I'd like to think that I'd picked up a fair amount of 'common sense' during my life and travels. Maybe some of my sense wasn't actually all that common, but there were areas I was fairly sure about, like the fact that kids shouldn't really travel alone.

  Yes, I was a level thirty-two kid, with Stats in the same ballpark as someone who'd reached the third growth marker, but most people I passed on the road didn't know that. As such, I was leaning on [Expert Stealth] to remain unnoticed. Adjusting the way I held myself to look a little older. Maybe the reality bending effects of the Skill even caused other travellers to miss the fact I was travelling alone.

  As had happened the last time I'd walked a road alone, I was occasionally gifted experience as I passed a minority of other travellers, but my Skill held, and the tall walls of the sapphire city came into view without me being disturbed.

  I was thus caught by surprise when the sun dimmed and flickered. The grass flattened and small rocks gently lifted from the road. The background sounds of the world—rustling leaves, chirps of insects, the calls of birds—cut out, replaced with oppressive static.

  I fell to my knees as my Strength failed me, unable to keep me upright against a sudden pressure with no discernable source.

  There hadn't been anyone else on the road for miles. Who was this? Was it anyone? Was it even an attack at all? I had no clue what was happening.

  "Impressive," declared a feminine voice from directly behind me. "You're still conscious."

  So, attack it was. Fuck.

  "I'd assumed you simply managed to find some strong allies to hide behind, but it seems you really do have at least some ability of your own," continued the voice. "Good. I'd much rather you be awake. Do you have any idea how much of an expense it is to train an employee to the point of learning B-rank Skills? You've cost me a lot of money, kiddo. More than this job is worth. And now I'm going to make you regret it."

  I tried to respond, but I found myself unable to make a sound, nor could I move. It was all I could do to remain on my knees and prevent myself toppling forward.

  Was this really how my adventure would end? At the hands of some assassin leader who was pissed because she'd sent an expensive subordinate after me and I'd had the arrogance to not die?

  Footsteps sounded from behind me, drawing closer one by one, clearly audible above the static. Just like her voice, I realised. She was letting me hear. How many steps away was she? Two? Three? We were in the middle of the road, within sight of the kingdom's capital city! Was there no patrol? No guards to rush to my rescue?

  Another step. The sensation of warm air on the back of my neck.

  And then a sudden, sharp intake of breath, accompanied by the pressure lessening. Not by much, but it was enough. I kicked off from the road, pushing myself forward as hard as possible, while screaming as loudly as I could. There was no way I could run, hide, or win. Attracting attention was my only hope.

  Unlike my assailant, my voice was sucked away by the pressure of the Skill, sounding weak and reedy even in my own ears. Nor did it last. The pressure redoubled, and this time I failed to remain kneeling, being driven flat to the ground, face first. It was all I could do to shift my face sufficiently to breathe. Turning around to view my attacker was impossible.

  "I don't know why I'm surprised," she sighed. "Given that Mark, of course that man would have his eyes on you. Well, you're out of luck. That bastard has already left for Harvent Canton. Heck, if things are going to plan, he might even be dead by now, although I'm not going to bank on it. He wouldn't be such a pain in my side if he died so conveniently. So, sorry, but there will be no salvation for you today."

  Another step, then another, causing a shadow to fall over me. There came a rustle of cloth as someone bent over me.

  And then the pounding of hoof-beats.

  I still couldn't hear them through the strange suppression, but from my position on the floor, I could feel them. Help was on the way. I needed to buy minutes. Maybe even only seconds. How?

  I had free stat points available to spend, but it was obvious that I wasn't going to win any fight of Stats. I was simply too outclassed. Likewise, while I prided myself on my ability to blag my way out of a wide range of situations, that rather depended on being able to open my mouth.

  Was there really nothing?

  "..." said a second voice, the words inaudible, obviously suppressed by whatever Skill the assassin was using. Her response, however, was perfectly audible. Another sharp intake of breath as something caught her by surprise, followed by a snicker as she realised the surprise was not dangerous.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  That was followed by a clang and the wet noise of metal meeting meat. Something hit the floor with a thud.

  "Your master might be a threat, but you're nothing more than free experience," she said, no longer talking to me. "Nor are the town guards. I'd thank you for leading them to me, but unlike you, I doubt they're worth much."

  Things just kept getting worse. Someone had stepped in to protect me, although who they were and where they'd come from, I had no idea. And then they'd gone down in one exchange, and she'd declared the incoming reinforcements even weaker.

  "I'm not even sure they're worth killing," she continued, the increased volume making it clear she'd turned back to me. "Still, they'll serve some purpose. They can discover your corpse."

  Once again, the shadow fell over me.

  "Aegis!"

  A flash of white light was followed by a clang, and, for the moment, I remained distinctly whole and unstabbed.

  "The hell?" asked the assassin.

  The shadow moved as she stood. A third sharp intake of breath came, and this time it wasn't followed by a snicker.

  The pressure vanished, and along with it went the shadow. It didn't move; it simply was no longer there. Either she was moving with a speed that my perception was utterly incapable of following, or else she'd literally turned invisible.

  "I challenge you to a duel!" declared another voice, and a pressure of a different sort flooded the area, carrying a feeling of expectation, but not one that was directed at me. While spoken like a regular challenge, the feeling made it clear that it was anything but. It was, somehow, a Skill. And, the moment it was uttered, the shadow reappeared.

  "Like hell I'd agree!" snapped back the assassin as I desperately pushed myself up off the floor—a task that would have been far easier with both arms—and spat out a mouthful of dust.

  Something snapped, and the new pressure vanished, but the assassin was still there, fully visible. So, too, were half a dozen fake guards on horseback, with me stuck between the two parties.

  The way I knew they were fake, despite them being dressed in perfect town guard livery, was that I recognised the faces of both Sir Leroy and Sir Quix. This wasn't some random town guard patrol. It was a squad of royal guards.

  Behind the assassin was a masked corpse wrapped in a black cloak. At least, I assumed it was a corpse. It wasn't moving, and I couldn't imagine the Constitution required to survive that much blood loss. Presumably the first one to rush to my rescue, sacrificing their life to buy the precious seconds required for the royal guards to turn up.

  The assassin herself was dressed in a hooded green cloak, a cloth mask covering her face, with only her eyes visible. Those eyes were flicking around as she presumably looked for a means of escape.

  "Julie Hunter, aka the Fatal Breeze. You are under arrest," flatly stated Sir Quix.

  "Hah. And just who is guarding your precious king while you lot are out here?" she spat back. "You think the Empire won't be seizing this opportunity as we speak?"

  "Oh? And here I was thinking that the Empire's only high-level asset in our city was you."

  I edged backward, having even less of a desire to be trapped between the pair of powerhouses than I had to be stuck in the red magic circle from earlier. Alas, the assassin—the Fatal Breeze, to use her ridiculous alias—reacted to the first twitch of my muscles.

  "Never let it be said that the Green Order has failed in a commission after accepting payment," she muttered.

  White light flashed once again, something clanging off the shield that was somehow still active around me. I hadn't even seen her move, and had no idea how she'd attacked. I equally had no idea how I'd been defended. Yeah, I was way out of my league here. I continued edging backward, thankfully not attracting any further attacks until the squad of royal guards was safely between me and Julie.

  "Sorry, but you'll be failing this one," replied Sir Quix, despite her mutter almost assuredly being rhetorical. "You rejected the duel, and now your Skills are sealed. How, exactly, are you intending to escape?"

  Despite the situation, there was no hint of smugness or arrogance in his voice. Rather, I noted the way all six knights had tight grips on their weapons. Despite her Skills apparently being sealed—which explained her loss of invisibility, but had the terrifying implication that her latest attack against me had been made on weight of Stats alone—they actually did expect her to have an escape plan. Maybe she had enchanted items, or else whatever they'd done to seal her Skills had a weakness. No way was there a Skill that could simply seal all of someone else's Skills without conditions or drawbacks.

  Julie clicked her tongue in irritation, then reached a hand into her cloak.

  All hell immediately broke loose.

  "Grand Slash!"

  "Tornado!"

  "Adamant Defence!"

  Three of the knights launched Skills, again at speeds I couldn't follow. Lights flashed. Something exploded. An ominous green cloud appeared, then was rapidly sucked into the air by a twirling vortex of wind. Red blood splashed, and in the fast moving melee, I couldn't even see who it belonged to. Voices shouted Skill names.

  The chaos was such that I had no idea if I should remain or run for my life. Running seemed sensible, but I knew I had no hope of outrunning any of the combatants, and for all I knew, the shield that was protecting me had a limited range, and I needed to stay close to the caster.

  Actually, running speed was a damn good point. Those guards could certainly have got here faster had they moved by foot, rather than by horse. The black-cloaked guy wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself. Or maybe he would? If Julie had known there were royal knights coming, she probably wouldn't have monologued at me. But she seemed to think he'd summoned the knights, and they were obviously higher level than him, so they would have been faster and black-cloaked guy wouldn't have been here to protect me? But if that was how it happened, how did he get to the city so fast?

  For that matter, how did the royal knights mobilise so fast? There was simply no way, whatever their levels. They must have been prepared.

  I had insufficient information to draw a firm conclusion, but I was starting to get a horrible feeling that I'd just been used as bait.

  Not only that, but from the way the woman was talking, it sounded like this 'Empire', whoever they were, were responsible for what was happening in Harvent Canton.

  The fighting died down, perhaps only seconds after it had started, but they were rather eventful seconds. Thankfully, the knights had won, although a few of them were bleeding, their town guard armour not offering as much coverage as what they should have been wearing as royal knights. The assassin was lying on the floor. Or, perhaps more accurately, was scattered across the floor. All four limbs were severed, and her clothes were shredded, leaving her torso naked, bleeding from dozens of wounds.

  As one of the knights stooped, fastening a metal collar around her neck, I realised with horror that she was still alive.

  Four of the knights kept watch on her, weapons still drawn, while the fifth worked on restraining their mutilated prisoner. Meanwhile, the sixth and final member, Sir Quix, turned to me. "Not bad, kid. Most people of your level would have pissed themselves, caught up in a fight like that, if not outright suffered a heart attack."

  "Uh... Thanks? I think?"

  He nodded. "In any case, now that it's over, I think it's about time for you to meet your king."

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