Frank waited, but this time moved to the center of the hall. Limiting both his own and his next opponent's movements would be to his disadvantage if his foe could throw things at him.

The tutorial is now continuing. Wishing towers provide powerful boons to the first to complete them. Defeat Husk of an Assassin to complete the tutorial.

It matched his class. Last time it had been a husk of a warrior. Everyone he'd met had picked warrior. When you are injured, scared, and exhausted, improving your physique seemed, and probably was, optimal. Frank was neither tired nor injured. The door opened once more, and a hooded figure in black clothes rushed out, short sword drawn, and made a beeline towards him. It made no noise, and the fact that its hood and cloak were loose made it impossible to tell if it was wearing armour. Frank shifted slightly, keep his knees slightly bent, his staff in front of him, and his weight on the balls of his feet.

The husk reached the edge of his range. Unlike the wolves or the orc, it did not probe. There was no hesitation. Without slowing down, it ducked to his right, aiming its sword at his foot. When Frank flicked out with the tip of his staff to intercept its sword low, it simply continued past, aborting the strike and taking one more long stride to be out of the range of a follow-up. Then it pivoted, as if it had no inertia, and came back with a stab aimed high toward's Frank's head. Frank avoided the impulse to duck, instead taking a step back, but the speed of the husk surprised him. The warrior had fought and moved exactly like a human. That this did not apply to the assassin was a distinct possibility, but he hadn't reacted properly. Consequently, the Assassin had broken his centerline, and was already able to attack his flank with a positional advantage after the first move.

Frank choked up on the quarterstaff, abandoning the reach advantage he'd already lost to make a quicker, tighter swing, managing to match the husk's follow up. It had followed up almost immediately, but apparently, the preternatural movements did not allow it to avoid the follow-through of its swings, and so Frank was able to block it. His arms struggled at the impact, his center of balance not giving him the leverage to meet the blow solidly. His additional strength allowed him to maintain his grip; the husk's short sword could only bring so much force to bear with its low weight.

Frank leaned forward and turn his feet to face his foe, resolving the unsteady posture that had made blocking difficult. As he did this though, the short sword disengaged from his staff and the assassin stepped through, moving in the opposite direction Frank had swung his staff, before stabbing in at his waist. Frank responded by stepping back with the foot closest to the husk, pivoting out of the way of the stab, and bring his staff across at knee height, sliding his hands back down into a natural stance for a long, wide swing that forced the thing backwards.

By forcing the assassin back outside his staff range, he regained the advantage, and this time, knowing its inhuman agility, he'd keep it at arm's length. The husk wasted no time in trying to mount another assault, but this time, without the benefit of sprinting speed and the surprise of its abilities, it couldn't easily get inside Frank's guard. His staff snaked out, jabbing towards the husk's chest or batting at its short sword every time it tried to advance. And Frank could tell from the short clashes of sword and staff, that he had more strength to bear. He started to press forward, reversing the situation. He swung from the side, forcing the assassin to dodge or attempt to block the strike without the strong leverage provide by blocking from above or below.

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The assassin chose to dodge, rather than try and block the inertia of a much larger weapon wielded by a stronger combatant, stepping back out of range, avoiding the quarterstaff by retreating. Frank, meanwhile, simply continued to test it, stepping into the space it left and making short, controlled swings and jabs to keep it on the back foot. He angled it towards a corner, and soon the assassin would either have to accept being cut off or take a risk. It took a risk, allowing Frank to take its centerline to move sideways and avoid being cornered.

Frank had been waiting. He reacted immediately, pressing it with a swing towards the legs it had no choice but to hop. Airborne for a moment, and thus immobile, it made an easy target for a follow-up swing and Frank aimed true, whacking it in the knee as it landed with his backswing. The husk buckled, before righting itself, a defensive swipe with its sword all it could manage in return. Frank didn't stop, pulling his staff back before coming in a series of jabs. The assassin responded by warding the first few off with its sword, but with one leg out of commission, all it could do was lean forward on the other one, barely mobile. Unable to dodge, the incessant strikes overcame its defence

First, a swing knocked aside the blade, and before the creature could reset its guard Frank followed with a jab that caught the husk clean in its gloved hand, knocking the sword clean out of its hand. Then he came across towards its head with an overhead strike, which the barely mobile creature sacrificed a forearm to block before the repeat caved in its hood. All the clothing it had been wearing was slammed into a pile on the floor as if the moment Frank landed the final blow the creature inside had dissipated.

Husk of an Assassin destroyed. 80 EXP awarded. For completing a tutorial without taking damage, awarded a leather pack. For meeting the same bonus condition five times in a row, awarded 20EXP.

Tutorial completed. For having the third-best tutorial, completed the Neophyte deed. For completing the tutorial, awarded a Health Potion. Drink the health potion to heal wounds. Congratulations. Exit through the door at the end of the hall.

The two messages displayed themselves one after the other. At his feet, a rucksack, leather and canvas, the kind of rustic throwback popular among people who never have and never will hike. Beside it, a little plastic bottle of red liquid. It looked like Strawberry Fruitopia. He knew from experience it just tasted like water. The real downside was it had the texture of the thickened water hospitals fed to people with swallowing issues.

Frank picked up the pack, wandered over to the corner he stowed his stuff in, and tossed it all in. Only his folding knife went into his pocket. Then he walked over to the door, but he didn't exit. Instead, he ate some of the cheese he'd packed away, stretched, and rested. Just how much worse things could go when you weren't in peak form, Frank was well aware. Then he levelled up.

Frank HP 38/38 Level 4 Human (85/160EXP) MP 0 Assassin(2/5) SP 34/34 Strength 9 Knowledge 6 Agility 7 Intelligence 8 Constitution 7(4) Stability 8 Vitality 6(5) Wisdom 4

Now it was time to step outside.