The Deceiver's Path - Chapter 94 - Flight to Sanctuary (Patreon)

Piper slowed her pace as she approached a bridge stretching across the river. Thankfully, it wasn’t the Echoforos Bridge, with its ridiculously thin span, and actually had proper supports. But that wasn’t what concerned her—she still worried about entering the inner city with her illusions. For all she knew, there might be powerful defenses on the main gates.

“Your guild is inside the walls?” Piper said. “I’ve never been in there before…”

“Don’t worry,” Eleni said with a tight smile. “I’ll vouch for both of you.”

Piper pointed at the massive knight trudging after them. “What about my illusion? Will they allow it inside?”

 “I don’t think it will pose a problem.” Eleni pressed her lips together. “There’re some basic anti-illusion runes carved into the walls to stop thieves and whatnot. But what you’re casting seems leagues beyond any of that.”

Piper breathed out with relief. If the guards were only worried about thieves, then she doubted she’d run into any problems. Her Magic attribute was probably far higher than the average thief’s. At least she hoped it was.

They started across the bridge slowly, only to increase their pace as the alarm spread through the city. Soon, it sounded like every bell was ringing, and they could hear distant shouts. As they approached the gates, the guards barely acknowledged them, as they stared across the river.

“Hello Asterios,” Eleni called out, trying to get the guard’s attention. “How is your wife?”

“She’s good.” Asterios muttered. Shaking his head, he lifted his visor to reveal a weathered face. “What in the name of the Undying Emperor is going on over there? It sounds like a dragon is attacking the city.”

Eleni shrugged. “I don’t know and I don’t want to know.”

“Ha,” Asterios chuckled. “With an attitude like that, you’ll make adventurer in no time.” He gestured flippantly at Piper and the knight. “They with you?”

“Those two are with me.” She pointed at Piper and Hector. “The other one is a summoned magical guardian.”

The guard gaped at the towering knight. “That thing is summoned? The bastard’s aura feels strong enough to tear down the walls. Who summoned it?”

“I did,” Piper said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “I can send it away if you want…”

“No, no,” the guard replied. “Just don’t go causing trouble with it inside the walls. I don’t want to be called to fight that monster. The damn thing would probably rip off my arms and beat me with them.”

Piper bit down on her lower lip. She had no idea how the guard could tell her illusory knight was powerful. It’s not like he could use [Identify] on it. Maybe his class provided some sort of skill to determine an enemy’s strength?

Asterios stepped aside. “Go on inside. Best be quick, too. It looks like some of those miserable nuns are coming to ruin my day. Best you not get caught up in that. They look pissed off, too.”

Piper spun around to see half a dozen nuns on horseback riding hard in their direction. Her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of them. Had they somehow tracked her down?

Crap, crap, crap, she thought to herself. I don’t have any mana to fight another battle.

Eleni tapped Piper’s shoulder. “Why are you just standing there? Do you want to get conscripted again?”

Piper shook her head, a few strands of illusory red hair falling over face, and hurried after Eleni into the city. A moment later, Hector and Cronos followed them through the entryway. Openings gaped above them in the archway, and she caught sight of a few guards peering down through the openings. If her group was hostile, she imagined they would attack them through the holes.

They reached the far side of the wall and emerged into the inner city. Like the last time she’d visited, she couldn’t help but stare in shock at the immaculate boulevard. No waste or garbage cluttered the street, and the stone buildings had all been whitewashed to present a uniform color.

At the sound of pounding hoofbeats, Eleni grabbed Piper’s arm and dragged her into a merchant shop. Meanwhile, Hector dove behind a pile of crates on the far side of the street. His companion immediately ruined his hiding spot by popping its reptilian head up to watch the nun’s gallop by.

As the sound of hoofbeats faded, Piper could finally breathe again. The nuns had ridden past them without even looking in their direction. Most likely, they were just heading back to their citadel.

Piper checked on her mana, watching it tick upward again. However, it would be at least two hours before it had refilled completely. Until then, she needed to lie low. Or at least avoid another battle against half the city’s aspirants and wayfarers.

I came way too close to being captured… or worse.

Since Elissa knew she possessed illusions, she was almost certain there had been a plan in place to dispel them. Luckily, the appearance of the dreadhulk seemed to have ruined those plans.

Still, the fact that she’d come so close to being captured sent a chill up her spine. The moment she rescued Ophelia, she was leaving this city for good. She couldn’t risk the nuns finding her again.

Turning around, she took a moment to inspect the shop. Her eyes widened as she realized they were standing in a store that sold magic items. She immediately raced over to a display holding bags with intricate runes sewn into the material. Could these be the spatial bags like the necromancer had possessed?

An old man wearing glasses—something she hadn’t seen up until now in this world—approached and gave her a kindly smile. “Are you interested in purchasing a void bag? These are truly lovely and can hold the contents of an entire house.”

Piper nodded her head up and down.

“This one is only 50 gold pieces.” The man patted a bag on the display. “However, for an aspirant like you, I could let it go for 45 gold pieces.”

Piper’s heart sank at hearing the price. “It’s a little too expensive for me at the moment.”

“No matter,” the man said. “I’m sure someone like you with two epic classes will be able to afford it soon. The discount stands any time you’d like to return.”

Eleni approached Piper’s side. “Is this really the time to be shopping?”

“I wasn’t,” she said. “I mean, I just wanted to know the price of the bag.”

“If you have to ask in here, you can’t afford it. And we’re not safe until we reach the guildhall.”

Piper nodded and allowed herself to be led out of the shop. They rejoined Hector and her summoned knight outside, and the four of them continued through the city. They travelled through broad thoroughfares, past towering statues, and under soaring marble archways.

After spending so much time in the rundown outer city, she couldn’t help but gape at the sights. Some of the shops had moving illusions projected on their front walls, showing off their goods, while others had images shining above their roofs.

They continued onward for nearly a quarter of an hour before they reached a fortress on the far side of the city. The walls rose nearly ten metres high and had square towers at each corner. A metal gate shimmering with magic protected the entrance.

As Eleni took a step forward, she frowned and turned back toward Piper. “I totally forgot about your friends. You mentioned them when you saved me, right? Will they be safe in the outer city with everything going on?”

“They’ll be fine,” she whispered, her chest tightening. With everything that had happened over the last few days, she’d barely had time to process the deaths of Selene and Althea.

“Would you like me to send a runner to fetch them?” Eleni continued. “It would be no trouble.”

“No, thank you.”

“Why not?”

Piper didn’t respond, staring at her boots and blinking back tears.

Hector rubbed the back of his head. “They passed away. A rot mage got them in the sewer.”

“Oh no,” Eleni covered her mouth. “I assumed you saved them after rescuing me. I’m so sorry.”

Piper nodded, a lump growing in her throat.

“I… guess we should meet the guild master,” Eleni continued, looking stricken.

As Eleni approached the gates, they swung open. There was no sign of guards inside or above on the walls, so it must have sensed her presence. Most likely, magic was involved.

Before entering, Piper dismissed her illusory knight. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself inside. Plus, she had enough mana now that she could cast a fair number of defensive spells if she ran into trouble. Not that she thought that would happen in a guild that wanted to recruit her.

At the thought of her summons, she also dismissed the imp, Gretch, having forgotten to do so earlier. She worried about what the demon might have gotten up to in the city. At least she hadn’t received any kill notifications, so he couldn’t have been causing too much trouble.

With both spells ended, her mana began to pour back at a faster pace. The [Subjugator] skill took a huge chunk of her mana. Though the imp required far less than the dreadhulk, which made sense in her mind based purely on their sizes.

Piper timidly walked into the fortress, noting dozens of wayfarers and adventurers practicing in the courtyard. She frowned slightly at seeing so many silver and gold badges on their chests.

I didn’t think they would have so many powerful adventurers.

Eleni marched across the courtyard, waving to others as she passed. Piper and Hector followed in her wake, heading toward a soaring stone keep on the far side of the fortress.

They entered the stone structure and found themselves in a richly decorated room. An artist had created an image of adventurers fighting a multi-headed hydra on the floor, using nothing more than tiles. Exquisite sculptures line the walls—many looking as if they had been carved by master artists.

As they walked forward, servants bustled past them, carrying steaming plates of food, cleaning implements, and bundles of folded laundry. A few of them even carried pieces of dented armor, most likely taking it to be repaired.

Piper inhaled deeply as a maid rushed past holding a plate of roast chicken, potatoes, and green vegetables. Her stomach rumbled at the smell of the food. She realized she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in days. While she was in much better shape than on her previous journey to the Infernal Realm, she needed sustenance and soon.

Eleni smiled softly at seeing Piper’s expression. “Would you like me to send for something to eat?”

“Oh, yes, please.”

The young woman stopped a passing maid and whispered something in her ear. A moment later, the servant sped away, heading down some stairs into the bowels of the keep.

“The guild master’s office is just over there.” Eleni frowned and pointed at Hector. “But you need to wait out here. Oh, and don’t touch anything.”

“No problem.” Hector walked over to a couch and plopped down. He seemed almost back to his normal self. Once he was seated, he scratched Cronos's head.

“Wait,” Piper said, stopping in the middle of the room. “You never said anything about seeing the guild master. I thought we were just going to hole up here for a while.”

“I said I could grant you shelter if you agreed to join our guild. To do that, you need to talk to the guild master.”

Piper rubbed a hand down her face. The guild master of a place like this must be extremely powerful, which meant she ran the risk of her true nature being discovered. However, the only other option was to brave the streets outside with everyone in the city searching for her.

“Lead the way.” Piper sighed. “Is there anything I should know about the guild master?’

“Niko is a wonderful man,” Eleni gushed. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

With Eleni in the lead, they moved deeper into the building. The stone walls of the hallways had intricate tapestries hanging on them, depicting scenes of battle and strife. She even caught sight of Elaraxa in one of them, but they were moving so fast she didn’t have time to inspect it properly.

Finally, they arrived at an iron-bound door. On either side, gems the size of grapefruits glowed in sconces, emitting a strange blue light.

“I hope he hasn’t been called away,” Eleni murmured as she rapped lightly on the wooden surface.

A moment later, the door swung open to reveal a cozy office. A fire burned in the hearth, making the room almost uncomfortably warm. In the center, a massive wooden desk dominated the space, and three stuffed chairs had been arranged in front of it. Bookcases rose from the floor to the ceiling behind the desk, the shelves groaning with the weight of scrolls and thick tomes.

At the desk sat an older man with broad shoulders and a square jaw. He had a touch of grey at his temples, and his hair had begun to recede ever so slightly. His hard, grey eyes regarded them as they entered.

“Hello Niko.” Eleni walked forward and settled primly in a seat. “This is the girl who saved me.”

“Welcome, Anna,” Niko said, his voice gravelly. “I almost didn’t believe an aspirant had defeated the cult that had cost me five wayfarers. Yet here you stands, refuting my disbelief.”

Piper shot a look over at Eleni. She’d allowed the young woman to console her, while she’d lost five friends the same day. She really should have asked her how she was doing.

I need to stop being so wrapped up in my own stuff.

“I’m sorry about your friends, too,” Piper said, feeling incredibly lame.

“Thank you,” Eleni said, her voice cracking. “We’ve both had a rough couple of days.”

Piper walked forward and sat down in the leather chair. She folded her hands in her lap and tried to avoid the piercing gaze of the man across from her. As she did, Niko’s stare only grew more intense. Was he trying to bore his way into her soul or something?

“Now,” Niko said. He reached down, his hand emerging with a sheathed sword. He carefully placed it on the desktop. “Would you be so kind as to disclose your real class and who you actually are?”