“Look, I’m not ungrateful for the help you’ve provided, but you did agree to be my bodyguard, which does imply that you won’t head off on your own without any discussion.” This conversation was getting unpleasantly familiar. Corinn didn’t seem to be trying to belittle me at least; that was something I wouldn’t tolerate. But he was showing disappointment.

Why should I care? It was my own happiness that mattered! But… if he was happy too, he would be more helpful, and it would be easier to have positive interactions with him… yes, it was important to have positive interactions with him…

It was becoming increasingly apparent that having a generally happy life required making occasional sacrifices of happiness in order to avoid situations that would mess you up later. I couldn’t really get mad at the system about it either; it had probably been the same back on Earth. Why did life have to be so hard?

“Look, you can see the benefit of working together right?” Oh right, Corrin was still waiting for an answer. Unfortunately, it seemed I would have to discuss plans with him from now on; this world was too dangerous to challenge on my own… right now anyways.

“Ok, I’ll discuss things with you first if I want to do something.” He seemed… somewhat satisfied, but he looked like he had been hoping for more. I didn’t want this awkward conversation to last any longer… but keeping a positive dynamic with him was important to my future interests… fine, I would ask. “Is there anything else?”

“I just… feel like we would do better together if we were an actual team. We both have our strengths and weaknesses: if we both put in the effort to work together, we could both do a better job.”

Teamwork. I’d always hated team projects back in school. Why would I ever be okay with having to entrust part of my own grade to other students that were worse than me? Admittedly, in a deadly fight, having more people was obviously useful, but he was talking about actually relying on him! When did that ever help?

Strangely, the first thought that entered my head was not of a life experience, but of a computer game. The match had been hard: my opponent’s army had just destroyed one of my bases, and I needed to stop them quickly in order to turn the tide. But I was ready: a sacrificial Zergling revealed the location of his forces, and I moved in. A Defiler threw up two Dark Swarms, providing absolute protection to my forces as they advanced under cover of the orange clouds right into the middle of his infantry. Zerglings cut off their retreat and tore into them as my Lurkers burrowed and then shredded his army with rows of deadly spikes. The victory was decisive: I won the game a few minutes later. And I couldn’t have done it without using many different units in coordination.

Admittedly, that was an RTS, not an RPG, but the same principles applied. Teamwork could be useful… as long as I had useful teammates. Like Corinn.

He had been waiting for me to reply, so best to hurry and answer. “I suppose there are advantages to that.” Now, how to proceed… oh well, asking him would help keep a positive dynamic right? “What do you have in mind?”

He was happy to reply. “Well, to start, perhaps we could do some sparring, to get familiar with each other’s styles?”

*****************************************************

He stood before me wearing the same full plate I had met him in, holding a large practice saber. A practice longsword, greatsword, and halberd were all stored in my Personal Arsenal, but right now, my hands were empty.

He inclined his sword toward me. “Well, shall we begin?” Hmm… might as well!

Charge forward and try a sudden halberd swing… blocked! OH, WELL I’LL BACK UP AND SWING FASTER! BLOCK THIS! OH, SO YOU DODGE NOW? WELL DODGE AGAIN! NOW DODGE THE GREAT- OKAY, CHARGE THE HALBERD THEN! STUPID ARMOR, OKAY I’LL PUSH- WHAT, NO, STAY PUT! FINE, SURPRISE LONGSWORD! BLOCK! AND GRAB! OH, SO YOU CAN RESIST! BUT I’M STILL! STRONGER! AND YOUR! SWORD! IS MINE!

“I yield.” Corinn was breathing heavily, though it was unclear how much was exertion. We’d gotten quite close while struggling over his weapon… But now he looked to be catching his breath.

“Well, clearly you’re the one with a class focused on raw strength. Incidentally, six of my Abilities can only be used while mounted, so I’m a bit more limited now than I would be in a battle. You performed quite well, though you’ll need to watch out for opponents with rapid charges. A high level foe can close the distance and strike at you in the blink of an eye.”

Yes, yes, of course he would have to bolster his ego since I was the better fighter. He was still useful though; it had been a challenge to deal with his rapid strikes. But speed was less useful when you could predict their movements… “Up for another spar?” Corinn readied himself.

Mighty leap, aiming overtop him… retrieve halberd and swing as he strikes, pushing off of his saber… land behind and GRAB! SUPLEX! FACE THE GROUND CORINN! ADMIT MY SUPERIORITY! YOUR STRUGGLE… feels good…

“I yield… again.” Corinn sounded quite resigned. Yes, he would come to terms with how things were eventually. I slid a hand over the back of his head, feeling his hair pass through my fingers, before reluctantly getting off him. There would be time for that later.

“One more?” he asked, getting up. He was still showing some resignation, but he also looked like he had a new idea. Well time to show him again why I was the best! I smiled and nodded, stepping back and preparing to move again.

Alright, spin with the greatsword… faster… close IN! WHAT, RUNNING ALREADY? KEEP SPINNING… ARG, YOU’RE TOO FAST! FINE, LEAP! YOU COME FROM THE SIDE, I BLOC- ACK! RUNNING AGAIN?

I’LL… no, I needed a new tactic. He could strike faster than I could block, while staying out of grabbing range. But there was still one capability he hadn’t seen yet… right now he was still waiting cautiously… ANOTHER LEAP! OH, AVOIDING ME NOW? I’LL AIM BETTER, LEAP AGAIN… NOW YOU ATTACK! LONGSWORD PAR- ACK! HA! OFFHAND BOULDER! NOW YOU’RE FLYING! Wait… was he okay?

That boulder had grazed his face! Quick, I had to check where he landed! He was… moving! But his jaw! It wasn’t perfect any more! Could it be fixed? This world had magic right, it had to be fixable! I couldn’t just lose the opportunity to appreciate something that good-looking!

He reached into a pouch on his belt, and retrieved some kind of red potion. Healing potions were red right? They were in video games, and this place seemed oddly attached to those rules… He poured some into his mouth, and his face began mending itself. I found myself sighing in relief. All was right in the world, for now.

“Was that a practice boulder?” Corinn asked, smiling ruefully. Well, at least he had a sense of humor about it. It would be unfortunate if that had caused lasting problems. Well, if he was joking, perhaps I could try?

“Sorry, there weren’t any practice boulders on the training rack.” He grinned, at least. I’d never really tried making jokes before, there hadn’t seemed to be any point. But now it was apparent that the benefits of having positive relationships with people could be higher than I’d considered.

“I guess that’s something I’ll need to rectify.” His face was now fully healed, though there was still blood on his skin. “For any future sparring, do stick to training weapons. Healing potions can fix a lot, but serious injuries can get expensive to deal with.”

It seemed like our current contest was over. I had won, naturally, but he’d been talking about how this could help with teamwork, so presumably he would have more to say.

“You’re quick to engage, and have several options for fighting your opponents, which is all good,” he began. Yes, my prediction was correct, though I didn’t like where he was going. “However, you’re slow to withdraw, and will have difficulty with attacks coming from all around you. When you fought the Ebon Scytherunners back in the forest, you remained in the middle of their formation even when taking attacks from all directions. You could benefit from a place to withdraw and regenerate from your injuries.”

“If I’m surrounded, I can just keep changing position faster than they can react!” Assuming they weren’t faster than I was. Then I would need a new tactic.

“Did you do that in the encounter I mentioned?” he replied? He looked expectant. What was he expecting? Back then I had just… wanted to pulverize every single one of those things, but they kept stabbing at me before I could slash them… and I had kept attacking them because I was angry…

Anger gave me strength though! Thanks to Powerful Rage, it made me stronger, and I needed to be strong in order to fight my best! But… dying when I could perform a tactical retreat was not optimal behavior… I would just control my anger! Anger was an emotion, and I had Controlled Emotions! Then I could have it boost my strength, and still win in optimal fashion! Yes, that was exactly what I was going to do!

“I was using Powerful Rage to become stronger, and that limited my tactical ability.” Admitting a weakness was hard, but this was a weakness I was about to overcome, so it didn’t really matter. “But I can just control it to avoid that problem in the future.”

“Controlling Ability-boosted anger won’t be easy, but I’m glad you’re putting in the effort.” Well, I would show him just how much I could manage, in time. “For my part, the disruption you cause to a formation would give me ample opportunity to damage them further with directed charges. And the openings those generate would give you an avenue of retreat, should you need it.”

Worthwhile considerations, though I didn’t plan on doing much retreating. For now… I wanted to face an opponent I wouldn’t have to hold back against. “So, now that I’m warmed up, are there any targets in this city that I could strike at?” Most likely not, this city probably had law enforcement, but it was worth asking.

“Well, nothing so overt, but some of my agents have been digging for information in the less developed areas of Almandir. Since you have that Ring of Invisibility, I suppose one of them could use an escort…”

*****************************************************

I followed my charge, an auburn-haired young man in undistinctive clothing that was various shades of brown, into the narrow street. We’d passed through the trade district, glimpsing a wide range of goods on sale, before entering this residential zone, where buildings were getting packed together more and more densely. At this point, things were so packed that there were walkways overhead to divert some of the traffic, making the ground level a place covered in shadows.

He was here to investigate a request by an up-and-coming information broker to meet urgently. It was short notice, but Ullian had vouched for this woman’s legitimacy, so here we were, heading for the meeting point designated by this “Ulindi Vassil”.

Of course, an observer would only see one person travelling. I had kept my ring active for the entire trip, and had remained unnoticed for the duration, except for an amusing incident along the dockside. A man had been inspecting a ship’s cargo when he looked up and stared at me. I didn’t mind admiration, but his apparent doubt as to my existence prompted me to have a little fun. I moved out his visibility right as more cargo was being swung onto the dock, and in his haste to look, he was knocked right to the ground! The brilliant smile I directed at him afterwards as I moved to catch up with my charge had just been more playful prodding. Getting Courtesan level 11 and the Alluring Smile ability had been a useful bonus though!

Now it was time to start paying close attention. Using an artifact enabling near-silent short-ranged communication, he had informed me that we were less than a quarter mile from the meeting site. And judging be the appearance of the current neighborhood, a random encounter wouldn’t be out of the question. If anyone tried, I would be ready. I was looking forward to testing some ideas regarding my newly-identified magic items…

No opposition appeared as we covered the remaining distance. As the agent I was escorting arrived at the meeting site, a nondescript apartment at ground level, I was feeling slightly disappointed. The agent knocked, and then waited.

A distorted voice emerged from the other side of the door. “You do realize you’re being followed by… an invisible nude woman…”

The agent sighed. “Yes,” he said resignedly, “that’s a bodyguard. The word is Trellissy”

The voice replied, “Califor”, and the door opened shortly afterward. I followed the young man in, seeing a potential magical device sitting on a table behind the door, with what looked like a speakerphone. The woman we were here to meet became visible as she closed the door behind us. She was short, her close-cropped brown hair at the height of my shoulders, and wearing the same kind of nondescript brown clothing as the agent she was meeting with. She was also holding some kind of item in her right hand, and making no moves to put it down.

She initiated the conversation. “I appreciate that the Primarch of Military Readiness could respond on such short notice. I didn’t mention allowing bodyguards, but I suppose, given the circumstances, having one might be useful. To get to the point, I’ve recently identified a number of distinctive features about the recent deaths of several bureaucrats, all pointing to a single group responsible for them. Unfortunately, it appears that group has realized I know something, because over the past two days, I’ve had to shake off pursuers nearly a dozen times. It sometimes took single-use items to get away.”

“Based off what I’ve been able to learn, it seems very likely that your own assassination difficulties are due to the same group. If you can offer me protection, I’d be happy to lend you my services at a very affordable rate. I have informants all over the city; I might not be one of the biggest information brokers here, but people know me.”

The agent paused to consider what she’d said. Frankly… he looked a bit out of his depth. Perhaps political assassinations weren’t as common as I’d thought? He spoke hesitantly: “I can’t speak for Prince Corinn, but I’m sure he wouldn’t let any harm come to someone he was meeting with. You would be welcome to meet with him in person back at his mansion.”

“Quite a trip,” remarked Ulindi, “but better than staying put. Since we’re all going that way, we might as well travel together. Let me just use this first…” she said, looking apologetically at me as she retrieved an item with her other hand and threw it toward the doorway. I stepped quickly backward, but was still caught in the white wave of energy that swept outward from the impact point, returning me to visibility and continuing outward for nearly 30 feet. There were now perhaps a dozen figures visible outside through the slatted windows, so we were going to have to AAARGH MY BACK!

YEAH, LET ME GRIP YOU AND SLAM! BACKWARDS INTO! THE WALL! WITH A BACKHAND SWORD! GAH, IT BURNS! MY BACK! I’LL SMASH! YOUR! FACE! FOR THAT! “RRRRGHH!” YOU’LL ALL DIE FOR… wait, I was supposed to be controlling my anger BUT I NEEDED TO SMASH THEM “RRRRAAAHH!” QUICKLY, there was a big hole in my chest, and it felt like it was burning, and they were entering, two others inside had been stunned with an item, I “NEED HEALING!” I shouted, and Ulindi tossed me a purple potion. I caught it and drank, feeling my Regeneration greatly accelerate. Now it was payback time!

KINETIC GREATSWORD LEAP! YEAH, THAT’S FAST! HAH! SIX DOWN, TAKE THAT! TRYING TO GET BEHIND ME, I’LL JUST KEEP SWINGING, AND HOLD… ON! AND THAT’S TWO MORE! WHA- JUMP AWAY! UGH, STUPID CLOUDS, WHERE ARE THEY!

Ulindi dove behind an overturned table as a barrage of crossbow bolts impacted around her. The table didn’t stop them, but a glowing blue shield shimmered around her as she survived unscathed. I threw one of my boulders into the fog where the crossbow bolts had emerged, but it impacted a wall, not flesh.

Were they still here? Had they-

[Level Up: Nude Berserker Level 27!]

[Ability Obtained: Enhanced Grip!]

When the clouds had cleared, there was no sign of the assassins. Ulindi or perhaps the agent had finished off the two she had stunned earlier, making for eleven dead bodies scattered throughout the apartment. Whatever potion she had given me had both healed my wounds and cured the poison, so I had no difficulty retrieving my sword and boulder.

Both of my current companions were hastily searching the bodies, so I joined in by adding their weapons to my Personal Arsenal. Poisoned weaponry was bound to prove useful, even if it wasn’t enchanted. They finished up in a handful of minutes, and I reactivated my Ring of Invisibility as we headed out the door.

The plan Ulindi provided was simple: hurry back to a main thoroughfare of the trade district, and from there, it would be difficult for anyone to strike at us. Unfortunately, that meant navigating through many narrow streets with overhangs and windows that could easily hide snipers. And we had to assume that they had eyes on us ever since their failed attempt earlier.

However, another of Ulindi’s items made herself and Corinn’s agent appear as a smudged blur, and to my surprise, we reached a major avenue without any more encounters whereupon she turned off her items so they could recharge. I walked alongside them as they made their way towards the government district. Wait, was that a giant crossbow on that balcon- BOULDER TO BLOCK!

An oversized bolt shattered against the rock in my hands, its course toward Ulindi’s head interrupted. I smiled: these assassins were sneaky, but they were no match for me! Why was everyone staring? Oh… oh right. Getting attacked disabled my invisibility… Awkward.