Kai slipped out of the small bed without making a single sound.

He picked up his trousers from the floor and pulled them on quickly. He thought he was perfectly quiet, but Gina shifted against the soft pillows and opened her eyes.

"Thank you," Gina whispered. She pulled the quilt up to her collarbone and offered him a sleepy smile.

Kai walked back over to the bed and leaned down to kiss her soft lips.

He brushed a tangled lock of hair away from her face and offered a gentle smile in return.

"When I am done securing these trade routes, I will come find you," Kai promised her.

’How many women am I going to repeat this same line to?’ Kai thought to himself with a hidden sigh.

’The party limit has to cap out eventually, or I am going to run out of stamina potions before I even reach the final boss.’

Gina laughed a light, musical laugh because she saw right through his charming routine.

"It’s okay if you don’t come back right away. I will just come to you."

Kai smiled genuinely at her sudden burst of confidence.

He grabbed his white shirt and left the quiet loft, fully ready to face the long road ahead of him.

He walked back to the tavern and found Eliza and Sera already packed and waiting in the dining room.

They ate a quick breakfast of salted pork and hard bread before saddling the horses. The coastal winds whipped at their cloaks as they left the fishing village of Salthollow behind them.

The journey to Thornwatch took them high above the crashing ocean.

They rode along rocky cliffs for three solid days. The salty air kept them cool under the bright afternoon sun, and the steady movements of the horses offered a nice break from fighting monsters.

Kai led the small group with his blessed dagger, always sitting loosely in its sheath. They purposely avoided the main trade roads because the southern corruption was slowly pushing desperate bandits northward.

Sera guided them through narrow goat paths and hidden forest trails. She relied entirely on her excellent merchant maps to keep them completely safe from roaming patrols.

"We should reach the main crossing by nightfall," Sera announced from the back of her brown mare.

She pointed toward a wide grassy valley sitting between two mountain peaks.

"There is usually a safe merchant camp set up near the old bridge."

They rode down into the valley as the sun began to set behind the mountains.

Kai expected to find a few quiet wagons huddled around a small fire. He definitely did not expect to find a brightly colored carnival sitting right in the middle of a dangerous wasteland.

Four giant canvas tents dominated the clearing.

Bright paper lanterns hung from the surrounding trees to cast a warm, festive glow over the tall grass.

Lively music drifted through the evening air, mixing with the amazing smells of roasted meat and sweet sugar.

"Who runs a circus in the middle of a faction war?" Eliza asked.

She kept her weapon resting across her saddle because the entire setup looked highly suspicious.

"Someone with a lot of confidence or a lot of very big swords," Kai replied. He pulled his horse to a slow halt near the main entrance.

A tall man stepped out from the shadows of the largest striped tent.

He wore a sharp crimson coat adorned with polished gold buttons and a tall black hat. He carried a silver-tipped walking stick that looked suspiciously like a high-level magic staff.

"Welcome to the wandering stage, tired travelers," the ringmaster called out smoothly.

"You look like you have been fighting the evil for many days. Come inside and enjoy the bright lights. The first drink is entirely free."

[System Event: Neutral Zone Discovered]

[Location: The Wandering Circus]

Kai read the blue text and nodded slowly to himself.

A neutral zone meant fighting was strictly prohibited by the system itself.

They could actually relax for the night without worrying about random thrall attacks or cultist ambushes.

Sort of like save points in the game.

Sera immediately wandered off to inspect the exotic merchant booths.

Eliza stayed close to Kai’s side to keep a watchful eye on the smiling circus hands walking past them.

Kai walked toward the center of the camp and stopped dead in his tracks.

A beautiful woman stood on a raised wooden stage. She held two long chains ending in iron cages filled with burning coals and spun the chains in rapid, perfect circles to create a mesmerizing wall of bright orange fire all around her body.

She wore a daring outfit made of red leather that hugged her dangerous curves perfectly. Her skin was a sun-kissed bronze, and her eyes were a sharp, striking amber. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

She moved with the lethal, fluid grace of a highly trained assassin rather than a simple circus performer.

’She is gorgeous,’ Kai thought, watching the fire reflect brightly in her eyes.

’But those moves are combat forms. She is hiding a very high combat level behind that simple dancer routine.’

The fire dancer caught his stare right through the spinning flames.

She offered him a knowing smirk and tossed one of the burning chains high into the air, spun beautifully on her heel, and caught the heavy iron cage right behind her back without even looking.

"WHooooo"

The small crowd around the stage clapped loudly, but her eyes never left Kai’s face.

She finished her routine and jumped down from the stage with a light landing. She walked straight over to Kai and stopped just inches away from his chest.

"You have an intense stare, handsome," she whispered. Her voice was slightly raspy and incredibly sexy.

"My name is Vesper. Do you always look at women like you are trying to figure out their weaknesses?"

"I just like to know exactly who I am dealing with," Kai smiled, crossing his arms casually over his chest.

"And a simple fire dancer usually does not have the perfect footwork of an elite rogue."

Vesper laughed loudly and leaned in close.