(I) Ambush
Chapter 60 of "Path of the Deathless" starts the action: -32 (I)AmbushâShiv?â Uva said, looking upon him with a faint glint of concern in her... Find out what happens!
-32 (I)
Ambush
âShiv?â Uva said, looking upon him with a faint glint of concern in her eyes. âWhat just happened? Why canât I sense you?â Her Psychomancy field pressed against Shivâs mask, but like a dam, the waves of her mana found no point of entry.
It was true the other way around as well. Shivâs own mind mana was containedâbottled in place against an equally impenetrable barrier. He pressed against it with all his strength, but it didnât yield. He could feel it shake slightly as Uva tried harder, but ultimately, it endured. âI think this might be the Heroic Mind-Shield enchantment. You might need to have a Heroic Skill Evolution to get through this. Or maybe fully be in the threshold.â
âThreshold is my guess,â Uva said, retracting her mana. She pressed her lips together and considered Shiv with unease. âIt is a good item, but I have seen others like it. Helmets and accessories meant to shield someoneâs mind against a Psychomancer. They usually only offer resistance, though. Or detection. This is a layer of true separation.â
âYou want to try it on?â Shiv asked.
She considered it for a moment. âWhen we get back to Weave. There might be someone I know who would be interested in examining such a mask. If youâre willing to show them. It is your Quest reward, after all.â
âSure,â Shiv said. âThe more I learn about this thing, the better. Speaking of which, letâs see if I can figure out this thingâs Perfect Semblance enchantment. It sounds like it might let them pretend to be someone, butâŚâ Shiv trailed off as the mask vibrated. He stared at Uva for a moment, and a notification appeared before his eyes.
Kill her and take her face to claim her semblance and steal a skill.
âAbsolutely felling not!â Shiv cursed. The idea of murdering Uva and her face made his stomach churn slightly. âWell, I guess thatâs how that works⌠Broken Moon, thatâs kind of felling dark.â
âWhat?â Adam said, squinting at Shivâs mask. âYou found out how it works?â
Shiv tested it on Adam. The same type of notification appeared. âYeah,â Shiv said. âIf you stare at someoneâs face long enough, you get a notification telling you to kill them and take their face to claim their semblance. It also says something about stealing a skill.â
âWell, I suppose I should have expected such charm from the identity-snatchers of Aviary,â Uva said, her voice flat and scornful. âYou said this mask was formed by the mana bomb? Of all the raven and crow helmets melting together.â
âSome other helmets with them as well,â Shiv muttered. âBut yeah. It fits. This is a mask fit for an assassin. Wonder why the System decided to offer me this as a reward. Or how it ensured its creation in the first place.â
Valor explained. The skull floated closer to Shiv, drifting around him, considering the mask.
âNot sure yet,â Shiv said. âAlso⌠the elemental golem I fought didnât have a faceâand some other things donât look human at all. Perfect Semblance might be missing some details about its scope of effect.â
Shiv looked past Valor and considered the gate in the distance. There were still screams trailing in from afar, and though they were gazing down from a vantage point, there were certain things that could only be gleaned when observed from the ground. âI have an idea about how we can start. I might want to take a walk closer to the gate. See just what kind of forces and other surprises they have arrayed there.â
Uva shook her head immediately. âNo. The risk is too great, and youâre rushing too much. Take this slowly and carefully.â Shiv wanted to insist but she continued. âYou might be able to return from death, but tell me, does the mask have a Binding Enchantment?â
Shiv looked through the list again and frowned. âNo. Itâs missing that. My cloak has it.â
âSo, then, should you die,â she continued, âyou are likely to lose the mask and find your mind exposed to the enemy. And that is ignoring the danger posed by the Jealousy.â
Shiv looked up into the âskyâ and frowned at the colossal, looming octopus demon. Its single, crimson eye glowed like the sun through a film of rising smog. âHow high is its Psychomancy Skill?â
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âI couldn't contend with it,â Uva admitted begrudgingly. âI do not think even the owl would be fully confident. It is a Great Demon that hails from a dimension that feeds on emotionsâand its flavor is deceit and heartbreak.â
âYeah,â Shiv grunted, seeing her point. âMight not be the best idea to draw its attention. Yet. But weâre going to need to make our approach at some point, and the mask is my best chance of surviving any encounter against a powerful mind mage. At least in the near term. Depends on how good my teacher is.â
Uva gave him a slight smirk. âDepends on how willing the student is to learn. But you see my point. I have an alternative suggestion. One that will be helpful for all of us.â A particularly piercing cry came from afar then, making Adam flinch. âOne that might clear our minds of the blackness we have just witnessed and mete out a bit of retribution.â
âWell, do tell,â Adam said, sounding impatient. âAnd know that we donât have months to do thisâwe have maybe weeks at most by this point.â Something on his face soured. âAnd I canât believe that the capital hasnât sent reinforcements. My fatherâhe is a hero! Blackedge is meant to guard against the Abyss. To lose it would compromise the Orange Belt and threaten Fortress City Despero next.â
Valor said with a breath.
âWell, thatâs a real consolation for me,â Adam grumbled. âOnly my home is at risk. What joyâŚâ
âAnd weâre going to believe the words of a mind-twisting murderess who sought to kidnap children and train them as slave-assassins?â Adam spat, disgusted.
Adamâs sourness diminished slightly. âVery well. Sister Uva. Letâs see if we can find ourselves some slavers we can question andâŚâ He looked at Shiv and shook his head. âA face for this walking nightmare to .â
Valor added. Both Shiv and Adam regarded him.
Shiv grinned. Adam grimaced.
âAlright, ,â Shiv said, gesturing for Adam to lead. âShow this foolish Young what he must learn.â
âFine,â Adam muttered. âI need you to listen closely now⌠the first class at Phoenix AcademyâŚâ
Shiv nodded.
âWas called to your instructor! We start that lesson right now.â
âWhoa,â Ikki whispered off by the side. âDid the small surfacer just turn into a male Uva?â
Both Uva and Adam glared at the young Umbral at the same time.
âYou know what, Sister Uva, perhaps the lesson should be shared with some of your subordinates too.â
Uva nodded. âHmm. Agreeable.â
âUva!â Ikki complained.
Between the Umbralsâ familiarity with the wilderness and Adamâs terrifyingly impressive Awareness Skill, it took little time for them to find some stragglers. Adam, Shiv, Uva, and Valor studied a halted cave biter from afar. Below, hidden in the vegetation, were Ikki and the others, spread out and laying in wait.
The cave biter was truly massiveâpractically the size of a small mountain. It was also loudly bellowing about how it didnât want to walk anymore, no matter what its contract said.
In response, a few hundred tiny figures holding the treasure trove on its back and driving the slaves on the ground were lashing it with whips. Whips that seemed too small to actually deal such a large beast any harm, but it was flinching each time anyway.
Off along the side of the ebony road, a four meter tall humanoid dimensional made of interlocking shards of metal extracted a few of its blades from the unmoving body of an Umbral. The slave had taken a chance to slip and run when the cave biter decided to go on strike. That same slave was now laying face down in the soft loam, his blood feeding the bioluminescent blades of grass.
The bright blue backdrop made the pool of dark red ever more distinct.
There were perimeter guards as well. Most were lesser elementals of varying varieties, but Uva pointed out two Grudges, which were lesser demons capable of mind magic to some capacity. They resembled writhing patches of shadow outlined by screaming faces. Just looking at them made Shivâs stomach turn a bit. And then there were a few human looking figuresâso human Shiv thought they could pass for surfacers if not for the gleam of their cat-like eyes.
âWell, thatâs not a small group,â Adam muttered.
âItâs the smallest group youâll find among the slave drivers,â Uva said, narrowing her eyes at the enemy. Fully in the field of action, she wore a focus-crystal full helm that covered her entire face, and Shiv felt her mana field expand by half again.
Shiv chuckled.
âShiv. Please donât laugh like that.â Adam sighed.
âLike what?â Shiv asked.
âLike youâre planning to peel someone's face off for your own use,â Uva said, a slightly sardonic edge to her voice. Shiv guessed that she was doing that âbarely smilingâ expression under her helmet. âYou were planning to do something like that, werenât you?â
âAh,â Shiv said, shrugging. âYeah, but I was mainly thinking about killing a specific guy for his staff. Your helmetâs given me focus crystal envy.â
Uva hummed a light laugh. âNow. Plan of attack, Adept Adam?â She looked to the Young Lord, and he just blinked.
âWhat? Youâre ceding authority to me?â he asked, surprised.
âI am not ceding anything. I am technically not here. This slave caravan is about to be hit by a group of unaligned raiders or⌠a .â She gave Shiv a brief glance. âThe Arachnae Order and the Composer know nothing, and she sends her condolences to the Lords of Law that reign over Compact.â
Adam barked a laugh. âYou know something? Youâre growing on me, Uva. Which is strange since â
âIâm glad you understand. Now. What do your surfacer war colleges teach you?â
âMany things,â Adam began. He made an âLâ shape with his hand and closed one eye as he examined the enemy. âBut letâs start with tactics. Right now, we have⌠approximately 153 active hostiles. Most of them are Initiate. . But the Adepts number around twenty. You see those?â He pointed out a few individuals to Shiv. The Deathless was surprised to see how many Adepts were automata as well.
Shiv thought. Automata had different needs from humans, but they still had similar enough ethics and morals. Emotions, too, surprisingly enough.
âWait⌠you counted thirty more than I seeâŚâ Uva muttered.
âThatâs because some of the slaves arenât slaves.â Adam pointed more targets out to Uva and Shiv. âYou see those people? Theyâre too But more than well-fed, their manacles make the wrong noise with each stepâwhich means they have been modified. And the elementals and guards arenât really watching them at all⌠See that idiot in the back? One of her manacles is undone. The other slaves have noticed, but she hasnât. And the guards arenât reacting. And thatâs not accounting for the rider trying to hide using the towering shroom caps above us.â
Uva was leaning forward with every word, relaying what Adam just told her into her communication brooch. Shiv, meanwhile, couldnât stop staring at Adam. âHoly shit. You got all that just from a few seconds of watching?â
Adam smirked smugly. âWell, no. I sensed the rider before any of the others. The bastard put a muzzle on his mouth, but the thingâs heartbeat is the sound of thunder in the airâand itâs flying along. I guess itâs probably a rather vicious creature. The skies get quiet when hawks are in flight. Do you know that, Shiv? Because birdsong is like a challenge to a bird of prey, and unfortunately for our friend in the airââ Adam nocked over a half-dozen magical arrows as he drew back on Spellstring. âThey are not the hunters here.â