-- Aster --

My feet moved like a blur as I made my way back into the city, though with every step I barely was able to run in a straight line. I had neglected to heal the sword wound in my body and it was making it hard to run. I need to stop if only for a moment to regenerate the wound.

I took a look around and found no one chasing me back into the city. Or if they where they were so far behind I couldn't see them. That's when I realized I hadn't even run into a guard barrier my entire run back into the city.

I could only guess, that they think I still need to escape the city. Even I was surprised jumping the wall counted as a success.

Seeing I would be able to take a moment to heal I found an alley and accelerated my body's healing. My side mended and I could feel my internal organs stitching themselves together. It was quite a strange feeling my organs heal.

This entire ordeal only served to cement my belief that max level was actually really rare. I originally just thought people just stopped trying. Now I was wondering if there was some trick to reaching this level, and I took such an unconventional way that I had no idea what that might be.

I let a long sigh as I finished mending my insides and continued moving towards the guild. I turned a corner and found another roadblock. This one was filled with warriors, and they were all facing the wrong direction.

I guess there are still a few roadblocks set up.

I stopped running towards them. I didn't want to deal with another big chase sequence so I looked around and caught a shimmer in an alley to the side. It was one of the hidden ladders that lead to the thieves' road. Let's give the road another try. It was getting dark, and it was the perfect time for moving in the tops.

As I reached the top I heard a ding in my mind. Some skill had leveled up, and I knew exactly which one it was, my eyes. The simple reason I knew it was my eyes was that, for the first time, I saw the true thieves road.

I looked out into a world of silver flowing rivers, twisting, bending, and swirling all throughout the city. It was beautiful, it was like I had just discovered a completely new world, always moving. I knew this was the true thieves road as something deep within me told me so, and instinctively I knew how to use it. It must have been buried deep into me when I gained my class. I lifted my foot, coating it in energy, I took my first step on the road. Step was the wrong word, it was more like skating as I glided through the city.

It was at this moment I began to realize that this quest might not be a trap after all. It should take years to reach level twenty and by then a shadow's eyes would definitely reach this level. It was only a trap if I couldn't see the road.

I let out a loud belly laugh that echoed through the city.

I can't believe I made it this far. It was all thanks to my level.

*Bang* A shot rang out through the city near my position.

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I nearly lost control of this new skill, from the loud bang. I may have made a mistake. I had completely forgotten about the snipers, and I think I just alerted the rest of the city where I was.

I would have sped up if I could, but I found my speed was directly proportional to the amount of power I put out, and I didn't think I had enough to spare. I imagined myself moving through the sky one moment, the next just falling from the sky completely drained. I had found a speed I felt I could keep up indefinitely and I was far enough away from the mages and snipers that I felt I could dodge them, as long as I kept moving.

I was energized the entire time I was moving, I felt I was dancing upon the sky with the city as my partner. A very angry partner, as she shot attack after attack at me, and I just led her along, sometimes pushing more power to speed away. Sometimes when I started to feel low on power I would slow and let the spells reach me, and I would cut through them and grab onto their power replenishing my own. I had found a new love for thieves road I was missing before. The entire mission had been a complete shit show. But this, this had been worth it, and I had to admit I had felt alive and free the entire time.

Being so high up it was easy for me to lose my pursuers, but just to be sure I made a circuitous path to the guild and when I was sure not a single person was below me I made my way straight to my goal.

I expected something to get in the way of finishing, but there was nothing.

No last-minute change.

Nothing to stop my victory.

No last sudden surprise from the guards, was kind of expecting that though.

I dropped from the road quickly making it into the guild building. The second I stepped inside I was greeted by a blue screen.

Leave City Objective...Complete

Return to Guild...Complete

Tag Six Guards...Complete

Congratulations!

You have foolhardily challenged an entire city and won. Showing you have what it takes to be a true shadow.

When I dismissed the screen I looked up to the receptionist looking gob-smacked at her own blue screen. It disappeared and she turned to me.

"Blighted lands, you did it. I didn't think you could see the road." She said looking my starlight cloak form over.

"I couldn't," I said annoyed. Oh, she just so happened to not tell me about it.

"Then how did you pass?"

"I ran."

"Seriously?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell me not to do it?" Anger beginning to rise. She could have stopped me. The fact that I succeeded at all was by pure luck,

The air deflated out of her, "I'm not allowed to. When going for a test like that I'm limited on what I can say."

"But it was nearly impossible without the road." I pointed out.

"I thought you said you couldn't see it?"

"I learned," I answered, now pointedly staring her down.

"Oh, that's lucky." She tried then pointed out, "I did teach you how to tag."

That was true, I was tired so I asked something I had been wondering through the entire thing. "So is it a trap for cocky rogues?"

The receptionist seemed to relish in the change of subject, "Only for those who've been neglecting our guilds signature skill."

"Oh." I guess that would make sense. A shadow would need to do shadow things "So what will I see when I hit twenty."

"I definitely can't tell you." Her eyes begin to glow for a second before going back to normal. She suddenly looked uncomfortable as I pulled out the completed egg. "Uh...so you gonna rank up."

"Yeah." I snapped the egg and felt my body refill with energy. Soaking into my cells. Oh! experience is just power now. Is that what that insane level of energy was at the beginning?

I pulled the stamp and my rogue book stamping it, as soon as the stamp hit the page it seemed to get sucked into it. I was officially rank six

The receptionist watched all of this and when I finished she asked, "So you gonna take a mission?"

"I'm going to go to sleep," I said shortly finally dropping my starlight cloak. I heard a gasp from the receptionist as I went to my room. I knew what I looked like, clothes tattered and completely covered in dried blood. I felt good.