The Deceiver's Path - Chapter 134 - Demonic Whispers (Patreon)

Piper shrank back into the shadows enshrouding the corner of the room as she considered how to react to the slavers. A simple illusion spell should hide her from sight, and she could slip away unnoticed. But then everyone else in the room would be condemned to slavery. And according to Lysander, mining orichalcum was a death sentence.

Then again, she didn’t know anyone here. If she tried to stop the men from rounding up slaves, she might pick a fight with the entire town. And while she was strong, this time she wouldn’t have a friendly Lord-Mayor to order all the adventurers and wayfarers out of the town before a battle.

In her mind, the best thing to do was to leave this place without getting caught. Piper sighed as she recast [False Face] to change her appearance to Anna—the alter ego she’d used back in Kalmyros.

Her long golden hair darkened, and her face transformed to resemble the vampire she’d encountered so long ago in the Bloodveil Empire. At least this way, if anyone noticed her becoming invisible, they wouldn’t recognize her as an aspirant from the Silver Hippogriffs.

Making sure no one was looking in her direction, she cast [Wraithskin] and disappeared. All around her, the armed men moved to restrain the tavern patrons, and she passed two of them who were busy trussing up the barmaid.

However, about half the people in the room seemed exempt from the roundup. They produced metal seals from their pouches and showed them to the slavers. After closely examining the markings, the armed men grudgingly motioned for them to leave.

As she threaded her way through the room, a woman cried out as she clawed at her captors.

“Please!” the woman screamed. “I have children. Without me, they’ll starve to death!”

The man holding the woman wrenched her arm behind her back, making her gasp in pain. “Always room for more slaves. Just tell us where the little darlings are, and we’ll gather them up for you.”

“How can you be so heartless?” the woman asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

The dark-haired man guffawed. “I can be a lot of things for some coin.”

Piper slowed her steps and shook her head. She knew the smart thing to do was to leave everyone to their fate. She also knew that she’d never be able to live with herself if she abandoned a woman with children at home—never mind all the others with sheer terror reflected in their eyes.

With practiced motions, she pivoted and grabbed the back of the man’s head. Before he could react, she slammed his face down onto the table and watched as he collapsed in a heap. The entire room froze as the man groaned from the floor.

The grizzled leader who had read the proclamation scanned the room. “What in the Abyss was that?”

A woman with fiery red hair and long, flowing robes stepped up beside him. “There’s an illusionist in here, Charis. I watched her disappear.”

“If that’s true, then deal with her,” Charis snarled. “No one lays a finger on my men and gets away with it.”

The woman raised her hands, and a sunburst exploded from her palms. It rippled across the room, overturning tables and sending men holding captives sliding back a pace.

Piper braced herself as the flash reached her position. The light exploded against her [Wraithskin], making the illusion crack. She felt her spell slowly falling away, revealing herself standing over the fallen man.

At the sight of her, Charis frowned. “She barely looks old enough to be off her mother’s apron strings. Mind you, she can still hold a pickaxe. Take her!”

Reaching into her pouch, she cast [Shifting Veil]. When her hand emerged, the spell made it appear as if she was holding an orichalcum adventurer’s badge. She quickly cast [Truth Shroud] and changed her classes to appear as:

Human, Level 471

Glamorist, Level 471

Reality Warper, Level 401

Hollow Monarch, Level 171

The first two class names came to mind immediately, but the last one she stole from her encounter with the Bone Monarch back in Kalmyros. Its name sounded pretty intimidating, so she decided to use it for herself. Hopefully, it made sense to anyone who used [Identify] on her, because she was just flying by the seat of her pants.

Piper straightened up to her full height, which barely came to everyone’s shoulder in the tavern, and stared imperiously at Charis. “I don’t like the fact that you interrupted my early lunch. This tavern is now under my protection. Leave immediately, and I won’t harm any of your men.” A groan made her frown. “I mean any more of your men.”

She immediately felt her skin prickle, and the nearest men stumbled back.

Meanwhile, the female caster only shook her head. “You morons. She’s an illusionist. I used [Greater Identify] when we came into the room and she’s only level 52.”

Nervous laughter rippled through the room as the men raised their weapons again. Only Charis looked unconvinced. His brow creased, and he tossed the scroll onto the nearest tabletop.

“Are you certain, Eirini? I sense… something from her.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Eirini snapped. “You hired me for my magic ability, didn’t you? Now listen to what I have to say.”

The leader of the group gave the caster a look that should have peeled the paint off the wall behind her, but then motioned at his men. “You heard the lady. Take the girl.”

“Last warning,” Piper said, falling into a fighting stance. She deeply regretted not collecting new weapons before her trip into town. She’d planned on using Gorebark during the hunt for the infernal cult. However, in her current situation, a legendary weapon was beyond overkill for what amounted to little more than a tavern brawl.

To make sure she wasn’t underestimating her opponents, she rapidly used [Identify] on the thugs. She was more than a little surprised to see most of them were over level 200, with some being closer to 300. Apparently, the average level was higher on the harsh frontier, which made sense when she thought about it.

A man missing an eye stomped forward. “Shut your pretty little mouth,” he said with a sneer. “I’m going to have fun with you before I sell ya. What do you think about that?”

Piper smoothly pivoted, her leg lashing out from beneath her dress. Her shin collided against the man’s head with a loud crack and sent him crashing into the nearest table. She watched with open disdain as he flopped off the table onto the floor at her feet.

“That’s no level 52!” Charis shouted. “You’ve killed us all, bitch.”

Eirini’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “I swear by the Emperor’s name that she was only level 52.”

“Have you never heard of a false classer?”

Another man charged at Piper with his weapon raised. She briefly considered using her tail, but she preferred to avoid killing anyone. She had no idea whether they were all there voluntarily or not.

I don’t ever want to hurt someone who was conscripted again. No matter what, I won’t repeat my mistake with Zenos’ sister.

She barely managed to duck under a lightning-fast dagger thrust, and she responded with a series of jabs. Somehow, the man dodged each punch, moving so fast he nearly blurred. A searing pain erupted in her side, making her gasp. She glanced down to see the man ripping free a bloody dagger.

Darn, he’s fast, she thought to herself. Did he put all of his points into Swiftness?

Piper activated [Demonic Blood], and her skin burned as the wound closed. She dodged another slash, then [Ambush Detection] blared a warning in her mind. Dropping low, she barely avoided a searing beam of light blasting out from Eirini’s hands.

Ding! Your skill, Ambush Detection has reached Level 11.

…

Ding! Your skill, Ambush Detection has reached Level 13.

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the jump in levels. The strike would almost certainly have been fatal if it had connected with her head. She needed to stop playing around and end this fight.

Piper cast [Umbral Terror] at her attacker. She watched as the man froze in place, the dagger tumbling from suddenly limp fingers. He then let out a terrible wail, the sound echoing across the confines of the room.

Ding! Your spell, Umbral Terror has reached Level 12.

The man clawed at his face, his screams intensifying as he dug deep furrows into his cheeks.

“Bugs!” he screamed, clawing at himself. “They’re burrowing into my skin! Someone do something!”

Piper spun around and ducked as a crossbow twanged. The bolt sailed over her head and embedded itself in the wall.

“Stop shooting!” Charis shouted, holding up his hands. “You’re going to get us all killed!”

Piper cast [Shifting Veil] and raised her palm at the crossbowman. She created a roiling black bolt in her mind and launched it across the room. When it struck the man, she altered the illusion to make it splash against him. Another tweak made it look as if his skin was dissolving, revealing bare bone and organs underneath.

The man she’d struck stumbled back, shrieking in horror as he pawed at his rapidly dissolving flesh. He bumped into the wall and slid down into a sitting position. From there, he could only watch as the spell seemingly ate away at his body.

“We yield!” Charis shouted, grabbing Eirini’s hand, who was preparing to cast another spell. “Please forgive us, adventurer!”

Piper raised her brow slightly, frozen in the act of calling upon her demons. But as she swept her gaze across the room, she noted everyone had lowered their weapons. As she did, the man she’d cast [Umbral Terror] on sprinted out of the room, screaming something about ‘insects in his brain.’

“Get out,” she said, thrusting her arm toward the door. “And don’t ever come back here. Is that understood?”

“I will never set foot in this place again.” Charis bobbed his head up and down. “What are your other terms?”

“My other terms?”

“Yes, what sort of ransom do you want for our freedom?”

Piper pressed her lips together. “I don’t want any ransom. I just want to eat my lunch in peace.”

“That’s… it?”

Piper nodded. “Yes.”

Kill them all! A rasping voice thundered in her mind, momentarily staggering her. Tear their still-beating hearts from their chests!

Her hand twitched forward, her claws curling inward in anticipation of ripping open Charis’ chest. Only with a supreme effort was she able to overcome the urge. Breathing hard, she motioned to the slavers to leave.

Charis gestured wildly at his men, who needed no encouragement and bolted out of the tavern. Evidently, he didn’t want to press his luck in this situation. Two men paused beside their injured comrade with the dissolving flesh, but after a second, they seemed to think better of touching him. Most likely, they were afraid the rot would spread to them.

Piper cancelled [Shifting Veil] and in the blink of an eye, the man’s flesh was renewed. She tried not to giggle as he stared with open shock at what had looked like a fatal wound mere moments earlier. Then he staggered to his feet and lurched after his companions.

Pathetic, the voice snarled. Your half-sister slaughters my worshippers like fatted calves, growing stronger with each passing day. Meanwhile, you reject your true self and spare those who would inflict terrible fates on the weak mortals you seek to protect.

Piper’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the voice booming in her mind. She barely noticed Eirini slinking out the door, as she tried to process everything she’d just heard. No longer did she think the voice was her demonic side trying to assert control—this was something far darker. And more dangerous.

Who are you? she demanded in her mind, but no reply came. Tell me!

Silence reigned over the room as the door swung shut with a bang. The only sound was the crackling logs in the hearth and the steady drip of liquid from spilled drinks. Everyone in the room shared uneasy glances before gradually returning to their seats.

A shiver ran down her spine as the dark presence departed, and she staggered over to her table. With trembling fingers, she righted the fallen stool and then flopped onto the seat. As she looked up, she realized the entire room was staring in her direction.

The barmaid appeared in front of her, twisting a towel in her grip. “Thank you for saving me, adventurer. I owe you my life.”

“It was nothing,” Piper replied absently, still off-balance from her encounter with the voice again.

“My name is Alkmini, and you have my eternal gratitude. I wouldn’t have lasted a week working in the mines.”

Piper waved at the crowd. “Um… do you think you could make them stop staring at me?”

Alkmini spun around and placed her hands on her hips. “Leave this poor girl alone. That’s the least you could do after she saved all of us from a fate worse than death.”

Those nearest averted their gaze, but a couple of them continued to shoot furtive glances in their direction. The low murmur of conversation returned to the room as people went about picking up knocked-over stools and pitchers.

Turning back, Alkmini gave her a broad smile. “Now, what else can I do to repay you?”

“Is there any way I could still get lunch?”

“Of course! It’s on the house as well. You’ll eat free here any time you want.” Alkmini frowned and her gaze darted up to Piper’s hair. “Didn’t you have blond hair when you came in? Also… a different face?”

“It’s one of the perks of being an illusionist,” Piper said. She slightly altered her [False Face] to return to her old self. A golden streak spread through her hair before expanding to transform her back to blond from brunette.

Then, with a snap of fingers to add a bit of flair, her hair turned dark again. She kept Anna’s face the same, though, as she didn’t want to be connected to the events of today. She had a feeling the lord mayor wouldn’t take the news of his slavers being thwarted very well.

At the change, Alkmini gasped before descending into frantic laughter. “That was amazing. I can’t believe I met a real-life orichalcum adventurer. And she saved my life.”

“My name is Anna,” she said. “And if they ever return, remind them that I’m watching over this place.” The tavern might not be the nicest in town, but an offer of free food would ensure that she returned every chance she got.

After another enormous grin, Alkmini disappeared into the kitchen. As Piper waited, the other patrons slowly departed—making sure to peer outside first—until only a handful remained.

Piper sipped her wine, her thoughts returning to the voice in her head. She prayed that Selene could offer some answers, because otherwise she feared she might eventually lose control. And she dreaded to think of what she would do if that ever happened.