Demonic Magician

I yawned and kicked my feet up to place on a small summoned box. Leaning back in my favorite chair, I looked over toward Tanya. “Hey, what do these drop?”

She wiped her head and looked up at her intangible screens. “Usual humanoid junk, plus occasionally fur or teeth.”

“Could I see one of the teeth?”

The fateweaver shrugged, and after making sure Wolf and Quinn were fine, stepped over to hand one to me.

Hyenids, the System had said. Essentially bipedal hyenas. Half were enraged melee combatants, then others were more placid casters. Knowing what I did about the animals back on Earth, it didn’t take much to guess how they were divided up.

The tooth in question was rather sharp. A sizeable canine. “If it’s no trouble, could you collect and give them to me after?”

“Sure.” She nodded and went back to the combat.

Ren gave me a glare as the woman passed - but she had nothing to really chastise me over. I had been true to my word and sat out of the Quest grinding. Trauma still knocking around in the back of my head, I just sat and observed. Occasionally moved up so that I wouldn’t be left behind. Ren kept in my proximity just in case something snuck up on me. Probably my own lax attitude, tipping my head onto the dry ground.

Still, the weather was lovely now that the clouds of the zombie attack had faded away. The Party was having no trouble getting through the Monsters and we should hit the next Level before dusk - if not sooner.

“Break request,” Wolf growled from the front, after tossing half a corpse across the dirt from his mouth.

“Granted. Pull back when ready. We’ll rest by Max.” Tanya shepherded the troops in my stead. Well, that was her role now - something I was glad to be rid of.

The elf was already beside me, chair out. She sat and removed her boots before putting her sock-covered feet up on my legs. Her eyes didn’t meet mine. Still somewhere half between annoyance at me, but wanting me to know that she cared. I accepted the burden and appreciated that I wasn’t left with the cold shoulder.

“Got a dozen so far, Max.” Tanya held out a hand to provide me with the requested dental loot.

I withdrew a small hessian bag and allowed her to fill it, before placing it back in my Inventory as one item. System made some poor choices on occasion.

Quinn stretched out his back, but didn’t look too keen on sitting along with us. “Feel like I’ve been aging a year every day recently.”

“How old were you?” I tilted my head.

“Thirty two,” he answered. “But soon to be double that.”

“Beard ages you,” Tanya said idly, picking at some food, before she looked up at him. “Not that it’s a bad thing.”

She wasn’t wrong. Only four years older than me, yet he could pass as an… odd uncle? Not that I was keen to start designating familial titles to my companions. Although that ship had sailed once Ren and I had started calling Wolf our brother.

“I will take it as a compliment either way,” Quinn gave her a bow. “I never turn down praise.”

“Well, I also think you’re pretty awesome,” I added.

Wolf grunted. “A key member of our family.”

“You… haven’t died yet.” Ren shrugged.

The deal had already been sealed, and the elf’s attempt at playing nice didn’t stop the fixer from pulling a face of absolute elation. Might even be blushing - and any words of thanks were stuck in his mouth.

My mind had already clicked past that, and I didn’t want to dig further into him. The heavy thoughts must have been clearly visible on my expression as Ren shifted her feet on me to get my attention.

“Spill it,” she requested. Her arms were crossed, but she was having trouble giving me an earnest glare.

“After my Domain finished, Roger was in his full form.”

“Oh?” She tilted her head. “I wish I got to see. Can you summon him like that?”

I shook my head slowly. Not just because I was in my time-out chair, but his skill had sat inert since my recovery. He hadn’t died… so I wasn’t sure what was happening there. “All in due time,” I told her, much to her chagrin.

Tanya hummed as she went through her menus. “Almost paid off your Token debt, Max. You should get some out of this - about four and a half more Quests to repeat.”

The revelation was met with murmured groans. Easy enough fighting, but it got pretty drab - especially without me. We’d almost had some fun in the village before the undead had arrived, and now there was no stomach for it. I was also getting cabin fever from being pinned to my chair.

Wolf rolled over, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he stretched. System was watching us… I could tell. Taking notes on what abilities we should gain at the next level. I’d hate to try to guess at this stage. Would pale at being right. Would detest being wrong.

In this place of brief calm, I considered writing more in my diary - it had been a little while. As the others busied themselves with their own ways to relax, I penned some miserable words about dungeons and how life was a struggle. It was all rather dour, and not what I had intended to put down. With a sigh, I snapped it shut and put it away.

“You know, you’ll lose that one day and will feel much better for it.” Ren pulled a face that was possibly an attempt at a sneer. Looked too cute to have an effect.

“What, you think I’ll just dangle it over a ravine or something?” I raised an eyebrow. “It spends most of its existence within my Inventory.”

“I can see why you two are fast friends, then.” Her eyes narrowed.

I returned the gesture, unsure on whether we were flirting or about to brawl.

Quinn seemed eager to interject for either eventuality, diving across the gap between us. A flash bloomed in his hand as he caught an arrow out of the air.

Invisibility washed over me, denying them the target that they sought. Wolf knew I was sitting in place and rolled back to his feet, ready to step in front of me. Ren had spun from my lap, able to tell I had just vanished by her briefly floating feet. Bow out and entangling arrow blazing off in the direction of our unknown assailant.

“Wait, wait!” A male voice cried out. “Are you with the Crimson?”

I stepped up behind the man, leaving a hell-bird in my chair. Dropped a sack over his head as my right hand came around holding a brick. I switched back, in the hopes that I wouldn’t get caught fighting by the others - but Ren had clearly seen me. I shrugged, and she rolled her eyes.

Didn’t take long for Wolf to drag the unconscious man out to the clearing we were trying to rest in.

“Who starts a conversation with an arrow?” I murmured. “Thanks for saving my life, Quinn.”

He gave me a bow, but was keen to find out what this new gentleman had been up to in trying to assassinate me by accident. He kneeled down and bound his arms and ankles while I passed Ren the Nullifying Cuff.

She held the man’s head up. Other than sporting a nice bruise now blooming on the side of his head, he was rather conventionally attractive. Short, tussled blonde hair. Light stubble and a soft tan. Trim in an outfit of muted greens and leather. Human, as far as I could tell.

“No hand-print,” Ren said, as she manhandled him. Perhaps getting a little of her anger against me out on the hapless foe. “Not a Crimson Shadow.”

I clucked my tongue as my eyes went across his icons. “Hate to disagree with you, but I’m afraid you’re wrong on that account.”

“Really?” She glanced back at me, but knew better than to assume I was making it up. “He has a way to conceal it?” After I returned a brief nod, she then looked over at Tanya. “Anyone you recognize?”

The fateweaver stepped over and crouched beside him. “Hmm, no. But there’s plenty I hadn’t had the chance to meet.” Her eyes went back up to the woodland area to the side. “Being alone isn’t normal. Here, Ren, throw this out towards the bushes.”

She handed the elf an idol, and the Oathwarden dropped our captive to the floor unceremoniously.

Hand back, she then lobbed it, and the item bounced into the shrubbery out of sight. She put her hands on her hips and stood for a moment, perhaps waiting for a compliment on her throw. I was too busy trying to put together the puzzle of this man. Although, that was clearly a lie, as I’d made note of her potential intentions.

“Dibs on bad cop,” she turned around and got in there before I said anything.

“Oh. Go ahead, I was going to sit this one out.” I leaned back in my chair and gave her a blank expression. “Due to my condition.”

“Really?” Her jaw worked as she returned a blank glare.

“Perhaps it can be my turn?” Wolf ran his tongue across his lips.

Ren sighed. “We could just kill him right now. Have it over and done with?”

The group looked over at me to gauge my plan. I closed my eyes and relaxed. “Whatever you feel is best. I trust your judgement wholeheartedly.” She may have cursed me under her breath, or I could just be hearing things. That was the trouble with the Trauma status.

They were waiting to see if she would berate me for being a dick - but I was being true to my word. Still, I’d throw them a bone to give myself a little out from the growing tension. “I will be here if you need me to interject or request I do something, however.”

“You’re super sure he is Crimson, though?”

I opened my eyes to glare at the man again and made sure it wasn’t my mind making things up. No, three icons were still there. The one from taking her blood. One that was a buff to stealth, and the last for… I tilted my head to the side.

“While I am certain, there is also something else strange here.” I stood from the chair and looked around. Of course, it wouldn’t be something in plain sight. Did they already know their plan was foiled? Possibly only half of it. I caught Ren’s look, desiring to be clued into whatever mania had taken my reins.

Eventually, I gave them a shrug. “Keep it alive, but they might not give us anything worthwhile.”

The elf raised an eyebrow. “It? Give us a little clue, asshole.”

“Sorry.” I plonked myself back down in the chair. “Brain is overheating a bit.”

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have snapped.” She pulled a knife out from her belt. “But he isn’t human, right?”

Not human. Well, that was a hard thing to quantify. He certainly looked it, and perhaps lived as one… but the icon gave the game away. They clearly didn’t anticipate many people having the skill that I did.

I exhaled through my nose.

“No, he isn’t. He is a puppet or some kind of duplicate of the real Player tracking us down.”