A Summoner Awakens [A Card-Based GameLit Progression Fantasy]

Chapter 4 [Blood]

I Dashed from the second-story window and used Featherfall to land softly on one of the adjacent buildings. My steps made little noise against the wooden rooftops of the smaller businesses as I ventured away from the inn, and my body felt light from the Effects of my Cards working together in the dead of night.

"Shroud."

Tendrils of shade snaked out from the night, surrounding my skin and covering my person. I tapped the shaft of the cane to my thigh, and the garments I wore instantly shifted to the attire left by my grandfather. The dark raven mask felt light on my skin as it materialized, and the darkness lit up like the day through its specially crafted lenses. Likewise, my cane reverted to its original metal appearance, casting off its wooden veneer.

I was no longer Rowan Wilder. On this night, I was Ravan of the Legionnaires. I called the details of Shroud to my mind, allowing the additional influences of my other Cards to show next to its current Effects.

[Card Name: Shroud]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 3]

[Essence: 0/100,000]

[Description: For 14 minutes times the Level of the Wielder’s Wisdom, the caster embraces darkness, becomes darkness.] [1 hour 5 minutes 18 seconds]

[Effect 1: A blanket of darkness surrounds the Wielder’s skin, concealing their appearance. It does not extend to clothing or accessories.]

[Effect 2: While active, the Wielder is twice as hard to detect by any form of divination Effect.] [2.66 times]

[Effect 3: Effects are amplified by 30% throughout the night. During the day, Effects are weakened by 70%.] [33%]

[Cooldown: 6 hours] [4 hours 30 minutes]

This should be more than enough time to investigate.

I leaped silently from building to building, Movement and Integrate heavily increasing my speed in the darkness. Within minutes, I was in the more infamous northern quarter of the city, where it only took a moment to spot the cordoned-off tavern. A few local guards stood at the building's corners, watching the entrance, likely hoping the culprit would reappear.

Do they genuinely believe she's still on the Second Floor? I shook my head. Kasamira is long gone by now.

According to the Network, she ascended at an impressive pace until her crimes in that mining town. That town was overseen by the Church of Liberation and used to farm some of the materials needed to carve Circuits. Even the influence of the Vladimir name couldn't save her from their wrath. The Inquisitors swarmed the exits and captured her before she could flee the Floor.

I backed away from the roof's edge and dropped silently into a nearby alley. The butt of my cane tapped lightly against the earth, and a dim, smoky light formed in a circle on the nearest wall. A young ghostly figure floated out, wiping his eyes sleepily.

"It's a bit late, boss," David yawned and spoke quietly through their link. "Nice suit."

"Thanks," I chuckled softly. "I'd like to look in the building on the next street. Care to have some fun with the sentries?"

David's sleepy eyes opened wide, and he placed a hand over his lips, giggling quietly. I stepped out of the alley, seeing the thick tendrils of my Shroud dancing across my skin as I moved. Regardless of the situation, I had to admit that I was fond of this facade.

"I'm in position. What do you have in mind?"

"Fear and a bit of Frost, if you will. Not enough to send them running, but enough they'll take my words seriously."

I strolled casually down the center of the cobbled street, not bothering to hide my presence. My cane tapped quietly against the stone, eventually calling the guards' attention despite its muffled sound. The two groups stepped forward cautiously, weapons drawn.

At that moment, I felt a chill in the air... along with something else that I could only scarcely detect. The six guards that rushed from the shadows stopped in their tracks, one of them even dropping his weapon.

"H-H-Halt! Wh-Who goes there?!" the guard at the front of the pack called out, though his voice was strained. I sent a swift thought to David to ease back on the Fear.

Without stopping, I moved forward at the same casual pace. The sentries seemed to calm slightly, but they stayed wary. The group's de facto leader stepped closer, the hilt of his sword shining with a dull light as he did.

"S-Sir, I-" his voice broke when I stepped into his Spell's range. All six weapons clattered to the ground, and sweat formed on their brows. The leader bowed nearly parallel to the ground. "Forgive us, sir! W-We have already informed the Church of Liberation of this matter! I-If we knew the Church of Damnation would be sending a representative, we would have better prepared for your arrival, sir!"

Oh? They're expecting the Inquisitors?

"Do you suppose the Church of Liberation can receive any information without our being aware?" I stopped just in front of the man, speaking calmly. Regardless of my tone, his body began to shiver, and I could feel David slightly increase the strength of his Fear.

"N-No, sir! W-We just-"

I slammed the butt of my cane into the ground, silencing the man, "Step aside. I'll perform my duties and be on my way. You are not to enter the scene until my departure, nor are you to speak of my arrival."

"Y-Yes, sir! May Tara forever guide you!" the men gave clumsy salutes and dispersed to the sides of the street.

"Overcast," I muttered and waved my hand toward the building, covering it in an opaque cloud that was further accentuated by the darkness. There were gasps from the watching guards as the structure seemingly vanished into the night.

My Shroud strengthened when I stepped through the mist, further ensuring that my presence would remain obscure regardless of any detection methods. Finding out the Inquisitors were looking into this surprised me.

I wonder what else the Network was missing. Why wouldn't the Church have reported its involvement?

My cane twirled between my fingers as I stepped over the shattered pieces of the front door. Overcast didn't hinder my vision or that of my companions, but it would be impossible for the sentries to see through the fog in the dead of night, even if I used Radiance within.

"Radiance," I cast the Spell toward a shape in the far corner and willed the Spell to reduce its coverage. Though it was my own Spell, its third Effect would still reduce my chances of avoiding detection if I stepped within its bounds. The light only spread for six yards, keeping me just outside of its range.

"Bloody hell..."

What I saw when the glow illuminated the tavern was dreadful. Blood covered the place. Upturned tables, chairs, the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. It was splattered across the bar and onto many bottles and glassware behind the counter. The bodies were still strewn about, and I was thankful that my mask all but eliminated the smell.

Examining the scene from my place in the darkness, I counted the bodies to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, some were torn and thrown about so wildly that it was difficult to keep track. Judging by the number of heads I saw, it seemed that there were at least six.

What's this? I knelt by the edge of the light and scrutinized a path on the floor, using Tracking as I did so. Despite its age, the trail glowed brightly. Not one, but two sets of bloodied footprints led to the door behind the bar, and no one tried to cover them. My Appraising Eye showed information through the tracks as if I were looking at the owners.

[Name: Kasamira Vladimir]

[Class: Wielder]

[Deck Count: ???]

[Total Foundation Level: ???]

[Skills: ???]

No different from Nathaniel. I can't see anything about her, but it proves she was here.

[Name: Tiana Leach]

[Class: Wielder]

[Deck Count: 0]

[Total Foundation Level: 0]

[Skills: N/A]

No Cards..? What was she doing here?

Finding nothing else of use, I was about to follow this lead when I noticed something peculiar. Every body still intact was missing its right hand. I took note of this oddity and revoked Radiance, throwing the tavern into darkness once again. As an afterthought, I cast Cleanse on the floor, walls, and doors.

Glancing internally at the description on Shroud, I saw that I could still hold my guise for the next twenty minutes. There wasn't enough time to wait for the Cooldown to wipe the place clean, but it was more than enough time to escape the range of any divination Spells granted to Inquisitors working this low in the Tower.

Not that I believe they'll work in the first place. I stepped out from the ebony mist and withdrew the Spell. The building appeared, and the lead sentry came jogging forward.

"Sir! Do you have any orders?"

I glanced back at the dingy pub, "Has anyone from Foolshope entered since the incident? And were there any witnesses?"

"No, sir. No witnesses, and once we saw the carnage, we immediately sent word to the Church of Liberation at the entryway," he cringed when he said this, and I was glad the Shroud hid my smile.

No witnesses? Then how did word spread that it was the Vladimir scion that did this? It seems there's more to this girl's story.

"Very well. Return to your posts," I stepped into the shadows before the guard could respond, relying on Integrate to obscure my movements.

"You're clear, boss. They all scampered back to the corners," David's voice sounded in my mind, sounding amused.

"Thanks, David. Would you like to return, or would you prefer to stay for a while?" I asked, recalling his attitude when he'd appeared. I hadn't known that Spirits could sleep.

"I'll float about if you don't mind. You're going to follow those tracks, right?" the boy asked out loud, appearing from the wall beside me as I stepped into the alley.

"That's right," I nodded, heading the long way toward the pub's back door. "There's something I wanted to ask you. I'm not sure if it's personal."

David looked at me curiously, so I continued, "Where abouts do you and the others get off to when you're not here?"

"Oh! We all go to the same place," David chimed, turning around and floating backward in front of me. "According to Rosie, the space was much smaller before and probably wouldn't have fit all of us. Larry says that his old Wielder's space was smaller as well."

"What's this space like?" we reached the back of the pub, and I instantly noticed the tracks leading away from the back door. I turned to follow them while waiting for David's description. He thought for a moment, snapped his fingers, and a miniature snow globe appeared in his palm.

"It's kind of like this," he smiled. "There's a border that we can't cross, but inside of that border, there's a lot of smoke and mist. We can make that mist do what we want. When I first arrived, Rosie had turned the entire space into a forest."

A sphere filled with mist? I scrunched my brow. That sounds eerily similar to what I see when I focus on my Cards and soul. Are my Summons just floating around inside me? Or are they in another, similar space elsewhere?

We ambled in silence for a few more minutes, Tracking the few blood stains that remained. They had become infrequent and were harder to see, but my Ability allowed me to continue. Luckily, it hadn't rained between the massacre and now.

I turned my attention inward and looked at the remaining time on Tracking and Shroud. There were approximately three minutes left on Tracking and another ten on Shroud. I needed to pick up the pace.

Pushing my skills' limits, I reached the end of the trail with a minute left to spare. There, lying at the foot of a stone shack, was the bare body of a young woman. I didn't have to get any closer to know she was gone.

"David, is there anything you can do?"

He shook his head, "Sorry, boss. Her soul is lingering, but it's too weak for me to interact with it."

I walked closer and examined what I could without touching the body. The girl had been young, no older than fifteen. Cuts and bruises covered her body, and her right hand was crushed beyond recognition. I thought of the bodies back at the pub. Each of their hands had been severed or destroyed.

"It's time to go, David," I hopped onto the nearest rooftop and Dashed away from the scene.

We arrived at the inn before the ten minutes were up, and I leaped into the still-open window of my room while canceling Shroud and shifting into my usual attire. Nathaniel glanced over from where he was lying and gave me a nod.

"Did you make that event you brought us here for?" he asked casually.

I shook my head, "We were late. Can't plan everything to perfection, though, eh?"

"Mhmm. Can I ask?"

"Of course," I plopped onto the bed facing Nathaniel and unlatched my Deck Box, pulling out a few Cards before retrieving my remaining Essence from the table nearby. "I'm planning to prevent a chain of events that will lead to struggles in the future. Of course, I won't drag you or Aurora into it if I can help it, but I can't reach the Floors I need to quickly enough on my own."

"You could," Nathaniel shrugged. "Doing so as a party will just draw less attention. Surely forming a party full of high-ranking Academy graduates and a scion of one of the Descendant Families makes it easy to hide in plain sight."

There he goes again. In all my years, I've rarely met anyone as observant as him. I'll never understand how his Family managed to hold him back.

I dumped my Essence pouch on the comforter and separated a hundred thousand shards from the pile. Finally, it was time to make a decision. Condense, Luck, Summoner's Blessing, or Tame Creature. Nathaniel glanced over curiously as I pulled out the Cards, and I motioned for him to come over.

"What do you think?" I asked. My mind was already made up, but this seemed an excellent way to help bolster our trust. "I only have enough Essence at the moment to Level one."

I watched with amusement as Nathaniel's eyes flicked between each of the Cards, widening in surprise when he read the details on Tame Creature, "This... Promotion?"

"That's right," I nodded. "In the future, I expect most of our Party's income will be from selling Summons through Wielder's Wonders. Of course, I'd like to appear as a Party hired by the business and not as the proprietor."

"I see..." Nathaniel opened his own Deck Box and pulled out a Card. I was surprised to find that it was a Blessed Tame Creature. Before I could speak, he slipped his Promotion Relic from his jacket on a nearby chair and tapped it to the Card. The Card glowed briefly before settling down, and he tucked it securely back into his Deck.

"Your build is intriguing," he stepped back to the side of the bed and looked over my shoulder. "Without a faction, this can certainly increase your influence. As long as you aren't obstructed, of course."

"It's a fine start," I spread the Cards out so that he could see them better.

"Luck," he scratched his chin. "Your chance at a Pure Summon is already phenomenal. I would focus on drop rate for now so that you can farm cheap Summons to sell. Then, once we hit the Tenth Floor, I would push more toward Taming success. If you want to make the most of the early Floors, that is."

I smiled and patted his shoulder, "Good lad. I was thinking along those lines myself."

One by one, I placed the Essence onto the Card. Each crystal turned black as the Essence was drained, and I tossed the shards into a nearby bin. They were all low-Level shards, and it wasn't worth saving the husks. Nearly a half-hour later...

[Card Name: Luck]

[Class: Enhancement]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 4]

[Essence: 0/1,000,000]

[Description: Increases the drop rate of all Cards within the Tower. The Wielder must deal the final blow.]

[Effect: Drop rate increased by 20% of existing rate]

"Not a significant increase, but that's one step closer to Level 5," I tucked my Cards back into their slots and turned to Nathaniel. "Can you do me a favor in the morning?"

"Of course," he stood straighter and nodded in affirmation.

"Take the remaining Essence and replenish our ration supply. I would also like you to locate Direction Relics for each of us. Preferably, they should be linked, but I don't hold much hope for that in this town. I'll use that time to speak with the coachman to ensure he's trustworthy. We should be on the Third Floor in a day or two if all goes well."

Nathaniel nodded, "I'll set out early and see what I can find. Is there anything else?"

I shook my head, "For now, just get some rest. I don't imagine the carriages here will be as cozy as those on the Origin Floor."