“I’m on it!” Max shouted as he cast an ice bolt at the kemonomimi that had run past Fowl and was sprinting at Tanila.

The ice bolt struck it in its back, not damaging it much, but enough to slow it down and draw its attention off their mage.

Fowl had two male cat warriors on him, and Max had dispatched one already, but the fact that his current target had completely ignored Fowl was a new experience. Stealth wasn’t worth it if enemies were going to attack their back-line support.

The female cat warrior lunged at Tanila, slamming into an earth wall that appeared a second before it was going to reach her. Its claws raked against the stone wall, taking a chunk out, but the warrior couldn't destroy Tanila’s barrier.

Casting another ice bolt, Max was grateful for the air wall that Tanila managed to cast in time to block the attacker from getting around the stone wall she had summoned.

Max threw his spear as he cast the ice bolt, watching it fly and pierce the leather-clad warrior from behind, through the stomach, sticking out from both sides.

It screeched, turning to see where the attack had come from, only to take his ice bolt in its chest and find Max five steps away, a sword appearing in his hand.

By the time he made it to the warrior, his shield was gone, and both swords were moving, a high-low double attack coming as the cat tried to block with its arms, only to find them chopped off and a leg missing a moment later.

As it crashed to the ground, only a second passed before Max drove the swords into the creature's chest, ending its life.

The cold sensation he felt was barely anything.

[ 22 Mana Points Consumed ]

Yanking the swords from its chest, Max put one in storage and pulled his spear free from the creature.

“Thanks,” Tanila gasped, “Eight seconds!”

Max nodded, spinning around and running to Fowl, who was blocking the attacks of the two cat warriors easily. Fowl’s skill and new shield kept him relatively safe as he used his hammer to parry the claws that got past the shield.

As he ran, Max stored the spear, glad to have it back, and traded it out for the sword. Since these creatures only had long and sharp claws, he preferred to go completely offensive and use his strength and power to deal with these beasts.

“Shift right!” Max shouted as he came up on the left cat warrior, his swords moving so fast that the cat warrior couldn’t dodge even if it had known what Max was doing. His new stats after including the ring and chain shirt were unbelievable.

The silver sword sliced through the cat’s right arm and shoulder, leaving a foot-long cut that ran through its chest. It howled in pain as its armor did nothing to stop the attack. With his gear and Batrire’s buff, he was at fifty-two strength, and these swords cut through the cats like paper.

His second sword came at the cat warrior’s right leg, cleaving it off completely.

He heard Fowl grunt as the dwarf focused on the warrior before him.

Running past Fowl, the other cat warrior broke free and charged Max, its clawed hands held to the side as it ran.

Max darted to the right as they collided, delivering a brutal two-hit combo that left the cat headless and without a left arm.

A chill came over him as the creature fell dead.

[ 23 Hit Points Consumed ]

[ 22 Mana Points Consumed ]

The cat had managed to slash his arm, but the trade-off was it died. Max knew he would heal after he killed it.

Turning around, he jogged to where Fowl was, watching the dwarf hit the last cat warrior with his hammer and hearing the sound of a bone breaking in the arm that had just tried to slice Fowl open.

“Hurry up,” Fowl grumbled, knowing it was easier if Max ended things instead of letting him finish this alone.

Max came up from behind with a nod, beheading the creature in a single strike.

“Gods, you make me want to hate you sometimes,” Fowl declared as he kicked the headless cat. “Now I see why elves hate humans so much.”

Grinning, Max flicked his blades to the sides, sending the blood on them flying before returning them to storage.

“I’m not sure how this is my fault. Perhaps you should talk to your gods about why they made you so short.”

Fowl spun around when he heard Tanila chuckle and scowled at her. “At least we can grow a beard,” he replied.

“Yes, everyone wants a beard so they can worry about food and other things getting stuck in it. Nothing like having something else to wash and keep clean.”

“Stop it, you two,” Batrire said, chiding them for their teasing. “This conversation has been had too many times, and we both know it ends with you two acting like babies when it is over.” She held up a hand, stopping Fowl as he prepared to reply. “We need to rethink how we handle these groups. We haven’t even hit the dungeon yet, and I don’t want to walk into this unprepared.”

Tanila sighed and nodded. “I guess stealth isn’t an option, is it?”The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Not unless I want to get the aggro of the whole group on me from the start,” Max replied, scratching his chin as he considered it. “Based on how far apart they were out here, it might be possible, but it would also mean a good twenty yards or more between me and Fowl. That is a long time without any backup, and I’m unsure how to deal with these cats.”

“Kemonomimi, Seth. They are called kemonomimi,” Tanila stated, shaking her head. “No one likes to call them cats.”

Fowl raised his hand and started to reply but stopped when he saw Tanila’s expression.

“Sorry, it’s easier to say cats versus that long name.” Holding his hands up while acting like he was afraid, Max grinned. “Help me with this kemonomimi warrior! Oh no, I mean the other kemonomimi warrior!”

Batrire couldn’t help but snort, seeing Tanila grimace as Max had fun proving his point.

“Fine… you can say cat inside, but out here, I expect you to show some respect to their official name.”

Nodding, Max bowed, giving a grin as he pulled out a knife and moved toward the furthest corpse.

The dungeon Fowl had picked today was outside the walls, and moving along the forest to where the dungeon was located resulted in a few fights they had not been ready for. Even skirting the woods, the occasional pack had come out of the trees, descending upon Max and Fowl.

The fights ended quickly as each group only had three warriors, and Max learned to keep his swords out, always ready for what might happen.

Seven fights later, they finally reached the blue portal inside a small group of pillars. The setting reminded Max of the dungeons he had fought inside at Windsor Wheel, and he almost asked if they were all like this.

“Ogre shite,” Fowl cursed as they entered the dungeon. “You have to be kidding me.”

Max grunted, seeing and feeling what Fowl was upset about.

A thick jungle was thirty yards ahead, the sounds of birds, insects, and other creatures creating ambient noise through the dungeon. Worse yet was the humidity that already had him beginning to sweat.

“My sack is going to smell awful after today,” Fowl complained to Max, glad neither Tanila nor Batrire had portaled in yet.

As the two women came over, both groaned after a few seconds, and Max saw Tanila beginning to shake her robe a little, trying to circulate air inside it.

“I never considered how bad a dungeon’s environment could be,” Max stated, motioning to the jungle. “Are the higher level ones going to be this oppressive with heat and cold?”

“You bet your arse they will be,” Fowl said, pulling his shield and hammer out of storage. “I’ve heard stories of dwarves that turned into popsicles. Worse yet are the towers where a floor might take a week to get through, and you must have food and shelter.”

That thought made Max grateful this might only take a few hours.

“Ok, you two, let’s stop complaining and get it over with. I’ll buff, and then we can head out. Max, you take point. Fowl, stay near us.”

Nodding, Max cast his fire and ice enchantment as Batrire buffed the group. Once they were ready, they set off, moving into the jungle.

Their path was blocked by giant trees, vines, full-grown bushes, and various plants. Thick two-inch wide shoots rose up over fifteen feet, and Max had to hack a path through them.

As he came through a section, he heard a roar.

“Incoming!”

Sensing the movement on the other side of the shoots, Max gave two massive sweeps of his sword, making a path into the clearing on the other side.

Two cat warriors came at him, and behind them, he saw two more with bows aiming in his direction.

Dashing forward, Max faced the problem of being stuck in the path he had created.

The two warriors were taller than the ones outside. Seeing them for the first time, he noticed much more than their height. They were stronger, based on their muscle density, and wore metal armor over certain parts of their body. Their chest, forearms, and legs each had a metal piece attached. The bracer on their forearms had a row of sharp knife-like hooks, providing damage and protection.

They also moved faster.

He had anticipated them being slow, but they were on him within two steps, swiping with their claws combined with using their legs to kick.

After he parried the two cats, they adjusted their strike, closing their fists, which he saw had metal bands over their knuckles.

His sword clanged off the hand protection. Both kicked the moment he parried their fists, one attacking low and the other going for the middle of his body.

He could see one of the archers preparing to fire, and the choice he had at that moment left him frustrated.

Dodging the low attack, Max moved into the kick toward his side, tightening his core and preparing for the impact he was about to take. The arrow he knew was coming flew by him, hitting the tall grass behind him and piercing one of the tall plant shoots.

The impact of the kick hurt, but nothing was broken since he moved into it, lessening the blow because the warrior never got a full rotation.

Now in close, Max used both swords, one striking toward the left warrior's neck and the other coming for its right side.

The cat tried to move out of the way, but it was helpless against him, and the realization that it couldn’t stop both attacks flashed across its face before its right arm came up, the metal bracer blocking his attack partially. It was strong, but it wasn’t as formidable as he was, so Max’s sword sliced down into its shoulder, breaking the collarbone.

At the same time, the attack on its right side connected, his sword cleaving through half of its torso.

It roared, sagging backward and falling as Max’s sword slid from its waist.

The warrior on his right came at Max, leaping toward him. Its mouth was snarling, sharp teeth bared as it came at him.

His position was off, and he could not dodge or block the warrior. It slammed into him, making him take two steps back as it staggered him slightly, its teeth trying to get to his neck. Max pressed with his right arm, fighting to keep the snapping jaw from his throat where his leather cap didn’t provide enough protection along his neck.

He sensed Fowl moving on his left, drawing the attention of the archers as he ran past Max.

The pain of the bite to his shoulder wasn’t terrible as the teeth didn’t penetrate his chain, yet the bite strength of the warrior was terrifying. Had it latched down on his neck, there would have been no telling the damage it would have done.

As its claws raked across his armored back, Max brought his left arm in and up, driving the sword through its side and into its chest. The cat warrior jerked back, and Max twisted his hand, the blade turning inside. The cat released its bite on him, trying to use its right arm to push his head to the side and try again.

Max felt the ice spear enter his perception from behind before it pierced the warrior’s face, driving it away from him. Tanila's attack drove the cat warrior far enough back that he could use his right arm and hand, turning his wrist and driving the sword up and into its left armpit.

The warrior fell off him toward the ground where its fallen comrade was.

As Max moved to finish the warrior off, a pain like none he had ever felt before flooded his being.

He stumbled, driving the sword into the warrior's chest, killing it.

Cold power flooded over him, and simultaneously, a burning sensation overwhelmed his left eye.

[ 46 Hit Points Consumed ]

[ Consume has detected an injury it cannot heal ]

The notification scared him as Max realized what he felt at that moment.

An arrow was stuck in his left eye.