More silver streaks shot through the air as the enemies began their assault in earnest. Shouts rose from among the humans as they ducked behind trees and recently pilfered shields for cover. Gunshots rang out as they began to return fire.

More silvery projectiles thudded into the tree near Chad's head as he skirted around its base. Looking at his left arm, a strange barbed needle jutted painfully out of his bicep.

As Chad turned to face the incoming enemies, he decided it was time to try out his new skill. He took a deep breath in, then coughed as his broken rib stabbed into his side.

Shit. Hopefully, the skill doesn't care too much about whether I'm actually yelling at the top of my lungs.

With as loud of a shout as he could manage, Chad called out the first battle cry that came into his head. The one he'd heard all throughout his childhood, the one that embodied his Paw Paw's fierce loyalty to the Republic of Texas.

"REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!"

Then, all hell broke loose.

Screams of agony rose up in a ghastly chorus all around as the gunfire ceased. Chad's head whipped about in confusion, looking for some new and dangerous threat. But instead, he saw the humans around him writhing in pain as they grasped their right arms.

Their limbs swelled in size, growing and bulking until they resembled smaller versions of Chad's own proportions. Muscles and veins bulged oddly from every angle as their elbows bent, no longer able to fully straighten.

Oh shit. Did not expect that.

Evidently, the skill was slightly more specific than he'd thought. Chad felt the strength swell through his own arm as well, causing it to pull more strongly at his back and shoulder, but it wasn't anything worse than what he'd gotten used to. Maybe he just had a high pain tolerance.

The enemies hesitated for a moment, showing just as much surprise as Chad at the new development. But they quickly shook off their shock and resumed their attacks.

Shoot. I need a distraction.

Chad hurled a knife through the woods, carving it toward the snipers with Curveball. In its wake, trees slid sideways and tumbled to the ground, forcing the enemies to jump back and dodge out of the way or be crushed. He zig-zagged the knife around to further complicate things and heard a few distant gurgles as it sliced through camouflaged forms.

The brief moment of confusion was enough for Chad's allies to mostly recover. The gunfire started up anew as they adjusted to their newly empowered arms, pained grimaces on every face. But he didn't have time to look around.

A pair of lizardmen in flowing green-black robes leaped over a fallen tree and darted toward him. They held daggers in each hand, slashing at his already-injured chest.

Chad backhanded the first, obliterating its skull and sending its remains crumpling against a nearby tree. The second one dodged back and curved around to his left side. He pivoted to swing at it, but the lizard continued to curve frustratingly to his left.

Damn! I can't reach!

The problem wasn't just that his left arm was useless. Between the barbed needle in his bicep, his probably broken knuckles, and the torn pec that flared with pain every time he tried to move it, that limb was dead weight more than ever. No, the real problem was that his right arm simply wasn't long or flexible enough.

He charged forward, spinning as quickly as he could to catch the enemy by surprise. It easily avoided him and even scored another slash across his left for the trouble. Chad gritted his teeth against the searing pain.

This isn't working, he thought as the lizard sliced at him again. A shallow gash opened on his leg. Curveball's not up yet, but I need to take care of this guy before I bleed to death from all these papercuts.

The lizard danced backward again, its tongue flicking out with a soft sound. As it bounced on the balls of its feet -- or whatever the reptilian equivalent was -- Chad had an idea.

Ducking down beneath the next thrust, Chad activated Ultra Instinct. The lithe reptile froze in place for a brief moment. Chad was ready, thrusting forward his fist to pulverize the annoying foe. But right as the stun ran out, the reptile moved with supernatural speed to cartwheel backward and out of the way.

Shit! He swore inwardly as the flood of strength poured through him. Why is it so damn fast?!

The lizard seemed to smile in triumph as Chad stumbled forward slightly. It darted around, raising both of its daggers and plunging them into his shoulders. The arm wrestler screamed as the blade pierced his flesh, blood welling from the wound. Well, one of them. The other dagger snapped in half.

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With one final burst of speed, the lizard darted back again. Chad's vision blurred for a moment, then snapped back into focus as he forced himself to stay upright. For the first time, he kind of regretted not picking up that pain resistance skill.

But you're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve, buddy.

Pulling his Ultra-Instinct-empowered fist back, Chad stepped forward to strike again as the reptile dodged contemptuously. But instead of aiming at his enemy, he twisted toward the ground and struck it with his fist.

The last time he'd done this, he'd been in the city. His punch had cracked some pavement and sent a ripple of force forward, ejecting underground enemies from their tunnels. That's why Chad hoped that, with his new strength, he could knock this guy off his feet at least.

The impact sent ripples across the earth, causing it to roil like a churning ocean. He felt the ground beneath him wobble and shake as though he were standing on an inflatable bouncy house instead of solid ground. Cracks spread out from the point of impact as chunks of dirt and mud sprayed in every direction.

Shouts of alarm echoed from all around as the not-so-miniature earthquake expanded outward. The rumbling didn't stop, sending him and everyone else tumbling to the ground. The trees loosened from their spots with creaks and groans, the ones that still stood threatening to topple over. Chad saw his opponent fall on his butt alongside everyone else.

Got you.

As the earth continued to groan, he scrambled forward to grab the lizard's leg. Its eyes widened in shock and horror as he pulled it towards him, smashing in its ribcage with one last punch. The residual force traveled into the ground, setting off the shaking anew.

As the earthquake and Ultra Instinct finally subsided, Chad climbed shakily to his feet. Despite the still burning pain in his left side, he couldn't help but grin to himself.

That was some quick thinking there. I'm kinda proud of myself.

"Chad, behind you!"

Squawkers psychic warning made him whip around. As he did, a bang rang out. A black-skinned goblin had been sneaking up on him with its knife raised, but now crumpled to the floor limply. It was still breathing, but seemingly unable to move a muscle. Another bang sent a spurt of purple blood fountaining up from its head.

Annie climbed unsteadily to her feet. One comically muscled arm had ripped through the rest of her sleeve, making her look like she'd accidentally swapped limbs with a bodybuilder. "I got your back!"

"Thanks!" Chad gave her a nod of thanks. He saw her wince in discomfort as she raised the rifle and turned to shoot down another enemy.

Chad panted, looking around at the scene. His allies continued to fight, using their newly empowered arms to shoot, slash, and punch their foes. He saw more than a few impressive uppercuts and backhands in just a brief glance around. They didn't vaporize foes like his did, of course, but they certainly caved in heads.

He couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief. Maybe this skill wasn't so bad. Then again, the grimaces of obvious pain and discomfort on each face seemed to indicate otherwise. Either way, it didn't seem to come with an off switch, so there wasn't much he could do.

Another silver streak shot toward him. Chad raised his arm to block the needle reflexively. It shattered against his forearm, splintering to each side. Thin shards of metal sliced into his left shoulder and cut his cheek.

Damn. Maybe I need a bigger hand to block things better.

He gritted his teeth and punched another opponent trying to sneak up on him. Now that Curveball had finally recharged, he sent another deadly knife spiraling in the direction the projectile had shot from. As he did, he saw Squawkers hopping about the tree limbs above. One of the bird's wings was significantly larger than the other, to the point that he couldn't even tuck it against his body. His blinks took him from tree limb to tree limb, but he seemed to be avoiding flight for the moment.

Chad glanced around, looking for anyone who needed help. A harder task than he'd expected, considering how much the landscape had changed. The ground was completely uneven now, trees providing cover and obstacles alike.

He called up to the parrot. "Gimme a target, Squawk!"

"There!" He pointed with his larger wing, nearly losing balance as he did. "Melee guy fighting one of ours!"

Chad hobbled over as quickly as he could and found the pair the bird had indicated. A Car Salesman wrestled with an incredibly hairy octopus, the two rolling about on the ground behind a wall of fallen trees. The Car Salesman's gun lay nearby where it had been lost or abandoned.

Not wanting to risk hitting the man with a throw, Chad hurried forward and pulled the octopus off his ally with one arm. Its tentacles instantly darted toward his neck. They wrapped tightly around it, cutting off Chad's air and bloodflow both until he crushed them in his grip. The newly freed man on the ground joined in, chopping at the flailing tentacles with his knife.

After a few more bursts of gunfire, the fighting seemed to subside. Chad wheezed, clutching his side as blood dribbled down his left arm and listening for any other signs of trouble. The others remained tense as well, looking around for another ambush.

"Did we... did we win?" Annie asked.

"...I think so," Squawkers confirmed. "At least, I think we're safe for now..."

Chad groaned with relief, collapsing back against an uprooted tree stump. Safe or not, he was beat. He'd need a nice, long rest before trying something like that again. Preferably some medical attention, too.

Yeah... his vision swam. I need a break. I'm... not in good shape...

"Chad?! Are you ok? You can't pass out yet!"

His eyes blinked open to see Annie kneeling in front of him, brow creased with worry. One delicate hand cupped his cheek, preventing his head from falling sideways. The other, significantly beefier one held a cloth to his wounds with more force than was probably required or advisable.

She nodded to her massive right arm. "You gotta turn this shit off!"