A dull pain pounded behind my eyes, blurring my vision. My eyes were slow to focus on the figure in front of me. When they finally did, my stomach dropped.

The nameplate over the figure read:

Name: Ysillith

Gender: Male

Race: Reborn Undead

Class: Shadow Blade (Rogue)

Level: 60

He was covered head to toe in billowing, black cloth that seemed to pull in the light. The pattern on the cloth armor was reminiscent of a mass of serpents, and they appeared to be visibly writhing across his chest, arms, and legs. His face was covered in the cloth, except for pinpricks of red light for eyes. I had a primal reaction to his appearance, like I had seen death incarnate.

This was a true max level character, properly geared in what I assumed was high-end armor. And he was looking me up and down like a piece of meat.

I couldn’t move my head, but my wide eyes turned to the shopkeeper, pleading for help. He raised his arms helplessly, and despair began to sink in.

Then, things got worse. Another max level rogue materialized next to Ysillith.

Name: Osgoth

Gender: Male

Race: Troll

Class: Bucaneer (Rogue)

Level: 60

He was dressed in leather armor, with intricate engravings etched into the gear. There were two pistols on either side of his hips, and a bandolier of daggers strapped diagonally across his chest. He seemed less amused, and more confused.

“What the hell?” he asked, turning towards Ysillith. “Since when do damsels wear armor and weapons?”

Ysillith shrugged. “I don’t know, who cares. Look at the eyes, there’s an actor inside.” He looked back at Osgoth. “Wanna have a little fun?” I couldn’t see his face, but I could sense the sick amusement in that question. My heart started trying to pound through my chest.

Osgoth seemed less interested, and shrugged in response. “I guess, but I gotta pick up my kids in 10.”

Ysillith eyed me sideways, that same amused tone in his voice. “Oh, we’ll be done before then.”

The timer was down to 5 seconds now, and my mind was frozen. What do I do? I could pull out my poleaxe, but the two rogues weren’t flagged. Whatever attack they had done on me hadn’t flagged them for PvP. Before the timer hit 0, they disappeared. I realized I could see a very faint outline through their stealth, but they quickly moved behind me and out of sight.

When the timer ran out, I only had time to toggle my weapon into my hands before another [Blackjack Surprise Attack] hit me square in the back of the head. The pain was less intense than the first attack, and I realized that the timer started at 15 seconds rather than 30.

You have been incapacitated by [Blackjack Surprise Attack]!

(Duration Reduction: 50%)

(Broken by damage)

15 seconds…

They materialized in front of me again. “Look, Os’, the kitty’s got claws,” Ysillith said with amusement, indicating the poleaxe frozen in my hands.

Osgoth didn’t smile, his brow scrunched in confusion. “Something’s off on this one, Ysill’,” he said. “She is level 100. I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of a swing from that thing.”

Ysillith laughed as the timer ticked down. They both stealthed, though I heard his reply like a murmur through a door. “It’s a damsel, Os’. Don’t be a pussy.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Another attack hit me as the timer ran down, but this timer was cut in half again. They didn’t come out of stealth for this timer, though I heard them talking to each other while stealthed. The words were too soft to understand now, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood upright.

The timer ran down for the third time, and I braced for the next attack, but nothing came. I was frozen in indecision for a moment, but when I realized that no attack was coming, I blindly lashed out with my weapon. I swung it in a wide arc around me, nearly clipping the edges of the shop walls and the shopkeeper himself. But I hit nothing but air. It was a sloppy swing, throwing me off balance more than it should have, and I heard more muffled laughter through their stealth.

I whipped around, squinting my eyes to try and track them. It seemed that I was able to see a faint outline when they were close enough, but a quick scan showed the shop was empty. I thought about putting my back to a wall and just waiting them out, but the anxiety was clutching at my chest. Maybe if I could get near some guards, I would be safe? Or, maybe I could take a flight out of here, like Jeremy had minutes earlier. But then I realized I didn’t have any other flight paths unlocked.

I was still paralyzed by indecision when a sharp pain stabbed into my lower back. It was like a hot poker being pressed against my flesh, and I immediately noticed my health bar drop 5%.

(Ysillith - Rogue)

You have been inflicted with bleeding (5 seconds)!

(Effect partially resisted 20%)

-40 Health Points/sec while moving.

I tried to turn, slashing my poleaxe behind me, but another flash of pain struck my hamstring. This was more of a slash than a stab, but the pain was still intense.

(Osgoth - Rogue)

You have been hobbled (7 seconds)!

Movement hampered.

Movement speed -25%.

The two status timers stacked in my vision, counting down independently.

Osgoth was in front of me, a bloody knife in his hand. Fast as thought, he drew the flintlock pistol from his hip and whipped it across my face, staggering me.

(Osgoth - Rogue)

You have been stunned by [Pistol Whip] (3 seconds)!

My health had gone down 10% now, and I hadn’t even had a moment to think. I tried to reverse the momentum on my weapon and swing it back towards Osgoth, but my hobbled leg buckled beneath me, sending me down to one knee. Osgoth raised both eyebrows at me, a smug smile on his face.

I noticed movement at the door of the shop and breathed a sigh of relief. The guards had been summoned once Osgoth and Ysillith had physically attacked. Thank God. I didn’t see Ysillith from his position behind me, but Osgoth pulled something from his pocket and threw it to the ground. A flash of smoke immediately filled the room, obscuring the rogue.

My heart clenched as I watched the guards at the door stop in place, look around for a moment, then start walking back to their post. Osgoth had reset his combat flag somehow.

My stun timer had gone down to zero in the commotion, and I reacted faster this time. I swung out in a full circle and was rewarded with a grazing strike on one of the rogues. I was still hobbled, so I couldn’t run away, but I did manage to limp over to one of the walls, putting my back to it. Ysillith was bent over in the corner, clutching his stomach. I was pleased to see blood pooling behind his hands. His health had gone down 35% from the grazing blow.

“You bitch!” he shouted.

I didn’t have time to reply as a notification appeared in my vision:

You have been flagged for PvP in a safe zone. Guards are converging on your position.

Oh, fuck, oh, fuck. My nameplate started flashing red, indicating I was flagged for PvP. Osgoth appeared in front of me, just out of range, as the smoke dissipated. Movement at the door signaled the arrival of the guards. And Ysillith had a dagger reversed in his hand, poised to throw.

I did the only thing I could think of: I started screaming for help. “Al!” I shouted. “Al, Al, Al! I need you!” A dagger flew at my head, but I managed to duck it. Osgoth pointed his pistol at me, but I desperately speared my poleaxe forward, forcing him to parry with the pistol. Two guards were in the shop now, walking towards me with swords out.

My heart was in my throat now, and I started hyperventilating. I was completely surrounded, Osgoth in front, Ysillith to my right, and the two guards blocking the door to my left. I could maybe fight my way past the guards by barreling them to the side, but that would leave my back exposed to a dagger-throwing asshole, and a pistol-wielding asshole. But what choice did I have?

Just as I was steeling myself to try for a breakout, a flashing in my UI caught my attention. The flashing was over the Skills menu icon, and I mentally clicked it in a rush. The Skill tree appeared in my vision, slightly minimized so it wouldn’t cover my full view. Five points were filled in on one of the utility skills on the first tier of the Mage tree. I read the skill name and silently thanked Al. The path was already filled in, and all I had to do was mentally click Accept. I did so, and learned my first actual skill.

The first slot on my skill bar automatically populated, and with a quick mental effort, I activated it.