Chapter 61 - Opening Act

It always amazed me how productive evil could be. When you cut corners and didn’t care who you had to step on to steal materials or labor, anything was possible. The knowledge that Crimson Shadows had managed to produce some manner of fortifications in however many short days was as impressive as it was tiring. Breaking things down didn’t seem like the ‘good guy’ thing to do. They were trying to clog up the System and cause errors in the process of things, and it was up to us to destroy their foul machinations at any cost - in the hopes the System might notice us and reward us.

We switched to traveling off the side of the road. It was slower going, but we would hopefully avoid any potential traps. Ren was still a little sour at being called names, despite being the good cop. I was a little sour at not taking the man apart bit by bit, despite being the bad cop. Truth was, I let the sensible Max take the reins. Show to run and yada yada. Other than giving us the brief satisfaction of hurting someone who hurt us, the man had a greater role he could play being intact.

I told Wolf it was a one-time thing, but I don’t think any of that truly believed it. The heavy sling at his side was a true testament to how macabre things truly were. How I truly was. If we got through this day, then it just meant the cycle would repeat. Bigger problems for our stronger hands and harder hearts. Perhaps I was giving this more noir overtones than it deserved, but as the dark clouds rolled overhead and brought gloom to the sight before us, I figured the set pieces were pretty on-point.

Once again, I found myself shuffling over dirt and wild grass like a worm, attempting not to dirty my suit right before the opening act. A small rise in the terrain would offer us a glimpse of what loomed ahead - even thought the rough battlements were starting to show between the trees.

Ren writhed along aside me - although further away than usual. Whether that was to try to conceal our rather overt costumes better, or she just wanted us to go into this with cooler minds… I didn’t know. Perhaps I should invest in a more covert outfit if we found ourselves the saboteurs on the regular.

The bridge loomed into view as we crept to the crest of the muddied embankment - or rather; it didn’t. Hastily constructed, a ramshackle fort had been built up around it, obscuring the path across the river. The latter being much wider and fast flowing than I imagined - putting the more sensible option of crossing it elsewhere to bed. The System had designed a funnel, and the Shadows were now blocking it. We were up on the right side, looking down at the construction at an angle.

A barred gatehouse sat in front of the bridge itself. Perhaps they intended to ferry materials, or worse, across the border. There was a higher floor above it, mostly open to the air aside from one roofed area where two figures sat playing… cards, I hoped. Still didn’t have a full normal deck. Beside the central gatehouse were two extensions with two floors. Slim openings instead of windows, enough to fire arrows through. As we were peering over to the right of the structure, I couldn’t see the entrance to the left side - but on the right there was an open doorway almost at the back of the building.

Three figures stood around this opening, discussing something, while a wagon and several crates sat beside them. It didn’t look like the most sturdy of buildings, and it was entirely made from wood - aside from the gatehouse bars. They couldn’t be so blind as to not have something to protect against fire. Surely?

We slunk backwards out of sight again. Back to the waiting bear. Although they might not be on high alert due to their scout not reporting anything, it’d be a big disadvantage to be spotted before the show had even started.

“Thoughts?” Ren whispered to me, as the three of us gathered, sitting down amidst the darkening woods.

“We need to kill any spellcasters first, reduce their defenses.” I rubbed at my chin. “My guess is they’d be above the gatehouse.”

“With the shield up, I can’t protect you. Not from range and not if you’re indoors.” Ren scowled at me.

“We’ll get bogged down in melee if we try to do it head on.” I understood her frustrations. My option put me out of reach, alone, to fend for myself. Foolish? Perhaps.

“Fine. Assuming you don’t throw your life away playing hero, you’ll give us a signal when the barrier is down? I can then hit it with a flame arrow and Wolf can start mauling through the confusion?”

“Sounds like a plan,” I grinned.

“Sounds like bullshit,” she murmured in response.

There was a calm that sunk over me. Normally there would be a brief moment of elation before stepping out on stage, the overwhelming brightness of stage lights and roar of the crowd sending adrenaline and dopamine flooding through my system. Nothing now. I didn’t want to impress my audience. I wanted them dead and for me to be flourishing above their surprised corpses. Manifesting.

“You okay with that, Wolf?”

He nodded. “Don’t die, Max.”

“Ah,” I stood up and stretched my back out. “They didn’t have any horses, so I’m practically invincible.”

“Don’t try to fist fight Jokkar either,” Ren stood and admonished me. “If he is built like a tank, then you’ll just get turned into mincemeat.”

Wolf licked his lips.

I withdrew a crossbow into each hand and gave her a tired smile. “Until we meet again.” Her eyes were full of concern. And then I vanished.

A brief rush of air, and then I was atop the battlements. Triggers pulled toward the wide eyes of the surprised guards sitting under the awning. The first one took the bolt straight through the neck. The second had some defensive skill that activated just in time and they moved, taking it to the shoulder. In panic, he stood to draw his weapon, but he went to lean on the chair to come toward me. Chair was now in my Inventory, and he fell forward, now supported by nothing. Got a good view of my dagger - a little close-up magic.

I withdrew it from his socket as he dropped to the floor. Scooped up the playing cards in to my stash to arrange later. There was a downward staircase behind me, nearer the back of the fort, leading to the floor above the taller gatehouse. I dismissed the dove and narrowed my eyes. Couldn’t see the Party - which was good. They needn’t get involved until the alarm was raised.

Into my hand, the lit torch, which I dropped to the floor. No oil or accelerant, unfortunately, but the match was struck. Burning the place down from afar and then picking through the rubble had been a consideration - but if they had a mage that could put out fire, then that would be a losing battle once more. The only option was to go all out.

Speaking of which… I dropped an Imp+ card and was briefly shocked to see that instead of the pudgy ball demon, they were now a foot taller and in better shape. Still deep red skin, a little tuft of black hair between stubby black horns. Long tail with a barbed end, pitchfork in one hand. I gave him a brief bow and gestured toward the far side of the battlements. On my signal. He nodded and plodded over.

Roger burst from the corpse of the one I had given an impromptu eye exam. Opened his mouth, but closed it in seeing my finger to my lips. From my Inventory I withdrew his mace and handed it over. We walked over to the stairs. Murmured voices could be heard from below. I took a breath and powered up a card in my hand.

We descended and came into a wide room dimly lit by a handful of wall-mounted lanterns. A handful of figures, two in robes by the far wall looking out the front of the fort - both seemed to be holding a spell. Another leaning against the wall on the far left by a doorway where someone else was standing and relaying some information. The final figure, dressed in thick leathers, was right by the bottom of the stairs. He didn’t seem to be too pleased with my unannounced presence.

“Intruder!” he yelled, pushing forward and slashing out at me with an ability.

I backed against the wall of the stairs, Card Fan+ illuminating my vision as the larger magical cards barely absorbed the blow. Any brief thanks to my foresight for upgrading that skill was interrupted as Roger leaped down the stairs and struck the man with his mace. The pair of them both crumpled to the floor in a mass of struggling limbs.

The card I had fired off had gone astray, and as one panicked male wizard went to move behind the two doorway Shadows, the other spellcaster stood in shock. A crimson gash across the side of her face. I flung a split card toward her as I dove over Roger and his opponent, landing into a roll across the wooden floor. The woman had recovered enough composure to bring up a shield to protect from my attack.

I spun back up to my feet with a twirl of my cape, blocking the sword swing of the fighter from the door as the spear appeared into my hands.

“You got some fuckin’ balls trying this,” the man growled from behind a thick red beard.

“Oh, you don’t even know.” I grinned, as purple electricity began sparking along my arms. The man stepped back, a skill empowering his weapon for the follow-up. Panic flashed across his face as his footing slipped, the floor by my feet now full of ball-bearings.

Dagger in hand, I went to step toward him, before my feet burst into ice, pinning me to the floor. I raised an eyebrow at the female spellcaster to the right. “Really?”

Either this meant that the male wizard was holding the protective enchantments up, or they had dropped them in favor of killing me. I couldn’t take that chance.

“Brett, go raise the alarm,” the red-bearded man growled at the other combatant who was trying to get a gauge on me with a ranged weapon.

I couldn’t allow that. Clapped my hands together to vanish the spear and instead I held a blood vial in each hand. Immediately caught of all their attention as there was no denying what I held. I started juggling them. All eyes on me. I held a small hessian bag out as the glass bottles flipped through the air and caught them with a slight clink. Threw it over to the stairs.

No eyes on me. Lots of Dazzle icons though. What a great crowd. The man closest to me stepped forward and bent over towards the small bag. It had been fun, but now it was time for a brief <Finale>.

As lights illuminated and crackled through the room, I rolled across the back of the hunched man. Poured all my remaining mana into a card in the process and flung it at the stunned wizard. Straight into the middle of his head. As he dropped, I ran at the one meant to be raising the alarm, leaping from a conjured chair to come down on him with the black-bladed sword, slamming it down through his chest.

I turned to see the bloodied Roger slam his mace into the head of the bearded man, the stun wearing off just before. His body convulsed before my demon gave him a second strike to the back of the head, finishing him off.

With a thought, I unsummoned him from this plane, just before a spear of magical energy pierced the puppet’s skull.

“Rude,” I tutted with a grin, a card of bright purple in my hand. “No interruptions during the show, please.”

I gave the Imp+ the signal.