Chapter 5: Masquerade

Blade learned she would be spending an unfortunate lot of time with Reaver. It's not that she didn't like him, but he seemed to have an interest in her. Maybe it was because she was Sparrow's daughter. Maybe it was because she and her mother were somewhat alike. Whatever the reason was, she found herself running into Reaver more often than not. In one encounter, Reaver asked Blade a question that she had been trying to avoid: why she dragged a commoner around. Blade didn't want to confess any feelings that she had for him, so she answered quite simply that it was because he made a good escort.

"That's a shame for the poor lad," Reaver smirked, "you really don't have an intimate relationship with him, do you?"

"He's a good friend," Blade answered truthfully.

"Good," Reaver sounded far too pleased to hear that.

Back at the Bowerstone Resistance Headquarters, Blade stared at Page, horrified.

"No!" she screamed, "No! You can't make me!"

"Oh, come on, Blade," Page insisted, "I'll be there with you."

"I won't do it."

"Blade, I don't like him either."

"I'm not going to waltz into Reaver's party, be seen with you, dressed like that!"

Being seen with Page was bad enough. Being seen with Page and dressed like a pansy was humiliating.

"Blade, please."

"No."

Ben stepped in, "what if-"

"No."

"Would you let me finish?!"

"No, Ben."

Walter laughed.

"Blade, do this one thing for me and I will consider your offer," Page pleaded.

Blade bit her lip. Page was pushing it. Although Blade didn't want to face Reaver, she would need all the help she could get to overthrow Logan. Besides, Blade thought with a smile, imagine Reaver's face when we storm onto his estate, uninvited!

Suddenly, Blade asked, "Can I bring a friend?"

Page, Walter, and Ben glanced at each other.

"Uh," Page said, her eyebrows knitting, "sure?"

"Then let's go crash this party."

Later, Ben casually slid beside Blade, who was standing outside the entrance of the hideout and examining the polluted city.

"Hey," Ben looked at Blade.

Blade nodded at him, to show acknowledgement.

"Could it be possible if I tagged along on your masquerade crashing?"

Blade shrugged and answered, "ask Page."

"I was told to ask you," Ben whined.

"I don't care. That's up to Page."

Ben grinned, "I guess you're stuck with me if neither of you will make up your minds."

He looked satisfied for a second before looking back at Blade and demanding, "wait, if 'your friend' wasn't me, then who on earth are you bringing?!"

It was Blade's turn to grin, "You'll see."

Blade stumbled into the blacksmith as the shop was closing that day.

"Andrew," she beamed, "I was invited to crash a party in Millfields and wanted to ask you to join me."

"To crash a party?" Andrew wondered.

"Yea; it's a costume party," Blade said.

Andrew looked as though he were considering it, "Who's going to be there?"

"Captain Ben Finn, Page from the Bowerstone Resistance, Reaver..."

"It's at Reaver's mansion, isn't it?"

Blade couldn't help but smile, "Maybe."

"You are dangerous. Messing with Reaver? That's pretty badass."

"You know you want to come."

Andrew nodded, "I'll be there."

"Good. Remember to wear a mask. And meet me at Reaver's house as soon as dusk falls."

"We don't have much time then."

"Hurry, Andrew!" Blade called to the sprinting blacksmith.

Blade took another look at her reflection.

She dressed as a highwayman. Instead of a hat, she wore a cloak. A thief's mask was tied tightly around her face to hide her identity. She also wore a maroon halter top and thin, black trousers, with laces running up her thighs. Knee-high boots completed her outfit.

Blade admired herself. Jasper, on the other hand, stared at her scandalous choice of garments.

"I hope you don't plan on prancing through town in that hideous costume," Jasper remarked.

Prance? Blade wondered. She laughed as she realized that she would, in fact, prance.

"It's for a party," she explained to her butler.

"Indeed."

After changing weapons and taking a look at her new gauntlets, Blade was ready to meet Andrew at Reaver's mansion.

She was delighted when she noticed he was dressed as a mercenary. Even his mussed hair was covered with a hat. He wore fake facial hair, a blue button-up shirt, and a leather jacket. One of his jacket sleeves was ripped off. He also wore jeans and black boots and fingerless gloves.

"Wow, Blade," he smiled his crooked smile, "you look sexy."

Page frowned, "you're not wearing the costume I picked out for you!"

Page was wearing a brightly colored dress and insanely decorated mask. A powdered wig and hat covered her head. It took Blade a minute to get used to.

"Yea," Ben grinned, "because it looks ridiculous. Really, Blade, you look great."

Ben wore a costume matching Page's.

Blade smiled at them, mostly at Andrew, though.

"Let's crash this party," Blade said.

The group split up in order to find Reaver.

Blade and Page explored one half of the mansion, while Forge and Ben investigated the other half of the mansion.

While wandering around their half of the mansion, Page asked Blade how she met Forge.

"He accompanied me to Dweller Camp, once," Blade answered while snooping through one of Reaver's drawers.

"Oh," Page said, with disappointment. "Do you like him?"

Blade raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I haven't thought about it."

"Oh."

Blade dumped out a trunk full of jewels.

"What are you doing?" Page wondered.

Blade shrugged, "Looting. Why?"

Page stared at her partner, "how can you say that so casually?"

"What else did you expect?"

Page watched her a little longer before finally shouting, "We don't have time for this! Let's go find Reaver!"

Page grabbed Blade's arm and dragged her to next room.

Ben and Forge explored their section of the mansion in silence. Occasionally, Ben would ask a question, in which Forge would mumble a reply. Besides the sound of drunken guests, the mansion was too quiet.

"Dare I ask, but how do you know Blade?" Ben wondered aloud.

"I helped her fight off a pack of wolves," Forge smiled as he remembered it.

"Really?" Ben gaped at him.

"And then some."

"Impressive," Ben playfully punched Forge's arm.

Forge grinned in response.

"So what's your relationship with Blade?" Ben inquired.

"We're buddies," Forge said. "How do you know Blade?"

"Oh," Ben remembered the night Blade visited the Mourningwood Fort, "I taught her how use a mortar."

Forge smiled, "Sounds like something she'd enjoy. Blowing up hollow men."

Ben nodded, "She did."

"Are you two together?"

Ben shook his head.

Forge let out a breath he had been keeping in.

After wandering around the large estate for some time, both groups ended up in the same room.

Page met up with Ben, "Did you find him?"

"No," the captain replied.

Forge smiled at Blade while the other two members debated on where to go next.

"So, Ben's not bad," he whispered.

"He's great once you get to know him."

Forge nodded, "he told me you like mortars."

Blade laughed, "Yea."

She and Forge confabulated while Page and Ben argued.

This all happened under a pair of hungry eyes. What the group didn't know was they had fallen right into Reaver's trap.

Forge was the first to notice the Wheel of Misfortune.

He elbowed Blade, who was standing next to him and watching Page and Ben bicker. She turned to look at him, then followed his gaze to slightly above said Wheel.

Speak of the devil, she thought.

"How long have you been standing there?" Blade shouted at Reaver, who was watching them from a high platform.

He smiled down at her, "Long enough."

His voice caused the other teammates to investigate.

"I've been waiting for you."

"Waiting for us?" echoed Forge.

"You see, my party has been pretty dull. I've been expecting some poor souls to come and, well, entertain my guests."

"Us being the 'poor souls'..." Ben frowned.

"Do explain," said Page.

Reaver explained the object of his game: "It's really quite simple. I spin, you die, we watch. Really, it's a riot. Shall we begin?"

Fighting creature after creature, Blade's group was getting impatient.

"Blade, you and Forge distract them while Page and myself come up behind him and -"

Blade interrupted him, "Ben, that's a terrible idea."

"Ah, come on!"

"We can't just allow Reaver to keep toying with us," Page said.

The rest of the group watched Blade, waiting for instructions.

"We might as well face the next challenge and get this over with," she said.

Blade led the group to the room containing the Wheel of Misfortune where Reaver and his guests were waiting.

No one expected the guests to transform into balverines and attack Blade's party.

Blade drew her sword and stabbed the nearest monster. The creature let out a yelp and collapsed. Just then, Blade was surrounded. Forge tackled one, sending them both tumbling and fighting. Blade attacked another. Ben had three on him and Page was taking her time with one. Forge wiped some blood off of his hands before lunging at a balverine behind him.

Reaver clapped, feeling extreme joy, "Wasn't that fun?"

"That was not fun, Reaver," Page snapped, "That was anything but fun."

Ben disagreed, "I enjoyed myself. Best party I've ever crashed."

Blade laughed.

Forge couldn't help but grin.

"Are you serious?" Page stared at her team.

Blade shrugged, "That was interesting."

Their reactions made Reaver laugh out of surprise.

"He used us!" Page shouted, "And you don't mind?!"

"It was sick," Forge said, "in an entertaining sort of way."

Needless to say, the team escaped Reaver's manor with their lives