Jerik paced back and forth in front of where Athena was lying down as he waited for Jack to appear, his head swirling with what he’d just discovered. He knew he was right, and yet at the same time, he still couldn’t believe it. Averin had every right to want him dead as much as Magnus. He’d stolen the man’s rifle, after all, and then killed him with it. That kind of insult didn’t go away so quickly.

Who is this Jack individual? The window of text from Athena flashed in front of his eyes, breaking him out of his spiraling thoughts. Is he an enemy?

“He is,” Jerik agreed impulsively. “Well, he was. I don’t know what’s going on now.”

If he is your enemy, then why have you kept him in your ranks for so long? Is it to trick him into thinking you are friendly?

“I didn’t know it was him!” He replied, speaking louder than intended in his irritation. Athena’s eyes narrowed, and the tip of her tail flicked to show her annoyance with the volume. He backed down quickly. “Sorry. But I had no clue. He was disguised the entire time.”

What purpose does this disguise serve?

“I don’t know.”

Sure you do. You’re just too emotional to see it.

“The only point of putting on a disguise is to hide,” Jerik growled. “So he wanted to disappear from everyone’s view, and kill me. Or kill Magnus.”

Well, he’s had plenty of chances to shoot you, hasn’t he?

“Well, yes.” It was hard to remain angry when Athena continued using a rational line of thinking. “But why hide? He’s a good enough sniper that he doesn’t have to disguise himself. He can sneak past anyone and take Magnus out anytime!”

“Well, I’m flattered you think so.” Jerik whirled around. Jack was standing a few feet away, flanked by Nicholas and Megan. He was unarmed and leaning on one foot, casual as could be. “But I’m not as good as you.”

His comment flew right over Jerik’s head, who was too hyper-focused on his original train of thought to be waylaid. “I know who you are now, Averin. Why did you disguise yourself and join me? Why did you lie to me?”

“I haven’t lied to you,” Jack, or rather Averin replied. “You never asked me if I was wearing a disguise when you recruited me. You needed competent soldiers, and I fit the bill.”

“But why join me?”

The other sniper took a remarkable time to answer his question, his mouth twisted in a small, amused smile. “Well, I could say that I didn’t want anyone to interrupt my mission.”

“But that’s not the truth.”

“Nope.”

“Then why?” Jerik asked again. In another flash of irritation, he shouted the question. Jack didn’t flinch and met his eyes with a casual wry smirk. “What do you have to gain by joining us? And don’t even think about lying. I will kill you if need be.”

“I have no reason to lie,” the man said. “But before I answer your question, let me do one thing.”

He moved one hand towards the billowy cloak that covered his body. At once, Nicholas, Megan, and Jerik reacted, each lifting a weapon or magic, pointed directly at him. His grin widened. “Relax. I’m unarmed.”

His hand found the clasp of his cloak and undid it, pulling the garment free. As it slid off of his form, his appearance shivered and changed. Gone was the rugged, black-haired, and bearded man they’d known as Jack. In his place was a slightly shorter figure, lean in body, with golden hair and a clean-shaven face. The information on Jerik’s status screen changed at once as well.

Averin Golden

Raid Class

Shadow of Menora

Jerik heard Nick swear quietly, but the sound barely registered in his mind, which seemed to have frozen. Raid Class? Shadow of Menora? What in the hell did that mean? “You’re… You’re Raid Class?”

“So are you,” Averin pointed out. “You don’t see me freaking out.”

“But you haven’t taken part in the ritual,” Jerik spluttered, completely thrown. “That’s required to become Raid Class.”

“Who said that’s the only way?” Averin replied smoothly, one eyebrow arched. “And before you ask, no. I’m not going to tell you how I did it. You don’t have the right to know. Right now, you need to decide what you’re going to do with me.”

He’d raised his arms again and traced quotation marks around the ‘do with me’ part of his statement, speaking so boldly that it put Jerik back on his heels. In spite of himself, he let out a dull laugh. “Fine. But you haven’t answered my question. Why did you join me?”

“Because you’re the best.”

If his previous statement had been disarming, it was nothing compared to the impact of that answer. He actually recoiled half a step in shock. “I’m the best? But your kill count is way higher than mine.”

“It’s not about that. You’re the best chance to kill Kan-Menora.”

“But why do you care about that?” Jerik asked. “You don’t want to kill Magnus?”

“Oh, I do,” Averin said firmly. Something like a shadow flickered across his eyes, but it was gone so quickly that Jerik couldn’t be sure he’d seen it. “If I get the chance, I’d love to kill him for what he did to the Golden Dawn.”

“Were you in the Golden Dawn?”

“No. I joined Magnus after, in an attempt to destroy him. But you beat me to it. I was impressed, and decided to join you.”

Jerik frowned thoughtfully, and looked to Morgan, hoping to get some kind of informative reaction from her. She met his eyes and lifted her shoulders a few centimeters. She wasn’t sure what to think. That made two of them, Jerik thought. He racked his brain, trying to understand the man’s motives. So far, he was certain that Averin wasn’t lying. And he had a good sense for when people were lying to him. But he also had the sense that he’d only shared a small fraction of the story.

“Kill him, Nick,” he said. “I don’t believe it.”

At once, Nick activated the blade of his tek sword. It flared to life, and he swung it in a flat broad arc towards Averin’s neck. What happened next, Jerik could just barely catch. Averin moved in a blur, grabbing hold of Nick’s wrist and wrenching it, forcing him to drop the blade. It went out at once as it left his hand. Then the sniper pivoted on his heel, throwing the young man over and down onto the hard ground. Morgan reacted at once, her hands shimmering with magic.

Before she could even attempt an incantation to attack, Averin had leaned back on one foot, lashing out with the other in a high stomp. He kicked Morgan squarely in the chest, sending her flying back a few feet, slamming into the wall of the barracks. Nick broke free of his grip and moved to grapple him, but he danced out of reach with snake-like ease, letting out a high laugh.

Jerik drew his knife, knowing that the short range made both of his firearms practically useless, and advanced quickly but cautiously. Averin was watching him closely, and jumped back to avoid his first swipe. Then, before he could attack again, he found himself on his back, his head slamming into the hard road. The helmet absorbed the shock completely, but he was disoriented by the sudden spin nonetheless.

A roar erupted through the air, and Athena appeared over Jerik swiping at Averin. He ducked the attack, then jumped back to avoid the next. Athena lunged again, and time seemed to slow as Jerik saw the sniper wave his hand through the air. Suddenly, Athena fell limp, her metal body landing with a thud mere inches away from her target. She didn’t move at all.

“You killed her?” Jerik yelled, fury flooding his system for the first time in a while. It gave him enough of a rush to get to his feet, gripping his knife tightly. “I’m going to kill you!”

He swiped the knife back and forth in a blur, forcing his opponent to retreat hastily. Despite his murderous rush, Averin continued to look calm as could be, almost as if he was doing nothing more than his daily warm-up exercise. He tripped Jerik with ease as he rushed forward again, and he hit the ground once more. But he was up in an instant, as was Nick, who’d recovered his sword.

“Oh dear,” Averin said lightly. “This is a real challenge.”

Nick attacked, moving more cautiously this time. He still swung and stabbed his sword in a bewildering pattern, but he had more restraint to his movements. A bolt of magic flew over his shoulder to hit Averin in the chest, but it shattered harmlessly against his clothing, leaving no sign of damage. Morgan let out a soft gasp of surprise.

“Well,” Averin said, flashing forward to grab Nick’s wrist again, spinning him around into a choke hold, and kicking his knees out, “It’s only a challenge because I can’t kill you.”

Suddenly, he had Nick’s sword in his hand and held the point out in a clear threat to Jerik, who froze, an instant away from lunging in for an attack. “Just stay there for a second, commander. Let me explain what I want.”

Jerik gritted his teeth. The fury was still running through his system, but it was tempered by confusion. Why hadn’t Averin made a move to kill either of them? They’d been doing their best to kill him for the past few minutes, so it would only be fair. No, it was expected. So why was he still being so casual? “What do you want?”

“I want to kill Kan-Menora.”

“You’ve already said that,” Jerik snapped back. “But you’re not telling me the whole story. What else do you want?”

“To fight you.”

Jerik, Morgan, and Nick all froze, the latter giving up on his struggle to break free. Jerik blinked. “What?”

Averin released Nick, letting him drop to the ground, and dropped his deactivated blade beside him. “I told you that you’re the best. You can shoot better than anyone I’ve ever met. I want to learn from watching you, and eventually beat you.”

“So you do want to kill me.”

“Well,” Averin drew out the word, sounding thoughtful. “Yes, I suppose I do. But not until after all this is over with. After we kill Kan-Menora, and before you leave, I want an honest match with you.”

“With no prize?”

“It’s worth it to me. I like the challenge.”

“I see,” Jerik replied, even though he didn’t. He sheathed his knife, realizing there was no point in fighting any longer. “Well, I didn’t expect you to let Nick kill you. What did you do to Athena?”

“I turned her off.”

At that exact moment, Athena got to her feet, moving very slowly as if frozen. She seemed uninjured but clearly dazed. Averin looked over his shoulder at her, nodding in satisfaction. “She posed the biggest threat, so I had to disable her until we could settle things.”

“You’re very strange,” Jerik pointed out.

“That’s what I’ve been told. So. We’re all good, I assume?”

“Yes,” Jerik agreed. “But just know that I’ll be watching you. I know who you are now, and next time I’ll use Paragon.”

“Understood, commander,” Averin replied, giving him a crisp salute. Somehow, it felt mocking. Then he turned on his heel and simply walked away without another word.

“Very strange,” he repeated, then offered Nick a hand up. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” the young man said with a sigh. “Didn’t expect him to be such a good fighter. Most snipers aren’t known for their hand-to-hand.”

“True. Alright, let’s finish with the packing. And keep an eye on him. I want to know if he does anything strange.”

 

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This chapter is dedicated to Reuben, my devoted reader. Never lets up with his speed reading. I wish I could write as fast as he read. Imagine the money I could make.