As Truelip left the guild she noted that it was dusk and that it was quickly getting dark outside, so she wasted no time in heading towards her destination. When she had gotten out, the streets were even busier than at noon when they had arrived in the fountain. Probably because everyone was headed home for the day. Her suspicions were proven true as time passed and the streets got quieter and quieter, but they were still hard to move around in. That’s when something suspicious caught her eye - a small group in front of her was crowding the street but it was less busy everywhere else. That’s when she noticed a nervous looking young woman in the middle of that crowd who was keeping her gaze towards the ground and picked it up from time to time to look around her.

It seems the crowd kept everyone else from noticing her distress, due to her barely being visible in it. Of course, all of that was a safe distance from Truelip and on her path so she was not concerned, but kept an eye out on her just in case. You would have to carefully examine everyone and watch out for that behaviour to be able to notice it, which no one was doing seeing as how they were hurrying to get home quickly and safely. That prompted the blond to look around if any guards were around, doing so without moving her head as to not be noticed. There were indeed fewer guards than the other main streets. They had just passed one and no other ones were visible till the end of the street.

After a few more steps, when they reached the first alley to the side, the crowd suddenly started going more towards it, pushing the poor girl along. Of course, other people were going in the opposite direction of the crowd so it wasn’t always together perfectly, but it wasn’t enough for the girl to get away. Curiously the crowd wasn’t turning into the alley, but just going near it and even more so where the girl was at, in the middle of it. That’s when both their suspicions were proven true and just as the girl herself was right next to the small alley, the crowd around her was pushing so much that the girl herself was pushed into the alley itself. You couldn’t tell if the girl intended to go there or if she had no choice in order to avoid the crowd. What’s more, some other people also went into the alley but looked like they were forcing their way in instead. The rest of the crowd itself continued down the street.

Guess I’ll have to check up on them, just in case.

As she neared she went a bit further from it and slowed down in order to get a good glance at what’s happening and to have time to react. What she saw proved her suspicions. A little further into the alley a group of guys, probably bandits were holding on to the girl as she was frantically trying to escape with no avail. They were all giggling with excitement and dragging her with them. This prompted Truelip to speed up and head directly towards the alley. As she entered it the entire scenery changed, instead of a blinding and lively yellow street she was in a moody and dark alley with little to no sound other than the barely audible from the crowd girl. She could see 7 people in total. At the end of the alley was a wall with another alley going perpendicular to it.

There were 2 people watching each side of the alley as two others were holding the girl and what looked like their boss was harassing her. Of course, the two people looking out on this alley spotted Truelip and instantly started walking towards her calmly, probably under the impression that she doesn’t see what’s happening behind them as they purposefully tried to block the view so she can’t tell. And of course, it was pointless. As the blond girl was further and further into the alley the men walking towards her, sped up and once they were close enough to chase her, pulled out their swords. That didn’t deter her. In fact, she didn’t even react to them, having a bored expression on her face the entire time. As they reached her they grabbed her by the hands.

“Looks like it’s your unlucky day miss.” Said one of them as they drag her to their leader.

Halfway through they stopped holding her seeing as she was going on her own and it was easier for them to react to her that way if she did do something. As they neared the others the leader looking fellow pulled his head up and turned around.

“Ah, seems, like we got two for the price of one, guys!” he remarked as he started laughing with the rest.

“Can you let her go?” a mellow voice appears

“Excuse me? It seems you aren’t aware of the situation you are in. You must have arrived today here. Oh how lucky for us! We get to experience fresh meat!”

“I really don’t feel like bothering with you guys so can you please just let her go and I’ll forget about your little comments~.” the voice continued

Everyone there went silent with a dumbfounded look on their faces except the blond who now has a soft smile on her face. The guy in front of her pulls his sword out, which looked to have a green shine on the edge, most likely poison and responded with a hostile voice.

“Do you really think you’re in the position to boss us around?” he hissed as he walked towards her with his blade ready to press against her thin neck.

She responded with a sigh, as she closed her eyes and looked down, her hands on her hips and added:

“So boring...”

The next thing that happened they could neither explain nor know how it happened so quickly.

She jumped into the air almost up to the shoulder of the two beside her and stretched her legs, kicking them both right between the collar bone, preventing them from breathing for a second and sending them backwards as their heads hit the walls behind them, knocking them out. Seeing as how the leader was already going towards her, he directly sped up and prepared to strike her, but somehow as if timed, when she started falling back to the ground, she put her left leg straight down, landing on it and her right one, she pushed slightly forward using the added small forward motion from the jump and the weight and force she gained from falling to hit and knock out her opponent’s blade out of his hand. But that wasn’t the end, as she stepped with her right foot on the ground, she spun her body like a ballerina. When she was facing backward in her spin she moved from spinning on her right to her left foot and pulled up her entire right leg up, hitting her opponent on the head with it, as she faced him, knocking him out as well.

Everyone watched with distress. She then lowered herself and picked up the poisoned blade from the ground.

“So let me say it again. Can you please just surrender. I really don’t feel like bothering. You’re too close to be able to run away.” she said while straightening the blade with her second hand.

In two seconds she managed to knock out three people and arm herself. Not only that, but the blade she’s holding has a deadly poison that can kill a grown man in 5 hours if not treated on time and even when treated can leave you crippled for life. Not only that but they’re leader is the fastest person they know. He has always struck their enemies with that weapon before they can even react so they certainly don’t want to risk running from her if she has that sword and managed to outmaneuver him. He was, in fact, the strongest one out of all of them and could probably take them all on, so to them, the choice was obvious. They’d have a greater chance of escaping if they got captured in prison and then tried to escape rather than run away from her now. They threw their hostage at the girl and then also threw their weapons on the ground.

Truelip caught the girl by the arm as she was thrown at her, her frightened head in her chest. The blond put her other hand on her head and ordered the bandits.

“Go back out on the street.“

They all looked at each other and then started moving in front of her. As they started coming out of the alley the streets were mostly empty, but anyone who noticed them straight away as much as possible. The girl waved the poison blade up in the sky towards the two guards at either side of the road to catch their attention. The moment they noticed they instantly ran up to see what’s going on, seeing as someone waving around an obviously poisonous blade is troublesome. Truelip noticed they were young and looked similar to the boy she went to the Adventurer’s Guild with. She handed them the girl, the bandits and the blade and explained what happened and that she’s from the guild and asked them to deal with them. Once asked why she will not do so herself she merely replied:

“I just came from there and am going home now. If I kept going there every time I catch someone I’m never going to go home, now am I?”

The guards couldn’t respond and merely nodded taking everyone and going to a nearby guard post.

With that, she continued on her way home. Once she got there she took a good look at it. It looked just like the other buildings around it. It was located on the corner where a street starts from another one. She went up to the door, unlocked it with the key she got from the receptionist and entered. She took a look around and laid down on the first couch she saw and fell asleep instantly.