Grace sprinted the last half dozen yards to the wall, barreling through the opening and turning, almost running into a guard who was holding Levi’s arm and shaking him.

“I said quiet!” the man snapped, shaking her brother as he tried to drag him towards a group of other people from the city who were herded against one of the stone walls.

The soldier's eyes snapped up as Grace came toward him, trying to stop, and he reached for his sword.

“Wait!” Grace exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “He’s my brother! I heard him scream and came running!”

The guard put his right hand on the pommel of his sword and stared at her and then back at Levi before snorting. “Get your arse and your brothers to that wall, and I swear if he doesn’t stop screaming, I’ll cut him and you down!”

He wrenched his hand free from Levi’s arm, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

Grace didn’t say a word, nodding and moving to where Levi was, scooping him up in her arms and moving quickly to where everyone else stood.

She noticed well over thirty people there, all from different sections of towns, and each scared out of their minds.

“What’s going on?” Grace whispered to an older man.

The grey-haired man bent his neck up at her, a permanent hunch preventing him from standing up straight. Leaning against his cane, he saw her and then spat on the ground. “It’s the guards. Someone killed five of their men, and now they are trying to figure out who. For some reason, they think we would know that.”

Grace watched as the man turned his head in the other direction and watched the guards gather together after two more people who entered the walls were forced to join the group of people.

Six of them talked for a moment, ignoring the cries and questions coming from the crowd.

“Who could kill five of them? Why would they tell us if someone did?” a woman in the crowd said loudly.

Murmurs and agreement came from most of the people there.

Grace scanned the group as best as she could. Standing only five feet, her size didn’t lend to seeing much of anything, but from what she had noticed and how her mind worked now, she recalled there were at least six children in the group and a dozen older people, all the same age as the man she had first talked to.

Levi was quiet. They had often practiced how he would behave if something like this happened. He stayed behind her, knowing that if she told him to run, he would not hesitate and race back toward their building.

“It’s ok,” Grace whispered to him. “I’m sure everything will be ok.”

Her heart sank as, after speaking those words, a red screen appeared in her vision.

*****

One quest pending

—

Protect Those Around You and Cleanse the Filth: Two Conditions.

First condition: You must protect everyone around you. If no innocents die and all escape, you succeed.

Second condition. The filth that calls themselves honorable needs to be cleansed from this world. Kill the six guards who worship the God Grimdon and send them to an early grave.

At least one of these conditions must be met to succeed.

Reward: Ability Gained (A higher tier reward awaits if both conditions are met).

Failure: People will die

*****

Her heart sank as Grace knew things would turn for the worse in just a moment.

The guards were getting anxious, and the more people they gathered, also meant more got away. Soon, they knew the different gangs would appear, and even though there were six of them, they didn’t want to deal with those odds.

Each of them was wearing all their armor, including their chain coifs. The guards had come for battle, and she struggled to consider how she and the other people around her would escape here alive.

If one person dies, then I can only beat this quest if I kill them, and with Levi here…

Her mind tried to consider her options, wanting to keep her brother safe and also not see others die because of what she did.

Bending down on her knee, she put a hand on Levi’s shoulder and looked at him in his eyes. “Listen to me. No matter what, you go back to the house. I’ll get them away from here and be fine, but I need you to promise me that you will return to the house.”

“Sister, ho—”

Grace shook her head and put her hand over his mouth. “You know the rules. Trust me. I’ll be fine, but I need you to be safe. Always you first, remember that.”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

His nose scrunched, forming that line of wrinkles on his face, flaring his nostrils when he was upset. He was angry, and Grace knew it, but she also knew he would obey.

“Good. Now stay near everyone and let me handle this.”

Grace began shifting her way through the crowd, getting a few comments about her actions, but when it was evident she was moving toward the guards, a path opened up.

One of the men saw her standing there, a few feet before everyone else, and the rest of the crowd gave her room.

“What the hell do you want?! Get back with the others!”

“Maybe I can help. Who's in charge? I know things.”

All the men turned and faced her. Four of them chuckled and pointed at her, while one in the middle stared at her. He held up a hand, and everyone quieted down, choosing to shift on their feet a little as the man took a few steps forward.

“I’m Seargent Miles. Tell me what you know.”

Grace nodded and gave a slight bow.

“I’m decently gifted with tracking, and if I could persuade you to take your men and me to wherever your men have died, I should be able to give you a clue about who was behind it.”

The man’s blue eyes watched her and how Grace spoke. The certainty behind her voice.

“Come on, Sergeant, that’s a load of–”

Sergeant Miles held up his hand and cut the man off. “I’ll warn you if you are playing any games, I will cut you down myself after I turn you over to the guard for punishment.”

Grace nodded. “I promise. I wouldn’t risk my life or the others unless I was certain of my skill.”

She watched as the man tapped his fingers against the handle of his sword. He had put it on top of the pommel, tapping it slowly.

“Very well, we will escort you to where we found our men. If you can assist in the case, I will reward you. If not…”

Laughter came from behind the Sergeant as the men all smiled.

Grace fought back the tremor she felt, wanting to race up her spine, knowing what failure would lead to.

The people had all scattered as the guards surrounded Grace, and they began walking in the direction she knew they were headed.

“Tell me, what is your name?”

Grace glanced at the captain. She wanted to lie but wasn’t sure if it was the best decision. If she made it out of here alive and didn’t have to kill the men and his guards, perhaps it would be better this way.

“It’s Grace, sir.”

The man nodded, taking his eyes off her and looking ahead again.

A red window popped into her vision as she walked down the middle of the empty road.

***

Quest Completed: Protect Those Around You and Cleanse the Filth: Condition One

Reward:

Choose one of the three following Abilities:

* Heal

* Empower

* Juggernaut

***

Trying to read those options, Grace wondered how often the same ones would appear.

Juggernaut…

Her mind recalled all the stories and lessons she had learned as a child while attending school. She knew the word and what it meant, but her question was what it did.

Heal could be handy, but if only once a day and Empower… it has to be an attack of some sort… Juggernaut sounds like a defense of some kind. Like the legend of Dravguan… the warrior who held a pass against five hundred attackers on his own for a week.

Her heart was beating fast, and Grace knew what they would soon be where she had killed those other guards. It meant that she would be in a bad area and need at least one of those abilities.

“You all look like a Juggernaut,” Grace said as she motioned to the men before her and the Seargent.

The men laughed, and their commanders shook his head.

“It might seem that way to one like you, but trust me, we are just men trying to do right by Grimdon.”

***

Juggernaut Ability Granted: Once every two days, this ability may be activated. For ten seconds, all attacks will bounce off harmlessly regardless of the difference in strength. User will also be immune to the energy behind the attack, finding themselves not moved a single inch.

***

Grace felt her mouth hanging open, and the Sergeant thought she was shocked at his statement.

“Listen, Grace. You were brave back there, and I understand why you did what you did, but I hope for your sake that you aren’t lying and can help us catch whoever did this. I do not prefer to mindlessly kill people.”

He leaned in close and whispered into her ear. “Unlike some, I take my vows seriously.”

The way the man spoke caused her to shiver. It was similar to how the man who had granted her the power she had spoke.

Is he like me?

Wondering if that was possible, Grace stopped as the group came to a halt in the middle where two streets connected.

“Something wrong?” Grace asked.

“Which way?”

Grace glanced at the captain and shook her head. “Which way what?”

“Which way to where the men got murdered?”

Grace noticed that all of the guards had turned and were facing her.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’m not sure why you are asking that.”

Shaking his head, the Sergeant took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Grace. You have been leading us in the direction we have been walking. None of us told you how to go, yet you have taken us almost in a straight line. Only just a moment ago did you pause and not continue going.”

His hand moved to his sword, resting on top of it again. “I don’t believe in chance, and the odds of you knowing exactly where to go tell me you know something. Especially since you were willing to risk your life while the others went free. Now continue leading us in the direction of the murdered guards, or I will allow my men to start doing things you will not like until you do.”

Those blue eyes were emotionless as he stared at her.

She realized he was right. She had been so caught up in the quest and the situation that she had walked automatically toward the area where she had killed the guards. Her mind raced as she tried to consider her options.

A few people were further away on the streets, watching the group from a distance. No one would save her, but if she fought and killed them all, word would spread, and she would have to flee with her brother.

Hanging her head, Grace nodded and sighed. She had a plan… it was risky, but it was her only play.

“I stumbled upon it the other day when I was scavenging for stuff to sell… worse yet, it's not the only horrible thing I’ve seen in this city… I found another crime just like that one… there is a monster in the town.”