Selene closed her eyes and breathed.

“I need to keep moving,” she thought. “My quest ‘Escape’ still isn’t completed, which means I’m not free, yet. They could catch up at any moment.”

She took a deep breath, sighed and stood. Her legs were sore and trembled, but she pushed through the weakness and discomfort. One step after the other.

The sun reached the horizon, and dipped below, dyeing the landscape in golden lustre.

The forest grew silent, and for a while, the only sounds she heard were those of her own feet. Hours passed like this, as Selene ambled through the woods, without interruption. Her strength returned slowly, and she sped up.

Her path took her up the mountainside, and the trees grew sparser as she climbed until she broke through the forest.

Before her, she only saw a few, solitary trees, and the mountain’s peak far above. Clouds had gathered and obscured the stars, but the moon, large and silvery, provided sufficient light.

She saw no movement and heard no sounds to indicate pursuit from behind or danger ahead. After a moment’s hesitation, she pressed on. As she climbed, she angled her ascent to the side, to climb around the mountain, rather than straight up.

“I’m not sure where I’m going,” Selene sighed. “But, my first concern is to put a lot of distance between me and Lon Lon. I can figure out the rest once the quest is complete.”

The slope was steep, and while she’d recovered some strength, she was still tired and weakened from her injuries. Her torn clothes provided little protection against the chill mountain night.

“It’s not as cold as I thought it would be,” she realised. “Or, rather, I can feel the cold, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Am I more resistant to cold now? That would make some sense, considering the Chill of the Grave, the result of my scream in the palace, and the cold feeling I get on that bridge.”

She trudged, on, and left the treeline behind. She kept glancing around and kept Spirit Echoes active, so she could get some warning of danger.

“I wish the skill had more range, but it’s better than nothing.”

She walked for hours, and when the horizon started to lighten, she couldn’t carry on. Her legs were shaking, and struggled to carry her weight. She glanced around and saw an outcropping of rocks, slightly further up the slope. With a lot of effort, she reached it and settled into a crevice.

“I need to rest,” she closed her eyes and breathed while massaging her limbs. She had to take care not to bend too much, or she risked tearing her wounds. “It’s a miracle that they haven’t torn open already. Haah! I also need to eat soon. Thankfully, I got a large dinner at the palace before… Yeah… I can carry on for a while longer. I’m no stranger to hunger, after all.”

The sun rose, as she rubbed her sore muscles, and in the distance, she started to hear the first birds. Quiet birdsong sounded from the forest, as she leaned back, and tried to sleep.

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Selene jolted awake at the sound of rocks clattering against rocks. The sound from where she had come from.

“Have they caught up?” Selene sat up, trying to move quietly, and prepared herself. “Or, is it a monster, or animal that followed my scent?”

She activated Spirit Echoes and focused while inspecting her condition.

“Nothing yet,” she frowned, as sweat started to form on her forehead. “I’m still not healed, of course, but I’ve recovered significantly. Far quicker than I would before ascending, and the points I got in Vitality probably helped as well. The sun is pretty high, so I think I could around four hours of sleep.”

Just as she started to relax, thinking the rocks fell due to wind, or another harmless factor, a light appeared in her mind’s eye. Spirit Echoes detected a living thing within its range.

As the being moved closer, it was followed by two more, and soon enough, Selene could make out the humanoid shapes.

“Shit,” she grimaced and clenched her fist. “They’ve found me. There’s no cover, so I won’t be able to sneak away, and with my injuries, I won’t be able to outrun them. I’ll have to fight, and finish them quickly.”

Two of the figures walked around the other side of the outcropping, while the last one, the leader, waited.

“Now!” Selene dashed forward just as the two figures passed around the back, and rushed at the solitary figure. A chill spread from her body as her right fist was enveloped in shadows. Rather than the knife-like protrusion she used before, she’d created claws at the tips of her fingers this time.

As she burst from her hiding place, she came face to face with a lean man in fancy leather armour. He had a bow slung over his back and a shortsword in his hip. A quiver held a bunch of arrows.

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His eyes widened, and he reached for his sword. Selene was too far away and didn’t reach him before he could draw it.

She tried to duck, and twist away from his initial strike, but still received a cut along her abdomen.

“Guh!”

A grunt escaped her lips as pain laced through her, but she pushed through it and swung her claws at the man’s throat.

He deftly dodged back and stabbed forward with his sword, but this time, Selene dove sideways, and evaded the attack. The man followed after and kept up a series of attacks, that forced Selene to dodge. It was all she could do to not get hit, and couldn’t find an opening.

The man smirked as he kept up his assault, and Selene heard sounds of activity from the outcropping.

“The others are coming,” her breathing came in gasps as she clutched her stomach with one hand. She rolled to the left, avoiding a vertical slash, and felt the wound split further. Adrenaline flowed through her body, giving her strength. “I need to finish this quickly. Let’s hope this works.”

She dodged a few more times until she saw the man take a stance she recognized. He stabbed forward, and Selene, rather than dodge away, dashed towards him.

The sword cut into her side, but she managed to avoid having it hit her stomach. The man’s eyes widened, as Selene’s clawed hands swung forward. Her claws cut open the man’s throat, and blood spurted out, covering Selene’s face, and torso.

She followed up by thrusting her clawed fingers into his throat and felt the rush of pleasant cold flush through her. It dulled the pain, and she felt her wounds close.

The lifeless body of the man dropped to the rocky ground, and Selene took a deep breath.

The sounds from behind the outcropping stopped, and a bloody woman rushed around the corner. The woman had long, fiery red hair, and prominent muscles. She wore a set of tight leather armour, showcasing her full figure.

She wielded a large axe and had a ferocious look in her eyes, but she stopped suddenly when she spotted Selene standing above her companion.

The woman’s eyes flitted between the man, and Selene before she smiled.

“Hah!” she shouted. “Should have known. Well done, little one.”

At her words, Selene stood dumbfounded. She was breathing heavily, and blood dripped down her body, and from her hand. The woman put her axe over her shoulder and strode towards Selene.

As she approached, her eyes seemed to take in every detail about Selene she could, and then she frowned.

“Uhm, tell me something,” she said with her head tilted to one side. “Why use your hand, when you’ve got a sword?”

The question broke Selene out of her stupefaction, and she scrambled back, not realising how close the woman had gotten.

Then she understood the question.

“My swo-,” Selene looked down, and saw the sword, bound with purple cloth, hanging from her hip. “I forgot about the sword! What the hell?”

She looked back at the woman and saw the smirk had reappeared.

“Bwaha!” She tilted her head back and guffawed. “You forgot you had it?! That’s hilarious, girl.”

She laughed for a few seconds and wiped away imaginary tears.

“Now, come with me,” she gestured for Selene to follow. “Let’s get out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Invader!” Selene growled and glared at the woman who had half turned from her. “Slaver! Filth!”

Emotions overwhelmed her, as memories of the last ten years flashed through her mind. All the hardships, and cruelties. All the death and misery surfaced in Selene, and she rushed forward.

She drew the sword and coated it in shadows, and swung. The woman’s eyes widened and then turned cold. Selene’s movements were fast but untrained. She swung wildly, but the woman dodged her attacks effortlessly.

Selene had healed a bit, but she’d expended a lot of energy in dodging the man’s attacks, and her boiling emotions weren’t conducive to rational thought, so she didn’t regulate her expenditure.

Before long, Selene started to falter, and the woman clenched her fist and punched her in the face. Selene’s head snapped back, and another two strikes followed, one of which struck her temple, and everything went dark.

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Selene came to but found herself unable to move. Her arms were stuck behind her, and even in her groggy state, she realised she’d been tied up. The sun was moving toward the horizon, but she couldn’t have been out for long, since it still had some way to go.

Her vision swam, and her head throbbed, but she struggled to twist her head, and look around.

She was lying on the rocky ground near the outcropping, and a few metres from her sat the muscular woman. She was tending to a fire and glanced over when Selene moved.

“Awake, huh?” she raised an eyebrow. “My name is Meelara, and I am not your enemy. Hell, I’m your biggest fan!”

Selene’s eyes widened, but she said nothing.

“Hmph,” the woman, Meelara, shook her head. “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to kill that pig, Lon Thrast for years. Who knew all I had to do was get invited into his bed.”

A cold shiver ran down Selene’s spine, as Meelara’s words brought back memories she’d rather not think of. Her expression changed into a glare, as she started to struggle.

“Don’t,” Meelara said calmly. “It’s no use. I’m quite good at knots. I’m not your enemy. In fact, I’ve been a friend of your kind since I arrived here. I find the actions of my people, and the others who came here for your Integrations to be horrific, and dishonourable.”

“What the fuck do you mean, friend?” Selene spat.

“I’ve been diverting attention, and trying to lessen the punishments and cruelties inflicted on you,” Meelara said with downcast eyes. “Unfortunately, Lon Thrast thrived in his cruelty, and it has been difficult. When you killed him, I got the chance to take out a few of his crueller subordinates. Then, I joined the hunting squad and came after you. Well done on the Unbear, by the way.”

Selene’s eyes were still swimming, and her head throbbed. She felt her consciousness fade, and she passed out again.

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Meelara sat, silently looking at Selene’s unconscious form with a frown on her face.

“How the hell did she manage it?” she muttered. “I get how she did Lon Thrast in. He was lecherous and lowered his guard, but what about Prents? He was level 7, and not incompetent. The Unbear should have been near Stage 2, and Marlik was a good swordsman. Does she even know how to cultivate, and level up? Just how strong is her Path?”

Meelara sat, and pondered for a long time, before she sighed.

“I should ensure she’s tied up, and then I’ll head out to find some food.”

She did just that, and wandered down the mountain, into the forest.