by A F Kay
“My parents, Madda and Padda. They’re Step Masters.” Sift said.
“Oh,” Ruwen said. He had no idea what that meant.
Ky stood. “After talking with them, I’m headed back to Deepwell. I need to get some things in place before we meet Big D and leave town. How much do you know about the Observer Class?”
“I’m not an expert. I planned on being –”
Ky interrupted him. “A Mage. I remember. At level ten, Observer splits into three sub-classes: Marksman, Shade, and Scout. At level twenty, the Marksman can specialize into Ranged, which focuses on crossbows and bows, or Melee that uses daggers and darts and such. Both are very offensive and won’t provide you much protection.”
“Okay.”
“The Shade divides into two paths at level twenty: Assassin and Thief. While there are some skills in both that would help keep you alive, they take too long to learn.”
The thought of assassinating people made his skin prickle. He didn’t want to murder anyone.
That wasn’t entirely true.
The people that wanted him dead, he would gladly kill first.
“You and your people are all Shades?” Ruwen asked.
“Most of us followed that Class branch. We have a significant number from the last branch as well, Scout. At level twenty, the Scout sub-Class branches into Ranger and Spy. Your Worker Class specialization will likely be Gatherer, and there would be some synergy with Ranger. If your life wasn’t in such grave danger, I think that would be a smart choice. But what you really need right now are abilities that help you move around in public unnoticed. That is the realm of the Spy.”
“A Spy?”
“That’s my advice, but you don’t need to make any decisions until level ten. For now, I don’t care what spells and abilities you choose before level four. Let’s talk through your choices before you pick the level four and five spells and abilities.”
Ruwen moved nervously from foot to foot and glanced at Sift. It worried him that they were discussing his dual Classes so openly.
Ky nodded. “Good, you’re at least showing some caution. Don’t advertise your special nature. If anyone here notices, though, you can trust them to keep it quiet. My people keep bigger secrets than you.”
Ky walked away and then stopped and faced Sift. “Two things. Your plan, while risky, was justified by the reward. It showed adaptability and quick thinking. I’m proud of you.”
Sift’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Mistress. I would never have succeeded without your training.” Sift bowed. “You continue to honor me with your time.”
Ky returned the bow. “The second thing is,” she pointed at Ruwen, “show him what happened the last time the Blood Moss escaped.”
Ky strode away, but her voice floated back to Ruwen. “Shade’s first rule: know the risks of what you take.”
Then she was gone. So she’d known Ruwen had taken the Blood Moss. It was silly to think he could sneak that by her.
“That’s a good rule,” Sift said.
“It’s the third, first rule, I’ve heard. Can Shade’s not count?”
Sift smiled. “So far this week I’ve been scolded with: caution is wisdom’s fruit; fairness only matters to a Judge; eat knowledge, drink sweat, crap luck; be seen, never noticed. They’re all the first rule.”
“How many are there?”
“I quit counting around a hundred.” Sift frowned. “I’m sorry for poisoning you. I would have felt terrible if you’d died.”
“Thanks, I’m glad you gave me the antidote. That was a powerful poison.”
“I know. But I needed Ky to believe you’d die. Without that distraction, I’d never have won.”
“What did you win anyway?”
Sift beamed. “A trip. She promised to take me through the Blood Gate and show me the sea, and snow, and a Step tournament, and –”
Ruwen held up his hands. “Okay, that sounds great.”
“It’s all I’ve been thinking about for years.”
“You’ve spent your whole life here?”
“My parents come from the other side, and I was born there, but all my memories are from here. Rest for a bit. Once more of your Health returns, we’ll get started.”
Sift ran to the dagger, sat, and crossed his legs. He set the blade on his lap and spoke to it, but Ruwen could only hear Sift’s side of the conversation.
“Did you see that?” Sift asked the dagger excitedly.
“I know. And she said she was proud of me.”
“I can’t wait to go. She said…”
Ruwen quit listening and focused on his notifications.
Ting!
You have completed the Quest – The Search for Truth (Part 1).
You have received 750 experience.
You have received the Spell Uru’s Touch.
The quest completion notification surprised him. He opened the quest description to understand what had happened:
Truth is hard to find, and it is rarely close to home. Find a way to leave Deepwell’s protection area in the next 30 days to begin your search.
Well, he doubted that is what Uru had in mind when she’d given him the quest, but Ky had said they were far from home, so he guessed it made sense. He closed the notification, and Ky’s quests appeared.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
You have received the quest line…
The Black Pyramid (Novice to Initiate)
As a Novice of the Black Pyramid, you have much to learn. Survive these challenges to ascend higher within our ranks.
Reward: Black Pyramid Rank of Initiate
Reward: Private Room in the Black Pyramid
Accept or Decline
He chose Accept, and three black triangles, all stacked nearly on top of each other, appeared below his map. His previous quest indicators had been the golden square of regular quests or the blue circle of Uru’s quests. He had never seen the stacked appearance, either.
When he focused on the Black Pyramid quest icon, he didn’t get the standard quest text filling his vision. Instead, a drop-down list of quests appeared. Ky had given him a whole set of quests, not just one. Maybe she could do that because this was her area. He would go through them later.
Ruwen closed Ky’s quests and was surprised to see another notification appear.
Ting!
You have received Uru’s quest…
The Search for Truth (Part 2)
Travel to the Grey Canyon and look for that which has been lost.
Reward: 1,500 experience
Accept or Decline
Ruwen’s breath caught. The Grey Canyon was where his parents and the shipment of terium had disappeared. Why did Uru want him to go there? Was it because she knew he wanted to find his parents? Maybe, but it was more likely she wanted her own questions answered.
He chose Accept, and another quest marker appeared under his map. This one had Uru’s blue circle for an indicator. Thinking of the goddess reminded him of the spell he’d gotten from completing her first quest. He opened his Profile and then selected the pulsing yellow Spells tab. A new spell had been added, and he focused on it until the description appeared.
Spell: Uru’s Touch
Level: 1
Class: Root
Effect: Synchronize your current state with Uru when outside the domain of Uru’s Blessing.
Cost: 200 Health / 200 Mana / 200 Energy
Type: Self
Casting Time: 2 minutes
Recovery: 1 Week
He gasped. Everything about this spell shocked him. Synchronizing yourself with Uru outside of her area was impossible. It was one of the first things you learned. It’s what made traveling far from home so dangerous. This spell allowed you to do just that. It was incredible.
But the cost! He knew a few advanced spells cost Health and Mana, but he had never seen a spell that used all three pools. It would require a few more levels before he could even cast it. Which took two minutes! Who had that kind of time to cast
a spell? Could a person concentrate that long? It seemed the most ludicrous part of the spell until he read the recovery. An entire week! That was seven days longer than even the most complex Rune Mage spells.
Ruwen closed the spell details and looked at Sift. The teenager was wiping tears from his eyes and laughing softly. He noticed Ruwen’s attention.
“Io tells the best jokes,” Sift said.
“Io?”
“That is what I call him. He follows the old ways like my family. We never speak our true names.”
“What? Your name isn’t Sift?”
“Of course not. It is what I do, not who I am.”
“I’ve never heard of hiding your name.”
“It is old magic. Magic from before your gods. Real magic.”
Now he knew Sift was crazy. “You said before that I followed a false god and would be reborn. Does your god not revive you?”
Sift looked horrified. “Why would I want to trap my soul here?”
“So you can live,” Ruwen said.
“That’s not living. It’s a prison.”
Until this morning, Ruwen had lived in constant fear that he’d die. He had such big plans for his life, and the thought of not having the safety of Ascension and rebirth made him cringe inside. He wanted to live forever if that was possible. But, his time in school had taught him that no matter how good the argument, there was no convincing the crazy or stupid. He didn’t know which one Sift was, but there was no reason to keep discussing this.
Sift stood and placed Io in a sheath strapped to his lower back. “You ready?”
Ruwen pushed himself up and did his best not to groan. It felt like he’d been up for a week. “I guess. What are we doing?”
“We’re going to sweep,” Sift said. “But first we need to get you some proper clothes.”
Sift moved forward, and Ruwen followed. He had hoped that he would learn something useful here. When Ky had told him he needed to get to level five, he’d actually been a little excited about what adventures that might entail. But it turned out all she meant for him to do was sweep her house. He didn’t know how much experience Workers got for menial tasks, but it couldn’t be much. This was going to be a very long two days here.
“I usually sweep by myself. I have some…skills that make it safer. You’ll probably be okay though,” Sift said.
Ruwen stopped. “What do you mean safer? I thought we were sweeping.”
“We are. And to be honest, I’m glad to have help. I usually don’t wait three weeks between cleanings.”
“I feel like we are talking past each other. What do you mean, exactly, when you say sweep?”
Sift looked confused. “I mean sweeping through the upper level and removing anything that has made its way up from the deeper levels.”
Ruwen’s heart beat louder. “And by anything you mean…”
“Bendies, Screamers, Spitters, Sleepies, Clappers –”
Ruwen held up his hands. “I’ve never heard of any of those things.”
“Oh, those are just my names. You might call them something different.”
Sift started walking again, and after a moment, Ruwen followed. The names Sift had used conjured up terrible images in Ruwen’s mind.
“I could just, you know, sweep. Like with a broom,” Ruwen said.
Sift laughed. “You’re funny. I like you. But my parents do most of the cleaning. They think fighting is a waste of time and energy.”
“Isn’t there another way to get experience?”
“My dad once spent two weeks getting seven rocks to balance on each other. He said he experienced the rocks’ struggle and pain from being trapped in such rigid forms.”
Ruwen shook his head and gave up. Sift was crazy, his family sounded crazy, and Ruwen was crazy for thinking this was the right option. He could have stayed in his room in the library for the rest of his life. It would have been better than this.
“I’ve made a huge mistake,” Ruwen whispered.
“Shade’s first rule: you only have yourself to blame,” Sift said cheerfully.
Ky had told him and Tremine the same thing. Ruwen hadn’t given any thought to what she had given up or how her life had changed because of the choices he’d made. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized how selfish he’d been. To be honest, he was afraid of what the upper levels held. But Ky wanted to keep him alive, and she thought this was the best method, as horrible as it sounded. It would be okay.
Sift’s shoulders dropped. “A Shrieker got into the head of my last helper. She didn’t survive.”
Ruwen’s stomach twisted. “I thought you called them Screamers.”
“Screamers evolve into Shriekers if they aren’t killed, and I haven’t been down there for a while.”
“So we shouldn’t assume Screamers.”
“Shade’s first rule: assumptions lead to the temple tub.”
Ruwen groaned, and Sift smiled.
Chapter 15
The hallway ended in a large square room. The floor transitioned into polished granite, and the walls had shakers evenly spaced around the room. Tapestries hung between the lights, and chairs, tables, and couches filled the room. Many of the tables had cards or dice on them, and most had half-filled glasses. The far side of the room had a long wooden bar that took up half its length. Cups and bottles were arranged neatly on shelves but the room, like all the other rooms they had passed, was empty.
“Where is everyone?” Ruwen asked.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve been walking for ten minutes, and I haven’t seen another person. I thought maybe it was just you and your family here with Ky, but then why have this recreation room?”
Sift stopped and faced him. “You haven’t seen a single person?”
The question confused Ruwen. “Have you?”
“We passed four on the way here. There are,” Sift glanced around the room, counting, “Seven I can see in here. Which means there are probably triple that number actually in here.”
“What?” Ruwen asked and then looked around the room again. “I don’t see anyone.”
Sift looked concerned. “I understand the hallways. It’s like a game with them to move around unnoticed. But few in here are trying very hard to stay hidden. This is where they come to relax.”
As Ruwen thought about it, he realized his wrist with the mark had been cool almost the entire time he’d left the cavern. The feeling had been constant, so his mind had just filtered it out.
“Hmm, that isn’t good,” Sift said. “With a Perception that low, you’ll never see the Flickers.”
“Flickers?”
“They’re kind of like shadows with knives. Maybe Fluffy will have something to help.”
Sift moved again, and Ruwen followed. He studied the tables, especially the ones with drinks, but still couldn’t see anyone.
“Are they staring at me?” Ruwen asked.
“Not all of them.”
They walked past the bar and into another hallway.
“Mistress wanted me to teach you the Steps. I’ll start you with Dad’s style since you don’t have any training. He’s a Pull Master, and it’s easier to grasp.” Sift laughed.
Ruwen stared at him.
“Easier to grasp. Grasp. Okay, never mind. You know less than I thought,” Sift said.
“How many kinds of Steps are there?” Ruwen asked.
“Well if you mean styles, there are probably hundreds. If you mean actual moves in my parents’ styles, there are one hundred and seventeen in each. Dad’s style is soft, and Mom’s is hard. But the central truth in both is balance.”
“When did you start learning?”
“I’ve never not been learning.” Sift stopped and faced Ruwen. “For now, let’s start with something simple. Thrashers have these,” Sift wiggled his fingers and arms, “tendrils, I guess, that shoot out and grab things.”
Ruwen’s eyes got big, and he took a step backward.
Sift waved his arms. “Don’t worry. Usually their prey is small. If they latch on to you,” Sift said, grabbing his own arm, “just throw yourself backward.”
Sift dropped quickly and did a backward somersault. “It will rip the tendril right out of the Thrasher. You try.”
Sift grabbed hold of Ruwen’s arm. Ruwen had never done anything like this before. Physical fighting made him uncomfortable, and he’d avoided any activity where he had to wrestle people or hit them. The thought of something whipping some sort of appendage at him and latching on scared him to death. That was definitely something he wanted to know how to escape. Ruwen threw himself backward, pulling Sift along with him. Instead of the graceful backward somersault Sift had performed, Ruwen landed hard on his butt. His momentum forced him back, and he slammed his head into the granite.
His vision swam, and the now familiar Vertigo debuff appeared next to his Clumsy and Foolish ones. His Health bar flashed a four and dropped a fraction. He stood back up and rubbed the back of his head.
“That was, umm, not exactly what we were going for. Do you have some sort of disability?” Sift asked.
Anger tightened Ruwen’s chest, but when he looked at Sift, there was no malice or ill intent on his face. He genuinely looked curious.
Ruwen took a deep breath and pushed down his embarrassment. “I have a Clumsy debuff right now, and my Dexterity has never been very high. Honestly, I don’t like this kind of thing, so I’m new to it.”
Sift nodded and began walking again. “No problem. We’ll take it slow. Let’s start with your breathing. Until we get to the quartermaster, inhaling and exhaling should each take five seconds. Fill your lungs. Imagine the air powering your body and mind.”
Ruwen rarely thought about his breathing. Sometimes when he sat slouched in a chair reading a book, he noticed his breathing was shallow and he’d take some deep breaths. But nothing like this. It felt odd to focus on something that happened naturally. As he walked, he realized how terribly difficult it actually was. His mind rebelled at the activity and continuously wanted to do something else. Ruwen found himself having to spend a lot of mental energy on the simple task.
