As if directed by a higher power puppeteering the cultists from beyond the battlefield, they both focus squarely on me after my [Glyphcasting] demonstration. The water jet being sprayed from the slime’s mouth(?) unfortunately seems to be considered a beam-type attack, meaning I get no [Agility] boost from my [Bullet Time] skill. I’m able to barely leap out of the way of the jet, powerful and pressurized enough to cleave a hole directly through trees, dirt, and sharply pulverize the concrete and asphalt parking lot behind me.

  My [Ether] is down to a bit over 500 after that last barrage. The outer aura of Ether strain is just setting in, and I know it’s only going to get worse long before it starts to get better.

  Two ferocious simian hands, each as large as my body, slam down upon me from either side. I flicker on [Bullet Time] for a quarter-second, giving myself just enough time to avoid being crushed between them. The shockwave is still enough to send me flying backward, and the loud clap like thunder rings in my ears, disorienting me for just long enough that the ape gets another chance to crush me, this time under its gigantic ass.

  I spin and roll to the side, my [Bandana of Swiftness] helping augment my [Speed] by the tiniest of margins. This time I’m unable to fully evade the attack, taking three hundred points of damage from the initial impact that bruises my shoulders and ribs. I am, however, able to evade well enough that the resulting pressure wave sends me flying outward, back toward the other adventurers, rather than being slammed into the Seraphina-sized divot the monkey’s butt had made for my funeral.

  My injuries are quickly papered over as the golden light of Chloe’s radiance washes through me. I’m able to catch a moment’s breath as the rest of the party scrambles, trying to reorient itself to take on the four new threats in as safe and effective a configuration as possible. I shunt Chloe over to the backlines as I pull one of my [Ether Canisters] and begin absorbing its contents into my body.

  For a fraction of a second, it’s as though the world stands still, though I’m not sure if it’s my [Bullet Time] activating on its own initiative, the effect of the canister, or some heretofore unknown phenomenon at play. Even as the bulk of my focus is concentrated on pulling the Ether from within into my Ether channels and down to my core, I flicker on [Ethersight] for a fraction of a second and glance toward both monsters and their human partners.

  I see all four moving in slow motion, none making any obvious movement toward me or anyone else on my side. And yet, some part of me refuses to deactivate the Skill over my rational brain telling me that I need to conserve my [Ether] for another round of [Glyphcasting]. What am I missing? What is my subconscious picking up that I can’t see, either with my [Ethersight] or my eyes? A pressure wave? An attack from below? An invisible strike of some sort? I tilt my head to the side, and still nothing.

  I glance down at my arm and notice a small cut along my right forearm. A tiny piece of bone from the serpent’s earlier attack is wedged inside my skin. I quickly pluck it out, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Damnit… Damnit all! I rush over to Chloe and try to tell her to cast her [Antidote] spell on me as I realize that I’ve been hit with some venom that’s hijacking my body and forcing me to burn away all my [Ether] involuntarily.

  And I realize one of the weaknesses of the skill. With my perception speed doubled, I’m speaking too quickly to be understood. And the battle is still raging all around me, no doubt distracting Chloe further from healing my wounds. I speak as slowly and deeply as I can under the effect of my spell, hoping that my message is conveyed within the maelstrom whipping up all around us.

  In the interim, I ready a [Flash of Insight], pulling seventy units of [Ether] into the palm of my right hand. It might be the last thing I’m able to contribute to this fight, so I’m going to make it count. The Ether strain hurts like hell, blurring my eyes and making my entire body weak. Once again, I damn the System; why give us a certain amount of [Ether] if we start experiencing deleterious effects just from running low?

  But I push through the pain. Just as I’ve pushed through the pain and injuries I’ve sustained to this point. Just like I did in the dungeon and the tower. Just like I did against the ants, when I forced my final spell through even at the cost of my left arm. Just as I’m sure I had to do more than once in my previous life.

  Time speeds up again as Chloe’s spell has its effect. And not a second later does King Kong’s cousin come slamming down upon the two of us. Kristil intercepts with a [Lighting Strike] to the ape’s torso, stunning it momentarily. The instant it bears back down upon us, leaning in for the kill-shot, I launch my Skill, designating everyone except for the ape, the ooze, and the two cultists as ‘allied’ for purposes of immunity to the flash.

  Both of us lie backward, the ape and its rider from the painful surge of luminosity fired point-blank in their eyes, and me as the Ether strain takes its toll on my body. It’s like a dull ache of a cold, the numbness of sitting on a limb the wrong way for a couple of hours, and the after-burn of lactic acid buildup after intense anaerobic exercise all rolled up into one despicable package. My heart feels like it’s on fire, my limbs are stiff, and I can barely twitch the fingers on my left arm, my body unable to supply enough [Ether] to power the circuits.

  In my desperation, I detach the [Lock] glyph and force myself out of my prosthetic. It helps a little bit. At least now I’m slowly starting to recover my [Ether], even if that comes at the cost of making me feel vulnerable… naked, even.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Kristil rushes off, her lightning magic our side’s best weapon against the ooze now that I’m completely depleted. But even though I can barely see, let alone stand upright, I force myself back to my feet through sheer force of will. My [Ether] sits at a measly thirty-nine points, less than three percent of my maximum. My entire body feels like jelly, defying my mind’s control over it.

  But I’m not alone. With the snake dead and our lines reformed, we’re pushing back against both creatures before us. Lindsey and Stefan are working in tandem, a flurry of her daggers and his swords piercing and slashing at the still-supine simian beast. The rider invokes some spell, causing a glyph array to emerge out from under him.

  It’s a summoning array of some sort; dozens of fist-sized locusts appear, buzzing and screeching as they hop around, devouring everything in their wake. Trees are stripped bare of their leaves, the bushes and grass at our feet are reduced to dirt. I haven’t the strength to activate the glyph on my [Lightning-Sheathed Dagger], but the slashing weapon is better than nothing as I hack at the two nearest me, trying to cut their wings so I can stomp them into oblivion.

  They continue to swarm, their sights now fully set on me from the time my knife hacked into me. I stumble backward, my legs too weak and my mind too frayed and overtaxed even to move correctly. Still, I flail my one good arm around my face and core, hoping to forestall the inevitable before they all cease moving and then disappear.

  I turn toward the ape to see it also disappearing into Ether from which it came. Stefan’s sword has run through the [Beast Caller], its blade stained red with his blood. The man twitches, still clinging to life as he attempts to down a potion to recover his rapidly-diminishing [Health]. He gets partway through before a young man, whose name I don’t recall, runs up and severs the summoner’s jugular, ending his life a few gruesome seconds later.

  But the battle isn’t over. Kristil’s thunderous attacks are whittling down the ooze bit by bit, but she doesn’t have the firepower for a decisive blow. And I haven’t the strength to do more than simply stand and watch. My eyelids grow heavy, my limbs feel like they have the weight of the world cuffed upon them, and it takes all my willpower simply to keep myself conscious. But if there’s a chance this tiny bit of strength I have left can save someone’s life, I will endure. It’s what I want to do. It’s what I was made to do.

  I keep my eyes moving, even though it hurts just to keep them open. I want so badly to sleep, but how can I? While people are fighting, risking their lives to defend themselves and the ones they love? I cannot, despite the pain, despite the injuries, allow myself to rest just yet.

  And yet, I fall down onto the dirt at my feet, unable even to keep myself standing. I can’t reach my last [Ether Canister] to try to get back in the fight. But I have to try to do something. My fingers twitch until they stumbled upon my dagger. I don’t know if Lindsey or anyone else can use it. I trust that she can; she must have at least a [Basic Ether Manipulation] Skill after seeing how versatile and useful it has been for me.

  I pull the dagger out of its sheath and hold it in front of me. With what strength I have left, I call out to Lindsey to take the weapon from me. My voice is strained and it feels like I’m choking on my words, so sore is my throat. Little more than a whimper comes out, but it’s enough. She’s got amazing hearing as part of her class. It has to be enough.

  I wait what feels like an eternity, even if only a few seconds pass in real-time, before she finally arrives. I release the dagger lying on my stomach and look her in the eye.

  “Take it. Channel [Ether]... into it. [Lightning] glyph. Effective against… ooze monster. Finish the… the job.”

  She takes it and nods. I close my eyes, conserving my strength to make sure I don’t lose consciousness before the battle ends.

  I can hear the crackle of lightning once more as Kristil unleashes a spell more devastating than the last one. More cries and grunts of pain fill the battlefield, and despite my own weakness, my thoughts turn back to Chloe as they always do. Always Chloe, my best friend, the one who’s always been there for me, whenever I’ve needed her. Both before the System arrived, as well as after.

  And the more I think about her, the more scared I am. I don’t know how to give her what she wants. I don’t know if I’m as good for her as she deserves. I don’t know if anyone is good enough for that embodiment of divinity, of all that’s good and right with the world. But the fact remains, that I want it as well. Want to be with her, through hell and high water.

  A slate of System notifications and the quiet of the after-battle are the last things that I remember before consciousness slips away.

  [Your party has defeated a Wurm Rider (Level 33). You have gained a boosted 5,400 Experience.]

  [Your party has defeated a Giant Spined Wurm (Level 34). You have gained a boosted 12,300 Experience.]

  [Your party has defeated an Ooze Summoner (Level 32). You have gained a boosted 2,400 Experience.]

  [Your party has defeated a Great Water Ooze (Level 35). You have gained a boosted 3,900 Experience.]

  [Your party has defeated a Simian Tamer (Level 31). You have gained a boosted 2,400 Experience]

  [Your party has defeated a Giant Great Plains Gorilla (Level 34). You have gained a boosted 5,050 Experience]

  [You have gained enough Experience to reach Level 27. [Vitality] +1, [Mind] +1. Please assign free stat points. (Remaining: 4)]

  [Level: 27; Experience: 165,495; To Next: 9,180]

  [Error: Level Up not fully processed… Stats not updated accordingly.]

  [Current Stats: [Health]: 2,281 / 2,442 ; [Ether]: 41 / 1,544]

  [Current Stats: [Strength]: 31 (25); [Speed]: 31 (25); [Vitality]: 78 (62); [Mind]: 100 (80)]

  [Your [Bullet Time (Rank I)] has upgraded to [Bullet Time (Rank II)].]

  [Your [Glyphcasting (Rank VII) has upgraded to [Glyphcasting (Rank IX)].]

  [Your [Ethersight (Rank V) has upgraded to [Ethersight (Rank VI)].]