— Aster —

“WAKE UP!!!”

My heart went from sixty to one hundred thirty, and my body instinctively flew in the air flailing blankets everywhere. I was all tangled up and in panic mode thrashing around, making it worse. I was still untangling myself as my brain started to figure out what was going on when I saw Jane smiling. “Why?”

She ignored my shouting and spoke way too happy. “Time for your next lesson!”

“What? Now? Also why?” With adrenaline now pumping through my system, I was fully awake.

“Yes, now! So get up! As for why. It was funny, and to illustrate the next skill.”

“What skill? Yelling at a sleeping person?” Finally untangling myself, I threw my blanket at her.

She sidestepped it. “No stealth!” She seemed a little too cheery.

Reluctantly, I got up from the bed. “So I’m learning to walk quietly?”

That’s when I noticed there was another person in the room, this time a man who I could only describe as nondescript, similar to Jane. He had brown hair, brown eyes, a round face, and was slightly taller than Jane.

“Yes, but there is a lot more to it.” Gesturing toward the man behind her. “This is Kyle.”

Kyle waved. “Helloooo”

“Hi?”

“Anyway, stealth is about hiding in plain sight, as well as in the shadows. It is about not bringing attention to yourself and is more than just hiding. While that is part of it, but only a small part. Sometimes stealth is as simple as walking into a crowd. But the basis is to be agile, light on your feet, and quick thinking.”

That made an odd sort of sense. Why would they only teach me to hide? “So… we start now?”

“Yes, but before that. A quick test.” Jane pointed toward the hall door. “Outside is a cat. Catch it.”

“Okay?” I moved and opened the door to indeed see a “Cat”. I say “Cat” because it was one of those stone cat statues. It was playing with some strings. I quietly took a few steps towards it. Not five feet away from it, the floor creaked, scaring the cat into fleeing.

My head hung low, I entered the room to see Jane appearing contemplative. “Five feet not bad, one guy got in the hall and slammed the door open, never even saw the cat.” Jane laughed. “He was pissed. It just made it funnier, but that’s beside the point. Are you ready to learn Stealth?”

I was a little hesitant, due to how fast this was happening. I had woken up less than five minutes ago, not even getting a chance to breathe. I took a deep breath and reluctantly answered, “Yes.”

“Good, now sit down.” She guided me back to my bed. “Kyle positions! Are you ready?”

I sat down, “Yes!”

“Let’s begin…” A blue screen appeared in front of me.

New Program found..

Program Compatible with pathways…

Permission….Granted.

Installing Rogue type Pathway Program “Stealth”...

A dreamlike haze flowed over me as I watched Jane and Kyle. Unable to move my body, my eyes automatically focused on the areas they were demonstrating. First focusing on the subtle movements of the toes and legs. They showed how to dampen sound from long drops by distributing the weight, and bending your knees as you hit the floor, like a spring.

The demonstration blurred even more, too fast to see with my eyes, but the knowledge flowed through my mind. Knowledge of how to hide in plain sight. How to wear clothes in such a manner that no sound is made. How to move in diverse types of shoes to make no sound, and which shoes are the quietest. Knowledge of how to maneuver through a large compact crowd without being seen, this knowledge was followed with a strange familiarity.

I even learned how simple items can be used to hide. I was slightly befuddled from the knowledge of how to hide my scent. I didn’t understand why I would need to know this but did think it was neat. The lesson culminated in the knowledge of how to manipulate mana to quiet the sounds around me.

Installing Rogue type Pathway Program “Stealth”...Complete

The lesson ended with my body finally able to move, and the haze fading. Snapping me back into focus. Knowing what to expect had helped me from panicking, when I was frozen. Although, I must admit it was still extremely unnerving.

“Well, that was interesting.” Then the headache came pounding. Skills were cool but this part sucks. I laid down closed my eyes feeling my pulse pound. I laid there for a few minutes before the pain faded enough to sit up.

When I sat up Jane spoke. “Let’s start…on a side note the headache lasts a little longer when doing multiple skills in a row.”

“Then why not let me rest for a day or two.”

Jane was silent with a faraway look, letting the silence drag on.

“This is pretty much the only time you can learn them,” Kyle answered breaking the silence. Jane snapped back to herself Her smile returned, and Kyle made his way out of the room closing the door behind him. That was unhelpfully cryptic. The last time everyone avoided my questions like this...

“As you can see, cats are hard to catch. So I will tell you about this trial.” Jane reopened the door. “First the cats will return to their positions once you close this door.” The "cat" was back in the same spot sleeping. “Secondly, each cat has the key to the next room. Now we need to begin the practice. Kyle is setting up the halls. There are seven halls, with seven cats. There are different obstacles for each cat, and each one has a key to the next hall. Sneak up on them and take the key. If they escape, you have to start over...and no picking the locks.” Jane seemed to add that last bit in afterthought.

Something wasn’t adding up. “Wait, how does it reset?”

“Good Question. He is turning it on. It's automatic after that.”

“So, this is a crazy magic building. Got it.”

Jane smiled wide. “Now are you ready?”

I bet this is only going to get weirder. “Any tips?”

“Don’t be seen. Oh, and remember. Even though they are statues, they are still cats.”

Thus, I began the practical part of the lesson by slowly opening the door. The door creaked as it opened. In the silence, the sound was like a gunshot. Please don’t hear. Please don’t hear. Stepping into the hall I immediately saw the “Cat”.

Cautiously, I made my way toward it. I could feel the way my natural movements had changed. My feet moved smoother, I barely felt them hit the floor. After a slow arduous walk, I got impatient and decided to move faster. The floor let out a soft squeak.

I froze, no longer breathing hoping it didn't hear me. The cat lifted its head looking toward me. Don’t run, I'm just a piece of furniture. My heart was speeding up as we stared at each other. Then it just went back to sleep. What?

I was confused but was able to breathe again. Moving like an iceberg, slow and steadily moving forward. Reaching the statue I found it really was asleep. Did I take too long and it fell asleep? Seeing the key around the cat’s neck I grabbed it. The "Cat" woke up when I grabbed the key. It looked at me, blinked, and went back to sleep. That was too easy. I looked over the key then down to the cat. Then shrugged. Whatever works.

Making my way to the exit, I noticed a small placard on the door.

RULE No. 1

Cats are Lazy

“That explains that.”

I placed the key into the lock and watched the key disintegrate into nothing. “So that's how the keys reset.” When going to open the door, I remembered the first door creaking. Not wanting to make the same mistake, I decided to use a trick I knew to bypass the sound. I opened the door as fast as possible, catching it before it would slam into the wall. It worked, till the end where a barely audible creak could be heard.

The room was a mirror of the first, it even had a sleeping cat in it. Maybe I’m overthinking this.

Cautiously, I made my way over to the "Cat". Just like the last time I grabbed the key around its neck. I had to pick it up to get the key from it. This caused the statue to wake to swipe and hissing at me. Despite its attempt to get away, I was eventually able to get the key from around its neck. My face and hands were covered in scratches and bites when I finally let it go.

“That sucked.” Looking up I saw another plaque.

RULE No. 2

Cats are Easily Scared

“And pissed off.” I placed the key in the door and watched the key vanish.

The third room was slightly different, filled with bookcases completely filled with books. It was a hall again, but a bit wider and missing one crucial thing. The cat. There was no trace of it anywhere, at least not in sight of the door.

Did I scare it away? Thinking I already screwed up this room I walked over to the door to read the plaque. About halfway across, I tripped over a stone. “AAAAHHH” I scared myself, stumbling forward catching my balance. I heard a crashing sound and turned towards it only to catch something blur across the room.

I was kicking myself a little as I read the plaque.

RULE No. 3

Cats like High Places

The idea of looking up hadn't even crossed my mind until I saw the plaque. I looked up to investigate the rest of the room. The walls were lined with shelves full of various nick nacks, and books. looked around the room hunting for the "Cat" wondering where it went. The entire hall was not that big and didn't have any places for the "Cat" to hide. I spotted a small stone moving slightly on the wall.

Examining the stone, I found it was a little cat door. Pushing it, the little stone swung up, and all I could see was darkness. So that's where they go. Curiosity satisfied, I faced the truth. “I have to start over. Don't I?” With one last look at the door out, I turned and went back to the beginning.

Opening the door to the first room was accompanied by a loud pop. “WELCOME BACK!!!” Jane welcomed me with a party popper, covering me in confetti.s