Eight 4

Each of the expeditions assigned a member to handle the check-out process, while the rest filed out to marshal in the plaza outside. As the people streamed past, Yuki and I worked in tandem—me noting what I was seeing and them checking to make sure my thoughts were coherent. Anything unusual was also passed along to my team for comparison.

Mostly, we were looking for anyone who seemed to share the exact talents as someone else. That was how the Maltran assassin had disguised themselves in the encounter back at the Glen.

I confirmed that Kimson wasn’t the saboteur—his spirit was looser, less focused and yet somehow also more ambitious. He smirked to see us waiting, but I didn’t have any attention to spare for whatever ridiculous notion he’d concocted about us in his head, the ass.

My teammates confirmed he was the same person who’d showed up at the Hunter’s Lodge in Albei to announce the race’s starting point, so we convincingly ruled him out.

Eventually, the inn emptied, and while we waited to see if there were any stragglers, one of the staff came over—her spirit anxious to get us moving. “The hierophant will begin the race soon,” she said. “Please leave for the plaza.”

Mumu intercepted her. “There are no other guests left in the building?”

She exchanged signs with a man at the front desk, then shook her head and said, “All the rooms are clear.”

“The assassin didn’t stay here,” I said.

“Or else they left another way,” Tegen said.

I nodded. “Given their abilities, they could’ve easily slipped out one of the service doors.”

More staff converged on us, but Anya got in their way, telling them it was our turn to check out. By this point, the staff were starting to panic—the hierophant would brook no disruptions to his plans—but she bought us another couple of minutes to confirm our plans.

We left the Ox in good order, with the sisters in the center of a hunters’ formation, one that happened to be missing Snow and me. As soon as we’d stepped outside, we’d Camouflaged, and she teleported us up to the roof’s viewing area so that I could look out over all the participants, including the ones who’d stayed elsewhere.

Some of the inn’s entertainers had gathered to watch the proceedings below. Being healthily paranoid, I checked them all. One was hungover, a threesome was feuding, but none appeared to be the saboteur.

While Yuki listened to the troupe’s gossip for clues, my spirit eyes roved over the expeditions assembling in the pre-dawn light. Braziers had been brought out, so that people weren’t standing around in the cold.

The sky was thick with ominous clouds. Even though the sun was beginning his rise, the light barely penetrated. Instead, it was braziers that lit the scene, their reach uncertain because of the crowds around them.

Steadily, I clicked on every individual and observed their spirit, including those I’d already examined earlier. The assassin might have infiltrated an expedition I’d already cleared.

Honestly, the work would’ve been tiresome if not for the deadly consequences of being wrong. Slow is fast and fast is slow, I told myself.

The crowd mostly consisted of people Level 5 and over, so I had to rely on the spirits of those not dawn or dusk for insights into the emotional tenor of the groups they belonged to. The consensus was that, while the change of plans was a surprise, it was also welcome. No one relished the idea of being cooped up for two days, especially if an early start also provided a chance to reach Old Baxteiyel before the storm hit.

There was a good deal of anxiety about the storm—and the saboteur too, with several people wondering if an expedition had already started cheating—but the various groups appeared to have developed plans to deal with both.

The stage was ready for the hierophant, and braziers to each side and a row of candle stones would make sure he would be well lit once he arrived.

So far there’d been no sign of the assassin, nor any of the other Maltrans either. It was possible they were disguised, so I paid attention to anything that might seem subtly wrong. I also tapped on Ikfael’s figurine to alert her to the potential of action incoming.

About three-quarters of the way through my investigation, staff emerged from one of the inn’s side doors. They each carried steaming, covered baskets, from which they handed out small bundles. Without a sigh—I really didn’t—I started the process of examining their talents too.

‘Hold on,’ Yuki said. ‘Double check that last one.’

I went back to a gray-haired man. His talents were… click.

Boosen the Elder (Human)

Talents: Organized, Tidy Mind Tidy Life

He must’ve been doing something right with his life too, because his was probably the calmest spirit in the whole plaza.

‘There was somebody else with those talents,’ Yuki said.

Instantly, my gaze sharpened, and I felt a similar thrill arise in my teammates as the uekisheile spread the word. I couldn’t recall when I’d seen those talents last, though. My memory was unnaturally fuzzy when I tried.

Yuki said, ‘It was just a minute ago. Among the staff.’

I used my Status camera, reversing the direction I’d been going. Click, click, click. Narrating the words, as they popped up.

‘There, him!’

I’d just read a Status, but somehow disregarded it. I forced my eyes focus on a middle-aged man, his hair swept back into a bun. He carried a basket, but was weaving through the crowd separately from the other staff. No one seemed to mind his presence, though, and I couldn’t read his spirit. Once more, I used my camera:

Eswelo of Isteikta (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Organized, Tidy Mind Tidy Life

Found him, I thought with vicious glee. At least Level 5, but the Maltrans had a way of hiding their silvered status, so we need to be careful. There’d still been no sign of them.

Mumu hesitated only a moment before sending, ‘We act. Assume the others are here, but the assassin must die. We can’t risk someone with his abilities on our back trail.’

I sent an acknowledgement, as did the others.

Haol slipped into Camouflage and swiftly moved to find a perch to snipe from, while Mumu and Teila also hid themselves to make their way toward our quarry. It was hard keeping my eyes on him, but I pushed through the force that tried to deflect me.

Tegen would defend Anya and Weni at the center of the Albei hunter’s contingent. They’d remain safe there. I tapped on Ikfael’s figurine once more to let her know that action was certain, then pulled my knives.

‘Snow’s ready,’ Yuki said, then they went back to directing Mumu and Teila into position. The two hunters were moving slowly, so as to avoid bumping into people as they navigated the crowd. Haol found and climbed up to his perch before they were able to close on our prey.

‘The hierophant is on the scene,’ Yuki reported, the information having come first from Snow, and then confirmed by Haol. ‘He’s greeting the other silvered, the scholar named Tethdlen.’

‘Our quarry is changing directions,’ I reported. ‘Moving toward the edge of the crowd closest to the hierophant.’

‘Almost there,’ Mumu answered.

‘Same,’ Teila said.

‘Blink ready,’ Snow added.

Inside me, Yuki prepared our Blink emulator, just in case I needed it too. They also cycled the qi for Iron Heart and Dog’s Agility. The effort to keep Eswelo in view precluded the focus to prepare any spells of my own. I’d have to trust my training.

‘Quarry in view,’ Mumu said. ‘Check five beats.’

‘Ready here,’ Teila replied. ‘Five okay.’

‘Five okay,’ I also answered.

Yuki directed Snow into position. I crouched, so that she could put her paws on my shoulders. My breathing steadied; anticipation sang through me.

‘Counting,’ Mumu said. ‘Five, four…’

The grip on my knives tightened, and I bumped Ikfael’s figurine with my fist.

‘Three, two… one.’

The world disappeared and emerged again, with Snow dropping me from above Eswelo. An Unerring Strike spell snapped into place, and I dove at his neck with my knives. Whoever trained him was good, though, because he picked up on the disturbance in the air and twisted to avoid the attack. The motion was a blur. A defensive spell, I thought, then hit the ground at a bad angle.

Iron Body kept me from breaking anything. The fall turned into a roll, and I came to standing against the sturdy frame of a dolbec. Around me, the crowd realized a deadly fight had broken out in their midst.

Mumu and Teila had both stabbed Eswelo along with me, staggering their approach a beat behind mine. He’d focused on the showier attack and missed spotting my stealthier allies. Teila still missed, but Mumu’s Spiral Pierce took him from behind in the kidney.

The crowd surged; the people put distance between themselves and the fight. Fortunately, we were close to the edge, so a space quickly opened around us. Bang, bang, bang, I heard, and when Eswelo turned to meet the arrows fired by Haol, the rest of us rushed him again.

And bounced right back, running into a shield of some kind.

The arrows shattered against it, and we each caught some of the splinters, a stinging along my cheek. As I repositioned, I saw a handful of sparkling dust fall at Eswelo’s feet—a defensive magic item crumbling. His back also glowed where Mumu had stabbed him, which explained why he hadn’t gone down yet.

‘Two artifacts used,’ Mumu sent. ‘Bait any others.’

Teila threw a river stone, smooth and rounded with a bit of paint dabbed on one side. It was just a plain rock, but Eswelo didn’t know that. He dodged as if his life depended on it, at which point we rushed him again.

From her overwatch, Snow blinked into his face to momentarily blind him, then teleported to safety. The distraction meant he took my Spark full to the chest. Yuki, meanwhile, cast a Cold Snap at the ground under him. It was still wet from the rain earlier and iced over. The combined shock threw off his balance, and he tumbled like it was a skit from the Three Stooges, a look of grimacing horror on his face.

Then we were on him with our knives. There’d be no mysterious escape for him this time—we inflicted puncture after puncture until the air bubbled out of him.

His ghost came free and looked bewildered by what had just happened. Still, I didn’t let him distract me. We knew what the Maltrans did to their agents. While Mumu stood guard over us, Teila and I cut out the man’s multiple cores before he could turn.

The fight had only taken seconds, and Haol reported that the farther edges of the crowd were only now becoming aware of the details. Also, the hierophant had a clear view of us and was clearly displeased.

I listened while working feverishly at my gruesome task, checking to make sure there weren’t more than four cores.

‘No sign of the other Maltrans?’ Mumu asked.

‘Not yet,’ Haol answered. ‘Hold. There’s out-of-pattern movement.’

Snow’s current position was above the inn’s northernmost stables. Yuki hopped over to take a look through her eyes, and said, ‘Confirmed, although they don’t look like the Maltrans who attacked the Glen.’

‘Eight, your eyes,’ Mumu commanded.

On it, I replied.

Snow blinked to come get me, then she teleported us both back to her perch above the stables. With my own eyes, I saw how the expeditions were arrayed in defensive formations, the more martial members protecting their philosophers, healers, and artisans.

Scouts were also spreading out across the plaza to take positions much like our own Haol.

Mumu and Teila headed back to their starting position by Tegen, the people in between scurrying out of the way. Yuki let me know, ‘Mumu is going back for her spear.’

As for the inn staff, they’d apparently retreated inside the Wholesome Ox.

Xefwen and Tethdlen stood by the stage together, observing the commotion. A few of the world speakers moved in that direction. To report? To guard? The reason wasn’t obvious.

Then, there was an expedition smaller than ours, with only three members. One of them looked like he wanted to run away. Another had his hand on the apparent leader’s shoulder, talking steadily as if to convince him of something. And the leader himself, glared. The fury on his face was obvious, even at a distance.

The Hawk’s Eye spell confirmed that he didn’t look like any of the Maltrans I’d encountered before, but the way he moved and his posture… click, click.

Theloc the Traveling Merchant (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Natural Appraiser, Eye for Remedies, A Good Sort

Issa the Guard (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Natural Swordsman, Athletic, Honed

It was them, and their talents were masked just the same as they’d been before. Well, I’d pierced through their disguises once, so I let my Taoism skill guide me in doing so again. Like scabs, the false information fell away to reveal:

Theloc the Philosopher (Human, Silvered)

Talents: Treasured Alchemist, The World in his Hands, Sustained Amplification, Stabilizer

Issa the Captain of Theloc’s Guard (Human, Silvered)

Talents: Sword Supreme, Maltra’s Soldier, A Man of Action, Total Focus

Got them, I thought. The same Maltrans as who attacked the Glen. Although, while I could see their true talents, their physical appearances were still different—a separate disguise? Also: They have a third who is new. He is…

Dooli Doolisson (Human)

Talents: Pleasantly Average, Knows a Thing or Two

I prodded at his Status, but the information appeared genuine.

The third is below Level 5, I reported. A youngish man with a scar running along the top of his head. He seems to be their weak link. Then I cast Prey of the Hunter on him, the sense of his presence flaring to life within me. Marked him.

‘Targeting Issa,’ Haol said. ‘Marked.’

What’s the plan? I asked.

Mumu answered with a question of her own, ‘Tegen?’

‘A moment,’ he replied.

The Maltrans were outside of Snow’s teleport range, so she blinked the two of us twice around the plaza to close the distance. Meanwhile, Issa had seemed to convince Theloc that a strategic retreat was in order. The Maltrans moved toward the edge of the crowd opposite Albei’s own silvered.

Can we count on Tethdlen and the hierophant helping? I asked.

My question, however, was met by a chorus of, ‘No’s.’

But it’s weird how they’re not doing anything, I complained. Not even Xefwen whose race we’re interrupting.

I felt Haol’s sigh through the connection. ‘Later, Little Pot. We’ll explain later—’

Mumu cut him off: ‘Tegen, give me an answer. Our quarry is fleeing.’

‘Our allies are asking for volunteers,’ he replied tersely. ‘I’ve already cut off their attempt to re-negotiate.’

We hadn’t spent all that time among Albei’s hunters for nothing. The help we’d get from them, though, was contingent on the exact situation. The deal hadn’t been great; the expeditions’ leaders were careful to not jeopardize their participation in the race.

I danced a bit in place to give the adrenaline something to do, then wiped my bloody hands on a small cloth Bihei had gifted me. The hafts of my knives were tacky anyway; cutting free Eswelo’s cores had been a messy job.

The clouds above were good and heavy, but too many bystanders occupied the plaza. I couldn’t risk bringing down any lightning.

‘Tegen, an answer now,’ Mumu commanded.

‘We have four with us,’ he replied quickly. ‘At range only, I’ve told them to position alongside the sisters and me.”

‘Ready in?’ she asked.

‘Twenty,’ he replied.

‘Then ready twenty,’ Mumu said. ‘Our priority is Theloc. We’ll draw the swordsman, so that Eight and Teila can kill the alchemist first. Hunters be swift and bold. Let this plaza run with silvered blood.’

We all felt the timing in our muscles, yet Mumu counted down anyway—not risking anything to chance. I gave my body a quick waggle to refresh my focus, then Snow got into position behind me, her weight a comfort at my back.

My breathing quickened, so I took a beat to bring it under control. A steady breath is a steady hand, I reminded myself. I also tightened the grip on my knives, although not too much or else it would stiffen my arms. Self-talk, it was all self-talk in preparation for a fight for our lives.

Five seconds before the attack, I felt Anya’s buffs settle onto me. A quick glance at my Status showed:

Conditions

Occupied (Evolving*), Fortified Body (2), Fortified Mind (2), Protected (2)

‘In,’ Mumu sent, and the plaza rang with the sound of multiple Spiral Pierce spells, all targeting Issa.

The guard captain’s sword blurred, and he knocked all but one of the arrows aside. Haol had staggered a silent, hidden one among the others, striking Issa in the shoulder. It sounded like a sledge hammer hitting a side of beef. Immediately afterward, Mumu’s spear stabbed toward his face.

Theloc turned, quicker than anticipated, and threw something in their direction. I didn’t catch the rest, because a beat later, Teila and I rushed the alchemist—she from the side and me from the back. Snow had dropped me off five yards behind him, so that I could dash in with Dog’s Agility.

I wasn’t as fast as I should’ve been, though. The air felt thick and resistant as I intruded into the combined influence of our enemies. My knife deflected away from the small of Theloc’s back. At his feet, a glass vial broke to release a yellowish gas. I leapt back, waited, and two beats later the air surrounding Theloc began to swirl. The gas that had been starting to spread was collected up by a spell from Weni and contained.

Still, that had been two beats we’d given to the enemy, and Theloc used the time to puncture his own leg with something metallic. He let it fall to the ground and—faster than before—pulled a clay jar from… I had no idea; it just appeared in his hand.

He threw the jar at me, but it shattered mid-air. From an arrow, I thought, but it’d happened mid-blink, and I missed the exact cause. Whatever the reason, the air ignited with liquid fire, and I was forced to leap back again. Then, another jar flew through the flames, and this one smashed against Tegen’s Unbroken Shield. The plaza stones sizzled as the liquid that’d been inside it hit the ground.

Was it me or was Theloc steadily getting faster?

‘He is,’ Yuki confirmed.

The sound of glass shattering came from behind Theloc. He’d ignored Teila for too long, and she’d gotten a Spiral Pierce through. An artifact or spell saved his life, just as one had with Eswelo, but we’d just confirmed now that we could hit him.

The clamor of sword and spear clashing increased. Issa must’ve realized his charge was in danger; he pressed to escape Mumu’s spear and rescue Theloc. The alchemist had to die before that could happen.

I circled to dash in again. Snow blinded Theloc, then disappeared again, buying me a beat to close the distance. I came in low, aiming for one of the big arteries in his legs.

A Spiral Pierce spun into place around the knife in my right hand. A Spark shot from the left. The electricity deflected around a brown-looking glass that materialized, which was then shattered by my strike. I flowed into a follow-on slash, casting Cat’s Claw on the blade. That too was deflected, this time by a green-colored glass. Then, it shattered from a strike from Teila behind him.

The air was suddenly full of needles. They blew through Tegen’s shield like it wasn’t even there, and I felt like I’d been slammed by a bed of nails. Fortunately, I’d gotten an arm up in time to protect my eyes.

The air in front of me scalded—the danger extreme enough for Yuki to slam home the connections to the Blink emulator to dodge us back twenty yards. ‘Snow got Teila; she’s safe.’

I looked down and saw about a dozen thin, silver needles poking out of me. My Status showed… Poisoned (4), Internal Bleeding (2). The first was from the needles, the second from my emulated Blink. Both were addressed by the Healing Water spell I cast next. The poison was tenacious, though, and it took two attempts to finally clear it from my body.

Theloc hadn’t remained unmolested while I was occupied. A swirling tornado of fire surrounded him, which was Weni’s doing.

Issa, though—but damn, he held off Mumu’s spear like she was still an apprentice. Fortunately, the combined efforts of the others kept him tied up. Otherwise, I would’ve likely taken one of those long-distance slashes I’d seen him do at the Glen.

Suddenly, a needle flew from within the fire tornado to jab the guard captain in the arm. I realized then that Theloc had been supporting him throughout the engagement. I’d missed that in the rush of combat. Well, we’d just have to keep him busy too.

Ready here, I thought to Teila.

Check three, she answered.

Ready three, I responded. In moments, we’d be once more in the fight.