Runeguard 029

Three hours later, Night and I were still hunting. By this time, we had ambushed eight different sets of Crows, and killed over two dozen, and my black dragon companion had reached level five.

But finding and ambushing the thieves was no longer a simple matter. The Crows had figured out they were being hunted and had begun taking precautions. They now only travelled in large bands of six to ten and some were hunting me in turn. 

Time and again, they drove through town, pushing and bullying other players as they searched for me. It had taken all my skill to remain undetected. Thankfully, the thieves hadn’t started confining players or barricading the town.

But as the Crows’ casualties mounted, I expected that they would soon resort to more drastic measures. And when they did that, I knew the dangerous game I played would have to stop.

Still, I had a strategy. And so far, it was working.

“Dace, the group to our right has split,” Night said. “Three of them are heading into the nearby alley.”

Turning my head, I studied the thieves Night was observing. Just as the black dragon spirit had said, three of their number were heading into an alley.

Despite all the precautions the Crows took, their own arrogance worked against them. Most of the thieves didn’t seem to believe that they could ever fall prey to the fate that had befallen their companions, and invariably they made mistakes. 

I smiled. As large and powerful as the thieves guild seemed to be, their players lacked discipline. Slipping out of the shadows in which I had concealed myself, I padded after the smaller group.

I crossed the street without mishap and entered the alley. But for the unlucky trio, it was empty. The three Crows were braced against the alley’s far end, toying with their weapons.

I frowned as I approached them. Why had the Crows entered this street? There was nothing of interest here, nor were they any other exits but the one we had come through.

“Dace,” Night said. “The rest of the group has followed us in.”

I glanced over my shoulder. Six thieves were arrayed two lines deep across the alley mouth.

So. It’s an ambush.

I eyed both groups—the three in front of me, and the six to my rear. All nine Crows were armed with short swords and daggers. The thieves, appearing relaxed and confident, cast leering grins my way. 

But I wasn’t worried. Not yet.

“It ain’t so much fun when you’re the one being ambushed, is it?” a long-haired Crow shouted from the alley entrance. He looked like he was the group’s leader.

I said nothing. The thieves didn’t appear inclined to rush me, which gave me time to change my load out. Slipping my daggers back into their sheathes, I recalled my warhammer and shield from my inventory, then picked them up from where they dropped. 

Item: Steel Warhammer

Base attack: 7.

Parent Essence: strength. Parent skill: hammers. Requirements: 5 strength.

Item: Large Steel Shield

Base defense: 10.

Parent Essence: strength. Parent skill: heavy armor. Requirements: 10 strength.

The warhammer crafted by Juyorah’s smiths was a smaller variant of the battlehammer. Its head was lighter and had only a single striking end. The weapon’s shaft was also short enough that it could be wielded in one hand. 

It was the perfect weapon for the encounter, too. 

The thieves, I suspected, would have a hard time countering the weapon’s reach and weight. 

“Drop your weapons,” Long-hair growled. “You’re outnumbered nine-to-one. You stand no chance.”

“We’ll see,” I replied grimly. Not waiting for his response, I charged the smaller group.

“Night, delay the other six.”

“My pleasure, Dace,” she said. Her misty form billowed out my back and towards the Crows at the alley entrance. I heard their startled cries of alarm but had no more attention to spare as my focus narrowed on my own targets.

The three Crows, seeing me dash towards them with hammer and shield in hand, began to nervously edge away from each other. Reaching them, I bashed away the feeble dagger-thrust of the one on the left while simultaneously bludgeoning the Crow in front. 

The hapless thief’s skull caved in under the blow. 

The third Crow tried to come to his fellows’ aid, but I ignored his blows. They were little more than pinpricks.

Turning my attention to the dazed Crow on my left, I struck at him hard, and this time it was not with my shield. He thrust out his forearm in a desperate attempt to fend off the attack, but neither skin, bone, nor leather armor could stop the heavy hammer, and the weapon ploughed straight into his midriff.

And with a mournful sigh, the thief fell lifelessly to the ground.

I swung around to face the last of the trio. His gaze darted from me to his fallen companions, and he took off running, sprinting for the alley’s exit. Lowering my hammer to the ground, I drew my daggers and, in two quick flicks, sent the blades spinning towards the fleeing thief.

My aim was flawless, and the thief collapsed in a heap. I left the corpse where it lay and jogged back to the alley mouth.

To my surprise, none of the thieves there were advancing deeper into the alley. The band’s leader, staring sightlessly, bore the tell-tale signs of petrification, while the other five thieves were beating at the flames wreathing their limbs.

“Dragon’s breath,” I whispered. Night had not used it before this. A black dragon’s fire was no normal fire—or so she had told me. Nearly impossible to put out, an adult black dragon’s flames could only be effectively combated by magic.

But Night was no adult black dragon anymore. I began sprinting. 

There was a reason, my companion had not used her most potent weapon until now. Given the quantities of dragon fire Night could call upon at her current level, her flames were not lethal. At best, they would make for a slow death, and at worse, they would be mere nuisance. 

Then too, when Night attacked, ethereal spirit or not, she could be hurt.

The five thieves were hollering fit to wake the dead. Any moment now, I expected their cries to summon allies, or worse yet, for one of them to turn and flee. 

I couldn’t let that happen.

As I sprinted through the cloud that was Night, I heard her whispered apology, “I am sorry, Dace, there was no other way to hold them back.”

“I understand,” I said, “but let’s make sure none escape. We don’t want word getting out about your fire spell just yet.”

The thieves didn’t notice me until I was amongst them. Swinging my hammer in a wide arc, I felled two in a single blow. Not bothering to check if they were still alive, I turned on the Crow closest to the exit. 

The thief was too distracted beating at the flames licking at his legs, and my warhammer crashed unopposed into his skull. Unfortunately, the other two Crows were more alive to the danger, and in a coordinated attack, ripped into me from the left and right.

My back arched in pain as their sharpened blades slid through my leather gambeson. Before I could react, the pair jabbed at me again with sharp, precise thrusts.

Knowing I had to reposition, I staggered into the Crow on the left and attempted to use my weight to overpower him. It left my back exposed to the other, but I had no better choices.

I rammed into my target and we both fell to the ground in a heap. Dropping my hammer and shield, I grappled with the Crow for his own weapon.

Stronger, and on top of my opponent, I won the contest. Ripping the dagger away from the Crow, I plunged it into his throat.

“Duck, Dace!” Night shouted.

 I rolled off the corpse, barely evading the blade that screamed down on my exposed back. A quick upwards glance revealed the other thief standing above me with wild eyes and fresh flames licking at him.

Night must have used her dragon’s breath again. It explained why the Crow’s assault had been delayed.

“Thanks, Night,” I said as I scampered out of the way of the Crow’s next attack. Grinning viciously, the thief advanced on me again. 

I still had the bloody dagger of the last thief I had killed, and with a grin of my own, I sent it spinning forward, just as my foe lunged at me again. The Crows mouth dropped open in shock as my blade lodged in his heart and he dropped lifelessly onto me.

I exhaled in relief. I had won, mostly. Shoving away the dead thief, I staggered to my feet. “How many are still alive, Adi?” I growled.

“Six are dead,” she replied. “The leader is still petrified, and the remaining two are mortally wounded and bleeding out.”

“Night, how much longer will Long-hair be petrified?” I asked.

“I’m sorry Dace, but I have no idea,” she replied. “I don’t have access to any of the System’s data.”

“Adi?”

“Ten-seconds remain until the spell lapses.”

I grunted. Night’s petrifying gaze was a potent disabling ability. It was a pity she could only use it on one target at a time.

I glanced at the alley mouth. To my surprise, no one had come running to see what all the fuss was about yet. I pursed my lip in consideration. This was an unlooked-for opportunity. But dangerous. 

Still, it’s worth the risk, I thought.

“Night, keep watch on the alley entrance.” My gaze drifted to Long-hair. “I think it’s time I had a conversation with another of these Crows.”

✵ ✵ ✵

My blade was under Long-hair’s throat when the petrification spell wore off. 

“Don’t move,” I growled as he gasped for air. “And don’t think of reaching for any of your weapons.”

The Crow’s eyes focused on the dagger threatening him, before his gaze drifted across the rest of the alley. His eyes went wide when he noticed the blood-spattered corpses.

“What happened?” he gasped, unable to stop himself.

“Your friends are dead,” I said simply. “And you will be too, unless you answer my questions.”

Long-hair’s eyes snapped back to me. “Oh yeah?” he sneered. “And how are you gonna make me talk?”

I stared at him with cold, hard eyes. “Believe me, you don’t want to find out.”

The Crow flinched and broke away from my stare. He seemed to shrink in on himself. “What do you want to know?” he whispered.

I kept my own face impassive, letting none of my surprise show. Long-hair had capitulated easier than I expected. I couldn’t keep calling him Long-hair though. “Adi, what’s this fellow’s name?”

“Hansen Barnard.” 

“Well Hansen, why don’t you start off by telling me your orders?”

The Crow glanced at me. “If I tell you what you want, will you promise to let me go?”

I pursed my lips in consideration. I didn’t lightly make promises, nor was I in the habit of breaking my word once given.

“Adi, are petrified victims aware of what occurs around them?”

“No, Dace.”

“So, our friend here would not have seen Night use her dragon’s breath.”

“He wouldn’t have, no.”

I refocused my gaze on Hansen. “I will let you go,” I promised, “but only if you’re truthful with me.”

The thief nodded reluctantly. “We were told to search the town and report back on your whereabouts.”

My eyebrows lifted. “Not to capture or kill me?”

Hansen shook his head. “No, that was to be the job of the headhunters.”

“Headhunters?” I asked.

“Marcos’ elite units,” he said. “His assassins.”

I nodded. “So why didn’t your band follow orders?”

The Crow bowed his head. “We didn’t think you could be as tough as everyone was claiming, and besides, no one gets promoted to the headhunters without proving himself first.”

So, he is not just a coward, but a fool too. “Who killed Gorman?” I asked.

Hansen looked at me blankly. “Who?”

I gritted my teeth but held my temper. “A smith from the Silver Hammers.”

“Ah, him,” Hansen said. “It was Yannick, a headhunter captain.”

“Describe this Yannick to me.”

“Tall.” He glanced at me. “As big as you. Scruffy black beard and a tattooed face you couldn’t miss.”

“How many headhunters does Marcos have?” I didn’t think much of the ordinary Crows guild members. None of them had been of much threat so far, but the headhunters… they could prove to be an altogether different challenge. And Yannick… him, I definitely needed to find.

“Three squads of ten.”

“Where are they stationed?”

“Marcos always keeps one unit back at camp, while the other two are out on whatever missions he sends them on.”

“And what can you tell me about Marcos?”

Hansen’s head jerked upwards, and his eyes met mine. “Why do you want to know all this?” he asked, showing his first spark of defiance.

“Just tell me.”

The Crow licked his lips and his hands trembled. “You’re not stupid enough to think you can take down Marcos, are you?”

He is afraid, I thought. But is he more afraid of Marcos than for his own life? Keeping silent, I waited patiently.

Seeing that I wouldn’t relent, Hansen finally answered. “Marcos is like no one else in the Creche,” he said. “He is level ten and has more Essences than any other player I’ve met.”

“What are his Essences?” I asked, leaning forward.

It was obvious Hansen didn’t want to answer, but his own life was at stake. “Fire, water, air, channeling, and perception,” he said. “Those are the only ones I know off.”

“What about his tier two Essence?”

The Crow looked startled. “How do you know about that?”

Again, I said nothing, and simply waited for him to answer.

“It’s death,” Hansen whispered. “At least that’s what we all suspect it to be. Marcos can leech the life from someone.” He shivered. “It’s how he commonly executes those who displease him.”

I rocked back. “Death magic,” I murmured. Did I need to reconsider my plans? Was Marcos too tough to take down? 

No, I refuted. He will die, I vowed.

I glanced back at Hansen. “Get to the end of the alley,” I ordered.

“What? Why?” he asked in a shaking voice. “You promised to let me go!”

“And I will,” I said impatiently. “But not until I leave first. Now move.”