Selene froze as she looked at the man. He was lean, wore a cloak, and had blue hair, and dark eyes. His lips were thin, and he had a thick nose.

He was similarly frozen as he looked at her, but he came to his senses faster and lashed out.

The sudden movement snapped Selene out of her state, and she barely managed to roll backwards and dodge the attack. A blast of green energy surged from the man’s fist where it would have hit Selene’s chest.

She immediately activated Spirit Echoes, Chill of the Grave, and Shadow Strike.

She could only use Shadow Strike to cover her hand and give her claws since she’d put her sword down near the bed. She didn’t dare take the time to grab it.

“He’s fast, but I’m just slightly faster,” thoughts flashed through Selene’s mind as she analyzed. “That attack might have some debilitating effects and is probably powerful. I need to stay away.”

She dodged another attack and saw ice crystals form on the man’s hair.

“Chill of the Grave is working its magic.”

She dodged another attack and noticed that the man was noticeably slower now.

She’d dodge to the side, bringing her closer to the wall between her room, and Meelara’s, so she took the opportunity to slam into it, creating a loud thud.

“Hopefully, that draws her attention.”

She then dashed forward, and ducked underneath a third strike from the man, bringing her claws around for a swipe.

Her hand was deflected by an invisible barrier, and she stumbled slightly from the surprise. The assailant took advantage of the opportunity and finally got in a hit.

His fist struck Selene in the abdomen, and she felt the energy invade her body. It hurt far less than she’d expected, but she soon found herself struggling to maintain her skills.

“It’s interfering with my circulation!”

She quickly deactivated both Spirit Echoes and Spirit Veil.

“That should buy me some more time.”

She breathed deeply as she watched the attacker. A frown marred her face. She kept her distance. As he stepped forward, she stepped back.

Her heels struck the bed. Selene dove over the bed, rolling to a stop next to her sword, which she grabbed, transferring Shadow Strike to it, as she did.

Now better armed, she immediately dashed forward, but rather than attack his body, she feinted, drawing an attack from him, and she swung at his arm.

As it was stretched forward to punch, the sword hit and dug into the arm.

“GAAH!” The man shouted and grimaced. Blood poured from the wound as his arm was almost cut clean through. Selene felt a sliver of health flow into her, healing the minor damage his strike had caused, but it did nothing for the effect of his energy.

“Need to finish this, or hold out. I’ll try to finish him.”

The man was clutching his arm, and Selene took the opportunity to deliver several strikes to his body. Each strike was deflected by the invisible barrier, but after a few hits, she noticed the man flinching.

“He’s weakening! He’s struggling to keep the barrier up.”

She gritted her teeth and powered through. She felt her circulation slow further and chose to deactivate Chill of the Grave.

Strike after strike struck against the barrier until Selene faintly heard a sound like shattering glass.

The resistance of the barrier disappeared, and her sword struck true. It carved a deep line into the man’s torso, exposing his innards, but she didn’t stop. She’d learned how resilient ascended creatures could be.

Cut after cut, wound after wound. The man managed to dodge slightly, avoiding an immediately fatal wound, but the smaller wounds added up, and he was slowing down.

It was a matter of seconds from the fight started until Selene swung one last time, cutting deeply into the man’s neck. He gave a final gurgle before he fell, lifeless.

Selene stood still, breathing heavily, and listening.

“Are there more? I can’t relax until I know if there are more.”

She quietly stepped over the body and approached the door. As she leaned against the side of the entrance, she took another breath and peeked out into the hall.

She saw nobody, but just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard approaching footsteps. She prepared to fight again, but almost stumbled as Shadow Strike forcibly deactivated. Her vision swam from the shock, and she had to hold onto the door frame to keep steady.

“No! I can’t summon the energy to activate my skills!”

She felt sluggish, as if she was back to a normal human, as she closed her eyes tightly. She couldn’t stop the trembling of her hands, and the rapid breathing, nor could she calm her racing heart.

The footsteps grew louder, and Selene’s heart filled with despair as she looked around the room. There was only one exit, the door, but there was only one hallway and one set of stairs. She’d encounter whoever it was if she escaped that way. Her eyes fell on the small window.

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She stumbled forward, almost tripping over the body, as her eyes grew heavy. She tripped and fell just before reaching the window, and her arms trembled as she tried to push herself back up.

Her hands slid, and she fell back down, and now her arms started to move slower. She lacked the strength, the energy to move.

Just before her consciousness faded, she heard a female voice shout from behind her.

“Selene!”

----------------------------------------

A loud crash jolted Selene to consciousness. Indistinct voices sounded around her, but her groggy mind couldn’t make sense of them.

She felt her strength returning slowly, as the voices grew clearer.

“What the fuck happened?!” she heard a familiar voice shouting.

“Meelara?” Selene’s thoughts rolled slowly through her mind.

“How did this happen?” Meelara kept shouting. “He walked right in!”

“I’m sorry, Meelara,” a male voice spoke quietly. “I didn’t see.”

“No, you didn’t! You’re supposed to be a guard, for crying out loud! Fucking useless!”

Heavy steps sounded as someone paced around the room.

“I swear, if she hadn’t been able to beat him; if I’d found her dead, I would have… I would have…,” Meelara’s voice grew faint, with a noticeable tremor.

“Mmgh,” Selene tried to speak, but her mouth refused to move properly. “Meelra… Meelara, wha-”

“Shh,” Meelara ran to her side and grabbed her hand. “It’s alright.”

Slowly, Selene regained her strength, and could finally open her eyes. She blinked to focus her vision and saw the worried frown of Meelara above her. She was lying on a bed, in a room similar to her own.

“What’s going on?” Selene finally managed to say clearly.

“Someone snuck in, but you defeated him,” Meelara explained. “We’re trying to figure out how he got here.”

“He was reaching for my door,” Selene explained. “I opened it to find you, to ask you something… He attacked. I-I tried to make enough noise for someone to hear, but it was over before anyone came.”

“Right,” Meelara sighed. “I was downstairs when one of our scouts came running. Apparently, one of their skills had been triggered. I just got there as you passed out.”

“What was that skill?” Selene asked. “The one that knocked me out, I mean. It felt like my circulation was slowed.”

“It’s a sleep skill,” Meelara explained. “Or, a fatigue skill. It was meant to incapacitate you.”

Selene felt a shiver run down her spine as she realised how close she was to being kidnapped. Her mind went wild as she imagined the worst outcomes possible.

Her hands started trembling, and she failed the keep her breathing steady. She blinked rapidly as tears started forming.

“It’s alright,” Meelara held her hand tightly. “You’re safe now. You beat him. You did it!”

“I did,” Selene nodded and took several steadying breaths. “He tried to-to take me, but I beat him. I’m not helpless. I beat him. I did it.”

She repeated, trying to reassure herself. After almost a minute, she finally calmed down.

“I’m fine,” she said as she sat up. Meelara sat down beside her, and Selene looked around.

Meelara’s sword stood against the wall, the door was open, and Selene saw a couple of people outside. It looked like they were standing guard.

“We’ll move soon,” Meelara mentioned. “We’re moving closer to the centre. Beren has made a large double room available in the main base. There’s no way anyone can get us there.”

“Alright,” Selene sighed. “Sounds good.”

She sat in silence for a while, thinking, and considering.

“I was faster than him, even before Chill of the Grave took hold,” she recalled. “His attack didn’t hurt much. I don’t think he was a physical fighter. He focused on magic, and debilitating effects, rather than brute force. The barrier was pretty strong, and even if he only hit me once, the effect still knocked me out.”

“How can I defend against an attack like that?” Selene asked as she looked at Meelara.

“Ah,” Meelara grimaced. “You either have to get enchanted gear or charms that protect against magical debuffs, or you need to increase your mental stats, wisdom in particular. At least, I think those are the options.”

“Right,” Selene muttered, eyes downcast. “So, it’s not something I have any control over.”

“Once you clear your advancement trial, you’ll get to choose your next stage,” Meelara explained, quickly adopting her mentor persona. “You’ll have an overview of the different Stage options, and the stat focuses of each Stage will be clear. You can choose one that fits your needs.”

“Right,” Selene said, frowning. “But, if I take a very different path, it could disrupt my Path, or put me back. If the stat spread is different, I wouldn’t be building on my current strengths.”

“Exactly so,” Meelara nodded. “In any case, I think you’ll have some pretty good choices.”

“I hope so,” Selene said.

They sat in silence for a while, until Selene rose from the bed.

“I think I’d like to move around a bit,” she said absentmindedly.

“Sure,” Meelara stood as well and moved beside her. “I’ll join you.”

Selene simply smiled at her, nodded, and walked out the door. She ignored the two men standing guard and made for the stairs.

As they left the motel, Selene saw three people talking in quiet voices with the owner. Selene ignored them as Meelara grabbed her arm and pulled her through the door.

Outside, she saw several people standing around the area, muttering to each other, and looking at them.

Selene focused on holding her head high, and looking unaffected as she passed through the throng. Her fists were clenched, and her arm trembled slightly.

“Calm down,” Meelara whispered calmly. “It’s alright.”

Selene took a breath, calming herself slightly.

“It’s fine,” she thought. “There are too many people for someone to try again. Meelara and Beren would have people keeping an eye out, probably following, and watching the people around me. I’m safe. I can fight off those who try to harm me. I’m not helpless anymore.”

Selene nodded, as she reaffirmed her resolve.

The two of them entered the square again, and crossed it, heading for the bar where they’d met Beren, Faren, Cheela, and Percive before.

The bar was as loud as the last time, but Selene paid it no heed and immediately followed Meelara up the stairs.

They approached a single door at the end of a hallway, which Meelara opened. The room was large, with two beds, a large bathroom with a toilet and shower, a desk, and a wardrobe.

“Now you won’t have to leave the room to shower, either,” Meelara said. “And, I won’t leave you alone for a while. I don’t think I can handle the stress and worry.”

Selene smiled at her and squeezed Meelara’s shoulder before she headed into the bathroom and closed the door.

She undressed, and this time, took her time under the stream of water. She felt as if all the fear and stress washed off her.

“Meelara is right outside,” she sighed as she kept building up her mental resilience. “I’m safe.”