The next day, Maximilian stepped out of the pillar of white light and into a dark forest. He wasn't an expert on trees by any means, but the ones around him seemed massive. He could pick out the moon through the canopy. It was also very quiet. He couldn't hear any forest animals or any signs of for that matter. At first, he thought that the forest was going to be the threat, but he realized that wasn't likely. He couldn't say for sure, but so far, the quests followed a pattern. It was always a defense-related quest and then a hunt-related related. The last quest was hunting the necromancer. Which meant this one should be about defending someone. Of course, the forest and wolf quests didn't fit that mold so he couldn't rely on that assumption. From what he could see, he was the only person in the forest. He decided to stay put until the quest prompt came. Something that happened about a minute later. When he saw the quest prompt, he shook his head and sighed. He hated rescue missions.

  General Amala has fallen into enemy hands. Without her leadership, her army faces certain defeat in the impending battle—and the war. Infiltrate the fortress, liberate the general, and return her to her troops before dawn.

  He didn't care who General Amala was but that didn't matter here. He wasn't sure which direction the general was, nor did he have any skills related to stealth. Which meant he would have to rely on himself. He decided to head straight ahead. Under the assumption the Network would've placed him on the correct road already. It would be rather stupid of him to fail the quest because he couldn't even find the place. He hadn't walked for half an hour before he encountered a patrol. A single warrior dressed in medieval style chain mail. The man had sheathed short sword on his hip and what looked like a dagger on the other side. He was about to activate Severing Disc to take him out when he paused. If he killed him would other guards notice? If the Network used video game logic than the answer was no. The guards would conveniently forget about each other until they encountered one another. If they were people than he couldn't take the risk. If the enemy was alerted, he would have to fight the whole group. He couldn't be sure the enemies here would be within his power to beat. He stepped back into the trees to make sure the guard couldn't see him until he had disappeared down the path.

  He kept as close to the ground as he could while he moved through the forest. This was no quest designed for someone of his size. He felt like a cartoon character as he ducked behind trees. He found two more patrols, one with two guards and one with a single. They were all humans and from what he could tell they all wore the same quality of armor. Which either meant the Network was cheap or copied the armor for each person. Or they were a standardized army. Something shouldn't be true if it was meant to be historical. He still wasn't sure if the Network was pulling things from Earth's history. Or if it generated these events or if they were real events that they were living through. He was forced to adjust his path a few more times to avoid encountering larger groups. It was an hour after he arrived that he found the place he was looking for. The fortress lacked an outer wall which was the only positive thing about the situation. The inner wall was at least fifteen foot high and had torches every five feet or so. Which did little to illuminate the forest. There was a large wooden draw gate that protected the entrance. Around the whole thing was a moat that was around fifteen feet wide with water so dark it was almost black. He couldn't see any signs of sea creatures inside, but his gut told him that he shouldn't fall in. That and the fact that he couldn't swim.

  He remembered that it was common for moats to have sharp planks at the bottom. He didn't want to find out if that was the same here. He had faith in healing pills, but he didn't think they would be strong enough to save him from that fate. He wasn't even sure he wanted them to. He would rather die outright than drown or be tortured. There were small torches throughout the inner areas. Nothing that would reveal his presence. Which left him with the major question of how to get inside. He was reasonably sure he could leap to the top of the wall if timed it right and imbued his legs. He needed to make sure no one could see him do it. There was also fighting if he had to. He decided to sit and wait for a bit so he could get an idea of what the fortress was like. It was quiet. A voice in the back of his head told him it was a trap. That as soon as he got over the wall he would be blasted by or shot with arrows. He ignored it.

  He faded further into the forest and sat against a tree for around ten minutes. After that he made the call to begin. Two more patrols went out which meant some would return. He walked around the back of the fortress until he found an area that with fewer lights. He bounced on the balls of his feet to hype himself up. He took a breath and dashed to toward moat. He imbued spiritual energy into the soles of his feet and launched himself up and into the wall. He swung his right hand down before he would've slammed into the stone. He wasn't strong enough to stop his momentum, but he could redirect himself. Instead of slamming into the stone he flipped up and landed on his feet. He moved with a smoothness and control that would've impressed Olympic gymnast.

  He checked the closest room and found it empty. He thanked his luck for that and stepped inside. The room was a guard's station from what he could see. There were several weapons, a chair, window and a sleeping bag. He figured that the guards were in the middle of a turnover which meant he wouldn't be alone for long. He grabbed a dagger and a sword in case he needed to take someone out. He then tucked himself in against the wall behind the staircase. He pushed his worries about what was about to happen to the back of his mind. He stayed there for several moments before a man came up the stairs. He wore the same armor as the rest. Maximilian waited for him to get up the stairs before jumped on him. He slammed him headfirst into the ground. He passed the smallest amount electricity he could into him. He had intended to paralyze him but instead the man screamed into the stone.

  Maximilian released the charge as soon as he realized it went wrong. He paused waiting for the alarms to go off and several armed warriors to rush him. When nothing happened he let out a sigh of relief. He spun the warrior over and placed the dagger against his throat. "Don't say anything. Don't attempt to alert anyone. I don't want to hurt you. Nod if you understand what I said."

  The man glared at him for a moment before he nodded. "Alright, I need to know where General Amala is being held."

  The man hesitated for a moment as if considering whether I would kill him. He wasn't sure if he would do it either. The man must've sawed something in Maximilian's eyes. He nodded his understanding, and Maximilian pulled the dagger back slightly. "The general is being kept in prison. Beneath the main tower."

  "How do I get to it. Without encountering more of you people. I would like to avoid hurting anyone." The man glared at him as if he was willing to take a chance. Which prompted Maximilian to move the blade back into place. The fire in the man's eyes faded as he relaxed.

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  "The guards should be about to change. After that you would be on your own. When they catch you—" Maximilian slammed his head into the stone. The sickening crunch his head made caused him to flinch. He waited with bated breath for several long moments for the kill energy. When it didn't come he let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at the unmoving and then picked him up. He placed the man onto the sleeping bag. The movies made knocking someone out with force seem much easier than it was. Also much less violent. He hoped that the people here weren't real because that guy would have mental problems. He made his way back to the door and opened it enough for him to peak out. He counted five guards sitting around a boiling pot. There was another guard tower across from him. He decided to assume that there was at least one guard there as well. If he included the people who were outside than he would have to fight ten or more guys. It wouldn't be easy. He had no hope that he could sneak across without being spotted. Which meant he had to go the other way. He closed the door and headed up the stairs. He went back through the door he entered and got down into bear crawl. Every step made him feel like he was going to get caught.

  When he reached the door on the other side, he thanked whoever might've listened. Then he slowly opened the door. He gave a silent curse when he saw the two people inside. Based on the situation he doubted he could get pass them with hurting them. He took a breath, gripped his dagger and reminded himself that this wasn't real. Before he could psych himself out he moved into the room. The first guy had enough time to turn toward him before the dagger was embedded his throat. His eyes flashed several emotions from fear to confusion before ending on anger. A flick of the wrist ended the struggle. Warm blood dripped down the blade and onto Maximilian's hands. He ignored it and shot Static Bolt at the second guard. He unleashed a gasp before the electricity paralyzed him. The dagger found its way into his throat a moment a later.

  Two men were dead seconds after he had entered the room. The kill energy only made his complex emotions worse. He pushed them down as deep as he could. He had to keep going or he would die. He used a bit of spiritual energy to clean his hands while his robes did the same. He then collected the bodies and placed them in the corner. He doubted it would make much of a difference but even a second could save his life. With his grisly task complete he continued the rest of the way. He managed to avoid most of the remaining guards, but his paranoia had his nerves on edge. There was no way people wouldn't start noticing soon. Fortunately he had reached the main tower and was able to get into the dungeons. He created a small electrical spark using Dao as he searched each of the cells. The quest didn't tell me what the general looked like, so he was forced to ask for her over and over. It wasn't until he reached the tenth cell that he found her. She was a dark skinned bald woman who was bound with her hands behind her.

  She wore rough strewn clothes that would've made her seem like a farmer. If not for the defiance in her eyes. If looks could kill he might've died. "I assume you are General Amala? I am here to get you out of here. Do you have any injuries I need to know about? Oh, don't touch any of the metal." He unleashed a powerful burst of electricity into the lock until it broke. He ended the stream and waited a moment. He wasn't sure how that would impact the metal and the last thing he needed was to shock or burn himself. The door opened without issue. He moved toward the general who had maneuvered into a seated position.

  "I don't know who you are. Why have you come for me?" The general asked though based on the tone you would've assumed she was in control over the situation.

  He decided not to push that issue. He cut through the ropes binding her and then stepped back. "I was hired to secure the general and bring her back. I have found you and now I am getting you out."

  She got to her feet and looked at me as if trying to solve a puzzle. When she had seen whatever she wanted to she nodded. She held out her hand. "Give the dagger. It seems you are a practitioner so you should be able to fight with your spells." He considered arguing with her about, but he didn't have a great reason to. He gave her the dagger and gestured for her to follow. "We should let the others go. They can serve as a distraction."

  Maximilian raised an eyebrow as he tried follow the line of thought she was on. The people had no weapons so they weren't an army by any stretch. When it dawned on him his eyes narrowed. "You want to use them like shields. Let them take the hits while we leave. No." Once again her tried to leave only to be stopped by the general.

  "Do you think this is better for them? Leaving them here in these cells to be slaughtered? At least this way they would have a chance to fight. A chance to get away."

  He glared at her and then looked at the prisoners. He knew she was right but he could also tell that the general didn't care about their safety. It was a pragmatic decision on her part, one that he understood. Despite his misgivings he nodded and went about opening the rest of the cells. When they were all open and the people inside were ready he moved to the staircase. He listened for a moment to make sure that they wouldn't walk into a trap. When he was sure he turned back to the group. "Alright, I took out a few before we got here which means we won't have long until they sound the alarm. We are going to top and then we will exit across the wall. Stay low to the ground." He did his best to project strength and confidence but he was no general.

  "Stay close and stay down. If the battle begins fight not for me or us or any nonsense like that." General Amala began. "Fight for your own freedom. You know what will happen to you if you stay here." When she finished the group fell into a strained silence. Maximilian was about to try and salvage the moment when the men gritted their teeth and nodded. He wouldn't call the change awe inspiring but he believed they would fight. He needed to do what he could to help. He gave them one last nod and then they went up the stairs. The group made their way through the building and were less than fifteen feet away when things went to shit. The doorway across from them exploded open as five armed and armored men moved to stop them.

  His eyes widened as he activated Severing Disc at its largest. He pivoted on one foot and launched the blade. It tore through the air and decapitated two warriors while the other three scattered. He wanted to follow up with Static Bolt but was stopped by the general. "We aren't here to kill." She gestured to the rest of escapee who had reached the edge of the wall. Before he could help them down the sky filled with a horrid whistling as over a dozen arrows shot toward them. One hit his robes but did no damage. He roared as three of the escapes were hit and knocked off the wall. He didn't need to see them hit the water to know they were gone. He made his way over to the wall and grabbed two of the escapees. Before they could protest, he leaped from the wall. They didn't so much as land as crash into the ground. He dumped the escapees and then returned to the top. When he returned, he found the remaining escapees holding of a new group of warriors.

  A few of them were armed now but they wouldn't be enough. He reached for the general and tossed her over his shoulder. He then launched another Severing Disc. This time the warriors were ready. Most of them moved with one losing their left hand. Maximilian grabbed two more people, one in each hand then jumped from the wall. He activated his defensive skill to shelter the group, but he felt someone's arm break. He scrambled to his feet ready to rejoin the battle when the sounds of battle ended. Dead. You were too slow. The thought entered his mind like a poison. There was nothing he could. He reminded himself. He was here for the general. They weren't real. The words felt even more hollow in his mind. He gestured for the others to follow as they entered the trees. A few more arrows landed impotently into trees as they did.