As soon as I pushed the door inwards, I felt as if I had stopped in time. Cain, whom I had told to stay back, dashed around me, and, in his half-human half-animal form threw himself at the man standing inside this small office.

That man was none other than Solomon, who didn’t waste a second, as he activated some sort of skill, summoning a circle of swords around him and Cain.

“I knew you’d come to me first.” He said with an amused smirk. “You don’t really want to leave, do you? You just want to prove that you’re more powerful than me. Crazy bastard. But, as always, I will oblige.”

I aimed my gun at the man. Despite what my skills said, I was far from a marksmith, and I didn’t want to kill him. The fact that I was looking at his profile didn’t help the matter.

Cain growled and jumped up, avoiding the flying blades, and using one of them as a platform to launch himself at Solomon. A sword made of light materialised in the hand of the military man, and he mercilessly slashed Cain with it. The kid lost balance, and almost stumbled onto one of the airborne blades, but corrected his trajectory just in time. He grabbed the sword in Solomon’s hand, and his animalistic features instantly vanished. The sword of light darkened, and the darkness began to spread onto Solomon’s hand, who did his best to conceal an expression of pain.

“Let go of him!” I yelled, as I realised that the military man had some ace up his sleeve and that this was exactly what he had planned all along.

Solomon looked up at me. Our eyes locked for a second, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. He was smiling. The kind of vicious smile I’d imagine a snake would have after wrapping its tail and jaws around its prey.

I realised I had no choice.

Cain was in the way, but he was also very short. All I had to do was raise my gun. A voice inside my head told me not to do it, but something in Solomon’s expression told me that after he’d be done with Cain, it would be my turn.

With my eyes locked on my target, I pressed the trigger. At that exact same second, I noticed an arm reach out over mine and release the magazine. I barely had enough time to drop the gun, before it exploded at my feet.

Luck - 5

I snapped my head to the side, and was met with a man whom I didn’t recognise at first. He was tall, dark skinned, and wearing a lab coat – It was that guy from the lab whom I had spied on!

“You should have shot when you had the chance.” He said with a smirk as he pulled out a syringe and aimed it at my neck.

With a speed I didn’t know I was capable of, I grabbed my sword and blocked the needle with my blade. I then took a step back, raising the katana in a guard.

“Very well. Have it your way.” Hermand said with an amused smirk.

My face twisted in an expression of disgust. Just what was wrong with these men to attack everyone they met? Well, it made some sense in my case, but still –

With a swift movement of his arms, he threw two blades of wind at me. I brought up my arms in front of my head, blocking both of them. But I failed to notice a third blade only a few centimetres above-ground.

Luck - 3

It hit me in the shins, and I almost lost balance. Had the room been any larger, and had there not been a wall behind me, I would have ended up prone on the floor.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I taunted him.

They always did that in books, to reduce the attack accuracy of an opponent. But Hermand seemed unphased. He simply gestured for me to come closer.

Starlight

Blade of Namura damage + 2%

Damage type bludgeoning or piercing or radiant

MP - 1

I focused on my blade, using the skill, before launching at him. Although I was by no means a swordswoman, hitting an unarmed and unmoving target proved to be surprisingly easy. I lashed him once, from the neck down to his chest, and stabbed him once in his side. Unlike his pal, he very visibly failed to contain the pain, despite not taking any physical damage.

He did that strange gesture with his arms again, and I braced myself for more blades of wind, but instead a red ribbon appeared at the corner of my vision, telling me to duck under the flying blades and into the makeshift arena nearby. I did no such thing, as Solomon seemed way stronger than this guy. Instead I charged at him with another sword attack.

He reached out to the wall, and grabbed it, pulling and moulding the cement into a makeshift shield around him.

I was forced to retreat, and reconsider my plan.

Suddenly, I heard Cain cry out. I turned just in time to see him pinned against a wall, with a sword planted in his side, and another in his arm. Not only did he seem to be in immense pain, but also fully unable to move. I immediately put my current opponent on the side-burner, as I dashed towards Cain to free him.

“Stupid girl.” I heard Solomon’s voice, as a hand grabbed me at the neck and pinned me against the wall.

“Go to hell.” I responded as I blindly swung my sword in his general direction.

But my blade was met with nothing but air.

“You aren’t even trained in combat.” Solomon continued, still holding my neck, but moving just out of reach of my sword. “What were you even trying to achieve?”

I noticed that the hand holding me began to glow. I braced myself for another attack, but nothing of the sort came. Instead, all I saw was a series of System windows.

MP - 11

Starlight

No longer active

No MP

Short Voyage

First security cordon

Geneva central embankment

++ Random ++

++ Add location ++

Solomon let go, having seemingly decided that I was now harmless. He gestured to Hermand to stay back.

Taking advantage of those few seconds he was distracted, I dashed towards Cain, and freed him from he blades holding him up against the wall. He fell onto me, unresponsive.

I tried to focus and teleport us away from here.

Short Voyage

Restrictions Exceeded

“Shit.” I swore under my breath.

“Now, girl, let go of Subject Alpha and we can talk. You won’t get hurt, I promise. As long as you tell me who put you up to this.”

Had I not been holding Cain with one arm and my sword with the other, I would have clenched my fists in anger and frustration. This had all gone so wrong. And although I had a physical way out with my ‘short voyage’ skill, I could not morally allow myself to take it.

So, my only option was to stall, and hope that Cain would wake up and take care of the situation. Afterall, if neither of the men were attacking, there was a very high chance that they were both low on either luck or MP.

I gently put Cain on the floor, and turned around to face the duo. Hermand had leaned against a wall, with his arms crossed over his chest and a pissed expression on his face. Solomon seemed more calm, almost arrogant even.

“I work for a certain organisation.” I began, trying to come off as genuine. “Unlike you we don’t have a fancy name, but we do have modern equipment and decent security. Let’s just say that if you were to break into one of our facilities, it wouldn’t take us over two hours to catch you.”

“I don’t think provoking him is your best move, all things considered.” Hermand said in a dismissive tone.

“Yes, you’re right.” Solomon responded to him, “but all things considered, shouldn’t you be watching water-grass grow right now instead of bothering me?” He continued in an arrogant tone.

“I saved your life!” Hermand exclaimed.

I wasn’t sure where this beginning of an argument was coming from, but I wasn’t going to let this opening slide. Cain was still unresponsive, but Solomon had turned towards Hermand, as if ignoring me.

I aimed for his neck with my sword.

The white metal of my blade hit a rod of ethereal light. Solomon didn’t even turn towards me, as he blocked my attack. From my angle, I could very well make out the twisted smile on his face.

“David what the actual fuck are you doing?” Hermand asked, as confused as I.

I tried to retrieve my blade closer to my body, so at least I’d be able to guard, but Solomon twisted his wrist, blocking my hand behing his. I tried to widdle out, but to no avail.

“Proving a point to you.” Solomon responded as he shoved me against a wall.

I swore under my breath and tried to regain my composure, but to no avail. Solomon pointed his sword made of light at my neck. It was so close I could feel its heat against my skin. A voice inside my head told me that the easy way out, and home, was to impale myself on that sword.

“Is that point that you’re only able to go after women and children?” I asked.

It had become abundantly clear that death was the only thing he wanted to threaten me with, since if he’d wanted to properly hurt me, he would have already done so.

“Shut up!” Herman snapped. “Who the fuck do you work for? How did you get in? Answer me!”

The sword of light came closer to my skin and I realised that this was it. I had failed. There was no way I would be able to get Cain out of here now.

So, I did the next best thing, and locked eyes with Solomon.

“Do you really want to have my death on your consciousness?” I asked.

My voice must have come of as too calm, or the man must have figured something out, as his expression suddenly changed into that of realisation, as he pulled his blade back and said:

“You’re right. You will be no good dead.”

Luck - 50

He swung his sword at my chest. I did my best to block it, but with my non-existent swordsman skill, all I managed to do was to slightly deviate it form its course, and slash my own hand in the process.

With a groan of pain, I slid to the floor, as I watched a spot of red slowly soak into my shirt. The pain didn’t even register, but my head started spinning. I wasn’t sure if this was what running out of luck points felt like, I wasn’t even sure if I had fully run out, since a wound like this would have been lethal. I waited for my ‘restoration’ skill notification to pop up, but nothing came.

Herman said something, but I couldn’t make out the words.

I needed to do something. My sword felt warm in my hand once more. That’s right, I could, and should, just finish the job myself, I thought. But a voice inside my head told me to get up and fight. If not for Cain’s sake, then for my own.

With a pained groan, and using the wall as a support, I got up.

Solomon turned towards me with an amused expression.

“At least tell me why you’re doing all this.” He said, as he lifted his guard.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Hermand interjected.

Several things happened at the same time. Hermand, having gone past the point of no return of annoyance, threw several more wind blades at me, with the intent of knocking me out. I raised my guard, easily blocking them, but also leaving myself exposed to Solomon. However, no attacks make from his side. In my peripheral vision, I saw Solomon’s body fall to the ground, his neck covered in red.

Hermand was as surprised as I, and when he looked at me with a perplexed expression, a bony hand with blood-red fur sliced though his guts with its claws. As he too fell to the ground, the creature slowly morphed back into the form of a small child.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Whatever that form had been, it wasn’t one of the ones Cain took in the book. It was a mixture between a deer, a wolf, and a skeletal human, and although Cain had regained his human form, my heart was still pounding with fear. He looked at me with an expecting expression, which slowly shifted into concern as I continued to remain silent. Finally, he spoke:

“You said you knew the way out.”

All I could do was nod.

But my mind slowly returned to me, as I started thinking about how this experience proved that my ‘mind stop’ skill only worked on magical fear, and not my own fear. Which raised the question of how it was able to see the difference –

“Yes, let’s go. Do you know where the central generator or the main security rooms are?” I asked, having finally fully regained my composure.

“You said you knew the way out!” Cain answered with a tired anger.

“Yes, I do. But I need to hide our traces.” I said.

I then bent down to search through the pockets of Solomon. His body didn’t feel quite right under my touch, but I didn’t dwell on that thought. I found his key card, and gestured to Cain that we were good to go.