The women called out quietly in fear and backed away to the palisade, pressing their backs up against it in a panic. The warriors moved more slowly, spreading themselves out.

“Begone, Ur-Vile,” called Hatrikilo bravely. “We will make payment in something other than flesh.”

“You don’t get to decide that little one!” laughed the giant. “None of you can break my skin, let alone kill me. I can chase you all down without effort. You have my terms, now choose before my patience runs short.”

“Perhaps some fine drink might help salve the injury we have done you?” asked Kril.

“None of that little one. You couldn’t carry enough on your little beasts to slake my thirst. You stunted creatures have no understanding of the brewing arts, everything you make tastes like piss,” replied the monstrous man. The other warriors had crouched down and hefted their spears over their shoulders. As the giant saw them he chuckled, a noise like distant thunder. “I am happy to kill you all if you prefer? Your females have a refined flavour that I particularly enjoy!”

“You’re a slaver then?” I called out, moving past the fire and putting myself between the Ur-Vile and the others.

“What’s this? A man who seems to object to the laws of the world? How do you arrange the tasks that are beneath you, little one?” he asked, leaning forward to stare at me. He had broad cheeks and a heavy brow, like pictures of Neanderthals I’d seen back home. His face was shadowed by his hood but I could see bright amber eyes in the darkness. Eyes that shone with intelligence and malice. “Do you clean up your own shit?”

“I’ve been known to. Leave now and I will forgive this insult,” I said firmly. While we talked I was also assessing how to spend my Souls. I was getting tired of having to buy level ups in emergencies, hopefully I would find time in the near future to spend them without a life and death threat looming over me but I was becoming resigned to this being a motif in my life.

I didn’t consider more levels. I only had one hundred and eighty available but that was enough to let me jump up considerably in magical strength. I spent all my Souls to increase the Enhancement, Size and Mass abilities by six levels each.

Affinity: Fire

Summon fire: Range- 5 metres, Intensity- +16%,

Fire Resistance- +2%

Projectile: Speed- +3%, Detonation- 1 metre cubed +0%.

Fire Wall: Area- 1 metre squared.

Affinity: Life

Heal (self): 10HP and 40% increased recovery rate for one hour. Seals moderate wounds.

Enhancement (self): 14%, lasts 5 seconds

Resistance (all): 1%

Projectile: Speed- +3%, (heal other)

Rapid Growth: Area- 1 metre squared.

Affinity: Space

Size: range- Touch, Intensity- 14%

Mass: range- Touch, Intensity- 14%

Area: 1m cubed (optional)

Resistance: 2%

I spent thirty mana to activate all three of the newly empowered abilities. I grew more than twenty centimetres in height and my mass increased by fourteen percent. The new strength coming from Enhancement cancelled out the effect of these changes as far as I was concerned. I leapt into the air and cast Mass and Size on the spear in my right hand as it left my fist. It shot forward and plunged through the furs covering the creature's left shoulder.

My jump had launched me at his face and as I soared behind the spear I pulled Gedrik's dagger with my left hand and unhooked the mace I’d been gifted yesterday in my right. I had spent a quarter of my mana to buy myself a decisive opening, hopefully. My left foot brushed the top of the palisade spikes and I used the brief contact to launch myself even faster at the enemy.

The amber eyes opened wide in shock as the spear struck deep into the joint of his shoulder but his right hand snaked out, the staff falling forgotten to his side, and snatched me from the air. My hands came down as the gargantuan fingers clenched tight around my chest and I felt my bones creak.

The mace slammed into his wrist, eliciting a snarl from the Ur-Vile, then the dagger struck between the first joint on his index finger and dug in. I heard the cartilage pop at the same time as the dagger broke and I pulled back the jagged remains of the blade to strike again.

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I reeled as he shook me viciously, hearing more than feeling my bones snap. I dropped my dagger and the mace hung from the leather wrist strap as I lost my grip. A look of confusion passed across the massive face.

“Usually your kind bursts when I squeeze. Such fire in you, little one,” the giant snarled. “From whence does it come? This desire for death,” his voice had become flat, somehow even deeper at the end and the pressure increased around my torso as he drew me up to his face to glare down at me.

“Fire you say?” I half groaned, half chuckled. I cast summon fire twice, once for each of his eyes and he screamed, throwing me aside. I tumbled across the ground, every rock and lump digging in and leaving me battered as I skittered over the semi frozen grass.

Health: 56/120

I was more than half dead. I cast heal on myself twice, another twenty mana gone, and felt my wounds improve. The pain lingered but my movements seemed to return to normal. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline and fear giving me strength?

Health: 76/120

I rose back to my feet as quickly as I could and flipped the mace into my right hand from where it had been dangling loosely. I staggered towards the still wailing giant who was clutching his face with both hands.

“Blinded by a welp! A fucking stunted one! You’ll pay!” he cried in pain.

Spears flashed across the air and sank into the Ur-Viles furs but they didn’t seem to bother him. Perhaps the damage to his eyes was enough to blind him to any other damage? I smirked at the unintended pun and cast heal on myself again, bringing me back to eighty six health. I hefted the mace and lunged close to slam it into the side of the monster's knee. I increased the mass of the mace at the same time as I Enhanced myself, bringing it down like a hammer on an anvil. One hundred and ten mana left. I was savagely confident this fight would work out in my favour, despite my wounds.

The bone cracked as the stone head of the mace smacked into the joint with a meaty thunk. The giant squawked, a much higher pitch than before, and collapsed to the ground as his leg gave way. I rolled to the side and moved quickly towards his now grounded head. Once in position I began smashing the mace into his temples. I had to dodge backwards as he blindly flailed his long arms but I moved in relentlessly whenever I got a chance to land another hit.

“Cursed mite! My clan will hunt you down!” he babbled as I avoided his wild swings and continued to land blows on the things skull whenever an opportunity to lunge in presented itself.

“Arrogant fucking lump,” I snarled as I boosted the mass of the mace and it struck the giants skull so hard the stone head broke into fragments. I snatched up the broken dagger and jumped forward, arcing across his exposed neck, raking what was left of Gedrik’s knife across his throat before tumbling away to land in a pile as one of the flailing arms swept me away. “Not so chatty now?” I grunted as I sat up in pain.

A puddle of red began to spread around the giant's body that gleamed wetly in the fading sunlight. I sat still, unable to find the energy to rise to my feet at the moment. The thrashing and bubbling noises gradually faded until I received the notification my dazed mind had been waiting for.

Vilis Humano slain.

Fifty Souls gathered.

Well, at least they were profitable. I wasn’t enthused at the idea of hunting these monstrous people for Souls though. Hatrikilo was the first of my comrades to leave the palisade. He poked the giant with a spear, testing whether it was dead.

“He’s gone,” I groaned. Hatrikilo approached me cautiously, spear aimed at my chest.

“Betrayal then?” I wondered, looking up at the man. I didn’t have it in me to fight anymore at the moment. If he wanted me dead, I was done. The spear swung aside and he offered me his right hand. I grasped his wrist and levered myself upright.

“Vileslayer,” Hatrikilo muttered as I swayed to my feet. “VILESLAYER!” he screamed at the sky, lifting my right hand into the air like I’d won the heavyweight belt. The cry was taken up by the other warriors who swarmed out and surrounded me. I was dazed, battered and wracked by pain. I didn't understand what was going on and pushed them away from me as they came to slap hands painfully against my back.

“He needs rest,” snapped a female voice from the edge of the camp. I looked up to find glowing hazel eyes staring at me.

“Not yet,” I grunted. I had to build a reputation among these people. I’d thought them primitive and savage and perhaps they were but there was honour and… pride? They were people just like me and sometime during the day I had realised that I needed them. I accessed the Shop and glared at the screens only I could see. Ten Souls went and a finely crafted leather sack large enough for my purpose appeared at my feet. Five more Souls were gone and five simpler sacks of salt appeared next to it.

“Give me a knife,” I grunted. Kril strode through the warriors, small in comparison but somehow seeming larger than any of them, to hand me his bronze dagger. I weighed it in my hand and looked over at my prize. A reputation is built on trophies. I’d need proof to show the doubters in the rest of the tribe. No matter what my comrades said some would always doubt if they didn’t see proof.

I knelt down in the crimson lake that had flowed out from the giant's throat and began to slice. The bronze was sharp, well honed, and in short order I shoved the head away from the body. I waved a hand and Mune brought over the sack I’d bought. I waved again in annoyance and Hatrikilo brought over two sacks of salt. I tipped them into the sack and shook it to spread them out.

I shoved the head, as long as my own torso, into the sack and then staggered over to pick up the rest of the salt. I poured it over my prize and pulled the bag shut at the top. Heaving it over my shoulder I staggered under the weight as I passed back through the palisade. It fell to the ground roughly outside my shared tent and I sagged to the ground with a sigh, leaning back against the gruesome trophy.

Looking up I found the rest had followed me back into the enclosed space. They stared at me with a mixture of expressions illuminated by flickering firelight. Some filled with hope, others with what looked like hero-worship and more than a couple with what was obviously fear. Hazel eyes locked with my own and all I saw in them was speculation and questions. Time enough for that later.

“This is the first,” I said, keeping my voice even and hiding my pain as much as possible as I rose back to my feet. I faced them all and shared a strained smile. “There’ll be more to come. No one will enslave us while I can fight.” I needed these people and I was confident that this would make them mine.

Kril and Hatrikilo’s eyes gleamed, they were grinning broadly. The warriors let out a wild cry, a primal challenge to the universe, but my focus was locked on the hazel eyes full of questions.