M?! Audrey stuttered. I felt a wave of panic resonating from where the plant summon sat on my shoulder. Ironically, more than when shed kamikaze charged the snake. She was strange that way. Rarely, in niche situations, Id use my summons to speak for . Either to communicate over long distances or speak to people in situations where discretion was required.
Your friend? I said slowly.
Even as I said it, I finally placed the face with a na. Brett. Id found him in the early days, held hostage by a den of monsters on one of the early floors of the Adaptive Dungeon. As a naturally suspicious person with the only key to the dungeon in my possession, Id assud he was a dungeon construct, sa as the monsters, drumd up to create a sense of urgency. When that was proved wrong, it created sothing of a conundrum because I didnt have the mask back then, and my side objective to not reveal myself to other Users was already in effect. Instead of playing along and being forced into a scenario where I either had to aid Brett directly or let him die, Id gone an alternate route. Used Audrey to communicate and aided from the shadows while she appeared to save Brett single-handedly.
It was such a minor event amid so many cataclysms that Id nearly forgotten it. Clearly, he hadnt.
She ca to my aid while I was running for my life. Unexpected, but Im not the type to turn down help in a crisis. I take it you know each other, I said.
Classic Audrey. Brett grinned. Back when everything kicked off, this petaled lady pulled my ass outta the fire. Even told about the Adventurers guild. God knows where Id have ended up without her help. His smile faded. Do you not rember ?
I shifted my shoulder slightly, jostling Audrey.
WHAT DO I SAY? Audreys voice echoed loudly in my mind.
You rember him, right? I asked.
YES.
Then stop yelling and start there. Beyond that its up to you. Hes your friend.
Iuh. Yes. You um let have all the at. Very tasty once I learned to skin them and did not have to worry about the fur. Yum. Audrey said.
I suppressed a groan as Brett rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
Theres an image I was trying to get out of my head. He shifted his head from side to side. But who cares. And if youre helping out this guy, Im guessing youre doing well mate. Good on ya.
Thanks? Audrey said.
Tell you what. Brett walked along the periter, refreshing the fire mines, simultaneously talking over his shoulder, Stick around after the battle. Ive gone back and forth on ways to pay you back if I ever saw you again, and I think youll like what I ca up with. He grinned, then seed to rember himself. If you can spare her.
I shrugged noncommittally, and Brett took that as a yes, giving an enthusiastic thumbs up before he waded back into the fray. My eyes narrowed at that. He was either beyond confident, or he knew sothing I didnt.
Almost as soon as the thought crossed my mind, twin cots of plate armor landed with considerable impact, scattering the surrounding chiras in a shockwave.
The first was Tyler, the massive leader of the Adventurers Guild. And the second was Nick. Tyler looked the sa as he always had. A good-natured grin split his lips as he spotted , intact and whole. Sorry for the delay.
You good, Matt? Nick called over.
With a single-handed sweep, his massive bladereally more great sword than long sword, but he insisted on wielding it with one handcarved through three chiras, bisecting them diagonally in a shower of gore. His golden aura burned most of it away before it hit the ground. Even under siege, surrounded by countless foes, he looked every bit the hero.
I nodded. Caught the tail-end of an explosion but nothing permanent. Wheres
IrisLipreader is at AG headquarters with Sae and your mom.
Safe? Last Id seen her, shed been borderline catatonic.
Shaken but yeah. And before you ask, Aarons over there. Nick finished, pointing over his shoulder.
My jaw dropped before I could rip Nick a new one for abandoning him on the battlefield. An unard figure in five-hundred dollar shoes, slacks, and a button-up shirt was walking through the throng unimpeded, hands in his pocket. Other than the fact that he looked like he jumped straight off the cover of Forbes, there was little noteworthy from this distance. Until I noticed the barely transparent bubble, shielding him from harm.
Thats new. I said numbly. Up to this point, Id believed Aaron was a civilian. That he held the helm of the Order through guile and planning alone. Since when was he a User?
Not sure that he is. Nick lowered his voice, leaning dangerously close to a row of mines. Still reads as a civilian in the group screen. But if he was keeping his status on the down-low, I think its safe to say hes not hiding anymore.
We both knew a persons status in a system screen was anything but iron-clad. Which ant Nick was basing that assumption off of sothing else, sothing hed likely tell later.
No fuckery in the negotiations? I asked.
Smooth as silk. Nick confird, bashing a bear-chira in the head with his shield hard enough that its skull cracked and it fell to the ground. Twenty-six! He yelled at Tyler.
Thirty! Tyler yelled back, smiling wide. He heaved his massive-berserk style blade in a half-circle, obliterating a half-dozen chiras. Gonna need a bigger sword if you want to keep up, kid.
Size doesnt matter you bastard! Nick hollered back, redoubling his efforts.
It was insane how quickly theyd found rapport.
Tyler was a close ally, but hed always regarded with a certain degree of caution. Between his now mostly defunct truth-sight ability and uncanny judgnt of character, there were likely more red flags in the mix than he was comfortable with. He saw my value, and appreciated what Id done, but hed always held at arms length. I suppressed a flash of jealousy at the ease with which Nick had slid into the Guild Leaders good graces and focused my irritation where it was actually due.
Aaron continued through the throng, approaching the center, maintaining the sa casual gait. The force field that surrounded him was unlike any Id ever seen. More offensive. Instead of simply passively repelling attacks, the chiras that approached him were seized by invisible hands and uplifted, their limbs, necks, and even tails twisted rcilessly until the creature was broken and discarded, writhing on the asphalt.
Since the do ca down, Id seen plenty of high-level magic. But nothing quite like that.
Aaron ca to a stop at the center of the lee. When he locked eyes with , it felt like staring a shark in the face. Slowly, he nodded in appreciation.
He knows.
It was jarring, and more than a little alarming. I was used to my machinations slipping by under the radar. Making plays that no one would notice, tweaking things in the background so they ca to an ideal outco while everyone else was none the wiser.
But Aaron saw the play. And I had a strong feeling he was about to make himself the star of the show.
When he spoke, his voice emanated from everywhere and nowhere, booming, unyielding.
This region is now under the joint protection of the Adventurers Guild and the Order of Parcae. Hasturs will be done. Begone.
As his voice rumbled, the chiras alone trembled, as if the earth beneath them was shuddering. And collapsed into piles of gore.
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