A few hours later found us all in position. Me, Marie and Seb in cover behind some trees at the edge of the forest. Above us the castle was a shadowy outline in the light of the moon and the stars.
I mentally checked my weapons and gear. Grapnel under cloak, check. Swordstaff, check. Multiple throwing knives and daggers on belts, check. Derringer in boot, check. Revolver strapped to thigh, check. speedloaders and ammo for my pistols in belt pouches, check. sword strapped over my shoulder next to my swordstaff, check. Healing potions, plenty of them, check.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Marie asked as she peered out from behind a tree at the castle. "There's a lot of open ground we have to cover before we even reach the bridge, and that's long enough as it is."
"Trust in the game mechanics." Seb replied confidently. "Alright Tim, let's give it a go."
"CLOAK OF THE NIGHT!" I intoned, the world around me suddenly becoming distorted and muted but still visible. I looked down and realized I couldn't even see myself.
"Woah, that worked pretty nicely!" Seb exclaimed. "I can't even see you, Tim!"
"Cool!" I said and I fizzled back into view.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, the effect ends if you talk or when you activate any kind of ability, power or item." Sebastien explained. "That's to prevent you from just knifing anything in the back with no warning. You also can't perform any actions in the brief period where you're becoming visible again."
"Why do all the cool skills have these party pooping restrictions?" I complained.
"It's called game balance." retorted Seb. "Otherwise, you could just go invisible and kill us both right now without either of us having a chance to stop you."
"Don't tempt me," I chuckled.
Suddenly a small bang erupted from inside the fort walls. "Did you hear that?" I asked as I looked at the fortress.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1INC1wFxh
"Hey, the guard on the southwest corner just left his post!" Marie Exclaimed.
"Ok, let's do this guys!" Seb said excitedly. "It's a bit early, but we might as well take advantage of this! Tim, would you do the honours?"
"CLOAK OF THE NIGHT!" I said as I grabbed their arms and we all disappeared.
We moved at a slow walking pace. I'd adjusted quickly to the sensation of the effect, but I moved us at a slower pace to allow Seb and Marie to adjust to it at their own pace.
We'd almost made it to the bridge when an explosion appeared in the night sky above the fort. I stopped as Seb and Marie did. analyzing the explosion. I assumed the others were as well. Which meant that when tiny flaming caltrops began falling from the explosion in random directions we were well aware of them.
I tugged Seb back a foot as a caltrop thudded into the dirt a foot or two in front of where he'd been standing.
After I was sure no more caltrops were gonna fall from the sky I began to walk again. We were nearly across the bridge when Seb put his foot in it. Literally. By stepping on a caltrop.
"Frickin'...." Seb started then gasping as he began to fizzle back into view. Right in the sentry's line of sight.
I quickly grabbed him and shoved him forwards. Sending him flying over the last section of the bridge and stumbling to a halt a few inches short of the wall.
Marie and I hustled the last section of bridge and I grabbed Seb, rendering him invisible again. Judging from the lack of reaction by some sentry our mishap had gone unnoticed.
We made our way around to the back side of the castle. I noted from the feeling of Seb's gait that the caltrop was stuck in his boot and he was walking on his tip-toes for that foot.
We'd barely made it to the back wall when a massive crash sounded. Which judging from the direction I guessed was the bandits' front door suddenly bursting open.
I let go of Seb and Marie and ended the effect. "Well?" I asked as Seb gingerly dug the caltrop out of his boot. "Ready to start?"
"Yep, just a sec," muttered Seb as he pulled the caltrop out.
"Alright," I said. "I guess I'll split." I offered Seb a fist. "Good luck rescuing your girlfriend."
"You're just jealous 'cause you don't know any girls," chuckled Seb as he bumped his fist against mine. "Try not to do anything I wouldn't do out there."
"So robbing a wishing well is fine, then?" I shot at him as I dashed towards the gate.
"That was one time!'' Seb shot back indignantly which I just laughed at in response.
I dashed quickly along the walls. I moved into position by the gate just in time to see walter's new and improved suit anchor him in place. "Guess I'm not going anywhere," he laughed nervously as he squatted down behind his pronounced leg armor.
Then I moved faster than I'd ever moved before.
"Got your back," I whispered as I breezed past Walter.
"Hey, did you just see something.....?" Ventured the player with the water javelins at her side.
"Too late." I whispered in her ear as I stabbed with my wristblade. I kicked the gasping player off my blade and slipped my hand into my belt pouch as I leaped at a massive giant of a player clad in armor. "GUTSPILLER." I intoned as I slapped a rectangular metal box the size of a matchbox onto the players back.
Then I waited for the telltale sizzle of the matchbox grafting itself to his armor before dashing away. Agily stepping aside as the armoured player swiped at me. "Of all the... Ifrit trounce that varmint!" he bellowed. "And get somebody to call sicklesoul!"401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eMQSmgACI
"The Sandman already messaged her," called back a player I assumed was Ifrit as he was the only one still standing in the courtyard. He was wearing only a white loincloth and a bushy white beard. "You take out the pesky kid in the gateway, I'll handle this one."
"Aren't you a little past your prime, old man?" I asked cockily as I weaved from side to side before darting forwards in a burst of speed with a dagger in each hand.
"I like to think of myself as well seasoned." Ifrit returned mildly, as he knocked one of my blades out of my hand with a swift karate chop, then caught my other hand and knocking me off balance with a sweep kick.
"I think it's about time I retired you." I shot back as I sprang to my feet and launched my second dagger at ifrit.
"I can hardly retire if youre all they've got to replace my generation." Ifrit shrugged good naturedly, catching my dagger between two fingers. "Want to see a magic trick?"
"The one where someone saws you in half?" I retorted.
"Less flashy," Ifrit admitted. He held the dagger in one hand then waved his other hand in front of it. flapping his sleeveless arms he held out his palms "Now where did it go?"
"Your ear?" I asked. Completely unamused.
"Close enough," grinned ifrit as he pulled the dagger out of his bushy beard.
"If this wasn't a video game, I might have been impressed," I sighed. "But I'm gratefully anyway. Thanks to you, I had enough time to change my equipment." I drew my swordstaff from off my back. "You're going down old man."
"Actually I must thank you for indulging the whims of an old man." Ifrit bowed respectfully. "You gave my friend enough time to lock onto you."
I glanced around in alarm, noticing a red dot on my chest.
"Hell!" I spat as I leapt back, a lance of flame searing my chest. I looked up and noticed a pair of players on the battlement corners. One armed with a recurve bow the other an oddly shaped wand.
Noting that the red dot moved wherever the wand holder pointed it, I knew my target immediately. "CLOAK OF THE NIGHT." I muttered and vanished from view.
"Oh heck, where'd he go now?" the player with the bow called out as he scratched his head distractedly.
"You leave him to AWPerator, Clarence." Ifrit returned "Keep watching the outer walls, we don't know how many we're up against yet."
"Roger!" Clarence replied, saluting awkwardly and heading back to his corner of the battlements.
"Deal with THIS," I thought as I dashed across the cobblestones towards the stairs to the battlements. I was tempted to stab at Ifrit's unprotected back as I went but remembered Seb's warning. Party pooping restrictions. Besides that sniper/mage was my main target now.
"BRIMSTONE! " AWPerator called out as half a dozen mini burning meteorites formed in a circle around his wand then shot into the sky.
"Good luck with that," I thought. "You're not even aiming the right...." I felt my eyes widen as the burning rocks veered off their course and flew straight towards me at blinding speed.
Dropping to the ground I rolled to the side and got up as the first three rocks flew into the stairs where I'd been heading. Behind me two more rocks smashed against where I'd ducked and rolled. Before I could start running again the sixth rock clipped my boot, setting my pants hem on fire.
"Shit," I cursed as I flailed at the fire. Now fully visible in the middle of the courtyard.
"Nice try, young assassin," Ifrit called from behind me. His tone even and reasonable. "AWPerator is a cabalist. As soon as he had a chance to tag you earlier, your fate was sealed. No matter where you run, until he tags someone else, all his magic will home in on your location. Whether he can see you or not."
Grimacing as I tapped my singed foot experimentally, I turned to face the Cabalist on the battlements. Who was grinning victoriously as he raised his wand and began to cast a second spell.
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