He wasn’t very cooperative at first, so I practiced my skills at limb breaking. After an elbow, four fingers and a knee he told me plenty about how the place was laid out as well as other relevant information. The mage had been a recent addition, strangely enough, it was she who had informed them about our approach as well as providing the ambush plan.

Why? I thought, leaving the corpse on the ground. I didn’t need him running off, and I wasn’t sparing the Liaen on holding him. Why would a mage so well trained, and a Sensitive at that, choose to aid bandits against us? It doesn’t make a lot of sense. I mused as I made my way down a slope.

From what the bandit had provided, the paths were almost labyrinthian, he had recited several mnemonics that they’d made in order to traverse the caves. I was playing one in my head now. It doesn’t translate well unfortunately, but it described a scene involving a boar, butter and copious amounts of drink. It was crass, but ultimately a hilarious tale, which was why it endured.

There were two guards in the next small cavern. Their backs towards me, they were talking to each other, holding the torch between themselves. “We’re still looking for the other irregulars right?” At the other man’s nod he continued. “What’s taking them so long? You think that maybe the others got out?” He asked, shifting uncomfortably. I silently drew my sword.

“No chance. If they managed to take out the group that Sparky sent then she’ll go after them herself.” He shuddered. “If they know what’s good for them they’ll surrender.” I hesitated, sword held almost to strike. Oh crap. I thought. I left, but she can’t see me, I don’t have a soul to see… Which means she knows where the other two are. She probably saw the group fade out. I thought, frowning.

“You know, I wish we could just put up some kind of lamppost or something. I mean, why do we have to stand ‘guard’ as glorified lamps?” He said, beginning to spin. “There’s noth…” I swung quickly, darting forward. His eyes bulged as the blade caught in his throat. I forced it in, pushing back, it didn’t manage to sever his larynx, but I’d cut the arteries, he was bleeding out.

The second one stared at his companion, wide eyed. I stepped forward and he scrambled backwards, falling to the ground. He screamed. “Don’t kill me! Please! I…” He blabbered, tripping over his own tongue. I stuck the sword into his chest. He howled again, and I drew it out and silenced him with another stab. When I get home, I’m going to need a therapist.

Voices echo very well in caves, that’s one thing I learned as a kid. That meant he’d just alerted the whole cave to my presence. “Damn.” I snarled, quickly bringing up a mental map of the area. I needed to free Frejr if possible, going up against a good mage would be suicide if I’m on the back foot.

I turned down a path, driving into a group of three bandits. They barely noticed until I was upon them, they recoiled from me and I dispatched them as quickly as I could manage. I wonder what I looked like to them. I thought idly as I rushed onwards, this time Delving to avoid several of the guard patrols. You know? Now that I think about it this reminds me of the… vision toggles in games.

I swapped liberally between the two, since I couldn’t see normal soulless objects when Delving, and because it was easier than creating an overlay. I couldn’t really tell whose souls they each were, but considering my lack of allies it seemed safe to assume they were mostly hostile. I burst into the room where Qent and Frejr were, slamming into one of the guards with my knees in mid-air.

I rolled forward and drew my sword, slashing at the other guard, before it connected a sudden gust of wind sent me across the room, over Frejr and Qent. I rolled to my feet, it was the mage it seemed. “Who are you?” She demanded, stepping forward from the corner of the room. I said nothing, grimacing beneath the faceplate. Of course she’d be here. Dammit. I darted to the left, but she cast again, and threw me backwards through a corridor.

Something cracked as I struck the wall. I lost my grip on my sword, I picked it up in my left hand, barely in time to dodge a blast of flames. She steps into the corridor, and water jets towards me. I grit my teeth as the needles harden to ice and shatter against my chest. One manages to pierce, spilling my blood onto the ground.

I cough, as a needle, it didn’t do much damage since it only struck my lungs. She’s animated now, gesturing at me. A concentrated burst of wind is shot, and I raise my shield against it. I’m sent off my feet again, bouncing across the ground. I roll up, ducking into a nearby cavern.

“Get after him!” The mage calls, and footsteps echo down the tunnel. I take a quick assessment of my injuries. The puncture of my lungs is minimal damage, but my right arm is fractured and useless, some of my ribs are cracked and several new bruises have been added. I look around, artefacts lie around me, laid out on the tables or in open crates. How did they manage to steal this?

I shook my head, I didn’t have the time for this. There were no exits in the room, I was trapped. Dammit. I grimace, grabbing a stool and swinging it towards the entrance. It slammed into the first few people to try to enter, knocking them to the ground as a few others trickled in. I swung my blade, there was no way I was going to survive this, I realized, resigned.

I tried to hold them at the entrance, but once I was forced back they swarmed in. A hammer knocked me off my feet, slamming me into one of the tables. I’d lost my grip on the sword, I coughed, the taste of iron in my mouth told me it was blood. I contemplated just lying there for a moment, pain flaring from every part of my body. Isn’t me I guess. I thought wryly, and staggered to my feet, my left hand closed around one of the artefacts I’d knocked over. A sword hilt.

I changed my grip to something a bit more comfortable, properly wielding it as they came closer. My finger brushed across a depression built into the hilt, and in a haze, I pressed on it. The reaction that most had was fairly instantaneous, they stumbled, suddenly looking sick, the one or two closest to me fell to their knees, retching. I stared uncomprehending, my mind too slow to parse the situation. A few seconds passed, and I stepped forward, bringing the hilt down on the woman’s head.

She dropped to the ground, the hilt knocking her unconscious, or dead. It was then that I noticed something else. A blade had formed in the empty space above the hilt, a roiling brilliant white in the rough shape of a longsword blade. Another few seconds passed, and several needles of ice struck me in the chest. I could barely feel it as several made their way through, as I swung down at the bandit with the blade. The mage was shouting, voice both frantic and perhaps even fearful.

The one I struck with the blade collapsed like a cut puppet, falling limp against the ground. I staggered towards the entrance, the bandits shying away from me. The mage raised her hand, and flames spat out at me. I was too tired to dodge, and my mind too addled to adjust, I continued forward, the armour getting hot against my skin.

All of a sudden, the flames stopped, and the mage slumped over, unconscious. Frejr stood behind her, having struck her with the pommel of her sword. She stared at me for a moment, surveying the panicked bandits also in the room. She said something, and the bandits surrendered, throwing aside their arms and lying against the ground.

At some point the blade disappeared, and I moved towards the entrance. I made my way past the doorway, slumping against the outside wall. I feel like crap. I thought, closing my eyes for a brief moment, almost losing unconsciousness. No, not yet. I told myself. Have to check. Numen. Rince. Qent was awake now, coming down the tunnel towards Frejr.

When he saw me his face contorted in worry. He said something, trying to pull me down. “Numen. Rince” I said, managing to somehow pull him with me instead. He seemed distraught, eyes darting between me and the area where Frejr was. I stopped at the junction, murmuring mnemonics to remember the right path. Qent’s tugging became more insistent, I ignored him.

Did I take this turn here or there? Was this left or right? Butter? Maybe Bacon? Slowly we retraced my steps, Qent became silent as he saw the corpses I left in my wake, the tugging slowed as well. Yes, this is the right way. I thought, registering the corpses. We reached a wall where Numen and Frejr were. I stood there for a moment, we’d passed the five corpses I and Rince had made, but they weren’t here. Where? I thought, something was off, but I couldn’t think, my mind hazy. I shut my eyes.

[The wall, it’s solid, not rubble. They’re behind it.] Page said, urgent. [Delve.]

I forced myself to do so. Their souls were on the other side, behind the wall. How long had they lain there? Were they alright? I slammed my hand against the wall, gesturing for Qent. He stared for a moment as I stumbled backwards, holding my hands to my head as I turned to see blood I’d been bleeding over the floor. My vision lurched and the ground rose up to meet my face.

My dreams are filled with formless shadows, occasionally resolving into images. The final battlefield where the Eioihens surrendered, as I pushed forward to help them distract the guards. There’s a clarity to it, letting me watch as she leaps forward, parrying strikes and mixing attacks together into a whirlwind of motion. She was skilled, so very skilled.

Another time I see the corpses of the dead in the caverns beneath the earth, where a god awaited me. The smell was nauseating, suddenly acute instead of what I remembered. The silver god faced me. He said nothing, but I remembered his task, find the Adversary, or the world ends. I don’t know where they are, all I can do is hop and hope. Some of the corpses stand, others drag themselves, all move towards me. My head aches. Something’s wrong.

Bombs fall on a planet of glass. Wrong. The planet was bombed, it turned to glass. I didn’t see this. The glass cracks, shattering and scattering shards everywhere, a deadly kaleidoscope. They cut deep, I bend over, grimacing in pain. The scene changes, I’m performing a rite, a goblet of black bubbling fluid brought to my lips. “No, this is poison!” They force me down, they force it down.

I shiver, surrounded by friends, surrounded by family. All strangers now. I’m not the boy I was when I left, they aren’t the people I knew when I left. I’m lightheaded, they stare, hushed whispers surround them as they watch, question, judge. My fault. “Wait, stop!” A voice calls out. Who? I wonder, curled up, cold, tired, alone again.

I shrink, and the pain starts to recede, my dreams grow calmer, a ship bobbing on the waves.

A voice calls out, reeling me back to shore. [You need to wake up, we’ve still got a lot to do.]