“Y-Yuri?” asked Annie.

“Yes,” said Elise. “Who is he?”

“He’s a bad man,” said Marco.

“How bad?”

“He’s the worst! He killed Annie’s daddy!”

Elise frowned as Annie lowered her head. On the other side of the bed, Penelope’s knuckles were white as she yanked on the straps of her breastplate.

“While I was out, I overheard that he’s going to be there at the Shimmering Lotus tonight.”

“You can’t go!” exclaimed Annie.

“We’ll be fine,” said Penelope. “I’m a knight, after all.”

“Y-Yuri is a knight too!”

Penelope paused. “He is?”

“Yeah,” said Marco. “And he’s really strong.”

Penelope hesitated for a moment longer, then returned to donning her armor. “It doesn’t matter. I’m stronger.”

“You can’t!” said Annie. “He’ll kill you.”

“He won’t,” said Penelope. “I won’t let him.”

Annie looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“Hey,” said Elise softly, bending over. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be there too. Do you want me to tell you a secret?”

“Wh-what?”

“I have a Legendary class.”

Annie’s eyes widened as Elise smiled. She had gotten a general idea of class rarities with the dwarves and drow, and knew that Legendary classes and species were typically 1 in 100000, barring extreme circumstances. A significant number of the dwarves’ classes had apparently gone up to Legendary when they started getting the ‘of the Forgotten Kingdom’ suffix, but under normal circumstances, regular people might live their entire lives without meeting anyone with such a class. Elise was lying a bit calling it a class rather than a species, but the point remained the same.

“Even if Yuri is really strong, he can’t take on her, and me. And if she gets hurt, I’ll just heal her right back up, just like I did for you.”

“Really?” asked Annie.

“Really. I promise.”

At that moment, Penelope finished strapping on the last plate of armor, and stood up straight, patting herself down, making sure everything was in place. Then, she grabbed her belt with her sword on it, strapped it on, and turned to Elise.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Yes, but we need to get them somewhere safe,” said Elise, gesturing toward the children. “They’re watching the inn, and we already know this place doesn’t really have security.”

“Alright,” said Penelope, frowning and nodding. “Any ideas where?”

“I was hoping you would know.”

Penelope, pondered for a moment. “I think I know a place.”

Outside the inn, the crowd of homeless people had grown yet again, and this time, there was a [Thug] in the mix. They were smart enough not to stop and harass the armored knight, but Elise could feel their gazes until they rounded the corner out of sight. Even then, she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched. Whether she was just imagining things because of the conversation she had overheard, or there was someone actually following, she couldn’t tell though.

Neither Marco nor Annie spoke during the short journey, both huddling together with Elise and Penelope on either side. It wasn’t at all cold out, but out of the corner of her eye, Elise still caught Annie shivering once or twice.

Their destination was the same gate to the city that they had entered through earlier that day. On the inside, there was a small building where a half dozen guards were playing cards and sipping on some kind of alcohol. After a brief explanation, they agreed to watch over Annie and Marco for a few hours.

“Are you sure they’ll be safe there?” asked Elise as they walked away.

“Reasonably,” said Penelope. “The coppers are shit, but the guards in this city are well-run, and they’re strong enough that a couple low level thugs won’t cause them any real trouble. The kids will be fine. It’s us we need to worry about.”

“About that, are you sure you can handle Yuri?”

“I won’t know until I see him, but there’s no way I’m letting him off. Any knight who hangs around thugs doesn’t deserve the title. Besides, I have you, miss Legendary class.”

“I’m not really combat-focused,” said Elise. “I can give you some support, but with the knight, and all the other thugs? I don’t know.”

“Wait, you’re actually Legendary?” said Penelope.

“Yeah?”

“I thought you were just saying that to comfort them. Wow.”

“I’m not combat-focused though,” said Elise. “I do mostly support.”

“I bet it’s some pretty damn good support then. We’ll be fine. It’s probably not gonna be a fight to the death. They’re back-alley thugs. They’re not really big on loyalty or fighting to the end. If we beat that knight and the Boss, the others will fall in line.”

“I hope so,” said Elise.

The sun had fully set by the time they made it back to the Shimmering Lotus, which made the building even easier to spot, as it was the only well-lit one on its street. From inside, Elise could hear the sound of loud talking, raucous laughter, and even an off-key drinking song. She was thankful she wasn’t in her rabbit form so she didn’t have to hear what other sounds those ones might have been covering. There were two guards with [Thug] classes standing guard outside, but they barely had time to open their mouths before Penelope kicked the door down, silencing the noise inside.

Elise spotted the Boss instantly, sitting at the back of the room at a bar with a woman under each arm. On his right, he was holding onto the black-haired woman who had been in his bed when Elise saw them earlier, and on the left was a winged blonde woman that Elise instantly recognized as Annie’s mother. A few feet away on another barstool, there was a weasley, balding man with a huge nose and a huge tankard of something frothy.

[ Knight, lvl ??? ]

The rest of the room was a musty, dirty tavern, filled to the brim with musty, dirty men, scantily-clad women, and alcohol.

“The one in the back with the big nose is the knight,” whispered Elise.

“Which one of you is the idiot calling himself ‘the Boss’?” shouted Penelope.

“Well, well, well, if it ain’t the ironclad bitch,” said the Boss, standing up. “Looks like we’ve got a couple rats. I’ll have to take care of them later. Boys?”

The thugs stood up, but then hesitated when Penelope drew her sword.

“The first one to attack loses his head!” she announced.

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That got them all to pause, and got the women to start cowering against the wall.

The Boss sighed. “You’re all a lot of cowards. She can’t get you all if you all attack at once.”

The thugs still hesitated.

“Then why don’t you attack her yourself,” called Elise.

“Who are you?” asked the Boss. “The squire? The cheerleader?”

“The offering,” said Yuri, draining his mug and standing from his stool. “I’ll tell you what, Cletus, I’ll take care of the knight for you, but I get the other one.”

“Only if I can have her when you’re done. And I told you not to call me that.”

“Done,” said Yuri, stepping forward. “Alright, bitch, come at me. I’ve been needing to stretch my arms for a while. Let’s see what the next generation is made of.”

Penelope stepped forward as the thugs in the center of the room made way for the two to begin their fight.

“Before we fight, I have some questions,” said Penelope.

“Getting cold feet?” said Yuri.

“Is it true that you killed the father of the girl named Annie?”

Elise saw the winged woman flinch at the bar.

“Maybe,” said Yuri. “Maybe not. So what if I did?”

“What order were you a part of?”

“Steel Serpents, same as you,” he said. “Is Old Crogan still around?”

“He passed away last year.”

“Well, tell him I said hello.”

The man lunged forward, stabbing so quickly that the sword turned into a blur, but Penelope deftly turned her own blade so that his slid harmlessly past.

“Not bad,” said Yuri. “Good, even.”

“Surrender now and I’ll spare your life,” said Penelope.

“Surrender now and I’ll let you take your clothes when you leave.”

It was Penelope’s turn to lunge forward, swinging at his side. Her blade slashed through air as Yuri took a step backward and countered with another stab, which Penelope sidestepped. She swung again, and Yuri stepped to the other side, and danced around the edge of the ring of spectators. The thugs were starting to cheer him on, and he was clearly enjoying the attention.

Elise hated to admit it, but as much of a scumbag as he was, Yuri was clearly skilled. He was fighting without armor against a fully armored knight, but he didn’t seem worried at all, and Peneleope had yet to even scratch him. They traded a few more strikes, and finally, Yuri landed the first. It did no damage, glancing off Penelope’s armor, but Elise could sense a change in the fight’s momentum. Penelope had been putting on pressure, but after being struck, she suddenly grew much more passive, allowing Yuri to take more control.

As they fought, Elise noticed something a bit strange about the whole battle. Neither of them seemed to be using much mana. She could sense a bit of it circulating within their bodies, strengthening themselves and speeding up their attacks, but it still seemed very minimal. When she was living with the Grays, Nick had displayed quite a bit more, and the ability to use powerful, mana-infused attacks, and she had often seen Sindri practicing with something similar.

Why aren’t they using their mana skills? wondered Elise.

No sooner had she thought that did Yuri finally use his. Elise sensed it a split second before it happened, and thankfully, so did Penelope. The knight woman used a bit of her own mana concentrated in her feet to dart to the side as an invisible spear flew from the tip of Yuri's sword through the air, nearly skewering one of the thugs on the other side of the ring.

“Woah!” said the whole audience, scrambling backward a few more steps.

At that moment, Elise also understood why Penelope hadn’t been using her mana much either. With so many other people around, some of them innocents, she couldn’t risk the collateral damage. No doubt she would use it if the opportunity arose, but being surrounded by so many people, and with Yuri sticking to the edges, there wasn’t much she could do.

As she saw Penelope slowly losing control both over the fight, and over her own level-headedness, Elise realized she had to do something. Yuri was stringing Penelope along, and making her fight on his terms. If this kept going on, she would lose. But what could Elise do?

A dozen different options sprung to mind, but Elise hesitated on all of them. Penelope and Yuri were fighting with live steel. Sharp blades. A single misstep could be fatal. Elise could cause that misstep for Yuri, but then she would be responsible for his death. If anyone deserved death, it would be him, but that would still make Elise a killer. There had to be a way to resolve it without resorting to that.

Maybe she could somehow get the Boss to step in to stop it. Maybe she could convince Yuri that he was losing, and that he should surrender.

I’m going to die, she sent to Yuri using {Suggest}

The other man didn’t visibly react. He went in for another lunge, his sword scraping off against Penelope’s breastplate as her sword cut the air above his head. Penelope jumped back into the middle of the ring, breathing heavily as Yuri grinned and spread his arms wide.

“Is that all?” he asked. “Not going to use your mana? Trying to win with just swordplay? I’m sorry to say, girl, but you’re outmatched.”

“Shut up,” said Penelope.

Penelope caught Elise’s eyes and nodded slightly. That motion didn’t go unnoticed by Yuri, who glanced over at Elise with a sly grin.

“Telling your friend to run?” he asked. “Why’d you bring her here in the first place? You should have known she wasn’t going to be coming out.”

Elise glanced behind her to see that the two thugs from the outside were blocking the doorway, and more were pressing in on either side, getting uncomfortably close.

I need to do something, she thought. Penelope needs me to do something.

{Suggest} hadn’t worked. Maybe if she tried a bit harder, or tried a different thought, she might be able to make something happen, but she couldn’t bet on that. She had other skills that were more reliable. They would also almost certainly get Yuri killed. But did that matter right now? Not using them would get both her and Penelope killed.

Would I kill to save a life?

It wasn’t a question she had much cause to think about on Earth, and it was one that she had done her best to avoid thinking about since arriving at the new world, but now, she had no choice. Killing Yuri would save Penelope and herself, but it would make her a killer.

Why is this even a question? asked a voice at the back of her mind. Just do it.

Yuri stepped forward, smiling widely while Penelope waited in a defensive stance. When he went to take his next step though, his back foot didn’t move. It had been wrapped up by a root sprouting from between the splintering wooden floorboards. Penelope didn’t miss her chance, immediately stepping forward and swinging downward.

Elise felt a huge surge of mana, both from Penelope as she swung her sword downward with all her might, and from Yuri, who charged his own sword up to block the strike. There was a boom as the swords clashed, and Yuri dropped to one knee. His shirt was torn at the shoulder, and there was a long bloody line running down his back from the mana he couldn’t quite block. With a mighty heave, he broke free of the root binding his foot and rolled to the side out of reach of Penelope’s follow-up swing.

“You cowardly bitch!” he shouted.

He never took his eyes off the other knight, but Elise knew he was talking to her. Some of the thugs nearby seemed confused, but Yuri knew exactly what had happened. It was too late though. The momentum of the fight had shifted, and now Penelope was on the offensive. The previous strike hadn’t incapacitated Yuri, but it was clearly paining him, and his reactions were just a hair slower. He was still able to dodge her strikes, but not as well. Soon, smaller cuts started appearing on his clothes, and then a deep gash on his cheek.

The crowd was silent as they watched Penelope slowly advance on the injured Yuri. Her attacks were getting a bit more reckless, but now, the difference in their equipment was showing. Both were scoring glancing blows, but Yuri’s were useless against Penelope’s armor, while Penelope’s were drawing more and more blood. Still, the fight was lasting longer than Elise thought it would.

I’ve already done it, she thought. I might as well see it through.

The next time Yuri went in for another counter strike, Elise used {Ensnaring Roots} once more to grab hold of his leg, throwing him off balance, making his stab go far right. Penelope took the opportunity to bring her sword down on his arm, lopping it off just above the elbow. Yuri screamed in pain as his arm and sword hit the floor, and for a moment, Elise breathed a sigh of relief, believing that with him incapacitated, the fight was over. Then, Penelope plunged her blade into his neck, and swung it out to the side, nearly decapitating him.

[ You have participated in defeating Knight, lvl 24 ]

[ You have leveled up! 2 -> 3 ]

[ Ensnaring Roots has leveled up! 21 -> 25 ]

[ Strength +3, Agility +3, Dexterity +3, Fortitude +3, Charisma +30, Intelligence +20, Willpower +8, Mana +10, Mana Control +15 ]

There was a collective gasp as his lifeless body fell to the floor next to his arm, his head dangling loosely from his neck. The entire room was still, as Penelope slowly stood up straight and stuck the tip of her blade in the floor, looking down at her kill. Elise wanted to look away from the gruesome sight, but she forced her neck to remain rigid.

You did this, she told herself. And it was the right choice.

She felt like she was going to be sick, but kept staring, unblinking as the blood soaked into the floorboards, and the coppery scent filled the room. It felt like an eternity before the Boss finally broke the silence.

“The other one is a mage!” he shouted. “Get her!”

The entire room immediately turned to Elise, who used {Dart} to get to the middle of the room with Penelope.

“Touch her and you die,” said Penelope.

Having now seen her dispatch Yuri, the thugs were even more reluctant to make a move than before. Looking around the room, {Inspect} told Elise that most of these men had [Thug] classes at best, while some only had [Pickpocket] or even [Beggar]. None were direct combat classes, and none seemed high level.

“Fucking useless,” muttered the Boss.

Elise looked back at him, just in time to see him grab the winged woman from behind and grab a knife from his belt to press against her throat. She gasped, and struggled for a moment, but when the knife drew blood, she stopped, and started trembling.

“Why don’t we all calm down a bit,” said the Boss. “We don’t want anyone else to get hurt, do we?”