-Callia-

  Reaching the final steps from the door into the gatehouse entry, I pause and focus on what I can hear on the other side. While beating up demons was something I was looking forward to, rushing ahead without thinking would be a bad idea. There is a reason the guards that had spread out through the lower floor previously weren’t present on my return. Roughly fifty guards waited by the gate, ready to intercept me from escaping. Normally now would be the time to reach over to Callen to get whatever backup I can from his end, but a quick check confirms he is in the middle of some fight with elves outside a town. Judging from my previous fights, the guards are a step or two below knight-level strength. Fifty is definitely in the range that will exhaust me well before I can escape.

  I pause as a realization hits me. In previous battles where I had no choice but to fight, it was do or die, but my objective wasn't necessarily to kill the guards. On a bigger scale, what truly mattered was sharing my discovery with the paladins. Not just any paladins but those who were clearly a step divorced from the pope’s authority. The first name that came to mind was the high priest who had originally tried to help me. The divide between the two likely wasn’t as absolute as I’d like, considering he was still willing to report to the pope when I last saw him. As I think over the connection, suddenly a thought pops into my mind. The paladins supposedly arrested everyone who visited the pope, and shortly after I left, I heard a window break from the tower above. Maybe there was something of a divide there. Clearly if it was the high priest, they didn’t catch him because they went about arresting everyone.

  I nod in self-assurance. First escape, then find the priest. Then hopefully he will have an idea of what we should do. In my musing, the guards in the main hall have spread out between the exit and my door into the chambers. The clear tactical adjustment in response to my presence despite all my stealth skills is enough confirmation for me to believe that the evil presence filling this place isn’t just a presence but something that can actively conspire against me. Which is all the more reason to prioritize escape so I can fight them somewhere the presence doesn’t actively interfere.

  Time to go. I ram into the door at full force, wincing slightly as it was sturdier than I anticipated. Still the door breaks from its hinges, flying ahead of me as a shield, protecting me briefly from the guards in wait. I slide out into the hall and launch myself upward with a jump as a spearman’s thrust narrowly slides under me. I don’t even bother to glance at the man. Instead, I locked my eyes down the end of the hallway where the shoddily patched gate was propped back up. I blink, and every sense snaps out of place. For a moment my mind burst into chaos from the overload of new information. In my haste I hadn’t dampened my senses. The guards next to the gate didn’t miss the gap, rushing in with an axe and a spear. In the haze, I barely registered my instincts screaming.

  I bent backward only to feel the solid wood of the gate cut off my dodge. Searing pain burst from my gut as the tip of a spear reached me first. Then the blade of the axe scratched my armor, coming an inch short from cleaving my torso open. The moment of vulnerability passed as I finally adjusted. Decisively I slashed down with my knife, cutting the head of the spear off, freeing my movements. The axeman moved in, swiping again. I twisted my leg into a high kick, catching the axe just below the head. The swipe was deflected off course, and the head of the axe cracked and flew off, burying itself into the gate. The spearman abandoned his headless spear, instead rushing forward, intent to grapple me. I reversed my grip on my knife, and while it glowed with aura, I stabbed it into the gate. Using the force of the stab, I pushed myself forward, meeting the rushing spearman’s face with my other hand. My palm struck his forehead, sending him reeling backward and screaming. While he sliced my knife through the door, cutting through the metal like butter.

  The now axeless man shoved aside his dying companion, clearing the way to attack me with a heavy right punch. I raised my arm, blocking it at the last moment, but the force cracked a bone in my forearm. I ignored the injury and shoved back, opening enough space to bring my leg up into a heavy uppercut kick. The man's head snapped so far backward he made eye contact with the other guards rushing over. His body flopped to the ground as I finished cutting my hole through the gate. I push through it in a backward dive. My escape is chased by arrows at the last second. Instinctively I reach up, catching one before it lodges itself in my skull, but another two bury themselves in my body.

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  Instead of hitting the ground, I cartwheel backwards, landing on my feet. Unfortunately there were guards on this side of the gate as well. They rush me with a pair of short swords moving in sync. I push forward and to the side, letting my knife catch his blade in a shower of sparks, our auras contesting each other. The other tried to attack from the side, but I ducked down, breaking the clash of blades while sweeping the other's legs out from under him. The first swung down trying to leverage his position to overwhelm me, but I acted first. While sweeping the legs of the other, I thrust my free hand forward. It hit the man’s gut, sending him tumbling backward. I hadn’t had time to infuse it with mana, but it did send the man flying. Two more guards further down the hall rushed forward intending to join the brawl, and the archer who shot me crawled in through the hole.

  Before the small breathing room I made disappeared, I jumped onto the wall before jumping off the wall and over the heads of the newcomers. Neither had time to react as I finally broke free of them. With the path out finally clear, I burst off, leaving the swarming guard behind, chasing my dust. In no time at all I reached the three-way intersection that I had reached before going on my side quest into the vaults. I slammed the door shut behind me and summoned some large chunks of stone to buy time. Letting out a shaky breath, I examined my wounds. With a spear to the gut, blood loss would soon be a serious problem. A faint smile bloomed as I realized my wounds had healed over. Internal damage aside, the enchantment on my armor had sealed the surface of the damage. Without hesitation I ripped the two arrows free and dug out the spearhead with a jab of my knife to reopen the injury. As I ascended the other staircase, I took the opportunity to fill the path behind me with trash, waste, and leftover materials that had a tendency to build up in the void. At the very least, it should buy me some time while the guards dig through all of that.

  At the top of the staircase, I’m met with a very familiar tunnel. Down one way would lead me back to the granary, and down the other would lead me to the final gate standing between me and freedom. Glancing back at the clogged staircase one last time before moving on. As much as I would’ve liked time to plan out this last step, time wasn’t my ally. Decisively, I set off at a jog towards the final gate, setting an easier pace so I could recover slightly on the way.

  Bad Timing

  Lidia’s eyes were heavy as she rode the lift down to the vault. When she originally received the speed transcription skill, she had thought it would be a waste and burden for the rest of her life; however, with the help of that skill, she had somehow managed to fill out all 10,000 forms. She had spent until midnight piecing together the template form that the paladin had provided her, and once she managed to copy it over to another form, she had spent the next eight hours doing nothing but writing form after form. She did end up having to borrow ink from every other resident of the dorms, but it was just enough to get the job done. However, despite her success in filling out the forms, there was also another major issue. She didn’t have the strength or dexterity of a paladin. Which meant that carrying all the forms at once was something more akin to a complete joke.

  She had lost track of just how many trips she had made down to the vaults. Nearly a dozen trips, and each time she had to fill out more paperwork. Forms regarding visitation without orders and forms regarding the incomplete delivery of her paperwork. Lidia was sure of only one thing as she arrived with the last stack of papers. Never again would she make trouble for newcomers. She never would’ve imagined that one little girl would be able to make this much work. Even the pope himself wouldn’t change her mind! Earning a level from raising her paperwork skill was nice but also clearly far too much work. The platform hovered back down to the dreary place that was the vault one more time. This was the last of the forms to deliver; complete this and fill out whatever they handed her, and she would be free. As she arrived, she noticed the gate and dozens of guards rushing into defensive positions. They all watched the gate like some kind of monster had broken loose and they expected to soon be the last line of defense.

  Nervously, she moved to the side, stepping into the administrator's office. Quickly she got to work filling out what needed to be filled. As she finished, she waited nervously while the administrator reviewed the entire stack of documents.

  “This is good work. It's nothing special, but the speed you finished is respectable.” His voice initially startled her, but realizing that he meant that she was done sent sparks of joy alight in her heart. However, the next statement turned thrill into dread. “Starting tomorrow you will be permanently assigned here. Let those who need to know about your reassignment know and return immediately.” She wanted to say no and beg for him to reconsider, but she couldn’t bring herself to choke out the words. Dejected, she walked out. As she stepped out, a grim voice announced loudly.

  “She’s nearly at the gate. Whatever happens, don’t let her pass! The paladins will be here soon!”

  Psalm 94:19 NIV - When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy