I get paired up with CamOctopus and we hide in the trees near the bottom of the hill.

Three enemy students begin the ascent, but one of them steps into a trap.

The leaves give way beneath them and they fall into a pit.

While the two other students try to calm their trapped ally, CamOctopus crawls through the grass, blending in perfectly.

Once she is close enough, she leaps into action, jumping down and slamming a rock against the trapped student. The other two freak out, giving me my opportunity to move in.

I am blindsided by a sudden elbow to my face and then I get sliced by the other student. They both then kick me into the pit.

Not good. Everyone is counting on us!

CamOctopus helps me to me feet. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, the stinging feels kind of nice.”

“Get on my back. I’ll climb us out of here.”

“Are you sure you’re strong enough?”

“Yeah. I love climbing. I gotta survive this so I can climb the highest mountain in SteamPunk.”

I grab onto her back. “What’s the point of that?”

She begins climbing, stabbing her fingers in the dirt. “I never asked to be an assassin. None of us did. Killing people is scary.”

“I think it’s thrilling.”

“Oh really, how many people have you killed?” She makes it to the top.

I point to a girl caught in a leg trap on the left side of the hill. “She’s all yours.”

CamOctopus nods and we race up to the girl.

“It hurts so much. I give up! Please don’t hurt me.”

“Why are you all after StarBorne?”

“You mean you weren’t told? If anyone kills him, then our class passes. And if we don’t…we die.”

I step on the trap, digging the wooden teeth deeper into her leg. “Didn’t they teach you about loyalty? How is killing a fellow student helping the Assassin’s Guild?”

“We were taught to succeed any mission we are given. The mission comes before everything.”

I look to CamOctopus. “Is this true?”

“Our class wasn’t given this mission. Ugh. None of this makes any sense.” She whacks the girl upside the head with a rock.

After the third heat and lots of screams, the girl passes out.

I hug CamOctopus. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t like hurting people,” she says, burying her face in my shoulder.

I pat her head. “Thanks. I don’t feel like a pathetic assassin around you.”

She pushes me off. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You can climb, camouflage and you’ve got a strong arm, but you lack the heart of a killer so it’s all wasted.” I continue the trek up the hill.

“My parents say that killing people isn’t normal!”

“Who wants to be normal. I want to be a hero. A killer whose deeds are his legacy, whose stories inspire many more kids to be great assassins. I want to be a beacon. You want to climb big hills.” I snicker.

“Mountains aren’t hills. And yeah. I feel free when I’m climbing. It’s the only time I’m not overthinking things.”

We find WarWolf and BladEagle fighting off four other assassins.

CamOctopus and I slowly approach.

WarWolf lunges to bite one and gets a knife in her chest.

My mind goes blank and I’m suddenly rushing to her.

BladEagle takes a club to the face and then smashes his head against his attacker. He then takes the club and slams it into his other attacker’s weapon.

I stab WarWolf’s attacker in the back. “Are you okay?”

She holds her side in agony. “The knife went in deep but I’ll survive. Your girlfriend and StarBorne are at the top. Go and assist them.”

“You’ll get overwhelmed here!” I exclaim, noticing a figure coming up the hillside.

CamOctopus knocks out the attacker. She grabs WarWolf. “I’ll get her to safety.”

BladEagle’s hand is sliced and he drops the club. “Damn it!”

I rush in to stab the last enemy from behind but get kicked off my feet.

The enemy takes a step back immediately afterward to dodge BladEagle’s sai thrust. “With StarBorne dead, no doubt you would lead your class. You’re a great fighter like me.”

“Yeah. Nice to finally meet someone who can knows the difference between a spear and a halberd.” BladEagle catches the enemy’s sword with his the prongs of his sai.

I throw my dagger into the enemy’s leg, giving him the opening he needs.

The sword breaks and BladEagle slams the back of the sai into his enemy’s leg.

Once he’s on his knees, BladEagle picks up the club and slams it into the downed enemy’s chin.

The last attacker tumbles down the hill and I rise to my feet.

“Weech, move it!” BladEagle shoves me out of the way.

Three daggers hit his chest and then burst with electricity.

Wait. I know that technique.

I turn around and look up to see SparkuPine, WarWolf’s father. “What are you doing here?”

I roll on the ground to dodge his incoming knives.

“I apologize for my daughter’s behavior. She had no right to dump you. Please don’t give up on her.” He wraps a wire around my leg and thrashes me about.

“She was almost killed because you sent these kids to kill StarBorne. It was you! Wasn’t it?” I rush toward him, ready to draw my father’s knife.

“You began this. Gave me hope that the gifted child can die. If only you had better accuracy. I’m here to finish what you started.” His hand moves in a flash and stabs me multiple times.

“My father isn’t a traitor. You are!” I whip out the knife and use my father’s technique.

SparkuPine grips my arm and squeezes until I drop the blade. “He betrayed us all to uphold a system of deception.” He twists my arm behind my back.

BladEagle throws a dagger at his arm. “You’re just bitter because you’re a failure. Once I beat you, everyone is going to realize who the real star of this school is.”

SparkuPine pulls me close and uses me as a hostage as he closes in on BladEagle. “So you’re the boy she’s dating now.”

“Don’t you talk about my girlfriend!” BladEagle rushes in.

SparkuPine tosses me into him and then electrocutes us both. “I can see why she never brought you home. You’re all practice and no talent. A single drop in a rainstorm of mediocrity.”

BladEagle grabs me by my collar. “Hurry and protect StarBorne. This might be my only chance to talk to my girlfriend’s dad.”

I nod and stumble a bit as I run up the hillside.

I hear BladEagle screaming but I don’t look back.

When I make it to the top is see StarBorne. She is fighting a swordsman with a rock, slamming it against the blade to deflect each strike.

“How do you keep predicting my attacks?” yells the enraged enemy.

“I see your violent energy like strands in the air, they tell me everything I need to know.” StarBorne cringes when an arrow hits her back.

“The moment I fall, they will swarm you. You’ll see it coming, but you won’t be able to stop it.”

Goopy, who is leaned up against a rock and is fully bandaged up, opens his eyes. “There were four archers originally based on the frequency of the arrows. Now there’s only two. I wonder why that is.”

BunBun must be taking them out.

I stagger toward the one attacking StarBorne but my leg gets snagged by some wire and I trip.

StarBorne pushes back against her foe and then runs off.

The enemy follows and runs into a pitfall trap. “Why is it so deep?”

StarBorne twirls to dodge two incoming arrows. “These traps were already put in place by assassins of the past. I’m simply making use of the ingenuity of my assassin ancestors.”

When I get up, I see that SparkuPine is coming up the hill at a rapid pace, alongside four other students.

“Run to the mist forest! They have an actual assassin with them!” I yell to StarBorne.

She comes up to me and grabs my hand. “Only if you come with.”

StarBorne and I race down the hillside. She pulls me close occasionally to dodge incoming arrows from unseen attackers. “How many more remain?”

I try to think but my head gets jumbled with the numbers. “I don’t know but they’re being led by SparkuPine. He uses knives attached to wires that he sends electricity through.”

“Why is WarWolf’s father trying to kill me?”

“I don’t have a damn clue!”

Two assassins flank us, throwing down a smoke bomb.

“That’s poison! We have to go around,” says StarBorne.

We take a turn and get sliced by the sharp thorns in the prickly part of the woods.

An arrow hits my back leg, but StarBorne pulls me through it.

She’s not giving up on me. Even though I tried to kill her.

SparkuPine climbs up the trees while his goons get cut up following our path.

We hear an explosion and a tree falls down. The path ahead of us is blocked by flames.

StarBorne’s perfect facial features become distorted. “I don’t want to die.”

I go to hug her but my body freezes up.

A hug can’t save my leader. Nothing can.

StarBorne’s leg gets tangled in the sharp vines.

SparkuPine drops down from above and swipes my knife from my hand. “So many years I’ve waited.” He lunges at our leader.

I’m suddenly hugging StarBorne. I feel the knife pierce. My back explodes with pain.

Why did I do that? I knew what was coming! Why did I save her?

StarBorne throws a burning branch at SparkuPine and sets his cloak aflame.

The four other attackers make it through the brambles and surround us.

Space is distorted before my eyes.

Am I dying?

A RiftRipper emerges from the distortion. A single tendril comes out, decorated with blades. The blades vibrate and rotate as they do a wide sweep, toppling the nearby trees onto SparkuPine and the others. One of the students rushes forward only to be have his arm sawed off.

“Teacher, is that you?” I ask.

“I am now.” The RiftRipper pulls StarBorne and me into his cloak and space distorts once more.