The climb back up the stairs from the dungeon seemed to stretch into eternity, as Piper marched toward what could only end in a bloody confrontation. The moment they reached the augur; the woman would dispel her illusions. And then all hell—quite literally—would break loose.

  Piper lifted a claw to chew on the tip. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of her current predicament. If she tried to fight her way to the exit, she’d almost certainly be overwhelmed by the heavily armed nuns. Her illusions might buy them some time, but there was only one entrance to the castle, and they would likely bar it the second she disappeared.

  Glancing over at Selene, she realized the woman’s mood couldn’t be any different from her own. The young woman beamed, the corners of her lips curling up into a slight smile. In her friend’s mind, they’d escaped almost certain doom. The fact that they’d sold out Lukas didn’t seem to bother her in the least.

  Reaching the top of the stairs, the pair of nuns accompanying them pointed across the open courtyard. As Piper walked forward, she decided to increase her Magic attribute in the hope it might counteract the augur’s spells. After her most recent battle, she still had 80 free attribute points to distribute.

  Without hesitation, she dumped all 80 points into her Magic. That brought the stat up to 280, which, she thought, should be far higher than most humans. If the augur had a wizened face and grey hair, she was probably screwed. But if she were young like Piper, and thus a lower level, she might have a chance.

  As they walked across the courtyard, they passed nuns practicing with weapons. One of the women shot shadows out of a metal fan, while another swung a flaming whip over her head.

  Watching the powerful skills, Piper realized she really didn’t want to fight the nuns. She also decided that whatever class she chose next would have amazing offensive spells. Preferably something with fireballs, so she could blast her enemies from a distance.

  They entered another hallway and were marched along until they reached a nondescript door. The lead nun stopped to rap lightly on the wood. When a muffled voice answered from inside, the woman swung the door open. Then she gestured for Piper and Selene to enter the room.

  Piper stepped into a cozy room and looked around. The walls had tapestries covering the bare stone, and a single candle burned on a writing desk. Beyond the desk, the only other furniture in the room was a bed and a large trunk. Seated at the desk was a young woman, not much older than herself.

  Almost immediately, she felt a prickle on her skin as the girl used [Identify] on her. Then, a flurry of notifications flooded her vision.

  Ding! Your skill, Subterfuge has reached level 22

  …

  Ding! Your skill, Subterfuge has reached level 30

  Ding! Your spell, False Face has reached 21.

  ….

  Ding! Your spell, False Face has reached 29.

  Ding! Your spell, Truth Shroud has reached 25.

  …

  Ding! Your spell, Truth Shroud has reached 32.

  Piper’s mouth almost dropped open at the surge of levels. Based on the system’s appraisal of her current situation, she’d never been in more danger in her life. Not even during her time in the Black Pyramid or hiding from the vampires had she received level jumps on this scale. These nuns were incredibly dangerous.

  The young woman furrowed her brow, and then Piper’s skin prickled a second time. Afterward, her expression relaxed slightly.

  “That was odd,” the augur said with a chuckle. “My skill didn’t work the first time.”

  At her words, both nuns stepped protectively in front of the augur, weapons leaping into their hands. The nearest one wielded a curved sword, while the other held a triangular blade that almost looked like it was made for punching.

  Piper held up her hands and took a step back. “What’s going on?”

  The nun holding the sword glanced back at the augur. “Sister Katerina, this may be a trick to deceive you. I know you are new here. However, many heretics possess skills to conceal their abilities.”

  “Do you doubt an augur with an epic class?” Katerina asked with a raised eyebrow. “I sensed no heretical magic whatsoever. Unless you think one of these girls is secretly the most powerful casters in the city?”

  The nun hesitated slightly. “Are you certain…?”

  “Yes, now leave me to my documents.” The augur waved dismissively at them. “Take them away and let me finish my work.”

  Piper fought down the urge to exhale with relief as the nuns lowered their weapons slightly. Instead, she tried her best to look puzzled. And probably failed, since her mother had always said she had a guilty face.

  After exchanging a series of glances, the nuns escorted them out of the room. They were led back down the hallway and toward the front gate. After reaching the massive doors, they waited while the guards swung them open.

  Piper held her breath as she stepped through the gates. At any second, she expected to be discovered. Someone would realize she was a demon and then attack. As she strode through the archway, her back itched, awaiting an arrow to find her.

  Then she was through and on the cobblestone streets beyond. She couldn’t relax completely yet, as the two nuns joined them; the women seemed intent on escorting her and Selene out of the city. The small group retraced its earlier path, arriving at the postern gate before being let through.

  Once they reached the far side of the wall, the nuns spun on their heels and disappeared back into the gate. They were left alone in the darkness on the banks of the mighty river.

  “We need to find Ophelia,” Piper said, her brow creasing with worry. “What do you think they did with her?”

  “I’m sure she’s fine.”

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

  “Why would you think that? For all we know, they’re doing terrible things to her right now!”

  Selene shrugged. “The Dawnward Host never imprisons anyone who hasn’t awakened. She’s probably waiting for us back at the inn.”

  Piper returned to chewing on her claw. “Do you really think so?”

  Selene nodded while brushing back a strand of her dark hair.

  With her worry easing slightly, Piper thrust a finger at her friend. “Why did you say those things about Lukas? You know what they’re going to do to him, right?”

  “Not here,” Selene whispered. “The walls have ears.”

  Piper clamped a hand over her mouth, a rush of adrenaline shooting through her veins. Had they almost escaped, only for her to ruin it at the last minute?

  But the nuns didn’t reemerge, and they left the gate without anyone stopping them. It wasn’t until they had crossed the river and entered the outer town that Selene finally spoke.

  “I did what I had to do.”

  “But they’re going to kill Lukas!” she blurted out. “That wasn’t right.”

  “Would you rather they had killed us?”

  “I… don’t know.” She scowled. “But it’s not right to pin the blame on someone innocent. Why would you do that?”

  “You’re my friend,” Selene said simply. “And he’s not.”

  “But he saved us from the Bone Monarch!”

  Selene gave her a sidelong glance. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that?”

  “What? Why wouldn’t you?”

  “I know it was you.” Selene stepped aside to allow a horse and cart to pass. Then she continued. “I know you have a false class.”

  Piper’s jaw dropped open before she could compose herself. “That’s not true. I’m just a hunter with a poor-quality class like you.”

  Selene stopped and crossed her arms. “I would never ask you to tell me your secrets. I’m not a hypocrite, as I have enough of my own. But don’t try to pretend you don’t have some sort of rare class. I’ve felt vibrations from your magic in the past, and your stats must be insane.”

  Her mind churned as she tried to figure out what to say in response to the accusations. Since Selene had partially figured it out, if she kept denying it, she might lose her friend. Not that she could tell her everything, of course. She would take the fact that she was really a demon to her grave if she could.

  “It’s actually epic,” she mumbled.

  “Epic?” Selene gasped. “Really? Why aren’t you leading a host? Wait, that’s none of my business. Is it an archer class?”

  “Not exactly,” she said, looking down at her feet. “It’s an illusionist class.”

  “An illusionist?” Selene stepped forward and slapped her arm gently. “Why didn’t you tell me? All this time you could have kept me hidden with your illusions? I think you owe me a dinner for that.”

  “It doesn’t really work that way,” Piper replied. “Until recently, I mainly had spells that only worked on me.”

  Selene leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “Is that what you really look like?”

  “This is the real me,” she replied, not revealing the whole truth. “Though I sometimes make my hair look a little nicer.”

  “Can I see a spell?”

  Piper shrugged. “What would you like to see?”

  “It’s your choice.”

  “Do we have time for this?” Piper looked in the direction of her inn. At least where she thought it was located. As usual, she was probably wrong. “We need to find Ophelia and warn Lukas.”

  “And get us arrested again for warning a heretic? No thank you.”

  “He’s innocent,” Piper protested. “I won’t let someone die for my actions.”

  “Then you won’t last long in the empire. Only those willing to do whatever it takes survive to become adventurers.”

  “I guess I’m not cut out to be an adventurer.”

  Piper turned on her heel and strode away. A second later, she heard a sigh and then the patter of footsteps. Selene caught up with her and took her hand. Then she pointed in the opposite direction.

  With a slight pink tinge to her cheeks, Piper continued in the actual direction of the inn. As they walked, she held out her hand, and a bowl of rich, creamy ice cream appeared in her palm.

  “Why is it always ice cream with you?” Selene laughed.

  Piper looked at her friend with a horrified expression. “Why wouldn’t it be ice cream?”

  Selene shrugged. “I don’t know. Why not make a fire-breathing dragon? Or an ogre to stomp through the streets? If I had your spells, most monsters would run away from me.”

  At her friend’s words, Piper slowed her pace slightly. Why hadn’t she been using her illusions to full effect? With her evolved spell, [Shifting Veil], she could cast any number of spells against her enemies. In her next fight, she would need to use her abilities to better effect.

  Letting the bowl of ice cream disappear, she broke into a trot. She knew the odds of reaching the inn before the nuns were almost zero. But she still had to try.

  When they rounded the corner, her heart fell as she realized they were too late. A crowd had formed around the building. And at the center of it was a group of nuns dragging Lukas out of the front door.

  His hair was tousled, and he was barefoot with only a pair of breeches on. He looked groggy as though he had just woken. Which might be the case, since he often turned in early.

  Lukas locked eyes with Piper, and he looked at her pleadingly. Since the nuns hadn’t come after her yet, it probably meant he hadn’t spilled the beans about her being a demon.

  I have to save him.

  Piper ran a hand through her hair, desperately trying to think of a plan. Slipping back through the crowd, she grabbed Selene and dragged her into the alley. With what she was planning, they couldn’t be seen here.

  “What are you doing?” Selene hissed. “This has nothing to do with you.”

  “I have a plan.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to get involved!”

  “I would do the same for you.”

  “But I’m your friend! Do you even know him?”

  “He saved my life.”

  “This is crazy,” Selene muttered. “I don’t care if you have an epic class; you can’t win against them.” She chewed her lower lip. “The group needs you. I… need you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she replied, hoping she was right. At her words, Selene fell silent, looking troubled.

  Piper racked her brain for a way to help Lukas escape. Her initial idea was to hide him behind an illusion. But if the nuns had someone with high Perception in the group, it would fail almost immediately. Even if no one could see through her illusions, they would still probably attack the second he blinked out.

  No, she needed to do something to throw the nuns off balance. She needed to use her powers to their full effect. If they thought they were chasing a heretic, then she was going to give them one.

  Piper recast [False Face] onto herself. She didn’t have time to think of a new identity, so she simply copied one she’d used before—the vampire Justina’s face. Her hair turned black as coal, while her cheeks rose slightly and her chin lengthened. Soon, she looked exactly like the beautiful vampire, only about a meter shorter.

  Once she was finished, she cast [Truth Shroud]. She bumped her race up to level 450 and then added the classes she remembered from her time in the Infernal Realm. Hopefully, that might give the nuns pause, since they were supposed to specialize against heretics.

  When she was done, anyone who used [Identify] on her would see:

  Human, Level 450

  Stick Reaper (Poor), Level 390

  Trickster Duelist (Uncommon), Level 255

  Infernal Nun (Mythic), Level 155

  “Wow…” Selene said, looking at her with wide eyes. “That was amazing.”

  “Stay here.” Piper stepped out of the alleyway. The nuns were busy pushing their way through the crowd, with Lukas in the center of the group. She glanced over to make sure Selene was hidden, and then moved to block their path.

  At first, the nuns didn’t notice her standing in the middle of the street. But their pace slowed as they spotted her barring their path.

  “Out of the way in the name of the Undying Emperor,” the lead nun snapped. “This heretic is being brought in for questioning.”

  “Did you think I was going to let a mere boy take credit for my work?” she said, doing her best to imitate the vampire’s haughty tone, mixed in with a healthy dose of the villains she’d seen in anime. “This city belongs to me. Bow and I might let you live.”

  “What are you babbling on about, girl?” The lead nun shook her head and stepped forward, most likely intending to remove Piper from the road. Then she slowed and furrowed her brow.

  Piper felt a prickle on her skin as the woman used [Identify]. The arrogant look shattered as the woman’s expression was replaced with one of pure horror.

  “Heretic!” the nun cried out. She stumbled back, grasping for the sword on her belt. “Infernal caster!”

  Piper raised her hand and cast [Shifting Veil]. As she did, an illusion of a swirling portal tore open at her side, and a towering harroth demon stomped forth. The demon opened its toothy maw and let out a roar that shook the street.

  As the nuns' ranks descended into chaos, Piper secretly prayed her Magic attribute was finally high enough to ensure no one dispelled her illusions. Because if her illusions failed, she didn’t have a backup plan to help Lukas escape.