It was not fine! Not fine at all!

I ducked again under the swing of the club trying stoically to clobber me and flicked my dagger out into the shambler's rib cage area. I didn’t see if it landed, but the slight stumble and irritated growl spoke to some kind of success. Pulling another knife, I danced us closer to a corpse from my earlier ministrations hoping to delay my demise and trying to set up a flanking opportunity. As I had suspected these beasties were fast, and many a missed archery attempt laid in evidence in the scattered arrows resting - sans blood stains - on the soggy ground all around me.

Catching up with me again, the shambler went for a slugger shot this time and barely missed sending my face out of the park. Another flung dagger bounced uselessly off his thick hide, and I knew I couldn’t stick to the current game plan. He was not planning on stumbling over the body and onto my dagger anytime soon.

I pulled my short sword, Stabby, sent a heartfelt prayer to the Goddess of deflection and misdirection and silently triggered my Title Been There Done That, No Shirt Though. The buff immediately increased my survivability +10%. Normally I wouldn’t let this one go active with someone else around, but Reev hadn’t seen me fight before and shouldn’t notice the change. I also triggered Pinnacle’s Rebirth for a stacking +10% to everything as I knew that while my Title may let me get through this village alive, it wouldn't let me actually reduce the number of opponents.

My two strongest skills in play for the next 59 minutes and counting down I needed to get to work. I dodged another clubbing and began disassembling my current opponent’s ability to brain me dead. I was still an apprentice in the arts of war, skills or no skills, so it took another three minutes of stabs, slices, knicks and pokes before the shambler crashed to the ground with an inability to rise again. I switched from Stabby to my stiletto and cautiously thrust away the last of their resistance.

Confirming no one was about to eat me, brain me or smash me into the next instance, I took the time to wipe down my blades on the marsh grasses and assess my newest round of injuries. The tingling from being slammed into a tree earlier was fading from my left side, and the gash above my right ear was calming down. Remembering not to breathe through my nose and grabbing bandages and ointment from my pack I quickly field-dressed the injury. I had about six hours before I had to worry about infection if my guesstimate was accurate.

While there had been nineteen original shambles in the village, we were now down to six. Sadly, the last ones were just gonna be all pain. There was a group of five and then a very fast, very alert, very over-leveled - though not miniboss - Scary Scary to get through. Collecting the unbroken arrows that littered the ground I monitored from the corner of my eye the group of five as it turned into a group of four. I’d had a feeling that since I soloed this last one for so long that Reev got bored and decided to enact his own version of clearing the village.

Arrows collected, I clambered up the nearest hut’s wall to the roof and positioned myself for more attempts at archery. I would need more power to accommodate for the distance. I did not want to play ‘don’t be the mole in whack-a-mole’ again! I whispered out Seeker’s Shot as I released my arrow. The combo did a decent job of lodging the arrow into the shambler's armpit and releasing an angry retort from her. Shifting her club to splat you now position, she stalked towards me with murderous intent and I responded with more Seeker's Shots peppering her hide as she drew closer.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As Reev had foretold, I was able to pull her from the group, now down to three, and have her close on me without backup. Once she was close enough that I could see the yellow of her eyes clearly, I knew that my measly strength had a better chance of impacting more deeply. I aimed for center mass and let loose for a final devastating effect as her gray-haired seven-foot frame crumbled to the ground. It had left a hell of a blood trail but this was my only path to victory since I wouldn’t be one-shotting anything any time soon.

I scrabbled down from the reed roof and collected what I could from the newly spent arrows. I tossed the repairable ones into my loot pile at the edge of the village and assessed that we could fully loot later. I just needed the temporary stash in case my fatigue got too bad for me to get the basics done. I wasn’t wealthy enough in materials to just leave stuff I could salvage behind yet.

Looking over the group of five was now the group of none. I could see the smudged blur of Reev heading my way. Huh, those stacking buffs were helping in more ways than I would have predicted.

“You look like shit. But you did ok. My plan for the head gal - k?” He asked but didn’t wait for assent before continuing - which, fair, he was probably taking the most risk on this one. “She looks like a caster on top of a barbarian and if she can freeze us in place we are done for.” He paused and I saw his eyes start twitching as he delved into his interface. “hmmm, no, no. Ha! Unlikely, nah uh, nope. Uh uh - not trying that! oh, maybe…”

Reev’s eyes focused on me with something calculating and primal and I straightened up to bear it the best my little elf self could.

Relaxing slightly, he reached over and gently brushed some unmentionable stuff off the side of my face. Realizing it was just an excuse to get closer I ponied up and leaned in.

“You’re gonna have to be bait,” he whispered. “Yummy, juicy, harmless elf bait.” So intent on what he was saying, I reacted milliseconds too slow as he slathered something very, very foul across the other side of my face, neck and torso.

Frozen in something between what the actual fuck and I’m gonna rip your innards out through your throat, I tilted my head and requested answers with my eyes. There was zero chance I was opening my mouth if any of that could get close to entering it.

“Yeeeah, soooo. That’s a bit of shambler parts you have on ya now. You’re gonna run up to her, and then run really really fast away - I recommend past her since turning would take too long. You have the equivalent of an irresistible Taunt covering you now. You are most definitely gonna get zapped with some kinda spell, but you should be ok.” That he delivered that all very calmly was impressive, I would have been cracking a grin if our situation was reversed.

“K, hang on a sec,” I mumbled through a tiny crack between my lips. Popping open my interface in a rare move of caution, I pinned my stamina and health bars to my lower right visual field. I also trotted back to my loot stash and stripped off any gear that I would not be using in the next five minutes - including Stabby. Less for her to grab my dear. “Ready! You?”

The rapid fade of Reev’s form was indication enough and I shot forward with pumping arms and maximum effort into each footfall. Feeling less than heroic as I had to yank my feet out of the squishy ground every several steps I knew I had her complete attention when literal lightning streaked my way. I thought zapped had been a metaphor!

Zapped was also a bullshit understatement for the sheer agony that ripped through my innards and punched out of the foot still barely connected to the ground. Losing all control of my body, I could smell my flesh crisping, which, in the putrid environ we were in, spoke volumes of how horrible this was.

I couldn’t remember ever seeing my meters flash with such criticality or vibrant color before everything went dark for me. I knew with certainty that my meters wanted me to know hands down that this was definitely, definitely, not fine. As things slipped away I felt my Trait fizzle out against the onslaught and hoped that Reev knew some first aid.