They arrived at the pyramid without any trouble, despite Trap Detection screaming in Cass’s head. She was tempted to dismiss it, but that wouldn’t actually make her any less anxious about it. At least this way, there was a chance she’d discover the irregularity before whatever booby trap they’d boobied into trapped them.

The pyramid was even more grand up close. It was made up of a series of rectangular levels, like the pyramids of South America on Earth. The edges were all well-worn, softening to rounded lips. The entrance was at ground level. Like the Temple of the Deep, thick, ornate pillars decorated the entrance.

Trap Detection lit the entire entrance up as a likely location for a trap. Cass had to agree. It was dark in there.

“Do we actually need to go in?” Cass asked hesitantly.

“The dock is on the other side. The only stairs up are inside the building,” Alyx said.

“We can’t just, climb the sides or something?” Cass asked. She would probably manage with Wind Step, but depending on how it was constructed it might be difficult for Alyx.

“Is it a problem?” Alyx asked.

Cass took a deep breath and evaluated exactly what Trap Detection was telling her. At a glance, it was saying there was a trap nearby and that the pyramid’s entrance was a great place to set one up. But if she dissected that a little, these two statements were actually unrelated.

It was true Trap Detection sensed a trap nearby.

It was also true Trap Detection identified the pyramid entrance as prime trap real estate.

It was not saying that the nearby trap was at the mouth of the pyramid. It also wasn’t saying it wasn’t, she noted.

“Let’s get a little closer,” Cass said, “But don’t step inside yet.”

There should not be traps here, Salos commented. If there is a trap it was set by a trial taker, not the Trial itself.

So a person?

The makers of the Trial are people too, Salos grumped, but yes. That was the point I was trying to make.

They carefully approached the pyramid’s entrance. Cass stopped them outside the entry pillars and peered into the dark. Salos said it shouldn’t be built into the trial, which meant it should be something built on top of the existing architecture rather than built into the tiles themselves.

Still, Cass systematically looked over each one. Her eyes didn’t skip. She saw no trace of hidden wires. Nothing appeared to be hanging from the ceiling waiting to drop on them.

She noticed the irregularity behind them as the figure dropped out of stealth. Cass spun around, her hands white-knuckling her staff.

Time froze as her heightened Alacrity kicked into full effect. It was a woman, lithe and wiry. Her hair was pinned tight against her head. She was dressed in dark leather armor. She stood directly behind Alyx.

There was a dagger in her right hand, plunging down. The trajectory would take the blade between Alyx’s breastplate and spine. Through the spine.

No thoughts followed. Action was automatic and immediate.

Staff Mastery struck out. The staff hit the blade just as its tip struck flesh. It skidded across the back of Alyx’s neck, drawing a shallow cut in its wake.

The would-be assassin jumped back before Staff Mastery could begin the next attack.

Alyx exclaimed in surprise, turning with her blade drawn a fraction of a second later. Her eyes widened at the sight of the assassin. “Levina?”

The woman grinned. “Hiya, boss.”

“What’s the meaning of this?” Alyx asked. She ran her free hand over the back of her neck. Her scowl deepened when it came away with blood. “You cut me?”

The woman, Levina, shrugged. “Funny story.”

“I paid you to protect me!”

The woman winced. “Very funny story. Your old pops also paid me.”

Alyx’s face went white.

“Just about double what you paid,” Levina continued, twirling her blade absently. “Upfront too.”

“To kill me?” Alyx asked quietly.

“Not in so many words,” the assassin said, “But, yeah, it's exactly what you think.”

“Then the guide?”

“Bought.”

“Your crew?”

“In on it.”

“Then, the spider ambush?”

“Less controlled than I wanted, but I suppose more believable for it.” The woman shrugged.

“And now?” Alyx choked out.

“Now you have two options. You let me kill you nice, fast, and painless or you do the stupid thing, put up a fight, and I make your last minutes incredibly painful.”

Alyx glanced at Cass. “It's two against one. Are you sure about your chances?”

Levina chuckled. To Cass, she said, “You heard all that, yeah. I don’t know who you are or how you got in here without me finding out, but I suppose she’s paid you to be her guard?”

Cass didn’t say anything. That wasn’t true, but she doubted this was the time to explain their unusual circumstances.

“You’re only level 15. Respectable that you’d challenge the Trial at that level, but you have a long way ahead of you. You’re out of your depth, and I think you know it too.

“So, generous as I am, I’ll give you three options:

“1. I give you this,” she pulled a small pouch from the folds of her clothes. It jingled with the sound of small metal pieces bouncing against each other. “You forget you ever saw either me or this one here.” She jerked her blade at Alyx for emphasis. “And you go your own way, nice and easy.

“2. I give you this,” she jiggled the coin purse again, “and give you a chance to join up with my crew. You’re quick for your level, and I find myself with some openings for young talent. Obviously, you let me kill that woman there and we don’t mention this incident to anybody else, yeah?

“3. I kill you. Either before your master there or after, it doesn’t matter much to me.”

Cass felt her blood go cold.

“Here, see how much I’m offering you.” The assassin tossed the sack at Cass.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Cass flinched, one hand struggling to catch the flying sack while the other held her staff.

In that moment, the assassin was moving again. She darted directly for Alyx. Alyx blinked out of the way. One moment she was standing flat-footed beside Cass, the next the assassin’s blade occupied that space and Alyx was on the opposite side of her, her body twisted just barely out of the way.

Alyx slashed at Levina, who melted out of the way in a cloud of slinking smoke only to reappear behind Alyx, blade raised.

Alyx spun and parried. Their blades, Alyx’s sword and the assassin’s dagger, crossed in a blinding flurry.

Cass took a step toward them when Salos stopped her. What are you doing?

We need to help Alyx.

Why?

Salos’s question stopped Cass dead. What do you mean, why?

You don’t owe her anything? That assassin is out of your skill level to deal with.

But, she saved my life last night, Cass reminded him.

After you saved her countless times before that.

But, we’re friends. It was childish. A childish reason. Cass didn’t even know if it was true.

But she wanted it to be true.

Are you? Salos prodded right to the heart of it. Are you really?

Cass looked down, the bag of presumably money heavy in her hand. She didn’t know how much was in there. Was this all Alyx’s life was worth?

If you join that fight, you will die, Salos promised. Did you Identify that woman?

Cass hadn’t. She fixed that now.

Elven Assassin

Lvl 25

[Elves are a graceful race adapted to the forests of the world more so than many others. They specialize in Dexterity and have sharp eyes and long lives.

As an assassin, this particular elf has taken that to the extreme, specializing in killing blows from unseen angles, their targets ranging from other peoples to powerful monsters.]

Ten levels over Cass. Specializing in instantaneous death. There was no room for error if Cass joined this fight. Very little chance to flee.

And, like Salos said, why should she? Why should she throw her life away here? If her concern was being lost and alone, she could even join up with the assassin. She wasn’t tied to Alyx in any meaningful way.

Well, if the woman could be trusted. Maybe it was Salos’s influence, maybe it was a bias against assassins, but Cass didn’t think she should trust the promise of safety so easily. In which case, shouldn’t she team up with Alyx rather than try to fight the assassin alone later?

But Salos was still right about her being more than Cass could handle.

Alyx and Levina’s blades clashed again and again, the ring of metal drowning the air around them. It only fell silent when Levina disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear at an odd angle or unusual direction.

So far, Alyx was holding her own. The only wound was the long gash along the back of her neck from the initial surprise attack. But, Levina was also uninjured.

Cass had to do something.

Could Alyx and I run to the boat and just leave? Cass asked Salos.

No. Unless something has changed, the boat won’t be departing until dusk. I doubt you can avoid her blade for that long.

Cass bit her lip. She couldn’t just insert herself into the fight. She’d hit Alyx or get in her way. But she also couldn’t just stand here.

Cass flipped through her skills, looking for something that might work.

Give it up, Salos said. You’ll only get yourself killed.

Give me something helpful, Cass snapped back. The constant nay-saying isn’t useful.

He scowled at her.

Fine, let me lay it out for you. She’s even higher level than everything except the Lord and Heralds you’ve fought. Her skills are more refined. She almost certainly has a Concept on Dexterity around smoke or shadows which is making every one of Alyx’s nearly successful strikes complete misses instead. I doubt that is her only Concept.

I don’t have helpful suggestions for you because she’s too powerful for you to fight. She’s too powerful for Alyx to fight.

I’ve only fought things above my level since I got here, Cass shot back.

This is different. She’s well past the First Step. All of her skills are likely leveled at least to that First Step too. 18 or more skills with the bonus for reaching level 9, Cass. That means she has significantly more stats than anything you’ve fought.

Moreover, she’s a sentient being. She isn’t a system-guided monster. She can strategize. She can plan. She is a hundred times more dangerous than an equal-leveled monster.

Is she actually stronger than the Lords? Cass asked.

Yes! Salos screamed.

Then why didn’t Alyx and her take the Pass? They took the Hidden Path instead.

Maybe she was a bad match-up for the Lord of the Pass. It is a bulky, high-defense type. Against an assassin that is difficult unless they have some other advantage.

So she should struggle against the Lord, Cass said slowly, an absolutely nonsense plan forming in the back of her mind.

Anyone would struggle to fight a Lord solo, even with a level advantage, which she does not have.

It could work. Cass could feel it. There were just a million steps she needed to figure out in between.

Could you take her? Cass asked.

What? No. I’m even lower leveled than you! Salos protested.

But you’re up to level 10, right? You have all those level 10 skills, each of those is worth a level right? That makes you functionally like level 20 or so.

That ignores any skills she might have and still puts me well below her listed level, he pointed out.

But aren’t you some crazy level 74 fighter? Cass prodded.

You cannot goad me into fighting her with my pride. I don’t have a pride left to prod.

You don’t need to fight her, Cass said slowly, step one of her plan forming. I barely need you to hurt her.

What are you going on about?

Injure one of her knees or ankles, Cass said.

What?

It's a simple concept, Salos, Cass chided him in the tone he liked to use on her. Take out one or both of her legs. That should minimize the amount she can do that shadow flicker thing she does. I bet you could do it with ease.

How do you imagine I do that? Salos asked. She’s covered in leather armor from head to toe.

What about Hidden Edge? Cass asked. Doesn’t that increase your damage?

Only if I’m unseen. She’s an assassin. Her stats will be distributed like mine. High Dex, high Per.

You have your shadow blink thing. Just appear behind her.

You mean Shadow Step?

Yeah, that.

Salos tensed on her shoulder. And then what? If I attack her, she will kill you once she’s done with Alyx, if not before.

I have an idea.

Like you did against the epherwing?

Better than that, Cass assured him, though she held her doubts close to her chest. Take out her leg then hit me with your Fairy Fire.

You want her attention? Why do you want her attention?

Because Alyx doesn’t know the plan. I have to be the bait.

What is the rest of this plan?

I’ll tell you later, just do it.

Salos grumbled to himself but leapt off Cass’s shoulder. Cass didn’t watch him. She fully believed that he could rip out the tendons of a leg with his claws if he wanted to.

It was more important that she get the head start that she was going to need. She hurried toward the open meadow, her staff gripped tight in her hand. She hoped she wouldn’t need it.

Atmospheric Sense promised the wind hadn’t changed, it still blew strongly back toward the Pass. She checked her Focus.

Focus: 270/270

She was topped off. Good. She was going to need all of it before this was over. With Wind Step at level 6, it cost 49 Focus a piece.

The pass was an hour away, walking at the gentle pace Cass preferred. So, maybe a quarter of that time at a full sprint? About 15 minutes?

Using her Focus for nothing but Wind Step, she had five uses of that skill. That seemed like plenty, but she couldn’t just spam them one after another. For this plan to work, she couldn’t get too far ahead while using the skill. It was going to be a delicate balancing act.

But it had to work.