Chapter 68: Predator and Prey

I lay on the ground, gasping. My limbs felt too heavy to move and my thoughts were sluggish. I barely had the energy to slid my gaze upwards to the figure approaching me.

It was Saben.

He crouched down and peered at me. Judging by his attire alone, Saben was a wealthy courtier. A jewel-encrusted shortsword was belted at his hip. Soft leather gloves covered his hands, extravagant embroidery decorated his silk jacket, and his boots were polished to a high sheen.

His eyes, though betrayed him. Storm grey, they spoke of death and suffering. There was something else about Saben that was different too, something beyond the physical. Reaching out with my will, I cast analyze upon the gang leader.

The target is Saben, a level 14 human. This entity is a player and bears a Mark of Minor Dark, and a Mark of Ishita.

Saben was higher levelled than Morin had said. Either he had gained the levels recently, or her information was bad. And if she was wrong about this… what else is she wrong about? Also, unlike every other candidate I had met, Saben was Marked. He had likely filled all three of his Class slots and completed the Master’s task. He will recognize my own Marks too, I realized.

The gang leader’s painted black lips curved upwards in a thin smile as he studied me. “My, aren’t you a slippery one,” he murmured. “And Marked too already. Ishita will be most displeased.”

My lips parted, and I attempted a rejoinder, but only a dry wheeze escaped me. Saben chuckled. “Oh, I wouldn’t try talking,” he said. “It’s going to be a while yet before you have the energy for anything besides breathing.”

You have detected two hidden entities. Goral and Markus are no longer hidden!

I sensed two figures emerge from the webs covering the wall behind me. “Sorry boss,” one said. “He moved too fast.”

Saben glanced up at him, his face expressionless, but the speaker must have sensed something in the gang leader’s face that I didn’t, because he stepped back hastily.

“We didn’t think he’d—” he began, his voice shaking.

“Enough,” Saben said, his voice mild, but with the promise of pain to come. “You made me trigger the spell early. Do you know how rare that scroll was? Ishita will not give me another, and now we will have to capture the others the hard way.” The gang leader shook his head in disgust. “Get him inside before the rest get here. I will deal with you two later.” He paused. “And don’t forget his weapons.”

Goral and Markus picked me up by the feet and hands, and hauled me off further down the passage. Still near-senseless, I was helpless to stop them. Swaying in the pair’s grasp, I cast analyze on both.

The target is Goral, a level 11 human.

The target is Markus, a level 10 human.

After only a few yards, the tunnel opened into a cavern nearly thirty yards in diameter. Thick spiderwebs covered the entirety of the chamber’s walls and roofs. A bed and table lay on the left side of the room, and on the right, nearly two dozen elites crouched down.

The two gang members dropped me carelessly in the center of the chamber. My gaze was fixed on the waiting elites and I barely notice. So, it is a trap, I thought, swallowing bile. The gang leader had known we were coming all along. How though?

“Not there!” Saben said. Goral, hide him behind the web. Stay and watch over him. Markus, return to your position and report back as soon as you spot Morin’s party.”

With muttered replies of “yes boss,” the pair hastened to comply with their leader’s orders. Markus slipped out of the room again, while Goral picked me up by the armpits and began dragging me backwards to the far end of the chamber. My mind raced, searching for a way out. I had to warn the others, and I had to escape Saben’s clutches.

I glanced down at my empty scabbards. But how did I do that with neither stamina, psi, or weapons? The simple answer was I couldn’t. I had to figure out a way to regain all three if I was going to put up any meaningful resistance.

I surveyed the room again. The cavern was sparsely furnished, and nothing in it appeared of immediate use. I turned my attention to the room’s occupants. Saben had swung around to face the entrance again and had his back turned to me. The other elites were not looking at me. In fact, they didn’t appear to be looking at anything. Their eyes were curiously vacant.

As if they can’t see.

The realization hit me swift and sharp. Of course, it is pitch black in the cavern. I cursed softly. I should have caught onto that fact sooner; my thoughts were still torpid. The only reason I could see was because of my nocturnal trait. My gaze slid back to Saben. Despite the dark, the gang leader, Goral, and Markus had had no trouble seeing me. Which means… they must be able to see equally well in the dark.

An inkling of an idea formed. I reached up with shaky arms to clutch at the straps of my backpack. Even that simple action, required tremendous effort, but eventually I managed it. Goral didn’t notice. Huffing and puffing, he was too intent on getting me to where I needed to be. Inch, by inch, I pushed the straps off my shoulders, until they were nearly loose.

Then waited.

We reached the webs, and Goral pulled me through without pause. The silk strands parted easily for us and without preamble, the elite dumped me onto the floor. I had been waiting for just this moment. As Goral released his hold on me, I pushed off my backpack’s straps entirely so it fell to the floor, and twisted my body in an effort to fall atop it.

I succeeded only partially.

I landed on my side and next to the pack. The elite glanced down and saw the pack resting free near me, but didn’t seem to care. Bending over, he hissed, “Now you be quiet, you hear? Any trouble from you and I’ll slit your throat.”

I stared at the thug for a moment. He had one of my swords hanging on his belt, I noticed. Markus must have the other.

“Well? Are you going to behave?” Goral growled, prodding me with his boot.

I bobbed my head obligingly. Satisfied that he had cowed me, Goral rose his feet and peered forward again. I followed his gaze. The spiderweb lay between us and the rest of the chamber. Peering through it was like looking through a thick gauze. I doubted anyone from outside would be able to spot Goral and me. It was how the trio had managed to hide from me in the first place.

I took in the rest of my new surroundings. The space between the webs and the cavern’s walls was perhaps one yard across and but for me, Goral, and our two skeletal bats, was empty.

Speaking of the familiars… the pair were hanging upside down from the ceiling, and appeared to be whispering to each other. Now what could they be going on about?

I glanced at the gang member again. With his gaze fixed on the cavern entrance, Goral was paying me no mind. I inched my left hand forward and under the flap of my backpack. By feel alone, I searched out at a field ration and began unwrapping it.

“Where is your party?” Goral hissed suddenly. “They should have reached here by now.”

In the act of drawing out the unwrapped ration, I paused and glanced up. Even though he addressed me, Goral didn’t look my way. I resumed extracting my prize.

Morin, I realized, must’ve figured out something was wrong after I was late for my check-in. She would likely have stopped the party, and I imagined that even now the trio were probably debating on whether or not to proceed. I hope she returns to the main cavern for reinforcements.

But whatever decision Morin made was out of my hands. I could only do my best to ensure I was ready to act when the time came.

My hand emerged from the backpack with the ration hidden in my palm. I slipped the morsel unseen into my mouth, and chomped down.

After a tense few seconds, I felt a sliver of energy return to me. Holding in my relief, I kept chewing and swallowing. The food ration would not return nearly enough stamina to me in the time I suspected I had remaining, but it was a start.

I finished the ration and closed my eyes. I had done what I could for my stamina, now I had to see to my psi.

Stilling my mind, I began meditating. It was risky blocking off awareness while I was so endangered, but I had no choice. There was no way I was getting out of the mess I was in with stamina alone.

I needed psi.

I could only hope that when Morin and the others entered the cavern that I retained enough awareness to sense their arrival—and act accordingly.

You have replenished 2% of your psi. Your psi is now at 2%.

You have replenished 2% of your psi. Your psi is now at 4%.

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