Day Seven. Dawn.

The rest of our journey was thankfully without incident, and when dawn broke on my seventh day in the sector, the jagged mountain cliffs that bordered the western side of the valley came into sight.

Today was the last day of my Pact with Erebus, and while some of my urgency to escape had dissipated, I still wanted to leave the sector quickly.

“I can smell the beast,” Duggar said, hackles raised. “She is up there now.”

I glanced from the alpha to the mountain ahead. The three of us were standing at the edge of the treeline, which ended less than fifty yards from the cliffs.

Before us, the mountain rose up in a vertical wall of rock that outstripped even the forest’s tallest trees. The roof of the cliff was flat, almost as if it had been sheared off. Near the top, I also spied a series of darkened holes that seemed large enough for the wyvern mother to pass through.

“Are those caves I see up there?” I asked.

“Indeed,” Duggar replied. “The pack has observed the wyvern and her hatchling enter and leave them on multiple occasions.”

“Which cave is she in now?” I asked.

“We can’t tell from here,” Sulan said. “It’s too far for even us to sniff out the exact location of her scent.”

I pushed my lips thoughtfully as I measured the height of the cliff. It was considerable. “How do we get up?”

“Through that tunnel,” Duggar said, gesturing at the base of the rockface. “The inside of the cliff is riddled with tunnels. That particular one winds through the rock and connects with the caves above.”

I looked where the alpha pointed and, sure enough, spotted a darkened entrance half-hidden by shrubbery. The hole appeared small. It would be a tight fit, especially for Duggar, the largest member of our party. “You’re sure it goes all the way to the top?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Alright, let go,” I said.

“I’ll go first,” the alpha said, and before I could stop him, the big wolf faded into the darkness and padded towards the entrance.

“You better hurry,” Sulan said from behind me, “or he will leave you.”

I dashed forward, slipping into the cliff’s shadows and following in the alpha’s wake.

~~~

I was right, the tunnel was a tight fit, and the three of us were forced to travel single file. I was in the center, Sulan brought up the rear, while Duggar remained on point.

At first, the tunnel delved horizontally through the rock, and navigating it was easy. But after a few dozen paces, the passage turned sharply upwards, going through a series of twists and turns that, at times, compelled us to leap, climb, or contort ourselves weirdly. Fortunately, though, the wolves and I were agile enough to manage the challenge.

Still, it was rough going.

We had been in a tunnel for twenty minutes already, and I judged we were less than a third of the way up. Realizing this would be no quick journey, my thoughts began to drift.

I wondered how the wolves found this tunnel. Had they occasion to sneak up on the wyvern before? They must have. But more concerning than this idle speculation was my growing worry as to the shield generator’s location.

As pocketed as the cliff was with caves and tunnels, I realized Ishita’s sworn could have concealed the shield generator in any one of its many nooks or crannies.

God, I hope they haven’t hidden it. Otherwise, I may never—

“Stop!” Sulan ordered abruptly, interrupting my musings.

I stilled, as did Duggar ahead. “What is it?” the alpha asked tersely.

“There is something ahead,” Sulan said, sinking down to all fours.

My brows furrowed. If there was danger, Duggar, the one on point, should have detected it first. Reaching out with my mindsight, I probed the tunnel ahead, but except for the three of us, it was empty. My frown deepened.

“I see nothing,” Duggar said, sounding just as perplexed. He sniffed the air. “I smell nothing either.”

“They are concealed,” Sulan said. No doubt tinged her mindvoice. “The cloak about their bodies is too well woven for me to penetrate, but the shields about their minds are less well-crafted. I can discern their minds’ absence in the aether.”

“They?” I asked sharply, picking out the most important bit of the information Sulan had imparted. “How many are we talking about?”

Sulan was silent for a heartbeat. “I count twenty, less than two dozen yards ahead.”

Twenty was a sizable number. And if they were hiding so well that Sulan barely sensed them—and Duggar and I not at all—those ahead could not be here by happenstance. Once more, I opened my mindsight and searched the area. But again, I detected nothing out of the ordinary.

Still, I did not doubt the dire wolf elder.

There were enemies ahead. Ones well equipped and prepared for us—or rather, me. “What can you tell me of the tunnel ahead?” I asked Duggar.

“It turns sharply a few yards from here, then widens for a short stretch,” he replied. “That’s where they must be.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Wait here. I will go take a closer look.”

I hesitated, wanting to assume the risk myself, but Duggar had demonstrated time and again that his own stealth was superior to mine, and against hostiles of unknown capabilities, he was the better choice of scout.

“Go,” I said. “But don’t be long.”

~~~

The alpha was gone for five long minutes.

He had vanished so completely into the darkness that I got no whiff of him either with my mindsight or my physical senses. But Sulan assured me Duggar was alright, and I schooled myself to patiently wait for his return.

“Sulan was not mistaken,” Duggar said, emerging out of thin air less than three feet from me.

I nearly jumped in fright at his sudden appearance, much to the amusement of the two dire wolves. “Tell me,” I said with a scowl at the laughing wolf.

“Just like Sulan said, there are twenty of them. Ten on either side of the tunnel. Their shielding is almost perfect,” he added with grudging admiration, “but from up close, I was able to see beneath their cloaking.”

“Who are they?” I asked, suspecting goblins. Only the Howler shaman had known of my eventual destination. Had Hyek betrayed me?

“Players. They’re well-armed too, wolfkin,” the alpha said, his tone grave. “Two are mages. The rest are heavy fighters dressed in full plate mail.” He shook his head ruefully. “I fear neither tooth nor claw will penetrate their armor. We will not be of much use to you in this fight.”

Players. That was more worrying. With the goblins, at least I knew what I was up against, but against players, I had to be ready for anything. “Is this the only way up the cliff?”

Sulan bobbed her head. “It is the only quick route. The other way will require us to travel aboveground, over the mountain itself, and that will take days.”

So. Not only had my foes guessed my destination, but they had figured out the route I’d take too. They must be Awakened Dead players.

The question was, what did I do about it? I couldn’t turn back. There was no other viable way up. That left only one option: to fight.

I turned back to the patiently waiting wolves. “Here is what we do...”

~~~

I crept forward alone, every motion made with deliberate care and pausing between each step.

My abundance of caution was perhaps unnecessary. Not even the smallest sliver of light alleviated the darkness in the tunnel, making it perfect for sneaking. But I was not about to underestimate my foes. They had known enough to prepare this much, so I could expect them to be ready to combat those of my abilities that were common knowledge.

A few yards ahead, the passage twisted abruptly, revealing the widened stretch of corridor Duggar had spoken of. I stopped, studying the area intently.

The tunnel section ahead was about three yards across and mostly level with only a slight upward slant. It continued in this manner for about ten yards before narrowing again and twisting sharply out of sight. My gaze roved the darkness, trying to pick out the hidden figures that the dire wolves had spotted.

I failed.

Hmm… I inched forward again, each foot meticulously placed. Step by step, I drew closer to the ambush spot until finally, I entered the widened tunnel section.

You have failed a magical resistance check!

An unknown hostile entity has failed to detect you! You remain hidden.

Mid-motion, I stilled as I considered the strange Game alerts. I’d failed a magical resistance check? Did that mean I’d been attacked? Suspecting a trap of some sort, I extended my senses and cast trap detect.

You have failed to spot any traps.

My brows crinkled in confusion as I uncovered nothing out of the ordinary. What does it mean? I had no idea, but the important thing was that I was still hidden.

And truly, I had no choice but to proceed. I took another step.

An unknown number of hostile entities have failed to detect you!

This time the Game message was comfortingly familiar, and I ignored it while I listened intently. Almost, I thought, I heard the faint sound of breathing. Was I close enough to my targets? I couldn’t be sure. Tightening my grasp on the object in my hand, I took another step.

Then another.

An unknown number of hostile entities have failed to detect you!

I paused. My foes still hadn’t revealed themselves, and the prudent course would be to act now while I remained undetected.

But I was still less than a yard into the ambush spot, and when the time came, I wanted to clear the widened tunnel section in a single shadow blink. The spell’s range was only nine yards, after all.

I crept forward again. Nearly there.

You have failed a magical resistance check!

You have passed a perception check!

A hostile entity has failed to detect you. You remain hidden.

There it was again. Another strange series of Game messages, and this time one even more confusing. I bit my lip, wondering what to do. Proceeding further will be foolish, but I have to—

“Something’s wrong,” an unseen voice whispered.

I froze, my gaze locking onto the spot from which it had originated. There was nothing there. Or so my eyes told me.

“What?” hissed a second voice.

I knew that voice. It was Forsyth, the spellsword and leader of the gang that had attempted ambushing me in the Howler fort. So, he’s decided to try again. Much good it will do him.

Though, I had to concede the spellsword was better prepared this time around. I could no more detect him than I could the first speaker.

“Something tripped my ward,” the first said.

Ward? What ward?

I tensed in concern. Was that what had prompted the strange Game messages? It must’ve been, I thought, worrying suddenly that I’d underestimated my foes.

Biting back the temptation to act—whether by fleeing or attacking—I held myself still. If the players hadn’t detected me yet, there was still a chance they wouldn’t. And if I kept listening, perhaps I could learn more of their ward’s nature.

“Quiet then! Or you will scare him off!” Forsyth snapped.

“What do you take me for?” the first said, sounding offended. “I’ve cast a spell of revealing already. It found nothing. Whatever tripped my ward, it wasn’t our quarry,” he finished confidently.

I swallowed. The revealing spell must’ve been the second magical resistance check I’d failed. But despite failing to avoid it, my presence had still not been uncovered. Was that because I’d passed the perception check?

“Cast a magelight,” Forsyth ordered abruptly.

“A magelight?” asked the first, sounding startled. “Why?”

“He has high stealth, you fool!”

I could delay no longer. I had to put my own ploy into motion before I was uncovered. I inched closer. Judging from where the two spellcasters’ voices had originated from, I guessed they were positioned at the rear of the ambush party. Perfect. I took another step forward and wound back my right arm.

Forsyth’s companion was still arguing. “I think you’re overreacting—” he continued derisively.

I didn’t wait to hear him finish. Whipping forward my arm, I flung a fire bomb into the corridor.

It was time for more mayhem.