Zack dropped the chest and pulled his blade from its scabbard. He spun around in the same moment, facing the swarm of mutant blue starwings. He’d only counted seven of the birds before. Now, he faced well over a dozen, and they all looked hungry.

“Get back,” he told Daudilus. “Against the wall.” Master Kord always said to keep moving in a fight; moving targets were harder to hit, and no one could block every strike.

But they couldn’t avoid getting hit this time—not against so many opponents. Better to at least keep the enemy in front of them.

Zack drew his dagger with his left hand and knocked it against the flat of his longer blade. The clash of steel echoed down the canyon, and a few birds shuffled back. Others exchanged wary glances, each waiting for the other to strike first.

Daudilus let out several angry barks, adding his own voice to the commotion.

“Come on, Camille . . .” He clanked his weapons several more times, but the portal didn’t open. Maybe it never would.

No, stay focused. He kept his back straight and his expression firm, burying any trace of fear from his face. For all his efforts, the birds regained their courage and puffed up their feathers. Others spread out their wings, forming walls of bright blue light.

Seriously? He’d never seen birds this brave before. Even the most daring mana beasts would pause before a grown man with a blade. But these creatures pressed forward, snapping their beaks and clicking their talons against the stone.

Oh well, better to make the first move while he still could.

“Get ready,” he said as the enemy closed in. “Now!”

Daudilus lunged forward, grabbing the nearest bird by the throat and hurling it toward the ground. Zack struck in the same moment, spinning his blades in a blur of silver steel. The swarm closed in around him, and he fought back on pure instinct.

Growing up in a small town, Zack was no stranger to dead birds. He’d visited plenty of farms over the years, and he’d even killed his share of chickens and geese for dinner.

Of course, chickens and geese usually ran away at the first sign of trouble. These birds fought back with razor-like talons, and beaks longer than his forearms. They also refused to back down, no matter how many friends they lost.

One spread its massive blue wings and soared straight toward him. He tried to interpose his weapons, but he was too slow. The creature struck his chest like a troll’s fist, and he staggered against the wall. Eight talons dug into his vest, and he dropped his blades to guard his face.

He knocked away its beak, then he wrapped both hands around the creature’s head and twisted with all his might. The bird went limp a second later, and he tossed its body back into the fray.

Daudilus howled as two more birds piled on his back. Zack charged forward, snatched his blade from the undergrowth, and swung the weapon in a wide arc. The blade sliced through the nearest bird’s shoulder, and the second leapt away in a ruffle of feathers.

One opponent closed in on Zack’s right, but Daudilus leapt into the air, grabbing a mouthful of its right wing. Another darted in from the left, and Zack brought down his blade like a butcher’s cleaver.

The next few moments passed in a blur of feathers and broken bones. He couldn’t remember how many birds he’d killed, or how much time had passed. He just kept slashing and kicking, desperate to keep his opponents at bay. His arms grew heavier with each strike, and his lungs burned.

He’d trained for this, but training could only take you so far in a real fight.

His vision grew hazy—or was that his mind? For every bird that fell, two more seemed to take its place.

Then a wave of hot pain shot up from his right calf. Zack couldn’t see the wound from this angle, but something must have bitten his leg from behind. The pain grew sharper over the next few heartbeats. He tried to swing his blade, but his leg buckled beneath him and he collapsed on the canyon floor.

“Zack!” Camille’s voice shouted his name, but she sounded far away.

He glanced back at the stone archway and found his friend standing inside the open portal. A bird rushed after her, but she raised her gun and squeezed the trigger. The blast filled the canyon, and the bird dropped like a feathery rag doll.

“Get in!” she shouted.

Zack struggled to his feet, but another bird climbed on his back. His leg buckled again, and the stone floor rose up to meet him.

The ground shook beneath him as Camille ran out from the archway. Another blast of gunpowder struck his eardrums, and blood splattered his head as his attacker’s body went limp.

Zack rolled over and threw its corpse aside. Camille grabbed his arm, and he forced himself to his feet. Sharp pain shot up his leg as they ran back toward the open portal. Warm rivers of blood snaked down his calf, filling his boot and sock. He tried to ignore the feelings as he retrieved his fallen weapon from the canyon floor.

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“Wait.” They were halfway through the portal when Zack spun back around. “Where’s Daudilus?”

His husky fought in a whirlwind of silver fur, leaping seamlessly from one opponent to the next. One second, he dodged a sharp beak and slapped the bird aside with his paw. An instant later, he leapt into the air, catching another opponent mid-flight and snapping its neck. He hit the ground with feline grace, already leaping for his next target.

“Seriously?” Zack said to no one in particular. “Since when is my dog the better fighter?”

“Not important!” Camille ran back to the control panel. “We have to close this! thing”

Right. Zack cupped his hands and shouted into the battle. “Daudilus!”

His ears perked up at the sound of his name, and he charged back down the canyon. The birds tried to follow, but they couldn’t match the husky’s speed.

Camille curled her fingers around the middle lever. She waited until Daudilus made it through, then she yanked the lever downward. Another bird flew after them just before the portal winked shut.

Daudilus growled at the stray, and it retreated down the nearest tunnel. The husky charged after it, and Zack let out a long sigh of relief. These things were dangerous in a group, but he’d put his money on Daudilus in a straight fight.

“Thanks again,” he told Camille. “And good shooting.”

“Your leg!” she exclaimed.

“I know.”He unshouldered his pack and pushed it toward her. “There’s a tourniquet in here.”

Camille scrambled forward, still holding the gun. Zack watched the barrel as she waved it around the room.

“Please tell me you turned the safety back on,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Um . . .” She frowned down at the weapon and flipped the switch. “Sorry. I’m an idiot.”

“It’s fine. Just takes practice.”

Camille unzipped his bag and dumped the contents on the smooth stone floor. “What’s the tourniquet look like?”

“It’s in the first-aid kit.” He gestured to the black case with his chin. “Blue band wrapped in plastic.”

Camille retrieved the band and fastened it around his leg. Her hands were steady as she worked—far calmer than she’d looked after that fight with the beetles. Then again, they’d faced a cave troll in that last fight, so he couldn’t blame her.

“We should get you to Doctor Gilder,” she said.

“Maybe,” Zack said.

“Maybe?” she echoed. “You need about twenty stitches!”

He furrowed his brow. “Hey Gia, can’t you heal this wound with mana?”

[Yes, but we need to wait until the fight is over.]

“What? Why?”

[Surprise healing can be dangerous in the heat of battle. The distraction might do more harm than good.]

“It’s not a surprise,” Zack said. “I’m asking you.” He glanced around the empty room. “And do I look like I’m fighting?”

Footsteps echoed down the hall, and Daudilus trotted into the chamber. He held his head high, and he carried the dead bird by its throat.

[There,] Gia said. [Now the fight is over.]

The air shimmered with blue light around his leg, and he felt the mana’s sting an instant later. Yes, that could definitely be distracting in a fight, but they’d need to work on their definitions. He’d still pick a distraction over a crippling wound, especially with some warning.

New Skill: Blade Combat Level 6.

Your Combat attribute has increased by 1.5.

Your new Combat is 11.75.

“Nice,” Zack muttered. If he’d known blade combat was a separate skill from martial arts, then he would have shown it to Gia days ago.

He mentally closed the notification, then a second one appeared in his mind’s eye.

New Skill Increase: Martial Arts Level 9.

Your Combat attribute has increased by 0.5.

Your new Combat is 12.25.

He’d never gotten so many rewards in such a short time. No wonder Daudilus had been itching for a fight all week.

Finally, a third screen appeared:

New Possible Skills:

Tactical Planning Level 1, Teamwork Level 1

You have reached the maximum of four Combat skills. Which skill would you like to keep?

Tactical Planning / Teamwork

Huh, that was new. Zack closed the last window for now. He’d already known about the skill restrictions, but this wasn’t the time to choose.

“How’s your leg now?” Camille asked in a shaky voice.

Zack rolled up his pant leg to his knee and checked the damage. He couldn’t see much through the blood, but it didn’t look too bad. More like a week-old wound than a fresh one.

“I still think we should see Doctor Gilder,” she said.

Zack got to his feet. He probably wouldn’t be fighting for a while, but he could walk just fine. “It really doesn’t feel that bad.”

“But what if those birds had a disease? You know people die of infections, right?”

“Well, yeah. I planned on cleaning it.”

Camille’s eyes widened when she turned to Daudilus. “Are you eating that?”

Zack followed her gaze to where Daudilus had begun happily feasting on his recent kill. The husky glanced back and forth, confusion etched on his face.

“He’s a dog,” Zack said. “No sense in letting the meat go to waste.”

Camille put her face in her palm. “Fine, but at least do that outside. You’re getting blood and feathers all over the floor.”

“She has a point,” Zack said. “We’re gonna use this room as our base of operations. Might as well keep it clean.”

Daudilus shrugged a canine shoulder, then he dragged the bird back through the tunnel toward the surface.

“Come on.” Camille took him by the hand and followed after Daudilus. “We’re going to see Doctor Gilder. No arguing, unless you want to walk home by yourself.”

Zack kept quiet and mentally pulled up his status screen:

Name: Zack Farron

Level: 3

Constitution: 11

Cognition: 8.25

Charisma: 8

Craft: 9.25

Combat: 12.25

Then he mentally switched over to the skills screen:

Zack Farron’s Skills

Martial Arts Level 9

Blade Combat Level 6

Weightlifting Level 4

Calisthenics Level 4

Cooking Level 4

Marksmanship Level 2

Running Level 2

Cleaning Level 1

He spent the rest of the walk basking in his success. Not only had he leveled three combat skills today, but he’d gained his first cognition points and snagged three bags of loot.

Aside from the leg wound, he couldn’t ask for a better trip.