Changing Faces (New Game Minus Book 1)

by Sarah Lin

  "Hey! I'm done too." Danniah came up to him, her smile much more muted than normal. She must have done the same calculations, then.

  "I'm seriously reconsidering the plan," Bloodwraith said. "If we can't assemble enough for the boots, it might make more sense to spend our money on other equipment. So long as I can find EXP some other way, that might be more efficient."

  "No, I... I think we'll have enough." Danniah handed him a small bag. When he opened it his eyes widened: it contained a full 9 gold pieces.

  "What did you sell?"

  "Nothing. I just had some stored away... it's enough, right? We have to stop Daek, or people will keep dying..."

  She tried to put on a brave face, but Bloodwraith could see how uncomfortable she was. Since she didn't seem to have the social connections to borrow money, that left only one likely option... "Were you saving this money for something else?"

  "Sort of." Her smile faded and she dropped her gaze. "You remember the orphanage we talked about? I've... been saving up toward it. But there will be a lot more orphans unless we do something soon, so..."

  Several things locked into place for him in that moment. No wonder she had kept bearing her horribly battered shield instead of having it repaired. He could only imagine how much scrimping and saving she would have needed to do, in order to assemble this much. Given the requests available to her, this was likely the work of years.

  "Danniah..." Bloodwraith reached out and touched the side of her face. "I promise you, if we survive the day, this won't be in vain. I will pay you back with interest."

  "I... I can almost believe it when you say it." Danniah wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "But we have to survive the day first! Come on, we need to get everything ready before Meara comes back!"

  It was getting closer to sunset, their agreed-upon time. They actually had a little extra time, but he couldn't imagine relaxing in it. No, he wanted to purchase the boots and move things forward, as quickly as possible. There could still be further complications.

  They barged into the high end shop, which was thankfully empty at this time of day. The owner looked down her nose at them, but when Bloodwraith showed their unified coin purse her attitude changed. He had feared some final complication, but once he checked that they were authentic, he purchased the boots without any difficulty.

  [Boots of the Tyrant

  Armor: 6

  Might +1, Quickness +1

  Durability: 50/50

  Rarity: Rare

  NOTE: This item is part of a unique set.]

  This shop had special changing rooms, which was just as well given that he might appear strange when the quests finished. Though the owner glowered when he and Danniah went into the room together, she didn't dare to say anything.

  Finally breathing a sigh of relief, Bloodwraith gripped the Boots of the Tyrant and let the quests flow to him.

  [Quest Complete!

  Acquire 15 gold pieces in order to purchase the Boots of the Tyrant.

  EXP +250]

  [Quest Complete!

  Gather all the pieces of the Armor of the Tyrant.

  EXP + 1000]

  Bloodwraith's smile at the rush of new power faltered. His eyes ran over the numbers, hoping that he was wrong. He checked his personal box again, even though he knew that his memory was accurate.

  [Level: 9

  EXP: 25,270/25,600]

  "What's wrong?" Meara shifted nearer, seeing his obvious concern.

  "The quests didn't give enough." Bloodwraith cursed and slammed a fist into the wall. "After all that work, how can assembling the armor be only worth 1000 EXP?" He could theorize that the rewards for subsections of the quest had subtracted from the final reward, but that was meaningless in the end. The fact was, he was short of his goal and running out of time.

  "Oh dear... how much are we short?"

  "330 points. Just one sufficiently strong monster and it would be different now."

  Danniah bit her lip, thinking seriously. "There's no time to leave Cresthaven and kill anything, and without Meara I doubt we can make a quest work. What can we do? Get into a fight with a greencloak and hope it doesn't start the thing you said?"

  "I don't see any other choice. We should... wait." Bloodwraith summoned his boxes again, examining them more carefully. "Yes, this could work."

  "Don't leave me in suspense!"

  "I have an old quest to acquire 10 pieces of equipment of a certain strength. I'm up to 8 of them now... we just need a little more."

  "Oh! We still have about two gold pieces left, but will they be enough? Should we go to Haral's shop?"

  That was exactly what they did, and the shopkeeper seemed relieved to see them go. Fortunately Haral was working late, as usual. He didn't even blink when they burst in and demanded to see the resale room. Once inside, they desperately looked through all the items available.

  Except this time, nothing fit their requirements. Danniah tried to check every item for an enchantment, but by looking at the boxes, Bloodwraith already knew that they wouldn't work. None of them granted +1 to any statistic except a sorcerer's crown that would be of no use to him.

  He'd have purchased it anyway, just to collect, but the price was nearly 5 gold pieces. Bloodwraith stood still for a moment, fuming. Could they really just come up short like this? It frustrated him to see Danniah hopefully trying different pieces when they were guaranteed to miss by one... except...

  "We can do this." Bloodwraith grabbed the crown and pulled Danniah from the room. He marched up to Haral and set the crown down on the table, along with their two remaining gold pieces. "I will give you both of these if you let me walk out of the shop with this crown, then walk right back in and hand it back to you."

  "Are you daft, boy?" Haral stared at him as if he'd sprouted a second head.

  "Not even remotely. You can come with me and watch the entire time, if you want."

  Haral stared at him for a long moment, then shook his head. "This is why I got out of adventuring. Alright, fine - I'm only allowing it because you've been such a good customer. You'd better bring that back. Hell, I hope you come back at all."

  Bloodwraith snatched up the crown and rushed out of the shop, Danniah at his heels. He breathed a sigh of relief once he saw the quest box declare [9/10] items collected.

  "Uh, Bloodwraith? Aren't we still one item short?"

  "I am. We are not." Bloodwraith turned to her and extended his hand, palm up. "I gave you a gift not so long ago... would you be so kind as to let me borrow it back for a moment?"

  "Oh!" Danniah smiled as she understood and pulled her shield off her back. She held it out for him, and as soon as he felt the weight fall onto him, the boxes flowed as well, the music for once a relief...

  [Quest Complete!

  Acquire 10 or more pieces of equipment that are +1 quality or better.

  EXP +1000]

  [Congratulations! You gained a level!

  Current Level: 10

  Current EXP: 670/38,400

  Unassigned Stat Points: 5]

  "Yes!" The street wasn't completely empty, but he didn't care, he just awaited the box he hoped would come next.

  [Congratulations! Upon reaching level 10, you have reached the second tier!

  Natural skills are 50% more powerful.

  New natural skills can now be unlocked.

  Second tier equipment can now be used.

  EXP from creatures that are first tier threats reduced.]

  "Ahaha, yes!" A young couple down the street saw him laughing madly and started moving more quickly in the other direction.

  Danniah clapped her hands. "Wow, I really feel the difference! Can you use the special armor now?"

  "I should be able to. Let's do it." Bloodwraith began throwing off his equipment there in the street. The couple watching him stared in horror and then began to run, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was the flow of raw power with each piece of equipment he pulled on. When he finally lowered the helmet over his
head, one more box appeared before him.

  [Set complete: Armor of the Tyrant

  So long as you wear all pieces of this armor and no equipment with conflicting magic, you will receive the following bonuses:

  Might +1

  Vitality +1

  Quickness +1

  Physical Resistance +10%

  Magical Resistance +10%

  Bonus to Intimidation +50%]

  Bloodwraith sighed in satisfaction. He flexed, not just his body but the mana of the enchantments flowing within him. It was intoxicating, almost an echo of the power he'd once wielded as a mage. This was a different sort of power... he felt as though he could charge straight through a stone wall.

  "Oh..." Danniah was staring at him, practically drooling. "That armor is amazing... and you feel so... wow... maybe you can actually fight Daek the Knife now."

  "No." Bloodwraith forced himself to be realistic and prevent the rush of power from going to his head. "Though I've received some significant benefits, Daek is still at a substantially higher level of power. That's the reason we've developed the plan so far."

  "I know... but it feels more possible, now."

  "I agree. Especially because it seems on the second tier, the EXP requirement no longer doubles. If it did, that would suggest that Daek had the equivalent experience of over 52,000,000 EXP, whereas at this rate... hmm, closer to 4,000,000 EXP. Though if that really does measure experience, I'm not sure he can have been through that much more than me..."

  "Uh... okay." Danniah gave him an odd smile. "But maybe it's time to concentrate less on the numbers and more to keep Daek from killing everyone in the city?"

  "Right. Give the crown back to Haral and then get into position." Bloodwraith slammed down the visor of his helm and began to run.

  ~ ~ ~

  In a city like Cresthaven, the citizens were accustomed to adventurers striding down the streets in strange armor, so Bloodwraith wouldn't have needed to attract attention. But he did his best to project an aura of pure malice and the armor augmented the effect. As he stomped toward the Thieves Guild, people in the street hastened on their way or found a reason to move indoors.

  When he drew near the Guild, he saw that there were greencloaks present and armed. Even as he analyzed their levels, mostly in the 4-7 range, he also scanned the street and planned his first attack. The greencloaks swallowed as they saw him advance on them, but they didn't realize that he had no intention of fighting his way through them.

  Instead, Bloodwraith lunged into the group of terrified bystanders. He grabbed the wrist of a young human woman - highborn and attractive, someone who people would care about more than the beggars currently being killed. She screamed and struck at his arm, only hurting her fingers on his armor as he dragged her toward the Thieves Guild.

  "Out of the way, greencloaks!" Bloodwraith's voice boomed over the entire street. "Don't you recognize Daek the Knife?"

  All the greencloaks gaped at him in a rather satisfying way. But the bystanders, who had rarely if ever seen the reclusive leader, were immediately riveted. He took his time, tugging the woman's wrist unnecessarily so she would scream more and draw even more attention.

  "Don't tell me you're losing your nerve?" Bloodwraith took a step toward one of the greencloaks, who flinched back. "Nothing can stand in the way of the sacrifices! Stop standing around here and go collect more victims! Anyone young and healthy will do!"

  It was villainy that would have made the Master Lich blush, but it would probably work. People weren't that smart on their own, and they became dumber in crowds. Besides, Bloodwraith was enjoying himself. He went on grandstanding for a while, drawing a larger crowd. Even the nearby guards began to come closer - whatever deal Daek had cut with them, it didn't include huge armored warriors yelling about human sacrifice in the streets.

  "Tremble in fear, peasants! For today, I, Daek the Knife, will-"

  "Enough!"

  The door to the Guild slammed open and Daek stormed into the street. His eyes were wild and he had blood coating his arms, instantly drawing the crowd's attention. While they were distracted, Bloodwraith pushed the girl into a sympathetic-looking group of townspeople. It had begun.

  Daek's eyes darted erratically but soon settled on him as the obvious target. "What are you d... wait. You! You think that a fancy new set of armor will give you a chance against me?"

  Damn. Apparently Daek was still sane enough to remember the breastplate from their last encounter and extrapolate the rest. Bloodwraith immediately abandoned all his plans to play a different role and surprise Daek with his skills. They'd only backfire, and this next part would be tricky.

  "Spread out and surround him!" Daek gestured wildly at the greencloaks by the door. "Kill anyone who gets in the way!"

  The crowds screamed and began to run to stay ahead of the greencloaks. That was one of the necessary steps, so it was convenient that Daek had accomplished it for him. Unfortunately, there were more greencloaks emerging from the Guild doors, some of them closer to Level 10. He'd known that Daek would respond in force, so the question was if he could endure that force.

  Though the city guards on the street held their ground for a time, when Daek advanced toward them, blood still dripping from his hands, they began to scatter. Bloodwraith still didn't move, knowing that to attempt to surprise attack Daek during this stage would turn against him. Unfortunately, Daek was turning back to him, his knives twitching wildly.

  Finally, he heard a whistle from the rooftops. Bloodwraith took off his helm and threw it at Daek.

  On instinct the leader caught it. He pulled back, as if expecting an attack, but it was just a helm. The strangeness of it halted him, drew a little of the madness out of his eyes. It also delayed him long enough for the troops to emerge on the street.

  The group was a mix of the Cresthaven Guard and private security forces of the nobles. Well-equipped and determined, they marched forward without fear of the greencloaks. Hiding behind their shields lurked the nobleman that Bloodwraith had told Herena to inform.

  When he saw his prize helm in Daek's hands, he let out a shriek. "It's true! The Thieves Guild has broken all agreements! He came into my home and stole from me!"

  "Who the hell are you?" Daek tossed the helm aside contemptuously, a bit of his old self staring down the noble and city guards. "This is an absurd charge. If you think I-"

  "Stop him!" At the nobleman's command, the guards began to advance.

  Though not the most dangerous part of the plan, that had been the touchiest. If Daek had been his old self, the story would likely have fallen apart. But he had been undermining his own authority with reckless actions, and he looked a madman, and in the end the Thieves Guild would be the place everyone looked when it came to theft. They'd brought that on themselves.

  Daek threw himself at the guards, stabbing two of them in the neck before they could react. But after that, armored mages from deeper in the guard formation began to throw tongues of flame in his direction and Daek had no choice but to retreat. His greencloaks swept up to join him, the street quickly becoming an ugly brawl.

  As intended. Bloodwraith moved to the fallen helm and placed it back on his head, sighing as the enchantment slid over him again. It might be hard to explain if he survived, especially once they questioned his story, but he was more concerned about surviving at the moment.

  Staying outside the battle, Bloodwraith carefully raised his sword and prepared to strike. He channeled as much mana as he could into the greatsword, then swung down as soon as he had a shot at Daek.

  The shockwave hit him in the back, but only staggered him. He turned and his eyes blazed as they settled on him. "You! I'll drag you down there and sacrifice you myself!"

  In response, Bloodwraith ran. Though Daek sprinted after him, he had to avoid part of the battle and Bloodwraith had a head start. That wouldn't be enough to outrun him, but Bloodwraith still ran as hard as he could toward the city gates. He resisted the urge to look over hi
s shoulder, hoping that if Daek caught up too quickly, his armor would absorb the first stab.

  "You think you can outrun me? Idiot! Where can you run?" If Daek had enough breath to shout after him, then he could definitely go even faster, but he seemed confident.

  Part of that confidence must have come from the squad of greencloaks down the street, turning toward them. It would have been most logical to rush into a side alley and avoid them both, but that would ruin the plan. Plus, he really didn't want to face off against Daek in an alley.

  Instead Bloodwraith charged straight into the group, their first attacks scraping off his armor. They circled on him, preparing to make more precise attacks between plates in his armor, but they were too late. Bloodwraith gripped the arm of one of the men and swung him in a circle, knocking many of the greencloaks to the ground and allowing him to push past the rest and keep running.

  When he looked back, an arrow bounced off his helm, but that wasn't the worst thing. He saw Daek sprinting after him, jumping from the ground to one of the houses and back to the ground to evade the fallen greencloaks. Not only did he not lose any time, he was actually gaining.

  Fortunately, Bloodwraith had almost reached the midway point. He tried not to look to the side where Danniah was hiding, just kept sprinting as if his life depended on it.

  He ran past an open door to a tavern, hearing Daek hot on his heels. But a second later he heard a loud crash as Danniah burst from the door, striking Daek with her shield and slamming him into the opposite wall. She immediately retreated, since the blow only slowed him down. Bloodwraith hesitated, ready to turn back if Daek attacked her instead, but their opponent stayed focused, gaining even more while he hesitated.

  Bloodwraith was gasping for breath when he reached the city gates, desperately looking toward the sun. His timing was close, but of course it couldn't be precise, even if everything went well. Now he needed to stall for time.