Changing Faces (New Game Minus Book 1)

by Sarah Lin

  They were dragged to a nearby clearing and forced to sit down against a rock wall. Bloodwraith kept track of their equipment, which the greencloaks put in a pile. They kept it intact, since they obviously wanted to sell it - the breastplate attracted special attention, though they didn't seem to know exactly what it was.

  Meanwhile, Daek stepped away, muttering to himself. Several of the greencloaks were carrying in huge fragments of stone, which he quickly recognized as pieces of a ritual. Had they dragged them all the way from the crypt? That struck him as madness, yet he could feel a bit of mana flowing.

  If Daek did kill them on that stone, what would happen? It wouldn't matter, of course, since they'd be dead, but Bloodwraith didn't want to find out in any case. A partial ritual taken from its place like this would be dangerously unstable. That was more likely than any other factor to make a difference in their circumstances.

  He looked to the others to check on them. Danniah appeared miserable but tried to give him a smile when their eyes met - she looked a bit bruised but mostly unharmed. Meara had lost her cloak and satchel but otherwise appeared untouched. At least the greencloaks were too concerned about the way Daek was behaving to think of anything else.

  At that moment he saw Meara giving him an intense look, and soon after a box appeared.

  [Quest Accepted!

  Survive Daek the Knife's ambush.

  Reward: EXP, Meara Affection, Danniah Affection]

  She gave him an awkward half-shrug and he nodded in understanding. There wasn't much they could do, but they had to try. And if they did manage to survive, they'd have an even greater challenge ahead of them and would need everything they could muster.

  "Something isn't right." Daek clutched the sides of his head, partially hunched over. "I can't hear any voices anymore."

  "Uh, boss?" The nearest greencloak took a step away from him.

  "I don't want to hear them. I want them to hear me." Without warning Daek swiveled back toward Bloodwraith, in the process drawing two knives. "How did you steal the power of the gods? I sacrificed so many to them, yet they ignored me! Or... was it not enough...?"

  Since delay benefited them, Bloodwraith decided to play along. "That's what you wanted? To take power from the ritual?"

  "Of course. The others didn't see when we found the crypt, but I understood. Terrible gods from beyond the sky... they left their tool, and I wanted it. I could have ruled Cresthaven easily." For a moment Bloodwraith saw a hint of the cold, logical leader Daek must once have been, then the man twitched and chuckled. "But they wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't grant me any power. I tried to draw it in, after you stole it, but there was only emptiness..."

  Given how uncomfortable the greencloaks seemed, Bloodwraith suspected that Daek's aberrant behavior had started only recently. His words might have explained the change: he'd tried to interact with the ritual directly and it had broken something inside him. Though it was a risk, Bloodwraith decided to try an alternative strategy.

  "They didn't give me the power either, Daek." He looked the other man directly in the eyes and didn't flinch when Daek took a lurching step forward. "I tried to take it, but it just passed through me, back to their world. The ritual isn't for us, it's for them. But if we work tog-"

  "No!" Daek's entire body twitched violently, then he suddenly drew back. A bit of the madness was gone, and when he spoke again, his voice was cold. "You think an amateur liar like you can deceive me? I don't need you, except as a sacrifice. Be silent."

  Danniah spoke up quietly. "You don't have to do this. We could help you if-"

  "Shut up. If that one isn't enough, I'll cut your throat next."

  Though he seemed much more in control of himself now, Daek was obviously not well. That much had been made clear to the greencloaks, some of whom seemed to have melted away into the trees. Others moved closer to Daek and began to talk to him in low voices. They walked closer to the sacrificial stone as their conversation became an argument.

  That helped, but not much. They were still... Bloodwraith realized that Danniah was pressing something into this hand and blinked in surprise. It was a glass vial.

  When he looked to the side, he saw that Danniah's bonds had been broken, though she still held her hands behind her back. She gave him a wink that he desperately hope none of the greencloaks had noticed. But how? He looked past her to Meara, who kept her face flat... but she wiggled her hands and another glass vial slid from her sleeve.

  The liquid inside was bright yellow. It couldn't have possibly fit into her sleeve, but that was immaterial, especially to the boxes. He concentrated on the vial in his hand that he couldn't see, checking its contents.

  [Vial of Acid

  Eats through metal quickly.

  Rarity: Uncommon]

  Impressive. He resisted smiling at her in case they were being watched and opened the vial behind his back. Though it burned where it touched his skin, he managed to get most of it on the chain binding his arms together. They began to burn with a soft hissing sound.

  That was a good start. Meara's feet shifted as though they were unbound, though her skirt hid them. He saw Danniah empty the next vial on the chain between her legs. So he was the only one still bound. It took some time for the acid to do its work, but the conversation with Daek had bought them a lot of time. When a second vial was passed to him, Bloodwraith shifted his legs underneath him to use it.

  Unfortunately, one of the greencloaks turned to look, so he had to stay still and pretend he was completely bound. Better to delay using the second vial until they were under no suspicion. Meanwhile, the argument with Daek was still ongoing, so he had time to consider their situation again.

  Their weapons were being kept well out of reach, of course, so it wouldn't be easy to grab them. Impossible, if Daek was alert and able to intercept them. Still, thanks to Meara they had a fighting chance of surviving this.

  At that moment, one of the greencloaks let out a scream and all eyes turned to him. The body fell across the sacrifice stone, splattering blood all over it. Daek stood over him, eyes again wild. He watched the stone as death energy began to fill it, but couldn't see that it was flowing erratically, threatening to explode if it wasn't managed.

  There was no more time. Bloodwraith dumped the vial of acid on the chain between his legs and struggled to his feet. He started to hop forward - inelegant, but he only needed a few seconds. Wrenching his arms from behind himself, he managed to break the weakened metal and raise his hand toward the stone...

  One of the greencloaks swept in to stop him, surprisingly fast. Bloodwraith considered just sacrificing his arm in order to get off the spell, but at that moment Danniah appeared beside him.

  Wielding not her mace, but the Breastplate of the Tyrant. She swung the thick plate of metal directly into the greencloak's face, smashing through his attempted stab and sending him falling backward.

  The others were turning to face them, and Daek was beginning to move, but even his speed wasn't enough. Bloodwraith released his spell and it slammed into the sacrificial stone.

  Both the gathered energy and the power of the ritual itself exploded, unstable red energy shooting in all directions. Daek took the worst of it, flattened to the ground by the power. Many other greencloaks were sent flying into the trees around them by the force.

  Bloodwraith managed to weather it, but looked back to the others. Fortunately, Danniah had dropped down and used the breastplate to shield herself, and Meara seemed to be unaffected. While all their opponents were still stunned, Bloodwraith tore apart the weakened chain on his legs and rushed to their weapons, picking up his greatsword and tossing Danniah her mace and shield.

  In the corner of his vision he saw Meara stuffing the breastplate into her cloak, which was sensible, but he wasn't preparing to run. Instead he focused on Daek, lying flat on his back, body still glowing with erratic mana. Though the explosion had done little damage, he was definitely stunned. If he took a greatsword thrust to the face now.
.. this might be their only chance to eliminate such a dangerous opponent.

  "No!" Danniah grabbed his arm and tugged him in the other direction. "We have to run!"

  He realized she was right and stumbled after her and Meara. Though Daek was stunned now, there was no telling how quickly he would recover, and instinct might take over if he was attacked. Many of the greencloaks were already getting back to their feet, some retrieving or drawing their weapons. The only chance of survival was to escape during this brief moment.

  As they hit the nearest set of guards, he took the lead, channeling mana into his sword for a forceful cut. It swept across all three greencloaks, failing to cut deep but bashing them off their feet. He resisted the urge to finish them off and ran past.

  Could they actually outrun the greencloaks? They had a head start, but it wouldn't last long. Bloodwraith thought he could outpace them, and Meara was surprisingly fast, seeming to float beside him. But Danniah's short legs limited her speed, so it was only a matter of time.

  A greencloak sprinted after them, catching up swiftly. Bloodwraith pretended not to hear him until he drew close, then pivoted to swing backward in one smooth motion.

  His opponent dropped down, arching his body backwards underneath the blade. He dropped onto his knees, continuing to slide forward and closing the distance. Dammit - the man was Level 11. Of course the strongest of Daek's men would be catching up first.

  Bloodwraith released a burst of force, but the greencloak flipped aside. That took him away from Bloodwraith... and in front of Meara. The greencloak's knives flashed out, stabbing into her chest twice.

  Meara stared back at him without expression and the man slowly realized that she wasn't bleeding.

  Figuring it out faster, Bloodwraith swung again. His opponent's shock allowed him to land a lucky hit that cut through his armor and deep into his side.

  Yet to Bloodwraith's surprise, the greencloak jerked away, still able to fight. He might have been a serious threat, if he hadn't chosen to attack Meara again. This time his dagger slashed through her throat... and again, it did nothing.

  Danniah's mace hit him in the side of the head, knocking him to his knees, and Bloodwraith stabbed through his chest the next moment. The man coughed up blood, struggled a little longer, then collapsed. Even as he died, Bloodwraith turned to their next objective. No other greencloaks had caught up with them yet, but it was only a matter of time.

  "Wow..." Danniah stared at Meara with wide eyes. "You can do that?"

  "I didn't know either," Meara said. "Let's move!"

  They returned to running, but the delay had allowed several greencloaks to close much of the distance. This group was smaller and weaker, so Bloodwraith considered his options. The real threat was not injury, but losing time. He turned to Danniah and she nodded back at him, understanding.

  When the next set of greencloaks caught up, they turned as one and threw themselves against the greencloaks. Neither of them made any attempt to block, just attacked as quickly as possible. Fortunately, their ferocity overwhelmed their startled opponents. Though Bloodwraith received multiple stab wounds in the process, soon the greencloaks lay dead and he stumbled on.

  He saw his health had been reduced to half, but it didn't matter: Meara pulled another pair of potions from her cloak and handed them over as they ran. His body still ached, but the healing power of it went a long way toward letting him run properly again.

  For a time there was no more sign of pursuit. They emerged from the forest onto a stone path that wouldn't leave any trace of their movement. After going down it for a time, Bloodwraith directed them to leave it again, this time careful not to damage the underbrush. They crept through the forest long enough to reach another of the paths, moving away from Cresthaven instead of toward it.

  Just when he began to hope that they had escaped, someone crashed out of the forest ahead of them, landing in their path. Not Daek, just another greencloak. Bloodwraith whipped his sword from his back, swinging diagonally so that his opponent would have a more difficult time dodging.

  The greencloak blocked the greatsword with his heavy gauntlet.

  He might be a thief, but the greencloak bulged with muscle. Bloodwraith released a spell of force at him but the man just shrugged it off with a grunt. When Bloodwraith tried for another swing of his sword, this time the greencloak managed to grab the sword with both gauntlets and wrench it from his hands. It clattered to the ground and the greencloak grunted in satisfaction.

  Damn, this one was strong. Level 14, according to the boxes.

  Danniah struck him from the side, but he deflected her mace and then set his feet. When she tried to bash him with her shield, he met it with his shoulder and held his ground, sending her staggering back.

  Immediately he pulled a large dagger and lunged after her, stabbing repeatedly. Her shield held, but she had no chance to strike back and gave ground.

  Instead of going to retrieve his greatsword like his opponent expected, Bloodwraith kicked him in the back of the leg. The greencloak grunted and dropped to one knee, but didn't fall. Before Bloodwraith could strike again, his opponent tackled him around the waist and drove him to the ground.

  They fought violently, landing heavy body blows against one another. Bloodwraith's unfair advantages allowed him to match his opponent in strength and speed, but the greencloak was more skilled in hand to hand combat and his gloves were spiked. Though he landed a few good blows at first, soon Bloodwraith was desperately defending his head from the blows raining down on him.

  Worse, his opponent had enough space to draw another dagger. Bloodwraith tried to throw him off and failed to overpower his opponent. The dagger came up...

  Danniah crashed into the greencloak's side, her shield ringing against the side of his head. Yet he recovered from the stunning blow almost immediately, whipping around and grabbing Danniah's shield. She saw, but too late. As he burst to his feet, the greencloak wrenched the shield out of her hands and then rushed in with his knife.

  While Bloodwraith struggled to his feet, he could do nothing to stop the knife from stabbing into Danniah repeatedly. The greencloak knew just where to strike, stabbing into the joints of her armor. Though Danniah tried to defend herself, he was too strong and too fast, eventually jamming his knife just under her helm, into her neck.

  As Danniah fell to the ground, Bloodwraith heard a roar.

  He didn't realize that it was him until he was already attacking the greencloak from behind. For the first time, he yelled not to trigger a spell or to play a role, but in true rage. The greencloak recovered from his surprise and turned to stab him, but Bloodwraith punched the man in the face with a spell in his fist.

  The impact smashed the greencloak back into the ground and his head cracked against the stone, but Bloodwraith didn't care. He lunged on top of his opponent and struck him in the head repeatedly.

  Only when his opponent was beyond dead did his intellect return. Bloodwraith stared down, horrified not by what he had done but by his loss of control. Yet that mattered less than Danniah. He whirled back to check on her, only to find her head lying on Meara's lap.

  [Victory! You received 6194 EXP and-]

  Bloodwraith bitterly pushed the box aside, no feeling of victory within him.

  Danniah's eyes were dull and unfocused, almost as if she was dead. Meara had a potion at her lips, trying to get her to drink it, but she was unresponsive. Bloodwraith panicked for a moment before he regained control and summoned a box.

  [Health: 4/216]

  Then she was still-

  [Health: 3/216]

  He dropped down beside her, staring through the box toward her face. Meara managed to get some of the potion into her mouth and her health ticked up to 7/216, but it was still dropping. Blood oozed from her armor everywhere she had been stabbed.

  Meara looked up at him grimly. "I can try to force one down her throat, but I don't think it will be enough."

  "Use one of the unique potions. Now."


  "Are you sure? Everyone except you has gotten sick."

  "Do it." He wasn't sure if it would work, and remembered that it hadn't before, but he knew that Danniah would die without a serious intervention. Meara didn't hesitate any longer, pulling a sizzling orange vial from her cloak and forcing Danniah's mouth open. Bloodwraith gripped Danniah's hand and squeezed, hoping that it would somehow have an effect.

  [Health: 5/216]

  [Health: 4/216]

  [Health: 3/216]

  [Health: 3/216]

  [Health: 3/216]

  [Health: 4/216]

  Bloodwraith's eyes widened. He didn't believe them at first, but he kept looking, reassuring himself that her number was again increasing. When he dismissed the box, he saw that the signs in reality were even better: Danniah was beginning to stir. She squeezed his hand back after a time and muttered something incomprehensible.

  "I'm not sure why that happened." Meara was smiling too, but she also looked confused. "Based on everything I understood, I really didn't think it would work on her."

  Danniah groaned, the sound turning into mumbled words. "Tastes... familiar..."

  While Meara helped Danniah drink another potion, Bloodwraith got to his feet and looked for more pursuit. No greencloaks in sight and no sound of more, but they would probably be spreading out. Their last opponent had smashed through the trees, forming another clear sign of their passage. Not to mention the body. When other greencloaks drew close, they would notice.

  When he stepped toward the body, Bloodwraith's leg gave out under him. He collapsed and the darkness overwhelmed him.

  Chapter 27

  The first piece of himself to return was consciousness. It began with a mere awareness, then memories of the battle and his collapse, then intellect. Though he still drifted in darkness, knowing that he was alive and capable of thinking was reassuring.