Day Three. Morning.

I tracked my first chosen targets for a full ten minutes, observing their behavior and identifying their weaknesses.

The team I followed was formed of two mages and two heavy fighters, all rank six players. Forsyth had allocated each group a different quadrant off the Howler’s fort to search. While this was an efficient search pattern, it did isolate the four teams from one another. I would be able to attack each with impunity, something that clearly had not occurred to the hunters.

They still underestimate me, I thought as I readied my ambush.

I didn’t plan on using charm this time. I suspected the mages’ were prepped and ready to dispel any such casting of mine, and rather than give away the advantage of surprise, my opening gambit would be altogether different.

Concealed again on the roof of a barracks, I watched through my mindsight as the party of four strolled through my chosen ambush spot, a narrow avenue formed between two adjacent barracks. From my earlier observations, I knew the two fighters would be marching at the head of the group, presumably to shield the mages.

I waited until the team passed my own position, then leaped down, landing soundlessly on the ground behind them.

Four hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden.

Padding forward, I closed rapidly to striking distance. The players remained oblivious. Picking out my target, I buried both my blades’ hilts deep into his upper torso.

You have backstabbed your target for 50% more damage! You have killed Dorsk with a fatal blow.

I yanked out both swords and whipped them round to strike at the second mage.

“He is here—” she began to cry out.

The mage did not get to finish her warning. With spider’s bite, I drew a line of red across her neck, while with my second blade, I disemboweled her.

You have killed Meera with a fatal blow.

A hammer whistled through the air towards me. I threw myself backward, avoiding the blow. The other fighter charged, blurring through the short space separating us to crash into my midriff.

You have been stunned for 2 seconds.

Bloody hell! I cursed as I was laid out flat. The move had caught me entirely off-guard. Helpless to do otherwise, I watched as my foe took up his sword in a two-handed grip and rammed it downwards.

You have been critically hit. 50% health lost.

The tip of the blade plunged through my torso and, fortunately, was turned slightly off course by my armor, sparing me a fatal blow. Still, it hurt. It hurt a damn lot.

My foes eyes glinted in satisfaction. Withdrawing his blade, he prepared to deliver the killing blow. He would have done better to leave it in me, keeping me pinned down.

A heartbeat later, my paralysis wore off. Ignoring the agony coursing through my midriff, I heaved myself forward and slapped a hand onto the fighter’s leg.

You have stunned Zed for one second.

With his legs cut out from under him, my attacker fell forward and onto the waiting tip of spider’s bite.

You have critically injured Zed.

Gasping, the fighter collapsed in a heap on top of me.

“Ahh…” I exhaled, unable to fully stifle the roar of pain that threatened to rip free from my throat.

“Zed!” the other fighter cried, hurrying forward.

My hands were trapped beneath the downed fighter, and with every slight shift, fresh torment spiked through me, but I couldn’t afford to be still.

My doom was approaching with the second fighter. Clenching my jaw, I released the hilt of my blade and fumbled for a potion. My fingers closed on one of the flasks slotted on the belt strapped across my shoulder just as Zed was yanked off me.

Unwittingly, the second fighter’s actions freed my arms, and in a surge of sudden motion, I flipped open the potion and downed its contents.

You have restored yourself with a full healing potion. Your health is now at 100%.

Immediately new life raced through me, and my wound closed. By good fortune or ill, I’d downed my last full healing potion.

A hammer crashed down.

I rolled out of the way. The hammer flew at me again. I kept rolling. A yard away from the fighter, I leaped to my feet, blade flashing out to turn away the next hammer strike bearing down on me.

You have blocked Khone’s attack.

I leaped backward to open the distance and gain some breathing room. My foe, a human fighter clad only in furs—a barbarian?—pushed forward and cramped me for space.

Realizing I wouldn’t easily be able to escape the fighter, I stepped into his reach and slipped past his sweeping hammer to slap my right hand on his chest.

You have stunned Khone for 1 second.

The fighter turned to dead weight, but momentum kept him moving forward to crash into me. I toppled backward, him with me. As I fell, I twisted and managed to land atop Khone instead of under. Pressing my right hand against the barbarian’s torso, I kept him stun-locked while I drove my shortsword through his exposed neck.

You have killed Khone.

I sat back, chest heaving. The battle was nearly over and I had won. I scanned both ends of the alley but heard no cries of alarm. Rising to my feet, a dripping shortsword in my hand, I advanced on my last surviving foe—the warrior that had injured me.

He lay dazed on the floor, bleeding out. Unlike me, he had no potions at hand. Kneeling over him, I yanked off his helm and thrust my blade under the cleft of his chin.

“Well fought,” I murmured as the last light of life drained from his eyes. Wiping my blades clean, I sheathed them before turning to the waiting Game messages.

You have reached level 37!

Your dodging has increased to level 35. Your shortswords has increased to level 43. Your two weapon fighting has increased to level 38.

Your light armor has increased to level 30. Your skill in light armor has reached rank 3, decreasing your light armor penalty to 35%.

Your chi has increased to level 27. Your deception has increased to level 17.

Your telekinesis has increased to level 24. Your telepathy has increased to level 20. Your skill in telepathy has reached rank 2, further increasing your chance of succeeding with telepathic abilities.

I whistled soundlessly. I’d gained five levels from the six players I had killed—four in this alley and the other two at the gate. The skill gains weren’t anything to sniff at either.

I grinned, wondering if Ishita realized how much benefit I was deriving from her bounty. Probably not.

Still chuckling, I set about looting the dead.

~~~

Your Dexterity has increased to rank 16, your Mind to rank 11, and your Constitution to rank 11.

A few minutes later, after taking care of my player progression, munching through some rations, meditating, and searching the corpses, I considered my booty.

You have acquired a pack of six field rations.

You have acquired a basic sword belt.

You have acquired 11 golds, 4 silvers, and 0 coppers.

You have acquired a common mage’s cloak. This item increases your air magic skill by: +3.

Of everything I’d salvaged, the gold was the most valuable. The dead players carried a lot more equipment than what I had taken, of course, but I judged none of it valuable enough to lug around on my back. Now to see if I can really do what I intend with this stuff.

Removing my thief’s cloak, I tied my new sword-belt diagonally across my back with the hilt of my offhand weapon hanging down. The two belts wrapped around my torso and formed a cross on my back and chest. Reaching underhanded behind me, I tested the draw. Both blades came to hand easily.

Thereafter, I stuffed my old thief’s cloak in my backpack and equipped the dead mage’s cloak.

You have successfully concealed the small weapons: spider’s bite and a +1 shortsword.

You have equipped a common mage’s cloak. Warning: your magic attribute is at rank 0. Item skill bonus not received.

Excellent. Both my weapons were now hidden. The mage’s cloak was a startling shade of purple and not at all practical for sneaking about in the dark. But I intended it for a different purpose entirely.

Striding over to the cloak’s former owner, I studied the corpse’s face, committing it to memory. Then with a thoughtful whistle, I strolled away to resume my hunt.