Peters pushed the cruiser forward, following the trail of destruction. The road opened up ahead, leading into the main parking lot for Portalis Park.

  “Easy, easy. Pull up behind that wrecked SWAT van,” I said, pointing.

  He eased the car to a stop, the engine rumbling, giving us a clear but partially concealed view of the battlefield. At the far end of the lot, reality itself had been torn open.

  A shimmering blue rift, a perfect circle easily a hundred feet high, hung in the air. It didn't look like a door; it looked like a wound in the world, bleeding blue light. The air around it warped with heat and a low, guttural hum that vibrated in my teeth.

  The air was a war of smells. The sharp, sterile scent of ozone pulsed from the gate, clashing with the acrid bite of gunpowder.

  But smothering it all was that same, unnatural perfume of the forest—a rich, loamy scent of life so thick and sweet it was sickening. It was like fighting a war in a goddamn greenhouse.

  A thin line of officers in tactical gear were dug in behind wrecked vehicles, their rifles barking in a continuous, deafening roar. Closer to the gate, three men held the line with steel. Players. One was a giant, broad-shouldered man with a two handed battle axe that was already painted green with gore. He laughed as he swung it, a terrifying, joyous sound that cut through the gunfire. He was enjoying this. The other two were a different story. They fought shoulder-to-shoulder, their movements a frantic, desperate dance of survival, their shields dented and scarred, their faces pale masks of terror.

  Just as my brain was cataloging the impossible, another lizard, bulkier and meaner-looking, burst from the gate. It ignored the players and charged straight for the gun line, hitting the officers like a freight train hitting a row of mailboxes. Men and equipment were tossed into the air like confetti. The screams were sharp, then just… gone.

  “Drive at it!” I yelled, my voice raw. “Now, Peters! Hit it!”

  The kid didn't hesitate. He cranked the wheel, and we shot out from behind the van, tearing across the field. The lizard had an officer pinned, its claws digging into the man's chest as it tore at him. The man's screams were cut short as the teeth of the lizard ripped his throat out. It lifted its head, gore dripping from its jaws as it turned towards the sound of the approaching cruiser. It turned too late, the cruiser slammed straight into it. The lizard's claws tore at the hood as it slammed into a tree behind it.

  The world went sideways as my head slammed forward. But everything was… slow. Syrupy. I could see the dashboard crumpling, the airbag cover splitting open, the white bag itself billowing out toward my face like a lazy balloon.

  High Agility Stat? Maybe? some distant, analytical part of my brain tried to figure it out. Time dilation? Oh whatever. Focusing back on the impending pain.

  Huh. Well, that's going to break my nose. I tried to turn my head and suddenly I was looking at the passenger door. The bag slammed into the side of my head with a soft whump instead of shattering my face. Neat.

  The lizard was pinned against a massive tree, still alive, its claws screeching as they tore through the hood of the cruiser. I didn’t waste the opportunity. My sword materialized in my hand, and I punched forward, driving the blade clean through the windshield. It slid through the lizard’s thick skull with a wet pop.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Lesser Lizard killed – 25 XP gained.

  Puncturing Strike Proficiency increased

  I kicked my door open as one of the SWAT guys ran up, his rifle at the ready. He saw the sword and his eyes widened. “You’re a Player! We need help! Logan and the others are getting overwhelmed!” he yelled, pointing toward the gate.

  “Peters, you good?” I called back into the wrecked cruiser.

  “Go!” he yelled, shaking his head to clear it. Multiple cuts on his face bled but they looked superficial “I’ll grab my weapon and be right there!”

  I took off at a sprint. I was halfway across the open space when two more lizards shimmered into existence at the gate's edge. They didn't roar. They just moved, a blur of coordinated, predatory hunger, and they both converged on one of the swordsmen.

  Time seemed to slow.

  New skill unlocked: Flow State

  I got to figure out these skills at some point, the screen disappeared, my attention still on the slow motion horror movie taking place in front of me.

  The man’s partner screamed a warning, a wordless cry of horror. But it was too late. One lizard launched itself high, its jaws closing on the man's head with a sound like a watermelon being dropped from a rooftop. At the exact same instant, the other lizard hit him low, its teeth shearing through armor and bone, ripping his sword arm clean off at the shoulder.

  The man's body was torn apart in a single, horrific moment. His partner stood frozen, his shield lowered, his face a mask of pure, uncomprehending shock. He was alive, but he'd checked out.

  The world stuttered, my brain struggling to accept the savage efficiency of the kill. A hot, acidic bile rose in my throat. Death is becoming too close of a companion.

  I used my momentum to slide, my sword lifting, poised to strike. The lizard that had taken the man's arm was just landing, and my blade sliced into its exposed underbelly, tearing it open. The beast shrieked as its own guts spilled onto the grass.

  Lesser Lizard killed – 25 XP gained.

  Cleaving Arc proficiency increased.

  Congratulations on leveling up! Accept rewards? Yes/No.

  No, I thought, dismissing the window as I scrambled to my feet. My lungs burned, each breath a ragged gasp that did nothing to quell the fire. My sword arm felt like it was packed with lead. The other lizard, the one that had taken the player's head, was already charging me. I grabbed the dead man's shield from the ground just as the monster slammed into it, the impact sending me skidding back several feet.

  I was facing two more lizards fresh from the gate, with the corpse of their buddy at my feet and the lone, shell-shocked survivor standing nearby. My training screamed at me: Outflanked. Outnumbered. Disengage. My gut screamed back: There's nowhere to run.

  I managed to dodge and weave, my high Agility the only thing keeping me alive, and finally found an opening. I lunged, putting all my weight behind a thrust that buried my Jian in one of the lizard's eyes. It went down with a gurgling cry.

  Lesser Lizard killed – 25 XP gained.

  Puncturing Strike Proficiency increased.

  The victory was short-lived. I couldn't get my sword free in time. The second lizard was on me, its claws tearing through my pant leg as it knocked me to the ground. I was on my back, tangled and exposed. Its jaws, dripping with the blood of its last victim, opened wide to finish the job.

  Well, this is a shitty way to die.

  Suddenly a shadow blocked out the sun, and a animalistic roar filled the air. It didn’t belong to the lizards though. As my brain tried to comprehend the sound and stop the lizard from killing me its head vanished in a spray of green gore. The decapitated body collapsed inches from my face.

  Standing over it was the giant man with the axe, that same terrifying grin plastered on his face.

  “Close one eh,” he rumbled.