Sam thought about it. Honestly, this sounded awesome. In most games, he chose a race other than human, and this was his chance to do so again. He wouldn’t actually become a Wolfman, but he would be working in tandem with them; which was cool as heck. The idea of betraying all of humanity left him feeling a little uncomfortable, but this was a game. Playing as a spy for the rebel faction sounded rad. Especially if it meant taking down the College and that jerk Octavius. Going this route also meant no reroll! This was exactly the answer he’d been looking for. Still, he didn’t give in right away.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued. But I do have one question. What if I brought in a few other people? Others that I could vouch for? I’m part of a team that wants to be a Guild, except we don’t even know how to begin with the human faction. If you guaranteed us a Guild Charter inside the Wolfman faction, I’m sure they’d be on board as well.”
O’Baba pondered his request for only a second. “We will give refuge to your packmates, Mageling. If they defect of their own volition, I will personally grant them a Guild charter. They shall be the first human guild of our people and exalted among our kind for it, but there is one thing. You… specifically… must prove yourself to us first. We have found that your kind is more than happy to spill an endless ocean of words but rarely are you willing to spill blood. If you and your packmates would be one with The People, you must prove your allegiance to our cause.”
Sam nodded slowly. Of course, there would be some sort of test. “Okay. I can see how that makes sense. What exactly do you have in mind?”
“Two things, pup.” Her nostrils flared, and she raised two gnarled fingers riddled with arthritis into the air. “First. My Scouts have discovered that the Mage’s College is planning to send a Mage here to perform a powerful spell, possibly even capable of wiping this outpost off the map. The ancient magics of The People have protected us thus far, but this new spell will swallow our whole outpost into the heart of the earth itself. If you and your packmates would be one spirit with us, you must disrupt this. Sabotage any hope of making it happen. In this, you must not fail. Succeed, and you will be one of us.
“The second matter is of a personal nature, whelp. You mentioned to my Shaman that a certain Wolfman is being held captive by the College, Velkan of the Redmane Tribe. He is known to me.” She snarled, white-hot anger flashing in her eyes. “He is my blood. My grand-whelp. If he still lives, I would see him freed. If he is dead, there is nothing to be done. As we say in the ancient tongue, suntse ikzlazi kade na nas vsekh. The sun rises and falls on us all, in time. If you can save him, I will be in your debt. This is no small thing.”
She brought the meat cleaver down with a thud, cleaning hacking through a meaty joint. Sam solemnly stated, “I accept. You also mentioned that I would be able to fix my bind point here. Is…”
He faltered. He was on uncertain ground here, and asking for favors could cost him what little goodwill he’d somehow managed to earn so far. <Oh, just ask her already. What’s the worst thing that can happen? She kills you? That’s what we expected coming into this thing. She clearly needs us, so don’t sweat it.>
Bill was right. “Is it possible for me to bind my respawn point here right now?”
“It is not only possible, it is required,” The O'Baba growled in response. “We are not trusting. You must prove yourself to be one of us. As is our way, there are consequences for failure. Should you fail in your quest to stop the College, you will die and be reborn here; only to die again and again. Many times over to fuel our spells. If you should reject my offer right now, I will kill you once—but only once. A painless death, and we part ways, or you can risk everything and prove your worth to The People. It is your choice. What would you have?”
Quest alert! Trust of the Pack: The O’Baba has offered you and any teammates you recruit a chance to betray humanity in exchange for a permanent place among The People. In order to earn the trust of The People, you must uncover and thwart a deadly new spell that the Mage’s College is planning to unleash, which will destroy the Wolfman Outpost known as Narvik. You have one week to accomplish this portion of the quest, or you will automatically die to the curse of the Shaman O’Baba.
Accomplishing this task will earn you the favor of the Wolfmen and change your racial alignment. As a reward, you have been promised a Guild Charter and a questline to grant you a Lordship. Warning! Changing racial alignments has serious consequences! You will be pitting yourself against all of humanity! Additional Rewards: +2,000 Reputation with The People. Exp: 10,000. Accept / Decline
Quest Alert! Blood Runs Deep: The O’Baba has additionally asked you to free her blood-kin, Velkan of the Redmane Tribe, who is being held captive at the Mage’s College. There is no penalty for failing to accomplish this task! Accomplishing this task, however, will elevate your overall reputation with The People and your personal reputation with O’Baba. Reward: +1,000 Reputation with The People. Exp: 1,000. Blessing of The O’Baba. Accept / Decline
Sam read over both prompts, but he’d already made up his mind. This was exactly what he wanted. Even better, he already had a good idea about the nature of the spell he needed to thwart. Octavius was an Earth Mage. He had been working on a new spell which could be used to strike out at the Wolfmen. It didn’t take a genius to work out that his job was to throw a monkey wrench into the Peak Student’s plans.
Awesome! Not only would he get to join the underdogs—pun intended—but he’d get to royally screw over Octavius in the process. That was a win-win all around. Sam accepted both prompts. “Okay! I’m all in!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sam loitered behind in a clump of bushes not far outside the western gate into Ardania. When he’d gone questing with Dizzy and the others, they’d exited through the northern gate, but apparently, the secret passage from the Sage’s section of the library had dumped him far from that locale. Getting back to the city after finishing his business with The O’Baba had been relatively easy. After spending a night on the run, being assaulted by foxes, wolves, and Wolfmen… killing a few rabbits felt like a leisurely walk in the park. Speaking of surviving the night, his little feat had earned him a fancy new title and a boost of experience.
It seemed he was the first traveler to survive a night alone outside the walls.
Ding-ding-ding! World’s First! Title unlocked: Night Prowler. There are dark and deadly things that go bump in the night, but do you care? Nope! In fact, you might just be one of those things! When the rest of the world is tucked into warm beds and hunkered down behind the safety of high walls, you’re out in the deepest darkness! For being the very first to survive a full night outside the city gates, you gain +2 skill points, +1 to Luck, and +75 personal fame with Ardania! Effect: Gain passive skill Darkvision.
Skill gained: Darkvision (Novice I). You are able to see in total darkness with no penalties. Range of vision is halved. Passive, no cost.
Of all the titles he’d earned so far, this one had the most practical effect. If everything went well over the next week, he’d officially be on team Wolfman, which meant he’d probably be doing a fair number of night ops. Having the ability to see perfectly in the dark, even if his range of vision was reduced, would be a tremendous help.
Sam bided his time for a few more minutes, watching the flow of traffic and keeping an eye out for anyone who might be from the College. Sam doubted very much that he would see Octavius or company skulking around here. Why would the Mages watch the gates, when no one survived a night outside the walls? Still, Sam hadn’t come this far to lose everything due to recklessness. That was how he got here; now was the time to take things carefully.
So, he waited.
Watching the players, yes, but mostly watching the pair of city guards in chainmail armor. Both guards were older, mid-forties or early fifties, and looked worn out from countless nights of too little sleep. They lazily waved folks through the gate with hardly a look; one stifled a tremendous yawn with his closed fist. The poor guy looked as if he might pass out where he stood any second.
Satisfied that this wasn’t some elaborate trap designed to lure him into a false sense of security, Sam waited for a particularly big party of adventurers to slip out before breaking from his hiding spot and sneaking in. Still, Sam half expected to hear the clatter of weapons and the clang of warning bells, but none of that happened. He’d done it! He had escaped the College against all odds, weathered the night outdoors, and somehow made it back into the city without incident. Sam grinned like a loon and whistled softly as he strode into the warren of streets and alleys that comprised the city.
Despite his sudden good mood and fresh burst of optimism, there was still one thing he needed to check—the town square where players bound to Ardania respawned. If the Mages were out in force and searching for him, that was the most likely place for them to be camped out. Sam didn’t want to get caught, but he also wanted to know just what kind of opposition he was up against. If the College had dispatched a single bounty hunter, it would be easy to avoid a single person in a city this size. If, on the other hand, they’d dispatched a platoon of bounty hunters and a squadron of Mages to wrangle him, Sam would have to step much more lightly in the days and weeks to come.
Plan set, Sam set off at a brisk walk—not strolling but not running either. He wanted to look like someone with place to be but not someone who had something to hide.
<Wow, this place sure has changed since the last time I was free,> Bill marveled inside his head. <I never much liked the Archmage, but King Henry was always a good enough kiddo. I fought for him to take the crown during the early days, and he’s definitely done right by the city.>
“Wait. What?” Sam whispered furiously. “You personally knew the King?”
<Hey, you know we can talk without talking, right?> Bill sounded a little exasperated. <We have a telepathic connection, so if you think real hard at me, we can chat mind to mind and no one will be the wiser. Maybe you could give that a shot, so it doesn’t look like you’re an insane hobo nattering to yourself. That will definitely draw some unwanted attention.>
Sam felt like someone had just slapped him in the face. He could talk to Bill telepathically? But how? Sam’s steps faltered, and he stopped cold in the middle of the street, causing a minor human traffic-jam that earned him a few heated words from passing Travelers. His Instinctual Casting ability seemed to aid him here as well because, after only a handful of seconds, he was able to locate a clump of nerves inside him. Now that was interesting.
He shuffled off to the side of the road, leaning against a brick-sided building as he pressed his eyes closed tight. He pictured his Core, just as Mage Akora had taught him. His Center unfurled before him like a scroll. Sam instantly spotted the blue-white hurricane that was his own Core, but curiously, not far from his Core was a secondary ball of swirling, golden energy.
Bill’s Core?
The two were connected by a thin tendril of energy no thicker than a few strands of hair. Sam pictured the golden ball that was Bill and sent a wave of intention out from his Core, shoving it through the tenuous tether of connective Mana.
<Can… you hear me?>
<Hey, wow. No need to scream,> Bill shot back smugly. <Maybe focus a little less, huh? Yeah, I can definitely hear you.>
<Sorry about that,> Sam sent, this time only allowing a trickle of ‘intention’ through the tether.
<Perfect. Right there is the sweet spot. Don’t sweat it. That was actually pretty good considering this was your first time with the whole mind-talking thing. Now, why don’t we get moving? People are already giving us some funny looks.>
<Right. Of course,> Sam ducked his head and coaxed his feet back into motion. <So back to you personally knowing the King. That seems like something you maybe should’ve mentioned before.>
<Hey, we’ve known each other for all of twelve hours. In case you didn’t get the message, I’m over three hundred years old. It’s hard to pass on a lifetime worth of stories during the lifespan of a typical mayfly. Also, it’s worth mentioning that we were sorta preoccupied with not being murdered by Mages and Wolfmen. But, yes. I did know the King. Believe it or not, but I started off my career as a Bravi. Sword Callers. We could summon blades to ourselves no matter where we were, and though the Bravi is a melee class, we could channel Mana through conjured steel.>
<We were the best, Legs,> he continued, sounding almost wistful. <The very best. My Order and I were sell-swords; we took contract work for the highest bidder. At the time, the highest bidder was a plucky young ex-Prince named Henry who hoped to consolidate the shards of shattered humanity and forge them into something new. Something better. He wanted to build the city you see here. He was a good kid. Smart. Powerful like you wouldn’t believe, and most importantly, he had the coin to secure my Order’s services. That’s where the hat and the Quill Blade came from, you know. Those were hallmarks of the Bravi, though as far as I know, there are no more practitioners of my art.>
<So how did you go from being a mercenary, in the service of the future King, to a Bibliomancer, and then… well, you know. A book?>
<That’s a story for a different time, Sam. Stay sharp. We’re here.>
The street connected directly to the city’s main square, dominated by the enormous fountain that acted as a bind point for the vast majority of the players aligned with the human race. Sam crept into a pool of deep shade cast by a colorful silk awning. He snatched the flamboyant hat from his head, pulling an Apprentice’s cowl from his Flask of the Drunkard. The Bravi’s hat was impressive, but it marked him out in the crowd like a road flare that screamed ‘Look at me!’ That was attention he didn’t want.
Sam surveyed the veritable sea of people milling about the square. It took less than thirty seconds to spot Octavius. The Peak Student stood out thanks to his colorful and stately robes, the scowl adorning his face like a thundercloud and, of course, the four College guards standing around him in a loose circle, all trying to look casual, all failing miserably.
<Boy, we really kicked the hornet’s nest,> Bill remarked.
<Yeah, I see Octavius,> Sam replied silently.
<Ha. You’re so cute. I’m not talking about the obvious Mage with the obvious guards all being extremely obvious. Look closer. Pay attention to the side streets, the upper house windows. Abyss, even the number of plain-looking ‘citizens’ just hanging around in clusters of two or three.>
Sam paused, pulling his eyes away from Octavius to really look at the square for the first time. What he saw this time around stole the breath from his lungs. Plainly dressed men and women, clutching at weapons far too impressive for this early in the game. City guards with shifty eyes. A disproportionate number of ‘citizens’ sporting plain brown robes—obviously ‘new player’ gear—simultaneously holding enchantment-covered staffs and sleek wands. Those magical weapons told the true story—high-powered Mages hiding in plain sight. These people were all just waiting for one pesky Rogue Mage to reappear so they could apprehend him without issue.
“Wow, I’m in so much trouble,” Sam murmured. He knew he’d made some powerful enemies by raiding the library and freeing Bill, but there must’ve been a full twenty Mages here, and at least twice that number of College guards. He was going to have to step carefully, especially over the next several days. His living quarters at the College were clearly compromised, so he’d have to find a new place to stay while dodging the College’s bounty hunters. To top it off, he’d have to figure out a way to free the captured Wolfman, make sure Finn was okay, derail Octavius’ spell, all while trying to master a brand-new class.
“I’m going to have to do it all alone,” he whispered under his breath as he wat
ched the Mages.
<Alone?> Bill chipped in cheerfully, <You’re never alone. Not anymore! Who needs healthy boundaries anyway?>
<I couldn’t be more thrilled,> Sam replied flatly.
<I feel like maybe you’re being sarcastic. Do they have sarcasm where you come from?> Sam scowled at the book in reply. <Okay. Then that was definitely sarcasm. But, here’s the thing. You really should be excited to have me riding shotgun inside your head because I am a vast storehouse of knowledge. One, I know just about everything there is to know about the layout of the College, so if anyone can get us in and back out, it’ll be me. Although, to do that, you’re gonna need to seriously up your game, but that brings me to point two. I happen to be a Bibliomantic Skill and Class Trainer. The only one, in fact.>
<Wait,> Sam’s eyebrows rose toward his hairline in utter shock, <you’re a skill trainer? Are you telling me that you can teach me spells and passives?>
<Uh, yeah. Duh! I mean, as the inventor and founder of this particular path, I can teach you everything you need to know to be the baddest book-slinger around. As a former Bravi, I’m not half bad with a blade, which means I can teach you a thing or two about using your Quill Blade. Admittedly, there are some skills and abilities you won’t be able to learn yet because you have the level of a common house cat, but we’ll turn you into something special with a little time, persistence, and training. Because we’re partners in crime, I wouldn’t even charge you for my services… aside from the room and board of letting me live inside your head.>
<Gee. How very generous of you,> Sam sent back, but he couldn't stop himself from grinning.
<Ah, think nothing of it. Wait. No. I take that back. Please, think about how generous I am on a regular basis. Best if we get moving, though. We only have a week to work with, so we have some serious montaging to do. That starts with a trip to the store. Unfortunately, being a Bibliomaniac Sorcerer can be expensive, so I hope you have some extra coin lying around; either that or we’re gonna have to get creative. Turn you into a klepto-mancer. First stop we need is a custom bookstore. Anywhere they might sell bulk parchment, custom inks, or infusion elements.>