me to sniff at the body.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied. Leaned to the side slightly into his warm fur. Comforting. Took the magic cuff from the demon''s wrist as I looked through the other items. No incriminating diary or secret letters, the usual gold and healing items.

    ¡°Some Dex equipment on him,¡± I announced out loud, intending the words to meet Ren¡¯s ears. Something inside me had¡­ it felt like elastic that had been stretched too far and was having trouble resetting to the normal shape.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a look.¡± She came down beside me, placing her hand on my shoulder as she crouched.

    My jaw clenched, and I felt like shrugging her off, although I remained steady. Her hair hurt my eyes. I needed to stand and move away, and waited for her hand to get off my fucking shoulder before I¡­ oh, something was definitely not right.

    ¡°I need a minute alone.¡± My feet were already taking me away. Not too far, just to somewhere they weren¡¯t in my peripheral. Clear fields and hills ahead of me. My eyes closed, and I enjoyed the breeze trying to calm me. Thank you, breeze.

    To their credit, they did leave me alone. I winced as Wolf started to crunch through the body, but that meant Ren had finished looting and was probably standing and staring at me. I couldn¡¯t feel her glare melting a hole in the back of my head, which only meant that she was worried.

    Was it the cold-blooded murder? Not really. It was probably the right call in the long run. We had seen what they were capable of. I couldn¡¯t take the chances of putting my companions in danger.

    It was that he was a demon. I was sure of it.

    Even after my souls had merged, I still felt like the normal, showman Max was the one in charge for the most part. Seeing the demon drew out the deeper memories and feelings. Demon Hunting was apparently a harsh and constantly stressful profession, often Hunters would fall to insanity or corruption if demons didn¡¯t get to them first. I was trying to hide this from myself. Let a little mania slide through in the tricks and visceral combat, but the true horrors were locked away.

    Until now, at least.

    I palmed at my eyes, poor tired orbs of mine. Exhaled, and turned back to the Party with a smile. The elf did have a pensive look on her face, but her arms were also crossed. I was wasting good grinding time, after all. With the mobs, to get experience, I meant.

    ¡°Anything to declare, trickster?¡±

    ¡°I hope to never meet another demon in this world,¡± I said. ¡°Now let¡¯s kill more Monsters so I can summon Roger.¡±

    I expected some rolled eyes at that, but she just tilted her head. She read me like a book, one perhaps even more miserable than the journal I attempted to keep. Her body language was permitting me to go ahead and start killing things for the Quest, but her eyes burned for some actual answers.

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    My jaw clenched, but I gestured her over to me with a finger. She strode over and stopped in front of me, arms still crossed all the way.

    ¡°The other soul really doesn¡¯t like demons, and it brought up some¡­ repressed trauma, I suppose?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡±

    ¡°Better.¡± I shuffled around in my suit jacket. ¡°Fragile, still. I don¡¯t think I meant to kill him that way.¡±

    ¡°It would have been more amusing in the heat of battle. We¡¯ll decompress tonight, okay?¡± She narrowed her eyes at me, but they were full of concern rather than annoyance. ¡°But if you need to tap out¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know, I promise.¡± Although the start of our adventures had started with me being closed off with my stability, I had learned to be more open. It made us a stronger Party to know our limits.

    This time, it earned me a soft smile. A rarity and always worth the anguish of baring my issues. It faded just as quickly as she nodded towards the Wildfolk patiently awaiting their murders. ¡°Let¡¯s go, a long day ahead of us.¡±

    Wolf passed on the demonic meal, one crunched leg and he decided it wasn¡¯t to his taste. He much preferred the comforting meal the Wildfolk could provide. I took things easier, too. It gave me time to process the battle with the demon. The Domain and his transformation into a snake to try to defeat us. The way part of me wanted his death so furiously was probably part of the reason the other me swung hard the other way to try to save him. Balance, lest I fall to¡­ something worse, I supposed.

    For all the physical damage I had accumulated on our journeys so far, it often felt like my brain got the worst of it. The killing, bravado, mania, showmanship, anger - all bubbling around inside me as the different souls fought to become stronger. It was exhausting in a way a good sleep didn¡¯t fully satisfy. I brought Roger back out, and after a brief look of disappointment in seeing he wasn''t Rolo, he got back into the violence with his usual aplomb.

    Wildfolk fell to our advances. I weaved the cards around, once again a conductor moving the glowing purple objects along smooth trails. Through a head, into the eyes, hands and forearms to disarm or waylay. It warmed my hands to feel it, a soft comfort as they grew brighter. Went further forward to start drawing in more Monsters before Wolf and Roger were ready to catch up. I hummed a tune, smiling.

    The elf stepped into my view, disrupting the show. ¡°Max?¡±

    I dropped the cards and clenched my bleeding hands. ¡°Yes, Ren?¡±

    ¡°Took you a while to hear me there. I said the Quest is ready to hand-in, you¡¯re wasting kills.¡±

    My head nodded. Understood the words and what she meant. Remembered why we were doing this, but also the promise made. ¡°I seem to be dissociating a little. Autopilot.¡± I wondered how the System would translate that over to something she understood.

    ¡°Are you in the right mind to know when to stop or not?¡± She tilted her head, concern once again across her expression.

    I blinked slowly and frowned. ¡°This is going to sound strange, but could you heal me?¡± Although I wasn¡¯t physically wounded, there was something else knocking away inside my head.

    She nodded and held her hand out, and the radiant energy flashed into me.

    I winced and shirked away from it. ¡°Ah!¡± My face was a grimace as I shivered from what felt like an icicle being jabbed into me. As it cooled away, whatever fever hung over my mind faded away. ¡°Thanks, much better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a really unusual reaction.¡± Her eyes narrowed at me.

    ¡°Is it? I mean, knowing where my power comes from¡­¡± I pulled a face. Radiant energy was the polar opposite of demonic, as far as I knew. If I was having waves of demonic influence clouding my mind, a little inoculation via the divine kept me grounded to who I really was.

    Ren put her hand on my arm and sighed. ¡°As if I didn¡¯t have enough reasons to babysit you. Just tell me when you feel you need ¡®cleansing¡¯ then, okay? I¡¯d hate to see what happens when you go off the deep end.¡± With a pat, she moved away to go and loot the bodies.

    I smiled as I watched her go, but the expression quickly sunk away.

    Problem was, I wanted to see what happened.

    No doubt it wouldn¡¯t be something good for any of us, least of all me. There was this¡­ pull of power drawing me in, however. Dragged through trauma and violence, I wanted to leap with both feet into the puddle and get soaked. Good way to get a cold¡ªor my head shorn off¡ªif I stopped miring myself in metaphor. The show must go on.

    I shook my head off and went up to join the others, handing my Quest in along the way.

    [Quest Complete]

    [125 Gold]

    [Healing Potion]

    [Chance Box]

    Terrible. They deserved to die just for the rewards alone. I accepted the Quest once again and decided the Chance Boxes could wait until we sat down to rest. One more attempt at it and we should level up. Being slightly behind the curve seemed to make the process take less time than we¡¯d normally be sandbagged with.

    ¡°Power Token, trickster,¡± Ren flicked it into the air towards me.

    I held out my hand, and it bounced off, onto the grass. Their eyes turned to me, suspense and confusion on their faces. My brow furrowed too, and I leaned over to pick it up. As I rose back to a standing position, the long pole of the Spear of Luck came up from the ground instead of the Token.

    Ren¡¯s exasperated sigh was all the applause I needed. Back to normal Max. Now with the weapon fully out, I spun it with a flourish to turn it back into the Token. Now the question was what to pick. It had been far too long since we had a boost in power, and I was hungry for it.

    My eyes idly went from the gemstone over to my pact demon, and I raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Hey, Roger,¡± I called him over.

    He waddled the puppet body over to me, his purple eyes glaring at me through no fault of his own. ¡°Yeah, Boss? This has been fuckin¡¯ great so far.¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡± I tilted my head.

    ¡°Yeah, makes a nice change from the problems at home.¡± He deflated slightly and propped his awkward body up on the handle of the large maul.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry to hear that, Roger.¡± Genuinely, I meant it. While he was an odd demon, he was part of the group, even if he was only temporary.

    He shrugged. ¡°We all got shit to improve on, right? I have an alcohol problem.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I furrowed my brow, trying to imagine how that worked in Hell.

    ¡°Also a tiny cannibalism problem. But the docs say if I can stay clean, then some of the wives will let me see my kids again.¡±

    I stood for what felt like hours, trying to find the words to address any of what he had said. All the while, he just stared at me impassively. Why did he specify only some of the wives? Did he eat the others? Did he eat some of his children? That seemed to be what he was implying, but it seemed too rude a thing to ask for clarification on.

    ¡°What did you call me over for, Boss?¡±

    My brain clicked into some forward progress now he had jostled me out of my momentary stasis. ¡°Oh, yeah. I was going to say that¡­ you¡¯ve been doing a great job¡­ and perhaps it¡¯s time for¡­ your promotion?¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure if he could read my face, as I struggled to compliment him under the revelation that his home life was perhaps just as dire as his existence here. Was this what it meant to be a demon? Perhaps I may need to reconsider my delve into this beckoning power. My eyes went over to Ren and Wolf. I didn¡¯t think I could or would eat them? Would eating an elf even be cannibalism?

    ¡°That sounds amazing, Boss!¡± His fidgeting drew my eyes back. ¡°No idea what that means, but it¡¯ll sure impress my probation officer.¡±

    Part of me was growing to respect the demons I could summon that didn¡¯t talk. The dogs were cute, and the birds never complained about their often short lives. ¡°Alright then, it¡¯s a deal.¡± I gave him a show-smile. ¡°Best if you vanish first, I think?¡±

    With a nod, he did so immediately, washing away in an unseen breeze to leave the corpse to topple back over.

    ¡°Upgrading Roger?¡± Ren asked as she came over.

    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s been putting in work and is great for these Monster quests. Was it even my turn for a Token?¡± I wrinkled my nose up at her as I went through my STAR menus.

    ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t get pity tokens.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°You need another heal? You look pale.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I gave her a smile. ¡°Just, ah, Roger is quite the character.¡± I wasn¡¯t quite sure how the others would take his¡­ revelations, so I¡¯d keep them as my own personal troubles for now.

    [

    is now Advanced: Pact Demon Stats and Duration increased by 20%.]

 78 - Demonic Mastery

    I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, in all honesty. As I held the Pact Demon+ card in my hand, I paused and screwed up my face.

    ¡°Feeling weird again?¡± Ren asked, now close enough to make out the lines of concern across the part of my forehead now covered in the gaudy top hat.

    ¡°Yes, but no.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve just had quite the twenty-four hours and I¡¯m not sure how ready I am for whatever the System believes an upgraded Roger should be. It can¡¯t be worse than normal Roger, right?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°He isn¡¯t that bad.¡±

    I stared at her blankly for a few seconds before exhaling through my nose. For some reason, I didn¡¯t feel like explaining to her that my pact demon spent his free time drinking and potentially eating his own family. I¡¯m not sure I truly believed it. Was the rabbit pulling one over on me?

    With little excuse left, I sent out the card into the nearest dead Monster. It crackled with a familiar purple arcing electricity as it rose back up to its feet. I was expecting the usual ears and eyes thing, but it didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the possessed creature turned to us and walked over very competently. Their eyes were a purple hue, but not the usual pits.

    ¡°Roger?¡± I asked, my face already wrinkling up in apprehension.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Boss.¡± He stopped and bowed toward me. ¡°You have my gratitude for summoning me.¡±

    I nodded slowly. ¡°How do you feel?¡± His voice was¡­ calmer? Still had the edge to it, but less manic.

    ¡°Fucking great, in fact. Powerful. Ready to do anything you or the Mistress wills.¡± He turned his feathered head towards Wolf. ¡°Hello, grand one.¡±

    Ren mouthed ¡®mistress?¡¯ at me, her furrowed brow one of confusion, to which I returned a shrug. Although he was actually remarkably polite, I had a feeling in my gut¡ªmaybe something guided by my nature¡ªthat he was just putting this on. The fact that he had more control over his puppet, I could believe, but he figured he could edge his way into the show and I wouldn''t notice. A sloppy performance that I wouldn''t tolerate.

    ¡°Roger?¡± I licked my lips and stood taller.

    He turned his purple gaze back to me. ¡°Boss?¡±

    ¡°Kneel.¡±

    The demon paused for a second before doing so, as if he wanted to check that I wasn¡¯t running some kind of joke of my own. Down on one knee, he lowered his head in reverence.

    ¡°What is your purpose, Roger?¡±

    ¡°I exist to serve you, Boss.¡±

    I stepped over to him slowly, my hands behind my back. ¡°Do you expect me to have anything less than the best, Roger?¡±

    ¡°No, Boss! I give you my all.¡±

    Beside him now, I bent over, leaning my head down to whatever kind of ears the Wildfolk had. Lowered my voice so that only he could hear. ¡°Then you need to sort your life out. Both here and back in Hell. Nod if you understand.¡±

    He squirmed and nodded.

    ¡°I won¡¯t abide any clumsy errors in my show, Roger. If you are not capable, I will find some other demon to make a pact with. Nod if you understand.¡±

    Again, a silent nod.

    ¡°When I say the word, I am going to banish you. Next time I summon you, I want to hear that things are on the up. Disappoint me again and I will find a way to get to Hell so I can personally tear you in half with my bare hands.¡±

    I stood up and straightened my back out. ¡°Where are your ears?¡±

    Without looking back up at me, the two prongs of purple energy burst out of the puppet¡¯s skull, spraying blood across the grass.

    ¡°Good, now you may stand.¡± I watched him raise up, somehow looking sheepish with the weird beak-mouth. ¡°Do you know what you have to do?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±

    With a wry smile, I nodded. ¡°Then go.¡± He did. The energy flowed away to leave the corpse to drop back to the ground. I watched it for a second before turning back to Ren.

    She had an odd look on her face, before a frown darkened whatever it had been. ¡°Purple eyes again, trickster.¡±

    I narrowed those eyes at her. ¡°We¡¯ll talk later.¡±

    She looked over at the dead puppet, an odd expression on her face. ¡°Like that?¡±

    As much as I would like to take a guess as to what she meant, I was currently running out of steam, partly due to my own volition this time. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to leveling.¡± I waved my hands to distract her from whatever her brain was daydreaming about. ¡°You ready, Wolf?¡±

    ¡°Always,¡± he said with a sigh, clearly having a much higher ¡®patience¡¯ Stat than we perhaps deserved. ¡°The feathers are tickly. Can you collect some for me?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, bud.¡± I smiled and felt about as normal as I had in the last¡­ no, just thinking about it seemed to invite further madness or trauma into my life. We should just continue with the Quest and not consider what he might want with them. Other than to tickle himself.

    The next card in my hand came out red and crackling - one of the rare critical ones. I flung it out and moved forward. We all watched it slice through the air before landing in the thick throat of a Wildfolk. It popped and burst a chunk of their flesh and feathers like a small explosion. The Monster gripped at the wide wound before topping over.

    ¡°We need to get you something so that can do that more often, trickster.¡±

    Ren fired off an arrow and Wolf thundered off. Beside us, I dropped down an Imp+ card, and the short, wiry demon gave me a nod before he started casting a fireball.

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    ¡°We returning to the camp tonight?¡± the elf then asked, focused on her next target.

    I grimaced. ¡°Ask me again later. I¡¯m not in the right mind. Same for Rolo''s information, unless it''s immediately useful.¡± Part of me wanted to keep as far away from the camp as possible, not trusting them whatsoever. Well, a couple of them were affable enough, but still. And then the other part of me wanted to torch and burn them all down to the ground. Not in an evil way, I tried to remind myself. Just pragmatic¡ªthe fewer unknowns, the less threat we were under.

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯m not too keen on going back myself.¡± Her entangling arrow went out, pinning two Wildfolk that were trying to get into melee with the bear. Two seconds later, the fireball struck them, burning their feathers and scorching their exposed flesh.

    ¡°Oh?¡± I split my next cards as they went toward the injured Monsters. ¡°Not eager to put on a show for our audience?¡±

    She exhaled. ¡°Don¡¯t be a dickbag, Max. You know why.¡±

    ¡°Delivering the news about the scout could be bad, but then so could not showing up either.¡± My cards hit the pair before Wolf jumped in and crushed them.

    ¡°Quite the pickle,¡± she agreed, walking ahead to start looting.

    Who knew murder could be so complicated when there were others around to hold you to account? The first area had been a neat tutorial for our macabre instincts. Crimson Shadow wanted to kill us, so we had killed them. Made the world a better place for it, clearing the path for the newer and more pleasant Players. Now that we had peers to judge us¡­ it complicated how cut and dry we liked things.

    At least, I thought that¡¯s how Ren saw it, too. She had an actual connection to at least Fiona, even if not the rest. Turning up with Rolo¡¯s mashed corpse would paint us in an even dimmer light than they already saw us. We¡¯d look unhinged.

    I rubbed the back of my head as the memories of the last hours passed back through my brain.

    ¡°Got a ring here, twelve percent mana?¡± The elf was crouched by a Monster corpse.

    With a shrug, I held out my hand to catch it as I went to loot the next. It was an increase, even if meagre. Gold and another Chance Box from this body. There was a crack as Wolf tore the arm clean off the next Monster and then flung it across the ground. I had no doubt in my mind that he could solo the quest and we could just watch and leech the progress from his efforts.

    That¡¯s not how a show succeeded, however.

    Stretching my back out as I stood, I brought another magic card into my hand¡ªbefore the STAR on my wrist turned into a shimmering gold glow.

    I turned to Ren with raised eyebrows. ¡°Ahead of the curve?¡±

    She held hers up to show it was a similar color. ¡°Maybe an underdog experience bonus. We should be able to stay here comfortably to at least level ten.¡±

    Ten came with the base increase to my core Class skill, although I didn¡¯t remember where I had learned that. Then again, at fifteen. At the max level of twenty, there was again another single ability but something new.

    We gestured for Wolf to take a break as he coughed out some loose feathers. After a quick visual check to ensure we weren¡¯t being watched or about to have the Monsters appear on us, I activated the level to see what the System thought of me now.

    [Level Up - 9]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Out of Sight>]

    [New Passive:

    ]

    [New Ability: <Shatter>]

    Next time that we had a chance to rest, I¡¯d check out my Stats and see how my equipment was faring.

    For a passive skill, <Out of Sight> actually gave a surprising amount of extra usage. I could now cast <Vanish Act> on myself, but it only lasted three seconds. While a very short amount of time, the thoughts of potential uses bubbled up in my head.

    gave me a +10% Item Find bonus, which was great with how much I loved looting. Perhaps the System anticipated that since¡ªas a magician¡ªI was often finding coins behind people¡¯s ears, then that translated to me gaining more equipment and such as a base. I wasn¡¯t about to argue with it, least of all because I knew it wouldn¡¯t listen, anyway.

    Active ability for this level was <Shatter>. It was a ¡®finisher¡¯ in the same vein as <Finale+>, but where this one differed was that it was single target. I could remove all stacks of Dazzle from the target¡ªshattering the illusion, essentially¡ªat the penalty of them gaining immunity to the status. However, for every two stacks of the Dazzle icon removed, they received a random debuff from the provided list. As much as I hated spending too much time within the screens of my STAR, I opened it up and expanded the descriptions.

    [Weakened] [Reduced Strength Stats]

    [Lethargic] [Reduced Agility Stats]

    [Drained] [Reduced Constitution Stats]

    [Confused] [Reduced Wisdom Stats]

    [Astonished] [Reduced Intelligence Stats]

    [Fragile] [Reduced Defenses]

    [Waylaid] [Reduced Movement]

    That was¡­ quite the list. If I didn¡¯t know any better, it seemed as though the System was keen to allow me to fool and wow people, and then force conditions on them when I revealed it was all a ploy. Seemed a bit mean spirited - I might as well just stick a card through their head and save them the humiliation. Still, against tough single targets, it could easily tip things in our favor. Against bosses, perhaps?

    I caught Ren watching me think, her head tilted to the side.

    ¡°Normally, I¡¯m apprehensive about asking what you received.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°But now I have a professional reason to know.¡±

    My mouth turned up at the side, a wry grin at her acceptance. Nothing like more System tricks to make me feel more like myself. ¡°Oh, some nice, simple things. A demonstration?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d accept nothing less.¡± She folded her arms.

    Tongue briefly stuck in my mouth, I withdrew an apple into my hand. ¡°Watch this.¡±

    I threw it straight up into the air, and hit <Vanishing Act> on myself. Took three big steps toward her, as I saw her eyes go up to the apple, and then down to me not being there.

    After my time was up, I appeared right beside her, a flower up to her face.

    ¡°Dickbag!¡± She startled, brief annoyance and confusion on her face, but she gave me a quick kiss. ¡°What is this all about?¡± She scowled at the red flower. No Dazzle icon, still.

    Her mixture of reactions totally threw me for a loop, and my brain spun out of control. ¡°Ah. Originally I thought a knife to your throat made the most sense, then at the last second I realized that would be even more inappropriate, so a flower was the quickest thing I could reach.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat; dickbag. So you can just go invisible now?¡±

    ¡°For three seconds. That was just a passive though. My new active just turns Dazzle stacks on a single target into random debuffs.¡± I turned my head to watch Wolf crunch up the apple. It¡¯d be good for his digestion.

    ¡°Useful for bosses, then. Or people we really dislike.¡±

    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±

    Her expression relaxed, and I felt a little guilty for making her jump. She was good at sensing things, so I hadn¡¯t actually expected to catch her off guard. Not our sharpest of days, perhaps. Also felt like I had stolen that kiss through false pretenses - I had to wait til the end of the day, I had been told.

    ¡°Mine were¡­¡± her eyes glazed over as she double checked her windows. ¡°Passives gave me a bonus to healing after killing a target, and the second one gave a bonus to damage after healing an injured target.¡±

    I tilted my head from side to side. ¡°Overall, it increases your effectiveness, whatever you do.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Not very flashy - but then my active¡­¡± Her eyes were now practically aglow with excitement. ¡°Divine Bloom. A buff that increases friendly targets damage while reducing my threat.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± It took a moment to click in my head what she had already envisioned the use to be. ¡°Ah, oh¡­ very good.¡±

    ¡°You get no demonstration, though.¡± She tried to wave me away as some of the light faded from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not quite ready to act on demand yet. What about you, Wolf? Any luck?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied, staring off at the horizon with unfocused eyes. ¡°I have¡­ something to slow those around me.¡±

    ¡°Very useful,¡± I said. Very powerful, is what I thought, however. The last thing anybody wanted was to be stuck in place against the bear.

    My mood seemed to settle. Something about the leveling and grouping up grounded me once more. I was sure to have more states of mania soon enough. It looked like part of me was fighting against the other for control. Maybe we could do one of those weird dream things to hash it out together.

    No. That was long past. We weren¡¯t separate any longer. These struggles were my own. One whole Max.

    I shook the thoughts from my head and smiled at my Party. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get back into it then, we¡¯ll level up again in no time at all."

 79 - When Love Dies

    I had lost my diary. Down a ravine, perhaps. Or during the¡­ incident. My palette for starting a second one is waning¡­ even as I write this sentence. Perhaps things are better lived in the present or in our fallible memories.

    Working my jaw, I looted the fifteenth Chance Box from the dead Wildfolk. Putting the task of opening them up until later had just become a wall I was building, burying myself. If only there was some easy way of only seeing what was useful for me.

    ¡°Power Token, trickster. This one is yours.¡± Ren flung it through the air toward me.

    I looked in its direction and looted it without moving. Already my menus were up, ready to use it without thinking about it too hard. Might start stockpiling them soon for the bigger upgrades.

    [<Vanishing Act> is now Advanced: You can now make two objects invisible. <Out of Sight> now lasts five seconds.]

    There were a plethora of skills and passives I could upgrade, and truly I would never stop going over them again and again if I stopped to consider the most optimal choice. We seemed to be getting the basic Tokens a lot quicker in this area, so my use was a little more flagrant.

    Plus, an extra two seconds of being invisible was powerful. I used it, just to get the feel, vanishing from where I was crouched down.

    ¡°Max?¡± Ren asked, having me only in her peripheral. ¡°You¡¯d better not sneak up on me again.¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t moved,¡± Wolf grumbled, looking over at me with a muzzle covered in gore. His form of ¡®looting¡¯ looked to be filling his personal inventory, if his glazed over eyes were anything to go by.

    I reappeared in the same position, then looked up at the bear. ¡°You could see me?¡±

    ¡°Not quite.¡± He stood up taller to stretch out. ¡°You looked like a wiggly ghost. And you smell.¡±

    My head nodded some acknowledgement, but I wasn¡¯t too sure what to make of that revelation. Of him being able to see me, anyway. I was certain that after a few hours of combat¡ªand a slight mental break¡ªthat I could do with a wash. It¡¯s not like he smelled any better, being snout deep in the internal organs of the Monsters he had been maiming. He hadn''t been able to see Rolo, so either it only worked on certain invisibilities, or was it because we were in the same Party?

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, trickster, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all pretty dire. At least the hats keep the sun out of our faces.¡± She shrugged and looked over at the bear, whose hat was way too small to do just that.

    It made me smile, though. Whatever had been driving a screw into my sanity prior had sunk away and relaxed. Even as we cycled back through the monster packs and passed the body of Rolo, it didn¡¯t chip away at anything within me. I stopped, however, and held my hand out. There was a new element to <Vanishing Act+> that allowed me to see the intended targets of my ability now that I could pick two.

    My brow furrowed as the blue outline switched between the different objects around his corpse. It took a little effort, but I learned how to just use one of the charges rather than both, and how to hold one target while I selected what to use the second one on.

    There was something else... as if I could see the strings behind the performance.

    ¡°Everything okay, Max?¡± The elf had stopped and had been watching me glare at the body with hand out, so the question wasn¡¯t unwarranted.

    My hand shook as I concentrated. ¡°One sec.¡± I ran my mana down these threads, encircling and clutching at the invisible tethers highlighting my intended targets. It was a struggle, but I pulled them together, bending something intangible and beyond my understanding to my will. I was the one who chose how to perform my tricks.

    The System couldn¡¯t define me.

    Blood dripped from my outstretched palm as the corpse vanished.

    ¡°Balls,¡± I said as I shook my hand. Some minor aches ran down my forearm, but I¡¯d had worse.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me,¡± the elf said as she shook her head. ¡°You just used bullshit to invisible something you weren¡¯t supposed to.¡±

    I pouted. ¡°Did I ever tell you how smart you were?¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Save your flattery, trickster. For later.¡± She adjusted her hat. ¡°Back to the grind.¡±

    If I didn¡¯t know any better, I may have assumed I had imagined the extra line she added in the middle. Rolo''s corpse reappeared. We had one more repeat of the Quest left, maybe a second to get our level ten and class upgrades.

    ¡°Could we take a brief break?¡± Wolf requested. ¡°I need to use the¡­ woods.¡±

    My eye went out to the forest area to our side. A reasonable request, and it didn¡¯t look too dangerous. ¡°Alright, but just roar out if there is a problem.¡±

    ¡°A problem with my shitting?¡± He furrowed his brow before giving me a shrug, perhaps realizing that was a reasonable outcome.

    I watched him leave. Wolf was the most hardy and capable of violence out of the three of us, but it would just take a few smart Players to catch him out.

    ¡°He eats a lot of meat,¡± I said, turning to the elf after the bear had vanished from view. ¡°An absurd amount. Are we responsible for ensuring he has a good diet?¡± I chose to ignore the part where most of the meat was people. Seemed rather moot when Wolf was people too, in a way.

    She shrugged. ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯ll feel bad if we don¡¯t.¡± Ren removed her hat and fanned her face. ¡°Speaking of, should we stop for some food?¡±

    I nodded, and we walked over to the side by the ledge before the empty field. Took my boots off before I sat down and was glad for the slight calm after so much combat. Ren did the same and then sat beside me. From her Inventory she brought out a couple of pastries.

    ¡°These are pretty plain, but will keep you full for a while.¡± She passed one over, which I accepted with a nod of thanks.

    We sat and ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the scenery. Eventually, I couldn¡¯t hold the questions in any longer.

    ¡°When I surprised you, why was your reaction to kiss me?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    She paused her chewing, but otherwise didn¡¯t move. ¡°Is that a complaint?¡±

    ¡°Just curious.¡± I grinned, clearly having caught her out.

    Ren shrugged, still looking out towards the distance. ¡°I suppose we all exit our shells in different ways.¡±

    My intention to goad her along slowly slithered away. Disarmed by her honest and plain reasoning, my next question escaped before I had a chance to think it through properly.

    ¡°Ren, are we dating?¡±

    She snorted and finally turned her head to me. A slight scowl, but warmth behind her eyes. ¡°Asshole. You don¡¯t really date in an apocalypse scenario.¡± Her eyes rolled, and she sighed. ¡°We are together, if that¡¯s what you want?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°It is. Do you want that too?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± She gave me a pat on the leg and looked back out toward the horizon. ¡°I know that admitting it just means tragedy will come to us, but we can at least be happy until the Lady kills us, or you turn into a demon.¡± Her head turned back to me, a wry grin at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Until System do us part, then.¡±

    ¡°Dickbag.¡± She leaned against me and put her head on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s too-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early in the day for your heart to be in bloom, I know.¡±

    She sighed once more, but said nothing. Too on the mark to chastise me any further. We sat and existed for almost a whole minute, before the pads of Wolf¡¯s feet came from behind us. Ren plied herself from me, shooting me a soft smile before standing and brushing herself down. With a grunt, I followed suit and donned my boots, giving the bear a nod as he came to greet us.

    ¡°I feel twenty big-owlpeople lighter,¡± he said with a wide grin.

    ¡°There¡¯s some fruit you can have too,¡± I offered. ¡°It might give a bit more variety to your diet.¡±

    He stared at me blankly for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Ren already had her bow out and an arrow drawn. ¡°Look alive. I want to get this over with.¡±

    ¡°Hail.¡±

    We each winced, and she lowered her shot. Turning, we saw a familiar figure moving off of the road and into the field. Quinn.

    ¡°If you murder him,¡± Ren said in a hushed tone, ¡°I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡±

    I tried to ignore her. As my now confirmed elven-girlfriend, she definitely had my ear on such matters. But I also didn¡¯t need anyone else prompting me toward wanton violence. It was bad enough that half of me was fine with the prospect of coring this affable man with a card right now. We already had enough enemies. And corpses littering our wake.

    ¡°Sorry for intruding!¡± he continued, gradually getting close enough to talk in a normal tone. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly given the all-clear to leave the camp, but the good doctor was otherwise distracted.¡± His arm was no longer in a sling, but he didn¡¯t seem to be at one-hundred percent yet, despite his grin.

    ¡°And you chose to come find us.¡± A statement, rather than a question, as his presence was apparent. My years of training in presenting a faux-genuine smile paying off dividends. ¡°I was just about to go through all my Chance Boxes, too. Shame.¡±

    ¡°You want to open mine too, trickster?¡± Ren stepped up closer to me. ¡°I have sooo many.¡±

    My whole body tensed and my right eye twitched, as if I considered literally running from the prospect. How far could I get? That depended on how eager Ren was on sticking me with an arrow, I supposed.

    ¡°I did indeed,¡± Quinn replied, not hearing the elf prod me with her words. ¡°Again, my apologies for being so forward.¡± He scratched at his eye-patch and then his view switched to just past us.

    I raised an eyebrow and turned my head to see what had caught his eye. Oh. The mangled corpse of Rolo. Perhaps we should have done something with it, although hiding it sounded like it would make me feel more guilty, when currently I didn¡¯t feel guilty at all.

    ¡°He was working with the Crimson Shadow,¡± I filled in the questions unspoken. ¡°Was spying on us, which didn¡¯t work out too well for him.¡±

    Quinn whistled and stretched his back out. ¡°Originally, I was going to ask to accompany you, but you can¡¯t help but get in trouble, can you?¡± He raised an eyebrow.

    Did we keep falling into bad times? Or was the world steeped in it and we were just trying to push through as nicely as possible? The truth was probably somewhere in the middle. We sought to remove the Lady who was trying to corrupt this world, and that involved stomping through the murkiest puddles around.

    ¡°We have a job to do,¡± Ren stepped in verbally. ¡°And we are very efficient.¡±

    ¡°That you are.¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°I will be forthright with my intentions then. Max, I seek to duel you.¡±

    ¡°Huh, why?¡± I furrowed my brow.

    ¡°For the hand of the fair maiden, Ren.¡± He gave her a brief bow before leveling an earnest gaze at me.

    I removed my top hat and sighed. ¡°Really? What kind of world do you even come from? I¡¯m not sure we have the time for¡­¡± I paused as Ren put her hand on my arm.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m worth it, trickster?¡±

    Her face was serious, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that said she was enjoying this way too much. My ego had been put on the line, and while I knew I had nothing to prove to the elf, I¡­ had to make a good show of it? Even thinking that felt odd, despite it being something totally in my wheelhouse.

    I turned back to Quinn and deflated. ¡°Are you sure? After knowing who we are and what we¡¯ve done? This isn¡¯t to the death, is it?¡±

    ¡°Just until one of us yields and is the clear winner. And I cannot deny my heart¡¯s intentions, even if you were the devil himself.¡±

    My eyes found themselves rolling. How close to the truth he might be. Well, not that close - I shouldn¡¯t prop myself up so high. I looked him over. In reasonable shape considering he was still recovering from his ordeal. Probably a few levels higher than me. A drive in his eyes that was foolish and misguided. Even if he won, Ren would sooner put an arrow through him than be won over.

    But then, he wouldn¡¯t win.

    Even as I nodded my acceptance, I felt the warmth inside me drain away. My face sunk, the chill of what must be done ready to take the reins.

    ¡°Ten paces. The beautiful elf may count us down.¡±

    He turned around, awaiting me to join him. Dagger to the back of his neck right now would be the easy answer. Our world was figuratively cut-throat when it wasn¡¯t literal, and these sorts of games just made me feel ill. Like it was a mockery of what we had suffered through and overcome.

    But I could only win by playing by the rules. Stepped up and put my back against his. Some of the humor had left Ren¡¯s eyes after she had clocked my expression. A day with enough mania and turmoil, I should perhaps be eager for a little slice of life action. But part of me couldn¡¯t accept it. Wolf looked vaguely interested in the strange ritual, perhaps a little disappointed the loser wouldn¡¯t be filling his stomach.

    ¡°On three then.¡± She stepped further away to avoid our potential bullshit.

    Quinn had a rapier now drawn, and an oddly shaped leather pouch on his hip, which screamed flintlock pistol to me - but I could just be buying into cliches.

    ¡°One, two, three.¡±

    We moved, taking ten steps away from each other. My hat was still in my hands. All I needed, really.

    Ten steps and I turned, throwing the hat as he raised his sword to deflect it - or what it might be harboring.

    Confusion struck his face in seeing I was no longer there, right before my forehead then also struck his face. The invisibility canceled as I made the attack, hands in my pockets. He dropped back to the ground like a sack of bricks, his weapon falling to the grass as he grasped at himself.

    ¡°Fucking ass,¡± I removed a pocketed hand to clutch at my head. ¡°Why is your nose so fucking hard?¡±

    Ren stepped up to me and gave me a heal, the throbbing pain soothing away with warm comfort. ¡°As much as I am pleased with the outcome,¡± she began, her eyes narrowing. ¡°That was a little underwhelming.¡±

    I shrugged and looked down at the sobbing Quinn as he clutched his bloodied and broken nose. Didn''t really feel like smiling at what I had accomplished. Perhaps she was right. ¡°I¡¯ve got the rest of the day off. No autographs.¡±

    The elf crossed her arms. ¡°That''s your one-liner? You need to stop hitting your head on things.¡±

    As much as I would have liked to disagree, I couldn¡¯t. The grip of cold within me faded away, and I sighed. Now I had to deal with the injured man. It was much easier when we only had to kill people. In saying that, however, it wasn''t like Ren had healed him, either.

    She moved away, as if she could read my thoughts, and crouched down beside Quinn. ¡°Hey, dipshit. I¡¯m not a trophy or possession to be won. Be thankful Max didn¡¯t kill you, because I¡¯m sure he will have no such reservation if you piss him off again.¡± She shook her head and then stood up. ¡°And I¡¯m not healing you. I hope your pain is fertile enough ground for the roots of humility to take hold.¡±

    See, now that made the brief effort worth it. While she had become soft to me over time, I had almost forgotten the rose still had thorns for others.

    ¡°Come on, Max,¡± she said as she passed me, a slight smile at the corner of her mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s finish leveling up.¡±

    Wolf nudged up beside me, my top hat held gently in his mouth. I gave him a brief bow as I retrieved it, noticing his forlorn look toward the injured man before he went to join Ren.

    With a shake of my head, I withdrew a healing potion from my Inventory and threw it down on the grass beside him.

    Better a humbled fan than a vengeful critic, after all.

 80 - Tentative Expression

    After taking my potion, Quinn healed up relatively well. His ego might need a little more time, but after getting back to his feet, he had decided to sit on a withdrawn chair and give us space to work our magic. Or at least, kill a few handfuls of Monsters.

    A process we performed with little flair, just doing the bare and most efficient things necessary to drop the Wildfolk to the ground. I¡¯d feel slightly amused at us being less dramatic now that we had an audience, but the voice in the back of my mind held a grudge with the overtly annoying man.

    Couldn¡¯t kill him, though.

    Eventually, we mopped up the last required System-created for the System to labor us with experience and Chance Boxes. I rolled my shoulders out, already aching from the prospect of having to open them all. Didn¡¯t even want to look at how many I had accumulated.

    The STAR on my wrist began to glow a radiant gold. We had reached level ten, only a couple of days behind where we should be. While the pragmatic part of me considered that killing these Monsters again and again could be a safe way to get another level or two over the next day, it was actually exhausting just to think about. I needed some variety just as much as Wolf¡¯s diet did.

    [Level Up - 10]

    [Stats Increased]

    [Class Upgrade: <Demonic Magician+>]

    I ran my eyes over the words, about to bring up the details, right before I was interrupted by Ren. Stepping up to me, she put her hand on my chest where my heart would be.

    ¡°Is this part of your Oathwarden upgrade, or¡­?¡± I raised an eyebrow, trying to determine whether the warmth I felt was natural or not.

    Her expression didn¡¯t change, but she tilted her head to the side. ¡°You¡¯ll never know.¡± Without allowing me even a glimpse of a smirk, she then removed her hand and stepped away.

    All things going well, I probably would know in due course. Her Oathwarden ability had kept me alive at least twice¡­ maybe more¡­ in the past. No doubt if she had added functionality to it, I¡¯d find out what in the most painful way. Ah, now I¡¯d put it out into the world.

    Back to my own screens, I brought up the detailed information.

    [<Demonic Magician+>] [Damage bonus per Dazzle icon increased. Defenses also increased per icon.]

    The exact numbers weren''t exactly groundbreaking, but an overall damage increase was certainly nice. Now I would also receive a minor boost to my defenses, which would be nice for not getting my skull caved in mid-combat.

    ¡°What¡¯s up next?¡± Ren asked, lowering her hat to obscure her eyes.

    While the weather had been rather pleasant, hours of combat had us overheating - especially in the clothing we chose to wear. We had earned ourselves a proper rest even though there was so much to do.

    I rubbed my chin. ¡°I¡¯m not eager to go fight the Shadows right after meeting the bare minimum of this area. If we could find some Quests¡­ get to twelve at least?¡± See what other kind of bullshit the System could give us, maybe work on a few more tricks together.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She brought up her STAR menus to look at the Map. ¡°I think we¡¯ve earned a rest, but I¡¯m not too sure how I feel about going back to the camp.¡±

    That was the elephant in the field. In the end, and much to my amusement, I decided that we shouldn¡¯t live in the shadows. Like the bad guys. Much unlike the showman¡¯s stage.

    ¡°Let¡¯s bring them the body. Tell them what happened.¡± I looked over at Quinn, who still hadn¡¯t gotten the courage to come back up to talk with us. ¡°Better to have tentative allies than ill-informed enemies.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°And if they don¡¯t take our side?¡±

    I smirked. ¡°You know the answer to that.¡±

    Another nod, this one briefer.

    Wolf was stretched out on his back, almost like he was sunbathing. A wide grin spread across his face as his tongue hung out. ¡°I can eat goat-man then.¡±

    ¡°You content enough with your upgrades, Wolf?¡± I changed the subject while we were certainly close enough for Quinn to overhear the bear¡¯s overzealous desire to consume the campers we were about to go meet.

    ¡°I am now a bear plus.¡± He rolled over back to his paws and shook himself out.

    He was mostly clean of gore now, and I realized that there was probably no issue for him to clean his clothing using the System button. Although that usually did Cosmetic outfits. Maybe it saw his fur as his worn clothing? I wondered if I were naked, would I be able to use that option to clean myself, rather than bathe?

    ¡°A lot on your mind, trickster?¡± Ren was a few feet away, but had clearly seen my mind was running away from our current focus.

    ¡°Just thinking of myself naked. Shall we go talk to Quinn?¡± I turned away from the bear and gestured towards the seated annoyance.

    She didn¡¯t reply, and took a second before she joined me in walking over. Perhaps busy with something in her System menus.

    Idly, I brought out a coin into my hand. Flicked it up into the air and held my hand out to catch it, but it went straight through my palm to fall amongst the grass. Just a matter of looting it as it struck me, whilst dropping a new one located on the underside of my hand at the same time. Through practice, the positioning and timing of my Inventory swapping had become almost flawless.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Something I took pride in, even as much as it would be handy to kill things from great range like Ren. Or heal injury like Ren. A broken mix of abilities in her own regard, she helped us function as a trio - with the unopposed strength and hardiness of Wolf. Sometimes I felt like the third wheel, even knowing how effective I was at dealing damage from near or far.

    Quinn held his head low as we approached. If he had truly feared us, he would have run away like a rat. The fact that he had stayed put either meant he had a lick of honesty in him, or he thought he still had a chance with Ren. Just kill him now, the other me said - who was just me, now. One day, I¡¯d take responsibility for my own thoughts. Right after the other me did.

    ¡°Sorry about your nose. I don¡¯t really know how duels are supposed to work.¡± I shrugged and avoided the rolling eyes of the elf at me for starting with an apology.

    ¡°It is not often I am humbled in such short order,¡± he spoke toward his lap still. ¡°To be struck down in a single blow brings me great shame.¡±

    I exhaled through my nose. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. A tree almost killed me.¡±

    ¡°And a horse,¡± Wolf added from behind.

    Ren perhaps wanted to add to that list, but with the two obvious accidents pointed out, she had to scrape through her memories to find something else to dredge up. My heart had stopped the first time she gave me a full smile, but that was neither here nor there. Definitely not here.

    ¡°The point is,¡± I continued, before she grabbed hold of something, ¡°life here is fleeting, and you drew up against someone who has killed dozens of people. You didn¡¯t know what you were getting into, and knowledge is strength in this world.¡±

    He nodded slowly and then looked up at me. His single eye filled with a sadness that I didn¡¯t think was possible. Or appropriate. ¡°For you to be so wise, and also show me leniency over my transgressions.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to oversell it.¡± Ren crossed her arms. ¡°I assume you are waiting around for something other than a round two?¡±

    Unable to meet her gaze, he shook his head. ¡°I am still in your debt. My intention was to offer my services as a guide for your leveling process.¡±

    I raised my eyebrow. ¡°After you had won over Ren by besting me? That seems shortsighted.¡± How he could expect anything but animosity from me should he have won was beyond me. In fact, if he had won, he would probably be dead by one of our hands, if not my own.

    ¡°I am a fool.¡± He returned to groveling. ¡°A simple man unable to learn from his mistakes.¡±

    We waited in silence. There was clearly some backstory he was about to labor us with, and as little patience as I had, I felt bad for him. Able to resist the call of the Crimson Shadows, yet still flawed and willing to court death. For what? To try to woo a beautiful woman in a way that was antiquated by¡­ well, it seemed more like fiction, from where I stood.

    ¡°The portal¡­ I found it when trying to escape from the local Baron and his men.¡± Quinn looked off to the side. ¡°They sought to kill me, or worse.¡±

    ¡°For womanizing the wrong woman?¡± Ren¡¯s expression was rather dim.

    "Something like that." He nodded and lowered his gaze. ¡°Alas, my heart seems to take me to dangerous places.¡±

    ¡°Not sure that¡¯s your heart making decisions.¡± The elf murmured under her breath.

    I turned to see Wolf looking bored out of his mind. Perhaps trying to decide whether he had the time to nap, or if we were going to give up and allow him to eat the sorry sap. The problem with Quinn was that he was too easy to read - it made me want to trust him. He¡¯d had the chance to do something more dire than challenge me to a fair duel, but hadn¡¯t. Then apologized profusely.

    Ultimately, the decision was Ren¡¯s. It was her safety and comfort I cared about, more than having to fight off any potential betrayal.

    My eyes narrowed toward him. ¡°What manner of skills do you possess? Class and Level?¡±

    ¡°I am an Arcane Fencer, level fourteen. Most of my skills are around quick sword strikes and evasive magic.¡±

    For all the good that specialization did him. ¡°We¡¯re not going to make a decision right away. Allow us to talk in private back at the camp, and we will let you know then.¡± I raised an eyebrow at Ren and she nodded her agreement.

    Someone who could point us in the direction of useful Quests to complete, or knew of an efficient route to travel to level quicker would be worth their weight in gold. Not that we had much use of that as of late. If his plans took us too far north of the main road, then we could assume something was up and not take him up on that danger.

    The fact that I had humbled a man five levels higher than me using solely the front of my head didn¡¯t really surprise me. We were a few steps higher up the ladder than most, for a variety of reasons. Neither did it work for my ego much. A protracted battle where I emerged the victor would have tasted sweeter, but I didn¡¯t want it to turn into anything palatable. There was an ugliness to our adventure that I had accepted.

    We had seen it in the eyes of the first group of normal Players. Reviled almost as much as the Crimson Shadow, I didn¡¯t expect thanks. The first area was now working as expected, and the warmth that gave my heart kept the furnace burning. Kept us striving forward.

    I turned to the elf and gestured for us to start moving. The pair of us went over to Rolo¡¯s corpse and somehow shuffled most of it into one of the sheets. There was quite a mess I had made, but you could make out the hand-print on what was left of his head, kind of. Wolf didn¡¯t seem too pleased with being a wagon for the dead body, perhaps because he had no interest in eating the demon.

    ¡°I¡¯m still surprised about Rolo,¡± Quinn said from a good fifteen feet away, clearly not too keen on being any closer to the corpse. ¡°He had a lot of sway with Fiona and the others.¡±

    My brow furrowed. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Just the¡­ impression that I had. When recovering.¡± He idly played with the grip of his sheathed sword.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how much I liked that. There was a timeline I had to get straight in my head to avoid slitting his throat right now. My right eye twitched as my internal warmth cooled and sank away. The gears in my head clicked around slowly, so that I could start building the questions that might save his life.

    Level fourteen, so he would have been in the area at least a week, by approximation. Longer if he was solo¡­ was he solo? And if so, why? Nobody at the camp seemed to recognize him, or knew he had been taken by the underground marketeers. In the¡­ handful of days the Lady had ruined this area, what had he been doing?

    ¡°You usually adventure solo, Quinn?¡± The first chamber had been loaded. A game of roulette was a terrible decision for a man that didn¡¯t gamble. Except when it came to my own life.

    ¡°I hardly adventure at all lately, if I¡¯m honest.¡± He shrugged and looked sheepishly off out toward the horizon. ¡°I had a Party. Two of us died trying to do a Quest we weren¡¯t prepared for. We kind of¡­ split up after that. Haven¡¯t seen the other two since before all this Crimson Shadow business. Then I was kidnapped, of course.¡±

    All reasonably believable.

    ¡°What have you been doing instead of adventuring?¡± Ren asked, securing the last knot of the sling.

    ¡°Hiding, mostly.¡± He didn¡¯t meet our eyes. ¡°A great shame for one so filled with bravado and passion for the open world. But I was a little lost after everything that happened. Found a System-created house with an attic, barricaded it and kept to myself.¡± His hand went up to rub at his eye-patch. ¡°They grabbed me when I was out looking for food.¡±

    I exchanged a glance with Ren, and she shrugged. As much as I was in little hurry to have what little trust I had to give out broken, the story seemed to make enough sense for my hand to stop tensing around the hidden card by my side. Ren and Wolf could see that I had been holding it, and their poker faces were commendable. Considering my questionable grasp of sanity on occasion, it was surprising how easily they were complicit with my decision making.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then,¡± I smiled as I dusted off my empty hands. ¡°Time to test how critical our reception truly is.¡±

 81 - Unwelcome Gift

    We were mostly quiet on the walk back, which was a small blessing... though I could tell that Quinn wanted to fill the silence. Perhaps a little unfair of me to allow him to be miserable. Well, not unfair. Something usually unlike me, however.

    My need to impress and woo everyone had been tempered by the need to keep the three of us safe. Humbling him was a mercy compared to what the bad side of me wanted to do. There I went again, trying to separate myself into a good and bad. A normal and an other. I wasn¡¯t even truly sure what a soul was, let alone understand how they could be merged or what that meant long term.

    I had settled into being a necessary evil, with an unnecessary amount of flair.

    Tiring of feeling like I was dragging around a sad puppy, I turned a scowl over toward the failed duelist.

    ¡°So, Quinn. How to you propose to assist us in leveling, that we couldn¡¯t do ourselves?¡±

    Ren glared between the man and I, either annoyed that I was engaging him, or perhaps she just didn¡¯t like him enough to even entertain the fact that he could be useful. I didn¡¯t blame her, and shared the same views. The silence had kept me bouncing around thoughts I didn¡¯t want to have, though.

    I had pictured a future where Ren was kidnapped by the Crimson and wounded Wolf. In anger, I would become untenable. Closer to a demon than ever and driven to murder everything solo in an attempt to rescue her. It soured my already dim mood, but I at least hoped that thinking it out so clearly would prevent the world from putting it into action. Wouldn¡¯t be narratively interesting to hit the replay button.

    ¡°There¡¯s a dungeon. I know of all the traps and secrets in it.¡± He kept his eyes on the ground, not willing to do more than grovel with his potential knowledge.

    ¡°How far?¡± I wasn¡¯t about to be dragged toward a Crimson Shadow trap.

    ¡°Southwest of the campground. Near the coast.¡±

    My right eye twitched. Well into the supposed ¡®safe area¡¯ yet the entire prospect of a dungeon had images flickering through my mind. The ambush. The risk. The bloodshed.

    Still, lightning wasn¡¯t supposed to strike twice in the same place. I think that was the idiom, anyway. We¡¯d need to have a proper Party chat about the prospect before any concrete decision was made.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Ren asked.

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head, but still didn¡¯t meet either of our eyes. ¡°There¡¯s a Quest chain that can also get you a whole level in a short amount of time. I know where it starts, and the steps required.¡±

    I sighed and looked up at the rock we were coming up to. Where we had first seen Rolo sitting. Shame we couldn¡¯t get some answers out of him before I pulped his head in. It was dangerous to make assumptions, but if he wasn¡¯t part of a group from the camp, then he was probably part of a Shadow group. They would know he was now deceased.

    Whether that could be a problem or not didn¡¯t seem to matter to me right now. He had been spying on us, so our presence was probably known. If the Lady had told this second area about us, then we should expect more sloppy assassination attempts coming our way. Then again, she might have hoped the countless thugs she had around her little finger back on the other side of the bridge would have killed us off by now.

    Little did she know I was developing an immunity to death by constantly smashing my own skull in. What didn¡¯t kill you made you trauma.

    We circled the rock and took the switch in the pathway. The campground ahead of us, there was already a handful of people out front by the barricades. A small amount of tension filled me. Ready and willing for the worst, but too emotionally spent to wish it to be anything but acceptance and accolades.

    ¡°Let me talk, if you want?¡± Ren offered. Her eyes looked exhausted at the prospect of the looming conversation.

    I nodded. ¡°They might be more receptive to you.¡± While I had happily fit into the slot of being the Party face, the elf had a bit of rapport with Fiona, and might take the news easier than if I strode in and waved around my accusations. Plus, I didn¡¯t feel much like talking for a change.

    It came as no surprise that the fighter was one of the figures waiting at the gates. Magnus and Ruby were there too, plus two others I hadn¡¯t seen before. A lithe woman with deep red skin in an amber robe, and a muscled man in thick black leathers. He looked tense, and the pair of knuckle dusters in his hands made him look ready to tussle, despite the relatively relaxed stances of everyone else.

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    Naturally, as the group of us were in clear view, we became the focal point of all their attentions. How could we not be? While most of them were between bemused and indifferent, Fiona and the goblin didn¡¯t look too pleased at our arrival. How I hated to disappoint them further.

    ¡°I see you hired another clown for your group,¡± the fighter said, rolling her eyes.

    Ruby had her arms crossed. ¡°Quinn, I told you to stay put, and now you¡¯ve gone and gotten roughed up. Too soon to adventure while you still had Mild Trauma.¡±

    I felt a little twinge of sympathy for the man. Not so long ago, I was in those boots. Not those specific ones. I was being more figurative. They didn¡¯t look my size and would clash with my suit. Hmm. A nap sounded good after the current performance was complete.

    ¡°Thinly veiled insults aside,¡± Ren began, choosing her words carefully. ¡°We have something to show you.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s some trick, then I don¡¯t care for it.¡±

    I noted how Fiona had not looked toward Ren at all during this interaction. Always a scowl solely leveled at me, as if the conversation was only between us. Maybe she was asking me to kill her with her eyes. Is that what they were saying? Begging for it? I shook off a chill as I saw Ren looking at me. Although she was gesturing toward the sling, I knew what else she was saying behind those pools of bright blue.

    Terrible time for me to start losing it.

    Exhaling, I crouched down and untied some of the sling. Tried to do the reveal with the least amount of clown-flair as possible. I barely survived the process.

    As the corpse dropped to the ground, tensions hit the ceiling. Which was currently the sky, so that was quite high up.

    ¡°You killed Rolo?¡± Fiona seethed, her hand gripping the handle of her sword tightly, but not drawing it. Still glaring at me, as if I was the only one here. Magnus had moved up, anger on his face as well. Ruby just looked confused.

    ¡°I suggest you approach this with a calmer head.¡± The words came out without too much thinking, but I was able to cut myself off before I added, ¡®while you still have it.¡¯

    Her right eye twitched. ¡°Then I suggest you start explaining, clown.¡±

    The pair that had been part of their prior conversation had stuck around, unsure as to whether a fight was about to break out or not. Slightly put off by the mangled corpse I had brought to display. I knew we got our hands a little dirtier than most, but I found it odd anyone could have gotten this far while still being a little squeamish.

    I gestured for the goblin to come have a look, to which she did after a brief glance at the fighter. Trusted us enough to be close, at least. Wolf had been statuesque since we got here, his eyes focused on the lion-man and zero interest in taking part in the little chat we had in full flow. Likewise, since Quinn had been admonished, he had looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him up. The ground was often hungry, but its maw was only six feet deep.

    ¡°We caught him spying on us,¡± Ren offered, as Ruby stepped over beside where I was crouching.

    Fiona bared her teeth at me, as if it had come from my lips. ¡°That¡¯s his job!¡±

    She hadn¡¯t taken my advice on being calm about this, and I didn¡¯t feel like engaging and escalating to anything more than getting called a clown. The goblin was apprehensive, but had a cooler temperament, possibly a more clinical view of things. I adjusted the body to show more of his pulped face. Cards on the table.

    ¡°Mark of the Red,¡± she said, pulling a face. ¡°Fucker!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Right?¡±

    Fiona was practically grinding her teeth down. ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean that¡­ ah, fuck¡¯s sake.¡± With a growl, she turned away from us and put her hand over her eyes. She sighed deeply. ¡°No wonder we haven¡¯t been able to gain any ground.¡±

    Ruby then turned and put her hand on my forehead, pushing back my hat. ¡°You¡¯ve had quite the day, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been an effort.¡± I grimaced as she looked down at me. It would be nice to stand back up as my legs were cramping, but it felt too rude if she was diagnosing me or something.

    ¡°You have a bruised head and sunflower over here has a swollen nose, bruising around his eyes.¡± She removed her hand and put them both on her hips. ¡°I don¡¯t have any special powers to read between the lines, but looks like you won a duel.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow up at the man before I finally stood. Wasn¡¯t much to imagine he had either done something similar in his short time here, or perhaps was just loud about his intention to try to court Ren. Something that would earn the ire of Fiona, for sure.

    Ren gave Wolf a pat on the side as she finished untying the rest of the sheet from him. ¡°We thought bringing him here to explain would be better than just running off.¡±

    Now the fighter turned to regard the elf. ¡°You¡¯re right. If we had found him and you¡¯d gone, we¡¯d have hunted you down.¡±

    I yawned louder and longer than necessary and stretched my arms out. The temptation was to vocalize what needn¡¯t be said. They couldn¡¯t even dig themselves out from the Crimson Shadow. How were they going to hunt us down?

    Fiona could read between the lines, and despite the renewed scowl in my direction, she seemed to calm. Or at least it didn¡¯t anger her further. ¡°I am unsure about how much I can tolerate your presence.¡± She exhaled slowly as she looked between the four of us. Somehow Quinn had been lumped in as our plus one. ¡°Allow us to discuss it, alright?¡±

    With a glance at Ren, she gave me a nod. Wolf was still AWOL, hoping he could eat the probably very pleasant Magnus. ¡°We have our own things to discuss. We¡¯ll head out just around the corner to give us both air to breathe?¡±

    ¡°Acceptable. We will send someone over when matters are decided. Hopefully, you won¡¯t murder them too.¡± She turned, avoiding Ren¡¯s heavily rolled eyes, and started off back into the camp with the rest of the onlookers following.

    ¡°I¡¯ll heal you both up once you¡¯re allowed in.¡± Ruby gave us a smile and a nod before following along.

    I sighed and leaned against the bear, who snapped out of his focus.

    ¡°Well, that was underwhelming,¡± he grumbled.

    Quinn shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m at least glad it didn¡¯t resort to violence.¡±

    With a slight smile, I looked down at the destroyed corpse we now had to go bury. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked, turning my grin toward him. ¡°You don¡¯t know which side you would have been on.¡±

 82 - Freshly Unearthed

    I stood over the hole dug by large paws. The earth upturned and grass roots torn from where they had grown. With a grunt, I slid the body of Rolo across the ground and into the shallow pit. The cracked face and split eyeball slowly turned toward me as I stared down at what we had done.

    Don¡¯t you want to know my secrets?

    My head slowly shook at the whispered words his broken mouth somehow spoke. I did not.

    Don¡¯t you feel like a demon too?

    I wanted to say no, but my tongue caught in my mouth. My vision was dimming, and I couldn¡¯t look away. Perhaps he was right. If he moved over, then there would be room for both of us. Safety and peace.

    Safety and peace.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    Light bloomed in my eyes as I blinked, the soft breeze and glow of mid afternoon washing away the focused gloom that had been clouding my vision. I turned my head away from the corpse to look at the elf. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honestly worried about you. You need a rest.¡± Concern painted over her usual scowl. ¡°You were just ignoring us and staring at the body in silence.¡±

    ¡°Just paying my respects,¡± I murmured, wondering what secrets the talking dead body could have wanted me to know. ¡°But,¡± I held my hands up, ¡°I admit you are right.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Obviously. Quinn help Wolf with the body, I¡¯m going to discuss things with Max.¡± The fencer looked as though he might argue why he had to get involved with a corpse he didn¡¯t help create, but one glare from the elf and he was straight into it.

    I stood, and we walked a little further across the field that flanked the campsite. After removing my hat and rubbing my eyes, we found a fallen log to sit at under the shade of a couple of trees. The other two were still in view, but I tried not to stare and see how well they were getting along.

    ¡°What a fucking day,¡± Ren sighed and kicked her boots off. ¡°We¡¯ll die of stress at this rate.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± I closed my eyes and deflated. Wrinkled my face up when she pressed a hand on my forehead. ¡°People seem to like doing this to me.¡±

    She grunted and swiveled around closer so that she could get a better grip on me. I wondered if she was about to crush my head in or twist it around on my neck. Either way, I wasn¡¯t going to resist it. She removed it after a few more seconds and pressed her own forehead against my shoulder.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d be able to tell if something was up,¡± she said and sighed. ¡°But there¡¯s no evil energy or anything. You don¡¯t feel like you¡¯re in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s because you¡¯re here,¡± I said, opening my eyes back up.

    Ren sat back up straight, removing her head from me. She looked tired now, some amount of exhausted calm on her face for a change. ¡°You still have a good handful of hours before I¡¯ll be swayed by that.¡± She prodded my arm with a finger. ¡°Back to business if you have the sanity for it.¡±

    ¡°Camp drama, and Quinn¡¯s proposal?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ willing to stay at the camp tonight if you¡¯re fine with it.¡± I tilted my head from side to side. ¡°It¡¯s a place of relative safety, and as much as Fiona would like to snap me in half, I don¡¯t feel like the majority of people are hostile toward us.¡±

    ¡°She holds a lot of sway, though.¡± Ren moved back around to be sitting beside me. ¡°I think what you didn¡¯t say was true though, if they can¡¯t fight back against the real threat of the Shadows, they¡¯d stand no chance against us.¡±

    I smiled and relaxed. Not that it would be that easy, of course. But I admired the confidence she had in our group - me especially. She had no reservations about me dueling Quinn, not knowing anything he was capable of. ¡°I really like how you can read me so well.¡±

    Her head tilted as she looked at me, her expression impassive but soft around the edges. ¡°Something about you just clicks, Max. It wasn¡¯t easy at first, but things just feel¡­ natural now.¡± She placed her hand atop mine and held it.

    ¡°We met halfway, right?¡± She still had some way to go to being a natural magician, just as I needed to work on my leadership skills, but the efforts so far pushed us together to be stronger.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Although her answer was simple, she gave away a lot more with her face. Both of us books that the other could read where others would struggle. She was fighting the urge to be soft, despite the time of day. It seemed like she was losing that battle, as her other hand came up to cup along my jaw and run through the hair at the side of my head.

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    I leaned forward, ready to kiss her - when she moved away.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Her frown couldn¡¯t hide the amusement in her eyes as she withdrew her hand from behind my ear, now holding a gold coin.

    ¡°Very good.¡± I grinned. It was a shame we didn¡¯t have more downtime to practice things, but that was just the nature of our current adventure. Maybe one day, once things were normal, we could become quite the duo. Magically.

    She flicked it into the air, and my eyes followed it. I stole it from the air without moving, just before it landed back in her hand, which she still closed as if she had caught it. With an eyebrow raised, she opened up her hand to reveal a Sweet Cake.

    ¡°Extremely good,¡± I said, and also considered giving her some applause.

    ¡°You ass,¡± she began, putting the treasure straight into her mouth. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a rule that you¡¯re not meant to mess with another magician¡¯s trick?¡±

    I feigned a shocked face. ¡°Mess with? That was merely a collaboration. If we had an audience, it would have looked as though it had been all you.¡±

    Her eyes rolled, but I saw the glimmer of excitement in them. Cake already eaten, her face then wrinkled up. ¡°Do we want an audience?¡± She was looking over to Quinn, who had been complaining to the bear about getting mud on his sleeves. Wolf had not eaten him, so perhaps our large companion was meeting us halfway, too.

    I mean, we didn¡¯t eat people.

    ¡°That¡¯s a tough call.¡± I rubbed at my eyes. ¡°The downsides being that he is annoying and might constantly try to flirt with you.¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Ren kicked the side of my boot gently. ¡°You¡¯d fuckin¡¯ tear him in half, trickster.¡±

    Something about the light in her eyes and choice language used told me that she quite liked it when I used my overwhelming power to show off how strongly I felt about her. A potentially deadly hobby, yet¡­ I did like to see her happy.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I tilted my head from side to side. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t make you uncomfortable, then having the knowledge to level us quicker would be nice. Can kill the Shadows quicker.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m willing to give him a chance, with the threat of violence if he misbehaves.¡±

    I looked back over to the man as he seemed to now be regaling Wolf with a tale that the bear could not care less for. ¡°He¡¯s not the sort of person I¡¯d usually associate with, but he seems to wear his heart on his sleeve. He¡¯s perhaps the most trustworthy Player we¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°You get that impression as you broke your skull on his face?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°That said, I do agree with you. It could be an act to appear harmless, but I¡¯ve been trying to read him and he mostly comes off as lost and misguided.¡±

    I¡¯d certainly say that. He came at me while still suffering from the Trauma status, something that hit close to home. ¡°Maybe when he is fully recovered, we could have another duel.¡±

    Ren didn¡¯t respond. She knew I didn¡¯t mean I was putting her hand on the line again. Quinn seemed to take things to heart easily, and my humbling of him could turn him towards something destructive in the future. Having my demons be subservient was one thing, but if we were to trust him as an equal, then he deserved to squirm out from beneath my boot. He¡¯d have to earn it, of course.

    ¡°Hey, Wolf.¡± I called out to the bear and waved him over. Quinn looked our way and deflated. Now he stood, awkwardly shuffling some last remnants of dirt over the grave.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Wolf said as he reached us. ¡°I felt like my brain was becoming some kind of mashed food that I would need to eat.¡±

    ¡°Not a fan, then?¡± I tilted my head.

    ¡°I feel like eating Quinn would give me a stomach ache.¡± He lazily looked back toward the man. ¡°But other than being a bore, he isn''t like the bad people.¡±

    Ren nodded. ¡°Any disagreements to letting him guide our next couple of levels?¡±

    Wolf shook his head. ¡°On the condition that I don¡¯t have to engage him in conversation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll probably hold the short straw in that regard.¡± I sighed, but then smiled to them both. ¡°Trust doesn¡¯t come easily to us all, I know, and we still have an ache over what happened to Hannah. Having some normal connections would be nice, for when this is all over, though. We don¡¯t want to be friendless mass-murderers.¡±

    The bear grunted and laid down. ¡°I forgot how much you talk as well.¡±

    Ren patted me on the arm. ¡°Go give the good news then, Mr. Speech-giving-leader.¡±

    I rolled my eyes, but stood. ¡°Equal partnership,¡± I reminded them, pointing my index finger between them both.

    Although I had accepted being the face of the group, and using what charisma¡ªreal or imagined¡ªI possessed to talk to the many oddballs on our path, I didn¡¯t want to be seen as the leader. It was not a personal vendetta that drove us, but a shared agreement that our Quest to stop the Lady in Red from making a mess of the System was the most important thing we could do here.

    Whether that was true or not was something else entirely. Had we really achieved much? So far, we had tidied up the mess on the starter island and first area, but our true aim was to nip her progress in the bud. How she had gotten so far ahead was something I wondered if we¡¯d ever find out, but the assumption was one of her skills gave her power or experience beyond her level.

    ¡°Quinn,¡± I said, finally reaching him after my mental dialogue ran out of physical space that my legs could buy me time for. ¡°Great shallow grave. I¡¯m sure Rolo appreciates it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± his face contorted. ¡°Are you mocking me, Max?¡±

    My right eye twitched, and I exhaled. ¡°I¡¯ve had a difficult day, and my sensibilities are rough around the edges. I do hope you can forgive me.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± he gave me a low bow. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡±

    It was partially true, but I also wanted to gauge his reaction. He was taking what I said to heart, either keeping his issues with my attitude to himself, or earnestly allowing it to slide after my reasonable apology.

    ¡°We have agreed you can be our guide for a short time,¡± I managed to say, without walking it back. ¡°With three conditions.¡±

    ¡°Of course, please tell me them.¡± His eye was practically glowing with excitement.

    ¡°You are to guide us to the most efficient way to leveling, nothing more - no side agenda. Do not engage with Wolf with anything not mission critical unless he initiates conversation with you. And last, absolutely no flirting with Ren.¡±

    He opened his mouth to speak, and I held up a finger to silence him.

    ¡°Breaking any of our rules gives us discretion in either firing you from your position¡­ or killing you.¡± I tilted my head to the side, not clocking how loose and fatal the terms of service sounded. ¡°I also have one question for you, should you accept.¡±

    He kneeled down on the muddied grass and held his head low. ¡°I promise to uphold those three rules, on pain of death or humiliation. What is your question, Max?¡±

    I met his eye as he raised his gaze back up at me. A smooth smile crept across my face as I felt nice and cool inside. Calm spread through all the muscles whose aches I had been ignoring. Exhaustion took a brief respite as a bulb of intrigue lit up inside my chest.

    ¡°Tell me, Quinn. What weapon do you possess in that side holster?¡±

 83 - Open Sesame

    I could see the apprehension on his face, clear as day. He didn¡¯t want to let me in on what he had holstered to his side, yet knew that he had to if he wanted to accompany us. He¡¯d rather make friends rather than enemies at this stage, knowing what we were capable of.

    On the other hand, I was rather cool on the idea. Starter island Max would have been bending over backwards to accommodate the man and I¡¯d have tried my best to make him a fan of my work. Nowadays my work involved a lot more loss of life, which anyone with a healthy mind shouldn¡¯t be a fan of. I glanced back at the other two members of my party, both of them in quiet conversation.

    ¡°This is my Class skill,¡± he informed me, popping a clasp on the leather holster. ¡°I have told few of its capability, and even fewer have seen it in action.¡± He paused, about to lift the flap up. ¡°Possibly the other way around.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes, ready to see a flintlock pistol or something similar. That would be a step up over the more medieval weaponry we had come across so far. If you discounted the guy with twin chainswords. What I hadn¡¯t been prepared for was it to actually be something so visually basic.

    From within, he took out what appeared to be a small boomerang. Polished light wood, lacquered and smooth.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, politely. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡± It didn¡¯t seem exactly what a fencer or musketeer looking fellow would have been carrying around in his old world.

    ¡°When I throw it at something,¡± he continued, ¡°at my command, it will explode.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, some confusion now on my face. Something else I did not expect, and even less likely for a duelist to wield. Perhaps this was the ¡®arcane¡¯ part of his class, and he was essentially showing me a magical grenade.

    ¡°It only works once per day.¡± He shrugged and placed it back away. ¡°The kidnappers took my good sword, but thought my class weapon to be something more banal. A shame I couldn¡¯t show them its true purpose first hand.¡± With a glum smile, he gave me a brief bow to signal his duty to fulfill my request was complete.

    I held out my hand to shake. ¡°Glad to have you on board, Quinn.¡± Although I smiled, I mostly wanted to see the weapon in action and possibly involve it in my act somehow. Our pyrotechnics were few and far between - a once a day big bang could be just what we really needed to¡­ blow up the Crimson Shadow?

    He took my hand with both of his and we shook, a warm smile across his face.

    ¡°One last thing,¡± I added. ¡°No adventuring if you have the Trauma status.¡±

    ¡°It is mild at present, Max. The doctor assured me rest would cure it in no time at all.¡±

    ¡°That was before you came to fight me, yeah?¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    His one eye took a glance over at Ren before he nodded sheepishly. ¡°I tend to act brash and follow every spark of passion that erupts within me. Part of the reason I decided to hide myself away was to limit how much danger I would get myself into.¡±

    Otherwise, he¡¯d be with the Shadows or broken underneath their boots, no doubt. A stroke of bad luck to have been picked up by the marketeers. Traveling solo seemed like a large risk - another thing I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad about. My brow furrowed as thoughts and questions started to bubble within my mind.

    I took a glance in the direction of the camp before gesturing to the fencer. ¡°Come sit with us while we await our fate. Knowledge is power, and perhaps we can drag you up to our level.¡±

    Although the pair didn¡¯t look too pleased as I brought him over, it was wise to be wary of a new face. We had agreed to travel with him, so some amount of acceptance was required - and as we sat in a loose circle, the tension slowly melted away as I began to speak.

    I told him our history, what Ren and I had accomplished back on the island. The Lady and her effect on the first area. Meeting Wolf and fighting off the various ambushes. Despite it being in my nature, I didn¡¯t embellish the facts. Told him all, everything up to the small village here and meeting Fiona and her group.

    He sat in patient silence, an enraptured audience if ever I saw one. Hie eye widened at certain parts, and his expression changed slightly between disbelief and awe, but by the end he seemed rather mellow compared to his usual self.

    ¡°Incredible,¡± he said, deflating in his chair. ¡°It is¡­ almost beyond belief, yet I do - wholeheartedly.¡±

    I nodded, glad that he was now caught up to speed. ¡°If you want to back out now, that is an option.¡±

    ¡°No judgements,¡± Ren added.

    He shook his head. ¡°No.. I¡­ I thank the stars to have crossed paths with such a fated couple.¡± His eye went down to the bored bear. ¡°Trio. It surely cannot be chance we have met. I feel invigorated and honored to be part of your journey against the dark forces that plague this world.¡±

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    ¡°Great,¡± Ren murmured, ¡°now there¡¯s two of you.¡±

    An unfair jab, I felt. While I certainly had my moments of drab introspection or labored them with a weighty phrase about our situation - I wasn¡¯t unnecessarily poetic about it. I hoped, anyway. Was his showmanship clashing with my own?

    I narrowed my eyes as he smiled warmly at us. No. The difference was he didn¡¯t need to impress or draw acceptance from people. He was just outwardly this insufferable because he was already so sure about himself. Nauseating.

    ¡°The plan is,¡± I began, ¡°to rest for the remainder of today and head out tomorrow. While there are plenty of hours left in the day, I am one bad incident away from having a mental break.¡±

    ¡°That makes a change,¡± Wolf added. The elf shuffled slightly, probably to hide the amusement in her expression.

    ¡°Instead,¡± I continued, ignoring the pair, ¡°I have some questions to open up to the group.¡± Dramatic pause to ensure I had their attention. ¡°First up, who were the marketeers selling stuff to? It can¡¯t be the groups at the camp, right?¡±

    ¡°Unless they are part of it,¡± Wolf grumbled. ¡°A honey pot to draw wayward Players in.¡± He licked his lips.

    His fixation on food aside, it was a reasonable point to bring up. I deferred to Ren for her views on the idea.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± she wrinkled her face up. ¡°You need to remember I didn¡¯t know Fiona for that long. It doesn¡¯t seem like something she¡¯d do¡­ but then, look at us.¡±

    A stage magician with more blood on my hands than tricks as I slowly lost sight of myself to what? A demon? There was something I was keen to avoid addressing at this stage. Perhaps I would take a leaf out of Ren¡¯s book and allow my internal thoughts out once we had some privacy under the night¡¯s sky.

    ¡°Could be any of them in there,¡± Quinn added. ¡°Not to cast any aspersions on the fine folk who nursed me to health, but there are a lot of unknowns.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll put a big question mark over the camp for now until we know how they feel about us. If not them, then who? My kidnapper didn¡¯t seem keen on the Crimson Shadows, but coin is coin, right?¡±

    ¡°What do they even need gold for?¡± Ren scowled at the grass. ¡°It¡¯s not like the System requires us to spend it on much.¡±

    ¡°Shame the adventuring taxes are so high,¡± Quinn said, before sighing.

    ¡°Taxes?¡± I grimaced. The uncomfortable word had me wanting to call for Reggie.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ what, you haven¡¯t been paying them?¡± He leveled a blank expression at us both, before his poker face cracked away and a wide grin crossed his face - before we even had a chance to buy it. ¡°Sorry! Just a little joke, ha! The fair Ren is correct, however. There isn¡¯t much opportunity to spend gold unless you head to one of the main towns.¡±

    I brought up the map. ¡°There¡¯s what¡­ four towns?¡±

    ¡°Three smaller and then the main hub,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°Although I have not made it all that way myself.¡±

    The closest was down on the southern coast, back to the east a little. If only we had gone that route rather than be distracted by the village taken over by the gang. In fact, the towns were almost placed in each corner of the area. Assuming north of the road was controlled by the Crimson Shadow, then that left the southwest one our safest bet - with the central hub just before the third area up in contention.

    ¡°Why are the Players camping here instead of staying in the town?¡± I raised an eyebrow, the question more just my out-loud thoughts than a shovel digging for answers.

    Quinn shrugged, his time with them just as short - if not more so - than our own. Perhaps a question I could jab them with should they decide not to turn us away. Looking over, I could see that Wolf had fallen into a nap. Under this pleasant shade, I couldn¡¯t blame him. We¡¯d had an active day and definitely deserved some downtime.

    Even thinking and knowing this, I craved to continue. At my personal detriment, I felt the need to level more. Gather skills and tokens, and¡­ my brow furrowed.

    ¡°How powerful is your class ability, Quinn?¡± My head tilted to arrange my thoughts into one useful pile rather than be spread out.

    He screwed his mouth up and his eye went between each of us. ¡°If I set it off where we currently sit¡­ all would die. Except maybe the venerable Wolf.¡±

    My eyebrows raised. I had tried not to consider myself becoming more of an assassin with my teleportation, invisibility, and penchant to survive any odds¡­ but he had a throwable satchel of C4. The things I could do with that. The damage. The death.

    Licking my lips, I gave him a wry grin. ¡°I have a job for you then, should you have no current use of your ability today?¡±

    <hr>

    We stood back out in the field, a little further from the camp so as not to worry them. Ren didn¡¯t seem too enamored with my explanation that Quinn had a magical grenade, even if the System translated that into something she could understand. Wolf had been grumpy at being awoken, but had soon fallen back asleep on arrival at our destination. Shame it wouldn¡¯t last.

    I walked a good fifty feet away from the elf and bear, with the fencer by my side.

    ¡°What stats does your class require, Quinn?¡±

    ¡°Agility and Intelligence main, Strength minor.¡±

    Shame, but that made sense. We¡¯d be competing on Int gear, perhaps - but it was interesting he didn¡¯t have Dexterity as a main Stat considering his fencing background. Then again, we hadn¡¯t seen him fight properly yet.

    I stopped and withdrew the safe from my Inventory to place on the grass. Tilted it on its back so the locked face looked up at the sky. Up at its reckoning.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked him.

    He rubbed at his goatee. ¡°Ah¡­ it is not impossible. You have piqued my curiosity, Max.¡±

    ¡°Twenty-five percent of the contents.¡± I shot him a smile. ¡°We are all equal here.¡± Although I hadn¡¯t run this past Ren yet, I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t disagree. If he was going to risk life and limb to assist us, it seemed fair to treat him as we did each other.

    Plus, I wasn¡¯t going to waste any more brain cells on trying to open the thing. It could be useless junk.

    From his pouch, he withdrew the small wooden boomerang and placed it gently atop the face of the safe. We both turned and walked back toward the pair who were uninterested in whatever we were getting up to. I had to admit that Quinn was growing on me. Where Ren was too closed off and trying to crawl out of her shell, the man was too overt with his feelings and needed to dial it in.

    Wolf was quiet and considerate, but very plain and forthright when asked. And me¡­ well, I was pretty sure I was slowly going insane - but I put a good show on, at the least. I was entertaining, for those not being crushed beneath my heel.

    I shook those thoughts away as I caught Ren¡¯s blue eyes. Quinn and I stopped, his face a slight grimace as we looked back toward the otherwise inconspicuous item atop the metal cube.

    With his hand extended, he whispered out a word that the System did not translate.

 84 - Pop!

    The resulting explosion was something both impressive and underwhelming at the same time. Perhaps too many movies and living a life full of theatrics had given me a disjointed vision of what a blast really did. However, the power and damage it wrought was awe-inspiring, even if the loud bang did earn us both glares from the elf and bear.

    We walked back over to the safe, now sitting in a small ditch of brown mud. Grass smoldered on the edges of the circular pit that was easily a dozen feet wide.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve used it last.¡± He grinned, clearly as enamored with the destruction as I was in awe.

    ¡°I can imagine. It¡¯s not exactly subtle.¡± I licked my lips, trying not to think about what I could do with that kind of power. Explode people, probably. Once per day.

    Any worry that even that was not enough washed away quicker than the smell of charred metal and burned dirt hit our noses. The poor safe lay facing the sky still, the door now buckled and smoking. Warm to the touch, but the locking mechanism had given up the ghost, and the contents were ours - assuming we hadn¡¯t ruined them either.

    It popped open in my grasp, and I was vaguely disappointed to be presented with a looting window rather than have anything tangible on the inside. System liked to ruin my mood.

    [8345 Gold]

    [Socket Setter (2)]

    [Dex Gemstone (3)]

    [Agi Gemstone (2)]

    [Skillbook (1)]

    [Power Token (12)]

    I whistled. Partly because I wanted to build anticipation, and I was amused to see the other two members of the party moving toward us.

    ¡°Worth alerting the rest of the area to our location?¡± Ren asked, her arms crossed.

    She couldn¡¯t hide her desire to know what was inside, though. I could read her like a book. Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t want to drag the suspense out longer than necessary just in case she set Wolf on me. He seemed even less impressed with the loud noise that had woken him up.

    ¡°First off,¡± I said, with a wide grin. ¡°There was a bunch of nice meat.¡± I caught the elf¡¯s look. ¡°And fruit.¡±

    From within my Inventory I withdrew some pork chops, a pair of apples, and some carrots in quick succession. Carrots weren¡¯t a fruit, but hopefully it was enough to persuade the bear.

    As he crunched through, my eyes quickly went over the newer items to see what they did before I did the big reveal.

    Socket Setter added a socket to a piece of gear - which enables a gemstone to be affixed. Another way for gear to boost Stats. Two wasn¡¯t exactly an easy number to share around. These Gemstones gave a plus two to their respective Stats, and I was sure I found a Mana one at some point.

    ¡°Three Power Tokens and two thousand gold each,¡± I said, mostly to give them a figurative bite to eat while I finished reading things off. There was a little rounding of those figures, which I¡¯d work out eventually, I was sure.

    A Skillbook gave you the option of three random skills to choose from. Random meaning outside of your normal Class choice. Limited to a certain list, and mostly utility skills. I pouted, trying to imagine how we would divide certain things up fairly.

    ¡°I can see that look on your face, friend.¡± Quinn gave me a soft smile. ¡°If there is anything rare or important you cannot share, I understand - I am new to the group and the Tokens and gold are more than worth the cost of being part of this.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at Ren, and she shrugged.

    [Quinn has joined the Party]

    ¡°I was hoping for more equipment.¡± I stood from the spent metal container and stretched out. ¡°But there¡¯s some Dexterity things for you, Ren. Also, this.¡±

    She tilted her head as I held out the book, as if I was about to do something strange with it as part of some trick. With a suspicious glare toward me, she took it and brought up the description.

    ¡°Hmm. Pass.¡± She handed it back.

    I raised an eyebrow, but nodded. I understood her reasoning. Max, the man of many tricks, could probably do better with something extra - even if it was something mundane. Instead, I traded over her Tokens, gold, and socket items.

    ¡°Now this is better, thank you.¡± She gave me a glare that lingered before I was able to tear myself away and distribute the rest of the plunder to the others.

    ¡°Someone approaches,¡± Wolf mentioned, turning his head as he licked his chops - his meal finished, including the fruit and veg.

    We turned to see that he was correct. From the direction of the campground, a male figure dressed in plain brown leathers. He was alone, which meant he came to deliver a message rather than run us away.

    ¡°Clive, right?¡± I grimaced and raised an eyebrow at the elf.

    ¡°Yeah. I get the impression you¡¯re not a fan.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Seems pretty normal to me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± I tried to scour the approaching man for a sign of¡­ anything that was remarkable about him. ¡°It¡¯s like his Class is just generic human.¡±

    Ren nudged me to get me to hush, but I could see a wry grin at the side of her mouth. Quinn looked apprehensive, but didn¡¯t seem to have any preconceptions about the man.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he greeted us, now close enough to speak at medium volume. ¡°You may remember me. I¡¯m Clive.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± For the day that I had up until this point, I prided myself on not added anything sarcastic to that acknowledgement. I was just about to dig through my Tokens and the Skillbook.

    ¡°The meeting has concluded. You are free to stay.¡± He stopped and held his hands behind his back.

    Ren narrowed her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no addendum or conditions on that?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He remained impassive.

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    I considered the ramifications of killing him outright. Probably a bad example to set for our new temporary party member. Ren and Wolf might play along, but making enemies of every Player in the area would be pretty shortsighted.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I relented. ¡°Thank you, Clive. We¡¯ll finish up here and circle back when ready.¡±

    ¡°As you wish. Best regards.¡± He turned and started walking calmly away, unaware that I was staring the worse daggers imaginable at the back of his perfectly normal head.

    ¡°I can see why he¡¯d be your mortal enemy,¡± Ren said, turning to me. ¡°Given that you¡¯re opposite.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Like any of you are any less of a spectacle.¡± From my Inventory, a chair appeared as I sat.

    Quinn furrowed his brow, looking down at his garish yellow outfit, before then glancing at the chair that had appeared a lot easier than he was used to.

    ¡°Team meeting¡­ again, I suppose?¡± As much as the morning had been spent between grinding monsters and avoiding a mental break, the late afternoon seemed to be sinking into conversations about¡­ hmm, my brain had started to slow down.

    I looked up at the three as we sat in a loose circle once more. Adding a new voice and complication to the dynamic was an issue we had been avoiding for a while. Quinn seemed trustworthy, almost up to a level only Wolf could reach. The extra power for our group would help us against the unknown. Being a party of three had made us easy to ambush.

    ¡°Say, Quinn,¡± I began, ¡°you haven¡¯t really seen what I can do, right?¡±

    He shook his head politely. ¡°From watching you fight the Wildfolk you are a ranged spellcaster, with a gambler or jester theme.¡±

    I caught Ren squirming slightly. Even though her face hadn¡¯t budged, I knew that was a tell that she was holding in a laugh. ¡°Magician, but close enough. The card attacks are one part of it¡­ but maybe I can give a demonstration?¡±

    Wolf perked up, perhaps assuming the trick would end up with him getting some meat. Well, I couldn¡¯t disappoint him. Quinn seemed apprehensive, but was attentive. Ren was glaring at me, but was eager to see what I was about to come up with. What a crowd.

    ¡°Do you have an orange, Ren?¡± I smiled at my prot¨¦g¨¦.

    She nodded, withdrawing it into her hand before lobbing it over to me to catch.

    Only I didn¡¯t. Eyes narrowed, the Orange stopped in midair over my lap. It hovered there, bobbing up and down for five seconds. I then clapped my hands together over it¡ªnothing there¡ªbut when I drew them apart, I now had an orange in each hand.

    Wolf and Quinn both had a few Dazzle icons, but unsurprisingly, Ren did not. She gave me a brief nod, but I knew she was more impressed by tricks that didn¡¯t involve me moving things in and out of my Inventory. This one was a little different, in that I focused on quickly dropping the same thing in and out as quickly as possible in the same place to give the illusion of floating. It was hell on my eyes, however.

    ¡°Some manner of conjuration.¡± The fencer looked half ready to give me some applause. ¡°I am impressed.¡±

    I spun an orange in my hand, and it turned into a roast chicken. Off to Wolf it went, with the other orange.

    ¡°You should see him do that in the middle of combat.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°He kills people with that kind of bullshit.¡±

    Amusing to note that Quinn winced as the elf swore. I¡¯d have to clue her in on that. No doubt he saw her as many did - a beautiful elven princess. And she was, in a way, but so much more of a person outside of that. She caught me smiling at her and I slowly turned my gaze back to the present, my train of thought trying to find the right rails.

    ¡°Ah, so we¡¯re allowed back to the pleasant camp.¡± There it was, got it in one.

    Ren deflated in her chair. ¡°No doubt Fiona said a lot more than it was just ¡®okay¡¯.¡±

    ¡°For one, I am glad to have a safe space to sleep tonight.¡± Quinn scratched at his eyepatch. ¡°I¡¯d prefer some solid walls, but it¡¯s better than a dank chamber where they remove eyeballs.¡±

    I grimaced. Not far from that fate myself, depending on how quickly Ren and Wolf had arrived. Although I had made it out mostly unharmed, Quinn wasn¡¯t so lucky. ¡°How are you other than the Trauma?¡±

    ¡°One eye fewer is a detriment to my fighting ability.¡± He looked down and shuffled in his chair. ¡°Another reason why I was keen to find a place in your party.¡±

    Ren and I exchanged a look. We had hardened ourselves to do the worst things necessary to fix this System and find some closure to what the Lady had done. Quinn was the breath of fresh air to remind us of our humanity. Or whatever elves had. Not built like us to rise above the struggle, but strong enough not to have fallen. He was the sort of person we were doing this all for.

    ¡°You know¡­¡± Ren began, ¡°not that I¡¯m pushing you away, but you could always go back to the first area.¡±

    I nodded along. ¡°There¡¯s new Players coming in that could use guidance, and we¡¯re pretty sure we got rid of most of the rot there.¡±

    He looked between us and furrowed his brow. ¡°I feel like I have a lot of growth to do as a person before I could act as a mentor. But perhaps that is a noble goal for me, once I am ready.¡±

    Quinn may have his flaws, but he didn¡¯t seem dreadful on the inside. The Crimson Shadows were terrible and violent, and the campers were apathetic and lax. From the few newer Players we had met, they seemed a lot more well-adjusted. I wondered if we had managed to appear during a period of people with terrible attitudes being brought into the System. Would be big-headed, but part of me was willing to believe I was here to fulfill a purpose.

    To kill the infection that the Lady was soaking through the land.

    We settled into a silence as we each went through to use our Tokens, although Wolf was perhaps just going back to sleep. Three was a decent number, and I was tempted to save them up to get the next upgrade on my main attacks - or perhaps one of my summons. Still, waiting around for seven more when we could die the next day seemed foolish. Better to have power today than be a corpse with unrealized potential.

    My eyes rolled over all my abilities and passives. A tough problem to chew on, but I dove in face first.

    [<Demonic Transportation> is now Advanced: Mana cost reduced by 30%, the switch can be reversed within two seconds of using the ability.]

    Although it sounded like a one-way ticket to getting dizzy, the reversal seemed way more important than the mana usage of the skill. The first example that came into my head was putting a dove up by a chimney, switching so that I could drop something down into the house, and then reversing back to wherever I was safe. Also, a novel way to Dazzle or confuse an enemy while in combat.

    [<Master Summoner> is now Advanced: Summons have an additional +15% Health and Attack.]

    This brought them up to twenty-five percent bonus to both. Shame it gave no further effects - but the locked Expert stage of the skill seemed to hint that it was more than just a Stat boost. Even with Quinn on our side, we¡¯d get good use out of my demons and they¡¯d earned a little boost of their own.

    Trying not to glance at Ren out of guilt, I upgraded the next skill.

    [<Bloodletting> is now Advanced: Increased maximum Health converted to 15%, increased Spell Crit chance 5% when Bloodletting.]

    The extra five percent damage wasn¡¯t really worth it. It was hard to imagine this being a good pick if I didn¡¯t have the Headband of Woe which increased damage with mana used. However, critical chance was very nice - and five percent was much higher than my current bonus. Sure, it meant pushing my health and ability to the limit, but when I could possibly get more of those critical cards in clutch moments without wasting mana on normal cards¡­

    It seemed like a something pretty useful. Shatter was now my only active ability not upgraded, and I was pretty cold on it until seeing it in action.

    ¡°Do you have any Expert skills, Quinn?¡± I raised an eyebrow as I brought out the Skillbook.

    ¡°Ah, just the one.¡± His eye was still on his menus. ¡°Something that helps me avoid projectiles.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Shame I didn¡¯t just attack you with cards then. Things may have gone differently.¡±

    His eye moved away from whatever he was looking at to seek me out, a warm smile crossing his face. ¡°Perhaps. I expect you are a lot more than meets the eye, knowing what I do now.¡±

    If Ren hadn¡¯t also been in her ability menus, she probably would have rolled her eyes. It was a reasonable response. Quinn was still malleable. Once we saw how he fared in the fires of the forge, we¡¯d see if he could be tempered to play the role we were destined for.

    I activated the Skillbook, unsurprised all that opening it did was bring up menus to select.

    [Pick One]

    [Analyze] [You can see the Level and Basic Class of a target]

    [Terrain Expert] [You can determine the nature of the surrounding terrain]

    [Battle Observer] [You can see Status Effect icons on nearby targets]

    Clucking my tongue, I gestured to my selection with nothing but a thought.

 85 - Healthy Scepticism

    While all three skills had some use or another, I didn¡¯t need the System to talk to me about mud and trees. Likewise, Base Class was just a rough approximation of what their actual Class was. For me it would be Spellcaster. Most opponents dressed in a way that made it clear what sort of role they functioned in on the battlefield.

    There had already been a few times where I hadn¡¯t been able to see other debuff icons that would have been helpful. Like, knowing Jokkar had stunned the other two and not killed them would have been less stressful. I raised my eyebrows at my party now, and accepted <Battle Observer>.

    Quinn had an icon. A red T on a gray background with a small number one in the bottom right corner. The first level of Trauma, I assumed. At least he had been forward about, and now I felt like a bit of a creep for being able to see this about people. Maybe it suited the magician part of me, to help Dazzle or win over people if I knew what ailed them. Time would tell.

    Ren had nothing over her. I was partly ready to guess that she had something that made her immune to being Dazzled, or something that perhaps hid her Status Effects - but then again, that wouldn¡¯t necessarily be something I could see with this ability, anyway. She tilted her head in seeing me narrowing my eyes at her.

    I switched to Wolf, who had two icons over him. The first was a red square with the outline of a stomach in black upon it. Second was a light blue color, with an upward arrow in black. With an eyebrow raised, I found I could bring out the description of these, since I was apparently close enough.

    [Hungry] [You require food]

    [Energetic Boost] [STR and CON increased at the cost of increased hunger (On)]

    Well, now that made a lot of sense. I wasn¡¯t sure whether or not I should tell him, however. Depending on how good the boost was, I¡¯d be happy to continue filling the bear with food if it increased his efficiency. Still, if he was doing it out of ignorance, it wouldn¡¯t be fair of me to keep a secret for myself.

    ¡°Wolf, are you aware you have a buff skill toggled on all the time?¡± I tilted my head, but clocked Ren¡¯s raised eyebrow at my question.

    ¡°I know some of those words,¡± he grumbled, his eyes currently closed and chin resting on his paws.

    ¡°You have something that makes you more powerful, but requires you to eat a lot more. You could turn it off when not in combat to remain satiated for longer.¡± He probably knew all those words if the System was doing its job of translating everything for us properly.

    ¡°I like eating.¡±

    Ren rolled her eyes and came at me with a question of her own. ¡°What did you get from the book then, trickster? You can see all icons now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about all¡­¡± I leveled a blank stare at her to see if I could read anything from her expression. ¡°But generally, yes. I can see Quinn¡¯s Trauma status.¡±

    ¡°Anything on me?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Should there be?¡± We both remained impassive, perhaps the two best poker faces in the System.

    Quinn cleared his throat. ¡°Ah, speaking of my status - if we have the grace of Fiona et al, it would be nice to get some rest.¡±

    I slowly broke eye contact with the elf before addressing the man. It was getting close to dusk, and if we were going to have a busy day of traveling and leveling tomorrow, then getting some good rest sounded like a solid plan. Plus, I had survived the day and had a kiss coming my way if I played my cards right. Which I always did.

    ¡°Good idea, Quinn.¡± Other than having to deal with the other Players. ¡°Any objections to heading to the camp for the day?¡±

    Ren didn¡¯t seem too enthusiastic, but shook her head. Wolf grunted and murmured something about hoping they had some food. It was all as expected, really. I stood from my chair, giving it a glance so I could put it away. The other two did the same, but much slower. For a moment, I just turned and took in our surroundings. Amber light from the waning sun had started painting the landscape a different hue.

    Beautiful in a way. Again, I found myself in awe of the System to some degree, coming from a world that was often just the glow of the stage or the drab gray brickwork of civilisation in twilight. It was enough to remind me of what we were fighting for. All that found themselves here with enough earnestness in their hearts deserved a pleasant world to grow and thrive in.

    Ren put her hand on my arm, jostling me from my thoughts. ¡°Everything alright, Max?¡±

    I smiled and put my arm around her, surprised briefly that she allowed it. ¡°It will be, Ren.¡±

    She followed my gaze out to the fields, now almost golden with the sunset approaching. ¡°Wasn¡¯t angling for a romantic moment, but I¡¯ll accept it. My worry was¡­ I just had a feeling. Like back at the dungeon.¡±

    My hand slid away from her back, and I turned to face her. ¡°One of your skills gives you some kind of premonition powers?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Not as such. I didn¡¯t know you were going to be kidnapped, so it¡¯s not something related to my Oath.¡± Her face wrinkled up. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just been a long day.¡±

    I nodded, and we turned to join the other two. She was trying to downplay it, but I trusted her instinct entirely. Probably a good idea to tell her. ¡°I trust your instinct entirely.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Really trying hard for that kiss later, huh? But, thank you. We¡¯ll need to be on alert then.¡±

    ¡°We will be.¡± I smiled and ignored her playful jab. As much as it might be true, the prospect that something bad might be around the corner had thrown a wet blanket over the possible flames of our blooming romance. It felt awkward to call it that, but she had officiated it, so she only had herself to blame.

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    Wolf chuckled loudly. A rumbling thing from ahead of us. He and Quinn had apparently found some common ground to talk about. The snippets I caught seemed to be about food, but I was way beyond being surprised.

    ¡°You made a good call with Quinn.¡±

    I raised my eyebrows at her. ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been through a lot.¡± She exhaled and looked out to the trees as we rejoined the main road. ¡°Your choice shows that you¡¯re not¡­ you won¡¯t become a monster. Cold and indifferent.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± How correct was she on this? My actions with Rolo sparked a truth of what I was capable of. We had already slain our way through enough people for it to be hard to believe I had a clean and good soul. In the fort she had told me to not lose sight of myself, and this was what she meant.

    I had no doubt she would follow me, even if I had killed Quinn. Even if I had killed through the camp. There was a limit, I was sure, where she would put the demon-killing arrow through the back of my neck. I was in no hurry to get close to that line. In fact, the further away from the line I could be, the better.

    ¡°I¡¯m fallible.¡± I admitted to her. ¡°But glad I have you to keep me pointed in the right direction. If I was alone in this, I¡¯d¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be like I was on the starter island.¡± She hooked her arm around mine as we walked. ¡°Dissociated, bitter, and angry. Fiona drew me out of it a little, but then it compounded when she left. I¡­ was not in a healthy place.¡±

    ¡°What changed when you met me?¡± I relaxed as we fell into step. ¡°Other than being swayed by my charisma and good looks, naturally.¡±

    ¡°Honestly? It helped that you weren¡¯t entirely an asshole. You seemed earnest about wanting to help me, and I was desperate for a conclusion. Something to put an end to the constant torment.¡± She sighed.

    ¡°And I was desperate for someone to show me the ropes in this world and find some safety.¡± I smiled as she shot me a scowl.

    ¡°You¡¯re competent enough, trickster. I treated you like shit, and I¡¯m glad that didn¡¯t push you away.¡±

    ¡°We are both good at reading people. I could see your intent behind the scowls and disdain for how I beat out the odds with childish flair.¡± I grinned to myself as we were almost at the large rock before camp.

    She let go of my arm and straightened out her waistcoat. ¡°Now look at me.¡± She tilted her head and gave me a soft smile. ¡°Seeing me beneath the layer of grump was an easy way into my heart. Hadrian, Fiona, other nameless jerkoffs - they just thought I was pissed at them all the time.¡±

    ¡°They were all assholes,¡± I said diplomatically.

    Her eyes rolled, but her expression was content enough. ¡°You¡¯re an asshole sometimes. So am I. I¡¯d be more worried about you if you weren''t a dickbag.¡±

    Our conversation petered out as we rejoined the two ahead of us as they stopped on the path leading into the camp. No surprises that Fiona was awaiting our arrival, but interestingly enough, it was only her there.

    She looked as though she was chewing on some manner of insult or jibe to throw our way, but it melted away. ¡°Group decided to trust you. I¡¯m not going to welcome you with open arms, but you¡¯re free to stay as long as you need.¡± She raised an eyebrow at Quinn. ¡°Some of you may need healing. All we ask in return is you help take watch. There¡¯s a gap tomorrow night.¡±

    ¡°Smaller camp tonight?¡± I asked.

    She nodded curtly. ¡°The pair you saw earlier, their group is going out to the west. Against my advice, but adventures do what adventurers do.¡±

    I gave her a low bow. ¡°I appreciate your discretion.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡± She sighed deeply. ¡°Thank Ruby, mostly. The world is too full of shit for us few to be so up in arms.¡± She held out a hand toward me.

    I took it and shook. ¡°Tensions are naturally high. What matters now is the way forward.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes at me, but didn¡¯t want to address the comments. ¡°Same tent is available to you both, and we have one for Quinn nearby.¡±

    He gave her a low bow too, a mirror of the one I had performed. I saw her jaw work, but she gestured for us to follow on in.

    Ren stepped ahead of me. ¡°Do you have someway to bathe here, Fiona?¡±

    ¡°We do, back left. There should be some water left in the shower.¡± With one last put-on smile, she waved us away. ¡°I¡¯m on front gate duty for a while longer unless Clive comes to relieve me, but perhaps we can speak further in the morning?¡±

    The elf put her hand on my shoulder and leaned into my ear to whisper. ¡°As much as I¡¯d like you to keep an eye on me, I¡¯d prefer you kept an eye on Quinn.¡±

    I nodded as she moved away, totally unflustered by the mental images now fighting for brain space. ¡°Wolf, go and protect Ren with your life. Extra rations for you.¡± He seemed happy with this.

    As I watched her walk off, I could have sworn there was a coy smile at the side of her mouth. I exhaled and turned to Quinn. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and see the doctor.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t been gazing after the elf when she left with the bear, which was a good sign. Party dynamics would get messy if he still held a candle for her. Liable to get burned. It seemed the lustre was just on the surface layer, and the run in with me had set him off on a more realistic path. Still, she wasn¡¯t about to take the risk of having a peeping tom while she showered, and Wolf would definitely keep her safe from that.

    The pair of us went to the side of the camp where the medical tent was. A lantern illuminated the inside, but the opening was down. I screwed up my face in being unsure of the procedure here.

    ¡°Knock, knock?¡± I said, with all the confidence I could muster while still having it come out as a question.

    There was movement, and then the flap was moved to the side to reveal the face of the goblin. ¡°Oh! If it isn¡¯t my favorite pair of patients. Come on in.¡±

    I shrugged at Quinn¡¯s raised eyebrow. We hadn¡¯t been here long enough to be a favorite, and it didn¡¯t sound sarcastic enough given how often I was prone to getting myself in trouble. I allowed him in first, before I followed into the tent.

    ¡°Take a seat, both of ya.¡± She tutted and crossed her arms. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you now, Max?¡±

    I sat on the edge of the bed and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Nothing, I think? For a change.¡± Rather sane and undamaged, for the present moment. Just tired.

    ¡°Perfect. Then I can give you this.¡± She withdrew a potion bottle from a wooden case on the side table and handed it over. Dark green in color with slow swirls of purple when I moved it.

    ¡°Oh, thank you. I thought you mostly dealt in goop?¡±

    She grinned before giving a brief curtsey. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s totally goop. Barely a potion at all, given how viscous it is. System should give you a heads up, though.¡±

    [Grand Arcane Potion] [+100% Mana Recovery Rate, +20% Magic Damage, +5% Magical Crit Chance. 20 second duration. Inflicts Mana Exhausation]

    I whistled. ¡°I¡¯d hate to be in a situation where I¡¯d need this.¡± It was bound to be soon, I was sure. Mana Exhaustion meant my power recovery would be all but nothing for two hours after the potion wore off. ¡°I am to understand that we have you to thank for allowing us to stay?¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± she shrugged and went to the cabinet for something. ¡°Fiona gets stuck doubting her own decisions. She is smart but not really a leader, she just does it because¡­ someone had to, you know?¡± Ruby turned back to them and drew a box over toward Quinn.

    It was understandable. She was trying to create a space where people could be safe. One of the towns seemed like a better place, however¡­ perhaps a question for the morning.

    The goblin spread some dark goop across Quinn¡¯s forehead. ¡°Told you to stay put. Now look at you.¡±

    ¡°My humblest apologies,¡± he murmured, looking down at the floor.

    ¡°Broken nose too? Trauma status is like a force multiplier for bad times, you know?¡± She tutted and moved his head around to observe the damage I had caused.

    ¡°That was my own hubris.¡± He winced as she prodded the sore looking area.

    She shook her head and hopped down to dig around for another medicine. ¡°Always hubris. Gotta be careful out there.¡±

    We looked at each other and gave small shrugs, smiles across our faces. Through all the turmoil, I may have just made another friend.

    The tent flap flung open, and the armored figure of Fiona stomped in. She turned to me, her eyes narrowed and burning with some emotion.

    ¡°I want to know how you did it.¡±

 86 - Night Showing

    I paused and looked at the Fighter. Quinn and Ruby had also turned to observe her entrance and pointed question. Wasn¡¯t too sure what she had actually asked. Surely she didn¡¯t mean Ren again? Not with the goblin present?

    My mouth opened and closed, but all I could manage was a look of confusion.

    Her expression dulled. ¡°You said you killed Velkos? Guy with the chainswords?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Relief and understanding flooded through me. She just wanted to discuss the man I had murdered, rather than explain the nuance of how I won over Ren. It wasn¡¯t troubling at all that I found that the easier option to talk about.

    Fiona crossed her arms and waited for me to drip out the details. He obviously left his mark on her in more ways than one. I took a deep breath.

    ¡°He was in the fort. Dueled him for a bit and poisoned his arm with some Witch¡¯s potion.¡±

    Ruby tilted her head, looking like she had some questions there but didn¡¯t want to interrupt.

    ¡°The poison caused his arm to be inert, so he had to cut it off. While he was distracted, I put an attack through his back and heart.¡± I left out the part about taking his weapon to bisect one of the other combatants. It sounded a lot worse the further from the act I had grown.

    The fighter grunted. ¡°Would have liked him to suffer more, but I believe the story. Although, you dueled him without taking damage?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± I grimaced. ¡°I am rather evasive if given the chance. But¡­ could I ask what happened to make him¡­¡± I gestured to her scars in the most polite manner I could muster - which was not at all.

    Her eyes narrowed, before she softened and seemed tired. ¡°Something stupid, believe me. We Partied briefly, but had an argument. Somehow, we agreed that a duel would settle matters.¡± Fiona shuffled uncomfortably. ¡°He took it a lot more seriously than intended.¡±

    ¡°Duels are a great way to be humbled,¡± Quinn agreed, before turning his head away from her glare.

    I took down my top hat to place beside me. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder he joined the Lady. Sounds like he was an asshole.¡±

    Fiona looked as though she was going to give a sarcastic response, but instead she sighed and let her arms relax. ¡°Yeah. System is full of them, myself included.¡± She held a hand out to be shaken. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I trust you fully still, but you have my thanks for killing that fuck.¡±

    I extended my own, and we shook. ¡°I understand your trepidation and will do my best to be an asset to the camp.¡±

    ¡°Eh, just don¡¯t be a weird ass.¡± She shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more in the morning with everyone present, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. We¡¯ve had a message back from Candlekeep up in the northwest.¡±

    That was the town Hadrian had said the Lady intended on getting to next.

    ¡°It sounds like they¡¯ve rebuffed the Lady¡¯s attempt at a takeover there. They said¡­¡± She screwed her face up. ¡°She had been growing in strength up until the last couple of days, and she¡¯s been weaker?¡± Fiona shrugged. ¡°As accurate as that is.¡±

    I nodded slowly. That gave me something to think about.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be off. Rest well. I¡¯m sure tomorrow will be a long day.¡± She gave Quinn and I a nod, before shooting the goblin a brief soft smile, and then she left.

    My brow furrowed as we fell into silence. Why would the Lady have gotten weaker? The answer was right in front of me; I was sure of it. Her impossibly quick ascension through the areas and then¡­ running out of steam. I raised an eyebrow at Ruby, who had been patiently waiting for me to pay attention so that she could ask me a question.

    ¡°You fought the witches?¡± Her eyes twinkled with interest.

    ¡°We did, yes. Did you?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Looked fun, but dangerous. We heard some other group lost a couple of members in there.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. It would be unfair to say we had found it¡­ easy. But it had been. Just how far ahead of the curve were we? ¡°It was a coven of three, some decent loot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m envious. We played things pretty safe.¡± She idly tapped a finger on a glass container. ¡°Not that I¡¯m complaining about being alive, ya know?¡±

    It made me wonder - if the Lady in Red had come through when they were leveling in the first area... would they be dead or converted? I shuddered to think that they could have fallen - but then again; they hadn¡¯t now, so perhaps they were fine.

    I watched as the goblin wiped a different color goop on the fencer¡¯s face. ¡°Are you happy here, Ruby?¡±

    She raised an eyebrow, pausing the application of whatever medicine Quinn had earned. ¡°Happy? Hmm. With Fiona? Yeah. With the camp? Eh. With the System? We make do the best we can, ya know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± I nodded along. Replace Fiona with Ren and that was mostly my thoughts, too. ¡°System isn¡¯t great, but we¡¯re trying to keep it stable.¡±

    She grunted and continued to slather the foul-smelling mixture over Quinn¡¯s nose and around his bruised eyes. ¡°I had an okay life in the old world. Some that come here are trying to escape from bad situations. ¡®Spose I just¡­ help people wherever I go.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    It cooled my mood that people were rather nuanced once you spent five minutes not considering killing them. At this rate, I¡¯d find out that Clive was a reasonable chap, and we¡¯d become fast friends. I grimaced at the thought. Over his dead body, the normal bastard.

    ¡°No head-goop for you, Max. The bruising isn¡¯t too bad. Just avoid hitting your head on things for a couple of days.¡± She gave me a grin as she cleaned her hands off.

    ¡°Ah,¡± I gave her a short bow. ¡°You don¡¯t know what impossibilities you ask of me.¡±

    ¡°Well, just don¡¯t die.¡± She gave Quinn a pat on the leg. ¡°Ain¡¯t no goop that can bring you back from the dead. I think. Fuck knows, really.¡± Ruby shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re both free to go. Hopefully, a brighter day tomorrow, ay?¡±

    ¡°Hope screams eternal.¡± I smiled and picked up my hat, leading the quiet fencer into the gloom of early evening.

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite the day, Max,¡± he turned to me and said, without hint of anything but earnest exhaustion.

    I stepped a little further away because the goop wasn¡¯t pleasant. ¡°I¡¯ll say. Lots to do tomorrow, as well.¡±

    ¡°Then good night to you. I hope the others rest well.¡± He gave me a bow and walked off toward his tent.

    I stepped through the darkened maze of other tents to find that Wolf was outside our designated one. Ren must have finished already. The bear gave me a grunt and shuffled to the side to allow me entrance, but seemed more interested in getting some sleep than giving me a verbal update.

    Lantern was on low as I entered to find the elf already under the covers. We had managed to make the approximation of a double-bed with our bedrolls and blankets, which was a nice sight to come home to. ¡°How was it?¡± I asked quietly.

    ¡°Cold as fuck.¡± She pulled a face.

    I put my hat down and laid beside her. She did look cold, but at least reasonably clean. Her hand came out and pulled my face forward and I received the kiss earned for surviving the day. It was a long thing, a soft conversation gone unsaid, before she eventually pulled away.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you get. I¡¯m not sold on the privacy we have here.¡± She pressed a finger against my nose to move me further back. ¡°Plus, you stink. I left enough in the shower for you.¡±

    ¡°My savior,¡± I said, with a grin. ¡°Oh! That reminds me.¡±

    I stood, stooped slightly at the low apex of the tent, and began to disrobe. Ren glared at me with a furrowed brow, which only increased as I got completely bare.

    ¡°I¡¯m all for a performance,¡± she said in a loud whisper, ¡°but what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± My eyes went around my menus and Equipment screens, trying to find the option. No, it seemed as though it didn¡¯t work for me as it did with Wolf. I turned to her and put my hands on my hips. ¡°Well, Ren Moonflower. I¡¯m trying to break the System, as usual.¡±

    ¡°Moonflower.¡± Her face screwed up, before her expression relaxed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t hate that, as far as pet names go, but¡­ how about you act normal for once, Max Dickbag?¡±

    I snorted and shook my head before grabbing up my clothes. ¡°Maybe the best compliment I¡¯ve ever had.¡±

    She groaned, not intending it the way I had taken it. ¡°Just¡­ hurry back, okay? There¡¯s only so much night before I will fall asleep.¡±

    It was perhaps the briefest and worst shower I had ever had in my life. With the promise of some heart-to-heart time with Ren, I wanted to rush the process. The fact that the night air was a brisk chill to it, and the small amount of shower water was practically ice cold, did little to bring me comfort. Certainly woke me up, but the wrong time of day to be alert. My suit kept me warm enough for my return trip through the dozens of tents.

    A few were lit by low lanterns. The occasional murmur of conversation coming from a couple. Near the back was a small campfire with two figures sitting, although I couldn¡¯t see from here who they were exactly. Back to the tent, I nudged the bear aside to squeeze back in.

    Thankfully, she was still awake.

    Into my sleepwear and I got under the blankets beside her. ¡°You were right,¡± I said, ¡°the temperature of that water was criminal.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± She turned over to face away from me and then shuffled back against me to spoon. ¡°Better share body heat so we don¡¯t die.¡±

    I put my arm around her, receiving a healthy amount of hair in my face. ¡°What does your heart say tonight, moonflower?¡±

    She put her hand on mine and squeezed it. ¡°I¡¯m still on edge, knowing that danger is coming.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get through it. Fiona mentioned that the Lady might be weakening.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Her fingers tapped on mine. ¡°You know why?¡±

    ¡°I have an idea.¡± I moved my mouth up to her pointed ear and whispered. ¡°She gets more power the more followers she has.¡±

    Ren was silent for a moment as she considered it. ¡°And we¡¯ve been killing a lot of them, right?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Mhm.¡± It was one of the few explanations that made this all make sense. There wasn¡¯t any way we could know for certain, but if she was destined to be some kind of cult leader - then believers making her stronger would tie together her speedy ascension through the areas. She had lucked out in having soft minds to convert in the first area, but after we had taken down the fort and started gnawing on the second area baddies, we had set her back.

    ¡°I¡¯d like that to be the case,¡± the elf eventually said. ¡°It makes everything we¡¯ve done even more worth the pain.¡±

    ¡°One day there won¡¯t be so much struggle.¡± I leaned in and kissed the back of her head. ¡°Just you and me, Ren, and anyone else that we can drag along for the ride.¡±

    Her hand squeezed mine. ¡°Call me moonflower again.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Moonflower.¡±

    She sighed and pulled my arm in close against her. I waited for any further conversation, but none came. She had fallen asleep, and I didn¡¯t blame her after the day we had endured. While my own eyes were getting ready to drift off, I made the effort to check over my Stats quickly - and regretfully put off the Chance Boxes until the morning. Such a shame.

    [Stats]

    Strength - 8

    Constitution - 9

    Agility - 8

    Dexterity - 27 (19+8)

    Intelligence - 40 (19+21)

    Wisdom - 10 (8+2)

    Luck - 14

    Given that my

    damage was reliant on my Intelligence Stat, it seemed to be a good idea to stack my gear toward that. Dexterity had fallen behind a little, but other than my crossbow usage, it shouldn¡¯t affect too much. <Sleight of Hand+> already pulled enough weight when it came to manipulating my System Inventory and items.

    I yawned and partially considered going through the boxes to see if I could replace some of the remaining area one gear I still wore. Going through my Inventory, it seemed as though I had accumulated twenty-two of the blasted things. Eighty-three feathers as well, which I¡¯d have to remember to give to Wolf tomorrow.

    So, I could lay here and put myself to sleep as information box after information box filtered through my vision¡­ or I could just enjoy being here with Ren and fall asleep in her warmth. I went with my heart in the end, making the most of how close we had grown.

    In fact, those thoughts punctuated my dreams. Or at least, I thought they did.

    I awoke in darkness. The vision of Ren and I out on a date on a pier near the beautiful ocean sinking away from my brain just as soon as the sounds of shouting struck my senses.

    Yells and flashing lights in the darkness. Ren awoke in a confused state beside me as we tried to gain our composure and prepare ourselves for whatever was going on. As if on cue, the deep voice of the bear silhouetted against our tent entrance rose over all else.

    ¡°We¡¯re being attacked,¡± Wolf growled from just outside.

 87 - Darkness Against Us

    The confusion had briefly allowed me to panic, right before the colder side of me closed the hatches and nailed them shut. Questions still remained, but I calmed. Was this a ruse by the camp, and they were planning on finishing us off in the night? Had the remnants of the marketeers come back for vengeance? Somehow it felt more likely that the answer was the simplest one.

    Crimson Shadow.

    We had both burst from the covers and switched to our Equipment, weapons drawn. I took the lead and pushed out of the tent first, emerging beside the growling bear. It was dark out still, aside from the blooming lights of skills and roving lanterns that had been turned up.

    My eyes struggled to adjust, and I pressed a hand against the bear as Ren came out beside me. ¡°Report.¡±

    ¡°Smells like death,¡± he growled. ¡°Rotten death.¡±

    I turned a glance toward the elf. ¡°Zombies.¡±

    There was fighting and yelling coming from the entrance to the camp. One of the voices was definitely Fiona. From our right, a figure stumbled toward us - the bright yellow giving away that it was Quinn and not a walking corpse.

    ¡°From one nightmare to another,¡± he said with a grimace. He looked pale and rather panicked. His Trauma icon was gone now, which meant it was early morning and he had recovered. ¡°There¡¯s fighting at the gates, shall we assist?¡±

    My brow furrowed. The question was him deferring to my leadership, rather than supposing that the alternative was that we didn¡¯t help. I turned to Ren, as she seemed hesitant.

    There was a brief glow around her head, a faint radiant gold we could only pick up due to being in near darkness. She looked up at me and shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s more¡­ I can sense them. Through the woods to the West.¡±

    I have no reason not to believe her entirely. Part of her Class was holy-adjacent, and while she hadn¡¯t mentioned anti-undead abilities, it made sense if something was making the connection. They intended to flank the camp after everyone had been drawn to the entrance. Surround us.

    ¡°We¡¯ll hold this west side. There¡¯s a small clearing before the trees.¡± We were already reasonably close to that part of the camp, which made me wonder if the attack was intending to catch us. Despite the looming trouble and unknowns out in the darkness, I still felt remarkably calm.

    We demolished a couple of empty tents to give us more room. Ren to my left, Quinn to my right, with Wolf just in front of us.

    Our attacks ready, we stood tense, eyes trying to adjust to the darkened woods. And then - movement.

    ¡°I can see them. Zombies, at least a dozen.¡± Ren said as she calmed her breathing.

    Small orbs of dim yellow started to appear amongst the shadowed shapes. Their glowing eyes were now visible as they drew closer. I put my hand on the back of Wolf.

    ¡°Stay with us, friend. They might want to try to draw you into the woods. Here, together, we have safety.¡± His response was nothing but a grunt.

    The elf turned her glance to me briefly. ¡°You ready for the show, Max?¡±

    I licked my lips and gave her a quick nod. But despite being prepared as best as I could be, the next part of the act was beyond anything I could have imagined.

    ¡°Only fools hide in darkness,¡± Quinn murmured. ¡°Let us see the strength of their convictions.¡± He held out his hand and a spark of amber shot forth. As soon as it reached the treeline, it bloomed into a bright light, persisting over the area and illuminating the woods.

    For a brief moment, it felt like show lights, giving me false warmth. Our stage was bright and unavoidable. The crowd was a little more lifeless than usual, and unlikely to be dazzled, but we worked with what we had.

    Quinn gave me a pat on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re right behind you.¡± I could feel the glow of energy as he buffed me. An increase in mana capacity and regeneration. Elation filled me.

    Wolf took a deep breath in and then roared. Louder than I¡¯d ever heard him vocalize, I was surprised that I didn¡¯t receive any negative effect from the volume. I saw icons pop up over the approaching zombies as they stood and wavered. Dazed, it said.

    Beside me, Ren cleared her throat. ¡°Corpses and cadavers! Introducing, in a special late night showing, the one and only Max the Great!¡± She flourished her hand toward me, her recently acquired damage buff flooding through me. As her eyes met mine, I could see that her face was flush.

    It was almost too much for me. I raised my hands up as a purple card split, so it appeared as though I held one in each hand. Shame to waste such an introduction on mindless undead, but any crowd was worth the practice. No tricks tonight, only survival.

    I flung both cards out and zipped them through the trees. On my attack, Ren pegged one with an entangling arrow, holding them all in place. Quinn had drawn a crossbow, which he fired before winding a crank to reload it. I kept my cards powered and danced them like a conductor, weaving throughout the walking corpses.

    ¡°Keep an eye on backstage,¡± I instructed Quinn. Although his manner of flair was different from mine, he had settled into a role rather easily.

    An Imp+ would be a poor choice, as we didn¡¯t want to set fire to the forest. Hellhound+ might be okay, but without knowing how zombies functioned in this world, I didn¡¯t want to risk one. Roger wouldn¡¯t work in a reanimated corpse, even if it died again. The System was keen to tell me this even as I continued my assault.

    No matter. Most things died from enough brain injury whether the trope was true here or not. My cards spun in figures of eight, slashing through necks and into temples. Occasionally I¡¯d only hit a shoulder or chest, but with Ren getting headshots, we made quick work of the attempted flank.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Ten down, six to eight remain,¡± she confirmed.

    Quinn went up on tiptoes to try to see further. ¡°Front gate looks managed. There may have been more that way.¡±

    ¡°Any sign of a ringleader?¡± I asked, smashing through the skulls of two more of the undead.

    Wolf wasn¡¯t too anxious to get into the fray now that he had seen them. The rotten flesh and loosely put-together bodies didn¡¯t seem quite up to his standard - not that I¡¯d allow it either. The last thing we needed was the bear becoming infected with something, or turning into a zombie himself. A softer expectation that he might just throw up the undead parts was equally appalling.

    ¡°Nothing I can see,¡± he replied. He turned to face the east side of the camp. ¡°Forgive my eye. Perhaps Ren can see better¡­ but eastward.¡±

    The elf planted another arrow into the skull of a zombie before turning to allow me to conclude this section of the performance. I could see her glaring that way out of the corner of my eye. ¡°Fuck, I think there¡¯s more.¡±

    Into my hand, a large glass bottle of water. ¡°Radiant.¡± I handed it to her, and she whispered a word in elven, causing a golden glow to filter over it. We were bending the rules a little here, but the System was sloppy about such things. Back in my hand, I turned to her, my purple card cutting down the last zombie on our side. ¡°Call it.¡±

    Her blue eyes narrowed up into the air. ¡°¡­now.¡±

    Then I was gone, switched places with the hell-bird Ren had been watching. Away from the light and into the darkness. Away from the soft ground and into the cold air that whipped through my suit. Away from my stage and over the fresh audience. I threw the bottle down as a group of yellow eyes looked back up at me. Then, just as I had left, I returned to the safety of my Party.

    Quinn whistled as he observed my act. Dazzle icons, which seemed more of a pleasant formality than anything useful at present.

    ¡°Can you move the light?¡± I asked, fingers flexing and ready to bring out more cards.

    With a quick nod, he gestured to the orb of amber illumination and moved down as if it was on a string to follow over us. We then stalked across the campground, amongst the tents towards the other side where they had tried to pin us in. A large amount of zombies. I wondered if the attacks were usually this aggressive.

    ¡°We should warn the others,¡± Ren mentioned, her eyes going up to where figures were fighting more undead.

    ¡°Allow me, I can cast my voice.¡± Quinn cupped at his mouth. ¡°More undead, east of camp, Max and Co engaging.¡±

    Even from here, I could see the slightly confused looks on a couple of the figures as they tried to seek the source of the voice. It looked like Ruby was at the back, and she waved an acknowledgement at them.

    Our orb of light illuminated a group of melted zombies that our loose approximation of holy water had hit. There were still a handful or two, but between us we made short work of the slow shambling corpses. The last one fell in no time at all, and an odd silence then fell over the camp. The crackle of a fire near the north entrance, and the wail of someone in pain. We watched the south of camp¡­ but nothing came.

    Quietly confident that the attack was over, we took a deep breath and relented to going up to the gate to check on the rest.

    ¡°Very impressive,¡± I noted to Ren.

    ¡°Hmm? Oh.¡± She pulled a face and looked away. ¡°Not sure where that came from, really. But you thought it was okay?¡±

    ¡°How do you feel about constructive criticism?¡± I smiled.

    She turned back to me with a slight scowl. ¡°How do you feel about a knife between your ribs in your sleep?¡± Her expression softened. ¡°Go on then.¡±

    ¡°I did like ¡®Max the Great¡¯, but alliteration can work wonders - but that is to say - I¡¯m not tied to any stage name at present.¡±

    ¡°So like¡­ Max the Misguided, or Mild Max?¡±

    ¡°Point taken.¡±

    Any barbs we were playfully clashing soon melted away at the sight of the northern gate.

    In one chair, Clive sat, head lolled to the side. Three arrows with purple feathered ends protruded from his chest. Likewise, on the ground, the elven man lay, blood pooled from his head.

    Fiona was sweaty and stressed, her weapon caked with gore. Magnus was the same way, resting up against some of the crates, while Ruby rubbed healing goop on his wounds.

    ¡°I¡¯m too¡­ I can¡¯t even be angry,¡± the fighter said, still out of breath. ¡°As much as it is like me to lash out, I know that without you here, we would have been overrun. You fought groups in the east and west?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s usually just a medium group at the front.¡± She closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°No rangers to pick off the watch. No flanking tactics. This was meant to wipe us out.¡±

    I crouched down by the elven man. ¡°Arrow too?¡±

    Ruby stepped in. ¡°No, some kind of magic. He wasn¡¯t¡­ dead when we got here. But there was nothing I could do.¡± For the first time since meeting her, the goblin looked sad and withdrawn.

    Not entirely knowing why, I placed my hand on the back of the body¡¯s head. Something¡­ something felt odd. A chill ran through me and my brow furrowed. ¡°Did you know Rolo was a demon?¡±

    Fiona shook her head. ¡°He kept covered up. We knew he was different, but not¡­ a demon.¡±

    ¡°Do you know of any other demons?¡± My hand was shaking. The magic used had a familiarity to it. I should know, of all people. It had left a residue around the impact site that I could almost feel tangibly, and I hated it. So. Much. ¡°Ren, come here.¡± The words came out more of an abrupt command than I was intending.

    She kneeled down beside me and looked me in the eyes. Hers were concerned, and I could see the glimmer of purple reflected at the back of her blues. Not much needed to be said after that, but she turned to the corpse and put her hand on his head. Brow furrowed. She nodded her head slowly as she looked back at me.

    ¡°You want to tell me what the fuck you¡¯re doing?¡± Fiona grunted. ¡°Getting doe eyed over the corpse of my friend is not a good look.¡±

    I stood and lent a hand to help Ren up. The cold sank away as I moved further from the body. ¡°He was killed by demonic magic.¡±

    The fighter¡¯s eye twitch and it looked as though she might have a sarcastic comeback for that, but instead, she just nodded.

    ¡°Any of you injured?¡± Ruby asked, a bottle in her hand already.

    We gave her the negative. Wolf huffed. ¡°Didn¡¯t even get to do anything.¡± His eyes were affixed to the lion-man once more, and strangely enough, so was Quinn¡¯s.

    ¡°It was probably the best introduction I¡¯ve ever had,¡± I placed my hand on his back. ¡°All of you did well.¡±

    ¡°It was a pleasure to serve.¡± Quinn turned and gave me a brief bow.

    Either it was my tired mind trying to catch up to reality, or it was rather suspicious that Quinn¡¯s abilities seemed to fit in to the group. At least, his utility skills were very useful. Then again, without seeing him in actual combat, we couldn¡¯t truly know how he¡¯d fit in with us. He might even be more of a support Class than his title alluded to.

    I furrowed my brow, taking a break from stroking our own egos, realizing there was an elephant in the room. ¡°Where¡¯s the other group?¡±

    Fiona shook her head. ¡°Fuck if I know. We saw them head down for the night. We¡¯ll check tents before we¡­ I don¡¯t know. Fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    With a scowl, I looked out to the campground. I had seen people sitting at the back after my shower. Where did they go? And why?

    It made me irrationally angry, something unlike me. We had found a small enclave of relatively normal Players who had avoided the corruption of the Crimson Shadow. Sure, they were ineffective, but they were troubled individuals with faults. Now they had been attacked, with one group leaving earlier in the day, and now the second after nightfall. It didn¡¯t add up, and it made me sick to try to work my head around.

    I turned back around to see everyone had been looking at me. For what? Had I sprouted horns or been laughing maniacally?

    No.

    Magnus was wounded, and Ruby was gloomy. Fiona was exhausted and overwhelmed. Her eyes still held some ire for me, but now there was something else even stronger I could read in between the lines.

    She was begging me for help.

 88 - Headliner

    I sat and stared out into the darkness, unsure as to why people seemed to turn to me for guidance. Especially after calling me a clown or jester. Running a show wasn¡¯t really leadership experience - I was but a spectacle propped up by those around me. The part of me that killed demons on the regular was just as solitary, so my position now was just¡­ bizarre. Confusing.

    In seeing the look in Fiona¡¯s eyes, I had offered to take watch. Partly for that reason, at least. She was exhausted and grieving. Rest could help with some of that. The other part of my offer was just in case the demon showed their face again and I could ram my fist down their throat and pull their organs up like many handkerchiefs tied together. See how long that trick worked for.

    Wolf and Ren were nearby. They hadn¡¯t left my line of sight, which was comforting. The bear had curled up just below the camp entrance, and the elf was sleeping against him, a blanket covering her. Out of sight of any potential arrows, or worse. Quinn was taking watch with me, sitting on a chair opposite, across the opening to the camp proper. The remaining other group had moved their sleeping arrangements closer. No point being spread out when we could be assailed from any side.

    ¡°I see that look, Max.¡± Quinn turned his eye to me, speaking quietly. ¡°You feel undeserving.¡±

    ¡°Am I that easy to read?¡±

    He gave me a brief smile and nodded, gesturing toward the sleeping pair not so far from us. ¡°I see now the bond you all have. It¡¯s humbling. They would not trust you if you were not deserving.¡±

    I nodded, but I wasn¡¯t sure I believe it entirely. Ren and Wolf, sure. Love and companionship formed over struggles and conflict. Quinn and Fiona? Earlier today, I was a murderous weirdo that could be challenged to fruitless duels. Now I was worthy to lead?

    The colder part of me had an inkling. It wasn¡¯t about my decision making or the way I held myself. I had strength. I did what needed to be done. I survived it. Faced with dozens of walking corpses, we had made it a show - probably something beyond the pale to the group ambushed and just trying to survive the night. My abilities had taken me flying through the air and back. We weren¡¯t just struggling to survive the System, we were making it our own.

    ¡°What do you think of this¡­ situation?¡± I asked him, more to keep myself awake than anything.

    ¡°Can¡¯t see the camp being tenable any longer.¡± He rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°As for the absent groups, I do not have any good words for them.¡±

    I had tried not to think too hard about it. The most generous reasoning I could come up with was that they had a forewarning about what was about to happen and left to save their own skins. But then, why not warn Fiona¡¯s group? No, I felt the anger rising up again. I¡¯d save my seething for tomorrow.

    ¡°In my old world,¡± Quinn said, softly, as he looked out into the darkness, ¡°there¡¯s a saying. Faux bravado may be an empty box, but enough can build a sturdy wall, if given enough time.¡±

    ¡°I have something similar,¡± I smiled, despite the circumstances. ¡°Most of my adult life is built on empty boxes.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Yet you do not see that you have filled them. With competence. With love. With power.¡±

    It was nice talking to Quinn. As much as he seemed like something from a more antiquated world than my own - and has his own share of overt bravado - there was a soft sadness to him. His simple machismo hid something more poetic and emotionally intelligent, which I respected. It was still a distance before he was trusted on the same level as the other two, but I didn¡¯t consider him a threat.

    ¡°Max?¡± he shuffled awkwardly. ¡°Do you think that Magnus likes men?¡±

    My brow furrowed. ¡°What, to eat?¡±

    A wide grin crossed his face, and he relaxed in his chair. With a deep sigh, he looked up at the stars overhead. ¡°One day, I hope to find happiness in this world. Peace and happiness.¡±

    I turned my tired eyes out to the darkness. The slight hue of brown promised a potential sunrise over on the horizon. What would it take for me to be able to get to that point? Remove the Lady in Red? What if there was worse than her in this world? If there was no escape, what would I have to do to make this System habitable?

    These thoughts ticked away in my head, counting up my exhaustion until the darkness took me.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    My eyes shot open, the light burning at them.

    ¡°You¡¯re okay. Quinn woke me and Wolf and I have been on watch.¡± Ren¡¯s hand came over to cover my eyes as her radiant hair drooped across my face. ¡°Calm your eyes, trickster. But there¡¯s something you need to see.¡±

    I considered that she wasn¡¯t offering anything pleasant, but I nodded and she released her grasp. Somehow the act helped with the tiredness that the sunlight threatened to scour into my skull. I looked up at her and she gestured out of the camp.

    With aching legs, I stood as Wolf grunted his good mornings. Up the road, away from the camp, the large stone had been toppled to block the road. Burned into the stone was a word or¡­ no, a phrase.

    ¡°Can you read it?" Ren asked.

    I nodded slowly. It was in demonic. Could I always read demonic? Probably. My brain felt like wet compost. ¡°Loosely it means brother killer, but more¡­ there¡¯s a stronger bond there.¡±

    ¡°A twin?¡± Wolf asked, looking up at me.

    ¡°That would fit.¡± I pulled a face. ¡°Rolo¡¯s twin, then?¡±

    Ren crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s not a threat or proper message then, just giving us a label?¡±

    ¡°It means they weren¡¯t happy their deceit was found out.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Until we know why the other groups left, I¡¯m not certain how much I want to commit to saying or believing.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    She gave my shoulder a squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some coffee on.¡±

    I turned my gaze to watch her move back into the camp slightly and set up her grill. Still constantly scowling at nothing in particular. If it wasn¡¯t for the aches in my muscles, I¡¯d easily believe the fight during the night was a dream, and she hadn¡¯t actually given me a big introduction to the walking dead.

    My eyes closed again so that I could try reliving it. Any other circumstance and I would perhaps be enamored beyond belief. I still was, I had to remind myself, as I stole a gaze at the grumpy elf. Quinn¡¯s utility really set the stage, and I would have to pick her brains on what she thought about that. Right after the looming meeting.

    I turned back to the message inscribed on the rock. There was a demon out there, allied with the Shadows. I¡¯d need to put them in the dirt so they could be closer to their twin. Even now, part of me wanted to ride into the jaws of death. Seek out the demon and necromancer and erase them both as a matter of urgency. The part of me now pretending to be a leader put a wet blanket over that idea. As powerful as we were, we still have to play by some of the System¡¯s rules.

    Quinn had filled me in on a few details that we were too busy being drenched in conflict to soak in. This area was for Players to get up to level fifteen, then the next was to eighteen, fourth to twenty, and then the last area was solely for max level Players. We had been ahead of the curve in terms of power, but low when it came to the numbers required of us. There was an element to it that felt¡­ arbitrary.

    At least, until I was humbled by a higher level Player, I¡¯d think that way. Then again, I¡¯d probably be dead - which was the reason why we¡¯d go leveling instead of straight for the Crimson Shadows. A nice, circular thought I tied up, good as done. Now it would be time to address something not so easily sealed away.

    I turned back to Ren as she brought a mug of coffee over, but looked past her as the trio of the other Party had emerged and were working their way to us. Quinn was still asleep, and I didn¡¯t blame him considering he was sleeping off the trauma, even if the status icon had gone.

    The elf turned to the others after passing me the warm cup. ¡°You three want coffee too?¡±

    Fiona and Magnus nodded, but Ruby shook her head. ¡°Makes me a little too wild,¡± she said, but looked sad to be left out.

    ¡°How¡¯d you sleep?¡± I asked them as they joined us up near the camp entrance.

    ¡°Like shit,¡± Fiona shrugged. Her eyes definitely told the same story. ¡°But thank you for taking watch so we could get some, at least.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I wish I could have done more.¡±

    The fighter paused for a moment, before bringing out a chair from her Inventory to sit with us. Ruby followed suit, while Magnus leaned against the nearby crates and scowled out up the road.

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± she eventually said, the energy having sunk from her usual fiery attitude. ¡°This changes things, but I think it¡¯s time enough for that meeting.¡±

    I withdrew an apple into my hand and threw it over at Quinn. His hand grabbed it from the air before his eye opened, surprised and bleary, confused to be meeting the bright light of the morning. My eyebrow raised at this act, but nobody else seemed to be paying attention. Curious.

    Ren finished up the coffee making, passing one to Quinn as he stretched out and nodded his greetings to those gathered, his eye lingering on the lion-man a little longer than the rest. With the formality of sharing out the life-giving scalding liquid out of the way, we all settled into a loose circle, and awaited Fiona to begin. Wolf continued to look out onto the road, either not excited at the prospect of a long conversation, or not keen to tire his eyes out by staring at Magnus.

    ¡°First off,¡± Fiona sighed, deflating in her chair. ¡°An earnest apology to all of you. I realize that I have been a huge asshole.¡±

    I nodded slowly, but waited for her to continue.

    ¡°My time here has been¡­ I came to this world avoiding conflict.¡± Her tired eyes dropped to the floor. ¡°I was a solider. My unit was overrun, and I was trying to escape pursuit when I found the portal. There was¡­ I was never built to be a leader.¡± Fiona looked up at Ruby, before past the goblin to the arranged tents.

    With a sigh, she turned back to us. ¡°I tried to build a place of safety and do what I thought was best. But I kind of fucked it, and if anything, just made things worse. You three looked like a threat to our status quo, so I tried to push you away. Maybe if I had been more accepting¡­ things would be different.¡±

    I exchanged a look with Ren, and I could tell her thoughts mirrored my own. With a glum smile, I nodded again to the fighter. ¡°We understand. This world is not easy, and you did what you thought was best for those you cared about. We hold no ill will against you for that.¡±

    Fiona looked again at the goblin, then back to me. ¡°You¡¯re pretty reasonable for murderous oddballs.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kill or be killed,¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised the Crimson Shadows haven¡¯t tried harder to get rid of you.¡±

    ¡°They either recruited or killed every other Player in the first area,¡± I explained. ¡°And¡­ really fast.¡±

    Fiona nodded. ¡°Other than the group pressuring us here, there might be more further north¡­ honestly knowing Rolo was betraying us, it puts a lot of our information into question.¡±

    We¡¯d have to play it by ear. The assumption would be most remaining Shadows would be en route to Candlekeep where the Lady was heading, but we couldn¡¯t be lax with our defenses. ¡°The two groups who are usually here¡­ might be a problem.¡±

    Ruby screwed up her face. ¡°They can¡¯t have turned against us, surely? We had no bad blood, even if we did get on each other¡¯s nerves sometimes.¡±

    Fiona shrugged. ¡°I am beyond assuming their intent. If it was betrayal¡­ then they¡¯re as good as dead, right?¡± There was no threatening tone to her question, as her eyes went between Ren and I.

    We nodded, and the elf answered. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured,¡± I added, ¡°we will avenge your fallen, whether it was the act of the ones under your care, or the Crimson Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Wish it could be by my own hands.¡± She gave me a wry smile, but the exhaustion still hung heavy in her eyes. ¡°Instead, we¡¯ve decided to¡­ yield.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back to the first area,¡± Ruby explained. ¡°Just to breathe easy for a change, get our bearings before we return.¡±

    Fiona nodded. ¡°Would be nice to see what supposed good you have done over that way, too. If it¡¯s really as you say, then I¡¯ll owe you an even deeper apology.¡±

    ¡°Water under the bridge.¡± I held my hand up. ¡°All that I want is for you all to be safe.¡± Rather diplomatic of me for a change, but as much as the fighter hadn¡¯t been a fan of me up until now, there was no point holding grudges over potential allies for the future.

    Other than being grouches, they hadn¡¯t done anything terrible toward us.

    She just sighed in response. ¡°I had hoped people would be more trustworthy. When it turns out, the ones I most expected to be dangerous were the only ones we could depend on. Without you here, we¡¯d probably be dead.¡±

    Ren shuffled in her chair. ¡°Are the attacks usually that dire?¡±

    ¡°No. The attacks have been increasing in severity since the Crimson Shadows rolled through.¡±

    I tilted my head. ¡°The necromancer has been a problem since before?¡±

    ¡°A nuisance at first,¡± Ruby said, with a nod. ¡°Like he was just toying with us. Either the Shadows have made him give more of a shit, or have given him a big ass power boost.¡±

    Zombies weren¡¯t a great threat unless you were distracted, or they had support. If they hadn¡¯t assassinated the two on watch, then it would have been easy enough, even with the other campers abandoning the place.

    My eyes went over to where I had seen a pair of figures by the fire the night before. I was no detective, but it would be an idea to give it a once over before we moved on. No doubt we would come across at least one of the two groups in our travels, and some manner of conflict would need to be resolved.

    Almost exhausting to think about. I raised the hot coffee up and took a sip. Slightly burning my lips, but I needed to feel the pain to sharpen me. Ren might have the ability to perceive the occasional ambush, but I had been growing a lump in my stomach for this second area since arriving.

    And I knew the worst was yet to come.

 89 - Bowing Out

    Fiona planned to abandon the camp after scouring it for anything of use. The group that had gone west during the day had taken everything with them - not entirely odd given we had an intangible Inventory to hold everything in anyway. The ones who had left in the night¡­ had left remnants of their existence.

    Which was odd.

    Ren stood nearby, her hands on her hips as she scowled at the spent campfire. ¡°They were here, sitting on these two chairs?¡±

    I nodded and looked back in the direction of the sectioned off area where the shower was. Even in the darkness, they would have been able to see me come and go. They waited until I was back in the tent perhaps, but there still would have been someone at the front entrance on watch. Why Fiona expected most assaults to come straight down the road rather than flank through the woods as the zombies had done was neither here nor there. No point beating up someone already broken.

    ¡°Anything you can track, Wolf?¡± I looked back at the bear and he started to sniff around the chairs.

    ¡°There are some tracks.¡± Ren blinked at the ground where grass had been scoured away. ¡°West, at least to start with.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re headed too?¡± I raised an eyebrow at Quinn, and he just nodded in response. If they had joined the Crimson Shadow, then I would have expected them to have gone north to join the others, or head toward Candlekeep to assist the weakened Lady.

    I grunted and withdrew some paper and a pencil from my Inventory. ¡°Quinn, could you go prod Fiona or Magnus about any details on the two groups. Classes or abilities. We¡¯ll head out soon. I just want to gather what information we can.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Max.¡± He gave a brief bow and took the things before walking away.

    ¡°Can never have one normal day, can we trickster?¡±

    I gave the elf a slight smile. ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine there is such a thing, given the company we keep.¡±

    In an odd display of something other than disdain for the waking day, she instead just pouted, still with hands on hips. No quip or further thought was offered.

    With a snuff of his large nose, Wolf shook himself out and looked up at us. ¡°Two stronger scents, male, there are a handful of other weaker smells that I cannot place.¡±

    ¡°Handful,¡± I repeated. It was possible that, other than the group of five, people could have walked this way just as we had. ¡°And they head west, like Ren says?¡±

    He returned his snout to the ground and started to move, trying to draw out any scent over what I imagined was a campground full of undeath and desperation. He wasn¡¯t wearing his hat or waistcoat today, and I¡¯d prod him on why once business was over.

    ¡°I feel bad for Fiona,¡± Ren eventually said, relaxing her arms. ¡°I considered asking them to travel with us. System might limit parties to five, but we can move about as more than that, right?¡±

    I nodded. We may still be reeling from the inclusion of Quinn to our stage show, but it seemed cold hearted to leave others to the wolves just because we had a theme we had attached our mental safety to.

    ¡°But¡­¡± she continued. ¡°You could see it in their eyes too, I bet.¡±

    The wind hadn¡¯t just been knocked from their sails, the whole mast had been torn off and thrown into the endless sea. ¡°They don¡¯t have the heart to fight.¡±

    She nodded, and anything else didn¡¯t need to be said. Better they be safe and have time to grieve than to be dragged along in our wake. Being drawn to conflict was one thing, but we were steeped in it. Taking on all odds because we believe we were better than them. That we could survive them because of Wolf¡¯s indomitable constitution, Ren¡¯s unerring aim, and my complete inability to let the System tell me what was possible.

    Oh, and Quinn could blow things up.

    ¡°You want to see them off to the bridge, though?¡± She looked back at me and there was some amount of sadness in her eyes. Not something I¡¯d seen often, and even if my initial answer had been no, I melted under that gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯d feel a lot better if we did.¡± I smiled. The first area would do well to have a few higher level Players about in case something untoward was going on.

    She smiled, if only briefly. ¡°We¡¯re becoming soft, trickster.¡±

    The way my stomach did a small flip at being referred to as a ¡®we¡¯ signaled there may be some truth to the statement, yet I did not want to admit it. ¡°Your perception of time may be awry, Ren.¡± I gestured for us to walk after the bear. ¡°Was it not yesterday we killed hundreds of monsters and I murdered a demon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s barely anything, in the grand scheme of things.¡± She shrugged and followed along. ¡°If you¡¯re not killing whole parties and swearing while your eyes blaze purple, then it¡¯s all rather¡­ pedestrian.¡±

    The glint in her bright blue eyes told me she rather liked the dangerous side of me. I did too; I supposed. Ordinary Magician Max wouldn¡¯t have made it this far, of that I was certain. Demon Hunter Max had the skills to keep us afloat, despite his rough edges. I just had to temper the two sides of me so that I remained affable and intact.

    ¡°Pedestrian is nice sometimes,¡± I eventually said, as we reached the bear. ¡°Gives us time to work on our¡­ entrance.¡±

    She avoided my look, so I turned to Wolf instead. ¡°Thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I feel like shouting at the enemy isn¡¯t the best way to reveal ourselves.¡± He looked up at me with his amber eyes. ¡°Plus, for that one, I have to be stationary. Which is boring.¡±

    I nodded slowly. ¡°And the tracks?¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°They head into the woods and then are harder to track. Either because of the zombies or they used something to hide better.¡± He shrugged his large shoulders and then sat down on the dirt.

    The rejuvenating energy the coffee had provided was starting to wane already. While I rubbed at my temples, I freed my mind to wander. The undead were most likely System-created that could be summoned and controlled. Although I had glossed over their details during the attack due to the tired surprise of their arrival, they had all looked rather generic.

    As if they were all made from the same three to four ¡®villager¡¯ presets from one of the towns. All human, plain clothing, and no remarkably outstanding visuals that would give away that they had been Players. Something of a relief. The world was terrible enough without worrying about the corpses of those fallen coming back for a second time to try to bury me.

    ¡°No sense chasing ghosts,¡± I said eventually, giving them a shrug.

    ¡°Pretty sure they were zombies, trickster.¡± Ren turned away from me, perhaps to hide an expression of amusement, but I followed her gaze to see Quinn approaching us.

    ¡°Got the list for you, Max.¡± He smiled and handed it over. ¡°Magnus was very helpful.¡±

    "Fantastic. We found that the second group left this way last night, but the trail goes cold.¡± I took the list from him and had a cursory glance before placing it in my Inventory. Enough to recognize the groups if we saw them, but I¡¯d study their known abilities later.

    ¡°We¡¯re actually going to go back and escort them to the bridge,¡± Ren added. ¡°Make sure they get there safely.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Very kind of you both. I believe they are about ready. They wanted to speak with us anyway, before we parted.¡±

    We left the edge of the campground and followed him without much to say. Plenty was going on within our heads. I gave Wolf a pat on the side as we went through the tents. He was a little grumpy about not being able to chew through the enemies last night, I could tell. There would be plenty of enemies ahead, even if we took a step back and focused on leveling on Monsters.

    As we circled around the last of the tents, we came across the trio of survivors. They still looked weary, with exhaustion and guilt on their faces.

    ¡°Anything?¡± Fiona asked.

    I shook my head. ¡°They left toward the west, but there¡¯s no solid trail outside of the camp.¡±

    She nodded slowly. ¡°Was hoping for¡­ I don¡¯t know, honestly.¡± With a sigh, she put a hand on the goblin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯d like to stay in contact, if that¡¯s okay? We¡¯re no good to you at present, but the future might be brighter, even if bloody.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± I smiled.

    Her brow furrowed as her eyes unfocused, looking at her STAR menus. ¡°It¡¯s not letting me add either of you as a contact?¡±

    I exchanged a glance with the elf. For once, she seemed just as confused as I was. ¡°There are contacts and messaging in the System?¡±

    Fiona looked away from her screens and narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°Yeah¡­ pretty early on there¡¯s a questline that¡­ you didn¡¯t really do Quests, did you?¡±

    Ren tilted her hat down slightly. ¡°Guilty.¡±

    Ah. So there was a way for us to stay in contact. We had just blazed past it in trying to level and address the Crimson Shadow problems. Somewhat awkward, and it made me wonder if there was anything else important we might have avoided in our ascension.

    Quinn cleared his throat. ¡°There might be a way I can help you there. If you give me your details, I can then pass them on when the others have it unlocked?¡±

    The fighter shrugged. ¡°Reasonable. I hadn¡¯t assumed you to be the responsible one of the group, but perhaps you can steer them straight.¡±

    He didn¡¯t appear to want to bear that burden, but gave us a sheepish grin as he exchanged details with her.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to escort you to the bridge,¡± Ren said, to change the subject away from our incompetencies. ¡°If that¡¯s okay?¡±

    Ruby nodded while Fiona was busy in menus. ¡°Of course, that would be nice, actually. Ah¡­ we haven¡¯t buried the other two yet.¡± Her face contorted into a grimace, something unlike her.

    ¡°Quinn and I are journeyman gravekeepers. We¡¯ll help you there.¡± I winced, not intending for that to sound so casual and humorous.

    Wolf grunted. ¡°I will assist.¡±

    I noted he wasn¡¯t currently staring at Magnus for a change, although Quinn had taken up that mantle. Despite it still being so early in the day, I felt spent already. A new morning and more enemies and hardship. Still, places we could improve and a clear plan for us to go ahead.

    Part of me was itchy to get into combat again. Sometimes that made things easier - you often knew where you stood in a fight, and didn¡¯t have the time to be morose over the fallen and state of the world. Or how we missed out on a key point of the System. We¡¯d have to pull Quinn aside and see if there was anything else we had avoided along the way.

    Fiona nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do it together. They were our party and friends, but I will not turn away any assistance in putting them to rest.¡±

    I wanted to believe that death took us somewhere nice after. Back to our own worlds, maybe. That opened up questions on what the System was, some things that I had been putting away in the back of my mind so that I didn¡¯t go mad thinking over it. My own suspension of belief was often hard at work to allow me to function here.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving the camp as it is,¡± Fiona continued. ¡°Take anything left that you want, but I doubt there¡¯s much useful.¡±

    ¡°I have a few potions you can have,¡± Ruby offered.

    I held up my hand. Letting me loose around the camp to loot all the oddities I could use in my tricks was prize enough. ¡°I don¡¯t want to deny you anything you may need. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Max.¡± The goblin withdrew a pouch stuffed with six glass vials. ¡°I can replace this stuff no problem once we¡¯re settled back in the town.¡±

    I smiled and took them, giving the small goblin a low bow. ¡°I thank you, then.¡± As I rose, a sheepish grin took my face. ¡°Which makes me feel terrible, as all I had to offer you three was a request.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Fiona raised an eyebrow. ¡°What would you ask of us?¡±

    ¡°Once you¡¯re all settled, if you could make sure the area is going well for new Players? Get the bridge cleared properly. There¡¯s an outpost that needs rebuilding if the System hasn¡¯t done it¡­ I know it¡¯s a lot to ask.¡±

    Her expression relaxed. ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can and keep you updated. You¡¯ve got a good soul under all that gaudy asshole stuff, huh?¡± Her eyes briefly went over to Ren before returning to me. ¡°Some things make more sense now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer that violence wasn¡¯t the answer,¡± I lied, ¡°but the Shadows keep asking the wrong questions where I have no choice.¡± Well, not a total lie. A life without hardship would be preferable, but until that was possible, I¡¯d do what it took to survive.

    Ruby rubbed her pointed chin. ¡°If you could get in contact with someone from the third area, they might be able to come help you with the Lady? We don¡¯t know of anyone, unfortunately.¡±

    I nodded. That would be preferable - there must be a decent number of max level Players in the world. Having them roll through and crush the Lady¡¯s uprising would be a lot less stressful for our little group. Although¡­ something about that had a weird taste to it. Not that we wouldn¡¯t get the glory, but the third area was an unknown. How populated was the System? I felt whatever answers I¡¯d eventually get would be uncomfortable and dire.

    Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t let the mood control the unknowns.

    With little else to share, we agreed to go off and do the needful to put their fallen to rest. Having shuffled them around the outside of the camp toward the place Rolo was buried wasn¡¯t the most secure given we were dealing with a necromancer, but in the stress and grief of the aftermath, it was all they could manage.

    I turned back to look at the camp as we reached the gates. Seemed odd with it being so empty now. A place abandoned under the constant pressure of those ruined by the System.

    Quinn put his hand on my shoulder as the others passed ahead. ¡°In time, new life will bloom here. I believe it.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t so sure, but I gave him a brief nod, and we caught the others up.

    Ren had turned, giving me a scowl. Something wasn¡¯t right.

    I approached to see the trio tense. Confused. On the ground, the corpse of the elven man they had left. But he was the only one.

    Clive¡¯s body was missing.

 90 - So Soon?

    Between us, we put the present body to rest. Thankfully, this one did not try to talk to me or lull me into sharing the shallow grave with it. What was meant to be a solemn moment for their group had been tainted by the unknown. Where and how had Clive¡¯s corpse gone from where it was left?

    We hadn¡¯t seen anything during our watch. The bodies were out our of line of sight anyway, but we had decent visuals on part of the road. I just didn¡¯t see the reasoning why. Stolen for the necromancer? Maybe he had a skill that worked after death. There were parts of our fights in the first area that painted it to be something grim in my mind.

    While the trio paid their respects, I brought up the list that Quinn had gotten and read it from the System.

    [Party One - went west in the daytime]

    [Dwarf male, gray hair, beard]

    [Male, black leathers, twin blades]

    [Female, red skin, magic user - fire??]

    [Ranger, black hair]

    [Healer, plant based]

    [Party Two - vanished in the night]

    [Female paladin, silver armor]

    [Male spellcaster, red hair, robes, defensive magic]

    [Male thief, ranged weapons?]

    [Female spellcaster, purple skin, black hair]

    [??? not sure, maybe another caster]

    I worked my jaw, briefly intrigued at how the System also translated our written words, not just spoken. A soft jab from Ren took me from my musings.

    ¡°Any thoughts?¡±

    As much as I would have liked to have a concise point to share, I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯ll get them to the bridge and then have a meeting.¡± A small pang of panic rose up through me before I realized she was holding my hand. Nothing as intimate as our fingers intertwining, but she was clasped on like a radiant anchor.

    We had seen enough death¡ªand caused plenty ourselves¡ªbut burying those we were allied with always brought back the¡­ humanity in us, for lack of a better word.

    With one last sigh, Fiona turned to us. ¡°Let¡¯s head out. The day is long, but we shouldn¡¯t stagnate.¡±

    I nodded, and as one, we started to make our way to the road. Ren relinquished her grip on my hand, but gave me a neutral glance before moving up to walk beside the fighter. A soft enough expression compared to the default. It settled some of my thoughts. Time to focus.

    Time to open those boxes.

    By now, I had become somewhat proficient at seeing what would be useful for me based on the suffix or prefix the System gave items. As such, it was easy to knock away the notifications for things I didn¡¯t care for, and focus only on the things I would use.

    [Arcane Necklace] [+3 Int, +5% Magic Damage]

    [Leggings of the Trickster] [+3 Int, +2 Dex]

    [Spear of Luck] [+3 Luck]

    [Crossbow+] [+2 Dex, Empty Socket]

    [Plain Ring+] [Empty Socket]

    It seemed the upgraded equipment meant that the item had sockets. The Spear was a straight up upgrade to my previous one, and the crossbow would be handy for when a shot really counted. If I could get a gemstone to put in there that had Luck or Dexterity, then that¡¯d be really nice. I didn¡¯t equip the Plain Ring+, but in seeing it was inlaid with a bright blue spiral of something, I had to keep it aside for¡­ reasons.

    The rest of the items weren¡¯t useful for me - some I would put toward the rest of the Party as some point when it would be less rude to talk shop. I caught Quinn looking at me as I closed down my Inventory.

    ¡°There is something more to your skill-set, isn¡¯t there?¡± His eyebrow was raised, but there was no judgement on his expression.

    I nodded. Perhaps he had seen the purple eyes, or clocked our demon talk when we had found the dead watch. ¡°I can summon demons. You would have seen the bird last night.¡±

    ¡°Demons?¡± He tilted his head and looked up ahead at the rest along the road. ¡°That is certainly an odd¡­ theme.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Well, not that long. ¡°There was a second Max that came through the portal at the same time. We are the merged result.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± He didn¡¯t seem convinced.

    ¡°The other me was a Demon Hunter with a demonic patron who fought demons in Hell.¡±

    He grimaced. Maybe it was the fact I had said demon too many times in the same sentence. ¡°I¡¯m not a superstitious man, Max, but perhaps that is a reason why you have so much trouble with conflict.¡±

    It was hardly my fault the Crimson Shadow was here. If you excluded the point where Ren and I had pushed the Lady off of the starter island and allowed her to gain whatever Class ability had boosted her through the land corrupting people. Aside from that, I welcomed peace.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± I said, diplomatically. ¡°Just a heads up though, for when we get into an actual fight.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°You don¡¯t consider the zombies to have been an actual fight?¡±

    Wolf nudged himself in between us. ¡°Max means against Players. That is where he excels.¡±

    I was briefly speechless at the random compliment from the bear, but also had to pause my train of thought to consider what that implied. Truthfully, I got the most use out of my Inventory manipulation when faced against other Players. They were just more of a challenge than System-created Monsters were. I needed to be on my best form.

    ¡°It¡¯s not pleasant,¡± I concluded, if only so I didn¡¯t sound insane. ¡°But it feels like I am geared to deal with problem Players.¡±

    Quinn grunted. ¡°There¡¯s a story I heard that gets passed around here. A Player with a skill that increased their damage by a certain amount until they made their next attack - if they lost a duel.¡± He raised up a finger. ¡°You may assume he would just appreciate a good bounce-back ability, and duels don¡¯t really come up as often as the System would think, right?¡±

    I nodded along.

    ¡°But no. No hubris too great. He had a better plan. He would lose as many duels as possible. Hundreds, if not thousands - if he could find the chance. Stacking the bonus way beyond the intended limit.¡± He rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°The fool intended to punch the ground and destroy the System once he got powerful enough.¡±

    My brow furrowed. ¡°Is this person you?¡±

    ¡°Heaven¡¯s no.¡± He smiled. ¡°The Player died when his opponent went a little too far with the duel.¡±

    Wolf looked up at him. ¡°So he spent his whole time here getting beaten up and then died?¡±

    Quinn shrugged. ¡°If the tale is even true. My point was one of caution. Do not bite the hands that feed.¡±

    I was willing to concede that he might have something of a point. Whether that would stop me on my path was¡­ well, no. I wasn¡¯t about to stop pushing my Inventory and magic bullshit to the limits, System be damned. Perhaps that would come around and make me regret the choice in the future.

    ¡°My question is,¡± I began, changing the subject. ¡°How did you catch the apple while still asleep?¡±

    He turned his good eye to me, a twinkle within it. ¡°You are not the only favored child of the System.¡±

    ¡°Can you catch arrows?¡± My eyes narrowed.

    Quinn grinned, but didn¡¯t answer. I bet he could. That seemed unfair, for reasons I couldn¡¯t think of right now. We¡¯d have to do some practice when we had more downtime - although, attacking him with arrows might not be the best look if it wasn¡¯t a guaranteed science.

    We fell into a silence as we continued on, past the fields where the Wildfolk were, and getting closer to that first small village we had cleared. Ren was in low conversation with Fiona, and it was nice to see them getting along again. Magnus was leading at the front. He had been near silent since the attack last night, but seemed keen to act as guardian for the rest of us. Ruby was beside the fighter, and Wolf continued to stick between us at the back.

    It did feel like we had a long day ahead of us. Having to head back west after this toward the Quests and Dungeon Quinn intended on helping us through. A couple of easier levels wouldn¡¯t go amiss, though. The more power we could grab onto, the better.

    To our left, the village we had freed. Now the System-created villagers moved around, doing their set daily tasks, making it look lively and¡­ normal. It comforted me that we had achieved something with that bloodshed, although I wondered what Fiona and her Party had intended to do if they came upon our corpses with the Crimson Shadows the victors. An odd thought, but the simple answer would be they¡¯d turn tail.

    Now we just had to pass over the crest of the hill, the horizon already glimmering sea and the edges of the forest surrounding the first town. The group ahead of us paused at the pinnacle before the path weaved downward toward the bridge, and us three at the back caught up.

    Immediately, my stomach sunk as quickly as my body temperature dropped.

    We had found Clive, at least.

    His body was propped up like a flag at the top of a wooden pole, planted in front of the bridge. He was facing away from us, however. Toward anyone intending on making the journey across from the first area.

    Five figures stood around him, now noticing us with some surprise in their eyes. Red hand-prints on their heads aside, they were clearly the group who had left in the night. Betrayers.

    They didn¡¯t know they were already dead.

    ¡°Motherfuckers!¡± Fiona seethed, stepping forward.

    I held a hand out to stop her, earning the ire of both her and Magnus.

    ¡°Why stop me?¡± Her jaw was clenched, but she now trusted me enough not to ignore my order to hold. ¡°There¡¯s only five of them.¡±

    ¡°Believe me,¡± I said calmly. ¡°We will kill them, but we have the advantage here.¡±

    ¡°The road is trapped,¡± Ren added.

    The fighter and lion-man settled, trying to scour the pathway for what the elf may have seen. I had felt there was something off, but didn¡¯t know for sure. Now that we had been spotted, one of them had cast a barrier spell. A manner of thick wall made of magical energy. We had the high ground, so that was probably a good bet if they didn¡¯t want to get picked off my ranged attacks.

    ¡°What¡¯s your plan, Max?¡± Ruby asked. She looked even more tired now, and not too keen to get involved in the potential fight. They weren¡¯t much for Player on Player violence.

    I rubbed at my forehead, trying to keep the cold side of me from taking over. ¡°The area is too open. They¡¯d see my dove going in. Quinn?¡±

    ¡°Might damage the bridge.¡± He had drawn a crossbow, and was staring down at the group with intense focus.

    We couldn¡¯t have that. Dropping myself behind them would be a good plan if they didn¡¯t expect it, but seeing me coming would be a short trip to getting stabbed in the face. One of my least favorite places to invite stabbings.

    ¡°Looks like two of them are holding the barrier up,¡± Ren said, an arrow already up to her bow. ¡°Might not be able to wait it out.¡±

    "Another meal too far away,¡± Wolf grumbled.

    I considered our options. This was taking up valuable leveling time, and had annoyed me that we bumped into the traitors so soon. How short-lived their self-serving interests were. Why the first port of call of the Shadows seemed to be to hang corpses around in hopes of scaring people away, I did not know. Perhaps those with fear in their hearts were easier to turn.

    Quinn put his hand on my arm, and I realized I had been wavering. My eyes felt warm, and I figured I was learning the tells for when they were glowing. After a brief nod of thanks to the fencer, I turned to the angry fighter and her group.

    ¡°There is something I can do¡­ but you will not like it.¡±

    Fiona scowled. ¡°Do anything you need. As long as they die.¡±

    I ran my tongue across my lips as I withdrew a card into my hand. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± With a nod to Ren, she readied an arrow.

    Hopefully Clive would forgive me, too.

 91 - Double Booked

    I hummed a tune without melody. Ren had asked if I wanted an introduction, but I had declined. Unlike me, certainly, but I didn¡¯t want to be the main focus. Sometimes in an act, getting the sceptics unsettled first made the ground fertile for what was to come. Right now we had to erase five Players who had betrayed the trust given to them, and had desecrated the corpse of one of our allies.

    Still, it wasn¡¯t much better than what I was about to do.

    ¡°Magnus, throw this.¡± My new spear dropped to the side of me and slowly tilted toward the lion-man. ¡°Aim for just beyond the pole.¡±

    He grunted and took it from me.

    ¡°Everyone else, ready what ranged attacks you have for the shield. We want them hunkered down at first.¡±

    Acknowledgements filtered into my ears, letting me know the stage was ready and rearing to go. I split the cards in my hand. A tough task for them both to complete¡­ but by this stage, we were natural. As one.

    My mana reserves hit empty, and I started drawing into my health with <Bloodletting+>. I couldn¡¯t help but grin as I felt cool and calm inside. A placid lake before the tidal wave of dopamine washed over me. Could have gone on forever in this state, just edging the elation soon to arrive. No.

    ¡°Now.¡±

    Ren fired an arrow, a second drawn even before the first reached the glowing energy of their tall shield. Quinn fired a crossbow. Fiona leveled an arrow with a shortbow. Ruby sent out a small bolt from her magic staff, accompanied by a tinkle of the bell. Wolf had made it over to the steep rocky side next to the downward path and his feet glowed a bright green.

    Magnus threw the spear - and he threw it well.

    As the flares of light from the shield illuminated the pathway just before the bridge distracted them, my cards were out. Through the air to the target. One relatively straight to the intended target. The other had a more complicated path to take, but it had a job, perhaps even more important.

    The fingers on both my hands clenched as I tried to maintain control of the empowered card. Blood ran down my hands and soaked into the arms of my shirt. I needed the power for the speed. I needed the speed despite the control. I needed the control to fucking succeed.

    A second volley went out, slightly staggered to keep their attention.

    ¡°Quinn,¡± Wolf growled. ¡°Hop on.¡±

    If a wide grin wasn¡¯t already painting my face, I would have smiled wider.

    The spear struck the trunk-like pole holding up the body and clattered to the cobbled stone road behind the group of Players. Shortly followed by the dead body of Clive, that I had cut loose.

    I could hear the gasps and confusion of our allies as their former companion stood up to his feet awkwardly. Bright eyes of purple flowing from his impassive face as two long ears burst from the top of his skull.

    Wolf growled and thundered down the rough terrain beside the path, avoiding the traps set. While normally a dangerous route, his skills seemed to make the decline of rough stone and shrubbery nothing but a smooth passage. With the fencer on top, they hurtled down toward the melee about to begin.

    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± Fiona whispered, lowering her arrow.

    I had already apologized in advance, and didn¡¯t have the faculties to do so again mid-performance. My eyes were burning bright, I could tell. They could hate me or abandon our pleasantries once more after the fact. All I had now was an audience in need of¡­ having the shit murdered out of them.

    Roger picked up the spear, just as one of their group noticed his presence. The female paladin turned away from scowling at us to bring her shield up to face the sudden appearance of an enemy behind them. She called out to the thief, who held a crossbow of their own.

    My pact demon had no intention of fighting the armored foe in melee, however. At my command he instead lobbed the spear past her, her reactions too slow to stop it.

    ¡°As soon as the wall is down, I¡¯m in there,¡± I said, a card already out.

    ¡°I can get the traps, man.¡± Magnus offered, his jaw clenched.

    ¡°You can,¡± I replied, softly. ¡°It might be over by the time you catch up. I¡¯m sorry for hogging the limelight.¡±

    The wall went down. One spellcaster with a spear in their back. My demonic dove interrupting the other. I switched places before anyone could respond to me.

    I arrived in a flash of vertigo beside the wounded caster. They were trying to give themselves a quick heal, confused at the presence of my demon - and now me. I grabbed the back of his brown hair and pulled his head back. Made my dagger vanish within his neck. Ta-da!

    Then Wolf arrived. Quinn leaped from his back and caught the crossbow bolt shot by the thief from out of the air in a flash of red. The bear swiped the attacker to the side before turning and charging in a burst of amber into the second spellcaster, knocking them to the floor.

    Now up close, I could see the fifth member that we had little information on was a¡­ bugbear? I wasn¡¯t sure how I had that knowledge. They were a head taller than me, hairy, and with excessively long arms. A sword of flaming green in one hand and some kind of spell-casting focus in the other. Maybe a battlemage?

    They strode towards me, sword pointed forward as if to cast a spell.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I went invisible.

    Confusion went across their thick brow, right before an arrow struck them in the chest. Entangling vines grew up from the floor, pinning them in place. A quick glance to the right showed that the paladin had been stuck only briefly before casting a skill to escape. It had given the wounded Roger some time to back away now. He needed a weapon. No, he needed to assist me now.

    The bugbear turned their eyes up toward the Oathwarden at the top of the hill. Their final mistake. Invisibility dropped as my split cards went out, cutting at their face. Blinded them, if only briefly. From my side, the stabbed spellcaster came in with Jokkar¡¯s mace, cracking the skull of my opponent with a heavy downswing.

    I turned my burning eyes to survey the battlefield.

    ¡°Keep her alive,¡± I told the bear.

    Quinn had killed the almost-disemboweled thief. The bleeding remains of what was the second spellcaster¡¯s pulped skull was Wolf¡¯s doing as well. Now the paladin was laying prone, a heavy paw threatening to buckle her metal armor plate and crush her chest.

    ¡°Boss.¡± Roger kneeled and bowed his head low.

    ¡°You may rise.¡± I ran my tongue across my teeth. ¡°Tell me, Roger. Did you take my commands to heart?¡±

    He stood up, but kept his gaze on the ground. ¡°Yes, Boss. I can confirm I no longer have substance abuse issues, and no longer desire to eat my own kind.¡±

    I wavered in place, some heat of energy dissipating at the show finally wound up. ¡°And your family?¡±

    ¡°Still early days, but things are improving.¡±

    ¡°See to it you maintain that direction.¡± My tired eyes went to the path, where the rest were carefully making their way down. ¡°You may go now. Thank you for your service.¡±

    ¡°At your command, Boss.¡± He gave me a bow and vanished, leaving the spent corpse to flop to the blooded road.

    A little cold toward him, perhaps. I was all for a little levity, but I needed to keep a firm hand on the rudder. Especially in current company. Once he was more normalized, then we could be a bit more casual. I sighed deeply.

    Quinn came up to me. ¡°That was¡­ shorter and more visceral than I had anticipated.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I frowned and then snapped back to my normal self. ¡°Players aren¡¯t usually prepared for fighting against other Players. We¡¯re not balanced that way.¡±

    ¡°Your efficiency is-¡±

    ¡°Well practised due to necessity.¡± I gave him a glum smile and then turned to greet the others.

    Fiona¡¯s expression was nothing but a thunderstorm, and she came directly up to me, even ahead of all the others who were still making sure there was no last trap. She didn¡¯t even yell or speak until she was standing two feet away from me.

    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking monster,¡± she said in a hushed tone, so only the three of us heard. ¡°And I¡¯m thankful as fuck that you¡¯re on our side.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still sorry,¡± I offered. Too exhausted to be intimidated.

    She looked past me to see the pained paladin and the spent corpse of her fallen friend. ¡°You found his body and got us someone who can talk. We¡¯ll leave the rest in the past, okay?¡± Her hand extended, and I shook it.

    ¡°How do you want to do the questioning? We usually avoid torture.¡±

    Quinn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Usually?¡±

    Fiona worked her shoulders before looking back at the approaching three. ¡°Not sure I trust my temper to do anything other than beat her to death. Can I defer to your experience?¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Let me confer with my prot¨¦g¨¦.¡±

    The fencer shuffled before whispering. ¡°Is that me?¡±

    Ren approached with the other two, my hell-bird sitting atop her head. I let it go with a thought, to return to mist. The elf¡¯s eyes were¡­ bright and glad to see me in one piece, perhaps. Hmm. My lack of injury was odd. Something felt off here.

    ¡°Ren,¡± I began, ¡°dibs on bad cop.¡±

    ¡°Asshole,¡± she said, and deflated. ¡°Fine.¡±

    Magnus and Ruby still seemed either annoyed or unsure of me, but were either too emotionally exhausted to engage, or were following Fiona¡¯s lead in this.

    With Ren beside me, we stepped over to Wolf. ¡°Thanks bud, you alright to take down this terrible pole and clear the road?¡±

    He growled at the woman beneath his paws, putting his nose up to her face. ¡°Certainly. This one isn¡¯t quite cooked enough.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure if he was alluding to the fact that we were about to ¡®grill¡¯ her, but it amused me nonetheless. As he backed away, I summed a Hellhound+ beside her, who immediately growled and looked ready to tear her face off.

    ¡°Sometimes I wonder if the System gave me ¡®speak with dead¡¯,¡± I began, grinning as I stood over the paladin. ¡°Due to how often I get to chat with walking corpses.¡±

    She glared up at me, but no response.

    Ren crouched down beside the woman, her brow furrowed. ¡°The least we could do is sit her up and make her a little more comfortable?¡± Blue eyes came up to me, an earnest desire in them that I almost believed.

    ¡°Why?¡± I pulled a face. ¡°She isn¡¯t even going to talk. I owe her no leniency.¡±

    ¡°Please, Max? If she agrees to talk?¡± Her worried expression turned to the prone paladin.

    The woman¡¯s eyes went between Ren and I. They were an interesting amber color, and not entirely trusting of either of us. ¡°Let me heal myself and sit on a chair.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and gestured Quinn over. ¡°Can I borrow your Class item for a second?¡±

    He hesitated at first, but stepped over and withdrew the boomerang. Gently, into my hand it went. I then kneeled down and pulled on the paladin¡¯s armor, lifting her from the floor slightly, so that I could jam the item down the back behind her neck. I let her drop to the ground and stood up straight.

    ¡°You may do so.¡± I placed out a chair. ¡°The item I have put behind you is an explosive that will destroy you if you do anything we do not like. Do you understand?¡±

    She grunted and nodded briefly. Slowly, she moved herself up to her feet, grimacing and groaning from the pain she was in. Gradually, she made it to the chair and sunk into it with a deep sigh. Raising a single hand, letting us see what she was doing, a radiant light pooled down and radiated into her. An icon temporarily appeared above her to show that it was a gradual heal over time. No other icons were present.

    It would be a shame for Quinn to waste his ability this soon in the day, against a lone foe, with Ren and I possible collateral. That was a risk I would take, however. The baddest cop.

    ¡°See,¡± the elf gestured. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad?¡±

    I clucked my tongue and crossed my arms. ¡°Waste of my time.¡±

    ¡°What did you want to know before you kill me?¡± The woman lowered her hand onto her lap. Some resignation in her face. Acceptance for picking the wrong side, perhaps.

    ¡°I think the branding on your forehead is answer enough as to why you left the camp last night.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Was the betrayal worth it?¡±

    She looked past us to her dead Party. ¡°Currently, no.¡± Her face started to redden as her eyes filled with tears. ¡°They told us we¡¯d be safe. They¡¯d spare us if we left and didn¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    ¡°The necromancer?¡± Ren crouched down beside her, sadness in her own expression.

    I was more tense, with her being that close to an unknown agent, but I trusted her judgement. Crimson Shadow didn¡¯t usually exhibit this amount of remorse or regret for their choices.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The paladin sniffed as quiet tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°We were meant to leave earlier, but we¡­ we struggled to do it.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡± I shook my head, the outburst surprising them both. ¡°You could have said something at any time. You knew we were at the camp, too.¡±

    She looked at the ground. ¡°Fair. We were told the camp would be overrun, and our silence was the only way for us to live. We had grown so tired of just¡­ struggling to get by in this world.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to be part of the winning team?¡± Ren asked softly.

    The paladin nodded, her mouth down-turned in barely contained misery. ¡°They said¡­ they said if we strung up the corpses after, we could join them¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not actual members?¡± I asked, dropping the act for a moment. ¡°Haven¡¯t drunk her blood?¡±

    Her head shook, and Ren and I exchanged a glance.

    The woman was just a normal, misguided asshole.

 92 - Nuance

    Most of the Crimson Shadow had been easy to erase from this world. Even when faced with what they had done, or stood for, they continued to be unrepentant. Would squirm and claw their way from under your thumb to gnash and bite at you. Rabid animals.

    Now that we had met someone only one foot in the pool of blood, it made our usual binary approach a lot more difficult.

    I looked back at the corpses we had created. A harsh punishment for those whose only crime was¡­ oh, no - they had abandoned us to die in the camp. Trying to keep themselves safe was one thing, but knowingly putting us in danger was nearly unforgivable.

    Ren was waiting for me to proceed, to see if I changed tact with this new information. In all honesty, I wished I could make the decision to just kill the paladin and move on. It was only by virtue of how the fight shook out that she was even alive - the plan was to kill them all.

    Then what were my choices? Give her up to Fiona to decide her fate? Let her go and atone for her terrible choices? Start a prison and judicial system to put these sorts away for their crimes? None of those really ticked a box that made me comfortable. Neither did killing her in cold blood.

    With a sigh, I clicked my fingers, and my hound went to sit in front of her. I turned and gestured Ren and Fiona off to the side.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Cold feet?¡± The fighter raised an eyebrow once we were partly out of earshot of the paladin.

    ¡°Eh.¡± I pulled a face. ¡°I kill the Crimson Shadow and demons. She is neither.¡±

    Ren had a scowl upon her face, but she gave me a nod. ¡°The nuance is important.¡±

    Fiona sighed and rubbed at her short hair. ¡°So you¡¯re trying to think of a humane option that doesn¡¯t leave us with a potential enemy? She can¡¯t be trusted, though.¡±

    I looked back at our captive. She looked miserable and withdrawn; her face lowered and gloomy. Resigned to joining her companions across the ground in short order.

    ¡°Take her into your Party,¡± I said.

    ¡°Fuck you.¡± Fiona shook her head. ¡°Take her in your Party.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. The paladin seeks safety. We aren¡¯t about that.¡± I looked toward Ren to see her reaction to my proposition. Not overly eager, but she understood my angle.

    ¡°She betrayed us,¡± the Fighter seethed. ¡°Strung Clive¡¯s corpse up.¡±

    I leaned forward, closer to her. ¡°And how many lives did you doom with your inaction? What of your own sins in trying to do your best?¡±

    Anger flared up in her eyes, and she bared her teeth. ¡°You fucking dare?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± A wave of cold passed through me. ¡°What you have now is a chance to prove you can lead, can do better than the Shadows. Or are you a monster like them? Like me?¡±

    I could see her tense up, trying to decide if hitting me was a good idea. Her incensed eyes went between me, the elf, and the paladin.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to bend over backwards for her,¡± Ren said. ¡°Allow her the safety of the first area and time to grieve. She will repent, in time.¡±

    ¡°And if she betrays us again?¡± Some anger had died down in Fiona¡¯s expression.

    I stood back up, away from her. ¡°Kill her and mail me her head. Or don¡¯t actually, that would be weird.¡± I shivered as my body temperature returned to normal. ¡°Feel free to exact your revenge on me personally.¡±

    Her eyes rolled. ¡°We both know how unsuccessful that would be. Let me talk to the others¡­ but this is fucking stupid.¡± She left to go meet with Magnus and Ruby.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s the right call, trickster.¡± She watched the woman leave before turning to me. ¡°Also, threatening her was amazing. I was almost giddy.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. Her expression hadn¡¯t really changed throughout the whole exchange, but I believed every word of it. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you like that side of me.¡±

    ¡°Every side of you.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Now go sort this mess out.¡±

    With a brief bow, I turned and walked over to the paladin. How funny that the parts of us that changed for us to be a better Party and companions were also the things that we loved about each other. Oh, the L word. Better keep my head in the show.

    I crouched down in front of the seated woman and gave my dog a pet. Lower than her to be less threatening. I looked up into her dissociating eyes. Although I hadn¡¯t gotten the go ahead from the other team, I had a feeling they were following my stage directions. It was the only way things could work.

    ¡°Do you know how many Crimson Shadows my group has killed?¡±

    She didn¡¯t meet my gaze, but shook her head.

    ¡°Me neither. Three or four dozen by now. Cleared the first area of them, as far as I know.¡± Crouching this way was actually slightly uncomfortable. ¡°I have a proposition that you might not like.¡±

    Her amber eyes rose to meet my own. ¡°My life is already forfeit.¡±

    ¡°No. You have one last chance at penance. At safety.¡± I sent the Hellhound+ to get pets from the elf before he vanished away.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The paladin just looked confused.

    Footsteps came up beside me. Metal boots. A gloved hand rested on my shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze. Fiona had accepted my proposition. Either that or she was about to lop my head off, which would be rather amusing in retrospect.

    ¡°Fiona here is willing to accept you into her Party. They are heading into the first area to rest and recover. Taking time away from the conflict.¡±

    She looked up at the fighter, even more confusion and sadness in eyes that didn¡¯t understand, her lips unable to get out any words.

    Fiona shifted from behind me and crossed her arms. ¡°Strength is repairing those broken around you, not discarding them. You will have to earn your place, and our trust¡­ but if you truly seek it, we can offer you a second chance.¡±

    The paladin burst out into tears and held her hands up, practically praying for the opportunity.

    I stood and walked around her to retrieve Quinn¡¯s boomerang. The man had been leaning against Wolf, the bear close to napping and seemingly unbothered by the fencer¡¯s casual closeness now.

    Stepping back over to Fiona, I gave her a brief nod. ¡°This is where we part ways, then.¡±

    She grunted, and tiredness filled her face. ¡°I still hate your fucking guts, Max. But I respect you.¡±

    I grinned. ¡°I won¡¯t ask for a hug then.¡±

    ¡°No, fuck off already.¡± She smiled and shook her head, before turning to the paladin.

    My feet took me away from the situation. I shook the large hand of Magnus, and got an awkward hug out of the goblin. We waved the group of four off as they started to cross the bridge.

    ¡°Thought¡¯s, Ren?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Things sure were easier when it was us against the world. I almost feel guilty for the four we killed.¡±

    Almost.

    Under different circumstances, they may have all lived and followed a path like the paladin. This was the crux of it, though. Much like Fiona could become a good leader if she wasn¡¯t so afraid to make mistakes, the would-be Crimson Shadow group had reaped the consequences of their actions. Not an easy lesson to swallow, but the stakes were high.

    ¡°They had opposed us,¡± I said, flatly. ¡°Perhaps soon the world will run out of fools.¡±

    ¡°If only,¡± she replied, undressing me with her eyes.

    I really needed to keep up this false bravado stuff. Instead of buttering up the elf more, I turned to the other two in our group. ¡°Pole and bodies into the river. Best not to leave such a mess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to loot,¡± Ren jabbed me forward with her finger.

    Relenting to peer pressure, I joined the others in clearing the stage. Not usually one for the dirty work, I at least gave it my all when roped into lending a hand. The blood would hopefully wash away with rain or scour away under the glare of the sun. Pockets thoroughly shaken out, we dropped the bodies and pole over the edge of the bridge and into the fast-flowing river.

    ¡°Anything good, trickster?¡±

    [6343 Gold]

    [Brilliant Robes] [+3 Int, +3 Wis, +5% Magic Damage]

    [Cloak of the Caster+] [+5 Int, +5% Magic Damage]

    [Warrior Ring] [+2 Str, +2 Con, +5% Health]

    [Health Potion (8)]

    [Antidote (4)]

    [Note]

    How sad it was that breaking open Players like pinatas was the surest way of getting good loot compared to doing Quests or Dungeons. No wonder the System was in such disarray. I moved my current cape to my Cosmetic slot - the ability to hide the movements of my left hand was worth more than any Stat in the same slot.

    ¡°This,¡± I said, withdrawing a piece of paper to hand to her.

    Her brow furrowed further as she read it. ¡°Where they planned to meet someone from the Shadows to get their blood and proper introduction?¡±

    As much as she was good at reading between the lines, those were the actual lines of the letter, so she was equally as good at reading those as well. Hmm, something had come loose in my brain, perhaps.

    Quinn stepped over and stretched out his back. ¡°What¡¯s the location? Far from here?¡±

    She handed it over to him, and his eye ran through the text.

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    I nodded. As much as I liked it when the bad guys put their intentions down with ink and paper, this didn¡¯t add up quite nicely. The thought swirled around in my head, but I couldn¡¯t put a finger on it to keep it in place.

    ¡°You know,¡± I said, instead of letting the thought fester. ¡°You could have joined them. Fiona''s group, I mean.¡±

    He cast his eye back down the bridge, the wooded first area visible just past the heap of broken fort parts. He turned back to me and passed the note over with a smile.

    ¡°No. I feel my destiny lies with the three of you. Hopefully to die saving your life, Max, to fully repay my debt.¡±

    I groaned. ¡°You know, saying things makes them more likely to come true, right?¡±

    ¡°Superstitious, trickster? Or overly pessimistic?¡± Ren stood with her arms crossed.

    ¡°Neither.¡± I shrugged them off and gestured for us to get moving. ¡°It¡¯s a subconscious thing. Makes you head toward paths that your mind has already cleared.¡±

    ¡°Like how you can force a card pick?¡± Her eyebrow raised.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I smiled.

    Wolf grunted. ¡°That¡¯s why I always talk about food.¡±

    As if he didn¡¯t get enough already - even with his debuff causing him to require sustenance more often. Still, it had been a tiring morning already, and we hadn¡¯t gotten stuck into our original plan for the day yet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get somewhere less painted with death and take five for elevenses, then?¡±

    They agreed, and Quinn pointed out a location closer to the coast that had a Quest that might help unlock the Chat function. Plenty of tired disdain in his eye that we had managed to skip that on our way here.

    Still, power had been more helpful, and Ren and Wolf were never too far from me if I wasn¡¯t getting kidnapped. Now that we had cautious allies, someway of telling them our last will and testament before we dashed ourselves on the rocks of our hubris could be helpful. Quinn especially seemed happy to have the details of Magnus, compared to Wolf, who was indifferent to the notion.

    ¡°Going to be a long day,¡± Ren said to me, as we walked side by side. The other pair were slightly ahead, Quinn again delivering an animated tale loosely food-related to capture the bear¡¯s attention.

    ¡°They all seem to be, lately.¡± I smiled at her, another pang of brief panic as her hand held onto mine again.

    ¡°We¡¯re growing though. Maybe not in power, but in strength.¡± She had a calm to her expression, as she looked at the pair ahead.

    Quinn had been an unexpected addition. That much was true. Our morality had been tested, and I¡¯d like to think we made the best choices for a pair of killers. Although penned in by the framework of the System, our comaraderie and personal character growth had clearly found a good place to farm experience¡­ as we were thriving in that respect.

    I felt more confident in taking the role of a decision maker. Ren had swallowed her pride to put on an act or two to support me. Wolf was the glue that kept us stable. Quinn had his flaws, but he was open with his feelings in a way that was admirable, when not annoying.

    It wouldn¡¯t last, I was sure of it. Even as the breeze brought across a smell that signaled we were near the shore. The daylight was soft and comforting, and the scenery seemed calm and lush. This was just another quiet stage before the bubble popped.

    Conflict rose from the meagre shadows to follow us wherever we went. Sure, today might just be a day of beating up System-created¡­ but tomorrow we knew where Crimson Shadows would be meeting the Party we had just ruined. The necromancer, Tyler, and his ilk might make a move south of the road knowing that the camp was all but overrun. There were probably more enemies just waiting in the wings for us to make a misstep, that we hadn¡¯t even heard of.

    But looking into those bright blue eyes, and holding Ren¡¯s hand¡­ I-

    ¡°Hey Max!¡± Quinn called from ahead, the clouds of rosy pink surrounding me dissipating. ¡°You should come see this.¡±

 93 - Playing for Keeps

    Despite my gut instinct telling me otherwise, part of me was flattered by it.

    Somebody had created an effigy of me. Well, the assumption was that it was me, however the culprits had a difficult time finding any sort of fabric that matched my gaudy outfit. Instead, dark purple linens wrapped around what looked like a scarecrow. Just off a beaten path, rather than in a field.

    ¡°I have trouble telling you apart,¡± Ren admitted.

    ¡°They made him far too handsome,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes at the loose ball of dried straw.

    Quinn was pulling a face, not too enamored by our casual response to someone making a dummy out of me. Someone other than myself, for a change.

    Wolf went up to it and sniffed. ¡°Not a scent that I recall. Nothing fresh.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± I said, although my thoughts were a little further from that statement. That meant that it was put up during the time we were in the first area, most likely. ¡°Anything else in the area you can note?¡±

    He huffed and made the show of circling around the area. ¡°Some¡­ monster tracks, I think. Something odd, but also very faint.¡±

    Nothing I was currently worried about. It reminded me of the drawing one of the Crimson Shadows had of me, for tracking purposes. This was just a poorly designed statue in the middle of relative nowhere, however.

    ¡°You must have really made an impression on the Lady in Red,¡± Ren eventually surmised, giving me a glare as if that could have been through my own fault. We hadn¡¯t even seen each other face to face.

    Quinn unfocused as he looked at his Map. ¡°There is no spell attached to it. The only other thing I can think it might be used for is¡­ target training.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and turned to the area behind us. If the Lady wanted me dead, then whatever lay down this south side of the area might have been told a man like this¡ªbut more handsome and awe-inspiring¡ªwas to be killed on sight. In fairness, I expected that reaction from most people we met, so other than being slightly more alert, I wasn¡¯t worried.

    ¡°Top prize goes to whoever kills my would-be assassin.¡± I grinned.

    ¡°What is the prize?¡± Ren and Wolf both asked in unison, while Quinn looked as though he was getting there a second too late.

    ¡°Prize will have to be tailored to the recipient,¡± I shrugged as I continued. ¡°Although¡­ if I kill them, then you¡¯ll all owe me a favor.¡±

    After a couple of grumbles, they eventually accepted my proposition. Now I had three others looking out for my safety even more than before. Not really a trick, or the intention of my proposal¡­ but things worked in my favor, as I designed it that way.

    ¡°I see right through you,¡± Ren said, her eyes narrowed as we started back down the path.

    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied impassively. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re my most trusted ally.¡±

    Her eyes rolled, and I noted her hands were busy holding her bow and an arrow. She must clearly want that prize more than she was letting on. The question then was¡­ what was she hoping to get from me?

    I smiled and looked out at the scenery. More trees, but they were starting to become sparse as we headed down toward the coast. I could see the ocean out on the horizon over the short hill on our left. The sunlight reflected across the soft waves, totally paling in comparison to how enrapturing the blue of Ren¡¯s eyes was. I made a note to say that sometime.

    ¡°Say, Quinn,¡± I began, if only to distract myself from the radiant elf beside me. ¡°Before all this hardship came upon the land, were there a lot of Players?¡±

    ¡°Compared to now? Yes.¡± He rubbed at his eyepatch as his eye searched the terrain for anything untoward after me. ¡°It had always been relatively quiet, though. Depending on what your Party was doing, you might see one or two other groups during the day.¡±

    ¡°First area was like a ghost town.¡± I pulled a face. ¡°No friendly groups at all.¡±

    ¡°Much must have happened during the time I was shamefully hiding away,¡± he said, accompanying the statement with a shrug. ¡°Quest is just to the left here.¡±

    Ren seemed keen to protect our rear, which made it awkward to exchange glances with her. Given that was sixty percent of our interactions, I felt a little put out.

    ¡°Roger behaving better now, trickster?¡± she asked, just outside of my peripheral.

    I nodded and looked out to the horizon, as Quinn took us down a stepped path. ¡°Seems my stern voice works on most people, huh?¡± As much as I would have liked to see her expression, sometimes it was more fun to try to pick out on any changes in body language.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    A slight change in pace as a brief hesitation waylaid a single footstep. The longer exhale as her mind wandered to a replay of the time I gave my pact demon a dress down. Perhaps it was unfair to try to break down our interactions like I would a trick. These things always had more nuance, and I was enough of an unreliable narrator without reading into things in Ren¡¯s normal movements that weren¡¯t there.

    Her hand touched my shoulder, and she leaned in close to my ear. ¡°I can¡¯t wait until we have some more private accommodation.¡±

    As soon as the words finished exiting her mouth, she was away from me. I turned with a raised eyebrow to see her with a neutral scowl out at the surroundings.

    ¡°Eyes on the steps, trickster.¡± She said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t want you tripping and opening up that delicate skull again.¡±

    I did as she said and tried to discern if I had imagined some of that or not. She was good. My churning internal organs aside, we would actually need to decide on a plan for the evening. Camping near the coast sounded about as safe as we were able to get¡­ or perhaps in the Dungeon? I couldn¡¯t remember if there was something that would prevent that or not.

    Before my brain could even process the thought of more private and structural lodgings, the edge of my boot clipped the corner of a step that was slick with something vegetative. Not even Ren¡¯s quick reflexes could save me.

    This was my end.

    Pain went up my left ankle as I hopped down the next couple of wide steps, almost barging into Quinn. I had beaten the odds and avoided dashing my brains out on the rocky decline. I would have been even more elated if I could put weight on my foot.

    ¡°Fucking asshole, Max!¡± Ren stomped up beside me and held me steady. As much as she was glaring at me, there was no anger on her face. Maybe just sad acceptance over the amount of bullshit constantly present in my existence.

    ¡°In fairness,¡± I began, ¡°¡­ah¡­¡± I frowned back at the step, hoping to find it was a trap laid for me and it wasn¡¯t just idle clumsiness that brought me to this malady. No, I bore the blame alone. I just shrugged instead of finishing the sentence.

    ¡°Just a sprain, right?¡± She frowned down at my boots as if that would give away the diagnosis. ¡°I don¡¯t think my heals would do much for that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can walk it off.¡± With a sheepish grin at the fencer, I shrugged. ¡°I have a habit of getting myself into near-fatal and totally avoidable accidents.¡±

    Wolf grunted. ¡°That¡¯s unfair. If you hadn¡¯t fallen out of the tree, then we¡¯d never have met.¡±

    Very true. How different our lives may have been without Wolf at our side. We¡¯d probably be dead, no doubt. I took a step and stumbled as my foot gave way, almost sending me off into the bushes. ¡°How inconvenient,¡± I murmured, as everyone watched me with a mixture of exhaustion and worry.

    ¡°It¡¯s not much longer, Max.¡± Quinn pointed down the trail. ¡°Look, you can see the bottom and there¡¯s even a bench there.¡±

    ¡°There is?¡± I raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°Last one there owes me a Sweet Cake.¡±

    Before they could interject, I was gone. I sat down on the bench as my demonic dove fluttered around them where I had been standing. Now that I was out of the treeline I could see a few houses nearby. Open skies and the sound of waves in the distance. An immense feeling of calm.

    I withdrew the potion pack that Ruby had given me and looked through at the contents.

    [Potion of Gradual Healing (2)]

    [Greater Antidote (2)]

    [Action Speed Potion]

    [Nature''s Defense Potion]

    Nothing in there to cure me of being an accident-prone showoff. I put it back away and turned my head to see Ren slide across the stone paving to a stop. Wolf wasn¡¯t too far behind, whereas Quinn was red faced and disappointed. It amused me that they took things that seriously. We needed the levity.

    ¡°Should have known you¡¯d win, Ren.¡± I gave her a warm smile. ¡°You never let me down.¡±

    ¡°Stuff it, trickster.¡± She rolled her eyes and came to sit beside me. ¡°Where¡¯s my Sweet Cake?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Perhaps you misheard. The loser owed me one.¡±

    Her bright blue eyes bore into me as she checked her memory for the truth. Eventually, she turned to the fencer with a narrowed glare. ¡°Where¡¯s Max¡¯s two Sweet Cakes, Quinn?¡±

    The man deflated and walked over, shooting a side-eye at the bear. ¡°While I do not believe that was a fair challenge, due to the unscrupulous actions of those I will not name¡­¡± he looked over at Wolf again. ¡°I am a gracious loser, and thus¡­ here is your prize. One Sweet Cake.¡±

    Into his hand, the promised goods. Further scowls from the elf in being denied part of the prize. Wolf had an amused look on his face. He must have pushed the man out of the way and then used his bulk to prevent him from overtaking. Ren, being more spry, had avoided the clog before it could happen and made quick her escape. Wolf might have even assisted her in winning, which tickled me, even if it wasn¡¯t true.

    I put the Sweet Cake into my Inventory. ¡°Not hungry right this minute, but thank you, Quinn. I always appreciate a good sport.¡±

    Ren was pouting, but her ire had diminished now with the hope that I had put the cake away so that I could share it with her later. I would, and that was the reason. How we had run out of them already I wasn¡¯t so sure, but hopefully once we got to an actual town we could stock back up with all this otherwise useless gold.

    ¡°The town is to the east again now, right?¡± I brought up my map so see that we had gone west away from it, toward where the fencer had promised us places to level.

    ¡°Correct.¡± He stretched out and tried to cool himself off. While our outfits weren¡¯t great to fight in¡ªeven with the adjustments made¡ªhis almost equally flamboyant padded long-sleeve shirt looked like it would hold in heat more so than our shirts and suits.

    I wiggled my foot around. Better to a degree. The rest had certainly helped deal with the initial¡­ inflammation? I wasn¡¯t actually sure how it worked. Only that I preferred it when my foot was more functional and allowed me easier access to getting where I wanted to be.

    Ren put her hand on my leg and pulsed radiant healing through me. I noted that she could cast the spell from range, so the contact wasn¡¯t necessity. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Still aches, but I could probably move now.¡±

    As a demonstration, I stood up. Could keep weight on it now, at least. I took a few steps, only some brief pain radiating around the joint. ¡°Not¡­ perfect. How far is the Quest, Quinn?¡±

    He narrowed his eye and raised a finger to point at one of the houses about a hundred feet away.

    Ren stood up beside me, a wry grin forming on her lips as we looked at our destination.

    ¡°Double or nothing?¡± she asked.

 94 - Always Ahead

    I slammed through the door of the house, stumbled and clattered onto the floor like a mangled pile of limbs. Groaned as I turned, just in time for Ren to repeat the action, tripping over the step just before the door and landing right on top of me.

    Would have been rather romantic in a cliche way if her elbows didn¡¯t knock the air out of me, and her head hadn¡¯t collided with mine. Before I had a chance to react, she stole a quick kiss and then rolled off of me.

    A large shadow cut off the sunlight coming in through the open doorway. The whole building vibrated and creaked in pain as the enormous form of Wolf slid sideways into the wall.

    I groaned again and put a hand up to my sore head. My aching foot could not stop me from being the headliner, as much as my body was regretting the need to win.

    ¡°Should have known you¡¯d get ahead using bullshit,¡± Ren murmured, sitting up and rubbing her own head.

    Pretty much par for the course at this stage of my life, and her own fault for challenging me despite knowing my capabilities. If anything, I was surprised she was able to keep up and stay ahead of the bear, who had some skills geared toward charging forth. Quinn got the short straw once more, and I¡¯d perhaps feel bad if he hadn¡¯t tried to trip me near the start. We did what we could to survive.

    Up to my feet and I stretched my back out. Getting too old for these kinds of games. My eyes went to the back of the room, where two figures stood watching us, as my hand went down to help the elf up.

    Wolf moved away from the building, allowing light to pool back in, illuminating our observers.

    A man and a woman, looking around middle-aged and surprisingly weather-worn, considering they probably spent most of their time in this building. Our interactions with the System-created people of the first area were mostly limited, as the uncanny valley aspect made me uncomfortable.

    I dusted myself down to at least look presentable and waited for Quinn to join us before I went and messed things up.

    The fencer stepped into the room, redder in the face than before, and potentially second guessing his decision to join us. It was curious that he didn¡¯t have any speed boosting skills, but perhaps that was an unfair judgement to make.

    ¡°Ah, seems I owe you a second cake, Max.¡± He gave me a low bow. ¡°Your abilities stand unequaled. However, I do not have a second on my person at present.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem.¡± I smiled and held out my hand for him to shake. Needless, but he seemed to like the more antiquated formalities - the only person bowing more than me in this world.

    Returning the shake, it seemed to settle his thoughts and bring him some comfort, as if any annoyance was washed away by the action. He truly was rather flitting with his emotions. ¡°I had not imagined we would be having such fun and games. Certainly not after the other¡­ activities of the morning.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t usually,¡± Ren tilted her head. ¡°But given how much trauma we go through, it¡¯s a good way to not be miserable constantly.¡±

    I nodded. Ren had always been my spark of sunshine during the darkest days, and now that we had another in our Party, we had to play a little harder, to work a little harder. Wolf seemed ambivalent about whatever we got up to, but I¡¯d pencil in some time to check on him soon enough. Right now, it seemed the exertion had brought his next nap up on his schedule, and he was guarding the building with his snoozing form.

    ¡°Well, I hope to partake in further levity, although maybe things that don¡¯t involve Max beating us in rigged games.¡± His smile put to rest any inclination that he might be sour about it.

    ¡°I do need humbling every so often.¡± Before I could receive a response, I gestured toward the patient Quest givers, mostly to avoid being reminded about the times I broke my skull or apparently had trouble walking in a straight line without injury. I put a pin in thinking of more games I could rig in my favor.

    ¡°This one is nice and simple. You just need to talk to the kind madam there.¡± He gestured towards the woman. ¡°The Quest requires you receive a message through the Chat so it might force the unlock?¡±

    Even if it didn¡¯t work, I at least got two Sweet Cakes out of the venture. And no permanent injuries. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t count my chickens.

    ¡°Hello, adventurer,¡± the woman began. ¡°I¡¯m expecting my great aunt to visit today, however I have not heard from her recently. If I give you her details, could you try to contact her and make sure she is safe?¡±

    My brow furrowed. ¡°Why can¡¯t you do it yourself?¡±

    ¡°Only adventurers have the ability to send magical messages.¡± Her expression didn¡¯t change as she gave me the obvious exposition.

    ¡°So¡­¡± I removed my hat to rub at my head where I had collided with the elf. ¡°Is your great aunt an adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Max,¡± Ren interjected, ¡°quit engaging the Quest givers and get this done with.¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I rolled my eyes. Forgive a man for wanting to learn more about the world he lived in. ¡°Sure, miss¡­ Quest giver. I will contact your great aunt and we¡¯ll see just how great she really is.¡±

    [Chat Function now Unlock]

    [Contact: Great Aunt Ulla added]

    ¡°It worked.¡± I snapped my fingers and bowed away so that Ren could repeat the process.

    Quinn nodded, and with his eye unfocused, he sent me over the contact information for the three from the other group, along with his own.

    Not wanting to get further behind the curve, I decided it was time enough to give it a go and let the fighter know we were contactable. No doubt so that she could scream murder at us once the paladin did something bad¡­ assuming she lived through it. An intangible keyboard appeared under an empty text box. My <Sleight of Hand+> made it child¡¯s play to tap out my intended message - more of a stenographer than I kept telling myself, it seemed.

    [Max: Here¡¯s my contact. How¡¯s the first area?]

    I waited a few moments as the elf and woman spoke in the background, slightly worried I wouldn¡¯t get a response - before a gentle ping only I could hear signified a message had been delivered. Something else to get used to.

    [Fiona: Peaceful and¡­ thriving.]

    [Fiona: You really unfucked it, it seems.]

    [Fiona: Take care and stay alive, clown.]

    The slight jab at the end seemed unnecessary, but I was mostly sure that it was a little amount of banter. However¡­ I was relieved to hear the first area was doing fine. Our time spent there amongst the bloodshed was worth it, after all.

    Quinn then sent the same details over the elf, and I smiled at her. ¡°Just spoke to Fiona, and she says the first area is looking good. She used the word thriving.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She seemed genuinely pleased, although some confusion passed over her face when trying to unfocus and look at her own Chat windows.

    It was easy to forget that she came from a world that didn¡¯t have instant messaging or emails. Our current existence put us somewhere in between my modern world and her fantasy one. Although, I was again using my own definition of ¡®fantasy¡¯. To her, it was just normal. My mind idly waltzed over to thoughts of taking her back to Earth and having to teach her about¡­ cars and coffee machines. Cliche romcom stuff.

    ¡°Not a fan,¡± she grimaced at the windows. ¡°Of the whole Chat thing. It¡¯s useful, though. Wolf, get your ass in here and get the Quest.¡±

    A loud grumble came from outside as the bear shifted to his feet and stuck his head in the doorway. ¡°Why? I will not use it.¡±

    ¡°Are you declining a potential trick avenue?¡± I asked, faux surprise on my face.

    He paused, unsure as to how paired to the magician life he truly was. Eventually, under the five eyes leveled his way, he gave in and tried to squeeze through the doorway. A tough ask, and I wondered if I would eventually get something that could manipulate my allies. Ah, maybe with better phrasing than that.

    Only slightly buckling the doorframe, he entered, muttered through the dialogue options, and then begrudgingly worked through getting the contact details from Quinn as we left. It seemed more pragmatic to keep walking rather than stand around and do it. It meant the pair were otherwise distracted, but I didn¡¯t feel we were in any present danger.

    I walked alongside Ren, something we seemed to fall into naturally now that there were four of us in the group. Not that I was complaining, of course. It made it easier to ignore the ache and occasional twinge of pain in my ankle, at the least. Racing our way to the building was rather short sighted with my injury, but I could perform under pressure.

    ¡°Apologies if I¡¯ve now shared my head-injury curse.¡± I smiled at her.

    ¡°We¡¯re doomed if that¡¯s the case.¡± She wrinkled up her face. ¡°Didn¡¯t bruise, did I?¡±

    I lifted her hat, watching as the sunlight illuminated her hair. ¡°Nope, perfect as always.¡± She smiled as I returned the blue top hat atop her.

    ¡°Always with the charm.¡± She shook her head. ¡°And with only a brief cold shower after all the exertion over the past few days, I feel like garbage.¡±

    ¡°A little more struggle and then I¡¯ll personally find you a house with a working bath.¡±

    ¡°My hero,¡± she said, her eyes going back out to our surroundings, rather than digging into me further.

    I found myself living for the juxtapositions. The murder and threat on our lives flashing against an odd romance that I now found myself wanting more of. As much as I yearned to save the world for moral reasons, as the days went by, it was becoming more likely I was aiming for something a little more selfish. A chance to really be with Ren and see if we were anything more than trauma-bound.

    The small gathering of houses gave way to a built up area. An odd sea wall of gray stone that blocked out the view of the beach and rolling tide. Didn¡¯t do much to prevent the smells of sea air and warm sand from reaching us, but the apparent promenade made the next leg of our journey a lot easier.

    ¡°We¡¯ll move away from the coast again shortly,¡± Quinn said, tilting his gaze back to us. ¡°Up a hill on the right in about ten minutes. I just thought the fresh air made a nice change.¡±

    ¡°It certainly does,¡± I said as I tipped my hat toward him. The sounds of the waves lapping at the shore were comforting, even though I hadn¡¯t spent much time near the coast in my old life. Between soft sunlight and pleasant scenery, I felt lost¡­ but in a good way. Tired, but at peace.

    If the System had been perfect, then this would be like a slice of paradise.

    ¡°Something to fight for, isn¡¯t it, trickster?¡± Ren caught my relaxed gaze, probably having similar thoughts on our situation.

    ¡°I already have enough of that, right here.¡± I raised an eyebrow, unsure as to why I had said that.

    She tutted. ¡°So early in the day, too. You invite malady on me, dickbag.¡±

    I turned away with a sheepish grin on my face. She was right, of course. Openly gushing about my feelings would soon have destiny frowning at our happiness and prompted into action to put an end to that. We had managed to skirt any potential tragedy by having me take the brunt of fate¡¯s punishment. Survived only mostly through bullshit.

    But then, it was what the System allowed.

    It was a shame to leave the coast and head back up into an area more wooded. The higher vantage point gave us a good view of the golden sands and blue ocean that went on until the horizon, and I made the mental note to return here once we lived in better times. My ankle had all but recovered, the scenic route giving it something to reflect on and remind it of its purpose.

    To take me forward into more trouble.

    As if by narrative fiat, Wolf and Quinn stopped just ahead of us. The fencer¡¯s hand went to his sword pommel, and I could tell by the bear¡¯s body language that something was up. Steeling myself, I stepped up to them to see what they had caught eye of.

    An open field¡­ filled with Max-scarecrows. Perhaps a dozen of them, all dressed in different shades of purple.

    More interesting, however¡ªalbeit less flattering¡ªwas the creature standing in the middle of the field.

    As we stood taking in the interesting scene, the large monster turned and looked at us.

    Well, mostly at me, naturally.

 95 - Having a Blast

    There was an odd anger in the eyes of the monster that now stood before me. A Troll, the System was keen to tell me.

    His rough clothing and the surrounding ground were already stained with blood. Tears thoughout the muddied brown sack he used as a waistcoat exposed scarred flesh. He seemed tired and irritated.

    The reason was rather clear. Each of the odd Max-scarecrows had metal spikes wedged into the area around them. I could imagine the System-created trying to attack the approximations of a bedazzling magician, and just cutting themselves up in the process. He was System-created, so I wasn¡¯t sure he''d even remember or understand why. Just more needless cruelty.

    And for what? They thought they could foster up a monster truly angered at me? That he could hold a grudge and track me down, kill me without hesitation for what the ¡®man in purple¡¯ had done? It sickened me that they were so¡­ thoughtless.

    The troll dropped to the ground, as drops of blood from my hand did the same. I let the fully powered card vanish away, hardly even registering that I had made the attack.

    ¡°You must have quite the fan club, Max,¡± Quinn said quietly.

    ¡°Be a lot cooler if I did,¡± my murmured response came, as I stepped out into the flattened field. I took some of the purple fabric from the nearest scarecrows. The others kept a wary watch around the area, expecting there to be someone watching¡­ or perhaps just an actual threat to whatever this constructed area was meant to be.

    Quinn ran his hand through his goatee as he slowly turned. ¡°Perhaps this was meant to be something more, but the perpetrators have left?¡±

    Made sense. If the Lady was making a push for Candlekeep and needed extra hands, any petty grudge held against me would fall to the wayside.

    ¡°I think she must be scared of us,¡± Ren said with a shrug. ¡°To keep telling her underlings to look out for us.¡±

    Another fair take. We hadn¡¯t seen the woman since she escaped us on the island, yet she had given fair warning to plenty that I was a danger to their plot. It just made me wonder if she had tabs on us¡­ knew if we were ruining her parade back here still. Then again, if her power was based on how many followers she had, then she¡¯d know something was up.

    I turned to the bear to see what his take was on this.

    ¡°They don¡¯t even look like Max. He is more than just a gaudy attention seeker.¡±

    With a nod, I decided not to engage that any further. He wasn¡¯t wrong, on all accounts, but there was enough bouncing around inside my brain without putting my sense of self into doubt.

    Instead, I stepped over to loot the troll. Part of me expected it to raise from the dead - a trick set up by the necromancer. They weren¡¯t that smart, however, and even if they were, I doubted that we would have much issue. I paused briefly in thinking of what evils I could get up to if I was on the wrong side. I¡¯d best not put that out into the world unless it was something that came into being.

    I was only the wrong kind of murder away from being as bad as the Shadows.

    [342 Gold]

    [Bandage (4)]

    [Unlucky Maul]

    [Note]

    ¡°Hmm.¡± I stood and unfurled the page. ¡°They left me a note.¡±

    ¡°Some baseless threats that will go nowhere?¡± Ren rolled her eyes.

    I shook my head. ¡°Well, threats are a given. I¡¯m not sure how they anticipated me coming this way. Seems like wasted effort, if you ask me.¡± I caught their glares in wanting me to get to the point. ¡°It¡¯s actually a notice to offer me help, should I remove the necromancer¡¯s group.¡±

    Ren and Quinn exchanged a glance. ¡°Does it say who from?¡± the elf asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s signed by¡­ the Eternal Wardens.¡±

    The fencer grunted. ¡°Such a false name if they require our action to do anything.¡±

    I found myself agreeing with him. While more proactive allies sounded good on the surface, the requirement that we got our hands dirty before they¡¯d lend aid soured any anticipation I had held. They could be apathetic like the campground groups. Or something worse.

    However, it seemed as though it was neither a trap nor attempt to scare me away. It was in fact, a beacon. A way for me to get information without the new fangled Chat system. That could only mean my exploits had been found out by others¡­

    That meant I had some manner of fame brewing.

    I grinned as Quinn led us away from the field and to the small village beside it. The murdering side of me had been getting too much attention lately, but the showman part was starving for something greater. The only thing better than a wanted poster drawn by your enemies was a wanted poster drawn by your allies.

    In fact, other than Ren prodding me to make sure I was fine every so often, I survived on these fumes of elation throughout the whole process of the Quest that Quinn dragged us through. It was perhaps one of the most boring things I had suffered through in my entire life.

    Talk to this person. Move objects between other people. More talking.

    Zero combat, and I gave up trying to impress the villagers before even arriving. I tried to speed through any dialogue options, only to be chastised by Quinn for missing out on some exposition that was important for answering a question further down the chain.

    Ren made mention that killing Wildfolk all day might have been just as useful, given that we¡¯d also get Power Tokens as well. I agreed, but I didn¡¯t want to linger around the same area for too long. We could be found, and the experience would start to be a poor use of our time. The Dungeon after this Quest would also give us a level, and then we could think about power again.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Of course, I was more eager to put the necromancer in a grave. Killing Players didn¡¯t seem too difficult, whatever level they were, as long as you struck first and in an important part of their physical body. In saying that, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have a couple of extra tools in our arsenal before going in on the offensive. Options gave us lifelines.

    Just two more parts of the Quest, Quinn was eager to encourage me, as I held out a screwdriver as if it was a fouled diaper. Didn¡¯t want to accidentally steal one of the important Quest items. A little danger-free leveling wasn¡¯t the worst thing, on reflection. Sure, my ankle pain flared up a little from all the walking, and Ren looked sour about the whole experience¡­ and Wolf grumbled throughout, but we did it without any harm.

    In fact, a wave of relief passed over me as the final turn-in was done, and a beautiful golden glow illuminated my STAR.

    [Level Up - 11]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Stage Help>]

    [New Passive: <Quick Dealer>]

    [New Ability: <Demon Cannon>]

    Ren was just behind me on the last part of the Quest, while Wolf was a few back. Plenty of time for me to go over the abilities the System had granted me, unless I had to step in to stop him from eating an NPC again.

    <Stage Help> was thematically amusing. For every 5% health I was missing, my Party would gain a 2% Damage buff. I assumed the intention was that if I were floundering up on stage, those waiting in the wings could prop me up with some enthusiasm. Or violence. I could already force myself to drop 15% health using <Bloodletting+>, assuming I didn¡¯t let Ren know. That would be a good way to get a small damage boost.

    Not content enough with just empowering my cards past the limit than is usually possible, <Quick Dealer> increased the maximum velocity of them by 10%. Not a huge amount, but most passives seemed to sit contently in the ¡®neat bonus¡¯ range. Very few were game changing, but they all added up to increase my capabilities.

    I left the active ability until last. Partly because it was becoming tradition, and partly because that¡¯s the order the System delivered them to me. The third reason was that the name gave me the chills. I almost wanted to check around to make sure nobody was watching my screens - even though they couldn¡¯t.

    The System had granted me a new summon. A literal cannon that was somehow demonic. Without trying it out, I imagined it had little horns on it¡­ either near the front or the back - I couldn¡¯t decide. Once summoned, I could use it to either fire something from my Inventory if I was nearby, or just a blank confetti shot at any range. The confetti shot would Dazzle enemies, but either way, I could only fire every ten seconds and after three shots the cannon would return to¡­ cannon Hell.

    Perhaps the longest description box yet, it notified me that it was stationary, but could be rotated in a full circle. Having this for the fort would have been useful¡­ I only had to be within line of sight to fire it, but beside it to load it with something from my Inventory. Of course, with <Demonic Transposition+> I could have the bird sit on it and-

    ¡°You okay there, Max?¡± Ren disrupted my thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re staring off at the horizon and smiling.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because our distant future has great things in it.¡± I grinned wider as I waited for her inevitable disdain.

    ¡°Our future together?¡± she asked, with a neutral poker face that could win awards.

    I held her gaze for a couple of seconds, suddenly feeling like I needed to wait for nightfall to say what was on my mind. ¡°If you play your cards right,¡± I eventually managed to eke out.

    There was a slight twitch in one eye, but she maintained composure, only giving a brief nod in response to end that part of the conversation. ¡°System give you any bullshit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I clicked my fingers as if I was about to show it off, but I didn¡¯t want to just yet. ¡°Some ranged support and minor passives. How about you?¡±

    ¡°A healing ward, increases to my shield¡¯s defense and armor piercing of my arrows.¡± She shrugged and turned to watch Quinn try to convince Wolf to hurry up for the last part of the Quest.

    There were no decent rewards from the chain, aside from the experience. I had grabbed plenty of random things going around the village, which the occupants didn¡¯t seem to mind. More tools at my disposal were always better than some loose change and chance boxes.

    Still, I was getting itchy. Not just for the lack of action in the last few hours¡­ but there was something bigger afoot. Like static in the air, I could feel it tingle the small hairs at the back of my neck. I often had the egotistical notion that I had a purpose in this world. That I was curated to deal with something. To solve a problem. Now it felt closer, but I was still unsure on if it was real, or just my fractured mind trying to cope or find solace somewhere here.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re staring at the horizon, but you look¡­ constipated?¡±

    I turned to the elf and deflated. Her neutral expression had the cracks of a smile at the corners of her eyes. ¡°This Wolf diet is really no good,¡± I complained.

    ¡°What¡¯s that about eating me?¡± The bear himself stepped up beside us, a tired scowl across his face. ¡°I will literally raze this village to the ground if I have to maintain another droll conversation.¡±

    We both looked over to Quinn, who appeared to have had much worse threats leveled at him during the waning stages of the bear completing the Quest.

    ¡°Alright to take a break for food, Quinn?¡± As much as I wanted to keep pushing forward, it wouldn¡¯t do to go without sustenance. The village seemed like as safe a place as any.

    ¡°Certainly, Max.¡± He gave me a nod and regained his composure. ¡°I have a skill that can put down a campfire?¡±

    I nodded eagerly. While the day was still too young to enjoy the warmth of it, there was still something naturally comforting about sitting around the fire. I had far too many chairs in my Inventory, it took me a second to find my favorite, while he picked a clear area to set it down without inadvertently damaging anything.

    ¡°You have a lot of utility skills, Quinn,¡± Ren noted.

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± He looked up from her from where he was kneeled down. ¡°Much like how Max has different demons he can summon from the same skill, part of my Class has useful survivor skills.¡±

    That seemed reasonable. Although <Summon Demon+> was an active ability, the System had given me the demonic bird as a passive. I assumed that was how the Classes that had crafting skills worked. A mix of combat ability and functional utility. Quinn had told us he was an Arcane Fencer, but perhaps that was a fib and he was something more mundane.

    I narrowed my eyes as my brain tried to slide parts of the jigsaw puzzle together. The abilities and the accent, there was a familiarity there that I-

    ¡°Hey Max,¡± Ren moved her chair next to mine rather than arrange so we¡¯d be equally around the fire. ¡°Want to run through a few introduction tricks with me?¡±

    She turned in her seat to face me, and I furrowed my brow. Hand out, I removed her hat to inspect for damage. ¡°Perhaps your head is even more fragile than mine.¡±

    ¡°Ass. I¡¯m being serious.¡± Her hand went up, and she pushed her hat back on. ¡°Against the zombies, it was fine because they were slow and unresponsive. Against a real audience, we need to be snappier.¡±

    I agreed. ¡°Trouble is, introductions are generally long winded to build up to the reveal of what a star I am. I¡¯ve always been a fan of ¡®now perish¡¯, however.¡±

    ¡°Oh, like a one-liner? Hmm.¡± Her head tilted in thought.

    No greater bravado than a good one-liner before thrashing someone. I¡¯d even used a couple in my time in this world - although I couldn¡¯t remember a single one of them. Perhaps it was better that way, rather than to force a catchphrase.

    Just as I was about to float some ideas, Wolf shuffled up from where he was laying, his snout sniffing at the air.

    ¡°Footsteps approaching,¡± he growled. ¡°From the north.¡±

 96 - A Good Deed

    Nothing soured a mood quite like uninvited guests.

    As soon as Wolf had made mention of impending visitors, we were all to our feet with weapons drawn. I maxed out the card I was holding and found it interesting that I could see the icons above the rest of the Party to signify that they had the new damage buff from my drained health.

    A few moments later, and even I could hear the movements and low voices of those approaching. It would have been a good idea for us to get into some manner of cover or defensive position, rather than standing like statues around the small campfire, but we had not. There was something about the voices that was off¡­ nothing bad - but yes, that was it. Nothing bad.

    Ren¡¯s arrow now fully primed and ready. My hand relaxed a little. Not enough to dispel my card that still itched to be released.

    Around the corner of a house stepped three figures.

    Immediately I recognized them - the other Party who had left the campground the day before. But, not all five of them. No crimson hand-prints on their foreheads.

    ¡°Halt lest you perish where you stand,¡± I said, wanting to get ahead of proceedings.

    To their credit, they paused, surprise on their faces. The emotion pushing away what looked like stress and grief. It was the woman with red skin and amber robes, the burly man in black leather armor, and the dwarf with a comically large white beard.

    ¡°We¡¯re friendly,¡± the woman spoke first, raising her empty hands into the air. ¡°You¡¯re not with the Crimson Shadow, are you?¡±

    Ren shot a glance toward me, her bowstring relaxing slightly, but waiting for me to take the lead.

    ¡°No, we are not. You left the campground yesterday - why?¡±

    They were on edge. Something had been weighing on them, and they seemed uncomfortable being put under duress. Eventually the woman spoke again.

    ¡°We wanted to level up. Fiona kept telling us it would be too dangerous but¡­ well, maybe we should have listened.¡± Her eyes went to the floor, emotion filling her up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what happened at the camp last night, then?¡± Ren asked.

    They turned to her, confusion on their faces. Too good to be putting on an act - and I should know about that sort of thing.

    I sighed and dispelled my card. ¡°Come, take a seat and we¡¯ll get you up to date. Just be warned¡­ any funny business and you¡¯re dead.¡±

    Despite not looking like they appreciated threats, they did as I asked. Slowly getting out their own chairs, they sat down as a trio on the other side of the fire from the rest of us. Naturally, they looked pensive, but I couldn''t exactly blame them. I wouldn''t take so easily to threats on my life. We told them about the zombie attack, the fallen party, and Fiona going back to the first area. They reacted with shock, sadness, and at the end, they were genuinely crestfallen.

    The woman introduced herself as Leyla. ¡°It seems nothing but turmoil drenches this land. We are just returning from¡­ two of our Party have been captured.¡±

    ¡°Captured,¡± I asked, ¡°not killed?¡±

    She shook her head and looked at the other two. ¡°We can still send them Chat messages, which means they are alive. But they don¡¯t respond.¡±

    I opened up my Map as she spoke. We weren¡¯t near where the necromancer¡¯s group was meant to be.

    Quinn crossed his arms. ¡°And you couldn¡¯t get them back, even at the cost of your own lives?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re being held in a fort,¡± the dwarf, named Urist, said. ¡°It was supposed to be a System-created place, but Crimson assholes have done something to it.¡±

    ¡°Corrupted the guards there, made it their own,¡± the man said, a wide-eyed stare not really focused on anything. His name was Yuri, and seemed have taken the whole event harder than the other two.

    If anything, it caused a thrumming in my head. I was too far gone to play hero¡­ but erasing the gang was my calling. Further from the Dungeon and supposed ''easy'' level up. Yet, the System had just given me a cannon. How fortuitous that a fortress needed assailing now. Too convenient.

    ¡°What was your plan now, then?¡± I asked the question to slightly delay the inevitable. That I¡¯d have to ask my troupe what they wanted to do.

    Leyla exhaled. ¡°We¡¯d hope to go the easier route near the coast back to town and rouse up some help from the camp.¡±

    I managed to stop myself from laughing. ¡°Really? Perhaps you fell into luck by running into us instead.¡± My jaw worked as I raised an eyebrow in question to my fellow Party members.

    Wolf shrugged, content enough to get to fight and chew through things.

    Quinn gave me a nod, a valiant Quest if ever there was one, something up his street.

    Ren was apprehensive and took a moment to consider it before giving me the nod, too.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    I turned to the gathered three and gave a soft smile. ¡°We will help you reclaim your friends. Send me the location, but we need to eat before we go.¡± Wasn¡¯t about to die on an empty stomach, and Wolf might actually eat me if we didn¡¯t start shoveling food into him. He¡¯d been very patient.

    Although the gathered three didn¡¯t seem super comfortable sitting idle while we ate, when their alternative was going to be being turned away by Fiona, a handful of minutes wasn¡¯t the end of the world. Might be the end of their friend¡¯s lives, but if it was at that stage, then we couldn¡¯t really be blamed.

    ¡°You want coffee, Max?¡± Ren withdrew the kettle into her hand, not even needing to wait for my response.

    ¡°Please,¡± I replied, as she was already hanging it over the campfire.

    ¡°Quinn?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°My thanks, but I will have to decline.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes slightly at him. Not that avoiding caffeine was a particularly heinous crime¡ªnot until I became king¡ªbut he seemed cagey around our new associates. Whether that was just pragmatic caution, or he sensed something untoward, I didn¡¯t know. In fact¡­ I wanted to find out.

    [Max: Getting a bad feeling?]

    I watched as his eye went to his intangible screen, then to me, before back to the screen. Although they couldn¡¯t hear the notification, if they had their wits about them, he probably made it obvious what we were doing.

    [Quinn: just caution^]

    [Quinn: we¡¯ve had a lot of¡­ eventful meetings lately^]

    [Max: Agreed.]

    As much as I wanted to ask him why he ended his sentences with an up-arrow, I decided it was more fun not knowing. Wasn¡¯t even going to make a guess at it - and it was just the two lines, so might not even be a trend.

    He was also right, comparatively. He had spent some time hiding away before being kidnapped, and then it was all downhill from there. Fighting against zombies and Players alike, and now the prospect of taking down a fortress just for some people we barely had a passing acquaintance with.

    Almost talked myself out of it there.

    Certainly, with the campground group now in shambles, things looked pretty dry here. If not us, then who else? There must be plenty of other Parties that hadn¡¯t been corrupted, but we just hadn¡¯t met them yet. Would they be useful to our cause? I sure hoped so.

    I turned in my seat to face the patient trio. ¡°Roughly what kind of classes are you three?¡±

    ¡°Ice wizard,¡± the woman said, despite being red and orange all over.

    The man was a type of thief and the dwarf was a cleric. Their class composition gave me some things to think over once we got moving, but all of that was drowned out but a question I just couldn¡¯t shake from my brain.

    What could I fire out of my cannon?

    Ren stood before me and handed over the steaming mug. ¡°Everything okay, trickster? You look¡­ antsy?¡±

    "Yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°I just have this big cannon and I don¡¯t want to get it out in front of anyone just yet.¡±

    She paused to stare blankly at me for a couple of seconds before sitting down on her own chair. It wasn¡¯t that I was shy, of course, but it would take some lustre out of the surprise if everyone got to see it in action before I was ready to use it. I furrowed my brow at my coffee while my mind clicked around.

    Atmosphere around the camp was tense and quiet. We ate, which was nice. I felt reinvigorated after such a odd morning and fueled for what was probably going to be an even odder afternoon. Everything was packed away in short order, and we gathered to set off.

    ¡°So, what can you tell us about the fort, Leyla?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonably tall stone outpost, probably used during a time the Crown was at war?¡± She pulled a face. ¡°Or designed to look that way.¡±

    ¡°Three floors? Square shape?¡±

    ¡°Square, sure. Raised with a short staircase up to the entrance door. Four floors, if you include the top battlements. And there¡¯s a ten or so foot wall that goes around the area - squarish as well.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°And all the System-created there are now hostile to any non-Shadow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Ren beside me, we exchanged a glance. The ramshackle building defending the bridge was easy enough to assail due to it being flammable. I could drop myself atop the battlements of the stone fortress, but it probably wouldn¡¯t give me much advantage - unless the Player controlling it happened to be standing at the apex unguarded.

    Given how brainless many of them seemed to be, that was likely.

    I had nothing in my Inventory with the right shape or density to be a cannonball stand-in. The question would be on how it decided to engage with real world physics, and if I could fire smaller objects without losing most of the force from the¡­ demonic gunpowder? I supposed that if it worked in demon ways, then it should let me.

    So eager I was to try.

    ¡°Can¡¯t break through stone walls,¡± Wolf grumbled from ahead of us.

    ¡°They have a gate?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, just an opening in the walls near the front. It¡¯s guarded by plenty of System-created, however.¡± She sighed.

    Ren rubbed at her forehead. ¡°Enough to be a problem?¡±

    ¡°Not on their own,¡± Leyla replied. ¡°A good team could slowly work through them. It¡¯s the addition of the Players that makes it impossible.¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be fair to say that the System-created were two dimensional¡­ although fairness didn¡¯t really come into it given what they were. But, they were basic. You¡¯d could almost guarantee what path they¡¯d choose or how they¡¯d react to you. Being smart and patient could get you through any such problem. Players were not only a lot more powerful, but had the advantage of a fully functional mind - even if they didn¡¯t use it.

    ¡°We were fighting through, thinking it was just a normal Quest, up until we got inside the main fort building,¡± the dwarf spoke up. ¡°Some manner of blast sent us back out the door as the other two were caught up by a trap set.¡±

    ¡°Then a barrier went over the door, and we couldn¡¯t get back through,¡± Leyla added.

    The Crimson hadn¡¯t killed the pair; they were sure of it. So what purpose did they have for keeping them alive? At first, converting them forcefully sounded like the most obvious answer - but so far we were pretty sure that everyone had willingly joined up, at first. If not that, then what? Ransom? Something much fouler?

    Either way, it soured my mood. Pleasant weather and pleasanter company excluded. I felt worn thin. While having the good times made up for the bad, moving back and forth had me tired of the process.

    The truth was, I wanted to wage a war.

    Pick the land clean of the Lady¡¯s influence, without rest or remorse. Just keep at it until it was done. Then whatever ruins remained could be paradise for all of us. Especially Ren and I.

    Trouble was, I had learned from past mistakes. The magician burned out on his day job but unable to quit had been buried long ago. Perhaps one of the head injuries had helped things move along, right next to the corrective glares of the elf. Burning out on wanton destruction would be swinging the dial in the opposite direction.

    The show must go on, but that just meant abiding by the rules. We needed the downtime between sets and a break from the limelight to work on ourselves. It¡¯s what made it survivable in the long term.

    Now look at the troupe I had gathered. Oh. There was the energy coming back¡­ we were about to put on a great show - I could feel it humming through my bones. The four of us, plus some extras, could put everything we¡¯d learned lately into practice.

    In no time at all, we¡¯d be killing it.

 97 - Blast Radius

    I stood, arms folded as I glared forward, and sighed.

    Our travels had taken us to the intended destination in no time at all. I didn¡¯t care to check the Map to see if it really was a short distance, or my roving thoughts had made it seem as such.

    I was mostly just annoyed.

    The outpost was just as they described. A pathway led from the main road up to it - an opening in the wall guarded by four System-created. Behind them, the courtyard that seemed busy, although I couldn¡¯t see most of it. The fort itself rose up; a tower of gray stone blocks and small slit windows.

    But the thing that was grinding on my very soul was the decor. The Crimson Shadow had made no attempt to daub it with blood or furnish their own banners to replace the pale blue and silver ones that were currently present. Even the guards showed no sign of being corrupted or controlled. Glowing red eyes would have been nice. Or just a scowl or two.

    For all intents and purposes, it looked like a nice, friendly place.

    ¡°I can see your apprehension,¡± Leyla said, tilting her head toward me. ¡°That¡¯s what caught us off-guard too.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re Crown guard,¡± Ren noted, clearly having read a little more world lore than I had, ¡°but they¡¯ll attack first if we get closer, I take it?¡±

    The woman nodded.

    Ren grunted and turned her eyes my way. ¡°Plan of action, trickster?¡±

    I smiled. All the possibilities had been blooming around inside my mind like fireworks. Once the brief annoyance of the stage being sub par had abated, an almost giddy excitement had started to bubble deep within. Even the worst stage and props could be fashioned into a dazzling show with enough pizzazz. And I was chock-full. Bursting.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I eventually confirmed. ¡°I have one.¡±

    <hr>

    I stopped in the tree cover and removed my hat to fan some of the heat off of my face. Just a little pre-show nerves. Placing it back upon my head, I turned my eyes to the elf. While I was clearly tense about the looming performance, she had sharpened. A piercing glare from her bright blue eyes skewered straight through my chest. Well, slightly to the left.

    Her eyebrow raised. ¡°I assume you brought us back here alone for more than just fooling around together?¡±

    My mouth opened and closed, the prospect not even touching my soft brain during the planning phase. The front door just seemed too obvious - we needed to make more of a surprise entrance. So I had dragged her along with me to the back of the fort where-

    She pulled on my suit collar and brought me in for a deep kiss.

    It might not have been part of my plan, but it seemed to be a workable addition. Ren pulled away and smiled, briefly blinding me to anything but her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go blow their fucking minds, Max.¡±

    Well, I¡¯d have to now, wouldn¡¯t I? Wolf would be waiting for our signal. While the road in was too obvious, sometimes you needed to play to the expectations so that when you came along to subvert them, it was more effective. While eyes focused on the group of five, the real tricks were being done out of sight.

    We made it to the back wall, the shadow of the fort obscuring our movements. My back against it, I placed down a chair in front of me and then held a plank across my arms. Ren hopped up both to peek over the wall. Face full of her knees, I was surprised at how easily I held her in place. Either I had more strength than the System Stats pretended I had, or maybe elves had hollow bones or something. She stepped back down, knocking my hat forward slightly.

    ¡°There¡¯s about two dozen guards that I could see, maybe a handful more blocked by the building itself.¡± She tilted her own hat back and blew at her hair.

    Chair and plank back into my Inventory for now, I adjusted my hat and pulled a face. ¡°Not too bad. Players must all be inside then.¡±

    ¡°Seems that way.¡±

    Most likely they would be notified as soon as the guards got into combat - if the sound of fighting alone didn¡¯t alert them. I rolled my head back and forth. ¡°No back entrances on the fort?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I can already tell you want to drop in to the roof and do some bullshit, but that¡¯s too risky here.¡±

    Correct on both accounts, but I just nodded in response. Things had worked out in the bridge fort due to most of it being destroyable¡­ and a little overconfidence on our part. A solid building with five to seven Players¡ªif they¡¯d converted the captives¡ªsounded like a good way to get trapped and not have the help of the Party.

    My eyes cycled through my Inventory, arranging things to the first page of grid boxes for easy access. Never knew what could be used in a show, but I had a good amount of confidence in what was likely. Mostly multi-purpose things that were reliable, with a handful of wildcards.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Are you ready for the show?¡±

    Ren gave me a bow. ¡°Born ready, trickster.¡±

    Everything in order. The crowd quietened down as the lights dimmed. Cool energy flowed through me, mixing in with the explosive adrenaline waiting to escape. Suspense weighed down on me, and I couldn¡¯t leave it any longer.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    We landed on the inside of the wall together, back to back near enough. A bright card of white-hot power left my hand just as an entangling arrow went out in the opposite direction. Before we drew the ire of the whole area, Wolf howled out and burst into the opening from the road, shortly followed by Quinn and the three tag-alongs.

    My card was out, the full power mixed with the new speed increase was difficult to control at first, but I quickly got used to it. Through three throats before it dissipated. Hellhound+ went out next, an arcane circle appearing on the wall beside a startled guard as the canine leaped out atop him. Next was Roger, emerging from within one of the fallen.

    Ren had killed another two behind me and was drawing for a third.

    ¡°Roger, Ren, with me,¡± I commanded, striding my way to the main building. Wolf was too big for the door, and I wanted Quinn to pair with him - there weren¡¯t many places safer than beside the bear. There was a chance our quarry would try to escape or the fight would spill out of the structure - so having them right there was a win condition.

    Sneaking was never a true option, even though I was practically an assassin that could go invisible and teleport. They held too many cards and we weren¡¯t even aware what game we were playing. The only option was to flip the table over.

    Up against the main fort on a slightly raised stone walkway, the three of us stepped around to see Wolf mauling through a handful of guards. Quinn darted in toward the wounded, skewering them with his sword before stepping back into the cover of the bear. I could see a pairing building there - a bond to efficiently chew through enemies.

    I sent the Hellhound+ away as we rounded the corner to the closed and barred wooden door. It looked thick, and designed to be able to take a battering without relenting. The others might be able to be spotted from the windows on the next floor up, but we would be unexpected¡­ unless they had some magical form of detection, anyway.

    From my Inventory, I withdrew Jokkar¡¯s mace and handed it over to Roger. He nodded his thanks, but knew well enough to keep his mouth shut. Leyla had said that when they had escaped, a Player had stood up at the top and was using a crossbow to fire down upon them. These sorts of things had a way of repeating themselves.

    Into my hands, the tin of yellow paint.

    An empowered bolt of energy shot down from above, Ren¡¯s shield absorbing it as it struck Wolf. That was my cue - time to do some magic.

    I switched place with my dove almost directly above me. The breeze jostled my footing as I stood atop the battlements. Possibly the record for the highest peak of my career. It would have been nice to observe my surroundings - see the beauty of the forest and look out to the ocean¡­ but other than trying not to fall from this precipice I had little time to work with the surprised individual.

    A man with rusty hair and pale skin, the signature hand-print on his forehead. He looked up at me in shock, in seeing this purple-clad magician holding a metal tin in his hands. The tin vanished, and then so did I - to be replaced by my dove once more.

    Ren raised her eyebrow as if to question my success.

    I winked at her and then clicked my fingers. An unnecessary flourish, but painted the scene, much like the-

    From atop the battlements, my cannon rang out. Summoned just behind the man and loaded with the tin, as I had been near enough to facilitate the process. I had only a brief glance at my new weapon, but it didn''t appear to have horns. Only a slight purple sheen to the dark metal body. All eyes turned upward at the noise, as the shadowed figure of the man was flung over the lower wall of the upper floor and tumbled down onto the solid ground with a hard splat.

    Yellow paint pattered around him as the remnants of the can bounced across the stone. Sure, it didn¡¯t get us into the door, but¡­

    I stepped in front of it, my brow furrowed. Bird and cannon unsummoned. Wolf might be able to break it in, but they would be expecting that. Roger could maybe to the same with the large mace, but that would be a slower process that they¡¯d for sure to take advantage of.

    Something blipped inside my head, and I brought up the Chat message.

    [Quinn: I can use my skill to open up a new entrance?^]

    [Max: Please.]

    If his boomerang could open up the safe, it should be able to make a hole in the fort. The trouble I had with the plan was knowing where the captives were being held. More the fool us for not considering the possibility that the Crimson Shadow might have them tied up against the wall we intended to blast through, or would even use them as human shields if knowing our plan.

    It was designed to not be breached, of course. Leyla¡¯s Party even said there was a barrier that was summoned to keep them out. What this meant was¡­ even blowing through the door - the ones inside were likely still able to keep us from getting in. We¡¯d have to take the risk with Quinn. My initial acceptance was correct.

    [Max. At the back if you can.]

    From near the entrance still, he gave me a nod and his hand went to his side pouch. I prodded Roger and gestured for him to go inspect the dead body, hopefully to draw any eyes his way so Quinn¡¯s skill wasn¡¯t intercepted. Although, I wasn¡¯t sure the demon could loot, so his acceptance of whatever he thought I may have meant was concerning - but a problem we¡¯d cross when we got to it.

    Ren was tense, and so was I. Standing outside the front just waiting and trying to not get caught¡­ it wasn¡¯t how we usually did things. Where was the pizzazz?

    From one of the windows above us, a jolt of lightning shot out and struck Roger. He convulsed, the skin across the puppet''s neck and face now charred and split to expose redness within. With a scowl up to where his assailant had attacked from, he flipped them the middle finger and growled.

    ¡°The fuck is that?¡± the voice came muffled.

    An explosive blast rocked the back of the building, and with a quick nod, Ren and I skirted back in that direction. Looping past the corner, we could see a billowing cloud of powdered rock blowing away from the impact site. Hopefully it made it all the way through and wasn¡¯t just superficial damage.

    I hit the next corner first and turned to see that there was indeed a hole - not especially large, but good enough for us to head into if we ducked. Card out into my hand, I dropped it as <Card Fan+> went up to protect me. The blast knocked me back across the debris strewn path and onto the dirt ground.

    Ren was there and fired an arrow off, but it just ricocheted off of a glowing amber barrier that went up across the wall.

    ¡°Trying to sneak up on us, huh?¡± the voice cackled from inside. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you blast through this wall, asshole.¡±

    I righted myself back to my feet and brushed the dust from my purple slacks. Would need to clean up shortly. A smile crossed my face. They thought themselves impenetrable and safe - but hunkering down in one place just meant it was easier to surround them. Corner the beast and starve it out.

    ¡°The fuck is that?¡± A second voice from inside yelled out, right before the growls of my Hellhound+ vibrated through the space.

    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no door between ground and first floor,¡± I noted to the elf. A little practiced precision had my card circling to the side of the building with the slit windows, placing my canine friend on the floor above the two with foul mouths.

    From the other side of the courtyard, Wolf roared and thundered towards the barred door. No escape for the Crimson now. We only had to hope that we¡¯d get in there in time before they did something to those being held.

    Ren could see that was my line of thought. ¡°Go back to the roof, trickster. We can take the ground floor.¡±

    I nodded. She didn¡¯t need to say any more than that.

    With one last brief bow, I ascended to be the star of the show once more.

 98 - Sandwich

    With a rush of air I was once again at the roof of the fort. A spray of yellow paint decorated part of the battlements where the man had been standing previously. To my right, a staircase that led downwards.

    Using the dove meant that I had to drop my Hellhound+ that had been harassing the occupants of the ground floor. Hopefully he bought enough time for the others to gain some advantage. Away from the light breeze, I stepped down the stone steps. A wooden door, slightly ajar, in my way.

    I stepped through it after activating Vanishing Act+ on myself. It looked like some manner of sleeping quarters for the System-created. Bunk beds with plain green linens covering them, beige pillows at each end. There were also six guards in this room. Swords already drawn but inactive, and an exit door was across from me to lead to the next floor below.

    Just before my invisibility ran out, I split two cards out. Their eyes turned to me as I strode toward the exit, their arterial sprays as my cards darted round their necks, my fanfare. The magician had arrived. As their bodies slunk to the floor in near unison, I swiped things from the room on my path to the door.

    Two pillows, a small chest, three sheets, a metal helmet, and an empty metal cup.

    Not exactly a lion''s bounty, but we made do with any prop that came up. Couldn¡¯t exactly be picking in a world where-

    As my hand went for the door handle, it instead flung open, narrowly avoiding hitting me as it revealed the perpetrator.

    A wiry man by all accounts, with a full beard of black. Pale, sickly complexion in contrast to the red hand-print that sat over his pale blue eyes. There was a tiredness to him, alongside an unhealthy amount of potential anger. The two blades he held assisted in painting that picture. This close I could clearly see the debuff icon over his head. A red square with black handprint within - Unfaltering Faith, it was called, with no further information given.

    Confusion illuminated him briefly. ¡°You¡¯re not Gharra?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I drew a card and flicked it toward him. That must have been the man on the roof. Odd that they hadn¡¯t clocked the body that Roger had been standing by was their friend.

    He dodged the card and leaped at me, <Card Fan+> coming up to block his attack as I took a few steps backward.

    I smiled as I flourish my hands. ¡°You¡¯re not the first group of insects hiding away in a nest that I¡¯ve then burned to the ground.¡± Into my right hand, my newer Spear of Luck.

    ¡°Quit talking and die,¡± he growled, a crackling blue energy now covering his blades.

    It had been a while since I had fought a good one on one battle - it was easy to forget that people were full of abilities and differing skills when you could cut their throat from fifty paces. I felt calmer in this situation than I had against the rat with the dark sword, or in the fort against the chainsword guy.

    This man was much quicker, though. Higher level and more experienced. But then again, so was I. Despite putting some of my better tricks on cooldown already, I felt I had enough in me to win out. The others would be relying on me after all, and I couldn¡¯t allow any disappointment to mire my performance.

    He burst forward, another skill powering his movement. I threw the spear, although it turned into a pillow as it left my orbit, the spear returning to my clutches straight after. He batted the object away with one hand, the electricity on that blade fading out. As his other hand came in, my left rose up, with the helmet on it. A dull sensation went down my arm as I barely blocked the attack, but now we were face to face.

    That just meant there was so much of the room he couldn¡¯t see.

    I was knocked back again, nearing the staircase back to the roof. The warmth of freshly bleeding cuts soaking through my shirt. I didn¡¯t appreciate it when my suit got ruined, despite it being a natural part of the day at this point.

    My right hand rose up to point at him, a purple card leveled in his direction. Mana and then health pooled into it, causing it to glow brighter before turning white. He had made the decision to wait with his guard up, sure of himself that he had a skill that could dodge whatever I was about to throw at him.

    ¡°The trouble with the stage,¡± I said softly, ¡°is that it is always so damn hot.¡±

    His eyes narrowed, right before he was engulfed in flame. My Imp+ back behind the door gave me a devilish grin and started to charge up another fireball. Shadow flinched and my card went out.

    Waves of energy went over him as he prepared some of his most important defensive skill - I assumed, anyway. But my card did not strike him. Instead, I curved it through the bed frame beside him, causing the top bunk to tilt and eject a dead guard out on top of my opponent.

    His defensive auras flickered as he stumbled across the room, pushing the corpse to the floor. A second fireball was almost ready - he found himself in a terrible place between two attackers. Still, he wasn¡¯t totally powerless. Two swords of blue electricity appeared above him, and he entered a martial stance with his own two blades up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never fought someone with four swords before,¡± I cooed. ¡°There¡¯s just one problem though¡­¡± I flourished the spear around, tuning it into the Blade of Shadow, before again into my Knife of the Trickster. ¡°You had no chance from the beginning.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    With a wink, I used <Shatter>. The Dazzle icons faded away to be replaced by others. Slower movement speed, constitution, and agility.

    He could no longer be fooled by my tricks, but they were no longer required. I blazed with purple energy as I darted toward him, drawing his focus just before the second fireball struck him. The smells of charred leathers and singed fabric hung heavy in the room as I lunged out with my knife.

    I found purchase in a forearm raised to protect himself. His other blade came forward but I already had a trusty plank of wood in the way to block it. Instead, my left hand jolted out and grabbed him by the throat. <Card Fan+> came up as the two ethereal blade jabbed down at my face. We let go of our weapons and wrestled for a bit. It felt as though it went longer than it probably did - mere seconds of trying to overpower each other in the brutal, old-fashioned way.

    Pain wracked his reddened face as he collided with something metal, around waist height. We weren¡¯t near the beds, though, and he was rightfully uncertain about current proceedings.

    Fog suddenly filled the room, obscuring both our visions, and I managed to push myself away from his grasp in the brief confusion.

    A blast rang out through the room, dulling my hearing as I was sprayed with warm liquid. There was a wet slump as something dropped to the floor, and then comparative silence. Sent the Imp+ away. Sent the Cannon away. Stood in the dense gray for a few moments to regain my composure.

    Chat dinged me a message.

    [Quinn: We are in ground floor^]

    [Quinn: Two dead^]

    [Quinn: Barrier prevents ascension^]

    [Max: Another dead up here, will work my way down.]

    [Max: No eyes on hostages.]

    I hummed to myself as the fog vanished, and I dropped the spent wand to the floor. It did not clatter, however, which was greatly disappointing and I was tempted to pick it up for a do-over. It had landed on the top half of the man bisected by the Demonic Cannon. System really didn¡¯t know what it was doing to give me that.

    From one of the dead guards, I pulled up Roger, drawing him from wherever he was below. Purple eyes rejected the prior occupants as the skull split, pushing the helmet off of the puppet¡¯s head to reveal long ears of glowing energy.

    ¡°Boss.¡± He peered around at the carnage. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been doing well.¡±

    ¡°Any injuries downstairs?¡±

    Roger shook his head. ¡°The big dog got some bone splinters in his gums, and the new guy looked like he had bitten off more than he could chew, too. Is he like¡­¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± I asked, gesturing towards the door and passing him my spear. His mace would have been left downstairs. I dropped a Hellhound+ card behind us.

    ¡°Like¡­ is this like a harem thing you have going on?¡±

    I paused at the threshold of the doorway and gave him a tired look. I was tired. Not built for melee combat, despite ending up in it regularly. Perhaps I could get some training off Quinn when we had some easier days. ¡°No, Roger,¡± I said.

    He just shrugged in response.

    Not really wanting to encourage him any further, we continued down the stairs as I rolled a Bandage around in my left hand. My first use of Shatter was reasonable. Not exactly the same flare as Finale+, but then again, how could you beat the pinnacle of a show? It had slowed him down enough to where I could avoid being stabbed, and position him in front of a hastily summoned Cannon loaded with a plank of wood. At least I knew now the force wasn¡¯t dissipated when used to fire something unusual.

    He had left the door open here, too, and we stepped through into a room with two figures sitting against the left wall. Bound with hessian sacks over their heads. There were also four guards, which turned toward us, anger in their eyes.

    I stepped over to the bound pair while my demons dealt with the filth. A card out, I cut through the ropes restraining their hands and feet. Pulled the hoods off to reveal the faces of the two that matched the descriptions we knew of them. They seemed out of it¡­ drugged, maybe? No handprint debuff, but nothing else to give me a clue either.

    [Max: Hostages located. Will clear remaining Crimson.]

    No use waiting for the reply. As I stood, I watched my demons finish off the last of the guards. Told the hound to guard the prisoners and Roger to lead to the next floor.

    They were trapped now. Desperate, most likely. Holding off the rest of the Party below, they were probably waiting for theirs to come back down the stairs at any moment. Now on the stone steps illuminated by torchlight, I slowed and let Roger get further ahead. We reached the closed door, and he turned to give me a brief nod before opening. I nodded in return, our final act coming up.

    He swung it open before taking a step, immediately becoming impaled by shafts of glowing white light. His puppet body twitched before he slumped over, dead. That was a shame.

    I stepped over his spent body with my hands in my pockets. Invisible.

    The man at the other side of the room was almost a caricature of evil wizard. Long graying beard that hung from a peaked hood, robes a dark black with red skulls emblazoned up the sides. A wild mania in his eyes, panic mixed with fury. Signature hand-print. One had held up the barrier over the door beside him, the other outstretched toward me, anticipating me following in Roger¡¯s footsteps.

    He seemed almost eager for me to do the inevitable, and my strides took me across the room in a couple of seconds.

    Click, on the outstretched wrist. The barrier immediately dropped. My invisibility dropped. Nullifying Cuff prevented his active skills from working.

    Confusion twisted at his face as the hand turned to me, attempting to cast a spell.

    ¡°Show¡¯s over, sir,¡± I said, softly. ¡°It¡¯s time to go home now.¡±

    Against better judgement, I gave him a swift headbutt, knocking him both to the floor, and unconscious.

    The held door swung open, Quinn and Ren there with weapons readied, before seeing it was just yours truly standing alone. They filtered in to allow Leyla¡¯s group to follow suit.

    ¡°Next floor up,¡± I said, and they rushed past with little word.

    Part of me had expected worse. To find the bodies dissected or used in some weird ritual. Something ten times as macabre as this. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t wish ill or assume the worst. Not everything day had to be dark and miserable.

    As if hearing my thoughts, Ren came up and cupped the side of my face with her hand. ¡°Report, trickster.¡±

    ¡°Some minor injury. Mentally I am fine. This one here is still alive.¡± I shuffled my boot to gently kick the prone wizard.

    ¡°Your eyes seem normal.¡± She removed her hand and gave me a pat on the chest, before her warm heal sank through me. No real discomfort, which was nice.

    ¡°I will keep Wolf company, if things are safe here,¡± Quinn suggested, not needing to say that the large bear had issue with coming up the stairs.

    I sighed as he departed and removed my hat. ¡°Not bad for a rescue mission.¡±

    ¡°You almost sound disappointed, Max.¡±

    With a smile, I affixed my hat and stood tall. ¡°Far from it, Ren. Sometimes you need an easy crowd to get some practice in.¡±

    She rolled her eyes and gestured to our captive. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you want us to struggle, but let¡¯s get this one out front ready for questioning.¡±

    ¡°Dibs on bad cop.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, Max. Fine.¡±

    My eyes searched around the room as we kneeled to grab onto the figure. Not for valuable loot. Not even for clues. Not even for the extra props I could use.

    I searched for a way to end this all. For us to stop repeating the same death and destruction wherever we went. As we hoisted the wizard up, the answer seemed the same as it had always been.

    Find and kill the Lady.

 99 - Best Cop

    I crouched down near the wizard, where he had been propped up against the stone wall. The courtyard had been completely cleared of any roving guards, and the other Party were currently trying to help their rescued others down the stairs.

    A shadow crossed me, and I looked up to see the elf standing with her arms crossed. ¡°It¡¯s not good for the brain to be knocked out for this long, is it?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Not sure he was using it, anyway.¡±

    A fair point, but even so, I wouldn¡¯t want to be on the receiving end of such trauma. ¡°Perhaps I should stop hitting people with my head.¡±

    ¡°It is rather unbecoming,¡± Quinn added from the side, a neutral expression on his face.

    Part of me wanted to apologize to him for that, again. He had earned it and got what he deserved, however. Would ruin the lesson to make amends more than we already had. He was right about it being unbecoming. I was a magician, not a tavern brawler.

    We turned as Leyla and the others came down and out of the fort, into the light. They all looked tired and relieved. She stepped over to us while the others jostled their dizzied friends towards the road out of here.

    ¡°I honestly can¡¯t thank you all enough¡­ if we hadn¡¯t been able to rescue them today¡­¡± she looked back at them. ¡°Well, this was probably our only chance.¡±

    I smiled and stood up to talk to her more politely. ¡°It was a pleasure. We can always be counted on to fight against the Crimson Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I¡¯m not sure how we can repay you.¡± Her brow furrowed.

    ¡°Contact details would be a start.¡± I gestured my head towards the fort. ¡°One day we might call of your aid in return.¡±

    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Leyla smiled and sent her contact information over. ¡°We will be staying south of here, probably go to the town until we¡¯re recovered before leveling again.¡±

    I was glad they weren¡¯t turning tail and running back to the first area. While it would be unfair of me to look down on Fiona and her group after all they¡¯d been through, I still did. Leyla and her Party might be a few rungs lower than us, no matter their level, but if things started to become more than a five person job, it would be handy to have others to call on for assistance. A little army.

    Not that we were even five people, of course.

    We shook hands, and she gave regards to the rest of the troupe. Smiles and nods until they were out of sight, back onto the road.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Ren said before deflating. ¡°Killed a few people, made some tentative allies. Have a captive for questioning.¡±

    ¡°We ought to search the fort for information,¡± I said, mimicking her expression. ¡°They adore writing things down. Plus, looting the bad guys.¡±

    ¡°Thought you almost forgot.¡± She looked down at the wizard, before back at the stone structure. ¡°Let¡¯s get this one sorted out first, then we¡¯ll do things as quick as we can. Getting to the dungeon today would be nice.¡±

    Quinn squinted his eye up to the sky. ¡°Assuming there are no other distractions, it should not be an issue.¡±

    ¡°Perfect.¡± I cycled through my Inventory until I found a bottle of water. Popping off the cork, I emptied onto the wizard. It just made him wet and soaked into his robes. ¡°Huh, I was led to believe that sort of thing worked.¡±

    ¡°Maybe if I start chewing on him?¡± Wolf offered, only one of his eyes open lazily as a nap threatened to take him out of the investigation.

    I shook my head. As much as that would be an easier option, these had been some of the least effective of the gang that we had come up against so far. Seemed unfair to punish them further. Well, they were mostly dead now, so perhaps that thought should have come a lot sooner.

    Ren shifted beside me and kicked the man in the shin.

    He stirred, his brow furrowed as he tried to get a hold of his senses.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t actually think that would work,¡± she murmured, before getting ready to put on the good cop act.

    I was already in the mindset, and I crouched down in front of the wizard, grabbing him by the collar of his damp robes and pulling his face closer to mine. ¡°Wakey, wakey, fucker. Time for us to have a talk.¡±

    ¡°Max!¡± the elf complained, ¡°Give him a chance first, he might cooperate.¡±

    ¡°The only thing he needs to do is stay alive while I get the information out of him.¡± My body temperature dropped, and I felt my eyes begin to glow. ¡°You can do that, right? You prefer fingers or toes?¡±

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    ¡°Fingers,¡± Wolf said, with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Wha-?¡± The wizard looked confused, still trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

    ¡°Here, let me try first.¡± Ren gently pushed me away, so I¡¯d let go of our captive. ¡°We just want to know what you were up to here.¡±

    ¡°H-holding strategic locations,¡± he murmured, unable to make eye contact with the elf.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good!¡± Her bright eyes tried to search for his avoidant gaze, seeing where his weakness was. ¡°The Lady having you guard her progress as she marches on Candlekeep?¡±

    He nodded, but tried to lean away from her, as if her eager stare was melting him. It was amusing to watch - as the good cop routine was seemingly uncomfortable enough for him to open up about the details, yet dislike the process.

    Ren leaned in closer to him, as he near flattened himself sidewards on the floor.

    ¡°Anything more you can tell me?¡± she purred. ¡°What were you going to do with your captives?¡±

    ¡°C-convert them forcefully,¡± he murmured, his own eyes closed now.

    ¡°By drinking her blood?¡± I asked.

    No response.

    ¡°I bet you were waiting on the extra supplies, huh?¡± Ren pouted, despite him no longer looking at her.

    He nodded and grunted.

    We could really do with finding out how she managed to transport so much blood, nevermind how she came up with the stuff. It seemed unlikely it was literally from her body given the amount she would have to lose for everyone to get a regular sip. If we could disrupt the supply chain, then we¡¯d potentially starve out the rest of the corrupted groups here. I quickly sent that message over to Ren, and watched as her eyes unfocused to read it, before she again looked at the wizard.

    ¡°Just one more question - you¡¯ve done so well!¡± She almost smiled. ¡°Who or where do you get your deliveries from?¡±

    He was silent for a moment, squirming as if he wanted to work his way away from her and the pointed question. ¡°Can¡¯t say.¡±

    I held my tongue. While I did enjoy being bad cop and leveling threats, Ren pretty much had this in the bag and any attempt I made at stealing the limelight would just dampen what she was achieving. The greater show was better than my own accolades. How I¡¯d grown. The other two might as well be invisible with how much presence the elf held over our prisoner.

    ¡°Can¡¯t or won¡¯t?¡±

    A little more squirming, and he sighed deeply. ¡°Won¡¯t. They¡¯ll kill me.¡±

    Ren rolled her eyes before returning to the act. ¡°We could keep you safe. We¡¯re much more powerful than any of her Parties.¡±

    The wizard sucked at his teeth. It was undeniable that we were strong, having taken over their fort with little damage of our own aside from a dead Roger and the few cuts I had amassed. It was clearly a sticking point that he wanted safety. Perhaps with us, he could have it.

    ¡°We have space in the Party,¡± Ren continued. ¡°We were all enemies or disliked each other at the start, but have grown to be a strong team. You could be just what we need.¡±

    I pulled a face. We were all fast friends immediately, as far as my brain could remember. Sure, Wolf wanted to eat us, and Quinn was potentially something greater than an annoyance¡­ Ren had even been a little harsh on me at the start¡­ I forgot where I was going with this. Plus, she was putting on an act - I shouldn¡¯t forget that.

    His eyes opened, but he was still unable to look at her. Not her face, anyway. I narrowed my own eyes at him.

    ¡°R-really?¡±

    ¡°You have to give up that information first.¡± She held a finger up and wagged it. ¡°We need to trust you, right? I want to trust you.¡±

    The wizard licked his dry lips. Panic still in his eyes, but some exhaustion weighing in there from stress. He looked between me and the elf a few times. I remained neutral, not wanting to push him back into his shell.

    ¡°There¡¯s a group of three. They¡¯re fast. I¡¯ll¡­ I can send you over their route information?¡±

    ¡°You could? Wow!¡± Ren¡¯s eyebrows went up, clearly impressed with how far he was willing to go. Her eyes unfocused as she looked at her Map. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ amazing - oh, we didn¡¯t get your name? Mine¡¯s Ren.¡±

    ¡°Thallen,¡± he said, nodding energetically at the deal almost being completed.

    ¡°Well then,¡± she smiled, illuminating the area¡­ or perhaps that was just my heart. ¡°Welcome aboard, Thallen.¡±

    She extended her hand out to lift him to his feet. He accepted, still some awkwardness in making physical contact with the elf. Ren stood and helped him up with her left hand. Her right came up quicker, burying a dagger in his neck.

    Pain and confusion went over his face before he dropped to the floor, a river of red darkening through his robes as they soaked up his blood.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± she said, stowing the knife away. ¡°Next time, you¡¯re the good cop.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied, a smile on my face as I looted his body. Mostly because I was recalling her smile, but deep down, I respected the violence. Probably an unhealthy thought to have, actually.

    Quinn shuffled awkwardly. ¡°Every hour that passes, I thank your graces that I only walked away from my folly with a broken nose.¡±

    Ren shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re not evil, Quinn. Just a dumbass. You¡¯ll note the only people we kill are the Crimson Shadow.¡±

    I nodded as I brought up the wizard''s loot.

    [605 Gold]

    [Intellect Mittens] [+4 Int]

    [Mana Expert Ring] [+15% Mana, +15% Mana Regeneration]

    [Clasp of Regret] [+10% Magic Damage, -10% Physical Damage]

    The rest was surprisingly worse than what I had - or at least the Stat distribution wasn¡¯t optimal for my build. Ah, who had I become? With a sigh, I stood and dusted myself off. Would need to repair my suit when I had fewer eyes on me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this fort searched through, then.¡± Ren gave me a prod. ¡°Wolf and Quinn take the bottom floor and keep watch. Trickster, you¡¯re with me.¡±

    I gave her a bow in response, and the other two grunted their acknowledgments. It wasn¡¯t our fault that Wolf couldn¡¯t make it up the stairs, so as far as making this go as quick as possible, the split made sense.

    It was actually nice to step into the shaded area of the bottom floor, out of the light of the day. Something about being constantly in and out of combat made even a middling day seem humid. Plus, wearing a suit all the while didn¡¯t help.

    ¡°Start from the top and work our way down,¡± Ren instructed me, to which I nodded. Pragmatic.

    I led the way up the steps, past the dead bodies and furniture strewn around, our eyes glancing around for any obvious things to make a second pass over on our return. Eventually, for my thankful legs, we made it to the top, where the bunk beds were in the guard barracks.

    ¡°You really made a mess up here, huh?¡± Ren tilted her head at the group of corpses, blood painting half the room, and the Crimson I had split in half with the cannon.

    ¡°I guess I do what needs to be done.¡± I gave her a sheepish smile, but then was caught off-guard by the intense glare she was giving me.

    She took hold of my shirt in her grip and pulled me over to one of the beds.

    ¡°Yeah you do,¡± she said.

 100 - Grand Display

    One might assume that being surrounded by bloody corpses wouldn''t set the right atmosphere for acts of passion. However, it turned out that everything became background noise under the right circumstance, and whatever feral mood had overtaken us both seemed to be just that. A surprise, especially during the daytime, but clearly something we both needed.

    I crouched down beside the dead bodies to loot them, in my underwear, while the System repaired my suit. Convenient. In my peripheral, I caught the bemused look of the elf, watching me in my state of undress as she tied her hair back up.

    "Even though it''s becoming easy to see past the scars and grime, I would literally kill for a hot bath."

    I nodded. It was a wonder I wasn''t dehydrated with all the sweating I''d been doing today. It must be near lunch time now - we''d certainly earned it. I was sure we could press Quinn into having a detour to somewhere with a bath or shower.

    My suit completed and popped back into existence. Comforting even if a little stifling in this time of the day. I stood and turned around as Ren had moved over to me.

    A tight embrace. She pressed the side of her head against my shoulder as my arms also wrapped around her.

    "You do weird things to me, Max."

    I rested my head against hers and caught her falling hat as I jostled it away. "Ah, I don''t know. That was pretty vanilla."

    "Asshole." She sighed and gave me a squeeze. "You know I meant emotionally."

    Of course I did, but some levity gave her an out in case this was heavier than she wanted. There was no need to clarify. We just held each other for a moment or two in silence. A brief respite from the hardships of the world, and a place of safety for our hearts.

    "Let''s get back to it, moonflower." I moved back away and gave her forehead a peck before replacing her hat. "They''ll start suspecting something, if they don''t already."

    She gave me a coy smile as she turned to go loot the rest of the bodies.

    Strange how life seemed to be taking me on a downward spiral, yet I felt far above it. On cloud nine. I stole a glance at her while pretending to look through the top half of the man I had bisected. There was no denying I was besotted with her. The pointy ears were cute, but I hardly registered that she was an elf. She was just Ren, unlike anyone I had ever met before. And we were changing into ever better versions of ourselves that I couldn''t help but love.

    Those words found purchase on my tongue as I watched her, apprehensive and ready to burst forth.

    Before I willed up the strength to, a beep signaled a Chat message had just come through.

    [Quinn: All okay up there?^]

    [Quinn: Nothing much down here. Wolf just sleeping^]

    [Max: Working our way, asap.]

    [Max: Set a destination for somewhere we can eat and refresh?]

    [Quinn: As you command^]

    It wasn''t really a command, so now I started to wonder if I was too controlling over the Party.

    "Am I too bossy with everyone, Ren?"

    She looked over and shook her head. "If anything, you need to ramp up that assertiveness. Maybe tussle with Wolf and put him in his place."

    I stared at her blankly for a few moments, trying to see how much of that was just her egging me on. I knew she had a spark for Max the Leader, but she didn''t really want me to wrestle the bear for dominance. Well, in saying that...

    She sighed. "No, trickster, you''re fine. You''re our headliner and dictate the show - it''s good to have one clear idea rather than everyone pulling in different directions."

    I pouted, mostly because it was sweet when she used show terms with me. Unnecessary, but appreciated - she truly had been putting more effort into the performance side of things.

    We finished up the looting with little fanfare. A couple things for Wolf potentially, but not much else. Down the stairs and we sifted through things double time so as not to keep the fencer waiting. Again, very few things useful to us other than some potential props for my ever-growing collection. There was, however, a diary. Or at least a collection of notes wedged together.

    I read through them as we stepped out back down to the ground floor. Wolf was blocking the doorway, sleeping, while Quinn had his feet up on a crate while he leaned back in a chair.

    "Anything good?" he asked, eyebrow raised at what I was reading.

    "Potentially," I murmured. "Let''s walk while I finish reading. I''d rather not have the guards respawn on us."

    He nodded and stood up from his seated position. "There''s a place that might accommodate us about twenty minutes southwest."

    "Perfect, I appreciate it." I gave him a warm smile. Possibly odd after killing so many in cold blood.

    At the doorway, he nudged the bear. "Move it, furball."

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    Wolf grunted and shifted himself out of the way, having a big stretch as soon as enough space had been made for us to filter out.

    Ren rubbed at her eyes as the daylight scoured us once more. "So we know the location of the necromancer group, a group intending on meeting the paladin''s party tomorrow, and the route the blood deliverers take."

    ¡°My brother was in the military,¡± Quinn began, ¡°and he would often say going after supply lines was the way to win a protracted conflict.¡±

    That sounded reasonable to me. As little experience as I had on the matter, I could see the benefit of delaying all blood to any Shadows in this area. Even more so than outright killing one of the other two groups, although the necromancer owed me his head for disrupting my sleep the other day.

    ¡°Disrupting their blood deliveries would weaken the whole lot of them,¡± I eventually agreed. ¡°Might make fighting the groups easier on us. Send me through the route, Ren.¡±

    She nodded and did so, and I lowered the pages held so that I could bring up my Map. No surprise they were avoiding the main road. Even as overconfident and foolhardy as they seemed to be, getting caught out on the singular wide road that bisected the area diagonally would be on a different level of nearsightedness.

    It weaved back and forth, almost parallel to the road, and mostly on the northern side of it, aside from a couple of places.

    ¡°What do you think, Max?¡± Ren asked.

    I could tell she was prompting me to lead again. At this stage, I was happy to play the role she wanted me to fit in - in fact; I was growing to enjoy it. As much as we were a team, I was the sparkling idiot that was pulling them forward to eventually get at the Lady. In saying that, however¡­

    ¡°We¡¯ll rest up. Get some lunch and, hopefully, a bath. Maybe some downtime? Hit the dungeon in the evening and then make plans for intercepting the courier in the morning.¡± I tilted my head toward the fencer. ¡°Quinn wanted to show us through the Quests today and the Dungeon - we can avail him of his duties tomorrow.¡±

    He pulled a face, unsure how to react to that. Sure, he had lent his help in bringing down the fort to rescue those other Players, but I wanted him to know he still had the out before things got dire again. I wouldn¡¯t even hold it against him.

    There was an amount of¡­ killing that the Party had grown into. Just straight up murder that made me realize we weren¡¯t exactly the good guys. Quinn was just an asshole, like everyone else. A fool who acted on his heart¡¯s whim. The rest of us were¡­ just like the Crimson Shadow, but opposite.

    I hadn¡¯t even made note of how easily and without care Ren had killed the wizard, partly because I would have done the exact same thing. We were the enemy of the enemy, but it didn¡¯t mean we were palatable for those on the sidelines. Leyla¡¯s group hadn¡¯t minded because we saved their lives. Fiona hadn¡¯t trusted us, even after we proved dependable. We were just good at one thing¡­ well; I glanced over at the elf, two things.

    ¡°Not going to finish your reading, trickster?¡± she asked, her face a scowl, but only put on for appearances. We didn¡¯t want to become insufferable to the others as our mush gradually seeped out into the daylight.

    ¡°Just giving my eyes a rest,¡± I lied. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day and I¡¯ve seen a lot of things that need processing.¡±

    She rolled her eyes in response and looked ahead, walking a little faster to sidle alongside the bear.

    Quinn fell into step beside me, some amount of anxiety or troubles written clearly on his face. With a hand up to stroke his beard, he turned his eye toward me.

    ¡°I have not yet decided when we will part ways, Max.¡±

    With a smile, I nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. As long as it¡¯s not mid battle, you are free to choose when to leave.¡±

    He grunted and looked back out to the greenery now illuminated by the midday sunshine. ¡°What would I even do? Ever since I was a boy, I had dreamed about exploring the wider world. When I first found myself here, I was elated.¡±

    ¡°You were?¡± My arrival was mostly confusion and head injury, shortly before being attacked by the Lady¡¯s gang members.

    ¡°It was akin to arriving on unsullied shores. A brand new world unlike anything I¡¯d known. My passion was overflowing.¡±

    I tilted my head as we walked down the stone path. ¡°But?¡±

    Quinn smiled. ¡°Always a but, isn¡¯t there? I¡¯m not a fan of numbers, and of feeling gated away by the leveling process. I prefer things to be free and open, like my relationships.¡± He chuckled to himself before sighing deeply, returning a tired look toward me. ¡°I feel as though if the Crimson found their way to me before you did, I would have easily fallen under their sway.¡±

    With a nod of my head, I gave him a pat on the back. ¡°I¡¯m glad we found you when we did, Quinn. The Lady is promising false hope to those desperate for some closure and asking for so much in return.¡±

    ¡°Burning the forest down to stay warm is no way to live,¡± he agreed.

    He was definitely in my top three people that we had met, excluding the Party. Depending on how the Dungeon went, he might even hit the top spot. Dependable or accepting allies were few and far between, so I had to let a little water under the bridge to stay afloat. Attacking me in the duel was a dick move after I had saved his life, but a little conflict had drawn us together, and he had found a place in our group.

    Still didn¡¯t trust him completely, and his admission that he would have fallen to the Lady was cause for concern even with how understandable it was. I was no fool, and my guard would remain up around him. Then again¡­ perhaps a fool would trust Ren, as well. I narrowed my eyes at the back of her as she talked quietly with Wolf. Just because we locked lips on occasion, didn¡¯t mean that¡­

    I stopped myself and shook away those thoughts. It was too easy to fall into the dark pit when we skirted the rim so closely. No point stressing about the near improbable when we had plenty of actual problems to deal with.

    It didn¡¯t take long before we could see the small group of houses ahead of us. The possibility of a bit of rest washed away any foul feelings that had been stinking up the corners of my mind. The only hope was that there was a place to scrub my physical form.

    With the sun clearly overhead now, I removed my jacket and placed it in my Inventory, before rolling my shirt sleeves up. A little bit more of a casual appearance, but the top hat still did the heavy lifting for the theme.

    ¡°Dibs on the bath,¡± Ren said, turning her head back to us.

    I smiled and shrugged toward Quinn.

    ¡°Ladies first, naturally,¡± he said.

    I opened up my Chat.

    [Max: Found the other group. Not corrupted.]

    [Fiona: Thank fuck.]

    [Fiona: How are things there?]

    [Max: Five more CS dead. Have some good leads.]

    [Max: There?]

    [Fiona: It¡¯s been a couple of hours, shit all has happened.]

    With a smile, I closed it down. That¡¯s what we wanted to hear - no news was good news. We had a slightly warped sense of time, given that our waking hours were stocked full of activities. Usually violence.

    ¡°Something doesn''t feel right,¡± Ren said from the front, her bow drawn into her hand.

    I sighed, my tired eyes roving over the nearby houses. Nothing immediately obvious. No dead bodies, or living ones aligned with the Crimson Shadow. The elf wasn¡¯t wrong, however, as much as the small clump of houses seemed pleasant¡­ there was almost an odd texture to reality in this area.

    Into my hand, a card at the ready¡­ just in case.

    Despite the good weather, it seemed that when it rained; it poured.

 101 - Worlds Apart

    An unease had settled amongst us, despite there being no obvious problems with the houses. No System-created, but no signs of any struggle or violence. Eventually, any caution took back seat to our exhaustion.

    While Wolf sniffed at the air, we slowly pushed our way into the nearest residential building. I stepped in first, card at the ready. Empty, aside from the expected furniture. The others filtered in behind me, their weapons lowering, seeing how mundane things were. The bear struggled, but eventually squeezed in through the door without bringing the wall down with it.

    ¡°Quinn, check the upstairs with me.¡± I gestured with my head. Normally I¡¯d take Ren, but I didn¡¯t want it to become a thing where the Party would keep splitting along the obvious line. Plus, I didn¡¯t think I had the fortitude for anything more than a cordial handshake. Even then¡­

    He fell into step behind me, sword in one hand and the other up, ready to cast a spell. I¡¯d need to pry open his mind to see what he was actually capable of at some point. Although, with a less violent sounding metaphor.

    Wooden staircase led us up from the open downstairs area and onto the upper floor. Open doorways, only two rooms. A cold breeze that only I could feel steeled any nerves I had, and the slow and steady pace was only for the slight chance of getting the jump on anything that may be lurking in the shadows. Or to avoid traps, I supposed.

    The first was a large bedroom, which looked like a small slice of heaven. A door on the right side gave promise of an en-suite, and fully expecting the jump scare to arrive at this juncture - I pushed it open to see. Small tub alongside the usual restroom facilities. Nothing untoward, but the relief that washed through me made me shudder. I couldn¡¯t wait for my turn.

    ¡°All clear,¡± Quinn reported from the doorway of the second room.

    It didn¡¯t help shift the awkward feeling this place gave me, but I relaxed somewhat in knowing we had a brief reprieve from the wider world.

    We returned downstairs to the pensive elf, and I let her know the good news about the bath. She was gone before I had even finished the sentence, doors closing behind her.

    I sighed, but smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s cook up a feast. You any good with food, Quinn?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m great at eating it,¡± Wolf murmured to himself, curled up beside the closed front door like a guard dog.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± the fencer scratched at his bearded chin. ¡°I have an ability that can turn less desirable things into a reasonable meal, but have no real hard skills from my previous life.¡± He shrugged and gave me a sheepish grin. ¡°Servants, you see. I was born into some wealth.¡±

    I nodded. That sounded like it made sense and explained some of his foppish attitude and immaturity when it came to matters of the heart. Not that I could be a judge of such things, having been a loner until very recently. The dangerous love I had with Ren still hadn¡¯t settled in. It would be good for me to keep my head on properly and not let my heart start driving the narrative. Oh, there was that L word again.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m much better,¡± I admitted, ¡°but let¡¯s get this stove fired up and see if two heads are better than one.¡±

    He gave me a brief bow and gestured towards the back of the downstairs area where the open-plan kitchen was set up. Even from down here, I could hear the water flowing through into the bath, and I was slightly envious. I bet the elf looked contented and relaxed.

    I blinked away the mental images as Quinn lit the wood. ¡°You have a lot of survival or utility skills,¡± I noted.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I get for being an Arcane Fixer, I suppose.¡± He smiled, before his eye unfocused to search his Inventory for some food to cook.

    ¡°Fixer,¡± I repeated. ¡°Not¡­ Fencer?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? No, Arcane Fixer.¡±

    Oh. Perhaps one of my head injuries had knocked something loose in my hearing. It should come as no surprise that I was an unreliable narrator in my own life¡ªeven ignoring my rather drab journal entries¡ªbut mishearing an important detail like Quinn¡¯s Class was rather embarrassing.

    Then again, that made perfect sense. I wondered if the System was smoothing something over there, as ¡®fixer¡¯ was a rather odd name for a Class - yet a very fitting title for someone with as much utility as he brought to the show. Things were a little too convenient sometimes.

    Using a rapier had added to the deception - not that I could rightfully call it that. A dazzle icon probably earned, as I had tricked myself into believing something not quite based in reality. I ruminated over my folly as we threw some meat into a pan and cut up some vegetables. From behind us, I could practically hear Wolf salivating.

    Right on time, just as the food finished cooking, Ren returned to the ground floor. Radiant as ever, with her outfit fully repaired. Not quite a smile on her face, but with the cloud of the day''s activities now washed away, she seemed much better for it.

    ¡°Would have lived in there forever, but the food smelled too good.¡± She narrowed her eyes, as if we had done her a disservice by cooking too well.

    ¡°Feels like forever since we had a proper cooked meal,¡± I said, before smiling. Now I didn¡¯t know whether I wanted to bathe first and look as sparkling and fresh as the elf, or sit and gorge myself on the food while it was still hot.

    My stomach won out in the end, and in short order we were then sitting around in the living room area digging into our meal. Any trepidation about the group of houses sunk away as I became more relaxed than I had felt in days. I finished eating first, so got the pleasure of bathing next.

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    It went by in a blur, as if the steam clouded away my memories of the minutes that passed. Gave myself a thorough scrub-down while my suit repaired once more. Although I didn¡¯t have the cooked meal to draw me away from the warm tub, I was more keen to not be alone for too long. Not out of nerves, but¡­ I was used to having people around at all times now. Such a change from my previous life.

    I stepped back down the stairs and grinned at them all. They had been in conversation about something, but stuck a pin in it on my arrival. Quinn grunted and stood, eager to get himself in the bath next. As he worked his way upstairs, I went and sunk down onto the couch opposite to where Ren was sitting.

    She seemed calm, which was as good a look as any considering the life we led.

    ¡°Coffee?¡± she asked, already on her way to the stove before I had the chance to nod.

    Wolf yawned and stretched out. ¡°Wake me up when there is killing or eating to be done.¡±

    I tipped my hat to him as he settled down for a nap. A weird dog-analogue while my faux-wife was in the kitchen. Domestic life seemed like something¡­ unattainable with how the System wanted us to live. But in this brief moment, I felt accomplished. The showman act had always been seeking a greater audience, more accolades and acceptance¡­ but it couldn¡¯t have a good ending. Self destructive in my desire to burn the candle from every end.

    A life where I settled down and could be content was as alien to that Max as this world was. The Demon Hunter was no different - it wasn¡¯t a career where you kept friends or were able to hold down relationships. How amusing that the two souls weren¡¯t so different, despite being worlds apart. I wondered how many other Max souls there were out there¡­ but felt uncomfortable in knowing the answer already, somehow.

    ¡°Here you go, Max.¡± The elf snapped those thoughts from my mind as she passed me a mug.

    I hadn¡¯t even heard the kettle whistle. ¡°You are an angel, as always.¡±

    She gave me a soft smile and sat beside me instead of returning opposite. With a sigh, she sunk into the couch while cradling a mug of her own. ¡°Quinn is growing on me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Out of all the assholes we¡¯ve met, he¡¯s probably the most reasonable.¡±

    Ren nodded and blew the steam from her coffee to cool it. ¡°He¡¯s a jerk, sure, but he is pretty upfront about it. He was just telling me that Magnus rejected him.¡±

    I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°How¡¯d he take it?¡±

    ¡°Much the same as with us. Sulked for a few minutes, and then it was like his passion for life came back and he was looking forward to finding love elsewhere.¡± She pulled a face, clearly unimpressed that he could be such an extrovert with his feelings.

    Perhaps we were just lucky to have found each other. Certainly, if I ever did imagine who I¡¯d end up with, it wouldn¡¯t have been with a grumpy elven princess from another world. I had my delusions - but that had never been one. Still, my brow furrowed.

    I opened up the Map and zoomed out. The small world of Othea was displayed before me¡­ or at least this singular continent we were currently on, the starter island just off to the right-hand side.

    ¡°Ren, what was your old world called?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, Othea.¡±

    That sounded¡­ maybe there was a translation thing that the System was doing. Othea could just be the word for ¡®world¡¯ or ¡®earth¡¯ in the shared language.

    She seemed interested in this change in conversation. ¡°Why? What was yours called?¡±

    ¡°Earth,¡± I said, trying to zoom around to find anything else lurking in the large ocean surrounding us.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ren looked up at the ceiling. ¡°I wonder why the System has the same name as mine then, but not yours.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not translated then.¡± My thought came out verbally. A statement that might not make a lot of sense without context, but the elf caught hold of it with a firm grip.

    In less time than anticipated, Quinn was already done with his bath. The door closed upstairs before he started down toward us, a sheepish grin on his face. ¡°Something about a hot bath always rubs me the wrong way, but at least I no longer carry the sweat and stress of the day.¡±

    ¡°What was your home world called, Quinn?¡± Ren immediately went in for the question, skirting past his statement.

    ¡°Othea,¡± he replied, moving over toward the chair opposite us.

    She hummed and glanced toward me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± I added, ¡°both of me came from different worlds. So there¡¯s probably more than one Othea. Aside from these with Systems, anyway.¡±

    The fixer looked very confused as to what the conversation might be about, but didn¡¯t seem keen to ask us to get him up to speed. In truth, I wasn¡¯t sure what it all meant either at this stage. Not that a clear answer would affect our current lives in this System, but the whole portal thing was something I had put out of my mind early on and then tried not to think too hard on it. Not like I could leave, and at this point¡­ my eyes wandered back to the elf¡­ I didn¡¯t think that I wanted to, either.

    ¡°True,¡± Ren replied. ¡°Some of my memory is fuzzy still, like I can¡¯t remember names of places I used to know.¡±

    I tilted my head and found that I had a similar issue. All these tours to so many cities¡­ but I couldn¡¯t remember the names. Anything with more granularity than just ¡®Earth¡¯ drew up a blank - although I also knew ¡®Hell¡¯ for as helpful as that was.

    ¡°Same here.¡± Quinn rubbed at his goatee and furrowed his brow.

    Ren held out her hand. ¡°Paper and pencil, trickster.¡±

    Although I wasn¡¯t a supply closet- ah, who was I kidding? With less flare than usual, I withdrew the requested items out and handed them over. She gave me her mug to hold, and she set about finding a blank page and began drawing shapes.

    Quinn raised an eyebrow, but I just gave him a shrug.

    After a few focused minutes, she was done. Turning it around, she showed the fixer a page full of shaped blobs. ¡°This look like Othea to you?¡±

    Confusion across his face as he nodded. A finger extended, he leaned forward to point to one of the blobs. ¡°Apart from this bit here, it''s one big landmass instead of the smaller islands you''ve drawn. But I come from¡­¡± his finger went to the lower right corner. ¡°Whatever this one was called.¡±

    Ren leaned the page back to look at where he was pointing. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m from up here.¡± She tapped the blob on the top left. ¡°Worlds apart, even if our worlds weren¡¯t different.¡±

    I glanced over at the sleeping bear. Even if he wasn¡¯t still napping, I doubted that he knew what Earth or Othea were, or understood the concept of continents or world maps. For some reason, I felt confident in guessing that he would be from one or the other.

    My narrowed eyes brought up my Chat.

    [Max: You¡¯re from Othea, right?]

    [Fiona: ¡­]

    [Fiona: Yes, how the fuck did you know?]

    [Max: How many of your group are from ''Othea''?]

    [Leyla: Three. One from ¡®Earth¡¯ and one doesn¡¯t remember.]

    [Max: Who was from Earth?]

    [Leyla: Yuri.]

    [Max: Thanks. Send me his contact details sometime, please?]

    I closed the windows down, leaving Fiona on read. The replies had taken a few minutes to go back and forth, and Ren and Quinn had been trying to describe landmarks or vague historical events to see if any information could be gleaned. It appeared not, if their expressions were anything to go by.

    ¡°Alright, focus gang.¡± I clapped my hands together, disturbing the bear enough that his ears opened, even if his eyes resented me for the interruption. ¡°Other world problems for another time. Let¡¯s talk business. Leveling and getting ahead of the Shadows. Quinn?¡±

    ¡°Dungeon is about an hour away,¡± he replied. ¡°It can take a couple of hours to complete if we are careful, so my advice is to head there soon rather than leave it too late.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to get caught out in the dark on our victorious return,¡± I said with a nod, which he returned.

    I stood, about to rally the troops to make ready our intention to travel right away¡­ before stopping.

    From outside the front door came an odd sound, as if the ground itself was splitting and tearing like dry vegetation. Getting closer. Louder.

    Right outside.

 102 - Lock Removal

    The building groaned, not even giving us enough time to move. Wood splintered and burst, as the front of the house and any structural points were pulled away as if sucked down into a hole. Of course, I had little time to react or see the perpetrator, due to the upper floor collapsing down upon us.

    Pain and darkness washed over my body. Warmth from something bleeding, but otherwise I felt cold. Near freezing, despite the body of Ren laying beneath me. Perhaps I could have done something more useful than throw myself on top of her - for all the good that it did. A wooden beam had skirted my body and struck her. I could see an icon above her head in the darkness. Unconscious.

    With my elbow, I broke the healing charm I always kept in my belt. Warm radiance flooded through me and I felt slightly less dead. Couldn¡¯t move the weight of the wooden beams covering me. Chat came up. Avoiding my tech-phobia for a moment, I drew up a Group Chat with all the Party.

    [Max: Report in?]

    Nothing but silence and the continued clatter of remaining house-parts settling into a neat pile around us.

    [Quinn: Leg fucked, one arm trapped^]

    [Wolf: o]

    [Max: I¡¯m pinned, Ren is unconscious.]

    None of us dead, at the least. I imagined that Wolf either couldn¡¯t work the chat, or didn¡¯t care to. That he hadn¡¯t burst from his position in angered rage meant he was probably trapped or injured as well.

    I had always wanted to bring the house down, but this was¡­ well, perhaps neither the time nor place for such a joke.

    ¡°Think that killed them?¡±

    ¡°Doubt it. Lady wants the two of them alive, yeah? Can leave the other two.¡±

    ¡°Fuck no. After they killed Rolo, I want to have some fun.¡±

    If I hadn¡¯t felt cold previously, I was practically frozen now. Two male voices, but I anticipated a group of four. No doubt my companions could also hear the discussion, but kept quiet. A good performance was tight and controlled.

    ¡°Think I saw purple over there. Let¡¯s dig the asshole out.¡± Third voice, this one was female and oddly soft considering the context.

    Ren began to stir, the icon fading away as her tired eyes opened slowly. Confusion over her face as I put my finger against her lips. She unfocused as she went through the chat messages.

    [Ren: What are we dealing with?]

    [Max: Rolo¡¯s group. Intending to capture us.]

    [Quinn: You two, anyway¡­^]

    [Wolf. O ooo o]

    Footsteps, crunching against the debris as figures approached us. Purple light illuminated the dark space where Ren and I were trapped, as my eyes were incensed at the approaching evil. Her bloodied hand rose up in the pocket of space that the couch had allowed, to run along the side of my face.

    No words spoken, but I could tell by the look on her face. It was time for another show - a little improv required, but we¡¯d recovered from worse. Determination. She seemed to visually cool off when it came to looming violence, just as I did. It¡¯s what made her the perfect prot¨¦g¨¦.

    ¡°If they¡¯re lucid, just zap them with your stun, and I¡¯ll net them.¡± First male voice - gruff but intelligent.

    ¡°Uh. If they struggle and we accidentally kill them¡­¡± Second male voice - older sounding, but with an odd inflection to it.

    The woman sighed. ¡°Perhaps stop verbalizing your plans... they may be listening in.¡±

    With a grumble, the gruffer voice spoke in a murmured tone as he started to shift the wood away from where we were trapped. ¡°Think you¡¯re so smart because you didn¡¯t have to take the Red.¡±

    A follower of the Lady that didn¡¯t need to take her blood? Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t kill them all as quickly as possible. I still fully believed there was a fourth figure standing there, being quiet. One that didn¡¯t need to talk - or didn¡¯t like to unless necessary. This was quite the pickle I found ourselves in¡­ and they were all waiting for me to make the first move.

    As planks, ruined furniture, and whatever tiling was previously on the roof was noisily removed from where we were entombed, there was currently only one thing I wanted to do.

    Fighting against the weight and pressure of the wood on my back, I shifted slightly, so that I was more face-to-face with the elf. She looked rather miserable. Not even sad or pained, really. Just fed up - perhaps annoyed that we were already bloodied after just having a bath. System just couldn¡¯t allow us anything nice.

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    ¡°Your head is bleeding,¡± she whispered, barely audible over the grunts and moving debris.

    ¡°Ren.¡± I took a deep breath, which hurt in a way the adrenaline and nerves didn¡¯t seem to dull.

    ¡°Max?¡± she responded, her scowl softening. It was dark in this small pocket of relative safety, after all.

    ¡°I¡­ love you.¡±

    For all intents and purposes, this could have been the end of me, and I would be rather content. Crushed under the shifting house, blasted away by the skills of our enemies, heart broken from-

    ¡°I love you too, trickster.¡± Her hand came back up to cradle my face.

    Just the first two options remaining, then. I leaned down to kiss her, agony twitching through my torso. Pretty sure that I was tearing muscles as I fought against whatever had me pinned. But I sealed the deal, at any cost. The show wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.

    We parted in the gloom, and she delivered a heal to me, fixing the damage I had done to myself and bringing me to near full. Her hand went down to pop her own charm, and I could see the relief on her face as some of her wounds cleared up. I felt for the other two, but Wolf was hardy, and Quinn was resourceful.

    I was just slowly angering. Every inch closer the Crimson Shadow got to us, my fury rose up a couple of notches. It wasn¡¯t as though I could burst out from the ruins with my untenable rage, but if they thought I would be easily caught, then they were about to receive a short lesson in why you don¡¯t fuck with Max.

    Ren¡¯s brow furrowed as she continued to watch me. She could sense it too - it wasn¡¯t just the glowing eyes¡­ mentally I had grabbed the crowbar and had started popping open the Other Max boxes that we tried to keep nailed shut. Even in the worst times, I tried to keep a tight grip on it.

    But no longer. I had something greater to protect now.

    I allowed it to consume me, flood me with the memories and experience that I had gained in killing demons in Hell. Practically humming with energy, I felt the true shape of things. Knowledge of truths that I¡¯d kept hidden even when they had been so fucking obvious. I could almost laugh out loud, if it wouldn¡¯t tip off the soon to be murdered dipshits.

    Demon Hunter Max had used a last-ditch ability to get out of a bad situation in Hell. A portal to anywhere conjured up by my pact demon. It saved my life and brought me here just at the same time as the magician Max came through.

    But the System had put two and two together, and gotten five.

    For my demon was bound to me, and came through too, in a way. Not a real person or humanoid capable of becoming a Player, the System had melted them down and swirled them around inside my joined souls.

    I wasn¡¯t a demon, but something within me could be.

    Right now, I planned to test that theory.

    ¡°Just set fire to the other two. Leave it too long and they¡¯ll get out. The bear is going to be tough as fuck if he gets free.¡±

    ¡°Get the others out first,¡± the woman replied. ¡°I¡¯ll not have accidental collateral.¡±

    Not taking the blood had left her with some common sense. Shame I was going to split her head open and mash whatever misery lay within all over the dirt. I ached and fidgeted. Wanted out. This was maddening - a sour feeling when I had already let whatever sanity that remained sift through my fingers.

    They were getting closer now. Some of the daylight started to make through the smallest of gaps. My heartbeat pounded in my chest. Eyes darted up through my Inventory, cycling things even faster than usual. Both souls were aflame and passionate to put on a display - something they¡¯d never forget. Or remember.

    A cold sensation ran up my neck, and I realized Ren had put her hand upon me there. It felt oddly uncomfortable, yet I didn¡¯t shirk it away. There was an energy in her eyes. She had seen the tide vanish and knew there was a tsunami coming. Excited her half as much as it scared her.

    ¡°Kill them all, kill them for me,¡± she whispered.

    I said nothing, but smiled. Such a dangerous request, yet so alluring. Who was I to deny such a simple request from the one who loved me? Ren loved me, and I loved Ren. Such a juvenile thing to amuse my overheated brain with right before the stage lights came on¡­ but it was as good a motivation as any.

    ¡°Getting close now, careful,¡± the gruff man warned. ¡°The magician is supposed to be tricky.¡±

    ¡°One jab with my spear and he won¡¯t be a problem,¡± the other man responded.

    [Quinn: I¡¯m afraid I cannot offer assistance^]

    [Wolf: oooopooiio]

    [Max: Be ready.]

    And there it was. The heat of my rage hit a limit, and was released as steam, cooling me. I felt the glow leave my eyes, our space returning to dim shadow, yet I still felt different. More¡­ complete.

    Ah, I had truly accepted that I was One Max. Not just pandering to the worser half of me, now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no getting it back inside. This was who I was now. How fortuitous that it happened at the same time that I was able to be honest with Ren about my feelings. Coincidental, I was sure.

    More sunlight streamed through as bigger chunks were removed.

    I played dead for now, just waiting for the right moment. Ren was tense, ready to assist me however she could. While they were all pinned, I would mostly be on my own. Four Players¡­ with unknown level or skills. Almost too easy.

    From my Inventory, I withdrew a blue flower to drop into her hand. A sweet gesture, which she appreciated¡ªI could tell¡ªbut there was a secondary purpose to the action. She also understood this - and I wished I could gush to someone about how amazing this elven woman was, who could read me as though we shared thoughts.

    [Max: Ren is really amazing.]

    [Fiona: What? What does that have to do with Othea?]

    [Fiona: Answer me, asshole.]

    I closed the Chat.

    All in all, I didn¡¯t feel too bad about the whole collapsing house thing. It had forced my emotions out with Ren. Gotten me to truly accept being a Demonic Magician. Given us someone with more than two brain cells who we could¡­

    ¡°If I don''t kill one, I¡¯ll need to be bad cop¡­¡±

    Ren scowled at me and pouted. ¡°Fine. Dickbag.¡±

    Clarity breezed through me, just a beam of sunlight came through and struck her hair. The radiance was usually uncomfortable when I was being like this, but now it was¡­ stunning. Even more than usual, it was like a beacon - a rallying flag for me to go above and beyond.

    ¡°I see purple¡­¡± the gruff man announced, and paused. ¡°Unmoving, possibly trapped or injured.¡±

    I closed my eyes and smiled. All those things were true. I was humbled by simple wood and an ambush, injured and unable to move more than a little without breaking myself.

    My eyes opened as two cards bloomed into my hands.

    Still, the show must go on.

 103 - To the Max

    Music was something I had an odd relationship with. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t enjoy it - I was human, after all. So much of my adult life had been hearing the simple fanfare tunes that brought me out onto the stage or sent me off. Permeated my brain and made them eager to put their hand up when I tried to recollect a song.

    As such, the humming in my head was one of these pleasant intros, getting me ready to arrive on stage. As the cold glass of the [Grand Arcane Potion] touched my lips, I resigned myself to getting the deed done in twenty seconds. A little deadline pressure just made things all the more interesting.

    It also was goop, albeit not unpleasant to the taste buds. Like bread or sweet dough, perhaps. Energy flooded my System, mana illuminating through my core as if it was a stage light itself. The tune hit the peak; the crowd holding their breath at my impending reveal.

    And thus, it began.

    As one of my audience pulled another beam off of me, the wooden debris covering my body burst outward. The small pocket of space expanding violently as something rose to fill it.

    ¡°The fuck is-¡±

    My demonic cannon cut off his sentence with a loud blast of confetti - filling the nearby area with small squares of colored paper. Dazzle icons popped up around them all.

    ¡°Stab him!¡±

    The spear of the slim man darted past the cannon, finding purchase and breaking bone and flesh. He withdrew it to find the hell-bird impaled on the end of his weapon. Confusion painted his sweaty face. Slim mustache and short, dirty-blonde hair, his armor was cloth and leathers.

    Beside him, the gruffer man in chain-mail looked no happier. His round face starting to panic, deep brown eyes trying to search the shadowed space for where I was hiding.

    On queue, Ren threw the flower against the cannon, using her entangling shot with the gift as an intended projectile.

    Invisibly, I stepped past the two men as roots came up from the messy floor, pinning their legs in place. The woman was wearing half-plate, a cape of red hanging behind her. The silvers were muted, and matched the black dress she wore beneath her armor. Her brow was furrowed, eyes ablaze as she went to cast something.

    Second blast of confetti, pasting the two men with more fanfare, icons nearing the double digits already.

    Click.

    Nullifying Cuff on the woman. I was correct - there was a fourth character in the audience. Tall and masculine, they looked like some manner of lizardman, but they weren¡¯t scaled¡­ more of a hammerhead shark look. Dim gray skin, dark and uncaring eyes. Two barbed blades in their large, webbed hands.

    Applying the cuff seemed to count as an attack, which was unfair, but besides the point. I had planned the performance with that in mind already. The supposed attack dropped my invisibility a second early, so I used my momentum to headbutt the woman. I really needed to stop doing that - but it had worked out well enough, and she fell to the ground.

    A third blast of confetti signaled the approach of the shark-man, blades bursting into blue fire as a skill launched him toward me.

    ¡°He¡¯s behind, fuck!¡± The gruff man twisted and tried to turn toward me, right before my Hellhound+ leaped out and grabbed onto his arm.

    With a click of my fingers, <Finale+> washed through the area. Colored spotlights swirled around before focusing on me. Rapturous applause filled my ears as everything faded away. A crescendo building up to a high point in the performance.

    The shark-man stood stunned, aware he was now an important part of what was going to happen. Audience participation could go either way, but he seemed pretty receptive to what I had intended for him. Didn¡¯t really have a choice, actually.

    My hand rose up to show the crackling red critical card, and with the potion flooding my body with power, I sunk everything I had into it. It vibrated and shook in my grip as blood ran and dripped to the dust-laden floorboards. Eager to escape and fulfill its purpose.

    Now it was time.

    As my cannon faded away, I released the card toward the stunned Player. It moved like a flash, akin to the one back at the first area Dungeon. But this was critical. It did not just cut the odd humanoid. It burst halfway inside his chest, cratering most of his insides to fall out in a chunky spray to my feet. An odd bouquet. The applause grew louder, and I smiled.

    His inert body dropped to the floor, and the effect faded away. The stun wore off, and I had to earn back those Dazzle icons on the remaining few. Gruff had been broken out of the stun early by my overeager hound - but that was acceptable. I admired the gusto.

    Time was running short. I was on a schedule here. Two cards in my hand and out toward the man assailed by my demon. He managed to block one, but the second cut across his face, blinding him.

    Thinner man sent out a magic projectile toward me, which <Card Fan+> blocked. Movement behind me as the woman had risen and drawn a melee weapon to strike me from behind.

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    Keep the woman alive.

    She yelped out in shock as the maimed body of the shark man grabbed her, purple ears flopping down over her face.

    I felt myself nearing the edge. Not of switching to the dark side or growing horns and becoming a demon¡­ those days were long past. The edge was just the stage, it bordered what I encompassed, what I drew my power from. I knew my limits... and finally; I knew what I truly was and could accept it. That level of comfort just meant the show was smoother. There were no doubts left.

    I loved Ren. I cared for my Party. I would erase the Lady and any of her ilk without a thought.

    My feet took me closer to the thin man as the vines faded away, freeing both the captives. Spear in one hand and a knife of magical energy in the other, he darted forward to meet me. Crackling white light, his longer weapon surged toward me, before striking a thick piece of wood that emerged in front of my torso.

    If anything, this just infuriated him further, and he grew more desperate.

    In total opposition, my face was calm apathy. I had danced like this before, and he was off-key to how the tune was playing in my head. Cards split and circled behind him, taking the gruff man in the arm and neck. Panic across my opponent''s face as he heard his accomplice fall to the growls and gnashing of my demon.

    I stepped backward, further planks going up and blocking each of his leveled attacks. And he was fast. I could not deny that. Energy from his skills blurred his movements as he lashed out, turning with the blade before jabbing with his spear.

    All rather droll, in honesty. I placed my hands behind my back as I felt the potion wear off. Mana Exhaustion hit me and I felt empty. Devoid of anything but desire for rest, for the show to be done already. My head tilted as I continually brought up and put away planks to block each of the continuous attacks leveled at me. You¡¯d think that he would change tactic, but no.

    It was too late now, anyway.

    The pile of debris beside me¡ªnow a lot smaller than when I first stepped beside it¡ªburst apart as the bloodied and angered bear leaped out. Empowered by his own attacks, his large paw came down and smashed the surprised man into the floor.

    Show was over, as far as I was concerned, and I turned away. Foregone conclusion once you had Wolf atop you. Instead, I strode over to where Ren was still pinned, and started to vacuum up all the debris that I could, ejecting it out of my Inventory off to the side every time it got too full.

    Couldn¡¯t have done this from underneath without risking having more collapse on us, at least unless it was a last resort. It didn¡¯t take much for her radiant hair to bloom out from the darkness, and she sat up on the clearing couch to rub at her head.

    ¡°You did it, trickster.¡± She gave me a pained smile, looking back out at the carnage.

    A heal came my way, and I realized I had actually taken some damage during the fight - although I couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly where. Maybe the wood hadn¡¯t blocked all those strikes. I went over and began excavating Quinn. The hound jumped up on the couch beside Ren for cuddles, while Wolf started to eat some of the man he had pulped.

    Roger dragged the captive woman closer to us. Panic and anger in her eyes, but without the blood, she at least had the sense to not try anything stupid.

    ¡°These fuckers come out of the woodwork like hell-roaches,¡± the demon growled, not used to the weird body he was inhabiting.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, turning a cold glare toward her. I dropped a chair from my Inventory and kicked it their way. ¡°She can sit. If she tries to run, break her legs.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±

    I uncovered Quinn, and he was looking worse for wear. Bloody and pale. He wasn¡¯t overselling it when he said his leg was fucked. With his arm now free, he withdrew a healing potion, shaking as he brought it up to his lips.

    ¡°Ren, help Quinn out.¡± More of an order than I intended, but she gave me a firm nod and stepped up out of the loose pile of wood to move closer and assist him.

    I took a few steps over to the seated woman. Maintaining eye contact, I made a show of taking Jokkar¡¯s mace out of my Inventory and handed it over to Roger.

    ¡°Normally we do a little good-cop, bad-cop thing,¡± I explained, my tone low and flat. ¡°However, we¡¯re all rather injured and tired¡­¡±

    ¡°There are worse things than a bad-cop,¡± she said, able to see where I was heading with this.

    ¡°Clever. It¡¯s refreshing, albeit disappointing, to meet one of her minions that still has half a brain. You have a name?¡±

    ¡°Tanya.¡± Her eyes looked to the floor as the reality of her situation sunk in. ¡°She certainly undersold your abilities.¡±

    I stretched out my shoulders. Plenty of ache in them after the brief combat and residual pain from being buried beneath the house. ¡°Rolo let her know we were here, however?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°He was hoping to stoke the bad blood between yourselves and Fiona.¡±

    Would have been a shame for me to have had to kill the fighter, eventually. Wouldn¡¯t have taken much to stoke those flames, I was sure.

    I turned my head to watch the groaning fixer exit his tomb, aided by the elf and her heavy scowl. Still had use of his leg, but it looked tender. Both of them were bruised, with various bloodied cuts across their body, alongside an unhealthy amount of dust and wood fragments.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to take her blood to join?¡±

    Tanya shook her head. ¡°My class ability makes me immune to it. It was join or die, either way.¡±

    ¡°Lots of death in this world, isn¡¯t there?¡± I sat down on my own withdrawn chair, the exhaustion catching up to me in waves.

    She glanced up at my pact demon, as he stood with the large mace ready to pulp her if I gave the word. ¡°If only you had been here sooner, you might have been able to save my life.¡±

    I¡¯d have to give this to her - she had a way with words. Perhaps it was because most of the Crimson Shadows had been unrepentant bastards, but her self awareness was a novelty, if not conflicting.

    Behind me, Ren stepped up and gripped at my shoulders to work in a slow massage. Part of me died right there, completely at her mercy. Divine.

    ¡°Why¡¯d she keep you around if she couldn¡¯t control you?¡± Ren asked, still turning me into demonic putty.

    ¡°Somebody needs to boss around those on the lower rungs.¡± She shrugged, maintaining eye-contact with the elf. ¡°Perhaps death would be a mercy to me, after I¡¯ve had to shepherd around these imbeciles.¡±

    ¡°Your flock looks fucked,¡± Roger added. ¡°Shitty shepherd.¡±

    Tanya didn¡¯t respond to my demon, but some of the light left her face. She had a strong will. I could see that. A character of gray where we tried to keep things black and white. The paladin on the bridge had been an easier answer, as she was barely ankle deep in the Crimson¡­

    This Shadow had dirtied hands. It was perhaps a mercy that I couldn¡¯t currently summon cards.

    ¡°You have us at a disadvantage,¡± I admitted. ¡°It is a rarity we get to have a reasonable conversation with someone who wants us dead.¡±

    She nodded slowly. ¡°I accept I am on borrowed time. Please allow me one thing before you decide to kill me.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you everything I know about the Lady, so you can stop her.¡±

 104 - In Control

    Trust was a word with a lot of weight to it - far too much for only five letters. Tanya was offering us up information, knowing that we would probably kill her right after. Of course, some of it might be a trick or an attempt to guide us down the wrong path. Was there any true point to that? I prided myself on being able to read people, and she seemed to be on the level.

    Ren and Quinn pulled up chairs beside mine, and Wolf replaced Roger as my demon sunk away back to Hell.

    ¡°Your eyes,¡± the elf said, her brow furrowed slightly more than usual. ¡°They are different.¡±

    ¡°Purple?¡± I asked. They couldn¡¯t be glowing, as I felt calm now. My energy¡ªdemonic or not¡ªwas spent.

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ the iris¡¯ are purple. Like they¡¯ve changed color. No glow.¡±

    Hopefully she didn¡¯t mind, as I think that was just me now. A complete person accepting of all past, present, and demonic parts. Didn¡¯t even need to hit my head for the realization to sink through my thick skull. In saying that, I might have taken a plank or two to my brainbox while protecting the elf.

    I looked between my worn and dirtied companions before giving Tanya a wry smile. ¡°You know, we had only just had baths after going without a good wash for a few days.¡±

    ¡°That almost seems like a worse crime than trying to kill or capture you.¡± She exhaled. ¡°Such a fanciful world, yet I miss the creature comforts of where I came from.¡±

    ¡°Earth or Othea?¡± I asked.

    Her brow furrowed, and she looked at me, tilting her head. She looked pretty human, but that could mean either, as far as I knew. Cogs were whirring in her head, a pregnant pause in the air for what should be a simple answer.

    ¡°No!¡± She opened her mouth in surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you before, on the television.¡±

    My eyebrow raised, and an odd shiver ran through me. Not just because I had a potential fan that recognized me, but that she could have come from the same Earth as I had. Or at least, a different one where I was still a prominent magician. ¡°You¡­ know of me?¡±

    ¡°Barely.¡± She shrugged apologetically. ¡°Magic isn¡¯t my sort of thing, but I¡¯ve caught you in passing. The purple suit more than anything.¡±

    Okay, so maybe not a fan. That put her imminent death back up to a possibility again. I caught the glare of Ren from my side - but it wasn¡¯t my fault I was famous. Ah, perhaps it was because I was losing the thread of the conversation.

    ¡°As far as I can tell,¡± I continued, reeling things back together. ¡°People either came from Earth or Othea, but there appears to be different versions of each world. Well, I know there¡¯s at least two Earths as¡­ I had different professions in each.¡± Didn¡¯t need to give her the full picture.

    She nodded. ¡°I did some time in the military and now work as a virologist.¡±

    That explained the class ability to be resistant to curses or afflictions, I supposed. Based on her outfit, I would assume she was a battle cleric or something similar. ¡°Is that why you joined up with the Lady, you wanted to go back?¡±

    Tanya rubbed at her forehead. ¡°I mean¡­ sure, I want to go back. She seemed pretty convinced she knew how to reverse the portals or whatever.¡±

    Ren crossed her arms. ¡°And that is worth ensuring others can¡¯t return, so that only those loyal could?¡±

    A shrug was the only given response at first, before she sighed and looked up to the open sky. ¡°At first, it didn¡¯t seem like I¡¯d get into too much trouble. I¡¯d only recently joined the Party, and wasn¡¯t privy to what they¡¯d been up to prior. I was happy enough being an individual and just forwarding on her orders. The ¡®full-Party¡¯ rule was then mandatory recently, and I was lumped in with these halfwits.¡±

    I nodded and steepled my fingers together. ¡°But then she got word we were here, and she sent you after us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she gave me a humorless smile. ¡°She seemed to have a lot of apprehension and ire for you, and I guess it''s not unwarranted, given that you practically wiped my whole Party on your own.¡±

    My fingers flexed against each other. I saw her reasoning for wanting to talk and bare all to us now - it humanized her. Made her appear as more of a flawed but relatable person and not just a murder-hungry monster. I¡¯d been scouring every expression and sentence uttered for a hint of betrayal or lie - and I knew Ren would be doing the same.

    Quinn would¡­ I turned my gaze toward the man. Just as expected, he looked rather smitten with the woman already - his eye alight with interest for every spoken word. Back on the other side and Wolf looked bored and annoyed. Either hoping he could eat the woman or he could get a clean and nap instead.

    ¡°Despite our proficiency, the Lady always stays several steps ahead,¡± I eventually said, not wanting to eat up the compliment leveled toward me.

    ¡°For now. But you know how it works, right? She is literally a cult leader that grows more powerful the more believers she has.¡±

    I nodded - we had guessed something like that. It had been how she catapulted into the second area while we were barely getting the sand out of our boots.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°But now, we¡¯ve been killing enough to slow her down?¡± Ren asked, her arms still crossed.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t say that exactly, but that was my impression.¡± Tanya clicked her fingers. ¡°In a way, I did you a favor by feeding you these imbeciles to kill.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes. She was smart enough to know we wouldn¡¯t be swayed by her trying to make it sound like she was working to our benefit. There was something about the fact that she was maintaining her composure and humor in the current situation that¡­ I liked? Or respected, at least. I imagined that she would have seen some things in the military, and at least learned something about life and death even if her System life hadn¡¯t been too drenched in conflict.

    With a deep sigh, I sunk into my chair. I was unprepared for a sympathetic villain. Or at least an affable one. If only there was a prison¡­ but then we¡¯d need a court and justice system too. Neither were things I cared to take responsibility for. I couldn¡¯t save the world and fix society at the same time.

    I gestured with my hand. ¡°Time to sing then, canary.¡±

    She shuffled in her chair before returning a nod. The inevitable was accepted, but the human desire to not perish still remained. It was only natural.

    ¡°The Lady believes that in order to fix the System, it needs to be united. Preferably under her rule. That''s why she is working her way to the Crown.¡± Tanya rolled her eyes. ¡°One of her group is able to do something to convert System-created, but they''re finding resistance at Candlekeep.¡±

    Quinn grunted, before remembering his manners. ¡°Like at the fortress.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯ve been past there? No wait, let me guess. You killed them all already?¡±

    The fixer grinned and nodded eagerly.

    ¡°They had captured a pair from one of the campground groups,¡± I said. ¡°We took them back.¡±

    ¡°By killing them all,¡± Ren clarified.

    Tanya nodded slowly, a wry smile at the edges of her mouth. ¡°Impressive. I clearly hitched my horse to the wrong wagon. She told us you were important to capture, but I don¡¯t think even she knows what you¡¯re currently capable of.¡±

    Ren narrowed her eyes. ¡°Why does she want us alive?¡±

    A shrug was given in response. ¡°Maybe to torture you or make you suffer. Force you to convert or fight each other - who knows? That was Plan A, anyway.¡±

    Seemed to me that such a plan was doomed to fail, which meant that¡­ ¡°Plan B was just to kill us?¡±

    Tanya gave a half nod. ¡°Naturally. Once she eventually gets wind of my group being wiped out, she¡¯ll send one of her more competent Parties your way.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean much, knowing how quickly they fall.¡±

    ¡°Eh. She has two main groups she has with her. Actually competent and high level, with useful skills. The rest of us are spread out, doing her bidding. Those with more competant Classes are assisting at the city, but there''s a few characters bumping around you wouldn''t want to stumble across unaware.¡±

    The elf still didn¡¯t seem too content to be sitting here talking. ¡°And you haven¡¯t tipped anyone off so far?¡±

    Tanya shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re both rather astute, correct? You¡¯d be able to tell if I went to my Chat windows. I know when I have been bested, and I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re standing in opposition to the Lady. As¡­ difficult as that may be to believe.¡±

    It was difficult to believe. I hated that the longer we talked, the less I felt like putting a card through her neck. If anything, I was trying to find the line between distrust and paranoia. Sitting amongst the wreckage of the collapsed building while trying to make these moral decisions wasn¡¯t helping my mood.

    I rubbed at my temples and brought up my Chat, to see that I had a missed message.

    [Fiona: I hope you know you¡¯re a dick.]

    Seemed pretty obvious at this point. A magical one - if the rumors were to be believed.

    [Max: Did I make the right call with the paladin?]

    [Fiona: ¡­]

    [Fiona: Is there really nobody else you could bother?]

    [Fiona: Yes. Unless she slits my throat in the night, you did.]

    [Max: You hold an important position now, and my respect. But I will no longer send you messages, as per your request.

    [Fiona: Asshole, that¡¯s not what I meant!]

    [Fiona: Firstly:]

    I closed the Chat down and wrinkled up my face. That didn¡¯t really help me decide on what the right call here was.

    ¡°Calling for backup now?¡± Tanya asked, her eyebrow raised.

    ¡°Hmm? No. Just liaising with the one I put in charge of the first area.¡± I rolled out my shoulders, wishing Ren was giving them a rub again. I¡¯d have to ask her nicely later.

    ¡°A resistance force, like a militia?¡± She cocked her head to the side. ¡°You sure are full of surprises. I bet the Crimson there are having a tough time if it¡¯s someone you trust.¡±

    Ren shook her head. ¡°There are no Crimson Shadow there. We killed them all before coming across the bridge.¡±

    ¡°And new Players have been coming across from the starter island,¡± I added.

    ¡°Huh.¡± She looked taken aback by this, some genuine surprise in her expression. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ actually doing it. Fixing the System, I mean.¡±

    I turned my head to the elf. ¡°How many have we killed in this area so far?¡±

    ¡°Fourteen Crimson, four potential recruits, eight marketeers.¡±

    Tanya blinked, her confusion now washed away to leave something completely blank. ¡°I¡¯m honestly at a loss for words.¡±

    More than anything, I just wanted to have another bath. Just redo the whole nice house part, without the ambush that destroyed it. The sun had dried out all the blood and dust on me, and I just felt crusty. With Mana Exhaustion, it was like I had a large caffeine crash and my body was going to be just a husk for the next hour or so.

    But I was the leader, I got to decide things. I stood from my chair and vanished it away.

    ¡°Take Tanya to the next house.¡± I leveled my finger toward the next intact building. ¡°We may have to delay the Dungeon while I think on some things.¡±

    ¡°Like how much information is enough before you kill me?¡± The woman asked, maintaining eye contact.

    I shrugged and gestured for Wolf and Quinn to escort her. The bear had been quiet, but he looked twice as exhausted as I felt. We needed time to heal up and mentally recover. Maybe food and a hot drink?

    We walked over the warm flagstones of the small village, Ren sticking by my side more than she usually would, her glare constantly on the woman. Door open, we entered the soft shade of the interior. It was mostly the exact same as the destroyed house, albeit the furniture was arranged slightly differently.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I turned and placed the chair back down in the middle of the room. ¡°You may sit and exist for a little while longer. Anything weird and Wolf has permission to eat you.¡±

    ¡°The bear is called Wolf?¡± she asked as she sat down gently.

    ¡°A story as long as my digestive tract, if you care to hear it that way,¡± he grumbled, before laying on the floor and staring at her.

    ¡°Ren, upstairs with me,¡± I ordered. ¡°Quinn, if you could get any important map locations from Tanya, that would be appreciated.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± he nodded.

    With little fanfare, I turned to the staircase and led the elf up. We¡¯d need some privacy to discuss these important matters - I couldn¡¯t make the decision alone and carry the weight inside my head any longer.

    Straight in through the bedroom and then into the en-suite. Over to the bath and hit the taps. I turned back to her with arms folded as she closed the door.

    ¡°Get in,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m going to scrub all that filth off of you.¡±

    She said nothing as her face flushed, blue eyes aglow as she started to unbutton her blouse.

    It felt good to be in control.

 105 - Mind Made Up

    The warmth of the bath was almost as comforting as the body of the elf resting up against me. Although we had started the event with impassioned undressing, as soon as we hit the water, any carnal desire washed away. Thankfully, so too did all the stress and tension the house collapse had labored us with.

    So instead, we had washed our healing wounds and removed the dust clouding our hair and skin, and just soaked together. Selfish, when we had the others downstairs with our captive¡­ but I wanted to be selfish and take what I wanted. Life was too short.

    ¡°I¡¯ve fully accepted the other side of me,¡± I said softly. ¡°There are trace amounts of a demon that has become part of me.¡±

    ¡°Explains the eyes then. How do you feel?¡±

    I was currently in the most relaxing bath I think I¡¯d ever had. A naked elf who loved me was currently cuddled up beside me. I had recently bested a group of people intending to kill me, hardly breaking a sweat.

    ¡°Pretty okay,¡± I undersold it.

    ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way since the awkward showman from the first island.¡± Her fingertips ran across my chest.

    ¡®Awkward¡¯ wasn¡¯t exactly a fair take on things, but I thought back to when we had first met. She had undoubtedly saved my life¡ªor at least prevented a lot of personal injury¡ªby interrupting my fight with the two thugs. I had latched onto her as a point of safety in a world that was strange and wanted me dead. Even agreed to murder people to grease the wheels of our partnership.

    I had never imagined it would have amounted to this.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have done it without you by my side,¡± I said.

    She exhaled through her nose. ¡°I know.¡± Her fingers gripped against me softly and she pushed away to look me in the eyes. ¡°Think the others will be pissed we ditched them for this?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Let them be. Quinn can have his turn after, and I¡¯ll overfeed Wolf.¡± With my hand, I pushed the wet hair from her face.

    ¡°And Tanya?¡±

    I sighed and pulled a face. ¡°Caught me. The real reason I came up here was to avoid making a decision.¡±

    Her bright blue eyes rolled. ¡°Your constantly wandering hands tell a different tale, trickster.¡±

    With a smile, I ran my fingers behind her head and pulled her toward me. ¡°Shhh,¡± I hissed, before we shared a soft kiss.

    A signature scowl returned to her face as she moved back away. ¡°Did you just shush me, asshole?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°You and I will have words later tonight.¡±

    Three little words, I was pretty sure. We had settled into a new stage of comfort, our feelings out in the open. Other than the playful jab at me quietening her, she hadn¡¯t had so much as a frown since we stepped into the bathroom.

    ¡°What are your thoughts on her?¡± I returned the subject back to what was more important to the brain, even if less to the heart.

    Ren groaned and moved away to sit against the opposite side of the oval tub. She pouted and crossed her arms. ¡°Pass, I was hoping you¡¯d do all the heavy lifting.¡±

    ¡°In exchange for the heavy petting?¡± I winced as she flicked water at me. ¡°Your opinion is important, Ren. You have the ear of the king.¡±

    She rolled her eyes again. ¡°Honestly? Killing her in cold blood would be pragmatic, but doesn¡¯t sit quite well with me. We¡¯re trying to erase the Lady and her negative influence on this world, but that means cultivating good Players too, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Tanya hasn¡¯t taken the blood, so she could change and do right for the world?¡±

    Ren pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll stand by whatever decision you make, even if you regret it or it brings us ruin in the future.¡±

    Sounded more like she was still delegating the hard part to me, but was self aware enough to accept the consequences for her just being the greater woman standing behind the great man. She knew I could read that from her, so there wasn¡¯t much need to extrapolate.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this slice of heaven and see what mistakes we can make for future us.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Other than almost tripping out of the bath and cracking my head open on the floor, getting dried and dressed was an uneventful part of this process - where I only stole a dozen glances at the elf repeating the same motions. With a bright smile, she gave me a nod, and we both sighed before we opened the door.

    Heading down the stairs, five eyes narrowed our way.

    I leveled a scowl back at them. ¡°What? I just had a house dropped on me and had to kill our aggressors. I¡¯ll take a bath if I want to.¡±

    Quinn immediately dropped any ire he might have felt towards the pair of us, some surprise in his eye at my curt response. Wolf relaxed, but still seemed put out at having to babysit our captive. Curiosity had filled Tanya¡¯s expression, but other than that, she didn¡¯t speak up.

    I felt Ren¡¯s hand on my lower back, either gesturing me forward or supporting my tact.

    ¡°Update me, Quinn, then you can go bathe or take a break however you see fit. Wolf, find something to fill with food and I will overburden it.¡±

    That won them over. Had to lead them with the stick and show them an easy route to the carrot once they did something for you. The bear was almost immediately searching around for the largest container the house could offer. Quinn licked his lips, his eye going into his STAR menus to send me something.

    My Map opened up, and several coordinates were highlighted. I furrowed my brow as I shared it across to Ren.

    ¡°Quinn here has already told me about the groups you have dealt with,¡± Tanya began. ¡°These are the rest, as per my update yesterday.¡±

    There were a few more than I had been expecting. Not that it seemed realistic that the necromancer¡¯s group would be our only obstacle before reaching Candlekeep, but I had underestimated how many people were in this area. ¡°Is everyone now Crimson or dead?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No. There are two Guilds offering resistance, and the occasional unaffiliated few who have not taken the blood.¡±

    We knew of one of the groups who wanted us to meet them at some point - the Eternal Wardens.

    Ren crossed her arms. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have joined one of them?¡±

    Tanya shrugged. ¡°Hard to be indecisive with a blade to your neck, and they have a dim view of desertion. Not that I had any opportunity - the guy your demon inhabited was essentially my handler.¡±

    I grunted. Would have to go through the Map properly when I had the patience for it. With the bath long past me, my mood cooled.

    ¡°Alright, everyone at ease. Tanya, with me to the side room.¡± I gestured to the door just before the kitchen.

    Although I received some cautious glances from my team, Ren gave my arm a brief squeeze before I followed our captive into the other room.

    Some manner of study, or something. Bookshelves on one side, desks on the other. Small table with a pair of chairs in the center as if it had been prepared for this purpose. A soft low couch was beside the bay window at the far end. I shut the door behind us, turning the convenient key in the lock.

    ¡°Sit,¡± I requested, and as she did, I sat opposite her at the table.

    She shuffled uncomfortably and sighed. ¡°Could you at least make it painless? I¡¯m sure you know a few good places to cut to end me quickly.¡±

    I said nothing, but from my Inventory I brought out my Dagger of the Trickster, and placed it in the center of the table. Point end facing me. Her jaw worked, and she looked between it and me.

    ¡°Hands,¡± I requested.

    Tanya¡¯s expression remained stoic, as she placed both hands with palms down on the table.

    I rolled my head around on my neck. Forgot to ask Ren for that massage - the bath had all but melted away any such thought, but now I felt tense again. Oh well, I had already made my decision.

    With the wave of my hand, the Nullifying Cuff was unlocked and then looted, as if it had just vanished from her. It reappeared on my own wrist. Dazzle icon.

    She furrowed her brow and rubbed at her left wrist where it had been. ¡°Why? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Words mean little to me,¡± I said, relaxing into my chair. ¡°You¡¯ve said a lot in the short time we¡¯ve had you captive. About wishing you hadn¡¯t signed up with the Lady.¡±

    Her head nodded slowly as she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle. Trying not to look at the knife that lay between us.

    ¡°Thus, I give you this gift.¡± I smiled and tilted my head. ¡°I have Mana Exhaustion, so I cannot cast anything for a good twenty or so minutes still, even without the cuff. The door is locked. I have provided you a knife, and you could probably escape through the window.¡±

    Tanya looked over toward the thin glass where the quiet daylight sat in pensive expectation.

    ¡°You could kill me,¡± I continued. ¡°The Lady would be happy, wouldn¡¯t she? You¡¯d not be a failure. One of her favored, I¡¯d assume. One of the first to go home¡­ if she could even be successful.¡±

    Her right eye twitched. ¡°Why are you doing this? You¡¯re going to give me the alternative option now, right?¡±

    I shook my head. Usually that would be how this cliche would play out, but I didn¡¯t want to force her between two choices. Perhaps she knew that I still had a chance to defend myself even without my magic, but I wasn¡¯t about to prostrate myself any further.

    ¡°This is all about your legacy, Tanya. What you want for your life and this world.¡±

    Internal conflict had her frozen with a wrinkled face. I could see now that she was a little older than I had first thought. No grays in her black hair, but the tired experience now weighing on her eyes told me a lot more. Late thirties, early forties perhaps. Her fingers were tensing at the edge of the table, either trying to get a grip on her emotions or perhaps mimicking the motions for grabbing the knife.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone you want to go back for, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    Her eyes came up to meet mine, and any stoicism had now washed away. The sadness of the truth too much to bear. ¡°Husband and daughter,¡± she replied.

    The simple three words painted enough of a picture. Motivation for the necessary evil even beyond saving her own skin. If it wasn¡¯t for her Class ability, no doubt she would have taken the blood and just been another raving cult member, too deluded and full of hate to reach what they desired. It made my hatred for the Lady double.

    ¡°I¡¯ll not lecture or make any promises,¡± I said, quietly. ¡°Your burdens are your own, and I am in no place to change the course of your destiny.¡±

    If the Lady really did have knowledge and capability to get us back, then I would accept taking a knife to the neck so this mother could be reunited with her family.

    Her hand went slowly across the table and gently took up the handle of my blade.

 106 - Full House

    Tanya turned the blade around and held the sharp end, pointing the handle toward me.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you, Max. Not sure I even could if I wanted to.¡±

    I nodded and took the blade. Rested it horizontally in front of me instead of putting it away. Part of me was anticipating some trick or reversal, even if she didn¡¯t go for the immediately obvious play of putting the sharp end of the weapon in the soft parts of my neck.

    ¡°What do you want to do, then?¡±

    She tilted her head but maintained eye contact. Her eyes were a warm brown, but there was a sharpness to them. As much as her family was a weak point in her heart, she seemed like someone who would act logically if given the chance. There was some intrigue in there too. Like she knew I wasn¡¯t so soft-hearted to just let her go free because we had a nice conversation, so she was trying to see my angle.

    ¡°Living would be nice, actually.¡± Tanya raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is that an option?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°It could be. Want to know how Quinn became part of our group?¡±

    She gestured for me to continue.

    ¡°Came out and challenged me to a duel for Ren¡¯s hand.¡±

    Tanya chuckled and shook her head. ¡°You let him tag along after that?¡±

    ¡°Trust is a difficult thing to hold on to in this world. It was either see everyone as an enemy, or take some chances to hopefully achieve our goal.¡± I looked out at the sunlight streaming through the window. Oh, to go back to the times when my next trick was the most concerning thing on my mind.

    ¡°Am I not your enemy?¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Depends what you do when I unlock that door. Unless you intend to escape through the window.¡±

    She rolled her tongue around in her mouth. Already made some kind of decision, I was sure. Not entirely convinced that she wanted to speak it out into the world yet, it seemed. Exhaling deeply, the words eventually worked their way from her mouth as I allowed the silence to settle.

    ¡°Allow me to help you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve done quite a lot already.¡± I continued to smile. The locations of the Crimson Shadow groups were a huge boon - allowing us to go on the offensive rather than wait for the inevitable ambushes. Who needed to level more when we could pop into their camps at night and kill them with a fucking demonic cannon?

    She pursed her lips together. ¡°You are right, Max. It would be too much to ask for your group to trust me after today. It probably seems shallow for me to say I believe you four would be able to take down the Lady and her Guild.¡±

    ¡°It does seem shallow.¡± I nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t need our asses kissed. Can you do taxes?¡±

    Tanya pulled a face. ¡°My husband is an accountant. I picked up some basic things over the years.¡±

    ¡°We are planning on killing off the blood couriers. We have their route. Would you know when they¡¯ll be at certain points?¡±

    ¡°I would.¡±

    Part of me hated what the other part of me knew. It almost seemed to be something fated for our group. The final puzzle piece that we were missing. Against every fiber of my being, I didn¡¯t want it to be true, but it was almost as if the route was well lit by the bright lights, taking me to center stage.

    ¡°Death and hardship follow us, every day.¡± I grit my teeth together. ¡°Are you willing to kill and risk it all for the rest of us so that we can eventually succeed? It¡¯s all or nothing, Tanya. Either you are with us or you stay far out of our way. Preferably not six feet underground, but we¡¯ve buried better than you.¡±

    Her mouth opened and closed, taken aback.

    I took the dagger up in my hand. Purple electricity started to arc around my body, flickering as my mood cooled. ¡°Even on our darkest days¡­ this is who we are¡­¡±

    With a quick action, I stabbed the blade down through my left hand, pinning it to the table. As she shuffled back in shock, I drew out my blood into the air to form a magic card. With no mana, I was purely using my own life to create it. I couldn¡¯t be curtailed by the System.

    The door burst open, splinters of wood scattering to the floor as the weak lock shattered from the setting. Ren appeared with her bow up and her smite shot glowing radiant light.

    ¡°Hold,¡± I commanded, and she relaxed the held tension ever so slightly. ¡°Tanya wants in on the show, Ren. Thinks she can help manage us, make us more efficient.¡±

    The semi-captive woman winced and pulled a face. It wasn¡¯t really what she had offered¡ªand certainly not in those words¡ªbut destiny knew different. Either that or my mind was partly spinning out of control.

    ¡°Is she also able to stop you from breaking your skull on things? Because my attempts have been for naught.¡± She glared at me and my heart did a little flip.

    Oh, it might also because I still had a knife impaling my hand to the table. I threw the card to the floor, having it appear as a Hellhound+, who immediately began wagging their tail at the sight of the elf. A wave of my free hand and the knife and cuff went into my Inventory. I took out a bandage to top me off, not wanting to bother Ren for a heal right this moment.

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    ¡°I can... try?¡± Tanya replied, looking remarkably unsure as to what was actually being asked, her eyes darting towards the aggressive elf and my partially insane self.

    ¡°Good enough for me.¡± Ren sighed and put down her bow so she could pet the summoned canine.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have the same terms as the rest of us,¡± I agreed. ¡°Equal effort, equal risk, equally shared loot. Don¡¯t give us any reason to terminate our partnership.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ are you really¡­?¡± Her brow was furrowed. The last couple of minutes a bit too much of a fever dream for her mind to process.

    Perhaps I shouldn''t have maimed myself to make the point - but it was pretty clear. Hadn¡¯t even signaled anything to Ren, but she knew when I was in pain and was ready and willing to erase the woman with no questions asked. Not only that, but if she had tried to kill me, I still would have the ability to summon cards, even if it detrimental to myself. In truth, the cuff wasn¡¯t even on properly, but a little illusion never hurt anybody.

    [Tanya has joined the Party]

    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± I said as I waved her away. ¡°I¡¯m fucking ravenous, though.¡± Up and away from the table, I stepped past the elf coddling my hell-pup. ¡°I hope Wolf found two containers.¡±

    Quinn stood up from the chair he had been occupying, not quite as energetic as Ren at coming to my defense, but he didn¡¯t have the same sixth sense. ¡°Ah, I saw that the good lady Tanya has j-¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s married,¡± I said as I waved him away as well. ¡°Where¡¯s Wolf?¡±

    As if on cue, the bear shuffled in through the back door - struggling somewhat as his round rump hardly fit through the small frame. Walking backwards, he dragged a shallow wooden trough in behind him¡ªbringing plenty of dirt and foliage in at the same time.

    ¡°That¡¯s a planter, Wolf.¡± I sighed and shook my head. ¡°Not exactly the best thing to eat out of.¡±

    ¡°But you promised,¡± he murmured through teeth clenched on the end of the frame.

    Well, I couldn¡¯t let him down now, could I? As he tried to maneuver the long object into the kitchen, I gestured for Quinn to help him out as I went through my Inventory. Ren stepped in through from the side room, somehow carrying the Hellhound+ in her arms like it was still a puppy. Tanya came in after, still uncomfortable and trying to process her acceptance.

    ¡°Any good at cooking, Tanya?¡± I asked as I sorted through the loose stacks of uncooked meat.

    ¡°I know a thing or two,¡± she said with a shrug.

    ¡°Perfect, we need a little feast for all the talking we have done and are about to do.¡±

    Ren scowled at me from behind the panting held canine. ¡°Something wrong with my cooking, trickster?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I smiled, ¡°I need you for something else.¡±

    She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

    ¡°My shoulders are killing me, if you could give them a rub?¡±

    ¡°Asshole.¡± She sighed and put the dog down, giving him a last pat on the head before I sent him away.

    I grinned and turned back to the bear, who was now sitting on his backside and looking at me - awaiting his just rewards in the long planter he had arranged in the kitchen.

    We had a full house now, and I was apprehensive despite the gusto I had been putting on. My natural confidence was at an all-time high¡ªthat wasn¡¯t an act. It had been a long day of hard fought wins and easily expended emotions¡­ but I felt good about it all. Whether I could trust the newer pair was something else, but not exactly why I felt a little on edge.

    Ren and Wolf had been the perfect matches for what our Party needed to be a near invincible trio. Well, if you didn¡¯t count all the times we nearly died. Becoming a five had been a shadow looming in the back of my mind ever since I knew Parties were a thing. Did the other two fit in?

    A little too well.

    The System had smoothed some of the lines between our skills, but Ren¡¯s acceptance to be my prot¨¦g¨¦ was something she had come to naturally. Wolf was far from a performing animal, but it hit some of the same markers. Quinn being full of rugged utility¡­ a fixer, according to the System, was odd enough. Now that I had shuffled Tanya into the same box as Reggie once held, I wondered how much of this was fate, and how much was my mind rounding off the edges to fit reality into something that I could accept and understand.

    Either way, I was mentally burned out from the day we had endured.

    Hand extended, I expelled a healthy selection of meat, fruit, and vegetables to spray down and fill the trough Wolf had brought. I¡¯d need to stock up again soon.

    ¡°Still have those feathers when you want them,¡± I murmured, as I turned to go sit at a chair. No sooner as I had, Ren¡¯s hands gripped at my shoulders and plied my muscles into less-tense shapes.

    Tanya sat opposite, unclasping the side of her breastplate so she could sit more comfortably. She gave a tired glance between each of us, then sighed. ¡°I feel like I may have gotten myself into something I am woefully unprepared for.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re each a little weird,¡± I said, totally at the mercy of the elf breaking the stress from my body. ¡°Perhaps a better introduction is in order? My name is Max, I was a magician and Demon Hunter in my previous lives. Now in the System I have demon summoning abilities and am a dab hand at Inventory manipulation.¡±

    ¡°Demon Hunter?¡± she repeated. ¡°Thought we were from the same world?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually two different versions of me stuck together.¡± I shrugged, as that didn¡¯t seem to budge her confused look.

    Ren gave one last squeeze before moving from me. ¡°Give her an example of your Inventory stuff, trickster.¡±

    I clicked my fingers, bringing forth a card into my hands. A plain, normal one, from the many part-decks I had collected. Ace of Hearts, purely by chance. After letting them both see which it was, I flicked it straight into the air. Only, it turned into a dagger as it ascended. Hat down from my head to catch it. My spear then slowly rose up out of the hat, the Ace of Hearts impaled at the tip.

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Tanya tilted her head. ¡° At first, when they said you were a magician, I assumed it was just a different name for wizard.¡±

    With a shrug, both objects vanished, and I put my hat back on. Could have done something a lot more spectacular, but I¡¯d had enough for today. Having found the ability to give myself limits, I would make use of it on occasion.

    ¡°Ren,¡± the elf said, sitting down near me. ¡°Ranger with healing and defensive skills.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bear,¡± Wolf said, his voice rising from the kitchen where his mouth was still half-full. ¡°And I do bear things.¡±

    ¡°Called Wolf,¡± Ren added. ¡°Which I believe is partially my fault.¡±

    ¡°Quinn,¡± the man said from my peripheral, giving her a low bow. ¡°Utility specialist and jack of all trades. I owe my life to Max, and have sworn to assist in any manner asked until I can repay him.¡±

    A little more exposition than required, but it fit his personality well enough. I gave Tanya a brief smile. ¡°I have a pact demon who makes a regular appearance. He was the one who restrained you - Roger.¡±

    She nodded slowly, taking this all in. ¡°Tanya, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve worked out. My Class is focused towards buffs and debuffs. I told Max this, but in my normal world, I am a virologist with a military background.¡±

    I made note that she was still using the current tense throughout our conversations. As if her reasons for joining the Lady weren¡¯t clear enough, she was obviously still holding onto something we had long let go. For us, it was always ¡®old¡¯ or ¡®previous¡¯ world.

    Tanya was like a ghost who hadn¡¯t moved on and accepted that she had died.

    Not that I was here to show her the way to heaven, of course. For as long as she proved her loyalty, then we¡¯d be here to support her coming to terms with those things being behind us. Focus on the Lady now, we¡¯d worry about the after when we got to it.

    Her eyes unfocused as she glanced over to her STAR menus, before her eyes dimmed and expression hardened.

    ¡°They know my group is dead,¡± she said. ¡°But that I live.¡±

 107 - Start to Manage

    The air in the quaint wooden house grew a little chillier. Although, that could be because Wolf had left the back door open. All eyes were on our newest recruit, waiting for her to do something. Maybe explode. At this stage, I wouldn¡¯t discount anything.

    ¡°What do you want me to reply?¡± she asked. Her eyes had left their unfocused state and were looking at me, so I knew she wasn¡¯t secretly typing.

    I drummed my fingertips on my leg as I exhaled. ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°Hand-off group for once we captured you. Drent was going to update them. That¡¯s the shark-person who has a lot more holes in his head than usual.¡± Tanya raised an eyebrow.

    Even though I had just put my hat back on, I removed it to place on my lap, while my fingers ran through my hair. Still a little long - I¡¯d have to ask one of my troupe for a cut eventually¡­ but which one?

    ¡°Our sleep was interrupted by a zombie attack, and we have fought against three other Parties, and a troll.¡± I added that last one for effect, even if it wasn¡¯t that much effort. ¡°What do you suggest we do about this?¡±

    A bit of an ask to put her on the spot this early, but it served a dual purpose. Well, a trifecta of purposes if I took my exhaustion as truth¡ªwhich it was. Another opportunity for her to prove her switched allegiance wasn¡¯t weightless, but also a test to see how she thought. If I was putting her in the ¡®manager¡¯ box, she¡¯d need to show me she was able to function in that role and guide our efforts when we were rough around the edges.

    She clucked her tongue and made the point of removing her breastplate fully now. Although her black dress wasn¡¯t particularly combat-worthy, it was rather plain and¡ªsurprising to me¡ªpadded underneath. Catching my intrigue, she grimaced.

    ¡°Lady thought I¡¯d fit the theme better in a dress. Can finally switch to something more practical¡­¡± her eyes went between us all again. ¡°Unless there¡¯s a different uniform requirement here?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Wear whatever makes you most comfortable.¡± My hand went out to gesture for her to get back to the matter at hand.

    ¡°Best thing to do is kill them,¡± she said. Her stoic and calm expression was refreshing. With that attitude, she¡¯d fit right in with us. ¡°I¡¯ll give them a half truth. Tell them you captured me and are trying to get information out of me.¡±

    My head nodded slowly. ¡°Bring them to this location and ambush them?¡±

    ¡°At night would be best,¡± she agreed. ¡°If they think you¡¯re asleep, they¡¯ll be less apprehensive about attacking.¡±

    I gave Ren a glance, and she gave a brief nod in return.

    We liked that plan. Killing off another Party of Crimson Shadows where we weren¡¯t on the back foot for a change was worth losing a bit of our sleeping time.

    Tanya cupped her chin and looked down at the floor. ¡°I know their levels and rough classes, too. This area has decent terrain for an ambush, but we¡¯d want to move on after, just in case they let any other groups know they were coming here.¡±

    ¡°Sleeping in the dungeon is still a possibility,¡± Quinn said, leaning against the wall as he rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°It means traveling in the dark, but it will be safe once we arrive.¡±

    Wolf lifted his face from his meal-in-progress, tongue lapping around his mouth. ¡°I could eat,¡± he said.

    ¡°Sounds good to me, then.¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°Time to take the fight back to them. Oh, what level were you, Tanya?¡±

    ¡°Fifteen,¡± she replied. ¡°You all are too?¡±

    ¡°Eleven, but Quinn is Fourteen.¡±

    Tanya looked a little surprised to hear that answer. ¡°Only Eleven? How long have you been here?¡±

    ¡°Couple of weeks for us,¡± I gestured to Ren, ignoring the fact that she had spent three months in misery on the starter island. ¡°We sped through things and came to the second area at Eight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually quite efficient.¡± The woman shrugged. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take you long to get to the Fifteen cap then, we can plan tomorrow?¡±

    Ren furrowed her brow. ¡°Level Cap was Twenty, I thought?¡±

    ¡°In the wider world, sure, but¡­¡± Tanya trailed off as she looked between us. ¡°Of course, you haven¡¯t been here long enough, so you might not know. There¡¯s been a barrier preventing access to the third area, and you need to do some Quest that way to get higher than Fifteen.¡±

    That opened up a whole casket of questions, wriggling around like dirtied worms. Where to even begin? We had avoided what little lore the world had tried to push our way, and filled our brains with our own heroic Quest to rid the System of the Lady. For certain definitions of heroic, anyway.

    ¡°Why is there a barrier?¡± Ren asked, her normal scowl comfortably back on her face.

    ¡°And who put it there?¡± Quinn added, saving me the hardship of doing the deed myself.

    ¡°To answer¡­ who¡­¡± She flexed her fingers as she thought. ¡°The King and Queen, I believe.¡±

    I raised my eyebrows. ¡°They are Players with actual control or part of the System?¡±

    Tanya pulled a face. ¡°As far as I know, it¡¯s something like that. I was here after the barrier went up. The reason for it¡­ well, I¡¯ve been told it¡¯s because of the Lady in Red.¡±

    My brain was two steps behind still. That information made sense for why no higher level players had come through and gotten rid of her. It didn¡¯t make total sense, however. ¡°She¡¯s only been causing trouble for a couple of weeks, though?¡±

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    A shrug was the response. ¡°I don¡¯t have the full picture, I¡¯m afraid. Someone told me that PvP wasn¡¯t enabled at some point - but something changed. As luck would have it¡­ one of the chaps paying us a visit later might know some more on it.¡±

    I nodded slowly. More of the full picture had been revealed, even if it wasn¡¯t quite perfect. ¡°Alright¡­¡± I glanced again at Ren to make sure she was onboard. Seemed that way. ¡°Make arrangements, Tanya. I¡¯ll need a report on what we¡¯re going to be up against.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Her eyes unfocused as she went to put the plan into action.

    Or at least, I hoped so. There was still the chance she could be double crossing us. Set us up for something even worse than a single Party ambush. It wasn¡¯t very likely, though. Not being under their corrupting influence put her a few intellect points over the others, and she was probably exhausted dealing with the violent halfwits.

    I mean, we were a little better than that. Maybe.

    Ren stood up and placed her hand on my shoulder briefly as she passed. ¡°Anyone else for coffee?¡±

    Tanya almost leaped from her chair with how she shuffled to focus on the elf. ¡°You have coffee? Should have said from the start, that¡¯s reason enough to join you lot.¡± Without a chance for anyone else to reply, a mug was already in her hand at the ready.

    I smiled and settled into some form of comfort. We¡¯d need to keep an eye on her still, but the woman seemed almost happy to be among us. Appearances could be deceiving - I of all people should know this¡­ but it was nice to meet someone who didn¡¯t want to run away, call me an asshole, or split my head open.

    The piercing whistle of the kettle drew my attention to the kitchen, where I could see Ren leaning against one of the counters with her arms crossed. Despite her scowl at the group of mugs now ready to receive the magical liquid, she seemed relatively relaxed. It put my mind at ease, as the times where we were both wrong about something were few and far between.

    Wolf had somehow managed to finish off his bounty of food and immediately decided to have a nap right in the middle of the open-plan kitchen. Quinn appeared to be focused on something in his STAR menus, and I wondered if having one eye made the process more awkward. Probably.

    ¡°It is done,¡± Tanya said, drawing my attention back to her. ¡°Group of five coming at one in the morning.¡±

    I heard Ren groan as she poured the hot water. Another night of terrible sleep.

    ¡°They¡¯re not suspicious that you can reply to them?¡±

    ¡°Not particularly.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s much that can stop Chat messages unless I was unconscious. Plus, they¡¯re the Crimson.¡±

    They were. I nodded. The sun was starting to set now, so we still had a few hours to make our plans. Although I had kept a poker face, I felt the same way about the lack of sleep as Ren did. Still, I turned and smiled as she came to pass me a mug of coffee.

    ¡°It¡¯s a struggle to get this stuff,¡± Tanya said, nodding her head in thanks at the elf as she received her own. ¡°Especially as an outlaw.¡±

    I sat and enjoyed the warmth of the cup for a moment. It probably wouldn¡¯t keep me as awake as I would like, and resting in the Dungeon didn¡¯t seem that comfortable either. In a time of relative safety, the groups of us could split off into different houses. Live like normal people, if even for one night. Part of me just wanted to focus on the relationship with Ren and not have to deal with all this violent bullshit, but¡­ I needed them both, in some way.

    Tanya blew the steam from her drink and then tilted her head. ¡°I told them you were holding me in this house, so perhaps we should make arrangements to not be here.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± A grin slowly rose up on my face as I raised my voice. ¡°Everyone gather round. We have a show to put on.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Trickster,¡± Ren whined, an uncharacteristic sound coming from her. The end of her bow jabbed into my side as she tried to get my focus.

    It was night time now, and we lay on the grass under the dark sky. After going through our plan a couple of times and spending more time with Tanya and Quinn, things seemed more¡­ normal. While the fixer had emotions clear on display, our new Party member just seemed to be very¡­ pragmatic and straightforward. Her singular focus was getting back home, and some time spent chatting about things from our past world had tied her to our cause greater than any threat could.

    Not that we could promise to send her back, but she had come to the agreement that the Lady had no clue either. Certainly this mysterious King and Queen might have answers if anyone did. Not that I expect there to be a way to return to Earth, given that-

    My right eye twitched as I was jabbed again. ¡°Yes, moonflower?¡±

    ¡°I love you,¡± she whispered, her bright blue eyes picking up the moonlight.

    Any tension washed away in seeing her expression. ¡°I love you too. You grow more ridiculous by the day.¡± I thought we had reached the ceiling of her emotional expression, but it seemed the nighttime had to be a step above at all times.

    ¡°It¡¯s not ridiculous to state the truth,¡± she said with a huff, before turning her gaze back to the center of the small village. While she didn¡¯t scowl, I saw the business-like seriousness return to her. Her feelings aside, she was still the same Ren underneath.

    We had made the pact that our relations wouldn¡¯t hinder our goal. Something she had agreed to with a pout, but she was fully onboard. Already accepted that love was an invitation for tragedy, we still needed to be cautious that we didn¡¯t stumble into worse through our distracted sensibilities.

    But then, that¡¯s why we were laying in thick grass under the cover of darkness, instead of in a soft bed under the cover of¡­ well, just a blanket, I supposed.

    That our plan had involved us being paired together was just coincidence.

    Slightly out of the village on a small mound that could barely be considered a hill, we had a slight height advantage while still being able to see the front area of four of the houses. The ruined one we almost died in. The nicer one we had rested in. The two others who were now part of our plan.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, even as my mind had moved on. ¡°Been a very straining day. I¡¯m rather eager to live a life of those good times, and I¡¯ve started putting the cart before the horse.¡±

    ¡°If only we could be so gluttonous and satiated with what we desire as Wolf often is,¡± I replied.

    She looked back at me and smiled. ¡°One day, trickster.¡±

    A beep of my Chat brought me away from saying anything further to the elf, and after shuffling whatever Fiona had said out of the way, I brought up the message from Tanya.

    [Tanya: They have updated me. ETA 10m]

    [Max: Understood.]

    I switched to the Party Chat we had now included her in.

    [Max: Ten minutes. Prepare.]

    [Quinn: Ok^]

    [Wolf: o]

    [Tanya: In position, at your command.]

    [Ren: Ready.]

    Closed everything down and looked back at the elf. Her eyes were trained back on the dark village, only illuminated by the lanterns we had left as decoys in the house. The shadow of the corpse Wolf hadn¡¯t chewed up sitting in a chair near the window across the dirt and dull grass. I¡¯d save my own prodding for post-battle.

    It was a simple reverse-ambush. Assuming Tanya wasn¡¯t screwing us over¡ªa prospect that seemed less likely by the hour¡ªwe¡¯d wait for them to assail the house before springing our own traps on the group hoping to catch us sleeping.

    She had advised to try to keep the more knowledgeable Shadow alive if we wanted to ask questions about the third area. A frogman who was a type of arcane knight. Heavy armor and some spells. More trouble than it sounded worth - to try to incapacitate rather than just outright kill - but I said we¡¯d see what we could do.

    Quinn and Tanya were in the closest building to our right, on the top floor to send out supporting skills through the windows. Wolf was in the house further away, but still on the right. Ready to repeat his entrance that we used in the first village in the second area. Our trap was in the closet left, while the ruined building was further left. With Ren beside me we could quickly rain down powerful ranged attacks, and having a good view of the stage would allow me to dip in and out where I was most needed.

    Any looming excitement was jostled from my overworking brain by the jab of the bow end again. In raising an eyebrow, expecting more soft words, I caught the sharp glare in Ren¡¯s eyes as she gestured out to the darkened road.

    Two small orbs of light bobbed closer, before being snuffed out.

    Curtain was about to rise.

 108 - Just a Taste

    We had invited unknowns into our little group of safety. Yet, in laying here in the darkness awaiting the looming conflict in the small village, I didn¡¯t feel as on edge as I should. If anything, it gave me hope. While such a thing had scared Ren when she saw it in me, I was comforted. A Party of five had seemed untenable at first - we were too closed off. But now¡­ our capabilities had grown, and I had even more of a strong feeling that we¡¯d be able to take the Lady down.

    Time would tell if that would bear fruit, or things wouldn¡¯t work out as expected. Even so¡­ as I watched the darkened figures approach the house¡­ I expected everything. Slowly planned for every eventuality. No longer repressing half of myself, I now found that everything felt clearer and more concise. Ready to be erased.

    The group of five split. Two crept towards the front door. Avoiding the light of the lantern, I could still pick out a larger figure with an odd gait. Probably the frogman. The other three circled around to the back of the house, two out of sight while the last came past this side of the building.

    It felt nice to have my mana back and useable - how odd that it had been something I had an attachment to. I didn¡¯t feel bad for using the special potion Ruby had given me already. No doubt otherwise, it would have sat and collected dust in an Inventory already getting dangerously close to a cluttered limit.

    It was almost time. Tanya had left us with an idol¡ªsomething similar to how Ren¡¯s Healing Charm worked¡ªthat would provide healing and mana regeneration when activated. A second one lay beneath a rock in the middle of the square between houses that would do the opposite to those we intended to fight against.

    The thought of them being switched was amusing, but at this point, it felt like I was begging for betrayal. Certainly, with both our newest members in the same house together, they could-

    My train of thought fell off the cliff as I received a jab from the bow.

    Show was about to begin - it was time.

    To begin - fireworks against the darkness. As a slimmer figure reached the front door, I fired the demonic cannon. Not only did the blast come as a surprise to them, dust washing through the windows as the door burst into splinters, but my Spear of Luck found a new home in the chest of the lucky audience member.

    ¡°Welcome,¡± Ren yelled, as she stood to her feet. ¡°To the greatest show of your short lives.¡±

    Before they could get their bearings and turn to her, the bright stage lights illuminated center stage in the middle of the square¡ªQuinn¡¯s light pulsing high in the air to reveal me standing there.

    I gave them a bow as Ren¡¯s entangling arrow struck the one sporting my spear. The frogman leaped into the air to avoid it, so we¡¯d have to play this a little different. Beams of red energy shot out and exploded my dove into a cloud of feathers as I switched back to be beside the elf.

    If our intro had been more effective, I¡¯d have stayed to do a little more improvisational magic - but I didn¡¯t fancy my chances against a knight. Other than the twice impaled figure, only the Shadow on our side of the building was restrained by the vines. The two on the side hidden to us were free.

    With a grin and the click of my fingers, the cannon fired again, a wave of confetti and wood chippings flooding out into the illuminated square. They had Dazzle icons. They had the Crimson Hand icons. They had less than a minute to live.

    The blast signaled the arrival of Wolf, our most extraordinary showman. Showbear. A red circle of light flashed up around the frogman and bleeding-out member as Tanya utilized her debuff idol. While the knight glared for my position, partially blinded by dust, confetti, and feathers, the bear burst through the doorway of his house to bound straight into the melee.

    Hidden audience members became less so as they got back onto the main stage to assist their fellows. Perhaps we set the trap too early - but this was work in progress. Learning by doing.

    Purple card blazing with energy went straight for the entangled person. A shield came up in front of them - a small wall of rippling energy that caused my attack to dissipate. The vines burned away from their feet, freeing them. Their eyes glared out towards me, a hand grabbing for something as the other maintained the protective spell.

    I gave them an exaggerated shrug, just as a fireball from the roof pelted down and exploded on them. With the tip of my hat, I gave thanks to my Imp+ up there. In truth, we had agreed that I would not be the star of this show.

    Heartbreaking in a way, but we were trying a new tactic with moving pieces. With the four of us obscured and with the advantage of range, we had decided that Wolf would take center stage on this occasion.

    Quinn and Tanya sent down buffs and assistance from the top floor of the right hand building, while Ren and I provided ranged support in the manner of pointed violence from our small mound just out in the wings.

    And what a showman the bear had become. Back in his bowler hat and waistcoat for the occasion, he practically radiated with the number of skills that had been cast on him. A spectacle in of itself. Health regeneration, defense increase, attack increase, critical hit chance increase, debilitation resistance, stun resistance, elemental resistance. So many that I couldn¡¯t see the rest of the icons over his head - especially as he met the frog-knight and began battling.

    His first swipe was blocked by the held sword, and the frogman slid back across the cobbled ground, the bear immediately back on him with a roar. Hopefully, he remembered that he wasn¡¯t supposed to eat that one. Well, I wouldn¡¯t blame him if he did - it was easy to get caught up in the act when the adrenaline was going.

    My opponent had dropped the shield in an attempt to put out the flames that now licked at his armor. Unfortunately, burning might be preferable to the two cards now zipping toward him. He swung out at one, knocking it to the floor as his short staff flashed blue. The second one struck the weapon, cracking it in half before burying into his shoulder. Shame the first card was actually a Hellhound+ to replace the roof-bound Imp+ and the magic portal opened from the deflection to the ground.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Ren had whispered a word in elven and fired an arrow of water at the pair in the back, before then firing one of ice. I¡¯d have to get her to teach me elven sometime¡­ oh, that probably wouldn¡¯t work since the System translated almost everything. An arrow of white-blue beamed through the air, leaving a trail of icy specks in its wake. Where it struck, the water provided from the first strike also froze solid, pinning the two in place. A good audience stays still and watches quietly - this couldn¡¯t be denied.

    The figure impaled by my cannoned-spear must be their healer, but was currently focused on keeping themselves from shuffling off this world into the unknown. This put the others at a disadvantage and-

    One of our opponents at the back brought up an actual shield to block Ren¡¯s next follow-up, while their companion charged up an attack. I readied <Card Fan+> to send out in front of either us or Wolf - but no, I was mistaken.

    A foot wide beam of crimson energy burst out from the pair at nearly a right angle to us, way above the bear¡­ and straight into the windows where the other two were.

    An explosion rocked the building, as wooden planks and dust bloomed out of the openings.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I seethed. The idol she had given us clicked and crumbled away, inert. She wasn¡¯t dead - we hadn¡¯t received any Party-based notification. Injured enough to need the regeneration skill for herself, however.

    Wolf was winning his fight against the knight, but the frogman was remarkably resilient and had been buying time so that he could get assistance. This angered me. I fucking hated it when people were on stage and shouldn¡¯t be.

    I gave Ren a quick glance. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to go steal some of the limelight.¡±

    ¡°Break a leg or two, Max.¡±

    Now I was buzzing. Elated for a handful of reasons that bounced around in my head, unable to be tied down and crushed into descriptive words.

    I shifted places with my Hellhound+. The man stumbled at the sudden change in force as he no longer had the canine pulling on him. It was enough for my card to find his heart. I stepped past him to circle around to the main stage, purple ears bursting from his skull before he even had a chance to hit the dirt.

    A blast of confetti signaled my arrival. Illuminated by the flickering light of Quinn¡¯s glowing orb, I basked in the warmth, ready for the adoring cheers of the crowd. They had missed me - I could tell.

    From behind me, against the house that held my fading cannon, I heard the projected voice of our fixer.

    ¡°Injured, but alive. We¡¯ll help as soon as able.¡±

    Couldn¡¯t deny them a little break now and again. Union would have my head - and they¡¯d done a bang-up job in getting Wolf up to spec for tonight¡¯s show. Even got the music right. I started humming along as I stepped up to my spear, which the audience member still held.

    ¡°Tricks over,¡± I said, slurring the words slightly. ¡°Return the prop, otherwise you¡¯ll be ejected by security.¡±

    Roger loomed up beside me, now holding the giant mace once more.

    The pale face of the healer didn¡¯t really know how to respond to my request. Could be confusion at my tone or the fact we had switched the ambush up on them. In truth, my diagnosis was something much more dire and unforgivable.

    Stagefright.

    Their hand raised up to cast an ability toward me. Roger¡¯s weapon came down and crushed their skull before they could finish the process. This was why you paid the muscle well. Couldn¡¯t have my fans manhandling me - certainly not in the middle of a performance. Unforgiveable. ¡°Lifetime ban,¡± I murmured to my pact demon, before turning my eyes to the reprehensible pair who had destroyed some of the stage pieces.

    Their eyes turned to me. Saw the demon inhabiting their Party member. Glanced down at their healer - a mulched sack of bloodied meat. I drew the Blade of Shadow and they recognized that as well. They¡¯d been following my career with interest, and wanted to ask for my autograph via a pound of flesh from my dazzling form.

    An arrow whistled past my ear by a couple of inches, and they blocked it with their silly shield. I enjoyed it, however, as if my prot¨¦g¨¦ was whispering sweet stage directions in my ear. My presence was undeniable - they couldn¡¯t keep their eyes off me even with the threat of arrows from the back.

    One intended to use the shield to protect them both, while the second started charging up a red beam aimed for yours truly. Details were blurry now, as if I had stepped into a cartoon. A parody of my showmanship, the here-and-now becoming sketches in my planning notepad. I could no longer determine classes, gender, or ancestry of those before me. They were mannequins of gray, with rough, darker outlines.

    The course was plotted, we just had to go through the motions. Just as planned.

    A large canvas covered view of me, a curtain that I flung at to the side, left to right. As soon as it ran out and I would become revealed, I did the same to a second one, pocketing the first and repeating the process to form a wall of billowing fabric.

    They thought themselves not so easily fooled and fired their shot.

    The beam of red pierced through the fabric, causing it to falter and drop to the ground, half in cinders. It had found a target, that was for certain, and the explosion in the backdrop was visible through the hole punctured through my torso. Oh, sorry - that¡¯s me being an unreliable narrator again - as what they had expected to be me was just the spent corpse that Roger had left before the strike.

    I had turned invisible and strode up to them. A clap of my hands and I reappeared just two feet from their surprised eyes that I hastily sketched into my mental notepad. Even added some wiggly lines beside their heads to exaggerate the point.

    <Finale+>

    Max! Max! Max!

    Applause and cheers from the audience. So kind! Frogman was preoccupied with the other part of the act, so was unaffected - but the two before me were stunned. Even the icons agreed with me¡­ although one of them was running out quicker than the other. A passive resistance, perhaps.

    I drew an empowered card out, spun it like a saw. Into their neck. Not really a good trick, but their intention was to interrupt the flow of the performance, and security was currently on his break. Lines of gray scribbles shot out from the mannequin, zigzagging onto the ground to form a pool as the sketchy figure flopped over.

    The second¡ªand more patient¡ªaudience member had a couple more seconds before they¡¯d be rejoining after the brief intermission. How rude of them not to sit and clap like everyone else. Almost soured the experience. But no. I was happy.

    Into my hand, an apple. I placed it on their head and took two steps back.

    A twang from offstage, and my smile widened.

    Just as the figure came to, and the adoration started to wane, I tilted my head to the side.

    An arrow zipped past my cheek, almost grazing it, and buried itself in their neck. A moment later, a second arrow plunged downward at a steep angle to pierce through both the apple and the oddly round gray head of whatever the opponent truly was.

    I turned and gave a brief bow to the elf, before raising an eyebrow to the knight.

    Disarmed - literally. Sword strewn across the floor, one of his appendages in the bear¡¯s mouth as Wolf sat atop him, pinning the other arm to the ground.

    Vertigo made the process of walking over to the pair slightly more awkward, when I was hoping for something more elegant. Late night showings always took it out of me more.

    I stopped and leaned over to look him in the face.

    ¡°Care to rate the show on a scale of one to five stars? Be honest...¡± My grin widened as purple electricity arced around my body. ¡°We take criticism really well."

 109 - No Autographs

    I sat on my chair in the middle of the illuminated square, with a headache. Not uncommon at the end of a tense performance¡ªespecially one so late at night. It was more than that, though. I felt like I was coming down off of some drug, experiencing withdrawal stronger than just the adrenaline and dopamine leaving my system.

    Overall, it made me a little grouchy.

    To my side, Ren walked over. ¡°Everything okay, trickster?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t have the heart to snap at her. ¡°Feeling pretty rough.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ were something else tonight.¡±

    My other eyebrow raised to join the first as I tried to take in her expression. Intrigue and awe? Perhaps that was my hopeful mind filling in what I wanted to believe. No, we could read each other like books. She currently wanted to tear the pages out and chew on all the sordid words that comprised my being.

    I wasn¡¯t even sure I understood the metaphor that I was trying to paint.

    She averted her gaze toward the semi-destroyed building to see the pair of Quinn and Tanya exit. The woman was limping, propped up by the fixer. Both were covered in small cuts that had recently healed, their clothes shredded in places and charred. Ren furrowed her brow and sent out a heal towards our new manager. Manager? I¡¯d probably lost the plot somewhere along the way.

    Tanya righted herself, testing her footing while giving Quinn a nod¡ªshe was now able to walk relatively normally.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she told the elf. ¡°That¡¯s certainly a nicer heal than my slow one.¡±

    ¡°More the fool us for thinking we were safe,¡± Quinn grumbled, rolling out his shoulders as he received a heal himself.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± Tanya shook her head. ¡°It was coming directly for me. Without your intervention, I¡¯d be dead.¡±

    He gave her a low bow, grunting from the effort and murmuring about duty or something, blah blah. My focus had already shifted back to our captive. Wolf still sat atop him. He wasn¡¯t keen to speak with me, partly due to the bear staring at him and slowly chewing the arm that had been ripped off.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to do good cop, bad cop - or even speak with him. Any questions answered would be suspect, anyway. Eventually I came to the conclusion that I wasn¡¯t sure of much at present time, and the sooner I could get to a place I could sleep, the better.

    Ren¡¯s hand pressed down on my shoulder. ¡°Feeling okay, Max? Your hands didn¡¯t bleed.¡±

    She was right, and I lifted them up for inspection, mostly for the show of it. Whether it was because I was no longer holding back on the fully realized me or not, didn¡¯t really matter. With the buffs we had, there was no need for me to dip into Bloodletting.

    I shrugged and stood up as her hand slunk away. It wasn¡¯t usually like me to shirk a connection with her, but I felt like I was at the end of a very thin rope. I took a step toward the frogman and stopped, looking back at her. ¡°You were fantastic too. We¡¯ll talk more when we are safe.¡±

    The elf nodded, content enough that things were okay, before she went over to see if the other pair needed tending to. Moving myself adjacent to the bear, he tilted his head to the side and regarded me. His waistcoat had been shredded and his bowler hat had managed to stick atop his head despite being indented.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t taste that good,¡± the bear complained.

    I nodded and crouched down beside our captive. He didn¡¯t look too happy, but then again, we had torn one of his arms off. It was a wonder he hadn¡¯t died of blood loss, maybe. A wide, frog-like face, with bulbous yellow eyes. His skin was a pale green, but perhaps part of the paleness was due to the arm thing. Crimson hand-print on his head, which tallied up the with icon showing that he had taken the blood. A few others showing the current near-death state he was in.

    ¡°Constantly besieged by those that seek ruin upon this world,¡± I said as I tilted my head. ¡°Yet the worst part is¡­ you¡¯re all so weak. Children thinking they can rule the roost, with no consideration for any consequences, or what it truly takes to survive.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, foolish man. I¡¯ll not talk to you or the traitor.¡±

    I cast a quick glance back at Tanya, before shrugging at him. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t care if you talk or not. Keeping you alive was a moment of weakness, and a mistake.¡± A wry smile cracked at the side of my mouth. ¡°But since you¡¯re here, I had something you might help with.¡±

    Into my hand I drew Roger¡¯s card.

    ¡°Normally this only works on corpses,¡± I began. ¡°But I¡¯m a huge fan of breaking the System, and you¡¯re a big lad. Perhaps there¡¯s room in there for both of you?¡±

    Confusion had him silent, his tongue unsure how to address what I was actually saying.

    Pressing the card against his metal armor gave him more of a clue, and he tried to writhe away¡ªineffective with the bear still upon him. There was an amount of force preventing my card from hitting its target, however. Like repelling magnets, the power was trying to push it away to deflect in a different direction. I clenched my jaw and sunk more mana into it. Gradually, it started to pierce through his plate¡­ millimeters at a time.

    I could override the System, bend reality to my will.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    My brow furrowed and I let the card vanish away. I stood back up to my feet and glared off into the dark of the night. ¡°All yours, Wolf.¡±

    He wasted no time, going for the head first to silence the Shadow. The crunching noise almost prevented me from hearing the elf approach me from behind.

    ¡°Not to repeat myself again, but is everything okay?¡±

    I turned to her, concern on both our faces, but for different reasons. ¡°It was like I was suddenly presented with two different futures. Like posters advertising the show.¡± My eyes went back out to the pitch gloom. ¡°In one, I was the all powerful. Someone without equal, who would do whatever it took to stay at the top of the hill, wearing the bloodied crown of a tyrant.¡±

    A few moments of silence passed before she responded. ¡°And the other?¡±

    ¡°Some amount of happiness.¡± I turned back to her with tired eyes. ¡°A Max accepting of the lot given to him here and making the best of it, enjoying living and loving.¡±

    ¡°Second one sounds much nicer.¡± Her hand came out and wrapped around mine. Hard to disagree with that statement when she made such a compelling argument.

    Which was more likely? I was capable of both, but¡­ there was a line. Designing the show to what I wanted it to be¡ªor shaping it in a manner to what the audience was eager for. If anything, the showman flavor thickening the evening air had left a bad taste in my mouth, as well as hungry for some normality.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± I eventually said. ¡°You and the others ready to move out?¡±

    ¡°Loot first, trickster.¡±

    My right eye twitched. Of course.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little slower than normal, but I¡¯m good to walk,¡± Tanya confirmed.

    Quinn nodded. ¡°Eager to get out of the darkness.¡±

    Weren¡¯t we all? Seemed to follow us around like an ugly duckling, however. I had arrived in this world, blood on my face and half dead, and fate had imprinted itself, repeating the same plot point over and over. That said, I hadn¡¯t almost died again since leaving the first area. Debilitated and restrained¡­ slightly crazy¡ªsure¡ªbut not at risk of death. I should count my blessings. Quick glance towards the elf, and then I went off to loot the dregs of society.

    [5638 Gold]

    [Health Potion (6)]

    [Power Token (2)]

    [Bracers of the Trickster] [+3 Int, +2 Dex]

    [Intelligence Ring] [+3 Int, +10% Mana]

    [Fire Circle Wand]

    [Savage Strike Wand]

    A reasonable haul. I kept the unspent Power Tokens secret for now. Not to be deceitful, but we''d sit and deliberate somewhere safer - same with the wands. Ring and Bracers went straight on, however. Now that we knew Fifteen was the highest level we could achieve, it put a cap on the gear we¡¯d be able to find. Nice of the Crimson Shadow to keep delivering us care packages of their acquired¡ªor possibly also stolen¡ªequipment.

    ¡°I see how you have achieved everything, now,¡± Tanya said, drawing my attention from the last of the bodies. ¡°You¡¯re remarkably proficient, despite appearances.¡±

    With a grunt, I stood to my feet and stretched out. She looked just as exhausted as the rest of us, but there was the light of excitement in her eyes. ¡°I hope you were taking notes,¡± I replied. ¡°There are improvements we need to make.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± She huffed. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve seen you all in battle properly, I¡¯m brimming with ideas. A conversation over breakfast tomorrow, however.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll schedule in a team meeting once we¡¯ve had some rest then.¡± There it was. I could almost audibly hear the click as she filtered into the position we needed for the group. Ren and I were no slouches when it came to winning a battle and having some manner of plan¡­ but Tanya¡¯s experience was more grounded in something other than our risk-laden mania.

    I looked over at the elf currently helping the bear get his outfit back in good order, while Quinn was lost in his STAR planning our route. ¡°You never mentioned your actual Class name.¡±

    ¡°Fateweaver,¡± she replied, following my gaze to the other members of the Party. ¡°You were expecting ¡®Battle Manager¡¯ or something, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± I smiled. Casting buffs and debuffs was a way to change or weave fate, certainly. I¡¯d allow that explanation. Made a lot more sense than Quinn actually being an Arcane Fixer. Then again, System might be translating that oddly.

    Ren walked over to us, the bear in tow. ¡°Best make a move. As much as I don¡¯t want to be traveling in the dark, I¡¯d hate to be interrupted by another ambush during our sleep.¡±

    I nodded and gestured Quinn over. He dimmed his light and led from the front beside Tanya. Ren and I took up the middle, while Wolf watched our backs. It was mostly a path we had to follow, thankfully. No stumbling through the foliage to twist my ankle or crack my skull on something. We¡¯d avoid all the Monster groups as well.

    The elf sighed as she turned her blue eyes toward me. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to say this earlier,¡± she said in a low tone, ¡°but, during the battle¡­ I could hear music.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡± I smiled. ¡°What did it go like?¡±

    Softly she hummed the beats of the tune, to the best of her recollection. Interestingly enough, it was the same as the one I had heard. My nod caused her to wrinkle her face up.

    ¡°Now we have a shared delusion,¡± she eventually whispered, looking out into the impenetrable darkness of night.

    The moon was obscured, so we weren¡¯t even graced by a dim gray highlight on the trees and scenery surrounding us. Quinn and Tanya murmured the occasional thing to each other, but I couldn¡¯t overhear. He seemed to cool on her after knowing she was taken. While he appeared to fall for anyone remotely affable, he could at least accept no for an answer. I was glad to see them getting along.

    Ren held my hand, this time our fingers interlocking. In some ways it felt almost juvenile, considering the death we had just wrought with little remorse. Our relationship was still in the fledgling stages, however, and part of me craved this basic action. It would be safer to have our hands free and weapons out ready in case something untoward did happen upon us¡­

    But the fear wasn¡¯t allowed to control our lives - we had decided that before. No sense living in the shadows, when our flame could burn so brightly. It meant that others would want to extinguish us, but looking at the pair ahead¡­ it also attracted moths. The show was on the road, moving from performance to performance.

    I loved it. What more could a magician ask for?

    Well, a demon to kill, for one. I had the feeling that Rolo¡¯s twin, grouped up with the necromancer, was going to be a bit of a linchpin to our efforts in this second area. Not the closest group to the Lady, but trusted for keeping the starting third of the area under their thumb. Perhaps they were patting themselves on the back now that the camp was all but gone.

    My eyes went up as my Chat received a message.

    [Ruby: Hi Max, I know this is late.]

    [Ruby: Just wanted you to know things are going swell.]

    [Ruby: Found a new Player that fits our group.]

    [Ruby: We¡¯ll help them level, and then we¡¯ll come back.]

    [Max: Glad to hear it.]

    [Ruby: Fiona didn¡¯t want to tell you yet, but you know how she is.]

    [Max: I do. Thanks for keeping me updated.]

    [Ruby: Stay safe. And get some sleep - doctor¡¯s orders! {O>¨®}]

    It was nice to have a reminder every so often that what we were doing had a positive effect on the world. Killing with little remorse had me looking at the crimson crown like it was almost an inevitability¡­ but I couldn¡¯t go back and betray all those I had helped.

    After all, it would be nice to have some fans once the dust settled. We could put on an actual show, rather than the violent combat version. In fact, the thought filled me with a hope and apprehension that tore down the grip of exhaustion like faded wallpaper.

    ¡°I hope the dungeon has a ¡®little bears¡¯ room,¡± Wolf grumbled from behind.

    My smile only wavering slightly, we continued to stride through the darkness. Victors, and alive for at least one more day.

 110 - Waiting Room

    I stood in infinite darkness. Cold and solitary. The deepest crimson shimmered across the horizon, barely visible against the void. Vertical waves that drew me in closer. From within them, something started to form.

    A loose figure of red mist, becoming more detailed and defined by the second. Tall - impossibly so. Masculine and muscled, they dwarfed me by such a large magnitude despite being so far away. Twisted horns grew from their head as orbs of bright white burst from their bearded face.

    I became lost within their gaze. As if tethered, I started to walk closer to them. An awkward gait and an insurmountable distance - yet I was making progress. Suddenly, a burst of warmth illuminated my back, and I broke my wide-eye attention to look behind.

    A swirling vortex of radiant energy. The figure wanted me to come closer. Stand by his side - I was sure of it. But now, I could not. Every fiber of my being relaxed, and I allowed myself to fall into the golden light. Elation filled my core as the comfort enveloped me.

    ¡°Max?¡±

    My eyes flickered open, and I was briefly disorientated. Stone walls, and I was on the floor. I turned my eyes to see the elf crouched down beside me.

    ¡°You were writhing about a lot. Bad dream?¡±

    I deflated in my bedroll and tried to put the shattered parts of my brain back together. A few more hours of sleep would have been preferable¡­ but now we were in the Dungeon. Not the most comfortable place to rest. We had laid in a rough star shape, five points against the walls, aside from Wolf, who blocked the door to further in. Would have been nice to share some warmth with the elf, but¡­

    ¡°Nothing to worry about,¡± I finally said, smiling as I placed my top hat over my face.

    ¡°Bullshitter,¡± she replied, before sighing. ¡°Sorry to wake you, but the others are getting up and we have another long day of hardship to get through.¡±

    I did nothing but groan in response. Even I had a little downtime before shows.

    Hair tickled at my ear as I felt her lean in closer. ¡°Come on, trickster. Survive the day and we¡¯ll find an inn¡­ and I¡¯ll do that thing you like.¡±

    Who needed time off, anyway? A true showman was always on the clock, and more hardship just meant more opportunities to work on my tricks and come up with new ideas. As soon as she moved away, I practically sprung up to my feet, almost knocking myself out on a stone shelf my head briefly grazed.

    Ren picked my hat back up and handed it over, a tired look in her eyes. It was her own fault for promising we¡¯d go over more real magic tricks together. At least, that¡¯s what I assumed she meant.

    ¡°Morning, Max,¡± Tanya said from the other side of the room. She gave me a brief nod before sorting through some items.

    ¡°Morning,¡± I smiled toward the gathering. It was nice that she nor Quinn had murdered us in our sleep. ¡°Ready for another day fighting against the odds?¡±

    Tanya grunted. ¡°Make me a stiff coffee and I¡¯ll follow you into the depths of hell.¡±

    I pulled a face. ¡°It¡¯s not a pleasant place.¡± I raised an eyebrow toward the elf. As the bearer of the all-important coffee, I sought her approval for it to be distributed.

    She nodded. ¡°I think we could all use some. Some breakfast too?¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± I gave her a low bow. ¡°Anything you feel like doing, I¡¯ll eat.¡±

    Her eyes lingered on me for a few moments, before she turned to bring out her grill. I was starting to consider that I might be slightly off today. Either the extended murder-day yesterday had my sensibilities left as scraps, or the uncomfortable dream was still lingering on my conscious thoughts like a wet blanket.

    Chair out, and I sat, so that my brain didn¡¯t have to worry about keeping me upright.

    Quinn came up to sit nearby, his singular eye looking rather tired as well. Wolf appeared to be asleep by the door, but I could see his nose twitching as soon as the grill sparked up.

    ¡°Feeling sharp enough to cut through the dungeon?¡± I asked the fixer.

    His head tilted from side to side, his usual pomp and spark for life completely muted. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I will be slower than intended, due to a couple of factors.¡± He turned to raise an eyebrow at me - his missing eye clearly being one of said reasons. ¡°But I trust you will do the heavy lifting when it comes to combat.¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡± I narrowed my eyes at the chamber we were in.

    Having arrived under the cover of night, I hadn¡¯t bothered to take much of it in - much preferring to hit my bedroll and never return to the waking day. A rough hexagon shape, sun-bleached gray stone brickwork despite it being fully covered from the daylight. Loose sand filled the edges and some of the splits between the stone. Relatively near the coast, it would probably be easy enough to guess at the theme.

    ¡°For Dungeon completion,¡± he continued, ¡°you just need to kill one of the main three bosses. But there¡¯s a secret reward for defeating all three - and that will be enough to level you up.¡±

    After giving me a literal cannon, I wondered how far the System would go to ensure I remained completely overpowered. Maybe it was running out of ideas for what a Demonic Magician should have¡­ yet I was also apprehensive about it leaning into more of the evil side of things, rather than the showman part. Evil being a bit of a tasteless word to use when I murdered nearly twenty people yesterday.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Any messages from the Crimson?¡± I asked Tanya, as she finished sorting something and came to sit with us. As we didn¡¯t to wear backpacks traditionally, with the intangible Inventory we all had, it intrigued me that she had one.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not long before they start to suspect something is up, however.¡±

    Ren turned her head as she poured the first coffee. ¡°Say, you don¡¯t have the contact details of the Lady, right?¡±

    ¡°Afraid not.¡± Tanya gave us a glum smile. ¡°Not something she gives out easily. Aside from those you¡¯ve already killed¡­ I can contact two of the roaming groups, and one of her personal guards.¡±

    Part of me wanted to send out an open invitation. Come find us, be audience to the greatest and most fatal show the System had to offer. I knew these things shouldn¡¯t be rushed, though. Unless they were heading toward some deadline, we¡¯d take the time to grow more powerful and disassemble their different parts until none remained.

    Clinical, which drew my gaze toward our newest member.

    She lifted her mug up to blow away the steam, enamored by the hot liquid, and seemingly relaxed and content enough to be around us.

    ¡°Did you have a party before joining the Crimson?¡± I asked her.

    Her eyes went up to me, before back to her drink. ¡°I did, yeah. We all declined the Red.¡±

    There was a weight to the simple sentence that gave away what happened to them after the fact. Dead. I had enough sense to not prod further. If the rest of her Party had been killed in front of her, then I couldn¡¯t really blame her for joining the Crimson Shadow. It made some sense why her loyalty was easily replaced once she had found something strong and stable enough to take her away from those she probably reviled.

    ¡°In saying that,¡± she continued after the heavy silence, ¡°a good tank is worth their weight in gold, and Wolf is the best I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    The bear perked up from his food at hearing the compliment.

    ¡°Truly, he has been the glue that held us together,¡± Ren agreed.

    I smiled. Couldn¡¯t really argue against that. While a human warrior or paladin geared for front row fighting would have to overcome the fear of being so close to death, Wolf had a more dissociated view. Added with his natural hardiness and whatever the System had filled him with, he was nigh unstoppable in a fair fight.

    ¡°Biggest weakness is spellcasting,¡± I said. ¡°Sleep and the like.¡± Not that I wanted to throw a wet blanket over the praise, but there was a reason she switched to this conversation other than talking more about her prior Party.

    ¡°I thought as much,¡± she smiled at the bear before looking back at me. ¡°I am able to make a singular idol for each of us, and one with magical resistance and some status immunity would be perfect for Wolf.¡±

    I tilted my head to the side. ¡°Interesting how the System interpreted your Class.¡±

    ¡°Half of it is these protective idols. The other half is¡­ less savory. I hate to use it against other Players.¡± She worked her jaw and thumbed at one of her inert idols.

    Good to know she held some trauma locked away there, and I imagined it was something disease or biological warfare adjacent given her history. Sure, I killed people daily, but for the most part, we didn¡¯t let them suffer. Other than the fact that they had to endure the gaudy magician theme¡­ if only briefly.

    ¡°For Ren, attack speed and lower threat. Threat seems like something rather abstract to protect against, but I¡¯m not well versed in arguing with the System.¡± Tanya shrugged and handed over the idol to the elf, who stuck it in her belt.

    ¡°Quinn, you¡¯ll have the health and mana regeneration aura idol as you¡¯ll be switching between front and mid line in combat.¡±

    He nodded and gave her a low bow as he received his gray idol. Discussing tactics without me present made me feel a little left out¡­ but then again, the point of having more bodies in the Party was to share some of the load. The less I had to think about, the more I could spend brain power concentrating on my performance. My eyes went over to the elf as she packed away the grill. The performance and Ren, I corrected myself.

    Tanya gave me a brief smile before addressing the group at large. ¡°I¡¯ve done this dungeon myself, so between Quinn and I we should have no problem navigating the traps and rooms before the bosses. Most enemies will be easily distracted by Wolf and put down between the damage of Max and Ren.¡± She stood and put away her chair. ¡°Anything important to note we will bring up prior to moving between rooms.¡±

    I nodded, but inside I was probably pouting. Not exactly a worthy expression for such a prodigious showman as myself, but I wondered why she hadn¡¯t given me an idol. Perhaps I didn¡¯t need one? Sure, I was pushing the limits of what the System should allow and carving up higher leveled players without breaking a sweat¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t want one. I stood and waved away my chair. Decided I shouldn¡¯t be so childish and get on with the Dungeon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get through this, nice and simple.¡± I ignored the narrowed eyes from Ren. ¡°After we get our level, we will stake out the blood couriers, and then see what the rest of the day brings us.¡±

    Nods and acknowledgements, even if Wolf¡¯s input was more of a grunt. I¡¯d bribe him with more food at some point. Maybe see if he wanted anything else in life than being the wall between us and the sharp points of our foes. Couldn¡¯t only be food and sleep.

    Quinn gestured for the bear to follow him. ¡°I¡¯ll take the venerable Wolf with me down the first corridor to prepare for the first fight. And Ren, if you could kindly lend me your eyesight - I wouldn¡¯t want to miss the trap due to my condition.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    It was nice to see them getting along better now. Life was already too stressful without everyone getting on each other''s nerves. My eyes scanned around the room for anything we¡¯d left behind before I clocked that Tanya had been waiting for me.

    She stepped over, her arms crossed. ¡°I just wanted to make sure I wasn¡¯t stepping on any toes.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow to consider this. ¡°You¡¯re very pragmatic and headstrong. While we¡¯ve done well playing things by ear, we could do with more order in our lives.¡±

    ¡°Diplomatic response.¡± She smiled and sighed. ¡°I can be a hardass and a bitch at times. I just want you to know that you¡¯re still in charge here, and you can tell me to shut the fuck up if I¡¯m getting too big for my boots.¡±

    ¡°You have my word.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed like she didn¡¯t quite believe me - maybe able to see the dying part of me who had been a people pleaser. ¡°You¡¯re an odd group, but a tall glass of water. I¡¯m sure you still don¡¯t trust me, especially with how I seem to want to join the winning side more than anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t trust you, if you trusted me that easily.¡± She smiled again. ¡°We¡¯ll need to take risks and use what bullshit we can to beat the Lady. Trust me at least on that. Her bodyguard groups won¡¯t just keel over after some fireworks. But together, we can do it¡­¡±

    She held out her hand, which had an idol in it. This one was different. Instead of the dull gray that resembled clay or stone, this was polished silver. A symbol was engraved into it, circular with rough points bisecting it. The indented area shimmered between red and purple light.

    I took it in my hand as she gestured toward the door. ¡°Let¡¯s catch the others up now.¡±

    My nod came out slower than my footsteps, as I brought up the details of what she had given me.

    [Magic Idol+]

    [+30% Damage, Damage Taken is doubled]

    Risk taker. That''s what she had deemed me as, and she wasn''t wrong.

    I paused as we reached the doorway, and she stopped just in the corridor to see why.

    "Who did it?" I asked, wanting to knew who we''d have to kill to avenge her old Party.

    Her expression cooled as she rejoined the conversation we had avoided earlier. "The Lady herself."

    With a nod and a chill in my core, I stepped in to see what the dungeon had to offer.

 111 - See, Food

    As Wolf launched himself toward the next set of enemies, I stayed as far back as I was able. While I did not need an enabler to put myself in more danger, Tanya had filled that role pretty quickly. Of course, I could choose to not use the idol¡­ but that seemed wasteful.

    Indeed, as Wolf taunted and slowed the gathered crab-men, my cards illuminated the air with their glow. Cut through the ruddy chitinous shells of our foes with little issue. In truth, being a fully fledged Party solidified how powerful we were. For the most part, Quinn didn¡¯t even need to get his hands dirty aside from if a monster tried to flank the bear.

    The added buffs and utility gave us more breathing space to approach combat without it having to be life or death. Tanya would weaken and curse the enemies from afar, or add resistances and healing to Wolf and Quinn, while Ren and I pelted any opponent from afar with our ranged attacks.

    ¡°You know¡­¡± I said to the elf, as Wolf mopped up the last crustacean, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you miss a shot.¡±

    She raised a questioning eyebrow at me. ¡°Why would I take a shot that was going to miss?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t really fault her logic there. Why would I ever do a trick that I couldn¡¯t pull off? Few of our targets moved around a lot or were particularly agile, so with her old world experience plus the bonus skills given by the System, hitting what she intended to was probably very simple.

    With the addition of Roger and the occasional Hellhound+ we were really blazing through the chambers of this place. Despite being underground, it was illuminated by odd plant life that shone just as bright as any lantern. The occasional small waterfall or lake ran through otherwise sandy rock rooms. Humanoid shrimps used giant seashells as shields. It was all very jarring, yet made sense at the same time.

    ¡°You alright, Max?¡± Tanya asked, weaving a spell into the air to poison the group we were fighting against. ¡°Looking like you¡¯re expecting a knife in the back.¡±

    Part of me had considered that giving me this silver idol would be an amusing way to betray and kill me quicker, but that seemed so far behind us now. Our effectiveness in battle was the reward for giving our trust so freely.

    ¡°Last time we ran a dungeon,¡± Ren interjected, ¡°we were ambushed outside and almost died.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Tanya gave a grim nod. ¡°Were any of you treants, as well? That would have made it difficult.¡±

    My brow furrowed. ¡°From the water? No, we didn¡¯t drink any.¡±

    ¡°Smart. Two of my old Party did. It was a trying day or so before it wore off.¡±

    Ren and I exchanged glances, but didn¡¯t want to pursue that conversation any further. If only Hadrian had explained that it was only a temporary curse, then perhaps his fate could have been averted. Well, no. We still would have killed him.

    ¡°First boss is coming up,¡± Quinn said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. ¡°Giant crab. Wolf just has to face him away from us, and it¡¯ll be simple.¡±

    This whole event so far had been simple - and I almost didn¡¯t like it. Not that I eagerly invited hardship, but the System had a way of seeing you were living life too easy. I was already inviting disaster by daring to love the Oathwarden. Ascending unopposed was not allowed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, trickster.¡± Ren prodded me with the end of her bow. ¡°I can hear your thoughts from here. Perhaps enjoy a day off for a change? Trouble will find us when it¡¯s ready.¡±

    My expression softened, and I gave her a smile. Not that I could really call this a day off - we had plenty planned because the reality of the situation was¡­

    We would soon become too much of a thorn to be ignored. The Lady had sent lackeys and left traps for us¡ªand any others who tried to stop her¡ªbut we had overcome each in turn. Now we were turning the tables. Being proactive and aggressive instead of reactive and defensive.

    Soon enough the Lady would have to deal with us directly - either in person or by sending one of her more capable Parties our way. That¡¯s what I had been waiting for. Fighting Monsters was dull and with a full group, it was also too simple. I craved the stakes of fighting against Players, impressing them with my magic and showmanship.

    Between Tanya and Quinn, any trap or puzzle was a non-issue. Splitting the loot was a pain, and I had been spoiled by knocking over the Crimson Shadow pinatas that had better things than what had dropped so far. Sorting out gold didn¡¯t interest me, so we agreed that Tanya could collect both that and any Tokens to distribute at the end of the dungeon.

    My share had fallen from 33% to 20%, but it didn¡¯t seem to matter. The greater distance from my own grave was worth the 13%. Money hadn¡¯t even meant that much in my old life, here it felt inconsequential. Power and adoration remained the key driving forces in my current existence. My eyes went over to the elf. Especially adoration.

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    Also revenge or something, to kill the Lady.

    ¡°Next room,¡± Quinn confirmed, standing next to a roughly cut circular opening in the wall. ¡°Wolf, go in first, face him toward the back wall. If he turns blue, then use your defensive abilities.¡±

    ¡°Second phase has adds that come in from the sides,¡± Tanya added. ¡°I¡¯ll take the right side, Max take the left side. Ren focus Boss.¡±

    Wolf licked his lips. ¡°Never eaten crab before.¡±

    Although I wanted to point out that some of the enemies had been humanoid crabs, perhaps there was more nuance to it. Something probably left to those of us that actually ate people, and monsters, and not enough fruit and veg.

    ¡°What happens when it turns blue¡± Ren asked, as she thumbed at the grip of her bow.

    Tanya adjusted her breastplate. ¡°It¡¯s like a spray of water attack. Nothing Wolf can¡¯t weather with his current abilities and my help. The danger is usually more in the force than the damage. Knocks people prone and interrupts, but that shouldn¡¯t be an issue with Wolf.¡±

    Our furred friend was definitely hard to shift. Other than leaving him rather wet, the attack didn¡¯t sound like too much of a problem.

    With little else to discuss, we stepped into the next chamber and down a dozen or so rough stone steps. A wide area opened up at the bottom, where the floor was a lot thicker with sand than the rest of the dungeon so far. Water ran around the edges, to circle round in a curved arc at the end of the area and return on the other side. Across the sand, near the end of the room was the boss in question.

    Even though we had seen plenty of strange things in our short time here, there was some kind of odd dissociation about seeing the giant crab in person. A very cliche light red to orange hue, with small beady eyes of pitch black. Two large pincer claws that could easily bisect me, even without the idol. I had never felt like a squishy spellcaster¡­ up until now.

    I flipped a card up into the air as circled it around my hand. ¡°Ready check? Can we get a ranged volley off before Wolf goes in?¡±

    Quinn and Tanya exchanged a glance before nodding.

    ¡°My taunt cannot be ignored,¡± Wolf added, licking his lips again as he salivated at the sight before him.

    A smile crossed my face. Then I could be allowed to be as insufferable as possible.

    While they readied bolts or arrows, I hopped up into the air - landing atop the demonic cannon I had just summoned. I loaded it with my Spear of Luck and dropped an Imp+ to the ground. Into my hand a purple card that switched to bright crimson - a critical. All of my remaining power went into it, and then I dipped into my own health with <Bloodletting+>. Amusingly, the idol caused my health to drop twice as much, which only powered up my card more.

    I could feel my eyes start to glow even despite-

    ¡°What the fuck, Max?¡±

    My right eye twitched, and I looked down at Ren. She was scowling at me, some actual annoyance in her face this time. I didn¡¯t feel that it was fair that she could blame me for going all out - it was most pragmatic if we had the opportunity to-

    ¡°That¡¯s an uncomfortable amount of blood loss, considering we haven¡¯t begun.¡± Quinn pulled a face that was more concern than ire.

    I looked down at my hands. Oh, they were bleeding quite a bit - that had become such a rarity that it was unexpected. Didn¡¯t even feel it, but now with the heat of impending battle cooling off, I could hear the drips hitting the odd metal of my summoned weapon.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± I gave them all a sheepish grin. ¡°Got a little carried away. Can¡¯t talk for too long, otherwise this card might blow my hand off.¡± Didn¡¯t think I could recover from that, unfortunately.

    ¡°On three then,¡± Tana said, raising up her hand to cast a spell. Green light illuminated her fingertips as she began the countdown.

    I heard it as nothing but echoes. The pulsing adrenaline making this feel like a stage-show once more. Ready for the curtain to raise. She said three.

    The sound of my cannon reverberated throughout the wide chamber as it launched my spear. Closely followed by a bolt, a smite shot, a fireball, my critical card, and then whatever the weaver had cast.

    Wolf burst with energy and leaped forward, before taking a couple of steps and stopping.

    Ahead of him, the crab slowly tilted down and landed face-first into the sand. The long chitinous legs kicked out briefly before curling up underneath the main body like a dead spider. Most likely because the Boss was dead.

    ¡°Fuck, trickster. I¡¯m not sure why that annoys me.¡± She gave me a glare that had a little uncertainty behind it. ¡°Saved us a lot of effort, so it¡¯s not bad.¡±

    I shrugged at her, a blank expression on my face. ¡°You shot it too.¡±

    As she opened her mouth to reply, I fired a blast of confetti from the cannon, causing them all to wince.

    ¡°Dickbag.¡± She clenched her teeth and walked off to join Wolf in approaching the crab.

    She had a point there. I dropped down to the ground as I dismissed the cannon, and gave a glum smile to my Imp+ as I sent him away. At least that was one of our three targets down. I turned around to see Tanya still back with me, while Quinn had gone to help loot and gawk at the large monster.

    ¡°Would you like my advice?¡± The weaver crossed her arms.

    I gestured for her to continue, my tongue no longer feeling like it should be part of current proceedings until it got itself in proper order.

    ¡°Ren clearly cares a lot about you. When you are reckless and hurt yourself, it hurts her, too.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Emotionally, I mean.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ well, I am pretty dense.¡± With a sigh, I looked over at the elf. ¡°I was making light of her view on my condition.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s hope for you yet, magic man.¡± She smiled and gestured toward the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go make amends. You don¡¯t want the show falling apart, do you?¡±

    I¡¯d give Tanya one thing. She knew how to fit into a group. Whether this was pandering to maintain our trust or an earnest attempt to get along with us, I couldn¡¯t actually tell at this stage.

    As I idly wiped the blood from my hands onto my suit jacket, I frowned.

    Beyond the splash of running water, and the murmurs of the group ahead, there was another sound I couldn¡¯t place.

    A soft whisper. Something like a mournful song that struck me deep in my heart.

    My eyes went to the water¡¯s edge, and my feet started to follow. Against my will.

 112 - Dragged Down

    The murmur of voices came from behind me, but they were muted against the melody that had increased in volume now. Close by¡­ no - it was as if it was in my head. A solo rendition of something somber yet beautiful in such a sad way. It drew me toward the running water.

    I must get closer to the source.

    Perhaps the oddest thing about the way I so eagerly waded down into the stream was that part of me knew exactly what was happening. Not only did this scratch the itch of my folklore background, but there was also a type of demon that shared the same name.

    Siren.

    Yet even with this knowledge, even knowing the others were calling for me - coming to stop me¡­ I could not resist. The cold water rose up to my chest, causing me to gasp in surprise. And then it was over.

    I blinked away some ache from my eyes and took a breath of¡­ air. Darkness surrounded me, but I was not submerged. In fact, with the couple of inches of water rippling away from my boots, this looked just like the weird dreamscape I ¡®met¡¯ the Other Max in. Slightly cooler tones to it, and a chill to the air that felt uncomfortable, but close.

    A beep from my STAR told me that I wasn¡¯t unconscious or half dead - unless I was imagining this too.

    [Tanya: Max? Where are you?]

    [Ren: Better not be invisible]

    [Wolf: pppp]

    Quinn didn¡¯t seem to want to put his thoughts in just yet. As I went to reply, I caught the glimpse of something in the gloom.

    It moved as I turned my eyes to it. Appearing again in my peripheral. Two orbs of bright blue - the eyes of my captor.

    [Max: Continue without me. I¡¯ll catch you up.]

    [Ren: But where are you?]

    [Max: I¡¯ll let you know asap.]

    [Wolf: oopp]

    Better that I face whatever was currently stalking me in this odd plane rather than go back and forth with them. They¡¯d be able to continue the dungeon without me, and hopefully I wouldn¡¯t end up dead here.

    ¡°Why have you brought me here?¡± I asked out loud, not even trying to follow the avoidant gaze.

    A whispered voice responded, circling around the area like a whirlpool. ¡°I¡¯m ever so lonely¡­¡±

    It sounded female, but ethereal. Probably the Siren that drew me here, although I didn¡¯t seem to be under the spell any longer. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested.¡±

    ¡°I thought you might like to put on a show for me¡­¡±

    I pursed my lips. They really knew how to dig their nails in. Still, I¡¯d much rather be back with the others rather than doing a solo performance. That kind of thing was reserved for Ren only these days.

    It would help to know who was asking. ¡°Are you a Player, or just a Monster?¡±

    ¡°Just?¡± The word repeated and vibrated around the space. ¡°There are things beyond the killers and the pawns, trick-wizard.¡±

    We had been in the dungeon, so there was no chance a Player had snuck up on us and used a weird skill to drag me away to this¡­ hmm. It was like a demonic Domain, but I couldn''t sense any demons present. However, Monsters didn¡¯t have much capacity for going off script either - much less make demands of me.

    ¡°You were¡­ born in this world, and have more intelligence than most?¡± I turned, trying to locate the speaker, but the blue eyes remained out of view.

    ¡°Clever.¡± The whispered voice felt closer now. ¡°Ten were given such a life by the creator. Two have perished already.¡±

    My fingers twitched, ready to draw out a card. While they hadn¡¯t been aggressive yet, there was something malicious in their ghostly tone. Or¡­ some kind of curiosity and I was their new plaything. ¡°What are you called?¡±

    ¡°She With A Hundred Fingers. But you may call me Mistress.¡±

    Neither option was palatable. I found myself in an unknown space with an entity who I was yet to fully understand, other than I was potentially at their mercy. Well, that¡¯s probably what they hoped. I ran my tongue across my lips - I could feel the performance coming, and the messages in my STAR beeping were doing nothing but put me on edge.

    ¡°I refuse to engage you any further,¡± I said. ¡°Let me go back to the dungeon.¡±

    There was a brief period of silence, as if my words had struck a nerve - or perhaps I had been wrong about their intelligence and they didn¡¯t know how to address the fact I declined whatever they had going on down here.

    ¡°Much too powerful. Full of wretched words and disgusting hubris.¡± There was a sharper tone to the voice now.

    She wasn¡¯t wrong, however.

    ¡°Show yourself, Siren,¡± I said, my stage-voice booming throughout the dim nothingness surround me. ¡°If you truly want a show, you¡¯ll see no better.¡± On account of being dead. Hopefully she could read between the lines.

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    ¡°As¡­ you wish.¡±

    A green dawn rose throughout the horizon, and the domed light illuminated my surroundings. It turned out I was not alone in here.

    Humanoid figures stood silently, like mannequins. An apt description as they were faceless and androgenous - featureless heads of gray skin stared in my direction. They wore soft white togas and held a variety of obsidian-tipped melee weapons. As I slowly turned my head, there were countless of them.

    No, if I were to take a gamble, I¡¯d say there were a hundred of them.

    ¡°What will they call you if I kill all hundred of your fingers?¡± I asked as I flexed my hand out. It would be foolish to think I had a chance. Sitting here with the idol still, just asking to take extra damage from every hit. Truth was¡­ I didn¡¯t have a choice.

    Ignoring the Party Chat for now, I took a brief moment to open up my messages with Ren.

    [Max: I realize this is a worrying message.]

    [Max: But I love you. You are the light of my life.]

    No immediate reply. She could be in the middle of combat herself, or unsure of how to respond to me. It wasn¡¯t a problem, really. I didn¡¯t need a response, I just couldn¡¯t leave her with our last interaction being me annoying her.

    The whispered voice came back¡ªsofter, but it brought a chill that crept along the back of my neck. ¡°If that comes to pass, I will be no more¡­ and you would be more of a monster than me, killer.¡±

    A purple card of demonic energy appeared above my hand, spinning in place. ¡°Then you have set yourself up for disappointment. Admission is steep, but the ticket office is now open.¡±

    Then it began.

    One hundred enemies was quite the tall order to serve. Especially when they were all melee. I cleared my mind of every other thought, leaving only killing and surviving. Already, different tricks and potential uses of all my Inventory clutter cycled through my cool head. The nearest figures leaped toward me, eager to be first in line.

    Card went straight through the head of the first, my old spear appearing in my left hand to block the second assailant¡¯s attack before the card zipped back and through their neck. Hmm, perhaps I should briefly name them by number?

    Three stumbled as my Hellhound+ bit out at their legs. Behind me, I summoned my cannon horizontally to block the advance of those behind me. A little bit of cover that allowed me some stage control.

    Card Fan+ went up on my left to block the jab of a spear, as my right controlled the magic card still in play. Four, Five, and Six all received fatal damage as it zipped through. The cannon went off, pelting Seven to Twelve with a burst sack of potatoes that the System had allowed me to stuff in as ammunition in the side window.

    Roger rose up from one of the corpses, and after some brief confusion, grabbed Jokkar¡¯s mace and entered the fray. There were enough corpses building up that he could switch out whenever in trouble. Which was quite often given the number of foes.

    I dropped my card to bring out a crossbow, firing the bolt instantly. Letting it then fall into the shallow water, I repeated the process with four other crossbows I had ready and loaded. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen was wounded but not dead yet. Metal sparks from my cannon as I turned to the side to avoid an axe - right in the way of the jab of another spear-wielding finger.

    Demonic Transposition+ took me out of the way, and into more danger as I became surrounded by the strange gray bodies of my assailants. Cannon blasted confetti throughout the crowd.

    <Finale+>

    No time to enjoy the adoration, but the warm glow it filled me with was appreciated. Dazzle icons were replaced by Stun ones as the group around me were prevented from beating me to a bloody pulp just in time.

    A card out. Split. Circling me, empowered with as much as I dare. Like a whirlwind, I cut at necks and featureless faces, drawing blood and causing Eighteen, Nineteen, and Twenty to fall to the floor - a handful of others only wounded before the stun wore off.

    Already a fifth of my way through, but I was running out of skills.

    While the injured around me fell back for fresh fingers to work their way in, a swirl of fabric obscured me as I twirled two sheets of canvas up and around me like the bulb of a flower. When they fell down, I was no longer there. Invisibility allowing me to push through back to my demonic cannon. While most turned their attention to the way of my demons, some saw the splashing in the water as I made my short trip back to cover.

    Oh - but I didn¡¯t want cover. I was the star here.

    I reappeared standing atop the siege weapon, a bright grin across my face and two cards in my hand.

    ¡°Hope you¡¯re enjoying the show,¡± I announced as I released them into the air.

    From atop my perch, I could see them all. So many impatient, yet having to wait for the early birds to die off. I¡¯d not had such a large audience since arriving in this world, and it was¡­ joyous. It threatened to burst me like a firework. Seeing all the faceless bodies enraptured by me¡­ watching them fall to the floor bleeding because they weren¡¯t worthy.

    As I sent my cards out, things seemed to slow down. The mania threatening to overpower me took a backseat, as my brain had time to consider things. Why was I here, and why did it have such similarity to when I had met Other Max? I had allowed any explanation to slip away under the threat of the strange voice of the so-called ¡®Mistress¡¯.

    In fact, why did all of my opponents here look like they were fingers in white gloves?

    My heartbeat thrummed in my chest, realizing there was something bigger going on than just a combat challenge. Ears started aching. Attacks started to falter as confusion welled up inside me. Maybe I just drowned, and this was another last fading memory?

    ¡°You seem lost.¡± The voice returned, despite everything now going in slow motion. It was softer now, and closer again.

    ¡°Who are you, really?¡± I asked, my mouth dry.

    ¡°I am the weight of your past, something that still grips at you to this very day.¡± Now the voice had a familiar sound to it. ¡°Your own personal demon.¡±

    Of course.

    It all made sense now. The Monster was using my own mental fortitude against me. Siren song to bring me down and bury me under the guilt of things I thought I had moved past. In a way, they were right. My mother hung heavy on my heart, even if I had accepted the show was my own choice now. I ached at the phrasing the Monster had used. Loneliness and wanting to see me put on a show. If I had clocked it earlier, then my emotions would have made the combat more difficult. Perhaps I was even more dense than I figured.

    But¡­

    There was something about the phrase ¡®personal demon¡¯ that burned at my insides, past my heartache. A volcano erupting within me. Anger that I hadn¡¯t thought possible that quickly cooled into the biggest rush of dopamine and adrenaline I¡¯d ever experienced. I felt fully awake and everything was vibrant and lively. Apprehension and elation made me feel twenty feet tall - as if I suddenly realized something that put me above all others.

    Eyes blazing bright purple and with a wide grin on my face, I held out my shaking hand, playing things by ear.

    <Domain: The Grand Stage>

 113 - Demonic Domain

    I stood upon a stage of varnished wooden planks. Tall curtains of vibrant purple sat on the wings, while a large row of bright lights arched above me on metal scaffolding. A darkened amphitheatre stretched out before me, rows of plush red seats barely lit by the glow radiating across from the true star of the show - me.

    A good sixty to seventy of the seats were filled with an enraptured audience. Faceless and dull¡ªbut then again¡ªfrom this perspective, they usually were. I could see the icons on the closest¡­ Dazzle, but different. Red instead of the usual gray icon.

    While the soft tunes of some harmony filled me with comfort, I started by giving them a bow. It was only natural. From my head, I removed my hat and made the show of proving that it was currently empty. Hand inside and I withdrew a ceramic vase, much larger than could fit inside the headwear. The counter on their icons rose by one and they squirmed in appreciation.

    Then, I flourished my cape to reveal a chair placed upon the stage. I placed the vase down on it with utmost care. From my sleeve, I withdrew a sheet of canvas - although it appeared as a deep purple velvet. The show must go on. With a flourish, I unraveled it and obscured the set pieces from the audience. Gave them a wide grin and raised eyebrow.

    It was hard to tell how much they were enjoying it, given that they had no facial features to gauge. A couple had passed out already, clearly the fanfare and performance a little too much for their sensibilities.

    I flashed the held curtain away to reveal no chair - just the vase hanging in midair. Another distracting flash to obscure and then the vase had gone, but the chair returned. A few more audience members collapsed from their seating.

    And now I had drawn the attention of a late-comer. From the gloom of the back of this faux auditorium, two bright blue orbs revealed themselves. I shot a glance to the side to see Roger standing with his arms crossed. No longer inhabiting a corpse, I saw his true form for the first time.

    For all intents and purposes, he was a large, bipedal white rabbit. Eyes still pits of purple energy, but the rest of him was soft fur - although the scowl across his face dispelled any notion of calling him cute. With a potential heckler making themselves present, I might need security to step in a crack a few skulls.

    But my show-smile didn¡¯t waver, and I returned to my captive audience¡­ as that¡¯s what they were - captive. Unable to do anything more than sit and observe, or pass out, it seemed. Oh, now I understood it. Even as my active mind considered the next part of my act, at the back I started to piece together the underlying workings of whatever fresh hell I had wrought upon my existence.

    Dazzle now did damage every time a new stack was added. Somehow, I had activated my own Domain, and this was the result.

    I turned to face my back toward the audience, my cape briefly obscuring the view of the chair as I picked it up - only to turn around to find that it was gone and instead I held the vase again. Some fucking applause would be nice, but I¡¯d make do.

    As more figures dropped from their seating, the Siren came more into view. She was large, almost as wide as the building we were in¡­ her face twenty feet across if I had the wits to guess. The bright blue eyes sat in sunken pits of pale flesh, and she resembled a waterlogged corpse more than the false beauty I had been expecting. Sharp teeth as long as my arm extended from blackened gums. Giant hands clawed at the wall, dragging herself forward.

    I¡¯d need to wrap this up.

    Vase placed on the ground. I reached in and drew out a long spear. Took a few strides away and stabbed the sharp end into the stage, splintering wood but keeping it steady. Maintenance crew would kill me. I clicked my fingers and a hell-dove flew out of the vase and came to perch at the top of the spear shaft. Confident strides took me around the stage, plucking up the vase along the way.

    Tipped it and a dozen tomatoes fell out. Click of my fingers and the bird flew back inside. With one last smile towards the waning crowd, I tossed the vase high into the air.

    It tumbled back to an empty stage and shattered - to reveal a figure that stretched out. The figure was me, of course. Invisible until the point of impact, where I switched places with the dove as the vase split apart. I stood tall and stretched my arms out wide, welcoming applause.

    A dozen faceless figures fell down dead, barely a handful of skeptics left seated still. The Siren moved closer, a horrifying tongue stretching from her mouth like a thick tentacle, weaving through the rows of seating. Way too long for a tongue. Desire in her eyes to consume me and be rid of this odd place.

    But this was my house.

    Even without the bask of adoration, I felt content in this pose in front of my audience wowed to death. It had never really been about my mother, but I felt this was the show I needed to put on for her. One last send-off. A love that no longer pained me, knowing that I had grown into this. Still, I had one last trick to pull off to truly close that chapter.

    From inside my jacket, I withdrew my magic deck of cards. The etched design shimmered in this lighting, and the white rabbit on it practically pulsed with power.

    Chairs buckled and shifted away from the weight of the large monster and probing tongue. I noted that she had no red Dazzle icons - able to resist the power of my Domain. Very rude.

    ¡°This was one of her favorites,¡± I said with a smile. Quiet enough, but it carried through the building. From the pack, I withdrew the whole deck. Each card just as pristine and vibrant as the day I received them.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    I held the whole deck in my right hand, only now realizing I had been wearing white gloves for this performance. Thumb at the bottom of the deck, index and middle on the top.

    ¡°Fifty-two card pickup isn¡¯t much of a trick¡­¡± Purple lightning arced around my body, the glow of my power flickering across the reflective stage. ¡°But I can think of no more perfect <Grand Finale>¡±

    The words came from my mouth as if I was reciting from a script. All natural despite how abnormal this whole situation was. The cards flexed as I tightened my grip, before bursting and spraying forth.

    However, instead of fluttering to the floor in a mess, they flashed purple and zipped out into the air. Each card repeating the same action. Control was¡­ difficult. They pelted the seating arrangements, taking out the remaining fingers of the Siren, shredding fabric, and splitting wood. I curved them around, circling and spinning them like a tornado of sharp demonic energy.

    The Siren was perhaps even more surprised than I was. Eyes wide at my attack, they flinched away as dozens of cards started to cut and slice into her.

    ¡°Cursed shitling!¡± She growled, attempting to push through the torrent of energy, but only receiving more cuts in the process.

    Left hand gripped at my right wrist as my hand twitched and cramped. Crimson soaked through the white fabric of the glove as I maintained composure. It wasn¡¯t enough. My suit fabric frayed and peeled back from my hand, charring at the edges before the ashes dropped to the floor.

    She was starting to panic now, no escape from my whirlwind of destruction. I felt cool despite the pain radiating through my arm. It was bare now and I could see crimson lines running down it, my own flesh starting to strip away from the bone at the amount of power I could barely wield.

    Still¡­ this is what I was made for. As I watched the monster slowly die, her tongue severing, eye bursting, blood streaming down her pale face, I had become the peak Max. Showman, Demon Hunter, and Demon itself all together as one whole piece. Fully concentrated efforts. All to erase this living demi-god.

    The cards now went beyond piercing flesh as the Siren grew too exhausted to fight back. With one last push of energy, I drew all fifty-two cards back and then pushed forward with all I had. Bone split and cracked. Brain destroyed.

    My vision flickered on and off. Cards vanished away. I collapsed on the stage into a pool of my own blood. Lights went off.

    <hr>

    There were no dreams in this darkness, but after some time, light pricked at my aching eyes. Between the stage and wherever I was now, nothing occurred. It would almost disappoint me if I wasn¡¯t in so much pain. My face was pressed against rough sand. Not even warm and comforting. My body soaked through and cold. As I tried to right myself, I could not¡ªbut I coughed up a lungful of water instead.

    I groaned and tried to blink away the blur in my eyes. Any notion that I had washed ashore somewhere with amnesia and would have to punch trees for survival was soon snapped away as my brain realized I was in the familiar dungeon setting again. Not the crab room - not large enough. Couldn¡¯t really move my hands or head to see much other than the rocky wall ahead of me.

    Soft footsteps pattered down a hallway and a familiar figure in a soft blue suit slid across the light sand and into the doorway.

    ¡°Max!¡±

    A pulse of healing washed through me, and I smiled. She rushed over me, dropping to her knees to lift me to rest against her. She gave my head a quick kiss before cradling me. I had gone through hell to grasp at this brief heaven. A mood quickly muted as her warm tears struck my face.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I said, even my mouth feeling sore.

    ¡°The fuck you are.¡± She squeezed me a little harder, although not all of me could feel the action.

    My brow furrowed, and I looked down at my right arm. White and red ribbons covered it, obscuring it from¡­ oh, no. That was my flesh and blood. Another wave of her healing flooded my being and some of the wounds started to close. The damage I had done to myself was¡­ extensive. I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to move it, even if I could.

    More noises as the rest of them caught up.

    ¡°Sorry if I worried you,¡± I managed, unable to see her face from this angle.

    ¡°You did, you asshole. Why do you keep doing this?¡±

    A wide smile across my face, but my eyes started running with tears of my own. ¡°I will always suffer twice as much if it means you are okay.¡± The world didn''t work that way, but I could pretend that it did. Pluck any malady intended for the elf and take it on myself.

    ¡°Dickbag,¡± she whispered, giving me a squeeze again.

    My eyes went up to the chat messages she had sent when I was busy being fucking ridiculous.

    [Ren: Don¡¯t you fucking do this]

    [Ren: Where are you?]

    [Ren: I love you too]

    [Ren: don¡¯t leave me]

    [Ren: that¡¯s selfish but]

    [Ren: I need you]

    I shut it down and closed my eyes. Exhausted, but about as far from wanting a sleep as possible. Feeling started to come back to my arm, and with it the flare of constant pain.

    ¡°Fuck me,¡± Tanya said, her shadowed figure blocking the light. ¡°You look like you stuck your arm in an industrial grinder.¡± Although her words were making light of the situation, her tone was dead serious.

    ¡°Is it recoverable?¡± Ren asked.

    Tanya sucked at her teeth, something I¡¯d usually hear when I was about to be over-quoted for some repairs. ¡°I¡¯m no doctor, but we¡¯ll do everything we can. Can only do this once per day¡­¡±

    I¡¯d worked out how her idol Class ability worked. Five gray ones normally. She¡¯d combined hers with mine to create a silver one. Extrapolating from that, three would make gold? Against my chest she pressed one that was made from radiant diamond. She moved my limp left hand over to keep the idol in place.

    Ren¡¯s fingers ran through my hair. My hat must be somewhere else.

    From behind her, the worried amber eyes of Wolf and the panicked expression of Quinn. That I had so many who cared for me was humbling.

    ¡°You¡¯re not afflicted with anything,¡± Tanya said. She moved my aching legs around so I was in a more comfortable position, almost sitting up against the elf now. There was no hesitation in manhandling me as needed, but then I assumed that would be quite common for someone with her experience. ¡°Other than the deep lacerations to your right arm, possibly nerve and tendon damage, you¡¯re mostly unharmed. System allowing, you should make a full recovery.¡±

    ¡°Not in the next five minutes, I assume?¡± I gave her a glum smile.

    ¡°Healing will repair what it can. You¡¯ll be able to move soon enough, but as to making use of the arm¡­¡±

    I nodded, or at least twitched my head the best I could with my injuries and being restrained by Ren.

    She rested her chin against my head. ¡°Want to tell us what bullshit you got up to?¡±

    ¡°And then apologize for having us so worried, Max?¡± Quinn added.

    My ruined arm was proof enough that what I had experienced was real. Part of my brain was still trying to catch up and fully process what I had been through. Maybe explaining it out loud would help me understand it¡ªor at least share the burden of disbelief with the others.

    ¡°For starters,¡± I said with a soft smile across my face, ¡°you will be delighted to hear this injury is all self inflicted.¡±

    A patch of my hair warmed, as Ren exhaled deeply through her nose.

 114 - Determination

    After a period of recovery, we had affixed my right arm in a sling. Campfire out to dry me off. We each sat in chairs to hear my tall tale. Not usually one for public displays of affection other than the occasional hand-holding, Ren had given me a tight hug as soon as I was able to stand on my own two feet. Possibly the best hug I¡¯d ever had. In sitting around the fire, she had placed her chair directly beside mine.

    As much as it softened my insides to have someone so enraptured with my presence, it might be unwise for her to tether her happiness to my continued existence. Yet¡­ I felt the same way about her, and I didn¡¯t want to be a hypocrite.

    It was, as it turned out, not the most believable story I¡¯d ever told. A mixture of disbelief and concern across their faces - especially at the mention of my own Domain somehow springing into existence, despite the System not giving me that as a skill.

    ¡°Never heard of a smart monster before,¡± Quinn said, idly looking up at the cavern ceiling.

    Tanya had her brow furrowed. ¡°There was some¡­ lore I remember reading. Can¡¯t think of where. Ten Guardians were mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± I tilted my head, even as my neck protested the movement.

    ¡°Left to watch over this world in the creator''s absence.¡± The weaver pulled a face, still uncertain where she was drawing this from.

    I went to rub my chin before remembering I couldn¡¯t move my arm. ¡°She said two had already been killed. Possibly they are embodiments of certain facets of the System.¡±

    ¡°Or something put in place to keep certain Players in check,¡± Ren added.

    It was neither here nor there. If I was targeted because I was powerful, I also won because I had all this unchecked strength. That said, I was self-aware enough to know an ass-pull when I saw one, and without my Domain suddenly appearing, I was sure to have fallen once the fingers had been able to lay a blow or two on me. I¡¯d ignored the fact that I had a Domain up until now¡­

    ¡°So you are part demon, then.¡± Ren stated, reading through my inner monologue as if it was hanging out of my skull. Which wasn¡¯t that unlikely.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡±

    Tanya and Quinn looked more apprehensive about the prospect than Wolf and Ren. The elf looked more disappointed that she wasn¡¯t present and part of the process. Expectations had to be laid out on the table.

    ¡°It is a small part of me,¡± I admitted, ¡°and how I get my power. To forewarn you all; there may be an instance where you are drawn into my Domain.¡±

    Quinn grimaced. ¡°What are we to do if that happens?¡±

    With a smile, I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why, just help me put on a good show. Just as you do every day.¡±

    Well, ¡®every day¡¯ was a stretch given how long I¡¯d known each of them, but they¡¯d already settled into the roles that they¡¯d play on stage. If anything, the System was tying everything off into a nice package. The right people at the right time. An inevitability that we didn¡¯t have a say in, yet suited us just as well.

    ¡°Can you make it happen again?¡± Ren asked.

    I turned my gaze to see the amount of curiosity in her bright blue eyes. Despite being holy-adjacent and having means to apparently end me, she was constantly enamored by the demonic side of things. Or at least, the me who had accepted my true being in this world.

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ overtly accessible, like my other skills.¡± I shrugged and gave her a glum smile. It would be nice to think that I just pop it out on occasion, even if it was limited to once a day or something. ¡°Let me go through my System menus again.¡±

    She nodded, before moving from her chair to go make coffee. Or, that¡¯s what I assumed she was doing, as she had brought the kettle into her hands. The possibility that she was about to brain me danced about, but the likelihood that someone close wanted to off me was growing slimmer by the day. While a potential betrayer wouldn¡¯t want to deal with the rest of the Party, laying amongst the bloody sand was the second weakest and vulnerable I had ever been.

    I furrowed my brow. Immediately something jumped out as wrong.

    ¡°Say, what color are your names in your STAR?¡±

    They each checked, and even Wolf seemed to humor me. Silver-white came their agreed response.

    ¡°Strange, mine is gold. I don¡¯t think it was before.¡±

    The revelation was met with a mixture of blank confusion, except for Tanya, who had more of a scowl across her face.

    Before I decided to prod her for her thoughts, I narrowed my eyes at what appeared to be a third bar beneath my name. It was empty, whereas the other two were mostly full and much more familiar. My glare revealed labels, as if they could hold no secrets under scrutiny. Red one at the top was Health, although the abstract gauge of how dead I was seemed rather moot in a world that still abided by real life physics and injuries. Second was blue and labeled Mana. I had an even stranger relationship with this one.

    Third now said Power, although it was written in demonic rather than the common System language.

    Tanya couldn¡¯t handle the silence any longer, and filled it with her thoughts. ¡°I knew someone else with a gold name, but I thought it was because she was a guild leader or something¡­¡±

    ¡°The Lady.¡± Ren shook her head, as if the answer couldn¡¯t be any more obvious.

    I frowned. Not usually one to jump to conclusions, I found myself leaping to something that tied all the facts together. ¡°She killed a Guardian, either on the starter island or in the first area.¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    More conflicted silence radiated through the group. While Tanya had taken to this like a duck to water, Quinn looked to be reconsidering tying his destiny to my own. I wasn¡¯t sure I even believed most of what I was saying. We had missed out on some important lore, perhaps.

    My eyes went back through my menus to see if anything else had changed. The System didn¡¯t care to explain what my demonic Power did or represented - and there were no new skills on my list. I had a feel for it, though. The more bullshit I performed, the greater bullshit I could perform. In putting the cart before the horse, I had truly clicked my demonic nature into place and become something even worse.

    For our enemies, at least.

    ¡°I used to know someone who is neck deep in the world¡¯s lore,¡± Tanya began, filling the silence once more. ¡°We aren¡¯t on speaking terms¡­ due to the whole joining Crimson Shadow thing, but I can see if he¡¯ll give us information?¡±

    I nodded and went straight back to my STAR. Mostly everything was normal, except¡­ I felt at my jacket pocket with my left hand. No card deck there, as I had moved it to my belt. Looking at my Equipment, the box that held my weapon still had the picture of the deck but was grayed out and had a padlock in the bottom corner. Did that mean I couldn¡¯t equip it anymore? No¡­ it meant I couldn¡¯t get rid of it, surely.

    Tanya sent messages out to her contact and Ren poured the coffee, while I held my left hand out. From the air above it, cards zipped from my belt holster to appear and drop into my grasp, one after another. Under the intrigued gazes of my Party, a pile filled up to fifty-two, and then I gripped it and the case appeared around them, swtiching from where it had been stored.

    ¡°Everything okay?¡± Ren asked, bringing a mug over to me last. She sat down, her eyes still tired from the tears shed over my trauma experienced.

    That said - I didn¡¯t have the Trauma status, which was a miracle given the state of my arm. ¡°Not everything, but the majority of things.¡± I gave her a smile, but it seemed to just have the effect of bringing lethargy over me instead.

    ¡°You lost a lot of blood and used a lot of energy,¡± she replied. ¡°Take as long as you need.¡±

    Without two hands, I couldn¡¯t take my cup of coffee from her while holding my deck. I leaned forward, groaning against how my right arm flared with pain at being jostled. Placed the deck on the ground, standing up. As I sighed and sat back, I clicked my fingers together.

    The top of the deck popped open, and the cards began spilling out like a reverse waterfall, back into my open hand. As the last one settled into the perfect pile, I made a fist. Opened up to reveal an empty palm, the deck now visibly back in my belt.

    ¡°Are you going to take this or not?¡± Ren narrowed her eyes and tried to push the coffee toward me. Why she was sitting on my right side when I couldn¡¯t use that arm, I wasn¡¯t sure.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± I smiled and took the cup carefully. While my life as a magician had increased the dexterity of my hands, I was still a few shakes away from being ambidextrous.

    ¡°Looks like you have greater control of your deck, Max.¡± Quinn tilted his head.

    Almost spilled my hot drink over my legs as his accent made that sentence parse differently.

    ¡°Deck control is very important,¡± Ren added.

    ¡°Seems so,¡± I said through clenched teeth, avoiding looking at the elf.

    Tanya took us away from the playground antics. ¡°No reply yet. He¡¯s joined some group in the southwest, so all else fails then we could find him there.¡±

    A date with destiny. ¡°The Eternal Wardens.¡± I raised an eyebrow. The group that had left me a note in the clearing with the scarecrows, their help offered if I could remove the necromancer from this world. I relayed this information to the weaver.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± She rubbed at her face and sighed. ¡°Are all your days this fucking exhausting?¡±

    I exchanged a glance with the elf, then looked between the bear and fixer, before returning to look at Tanya. ¡°No,¡± I lied.

    Quinn shook his head. ¡°So brazen.¡±

    Other than the vague notion that I had possibly killed some demi-god or otherworldly beast that lurked within this world, and apparently gained even further power to head the fight against the Lady in Red who had perhaps done the same¡­

    Oh, I forgot where I was going with that thought.

    I downed the last of the coffee, only the tinge of potential burning radiating through my throat. ¡°Right, let¡¯s get back to the dungeon. Day is still young.¡±

    They didn¡¯t seem to share my enthusiasm.

    ¡°You sure you¡¯re up for it, Max?¡± Ren stood beside me, putting her chair away but giving me a piercing glare. As if she could determine if I was about to crack and break in half.

    ¡°The show must go on.¡± I smiled, but she was less enthused. ¡°I will take it easy and let my summons do most of the work. If you think I¡¯m doing myself some damage, I will cease at your command.¡±

    She cooled off as I relinquished some of my fate into her hands. We were both adults and didn¡¯t need the other to babysit our capabilities, but being in love muddied the water. It actually hurt her when I became injured, and unfortunately I was fated to brush with death on regular occasion. Allowing her to move me away from potential malady kept us both happier - or at least would attempt to.

    With her nodding acceptance, it looked as though that was enough permission for the rest of the Party to be on board with the act continuing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on him,¡± Tanya offered. ¡°You need to focus on your shots for the next Boss fight, and my abilities have more downtime between uses.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite ranged focused,¡± Quin agreed. ¡°I can brief you while we walk, Ren?¡±

    The elf nodded again and gave me a quick glare before walking off. I much preferred it when she was undressing me with those eyes, rather than putting me in my place¡­ but perhaps I needed it.

    Wolf stepped up beside me, my top hat in his mouth.

    ¡°Thanks, Wolf. I can always rely on you. How are you finding the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Not a great fan of seafood, but at least I get to eat.¡± He huffed and turned to join the others, clearly unimpressed we had stopped for coffee but hadn¡¯t eaten.

    I went to withdraw some food to hand him and a pain shot down my right arm - forgetting that I couldn¡¯t use it still.

    Tanya moved up beside me as we joined the group. ¡°How is the arm?¡±

    ¡°An odd mix of numb and agony.¡±

    She ran her tongue across her teeth. ¡°Still too early to judge. Take Ren¡¯s insistence that you take it easy to heart. We do not need our headliner blunted.¡±

    I gave her a soft smile. ¡°The lingo is appreciated, but not necessary.¡±

    The weaver shrugged and looked ahead. ¡°Been¡­ years since I was in service. Yet I still feel most comfortable when I can fit into a role or unit. Both at work and in my home life.¡± She sighed. ¡°Being organized into Parties of five here felt right. Allowed me to make do and accept some things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only surviving because I am the mixture of two¡­ maybe three people. The normal me would have cracked and broken long ago.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re resilient, Max.¡± She raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°It takes a lot to weather the amount of hits you have and still rise above it, and to lead others.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t consider myself a leader.¡±

    ¡°A star has five points,¡± she said. ¡°Sometimes a leader is just the driving force to move throughout the sky. Even if your arm doesn¡¯t recover, I know that won¡¯t slow your momentum. Look at Quinn, for example.¡±

    She was right, of course. I trusted the System to give me a little wink and fix my arm back to full health, but it couldn¡¯t do everything. Dismemberment seemed to be permanent - at least at this stage. Losing an eye hadn¡¯t stopped Quinn from being his overt self, or traveling the dangerous path we trod. The show would go on, whatever came our way.

    I did note that her gaze lingered on the fixer for a few moments longer than expected, before she snapped her eyes back to me. ¡°If you want to soar as high as you can, you need to learn how to use those wings. Not just flap about wildly.¡±

    We were aiming for the pinnacle. I couldn¡¯t deny that. To stand atop a mountain of all our detractors and enemies, successful and safe.

    As we reached the edge of the next Boss chamber, I caught the brief smile of the elf, before we looked at what lay before us.

    Something to grind into dust.

    My mood cooled as the magic deck of cards vibrated in my pocket.

 115 - No Rule Left Unbroken

    It was hard to tell if my abilities had changed due to my apparent ascension. Using my left hand to gradually shoot off purple cards one at a time, without moving them or putting too much mana into them was awkward enough compared to normal - so it was difficult to gauge if any difference was me taking it easy rather than that I was now a demonic lord or something.

    The next boss was actually a group of four turtle-people. My active brain checked out straight away, not wanting to draw any reference to anything - Tanya hadn¡¯t mentioned it either, so perhaps I had struck my head a few too many times. Wolf cycled his taunt and area slow to keep them all on him - assisted by my Hellhound+. It was a simple matter of attrition as Tanya delayed their actions and their self-healing gradually failed to keep up with our damage.

    Were I on top form then this might have taken less time¡­ but we didn¡¯t appear to be struggling.

    ¡°Permission to summon Roger once one falls?¡± I asked my guardian angels.

    ¡°Granted,¡± Ren replied, while Tanya gave me a stoic nod.

    The weaver had done as she had told the elf, and kept a frequent eye on me between her skill uses. So far, I hadn¡¯t started bleeding from my eyes or had grown horns - so I was sure that I was fine. Excluding my arm which was still somewhat inert.

    Tendrils of worry had started to worm around. I¡¯d recovered from worse in less time, I felt, but then it was all down to how the System chose to see it. Life threatening? It¡¯d be patched up like nothing happened. Could survive it? It¡¯d do the bare minimum. But it wasn¡¯t really losing the use of my arm that had me on edge¡­ it was a different feeling that occasionally passed through it.

    It had started once my Power meter filled slightly. Ten percent or so - my current antics clearly not enough bullshit to really move it much further than that, but as soon as I reached the apparent threshold a wave of energy went through me. Could have just been my imagination or a chill, so I didn¡¯t bring it up with the others. I considered opening my mouth about it when the pain level started to increase, but I noticed something else that kept me quiet.

    The numbness was fading away.

    Against better judgement, I saw this as a good thing. Felt like my nerves were being repaired if they could now feel the trauma wrought to the rest of the arm. But what did that mean? Simple answers were preferred¡­

    Roger¡¯s card went out and struck the first fallen turtle-man.

    ¡­and the most straight forward answer would be that I had some kind of demonic regeneration.

    The urge to raise my Power meter with a flourish of tricks grew, to see if more Power meant greater regeneration. I was liable to get more than some evil glares from the others if I started pushing myself, however. After the battle I¡¯d labor them with my findings and see what they¡¯d let me do.

    If anything, being stifled was almost more uncomfortable than how my arm felt. Well, no - I shouldn¡¯t exagerate, despite it being in my nature to. Instead, I settled into being calm and allowed my brain some time to process my ordeal.

    Using the threads of my past, where I wished my mother could have seen me put on my greatest show, the Siren had lured me into some pocket lair. Like a Domain, perhaps. Intending to bury me beneath a wave of¡­ my own inept hands? The finger-people were maybe a reference to my constant need to perform. I had somehow leaned in to the ploy and had actually put on a great show, using the Siren as a stand-in for the feelings I had that they had attempted to use against me.

    Conquered those troubles with a deluge of attacks, and emerged a more¡­ whole person? It was hard to say. The System clearly held me in higher regard now, but I doubted this world was created as a means for me to get over my emotional issues. A glance at the company I kept determined there was something else behind the scenes that drove my destiny toward a particular point.

    A card bloomed in my hand and then faded away, as the last of the group fell to Wolf.

    ¡°Pretty painless,¡± Tanya grunted. ¡°Where were you guys when I first arrived?¡± Without waiting for an answer, she walked forward towards the fallen enemy.

    Ren was beside me before I had even noticed.

    ¡°How¡¯s the arm?¡±

    ¡°Oddly enough...¡± I winced as I wiggled it about. ¡°It feels better when you¡¯re close.¡±

    She rolled her eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s not just a charming line to woo you. I mean it earnestly - perhaps radiant energy has some effect on it?¡± Or those beautiful blue eyes. I mananged to not say that part out loud, lest I weaken the arguement that I was being truthful¡ªmy arm did start feeling better when she was closer. And I was mostly sure it wasn¡¯t the eyes.

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    ¡°I could imbue a bandage with radiant energy, but that¡¯s only once per day and lasts¡­¡± her eyes unfocused to go through her menus. ¡°Ten minutes.¡±

    My face screwed up, and I considered just asking her to stay beside me all the time instead. Before I could work up a less cheesy line, Roger aproached from the side and went to one knee, bowing deeply.

    ¡°Boss,¡± he said, purple ears flopping over the turtle-face he was inhabiting.

    ¡°No need for that, Roger.¡± I gestured for him to stand. ¡°I trust you are still on the right path?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± He stood back to his feet, shuffling in the odd puppet. ¡°I¡¯m honored to have been part of your Grand Show.¡±

    I nodded slowly. ¡°That was really you then, and your true form?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss,¡± he repeated. ¡°Next time I will post near the back to stop any latecomers from interrupting the performance.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Roger. I appreciate that.¡± Curiosity got the better of me. ¡°What did you think of it?¡±

    He tilted his head from side to side. ¡°Impressive. Scary as fuck. Pretty sure I shit myself when you pulled out all those cards.¡± The pact demon attempted a whistle, but due to unfamiliarity with his puppet it just came out as a weird rasping sound. ¡°Oh, that reminds me. Got you a gift, Boss.¡±

    ¡°A gift?¡± I raised my eyebrow toward the elf, who looked bemused at the reverance I now commanded. Possibly only slightly disappointed I wasn¡¯t giving the demon a verbal lashing.

    ¡°For helping me get my shit together. I was on a dark fuckin¡¯ path and you unfucked it.¡± Purple light swirled around his hands as he brought out something into his hands.

    I wasn¡¯t even sure how or why he could do that - so I just used the excuse of ¡®demon magic¡¯ as it seemed fitting at this point in my existence.

    ¡°Some of the gals helped out, it ain¡¯t much but I¡¯m going to leave now before I feel an emotion other than unbridled rage.¡±

    As he placed the item in my hands, the body slumped over, inert. That wasn¡¯t very fair - I didn¡¯t get the chance to thank him or pass on my regards to his wives. The thought of resummoning him into a different boss corpse slid away as I lifted up the gift to inspect it.

    A belt. One side a dark leather that felt like it was made from something demonic rather than domestic. The other side was purple - bedazzled by small gems and sequins. It caught the light and warmed me with its brilliance. Affixed to the belt already was some kind of metal clasp¡­ oh, it was the perfect size to fit my card deck in.

    ¡°Seems I¡¯m pretty good at unfucking things,¡± I said with a grin, raising my eyebrows towards Ren as I went to put the belt on.

    She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. Gave me a blank stare for a couple of seconds, and then seemed to change subject in her head. ¡°You said the real Roger was like a tall fluffy rabbit? Was he cute?¡±

    Before answering, I double checked that he had actually left this plane and wasn¡¯t faking his absence to see what I thought about the belt without having to interact with me. No, he was definitely gone.

    ¡°Imagine a six foot tall bipedal rabbit. Fluffy, bright white fur. Long ears, purple eyes. Then make that rabbit middle-aged, with three divorces, gambling debt, and a substance abuse problem. About that cute.¡±

    ¡°Harsh.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he had a gambling problem.¡±

    I grunted, as I struggled to get the belt around me with one hand. ¡°Yeah, he takes after me.¡±

    She sighed and stepped closer to help me out, kneeling in front of me to put the end of the belt through the hoops around my waist. ¡°Thank you for going easy in the fight. I know that it was hard for you. Probably frustrating¡­ I bet you¡¯re all pent up?¡±

    I looked down at her perfectly blank poker face staring back up at me. Despite my mouth openening to speak, my mind was completely empty. Devoid of any appropriate words to tumble forth.

    ¡°Nice belt!¡± Quinn stepped over, putting his hands on his hips.

    Whatever spell had frozen the two of us ended, and Ren stood to circle around the back of me - lifting my jacket to find the rest of the hoops.

    ¡°Roger,¡± I said, my mind still trying to get up to speed with reality.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± He nodded toward me, not entirely sure what I was trying to convey. ¡°Tanya says that we will be surprised with the Token haul once we are complete.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡± I managed a smile, as I became grounded once more. System talk seemed to have a way of doing that. Putting one person in charge of loot acquisition and distribution was a novel concept, but it meant less thinking for my own brain. Put me at ease in some ways. At least, until Ren moved her mouth close to the back of my neck.

    ¡°All the best things are worth waiting for, trickster.¡±

    Perhaps this was my penance for making her worry so much earlier. While I had become used to - and enamoured with - the scowling grump that she had been in the first area, now that she was emerging from her shell¡­ well, I¡¯d be lying if I didn¡¯t say I was a little scared. Now in love with danger, she had a firm grip on the part of me wholly unprepared for this step in our relationship.

    She stepped back in front of me to do the buckle, and we locked eyes. Her hand moved onto the metal holder. ¡°Where do you want it, Max?¡±

    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Right in front of me.¡±

    Ren adjusted it slowly, as we maintained eye contact.

    With my left hand, I opened up my jacket to allow her access to my deck. ¡°Could you put it in for me?¡±

    As her mouth opened, Tanya cleared her throat loudly, and the haze around us blew away.

    ¡°For the next boss,¡± the weaver began, ¡°we need to travel underneath a waterfall. The water is probably cold, so perhaps that would be beneficial.¡±

    I nodded animatedly, hoping to move on from everything that was currently happening. Ren stood from me, the job done, giving me a last side-eye that said she enjoyed tormenting me all too clearly. She moved over to give the patient canine a pet before his time to leave was up.

    With a flourish of my fingers, three cards popped up from my holstered deck and circled around my left hand. I snatched them from the air into a loose fan and observed them. They weren¡¯t magic, in the same way as my attack was. Concentrating, I turned two of them purple¡­ but couldn¡¯t do the same for the third. Then, I returned one to normal and switched the

    energy onto the one previously inert. Interesting.

    A quick flick and I dismissed them all, even the normal cards turning to brief ash before they were gone.

    ¡°Wonders never cease,¡± Tanya said, and sighed.

    Quinn nodded along. ¡°You truly are a spectacle, Max.¡±

    I grinned at this unintended compliment, and watched them start to head out of the room. Ren shot me the least subtle wink as she passed, and I was pretty sure steam left my ears in trying to deal with everything going on.

    Last in the pack, I turned my head towards the bear, my brow furrowing in seeing the look on his face.

    He looked exhausted, breathing heavily with eyes glazed over.

 116 - Bear Minimum

    I kneeled down beside the bear and ran my left hand across the fur on his head. ¡°You okay there, pal?¡±

    He took a couple of heavy breaths before life came back to his eyes and he looked back at me. ¡°Just indigestion.¡±

    With the best scowl I could muster, I waited for him to tell the truth.

    It wasn¡¯t something easily given, and after he tried to squirm away from my glare, he eventually sighed. ¡°I suppose eighteen is quite old for a bear,¡± he said.

    ¡°Tell me what you need? We can take a break, or call it quits for the day¡­ if you need to leave us then-¡±

    ¡°Max.¡±

    I stopped my drivel and pulled a glum face at Wolf. Part of my heart aching in seeing the unstoppable force faltering. Maybe we have been pushing him too hard.

    ¡°My time is not yet, and I will let you know when it draws close.¡± He huffed and shook his body. ¡°This place dampens my spirit, and I seek to chew on mightier foes.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much I could do other than nod and rise back to my feet. ¡°You are my kin, Wolf. Do not hesitate to allow me to protect you, just as you do us.¡±

    He opened and closed his mouth before it upturned into a grin. ¡°You talk too much. Let us continue, brother.¡±

    With a smile, I looked back toward the exit, where Ren was waiting, arms crossed and concern on her brow. Should I talk to her about it? Perhaps not a good thing to worry her after she had just finished being panicked about my safety. Still, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to hide any truths from her, either.

    Looking at the bear as we walked over, I doubted he wanted to bring it up right now. Maybe not at all. He seemed fine and back to his usual self, but I¡¯d need to keep an eye on him.

    ¡°At risk of this becoming a catchphrase,¡± Ren said with a sigh. ¡°Everything okay?¡±

    ¡°Too much seafood,¡± I interjected before the bear could speak. ¡°We were discussing shitting techniques.¡±

    ¡°Max is surprisingly well versed,¡± Wolf agreed.

    Whether Ren believed that or not¡­ ah, who was I kidding? Even as her neutral glare narrowed on me, I knew the game was up. She could read me like a flashing billboard. My name in lights. I¡¯d always wanted that kind of fame.

    I blinked a few times, my roving mind trying to settle me in the present. ¡°I¡¯m actually a little off, too. Just needed an ear that had a less charged take on my current predicament.¡±

    Silence followed, as a few different emotions went on behind Ren¡¯s eyes. Wolf seemed content with my falsehoods and didn¡¯t add or dispute anything.

    ¡°Go ahead and catch the others up, Wolf.¡± I nudged him. ¡°Just tell them Ren and I are smooching and we¡¯ll be there in a second.¡±

    He rolled his eyes, but with a grunt, he was off.

    After waiting for him to move just beyond earshot, the elf turned back to me. ¡°Max, I¡¯m sorry that-¡±

    I cut her off by pulling her in and kissing her, holding her tight against me despite my slung right arm complaining at being crushed.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said, as we parted.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t want to tell a lie, did I?¡± I smiled and relaxed my hold on her, but she didn¡¯t move back away. Her eyes were hungry to eat me up, but I had to feed her something less palatable. ¡°Wolf needs a rest soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± This time some concern cooled her expression.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t want to put him on the spot, but he is tiring. We¡¯ve been through a lot the last few days.¡±

    She nodded and now stepped a little further away. ¡°He weathers a lot during our storms. Is it injury? An illness?¡±

    I shook my head. He had no other icons over him. Although, perhaps turning the one that made him constantly hungry off might help with his energy levels. ¡°Just old and exhausted.¡±

    She gave me a glum pout and looked down the corridor to where his large shape was vanishing into the shadows. ¡°Do I need to worry about two of you now?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m enough burden on your heart, and he¡¯ll be fine with a lighter schedule.¡± I grimaced at the phrasing. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, before they think we¡¯re getting up to more than kissing.¡±

    ¡°If only,¡± she sighed, before setting off in front of me. A nice trick to have the last word in a conversation and hide the emotion on her face - which I assumed to be a coy smile.

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    I hummed to myself, not even distracted by what she was insinuating. Strangely enough, the kiss had been enough to ground me. Focused the shards of my shattered mind so that they resembled something usable.

    From my belt, two cards flipped out and into my left hand. ¡°Say, Ren? I was thinking we should work out some kind of signal system using the cards for if ever we can¡¯t communicate or otherwise need to send a message discreetly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I can see the use.¡± She slowed now, to walk beside me. ¡°Do I get to be the Queen of Hearts?¡±

    I grinned and rolled my eyes. ¡°I was going to use the Aces to represent us all. I was going to give you Clubs.¡±

    ¡°Is that because they look like little trees?¡± She narrowed her eyes at me.

    ¡°Wolf is diamonds because of how tough he is. Quinn is hearts because of his romantic nature, and Tanya has spades because¡­ I don¡¯t know, a rebirth thing in joining us? She¡¯s killed people?¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°So that¡¯s a yes on the tree thing?¡±

    The two cards in my hand faded to dust and three more flipped from my holster and into my left. Required a little more concentration in my non-dominant hand, and my right twitched as the muscle memory wanted to kick in.

    ¡°If I showed you these three, what would you assume the message is?¡±

    Ace of Clubs, Three of Hearts, Ace of Hearts.

    ¡°You¡­ want me to fight the three enemies attacking Quinn?¡±

    I nodded and smiled. In truth, I didn¡¯t have a clue what they¡¯d mean, but now that she told me. It had become the method we would use - easier to go along with whatever made the most sense to her with the least amount of explanation. ¡°We¡¯ll go through more some other time.¡±

    We approached the sound of flowing water as a sheet of the stuff blocked our current passage. I was glad the elf had some clue as to where we were heading. ¡°Ladies first,¡± I gestured her forward and only partly enjoyed the grimace on her face. Not sure why, as I¡¯d soon be suffering.

    She went through, vanishing to the other side, and I stepped in after - immediately shivering as it was ice cold. Certainly woke me up, and my hat did little to stop it going in my eyes. As I wiped them dry, Tanya was standing there with her arms crossed, the others close by, waiting for me.

    ¡°Not my place to tell you what to do,¡± she looked between us. ¡°But you need to focus on the task at hand.¡±

    I glanced between her, the bear, and then Ren. ¡°I suppose I should be honest with you, then. The reason I held Ren back was because my arm is affecting me worse than I am showing. It is both mentally and physically draining. I wanted to bend her ear, as I would like to have a rest day, after knocking the blood courier down.¡±

    An expert lie, even if I did say so myself. Got Wolf the rest he needed without giving away that he was feeling weak. Showed I could be vulnerable and knew when to take a step back. Most importantly - stopped Ren and I looking like horny teenagers.

    Tanya exhaled through her nose and unfocused to go through her STAR. ¡°That can still work. There¡¯s a place we can rest to the west for a few hours, then we¡¯d need to head northeast to cut off the courier - if their route hasn¡¯t changed. If we¡¯re still alive after that, we¡¯ll arrange somewhere to spend the night.¡± Her gaze returned to me. ¡°Separate accommodation if possible.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I gave her a bow and ignored the last part.

    ¡°If we are being honest,¡± Quinn added, ¡°I¡¯ve also been struggling to keep up with the amount of conflict thrust upon us.¡±

    She worked her jaw, but nodded. ¡°Alright, point taken. I¡¯m not exactly in a position to dispute that, given I was one of the ones who had attacked you recently.¡± Tanya shrugged and gestured towards the boss'' room. ¡°We have some important gigs in our near future and you all need to be in peak form. That said, I can¡¯t do shit if you don¡¯t tell me shit - so let¡¯s keep open comms on this sort of thing. Okay?¡±

    We nodded and murmured our agreements. Seemed as though I had gotten away with not only a kiss, but had also drawn up a healthier attitude towards our Party¡¯s health and readiness in the process.

    ¡°You talk more than Max,¡± the bear yawned. ¡°What do I have to get attacked by now?¡±

    She certainly did, but that was kind of the point. Our two newer Party members weren''t here because they had powerful classes like us original trio. They were here to share the physical and emotional burden that our personal quest was labored with. If Tanya wanted to boss me about toward my goal in the most efficient way, then that saved me a lot of brain power. Less stress. Quinn had a handy utility skill for every occasion, which made existing that bit easier. Other than our bumpy beginnings, he was affable and dependable.

    They explained the boss. Some type of giant seahorse than would frequently lay eggs that could spawn smaller versions. There was the occasional environmental danger of waves of water from different sides of the chamber, and sometimes whirlpools between egg waves.

    It all seemed so¡­ droll? Sounded like another ten minutes where I would stand at the back of the room casting the occasional single card with my left hand until we eventually clobbered it into mush. Almost something of a torture in itself, for me.

    ¡°Hey, Ren. Could you do that bandage thing?¡±

    She raised an eyebrow before clocking what I meant. ¡°We¡¯ll try it and see, but go easy on the bullshit, okay?¡±

    I wondered if she¡¯d look back to get the weaver¡¯s approval, but she didn¡¯t. Good. For all the rambling internal monologues I¡¯d had about Tanya being good for our Party composition, I still felt that Ren had more weight in making decisions. Especially when it came to my personal safety. It wasn¡¯t even because of the romancing on the side - if we had retained the cool companionship from the starter area, then she¡¯d have the same sway due to seniority and trust.

    She unslung my arm and I winced as gravity moved it downward. Pain meant it was getting better, surely? It was certainly better than when I emerged from the water with it all but shredded. That said, it could hardly get worse.

    Ren held the bandage in her mouth as she raised my arm back up, then wrapped it. With a whispered elven word, a golden glow ran down the object. I¡¯d need to fix my suit at some point - having only one arm on it wasn¡¯t exactly becoming of a great magician.

    I furrowed my brow and lifted my arm. It was sluggish to respond - but it did respond. Pain was muted to a constant ache, but for the most part it was acting as expected. We¡¯d need to get stuck into the fight right away to put this to good use.

    A flurry of cards burst out from my holster, spinning around into a figure eight around my extended hands. With the click of my fingers, they turned to dust.

    ¡°Right,¡± I said, beaming at my Party. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can last ten minutes.¡±

    For some reason, they didn¡¯t seem too enthusiastic with my chances of beating the Boss in that amount of time or less. Well, Ren looked like she believed me.

    Maybe with a little too much confidence.

 117 - Disarmed

    Despite the gloom the boss chamber tried to weigh down on me, and the heartache that the group was starting to wear down from our traumatic lifestyles¡­ I was enjoying this fight a lot more.

    Mostly because I was being insufferable with my newly acquired ability to manipulate mundane cards. A circle of them spun around my outstretched hand as if I were wearing a gauntlet. Periodically, one would burst into purple light and shoot off to the giant monster, the gap filled almost immediately by another normal card.

    The interesting thing was that manipulating my deck this way didn¡¯t seem to use mana - or if it did, it was a paltry amount to my total or current regeneration. Not that I bothered to check the bar usually. Having a feel for the amount I had left in the tank had suited me well enough for all the time I had been in this world.

    Still, I had only two or three minutes left before the radiance constantly warming my arm would falter¡­ and after that? Agony, most likely. Hopefully, some more progress on it healing fully. My main worry was being caught unawares by the Crimson while being disadvantaged. It made the group weaker.

    Not that they¡¯d see it that way. Ren had been a bit more proactive in keeping her heals and shields up on Wolf even when he looked fine. Other than once, when Quinn didn¡¯t catch the wave attack at the right time and almost knocked himself out into a pile of small monsters, we had been mostly safe at the back. And he couldn¡¯t really be blamed, with his eyesight, and he was in the middle of reloading his crossbow.

    With a crunch and a wail that reverberated throughout this cavern causing drops of water to fall from the rocky ceiling, the Boss was felled. Just in time.

    ¡°Could you sling me up, Ren?¡±

    She turned to me and gave a brief nod. Put her bow away and withdrew the fabric we had used. All business. Removed the bandage as my wounds needed room to breathe, and started to hoist it up into the sling once more.

    And then it began.

    I clenched my teeth together, as all the damage felt as though it was being done unto me once more. Cold and warm flashes ran through me as sweat began to bead and roll down my face. Blue eyes looked up at me in panic.

    ¡°Shit, hold tight.¡± She put a radiant heal through me.

    Didn¡¯t help much with the sudden feeling, but the pain tapered off to something more manageable. Only felt like I had popping candy mixed in with my damaged muscles.

    Then Tanya was there. Took my hat off with one hand and put the back of her other against my forehead. ¡°This temperature isn¡¯t normal, right? Because of how you¡¯ve changed?¡±

    Ren shook her head and placed her own hand on my forehead just as soon as the weaver moved hers away.

    ¡°Changed?¡± I asked, feeling too nauseous to care that I was being manhandled. I might draw the line if Quinn or Wolf wanted a turn, however.

    ¡°Fuck, trickster. You¡¯re burning up bad.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, changed.¡± Tanya started digging around in her Inventory for something. ¡°You might come from Earth, but your iris¡¯ are bright purple.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. A recent development.¡± I clenched my teeth together and vertigo had me stumbling away from them. A cushion of soft fur caught me, and I slunk to the floor under the concerned looks of the two women.

    ¡°Rest easy, brother,¡± Wolf¡¯s voice reverberated through the back of my head, comforting me.

    Tanya sighed and shook her head in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I really have for this. It¡¯s not injury so much as¡­ you might have an infection or it¡¯s just the trauma from the wounds. You still have my idol.¡±

    I exhaled and closed my eyes. ¡°I have a Gradual Healing potion, and a Greater Antidote.¡±

    ¡°Take them,¡± she ordered me.

    Ren crouched down beside me. ¡°I¡¯m too full of worry to chastise you for pushing too hard again. Maybe the rest is what we all need.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡± As much as I wanted to give a more elaborate response to her statement, I was currently trying to arrange a phone consultation with my regular doctor. Not that staring at the keyboard was making me feel any better.

    [Max: Hey rubes]

    [Max: Can you diagnose without touch?]

    [Ruby: Maybe? Are you okay? I¡¯ll need symptoms at the least.]

    [Ruby: {o>o}?]

    [Max: Deep lacerations, fever, agony, delirium, and nausea]

    [Max: vertigo, nerve pain, numbness, agony]

    [Ruby: ¡­what have you done]

    [Max: Right forearm, overwhelming power, agony]

    [Ruby: Fuck. Let me think {->-};]

    ¡°Max?¡± Ren jostled me. ¡°Stay awake.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve fine, had worse by¡­¡± I stopped, before my tongue could throw out a sentence even more incorrect that what had already transpired. Instead, I went through my Inventory to draw out the two potions. Under Ren¡¯s supervision, I downed them one after another. They both tasted like bile, which didn¡¯t seem correct.

    How many times had I ended up sitting on the ground up against the bear, feeling useless and under the weather? Something about this dungeon had thrown a gloomy cloud over me, and it wasn¡¯t just the abduction by something I didn¡¯t understand. The fact that this was partially self-inflicted just made me feel worse. A hindrance. A liability. A fraud.

    [Ruby: Not much I can do without seeing it.]

    [Ruby: Sounds like it needs some goop.]

    [Ruby: Time and rest. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve tried most other sources of healing?]

    [Ruby: Sorry.]

    [Ruby: Keep me updated? {u>u}]

    [Max: I will, thank you.]

    My eyes switched back to the present situation. Ren was hoping that staring at me intently could cure me. Tanya was briefly frozen with indecision. Quinn looked all out of place. Wolf was content enough to be my place of safety.

    While my thoughts were nothing but wriggling eels in my jellied skull, I grabbed hold of them tightly and took charge. The System wasn''t giving me any clues, but I felt it in my bones. Almost literally. Poisoned by the blood of the Siren, or something of the sort. Washed together in the whirlpool of my eager self-injury and overwhelming power. Something of her had... seeped within. Netherthless - I had to take control.

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    ¡°Tanya, go finish up the looting. Quinn, get the location from her and start planning our exit route. I¡¯ll probably need you to keep me steady, Wolf.¡±

    Ren leaned in a little closer. ¡°What do you need me to do, Max?¡±

    I looked up into her worried face. She really was beautiful. I¡¯m sure she would deny it, complain about the dirt and grime of battle, the grease and smells accumulated from the turmoil endured, and the uncomfortable and stifling outfits we forced ourselves to wear¡­ but none of that mattered. It wasn¡¯t even the shape of her nose, her soft skin, pointed ears, or radiant hair that drew me in.

    I was just powerless under the spell of her eyes. An unnatural light blue that seemed to glow and pierce straight through me. Always giving away her true feelings, whatever her facial expression was.

    ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t ever break my heart, okay?¡±

    She frowned and pouted, unsure whether to laugh or burst into tears at the ridiculous ask. Eventually, despite it being the daytime still, she settled for something else entirely.

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise we¡¯ll have a happy ending, trickster. But I will be by your side wherever life or death takes us.¡±

    Now it was my turn to pout. Maybe that sort of thing was already implied when we had declared our love and been through so much already. I had no idea how relationships worked past awkwardly going to cafes or movie theaters and failing at not being full-on insufferable with my magician side. If anything, going through that portal - or those two portals, as the case may be - was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.

    Especially since one of me had been about to be either clobbered to death or eaten alive by pigmen demons. Plus, they also copulated with corpses, which was neither here nor there, and now I wished I had a better grasp of where my delirium was taking me.

    ¡°If I start saying anything about necrophilia, it might be best to knock me out.¡±

    Ren stared back at me with a blank expression. Perhaps whiplash from the subject change. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Everything¡¯s looted,¡± Tanya confirmed.

    ¡°Route is added. Twenty minutes average pace,¡± Quinn added.

    Wolf grumbled and shifted. ¡°Let¡¯s get brother someplace healthier, sister.¡±

    The elf nodded and lent down both hands to help pull me to my feet. Having Wolf consider us his family sounded nice at first, but referring to us as brother and sister made things weird for our copulation. Oh, I should definitely stop using that word. Copulate.

    Quinn led the Party forward, back to the waterfall. Ren and Wolf were either side of me to hopefully catch me if I tried to enact a knock-knock joke on the stone floor with my soft skull. The punchline would be¡­ hmm, maybe it would actually fix these thoughts I couldn¡¯t control. I eyed up the damp rocks jutting from the cavern walls to find something suitable for such purpose.

    System had determined this to be my fate, but I just kept fighting it. I just had to be the winner and persist. Stupid fucking rock walls could fuck off. Survival was my middle name. Maximum Survival Dickbag. Sweat dripped from my head.

    ¡°The cold water might help with your temperature, or it might give you an infection.¡± Tanya shook her head. ¡°We should have been more careful when you received the injury. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± I managed. My eyes ached, though. Perhaps she had planned this. A slow way to kill me off that didn¡¯t draw suspicion to herself. The betrayal clear as day, I watched as she stepped through the curtain of falling water. Her intent was out here for all to see. I would die, drowned, and full of nasty bacteria and whatever gunk the System filled the water with.

    Despite my brain trying to push for conflict, I stepped through the waterfall calmly and at a decent pace, so I was only briefly chilled. I shivered off, rather unhappy that my suit was now soaked once more. Tanya was waiting for us, and I smiled up at her. My savior. I was sure she could lead the Party to seal the deal against the Lady in my stead, should I fall.

    ¡°Stop one second,¡± I requested. They did so. ¡°If you could all step over to Tanya, apart from Wolf." Curious, but they did so. I gave him a pat and asked him to turn side-wards. Now, with him blocking most of the view of me - I set my outfit to be fixed, the System dropping me to my underwear only.

    ¡°Max,¡± Ren complained. ¡°You¡¯ll catch a cold standing there like that.¡±

    Of course, they could at least see the back of my shoulders as I stood and faced the waterfall. Maybe I should jump in it. Cool off - or no, maybe it would be warm this time? I ran my tongue across my lips tasting the errant drops that had wet my face. Once my suit came back, it would cover my wounded arm again, which sounded painful.

    Into my Inventory, I switched some things around. Top layers unequipped and wouldn¡¯t repair now, I instead changed to some spares. Whatever the medieval version of a tank top was called, in a deep, muted gray. Black shorts, which had little armor but seemed more comfortable that some of my other options. Sandals, because fuck this world.

    I turned back to them and tipped the invisible hat I wore, the real one someplace safe, I hoped. Belt and sling remained present, which was nice. Wolf moved back to my side to reveal my outfit change.

    ¡°Weird,¡± Tanya surmised. ¡°It¡¯s like seeing a tortoise without its shell.¡±

    ¡°Odd,¡± Ren partially agreed, ¡°but kind of cute as well.¡±

    My scowl turned to Quinn now to see what the third judge thought. Briefly awkward at being put on the spot, he eventually shrugged. ¡°I agree more with Ren, although it is slightly-¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll take cute. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±

    A compliment that wasn¡¯t related to my performance acts? I¡¯d cherish that forever. Especially coming from Ren. The change of clothing helped my body temperature regulate better, although made me feel off being so weirdly dressed compared to what I was used to.

    I flexed my fingers as we continued toward the exit, almost giddy at seeing the open air and sunshine once more. Oh? I could move my fingers with... little pain at all.

    In fact, my arm was feeling a lot better all of a sudden. A beat thrummed in my ears that at first I dismissed as a fever-bound heartbeat gone awry. But no, it kept on going and¡­ was drawing me. A thread leading to the left. Another whisper? Friendly and famililar, but different...

    ¡°Max?¡± Wolf asked, drawing the attention of everyone else.

    I took a couple steps towards a wall and stopped before it. ¡°I need to go in here.¡±

    ¡°We need to get out, trickster.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Have your manic break under the clear sky instead.¡±

    No. I shook my head and gestured Quinn over. ¡°Did you know there¡¯s a room here?¡±

    ¡°There is? I did not.¡± He raised an eyebrow back at Tanya, who returned a shrug. ¡°I can have a look.¡±

    I wavered as I took a couple of steps back to allow him access. Seemed so clear to me, as if it was written there. MAX, the secret room called out. YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED. I was here, secret room, please be patient.

    ¡°Oh! There is? How strange.¡± Crouching down by the wall, the fixer had his brow furrowed, and with a finger pressed against something, a click signaled my words were nothing but truth.

    Stale air washed through the passageway as the stone moved to the side - a sliding door that crunched and wore across the damp rock surrounding it. And inside? A blue light illuminated a small room that I was already stepping toward.

    Ren was beside me before I had noticed, eager to ensure I wasn¡¯t about to do anything stupid. But how could I when I felt so right?

    By the back wall of this dozen foot deep space was something akin to a fountain - some metal font made of tarnished copper. It was an altar; I knew this fact somehow. Patterns and designs spun out around the walls as if the engravings had sprayed forth from the centerpiece. Each of them told me the same tale.

    It was related to the Guardian here.

    My left hand went up and undid my sling. Right arm came out with no pain. Still looked terrible, but I moved it around to show the elf. Perhaps this was my reward? I had defeated the Siren, now it was solely up to me to reap what I deserved. And I was so deserving.

    Slowly, I stepped toward it, feeling better and better every inch. Fever cleared and my mind sharpened.

    With a wide grin across my face, I reached out and placed my hand on the cool metal edge of the fountain. All was right with the world.

    Oh, and then my entire forearm exploded off of the bone, painting the room and elf in bright red gore.

 118 - Return to Sender

    It took me a good few seconds to really understand what had happened. The Party was a chorus of confused or shocked screams and yells. I liked to think the most high-pitched yelp was Quinn.

    Between my elbow and my wrist, only bone remained. Glistening and wet. I was so disassociated that I felt nothing, other than the surprise at being pelted by the burst fragments of my own body. None of this seemed real.

    Of course, that''s when things started to get really strange.

    While the ringing persisted in my ears and I was frozen at the sight of my meatless arm, purple energy started to flow out, enveloping the altar and my body. Ren tried to pull me away, but a crack of static lightning prevented her. By then, it was too late, anyway.

    Tendrils of this power circled my arm, obscuring it in bright light. Smoke billowed around, pouring from the fountain. A mauve mist that felt cool and comforting. It covered my vision and pooled behind me, filtering through to the passageway where the others stood.

    A grin crossed my face. There was an unspoken understanding that flowed from this energy to part of my subconscious brain. Wasn¡¯t even words, really, just the knowledge. A feeling that I had enacted something both terrible and magnificent in this dungeon. This was my punishment and my reward. Impurities had been exorcised, but was that all?

    I turned and stepped back out of the room. Smoke blew away from me to reveal my sparkling purple suit. I removed my hat with my right hand and gave them a bow.

    ¡°Your arm?¡± Ren managed to say, worried confusion overriding any disdain for my entrance.

    As I stood back straight, I held it out. Eyes went out to my Inventory to swap my jacket off, and then shirt and waistcoat. My bare arm¡ªand the rest of my torso¡ªawaited their judgement.

    It looked fine.

    No pain. No damage. No otherworldly runes or illness to say that I¡¯d been possessed or cursed. Nothing so overt, at least.

    She reached out and touched it. Her fingertips gingerly ran down my flesh made anew.

    ¡°You have an explanation for this that isn¡¯t bullshit?¡± Tanya asked, looking uncharacteristically out of sorts.

    I shook my head, still trying to understand it myself. ¡°Something to do with killing the Siren, but I don¡¯t know what it really did to me.¡± Everything else aside, I was pretty sure that it wasn¡¯t just a healing font. Something had been purged from me, and built back different¡­ although I didn¡¯t feel different. Nothing in my STAR gave a hint to whatever new malady I had ungraciously accepted. It would be more comforting if I could place whether the new power was demonic in nature or not.

    ¡°You good to walk, trickster?¡± Ren watched as I put my clothing back on. ¡°We should leave.¡± Simple words, but my speckled blood that covered most of her gave them weight.

    ¡°A little lightheaded, but I¡¯m feeling much better.¡± I nodded and smiled down at Wolf. The only one who didn¡¯t look traumatized from the brief violence I had endured.

    In fact, I was pretty sure I was only remarkably calm about it due to dissociating still. I was awake, right? This wasn¡¯t a fever dream where I was imagining everything was okay? It was equally likely I had passed out, or been drawn into another dream world or Domain for further agony to be labored on my tired shoulders.

    I stopped briefly and turned to the elf. She paused too, and tilted her head in expectation. Instead of saying anything, I just raised my hand up and cupped her face. Ran my thumb along her soft cheek. Some apprehension and concern lingered in her eyes.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said with a brief smile. ¡°I just wanted to make sure that this was real.¡±

    She returned the smile¡ªwhich melted my heart¡ªand rolled her eyes. ¡°Unfortunately so. Now keep walking.¡±

    I did so, but gave one last glance back to the chamber, now devoid of smoke and no longer pulling me toward it. This didn¡¯t feel like the end to a chapter, however. It felt like a window we had left open - fine while the weather was pleasant, but as soon as something more turbulent and chilling came our way, the true nature of my mistake would come to rain upon us.

    Or maybe I just got a new free arm, the same as we received gold for defeating monsters.

    [Max: I touched an eldritch fountain and now am fully healed.]

    [Ruby: ¡­]

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.[Ruby: I don¡¯t know whether to be more or less concerned.]

    [Ruby: fucker]

    [Max: I¡¯ll let you know when it comes back to bite me.]

    [Ruby: {->-};;]

    My eyes went back to my Party. Like me, they all now had the Trauma status, something I was loathe to accept¡­ but the System didn¡¯t lie. Even Wolf, despite his impassive glare. I had thought the status was something only personally gained through hardship, but apparently seeing parts of my body explode into bloody mist was enough to do it for them.

    I knew it wasn¡¯t the right take, but it was nice to know they cared enough to be distraught about my personal injury. Especially considering the amount of violence we already endured every day.

    Ren was stuck beside me as we walked. I could see her jaw working, plenty of things she wanted to say or do - but getting out of here was our priority. Wolf was behind us, while the other two led. Through all the emptied rooms and chambers we had fought previously. I was tired of the smell of damp stone and dead sea monsters. It had become oppressive, and I longed for fresh air.

    [Dungeon Complete]

    [Experience Granted]

    ¡°Oh.¡± I wrinkled my face up and lifted my left arm to see my STAR shining a bright gold. ¡°Almost forgot what we were here for.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saving mine for when we¡¯re somewhere nicer. My eyes are tired.¡± Ren looked more exhausted than I¡¯d ever seen her. While she seemed immune to my Dazzle attempts, seeing her with the Trauma status wrenched at my heart.

    Tanya gave a glum smile. ¡°We may need more rest than we first anticipated.¡±

    ¡°I can see buff and debuff icons, by the way.¡± I wiggled a finger above their heads. ¡°Can¡¯t remember if I¡¯d said that before. We all have it.¡±

    She relaxed slightly, knowing that it wasn¡¯t just her that had to soldier on. We could push through it, I was sure¡­ but we¡¯d pay a price. When the stakes meant death was more likely, it wasn¡¯t worth the risk.

    ¡°I have something that can help us, but we¡¯d still need downtime.¡±

    I nodded. I¡¯d save my level up for when we were settled, too. It sounded like it wasn¡¯t too far away, and I¡¯d literally kill for a moment of peace. We were almost back at the starting room now. I was excited for this to be done, but a brief bit of paranoia rose up - what if we would get ambushed again?

    Ren held my hand. ¡°Lightning doesn¡¯t strike the same place twice, trickster.¡±

    I wondered if lightning knew that. ¡°Let me go first, invisible, to check that the coast is clear?¡±

    As we entered the staging room where we had slept the previous night, a healthy amount of concern was painted on their faces at my idea. As if I had been at all out of my usual mind lately, or didn¡¯t spend half this dungeon dancing with an apparent demi-god that may have been a shared delusion. If it weren¡¯t for my arm at least¡­ although, perhaps that was part of it.

    Ren sighed. ¡°Fine. Straight back in if there¡¯s any trouble. Wolf is coming out in ten seconds. Okay?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±

    We arranged ourselves near the exit, a portal that would take us back out to the daylight. I rolled my shoulders out and stepped through, exhaling through my nose as I activated <Vanishing Act+> on myself.

    The light of day burned at my eyes despite it being rather gloomy and overcast. Perhaps it had rained, and we were emerging into the end stages of a brief shower. My eyes went over to the figure idly standing by the entrance. Lightly armored. Not only had the young man not noticed me, but his gaze looked vacant. I dropped my invisibility.

    ¡°Max,¡± he said. ¡°A delivery for you.¡±

    Into his hand, an envelope. I took it, my brow furrowed, and put it away in my Inventory. As if his purpose had been fulfilled, he turned from me - taking a handful of steps before vanishing into nothing. I blinked and then Wolf came and pushed me out of the way, emerging from the portal expecting some danger, but finding me alone.

    ¡°Feels like it¡¯s been days since I¡¯ve had fresh air,¡± I said, as I stepped over to the side so there was room for the others.

    The bear sniffed around the damp grass but didn¡¯t seem to have anything to note.

    A sea breeze hit me and washed away all the stress. I almost felt calm. My eyes closed as I allowed nature to absorb me once more. The sounds of the rest of the party appearing distant as I tried to focus on the movement of leaves, a shoreline buffeted by the tide, and muted birdsong.

    Some manner of warmth pressed against me and I opened my eyes to see Ren wrap her arms around me, her head to the side, ear to my chest. Past her, I saw the drab group before me. The dungeon itself hadn¡¯t really been that difficult or draining, but whatever I had dragged them into had worn them out.

    ¡°I apologize. Whatever curse follows me went a bit far today.¡± I gave them a glum smile.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that and your miraculously healed arm when we¡¯re at our destination.¡± Tanya gave me a tired scowl. ¡°Apology accepted.¡±

    As much as I had been expecting a curse word or new moniker to add to my collection, she didn¡¯t seem to directly blame me. With a nod, we set off in silence.

    Ren was¡­ clingy, in a way that felt unlike her. She not only held my hand, but tried to walk as close to me as she could without tripping me. An ache in my chest stuck with me during our journey, in seeing that she did not deal with the Trauma status well. Other than being knocked out during the Jokkar fight, she had managed to avoid most calamity, as I was a magnet for it.

    As a group, we had become crestfallen. Sick of what we had endured despite the necessity to continue. I wondered how a little body horror had them gaining the status, when we had maimed our way through the opposition to this point. Did they hold me in such high regard that my downfall had such an effect? They were my closest fans, sure, but¡­

    No, it was unfair to paint them in that light.

    Before I knew it, we had arrived. We stopped, and Ren used the opportunity to put her arms around me from the side again.

    A crescent shaped rocky hill sat before us, and at the bottom was a small cottage. The stone steep enough that it would be nigh impossible to climb - making the building only assailable from the singular direction we were approaching from.

    ¡°It¡¯s empty,¡± Tanya said. ¡°Make yourselves at home.¡±

    Home. If only.

    But, I could pretend. Delude myself into thinking this was the true end of the road. That this could be a comforting place of rest and safety. There weren¡¯t vultures waiting high overhead for us to make any mistakes. We could just exist.

    My exploits were growing wilder by the day, but such a trick might be one of my best yet.

 119 - Rest for the Wicked

    The sun had come out, and blessed us with warmth and light. Any dew and damp left over from the rain that we had avoided had evaporated away, leaving us with¡­ bliss.

    I sat in a swing seat outside the front of the cottage, amongst patches of flowers, idly rocking back and forth. Ren was sleeping on me, her head against my chest. Her hat had fallen away, leaving her radiant hair at the forefront of my peripheral.

    In the thicker grass, Wolf lay almost on his back. Smile on his face and tongue lolling out as Tanya rubbed through his belly fur. To the side, Quinn was fast asleep on his chair, head hanging low. The occasional snore made its way to my ears.

    I shed some silent tears at the whole picture of it. Not really sadness or elation¡­ it was just the relief, perhaps. We were hardened to the conflict we had to partake in, but we weren¡¯t unbreakable. Time off was needed, lest we burn out. Showbusiness was tough.

    That said, I couldn¡¯t sleep. As much as my body yearned to relax and drift off with the elf¡­ I was still on edge. Violence never let us sit idle for too long, and I couldn¡¯t shake the paranoia that something would want to come and burst this bubble we existed in. However, other than the chirping of birds and occasional butterfly, it felt as though we were the only ones left in the world.

    Instead, I prodded open my STAR, to see what the System cared to grant me now.

    [Level Up - 12]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Strong Entrance>]

    [New Passive: <Elemental Imp>]

    [New Ability: <Shuffle>]

    I raised my eyebrow as I read through the text descriptions of each. <Strong Entrance> made my first attack on a target increase damage for further attacks against the same target by 10%. So, one person per fight would receive slightly more ire from me. Sounded like something good for bosses that would pair well with <Shatter>.

    <Elemental Imp> wasn¡¯t a new summon, but changed what spell my small demonic friends could cast. The default had now become Fire, whereas I could instead summon an Ice, Lightning, or Stone variant now. Helpful if we went up against Monsters with elemental weaknesses - I¡¯d have to see what their spells did before knowing how useful against Players they¡¯d be.

    My jaw worked as I took in the active ability. It made sense - the language used was plain enough. I could see how thematically it fit into my persona and what kind of Class the System thought I should be¡­ it was just all too convenient. Or perhaps I was taking every coincidence as a plot against me. Or for me.

    <Shuffle> allowed me to change Dazzle icons on a target to a different, random debuff. Not entirely useful on the surface - Dazzle played into a lot of my other skills aside from being a damaging bonus for me and my demons. The problem was the wording of the skill¡­ in that although it was clearly intended for Dazzle icons, they hadn¡¯t accounted for the fact that I could now see and interact with most other icon types.

    Would it let me push the rules out of the way a little with its ambiguity?

    I brought up my status window and looked at the Trauma icon sitting there. Amusing that it was only Mild, considering I had borne the brunt of the damage. For a moment, I hesitated, but then - the System wouldn¡¯t allow it, surely?

    The skill activated, and I watched the icon change.

    Immediately I leaned forward. Pushing the elf away from me I dropped to my knees amongst the soft grass. Projectile vomited. Even as my body fought against it, my eyes were going into my Inventory. A brief pause in the spasms, and I brought the other Greater Antidote out and glugged it down, my throat contesting the action - but I survived it.

    I then saw the icon vanish. Cured whatever terrible poison it was, and the Trauma icon had gone. Despite my bleary eyes, I grinned wildly.

    Ren¡¯s hand was on my back. ¡°Max? Are you okay?¡±

    Wolf had righted, and Tanya was moving over in front of me. ¡°Something to do with your arm?¡± she asked.

    I shook my head and gathered my thoughts. ¡°Sorry again. Was just a little overexcited to level up.¡±

    Before I could stand, the elf moved her mouth to my ear. ¡°Five seconds to explain or else.¡±

    For some reason, the ambiguous else was more threatening than if she already had something in mind like actual bodily harm. ¡°It isn¡¯t exactly safe,¡± I began, as the love of my life allowed me to stand. ¡°But I have rid myself of the Trauma status.¡±

    Ren crossed her arms. Clearly unimpressed to be woken from a nap to find me throwing up. Tanya had some tired curiosity, and Wolf wasn¡¯t too keen to engage unless food was involved. Quinn was still fast asleep, which was somewhat remarkable.

    ¡°I¡¯d ask, but I¡¯m guessing the answer is ''System bullshit''?¡± The elf rolled her eyes. ¡°Can you do it on me next?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± I tilted my head from side to side - feeling pretty great despite the circumstances. ¡°It changes your Trauma into a random debuff. I drew up some poison, I believe.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t think of much worse than Trauma - and if we can all get cured of it, it won¡¯t set us back for the rest of the day.¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Tanya put her hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯m afraid there is much worse than Trauma, unless there was a shortlist or any other indication?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Like I said - it¡¯s risky. I only used it on myself to test. It would be too dangerous to use for everything.¡± After all, it wasn¡¯t intended to be used on allies.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± the weaver said. ¡°Imagine one of us were accumulating stacks of a Slow in battle, and you tried to switch it - and instead it gave Hemorrhage or Stun. Rot Poison, or many other countless high level debuffs. Some of those are fatal at a certain number of stacks. It could be a death sentence.¡±

    She was correct. It had some use cases against enemies, but was too dangerous to throw it around in my normal rotation.

    ¡°That said¡­¡± she continued. ¡°Use it on me, please.¡±

    Ren turned a scowl towards the woman. ¡°Pretty sure I had dibs.¡±

    Tanya smiled. ¡°I am immune to a certain amount of conditions, due to my Class ability, and can provide you all with moderate resistances. There¡¯s a good chance the changed debuff won¡¯t affect me - and then I will assist you.¡±

    The elf clucked her tongue. ¡°Acceptable.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t entirely convinced either way, now that she had named some things that I didn¡¯t like the sound of. As much as I had quickly cooled on the idea this could be an easy out for our Trauma status, I was not a gambling man. Other than with my own safety, of course.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I sighed. ¡°Have a heal and antidote ready, just in case.¡± I held my hand out, looking at the icon above her. <Shuffle> activated, and the box vanished, to be replaced by a ghostly skull that I could barely see, which quickly faded away. Had I just killed her?

    ¡°See?¡± She smiled. ¡°Immune. Good thing too, as that was a nasty one.¡±

    I deflated. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me feel any better about this.¡± I turned my head as Ren was pulling at my jacket sleeve.

    ¡°Please, trickster?¡±

    How could I say no to those eyes? ¡°No.¡± Oh, just like that.

    Rather than scowling at my refusal, she instead gave an exaggerated pout, sadness filling her eyes. Alright, she won there. I was only human.

    ¡°Fine.¡± I rubbed at my eye sockets. Perhaps I did need a nap after all.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be the only one to put your life on the line all the time, Max.¡± Her tone was soft, easily breaking down the barriers I was trying to put up.

    No point telling her I didn¡¯t want to see her hurt - she could easily turn that back around about my own lax attitude to my mortality. Plus, I actually got hurt. Badly and regularly.

    Tanya stepped over and held out a golden idol for the elf to hold. Something with resistances, I presumed, based on her earlier declaration. I took a step back from the pair to have a better view of both Ren and her icon. She really did look tired and miserable, and I felt guilty for waking her up. This cottage must have a bath¡­

    She gave me a nod, and I raised my hand.

    Trauma vanished, and was replaced by¡­ Armor Weakness. My eyes quickly brought up the information in an unnecessary panic. 20% less armor on equipped gear. Two minute duration.

    We both sighed in relief.

    ¡°This has no right being so stressful.¡± I shook my head and turned my gaze to Quinn. Still asleep. Should probably get his consent for this, however.

    ¡°Let me get him awake and up to date,¡± Tanya said, taking the idol back with a smile.

    I nodded my thanks. ¡°Go start up a bath, Ren. I¡¯ll join you soon.¡±

    The elf pulled a face in how brazen and open I was about the request, but left all the same. I watched her go, more energy in her step now that Trauma was gone. At least, that¡¯s what I assumed it could be.

    ¡°You¡¯re a cute couple,¡± Tana said, drawing my gaze away from the elf as she entered the cottage. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful, really, given the System.¡±

    My eyes went back out to the woods that blocked the horizon. Another slice of paradise that we were fighting for, something to come back to once violence wasn¡¯t so baked into our day-to-day.

    ¡°I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting love.¡± I shrugged and gave her a smile. ¡°On Earth, I was a loner and workaholic. I¡¯m rather out of my depth beyond that.¡±

    She returned the smile, albeit with a bit more sadness to it. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve done well, Max. Ren is tough and competent, and clearly besotted with you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Having all that is difficult sometimes.¡± We stepped closer to the sleeping fixer. ¡°Feels like it is just building a case for calamity to take it away.¡±

    ¡°Hun.¡± Tanya stopped and tilted her head. ¡°Love is about fighting as hard as you can to keep it. Always. Doesn¡¯t matter if you have a dragon at your door, or the mundane existence of a decade of marriage tiring you out - you always strive to keep the candle alight.¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Some days it burns bright by itself, and others it threatens to die out under the constant rain. But you don¡¯t let it. Will I see my husband and child again? I want it more than anything in the world¡­¡± She turned her gaze away, looking out at the scenery. ¡°Is it likely? Probably not. But I will fight and claw my way to find any remote chance, because that is what love is.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Tanya.¡±

    ¡°No. If anything, I should be thanking you, Max.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You had every right to kill me. To not trust me. Now I live longer to continue fighting for love.¡±

    In truth, I was rather at a loss for words. Originally, I had kept her alive because she had useful information, and part of me wanted to believe that evil was a choice and she deserved a second chance. Even gifted my life in her hands to see her true intentions.

    I withdrew an orange into my hand and lobbed it underhand to the sleeping man. He caught it and blinked his one eye rapidly, coming to. In following my lead, Tanya chucked the idol to him, which he caught in his other hand.

    Confusion spread across his brow. ¡°Everything okay?¡±

    ¡°Max can remove your Trauma, at the risk of either giving you something worse or something inconsequential.¡±

    His eye looked between the two of us. ¡°A gamble then? Freedom or suffering?¡±

    A pretty apt way of putting it. Nerves were creeping up within me. I felt as though I were flipping a coin and we¡¯d gotten heads three times in a row. Tails meant doom, and we were due one - despite probability not working that way. Still, it was his choice, and I told him so.

    He took a moment to think about it, brow furrowed as his eye darted aimlessly alongside his thoughts. ¡°Alright.¡± He looked back at me. ¡°I accept, and any malady that befalls me will be my own doing. No blame on you, Max.¡±

    I nodded and held my hand out as he gripped the idol and an Antidote potion.

    Trauma vanished¡­ and was replaced by¡­ Sleep.

    Quinn dozed off immediately, and I sighed in relief. A glance behind me and Wolf had also drifted off - looking rather content with himself. For some reason his Trauma status had already gone. I didn''t care to question it - thankful at least that I didn''t have to flip another coin for the bear who needed a break from conflict.

    ¡°Mission Accomplished?¡±

    I turned back to Tanya and grinned. ¡°Sleep. Guess I¡¯m rolling well today.¡±

    She nodded and gestured towards the house. ¡°Go spend some time with her. I¡¯ll use the peace out here to come up with a plan for later. Oh, I have dibs on the bath once you¡¯re done, though.¡±

    With a smile, I tipped my hat. ¡°You have my word.¡±

    I still had that envelope burning a hole in my Inventory, but having my arm restored, beating the odds against Trauma, and with a beautiful bathing elf waiting for me¡­ I¡¯d put it off just a few minutes longer.

    It wasn¡¯t often I received fan mail, so I¡¯d savor it.

 120 - Something Written

    The room was steamy, condensation from the hot bath clinging to the deep brown tiles and wooden plank walls. Sparsely furnished with a few empty shelves and potted plants that somehow lived despite the cottage being seemingly abandoned.

    I pulled a face as Ren put her foot on my chest and wiggled her toes at me.

    ¡°Not my fault the bath is so small, trickster.¡±

    While most of the tubs we had graced during our travels were wide and circular, this small, slim one was very much not designed for duos. Insisting that we sit opposite each other, it had become an awkward game of where we could fit all of our legs. The blissful hot water and comfort far outweighed the minor issue of space.

    ¡°I have some fragrant oil,¡± I said. ¡°If you¡¯re good for the rest of the day, I¡¯ll give you a foot rub tonight.¡±

    Her brow furrowed. ¡°You¡¯d do that? Promise?¡±

    ¡°You have my word.¡± I was slightly curious why that seemed like a big deal to her. After she¡¯d given me a few shoulder rubs¡ªand considering we spent so much time walking¡ªit seemed like a fair enough deal.

    ¡°I hope so. I¡¯ll be excited all day now.¡± Ren removed the offending foot from me and tried to move around up to her knees, threatening to spill water out onto the floor. She propped herself up near the side giving me the chance to watch the water run from her body - before she caught my glance and gestured with narrowed eyes. ¡°Arm.¡±

    I extended my right arm across the edge of the bath and she shuffled in front of it - a struggle with how little room there was. She placed one hand at my wrist, and the other near my inner elbow.

    ¡°Looks normal,¡± she said. ¡°Feels any different?¡±

    ¡°Feels like nothing ever happened.¡±

    She brushed wet hair behind her long ears and moved her face closer, inspecting my arm carefully. ¡°Can¡¯t be. Normal healing can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°It was definitely unusual - of that, I can¡¯t deny.¡±

    ¡°Unusual,¡± she repeated. As if we hadn¡¯t watched my injured arm completely burst into red mist and then reform with purple energy.

    Her face even closer now, she pressed her lips just below my wrist and kissed it gently.

    ¡°No pain, odd sensations, awkwardness?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Now in the middle of my forearm, she repeated the same soft kiss.

    ¡°Your plans in this world haven¡¯t changed unexpectedly?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Another kiss near my inner elbow.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to betray your feelings, lash out at your friends? Grab me right now and drown me?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow as she turned to face me, putting her arm across to hold the other side of the tub. The clumped ends of her wet hair tickled at my chest.

    ¡°No? Then what do you want to do with me, Max?¡±

    <hr>

    The bathtub gurgled as our dirt and sins swirled around and emptied down the drain. Dried, we now got ourselves dressed. It took me a little longer, as I was constantly distracted by the elf. No idea why.

    She caught my glances as she buttoned up her waistcoat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for how I¡¯ve been lately.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow, not understanding her train of thought immediately.

    ¡°Being so needy and full-on. I¡¯m¡­ it takes a lot to get me out of my shell and I swung a bit too far the other way.¡±

    My mind went back to the recent conversation I had with Tanya. ¡°Ren, we could die tomorrow or live for a hundred years together. Both would not be enough time to fully share our love, so don¡¯t waste your time on ¡®sorry¡¯. Squeeze as much as you can from life."

    She pouted and stepped over to me, pulling on my shirt to draw me in for a kiss. ¡°Charmer,¡± she said as she moved away, her eyes staring deep into mine. ¡°You like it when I¡¯m clingy and soft, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Just as much as you like it when I¡¯m firm and commanding, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Got me.¡± She smiled, illuminating us both.

    ¡°Oh.¡± My brow furrowed, as the sensible me tried to drag us from the otherwise perpetual cycle of affection. ¡°I received a letter by courier.¡±

    Her expression cooled, and an eyebrow went up. ¡°Really? When?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s relieve Tanya, and we¡¯ll go through it.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    I¡¯m sure we had taken a lot longer than she had perhaps expected - although in saying that, she seemed pretty wise and understanding with what we had going on. Ren and I had come a long way since awkwardly sharing a muddy hole in the ground. Hardly recognized her, almost - and I was sure to be a lot different from the always fine showman just trying to get by.

    We stepped through the hallway into the open plan living room and approached the door, some slight surprise on both of our faces to hear the murmur of conversation and light chuckles from outside. I opened up the door back into the fresh air, which felt fantastic on my clean skin.

    Tanya and Quinn were sitting around a small campfire, smiles on their faces over whatever their conversation had entailed. Wolf had moved closer to the fire, but was fast asleep once more.

    Before I could apologize for taking so long, the weaver was already up on her feet. ¡°You two look about ready to go on stage. A good scrub was clearly what you both needed.¡±

    My tongue caught in my mouth, but I managed a nod. Ren had a wry grin, but didn¡¯t seem keen to add her confirmation to the statement.

    ¡°My turn for a soak.¡± She sighed and stretched out. ¡°All of you share your Equipment screens with me. While I bathe, I will go through and assign loot, and get your gold and Token share sorted.¡±

    I did as she asked, if only so that she¡¯d go into the cottage and I could feel less awkward about whatever was happening.

    ¡°Sorting equipment distribution is relaxing for you?¡± Ren asked her as she sent over her screen.

    ¡°In a way. Part of my role here is to take some of the unnecessary pressure off you, right? You only need the gear that will be an improvement, so consider me a filter for that.¡± She smiled and gave us a nod. ¡°Plus, I like to feel there is some order in this world, even if I have to force it myself.¡± She turned and strode off towards the building.

    Turned out I respected Tanya quite a bit. Not only because she was putting effort into making my life easier, but she was doing that even after the bullshit of the last few days.

    Ren went to sit by the campfire, while I stopped and kneeled down beside the bear. I ran my hand around the fur on his head, and he opened a sleepy eye.

    ¡°Hey, big guy. You hungry?¡± I noted that he didn¡¯t have his usual debuff - he¡¯d made the decision to toggle off his attack buff for the first time since I had met him.

    ¡°Please,¡± he grumbled, closing the eye again. ¡°Nothing too heavy, though.¡±

    I gave him a pat on the head and moved over to the campfire.

    ¡°Would you like me to cook, Max?¡± Quinn tilted his head to the side.

    ¡°Hmm. I was thinking of doing like a¡­ vegetable stir fry? The only oil I have is fragranced, however.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± He rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°Does that make it a better weapon?¡±

    I nodded slowly, while the elf squirmed in my peripheral. ¡°Maybe just a stew up some veg or something then. If you could?¡±

    ¡°It would be a pleasure.¡± He stood from his chair and gave me a brief bow.

    Ren had an impatient look on her face that said sit and open the letter.

    With a smile, I pulled out my favorite chair close to hers, and withdrew the envelope. I wondered if it was worth checking for any dangerous foreign substances or curses. Holding it up to the light¡­ it looked pretty mundane. I¡¯d take the chance. Splitting the plain wax seal, I withdrew the contents.

    Dear Magician.

    I understand I am to welcome you into the fold, as one of the few who have defeated a Guardian. It makes more sense now how you¡¯ve been such the thorn in my side.

    You are soon to know the burden your victory brings - but I offer out an olive branch. I can hone and protect you as your bud blooms.

    Either way, our fates are now intertwined. Everyone has a breaking point. Do you think you are closer to yours than I am to mine?

    Gamblers always pay the steepest costs.

    Yours unfavorably,

    Lady in Red

    I folded the paper back up and put it away in my Inventory. Brow furrowed, I stared off at the horizon in thought.

    ¡°Maaax,¡± Ren whined.

    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I shook away the shadow covering me and gave her a sheepish grin. ¡°It¡¯s from you-know-who. An offer to join her, or otherwise a warning that killing a Guardian is bad news.¡±

    She pulled a face. ¡°That means she is scared and hurting, right? If she thinks that you should join her, she¡¯d rather not face you.¡±

    I didn¡¯t answer, but nodded. What she said about the Guardians was more concerning that anything else. She couldn¡¯t afford to fully commit to stopping us without overextending the power she needed to consolidate for Candlekeep. That didn¡¯t mean we were safe - but we weren¡¯t at all-out-war yet.

    She knew something about the Guardians that I did not, however, and was twisting that knife into sowing doubt in my mind. Other than my new Power bar and ability to manipulate mundane cards, I didn¡¯t feel any different. My Domain was probably the reward for a full meter. My arm was¡­ I frowned at it, before catching that Ren had been patiently watching me for further conversation.

    ¡°We are resting,¡± I said. ¡°I will not ruin that with my dour thoughts. Instead, I will eat well, enjoy the pleasant company that surrounds me, and dream of basking in the lights and applause of a show well performed.¡±

    Ren attempted to roll her eyes, but didn¡¯t have the heart to. Instead, she exhaled and accepted the inevitable. ¡°I¡¯ll toast to that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d love a coffee, thanks.¡± I gave her a shit-eating grin that did earn me a bit more exasperation.

    ¡°Dickbag,¡± she murmured, giving me a pat on the leg as she went over to the campfire.

    I went into my Inventory and sent a copy of the letter over to Tanya. Was rude of me to interrupt her bath, but I figured she deserved to be clued in as soon as possible in case she had any knowledge to bless us with.

    While I waited for a response, I watched the elf set up the kettle and have a conversation about the stew with Quinn. Offered him some ingredients and a coffee. Despite part of me feeling like I was harboring a potential nuke in my arm, I felt relaxed again. Wolf seemed content, if still overly tired.

    A slice of heaven, interrupted by the gentle beep of the Chat.

    [Tanya: We¡¯ll need to be wary.]

    [Tanya: This reeks of desperation.]

    [Max: Agreed. Any thoughts on the Guardian stuff?]

    [Tanya: No. Mind if I fwd this to my contact? Might prompt him to talk?]

    [Max: Alright, if he is with the Wardens then they know me already.]

    [Tanya: Fantastic.]

    [Tanya: Oh. You willing to drop some Dex to go with a more Int heavy build?]

    [Max: Sure. Card damage is Int based.]

    I closed the Chat, feeling¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what. Like I was haunted by a ghost. The shadow of something clouded me, but I didn¡¯t know what or why. Was I just supposed to die to the Siren? Seemed unfair to put me in an unwinnable situation and then curse me when I beat out all odds. But¡­ was I cursed? Not in the traditional way, and if it wasn¡¯t for the odd nature of my renewal or the venom dripped by the Lady, I wouldn¡¯t think twice about it.

    My eyes rose up to see Ren standing there with the steaming coffee.

    No, the Lady was wrong. Any power I had stolen from the Guardians was not a curse, but a blessing. Another tool in my arsenal that would eventually be her undoing. I lived in illusion and falsehoods - her words were flimsy and transparent.

    I was the panacea to rid this world of her blight, and tonight I would carve out her supply lines and watch her bought followers starve out.

    Perhaps after a nap though, I¡¯d certainly earned it.

 121 - Token Gift

    We lived. Were living.

    Using the bear as a backrest, Ren and I sat next to each other on the ground and relaxed. Some odd nostalgia in the action, despite it only been a few weeks ago that this was commonplace. The warm fur of the bear was comforting - I hadn¡¯t even seen when he had cleaned himself. But as he slept, all our worries washed away.

    Tanya exited the cottage and sent Quinn in for his own turn in the bath. She stopped beside us and smiled, crossing her arms over the comfortable black clothes she had changed into. ¡°It amuses me that you still choose to relax in your outfits.¡±

    I glanced down at us to realize she was correct. ¡°Old habits die hard,¡± I replied with a sheepish grin.

    She brought her chair over a little closer and sat, deflating with a long sigh. Rubbing her eyes, she then looked out toward the woods. ¡°Came across this place by accident. I think it was supposed to be the staging area for something, but haven¡¯t seen it used. Monsters and the like stay clear. There¡¯s nothing here for Players other than to be a place to rest.¡±

    ¡°I think it saved our lives,¡± Ren offered. ¡°After what we¡¯ve been through, this allows us to stay sane. And clean.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± The weaver smiled. ¡°Amenities are few and far between. After a month or two, I¡¯d given up trying to shave or get my hair looking as good as it used to. I¡¯m content feeling like a yeti.¡±

    Ren wrinkled up her nose. ¡°I lucked out there in a way. My ancestry doesn¡¯t grow body hair.¡±

    Tanya raised an eyebrow. ¡°No beards either?¡±

    The elf shook her head. ¡°My aunt used to tell tale of a certain elven ancestry that grew hair all over, but I¡¯m not sure if that was true.¡±

    I nodded my head sagely, not really sure where my place in this conversation belonged.

    ¡°Are you sure Max isn¡¯t an elf then, or has he found the secret to shaving here?¡± The twinkle in Tanya¡¯s eye clued me in to it being a jab, but I took the bait anyway.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I furrowed my brow. ¡°I¡¯m starting to grow in a five o¡¯clock shadow, you know. And the baby-faced look polls better for performances.¡±

    ¡°Baby face?¡± Ren snorted.

    I deflated and allowed myself to be the target of their humor. We needed the levity. Not only to soothe our souls, but this was team bonding. It was also good for my ego to pretend that I was letting them prod fun at me.

    ¡°That aside,¡± Tanya said, a content sigh sinking from her. ¡°Before we embarrass our starlet any further, I have loot to distribute if you¡¯re both ready?¡±

    We nodded eagerly, the results of our time spent in the Dungeon finally coming to fruition. In fact, I hadn¡¯t even asked Ren what her level up had given her. We¡¯d been enjoying the departure from the usual System rubbish.

    ¡°Here you are, Max. Everything is twenty-percent share, aside from equipment, which I¡¯m giving to whoever could best use the upgrades.¡±

    ¡°Where were you when we started?¡± Ren murmured.

    [4200 Gold]

    [Power Token (12)]

    [Health Potion (3)]

    [Mana Potion (5)]

    [Spellbound Belt] [+5 Int, +10% Mana]

    [Boots of Intelligence] [+4 Int]

    [Arcanist''s Badge] [+3 Int, +10% Cast Speed]

    [Ring of Choices] [For every 5 Int, +1 Luck]

    I equipped the gear immediately, dropping some Dex and percentage damage for greater Int, as we had discussed. My eyes were wide, however, at the amount of Power Tokens we had accumulated throughout the Dungeon.

    She caught the look on my face. ¡°Usually you¡¯d only do one Boss, so the numbers wouldn¡¯t be that high. I also rounded the gold down a little - I hope you don¡¯t mind if I start a shared ¡®rainy day¡¯ pool with the extra?¡±

    I shook my head and glanced at Ren, who had no complaints either. So far, gold had seemed to be the most useless commodity we had been accumulating. Until we found a Sweet Cake vendor, anyway.

    That aside, I now had more tokens than ever. I could upgrade a dozen of my baseline abilities¡­ or upgrade something already advanced to the next level. That seemed like the smarter option, so I would probably-

    ¡°Hey, trickster.¡± Ren nudged me in the side with her elbow. ¡°Can I give you a couple of my Tokens?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I turned my eyes away from my STAR menus to frown at her. ¡°Why? And no.¡±

    She pouted. ¡°You have better System bullshit. It¡¯d be better for you to get those to Expert quicker.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t like the pity when everything is shared equally. You deserve to power up from your fair share.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not pity, it¡¯s investing in our star attraction.¡±

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    The sharpness in her blue eyes had me struggling to come up with further reasons why I shouldn¡¯t give up and accept her offer. Loot distribution was something I was resolute about, and as keen as I was to be the spectacle and main performer of our troupe - I didn¡¯t want special treatment for it.

    ¡°I¡¯m in for that as well,¡± Tanya said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll earn me back two Tokens in no time, Max.¡±

    I turned to pull a face at her.

    ¡°Can''t have two of mine,¡± Wolf murmured, apparently listening in despite his eyes being closed. "Used them all already."

    I still had two that I had held back from previously that I had forgotten to tell them about. As much as I itched and squirmed, I felt as though this was a losing battle. ¡°I already have two extra. You all really shouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Ren pressed up against me, unnecessarily close to my ear. ¡°What if we have a say in what you pick?¡±

    Tanya nodded. ¡°Yes, that way it is more of an investment, something less of a gift. I do not know what skills you have, so I will defer to Ren on what¡­ makes you tick.¡±

    The weather hadn¡¯t changed, but I was feeling a lot warmer all of a sudden. Perhaps being pinned between the elf and the bear while the weaver controlled the flow of discussion had me feeling a little out of place. I exhaled through my nose. ¡°Fine, I relent to the democratic vote, I suppose.¡±

    Back behind us, the cottage door opened.

    ¡°Quinn,¡± Tanya said immediately. ¡°I have your dungeon rewards ready now. We are giving two Tokens to Max to-¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± he paused his journey over to us to give a deep bow. ¡°Max may have all of my-¡±

    ¡°Just two.¡± The weaver sighed and shook her head.

    Seeing as the fixer had pledged to give his life up for me since I saved him - giving up all the worldly possessions he had just earned was not a big deal at all. I begrudgingly accepted the trades offered from each of them, and now sat twenty of the things. Able to advance two skills to the next level.

    ¡°What do you ask of me, then?¡± I raised an eyebrow at the elf.

    She leaned closer and whispered in my ear.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not one of my skills.¡±

    With a brief grin, she moved away. ¡°Well, I''m not sure I''d say that. How about your Inventory management bullshit? That and your magic cards are most important, and I assume you¡¯ve already decided on that.¡±

    Read me like a book as usual. ¡°It was under consideration. I¡¯m not sure how much faster I could even-¡±

    ¡°Do it. It is my choice.¡±

    I held her gaze for a moment, wondering if there was an ulterior motive for wanting me to upgrade <Sleight of Hand+>. Perhaps it was just the simple fact that it was one of my key features. Although not specifically what the System envisioned a Demonic Magician should be, it made sense that my Class was apparently Unique. It wasn¡¯t even part of the skill as written, but an unintended bonus.

    ¡°Alright, a compelling enough argument. But I will repay you all in kind as soon as possible.¡±

    [<Sleight of Hand+> is now Expert: Your Deception success chance increases greatly with both INT and DEX.]

    Other than the addition of the word ¡®greatly¡¯ the description hadn¡¯t changed from previous versions. Now it was called <Slight of Hand++> and the grayed out upgrade required something called a Power Sphere to get to this next level. I looked away from the screens to see that everyone had their eyes on me.

    ¡°Expecting a show? Don¡¯t you have your own skills to pick?¡± I narrowed my eyes. It would be nice to have a little space to fully get into the new changes before being expected to put on a performance.

    I repeated the same process, waving goodbye to the stack of Tokens as I upgraded my main card attack.

    now let me summon three active cards, with 10% more damage and 10% less mana cost per card. With the Legendary headband I had not replaced that turned mana spent into damage, and <Mana Manipulation+> allowing me to empower my cards, this was just stacks of extra damage upon extra damage.

    ¡°It is done,¡± I announced. ¡°Sixty tokens from that one dungeon, though?¡±

    Tanya sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Can never let sleeping dogs lie, can you? Fine, I put some of my own stash in the pile. Happy now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I grinned. ¡°But thank you, you don¡¯t have to explain why. I¡¯m very perceptive.¡± My eyes turned to the elf, who was busy making her own skill choice. For example, I still remembered how Ren told me she had a demon-killing arrow, but didn¡¯t use it against Rolo.

    Part of me almost blurted that out - but I realized how much of an asshole that would make me sound, especially in front of everyone. If she had just frozen or didn¡¯t get the chance, then it¡¯d make her sound weak. It wasn¡¯t that, though, I could tell. The truth would come out eventually. I was sure of it. When she was ready.

    I was hungry for something more important, anyway. Power. Two Expert skills were nice, but I wanted to get my cannon and everything else to Advanced. I stood from my place of safety and comfort and stretched out.

    ¡°If we¡¯re successful tonight, then I would like to farm out another Level and more Tokens tomorrow.¡±

    Tanya nodded. ¡°There are several decent spots locally with repeatable Quests. It would be smart to be as prepared as possible for cutting the core out of the Shadows in defeating Tyler and his ilk.¡±

    ¡°Being Level Fifteen before taking on the Lady would be nice too, although I¡¯m not sure either of us has the patience for that.¡±

    She gave me a shrug, knowing that these sorts of things couldn¡¯t be planned to fine detail without more time and information.

    Into my hand, an orange. I held it up in front of me and then lowered my hand, leaving the fruit to hang in the air, perfectly still. There was still a soft ache in my eyes from the process, but it was very almost a flawless act of my mind alone - the System menus barely illuminating my vision as I repeatedly pocketed and replaced the orange in the exact same position at an unnoticeable speed.

    ¡°Name a fruit,¡± I asked the weaver, as the others started to pay attention to the new bullshit I had been allowed.

    ¡°Apple.¡±

    As soon as the word was uttered, the orange was replaced by an apple.

    ¡°Pear.¡±

    Again, a near instantaneous switch.

    ¡°Tomato.¡±

    My eyes narrowed and went up to her, the motionless pear wavering in the air slightly. I was all out of tomatoes, so instead, my cards burst out of my holster. A spray that condensed into a stream that enveloped the hanging fruit, spiraling around it constantly. I illuminated three of them purple, activating my skill, before switching which cards held the charge. Repeated the process, causing it to look like a spinning disco ball.

    Faster. The lights flickered wildly. I was half dazzled myself, lost within the colors. Lightning arced around the ball of circling cards until my fingers snapped. All of them vanished, washed away in a brief bursts of ash to reveal the pear once more. Unceremoniously, it dropped down onto the grass.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tanya said. ¡°I was actually expecting a tomato. Way to subvert expectations.¡±

    I grinned, and gestured the group to look to the side. ¡°You¡¯re just not looking hard enough.¡±

    To my right, a good two dozen feet away, shorn branches and leaves lay strewn across the ground, as a formerly rough and wild bush was now carefully trimmed into a smooth rounded shape.

 122 - Stewing Away

    I lay against the bear, who appeared to be asleep still, somehow. He clearly needed the rest, if not only to take a breather from the conflict we kept getting into, but he also probably needed to catch up on his digestion from everything he had been eating.

    Ren and Quinn had gone back into the cottage, intending on using the cooker to make us all some food rather than us sticking to the campfire. Tanya remained outside beside the fire, nursing a steaming cup of coffee.

    ¡°You told Ren, didn¡¯t you?¡± Wolf murmured, his voice vibrating through the back of my head.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    He grunted, but didn¡¯t seem annoyed by the fact. It was only fair she was kept in the loop with regards to his health. The trio of us were family now. Whether it was just exhaustion or he really was getting old, the elf deserved to know as much as I did - hence my simple, unapologetic answer. He didn¡¯t press the issue.

    Leaving him to his nap, I stood and went to sit near Tanya. ¡°Doing okay?¡±

    Her eyes went up to me briefly, before back out to the woods. The distracted look melted away and her hands grasped at her mug a little tighter. ¡°I just wish I understood this place a little better¡­¡±

    ¡°The System?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She looked down at the hot drink. ¡°At first I thought this was some sort of purgatory or punishment, but occasionally we get these little slices of¡­ bliss, and it doesn¡¯t feel right. Undeserved, almost.¡±

    ¡°Punishment,¡± I repeated. Most people we had met here were some shade of asshole, but I didn¡¯t think it likely we were here just for the sins of our past. That she should bring it up, though¡­

    Tanya looked over at the sleeping bear, then the cottage, before looking at me. ¡°You can keep a secret, Max?¡±

    "Of course." I nodded.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly the best person in my old life. Had my share of demons.¡± She shook her head at the humor of saying that to me, of all people. ¡°Bad childhood, full of chaos. Joined the military and the¡­ order of it soothed me. Became accomplished when I left, but the real world has a lot of chaos that I struggled to adjust to, no matter how much order I tried to build up around me. A lot of the last year is a hazy blur, yet strangely, I remember the day I came to this world with such clarity.¡±

    I remained silent as she gazed off toward the horizon.

    ¡°I was in a diner for breakfast, reading the newspaper. Something I usually avoided. The biggest story on the front page was how a diner out west had exploded. Gas leak or something. Two dozen dead, including three young adults. It¡­ crushed me, despite being so detached from it.¡± Tanya furrowed her brow, as if she still struggled to understand it.

    ¡°How life could just be taken. All those futures, and it that could just as easily happen to me, in that diner, right then. The sheer chaos and how everything could be changed, and I¡¯d have no control at all over my safety.¡± Tanya paused for a moment, as if those feelings had started to tug at her anew. ¡°And you know what I did? You think I went home to my husband and daughter, enjoyed living and not taking things for granted?¡± She turned back to me now, pain wracking at her eyes.

    All I could do was raise an eyebrow and wait for the crescendo.

    ¡°No. I did not.¡± She shook her head and looked at her coffee. ¡°Skipped out on work and hit the liquor. A little self-destructive escapism to try to feel okay. That my choices were my own. Got into an argument with Paul. Left in my car. Drove drunk... went off the road and hit a tree. Out of the windshield, and then I remember the bright pink washing over me.¡± She bit her top lip. ¡°Thought I died. I¡­ should have died.¡±

    ¡°You received a second chance,¡± I said.

    Tanya shrugged. ¡°Since being here, I¡¯ve quit smoking and drinking. Best physical shape that I¡¯ve been in almost a decade. Mentally, I¡¯m calm, less anxious. In some ways, this has been a miracle.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t let go of those left behind?¡±

    ¡°The last words exchanged with my husband were ones of anger, and the last memory my daughter has of me is me being in a deranged state. For the two things I love most in life, that is unacceptable.¡± She sighed deeply. ¡°But¡­ they probably think I died, and maybe that¡¯s for the best?¡±

    ¡°Tanya, if we find a way back then-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Max.¡± She gave me the saddest smile I¡¯d ever seen. Her normally stoic confidence totally absent from her face. ¡°They deserve better. Maybe I¡¯m not meant for that world.¡±

    It had been easy for me to move on from what little connections I had back on Earth, and I was selfish enough to not consider Reggie or the show as soon as I landed in Othea. Ren had lost Flynn on arrival here, and seemed distant enough from her parents and the responsibility she was supposed to inherit. There were similar tones to it, though.

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    ¡°Ren would be the best one to talk to in regards to loss and moving on.¡± I removed my hat and placed it on my lap. ¡°But it¡¯s not my place to tell her story. You¡¯re the one who told me to always fight for love, remember?¡± I sighed, ill-equipped for this sort of conversation. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, the Tanya sitting before me isn¡¯t an irredeemable asshole.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Max. Fighting is often easier said than done, it seems.¡± She smiled and wiped at her eyes with the back of her forearm. ¡°Hadn¡¯t even told my old Party all that. Something about you guys just makes an old gal soft. Perhaps this can be like my rehab. Iron out those flaws, whether or not I can go back.¡±

    I grinned and leaned back in my chair. ¡°We¡¯re all odd and flawed. Whatever we were previously, I feel like the System has forged us into something new. We¡¯re willing to take you as you are now and will support you in your growth.¡±

    Tanya closed her eyes as she took a sip of coffee. ¡°I was worried at first that you trusted me because you were too gullible or desperate. But it quickly became apparent that you were clued in to the stakes and would take on the risks required to get ahead.¡±

    With a nod, I turned my eyes over to the cottage just as the door opened up to reveal Ren carrying a large pot of something. ¡°Likewise, I wanted to onboard you as quickly as possible. We don¡¯t have the luxury of not knowing if you are trustworthy and doing a long vetting process.¡±

    ¡°Confident enough to put your life on the line as well?¡±

    ¡°Now, now, Tanya.¡± I shot her a wry grin. ¡°We both know I was in no real danger there.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes and sighed. ¡°Of course, a magician wouldn¡¯t leave something to chance?¡±

    I raised my eye back up to Ren as she stood beside us and lowered the large pot onto an empty chair. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m open to some surprises.¡±

    The elf looked at me and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Well, don¡¯t get excited. It¡¯s a stew. Didn¡¯t start as one, but that¡¯s how it turned out.¡±

    My amusement at how she had only clocked the tail end of my statement without context was only strengthened by how exasperated she looked over the results of the cooking. I looked back at the house. ¡°No Quinn?¡± Maybe she had cooked him. I should be concerned that was one of my first thoughts.

    ¡°He is taking five minutes, as I called him some bad names.¡± She gave us a shrug. ¡°Some people just don¡¯t cook well together.¡±

    Although she hadn¡¯t seemed like much of a commanding chef in our time spent together, it was quite possible that in making something more than a simple grilled meal she had a clearer vision of what she wanted to do, and the fixer was stepping on her figurative toes.

    ¡°Also, he stepped on my feet twice.¡± Ren lifted the lid from the ceramic stew pot and allowed a billowing cloud of steam to escape. ¡°Once is forgivable, but I only have so much patience.¡±

    It worried me how often the narrative followed what I suspected it to be. Perhaps my ability to read people and plot out eventualities and viable outcomes had saturated my being so much that I was now believing myself to be prophetic. Being two and a half beings squashed together certainly did something for the brainpower¡­ and ego, that was for sure.

    I turned to see Wolf beside us, waiting patiently for the hot meal. Hadn¡¯t even heard him move.

    He caught my eye and grinned at me. ¡°My new skill improves my stealth in woodland terrain.¡±

    ¡°Nice. Oh, Ren, what did you get when you leveled?¡±

    She turned from the pot, ladle in hand and awaiting Tanya¡¯s bowl. ¡°Oh. Nothing impressive.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed at my scepticism. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s like a single target curse that causes additional radiant damage when they¡¯re attacked.¡±

    I nodded eagerly. ¡°A target? Does it have to be a Player or Monster?¡± With my hand, I gestured to the nearest object, which happened to be Quinn¡¯s chair.

    Relenting to my request, she turned and opened up her free palm towards the wooden seat. With a small flash, it became illuminated with a faint golden sheen. ¡°It also prevents Invisibility, I guess.¡±

    From my belt, a fan of mundane cards came out and hovered beside me. I flicked one out, striking the chair. Another flash, this one brighter, emanated from the aura and sent small sparks into the air. It was delightful. I sent three more normal cards in succession against the glow, each providing a bloom of light and dazzling sparkles.

    And then the chair fell apart, broken at each joint as if it had taken enough damage to destroy its very spirit of existence.

    We turned as Quinn now stepped out of the cottage, looking a little forlorn, but apparently recovered from the verbal lashing Ren had dealt out. The elf started ladling stew into provided bowls as we sat in silence.

    With a sheepish grin, he reached our seating arrangement and withdrew his own bowl, before noticing the state of his chair.

    ¡°Wolf sat on it,¡± I offered.

    ¡°That¡¯s beneath me,¡± the bear grumbled.

    I gave him a grin. ¡°Sure was. Don¡¯t worry though, Quinn. If you¡¯re in the market for a new chair, I have the greatest variety in the area.¡±

    While he stood¡ªslightly bewildered¡ªand Ren filled up his bowl, I emerged from my chair and waved my cape across. Three chairs of varying designs appeared in its wake. A good chair was always needed, and I never missed the chance to abscond with as many as I could take. Within reason - I needed room for all the other random assortment of things.

    In the time he took deliberating, I realized two things. The first was how quickly I put down the three items - and while normally it was little effort, I had reached a slightly higher step where time between object manipulation had decreased. Not by a long shot, but enough to make the process easier on my eyes and brain.

    The second thing was that I had used my mundane cards as an attack. While they would do no damage to a real target, they seemed to cause Ren¡¯s new skill to pulse with the radiant damage, nonetheless. I¡¯d need to pick her brains on the exact wording of the ability, as I may be able to shock the entirety of the stored damage at once with a flurry of cards.

    ¡°Bowl, trickster.¡±

    Ren¡¯s prodding took me out of my idle thoughts, and I held it out. I received three generous scoops of the stew before she started to sort her own out. As I couldn¡¯t let a good deed go unpunished, I dropped my bowl. Tanya and Quinn weren¡¯t expecting it, but it piqued Wolf¡¯s interest. Ren had already seen too much of my nature to be bothered by it.

    The bowl didn¡¯t hit the ground, however - it simply vanished. I turned and stepped back over to my own chair and picked up my hat to reveal the steaming stew beneath.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone teach you not to play with your food?¡± Tanya scowled at me.

    I clicked my fingers as I grinned at her. ¡°Speaking of which, let¡¯s talk about knocking over that blood courier.¡±

 123 - Bait

    Full of warm stew and thoroughly rested, we made the decision to force ourselves to have an amount of downtime every so often. We needed to maintain some softness so that our hearts didn¡¯t harden too far and crack. And¡­ I adored it. Mostly because I now felt as though I had a social life. Not the expected peers I¡¯d perhaps have in the real world, but I had started to believe that what I had now was more real than anything my prior lives once knew.

    We had been lucky with my ability to erase Trauma, allowing Tanya to detail us on the best place to make our assault. If we had needed to wait until the next day, it would have been a struggle to catch them up or head them off at certain points - not without putting ourselves in danger.

    Being able to go this evening meant that a few groups would be waking up to no blood, while we¡¯d be resting easy. At least, until we went to farm Quests to level up. The cottage retreat had been good for the group, and it was sad to see it go. Remaining in the same place for too long was asking for trouble, however. We could be tracked, or just happened upon. I¡¯d already had enough ambushes to last me a lifetime. Two lifetimes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard, trickster.¡±

    Ren¡¯s voice took me out of my thoughts as we continued walking. It was early evening now. Somehow, the day had melted away quicker than the grime we had washed away in that hot bath. I blinked away those thoughts as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to. Something about the courier doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± I gave a glance out at the woods around us, as if the darkened recesses beneath the canopy had any answers for me.

    She nodded and furrowed her brow. At least more than it already was. ¡°The wizard said that it was three people on a coach, right?¡±

    That was it. ¡°But the Lady requires all groups to be five. Yeah. Hey, Tanya?¡± I turned to the woman who was further back with Quinn. ¡°Have you seen the couriers before?¡±

    ¡°Twice. Relatively small enclosed carriage. Two horses pulling it.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°Riders?¡±

    ¡°Three that I saw.¡± She shrugged. ¡°One up front, one inside, one clinging to the back.¡±

    Ren jostled me with her elbow. ¡°You know what that means?¡±

    All I could do was give her a glare. What would be the chances of there being two more Player horses, and them both being utilized to draw the blood around? That said, if they were just normal horses, I didn¡¯t feel comfortable just killing them or have them be collateral in the ensuing battle.

    We had already discussed some tactics on the way over. There were one hundred and one ways in which we could stop or destroy the coach - the key was deciding on the most likely to succeed. They weren¡¯t likely to try to engage us in a fair fight, so killing the horses had been brought up as a potential starting point. Wolf seemed to be the only one keen on that.

    It wasn¡¯t beyond us to find a way to sever the animals from the carriage. The issue there was Tanya was sure the main structure of the vehicle would be guarded with spells and auras. A direct assault was just as likely to flare off a shield and engage an emergency speed boost, rather than destroy it outright.

    Still, with the five of us, there was no way they could truly evade our reach. I wasn¡¯t even sure why I was so adamant that we didn¡¯t harm the System-created horses. Part of it was wanting to avoid the cruelty often displayed by the Crimson Shadow¡­ but we tore through dozens of Monsters with little thought. These were animal shaped, but no different, surely?

    I was getting tired of morally gray scenarios. Gone were the simple days where there was a separation between things to keep safe and things to destroy. Then again, I didn¡¯t think I had made any terrible calls so far. No, I¡¯d stay the course with the original plan. The point wasn¡¯t about morals. It was about ability. We weren¡¯t a blunt instrument, but something finely crafted. We¡¯d split apart what needs to be erased from whatever wasn¡¯t important to us.

    And look damn fine doing it.

    I turned my head back to the weaver again. ¡°Elephant in the room, Tanya, but do you know what happens when they don¡¯t get their blood?¡±

    She shook her head slowly. ¡°As far as I know, it¡¯s never been allowed to happen.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Or more accurately, I should have said intriguing. We¡¯d be finding out in the new future, but I could see that Ren already had some ideas of her own.

    ¡°I think they lose their belief in her bull, and thus she loses power.¡±

    That seemed a reasonable guess, and would be something the Lady would be keen to avoid. ¡°But what of them after? Are they now deranged from the withdrawal, or do they revert to how they were before?¡±

    Th elf wrinkled up her face as she considered this.

    Another sea of gray that dampened our normally cutthroat way of life. Show-business was like that. If we were to find out that depriving the Crimson of the blood would have them slowly become whatever normal asshole they used to be¡­ it put into question our methods. Well, that was unfair. As much as we tired of being ambushed, it gave us the out that we were only acting in self defense.

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    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth,¡± Tanya spoke up, ¡°most of them weren¡¯t the best of people even before taking the Red. It¡¯s not¡­ brainwashing or anything. More like alcohol, maybe.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°Brings out something that¡¯s already there.¡±

    The ¡®good¡¯ people refused and were killed, so it made sense that we had only met the dregs who remained. Not exactly a comforting thought that so many were so easily talked into wanton violence. There was something uncomfortable about the whole thing that I couldn¡¯t quite process yet, my mind still reeling from our rest period and not wanting to grab hold of the stark reality we were about to face.

    Wolf was the first to push through the next clump of bushes to reveal a dirt road running through this wooded part of the area. While I was getting somewhat tired of trees, it seemed to suit Ren and the bear just fine, so I wasn¡¯t about to complain. Plus, any built-up areas had been an excuse for the bad guys to come and kick us in the knees.

    Ren kneeled down and ran her finger through a groove in the dirt. ¡°Wheel tracks, but not recent.¡±

    Tanya nodded. ¡°Good, that means we haven¡¯t missed them. I estimate between twenty and thirty-five minutes until contact.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± I said. ¡°Gather around and let¡¯s tighten up the plan.¡±

    <hr>

    Part of me wished I had arranged things so that I would be waiting for the stagecoach beside Ren. Something rather selfish, but I understood that to perform some tricks, the right angle was everything. No reason for her to be at ground level - and I¡¯d sooner fall out of the tree she was currently in and smash my head open.

    I did need to arrange some one-on-one time with her, though. As our Party had grown, our attentions were now shared a couple of extra ways. Not that I could complain, with both Tanya and Quinn getting on well with both her and each other. Our alone time being spent bathing was pure bliss, but often conversation melted away into silent contentedness or unbuttoned passions.

    So, as I lay amongst uncomfortable twigs and vegetative lumps, I penciled in a date night for the both of us. Tanya had earmarked a small town where we might find safe rest for this evening. Not the closest accommodation, but we didn¡¯t want to be too obvious in case revenge was hot on the heels of the wagon we were about to upturn.

    Being the team leader was a heavier weight than I had anticipated, even if I tried to delegate to democracy as much as possible. As a trio, it had been simple to prod one of my two companions and make sure they were doing fine. Extract their thoughts on how miserable life currently was. Now, with Tanya and Quinn, there didn¡¯t seem to be enough time in the day to make sure all their personal demons were being quelled.

    Ah. Was that the people pleasing side coming out again?

    I smiled. Even as much as I wanted us to all grow as one, it was nice to have this space to myself. Really dig around in my thoughts and contextualize everything that had been wrought upon us lately without the soft love of Ren or the odd humor or violence that otherwise filled the space.

    It wasn¡¯t a lie that I wanted to make us all happy, but now it wasn¡¯t at the cost of my own well-being. I required them to be in peak form, so that I could trust them when the true danger hit the fan. For the most part, I had been managing fine.

    Certainly, with Tanya opening up so much to me, it showed that she trusted us and our purpose. It was like¡­ hmm. In some ways, we were all driven by love. Her for her family left behind. Wolf for food and rest - living a good life. Quinn for anything that moved. Ren and I for each other, and a future without so much bloodshed. The Lady and her ilk were driven by a hatred for this System and its rules.

    That sort of thinking at least allowed me to paint our actions as more heroic than us being cold-hearted mercenaries.

    We had spent a quick ten minutes getting the stage ready for the show, and another five or so had passed as we waited in position. It wasn¡¯t often we had the opportunity to prepare a performance in advance - and I was excited about the process. The couriers were in for a real treat. Assuming they didn¡¯t immediately keel over in surprise.

    It was hard to imagine that this would be such a pivotal fight in our war against the Lady. While we had a lot pinned on removing the necromancer from his position, starving them of the necessary blood was something they¡¯d be foolish not to anticipate. Tanya had mentioned that she had been made kill on sight, and blocked by anyone associated with the Crimson Shadow.

    I fidgeted on the uncomfortable ground. The green fabric covering most of me would at least obscure most of my garish suit and-

    [Ren: Movement.]

    [Tanya: Prepare for contact.]

    [Wolf: oppp]

    [Quinn: Ready^]

    [Max: Nice and clean. Stay safe.]

    The elf had better hearing than any of us, and even as I strained mine, I couldn¡¯t quite hear anything past my heartbeat and the ambient noise of the woods. I knew better than to doubt her, however. In fact¡­ yes, there it was. Faint but approaching quickly.

    Soft thuds of horseshoes against dirt, which caused me to shiver involuntarily. Thundering of wheels trying to stay in the loose ruts of prior journeys. It was like an approaching storm, and I had tingles of anticipation running down my arms. Mostly my right arm, which was worrying - but then again, it was relatively newer to this sort of thing.

    Despite nothing having happened, my Power meter was already at 10%

    In my wand holster, the group had somehow cobbled together three fully charged Zap wands. Not very damaging, but that¡¯s not what they were for. My spell holster had Dispel, Arcane Evasion, and Flame Shield scrolls. Mostly provided by Tanya, who had a modest stock of a variety of things. She had also given me a specific gray idol, engraved with a cloud symbol embossed with emerald.

    Ren was in position in the trees. Wolf was down the road from me and further into the treeline. Quinn and Tanya were together on the opposite side of the road, low and amongst the bushes. I continued to lie amongst the cool leaves of my hiding place, the pre-show nerves making me antsy. I couldn¡¯t wait.

    But I did.

    Closer and louder now, I narrowed my eyes as the stagecoach rocked past my position. The flash of two horses, deep brown in color, followed by the ivory of the coach itself, large wheels spinning past.

    ¡°Woah! A tree has fallen across the road,¡± the voice from the front shouted out.

    I was grinning widely now. So close.

    ¡°Careful,¡± a second man grunted from the back. ¡°Could be a trap.¡±

    It was!

    ¡°We¡¯ll circle and go back around,¡± the first again.

    And that was the cue. Curtain was set to rise, the audience not knowing what they were about to get themselves into.

    I took one last deep breath and stepped out on stage.

 124 - Rolling with It

    First part of the performance was the pyrotechnics. Something to let the audience know that they should buckle themselves in. The show had started. Before the stagecoach had a chance to move, a wall of fire burst up behind them, causing them to be stranded between the felled tree and the impassable flame.

    ¡°Ambush!¡± the one at the front yelled, far too excited for the act to begin.

    Bright light illuminated the area, blinding them briefly as Quinn set his Light center stage. With soft footsteps, the main attraction¡ªyours truly¡ªstepped down at the top of the roof of the wagon. A wide cover of fabric shot out from me on either side. One toward the man sitting at the front, trying to stand with one arm across his face to shield his eyes. A weapon drawn into his hand. The second over the man at the back - a large fellow who didn¡¯t seem to be fully human. He had a better idea that I was here, but hadn¡¯t been able to react.

    I drew a trio of cards into my hand. Pointing down toward the roof between my feet, I arranged them in the shape of a triangle and punched through, creating a hole into the interior. Just as soon as they had left my hand, the idol and two bottles of oil dropped in succession, landing within.

    My brow furrowed. While everything appeared to be moving in slow motion, it allowed me to pick up the hint of something odd. Something unexpected - yet as soon as I clocked what it was, I knew exactly what it was.

    I had found the fourth Player in their group - the stagecoach itself. Unless they had also packed the wood with blood for fun.

    The brief amount of confusion it elicited in me was enough to have a knock-on effect on my timing, and I missed the short window to swap positions with my dove. We rolled with the punches, however, and the show would go on. It would just make the next few parts of the act a little more awkward.

    ¡°Pain. Intruders on Roof.¡± A voice bellowed out, that could only be said stagecoach that was now unhappy I had cored a new entrance into its¡­ flesh?

    With the thrum of energy, a spherical shield of blue energy encircled the living vehicle, and Ren¡¯s first arrow bounced off harmlessly. A faux attack, in the grand scheme of things - planned in advance to see what they were capable of.

    Seeing the tendrils of magical energy tether my left arm to the glowing protection magic, I activated the Dispel scroll. Their shield vanished in a puff of spent ash. The door on the right side flung open as another humanoid stepped out. Perhaps the fifth would be in there too?

    Currently, my position was a wet blanket on our original plan. I¡¯d have to- I dodged to the side as the large figure at the back of the wagon swung a sword toward me. My legs wavered as I neared the edge, but I kept my cool. Flung a handful of flowers in his face as he attempted to climb up on top with me. As he was temporarily blinded, I clicked the trigger of my best crossbow and put a bolt in his face.

    I spun in place as the weapon vanished and then leaped down upon the audience member who had just made an appearance. He hadn¡¯t the foresight to catch me properly, and only just turned in time to avoid getting my dagger in his neck. Instead, a shoulder would do. We fell to the floor from the impact and as I rolled away; I dropped the rest of my furniture wares across him. Only chairs - a varied display that did little damage but tied him in place for a few extra seconds.

    The horses had remained unnaturally stoic during this whole process. Not budged an inch. Using the crackling power that now arced around me, I sent a direct message to Wolf in a split second, my eyes hitting the necessary keys with a practised precision that was almost beyond human capabilities.

    [Max: Dig in]

    Ren had struck the front man with an arrow, but he now had a shield to protect against further impacts. From the back of the stagecoach, the larger Shadow had risen back up, the bolt still protruding from his forehead. The one by me was recovering from the ground.

    The show had become something of a mess. I raised an eyebrow at the Imp+ beside me. It could still be saved. This gentleman had made the rude mistake of leaving the door wide open. Before the sentient coach could consider closing it, things were in motion.

    I broke the rules.

    Threw one of the chairs up into the air and hit it with my Demonic Cannon card, which dropped from the air to land on the crawling figure, crushing his legs and the spare chairs alike. My demon threw out his fireball, the eyes of the Crimson turning to it in shock, but too slow to change its course.

    Straight into the stagecoach, it exploded, setting off both bottles of oil. Amongst the flame a pulse of green, as a cloud of gas began filling the interior.

    Two noises pierced the air.

    The first, a howl of intense pain from the living vehicle. Something very inhuman, and yet¡­ it almost sounded like music to my ears. Like an orchestra of violins in agony. I adored it.

    Second was a roar as Wolf clattered into the front of the stagecoach, folding both horses as if they were made of paper. Even in death, they showed no fear - nor any expected movement. The coach itself writhed and creaked as it tried to shake off the inferno, burning it from within. More shattered glass sounds. The Lady¡¯s blood, I was sure.

    Large Shadow was on me before I knew it, some skill having him warp fifteen feet to me. I looked at him with cold purple eyes, as <Card Fan+> blocked his first swing. I vanished and drew two loaded crossbows. There was a fury in his eyes that erased any confusion, and he drew back his sword to swing wildly in the space I had been.

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    Almost got me too. 40% on the Power meter. Two clicked triggers and two more bolts in his head. He stumbled and dropped just as a wave of crackling power washed over me. Pain that had me clenching my teeth. The pinned Player had cast a spell on me. As he readied a second attack, the growl of my Hellhound+ drew his eyes to the side, wide with sudden panic.

    I shook the buzzing from my head and stepped back toward the road. The screaming of the vehicle was subsiding, just as I watched Wolf throw the driver an easy dozen feet away with his jaws. 45% - I was running out of audience to impress. The smell of burning wood and blood filled the woodland, overwriting the pleasant evening air. Flame would eventually take over the rest of the stagecoach. Perhaps there wasn¡¯t even much of the performance left¡­

    No, a shadow caused me to flinch, but it was too late.

    I had heard the rustle of leaves and felt the displacement of air slightly too slow to react. The fifth member of the group had found me. The half-naked woman with feathered wings grinned at me with razor-sharp teeth. In her hand, the barbed spear had found a warm home through my chest. A harpy, my strangely calm brain told me.

    Couldn¡¯t help but grin.

    ¡°Something funny, worm?¡± She twisted the spear, tearing up some of my internal organs.

    ¡°There¡¯s something behind my ear,¡± I whispered, managing not to choke on the blood coming up through places it shouldn''t.

    Her angered glare turned into a scowl, although nothing as cute as what I was used to. She tilted her head to the side to see what I meant, and Ren whispered a sweet arrow to me. A line of blood just above my ear, and killing blow to the stunned harpy, now full of radiant light.

    I switched places with my Hellhound+, leaving the spear behind to fall inertly to the floor with the rest of her corpse.

    Popped the cork of a healing potion and put it to my lips. The pain was burning away at my chest but I soldiered through it. 50%, and interestingly I seemed to be wearing white gloves now. <Card Fan+> went up as I drank, as the man with three bolts in his head tried to strike me again.

    An arrow hit him in the neck, but he only wavered before raising his blade once more. I smashed the potion bottle into his face, lacerating his pained expression. With the stem shard in my hand, I stabbed him again in the face, then chest, then arm. His grip released his sword, and I looted it from the air. As his other hand came up, I placed the nullification cuff on it. He was blinded and reeling.

    A swift kick, and he tripped over another summoned chair, landing in a seated position on the muddy ground.

    My hand up, I fired a faux gun with clenched fingers and cast <Shuffle>.

    Dazzle icons shifted and faded away, replaced by something with a red cross on a black background. The large man took one last gasp of air before freezing, his skin suddenly shriveling and drying up, rapidly falling off of his bones in thick clumps. In just three short seconds, he had devolved into a skeleton surrounded by the mulch of his previous form.

    I put my gloved hand up to my chest, fresh blood soaking through. Why white gloves? They¡¯d only get ruined immediately, even from my own actions. Harpy had hit me on the wrong side of the chest, and missed my heart. The warmth of Ren¡¯s heal came through to me, but I couldn¡¯t see her within the darkened canopy. Surprising considering what she was wearing.

    Wolf had eaten the driver, and my Hellhound+ had finished the cannon-bound man off. The stagecoach was¡­

    My brow furrowed as a deep groan vibrated through the woods. From beneath the burning vehicle, shadows had started to form. I stepped over to my cannon, my legs feeling shaky and weak for some reason. Needed to load it with something - we hadn¡¯t reached the grand finale, clearly.

    Thick legs of darkened chitin cracked and moved out from the underside of the coach. Dragging the spent forms of the faux horses, it now rose up onto six of such sharp legs. Something like a crab or spider. I didn¡¯t sign up for eldritch horrors, and wouldn¡¯t let this dampen our parade.

    I stepped out closer to it and raised my hand up. ¡°Abomination. No more.¡±

    My mundane deck flickered out of the holster, each card flitting up into the underside of my palm. With my fingers outstretched to the Monster, I stood and watched it turn toward me. A sharp leg went up into the air, ready to crush me, but I was still waiting for my cue.

    A radiant flash illuminated the area, as the stagecoach became aglow with Ren¡¯s new ability.

    Time for the fireworks.

    In tandem, I sent the full deck of mundane cards in a stream towards the coach alongside firing all three Zap Wands in succession. As the first of both struck my opponent and caused the flare of radiant damage, it bathed the area in bright golden light. The stagecoach shuddered and recoiled from the pain, so I hit the big red button.

    My cannon fired the three hundred and fifty-four ball bearings I had accumulated on my journey. A buckshot that blinded the woodlands, causing a deafening silence to vibrate through my body, before I heard the final screech and resulting explosion.

    Just in time, my eyes adjusted and saw what remained of the creature shatter into thousands of parts. Cracked like a mirror, it collapsed down into rough shards of whatever foul being it truly was.

    I summoned my Fire Imp+ once more and ordered him to repeatedly strike the debris.

    We would leave nothing to chance. I held up my hands to see they were no longer gloved. Just covered in blood.

    Even as my Party came out of their positions and tried to talking to me, I couldn¡¯t help but just stare at my hands, and the blood.

    ¡°Max? Max.¡±

    I snapped out of it as Ren stood before me, a scowl on her face. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°How injured are you? Feeling okay?¡±

    Felt tired, that was for sure. ¡°Still some internal bleeding. Minor organ damage. Some other small lacerations, probably.¡±

    She healed me again, muttering something under her breath.

    I looked past her at Quinn, Wolf, and Tanya, who had all gathered and were watching my Imp+ torch the remains of the vehicle. ¡°Sorry,¡± I told them. ¡°I feel like I cocked up the show there.¡±

    Met with grumbled disagreements, they seemed a little out of it too. Expecting a handful of bandit-adjacent Players we had instead gone against something monstrous, alongside a chap who just refused to die. At least, until I forced the issue.

    ¡°A lot of unknowns came up,¡± Tanya offered. ¡°We had to change some parts up, but we reached the same ending.¡±

    Didn¡¯t get to use Finale+, however, which left me a little glum. Blue-balled the showman in me who wanted that dopamine fix. I raised my hand and watched the shards of glass fall out.

    Quinn rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°Your planning certainly saved us a lot of headache.¡±

    I exhaled through my nose as another heal went through me. Perhaps they were right - it wasn¡¯t so bad. We¡¯d destroyed the courier and the blood. Lived to tell the tale. Although¡­

    With tired eyes, I cycled up through my own icons. The look on Ren¡¯s face as she tried to heal me didn¡¯t fill me with much confidence. It was no normal wound - the internal bleeding continued. Ah, there it was. Persistent Bleeding - a debuff that worked like a curse to¡­ hmm, that was pretty broken against Players. Deadly, even.

    Eyes narrowed at the terrible icon, I hit <Shuffle> again.

    I didn¡¯t get to see what it changed to, as there was nothing but darkness after.

 125 - Role Call

    ¡°Hey, asshole?¡±

    I furrowed my brow and opened my eyes. Confused, I was completely disorientated. Dim light gave no clue as to my whereabouts. Maybe dead.

    The elf moved over my vision, blocking out the drab shapes around me. Perhaps not dead, then.

    ¡°Blerf,¡± I managed. Just as my consciousness had returned, the ascending throb of a headache made its introduction.

    ¡°About time.¡± She sighed and moved away. ¡°If you tell me which part of you controls your reckless attitude toward your own life, I¡¯ll reach in and pull it out of you.¡±

    The past moments of my waking existence were being slotted back into place, and I remembered what had occurred. To avoid bleeding to death, I had shuffled away the debuff and replaced it without something that¡­ did something else. Didn¡¯t kill me - although I wasn¡¯t entirely convinced this was reality yet.

    With a groan, I writhed on aching muscles and tried to push myself up. I was on something soft, and covered with a thin sheet. A bed. In just my underwear - which seemed like a strange curse to have. The surrounding space now coalesced into a small room, sparsely furnished with basic furniture.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, turning to the elf in her nightshirt, as if I couldn¡¯t put two and two together.

    She tilted her head and some of the ire melted away. ¡°Some sort of temporary coma. We made sure the blood was destroyed and bundled you up on Wolf. Went to the safe village, as previously discussed.¡±

    I nodded slowly. Mostly because my head might burst from the change in pressure. Swapping an internal rupture for a forced nap wasn¡¯t the worst thing, but I could have easily killed myself with being so careless.

    ¡°Sorry for making you worry, Ren.¡±

    The elf sighed and brought up a hand to grasp at my face. ¡°Final warning, put yourself in unnecessary danger again and... we''ll have problems. Forgiven, dickbag. Before you ask - Wolf is downstairs in the living room. Quinn and Tanya are in a different house. And no, it¡¯s not like that. They both assured me.¡±

    I smiled and shuffled myself a little closer to her. A soft kiss, before I slowly collapsed back onto the bed. ¡°Feeling low energy. Aches across most of my body. Headache. Emotionally fragmented.¡±

    Ren smiled and laid down beside me, putting an arm across my chest. ¡°I appreciate the full disclosure, trickster. Tanya left an idol. It¡¯s an active one rather than passive, but will help with the pain.¡±

    ¡°And for my fragile heart?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you have me, isn¡¯t it?¡± She sat back up to retrieve the gray idol from the side table.

    In some ways, it was. Over time, she had worked me into something that she wanted. Decisive leader, pragmatic and assertive. In return, I had the adoration and companionship that my previous lives were near devoid of. I oft repeated the phrase that we had come to meet in the middle, just as we had agreed all that time ago, but a lot of it had come naturally.

    ¡°Sometimes I feel as though we spend the whole day together, yet it is still not enough.¡±

    She turned back to me and handed over the idol, a soft smile on her face. ¡°That¡¯s love, Max. We haven¡¯t had the most conventional courtship, but¡­ I honestly couldn¡¯t see myself being apart from you.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take the dimly lit lanterns and soft darkness beyond the windows to know that it was nighttime, that was for certain. Although, the fact that the sun wasn¡¯t out made it obvious even before Ren was open with me.

    ¡°Can I tell you a secret?¡± I activated the idol, and a warmth ran through me, softening the aches.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    I looked up at her and raised my hand, softly running my thumb across her eyebrow. ¡°Sometimes I miss your grumpy scowl.¡±

    She smiled and her hand came up to hold mine there. With a sigh, she nuzzled her face into my palm. ¡°You like it when I¡¯m a hardass bitch, huh?¡±

    ¡°If I wrote upon each star something that I adored about you, I would still be bereft of space before finishing.¡±

    Her eyes closed, and the smile widened. ¡°Fucking poetic asshole. I love you.¡±

    ¡°And I you, moonflower. Now lay beside me once more and let¡¯s discuss how we¡¯re going to take over the world together.¡±

    Generally speaking, we had shied away from being too overt with our feelings, just in case the System found a narrative way to split us apart. I cared no longer, even if it made it that much more likely to happen. Tanya had told me to fight for love, and that¡¯s what we¡¯d do. Any assailants or obstacle in our way, we would overcome with overwhelming force. Our hearts may be vulnerable, but in being out in the open it caused them to be stronger.

    After all, we had allowed the two new Party members into our collection of oddities. It was hard to deny that we had enough drive and competency to try to bring a ¡®fix¡¯ to the System. We¡¯d turn the world into somewhere a love like ours could bloom in total safety, and the looming trauma of being mass-murders was something unthinkable.

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    ¡°Let¡¯s talk Wolf first,¡± I began, as she pulled the cover up and shuffled herself beside me.

    ¡°It hurts to think that he could be getting old already.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. He assures me he has plenty of life in him, but our current schedule has been draining on our dear brother. Earlier he even turned his Hunger debuff off.¡±

    Ren sighed. ¡°I thought the eating and sleeping was just a fun bear thing. But we¡¯ve just been running him ragged.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t entirely correct. It was hard to judge, as the bear himself would assure us he was fine if questioned - and being a sentient animal, he might not have the same kind of handle on how much stress and hardship he could really take. ¡°I think it¡¯s the same as his diet. He doesn¡¯t know any better, so will rush headlong into whatever is required of him. We¡¯ll need to manage him better to ensure he has proper rest.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Unless we are tracked, it should be an easy day of farming Monsters tomorrow.¡±

    Good. We needed a little break. Well, in saying that - the time at the cottage was our break. Fighting System-created was more of a¡­ low stakes work environment. With the five of us now, I had no doubt we could chew through any group with little issue. Another level and a few more tokens, and I¡¯d feel ready for the true test of our accomplishments.

    The necromancer¡¯s group.

    ¡°Quinn next,¡± I prompted. ¡°He seems to have calmed a little now that we are a full Party. While combat isn¡¯t his strong suit, I feel he greases the wheels of our overall existence.¡±

    ¡°I was a bit of a shit to him when we were cooking today. He tries to help, but I feel he is like a lost puppy at times.¡± Ren pouted. ¡°That said, he means well. Compared to the first day we met him, I actually trust him now.¡±

    ¡°You think he is up to the trials ahead of us?¡±

    She was quiet for a moment as she considered this. ¡°Hmm. He said he will jump on the sword for you, and I fully believe he would. It¡¯s stupid, but for that reason alone, he would follow us into hell.¡±

    My thought¡¯s exactly. Even if he wasn¡¯t the powerhouse in battle that Ren and I were, as long as he held things together behind the scenes, then I would allow him to take the backseat. We needed him to keep us¡­ stable. Or at least, I felt like less of a mercenary hit squad with him around.

    ¡°So the new girl then, Tanya?¡±

    ¡°She spoke to me earlier, while you were out.¡± Ren turned to me, moving onto her side. ¡°Told me about the chat you had, and what caused her to join with the Lady.¡±

    ¡°I feel for her. She¡¯s conflicted that she wants nothing more to be back with her family, but also doesn¡¯t believe she deserves them back. That she is uncomfortable with how much happier part of her is in this world.¡±

    The elf grunted. ¡°In her heart, she wants to go back. Whatever you told her, she¡¯s made some peace with being here.¡±

    I furrowed my brow. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°At least¡­ she wants to fix the world to be somewhere safe. She told me she will worry about going back not only when the world is better, but when she is, too.¡±

    A silence filled the room as I contemplated this. I was pretty sure that I had just allowed her to speak her mind and open up about herself. There wasn¡¯t any guidance intended, even from the start I told her that her destiny was her own to decide on. I raised my eyebrow to see that Ren was watching me intently, as if trying to read the thoughts straight from my brain.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± I asked.

    She shook her head lightly. ¡°Sometimes I just like looking at you. Seeing all the different angles and shapes that make Max. Trying to¡­ pick out what makes you different from everyone else.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°And the verdict?¡±

    ¡°Beats me.¡± She leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the forehead. ¡°You¡¯re just stuck with my grumpy ass until some bullshit kills us, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°An acceptable fate.¡± I closed my eyes. There were certainly worse death penalties. ¡°But Tanya has a personal stake in fighting the Lady, and is kind of a rod for the rest of us. As a full Party we need a clearer path than whatever mania you can dissuade me from.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised, really, that she fits in so well.¡± Ren returned to laying back down. ¡°Not suspicious, just¡­ we aren¡¯t the most normal group. I¡¯m tired of thinking up ways in which we can be betrayed, however. I trust her because the alternative is exhausting.¡±

    Grunted my agreement, and we fell into another comfortable silence. It was nice to get all of this out into the open with her. Between kissing and violence, we were in danger of losing sight of the reins. That we were on the same page on near everything was expected and soothed my soul. Still, ripples always remained in the calmest of ponds.

    ¡°Your demon-killer arrow doesn¡¯t really do that, does it?¡±

    The bed shifted slightly as she tensed up. ¡°No¡­ not really.¡±

    I ran my tongue across dry lips. Probably too late in the night for coffee now. Instead, I just took a deep breath in. ¡°Something I should worry about?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± She shuffled back up to an elbow to look down at me and I met her gaze. ¡°This is a judgement free zone, right?¡±

    Although I nodded, my breath was still held. Ready for¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t even sure what.

    The elf deflated and looked off to the side. ¡°The culture I come from, and my family especially¡­ they¡¯re all very xenophobic. Especially with humans.¡± Her eyes came back to me. ¡°Part of the reason Flynn and I wanted to do a run from it was we didn¡¯t believe in the ¡®old ways¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± I wasn¡¯t too sure what more I could add at this stage, but I allowed myself to exhale.

    ¡°There was a human merchant that used to come by at the start of spring every year. My parents would turn up their nose and bite their tongue to do the trading¡­ but once he left, they were horrid. He probably knew. One of the nicest people I met in my old world.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Never let the drama change how friendly he was with us as kids.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t too sure what the difference between an elf and a human actually was, aside from a couple of cosmetic changes. Out of all the odd humanoids we had come across in our travels, she was probably the closest to being mistaken for a human. Assuming you hid her ears and didn¡¯t think about her radiant hair or piercing light blue eyes, anyway. More the fool me, because I thought about them all the time.

    ¡°So¡­¡± I drew my brain back to the matter at hand. ¡°The arrow doesn¡¯t kill demons.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for killing humans, yes.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t most of your arrows do that?¡±

    She gave me a dull glare. ¡°I haven¡¯t used it on prior occasions because it feels¡­ gross. It¡¯s not a part of my heritage I care to bring into this world.¡±

    ¡°Understandable. No further questions.¡± I gave her a smile that seemed to relax her once more.

    ¡°I figured you¡¯d be accepting. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t bring it up before.¡± She moved over and rested across my chest.

    My fingers went up, and I ran them through her hair. Either the action prompted her to sigh and deflate, or perhaps she had let some weight off her shoulders by laying bare that murky part of something she held in her past. Maybe both. I enjoyed the process too, and as I played with her hair, she made the outlines of shapes or letters on my torso with her fingertips.

    I preferred to think it was some kind of unsaid love letter she was writing to me, but it could also be some kind of curse. Willing to accept the worst-case scenario, my eyes went back out to the window to see that it was still night. A decent chat about our Party, and some living with the love we shared, and I was ready to turn in for the day.

    ¡°Shall we sleep, moonflower?¡±

    She moved up to look me in the face. Her eyes were tired, but some spark bloomed within them. ¡°I wanted to try something first, if that¡¯s okay?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± My eyebrow practically rocketed off my face with how quickly it rose.

    ¡°How many oranges do you have?¡±

 126 - On the Back Foot

    As much as I yearned for the sweet release of another good sleep in a soft bed, I couldn¡¯t help but sit in an enamored fascination with the elf. Standing on the floor in her nightgown, a scowl of concentration on her face and a pair of oranges in her hands - it was as bizarre as it was cute. She¡¯d picked up juggling relatively quickly. Two oranges, not a problem once she got the movements correct. Three was slightly more effort, but her natural dexterity helped the process along.

    The soft thud of the fruit of the floor was accompanied by a murmured curse, and she kneeled down to retrieve it. She stood back up and pushed her radiant blonde hair from her face. ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s enough extra-curricular activities for tonight.¡±

    I smiled. Odd to hear someone use that phrase without intending it as an entendre. ¡°Come to bed, then. Let me hold and protect you.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± She gave me a soft smile and tilted her head. ¡°You certainly know the way to my heart, trickster.¡±

    ¡°Not that you need protecting, of course,¡± I added as she moved to the bed and got under the covers. ¡°But I will anyway.¡±

    The lantern was dimmed as she shuffled up to me so that I could put my arm around her. ¡°We all need protecting,¡± she said. ¡°Just as we all need to protect you.¡±

    Just because I had been kidnapped by a demi-god, had my arm explode off, and nearly killed myself trying to save myself from a potentially fatal strike from a harpy, it didn¡¯t mean that I¡­ actually; I forgot where I was going with that train of thought.

    ¡°You ever get the feeling that things are getting weirder? More dire?¡±

    Ren sighed in comfort and held onto my arm. ¡°Of course. Knowing that the final act against the necromancer is coming up, the stakes have to be higher. Keeps the show more entertaining. The audience stays¡­ engaged.¡±

    Her voice trailed off as sleep took her. It had been a long day for all of us, and she would have been worried after I had put myself out of action with my own carelessness. Why I had to constantly gamble with my own well-being, I wasn¡¯t sure. It wasn¡¯t even that I thought myself invincible or beyond fate. I had just grown confident in my ability to rise above the odds.

    While her comment on how the show was progressing sounded like a little pandering on my behalf, perhaps there was some truth to it. Not that there was a greater narrative pushing things into neat arcs that could be resolved. But¡­ the harder we pushed against our greater foe, the greater they¡¯d have to push back.

    With that in mind, I was cautious about tomorrow. Or today, depending on how late it was. Killing System-created Monsters to grind out another level sounded simple in prospect, but we had large targets on our backs. Larger targets. In a way, we had accepted that as a fact when we took Tanya in. Or at least when I had made that decision for us.

    Being leader was a lot harder a job than I envisioned, even if not explicitly taking up that position. I felt that I had done my due diligence in speaking with Tanya today, and ensuring Wolf stayed safe. Ren and I had traded thoughts on everything so far. Perhaps Quinn was due a wellness check. We were taking a risk in splitting the Party between two houses, but the weaver had mentioned she had alarm idols or something earlier in the day. Sleep was important.

    I checked through my Stats, only really putting my tired eyes over the three figures that made a difference to my fighting ability.

    [Stats]

    Intelligence - 57 (22+35)

    Dexterity - 34 (22 + 10)

    Luck - 24 (16 + 8)

    +20% Magic Damage

    +10% Cast Speed

    +25% Maximum Mana

    My Intelligence had taken a leap of seventeen points since I last checked at the campground. Something only days away, yet it seemed like weeks ago. Dexterity up by seven, even though I had fallen out of favor with that Stat. Luck increase from fourteen to twenty-four. A decent jump and something I would use to explain how I got away with murder. And from it.

    I didn¡¯t really think about the meta progression too deeply, as long as I was getting more powerful per level. It was clear this world wasn¡¯t designed with PvP in mind, and I wondered why someone had enabled it at this stage. I could work on stacking solely Int, Magic Damage, and Maximum Mana - then my cards would be without equal.

    As my brain tried to pick apart ways in which my gear could influence my performance, I fell into a deep sleep.

    An odd dream came to me. A reflection of my fight against the Siren, but it wasn¡¯t against her this time. Instead, a faceless being of deep crimson sat patiently at the back of the audience, twisted horns like gnarled trees curved from the sides of their head.

    Clearly a demon.

    Much like a cliche running-in-a-dream scenario, none of my tricks seemed to land or work. I stood there, floundering as countless eyes stared at me - although there was nobody actually present aside from the large demon. No Ren or Wolf at my side to assist, nor the others. Even Roger was absent. A panic unlike anything I¡¯d ever felt before rocked me to my core, as my movements became even more sloppy and awkward. Melting under my own failure. If there was any metaphor or lesson to be learned from the experience, it faded away as my body rocked.

    Eyes open, I blinked away the confusion.

    ¡°Max? Bad dream?¡±

    I looked up to see the elf sitting beside me as I laid in bed. Still in her nightgown, but now long swathes of our reality were painted by bright morning light entering through the window. In contrast to the picture perfect vision in front of me, I had been sweating heavily during my sleep, and the side of my face was gummed up with drool.

    ¡°Terrible,¡± I managed. ¡°Perhaps even criminal.¡±

    ¡°We kill people and avoid taxes, trickster.¡± She left the bed, flinging back the covers to obscure my vision. ¡°Can¡¯t be any more criminal than that.¡±

    I groaned and pushed the sheet away from my face, sitting myself up. She had used the brief moment of being out of my line of sight to switch into her normal outfit. The disappointment on my face must have been obvious, as she rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that.¡± She stretched her back out. ¡°If you want a show, you¡¯ll have to make it up to me first. You¡¯re down a few points for almost killing yourself again.¡±

    ¡°Then let me get a head start.¡± I grinned and went into the Party Chat.

    [Max: Team meeting in half an hour.]

    [Tanya: Understood.]

    [Wolf: oooO]

    I looked back up at the elf to see her with a raised eyebrow and little hope I was about to suggest something she¡¯d be up for. Instead of the obvious, I skirted to a mislaid promise. ¡°Time for that foot rub.¡±

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Any disdain she held washed away to be replaced with surprise. ¡°Oh? Are¡­ you sure?¡±

    Her apparent caution over the act was again an interesting oddity. I¡¯d seen her feet before and there was nothing untoward about them. Surprisingly unblemished given the amount of walking we did, but it wasn¡¯t really anything notable.

    ¡°I am sure.¡± With the flourish of covers, I exited the bed - although I completely misjudged how close the edge I actually was. As half of me slipped, I twisted and struck my soft skull on the edge of my bedside table, collapsing to the floor. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, I then popped up from my temporary abode and flourish my hands - now dressed in my own outfit.

    The thin trickle of blood running from the graze across my forehead only dampened the reveal a tiny amount.

    ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s another point you need to make up, dickhead.¡±

    As the brief rush of adrenaline from my injury swirled out of the drain, I gestured for her to lay on the bed, totally ignoring her annoyance at yet another clumsy wound I had afflicted myself with. Better I did the deed than my enemy, I considered.

    She relented to my offer and sat on the bed to remove her boots and socks, eventually lying down atop the covers - shuffling down a little further so that I could sit at the end of the bed. With my chair produced, I did just that. From my Inventory, the flask of oil. Wasn¡¯t even too sure where I had picked it up, as scented oil was something a little strange to have in this kind of world. Possibly the campground?

    I put a healthy amount in the palm of my hand and placed the bottle on the floor beside my chair. Not only should this earn me a point back, but seemed useful in keeping my hands busy while giving my brain a chance to think about the day ahead. She seemed tense now. Perhaps she was ticklish and afraid to reveal such weakness?

    As the scent of raspberry filled the air, I took her right foot into my hands and began plying my thumbs into her sole. Almost immediately, I was on autopilot as my fingers performed practised movements, allowing my mind to wander. First port of call was to check with Tanya and see if there was any loot amongst the wreckage of the coach we had all but burned to cinders. It was nice to have someone do all the looting for me now and not have-

    ¡°Oh, oh my god.¡±

    I paused and tilted my head to look at the elf. She had an odd look on her face, like I had been torturing her. ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯m not hurting you am-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking stop,¡± she hissed, furrowing her brow.

    Not wanting to argue, I continued massaging her foot once more. She squirmed and writhed, gripping at the pillows.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done this before, haven¡¯t you, asshole?¡±

    ¡°I, uh, had a girlfriend who used to run.¡± A brief relationship amounting to about three months, just after I had left school¡­ before I let my desire to weave illusion encompass most of my waking time.

    ¡°Lucky bitch,¡± the elf murmured.

    At this stage, I had no idea what was going on. Despite her body language and occasional groan or gasp, she didn¡¯t seem to be enjoying it. It left me in an odd position where I couldn¡¯t focus on my thoughts.

    ¡°Just a¡­ little more!¡± She closed her eyes and bit her lip as I continued to knead into her soft sole. Her toes curled tight, and she exhaled deeply. ¡°Fuck! Do the other one, asshole. Quick!¡±

    I did so without question. Mostly because I wasn¡¯t even sure what I''d ask given the chance. Hopefully, by finding the same release in her left foot, Ren would then labor me with some answers to what was going on.

    ¡°We should have been doing this shit since day one. Fuck.¡±

    My head nodded along, despite knowing that if I had suggested such a thing, then that little underground hiding place probably would have been my grave. After she had stabbed me to death. I allowed my mind to be blank as I performed the necessary motions, applying more oil as quick as my dexterity allowed to not invoke her ire from pausing the ritual.

    After another agonising five minutes, and constantly wiggling and expletives, she found the same release with the other foot. I sat back in my chair, unsure of what to even do, as the elf deflated like a balloon into the bed.

    I ran my tongue around my teeth. ¡°That was¡­ unexpected.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She sighed deeply and covered her eyes with her forearm. ¡°That¡¯s not a normal reaction?¡±

    ¡°No... no.¡± I pocketed the oil into my Inventory and withdrew some cloth to wipe my hands. ¡°Usually it¡¯s relaxing or even sensual. I wasn¡¯t really sure what it was doing for you.¡±

    Ren sat up, her hair a tangled mess and hat long discarded. Before answering me, she wiggled her toes energetically. ¡°It¡¯s more like¡­ well, it¡¯s hard to explain.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to want to extrapolate on this.

    ¡°Could you try?¡±

    She shook her head and swung around to hop off the bed and onto the floorboards of whatever house they had dragged me into. ¡°Holy fucks - quick, with me.¡±

    Before I had a chance to interject, she was off. Door open, her freshly oiled feet padding out of the room and down the landing. I scooped up her footwear and hat into my Inventory before following suit, emerging into an open space just as she was going down the stairs. How she managed to keep balance throughout all this was more surprising than the sudden burst of energy.

    Down into the open living room, the large form of Wolf sat with his amber eyes narrowed at me. Only getting the audio from the given massage probably gave him the wrong idea about what we were getting up to. No time to explain, as following the elf took me out of the building and into the warm daylight.

    She had stopped just off of the path on a grassy area. Head up and eyes closed, the sunlight illuminating her radiant hair. As I walked over, I could see that she was clenching her toes against the ground. On her face, the widest smile I had possibly seen - on anyone, ever.

    ¡°I have sensitive feet,¡± she said, unprompted. ¡°It¡¯s a trait of my elven lineage. Helps us have a natural feel for the woodland or something. That said, it¡¯s also looked down upon to touch other people¡¯s feet. It¡¯s unbecoming, apparently.¡±

    ¡°Like sticking your fingers up someone else¡¯s nose.¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah.¡± She turned her head to me and opened her eyes. ¡°Like cleaning out your sinuses, it was more of a relief for me than something pleasurable. But I feel anew. My untapped potential has been unlocked.¡±

    ¡°For humans, it¡¯s not that much different from any other muscle massage. Like when you do my shoulders.¡±

    She reached out and grabbed my arm to pull me closer to her. ¡°Well, I owe you one, Max. This makes up for yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Anytime you need your feet unlocking, Ren, my hands are yours.¡±

    The elf bit her lip. ¡°It¡¯s not something I can endure often, but¡­ I will take you up on that.¡±

    Her bright blue eyes bore into mine, and her face came gradually closer. Our first morning kiss was on the horizon and labored with some new¡ªand kind of strange¡ªconnection we had made together. My hand went up to hold her cheek and-

    ¡°Morning, you two!¡± The voice of Quinn was an ice cube that slithered down the collar of our simmering romance.

    We turned to see the fixer, followed by Tanya, who seemed to know better when to not interrupt something good happening. Relaxing into more casual positioning, I raised my hand up to wave at them before plopping Ren¡¯s hat back onto her head.

    ¡°Want your boots back yet?¡± I asked from the side of my mouth.

    She pouted. ¡°The longer we can stand here on the grass, the better your reward later.¡±

    Shame about the Lady, I guess. She had won, but at least we could eke out an existence living here right on this exact spot. Although, now I imagined the elf slowly turning into a tree. Not a fitting existence for my prot¨¦g¨¦.

    ¡°Glad to see you have recovered,¡± the weaver said, as the pair reached us.

    ¡°Thanks for the idol.¡± I gave her a nod, but my mind was still trying to think of excuses why we wouldn¡¯t leave the area. ¡°Either of you eaten yet?¡±

    They shook their heads. ¡°Honestly, it was just so nice having a soft bed and some safety.¡± Tanya looked back at the building they had stayed in. ¡°Almost wanted another couple of hours.¡±

    From behind us, the house groaned as Wolf pushed himself through. ¡°Someone say food?¡±

    With a grin, I raised an eyebrow to Ren. ¡°Well, here in the lovely sun seems like the perfect place to warm up the grill!¡±

    She mouthed a thank-you at me before she withdrew her cooking appliance and the others brought out chairs. With mine appearing as I sat, I leaned over and took off my own boots and socks.

    ¡°Want to sort out loot and debrief from last night?¡± Tanya raised an eyebrow as she looked between Ren¡¯s bare feet and mine.

    ¡°Soon,¡± I replied, a soft smile on my face.

    The grass was cool, still laden with a little dew that the sun had yet to evaporate away. Beneath it, the dirt was soft. Not quite comforting, and I clearly didn¡¯t have the visceral connection to nature that Ren felt. As I watched the weaver remove her own boots, with Quinn shortly following her, I couldn¡¯t help but feel contented.

    I took this moment to enjoy living, for I could read between the lines of our script. We were in the eye of the storm. A slight calm before the biggest test to date.

    While our harshest critics lay in wait, I was mentally sharpening my blade. Even beneath the smile and jovial attitude, the demon within me was preparing to do the worst so that our best days could survive just that little longer.

    The seats were filling, and I could hear the impatient murmurs rising.

    Soon, my audience. Soon.

 127 - Stepping Stones

    We all sat with our bare feet in the grass and ate a good breakfast. Slightly toasted bread with fried tomato and bacon on top. I even convinced Ren to let me put the garlic I had on the grill to fashion up some garlic butter. A comforting silence followed suit. Enjoying the moment, knowing what I knew, even though we didn¡¯t need to say it. Bad things were on the way.

    ¡°Bad news, Max.¡± Tanya wiped her mouth on a produced napkin. ¡°None of the loot from last night is any good for you.¡±

    ¡°Really? I guess none of them were casters as such.¡± I pulled a face, clearly too used to getting a worthwhile bounty from Players.

    ¡°There¡¯s three potions, however. Ten percent increase in Intelligence for an hour.¡±

    I held my hands out eagerly. ¡°And yet I will still continue to make poor decisions.¡± Better to get in there first before anyone else could get a jab in.

    My eyes turned to the bear as I looted up the trio of drinkable boosts. He was exceptionally bright eyed this morning. Normally, food and sleep were his default non-fighting states of being. Yet since leaving the building, he seemed alert and ready for the day. Clearly, he got the rest he needed. I could only hope that it was something more permanent.

    ¡°Some stuff for Ren, however.¡± Tanya transferred something across to the elf.

    Ren herself had also retained a brighter outlook for the day. Not quite smiling, but as relaxed and content as I¡¯d ever seen her - certainly amongst company. A little hardship and our newest members had found some comfort in being a part of the jigsaw.

    ¡°Sixty-five Dex now,¡± the elf nodded to herself. ¡°Not terrible.¡±

    I raised my eyebrow. ¡°And I thought I was doing well with my fifty-seven Int.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the damage formula on your card attack, though? My attacks usually only do seventy or eighty percent of my Dex bonus.¡± She swung around in her chair and placed her feet up on my lap.

    Having recently run through the house while they were still slightly oiled up, she now just had mud and blades of grass stuck to her. I knew better than to touch them - she was just airing them out after soaking in nature. ¡°Oh, my cards are a full hundred percent Int damage.¡±

    ¡°Balls to that.¡± She wrinkled her nose up. ¡°Why¡¯s the System always kissing your ass?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Even better than that, when I get my Power meter high enough, I get some free white gloves.¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°Where are they now?¡±

    ¡°Well, they vanished after-¡±

    ¡°Not free gloves then, were they?¡± Her eyes narrowed, but I could see that playful spark within them.

    Tanya turned to the fixer, who was being quieter than normal. ¡°Quinn, I have a sword with evasion increase and threat reduction. Interested?¡±

    ¡°Please, that would be appreciated.¡± He placed his coffee mug down to receive the weapon, holding it up to catch the light as he observed it with his one eye. ¡°Delightful. I feel I haven¡¯t been pulling my weight in combat lately, so-¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah.¡± I held my hand up and waved a finger. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing enough. Not everything has to be an all-out brawl.¡±

    He smiled and gave me a nod. ¡°Diplomatic as always, Max. I will continue to do my best.¡±

    Although he could have nailed the stagecoach with his explosive boomerang, I preferred we kept that as an emergency option.

    ¡°Hey, Max,¡± Tanya tilted her head toward me. ¡°What does Quinn¡¯s accent remind you of?¡±

    I furrowed my brow. ¡°I¡¯ve struggled to place it. The extra difficulty lies in not being able to remember the names of places back on Earth.¡±

    ¡°Right? He has like a musketeer look to him, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I rubbed my chin and narrowed my eyes at the bemused fixer. ¡°But it¡¯s not a baguette or pasta accent.¡±

    ¡°Oh, clever!¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s more like a¡­ kangaroo accent?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± I clicked my fingers. ¡°Definitely kangaroo adjacent.¡±

    Ren pulled a face. ¡°Kangaroo?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re like a bipedal marsupial... you know, a mammal with a pouch,¡± Tanya offered. ¡°Long feet that they hop around on like a rabbit.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The elf nodded slowly. ¡°We have something similar, but they are called kangaroos.¡±

    I winced.

    ¡°I don¡¯t sound like a kangaroo,¡± Quinn murmured.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying kangaroo¡­ well, we¡¯re hearing kangaroo,¡± I began, ¡°but the System must be translating it in some way.¡±

    ¡°I am not saying kangaroo.¡± Ren pouted.

    <hr>

    It took a while for the group to try to decide who was really saying what. Any annoyance didn¡¯t take hold, with how completely silly the whole conversation truly was. With little else left to do, we packed everything away and set off to where we¡¯d be farming for the day. An hour or so walk, Tanya informed us. Judging by her map, we shouldn¡¯t be close to any known Crimson Shadow - unless they had moved.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Ren sidled up to me and gave me puppy-dog eyes. ¡°My feet feel so constrained and stifled in these boots now.¡±

    I returned a dull glare. ¡°You can walk barefoot, but if you hurt yourself or step in anything icky, then you¡¯ll get no sympathy from me.¡±

    She pouted and looked forward. ¡°Mean.¡±

    While I loved this woman more than breathing itself, if the day started to revolve her feet then I¡¯d start to¡­ oh. Was this how people thought about me and my tricks? My expression relaxed, and I nudged her. ¡°You can feel it too, right?¡±

    Her coy act melted away, and she gave a serious nod. ¡°Something is happening today. Probably an ambush, knowing our fucking luck.¡±

    I nodded. Glad we were on the same page. Not that I wanted to paint the courier attack as an easy win, but things had been calm since leaving the dungeon. Now we¡¯d forced their hand in denying them the blood - they¡¯d have to act. I had already made some contingency plans for the inevitable interruption to our leveling today. But still¡­ there was something else.

    A tingle that ran around my right arm. Placebo or coincidence? Or a portent of something even worse? My money was on the latter, and I had a lot of it. The looming possibility that there might be something more to my arm than just the ability to apparate gloves and cast my Domain was still on the horizon. The fact that the Crimson had worse and weirder than grubby assholes with swords was both surprising and worrying.

    They had a Player that could manipulate System-created, so the choices for what could be sent our way were varied and uncountable. That wasn¡¯t it, still. Something close to the tip of my tongue, but I couldn¡¯t chew on it just yet.

    Tanya and Quinn were ahead of us in animated conversation. I¡¯d even heard them laugh over something, which caused Ren and I to exchange glances. They¡¯d been clear that nothing was going on between them, and for the most part, I trusted that. Certainly I didn¡¯t see a reason Tanya wouldn¡¯t be frank with me about it, unless she felt guilty. They could just be friends, and I wasn¡¯t about to ship them until they came out with the truth themselves.

    Wolf was behind us and still seemed as energetic as earlier. I widened the space between myself and the elf so he could move up between us.

    ¡°How you feeling today, big brother?¡± I shot him a wide smile.

    He looked about ready to dispute me being the less senior of the two of us, but let it slide. ¡°I feel unburdened. A weight has been lifted and I feel five years younger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Gently, I gave him a few pats on the shoulder.

    Ren leaned forward, so that she was a little closer to his large head. ¡°Any reason for the change, big brother?¡±

    He grunted. ¡°I think the addition of fruit and vegetables to my diet played a key role.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t about to dispute that, or delve into any further details. As long as he was happy and healthy, I was content. ¡°I want you to keep me updated when we¡¯re fighting. We¡¯ll take breaks whenever you need.¡±

    ¡°I will probably eat less of our foes,¡± he admitted. ¡°I¡¯m learning self control.¡±

    He no longer had the Hungry debuff, so that probably helped with his endeavors. While we had taken his appetite at face value, it turned out he was over-engorging himself regularly. Exhausted from trying to process an overabundance of food while still being constantly ravenous. I felt guilty that we had been so blind to his well-being.

    ¡°We¡¯re about here,¡± Tanya called from up front.

    Time flew when you were eager to enact violence and hopeful to avoid a different violence.

    We rounded a corner through a group of trees and were met by a village. Small stone and wooden huts, surrounded by humanoids going about their System-designated business. I had to stop and glare at them for a moment to make sure they weren¡¯t real¡­ as they were all human.

    ¡°Why are they hostile to Players?¡± I screwed up my face as I rolled out my shoulders. A little pre-show warm-up so that I didn¡¯t pull anything. Like my own spine out.

    ¡°Some bullshit lore thing.¡± Tanya yawned and begun preparing idols for us all.

    Quinn pointed out at the building further into the village. Slightly larger and more ornamental. ¡°Leader resides in there, and is trying to secede from the Crown. For as well as that will do them.¡±

    For several reasons, I was sure. ¡°Well, as long as we can massacre them and steal their belongings without the ¡®Crown¡¯ being mad at us, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Not shying away from a little regicide, are you, trickster?¡±

    I turned my head back to the elf as she drew her bow and prepared her quiver. ¡°I have enough enemies at present. Plus, wouldn¡¯t you rather perform for royalty?¡±

    The face she pulled told me that perhaps not.

    We prepared ourselves to engage in combat. The villagers were a mixture of melee, ranged, and casters. Wolf would tie up as many as he could while Ren and I picked off the more dangerous System-created at the back. Quinn would flexibly switch between sword to help the bear not get flanked, or move back to use his crossbow and pull further opponents. Tanya would set up dead zones that would poison our enemies when not debuffing the ones in combat with Wolf.

    A sound plan that would surely go without a hitch. We had come to the agreement that I would not use Shuffle on a Party member¡ªwhich included myself¡ªafter they witnessed that Shadow melt away to ashes. I had underestimated the risk that it carried, and knowing it could cause such destruction previously, we probably wouldn¡¯t have used it for our Trauma.

    I dropped down an Imp+ card - this one the Ice version. Instead of the reddish skin I was used to, he had a pale blue coloration with specs of frost in his beard. I¡¯d get Roger up as soon as possible, and have him support Wolf and act as decoy, so we three at the back weren¡¯t an easy target.

    ¡°Make sure you accept the repeatable Quest,¡± Tanya prompted, watching me pretend to kill our enemies with my glare alone.

    ¡°Oh, of course.¡±

    [Kill dissenters (0/20)]

    It was almost a shame this kind of fighting required no pizzazz. Simple-minded enough that we could just pelt them with damage and pick their corpses clean, repeating ad infinitum.

    ¡°Ready check?¡± I asked.

    They each nodded or grunted their acceptance. Each tense and ready to fight.

    I wasn¡¯t, though.

    At first, I tried to ignore it. Maybe just nerves or adrenaline. Perhaps even the anticipation was having a physical effect on my body? Pins and needles had started to prick at my right arm. A numb sensation that felt awkward.

    ¡°Max?¡± Ren stepped up closer to try to read my face.

    ¡°Oh? Sorry. No, my arm is just fuzzy. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    They were all watching me. Expecting it to explode again? Not really. Their glances were something more of a normal concern. I grasped at it, hoping some touch would shuffle the feeling away. Closed my eyes and leaned forward. Was holding my breath for some reason.

    Ren¡¯s arm went around me, and Tanya was already crouched down in front of me, hand against my forehead as if looking me in the eye could expel a diagnosis. Vision was spotty and their voices distant. Heartbeat pounded in my ears.

    And then a voice, a simple sentence that scratched its way across my brain.

    I gasped for air, my senses flooding back to me in a sudden rush. Despite the pair clamoring around me, I stood up straight and risked passing out from the burst of oxygen and elevation.

    ¡°Speak to us, Max, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ren¡¯s face was a picture of panic.

    My finger rose up. I needed a second to compose myself as my breathing returned to normal. The fuzzy feeling in my arm faded away over a few short seconds, leaving me feeling¡­ normal. Just a little out of sorts.

    The message reverberated around the back of my skull. A language I didn¡¯t understand, but something instinctual knew it as clear as day.

    ¡°Well,¡± I took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Someone has just killed the fourth Guardian.¡±

 128 - Dizzying Heights

    My odd outburst had been a wet blanket over the energetic fervor that had taken us right up to the precipice of murdering our way through the village. Seemed as though the Guardians were connected in a way. Explained how the Lady knew I had killed the Siren.

    But what did it really mean?

    No reactions from the rest of the Party, so the thought that one of them might be harboring the second Guardian kill in secret faded away. Ren and Wolf were both proficient enough that I had kept an eye on them, just in case. Not that I felt either would hold such a thing from me, but you never knew.

    The second point that boggled my mind was - who had killed this fourth Guardian? Odds on it being someone in the Crimson Shadow? Near guaranteed, I reckoned. As nice as it would be to assume it could be one of our few allies¡ªor a character from the unmet neutral parties¡­ it just didn¡¯t work that way.

    We had taken to fighting the System-created in near silence. Wolf was a pulsing ball of buff effects, carving bloody swathes through any foolish to get close enough to him. As they were just Monsters, that was most of them. The occasional ranger, healer, or magician were quickly dealt with by Ren or myself.

    I started sending out three mundane cards alongside my three magical ones. They had less range of control, but as soon as the

    attacks had dealt damage, I switched the power to the basic cards, meaning I was able to strike another three times straight after. I¡¯m sure there was even more bullshit I could wrangle from such tricks, but I didn¡¯t have the stomach for it right now. Power bar hadn¡¯t peaked over 12%, my performance scoring low with critics.

    [Kill dissenters (20/20)]

    [Quest Complete]

    [200 Gold]

    [Supply Crate (3)]

    [Materials (2)]

    [Kill dissenters (0/20)]

    My eyes went through the motions and I accepted the repeat Quest. Autopilot, as I saw nothing but boxes to move and shapes that needed dropping to the floor. The others needed to pause to go through the menus, but I was already killing it. A familiar sensation where I became a conductor just weaving through the gestures.

    My Ice Imp+ sent out a bolt of frost, striking a warrior charging towards Wolf. Other than damage, it also slowed the target and those close by. A nice crowd control option compared to the more destructive Fire Imp+. I gave him a nod as his time was up and he faded away back to Hell. Roger clobbered the delayed Monster with his large mace, leaving the bear to focus on the two he was already fighting.

    ¡°No hounds, trickster?¡± Ren pouted from a few feet away.

    ¡°Hmm? Oh.¡± I raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t turn to her fully in case I messed up the trajectory of my cards. ¡°Not right now.¡±

    ¡°A lot on your mind.¡± A statement rather than a question. She let loose an arrow which pierced through the extended palm of a spellcaster, embedding through into their forearm.

    Tanya rubbed at her wrist. ¡°I¡¯ve told the guy in the Eternal Wardens you believe another Guardian has been killed. He is still being a little shit and ignoring me.¡±

    I nodded. Didn¡¯t particularly care for the extra lore right now, anyway. The Wardens were hiding out, sniveling in the southwest. Away from the necromancer. If they wouldn¡¯t meet us here or talk over Chat, then they could get fucked.

    ¡°My mood has soured. Rotten,¡± I announced as my cards continuously carved up the face of an opponent that was long finished. ¡°Just a forewarning.¡±

    Ren put a heal through me by instinct, but it did nothing to move the needle. Ever since I had accepted that I was partly a demon, I no longer shirked away from her radiant energy. Didn¡¯t really make sense on the face of it, but I didn¡¯t have the heart to work out why. Lots of things weren¡¯t exactly sensible as of late.

    I turned to the elf. ¡°Thank you. Unfortunately, the only thing that will clear the dark clouds is a thunderstorm.¡±

    She gave me a stoic nod, understanding the subtext. A show had been booked, we just weren¡¯t sure of the venue or participants. Knocked over the courier, and now a Guardian had been slain. That meant someone had received a power boost. Didn¡¯t take a genius to start making the connections.

    I had turned the page and taken a glimpse of the script. Maybe the Siren was just the god of being cocksure over vague foreshadowing. Of course, conflict was in our near future. Didn¡¯t need the supposed power I had been granted to take a stab at that revelation.

    Then why did it make me feel so dour?

    Couldn¡¯t avoid the inevitable. Even as I thought this and ran cards through the next set of dissenters, I was still working my jaw. It just wasn¡¯t¡­ engaging enough. Born to rise up over the normal rules of the System, even with the ease that we chewed through these Monsters, I didn¡¯t feel satisfied.

    ¡°Requesting a break,¡± Wolf called from the front.

    Cards dropped, and I gave Tanya a nod. She called it. We¡¯d back away and drop aggro, take a breather. Well, even as they did so¡­ that wasn¡¯t my plan. At the risk of annoying everyone¡­

    Stolen story; please report.

    I had to create my own thunderstorm.

    As they stepped off closer to the woods, I vanished. Appeared atop one of the small houses. Lightning Imp+ summoned to my side as I dismissed the hell-bird. Full deck of mundane cards burst from my belt holster and swirled around me in a torrent.

    And then I drowned the unworthy. Casting my basic cards like a breaking wave, they washed throughout the street. Every time one would strike one of the confused villagers, it flashed purple, turning into one of my magic ones to slice through them just in time. Turning slowly, I swept around in a circle. With the crackle of energy, my Imp+ shot a beam of white light that arced between opponents.

    He was a light gray color, like the clouds I had purported to be. An odd bliss warmed me as I increased the pace, maiming the targets before they were shocked by my demon. Roger had joined the fray, not wanting to be left out. He acted like a conduit, drawing in enemies from afar into the range of my rolling tide.

    It was rude and selfish of me to act the fool and bask in the glory of my own ego. Something about it grounded me, however. A warm-up for something on the horizon. Dizzying grandeur. Above all others.

    Quest completed. Quest accepted. A show tune hummed between my ears as I felt at peace. Power meter said 20%. No tricks being performed, but part of it was due to my need to be a spectacle, as if I was rewarded for taking risk and being insufferable. I couldn¡¯t be any other way.

    Made even more appalling as I clocked the expressions of my Party waiting in the sidelines. Mostly displeasure at me putting myself at risk, but there were the hints of awe within their eyes. I was a spectacle.

    Spawns exhausted in the area, I turned and hopped straight off the roof. Landed on the open end of my cannon that I somehow summoned completely vertical. A blast of confetti rose up from between my legs as the siege weapon slowly tilted to a horizontal position. I jumped from the end before it crashed to the ground, rolling across the cobblestone road and back up to my feet. Took a deep bow as a second shot of confetti washed over me.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Ren called from their resting place.

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. 24% and some of the gloom had shifted from my brain. Hands in my pockets, I unsummoned the cannon as Roger and the Imp+ both fell away back to Hell.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry,¡± I announced with a shrug.

    ¡°Yeah, I can tell by the smile, dickbag.¡± Ren shook her head, but she wasn¡¯t even mad despite the scowl.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t realize we were holding you back so much,¡± Quinn said, his arms crossed but a smile amongst his beard.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± I wiggled my finger. ¡°I have a compulsion to be the star of the show - a curse, if you will.¡±

    They weren¡¯t buying it¡­ but they at least begrudgingly accepted that it was just part of me. We had snacks and water while Wolf stretched out and caught his breath. Still had that spark of energy in his eyes, so he was being more conservative with his abilities. Perhaps I could learn from him.

    I looked out at the village. Some near the start had started to respawn now, so we should be able to cycle back around once we hit the end. It seemed as though I had been a bit too forceful with my metaphors, as there were now dark clouds coming in from the east, blanketing out the blue skies.

    ¡°I¡¯m just destined to have to keep worrying about your dumbass, aren¡¯t I?¡± Ren stepped beside me and leaned her head onto my shoulder.

    ¡°You are.¡± I put my arm around her and gave her a squeeze. ¡°And the only time I¡¯d owe you an apology is when I wouldn¡¯t be able to give you one.¡±

    ¡°Melodramatic ass. Plenty of things you could apologize for while still breathing.¡± She sighed and moved away to look me in the face. ¡°I love seeing you be extra and enjoy yourself. Just don¡¯t push it too far. If there¡¯s something worse coming our way, then¡­¡±

    I placed a finger on her lips. ¡°Then they will fall to the ground, split in twain.¡±

    She screwed her face up. ¡°You¡¯re going to lose that finger one of these days, motherfucker.¡± Her bright blue eyes rolled, and then she gave me a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Wolf grunted and stood back up, stretching his back out.

    Tanya clapped her hands. ¡°Alright troupe, back into formation and we¡¯ll take it from the top. No alterations to the performance. Oh, and Max?¡±

    I turned my head away from the elf and raised an eyebrow at our manag- at the fateweaver.

    She flipped something through the air, which I caught deftly. A Power Token.

    ¡°A little bonus for putting in the extra effort and completing the Quest ahead of schedule.¡± She gave me a wink and then set about corralling the others who now looked a little put-out at my preferential treatment.

    ¡°Kiss-ass,¡± Ren murmured. ¡°Two can play that game.¡± She adjusted her quiver and worked out her shoulders.

    Tanya hadn¡¯t been with us long enough to know that I shouldn¡¯t be encouraged. Now that we knew there may be rewards for putting on a show, what had started as a boring-but-safe level grind was now an all-out-brawl to impress the woman. A dangerous game to play, and one I was sure to win.

    Holding the Token tight in my grip, I cycled through the abilities and passives that were still at basic level. Too many to count¡­ perhaps instead of getting two skills to the third level, I should have spread things around. No, I already disagreed with that thought.

    I had made my decision.

    My cannon had been a mainstay in most of my performances since receiving it. Upgrading it to Advanced increased the amount of Dazzle icons it would stack on targets, and allowed me to load up each of the three payloads all at once rather than having to do one after every shot. Delicious.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± I grinned and nodded that I was ready.

    As Wolf began to glow from his several buffs, each of us stood ready to launch forward and see what manner of ridiculous combat we could get into. I licked my lips, almost able to taste the applause. Power had dropped back to 14%, but I didn¡¯t need to push it all the way for System-created.

    Cards circled both my hands as I stood poised for bullshit, just waiting for the bear to initiate combat.

    Ren lowered her bow, a sudden scowl across her face as she looked toward the east.

    Maybe the bad weather was coming in quicker than expected. More the fool her for being distracted - that would just give me a head start.

    Instead of bursting forward, Wolf tilted his head and then raised his nose into the air. Also toward the east.

    I turned my head in that direction. Knowing what I would see. A picture painted so clearly it should have been obvious from the height of my ego. We all knew what was to the east, but we expected it to stay there. The threads I was so eager to join were tied together, the pages of the script unable to tell me lies even if I didn¡¯t want to believe it.

    Ren cursed under her breath as the first drops of rain started to patter from the sky.

    I saw the uncountable shadows move amongst the treeline on the other side of the village, and my body temperature dropped.

 129 - Greatest Burden

    A roving horde of the undead might not mean anything. Even if it meant what I thought it did, it didn¡¯t change our current predicament. As my jaw clenched, cards of bright purple bloomed in my hand, spiraling around, ready to be flung forth. Similar to the ones that assailed us at the camp, they looked like generic System-created.

    No prizes for guessing who they had come from.

    Something like this wasn¡¯t natural¡­ no chance the System would give this sort of power to a normal Player. I didn¡¯t want to think it out loud, just in case it drove the final nail of truth down into the coffin of my disbelief¡­ but I was pretty certain we had found out who killed the latest Guardian.

    ¡°Shit me.¡± Tanya took a step back, her eyes trying to count the number of potential assailants. ¡°I have something for this, but I need to know now. All in or fall back?¡±

    ¡°Retreat would just be delaying the inevitable,¡± I said through clenched teeth. ¡°I will not be bullied around.¡± We weren¡¯t afraid to fight, and I had enough power to shred dozens of the shuffling corpses with ease.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll stand with you. Here¡­ this is the best I can do.¡± In her hands, she created two idols. Both were made of silver with a thin band of opal around the circumference. ¡°It will allow you to resist the diseases the zombies can spread, but there¡¯s a limitation.¡±

    Ren already had an arrow ready to fire. ¡°Which is?¡±

    ¡°They are small area of effect auras, and I can only have two of them at once. I would suggest Ren and I stay as a pair, and Wolf and Quinn as another. Max, you¡¯ll have to decide which group you want to fight with.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Got it. If it¡¯s just zombies, I will take the high ground and get a better view of the situation. If we aren¡¯t alone, I will return to one of you.¡±

    ¡°You turn into a zombie, and we¡¯re over,¡± the elf said, her eyes narrowed. Rain drops bounced from the rim of her top hat as she glared at me.

    Well, that certainly worked as a better motivator than any other warning they could have leveled at me. Then again, I was assuming she meant us as a couple, rather than us as a greater Party. Same difference. It was hard to see how many undead there were, but I had no intention of getting close enough to be bitten. They weren¡¯t even interested in most of my tricks. A waste of time, if they weren¡¯t so eager to take a bite out of me.

    I drew out a glass flask of water. ¡°If you could do the honors.¡± Although not much of a movie buff, I had seen enough zombie flicks to know about the tropes and cliches. ¡°I¡¯ll need your eyes around us to ensure we aren¡¯t surrounded¡­ this may be a trap.¡± Or we could easily be overrun.

    Ren whispered the elven word to imbue it with radiant energy, before giving me a nod of acknowledgement. ¡°If there¡¯s too many¡­¡±

    ¡°Plan B is a fighting retreat.¡± I cooled my temperature, knowing the stakes. ¡°We have the advantage of speed as long as we have a route to escape. Kill as many as you can and we¡¯ll keep falling back.¡±

    Tanya nodded. ¡°That¡¯s more sensible than us making a last stand.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± I grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came up with it.¡±

    Before they could respond, I was away. Back up to the house I had been using to kill all the¡­ My heart immediately sank down to my stomach. Past the edge of the village where the zombies had started to crest into the open, they did not stop at the visible treeline, but continued on down through the woods. Hundreds upon hundreds, like a sickening wave of decay.

    ¡°Plan B,¡± I called back to the Party. ¡°Fire at will.¡± I wondered if they could see the look on my face. No doubt Ren could read how dire the situation was¡­ because suddenly I certainly felt like a fish out of water.

    Beside me, I summoned the cannon. Loaded it with three things. Dropped my Fire Imp+ next and told him to light up what he could. Slightly to the left, the first cannon blast fired out a lit lantern, which struck and tree and spread the oil around the area. Second to the right, a similar payload and effect. Third to the middle, and it was the holy water Ren had prepared. Bursting against the thick bark of a tall tree just outside the village, it sprayed the contents down on a group of undead, melting away at their flesh. The flames struggled to catch as the downpour continued, only a few zombies laden with the thick liquid catching aflame.

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    Entangling arrow followed by Smite shot pinned and blew through zombies down below. Crossbow bolts and minor spells from the rest of them peppered amongst the unending horde. My Imp+ threw a fireball down, exploding with amber flame and scorching the cobblestones. I summoned Roger into one of the dead dissenters and commanded him to go wild. Cooldown was up and I used <Demonic Transposition+> again to go back to the group.

    ¡°How many, Max?¡± Tanya¡¯s eyes were wild, some panic within. Of course, if it wasn¡¯t that many, I would have danced a little dance while throwing my cards out.

    ¡°Far too many. Looked like from the east only, but things could change.¡± I was at somewhat of a loss. Dozens we could work through, scores - sure. Hundreds was risky.

    ¡°Only zombies?¡± Ren asked, firing off another arrow. There was worry in her eyes too, as much as she was trying to hide it.

    ¡°From what I could see.¡± I shrugged. That didn¡¯t make sense, though. How quickly we could go from feeling on top of the world to suffering on the back foot. Some manner of joke about how that was show-business fizzled before I could even grasp at it. Any lingering humor had been scrubbed away by how serious I found our situation. No easy out.

    Even with the idols, it was too dangerous to jump into melee. Wolf could pulp them like soggy newspaper, but he would eventually tire from the sheer amount. We¡¯d be putting his health in jeopardy and committing to being knee deep in an enemy that could easily swarm around him and cut the bear off from the rest of us.

    Something like fear gripped at me. An odd sensation when I had been so filled with gusto during my time in this world. Even if some of it was false confidence, at present I was now full of dread. But why? The answer was as clear and immutable as the growing throng ahead of us.

    I was about to lose them all; I knew it. A vision of my Party torn asunder by the countless living corpses. Me powerless to save them. Enveloping darkness that I couldn¡¯t fight against. I had found my match and brought death to those I held closest. One by one, they would be taken from me.

    Was this just paranoia? An effect of the Siren, or perhaps something our enemy was using to cause me this odd feeling? No, it was part of the script. A magician alone and angry, suffering because¡­ he needed to be the star of the show. They would be gone, and I would wreak terrible vengeance until my body couldn¡¯t withstand the power. Until I fell heavier than any final curtain.

    ¡°Max, you alright?¡± Ren shot me a concerned glance.

    I looked into those blue eyes, and I couldn¡¯t tell her a lie. Couldn¡¯t pretend that we were fine, and that I hadn¡¯t just envisioned her death if we stood around here. I shook my head. ¡°Bad vibes.¡±

    Not the most informative response, but she knew me well enough. ¡°Should we fall back?¡±

    ¡°We¡­ need to get very far away,¡± I said, a shakiness in my voice. ¡°There are hundreds of them. Too many for us to put on a brave face and suffer through.¡±

    She swore under her breath. The undead were halfway through the village now, slowly shambling toward us and taking out some of the respawning dissenters. Our attacks had made a dent¡­ but it was paltry compared to how many that were left. We weren¡¯t well equipped for doing large area damage.

    Wolf looked ready to go if asked, but otherwise not keen to get stuck in. He knew as well as I did what could go wrong, even if he was used to powering through such problems. Beside him, Quinn looked even less enthused about fighting. He seemed tired already, as if just seeing the horde had exhausted his will to live.

    Ren¡¯s expression had hardened. Ready to do whatever I decided was best. A terrible burden to put on me when I couldn¡¯t see the light at the end of the tunnel. My breathing felt stifled - was this a panic attack? Power was at 0%, as if I couldn¡¯t feel any further away from being myself. I tried probing around for Other Max or my internal Demon, but there was nobody home. It didn¡¯t work like that anymore.

    This was me, but I¡¯d never felt so unlike myself.

    Tanya put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Max. I¡¯ve been keeping something secret from you. I¡¯ll apologize later, but I have a Teleportation scroll.¡±

    ¡°Oh? To where?¡± I felt clammy now, my heartbeat pounding through my ears, but none of the usual adrenaline to accompany it.

    ¡°I have it set for the cottage. I¡­ was keeping it for an emergency, or to save my own skin if things between us didn¡¯t work out.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Fine. Fuck if I care, just get it ready. We¡¯ll go. This is an emergency.¡± I had to save them at any cost.

    With a nod, she brought it up and stood closer to the rest of us. ¡°Hands all on the scroll, three second cast, and then we¡¯re gone. It¡¯s not that far away, but gives us time.¡±

    But how much time? My mind was reeling. I was closer to believing I was under some kind of spell, but my Status screen was giving me the all clear. Normally, I was more level-headed than this. Where was the bravado? The cunning? Any sliver of willpower that I could bullshit my way through this obstacle?

    Absent, and sorely missed. I felt ever more like it had been stolen from me.

    Still clutching at the idols, we each hurried around her, Wolf putting his paw on the unraveled scroll before the rest of us joined him. Had to make sure there was enough room for the five of us. The blue arcane runes on the page lit up as Tanya started to cast the spell. I took a deep breath, still trying to guess the next step we should take. This was only a brief delay to something bigger.

    Three. My right eye twitched as a shrill sound rang out in my inner ear.

    Two. A whisper growing louder, a language I didn¡¯t understand but the voice so familiar.

    One.

    I removed my hand from the scroll and watched the Party vanish in a flash of blue light.

 130 - Twin Peaks

    He was here.

    Abandoning my Party had not been a foolish self sacrifice, or an attempt for bravado to lead me to an early grave. It was just the knowledge that someone was close, and what I was about to do should bear no witnesses.

    Even as my STAR lit up with messages, I chose to ignore them. Didn¡¯t have the heart to explain, nor the time. A flash of air surrounded me as I switched back up to the roof of the central house.

    The horde had truly swarmed in now. Amongst the pattering rain, their glowing yellow eyes sought me out. Soon enough, the entire village would be drowned in walking dead, with little chance of escape. It would take them a while to destroy the building to get at me - or less if they could climb, but for now, this was a sensible enough place to gather my thoughts.

    My tired eyes looked down to see Roger in constant conflict. Every time his puppet became overwhelmed, he would switch to another, grabbing up whatever was closest to renew his onslaught. His dedication was admirable, but it didn¡¯t hit any emotional marker within me. He would find a lack of applicable hosts soon enough, and wasn¡¯t gaining any ground against the endless sea of corpses.

    My mood had cooled, as if the persistent precipitation had melted away the blind panic I had not a minute ago. The truth wasn¡¯t so simple. Now, without the weight of love clouding my mind, things had become clearer. I knew what I was and what purpose I had to fulfill at this stage of the show.

    I turned slowly.

    Across the village street, atop the roof of the building opposite mine. There he was.

    A singular eye of bright white glared at me. Deep red skin and ivory horns. Muted leathers, the hand-print of the Lady on his forehead as well as on his chest plate.

    I blinked, and his mouth upturned into a sharp grin.

    ¡°The trouble with my Domain,¡± he crooned, ¡°is that it allows people to escape, in exchange for a wider area and specific effect.¡±

    Cogs in my head clicked around. My brief mania, the fear instilled in my mind, was part of his Domain. A reason why it didn¡¯t show up as a Status, perhaps. Something to learn.

    He tilted his head. ¡°You must have strong willpower, most would be reduced to a blubbering wreck by now.¡±

    That must mean I was still in it. Odd, considering I didn¡¯t have the lashing of paranoia keeping me cowering any longer. In saying that, I had a lot more cards up my sleeve that he wasn¡¯t privy to. My own Domain. My demonic side. My Hunter past life that sought to erase beings like him.

    He¡¯d know soon enough.

    I rolled my head around on my neck and stood to face him fully. ¡°Last I heard, Rolo is feeling pretty lonely. So eager to join him?¡±

    ¡°Human fuck!¡± He seethed in response. ¡°You sealed your fate when you killed my twin.¡±

    A thrum of energy vibrated through my ears. Part of my psyche was fighting against his power. Pushing through the weight he was trying to smother me with. And I was winning.

    I grinned. ¡°Do you want to know how I did it?¡±

    ¡°Just die!¡± A sword of red energy burst out into his grip and he surged towards me, zipping across the open air with a streak of crimson blur.

    He struck the empty air, as I appeared on the roof he had just left, leaving us in switched places. My foot slid slightly on the tiles that had become slick from the rain. The gnashing crowd below looked up with eager eyes. Stage diving wasn¡¯t really a done thing in the magic world, so I¡¯d leave them hungry.

    My head turned back to the demon, a smile still on my face. ¡°You didn¡¯t come alone, surely? I¡¯d hate to think you are as foolish as Rolo?¡±

    Confidence was seeping back through my body quicker than the rain dampened my suit. In fact¡­ I ran my tongue across my teeth. Purple lightning crackled around my body, and the rain abated, falling around me but no longer striking me. A bubble of dry air, rejecting the inclement weather. Part of his Domain that I no longer allowed.

    His eye narrowed at seeing my shirking of his ability. ¡°I fight my own battles. Here I stand before you to take vengeance.¡±

    Foolish. Even more so than I was. ¡°Idiot,¡± I scoffed. ¡°You have an army of zombies as a backup for when you realize you are too weak.¡±

    ¡°I had not expected to catch you on your own.¡± He flourished his blade and tensed for the next attack.

    So the original plan was to separate or distract my team while he got in a cheap shot and finished me off. I suppose I should be more flattered that an assassination attempt took so much effort, but he had made a fatal flaw.

    All demons must die.

    I raised up my hand and a trio of purple cards bloomed around it, spinning as he prepared his next attack. ¡°Come closer, so that I may reunite you with your twin.¡±

    He growled and burst across the gap between rooftops again. Instead of moving, I summoned my cannon right in front of me. The demon slammed into it, but twisted and rolled across the top as my Spear of Luck jettisoned out into the horde below. My cards went out toward him, and he vanished.

    <Card Fan+> went up as he reappeared behind me and swung out. Damage negated, but the force sent me stumbling forward into the cannon. My eyes darted back over to the other roof and my hand went up. I vanished, and he burst out to cut me off - another streak of crimson power behind him as he landed deftly.

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    I had only used my invisibility, a little misdirection with my body language, causing him to make mistakes. Of course, now he had jumped himself right into where I had adjusted the cannon to aim as he flew across. A blast caused a bag of nails to split and pelt the area with shrapnel.

    Windows shattered, wood was splintered, and tiles cracked. A wavering shield of red flashed over the demon, but as it faded, there were telltale streaks of a handful of fresh cuts and shredded armor. He was enraged and his off-hand went up, power running through it.

    I moved too late. Long spikes of demonic energy burst up from where I stood. Several feet long, and bright red in color. Couldn¡¯t help but add my own shade of crimson to them, as several pierced through my legs. Eyes up into the air as he had leaped at a greater height to swing down on me with his sword, avoiding the range of my cannon. Cooldowns were still ticking away.

    The several planks of wood I summoned just above me shattered into splinters and I was knocked down prone. With the spikes vanished away, I slid down the roof, only stopping a foot away from dropping into the salivating mouths below. I spun out a trio of cards with half a dozen mundane ones, circling them like a tornado just before me to stop him from getting closer.

    As I rolled to my front to push myself back up, into one hand, I quickly downed several potions in a row. Healing. Intelligence Boost. Action Speed. My legs screamed out in pain as I put my weight back on them, but they were just about able to hold me up. It¡¯d do.

    ¡°You¡¯re a slippery shit,¡± he growled. ¡°No wonder you¡¯ve been such a problem for the Lady. It will be my pleasure to¡­¡±

    I started laughing. Even as purple energy sparked and ran over my body, the pain just brought me greater elation. It was all the same at the end of the day. Bullies spouting out bullshit before I kicked their shit in.

    ¡°You¡¯re a pitiful excuse for a fucking demon, pal.¡± My eyes were burning up now, the first time they had held the glow since accepting what I was. 45% Power and rising.

    ¡°And you are a feckless human with no sense-¡±

    ¡°Ah-hah. No.¡± I raised up a bleeding finger and wagged it at him. ¡°You want to know my secret before I kill you?¡±

    He growled and a circle of white light pulsed up and down his blade. ¡°That you can summon demons? Big deal. A weak tether to my kind won¡¯t save you.¡±

    ¡°Our kind.¡±

    I launched myself forward, sending my circling cards out in a burst. His sword came up to deflect them but I switched which were powered just before they got to him. Still, one his shield caught. Second deflected by his quick blade. Third cut through his left arm, severing into muscle.

    And then I was upon him. Dagger spun up into my hand as I lashed down at him. As he blocked my strike, I changed it into the raspberry scented oil, bursting over his weapon and splashing down his front. My left hand jabbed upward with an empowered card, missing as he vanished to appear three feet back. Catching me off-guard he lunged forward and struck my extended left arm just below the STAR.

    Blood burst from the wound and continued to trickle down, soaking my sleeve. Might have hit something important there. I held my right hand up, now wearing a white glove, as another trio of cards bloomed.

    He paused to gauge how I was about to attack. Fucked him there. It was just another distraction.

    Cannon went off. It had taken some time to turn it all the way around, so the melee suited that purpose. Not aimed straight for him directly, however. Pointed down against the roof, tiles burst into a mist of blue as the paint can rocketed through the supports. With a groan, the footing around us shattered, and we dropped down into the room below.

    I bounced slightly, landing on the single bed, while the demon crashed onto the wooden floorboards. Amidst the cloud of dust dampened by the constant rain, I hopped down, bringing the Blade of Shadow into the recovering figure. Pierced him straight through the chest, burying through the gap in his ribcage into his stupid fucking demon internal organs.

    He groaned as he slunk over, before I vanished, switching places with my Ice Imp+ back up on the roof at the edge of the wrought hole.

    The real demon missed his swing, crimson blade crackling through the air just above the Imp¡¯s head, before my pal blasted him point blank with an ice-bolt. Singular eye turned up to me, confusion and anger near blinding him.

    ¡°I¡¯m more of a demon than you are.¡± I smiled. ¡°You are but a wriggling worm, not even fit to devour the corpse of your brother.¡±

    ¡°Cursed shit, you know nothing. Those true to the Lady will pick the flesh from the bodies of you and that pretty elf you hold so dear.¡±

    Oh, and I thought we could get away with keeping it all fun and games. This murder attempt just something casual between demons. Bringing in the Party just ruined my mood. Then again, I wasn¡¯t even treating this as a show. That part of me had taken the backseat.

    ¡°What is your name, demon?¡±

    He spat on the floor, before attempting to swipe at my Imp+ as I sent it away. ¡°Syther. The last you¡¯ll ever hear.¡±

    70%.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you put your little Domain away? Let¡¯s fight as equals. You¡­ wouldn¡¯t want me to get mine out, would you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ bluffing.¡±

    He turned as the bedroom door burst open, Roger staggered through, his own eyes aglow with fury as he strode towards Syther. ¡°Fucked the door, Boss.¡±

    I leaped down from the edge, two-handed axe in my hands as my opponent was distracted. Cooldowns were being a pain once more, so I had some time to kill before this building needed to be evacuated. Roger had let the tide in, and we were about to be flooded by my hungry audience. Ah, there it was. Time to meet in the middle once more.

    Syther stepped to the side as my weapon buried into the wooden floorboards, his shield flaring up as my pact demon lashed out with a mace. As he tried to take advantage of my stuck axe, I instead switched it out with my knife once more. Slashed across his collarbone and shoulder, narrowly missing his neck as his attack went wide. Mace struck him in the side of the head and he stumbled back into the wall, knocking a shelf of books down.

    I was already back upon him. The falling books looted and flung back into the air one after the other, like a fountain of dusty tomes. Adding in a wave of mundane cards, even his large eye couldn¡¯t see where my true attack was coming from. Another lunge with my dagger than was mostly absorbed by his armor. I ducked as Roger swung in a wide arc, pulping some of the wall as Syther vanished.

    Spun in place and shot out three powered cards right behind us. A reasonable guess, with one slashing through his leg. 84%. Adrenaline and hatred had all but erased any pain or aches I should be feeling. I shouldn¡¯t play with my food, but he kept squirming. A demon that must be erased. I turned my head to see the first of the zombies that had made it up the stairs. Time for a change of set.

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy time, Boss.¡± Roger immediately sprinted out towards the landing.

    Syther pulsed with energy as he blurred up back out onto the roof. A glare back toward me and he repeated the process, probably onto the next building.

    Running from me. I grinned and wavered. Felt warm. Blood still poured from my left wrist, while both white gloves were now soaked crimson. 96%. My suit sparkled as if a cloud of glitter hung around me. Wasn¡¯t even performing that many tricks, but he was a demon, and that was fuel enough.

    I closed my eyes. It was time.

    A rush of air and I stood before him. His eye widened in surprise as I grabbed him by the collar, appearing out of invisibility. ¡°I told you to turn off your bullshit. Now you will learn the hard way.¡±

    100%

    Before he had the chance to raise his sword, I cast my Domain, cracking his in half like a bad egg. The dark clouds parted from the split and a ray of sunshine bore down, illuminating me.

    Showtime.

 131 - Held to Account

    I¡¯d never seen anything like it. Certainly not for a while.

    I stood upon the stage, illuminated by the overhead lights. A warmth and familiarity energizing me. Before me, the largest crowd I had the pleasure of performing for. At least, since joining this world. A packed venue - I was growing in notoriety. This couldn¡¯t be denied.

    Sure¡­ the glowing yellow eyes didn¡¯t seem too excited for what they should be expecting, but perhaps in time they would grow to enjoy proceedings. Actually, that was unlikely.

    My eyes fell on the special guest sitting dead center in the front row. I smiled at my choice of phrasing there. Syther looked awe-struck, and I hadn¡¯t even begun. He knew as well as I did¡­ the power of my Domain. The spectacle of a grand show.

    But¡­ I wasn¡¯t here to make friends. The demonic power within me had granted me early access to the stage, and it was that part of me that was running the performance. Still, old habits died hard.

    I removed my hat and threw it across the stage. It landed and slid across the varnished wood before popping up into the air atop my cannon.

    Three blasts of confetti, one after the other. Knowing the mechanics took some of the lustre out of the gig, but the audience didn¡¯t deserve my best.

    The hundreds of captive faces twisted and groaned as painful Dazzle icons erupted upon them. Damage for everyone - and the upgraded cannon was merciless. Scores of the audience burst, their heads like gore-laden fireworks. The aisles ran with a thick river of viscous blood and liquified internal organs to pool down close to the stage.

    The VIP struggled and squirmed, unable to escape the show.

    ¡°Please remain seated, sir,¡± Roger said, my pact demon stepping through the gathering muck to chastise Syther.

    It was amusing to see him in his proper rabbit form. Nice to know I wasn¡¯t alone in this show - I could always rely on him.

    Still. My opponent was insufferable and unworthy of a decent showing.

    ¡°Allow me to end you, just like I did your brother.¡± My smile widened, and I held my gloved hands up into the air.

    This was my Domain. Not even the System knew what I was supposed to be capable of. In some ways, it was a captive of my power, just as I was under it. White gloves soaked through with crimson. Purple electricity arced around my body as I drew forth on my demonic power. Mana reserves totally tanked and I dipped into what health I still had. It¡­ didn¡¯t stop at the usual percentage. I could go beyond it, as my body began to twitch and split.

    A crawling feeling inside my skull waved a warning flag. Pressure built up on my scalp, as if two horns wanted to burst through my skin. I tempered the power to prevent that from happening. The whole Domain shook as the timer started to run out on Syther''s restraints.

    But it was too late for him.

    Dust and debris started to fall from the shadowed ceiling. A few zombies were crushed by falling stone and wooden beams. All eyes went upward, before being blinded by the bright red light that bathed the scene. Painted a hellish picture.

    A single magic card, easily fifty feet wide, and close to double that tall, cracked through whatever passed as a roof of this faux hall. My hands trembled, the amount of force in trying to control it almost snapping my fingers clean off. Health slowly trickled down, exhaustion started to hit.

    The demon was frozen in fear.

    ¡°Become ashes,¡± I growled, pushing the card down on those present.

    There was a flash, and the air was knocked from my lungs. Some feeling of vertigo, but little else. Darkness. Something of a close friend at this point. Pain¡­ another awkward companion that I had little choice but go along with.

    The patter of rain on my back, and I gasped for air.

    Eyes blurry, I tried to push myself up from the hard stone road, immediately vomiting up. Beneath my hands, thick mud or¡­ no, it was the mulched undead. My grip tensed against the thick sludge of the long deceased. Blinking away whatever clouded my eyes was difficult, but I could clearly hear the approach of footsteps against the slick cobblestone.

    Eyes of glowing purple leaned down in front of me. Bright white fur that looked so soft and cozy.

    ¡°You¡¯ve fucked your left leg, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­ he¡­?¡± I found it a struggle to get enough air into my lungs.

    ¡°Yeah. Dead as shit. Here, we need to get out of this place. Where¡¯s the elf?¡±

    My heart did a leap, which was painful given how fragile my insides felt. With little ability to object, I was lifted to my good foot. Roger held me up.

    ¡°Go west.¡± I felt his fur brush against my face as he looked back and forth. Made me feel like it was time for a nap.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ shit at directions, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Roger¡­ you¡¯re a demon. Just use¡­ our natural overconfidence¡­¡±

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    With a grunt, he set off, assisting me through the slippery path that I could still barely see. I should probably let the others know that I was not dead¡­ or at least at present I could state as much. The blue of the STAR menus hurt my eyes and shifted around as if I were on a rollercoaster.

    [Max: ren demonm dead]

    [Max: sorryy, injurs]

    [Fiona: What are you on about?]

    [Max: rgr help s hel]

    [Fiona: Are you okay? Max?]

    A job well done. I allowed myself a smile, which also hurt. Darkened shapes passed and then we stumbled across softer ground. Greenery brushed across me, and I assumed we had headed out of the village and into the woods. Although Roger was pact bound to me, I was humbled by his actual care for my well-being. Could just let me die and he¡¯d be free¡­ or stop existing - it wasn¡¯t clear how it really worked.

    We both knew that this was a temporary thing. He¡¯d never been in his full form out in the real world before, and he had a time limit. The goal was to get me far enough away from the scene of the crime that any lurking Crimson didn¡¯t find and finish me off.

    ¡°Here¡­ stop a second,¡± I requested my demon.

    He did. It took three tries, but I withdrew a healing potion out of my Inventory to hover in the air in front of my face. Cork out and tilted towards me. Most of it missed my open mouth, but a slight amount of warmth went through me. Ren¡¯s healing charm was already broken. Perhaps in my¡­ fall? Some of the pieces slotted together with the help of the potion. We had been on one of the buildings before my Domain cropped up. After it went away, I must have dropped and landed poorly.

    Any further deliberation faded away as darkness enveloped me once more.

    A familiar dream, but different. Ahead of me, the demon of crimson, now split in half and fading away. The thrum of energy from his substantial wound reverberating my name. Behind me, the radiance was¡­ distant. Fading too, but a sliver of it snaked through the abyss and connected to me like a tether.

    I willed it to be stronger, but it wasn¡¯t improving. Everything was becoming pitch black, threatening to leave me alone with nothing. I had to hold on. Necromancer and Lady weren¡¯t dead yet. I needed the strength.

    Slowly, everything ceased to be.

    <hr>

    Footsteps. My eyes cracked open, and the dim light burned at my eyes despite my current grave being shadowed. Waving green shapes surrounded me as the pace of the soft beats of whoever approached increased.

    The rustle of leaves and someone grabbed at the collar of my shirt and lifted me up slightly. Roger hadn¡¯t taken me far enough, and Syther¡¯s group had tracked me down. Oh well, at least he tried his-

    Soft lips pressed against mine, an act that resonated with frustrated desperation. They parted away.

    ¡°Fuck you. I am this close to breaking your neck myself, Dickbag.¡±

    Another intense lock of our lips.

    My brain cycled through all the people I had met in my life. Chances were, this was slightly more likely to be Ren rather than any of the Crimson Shadow.

    The pulse of warm healing through me helped that conclusion bear fruit. My eyesight was still blurry, but I blinked away enough gunk to see radiant hair and soft blue clothing.

    ¡°Ren?¡± I croaked.

    ¡°Who else, dumbshit?¡± She ran her hand along the side of my face and tried to help me sit up. ¡°Unless you wanted Fiona to come rescue you?¡±

    ¡°Fiona?¡± My brow furrowed. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone?¡±

    ¡°About a minute behind, because apparently cardio is a sin.¡± She brought me in for a hug, and her hair covered my aching face. ¡°I¡¯m still so mad at you, Max. You can¡¯t do that to me. You want to break my heart?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I closed my eyes and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m really sorry, Ren. I¡¯ll make no excuses.¡±

    ¡°You hurt me,¡± she said quietly. ¡°And you¡¯ll need to earn that trust back. But¡­¡± the elf leaned away from me so that she could look me in the face. ¡°I love you, and we¡¯ll get through this. Understand?¡±

    Pain radiated through my heart, remembering the messages she had sent me when the Siren had snatched me away. Don¡¯t leave me. I need you. Guilt was a new thing that my gusto didn¡¯t seem to be able to wash away.

    I nodded. After all that she had lost, I was her rock. Protection and guide. I had abandoned her and flaunted a potential death over her own aching heart. Our flame flickered from the gust I had invited, but wouldn¡¯t go out. Time and time again, risking it all... and for what?

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get you healed up and then you can explain to the others why you¡¯re such an asshole.¡±

    ¡°We have that much time?¡±

    She sighed and held my chin gently. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve been beaten to death by an ox. Even your eyes have been bleeding. Yet still you persist with the humor.¡±

    ¡°Coping mechanism, maybe. Or mental illness.¡± She was clearer now to my improving vision. Obvious that she had spent the last¡­ however long completely stressed. My heart continued to ache. ¡°How did you find me?¡±

    Her bright blue eyes relaxed. ¡°I will always find you, trickster.¡±

    I chose to take that romantically, rather than as a threat. The simple answer would be her Oathwarden ability. She knew when I was in trouble, and so knowing where I was in trouble wasn¡¯t that big of a leap.

    ¡°How did you get out this far with this leg?¡± She prodded my broken limb, causing a flare of pain to snap up my body. Deserved. ¡°You¡¯re a little way from the village.¡±

    ¡°Roger helped.¡± I glanced around at my surroundings. It seemed as though he dumped me in a bush when his time was up, maybe hoping it would hide me. Before the elf could reply, a gathering of footsteps came from behind her.

    She gave me one quick peck before standing, holding her hand down to me. ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of the shrubbery and into a chair, dickbag.¡±

    I took the extended hand and groaned as I righted myself onto my good leg - or at least the best of the two. A short hop from the grasp of the bush branches and I sunk back into a summoned chair. Ren crossed her arms and gave me a tired glare, as the rest of the Party crested through the grouping of nearby trees to find me.

    Relief washed over their faces immediately. Wolf bounded up to me ahead of the others, pushing up beside me before giving me a worried glare.

    ¡°Reckless, brother.¡±

    Tanya looked almost as tired as the elf and immediately stepped in front of me to put her hand on my forehead. ¡°High temperature. Report other injuries.¡±

    ¡°Fever. Fractured left leg. Lacerations. Broken ribs. Moderate blood loss. Exhaustion. Trauma.¡± I read the laundry list of things from my Status menus, skipping over the minor cuts and bruises.

    She handed me an idol. ¡°If I see you use Shuffle on any of those maladies, I will break your other leg personally.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± Ren offered.

    Quinn just shook his head and crossed his arms. ¡°How am I meant to die in your stead when you leave us like that?¡±

    I was humbled, in a way. The fact that this group of strange people cared this much for me. Never wanted to be a leader, but I fit the role because I was a trailblazer. Told Roger about the overconfidence of demons, and perhaps that¡¯s where I got it from as well. Just fated to see how close to the edge I could get, and always believe I could win.

    ¡°Firstly,¡± I began, sighing and looking down at the ground. ¡°My apologies to you all for the worry and betrayal of not teleporting to safety with you.¡±

    I was met with murmured acceptance. They hated it, and would hold it against me, I was sure. But we needed to continue what we started, and they¡¯d soon have bigger problems than how much of a jerk I could be. Still¡­ I had won. The edge was further away than I thought.

    ¡°Put on some coffee.¡± I raised an eyebrow up toward the elf. ¡°And let me tell you all the tale of the most disappointing show I have ever put on.¡±

 132 - Only Natural

    We sat in a circle, steaming coffee mugs in our hands, as I explained why I had abandoned them. The voices, the demon, and the Domain causing me to act different. Not really excusing the act, but giving them the full picture. And then it was the duel with Syther, the emergence of my own Domain once again, and finally the erasure of all enemies.

    ¡°Still a shitty storyteller,¡± Ren murmured.

    Tanya tilted her head. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you killed all of those zombies?¡±

    I was hesitant to give the nod, despite knowing that I had. ¡°As far as I am aware. I wasn¡¯t attacked when my Domain faded, but I also couldn¡¯t really see.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to be a huge setback for them?¡± Quinn rubbed his eyepatch. ¡°Even with the power of a Guardian, I doubt they could bring up such a sizable force in short order again.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Tanya sat forward. ¡°That reminds me - the Eternal Wardens douche got in touch finally. Says we have to go see him if we want answers.¡±

    I groaned. They were too far out of the way. That would set back our plans by a few days - and all for some useless lore? ¡°I¡¯d hate to leave this central area without usurping the necromancer first. Otherwise, he will bring about another large force of undead.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she agreed. ¡°He asked which Guardian you killed, but I didn¡¯t give him any information. It might be important, like there¡¯s a difference in their powers? Although he tipped his hand, I couldn¡¯t see the cards.¡±

    As always, she was keen to impress by continuing the lingo. The Guardians granting different boons seemed¡­ reasonable? There were still a huge amount of things I did not understand. In part because we didn¡¯t read up on any of the world''s legend along the way - but also I felt as though we were pinned in. With a barrier preventing us access to the wider world, we had been quarantined from the bigger picture.

    Ren had decided to sit close by, even though she was still mad at me. The times we had been apart were few and far between, and although I managed to get by whatever the cost, she still had that worry. For the day that I didn¡¯t come back.

    My leg had clicked back together, in a way that made most of those present wince. I barely registered it and wondered if I was disassociating still. Tanya had made mention of the gash alongside my head - which I don¡¯t remember receiving. Couldn''t really call it a battle without damaging my skull in someway, however. The most worrying part of that injury was I no longer had my hat. Lost in the village somewhere.

    ¡°Is it worth going back to loot the demon? You didn¡¯t get experience from the undead did you?¡± Ren furrowed her brow.

    I shook my head. ¡°No experience. It would be dangerous to return. They¡¯ll either be on the hunt for us or they¡¯ll be on the move to consolidate near Candlekeep.¡±

    Her head tilted. ¡°So sure of their plans?¡±

    ¡°Without access to blood and with their groups being cut down by the day, it would make the most sense for them to hedge their losses and combine into one unit to assault the city.¡±

    Tanya nodded along with my thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s the most pragmatic thing to do. Otherwise, she¡¯ll be losing most of her power through attrition.¡±

    ¡°Which is what we want,¡± Ren surmised.

    We each murmured our agreements, but there seemed to be little else we could do at present. Most of my wounds could be healed away, leaving me with the exhaustion and Trauma. They wouldn¡¯t allow me to whisk it away to something else, and¡­ I supposed I agreed with them. Trouble was, they might not want me to adventure at all today, and we didn¡¯t have the time to sit around.

    I was gradually working up the courage to tell them I would soldier on, when Ren placed her hand on my knee. My eyes went up to meet hers, and although she looked emotionally drained, some of the ire had worn away.

    ¡°Look¡­ I won¡¯t keep going on at you over this. All I will say is, you need to stop suffering alone. Not everything is your sole burden. If we did the show together and I was sitting beside you right now with a broken leg and bloodied suit, I would still be ten times happier than I am being fine but left out.¡±

    My tongue caught in my mouth. It wasn¡¯t just about her being worried for my safety, but my constant need to try to keep her safe by absorbing danger like a magnet. I kept saying we were a partnership, but I was too scared myself to allow her to be an equal in everything.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything.¡± She gave me a soft smile. ¡°I can read your eyes like a book, trickster.¡± The hand on my knee gave it a squeeze.

    If anything, I was glad I had given her that foot massage earlier - otherwise she would be a few levels more annoyed at me. I was mentally making light of the situation, because the weight of what I wanted to say felt oddly prophetic despite how simple the arranged words were.

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave you behind again.¡±

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Her eyes brightened and read my expression. A tentative couple of seconds before she nodded. ¡°I believe you.¡±

    Wolf shifted his weight into my chair and turned his head up to glare at me. ¡°What about me?¡±

    I smiled and looked around the group who had just been audience to the elf and I hashing out our emotional fragility. ¡°Of course. Next time, you¡¯ll all be up on stage with me.¡±

    Tanya rolled her eyes. ¡°Perhaps then one of us could stop you from half killing yourself performing tricks.¡±

    ¡°It does seem as though your Domain just causes you injury,¡± Quinn agreed.

    I shrugged, but maintained my smile. Some truth to their statements. What would have happened if I had gone back with them? No doubt the zombie horde would have continued to pursue us until we were found. Syther was intent on getting his revenge after all. Perhaps we could have prepared the cottage area to expect such an assault? It would be putting us in a last-stand scenario again, which we were keen to avoid.

    At the end of the day - or whatever time it currently was - there was no use debating over the what-ifs. The demon¡¯s Domain had pushed me into making the selfish decision. My unfettered power turned the tables on him, but it could have easily gone the other way. Even worse if we had all stayed.

    ¡°We need to go level,¡± I eventually announced. ¡°As I have Trauma, I will have to sit back and just leech your efforts. Tanya, any repeatable Quests down towards the southeast?¡±

    ¡°Back that way?¡± Her brow furrowed. ¡°Let me check the Map.¡±

    ¡°Ren.¡± I turned to the elf. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to be our eyes while we travel. If we are being tracked, then I want an arrow through their neck before the rest of us even see them.¡±

    She gave me a nod. ¡°Your fragile skull is safe with me, baby bird.¡±

    As much as I tried to ignore the new pet name, I couldn¡¯t help but pull a face in response - much to her amusement. ¡°Wolf and Quinn follow whatever direction Tanya gives you. We need to hit level thirteen today. No excuses.¡±

    It was a bit much for me to be bossing them about after what I had done, but in some ways they needed to see I was still in peak form. Persistent injuries and missing hat aside, I was.

    We packed up our chairs, and Tanya sent a location over. Hour and a half of travel. My left leg was aching and sore, but she passed me the painkilling idol and it soothed away the worst of it. Wolf led from the front. Ren stuck like glue to me in the middle, her bow out and ready as soon as we started off. Quinn and Tanya held the rear.

    ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want to go back for your hat, trickster?¡± She raised an eyebrow at me.

    Couldn¡¯t deny that I had considered it. ¡°No. I have all that is important to me right here.¡±

    ¡°Mushy shit won¡¯t get you back in my good books.¡± She tutted. ¡°But¡­ it smoothes over the process. You still owe me for the Shuffle bullshit, and you pulled this off? Dickbag.¡± She nudged me with her elbow, her eyes not showing the disdain that her furrowed brow signaled.

    ¡°I should have saved the foot rub for now, huh?¡±

    She rolled her eyes and looked away.

    I still had much to learn about¡­ well, everything, really. I¡¯m not sure where the break between normal human, slime killing adventurer, and demonic charmer had come about. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t give myself too much props on the last one until I¡¯d patched things over with Ren.

    When they say history had a habit of repeating itself, I didn¡¯t think it would be on such a regular basis. My head injuries. Being humbled when my Party cared for my well-being. Hurting myself gaining new power to the ire of those closest to me.

    ¡°For all that the System does to try to get me alone, I have realized one thing.¡± I squinted as the afternoon daylight ground away at my tired eyes. ¡°I do not do well on my own.¡±

    Ren turned back to me. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you could bullshit and solo anything at this point.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Maybe, but every time it happens, I fall a little further. Injure myself in becoming more of a monster.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a monster, Max.¡± She sighed. ¡°Just an asshole who thinks he can win. Mostly, you can and do.¡±

    Perhaps if they had been present during my Domain uses, she might have a different opinion. I always felt¡­ uncontested within them. As if the System itself hadn¡¯t considered that it might have demons with such power. Was it making do with what it thought I should be allowed, or was I creating my own power unchallenged?

    I brought up my Chat as messages beeped in.

    [Ruby: <{o>o}>?]

    [Ruby: Are you okay?]

    [Max: I still live.]

    [Ruby: Something to do with your arm?]

    [Max: Rolo¡¯s twin.]

    [Ruby: Ah, shit! I guess you won.]

    [Ruby: Don¡¯t tell her I told you this¡­]

    [Ruby: But Fiona was pretty worried about you!]

    I spent a second cycling back, realizing that I had messaged the fighter instead of Ren or my Party in my injured haze.

    [Max: I roughed myself up pretty bad - how¡¯s things there?]

    [Ruby: Peachy~]

    [Ruby: Taking it slow, most people here are not chucklefucks.]

    [Ruby: Maybe coming back there in a few days?]

    [Max: Oh! I¡¯ll keep you updated if anything big happens.]

    [Ruby: Thanks, Max! <{^>^}>]

    I didn¡¯t have the stomach to go back through the log of messages the Party had sent me after the scroll incident. Instead, I sighed and closed it down. Took to looking at the scenery.

    There was a silence between the elf and I that was a little uncomfortable. I had thrown an ice cube into our love nest and now we were both trying to squirm away from it to avoid the chill. I hadn¡¯t even clocked that my suit was half tatters - the other half soaked with blood or zombie mulch.

    With a furrowed brow at the state of my outfit, I switched to my underwear so that my suit could repair. There must be some way of getting a spare¡­

    ¡°Max!¡±

    My eyebrow raised as I turned away from the screen to Ren. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Seriously? In the middle of the day?¡± She had gone a little flush, but was mostly concerned that I might have hit my head harder than it looked.

    I checked downstairs to make sure I was actually wearing some form of undergarments - which I was. So, I shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it all. I¡¯m sure Wolf does not care. Tanya has certainly seen a lot worse, and Quinn needs to know what he is going to die for, surely?¡±

    ¡°Something worthy,¡± the fixer murmured from the back.

    Ren shot them a glare, but I was correct on all accounts. ¡°It¡¯s not just that. What if we are attacked?¡±

    ¡°Technically, I am still in my equipped gear, so I still have my Stats.¡± My armor value was in a ditch at the best of days, being a caster. Semi-nudity was only a short step down. ¡°Plus, I have Trauma, so I¡¯m not allowed to get involved.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re really going to sit out while we farm System-created?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lift a finger. Not even to summon a hound.¡±

    At first, she looked as though she might make an exception, before eventually shrugging the notion away. ¡°Words are one thing. Let¡¯s see it first.¡± Her eyes went back out to keeping watch.

    It made sense. After all, seeing was believing.

 133 - Scene Break

    I yawned and kicked my feet up to place on a small summoned box. Leaning back in my favorite chair, I looked over toward Tanya. ¡°Hey, what do these drop?¡±

    She wiped her head and looked up at her intangible screens. ¡°Usual humanoid junk, plus occasionally fur or teeth.¡±

    ¡°Could I see one of the teeth?¡±

    The fateweaver shrugged, and after making sure Wolf and Quinn were fine, stepped over to hand one to me.

    Hyenids, the System had said. Essentially bipedal hyenas. Half were enraged melee combatants, then others were more placid casters. Knowing what I did about the animals back on Earth, it didn¡¯t take much to guess how they were divided up.

    The tooth in question was rather sharp. A sizeable canine. ¡°If it¡¯s no trouble, could you collect and give them to me after?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded and went back to the combat.

    Ren gave me a glare as the woman passed - but she had nothing to really chastise me over. I had been true to my word and sat out of the Quest grinding. Trauma still knocking around in the back of my head, I just sat and observed. Occasionally moved up so that I wouldn¡¯t be left behind. Ren kept in my proximity just in case something snuck up on me. Probably my own lax attitude, tipping my head onto the dry ground.

    Still, the weather was lovely now that the clouds of the zombie attack had faded away. The Party was having no trouble getting through the Monsters and we should hit the next Level before dusk - if not sooner.

    ¡°Break request,¡± Wolf growled from the front, after tossing half a corpse across the dirt from his mouth.

    ¡°Granted. Pull back when ready. We¡¯ll rest by Max.¡± Tanya shepherded the troops in my stead. Well, that was her role now - something I was glad to be rid of.

    The elf was already beside me, chair out. She sat and removed her boots before putting her sock-covered feet up on my legs. Her eyes didn¡¯t meet mine. Still somewhere half between annoyance at me, but wanting me to know that she cared. I accepted the burden and appreciated that I wasn¡¯t left with the cold shoulder.

    ¡°Got a dozen so far, Max.¡± Tanya held out a hand to provide me with the requested dental loot.

    I withdrew a small hessian bag and allowed her to fill it, before placing it back in my Inventory as one item. System made some poor choices on occasion.

    Quinn stretched out his back, but didn¡¯t look too keen on sitting along with us. ¡°Feel like I¡¯ve been aging a year every day recently.¡±

    ¡°How old were you?¡± I tilted my head.

    ¡°Thirty two,¡± he answered. ¡°But soon to be double that.¡±

    ¡°Beard ages you,¡± Tanya said idly, picking at some food, before she looked up at him. ¡°Not that it¡¯s a bad thing.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t wrong. Only four years older than me, yet he could pass as an¡­ odd uncle? Not that I was keen to start designating familial titles to my companions. Although that ship had sailed once Ren and I had started calling Wolf our brother.

    ¡°I will take it as a compliment either way,¡± Quinn gave her a bow. ¡°I never turn down praise.¡±

    ¡°Well, I also think you¡¯re pretty awesome,¡± I added.

    Wolf grunted. ¡°A key member of our family.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ haven¡¯t died yet.¡± Ren shrugged.

    The deal had already been sealed, and the elf¡¯s attempt at playing nice didn¡¯t stop the fixer from pulling a face of absolute elation. Might even be blushing - and any words of thanks were stuck in his mouth.

    My mind had already clicked past that, and I didn¡¯t want to dig further into him. The heavy thoughts must have been clearly visible on my expression as Ren shifted her feet on me to get my attention.

    ¡°Spill it,¡± she requested. Her arms were crossed, but she was having trouble giving me an earnest glare.

    ¡°After my Domain finished, Roger was in his full form.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I wish I got to see. Can you summon him like that?¡±

    I shook my head slowly. Not just because I was in my time-out chair, but his skill had sat inert since my recovery. He hadn¡¯t died¡­ so I wasn¡¯t sure what was happening there. ¡°All in due time,¡± I told her, much to her chagrin.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Tanya hummed as she went through her menus. ¡°Almost paid off your Token debt, Max. You should get some out of this - about four and a half more Quests to repeat.¡±

    The revelation was met with murmured groans. Easy enough fighting, but it got pretty drab - especially without me. We¡¯d almost had some fun in the village before the undead had arrived, and now there was no stomach for it. I was also getting cabin fever from being pinned to my chair.

    Wolf rolled over, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he stretched. System was watching us¡­ I could tell. Taking notes on what abilities we should gain at the next level. I¡¯d hate to try to guess at this stage. Would pale at being right. Would detest being wrong.

    In this place of brief calm, I considered writing more in my diary - it had been a little while. As the others busied themselves with their own ways to relax, I penned some miserable words about dungeons and how life was a struggle. It was all rather dour, and not what I had intended to put down. With a sigh, I snapped it shut and put it away.

    ¡°You know, you¡¯ll lose that one day and will feel much better for it.¡± Ren pulled a face that was possibly an attempt at a sneer. Looked too cute to have an effect.

    ¡°What, you think I¡¯ll just dangle it over a ravine or something?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°It spends most of its existence within my Inventory.¡±

    ¡°I can see why you two are fast friends, then.¡± Her eyes narrowed.

    I returned the gesture, unsure on whether we were flirting or about to brawl.

    Quinn seemed eager to interject for either eventuality, diving across the gap between us. A flash bloomed in his hand as he caught an arrow out of the air.

    Invisibility washed over me, denying them the target that they sought. Wolf knew I was sitting in place and rolled back to his feet, ready to step in front of me. Ren had spun from my lap, able to tell I had just vanished by her briefly floating feet. Bow out and entangling arrow blazing off in the direction of our unknown assailant.

    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± A male voice cried out. ¡°Are you with the Crimson?¡±

    I stepped up behind the man, leaving a hell-bird in my chair. Dropped a sack over his head as my right hand came around holding a brick. I switched back, in the hopes that I wouldn¡¯t get caught fighting by the others - but Ren had clearly seen me. I shrugged, and she rolled her eyes.

    Didn¡¯t take long for Wolf to drag the unconscious man out to the clearing we were trying to rest in.

    ¡°Who starts a conversation with an arrow?¡± I murmured. ¡°Thanks for saving my life, Quinn.¡±

    He gave me a bow, but was keen to find out what this new gentleman had been up to in trying to assassinate me by accident. He kneeled down and bound his arms and ankles while I passed Ren the Nullifying Cuff.

    She held the man¡¯s head up. Other than sporting a nice bruise now blooming on the side of his head, he was rather conventionally attractive. Short, tussled blonde hair. Light stubble and a soft tan. Trim in an outfit of muted greens and leather. Human, as far as I could tell.

    ¡°No hand-print,¡± Ren said, as she manhandled him. Perhaps getting a little of her anger against me out on the hapless foe. ¡°Not a Crimson Shadow.¡±

    I clucked my tongue as my eyes went across his icons. ¡°Hate to disagree with you, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wrong on that account.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She glanced back at me, but knew better than to assume I was making it up. ¡°He has a way to conceal it?¡± After I returned a brief nod, she then looked over at Tanya. ¡°Anyone you recognize?¡±

    The fateweaver stepped over and crouched beside him. ¡°Hmm, no. But there¡¯s plenty I hadn¡¯t had the chance to meet.¡± Her eyes went back up to the woodland area to the side. ¡°Being alone isn¡¯t normal. Here, Ren, throw this out towards the bushes.¡±

    She handed the elf an idol, and the Oathwarden dropped our captive to the floor unceremoniously.

    Hand back, she then lobbed it, and the item bounced into the shrubbery out of sight. She put her hands on her hips and stood for a moment, perhaps waiting for a compliment on her throw. I was too busy trying to put together the puzzle of this man. Although, that was clearly a lie, as I¡¯d made note of her potential intentions.

    ¡°Dibs on bad cop,¡± she turned around and got in there before I said anything.

    ¡°Oh. Go ahead, I was going to sit this one out.¡± I leaned back in my chair and gave her a blank expression. ¡°Due to my condition.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Her jaw worked as she returned a blank glare.

    ¡°Perhaps it can be my turn?¡± Wolf ran his tongue across his lips.

    Ren sighed. ¡°We could just kill him right now. Have it over and done with?¡±

    The group looked over at me to gauge my plan. I closed my eyes and relaxed. ¡°Whatever you feel is best. I trust your judgement wholeheartedly.¡± She may have cursed me under her breath, or I could just be hearing things. That was the trouble with the Trauma status.

    They were waiting to see if she would berate me for being a dick - but I was being true to my word. Still, I¡¯d throw them a bone to give myself a little out from the growing tension. ¡°I will be here if you need me to interject or request I do something, however.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re super sure he is Crimson, though?¡±

    I opened my eyes to glare at the man again and made sure it wasn¡¯t my mind making things up. No, three icons were still there. The one from taking her blood. One that was a buff to stealth, and the last for¡­ I tilted my head to the side.

    ¡°While I am certain, there is also something else strange here.¡± I stood from the chair and looked around. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be something in plain sight. Did they already know their plan was foiled? Possibly only half of it. I caught Ren¡¯s look, desiring to be clued into whatever mania had taken my reins.

    Eventually, I gave them a shrug. ¡°Keep it alive, but they might not give us anything worthwhile.¡±

    The elf raised an eyebrow. ¡°It? Give us a little clue, asshole.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡± I plonked myself back down in the chair. ¡°Brain is overheating a bit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I shouldn¡¯t have snapped.¡± She pulled a knife out from her belt. ¡°But he isn¡¯t human, right?¡±

    Not human. Well, that was a hard thing to quantify. He certainly looked it, and perhaps lived as one¡­ but the icon gave the game away. They clearly didn¡¯t anticipate many people having the skill that I did.

    I exhaled through my nose.

    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t. He is a puppet or some kind of duplicate of the real Player tracking us down.¡±

 134 - As Written

    We sat in silence, watching the man as he slowly came to. Our plan already discussed, his fate somewhat decided. I even had a speaking part in the play - the group allowed it, seeing as just talking shouldn¡¯t melt my brain away.

    ¡°Ow,¡± he said, wincing as the nice bump I gave him throbbed in pain. I assumed, anyway. ¡°That was unexpected.¡±

    ¡°You did just try to assassinate me,¡± I replied, and tilted my head.

    His eyes went between each of us, taking us all in. ¡°Ah, yeah. Sorry about that - I thought you might be Crimson Shadow.¡±

    I exchanged a glance with Ren, who took over the lead on this investigation. ¡°Why would you think that of a group of strangers, and attack first rather than find out or leave?¡±

    ¡°A brief moment of insanity. Where I hoped to gain notoriety by killing one of the bastards plaguing this land?¡±

    My brow furrowed as I started to tune him out. The words weren¡¯t really important, anyway. There were a few things I truly cared to know. If he was alone or had a group waiting in the wings. Tanya¡¯s idol would detect anyone else approaching from the same direction he had.

    If he was alone, either he was sent here to try to kill me off, or was scouting on us. First option had failed spectacularly, and the latter was more worrying. Then the question would be if he was planning to escape with information on us¡­ or was already relaying our position or worse as we sat here talking.

    Strangely enough, I could feel some of the truth out already.

    I tuned back in to the conversation and butted in. ¡°Why don¡¯t you all go level again, and I¡¯ll sit and chat with our friend here?¡±

    They all turned to me with apprehension on their faces, the newcomer included.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Always.¡±

    None of them seemed happy with my decision, but they reluctantly went along with it. I produced a chair near mine while the others packed away their things to prepare to go fight.

    ¡°Missed your name, pal.¡± I gave the spare seat a pat.

    ¡°Dorian.¡±

    ¡°That is a name,¡± I said diplomatically, as he awkwardly got up and hopped over - we had not removed his bindings. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive our caution, as we are on edge a lot.¡±

    ¡°I can imagine. With the Crimson Shadow around¡­ and random people firing off arrows at you.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± I gave him a smile before I looked over and watched Wolf power up before engaging the next group of enemies.

    Dorian was silent for a moment as he also watched them fight. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t suppose you have anything for a headache. Not sure what even hit me.¡±

    ¡°It was me,¡± I replied, idly. ¡°And no, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    What I did have, however, was a pain in my arm. Something gentle, in a way - more like a tesla orb spreading purple lighting back and forth from my bone to the inside of my skin. Electric, but it didn¡¯t fill me with energy. Enough knowledge to start sketching out the rough picture¡­ and see if it resembled a chalk outline.

    ¡°Where is your creator at, puppet?¡±

    His brow furrowed. ¡°What? I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±

    I gave him a tired gesture with my head, and he craned his head back to behind us. Up against the back of his chair, the wide-bore muzzle of my demonic cannon. Already loaded, and willing to play bad-cop.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty realistic,¡± I continued. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like something a normal Class would have. I¡¯m going to guess¡­ Guardian slayer?¡±

    Dorian licked his lips and looked nervous. ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense. Let me converse with one of the more reasonable members of your Party.¡±

    Was I being a little crazy? No, surely not. I was calm and hadn¡¯t laid a hand on the man so far. Nonsense would be if I had started to cut parts of him off to see truly how detailed this puppet was.

    ¡°Request denied.¡± I spun up a pair of mundane cards into my hand and placed them together, face-to-face. ¡°Let¡¯s play a game. You try to guess if my card is higher or lower than yours. Winner gets to ask a question that must be answered truthfully.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to play games-¡±

    I held the covered cards up to him, and slowly pushed one of them up, so that I could see one of the faces, and he got a peek at the other.

    ¡°Lower,¡± he said.

    The truth was, I knew what both of the cards were without even looking. Something innate to me now - some kind of parlor trick sixth sense. Not only that, but I could switch them at will. I turned them around to reveal he had the Ten of Clubs, but I had the King of Hearts. Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to answer honestly, anyway.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°What is your question?¡± He looked as though he had his improv skills burning a hole through his head, ready to repeat that he knew nothing.

    ¡°Who will mourn you when you die?¡±

    He blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±

    I maintained an impassive glare while his brain tried to change tact. Should be an easy enough thing to answer - I had been the biggest loner in my previous lives, yet I had a handful of new friends that would definitely miss me. Even Fiona might shed a tear. For a Player to spend a few months here at least, and not make and meaningful connections was suspicious. It was the nature of adventuring to gather around others.

    He didn¡¯t seem to think so. ¡°I don¡¯t understand your line of questioning¡­ I¡¯m not here to play games.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±

    Dorian¡¯s mouth opened and closed. ¡°Just adventuring, passing through.¡±

    ¡°To go where? What level are you? What is your Class type? What was the last meal you ate?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I refuse to speak with you any further.¡± He shuffled in the chair before remembering the cannon pressed up against his back. ¡°You need to let me go.¡±

    ¡°Need to? Explain why?¡±

    He didn¡¯t respond to this, but continued to shift in his bindings. I¡¯d worn out what little information he would give me willingly. I stood from my chair and approached him. Before he had the chance to do more than lean away from me, I had a gag around his mouth, swiftly followed by a sack over his head again.

    The inability to speak, see, use skills, and move was the best I could do. If his originator could use his senses or communicate through other means, then that should dampen the information he was able to transfer. That was a good thing to check, actually¡­

    I tried to add him as a friend and send my Chat details over.

    The System wouldn¡¯t allow it.

    His coffin had enough final nails in already, but I had just added a few more. I stepped over to Tanya, and she shot a glance back at our captive.

    ¡°Not trustworthy, then?¡±

    I shook my head and watched Ren fire off a couple of arrows in quick succession. ¡°Couldn¡¯t add him as a friend or send him messages. Wouldn¡¯t answer basic questions and flustered under the pressure of having to think of more abstract probing. He seems more of a scout than an assassin, but I¡¯m unsure to what end.¡±

    She sucked at her teeth. ¡°Undecided on killing him outright?¡±

    Would be pragmatic, maybe. Puts the chance of him communicating with anyone to almost zero. There was something, though¡­

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll keep him alive.¡± I looked back at the man and unsummoned my cannon. ¡°My intuition is telling me something isn¡¯t right about this.¡±

    ¡°Just your intuition?¡± She held out her hand and cast a spell at the fresh pair of Hyenids Wolf had gathered.

    I nodded before giving up the truth. Would do me no benefit to hold secrets at this stage. ¡°My arm is reacting to his presence. I believe he has been created by the one with the second Guardian''s power.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Her brow furrowed. ¡°All the more reason to kill him?¡±

    ¡°All the more reason he put himself in a position where he could be killed.¡± I shrugged and turned back to walk over to Dorian. It was a clever ploy that I¡¯d almost fallen for. The trouble with the Crimson Shadow was that even when they were being devious for a change, their thoughts were still two-dimensional.

    They knew by now how powerful and proficient we were. Sure, spying on us to learn our location would be helpful¡­ but at this stage, they didn¡¯t have the option of chasing us down. That was the reason I chose a Quest location opposite to the direction of Candlekeep. With no blood, they¡¯d need to fall back to the Lady and be more conservative.

    Sending a single figure with a bow wasn¡¯t likely to even scuff our armor. Capture or death was pretty much guaranteed. I was not a betting man, but I was willing to put down all this useless gold I¡¯d earned on the fact that Dorian would do something once killed.

    Especially if anyone had seen how we¡¯d dealt with captives before. A quick knife while we were all gathered around - and he¡¯d become a detonated bomb, bioweapon, or transform into another eldritch horror. I stood before him and brought up my Map.

    [Max: Any chance I could borrow Quinn?]

    The group finished up the current pack and walked back over to me. We¡¯d need to move our little base camp up soon. We were getting further away and respawns might be due in the near future.

    ¡°What manner of lunacy are you now proposing?¡± Ren crossed her arms and frowned at me.

    ¡°Just taking our guest for a stroll.¡± I smiled and sent her across some co-ordinates.

    She read them and turned sharply towards the fixer. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of Max. If he gets hurt in any way, I will murder you.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Quinn physically recoiled, unsure what he was even signed up for.

    ¡°Grab his legs, bud.¡± I rubbed my chin, unable to shake the manic smile. I¡¯d need to steal something with wheels at some point.

    <hr>

    A handful of grunts and slow minutes later, and we had arrived at our destination. We dropped the man to the rocky ground to his muffled complaints. I allowed Quinn to peer over the edge, lest I tempt fate a little too hard.

    ¡°If the drop doesn¡¯t do it, the water will take him out to sea.¡± He stepped away from the precipice.

    ¡°Perfect.¡± I rolled my neck out. ¡°Say, Quinn. If we ever fix the world and can settle down here, what do you think you¡¯d get up to?¡±

    He raised an eyebrow and considered the question. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d like to explore more. Without the pressure of constant conflict, I¡¯d want to see every corner of this world. Assuming I haven¡¯t died in your stead, anyway. How about you?¡±

    Before I had the chance to answer, he held up his hand. ¡°Except for being a magician.¡±

    ¡°Ah, got me there.¡± I grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure then¡­ maybe an artist?¡±

    He tilted his head. ¡°Really? I did not know you were much for drawing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not.¡± With a shrug, I opened up my Inventory. ¡°Pretty terrible really. You should see the horse I drew in my diary. The one that almost killed me.¡±

    I withdrew it at an odd angle, my Trauma-bound mind having it appear slightly too close to the fixer rather than into my own hand. It bounced from his forearm as he fumbled it, and then we both watched it tumble close to the edge of the ravine before plunging out of sight.

    We continued staring in silence for a handful of seconds.

    ¡°Quinn.¡± I turned a tired gaze toward him. ¡°You are duty bound to never mention this to Ren, ever.¡±

    ¡°You have my word.¡±

    I honestly didn¡¯t know what to think. There was humor in there somewhere, I was sure of it. Probably a relief to have such a dour tome out of my possession. I¡¯d just have to retain the good memories in my fragile skull, and let the bad ones go.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do the deed. I¡¯ll need to swipe the Cuff at the last second. He heard me say that, so he might prepare to use a skill immediately after.¡± Couldn¡¯t stop grinning.

    Quinn nodded, but was slightly put off by my expression. ¡°I assume you have a perfectly reasonable and safe way of doing that, then?¡±

    My continuous grin didn¡¯t convince him, but what choice did he have? We propped Dorian up onto his feet, neither of which cared to keep him upright. His muffled pleas for mercy or something fell on deaf ears. Closer to the edge now and I saw the bottom for myself.

    A split of the river long eroded away at the rock to take it to the sea - I hadn¡¯t realized how high up from sea level we currently were. Nothing but a couple seconds of drop, but the degree of fatality was almost guaranteed.

    With a nod to Quinn, I leaned forward. My skull, desperate to be opened up, fell down into the ravine as I didn¡¯t let up my grip on the puppet.

 135 - Chaos, In Parts

    The air rushed past me. For a brief split second, I felt oddly at peace. Swiped the cuff from the falling captive and then appeared back up atop the ridge of the ravine, swapping position with a hell-dove. I wavered, and Quinn grabbed my arm.

    ¡°If you fall, I might as well jump, too.¡±

    I opened my mouth to reply, before being interrupted by the flash of dark energy. A burst of air rushed up from the ravine, before lashing tendrils of black lighting pulsed and snapped out, charring the stone of the steep cliffs. After two long seconds of this eldritch violence, the power subsided, and the pair of us leaned a little closer to the edge.

    ¡°So, it was an explosive.¡± I pulled a face at the destroyed foliage, some of it slightly aflame, as the remnants of Dorian washed away with the river.

    [Ren: Everything okay??]

    [Max: We are safe.]

    [Max: Dorian disposed of.]

    [Ren: Alright, hurry back.]

    I was thankful to move further away from the ravine. Although I had lost my prized journal, we had avoided a moderately clever assassination attempt. Quinn gave the destruction a brief glare before catching up to me.

    ¡°So we are potentially fighting against three who have defeated Guardians?¡±

    ¡°Possibly.¡± I gave him a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it matters all that much, however.¡±

    In saying this, it wasn¡¯t like my newly gained powers were anything to shirk at - I just knew how to use them better. Burned away my Domain to deal with Tyler¡¯s army of zombies. Whoever created Dorian had been beaten out by a little patience and caution. If I hadn¡¯t knocked the puppet out, then he would surely have been killed by Ren in short order.

    The explosion and reaching tendrils of foul energy looked to affect an area of at least sixty feet, so we would have taken some damage, even from his poor hiding place.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have to worry about any further Guardian-slayers,¡± I noted, as if that could cheer him up.

    ¡°You think so?¡±

    I gave him a pat on the back as we walked back to the rest of the group. ¡°No. Well¡­ I imagine they were distributed throughout this continent. Which means two per area - unless there was one on the starter island. Or even two¡­ so they might not be equally spread out.¡±

    He pulled a face and rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°So the most likely options are the current four is all that we have to worry about - or there might be a fifth?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if Tanya will give me the contact¡¯s information. Maybe we can get some clarity where she isn¡¯t trusted by him.¡±

    Quinn murmured his acceptance, and we continued the rest of the way back to the Party in silence. Whilst I was normally perceptive when it came to people, I wasn¡¯t too sure if he had something on his mind or not. Rather than prod him to open up, I allowed him to come to that point himself.

    We emerged out onto the clearer plains of where the Quest was being repeated. We had missed out on the kills, but they had also gone slower in our absence, keeping themselves ready in case there was either someone else in the wings waiting to pounce¡­ or the event that I''d inevitably injured myself on something.

    Wolf gestured for a break, and Ren immediately stomped up to meet us.

    She gripped me by the chin and moved my head from side to side, inspecting me. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re in one piece. Thank you, Quinn. He didn¡¯t do anything stupid, did he?¡±

    The fixer gave her a blank stare that was almost too neutral. Like a deer caught in headlights. ¡°No,¡± he managed.

    ¡°Turns out I¡¯m not entirely crazy, and the affable prisoner was, in fact, a living bomb intending to kill us off.¡± I gave her a smile as she relinquished control of my face.

    Wolf was lying on his side, tongue hanging out of his mouth, while Tanya leaned up against him with her arms crossed.

    Ren gave me a brief nod. ¡°Well, thank you as well.¡± She hesitated as if she was about to walk away from me, but instead just wavered in place, before glaring off at the next pack of Monsters.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back into it as soon as Wolf is ready. I don¡¯t want to linger here longer than necessary,¡± I offered.

    Expecting a grunt of agreement, or maybe just a curt nod, I was taken aback as the elf stepped closer and put her arms around me for a hug.

    Briefly paralyzed, I watched Quinn walk off to talk with the others, a shrug of equal confusion his parting gift. I put my arms around her too, not wanting to waste a good thing.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Her face moved up to rest gently against mine, as her mouthed neared my ear. ¡°I know you did something stupid, because my Oathwarden sense told me you were in danger,¡± she whispered. She then squeezed me a little tighter than was comfortable.

    ¡°Is it telling you I¡¯m in danger now?¡±

    She pulled back so that she could look me in the eyes as she wrinkled up her face. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I love you, trickster. I don¡¯t like having to be mad at you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a magnet for bad times.¡± I moved my hand up to hold the side of her face. ¡°But next time you¡¯ll be right there, knee deep in blood and shit with me.¡±

    ¡°Promise?¡±

    ¡°Promise.¡±

    She smiled and gave me a brief kiss. ¡°You¡¯re on thin ice, trickster. Peace treaty accepted, for now.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s kill and grow stronger together.¡± I looked out at the System-created. ¡°Oh, well - I guess I can¡¯t.¡±

    Ren sighed and released the hug, to turn and look at the rest of the Party. ¡°I can¡¯t in good conscience give you the go ahead to join in.¡±

    While Tanya had said she¡¯d break my leg if she caught me using Shuffle to remove my Trauma status, she couldn¡¯t actually see my icons. It would be child¡¯s play to do the deed in secret and potentially heal myself with only minor repercussions. Of course, assuming I didn¡¯t instantly die from something, it would still be a hard sell to get them to agree to me fighting.

    ¡°Just think¡­¡± I began. ¡°The amount of danger and pressure we are under. If I were allowed to burn from both ends, we could be safe and comfortable in a bed somewhere rather than grinding most of the evening.¡±

    She shot me a scowl. ¡°Don¡¯t. Your health is not a negotiable commodity. If you make your condition worse, then it puts us all in danger.¡±

    I opened and closed my mouth. She was right in that respect. We¡¯d set the ball in motion and would soon be reaping the consequences in the form of a final battle against the necromancer. For me to be anything less than peak performance could ruin our show. Bury us, literally.

    Still, that just made me work my jaw in frustration. Shuffle danced in the back of my mind, and it knew all the right moves to get my attention. It was just a quick action and then it¡¯d be all over, one way or another. Part of me was clearly a gambler, and way too impulsive with what was literally a risk taken on my continued existence.

    One look at the elf and I put that idea to rest. Even if I could accept the risk to myself, I couldn¡¯t put her through the struggle of me suffering worse than I already was.

    ¡°A compromise?¡± I asked. ¡°Let me summon Roger only, nothing else.¡±

    Her tired expression told me I had more chance of that being accepted. ¡°Group vote, okay? But I thought you said that ability is inert?¡±

    ¡°It is, but I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    She shrugged and led us over to the rest of the group, not wanting to argue over whether I should be distrusting of what the System presented me. We both knew I was a rule-breaker.

    ¡°Max is requesting we allow him to summon Roger,¡± she announced, and stood with crossed arms.

    Tanya pulled a face. ¡°How exerting is it? Just the initial cast, or continuous?¡±

    ¡°Just initial,¡± I answered.

    Quinn shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll defer to the expertise of the fair Ren.¡±

    Wolf didn¡¯t seem to care either way.

    The women exchanged a glance. ¡°Alright,¡± the fateweaver decided as she shook her head. ¡°Just Roger and if you start bleeding or doing anything else unsavory, then you¡¯re in the time-out chair again.¡±

    I gave them a bow, and vertigo threatened to tip me over. ¡°My thanks.¡±

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that easy now, was it? The others prepared themselves to continue the grind as I brought out Roger¡¯s card and frowned at it. It was inert - as if it was a mundane card. He hadn¡¯t died¡­ and even if that were the case, then he should be refreshed and ready by now.

    As the combat began, I placed the card down on the grass and stepped a few feet back away from it. I scowled and missed having my hat. Today had not gone my way, and I wasn¡¯t about to let the System screw me out of having my security demon. I extended my palm out towards the dull card showing the white rabbit and glared.

    A tether had been severed. Past the usual hand-waving of how magic worked in this world, I could see the threads of it. Or¡­ not see, but feel. In the same way as I could attach lines of my power to objects to turn invisible, the cards themselves had some kind of intangible connection to my¡­ core? Wherever the magic juice was stored.

    Could I regrow it? Or find some way to connect it once more?

    I made the first attempt gradually. Not wanting my hand to burst out with blood and be sent to the back to think about my actions, I¡¯d have to be cautious with what I allowed myself to do. A wave of warmth ran down my right arm as I felt an invisible tendril move out and seek out the inert card.

    In my peripheral, I could feel the icy glares that Ren and Tanya took turns in leveling my way. It was warranted. I couldn''t deny that. Given my track record, it was just as likely I¡¯d lose my hand or teleport to literal Hell to¡­

    Was that an option?

    I held off on traveling with that thought any longer. Something told me I could - if I put enough power and sacrificed enough. But what of the results? Just as likely I¡¯d be trapped there, and it would be some place hostile to me. The irony of teleporting myself into Hell to avoid trouble here, when one version of me had come here by teleporting away from danger in Hell was amusing.

    Still, that must be where my pact demon was¡­

    My left hand raised, hoping that sharing the burden would hold off on self-damage as I increased the power pooling down into the card. Breaking some rules again. He was supposed to come here via a corpse - perhaps his exit from my Domain had confused the System and this was his punishment.

    Well, I needed him.

    Arcs of energy flickered around the card, scorching the loose sand of the dry area we were in. I calmed myself and tried not to force the change. Hands were clear - but I¡¯d gotten the attention of Ren now. Performing under pressure was no big deal.

    Expecting the card to bloom into purple light and become active, requiring a corpse to be struck to bring him back, I was instead surprised.

    A magic circle of purple and black runes bloomed up around the small rectangle of the card. Much wider and more detailed that my usual summons. With the thrum of energy, a tall figure of white fur rose up.

    Roger turned to me, purple eyes glowing. His ears were parted to the sides of his head, and what sat atop him made me grin widely.

    He returned the big smile, taking down my magic top hat to pass back over to me.

 136 - Hope Springs Eternal

    After a few minutes of interest and confusion, the novelty of true-form Roger wore off enough to where they could get stuck in to combat. It wasn¡¯t long before his pristine white fur was matted with blood and he looked even further from something that could be described as cute. Now untethered from using a corpse as a puppet, his combat efficiency was up - and he acted as a second tank to draw in more opponents while Wolf held the lion¡¯s share.

    Indeed, everyone seemed pleased with the emergence of an odd sixth member for our show.

    Everyone, except for me.

    Certainly, he had returned my hat - and as my pact demon, having him do my bidding was the natural order of things¡­ but everything else about this was not natural. We¡¯d broken a rule. Twisted and come unmoored from the tethers of the System. He was designed to only arrive through a dead body. His time here was meant to be limited. Yet here he was¡­

    Normally, I relished in existing through bullshit. Reveled in seeing what I could get away with. There was a point where I had slid past a line and could no longer stop. A slippery slope that I had cooked up myself.

    It was only a matter of time before the System put me back in my place and probably punished me for my insolence.

    In saying this¡­ there was a good reason why part of me wasn¡¯t fearful of repercussions. Could just be the Trauma, or the fact that I bounced from one near-death experience to another all the time already. More likely, it was my ego. Thinking the world needed me. Inadvertently, I had been cultivated to erase the Lady and how she was breaking the System.

    Eggs and omelets, I was sure.

    I watched as Roger dropped his large mace, the sharp weapon of one of the Hyenids piercing through his arm. His left hand went up and grabbed them around their lower jaw, his odd human-like fingers filling their mouth even against the threat of being bitten. With a twist, he dislocated it, the crack causing me to wince. As he pushed the Monster away, it received an arrow through the throat from Ren.

    Two more cycles of the repeatable, and we should be leveled up. Sun was gradually working its way toward the horizon. I craved the night and the promise of proper rest. Sitting idle was maddening, even if it was what was best for me. Of course, I did have the occasional hell-bird circling around in the background¡­ but that was par for the course.

    The number of times I had summoned a demon out of sight and knowledge of the others, and done nothing with them was¡­ well, uncountable at this stage. Hitting that one-in-a-million trick was all the more impressive if it looked like you only made the single attempt. If there was one thing my upgraded Sleight of Hand was good at, it was allowing me to determine the perfect timing to cast and throw cards out of sight of everyone else.

    If I had to sit and do nothing, the least I could contribute was keeping an eye on the surroundings. The fact that I was doing this while playing Solitaire in mid-air with my mundane cards was neither here nor there. My brain needed the stimulation to feel active.

    Tanya whistled me over, and I blew the game away to ashes. I could change the cards to whatever I wanted anyway, so at some point it stopped being about the game and started being something more performative. With a long glance behind me, I stepped over to the Fateweaver.

    ¡°Usually I¡¯d leave loot distribution to the end, but I want you to have this now.¡± She smiled, some odd excitement in her eyes.

    ¡°Oh?¡± I shrugged and openly accepted what she was offering. A Legendary item.

    [Gloves of Ego] [+5 Int, When Mana is below 50% spells heal you for 5% HP over 10 seconds. Does not stack.]

    She nudged me with her elbow before turning her attention back to the combat. ¡°Might keep you on your feet for a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled and bowed out, moving back out of their way to sit down on my summoned chair. Wasn¡¯t often we found Legendary items, but the ones that suited me were always an interesting addition to my act. Headband of Woe increased my damage for the mana used, and now these Gloves of Ego healed me.

    For the most part, that made my use of <Bloodletting+> less of a cost - or could get me out of a pickle if I caught an arrow through my soft parts. Plus, the Intelligence was an increase, and¡­ as I put them on, I saw that they were white gloves. Not quite as silken as the typical magician ones, but they fit the look almost too perfectly.

    Quinn stopped an arrow out of the air, protecting the bear from the next group they had gotten aggro from. Wolf burst forward and disemboweled the ranged Monster, before engaging the better armored one beside the first. Already, the fixer was in beside him to finish off the downed System-created with a jab of his sword.

    Roger had recovered from his arm injury thanks to Ren¡¯s healing - which apparently worked on the demon rabbit. A wide swing of Jokkar¡¯s mace broke the arm of his opponent, their weapon falling to the floor as the elf pinned their other shoulder, rendering them defenseless. With a grunt, my pact demon put his strength into a heavy downward strike, which pulped the skull of the Hyenid and sprayed him with their brains.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Tanya was alternating between blessings and curses, improving the Stats of the Party while slowing and degrading the health of the continuous stream of bad-guys.

    And Max, the most established magician and pinnacle of power in this realm¡­ sat and pouted a little.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you write in that sad journal you like so much?¡± Ren called from ahead of me, catching my stroppy expression.

    I couldn¡¯t think of anything clever to respond with, and didn¡¯t care to lie so brazenly to her, so I just shrugged. If anything, I should be sitting here thinking about our next steps. How we were supposed to assail the necromancer and his group - if they were still entrenched in their current position.

    The camp we had upturned in the first area had a crate of spare blood - it would be wise to expect some of the groups here to have a similar stockpile. Expecially Taylor¡¯s group, considering they were meant to be a roadblock for the whole area. A base of operations, really.

    Thus, I felt confident that we would find them where we expected them to be.

    Second point to note - what to expect when we got there. I watched as Roger head-butted a Monster and proceeded to stomp on them with his long feet as they dropped to the ground. The Fort by the bridge was something clear and visible, that we were able to destroy thanks to it being made shoddily and with flammable materials. I¡¯d have to pick Tanya¡¯s brains on whether she knew how they were set up.

    The ramshackle building had more Players and effects in place - going against only four sounded easy enough¡­ but I had a feeling there was a good reason they were chosen to be the protectors of the area there. And if they had the power of a Guardian¡­ oh, that reminded me.

    ¡°May I have the contact details of the Eternal Wardens guy, Tanya?¡± I asked. ¡°They might be more receptive to my questions.¡±

    She considered it for a second before agreeing. ¡°Can¡¯t see the harm - it¡¯s you they are interested in, after all.¡± Double-checking she wasn¡¯t required in the fight, she sent over his details.

    Ren calmly put an arrow through the eye socket of one Hyenid, before sticking a second with her entangling shot. She looked so focused when in battle - something I passively respected and appreciated, but perhaps she was right to browbeat me about not including her in the bullshit I often found myself soloing.

    [Max: Hey, Dimitri? Max here, the magician that the Lady does not like.]

    I pulled a face as looked back as the Party moved forward to the next group. Behind us, the respawns were still far away, so I didn¡¯t care to move just yet. It didn¡¯t look like he was keen to respond to me directly - and I wondered if perhaps that was a pretty weak entrance for someone so-

    [Dimitri: Max. It is great to make your acquaintance.]

    [Dimitri: I have heard plenty about you in passing.]

    [Max: Super. Tanya told you I killed a Guardian, right?]

    [Dimitri: She did, but didn¡¯t elaborate past that.]

    [Dimitri: I much prefer talking in person¡­]

    [Dimitri: But I am eager to learn more about you.]

    Already, I had a bit of an ick from the guy. A fan club was nice and all, but something best kept very far away and out of sight. Attention and adoration were the goal, but some of the people who fell down that path were¡­ well, they could be a lot.

    [Max: You said you¡¯d help after I got rid of the necromancer.]

    [Dimitri: Very true - the desire to meet is something personal.]

    [Dimitri: The leadership is more keen for you to prove your worth first.]

    [Max: I¡¯m rolling my eyes. Anything I should know right now?]

    [Max: Something that might keep me alive? I think there are two other Guardian-killers.]

    [Max: Three, including the Lady.]

    [Dimitri:¡­]

    [Dimitri: Please hold.]

    I rolled my eyes again. By the time we cared or were able to see this supposed resistance group, we would have probably killed at least one of the Guardian users. Tanya had been able to infer from what he drip fed her that each Guardian might be different and allow different strengths to their wielders.

    The Siren had allowed me to reach my pinnacle, a true acceptance of my demonic power which led to the Domain granting me an actual stage to perform upon. It¡­ didn¡¯t really clue me in to what that was actually offering, however. Perhaps my brain was too mushy to really consider it.

    Idly, I got up and walked closer to the fray while my mind ticked over. Another Player could create a second self - or puppet that acted independently. The necromancer seemed to be able to summon a large horde of undead. The Lady enraptured people under a spell and grew in power the larger her cult was.

    There was an underlying thread that was at the tip of my tongue, yet I couldn¡¯t quite grab a taste of the words. My eyes went up to my Chat, distracting me from salivating over the unknown truths.

    [Dimitri: I cannot tell you all, I apologize.]

    [Dimitri: If you have only recently defeated a Guardian, that narrows down which one.]

    [Dimitri: We do not understand their powers yet.]

    [Dimitri: So leadership is very keen to meet you.]

    [Max: After the necromancer is dead.]

    [Dimitri: Correct. Apologies. Although¡­]

    [Dimitri: Whatever you are doing must be working.]

    [Dimitri: Our morning reports tell a tale of the CS down here retreating.]

    [Dimitri: You didn¡¯t hear that from me, though.]

    [Max: Understood. Take care.]

    I sighed and clucked my tongue, unsure where my thoughts had left off before the barrage of messages. In the time I had spent reading his useless words, the Party had called for another break and was making their way over to me.

    Roger was a sight of pure horror, completely drenched with blood and internal organs. Seemed happy enough, however. Wolf didn¡¯t have as much gore soaked through his fur, but also had a contented expression. I was just glad he had found a more comfortable pace, and he wasn¡¯t burning out again.

    ¡°Any luck?¡± Tanya asked, her eyebrow raised. ¡°Talks so fucking much, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± I smiled. ¡°And mostly a dead end - however, he did tell me that the Shadows near them have been moving back.¡±

    Ren wrinkled up her face and pulled her chair out right next to mine. ¡°They¡¯re not in a stalemate down there like the campground was?¡±

    The Fateweaver rubbed at her chin. ¡°It is something like that.¡±

    ¡°Useless bastards,¡± Ren muttered, taking hold of my hand and briefly inspecting my glove before her fingers intertwined with mine.

    ¡°It¡¯s always just us,¡± I said. Something of a more miserable statement than I was intending. Fiona¡¯s group were close to coming back to this area, but would miss out on the fun. Wasn¡¯t sure where Leyla and hers were. Eternal Wardens were stuck with their thumbs up their asses. If the playing pieces could just align, then we¡¯d have a small army that could push back.

    Maybe that¡¯s what we¡¯d need to go against the Lady and what forces she could consolidate as we closed in.

    My eyes went up to my Trauma status. I itched and squirmed.

    I needed to be let out of this cage to be insufferable again.

 137 - Room for Two

    By far the strongest willpower I had ever exhibited, I had managed to not Shuffle away my restraints. The STAR on my left wrist illuminated in a soft golden color as the Party stretched out and groaned, making their way back to their audience of one.

    Level Thirteen.

    I was almost apprehensive. Well, no - I was literally at the edge of the seat. The System loved me and would labor me with impressive abilities that would have my allies rolling their eyes, and our enemies quake in their shallow graves. My first ascension since gaining my demonic strength, I wondered how ludicrous I could truly be.

    [Level Up - 13]

    [Stats Increased]

    [New Passive: <Summon Demon: Shade>]

    [New Passive: <Befuddle>]

    [New Ability: <Last Act>]

    My eyes scanned over the three abilities at great speed. The grin on my face caused my muscles to ache.

    I looked up in joyous wonder to see the eyes of my whole Party watching me.

    ¡°Go on then, asshole.¡± Ren nudged me. ¡°Show us what the Magnificent Max can now do.¡±

    They were both eager and apprehensive to see it. I bit my lip before leaning over toward the elf to whisper in her ear what was about to happen. After all, I was on thin ice and didn¡¯t want to earn any more ire than I needed to. She returned a stoic nod, a poker face that was unshakeable.

    I stood and hopped atop my chair, chucking an apple out to Quinn, who caught it as deftly as expected. ¡°Stand about twenty feet opposite,¡± I asked.

    He did as such, some confusion on his face.

    Feeling calm, I outstretched my arms in readiness. ¡°Now throw it at me, as hard as you can.¡±

    Quinn shrugged, while everyone else had moved slightly further away from where we both stood. Tanya held a grimace, while Roger had his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face. As if he already knew. Wolf just wanted the apple after whatever this was had concluded.

    The fixer wound it back and pitched it. A perfect throw, considering it was a humble fruit. Cratered through the air directly for me.

    It struck the middle of my chest, collapsing my ribcage with an audible crunch. Blood sprayed from my mouth as my internal organs ruptured from the force, and with little ceremony, my body went limp. The gathered audience present for my death gasped as I thudded to the dry ground amongst a spattering of crimson, twisting and gurgling blood from my face as my last breath left my body. A final fanfare indeed.

    ¡°Nice throw,¡± I complimented Quinn, now standing behind him.

    He shifted and jumped. ¡°By all that is holy, Max. Why?¡±

    I¡¯d earned scowls from Tanya and Wolf, while Ren was surprisingly hard to read. Not really annoyed, but also not willing to be impressed by the fact I could now fake my own death.

    ¡°It has a long cooldown.¡± I raised my hand to prevent the angry mob withdrawing any pitchforks. ¡°However¡­ other than causing you all some worry and giving me a brief out of a situation¡­ it does something even more important.¡±

    Tanya now crossed her arms and glared at me. ¡°Out with it then, or I¡¯m withholding your Token share.¡±

    Unfair and totally against the rules of the Party. Judging from how the rest¡ªaside from Roger¡ªwere staring at me, I might be out of luck in that complaint. ¡°To fully facilitate the process of my faux death, it also removes any and all buffs and debuffs.¡±

    I grinned widely. Trauma was gone.

    The Fateweaver shook her head. ¡°How is it you always get a free pass on all this?¡±

    ¡°Well, I am a trickster, of course.¡± I wagged my finger at her and turned to the elf before someone decided to stab me. ¡°What about you Ren, anything awe inspiring before I dig through the rest of what I received?¡±

    She rolled her eyes and stood from her chair, drawing out her bow. Without saying anything, she turned and pointed a finger towards the closest group of Hyenids. Four figures standing and minding their own business as if we weren¡¯t currently in line of sight of them and nearly two dozen corpses of their brethren.

    ¡°Pick an element,¡± she requested of me.

    ¡°Ice.¡±

    She whispered the word in elven, and a spark of white circled the arrow. Rather than aim straight for the pack of Monsters, she pointed it at a high angle. A pulse of air buffeted the ground, sending a wave of loose dust towards the rest of us as she released the attack.

    At some point near the apex, Ren clicked her fingers and held her palm out toward the unaware Hyenids. Wolf readied himself to interject should she draw all the aggro. High in the air, the projectile burst into something resembling a cloud. Fluffy and white, with a shade of blue to the edges.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Then it rained.

    Except, instead of droplets of water¡ªor even hail¡ªit was arrows made of sharp shards of ice. Dozens at a time, they pelted down upon the Monsters continuously. Most of them missed and just broke up on the ground, but those that hit pierced through the Hyenids, blood mixing and melting away at the gathering crushed ice.

    When the last of them had dropped to the ground, she lowered her arm, and the cloud vanished. The last of the ice arrows struck the gathered debris alone.

    ¡°Drains mana like a motherfucker, though,¡± she complained, shaking out her bloodied hand.

    My heart did a little flip. A few steps behind me on the bullshit-o-meter, but she could catch up in no time. ¡°Impressive,¡± I said, if only because otherwise I was just staring at her with large hearts in my eyes. She gave me a bow, and I cursed <Last Act> for having such a long cooldown that I couldn¡¯t die right there.

    I shook away the pink clouds threatening to pelt my own brainwaves and settled in to go through my abilities proper.

    There was a new demon on my roster that I could summon. A Shade, which seemed to be a singular friend that would trail a target and instill them with debuffs and drain their life. Probably look really spooky while he did so as well.

    <Befuddle> caused my

    attacks to give the target one stack of Dazzle when struck. Not a great deal in and of itself - considering how much damage my cards could do. It was just another way of getting those icons on my enemies, however.

    Another thing the System probably thought was reasonable. In my Domain, Dazzle icons just did damage, so what would happen if I just sent cards out to strike the audience instead of performing? Strangely, I had a feeling for the answer already. My Domain would just fade away if I wasn¡¯t keeping the Power gauge up. Against Syther, it had been part-fueled by my hatred for demons - but in a normal show, I¡¯d receive terrible ratings for just assaulting the crowd.

    I shook my head before realizing that Ren was standing right in front of me. Her blue eyes staring me down, she gave me another impromptu hug - if only to get close enough to whisper something in my ear.

    ¡°System gave me a really neat passive, trickster. I don¡¯t want to say it out loud, however.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± My eyebrows raised in anticipation.

    ¡°Promise to keep a secret? Just between you¡­ and me?¡±

    I nodded slowly, gradually becoming more concerned about what the System had given her that could require us to withhold such information from the others. Nothing¡­ salacious, surely?

    ¡°You and I¡­ are immune to becoming Traumatized.¡±

    It took a couple of seconds to sink in, and I shivered. Leaned a little further away to look her in the face. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°On one very important condition.¡± She pressed her nose up against mine. ¡°Check your Status now.¡±

    Despite the fact that she was right up in my face, my eyes went to the side where my STAR menus tried to find a place to fit in my peripheral. There was something new there.

    [Eternal Vow] [If within 20ft of the Oathwarden you are immune to Fear, Trauma, Delirium, and Terror.]

    I gasped. ¡°Never leave my side.¡±

    Ren gave me a wide grin. ¡°I won¡¯t. That¡¯s my Eternal Vow.¡±

    Tanya cleared her throat. ¡°Not that I like being the wet blanket to your admittedly very cute romance, but your¡­ Roger is currently eating a corpse.¡±

    I turned my eyes over to the side at the last pack they had slain, releasing my grip on the elf. The bloodied bipedal rabbit was hunched over one of the deceased Hyenids, currently scooping out their internal organs and chewing on them rather sloppily.

    He paused, sensing our collective gaze upon him, and turned his head. ¡°Ah. Sorry, is this a bit of a faux pas? One of you wanted to eat this tasty fucker first?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not very healthy,¡± Wolf offered, not allowing my brain to decide whether we should be accepting of the demon eating the dead when the bear often did just that.

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Roger scrunched up his face and stood, wiping his hands off on his thighs. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be more careful about who I eat.¡±

    I assumed he meant what, but¡­ no - who was I kidding?

    ¡°Max has me on a good diet now,¡± Wolf continued. ¡°Perhaps you could join me?¡±

    At present, I wasn¡¯t too sure how I felt with Roger being a more permanent addition to reality. Watching the talking bear give the tall rabbit tips on dietary consumption had my mind looking for the back door. Escape with a little of my sanity. Shame Ren didn¡¯t protect against that. I gave her a glance, and she looked pretty content now. Either knowing that there were fewer things to worry about in regards to my safety, or¡­ there was something else.

    I had promised to drag her into the next high-stakes bullshit encounter I inevitably found myself in. She was not only looking forward to it, but now had something to smooth our passage through such turmoil. Even if we emerged broken and bloody, we¡¯d be stronger and rise above the odds together.

    At that point, I had a moment of clarity. The selfish showman had always been eager to share the stage, but could never truly commit. Our romance wasn¡¯t just built on the love and attraction to each other¡­ but it preceded something even greater. A duo that could take the world by storm if I allowed her to live as close to the edge as I got. The others all had their part to play, but it was between us two. Our grudge against the Lady and eagerness to save the System.

    ¡°You alright there, trickster?¡± She gave me a wry smile as Wolf and Roger continued their conversation.

    ¡°Hmm? Oh. I just realized that the greatest bullshit the System ever gave me, was in allowing me to meet you.¡±

    She shook her head, but her smile widened. ¡°You couldn¡¯t be more right, Max.¡±

    I put my arm around her and caught Quinn and Tanya talking in my peripheral. Six was a lot of yapping mouths for this once-loner, but I had grown to feel comfort in their presence.

    ¡°Remember when I was sending you off to fight those goblins and put the arrow up against your neck?¡±

    ¡°How could I forget?¡±

    She shuffled herself closer. ¡°System also gave me a passive that makes my arrows do full damage no matter the range. So it would probably actually kill you if I tried that now.¡±

    ¡°How comforting.¡± I grinned as she snorted a brief laugh. ¡°Just arrows or projectiles?¡±

    ¡°Arrows only.¡± She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re still the System¡¯s favorite.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re my favorite.¡± I removed her hat so I could give her a kiss on the head. Replacing it, I turned my gaze to the other two. ¡°Let¡¯s head to safety. Sunlight is waning and we will need the rest.¡±

    Tanya nodded, and they started to gather their things. I let the warmth of our odd group wash away all that had been troubling me. Things could be okay for now - I¡¯d drink deep of all that we had fought hard to cultivate.

    For tomorrow, we marched against the necromancer.

 138 - Stars in the Night

    I stared out the window of the house we were due to sleep in. I had received my share of Power Tokens - four - after paying off my debt to the Party. Decided to wait until my brain was fresh to put them in something worthwhile. Darkness had now crossed the land, and the moon was full. Trees shook from the light breeze, their illuminated leaves dancing like-

    ¡°Come to bed, Max,¡± Ren whined. ¡°You said we needed the rest.¡±

    My eyebrow raised, and I turned my head back to her. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just antsy.¡±

    ¡°Well, at least put some clothes on.¡± She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can sleep either if I have to stare at your bare ass all night.¡±

    ¡°Want to do something instead of sleep, then?¡± I turned to her fully and put my hands on my hips.

    She groaned and pulled a pillow over her eyes. ¡°Again, Max? Have some mercy. I had to spend all afternoon leveling you up.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°No, not that.¡± Although¡­ ¡°Actually, I was thinking of something a lot more¡­ dangerous.¡±

    Ren moved the pillow slightly so that she could glare at me. ¡°Max¡­¡±

    ¡°Just you and me, a little bullshit underneath the moonlight. Burn off some energy and have some fun as the most powerful duo in the world.¡±

    She worked her jaw. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s not¡­ ah, fuck it.¡± She rolled up onto her feet, covers clasped in one hand, barely covering her nude form. With a flourish that obscured her, the sheet then fell down to reveal the elf now in her full magician outfit. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±

    While her vision was blocked by her trick, I had also switched into my clothing. Two peas in a pod, and well worth the bright smile on her face.

    I lifted the window from the latch, hoisting it up so that we could escape. It was a foolish thing that could go wrong in so many ways¡­ but while we were young, reckless, and alive¡­ we¡¯d grab out at some escapism. Palette cleanser for what lay ahead.

    Switching positions with my hell-dove on the ground, I held out my arms and caught the elf as she dropped. Exchanged a soft kiss, if only so that we could both hide the surprise that I¡¯d managed to pull that off.

    ¡°Where to?¡± she whispered as I lowered her to the floor.

    We had kept to the east after finishing off the Hyenids, as it seemed the best bet for staying away from any Crimson. Went a little further south to give us a buffer. Reasonably close to the coast again. I sent across some coordinates.

    Her brow furrowed, and head tilted. ¡°Hmm, alright. Lead the way.¡±

    ¡°If this is stupid, we can head back and-¡± I was silenced as she placed a finger against my lips.

    ¡°I like our Party, but us¡­ we never had the chance to properly court. Let¡¯s just have some selfish adventure. Live while we still draw breath.¡±

    I said nothing more, but with a brief bow, I then led us off into the night.

    <hr>

    It didn¡¯t take us too long to reach the destination, only waylaid slightly as we stopped to kiss at certain landmarks that looked particularly romantic under the light of the moon. Our hands holding like we lived in normal times, and this was a slice of soft reality completely separate from the hardships we usually lived in. Could almost believe that things could be like this forever.

    But there it was - built into the side of the cliff. A nest of smugglers, not too dissimilar from the bandit cave that we had chewed our way through together in the first area. Not exactly a romantic haunt on the face of things, but the time we had spent alone was miniscule since meeting up with Wolf.

    Ren squeezed my hand and let go to draw her bow. ¡°Any plan of action?¡±

    I shook my head and brought her in closer. ¡°Maximum. Fucking. Bullshit.¡± Each period punctuated with a brief kiss. Her eyes were ablaze with excitement, and I felt the same way. After my revelation yesterday, we needed this.

    Rolling out my shoulder, I took the lead. She shadowed me, an arrow up to her bow, already prepared to begin the dance.

    ¡°I can hear it again,¡± she whispered.

    The musical tone of our introduction fanfare - I could too. I should have seen that as the sign I had to elevate her up beside me back then. Too proud to share the limelight despite knowing the necessity. But now it was ours.

    ¡°It¡¯s showtime,¡± I whispered in return.

    An alcove in the rock face, framed by wooden supports. Dark, but the promise of a lantern or torch on the inside held the briefest illumination and helped pick out the two shadowed figures standing guard.

    Purple light painted the surroundings as three imbued cards burst and spun out from my hand toward the one on the right. Silvery-white paired alongside our presence as Ren put a Smite Shot through the neck of the one on the left. Both slunk down to the floor, and we were bathed in naught but moonlight once more.

    I strode forth, overconfidence humming within. 10% Power.

    Into the cave proper, the roughly hewn tunnel curved to the side around the traditional outpost room where guards would be stationed. Seemed to be a hideout cliche, but we liked that sort of thing. The murmurs of System-created chatter, our audience sitting in warm lantern light around a table. I stepped through, cards already going off for the first.

    An arrow to the temple of the second. The first not dead, but severely maimed. The other two drew melee weapons. Oh, no - that was some manner of horn or alarm. Purple card circled from the first opponent and lopped the fingers off my next target, causing the emergency instrument to drop from his hand just as he went to blow it. Ren then shot him through the neck.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Uninjured smuggler was remarkably quick and darted to swing past me and strike the elf. I spun further to the side and brought up <Card Fan+> in front of her to block their weapon. Through the air I had thrown her a dagger - she caught it as it spun and lashed into the man¡¯s stomach, managing to missing his ribs and bury into his organs. I turned to the maimed fighter, who was struggling to engage me directly.

    A card went down into his foot, severing part of it and hobbling him. I lifted my hand up and caught the dagger that Ren had returned, not even needing to look. With one swift motion, I continued into throwing it straight at the smuggler - however, the blade stopped around a foot away from him. Despite being System-created, he flinched from the attack as the dagger just hung in the air. My left hand raised to show the bright red critical card in my grasp.

    Ren finished her opponent off with a point-blank arrow shot to their heart, while my target dropped to the ground - part of his head now painting the back wall. I grabbed the hovering knife and spun it in my hand until it vanished, to be replaced by falling flower petals. I turned to the elf and grinned.

    She returned a wide smile and gestured for us to continue.

    And we did so. Three more rooms of smugglers who fell from our constant assault. I¡¯d spin my spear and Ren would duck beneath it, letting off arrows and moving in perfect tune to my own antics with my tricks. Our dance had synced, but then again - we were both playing to the same tune now.

    Both our suits now bore the signs of battle. We had taken a little damage here and there, but other than the lasting signs of blood soaking our outfits, we¡¯d been able to heal through everything so far. In fact, this was probably the most injury Ren had sustained since the Fort¡­ but I didn¡¯t allow it to sway my actions.

    While she looked to me to be the leader and her protector, she also needed to be my equal. I wondered if standing at the back and hitting things with arrows without interruption had become as boring for her as I had felt in the beach dungeon just using cards?

    Even now, I watched her slide across the dusty ground to avoid the downswing of a wide club. She turned along the way to fire an arrow through the lower leg of the smuggler. As she spun back to her feet, her bow caught the edge of a wooden chair and swiped it towards the pinned man. The elf ran up and placed one foot on the seat to lash out with her boot and kick him in the face. He dropped to the floor, and the chair tipped slowly over while she drew back an arrow.

    It was all very elegant and acrobatic. So enraptured with the performance was I that I didn¡¯t even clock the last opponent in the room diving for me, a sword en route to giving me a splitting headache. Instead of following through with his intent, the smuggler stumbled and paused, his eyes turning back in horror to see the tall shadow looming over him. Eyes of deep red burned into him, the only features my Shade demon seemed to have.

    It was enough of a distraction, and a trio of cards went through his skull, taking him away from the fright of seeing my new friend.

    Ren stretched out her bow arm as she walked back over to me. ¡°New guy is pretty creepy.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Might have to save my Tokens and see if I can unlock two summons at once.¡±

    ¡°Two pups,¡± she replied immediately, as a statement of demand rather than question.

    ¡°All in good time, moonflower. Let¡¯s continue.¡±

    We did a brief amount of looting, not wanting to ruin the buzz we had going. Another two Tokens each, but little in the way of useful equipment. A few bits and pieces to put aside for props, which was standard procedure at this point-

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, as Ren stopped abruptly in front of me. There was an opening to our right, and another chamber with a¡­

    [New Monster: Smuggler Elite (15E)]

    ¡°An elite,¡± I repeated, as if we couldn¡¯t see the same message. ¡°Oh, but look at what he is wearing.¡±

    More than a compliment over his fashion tastes, the almost comically large man sitting at a dining table had a brace of flintlock pistols across his wide chest.

    ¡°Quinn would love those,¡± Ren murmured, trying not to get the attention of him and the four other smugglers, for whom we were clearly in plain view at the doorway.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± I ran my tongue across my lips and readied up a handful of cards.

    She held her hand out and stopped me from stepping into the room. ¡°Want to break some rules, trickster?¡±

    I didn¡¯t even need to answer that - she could tell from the light blooming in my eyes. Could there be any other way?

    A whispered word of elven and a small mote of flame circled the held arrow. Into my hands, I drew a couple bottles of alcohol. Wasn¡¯t as good as oil, but it¡¯d be better than a sack of flour.

    Ren shot the arrow out at the right side wall, a cloud of white and red flooding vertically across the stone. Her hand outstretched, arrows then fired horizontally across the chamber. Beams of burning light impaled the confused group or shattered on the far wall, leaving scorch marks wherever they landed. The two bottles left my hand to land amongst the table, bursting and catching the furniture aflame.

    The elf grunted as her mana reserves dropped low, some amount of blood starting to run from her hand. I stepped forward toward to burgeoning inferno. As the lesser smugglers dropped under the constant assault, the elite blocked some of them with a magical shield.

    He raised a hand up, one of the pistols gripped tightly and aiming for me.

    I grinned, wondering if my Card Fan could come up quick enough to block a bullet. All it would take was-

    A flash and burst of smoke emerged from the end of the held weapon. The small metal projectile struck me in the throat, piercing straight through my windpipe and whatever the important artery in my neck was called. Didn¡¯t seem to matter right at this moment. I clutched at the wound as warm blood pulsed over my hands. Unable to breathe, I collapsed as Ren canceled the cast of her cloud skill.

    ¡°My turn,¡± I said, as I appeared beside the Elite. A crossbow in each hand, I fired and struck him in the neck with both. As he turned to have one last-ditch attempt at my life, an arrow impaled his head. I looted the brace - as well as spare shot and gunpowder - from him before his body fell to the floor.

    ¡°I expected to be more annoyed at your new skill, but given that my Oathwarden sense prickles up anytime you¡¯re in actual danger, I know when you¡¯re just faking it.¡± Ren wiped her bloodied hand off on her waistcoat and then grimaced at herself for such an action.

    ¡°That is a relief.¡± I hopped over the burning furniture to get closer to her. ¡°It has an hour cooldown, and it¡¯s very tempting to use it constantly.¡±

    ¡°What happens when you upgrade it?¡± She raised as an eyebrow as we moved back into the corridor.

    I shrugged. ¡°Not sure if I¡¯m saving my Tokens or not. If it lowers the cooldown, then I¡¯m sure the others would tire and become numb to me dying.¡±

    Ren shook her head. ¡°True. I¡¯d be the only one wailing when it happens for real, and they¡¯d think you were pulling their leg.¡±

    ¡°So many options for winding them up, though.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± She gave me a wide grin. ¡°The fact that it leaves your fake corpse around for ten minutes is super gross and cool.¡±

    I was humming with energy, and it wasn¡¯t just due to how well our date night was going. We¡¯d performed enough tricks that¡­

    We stopped at the next opening. End of the line. Before us was the widest chamber yet. A dozen or so smugglers, another Elite, and the Boss of this whole place. A tough undertaking for just the two of us, even at our best.

    But I was at 100% Power.

    I held my hand out, which she took without question.

    ¡°Ren? Do you want to step out on stage with me?¡±

    There was some apprehension in her eyes, but her heart had lodged in her throat, preventing any words from coming out. Instead, she nodded eagerly.

    I grinned and let the pre-show nerves wash away. This one would be special.

    <Domain: The Grand Stage>

 139 - Twice as Nice

    Buzzing, but confused. I stood in an area of darkness, unsure of why I was not in front of a small crowd of Monsters ready to put on a show. The purple curtains to my side and radiant glow past them clued me in to where I actually was.

    ¡°Smugglers and scoundrels! Hold on tight to your seats as we welcome the one and only¡­ Max the Magnificent!¡±

    A wide grin pasted across my face - although such a thing was natural and expected with what was about to happen. Straightened up and made sure my hat was on properly. Took one deep breath in and then out before my feet took me in motion.

    Out from the wings of the stage and into the illuminated area. There was the polished wooden floor of the stage, and a glow that illuminated Ren - who had just given me the best introduction I could ask for.

    Her suit, normally a soft pastel blue, was now sparkling and bright - as if a haze of glitter followed it. Eyes brighter than those lights above us beaming down. Some nerves at the edges of her expression, but completely overridden by the elation. She looked like a firework about to burst.

    I strode forward to stand beside her, and we gave the crowd of gathered System-created a low bow in tandem. It took a lot of effort to keep my heart in my chest, as it was close to bursting. We rose and gave each other a look. This was new ground for us both, her especially. While our shared tricks were few and far between, we would just have to allow magic to dictate how well the show turned out.

    My hand extended to put the spotlight on her and I stepped off to the side by a dozen feet. Took my hat down and showed it to be empty to the vacant crowd. Red Dazzle icons hung patiently over their heads, waiting to be increased. From within, I reached and withdrew a hatchet.

    Allowing my gambling nature to wash over and encompass my beautiful prot¨¦g¨¦, I tossed the weapon through the air, and she caught it. Still keeping eyes on myself, I shook my hat back out and gave a look of animated confusion at the crowd.

    Where was the second hatchet?

    A figurative lightbulb appeared over my head, and I returned my hat atop my head. Instead, I hopped onto one foot and made the show of struggling to remove my boot. A little more slapstick than I¡¯d usually be able to stomach, but we were having a little more fun with this performance. Shaking the footwear in front of me, the second hatchet now slid from where my foot had just been occupying. Perplexing, I was sure.

    I grabbed it from the air and flung it over to Ren, who once again caught it with little issue. In fact - rather than just grasp at the small axes, her catch immediately followed through into juggling the weapons.

    Slightly more advanced than the fruit that we had practiced with, I was proud of her and briefly enraptured as well. Doubly so, as with the faintest whisper that the crowd wouldn¡¯t hear, both of the hatchets burst into fire.

    A quick side-eye to the crowd saw them squirm under the violence we were forcing them to endure. Physical pain for however insufferable we could be.

    With a grin and flourish of my hands to the elf, I signaled the continuation of the show. She tossed one of the hatchets into the air toward me in an arc. Back in my hands, my hat was then thrown up to catch the object. The second came soon after, to which my held headwear easily received - flames extinguishing as they somehow fit in the small space.

    My hand went in and I withdrew a hell-dove. Ren held her arm out, and I allowed it to fly over to her hand as I gave a bow before leaving the stage. From the shadowed wings, I watched her draw her cape around to obscure the bird. With an animated flourish, she then revealed that it had vanished - and instead, I was now there.

    The lack of applause was concerning, but the collapse of two of the audience was music to my ears. Roger¡¯s absence was also odd - I¡¯d have to bring that up at his quarterly review.

    As Ren stepped to my side, I withdrew my card deck, shuffling them in several ways before offering her a spread.

    She picked a card and flaunted it to the crowd, pacing the length of the stage back and forth to ensure they all remembered which she had picked. While I averted my eyes from the performance, she then return it to the deck - where I gave it several more shuffles to hide away her choice.

    Stepping back toward the middle of the stage, I then worked up my shoulders. With one quick action, I threw the whole deck into the air. All fifty-two cards then fluttered to the floor. My arm extended, I held a finger out like a gun, closing one eye to focus.

    There it was. Eight of Clubs.

    My spear burst up from the stage, impaling one of the cards.

    As the last of the trick settled on the floor, Ren stepped over to remove the pierced cardboard. With her own faux surprise, she then showed it to the audience - it was indeed the card she had picked previously. Another two or three members of the crowd dropped from their seats.

    I stepped up behind her and my hand went along the outside of her ear, bringing out another Eight of Clubs. She turned to me, her eyes dancing with impassioned fire. Her hand went up to my ear, as she drew forth an Eight of Clubs as well.

    Cannon dropped behind me and burst out three sets of Dazzle-inducing confetti, as I drew the elf in close to me. The remaining participants were shredded by the sudden forced violence, the show facade dropping as they died at the same time as I broke their suspension of disbelief.

    The Domain faded to leave us in the wide chamber of the smugglers.

    ¡°Holy fuck, that was amazing,¡± she whispered, before our locking lips put a stop to any further post-show opinion polls.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    As we became inseparable and sunk to the floor, I dispersed as many pillows and blankets beneath us as my Inventory would allow.

    Greatest show in the System.

    <hr>

    The chill breeze of the real world buffeted my overheated body.

    ¡°I¡¯m still buzzing,¡± Ren whispered, her bow up and ready as we stepped outside of the smuggler¡¯s cove.

    Darkness, still barely lit by the light of the two moons, greeted us with the accompaniment of a world still half asleep. It was a familiar feeling - the juxtaposition of the dopamine and fanfare of the show, before stepping out into the calm of reality. Of course, I didn¡¯t usually have to worry about being assaulted straight after a show.

    ¡°Same, it will last a while.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°You were amazing¡­ if I haven¡¯t said that enough.¡±

    ¡°You definitely haven¡¯t.¡± She stuck her tongue out at me before smiling out at the darkness.

    Given that was something impromptu, playing it all by ear¡­ she was fantastic. So far, my Domain shows were a short affair, which paired fine with our lack of experience in acting as a duo¡­ but it wouldn¡¯t take much for us to work on something that could last and truly wreak havoc. Or delight, I supposed.

    I chalked up this success to the fact that I had accepted she could be my equal for the entirety of the rollercoaster. Up and down, not just the pleasant parts. Our strength as fighters always took a leap when we allowed the middle we met at to grow untethered.

    ¡°Looks clear,¡± I noted. ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡±

    Her nod was the only acknowledgement. We had expected an ambush, as we had gotten greedy. Adventuring without our Party, in the middle of the night, and allowing our passions to leave us weak and assailable¡­ but it seemed we had gotten away with it. Dangerous thoughts.

    We snuck through the darkness, a quiet contentedness between us. Not only silent as we were being sneaky, but we wanted to ensure that we hadn¡¯t invited drama before giving each other a high five for our performance. For the magic show, I meant.

    She paused and held onto my arm. ¡°Max¡­ could we take a detour to do something?¡±

    I nodded, wondering what energy she could honestly have left. The energy in her eyes said this was important, and I found it hard to disagree when they looked at me that way.

    A quick glance at my Map as she led me away from our most efficient path said that she was taking us closer to the coast. I doubted that a swim was on her mind, but we weren¡¯t going quite that far - in fact, as we entered a small clearing, she slowed to a stop.

    The peak of a small hill of grass, illuminated by the light of the moons. Surrounded by trees that fell away enough to where the endless sea could be seen along the wide horizon. A beautiful place. I turned my gaze to her to see what she had planned.

    ¡°This is¡­ I¡¯m sorry if this is awkward. I just feel like it¡¯s the right time now.¡± From her Inventory, she pulled out her sword.

    I gave her a gentle nod and took a few steps backward, allowing her the full breadth of the stage. The weapon had a glow of its own. Even though she had looted it from the cove all the way back on the starter island, it hadn¡¯t seen much use - but I knew she held it close for good reason.

    She withdrew it from the scabbard and pressed the point into the soft soil, pushing down until it was stable. With a step back, she then kneeled before it.

    ¡°You carried me as long as you could, but now I will be free of your weight. Find your peace amongst the stars, Flynn. Without worry, or the shackles that always held you back. You are free.¡±

    I watched in silence as she ran her thumb down the edge of the blade. Once a bead of blood formed on the end of the digit, she drew a red x on the hilt of the blade. The elf exhaled and shrugged off the tension from her shoulders, before standing and turning back to me. An awkwardness marred her expression, unsure of how to explain everything to me after the night we had just had.

    ¡°No need to say anything.¡± I gave her a nod. ¡°Sleep is calling out for us. Shall we?¡±

    She smiled and as she held my hand; we departed the small shrine she had created.

    Without stopping for romantic smooches, the way back seemed to take only a fraction of the time, and we soon found ourselves at the group of houses the Party were staying at. Half expecting them to be on fire, or the bloodied bodies of our companions to be splayed about the area¡­ I was cautiously optimistic in thinking everything looked normal. Still felt odd, however.

    A switch with my dove and I then I dropped a rope out of the window. Ren climbed up without issue, although the way she collapsed into my arms once through the opening signaled that she was more exhausted than she was letting on.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said as she rose up. A brief kiss before she nuzzled into the side of my neck. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that counts as a first date, but I had a great time.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡± With one arm around her, my right hand came up to rub the back of her neck. ¡°Just when I thought I couldn¡¯t love you any more than I already do, I am woefully incorrect.¡±

    ¡°Life is surprising.¡± She leaned back to look me in the face. ¡°I was already committed to seeing this all through¡­ but knowing what we could have in a more peaceful world¡­ I would go to Hell and back to have a place for our love to survive.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get some sleep.¡± I kissed her forehead. ¡°Tomorrow is a big step on that ladder.¡±

    Exhausted, with both our souls and hearts full, neither of us had an issue drifting off immediately. Well, at least I know I didn¡¯t - it was hard to tell if she had any issue when I was already asleep.

    <hr>

    ¡°Max?¡±

    My brow furrowed and eyes burned at the glare of daylight streaming in through the window.

    ¡°Ren?¡±

    That was new. The disembodied voice waking me up wasn¡¯t the elf for a change. I turned over in the bed to see her still in the deep throes of rest, mouth askew like she was dead to the world.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to come in, in case you¡¯re indecent¡­ just let me know you¡¯re actually alive?¡±

    My brain clicked around enough notches to clue me in to that being Tanya¡¯s voice on the other side of the door. Quite likely, the pair of us had overslept. Whatever dream I had been party to smudged the lines of our nighttime activities to the point where I had to question if they were real.

    ¡°We¡¯re alive. Be right there,¡± I called out. ¡°Start up breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Right you are.¡± Her voice didn¡¯t sound too overjoyed that we were being lazy on this particular day.

    My eyes went back down from the door to see that the bleary eyes of the elf were now glaring at me, her brow furrowed.

    ¡°I should kill you for waking me so early,¡± she grumbled, not willing to move any more than the sentence required.

    ¡°If you do that, you¡¯ll never find someone who can rub your feet as well as I do.¡±

    She groaned and closed her eyes, although her face now relaxed. ¡°Asshole. I knew falling in love with you was a mistake.¡±

    I smiled and brushed her messy hair behind her long ear. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll just go and take these magic hands downstairs to eat breakfast without you.¡±

    ¡°Max.¡±

    Her eyes were open once more, finally giving up on accepting that it was daytime. She squirmed around under the covers, fighting against the comfort she had settled into for the night.

    ¡°Yes, Ren?¡±

    ¡°We could die today¡­ at least hold me close for another five minutes before we face the world.¡±

    I was already halfway to doing so before she could finish the line. It wasn¡¯t even a fear of losing each other, or something ruining what we had. Death had always been on the plate¡­ but we had taken a large bite of what could be our future. We loved the taste and craved more.

    This time tomorrow we¡¯d either be laying together in a bed victorious, or entwined and broken in a shallow grave.

    The System wasn¡¯t prepared for what I would do to ensure it was the former.

 140 - No Nerves

    Amongst aches and groans, Ren and I got dressed, finally leaving the warm comfort of the bed. Despite the conflict banging at the door today, I didn¡¯t feel apprehensive. Some manner of calm acceptance that we could die, or at least would earn ourselves a bloody nose or two, was all that filled my stomach. Which was probably why I felt hungry.

    ¡°You fall asleep immediately?¡± I asked, while tying up the laces of my boots. Felt right to do things the proper, manual way. Added weight to our situation.

    ¡°No. Had some minor emotional turmoil I had to decompress. Yesterday was a lot of different feelings jumping up and down. Fine now, though.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re sure.¡± No wonder she was back to her grumpy expression if she missed out on even more sleep than I had.

    A couple of moments of silence, and then she was behind me. Her arms found their way into drawing me back into a hug from behind, her chin leaning against my shoulder. ¡°Dickbaaag. Accept the trade request.¡±

    My eyes went up to view it. ¡°No. Why are you giving me Tokens again?¡±

    ¡°If you loved me, you¡¯d accept.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just manipulative.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t accept, I won¡¯t let go of you.¡±

    ¡°You think you can threaten me with what I desire most?¡±

    Warm air buffeted my face as she exhaled through her nose. ¡°Okay. We both know the System loves kissing your ass, and for an important fight, we need that bullshit.¡±

    I hated that I partly agreed with her. Out of all those in the Party, I had the potential to stand head and shoulders above the others. By now I had come to the conclusion that the System originally saw both of my souls as two individual Players. A Demon Summoner and a Combat Magician. Merged together, I had also doubled in effectiveness. Plus, with the Guardian boon¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely selfless,¡± she continued, ¡°as I have something I want you to get.¡±

    Her intention clear as day, I knew which ability was at the forefront of her mind. ¡°Fine, but if we survive the day, then I will pay you them back, okay?¡±

    ¡°Acceptable.¡± She gave the side of my head a brief kiss before moving away. Didn¡¯t even tell me her choice - that¡¯s how much she trusted that I knew her.

    I received the six Power Tokens from last night, giving me a total of twelve to spend. First ten went to what she wanted. What we both deserved.

    [<Summon Demon+> is now Expert - You may now have two active summoned demons.]

    My eyes went over to Ren, to see that she was waiting eagerly - more life now in her bright blue eyes.

    ¡°You wanted me to upgrade my cannon, right?¡± I asked, unable to keep a poker face steady as her brow darkened her expression.

    Before she had the chance to threaten violence upon me, two of my demonic canines yipped and jumped up at her from behind, wagging their tails eager for her attention. The elf immediately melted, dropping to her knees to snuggle and rub their flaming fur. A bright smile illuminated her face, erasing whatever lingering weight she carried forward from our previous day.

    ¡°We¡¯d best get downstairs before they decide to save the world without us.¡± As much as it pained me to take her away from something that made her so clearly happy, we couldn¡¯t put too much of a heavy cart before the horses, lest we go nowhere.

    With a pout, she agreed. Hellhounds++ went into their magic portals back to Hell, and we left the room to find where the rest of the Party was. Roger had vanished at some point in the early evening, but with his card now back to normal, the most likely explanation was that the System corrected the error we had enacted. Seemingly without punishment - which was nice.

    Out of the quaint house, the others were grouped around a grill on a patch of gravel. Unsurprisingly, they leveled some valid glares toward the pair of us. Half of me wanted to use my fake death ability to trip down the short steps, burst into pieces for the humor of it¡­ but accidentally giving them Trauma right before our battle would probably earn me more than some pointed ire.

    ¡°I was half expecting you to use your fake death ability to break the ice,¡± Tanya said, lifting a plate with my cooked breakfast piled upon.

    ¡°I¡¯d never do that,¡± I managed to say with a straight face. With a sweep of my arm, I dropped my chair out. A wry grin went up at the side of my mouth as I watched Ren mirror the action, adding her own flare to the process.

    Quinn had all but forgotten why he was mad at us, but Wolf was statuesque in his admonishment. I knew why, and it wasn¡¯t because we had slept in. Back before we fought Hadrian I had made the bear a promise that I¡¯d never leave him behind. He hadn¡¯t been party to our late night adventure, and out of all of them, he was most likely to know that we had run off.

    Something to make up to him when I could without letting the other two know what I had been doing instead of sleeping.

    ¡°Glazing over whatever reason you look like shit this morning,¡± Tanya began, her fork pointed toward us in silent accusation. ¡°We¡¯re definitely doing this in the daytime, right?¡±

    I wrinkled my face and looked up at the sky. It was becoming overcast, with the threat of gloomier clouds that were¡­ yes, the wind was bringing them our way. Couldn¡¯t argue with narrative ambience. ¡°Likelihood of leveling up today?¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Attacking at night had its pros and cons. Trouble was, I figured that the undead could probably see well enough in the darkness. No point jumping into the cauldron.

    ¡°Getting to fourteen¡­¡± she sighed and rubbed at the bridge of her nose, as if she hadn¡¯t already thought about the answer a dozen times. ¡°Thing is, most of the decent Quests are in Crimson territory now. We¡¯re talking¡­ two days at a brisk pace, a week to get to fifteen.¡±

    I shook my head. No time, then. We might be able to spare a day or two before going for the Lady, but we had to strike while the iron was hot and her groups were retreating or without blood. Fourteen might only grant me something marginally useful, and the time wasted would be a detriment to our efforts. It had to be now. I could feel it in my bones.

    Mostly my right forearm bone, which was slightly concerning.

    We fell into a silence as we ate our scrambled eggs and ham. Drank coffee, which seemed to work wonders on both mine and Ren¡¯s spirit. I still had two Power Tokens burning a hole in my pocket. Too many options to choose from - even saving them might be sensible¡­ but no, I would spend them and claw at any possible bonus for what lay ahead.

    First one went into <Shuffle>. Now, instead of it being a simple cast, I could affix it like a curse to a single target. Every five seconds, it would change one random debuff to another random one. This made it much more useful in combat, I felt. The previous downside was the per-target cooldown, now I could at least labor one enemy with potential death on a consistent basis.

    Next went into¡­ <Last Act>. Not just because of how amusing the ability was - although, that did play a part I my decision. Instead of having an hour¡¯s cooldown per use, it now regenerated a charge every time I lost 20% of my max health. My Max Health. Not that I was keen to inflict injury on myself just to feign my death, but with <Bloodletting> and the other bullshit I got up to, it made it a handy defensive skill.

    My eyes left my menus to see that Tanya was watching me. Wondering if I had perhaps missed a conversation, her expression sunk and she revealed the reason for the look.

    ¡°I keep expecting you to use the skill.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I tilted my head to the side. ¡°We¡¯ve just eaten, so it would be unfair. Plus, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the chance to see me beaten up against the Crimson Shadow.¡± I caught the glare of Ren in my peripheral - not appreciating my pessimism. ¡°Ren will get beaten up, too.¡± Oddly, this seemed to calm the elf.

    Less so for our fateweaver, who rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if this wasn¡¯t a proverbial book end on the bloodied shelf of our exploits.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to give us more incentive than poetic grumblings,¡± Ren complained, sinking into her chair as the coffee seemed to be wearing off already.

    ¡°If you all live, then I know of a vendor that sells Sweet Cakes.¡±

    We both sat up to the edge of our chairs, a pavlovian response. ¡°You¡¯ve been holding out on us?¡± Ren questioned.

    The fateweaver shrugged, a smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s nowhere safe, and you¡¯re not the only ones with cards up your sleeves.¡±

    As the elf stood¡ªas if she was about to go wring the information from the woman¡ªand a waterfall of cards dropped from both of her sleeves onto the loose gravel.

    My eyebrows raised as I saw the Dazzle icons pop up on the rest of the Party. Perhaps the best part of the trick was that I had absolutely no hand in it. They weren¡¯t my mundane cards fastened to my belt, and I did not place inside or summon them from her sleeves. Entirely her own efforts.

    ¡°Shit,¡± she said. ¡°Can you pick those up for me, Max? I clearly didn¡¯t think that through.¡±

    With a nod, I smiled and leaned forward to get them within my reach. Before I could start to vacuum them up, she leaned her face down beside my ear - her wide smile visible only to me.

    ¡°I can see Dazzle icons,¡± she whispered, before turning and sitting back down.

    I raised an eyebrow at her now stoic poker face. Well, as best as she was able to put on - probably good enough to give none of the others a second glance. I knew her better, however. Her eyes were practically on fire with excitement. She could see the Dazzle icons. Was that just because she had performed the trick, or would she be able to see mine too?

    While my brain ticked around, my eyes met Wolf again, who had still maintained his death-stare.

    He had a point.

    I stood with a sigh, the cards already now sucked up into my Inventory. ¡°Before we proceed with the plan, there is something I need to tell you all. Last night, Ren and-¡±

    ¡°We know.¡± Tanya rolled her eyes. ¡°My proximity idol.¡±

    Quinn shook his head. ¡°Your outfits stand out under the moonlight almost as much as in the day.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I replied.

    ¡°The assumption was that you both just went off to screw somewhere romantic,¡± the fateweaver continued. ¡°Given we might die today. Fell asleep before you got back, but I¡¯m hoping it wasn¡¯t actually something dangerous?¡±

    My eyes went back to Ren, who looked like she didn¡¯t want to weigh in on this conversation at all. Dangerous was a rather subjective label to apply to any of what we got up to.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it was something even more selfish,¡± I eventually said. Mostly because Wolf wasn¡¯t convinced in the slightest. ¡°We went to kill a bunch of smugglers.¡±

    The fixer rubbed at his eye-patch. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound especially romantic¡­¡±

    Ren exhaled through her nose. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t involve you all. With how much pressure we¡¯ve been under lately, we needed a break to blow off some steam and catch up with some ghosts.¡± She looked over at Quinn, who was readying up a question. ¡°Not literally.¡± He settled back down.

    Tanya shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re both adults. It¡¯s reckless and goes against what we¡¯re trying to keep together¡­ but things are kinda fucked and I don¡¯t hold a grudge against you for going up for air. Next time, tell us though.¡±

    ¡°You did a show without us, didn¡¯t you?¡± The pointed question from Wolf made us both tense. ¡°Familiar smells on you both.¡±

    The less I thought about that, the better. A quick bath before we went and died sounded all the more needed now. ¡°Correct. I used my Domain and Ren took part in the show.¡±

    ¡°It was amazing,¡± the elf blurted out, before standing. ¡°You¡¯ll love it when you all get to join in as well. Now I¡¯m going to go wash.¡±

    I watched her leave and sat back down. Best keep a cool head and not share the event with her. Instead, I turned my thoughts to the day ahead, and what it would be like when the full Party became entwined in my demonic Domain. Seemed inevitable, but unthinkable. My musings were jostled away as the bear had come around to my chair.

    ¡°Forgiven, brother, but I am still sad about it. Do you not think I am worthy?¡±

    ¡°Wolf.¡± I gave him an exasperated grin. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. After the teleport scroll thing¡­ I needed to show Ren that there was room for her on the stage, that I could accept her sharing the danger that I put myself through.¡±

    The bear grunted, but gave a slow nod. ¡°And the result?¡±

    I removed my hat to rub at my hair in thought. Getting messy, still needed that cut. Even though Ren had agreed to be my prot¨¦g¨¦ previously, she¡¯d still mostly stuck to the script of her actual Class. The occasional bit of trickery here and there to whet my appetite, but nothing too wild. Last night she not only partook in the show, but her fighting style was a lot more involved.

    ¡°It went well.¡± I smiled. ¡°Some new strength for the hardships ahead.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of,¡± Tanya interjected. ¡°I had a question for you.¡±

    I gestured for her to continue, as the bear gave up on being annoyed at me and laid down beside my chair.

    ¡°Can you summon Roger into the body left behind when you fake your death?¡±

    An interesting question. In some ways, it was a ¡®corpse¡¯ as far as the System saw it, albeit only a temporary one. Having a Roger that looked like me would be¡­ exceptionally creepy, yet I couldn¡¯t deny there might be practical applications of such deception.

    With a wide grin, I stood from my chair and rolled out my shoulders.

    ¡°Think of an amusing way to kill me, and let¡¯s try it out.¡±

 141 - Building Suspense

    Dear ¡®Lady¡¯

    I appreciate your previous correspondence in relation to my Guardian powers.

    At this juncture, I will have to decline your mentorship - as I have had a better offer from the Eternal Wardens. Down here in the south, I am even further from your desperate stench!

    Break? I¡¯ll allow you one if you need, but I have yet to even reach my peak.

    I do not gamble, I just win.

    Yours insincerely,

    Max, the Magnificent

    Tanya had a courier item, so we had sent off a polite message to the Lady in Red before leaving our place of rest. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure she would take the bait, but trying to place us in the southwest might give us the element of surprise when we suddenly turned up at the necromancer¡¯s place in the center of the area.

    We could use any help that we could get.

    The gloom of our impending fight covered the sky from one side of the horizon to the other. Pensive, and full of potential rain - yet staying dry at this juncture. Dark enough to dim the usual daylight that would illuminate our trail through a patch of woodland. Now shaded greens and muted browns lined our silent procession.

    It turned out that yes - Roger could inhabit my fake corpse. Seeing my own body being used in this way was a lot more awkward that I had first imagined. Doubly so when Ren came out of the house and pulled a face.

    Not to mention the act of dying hadn¡¯t hit the notes of amusement we were aiming for. Quinn still looked a little queasy, and I think Tanya regretted asking the question in the first place.

    Still, another note taken. Something else I could use in my acts. The time taken for us all to get cleaned and prepared seemed to blur past, my mind rearranging thoughts and preparing tricks or possible scenarios taking up the majority of my brain power. Roger went away before my corpse expired, as I didn¡¯t want to find out what happened after the ten minutes just in case it was something the System didn¡¯t like.

    Ren was calm as she walked beside me. More relaxed than I¡¯d seen her possibly ever, but focused solely on the task at hand. Which was - getting us to the site of the necromancer without issue.

    I¡¯d sent a quick message to Fiona to let her know what we were up to. Received some well wishes from their group - they had faith in us. If anyone, it had to be us¡­

    And it would be. The plan? Go and kill them all. Couldn¡¯t put it any more simple than that. Even with Tanya¡¯s previous knowledge, we didn¡¯t know exactly who would be there, how things were arranged, or what we¡¯d have to face. Sometimes improv was just pushing the right dominoes into position, and I had a whole handful waiting to be placed.

    We knew it to be a small trading post with a handful of buildings. What the Crimson had done to it in the absence of normal proceedings was anyone¡¯s guess. Another fortress seemed unlikely. Tanya had raised the point that a large undead army like we had seen would take up a lot of room. Any ramshackle structures built would more than likely be pens or ways in which to store and coral the raised zombies until they were needed. Probably a watchtower or similar, if they were smart.

    They weren¡¯t. But we¡¯d give them the benefit of the doubt so that we were prepared.

    Ren had several throwing knives on her belt, alongside as many glass bottles of water we could affix to her. I had plenty in my Inventory that I could hand over too - the power of her smite shot turning the liquid into something holy being a huge boon against the walking corpses. Despite her usual role being at the back of the group, she had made the decision to keep up with me and my bullshit.

    There were still nerves within me about that prospect, but I gave her my blessing. We had proven we could work well together against the smugglers - it was time we cut our teeth on something with higher stakes.

    Wolf had the zombie-curse immunity idol and his show outfit on. He didn¡¯t really need more than that - and was content enough to know his role in proceedings. Getting stuck in and dismantling anything in his way. Any defensive skill or potion we had available would be going toward his performance. After Tanya ran some numbers with him, she had called his defensive capabilities beyond her understanding. That meant good.

    The fateweaver and Quinn knew the supporting roles they had to play, and would actually be staying as far away from main stage as their skills would allow. They weren¡¯t built to be the same kind of powerhouses as us original trio were. While the magicians took the main stage, they¡¯d give their support from the shadows, keeping safe behind the curtain as much as activities allowed.

    As for me? Other than spending the last hour or so arranging my Inventory over and over, I also had three wands and scrolls loaded in the holders we seldom used. Ren was equally equipped, the majority of any such magical equipment shared across between the two of us. Other than that, what else did I need? I¡¯d practiced everything that I could have. My demons were primed. Every mote of strength I had available was spent and ready.

    Ren nudged me. ¡°What shall we do after we crush this, trickster?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. Amusingly enough, the cliche thought of celebrating at a tavern didn¡¯t fit exactly well with this adventuring Party. None of us drank alcohol, which made sense for most of us - although Quinn was a surprise. He said a misspent youth vomiting up the stuff had all but washed any desire to imbibe it further. Ren had never said why she avoided it, but I filled in the gaps with whatever I felt was acceptable.

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    ¡°A day or two back at the cottage sounds like bliss,¡± I replied.

    ¡°That was my pick as well.¡± She stuck her tongue out at me before focusing back on our surroundings.

    One day, that might be our continual state. No conflict or struggles. Just peace and the soft comfort of love and friendship between us. Shame that nugget of our future was buried beneath so much muck and bloodied corpses. Still, my shovel had been sharpened, and I was prepared to put in a good day¡¯s work to reach what we craved.

    A quick to the Map, and we were getting closer. Several hours of trekking had gone by like nothing, our nerves and apprehension too shaky to have a firm grip on the passage of time. The sky had darkened further, yet no rain had fallen so far. Something else adding to the tension.

    Wolf stopped ahead of us and waved his nose in the air. ¡°Stench of death is strong.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± I brought up the Map again. We weren¡¯t even downwind.

    ¡°Stay alert,¡± Tanya said, as if we hadn¡¯t already been. ¡°With the Guardian¡¯s powers, it could mean Tyler has been able to raise another army already.¡±

    Something we¡¯d planned for. Not that we wanted to - after last time. Without a demon there to goad my Power bar to its peak, I doubt I could woo the undead enough to get my Domain the traditional way. Knowing what we were getting into - and being on the attacking side - we had more confidence in going against a horde.

    ¡°Full disclosure,¡± I mentioned. ¡°My right arm has been feeling restless.¡±

    ¡°Any pain?¡± Ren asked, concern across her brow.

    I shook my head. ¡°Just means we are getting closer.¡± A little bit of stating the obvious that didn¡¯t quite hit on the dramatic level.

    She pulled a face at the statement, but then pointed a finger out at the scenery. ¡°It¡¯s not just the smell of potential zombies.¡±

    The group stopped to look at what she was signaling. Just slightly ahead of us, some of the vegetation was withered and dried. No, it wasn¡¯t just that patch - but several areas in my vision seemed to be in some stage of decay.

    ¡°Rotting away at the very land,¡± Quinn grumbled, his hand on the pouch holding his Class weapon.

    ¡°Disgusting,¡± Wolf agreed.

    Our hearts hardened to cutting the cancer of necromancy from the world, we pressed on.

    <hr>

    ¡°Scouts?¡± Ren whispered.

    I narrowed my eyes through the foliage we were hidden behind. A small group of zombies, maybe half a dozen. Generally too simple-minded to provide early warnings in the traditional sense, that just prompted more questions. Did the necromancer have some sort of tie to them, like Tanya¡¯s proximity idol? Was this just to dissuade Players or Monsters from getting any closer?

    They looked to me to make a decision - I could see it in their faces as I turned back to face them. A glance at the Map said we were pretty close. We had the time to spend circling around and avoiding this group¡­ but if there were similar groups all the way around, then we¡¯d have to bite the bullet, eventually. Didn¡¯t matter how quickly we killed them if Tyler knew either way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll distract them over to the right. The rest of you go to the left and we¡¯ll leave them in the dust.¡±

    Some hesitation in their acceptance, but they did agree. I was gambling on them sending notification to the necromancer if they died - so if we kept them alive, then we might pass without a trace. Naturally, if I was wrong, then we¡¯d just have to fight a little harder if we were expected. I had a feeling it was going to be a rough day either way.

    On my lead, I emerged from the bushes and ran toward the group. Five pairs of yellow eyes turned toward me, and I flanked more to the right to draw their attention away.

    The Party escaped to the left, scurrying past while I kept all eyes on me. It was only natural, of course. Walking backwards, I tried to look past the undead to see when the others had gotten far enough out of range. Looked about-

    Right foot caught on an errant tree root, causing me to stumble. Cliche, perhaps, and it didn¡¯t take the zombies long to capitalize on my error. It was only natural for them, of course. A hand grabbed at my arm, preventing me from falling over backward. Before I had a chance to thank the kind gentleman, a second zombie slammed into me.

    I hit the ground, the air immediately knocked from my lungs as the decaying corpse landed atop me. Sharp teeth bit into my neck with unexpected strength, a burst of my warm blood soaking through my suit as I squirmed ineffectively against their weight.

    From a dozen or so feet away, I used my invisibility to watch the undead eat my fake body for a couple of second, before shivering and moving to catch the Party up. They weren¡¯t too far ahead, and I watched Wolf¡¯s eyes follow me before I dropped my invisibility.

    ¡°Should be okay,¡± I murmured. ¡°Unless it¡¯s not.¡±

    As much as they disliked that statement, they were too focused on the bigger threat to be annoyed at me. Even as we continued, more of the land looked dessicated - dried, as if all life had been drained from it. I wasn¡¯t a gambling man, but¡­ I should probably stop saying that.

    I wasn¡¯t a betting man, but my assumption would be that the necromancer needed to draw on life power from his surroundings to summon his zombies. Made some more sense than having to find corpses the traditional way - especially with the amount he had first sent our way.

    We headed slightly more to the west, hoping to find some higher ground that the Map seemed to promise. Getting eyes on the trading outpost with being spotted would be a boon. Even using my hell-dove to switch into the air invisibly might draw attention since I couldn¡¯t also hide the demon.

    It turned out that such thought was unnecessary.

    At an outcropping of dead trees, we stopped and hid ourselves against the browned bushes. I could feel the tension as the group tried to take in our environment.

    Finding the high ground was easy enough, as the area before us had become sunken into the terrain. It was as if we were at the edge of a very large dish, or rather, a pond. Gray, murky water swirled slowly around a central area.

    Oh, it was not water - but milling zombies.

    The central trading outpost had been reinforced with a circular wall of stone to keep the undead at bay. At least twice as many that had attacked us the other day.

    Ren narrowed her glare, putting her hand over her eyes slowly to block out what little daylight came from the dark clouds above.

    ¡°More than one Party,¡± she murmured. ¡°Can¡¯t tell much, but more than five for certain.¡±

    Crowds of our hungry audience lay in wait, blocking the entrance to the main stage. There was no red carpet to allow us access to the venue where we could spar with our contemporaries.

    We¡¯d have to slog it though, elbow to elbow against the unwashed masses. It wouldn¡¯t take long before we were noticed and a plan against us would be raised. Still, we couldn¡¯t let a group of hecklers ruin the perfomance for everyone else.

    I grinned and gave the group a nod.

    Our biggest and most elaborate show started now.

 142 - Wave after Wave

    The way my right arm was humming, I would be surprised if Tyler did not know I was getting close. Perhaps he didn¡¯t receive his boon with as much bodily trauma as I had and was none the wiser.

    We would hope.

    A clinical calmness had spread across me - and Ren, too. Several hundred undead in the way of our true target might put off most Parties. There was no bowing out early now. Non-refundable deposit - we had expected this to be the case.

    Still, the elf and I did more than mush our hearts together. After our grand performance in front of the smugglers, we had been buzzing with ideas and new things to try. On the battlefield. Bending the rules of what the System had allowed up, we had a secret up our collective sleeves.

    The best opener to any show yet put on.

    Tanya handed me the Spell Critical idol. Not directly useful for this first trick, but not everything was about me anymore. In front of me, I summoned my cannon and angled it out to the zombies ahead. Into my hand, my whole card deck, passed over to my prot¨¦g¨¦, waiting by my side.

    The whisper of a word in elven, and the whole pack bloomed with radiant light. Back to me and then I loaded it into the cannon. Things that shouldn¡¯t be possible, but were¡­ because I had been untethered from the strict rules of what was allowed. Ego let me consider myself the System¡¯s favored tool for fixing up the Lady¡¯s blight - and until I died, or it proved me wrong, I¡¯d allow it to boost me to the stratosphere.

    Bag of ball bearings loaded next, and then a sack of every nail and screw I had been able to ply and steal throughout my journey. I dropped my health using <Bloodletting+> by twenty percent to gain back <Last Act> and hold two <Lightning Imp++> cards in my hand without needing to jostle the loaded deck within my siege weapon.

    Ren healed me back to full, and I gave Wolf a nod. As soon as the first blast went out, we¡¯d be in trouble. Getting to the stone wall to assail the outpost was priority. Wolf would clear us a wide berth to our destination, and should it be unassailable through conventional means, then Quinn would blow a hole through it.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been through a lot together,¡± I said quietly, the hum of energy in my arm keeping me calm and collected. ¡°Today is our darkest day, but through our strength, it can become our brightest. Have no mercy and stay alive. Kill. Protect each other. But most importantly¡­¡± I gave them a last glance as a smile crossed my lips. ¡°Make a good show of it.¡±

    The cannon fired.

    My deck of mundane cards split and sent the contents out in an ineffective arc, barely making it making it halfway to the milling horde. But¡­ they weren¡¯t mundane at present - they had held the radiant charge just as we had hoped.

    I held my left hand up, my eyes glowing bright purple.

    ¡°Be at peace once more.¡±

    The mundane cards bloomed into life as I took control of them. Boots drew me forward, and I was joined by the others. Cannon aimed higher in the air so as not to blast us in the back. Wolf thundered up beside my right, keeping pace, while Ren was close by my left.

    As the first wave of cards struck the zombies, my cannon threw the two other payloads high into the air. Congealed blood and decaying flesh burst from the gathered dead as my cards swung through necks and skulls, destroying as many brains as I could. Once a card had dealt damage, it returned to ash. A dent in their forces, but we had to get to the outpost as soon as possible.

    The two cards I had been holding hit the ground as we met the first wave of the foes before us. With my two Lightning Imps rising from the ground, I switched three of the mundane cards still in motion into my imbued magic versions. Purple light flickered in arcs through the zombies, who were only now starting to turn and see that a threat had arrived.

    A swathe of the enemy was then pelted by the metal shrapnel that had flown in a high arc. Scoring weak flesh and felling a couple, but not doing a lot of damage. That was¡­ until my two Imps brought to bear their critical spells - my first roll of the day and I had hit all sixes. I commanded it, and the wide arcs of crackling energy burst out, striking between the figures, occasionally twisting and bouncing off the small pieces of debris I had just peppered the area with.

    I wasn¡¯t opposed to breaking the laws of physics, if the System didn¡¯t complain.

    Another large group of the undead fell, their foul meat burned off or heads exploded from the powerful attack. My cards had gotten us 20% of the way in, and the Imps had just about worked another 20%.

    Still far from the outpost, an army blocking our way. Figures could now be seen peering over the stone walls. We had only a short time before we¡¯d be under ranged assault.

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    Now it was Ren¡¯s turn.

    The elf grabbed her hat and spiraled it up high into the air. A moment later she spun on her feet, sliding across the dry gravel now supping at the spent bodily fluids of the dead. Arrow drawn and out at her headwear. Struck it at an angle - around 45 degrees, and a cloud tinged with golden light started to billow into shape. Hand out, the first radiant beams sprung forth over our heads to land amongst the throng we were soon to chew through.

    Scores fell as we continued our approach until she couldn¡¯t hold the spell any longer. 60% toward the outpost.

    A red beam illuminated me. The air rippling before I even heard the sound of the attack leveled my way. I was jostled to the side suddenly as Quinn pushed me out of the way. From the air, he plucked the projectile and was knocked back a dozen feet from the force. I could be mistaken, give that I was trying to do ten things at once¡­ but it looked like a bullet.

    The brace of pistols he wore didn¡¯t have that kind of range, so we must be dealing with something more modernized.

    ¡°Sniper fire,¡± Tanya called out, helping the fixer back to his feet.

    Not exactly great. We didn¡¯t really have the luxury of cover, or even the ability to zig-zag. My Imps had been doing their best from keeping the sides of the zombie corridor from closing in on us, but any attempt at slowing down to be safer would soon see us enveloped and drowned in zombies.

    ¡°Quinn, arm me.¡± My feet slid to a stop so he could catch me up. This would be a risk, but if I could kill a couple bird with one stone¡­ I¡¯d do so.

    As soon as my hands were full, I looked back toward the battlements where four figures were standing. The red dot on one in dark clothing in the middle signaled the possible sniper - and I wasn¡¯t about to wait around to find out for sure.

    ¡°Distraction upwards,¡± I requested. My right eye twitched and my forearm burned.

    After plugging a zombie in the head with an arrow, Ren then twisted upward, firing off her ice arrow, burning light blue into the gloomy sky. That¡¯d do.

    A rush of air and I was atop the battlements. Finger pressed on the flintlock pistol blew straight through the female sniper¡¯s head. The skintight leather suit was a little impractical and cliche, but any further thoughts were drowned out by the flashes of light as different skills and shields bloomed around me.

    Something very sharp struck me through the chest before a giant mace came down and cracked my head open like an egg. I didn¡¯t have much chance to watch the proceedings, as <Demonic Transposition+> took me back to my Party - although I was a little behind now.

    Too dangerous to stick around and solo the whole outpost. I was full to the brim with hubris, but¡­ I started running as the walking corpses were cutting the path behind us off. Quinn turned, and I gave him the nod. This wasn''t a solo show anymore.

    His boomerang, now laying in the limp hand of my fake corpse, exploded. A wave of hot air washed through the area as the light briefly stunned all of those not expecting the fireworks. The figures were no longer on the battlements, and the dozen-foot tall wall was now around four or five in a rounded section. Not quite perfect, but something we could work with.

    Wolf burst into a flickering red light - his turn at last. He collided with the zombies ahead of us like a bulldozer, the corpses burning and shredding away from his mere presence even before his wide paws turned them into broken messes.

    I caught the group up. ¡°Mage and a warrior with a large hammer. Didn¡¯t see the necromancer.¡±

    Tanya nodded. ¡°They¡¯ll definitely be prepared now, probably bunkering up.¡±

    Although I agreed¡­ something was telling me that wasn¡¯t right. What would I do in this situation? Well, my crowd work needed some finessing, but¡­ oh - that was it. My teeth clenched together. ¡°Prepare for contact,¡± I growled, bringing my magic cards up around us to slash through the press of bodies.

    ¡°What?¡± The fateweaver scanned her eyes around the horde before looking back toward the outpost. ¡°Oh, the assholes.¡±

    Simple really. Just as my demons were our allies, the undead were theirs. In theory, that meant they didn¡¯t need to worry about being attacked by the horde. Which could only lead too¡­

    I watched as a mountain of a man with a long white beard hopped down from the battlements. A giant hammer in his hands, the head of which was about as large as Quinn. Part of his white and blue striped shirt was burned and charred, but any damage from the explosion looked to have been healed up.

    Ren immediately fired an entangling shot off at him. A flare of a gray shield, and the attack deflected away into a group of zombies. From the battlements, two other figures. The mage in red robes that I had noticed, now without one of their arms, and another who was possibly a caster - in similar battle garb as Tanya was. Either I had killed another that I hadn¡¯t seen, or¡­

    Much more likely was there was a rogue class somewhere. Imps away, I brought out two Hellhounds. Told one to protect Ren, while the other would follow me.

    With a growl, I gripped at my right wrist and pooled all my mana and then my health into a single card. With a flash, it was away. Darting past the bear, it then switched around at awkward angles on the way to the Party ahead. Burning straight through any zombie that was in the way, it eventually reached its target. I smiled as the gray shield went up again, and my card was weakened, but darted to the mage. Another shield - this one in a shade of purple. My card ran out of energy and I relinquished my grip, a heal from Ren washing through me.

    The two figures dropped down from the battlements to follow the large man.

    And then a third joined them. Purple eyes glowed with fury as the body of the sniper suddenly tried to choke their healer out using the length of the rifle.

    A simple trick where I hid Roger''s card alongside the brighter attack one. From this distance, I could see the crimson handprints on their heads. Wolf was about ten seconds from being in melee range of the hammer guy.

    The clouds finally gave up and rain fell from the sky. Obscuring our vision and beating the smell of rotten flesh into the air. But as I watched the mage move over to help the struggling healer out, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    And as four further figures stepped up atop the broken battlements, I almost burst out laughing.

    There he was. Green energy whipped around him as his cloak billowed from the power circling the long staff he held.

    My right arm clenched and purple electricity started to spark around me, small bursts of energy blowing dust away from where I stood.

    ¡°Showtime,¡± I whispered.

 143 - Churn

    Wind whipped around us as the rain pelted down. Any more of a storm and I would have admired the horror movie the world was trying to push us towards. No such joy for either of us, as I wasn¡¯t about to let a little inclement weather ruin the greatest show.

    Tyler raised a hand up and we tensed ready, still following behind Wolf as he closed in on their hammer fighter. For a brief second, everything went quiet, as if the sound had been drained from the area. My ears popped and the low vibration of his cast skill thundered through the floor.

    The dried dirt eagerly soaking up the provided downfall started to shift and squirm beneath my footing. We slid to a halt as fingers and arms burst out from the ground, soon followed by the rotting heads of the undead. Wolf reared up and stomped down on a handful. My cards spun around on our left, dismembering limbs. Ren and Quinn took down more on the right.

    ¡°Stay near Wolf,¡± Tanya called. He had the protection idol that would allow us to be immune to zombification. As we gathered closer, she waved away the Spell Critical one I had held to replace it with a similar one to what the bear had.

    Card Fan went up to deflect the swipe of two sneaking up on me, right before my cards severed their necks. I bowed, and Ren rolled over my back to lob a glowing bottle of water at the gathering horde. It burst and melted where it struck them. My cannon dropped and landed on a couple more. Two shots of confetti to wash through the throng like a tidal wave of Dazzle icons. So many.

    They were making this too easy - as soon as the fighter got in range, I would just pop <Finale+> and stun him for Wolf. All these zombies around us would also-

    A wash of energy washed through us, and a blue light blinded me as I was sent tumbling back. I collided with the press of decaying bodies, my magic cards darting around me wildly to prevent any hungry mouths from picking me off in my disorientated state.

    I made it back to my feet with little issue, barely removing a pair of outreaching hands before turning back to my group. Although, now I couldn¡¯t see them. Thunder struck ahead where the hammer-wielding fighter was engaged with Wolf, but between them, the other three of my Party, and my current position¡­ the horde had filled that space in no time at all.

    Finger outstretched, I put the upgraded Shuffle on the large man, hoping to assist the bear with some random luck.

    Before I could start cutting my way toward Ren and the others, there was a sharp movement behind me. Too quick to be a zombie.

    The pain of something long and pointed pierced through my suit fabric, breaking skin, scratching at the back of my ribs as it went past and into my lungs. Burning sensation. Blood where there should be air. Some manner of poison. My body felt slack, and I slumped down into the rain-slick mud.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve got a fake corpse skill, asshole,¡± the roguish character sneered as his cold eyes darted around the roving throng to find me.

    He realized too late that I hadn¡¯t used it. From my place on the ground, a burst of three empowered cards launched towards him. Whatever dodge or damage reduction he had only done half the job and the purple lines sliced through his jaw, opening up his cheek, one eye, and removing an ear. Stumbling, he stayed upright as his flesh began to regenerate.

    An arrow then struck him through the other eye, a second through his throat.

    Beside me, Ren rolled through a pair of zombies, a burst of holy water melting them as she gave me a heal.

    ¡°No sleeping on the job,¡± she said, too focused to pair it with a smile.

    I nodded and stood to my feet, hitting the corpse with Roger¡¯s card now that he was outnumbered back at the outpost.

    ¡°What, no smart comment to make? You¡¯ll have me worried.¡± She turned to place a smite shot through the skull of a zombie.

    Something about hitting the ground had knocked some of the bravado from me. Plus, it got my suit all muddy. With a sigh, and as a trio of cards encircled us, I took my jacket off and dropped it to the dirt. Roger stood to our side, and I held his mace in the air with my mind as I rolled my sleeves up.

    There it was.

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    My right arm was¡­ aflame. Purple energy lapped and swirled around it in a way that reminded me of my hellhounds.

    No time for further ruminating over it. We needed to make sure Quinn and Tanya were doing fine. Incorrect, Max. I shook my head out - the stage needed me. I couldn¡¯t hide in the back. They were depending on us to blow minds.

    ¡°Roger, go protect Quinn and Tanya as you would me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, boss!¡± He gave me a nod, his purple ears flopping over his face as he ran.

    ¡°Sure they¡¯ll be okay?¡±

    I turned my eyes back to Ren. The rain had dampened her suit, but not her spirit. She was fired up and ready for this. Too many zombies, though. We¡¯d tire soon enough, no matter how much anger or justice we felt in our hearts.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be okay yet.¡± I gave her a soft smile, my cards illuminating the area as I protected us from crush of the unending horde. ¡°But now is our time to shine.¡±

    ¡°Twice as bright, even if we burn out.¡± She nodded.

    Wolf had done us the favor of being my opener, but it wasn¡¯t fair for him to be under the limelight alone. My feet dug into the softening ground as I gathered my cards up. Purple energy illuminated my eyes as I burst forth, cards flickering like an omni-directional saw. Breaking down the undead into piecemeal sections as I thundered to our companion.

    Over my shoulder, Ren fired an arrow. The one that increased the chances of debuffs. Surprisingly, it struck the fighter in the side. From what I could see at this distance, he already had a slow on him, dazzle icons, and a bleed. Oh, the bleed vanished. He was being supported and having the debuffs removed - annoying.

    Two of my cards switched to my summoned demons, bringing up two of my new Shades behind him. I clicked my fingers and hit him with <Shatter>, turning his handful of Dazzle icons into a slew of different debuffs. Ren¡¯s arrow seemed to have the effect of doubling the amount of stacks he had - and now there were almost ten different maladies attached to him with the addition of the Shade attacks. Too many for his healer to remove in good time.

    A bloom briefly blinding me as a white spherical shield illuminated him, the debuffs now ticking down and falling away without affecting him. I slid to a stop, now only fifteen feet away and grit my teeth together.

    Hand gripped my wrist, and I burned everything away into a single card. The air screamed as it moved through the short distance, the shield flaring even brighter as I struggled to push through it.

    ¡°Not happening, little man,¡± he boomed, a circle of energy in the shape of shields hovered around him, knocking the bear back as he tried to attack.

    ¡°Wrong,¡± I seethed.

    A wide blanket of dark fabric swirled around me, obscuring his sight. Something provided by Ren, who had been clearing zombies away from behind me. Standing still was a bad idea. When the cloth fell down, I was no longer there - yet my card persisted, trying to burn its way through his defenses.

    It was just a game where I couldn¡¯t really lose. While they advanced under the cover of the horde of zombies, it also left them blinded.

    He turned his head to try to spot me, perhaps noticing that neither of my Shades were behind him any longer. Relief probably would have washed over him, had panic not taken center stage as his shield dropped down.

    Over in the background, my two doves had swooped low through the disinterested army of corpses to rise up into the face of the healer holding the spell up. A little bit of a tired track at this point, but what worked, worked.

    My empowered card entered his side at a low angle, and I twisted it up at an angle, cutting through his arm on the other side. His own defenses faltered, allowing Wolf to jump forward and bite through his arm. All the way through, too - I was as surprised as I was dissociating. Which was a modest amount.

    Card through his throat, and arrow in his head. Before I had even considered switching Roger over to him, a crackle of green energy flickered across the battlefield and struck the falling corpse.

    Only, he was falling no more.

    I gave Wolf a quick once-over. Not too unhealthy, the idol protecting him from the diseases the zombies held leaving them just weak attackers that barely made a dent in his powerful hide.

    ¡°Too easy,¡± Ren murmured, bringing up a glowing smite shot.

    The zombified fighter raised his hammer, only to receive her shot in the shoulder. Skin and muscle melted away, the arm dropped from the rest of the body. My cards made mincemeat of what remained of his head, spraying remnants of brain and skull around the area.

    A heal washed through me, but my eyes were focused ahead. It looked as though the rest of the enemy Players had started to retreat?

    Mania tried to take hold of my senses - I wanted to laugh. Running so soon? Couldn¡¯t stomach the show they had signed up for. Instead, my glowing eyes clocked Wolf as he swiped through a handful of corpses.

    ¡°We need to get to the outpost.¡±

    He turned and nodded. There was a dullness to his eyes, but he didn¡¯t seem to be slowing down. ¡°Get behind me. I will clear the path.¡±

    Ren renewed her shield on him, and I stood and wavered. My right arm was pulsing with¡­ power? It was like a heartbeat, or a marching tune, readying to meet an equal. I knew now the curse of killing a Guardian.

    I had to destroy anyone else that had one. Needed to be strongest. The best performer.

    A shockwave of energy as Wolf powered up, and then he was off. I switched demons, two Stone Imps, just to see what they did. Although¡­ my attention was soon drawn away.

    As the bear pulped through the zombies with ease, the necromancer paused at the precipice of the outpost wall. His companions now moving out of sight, he held up a hand.

    Probably not just to wave goodbye¡­ although¡­

    Green light flickered around him, and a corridor of zombies started to glow. Almost as if they were lit from within, like a lava lamp, or a-

    Naturally, the three of us were in the middle of this corridor.

    As Wolf slid to a stop, and our defensive abilities flared up, I was blinded and deafened.

    The long row of zombies exploded, catching us off-guard.

 144 - Blown Away

    The ringing in my ears signaled that I probably hadn¡¯t died. As my blurred vision vibrated back into taking in the world, it was hard to tell how much of me had made it through the attack. Blood, rotten flesh, and thick mud covered my suit. Some of it was tattered now, my legs looking a little rougher than normal, but they took me to a stooped standing position.

    Ahead of me was the elf, who I could almost mistake for being dead if it weren¡¯t for her piercing blue eyes glaring at me. Just beside her was Wolf, who had tried to weather as much damage to protect her as he could. His head hung low, and his breathing haggard. They were both covered in gore.

    None of us had found the capacity to talk yet. The explosion having knocked the air from our lungs just as it had rung about our senses in our heads. I turned on complaining legs to see the rest of our Party.

    Roger had attempted the same self-sacrifice as the bear, and for his efforts had completely died. Back to Hell, with the empty corpse of the rogue laying inert and in several parts on the mushy ground. Tanya looked shell-shocked, a dent in her breastplate assisting the lack of breath we all felt.

    Quinn was clutching at where his eyepatch used to be, fresh blood seeping between his fingers.

    ¡°Good thing I¡¯d already lost that eye,¡± he murmured, his other arm hanging a little more limp than usual.

    ¡°Potion up,¡± I told them. ¡°Speed is of the essence.¡± Their half-vacant nods were good enough for me.

    So, I turned and stumbled over to the prone elf, who didn¡¯t appear keen to move from the layers of filth and rain soaking through her suit.

    ¡°Ren,¡± I hissed. ¡°Ren.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± She held a hand up, requesting my assistance.

    With a grunt and a feeling like my arm was about to tear from the rest of my body, I lifted her up to shaky feet and put my arm around her. ¡°Look.¡± I gestured with a shaking arm toward the outpost. ¡°Our red carpet is finally here.¡±

    The explosion had done a disservice to the horde of undead. Blood, bone, and decaying flesh now lined the corridor of the attack. A carpet of mulched corpses that the constant rain turned into a slurry of deep red and muted green.

    ¡°I¡¯m too mad at them to be mad at you,¡± she sighed and coughed up a bloody chunk. Might even belong to her. She put a heal through herself and then shuffled towards the bear, as I drew a pair of healing potions into my hands.

    Still trembling, but it was not fear. Not even elation, actually - my rocked brain unable to even be a bad narrator and pain my maladies as boons for the show. One potion. Two potions. All was right with¡­ well, I was mostly okay now.

    ¡°They still retreating? Would have been better to capitalize on our disarray.¡± Tanya stepped up to us, stowing away a couple of empty bottles of her own.

    I looked around at our group. If the necromancer had just led with that and then told his goons to pulp us, we¡¯d probably be as good as dead. There were still zombies standing outside of the attack he had hit us with¡­ but we¡¯d clearly put a greater dent in them than he would have liked.

    Possibly part of his ability made it seem as though there were more than there truly were. Now just sparse groups wandered aimlessly, as if their connection to his will had been severed.

    ¡°Thinking they might have teleported, Max?¡± Quinn stretched out as Tanya wrapped a clean cloth over the side of his face where his eye was missing.

    I held my right arm out. A fresh flicker of purple spiraled around it as a thrum of energy helped me focus. ¡°No. He is still here. Probably feels as though we would win out at range.¡±

    Not that we were too shabby in melee either, with Wolf and my bullshit. For them to have such confidence, though¡­

    ¡°Traps,¡± I said. My eyes darted through the mashed bodies of the exploded zombies. ¡°They were here to defend the area, so traps are likely.¡±

    ¡°Magical then,¡± Tanya said with a nod. ¡°Anything physical would have been ruined by the explosion.¡±

    ¡°Start preparing for that.¡± I moved past her to walk over to the elf.

    Wolf looked glum, but there was still energy in his eyes. Ren was more miserable than anything, standing against the bear with her arms folded against her chest. Outfit totally muddied, bloodied, and worse.

    ¡°Cheer up.¡± I smiled. ¡°We still live.¡±

    ¡°No smiles until I get a hot bath.¡± Her brow furrowed further as if to nail home the point.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Not even if I got you a present?¡±

    Her eyes were too tired to roll, so she just shuffled awkwardly. ¡°Only if it was something to kill these assholes quicker so that I can get a hot bath. Or¡­ Sweet Cakes.¡±

    I shrugged. We had been out of those for too long, unfortunately. ¡°Let¡¯s say it¡¯s the first one.¡± With my hand extended, my two hell-birds hovered out from behind the bear, a long metal object barely carried between them.

    Ren pulled a face and retrieved it. ¡°This is the rifle that they were using. Oh, it¡¯s Legendary!¡±

    Almost a smile. ¡°Do you have firearms in your world?¡±

    She returned a half-shrug. ¡°Very rare and a lot more basic than this. I¡¯ve seen a flintlock pistol before, and some kind of hunting rifle¡­ but this is¡­¡±

    ¡°Allow me.¡± Tanya stepped up and smiled. ¡°Bolt-action sniper rifle. Unfamiliar with the make¡­ but it functions the same as things I¡¯ve used. Like your bow, you have to draw this bolt back, but then it goes back forward to chamber the bullet. Which¡­ small capacity magazine, looks like it replenishes like your quiver though - so no need to worry about reloading.¡± The fateweaver held the weapon up higher. ¡°Got a scope up here with four, eight, and twelve times magnification. I¡¯d keep it low since you¡¯re used to eyeballing ranges. Then click the trigger when you want to erase something.¡±

    Ren¡¯s mouth opened and closed a few times as the weapon was returned. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ aren¡¯t I supposed to be more of a cliche?¡±

    ¡°Give it a go, elven ranger princess.¡± I smiled. ¡°No pressure - save it for later if it¡¯s not something you like.¡±

    She shrugged and pushed away from the bear. While the idea of her using the weapon was amusing¡ªand strangely attractive¡ªshe did also look rather awkward with it. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be pushing her to learn new things while we were between career-ending performances.

    Pouting, she then worked the bolt, dropping to one knee and shouldering the stock. One eye narrowed, she glared down the scope towards a group of zombies further off. A swirl of radiant light rotated along the barrel before she pulled the trigger.

    A crack and blaze of golden light, and the imbued bullet pierced through the head of the nearest zombie, followed by three more further away.

    Ren clucked her tongue and stood back up, racking the bolt to eject the spent casing. ¡°Will take some getting used to.¡±

    I shook away the hearts from my eyes to see that the rest of the Party were equally impressed and apprehensive. My gaze focused back on the outpost. They were waiting for us and it was burning me up that there wasn¡¯t an easy solution to getting rid of them. No higher ground anywhere for Ren to prop her new skill up, or for me to spy from.

    Decay had spread from this location, and needed to be cut out so that the rest of the world could survive.

    ¡°Defenders have the advantage in a siege,¡± I murmured. What use was a cannon other than to destroy the walls? Most of the building seemed like they were stone when I visited briefly, so pelting them with fire wouldn¡¯t do much. With a necromancer, flinging in something dead or decaying wouldn¡¯t move the needle. Time was¡­

    We didn¡¯t have time. They might be hoping for reinforcements.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be expecting us to come through the hole we opened up.¡± Ren tilted her head as she rested the sniper rifle across her shoulder.

    I sighed and shivered slightly. Definitely the rain and not the sight of her with the high-powered weapon. She was right, of course. ¡°I feel silly for saying it, but I almost prefer being ambushed.¡±

    ¡°It is easier if the fish jump right into your boat.¡± Her eyes narrowed at the outpost in case there was any movement.

    ¡°We had the advantage of stealth at the fort as well. Being inside the outpost would probably work in our favor, but there¡¯s no way of doing that undetected.¡±

    Ren clucked her tongue. ¡°Really, trickster? Got no extra bullshit for us?¡±

    The cogs whirred around I my head, and I smiled.

    <hr>

    Two things surprised me. First, was my genius. Second was how high my hell-doves could fly.

    Assuming that the groups we were against had some form of invisibility detection, and could pluck my birds from the air - the only other option was to out-range them. And indeed, as I switched places with the small demon, the wind sucked the air from my lungs in surprise.

    The outpost sat below me, like a child¡¯s toy I could almost scoop up and crush with my hands. At least, if they weren¡¯t already full of something. With gravity willing me towards the hard earth below, I let go of my radiant payload, and switched back to the safety of the mulched ground. The rain had lightened but not ceased, which should assist in our little ploy.

    Our Party stood and watched as the bound sacks of flour tumble down through the sky.

    ¡°Saw three, maybe four, in the courtyard. Defensive positions. Some kind of large hatch or underground area has been built.¡±

    Quinn shook his head. ¡°A rat¡¯s nest that we will soon burn out.¡±

    Ren was propped up against the bear, using the sniper rifle¡¯s bipod to aim up at the falling object. I heard her exhale, and then she fired.

    All three bags burst, dispensing the fine powder down above the outpost. One of them retained the radiant glow, intending to sprinkle as much of the area with holy energy as possible.

    Bolt back and forth and she whispered a word in elven. Dark green spots speckled along the black weapon, before she fired again. I thought a brief apology to my flying demon. A burst of feathers, and then a cloud grew from the struck bird. Green edges to the fluffy white.

    We moved. A rain of caustic acid pattered down from the summoned magic as Ren held her hand out. I took the rifle from her so that she could draw Mana potions and down them. Between the five of us, we had an overabundance of them, so she could cast the skill for as long as she could stomach the magical liquid.

    Tanya led beside Wolf, one of her idols able to prompt us if we came close to any set traps if they were created via spells. Quinn lagged behind with me, looking the roughest out of the five of us.

    Blood ran from the elf¡¯s outstretched hand, soaking through her shredded sleeve. Well, she learned from the best - I couldn¡¯t fault her on that.

    The enemy lying in wait would need to seek shelter from the constant barrage of acid that would scour away at every surface it could reach. The holy flour sanctified the ground, our hopes being that no undead could be raised from it.

    A simple trick that easily turned the tables on who had the advantage. Now they wouldn¡¯t be able to accost us as we entered the outpost. We¡¯d be ambushing them, and not even from the expected hole we had created.

    For when I had been in the sky, I saw the lay of the place. It was important to know the stage well, and I now had an entrance planned that would be unparalleled.

    My arm tingled, knowing that one of the Guardian¡¯s chosen would die very soon.

 145 - Without Fanfare

    I wasn¡¯t sure why I was so happy. Despite the exhaustion knocking on the door, I felt electric. Perhaps it was the fact that I¡¯d be stepping up on stage with a full Party soon enough, and after all we¡¯d been through, this was our reward.

    Below me, Ren ceased the cast of her acid cloud. I reached down and our bloody hands slapped into each other so that I could help pull her up onto the makeshift ramp of the various furniture I had acquired over the journey. It wobble under our combined weight, and the elf shuffled her body into mine.

    Was enough of a distraction to have me forget about the hygiene issues of us mashing our self-inflicted wounds together.

    ¡°I can read that face, trickster.¡± She smiled, leaning slightly away so that she could look up into my eyes. ¡°There¡¯s a passive that grants me proficiency in all ranged weaponry.¡±

    That explained that then. It had been an oddity that she had taken to using the firearm like it was no different to her bow. Appreciated, and something I yearned for an explanation for - now I had it.

    ¡°What I want to know, though,¡± she continued, pressing herself closer to me again. ¡°Is why you find it so attractive? You like me handling this long object? Is it the power that I have to erase your enemies with a quick flick of my nimble finger?¡±

    My tongue caught in my mouth briefly. ¡°Fucking hells, Ren. After the show, okay?¡±

    She pulled away and bit her lip, the smile on my face enough to let her know I wasn¡¯t deflecting her advances¡­ but we did have a show to put on.

    ¡°Crowd is waiting then, trickster. I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡±

    My bravado knew no bounds, and I had chosen the most overt way to enter the outpost now that the suppressive fire from above had ceased. With a hop across a chair - and then a second - I was atop the stone wall, leaping immediately onto a wooden beam that I clambered up.

    I had seen it from the sky. Wooden scaffolding for a house currently under construction.

    A quick push and then I was at the flat roof. Basic wooden boards were my stage. Now I could see the damage that Ren had wrought. Stone and wood throughout the area had scoured lines through them. A couple of small stalls had collapsed from the damage. If any vegetation had survived the decaying power of the necromancer, it had now been melted to mush.

    Three figures remained in the outdoors, but there was a broken hatch leading into a dark tunnel in the center of the outpost, giving a hint to where the rest of the audience were hiding.

    On stage left was another fighter type. Shield held with lines running down it - he had managed to escape most of the damage. Stage right had the dying body of who knows what. They had not managed to get into any worthwhile cover, and their body was a mess of exposed muscle and bone. Center was a spellcaster, who was looking rather annoyed at me.

    ¡°Greetings, and-¡± I paused as my feet burst into ice, pinning me to the thin wood. If I had a gold coin for every time this happened¡­ but instead, I raised my hand up, two fingers aimed toward the mage like a gun.

    He was charging up a spell in his hands. Looked like an icebolt or similar.

    ¡°Bang,¡± I said.

    His head flung back, brains splattering against the drab building behind him. I blew my fingers as Ren faded out of invisibility, crouched down not too far from me.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could do that,¡± she murmured, working the bolt to eject the empty casing.

    I held my left hand out, cracks in my skin oozing fresh blood. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to.¡± Purple eyes, aglow with the elation of the show, looked down at her. ¡°But I do what I damn well please.¡±

    She shuddered. ¡°Fucking hells, Max. After the show, okay?¡±

    Any grin that graced my face was soon shaken away as the structure we were perched upon trembled and groaned. With expert dramatic timing, it became untethered from the wall behind us and slowly tipped toward the outpost center. The fighter had cut through some supports, clearly unimpressed with Ren¡¯s acquired weaponry.

    The elf stood, taking my hand, and she twirled into my grasp as if we were in dance.

    ¡°Is it concerning that violence has become our love language?¡± she asked.

    I shrugged and ran a finger down the side of her face to push some errant hair out of the way. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, as long as we live.¡±

    The building tipped further, obscuring us both in a cloud of wood and disturbed flour from the soaked floor. To the side, the fighter stood ready with his shield up and a spear pointing toward our landing place - waiting for the debris to settle to take a jab at us both.

    Quite a large shield, as well - clearly a defense focused Player. A pair of growling hounds behind him caused him to turn to address the new threat. Rookie mistake.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The dust around us blew away with the rush of Ren¡¯s rifle firing. Into the back of his shoulder, piercing through the metal plate. His shield went lax in his grip, and I was already beside him. He lashed out with his spear, a billowing cloth appearing in front of me, taking the brunt as it skimmed my side. Jar of treacle smashed into his face, briefly blinding him.

    <Shuffle> had him Slowed. I stepped back away to mirror his movements - but while I did so without issue; he bumped up against the cold metal of my cannon with a clang. First blast buried a dagger into his lower back. He stepped forward and Ren shot him again, the burst through his chest causing his hand to go up and clutch at the wound. Dropped to his knees. Cannon fired again, putting my Speak of Luck straight through the back of his head.

    As he slumped over dead, confetti burst through the air and I took a bow. In the background, my hounds were finishing off the Player on death¡¯s door.

    ¡°Fuck bows,¡± Ren snorted. ¡°This thing is obscene.¡±

    The three other members of our Party clambered through the part of the wall previously destroyed. Wolf struggled a little, but managed. Looked tired. We all did.

    ¡°Beats me how you both fell from a building and are okay.¡± Quinn frowned at all the debris across the ground.

    ¡°I sprained my ankle, actually,¡± I stated. ¡°Same one as back at those steps. It¡¯s agony¡­ but in a way, I like it.¡±

    He exchanged a glance with Tanya, the latter of which brought out a painkilling idol for me to sequester away.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s also the ground here. Can feel that the holy energy has seeped through.¡± I shot a glance over toward my hounds and realized they were pacing uncomfortably now that they had finished the other Player off. I sent them back to Hell with a quick apology.

    ¡°Nice when bullshit actually works, huh?¡± Ren looked around the outpost to ensure we weren¡¯t missing anything.

    She may have consecrated the ground from further zombies rising up around us, but that didn¡¯t stop people hiding away in the buildings or those lurking below the earth.

    Wolf sniffed at the air, and I joined him walking around to the hole that had been dug in the middle of the ground. An ugly blight to what must have been a very pleasant outpost at some point. Now everything was drab, as if Tyler had been erasing the very vibrancy and color from the area. The dark sky certainly didn¡¯t help, but at least the rain had all but stopped.

    A shadowed pit a good fifteen feet wide, that vanished into the unknown once the dim light of day failed to pierce through more than a dozen or so feet. More rounded at the peak and flatter on the bottom - which made sense for walking down it.

    ¡°Many smells. More death,¡± the bear huffed and sat down to glare at the pit of definite danger.

    ¡°No way of knowing how extensive or deep the tunnel is,¡± Tanya said as she came to join us. ¡°Could try flushing them out, however.¡±

    Part of me just wanted to reach in to the necromancer and split his head in half like an orange. The other part wanted to do the same, but on a grand stage, surrounded by my group. Still, the less of me that got maimed the better - it would certainly make the celebrations with Ren a lot less awkward if I remained in one piece.

    I gestured for the fateweaver to continue.

    ¡°I could make some gas idols, and you could use the cannon to fire in a torch in after them." She tilted her head in thought. ¡°That means taking away both your current idol and the anti-zombie one on Wolf.¡±

    Currently, I quite liked the amount my ankle didn¡¯t hurt - even if it still ached a little. If we went down there as a group, then there would probably be traps. I wasn¡¯t keen on being stuck underground. Didn¡¯t really have any bullshit for that unless every collapsed rock was small enough for my Inventory.

    ¡°They obviously have something important down there,¡± I eventually said. ¡°To avoid direct confrontation with us and allow most of their groups to be killed off¡­ it can¡¯t be good. Likewise, he isn¡¯t likely to be hiding away in a corner, hoping we leave him alone.¡±

    ¡°Entering the hole would be playing into his hands,¡± Ren agreed, nodding as she ran a hand slowly up the sniper barrel.

    For some reason, I lost my train of thought for a second, before I looked between the rest of the Party. All eyes on me. Waiting to see what I would determine the best course of action. The leader of the group - if only because my bullshit kept me alive despite all odds.

    I held my right arm out. Still aflame with purple energy - the necromancer was still here. ¡°Seems pretty simple, actually.¡± I smiled.

    A few moments of silence passed between us before Quinn sighed. ¡°Fill us in then, Max.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Oh, yes.¡± I shook away my roving thoughts and centered myself. ¡°Simply put, we will do exactly what we came here to do - put on a great show.¡±

    Tanya nodded. ¡°Pragmatic.¡± She filled Quinn in on the exposition, as he still looked a little lost. ¡°Either they have a way out of the hole, or they don¡¯t. We might as well wait them out and keep our advantage of being able to ambush.¡±

    ¡°Precisely.¡± I clicked my fingers. ¡°Out here, we have the time to set up a stage. Prepare our performance on our own terms.¡±

    ¡°And if it drags out and gets boring,¡± Ren added, ¡°we¡¯ll just collapse the tunnel and see what they do.¡±

    Wolf huffed. ¡°Hopefully just die. I detest the undead.¡±

    We could only hope. I shared his current feeling on the walking corpses. Despite blunting the main force of the necromancer, I didn¡¯t feel like we had accomplished much. Our strikes had been powerful and decisive, the Crimson Shadow getting caught up in underestimating how overpowered our little group was.

    They could have sent the sniper woman out to assassinate us, surely - but perhaps her stealth wasn¡¯t that great - or they thought she was more important standing around this cesspit. If there was one thing our enemies excelled at, it was making terrible decisions.

    I started ordering everyone around. A little more assertive and controlling than usual - but this was the big piece, a book-end to our latest struggles. Victory wasn¡¯t just for our survival, it also painted all our turmoil with validity. It would be hard won, I was sure. No one-tapping Tyler in the head with the rifle, or watching him become pulp beneath Wolf¡¯s paws.

    Something had been itching at the inside of my skull ever since we fought the living stagecoach. Our enemies had their own cards up their sleeves - bullshit of their own that only a few held tight to their chest. Tyler was one such individual, and all the roving corpses had been just distraction. Grass to hide the snake in.

    Just as we all got into position, things hastily arranged and plans set - the hiss of said snake rolled through the area.

    Yet instead of being a sharp tinny noise, it was a low grumbling. A thunder that shook the very cobblestone we stood upon.

    The ground started to vibrate and shift, as long cracks ran across the outpost.

    As a wave of putrid death washed through the area, any cocky grin I tried to maintain faded away to cold disdain.

    The necromancer sought to bring giants against me, not understanding that I was a titan that stood above all.

 146 - Big Brain

    The human mind was a fascinating thing. Even now, standing atop a house and watching an impossibly giant zombie rise from the ground, I didn¡¯t feel any less sane. Maybe it was the gradual changes. A world that was similar to mine but with a video game slant. An elven princess akin to classic pop culture. Talking bear. Demonic powers. Eldritch beings. War against a cult fighting for control over this world. Love.

    Taken at face value, this was as horrifying as it got.

    Even the head of this corpse was thirty or so feet tall. I could sense the rest of my Party was frozen in indecision. The sheer size. It was unbelievable in a way I thought was amusing. My disbelief had been suspended long ago, to a degree that I¡¯d accept anything. Unflappable to a detrimental degree.

    A smile across my lips as the face of the undead rose up to my level. Two large orbs of yellow bore down on me like twin moons. The stench of decay washed over me as a wide mouth opened - large enough to take a chunk from this house, let alone consume me.

    As more of its body displaced cracked stone and thick dirt, steam ran from the gray-green skin of its torso. The sanctified ground burning at him but the damage paling in total compared to the whole.

    The reason for my grin was twofold.

    I knew where the necromancer was. A simple matter of allowing the power surging my arm a place to want to be, like a divining rod. Inside the skull of the giant zombie. Piloting it like a macabre robotic suit, only made from a corpse way too large to be anything natural.

    The second reason was another truth I somehow knew, as if being in close proximity to another Guardian enabled shared knowledge to be wedged into my mental bookshelf.

    Whoever kills a Guardian receives their powers.

    Not really here or there. I was killing him, whatever happened. If one of the Party got the powers, then it might be more efficient to divide up the powers - but if I lucked into them, then so be it.

    [Max: Necro inside the skull.]

    No sooner as I had sent the message, there was a burst of power as Ren shot the zombie with a radiant bullet. A handful of decaying flesh dropped down to splatter on the ruined outpost, and the eyes of the monster turned to where she had shot from.

    It wouldn¡¯t find her. An odd role for the pair - the elf had been sent to the outside walls of the outpost, riding atop Wolf. A last-minute change of plans once we saw what our audience would be. Given her shots had more downtime than when using a bow, she could fire and then they¡¯d arc around the outpost, keeping to the blind spot of our biggest fan.

    The large undead instead turned focus back to me, a giant hand swinging through the air intending to knock me into next week. I clapped my hands.

    From a different rooftop, I watched the building I had been standing on burst into loose tiles and collapsing wooden supports. From within the wreckage, my demonic cannon fired, the angle now slightly off - but my Spear of Luck imbued with radiant energy slammed into the corpse.

    Rather than take a disliking to the damage wrought, the zombie instead burst into translucent black flame. An effect that gave it¡­ incredible agility. Rather than the obscenely large corpse being lethargic, it had now become spritely - a fist now swinging down toward me as it twisted in place.

    A trio of cards flung from me, twisting and gouging marks down the arm as it cratered down onto me. Cooldowns were rather unfair sometimes. My body was pulverized, shattering as it became sandwiched between giant fist and collection of obliterated wood.

    My real body exited a nearby alleyway. Couldn¡¯t dazzle the monster, which was unreasonable. Lucky for me, the presence had the same effect on my Power meter as demons seemed to - although at a slower rate; it was only a matter of time. No Dazzles, but there was a debuff from an idol Tanya had left amongst the rubble.

    Hand out, I put the extended version of <Shuffle> on the zombie. A sniper shot blew another chunk of flesh from the head that was turning down to see me - Ren¡¯s debuff skill adding an icon.

    A long leg extended out of the crater now opened up in the center of the outpost, the arm still within the smashed building helped push the Monster all the way to be standing up outside of the confines of the underground place it had¡­ grown?

    Easily two-hundred feet tall now. My circling cards hacking away at a lower leg did nothing to move the needle. As their hand raised, they took a handful of loose tiles from the debris up with them.

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    My right eye twitched as the giant lashed around, sending the shards in a spray to clatter in an arc just beyond the walls. No doubt at my Party. I trusted that they were safe and had dealt with it in a suitable fashion. The crack of Ren¡¯s rifle told me that I was correct.

    Atop one of the houses, two Imps began casting their fireballs. I drew the attention of the zombie by flickering my cards in front of his face. A large foot lashed out at me, drawing up loosed rocks from the ground. I spun away, my Card Fan preventing my bones from breaking, but the force still sending me into a wall. Air knocked out of my lungs, I watched as a large fist drew back into the sky.

    He froze in a figurative sense, as my Shuffle switched to a literal Stun. A brief thing that he recovered from in barely two seconds - but it gave me time to move. I darted down the alleyway, circling in between buildings to be out of sight. My mundane deck followed me around like a cloud, obscuring some of my movements.

    The building I had just passed exploded, the massive foot of the zombie kicking the top floor and roof clear out of the outpost. I slid across slick cobblestone in time to see the twin fireballs strike the zombie, the twitch of pain following up by a wide swing of his fist. I¡¯d already sent them back to Hell. Instead of Imp, the zombie caught a handful of lanterns next to a campfire Quinn had set up in the loft of the building.

    As he drew back a hand now alight, a radiant sheen flooded over his body. Cannon fired, pelting the zombie with a sackful of pebbles I had gathered. Pulses of pain ran through the giant as chunks of rotten flesh burst away from the skeleton beneath. My cloud of cards zipped towards him, one of them burning bright red as I had hit the lucky critical.

    Dipped my health into it before it struck, regaining my charge of <Last Act+>. It exploded just as the rest of my basic cards turned to ash against the Monster. Ren¡¯s ability faded away to reveal we had shredded that leg almost completely. A rifle shot struck it, chipping the bone.

    Any small celebration was short-lived, as the necromancer had clearly had enough of us. Hand slammed down into the ground, crushing the stables, and then he dragged it in an arc - the flaming fist destroying building after building in an attempt to completely level the place.

    Healing potion to my lips, I had maybe eight seconds before I¡¯d be smashed on the warpath. I looked at my hands to see that they were now in white gloves. We were getting closer.

    And speaking of¡­

    A rush of air, and I was standing on the head of the zombie. Footing was uncomfortably squishy beneath my boots. With narrows eyes, I could see that Ren and Wolf were bloodied, but still moving. If only we had Quinn¡¯s boomerang again, I could get through this thick skull. There didn¡¯t seem to be a handy hatch.

    Some irony not missed in the fact that I had to break a skull to win. Should be a cinch.

    Left arm out, I used the [Scroll of Fire Wall], followed by [Scroll of Air Gust]. The shimmering green waves of air fanned the flames to spread across the head, as I jettisoned anything flammable from my Inventory. Clothing, straw and hay, parts of wood - and a couple of lanterns.

    Missed my chance to switch back with my hell-bird, and I wasn¡¯t keen on finding out if <Last Act+> worked on fall damage.

    Actually, yes I was.

    Just like much of my debris, I slid off the front of the raising zombie¡¯s head. A smile on my face as I dropped past his view. [Scroll of Water Spray] covering his dry eyes in fresh dampness - how kind of me.

    With a whistle that rushed by my ear, a rifle shot struck the zombie in the eye - this one empowered with ice damage. Wet from my attack, they both froze solid. I fell and ran my mundane deck around me, a fool¡¯s errand - but it softened my fall enough to land on something soft.

    ¡°Back on stage, Max.¡± Quinn placed me down on the ground, and with a nod, he left. Quite the catch, I¡¯d have to admit.

    ¡°Imbecile,¡± a loud voice rang out. ¡°How are you this relentless?¡±

    I grinned as purple arcs of electricity ran around my body. ¡°Time is running out, why don¡¯t you leave your toy and¡­¡± My mouth opened and closed, but few words came out.

    Black dots flickered in my vision as I looked down and pulled the arrow from my neck. In the blurry distance, a group of figures. Reinforcements maybe? Or people who were in the hole? How rude.

    I looked up to see the fist above me, increasing in size.

    ¡°Now perish!¡±

    My body became pulp, and the real me walked away with another potion already halfway down my throat. Pretty sure that was one of my one-liners. Was I cliche? Well, more than usual? The added Players were a complication to the plan¡­ yet also a boon. I tilted my head from side to side, and then was gone.

    Appeared outside the outer wall, to find all four of my Party there.

    ¡°Tough crowd,¡± Ren said, hopping down from the bear. Her shirt on the right side was split and residual blood from a wound that had healed covered the area. Bruising on her head, too.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had worse.¡± I shrugged and smiled. ¡°Things are going to get dicey. More Players and the big guy isn¡¯t dropping.¡±

    ¡°Plan?¡± Tanya asked.

    ¡°Why, we¡¯re going to put on a good show, of course.¡± I looked up at the zombie, who was trying to use what remained of the fire to thaw out his eyes. ¡°I have a plan, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good one.¡±

    Ren frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not going off on your own and getting nearly killed, is it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking you along with me.¡±

    Not really used to fighting titans of necromancy, they were all willing to give my plan a try. Worst that could happen is that we¡¯d all die.

    And so, as Tyler regained sight in his giant, and Shuffle gave him five percent less Intelligence for a bit, he turned to see us running across the open field where he had blown up all his corpses.

    The bear with two figures atop and two flanking either side of him. He fancied his chances of catching us up - what with those long legs of his.

    So, as Ren and I sat huddled up against a shadowed portion of the outside wall, we watched the corpse stomp past us. Our hastily constructed faux-selves seemed to do the job, and Wolf did well not to jostle them off of his back.

    Not long after we were well behind the giant, we heard the murmurs of talking and thuds of boots against stone. The interloping members of the audience who did not have tickets to the opening.

    I grinned and gave Ren a nod.

    ¡°Let¡¯s Dazzle the shit out of these motherfuckers,¡± she whispered.

 147 - Breaking Rules

    I could see why Crimson Shadow had tried to ambush us at every possibility now. There was a certain¡­ excitement to it. Having the advantage while your target was unaware. Not exactly a trick - but something almost adjacent. While the giant zombie chased after Wolf et al, Ren and I were practically exploding to make ourselves known to the others.

    It didn¡¯t take long before we got what we wanted.

    Eager to catch up to the necromancer and have their share of the glory, seven figures dropped down from the wall in rough groups. Before they had a chance to set off, their focus was immediately grasped by the most attention-hungry of us all. Moi.

    Standing proud and tall, I held my cape out to the side as if I were about to tussle with a raging bull. I drew the horned ire of their realization, but acted before they had the chance. Amateurs, compared to yours truly.

    ¡°Abra-cadabra, assholes!¡± I said with a manic grin, swishing my cape away to reveal the most dazzling prot¨¦g¨¦ a magician could ask for.

    Her first trick bloomed from the end of a high-caliber sniper rifle. A solitary clap that blew the mind of one of the gathered audience. Their healer, no doubt. An efficient trick was the one that had the highest impact, and there could be no greater opener than hobbling their survivability.

    Cape went over in a swirl to obscure Ren. <Card Fan+> up to deflect a leveled ranged attack from the one who had almost killed me not a few minutes earlier. Couldn¡¯t rush a finisher like that - you had to earn it. As I completed the motion, I revealed that my cannon had replaced the elf.

    A jet of flame washed over the hell-bird that I switched with, as I arrived behind the group at arms-reach. One of them had vanished. The second of my doves fluttered around the face of the caster and I couldn¡¯t wash the grin from my sorry face.

    I bathed myself in the turmoil. Supped at every increasing Dazzle icon as if each were a five-star review. I was a paragon. Unmatched. Destined to rise above all.

    Yet, I wanted more.

    Spear twirled in my hand as they clocked I was now in amongst them. Cannon fired off confetti. <Shuffle+> hit the man with the crossbow. He immediately dropped his weapon and clutched at his face, clawing at his eyes.

    Or at the gray shapes these mannequins all had in lieu of a detailed face, anyway. Sketchbook time. A wave of calm swirled through me as my demonic energy started following the script. Only a few lines to remember, but plenty of choreography we had to get right. At least, unless I wanted to lose my head.

    Ducked the swing of a large axe, while my spear blocked the lunge of a sword. Clang. Chair out, I stepped upon it to level a head-height kick at one gray head. Crunch. Dropped back to the floor and rolled to avoid the axe kicking up sticky mud. Twirled the spear to create room, switching to a dagger which I threw, before going back to the spear.

    Mundane cards burst out from my belt and circled this little group of rough sketches that were trying to get the better of me. Bang.

    I turned my head to see Ren atop the wall, currently fighting the rogue who had vanished. Blood on her side, but she was now holding her own. Using the rifle to block the quick jabs of their daggers. Although I allowed her to be in danger, I would snap back at any heckler that dared interrupt her work.

    Curtain flashed up around me as my cannon fired empty again, and I was gone. Invisibly, I ran over to the wall. Ren dropped to her stomach and rolled away from the rogue, holding her rifle flat between both hands. With the boost from a handy chair, I grabbed onto it, and she assisted me in coming up to meet her assailant. Couldn''t see me, but could sense my presence. Bound in blood and love.

    Invisibility dropped as I spun up three magical cards in front of me. His lunged stopped so that he didn¡¯t lose the arm in my meat-grinder. Still, he fancied his chances.

    ¡°Got the attention of the big guy again,¡± Ren notified me.

    We¡¯d have to wrap this up then. Power meter was almost full. We had some bullshit to do and a day to win.

    Cards spun out in front of each other, hovering in the air in a vertical column. I gripped at the empty air below them as if they were a sword and made to swipe at the fuzzy shape of the rogue. No surprise that Ren was still in full sparkling definition, while my enemies had been reduced to drab props.

    Sparks rang out as my faux weapon clashed with his. Off in the distance, my two Ice Imps started to pelt the giant zombie with their slowing ice attacks. And what of the spellcaster I had been harassing with my bird? The crack of glass, whispered elven word, then blast of the rifle behind me was a tale that I didn¡¯t need to view to understand.

    The second crack of a whip circling around my midsection was something of an unknown. I gave the rogue a brief shrug before I was yanked from the top of the wall. Ren followed me down, landing into an expert roll across the mulched earth, while I just landed on my back and lost the air from my lungs.

    She followed her acrobatics by standing and following through into striking my assailant with the butt of her rifle. Hah, butt. In trying to regain my composure, I found that there was a familiar warmth running down the side of my head. Old habits died hard, but my skull was-

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    Thoughts vanished as the cloaked mannequin representing the rogue jumped down from the wall, intending to land on me with both daggers entering my soft and ever-tiring form. I blinked once, and every spear or pointed weapon appeared around me, standing proud and pointing to the sky.

    Normally something that would slide away or be knocked from position by any weight put upon it. The damp mud did him a disservice. Impaled, sprays of gray zig-zagged down upon me.

    A blast then knocked everything over, like we were playing bowling, but chose the wrong end of the alley to stand. It loosened up the lasso to the point I could roll away free and gather up some air into my body. Loved that stuff. Ren was slightly bloodied, but had used the confusion to roll atop my restrainer, pushing the rifle against their throat like a bar.

    <Card Fan+> went up in front of her to deflect a thrown attack. Jaw clenched together at the attempted interruption, I brought up my own crossbow. Fired, turned, dropped. Another raised and fired. Flipped it into the air and it switched to a loaded one. Caught it and fired.

    Thud and a groan. I turned my eyes to the side to see that Ren¡¯s mannequin had turned the tables. Given her a bloody nose with a headbutt and was trying to choke her out with her own weapon.

    I was there before I had the chance to think, as if I had turned into a streak of purple lighting. Empowered card circled him, cutting through his throat before he had the chance to even address me. Strength left him as shock overrode his bloodlust. Ren head-butted him back, and I pushed him off with a kick.

    She seemed lightheaded. One hand to help her up, the other with a healing potion in hand.

    ¡°Keep it. You¡¯ll need it more.¡± Her unfocused eyes went past me. ¡°Shit, dodge-¡±

    No, I was too slow. We both received the wide swing of the great-axe. Something empowered - probably one of the Player¡¯s key skills. Thankfully, I took the brunt of the damage - unintentionally, of course, but I¡¯d fool myself into thinking I saved her on purpose.

    Right leg severed straight from my body. The deep gouge split through muscle and broke through most of the ribs on my back - almost severing my spine. Due to Ren¡¯s positioning, she took a deep cut to one thigh and a second over the shoulder. Mostly force damage from the aftereffects of the skill as she was flung across the ground.

    The cannon fired its final blast of confetti, covering my failing body with as much fanfare as it deserved.

    I played a quick game of hide the knife as he looked between my faux corpse and the elf loading up a bullet in her rifle. Turned out it was in his eye socket. Shuffle on the chap who had gouged his own eyes out. Sleep. I withdrew the Blade of Shadow, stepped over, and pushed it through the parts he needed to survive. A pool of gray soaked into the welcoming mud. A new home.

    The shadow of our pursuer drew closer. Eyes ablaze, he had started summoning groups of zombies - too far out to be a threat, but the intention was to catch us out eventually, while he was literally punching down.

    That just meant I needed to be on his level.

    Back over at Ren, I helped her to her feet. Still unsteady. I brought her in for a brief kiss, soft despite the pain and viscera that painted this picture. ¡°I need you to go somewhere safe.¡±

    ¡°Leaving me again, trickster?¡±

    I smiled, my eyes glowing bright purple. ¡°I need you alive for the finale, but I have to be the biggest asshole for a hot minute.¡±

    ¡°All eyes on you.¡± She smiled and gave me a nod.

    I¡¯d just have to trust that she could do just that. My place was ready for me and would take only a moment to set up. A rush of air and it was done. Sent two cards out to the distance to refresh the Imps. Roger had come off cooldown and now one of the recently slain enemies was running off to enjoy himself. Now I was up high - although not quite face level to my opponent.

    Closed my eyes. Full power, but this time it had to be different.

    Activated my Domain and I was flooded by a warm feeling. Elation. There was no real audience, much to the chagrin of all involved. A Guardian, however¡­ that was something worth impressing.

    My hand raised, and I pursed my fingers together. One obnoxious over the top trick coming up. All I needed was the chance.

    Sometimes magic broke the rules.

    As the necromancer lumbered forward¡­ I stood there, shaking, hand extended. Blood completely soaked through my white gloves. Arm running with the stuff, actually - a pool had been steadily forming on the roof below me. We had intended for this to be a group show where we could all be on the stage¡­ but I had stolen the limelight once more.

    Couldn¡¯t have done it without them, of course. Even now, they slowed the advance of the titan zombie while fighting off the groups of summoned zombies. I could pick them out even from here. Seemed tired, but they fought on. Each second they bought got me that closer to my goal. Left hand brought another healing potion up to my mouth as more blood dripped from my hand. If anything, I¡¯d like to thank Ren for the inspiration.

    And I would, later, if I survived this.

    My Domain was expanding, I could feel it. While not the usual purpose, I liked to think a true showman could turn any precipice into a stage. My position atop one of the few houses still standing was illuminated by lights in the sky. Two rows slowly alternating between purple and white light. Some of the broken parts of the building were now repaired by waxed wooden planks.

    The outpost below even had a few dozen haphazardly placed chairs, as if any audience could stomach either the giant zombie, or what I was about to do.

    Glass clattered down to the ground as the fifth potion hit my lips. Or was it sixth? Tyler had just about reached the outpost now, despite the protestations of my security team. I hoped for a little longer, but you worked with what you had.

    Every part of me ached. Blood started to run from my ears. My nose. Elbows and knees started to stiffen up. It was as if I was funneling my very soul away. Perhaps I was. I shuddered and downed another health potion. Considering how much I hated the taste, this was altogether a rather unpleasant experience.

    Ren was safe, in prime position. I could feel it.

    First foot over the outpost wall. Tyler had taken a modest amount of damage. Would love to Shuffle that motherfucker, but couldn¡¯t right now. Wouldn¡¯t need to after my first attack as one of us would be dead.

    Shadow washed over me as he blocked out what little light the overcast sky provided. My spotlight kept me illuminated, however. Another potion in my shaking hand, and I dropped to my knees. Not enough strength to hold me up anymore.

    I blinked away the blood from my eyes to see the cracks running down my arm. Crimson and purple intertwined. The harsh zaps of my arcing electricity actually hurting for the first time, as if my skin was now hyper sensitive. Maybe it was, as what I thought was sweat running down my torso was just more blood. How much of the stuff did I have?

    Yellow eyes bore down on me as two giant fists raised up in the air. ¡°Valiant effort, but otherwise useless. Do you have any last words for the Lady?¡±

    I looked up at him and grinned widely, my whole body prickling and shaking.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I chuckled, convulsing with pain.

    ¡°Is this your card?¡±

 148 - Dont Stop Me Now

    I was learning not to be as selfish as the nature of my vocation pushed me toward. Or at least, that was my excuse.

    Kneeling atop a house alone in the midst of a ruined outpost, covered in my own blood and holding out my hand as if I could stop the literal titan standing in front of me¡­ well, it certainly looked as though I was hogging the limelight. A good trick always drew your attention away from where the real magic was happening.

    Is this your card?

    The words were so cliche and fitting, but filled me to the brim with joy. Perhaps that was just the blood loss and mania. Above me, the necromancer in the skyscraper-sized zombie with fists raised high didn¡¯t seem to find it as amusing.

    Before his attack came in, I went for the reveal. Blood-slick hand twisted, and I raised it up to the dark sky. Ta-da.

    From the ground of the outpost, a card of bright, magical energy emerged. My domain allowed the impossible. Required it. The amount of health I had drawn away while repeatedly downing potions furthered the stretching of what I was granted by the System.

    It was¡­ beautiful.

    Vertically, it rose. Splitting the rock and stone of the outpost. Perpendicular to me, it stretched out a good thirty feet along the top edge.

    Tyler paused and tried to look down, but by then it was too late. The muscles in my right arm tensed and burned as I clenched my fist. Sent it to the sky.

    The whole area became illuminated in purple light. My body shuddered, unable to control such unimaginable energy. Edge of the card hit the groin of the giant zombie as it tried to right itself to move.

    A spray of gore and bodily fluids rained down from the point of impact. My card increased in pace before shooting into the sky like a firework. Rather than burst, it vanished with a thrum of energy that vibrated the air surrounding the whole outpost. My arm hung limp to my side, and I fought the urge to pass out.

    Silence briefly, and then a hideous ripping sound. The line of purple drawn straight up the center of the large undead started to separate the two halves. Muscle and sinew tearing from each other as it could no longer hold the weight of its ridiculous form. Like the grinding of two large stones, the skull split as well, immediately ejecting a slurry of decaying brains to join the near-liquified internal organs that were splashing across the outpost, filling the hole the zombie had emerged from. The stench was overwhelming, a hideous main course to follower the gut-wrenching starter the audible tones had served up.

    Purple electricity swirled around my arm as a figure came into view. Although my vision was fading, I knew it to be Tyler.

    Robes soaked through from the brain matter of his piloted corpse, all I could see was the anger on his face and desire to destroy me. But what could I do?

    Two Imp cards beside me, as much as the cast pained my tired arm. Classic Fire. Maybe because I couldn¡¯t stop shivering.

    The necromancer was hovering in the air, some spell keeping him afloat. He shouted something at me, but it just sounded like murmuring. To prevent my Imps from doing any damage, an arc of green energy went across his front, almost like a curtain - briefly amusing. In his own hand, some foul bolt of eldritch energy or something started to power up.

    He didn¡¯t know that I was still a distraction.

    And then he did, when it was too late.

    The crack of Ren¡¯s rifle met my ears, and a beam of radiant energy pulsed up from down below to core the necromancer in just the same way as his zombie-suit had died. Brains burst from the top of his skull as his summoned titan still crashed down to the outpost gradually. His magic effects vanished into nothing, and his own inert body followed suit.

    I had shared.

    Tried to move myself nearer to the edge of the roof to try to spot the elf. Vertigo, as my struggling limbs instead took me overboard. The brief rush of air almost comforting on my pained body, but also grated against my nerves. Of course, then I fulfilled destiny by introducing my skull to the cobblestone street.

    I rolled away from the sight of my burst head and took a deep breath of air thick with the stench of death. Turns out that fall damage did count for <Last Act+>. I broke the healing charm that I saved for a rainy day. It had rained today, so seemed like a good idea. At first it just made me feel worse, as my nerves kicked into overdrive and feeling returned via sharp prickles across my whole body.

    It was enough to stand, although my head almost went for a round two against the ground. Instead, my throbbing eyes looked around for Ren.

    Most of the outpost that wasn¡¯t dust and debris was cluttered with the spent body of the giant zombie. I had expected it to have faded away, but no such luck. In my peripheral, however, was something odd. Narrowed my eyes, but was soon distracted by the radiant hair of the elf nearby instead.

    Not quite so radiant as it was soaked through with zombie juice. She lay prone on the floor in a puddle of the stuff, scowling up at the sky while her rifle lay next to her injured leg. Collateral from the lateral clattering of the shattered aspirant. Oh, that was a weird one. Might be losing some marbles.

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    In agony, my feet shuffled across the dirtied stone ground until I was close enough to¡ªvery carefully¡ªlean my head down. ¡°Arise and shine, moonflower.¡±

    ¡°Leave me be.¡± She continued to glare past me, angered at the sky. ¡°I heard a whisper in my head.¡±

    ¡°Welcome to the shitshow.¡± I wavered and managed to drool blood onto the ground beside her. ¡°Did say I¡¯d share, didn¡¯t I? Got some danger and bullshit of your own.¡±

    ¡°Guardian powers.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Her eyes went to me, still a healthy amount of ire in them. ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you for it, but I¡¯m also not not mad at you.¡±

    ¡°I can live with that.¡± Still wavering, I held a crimson-marred arm down to her. ¡°How about this? I have something that will turn that frown upside down. Promise.¡±

    While at first she didn¡¯t seem swayed in the slightest, the addition of the promise broke through any defenses. A hand came up, and I struggled to right her. Almost ended up on the dirtied ground myself, but through miracle alone I stayed upright. She put one arm over my shoulders and used the butt of her rifle as a crutch.

    ¡°Same leg again,¡± I noted.

    She grumbled something, but I didn¡¯t catch it. Might have dried blood in my ears.

    The pair of us shuffled away from the large corpse taking up most of the outpost, and I directed her towards one of the few buildings still standing and not awash with rotten bile. Trying not to tip us both to the floor, my muscles shook as I softly kicked the door open.

    Ren¡¯s ire turned to a raised eyebrow as she moved ourselves over the threshold and up to the System-created woman standing there.

    ¡°She must have respawned already,¡± I said. ¡°Caught a glimpse of her through the window.¡±

    The elf groaned. ¡°Fascinating, trickster. Thank you for dragging me here to tell me.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I smiled. ¡°Go a little closer.¡±

    A difficult task when we were the only things keeping each other up, but with a renewed scowl at me - she did as such. Eyes moved about randomly as she interfaced with the options presented to her.

    I watched her face. Wanting to know what kind of power she had gained from killing the necromancer. Still worried for her safety, of course - I doubted anything could really erase that persistent emotion when we had the love and care for each other that we did¡­ but I was confident this was better than me hogging both abilities. I was already too full of my own ego.

    The annoyance washed away from her face to be replaced by neutral surprise. She turned away from the modestly dressed woman, and her eyes sparkled - almost unable to get her words out.

    ¡°Trickster,¡± she whispered, as though she had just pulled a fast one and didn¡¯t want anyone to know. ¡°I just bought four-hundred Sweet Cakes.¡±

    I leaned closer to her, attempting to push some of the grime-slick hair away from her face with my bloody hand. ¡°So did I.¡±

    She gasped, and we hugged, not wanting to get a taste of anything unsavory by being any more intimate.

    But this was¡­ this was enough.

    <hr>

    We stared at the flickering flame of the campfire, as far from the outpost as our tired legs had been able to take us. Not far enough to avoid the smell. Wrapped in blankets, the five of us had been rather silent. Any elation from winning over the undead and setting the outpost free struggled to get through our damp and bloodied clothes. The trio who had run the necessary distraction looked rough around the edges, having fought through the emerging zombies after their jog. I had no idea where Roger had gotten to with all that had happened.

    Despite our health being topped up to full, Ren and I still looked at death¡¯s door. Color drained from our faces, clothing torn and matted to our bloodied and gore-drenched skin. We both needed a bath¡­ and possibly an exorcism. Still, existing and decompressing had taken precedence.

    My right arm was still twitching and shivering, even with the warmth of the fire and blankets around me. Still had my skin attached, which was nice, but the muscle throughout my arm felt like I had chewed it up just like against the Siren.

    I looked over at the elf and brought my menus up. No doubt about it, her name was now the same golden tone as my own. She hadn¡¯t mentioned any new bars or abilities - but that could wait for later. She currently had a handful of Sweet Cakes on the go, chewing on one slowly as her unfocused eyes glared at the campfire.

    There was the feeling that the power gained from a Guardian depended on which Guardian it was, and what kind of Class you were. A Siren in the mythological sense was a monster who lured you in with an attractive song - offering you something you desired.

    Like fanfare bringing me out onto the grand stage.

    To be the greatest magician up in the limelight to wow people to death - that¡¯s exactly what I had wanted since landing my soft skull in this world. Now I could bring that into reality, facilitated by my demonic power.

    Without knowing what Tyler had killed, it was hard to pair his power to something that made sense. The ability to generate a crowd, along with the biggest fan possible. As a necromancer, creating zombies was his thing before the boost, so I didn¡¯t expect Ren to start summoning anything. Would it be something related to drawing a crowd together? Or was it about safety or proficiency?

    My knack for painting everything in a showmanship shade did me a disservice. Not everything revolved around me and my predilection for being a showoff.

    Ren caught my idle stare and moved her hands away as if I had been eyeing up her handful of baked goods. The indignant glare told me I had my own.

    Trouble was, I didn¡¯t have the appetite right now.

    Victorious, and without any losses on our side. Almost seemed too good to be true. Saved the outpost and got rid of one of the Lady¡¯s most important Player¡¯s in the area. Now she¡¯d have the decision to either bunker down to assail Candlekeep with the retreating groups hungry for her blood, or she would need to march away from the city to deal with us herself.

    A cornered animal was often the most dangerous, but I also wasn¡¯t keen on having an army after me.

    Tanya roused, blinking her eyes and shaking the fog from her mind. ¡°What¡¯s next then?¡±

    They turned to me for guidance, as if I wasn¡¯t just a simple man slowly losing his mind while craving both attention and violence. My tongue lagged in my mouth as I struggled to put into words the epilogue to round off the last hour of absolute horror.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go to the cottage again,¡± I managed, eventually. ¡°Recover. Then we¡¯ll gather what allies we can, and head to Candlekeep ourselves.¡±

    The trouble with wishing to put on the greatest ever show was that such a thing could only live in the future. Past performances were done and dusted, decaying away as soon as the curtain fell. There were always shinier accolades and larger crowds to be wooed, and it was what took me ever forward.

    My career had yet to peak.

    After it did? It was hard to imagine I¡¯d retire, just as much as doubted I could ever be content running smaller shows. Some part of me yearned to be stronger. More powerful. Completely full to the gills with bullshit. But what then?

    I shook the thoughts away. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. Unfortunately, I promised Ren the first bath, but I¡¯m happy to go last in return.¡±

    The elf nodded eagerly, flakes of pastry bouncing down her blanket like an avalanche, but she said nothing. Any worries I had about letting her join the cursed-by-higher-powers club were once again washed away at seeing the energy in her eyes.

    With both of us acting in tandem, our enemies had no chance. A duet for the ages, she was no longer my prot¨¦g¨¦, but a true equal. A double-act beyond compare.

    The world was ours to Dazzle.

 149 - Shows Over, Folks

    The travel back to the cottage was¡­ tiring and drab. It would perhaps be amusing in hindsight, because it mirrored our return to the fallen fort¡­ but right now, I didn¡¯t have the heart for that. I¡¯d assumed Ren and I had borne the brunt of the combat, but seeing how withdrawn and beaten the rest were, the zombie hordes had done a number on them that I was too stage-blind to clock.

    Not that they held any grudge about it. We knew diving in headfirst was a risky plan. If the Crimson had been smarter or better, then we¡¯d be undead chow. But then¡­ that was always the crux of it. We always played a better hand than our opponents. I shouldn¡¯t will them to be more competent when they were the aggressors.

    And so, after defeating an almost unimaginable horror, we walked in near silence under dark skies. Not only the necromancer and his group, but others as well. A large dent in the Lady¡¯s forces, I hoped.

    Our travel back to our temporary home was uneventful, the System itself traumatized over what had happened. Each of us bearing a little of that burden as well.

    Even now, as we had settled in at the cottage, conversations were brief and muted. Content with a little safety and time to decompress. Needed it so that we didn¡¯t crack like thin pottery.

    It was dark now, dusk arriving with a continued cover of gray clouds. No rain, but it mirrored our moods in a narratively satisfying way. Campfire flickered with the slight breeze. Bright and warm.

    Tanya had used all her idols to set up alarms around the entrance so we¡¯d know in good time if we were followed. Was a shame I hadn¡¯t screwed things up over at the first zombie fight, otherwise we¡¯d still have that Teleport Scroll to return here after our outpost victory. The fateweaver was now sitting on the floor up against Wolf, knitting.

    The bear himself was fast asleep. We had cooked the heartiest stew imaginable, which he had thoroughly enjoyed - and was content enough to hit the rest button as soon as allowed. As much as he had been improving lately, I was slightly nervous about him getting worn out like this again anytime soon.

    Quinn was also asleep. Somewhat unlike him, he¡¯d retired early to the cottage. At first I tried to casually accuse him of getting bitten by a zombie and trying to hide it - but as we each proved that we were safe, that cliche died. I would have been able to see the debuff icon, anyway. Originally, he had only signed up for showing us around for a short period, but now he was knee deep in the blood and filth. He¡¯d come into his own, though, and cooled his temperament to fit in well. Especially with Tanya.

    And Ren?

    The elf was beside me on the swinging chair amongst the flowers. Not such a dreamy scene during the night, but there was comfort in it. On her side with an arm around me. Awake, but silent. Lips had been sealed, no information about her Guardian powers had come out just yet.

    At first I wasn¡¯t sure if she was mad at me for getting her that without warning her first - or maybe just the day endured was enough to be grumpy about. After her bath, she seemed relaxed and content, so I didn¡¯t think any grudge was held. I went last, as promised, which was only brief torture. Once I hit that hot water though¡­ I could have died. In a good way, for a change.

    ¡°I can hear your brain working overtime, trickster,¡± she said softly.

    ¡°Lots of things to process.¡±

    Her hand ran up to feel around my jaw. ¡°Huh. There is a little stubble growing. Miracles do happen.¡±

    I smiled and closed my eyes. Something about this place always made the horrors of the world seem like a bad dream. Things had been getting progressively weirder and more dire, and we had become more extreme and dangerous to combat it. Untethered from reality.

    If I didn¡¯t know any better, my head injury at the start of all this was just me going into a coma. A fevered dream where I saved the princess and fought impossibly ridiculous enemies to¡­ save the world. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t give that too much thought. System already slipped me enough untapped power under the table without it nodding along with my every manic thought.

    ¡°You doing okay, though?¡± I eventually asked.

    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m slightly¡­ well, I feel awkward.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± I opened an eye and turned to look at her.

    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve always had a strong Class, but stumbling into all this unearned bullshit power is offputting. Is this how you feel all the time?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what gives me an ego, at least.¡± I smiled and put my fingers through her hair.

    We were actually relaxing in casual clothes. After our outfits went away for repair, they stayed there. Comfortable and plain clothing that kept us warm enough out in the evening air. It felt right - like our performance had an actual end and we¡¯d gone home to recuperate.

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    ¡°I can¡¯t be like that.¡± She pouted. ¡°If I flaunt the fact that I have a rifle and Guardian powers, the System will come and kick my ass.¡±

    ¡°Nah. I mean, I survive it. You did want to share the same fate.¡±

    ¡°I still do.¡± She smiled. ¡°Thank you, by the way.¡±

    ¡°For burdening you with greater powers?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I mean, if you had taken it for yourself, I wouldn¡¯t have minded¡­ you are still the strongest of us all, so it would have made sense. But¡­ the fact that you shared the power with me means more than any ring or tangible gift could.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I guess there¡¯s no point giving you this then.¡± Into my hand I produced the ring I had stowed away since the campground.

    ¡°Max¡­ are you¡­?¡±

    I wrinkled up my face, realizing I¡¯d perhaps stuck my feet in my mouth while my brain was still recovering. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ a proposal, as such. Just something to say I love you and that my soul is bound to you.¡±

    ¡°Handsome dickbag,¡± she cursed me. She extended her hand and allowed me to push it onto her ring finger. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to wear it like an engagement ring, and flaunt it at all the jealous bitches.¡±

    ¡°Which ones are they?¡± I smiled as she admired the blue stone in the gift. It was her color.

    ¡°All of them.¡± She smiled and leaned closer to give me a kiss as her freshly bedazzled hand cupped at the side of my head. ¡°Oh.¡± She moved away. ¡°What¡¯s this behind your ear?¡±

    The sparkle in her eyes told me it probably wasn¡¯t a dagger or a remote explosive device - although at this point, I was expecting anything. As her hand moved in front of my face, I saw that she held a similar ring that had a brief spiral of purple gemstone inlaid.

    ¡°My color.¡± I grinned. ¡°You¡¯ve been holding onto this?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Since the campground. Just a little symbol to say that I love you too.¡±

    I allowed her to push it onto my finger. Not only was I unsure if the System had anything like a marriage ceremony, but I doubted her elven traditions were anything like what I knew. Still, I was pretty sure our intentions were clear. Admiring the swirl of the purple, I couldn¡¯t wait to accidentally de-glove my finger with it in battle.

    ¡°Now all that¡¯s left is for us to become King and Queen of this world.¡± She grinned to herself and laid back down, nuzzling her face on my chest.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me,¡± I murmured. Once the Lady had been dealt with, and the world presumably returned to normal, there¡¯d be some questions they¡¯d need to answer. Assuming I kept my uncontested power, perhaps I could be voted in. Or however they were chosen. I turned my head to the future-Queen, who looked as though the warmth of our shared gifts was enough to set her off to sleep.

    ¡°Before we snooze,¡± I prompted, ¡°how about cluing me in to what you know about your Guardian powers?¡±

    She hummed before propping herself up. ¡°I¡¯m still¡­ learning to understand it. But I think you¡¯ve earned a little something.¡±

    ¡°I certainly have.¡± I grinned, but apprehension danced around behind my eyes just in case she summoned a giant¡­ dire boar? Or sprouted dozens of sniper rifles from her arms. Not sure where I got that one from.

    ¡°Hat, please.¡±

    From my Inventory I brought out my top hat and handed it to her. She placed it on my stomach and sat up properly beside it. Pushing the hair away from her face first, she cleared her throat, and then turned to face me.

    Her hands went together in front of her and then moved apart. In between them an object appeared as if she was summoning it from her Inventory as slowly as I could. A short black rod that had¡­ white tips at the ends.

    My heart skipped a beat as my tongue stuck in my mouth.

    With a short twirl of her magic wand, she then tapped on the rim of my hat. Raised an eyebrow toward me. Her other hand then went in and withdrew¡­ a white rabbit.

    ¡°What¡­¡± my mouth opened and closed in shock and awe. ¡°What?¡±

    Ren put the rabbit on her lap and gave it a stroke, before giving me a wink.

    ¡°Looks like someone just graduated, huh?¡±

    <hr>

    I stood at the window, staring out at the fresh dawn greeting the world. It was early - way too early to be up giving what we were recovering from. Still, I found myself unable to rest, and had woken before anyone else. Ren looked like a pointy-eared angel, drooling on her pillow amidst a mess of radiant hair.

    With the events of the previous day, I had expected¡­ something. Retaliation? Messages from the Lady or her ilk threatening us and pretending we didn¡¯t just dismember an important part of her forces?

    We¡¯d stolen a Guardian¡¯s power from her. Now we were even. The Lady herself, and whoever could make the puppet clones. I was thankful they hadn¡¯t interjected to us attacking the outpost again, but perhaps they knew when to cut their losses.

    As for Ren¡¯s powers? It was hard to pin down the explanation without knowing who the Guardian was. But she now met me in the middle in another way. Able to borrow some of my skills, or at least something like that. It wasn¡¯t overtly described - just as mine hadn¡¯t been - so we were trying to make sense of it ourselves.

    Mine was wish fulfillment, giving me what I desired. What I craved and hungered for. Hers was similar, but had a different nuance to it. Without patting myself on the back too hard, I reckoned her Guardian was about boosting your growth to something closer to the end goal. Grabbing her inevitable power from the future to use now.

    Tyler had been a necromancer and had become unparalleled in the act - able to summon armies and a titan. Ren¡¯s determination to be my equal and prot¨¦g¨¦ in the field of magic gave her a taste of how much bullshit she¡¯d also have one day. It was both humbling and exciting to see what she would truly be capable of.

    A ping in my Chats diverted my attention away from pretending to look at the scenery. Eyes read over the text, my brow furrowing. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. Now I felt tired.

    ¡°Everything okay, Max?¡±

    I turned my eyes back to sleeping beauty and gave her a glum shrug. Would have been a blessing if I told her everything was fine and let her get back to sleep for a few hours. But no, we were ring-bound now, and she had to suffer alongside me for eternity. I was pretty sure how that was how it worked.

    ¡°That was our friend down in the Eternal Wardens.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± She closed her eyes and tried to bury her face in the pillow. ¡°They heard the news.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± I turned back to the window, my fingers stretching and clasping in turn. Practiced motions for summoning my cards.

    ¡°They are under attack from something they say is worse than the Lady, and request our help.¡±

 150 - Next Leg

    Magic came in many forms.

    It wasn¡¯t always a fanciful illusion, an unexpected sleight of hand, nor even a mysterious power that defied expectation.

    Sometimes it could just be life. A state of mind, really.

    I stood outside the small cottage surrounded by steep rocky slopes and looked out to the woodland beyond the pathway out of this safe haven. Dew still clung to the verdant grass. Birdsong graced the shadowed canopy of the treeline ahead, where muted browns and a variety of greens painted the landscape. Rising above it was a deep blue sky, clear of any clouds.

    Such peace was a harsh juxtaposition to how our previous day was spent. In this way, it was magical.

    But that wasn¡¯t the only thing¡­

    ¡°What are you thinking about, trickster?¡±

    I turned my head and smiled at the elf. She had her radiant blonde hair tied up, the only piece of her pastel blue magician''s outfit missing being the hat that usually covered it. While fighting the titan zombie had been exhausting for us all, there was a renewed energy behind her piercing blue eyes.

    ¡°Mostly just glad to be alive, I suppose.¡± I put my arm around her and she leaned her head on my shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t even break my head open this time. No Trauma status for a change.¡±

    ¡°Dickbag. I saw you fall from the roof and crack your head open. If it weren¡¯t for your feign death skill, you¡¯d have made me a widow already.¡±

    I snorted and adjusted my top hat, something near glued to me - it matched the sparkling purple suit perfectly, so it was only natural. Ren and I were neither married nor properly engaged, but a post-zombie-apocalypse exchange of rings had further officiated the next step in our relationship.

    From behind us, the lumbering form of a giant grizzly bear squeezed his way out of the cottage and into the open.

    ¡°Morning, Wolf.¡± I gestured over to the remnants of last night¡¯s campfire. ¡°Want me to get breakfast started?¡±

    He grinned and ran his tongue around his lips. ¡°I could certainly eat. Some fruit would be nice, not just meat.¡±

    I gave him a bow and released my grasp of our ranger slash healer. Was difficult to stow her away into a normal Class designation now that we had procured a sniper rifle from one of our enemies. It helped that I¡ªof all people¡ªwas an expert in suspending my disbelief, plus we knew for a fact that one of the worlds the System drew people from had higher tech than this baseline fantasy malarky, but even so¡­

    For some reason, a talking bear made more sense than a firearm. But, then again, that wasn¡¯t even the most interesting thing about her recent power spike either. She¡¯d gained the ability to copy some of my skills after killing the necromancer and absorbing his Guardian power. I was itching to see her in action, since she was being coy about showing it off.

    Hadn¡¯t even been a whole day, and I was chewing at reality for a taste of another dire situation to fight our way through.

    ¡°Quinn wasn¡¯t on the couch¡­¡± Ren stepped over to help start the fire up again. ¡°Do you think¡­?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I furrowed my brow and looked back at the quiet cottage. ¡°I mean, maybe. But¡­¡± Wouldn¡¯t judge it, if there was anything going on between them. I wanted them to both be happy.

    Tanya had still been coming to terms with possibly being lost to her family on Earth forever, with no way to escape this world. Quinn had cooled his apparent need to woo anything with a heartbeat, and the pair had come to get along rather well.

    ¡°I think it would be good for them both, if true.¡± Ren stood back up straight to look through her Inventory as the fire bloomed into life. ¡°They kind of ground each other.¡±

    ¡°Like we do?¡±

    Wolf huffed an interjection. ¡°More like the opposite.¡± With a big stretch, he laid down beside the growing campfire. ¡°Since meeting you both, you¡¯ve become equally overt and dangerous.¡±

    I smiled and raised an eyebrow at the elf. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    The bear closed his eyes. ¡°Not that it¡¯s a bad thing. Now that you have both sorted through your various dysfunctions, it should make the rest of our doomed adventure more bearable.¡±

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    Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°Enough with the gloom, Wolf. You don¡¯t want your stage outfit to become mandatory, do you?¡±

    ¡°...No.¡±

    The cottage door opened up once more to reveal Quinn. In his usual garish yellow shirt with leather chest piece, his shoulder-length black hair had been tied up for a change. He covered his bearded mouth as he yawned and then took to rubbing at his eyepatch as he made his way over to us.

    I let Ren take over the breakfast preparations and stood to greet our fixer. ¡°Morning, Quinn. How are you?¡±

    ¡°Not terrible, Max.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Some minor nightmares of grasping hands and baleful yellow eyes in the shadows¡­ but I believe I am starting to get used to the constant terrors you drag us through.¡±

    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll have to think up some worse things, then.¡± I smiled, but he didn¡¯t seem to appreciate the humor. ¡°Tanya on the way?¡±

    He shrugged, and his eye went up to his Inventory to find his chair. ¡°Might still be sleeping. She was pretty exhausted last night after all the activities of the day.¡±

    I tried to ignore Ren giving me eyes in my peripheral. Clearly he just meant the whole killing a zombie horde and taking down a key member of the Lady in Red¡¯s followers.

    ¡°Why do you ask? Keen to get us into the fray once more?¡±

    ¡°Not¡­ exactly.¡± I exhaled through my nose, but before I could give a vague answer, I was relieved to see the fateweaver exit the cottage.

    Tanya¡¯s hair was dark and loose, so it was worth assuming that she had just had a quick bath, which is why her exit was delayed. Why Quinn wouldn¡¯t have known that wasn¡¯t something I cared to question right now. In her somber clothing and metal breastplate, it seemed as though she knew that the day was unlikely to be one of rest.

    With the Lady up near Candlekeep now on the back foot, there was a temptation to go full speed ahead and try to crush her once and for all¡­ but ultimately it was too dangerous with how little we knew about her current capabilities. With all her gang¡ªthe Crimson Shadow¡ªfalling back to bolster her attempts to take over the city, we could be walking into an army.

    So we¡¯d have to start building our own. We¡¯d made some oddball allies along the way¡­ not quite enough to call it a traveling circus, but soon we were to make more.

    ¡°Morning,¡± she said, giving us all a nod. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re raring to go get some experience and Power Tokens.¡±

    ¡°Almost,¡± I said, and gestured for her to come sit. ¡°I received a message earlier this morning.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    I let the suspense hang for a bit as we all got situated. Wolf kept one eye open while the rest of us sat in a rough circle by the low fire. Apprehension on their faces which was warranted. After a day like yesterday, it would be nice to have a whole week off - but reality didn¡¯t often play by the narrative you desired.

    ¡°The lovely chap from the Eternal Wardens sent me a message,¡± I began.

    Tanya nodded. ¡°Great. They heard we killed Tyler, so now we are ¡®allowed¡¯ to go meet with them and discuss this¡­¡± she waved a hand between Ren and I, ¡°¡­Guardian bullshit.¡±

    ¡°Not quite.¡± I gave them a reassuring smile that was maybe twenty percent effective. ¡°They¡¯re being attacked by something and would like us to come help.¡±

    ¡°Something other than the Crimson Shadow?¡± Quinn put his hand up to his chin. ¡°Surely it cannot be anywhere as vital or dangerous as them?¡±

    All I could offer in response was a shrug. Normally I would have been more likely to tell the Wardens to kick rocks, and it served them right for snubbing us for so long. But we needed allies.

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t even say what,¡± Ren added. ¡°Which makes me not want to care.¡±

    ¡°Worries me a little.¡± I looked out to the quiet woodlands and exhaled through my nose. ¡°Something that isn¡¯t tied to the Lady or a Guardian but is enough trouble for one of the few Guilds in the area¡­¡±

    I wasn¡¯t too keen on having to add a third party to our drab, conflict-laden lives. After killing our way through the starter island and first area of Othea, we had allowed the System to bring in new Players that weren¡¯t troubled lunatics. Knocking through the ramshackle fort of the Crimson Shadow, we had found the second area just a steeped with those aligned to the Lady¡¯s cause.

    Somehow survived ambushes, a kidnapping, attacks from Monsters and strange Players¡­ and now were apparently heroes to some degree. An unlikely romance and a few newly settled friends, and this was us. Two magicians and a supporting cast, ready to take a grand show on the road to dazzle and destroy all that opposed us.

    Ren must have clocked that my mind had started to wander, as she circled the wagons back around the crux of the matter - her personal thoughts aside. ¡°We could use a few more fans, though. The Wardens might not be the best audience, but it sounds like they¡¯re desperate for our show in particular.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a detour,¡± Tanya added. ¡°You¡¯re making a name for yourselves, so it¡¯s really up to you where you choose to blaze a trail. The southwest does have a decent Dungeon so we can get you up to Fifteen, but I haven¡¯t completed it before. Have you, Quinn?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s quite the challenge, but the rewards are worth the effort spent. Should we be successful, of course.¡±

    ¡°And we will be.¡± I gave them a grin. How could we not? Ren and I were now a pair of the most powerful people - certainly for the quarantined section of the world we were forced to live in. It was hard to imagine we¡¯d be undone by a Dungeon, when you considered the list of our past achievements.

    ¡°Don¡¯t count your chickens just yet.¡± Ren kicked off her boots¡ªwhich vanished rather than dropping to the grass¡ªand swung around to put her feet up on my legs. ¡°Just because we believe the Lady and what remains of her followers are all northwest, doesn¡¯t mean we will have it easy.¡±

    She was right. Days where we had no conflict were few and far between. After knocking down the fort, we had earned a few days'' break from it all, but with our destiny starting to circle the drain, I saw no opportunity for us to sit idle without regretting it.

    ¡°Assuming we don¡¯t run into anything interesting or injurious,¡± Tanya began. ¡°We¡¯ll reach the Eternal Wardens before dusk. Hopefully, whatever ails them likes to attack in the morning and not night - so we¡¯ll have a chance to settle.¡±

    ¡°Better not be vampires,¡± Ren murmured. A random and concerning hope to speak out loud and tempt fate.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get some coffee and we¡¯ll make a move then,¡± I decided, to their nods of acknowledgement. Still so much to do and learn in this world.

    But, the show must go on.

 151 - Where Wolf

    Despite what we had endured, the world didn¡¯t seem to be that different this morning. If it weren¡¯t for the muscle aches and occasional slideshow of horror in my head, I would be easily convinced that the fight against the undead had been a bad dream.

    It had been a shame to leave the cottage once more. Our existence had been bouncing from one conflict to the next, so the idyllic and oddly peaceful area had become something of a home for our weary souls.

    But time marches on, and so did we.

    ¡°There¡¯s a Quest over here,¡± Tanya noted from the front.

    As we stepped up closer to join her, a notification popped up in my vision. Kill a rampaging wolf. Simple enough, all things told. It was on the way, so I gave the nod that we should complete it.

    While the Eternal Wardens were desperate for our assistance, we weren¡¯t about to drop everything and rush over as quickly as possible. Could be a trap, after all. Plus, they hadn¡¯t scratched our backs first - and our power dictated that we should be the itchiest.

    My brow furrowed, and I looked over at the elf. I¡¯d managed to extract out of her the fact that she had five of my skills to replace some of her own, thanks to the Guardian''s power. Which five was something she was keeping secret - which I found remarkably unfair. That said, I had my share of annoying bullshit over the course of our journey, so I allowed her to keep it to herself.

    Definitely <Sleight of Hand> though, based on the tricks she had performed for me. The summoned rabbit could be <Summon Demon>, although she had no demonic power - so perhaps it gave her a more mundane thing to summon. Clearly not dogs, or we¡¯d be drowning in them.

    We moved off of the stone road and into the wilderness, pushing through some bushes until we were in more of a clearing. A field of wild grasses and patches of flowers stretched out ahead - an abandoned farmhouse sitting a few hundred feet away. From here, I could see a few packs of wolves roving in patrols through the area.

    One of them happened to be a much darker shade of gray. Black almost. The glowing red eyes did little to deny the allegations that he was probably the rampaging wolf - although it didn¡¯t look like he was doing any rampaging at present. Just¡­ standing there, looking menacing.

    ¡°Dibs?¡± Ren asked, her arms crossed.

    The way the Monsters were arranged, it looked as though attacking our target would draw the ire of all the other packs moving around. I raised an eyebrow at Tanya for final approval.

    Our fateweaver nodded. ¡°Get Wolf over to the right¡­¡±

    ¡°Which wolf?¡± Quinn asked.

    ¡°Our Wolf,¡± she replied, energy draining from her face by the second. ¡°Then any bad wolf can go off to the side so¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not bad,¡± Wolf grumbled.

    Tanya sighed. ¡°Fine, just do whatever then.¡±

    With a smile, Ren flipped her hat from her head to have it land on the ground. Hand extended, her sniper rifle then rose up from within her headpiece slowly.

    A mixture of different emotions ran through me. Pride, envy, attraction, and then envy again, as I wasn¡¯t used to sharing the stage with someone who could be as insufferable as me. I threw two cards to the floor before drawing two more into my hand. Purple light bloomed from them as I powered them with magic.

    From the pair dropped, two Imps stood from circles of arcane runes. Gray skin tone, the miniature humanoids with thin facial hair and small horns gave me nods of greeting. These were the Lightning variant.

    Wolf stood off to the side of us, on our right as requested, so that he could draw in the aggro from any pack that Ren drew toward us. Quinn and Tanya remained near the back to offer any required support¡­ but I had a feeling we had this covered.

    Ren twirled the rifle in her hand before gripping it and going down on one knee. Eye up to the scope, a bead of radiant energy swirled down the barrel before she clicked the trigger. A crack and the skull of the evil-looking wolf burst open.

    ¡°Well, that makes this sort of thing easy,¡± Quinn murmured, before clocking all the eyes now turning to glare our way.

    Close to twenty wolves - each of them larger than your standard fantasy fare¡­ although not quite dire. Whatever that really meant. There was still an odd separation in my mind between the aggressive and almost unbelievable amount of brutal Player on Player violence, as well as the almost cardboard box full of cliche and flat video-game tropes we had to grind through on the side.

    I flicked the two cards from my hand and had them zipping through the long grass while the elf was still working the bolt to load her next shot in. Some quick napkin math had her around 30% slower than her bow, for maybe twice the damage potential. A reasonable trade-off for a Legendary weapon. In saying that, any brain-puncturing damage killed a target whatever you used to do the deed.

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    A point made with streaks of purple and red, as my cards arced into the first pair of wolves coming for us. Slit throats or gouged faces. I carried on the attack, weaving through the field to the next pair, embedding the cards into the skulls of our foes.

    Another shot and Ren blew the foreleg of one attempting to dodge. They were fast.

    Just before the gathering pack reached jaws of Wolf, my Imps finished charging their attack. Like lighting itself, two prongs of bright white arced from their hands with a sharp crackle. It struck the nearest wolves and then danced between the others back and forth - briefly stunning a swathe of them and allowing the rest of us an unhindered volley from our ranged weaponry. The smell of burned fur and charred skin washed across from the group.

    Ren and I took down four of them before they had a chance to recover, her shot causing roots to grow up from the ground and restrain most of the force. I dismissed the Imps as Wolf powered forward and slammed into the group. His wide paws slashing through or crushing bones with each strike.

    ¡°Not great experience,¡± I complained, holding off on attacking further as it seemed that the bear was capable enough to pulp everything that remained. ¡°At least it was simple.¡±

    ¡°The day is young, trickster.¡± Ren stood and rested her rifle across the back of her shoulder. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t push too hard after yesterday.¡±

    I wanted to ask ¡®why not?¡¯ but that might earn me some valid glares. I¡¯d managed to escape her bad books and had no intention of annoying her. Especially after yesterday. Instead, I gave her a nod to show I agreed. ¡°Mostly I¡¯m just eager for a few more Power Tokens to increase some of my skills - or all of them, if we get lucky.¡±

    ¡°That will be our priority,¡± Tanya interjected, ¡°once you both get to Level Fifteen and we¡¯ve helped out the Wardens.¡±

    ¡°Any chance we can find Power Spheres in this area?¡± I asked, not really hoping for much. We had been pinned here, unable to travel to the third area - which had kept the Lady from taking the world by storm¡­ but I felt like I was missing out. I craved that extra increase in strength for a few of my most-used skills.

    The fateweaver sucked at her teeth. ¡°Ah. It¡¯s not likely - I¡¯ll put it that way. It would be like finding a Legendary item. I¡¯ve found one before, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one,¡± Quinn added.

    I pulled a face and turned to see Wolf walk over, licking his chops. Job done.

    Our fixer had once said he didn¡¯t like how we were tied to the System. Having to level with arbitrary numbers and thresholds to get skills or do things. I would have to agree. Despite being someone who regularly broke the alleged rules, part of me still squirmed to be free of the structure. Maybe there was something greater out there we could strive toward.

    ¡°Coming, Max?¡±

    So distracted by my ambitions, I hadn¡¯t noticed the others were making their way back to the road. I smiled at the elf and nodded. Used <Demonic Transposition> to switch with a hell-dove and landed on the cobbled stone before they had clamored through the last of the bushes.

    ¡°Wish I had chosen that one,¡± she grumbled.

    ¡°Do I get to make any guesses? It will kill me to not know until you use them.¡±

    Ren shrugged, but had a sly grin on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I quite like having this hidden bullshit that you don¡¯t know.¡±

    Earned that. Segments of our history together had been building a karmic cannon that now finally hit. Would be hypocritical to start pouting about it¡­ but I did want to know.

    ¡°Fine.¡± I waved my hand and let her have the victory. Five was a decent amount of skills, but there were several I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d take. Useless to speculate, but unless she started summoning cannons or going invisible, there wasn¡¯t an easy way to know.

    My surrender seemed to perk her mood up further, and she grinned. How strange that not so long ago she had nothing but a sour expression to show the world, no matter her mood. I wasn¡¯t egotistical enough¡ªwhich was saying something¡ªto assume I was the cause of her change. But I was here for it and adored it.

    ¡°Given our power level,¡± Tanya began, blowing away the love-hearts floating between us two magicians, ¡°we should have no issue with taking town the area Boss a little southwest of here.¡±

    ¡°Something else big sister could kill in one hit?¡± Wolf asked.

    ¡°Unlikely.¡± The fateweaver adjusted her collar to let some warmth out. ¡°Although most things aren¡¯t designed with high-caliber modern weaponry in mind, there¡¯s a few mechanics that block damage or prevent certain damage thresholds. Rare, but an area Boss is likely to have such things.¡± She looked between Quinn and Ren. ¡°Modern weaponry, as per my world, at least.¡±

    During our time of rest I had explained some of what I knew about guns to the elf, and she had gone on to prod Tanya for more information since the latter had military experience. At first she was shocked to know that firearms were reasonably common on Earth. I suppose in the same way that orcs or magic would seem bizarre to me.

    Or at least, they would if one half of me wasn¡¯t a Demon Hunter, who did just that in literal Hell¡­ on one version of Earth. Given that I was also a magician, the things that I saw as ¡®normal¡¯ didn¡¯t pair well with most of society, nor reality. One of our party was a talking bear. The elf and fixer were from different versions of a fantasy world. I could summon a demonic cannon.

    It all just washed out, eventually. Would go insane questioning everything. Suspension of disbelief was key, and I couldn¡¯t even see my disbelief anymore. It was down a bottomless pit in constant free fall.

    ¡°Will miss the woodlands when we ultimately leave them,¡± Ren said, interrupting my thoughts.

    ¡°Maybe the whole world is like this? Would be nice to find, like¡­ a small cottage by a lake.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that would be amazing.¡± She closed her eyes as she walked - imagining it as the scant sunlight that managed to pierce the verdant canopy passed over her face in small handfuls.

    With a smile, I looked up ahead. Scenery was nice, I couldn¡¯t deny that. Seemed as though we were coming up parallel to the rest of the abandoned town. Must be some Quests or points of interest in there.

    My footsteps slowed before I paused in place.

    I turned my head to the side and furrowed my brow. The rest of the Party came to a stop to see what had caught my attention.

    Resting against part of a broken wall was a man who wasn¡¯t there just a second ago.

    Mid-thirties, maybe. Rough beard and shaven head. Leather armor that looked to be more sheathes and pouches than anything. Dark cloak that was a decent backdrop for the overt display of what type of Class he might be.

    ¡°Can we help you?¡± I asked, my fingers slowly curling into a fist.

    No icon over his head to say he had taken the blood of the Lady.

    ¡°My name is Leon,¡± he said, a smile growing on his face. ¡°I¡¯m an assassin hired to kill you all.¡±

 152 - A Moment of our Time

    My hands went to my hips as I stood and pulled a face at the assassin. Despite the weather being pleasant, there was now a singular dark cloud hanging over the appearance of this man standing casually in front of us and promising death.

    ¡°Well,¡± I said, ¡°I appreciate you being forthright. Are you planning on doing it right now¡­ or is there some sort of foreboding quota you need to meet?¡±

    A glance over to Ren and she didn¡¯t look too pleased, either. Hadn¡¯t drawn her weapon, but I knew it was only a short second that she¡¯d need to try to put a bullet through him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to know I¡¯m declining the contract.¡± Leon smiled and leaned back against the stone wall.

    I nodded slowly, unsure if this was still a bit. ¡°So you came here to tell us, because¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you misunderstand.¡± He smiled. ¡°Up until this very moment when I greeted you, I had the full intention of assassinating you. However, now that I see you all, I have changed my mind.¡±

    ¡°Sudden burst of empathy?¡±

    ¡°Self-preservation, actually.¡± He rubbed at his nose and gave each of us a once-over. ¡°Two of you I could take, easily. The bear¡­ maybe if I could keep him at range. But you two¡­¡± he pointed between Ren and I. ¡°Not a chance - especially if all of you are working as one.¡±

    I exchanged a glance with Ren. She mirrored my current disbelief that our potential killer would be so forward - the alarm signaling caution in the back of my head was loud enough to drown out my ego bristling at his silvered words. Might be pragmatic to kill him, but that seemed like paranoia trying to shuffle in front of the controls.

    ¡°Was it the Lady in Red who gave you the contract?¡± Quinn asked, not looking too pleased to be one of the easy marks.

    ¡°Not something I can answer, friend. You seem like intelligent folk, however.¡± His eyes went back to me. ¡°Quick with your hands too. Two magical spells out while my attention wasn¡¯t on you. A bird above me, and an attack that is powering up behind you.¡±

    ¡°I like to be well prepared,¡± I replied. Impressive that he had caught them both, despite me being certain he wasn¡¯t paying attention.

    ¡°Indeed. Max, isn¡¯t it? This just goes to further drive home that my decision was a smart one.¡± He put his hands on his hips and grinned. ¡°I do enjoy it when I am correct.¡±

    Ren crossed her arms. ¡°Can we hire you? To kill the Lady?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and no.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°She is just as dangerous as you and surrounded by twice as many competent people. I will decline that outright.¡±

    If not to kill us, and not to trick us or use a sneaky way to get rid of one or two of us¡­ what was his game here? Maybe he was fishing for work, and figured we might have something worth his time.

    ¡°How about this, then?¡± I allowed the card held behind my back to vanish away. ¡°A bounty on anyone who has joined with the Crimson Shadow?¡±

    He nodded slowly, his eyes going back and forth. ¡°What are you offering?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°As many dead bodies as all the gold I own can buy?¡±

    Leon rolled his eyes. ¡°Gold is pretty worthless. Power Tokens are preferable.¡±

    With a tut, Ren shook her head. ¡°Ah. So that you can get more powerful and take on the Lady¡¯s contract afterward? She probably wouldn¡¯t mind you killing off her minions if we died at the end.¡±

    What social graces and faux friendliness the man had thrown in front of us from the outset seemed to be waning. Perhaps we were a little too smart¡­ or this was some manner of test. Part of me didn¡¯t trust anyone who had the slightest notion of killing us. I looked behind the curtain to see what this performance was really about.

    A solo player not aligned with the Lady, who had been making a living as a contracted assassin? The metal pole groaned under the weight of all those red flags. There can¡¯t have been that many clients before the Crimson Shadow started to gather in the world, and traveling alone was a recipe for danger.

    I could thread plenty of assumptions together, but as of yet, there wasn¡¯t much to show for my efforts. An empty tapestry. While Ren haggled on pricing, I allowed the world to dull around me as I tried to look for¡­ the sparks.

    Some sign of the other game afoot. Movements or the hint of magic. Eyes from odd angles. Something worse hidden away or gathering intel on us. Being static was a mistake - our time being wasted at the least.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Nothing particularly odd about our location. Cobbled road had no raised parts or discoloration. The wall behind Leon was too short and decrepit to be hiding a full Party - unless they were all exceptionally small. Even then, Wolf would be able to smell them. I glanced over at the bear to read his current expression.

    He seemed on edge. Not particularly aggressive toward the man standing in front of us¡­ but he could sense something wasn¡¯t right.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we walk and talk?¡± I suggested, gesturing down the path and interrupting whatever the group had been talking about.

    Leon shrugged. ¡°The day is nice, friend. I¡¯m in no rush while it¡¯s peaceful here in the shade.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t negotiate while we¡¯re on the move?¡±

    His tongue ran across his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can come to an agreement shortly. Then you are free to do as you please.¡±

    There was his mistake. Subtle, but something changed in his eyes - if only briefly. His mind was cycling through an inner monologue that was telling him to keep us here. But be subtle about it. He was being affable enough, for certain.

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right.¡± I smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve had a rough week and I get testy when tired.¡±

    I watched the story play out before me, even as my ears put the next bullshit from his mouth on mute. Two icons appeared over his head, plain as day for me - again, I had been underestimated.

    Physical Damage Resist. Explosive Damage Negation.

    [Max: Showtime imminent.]

    [Ren: Understood.]

    Her reply came back almost as instantly as mine sent out - more fuel for the assumption she had taken my Inventory manipulation skill. I thought it might be fair that I¡¯d take some of hers too - although I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d really make use of from her abilities.

    ¡°Sorry, one question, Leon,¡± I interrupted again. ¡°Was it worth it?¡±

    His mouth opened and closed, a frown across his eyes. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Dying for a cause you¡¯re not even part of.¡±

    An explosion rocked the area - high up in the sky. My cannon spun away from the object it had intercepted, a stream of dark smoke hissing from its damaged shell as it careened off into the treeline.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Leon said, and went to move.

    Ren already had her rifle out, her shot cracking out toward him. A spray of blood painted the gray stone wall as he blurred away - not quite fast enough to dodge a bullet. His skill had him moving quick, but before he could get out of the area, he tripped on some stone debris I had made invisible, hitting his head on a reappearing tree that had the same treatment.

    I shook the pain from my hand in extending the size limitations further than I should, as Wolf stomped down on the man¡¯s head.

    ¡°Came from the north,¡± I said, stretching my neck from side to side. ¡°He planned to keep us in place and bomb us from afar. Resistances so that he¡¯d survive.¡±

    Ren kept her eyes on that direction, her foot up on part of the wall as she stared down the scope. ¡°And the cannon?¡±

    ¡°The card behind me was actually a mundane one. When I sent the dove up, I gave it the cannon card to hold with it''s feet. He could sense the energy but not the right location. Activated it when I had¡­ a feeling. Actually blocking the projectile was just luck.¡±

    Tanya swore under her breath. ¡°Good to know our continued existence runs off of random acts of chance¡­ but then, what¡¯s new?¡±

    With a tearing noise, Wolf removed the would-be assassin¡¯s head from the rest of his body, but spat it out. He¡¯d been a lot better about his dietary choices lately, and his health had improved in bounds. Back to the energy levels when we had first met him.

    Quinn had his eye narrowed out to the sun-kissed woods, hand resting against his Class weapon - the once-a-day explosive boomerang. ¡°Should we chase them down?¡±

    ¡°No point.¡± I shook my head. ¡°They¡¯d be running if they were smart, and setting up a trap if they weren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren stepped away from the wall. ¡°Been wanting to try this¡­ if I fuck it up and die, then I love you, Max.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and watched her remove her hat. Hand went in and she withdrew a pure white dove, setting it free immediately. The realization of what she was about to do hit me a little too slowly as I was busy patting myself on the back, knowing that she most likely did take my summon skill.

    Ren vanished, and the dove appeared in her place. My heart dropped straight through my stomach and onto the ground. Eyes went up to the sky to see her floating there, rifle up. A blast rang out from the long gun, before a deep rumbling shook the earth further away.

    As she started to fall, she switched back onto ground level, spinning in place out of balance before falling into my arms.

    ¡°Bet you thought I didn¡¯t have the upgrade that allows me to switch back, huh?¡± Her bright blue eyes were burning with excitement, a shit-eating grin across her face.

    ¡°Caught me,¡± I said, too flustered to put up a lie. I stood her back up to her feet, and she gestured back to the woods with her thumb.

    ¡°No chance I¡¯d hit one of the idiots even with my accuracy, so I just shot their explosives stockpile instead.¡±

    I peered back into the sky, where dust clouds of dark gray had started to rise in the distance. Looks like they might have even set a fire off.

    ¡°Can¡¯t just have one normal day,¡± Tanya said as she shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving then. This area makes me antsy.¡±

    ¡°Lead the way, Wolf.¡± I nodded to the bear, and he turned back to the road. Sure - the rest of Leon¡¯s Party might be an issue for us in the future, but we weren¡¯t about to chase down everyone that hated us. We¡¯d given them a second chance to live a better life¡­ and stay out of our way.

    Assuming they hadn¡¯t just been exploded or burned to death, at least.

    I put my arm around Ren as she put her rifle away. ¡°So. Summoning, Transposition and return, Sleight of Hand... and?¡±

    ¡°Mana Manipulation.¡± She pouted. ¡°It allows me to dump mana into my heals and shields to make them stronger, which is pretty overpowered.¡±

    ¡°But you were hoping to be able to take some of the cooler things?¡±

    ¡°You have so much bullshit,¡± she said and sighed. ¡°But I¡¯m happy with my choices.¡±

    I was about to ask what she had given up to copy over those abilities, when Tanya called me over. She was kneeling down by the headless body - checking to see if there was anything worth looting.

    ¡°You¡¯ll want to see this.¡± She held up an envelope.

    ¡°From the Lady?¡± Had to be. I stepped over and took it from her with a brief nod. Just as I was about to pop the seal, Quinn stepped to my side and placed his hand on it.

    ¡°There is a curse on it. Do not move,¡± he said, sweat starting to form on his brow.

 153 - Ten Minutes

    The five of us stood frozen, the quiet woods around us waiting with bated breath to see what was about to happen. I looked Quinn up and down to see if he was about to educate me more on the supposed curse, or I was now doomed to stand in this place forever. He didn¡¯t seem to get the hint that I wanted him to weigh in.

    Ren broke the silence. ¡°Can you get rid of the curse?¡±

    A brilliant question, and one I should have asked.

    He raised his eyebrow, but didn¡¯t move his single-eyed stare from the envelope that we were both now holding. ¡°I¡¯m trying. You might not assume it, but having one eye makes the process more difficult.¡±

    I ran my tongue across dry lips. ¡°Do you know what it does?¡±

    A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, eventually getting lost in his goatee. ¡°Nothing good.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why they call it a curse.¡± My expression dulled.

    Ren crossed her arms and scowled at the pair of us. ¡°If we have to spend ten minutes just standing around after almost getting blown up for doing just that¡­ well, I might grab the curse myself. Perhaps I should have taken Shuffle.¡±

    ¡°You dare.¡± I narrowed my eyes at her, despite feeling the pressure of the situation. Maybe it would take us ten minutes - it would be a thing. We¡¯d look back at it and laugh.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Ren turned and stepped over to lean against Wolf. ¡°You have ten minutes.¡±

    My eyes went over to Tanya for some backup, but she just gave a tired shrug. Instead, I leveled a cool gaze at the fixer still melting. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re going about this all wrong - I could just zip it into my Inventory for a time it is more safe to open?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± he replied, still staring at it. ¡°I¡¯m also holding it too. You can¡¯t loot it from my hands.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ let go?¡±

    ¡°It might set off the curse.¡±

    Part of me assumed it must be something overwhelmingly dire for him to be so hardheaded and awkward about it. I wasn¡¯t even sure it was cursed¡­ there was nothing I could sense at least - and I had a basic attunement to everything magical. Or I thought I did, anyway.

    Which was just as good, at this stage.

    ¡°Eight minutes.¡±

    I exhaled. ¡°Quinn. I will not be undone by an envelope. One of us will need to let go.¡±

    ¡°I agree - but will the curse go onto the one who releases, or remains?¡±

    My teeth clenched together. He had a point, despite being the one would was supposedly going to fix the situation and knew what was going on.

    Wolf yawned. ¡°Would it help if I touched it too?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Quinn and I said in unison.

    ¡°Seven.¡±

    There were a number of things I could do in this situation, but since the fixer had decided to invite himself into the problem, I didn¡¯t want to leave him with the potential curse. Knowing how bad some of them could be, I¡¯d never live down the guilt of trying to do some bullshit that got him killed.

    ¡°I¡­ think I might have it.¡± He pulled a face and narrowed his eye - and I was pretty sure he hadn¡¯t blinked this whole time. ¡°Just allow me to¡­¡±

    We all waited patiently as he remained unmoving.

    ¡°¡­Five.¡±

    ¡°No, no - I¡¯ve done it¡­ yes!¡± He nodded eagerly, joy in his eye as he looked up at me. Without waiting, he lifted his hand and stepped back.

    I hit <Shuffle> on him and he stumbled on shaking legs before hunching over and expelling his breakfast. Tanya rushed over to put a hand on his back.

    ¡°Food poisoning, essentially,¡± I said. ¡°Rather a weak curse, all things considered.¡±

    The fateweaver gave a sigh of relief. ¡°I have something for that, I think. Wow, this must be how Ren feels with you.¡± Her face went a little flush as she realized what she said, so I turned away to allow her to avoid further embarrassment.

    I rotated instead to face said elf, who was always worried over me breaking myself - and was only partially surprised to see she still had crossed arms and a scowl leveled at me. I could read the reason behind those bright blue eyes. She knew I used Shuffle.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Didn¡¯t know how she knew, of course, but I watched as she became briefly unfocused.

    [Ren: He would have died?]

    [Max: In less than three seconds.]

    [Ren. ¡­]

    [Ren: I¡¯ll keep it between us.]

    I titled my head to Wolf, who appeared disinterested with the current proceedings. He looked up at me with his amber eyes, before the letter still in my hand caught his attention.

    Must be time to read it, I supposed. Surely the curse was a one-time thing? I¡¯d already opened it before I considered the alternatives - just in case Ren started counting me down again. Didn¡¯t need that kind of pressure.

    Magician.

    If you are reading this, you must have killed Leon - which, while unlikely, is something I have accounted for. Soon the necromancer will chase you down with powers you do not understand.

    That is, if this curse does not kill you first.

    -Lady in Red

    I rolled my eyes and screwed the letter up. ¡°It was written before the Guardian and necromancer shit.¡±

    ¡°Useless then.¡± Ren shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. I¡¯m sick of the day already.¡±

    ¡°Not as much as Quinn,¡± Wolf countered.

    The fixer himself did look rather green - even sweatier than before, and now exhausted from throwing up. It didn¡¯t please me to gamble with his life, but only in the most dire circumstances was it reasonable to use Shuffle on my ally. I¡¯d nearly killed myself before with the debuff randomizer, but for him, it had been an easy decision to make. A risk, but better than guaranteed death.

    ¡°We need to get someone who can put curses on things,¡± I thought out loud. ¡°Then getting someone to pick a card from my deck would be potentially deadly.¡±

    The elf shrugged, but her ire had withered away to neutral annoyance. ¡°How often do you get to do that?¡±

    ¡°Only one perfect time is necessary.¡±

    She wrinkled up her nose and gave me a side-eye, as if she had some smart remark to make, but kept it to herself. Now a magician herself, she had started to believe. In what, I wasn¡¯t sure. The bullshit. Watching her switch places with a white dove and explode a munitions stack from mid air was¡­ pretty frightening for a few reasons, but I also loved it.

    ¡°You did great back there, by the way. Can¡¯t remember if I said.¡± We walked together, with Wolf in front.

    ¡°Flattery, trickster?¡± She turned her face to me, and a smile illuminated what was once prime grumpiness. ¡°I very much appreciate that. Now I can see why you have so much fun putting yourself in dangerous positions.¡±

    I was sure to regret allowing her to take the Guardian''s power. For some reason, I felt the sour Ren of our earlier journey would be a lot more pragmatic with the new skills. After dazzling our way through the bloodied aisles, she had come out of the ordeals with a streak of glamor of her own. Like glitter you couldn¡¯t get rid of.

    A natural extension of her being happy and comfortable in our group, so I wasn¡¯t complaining¡­ just unused to the taste of the humble pie now that I had to do my share of backseat worrying about her pulling of death-defying stunts.

    ¡°What was next on the horizon, Tanya?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d suggest we detour to a small outpost a little southwest. Let Quinn recover for a little. It will delay our arrival to the Wardens¡­ but fuck them.¡±

    ¡°Hear, hear,¡± Ren agreed, while Wolf grunted his agreement.

    ¡°Make it so,¡± I confirmed. The man did look unwell still, even with the debuff now gone. No use turning up to our destination with one of us on death¡¯s door - unfortunately for them, our Party¡¯s well-being was paramount.

    Progress was slower with the fixer being slightly broken, but we took it easy and allowed the good weather to soothe our moods once more. The random appearance of the assassin felt like a bad dream after another hour of walking. Most things in this world had been. I tried to keep the worst at the back of my mind and focus on cultivating what good I had around me.

    A sharp pain stabbed in my brain, and I winced.

    ¡°Okay, Max?¡± Ren managed to spot my discomfort like a hawk.

    ¡°Maybe a looming headache? Just a little pulse of pain, nothing terrible.¡±

    She brought out her gun and became more alert, not really taking my word at face value. While I had exhibited some precognition on occasion, this wasn¡¯t it. Just an ache because I was a living being who continued to function. At least, I hoped I was living.

    ¡°You ever wonder if our actual bodies came here?¡± I asked the surroundings.

    Ren pulled a face. ¡°What are you asking?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m two people, sort of - right? But they couldn¡¯t mash two bodies together, otherwise I¡¯d look even more of a mess. So¡­ what if it¡¯s just our ¡®souls¡¯ that are put into a recreated body in this world?¡±

    ¡°Did a fine job of it if that¡¯s the case,¡± Tanya offered. ¡°Not a mark or blemish out of place on me.¡±

    Ren narrowed her eyes at the far woods. ¡°Seems¡­ I don¡¯t know. I guess it¡¯s possible - a transfer of consciousness, then? I think I¡¯ve read a story about that before.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Essentially, sure. I guess the question then is¡­ are our old selves dead, or did they continue and we are just the split?¡±

    Quinn gagged and coughed out an unhealthy amount of saliva. ¡°Ugh. I am not a fan of thinking over¡­ the ramifications¡­ getting my head around it is¡­¡± He held his hand up to his mouth to prevent anything - words or otherwise - from falling out.

    ¡°From our point of view¡­¡± Ren began. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter either way, right? I certainly feel real and alive, even if Othea still has the dumbass version of me there.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± I smiled, but gave a glance back to Tanya. She looked deep in thought, barely focusing on tending to the queasy Quinn. If a version of her had survived her car crash, she would technically still be with her family there¡­ even if wasn¡¯t the better her that she had been striving for in this world.

    I daren¡¯t prod her for her thoughts. She had a lot riding on being able to go back, on an emotional level. Less so these days - I figured she had come around to focusing on being the best Tanya this world needed. All I could do was sit back and be there to support her when needed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be there shortly, trickster.¡± Ren took me out of my thoughts, but it was clear she could tell what I had been thinking about. ¡°How about I rub those shoulders out when we¡¯re settled?¡±

    ¡°I could have sworn I saw you hovering on white wings. You truly must be an angel.¡± My wide grin disarmed her completely. Her hand came down to intertwine with mine. Amusing given how clueless and alone I had arrived in this world¡­ now I had¡­

    Well, all of this. I looked around at the rest of my Party. Almost enough to warm my heart. Well¡­ my insides did feel pretty warm, actually. The pain in my head stabbed through my brain once more.

    ¡°Max? Something¡¯s¡­ wrong.¡± Ren let go of me to move to the treeline.

    Amber, red, and gray danced amongst the horizon.

    I turned an eyebrow up at Tanya. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s the outpost?¡±

    While she nodded, apprehension in her eyes, I raised up my right hand.

    It was shaking. Restless.

    Demons were nearby.

 154 - Favored Foe

    I stood, slightly bewildered by the scene in front of me. The outpost that had promised us safety was lit by a raging fire. Smoke billowed into the sky. Figures danced and laughed amongst themselves.

    ¡°Max? Max?¡±

    My head turned to the side to see Ren there. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dissociating again, and your hand is already bleeding.¡±

    I frowned and lifted them up. Hadn¡¯t even been casting any spells, and yet she was right. Was sweating too - but that might be the residual heat of the inferno before us. As we stood there, white gloves began to form over my extended hands.

    Power 52%.

    ¡°This is potentially bad.¡± I ran my tongue across dry lips and looked back into her bright blue eyes. Some worry in there. Valid.

    Other than making myself a spectacle and wowing audiences, there was one other thing that caused my Guardian-granted Power meter to rocket. It had done so against Syther, the one eyed demon that I had killed when I abandoned the Party.

    But the sheer amount of demons here was¡­ staggering, in comparison. They must be System-created, but how and where from? Was this some kind of invasion event? Did someone put them here? Why wasn¡¯t I currently tearing the miserable fucks limb from limb?

    I gasped for as if I had been holding my breath. Everything was dull to me except for the horned figures illuminated to the fires and the throbbing adrenaline giving my brain a heavy-handed prompt to get the violence started.

    It was only natural. Half of me had been a Demon Hunter - my very vocation was destroying these abominations in Hell itself. Despite my affinity for them and being affable with my own demonic summons, any outside my control just disgusted me and prompted me to act.

    Power 76%.

    ¡°We have to kill the demons,¡± I said.

    Ren squeezed my arm, taking me out of my focus slightly. ¡°I know there¡¯s no holding you back, just be safe. We fight together.¡±

    I looked her in the face and smiled. Glad that they wouldn¡¯t try to talk me out of this compulsion - as I¡¯d only go and do it without them, anyway. My greatest weakness, in a way, aside from the self-styled need to break my skull open on every new bit of terrain I came across.

    ¡°Tanya, Quinn.¡± I flexed my fingers, the power dying to escape and be brought into reality. ¡°Keep an eye on our backs. This could be a trap.¡±

    They probably acknowledged, but I was already stepping towards the outpost. In my hand, two cards. Two Ice imps summoned on my right. Roger¡¯s card at the ready, but two purple cards twirled around my hand as I walked down the cobbled road.

    Interestingly enough, the outpost itself either hadn¡¯t been burning long, or wasn¡¯t being allowed to collapse from the constant fire. Gave more weight to this being a scripted event, or it could be¡­ demonic flames.

    The Monsters themselves were nothing like my summonable companions. Around the same height as me, but with androgenous toned bodies. Tough red skin, black horns, and piercing yellow eyes. Certainly more of a cliche look than a giant rabbit, but that just made them all the more detestable.

    As soon as the first one turned and locked eyes with me, my adrenaline spiked and it was go time. Two cards of purple light, amongst five other mundane ones, shot out like a shrapnel blast. The demon¡¯s sword came up to deflect one, while the second carved through his shoulder. Behind him, a second demon went to move in, but his head exploded with radiant light as Ren placed a bullet between his eyes.

    Now that certainly shook the hornet''s nest. As two more cards bloomed into life, I took stock of the outpost. The buildings formed a rough circle. The center of the space between them housed a large fountain that was full of burning wood. Five more groups of three to five demons, no sign of any normal System-created living or dead.

    With a mental gesture, my Imps fired off their magic. Two groups nearer the back received a gleaming bolt of ice each, impaling one but slowing the rest in an area. Would give us more breathing space while we-

    The air crackled as something flashed its way toward me.

    Wolf slid out to the forefront and took the attack, a sheen of light amber running across him.

    I snarled at the grinning demon a little further back. ¡°Ren, focus on the casters.¡±

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    ¡°On it.¡± She crouched down and the sound of the bolt moving told me one demon was about to have their smile wiped away.

    Onto my shoulder, a white dove landed. What an interesting idea. I sent one of my Imps away to replace with a hell-dove and had it perch on the elf¡¯s shoulder. Wolf had decent magic resist, but I didn¡¯t want him to be a punch-bag while he dealt with all the melee demons.

    Especially as they were my kills.

    While the bear roared and powered into combat on the right, I swerved to the left. Magic cards circling me, a duo of purple arcs as I spun a spear into my hands. Ren blew a caster away. Two ran at me with their dark-metal swords. Things became fluid as lighting arced around my body. Blocked the first strike, the second dulled, but sent me stumbling back. Flourished the spear to delay them as my cards continually darted around them, cutting and moving away.

    Enough to make the first one lag. My spear found his face. Other demon went to swing for me, but then I had vanished. Invisible. Pulled my cards down into the top of his skull and reappeared. I stepped back, narrowly avoiding the downward strike of a large warhammer wielded by a larger demon. It struck the cobbled road, breaking apart stone.

    I put my foot on the head of the weapon and gave him a wink. Switched places with Ren, and she shot straight through his neck, before we switched back again and I rammed the spear up through his lower jaw.

    Dropped Roger¡¯s card on the demon as I turned to see who was next. <Card Fan> came up and blocked the arrow of an opponent in the back left. I jumped up into the air, landing on top of my summoned cannon, spear now loaded into it - and I fired.

    From this peak, I surveyed the show. We had chewed through half of them already. Wolf and my Imp taking the bulk of the demons down piece by piece while Ren eradicated high profile targets. Quinn and Tanya offering support from the back - the fixer had even started to douse the flames of the first structures with one of his skills.

    All in all, this was rather pleasant. If you ignored the pressure in my head that felt like my own horns wanted to sprout, and the figurative warning light blinking away as my Power bar neared filling to the brim¡­

    I dropped down in front of my cannon as it blasted me with confetti. Part of me wanted to hit <Finale> right there and start mopping up anyone who was stunned¡­ but that was letting them off easy.

    Second confetti shot and energy surged through me like I had suddenly become drunk. Power 100%. No Domain, though. These demons didn¡¯t deserve to see me at my best. Waves of anger rippled through me as I moved, but couldn¡¯t focus. A slideshow of picturesque scenes. I moved between one deathblow to the next, as if my brain only cared about seeing the last pained look in their eyes before I destroyed them.

    Which was¡­ true, in all honesty.

    My feet took me to a wavering standstill, and I felt somewhat more sober. Brain took a while to settle down while I stared at the last corpse I had created.

    ¡°You alright, Boss?¡±

    I turned my head back to see Roger inhabiting the larger foe, his purple eyes raised in questioning. I realized that I was soaked through with blood. Some of it my own, but mostly not. ¡°I think so.¡±

    Turning fully, I regarded the carnage I had left in my wake. Lifted up my hands to see that the white gloves had now left me. As Quinn continued to extinguish the burning properties, the rest of my unfortunate companions came over.

    ¡°First off,¡± Ren began, ¡°that switching thing was amazing. We really need to workshop that more.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± I nodded along.

    ¡°Secondly, are you actually okay? You went a little feral there, but you seem lucid enough now.¡±

    I checked my mind for any defects - any unexpected ones. Mostly likely the Power had gotten frustrated I hadn¡¯t brought my Domain into being, and the resulting tantrum was the energy being dissipated in turning me into an unrelenting demon-murdering machine. None remained, so my purpose was fulfilled.

    ¡°Well, either my brains about to rocket out of my nose, or I¡¯m just fine.¡±

    The grimace on her face told me that she wasn¡¯t too sure either option was palatable.

    ¡°How¡¯s Quinn, Tanya? Anything else to report?¡± I would have stepped closer to the elf, but given the state of my outfit, I didn¡¯t want to get her covered in demon blood. It was all for me.

    ¡°Still under the weather, but I think giving him the task of putting the fires out has kept his mind busy enough.¡± She smiled and looked back at the man doing just that, her gaze lingering on him for a few seconds before she turned back to me. ¡°Didn¡¯t spot anything suspicious behind us.¡±

    ¡°Likelihood of finding a house with a bath that doesn¡¯t smell like charcoal and sin?¡±

    Wolf cleared his throat and spoke up. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t look harmed.¡±

    We looked over at the one he was gesturing to. He was right - but rather than relief, it just made me furrow my brow. I turned in a slow circle, eyeing up all the structures in the outpost.

    It was the only one unblemished. Pristine, in fact, even though its neighbors were scorched and smoldering. I raised an eye to Ren, and she lifted her rifle to her shoulder.

    ¡°Could just be a Quest thing,¡± Tanya offered.

    ¡°Could be,¡± I responded, but my mind was elsewhere. So were my feet, as I found myself creeping toward the unmarked building as if it could sprout legs and attack us¡­

    Shouldn¡¯t put that out into the world.

    It even felt mundane as I stood before the closed entrance. No magic auras or weird feelings my arcane knowledge might prickle at. No sense of foreboding doom - but just the same, there wasn¡¯t a good feeling either. A true neutral house.

    The muzzle of Ren¡¯s rifle rested gently on my shoulder so she could shoot past me if something hostile appeared when I flung open the door.

    ¡°You realize I¡¯ll be deaf for a week if you fire that there?¡± My eye twitched in anticipation.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t listen to it.¡±

    I exhaled through my nose. ¡°I¡¯m not sure my selective hearing is that profound.¡±

    ¡°Could have fooled me,¡± she murmured.

    Didn¡¯t hear what she said as cogs were clicking around in my mind. More rules needed breaking, I was sure. My hand went inside my jacket, and I brought out another hell-dove.

    Eyes went over to Roger, as he was prodding at one of the dead demons. He caught my gaze and smiled sheepishly - odd in the figure he was puppeteering. ¡°Thought I might know some of these assholes, but nope!¡±

    ¡°No matter, come over here. We¡¯re going to try something new.¡±

 155 - Demonic Transposition

    With the last of the flaming houses now put to rest, the terrible smell of smoke still lingered in the air. Unfair, since damage to the surroundings was minimal, but the constant pressure of it had me feeling tired.

    Or it could just be the blackout-like rage that had caused me to pulp the remaining demons to death, in ways that I could not recall. Definitely the smoke.

    ¡°What makes you think this will work?¡± Ren had removed the rifle from my shoulder after Tanya had confirmed that hearing damage was a likely side effect of using me as a stand.

    ¡°It most likely won¡¯t.¡± I turned an eye to her before looking back at the pristine house before us. ¡°More a case of¡­ does the System know that? I¡¯ve come to understand it is less a static set of rules than it should be.¡±

    There was a very specific use case that I was relying on to make this work. <Demonic Transposition> swapped me with a targeted demon I had summoned. Simple on the surface. Technically, Roger was a demon that I had summoned. All good so far.

    However, the difference between him and my dove was that while I was borrowing the latter from Hell, the large rabbit was my pact demon. He was bound to me, and in some ways, me to him.

    Would this bond allow me to shift some of the targeting across? I was willing to find out.

    Roger stood patiently as I sent the hell-dove up into the top-floor window. It didn¡¯t immediately combust or fall foul of anything offensive, so I raised an eyebrow at my pact demon.

    While I was a magician in the basic sense - someone who did tricks and illusionary forms of ¡®magic¡¯ - the System gave me the fantasy flair that paired with an innate understanding of the moving pieces. A mix of both worlds that allowed me to do the unthinkable on occasion.

    My eyes narrowed as I tried to find the invisible strands that determined targeting for my spells. Hand raised and there was the string leading from me to the hell-bird in the house. Was easy enough to sever and reattach it¡­ but I couldn¡¯t move it. Frustrated, I stepped over to the rabbit inhabiting the demon corpse and placed my hand on him.

    Severed the connection just after my hand and felt the end of it twirl around, resisting being attached to Roger instead as if it they were repelling magnets. Useless. Just needed more power.

    Drained my reserves as if I had pulled the plug from the sink. A swirl of mana that thickened the line and caused it to be brighter in my mind¡¯s eye. Slowly, I was gaining more control of it. Teeth clenched together, and then there was a snap.

    I stumbled forward into the flapping wings of my dove. Eyes went up to the window, and a demon-head poked out, his purple eyes glowing down at us.

    ¡°Whoa, Boss. That felt weird.¡±

    ¡°Secure the building and open the door,¡± I requested of him, and he vanished back inside.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t look too easy,¡± Ren said. Stepping over and placing an arm on me as I wobbled.

    ¡°Never is,¡± I replied. Hadn¡¯t bled for it, but it was mentally exhausting. What a bad day we¡¯d had so far - and this was before we¡¯d seen what was troubling the Eternal Wardens.

    ¡°Probably nothing wrong with the building, either.¡± She clucked her tongue and pulled a face at the rest of the outpost. ¡°Still have a bad feeling, though.¡±

    ¡°Same. Be nice to not have constant combat encounters on the way to our destination.¡± I shrugged, even knowing I may have doomed us to just that.

    The door swung open to reveal Roger standing there with his arms crossed. ¡°Seems okay, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, thanks Roger. Make sure you drop the body outdoors when you leave.¡±

    He nodded and walked out, two steps away from us before he faded away to mist, the empty body of the demon puppet now flopping to the ground.

    Quinn looked to be improving, but was just about as exhausted as I felt. Pushing ourselves too hard, just after the hell we went through.

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    ¡°I¡¯m going to say you go bathe first, Max,¡± Ren offered, seeing what others felt about the notion. ¡°Just because you are literally caked with demon gore.¡±

    Reluctant acceptance had me stepping forth into the odd building before the others - perhaps her intention all along. It looked¡­ normal, as if it had just chosen to sit out of the event that was happening around it.

    ¡°Keep your eyes peeled, just in case,¡± I warned them, as I was already halfway up the stairs. Would have been nice to share a bath with Ren, but we didn¡¯t really have the time to be distracted by romantic notions. Maybe at our next stop.

    Bathroom door closed, and I was over to the tub. Taps turned on. Normal water. One of these days I was sure it would be poison gas, or spiders¡­ the System liked to keep me on my toes. Set my outfit to repair and removed my underwear.

    Into the water before it was even half full. Eager to get some comfort and energy back in my body. As I sighed and leaned against the side of the wooden bath, I figure it was a good time to get caught up on some admin work.

    [Max: Hey, Fiona.]

    [Fiona: Max. Not dead yet, then?]

    [Max: Sorry to disappoint.]

    [Max: Have an update for you.]

    [Max: Necromancer is dead, along with a couple of other groups.]

    [Fiona: Impressive - so the east and center are relatively clear?]

    [Max: Correct.]

    [Fiona: We¡¯re moving to the second area with another group.]

    [Fiona: Priority will be leveling, but we can assist you.]

    [Max: At some point we will need to march on Candlekeep.]

    [Max: Your help would be greatly appreciated.]

    [Fiona: When the time comes, you¡¯ll not find us absent.]

    [Fiona: I¡¯m¡­ glad you¡¯re okay and still kicking ass.]

    [Max: I know. Stay safe, Fiona.]

    Normally, I¡¯d talk to Ruby, as the goblin healer was a lot more affable. With Fiona being the leader of her Party, I wanted to approach the request for assistance in a more¡­ official capacity.

    Taps off, the water was nice and warm - and the bath as full as my head.

    [Max: Anything you can tell us?]

    [Dimitri: Unfortunately not.]

    [Dimitri: I realize how unconventional that is¡­]

    [Dimitri: But you will understand once you arrive.]

    [Max: If it¡¯s some kind of trap I will be really pissed.]

    [Dimitri: It¡¯s nothing of the sort.]

    [Dimitri: I have to go now.]

    I grumbled to myself. This stunk to high heaven. The Eternal Wardens had been keen for me to show up and meet them for a while, but I wasn¡¯t sure why. Promising answers on the Guardians had been less of a draw now that we had a rough idea - or at least since we knew how to work them, then the details didn¡¯t mean much.

    Other than if there was an easy way to get rid of the Lady. I daydreamed about Ren taking her out from half a mile away. Things were never that easy.

    So I cleaned off the blood and grime from the rest of me. Would have been nice to have a proper soak - but having to share the extravagance with the rest of the Party had me feeling guilty if I took too long.

    Out. Dry. Clothed once more. I sighed and flooded some mundane cards around my hands. Drew four different kings into my hand. Flicked them away and then drew five of the same king into my hand. Lifted the hat from my head and a waterfall of cards fell out onto the wooden floorboards. All jokers.

    A point to this exercise? I wasn¡¯t sure. Sometimes motions took me, and I followed the feeling until a result was shown. A bit like¡­ a tarot reading or something. Despite being relaxed and clean, it felt as though something uncomfortable remained, a splinter in my mind. Knew it was there, but fingers were too clumsy to grip at it.

    Shook myself and went out of the bathroom, immediately almost striding straight into someone waiting.

    My mind skipped a beat as I thought it was Quinn, but it wasn¡¯t.

    Older man with a gray mustache and a blank look in his eyes. Heart skipped a beat from the jump scare. ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°Terrible weather today.¡± His mouth moved, but the rest of him didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Max!¡±

    I skirted past him and hit the stairs, racing down to meet with the rest of the Party. They weren¡¯t alone, as two other System-created had appeared in the living room area, equally as inert.

    Ren had a sour scowl on her face, unimpressed at their appearance. ¡°I guess the outpost is bringing back all the NPCs.¡±

    ¡°I suppose.¡± I continued from the stairs and over to the window at the front of the house. Wolf way laying by the front door to ensure we didn¡¯t have any surprise guests. My eyes went slowly from left to right. ¡°Oh.¡±

    The elf leveled her glare at me. ¡°What is it now? Something to stop me from having a bath?¡±

    I ran my tongue across my dry lips. ¡°I mean¡­ potentially not, but¡­¡±

    Not taking my limp sentence as an answer, she came over and jostled me to the side to look - rather than going to the other window.

    ¡°The fuck is this?¡± She sighed and pressed her forehead against the window.

    That was enough to get the other two over and looking out on the other side of the room. Made sense why Roger had thought there was nothing wrong, in retrospect.

    I placed a hand against the glass, warm already. ¡°I¡¯m hoping this isn¡¯t real.¡±

    Quinn moved away from the sight and put a hand over his face. ¡°I think I may just throw up again.¡±

    Tanya was silent, her brow furrowed, trying to make sense of it. Amber light illuminated her clenched jaw, as if the lighting took a few minutes to catch up with the change in location.

    Ren seemed fed up with everything. Couldn¡¯t blame her.

    I just wavered, my legs energized but weak. A grumbling in my stomach that almost rivaled Quinns, but I was led to a different solution to rub away at the terrible feeling flashing through my body.

    Wolf shuffled away from the door, not clued in to the picture just yet. But I¡­ I stumbled to the door, smiling despite the emotional turmoil gripping at me.

    I pushed the door open, allowing a warmth to wash through us. Now there could be no denying we weren''t imagining this.

    Turning my head away from the jutting spikes of rock, the ruddy hues, and perpetual bursts of flame, I looked at the dark sky and closed my eyes.

    ¡°Welcome to hell,¡± I announced.

 156 - Into a Pocket

    Hell.

    You would think, given half of my past, that the sight of our current location would bring about strong feelings in my core. But, of what? Hatred? Fear?

    Instead, I felt nothing. This was a construct of such place, not the real thing - for however you liked to use the word ¡®real¡¯. The flaming pillars of molten rock, the jagged edges of the terrain, and the amber to brown rainbow that decorated the entirety of the sky were all so¡­ pedestrian.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the blame for this one.¡±

    I turned my head to look at the elf, who had a tired expression across her face. ¡°How so?¡±

    She stepped up beside me and crossed her arms. ¡°Well, I had said I¡¯d go to hell and back for our love, and now look what happened.¡±

    ¡°As much as I love some decent foreshadowing, I don¡¯t think you are at fault.¡± I wrinkled up my nose and took in the smell of the place. Burning, super heated stone, and¡­ no idea. Something else about it was off.

    ¡°This is a home away from home for you?¡± Some of the grump eased away from her face as she tried to read my expression.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s too¡­ fake. Too System-created. The Hell I knew was a place of unrelenting violence that slowly eroded away at both your soul and sanity. I just feel a little extra warm here. So far.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± She nodded slowly, but didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°Given how you react around demons, I am expecting the rest of us to suffer while you carve through everything¡­ until we find a way out?¡±

    I turned around to view the house we had arrived here in. It was decaying already, the wood not really burning, but just turning to ash. Would only be a handful of minutes before only debris remained. My eyes went from the building and over to Quinn and Tanya, the latter of the pair not looking too great.

    ¡°You okay, Tanya?¡± I stepped over, Ren following.

    The fateweaver turned her tired eyes over to me. ¡°Never better.¡±

    ¡°Wolf, take Ren and Quinn, see what the local threats are - any potential path forward.¡±

    They each gave me a nod and set off - the bear looking rather unsettled by our new environs too. Ren caught my eye and started to talk to Wolf about how he was feeling. I turned back to Tanya and gave her a soft smile.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk to me, but I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± she sighed and rubbed at her eyes. ¡°I thought that the world might be purgatory¡­ and then when I came to terms with not going back and tried to live for now¡­ to move on with the group.¡± Her eyes went over to the trio. ¡°And with Quinn. Now that I¡¯m in actual hell, it feels like a real punishment for not staying true to my family.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°So if we escape this hell, then you will see that as validation for your life choices instead?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s the crux of it, isn¡¯t it? The sensible part of me knows this is no different from the forest or a dungeon¡­ but guilt often doesn¡¯t care about that.¡± She gave me a glum smile. ¡°I¡¯ll survive, Max. Thank you. I¡¯ll just be constantly perturbed.¡±

    ¡°Noted. Check in if you feel any worse.¡± I gestured to the others, and we went to catch up. ¡°Quinn though? Sly dog.¡±

    Tanya smiled, and some life came back into her eyes. ¡°We tried to downplay it. Nothing serious, but it¡¯s nice to have¡­ someone who cares and understands, you know?¡±

    ¡°You deserve happiness.¡± I smiled, but raised an eyebrow. ¡°If that is in the shape of Quinn, then more power to the both of you.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Can you keep it between us?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    As much as it pained me, I¡¯d even keep it from reaching Ren¡¯s long ears for now. A struggle to hold something from her, but it wasn¡¯t my place to spread secrets that were not mine to tell. We arrived at where the others had stopped to look over an apparent ledge or decline lower than us.

    ¡°What do you think, Max?¡± Ren gestured down to the plateaus of parched stone and rough spines.

    There were demons. Plenty of them¡­ in fact, far too many. All milling around doing who knew what.

    ¡°They make me angry,¡± I said. ¡°Not in a good way.¡±

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    Quinn rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°Well, before you go off and have a terrific time murdering through every demon you meet, we might want an actual plan of action for how to get out of here.¡±

    A valid point. Although all demons needed to die, it wasn¡¯t likely that erasing all of them would be the key for us to portal back home. No point asking Tanya if she had another scroll either, as she would have brought it up immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an expert on these things¡­ but it seems as though there are pocket areas that don¡¯t show up on the main map. This just so happens to be the place where demons are generated and stored until they are needed in the actual world¡­ unless there is a quest down here or something?¡±

    My postulations were met with resigned shrugs and grunts that held no information.

    I, however, was already chewing on a thought based on this hypothesis. What if our return didn¡¯t have to be the same location that we had arrived here from?

    It stood to reason that there would be other areas that received demons from down here. Some of those might accept some extra passengers¡­ so what if we could appear nearer Candlekeep - or the Eternal Wardens¡­ or even past the area three barrier?

    We just needed to find a way.

    The air shift just to the right of us. A solid rock wavered beneath some demonic power, and Ren raised her rifle up.

    Out of the air, a large figure emerged. White fur, long ears, and bright purple eyes. Roger looked us over with a scowl on his face.

    ¡°What the fuck are you assholes doing down here?¡±

    ¡°Sight-seeing tour.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°Want to be our guide?¡±

    He groaned in response and rubbed at his eyes. ¡°This isn¡¯t good, Boss. Once the demon king hears there are humans and human-adjacent species¡­ and a bear¡­ down here, he¡¯ll flip his fucking nut.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like we¡¯ll have to kill him then,¡± Wolf suggested.

    I nodded. ¡°Will you be our tour guide for that, Roger?¡±

    ¡°Boss. I have a family here. I can¡¯t shit where I eat. Or¡­ fuck where I eat? I forget which way it goes - which is bad because it¡¯s part of my probation.¡±

    ¡°If we kill the king, will we be able to renegotiate the terms of that?¡± I raised an eyebrow, trying to coerce my demon into risking it all because I said so.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose so.¡± His fuzzy hand went up to rub at his chin. ¡°Would do wonders for my sex appeal. I¡¯d be a fuckin'' icon. Alright, I¡¯m in - murder train full steam ahead.¡±

    Ignoring for the moment that the System must be translating what a steam train was, I was content enough that it hadn¡¯t taken that much persuasion to get him on board with¡­ oh, I guess we were marching on a king now?

    ¡°Not that I don¡¯t like a bit of bravado,¡± Ren began, one step ahead of my mental process, ¡°but we don¡¯t know whether that is a good idea, possible, or something that would take us back home.¡±

    Quinn nodded along. ¡°The first thing you should have asked our dear demon friend is if he knew a way for us to get home.¡±

    ¡°Nah.¡± Roger shook his head. ¡°I only get out of here when summoned. Plus, even if I did know, I might not tell you now because usurping the king sounds fun as fuck.¡±

    Not quite the level head I wanted us to go into this with, but about what I had expected from my pact demon. By my estimation, this should be somewhat like farming out a repeatable quest, just with a Boss at the end of it. Would be nice to assume we¡¯d get some manner of reward out of the effort - but¡­ hmm.

    ¡°Say, Roger. Do you know what levels the demons are here? Are there many much stronger than you?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m like¡­ middle of the road here, excluding the Higher Court and the big nob himself. Can¡¯t see numbers or shit, though.¡±

    I nodded and took my hat from my head to rub at my hair. Caught the gaze of Ren, as it seemed she had a similar line of thought as I had. One of the things that I adored about her.

    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous game,¡± she said, before I¡¯d even spoken the words. ¡°It will have to be a Party vote.¡±

    Quinn looked apprehensive and remarkably sweaty. Tanya still seemed to be being eaten up by her guilt. Wolf was fed up with the oppressive smells and keen to get things rolling. Despite how odd the situation was, Ren was calm. Roger had already stated his opinion.

    ¡°Right then. Party vote time.¡± I returned my top hat to my head and gave them a wide smile. ¡°There is a slight chance that we are currently in an advantageous position. If the System doesn¡¯t see us as being in the second area anymore, that could mean we are no longer level locked¡­¡±

    Tanya hummed. ¡°So you are suggesting we purge hell, hoping that we get experience, and then go higher than Level Fifteen?¡±

    ¡°Precisely. Assuming all that is possible. It would give us an edge up over the competition, with the downside of potentially being here longer, without being able to influence the outside world.¡± I crossed my arms.

    Given that we were still looking for an exit, our actual time here was variable. Even saying that - Roger seemed to travel through time differently when he was down here¡­ maybe there was some time dilation we¡¯d be wary of. As much as it would be dire to return to Othea to find the whole world was under control of the Lady in Red, I was reasonably sure things moved quicker here than there - to our advantage.

    I took a deep breath. ¡°Hands up if you are okay with trying to power level and kill the demon king on the way to finding our way out of here.¡±

    Naturally, I raised my hand up.

    Roger was in as soon as I mentioned regicide again. Ren was second to the raise her hand, still looking rather done with the day and how our lives seemingly just spiraled into worse situations every few days.

    Wolf was next. He had been quiet, and I¡¯d have to check with the elf to see how he was doing. I had banked on the power trio being down for the constant violence. Quinn hesitated but his hand went up gradually, my eye looking more toward the fateweaver than anywhere else - his thought clearly process visible.

    Tanya remained with hands down, but leaned her face forward so that she could cover it with her abstaining palms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t want to be here - even though I know this is the best option for us.¡±

    ¡°Escape is always our first priority. As soon as the option presents itself, we will go - I promise you this.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go fuck up some demons.¡±

    ¡°Wooo!¡± Roger yelled.

    I rolled out my neck. While the idea was mostly my creation, I wasn¡¯t as eager as I had made out. The outpost full of demons had caused me to black out with violence. Now in literal hell, I wondered exactly what a danger I¡¯d become.

    Roger led us toward a pathway, the time to find out soon upon us.

 157 - Just Visiting

    For as much as the dull palette of hell started to grate on my nerves, the fact that the System had created this place was a point of interest. I had long wondered if there was indeed a hell for this System world, and now I had my answer. Was I happy about that? Perhaps I would have been more content to gain this knowledge while being as far away from the actual place as possible.

    As it stood, we¡¯d just have to make the best of a bad situation. Interestingly, while the area had the Party mood at a low point, Ren didn¡¯t seem to be too bothered with the predicament. Annoyed, sure, but not oppressed by the heated gloom or violent scenery. Perhaps in her world, hell was viewed differently, or she could distance herself from the imagery and superstition of the place better than the rest of us.

    Well, aside from the literal rabbit-demon accompanying us, and yours truly, of course.

    I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say I had a spring in my step, but the possibility of out-leveling our opponents had strengthened my positivity enough to the point I was no longer worried about leaving. I wanted out, just like the others - but I¡¯d eke out whatever advantages I could wherever we went.

    Now fully armed and ready for inevitable battle, Roger had taken us down a winding path than led to the lower levels of hell. Emerging from the cliff-like rock face, we found ourselves in something that could almost be described as civilisation.

    A small town of dark, ruined wooden buildings, arranged either side of a central road that ran from the cliff and beyond. It didn¡¯t take me long to clock the reference here, and Tanya seemed to be on the same page.

    ¡°Looks like a wild west town,¡± she murmured.

    Ren pulled a face and glared at the darkened windows of the nearest buildings. ¡°Looks like misery to me.¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡± Roger paused and scratched at the side of his head. ¡°Probably some assholes hiding around here. It¡¯s the only way through, though.¡±

    I tilted my head and looked at each of the buildings ahead of us. ¡°Well, let¡¯s be smart about it and not do the cliche thing and walk straight down the middle. Let¡¯s circle the back left here and keep out of sight.¡±

    ¡°Remarkably level-headed for you,¡± Ren said, but nudged me with her elbow.

    ¡°Murdering my way through the day is one thing, but walking into an obvious ambush¡­ I¡¯d like to think we had learned by now.¡± I gave her a smile as she half-heartedly rolled her eyes.

    And so, we made for the route I had devised. Some of the buildings didn¡¯t even have back doors - as we passed them by, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little clever at the simple plan. Even if we were spotted and attacked, it would only be from the one direction. Roger was flexing his paws back and forth, but didn¡¯t seem to be nervous about anything specific.

    Half way through the town and I felt the tension rise up within me. Demons were near, part of me could sense it. A sharp pain throbbed at the back of my head. I could feel eyes watching me, so I stopped.

    Quinn slowly drew one of his remaining flintlocks. ¡°Trouble, Max?¡±

    ¡°Almost guaranteed.¡± I withdrew Jokkar¡¯s mace to hand to the rabbit, while a trio of cards swirled around beside me.

    The space behind us was mostly open rocky plains. Occasional spurt of fire perhaps, but otherwise nothing immediately looming to jump out at us.

    ¡°How is it you don¡¯t know this area well, Roger?¡± Ren asked, sweeping the end of her barrel between the windows and alleys behind the wooden houses.

    ¡°Why would I? Usually have better things to do than fuck around every inch of this place. This area is what¡¯s known as the Outer Circle, and I spend most of my days-¡±

    ¡°Shhh!¡± I held up a finger and furrowed my brow. There was a creaking noise, faint but just about audible of the rolling ambience. My gaze went to the designated hearer of the group - Ren having paused her roving muzzle to settle on one of the bigger buildings.

    Wasn¡¯t easy to guess what it was from the back here, but I was willing to assume it was a saloon.

    My Power bar was slowly filling.

    The snap of breaking planks put the nail in the coffin that it wasn¡¯t just our imaginations. A second, louder creak and the building began to shift as if it was collapsing.

    ¡°Shoot it,¡± I commanded, flicking my cards out immediately.

    Ren¡¯s rifle blew a hole through the aged wood, punching through to the street beyond, no doubt. My cards splintered shards from the building as I curved them to slice rather than stab.

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    The reason for my lack of patience was soon clear as a spray of dark blood emerged from the hole the bullet had punched. Equally, the marks I had scored started to run with the stuff as well.

    ¡°Demon buildings?¡± Ren asked, working the bolt on her rifle.

    ¡°Worse,¡± Roger said, shaking his head. ¡°Demon buildings.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed, but she knew better than to get into it with the rabbit. Either he hadn¡¯t heard or was intentionally ignoring her. I¡¯d remind him about his manners once we got out of this predicament.

    ¡°Are we really going to fight a literal town?¡± Tanya asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of a good enough pun right now.¡± I grinned. ¡°But, yes.¡±

    Two cards in my hand, I went to throw down two Frost Imps - which now seemed like an odd thing to live in hell. They struck the ground just behind me near our backliners¡­ but didn¡¯t summon.

    Instead, the normal arcane circles bloomed into life - only they widened and moved towards the two behind us. Mouth open, I turned, but didn¡¯t have time to act. Confusion flashed across their faces before both Tanya and Quinn vanished in a puff of magical energy.

    ¡°Max?¡± Ren growled.

    [Max: Report in?]

    Nothing for a few seconds, as the building ahead of us groaned and pulled itself from the foundations, trying to turn just as its neighbors started to shift into life.

    [Tanya: We¡¯re okay.]

    [Quinn: Other than the shock!^]

    [Tanya: Back in the normal world¡­ a little further than the outpost we left.]

    [Tanya: Can you get out the same way?]

    I furrowed my brow and brought out another demon summoning card, only for it to immediately crumble to dust. Second one, the same.

    ¡°I¡¯ve somehow reverse-summoned our Party members. Either they will be in Othea with a time limit, or I¡¯ve locked my abilities out until either they die or we go back.¡± I stood there pulling a face at the complete gall of the System.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Ren said. I couldn¡¯t tell whether that singular word was labored with exasperation, disbelief, or annoyance. Perhaps a little of all three.

    [Max: No. Go somewhere safe until we can talk.]

    Wasn¡¯t planning on hanging around to see how the Chat function liked the time dilation here, with a host of wild west looking structures wanting to chew on me.

    ¡°Looks like the only demon here to help is whatever resides in me,¡± I said, grinning and blooming my magic cards with a mix of mundane ones to orbit around me.

    Roger coughed.

    ¡°Oh, you too.¡±

    Ren fired again, this time with an entangling shot. Vines cracked through the ruddy stone around the saloon and grabbed onto the lower planks.

    ¡°Wolf, move to the far left corner and start breaking things. Roger support him. I¡¯ll be going to the middle to get the real party started.¡±

    ¡°And me?¡± Ren asked.

    I held my hand out, which she took, and twirled into a close hug. ¡°Why, you¡¯re coming with me, my dear.¡±

    With a few awkward seconds standing still and nothing happening, she then wrinkled up her nose. ¡°You forgot you can¡¯t summon birds for <Demonic Transposition> already, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Feels like I have been robbed of one of my senses.¡± I gently allowed her to stand.

    ¡°Would have been awkward if I went to the middle and you remained here, huh?¡±

    I pulled a face and looked over at the saloon, struggling against the restraints. ¡°I¡¯d never live it down.¡±

    Ren smiled and jostled me with her elbow. ¡°Let¡¯s kill some demons, Max the Magnificent.¡±

    Didn¡¯t need any more prompting than that. Once again, we were supping from the cup of boons that had come from my acceptance of her being equal in all things. She knew me inside and out, and had developed a knack for the show quicker than expected.

    Such a far cry from the grumpy Oathwarden on the beach, her defiant scowl requesting I teach her to ply the same amount of bullshit into our combat - and now she did. High-powered sniper rifle aside, she not only looked the part, but had been working on her own tricks with the Guardian granted abilities and was more receptive to my desire to tangle with fate and see how chewed up I could get.

    A pair of cards into my hand as she fired a radiant shot through the building. It screamed in pain - which was unusual, but I¡¯d believe anything at this stage of my life. Third card I had then drawn was critical and crackled with a crimson light compared to the purple of its contemporaries.

    I let the first go so that I could put all my strength into this singular one. It grew brighter as my mana sunk away, before I started dipping into my actual health. My legendary gear boosting damage with all the power used to cast a spell, and as soon as I cast it, some of that lost health started to regenerate.

    Card twisted into the air as I sent it vertically to arc around and crash down into the tile roof of the saloon. Punctured through and exploded, blowing loose fragments to the ground as a wash of thick dust billowed from the open holes where there was no glass. Shortly followed by streams of blood.

    By now, the two adjacent buildings had shuffled almost all the way around to face us. They had no eyes or mouth, so I wasn¡¯t too sure how threatening they were. Probably not a good idea to just walk through their open doorways¡­ but intrusive thoughts had me wondering.

    Off to our left, Wolf crashed his way through the furthest building, the whole thing collapsing in a way that was far too moist, considering. The next in line was currently being beaten by Roger, his mace taking huge chunks out of the outer woodwork.

    I dropped the demonic cannon next to Ren, just in case it decided to take her back home. She must have read the intention, as she gave me a scowl. A faux pas, but better than accidentally taking me back home. If anyone was equipped to deal with hell, it was me. That said, I seemed to have no problem with the siege weapon, and I went to grab some lit lanterns from my Inventory.

    ¡°Here, Max.¡± Ren whispered a word in elven before throwing over a now glowing-radiant lantern, before repeating the process with two more. Each one vanished as they reached me, immediately going into the cannon.

    First blast struck the house to the right of the saloon, oil and metal shrapnel bursting against buckling wooden planks. Radiant flame erupted and flickered around the body of the building in no time at all, a shriek emerging from the decaying structure.

    I grinned and spun more cards up. Down two Party members, but we had a hold on things so far.

    ¡°We are getting experience from them. Decent, too.¡± Ren fired another shot, a wry smile at the edge of her mouth.

    Power meter humming as it continually grew. I turned my attention to the empty plains behind us.

    Only, it wasn¡¯t so empty anymore.

    An empty bullet casing bounced across the ground as Ren turned to see what I was looking at.

    Her face wrinkled up, and the rifle lowered.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡±

 158 - Walkies

    While we stood in the wavering heat of hell, with several living buildings turning to approach and probably eat us up, a mixture of different emotions went over Ren¡¯s face in seeing the approaching horde.

    I wasn¡¯t too sure whether to feel confused or elated¡­ but leaned toward the latter.

    An estimated fifty hellhounds were bounding across the desolate rocky expanse towards us. Most of them were the smaller and slimmer build, but some were the larger upgraded kind I could now summon.

    ¡°Perhaps we actually went to heaven,¡± the elf murmured, a sheen of awe now in her bright blue eyes.

    ¡°Depends on their intent.¡± Despite saying this, I could feel it - see it in their happy little flaming dog faces. I relaxed.

    The tidal wave of demonic hounds washed over us, and we were surrounded by wagging tails, happy yips, and requests for pets.

    Ren lifted one out of the pile, clasping it to her body as she wielded it awkwardly toward me. ¡°Look, trickster!¡±

    I raised my eyebrows and smiled. The positioning of the scars across the body of the wriggling beast couldn¡¯t hide the identity of who they were. He had fallen in battle against the dire boar, all the way back on the starter island. ¡°I was right, all demon-dogs go to hell.¡±

    ¡°This must be all the little pups you¡¯ve summoned before. There¡¯s¡­ a lot more than I remember.¡±

    I gave her a shrug, but she was too distracted by the friendly hounds to dig into my non-answer any more. It wasn¡¯t the biggest secret that I often summoned demons just out of sight and knowledge of my Party, even skirting the expert perception of the elf. It always paid to have options and contingencies in place. Of course, I had noted that she had started doing the same with her own summons - so she was bound to make the connection, eventually.

    Ren sunk down to the floor, melting amongst the affection rendered. ¡°Just leave me. I can die happy here,¡± she announced, between several of the hounds trying to lick her face.

    ¡°Tempting.¡± I looked over at the buildings to see that most of them were¡­ running away? Maybe not running, but they were turning away from us. Over to the side, Wolf thrashed through wooden walls before seeing that we what we were doing.

    He and Roger paused their onslaught as the living buildings retreated and moved back over to us.

    The rabbit had a bemused look on his face, and plenty of wooden shards in his fur. ¡°Turn my back on you for one minute, and you¡¯ve already raised a fucking army, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± My brow furrowed, and I looked at my hands. Pretty normal, considering. Yet¡­ hmm.

    Ren was completely prone on the ground now, drowning under the affection of our hellhounds. Well, not really ¡®our¡¯ but¡­ close enough. If there were a horde of dogs that I had summoned previously, then there was likely to be Imps somewhere too. A couple of Shades, and¡­ a whole lot of hell-doves that might have a grudge against me.

    Cannons too? No, unlikely, as I had been able to summon one here just fine. It was inanimate, so was probably just the same one every time. I should mark it to find out.

    ¡°You okay, Wolf?¡± I stepped past some of the dogs as they went to join the cyclone of flaming fur, burying the elf.

    ¡°Normally I am accepting of the situations you drag us into, but I¡¯m having trouble understanding this.¡± His amber eyes looked out at the barren scenery.

    It was a bit much. We¡¯d spent the majority of our adventures in forest or woodland-adjacent terrain. Even the towns or small villages had been as close to nature as you could get. For a former average grizzly bear, this hellscape would be a stark difference to what he¡¯d known all his long life.

    ¡°It is equally as strange for me,¡± I admitted, partially truthful. ¡°We will have to persist, but escape as soon as we can.¡±

    ¡°As always, you can rely on me.¡± His glance was one of earnest loyalty - in this for the long ride after what we¡¯d been through already.

    I smiled. ¡°Well, let me get this show in order, then.¡±

    Clicked my fingers and the hellhounds paused the suffocation of the elf and turned to face me. They each took a few steps over and then sat down, at full attention for my next order.

    No longer accosted, Ren sat up and gave me a scowl before getting her outfit back in order. She stood and crossed her arms, almost able to hide the excitement of seeing me command authority over the demons.

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    ¡°Roger?¡± I asked, and gestured him over. ¡°Demons come back here after they die topside, but what happens if they die in hell?¡±

    He rubbed at his chin and narrowed his purple eyes. ¡°I guess we just vanish for good, Boss.¡±

    Just as I thought. I put my hands on my hips and looked over the sea of patient faces awaiting my order, some of them tilting their heads to the side. They were System-created, but I had some attachment to them.

    Ren walked around to stand beside me, so she could pretend the dogs were all looking at her - I was certain. ¡°You¡¯re deciding if you want to send our children off to war, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not that I would have used all of those specific words in that manner, but yes.¡±

    ¡°Conflicting.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°Do they have an option to deny such a request?¡±

    ¡°Does anyone?¡±

    Ren turned to me and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Your ego is already inflated enough. If this is leading up to you turning into a demon prince and ruling over all the denizens in hell, then count me out.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to be my queen?¡±

    ¡°Not of hell.¡± She rolled her eyes.

    ¡°We could make it a vassal state and be rulers of the main world?¡± I attempted a convincing grin.

    ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± With a sigh, she brought a hand up to rub at her eyes. ¡°If only so I can visit the pups every so often.¡±

    A done deal, pretty much. I¡¯d leave her to regret meeting in the middle later on, and turned my attention to the large rabbit instead.

    ¡°Roger, do you know where I¡¯d find my Imps? Or any clue as to where we should head to next?¡±

    His nose twitched in thought. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a route. Would be too dangerous normally, but with all these rat things we could get through closer to the inner circle of hell.¡±

    ¡°You expect violence then?¡±

    ¡°Crave it, Boss.¡± He licked at his lips. ¡°But it¡¯ll be better than wandering around the wastes here, where there will also be other assholes to fight.¡±

    I sighed and looked to my equal for her view of the proposition, but she was already crouched down and petting two of the hounds that were doing their best to ignore her advances and focus on me. A little guaranteed violence and shorter walk, compared to the unknown on a longer trip.

    ¡°Very well, Roger. Make the necessary preparations¡­ or however this works?¡±

    ¡°On it, Boss.¡±

    While he placed his mace down and stretched out, I tried to decide if I was a fan of this new development in our adventure. Part of me was worried about Quinn and Tanya. They were capable, of course, but being only a duo made them an easier target for any potential trouble topside. If they were smart, they¡¯d be hiding out until we could join back up.

    There was the option that they could go to the Wardens ahead of us¡­ but I didn¡¯t like that. While our time in hell had no obvious end at present, it would be even worse knowing the pair got into something terrible and we couldn¡¯t assist. After her recent revelation, I¡¯m sure they could find something to busy themselves with - and hopefully Tanya¡¯s mind would be at peace no longer being in this dreadful place.

    I didn¡¯t mind the change of scenery personally, although I can see why it might not be to the tastes of the rest of the Party. A distraction from our goals, certainly, one that we had to gather what advantages we could from the situation¡­ but ensure it didn¡¯t cause problems for our true target. We needed to reach the Eternal Wardens, and then prepare to march on Candlekeep and the Lady.

    Simple on the surface. Not so easy while we resided in hell.

    Roger gripped at the air in front of him, and tore through reality, opening up a passageway as if it had been paper obscuring a secret entrance. In this split, I could see a village or town of dark hues beyond, but little else.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold it open so you and all the little turds can scurry through, Boss.¡± He grinned as his hands held the top corners of the hole through the air.

    Neither Wolf nor Ren looked particularly pleased about being the first to pass through this unknown portal to somewhere else - we hadn¡¯t exactly been having good luck with that sort of thing so far. So, as the most demon-prince adjacent among us, I took the mantle and the first steps toward our new destination.

    Expecting some kind of energy or vertigo to pass over me as I stepped through, I was almost underwhelmed, as the process was no different from passing through a normal doorway.

    A slight change in atmospheric temperature, and some darker tones to the scenery, but otherwise relatively the same. We were amongst a small gathering of rocks just beside a road that led through the small town ahead. There were figures moving around, but I couldn''t pick out much detail amongst the faux gloom. I stepped aside so that Ren, Wolf, and the multitude of hellhounds could join me - before finally Roger stepped in.

    ¡°Just have to pass through this town, Boss, and we shouldn¡¯t be too far from where your Imps could be.¡±

    I nodded, but wasn¡¯t too convinced. ¡°We have to go through. Can¡¯t go around?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s like¡­¡± He waved a fluffy paw at the inert backdrop of our current locale. ¡°Gas clouds and fire shit.¡±

    Ren crossed her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡±

    ¡°That''s how it gets you.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve lived here my whole existence, so it you want to-¡±

    ¡°Okay, Roger.¡± I held up my hand. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about us gathering undue attention from powerful demons now that we have a squadron of pups loyal to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about dining opportunities,¡± Wolf murmured.

    The rabbit shrugged again and hoisted the mace up over his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll burn those bridges when we cross them.¡±

    After exchanging a glance with the elf, I decided to lead us onward. Day wasn¡¯t getting any younger, although there wasn¡¯t really much chance of guessing what stage of the day we were actually at - even ignoring the time dilation that may be between here and the world that at least had a sun.

    I flexed my fingers as the horde of hounds fell into step behind the four of us, striding abreast of each other. A terrible and odd sight for anyone, even in the hells. Stone road took up right up to the town¡¯s edge, where the first inhabitant sitting on the porch of their abode turned a yellow eye toward us.

    A crocodile-demon, if I had to dissolve them into basic descriptions. Something that itched the back of my mind and put me on edge. Still, other than the long-snouted row of sharp teeth and dirtied dungarees he was wearing, there was nothing overtly threatening about the demon.

    At least, until he clocked our guide.

    ¡°You ain¡¯t welcome here, Roger,¡± he hissed, standing himself up from the wooden chair. Other eyes in the nearby vicinity turned to meet us. ¡°Thought you¡¯d learned the last time, but seems we have to teach you a more permanent lesson.¡±

    The sounds of metal weapons being drawn drowned out the long sigh escaping me.

 159 - Beneath the Crust

    It was difficult to stay mad at Roger.

    Actually, no - I was still rather disgruntled that he had led us into a spat with a town of crocodile demons just so that he could get his revenge for whatever slight had come before now. I may have given him the benefit of the doubt, but he was constantly stating that intent almost verbatim¡ªwhile in the midst of beating the demons into pulp¡ªso our role here was rather transparent.

    Even less enthused was Ren. After battling a few crocs side-by-side with me, she had tired of the forced battle she had been dragged into, and instead went for the boring option of perching on an overturned wagon and sniping as many assailants as she could. No flare at all.

    Wolf had taken her place, and we stood shoulder to shoulder against the onslaught of foes. With little skin in the game, he too was cool on the idea of surging off into battle, and was allowing the rabbit to take more of the brunt of frontline combat. With each of us having a retinue of a dozen or so hellhounds, the croco-demons had a difficult task of engaging us from the outset.

    Those hardy enough to wade through the chomping maws of the dogs were quickly mushed to the ground beneath the bear - while any joining the fight from afar had their brains excavated by one of Ren¡¯s high-powered shots. I played the middle, assisting them both by debilitating and wounding all that dared oppose us.

    No real flare from me, either.

    Although part of it was being hand-led into this current nightmare, I was also feeling a little out of sorts with not having access to my summons. Well, technically I had a lot of summons - so that was a rather strange complaint. Perhaps it was more of the restraint rather than the effect that had me grouchy.

    Certainly, having a small army of demons made combat a lot easier. There was a whole town¡¯s worth of crocs to chew through, but the dogs made it seem like nothing at all. If any received a wound, it would slink back past its brethren and the elf would heal it.

    I chose to ignore the fact that she could do that, and the hellish pups didn¡¯t seem to mind her divine energy running through them. Either something else our bond had muddied, or the System had stopped caring at some point. It must be getting desperate.

    Cards flashed through the thick neck of the next demon as the hellhounds brought it to the ground. Chest exploded in the one behind them from Ren¡¯s divine-infused shot. Whatever enemies remained wavered and then started to turn tail.

    An odd thing, which I put a pin in for now. Weapons lowered as we watched the last handful run off into the gloom further ahead.

    ¡°Yeah, run, assholes!¡± Roger twisted the head of the croc he had been bludgeoning, their vertebrae grinding in his grasp. ¡°This is my fuckin¡¯ town now!¡±

    He dropped the inert demon to the ground and licked his bloodied lips before turning his gaze back to us.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely convinced this was anything more than you using us to settle a petty squabble,¡± I said, stretching out my right wrist.

    ¡°No, Boss. A convenience for me, sure - but this is the way we need to go.¡± His grimaced grin told me he might be bending the truth a little.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to use my control over you to get you back in line, Roger.¡± My tone cooled, and I flexed out my hands. ¡°Best remember where you stand.¡±

    ¡°In hell, Boss.¡± He raised his mace up over his shoulder. ¡°And I think you¡¯ll find down here, your ¡®control¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean shit.¡±

    I maintained eye contact with him, the two pits of purple energy staring back at me. Was it my fault that he had become so wayward? He was acting like a demon would. It was only natural for him to be deceitful and bloodthirsty. Although we were bound, control was a one-way street - I was sure of it.

    My eyebrow raised. ¡°Say that again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, your power in hell doesn¡¯t hold so much sway¡­ Boss.¡±

    ¡°How far are you willing to go to test that, knowing your death here would be absolute?¡± I stood stoic as purple electricity started to arc around my body.

    He remained statuesque, second-guessing his attempts to undermine my leadership. In truth, I didn¡¯t know what would happen if he died down here - whether the System would allow me to bring him back as part of my abilities, whether I¡¯d need to form a new pact with a different demon, or my skill might just be broken for good.

    I was willing to find out if he didn¡¯t stand down.

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    Even if what he was saying was true, a click of my fingers and Ren would put a radiant bullet through his forehead. Not that I wouldn¡¯t relish the opportunity to get my own hands dirty.

    ¡°In saying that¡­ I appreciate your help with this personal matter, Boss.¡± His impassive expression finally broke, and he gave me a brief bow.

    ¡°No problem. Forewarning is appreciated next time.¡±

    Roger nodded eagerly and then looked around rather than uphold the eye contact.

    I turned as I felt the press of the elf beside me, some hint of excitement in her eyes. ¡°I was hoping for a little show there.¡± Her hand came out to gesture toward the mutilated bodies. ¡°These guys gave experience, and they dropped loot, though. Dig in.¡±

    Where was Tanya when I needed her?

    In saying that, I considered how feasible it would be to purge more towns like this of their demons. Actually¡­ considering they were System-created, it was interesting how they had enough personality to talk animatedly with us, and had the brains to retreat and survive. Much like Roger, in a way, who also didn¡¯t come from another world like Players did.

    Any further thoughts along this odd route were set aside as I caught the elf glaring at me - with even Wolf taking part in the looting process, I couldn¡¯t avoid lending a hand.

    Which turned out to be a miserable process, with the hounds constantly getting in the way - and the demons seemingly only having gear that was suitable for the bear. A couple of Int gems I¡¯d need to socket sometime, and some¡­ gold coin, for whatever narrative sense that made, but otherwise I was underwhelmed.

    [Max: Defeated the town, and then another town.]

    [Tanya: Quick work! We¡¯re on our way to a safe place.]

    [Tanya: Will hunker down and await updates.]

    [Max: Perfect, will keep you in the loop.]

    I looked back over to Roger, who had defaulted into a more awkward state of avoiding me while we finished up with the corpses he caused us to make. I¡¯d rather he be a comfortable ally than force him to prostrate himself before me - which is why I went with the unsaid threat rather than trying to control him. He was a demon, after all. Couldn¡¯t blame him for forgetting his place.

    ¡°Did we lose any hounds?¡± Ren appeared back beside me, squinting to look over the mass of flaming demons.

    ¡°I can¡¯t count higher than twelve, so¡­¡± I winced away from her scowl.

    Wolf huffed, trying to push his way through them all. ¡°There were two that fell. They turned into dark mist.¡±

    ¡°Aww.¡± The elf pouted. ¡°At least they don¡¯t leave a mangled body for me to sob over.¡±

    ¡°I suppose since they don¡¯t drop loot, and they¡¯re even less¡­ real, even compared to System-created, they just cease to be, once dead.¡±

    ¡°Real,¡± she murmured, rolling her eyes.

    She was enamored by them, but she understood my point of view well enough - despite the grump she was putting on. Perhaps even saw thing the same way as I did. The dogs were conjured tools for me to use. It was only by a quirk in the System that they came back here after I had created them.

    At least, that was my best guess. It couldn¡¯t be that I was plucking the hellhounds from a large natural pool, otherwise there would be a lot more of them here. More likely, the only ones that existed were ones I had drawn into being. And¡­ sure, that made them all special in a way. I respected and cared for them even if they were even more temporary than normal System-created.

    ¡°Where to next, Roger?¡±

    I pushed those thoughts away. Otherwise, Ren and I would start to sink under the weight of the undue affection from our horde of hounds once again.

    ¡°Just over this way, Boss.¡± He lifted an arm to point to the left side of the town where the road split. ¡°There¡¯s a little way to go, but I reckon your Imps would be that way.¡±

    Not entirely a selfish ploy to have us get revenge on the township, then. I wondered if we had to be wary of the ones who had escaped. ¡°Have you noticed, Ren, that Monsters down here seem to be a little¡­ smarter?¡±

    Her nose wrinkled up. ¡°I suppose so, yeah. Normally System-created are pretty two-dimensional and easy to wrangle. Both the crocs and the buildings had enough sense to flee - which could be something simple, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Strange feeling?¡±

    ¡°Always, trickster.¡± She raised an eyebrow at me before checking behind us.

    The group of hounds parted so that the three of us could walk behind the large rabbit as he led us to the left road. I¡¯d gotten some knack to expecting dire events to jump out at us on a regular basis. Now that we were kicking up dust in hell, it was only a matter of time before someone with a big stick came to find out what we were doing.

    But then¡­ that was the crux of it once more. All our troubles previously had been Players. There were none down here - or at least, I hoped not.

    Was the demonic royalty we had agreed to usurp just a dungeon, or a set of static figures we could go punch with our usual aplomb? I had the odd feeling in my stomach that they weren¡¯t - that things were different down here in this space, for some reason.

    ¡°You look like you¡¯re chewing something distasteful there, Max.¡± Ren gave me a brief smile before she resumed scowling at the darkened houses along our route.

    ¡°There¡¯s a feeling like¡­ we¡¯ve stepped into something worse than it appears.¡±

    Wolf groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±

    A struggle more than just pulping demons until we could go back to the normal world. But what exactly?

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard,¡± Ren continued. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen enough to really know much. Whatever it is, though, we¡¯ll bullshit through it together.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± I smiled and some of my inner turmoil cooled. The three of us were more than capable of surviving this - out of anyone. I shouldn¡¯t be so dour and hard on myself.

    I raised my hand toward the back of Roger, and he flinched, despite not being able to see me. There were the wiggling worms of connective magical power I was getting used to. No need for me to be sad about not having my summons, when I realized that not only could I use Transposition with my pact demon, but also my cannon, and any one of these hounds.

    Not as convenient as a sudden bird, perhaps - but I could still work tricks without a full deck. Just had to lean into the improvisation a little more. I hadn¡¯t even gone a little crazy in fighting the crocs. Next combat, I would add some flair back into the mix and have fun.

    Ren vanished from beside me, replaced by a white dove that looked rather surprised to be in hell. The elf was now on one of the rooftops, a crouched position atop dark tiling. Rifle up, she put her eye to the scope - looking out at the distance ahead of us.

    ¡°Good news and bad news,¡± she said, rather flatly.

 160 - Tightened Production

    As it turned out, both the good and bad news were that we had some demons to kill. More struggle for this odd life in another¡­ plane of existence? But also potential rewards. I could almost taste the next level, even over the ash trying to pet its way into my lungs.

    ¡°Do you know this type of demon well, Roger?¡± I asked, trying to fan some cool air on my face. It wasn¡¯t working.

    ¡°Not like¡­ first name basis, Boss.¡± He gave me a shrug and turned his purple eyes back to our potential prey.

    I stared at him for a few seconds before giving up. While the heat of hell hadn¡¯t been that bad at the start, the longer we were spending down here, the more I had started to feel it. Ren hadn¡¯t been complaining, but her signature scowl had settled back in to be a permanent fixture once more. Wolf had been as irritated as I¡¯d ever seen him.

    We needed to find a way to acclimatize - or at least find somewhere in the hells that wasn¡¯t so heated.

    I gave up and yawned. Allowed the world to know that I was tired already. My urge to put on a show waned even if my desire to pulp demons into mush in the name of gaining experience still drove me forward.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just play this straight, then? Ren up on a roof. Wolf, I will assist you.¡± I was pretty sure that one of my passives gave me heat resistance, but maybe this was something different.

    The bear grunted and moved forward, but the elf just turned a tired glare toward me.

    ¡°I feel like a sack of sweaty ham cutlets, trickster. I¡¯m worried about our long-term prospects here.¡± She removed her hat to fan at her face.

    ¡°You look as radiant as ever, but I understand. I¡¯m losing my edge too.¡±

    ¡°Flattery gets you nowhere. Until I get a bath.¡± Ren swept the top hat across her body and vanished, to be replaced by a white dove.

    I turned my attention to the roof a little ahead where she now stood. ¡°Roger. This place is rather hot for us. Is there a cooler area we can move to along the way?¡±

    He shrugged again, before catching the look in my eyes. ¡°Sure, Boss. After we find your Imps, we can circle around the more central areas to somewhere it isn¡¯t so oppressive.¡±

    Although I smiled at him, there was no humor or goodwill in it. I knew that it wasn¡¯t just the heat that was getting to me. It was how the area was steeped in demonic power. Thick with the bastards. I hadn¡¯t lost control over the crocs, but it seemed to be wearing me down again. The current opponents had me feeling¡­

    ¡°Boss?¡±

    I blinked away the haze of thoughts to see that they were waiting for me. Rolled out my shoulders and I followed on behind Wolf. Down the end of the road out of the croco-demon town and there was a field - or rather an expansive plain of pure overheated rock. Spined dinosaur-looking demons roved around in packs of three. There were scores of them, stretching out to what appeared to be a dried-out forest. No doubt our intended destination.

    The creatures themselves were made of dense bone, their bodies tight bands of the gray-white material. Tusked maws and jutting spikes along their back. Bright yellow eyes in the skulls, and wide feet that looked just as deadly as Wolf¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯ll move closer once you¡¯ve made a dent,¡± Ren called from the building, now slightly behind us.

    I raised a hand to confirm her statement. Wasn¡¯t much in terms of cover or vantage points within the expanse of rock. With her radiant powers, it turned her already lethal sniper rifle into a precision scalpel that tore demons from this existence. Being a demon myself, I¡­ no, I wasn¡¯t a demon. Had to remind myself. I was a magician.

    At my signal, both Wolf and Roger ran side by side toward the first pack. I approached at a slower pace, cards twirling around my hand. Before they got the attention of the first monster, Ren struck one of the three in the head, exploding their skull with golden light.

    The remaining two turned to our assault, immediately casting something that washed over Wolf and Roger - dazing and rooting them both. The bear activated a skill to wash away the debilitation and powered into them. Roger remained in place, not reacting to the other large demon coming toward him.

    My cards were out, circling around the rabbit and biting into the monster. Chipping away at their bone armor before I had to release the power. Drew a critical card and launched it in a blaze of crimson to strike and burst at a foreleg, crippling the demon. Roger recovered and brought his mace up.

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    Wolf tore through his demon, spitting shards of bone to the ground as the rabbit finished his off with a heavy blow to their head. Ren¡¯s next shot cracked through the air to strike the next pack, piercing through the chest and bringing up entangling roots to pin the others in place.

    I hummed to myself as I stepped forward to continue to support the other two. Shot a glance back at the pack of Hellhounds who I had left back near where Ren was perched. If she was going to be out almost solo, then I wanted to leave her a backup in case something tried to sneak up on her. Plus, I didn¡¯t want to see any more of our little flock getting turned to mist underneath the sharp feet of whatever these demons were called.

    Usually the System provided a handy pop-up when I encountered something new, but it had been relatively quiet since we landed down here in hell.

    Surely nothing to read into there.

    While one hand idly slashed cards through the enemies, I brought up my Chat.

    [Max: Hey Ruby, how are things?]

    [Ruby: Peachy <{n>n}>]

    [Ruby: Although we were attacked¡­]

    [Max: Crimson Shadow?]

    [Ruby: Oddly, no. A couple of assholes who worked for the marketeers, we think.]

    [Ruby: We killed them - sorry if you wanted answers.]

    [Max: No stress. Good to tick something off the grudge list.]

    [Max: We are currently in literal hell. Let me know how you guys get on.]

    [Ruby: Seriously? I can¡¯t believe you half the time <{?>?}>]

    I did want answers, in fairness. Knowing more about the group that had been stalking out Players for their gear might have added a few more bad actors that needed erasing. Who did they sell to? It must have been the couriers that Ruby and Fiona had just gotten rid of, so hopefully that was at least a chapter ended, even if further corruption still lingered out there.

    What most impressed me is that they had done the deed. The group had been struck with ineffective indecision when we met them, hunkered down in place with the fighter, who was unable to lead the gathered Parties toward any sort of goal. Now that they were returning to the second area, it sounded like Fiona had gotten a confidence boost and knew how to deal with the stakes. Sparing the paladin looked to have worked out in their favor as well.

    Good. We¡¯d need them to step up soon enough.

    My focus returned to the battlefield, and in my peripheral I noticed three of the demons baring down on me. Perhaps I should have been paying more attention.

    Cannon went out in front of me just before they arrived, my Spear of Luck splitting the head of the first in half. Ren shot the second, blowing out the shoulder joint, causing it to crash into the dried ground and slide my way. Third circled around my siege weapon and chose to dance with me.

    Cards out and I whipped them around like flashing blades. Damage wrought but not enough to fell it. It attempted to gore me but I turned and dulled the attack, so instead just tumbled to the ground from the force. Dusted up my sweaty suit.

    Hand was shaking as I stood to my feet, but it wasn¡¯t from fear or damage.

    Power meter was rising.

    I had come too close to the demons and now my Hunter past was disgusted and angered. The dinosaur attempted a second goring attack, but this time I blocked it with <Card Fan> and grabbed hold of one of its many tusked prongs emerging from its head. Magic card bloomed in my other hand and I sunk as much energy as I could into it before I plunged it down like a knife. Through the skull and into the brains.

    Ren¡¯s shot finished off the wounded one, and I looked over at the other pair of our Party as the one I killed slumped to the ground. We had been drawing too much aggro. Wolf had three on him, while Roger had two of his own. Even as I stepped toward them, another trio was coming up on my left again.

    Well, two could play that game.

    I turned back to my new assailants and gripped at my right wrist. Single card that I sunk all my power into, draining some of my life. Behind me, the padding of my hound horde approaching. It would take a bit of micromanagement, but as I blinked away the amber hue of hell, I started to see the underlying threads of everything.

    White glove was now wrapped around my outstretched hand, even as warm blood started to soak through it.

    They were slightly more unwieldy than my cards, but I¡¯d always had a mental connection to direct the demon dogs¡­ with some focus, I could¡­

    And there it was. Card released just as the large demons collided with me. I closed my eyes and planned the show out from the safe darkness of my own mind.

    All movements in wireframe, my mental notebook planning out the choreography of it all. As the first went to gore me, I¡¯d step to the side so that a hound could take a bite - but before the creature could retaliate, my pup would move away. Like a conductor, I moved the little shapes of my summons in my mind. Avoiding the slower and deliberate attacks of my enemies - the hellhounds would fall back into safety on one side while others darted in uncontested.

    While this was happening, my illuminated card scored through the scene in my mind. Sometimes just to damage, and others to waylay or block an attack going toward my little helpers.

    Despite being doused with sweat, I felt cooler. More at peace.

    Even as the show got more complicated, the flow of it was just¡­ perfect, in a way. A practised precision that felt natural. Could feel my hands burning, but otherwise this was relaxing. A meditative state, almost.

    Stage directions to the most accurate degree, playing out in real time even though I was well away from the situation.

    But then it was over - a gap in production as my hounds had nothing to weave within, no more targets for my card to interact with. I let go of all the threads I had been controlling, and my eyes blinked open.

    ¡°Max! Max you asshole!¡±

    I turned my head and pulled a face. Seems as though I had become an overachiever once more. Caught red-handed, soaked with my own blood. A river of broken gray demons lay between my throng of hounds and the perturbed elf as we had fought our way far beyond the original trio attacking us. Far beyond.

    That was a lot of corpses I had to go back to loot.

 161 - Residual Warmth

    The oppressive heat of the hells turned minutes into hours. Soon enough, hours became days. We fought and killed, always just slightly more powerful than whatever demonic presence Roger dragged us along to. Eventually, we acclimatized. To... some degree.

    With the System playing favorites, Wolf also received a skill that gave us heat resistance. Even in this odd place, we found the helping hand of the world itself guiding our purpose.

    The Imps hadn¡¯t been too hard to track down. The Shades were a little more difficult, but there were only a handful of those. Having a small army of demons made the process of carving our way through hell relatively painless. I¡¯d hardly had a chance to even crack my head open on any of the jutting rocks that littered the place.

    Truly a hellish existence.

    Ren had calmed, and we had become used to this battleground. Every day, her scowl lessened until we now had a neutral expression as the default. We¡¯d even found the time and privacy for some acts of passion, an accolade few could claim given our surroundings. No baths or cold water had crossed our path, but we became used to the sweat and stink of each other. Blind to it.

    At a basic guess, I determined that every three to five days spent in hell was equal to one on the surface. In keeping touch with Tanya, we knew that three whole days had now passed for them. So for us - despite there being no sun to truly gauge - we must be getting close to two weeks. Of sweating, of murdering demons, and of growing as fighters.

    No news from the Eternal Wardens or Candlekeep so far. Neither was a good sign. We hadn¡¯t come across an exit¡­ so there was little we could do. The rest of our Party had held out in place for a day, before I sent them to go meet with Fiona and her lot. They¡¯d be safer as a seven than trying to get by as a duo.

    For us down here? We had... changed.

    Could see it in our eyes. The way we held ourselves in places of safety. The ruthless efficiency that we made with our kills. Even Roger had now taken a backseat to our battles, not wanting to get in our way. Our outfits had been stripped down to something more commando-esque. Potion bottles lined our belts, scrolls and other useful consumables across makeshift bandoliers.

    Survived almost two-dozen ambushes. Almost lost my arm. Ren almost lost her eyes. Wolf sunk through part of the ground and almost vanished from existence entirely. But every cut or bruise just honed us further.

    We had looted enough gold to buy a palace. Our equipment had been replaced entirely with better things - my Int alone increasing by almost 20 points, not including the straight up mana and magic damage percentage additions. But it wasn¡¯t just the System-defined gear that had seen an upgrade.

    Ren now had jagged blades at the back of her boots, and a longer one at the front of her rifle, like a bayonet. We both had scaled armor shoulder and knee plates. Wolf was a veritable tank of tough bone armor with several long tusks extending from his shoulders. We were molded to our surroundings and took every advantage we could muster.

    And the experience? Not quite the waterfall we had hoped, but I had been right - we could surpass the Level 15 restriction from the second area. We were now a couple of battles away from Level 16.

    Fourteen had granted me another defensive skill. A party-buff called Shared Hand. It worked in a similar way to Card Fan, but had three uses per Party member, and less damage absorption per card. Much longer cooldown too - but had helped us in our engagements so far.

    Fifteen had been the upgrade for my Class ability, Demonic Magician. Now my opponents would gain additional Dazzle stacks depending on how high my Power bar was. Not too engrossing at low levels, but with all the other passives I had under my belt, things could cascade at a terrible rate even when I wasn¡¯t trying to put on quite the performance.

    Only downside of being in hell that I personally disliked was the lack of Power Tokens. With the hundreds of monsters we slaughtered every day, we would have a fortress full of the upgrade stones if they could actually drop. Still, couldn¡¯t ask for everything.

    Ren gave me a long kiss, savoring my lips as she buttoned her shirt up. My hands held her face as she tried to move away. The ash and sweat had caused streaks like war-paint over us both, but her eyes were as piercing as ever. Pools of bright blue that were as calming as their much desired watery equivalents.

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    ¡°Get suited up, trickster. I can feel the doom calling to us.¡±

    The elf being holy-adjacent and me being demonic-adjacent had allowed us both to grasp at signals down here in hell. After the eighth ambush, we started to get a feel for when and how we would be attacked. Enough to sleep without one eye open - we¡¯d just awake right before, as if an alarm had been set.

    ¡°Hitting Sixteen will be great. I feel hell will soon run out of demons, and Twenty is a pipe dream.¡±

    ¡°The only pipe dreams I have,¡± she said, pointing the bandolier she had in her hand at me, ¡°all involve clean running water.¡±

    ¡°What we need is like a¡­ bathhouse? With a sauna, a big pool of clear water, a soft breeze¡­ and some privacy.¡±

    Ren groaned. ¡°I would literally die. Fuck this stupid world and that Lady bitch. The first thing I¡¯m doing as soon as the bullshit is all over is whatever you just said with your filthy mouth.¡±

    ¡°Crass, but sure - it¡¯s a date, then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen what you do with that thing, trickster. You deserve to be in hell.¡± She grinned as she turned her head away to adjust her gear.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re with me.¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Naturally. I have my own mouth-crimes to atone for.¡±

    I rolled my eyes and my shirt sleeves up. Had ditched the jacket and top hat for most of the fighting lately. Only kept me warmer than necessary - I hated to admit that we had hardly been putting much flair into our fighting. Didn¡¯t seem necessary, especially after my Class upgrade. Just by the nature of my normal combat ability and the occasional cannon, we¡¯d rack up enough stacks of Dazzle for a Finale stun when needed. Past that¡­ we just killed the demons.

    And I loved it.

    Stopped having the rage-outs from being too close to the demons, as eventually I just got used to them. Despite their higher intelligence than the usual System-created we were used to, we become accustomed to their mannerisms and ways of fighting.

    Stood from the uncomfortable bed and stretched out. Ren gave me a pat on the back as she passed, and I followed her out through the door and down the stairs. Demon homes were few and far between, and the majority unfit for our purposes - but the occasional settlement would have structures with four walls, a roof, and a bed. If we were lucky, some didn¡¯t smell like demonic bodily fluids and we could turn any corpses away from us to stare at the walls rather than our sleeping habits.

    I would be the first to admit we had become slightly unhinged.

    Two worms wriggling in the filth together, bloodied and sweaty - but in love and happy for it. Closer emotionally and as fighters. Our drop into hell had been something of a trial by fire, but we had emerged as better people - or rather, were working our way to emerging. Still no exit door in sight, but it would be nice to go back to the normal world.

    If it could even accept us as we were now.

    Down the stairs and into the lower room. Wolf was already in his battle gear, the dark wooden furniture that had been in the space the evening before now thrashed into parts in one corner where he had nested up to sleep. All except for one chair near the glass-less windows, where Roger sat with his large feet up on the windowsill.

    ¡°Next village has tall fuckin¡¯ demons with long legs, Boss. Was just telling Wolf that he could probably snap through them like twigs.¡±

    I nodded before giving the bear a pat on the flank. He had been holding up alright. Some days slightly more tired than others, but he hadn¡¯t faltered. One of his new abilities was giving him an energy boost on the regular, so we only watched for other signs of exhaustion.

    We double-checked we hadn¡¯t left anything behind before I pushed through the door and stepped out into the street. A horde of Hellhounds on my left, and a squadron of different Imps on my right. The Shades were off in a loose circle at a distance as an early warning system for if we were going to have trouble.

    And we were. We could all feel it.

    Not just an ordinary ambush¡­ something worse, I was sure. Ten or so days maiming our way through the hells had been a nice holiday, but we were bound to get the attention of someone who cared, eventually. Roger had tried to fill me in on the various titles and structure of those in charge here, but it had slipped right off my brain.

    With few words spoken, we traveled until we reached the next killing field. Just as he said, the demons were on tall legs - almost like stilts. They reminded me of giraffes, if only instead of the neck, it was all the other limbs that were way too long.

    We had been lucky that many of the demons dropped rations in some way or another. The agreement had been not to eat demonic meat, but we had been saved from that opportunity by a type of random crate that provided food - and drinks. Otherwise, we would have dehydrated by now.

    Critical card bloomed into my hand.

    We were fast friends with the destiny the System forced upon us, but as each new ¡®day¡¯ passed, all I cared for was returning and putting an end to the Crimson Shadow.

    Magic card flew out and struck a leg, bursting and severing the limb. Demon cried out and dropped, as Ren put a radiant bullet in the head of the next. Wolf burst forward with incredible speed surrounded by hounds as a throng of Imps started to power up their ranged attacks.

    I¡¯d miss this, when we eventually got to return - I couldn¡¯t deny that.

    Already onto the third pack as my next card illuminated my face. I held it there as a shadow washed over the battlefield toward us, and my eyes went to the ruddy sky.

    A dark figure, wide wings slowing his descent, dropped down and slammed into the dry ground, cracking the rock and causing a wave of disturbed dust to filter out around his landing spot.

    I narrowed my eyes as the crown of bright silver upon his head caught the light, flickering the promise of death just as his grin widened.

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll be dining well tonight,¡± he growled, a sword of flaming red appearing in his clawed hand.

 162 - Numb to It

    The demon standing before us stretched out, readying his blade to attack. Seemed a bit short-sighted to me, when we hadn¡¯t even become well acquainted. My hounds and Imps tensed in anticipation, as Ren and I exchanged a glance.

    Would be the first ¡®higher¡¯ demon we had encountered, if you could call it that. An assumption on my part due to the fact that he had a little silver crown upon his head. Clashed with the dark coloration of his horns - and drove my desire to know more.

    ¡°Are you a demonic prince?¡± I asked, the taste of regicide on my lips.

    ¡°I am Gil-p¡¯tak, eleventh in the line for the throne. Worms like you should be kneeling before me.¡±

    ¡°Pass.¡± I ran a hand through my messy hair. Still hadn¡¯t had that cut. ¡°I¡¯m getting to that age where I have to be careful how rough on my joints I am.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡± Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°Would be the first time you ever cared about your own safety.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting better.¡± I crossed my arms and hoped that she would believe the lie. Her scowl determined that she did not.

    The demon with the name I wasn¡¯t going to try to remember wasn¡¯t a fan of our playful bickering and held out his sword toward us. ¡°Silence, worms. Mortals thinking they could just brainwash these demons into following your control, you should be flayed alive for your insolence.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten him with a good time,¡± Ren sighed. ¡°He might take you up on that just to earn some suffering points for his character progression.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± My head tilted slightly. ¡°I think I¡¯m all progressed out. What I could use, however, is a fancy silver crown.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°It would suit you.¡±

    I held my hand out to the ever-angering demon. ¡°What say you¡­ uh, Gilpak? Care to join the side of the future demon king willingly?¡±

    ¡°Bastards! I¡¯ll kill you where you stand!¡±

    ¡°Thought as much. Shame.¡± I clicked my fingers. ¡°Moonflower, erase this stain from my future kingdom.¡±

    Her rifle went up, a swirl of radiant energy circling down the body of the weapon as she aimed it at the demon. In response, he raised a hand, some form of magical shield blooming into life in front of him.

    Ren vanished, replaced by a bird, and the prince couldn¡¯t turn quick enough. Radiant blast blew his shield-creating arm off at the shoulder joint, and she returned to beside me. The white dove puffed into feathers as the fiery sword of the demon struck it.

    ¡°Apologies, my king,¡± the elf said, rolling her eyes. ¡°I seem to have just made a bigger stain on your kingdom instead.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll wash out,¡± I murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to discipline you later.¡±

    Wolf sighed and turned his gaze toward us. ¡°Have I not suffered enough?¡±

    ¡°This is hell, bud. Alright, gang - let¡¯s wrap this up before things get too heated.¡± I narrowed my gaze and gave the Imps the signal.

    Ren fired another shot - the demon managing to deflect it with his blade, but he still succumbed to the entangling vines. As one, my group of Imps charged up their magical strikes - a volley that few things had been able to weather in our time down here.

    ¡°Nice try,¡± the prince growled. ¡°But you are out of your depths.¡±

    Energy washed over us all as he activated his Domain.

    Ren, Wolf, and I now stood alone in a¡­ wooden cabin? Although it was large - more like a warehouse in size. Attached to the walls, stacked three high, were hooks where bodies were hanging.

    Mutilated and damaged in a variety of ways, and¡­ oh, they were all Ren.

    The elf snorted and pointed a finger at one. ¡°That one looks just like that time the horse kicked your head in.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Not entirely a shared delusion, then. All of these look like you, for me.¡±

    She wrinkled up her face and stepped up to the closest one for inspection. ¡°Ah, look. I can see your actual heart here - that¡¯s kind of cute.¡±

    For me, her corpse was missing her jaw and lower legs, maybe eaten by something. ¡°Despite your eyes being rolled back, they are still vibrant and beautiful, even in death.¡±

    ¡°Aww.¡± She turned and wrapped herself around me, and we shared a soft kiss.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Wolf exhaled through his nose and sat down on his backside.

    After prying the elf away from me - a difficult task - I stepped over and placed my hand on his shoulder. ¡°Who is it you see, brother? One of us two? Quinn?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± His amber eyes glanced at me. ¡°They are all bears.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± My mood cooled off. While Ren and I had become unhinged enough that blood and death didn¡¯t shift the needle, Wolf had retained his dour and grounded view on things. ¡°Is it like¡­ your old world siblings?¡±

    He shifted, but shook his head from side to side. ¡°Perhaps that is the intention, but I no longer recognize or relate to them as such. Although I am glad this does not traumatize me, it is humbling to consider how far I¡¯ve come from being an animal to being a family with the both of you.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes blood we share on the outside is a stronger bond that the blood that is on the inside.¡±

    The bear pulled a face. ¡°No need for such concerning platitudes, my only desire is to get out of this place to have some time away from your incessant rutting.¡±

    ¡°It is getting a bit much, huh?¡± I looked over at the elf, who was inspecting more of the Max-corpses.

    She had asked me a day or two ago if I thought the hells had been changing our personalities. Whether we were becoming corrupted or influenced by sin. Certainly, we had been mercilessly wrathful, even more than before. Lustful? Shamelessly so. Greed or Gluttony? Not exactly. We coveted more experience and ate well enough from the rations looted, but nothing out of the ordinary.

    Other than being envious of the rest of our Party being in the real world, there was no additional jealousy, either.

    Pride? I¡¯d always been prideful of our capabilities - it was part of putting on a show, of course. Then again, we had been doing a lot less of that, as our time was almost wholly devoted to the first two aforementioned sins. And sloth? Not at all. We¡¯d been almost constantly on the move and killing, only stopping for sleep and acts of passion.

    So, my diagnosis? Things were just pretty fucked. Constant oppression from the atmosphere in hell and the need to keep killing day in and out had worn us down. Sure, we were a little less sane - but our physical closeness was more due to our love and doomed situation rather than our actual morals slipping away.

    At least, this was what I believed.

    ¡°Oh, I wish I could show you this, trickster!¡± She waved her hand at a body. ¡°Remember that dream I had the other night?¡±

    ¡°The one where a demon crawled out of my body like it was a skin suit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! For this dead version of you, someone has stuck the wrists of your severed hands into your eye-sockets, so it¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to escape your own head.¡± She turned back to me and beamed.

    Okay, so things weren¡¯t entirely as normal as before. A Max from just a week or two ago would have been panicked and disgusted¡ªheartbroken, even¡ªat seeing so many mangled corpses of the one I loved. Did it no longer bother me because I knew it wasn¡¯t real? Just a figment of demonic power within this Domain? Had I just become so numb to death?

    ¡°You¡¯re very sweet, Ren, and I do love to see you energized¡­ but let¡¯s deal with this macabre illusion and get back on track.¡±

    Her wide grin softened to a calm smile, and she nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s just not every day some limp dick demon thinks showing you a warehouse full of your dead soulmate is an effective fighting strategy.¡±

    ¡°Right? Our first Domain here in hell and it¡¯s this? How are we even supposed to die from this?¡±

    Wolf righted himself onto his paws. ¡°Can you break this one, Max?¡±

    I puckered my lips and looked around. From where we stood, it seemed to be arranged like a supermarket or library, perhaps. We were close to one wall, and there were aisles between more stacks of dead-us-on-hooks. Beyond the distance we could see was a thick, fogged darkness. It was unlikely the Domain was infinite, even for a prince, but gave that appearance.

    ¡°Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t really moving my Power bar, for some reason.¡± I gave him a shrug. ¡°So I don¡¯t think I could override it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe these bodies will come alive and attack us?¡± Ren offered, considering prodding one with her rifle muzzle to check.

    My demons and Roger hadn¡¯t been drawn into the Domain, so that was something to keep in mind. Whether they were now gone, or just standing outside this pocket bubble waiting for us, remained to be seen. Their summoning cards were still inert and gray in my deck, so I couldn¡¯t invite them - or inadvertently escape.

    ¡°Let¡¯s walk and see what comes out to bite us?¡±

    They agreed, and we did just that, heading¡­ southward, perhaps. Towards the looming darkness in the distance to see if anything turned up. Occasionally I¡¯d check behind us to see if anything stalked us or changed at all¡­ but no, it remained mundane.

    Even the different corpses didn¡¯t really register after a while. Missing limbs, shredded flesh, and pale skin. All blurring into something boring. One caught my eye, however. ¡°This one has half your shirt ripped off, showing your stomach. It¡¯s quite the fashion statement.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Ren raised her eyebrows and put her rifle away. She grabbed the bottom of her frayed shirt and rolled it up to mimic the body I had seen. ¡°What do you think?¡± She gave a brief twirl.

    ¡°Fetching, although I may be biased.¡±

    She wrinkled up her nose and let the fabric fall back down, and withdrew her weapon again. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever leave the house like that. Not my style.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll put in a complaint with the dead body fashion department. Oh, maybe these are all split versions of ourselves that died along the road we¡¯ve taken?¡±

    Wolf grunted. ¡°I doubt you would have died thousands of times, even if you ran head-first into everything. Which you almost always do.¡±

    A true enough point. I was actually trying to get a feel for the Domain and ascertain what it actually did. Often they were just battlegrounds that gave the demon a better advantage or different abilities. We hadn¡¯t seen the prince so far, and it didn¡¯t make sense for there to be no threat against us - we couldn¡¯t be contained indefinitely.

    ¡°My assumption is this is like a¡­ venus fly trap, if you¡¯re familiar?¡±

    They both gave me a nod, the System at least translating that into something they did understand, even if they were used to it by a different name.

    ¡°The idea is that we arrive, get spooked and panic. Lose all hope and become disgusted by the corpses and then wham. Something comes and gobbles us up.¡±

    Ren nodded slowly. ¡°So, because we don¡¯t really give a shit, the demon is hiding away?¡±

    ¡°Essentially.¡±

    ¡°Can I just start shooting stuff and see what happens?¡±

    I took another look around as we paused. Didn¡¯t seem like we had moved at all, really.

    ¡°That seems to be your thing now, so go ahead.¡±

    She spun her sniper rifle around in her hand, a blazing trail of radiance energy following it, before she snapped it into place and aimed off into the darkness ahead of us.

    As her finger pressed against the trigger, something large shifted behind us, displacing the air.

 163 - Cracked Crown

    We rolled to the wooden floor as a dark shape swept over us, the rush of air that was following the demon actually quite cooling.

    Both of us back up to our feet, we turned to see what looked like a giant bat - or vulture - swoop off toward the darkness.

    Ren¡¯s radiant shot was quicker than my magical card, but both projectiles blew toward it. A shrill scream pierced the infinite warehouse displaying our corpses, and then there was silence again.

    ¡°You alright, Wolf?¡± I turned to the bear, who had been a bigger target.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He shook himself off. ¡°It was going for you two, so I went ignored.¡±

    Ren stood and rotated her rifle to face behind us, ready in case it repeated the same attack. ¡°He needs to do that again. Did you feel that breeze? Wow.¡±

    ¡°One hundred percent,¡± I agreed, while the bear nodded along.

    Although, the chances of this becoming an enjoyable experience in the long term weren¡¯t too great. Even if the stacked rows of our mutilated bodies didn¡¯t budge us, there was only so much Domain-time we could endure.

    The elf glanced at me while I was busy in thought. ¡°Got any demonic bullshit for this, Max?¡±

    I rubbed at my head. ¡°Without being able to activate my own, I don¡¯t think so. Half of my summoning cards are inert, and I have no Power or Dazzle anywhere to draw on. However, if any of us can do something, it would be you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± She scowled at the darkness behind us. ¡°Something with my holy energy?¡±

    ¡°Possibly.¡± Two ways out of a Domain were either to weaken the demon enough, or break through with a higher density of your own power. Usually via another Domain, but I saw no reason why other elements couldn¡¯t work. ¡°The question is how to do this in the most shark-jumping way.¡±

    Ren pulled a face. ¡°The System translates that phrase, but it doesn¡¯t have any relative meaning in my language.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Jumping the shark is where you go beyond the point of absurdity or believability.¡±

    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what we constantly do?¡±

    I tried to cast my mind back through the last¡­ month? Arriving in this world, meeting a beautiful elf who fell for me, talking bear, fighting increasingly dire odds against a group of criminals and monsters, destroying a titanic corpse before being plunging into hell¡­ not to mention all the magic.

    ¡°We¡¯re a little out there,¡± I eventually agreed.

    Wolf huffed. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to be a little out of here.¡±

    ¡°A fair point, brother.¡± I gave him a short bow. ¡°I think I have a plan, if you are ready, my love.¡±

    ¡°Constantly.¡± The elf shot me a grin.

    My arm came out, and the scrolls affixed into my wrist-mount shuffled about as I replaced them with a thought. Although we had been in a Power Token drought down here in hell, plenty of the monsters dropped a variety of scrolls.

    Mundane card left my belt and zipped into the air ahead of us slightly. I cast [Weaken State Scroll] on the floorboards, a circle of energy appearing and increasing all elemental damage within.

    Ren shot my card with her rifle and then held her hand out. A cloud began to form, golden edges around the gloom before bolts of radiant lighting rained down. To accompany this, I then used [Reduce Area Scroll] to shrink the cloud down, increasing the pressure the attacks had on a smaller area of the Domain.

    Each bolt struck the wood with a burst - and didn¡¯t appear to do any damage. I knew a little different, however, as something in my core could feel the vibrations of pain the attack was causing. Like a needle poking at the inside of a balloon.

    ¡°Anything I can help with?¡± Wolf asked.

    ¡°Watch behind Ren, if you please.¡± I turned my gaze to the elf. Pale arm extended, fresh blood ran down her hand, creating little rivers down to her elbow. Her expression was rather dull and neutral.

    We had started by wanting to meet in the middle. At some point we had, and then¡­ things just blurred together. More like each other than ever. Our love had settled into a solid foundation of unspoken companionship. We pushed ourselves to the limit and beyond, and our time in hell had totally sanded down any apprehension or remaining awkwardness that our romance held.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    I repeatedly threw out magic cards, hoping to cycle for - ah, there it was. The bright crimson of a critical attack.

    On the whole, I felt sorry for those in the real world. We were already ruthless and overpowered compared to most. Our filter had now been further ground down between constant violence and impassioned embraces under the dull atmosphere of a land seeped with evil.

    We¡¯d emerge from our scarlet cocoon as demons, one way or another.

    Held my own arm out, mostly for the visual of it. Poured all my mana and then started on my health into this one card. Blood started to run down my arm, and I caught the look of the elf as she caught me mimicking her. Gave me some come-hither eyes. Would kill for those eyes. Had killed for those eyes.

    Didn¡¯t release the card yet. Dangerous, because I had no limit on how much health I could degrade away. Health potion in my left hand, just as Ren pulled out a mana one. We stood and maintained eye contact as we downed them, dropping the empty glass bottles to the floor after. Only, they didn¡¯t hit the floor as I stole hers from the air, and she stole mine.

    Wolf grunted. ¡°I feel something.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± the elf murmured, before turning her head back.

    So did I, and it wasn¡¯t just the desire to find a demonic hotel to get an early night. The presence of the large bat from back behind us, intending on swooping back down for a second attempt.

    I turned and slashed out with the card, releasing it to scour the thick air like a beam of crimson light. The bat loomed into view, and immediate aborted the dive to instead gain altitude abruptly in an attempt to dodge my card.

    Left hand grabbed my right wrist, as I controlled my projectile and curved it around to follow the demon. The weight of how much power I had filled it with made it difficult to control, doubly so with the distance it was now traveling. ¡°Don¡¯t stop,¡± I commanded the elf.

    ¡°Oh, I can go all day.¡± She grinned and furrowed her brow, trying to force extra strength into her cloud attack that was beating down at the floor of the Domain.

    My feet slipped apart and gripped into the ground as if gravity had just been increased on me. He was trying to attack, to dissuade me from slicing at the creature gaining higher to a ceiling that didn¡¯t really exist.

    Ah, but that was it, wasn¡¯t it?

    Larger Domains were weaker by nature. Much like a balloon, I just had to help stretch it out. Card swerved in the distance as I brought another potion out with a shaking hand. Instead of trying to slice him, though, I forced him to keep flying away from us.

    Muscles tensed and twitched. I started to feel lightheaded from the range that I was grasping at.

    ¡°Corpses look different,¡± Wolf noted, keeping an eye on our surroundings.

    I couldn¡¯t risk taking my aching eyes away from my projectile, but saw Ren glance around in my peripheral.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, they¡¯re¡­ less detailed? Smudged or blurred almost.¡±

    We were nearing the popping point. I could feel it now. Critical card was a small blob of red light at an impossible distance in the darkness above. Could no longer see the bat now¡­

    I exhaled and a wave of energy burst around us, a flash of vertigo pulled at our stomachs with an acrid pop. Feet shuffled on dried rock, and I looked up to see the surprised demon prince, his eyes wide and looking at us.

    ¡°Just what are you motherfu-¡±

    A dozen fireballs, a handful of icebolts, a couple lightning strikes, and one very pointy rock struck him before he could finish his sentence. As he stumbled and dropped to his knees from the assault, a wave of Hellhounds leaped upon him, tearing through his ruddy skin.

    ¡°Boss!¡± Roger hopped over to the three of us. ¡°I was trying to get into the Domain, but was too strong for me. You got out?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± I wiped the blood from my hand across my grubby shirt. ¡°Simple really.¡±

    Ren stepped up to me and grabbed my face, hand still slick with blood as we shared a couple of long kisses. She pulled away and wiped the rest of the crimson to mar my shirt as well. ¡°Wonder what my domain would be, if I had one.¡±

    ¡°You want to be a demon?¡±

    The elf tilted her head from side to side. ¡°I¡¯m probably not in the right mindset to make a sensible decision on that. It¡¯s probably not a good idea, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if possible,¡± I agreed diplomatically. ¡°That¡¯s a big change in your core being. Not advisable.¡±

    ¡°If you become demon king, though, you¡¯ll not stop me from becoming your demon queen?¡± She bit her lip, which made it very difficult to dissuade her.

    Before I could throw cold water on the idea, one of the hellhounds whined beside me. I turned and kneeled down beside him to see that he had the silver crown the demon had been wearing in his mouth. A little demon blood on it, but that seemed thematically appropriate.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good boy.¡± I smiled and gave him a pat on the head as I took the crown for myself.

    ¡°Ah, Boss - that¡¯s not a good¡­¡±

    Too late. I had placed it on my head. Back up straight, I raised an eyebrow at the elf. ¡°Opinion?¡±

    ¡°Top hat is much more fitting, but you might as well keep it. We could use more¡­ costumes.¡± Her eyebrows moved up and down, as if I couldn¡¯t read her intention like it was on a billboard already.

    ¡°A fair point.¡± I reached up and grabbed at it.

    Only now it wouldn¡¯t move.

    I pulled a face and looked at my pact demon, the rabbit already grimacing and trying to melt away from my glare. ¡°What have I done, Roger? You could have been a bit more prompt with any warning.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a demon prince now, your Highness.¡±

    Ren whistled, but Wolf didn¡¯t look impressed. No doubt it was due to the part of me that was a demon. Now I had glued an object of monarchy to my fragile skull, I had invited myself into the most dangerous game of all.

    ¡°So¡­ now, I¡¯m eleventh in line for the throne?¡± I crossed my arms, an act only slightly painful for the recovering right limb.

    ¡°Pretty much, yeah.¡± He shuffled awkwardly. ¡°That means you¡¯re even more of a target, your Highness.¡±

    I clucked my tongue. When it didn¡¯t rain ash, it poured.

    Ren placed her hand on my arm, a finger dancing circles on my tattered clothing. ¡°So, what are your first orders as demonic royalty, my prince?¡±

    I grinned and pulled her in closer.

    ¡°First off, eleventh is much too high a number. Let¡¯s go lower that.¡±

 164 - Bleeding Hell

    The nicest thing about wearing a crown was the sense of self-importance it gave me. That, and the lust for greater power¡­ although, in part, I had held both these things already throughout most of my journey. Now it was just more visceral and overt.

    Even currently, as the air ruffled through my hair, I couldn¡¯t shake the manic grin across my face. We were losing ourselves to sin, and needed a way out before we became nothing more than those we despised and killed.

    Still, until then, I¡¯d enjoy it.

    Ceiling burst downward as I cratered through it, wooden shards and pale dust clattering to the large room below.

    Dozens of pairs of eyes looked up to me in shock as I used a withdrawn sheet to hook on to a beam so as to not break my legs - as amusing as that would be. I swung and dropped down to the wooden floor that was long soaked through with demonic ale and discarded food.

    A banquet hall. Going through the full motions. Guest of honor at the head of the table wasn¡¯t me - but I was about to clear a few chairs for my Party to enjoy proceedings.

    ¡°Number ten!¡± I growled, standing up tall and pointing a finger at the larger demon halfway eating what looked like a whole demonic lamb. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ die!¡± A card bloomed into my hand. Not the best one-liner, but I¡¯d certainly said worse. Luckily, two weeks down here in hell had all but erased any shame or embarrassment Ren and I had previously held.

    And speak of the lovely lady.

    Enter stage right - as a white dove vanished to be replaced by the elf on the other side of the room. A radiant bullet shredded through a handful of smaller demons, who were unsure what was going on.

    ¡°Kill them!¡± the tenth in line to the throne yelled, tossing his snack onto the long table.

    My card left my hand and spiraled through the air - not aiming for the head demon, but instead into the middle of the room. It cut the chain holding up the ramshackle candelabra. It fell, and the candles bounced over spilled alcohol, lighting up the banquet table with unusual green flames.

    I spun in place as the nearest but not dearest group of demons tried to stumble from their chairs and draw weapons. Into my hands another cloth - this one a deep black. Held it out to the side, obscuring part of the wall. Swooshed it away just as the wooden planks burst inwards - Wolf powering in to the gathering and slashing through three of the demons immediately.

    Roger and the Hellhounds followed in behind him like a broken dam. A tide of gnashing jaws and white fur to cut a bloody swathe through the unprepared merry-makers. I was already atop the table now, striding toward my target while twin cards zipped around to cut down those around me.

    ¡°Upstart rat-droppings, you think you can stand against me?¡± The demon stood and held out a hand toward me. A wave of energy washed over us.

    A jungle.

    ¡°If we¡¯re going to go through this another ten times¡­¡± Ren grumbled, not willing to finish the threat.

    ¡°You could have shot him first.¡±

    She scowled at me. ¡°I thought this was your ego thing. Didn¡¯t want you to hold it against me.¡±

    ¡°My dear, you could tear my still-beating heart from my chest, and I wouldn¡¯t hold it against you.¡±

    ¡°Aw.¡± Her grump faded away. ¡°I¡¯d hold it against me, though. Cradle that cute little heart.¡±

    I smiled, before catching the glare of the bear from my left. He had gotten taller¡­ oh, no. ¡°Ren, we are sinking.¡±

    We both looked down to see our ankles enveloped by the thick mud around us. I had been too busy looking at those blue eyes to really take in the Domain itself. Somewhat lazy of me, in truth. The demon might be waiting to strike right now¡­ although it didn¡¯t seem likely. I had a knack for this kind of thing.

    Left leg sunk a couple more inches into the mud as I pulled my right out. Dropped a plank of wood and stood on it - repeating the same action to remove my left from the filth. Surface area just about held me up. I looked at the elf, who had her arms crossed and was accepting her fate.

    ¡°Waiting for me to be your knight in shining armor?¡± I asked, eyebrow raised.

    ¡°No. Quicksand is a myth. It won¡¯t be deep enough to keep drawing me down.¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    I watched as she slowly sunk another inch into the mud, and her eye twitched. With a quick slurping noise, she vanished to appear over at the side, away from the dangerous pit. The white dove was immediately enveloped by the muck. Took me a couple of seconds longer, but by moving the planks ahead of me, I was able to escape. Wolf just¡­ wasn¡¯t sinking.

    ¡°Dare I ask, brother?¡± I tilted my head as he wandered out.

    ¡°One of my skills prevents restraints, slows, disabling attacks, and difficult terrain.¡± He looked up at me and shrugged. ¡°I get bullshit too, you know.¡±

    That was certainly fair - I couldn¡¯t hog all the special abilities - although Ren was getting her fair share these days. I held my hand out to rotate a few different scrolls through my holster, before my eyes went through the surroundings.

    Strangely, despite what little real world experience I had with jungles, I had expected more¡­ humidity. And life. There were tall tree and vines, plants with large waxy leaves, and a constant mulch of composting vegetation wherever I looked¡­ but no bugs or animals.

    No demon either, which was somewhat dull.

    ¡°You know, out of everything¡­ I miss being able to teleport the most,¡± I complained.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Ren had her rifle out now and was scanning behind us. ¡°Even more than the normal Othea?¡±

    ¡°Part of me is sad we¡¯ll return. Our time here in hell has been something of a fever dream, despite the nightmare situation.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve certainly had lots of ups and downs¡­ and more ups and downs.¡±

    Wolf grunted and turned his nose to the air. Anything to avoid our loose innuendos. ¡°Hmm.¡± He rotated a little further, sniff a couple more times. ¡°This place is unusual.¡±

    ¡°No life?¡±

    He looked back at me with his amber eyes and nodded. ¡°Not just that, brother. Even for a Domain it has a secondary¡­ ick to it.¡±

    Ren lowered her rifle. ¡°An illusion within an illusion?¡±

    I frowned. That didn''t seem right. Went to rub my aching head and saw that my hand was already bloody. Was it blood? I held it out to show them. ¡°Can you both see this?¡±

    The elf exchanged a glance with the bear. ¡°Have you been overdoing your magic already, trickster?¡±

    Hmm, they could see it - so it was less likely to be an illusion. I rubbed at my head anyway, getting streaks of scarlet across my forehead. It ran down my face in cool rivulets¡­ which was odd. Blood was normally warm.

    ¡°Health check,¡± I ordered them.

    As I twisted my body about to check I wasn¡¯t falling apart, they did the same.

    ¡°All clear,¡± Ren announced.

    ¡°I cannot see anything wrong with me,¡± the bear confirmed.

    ¡°Always me, isn¡¯t it?¡± I shook my head and held my hand out. It continued to drip, as if something was forcing the blood out through pressure.

    Ren wrinkled up her nose and looked closer at it. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll just slowly bleed to death one by one and that¡¯s the Domain. Dibs on being last.¡±

    She gave me a shrug and moved away, no apparent obvious cause for my bloodletting. My status screens didn¡¯t give any information, and my health bar was still moderately full considering our quick banquet bout.

    So why didn¡¯t I feel happy just ignoring it?

    Moved my hand up to my face and sniffed it. Not¡­ unlike my unusual blood, as far as I could tell.

    ¡°Need me to taste it?¡± Ren offered.

    I shook my head. ¡°Too dangerous in case it''s something bad.¡± The fact that she had put such an act on the table that neither of us seemed bothered by was perhaps concerning in the long run, but¡­ she did know what it tasted like. Mostly by accident.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just continue,¡± I eventually decided. ¡°It¡¯s not something that has a clear answer to just yet and I¡¯d rather find the demon to put a hole in him as soon as possible.¡±

    They nodded, and we set off¡­ whichever direction felt most right to me. We¡¯ll call it east. Left hand came up as we walked, and that one seemed fine.

    ¡°You know why that is?¡± Ren nudged the air beside me as she fell into step. ¡°That¡¯s your sinning hand.¡±

    I pulled a face. ¡°How would they know what I get up to with my hands?¡± I had committed plenty of atrocities with both, so it seemed rather arbitrary. ¡°So why are your hands fine, then?¡±

    ¡°What, you dare, Max Dickbag? I am clearly an innocent soul.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡± I held up my dripping right hand. ¡°You, of all people, know why they call it a dominant hand.¡±

    She bit her lip - and then we both walked into the stationary bear as he stopped to glare at us.

    ¡°If we must fall into horrors beyond my understanding and almost perish on the regular, I¡¯d rather our last moments together aren¡¯t your dribbling howls, like mewing animals in heat.¡±

    Perhaps he had a point. We were just here to assassinate a demon prince, but Ren and I had gotten so detached from reality we were casual and loose with our approach to fighting. Just enjoying the change of scenery, if I were to be honest.

    ¡°I apologize, Wolf. We¡¯ll try to keep it together so you¡¯re not such a third wheel.¡± I placed my hand on his shoulder to assert the authenticity of my statement.

    ¡°Yes, well- ow.¡± He shuffled away from me and scowled at where my hand had been.

    ¡°You¡­ okay?¡± I furrowed my brow and stepped away, allowing Ren to move in and have a look.

    The elf tilted her head, moving in closer to him, before away. ¡°Oh dear. Where you touched Wolf, he now has a wound that is running with blood.¡± She turned to me and eyed up my hand. ¡°Glad you didn¡¯t let me lick it.¡±

    ¡°If I had a gold coin for every¡­¡± I let the sentence fade away as I pointed a finger out and deliberately moved it around to touch the back of my left hand.

    ¡°Max.¡± Ren shot me a scowl.

    Sure enough, the small dot where I had prodded now looked like I had taken some nasty damage, and a trickle of blood ran down to my wrist.

    I flared out my nostril and looked up at the elf. ¡°C¡¯mon, Ren. You don¡¯t want in this sinking ship as well?¡±

    ¡°I swear if you dare touch me with your cursed hand, you will not like where I grab in retaliation.¡±

    It made some sense now why my head was still dripping with blood even long after I had rubbed it. My gaze swept around the area, trying to see if there was an overt cause or solution to our problem. No, not really.

    ¡°Got some terrible news, Ren.¡± I looked back at her and smiled, streams of crimson marring my face.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She grimaced.

    ¡°I have a really itchy nose.¡±

 165 - Undue Power

    Despite my affinity for the demonic, I was starting to share Ren¡¯s chagrin for potentially being subject to another nine or ten Domains. Mostly because at present, I had managed to touch myself in three further places accidentally, all of which now also continuously bled.

    Both Ren and Wolf traveled well out of my reach. Perhaps for the best, as I seemed to catch myself on a protruding branch or thick amount of foliage every so often. Wouldn¡¯t do for me to grab out at them for stability.

    ¡°I¡¯d be more impressed if we were actually just attacked,¡± Ren said, perhaps for the third time.

    Another point in which she was correct, however. These higher level Domains that were meant to just torment us to death were rather boring given that we weren¡¯t exactly pushovers. Blood and gore had been completely normalized to us. We¡¯d almost frolicked in the stuff at this point.

    I stopped and looked around us again. Didn¡¯t seem like we were making much progress, or had come across any different terrain in our travels. A landmark or some manner of guide toward what we were meant to do would be swell. I¡¯d even accept¡­ a giant snake to fight? Or a gargantuan tarantula?

    ¡°Can we not just do the piercing attack thing again?¡± Ren stopped and crossed her arms, scowling off at the unchanging scenery.

    ¡°Hmm. The answer isn¡¯t no, but it might not work here without a way to stretch the power of the Domain.¡± I sighed and rubbed at my head, causing further blood to run down my face. ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°Huh, I was worried I might have to eat your corpse after you bled yourself to death, but I don¡¯t want to catch whatever dumbassery disease you clearly have.¡±

    I shrugged and resisted the urge to put my hands on my hips. ¡°We both know you¡¯d have caught it by now, no matter the manner that it was transmitted.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d still eat you,¡± Wolf offered.

    There was perhaps some reflection to be done on the fact that I found that statement reassuring. I would still be palatable, even in my current state. Perhaps the bear had something going there though - my current act was rather tasteless.

    I drew out my deck from my belt and had the mundane cards flutter out to orbit around me. Closed my eyes and relaxed. There was always more than one way to pull a rabbit from a hat. No point sitting around waiting for the opportunity to be dazzled when I was most than capable of creating my own show.

    A Domain was a pocket dimension created by a demon''s power. To be a part of this System, there must be some manner of underlying magic to them. I was a master of manipulating magic - to some degree. I just needed to find the tethers or whatever.

    In my mind, I sunk away from current proceedings. Cold blood ignored. Cards rotating around me, barely an inconvenience. My two partners in demon-crime silent mannequins on a dark gray workspace.

    I took a deep breath and white outlines came into view. The power of the Domain¡­ looked like an onion. Spirals of System tethers ran around us in a large sphere. More powerful than I had imagined, it would be nigh impossible for me to stick a hand in and just switch off the power of the Domain. Shame, but perhaps doing so would have been anticlimactic, anyway.

    There were thinner threads that ran from me and to outside this sphere, but they were faint. The connection to my own demons. No ability to pull them through or us out, unfortunately. As my mind tried to focus, the wispy lines faded and shifted away like trails of smoke.

    Unacceptable.

    It did lead me to a realization, however. This spiraling line that had constructed this faux sphere representing the Domain¡­ it was all one line leading to one entity. The demon himself.

    I opened my eyes as the swirling cards turned to ash.

    ¡°Ignoring us is rather rude, dickbag.¡± Ren scowled at me, as they had probably been speaking to me while I was away in my mind.

    ¡°I do apologize, my dear.¡± A wide grin went across my face as I raised my arm. Purple electricity started to arc around it. ¡°Let me get the manager for you.¡±

    <Domain Escalation>

    A whisper of demonic went through my ears as I clawed the new ability from the fabric of the System itself. I deserved it, after all - I was going to be the demon king.

    Ahead of where my bloody hand pointed, a tear in reality cracked and hissed, before the Domain''s progenitor appeared before us.

    His eyes were at first filled with surprise, then pure contempt, as he growled in my direction. ¡°Festering shit, who are you to summon me in my own-¡±

    Then one of his eyes was filled with a high-caliber sniper bullet, glowing with holy light.

    With a pop, the Domain washed away, putting us back in the banquet room. Only a new kind of feast was in progress as Roger led the hounds and Imps in devouring the killed demons.

    ¡°Changed your mind on if shooting the demon with little ceremony is a knock on your ego yet?¡± Ren asked, stepping down from the table we were on.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°That was like a kick in the balls,¡± I complained. ¡°Cliches and tropes are there for a reason.¡±

    ¡°I did warn you.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll let you monologue a bit and get injured? Oh, you¡¯ve stopped bleeding at least?¡±

    Hands went out, and it seemed as though the injuries remained, but the persistent blood loss had ended. I touched my hands together, and no further wounds bloomed into existence. Splendid. My eyes went over to the larger demon missing part of his head. Another crown for the taking.

    ¡°Dibs!¡± Ren called out.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Roger stepped out in front of her. ¡°Not a good idea, Mrs Boss. Wearing the crown would make you in line for the throne above Boss, so you¡¯d have to kill him. Or he you.¡±

    The elf stopped and pouted at me. ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s like the one thing I wouldn¡¯t do to him. Not for a drab accessory like that, anyway.¡±

    With a shit-eating grin, I stepped over and picked the crown up and placed it on my head. There was a flash of demonic energy, and the two merged.

    ¡°Ah, I was going to say not to do that either, Boss.¡± The large rabbit crossed his arms.

    I gave him a blank expression. ¡°You had plenty of time to warn me.¡±

    ¡°Did I though?¡± He tilted his head.

    Ren narrowed her eyes and walked toward the demon slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering, Max¡­ if I killed Roger, would his body vanish, or could we use it for stuff?¡±

    The rabbit twitched. ¡°What kind of stuff?¡±

    I nodded my head slowly. ¡°Oh, like feeding to Wolf?¡±

    The bear shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to eat him while he was still living, if that¡¯s an option.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Ren continued, ¡°like if we could carve out his insides so only the fluffy skin part was left.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking we could build a giant prop top hat and dress me up in the skin of Roger, so that you could pull me out of the hat like a trick?¡± I furrowed my brow and rubbed at my chin.

    ¡°Sure... we¡¯ll go with that.¡±

    Roger stepped back away from the persistent elf, knocking over a couple of chairs. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll come clean!¡± He tried waving her away, and she paused. ¡°With one crown, you¡¯re free to move about as you please. Once you bind two or more¡­ well, it puts a beacon on your head.¡±

    ¡°Demons will start hunting me down?¡± I smiled, despite myself. The Demon Hunter became the Hunted Demon. Absolute shivers down my spine.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ and I want that, coz maybe if you die, Boss¡­ then I can be free.¡±

    ¡°What if Max becomes king?¡± Ren asked, finally racking the bolt on her rifle to eject the empty bullet casing.

    ¡°Yeah, that sounds better.¡± The rabbit ran his tongue around the bloodied fur on his upper lip. ¡°I meant I want you to become king sooner, so you can free me.¡±

    My right eye twitched. With my sensible self long eroded down to a nub, there was a temptation to pop the demon through the skull for being so brazenly indignant. How could he act like that toward a prince? Regardless of if it made me a threat or a target, I could feel my demonic power growing.

    I had cobbled together my own ability to make a demon show themselves in their Domain. Checking my System menus, it wasn¡¯t there - in the same way as my Domain itself wasn¡¯t.

    Our little side-quest in taking over this hell dimension had turned into a way for us to gather more undue power - once we returned to the surface we¡¯d be beyond compare. The Lady wouldn¡¯t know what hit her.

    Of course, I ran the risk of overshooting. Raining down hellfire on her troops as the very loud and proud Demon King of Hell would just as soon get a throng of willing adventurers hunting me down. There would be some steep irony in ending the constant violence by sinking us into further violence, just from the other side.

    ¡°Leave him be,¡± I decided.

    Not particularly because I cared for mercy, but I felt his continued existence was part of my demonic puzzle. He was partly created as a stand-in for the patron I used to have back in my previous life. Would be foolish to end his life and then find out that the System considered him my tether to any demonic power I wielded, and I was cut off from it.

    ¡°Dropped a legendary item,¡± Wolf muffled, the arm of the previously-princely demon in his mouth.

    Ren scoffed. ¡°Bet it¡¯s some bullshit for Max the Main Character over there.¡±

    ¡°Unfair! You have a literal sniper rifle.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in demon-hell fighting demon-princes so Mr Demonic Magician can become demon-king. It couldn¡¯t be any clearer unless you wrote it yourself.¡±

    I took a second to consider whether I had penned any such drivel in any of my journals. No, nothing so grandstanding. ¡°Perhaps I should write someone else in as my demon queen, then?¡±

    ¡°You fucking dare, Max.¡± Her hands gripped at the rifle tighter. ¡°I will tear this reality to shreds and kill whoever it was, before killing you.¡±

    Wolf huffed and settled down, rolling his eyes at the charade we were about to pull off. Scene was playing out like the performance it had to be.

    ¡°Ren, my love. You have neither the guts nor the ability to kill me.¡±

    She bared her teeth and swung the rifle up to point at me. ¡°Take that back, you shit.¡±

    I opened my arms wide. ¡°Prove me wrong then.¡±

    ¡°Last warning, trickster. Make me your demon queen, or else.¡±

    ¡°Nah.¡± My smile widened. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it now, peasant.¡±

    Her finger clicked the trigger, striking me straight in the forehead. Back of my skull blew open and painted the back wall with my brain matter. Arms still extended for a slow two seconds before the rest of my body got the message and I dropped over backwards.

    The real me appeared next to the elf, twirling her around as she wrapped the gun around me. Lips locked, we slunk down against one of the tables - until Wolf cleared his throat.

    ¡°Again, legendary item. Looks like it would be useful for Ren.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± The elf grabbed my chin to give my face a little shake. ¡°Get fucked, magic man.¡±

    ¡°If we had less company,¡± I murmured, turning to look at the sea of Imps and hounds waiting for further instruction. As the elf hopped over to the bear, I gestured for Roger to follow me.

    I took him a little further away, mostly because it seemed to cause him increased tension. We stopped at the corner of the banquet hall and I leaned against the wooden wall to look back across the gathered summons. At the other end, Ren was explaining how useful her new trinket was to a very uninterested looking Wolf.

    ¡°Roger. What¡¯s with the wavering loyalty as of late?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a demon, Boss. It¡¯s kind of my nature to be a shit.¡± He shuffled awkwardly. ¡°Being at war for so long¡­ I haven¡¯t seen my family. It was fine when it was like a short vacation¡­¡±

    My right eye twitched again. ¡°You think this is fun for me, Roger? Every waking moment is filled with violence and the dry heat of hell sapping my sanity away. Every night I have to scrape the gore from Ren¡¯s hair and pretend that being baked in sweat and grime is normal. Wolf has been so corrupted that he has turned into a bear.¡±

    ¡°Erm, pretty sure he always was one, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Shhh shut it. Shut-up.¡± I placed a blooded finger up to his fuzzy lips. ¡°Silence.¡±

    My brow furrowed as a chill worked its way down my spine. I looked at the rabbit with a little more calm focus in my vision, before turning my head to the others.

    ¡°Look lively,¡± I announced. ¡°There¡¯s a powerful demon landing at our location in¡­¡±

    The building vibrated, sending clouds of dust raining down from the rafters.

 166 - Hellborne Magician

    I hummed a little tune to myself. Not even really a showtune at this stage, just my failing mind skipping along the lake of sanity like a thrown rock. It spun and hopped about, but the distance between each bouncing point was dwindling. The rock, which I was sure was me in the metaphor, threatened to sink below the surface, never to return.

    ¡°Move your fingers, Max.¡± Ren held my arm, a bandage at the ready in the other hand.

    I wiggled them as requested.

    ¡°I can see your tendons move about. Hehe.¡± She smiled up at me before her brow furrowed. ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯m starting to really lose it, trickster.¡±

    I nodded slowly. We had killed another three demon princes in short order. Or long order. It was hard to gauge the time as we seemed to no longer feel tired - or were just in a constant state of exhaustion. Since the ball had started rolling on the whole demonic-king business, we hadn¡¯t stopped and slept.

    We¡¯d hit Level Sixteen, but our STARs had remained gray and inert, as if the System didn¡¯t consider us existing any longer. Like we were lost to it and doomed to sink into this quagmire of death and sweat forever.

    Crown number five sat on the bloodied floor just ahead of me.

    This fight had been a little rougher than most. Even now, the barbed tentacles that hung from the dead prince¡¯s mouth still squirmed across the stone tiles as if they could escape or take another bite from me. He could see through invisibility, much to my chagrin. I leaned that lesson by way of a broken leg and patches of flayed skin. System had fixed my leg up but was being slow on the rest of the damage. Unusual.

    Ren was right, though. The longer we spent seeped down here, the more unhinged we were getting. Although the rampant lewd acts and acceptance of violence had started off as something we could ignore, we¡¯d trudged past the benefits of insanity and struck the rough ground of the reality that we were becoming unraveled. Insane.

    ¡°I¡¯m not even sad,¡± she continued, tears running from her eyes as she bandaged over my wounds. ¡°Or¡­ anything really.¡±

    ¡°Exhausted.¡± I smiled. ¡°We¡¯re hitting the limits, I know. I promise you we will get out of here soon.¡±

    Her once radiant golden hair was no longer a beacon in this place. Matted and stuck together from weeks of sweat, grime, and blood. It was now in the roughest and saddest looking ponytail we had been able to manage. Pretty sure my hands were soaked with something unpleasant when I did her the disservice. Our duty of care had¡­ slipped.

    Wolf had just become more sour over time. Still had all the patience in the world for us two - especially considering what we got up to - but he had long given up on pretending to be fine with our current situation. Roger had toed the line a little better, but had become more avoidant the more crowns I had accumulated. As if he was scared of what I was turning into.

    I hadn¡¯t changed that much. The slight amount of extra muscle was a nice addition for someone so usually lean, but made sense considering we had been fighting non-stop for weeks.

    ¡°Chin up, moonflower.¡± I ran my hand along the side of her face.

    She held it there softly and kissed at my wrist. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up and get moving.¡±

    I nodded, and we stood up. She wiped the unintended tears from her face, smearing the briefly clean tracks with the residual dirt that existed around the rest of her.

    ¡°Hey.¡± I placed my hand on her shoulder. ¡°If it''s the last thing I do, I will get you a warm bath once this is all done.¡±

    She tilted her head and gave me a glum smile. ¡°I believe you, trickster. It''d be a dream come true. I would say I¡¯d do anything for you if you made that a reality, but I already do and we¡¯re basically soulmates, so¡­ you¡¯ll just have my eternal gratitude plus one.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± With a smile, I let her go to step over to the discarded crown. ¡°I¡¯ll end up finding a way we can live forever so I can cash in on that.¡±

    ¡°Imagine the shows we could put on with hundreds of years of practice?¡±

    I shivered. An odd feeling down here in hell, but the elf always knew how to press my buttons. Hand went down to the circlet of silver, but my eyes turned to Roger.

    The demon was leaning up against the wall, and while he normally avoided looking my direction the last few¡­ hours? Days? Currently, he was staring at my hand reaching for the ornamental symbol of power.

    ¡°Something to say, Roger?¡±

    He jolted, realizing I had been watching him. ¡°No¡­ Boss. I mean, you sure you want to do that?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what the fuck I¡¯m doing, Roger. If you know a reason why I shouldn¡¯t be doing this, then speak up.¡±

    The rabbit twitched and looked over across the reduced group of my summoned demons. ¡°A crown grants you a claim to the throne. Two or three means you¡¯ve taken over a swathe of hell itself, like a political thing, right?¡± His furred hands came together. ¡°With your demonic side, five crowns would be empowering that side of you¡­ that amount of political power is a direct threat to the king himself and you¡¯ll-¡±

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    ¡°Boring!¡± I placed the crown on my head, the object absorbing into the others that had formed the singular one decorating me.

    It had been quite the while since I had the taste of humble pie. A necessity sometimes when we lived with so much natural bravado and false confidence.

    Immediately after the deed was done, I felt a pang of pain shoot through me. A sickening, sour stream of bile that ran from my core up through my chest and neck. It wasn¡¯t vomit, however, and rather than make itself known through my mouth-hole, the feeling continued up to my head. I held my hands up over my eyes. Let the darkness calm my senses.

    Heartbeat throbbed through my skin, rolling around the outside my brain before my thoughts could neutralize the imagined toxin that had slunk its way through my insides. I took a deep breath as two points of sharp pain vibrated on the top of my head.

    Inevitable, really.

    I growled as two horns grew out of my skull, bursting through the skin and parting my hair. It was unpleasant. I took another couple of deep lungfuls of stale air as the puncture wounds healed up, leaving me feeling¡­ fine.

    Removed my hands from my face and stood up tall, turning around to Ren.

    Her eyes ran me up and down, the bright blue pools the only thing about her not torn down by the wear and tear of this existence. ¡°First thought - yum. Second thought¡­ you okay? Not possessed or even crazier now?¡±

    I brought a finger up to prod at one of the horns. Only four or five inches in length, not too sharp at the end, but still pointed. Slight pressure on my skull when I pushed them, but I would hope they¡¯d break off like antlers if they caught an attack, rather than rip my skull apart.

    ¡°No¡­ I feel okay.¡± Furrowed my brow and looked at my hands, as if they would be a good signal of my well-being. ¡°System says I¡¯m part demon now.¡± That wasn¡¯t all - it now clearly displayed my demonic powers.

    <Domain: The Grand Stage>

    <Demonic Regeneration>

    <Domain Escalation>

    <Corruption Resistance>

    <Demon Form>

    My Domain and the regeneration were pretty straightforward. Both from my prior life topside, and tied to my Power bar.

    Domain Escalation allowed me to summon the creator of a Domain, which had been useful against the last few corpses we had made. Probably useless when we escaped from hell, but it was likely we would have died otherwise without it. These princes didn¡¯t like to show face when in their little pockets of control.

    Corruption Resistance was a party-wide aura that stopped us from getting too hot or insane from being in hell for a long time. Wasn¡¯t sure when I had picked that up, but it explained how we had survived in such a hostile place. Still, it was only resistance and not immunity.

    If only I had¡­

    I rubbed at my chin. System seemed to favor me today, finally. Inside this interface, where my demonic skills were laid bare, was a little icon showing how many spare crowns I had. Four, at present. And it didn¡¯t take a genius to realize that I could use these spare artefacts the same as Power Tokens for these abilities.

    ¡°Terrible news,¡± I said, grinning. ¡°I have become yet more ironclad with bullshit.¡±

    ¡°You realize you have fangs, Max?¡± Ren tilted her head to the side, any concern now washed away and replaced with¡­ intrigue?

    Ran my tongue across my teeth - ah, my canines were extended a little. ¡°All the better to eat you with, my dear.¡±

    She nodded slowly, her mind clearly busy imagining thing I didn¡¯t want to be privy to. Not if we wanted to be productive for the next hour, anyway.

    My eyes went back to the menus while she daydreamed. Couldn¡¯t upgrade my actual Domain, which seemed unfair - but then it was similar to my Class ability.

    [<Corruption Resistance> is now upgraded. Resistance is now doubled.]

    [<Demonic Regeneration> is now upgraded. Regeneration is now doubled, and 15% healing rate is applied to nearby allies.]

    I turned to watch Ren blink her eyes and take a breath. ¡°Huh. Either I have a new kink that has grounded my sanity, or something just changed.¡±

    ¡°As much as the former sounds delightful, it¡¯s actually because I have upgraded our resistance to hell.¡±

    She pulled a face. ¡°You can do that?¡±

    ¡°What can¡¯t I do?¡± I gestured to some of my wounds, which were now healing up at a much faster rate.

    ¡°Oh!¡± She ignore the obvious bait and held up her arm. Her STAR was glowing golden, as was mine on inspection.

    Lost no longer.

    I switched through the screens quickly, not wanting to distract myself from the demonic information. New ability was called <Spotlight>. Another taunt where ranged allies would have reduced threat and increased damage, while I would take increased damage from those watching me. Seemed fair. Passives reduced my fall damage, and something else that doubled the chance of a critical card after casting a critical card - but it didn¡¯t stack.

    Abstract, in some ways, I thought unironically as I tried to turn more into an actual demon.

    Didn¡¯t want to waste the last two crowns on Domain Escalation since it wouldn¡¯t be useful long term. Demon Form was¡­ yeah, fuck it. I was in for the ride.

    [<Demon Form> is now upgraded. You can now toggle the form on cooldown. Increased demonic power gain when form is active.]

    I swirled a summoned sheet around myself to obscure my body, letting it fall back to the ground to reveal me back as a normal human with no horns or sharp teeth.

    ¡°Aww.¡± Ren crossed her arms. ¡°Cured already? I want a refund.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a smoke cloud scroll? Let me show you something.¡± While she nodded and handed it over, I looked around the room.

    Roger looked¡­ scared. His nose twitched as he sat on a table, his eyes completely glued to me. Wolf was asleep - a rarity, but something I¡¯d allow considering how tired out he could get. Hopefully my resistances and regeneration would have him feeling more himself soon enough. The handful of my small demons left watched me intently, no change in their loyalty despite my change of being.

    I took a stroll away from the elf, across the stone square, away from the ¡®outdoor eatery¡¯ area of this tall bridge over the lava river. An interesting place to fight, and certainly made a change from woodlands and small villages¡­ but I did miss that simpler life.

    Around twenty-five feet away from the curious Oathwarden, I stopped and turned back to face her.

    Aimed the scroll out and started running as I cast it.

    Cloud of white smoke bloomed into being and I passed through it, hitting <Demon Form> just before jumping out of the other side.

    A more numbed pain this time as horns emerged from my skull. However, there was also a larger pressure and brief agony from my back this time. No time to panic as I landed on the smooth stone in front of the elf.

    My purple wings buffeted the air, swirling the smoke away and assisting my landing. Her matted hair briefly shuffling from the breeze.

    ¡°Motherfucker...¡± she whispered, eyes wide. ¡°Let¡¯s go get you some more crowns.¡±

 167 - Clash

    Sweat ran down my brow. Soaked me, really. Tired eyes went over to my group.

    Ren had dark circles around her eyes, which probably paled in comparison to my own, but was a first for her. The elf''s face was covered with soot, smeared in places where she¡¯d tried to wipe away the constant sweat or the sprays of blood and bile from our opponents. Part of her neck was bandaged up where she insisted I bite her with my fangs. We¡¯d learned there was indeed a line where things went a little too far.

    Mostly post-act, where I¡¯d thrown up her blood across the bed and floor of the shack we had requisitioned. She had just rolled her eyes and reminded me I was a demon, not a vampire.

    Wolf looked like fresh hell, which¡­ was a terrible metaphor given our situation. He had been insistent that we gave him more armor, despite it causing him to sweat further. His water rations had doubled, but now he looked like a macabre porcupine. Jagged bone-spikes ran from the plates we had fashioned across most of his back. He¡¯d even insisted I pop a couple of decapitated demon heads on a jagged point or two.

    How far from grace we had fallen. No longer in our magician outfits at all, but covered in dirt and bodily fluids in whatever armor was thematically useful.

    Roger had lost one of his ears in the last fight, the other one now wrapped around his head like a strange hat or turban. He had bulked out a little now as well, and since I ascended to having a demonic form, he had a renewed fealty that settled into an acceptance of the route we were careening toward. I had never imagined going against the demon king would be like¡­ this.

    My other summons had been reduced to four Hellhounds, and three Imps. One fire, one ice, and one stone. Both Ren and I had been saddened to see them diminish, even with how numb to everything we had become. With no way to replenish my forces, we just had to make do - but every fight slowly whittled down their numbers. A shame because the full horde of casters had been certainly powerful.

    We¡¯d almost hit Level Seventeen already, in chewing our way through a large town. Three weeks of constant turmoil was good for the experience bar, it seemed.

    Our efforts had been interrupted, however, by the trio that now stood before us.

    Three princes had put aside their differences and decided that they wouldn¡¯t be picked off one by one. They had landed the other side of the wide town square, crushing the town hall with their arrival.

    Left one was a sickly yellow color, his face more of a sunken hole full of jagged teeth. Long arms ending with sharp claws. Spine-laden dual wings like a butterfly. A good thirteen feet tall, even hunched over as he was. No weaponry, but I was sure he could tear us apart with his hands alone.

    Middle was a bright red, and wearing a smart suit - odd in contrast to the more barbaric outfit of Yellow. Not that much taller than me, his sword was taller still, and hung in the air beside him. With the arrogant look on his humanoid face, it looked more likely that he¡¯d prefer to kill us with smarm and his superiority complex if possible.

    Right was a giant and held a large crossbow, which I was starting to believe was just a ballista. Deep gray skin speckled with darker shades around his shoulders and neck. Wide backpack filled with the long spear-like ammunition. Several tiny demons similar to my imps crawled over him and looked to be the ones who dealt with the actual operation of the weapon. They had pointed faces and ears, reminding me of goblins, but they were a bright off-white in color.

    Each had the silver crown denoting them as a prince of hell. In line for the throne, and in danger of finding themselves nothing more than a lootable corpse for yours truly. Of course, several weeks of grinding away at monsters had us outfitted with greater power than just the levels earned.

    Best gear for our level gemmed with our main stats. Countless consumables and spell scrolls. Weapons aplenty. The whole System experience totally ruined as we had broken into the bank and stolen more than a Player should usually have. Given to two characters who would manipulate their Inventories with just a thought¡­ we were poised to change the world.

    ¡°Did you three want to monologue before we get this over with?¡± I grinned and tilted my head, hands already running with blood from our massacre through this town.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you are the usurpers,¡± Red said, sneering down his nose. ¡°A wretched human, his elven whore, and a dumb beast.¡±

    <Spotlight> illuminated me, their attentions drawn as I was bathed in bright white. ¡°Now, that¡¯s a nasty fucking mouth you have,¡± I replied.

    He turned barely in time, the radiant bullet still striking him. Head flung back and then he reset to glare towards us, his lower jaw now missing, destroyed. One of his hands went up to cast his Domain while the other grasped at the bloody hole rent through his face.

    Wolf roared, and Red¡¯s attempt to expand his demonic power faltered. Confusion spread across his brow, not knowing that the System loved to fill us with what we needed to be as insufferable as possible.

    Cards whirled around me as the battle got into full swing. Three each to my Party to give them some extra damage reduction. I ran toward the one with the crossbow. The bear illuminated with pulses of energy as he burst toward Yellow. I could almost hear Ren¡¯s breathing calm as she went down to one knee and racked in a new bullet.

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    Nice of them to deliver me three crowns at once - I could barely wait to upgrade my skills and see if I would grow more powerful.

    Crossbow turned toward me, the gremlins readying up to fire. I went invisible. Confused shouting rose between the small demons as they weren¡¯t sure what to do. I dropped my Demonic Cannon to their right side as <Demon Form> burst wings from my back, and I leaped up into the air with a rush of energy.

    Gray himself turned to point his weapon up at me while his handlers screamed and tried to warn him about the siege weapon right beside his leg. I held out my hand and a critical card bloomed into my grip, right when I needed it. Without his helpers doing the necessary maintenance, he would be a sitting-

    The ballista-sized weapon clunked with a sharp snap, the jagged bolt slicing through the air and impaling straight through my chest. Broken bones and shredded organs. Card fluttered and faded out of existence. Wings went slack, and my body careened back to the ground.

    With simple joy in his dark eyes, he turned to deal with the cannon, mostly continuing to ignore the gremlins bossing him around.

    I loved <Last Act>. Never got tired of using it. My real body appeared a dozen feet away from where I had been slain, hovering slightly in the air as red lightning crackled around the still-held critical card. It left my hand as I dropped from the air at a more measured pace and the magic attack exploded on his head.

    As I descended, I took this brief window to gaze out at my troupe. Red lashed out at Ren with the psychically controlled sword. The elf vanished in a puff of white-feathers to appear off to the side, a second blast from her gun blowing the raised left hand of the demon off. Wolf had the wrist of one of Yellow¡¯s arms in his mouth, his spiked armor a lot more bloody than usual, as the body of the demon seemed to be bleeding in multiple places. Imps and hounds were assisting Ren, while Roger was attempting to help the bear.

    Gliding was pretty neat. I¡¯d have to include it in our shows somehow. I turned my gaze back to the demon I had slain and¡­

    Eyebrows raised and Card Fan went up before bursting immediately - the jagged spear lodging itself in my collarbone area, almost severing my arm clean off. Despite losing half of his head, the prince had one of the white gremlins mashing their hands in his remaining brains to control the rest of his body. Rather genius, if unrealistic.

    My cannon blew a spear through his thick leg. I landed on the ground as a second bolt was being loaded in; the winch winding up with a creak. With a grunt, I pulled the offending weapon from my body. Should be able to regenerate the damage in no time. Clearly, I was going about this wrong.

    Twin cards bloomed in my hand and went out, purple beams darting around the demon before swirling like a tornado. Lashed out at the smaller demons. Severed hands and the winch started to unwind. Split torso and one fell from the shoulder of Gray. Pulsed both cards into the gremlin working the brains, shredding both them and bursting from the other side of the demon''s head.

    Inert crown rolled across the floor as my cannon fired off some confetti.

    ¡°How lucky you are, to meet your next demon king,¡± Ren called out, gesturing toward me.

    The two princes turned to me as a second wave of confetti blasted through me.

    <Finale+>

    Wasn¡¯t a lot of Dazzle stacks in play - although the weird mix of passives we had now granted a decent amount even when the performance was rather dry. It was enough for a modest applause, and the demons paused in place. Yellow was quite resistant to stun, but Red stood in a state of surprise.

    In fact, his skull burst - as the elf put a radiant shot straight through the back of his head. I felt her heal run through me as I looked over at the last of the trio.

    Recovered from the stun already, they slammed the ground and pushed Wolf away, a wave of dry stone emerging and causing the bear to have to slide back.

    Of course, this was just so they could activate their Domain.

    Energy washed over us. A woodland, something oddly pleasant. Springtime, beams of light piercing the canopy overhead, soft grass by our feet. Immensely relaxing.

    I looked over at Ren, who had fresh tears running tracks down her face.

    My right eye twitched. How dare he do this to us? My white-gloved hands balled into fists. A false promise of something we desired. I could see the will to fight tangibly leave the elf¡¯s body, and Wolf looked practically star-struck. But I was furious.

    I dropped <Demonic Form> and closed my eyes. They would pay for this.

    <Domain Escalation> ripped through the air, bringing the prince out to land amongst a group of trees. Confusion on his face as he shook his wide maw.

    ¡°Of course,¡± I said quietly, ¡°a demon only respects and understands power.¡±

    The monster roared in response, my Party members both lagging with their readiness from feeling so close to home. This wasn¡¯t my home, though¡­ but I could bring it.

    Purple electricity snapped and arced around my body as the demon prepared to run towards me.

    <Domain: The Grand Stage>

    Yellow paused. Two Domains couldn¡¯t occupy the same space at the same time. In activating mine, I had challenged him to a duel of power. The strongest demon would win.

    ¡°Here,¡± I continued, ¡°let me help you... understand.¡±

    Hands went out, and I gripped at the air. Could feel my power trying to escape and win. Like it was squished down inside me and waiting to pop and expand like a giant popcorn kernel.

    The prince could see my attempts and sought to stop me physically. A shot that blew out a chunk of his shoulder had entangling vines circling both his lowered hands as well as his feet. A groaning crunch from my left, and a tree collapsed down in front of the angered monster - courtesy of Wolf.

    That was all the time I needed.

    Pooled my mana and health into my hands, rather than a card. It was agony, but breaking the rules often came with consequences. Fingers dug in to the imagined bubble in front of me and pierced through.

    Dark circles appeared in the sky, cratering through tree trunks, leaves, and the blue beyond alike. With a growl, I pushed with all my might, tearing a wide hole through the Domain. The sky split, trying to resist my attempts at pulling it away.

    But it was too late for his power to retain control. We reached the threshold and my Domain took over. Woodland foliage and the soft light of day replaced by the stage illuminated by bright overhead lights, the demon prince now restrained in the audience, the tree still laying across him.

    I gave him a bow and turned to my equal, dressed in her sparkling pastel suit, hair and face once again unblemished.

    Bright eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. ¡°Performing for royalty, trickster.¡±

    ¡°Get used to it.¡± I gave her a wink and turned to our captive.

    Wouldn¡¯t be long before we were dazzling the throne itself.

 168 - Exhale, Adjust

    Darkness. A rare comfort, but only given by my own effort in keeping my eyes closed.

    We had decided to take a rest after killing the three demon princes. While my shoulder wound had some odd ache that persisted within it, we had all healed up in no time at all. Something about the crate load of healing potions and similar consumables we had farmed out made the process simple enough - even if detestable to my tongue and stomach.

    Despite the taste of much worse as of late, the near-alcoholic tang of the bottled relief still didn¡¯t sit well with me.

    I opened my eyes. Sleep was trying to draw me into its clutches, but we didn¡¯t have the time or safety for something like that. Somehow, we had been able to persist without a proper nap for¡­ possibly days now. Our very beings stretched thin, making do with what we had as the corpse of our intent slid near to the finish line. How foolish we were to think destroying hell with our own hands would be an easy task.

    Not to say that it was difficult¡­ taken in the small chunks that we had been delivered. The fighting had been tough, but not too deadly. We excelled in combat - had done so for quite a while once the System had fed us too much power and didn¡¯t have the heart to walk anything back. The severity came from the near constant stress of constantly being in hostile land, the very atmosphere itself trying to grate away at our sense of self.

    Now I sat here on the warm ground, cross-legged. Three silver crowns arranged just in front of me. A golden glow to the STAR on my left wrist, eager to give me a new nugget of power. It barely registered these days. Was I more of a magician or a demon now? I had mostly been the former up until the last two or three days. Now I¡­ didn¡¯t feel like Max anymore.

    I felt¡­ untethered.

    [Max: Checking in.]

    [Tanya: Day four out here.]

    [Tanya: We¡¯ve now met up with Leyla¡¯s group as well.]

    [Tanya: Set up a temporary base awaiting your return.]

    [Tanya: No word from Eternal Wardens at all.]

    [Tanya: Trying to get information from Candlekeep.]

    [Tanya: How are you all holding up?]

    I turned my gaze away from the windows to look at my Party. Wolf was a bloodied ball of sharp bone-needles, having a deserved nap. The only one of us capable of falling in and out of sleep at the drop of a hat. He hadn¡¯t eaten a single demon since we arrived, which I assumed was the only reason he still had his stoic wit.

    Ren was crouched down just off to the side of him, doing some maintenance on her rifle. Given that it was a magical item, I didn¡¯t think it was actually necessary - but since Tanya had shown her how; it had become an action of comfort. Something normal amongst all this insanity. Although her eyes were as bright as usual, they were becoming more deep set and tired. We were starting to run on fumes.

    I, of all of us, knew this. Didn¡¯t even need to mention it to the others, but I was occasionally plagued by the feeling like my internal organs wanted to liquify. Usually a handful of seconds of panicked pain that I was able to hide away. We already had enough worries.

    And the cause? Nothing remotely demonic or worth a status icon. I was just pushing myself too far. Without sleep or rest, my body ached every time I sunk too much health into Bloodletting, or shifted in and out of Demon Form. It was survivable, but the body required rest to get over the trauma the constant conflict put us through.

    I just wanted to get out of here. Would push myself to the limit to be free of this overheated prison. Any amusement or delight once found in killing all demons or grasping at strength we weren¡¯t previously allowed had gone.

    [Max: Things are just peachy.]

    [Tanya: Bullshit. Don¡¯t push us away, Max.]

    I allowed myself a long sigh of stale, hellish air. It was odd. Technically, we¡¯d now spent more time without Tanya and Quinn than with them. Given that for them it was four days since we parted, and for us it must be nearly three weeks - there was a difference in mentality where they probably still worried for us, yet we had become numb to their existence.

    [Max: It¡¯s been almost three weeks here.]

    [Max: We are alive and in good health.]

    [Max: Changed in some ways. The mental toll of the violence.]

    [Max: Residual corruption from hell itself.]

    [Max: But¡­ we are getting close to coming home. I promise.]

    [Tanya: Don¡¯t make a promise you don¡¯t know you can keep, asshole.]

    [Max: It is a promise I will keep.]

    [Tanya: Good. When you get here, you do what you need to rest, okay?]

    [Tanya: Your safety and health is the most important thing.]

    [Max: Thanks, Tanya. Give my regards to the others.]

    I wiped away the silent tears from my face. It was interesting how any sort of human connection would just open the floodgates now. Wasn¡¯t even sad or had any guiding emotion to have them fall so freely - it was just like I had something untoward in them and they were watering as a response to eject the foreign object. Clearly I was repressing a lot.

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    Turned my head to see Ren walk over, and she sat herself down beside me.

    ¡°Hoping something will happen if you keep staring at these crowns, trickster?¡± She leaned over so her head could rest on my shoulder.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m pretty tired of things happening, actually.¡± I leaned my head against hers. ¡°I wish for a life after this, where nothing really happens at all. Just rest and maybe a show here or there.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°We both know that¡¯s never going to happen. We¡¯re deathforged, remember? Destined to fight against the odds and get dirty solving the issues plaguing existence.¡±

    ¡°I hate that I know you¡¯re right.¡± Still, something a little less traumatic than spending time in hell would be appreciated.

    And we weren¡¯t killing our way through all of this miserable place. Roger had rightfully been a little worried that we might roll up to his own village and chew through his family - but I assured him I wouldn¡¯t. I''d seen enough demons to not want to meet his many wives and children. That kind of familiarity might break my dissociation in ways I could never recover from.

    We only went through enough bad guys as needed, now on our way to the palace or castle. Wherever the demon king resided, probably sitting on a throne of spikes and skulls. Everything a shade of red or black. I was tired of that palette.

    ¡°What did the System grant you now?¡± I asked the elf, more to get out of my own head than anything.

    ¡°I can empower one of my shots to have a chain effect every so often.¡±

    ¡°Like a chain lightning?¡±

    She nodded, grinding her matted hair between my shoulder and face. ¡°Yeah, but can be any element that I can cast with my other skills.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ radiant would be pretty nice, huh?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it?¡± She moved away to look me in the face, her soft smile something that tugged at my heartstrings in seeing how completely spent she was.

    Despite Tanya¡¯s offer of all the rest we needed, I doubted that the Lady in Red and whatever had silenced the Eternal Wardens cared to give us a month or two to decompress and get back to our normal state of being.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check mine in a second.¡± I put my arm around her. ¡°Still working up the courage to inhale these three crowns.¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯ll get another demonic power or something? It¡¯s hard to imagine you can get any more destructive than you already are.¡±

    I shrugged, for lack of a more concise response. In truth, I wasn¡¯t too sure how the System even decided to give me more demonic skills. While some of them were something I took myself by exerting my control over Domains and the like, others had just been freely given - perhaps at crown thresholds? Then again, I doubted that a Player was meant to do any of the bullshit that we were currently doing.

    System had to run a little improv to keep me from tearing it in half.

    ¡°If anything¡­ I¡¯m worried that I will become too powerful to really exist.¡±

    Despite not looking directly at her, I could almost hear Ren¡¯s eyes roll. ¡°We¡¯re not even level twenty yet, right? There¡¯s actual people beyond the exclusion zone that have full stats and the best gear and shit. You¡¯re worried because you can grow horns and do some very niche skills.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ when you put it like that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a few steps ahead of everyone else, trickster. You can go invisible, summon cannons, and pretend to die. Not to mention your area stun, potential insta-kill debuff swap, and insane power boosting with that Legendary item¡­ if it wasn¡¯t for the Guardian skills, I¡¯d just shoot things really good.¡±

    it was my turn to roll my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re being a little modest there, too. But in saying that¡­ I wonder if the demon king is a Guardian?¡±

    Her fingers stretched out and relaxed a few times. ¡°Hmm. We¡¯ll know if we get closer, right?¡±

    I nodded slowly. While we knew very little about these entities given power over the System, if I created this world, then the leader of hell would be a prime position to fill with one of these near-gods. But, like Ren said, we wouldn¡¯t really know for sure until we got close enough.

    ¡°Hey, Boss?¡±

    We turned to look over at my rabbit demon. Almost looking as beat up and worn down as the rest of us now, he gave me a brief bow as he stepped closer.

    ¡°Got some intel for you, about the remaining princes.¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re on their way, then just wave these corpses at them and tell them to give us an hour or something.¡± I gestured to the bodies of the three we had just slain.

    ¡°Nah. They¡¯re actually standing with the king. They intend to help rebuff your attack and get a huge amount of the land you¡¯ve taken as a reward.¡±

    I pulled a face. ¡°And how do you know this, Roger?¡±

    ¡°Demonic bird told me.¡± He maintained a neutral expression.

    Ren stretched her legs out and exhaled. ¡°Won¡¯t be any land to divide up, because Max isn¡¯t going to lose.¡±

    ¡°After checking my calendar, it looks like I don¡¯t have the time for anything but winning.¡± I smiled at them both.

    ¡°Not to piss on your parade, Boss, but the king is quite powerful.¡± He crossed his furred arms and looked over at the dead princes. ¡°Like, I¡¯ve seen you deal with these chumps no problem, but the head honcho himself is¡­ a shit too big to flush.¡±

    Demonic plumbing aside, I wondered what that actually meant System-wise. Was he a level twenty boss? An elite or other designation we hadn¡¯t come across yet? Somewhere along the way, we¡¯d become unclipped from the usual cardboard cut-outs the world generally presented us with. While the demons here in hell weren¡¯t smart by any stretch of the word, they felt more real and natural than anything on the surface.

    And that wasn¡¯t just me having an affinity for the bastards.

    ¡°Regardless.¡± I waved the giant rabbit away. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change our trajectory. We march on the capital and kick whoever is on the throne off of it. So simple, it can¡¯t go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Assuming that after we do this, a way out of here comes available to us,¡± Ren said.

    I looked at Roger, but all he could offer was a shrug.

    To come this far and not have a way to escape¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what we¡¯d do. Surely, with enough power, we could tear a hole through reality. We had found a couple of Teleport scrolls, but they hadn¡¯t worked. Something about the demonic nature of this place, perhaps. Agonising.

    ¡°Well, pick your abilities already.¡± Ren pressed on my shoulder as she pushed herself up to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m hungry for a conclusion to all this.¡±

    With a long sigh, I reached forward and plucked the first crown from the ground.

 169 - Ace in Hand

    A warm breeze rolled through hell, making me feel¡­ sticky. Not an uncommon feeling down here for a variety of reasons - but something I was growing evermore tired of. Even the brief splash of water from our stores did little to help. Didn¡¯t want to waste our emergency hydration on getting clean, when grime and gore were only around the next corner.

    I picked the third crown up from the ground and placed it on my head, the silver headwear absorbing into the main one that was permanently affixed atop me. My bones ached all the way up from my feet to my fragile skull. As if my skeleton was eager to burst from my skin suit and leave this wretched place without me.

    Simple fact was, I was dying.

    Drunk too deep from the cup of demonic power and started drowning myself.

    If the others could see it, they made no indication. Ren could read me like a book, the text printed twice the size, but hadn¡¯t twisted my arm about all this danger. If they didn¡¯t know, I wasn¡¯t about to tell them, either.

    I would go to any lengths to get us out of here.

    Trying to ground myself, I ran my tongue across my teeth. Normal, as I was in my human form. A weird sentence that hardly touched the sides of what a bizarre existence I now lived. I was half sure I¡¯d wake up soon, my body between fresh linens with the soft elf beside me - and this would have been a nightmare.

    For now, I relented to the System menus telling me I had four crowns to spend on upgrading my demon abilities. I did not wish to - I wanted to rebel. Mashed around the options on the intangible screen until I gave me something else that I wanted. A new skill, perhaps - as my current ones only had one upgrade level, and I was avoiding touching Domain Escalation.

    There we go - if I chose to discard them permanently, I could gain some stats¡­ or three of them granted me a new skill. With two more crowns awaiting my claim, I could wait and get two skills, or get a new one now and upgrade it - possibly snatch a skill or two just by forcing the System to give me things.

    I blinked away the screens and shook my head. With such a limited resource, I¡¯d be pragmatic and wait till I had all six waiting my attention before making a decision. Would be kicking myself if I spent them all now and then missed out on something really broken.

    As I was clearly lacking that kind of thing.

    Speaking of which, I hit my golden STAR to get my Level Seventeen upgrades. Ignored the usual stat distribution¡­ eyes ran through my passives quickly.

    First gave me a 10% damage boost when below 50% health - very nice, very dangerous. Second gave me a boost to Dazzle chance for five seconds after I landed a critical hit. While most things died after my cards exploded on them, I was quite a big fan of the System pushing the whole critical card thing.

    Most important, however, was the new active ability.

    <Demon¡¯s Ace>

    Brow furrowed, I drew it from my deck to hover in front of me. The symbol on it was a heart, but it had twisted horns. It shimmered between red and black, while the card itself seemed to be bathed in flickering shadow rather than the typical arcane purple.

    ¡°New card, trickster? What does this one do?¡± Ren stepped over now that I had finished deliberating over my power increases.

    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not entirely sure.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    I held my hand out and allowed the card to move through the air, slowly at first, and then I sped up. Sliced around just the same as any of my normal cards would. Then I let it fade away.

    ¡°There¡¯s some bullshit you¡¯re not telling me about.¡± The elf crossed her arms. Her shredded and dirtied outfit was sobering. We all looked like we¡¯d been put through a literal meat-grinder.

    ¡°It acts like a proxy for my skill casting, and it also counts as a demon.¡±

    She nodded slowly. ¡°Aren¡¯t most of your skills a card you throw already?¡±

    I shrugged. That was why I wasn¡¯t super energetic about the reveal. Maybe my mind was just lagging, but the ideas were coming through like old sludge.

    ¡°Here, hold your arm out for me like you¡¯re casting a spell.¡± I raised my eyebrow, and she did as I asked with no hesitation. Hand outstretched to the open space ahead of us.

    I vanished and appeared twenty feet ahead of her, then held my hands up as if she was about to rob me. Twin magic cards, blooming with purple light shot from her hand, spinning towards me. They severed my hands from my wrists before gouging through most of my neck.

    Fake body gurgled and slumped to the floor, handless, as the real me appeared back beside her with my hands in my pockets.

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    ¡°You can use Transposition again, at least - and could turn the demonic card invisible?¡±

    ¡°Correct on both counts.¡± I gave her a glum smile. ¡°Even more than that, he even has a little inventory of his own. Or her own, I suppose. It''s unclear.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ren raised an eyebrow at the card now hovering beside me.

    ¡°Just three items, I assume so that I can load the cannon from afar¡­ but¡­¡± I sent the card over to one of the corpses beloning to a slain prince. With a small gesture, a glass bottle ejected from the card, full of radiantly blessed water. It broke on the body - which started to melt away.

    ¡°That¡¯s some fucking bullshit in the making.¡± She shook the disbelief from her head. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not giddy over it. All the remote tricks you could do now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tired, Ren.¡±

    Her brow furrowed before she stepped forward and pulled me in to a tight hug. Although we¡¯d had no shortage of shameless physical contact in our time down here, this simple act threatened to tear my heart in two. Or that might just be the demonic power.

    ¡°I can fill those ears with mushy reassurance if you like,¡± she offered. ¡°Or bitch you out. Maybe even find somewhere private¡­ tell me what you need, Max.¡±

    A heartfelt promise to do literally anything to make me feel better. While our physical and mental health had taken the abandoned mine cart down through the barbed wire factory, our love had endured. Pristine and unwavering.

    ¡°You are my strength, Ren.¡± I kissed her gently on her dirty forehead. ¡°With you by my side, I am invincible.¡±

    ¡°Honeyed words, trickster, but I need you to promise me three things.¡± Her hands ran through what clumps of my hair were just thick with sweat and not near solid with dried gore.

    ¡°Anything.¡±

    ¡°Kill the king. Live. Make me your queen.¡±

    I smiled. Two of the three sounded pretty doable. Living, however¡­ I could only do my best. Perhaps she could see the darkness swirling me down the drain as she leaned a little closer to my ear.

    ¡°Let me tell you what we¡¯re going to do on that throne if you succeed.¡±

    My eyebrows continued to raise as she whispered to me. Once her lewd fanfiction ran out, she leaned back away, her blue eyes sparkling.

    ¡°You had me at¡­ well, all of it, really.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Are we going to struggle to adjust to the normal world when we escape?¡±

    With a shrug, the elf let me go and stepped away. ¡°I imagine we¡¯ll settle back down closer to how things used to be, but we have changed. We won¡¯t know until we get there, so let¡¯s get moving and find out.¡±

    I gave her a bow and then turned to the bear. ¡°Ready to make a move, brother?¡±

    He groaned and righted himself up to his feet. ¡°I dislike hell and demons.¡± His eyes went between me and Roger. ¡°Aside from you, brother.¡±

    The rabbit rolled his eyes, but didn¡¯t contest that. He seemed just as eager to get this all over with as the rest of us were. I looked up at the swirling nothing that classed as the sky down here. Odd that we hadn¡¯t come across a flock of my hell-birds after all this time. They often had short lives acting as a defensive shield for me - so I could understand if they held a grudge.

    We started to move.

    I spun the new demonic ace out and around my hand before letting it float beside me. It felt different from the others. Not quite like it had a will of its own¡­ but there was a power to it. Probably whatever latent energy that allowed it to be classed as a demon. Didn¡¯t move of its own accord or have anything to say, but if I told it to maintain a set distance with me¡­ it did.

    So it continued to hover just over my shoulder as we walked, slowly turning. Two purple cards swirled around my extended left hand while I shuffled my mundane deck in the air just over my right - cutting the deck every so often. I frowned and thought.

    Loading up my ace with bottles or weaponry might be helpful¡­ but what if it could activate spell scrolls? A bending of the rules... but what was new?

    I filled up the three slots in it with some of the magic scrolls we had accumulated in our time down here, and sent it zipping out thirty feet ahead of us.

    With a grin, I made the gesture with my hand, tugging at the invisible strings of the magic that joined everything together. Partly sure the scroll would just be ejected out onto the ground, yet knowing the System would play by my tune, anyway.

    Fireball ejected from my demon card in a high arc. I switched places with it, sending out a large sphere of electricity from a [Jolt Orb Scroll]. Switched back and immediately had the ace blow a [Smoke Cloud Scroll] to obscure the fact that I had vanished. The two spells sent out into the air collided, exploding and crackling like a large firework.

    Ren¡¯s hand pressed against my lower back. ¡°That¡¯s the trickster that I love.¡±

    I smiled and gave her a wink. Some amount of faux bravado holding that confidence up, but a genuine streak of happiness wormed its way through. I was only a few steps away from outclassing everything in this world. A way to reset my Transposition or increase my Invisibility and it would be hard for anyone to contest my power.

    Especially with the rest Party backing me up. Supporting the show.

    ¡°Almost a shame that we¡¯ll have to leave soon¡­¡± I winced away as both of them shot me glares that near killed me on the spot. ¡°For one single reason.¡±

    Ren rolled her eyes. ¡°Level cap.¡±

    ¡°Once we return, we won¡¯t be able to get any higher than Seventeen, with the area cap being Fifteen.¡±

    She shrugged. Any energy used to maintain the ire toward me evaporating. ¡°You know it would take weeks to get to Twenty, though. Maybe even months.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I wasn¡¯t suggesting we stayed.¡± Okay, I was partly fishing for a reaction to that idea. ¡°Only that being max Level when going against our other problems would have been another layer of safety.¡±

    ¡°Boss, there is a chance that taking the throne would get you to Eighteen.¡± Roger caught up to us. ¡°Not that I know how all that fucking stuff works, but it¡¯s likely there will be more than the two princes assisting the king.¡±

    ¡°An army then. A last stand.¡± I gave him a nod.

    Normally something I¡¯d wince at. Large groups usually were our weakness due to our damaging abilities not being multiple target. With the spell scrolls we had accumulated, we could give most mid-tier mages a run for their money. Especially with Ren having the Inventory manipulation now too. I had watched her switch scrolls through her wrist mounted holder once and it was¡­ well, very attractive.

    A version of me from the past might have rolled my eyes at the System just giving her a way to use sleight of hand in a literal sense, but I didn¡¯t really care at this point. Easily given or not, I wasn¡¯t going to gatekeep Ren¡¯s progress as my partner in illusion.

    While my eyes were tired and dry, my bones threatening to erupt from my skin, and my organs a few shakes away from disconnecting from each other, I¡­ forgot where I was going with that train of thought.

    There was some calm settling within me, knowing this stage of our adventure was soon to end, one way or another.

    Next stop on our tour; the demonic palace itself.

 170 - Army of Three

    Towers of deep purple twisted up toward the amber sky like jagged needles. There was something remarkably gothic and arcane about the architecture of the demonic palace that felt as though it was physically assaulting me, even from this distance.

    The remainder of our journey to this place had gone mostly uncontested. Several small villages near emptied already, as if hell itself was running dry. I knew that couldn¡¯t be the case. Most likely, the king had drawn all those nearby demons in to build an army to stand against us.

    Even more probable, as we gazed down from our high ground at the roving throngs of monsters in loose regiments. A few hundred, maybe - I didn¡¯t even care to try to count them.

    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted just looking at them,¡± Ren said, pulling a face and leaning against her rifle.

    Wolf grunted to signal that he agreed, but said nothing further.

    For me¡­ I was mostly glad that Ren had received that skill that made us immune to a few mental debilitations, including Trauma. No doubt it was the only reason we were still sane and functional at this point, otherwise the slew of violence would have had us crack from the pressure weeks ago.

    [Max: We¡¯re making our final stand.]

    [Max: I¡¯m not sure how the time translates¡­ but shouldn¡¯t be long.]

    [Tanya: We¡¯re all rooting for you, Max.]

    [Quinn: You can do this^]

    [Quinn: Don¡¯t die without me there to avenge you!^]

    [Ren: I won¡¯t let him die.]

    [Tanya: See you all soon then, godspeed.]

    I gave the elf a smile as we both closed down the chat messages. After she had taken my Mana Manipulation skill, her protective abilities had become as broken as my offensive ones. Barely even registered the heals and shields she provided, but they allowed me and Wolf to go all out to an even greater degree than before.

    It was one of the reasons I looked down at the hordes of demons down the valley and felt completely neutral at the prospect of carving our way through them to get to the palace.

    ¡°Tougher bastards will be inside,¡± Roger mentioned, sniffing at the air. ¡°The two other princes, elite guards, and anything else capable of being more than fodder.¡±

    ¡°And the king himself, of course.¡± I stretched out my arms and sighed.

    The end was so close and yet still a rough battle ahead to get there. My hope was that we could actually go home after usurping the throne, but who knew at this point? Too tired to make a second plan if the first fell through.

    ¡°Alright, troops.¡± I put my hands together and drew their attention. ¡°This is the fight we¡¯re been stockpiling for. All those buffing potions and scrolls, we want to use every boost and advantage we can. Save anything rare or short supply for when we get to the palace, but otherwise, let''s roll through the chaff as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°A speech without reference to showmanship.¡± Ren gave me a wry grin.

    ¡°Hell has¡­ ruined me,¡± I said and shook my head. Would be nice to get back to the point where the normal me had more control than the demonic side. ¡°Although that was partially you as well, no doubt.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you didn¡¯t have an equal share in the debauchery, trickster.¡± She rolled her shoulders out and lifted up her rifle. ¡°Almost a shame that we¡¯ll go back to something more grounded soon enough.¡±

    While I gave her a nod, I wasn¡¯t so sure it was a shame. There was only so much punishment I could take. Our more normal love life from before was¡­ well, actually thinking back to the tower - we¡¯d always leaned on the side of slightly unhinged.

    ¡°We¡¯ll run through this nice and simple.¡± I let the thoughts over our relationship dwindle away so that I could focus on the battle plan. ¡°Chew through and clog up the front using the valley, while my ace and Ren batter the ones near the back. Idea is to break them and cut through the palace gates as soon as reasonable.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± The elf gave me a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s get buffed up.¡±

    My eyes rolled around my Inventory window at great speed. While I could draw most things from there with just a thought, I wanted to take stock of what potions I¡¯d have to hold my nose and drink. The first consumable would make that more bearable - a type of cheese that made everything taste like¡­ more cheese.

    A pretty [Gouda Buff] if you asked me.

    Next up were all the ones that increased my magical damage, crit chance, and mana regeneration. Followed by Intelligence boosting, a minor all-stats boost, and then something to give me a bit more defense and evasion. At that point, my stomach felt pretty full, so I saved anything niche for later.

    Switched to spell scrolls and buffed my Illusion magic, skill range, and health regeneration. A couple of party-wide auras to further increase defenses and attack power. Ren and Wolf finished off their preparations, both of them now shimmering through several different colors.

    I felt calm now. Perhaps one of the side effects of a potion. One last final push and¡­

    ¡°Ren.¡± I turned my head to the elf. ¡°You know what the worst part of this whole venture has been?¡±

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ just so many things. I wouldn¡¯t know where to start.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve grown tired of the taste of Sweet Cakes.¡±

    Her brow furrowed slightly as a tear sprung from her right eye and traveled down her face. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking bastard, Max. You¡¯re lucky I love you.¡±

    I smiled, reveling in the rebellion. Yes. Somebody had to love me, and despite everything we¡¯d been through in hell, we still wore the rings exchanged. A binding vow that not even this cursed place could undo.

    ¡°Everybody look sharp. We only get one shot at this, and missing is not an option.¡±

    At their murmurs of readiness, we surged forth.

    The palace itself sat at the bottom of a valley, three or possibly four long pathways leading downward to an open area where the gathered demons were sitting right in front of the building that housed the king. Gaps in the lowered ground revealed small pits of lava, the air waving from the heat as the amber glow illuminated patches of deep red rock.

    Without a way to teleport the bear, we had to make most of the distance on foot. Surprisingly, we got within a decent distance before bright eyes started to turn our way, and the gathered horde murmured that we had arrived.

    It was showtime.

    With still a way for Wolf to go, Ren started proceedings with a shot into the closest demons, entangling roots grabbing at a wide handful and preventing their easy surge toward us.

    ¡°Kneel, pathetic maggots,¡± she called out. ¡°Bow your heads and worship your future king.¡±

    As her buffing skill washed over me, I switched with my demonic ace in the air and activated <Demon Form> at the same time as my shadowed card cast three held spells. [Growth Scroll] increased my size by 20%. [Anti-Venom Shell Scroll] made me shimmer a deep purple color, and was mostly for the aesthetics. [Quake Scroll] did no damage, but vibrated the ground in a wide area. As horns burst from my head, two large wings cracked at the air as they snapped open behind me.

    The sea of Dazzle icons washing through the demons was pure bliss.

    A second blast rang from Ren''s location as a radiant shot blew through two demons before bright gold lightning flickered around a dozen more, her new skill scouring and burning the blight before us.

    Wolf collided with the front row of the pinned regiment, trampling several before his claws cleaved another group to shreds. Pulses of stunning and dazing effects washed through any close to him.

    I looked up to see a cloud of arrows moving through the air toward me. My sharp teeth upturned into a grin as the projectiles burst through <Card Fan>, the shield provided by Ren, and all my other defenses. Arrows pierced my body, far too many to avoid fully. I continued to glide down towards the horde below. The grin remained on my face despite the eight arrows in me and countless cuts from other near misses.

    <Demonic Regeneration> started to overcome the injuries, my bravado not even caring to use <Last Act> to avoid the piercing points of the lobbed arrows. One by one, they were pushed out of my body - ejected to fall inert to the ground below. As soon as I was free from them, I turned invisible.

    Near silent, I dropped and landed on the warm, rocky ground. Righted myself and brought my wings in as my hand extended. [Ice Spear Scroll] burned away from my gauntlet and a five-foot long piercing beam burst from my palm, cutting through the head of the nearest demon. As my invisibility faded, purple cards bloomed and encircled my left hand. I had thirteen additional scrolls of the same spell, and I rotated them into the holster on my arm every time one was cast.

    I whirled amongst the maelstrom. Spears of ice jutting out from me in intervals as I ducked and followed-up any damage I caused. Magic cards spiraled out around my left like a reactive shield, lashing out to cut through opponents like a whip. Mundane cards spun around me like an obscuring cloud, causing the demons to wince away from the fluttering cardboard.

    A hiss emerged from deeper in the army, and I turned my head just as a fel green orb snaked through the horde and struck me. I slid backward across the ground getting slicker with the blood of those beneath me. They had magic casters, and reasonably proficient ones for a change. Decent damage and some minor debuffs.

    I didn¡¯t really have the range or line of sight on them, so I flashed my wings to buffer the demons away from me and reveal a chair. Hopped atop it and gave them all a bow. Weight pressed on my back as Ren appeared, switched with her dove - straight into a crouched position. As soon as her rifle blasted, she was gone, and I dropped back to the ground on my feet, chair put away.

    To follow up on her picking the brains of the spellcaster, several explosions of green gas rocked the middle of the army, as my ace spun through the regiments setting off [Noxious Blast Scrolls]. While the System had originally pinned me down to Illusion and Demonic magic, my new card made me a fully-fledged arcanist, limited to only what scrolls I had in stock.

    I heard Wolf¡¯s roar from behind; he was catching me up already and the first third of the army was starting to collapse.

    Perhaps it was time I helped them along. With a grin, I clicked my fingers and cast <Finale>.

    The cheers of the crowd gave us the energy and drive to slaughter halfway through the middle third of the army. We were¡­ an overwhelming force. They brought out larger brutes and Ren¡¯s rainstorm skill scoured them into melting piles of demonic flesh as the constant bolts of radiant light burned through to the rock below. Warmachines rumbled forth and my ace spewed acid and rust spells, before covering what remained in oil so that the elf could light them up with a flaming shot. Packs became enraged, but were broken and mashed beneath the unstoppable presence of the bear. Roger helped a little too, I assumed.

    I dropped <Demon Form> to save my humanity from tearing away and going on vacation. Body was soaked through with blood - some of it my own. Without the ability to stun any of us, they just couldn¡¯t put out enough damage to win out. Any cut or slash I received was quickly patched up with Demonic Regeneration. A spear that impaled me all the way through was healed over with a spike from Ren¡¯s Mana Manipulated burst heal.

    There was¡­ fear in the demon¡¯s eyes.

    We had become something of a nightmare to them. Unrelenting. Constant slaughter through scores of their number. My brain was too far gone to care about the System, or why these Monsters were capable of more emotion than the ones up in the real world. If that even existed anymore.

    Maybe this was it. Just continuous carnage.

    I loved it. Hoped there would be no end to the demons. Perhaps we could just wait out here and hope that some more would be along shortly - we hadn¡¯t completely scoured hell, of course.

    A chain lashed out through the crowd, bursting through my shoulder and dragging me towards whoever had thrown it. I slid across the ground, blocking a handful of attacks from the onlookers while a couple more struck me. A large elite had been the one to grab me, and now stood ready to hit me with a large axe once his chain had brought me into range.

    Not a big deal. I¡¯d just use <Last Act> when he¡­

    Weapon flashed down as my brow furrowed at the new debuff icon over me.

    A spellcaster off to the side had disabled all of my skills.

 171 - Showpiece of Work

    Over the near two months of my time in this world, I had been somewhat accustomed to pain. A certain amount of near-deaths and plenty of cuts and bruises. All physically survived, albeit with some lingering mental exhaustion - I was sure.

    And so, as the large axe broke through my left clavicle and embedded halfway into my chest, the tall demon standing in front of me probably didn¡¯t expect me to smile.

    ¡°Quickest way to my heart isn¡¯t my stomach, it seems,¡± I said, blood spluttering from my mouth.

    His head exploded - probably from the sniper rifle rather than my terrible joke - and the weapon sunk away from the wound with a terrible slurping sound.

    Ren appeared beside me, hand against my back as my ace created a protective dome around us. Only lasted ten seconds, but without concentrated healing, I had less time than that to continue existing.

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to die until we¡¯ve desecrated that throne, asshole.¡± The elf pooled her mana into her heal, the delayed burst causing my skin and bones to graft back together. Almost as painful as the split.

    ¡°I¡¯ll not die until this entire world stands and applauds me.¡± I wavered, but my grin seemed to comfort her. She then vanished to be replaced by her dove, as I brought a healing potion up to my lips.

    Disgusting, but necessary.

    Not only had I almost had my heart torn in two, but slightly further in the other direction, and I would have lost my left arm. Something I didn¡¯t think even Ren¡¯s healing would be able to fix. While there was plenty of magic I could weave single-handed, the amusing idea of having a rotating barrel prosthetic armed with twenty scrolls like some kind of shotgun-arm wasn¡¯t a healthy thought to have right this second.

    Barrier dropped and my purple magic cards circled around me as I healed. Slicing through the demons who thought I might be an easier target when injured. Incorrect. I turned my head to see the spellcaster readying up to disable my skills once more.

    I shook my head slowly.

    His chest exploded, fire consuming him from within and setting his long robes alight. The demonic cannon dropped behind him by my ace card had fired off a lit lantern.

    I tried to flex out my left arm as Demonic Regeneration patched up the last of the external wound. Ached like crazy, my muscles still bearing the brunt of the trauma.

    If anything, the pain just made me¡­ angry. I¡¯d been able to ignore and quell it for most of the time that we¡¯d been in hell, but that feral hatred for demonkind started burning back within me, as if placed there by the axe itself. Purple electricity sparked around me.

    They feared me, and I¡¯d let them. Become what they abhorred and ran from. Except they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. An unknown voice echoed deep within me from somewhere else, assuring me I needed to kill all demons. So I would.

    Demon ace below me as I jumped up into the air and activated <Demon Form>, the card activated a [Wind Gust Scroll] followed by a second, pushing me high up in the air to hover above the battlefield.

    What remained of the army were small dots now. Occasionally, a slim beam of golden light flashed through, bursting through several demons before a crackle of radiant lighting snapped between others like fireworks. Wolf became a comet snaking through the night sky as fire burned a trail behind his charge, trampling and impaling scores of the gathered monsters. The white blob of Roger mopped up behind him and made sure the elf wasn¡¯t flanked.

    There were patches of deep red. Some green and yellow from spells cast of bile thrown up. A sprinkling of white where bones had emerged from the melted fleshy parts of some demons. Reflective metal picked up some light. Two lines of purple darting around as I weaved through the remainder of the army. Not really much of a painting of anything other than war. One that they were losing.

    I looked over at the palace. Some temptation within me wanting to zip over there right now and burst through the roof. How difficult could it be to kill one more demon?

    It would only take getting caught out like with the spellcaster, and I¡¯d have no backup plan. It had been a while since I was a solo showman, and for good reason. I half expected the king, princes, and remaining elites to come pouring out from the palace to assail us. Join the fray and fall in short order.

    But they had some common sense in staying put and maintaining control of their battleground. If it were me, I¡¯d put all sorts of traps and preparations around the doors leading into the throne room. Oh, it would soon be me.

    All I needed to do was¡­ get rid of the trash.

    Switched positions with my demonic ace down on the ground, and dropped my wings and horns away. I had gotten a good view of the battlefield and knew we were getting close to overrunning all that remained.

    Just needed one last push.

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    I grinned and let the hate overtake me. Burst forward in flashes, as if my brain only cared to see the death-blows. Cards blooming just in front of my hands as though they were punch blades, I ducked and weaved - slashing out and cutting through demons. Dropped <Finale> again as it had come off cooldown. Activated the enchantment on my [Boots of Quickstep] to gain a boost of movement speed.

    Cast a spell scroll of [Random Element] which added 10% damage of a random element to every attack that landed. A whistle passed my ears as one of Ren¡¯s shots scoured the air just beside me.

    Despite the anger and ache vibrating through my body, I felt¡­ calm and¡­

    I stopped, my next card not having a target. Looking around, I spun on the spot to look for something standing upright and breathing. A handful of demons escaping into the palace, but other than that¡­ there was an uncomfortable silence to the area.

    Hundreds of corpses littered the warm ground. Pulses of heat from the dotted lava pools making the air suddenly very stifling. It was a macabre sight that would have cracked and broken a Max from the past. These days, the only thing preventing me from writhing around amongst the shattered bones and disemboweled figures with the elf was the fact we had more corpses to create.

    I checked myself for physical injury, but it was hard to tell since I was covered head to toe in blood and gore. My regeneration had patched up everything minor that had been inflicted on me - to the point that I barely registered the attacks. Left side of me still ached despite the wound suturing itself together - I¡¯d need to give it a proper look after a wash.

    Oh, to have a bath. A thing of distant memory. My body shed odd tears just thinking of clean and relaxing water. We never knew we had it so good.

    ¡°Need any more healing, trickster?¡±

    I turned my head as the rest of the Party caught me up. The elf had a few more sprays of crimson across her, but had kept at enough distance to avoid most of the more visceral parts of the combat. Wolf was almost as covered as I was - although his fur had been cleaned off, leaving only the thick armor slick with the red stuff. Roger¡¯s arms were bright scarlet, but other than looking exhausted, he was doing fine.

    ¡°System-wise I am feeling alright. I think just on an existential level I might be falling apart.¡± I gave her a glum shrug, which caused a spike of pain down my left side.

    ¡°Well, you almost died again, so be more careful of that.¡± She yawned and smeared blood across her face as she brought her forearm up to cover her tired expression. ¡°There¡¯s a cooldown and shit.¡±

    I cycled back through my notifications to see if it had actually split my heart. There were a few low and critical health alerts I had long silenced, but nothing specifically telling me the organ was fucked. That was my Ren-loving heart, so it was a good thing she had saved it.

    ¡°I am maybe three hours from finally losing my sanity,¡± Wolf stated rather plainly. ¡°Either we win and escape very soon, or I will become an untenable monster who will probably die in short order because I am old and suffering.¡±

    A scowl upon my brow, I stepped over and dropped to my knees before him, grabbing his head to hold it against my chest. ¡°I forgot what I was going to say to you on the way down here. Sorry, Wolf.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all suffering, brother,¡± Ren assured him. ¡°Together we will escape and live free again.¡±

    The bear grunted, a little too polite to push me away from holding his face - even despite the circumstances. ¡°I¡¯d suffer a lot less if there was more opportunity to sleep, and if the two of you quit trying to breed for more than ten minutes.¡±

    She shrugged in return. ¡°Believe me, there are worse ways we could try to maintain our sanity than our deviant acts. Between that, my skill preventing certain mental afflictions, and Max¡¯s corruption resistance - well, we¡¯ve just about survived.¡±

    ¡°Good experience, too,¡± I added, finally letting go of the bear to stand back up. ¡°We might just hit Eighteen after killing the king, just as Roger foretold.¡±

    We all turned our gazes to the rabbit, who was standing off to the side with his arms crossed. A rather awkward expression that turned into a grimace as our attention focused on him.

    ¡°I may be a demon, but you three are fucked up.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There needs to be a worse place than hell for shitheads like you all. No offence, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Some taken.¡± I rolled my eyes. Our wavering sanity aside, we were just a product of our environment. Excluding the fact that both Ren and I came into this world from the starter island as murderers, and with the intent to carry on that tradition on all that stood against us.

    A worse place for us? Othea itself was pretty miserable. Behind all the springtime woodlands and quaint villages was a corrupt Player twisting anyone with some hate in their heart for the world into killers ready and willing to tear the System down.

    If we didn¡¯t stop the Lady and Crimson Shadows, she would eventually find a way past the barrier, and who knows how far she could go then. We didn¡¯t want regiments of Level Twenty Players against us - or even the Crown. That said, perhaps regicide could become a new hobby.

    I licked my lips, which just filled my mouth with the taste of demon blood.

    ¡°Plan, Max?¡±

    With a groan, I closed my eyes. Roof would have been nice, but we didn¡¯t really have a way of getting Wolf up there. Front or side doors were a non-starter, as they¡¯d be expecting that. Part of me wished I could throw out my Domain and bring about a giant card to just slice through the whole building like I had against the titan zombie.

    Didn¡¯t have the strength for it - both in literal sense and my Power bar was still middling, despite all that I had done in that fight. While enacting such an exertion of my mana, it usually caused me lots of physical and mental damage to maintain it. I was already a ragged bag of loosely held together parts.

    We¡¯d just have to do this a little simply.

    ¡°Circle the building and find somewhere that doesn¡¯t have an obvious entrance. I believe we have some scrolls that could create a hole in the wall without creating too much of a ruckus. Once we are in there, kill all the bastards.¡± I grinned as I stared at the palace, wavering in place slightly. ¡°Focus casters and anyone capable of debilitating me.¡±

    ¡°Do you have to be the one that kills the king?¡± Ren¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    Wasn¡¯t quite insane enough to think she¡¯d want to betray me to steal the crown. Even though she wanted to become my demon queen, Roger wasn¡¯t convinced putting on a crown would change her in that way - so she¡¯d settled on just being an elven queen. Probably better than way, in the long term.

    ¡°You know it, moonflower. Unless it¡¯s a matter of life or death, I need to claim the power myself fair and square.¡± Or at least, as fair as I usually played.

    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s circle the left side then, as it¡¯s closer.¡±

    I nodded, and we set off, just as I received a notification.

    [Tanya: Max. We have news.]

    [Tanya: Hope this isn¡¯t a bad time, but you''ll want to know this, I¡¯m sure.]

    [Tanya: The Lady in Red¡­]

    [Tanya: Crimson Shadow has taken control of Candlekeep.]

 172 - Stat Check

    My jaw continued to work as we walked to the side of the palace.

    The news that Candlekeep had fallen was¡­ irritating. Even if we were in the normal world, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that we would have been able to do anything about it, anyway. But just knowing that the Crimson Shadow was succeeding was enough to ruin my mood.

    And how? We had been reducing their numbers to the point that they were struggling to assault the city - it can''t be that she had found another enclave of Players to wrap around her finger to bolster her power. Not knowing was figuratively killing me.

    Ren placed a hand on my shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts. ¡°I know you¡¯re overthinking things, trickster. Let¡¯s deal with one problem at a time.¡±

    I nodded and gave her a smile. She was right, as always.

    Tanya and the other two groups were close to where the Eternal Wardens used to be, just waiting for us before engaging. Not that they were incapable, but given that I was the expert on bullshit, they wanted us to catch them up before they walked into whatever nightmare had befallen the group. Hopefully something we could twist to our advantage.

    Only then could I focus my ire and overwhelming abilities on erasing the Lady in Red from this world. We were getting close to being more than anyone could handle. All we needed to do was get Wolf a Guardian¡¯s powers, and the three of us could trample any opposition to dust.

    That said¡­

    I ran my hand along the stone wall as we circled around. Warm, as expected. Not overtly evil in a demonic way - which was disappointing. Worst yet, I couldn¡¯t feel the draw of a Guardian within the walls.

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel it either,¡± Ren confirmed, her bright blues seeing what I was doing.

    ¡°Perhaps a good thing.¡± I shrugged and wrinkled up my face. We didn¡¯t exactly want to be pushed right to the edge in this fight. As long as I got the killing blow, then¡­ well, I was done with this place.

    The bear sniffed at the air, before pausing and turning around. I followed his gaze to see a couple of large groups of demons standing at the top of the valley. Not approaching, just watching to see what happened. Perhaps hoping to be on the winning side.

    Ren brought her rifle up and looked down the scope at them. ¡°Nothing much to note,¡± she informed us. ¡°I could give them a warning shot?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No. They know they are outclassed. Just the sight of the carnage we have caused is crippling enough for their spirits.¡±

    The elf licked her lips, but lowered her gun. ¡°Well, I hope they got their kneeling knees on today, because we¡¯re about to be royalty.¡±

    ¡°An upgrade from princess to queen.¡± I grinned, even as she rolled her eyes.

    We moved down the side of the palace until I stopped and looked at the plain wall beside us. Without saying anything, the rest understood my cue. Scroll appeared in my hand as Ren and Wolf flanked my sides. Roger was behind us all, and I could feel his nerves. This was the final battle, after all.

    Scroll disintegrated to dust as I cast [False Entrance] on the wall ahead of us. A spiral of runes etched into the brickwork before it twisted into a circular entrance, leading into the room beyond¡­ which appeared to be a bathroom.

    The confused look of an elite demon currently seated upon a rather evil looking toilet was quickly erased by Ren¡¯s shot. We stepped through, not wanting to be split up when the spell ended.

    I looted the demon, finding mostly useless garbage at this stage. Another container called [Sealed Demonic Stash]. I had a lot of these, but as the name suggested, they couldn¡¯t be opened. After the first week of not finding a key, I just looted them without a thought. I was sure to find a way eventually, but given my luck with random chance boxes, I paled at what further debris they¡¯d grant me. My Inventory was already overloaded.

    Light dimmed as the circle closed behind us, the four of us now trapped inside the palace. One single exit from this room. I stretched out my arms and relaxed. Felt calm, considering - but it had all been leading to this. Three weeks, give or take, of hell.

    Now it was do or die, and those were simple instructions I¡¯d follow to the letter, with no complaints.

    We burst out of the bathroom, emerging into what looked like servant quarters. Clusters of bunk beds, drawers, and basic furniture, all with a hint of evil to them. No demons present - which made sense considering the situation. All hands were up and ready to serve and protect the king.

    For as good as that would do them.

    Roger had been able to tell us that the king himself was a powerful magic user, as well as pretty formidable in melee. As we strode across the dorms to the exit, we downed the rest of our potions, reapplying buffs that had fallen off and using the more powerful things we had stockpiled. Increasing our damage and defenses to a degree that would make us sickeningly overpowered in the above world.

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    ¡°Wait.¡± Ren put her hand on me, and I turned to see her eyes were swirls of green energy. ¡°They have a barrier over this doorway, and demons waiting on the other side.¡±

    ¡°They know we¡¯re here?¡± My questions came out flat - as we hadn¡¯t been exactly covert in our approach, and the king must have some manner of tracking.

    ¡°Perhaps. I can see which one is putting up the barrier.¡± Her tongue ran across her teeth.

    I smiled. ¡°Care to ask them to stop, then?¡±

    The elf nodded, her eyes still that odd color - some manner of magic detect, I imagined. Rifle went up, and she fired a shot that exploded through the wall, chunks of the stone dropping to the floor.

    Without waiting for the confirmation, I burst through the doorway. They¡¯d definitely know we were coming with a bullet making the first appearance, and I didn¡¯t want them to have a moment to reposition or prepare.

    I emerged into a lobby. Wide and with a tall ceiling, decorated with engravings and reliefs depicting demons and hellish acts being done to naked humans. All rather grandiose, if not a little macabre.

    Large demon to the immediate left was already toppling over, half of his head missing. A second towering monster to the right swung down at me with a mace as thick as a tree. These were some of the elite royal guard - fifteen feet tall and overtly muscled. Even the spell casters¡ªof which there were three others in this room¡ªweren¡¯t wearing the traditional robes you¡¯d expect.

    The weapon struck the floor where I had been standing, flattening my ace and cracking the square tiles. From beside him, the cannon I was standing upon fired a spear through the side of his leg. As the demon hunched over to grasp at the wound, my two magic cards spun in the air like a saw to slash through his throat.

    A gust of wind blew past me as Wolf tore down the chamber to reach the casters at the other end. We¡¯d found three different speed boosting consumables he could stack with his charge and other skills. It turned him into a blur, if only for a few seconds. My hand raised to use the [Silence Area Scroll] to see how they liked being prevented from using their skills.

    Turned out, they didn¡¯t like it at all. Third one barely had a chance to switch to his a melee weapon before Wolf was upon him - the first gored and the second Ren had erased.

    There were wide doors to our left, up a handful of stairs. Ornate. Clearly led to the throne room itself. Before we could consider this option, the doorway at the end near Wolf swung open, and demons poured forth. Remnants of the army that had retreated or had been held in reserve.

    Little did they know what they were in for.

    Doors were terrible chokepoints. A radiant bullet slammed the first three through the opening before golden lightning crackled out through maybe a dozen more. Still standing atop my cannon, I sent my demonic ace over the heads of the fallen and into whatever room was beyond.

    I activated three [Lightning Storm Scroll]s in a row, the resulting static in the air tangible, as a wave of burned flesh smell washed back through. I switched places and landed amongst the confused throng of dead and dying demons. First card I pulled was critical, which exploded most of the chest of one demon. Second card was also a critical.

    Mundane cards circled me like a hurricane, magic power tapping into them just as they were about to touch a demon. I became a tornado of violence, my sphere of influence expanding until the cards touched the walls.

    I clapped my hands, and they all fell to dust, leaving no demon standing. Two panicked faced looked in from the door out of here, more in reserve losing their spirit.

    ¡°If you give me five minutes, I¡¯ll be the new king and I won¡¯t kill you.¡± I smiled and tilted my head. ¡°Or step inside and join your brethren in oblivion.¡±

    Other than giving me a grimace, the two faces did little else other than sink away from view. A good enough answer as any.

    I stepped back into the lobby to find the others waiting for me. Roger had all but accepted he was mostly an observer at this point. Usually he would get stronger alongside me, but since I wasn¡¯t meant to be in hell, the System had been skipping on conventional norms for a while.

    ¡°Ready to entertain royalty?¡± Ren asked, giving me a soft smile as I joined them once more.

    ¡°Something something greatest show ever,¡± I murmured, leaning forward to give her a brief kiss.

    ¡°I definitely miss normal bullshit.¡± She sighed and rested her head on me. ¡°Rather than hell bullshit. I honestly do hope that we can escape here and just be goofy magicians again.¡±

    Although ¡®goofy¡¯ wasn¡¯t how I¡¯d describe our dazzling feats, I was on the same page. For the most part, we had just been killers here. There wasn¡¯t much point trying to wow the demons with tricks, and after a few days we were just under constant exhaustion, anyway. I wiped the saliva running down my mouth as I imagined a soft, clean bed.

    ¡°I miss the sunshine,¡± Wolf said. His amber eyes were focused on the large doors before us. ¡°Fresh running water. The rest of our friends.¡±

    We were now a group of fifteen once we returned. Not quite enough to retake a city, maybe - but I felt as though the three of us counted as a few extra bodies when it came to power levels. One quick detour to see what happened to the Eternal Wardens¡ªand if they left behind any useful information about Guardians¡ªand then we¡¯d head toward Candlekeep.

    Before going against the demon king, I had one last look at my equipment and stats. It had been a while as I had mostly tried to ignore the System bullshit down here, just as the System tried to ignore us.

    Head: [Headband of Woe] [+5% Damage per 5% Mana used for a spell]

    Shoulders: [Hellborne Spaulders] [+8 Int, +2 Dex]

    Back: [Skinned Horror] [+5 Int, +3 Dex, +3 Luck]

    Chest: [Hellfire Wrappings] [+7 Int, +10% Magic Damage]

    Arms: [Arcane Guards+] [+5 Int, +5 Wis, +10% Mana, (+3 Int)]

    Hands: [Tricksters Gloves+] [+8 Int, +5 Dex, (+3 Int)]

    Belt: [Compounding Arcane Belt] [+10% Int]

    Legs: [Brilliant Studded Leathers] [+5% Defense, +5 Int, +10% Mana]

    Feet: [Dire Boots+] [+6 Dex, +10% Move Speed, (+3 Int)]

    My jewelry and other accessories gave another +20 Int, +5 Luck, +25% Magic Damage, and +30% Mana.

    Stats sheet didn¡¯t show the effects of potions or scrolls, but even the base numbers surprised me, after so long without checking.

    [Stats]

    Strength - 12 (12)

    Constitution - 13 (13)

    Agility - 12 (12)

    Dexterity - 46 (30 + 16)

    Intelligence - 101 (30 + 62 + 9)

    Wisdom - 17 (12 + 5)

    Luck - 29 (21 + 8)

 173 - Pact Up

    I placed my hand against the large, ornate doors and pushed.

    They opened smoothly. Almost without resistance, as if they were weightless. No groan or creaks. Truly a set of doors that befitted a king. Soon to be mine, I hoped.

    Perhaps more interesting than the smooth entryway by manner of several factors was the room that it led into. Wide and tall, with a domed ceiling decorated with black and gold. Spiraled patterns that might make sense if I had the time to stand and stare at them for a while, but at a brief glance they were just dizzying.

    Centerpiece of the whole throne room was the throne itself, and its current occupant. The seat was made of a dark material - obsidian, but a swirl of energy rolled around the surface almost like faint waves of dry ice. Spiked, with various skulls on the ends of some of the longer protrusions. Many humanoid but others were various beasts or creatures I couldn¡¯t even imagine.

    The demon king himself was every bit a cliche as I could have imagined. A towering humanoid of dark red flesh, easily twenty feet tall if he stood. Hooved feet, dark leathers covering little of his muscled form, yellow eyes, sharp fangs, and two large horns of a black almost as dark as the throne. He wore a tired but amused look on his face, his position in his seat casual and unbothered. On his right side, a tall flaming greatsword hung in the air - hovering in place as an eye in the hilt observed us.

    To his left stood a cloaked figure. A long beak extended from the darkness of their wide hood, so they were probably some manner of bird-demon. Hunched and rounded, two clawed hands clasped at a long staff. The magic weapon looked as though it was made from the twined sinews of many victims, like gnarled wood. Pale strands woven together rose up to encircle a large skull that constantly bled from the eye sockets.

    The rest of the pristine marbled floor was covered by his elite guard in waiting. Two dozen, at least, heavily armored demons of various shades. None smaller than ten-feet tall, and each armed with wicked looking weapons that either glowed with insidious intent or dripped unknown poisons and toxins. Eyes glared at the three of us as we stood in the opening.

    I was almost thankful that they hadn¡¯t immediately attacked, so that I could take in the splendor and absolute weight of energy and power in this room. Even the titan zombie had nothing on the king and his retinue. We had been constantly punching above our level in this world, but this monster wasn¡¯t meant to be assailed by Players - let alone so few.

    As the star of the show, I took the first few steps forward. Tense and ready to burst into violence. If they had allowed us a brief second to fully drink down the sight before us, then there was a chance one of us could get a monologue off before heads started to roll. I almost craved it.

    A quick glance to my two companions, and neither seemed to be shrinking away under the power before us. Ren looked stoic, perhaps her exhaustion just too great to care anymore. Wolf, on the other hand, was a lot more agitated than normal - eager to chew through this last hurdle. And I¡­ was calm, considering.

    ¡°Mortals,¡± the king¡¯s voice boomed out, as he leaned forward. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve managed to survive down here, but your luck has run out.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary.¡± I smiled and continued forward, slowly. ¡°This is the first time we¡¯ve had the chance to entertain royalty, so luck is truly on our side.¡±

    ¡°If only for a few more seconds. You don¡¯t understand how outclassed you are.¡±

    I looked around the room at all the demons, just tense and ready to try to take us apart. Part of me missed the System giving us a little heads-up about levels and monster names. Mostly, however, I had been enjoying the feeling that this was more akin to real-life compared to our previous experiences with monsters in Othea. Even if they were still constructs of the System, being able to hold a conversation was a novelty.

    It made dazzling them all that more pleasant.

    As I opened my mouth to speak, I found no words came out. Instead, my throat felt tight and constricted. The king¡¯s hand extended, and I felt weightless, my feet rising off the floor as the pressure on my neck increased. I extended my hand in an attempt to cast something, but my vision blurred as my eyes bulged out.

    With a sickening crunch, my head exploded, sending brain matter and blood up into the air like a geyser.

    The perfect firework to start off this soon-to-be-massacre.

    While my corpse dropped to the floor, the real me stepped out amongst the group of demons on the right side. A shot rang out as Ren fired for the spellcaster beside the king, a blazing shield of swirling orange light protected the bird-like demon from even the high caliber rifle. Two cards of bright purple spun into my hands and I jabbed them forward like daggers into the kidneys of the opponent in front of me, who hadn¡¯t turned.

    And then all hell broke loose. Heh.

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    Wolf powered into the left side of the throne room, stunning and disemboweling the first demon he came across as my ace dropped area effect scrolls. Reduced Armor. Reduced Speed. Weakness to debuffs. Oh, we were going to debuff the shit out of them.

    I felt elated. Not a traditional show by any means, but a culmination of all we had suffered through and overcome in our little jaunt through the hells. Already overpowered by Player standards, the bloodshed had acted as a lubricant for us to force the dial even further.

    <Last Act> was easy to reset now. A simple matter of dropping twenty percent of my own health through Bloodletting, my Demonic Regeneration and passive recovery from items and Ren topping my health up to full again within seconds. They needed to pin me down to put pressure on - but I was as slippery as anything. Perhaps also lubed from the bloodshed.

    That brought distracting thoughts up that I didn¡¯t need right now. My glance went over to the elf as she skewered a demon with the jagged bayonet before blowing a hole straight through them into another opponent behind.

    I felt the displacement of air before I saw the attack from behind me - but I swapped places with my ace and the axe attack instead bounced off the rounded cylinder of my cannon left in my wake. Purple card went out and slashed through the back of the knee of a demon approaching Wolf. They stumbled and dropped in front of the bear, who leaped up and tore the face off of the demon with a quick bite.

    Then I went invisible, my cannon firing a blast of confetti through the throng as I walked over to the center of the room once more. I could¡­ feel something in the air. I glanced at the king, who was rising from his throne to take up his sword - but that wasn¡¯t it.

    Instead, I looked back to the open doorway. Another smile widened across my face.

    Before my invisibility wore off, I spun on my heels to face the throne once again, using a [Smoke Scroll] to create a cloud of obscuring mist around me. The wall of gray dispersed almost immediately, as scores of hell-birds rushed through the doorway and into the chamber, swirling the smoke away to reveal me now in my <Demon Form>.

    But that wasn¡¯t all!

    As my bird friends swooped past me, I allowed them to take spell scrolls from my outstretched hands. Although I couldn¡¯t interact with them directly, I sent my ace around the room. It passed through the hell-doves without harming them, instead just acting as an activating wick to burst the spells from the claws of the small demons.

    The demon king stretched out his neck and twirled the sword in his hands, readying up. Crackles of energy from constant spells, blasts from the sniper rifle, and the roars or crunches over by Wolf filled the throne room.

    ¡°The rumors were true then.¡± The king grimaced, glaring at my wings and horns. ¡°Far beyond any other mortal than has dared step foot in my kingdom. I can see it in your eyes¡­ you would never settle for less than the throne. There is no point asking for you to join my side.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± I grinned, birds still swooping around me to retrieve more scrolls to take into the battlefield.

    My cannon fired off another blast of confetti, and the king didn¡¯t even flinch. I could feel the power in his sword, even from here - the weapon was a demon, too. My mundane deck burst from my belt and swirled around me, the air now thick with cards and birds. As I stretched my fingers out to show the white gloves I now wore, I could sense the threads of magic that joined them all to me.

    A network where I was the anchor, able to control and utilize everything to my benefit.

    Before I could make the first move, a wave of heat buffeted me - a shockwave burst out from the king, tensing up to launch towards me. He would be much quicker than me, I was sure. I snapped my fingers as he burst forth, putting the advanced version of <Shuffle> on him.

    Slowed - something that reduced both movement and attack speed. How fortuitous¡­ although a debuff that instantly killed him would have been preferable. I¡¯d just have to wait for the refresh.

    I switched position with a bird near the throne as the large sword cut through the air where I had been standing. A purple trail remained where it had swiped, as if he had scarred the atmosphere itself. Several of my hapless hell-birds bursting into fine mist from the strike.

    Just to my left, the spellcaster was gathering up some crackling energy, ready to cast something at me. I raised an eyebrow at the shadowed demon as my <Card Fan> absorbed the strike. ¡°Lightning, really? But it¡¯s only just started to rain.¡±

    The demon opened their mouth to squawk at me, before looking up. A cloud had formed, suddenly ejecting bolts of radiance straight down upon them. The golden beams fizzled as burned as they struck the orange shield, but the spellcaster had to focus entirely on holding their spell up to not become scoured by Ren¡¯s skill.

    Wolf was protecting the elf as she stood with one hand extended, blood already running from her palm. Before I could lend the power of my cards to aid in the destruction of the defensive spell, I caught the glare of the king - he was switching focus to Ren.

    Transposition was on cooldown, so I just powered up a card as quick as I could. The bear stepped in the way, ready to intercept any strike - but the large demon didn¡¯t even lunge for a swing. Instead, he held out his hand.

    Ren rose from the floor, a scowl on her reddening face as she glared at the demon king. Yet she didn¡¯t drop her spell, despite her health plummeting, as she was squeezed just as I had been. An intense anger surged through me like a lava burst and my wings snapped back to launch me towards the king, my card spinning through the air towards his neck.

    He shimmered a deep gray as my card passed straight through him, dissipating as it struck the wall over the door.

    The king turned his wide grin to me to gloat. Intending on dragging this out to make us suffer. Then shock flashed across his smarmy expression, and his arm sagged slightly. He dropped the elf to the ground. She panted and gasped for air as her extended hand shook, Wolf almost sitting on her to keep her blocked from view.

    Relief slowed my charge, my temperament cooling, so that I didn¡¯t speed head first into the sword.

    Our eyes turned to what had waylaid the attack.

    Beside the king, his eyes wide and panicked, stood Roger. His was mace bloodied from where he had struck the tall demon, but that looked to be as far as he had planned.

    ¡°Worm,¡± the king sneered, and clicked his fingers.

    With one last glimpse toward me, Roger unraveled in a spiral pattern, as if reality was peeling him away. It dragged on for ages in my eyes, seeing the calm realization in his eyes torn apart, even though it happened in a near instant.

    And then he was gone.

 174 - Crowning Achievement

    For the first time in weeks, I felt fear.

    Roger had been erased. Aside from my eyes seeing him unravel to dust, it also struck me in my core. Not necessarily an emotional response to his demise, but he and I were linked. Did this mean I was about to become unraveled as well? Or lose some of my demonic powers?

    It didn¡¯t really matter, for as soon as the flash of fear washed through me, it was replaced with fury almost as quickly.

    I slammed into the demon king, daggers in each hand, only barely piercing his thick skin. For a System-created, he truly was powerful. Probably not meant to be assaulted by Players - especially not by just three. He growled and pushed me away, grabbing me instead of swatting me from the air.

    Ren dropped to her knees, her arm hanging slack as she downed a potion with the other. She had finally overpowered the spellcaster¡¯s shield and scoured them with bolts. Wolf roared and leaped for the king, almost equally as angered at seeing the destruction of the rabbit demon.

    A large wall of spikes burst from the marbled floor, blocking the bear off from landing any hits. I struggled and squirmed against the grip of the demon king as he held me up, his large fist squeezing down on me.

    ¡°Such a wretched rat,¡± he spat, eyes burning into me. ¡°Not worthy of having one silver crown, let alone eight of them.¡±

    I didn¡¯t have the temperament for words at this stage. Instead, I drew my right arm back and lashed out toward his face. With no hesitation, he opened his large mouth and bit my hand clean off - halfway up to my forearm. With a crunch as he crushed my left shoulder, he then threw my body to the floor.

    <Last Act> allowed me to step out of brief invisibility, still fully intact. A gamble, but what was new for me? I gave my corpse a glance before looking up at the king.

    He finished swallowing down the faux-arm, licking his bloodied lips. The others were fighting more of the other elite demons, which was a shame¡ªmostly because I wanted to see what I was about to do.

    I dropped Demon Form and rubbed at my head where the horns once were. ¡°A short but worthy battle. It was nice knowing you, nameless king.¡±

    ¡°Wretch! You act so insolent,¡± he growled and brought down his sword from the air into his hand. ¡°Acting as if you had won, you will revere the name¡­¡±

    He paused, and I took one last deep breath.

    In his eyes, I then vanished - to be replaced by my demonic ace. And yes, I had activated Transposition to switch places with it. Only, I had been holding it in my hand. The one that he had eaten.

    From my perspective, I didn¡¯t have a chance to see the look on his face, or know if he had any last words, or even the realization that I had outplayed him. Instead, I just knew warmth and darkness. At least for a brief moment.

    And then I unloaded every bulky item from my Inventory as quick as my broken ability let me. The tangible space around me tried to deny me, the System unsure as to how the physics or practicality of my plot was meant to work out. After three confused seconds, where an improbable amount of chairs cluttered around me¡ªthe king''s physical form could abide it no longer.

    With a visceral ripping sound that filled my ears, bright light flooded through the darkness as the demon tore in all directions. I dropped to the ground and rolled across warm entrails and gore. Gasped for air and tried to wipe the blood from my eyes.

    I had not gone without my own damage from the venture. Even watching my health now tick up from my regeneration and bones click back into place, it had been a risky endeavor. I had become partially crushed myself before he gave out. A warm pulse of healing righted most of those wrongs, as I turned my blurry vision over to the elf.

    The created wall had crumbled to ash, showing my two Party members equally bloodied, but healed up. Any demon still living had paused in place, frozen in surprise or terror at seeing their king ruptured from the inside out.

    I grinned, blood escaping from my mouth, as my aching legs took me over to my reward. The golden crown that had rolled away from the surprised head of the demon, now just inert. I shuffled one of the bloodied wooden chairs upright and sat on it. And just¡­ looked down at the piece of headgear.

    Relatively simple at first glance - only a few steps above the plain silver crowns. This golden one had faint engravings on it, and a sinister red gem at the forefront. My eyes were drawn to the pile of ash where my former pact demon had been standing.

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    Ren stepped up behind me and put a bloody hand on my equally gore-slick shoulder. ¡°He gave his life to save me, trickster. Roger wasn¡¯t such a bad egg after all.¡±

    I opened up my hand and drew his card. Floating two inches above my hand, it was blank. Plain white. Not only was the rabbit gone, but the System hadn¡¯t replaced him. He was only meant to be summoned in the over-world, and any deaths would send him back here. Perhaps it didn¡¯t know what to do now that he was erased for good.

    With the empty card still hovering there, I turned my tired eyes around the throne room. There were still a few living demons, including the two princes remaining - who had kept out of battle as much as possible to save their own skins. Nobody seemed keen to resume the fight after seeing what I had done to the king. Plenty of them had their glowing eyes focused on the crown laying on the floor.

    Floating above the shredded corpse and soaked furniture was the demonic sword. The eye on the hilt was looking at me. I tilted my head and observed it. It didn¡¯t look angry at me. Impassive, maybe. But the stare was intense and unblinking.

    ¡°I just had a new position open up, if you¡¯re looking for regular work.¡± My voice came out rough like I had caught a cold. I grasped at my plain card and held it up to the weapon.

    It maintained eye contact with me for a few moments before it started to fade away. Similar to how Roger had been destroyed, but calmer and more controlled. As it did so, lines started to draw on my magic card. Grooves of deep purple and black that were sharp and angular, before circling around with a flourish.

    The design was a simplified version of said demonic sword. I blinked a couple of times to make sure I wasn¡¯t just imagining it before I allowed the card to fade away.

    ¡°Does¡­ the sword talk?¡± Ren asked, half hopeful and half apprehensive.

    ¡°We can test it.¡± I furrowed my brow and looked down at the crown. The weight of it was¡­ it had been what we had wanted. What I had wanted. Ever since we set off in hell. To not take it up would be pissing on Roger¡¯s sacrifice.

    As Wolf went to sniff around the lumpy remains of the previous king, Ren put her arms around my neck from behind and leaned her face down close to mine.

    ¡°I¡¯m with you. Whatever you decide, and whatever happens.¡±

    I rested my head against hers for a moment, before she relinquished her grasp so I could lean forward. I took up the crown into my hand and raised it to place upon my head.

    It merged with the others.

    With a sigh, I stood to my feet and stretched out my arms and then legs. Despite the tension in the room, I turned calmly and regarded the demons that hadn¡¯t been smart enough to run yet. My eyes fell on the two princes, and I gestured for them to come over.

    They were apprehensive, but did so, shuffling through the small crowd to stand before me. Each double my height. Muscled beyond normal means. One of them had a mouth wide enough to swallow me whole.

    ¡°Kneel,¡± I commanded.

    Both princes wavered, before dropping to a knee, hanging their heads low.

    I was pretty sure I heard the elf briefly purr from behind me. ¡°As your new king, I offer my first proclamation. No, wait¡­ before that.¡± I spun on my heels to face Ren, who had clearly been ogling me up.

    ¡°What is it, your majesty?¡± she asked, biting her lip.

    ¡°I have the capacity to actually marry us under the System. You will become Queen of Hell, beside me. Till death do us part.¡±

    She stepped closer and put her hands on my cheeks so that her bright blue eyes could dig into my muted purple ones. ¡°I accept. There is nothing I want more.¡±

    ¡°Then it is done.¡± I leaned in and we shared a slow kiss. As we parted, she was all smiles - and I realized that I was too. There was no tangible benefit to this¡­ no, that was a lie. We were both now immune to the corrupting influences of hell. No slowly being ground down. No overheating. No madness.

    I turned from her. ¡°My next edict¡­¡±

    The large demonic sword burst back into reality between the humbled princes, quickly rotating in a full circle to lop off both their heads with the same swipe.

    ¡°No princes or successors,¡± I announced, as their heads bounced across the marbled floor. ¡°I will be the last king here, after which I will put together a council to have a democratically elected official lead hell in my absence.¡±

    That was assuming that we had a way of leaving here.

    I took the two crowns and absorbed them, too.

    ¡°Alright. Now everyone fuck off out of my palace.¡± I crossed my arms as the sword hovered over to flank me.

    After a couple of moments where the demons were still trying to process everything, they eventually got the nerve to leave. Cautious footsteps became something of a stampede, as they were all keen to get away from my glare.

    Soon enough, it was just us three left.

    I sighed and rubbed at my head, walking across the room. With little ceremony, I sat myself on the throne. It was warm and uncomfortable. Didn¡¯t even get much chance to survey my kingdom from this new precipice before the elf had climbed up with me, straddled across my lap.

    ¡°You might want to give us some space,¡± she said, craning her head back to look at the displeased bear.

    ¡°Actually, Ren¡­¡± I placed my finger on her lips as she turned back to face me. ¡°I was thinking we put a pause on this.¡±

    ¡°But it was my fantasy.¡± She pouted, something that easily wormed into my heart. A total break from her usual stoic and dour attitude.

    My eyes were too focused on my menus. On the new skills that I had gained now that I snapped hell in half and made it my own.

    I now did double damage to demons, which made sense with how easily I dispatched those princes. My kingship also granted several boons to my summoned demons and my demonic form. The third skill was perhaps more important, and had totally been a handful of ice cubes on the passion Ren was trying to stoke up.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it next time we¡¯re here, I promise.¡± I smiled and struggled to run my bloody hand through her matted hair.

    Her pout remained. ¡°Next time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my dear. I can now create a portal between hell and Othea, anytime I like.¡±

 175 - Deathforged

    Ren¡¯s vibrant eyes continued to read my face as she sat atop me. ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­ we could go home at anytime?¡±

    ¡°I believe so.¡± I smiled, despite feeling like lukewarm garbage.

    She clucked her tongue and slid down from my lap, standing up on the floor beside the throne instead. ¡°I really want to be clean, Max.¡±

    Despite all that we had been through, there was a weight to her simple sentence that struck me straight in the heart. I yearned for it, too. A waking moment where we weren¡¯t covered in sweat, grime, and gore. To see the blue sky again.

    I lifted my left arm, noticing that my STAR was golden. Deposing of the monarchy and his army had been enough to edge us to Eighteen, just as Roger had said. Although the rabbit-demon and I were on contentious terms for most of our relationship, I did miss him. The fact that he had stepped in to protect Ren of all people had earned him redemption in my eyes. I''d get a gift basket sent to his family.

    With a sigh, I stood from the throne and beckoned Wolf to join us. Now more certain that the intended intimacy had been called off, he sauntered over. He looked tired. We all were.

    ¡°Did you want some position on my court, Wolf?¡± I asked him, unsure what I could really do at this point.

    ¡°I will never come back to this horrid place,¡± he replied, sneering at the dead bodies littering my palace.

    ¡°A fair answer.¡±

    Ren kneeled down beside him and ruffled his chops. ¡°We¡¯re leaving here soon. You get anything good from your Eighteen level up?¡±

    ¡°Defensive ability. Doubles my armor and healing received, but I can¡¯t move or attack.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That pairs well with what I just got, which is an aura that constantly restores health to the whole Party. How about you, Max?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I hadn¡¯t even checked yet.¡± I held my arm out and activated the thing.

    The usual stats and other boring information went across my vision, and I mostly ignored it. My eyes had grown tired of the intangible text during our time down in this world, and I had avoided the System as much as possible in hell - just as much as it had avoided us.

    Two passives gained, as usual. Nothing too spectacular. Critical hits regenerated my mana for five seconds. Dexterity now gave a percentage as armor. Nice to have, but I¡¯d always been a bit of a glass cannon. Partially due to my own recklessness.

    But the active skill was¡­ interesting. <Active Learner> allowed me to copy the last damaging ability that struck me. A blank ability that I could lock or replace the copied skill at will, but it reset to nothing overnight. For once, the System had eased back on the bullshit it allowed me. Otherwise, I¡¯d find the most powerful attack I could survive and then keep that forever.

    ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± I turned my eyes away from the menus to look at her. ¡°Can you hit me with a Smite shot?¡±

    The elf didn¡¯t hesitate, and with the barest of movements, flicked out a throwing knife from her belt. Radiant light burst around it, right before it buried itself in my thigh.

    ¡°Ow. That hurts more because I¡¯m a demon,¡± I noted.

    ¡°I thought we swore off this manner of foreplay?¡± She stepped forward to pull the blade from me, a slight scowl on her face.

    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°This wasn¡¯t¡­ for that. I wasn¡¯t sure if this would work, but it looks like my cards count as a magical projectile, which is enough.¡± Into my raised hand, a purple card appeared between my fingers. After a brief moment, it then burned into a golden glow.

    Ren crossed her arms. ¡°So I copied your skills, and now you copied mine?¡±

    ¡°Only if damaged, and only one at a time. Smite is probably one of the most useful things I can steal for my card attacks at present.¡± Entangling shots would be good too. I started to wonder if Quinn could blow me up with his boomerang, and I could copy that even using <Last Act> to not die.

    I turned my wavering attention to the other two, who looked only seconds from begging me to take them out of here. The demonic sword had vanished. It wouldn¡¯t be able to swap bodies like Roger used to, but I had a feeling that the blood of its victims was what kept it around longer. A very specific feeling that had to come from my innate demonic knowledge. Or I was making it up. Reality was mine for the bending.

    ¡°Alright, stand back.¡± I stretched my neck out. ¡°I haven¡¯t done this before, so¡­ apologies if I fuck it up.¡± With a grin at my expectant crowd, I quickly messaged Tanya for the coordinates of their current location. The portal didn¡¯t work quite that simply, but I made do with what I had.

    My eyes closed as I stood and held my hands out. Took a deep breath. Focused.

    There was a thrum of energy, and I opened my eyes again to see a doorway forming. It looked like the inside of my dressing room door - or at least a blurring of all the common ones throughout my touring life. A simple gray with a silver handle. Off-white frame that needed a dusting, and a piece of paper taped to it. Words and lines on it illegible, but I was willing to guess that it was supposed to be a set list for the evening.

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    And it just stood there, on the marbled and blood-slick floor.

    ¡°Ladies and bears first,¡± I offered, giving them a bow.

    Any apprehension we had on this working went away in a flash as Ren near darted for the door. It opened to reveal something dark beyond, not the rest of the throne room. Any clues I could gleam from the sight were eclipsed by Wolf as he pushed in straight after her, taking up the majority of the doorway as he squeezed through.

    I took one last glance around my palace before following on. More of a demon than ever. I was keen to get back to becoming a great magician once more. While it had been optimistic to think we would have found another Guardian down here, we had still changed the world in perhaps a worse way. A genocide against demons, where I had toppled the ruler to claim hell as my own. Surely nothing bad would come from that.

    My feet passed over the threshold, and onto soft grass. My heart melted as a cool breeze washed over me. Any thoughts that the darkness could have meant I had messed the portal up flashed away in realizing it was just nighttime. Almost as soon as I had fully traveled through the door, Ren¡¯s hand was in mine.

    Tears of relief practically poured down her face - as they did on mine, I now realized. Even Wolf looked ready to burst.

    ¡°Max! Ren! Wolf!¡±

    We turned to the side, now spotting the two campfires raging just behind us. My eyes ached from the change in temperature and lighting, and aside from the trees silhouetted against the night sky, I hadn¡¯t started picking out details of our surroundings.

    Tanya and Quinn ran over, stopping a few feet away once they got a sight of us.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± the fateweaver covered her mouth as her own eyes glistened. ¡°You all look like living nightmares.¡±

    I smiled, but couldn¡¯t find the words. It had been almost four days for them, but close to a month for us. It was overwhelming and so detached at the same time. They had wanted to come in for hugs, but in seeing the sharp armor, torn clothing, blood and bile matting our hair, and soot and sweat caked bodies - well, they changed their minds rather quick.

    ¡°It has been a nightmare,¡± Ren offered, seeing that I was briefly tongue-tied. Her eyes went off to the side where a small cluster of buildings sat. ¡°Are there baths in there?¡±

    ¡°We were going to ask you to sit and eat with us,¡± Quinn said, shuffling awkwardly. ¡°So that everyone can get up to speed. In seeing you both, I think a bath would be a better start.¡±

    My brain softened, and I allowed autopilot to take over while I dissociated a little. ¡°Thank you, friends. We have spent almost a month fucking and murdering our way through literal hell. But I¡¯ll say a word to the others.¡±

    The pair nodded at us and relented as Ren and Wolf followed me to the campfires. The other two groups were there, all eyes on us. A mixture of confusion, worry, and surprise. Familiar shapes of those we briefly knew a while ago.

    ¡°Thank you for all gathering and being so patient,¡± I began. ¡°Although I have returned, I am not officially here until the morning. I crave a wash and a sleep before I could even consider engaging in earnest conversation with you.¡±

    I took a deep breath, and my eyes narrowed at the people sitting here. Their faces illuminated by the flickering flames, casting them into an all-too-familiar light. My jaw clenched.

    ¡°None of you¡­ are demons, right?¡± I could feel the muscles in my arm tense up, ready to bring a card out.

    A hand on my shoulder made me relax instantly. ¡°You¡¯d feel it if they were, trickster. Come, bathe with your queen.¡±

    I turned and looked at the elf. She looked as terrible as I felt as our vacation caught up to us. Cracking at our psyche as we tried to fit back in the old box we were so comfortable with. I gave her a nod and left the camping adventurers to think I was crazy. I was.

    Into my hand appeared a few scrolls that I handed over to Quinn as we passed. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of Wolf,¡± I told him. He could only nod.

    It was hard to see the details of our journey beyond how much my eyes were watering. Before I knew it, Ren and I were in a hot water bath together. We sobbed, both in joy and relief. Constantly, sometimes with emotion and other times it just happened like a tap was switched on. We needed to empty and refill the bath three times before we could settle in it without it getting immediately dark and cloudy.

    After what felt like hours, we were clean again. I carried her to the bedroom, and we consummated our marriage. Soft and tender. Two souls completely shattered, but together. She fell asleep immediately, about ten seconds before I did.

    And then I awoke, as if I hadn¡¯t slept at all. A fresh breeze rolled in through the open window, net curtains waving alongside the soft gust. Sunlight illuminated half the bed, warming the parts of me not up against the elf. I turned to her to see that she was already awake, although probably not for long, given how she still looked a little groggy.

    ¡°How strange that today feels like heaven, in comparison,¡± I said, leaning over to give her a kiss. I still ached too much to consider it a bad dream, but my brain was keen to move on.

    ¡°Deathforged,¡± she whispered. ¡°We¡¯re unbreakable now. Check my name.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and inspected her in the Party window. ¡°Ren Russet? You took my last name?¡±

    She nodded and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not really conventional for me, but¡­ I came to this world running away from my family. Then I spent time being a bitch, trying to organize us into the same roles I was trying to avoid. When the System offered me the name change, I took it because this is my new life. Being your family. Being strong together and making our own lives.¡±

    ¡°Well then, moonflower.¡± I ran my hand through her once-again radiant hair and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I believe we have an audience to dazzle awaiting our reemergence.¡±

    Ren bit her lip. ¡°I have an idea for that. You¡¯ll love it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once we¡¯re dressed and ready.¡± She gave me a quick peck on the forehead before leaving the bed, not even bothering to obscure herself like we used to. ¡°I¡¯m going to run us another bath because we deserve it.¡±

    ¡°And so much more,¡± I murmured, watching her circle the bed to go to the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up on inventory management bullshit. It¡¯s been a while and if I need to perform, then I need to be prepared.¡±

    The elf paused at the doorway and leaned against the frame. ¡°I love you. I¡¯ll let you know when it¡¯s ready.¡±

    I tipped my lack of top hat. ¡°Love you too.¡±

    She vanished into the other room, and I sat myself up with a groan. My Inventory had been a cluttered mess of whatever the demons had dropped, and I had little patience for organizing it while down in hell. Other than memorizing spell scroll locations, I had given up on doing most of my usual tricks. Demons just deserved to die.

    I shook my head, realizing the irony.

    Tabbed through from messages, to Map¡ªwe were close to the Eternal Wardens¡ªto my Equipment, where we had gotten surprisingly few upgrades from the throne room battle. Wolf was the luckier one there with some nice boots from the former king. I skipped past my Inventory screen for now and pulled a face, jumping over to my Skills instead. It had become a very long list, with not only my actives, but two passives per level, and a handful of demonic abilities.

    Switched to my Quest tab and paused. My brow furrowed.

    ¡°Ren? Did you pick up any Quests in hell?¡±

    ¡°No?¡± she called from the other room. ¡°Other than leveling, I didn¡¯t see any System pop-ups.¡±

    I rolled my tongue around in my mouth. ¡°Check your tab.¡±

    A few moments of silence followed.

    ¡°Holy fucking shit.¡±

 176 - Emerge on Top

    We stepped out of the house in pristine suits, sparkling blue and purple that matched the vibrancy of our eyes. The two greatest magicians in the world who had survived hell and become stronger for it. Changed, in some ways more subtle than others, but greater for it.

    Another reason for the spring in our step was we were now Level Twenty.

    While the System saw fit to ignore us during our vacation, it was still working in the background. Hell had Quests, in fact, and we had been gaining them and completing them without knowing - the experience and rewards unclaimed until I clocked the overflowing tab. Other than copious amounts of useless gold, upgraded chance boxes to sit beside the ones found in hell, and a few decent spell scrolls and potions - the rewards themselves fell rather flat.

    Level Nineteen granted me an ability called <Take a Bow>, which was another Dazzle removing skill like <Finale> and <Shatter>. This one allowed me to turn ten icons into another demon summon. Weaker and shorter lifespan than the usual ones I could bring forth, but given that I could quickly drum up hundreds of the Dazzle icons against a group of enemies¡­ I¡¯d get as many as I desired.

    My Level Twenty upgrade to my Class skill <Demonic Magician> just added a sharp edge to the rest of my abilities. Those hostile to me would gain a Dazzle icon just for being in my presence, increasing every ten seconds. It made monologues even more dangerous, just not for me.

    Ren had gained another ranged attacking skill, and her final Oathwarden ability would keep me alive even better¡ªshe assured me. Despite everything we¡¯d been through, she still refused to give me the exact details of what her Class ability did. I had a decent guess, but also saw through her reasoning for not giving me the exact wording. If I knew, then I¡¯d exploit it.

    Beneath our clothing, we were toned. More muscled and athletic that before our jaunt into the depths. Further below that surface, our hearts had melded. It felt like we had lived a lifetime together, knew each other inside and out. A marriage after only two or so months of meeting seemed rushed, but given that death could come for us any day, it was the right thing to do.

    And as the pair of us stepped over to the gathered others, I felt on top of the world. Ren had slid her plan softly through my wanting ears, and I could feel the anticipation radiating off of her.

    ¡°You certainly look better,¡± Tana said with a wary smile. ¡°Glowing, in fact. Are you guys okay?¡±

    Wolf was over to the side, without armor or clothing. Lazed about asleep on his back with tongue lolled out. Several large empty plates lie around him and he had been cleaned through. I¡¯d left them with some water spell scrolls to wash him off last night. He looked content and fulfilled.

    ¡°Better than ever,¡± Ren answered. ¡°We both have abs now. It¡¯s pretty wild.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ long-term effects?¡± The fateweaver furrowed her brow. ¡°It might be good for you to decompress and tell us what happened.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I assure you, Tanya. We are fine, and in fact¡­¡± I paused and frowned, a pained expression darkening my face. ¡°Oh¡­ oh no¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Max?¡± Ren took a step away, adding to the concern of Tanya and the approaching Quinn.

    With a growl, I stumbled back and clutched at my face. ¡°Aaah, I think I¡¯m¡­ no! I was corrupted and can¡¯t control it.¡±

    All eyes on me. Panic had the fateweaver frozen in place. Quinn wasn¡¯t sure whether to grab at a potion or his sword. As the rest of our small army clambered up in unease, it was too late.

    My top hat fell to the floor as horns burst from my head. With my face shadowed, long fangs caught the light as two wings grew from my back and flicked out wide with a leathery crack.

    ¡°I¡¯m finally free,¡± I roared, ¡°now I can kill and consume you all!¡±

    Ren¡¯s rifle was up, a swirl of radiant energy pulsing down the long barrel. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Max,¡± she hissed, tears streaming down her face.

    Before she¡ªor any of the stunned audience¡ªcould act, a large demonic sword emerged from the ground with a hellish rumble, striking me between the legs and cutting up through my stomach, chest, and finally cleaving my head in twain.

    The two sides of my body shuffled before flopping over onto the grass, spraying blood and entrails all over the place. As my patron sword hung in the air, single eye looking rather peeved at being roped into this, Ren turned to the others.

    Rifle held out, it was now replaced by a rolled up cloth which she allowed to unfurl. As soon as it hit the ground, she swept it away to reveal me¡ªback to normal.

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    Somebody at the back threw up. Tanya stood with her mouth agape - a mixture of shock and annoyance leveled our way. Quinn was still staring at my dead body with his one eye. Wolf slept through the whole thing.

    ¡°Motherfuckers,¡± the fateweaver eventually said, while Ren bent over doubled, laughing - something almost as surprising to the rest of the Party as my faux death. ¡°I see your trials didn¡¯t make you any less of an asshole, and now you¡¯re both as bad as each other.¡±

    ¡°We have a lot to tell you.¡± My face was an apologetic grin, but I secretly loved it. If only the elf had chosen to copy <Last Act> as well. I turned my gaze from the ire of our Party to see the goblin healer, Ruby, step over and prod my fake corpse.

    ¡°Trauma aside,¡± she murmured, also shooting me a glare, ¡°this is some interesting shit, Max. What happens to this?¡±

    ¡°Fades after a certain time. Blood and everything too¡ªotherwise, it¡¯d have some interesting uses, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    The goblin nodded, thoughts distracting her from how annoyed at me she was. ¡°Even temporarily¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, assholes,¡± the gruff voice of Fiona called from the side. The woman was clearly not impressed with our shenanigans, least of all because half of her Party had paled and gone off their breakfast from the sight. ¡°Sit still for five minutes and let¡¯s get up to date.¡±

    So we did so¡ªand ate alongside our tales. Although we hadn¡¯t gone without food down in hell, there was something about eating under the blue sky, surrounded by the rich greens of the woodland that just settled my aching soul. I felt more at home here than I did even back on Earth. A strange thought.

    We told them about all the demons we had to kill through from the moment they left until we reached the palace. The Domains we had to survive, the new powers the three of us gained, and finally my ascension to the throne as king of hell. Roger¡¯s death, my new patron, and then the System-officiated marriage between Ren and I.

    I left out the frequency and degree of depravity that our more salaciously spent time encompassed. Somehow, I had kept a hold of a shred of dignity, and we had already gained a fair share of dirty looks just from our demonic entrance¡ªwhich had now faded away.

    At times, the others grimaced or raised their eyes in disbelief. Leyla¡¯s group especially was totally out of their element, yet none of them seemed to think I was lying. Especially when I revealed my demonic transformation was just something I could do and control easily. Quinn and Tanya knew full well what sort of bullshit I got into, and had a more stoic and concerned expression¡ªsaddened to hear that Roger had passed, and then equally mad that they hadn¡¯t been present for our wedding.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to have a proper celebration,¡± the fateweaver insisted. ¡°Maybe when this is all over.¡±

    I looked at Ren, and she nodded eagerly, her face radiant with happiness.

    ¡°And what of the elephant in the room?¡± Quinn asked. ¡°We can see it in the Party window¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah. One of the other benefits of being stuck in hell was being unattached from the level cap restriction. After almost a month of grinding through demons and unwittingly completing quests, we are now level twenty.¡±

    Fiona rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°No doubt that means just you three are more powerful than the rest of us put together then.¡±

    ¡°Maybe just me alone,¡± I said, modestly, ¡°but that¡¯s not the point. A show has many moving parts. You can¡¯t rely on the star to carry the performance.¡±

    ¡°Stars,¡± Ren corrected.

    ¡°Stars. Apologies, my love.¡± I put my hand on her leg and she held it there. We were already sitting as close to each other as possible without merging. No doubt we were going to be one of those annoying couples¡ªat least until the rest of the trauma washed away and we settled back into this normality.

    ¡°This puts us on great standing against Candlekeep,¡± Quinn offered.

    I shrugged. ¡°Perhaps. We¡¯ve long agreed that the Lady has either some bug or her Class ability allows her to gain power in ways that skips normal progression. With a whole city under her control¡­ if she is able to draw from the System-created citizens or something, we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re up against.¡±

    Fiona nodded solemnly. ¡°Unfortunately, Max may be right. Our two scouts are now feared dead, so we don¡¯t know what has happened in the city since it was taken. All we are able to tell is that it hasn¡¯t broken the barrier between this area and the third¡­¡±

    That was the goal of the Crimson Shadow, as far as we understood it. Ironically, not unlike our trip through hell, the Lady sought to depose the current Othean royalty and taken the apparent power for herself to try to find a way to escape this world. Without a care for how many corpses she left in her wake.

    There was the temptation to think that we were now uncontested in power. We had rolled through everything in hell and emerged victorious, max level, and full of all sorts of bullshit. It was almost sad that I had no more skills to earn. There was still equipment growth, although we wouldn¡¯t find anything level appropriate in this second zone, so we could forget that. Tokens were the other thing. None of my newer abilities had been upgraded yet, so that was about the only source of power we were lacking.

    ¡°No news from the Eternal Wardens?¡± I asked.

    Some awkward glances between those gathered before Tanya shook her head. ¡°Assumed dead. We took a brief look at the town yesterday, from a safe distance. It looks¡­ weird there.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re rather accustomed to weird,¡± Ren said. ¡°How specifically?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quiet,¡± Fiona offered. ¡°In a very spooky fuckin¡¯ way. Zero life remains - even the System-created are absent.¡±

    ¡°Blood or signs of a fight?¡± I asked.

    Quinn looked out to the woods, as if trying to recall it more vividly. ¡°No blood or bodies. There were deep scratches in all manner of things. Houses, the stone road, the temple in which the Guardians resided. Not¡­ destroyed, oddly. It was as though a giant cat had just used the town as a scratching post.¡±

    I pulled a face and looked at Ren. ¡°Recovered enough for fighting more eldritch abominations?¡±

    ¡°Fuck yeah.¡± She grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s tear the world in half, trickster.¡±

    ¡°Your wish is my command.¡± I stood from my chair and then stepped up atop it. The others winced, expecting me to explode and shower them with my split organs.

    I had slightly something better planned - although it was tempting.

    ¡°First, though¡­¡± I said, my eyes narrowing at the congregation. ¡°Let¡¯s think of a name for our Guild.¡±

 177 - Right Back At It

    I kneeled down beside my hellhound and gave him a pat. Both he and the Imp I had summoned had slightly changed. They both wore tabards now. Royal purple with silver-blue edging. My ascension to becoming king hadn¡¯t improved their stats, but they certainly looked more the part.

    ¡°Good boy.¡± I gave him another pat and stood up. We had settled on a Guild name.

    For once, I hadn¡¯t pushed to the front to be center stage and the one who ultimately decided or guided the process. I felt¡­ no need. There wasn¡¯t really much else I wanted from this world, other than a break from the violence. I had enough fans in the deep, and up here. Nearly uncontested in power. Satisfied with most things.

    The Imp gave me a bow before I sent him away, but I let the dog linger so he could roll around on the ground with Ren, trying to lick at her face. While she giggled and pretended to fight him off, I turned to the others and smiled.

    The Unbreakable.

    Not the worst name for a Guild, and it certainly had a certain amount of¡­ grounding, for what we were. Ren seemed to think it was inviting trouble our way, being so brazen, but she had said it with an uncomfortable amount of excitement on her face. Naturally, I agreed and accepted the proposition of the name.

    Perhaps if we invited the malady so openly, things could end sooner than us having to track it down. It would be inevitable, either way. We knew how this worked.

    Quinn stepped up beside me, his eye looking at the elf cavorting with the pup. ¡°You know, seeing her like this is almost as unsettling as when you returned.¡±

    I saw his point, to some degree. Ren had always been rather stoic and proper, for the most part. Now she was laughing and snorting as the demonic dog tried to give her kisses, her outfit getting dusty as she writhed around on the ground.

    ¡°We became broken in some ways, but reforged.¡± I gave him a shrug. ¡°There¡¯s a certain amount of elation within us, as we are back in this normal world.¡±

    He pulled a face in return, but gestured to the bear. ¡°Wolf doesn¡¯t seem that unusual.¡±

    ¡°No?¡± I followed his gaze. On the outside, Wolf didn¡¯t appear any different. Now back into fur-only aside from his bowler hat, he remained stoic as we had eaten and prepared to set off this morning. Apparently, after getting washed down last night, he passed out and didn¡¯t wake up until breakfast was cooking. ¡°He is just tired, ready for all of this to be over.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we all?¡± Quinn replied, giving me a grim smile.

    More than ever.

    If anything, our time in hell made us realize how nice the normal world was. How great it could be once the blight of the Lady in Red had been erased. We were close now, I could feel it. Our misadventure, giving us such a power boost, just drew where we could rid this world of the Crimson Shadows forward. Perhaps even tomorrow or the day after. It burned within me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± I announced to them all, allowing the hellhound to sink away back to my hell¡ªmuch to the chagrin of Ren.

    Thus, the gathered group packed up and got themselves prepared to go. My Party decided to go ahead at the front, with Fiona¡¯s group at the back. Leyla¡¯s five were the weaker out of all of us, so the middle seemed safest for them.

    As we started walking toward the town where the Eternal Wardens had holed up, Tanya walked up beside me. Apparently they had been a little selfish with any Tokens that they had found, not knowing when we would return and needing any power they could grasp onto for themselves. Given how things turned out, I didn¡¯t blame them for it. They did have three Tokens for the three of us, however.

    In return, I gave them a bunch of spell scrolls and potion bottles. I could spend all day drinking them otherwise and still not run dry. As they juggled and looked through all that I had provided them, I decided which skills to upgrade.

    <Demon Ace> seemed like the contender for the most important to see what it could do. The result, as the Token vanished, was somewhat surprising. I could now dismiss the card, and it would explode in a short radius. It meant waiting a while to summon it back from hell, so it didn¡¯t seem super useful, but I knew better than to discount an additional trick.

    Next up was another active ability - <Take a Bow>. I hadn¡¯t even had a chance to use it yet, but upgrading it granted the demons summoned by it some additional time on this plane, along with a short burst of a defensive boost for when they appeared.

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    The third Token I wasn¡¯t too sure. Active abilities always had the best returns compared to the passive skills, so my hand was wavering between <Active Learner> and <Spot Light>¡­ although, as I looked through my expanded list, perhaps <Shared Hand> would be nice as well.

    With a shrug to myself, I settled for <Shared Hand>. Not only would my Party-shared cards protect a little more damage for my allies, but they would now regenerate like an aura. Every ten seconds, a new card would appear around the party member with the least remaining. All things going well that would probably be Wolf or myself, most likely.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the sunshine nice, trickster?¡±

    I turned my eyes away from the System windows to see the dazzling smile on the elf¡¯s face. Her hair was bright, radiating light under the glow of the sun upon it¡ªhurting my eyes slightly. She was right, though. What I wouldn¡¯t give to see some clear running water.

    ¡°Would you like to live out in the forest when this is all done?¡± I asked.

    ¡°More than anything.¡± She looped her arm around mine. ¡°Somewhere like the cottage would be a dream.¡±

    I tried to imagine a life without conflict or the need to grind. Just Ren and I out in the middle of nowhere, peaceful and with time to decompress from our adventures. Despite me believing the end was just around a corner or two, that kind of life felt miles away. Unrealistic, somehow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do everything in my power to make it happen,¡± I promised her. It was also a promise to myself. ¡°I will also need some time to see what I actually have to do to run hell.¡±

    Quinn interjected from just outside our conversational bubble. ¡°So you¡¯re actually the king, then? Is it like a Guardian¡¯s power?¡±

    While we were slightly outside the prying ears of the other two groups, I caught the other two members of our Party up fully. Everything to do with my apparent ascension and the new abilities I had gained on our accidental jump to max level.

    ¡°So, could you make a portal from hell to the city?¡± Tanya eventually asked.

    I shook my head slowly. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think¡­ I am pretty sure that I could only come here because you two were already present. A Party thing.¡±

    ¡°So if one of us got caught and imprisoned,¡± Ren said, ¡°you could teleport in and free us. Stage our rebellion from the jail cells.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Although, it is unlikely they are interested in taking prisoners at this stage.¡±

    Their actual motivations were slightly murky, but the fact that Ren and I were still alive and breathing was probably the biggest sore spot the Lady had. If she had a way to try to kill us, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate. Every attempt so far had failed, and while they¡­

    I paused, and Ren stopped beside me.

    ¡°Something wrong, trickster?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Just a couple my brain cells collided.¡± I gestured forward, where we were approaching the town. ¡°A little while ago¡ªI forget how time works¡ªwe told the Lady we were going to meet the Eternal Wardens as a distraction.¡±

    She wrinkled up her nose. ¡°And now they¡¯re all dead or disappeared.¡±

    Got it in one. The Wardens were the only other known Guild or group still standing against the Crimson Shadow. If they had been erased so simply because we had put the crosshairs on them, then¡­ I didn¡¯t really know.

    I didn¡¯t feel bad about it, which might partly be due to our recent vacation. Not that I wanted more corpses instead of allies, but the group had hardly been helpful to us. Instead of filling my head with useful information, they had tried to drag me along to no doubt run errand side quests to unlock the stupid fucking lore to understand this goddamned bullshit that-

    Ren placed her hand on my arm, and her icy blue eyes cooled my fever off immediately.

    ¡°Thank you, moonflower.¡± I shook my head, and my usual show-smile returned to my face.

    ¡°Residual corruption, right?¡± She gave me a gentle pull, and we set off to catch the others back up. ¡°I feel it sometimes. It¡¯s like a wave of nausea, but for mental breakdowns.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve seemed normal, however?¡±

    She raised her eyebrow and gave me a wink. ¡°I¡¯ve had to put up with you for weeks. Do you think some droll hellish energy is going to affect me?¡±

    Her smirk gave it away, however. No doubt it was part of her holy side that allowed her to heal through or otherwise negate the mind-bending draw of corruption aftershocks. Despite being king of hell and having immunity to it, my soul had suffered enough prior to that. I had put on a brave face, but I was nearing death in that last week. If only everything healed as quickly as my actual health.

    The other three members of our Party had stopped a little further ahead, although it didn¡¯t look to be just because they were waiting for us to catch up. Ren and I exchanged a glance as we made our way over, the body language of the human pair enough to get our backs up.

    Overhead, the tree cover started to peter out, showing us a decent amount of clouds making their way through an otherwise sunny day. The reason for the dwindling cover was apparent as we joined the others at this brief apex of a hill. Down below us, the road then dipped and curved down to the town.

    And it looked deserted. The buildings¡ªat least from this distance¡ªseemed undamaged. There were certainly no smoldering wreckages, or piles of debris to set the stage for whatever story had transpired here. Zero signs of life whatsoever. Not even an idle System-created civilian.

    My scouring glance twisted away from this potential tomb of the Eternal Wardens, however, as I clocked that the group wasn¡¯t even looking down to the left. Instead, they were tense and gazing to the right. To the north.

    And as I turned, I saw why.

    From this vantage point, we could see across a great deal of the second area in that direction. Mostly trees, as expected¡ªbut the thing that had my heart racing was the odd hue painting the horizon and landscape far off. A deep red glow marred the sky at that very specific location for maybe a mile or so wide. It reminded me of hell.

    That was Candlekeep, or whatever the Lady had done to it.

 178 - Disjointed

    The short distance down from the hill and to the town proper took much longer than expected. Mostly due to the other two Parties needing to stop at the crest to gawk at the red hue painting the northern sky, and discuss amongst themselves what it could be.

    I found myself tapping my foot impatiently at the bottom, where the rough path became more orderly brickwork. It wasn¡¯t their fault, really. I just ached for progress and had never been good at herding the masses. We had a whole show¡¯s worth of extras and as nice as that was, it shouldn¡¯t be my responsibility.

    All it took was a glance at Tanya, and she gave me a nod. Adjusting her chestplate, she started striding her way back up the brief hill to figuratively grab the ears of our allies and drag them down.

    My gaze then went up to the nearest house. Something of a guard station on the road before the town. I vanished, replacing my hell-dove, and immediately bumped into Ren, who had done the same thing. We grabbed at each other to avoid tumbling off of the roof, and I rolled my eyes.

    ¡°Looks like we share the same singular brain cell,¡± I said as we stabilized.

    She shot me a grin. ¡°I was about to say the same thing.¡±

    I adjusted my feet on the red tiles of the roof and looked out at the town. There was a central building far larger than the rest, made of light gray stone rather than the muddy tones of wood and tile that comprised the rest of the area. I was willing to bet that was the location the Eternal Wardens had been stationed.

    Surrounding this main building were the smaller shacks and fabric-covered boxed areas that might be an open market. If there were any people to run or observe such a thing. Over on the right past the shops was an inn, which had an opposite on the left, which I couldn¡¯t tell its purpose - but it looked important. Two rows of residential houses then encircled these other locations, making the whole town almost a spiral in design.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of eerie, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ren asked, although she looked rather nonplussed.

    ¡°I had hoped to see signs of a struggle, at least.¡± I took my top hat down and rubbed at my hair. It still hadn¡¯t received a cut. ¡°Unless they were teleported away or something?¡±

    ¡°The Shadows have had some connection to the eldritch,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°There are all kinds of unknown bullshit that could have happened here. Might even be a trap for us.¡±

    My eyes went from her and back to the groups now moving down to where Wolf and Quinn were in discussion over something. I deflated and the real horror sunk into my stomach.

    ¡°You know, moonflower, it¡¯s not really about us anymore.¡±

    The elf raised an eyebrow but nodded. ¡°We¡¯re already at the peak.¡±

    ¡°The true trial is keeping these poor lambs safe.¡±

    That might be big-headed of me to say, but I often had an ego raring to be let loose. There was some dry truth in the statement, however. The original three of us had been powerful from the start, but after everything we had been through, we didn¡¯t have much left to fear. The Lady and Candlekeep was surely the pinnacle of our trials, but until we got there¡­ any trap or monster or assassins sent to erase us were probably going to be zero actual threat to us.

    But to our allies, they could be deadly. We had sown so much chaos in trying to bring order to this world. Filled too many shallow graves. There were no awards for putting on a great show if the audience was just a pile of corpses. So this was it. We all needed to win.

    ¡°How do you propose we get down from here now?¡± Ren asked, drawing my thoughts away from our overarching goals.

    We had missed the window for Transposition to switch us back. Still, we had options.

    ¡°May I?¡± I gave her a smile, and at her nod, I lifted her up across my arms. Wings burst from my back and I floated us down to the ground before putting them away again. I let her down from my arms, but her eyes lingered on me. Burning. A nudge from my side had Wolf there, my top hat in his mouth.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Thanks, brother.¡± I gave him a nod. My temporary horns had the downside of popping the headwear straight off of me. I¡¯d have to be careful about that.

    ¡°See anything useful from up there?¡± he asked, as I placed the hat back in its rightful position.

    I shook my head. ¡°Just as empty as it first seemed. No signs of a fight. You getting any sense of the place?¡±

    The bear made the show of sniffing the air. ¡°No, nothing out of the ordinary.¡±

    Worrying. We turned to see the two other groups make their way down. Fiona and Ruby broke away from the pack to follow Tanya over to us.

    ¡°This place is giving me the chills,¡± the fighter complained. ¡°Most places have been kinda dead, but this is¡­ it¡¯s like it¡¯s always been empty.¡±

    I knew what she meant. Without any evidence that something had gone wrong here, it was believable enough if someone had said the System just never populated this town. Created but abandoned. We knew better.

    ¡°Are we planning on splitting up?¡± the goblin asked.

    I shook my head. ¡°Although that would cover more ground, if this is a trap I don¡¯t want us to be separated. Something killed or transported the Eternal Wardens, and potentially the whole town.¡±

    Ren agreed, our rooftop conversation having made clear how we both felt. ¡°Do we have any idea how large their guild was?¡±

    Ruby and Fiona exchanged a look before the fighter pulled a face at the elf. ¡°As far as we know, it could have been the full twenty members allowed.¡±

    So we might be dealing with a threat that could take on four whole groups of Players. Even assuming they weren¡¯t all Level Fifteen, it wasn¡¯t a good sign. Perhaps it would have been better if we didn¡¯t tell the others we¡¯d returned from hell, and went and saved the world ourselves. As much as that sounded like I wanted to protect them, it was closer to being a decision made via my ego. They had a part to play, and we¡¯d keep them safe.

    After the other groups finished murmuring amongst themselves, Tanya beat them into marching formation again, and the three Parties moved into the town, toward the temple. Wolf and I took the lead, while Ren was busy explaining something to Quinn. My attention was fully on the surroundings, so I didn¡¯t catch what.

    It was fair to say I was on edge.

    Wolf could feel it too, despite it still feeling ordinary, but most of his senses were better than mine. His mood had been pretty decent for most of the walk over, and it was easy to guess that he was glad to be back in familiar terrain. As soon as we had reached the town, he had settled his usual dour self once again. Once more into danger. I felt terrible that we couldn¡¯t have a real rest.

    I put my hand on his shoulder as we walked. ¡°How are you feeling, brother?¡±

    He grunted at first, before shooting me a glance. ¡°There is an empty joy within me. I have so much, and yet it doesn¡¯t feel¡­ real.¡±

    ¡°Because this is a created world?¡±

    ¡°No. I am just¡­ more complex than I should be. The range of emotions I have experienced as of late is troubling. I feel sad and morose, even guilt over the death of the rabbit. In the before times, even the death of my siblings didn¡¯t produce the same depth of feeling.¡±

    I nodded, but wasn¡¯t sure what to tell him. He was a bear somehow given sentience. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not meant to teleport, turn invisible, or transform into a demon. Both things as strengths, friend, but in different ways.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡± He raised an eyebrow and look back over to the nearest buildings. ¡°I appreciate the attempt to console me. If it weren¡¯t for you two, I would probably have been hunted down. Thank you for treating me as an equal.¡±

    With a smile, I tipped my hat. ¡°Save the soppiness for after we save the world, brother.¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply, but the look that he gave me told me all that I needed to know. We were both aware he was getting on in age. His loyalty and effort were unwavering, but he could only go as far as his body could take him. If there was one thing I hoped that we could claw out of the System, it would be to¡­

    Live forever? Even thinking that, it sounded untenable. Maybe Wolf was ready for eternal rest, or would get bored with immortality. Would I?

    My brain sidetracked into thinking how I would spend infinite life alongside Ren. Being king of hell didn¡¯t appear to make me a permanent fixture in the System, so our chances weren¡¯t too high. Once we had erased the Lady and could see the rest of Othea, perhaps life wouldn¡¯t be so dangerous.

    Then I¡¯d have to actually contend with the fact that I was stuck in this world for good.

    My eyes went back to the buildings. Rustic, albeit pleasant houses. Windows and open doorways, dark but empty. I stepped over close to one to peer inside better, but it didn¡¯t hold any secrets. Simple open-plan kitchen and dining room. Modest and gloomy.

    We had discussed skipping this side-quest entirely. As much as I wanted to keep our little army safe, I didn¡¯t really care for the Wardens. They had information on the Guardians, but did we really need it? The true reason was if the Crimson Shadow had dropped something nasty here to wipe them out, we didn¡¯t want whatever spell or entity to then come up behind us while we marched on Candlekeep.

    It was just pragmatic to stay safe and have this last bite of what the second area had to offer before we made our final stand.

    So it made me feel slightly validated as I gradually felt more tense as we got deeper into the town. I turned to look behind me, and I could see the apprehension on the faces of most of our followers. Ren stepped away from the fixer, leaving him to walk beside Tanya.

    ¡°You can feel it, right?¡± She glared at the empty buildings as we fell into step. ¡°Something very wrong.¡±

    I nodded as we breached the rows of residential buildings to break into the start of the market stalls and stacks of crates. The temple was now visible, just across an open stone square.

    Worse than something very wrong, this area felt like something very Guardian.

 179 - In Search of Answers

    We had been aware of the other person with Guardian powers for a while now¡ªor at least it had partially sat at the back of my mind while we dealt with more pressing matters. It had been roughly a month since we were attacked by the exploding individual, and after that, they had kept out of our way.

    Perhaps because it would be too obvious now, with most of the area drained of real Players. Anyone turning up solo would be suspected immediately. Especially with the Crimson taking over Candlekeep. Could they be here? I couldn¡¯t be sure just yet, but something about the temple was off.

    Our three groups had stopped just outside of the building, milling about in a loose formation so that we were keeping an eye on every direction. Even without my Guardian-sense, the others could feel something was amiss. The market square didn¡¯t look intentionally abandoned. No debris or decay.

    While the others had been out of earshot, my Party had agreed that we¡¯d split our focus when looking after the wayward sheep under our care. Ren and Wolf would protect Fiona¡¯s group, and Tanya and Quinn would join me in making sure Leyla¡¯s group didn¡¯t come to an undue end.

    It had been difficult to arrange who should be doing what. Putting Ren and I on the same detail was overkill, and the two in our Party who weren¡¯t overpowered needed an extra hand that Wolf wasn''t able to provide. Something about opposable thumbs. Splitting into two roughly equally powerful teams felt a lot better than three lopsided groups along the current Party lines.

    Lucky me, as the group I had been designated to help looked like the more nervous and easily murdered ones. Now that I paused and thought about it, my own life was a struggle to keep tied to the mortal plane, so I shouldn''t judge too hastily.

    ¡°You mentioned deep scratches before, Quinn?¡± I turned and raised an eyebrow at the fighter.

    He pulled a face and rubbed at his eyepatch. ¡°That has been bugging me, too. Either they have gone or some of us need our eyes checking.¡±

    More likely the former, even if he only did have the one of them these days. It had been mentioned in passing that Fiona had witnessed the scratches, too.

    For all her faults, I trusted her to be level-headed, even if short tempered. Her time back in the first area to reflect looked to have done her some good, and she had been a better leader for her group. The paladin gave me the occasional awkward glance, but didn¡¯t seem to hold any grudges. Their new member was a male spellcaster, judging by the long staff he walked with. A wide-brimmed hat that shadowed his features, and a large backpack loaded to bursting gave him the appearance that was a mix between plague doctor and globetrotting adventurer.

    ¡°Are you thinking it might be a mimic situation?¡± Ren asked from beside me.

    My thoughts about her group-to-protect faded away as I glanced at her. ¡°Unlikely. If you wanted to shoot the temple to see, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    With a nod, she whipped around, rifle up. Golden light spiraled down the barrel and she blasted out a shot to the up and left of the doorway¡ªthe approximate location an eye would be if the building decided to come to life and eat us.

    The crack of the impact echoed around the empty town, followed by the clatter of broken stone falling down onto the long steps. Other than sporting a dent, the temple didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Shame,¡± the elf murmured, casting her eyes around the surroundings before she stood and relaxed.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± I clapped my hands together, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. Briefly, I noted how shocked some of those present were at seeing Ren¡¯s weapon in action. Those from versions of Othea wouldn¡¯t have seen anything like it. I almost got annoyed at it stealing some of my thunder, but a smile was enough to feel like I was in charge. ¡°We¡¯re going to go into the temple and search for clues about what happened to the Wardens.¡±

    ¡°But no being weird about it,¡± Ren added. ¡°Stay together within sight of others. Don¡¯t touch, loot, or taste anything. Report anything weird, especially if there¡¯s a little voice in your head telling you to keep it a secret.¡±

    I nodded and concluded on her warning. ¡°Keep things nice and simple. Safety is paramount. It might just be empty in there, but something erased their entire guild from this area, as well as the System-created. I do not want to add to that number. Am I understood?¡±

    A group of nodding, murmuring Players stood before me. They agreed, even if they were unsure. Even if they didn¡¯t entirely trust the man who could turn into a demon. After all, what choice did they really have? Better to be safe around me than put some distance and escape my protection. I was a powerful ally, and they knew it. But I was only worth that acceptance if I could actually keep them away from death¡¯s door.

    With a gesture to the elf, she and Wolf led Fiona¡¯s group first. As much as it pained me to be at the back, in truth, I was only a split second from being beside her. She knew it, and the fact that my demonic ace was floating beside her made it clear to everyone else. Between her entangling roots, shielding abilities, and the walking destructive quagmire that the bear had become, they were a pretty effective frontline force.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Quinn looked a little more nervous as we let Leyla¡¯s group go in front of the three of us, while Tanya handed me over a small idol.

    ¡°Speed and dodge increase,¡± she said, denying me the chance to interact with the System and find out. ¡°I figure you don¡¯t really need the damage one anymore.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I gave her a genuine smile and tucked it into my belt. ¡°I remember there was a time I worried about my magic cards being able to cut skin. Now I could slice this whole building to ribbons if I desired.¡±

    ¡°Have any of your desires changed?¡± The fateweaver asked, tilting her head as we walked over to the steps.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± My quest hadn¡¯t really wavered since the starter island. Stop the Lady in Red. ¡°When I was on the island with Ren, I rather foolishly told her I wanted to become a hero. While my aspirations lead to the same point, I feel rather abstracted from the title. I want to do right by this word, and to carve a space for Ren and you all.¡±

    ¡°At any cost?¡±

    I exhaled and shook my head. ¡°Too far gone for that manner of question. How about you, though?¡±

    Tanya smiled and glanced towards the fixer. ¡°I think these last few days have given me the space I needed to decide. Don¡¯t get me wrong, Max. You, Ren, and Wolf, you¡¯re amazing. But going from my Party, to under the Lady¡¯s thumb, to managing you three¡­ I needed a break.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re ready for what¡¯s to come?¡±

    ¡°Too far gone for that manner of question,¡± she reflected back at me with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m no longer fighting to escape, but fighting for the right to exist, if that answers your question.¡±

    ¡°It does.¡± I gave her a nod. She had accepted that she was going to live for this existence and not let the ghosts of her past haunt her. It couldn¡¯t have been easy, but she seemed a lot happier in spite of our circumstances. ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just waiting for an excuse to die in my stead, Quinn?¡±

    He grunted, before turning his eye from the surroundings to me. ¡°No offense, my friend. I still owe you my life, but I have a reason to stay alive that is stronger that my duty to repay you.¡±

    ¡°If you say it¡¯s because of love,¡± I grimaced, ¡°I may just throw up.¡± Although, I hadn¡¯t quite mastered the art of vomiting on command¡ªsomething Ren had gained mastery over in hell, which seemed amusing at the time. Now it felt¡­ as strange as it should, in the cold light of day.

    Tanya stifled a laugh and beamed. ¡°That¡¯s rich coming from you. Let¡¯s focus on the task now.¡±

    Ren and the others were already at the top of the steps at the doorway. If there was anything immediately untoward, we were about to find out. My shoes stepped lightly on the wide stone stairs, raising us above the level of most of the smaller market stalls. Not a terrible place to have to defend, if it came down to it. Assuming the enemy had no way to deal with stone walls, of course.

    Most of them would have.

    The Parties had gathered at the entrance to wait for us to catch up, which only briefly stressed me out due to us being all clumped up. The reverberating waves of corruption deep within me were eager for paranoia to take over, but I resisted it.

    I shook off the pre-show nerves and narrowed my eyes at the temple interior.

    The large building was mostly one big hall. An arched roof surprisingly devoid of any engravings, paintings, or other symbolism that you might expect. The floor was dotted with stone benches in seemingly no proper order at all. Like they had been moved? Perhaps, but they looked heavy and there were no signs on the floor that they were dragged about.

    At the far end was a raised platform and podium for someone to speak to the congregation. Two tables that were mostly devoid of anything but empty candle holders and pale gray coverings. A pair of doors, one at the back left and one at the back right. Closer to us, the right had an indented groove in the wall, with wooden shelving built in. A shallow dip on the floor had a small hole at the center.

    ¡°Ritual foot washing,¡± Ruby explained, ¡°and a place to put your stinky footwear once your little potato mashers are sparklin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You know anything about what religion might have been worshipped here?¡± I asked her, having been as distant from the world¡¯s lore as possible.

    The goblin pulled a face and waved her staff to the end of the room, causing the bell on the top to jingle. ¡°Short answer, no fuckin¡¯ idea. Actual answer, I¡¯ve been pondering it for days, and I reckon it¡¯s a Guardian.¡±

    I exchanged a look with the elf. Her expression didn¡¯t change, but I could read it like a book. Unlike all the books we hadn¡¯t read since arriving here. ¡°If the Eternal Wardens have been shaking up at the site of a Guardian, then it sounds like they caught its attention and it made them leave. Permanently.¡±

    ¡°If I may,¡± Fiona¡¯s new spellcaster interrupted. His name was Percivus, I was half-certain. ¡°I can smell a trove of books from a mile away, and at least one of these back rooms has a library of merit.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± I tipped my hat to him in thanks. That meant we wouldn¡¯t have to work our way through the empty town trying to find where they had stored the information about the Guardians that they were so adamant about denying me. ¡°Join my group for a moment? Swap with Quinn, and then Ren can take your Party to search the other rooms.¡±

    Neither man looked particularly pleased to be split from their usual companions, but I wanted to go to the library, and I¡¯d rather have the potential bookworm with me rather than Quinn. Despite his other qualities, I was sure he would be more bored in a library than even Wolf. Ren, however, was keen and understanding of the split duties.

    While she gave her group some stern words, I stood in silence, completely enamored with her. Leading as equals, just as we had always envisioned. After getting them up to speed with her expectations, she caught me gawking at her, and shot me a sly grin I was all too familiar with.

    I turned to see the group under my charge, who had been waiting patiently for my instructions.

    Leyla¡¯s group of five looked more tense than if we were in immediate danger. All from the atmosphere of the empty temple. Perhaps I should take them all on day trips to hell to acclimatize them to danger a little better. Although¡­ it was potentially a bad thing that I was so desensitized to violence.

    ¡°Right,¡± I began, finally taking hold of my slippery thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s go wrangle some mysterious books.¡±

 180 - A Page or Two

    My fleeting desire to court the impressive tomes fizzled out almost as soon as we entered the library. Something that was clearly visible on my face, as Tanya grinned at my expression.

    I had never imagined it to be anything elaborate, but what the room had to offer was somewhat lacking. If anything, I was glad at least that it meant we wouldn¡¯t be searching around here for too long. The chamber was small, the back three walls holding bookshelves of polished wood, yet there weren¡¯t that many books upon them.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I gestured Tanya and the spellcaster over. ¡°Keep the others busy on guard duty while us two search the ¡®library¡¯.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡± The fateweaver gave me a nod and stepped away to arrange the awkward adventurers.

    ¡°Percius, was it?¡± I asked the man as we stepped onto the slightly raised platform where the all the books were. Behind us now was a raised stone area, not quite a table or lecturn, but the wooden chairs there suggested that was where the reading had been done.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Max. Are we just looking for clues about their disappearance and anything to do with Guardians?¡± He tilted the brim of his hat up, allowing some light to illuminate his usually shadowed features.

    Younger than I had anticipated, but plenty of wisdom hidden away in his eyes. For a moment, I wondered how he had found his way to this world, before the present situation caught up to me.

    ¡°Correct. How the Eternal Wardens vanished is the most important thing, if not at least so we can avoid the same fate. Anything on Guardians is useful, but I could go without the lore as long as the power stays with me.¡± In saying that, there was a slight residual hum in my right arm.

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll start on this right side, and you on the left. Then we¡¯ll meet in the middle?¡± He gestured with his head, causing several bottles and random objects to clink together on the outside of his large backpack.

    I gave him a nod of approval, and we did just that. Immediately, I realized I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how in depth the check should be. Did I need to take them all down and rifle through a few pages to gather up the context of the contents? Most of these didn¡¯t look like they had useful blurbs on the back or titles that fully summarized the internal subject matters.

    The first I plucked into my grasp was titled Grass and More. A quick spray through a selection of pages determined the more was just grass-adjacent vegetation. Why this was necessary or interesting was beyond me. The prospect of digging through a dozen or two similarly drab novels had me¡­

    I paused as my eyes caught sight of something unexpected.

    A familiar spine that couldn¡¯t possibly exist on a book in this world. Yet still, my hand reached for it, ignoring all others. Pulling it from the shelf and taking the heavy tome into my hands, I turned it to see what lay on the cover.

    Demonic Rites and Foul Magicks, it read.

    The very book that was the cause of my transposition to Othea. I held it for a few moments in disbelief before I gathered my senses up. After all, I had been holding it when I went through the portal. If it somehow got transferred but taken away from me, the System could have made this copy. Did that make sense, however?

    For someone so used to suspending disbelief to the limits, I was frankly tongue-tied.

    I turned, stepping over to the stone table, and placed the book down.

    ¡°Something useful?¡± Tanya asked, eyeing between me and any potential doom ready to pounce from the shadows.

    ¡°Hmm. Oh? I don¡¯t know. Something interesting, at least.¡± I shook my head and opened it up to the first page. Yes. It was exactly the same. The comforting familiarity mixed in with the apprehension, knowing that this had a hand in¡­ I didn¡¯t know what. It couldn¡¯t just be a coincidence, however.

    I continued to flip through pages, each known to me, until I got to the page showing the portal. Pink light against the gray stone in the illustration. I ran my finger down it, as if tracing the memories of that evening. Interesting. Most of the book was just folk tales and other such fairytale mulch. Even being a Demonic Magician, nothing in this old tome really held much importance to me, aside from this page about the portal.

    In an act that probably earned me a few valid scowls, I gripped at the book and tore the page out slowly. Folded it and put it in my pocket. That might come in use in the future, and part of me didn¡¯t trust the System to hold onto it in my Inventory. After a few moments of idly staring at nothing, I cleared my head and snapped the book shut.

    Percius was giving me a dull look, probably having a dim view of me mutilating a book. ¡°Found what you were looking for?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and no.¡± I shrugged and returned to my side of the library. Part of me felt as though I had ticked a box off, but I wasn¡¯t sure what I¡¯d really accomplished there. Maybe just some minor joy in the fact that I had something to remind me of home, for all the good that did. Home now was anywhere with Ren. The showman had long died, no matter the way I ended up here.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Much like Tanya, I had come to accept that what we had at present was very real, and in many ways better than our prior lives. We had a lot to fight for here. I would ensure we win, and that nobody else had to sacrifice their life to make that a reality. A troublesome thought that half distracted me from taking down books from the shelves and glancing through them.

    In fact, my awkward mood helped the whole process breeze by, even if it took longer than I expected. Ren¡¯s group reported nothing interesting found, and were now standing guard back in the main hall. Between the spellcaster and I, we had procured three books on the Guardians of the world, but nothing else overtly hinting at where the Wardens went.

    ¡°Either it was the Crimson Shadow, or they dabbled in something with a Guardian here and paid the price,¡± I surmised, before we had even opened one of the books.

    ¡°I had assumed you would have been more of the studious type,¡± Percius said, glancing me over. ¡°Not that kind of magician, ey?¡±

    With a shrug, I put my hand on top of the pile of books, each one vanishing as soon as I touch them, until my hand rested on the table. ¡°I¡¯m much more of a practical learner, I¡¯m afraid. Seeing is believing, and learning.¡±

    I¡¯d never used this function before, or needed to, but if the System held a written item within it then you could get it to produce a summary. Not only that, but search through the produced text for keywords. Any irony that I, of all people, would have been able to ingest the world¡¯s lore quicker than most was completely lost on me as I choose to ignore those thoughts entirely.

    Instead, I swept through each of the books in turn, picking up some key phrases as I went. What I learned was¡­ not entirely interesting, but might have the clue we were looking for.

    ¡°The Eternal Wardens were trying to summon one of the Guardians here,¡± I explained, the ears of everyone in the room piqued to listen in. ¡°There isn¡¯t meant to be any more in this area that we have discovered. This is only my assumption, but I can imagine they wanted to bring one here, kill it, and use the power to go against the Lady in Red.¡±

    ¡°But it backfired?¡± Tanya asked. ¡°Something went wrong and possibly teleported them to where the Guardian is?¡±

    ¡°Possibly.¡± I gave her a shrug. That was just speculation, as we hadn¡¯t found any proof at present. ¡°There¡¯s something about what each Guardian power represents, but I¡¯ll vomit out that information once we are back with the rest of the guild.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to keep a hold on those books?¡± Percius asked.

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What books?¡± With a small flourish, I swept my hand over the plain table to reveal the stack of tomes once more. ¡°I have a copy of all the pertinent information in my STAR. Did you know it could do that?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± he replied, pulling a face before lowering the brim of his hat once more.

    Well, I didn¡¯t. Not that I could really recall a time where that would have been useful. Skipping through the world had clearly left more than a few gaps in our knowledge of the System, not just the lore.

    We left the room to join the others in the main hall, everyone looking a little calmer now that we¡¯d been here a while and nothing bad had happened. Ren looked pretty bored, but practically slid across the floor to join me once she saw we were making our way over.

    ¡°What did you find out, trickster?¡± she began. ¡°Is my Guardian cooler than yours?¡±

    ¡°You have the best Guardian, as it is what you deserve.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°We all know you¡¯re the System¡¯s favorite.¡±

    I smiled and looked around the gathered congregation. Is that how they all felt? There was a certain amount of power that I had accumulated over my journey that put me on another level compared to most. Not just literally, but in every sense. It would take maybe ten seconds for me to kill all the other Players in this room, aside from my own Party of course.

    ¡°Actually, the truth is more mundane, I¡¯m afraid.¡± I gave her a glum smile as thoughts of murder sunk away. ¡°Although flavored certain ways, Guardians don¡¯t really represent differing core values or certain aspects of the System as we first assumed. There are shallow hints at thematic differences, but that just allows people to read into what they want to believe. When you get down to how they empower us, they are essentially wish fulfillment, in a way.¡±

    The elf crossed her arms, but her slightly grumpy expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°It¡¯s more that the Guardian chooses how to bring that wish into reality that is the crux of it. I wanted to be your equal and so I got to copy some of your skills. A little too basic an interpretation, if you ask me.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I suppose mine was to just ascend beyond my capabilities, unshackle myself from the overworked magician roots. In a way, my demonic powers culminated in unseating the king of hell.¡±

    Tanya furrowed her brow and looked over at the exit. Toward the north. ¡°So what does that mean for the two others who have Guardian powers? The Lady sounds like she has something like yours, Max. Except instead of hell it¡¯s up here, taking over the normal Othea.¡±

    Although I had some thoughts on the matter, I let them roll around I my skull a little longer and gave her a shrug. The Lady in Red clearly wanted to gather up an army strong enough to take over the world to try to change and escape it, and her Class seemed to rope in others like some manner of pyramid scheme. The unknown Player with clone bodies we knew even less about, but I was willing to bet their wish had been something about avoiding injury in this world. Now they could do everything by proxy. Still an assumption.

    ¡°There was something we found out,¡± Ren said, some of her ire waning. ¡°The Eternal Wardens were a customer of the black market assholes.¡±

    I shook my head and sighed. It meant in part they were to blame for the kidnapping of Quinn and I. Part of me detested them for it, but only because it made them sound weak. Having to buy their power at the expense of random innocents. Perhaps they got what they deserved.

    ¡°Anything lootable?¡± I asked.

    ¡°A few bits for the others that might be useful, but you know we aren¡¯t likely to get much anymore, trickster.¡±

    Such a shame to peak in my career so soon. All downhill from here.

    While I was about to gripe even more about how overpowered we both were, I paused and pulled a face. The information we had found had been reasonable at best. It ticked off the long held questions in the most halfhearted way it could. The System had created these Guardians of power and any Player foolish or lucky enough to manage to kill one had their wish granted¡ªif only in a way that the System itself wanted to.

    But the Eternal Wardens had vanished. They had sought out this power and hadn¡¯t been enough to earn it. Or perhaps they had, and it wasn¡¯t a terrible end that had met them.

    Things were never that easy.

    As I gave the temple another narrowed glare, my arm tingled with the very real potential we were about to find out exactly what happened to them.

 181 - Remain Blank

    The fifteen of us were now standing back outside the temple in the open space between the market stalls. Despite the apprehension, nothing bad had happened to us in there. Not that I was disappointed¡ªbut maybe underwhelmed. Leyla¡¯s group had picked out a few items from the side room, the dwarf in her Party who was more beard than person now had a tall hat upon his head. It would have looked ridiculous, had I not burned the part of my brain that dealt with that sort of thing to ashes.

    ¡°Hey, trickster?¡±

    I turned my attention to Ren. ¡°Yes, dear?¡±

    ¡°I shot the temple up there, did I not?¡±

    My brows knitting together, I looked up at the front of the building where she had indeed fired a bullet into it not that long ago. Any evidence of this act was no longer present. As if it had never happened.

    ¡°Just like the claw marks,¡± Quinn murmured, the rest of my Party paying attention to our conversation. They knew to stay alert - especially if I was out of sorts.

    The first conclusion I jumped to froze the blood in my veins. The System was resetting this area back to a default state. If that was so, were the Eternal Wardens just vanished as they weren¡¯t part of this original setting? Such a conclusion made me feel ill, as that could mean we could be wiped from existence at any moment. Just for standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    I edged my mental state away from this cliff¡¯s edge. That explanation¡ªwhile completely valid and possible¡ªdidn¡¯t sit quite right with me. The building had regenerated, but we had been here longer than that time. We were fine, so it was unlikely to be the reason. It also didn¡¯t explain the claw marks.

    There had been no spell books or other mysterious tomes in the library, but plenty of empty shelf space. I wondered if¡­ no, I shouldn¡¯t speculate.

    ¡°Alright, Detective Demon-ass, what are you thinking?¡± The elf scowled at me, but there was no true ire in her question.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I rolled my eyes. Despite playing off that I could see through any trick, I didn¡¯t feel qualified for this situation. ¡°If I were to make a very large assumption, I would say that the Eternal Wardens caused this themselves.¡±

    ¡°No shit,¡± Fiona interjected from the side, her group now listening in. ¡°They got too big for their boots and fucked themselves into oblivion.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like my teen years,¡± someone murmured at the back, to a chorus of light chuckles.

    ¡°Rather, I mean intentionally,¡± I clarified. Shit, I really hated hecklers. My right hand twitched, before I calmed myself. Smile never wavered. ¡°Accidentally summoning something they couldn¡¯t handle was step one. Step two was something cast a spell that saved the area, somewhat literally.¡±

    Ren nodded along, every my supportive equal. ¡°Rather than set their hubris-made-real on the world, they set up something that reset the town to a prior state. Probably only works on the structures?¡±

    So the System-created had just vanished, maybe dead or cleaned up by the refresh. The Players, equally as dead, and any evidence of the bloodbath had been erased.

    Wolf looked up at me, not looking too enamored with standing around doing nothing. ¡°Are you able to sense and destroy the spell, brother?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I can make an attempt? I¡¯ll probably need to hold Ren¡¯s hand to do it, however.¡±

    The elf rolled her eyes, but complied. She was fully aware I did not need to do such a thing, but played along because a little romance greased the squeaky wheels of our turmoil-laden existence in this world.

    I calmed my breathing and closed my eyes. It had felt so simple in hell, but up here was so¡­ noisy?

    Rather than the gray notepad filled with white outlines detailing the dummies following me along¡ªthe elf having pointed ears and a little more shading drawn in¡ªwith a couple of lines of magical power, it was instead a mess. Spaghetti gone wild. Everyone was wearing magical items or had a buff or aura around them, complicating my detection.

    It was like trying to pick out a thread of white yarn in a blizzard. Couldn¡¯t see the overarching energy of the town with all the busyness clouding my immediate vision.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I eventually said, deflating and shaking my head. ¡°It turns out three groups of Players is rather radioactive. I¡¯ll need more space to see with clarity.¡± Either that, or someone was intentionally obscuring my view.

    A quick glance at those gathered didn¡¯t pick out any obvious suspect. I trusted most of them, anyway. We had saved Leyla¡¯s companions, so I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d betray us. Fiona and her group were fine, other than the paladin and spellcaster who were partial unknowns. Even the lion-man, Magnus, had held a softer expression toward us since meeting back up.

    They had grown to accept us, seeing the necessity of us being rather cutthroat.

    ¡°Perhaps we can just move on?¡± Tanya suggested, still staring at the spot Ren had shot. ¡°If this area is inert, we have nothing to gain here.¡±

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    She had a point, but I wavered in agreeing with her outright. I still felt like there was something threatening here. There had been a constant hum in my arm that signaled the proximity of Guardian powers. Some hint as to what the Eternal Wardens had done would have been nice. What if they had been successful, and this was the result of their new strength? No, that didn¡¯t make sense.

    So what if it was the Guardian here, maintaining control of the town after having slaughtered everything in it?

    I ran my tongue across my lips. That tasted more like reality. Something similar to a Domain. The question wasn¡¯t whether we should leave this place, but were we allowed to?

    While my eyes switched between all the vacant buildings in the area, I started to feel like a fly trapped in a spider''s web. Just because I was a fly armed with a flamethrower and a handful of grenades, it didn¡¯t mean I was in any less danger.

    ¡°No,¡± I eventually said.

    ¡°May¡­ I ask why?¡± Tanya asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She exchanged a glance with the elf, and Ren gave my hand a squeeze. ¡°Focus, trickster. Use your social skills.¡±

    ¡°Get into formation,¡± I murmured. ¡°We¡¯ve just about worn out our welcome.¡±

    She nodded, her expression immediately becoming stern. After letting go of my hand, she joined Tanya in getting everyone arranged and prepared. For what? I wasn¡¯t entirely sure just yet.

    Wolf remained by me, his eyes narrowing at the market stalls. ¡°Are you sure, brother? I cannot sense anything.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever heard of the expression, ¡®can¡¯t see the forest for all the trees¡¯?¡± I was fully aware that he was a bear and probably hadn¡¯t, but the System often worked miracles with translations.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of both in my time,¡± he grumbled.

    ¡°Same, brother.¡± I flexed out the fingers on my hands.

    If anything, my failed magic sense had been a clue in the making¡ªif not the breadcrumbs to lead me to this conclusion. We couldn¡¯t see the monster because it was exuding normality. The town was proof of this. It had the power to return things to how they should be. In some ways, it was the town, but unlike the mimic buildings in hell, it was both more subtle and more overt at the same time.

    My demonic ace hovered beside me and I loaded it with three spells scrolls.

    ¡°Remember,¡± I told the bear. ¡°Keeping everyone safe is priority. Let me be me, and focus on that.¡±

    He grunted but gave me a nod. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to keep people safe, he just liked to be at the forefront of any fight. I was being strict. I wanted a perfect show. Flawless, with no injuries. A high bar that would break me when I inevitably failed, but I had a lot of pressure to perform.

    Something that a nod from the elf helped release, the steam powering me forward to the steps of the temple. I stopped only four up¡ªjust enough to be set apart and higher than all my peers. Such a comfortable position for me.

    ¡°Oh great Chameleon,¡± I called out, my stage-voice taking the words through the open space with clarity. ¡°Won¡¯t you grace us with your presence?¡±

    My open armed invitation was met with silence for several seconds. Just before any of my cohorts could murmur a question as to my intention, a loose spray of dust came off the edge of the temple.

    All eyes rose up as the air above us flickered, the shape of something emerging perched on the building above us.

    The books had at least given me the names of the Guardians. They didn¡¯t mean much in a vacuum, but now, with the context clues, I was partially certain this was the Chameleon. Mine had been the Siren.

    Rather than some manner of giant reptilian creature, the body shimmering back into visibility was something slightly. The shape of the body and the way it gripped at the edges of the temple certainly had familiar tones of such a lizard, but it had dense coarse fur of muddied brown rather than scales. Their head was something more like that of a lion, although slightly flatter in appearance. Bulbous eyes of swirling green light looked over our groups, moving independently. The wide jaw full of foot-long fangs opened and closed slightly as it breathed.

    ¡°More morsels come to destroy and ruin?¡± the Chameleon asked, long fingers cracking at the stone as its grip tightened.

    ¡°Would you rather we left you in peace?¡± I responded.

    Both eyes swiveled down to stare at me. ¡°Were you not Guardian killers, I may have shown you leniency. Some of you, anyway. So destructive, so destructive.¡±

    It was clearly agitated, seemingly a being that craved order. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the place it had been summoned from was ordered and the current chaos here was maddening for it. So they had decided to maintain the town to a certain state. Then we had come along and put our dirty mitts on everything. Moved books. Brought chaos.

    The problem now was¡­ I wanted one of my Party members to have Guardian powers. Wolf would be preferable, but I¡¯d accept it being either of the other two. Strength meant survivability. A few steps closer to our overall success.

    While the creature looming above us was looking at us like we were a freshly prepared hot meal, I was glaring at them with the exact same desire. I could even feel Ren eager to put a few new breathing holes through the monster, even as she was standing a good two dozen feet away from me.

    ¡°I offer you a compromise, then. A deal we can make - to leave this place in order.¡± I could feel my eyes glowing brighter, my true nature so eager to burst out from this false act of pleasantry.

    The Chameleon looked repulsed at the notion, literally recoiling away from me as if I was a bad smell. ¡°What could you even offer me that I couldn¡¯t take for myself?¡±

    ¡°Lay down your life and give over you power, and we¡¯ll make it quick and painless.¡± A burning sensation ran through my right arm. It wasn¡¯t as visceral a reaction as against a Player who had Guardian powers, but it was close¡ªif only because it was now fueled by cold hatred.

    The Chameleon paused, just staring at me blankly. I wondered if he could sense it. No¡ªhe certainly could. While he had made mincemeat of more Players than this before, it was different now. The king and queen of hell, empowered by Guardians ourselves. He was outnumbered, and the System was whispering in his ear.

    ¡°You must have caught me on a good day, mortal,¡± the creature spat, before running his long tongue across his sharp teeth. ¡°I will allow you to leave if you never return here.¡±

    The relief spreading through the others was almost tangible.

    [Max: Take the others and run. Wolf, protect their escape.]

    [Tanya: Understood.]

    [Wolf: ppps]

    I flexed my hands out and grinned up at the chameleon. ¡°Sorry, pal. I will have to decline.¡±

    ¡°Foolish! Your hubris will crush you before I tear you to shreds.¡± He snarled.

    I clicked my fingers, and the others turned to run. Ren remained in place, and the bear physically stood between the row of our companions and the threat of the Guardian.

    ¡°You are under the mistaken belief that we are in your lair,¡± I said, my expression cooling off. As horns started to sprout from my head, my hat fell off, bouncing down the stairs behind me.

    ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± I continued, as my wings snapped out. ¡°You¡¯re in mine.¡±

 182 - Moving House

    I could see the tension in the Chameleon.

    He wanted to dive forth and chew on the escaping Party members. Perhaps his plan all along, even after pretending to make a deal with us. But now he knew as soon as he moved, we would be fighting, and some of his confidence had washed away. I could almost hear the cracks forming in his ego. A powerful Guardian of the System who was meant to be almost unparalleled in power.

    Now hesitating due to a couple of small humans in sparkly outfits.

    Against better judgement, Tanya and Quinn were hanging back nearby. Their loyalty to our group stronger than the desire for guaranteed safety. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but I couldn¡¯t fault them for it. I could protect two better than twelve, so I ran with the chance of plan.

    ¡°The Siren was a lot more sure of themselves when they attacked me,¡± I said, my unblinking glare burning into the Chameleon still perched atop the temple. ¡°Are you just the weakest of the Guardians?¡±

    He growled and snuffed his nose in disgust, the dense mane around his head waving back and forth. ¡°Goading me with your insolence won¡¯t save you from your fate, even if you let the weaker ones flee.¡±

    ¡°You let them flee,¡± I corrected him. ¡°Or¡­ did you know you had no chance of stopping me? Is that why you are frozen with fear and unable to strike?¡±

    The powers of this Guardian were odd, or at least what we knew of them. Some sort of self-correcting aura that repaired the base System layer around them, but couldn¡¯t recreate the townspeople. The Siren had drawn me into a pocket dimension of her own that was filled with finger-esque people intending me harm. The Chameleon didn¡¯t feel that much more dangerous than any other monster we had faced.

    He was tiring of the back and forth, so we were about to find out.

    ¡°Luck has a filthy habit of running out just as you need it most, little one. You clearly are an irresponsible gambler.¡± Energy hummed around his body, causing my arm to burn. ¡°Time to stop being a blight on this world.¡±

    It would be unfair to say that I was foolish for underestimating him. Mostly because I¡¯d given up on calling myself bad names. But I felt his movement before my eyes saw him¡ªmore than likely he had just teleported.

    His claws lashed out, the large creature now beside me on the steps. Both <Card Fan> and Ren¡¯s shield were up as soon as he moved, and his attack didn¡¯t slash through me. The force still knockedme  back, and I stumbled down the steps and¡­

    Stabilized myself, now in a building. The living room of one of the houses. The floor above me groaned from the weight of something, as I tried to understand what had just happened.

    A forced teleport? It didn¡¯t feel like one.

    The wooden planks of the floor above burst down, and the Chameleon fell down to crush my hell-dove. I spun on my feet back outside on the street, the side of the temple off to the left. Expecting everyone else to still be standing by the front, I couldn¡¯t see them.

    [Max: Teleported too?]

    [Tanya: Inside the Inn? With Quinn.]

    [Wolf: oooos]

    [Ren: Not teleported. The town moved.]

    Ah, ten points for my prot¨¦g¨¦. It wasn¡¯t just the ability to reset the town to a default state, but the Chameleon could manipulate all the building blocks within it. Shift them around like some manner of puzzle. That seemed pretty fun.

    I turned my gaze back to the house, as the long claws of the Guardian tore the front of the building off, pulling his face through to glare at me with his bulbous eyes.

    ¡°Nice trick,¡± I told him, as brought up magic card. It was red, crackling critical energy. ¡°I bet I could kill you with a single strike.¡±

    He growled, and then I wobbled and felt disorientated. It was like the whole world had just shifted around on a dial beneath my feet. My view swished around to the right down the street before I gathered my senses and turned back.

    The house was now back to how it was before, the Guardian no longer there.

    Even the power in my arm that warned me of problems such as him seemed to calm. He was moving away, perhaps to one of my allies.

    I cursed under my breath. This wasn¡¯t ideal, and I would not have some upstart ruining the show at this stage.

    [Max: T&Q Tele NOW]

    [Tanya: Done. Stay safe.]

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    If the Guardian appeared by those two, I wasn¡¯t confident they could survive. That sounded unfair of me, but without our support they were on the same level as most Players¡ªand the Chameleon had killed twenty such people recently. I would never forgive myself if something happened to them.

    I turned my head back to see that said monster was just down the street from me, appearing in complete silence. Hunched down, ready to pounce like a house cat staring at a bird.

    ¡°Almost had a little snack before they vanished. Will you run away scared as well?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± I smiled. ¡°With them out of the way, now I can really go all out.¡±

    He went to respond, but my critical card struck him on the top of the head, having dropped from the sky where my demonic ace floated. Didn¡¯t burst him open¡ªhe was hardy. As he growled and opened his eyes again, I was standing right in front of him.

    ¡°It must feel strange being on the other side of a boss fight, huh?¡±

    The Chameleon opened up his mouth, but instead trying to bite me, a burst of liquid sprayed over my body. By the way that it melted straight through my clothing and burned at my skin, some high-powered acid sounded correct. As my organs ruptured through my thinned skin, and my right arm split off to land on the ground, the Guardian gnashed his teeth¡ªpleased with himself.

    I stepped out of invisibility beside him, using <Grand Acid Breath> myself. Thankfully, the System knew well enough to keep my own body safe from the attack that I had copied with <Active Learner>. My own vomit spray covered his left eye, burning through the orb until it burst.

    He screamed, and the world shunted violently. Darkness washed over me¡ªmy eyes adjusting to find that I was now in a basement.

    [Max: Be wary, he is coming for one of you two.]

    [Max: Left eye blinded, enraged.]

    [Ren: Copy.]

    [Wolf: pp p]

    After I had first snubbed him, he went for the weakest of us. Once they had vanished, he came back for revenge. Humbled again, he just wanted to shift me out of the way. The appetite for further lessons rubbed away. Now he just wanted to kill.

    I could be wrong, of course, and as I looked around at all the muted wood and rough stone in this darkened area, I almost hoped he would come for me again. Resilient or not, I could hear his confidence waver by the second. An egg cracking, my desire to slurp down the yolk almost a disgusting perversion. All that power for our group just dangling in front of us.

    Hanging around down here wouldn¡¯t get me what I wanted. I went for the stairs, pushing up through a trapdoor that took me into a kitchen. In the background, I could hear the tearing of wood and collapsing stone structures. A roar of the bear.

    I took a step and then wavered, as I was now in a different house.

    This was getting exhausting. Hopefully, he would go for Ren next and she could finish him off. I was only slightly ashamed that I hadn¡¯t killed him in one hit like I had said. A bet lost, which was unlike me. Maybe he had magical resistance or something that muted the effects of my cards. I should really stop playing with my food.

    The town shifted again, and now I was outside. Down the road to my left was the Chameleon facing down the road to his right. He had been bloodied and was breathing heavily. Wolf hadn¡¯t died, so must have won their scuffle. The Guardian was clearly not having a good time picking targets. At what point would he try to flee?

    I had a feeling he wasn¡¯t able to. Tied to the town in some way. I frowned as I tried to locate where my demonic ace had gotten to. The shifting seemed to work in chunks, so despite everything I had been putting out, we were going separate directions, if not within a certain distance of each other.

    The Chameleon spun in place to face me as my cannon appeared beside him. Three quick blasts of confetti, before he darted away¡ªnot wanting to shift the town again.

    I ran my open palm around myself in a circle, expecting him to show up beside me again. He did not, but instead I heard the crack of Ren¡¯s rifle from the other side of town.

    [Ren: Sent him running.]

    [Ren: Likely to get desperate.]

    There wasn¡¯t another shift in the terrain. He had run from the elf in a more mundane way, but it appeared he had either extreme bursts of speed or minor teleportation, like when he had first attacked me. When I had won out against the Siren and enacted my Domain for the first time, she had shown her true form. I was willing to bet that the Chameleon had one last trick up his sleeve.

    A thought that was punctuated almost as quickly as a spike ran through my arm. I twisted away from the pain, the pointed piece of¡­ brickwork slowly sunk back into the wall across the street. If I didn¡¯t know any better, that building had green glowing in the upstairs windows, making them look like eyes.

    I narrowed my eyes, able to spot the dazzle icons hovering over the roof. That almost felt like cheating.

    A light illuminated me, causing my purple suit to sparkle. I took my hat down from my head and bowed, <Spot Light> forcing all attention on me. No more running. Twin magic cards burst into being and swirled around me as I twisted away from another jutting spike. It was as if the fabric of the house was being stretched out beyond what the normal material was capable of.

    I twirled my attacks in through the upper windows, and the glow faded.

    Fingers clicked, and two new cards came out. Two Fire Imps. As my eyes switched to the next house eyeing us up, I turned invisible and ran from my summons. A spike lashed out and impaled the forehead of the first before he could get his spell off, but the second leveled a fireball straight into the side of the building.

    I switched place with my demonic ace up on the roof of the temple, dismissing my Imp just as another spike went out to kill him. It just ran across the stone street instead, creating sparks. I stretched out my wings and sighed.

    A dove landed beside me, before it was relaced with Ren in a flash. Her left side was bloodied, her suit torn, but she didn¡¯t appear to be injured.

    ¡°Such a shame you¡¯re not equipped well for property damage, my dear,¡± I said, a wry smile across my face.

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised, trickster.¡± She lifted her nose up and flared her nostrils, some faux disdain leveled my way.

    I brought out a critical card. ¡°Would I?¡±

    She brought her rifle up, putting her foot on a box summoned from her inventory, as she narrowed her eye down her scope. A pulse of heat bloomed from her rifle, charging up as the end of her barrel started to glow from the intense temperature.

    ¡°I never told you what my newest attack skill was.¡±

 183 - Rise Again

    I wasn¡¯t too sure at what point of my new existence I grew accustomed to violence. Even less sure of when I grew to adore it. Well, I didn¡¯t love it, as much as I saw the benefit and admired the strength we had gained.

    So it was now, with Ren standing there, her rifle practically radiating danger, that I held my breath in excited anticipation. There was a tension there. Twice as much I¡¯d normally be interested in one of her skills, because I knew she had <Mana Manipulation> now. Whatever the System had given her wasn¡¯t supposed to be pushed as far as she was pushing this next shot.

    I almost knew exactly what was going to happen when she pushed that trigger¡ªas if the effect made such an impression on me that it resonated back through time a few seconds before my living body actually experienced it.

    And then, as she aimed for the chameleon-infused building down below us, she clicked and I learned in real time.

    A blast of hot air washed over us with the blowback as a ball of white-hot energy burst out from her rifle at great speed. Far too big to fit in the barrel of the weapon, it looked more like a bowling ball¡ªa miniature sun¡ªthan anything like a traditional bullet. As it lobbed through the window, it did not disappoint.

    The ground vibrated, as a flash of bright light briefly blinded us. An explosion rocked my ears as wood and brickwork blew out of the building, collapsing all the internal structure. As my eyes adjusted, the edges of the exposed brickwork had bright red blood lining it.

    ¡°You think that did it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I think something else exploded,¡± I murmured. ¡°Ah, my heart, I mean. Do you feel like you have any further Guardian powers?¡±

    She pulled a face, still looking down at the destroyed house. ¡°I feel like¡­ I will never reach the high of that first shot again. My life now is a dull shade, forever shadowed in the desperate search for a larger and more impressive explosion.¡±

    ¡°Gross,¡± I said, looking around the town. ¡°You¡¯re even starting to sound like me.¡±

    The town shifted, and I found myself inside the temple. A quick spin, and Ren wasn¡¯t here with me. Neither was the Chameleon. I smiled and summoned my patron sword. It didn¡¯t look too happy to see me, but it was hard to read the single eye.

    ¡°Fancy some sightseeing?¡± I asked. ¡°We have a Guardian giving us a guided tour of this quaint town.¡± The sword did not respond.

    But the town switched again, and I was on the road near the¡­ east? I scowled at the streets, my patron no longer here. Just as planned. I dropped two Hellhound cards and then activated <Take a Bow> bringing out another eight demons.

    ¡°Hold tight, pals. Things are about to get bumpy.¡± My cannon appeared by my side, and I stretched out my hands. A rifle shot cracked from the other side of the town.

    And then we switched again. Top floor of a residential building. No demons with me anymore.

    Just as soon as my eyes had focused, I moved again. Outside the front of the temple. Then again, I moved and was in the storeroom of a shop. Swapped again, and I became dizzy, just closing my eyes and focusing on staying standing.

    Once more, and then a pause. I opened my eyes and wavered in place. My stomach settled, and I looked around. Present location seemed to be¡­ oh, I was in an alleyway just outside the main marketplace area.

    [Ren: Front of the temple. Now.]

    I didn¡¯t take a step, but switched with my demonic ace that zipped there in a second. I spun to see quite the sight.

    Wolf was laying there on the stone road, soaked through with blood. In his mouth was the torn throat of a very battered-looking and unmoving Chameleon.

    ¡°He kept trying to escape,¡± Ren explained. ¡°I saw the Guardian switch away from one of your demons twice, not wanting to risk getting attacked more. There were too many, and eventually he landed too close to Wolf by accident.¡±

    The bear had his eyes closed, but I could see him breathing.

    ¡°Everything okay, brother?¡± I kneeled down beside him and put my hand on his bloodied head.

    ¡°No,¡± he stated, barely moving his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Now you bear our curse.¡± I removed my hand and wiped the blood on my slacks. ¡°Pun not intended.¡±

    He managed to expel a long, groaning sigh, before one of his amber eyes opened and looked up at me. ¡°If you¡¯re expecting me to perform tricks now, you will be sorely disappointed.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    I was already. While it was a big stretch to assume he would become more like me just as Ren had, there was still part of me trying to arrange the show pieces.

    ¡°Do you know what you can do now?¡± The elf asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Wolf replied, and closed his eye again.

    A glum smile on my face, I stood and turned to my equal. Her expression was a reflection of mine, although she had a lot more of her own blood across it. ¡°Could you let the others know what has happened?¡± I asked, feeling just as exhausted as the bear now.

    She gave me a nod and her eyes went off to the side to look at her windows.

    I sighed and sat myself down on the ground, leaning my back against the bear¡¯s side. As much as he wanted to be left alone, I knew my way to his heart. Even as the Chameleon''s blood soaked from his fur into the back of my suit jacket, I could feel the tension in him melt away.

    ¡°Could we stay like this for a while?¡± his deep voice rumbled through into my head.

    ¡°We have time,¡± I agreed.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Ren joined us, and I put my arm around her as we sunk into the comfort of the bear. The three of us had endured so much, and it never seemed to end. Nothing quite grounded us like mirroring those early days where we huddled up together for safety. A simple action on the surface.

    We managed to stay like this, in silence, for a good fifteen minutes. Although the other groups hadn¡¯t gone quite that far, they had waited to meet up with Tanya and Quinn, who had teleported reasonably nearby. Once they spotted us, the pair ran over ahead of the others.

    ¡°Everyone fine?¡± Tanya asked, concern across her face. ¡°You look like shit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly the Chameleon''s blood,¡± I offered, giving them a tired smile.

    ¡°Mine is mostly mine,¡± Ren disagreed.

    Wolf just grunted.

    The other two Parties stopped and gawked at the destruction. Bullet holes, ruined buildings still smoldering, and the bloodied mess we currently sat just beside. For most, this was a disturbing scene. We barely registered it, still too dissociated from reality after hell. Although, perhaps this amount of filth and gore was slightly uncomfortable.

    ¡°I reckon the town is saved now,¡± I said, moving away from my companions to stand back up. ¡°To some degree. As keen as I am for us to plow forth into further malady, I ache to get washed down. Maybe eat something. A stew?¡±

    Tanya nodded and turned to Quinn. ¡°Get a fire and pot started up, babe.¡± She caught herself, blushing slightly before glaring at the others. ¡°Set up a camp for lunch. I want a lookout and rotating patrols, understood?¡±

    I held my hand down to help the elf up, giving her a knowing grin. We both thought the other two were a good couple, and I could see the giddiness in Ren¡¯s eyes at the fateweaver using a pet name for the fixer.

    ¡°Thanks, Tanya.¡± I gave her a short bow. ¡°I appreciate you organizing everyone.¡±

    She gave me a wry grin, waiting for the two groups to start moving away before turning to reply. ¡°When we first joined up, Fiona wanted to take the lead position and I had to fight to lead in your stead. I had to bust a few balls to keep them under control, but they do as they are told, for the most part.¡±

    ¡°You know I don¡¯t see myself as the leader.¡±

    ¡°If your view on reality was the accurate one, we¡¯d all be in the shit,¡± she said, her smile remaining. ¡°I kept them together, but we¡¯re all following your ambition and bullshit. Go get cleaned up and we¡¯ll take care of Wolf.¡±

    With another nod of thanks, we were away. Over to the nearest residential house, and up to where they had an all-too-familiar bath set up. We got in together and helped each other wash off, something natural that we didn¡¯t even need to agree to. Our hunger for some hot food was even so great we managed to escape the comforting water with only a couple of shared kisses, nothing heavier than the empty weight in our stomachs.

    By the time we were sparkling and fresh, the fabled stew was ready.

    It didn¡¯t appear that Wolf had moved at all, but he was now clean, at least. The corpse of the Chameleon had been moved somewhere out of sight and the streets washed of any blood and gore. I remembered now most people were put off by eating around dead bodies. Some uncomfortable scenes from our time in hell flashed through my mind, now seeming slightly more insane than they had felt when there.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed stew,¡± Ren whined, making a beeline to the campfire, Quinn holding an empty bowl ready for her arrival.

    I walked over to the bear instead. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are still sulking, brother?¡±

    He grunted, almost sounding like a growl. ¡°I¡¯m not sulking. I am just overwhelmed.¡±

    ¡°What can I do?¡±

    Amber eyes opened up to glare at me. ¡°Nothing that is in your control. Let me just process for a while longer. That is all I ask.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± I gave him a soft smile. ¡°I¡¯m here for you.¡± As he grunted, I turned and almost walked straight into the goblin. ¡°Oh, sorry, Ruby.¡±

    ¡°I rubbed some goop on him,¡± she said, gesturing to the bear.

    ¡°Yeah? Did you find out anything?¡±

    ¡°I found out that he doesn¡¯t like goop being rubbed on him.¡± She grinned, and we walked over to the stew pot. ¡°Nothing overtly fucked with him, as far as I can tell. Poor old man is exhausted, though.¡±

    Maybe his Guardian powers would give him some way of energizing or allow him to live longer. Wishful thinking, I knew. We all had an expiry date, but for his to be so much sooner than ours seemed¡­ unfair. There was no real option available to us just yet.

    ¡°If it was up to me,¡± she continued, ¡°I would have him retire. Or at least rest for a month or two. When I suggested it, he told me to fuck off.¡±

    ¡°Wolf said that?¡± I raised an eyebrow and looked back at the motionless bear. ¡°That¡¯s unlike him.¡±

    ¡°Eh, I was being annoying as shit. I deserved it.¡± The goblin grinned at me. ¡°He¡¯s a stubborn one, but you know him best, Max. You feelin¡¯ alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, my mind elsewhere, before I repeated. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d let you goop me, but I have just bathed and it¡¯s nice being clean for a change.¡±

    ¡°Understandable. Eat well then, that¡¯ll do you better than any of my gross stuff.¡± She nodded and left to go back to her Party.

    I turned as Ren placed a warm bowl in my hands, vegetables and meat piled high within it.

    ¡°Looks like Quinn learned from the best,¡± she said, grinning. ¡°Not only that, but we found out what happened to the bastard Wardens, and have erased the Guardian causing problems here. I¡¯d say that was a successful day, huh?¡±

    My eyes went over to the bear, who was still laying with his eyes closed, slightly away from everyone else.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied. ¡°Everything is great.¡±

 184 - Spinning the Dial

    It was times like these that I was glad that I wasn¡¯t like the old Max anymore. The workaholic version of myself would have burned out and been beneath the boots of one of our many enemies by now. Things were touch and go for a while, before I had accepted both Ren and that I could take a step back occasionally and enjoy what we had earned over our journey here.

    Now, instead of rushing ourselves straight to Candlekeep, we were laughing and exchanging stories with the other groups we had become attached to. I still wouldn¡¯t describe myself as a social butterfly, but I echoed the relaxed atmosphere now that everyone had warm food and a couple of drinks in them. I still had my humanity.

    Perhaps that sounded like something odd when I could turn into a demon, but we had killed and ground ourselves into dust for so long that sometimes I wasn¡¯t sure if I could be anything close to normal again. But we were. Even Ren was all smiles, only scowling as I regaled them all with the tale of how I made it out of the black market cave.

    The only thorn in this otherwise amazing experience was the fact that Wolf wouldn¡¯t tell us what his Guardian powers did. His mood took a while to improve, but he looked more of himself now that he had been filled with plenty of food. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t be such a stickler for prying, but I had only been partially truthful about the different Guardians having the same power.

    Well, they granted strength based on the wishes of the recipient¡ªthat was true, and in fairness I wasn¡¯t entirely sure¡­ but it was possible that the theme of the Guardian also influenced how the powers were given out. The Siren was about desire. Part of me screamed out to break away from my old life, the restraints of being a magician haunted by being unable to put on that last great show for his mother. I had been granted my demonic powers, fully merging all the parts of my existence here. Now I could rise above my prior struggles.

    I wasn¡¯t sure which one Ren had. She had wanted to be equal to me, share the slice of bullshit pie that the System granted me. It had been something she had said long ago, on the beach¡ªa memory still as clear as day to me. The Chameleon was about change. Given that Wolf hadn¡¯t seemed any different, perhaps it could also be about a lack of change.

    Not to say lack of change sounded like a power.

    ¡°You alright, trickster?¡±

    I turned my unfocused eyes back to the elf. She really was dazzling, even back when she had the permanent grumpy expression, but now she was almost angelic. I wasn¡¯t sure how we had ended up married, but if this was still some manner of coma dream, my brain had good taste.

    ¡°I¡¯m considering a brief holiday in hell,¡± I said, watching her blue eyes for a reaction.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking that time dilation would give you a few extra days of training before we reach Candlekeep.¡± Her poker face didn¡¯t budge by a hair.

    She could always read me as if she was writing the script herself. ¡°Perhaps. I know there are no more levels to be gained, and our time might be better spent getting Power Tokens on the way to the Crimson Shadows¡­ but you know I¡¯m a workaholic.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She leaned back and put her legs up over my lap. ¡°Pretty sure I beat that out of you.¡±

    ¡°You can take the credit it you like.¡± I smiled and glanced over at Wolf. ¡°Actually, I think most of us don¡¯t have the appetite for hell, and I don¡¯t intend to vanish from the group again.¡±

    ¡°I have the appetite for one thing in hell.¡± She smiled and closed her eyes. ¡°When this is all over, though. Now that we¡¯re back in the real world, I¡¯d like to save it before getting into all the many, many fun things I have planned for you.¡±

    I stared at her, hoping she¡¯d open her eyes so I could read into that more. She kept them closed. Perhaps I could rush in and kill the Lady as soon as possible. Maybe before sundown if I was quick.

    There was a time when our unseen antagonist had tried to win me over once I had received my Guardian powers. She must be shaking in her boots now that we had three of them on our side. She had two at most. Our efforts on cutting out the strongholds of her power had surely weakened her overall control on Candlekeep.

    I was prepared for war.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just pop in to hell to make sure things haven¡¯t fallen to shit already,¡± I eventually decided. ¡°Probably a good idea for me to check in once a day, given that it¡¯s a handful down there.¡±

    ¡°Go on then, my king.¡± She opened one eye as she removed her legs from me. ¡°Just don¡¯t have too much fun without me.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°I shall hate every second we are apart.¡±

    She rolled her eyes, and I stood up, stepping away from the gathered campfires everyone was gathered around. Almost seemed a shame to leave them, really. Most weren¡¯t even interested in why I had moved away from the group. Which was okay. I didn¡¯t need to be the focal point of every situation.

    I cleared my throat for no reason.

    Hand waved through the air, and the same doorway appeared. Part of me worried that I¡¯d come back to find the camp in disarray, bodies strewn around the place as something had taken advantage of my absence. Another ego thing, as Ren and Wolf could protect everyone, even without me.

    I opened the door and stepped through into hell.

    Warmth washed over me, as the crimson tone of the foul place filled my eyes. I turned to see a small demon sitting on my throne.

    With wide eyes, he gradually slid from it, back onto the floor. ¡°J-just keeping it warm for you, your m-majesty.¡±

    ¡°I am well within my right to tear you in half, slowly.¡± I ran my tongue across my lips. ¡°But you should just leave instead. Do not mistake my mercy for weakness.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, your majesty.¡± The small demon grasped at his head dramatically as he ran down the steps and toward the large doors of the throne room.

    I watched him leave, his small feet padding against the stone floor. About ten feet away from the exit, my patron burst up from the floor, the long sword blade slicing the escapee in half cleanly.

    My head tilted to the side at the group of similarly impish demons sitting around a table playing cards. Ever since my entrance, they had remained frozen in place, as if I could only sense movement.

    ¡°Have I really been gone long enough for the throne to have squatters?¡± I asked rhetorically.

    They were smart enough to remain still and quiet.

    ¡°May I make a suggestion, Master?¡±

    I turned my eyes to see that the speaker was none other than my sword. Their voice was muted - hollow and sinister. ¡°Oh, so you are able to to talk.¡±

    ¡°Only in hell, Master. The demons are not used to democratic reason. If you assign me as the Voice of your Will, I will command them in your absence.¡± He floated closer to me.

    As much as that sounded like a blas¨¦ excuse for him to hold sway over hell, it took the matter out of my hands and gave my patron something to keep him busy.

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Hori the Unquenchable, Master.¡±

    ¡°Hori, you are now the Voice of my Will. You are going to gather the six strongest demons, and the six most cunning demons in hell. They will form the council that determines the politics of hell. If one of the strongest kills one of the weaker, then execute all twelve. If one of the cunning ones tries to betray another on the council, execute all twelve.¡±

    The eye on the hilt stared at me. ¡°It is likely we will go through many council members, Master.¡±

    ¡°As it has to be. Eventually we will get a workable group. The first edict is to replenish and rebuild. The war to usurp the previous king weakened and destroyed a lot of hell, so the first thing to do is work toward prosperity and power as a whole.¡±

    ¡°As you command, Master.¡±

    ¡°Also, kill these dumbasses.¡± I pointed a finger at the panicked gamblers. As my patron whipped through them in short order, I shook my head. ¡°I need to be respected, despite my absence. I¡¯m giving the denizens a chance to have some self reliance. If I have to rule with an iron fist, then I might as well give the crown to someone more bloodthirsty.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Master, only your death would allow the crown to part from your head.¡±

    I exhaled through my nose as I regarded my patron. We hadn¡¯t had the time to bond or really get to know each other. I didn¡¯t think he wanted to lop off my head to take the crown for himself, but it was an option on the table. Certainly not as affable as Roger, but likewise not as insolent. So far.

    ¡°If I have detractors, then set up a tournament system. Strongest three challengers will get to face me when I make my visits to hell.¡±

    ¡°As you command, Master.¡±

    I had no intentions of losing, but giving them a goal would focus their strength, and a tournament would weed out all but three of my potential enemies. Gave me an outlet to show off my power to the masses and burn some calories at the same time.

    ¡°That will be all, Hori. Thank you.¡±

    The floating sword dipped as if it was giving me a bow. ¡°Welcome, Master. The prior king did not have your foresight or shrewd intellect. Serving you will be much more fulfilling.¡±

    I gave him a nod as I waved a return portal into being. ¡°I will call on you when your services are needed.¡±

    Then I was through it, back into the much cooler market square of the town by the temple. Ren was up beside me before my eyes had even adjusted.

    ¡°I missed you so much,¡± she whined. ¡°We¡¯ve never been so far apart, even though it was barely a handful of minutes. Tell me everything.¡±

    Blinking away the dazzle in my eyes, I smiled and put my arm around her. ¡°First, I killed some dissidents, then I appointed my patron as my official spokesperson. After that, I arranged for more controlled, constructive violence to take place. Maybe some blood sports on occasion.¡±

    ¡°Ugh,¡± she put her arm around my waist in return. ¡°Sounds hot. Wish I had gone to fawn over you.¡±

    ¡°Plenty of time for that in the future, moonflower.¡± I glanced over at the groups. ¡°How¡¯s the mood here?¡±

    ¡°Mostly trying to ignore the fact that we are about to go to war. Tanya was showing me the map, and there are a few stops along the route that can help get us some extra power before we get to Candlekeep.¡±

    That sounded good. I gave her a nod. We were almost at the limits as to what strength the System would really allow us. No more skills, decent gear was unlikely, our stats may be static now with no further levels. Our Inventories were already full of potions and scrolls. The last thing we could do with were more Power Tokens to advance our skills.

    I had no doubt that was exactly the sort of detours Tanya had arranged. I fully intended on getting anyone lower than Level Fifteen up to that as well. For as little as we knew what would be awaiting us in the city, I wanted to take no chances.

    It was unlikely we¡¯d get a second chance.

    The group started packing up, while I went over to my Party. It was time to find out the first stop on our dazzling tour towards the city.

 185 - Disenchanted

    First stop on the way to Candlekeep wasn¡¯t too far from where the Eternal Wardens had met their end. A monster field for the lower leveled among us to catch up.

    Unfortunately, Guilds didn¡¯t share experience. Twice as disappointing was that Ren, Wolf, and I were too high level to kill things for the others to receive credit even if we did rearrange the Parties so that one of us was in each.

    I watched the dinosaur-like creatures fall in the battle with a rather sour expression on my face. While the bear could act as a physical blockade, even if not attacking, and Ren could heal and shield the other groups, I was at a slight loss.

    We¡¯d never had to contend with experience share outside of the normal Party dynamics, but even if I just hobbled the System-created, it put a huge dent in the experience the killing group would receive.

    Quinn stood beside me, perhaps content enough that he didn¡¯t need to put himself in danger for once. ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny how life works out?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Very true.¡± I nodded slowly, not knowing exactly what he meant, but fully onboard either way. It would only take a glance at my current situation to know that life had dealt me a rather strange hand.

    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d fall for a woman like Tanya,¡± he continued, ¡°but there¡¯s an edge to her. I can only thank you for bringing us together, friend.¡±

    I blinked away the remanents of confusion over his initial statement. ¡°Oh. Well, she brought herself in. I only chose not to kill her. Your charm did all the rest.¡±

    He chuckled and shook his head. ¡°You give me too much credit, Max. What drew us together was not my unquenchable spirit or any notion that love was on the cards. Just two people desperate for normality and safety. It just so happened we had the right ingredients between us for a blooming passion to germinate.¡±

    I pulled a face, totally ill at ease with the phrasing he used. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely glad, Quinn. Doubly so, as now you have a reason not to sacrifice yourself in my stead. You can live on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t death flag me, friend.¡± He turned his one eye to me and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not my convictions or love that prevents me paying back the blood debt, but I have truly given up knowing if you are dead or not when you use that skill.¡±

    ¡°True enough. I am tiresome.¡± I gave him a wide grin. ¡°If you want to repay the debt, just protect and keep her safe. Nothing would make me happier than you two surviving and finding a place of contentment once this is all over.¡±

    He seemed fulfilled enough with this change of plan. ¡°Consider it done. That also means you and Ren have to make it through. Wolf too. We have all been through too much to lose each other.¡±

    I gave him a nod, but couldn¡¯t find the words to respond at first. With all the magical scrolls we had found, none had been for resurrecting allies. How likely was death once we got to the city? While part of me liked to think that us powerful three would be taking on the bulk of danger, there was surely plenty to go around. Maybe I had some karma coming my way.

    ¡°As much as I would like to hope that all fifteen of us will make it through¡­¡± I said, slowly. ¡°It seems hypocritical of someone who has killed so many people to care to such a degree to make the narrative care for my thoughts on who should be protected.¡±

    Quinn looked me over, his single eye reading my expression, before he gave me a tired shrug. ¡°Just think, Max. Any of these poor souls you save would be your fan for life.¡±

    I had to admit; I did like the taste of that phrasing.

    My mind was elsewhere now, however. As Tanya called him over for something, my brain was focused on the area around us. If I couldn¡¯t kill monsters, then I would run protective measures over everyone here. Things were never as simple as moving from one place to another, and we had suffered enough ambushes in our time here to know better.

    Not that we were exactly a soft target anymore. While one dinosaur screeched and fell over dead, another burst into flame. It wasn¡¯t going to be quick experience, but Tanya had a plan. We¡¯d grind here until dusk, and then to a nearby town that had a couple of easy Quests to complete. Sleep the night away, and then start fresh in the morning.

    Logistics and morale were important for an army, she had told me. As much as the enemy literally lit the sky ahead of us, we needed proper rest and full stomachs. Any glimmer of confidence we could gather to tell us that this wasn¡¯t going to be a big deal. Deadly.

    But was it? I didn¡¯t even know, to be fair. There was a chance we would just roll over Candlekeep and usurp the Lady even easier than we turned hell upside down. It wasn¡¯t a¡­ realistic possibility, however.

    In fact, I fully expected to be attacked tonight, if not before.

    It would be disappointing if we weren¡¯t. Our enemy would benefit from it to the point that it would be negligence if they didn¡¯t try to needle us on the route to Candlekeep. I didn¡¯t know the Lady in Red¡¯s past, but I was sure she had some cold cunning in her for her to get this far. A cruelty to her that hated a threat just lingering beyond the borders of her control.

    I watched as Wolf walked away from the front lines, his expertise not really needed while they waited for monster respawns. He came up near me and then flopped over onto his side.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Everything fine, brother?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Just making use of the fine weather.¡± He rolled so that he could look up at me while we talked.

    I nodded. It was a good day, all things told. Compared to hell, this was heaven. A mild warmth that lingered if you stayed out in the sunshine. It brought me back to the cottage, and I imagined the three of us hanging out by the swing. The flowers. Such peace. Something to fight for.

    My focus returned to him. ¡°Still keeping that large maw closed about your abilities?¡±

    The bear grunted, but maintained his gaze. ¡°You will know when it is time, no sooner. Some things only work that way.¡±

    I rolled that statement around in my mouth before giving him a bow. ¡°I accept and will pester you no further.¡± He had a trick up his sleeve, and it would be rude of me to force it to appear when it wasn¡¯t time¡ªruining the whole performance. It was clearly something important to him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Wolf closed his eyes, soaking up the rays.

    Would be nice if he could give at least one clue, though. I pulled a face and looked over at the fighting groups. Fiona¡¯s Party was still engaged with two dinosaurs. The feathered creatures fell back as she swiped at one with her mace, and the spellcaster froze the other in place, allowing Magnus to nearly decapitate it.

    Ren looked relaxed, not really straining to heal their front-line fighters or put shields on them. Bored, possibly. The babysitting was part of the process, unfortunately. We had leapfrogged everyone in these first areas of the world thanks to our vacation to hell. Dragging weaker Players into the coming battle seemed unfair. The least we could do was to prepare them for¡­

    Whatever was coming.

    My eyes went to the many Chance Boxes I had accumulated lately, including the demon-flavored ones. I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing in the world to eventually open them.

    Frowning at the ground around me, I chose several spots to drop useless gear. A pile for each Stat. Then, I went and opened ten boxes at a time. Gold, potions, scrolls, and the occasionally miscellaneous item I kept, but any gear I couldn¡¯t wear, I dropped to one of these piles.

    A little garage sale in the making, people started to accumulate as they took a rest from their fighting. I continued on, opening and dropping. Nothing was as good as my hell gear. I stopped, not because I was running out of Chance Boxes, but because the surrounding ground was too cluttered.

    ¡°I can disenchant gear,¡± Percius offered, some slight hesitation to the statement. ¡°With enough shards from magical items, I can craft Power Tokens.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit.¡± My eyebrows raised quick enough that my hat almost fell from my head. ¡°Where have you been all my life? Ren, did you hear this motherfucker?¡±

    ¡°I have like a billion shitboxes too!¡± the elf said, practically running over.

    ¡°Party members get first dibs if they can use the gear,¡± I said, waving my hand impatiently yet diplomatically. ¡°Otherwise funnel everything into this man here.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a cost-¡± he begun.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay it,¡± Ren and I interrupted at the same time.

    And thus began what I could only describe as the least efficient Power Token factory ever to exist. I couldn¡¯t believe he hadn¡¯t told us sooner¡ªalthough, judging by the surprise on Fiona¡¯s face, he hadn¡¯t told them either. A secret skill that made him incredibly valuable and important.

    Now we became uncontested. Ren and I opened and spat out magical items to the floor in front of us. We had four runners who would take the gear to Tanya. With everyone¡¯s equipment screen shared with her, she went through and designated gear to a Guild member¡ªor handed them to another runner who brought it over to the spellcaster, who melted the item down into token shards.

    Wolf sat beside him, paying off the cost. We¡¯d finally found a gold sink that wasn¡¯t Sweet Cakes.

    And we had an obscene amount of extra gear. I kept two rings, as we had now unlocked the third and fourth slots by becoming Level Twenty.

    [Ring of Hope] [+25% Mana, +10% Mana Regeneration, +5 Int]

    [Scryer''s Hoop] [+3 Int, +3 Wis, +6 Luck]

    The rest wasn¡¯t useful for us main trio, but once we switched to the hell gear from the demonic boxes, they were soon hoovered up by the others¡ªtheir old gear going into the pile to be broken down instead.

    I felt rather pleased that our hoarding and distrust of these random loot crates had eventually worked out in our favor. I was sure that we weren¡¯t about to get a ton of Tokens from this whole effort¡ªbut it would be better than just keeping things around in our Inventories.

    The one downside was the amount of time it was taking. Sure, the other two groups¡ªand even Quinn and Tanya¡ªwere getting a power boost, but the feathered dinosaur-like monsters were now just walking around idly instead of being crushed to death for their experience. I could see the ire on Tanya¡¯s face - that we were ruining her plan.

    She was in charge of our schedule, after all. I shouldn¡¯t be interrupting the production.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do part two of this later,¡± I announced, ceasing spewing the useless items onto the grass.

    ¡°Good,¡± Ren agreed. ¡°It was doing my eyes in.¡±

    I swept my hand in front of me and picked up everything still by my feet, straight into my Inventory. The grid boxes were cluttered to the point of breaking, but it would have to survive for now. ¡°Go and grind experience. We have little time before dusk and then we¡¯re moving, whether you have leveled or not.¡±

    It was enough convincing to get them to change track. Now, with a few pieces of improved gear each, the process of slaying monsters took even less time. I could tangibly see the benefit of our little gear explosion.

    Percius stayed behind, still getting caught up on disenchanting the last pieces of gear moved to him. The process of creating Tokens probably took a while as well, but he could at least leech experience while the rest of his Party acted. With Ren backing them up, they wouldn¡¯t miss his offensive skills.

    ¡°How was that?" I asked him, a wide smile on my face.

    ¡°Expensive. For you,¡± he shot me a brief grin before looking back at his work. ¡°I¡¯m not sure there will be much to take back from Wolf once all is done.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I raised my eyebrows down at the tired-looking bear. ¡°I didn¡¯t give him any. That¡¯s all his own gold.¡±

    "I hate looting," Wolf grumbled.

    Percius hesitated, before glancing between us. ¡°The second phase - Combining the shards into Power Tokens - doesn¡¯t take gold, but instead uses a lot of mana.¡±

    ¡°You need potions?¡± I went through my Inventory. ¡°I don¡¯t really use them¡­ so I have a large stockpile. Greater Mana Potions would probably get you to fill, right?¡± He was nodding in my peripheral as I looked through the windows. ¡°I¡¯ll split the stack, so¡­ I¡¯ll trade you three-hundred-and-fifty.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°You have¡­¡±

    ¡°Just of the Greater version, yes. I¡¯m keeping the Masterwork and Max ones for myself, the latter just for the amusement. So, how many Tokens are we getting out of this process so far?¡±

    He shook the disbelief from his head as he went into his own Inventory. Beneath his wide hat, I could see his eyes widen further the longer he looked.

    ¡°Oh shit,¡± he murmured.

 186 - Hearttaker

    In terms of Power Tokens, we had a lot of Power Tokens.

    Sixty, before Percius grew sick of the taste of mana potions. There would be more to come, but with the stash of loot still waiting to be sharded and the process not being an exact science, we didn¡¯t know exactly how many we¡¯d even up with in total.

    Now that we had found a source of power, the question then became one of how we intended to distribute it.

    I had suggested four each¡ªsomething Ren had scowled at me for. While she wasn¡¯t going to say out loud that we two should get thirty each, I could read that intention from her. We were already powerful, though. After a little bickering back and forth, I grew tired of the discussion and made an executive decision.

    Twenty tokens per group to distribute amongst themselves as they saw fit.

    Everyone either thought this was a great idea, or could see that I¡¯d be annoyed with any further arguing over the matter. Not that I had been anything but affable¡­ but they had seen me fight, even if only briefly. With plenty of magical items still to unbox, I intended to get Percius alone later and take all the tokens for myself. Well, for my Party, at the least.

    Thus, with dusk taking us away from the monster grinding and toward a small town, I walked with our group to decide who would get the curent load of tokens. Four each was my suggestion still.

    ¡°We have already decided,¡± Tanya was quick to inform me. ¡°You and Ren are getting ten each. No complaints or debate to be had.¡±

    I opened my mouth to complain and debate, but she had me there. Sixty had felt like a lot at first, but now distilled down, it only meant one skill upgrade for myself and Ren. Or I could dabble with pumping up ten of my passives¡­ but I knew the real money ticket was improving my core rotation.

    Humming to myself, I divided up the tokens as we walked. My mind was already elsewhere, imagining ways in which we could get magical items in bulk to fabricate into further Power Tokens. If only we had met the spellcaster weeks ago, we would have burned the candle to the end to drown in the upgrading stones. Every second was precious now.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know there was enchanting,¡± Ren said idly.

    Tanya raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t look all that shocked. ¡°Really? There was a tutorial back in the first area, but it doesn¡¯t surprise me you missed it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the five key gear advancement mechanics,¡± Quinn informed us. ¡°Enchanting, Gemming, Proficiency, Reinforcement, and Preference.¡±

    I exchanged a glance with Ren, and she picked up the slack to allow me to avoid looking silly. Sillier than normal.

    ¡°We¡¯ve seen gems before,¡± the elf nodded sagely. ¡°Fuck knows about the rest.¡±

    Not quite the save I had been hoping for.

    Tanya pulled a face. ¡°You did none of those? Perhaps this is on me for assuming¡­ but you¡¯ve gone his far without at least Proficiency and Preference?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it would be best,¡± I said, nodding slowly, ¡°if you told us what they were so that we could pretend we¡¯ve had them all along.¡±

    ¡°Preference is just something that lets you get gear upgrades more often. It tailors your drops¡ªeven from boxes¡ªto be more likely to be your stat choice, even if not always an upgrade.¡± Her face continued to contort into a grimace. ¡°I thought the gear mix we''ve had was just because of the Party dynamics¡­ but you¡¯ve been on full random loot all this time?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Proficiency?¡± Ren asked, allowing me to ignore the pointed question leveled at me.

    ¡°Simply put,¡± Quinn replied, ¡°you gain benefits based on certain gear designations. For example, my proficiency is in medium armor, and I get a bonus to evasion based defenses and damage using Dexterity based weapons.¡±

    ¡°I can turn into the demon king,¡± I murmured.

    The fateweaver just shook her head and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re so malady stricken, Max. Even if you¡¯ve gotten decent equipment through brute forcing the drops, you¡¯re missing out on a decent chunk of damage mitigation at the least.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± I grinned. ¡°I just deal with that nowadays by avoiding getting hit at all.¡±

    ¡°How well is that working out?¡± she asked, a tired expression replacing the disdain.

    ¡°I¡¯m still in one piece. So I¡¯d say- ow.¡± I flinched away as Ren hit me in the side of the head.

    ¡°Shit, sorry, trickster.¡± The elf pulled me in closer to inspect the damage. ¡°I thought you would use Last Act. Oh no. We aren¡¯t on the same page anymore.¡± She squeezed me tighter. ¡°I¡¯m too young to get divorced. Tell me it¡¯s not over, Max.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Tanya sighed. ¡°I think hell clearly affected your sanity. Keep moving now, children.¡±

    Wolf looked up at her, almost as tired of our shenanigans. ¡°I¡¯m normal,¡± he stated.

    While the fateweaver didn¡¯t deny that, she gave him a silent pet on his shoulder before moving on. Our group had accepted it, but for us humans from contemporary Earth, having a talking bear on our side didn¡¯t really come close to normal. It was just something we couldn¡¯t really question, even after learning that we came from different worlds.

    This was home for us now, for better or for worse.

    Not that we even knew this world properly. I held Ren¡¯s violent hand as we walked to catch the others up. Woodlands around us, a stone road leading us to the next town. We were in quarantine here. Left to struggle and squirm in a feature-absent sandbox while others hid behind a protective wall waiting for the Lady or whatever bug had infected the System to die off.

    Part of me was mad that we hadn¡¯t been contacted. Surely someone would know what we had been getting up to. The cure that they didn¡¯t care to lend a helping hand toward. Nevermind dazzling them once all was said and done, I had a few stern words to pry their heads open with.

    In truth, the hope was just that there would be a place for us all when this had settled. No need to bounce between high-stakes violent events. Just Ren and I and a cottage in the woods. Probably Wolf too, for as long as he could. Time to relax or pick up hobbies that weren¡¯t about turning people into corpses.

    I blinked away these thoughts and concentrated on our surroundings. Now, with the sun lowering in the sky, a lot of this path was shaded. Open fields would appear, dotted with farms or similar housing, or groups of monsters. It reminded me of a theme park ride I had gone on once. Thankfully, there was no singing.

    ¡°Getting closer to ambush o¡¯clock, trickster.¡± She gave my hand a squeeze before letting go.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure.¡± We had a knack for this by now, and I trusted her intuition completely, but it was too soon. ¡°If they are near, then they¡¯ll be waiting for when we are weaker to pounce.¡±

    There had been plenty of people who had thought they could just run up and sucker punch us with only the element of surprise on their side. We¡¯d even come close to losing such engagements. With our current standing, that wouldn¡¯t be enough to best us. Some of the other Parties, sure, but ours was nigh unflappable.

    My eyes went across the canopy. Of course, that didn¡¯t stop people from trying to flap us.

    ¡°Dungeon tomorrow,¡± Tanya interrupted, unable to sense our foresight at work. ¡°The lockout time works via unique Party compositions, so we¡¯ll send in all three at once, then swap a person for the second go through. Rinse and repeat.¡±

    ¡°There will be enough combinations?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I doubt we¡¯ll be doing it hundreds of times, so it¡¯ll be fine. To try to stabilize the time to complete, we¡¯ll probably have you three as the leaders and people will rotate between you.¡±

    Splitting up. I raised an eyebrow at the elf, who was doing the same already at me. I wondered which of the three groups our imagined stalker would deem the weakest. Then, could I fake a weaker Party and be a part of it to reverse the jump on them?

    In fact, the process was so clear and rote in my mind it went past premonition and landed in the murky pool of fiction. I had erased it from possibility by living it out too realistically in my mind, and the System didn¡¯t like repeating punchlines.

    That, or my short return had mushed my brains up just that little more.

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I eventually decided, realizing I had just been silently thinking for a while. ¡°Chances of decent loot?¡±

    ¡°Middling,¡± she replied. ¡°But with a disenchanter, everything works towards new Tokens now. Have you spent yours yet?¡±

    I shook my head, as that seemed better than telling her I was distracted with fighting imaginary ambushers in my mind. They¡¯d avoid my group, surely. Perhaps a quick area of effect nuke or assassination of one of the softer targets from afar. Nothing so overt as¡­ oh, I was doing it again.

    My eyes flicked through my screens, and I spent all ten tokens on my demonic ace. Now it could hold five items and even loot items into itself. It wasn¡¯t the most dangerous or destructive power up, but it made the possibilities that more endless.

    ¡°Did you pick, Ren?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Of course. Tell me yours first.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and shook my head slightly. ¡°No, you first.¡±

    Her bright blue eyes rolled. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you believe that our choices will be aligned in some manner, further proving we are soulmates or some other sap. Correct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. But that¡¯s what you think as well.¡±

    The elf shot me a grin. ¡°Naturally. My chained shot can also be certain debuffs now instead of just elemental damage.¡±

    ¡°And let me guess¡­¡± I grinned. ¡°One of those effects is an attempted disarming shot?¡±

    ¡°That means you have something that can pluck the weapons out of the air?¡±

    ¡°My demonic ace can now.¡± I beamed at her, and she beamed right back at me.

    The familiar gruff tone of Fiona grunted from a little way back. ¡°You two are truly insufferable.¡±

    ¡°Insurmountable,¡± I corrected.

    ¡°Irreplaceable,¡± Ren cooed.

    ¡°Irritating,¡± Wolf grunted, shaking his head.

    All of that and more. We were still riding the high of¡­ everything, really. Living. Flourishing. It was only natural for us to be a little too much before we became grounded again.

    Her skill really was useful, though. The System once again smoothing the process of us becoming the multi-tool required to dismantle every facet of the Crimson Shadow. I opened up my hand, and the ace was there in it, hovering over my palm.

    I swung it out, watching it curve in a wide arc through the field beside us. Energy flowed down my arm as I manipulated my mana, empowering the demon. Our Guild watched as the dark rectangle burst through the bodies of five of the monsters in the field¡ªbipedal creatures with fur and long beaks.

    As they dropped over dead, my card spun back over to my hand, and I caught it.

    Holding it out at arm¡¯s length, the rest of the groups watched in awe as four clumps of bloody meat dropped out of the held card onto the road in a series of splats.

    ¡°Monster hearts,¡± I announced.

    I received a single, pensive round of applause from someone at the back.

    Some days, that was enough.

    ¡°Only four, trickster?¡± Ren tilted her head. ¡°Did you forget how to count?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I made the faux show of patting around my suit as if I had mislaid the last organ. ¡°Ah, here it is. The first heart that I stole.¡±

    I pointed right at her with my finger.

    ¡°Dickbag,¡± she said, but was unable to hide her smile. ¡°I hope our ambushers target you first.¡±

    Oops. She might not have realized she had just cursed me.

    No... I cracked a wide smile. It was a blessing.

 187 - Inn Patience

    In what was possibly the first time in my life, the unthinkable had happened.

    I had been wrong about something.

    Although, I didn¡¯t really feel like vocalizing this point and invite everyone¡¯s comments on that. While I had expected danger to be looming around the next corner, the rest of the day went by without incident. It was almost disappointing, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I adored spending time with those around me.

    Standing above the corpses of my enemies was a close second, but also something I wasn¡¯t about to tell Ren.

    Instead, we had arrived at the town. Content enough to see that there were normal System-created people going about their business. Still awkwardly robotic and simple, but it was good enough for us to buy supplies and find lodging for the night. The three of us chose to sit out on doing the Quests, seeing as we were max level already, but found enough humor in sitting and watching the others running back and forth doing the mundane tasks.

    We were keeping guard, of course. It was just peaceful. Unfortunately.

    It didn¡¯t take long for everyone to be done, and after grumbling about terrible rewards for a while, the Guild settled into having a few campfires set up while we ate and talked amongst ourselves.

    Conversation turned to the worlds we had all originated from. I told them about what I had learned and people tried to work out the differences between their home worlds. Most seemed to come from a version of Othea. It took a lot of back and forth for them to decide on the three versions of that world.

    From my understanding, the one that Ren came from was what came to mind when a fantasy world was imagined. It had magic and various types of ancestries, like something out of common pop culture knowledge back on Earth. Mentally, I named this Fantasy Othea.

    Quinn and a couple of others came from a version that had no gods¡ªor at least their powers were much weaker. Magic was more scarce and life was much harder. At first I was willing to brush that off as him being from a different area of the same world, but there were major geographical differences others brought up, and his view was echoed by the paladin in Fiona¡¯s Party. I named this one Grimdark Othea.

    To my surprise, Percius was from the third unknown Othea. After he let slip that he knew what Ren¡¯s sniper rifle was, I immediately needled him with questions. Not from Earth, as he was well acquainted with orcs and goblins¡ªsomething that was a factor in him joining the Party with Ruby. I had long suspected the man who attacked me with dual chainswords wasn¡¯t from Earth either.

    A world of technology and magic, the spellcaster told me. Although¡ªhe assured me¡ªhe was a bit of a luddite in those matters. He had been running a delivery through some wastelands to deliver arcane crystals¡ªsome manner of magical battery¡ªwhen a portal had gobbled him up. Sci-Fi Othea was close enough a descriptor for me.

    The three Earth were harder to differentiate, but I knew two of them already. Contemporary Earth, and Supernatural Earth. Normal Max from the first, and Demon Hunter Max from the latter. It was the easiest way to explain the presence of hell and actual demons. The third Earth was either too similar to one of those two, or we didn¡¯t have anyone from there.

    It was a long conversation that led us through into the early night.

    Was there a point to it?

    People liked to reminisce about where they had come from. Each of us was a whole story before arriving in this System world. Going back probably wasn¡¯t possible, but I didn¡¯t see anyone who looked as though that was their goal. Most importantly, it was something to distract us from what was ahead.

    It worked so well that I totally blanked on what Ren was telling me as we settled into our room at the Inn.

    ¡°Hmm? Sorry, I was miles away.¡± I gave her a sheepish smile, but the scowl I had expected wasn¡¯t present.

    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s on your mind, trickster. You know it¡¯s dangerous for your skull''s wellbeing for it to be too full up.¡±

    I nodded and laid next to her, pulling the covers up. ¡°Just thinking about the future, I guess.¡±

    She smiled and put her face closer to mine. ¡°Quiet days at the cottage?¡±

    ¡°Sure, at first. I¡¯m not sure¡­ that will be enough. Talking about the worlds this evening, there are just so many questions I need answers to.¡±

    Ren narrowed her eyes, but nodded gently. ¡°The adventuring bug. We will never be satisfied sitting idle for too long.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Dangerous,¡± I murmured.

    ¡°Unavoidable. You and I have the strength and willpower to create change wherever we go, fix the problems that others can¡¯t. I bet you that the Lady in Red is just the first stepping stone.¡±

    ¡°Here I was thinking everything would be rather pedestrian after.¡± I leaned forward to give her a kiss. ¡°Although, I¡¯m sure there is a good reason why you are still fully dressed in bed.¡±

    ¡°As are you, trickster.¡± She ran a hand down the side of my face. ¡°Are we addicted to danger?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    There was no denying it at this point. I had seen her eyes after we had defeated the Guardian. The drab expression when standing around being the healer while the others got experience from the Monster fields. We had been built around overcoming odds to the point that if we weren¡¯t being challenged for our right to exist; we were bored.

    So it was how we came to be laying in bed together, in our full outfits, waiting for the ambush.

    It was coming, and we knew. Not just foresight this time, but as soon as we had arrived in our room, there was the feeling. The Guardian power of the person who could make clones or puppets. They had waited for everyone to retire for the night, so they couldn¡¯t have good intentions.

    Running through the potential scenarios had been why I had been too distracted to listen to Ren. An attempt on our lives was fifty-fifty. Prime targets but the hardest to kill. They¡¯d know that, especially after last time. If they were smart, then they wouldn¡¯t be coming alone. A fight in the dark wasn¡¯t ideal, but we had ways of lighting up an area.

    ¡°How long do you think we have?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind a bit of sleep.¡±

    I closed my eyes. The feeling in my arm signaling a Guardian¡¯s power was close was faint. Somehow I knew to filter out the two in my Party. ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d wait until¡­ three in the morning or something. When people are most settled and out for the count. I don¡¯t mind staying up to keep watch if you want a nap.¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem too pleased with the idea at first, but eventually gave me a sigh. ¡°Fine. Crack the window a little so that I can put my bird out as soon as I¡¯m up. The rooftop is the best place for me to be if we are attacked.¡±

    ¡°My demonic card is already in the Tavern across the road.¡± We had to split the Guild across two lodgings. ¡°I was hoping to sneak some more Tokens from Percius, but he is really sick from all the mana potions. I told him the next batch is all mine, however. Sharing is fine, but I¡¯m a little power hungry.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t even share with me?¡± she asked, putting on a pout as her bright blue eyes twinkled.

    I leaned closer to give her another soft kiss on her forehead. ¡°No chance,¡± I whispered.

    The elf groaned and turned away to face away from me, only partially annoyed at my greed. I took this as a sign to exit the bed, an act that received a second groan.

    ¡°You know that if I stay in bed to hold you, one of two things would happen. Neither is likely to be a beneficial for our defenses.¡± I stepped over to the window and pushed it open slightly, a wave of cool air coming into the room as Ren muttered something under her breath.

    The times we spent apart were few and far these days, the month spent in hell acting as a time multiplier for our relationship, to the point that we felt like it had been years together. Out of everyone in this world, she was both the last person that needed my protection, yet the one I would have to protect most.

    I pulled out a wooden chair from my inventory and sat beside the window. Just out of range of the cold breeze coming in. What was I really waiting for? A gut feeling to come to fruition. An ache in my arm knowing that we had gone uncontested for too long. Slaying a Guardian would have let the other two know. Our strength multiplying would not have gone unnoticed.

    Yet still, there was something that gnawed at me. Like a bad smell, I¡¯d only get slight whiffs off but couldn¡¯t place. Danger was just outside of my sight, creeping at the edges of my peripheral. This opportunity, where we were all in one place and supposedly sleeping, would be too good to pass up. One of the few times before our attack on Candlekeep where we were weak and unprepared.

    So, why did I feel like something wasn¡¯t quite right?

    I looked over at Ren. She was still facing away from me, bundled up under the covers. I couldn¡¯t tell if she was asleep or not. Chances were she could tell that things were tense here, given that she had similar powers to me. She was also tired, and soft beds were a luxury after the rough existence in the other plane. The rest of the Guild shouldn¡¯t have much trouble getting to sleep. Tiring days all around.

    At the heart of it, that was what was giving me pause for concern. I worked my jaw before bringing up my chat messages.

    [Max: Are you awake, brother?]

    [Wolf: sssd]

    [Max: Stay alert if you can.]

    [Max: I have a bad feeling.]

    [Wolf: ssop]

    One day we would teach him how to use the chat function correctly. At least for simple messages. Having him awake made me feel a little more at ease. We couldn¡¯t stay up all night if we wanted to be functional tomorrow, but I also knew as soon as I drifted off, things would go wrong.

    Not that it was my role to ensure everything went smoothly. I mean, I was the star of the show¡­ the performance of the whole team ultimately reflected on me. My reputation was at stake. The show must go on, and I must¡­

    This was terrible timing for a wave of corruption to flow through my mind. I took a deep breath and cooled myself. There was an odd desire to return to hell, but it slowly petered out as my sensibilities took control again.

    The elf shifted in the bed, turning over to scowl at me¡ªvery clearly still awake. ¡°You know, I can tell when you¡¯re acting corrupted.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t moved.¡±

    ¡°Those little cogs in your head whirr a little faster. An off-kilter clicking that sets me on edge. Therefore, I cannot sleep.¡± She continued to glare, but I could tell that she was secretly thankful for an excuse to talk more.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, moonflower. I may need your full attention while I stand guard, lest I fall to crazed thoughts.¡±

    ¡°I reluctantly accept that I¡¯ll need to watch over you. You¡¯ll owe me one, trickster.¡± While her eyes were narrowed, a smile illuminated her face.

    With a tip of my hat, I thanked her.

    Together, we waited for the impending doom, content enough that we would be ready for anything.

 188 - Unrested Development

    As it so happened, doom didn¡¯t actually come for us. I would have perhaps felt foolish if I could feel anything other than the dull throb of lack of sleep clouding up my head.

    My aching eyes looked between the window, where the first rays of daylight were seeping through, and then to the elf in bed. Despite taking the view that we were way off the mark about an ambush, she had been unable to sleep. The both of us had remained quietly in position, on edge like we were in a trance.

    The feeling that the other Guardian user was nearby had faded in the very early morning, but I still felt something was wrong. Not knowing was aggravating me. It didn¡¯t seem reasonable that they would have gotten cold feet over making an attack on us. There was too much at stake and¡­

    It was just a single word through my chat messages that filled me with life once more.

    [Ruby: MAX]

    I vanished from the room, appearing in the lobby of the tavern across the street. Both Ruby and Wolf were there. Both seemed exhausted.

    ¡°Max,¡± the goblin repeated, worry on her face. ¡°I can¡¯t wake Fiona.¡±

    We said nothing further, partly because I didn¡¯t have the brain space for anything lucid, and she led me toward the room. Wolf stayed put, mostly because the staircase wasn¡¯t built for someone as wide as him.

    Up to the next floor and then around into her open room. The fighter was still bundled up in the blankets. Still breathing. After only knowing her in the armor she usually wore, seeing her in basic nightwear was odd. Took away all that bluster, made her seem human. Vulnerable. The scars did indeed run down from her face, past her collarbone and under her sleepwear.

    More important than that, however, was the icon I could see over her head.

    My eyes switched to the goblin, who had circled around to the other side of the bed. ¡°Did you sleep last night?¡±

    She shook her head, looking equally as odd in a nightgown. ¡°Stayed up late to work on my alchemy, and then couldn¡¯t drift off.¡±

    I nodded and went to the Guild chat.

    [Max: Report in.]

    [Ren: Here.]

    [Wolf: swww]

    [Ruby: Here.]

    [Quinn: awake^]

    [Tanya: Here.]

    I waited for five more seconds, but no further replies came in. Sure, it was early in the morning. Far earlier than people would usually be up. I was beginning to put some of the puzzle pieces together, and didn¡¯t expect to see anybody else reply in the near future.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a curse,¡± Ruby complained, ¡°but I can¡¯t figure out what.¡±

    ¡°It is. I can tell you exactly what.¡± I gave her a grim smile as I explained.

    [Unbroken Slumber]

    [Soul-linked Curse: Target remains in a permanent state of sleep until the caster cancels the spell. Caster cannot cast any other spells while Unbroken Slumber is active. Targets become immune to Sleep if they are currently awake when the spell is cast.]

    A trap.

    I worked the taste of reality through my mouth. Something that was meant to incapacitate all of us. I was sure that whoever cast the spell wasn¡¯t going to just let things go, and couldn¡¯t attack us without breaking the spell. That meant they wouldn¡¯t be working alone¡­ and either went for backup once they realized they had missed a few people, or felt they had all the time in the world to bring a proper assault down on us.

    ¡°So we¡¯ll have to find and kill the caster to get rid of it?¡± Ruby asked. She looked half tempted to go and find some goop to smear on the sleeping fighter.

    I removed a scroll of [Dispel Curse] from my Inventory and held it out. It turned to ash, but the icon remained over Fiona. ¡°Short answer, yes.¡±

    This was a problem, as it meant that most of the Guild was now out of service. Vulnerable to attack. I found my eyes drifting around the room as I tried to piece together something that made sense. A plan? The exact nature of how the curse caught us up? My gaze eventually fell back onto the pensive goblin. It was time to lead.

    ¡°Stay put, we¡¯ll communicate over chat,¡± I told her. Before she had the chance to nod, I was away. Now atop the roof with the sunrise painting me a warm reddish tone.

    A dove landed beside me before Ren replaced it in a flash. ¡°What¡¯s happened, trickster?¡±

    ¡°A sleeping curse. I believe it affects the area of this town. Possibly some manner of runic or arcane trap that had been set. Those who were sleeping will forever sleep. Those who weren¡¯t, cannot.¡± I put my arm around her as we looked out to the shifting hues of the sun illuminating the sky.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    She grunted and leaned her head on my shoulder. ¡°We have to kill the caster, I take it?¡±

    ¡°Got it in one, moonflower.¡±

    Ren took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Then next you¡¯ll say we have to go find them, but we can¡¯t leave the sleepers undefended. Wolf would need to stay behind, but I would say that he doesn¡¯t have a way to protect people from ranged. You¡¯ll tell me that I should stay and you¡¯ll hunt the caster down, and I¡¯d object, telling you that I am a better tracker and have a sniper rifle. You¡¯ll insist that you go anyway, out of some dumb duty to keep me safe. I¡¯ll resent you for it, but ultimately accept your plan. Then, I¡¯d kiss you like this.¡±

    She pulled me in tighter, gripping the back of my neck as she kissed me deeply. She moved away and scowled.

    ¡°I¡¯d call you a dickbag and tell you I love you. You¡¯d better come back to me in one piece, asshole.¡±

    I opened and closed my mouth a few times. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m always impressed with how much we are on the same page. Here.¡± I held out a scroll, which shimmered as I pressed it against her. ¡°This teleport is bound to wherever you are. If I get into any trouble, I¡¯ll be back in your arms in no time.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Ren held my face between her hands. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to say it, but there¡¯s a chance the caster is retreating to Candlekeep. As big as your ego is, you still want the whole Guild to go against the Crimson Shadow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave as soon as the caster is dead. I know my limits.¡± While I smiled, her eyes tried to read more pages of my mental diary.

    ¡°So full of bullshit,¡± she murmured. ¡°Come on then, Max. Get this show on the road.¡±

    I swung my eyes away from her and into my Guild chat.

    [Max: Everyone who didn¡¯t report in is likely in a coma state.]

    [Max: We need to move everyone into the tavern.]

    Consolidating all our soft targets made them both easier to protect as well as putting them at greater risk of being deleted by an explosion or similar. It was less trouble than having everyone split around, especially as I needed to get everyone on the same page.

    After nearly an hour of hoisting the guild members around, the six of us who were still awake¡ªand now even more exhausted¡ªwere gathered in the bar area of the tavern. Devoid of any System-created other than a rather perplexed barkeep who was ignoring our conversation entirely.

    I rolled out my aching neck, half wondering if I¡¯d just drop to the ground asleep as soon as I stepped out of this town. No, I could endure. I turned my eyes to the fateweaver.

    ¡°Tanya, I want the proximity detection idols up. All of you need to focus on the defense of the sleepers, while Ren will scout from the rooftops. At this stage, anything that approaches will be killed on sight.¡±

    I didn¡¯t need to ask Quinn and Tanya what they had been up to, where they had missed the cutoff point for staying awake. The notion of it being one of her idols held no weight once I saw their disheveled appearance and sheepish way they had answered my sole probing question.

    Not that I didn¡¯t trust them, but I was still antsy about leaving everyone here. Between Ren and Wolf, there was little I felt they couldn¡¯t handle. Plus, even if they got out of their depth, one message and I would be three seconds away from appearing back here. Not perfect, but it¡¯s what we had.

    That said, there wasn¡¯t a face in the crowd that wanted me to leave. While they each carried heavy bags under their eyes, it was I alone who held the weight of the group¡¯s fate. Some ego involved, sure. But I was certain one of them was about to crack and relent to the fact that I was the¡­

    ¡°Fine,¡± Tanya sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°If there¡¯s any one of us who can bullshit out of any dire situation, it¡¯s you. That doesn¡¯t give you the right to be reckless with your life. Understand?¡±

    I looked amongst the gathered group for a glance of sympathy, but it was a hard sell. The toughest crowds just meant I¡¯d need to try harder to win them over. I gave the fateweaver a bow.

    ¡°Trust me,¡± I replied, ¡°I have no intention of meeting my end just yet.¡± Thankfully, I managed to reel myself away from filling that sentence with a few stage-show references.

    ¡°A lot of people depend on you right now,¡± Ren added. She had her arms crossed and had been simmering away behind a very valid scowl. To my benefit, I had also managed to withhold the statement that I thought she looked cute when mad.

    The exhaustion was making my brain and tongue a little loose and frayed, however. The reason for her renewed ire wasn¡¯t due to my vanishing act, unfortunately. We¡¯d already made the decision on the roof, and that was deal was settled. The trouble had climbed back out of the grave once she realized that I wouldn¡¯t have the protection of her aura.

    An aura that protected me from Trauma, alongside some other important status effects.

    Now she was certain I was going to return a bloodied pulp.

    A little pessimistic if you asked me, which she most certainly didn¡¯t. Her glare remained the second most effective, as Wolf wasn¡¯t happy about my solo adventure either.

    But what was I to do? We were fortunate so many of us were night owls. A version of me from a little while ago might have left Ruby with the others and taken my Party to defeat the Lady in Red. Even if something bad would happen to the sleepers. Now I was a little more audience-centric and hated the idea of further needless loss of life.

    At least for those allied to me. Candlekeep would soon be snuffed out by my hand.

    We said our goodbyes, my time up. I needed to try to cut the caster off before they got too far away. Candlekeep seemed like a valid route of escape, but they might have holed up somewhere else.

    I stepped out into the daylight, and Ren appeared in front of me. Before I could say anything, she put her arms around me and pulled me into a hug.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be without my Oathwarden protection when you¡¯re gone,¡± she said softly. ¡°Don¡¯t forget you promised not to break my heart again.¡±

    I held her. Who would have thought the grumpy foil to my suave charm back on the starting island would become such a natural part of my everyday life? I had spent most of the time moving the catatonic guild members trying to think of a way that we could go together, but it was too risky. We were putting the others before our own selfish desire to never part, and I hoped that the System respected that.

    ¡°Do not fret. The show cannot run without the full cast. I will go to any length to return to your side.¡±

    She leaned back and gave me a peck on the nose. ¡°No need for melodrama, trickster. Kill any fucker in your way, and then do the opposite when you get back.¡±

    By the time I returned, it would be our turn for sleep while the others watched over us. Best-case scenario, our plans had been delayed by a day. Worst-case scenario¡­ well, I wouldn¡¯t think about that.

    Ren moved away, and I gave her what I hoped was a convincing smile.

    Although some part of my heart ached, I jumped up into the air, landing atop my summoned patron sword as if it was a hoverboard.

    With a tip of my hat, I flew away from all my friends and safety. It was time to hunt.

 189 - Solo Tricks

    While I had no doubt earned a few cool points by flying off on my sword, it turned out that it wasn¡¯t really made for such a purpose. It wasn¡¯t just because the eye on the hilt was constantly glaring at me throughout the journey. As soon as we were well out of sight of the town, I dropped down on the grass and sent the sword back to hell.

    Not only did that wave of being sensible wash over me, but so did a heavy amount of exhaustion. Outside the area of the spell that had been cast, I could now sleep. It was almost tempting too. Just a quick nap and I¡¯d be on my way.

    I shook my head and straightened my back out. No. The show was more important. Even as I felt the grains of my sanity drop through like an hourglass in my mind, I wouldn¡¯t rest until I had completed my mission.

    With an unnecessary click of my fingers, I switched places with my demonic ace high in the sky and turned into a demon. My wings caught me, allowing me to briefly hover in the air before slowly gliding forward. They weren¡¯t really good for anything more than short-term flight, but for gathering my bearings, it was very helpful.

    My eyes scoured the northern scenery for three quick seconds before I switched places back to the ground.

    There was a group heading this way. I¡¯d need to get closer to learn if the caster was among them, but I hadn¡¯t a feeling they wouldn¡¯t be. Why risk losing the advantage?

    More worrying than that was further north, there were more groups of monsters. I didn¡¯t have enough time to see if they were all heading this way, but the fires and the way the area near the city glowed with crimson light¡­

    I never really had the time for video games back on Earth, but the situation reminded me of one I had seen once. A real-time strategy game where you had to build bases against an opponent, and then you would send out units of certain troops to capture locations or hunt for resources.

    Not content with taking over the city, the Crimson Shadow was now expanding out and conquering the rest of the area. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t have the time to fight fires. Cutting off the head of the beast should be enough to stop the progress of the blight seeping into the world. Something that I was partially tempted to go and attempt right now.

    I drummed my fingers against my side. Actually, I was pretty sure I could feel the cold stare of Ren burning into the back of my head even as far away as I was now. I¡¯d stick to the task at hand¡ªthe first port of call being intercepting these monsters heading for the town. While I trusted the few guild members still awake to handle themselves, I might be able to dig out some clues from the corpses I was about to make.

    My demonic form dropped away, and I picked my top hat back up from the floor.

    <hr>

    A good twenty minutes of walking later and¡­

    Well, no. It wasn¡¯t really good. I ached and felt sleepy. We sorely lacked a way to travel faster than plodding along on foot. Even the masses of scrolls and potions I had under my belt¡ªfiguratively speaking¡ªthere wasn¡¯t anything that was good for more than short bursts of speed.

    And I wouldn¡¯t be caught running. Not headlong into danger. That would be a good way for me to crack open my skull, which I was specifically supposed to avoid. I didn¡¯t want to get into any trouble with the others.

    Maybe they wouldn¡¯t find out though¡­

    I was well aware I was slightly losing it. That didn¡¯t make it any easier to keep my mind out of control, but the lack of third party accountability was troublesome. No protection from mental maladies, the threat of corruption still lingering at the edges of my mind, and a lack of sleep. Adding that to my desire to be completely uncontestable, I was likely to smudge the line soon enough.

    What line that actually was, I wasn¡¯t sure.

    I paused and looked up at the trees. In a reversal of my usual luck, I could be the one to drop an ambush for a change. I hadn¡¯t gotten a good look at the approaching group, but I was sure they weren¡¯t Players. Too tall and uniform. If the Shadows had access to sending smarter Monsters at us, they¡¯d do that rather than risk what few actual members they had left. We¡¯d already cut down all the weaker parts of the group, the part that was able to fail upwards remained.

    With a few deft hops, I was up in the tree. Maybe overkill when I could turn invisible and teleport, but with enemies on their way to attack my friends, I wanted to go the extra mile.

    My eyes switched through my Inventory, arranging everything. Demonic ace filled with five items. A hell-bird already summoned a bit further back into the woods. I could hear the growing applause of the audience¡­ no, that was footsteps. Clamoring for the door, the crowd had to find their seats before the show started.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I hummed with potential, eager for the taste of Dazzle icons as if they were the only thing that could satiate me. Partially true.

    Six figures stepped into view. Tall, bipedal, covered in dense black fur. Jackal-like heads and golden eyes that matched their sporadic armor. Each with a long weapon of similar metal. Powerful, I was sure, even if the System remained silent on what they were.

    I dropped from the tree and landed in an empty space in front of them, causing their march to halt. ¡°Ta-da!¡± I said, giving them a bow as I took down my hat. Not the most over entrance, but my impatience had run roughshod over my need to impress.

    ¡°That¡¯s one of the forsaken,¡± one of the monster said, his voice low and gravely.

    ¡°Man-in-purple,¡± the first agreed, baring his teeth at me. ¡°The prime target that we must kill.¡±

    At first, I was most impressed at their range of vocabulary. Much like the demons in hell, it seemed these Monsters were capable of more thought and free will than most of the other System-created we have come across. Almost made it a shame that they had been sent to assassinate me.

    ¡°How about this,¡± I countered. ¡°Join my side and I will allow you true freedom.¡±

    The leader of the group didn¡¯t even spend a second to deliberate it. ¡°No. Her will commands us, and we will not be swayed.¡±

    Rather than parlay further, the group of six brought up their weapons. Surely they wouldn¡¯t be simple melee beaters. I raised an eyebrow, clasping my hands behind my back.

    ¡°Well, I at least gave you the choice.¡± As I smiled, purple electricity cracked around my body, arcing back and forth. The first of them tensed to leap forward, right as my demonic ace dropped from the invisibility I had cast upon it. It was directly in the middle of them and burst out with a cold wave of magic as it cast [Frost Burst] from a scroll.

    Three of the Monsters became rooted to the ground, ice shackling their feet. The leader hadn¡¯t been affected and lashed out at me with a long halberd. Quite a nice weapon, all things considered. Almost ornamental¡ªwhich meant it had enough flare to make it quite fitting to be a prop in my shows.

    I side-stepped the strike, which paused right before it hit the ground. White light trailed the sharp-bladed edge as the inertia took it at a sharp angle back toward me. It found my neck wanting and promptly lopped my head clean from my shoulders.

    ¡°Pitiful human,¡± the leader spat.

    <Active Learner> had picked up the skill he had used, which was <Redirected Strike>. Once active, a dodged attack would turn into a critical hit instead. A respectable cooldown that prevented it from being too abusable, but all the same¡ªit was something fun to play with.

    I emerged from invisibility as the monster gloated over my faux-corpse. ¡°Boo,¡± I announced, flinging a magic card at him rather lazily.

    He twisted and dove from the attack by instinct, my slower card rather easy to avoid. The purple switched to a bright red as it became critical, and I controlled it back into him with a flick. Not terribly accurate, but in striking the back of his shoulder, it burst and rendered that limb inoperable.

    One of the frozen creatures had a bow. An arrow burst out toward me as soon as I had come back into sight. I summoned a shield into the air, the long projectile bursting through and shattering my <Card Fan> as well. My eye turned to the side as they drew a second arrow up, while another cast a spell at me.

    Quite the interesting fight. They were like a full party of varied classes¡ªonce I had taken a moment to clock their weapon choices. Even as a ball of fire rushed toward me, I could see another Monster casting some manner of healing spell on the leader I had wounded.

    I switched position with my dove, the bird immediately immolated in the burst of fire. My feet shuffled for a comfortable position atop my cannon as it fired out the first bloom of confetti. Demonic ace pulsed with energy as it activated a second [Frost Burst]. Their ranger had already spotted me off at my new position in the trees¡ªeven before the colorful paper washed through the terrain¡ªbut the others were a couple of seconds slower.

    Ranger. Healer. Spellcaster. Leader. Fighter¡­ and the fact that I couldn¡¯t see the sixth meant there was some kind of Rogue. The fighter didn¡¯t look too pleased, being one of the ones stuck by the ice both times, leaving him unable to come and hit me with his mace.

    As a second arrow whistled through the air toward me, the leader also threw his halberd¡ªgaining a Hellhound latched to his empty hands as a reward. I was already out of defensive options and took the arrow to the right thigh. The thrown weapon hit my cannon and then went into my Inventory¡ªas did the arrow, my demonic regeneration starting to patch up the wound. Not quite enough damage to refresh the cooldown on <Last Act>, so I¡¯d force it.

    While the leader wrestled with my hellhound, a lightning Imp unleashed his spell through the group of Monsters. I had a card in my hand that I pooled all of my mana into, before drawing through my health as well. Just enough to drop below 80%. Then I flung it.

    Right wrist held by left hand, I controlled it through the air, zipping around those gathered.

    To their credit, their defenses were considerably better than most I had faced. The fighter used a shield to deflect the card before the spellcaster put up a magical barrier to protect himself and the healer. A slight cut across the ranger, who couldn¡¯t roll away due to the ice, and then the card dissipated against a plate of armor.

    Cannon blasted a bag of flour out in an arc, causing a cloud of fine particles to quickly fill the space in front of me¡ªsilhouetting the shape of the rogue trying to sneak up on me. Follow-up shot was a lit lantern.

    I switched places with my hellhound, bringing the stolen halberd down on the flat-footed leader.

    He went to catch it by instinct, his fingers flopping off as I drove it into his clavicle.

    Fire reflected in his eyes as the flour ignited, exploding and setting the rogue on fire. ¡°Just what are you?¡± he growled, as the blade inched deeper into him. Screams echoed around the woodlands as their healer tried to help the burning creature out.

    ¡°Oh.¡± I smiled, purple lighting still arcing around my body. ¡°More of a monster than you¡¯ll ever be.¡±

 190 - Special Guest

    I took a deep breath in and then released it. Repeated this motion, as I tried to quieten down the show-tune blaring in my ears. A little ditty for yours truly alone. Blood dripped from my hands, warmth clinging to me in patches all over my suit. My aching eyes looked away from the 30% health warning that was slowly ticking up, to my demonic patron.

    The sword was equally running with crimson, droplets falling to the grass as though he was self-cleaning. Perhaps he was. His single eye regarded me with its usual impassiveness, focused on the star of the show rather than the faceless audience who had faded into obscurity.

    Or at least an early grave. Plus, I had only removed the face of one of the Monsters.

    ¡°You can go now,¡± I told him, shattering both the music rolling around my skull, and any post-battle mania threatening to turn me to mush.

    It was hard to gauge the difficulty of the fight, all things considered. After all, the time where I fought on my own had become few and far between. Survival was almost guaranteed, although it had been touch and go without Ren''s usual healing and shields that I took for granted. Not to mention Wolf taking part attention of a group. I didn¡¯t think it would be too out there to suggest that these six creatures fought better and more cohesive than a lot of Players we had met in our time here.

    In fairness, they had been designed that way. Real people were¡­ unpredictable. Flawed. Most Crimson Shadows probably hadn¡¯t been working together for very long, and it was hard to get that unit effectiveness put in place without time and respect.

    I shook my hands off as my patron returned to hell, and surveyed the destruction. Extensive. I would be willing to admit I had gone a little over the top. Two purple cards still danced around me in orbit, only controlled by my subconscious still. After letting them fade away, I pulled my foot from a sticky mess of Monster guts.

    No Trauma.

    Not entirely unexpected, given the things I¡¯d seen and done lately. These being thinking and talking creatures felt odd. As if it put them closer to Wolf¡­ or myself, I supposed. Created by the System, but with some manner of free will. To think the whole world should be filled with such Monsters, but instead we had been left with this empty and unfulfilling existence.

    [Max: No sign of spellcaster.]

    [Max: Intercepted a group of Monster coming toward you.]

    [Ren: ARE YOU OKAY]

    [Max: Not until I am back in your arms, moonflower.]

    [Ren: I miss you~]

    [Quinn: Could you at least do this in private^]

    [Ren: never]

    [Max: I¡¯ll keep you updated.]

    The group hadn¡¯t given up any information when pressed for either the location of the spellcaster, or what was actually going on in Candlekeep. Not surprising, but still disappointing.

    I looked over to a shaded area under the trees, wondering if I could steal a nap. A very well-deserved nap. The last time I had tried that, I had been kidnapped and nearly tortured to death. That said¡­ I was very tired. Instead of submitting to rest, I dug through my Inventory.

    Into my hand, a [Fire Resistance Potion]. While I didn¡¯t need the actual effect of the magical liquid, it had the side effect of tasting¡­ spicy. A little like aniseed and pepper that stayed warm in your throat like a rough whiskey. Based on the one time I mistakenly tried that alcohol. Tasted horrible, but might perk me up.

    I downed it while holding my nose. Coughed as the empty bottle went back into the stack in my intangible space. I blinked away the watering eyes and felt slightly more alert. Less likely to be burned.

    Looting through the bodies gave me little of value. I took the remaining weapons as they looked nice, but other than some gold and basic items I¡¯d funnel to Percius, it wasn¡¯t worth the effort. Other than saving the team back at the town a headache, anyway. Ren and Wolf wouldn''t have had too much issue with that group, but I was happy to take that burden away from them.

    I stretched out and considered my options. There had been a lot of activity closer to the city, but it didn¡¯t tell me much about what the best plan now was. The longer we went without waking up the others, the worse things would get. Our plan of grinding out the dungeon for most of the day had been shattered, but we couldn¡¯t exactly march on the Lady immediately. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Not without a nap first, at least.

    Like before, I switched into the sky to get a lay of the land. Eyes scoured for any sort of hint of guide of whom to impress to death next. I returned to the ground with such a target.

    Over to the west and slightly north, there was another stone tower, much like the one where we assisted Leyla¡¯s Party in getting their kidnapped friends back. There was another group of System-created around it, as if they were guarding. It was also a reasonable distance away for a spellcaster to run off and get some sleep for himself after ruining our night.

    Sure, I was filling in some of the narrative gaps there to suit my tired expectations, but I had long learned to trust my gut. Nevermind the System fudging things to my benefit, I was more than capable of having a decent idea of what was ahead. A lot more bloodshed, for certain. Some answers and resolution to the current problem¡­ I was willing to say yes.

    With that decided mentally, my feet took me off in that direction. A good hour or so walk, where I would no doubt start to become further frayed at the edges. Such a shame that the only places I could teleport to were behind me.

    I clicked my fingers. That just reminded me of my other responsibilities.

    With a grin on my face, I stepped forward into the warmth of hell. The familiar throne room now had a wide table in it with a dozen chairs in various states of being knocked over or being occupied by bloody corpses.

    As a group of Imps dragged one of the large bodies out through the doorway, I turned a raised eyebrow to the floating sword.

    ¡°This is the fourth set of council members, my king.¡± His impassive eye turned from me to the mostly decapitated group bleeding out everywhere.

    ¡°Excellent. Any challengers impatiently awaiting my return?¡± The more time the demons in hell spent bickering and being killed off by my very clear and mostly fair rules, the less time they¡¯d have to gather up against me.

    ¡°Just the one. Buk¡¯la Apku. She has been told that you wanted three top challengers, but she keeps killing the others who rank that high.¡±

    I nodded diplomatically. Quite a strong demon then. Killing her would be a good idea, but it sounded like she was doing a great job of getting rid of any upstarts that might threaten my crown.

    ¡°Do me a favor,¡± I asked my patron. ¡°Tell her that I offer her the position of King¡¯s Champion and War General. She¡¯ll have to continue testing any potential challengers, but if she still wants to try for my crown, that is fine - I just can¡¯t right now.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my king.¡± The sword bobbed in the air. ¡°It is likely she will want to challenge you. If you have to subjugate her, it is fifty-fifty on whether she would prefer death rather than serve in that position¡­ but I believe the offer is fair to you both.¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± I eyed my throne. Given that there was time dilation between here and the real world, I could probably get some sleep here and it would be much less time out there. Even abandoning my Guild for a couple of hours was untenable, however. Anything could happen, and I had to push forward until they were safe.

    I waved my hand to produce the return portal back to the area I had come from. ¡°Oh, and great work in the fight. I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°It is my pleasure to serve¡­ although I question why you do not wield me and are more than happy for me to act independently.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to do you a disservice.¡± I shot him a smile. ¡°You are competent alone and I am more comfortable using spells¡­ but we¡¯ll see what the future brings.¡±

    Cool air washed over me, somehow making me feel more tired than the warmth of hell. Back in the forest, the clearing filled with the blood and corpses of my last act. I walked towards the tower I had seen, my outfit vanishing as I told the System to repair it¡ªleaving me to travel in my underwear.

    Something that was sure to earn the scorn of Ren, were she here, all the while as she ogled me like she hadn¡¯t seen it before. There was a danger in being without my armor, sure. That was the end of that thought. The only benefit was arriving to my next fight looking as dazzling as I deserved to be.

    My demonic ace hovered up beside me as I filled it with new items. Assaulting a regiment and tower was a big ask, in some ways. Especially alone. Luckily, I had more than one trick up my sleeve - in fact, I was known for them.

    I hummed to myself, climbing over fallen logs and trying to avoid nettles as I wandered towards my target in my lack of clothing.

    With my tired eyes flicking through my tabs, I somehow managed to cancel the cleaning process on my gear and had to restart it, adding another five minutes of exhibitionism to the total. While I grumbled to myself for the action, I only had myself to blame.

    Something that echoed around my skull as I stepped on a rock, hopping from the pain to then step awkwardly on some angled terrain, twisting my ankle. I rolled across the grass and slid to my side. I groaned. The only thing making this a terrible place to have an impromptu nap was more stone hidden amongst the soft grass¡ªsomething the side of my head had found the painful way.

    Time rhymes, or something like that.

    Still, there were some pretty flowers here. I should take a couple for Ren. Pushing myself up to my feet, I withdrew a [Regeneration Potion], if only to make me feel better about¡­

    I paused, the glass at my lips, as my eyes looked slowly to the side at the figure now standing a dozen feet away.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°Lady in Red, I presume.¡±

 191 - Unknown Shades

    Part of me was sick with disappointment. The Lady in Red had been such a mysterious figure out of our reach for so long that the eventual reveal felt¡­ premature. I had wondered if, in finally seeing her, there would be a twist where I¡¯d recognize her from somewhere.

    But no. Before me stood a woman in a thick red dress, a similarly colored wide-brimmed hat on her head. Conventionally attractive, although she looked almost as tired as I felt. Slightly off too. If she told me she was a vampire, I would believe that wholeheartedly. Black hair down just past her shoulders, pale skin, and a wry smile full of confidence. A lady in red.

    ¡°Correct, that is the name I go by,¡± she said, even if my question was more rhetorical. ¡°Before you try to attack me, this is a just a Visage of me. I am not here.¡± Her dark eyes ran me up and down like I was a piece of meat ready to be diced up. ¡°I must say, Max. You are full of surprises.¡±

    I drank down the potion, hoping the System would hurry up and put my clothes back on. Once the gross tang of the drink left my mouth, I gave her a sour expression and shrugged. ¡°To what do I owe the displeasure? Here to beg for you life?¡±

    It was a miracle that I had my temper in check. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was learning that the mythical woman was just a flesh and blood idiot like the rest of us, or her presence commanded something else that had me calm¡­ but I was a hair-trigger away from testing if the ¡®visage¡¯ thing was just a ruse.

    The wry grin left her face. ¡°You are an impudent toddler messing in things you don¡¯t understand. Ready to burn the world to ashes so that you can rule over whatever debris remains.¡±

    I practically spluttered with indignation. ¡°That is what you are doing. How many people have you killed or corrupted so you can rule on high?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing what is best for the System,¡± she snapped back. Her body was tense, but she hadn¡¯t budged an inch aside from her face.

    Crossing my arms, I turned to face her properly. ¡°Only by your own metrics and worldviews. Flawed and murderous ones.¡±

    The Lady worked her jaw, clearly holding back a rebuttal. Eventually, she exhaled through her nose. ¡°Max. You are smart and competent. I¡¯d much rather a strong ally than a foolish enemy. You have undone my work through the last two areas, but I promise you, if you or any of your hapless Guild steps into Candlekeep, then I will kill you all.¡±

    ¡°Threats don¡¯t really work on me.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how or what you¡¯ve been doing, but we will not stand down when our lives are at stake either way.¡±

    ¡°Those strong and loyal to me have a place. You¡¯ve seen the fully realized System-created now, did you not? My team can fix the System and set things right. You can help with that.¡±

    I had to admit that I was interested and impressed with the Monsters that I had just dismembered. Not quite enough to betray my friends, those I love, and the people we had lost along the way. Even the assholes I had murdered to get here deserved some close and not to just be a stepping stone for me to jump into the Lady¡¯s arms at the first attempt at coercion.

    My hand went up. ¡°I¡¯m done talking with you.¡± I clicked my fingers and my outfit appeared back on me. ¡°Peddle your silvery words somewhere else.¡±

    Her expression twisted into something like disgust, as if my dismissal was something foul to gobble up. While she sneered, I wondered if she was about to reveal that this was a ruse and she really was here. Something told me she wasn¡¯t that short-sighted.

    ¡°As you wish, Max.¡± She shook her head, the sour look falling away to be replaced with a confident smirk once more. ¡°I have given you enough chances to be a part of the winning team. The people who not only want to, but can save Othea. When you lose everyone you love and have nothing but death to comfort you in this failed existence, don¡¯t come crying to me.¡±

    Not allowing me to get the last word in, the figure started to dissipate, as if she was made of dense smoke. The fact that she had an icon over her head telling me she was nothing more than a Visage created by someone was a spoiler I had been trying to ignore, but I didn¡¯t want to take any chances.

    Twin purple cards spun out around me, spiraling in a tight orbit as I drained my mana to empower them. With an increasing tempo, I twisted them around in an expanding circle. Grass and flowers were lopped and shredded before my attack dissipated about twenty feet out.

    I regained my breath, fresh blood running from my hands as a few trees slowly collapsed in the background. I had scoured the area near me, everything in that radius torn to pieces. Safe wasn¡¯t really the right word, but I was alone.

    Stretching out my shoulders, I sighed and decided how to break the bad news to Ren.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    [Max: Hey¡­ moonflower.]

    [Ren: Did you DIE? I¡¯ll be so pissed. What¡¯s with that guilty message?]

    [Max: Still living, I promise you.]

    [Max: I had a run in with the Lady in Red. Sort of.]

    [Ren: Did she DIE? I¡¯m so pissed. What do you mean, sort of?]

    [Max: Some manner of projection of her real self.]

    [Max: She just wanted to try to entice me on to her side once again.]

    [Max: Gave vague allusions to something bad I¡¯ve already half forgotten.]

    [Ren: How annoying. I thought up all those new bad words to call her in hell.]

    [Ren: I hope I¡¯m there next time.]

    [Max: Me too. Anyway, be alert as she is likely to try something untoward.]

    [Max: Now that I¡¯ve turned her down again.]

    [Ren: Last ditch of desperation yada yada. We¡¯re safe. You stay safe, handsome.]

    I smiled as I closed the windows down. It didn¡¯t really matter what the Lady was up to, or if the Crimson Shadows had been working for some greater good all along. I knew those were just words to try to sway me, but even if true¡­ I just fought on the side of Ren and I being on top. Stars of the show, happy and peaceful. Or at least with as much peace as we could stand.

    Truth was, I didn¡¯t mind being the bad guy if it meant being beside her. We¡¯d taken our fair share of lives trying to do what was right. The road to hell is paved with good intentions? Fuck that, we had been to hell. Traveled that road out the other side and continued committing sin ever since.

    As my feet took me in the direction of the tower once again, I remembered I was also losing it slightly. Not the best time of day to be ruminating over moral quandaries.

    I pulled out a sandwich from my Inventory. Prepared earlier¡­ or maybe yesterday. The System didn¡¯t care to tell me and it tasted as good as if I had only just created it. Normally, I didn¡¯t like to eat while on the job. In fact, I wasn¡¯t even hungry. I placed it back into my Inventory, half-eaten.

    Instead, I spun out a card over my hand. Just to get a feel of it and keep my hand busy as I walked.

    Just how could the Lady create System-created that actually acted and thought as if they were real? While one part of me would love to see the world fully fleshed out and filled with active towns and a thriving population, I doubted that she had used a normal and safe way to do it.

    The fact that the first example I had seen from her was a group that was sent to track me down and kill me painted my expectations for what the future might bring. Perhaps she should have led with the negotiations before putting a hit out on me.

    I kicked a small rock through the grass as I walked absent-mindedly. Not that it would have changed my answer. Even if we all swore fealty, it wouldn¡¯t be long before our power was too much of a threat. We were just two forces opposed to each other. Nothing would ever change that.

    But could I really change anything? After all that I had been through¡­ was there even a realistic end goal to my attempts? I felt drained, my energy completely leaking from my body like a colander. It wasn¡¯t even fear, but¡­ a worry that I wouldn¡¯t amount to anything. Why should I?

    Demonic Magician, but what did that really mean? I was the king of hell, but didn¡¯t feel competent enough to decide on whether I wanted to eat a sandwich or not. I¡¯d been getting by on luck and the System holding my hand¡­ so what would my life be like beyond that? Even if I could win¡ªwhatever that meant¡ªthe prospect of being content with my lot seemed just as fantastical as¡­ all of this other bullshit.

    I sighed and my body shivered as a cool wave of¡­ maybe just a fresh breeze? The cool air washed over me, despite being properly dressed now. I stopped for a moment and frowned out at the empty woodland in front of me.

    ¡°You look like you have a lot on your mind, Max?¡±

    I turned an eyebrow to the side. ¡°I certainly do, Ren.¡±

    There she was, my faithful companion and other half. Bright red hair flowing in curls over her freckled and scarred face, deep green eyes burning into me. In her hands she held her signature battleaxe, the sharp and hungry edge glinting as it caught the sunlight.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t try to attack the Lady. I guess that¡¯s what you keep replaying in your head.¡± She smiled, softly - but there was a desire, just the smallest spark, hinting that she wanted to find out the contents of my skull first hand. One of the few places Ren hadn¡¯t been. Unless after the horse attack¡­

    ¡°Oh, you know me.¡± I grinned. ¡°I am a master of seeing through illusions, so I knew she was just a weird cloud version of herself. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking about, however.¡±

    ¡°No?¡± Her expression dulled a little. ¡°How about getting to this tower so we can save our friends, then?¡±

    I nodded eagerly. Close enough. ¡°Got it in one, moonflower. However, a much more important thought has just crossed my mind.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Ren brushed some copper curls behind her ear before grasping at the hefty melee weapon once more. ¡°Like what?¡±

    My facial muscles ached as I smiled wider. ¡°I was just thinking, my dear¡­ the day is young, and I have just killed off the threat to our sleeping Guild. Why don¡¯t we make the best of it and have a bit of a date together?¡±

    She shook her head slowly. ¡°Keep your head in the game, Max. Just turn around and let¡¯s get to the tower.¡±

    Maybe she was right. Even if I was crazy¡ªand I was crazy¡ªI shouldn¡¯t be putting my own desires over the priorities of the Guild. Friends needed saving. Something that had become my responsibility.

    ¡°You¡­¡± I ran my tongue across my dry lips. ¡°You don¡¯t think we could just run away from all of this? We deserve a vacation, do we not?¡±

    ¡°Max.¡± Ren¡¯s hands tightened on the axe, her knuckles whitening. ¡°You are clearly tired. Let¡¯s sort this tower out and then we can rest.¡±

    Ever the fountain of wise words, Ren was right. There was plenty of time for being selfish after the day was won. The next few days needed a lot of winning, at least. I should be trying to work beside my elven wife, not arguing with her. After all, I had traveled all this way for the sole purpose of destroying the tower. Would be rude to be late for my appointment.

    I gave her a bow, and she shuffled slightly. My head swam slightly with vertigo as I stood back up straight, and she looked tense. Things had been difficult for us all lately. ¡°I apologize, Ren. You, of all people, know how I get when I am tired and stressed.¡±

    She nodded her agreement with that statement, but had little to add.

    With a smile, I turned to lead her toward the tower. Today was going to be one of those days¡ªI could feel it.

    Right before I felt the displacement of air, as Ren¡¯s axe whistled through air toward the back of my skull.

 192 - Disillusioned

    The thing about using <Last Act> was that it had to be a conscience decision for the most part. Usually, the split second of pain or flash of immediate danger was enough for my lucid brain to trigger the reaction even when attacked by surprise. Exhausted, manic, and beside the one I loved, I wasn¡¯t exactly physically on high alert.

    I doubted that the woman standing over my corpse knew the nuance of this skill, yet she looked just as surprised when I appeared from invisibility with a smile on my face.

    ¡°How?¡± she asked through clenched teeth, stepping away from my faux-corpse to branding her axe at the ready. ¡°I knew I had you charmed.¡±

    ¡°Even though my skill removes most maladies, part of me still believes that you are Ren. Are you?¡± I raised an eyebrow, and my right hand. ¡°No, that¡¯s a silly question. To answer your question, I have three points.¡±

    The woman who might not be Ren bared her teeth, a red sheen blooming around the head of her axe - something that matched the red handprint on her forehead. An odd fashion accessory that didn¡¯t really suit her, or perhaps that was my own personal preference.

    ¡°First off,¡± I began, ¡°you cannot see this, but I have a very specific debuff on me right now.¡± I pointed my hand in the air where it would be if she could see it.

    [Mild Trauma]

    ¡°You see, faux-Ren, it is only fitting that the greatest showman in the world would also have the most powerful imposter syndrome. So much so that I could traumatize myself with it. It makes sense, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She should probably attack me now, if she wasn¡¯t Ren. Clearly tense, she had expected her potential ruse to work, and now her options were limited. I knew this.

    The real Ren would protect me from Trauma - a known fact. My brief panic about being successful or competent wasn¡¯t particularly damning, but in my current state, it had affected me in a very real sense - even if current events had washed away my self-doubt.

    ¡°Second, as I told you, I am a master of illusion. You really didn¡¯t think I would notice you weren¡¯t Ren?¡± She might still be Ren, and I¡¯d feel about silly about the rest of this conversation. ¡°So before you decide whether to attack or teleport away - your only real options - let me present you my third and final point.¡±

    Teleportation was probably her safest bet. They¡¯d tried this thing before and knew of the success rate. Perhaps knowing my lack of sleep would have me exhausted, and that I was alone, I could be taken advantage of. Normally I¡¯d allow that from Ren, although I couldn¡¯t remember the bite of an axe being part of that. The puzzle pieces were misaligned.

    Still, it didn¡¯t really matter anymore.

    Every spear, sword, and sharp object dropped from my inventory at once, agony flooding my eyes as my tired brain ran roughshod over my current limits. Almost immediately after, my demonic ace used [Wind Blast Scroll] at the exact same time as my wrist-mounted holder fired off exactly the same spell.

    Even with the flicker of her defensive abilities, the faux-Ren couldn¡¯t fight back against it. The double gust blew the collection of weaponry like a dandelion losing its seeds. A few were dodged or blocked, but the sheer number made it an inevitability. As most of the items thudded and slid along the grass behind her, the woman slumped over, pierced like a pincushion.

    She wasn¡¯t Ren.

    I knew that for certain now. Even with her skill no longer affecting my mind, I was also sure as my heart wouldn¡¯t have survived me killing the real Ren. For this Crimson Shadow assassin, I felt¡­ nothing. Not even anger or disgust. Disappointed, maybe. Another life thrown away, their souls spent like currency to try to buy me out. I was consistently outside the scope of the Lady¡¯s budget, but that didn¡¯t stop her from trying to haggle for my demise.

    Just something that left me with blood on my hands and a sore need for a sandwich.

    Now I only had half of one. Doomed to only being partially satiated.

    I sighed and rolled out my neck.

    If there was a lesson to be learned here, it was that the Crimson Shadows were incapable of learning lessons. Maybe the Lady was a little more lax with letting her Players get murdered now that she was able to create functioning System-created.

    Neither was truly a threat to me¡­ and yet she now had more pawns to waste. As long as she stayed out of reach, she would be safe. Her minions would only need to get lucky once to be rid of me. It would almost be negligent for her to not constantly send minor threats our way. Even if we flattened them time and time again, our resources were being drained. We would tire.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The chance of us catching up on a good sleep was now slim. Maybe if we set up watches throughout the night¡­ but even then I¡¯d be paranoid. As much as we felt as though we were backing our prey into a corner she couldn¡¯t escape from, the Lady was also playing to the tune of something sly. Drawing us into her lair and flipping to showing her strongest hand whilst we were still recovering.

    I stooped down beside the impaled woman as I idly recovered all my weapons strewn about. Double-casting a scroll alongside my demonic ace was probably not intended. Then again, I was sure the System had long given up trying to put me in a reasonable box.

    The gear on the woman was boring at best, but I took everything magical for Percius to destroy later. Four Power Tokens, which I assumed she must have found along the way, as the Crimson Shadow seemed to pool important resources rather than leave them on the soon-to-be-corpses sent my way.

    I huffed to myself as I stood, taking the last of my exploded Inventory with me. The thought of the first time I used <Last Act> circled around my mind. How pleased I had been that it had erased my Trauma until Ren shattered that illusion by telling me it was her new aura. Not that I should complain¡­ but since that day, we had barely spent any time apart. I had grown used to my sanity being shackled together, even with corruption pulling on the chains.

    Now I had Trauma. Sleep would fix it, but I couldn¡¯t sleep. Instead, I just pulled a grim smile and started back off toward the tower. My tired brain ran through the checklist of things I¡¯d need to do.

    Kill the spellcaster. Teleport back to Ren. Sleep in hell.

    Whatever came after that wasn¡¯t as important. Sticking with three simple steps would keep me from stumbling before I could accomplish anything worthwhile. My skull was already on a collision course with a hard object. All I had to do was delay the inevitable until I was back around people who could put me back together after the fact.

    My eyes cycled through my Inventory as I walked, trying to put things back in order. The elephant in the room was that this spellcaster might be the puppet-master with Guardian powers. It was the reason we had been unable to sleep even before the spell went off. It was partially likely that they were also just escorting the person who cast the magic. I would find out when I got closer to the tower.

    The thought of becoming even more powerful was¡­ sickening to some degree. What could a second Guardian ability even grant me? If it was wish based, would it just decide on what was second best? I didn¡¯t even know what my other wish would be, aside from saving this world¡­ I had pretty much all that I could ask for.

    Everything else would come naturally, surely.

    I paused at a stream running through the woodlands, briefly enamored with the sound of it. Calming. My eyes drifted back and forth over how the flow of the clear water picked up the morning sunlight. It relaxed me in the worst way. Reminded me of the cottage and Ren. Drew me closer to taking a fateful nap. I blinked slowly before switching positions with my demonic ace on the other side of the embankment.

    It felt¡­ sad to leave it behind. Even as I stepped away, toward my goal, part of me wanted to stay and rest.

    To keep my mind sharp, I spun out a card of purple energy and swirled it around my hand. I wasn¡¯t too happy to have gotten myself into this situation. Bravado had convinced me I could just go off on my lonesome to solve this problem.

    With a clearer mind, we could have arranged something a little safer. I had tipped the balance too close to the rest of the Guild being the priority - the truth being I would not forgive myself if anything happened to any of them. Even if the three of us¡ªRen, Wolf, and I¡ªwent off to do this mission with enough teleportation to come back to Ruby should anything dangerous arise¡­ it still left too much potential for things go wrong.

    It still could. For as powerful as we three had become, we worked best together. Our bluff had been called and the Lady now knew I was still awake and on my way to break the curse. The Crimson Shadow didn¡¯t know who else had avoided the sleeping spell, but would find out as soon as they got within sniper rifle range.

    I hummed to myself as the magic card danced in the air in front of me. Maintaining a basic one had become something that barely dented my mana these days. The only reason I didn¡¯t have two of the things circling around me constantly was it took a little too much of my concentration, even if minimal.

    It was much different to summoning one of my demons when¡­

    I paused as my card vanished away. How strange. I hadn¡¯t allowed it to dissipate. Perhaps my tired mind wasn¡¯t focused enough to keep it in check¡ªthat seemed a reasonable deduction. My hand raised, and I attempted to bring out a new one.

    Nothing happened.

    Confused, I looked around, half expecting to find someone else sent by the Lady to mess with me. However, unless they had excellent stealth capabilities, I was still alone. Working my jaw, I tried to bring out one of my faithful Hellhounds to the floor beside me.

    Nothing happened.

    The part of my mind that was suffering the most started to wonder if the System had finally caught up with the paperwork I had been creating and decided to cut me off from all of the undue power. With slight panic in my eyes, I brought up my STAR menus and went to my skill page. Everything was still there.

    I frowned at my hands, glaring at my outstretched palms as if they could be the cause of this new malady. No. Despite everything I had been through, they looked the same as the day I had arrived here. Just¡­ now sporting the ring that signaled I was married to Ren.

    She wasn¡¯t the likely culprit, however. Nor did I feel there was anything specifically wrong with me. As I continued to walk and fail at summoning cards, I looked over at where my demonic ace should be. It had vanished as well.

    With a raised eyebrow, I opened up my Map.

    Exhaustion made the travel take no time at all. Without realizing it, I was very close to the tower now. Even without knowing the exact details, the puzzle picture was clear enough.

    They had some manner of anti-magic field over the area.

    I smiled and flexed my fingers out. This would be a difficult show to perform.

    Time to do some magic the old-fashioned way.

 193 - Twirl and Bow

    My thighs burned as I sat crouched just behind a thick bush. While the month spent grinding through hell had done wonders for my natural fitness, I wasn¡¯t superhuman. Some days I felt barely human at all.

    I blinked away my roving thoughts to glare at the tower ahead of me. It was similar in design and construction to the one we had fought through nearer the center of this area. Probably¡ªif my vague recollection of the lore was correct¡ªit was an outpost for the Crown, or whatever the king and queen¡¯s royal guard called themselves. A stone wall surrounded a courtyard area, a wide-open gate sporting three figures dressed in plate and holding spears.

    The red accents to their armor and sloppy crimson hand print on their breastplates gave me little pause over whose side they were on. From where I was positioned, I could see maybe a dozen of these guards positioned or patrolling around the inside of this compound. The tower itself was three stories high, and although the thin windows were darkened and offered no hint of who might be inhabiting the structure, the two guards with crossbows up in the battlements signaled that there were likely to be more inside.

    Something of a hindrance for someone who could no longer cast spells or use any magic¡ªdemonic in nature or not. No shielding, feign death, teleportation, invisibility, demons, or a cannon to assist me. A smarter and more put-together Max might call this a wash, and head back home. Perhaps suggest that Ren should have been the one to carry out this assassination after all.

    Unfortunately, that Max wasn¡¯t home right now.

    All I saw were audience members that needed dazzling.

    I had spent ten minutes observing the tower, and little had changed. No odd noises or lights. Other than the set patrols that repeated every one minute and thirteen seconds, there was no other movement here. The System-created guards were level fourteen, which wouldn¡¯t be an issue for me normally¡­ but without the use of most of my repertoire¡ªand the sheer number of opponents¡ªI was in for quite the show.

    In saying that, I doubted I would be able to bring out my Domain either. How droll. My eyes left the tower, my sluggish mind content enough I knew what lay before me. I spent a few minutes rearranging my Inventory for the new acts I needed to pull off. Despite Percius disenchanting a lot of gear, I had still kept a few decent weapons that had worthwhile effects.

    Not to mention all the potions and consumables were fair game, even if the scrolls wouldn¡¯t work. With how quickly I could cycle through my menus and manipulate items, perhaps this would even be a fair fight for a change.

    I ran my tongue across my teeth and considered my entrance.

    Most acts on my regular playlist were out of the picture. No easy Dazzles, appearing on the roof, or flashy showmanship. They were likely to attack on sight, which ruled out the charisma approach. I only slightly regretted using up all the [Disguise] potions with Ren. Still, where there was a will¡­

    Much like the first tower, I chose to approach it from backstage. It was the most common way a magician arrived, of course. With the dense tree cover, I approached the back corner of the perimeter wall without those at the top of the tower spotting me. Not that it made the next part of the plan any easier.

    From my Inventory I created a ladder made of stacked chairs and small tables. Barely stable, but it only needed to be utilized once. Hopefully, in addition to fixing the curse, I would be able to find whatever¡ªor whoever¡ªwas causing this magical interference and put a stop to that. If so, then my escape was guaranteed.

    Before committing to stepping out on stage, I decided sending a message over to the others would be a good idea. I was no longer able to teleport to Ren to assist them¡ªplus I needed someone to tell me to break a leg. If only to save my skull from the effort.

    [Max: About to assault the tower.]

    [Max: There is an anti-magic field, so I''m working around that.]

    [Ren: ¡­]

    [Tanya: Isn¡¯t that most of what you do?]

    [Quinn: What about demons^]

    [Ren: He can do a lot more than that, but that doesn¡¯t sound safe.]

    [Max: I am fine. More than fine. Finest.]

    [Ren: You have Trauma, don¡¯t you, you motherfucker?]

    [Max: Oh no, chat is now magical and I can¡¯t-]

    I left the message there, sure that even if I survived the tower, then the others would break me in half on my return. Unfair of me, perhaps. If it were Ren in this situation, then I¡¯d be worried sick. I was sure she could read between the lines and knew that I couldn¡¯t return.

    With one last dust down, my suit looked in near-pristine condition. Hat fit comfortably on my hair that still needed a cut. I was smiling and wasn¡¯t sure for how long that had been the case. Everything was in order.

    I hopped on the first chair, my makeshift heap of furniture groaning and rattling as I stepped between the various layers. Just as the whole thing threatened to collapse, I reached the pinnacle and leaped over the wall. As soon as I landed, I dropped to a crouch, obscured by the shadows of some large crates.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Without the ability to scout or otherwise glance into the courtyard proper, I instead held my breath and waited to see if any of the guards had spotted me. To my benefit it seemed as though System-created were even more blind to Players that were much higher level than them. I had first noticed when the Guild was leveling yesterday, when Wolf had to be almost upon the Monsters before they cared to attack him.

    That didn¡¯t mean I could get away with murder, especially when the guards here were already set to look out for intruders such as myself. With one of said guards just around the other side of these crates, I had expected to at least alert one of them. Yet, silence followed my entrance¡ªsomething usually soul-shattering for a prominent magician such as myself¡ªaside from the sound of the patrols going at their regular pace.

    I was pretty sure that at some point I had acknowledged that I was not built for stealth missions. It was almost an opposite of how I preferred to do things. I wanted to be seen. I wanted to impress. I wanted to eat the other half of that sandwich.

    My hunger could only be quelled by the bedazzlement of my foes. A tale as old as time.

    From my Inventory, I pulled out a gold coin, shifting myself slightly to fling it over against the back wall behind me. There was a sharp clink of the metal hitting the stone wall, before the flat circle bounced across the short grass.

    As if acting to the script I had written out, I heard the guard nearby grunt and shuffle in his armor. Into my right hand, I withdrew a slim blade, whereas my left held a thick cloth. I listened intently as the guard walked around the crate, his metal armor scraping slightly against the brickwork as he moved through the gap toward the sound.

    Through the shadows of the nearby canopy and crates here, he stepped out from the gap, his eyes looking at the back wall where the coin had struck. Before he had the chance to look to his right where I had been hiding, I was there upon him.

    Slim blade cut through the small space between his armor, just above his clavicle and into his neck, as my left hand wrapped around him and covered his mouth with the cloth. His muffled surprise was drowned out with his own blood as I pulled him to the floor. Not quite silent, but it didn¡¯t take him long to be out of the picture.

    I went to loot him, pulling out some low tier magical gloves, as well as two bottles of water and a handful of gold coins. Pretty much as expected, although that gave me something else to consider.

    Most of my equipment was magical in nature¡ªproviding stats and other such benefits¡ªdid the aura affecting this area also prevent those from being used?

    A quick check of my Stats screen showed that I was still receiving the benefit of everything I was wearing, so thankfully, whatever spell had been cast here did not mess with gear. Silver linings.

    It was unlikely that I¡¯d be able to repeat the same process with the rest of the guards here. Other than one of the patrols, nobody else really came close enough to get distracted by something so simple. Not only that, but as soon as I ran out of space for corpses, it would only take one of them getting spotted for the alarm to be raised.

    Even exhausted and slightly insane, I still had an ego about me. This was still an easily winnable situation. As much as the sensible part of me still clinging on to the edges of whatever wits I had left knew that getting inside the tower would be difficult once I had been found out, I still felt there was a way as long as I was still breathing.

    I held my breath and drew out a crossbow into each hand. There were three more loaded ones in my Inventory, and the majority of the guards didn¡¯t looked to have ranged capabilities. My favorite kind. Aside from the ones on the roof and perhaps a few others. Without my usual defensive skills, I¡¯d need to be careful about taking too much damage.

    Exhaling, I stepped into the gap where the guard come from. Sunlight illuminated the courtyard ahead, the silver and red System-created standing around a stark contrast to the dull grass and shadows provided by the tower.

    My hand went up, and I fired the first bolt. The guard ahead of me reacted by instinct, twisting to the side to dodge the attack. Unfortunately, the skill I had stolen earlier from the dog-like troupe wasn¡¯t a spell. The dodged bolt bloomed with critical energy as it struck my actual target slightly downrange from the closer one, the extra power enough to drive the sharp projectile through their helmet.

    Second crossbow had already been fired as soon as the man had spun to the side, this bolt striking him in the inner elbow where it was less protected. Clutching at the wound, he dropped his spear as his arm became limp.

    Enter stage right. Before he had the chance to recover and yell out, I was upon him, my [Dagger of the Trickster] finding an eye socket with ease. Of course, this amount of open violence caught the attention of the rest of the crowd. Three bows were drawn on me as the rest of the outside guard turned and started to make a beeline toward my position.

    I ran my tongue across my teeth, a wide grin cracking through with electric mania.

    This was what I lived for. What I killed for. That, and sandwiches.

    With a quick flourish, I swooped a cape around me, obscuring me from my detractors. Their arrows found a place within the thick velvet which a series of hard thunks. I spun away from the wooden door I had withdrawn to protect myself, almost stumbling straight into the first guard with his spear held at the ready.

    I rolled backwards across the soft soil, the sharp end of the guard¡¯s weapon piercing the air above me. As he approached for the follow-up, he paused and yelped in pain as a bear trap snapped shut on his leg, denting the metal graves into his skin.

    Wolf had been pretty annoyed at me for looting the trap considering its name, but I had then snuck it away when he wasn¡¯t looking. System-created Crimson Shadow Corrupted Guard Trap didn¡¯t have the same ring to it. Just as effective, however.

    The guard crouched to grab at the trap, and I swung around with a sledgehammer, striking him in the top of the helmet with a dull clang. As he clattered to the floor, I brought out a shield into my left hand, swapping the heavy hammer for a flail in my right.

    Dazzle icons were few, but for once in my life, I didn¡¯t care.

    As the next arrows were drawn at the ready, and another ten guards consolidated on my position, I held back a wild laugh.

    The fans were eager for my autograph, and I was desperate to oblige.

 194 - Downstep

    Sweat ran down my brow. Blood warmed through patches of my suit where blades had shredded the fabric. My muscles ached and even the pulse of adrenaline keeping me in the fight was barely enough to erase the exhaustion constantly weighing me down.

    Still, the smile hadn¡¯t left my face.

    Eight guards were dead. Seven still remained. Six seconds of silence had passed as five circled me, warily. For their efforts, three were maimed yet held steadfast. Two were at range still, bows tense and ready to fire once they had a clear shot at their target.

    That being me. Number one.

    They had surprised me, briefly. Back at the other tower, the guards there had been as simple as we had expected of the System-created. Here, they had more intelligence. Not quite enough to make them believably ¡®living¡¯, but they actually had some manner of tactics and self-preservation.

    I had half expected more to emerge from the tower, or perhaps the spellcaster would stand atop the battlements to do something to me¡ªnot cast magic, I hoped¡ªbut whoever or whatever was inside was keen to allow the current guards to finish me off. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t that easy to steamroll.

    One made a move.

    After the skirmish so far, I failed to gather the strength to bring the shield up. I had switched my main hand melee weapon about six or so times during the fight. A few of them littered the blood flecked grass surrounding me. I didn¡¯t have the stats for such a prolonged scuffle.

    I jumped into the air, landing atop a summoned chair. The spear that had been thrust towards me went between my legs, hitting the backrest of the wooden seat. It shuffled and tipped from the force of the strike, sending me off balance. I hit the ground at an awkward angle, rolling away from the furniture plucked back up into my Inventory. A terrible escape that left me open to two of the group.

    As they loomed over me, spears angled downward like I was some fish in a barrel, I gave them that reality. Both weapons jabbed down at me, the first getting stuck in a summoned wooden barrel, while the second struck flesh.

    Oh, what I wouldn¡¯t to be able to teleport at this stage. It was like I had my wings clipped.

    I rolled across the grass and back up to my feet, narrowly avoiding getting pierced through by an arrow that whizzed past my head. While the first guard that had attacked was trying to pull his weapon from the barrel, the second looked at the large fish he had impaled instead of me with a quizzical look on his face.

    The shield went back into my Inventory as I withdrew the last loaded crossbow into my hand. <Redirected Strike> was back up, and I used the same trick as I started this fight with. The critical bolt blazed past the first guard dodging out of the way and buried halfway through the chest of one of the bow-wielding System-created.

    I summoned a greatsword beside me to deflect the attack from my right. To my left, a cloak swirled through the air, obscuring my side. Some old classics, but they worked. My eyes felt dry and cracked. Doing all of this on a good day was a struggle. In my present state, it was only by how overpowered <Sleight of Hand> was that I could survive.

    While I didn¡¯t have the time or brainpower to really consider what the System considered ¡®magic¡¯ when it came down to the spell around this area, it at least allowed me the bare minimum to perform. Potions were fine. I had healed that way, despite disliking the taste still. The stolen skill was okay and effective. There was only so much dodging and blocking I could do, however.

    I had tricks to get out of situations, but I wasn¡¯t an extended battle sort of guy, I repeated internally. My magic often cut short any fights, usually right around the neckline. It was my own fault, of course. Knowing that I would have no magical capacity, yet still need to kill my way through a guarded tower. Did I like a challenge?

    Part of me was willing to accept that I liked being opposed. Or perhaps opposing a greater evil force. Fighting against the odds just came part and parcel for those sorts of heroics. I didn¡¯t want to struggle. It was just acceptable.

    There was an end we were aiming for. Everything had a purpose, despite whatever trappings you could labor it with. Even what the Lady had planned, she had a goal. We were opposed, and whoever was left standing after our long overdue showdown would determine the fate of this world.

    That all seemed very highbrow while I currently stood, drenched in sweat, muddied, and soaked through with blood. My goal was to live, and these remaining guards stood opposed to that.

    Before they could ready themselves once more, I took the initiative. A renewed burst of energy filled my limbs as my brain gripped tight on the purpose briefly brought to the front of my mind.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    As the closest guard on my left kicked back the barrel he had withdrawn his spear from, I hopped atop it and jumped down on him. Out of my hand I threw a bag of powder, which caught on his spear lifting toward me. It burst, spraying out the contents across his face. Something I had scooped up from hell itself. The System called it [Darkfire¡¯s Agony], but for me it worked well enough to blind my opponent.

    I collided with him¡ªhis spear now slightly offset piercing through my jacket and missing my side¡ªknocking him over and bruising myself. Not much for wrestling, I turned and rolled from him, leaving behind a few chairs from my Inventory to prevent him from lashing out. Not particularly needed, as he seemed occupied with trying to clear his eyes of the hellish dust.

    Another arrow whipped past me as I wobbled back up to my feet, the long shaft embedding into the ground just behind where I stood. There was still a good distance between the melee and the one remaining bowman, and I briefly cursed¡ªfor probably the dozenth time¡ªthe fact I couldn¡¯t use my magic here.

    What was actually surprising, however, was the expression on those who remained.

    For the most part, the System-created we had met in our travels had been rather impassive and simplistic. As if they had been made with the sole instruction to stand around and just fight whoever gets close enough until either they or their attacker were dead.

    But the guards here now looked worried. As if their morale was wavering and the possibility that they could flee was just waiting in the wings. Despite being allied with or corrupted by the Crimson Shadow, they did not bear the mark of the Lady. If I could just twist the screws, there was a chance I could scare the rest of them off.

    A renewed smile crossed my face. I had been stupidly hesitant to try it out, just in case it failed and I had a further identity crisis. But now was as good a time as any.

    ¡°Feast your eyes on your imminent demise,¡± I said, cringing internally at the unintentional rhyme of my threat.

    <Demon Form>

    Two large wings broke from the back of my suit and cracked outward, snapping a gust of air toward my opponents. Horns grew from my skull, knocking my top hat off. My grin grew wider as my canines extended into fangs.

    Part of me expected the guards to just shrug off my transformation. Few non-Players had shown fear in all my time here, aside from those paying fealty down in hell.

    But this broke them.

    ¡°Tactical retreat,¡± the one with the bow called.

    The few System-created who had the capacity to backed up into a small squad, their spears held out toward as if to ward off any potential attack. As a group, they started to head toward the opening in the wall.

    That was pretty handy, as I was growing tired of fighting them. However, I couldn¡¯t risk them regrouping and causing an issue later¡ªespecially if they decided to find back up. No doubt the Lady had other plans or assets in the area, and wouldn¡¯t want to give up the spellcaster too easily.

    That¡¯s if he was even here. More fool me if this was a wild goose chase, and I was getting beaten up for no real gain. It would be a decent trap, actually. Lure me somewhere where I was at a disadvantage and then¡­ perhaps fill the tower with some powerful melee fighter after I get worn out with the guards.

    Almost felt too good an opportunity. I would almost be disappointed if that wasn¡¯t the case.

    I leaped from my position, my wings taking me into the air and extending the distance so that I would come down on the retreating guards. It would be a mistake to let them leave. I made my entrance to the second act with a heavy swing of the sledgehammer. My target crumpled into a mess of bent metal and shattered bones as my wings knocked another back.

    With their morale broken, they were less of a threat. It wasn¡¯t that my demonic form made me that much stronger¡ªalthough it did improve my physical capabilities¡ªthe pendulum just swung extra hard in my favor.

    I withdrew the obsidian sword from the last of them, each cut down in a matter of seconds. Wiped the blood from my mouth after having bitten the throat out of another. Looted them for all that was worth. I turned my head to the side to regard the tower once more.

    It stood, static and unyielding. No hint as to what might lie inside. A glance upward revealed that the two guards posted up on the roof were no longer there. Perhaps a good thing, as it meant less chance of me taking a crossbow bolt through the skull. I was half tempted to try to get up to the roof with my wings, but they weren¡¯t the best for flying and putting myself high enough into the air to break my legs without any of my usual bullshit to save myself sounded pretty dire.

    For now, I let my demonic form fade away. The wings shriveled up as the horns fell from my head. I covered my messy hair with my hat, retrieved from my Inventory. All the wounds received during the fight were slowly healing¡ªnot quite at my usual regeneration speed¡ªand I was keen to press on before either my adrenaline wore off, or I took some hits that I couldn¡¯t so easily recover from.

    I stepped up to the front door of the tower. Reinforced wood, and sturdy as they came. Usually they appeared without the large hand print painted red across the dark wood, but the Crimson Shadow seemed to leave their mark wherever they went in some manner. Even without trying the handle, I could tell it would be locked.

    Just a hunch, based on experience.

    Usually not a big deal, as I had a hundred and one ways in which to circumvent a locked door. Without my magic, I had fewer options, but as always - preparedness was the key.

    Well, so was the [Skeleton Key] I had in my Inventory. Another useful tool looted from hell, I had a handful of the single use items. Not much need of them, until now. That was, of course, how most of the items in my storage lived.

    I spun one of the keys out on my index finger before grasping it. To my eyes, it looked just like any other iron key, although I wasn¡¯t really an expert. As long as the door knew what game we were playing, everything would be fine.

    Readying myself for the inevitable ambush as soon as I entered the door, I placed the key in the lock and turned. A satisfying click came from the mechanism, notifying me the plan had been successful. Everything was going my way.

    Oh, and I had also picked up a curse from the interaction.

 195 - Darkness Unyielding

    I paused and waited for something terrible to happen to me.

    My left hand held onto the door handle, not yet willing to push it open until I knew how much trouble I was in. When I wasn¡¯t immediately wracked with pain and managed to maintain control of both my body and mind, I then turned my eyes up to my debuff icons to see exactly what kind of malady I had been cursed with.

    [System Mute] [You are unable to access your STAR System temporarily.]

    Despite being able to read this message clearly, every word of the description understandable, I did not accept it. For ten slow seconds, I remained in place, hoping the curse would just disappear before I had the chance to test it.

    No such luck.

    I tried to bring up my menus, but nothing happened. No Inventory, nor Map, Stats, or even the Chat. I couldn¡¯t believe this was something even possible. But now I was¡­ normal.

    For some definitions of ¡®normal¡¯, anyway. Now without magic, a way to contact those in my Guild, or even my overpowered ability to manipulate my Inventory items¡­ I felt more out of place than even when I had first arrived here. Standing at the precipice of whatever was waiting for me inside this tower, I wondered now how much of a mistake it would be to even enter.

    I let go of the handle and took a full two steps backward.

    Not a retreat, I convinced myself. I just needed a moment to regroup and consider my options. It had been a while since I had such a lack of variety of tricks in my act, and I wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint the critics just behind the curtain.

    Fully aware the mania was taking me toward an early grave, I still couldn¡¯t shake it. I flexed my right hand by instinct, trying to draw out one of my magical cards. Still no dice. I tried to summon some dice from my Inventory. Even with my eyes making the same micro-movements as I had practiced hundreds of times, my palm remained empty.

    I turned back to the pile of mangled guards and walked over to retrieve one of their spears. A little improvisation was required. While they didn¡¯t have the manpower to secure the spellcaster in this tower against everything, they had done pretty well to make it unpalatable to attack. No spells, no STAR, no outside help.

    Anyone who wasn¡¯t a fool would turn away and not risk it. I was certain that if it was just the STAR that was inert, I could still use my magical spells innately. Similarly, I had full confidence that I could take the tower with just my <Sleight of Hand> even without my magic to back that up. Without either, I just had to use the tools around me.

    Starting with equipping myself with whatever I had available to hand. Set pieces were only as drab as you allowed them to be.

    With a smile on my face, I approached the door once more. Not really confident that I was about to sell this change of pace from the norm¡­ but what choice did I really have?

    I pushed on the door handle and swung it open. Two crossbow bolts greeted me, bouncing from the metal plate covering my suit. Dented and uncomfortable, but saved. The lower room beyond was circular in shape, the stairs at the back leading up to the next floor. Two guards with crossbows crouched behind overturned tables, one now trying to reload as the second discarded his ranged weapon to draw out a sword.

    With a lunge forward, I threw the spear like a javelin. It collided with the guard emerging from cover, returning a dent to his own breastplate. Not enough to damage him, but he paused, briefly winded. I used the opportunity to grab a chair off from the side and spun, launching it at the crossbow-wielding guard. Continued my movement to leap over the closest table and barrel into the staggered man with his sword up.

    His blade scraped along my stolen armor, and I turned him so that he couldn¡¯t get a good follow-up on me. I avoided a kick from his metal boot aimed at my shin before ducking his punch. We spun away from each other, and I twirled a dagger around in my hand.

    The guard looked perplexed, glancing down at the empty sheath on his waist, right before his unclasped belt dropped to the floor. The other guard had managed to reload his crossbow and was waiting for an opportunity to fire on me. I couldn¡¯t allow it. Stepping back, I circled my opponent so that he was in the line of sight. Two sidesteps back and forth to avoid the swings of his sword.

    I darted in, bringing my dagger down to slash at his neck. He blocked it, just as I knew he would. While he was intent on not letting my blade land, my left hand came in and unclipped the buckles on his breastplate. Even as he shoved me away, the reflective metal slumped to the side of his torso at an angle.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    It was enough to make his next blow awkward and ineffective. I took the swing of it into my right shoulder, the sword barely piercing through my suit to my skin. With the dagger swapped to my left hand, I brought it up into his exposed flank. Just under his ribs. He staggered away to clutch at the wound, and I disarmed him along the way, turning myself to the other guard.

    By pure luck, my crossed weapons deflected the bolt fired at me, a long cut down my arm much better than taking the projectile to the chest again. I growled and flung the dagger out at the man as swapped to his own sword¡ªtoo slow. By the time he had recovered from blocking the smaller blade, I was on him, driving the tip of my sword into his clavicle.

    I finished them both off, dagger through the throat.

    My left arm burned from where it had been cut by the crossbow bolt. On inspection, it hadn¡¯t been the glancing blow that I had expected. Down into the muscle, for the length of most of my forearm. My suit shredded and soaked through with blood. Limb currently still operational even with the damage, so I wouldn¡¯t complain.

    I picked up the belt and put it on. Sheathed the dagger. Took a helmet, my spear, and the sword with me. Would have loved to have looted the two men, but the System wasn¡¯t granting me the option.

    In fairness, I had been expecting a lot worse than just the two guards. They probably weren¡¯t the two from the roof, however¡ªbut the floor with the spellcaster on it would be the most well defended. Given all that they had thrown at me so far, I couldn¡¯t imagine what could be worse. Thankfully, the current aura around the area probably affected the enemies just as much as me. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about¡­

    I paused my inner monologue to listen.

    It was reasonably quiet, as expected. But there was something else¡­ just the gradual, occasional hum of something. Not really magic, whatever sense I had for that wasn¡¯t picking up on the Guardian¡¯s powers or anything more malign. Machinery, maybe? Technology had been few and far between in this world, but I wouldn¡¯t put it past the Crimson Shadow to have put together something to make these spells so powerful. No normal caster should be able to maintain an anti-magic field this strong for so long.

    I glanced over at the stairs. They hadn¡¯t sent anyone down against me, so they must be in a decent position already. If Ren were here, she would probably browbeat me into looking for traps. I palmed at the air, trying to withdraw my half-eaten sandwich. Nothing. What a cruel world.

    With one last look around the chamber for anything else that might be useful, I shrugged to myself and stepped over to the stairs. Immediately as I got to the base of them, a terrible smell hit my nose. Something I was unfortunately familiar with, due to my time spent in hell. Burning flesh.

    That all but erased any appetite I had left. I placed my fist, as I was still holding the spear, against the wall as a moment of vertigo ran through my head. I was way too tired for this. Way too traumatized and manic. Unfortunately, I was also self-aware enough to see the irony of my situation.

    I had come to this world overworked and far too focused on trying to be the best magician to function as a regular person. I had learned to temper that down. Enjoy life and take it easy when I needed to. Now I was standing before a gauntlet of ever increasing pressure, and I strived¡ªsingle-mindedly¡ªtoward coming out on top. All the power and strengths I had fought for, now erased.

    Maybe that was the point.

    I was being fractured and brought down to my base components. No¡­ I needed to stay out of my head. Thinking would get me killed.

    Pushing away from the wall, I hit the stairs with my feet. Beat them in short order to arrive at another locked door. There was the possibility that this was cursed as well. I also couldn¡¯t dig out a [Skeleton Key] to find out. Luckily for me, this doorway wasn¡¯t as sturdy as the outside one.

    I shuffled to the side and wedged the tip of the spear into the slim gap by the hinges. Leaning into it like a lever, I put as much force as I could into the wedged weapon. It started to bow, threatening to snap¡ªbefore there was a loud crack. With a groan and waft of displaced air, the door buckled from the hinged side, masonry falling down as the inside was revealed to me.

    Just as a crossbow bolt flew out, almost blinding me. I swore under my breath as I pressed myself against the wall, partially obscured by the wrecked door. Warmth ran down the side of my face. A centimeter to the left and it would have gone straight into the socket.

    Perhaps worse than even that was the smell. While the door hadn¡¯t been great at preventing my entry, it had done a stellar job of restricting most of the odor. Whatever was burning was on this floor and had been doing so for hours at least.

    If anything, the Crimson Shadow had missed the mark by not putting a tougher Monster on this floor. The guards were deadly, sure, and maybe they expected anyone sensible to have given up before this point. It was also likely that they didn¡¯t know some of us would avoid the sleeping curse, and more reinforcements were on the way. There was no use speculating - the Lady and her ilk often did things ineffectively, only gaining ground by their underhanded methods.

    Throwing things at people seemed to put them off-guard enough for me to close in, so I wasn¡¯t about to stop that tactic until it stopped working. I adjusted my grip on the spear, finally energizing myself enough to move before they had a chance to reload their crossbow. I wasn¡¯t keen on getting any closer to that machine giving off that smell, but everything was an obstacle to getting to the spellcaster.

    I launched the spear through in the general direction of my assailant, hopping over the shattered remnants of the door. The smell was almost overpowering - my eyes darted immediately to the right side of the room where a large machine of deep browns and dark metal hummed away. Box shaped, something that was more like a furnace.

    To my surprise, I had managed to hit the guard straight in the face with the spear¡ªmy lucky streak clearly gathering up speed.

    Of course, that was something immediately dashed, as the machine had distracted me from the powerful Monster hiding on the left side of the doorway. Another axe whipped through the air towards my head. A repeat of earlier in the day.

    This time, there was no illusion.

 196 - Whats Cooking?

    For a long while, I had become numb to pain. To a certain degree, at least. Had taken my share of injury¡ªmore than most, I was willing to bet¡ªbut the part of me that was quite attached to my mortality wasn¡¯t keen on taking any more punishment than I deserved.

    As I struck the floor with a thud, my vision spotty, I reckoned I had reached that point. My arms felt sluggish. The sword already escaped from my grasp. I pawed at the ground to push myself up, but was unable to gain purchase. My nose burned with the thick fog of the humming machine, causing my eyes to water. All in all, not exactly the way I planned to go out.

    I heard the footsteps of my opponent behind me. Heavy. With singular purpose. My teeth clenched in anger, knowing all those reliant on me to not fade away. I was the star of the show.

    Wings burst from my back, immediately severing off as my opponent slashed down. I had saved my own skin through my demonic form blunting the strike. Although my demonic strength was weaker, it gave me enough of a boost to roll over to my front.

    Standing over me was a female Minotaur. I didn¡¯t need the System to tell me that, for several reasons. Short brown fur, eyes full of fury, and a harness made of thick leather straps. The bloodied axe she held looked eager for more of me. I just really wanted a sandwich. Her follow-up slash came down, and I grasped at the spear on the floor, bringing it around just in time to block the downward slash. The axe split halfway through the weapon¡¯s shaft and it buckled toward me.

    I didn¡¯t even have anything to say. No STAR screens to come through and tell me how injured I was. The throbbing at the back of my head, and how slick my hair was back there, gave some hints. As the Minotaur withdrew her weapon, I lashed out with my shoe, catching her in the shin.

    She grunted as she stepped back. ¡°Stay still, human.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I managed, although the effort made it felt more of a monologue. With whatever strength I could muster, I tossed the split spear at her as I rolled away. Getting to my feet was a lot more difficult than I could remember, despite having the same amount of them. I wobbled and wavered as if I were surfing, riding the shifting brickwork and avoiding the shark snaking toward me.

    I shifted, mostly inadvertently, as her next strike flashed past me and struck the wall. I winced from the sound and shot a glare at the machine across the room that was clouding my mind and distracting me. My left hand refused to go for the knife on my belt, so my right stepped in. I back-slashed wildly, only catching some light purchase on my assailant due to how unpredictable my movements were.

    She growled and grabbed at my neck with one hand. I stabbed her forearm to convince her to let me go. It took three strikes before she saw my point of view and relented. As she released me, she pushed me back with the blunt end of the axe. I stumbled and hit the back of my head against the wall, sparks flooding through my vision again. Something wasn¡¯t quite right.

    I slumped down as her sharp blade once again slashed against the stonework. Powdered granules of gray rained down on my bloody hair as my eyes finally caught up to reality. I was rather tired of this charade. What I wouldn¡¯t give for Ren or Wolf to be here assisting me.

    The Minotaur spun the double-headed axe around in her hand; the wall doing more damage to one side of her weapon than I had to her. Rather than strike me down where I sat¡ªmiserable¡ªshe took a couple of steps back and held her axe at the ready.

    ¡°Lot¡¯s of fight left in you.¡± She grinned, which was uncomfortably sinister. ¡°Stand and make your death worthy.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t a fan of that plan.

    She wasn¡¯t going to let me get out of it by remaining in place, that loophole was soon to be patched up as she would put a hoof through my skull at the mere suggestion. I wasn¡¯t quite immune to that sort of attack yet.

    I flexed my toes in my shoes. They were numb, as was my left hand. It had been so long since I had been humbled that I was almost happy¡ªor perhaps that was just due to the blood loss.

    Still, I smiled as I struggled back up to my feet. System-created who could taunt and grant temporary mercy - that was the real tasty morsel here. For all the bad the Lady in Red had done to get to this point, I was almost envious that she had managed such a feat. If it was even her, and not something she was just taking credit for.

    ¡°I warn you,¡± I said, slurring slightly as I shook in place. ¡°I¡¯m rather famous for winning things like this.¡±

    ¡°You are a rat looking for cheese where you do not belong.¡± Her tongue ran across her large but rather flat teeth. ¡°Soon your head will be decorating my horns.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I wasn¡¯t about to say it out loud, but her horns were a lot stubbier than I had expected. Barely had the space for my skull. My right hand came up, and the dagger slipped from my loose grip. I pulled a face as it clattered to the floor.

    ¡°Oh, may I pick that back up?¡± My grimace was hopefully convincing.

    Although her dark eyes narrowed at me, she gave a brief nod.

    Much more impressive than the Crimson Shadow bringing these smarter Monsters to life, was giving them the same flaws the gang had. I could even laugh if my head didn¡¯t feel like it was about to explode.

    I shuffled my legs into a sturdier stance and leaned down to reach for my blade. Blood drops pattered to the gray bricks, along with some sweat. Making a right mess of the place. To think, this was all due to a sandwich. My right eye twitched in time with the occasional hum coming from the infernal machine. Fingers wrapped around the handle of the dagger.

    Slowly and deliberately.

    All eyes on that process.

    I stood back up straight, vertigo almost tipping me over backwards. ¡°May the best magician win, then.¡± My mouth all smiles. My eyes burning purple. My plan clicking into place.

    The Minotaur had enough word games and intended to make this a short duel. My left hand lashed out, splattering her face with blood. The cut on my arm had been bleeding all this time, and by cupping it and leaning over, I had managed to gather up almost a handful of my precious red liquid.

    That didn¡¯t stop her from slashing out, however, but when she had cleared her eyes, I was gone. Dagger in her side told her I had moved to her blind spot, but as she turned and punched out with her fist, I wasn¡¯t there either.

    ¡°Quit hiding, worm,¡± she hissed, turning in place as she held her axe ready.

    I made my appearance, jumping up behind her and putting the belt around her neck. I fell back with my bodyweight, more due to exhaustion than intent, and pulled the loop tighter. Stealth and evasion weren¡¯t really natural traits I possessed, but distraction and obfuscation were. I had made minor noises as she turned to keep her eyes in the opposite direction to my actual location.

    Or at least, that¡¯s what I told myself. I took an elbow to my left arm as she tried to push me off, almost breaking the numb limb. She didn¡¯t have the range of motion to hit me with the axe as I kept my body as close to hers as possible. After three failed strikes, she dropped the weapon in favor of grasping at the belt to pull it away. I knew that she was much stronger than me.

    As I braced my foot against her back, I let go of the belt with my right hand and pulled the dagger from her side. The Minotaur tried to buck and shift away from the inevitable, but all that did was tighten the grip of the belt around her throat. She wavered before dropping to her knees. Before she tried to roll on the floor to escape the pressure, I brought the blade into the side of her head.

    First stab was blocked by her hand, the second was clear. It was over by then. The rest that followed were just insurance.

    I dropped the dagger as the Monster slumped over, my ragged breathing agony for my lungs. Part of me knew I had taken more damage than I had registered, but adrenaline had me ignoring it. At least until I could win.

    For a moment I just stared, dumbfounded, at my own survival and the gall of my enemy to be overconfident again. Why couldn¡¯t they learn? Eventually, when it felt like I wasn¡¯t about to spontaneously combust or turn into a puddle, I scowled at the machine.

    It was difficult to take in, not half because of my wavy vision. I had no doubt it had something to do with either the sleeping spell or the STAR-removing curse. I stepped over to it, the taste of ashen flesh in my mouth. Whatever it was, it was foul.

    There were no dials or moving parts. No switches or buttons to press. Perhaps this wasn¡¯t the whole of it, and it was controlled from the floor above. There was a handle on the chunkier left side. I wasn¡¯t looking to get another curse, but I sought answers.

    I gripped at the warm metal handle with my right hand, my left returning to being useless. As the muscles in my arm screamed in resignation, I pulled it up.

    A large section of the metallic contraption opened up on a back hinge, like I was opening up a barbeque grill. An apt comparison once I saw what was inside. Even without my System, I knew who and what this was.

    On top of sheets of vented metal, a figure lay. Burned beyond comprehension, the heat washing over me was sweltering. Yet they still lived.

    Eyes of glowing light turned slowly to me, a strange amount of panic in them at seeing their trance interrupted. This was the spellcaster. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how I knew, but all the puzzle pieces fit the narrative I was eager to believe. This machine was using up his life to maintain the spell on the town where my Guild was being kept captive. Like a blood ritual, just more incendiary.

    I slammed the lid shut before he could move.

    No. I was done with this place. Stepping back, I extended my palm toward him. Paused it in place and forced my left to come up and held my right wrist. I couldn¡¯t fight against a spellcaster like this. It took enough of my willpower to keep my brain from leaking out of the back of my skull.

    But I was uncontestable. This was all connected. I just had to trace the lines until I drew the picture I wanted. My teeth clenched together as I forced my willpower through my hands.

    At first, nothing happened. Rules were enforced.

    Then I started getting my own way. My extremities burned as if I had stuck them inside the infernal machine myself. I shook and vibrated with agony. The blood leaking from my injuries felt warmer against my cooling skin.

    With a reality-ripping burst, my patron demon shattered his way out of hell, plunging directly into the machine.

    I dropped to my knees as I watched him carve his way through the metal like butter, shredding the trapped caster with little difficulty. If only I could have done that at the start.

    Such thoughts fell from my mind as messages pinged through my Chat. I skipped through them to the last one, something that gave me more energy than fighting for my own life. It was sent a little while ago.

    [Ren: We are under attack.]

 197 - Clearing the Schedule

    It seemed obvious that the ideal time for the Crimson Shadow to strike out at the sleeping Guild members would be when I was fully out of the picture. The message from Ren had been sent several minutes ago, probably just before my fight with the Minotaur.

    The teleportation scroll was already in my right hand, without really thinking about it. Left hand brought up a health potion to my lips, but my eyes went over to the doorway that lead to the next floor. Part of me wanted to explore and find out if there was anything else malign hiding up here in this tower. The rest of me screamed to return to the others and help defend.

    After a few moments of hesitation, it was another Chat message that swayed my eventual decision.

    [Ruby: People are starting to wake up]

    That was enough for me. I had removed both the STAR and magic restrictions on myself, as well as ended the sleeping curse on the Guild. I activated the scroll and vanished from the tower.

    With the flash of blue light, I emerged into clear air. A fresh breeze cleared my lungs of the foul smoke from the burning machine as I took a deep breath. I was on the roof of the tavern.

    ¡°Motherfucker,¡± Ren said, shooting me a glare intense enough to almost make me fall to the ground. ¡°Get back to killing.¡±

    The fact that my Trauma status had vanished as soon as I had arrived beside her had been briefly distracting. I felt good. Slightly more alive, as my regeneration paired with a heal from the elf to patch up the wounds I had accumulated in my solo jaunt. Now, allowing the temporary elation to erase my exhaustion, I looked out to the woodlands to see who was attacking us.

    From the looks of things, it was¡­ originally two full regiments of some manner of Monster. To her credit, Ren had kept them from getting too close to the town. Several bodies lay strewn back through the forest, where trees had fallen from the battle. Now, those who remained were hiding behind pavise shields arranged like short walls.

    ¡°They¡¯re using some kind of skill,¡± she continued, glaring daggers at the gathered troupe. ¡°Even my best shots can¡¯t pierce their shields.¡±

    The scarred crater around the point where most of the trees had fallen was probably where she had used her explosive shot, but most of her others did direct damage. Without a clear bearing on the targets, they were both at an impasse. Crossbows and shortbows had been utilized in opposition, but they didn¡¯t really have the range to fight back against her.

    It was terrible, but I smiled. After having all of my skills and abilities taken away, I felt like a god once more with them returning to the grand stage. There was no need to flourish for this performance, however.

    Those who stood against the Guild would fall.

    I used <Demonic Transposition> to switch places with my demonic ace, who had been hovering out behind the gathered walls of shields. As soon as I arrived, twin cards of bright purple slashed out from me. Three of these Monsters fell, cut to ribbons, before the rest even clocked my arrival.

    But as soon as they were in disarray, we had the advantage. While they broke rank to fight against me, it gave Ren openings to shoot. Her rifle echoed through the area as she blasted a head open, lightning then crackling from her target to the ones beside them, causing them to drop their shields. Several ran at me, hooked blades raised in the air.

    I saw now that they looked like humanoid rats, with a distinctly roman flair. Perhaps not historically accurate, but it was close enough for my muddied mind. It didn¡¯t matter at this point, they were all about to be dead.

    In truth, I had expected worse. I could only assume that the intention was to catch us all asleep, and having Ren and I awake threw a spanner in their plans. The pair of slew through the majority of the ratmen, before the doors of the tavern burst open and the rest of the Guild¡ªnow hastily dressed back in their battle gear¡ªyelled and poured forth towards the Monsters.

    That was enough to cause them to rout. They didn¡¯t make it far before the pair of us cut any remaining down. I turned my attention to the rather grumpy looking bear, but the appearance of a white dove beside me interrupted anything I was about to say.

    Ren switched places with the bird, immediately grabbing me by the shredded and bloody suit. She pulled me in for a brief kiss before pushing me slightly away, glaring at me as if she was considering tearing my head off.

    ¡°I¡¯m considering tearing your head off,¡± she began. ¡°You almost died, didn¡¯t you? Asshole.¡±

    ¡°Just a little trauma and a few cuts,¡± I lied brazenly. My eyes went into my STAR to dig out the logs from the fighting. Nothing good. ¡°It was no sweat at all.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you got it done, at least.¡± The elf glanced over to the side at the others. ¡°I wish I could have been there, though.¡±

    While the Guild picked through the Monsters for loot, I filled her in on everything that happened. It didn¡¯t improve her mood any, but she deserved to know the full picture.

    Eventually, once I was done talking and had started on my half-eaten sandwich again, she sighed and shook her head.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe those kinds of curses could even exist, trickster. I thought we were overpowered and outside the scope of the System, but the Lady seems to have more tricks up her sleeve the closer we get.¡±

    As much as I wanted to point out that I was the magician and thus had the most trick-laden sleeves around, I managed to hold my tongue. She had a point, anyway. No doubt the Lady in Red had picked up those with the greatest power along the way and kept them safest near her, rather than leaving them guarding one of the towns like the others we had slain along the way.

    Even able to create Monsters now, her numbers were slowly dwindling.

    I put my arm around her, partially to keep my exhausted legs from collapsing me to the ground. ¡°You might not like this suggestion, but I think we should catch up on sleep in hell.¡±

    She wrinkled up her nose and looked up at me, her bright blue eyes not filled with so much ire now. The promise of any kind of sleep was irresistible. ¡°Fine, but we need to discuss this so that the group is still protected, even if it¡¯s just for a few hours.¡±

    Six of us needed sleep. Ren and I could do so in hell, and the time dilation meant we could get a full night in only a couple of hours in the real world. Wolf needed sleep too, but wouldn¡¯t want to come with us. It would also put him in the position of being the strongest one out here, having to protect the others¡ªeven Tanya and Quinn needed rest.

    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t trust the rest of the Guild to keep us safe, but I didn¡¯t want to take unnecessary risks. We were at the stage where everything had to be all-out. No holding back, just in case we got left behind. Or dead.

    There was one other option. I looked over as Tanya, Quinn, Fiona, and Leyla approached us. Ruby was in the background talking to Wolf.

    ¡°Ruby filled me in on what happened,¡± Fiona said, still looking a little groggy. She rubbed at her head as she glanced at the bodies of the ratmen. ¡°I guess thank fuck you all didn¡¯t fall asleep as well.¡±

    Leyla nodded. ¡°We would surely be dead, so thank you.¡±

    I waved them away. It was just a necessary procedure, not done for thanks or accolades. Plus, nobody had been there to witness me. A fate almost worse than death. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure you all would have done the same in my position,¡± I said diplomatically. ¡°Right now, we should leave this area. I have¡­ a plan.¡±

    The fighter rolled her eyes. ¡°Is it to get sleep? We can¡¯t siege a city when our best are exhausted.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± I brought up my Map. ¡°We had planned to go to the dungeon for farming anyway, so why don¡¯t we do that¡ªand allow those who are tired to sleep inside it.¡±

    They weren¡¯t convinced at first, but could see my reasoning. Assuming we could clear the starting areas of the dungeon, nobody would be able to attack us from outside. Each Party would be safe in the little pocket dimension for as long as needed. We¡¯d need to change things around so that those needing sleep could be protected, but it was better than leaving people out in the open world.

    Under the weighty stares of myself and Ren, they eventually agreed to the plan. Without further ado, we left the town for the dungeon.

    With the sunlight beating down on my tired body, the travel itself was arduous, but thankfully short.

    We swapped Quinn and Tanya for Percius and Magnus. The pair would be able to watch over Wolf while the caster disenchanted the rest of my useless magical gear. Once we were rested, we¡¯d return from hell and complete the dungeon with them.

    Upon reaching the dungeon itself, it appeared to be some manner of old monastery or chapel. The door was a swirling vortex of color, indicating that it led to an instanced area. Not something that I had really questioned previously, but now, with my experience of traveling to hell, it made slightly more sense.

    In our groups, we arranged ourselves before stepping in. I didn¡¯t have the energy to give them much of a pep talk or speech before we went ahead, but they didn¡¯t need it. Or at least I hoped they didn¡¯t.

    The first room once entering was the main chapel itself. Something modest and gloomy. A few stone pews, stained glass windows, and a staircase leading down into the floor where the stone statue at the front had been toppled. Green light emanated from the descent.

    ¡°Should be safe enough,¡± I determined, looking down the spiraled stairs with my nostrils flared. ¡°I¡¯ll block this doorway just in case, so you have enough time to call us if something happens.¡±

    Wolf huffed and looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can handle a few monsters, brother.¡±

    ¡°Be that as it may, you call us and we¡¯ll be here.¡± I smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to eject every item I need disenchanting onto the floor, and then we¡¯ll be off.¡±

    Percius gave me a pensive nod. I could see why he had kept his skill secret for a while. Unfortunately, it was the easiest and best source of power for me before we set forward towards the city.

    Ren sighed and sat down on one of the pews, knowing that this wasn¡¯t going to be a quick thing. In fairness, had I the normal aptitude for Inventory management like others, it would take forever. My eyes skimmed through the boxes, barely registering the actual inputs normally required¡ªthe items just popping out into reality with a thought.

    There were many of them. I had to keep walking about the chapel to find new areas to pile up all the trash items I had accumulated. While I had long thought that any item could be useful eventually, in truth, I often used the same handful of things. The usefulness of all the random shoes, swords, and hats was now in becoming shards to make Power Tokens.

    So I had been right all along.

    While the caster looked terribly overwhelmed, I traded him some gold and mana potions.

    My hand went out and the doorway to hell bloomed into existence. Ren and I stepped through with barely a goodbye, the prospect of rest more important than social graces.

    Back into the warmth and familiar throne room. I wondered if I could go other places rather than here every time. Over the right, my patron demon was hovering over the meeting table where the current council had been in mid-argument.

    The sword hovered over, as the demons paused, frozen in place as if they were scared I might execute them just for doing their job a little too loudly. An amusing thought, but not the right way to run a kingdom.

    ¡°Bedroom?¡± I blurted out before my patron could engage with the normal formalities.

    In perhaps sensing my urgency, he just turned in the air, pointing off to the side with the tip of his blade.

    We left, allowing the council to continue their¡ªprobably short-lived¡ªmeeting about something or other. I should probably learn how to govern properly, eventually. A side door opened up into a rather impressive chamber, a wide four-poster bed on one side, all the furniture within an odd black wood. All accents red and gold. Somewhat cliche, and I was almost disappointed at the lack of skulls.

    Not the safest place in existence, but for us now¡­ this was home.

    My exhausted brain barely registered laying on the bed, any thoughts completely evaporating as soon as I hit the soft pillow.

    Perhaps the last sleep I¡¯d ever have. I had earned it.

 198 - Night and Day

    My eyes opened up, and for a brief moment, I forgot that I was in hell.

    ¡°You were right,¡± Ren said, pushing herself up into my blurred vision. ¡°I would get used to it.¡±

    It took my brain a couple of seconds to catch what she was even alluding to, before my blinking eyes cleared. We had both fallen asleep in our magician outfits, way too tired to even undress beforehand. It wasn¡¯t the first time, but she had remembered way back near the coast when she had first decided to take up the mantle of being my prot¨¦g¨¦.

    ¡°Of all the things we have gotten used to,¡± I said, pushing myself up in to a seated position. ¡°That is probably the least worrying.¡±

    The elf gave me a peck on the side of the head before slipping off onto the floor to stand and stretch out. ¡°How¡¯s your health report today? Any complications from your head injury?¡±

    I brought the screen up, and it was blank. ¡°Full recovery.¡± I tried not to think about what it had said yesterday. The axe blow to the back of my head had almost done me in¡ªI had been running on pure fumes and willpower for way longer than what was healthy. Standard at this point.

    ¡°Do you have any business to deal with in hell, or can we just leave?¡± The way she was looking at me hinted that she was insinuating we should definitely do the latter.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone who wants to challenge me for the throne, but I made them a job offer instead. Best that I should see where that¡¯s at first.¡± I gave her an apologetic grin, which she begrudgingly accepted.

    I understood it. We were on the precipice of our final battle. Any distraction was just delaying the inevitable. Still, with there being a time dilation, a few minutes here wouldn¡¯t affect our time back up top by much. Plus, you never knew when a side quest could give you something usable against the final boss.

    My suit could do with a fix as well. I hit the button to tell the System to just that, dropping myself down to my underwear.

    ¡°Come on,¡± I encouraged her, ¡°we¡¯ll be done before my suit it ready, I promise.¡±

    Ren rolled her eyes, but followed along as I left the bed to head to the throne room. Once we emerged, I was partially surprised to see that the long meeting table was empty. Over beside my throne, my patron demon hovered. The sword turned to face us as I walked over.

    ¡°Had to dispose of another council group?¡± I asked.

    He made the approximation of a shaken head, turning briefly from side to side. ¡°No, my king. This one has actually survived three meetings without breaking the rules. Too early to celebrate, but we are gradually weeding through those too power-hungry or sinister.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°And of my challenger?¡±

    ¡°She has been killing through the others intending to step against the throne, but insisted that she would only talk to you.¡± The eye on the hilt stared impassively. ¡°So she has neither accepted nor declined your offer.¡±

    ¡°Rats.¡± I pulled a face and looked at Ren, who was now standing with her arms crossed.

    ¡°Before the suit comes back, you said.¡± Her glare had no anger in it, but I had a feeling she¡¯d hold it against me if I broke that promise.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see her now,¡± I told my patron. ¡°Are you¡­ able to teleport us, or at least guide me to do it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡± A purple sheen of energy washed over him, and then we were transported.

    Straight into what looked like a fighting pit. Sharp metal poles encircled a crater that had been dug into the stone. Dried blood and aged bones littered the perimeter. Right in the middle was my challenger.

    A large demon, easily¡­ eighteen feet tall. At first I thought she was hiding behind part of the fighting arena, before I realized it was a tower shield of immense proportion. It looked like some manner of eldritch monolith, eight feet wide and just over twenty tall. Runes danced with foul light up and down it. I imagined she could only work with the weight of it due to her size and having six arms.

    Her three left hands held this giant shield, while her three right each had a long whip. I wasn¡¯t sure how she was able to utilize three whips at the same time, and wasn¡¯t keen on finding out. At the end of each weapon was a barbed metal shape.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I said.

    She turned her head down to gaze at me, her red eyes a stark contrast to the dull gray of the rest of her skin. ¡°My king,¡± she said, her voice low and rumbling. ¡°What an honor to finally meet you¡­ in my fighting pit, of all places.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    I eyed up the edges of the arena, now seeing a crowd of yellow eyes peering down through the shadows above. Part of me wondered if showing up here in just my underwear was a good idea. That said, I was almost wearing more than the demon, so I was in good company.

    ¡°You have received my job offer. In exchange for your fealty, I will spare your life,¡± I said and smiled.

    ¡°Sounds like king is scared,¡± she growled, her own grin crossing her face.

    ¡°I come to you without my regalia or battle dress, arriving in your home turf. Unfortunately, I have nothing to fear from you.¡± She was tensing her hands on the handles of her whips. I was clearly close to being tested.

    ¡°You are a tiny human. I think I have a chance.¡± Her tongue ran across her sharp teeth.

    As much as I liked getting rid of threats, she was actually useful down here for filtering out all the other dregs trying to vie for my crown. More importantly, I didn¡¯t have the minutes to spare before my outfit came back on.

    ¡°Any hand that opposes me, I will cut off. If you think you have a chance, I will take that head as well.¡± I held my hand out and frowned. ¡°Do you have an umbrella, though? Feels like rain.¡±

    The demon furrowed her brow, unsure if I was pulling her leg. ¡°No rain in hell,¡± she snorted.

    But then it started. A patter that increased in severity in a moment. It was blood, and the screams that started up from the crowd watching us signaled who it had come from. A simple card thrown out while nobody was looking, to swirl around and cut at any throat it could find.

    ¡°Not threatening.¡± The demon shrugged.

    ¡°Then strike me.¡±

    I didn¡¯t even have the chance to roll my eyes alongside that statement before she lashed out with the trio of whips. Faster than expected, but by now, I should be expecting that. The barbed metal tips cracked against my body in an instant, completely severing me into several fragments.

    Interesting. She had used a skill called <Fear of Flaying>, which I had now stolen.

    I stepped out of invisibility as she gloated over the piles of what remained of my body. ¡°The crown stays with me, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    She turned her head and lashed out with her whips again. I switched place with a hell-dove, the bird bursting into a cloud of feathers. ¡°Stand still!¡± she yelled.

    ¡°As you wish.¡± I smiled and held out my hand, waiting for her to turn around. This time, she didn¡¯t get the chance to attack.

    <hr>

    Ren and I stepped out from hell back into the dungeon just as my outfit popped back on.

    ¡°Dickbag,¡± she murmured, her arms still crossed. More than my perfect timing, she was more annoyed at getting sprayed with blood - leaving her suit looking worse than mine had been. Almost.

    Percius stood, blinking away the screens that had lingered in his eyes for too long. ¡°Ah, back already.¡±

    Wolf was still asleep, and Magnus looked bored out of his skull. The caster had managed to disenchant perhaps a quarter of the large hoard.

    ¡°If only you had my Inventory skill,¡± I said, ¡°you¡¯d be done in minutes.¡± By my rough approximation, we had gotten a solid twelve hours of sleep in hell. Out here¡­ maybe four had passed? Not even that.

    ¡°Or if they made mana potions not taste terrible,¡± he countered. ¡°The other teams are doing well. The others don¡¯t have the luxury of getting that sort of rest.¡±

    We could have safely slept out here like the rest, but the more time we spent active and alert in the real world, the better we could watch over the others. A bit much to put all that responsibility on our shoulders, but given that we were so powerful it felt only right.

    ¡°No rush to complete the dungeon then?¡± I looked over at the green light seeping through the cracks in the pile of loot I had left there.

    Buk¡¯la had accepted the offer to be my champion. Whatever that meant. While having a right-hand that killed any of my detractors would eventually give rise to rebellion, that was a can I was kicking further down the road. Did I need to worry about that just yet? No.

    Percius shrugged. ¡°If we are aiming to exit at the same time as the others, then we don¡¯t need to do it if they are still sleeping.¡±

    That meant we needed to do something else to pass the time. I watched as Ren walked across the room, before sitting and leaning against the sleeping bear. Perhaps a few minutes of not putting ourselves in danger would be nice.

    I joined her, and although Wolf grunted, he didn¡¯t stir. Ren leaned her head on my shoulder and we remained at peace.

    It took another couple of hours before Wolf stirred and Percius made some headway with the pile of magical items. After ten minutes where he kept gagging after taking a mana potion, I allowed him to stop.

    While he transmuted the shards into Power Tokens, I went around and vacuumed up the remaining loot.

    ¡°How did you get covered in Max¡¯s blood?¡± the bear asked Ren, sniffing at her outfit.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t by choice.¡±

    I rolled my eyes as I returned to them. ¡°It wasn¡¯t mine either. For a change.¡±

    With the others ready and eager to stretch their legs, we went to descend into the dungeon.

    It was a wholly underwhelming experience. Perhaps it was because we were over-leveled or just overpowered. Undead themed. A necromancer and skeletal soldiers. Either one of our main trio could have soloed it, so having all three of us here was overkill.

    We cleared every side path, bonus Monster, and even let some of the events run over time to kill more rather than do the intended mechanics. We played rock, papers, scissors for who got to kill the final boss¡ªthe necromancer himself¡ªeven though Wolf didn¡¯t really understand the concept of the game.

    Ren won and put a bullet straight through the Monster¡¯s skull before we even got into range for him to start a monologue. It was pretty terrible experience and loot even for Percius and Magnus.

    The plan had been to farm this all of today. The sleeping curse had put a big dent in that plan, and now I was unsure if I could even palate running this even one more time.

    [Max: Anyone else run the dungeon yet?]

    [Fiona: Halfway]

    [Max: Decent experience/loot?]

    [Fiona: Not fantastic. Simple and safe.]

    [Tanya: We¡¯ve done the first couple of rooms.]

    [Quinn: And it¡¯s pretty bad^]

    I drummed my fingers on my belt. There was an executive decision to be made here. Our options were either to grind this for whatever it was worth¡­ or head to the city tomorrow. Every hour wasted was time she and the Crimson Shadow grew in power.

    Ren stepped up beside me, clearly able to hear the thoughts echoing around in my skull.

    ¡°What do you think we should do, moonflower?¡±

    ¡°I think tomorrow we save the world.¡±

    With a smile, I nodded my head. Sounded like a show for the ages.

 199 - Sweet Cake

    In the grand scheme of things, it wasn¡¯t a long time before we were standing not too far off from Candlekeep. The dungeon was run over and over again throughout what daylight we had left. We had slept, running watches for the night and were now rested. Percius had managed to get us forty Power Tokens with only throwing up from the mana potions twice.

    I gave ten to Ren, ten to Wolf, and then used the two upgrades for myself to allow me to summon three demons at a time and conjure three magical cards at once.

    It wasn¡¯t the most flashy of upgrades, especially so late in the game¡­ but I saw it as a roughly 50% increase to both routes of attack. With no true path to tread to raise my stats or gain further abilities since leaving hell, we were pretty much done. Once we started with the potions and scroll buffs, we¡¯d be all over the place numerically, but still the strongest in the world.

    While Ren cuddled with a trio of hellhounds, I took Fiona over to the side.

    ¡°A city siege,¡± I said, looking over at Candlekeep itself. It was bathed in red light - something I felt was even more hellish than my kingdom below. The towers and structures within seemed normal enough. It hadn¡¯t been taken destructively. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m too well-versed in them.¡±

    ¡°Typically, the defender has the advantage.¡± Fiona sighed and rubbed at her short hair. ¡°Thankfully, other than the keep at the back, the city isn¡¯t a castle or designed to hold off a large scale battle.¡±

    I nodded, but didn¡¯t consider our Guild of fifteen to class as ¡®large scale¡¯. We had managed to get this close without running into any of the packs of roving Monsters aligned with the Crimson Shadow, but I was partly worried that meant we could get surrounded once we dug in. That said, we couldn¡¯t exactly chase down these lower threats¡ªno doubt they were bait to delay us.

    Despite the name, Candlekeep was nothing like the cities back on Earth. Much larger than any of the towns we had been to so far in our journey, but not beyond the scope of us attacking it. We could see three entrances from here, and although the city was surrounded by a wall, it was relatively low. The Lady in Red had made some effort to clog up the few wide roads with debris, for all the good that might do.

    While most of the buildings we had seen had been traditional fantasy fare and predominantly wooden, Candlekeep was mostly stone. There were still plenty of wooden beams and structures half-wooden, but the expanse of gray brickwork before us was the perfect canvas for the red light bathing the area.

    ¡°Three sources of light,¡± I thought out loud. ¡°No doubt those are what are maintaining the corruption over the city.¡±

    One to the left side of Candlekeep, and one to the right. The third was at the back, at the top of the keep itself. A tall, square building that was built to defend against traditional warfare, and the most likely place the Lady and her closest would be holed up.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking we should destroy those as our first priority, then?¡± The fighter tilted her head to the side, but her gaze remained on the sources of crimson light.

    I grunted. ¡°No doubt they are protected from ranged and magical attacks, and have powerful fighters standing by them. We are expected, so if they are important, then they won¡¯t be easy to bring down. That said, I think we should send a Party to each.¡±

    She turned to me and stared at me for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re putting a lot of faith in us.¡±

    With a smile, I gave her a brief nod. The stage would get too crowded with all of us vying for attention. Splitting up made us weaker, but also spreading out a little further would stop us from being such an easy target. No point strolling up to the gates in a clump and getting nuked by everything the Shadows had ready and waiting.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I would like to pretend I could do it all myself,¡± I said. ¡°My ego has me thinking I¡¯ll be the star of the show, and if the Lady believes it, then their biggest hitters will be aimed at me.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re being soft, and don¡¯t want us getting caught in the crossfire?¡± Fiona shook her head and turned to look at the gathered Guild. ¡°I understand, though. Destroying the towers might switch the control of Candlekeep from her to the System once more. Then we¡¯ll have the guards come to our aid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be giving everyone teleportation scrolls and the best healing potions I have.¡± I joined her in looking back at the others. ¡°If we can avoid death, that would be nice.¡±

    ¡°We should be so lucky.¡± Fiona gave me a grim smile. ¡°I¡¯ll go inform the troops of the plan.¡±

    With a nod, she then left. More fool me for pretending that I knew what I was doing. All part of the illusion. Cutting down the Crimson¡¯s Monsters shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for a full group - it was the Players that might be there that had me on edge. Something I couldn¡¯t shake, even after Ren stepped up to me near silent, the hell dogs now gone.

    Rather than say anything, she just held my hand. The two of us looked at the city ready to be sieged. We¡¯d come so far from humble and grumpy roots, and this was the finish line, in a way.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± she eventually said, her voice quiet. ¡°I expected there to be more weight¡­ some gravity to this day after so long. It feels like any other, really. In no time, it will be tomorrow and this will be the past, as if all the worry and struggle were worthless.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re never beating out time, my dear. What we fight for is to have a tomorrow with less stress and violence.¡± The Max who endured the present wasn¡¯t too happy about being put through the grinder once more, but perhaps this would be the last time. ¡°What do you think of my plan?¡±

    ¡°Leyla¡¯s group is quite green. While Fiona and her Party have learned to kill Players, I don¡¯t think the other five are that ruthless or efficient about it.¡± Ren paused to exhale through her nose. ¡°That said, I trust them to pull their weight. We¡¯re all fighting for the future here.¡±

    In truth, I was willing to go into the city with just our Party. Hell, even the three of us¡­ if not solo. I wasn¡¯t about to tell the others to stay home, or even give them the choice. The teleportation scrolls were the only out that they could use to save face¡ªand their lives¡ªand I¡¯d hold no grudge to anyone who used one. Even for the most just cause, most mortals didn¡¯t want to give up their existence.

    I let go of her hand to pull her in for a hug. ¡°I¡¯m going to go and divide some consumables amongst the others. We¡¯ll march as soon as we have the stomach for it.¡±

    The elf leaned back a little so that she could glare at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many chances we¡¯ll have to say this, but I love you, Max. Don¡¯t die before me.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t die ever.¡± I gave her a kiss. ¡°I love you too.¡±

    As the corrupting effects of hell had worn off, we¡¯d settled into a more normal stage of our relationship again. It was still unbelievable to me that we were married, but without the mania mashing our brains together, it was nice to feel so comfortable still after everything. As much as I wanted to keep her the safest out of everyone here, there was nobody else I needed by my side through thick and thin.

    I stepped away and filled the Guild with stat and defense boosting potions. Scrolls with beneficial auras and extra healing. It wasn¡¯t foolproof or enough to swing the battle in our favor easily, but every chance reduced the risk of failure.

    We¡¯d be attacked on approach, I was sure.

    After that, who knew what the Lady had in store for us? She was likely to be desperate, sending all available pawns our way to save her own skin. Whatever Players still remained alive and aligned with her. These new Monsters she was somehow able to create. Spells and traps beyond my current knowledge.

    It would be foolish to say I wasn¡¯t worried. Fights against other Players tended to be very short and visceral. While a siege sounded like a long protracted affair, I was sure once we came face-to-face, the battle against the Lady in Red would be something high stakes and decided in little time at all. One of us would become undone.

    I looked over at Wolf, the bear still eating the last of his fill. Mortality was a fickle thing. Whether Ren popped the Lady from half a mile away with her rifle, or I dueled the woman to death over a protracted one-on-one combat, it all ended the same. Each of us was destined to fall away to dust in the end.

    With a long sigh, I shook the malaise from my head and finished off a Sweet Cake.

    A fitting final meal.

 200 - At the Gates

    The Guild burst out from the woodlands and rushed across the fields before Candlekeep itself. What was once a pleasant collection of square farmland had been burned or withered to nothing but dry dirt.

    Wolf lead our Party, the bear blazing hot amber as his charge skill provided us with additional defenses.

    Leyla¡¯s group took the left flank a little way behind. Their rogue had a skill to conceal their movements, making them harder to pinpoint.

    To our right were Fiona and her Party. Percius had covered them with a moving magic-resist dome while the fighter and Magnus buffed their movement speed and damage absorption.

    My heart was in my throat, already sick of running. We were out in the open, even if somewhat protected. Ahead of us, my demonic ace pulsed with the occasional [Detect Trap] scroll. I only had three of those, but it should at least stop us from running directly into something.

    One minute before we were in range.

    Our two other groups arced away from us slightly, intending to get to the other entrances. We forged straight ahead. The entrance along the main road¡ªalthough barricaded¡ªwas the clearest route to getting inside the city. From the looks of it, this road led all the way through Candlekeep in a straight line. That made things simple enough.

    I had given the others the plain advice of to kill without hesitation and to go all out from the get go. There was no point holding back at this stage with everything on the line. Aside from the minor chance of possession or falling under the Lady in Red¡¯s sway, I trusted the Guild to do what was necessary.

    My demonic ace reached the barricade, at the limits of how far I could send it. Two barrels of oil ejected out of it right before Ren whispered the elven word for fire. Her rifle cracked out a blazing bullet even as we ran, striking through the payload. A flash of amber blew away the wooden debris, setting everything alight.

    Three cards of purple light flickered around me, ready to be flung forward. Our approach now fully telegraphed, the first action of the defenders bloomed into the sky.

    Large bolts, pointed like arrows, flew high into the sky from the middle of the city. Bright green and made of fire, they arced over like a mortar to dive down into our three groups. Magical, as they looked to be tracking us slightly.

    The first of which came down toward Fiona¡¯s group. Percius held up something in his hand as they ran, and his dome-like shield over the Party shimmered between blue and gold. The magical mortar struck them on the side, deflecting back into the air at an odd angle and dipping down into the ground behind them. It exploded in a plume of dark green gas, vibrating the earth.

    Second one was coming straight for us, but it exploded high in the air¡ªmy hell-bird blocking it from coming any further. Third was for Leyla¡¯s group, but had overshot by a great deal as their movement speed increased with a short burst. The next volley flew up into the sky, and it looked as though we¡¯d get to the city before there was time for a third.

    We had already solved this puzzle, however. Ren and I sent three birds out to intercept the giant arrows. As they exploded high over the city like fireworks, our first set of opponents appeared at the gates.

    They looked like wingless gargoyles. Eight feet tall hunched over, with long jagged faces and gray skin. A handful of them, perhaps. Before I had the chance to ready up my cards to attack, Wolf surged forward even faster, his paws leaving bright-hot prints across the stone road where he ran.

    Like a runaway train, he burst straight into the group of enemies. I was deafened briefly before a shockwave of sound woke my ears back up, bringing with it a flash of warmth. Dust billowed out from where the clash had taken place, and my eyebrows raised at the aftermath.

    The gargoyles had been incinerated¡ªreduced to a fine mist of blood and ash. Wolf himself stood in one of his defensive stances, light running over his fur as he glared into the city. I didn¡¯t have the time to wonder if that was part of his Guardian powers or not, as the rest of us caught up to him.

    We were now in Candlekeep. Everything steeped in crimson light, it was hard to pick out much detail at first. Over to the left, further into the west of the city, was one of the towers. To the east was the second light. Straight ahead, at the end of this long main road, was the keep itself with the third corrupting beacon.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The road had been barricaded as well. Almost wall to wall across the street, furniture, stone and metal debris, and overturned carts, all had been arranged into lines to make it difficult for anyone to waltz straight to the end. It was also sparsely defended with groups of random Monsters. Some of them with ranged weapons, but others just looked ready and willing to pounce with their claws once we got close enough.

    Rather ineffective when two of us could travel by the rooftops. No doubt trying to get ahead by dipping into the side streets would just waste time and have us getting tangled up in disadvantageous situations. I deserved to be in the limelight. Center stage.

    In saying that, Ren vanished to appear on the closest building to our left, immediately firing out a chained lightning shot at the first group of enemies.

    ¡°If things go to shit, stick by Wolf and keep each other alive,¡± I told the pair behind me. They were capable, but too fragile to dance to the sort of danger Ren and I craved. After they returned a nod, I drew three more cards into my left hand.

    Hell-hound up beside Ren. He would be able to help detect anything sneaking up on her. To the right, two Fire Imps on top of the house there. A wry grin peaked at the corner of my mouth as I flicked out my magical cards forward.

    The first hundred or so feet of the road were a piece of cake to grind through. Wolf thrashed and burst through any terrain blocking our way. Between Ren and my Imps, any opponent hiding away was either severely weakened or dead by the time we could get to them. My cards finished off the stragglers¡ªand even an ambush from a side street that Ren couldn¡¯t get eyes on was quickly humbled.

    If anything, it made me anxious about when we¡¯d see actual Players. Any Monster just didn¡¯t have the power to do anything to us.

    [Percius: Within the walls, getting through the resistance.]

    [Percius: Monsters only.]

    [Urist: Same for us.]

    [Max: We are forging ahead. Keep me up to date.]

    [Max: Divert comms.]

    We had much further to travel, by about double, I reckoned. As the others were slower at getting things done, the hope was that they¡¯d be able to disable their towers just as we arrived at the keep. If that wasn¡¯t an important part of the puzzle¡­ well, at least it kept everyone busy.

    ¡°Can charge again,¡± Wolf grunted, planting his legs apart as bright light bloomed beneath his paws.

    ¡°When ready,¡± I replied. At this rate, we¡¯d get there in no time at all.

    Wolf didn¡¯t need telling twice. As soon as I had given him the go ahead, he burst forward. Debris and Monsters alike were reduced to cinders, the blast-wave blowing back both dust and warmth our way. The System was keen to tell me that some of the shredded defenders were City Guards, level twenty. Clearly corrupted, and were we not overwhelmingly powerful, they¡¯d be a worthy enough challenge. Or at least give us a slight reason to pause.

    As this brief thought crossed my mind, Wolf stopped in the air mid-bound. Frozen in time. From a side alleyway, a large barbarian-looking man burst out toward the bear, a greatsword held over his helmeted head that had a singular horn jutting from the top.

    Finally, some Players attempting to stop us.

    I switched places with my demonic ace beside Wolf, landing atop a chair to fire a drawn crossbow near point blank into the target. He blurred, dodging the bolt, but it was enough to delay the swing of his weapon. My mundane cards burst out from my belt, swirling around in front of me like a cloud of smoke. As my brain idly switched which ones were the purple magic kind, I closed my eyes.

    A line of magic drew away from the frozen bear. With a smile on my face, I opened my eyes again and sent three of my normal cards up to the rooftop where Ren was positioned. A little message she would understand. Not two short seconds later and her rifle went off, echoing across the city. A house several down on the left exploded, raining wood and stone across the main road.

    Wolf landed back on his feet, and I turned invisible.

    Before the barbarian could adjust, the bear lashed forward through my fading cloud of cards to strike at him. The first claw he blocked with the flat of his blade, but the second cut through his bare torso. Just as Wolf leaped forward to bite at the man, he vanished away with a teleport.

    One Player dead, and one injured.

    ¡°Unfair,¡± Wolf complained, sniffing at the air where his opponent had just been standing.

    I faded back into view, just in time to see the house that the elf was perched upon explode. She was flung through the air, twisting and switching with her dove, but the bird hadn¡¯t been in place to land her safely on the ground¡ªjust soften her fall. Instead, I caught her in my arms, something surely only possible due to the stat increasing potions.

    We turned back to face the building as the brickwork started to dissolve away as if it was covered in acid. Ren held her rifle up as a Monster unfurled from within the wreckage. Another eldritch abomination like we had faced previously. Hardened skin that seemed to be leaking whatever substance was melting the house away. A long, beak-like face, thirty feet up in the air. Long limbs that ended with tentacles instead of fingers. Standard fare.

    ¡°Contact behind,¡± Quinn said from a little way back.

    I turned my gaze away from the towering creature to see that the gate was now swarming with Monsters brought in from afar. My prior guess about the potential ambush had been correct. Orcs and goblins, for the most part, each of them streaked with red to show their allegiance to the Crimson Shadow.

    ¡°We¡¯ll hold them back,¡± Tanya confirmed, her face stoic, ¡°you focus the Monster.¡±

    ¡°Trouble ahead, brother,¡± Wolf grunted.

    My gaze swiveled the other direction, as a large object had been positioned much further down the main road. The green light blooming within it was enough of a hint that this was the arrow-launcher that had tried to get us before.

    I smiled and put the elf back down to her feet.

    A little faster paced than I was used to, but the show was in full swing.

 201 - Cut after Cut

    Through the chaos, I remained calm.

    Something thanks to our entrapment in hell, and every time we had been ambushed by the Crimson Shadow. Live under the constant stress of imminent violence and you eventually became numb to it. Even with five times the current odds, it would just make us more resolute rather than spook us.

    Tanya had set off a couple of her idols left near the gate entrance, slowing and poisoning the horde trying to assault us from the back. While Quinn was eager to bloody his rapier to defend his better half, my trio of Hell-hounds dropping straight into the middle of the attacking force had caused enough disarray to bog their approach down to a crawl.

    Wolf had protected us from two of the arrow-shaped mortar rounds. His fur was singed and the terrain around him smoldered from the super-heated explosions. He could endure one or two more, but his defensive cooldowns could only last so long.

    The abomination looming over us now sported a few extra holes courtesy of Ren¡¯s sniper rifle. Unfortunately, a shot to the head and then the heart didn¡¯t seem to be killing blows on the hulking creature. Instead, fresh goo spilled forth from the wounds, the acrid smell of burning wood and stone following in its wake.

    As for my contribution? I¡¯d handily admit I was only giving current proceedings only a small slice of my attention.

    I was waiting for the coup de gras. Assailed from three angles, they had left one side of the street clear. This was the first very real attempt to snuff us out, and they wouldn¡¯t be leaving an opening like that when the stakes were so high. Perhaps the barbarian and spellcaster who had frozen Wolf were meant to be part of it. Wolf¡¯s sudden burst of speed might have caused them to show their hand early. It was pointless to speculate, but my mind was open and alert to the possibility that we had another attack coming our way.

    No, what we needed to do was rotate acts.

    ¡°My cards can¡¯t reach the cannon. Do you think you could shoot it?¡±

    ¡°Sure, if you keep this big bastard at bay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll clear the gate, brother.¡±

    We circled around, and Tanya and Quinn fell back to support our new roles. The occasional arrow, bolt, or low-level spell came our way from the Monsters further into the city, but we had the defenses to dodge or weather them constantly. With the other two focused on keeping us alive, we buckled in for the next stage of our performance.

    Wolf ran back down the cleared street, the fear in the eyes of the greenskins evident as they struggled to distance themselves from the hounds nipping and chewing on any who fell due to the poison aura. Ren hopped up to her own summoned chairs, crouching and looking down her scope. Three magic cards spun around my hand as I readied to strike out at the abomination.

    [Fiona: East team down to 4, have pushed Players back into tower.]

    [Fiona: West team making slow progress, suppressed.]

    My eye twitched, but there was no Guild message to say that someone had died¡ªso they¡¯d probably teleported. Making Fiona my second-in-command for this venture was mostly to prevent too much clutter over communications. Leyla¡¯s team would relay things to the fighter in a separate chat, and I¡¯d be sent the important details only.

    [Max: Almost halfway to the keep, they are trying to slow us.]

    Due to the nature of how the city was built up, there was no way my cards could assist either of the groups from here. Even if Ren had the range, she wouldn¡¯t have the angle to hit things on street level with so many buildings in the way.

    My magic cards spiraled off, powering up as I sunk my mana reserved into them. As the creature swung their large arm down at us, I severed their hand off just below the wrist. The giant tentacled appendage crashed down on the roof beside them, crashing through into the upper floor. While the abomination screeched, viscous liquid gushed from the created wound, splashing over the main road near us. The stonework bubbled and steamed as the corrosive substance ate away at it.

    Ren fired at the same time as Wolf collided with the orcs and goblins.

    One end of the road bloomed with bright green light as the mortar overloaded and the magic ruptured, destroying the machine along with anyone within forty feet of it. The other road flashed with flickering amber as the bear tore the unprepared Monsters to shreds. Above us, the air hummed with light purple as my cards zig-zagged through the injured creature, until its head was severed clean off.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I shook the blood from my hand as it collapsed. Senses burned from the overload of magical explosions, scoured debris, and fresh gore.

    ¡°Looks like their scheduling is fucked,¡± Ren murmured, turning her attention to the sky.

    I turned to see what she was looking at. A cloud of light blue made its way toward us before I made out what they were. Some manner of flying imps, similar to those in hell, but these looked like frost variants. Each held a shortbow, and were readying to fire down on us.

    Ren¡¯s rifle cracked and burst one of the small Monsters, a dark energy bouncing between a dozen others. Each of them dropped their weapons, just as my demonic ace used [Slow Movement Scroll] amongst them. A rather weak speed debuff, but against Monsters that relied on wings for flight, it caused them to struggle to stay aloft.

    I was about to send off a few cards to cut them down as they dropped, but I paused. There was a new debuff icon over me.

    [Duel of Honor] [You have been challenged to a martial duel to the death. Mano-v-mano.]

    My eyes left the status message to see a Player standing out down the road, a few barricades in. If there was a prize for looking like the generic pop-culture version of a samurai, this figure would take it handily. The weapon on their side they were waiting to draw was probably a katana. The mask on their face obscured their features, but naturally it had a crimson hand-print over it. They looked to be waiting for me to get in position.

    Ren clacked the bolt of her rifle back and forth and raised it toward them. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t fire on him?¡± Her brow furrowed.

    ¡°Some kind of forced duel,¡± I murmured. ¡°Clear everything else while I sort this.¡±

    She nodded and twisted around to the others. I stepped forward, a grim smile on my face and hands in my pockets. My opponent remained unflinching.

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s rude to ask for a private show without booking in advance,¡± I told him. It took a few moments to walk around the next two barricades, but he saw no need to fill that silence with a response.

    I raised an eyebrow as I stopped. Now a good fifteen or so feet away from him. I wasn¡¯t often a Player let me get this close to them without verbal or physical-

    Any chance to finish that thought was cut short as the samurai clicked his sword up an inch from its scabbard. Then he was behind me, the rush of air from his movements hitting a second after he visually moved. The top of my body slid and slopped down onto the road, his blade having sliced me straight through the midsection.

    I stepped out of <Last Act> invisibility and yawned. ¡°Imagine using your ultimate from the get go and failing. I¡¯m in a hurry, so-¡±

    To my partial surprise, the man twisted on one foot to face me and then did the exact same move again. Perhaps he was always this fast, and it wasn¡¯t a powerful long-cooldown skill. Even with all the abilities and boosts I had under my belt, I was still unable to see him move¡ªwhich was rather impressive.

    Instead of cutting me through again, there was a burst of sparks as he twirled away.

    My patron demon hung in the air in front of me, having deflected the blow.

    ¡°A martial duel, you say?¡± I smiled, and the floating sword twisted in the air so that I could grip at the handle. ¡°Go easy on me. This is outside my comfort zone.¡±

    It was hard to tell if my opponent was angry or not with his face covered, but I considered the way in which his black ponytail bobbed about to signal some frustration. He moved, and so did I.

    His speed had slowed, but he was still remarkably quick. Able to block any of my attacks¡ªbut my patron was able to deflect and parry most of the strikes of my opponent. I didn¡¯t know if it was a limitation of the odd duel¡ªor just my ego¡ªbut I felt I couldn¡¯t use my magic against him. That didn¡¯t mean this had to be honorable.

    The samurai twisted, adjusting his footing as he slipped on some marbles. My patron guided me, breaking through the attempted parry and cutting in the shoulder of the man. He grunted and stepped back to bring his guard back up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make this quick,¡± I said, my smile widening. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t keep a Lady waiting.¡±

    I let go of my patron and withdrew a shortsword into each of my hands, kicking forward a footstool summoned on the ground. He slashed it in half with ease and was only just able to bring up his guard to deflect the dash from my patron. I was in there too, flailing recklessly with both blades. Twirled away from his thrust. Crossed the blades to block. Flourished them around, turning them into daggers.

    We had both taken a fair share of cuts. While I had been damaged more, I was also healing up from my demonic regeneration. My demon had a time limit on him that we were getting close to, and I wasn¡¯t keen on trying my luck on my own again.

    ¡°Take a seat,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long show.¡±

    I then ejected a chair from my Inventory toward him. Again, easily slashed in half¡ªbut then he had to block my patron, before turning to another chair coming his way. I sent several at him, each severed in turn as he blocked my patron. In the midst of the chairs, I sent a small bag his way.

    He cut through it, only realizing his mistake halfway through the act. As he braced himself for flash powder or some manner of blind, but instead gold coins clattered against the stone road. The brief confusion was enough to set him off guard. As he clashed with my patron, the sword forcing him into a test of strength; I spun toward him like a cyclone.

    Far out of effective range with the daggers I held, I switched to Jokkar¡¯s mace right as it was too late for the samurai to do anything. The studded end of the weapon snapped his arm and sent him rolling across the ground. Cinders and smoke from the rest of the battle washed over him as my shadow darkened his mask.

    ¡°This one¡¯s for Roger,¡± I spat, bringing the heavy mace down onto the man¡¯s head, crushing it like rotten fruit. The debuff on me vanished.

    I looked around to see that everyone was gathered and ready. The gate was clear, if not pasted in bloody body parts. Ren had been picking off any City Guard or Monster foolish enough to stand around out of cover.

    [Fiona: East team inside the tower. Heavily injured but disabling the beacon now.]

    [Fiona: West team has broken the stalemate, pushing enemy back to this tower.]

    I nodded to myself, turning my eyes to the keep.

    My harshest critic was waiting for me.

 202 - Finders Keepers

    The rest of the city cracked and buckled beneath our advance. Paltry groups of Monsters were flung our way, but even as desperation settled in for the Crimson Shadows, our Party was just unstoppable once the ball was rolling.

    It was clear to me that they were just buying time now. After fumbling with the ambush meant to stop us, the Lady would pool all her important resources into protecting the keep. With a Party at each of the beacons, she couldn¡¯t afford to lose any more powerful pawns throwing them at us one by one.

    An almost tangible reality, as no sooner had I thought this, I paused. A pain, and warmth ran down my right arm.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Ren swore, able to feel it too, while the bear just grunted.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Tanya asked, looking around for looming danger.

    I didn¡¯t know for certain, but this puzzle had so few pieces that it was easy to see the picture even without knowing how to fit them together.

    ¡°The Lady has just killed the clone-making individual,¡± I responded, my own eyes trying to make out any clues from the keep ahead. ¡°That means she has the power of two Guardians.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s too much for her and her head pops off,¡± Ren murmured.

    Downplaying my ego aside, splitting the powers amongst the three of us wasn¡¯t just through generosity and happenstance. Without knowing enough about the Guardians and their powers, it was equally reasonable to assume that they wouldn¡¯t like being squished into one mortal form. The Lady in Red must be biting her nails to think that taking that risk was worth more than having another ally on her side.

    I tried to ignore what it might mean if I killed her.

    The sky flickered, some of the crimson bathing the city growing more dull. As we looked over to the side, one of the beacons went inert.

    [Fiona: East beacon disabled. East team heading home due to injury.]

    [Fiona: Hold for western updates.]

    [Max: We are almost at the keep.]

    No deaths, but down to ten of us left in the city. I couldn¡¯t fault Leyla¡¯s group for taking a bow and exiting stage right. Depending on how grievous their injuries were, they might not be much use to us, anyway. Better they live than fall so close to the end.

    Wolf sniffed at the air. ¡°Something lies in wait ahead.¡±

    ¡°A trap?¡± I narrowed my eyes at the set of wide steps leading up to the keeps large doorway. There was a suspicious lack of anything at all defending it, aside from the scorch marks from where the mortar had exploded.

    Ren fired a shot into the air and then held her hand out, the bullet bursting high up and turning into a cloud. Jagged bolts of lightning fell down from it, stopping a good forty feet in the air, as the whole area around the keep was protected by a magical field.

    ¡°No choice but to find out firsthand,¡± I said with a shrug. Even as my demonic ace passed through the invisible barrier and swirled around the area by the door, I was unable to get it to cast any spell scrolls while I remained outside the bubble.

    The potential ambush aside, it was strange to have come all this way, and this was the end. After having survived the gritty ruthlessness of her gang, we had gone from strength to strength chasing down the Lady. Defeated titans and great beasts, gaining Guardian powers for the three of us, and made a few allies. There were new Players in the first area that had no clue about what was going on right now, nor what the world was really like before we had come along and carved through it all.

    As a Party of five, we stepped along the last part of the main road, entering the protective bubble. Nothing immediately happened, but I could see Wolf was still on edge. We all were.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably expecting us to knock,¡± Quinn said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make an entrance worthy of our spirit?¡± His hand went down to where his explosive boomerang was stored.

    I smiled and stepped to the side. ¡°Be my guest.¡± An ambush just inside the doorway was tactically reasonable. Blowing the door inward would put the advantage of surprise in our court.

    He withdrew it and took a deep breath. As we all watching him draw the item back, winding up for the throw¡ªthat¡¯s when the trap was sprung on us.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    A crocodilian beast appeared to our right, both Ren and I turning on a dime to fire on it. The System told me it was some form of basilisk, just as its brains blew out of its severed head near instantly. A second had appeared on the other side of us. Wolf roared, but our focus had been drawn away by the other.

    The second basilisk breathed a cone of yellow gas over the group of us. Ren and I switched with our birds back to the road just as the monster blinked away with a teleport. Wolf was dazed, shaking a dizziness from his head after one of his abilities had burned up.

    Quinn stood in front of Tanya, arms wide to protect her. He was also now completely stone. A one-eyed statue, boomerang still in one hand.

    ¡°Quinn? Quinn?¡± Tanya took a moment to fully process what had just happened, the shock slowly registering.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± I said, stepping aside as two stone birds fell down to the road, shattering. ¡°Let me read the icon.¡±

    [Basilisk Petrification] [Target remains stone. Victims of the basilisk can be cured should the monster be slain.]

    ¡°He isn¡¯t dead,¡± I confirmed. ¡°We just need to kill the Monster.¡± The one that had conveniently teleported away and could remain stealthed.

    The fateweaver looked distraught. ¡°He¡¯s such a foolish asshole, I am already immune to petrification. It should have been me protecting him.¡±

    Ren slowly circled the statue of Quinn, scowling at it. ¡°You saw how those birds shattered, though. Without a way of us finding that Monster near instantly, Quinn is vulnerable.¡±

    Tanya¡¯s face went through a series of emotions, looking between me and the elf. A conversation that needn¡¯t be vocalized, and the conclusion begrudgingly accepted. ¡°Motherfuckers,¡± she eventually sighed. ¡°I hate this, but the alternative is unpalatable.¡±

    She stepped away from Quinn to give us each a quick hug, slipping us as many idols as she could make. With tears in her eyes, she returned to the petrified man and gave me a glum smile. ¡°Fucking¡­ don¡¯t fail us. Don¡¯t die, you assholes.¡±

    ¡°You have my word.¡± I smiled and took down my hat, stepping forward to place it on Quinn¡¯s. Funny how things end how they started, but at least I didn¡¯t crack my head on this rock first. I slipped a card into the ribbon and stepped away. ¡°This will let you teleport with him. If we can free him, then you¡¯re welcome to return, but I won¡¯t put you in any danger.¡±

    After she nodded her understanding, they both went in a flash of blue.

    ¡°At least he didn¡¯t die in your stead,¡± Ren said, her bright eyes scouring the surroundings for where the basilisk might have gone. ¡°And then there were three.¡±

    One of the differences between the Lady and us was that I didn¡¯t see my allies as dispensible assets. Their safety was paramount, even if that meant I had to personally struggle and suffer that little more. We could stand and defend Quinn, maybe spend time trying to hunt the Monster down, but that just gave the Crimson Shadow more of an advantage.

    I adjusted my suit, ignoring the bloodied cuts through several parts from my duel with the samurai. The idol she had left me with was the one that increased the damage dealt as well as the damage I¡¯d take. Some classic self-destruction that suited me. Sending my companions away had just cooled my temperament, however.

    Into my right hand¡ªwhich now sported a white glove¡ªI drew a singular purple card. Dropped all my mana and then dipped into my health to empower it. Barely registered the healing Ren was providing me as I stared at the bright white rectangle. Dazzled by my own power. Strong enough to cut through metal and stone.

    As well as every other motherfucker in the way.

    It left my hand at speed, and I held my wrist with my left hand to control it. Straight through the wall of the keep, I angled it back and forth in a zig-zag pattern. There were shouts from inside. The sounds of something shattering, followed burst a short and sharp explosion. My ears hummed from the exertion, and then I let it go.

    ¡°You can sense her here, can¡¯t you?¡± Ren asked, her face like thunderous clouds.

    I could. The second reason for my dulled mood. That and being without my hat.

    ¡°My charge is ready when you are,¡± Wolf agreed.

    It didn¡¯t quite make up for being blue balled over Quinn¡¯s boomerang, but after we put additional defensive buffs on the bear, he flashed forward and obliterated the large wooden door. Up close, the keep looked like the sturdiest structure we had come across. Much like the towers we had fought through, but sized up to fit several regiments rather than just a small group.

    As the cloud of dust and debris cleared, we switched positions with our birds to land inside beside Wolf. Ren¡¯s rifle went off, blowing the skull of a wounded Player open, as the bear continued his stampede into a group of Monsters. There was a dead Player who had taken my card through the neck, and three others who had been burned to death¡ªto the bone¡ªin short order by whatever had exploded amongst them. Inside this once-banquet hall, a stairway at the back led up to the next floor.

    A long table and dozens of chairs had been stacked up against the side wall to make room for the ambush and fight, and tapestries painted over by large red hand-prints decorated the walls. At least on the inside of the building, the glow of the beacons wasn¡¯t present.

    [Fiona: West team disabling beacon. Two returned home.]

    I shot her a quick message to ask who had gone back to the cottage. She told me the paladin had almost died stopping a Player dealing the death blow to Percius, and they had both gone back straight after¡ªher orders. Magnus was being patched up by Ruby and would be fine to continue soon.

    Part of me wanted to tell them to head home after the beacon was shut off. I still had one ace up my sleeve that we had only briefly discussed. [Guild Recall] gave everyone the opportunity to accept or decline a teleport to my location. But nobody had a second get-out-of jail-free card. Me bringing them here couldn¡¯t guarantee their safety.

    I shook my head. All of that meant nothing right now. The Lady was above us, and the beacon was even higher than that.

    The sky rumbled, a dry storm shaking the atmosphere.

    Wolf grunted, turning his keen nose toward the shattered doorway.

    ¡°We have a slight issue,¡± he said, as voices started to echo from the city.

 203 - All and Nothing

    Time was always a bit of a conundrum. I thought back to earlier today when Ren had said this day would go by in a blaze and then tomorrow would make it feel like a decade ago. We hadn¡¯t finished living in the present yet, and there was so much to do to make sure there was a day after this that we could all breathe easily.

    Now we were being pushed to our limits, a strain between what needed to be done right now and all the other issues vying for attention.

    ¡°We need to split up,¡± Ren said.

    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Sister is correct,¡± Wolf said, kicking some debris away from his paws to get a better footing. ¡°Trust in us as we trust in you.¡±

    I had always been the one to put the weight of the world on my own shoulders and feel like I could solo anything, but having them go along with that delusion was almost sickening. We had three targets and no time to sit around dealing with them.

    Whatever new powers the Lady had gained from her second Guardian power seemed to include increasing her Monster summoning capabilities tenfold. An army of creatures of various shapes and sizes had started crowding the city and were pouring down the street toward us.

    Wolf wanted to stand and hold the bottom of the keep.

    The beacons were surely a source of the Lady¡¯s power and control over the denizens of the city itself, perhaps even boosting what she was capable of. That was at the top of the keep, past where the Lady was hiding out.

    Ren wanted to skirt around the outside and land up there to disable it, taking out anything guarding it.

    I wanted them to stay safe while I twisted the head off of the woman who had started off all this madness. As much as I had wanted for them to stand by my side, they seemed keen to do what was most efficient.

    ¡°Fuck. Fine.¡± I shook my head, interrupted as Ren grabbed me and pulled me close for a kiss.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t die,¡± she whispered. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay.¡±

    I didn¡¯t have the energy to roll my eyes. ¡°That goes double for the both of you. Wolf, I¡¯ll leave you with some demons, but they won¡¯t last forever.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, brother.¡± He huffed and gave a brief nod, his eyes focused on the door.

    While the elf adjusted my suit collar so that I would look half decent for my main appearance, my demonic ace was ejecting caltrops, marbles, and grease onto the steps of the keep. It made two more quick passes to drop off any other trap or malady I could scrounge from my Inventory to make it as difficult for the attackers as possible. Lastly, I summoned my cannon lengthwise across the door to block it, before three hell-hounds emerged from spell circles beside it.

    ¡°Get going already,¡± the bear encouraged.

    Ren ran her hand over the side of my face, smiling, before vanishing. The summoned dove fluttered in front of me before fading away.

    I shook my head, weight heavy in my stomach, as I took to the stairs. The army of Monsters were just reaching my gathered traps now, their squawks and yelps echoing through the downstairs chamber. Wolf looked resolute, his singular purpose ready to be performed without hesitation.

    For me, nerves rolled around my core. Something unlike me, but it took me back to my beginner days. Before having an agent or a name for myself. As I stood on the small landing, my arm burning because of what existed on the other side of the wooden door in front of me, it felt like I was going in for a career-defining interview. Make or break.

    My head swimming, I grabbed hold of the handle and pushed.

    Tense and ready for an ambush, I was almost confused when nothing immediately came for me. The thick rug of dark gray that led from this door all the way to the other end of the room had a patch of darkness to it, blood seeping around the lighter stonework. The corpse of the prior Guardian killer lay there. Opposite me was a row of thrones, the center of which was occupied than none other than the devil plaguing this world herself.

    The Lady in Red.

    Almost exactly like her visage that had met me, her long, flowing red dress was darkened in patches from the spray of blood. There was a certain presence to her, her dark eyes almost glowing beneath the brim of her hat while she grinned at me.

    ¡°Max,¡± she spoke, her silky voice devoid of malice. ¡°What a surprise. Before you immediately attack me, there is something I want to ask you.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    My right eye twitched as my right hand curled into a tight fist. I could see it now. Her unnatural ability to sway people. The subtle ways in which she was trying to control me.

    ¡°What could you possibly ask that could mean anything at this stage?¡± I asked through clenched teeth. Purple energy started to arc around my body as I fought her desire to placate me.

    ¡°Only to ask what you know about the world beyond this area? Is it not a fool who makes a decision without knowing the full picture?¡± Her smile twisted into a wry grin.

    ¡°We are in quarantine here until you are erased. Then the System will allow us access to the rest of the world.¡± Blood seeped through my white gloves as I tried to bring forth a magical card.

    The smile left her face, and she tutted, shaking her head. ¡°Shame you are so misguided. It is only fair that I enlighten you, since you¡¯re so interested in saving this¡­ ¡®world¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What do you-¡± I began, before we both vanished.

    I blinked away the transition to find myself standing on grass and dirt. Swirling in place, the Lady was but ten feet away from me, her expression neutral. I was about to launch an attack, before I noticed the icon affixed to us both.

    We were both Visages.

    ¡°My goal here is to amend what the ¡®gods¡¯ could not. Perhaps once you are aware, you¡¯ll see things my way.¡± Her expression didn¡¯t change, but I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes off of her.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± I asked, my jaw aching from how much I was clenching it.

    This time, she did give me a slight smile. ¡°The barrier to the ¡®third area¡¯.¡±

    I blinked, my gaze now turning to the side. After a dozen feet of grass, there was the sheen of a wall. Impossibly high and¡­

    Although I was sure I didn¡¯t need to breathe as an illusion of myself, my lungs were frozen as I stepped closer to the wall. Now only two feet from the edge, I fought the urge to empty my stomach.

    ¡°Frightening, isn¡¯t it?¡± the Lady said from off at the side. ¡°Some of the Eternal Wardens knew about this, but swore it to secrecy. Well, until they switched sides, at least.¡±

    There was no third area. No¡ªthat was really underselling the point¡ªthere was, in fact¡­ nothing at all after the wall. Just an empty expanse like the world was flat. Infinite, overwhelming space.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be right,¡± I said. ¡°Maybe this is just how it looks while it¡¯s blocked?¡±

    ¡°Try to rationalize it all you want, Max. The truth is, you don¡¯t live in a world going through a bumpy period. This is a failed state. An abandoned slice of existence where the creators have long left us to our own devices. We are a ship lost in an unwavering sea and I intend to be the captain.¡±

    My mouth felt dry despite being intangible. ¡°You? After what you¡¯ve done?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Why, a god needs followers to ascend, surely.¡± She stepped up beside me by the edge and gestured toward the oblivion. ¡°There is some irony in you getting more powerful via people disbelieving in you, whereas I am the opposite. With your vanity title, we could rule from above and below. Biblical, in a way.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you start this as a way to return to your home world?¡±

    She was silent for a moment. ¡°Part of me still lives with the hope that in taking control of the System, I could find a way to save us all.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes, some of the warmth finding a place inside me again. ¡°But what of those that you killed along the way?¡±

    The Lady rolled her eyes. ¡°I could ask you the same thing. You¡¯re thinking too much like a ¡®hero¡¯, Max. I¡¯m looking at the greater world, how it continues beyond our petty squabble. We both know there are still new people arriving in Othea¡­ don¡¯t you want that stopped?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ want people to be safe and happy.¡± I glanced off to my right, pretty sure I was able to see the red of Candlekeep in the distance beyond the woodland.

    ¡°So do I, just on a broader scale. I was getting so close to reaching high enough power, before¡­¡± her face dropped, and she gave me a dull glare. ¡°Before you and your misguided friends decided to disable two of my beacons.¡±

    That must mean Fiona¡¯s group was finally successful.

    ¡°Say¡­¡± My eyes looked between her and the now slightly dimmer red shade of the city. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a ploy to have me killed off while you talk to my projection, right?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, if the spell was that powerful I¡¯d have killed you much sooner. If your real body detects threatening behavior, then you return.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t entirely convinced, but I didn¡¯t have the option to <Shuffle> the condition away to return to my actual body. ¡°I see. Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say I get more powerful due to disbelief, anyway. I¡¯m more of an entertainer than a cult leader.¡± I leaned forward to look down into the space below the world.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a cult.¡± The Lady adjusted her hat and sighed. ¡°The System granted me the opportunity to ascend beyond the normal leveling conventions, so it is my destiny. It would be rude to look a gift horse in the mouth.¡±

    ¡°A horse almost killed me once,¡± I said idly. It was interesting how she had a similar view of how the System treated her, thinking she was the chosen one due to being powerful. Both of us were just as deluded as each other, at the end of the day.

    Both willing to kill or die for what they believed in.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to take the blood or become a follower, Max. Just stop hamstringing my progress. You¡¯ve seen the Monsters I¡¯ve been able to create? Some with actual intelligence.¡±

    All I could think of was my friends back at the cottage, nursing their injuries. My found family fighting on their own to buy me time to end this charade. Then finally, the image of Hannah pinned up on that cross flashed into my mind, cementing what I knew.

    I didn¡¯t care how bland or abandoned the System or this world was, as long as those I cared about could be safe. The Lady in Red would never allow us that peace, whether she was a god or not.

    ¡°You really think you could be a god?¡± I asked, my face neutral. ¡°What level are you, even?¡±

    ¡°Now that two of my beacons have been switched off, I have an effective level of thirty-five. The Monsters I have created don¡¯t give as much favor as Players do¡­ and you¡¯ve been killing those off as well.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I appreciate the chat, but you¡¯ll be joining them soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Max,¡± she replied. ¡°You don¡¯t think I always knew that would be your answer?¡±

    Before I had the chance to respond, I switched back to my real body¡ªthe feeling of disorientation immediately replaced by intense pain.

    I bounced away from the barbarian and rolled across the floor, his horned helmet dripping with my blood and my chest screaming in agony.

    As the Lady laughed in the background, I fought the urge to pass out.

 204 - Clash of Ego

    If there was one thing that was worse than having your ribs shattered and your internal organs pierced with a unicorn horn, it was fucking nothing because this was agony. Blood filled my lungs as I twitched from the shock. My spotty vision was still able to see the barbarian loom over me, his sword raised.

    ¡°Dead or alive?¡± he grunted.

    ¡°He is too much of a danger to our cause. Dead,¡± the Lady replied.

    The greatsword whipped around and lopped off my head¡ªquite impressive considering the angle and me laying on the ground.

    From across the room, snapping the healing charm Ren had left me took me out of invisibility. While I hadn¡¯t had the time to use <Last Act> on the initial strike, he had been slow enough with the follow-up. With how much pain I had been in, I was desperate to use it, so I hated him that much more for the delay.

    ¡°Rude awakening,¡± I murmured, putting a health potion up to my lips. My magic cards bloomed up around my head, circling me as the man got into a fighting position.

    The Lady stood up from her throne and clenched her teeth. ¡°Idiot. You¡¯d make your queen dirty her own hands?¡±

    ¡°No, my Lady!¡± he bellowed, preparing to run at me again.

    Personally, it wasn¡¯t as cool a charge as Wolf¡¯s was. It made me wonder how the bear was doing. My demons hadn¡¯t vanished yet, and I reckoned I could get some out through the door down to him. Oddly, I could hear any sound of fighting either. Something about this room must be soundproofed.

    ¡°Whipped,¡± I murmured. ¡°Oh, that gives me an idea.¡± I clicked my fingers and grinned. From my Inventory I drew out a sheet of dark cloth to hold it beside me, enticing the man to charge me like a bull.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret mocking me,¡± he growled.

    I wouldn¡¯t. He charged, and I saw how he had managed to get his attack off before I had the chance to come back to my body. Not quite as fast as Wolf, but pretty decent. Naturally, I stepped to the side and swept the curtain away.

    Revealing the doorway beside me.

    He didn¡¯t have the chance to react, running himself straight through to hell and landing inside the fighting arena. I waved the door away, the curtain vanishing as I dusted my hands off. If my Champion didn¡¯t kill him, the corruption of hell would.

    ¡°Always one step ahead, aren¡¯t you?¡± the Lady said, disgust all over her face. ¡°I¡¯ll assume the elf is up top with the rest of the Crimson Shadow, as they aren¡¯t rushing to my aid. Such as shame I¡¯ll have to kill you myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your first mistake,¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you can.¡±

    She winced, more of a visceral reaction to the statement than I had expected. ¡°If I needed your acceptance, I¡¯d torture it out of you.¡±

    ¡°See, that¡¯s where you and I differ.¡± I smiled as I walked back over to the center of the room. ¡°I also have people who believe in me, but they also trust me. No coercion or threats needed for them to follow me to the death.¡±

    The Lady snarled at me. ¡°Where do you get off giving me a heroic monologue? The gall of it.¡±

    ¡°See, I¡¯m willing to bet that you don¡¯t have any powers of your own, really. They¡¯re all for manipulating and using others. You¡¯re just stalling for time in hopes some of your minions make it here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d stake your life on that assumption?¡± She raised an eyebrow and drew a dagger from her belt. A jagged thing of dark metal that glowed red slightly. ¡°Your first mistake was to come here being so misguided.¡±

    I smiled and shrugged. ¡°Yours was installing this neat soundproofing.¡±

    Her eyebrow raised. ¡°What do you-¡±

    The thirty-odd magic circles blooming around the room cut her sentence off short. Her actual mistake was sending an army against Wolf. More than just a blockade, even if we couldn¡¯t hear my cannon, I had fired it off three times. That number of Dazzle icons was unprecedented.

    Hell-hounds popped from the walls and floor in droves, all eager to take a bite of the woman.

    To her credit, she was fast with the dagger. Being over ten levels over the hounds put her at an advantage, but for each of them she stabbed, she received a bite herself. I could see that she was healing, however. While only looking vampire-esque, I had a hunch that her dagger had Health Steal or similar enchanted on it.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    While I powered up a card in one hand, I sent ten of the dogs out of the room to assist Wolf. I had stolen the cannon blocking the way, so it was only fair I assisted him a little more.

    I whipped the card toward the distracted Lady and she deflected it from the air with her blade, turning to cut through one of the hounds. More than just being quick, she seemed to be increasing in power the more she killed. I wasn¡¯t likely to win a war of attrition.

    She swiped down at a dog and struck a barrel instead, confusion on her brow as it shattered into parts. The next hound just completely vanished, allowing others to tear at her dress.

    Up until this point, she had been my harshest critic. For the first time, I saw Dazzle icons appear over her head. Oh, right next to the one tallying up the strength boosts from killing. I should be paying more attention. Her next attack struck a chair, and then a large rock¡ªher blade sparking as it connected. Some of her stacks of¡­ [Bloodlusted] were now fading away as the hungry dagger found no purchase.

    ¡°Fool!¡± she yelled, pausing in place briefly before a pulse of crimson energy pulsed away from her, bursting apart my poor demons. The rest cowered and growled at her as this bloody aura persisted along the floor. ¡°You truly seek to test me?¡±

    Rudely, she didn¡¯t give me the opportunity to respond, as two giant crimson hands burst from the wall on either side of me. Rather than get squished between them, I swapped positions with one of my hounds, sending out a trio of cards at the Lady.

    First was deflected, the second took a slice from the brim of her hat, and the third barely missed her neck. She growled and took the hat off, throwing it to the floor.

    ¡°Only fair as I don¡¯t have mine,¡± I said. She didn¡¯t see the humor in it.

    In fact, she lunged at me¡ªan impressive distance covered, all things considering. A cloud of smoke burst up around me as I also turned invisible. My hounds jumped into the fray again. The inability to see me didn¡¯t seem to dissuade her as she lashed back and forth, the red glow illuminating the dense fog.

    ¡°Quit hiding!¡± she yelled, cutting down another hell-hound.

    Then she paused as a vibration shook through the keep.

    Ren had destroyed or disabled the last of the beacons. That was my queue to step in. She reacted by instinct, lashing out and cutting me across the chest. I ducked and rolled beneath her follow up, before I hopped up and activated <Demon Form>. The crack of my wings blew away the smoke, and the Lady stepped back with her arms crossed to deflect my next attack.

    But I didn¡¯t attack.

    Her intense glare fell from my new form, down to her wrist. The Nullification Cuff sat there.

    ¡°What is¡­ what have you done?¡± Despite already being pale as a ghost, any color drained from her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± I cooed. ¡°Don¡¯t even believe in yourself anymore?¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡± Her eyes blazed wildly. ¡°I don¡¯t need my abilities to cut you to shreds.¡±

    Perhaps she was right. My Dazzle icons on her had faded already, barely lasting any time on her at all. Possibly something to do with willpower? I stepped away as she swung; the dagger slicing through the air. She was trying to exert her presence over me again. I could feel the hesitation in my brain like an illness. I dodged her next strike before realizing this was not the play.

    I stepped into the next attack, taking the dagger through my left forearm. I swung around with my right holding a purple card, mentally unable to bring out an actual weapon. She caught my wrist and held me at bay, a sinister grin on her face.

    ¡°Thanks, asshole.¡±

    The pain of the stab wound radiated down my arm. I could feel my bones split and crack, the muscle fibers separate under the vibrating thrum of the dagger''s power. Before I could jerk away, my left arm exploded, covering the area in droplets of gore. Unlike the time in the dungeon, I wasn¡¯t left with a bony appendage to show for it. Nor was there magical smoke to fix me anew.

    It was now just a stump, ending a few inches above my elbow.

    Before the Lady had time to continue to gloat, her own face twisted with shock and pain, as my patron demon ran her through from behind. A burst of energy sent us flying apart from one another, and as I regained my composure, I could see a bubble of red light shimmered around her.

    While darkness spread from the wound, soaking through her dress, she glared at me. A magical shield coming from one of her equipped pieces of gear, no doubt. Powerful enough to prevent her death.

    I smiled and shook my stump, bemused by the lack of limb. ¡°Just when I was thinking of joining you, you went and left me feeling disarmed.¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± she repeated, spitting blood on the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    Of course, it was entirely a fib, based on wanting to make a dumb pun. The amount of conviction used to admonish me was staggering, however. She didn¡¯t believe me so hard that she actually forced the System to give her a Dazzle icon, solely because that¡¯s how she thought my powers worked. I would have loved to investigate that notion more, but that singular Dazzle was all I needed.

    I clicked my fingers and cast <Domain: The Grand Stage>.

    Gone was the stonework of the keeps second floor. Now varnished wooden planks sat beneath my feet. Rich velvet curtains labored the sidelines as bright stage lights illuminated me from above. An audience of empty chairs lay in wait, while the Lady stood, still clutching at her wound. Rather than sit and be stunned, the area around her remained the stone flooring of the keep, as if her willpower had bored a hole through my domain.

    ¡°What is this?¡± she spat. ¡°Trying to woo me with parlor tricks now?¡±

    I held up the bright red critical card in my hand. ¡°Oh no,¡± I said. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve a performance any more.¡±

    With all the mana and health I could afford to pool into the card, it snapped away from me like a gunshot. I dropped to my knees as it exploded - her shield overloaded and bursting itself. My Domain washed away as if the power expended had created a vacuum to suck it elsewhere. It was never going to be enough to hold her captive, but I just needed to keep the Lady frozen to one spot long enough to break her shield.

    She stepped over to me, blood running from the side of her face.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t solve anything, Max. My shield is gone, but so is your strength. What good are you now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already dead,¡± I replied. My smile was genuine. ¡°Time for you to leave this world you detest so much.¡±

    Confusion and anger furrowed her brow. ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    A classic case of misdirection. While I wasn¡¯t looking to pull a coin from behind her ear, I did something a little better given her attention had been solely on taking my arm.

    My patron wasn¡¯t meant to be the killing blow, but my demonic ace that was flat against the blade as it pierced through her was.

    I grinned and clicked my fingers.

 205 - Standing Ovation

    It wasn¡¯t really the gentlemanly way of killing someone. Often murder didn¡¯t really care about that kind of thing, however¡ªand for me, just doing the deed was a good enough result as any.

    While confusion continued to wrack at her face, the Lady had no clue what was about to happen. Somewhere in her torso, my demonic ace released five different concoctions of various poisons.

    Maybe cruelty had been the point, and at the end of the day, I was no better than her ilk. I could have easily put a spell scroll or even a chair in there that might have killed her quicker. Instead, I watched as tens of new debuff icons appeared over her head.

    She also dropped to her knees and immediately threw up. Her hands shook as she tried to withdraw something from her Inventory to counteract some of the damage. I didn¡¯t have the strength to stop her¡ªat least, not physically. I blinked slowly as I hit her with the upgraded <Shuffle>.

    ¡°How could you do this?¡± she asked between dry heaves.

    I didn¡¯t really have any words for her. My demonic ace and patron sword came and hovered either side of me. Wings and horns fell away as I dropped <Demon Form>.

    Her hand slipped and the bottle she had taken out shattered against the floor. She was suffering and it would only get worse.

    I sighed and found the strength to push myself up to my feet. Wavered slightly, feeling lightheaded from the loss of blood. ¡°I¡¯ll not gloat over your death, just as you did for those you killed. This is revenge, but I take no joy in it. Violence begets violence.¡± I shook my head and sighed again. ¡°Any last words?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this,¡± she croaked, her eyes streaming. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can live in a world like this.¡±

    I withdrew my [Knife of the Trickster] and stepped over to her. ¡°I guess seeing is believing.¡± Using what little strength I could muster, I stabbed down toward her, intending on piercing through her eye. The punchline missed, as she managed to gather the willpower to dodge slightly, my knife cutting along the side of her cheek instead. Her eyes widened in seeing my final trick.

    In losing my arm, I had stolen the skill used by her dagger. The red glow faded from my weapon, but it was too late for her. The side of the Lady in Red''s head exploded outwards, and she flopped onto the floor. I dropped my knife, and it vanished before hitting the ground. No elation. Just emptiness. Relief? No, now there was...

    Pain wracked within my skull, my heartbeat thundering through my brain. The deed was down.

    I felt the pulse of her Guardian powers circle around me like two marbles spiraling down toward a bottomless hole. Three was too much for one person to handle¡ªI could tell. Painfully. Something else itched about the process, though. With all my magic knowledge, I could sense the whole greater than its parts. This close to coming undone, the picture started to clear. There was¡­ another purpose for these powers. I closed my eyes and forced them away toward these lines of magic. Guided even my own power to follow these routes. I blinked my eyes back open after a short period as a chill ran through, the process not destroying me.

    The Lady was dead. I left my demonic ace full of enough spells to incinerate her corpse once I left the room. Now that my wits were returning, delayed messages pinged through my chat.

    [Fiona: West beacon down.]

    [Fiona: We are heading towards keep now.]

    [Fiona: City Guard are now on our side and assisting.]

    [Fiona: Killed several groups of Monsters plus a basilisk.]

    [Fiona: Keep beacon down, Ren is injured. Safe.]

    [Fiona: Regrouped to assist Wolf.]

    I practically ran from the room as my ace let it rip. It was no wonder neither of the others had joined me in the fight - and that last message was recent. I hit the staircase, my whole body complaining about every step.

    The scene below was a massacre. Piles of dismembered Monsters lay scattered in piles, the whole floor below covered in blood and gore. In the center was Wolf laying down, soaked through in crimson as Ruby tended to his wounds. Laying up against him was Ren, while Fiona and Mangus kept watch over them.

    ¡°Holy shit, Max,¡± the fighter said, clocking me coming down in a hurry. ¡°Did you¡­ I mean, are you alright?¡±

    I nodded, but my focus was entirely on the elf. At the risk of sliding over spilled innards and slick blood, I ran up to her. The left side of her face was bruised heavily, her golden hair matted with gore. Eyes closed, but as I stood in front of her in panic, they opened slightly.

    ¡°Your arm¡¯s off,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°It¡¯ll grow back, promise.¡± I gave her a glum smile. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°Fell off the fucking roof and broke my leg.¡± She nodded painfully at it. ¡°Same fucking leg.¡±

    ¡°Hey, at least I didn¡¯t split my head open on something,¡± I said, to which she raised a sluggish arm to prod at a surprisingly sensitive part of my skull.

    Her finger withdrew to show me fresh blood. ¡°Dickbag,¡± she managed, before pushing herself up and into my arms. Arm. ¡°It was great,¡± she whispered. ¡°Killed five Players using all sorts of bullshit magic and then disabled the beacon¡­ which sent me falling off with Transposition on cooldown.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could have seen it.¡± The magical side of it, at least. Wolf¡¯s actions were definitely more overt and visceral. It was hard to tell how many he had killed here¡­ but it was a lot.

    ¡°Brother,¡± the bear grumbled.

    I let go of the elf to kneel down beside him. He was quite the state, and despite Ruby giving me eyes about my stump of an arm, she seemed worried about him.

    ¡°You did well,¡± I told him, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°I am proud, and we couldn¡¯t have done this without you. What can I do for you?¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    He grunted, and his eyes lazily turned to me. ¡°You can accept my apology.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    The bear let out a long sigh. ¡°My time has come. I have felt it in my bones for days, but I needed to hold out for this.¡±

    My mouth opened and closed, unable to find the words. ¡°Perhaps you just need rest. This probably took a lot out of you.¡± The slowly shaken head of Ruby told me otherwise.

    Ren kneeled down beside me, her eyes already wet. ¡°What apology do we need to accept from you when you have given us your everything?¡±

    His eyes went from me to her. ¡°You accepted me as family. As an equal. When given the power to¡­ have a wish granted¡­ I went for something¡­ selfish.¡± Wolf closed his eyes. ¡°I never¡­ did like¡­ that¡­ hat.¡±

    The whole room fell into a deep silence. Ren pulled me closer and pressed her face against my shoulder. I looked at the useless floor and placed my hand up against him. With all the danger he put himself in for us all the time, who cared if he wished for something selfish? I didn¡¯t even understand what that¡­

    I blinked away the blur from my eyes to look at my hand. It felt warmer up against his unmoving form. At first, just more than normal body heat, but then I had to move away before I got burned. Ren looked at me with confusion, wiping away her tears as we stood.

    Like a bonfire, Wolf¡¯s body burst into flames from the intense heat, fire licking around his body. We were all too dumbfounded to do anything except step back away, dazzled by the bright flames. The fire ate his body away, reducing it down to nothing.

    And almost as quickly as it started, the flames flickered and snuffed out. Wispy smoke hovered over the remains, which were surprisingly bright and brown. This shape of untouched fur unfurled out, and Ren gasped.

    ¡°Again, my apologies, brother and sister,¡± the younger voice of Wolf said.

    ¡°Like a phoenix,¡± I said, still unbelieving, as Ren launched herself down onto him. He had died and reborn as a younger version of himself. His wish had been to stay with us, have more years we could spend together. I stooped down to hug him as well.

    ¡°As much as I hate to break up a reunion,¡± Fiona called from the doorway. ¡°Two things. Firstly, something has changed with the beacons. They¡¯re bright like daylight now. Secondly, there were a few Crimson Shitshows still alive, and they¡¯ve banded whatever Monsters were still around and are coming this way.¡±

    I stood, trying to brush myself down with my absent hand. ¡°To the first thing, I filled the beacons with the Guardian powers. Don¡¯t ask me how or why. I¡¯m very lightheaded.¡± With a more confident smile, I continued. ¡°For the second, perhaps we should bring everyone out for an encore?¡±

    I hit the [Guild Recall] request, and nobody declined. We were Unbreakable.

    <hr>

    Mopping up the remnants of the Crimson Shadow went by in no time at all. With the full force of the Guild joined by the returning City Guard, we had little issue at all. The fact that the remaining gang stayed loyal to the Lady even past her death wasn''t as comforting as I had hoped. Perhaps better than the alternative, but I was so far gone once the warmth of battle wore off that I barely registered much. Didn''t really have the energy to celebrate.

    I looked out at the woodlands, my feet wet from the fresh morning dew on the grass outside the cottage. It was a new morning, and things felt... surreal. After itching at my arm stump a little, I just continue to stare off at the horizon, the sun slowly rising. Off to the right, soft snoring came from Wolf''s abode¡ªwhich was little more than a large doghouse.

    It wasn''t long before the sound of the door behind me snapped me out of my trance, a few soft footsteps before Ren appeared by my side. She wrapped her arm around my right and held my hand, leaning her head on my shoulder.

    "You feel out of place because we no longer have the pressure of conflict casting a shadow over our lives."

    I nodded. "We are safe. The first day of the rest of our lives. What do we even do?"

    "Well..." the elf stepped away from me and tilted her head. "Now that we have more time, perhaps you can teach me some real magic?" With a smile, she held out her hand to reveal a gold coin. "First though, how about a bath?"

    <hr>

    Day 3 NE: I have decided to start curating a journal again. This time, instead of filling it with drab introspection, I am pasting my brighter outlook within. As the System is reluctant to give me a proper calendar, I deem the day we slew the Lady in Red as Day 1 of the New Era.

    Much to my surprise, the Lady wasn¡¯t the only one who could ¡®fix¡¯ the System-created in the world. Far from it¡ªand we have learned in the last few days that putting the Guardian powers in the beacons has done just this. Now smarter and more realistic people roam the land and fill the towns, and I was able to convince Ren and Wolf to give up their powers to put in two other beacons in the first area and starter zone.

    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take away our already given powers, which Ren is especially glad of.

    Day 4 NE: My arm grew back.

    Day 8 NE: The three of us have started putting on shows! While the audience of System-created is sometimes a little wooden, there is nothing that compares to sharing the warmth of the stage with those two. It feels good to use our skills for something other than violence for a change.

    Day 11 NE: Wolf seems to be growing at the rate of one year per two days. Already well into adolescence and eating a barn full of food on the regular. Still his usually grumbling self, but it seems he¡¯ll plateau in adulthood again before his lifespan goes back to normal speed.

    Day 12 NE: Hell has frozen over! Or rather, they have finally managed to build up a sustainable and fair government system to run things down there¡ªso I have become something more of a figurehead. I¡¯d like to take credit for it, but it was really all their doing. One of Roger¡¯s many sons is actually on the council now.

    Day 14 NE: Part of me had worried that without the constant need to strive to survive, things would fall apart with Ren. A needless worry, really. Things are certainly more domestic now, but we are no less inseparable and in-tune with each other.

    Day 23 NE: I found out today how rusty the easy life had gotten us today. Ren and I had been relaxing in the swing outside our cottage when a figure approached us from the woods.

    Not a Player that we had seen before, but he didn¡¯t seem threatening. In fact, he came to us with an offer. Apparently he came from a different world, and that there are a lot like our Othea out there suffering similar issues.

    His offer was something simple on the surface. Safety. Not just for us, but everyone in Othea. A literal joining of our world with his - a place of broken communities becoming something greater. There we could live a life without conflict, or there were options for adventure, and even some striving against the odds. Ren and I shared a knowing glance at this.

    I had to admit I liked the way his fangs caught the light seemed like a practiced technique. I respected the craftsmanship. The traveler asked if we had any knowledge of the way we got into Othea. As Ren described the portals, I dug around in my jacket and produced the folded page from that old book. After reading it, he pocketed it himself to give to someone more in the know and thanked me - assuring me it would be useful. We told him that¡ªeven if we believed him¡ªit wasn¡¯t something we could decide on the spot. While we took a few days to consider his offer, I had to my mind was already busy with the potential of my future.

    The greatest showman on all worlds. At least, that¡¯s what the posters would say.