It didn’t take long for me to realise that running would do me no good. I didn’t have the stamina for it. My Brawn and Control were both much too low. The humans had much longer legs, and the gnomes somehow had little trouble trying to keep up.

The group reminded me of the bandits we’d encountered on our way to Eldar’s Ports. It meant they worked for the guilds or the Seekers. Elvin either wanted to scare me, or his act had been for Elias’s benefit and not mine.

I kicked myself for not foreseeing the possibility of such an outcome. The guilds had already proven they were open to using underhanded tactics to get their way. Since the legal channels hadn’t worked, now they had set their goons on me. I didn’t know whether their orders were to capture or kill me, but it didn’t matter. I had no intention of making this easy on them.

As soon as I spotted the chance to break the line of sight, I dove into an alley and I used a chunk of mana to activate the shadow mantle. Darkness blossomed from my collar and washed down my cape. It lengthened, extending all the way down to my feet. I pulled it close and sped onwards, hoping my pursuers couldn’t see through it like the flesh golem.

It didn’t take long for soap to soak me. I slipped through gaps in fences, holes in overcrowded shacks of sleeping citizens, and under hedges. Despite my thick-padded souls, I was making too much noise, and my pursuers were gaining on me. Desperate to calm my ragged breathing, I ducked behind an overturned cart and fell into a crouch.

Sneaking Mastery has progressed to Apprentice Rank 8!

I didn’t need to outrun my pursuers. My strengths lay in stealth and misdirection, not speed. Besides, my pursuers undoubtedly knew the city better than me, but if I kept my head down, their superior knowledge of the streets wouldn’t matter. If I created a sufficient distraction, maybe I could escape the neighbourhood and make it back to the inn, or at least take cover in one of the pubs until morning.

A crossbow bolt put my little break to a sudden end. The projectile embedded itself in the plank next to my head with a thud, making both my heart and testicles react simultaneously. The first tried to leap out of my chest, and the latter attempted a retreat up into the groin. Neither succeeded, leaving me no option but to continue living. I scrambled into the neighbouring bush and forced my way into the garden beyond. The branches left scratches on my skin, but I ignored the discomfort and pushed on. I preferred scrapes and bruises to a bolt to the knee.

Keeping the cape wrapped tightly around me slowed my movements, but I refused to drop it. Just because one of them could see through it didn’t mean all of my pursuers had the same abilities. Now that I knew they intended to kill me, I pushed on with renewed vigour. The projectile had come from above. One of my pursuers had taken to the rooftops, or there were more of them than I previously assumed.

“Over here!” she shouted from above, alerting her comrades.

I needed to lose them again, and somehow stay hidden. Escape wasn’t going to be as straightforward as I had hoped. Another bolt came whizzing from above. It grazed my shoulder, and I felt a warm stream run down my right arm moments later. Though it was only a minor injury, I had never felt such a pain before. I bit down on my sleeve to suppress my scream.

“Bloody hell, Maka,” I whispered. “If you have any intention of helping me, now’s a better time than any.”

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. The archer’s companions would be on my trail soon. I needed to lose her and find cover. I heard another twang and hopped to my left. S projectile tugged at my cape as it ripped through the bottom edge, dividing the fluid black fabric. Dark strands stretched between the two pieces and stitched them together.

You have unlocked a new mastery!

Dodging Mastery has progressed to Novice Rank 4!

I wished Arena Disk would leave me alone and let me live my life. Wargs, Gor, wolves, furcoons, and now crossbow-wielding assholes. Hopefully next time, I’d have something less terrifying to deal with. Perhaps rabbits or mice.

I heard the remaining pursuers charging down a nearby alley. Desperate for a way out, I frantically scanned my surroundings. I saw nothing I could use for defence or anywhere to hide. Another projectile pierced my right shoulder. I stumbled onto my knees and fell to my right as soon as I heard another twang.

Dodging Mastery has progressed to Novice Rank 6!

I must have moved out of the pursuer’s line of sight. Even though I lay motionless, reeling from the burning agony, no more projectiles peppered me or my surroundings. Forcing myself onto my knees, I considered my options. The alley crossed another up ahead. Maybe if I took an unexpected turn, I’d lose them.

After two steps forward, I collapsed onto my knees again. I couldn’t do it. The wound hurt too much. A proper champion would probably shrug off such an injury and push on, but I wasn’t one of them. This was it. I hoped Hruk would take Doctor Whoo and leave town.

I grabbed a nearby windowsill to lift myself up. Instead of in the dirt, perhaps I’d die standing. It’s the least I could do: die proud of everything I had accomplished despite the odds stacked against me. Then I realised the window was open. I heard footsteps on the nearby rooftops. The marksman hadn’t spotted me yet.

The adrenaline pumping through my system wouldn’t last much longer. Using the last of my strength, I grabbed onto the windowsill and swung my right leg onto its edge. My grip failed me, and I fell painfully on my injured shoulder.

Because of the recent damage my wand had suffered, I avoided using it as much as possible. Now, I found myself without options. A quick poke shaped the stone under me to raise a pillar. I crawled off it and through the window before dispelling the structure. I hoped the darkness would ensure it went unnoticed.

Once secure, I turned my attention to the bolt sticking out of me. While climbing in, I had knocked it against the wall and had to bite down on my tongue to stifle a scream. It took several long, painful seconds before I found the strength to lower myself off the windowsill onto the floor. My grip failed me again, and I landed on my side with a loud thud. The crossbow bolt snapped, and I felt the pointed end move further, cutting up my insides. Hot blood poured from the wound, and I pressed a hand to it, desperate to stem the bleeding.

I sat still, waiting for one of the assassins or the residents to come charging in, but neither came.

“Where did he go?” I heard a squeaky voice ask outside the window.

“I don’t know,” a woman answered. “I got him in the shoulder. He couldn’t have gone far.”

“Let's split up,” another voice said. “Holly, you stay on the roofs and keep an eye out for the halfling or the guards. Oleg, you stay here in case he’s sneaking around. You’ll hear him before either of us.”

He barked a few more orders as the voices faded. I heard one of them scramble up the side of the building—probably the marksman. The final pursuer, Oleg, didn’t make a sound. I lay still, waiting to hear him move or do something, but got nothing. My heart continued trying to beat out of my chest as more blood spilt from my shoulder. A soft groan escaped me as I crawled away from the window, and footsteps sounded on the pavement outside straightaway.

Leaving Doctor Whoo in the inn was a mistake. I regretted not taking the time to find more animal companions. The shrike had her uses but struggled to reach her full potential while under the effects of Satchel Monsters. I needed a companion who could protect me in tight spaces. I regretted not taking the time to tame another beast. A furcoon could’ve made for a great distraction. Perhaps it would’ve helped take down one of the assassins.

“Focus,” I mumbled to myself, scanning my surroundings for anything I could use to get out of my current predicament. Blood loss left my head feeling light, and my mind had begun to drift. I needed to focus and not let myself get distracted.

My breath caught in my throat as I took in my surroundings. Opposite me hung a tapestry much like the one I had seen on the Seeker’s ship. The scene appeared exactly the same, but instead of wavy shadows, tentacles extended from around the ugly purple and red eye in the centre. The appendages didn’t feature suckers like the octopi and squids from earth. Instead, ugly barbed hooks sat in their place.

Tomes in unrecognisable languages populated the desk under the wall hanging. Amongst them sat an oblong stone, much like the one that sat in my inner pocket. Except it had a monstrous chunk missing from its side. It looked as if someone had shot the stone with a bullet. Crystalline shards bordered the hole and cracks spider-webbed from it. Mana Sense told me that it lacked the same mana signature and presence as the stone in my jacket.

Fingers reflexively moved to the smooth egg-stone sitting in my jacket’s inner pocket. The tips stuck to the surface for a moment, and warmth blossomed from the alien object. I expected the occurrence to fade almost instantly, like it always did with the egg, but the surface’s suction and temperature increased. Then the inert stone on the desk lit up with the same colour as Oth’s painted eye, and a powerful force jerked me forwards, pulling me into a crawl.

I resisted at first, but when the broken stone’s light brightened, I rushed to cover it. The footsteps outside the window increased in volume and speed. It was perhaps too late to mask the light, but I continued forwards, struggling to resist the object’s gravity.

When I retrieved my hand from the vest pocket, the egg came with it, clasped in my palm. Even though I had no way of knowing what to do next, I pressed the egg to the broken stone. As soon as they touched, an electric current passed through my body. The stone sucked in the light just as it did my fingers. The purple lost its luminosity and similarly coloured veins spread across the egg’s black surface.

As darkness once again covered the room, the footsteps outside only got louder. Oleg hadn’t yet given up on his pursuit. Doubts regarding his target faded. He’d undoubtedly seen the purple.

I slowed my breathing, hoping the pursuers hadn’t heard me. Moving would make more noise, so I lay as still as possible while tightly wrapping the shadow mantle around me. My throbbing shoulder had other plans. It made my entire body tremble, but I didn’t give in. I thought it was the end when the windowsill creaked. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t Oleg that entered, but a cat.

“Boots, is that you?” I whispered when the feline leapt on to the floor. The orange and white feline yellow-green eyes glowed as she batted her eyes and jumped into my lap. “Please let this be some sort of divine intervention.”

Boots tucked her face into my vest, sniffing at where I had tucked away the egg. I tried pushing her away, but lost my focus, seeing my fingertips. The blood covering the hand had disappeared. The cat batted the pocket, pushing the egg out and licked the surface. A shiver passed through my body and the egg vibrated for a moment before cooling again. The purple light faded, but transparent veins remained in their place.

“If you’re going to save my life, now’s the time,” I whispered in Boots’ ears.

A loud crash sounded outside, yelling followed soon after. “Get lost, this is guild business!” Oleg yelled. “Don’t make me put an axe—” He coughed, and the rest of his words disappeared in a spine-chilling gurgle. Then the marksman screamed before a loud thud cut that short, too.

Boots meowed and sniffed at the blood that had spilt onto the stone floor. I watched in disgust as she licked at my blood before the archer’s hushed voice reached my ear. “Please, no,” she said. “This is just a job. I have a sick mother at home.”

“That’s no excuse,” a male voice told her. “You should’ve picked a better profession.”

“Please. I’m just following orders.” her words escalated in franticness before a crossbow twanged, and she too went quiet.

More screams and grunts sounded in the distance; then the windows creaked again. I dared to look up at the window and found a hooded figure crouched in the opening. Darkness obscured their eyes, but she was watching me through the cloak. I was sure of it. Trying to stay still proved impossible when Boots pressed a paw against the wound. I flinched away from her touch, giving away my position.

“C’mon little man. We don’t have all evening,” the hooded figure said.

“I don’t want any trouble, mate,” I replied. “Look, I admit it. I pissed off the guilds, but is that really worth killing me over? I have little in the bank, but I’ll give you everything you have and leave town. You can tell whoever you work for that I’m dead.”

They laughed. I held my breath as the stranger climbed over the desk and into the room. When they knelt in front of me, I was sure the end, this time, had finally come. Hopefully, they wouldn’t end me as violently as they put down my pursuers. The hooded figure reached inside of their cape, but instead of a knife, they pulled out a glass vial.

“Drink this,” they said, passing the container to me. When I didn’t accept it, the stranger lowered their hood. It was a human woman. The mask over her mouth probably altered her voice, making vocal gender identification difficult. “If I wanted you dead, I’d have killed you already. Drink it.”

Since the injury had made my right arm almost useless, she helped uncork the container. I accepted it hesitantly and drank its cool contents. The beverage burned my throat like cheap whisky but did a good job dulling the pain in my shoulder.

“Who’re you?” I asked.

“The Thieves’ Guild,” she answered, helping me on to my feet. “Let’s get moving. The city guard will be here soon.”

Staying on my feet proved difficult. My head swam and vision blurred. “I think I lost too much blood,” I told her. Focusing on a thought proved impossible as well. “Why’re you helping me?”

“Does that matter right now?” she shot back.

“Yes,” I told her defiantly. “I’d rather guards get me than end up captive to an unknown force.”

The woman sighed. “You’ve made quite an impression, little man. The higher-ups want to speak to you. That’s all I know.”

“I guess that has to be good enough,” I said, stumbling as she helped me out of the building.