I was no stranger to feeling unsettled. What had started as a simple dive to crack a few skull demons now had the weight of something inevitable to it. Sometimes knowing you had the capacity for something threw it to the surface, like a volcano, even if you didn’t know what it would do or how to activate it. It would be nice if I could stop becoming the host of new powers and be left alone to play with my own. I just happened to be the latest fad - this season's favorite toy.

[Duck.]

I slid along the floor immediately, gun aiming for the staircase. With a sharp hiss, spikes shot down from the ceiling - rough rods of dark metal about a foot in length. Nothing immediately dire, but it would prevent me from standing.

//Area appears trapped; proceed with caution.

My eyes rolled as figures silhouetted against the doorway. Emptied the cylinder into them. Struggled back up into a crouched position without impaling my hat.

“What levels are these guys? Two?” I shot a glance back to Wight, who had just shrunk himself smaller - now about four feet tall. Almost made me want to confiscate the knife back from him.

[Six.]

Huh. I knew that I was punching a little over my weight due to the additional boons granted by Wight and through my own strengths - but for them to be such a push-over when I was at a level deficit was shocking. I was a well-honed blade. My ego grew a step.

A shard of metal clattered beside me, bringing up a quick spark against the rock as one of the demons threw something at me. I could hardly see them until their glowing blue eyes shifted amongst the shadows of their fallen companions.

Their screeches were notice enough of my on-target shot.

//Neutralised. Fourteen hostiles next floor.

I narrowed my eyes as I crouch-walked towards the doorway, thankful when I made it past the area of the ceiling spikes and could stand fully. Despite having demonic regeneration, my back still ached like a normal guy in his thirties. As I got closer, I saw what I had first thought.

“Hell Shot didn’t go through the walls.”

[Hmm. That is due to your Level, Eric.]

The demons I could waltz through with no issue, but the brickwork apparently took the leveling system much more seriously. “That makes no sense.” Not that I wasn’t used to things making no sense, but they often made no sense in a way that made sense. I shook my head.

[I’ll put in a complaint.]

With the Org, so that they would grant us the Promotion? Clearly I was ready for it - and perhaps that was Wight’s plan all along. Not only was this a little fun adventure to blow off steam and get an easy win, but if we could take the proof back to the Organization, well, they’d be hard-pressed not to admit that we were capable of getting that promotion.

Not that I could really convince them.

I leaped over the fallen demons into the stairwell - a short room with a curved set of stone steps leading to an open doorway. My second favorite type of doorway. Behind me, Wight stabbed into the demons that were still persisting despite their injuries, like something from a medieval battlefield. It was less of a mercy and more because I had at least two entities willing me to sow death for their benefit. Maybe closer to five if I used my counting hand.

With a deep breath, I ran up the stairs, clearly having a strong opinion of my cardio ability. Revolver leveled to the guaranteed room full of demons; I was surprised and shocked to be struck by a crossbow bolt. Or at least something of that rough nature. My left arm hung limp and numb as the twisted metal had sunk through my jacket and into my shoulder.

The foot-wide beam of crimson energy cored my assailant, taking out half of his chest, as well as two others behind him in the split room. It looked like it was used for some strange ritual. A low wall ran along the floor around three feet from the outer walls, where the recessed area in the middle had darkened metal grids and glowing amber stones interwoven seemingly randomly.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I slid into cover behind the brick divider, and Wight followed suit - stopping by my left side to pull the offending bolt from the wound. A growl of pain escaped my mouth, and he held it up in front of my face. Blood ran down its twisted shape, marring the metal and reflecting oddly in the amber light. It was my blood, and I had bled it. The twist of energy pulsed within me, and I allowed it control.

The demons had sought to encircle me - four melee individuals came around, two on each side. Across the other side of the odd pit, another five lay in wait with more ramshackle ranged weapons. My vision flickered monochrome and red as crimson electricity crackled around the revolver. They had been avoiding stepping in the middle of the floor, so I wouldn’t either.

I leaped from my hiding position in slow motion, my feet landing atop the diving wall. Cold energy surged down my arm, a swirl of dark mist and faint feathers.

Ten shots. Beams of bright red coursed from the tip of my weapon. Head and heart, each of the ranged weapon-wielding skull-demons. Almost simultaneously, the glow illuminated the room as each target was struck by the barrage of demonic energy. My anger took over as the four melee demons came into range, slightly hesitating at my efficient murder of their fellows.

I blocked a rough axe swing and jumped down from the wall to press my body weight into him. Panic in his skull-face, he tripped backward over his accomplice and fell back to the floor. As I emptied three shots into the one that was right behind him, Wight slid in beside me and stabbed the downed one repeatedly.

He threw the knife up to me, and it spun expertly into the grip of my left hand, the pain from my injury now ignored. I twisted to block a sword with it, nailing the demon in the kneecap with a revolver shot. As he dropped, I followed through with the blade and rammed it into the side of his head, breaking through his skull and shredding his brain.

The last demon stumbled and stopped, whatever fury and blood-thirst previously powering him faltering in seeing the wholesale slaughter of his companions. I blew his cranial parts across the wall, the revolver spinning a few times before it stopped in my hand - reloaded.

//Hostiles… neutralized.

Blood Redd faded from me, accompanied by a stab of pain from my wound. Nothing demonic regeneration couldn’t patch up in a handful of minutes or so. Rodney had seemed either impressed or abhorred by my proficiency. For me, it felt like another day at the office. I idly held the blade back out for Wight to hold.

[Feels good to be more of an active participant.]

“I could use a True skill without Possession?” I grunted and stretched out my arm. Another jacket was ruined.

[Partial possession. With the power you currently hold within you, we can feign the process for what the ability requires.]

“Neat.” That means more uses of the more powerful skills and the knowledge that Wight could sense what I wanted to do and allocate the necessary power to make it happen.

//Twelve hostiles above.

Now that my patron had put the idea in my head, I wanted to use True Hell Cannon - but twelve of these chumps seemed like a poor use of the ability. Still - it was my only plan for the day and would ensure I returned home in more than one piece. Wight caught my eye and gave me a nod - I didn’t even need to ask.

Continuing to avoid the center of the room, we headed around to find the next staircase. This one at least had a door - so I could briefly hide and catch my breath.

//Looks like… Mantid formation, three on each side, six ranged.

Mantids liked to put melee fighters by the doorway entrance to either surprise attack you or hold you in place as the ranged ones pelted you from the other side of the room. It was a simple plan and effective if you were unprepared. I wrinkled up my nose at the door.

‘I can’t shoot through the door, right?’

[Correct.]

I tried to think of any other skills to get me out of the situation. What I needed was some sort of grenade. Or at least to be at a level where I could shoot through brickwork. My eyes rolled once more.

“Ah, nuts to this." I grunted and focused my demonic power on my boot as I kicked the door. Part of me expected nothing - but instead, I was rewarded by the poorly constructed object jettisoning off of the hinges and into the room.

White and then red. Wight and Redd. Hah, I never thought of it like that before. My vision came back to see the carnage wrought as a few half-bodies lay strewn at the sides of the room - the ranged ones now just lower legs remaining.

//All clear.

I shrugged and walked across the room, allowing Wight to idly spin the revolver as we passed the corpses and found instead of further stairs, there was just a ladder. Rung after rung, I climbed as my patron hovered beside me. At the apex of the structure, we had arrived at where they stored their supposed treasure.

A small chamber with decorated pillars around the edges, the peak of the room allowing in amber light from the outside Hells. In the middle of the room floated a large skull. It looked to be made of glass and filled with luminescent light blue liquid. Slowly, I walked toward it and tilted my head.

“Just shoot this, then?”

[Sure.]

Something thrummed within me. It wasn’t the skull, but a purpose ready to burst into life. A memory from the future - or anticipation from an entity that didn’t understand time. Briefly, I was dazzled by it - thoughts incorrectly strung together, waiting to be fixed. With a sigh, as nothing immediately came into use, I raised the revolver and blasted a shot through the center of the glass skull.

It shattered and split, sinking slowly to the floor as if under its own lower gravity. As the goopy liquid spilled forth, it vanished just before hitting the floor. A hiss filled the chamber as it sunk from existence.

I turned around as movement caught me - a figure stepping from the pillar right behind me.

A skeletal hand pressed against my chest as I stared into the empty sockets of the Watcher.

{So sorry, Eric.}

Me too. I smiled as green light briefly illuminated my vision.