Not unexpectedly, after a I killed the last serline a slew of Game messages opened in my mind. I scanned through them quickly.

You have reached level 28! Your shortswords has increased to level 40 and reached rank 4. Your two-weapon fighting has increased to level 35. Your light armor has increased to level 26. Your dodging has increased to level 32.

Your chi has increased to level 23. Your telekinesis has increased to level 16. Your telepathy has increased to level 19.

Warning! The enchantment on spider’s bite is running low and must be recharged.

“Wow,” I murmured, studying my gains. Four whole levels and a host of skill advances.

I took stock of myself. I was healthy and uninjured, but my stamina was low, and my psi even lower. The enchantments on my sword needed attending to as well. I needed to rest and recover. But I couldn’t do it here. I was sure the dead serlines would attract other predators, ones I were not equipped to face right now.

Its time to get going.

Bending down, I cleaned my blades and sheathed them. Then reorientating myself, I headed deeper into the forest.

For the time being, I forsook further attempts at stealth. Jogging lightly, I traversed the woods as quickly as I dared, while doing my best to keep a lookout for further ambushes. Distances in the forest were much harder to judge than in the tunnels underground. Still, when I staggered to a stop ten minutes later, I judged I’d covered about half-a-mile.

Chest heaving, I studied the area. This patch of forest looked little different from any other. I was surrounded by tall trees and thick underbrush. Anything could be lurking in the foliage, waiting to attack me. I shuddered. Damn forest.

I was so tired I wanted nothing more than to sink down onto the ground and sleep, but I knew I couldn’t do that. The forest floor was too open and vulnerable. I glanced upwards. Even with the risk of falling, sleeping in the trees would be safer.

Groaning at the thought of further exertions, I nevertheless dragged myself towards a large redwood tree and began climbing. This particular specimen was nearly three-hundred feet tall, and I scaled nearly two-thirds of its height before I felt secure enough to stop.

Bracing my back against the central trunk, I straddled a stout bough and looked down. The forest floor was all but invisible. Good enough, I decided.

I squinted up at the sky. I had no idea what time of day it was, but sunlight was still filtering down through the through the leaves. It was too early to sleep, and I knew I really should take care of my player growth before resting, but I was too tired to care.

Taking the time only to tie myself to the bough with strands of cloth scavenged from the priest’s robe, I closed my eyes and surrendered to the siren call of sleep.

~~~

“The tracks end here.”

My eyes snapped open. My thoughts were muddled and for a moment I wasn’t sure where I was.

An owl hooted in the distance.

I’m in the forest, I remembered. I glanced upwards. The sky overheard was dark, and between the swaying branches I caught a glimpse of stars. The night was well advanced. How long had I been asleep for?

“Are you sure?”

I bit off a yelp at the second voice. I was still disorientated, and had nearly forgotten about the half-heard voice below.

Get it together, Michael, I admonished myself. Shaking my head to clear it of the lingering strands of sleep, I peered downwards.

Directly beneath me was a half-giant and human. The human wore a green cloak and carried a longbow across his back. His companion was outfitted in sleeveless leather armor, revealing bulging muscles. A large broadsword was strapped on his hips. Given the half-giant’s size, I wondered if he wielded it one-handed.

A scout and a fighter, I concluded. Both figures had their heads bent, studying something on the ground.

“Of course, I’m bloody sure,” the human said.

The half-giant scratched his head. “Then where is he?”

The scout growled. “How in hells should I know? We should’ve waited for morning.”

“What? And let some other lucky sods claim the bounty?” The half-giant snorted. “Fat chance.” He stroked his chin consideringly. “We should search the area,” he added.

The scout chuckled. “And what good will that do?” His cloaked head swiveled left and right. “I can’t see a bloody thing out there. Can you?” He shook his head a moment later, seeming not to expect an answer. “I told you we were wasting our time. This forest is too damned dark at night. I barely managed to follow the trail this far.”

“Let’s light the torches then,” the half-giant persisted.

“Are you mad?” the human hissed. “The flames will only destroy what little night vision we have, and our quarry can see in the dark—or so the bounty notice claimed.” He paused. “Who knows, perhaps the bastard is watching us even now.”

That seemed to worry the fighter. In a fit of sudden caution, he dropped a hand to the hilt of his blade and scanned the darkness warily.

I frowned, considering what I had overheard as the two below fell silent. It was obvious they were hunting me, and from the mention of a bounty it was clear why. But where had the pair come from?

I hadn’t recognized either’s voice, so it was doubtful they’d followed me from the dungeon. I studied them again. As I stared at the pair, a haze formed around the two. They’re Marked, I realized, scanning their auras. Which makes them players. Reaching out with my will, I analyzed the scout and fighter.

The target is Henry, a level 22 human. This entity is a player, and bears a Mark of minor Shadow.

The target is Knorl, a level 21 half-giant. This entity is a player, and bears a Mark of lesser Dark.

My frown deepened. Both players had a decent number of levels under their belt. Given their relatively high ranks, it was certain that they hadn’t come from the dungeon, but from somewhere else entirely. They didn’t have any Marks identifying them as belonging to Erebus’ faction either.

Which means they aren’t bound by our non-aggression pact. I smiled coldly. But neither are they protected by it. Moving carefully, I began untying the knots binding me to the tree bough.

It was time to act.

~~~

It was only the work of moments to free myself. Rising to my haunches, I checked my internal reserves. Both my psi and stamina had recovered fully.

I didn’t have much time to consider how to spend my new attribute points, but I didn’t think it wise to leave them unspent before facing off with the two players. After a moment’s consideration, I spread them evenly between my most important attributes.

Your Dexterity has increased to 14, your Mind to 7, and your Constitution to 7.

I glanced down once more. The pair had begun talking again, arguing about what to do next.

I smiled. Ambushing the two would be child’s play, but I decided against it. After all, this was a perfect occasion to gain more information, and while attempting to do so would be risky I didn’t know when I would have a similar opportunity again. There was just one more preparation, I needed to make before approaching the pair.

Removing my secondary weapon and thief’s cloak, I unclipped my sword belt from around my waist and retied it diagonally across my back so that the hilt of spider’s bite hung down and my slotted-potions rested on my chest, within easy reach. The sword was short enough that neither its tip or hilt stuck out. Reaching underhanded behind me, I tried drawing the blade. It came easily to hand. Perfect.

Sticking my second sword into the fighter’s sash still wrapped around my waist, I reequipped my thief’s cloak.

You have successfully concealed the small weapon, spider’s bite.

I grinned. Now I was ready. Stepping forward into empty air, I dropped lithely to a lower branch. Then another. The entire time the arguing pair were oblivious of my approach.

I dropped the final distance to the ground, landing without a sound and less than two yards behind the scout. Neither reacted.

I rose silently to my feet. The half-giant was staring directly my way, but still failed to see me.

A hostile entity has failed to detect you! Your sneaking has increased to level 43.

Huh. Guess his night vision is even worse than I thought.

“… should go back,” Henry was saying.

“But we’re already here,” Knorl protested. “What will it hurt to search around for a bit?”

The scout shook his head. “Too dangerous. What if—”

I decided this had gone on long enough. It was time to intervene. “Good evening, gentlemen.”

Henry spun about, fumbling for the sheathed dagger at his side. The half-giant was quicker to react, his massive sword almost seeming to leap to hand.

So he does wield it in one-handed, I noted.

Your hidden weapon has gone unnoticed! Your deception has increased to level 10. Congratulations, Michael, your skill in deception has reached rank 1, increasing your chance of misleading your foes.

“Who are you?” the half-giant barked.

“Who do you think?” I said with an amused half-smile. “I’m the one you’re looking for.” The scout backed away quickly, but the fighter only laughed in delight, appearing unconcerned.

“Well now, isn’t that handy,” Knorl said, “you appearing so conveniently and all. Surrender yourself without fuss, and we may just take you back alive.”

I folded my arms. “Surrender? Now why would I do that?”

“Because there’s a bounty on your scalp, and we’re here to claim it,” the fighter said cheerfully.

“And there’s two of us, and only one of you,” the scout chimed in.

I chuckled and faded back into the shadows.

You are hidden once more.

“Where’d he go?” Knorl shouted.

“Quiet!” Henry snapped. “I’m looking.”

But either the scout’s Perception simply wasn’t high enough, or the darkness was too thick for his sight to penetrate. Whatever the case, he failed to spot me as I backed away and circled around the pair.

Two hostile entities have failed to detect you!

“He’s gone!”

“He can’t be,” the half-giant snarled. “Find him!”

“Now,” I said reappearing in sight behind the fighter and continuing the conversation as if I had never left off, “as you can see, numbers mean little.”

Knorl spun around to face me again. His eyes wide, the half-giant brandished his weapon and took a threatening step forward.

I glanced indifferently at the fighter’s raised broadsword and didn’t back away. “There could be a dozen of you and it would make no difference.” I held his gaze, my own hard. “I could’ve killed you before you even realized I was there.”

My words were an exaggeration, but only a slight one. Still the half-giant took my point and stopped advancing. Though from his harsh breathing and livid stare, he didn’t seem inclined to further concessions.

The scout stepped up to his silent companion’s side. “What do you want?” he asked.

“Information,” I said succinctly.

Henry’s eyes narrowed. “In exchange for?”

I smiled coldly. “Your lives.”

Knorl growled and made to advance again, but the scout laid a restraining hand on him. “You seem very sure of yourself,” he remarked.

I only shrugged in response. “What will it be then?” The scout didn’t answer immediately. A second later, I realized why.

You have passed a Perception resistance check! An analyze attempt by a hostile entity has failed. Your deception has increased to level 11.

“How’d you do that?” Henry asked, staring wide-eyed at me.

I grinned at his dumbfounded look. Already, my deception skill was coming in useful.

“Do what?” Knorl asked, perplexed.

The scout waved aside his companion’s question. “What is your level?” he asked, not taking his eyes off me.

“High enough to kill you two without breaking a sweat,” I lied.

Henry scowled at my response, but he must have known I wouldn’t tell him. He glared at me a moment longer before seeming to come to a decision and turning to the half-giant. “Light a torch,” he ordered.

“But I thought you said—”

“Just do it!” Henry hissed.

The fighter muttered under his breath, but complied with the scout’s orders anyway.

A moment later, a torch flared to life. I eyed the flickering flames, thinking it an unwise move on the part of the pair. If it came to it, the light wouldn’t stop me from killing them, and it would only attract unwelcome attention from the forest’s denizens. Still if the torch made the pair comfortable and more inclined to talk, I wasn’t about to object.

“Ready to talk now?” I asked.

Henry nodded grudgingly. “What do you want to know?”

“For starters, who are you two?”

The scout frowned. “My name is—”

I slashed my hand downwards, cutting him off. “I know your names already. What I want to know is what faction do you belong to and who sent you.”

“Ah,” he muttered. “We’re bounty hunters.” He paused. “Apprentices only.”

I nodded. That made sense. “Who put you on my trail?”

“No one sent us,” Knorl growled. “We saw the bounty notice. One thousand gold for a mere rank two player? We couldn’t believe it. And with us in the area already.” He snorted. “We didn’t have to think long before deciding to run you down.”

I rubbed at my chin while I tried to make sense of his answer. “Where did you see the reward posted?”

“On the bounty noticeboard, of course,” the half-giant snapped.

I frowned.

“Most safe zones have one,” Henry added.

My ears perked up. “You’ve come from this sector’s safe zone?”

He nodded.

“Where is it?” I asked.

The scout gestured behind him. “That way. At the southern end of valley, at the foot of the mountain.”

Now we were getting somewhere. “And where is the sector’s exit portal?”

“Exit portal?” Knorl asked, his brows crinkling. “What do you mean, exit portal? This isn’t a bloody dungeon.” He squinted at me derisively. “What are you, a noob?”

His companion chuckled, seeming to grow more confident after my display of ignorance. “I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Knorl.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe it. Who pays one thousand gold for a noob?”

I ignored their amusement. “So there isn’t an exit portal?” I persisted.

Henry shook his head, still smiling. “There isn’t. Only dungeons have exit portals, boyo. In case you didn’t notice there’s open sky above us. We’re on the surface. The Adjudicator doesn’t provide any portals aboveground for players to zip around between sectors.”

My eyes narrowed. “So there aren’t any portals on the surface?”

Henry shook his head. “I didn’t say that. I said the Adjudicator doesn’t provide any.”

I frowned. “But that’s the same—” I broke off, realizing what he meant. “Players can create portals,” I stated.

“Will you look at that, Knorl,” Henry said. “The noob isn’t as dumb as he looks after all.”

I rested my hand casually on the sword on my hip. “You better put a pin on that sarcasm, my friend, or I might just decide you’re being uncooperative.”

That wiped the amusement of his face.

“Better,” I said softly. “Now how do I leave this sector?” This time, Henry didn’t smile, but I could see that he wanted to. “What’s so funny?” I asked tersely. I was fast losing patience with him.

“This sector is ringed on all sides by mountains that are colder than hell,” the scout said, composing himself with admirable swiftness. Perhaps, he’d sensed my irritation. “No one has been able to cross them or find a pass through, lest that I know of anywhere. The only way you’re getting out is via a portal.”

My face turned grim. “I see.” I didn’t know how far to believe the scout, but I didn’t see much value in questioning him further on the matter. “What do you know of the wolves in this valley?” I asked instead.

“Wolves?” Knorl said. “There are no wolves in this sector.” He spat. “Beasts and monsters of every other kind, there are aplenty. Goblins even, but no wolves.”

I opened my mouth to question him further on this curious tidbit of information, but before I could a long-drawn-out howl broken through the forest’s background noise.

My gaze flew to the right.

An immense creature stood there. A four-footed beast—built like a rhino and armored twice as heavily in scarred black plates—had appeared out of the foliage some twenty yards away. Its uniform black eyes gleamed evilly, and the single horn protruding from its snout appeared razor sharp.

Lowering its head, the beast snorted and pawed at the ground.

“What in blazes is that?” Knorl whispered.

“A rhomodillo,” the scout answered, licking his lips nervously.

I probed the creature with basic analyze, and saw that he was right.

The target is a level 51 rhomodillo. Rhomodillos are lumbering behemoths, armored so heavily that even dragons struggle to pierce their hides, and strong enough that they can uproot young trees. But despite their physical prowess, Rhomodillos are not the most cunning of predators. Easily enraged, they will keep fighting even when a smarter beast would flee.

My lips turned down. Right, I don’t want to entangle with that, I backed away carefully. My movement drew Henry’s gaze.

“Help us,” he begged. The scout’s face was pale and sweat beaded on his upper lip.

I paused. “Help you?” I asked glancing at him surprise. “Now, why would I do that?”

He stared at me blankly for a moment. “You promised us our lives!” he squeaked.

The rhomodillo tossed its head and snorted again, not liking the sound of our voices.

“I did,” I agreed. “And I’ll keep my word too. I won’t take your lives.” I glanced at the beast. It was edging forward. It would charge soon, I thought. “But, make no mistake, you two are my enemies. I shan’t kill you, but I won’t help you either.” I gestured to the approaching monster. “Especially not against that.”

“Let the bastard flee, Henry,” the half-giant growled. “We’ll take care of this monster on our own.” Without waiting for his companion’s response, he spun around and charged the beast with a wild yell.

I shook my head at his folly and withdrew into the shadows, leaving the pair to their fate.