Chad glanced at Jerry. "You picked a new skill, right?"

"Uh... yes, why?"

"Good. Time to test it out!"

"W-wait--"

With that, Chad ran toward the pack of coyotes, leaving the nervous Musician among the oaks.

I could just bean all these guys with a rock, he thought as he emerged from the treeline. It'd be pretty easy to just take em' all out with Curveball. But... actually, this might be a good opportunity to test my other stuff.

"Hey!" Chad shouted across the grass. The coyotes pricked up their ears and whirled to face him in surprise. "Go on, git! Unless you wanna be training dummies for me, that is."

At the pack's momentary distraction, the border collie burst into action. It spun and sprinted toward the bleating sheep with alarming speed. One of the coyotes lunged forward to stop the dog, but the collie deftly leapt out of the way and chomped through its leg.

The bone snapped and sent the coyote falling face-first into the ground. It whined and yowled plaintively as the dog headed towards the mass of wooly lumps that were its charges. The already terrified mob surged toward the house in a panic, but the dog's quick movements to either side kept them together and in some semblance of an organized group.

The coyotes growled in annoyance and made to pursue the retreating group, but Chad stepped between them. He grinned. "Sorry, it's my turn now."

As the group arced around Chad, a particularly brave coyote lunged forward to test him. Unfortunately, it went for his good side. He effortlessly slapped the thing's head into mist and braced for the rest.

A cacophony of yips followed as the coyotes reeled back in surprise. However, they didn't retreat in fear. Instead, they redoubled their efforts.

That's just fine with me.

Another coyote came from the left, feinting forward before pulling back. Chad pivoted to grab it, his new dexterity letting him catch its muzzle just before it clamped down on his arm. With a quick motion, he swung it back across his chest. Its body slammed into one of its brethren as it tried to go for Chad's exposed side.

As the two mangled bodies tumbled into a heap before him, Chad eyed the group before him. Now they were definitely on edge. He counted ten more remaining in the pack, each warily circling around him.

Chad reached down toward his belt. Time to test out some other options.

Even though his dexterity was certainly paying off, he still had problems with his reach and speed. The ability to throw things with Curveball mitigated the issues, but didn't solve them entirely. Particularly when things got up close and personal. Hence why he'd brought along some new weapons to test.

With that, he pulled free one of the other items on his belt -- a leather bullwhip.

It seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea. Whips were long, and their tips were known to go so fast they'd break the sound barrier. So if Chad took that and combined it with his strength, then who knew how deadly he could make this thing?

The fact that it made him feel cool as hell was just a bonus.

He gave his wrist an experimental flick, recalling the technique he'd learned as a child. The length of leather blurred in his hand. But it didn't produce the familiar crack that he expected.

Chad's flick spread down the whip's length violently, ripping it apart from sheer speed and force. Chad's jaw dropped as the remaining length of his whip tore itself to pieces, practically disintegrating before his eyes. The tip didn't even have a chance to make its signature sound. In the blink of an eye, he was left gripping a short piece of tattered leather.

He looked at the noticeably smaller whip where it lay limp in his hand. Huh. Guess that didn't work.

Even if his whip hadn't survived, though, the sound had an effect of its own. It sent the coyotes scuttling back, giving him an even wider berth than before.

As he reached for the next item on his belt, he heard the sound of a string instrument cut across the field. Glancing back, Jerry stood at the edge of the treeline, his violin case open and abandoned at his feet. His eyes were squeezed shut in concentration as he guided the bow back and forth across its strings. The tune he played was fast-paced, almost sounding manic with how quickly his fingers flew. But it sounded good.

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Dang. I already thought he was good, but now? That sounds DAMN good. Even better than yesterday.

Turning his attention back to the battle at hand, Chad noticed the coyotes acting strangely. They stumbled about mid-stride, shaking their heads as if disoriented. Clearly, Jerry's playing had messed with them somehow.

Chad called back over his shoulder. "Atta boy, Jer-bear!"

The Musician didn't respond, focused entirely on his music.

Ok, well, let's try door number two.

This time, Chad pulled a hammer from his belt. It wasn't anything nearly as impressive as his old sledgehammer. Just what he'd been able to find on short notice. But it would hopefully work as a proof of concept.

One of the coyotes darted forward, pushing through its disorientation to nip at his leg. Chad scooped the hammer downward to meet its head with a solid crack. Unfortunately, the hammer also seemed to have trouble with the sheer force of the blow. Its head snapped off before it even struck the coyote, hurtling through the air to take another one through its chest.

Once again, Chad was left holding the stump of his weapon with a frown. He tossed it at his original target, vaporizing them both. Ok. I'm starting to see a pattern here...

Glancing down at his belt, he eyed the pair of nunchucks hanging there. Maybe they weren't the best idea after all.

With a sigh, he tossed the hammer handle aside and took a fighting stance. Screw the weapons, I guess. If nothing's gonna be able to survive me, then I guess I do gotta just rely on my arm.

Not that he was complaining. After all, he had a proficiency that encouraged him to do just that.

Another two coyotes ran at him, one from the left and one from the right. He punched the left one, then brought his elbow back into the right one's face as its teeth skidded off of his unbelievably tough forearm. He ducked under another as it charged him, rolling forward and chopping at the legs of another.

The roll, as cool as it had looked, did leave him a bit exposed. The remaining four coyotes in front of him attacked as one, lunging for his arms, neck and face. So Chad activated Iron Skin.

A sheet of silver slid down his arms, coating them in a flash. Every bit of his exposed skin reflected the light as though he'd been dipped in liquid mercury. The coyotes bit and scratched at him, their teeth and claws meeting shiny skin with metallic scrapes and clangs. One of them stumbled back, its teeth cracked and falling out of its mouth.

Oh yeah. He grinned, dispatching another two coyotes easily. Squawk was right. This skill is awesome.

Chad heard a yip from behind him. Whirling around, he saw that coyote that had leapt over him earlier was not, in fact, striking at his back. Instead, it had kept stumbling forward. And it was headed straight for Jerry.

"Oh, shit!" Chad turned and sprinted forward, ignoring the other coyotes as they tried in vain to harm him. "Jer-bear! Run!"

But Jerry didn't seem to hear. He was too focused on his own playing.

Chad reached for the pouch at his side as he ran. He wouldn't be able to reach the guy in time, but he might be able to hit the animal with a rock. Something he'd feel a lot better about if the coyote wasn't directly between him and Jerry.

Shit shit shit-- Chad pulled back his arm to throw as the coyote leaped toward the oblivious Musician. Don't miss!

But before he could throw, a flash of white and black appeared out of the corner of Chad's eye. Out of nowhere, the border collie sailed through the air and slammed into the coyote, tackling it in the side and away from Jerry.

The two animals rolled to the ground in a tumble. The dog leaped away, landing on its feet and avoiding the snapping maw of the coyote. Before the coyote could stand though, the collie moved faster than seemed possible to sink its jaws into the coyote's neck. It tore its throat out in one smooth motion.

Now confident in Jerry's safety, Chad turned to the final two coyotes. They hung off his shirt, claws still scratching in vain at his back and shoulders. He tried to reach back and grab them, but couldn't quite manage the feat. So he fell backwards, trying to crush the coyotes beneath his weight.

They leapt off and away before he met the ground. His hand darted out to grab one by the leg, slamming it into the ground next to him. The other retreated back, looking around the area.

It finally seemed to realize the gravity of the situation. The coyote's ears flattened as it saw that it was the last of its pack standing. Well, the last one for now.

With a series of terrified yips, the last coyote began to run away. However, Chad had no intent of letting that happen. A quick rock to the skull finished the encounter.

As Chad panted, the adrenaline slowly leaving his system, he straightened and looked around. The previously green field was littered with broken coyote bodies and painted with fresh blood. Over it all, Jerry still played that manic tune of his, lending the scene a distinctly "horror-show" vibe.

At least it's taken care of. He wiped the gore off his fist. And no one got hurt, either. Thank goodness.

Chad turned toward the black and white border collie. It sat on the grass, pink tongue lolling out of its mouth as crazy blue eyes stared him down with a fervent intensity.

"Thanks for the help, doggie!" He grinned and knelt to pet the collie. "You really saved Jer-bear back there."

The collie barked, thumping its tail a few times at the praise. Chad scratched it a few more times, looking over its injuries. "You're a real trooper. Let's get you taken care of, ok? I'm sure Tom or his wife can patch you up."

To his surprise, the dog's head seemed to bob before it stood and began trotting toward the house. Chad stared after it in confusion.

Huh. Tom's really trained that dog well, I guess.

Standing once more, Chad turned to get Jerry and follow the dog.