The group watched in stunned silence as Stick held Becket’s sword in his hand, its blade locked onto Cadmun’s heavy axe. Sparks flew where the two weapons ground against each other.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Cadmun asked, his voice a low growl as he backed down, lowering his axe but keeping his eyes trained on Stick. “Why is it not disappearing?”

Stick glanced at the sword in his hand, his brow furrowed in confusion. “I… I don’t know. I just grabbed it.”

Becket’s face drained of colour. His eyes were wide, staring at his sword that should have been impossible for others to wield. “But… I never offered to give you my equipment! How did you do that?”

“I have no idea,” Stick repeated, shaking his head.

His hand gripped the hilt of the sword tighter, as if it might vanish from his grasp at any moment. But the cold steel weighed heavily in his hands. Becket’s eyes narrowed as he processed the situation.

“Only Assassins with Rogue skills can steal from an inventory. And only high-level Rogues can steal equipped items! This shouldn’t be possible.” He glanced around at the group, seeking answers that no one seemed to have.

General confusion settled over them like a heavy fog. The slaves did not understand what Becket said, but it sounded grave. Stick remained silent for a moment, his thoughts racing. Assassin? Lucille is an Assassin. So it’s a class thing!

Then, an idea sparked in his mind. While the others still tried to process what was happening, Stick hunched over the tied-up Becket.

“What are you doing?” Cadmun asked.

Stick turned to face the group, his expression resolute. “It doesn’t matter how it happened. Sir Frost is right—we’ve already lost precious minutes due to unforeseen circumstances, and we have to act now.”

He proceeded to remove the boots from Becket… with success!

“Hey, how do you do that?” Becket started to squirm. “Leave me alone!”

“First, we need to get Becket’s armour off,” Stick said, urgency creeping into his voice. “Sir Frost needs to be able to fight without being weighed down.”

The group exchanged glances, uncertainty written on their faces, but Cadmun immediately jumped to action and removed Becket’s gauntlets. However, they instantly reappeared on the knight’s hands as if by magic.

“What in the—” Cadmun muttered, bewildered.

At the same time, Stick managed to remove Becket’s other boot without any trouble. He held them up, examining them as though trying to understand the mysterious forces at work. Yeah, that must be it.

Stolen novel; please report.

image [https://i.imgur.com/TuPGCEh.jpeg]

“We don’t have much time,” Stick said, his voice tense. “We can’t waste it trying to figure out what’s going on. Let’s take what we can—gauntlets, shield, boots, and the helmet Lydia has. We need the Wolves and a second horse, and we need them fast.”

“A change of plans?” Michael asked.

“How will you do that?” Shadis frowned and crossed his arms. “If you’ve got any smart ideas, spit them out now!”

“It’s drastic.” Stick smiled as he removed the gauntlets from Becket and handed them to an unbelieving Cadmun without them disappearing. “But we need drastic right now.”

Becket tried to hold them off, but with his bindings restricting his movements, there was nothing he could do to stop them. So it is possible to physically restrain a Player, no matter their LVL, but you can’t steal from someone unless you have a specific skill. I still need to figure out a lot of rules of this “game”.

Stick took a deep breath, his mind working quickly. “The other Adventurers will act any moment now and make haste this way. No doubt they’re going to get their horses, as soon as they understand what’s happening. We can use that time in between to our advantage. The Lords and knights make a run for the southern exit. Simultaneously, instead of leading the wolves to the pantry to distract them from our escape, Michael and I will use the horse to bring them straight to the stables.”

Cadmun looked sceptical but intrigued. “And how does that help us?”

“First, we can ensure that we get a second horse in case Reacher takes too long to show up here,” Stick explained. “Plus, we’ll slow the enemies down by letting the rest of their horses run wild… or get eaten.”

Varyan recoiled in shock. “Are you out of your mind? The cruelty! You can’t just-”

“The schedule of the plan moved up,” Jacoby cut him off. “They’ll figure it out sooner than anticipated. We need to stay one step ahead.”

Shadis nodded, finally catching on to the plan. “If all goes well, Reacher will be the only one who can chase us. But he’ll be way too late, because by the time he gets to us-”

“He’ll meet heavy resistance at the South exit.” Cadmun yelled, flashing Becket’s equipment he had put on. “I can hold him off long enough to give you all a head start.”

“And with this,” Stick said as he pointed the sword towards Becket “we have our means to stall them further.”

Becket’s eyes widened again as he realised what Stick was suggesting. “You’re taking me hostage?”

Stick didn’t respond. He simply handed the sword over to Cadmun, who took it with a mixture of confusion and respect. The weight of the weapon felt different in his hands, as though it carried some new significance.

“It’s decided,” Jacoby said to Varyan’s dismay.

“As you wish, Milord,” Sir Frost and Sir Moore said in unison.

Lydia, who saw the geared-up Cadmun from afar, stepped forward and handed the helmet to her father. She hesitated for a moment, her eyes filled with concern.

“Be careful,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

Cadmun’s stern expression softened as he looked at his daughter. He pulled her into a hug, his hand gently resting on the back of her head. They needed no more words, as they both knew how deadly the Adventurers could be. Their past loss and their worries of a new one hung in the air as their embrace tightened. No one dared interrupt or rush them. After a moment, Cadmun signalled Lydia to release him. Time was slipping away, and every second counted. She nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and stepped back, allowing the man to prepare for the battle ahead.

Stick turned to the group, his expression steely. “This is our best shot. We change the plan to make sure they can’t follow us. Everyone ready?”

Nods of agreement rippled through the group, their resolve hardening.

“Then, let’s move!”