I didn't have to do much healing. Most of the people the ogre got his hands on died. Stew with his strength had done well and my HP had been high enough to keep me going. Other than Mike and his face there were only a few scrapes among the group.

Sam and six of the seven survivors took the casualties down to the entrance. Meagan helped the rest of us down to the entrance where I started healing those I could.

While I waited for my Mana to replenish enough to finish healing, I looked over my skill gains. {Heal} had gone up a level already and [Shattering Blow] had gone up three. I had hoped to gain some levels in my weapon proficiencies, instead I gained completely new ones. One-handed Battle Axe and three levels in One-handed War Hammer. Oddly enough I even got one more level in Improvised Weapons.

I looked at the next level of my Shattered Title I had gotten from the Goblin Chief's levels.

Shattered but Whole - The Shadow shattered you and you resisted.

•Gain ?Shadow Sense?

•Health and Mana Regen +100%

•Stamina costs -50%, Spell costs -25%

?

?

That would let me keep fighting as well as use stronger skills more often in teh future.

I noticed that even after I fully healed myself my hands stung like a son-of-a-bitch. I think I needed some actual grips for my weapons.

When Sam got back with everyone from searching I asked what they had found.

"Nothing."

"There wasn't anything?"

Sam shook his head. "What they didn't break they...Defiled."

"Shit everywhere man." Terrance had a disgusted look on his face.

"Just whatever this ball was that ogre had." Sam said as he held up the orb. It looked like a crystal ball surrounded by a ropey brass net.

"Well at least we didn't come here for supplies. Just to stop the creepy child snatchers." I said.

"Attempted child snatchers. Though that doesn't make them any better does it?" Mike looked a bit sheepish at his comment.

"Lets get out of here." Stew said.

When we got outside I was surprised to still see injured from the first battle sitting outside.

"What's going on? I thought you were going to get them safe inside." Sam called out to a gray haired man who looked up at our arrival.

"We just got started Sam. We were taking the first group over to the safe house now."

"What?" Sam said.

"Sam." Once I got his attention I continued. "Remember I mentioned the time thing from the first dungeon? I think it's getting worse."

"How long were we inside?" San asked

"Fifteen minutes. We just got word back that everything was set up." the gray hair said.

"It's been hours though." Sam said.

A dusky dark haired man came running down the street waving and yelling. "Sam! Sam!"

He ran up and started talking. "I'm glad I caught you before you went in. Something attacked our guards over by The Five Corners. Chased one off and now it's eating the other. Our guns aren't doing anything."

"Shit. Dave do you think you guys're ready?"

I looked at Meagan, Mike, and Stew. They all nodded.

"Yea we're up for it."

Sam turned back to the man who had run up. "Lead the way."

I looked around until I saw Gilberto and Terrance. "If you guys are feeling up to it we might need your help."

The five corners is a cheap tavern on Columbia and Fessenden. What makes it five corners is a little one-way alley about twenty feet long that comes off the intersection and towards our neighborhood. Columbia continues on and hits the high school we just came from while Fessenden borders the area that we have begun to set up as ours. The intersection was a good spot to set up a guard post because it offered a good view with pleasantly few cars stopped on the road.

We were in a parking lot of a nearby apartment complex peering under some cars. We watched something that looked like a three foot tall orange tabby. The largest difference was that it's whiskers looked about as big around as my pinky and a foot too long.

‡ Lvl(6) ??? Shattered ‡

"What the hell is it?" Mike asked.

"Does the system not know or are we too low level?" I asked in return.

"It looks like a mini-coeurl. You know from Final Fantasy?" Stew looked at us.

I saw it's name flicker and change.

‡ Lvl(6) Mini-Coeurl ‡

"Sweet! I got 20XP for naming it." Stew grinned.

I heard Mike grumble under his breath. "What kind of half-ass system is this?"

"Sam, think we could see how it's bulletproof?"

"What did you shoot it with Diego?" Sam turned to the man that had ran to the high school to tell us about the attack.

"Carl used a shotgun before it chased him off. He ended up with a shin full of spent pellets and a limp. I used my .45 and it just snarled at me." Diego said.

"Alright. Mind if I borrow your .45 for a few shots?"

Diego looked down at Sam's .22 and raised an eyebrow "Maybe you should put on the big one from now on Sam."

"I only got the .22 because I like plinking. I don't need a big gun to make my dick get hard." Sam said.

"Damn. Leave me some self respect for the wife to chew on will you." Diego had a grin on his face while he handed over the pistol.

Sam took the pistol and checked the magazine and chamber, ending with racking a round into the chamber. Sighting on the Mini-Coeurl squatting over the body in the middle of the road he fired.

At the loud gun shot the creature braced itself and flared it's tentacle/whiskers. Great, I hadn't even noticed that its whiskers were now prehensile. There was a spark directly in front of the Mini-Coeurl and we heard the whizzing of a deformed bullet flying away. The creature yowled like an angry cat.

"It's got a shield." Mike said in wonder.

"I wish we had one. See how it braced itself? Maybe it's directional. Gilberto can you put one of your new {Fireball}s up it's ass if we get it to turn around?" I asked. Gilberto had made some kind of breakthrough while we were fighting the ogre. In an effort to do some damage to it he had changed {Mana Bolt} into {Fireball}. It still hadn't done anything to the ogre though.

"Wait. I got [Penetrating Shot] from that Gun Initiate Title. It didn't work well on the ogre but maybe with a bigger gun it will do something here." Sam said.

"OK. That's a good thing to test out." I replied.

Sam aimed at the creature that was now looking directly at us.

This shot created a glowing hole in the air in front of the Mini-Coeurl and tore off one of it's ears. It jumped straight up before screeching and running at us.

I scrambled off the ground and called out to everyone. "Let's go! Gilberto take the shot if you get it."

As my group jumped into action Sam continued shooting at the wildly dodging cat. He punched several holes in the shield but none of them actually hit it.

"Wait. I have that Title. I have that skill!" Terrance ran after us. "How do I use it?"

I was the first one to close with the Mini-Coeurl. I waited until Sam paused in his shooting and then swung my hammer at its head. My hammer stopped a foot away from the creature. I felt it vibrate unpleasantly in my hand. It used a whisker like a whip. It left a long cut on my hand. My hand went numb and I dropped my hammer. Stew ran up and brought his own club down in a two handed blow. His attack was stopped as well but it created concentric rings radiating away from the impact.

Meagan and Mike both got behind it. Their weapons pierced the shield but when the cat whirled towards them the shield tore their weapons out of their hands as it rotated.

It began furiously whipping it's whiskers at them. They raised their arms as they backed up and numerous small cuts appeared across their bodies.

The Mini-Coeurl was crouching to spring on one of them when Stew brought his club down and cracks formed in the shield. Gilberto chose that moment to use his {Fireball}. It streaked in and exploded around it's shield. The Mini-Coeurl hunkered down and began waving it's whiskers around, this time slowly in smooth and even strokes. The cracks in the shield began to fade.

Terrance stood outside the flames and focused inwardly for a few seconds. When he pulled the trigger on the shotgun half the shield disappeared and the Mini-Coeurl was blown out of the flames and onto it's side. The shield faded.

We walked up to the injured creature. One entire side was red and raw with blood leaking out across the ground. I thought I could feel a rumbling through the ground.

"Is it purring?" Mike asked.

"Cats purr for a few reasons. Like if they're badly injured. I guess it didn't really change as much as it seemed. I love cats. I don't think I can finish it like this." Terrance looked torn up over the changed cat.

"I'll do it. I get shadow levels from bosses. Maybe this will count." I heard Terrance ask Mike about Shadow Levels as I stepped forward. I really didn't want to kill the creature either. We had attacked it after all. Well after it killed someone to eat them.

Guess I wasn't that bothered after all. I used the blunt end of my axe.

‡ You have defeated Lvl(6) Mini-Coeurl +150XP ‡

‡ You unlocked Mini-Coeurl Bestiary entry +5XP ‡

+ Mini-Coeurl +

One of the creatures spawned by The Shadow in it's effort to consume Earth.

+ Once a small cat this creature found new purpose for its vicious nature within Shadow. +

No shadow levels. Just a bit of XP.

After a few men came forwards to take care of the bodies I approached Sam. When he finished giving instructions for a new group of guards I got his attention.

"Sam, can I talk to you?"

He turned to me and nodded.

"What's up Dave?"

"Well, we seem to be shaping up to be the trouble shooters around here. But I'm worried if we keep this up we'll start losing fights and even more people. I know you wanted our help scavenging through the houses in the neighborhood for supplies. Well, I was hoping we could take some time to get ourselves straightened out."

"Gilberto and Meagan aren't really my responsibility unless they move in or start using our supplies. They can do whatever they want. The rest of you boys though." Sam took a breath. "I can't just turn you loose. We can't guarantee next week, let alone next year. We need supplies. Do you have a plan for this?"

"I think so. We don't really know how to use these skills. Stew has had [Shattering Blow] since the first day and it's only now that I have an idea of what it actually does. We need to practice what we have and work on some teamwork. My Hammer Initiate is exactly the same as Stew's Club Initiate. Better knowledge about each other will help us with ourselves." I took a breath before I continued. "Also Stew has more than doubled his Str in three days and Mike has done the same with Dex but their fighting styles haven't changed at all."

"Well you can't expect them to develop their own styles overnight but you do have a point. What about you?"

"All of the above? I also need some grips on my weapons." I held up my hands, they were red from repeated use.

"All right. We're done a lot sooner than expected with the high school. Even with this little beast thrown in. If you can help us clear inside our neighborhood for the next couple hours then I can let you all take the afternoon for training."

"Sounds good to me." I grinned. I felt almost like an actual leader. Maybe I could figure out how to start a guild.