When the chase started Shade gritted his teeth, swallowed his pride and bolted in the predetermined direction just as his fellow assassins did.

So much for my promotion. He snarled. And for my freedom from this disposable existence, but who could have guessed that offing some noble brat would turn into such a chore! We should’ve been done by now. Done several times over in fact! Sorren’s blasted poison was supposed to do the trick, and all we were here for was to confirm the results, but now we have to deal with this ridiculous situation! Where did these bloody magic marks come from anyway?

He thumbed the glowing blue glyph on his forehead, but the mana within it was far too intense for him to handle on his own, and since it didn’t have any obvious effects, he just frowned and continued on.

The only one in the city who can use magic this potent should be the Baronette, but if we consider that Anon entity, and the fact that none of us detected the caster’s location, then it becomes obvious where this interference is coming from. But what have we done to get on the bad side of a supposed terrestrial deity?

Shimmering blue barriers began to appear in the space in front of him, blocking his path. On instinct, he used the shadow stride ability forcefully granted to him by his lord’s court magus to step through the alley’s shadows and into another alley nearby.

He continued his mad dash along the predetermined route toward his escape point. He had to evade more barriers as they came, and soon felt the tattoo on the back of his neck throb as Veil’s voice came through. ~This is it. Driven into a trap. That Anon creature is after us. Target might be involved. Check other locations when you’re cornered.~

Shade was stunned for only a moment, then a ferocious grin crept across his face.

I can still kill that brat! I can still finish the job! I–

Just as his excitement reached its peak every muscle in his right leg locked up and refused to move.

Desperation and disbelief wracked his heart. He could sense the mana at play, could tell it was from Anon again since its intensity matched the mark on his forehead, but could do little other than limp along at the mercy of this mighty being and use his ability to avoid crowded streets and barriers while swearing under his breath.

All too soon, he heard Whisper’s voice erupt through the tattoo. ~Aaaahhh! Not here! Only Baronette! Aaaahhhhh!~

Shade cringed at his colleague’s mental instability. He probably won’t break and spill any secrets, but the fact that he’s already so unnerved and falling farther from recovery isn’t what I need right now. He glanced down at his uncooperative leg and cringed. Is Anon really that frightening up close? Because right now all they are is annoying… I guess I should stick around to find out.

His determination boiled within him, and he burned his own spirit in order to temporarily boost his resistance to magic. It was common knowledge among warriors in the wider world that the spirit stat is an expendable resource like mana, but burning it was always a desperate ploy, since it can only be used to release one spell at a time and the reduced spirit stat will reduce the user’s maximum mana capacity and magic resistance until he can stop and rest or get healed.

I have to risk it, but pushing too far and using up all my spirit could kill me.

But the fear of death wouldn’t stop him here, not when his goal was within reach, and the paralysis on his leg soon released, even if it did cost him almost half of his spirit to accomplish.

Thankfully most of the spirit I lost was already empty of mana, otherwise I’d be completely screwed.

Back up to speed, he continued to evade the barriers but used them as a guide to head in the direction that Anon wanted him too.

What are the odds that the target is waiting for me?

Then he heard Veil grumble. ~Just some guardian knights here. It’s all up to you now Shade.~

It seems this was dest– oh crap!

And the moment Veil’s voice vanished the frequency and number of the barriers exploded.

Wide eyed, Shade put his all into evasion. What had once been a causal side step every minute or so was now a frantic effort to escape as even a moment’s hesitation would slow him down immensely and rob him of the initiative he needed to strike at Calden. What made matters worse was that he had to time the use of his ability for maximum effect as he was now severely lacking in mana.

Where is all this mana coming from? I know terrestrial deities are powerful, but if they’ve been hounding the others like they have me then their mana pool must be vast!

The side streets and barriers led him to a secondary street filled with bars and taverns where a host of guards waited, spears, iron nets, and chains in hand. He quickly scanned the shadowed silhouettes in the orangish evening light for one that was about Calden’s size, and grinned devilishly when he spotted one right next to a woman in robes.

Without a second thought he drew and flung the poisoned needles he specialized in at who he assumed to be his target, but did so only after rolling to the side to avoid the mage’s attack and yet another set of barriers from Anon.

Not this time. This time I win! Skill over power! I beat a deity! Hahaha!

#

The distance between Calden and those poisoned needles shrank with each passing moment, but here in my head it seemed to be at a snail’s pace.

I need to use a spell to stop them, but what? Ward only works on myself or someone I’ve marked so that’s pointless now. I lack any form of telekinesis. ‘Contain’ could potentially stop them but it’d probably end up just pushing the needles into him faster at this angle. I could drop a lightning bolt, but that might hit Calden, so do I try to block it with earth spikes? It’d be a gamble, but copying Carmella’s spell from before might work.

But it just didn’t feel right. Nothing I thought of felt right, so I continued to flounder as if someone’s life wasn’t in danger.

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And then I heard it.

Calden’s voice in my head again, only this time I felt more distant, like he wasn’t trying to reach me but some abstract idea he had of me. ~Almighty and unyielding Lord, Master and Maker of all that is. If this is my end then let it be, but if I’m still needed in your great plan, then please, please show those I’ve gathered here the truth of which I’ve told them. Show them your greatness so that they too might believe.~

My befuddlement only grew, and if I wasn’t thinking so fast my jaw would’ve dropped. Calden. Kid. What the heck do you think happened during our little talk? Who do you take me for? God?! Me?! That’s crazy! And what do you mean you told them? Told them what?

Then an assortment of other voices reached me, and I somehow knew they were from the gathered guards. Heck I think I even heard Carmella’s voice mixed in there too.

~Please save the young lord.~

~Great Creator God, please have mercy!~

~He’s too young to die!~

~God of Anon, Creator, or whatever you are, I think you could do better in your selection of divine servants, but my feelings don’t matter, if you’ll intervene then I’ll… I’ll… .~

I felt something sorta click into place within my chest. Kinda like a lock being undone or something that was stuck in your throat finally being released.

And the system said.

Great another unknown ability. I wonder what this one will do.

Just then, time actually stopped.

Like, completely.

I couldn’t even move now and the rest of the world turned grayscale.

Can someone explain how the heck this is supposed to help? Is this the remainder of the effect? Is this why time slowed before? And how am I supposed to do anything from here?

Sooo I’m just supposed to do what? Buff the ever loving crap outta the kid?

Wat?

What the heck is that supposed to mean?

Of course I got no further response from the system, so I set my little brain to work trying to solve this debacle since time gave no indication that it was willing to end its impromptu break with any sort of urgency.

I went over all the spells I knew and had made up and would’ve kicked myself, if I could, when I remembered that ‘magnetic hold’ was a thing.

I could’ve just used that from the start, but since I can’t move right now, I’ll just have to get creative.

With a thought I unleashed the spell onto the needles through the very assassin that had thrown them in the first place, since, ya’know, he’s got a mark on his forehead that lets me cast on and around him.

I set the pull to maximum and cut the range just in front of Calden’s face to avoid grabbing the kid or any of his guardians, as they were all decked out in metal armor and I didn’t figure me recklessly throwing them all around was the kind of display that Calden wanted from me.

After that, I targeted the young lord with a few basic light magic spells, like illumination to give him a little halo, and shimmering armor to defend him against harm. I also threw in release strength and speed for good measure, and when I felt satisfied time abruptly restarted.

Shouts of terror and the desperate clattering of the guard’s feet filled the air as the needles flew at Calden’s face once more, but just as Carmella was halfway through cursing my guts they stopped mere inches in front of his nose; which is when the magic armor and light issued from Calden.

Gasps and murmurs of thanks were interrupted by a stupefied, “Huh?”, that escaped from Shade.

And then his weapons returned to him at breakneck speed.

The guy was still crouched from the little roll he did to get a clear shot, and managed to flatten himself in time to escape becoming a pincushion.

As the magnetic hold spell is directional, the needles were now out of the area of effect and sailed into the wooden support beam of a nearby building where they lodged themselves harmlessly.

I could’ve recast the spell to harry him before they stuck, but he already looked pretty haggard, and I wasn’t trying to kill the guy, poetic though it may have been, so I stayed my hand, and instead I followed my original plan to let Calden claim the glory.

Which wasn’t hard considering he sprung into action the moment Shade hit the deck. And with his enhanced speed and strength, he closed the gap and had Shade pinned at sword point before the confused killer even had time to stand.

Honestly, Shade was probably skilled and resourceful enough to escape, however Carmella quickly chanted the ‘earthen hands’ spell, and wrapped him tight in many mitts made of mud and dirt.

I let out a slow breath and smiled as I retreated from the edge of the roof to behind a stacked stone chimney where I could keep an eye on things with my extended senses while staying out of sight.

It was close. But we made it. Safe and sound. My smile only grew. And for the most part Calden should’ve gotten a much needed boost in reputation and confidence from this so hopefully his path forward will be just a little less prickly.

I watched the group chain up the defeated dude, who now had a very empty glazed over sorta look in his eyes, and internally cringed as the next course of action they took was to fawn all over Calden and the special effects I’d given him.

“Tis’ all true then!”

“Everything we heard about the Creator God saving him is true!”

“And to think he’d intervene in our moment of need!”

Calden nodded, a wide grin bursting with satisfaction lighting up his face. He held his hands out to them and spoke softly. “Yes. The Creator God is merciful. I truly wish you could’ve seen the divine majesty that exuded from them in that sublime place, but I hope this miracle and the gift I’ve been empowered to give will solidify your faith that they are not only real, but also with us!”

I arched an eyebrow. I ignored it before because of the crisis, but do they really think I’m God? And what’s all this about a gift he’s empowered to give? I didn’t do anything of the–

Then the system spoke.

I facepalmed, and muttered. “Of course… Of course he did.”

Even at this distance I could feel the energy being released by Calden. It was small, an echo of what I used to save him, but it spread out as a ripple in the light that washed over the fervent guards before reaching Carmella too.

She’d been silent this whole time, a mix of relief and shock on her face as she internally processed my handiwork moments prior. She ignored the little get-together they were having, but once the wave hit her she froze up, her resistance and reluctance something I could actually feel, and then she let it go and accepted the gift Calden had offered.

I could practically hear her think. “Thank goodness Anon isn’t here to see this. To think I’d do anything that would make me closer to that… buffoon! I’d never hear the end of it!”

I used the opportunity to release the buffs I’d placed on Calden and a messenger from the Baronette arrived soon after.

They began hauling Shade back toward the tower,all brimming with excitement at the shared blessing and success of the day’s mission. I watched for a little while longer, then stared at my right hand as I clenched and unclenched it. “Crisis averted. But now there’s some clean up to do. Should I leave them to it and try to figure out these strange abilities of mine? Perhaps go around and do some charity work to help calm the people’s nerves? Or should I assist them again and try to sway those assassins to our side?”