Alice waited until the sun was up before making her move. The instant golden-tinted rays shined down, Alice was off.

Getting up from her ‘bed’ (which was a matted fabric with too many holes to count), Alice eyed Blanche’s slumbering form. The dwarf was sprawled haphazardly on the ground, his own blanket laying a few feet from his head. The coarseness of the ground didn’t seem to have bothered his rest in the slightest, taking the low rumble emanating from his throat into account.

“Lucky,” Alice whispered fondly before rolling up her blanket into a bundle. Catching some of the flimsy stuffings that fell from the holes and pushing them back into the fabric, Alice placed the bundle snugly against Blanche.

Taking her leave, Alice wandered around the village. She enjoyed the feel of the cool breeze on her face and the warmth of the sun filling her up like a hot stew. She wouldn’t mind staying here for a lot longer, simply being in touch with nature.

But Alice had a job to do.

There were already some people out and about in the village but none of them approached or even acknowledged Alice’s presence. She walked down the single road, looking at the countless tents and carts that lined the sides.

Now that she knew what to look for, it was plain as day that the tents weren’t going to last for much longer. Huge holes in the linings were hastily patched up by ragged fabric, and even the slight breeze rustling through the area was enough to jostle the tents to an alarming degree. It wouldn’t surprise Alice if the tents collapsed on its inhabitants any minute now.

What can I do to help? Alice thought as she stopped and scanned the tents. None of her Skills possessed any sort of building application, and she had never been taught how to build tents in her village. Besides, if these tents could be patched up, the villagers would probably have done so already.

That meant the only thing Alice could do was get rid of the problem at its root, and rifling through the information she’d gathered from Lily, that was the nobles.

“Okay, so how do I go about doing this?” Alice murmured. Lily made it seem like the nobles only appeared routinely to steal the ore from the villagers. Alice had no idea when the next visit would be; she could try and bargain with Blanche to stay here for longer, but Alice didn’t want to be a weight on the villager’s hospitality. They were barely able to take care of themselves, they definitely couldn’t handle more.

Faint sounds of distress registered to her and Alice’s ears perked up as she swiveled, trying to locate the source of the noise.

After spinning in a complete circle and narrowing it down to the west, Alice started making her way towards the sound. The closer she got, the louder the noise became until the vague sounds solidified into grunts and whimpers. Her eyes became slits and Alice picked up the pace, running down the road.

The aroma of burnt smokewood and scorched meat made itself known to her as she approached, the campsite coming into view. Alice’s steps unconsciously slowed when she entered the campground, taking in the numerous wooden tables that had been roughly hammered together and the huge firepit in the center, with charred kindling and a thick plume of smoke still present.

A shrill scream pierced through the sky and through Alice’s surveillance. She turned and immediately located two figures near the edge of the campground. One of them was on the ground while the other towered above them, yelling and berating.

A flash of light nearly blinded her and Alice squinted, trying to see more clearly. Her eyes widened when she noticed the full suit of armor the aggressor was wearing, clanging with every movement he made.

No matter the circumstances, hitting someone with armor is too much!

Alice clenched her hands and marched towards them, her strides starting off small before descending into large lopes. When she was only a few meters away, Alice recognized the person on the ground.

“Lily…” Alice breathed, the sight of the elf being harassed stunning her. Lily was cowering on the ground, not even bothering to fight back. She covered her head with her arms and curled into a tiny ball in order to minimize the amount of flesh the man could injure.

It was a bad strategy. Already, Lily’s lips were busted and intense black-and-purple bruises were forming over every square inch of flesh the aggressor could reach. Even now, he sneered and pulled back his arm for another strike.

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Alice saw red.

Storming forward, she latched onto his wrist with all the strength she could muster, stopping his blow in its track.

He stiffened, his dirty leer frozen on his face. Lily quivered and didn’t move from her position; whether it was because she didn’t know it was Alice or because she was too scared, Alice didn’t know. It didn’t matter to her.

All that mattered was this piece of scum and how he’d beaten Lily.

The man slowly turned his head to stare at Alice. His eyes bore chillingly into her own, his lips curling up to reveal baring teeth. The metal helmet he was wearing cast a shadow over the top of his face, granting him a menacing aura.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled. Alice grimaced at the way he slurred his words.

“What does it look like?” she snapped. Alice took the brief respite to study the man. The armor he wore was levels above anything she’d witnessed be traded at the market. It would be a lie to say it was in pristine condition, but the fact it was scuffed only spoke to the danger this man posed. He’d used it before in combat.

“It looks like a peasant is sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. One chance is all you’ll get, girl. Get on your knees and grovel. Maybe I’ll spare you if I like the performance.” A sickening darkness shined within his eyes, his lust and greed radiating off his entire body.

Alice bit her lips. Quality armor…her eyes drifted to the sheathed sword hanging on his belt. Minuscule amounts of gold etchings were embroidered into the sheath, and the pommel of the hilt was a fine looking steel. Along with the pronounced way he carried himself, like he was obligated to everything and everyone under the sun.

Nobility…

His smirk widened at her pause, mistaking disgust for fear. He reached for the hilt of his sword, draping his fingers over the pommel and tapping the steel. “Any time now.”

Alice exhaled. This is it. No turning back now.

“You’re right. It’s long past time you nobles learned you’re not any better than us.” Alice declared.

The guard wrinkled his face. “What?” In his confusion, he pulled his hand away from the sword.

Alice sprung into action. Dashing forward, she called forth [Abyssal Black Arrows] and aimed them for his legs.

The guard leapt backwards, stumbling in his haste to get away. The arrows embedded into the ground. Alice dissipated them before lunging forward, slamming her palm against his chest plate.

He lowered his gaze and Alice looked up to meet him with brazen defiance, basking in the miniscule amount of fear bubbling in his eyes. She had made him feel that. Then the blinked and the fear was gone, replaced with that revolting arrogance.

Alice frowned. “[Anarchy Flare!]”

Her hand caught on fire and the flames immediately jumped onto the chest plate, spreading all over the sturdy metal. The guard spluttered and backed away. Alice pressed forward, maintaining her hold on him and slapping her second hand on for good measure.

“L-let go of me!” he demanded, the fear rising up in his eyes again. Alice snarled, ordering the black flames to burn hotter, brighter. To melt through the privileged steel and make him feel the same pain everybody else felt.

He punched her in the face and for a brief second, everything went black. When she could see again, she realized that she had released the guard.

[Perseverance]

Newfound strength surged through her body and wiped away the throbbing pain in her nose. Alice launched herself onto the guard, the pair of them toppling onto the ground. She used [Anarchy Flare] again, relishing in the sensation of the metal melting and giving away.

“Watch out!” Lily cried.

A flash of steel glinted in Alice’s peripheral and she dodged to the side. She felt something whisk over her head, narrowly avoiding her temple. Rolling to a halt, Alice panted as she stared at the strands of her hair that floated to the ground.

The guard’s chest was almost entirely engulfed in flames now. He grabbed his chest plate, roaring as his hand was scorched, and tore it off. The burning, useless hunk of metal clattered onto the ground nearby.

His chest heaved up and down as he gulped in heavy breaths, thick smog trailing up from his body. Soot marks present across his face and his fingers were blackened and toasted. Still, he spat on the ground and lifted his sword towards Alice.

“I don’t know how the hell you got Skills, but you’re going to suffer the consequences,” he spat.

Alice laughed, rubbing her face. “Maybe.” The rush of exhilaration, the adrenaline pumping through her veins…it was a rush unlike anything she’d ever encountered before. “Too bad you won’t see it.”