by Edwin McRae
Mark looked forward to sending the executioner back to his flash London pad and his streamer stardom. He didn’t want to hear one more word about how he needed to wake up from his dreamland and embrace the real world. As far as Mark was concerned, the real world had dealt him a pretty shit hand so far. He sure as hell didn’t owe it anything. In his short time in Reign of Blood, he’d lived a richer life than all of his years of RL put together. Out there he was just another guy, slogging away at a job he hated until the day a robot could come along and make him redundant. He was just another guy with debts he couldn’t afford to pay off and friendships that bellied out at “What’cha up to this weekend?”.
It sounded crazy, even to himself, but he would happily die in this place.
Like, properly die.
And maybe he would.
Maybe the hospital would write him off as a lost cause and pressure his mother into pulling the plug. She might decide to mourn and move on, like she’d done with his father. Mark couldn’t remember the last time she’d mentioned him. Would his dad have told him to wake up and get back to reality? No, he didn’t think so. His father’s motto had always been, “If it makes you happy, do it.” Not that he had exactly lived by that motto himself.
“Reality,” Mark murmured to himself, “you and Arix the Damned can go fuck each other.”
He pulled up his latest notification, figuring he’d do a little character building while he bathed.
Congratulations! You have achieved Level 9 as a Warlock.
Progress to next level = 3537/5000
You have been awarded 2 Attribute Points.
Spell Selection
You have 7 magical spells available for selection.
You have 4 spell slots remaining.
Brain Leash (Cast cost = 7 EP)
Lurking Inferno (Cast cost = 8 EP)
Crippling Lethargy (Cast cost = 9 EP)
Contagious Fervor (Cast cost = 9 EP)
War Cry (Cast cost = 10 EP)
Obsidian Plate (Cast cost = 11 EP)
Wave of Despair (Cast cost = 11 EP)
Please note that Wave of Despair has been unlocked because you visited Solmora’s Shrine of Despair.
Your Swordplay skill has reached Tier 5.
Your Arcane Edge spell has reached Tier 4.
Your Second Skin spell has reached Tier 4.
Your Ivara’s Ignited Exhalation spell has reached Tier 3.
The battle ahead was going to be fierce. There were still ninety-one reivers between him and the altars, and if Karina was the type of leader who kept back the best soldiers for her personal protection, they’d all be at least Level 3.
He shuddered as he thought back to his first encounter with the murdering sergeant, the agony of having his lung ripped from his chest by her serrated Blade of Doom. He hadn’t seen the sergeant yet, but figured she was staying close to Karina. He sighed and sank a little deeper into the bath. The water lapped at his chin. He was actually looking forward to the confrontation, to returning the favor and avenging Dayna’s death.
He dropped both AP into Mind so that he could use Transference without needing a Mind boost from one of Vari’s potions. And he figured it made sense to continue with his general fire theme. Volcanic Bastard, Ignited Breath and maybe Lurking Inferno?
Lurking Inferno
By scratching a fire rune into stone, earth or wood, the caster can create a combustion trap with a radius of three meters. The contained inferno will remain dormant until released on command or can be set to explode when a living creature breaches the trap’s perimeter.
Tier 1: The resulting conflagration consists of natural fire. The flames can be extinguished with water or through smothering. The fire can be extinguished instantly by the caster.
“Like the human mind,
fire only wishes to be free.”
- Zevryn the Everborn
He and Arix wouldn’t be able to go toe to toe with ninety-one veteran reivers. They would have to continue their hit and run tactics, and Lurking Inferno was the perfect ambush tool. Even better if he used Transference to upgrade it. To that end, he glanced at the spell’s two tiers.
Tier 2: The resulting conflagration consists of pitch fire. Can only be extinguished through smothering. Can be extinguished instantly by the caster.
Tier 3: The resulting conflagration consists of arcane fire. Can only be extinguished through magical means. Can be extinguished instantly by the caster.
Mark cringed at the thought of burning people alive, but then had to check his own hypocrisy. He had quite literally burned a reiver commander’s face off, on the very wall above this bathroom. Though he was loathe to admit it, Lurking Inferno was an ends-justifies-the-means kind of spell and one that would come in bloody handy in the battle ahead. Knowing it would just stress him out if he dillied and dallied over the various spell options, Mark used one of his four slots to pick Lurking Inferno. There wasn’t much point in setting fires that someone else could put out, and he wasn’t keen on leaving anyone smoldering and disfigured either. He used two more to cannibalize Avalar’s Leech and boost Lurking Inferno to Tier 3. He immediately regretted his decision. Avalar’s Leech was his only healing spell. He fretted about that for about a second and a half before giving himself a mental slap. No, Avalar’s Leech was more like a blood transfusion than a band aid, and from an unwilling patient too. No, he was a warlock, not a lich. He dismissed this moment of shopper’s remorse and focused on his next choice. With only one slot left, it made sense to choose one of the big spells. Either Obsidian Plate or Wave of Despair.
Obsidian Plate
The caster becomes encased in a full plate constructed of arcane obsidian. This armor will take twice the caster’s HP score in damage before shattering. The caster retains full mobility.
Tier 1: Obsidian Plate will shatter of its own accord after 30 seconds if not forced to by damage.
Once the plate has disintegrated, this spell has a 30 minute cooldown period.
Mark curled his bottom lip over his top lip and gave a “hmmm” of delight. This spell effectively tripled his HP score, at least for half a minute. Pretty handy if he got himself cornered and had to hack his way out.
Wave of Despair
A wave of negative emotion emits from the player, affecting every creature capable of feeling emotion within the caster’s line of sight. Affected creatures will suffer symptoms stipulated by the tier description.
Tier 1: 100% chance of inducing crippling despair in Level 1-3 creatures. Paralyzes the victim for 5 seconds. 50% chance of paralyzing Level 4-6 creatures. 20% chance of paralyzing Level 7-9 creatures.
While he was quite chuffed at having unlocked a spell through his own explorations, he placed Obsidian Plate in his one remaining spell slot. Wave of Despair would’ve been great at the beginning of this war against Karina’s reivers, but now that many of her remaining soldiers were Level 4 or above, it just wasn’t something he could rely on in the heat of-
“Mark?”
He sat up in the bath so fast that water slopped over the sides. There was alarm in Citadel’s voice.
“Sid? What is it?”
“Someone has activated the waypoint. Judging by their gait as they walked down the passage, I believe it is Arix.”
“Why didn’t you lock the door on him?”
“Alas, the bar is on this side and I can only jam a door if it is already out of-”
“Was he alone?”
“I only noticed one set of footsteps, but he was walking more heavily than usual, as if he was bearing extra weight.”
“Have you noticed anything missing?”
There was a moment’s silence as Citadel checked. “Ishka’s tome is gone from the library, but that wouldn’t be enough to account for the weight difference.”
“Dammit, I’m going after-”
“Wait, Mark.”
“What?”
“I can’t locate Vari. Everyone else I can account for, but-”
> “FUCK!”
Mark burst from the bath in a shower of water and sheer panic. He scrambled to get his clothes and armor on, buckled his sword belt in place and was almost out the library door when Citadel called out to him again. “Wait!”
He skidded to a halt. “Sid, what is it? I have to-”
“Take me with you, Mark. You’ll need all the help you can get.”
“Okay, thanks, Sid. But before you go into the amulet, check one more time for Vari, just to be sure.”
“I have already done so. The bed you share with her is empty and I cannot sense her presence anywhere within the fortress walls.”
“Could she have gone outside?”
“I would have noticed.”
“Any signs of a struggle?”
“No.”
“Bastard must’ve snuck up on her. Knocked her out before she could put up a fight.”
“But why, Mark? Why would Arix do this?”
“I have a few ideas. I’ll tell you on the way.”
The amulet was hanging on a hook on the library wall. Mark reached for it.
“Not that one,” said Citadel.
Mark let his hand drop. “Sid, we have to-”
“I know, Mark. Believe me. This will only take a moment.”
As if on cue, a cockroach scuttled into the library. Upon its back sat an elegant amulet rendered in silver and gold. A silver chain, delicately rendered yet sturdy enough for battle. A golden disc upon which tiny rubies had been inlaid to form a bright red sword. Mark took the amulet from the cockroach’s back and pressed it to the wall. The rubies twinkled with life as Citadel passed into it. Mark slipped the chain over his head and felt the cool of the silver against his flushed skin.
Amulet of the Citadel
+2 Spirit
“Magic is the essence of a warlock.
Loyalty is the essence of a friend.”
- Citadel
“It’s beautiful, Sid. Did you make this from the loot we picked up in the Temple of Solmora?”
“I did, yes.”
“Thank you, and I’m damned lucky to count you as my friend.”
“Likewise, my dear warlock. Likewise.” There was a faint tremor in Citadel’s voice. “Mark, what if-”
“We’re not going there, Sid. If my theory is correct, Arix needs Vari alive.”
“Then let us make sure she stays that way.”
24
[Karina]
Karina slammed the book down onto her desk and stood so quickly that her chair toppled backwards. She gripped the book again and was about to repeat the act of literary violence when she was interrupted by a soft cough at the door flap of her marquee. Her sigh was almost a growl.
“What is it, Gunder?”
The hefty sergeant stepped inside and offered her a stiff salute. She didn’t bother to return it.
“I’ll have you know, sergeant, that I’m in the mood for gratuitous torture. You had best speak your piece and be quick about it.”
While the man struggled to retain his composure, she brought up his stats just to make sure the solution wasn’t staring her in the face.
Sergeant Gunder of Credence
Class: Reiver Warrior - Level 5
Progress to Level 6 = 367/500
She didn’t bother with the rest. Level 6 or higher, that’s what she needed to complete the Breaking Dawn ceremony, and she didn’t have time to wait for this lout to level up. In fact, the way her luck had gone of late, Gunder would get himself killed at something tragically ironic like 499 XP. Captain Maribella was probably Level 7 by now but she’d not shown her traitorous snout since Karina had ordered her to patrol the perimeter. If she was alive, that was. As a combined force, the executioner and the warlock were proving to be quite formidable. Perhaps they’d gotten the better of her wardog. Or perhaps Karina was simply a far worse judge of character than she imagined.
“The demon has been sighted, madam.”
“Oh good. Come back to slaughter more of your utterly hapless ranks, sergeant? Right now, I would consider that a welcome depopulation of the useless-fucking-majority!”
“He’s not attacking, madam. He’s waving a white flag and there’s a woman with him.”
Karina leaned forward on her desk, knuckles pressing into the wood. “The Karaji Figurist?”
“Judging from Captain Maribella’s description, yes, madam. The demon says he wants to parlay.”
It could still be some sort of trap, thought Karina. A way to get directly to her. “Any sign of the warlock?”
“No, madam, and I’ve had our remaining scouts circle around behind the demon to check.”
“They all returned?”
“Yes, madam.”
“But found nothing.”
“No, madam.”
“Then I think I need to have a chat with this demon.”
The executioner had positioned himself well. The terrace he was perched upon on had multiple exits, and the building itself was a rabbit warren of passageways. It would be impossible to cover them all with sufficient soldiers to impede his escape.
“Evening, Madam Inquisitor!” the demon called out in a cheerful tone. “I’ve brought some peace offerings, a book and a bitch to help you out with that Breaking Dawn ritual of yours.”
The figurist was propped up against his legs, bound and gagged. Blood matted her dark hair but Karina could tell by her occasional twitch and thrash that she was alive. She brought up the woman’s stats to be sure.
Vari of Karajan
Class: Figurist - Level 8
Progress to Level 9 = 2219/3000
Body: 12
Solmora’s Blessing +1 Modifier: 13
Mind: 17
Spirit: 19
Solmora’s Blessing +3 Modifier: 22
HP: 91 / 104
EP: 176 / 176
Skills
Alchemy (Tier 5)
Physik Perception (Tier 4)
Horse Riding (Tier 2)
Spells
Mend Flesh (Tier 5)
Rend Flesh (Tier 5)
Puppeteer (Tier 4)
Sculpt Bone (Tier 4)
Purify Blood (Tier 2)
Blinding Malaise (Tier 1)
Cleanse Infection (Tier 2)
Yes, Vari of Karajan would fit the sacrificial bill quite nicely.
“Show me the book,” Karina demanded.
The executioner pulled it from his backpack and waggled it in the air. “Do you know how to read it?”
Karina gritted her teeth against his condescending manner. As much as she’d love to order her archers to cut the bastard down, she knew he would just resurrect nearby. And there was the chance that they would hit the Figurist. Unfortunately, the demon held all of the cards right now.
“Of course.”
“Then here’s a little something else to help kick off the negotiations,” said Arix.
He took a sheathed dagger from his belt and tossed it down to her. She picked it up, drew it and turned the fine blade in her hand.
Blood of the Lost
+20% to base dagger damage.
30% chance of inducing internal hemorrhaging in an organic enemy.
+30% accuracy when thrown.
Will return to owner if in line of sight.
“We might be lost yet our blood
will always find its way home.”
- Ishka the Devout
She returned the dagger to its sheath and tucked it into her belt. “What is it you want?”
Arix laughed. “I’ve never been any good at this roleplaying shit so I’ll get straight to it. I’m a real boy who wants to go back to his real girlfriend, his real career and his real triple-shot lattes.”
“The demon wants to go back to his realm of debauchery?”
“Sure, lady. Whatever those algorithms of yours can understand. Just send me the fuck home.”
The demon limbered his axe and leaned on it. The threat was clear. He would execute the figurist if these nego
tiations didn’t go to his plan.
“Is that all?” she asked.
“Not quite. But I think you’re going to like this bit.”
“How so?”
“Well, the warlock is going to come looking for his lady love, yeah? He’s a real boy too, but the poor bastard’s lost his grip on reality. So I think we should do everyone a favor, him included, and send him home too.” He grinned. “Think you can do that, Inquisitor?”
“I can. Do you have a plan for capturing the warlock?”
“Oh, we won’t need to capture him. He’ll give himself up to save his brown-eyed beaux here.”
“You’re sure of this?”
“Sure as anything in this fucked up fairytale.”
Karina pondered the situation for a moment and came to the conclusion that the demon was wrong.
“Tell me, Arix the Damned. How did you know that I would need someone of Level Six or higher to sacrifice for the ritual?”
“The warlock has this spell called Cunning Linguist. It allows him to…” Arix trailed off as realization dawned.
