The Blade Guardian Read online

  “When are we heading back?” I asked, releasing my grasp on the guardian.

  “At first light, so get some rest. It’s a bit of a trek back to Ravenhold, and the roads have grown…dangerous.” Morose turned and began to walk towards the exit. He paused just as he reached the door. “Are your... companions tagging along?” the assassin asked without looking back.

  “You’re damn right we are,” Helena rebutted. She shot a glance at Brenton and Taryn, who both nodded in agreement.

  “Fine,” Morose replied in that icy voice of his, then abruptly he took his leave.

  Silence lingered in the tavern as the wooden door creaked shut in his absence. I gazed at the others, who seemed taken aback by the ravenflight lieutenant... that is, except for Helena, who nonchalantly swiped a mug of ale off the table and downed it in record time. “What the hell was his problem?” she asked as she wiped the frothy remnants from her lips.

  Brenton chuckled as he adjusted the spectacles on his face. “He is an assassin, after all. What kind of mood would you find yourself in if you had to kill others for a living?”

  Helena shrugged as she wrapped her hands around a second mug. There wasn’t much arguing with that.

  ><><

  A light rainfall began to pass over Riverwood as we set out the next morning. Razyr and Kord both pranced happily around my feet, reveling in the change of weather. However, Salence, my dragon familiar, latched firmly under my back and hid beneath my cloak.

  “He’s got the right idea,” Taryn muttered as he gloomily tossed his black hood over his head.

  The rain didn’t really bother me, but I paused as the others pulled out cloaks and cowls to throw over their heads. With a moment to spare, I pulled up my character sheet to ensure that everything was in order.

  Name: Zander Darkblade

  Class: Slayer

  Familiar(s):

  Razyr (Valor Sprite)

  Kord (Nature Sprite)

  Salence (Dragon Sprite)

  Lvl: 30

  HP: 460/460

  Mana: 320/320

  Exp: 150/3,000

  Str: 34 (+3 item bonus)

  Dex: 50 (+3 item bonus, +5 item bonus)

  Int: 32 (+15 Boon, +3 Item Bonus)

  Con: 20

  Wis: 10

  Cha: 13

  Faction: Ravenflight (member)

  I’d focused most of my power into my dexterity and strength, bolstering my attributes until I was an offensive powerhouse. I did add a bit of power into my constitution as well, but my main form of defense was my speed. Your enemy couldn’t hurt you if they couldn’t hit you.

  I also had the advantage of the boon of Crateus… a substantial and seemingly permanent intelligence boost. The increase didn’t necessarily make me any smarter, but it gave a huge boost to my mana, mana regeneration, and the ability to perform dark magick.

  Next, I double-checked my array of skills.

  Elite Skills:

  Shadowshift III

  Weapon Mastery:

  Blade of the Slayer (passive, bonded weapon: nevermore)

  Forge from Shadow (passive)

  Lunging Strike V

  Illusionary Strike IV

  Double Strike IV

  Combat Expertise:

  Mark of the Slayer (passive)

  Master of the Hunt II

  Martial Arts (school of the dragon) (passive)

  Battle Mind (passive)

  Dark Magick:

  Shadow Snare IV

  Shadow Spike

  Dark Gravity II

  Death’s Embrace

  Through some research in Karrihdan’s library of knowledge and a bit of experimentation, we were able to gain a better understanding of Aetheria’s skills. We had discovered that each class offered three separate skill paths from which a player could choose their skills. Upon leveling up, a player could unlock the knowledge of a skill of their choice, up to a maximum of five skills for each path (and five rank increases thereafter). After that, the player (or traveler, as we were commonly referred to) could either bolster their current set of skills or seek growth by obtaining a prestige class. Unfortunately, the methods used to unlock a prestige class were unclear, but it was possible to bolster one’s abilities through familiar bonds or acquiring elite skills through special quests.

  I’d also done a bit of delving into the specific skills and traits of the slayer. When I had first started my journey, I’d seen the skills as merely an array of tools to help further my capabilities in combat, but I was quite wrong. In fact, the separate paths of the slayer were entwined, each path meant to complement the other and turn the slayer into an unstoppable force of death.

  The weapons mastery path mainly dealt with different weapon skills and manipulation of the slayer’s blade. These were my most widely used skills, as well as my main source of damage…. A building block for my other skills and abilities. Then there was the combat expertise path. These skills were used to bolster my effectiveness in battle as well as hunting down targets. Although most of the skills in this path were passive and offered little in the way of damage, they were necessary in making me a complete and competent warrior. Lastly, the dark magick path offered several utility spells from the school of shadow. None of the dark magick spells at my disposal were as mighty as a wizard’s greater fireball, but each of them had a specific use that gave me a powerful edge in combat. During my time thus far in Aetheria, I had found that using the three paths in unison had made me more combat-effective than I could’ve ever imagined.

  Finally, I checked over my inventory to ensure I had everything ready for the journey back.

  Inventory

  Chest: Elvish Field Plate (worn)

  Arms: Darkleather Gloves

  Legs: Darkleather Boots

  Equip 1: Cloak of the Raven (+3 Dexterity, +3 Intelligence)

  Equip 2: Giant’s Belt (+3 Strength)

  Equip 3: Nimble Nam’s Ring of Quickness (+5 Dexterity)

  Weapons:

  Main Hand: Nevermore

  Off Hand: --

  Ranged: Eagleshot, Throwing Knives

  Items:

  X3 Torches

  Flint & Steel

  X1 Tide Rod

  X5 Field Rations

  X1 Pristine Dragon Scale

  X2 Silver Wolf Fangs

  With the group now fully prepared for a rainy journey, we set out. Once we crossed the river, Hilda, Helena, Brenton and I called forth our windsteeds. The creatures had proved to be invaluable companions since we stumbled upon them weeks ago. In fact, they were some of the most reliable mounts in all of Aetheria, with the ability to be summoned merely from words spoken on the wind. Allegedly, it was due to some Aether-based enchantment that befell the creatures, though I couldn’t really be certain either way.

  Morose led the charge away from the city, riding on a massive black warhorse armored in darksilver plate that wrapped around the mount’s head and neck. The assassin appeared downright fearsome atop his armored steed, with spikes protruding from his body and horns jutting out of his helm. Still, we followed as he led us north away from town and back towards the capital city of Karrihdan.

  The first day on the road proved to be a slog. Little was said as we trudged through the rain and the muck, though we managed to take shelter underneath branches of the forest’s massive oaks whenever possible. By nightfall we had cleared the forest and made it to the Ferndragon foothills, a rather peaceful (and rain-free) spot to rest for the night.

  Morose, being the team player that he was, chose to take his leave while the rest of us set up camp. It was a bit aggravating, especially when I asked him about the status of ‘the mad’. Max and the others who’d lost their sanity were being held in a fortress in the far north, awaiting the creation of a spell that could help recover their minds.

  “Nothing to speak of,” was his only reply before disappearing from camp. That left us to fend for ourselves. Thankfully, our time in Aetheria had taught us an invaluable lesso
n…that everything came a bit easier with the help of sprites.

  Salence put his flame breath to use by starting us a campfire while Ivanellios carried Razyr to a nearby stream to gather some fish. The horned drake had proven to be an excellent swimmer, with the ability to spear fish that were nearly double his size with his horn. Kord even carried his weight, using his long tongue to snatch up the bothersome insects that seemed to populate the wooded area around us.

  A bit later after our familiars helped us settle in, I took a seat in the wet grass, leaning my back against one of the large stones jutting from the hilltop where we rested. A few of the others had already retired for the night and I had to admit I was a bit envious. Since diving into AGO... into this foreign world, I always found it hard to sleep.

  I tipped my head back and gazed into the sky, my eyes fixing on Aetheria’s two glowing moons. Suddenly, a face appeared above, its long white mane dangling towards me as it learned over the edge of the rock, its yellow eyes staring down into my own.

  “Hey there,” the creature said, his tone flat and emotionless, much like his master’s.

  “That little beast sure does love to climb,” Brenton said as he approached, taking a seat next to me in the grass. The white-haired creature, his familiar, leapt from the top of the stone and landed comfortably in his lap.

  I gave the familiar a puzzled glance. “Do lions normally climb… ya know, back on Earth?”

  Brenton raised a hand to his chin. “You know, that’s an excellent question. I think I’ll make that the first thing I figure out once we arrive back home.”

  Home... the word lingered in my mind for a moment. Home seemed like such a foreign idea at this point, like one of those memories that you just couldn’t completely form in your head. Actually, it was a bit worrisome...

  Brenton placed a hand on my shoulder, distracting me from my thoughts. “What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get back?”

  “Get back?” I asked. “You mean to our bodies?” He nodded, so I strained my brain and thought on it for a second. It was like wading through a fog of distant memories... it was almost painful! Finally, something clicked in my head, not a memory of something… but someone.

  “I’m gonna confront my dad,” I said quietly. “I’m gonna squeeze him as tight as all hell and tell him that he doesn’t need to drink anymore, that everything’s going to be ok.”

  My words were far more sobering than I’d imagined. We’d been gone for nearly three months now... our loved ones left to wonder about the state of our minds. And that’s if our bodies were actually still intact…

  “That’s a really good idea, Zan,” Brenton said earnestly, before wiping the fatigue from his eyes. Silence lingered in the air for a moment before the runecaster finally began to rise. “I think I’m gonna head in for the night. You better get some rest yourself.”

  I nodded, then lay back in the grass and gazed back into the sky. After a few moments of silence, my eyelids finally began to grow heavy... thoughts of home weighing on both my head and my heart. Eventually I let the darkness take me, granting my body a few hours of much-needed rest.

  It wasn’t long though, before I was awakened by screams in the night.

  3

  Wolves in the night

  I emerged from my slumber and bolted to my feet, nearly catapulting Razyr out of my lap as I sprang up. That scream... it sounded like Hilda. What the hell was going on!?

  My eyes went wide as the twang of a bowstring caught my ear. My reflexes kicked in and I immediately forged nevermore from shadow. Based on the sound of the bow, I guessed the distance of the shot and swung my obsidian sword out in front of me, deflecting a silver arrow that had come soaring at my face. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the second arrow following in its shadow, though I certainly felt it as it pierced my shoulder. -24 HP

  “Get to cover, Zander! They’ve got us sur—” Hilda’s frantic shouting filled the air once more before ending abruptly as another arrow emerged from the darkness, zinging by my head. I ducked for cover as I peered in the direction of Hilda’s pleas, but the darkness blanketing the area was unnatural ... likely a spell to provide cover to our attackers.

  “Salence!” I yelled as I scrambled behind the large nearby stone. “Light it up!”

  My dragon familiar zipped into the sky, disappearing into the blackness for the briefest of seconds. Soon, I heard the creature let out a resounding growl before lighting up the area with a burst of his flame breath.

  Finally, I saw them in the reflection of the dragon’s flames... Three men and a woman dressed in rugged chain mail and armed to the teeth in an assortment of knives, blades and various other martial weapons. Each of them had a crossbow strapped to their side... but that didn’t make sense. I’d been shot with an arrow from a longbow, not a crossbow bolt. That meant there had to be more of...

  THWACK!

  Another arrow slammed into my side, dropping me by 28 HP. I scrambled away, diving through a patch of brush as I yanked out the arrow, then rolled until I was nearly on the side of the hill, just out of the enemy’s sight.

  Damnit, this was not good… those guys would be on me again in seconds. They were organized and efficient, and I was trapped on a hillside with nowhere to go.

  No word from Hilda and the others either, other than her muffled cry for help…. What had these bastards done to them?

  I could hear the voice of one of my attackers nearby barking orders as they made their approach… an older woman, calm and assertive… perhaps the leader. “Bandit, you take point. Kiernan, take flank and stay alert. This last one’s a slayer, so be prepared for deception or even a possible counterattack.” The woman’s instructions were so regimented and concise... almost militaristic in nature. If only I’d gotten a glimpse of their power levels, I would know what I was up against...

  “Zander, look out!” Razyr yelled as his horned little head appeared in the brush next to me. I immediately turned to see the blade of an axe coming straight for my face. I rolled as the axe blade smashed into the dirt, grazing my cheek and drawing a thin line of blood. -3 HP

  “Damn you!” I growled as I sprung to my feet, swinging nevermore back in the man’s direction. Sparks flew as the assailant parried my blow with his axe, deflecting my obsidian blade to the side as he delivered a firm shoulder to my chest.

  With my assailants in close proximity, I gave them a quick scan.

  Bandit

  Lvl 30 Mage Hunter

  Kiernan

  Lvl 28 Ranger

  A second attacker, the woman, Kiernan, charged in beside the axe wielder, Bandit, a curved iron scimitar in her grasp. I watched in fear as the pair moved in unison, one attacking high at my chest while the other swung low at my knees. They hadn’t spoken a single word to each other, and yet their coordination was still flawless! These weren’t skills acquired in AGO. No, these were the battle tactics of trained soldiers.

  Luckily, I had seen a few battles on my own.

  The after-image of my body faded as their weapons passed through my fleeting form. I re-appeared behind the pair, delivering a powerful slash to the woman’s back with my well-timed illusionary strike.

  Immediately, the woman dropped, and I turned to confront Bandit, lashing out with my blade. Again, the man tried to deflect my blade with his axe, but I forced the attack through, slicing at his neck with a sizzling kinetic strike. The blow sliced through his armor, leaving a lingering smell of burnt flesh and leather in the air as his body fell to the ground, his health reticle nearly depleted.

  Kiernan leapt back to her feet and turned to re-engage me with her curved blade. “Kord! Lash her!” I yelled. The amphibious familiar immediately leapt towards the woman, ensnaring her in his long tongue before dragging her to the ground with a bit of force.

  The pull of a bowstring suddenly caught my ear as I attempted to reset my stance. Without looking, I ducked low just as an arrow zipped over my head, nicking the lip of my hood and revealing my lon
g, silver hair. Damnit, these guys would not let up!

  I rolled to the left and prayed that I had positioned myself out of the archer’s line of sight. Then I steadied myself and turned to face the two remaining assailants in front of me.

  Kaiger

  Lvl 29 Dragoon

  (Profession: weaponsmith)

  Ansel

  Lvl 25 Brawler

  I quickly threw my slayer’s mark on the one on the left… Kaiger, a tall bearded dragoon wielding a long, iron spear.

  “Salence! Razyr! To me!” I shouted as I leapt into action. The two familiars formed into balls of light as I shadowshifted behind the spear-wielder, absorbing them into my chest as I materialized at the man’s flank. I could feel my body ripple with power from the Aether that now coursed through me, filling every inch of my body with their precious energy. Bonding with the familiars gave my strength, dexterity and constitution a powerful spike, a boost that I would need if I was going to hold my own against these guys.

  I hoisted my blade, preparing to strike down the burly dragoon… that is, before I caught sight of something in the corner of my eye. There, moving behind one of the large, jutting rocks was the unseen archer. She was a fierce-looking woman… tall, muscular, and armed with at least a dozen knives strapped to her body. Her head was shaved on one side, revealing a rather surprising facial tattoo… the Iron Wolves symbol prominently etched into her skin. Beside her, a shadowmancer wrapped in dark robes crouched as dark tendrils of energy bled from his fingers. And beside him…

  My heart sank as I laid eyes on the rest of my companions. Hilda was there, bound, gagged and perched on her knees, a look of terror in her eyes. The others, Helena, Brenton and Taryn were entrapped in some sort of soft-glowing cage, an imprisonment infused with Aether and sealed with intricate runic markings. Likely the attackers had taken each of them down in the dark of night, neutralizing them with shadowy expertise, then sealed their abilities with some sort of rune magick. Hell, I probably would’ve been right there with them if it wasn’t for Hilda’s warning cry….