Runeguard 036

I stared at Beth’s receding back. 

She had left so quickly she’d left me no time to question her further. 

I had only two choices now. Follow after her or ignore the Paragons. And as much as I wanted to avoid even the appearance of approaching Bayan with cap in hand again, my curiosity wouldn’t let me leave well enough alone.

I ground my teeth together. Goddamn woman, I swore.

“Who was that?” Night asked, her eyes shining with avid interest as she landed onto my shoulder. 

“A bloody annoying woman,” I muttered. “That’s who.”

Night tilted her head sideways and looked at me. “Your mate?”

“Gods no!” I exploded.

Night didn’t say anything, but I could sense her amusement. And Adi’s too. I sighed. When did my life become so full of women? I wondered morosely.

“What did she want?” Night asked eventually.

“I don’t know,” I said, then sighed again. “But I guess we better go find out.”

✵ ✵ ✵

I closed the door behind me, and with Night tucked inside my chest once more, I made my way into the common room.

There, just as Beth had said, the rest of the Paragons were waiting for me. Five sets of eyes fixed on me as I walked to their table.

Beth, I avoided looking at, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw she sat with her back slouched against her chair and with her arms folded across her chest. 

She was still upset then.

Not that she has any cause to be, I thought in annoyance. I was the one who had been given the cold shoulder by her guild. By rights, I was the one who should be angry.

The demeanor of the rest of the Paragons was studiedly neutral. Whatever circumstances had led them here, they didn’t like it—not in the least—and they were all doing their best not to reveal their discomfort.

I smiled. Not used to asking for help, are they? Affecting an ease I didn’t feel, I slipped into the empty chair across the Paragon guild leader. “Bayan,” I greeted.

“Dace,” he replied.

Saying nothing further, I waited. 

The Paragons needed something from me, not the other way around. And I was damned well not going to make it easy for them. Let them ask.

The silence around the table turned brittle.

Bayan’s lips pressed together as he realized he would get no help from me in broaching whatever had brought them to my door. 

He’s grinding his teeth, I bet. 

My smile broadened, and I leaned back into my chair, truly at ease now. 

“You’ve been busy, Dace,” he said at last.

I shrugged. “Only doing what needs doing,” I replied. With no help from you or your guild, I left unsaid.

“Where did you get the armor?” Jorge asked, leaning forward.

I turned his way. “From Marcos’ cold corpse, of course,” I said with a cheerful smile.

The air mage shrank back, put off by something in my expression. I turned back to Bayan and waited.

“We came back to town,” he said.

“I can see that.”

More silence.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Beth exclaimed. She turned to me. “Dace, we need your help.”

I didn’t look away from Bayan. “Is that right?” I asked, watching his expression tighten.

Beth nodded. “Yes, the dungeon was—” 

I held up my hand, cutting her off. “I want to hear Bayan tell it.” I smiled thinly as I finally looked at her. “He is your Guildmaster after all, isn’t he? He is the one who speaks for you all, isn’t he?”

Beth sighed and sat back. “Go on, Bayan. Tell him then.”

Five pairs of eyes turned the Paragon leader’s way. He held my gaze unflinchingly for a second, his expression stone. Then he sagged back. “I’m sorry, Dace. I should have treated you more fairly.”

I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening. Those were the last words I ever expected to hear from the arrogant Paragon.

“But I am not sorry, I didn’t help you,” Bayan went on. “My people come first.”

In an instant, my shock transformed into a scowl. “Even at the expense of everyone else in this town?”

“Even so,” Bayan said, unapologetic.

“Well, that’s mighty big-hearted of you,” I said scathingly. “With leaders like you, who needs the Simians for enemies? We might as all just lay down and die right now. So much for humanity,” I scoffed.

“Now wait just a goddamn minute,” Bayan said, leaning forward. “I’m not in this fight for humanity. My people come—”

I slammed my mailed fist onto the table, cutting him off. “Yes, I know. Your people come first. I get it. I understand self-interest Bayan. Believe me, I understand it very well.” I leaned forward, placing my face a few inches from his own. “But I wasn’t asking you to sacrifice yourself in the name of the town. I was asking you to help for one day. Just one goddamn day. But that was too much to ask, wasn’t it?” I sat back. “Sometimes, you got to look beyond your own nose. Coz what’s good for the many, may just be good for you too.”

The Paragon leader opened his mouth—with a retort of his own, no doubt—but before he could get a word out, Lauren surged to her feet. “Enough! Both of you!” 

Bayan swung her way. 

“Not a word, Bayan. Don’t you dare!” The blonde woman pinned her guildmaster with a glare, and he sat back. “You know Dace is right,” Lauren said. “We should’ve put an end to Marcos a long time ago, but we didn’t. We should’ve helped Dace take him out, but we didn’t. We shouldn’t have tackled that dungeon without Dace, but we were all of us so caught up in the race to get to the top of that blasted leaderboard, we forgot that this isn’t just another damn game.” Lauren exhaled a slow breath. “Our lives are at stake. All our lives, and we can’t afford to mess up again. So, let’s put all this nonsense behind us.”

The water mage sat back down. Bayan sighed and turned to me. “Lauren is right. I apologize.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything else on the topic. “So, what happened?” I asked, extending an olive branch of my own. “I gather the dungeon dive didn’t go well?”

Bayan shook his head. “In short, we wiped.”

“What?” I asked, startled. “You can’t mean you all died?”

“That’s exactly what happened,” Bayan said grimly. He turned to the freckled youth at his side. “Jorge, if you will, explain please.”

The air mage leaned forward again. “Dungeon 1050-C was tougher than the first one. But we expected that to be the case. While we found ourselves in some tough spots more than once, we managed to clear the first and second stages without mishap, and we made it all the way to the dungeon boss.” He fell silent for a second. “There, things fell apart.”

The silence around the table was so deep, you could hear a pin drop. All the Paragons’ faces were somber as they relived their final moments in the dungeon.

“How?” I asked.

“The dungeon boss was impervious to most magics.”

“Ah,” I said, understanding now.

“Tell him your theory, Jorge,” Beth said.

The youth raised his eyes to my own. “I think the dungeons have all been designed to make it impossible for a single player, or even a specialized group to complete on their own. Our failure made a glaring weakness in our team obvious… an inability to inflict any significant physical damage.” His look turned glum. “We can’t complete the dungeon without a tank—or at least a melee damage dealer.”

I turned to Bayan. “So, you want my help completing the dungeon?”

“Yes,” he said, his gaze resting steadily on me.

I glanced around the table. All the other Paragons had lowered their eyes and refused to meet my gaze, even Beth. Is that because they have come to regret their prior selfishness? I wondered. Or because they are simply ashamed to ask for help?

“Alright,” I said at last.

Beth’s head jerked upwards. “Just like that?”

I nodded. “Just like that.” I had no interest in making the Paragons beg. And besides, completing the dungeon served my own self-interest too. I still had Nodes to fill. 

Perhaps I will find a Class stone in the dungeon, or another tier two Essence. Or better yet, both.

Grinning, I rose to my feet. “Come on, time’s a wasting. Let’s move.”

✵ ✵ ✵

The town was busy. 

The moment we stepped out of the tavern, we were enveloped by crowds of players. I stared around me in bemusement. Where had they all come from?

Beth caught my look. “This is all your doing,” she said.

“My doing?” I asked, perplexed.

She nodded. “By killing Marcos, you’ve made the town safe again.” She gestured to the crowds. “Many of these players were hiding out in the amphitheater or on the outskirts of the town, hoping to escape the Crows’ notice. Now they don’t have to do that anymore.” Beth smiled. “You did a good thing by getting rid of Marcos, Dace,” she said softly. “I’m sorry we didn’t help.”

I shrugged. What was done, was done, and there was no use dredging up the past. Besides, matters had turned out well in the end.

“Looks like you’re a celebrity now, Dace,” Lauren murmured.

I looked at the blonde woman in confusion. She was watching the crowds. I followed her gaze and found many of the players had stopped to turn and stare at me. 

I glanced down at my polished armor. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn it. In a town full of spellcasters, my heavy armor was easily spotted, making me instantly recognizable. And that was the last thing I wanted to be.

Oh well, too late now. 

I strode past Bayan and took the lead. “Come on, the dungeon isn’t going to get cleared by itself.”

I had no problem navigating through the crowds. People parted for me as if I was royalty. I didn’t like it, but there was little I could do to stop them. Whispered comments followed in my wake too, and many players reached out to shake my hand, or backslap me across the shoulders.

I did my best to ignore it all and hurry through the town. But despite my intentions, my steps slowed as I reached the cobbled highway leading out of town.

A different sort of crowd was gathered there. One full of grim-faced players, most of whom sported wounds of one sort or another.

“What’s going on here?” I asked.

Bayan stepped up to my side. “That looks like the convoy that set off for the exit portal this morning.” His face turned grim. “Or what’s left of them.”

I stared at him blankly. “Convoy?”

The Paragon guildmaster pursed his lips as he glanced at me. “You haven’t been out of town since the Lesser Dissolution, have you?”

I shook my head.

“Things have changed,” Bayan said. “The northern forests have grown more dangerous, especially the sections bordering the cobbled highway.” He paused. “It’s as if all the monsters out there have learnt the road is no longer protected.”

I glanced at the bloodied and desolate group of people sitting on the ground near the town’s border. “That’s the reason for the convoy?”

Bayan nodded. “It’s no longer safe for players to make their way alone, or even in small groups, to the exit. Last night, we heard of an expedition that some of the larger guilds were organizing.”

I frowned, glancing east. “What about the way we’re heading?”

Bayan shrugged. “Things that way haven’t changed much.”

I was about to question him further when I noticed the approach of a familiar figure.

“Morning, Dace,” Everett said, greeting me with a wide smile. His look turned noticeably colder as he turned to the Paragon guildmaster. “Bayan.”

“Everett,” Bayan replied just as blandly.

“Are those players alright, Everett?” I asked, ignoring the pair’s barely concealed animosity towards each other.

“They will be,” the Warden said. “Those that made it back to town anyhow,” he added grimly.

“What attacked them?”

The tall guildmaster scratched his head. “I don’t rightly know, not having seen the creatures myself, but if the descriptions my people got are correct… they were attacked by humanoid rats.”

My eyebrows shot up, but before I could express my disbelief, Night hissed in my mind, “Ratkin.”

I paused. “You know of them, Night?”

“Yes,” she said. “They’re filthy creatures. Sneaky too, and always trying to steal the Clan’s eggs. Beware, Dace. Where there are a few ratkin, there are always more.”

“What else can you tell me about the creatures?” I didn’t bother asking Adi. I knew she would be constrained from revealing too much.

“They are foul and disease-ridden,” the black dragon replied. “Both their bites and claws will be infectious.”

“Ratkin,” I said aloud.

“What?” asked Bayan, turning to me.

“That’s what the creatures are called,” I said. “Tell your people to beware of any scratches or bites they take from the ratkin. Ask your administrators about them.”

The two guildmasters looked at me strangely, likely wondering how I had figured out all that, but they did as I asked.

“Hmm,” said Everett after a moment, “My administrator concurs. Those do sound like ratkin.” The Warden stared at me speculatively. “But he didn’t have nearly as much to say about them as you did.”

I ignored his questioning look. “What are your own guild’s plans?” I asked. “Are you exiting the Creche today?”

Everett shook his head. “No. We’ve decided to take your advice and attempt the dungeon first. Our first few teams are already there, and the rest of us will set off as soon as they’re back. If we manage to get everyone through the dungeon today, we will head for the exit tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” I said. “What about the Weavers and Silver Hammers? Have they decided to accompany you?”

Everett smiled. “They have. Both Evelyn and Juyorah should be in the dungeon right this minute with some of my own people. Many of the other players in town have decided to join in, too, and will be going through the dungeon with the second wave of teams.”

I clamped a hand down on Everett’s shoulder. “Excellent work, Warden.”

He grinned. “Only made possible by your own good work, Dace.” At a shout from behind, Everett turned around. “Duty calls. I better get back.” The Warden glanced from me to Bayan. “I assume you are heading east to tackle the second dungeon?”

I nodded.

“Good luck then,” Everett said. “I’ll see you when you’re back.”

We exchanged farewells, and he hurried off. Turning around, I found all the Paragons staring at me. “What?” I asked.

“You advised them to enter the Swampy Place dungeon?” Lauren asked. “The crafters too?”

I nodded. “Not only that, I told them the best way to clear the dungeon.” Seeing their quizzical expressions, I explained further. “The stronger we can get more people in the Creche—especially the crafters—the easier it will be for all of us once we enter Sector 52.”

The Paragons exchanged glances. 

“Now, why didn’t we think of that?” murmured Beth.