Jennifer waited for his reaction to the explanation she’d just given.

James, however, barely glanced her way. “I see... You must be clever,” he said, his tone neutral, “figuring out how to take down sharp-claw lizards on your first try. I struggled with them a lot.”

“Oh?” she said lightly, though her eyes narrowed.

He didn’t look at her, studying the crumpled gate map in his hands instead.

They walked to the transportation center.

James moved toward a carriage, waving to the driver. Jennifer followed behind him.

The driver, an older man with a frayed coat and a threadbare cap, leaned down from his perch as they approached. His grizzled face cracked into a half-smile. “Where to?”

James handed him the map, pointing to a marked location. “We’re heading here. You can take us as far as the outer ring of the gate fields.”

The driver squinted at the map, then nodded. “That’s a decent ride. You’ll need to get off a ways before the gate itself. Too much magic around those twisters; it messes with the horses.”

“That’s fine,” James replied. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small leather pouch. He counted out several coins, the clinking sound breaking the flow of city noise. “This should cover both of us.”

The driver’s brows rose slightly, his gaze flicking between the coins and James’s worn clothes. “You paying for the lady too?”

James didn’t flinch. “She’s with me.”

The driver pocketed the coins with a shrug, gesturing to the carriage. “Climb in. We’ll set off in a moment.”

James stepped up onto the wooden step and into the enclosed vehicle. Jennifer hesitated a beat before following, her boots thudding softly against the wood as she settled onto the bench opposite him. The driver snapped the reins, and the carriage jerked into motion, the city streets rattling beneath its wheels.

Jennifer studied him for a moment, her arms crossed. “You didn’t have to pay for me.”

James shrugged. “You’re new to this. Consider it part of the job.”

“I thought you were new too, according to Marcy?”

“Mmm... that's embarrasing for me. I was trying to sound kinda cool,” he muttered.

Jennifer laughed. "I respect it."

The city gave way to open fields.

When the carriage stopped, the blue twister of light was visible in the distance.

The twister was massive, a whirling column of azure energy, its edges fraying into faint sparks before dissipating into the air.

They both got off the carriage.

“That’s… different,” she murmured, walking beside James as they approached. “The last gate I went to didn’t have a twister. Until I came out of it.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

James hummed, his eyes on the shifting vortex. “From what I hear, the Gate's twisters disappear when a lot of monsters get killed inside.”

Jennifer frowned, glancing at the swirling light. “Oh... I see.”

As they got closer, the twister flared suddenly. Jennifer stumbled back as a tendril of energy lashed out, splitting into smaller twisters that spread out like snapping whips.

“What the—” she gasped, but before she could say more, the twister surged, catching both of them in its grasp.

The world spun. The ground vanished, replaced by the sensation of weightlessness. Light blurred and twisted around them. Jennifer tried to scream, but the air tore the sound from her throat. The spinning seemed to go on forever until, just as abruptly as it started, it stopped.

Jennifer hit the ground on her hands and knees, coughing as dust swirled around her. Rocks littered the barren landscape, jagged formations stabbing toward the sky like broken teeth. James stood a few feet away, brushing himself off.

“You could have told me it does that too...” Jennifer muttered, pushing herself to her feet.

“I didn't think of that. My bad,” James replied. He scanned the rocky terrain, his gaze narrowing. “Stay sharp. This doesn’t look friendly.”

"Yeah, monsters are here. I know."

The buzzing came first—a low, steady hum that grew louder with each passing second. Jennifer turned toward the sound, her eyes widening as cat-sized insects darted into view.

Their translucent wings shimmered, their bulbous eyes catching the faint light.

“Flies?” she asked, incredulous.

James drew his war hammer that was latched to his back. “They're ugly as hell.”

One of the creatures zipped forward at insane speed.

Jennifer swung her fist instinctively, the metal of her gauntlet catching it in time. The sharp-edged plates along the knuckles tore clean through one of the insect’s fragile wings. It spiraled to the ground, its legs twitching erratically as it tried and failed to lift off again.

James sidestepped another fly and dispatched it with a quick, swing of his hammer. He didn’t even glance at the body as it crumpled. “Holy fuck, they're quick!"

Jennifer agreed. "Yeah, real fast!"

Jennifer clenched her gauntleted fist, the joints creaking faintly as she refocused. The buzzing grew louder as another fly shot toward her.

Her armored fist lashed out, connecting with a sharp _crunch_ that sent the fly tumbling. It hit the rocky ground hard, its wings bent at odd angles.

She caught her breath as another fly zipped in from the corner of her vision. Adjusting her stance, she sidestepped and swung upward with her gauntlet. The heavy, reinforced metal smashed into the creature, and it burst into pieces on impact.

“They don't seem dangerous though, at all,” James called, finishing off another with a clean strike. He barely sounded winded.

Jennifer grumbled under her breath as two more came at her in quick succession.

She raised her gauntleted arm to block, the first fly slamming into the hardened surface with a faint, wet crunch. As the second circled around, she pivoted, driving her fist forward. The blow connected, sending the insect tumbling in a spray of viscous ichor.

By the time the buzzing finally died away, she was breathing hard, her arms trembling slightly. She looked over at James, who was already crouched beside one of the downed insects, his blade slicing neatly into its back.

She couldn't tell him what her skill was, which made her think it wasn't something he could be shown either, so she picked up a dying insect in secret and harvested its ability.

The back sensation returned like always.

She smiled to herself, having a mobility skill like that in her utility was going to be incredibly useful.

James crouched near one of the dead flies, pulling a small knife from his belt. “Help me with this.” He gestured for her to join him.

“What are we doing?”

“Harvesting spines.” He pressed the blade into the creature’s body, carefully cutting along its back. “Monster spines hold most of their energy. It’s what makes every monster valuable. They’re tougher than regular bones. The best thing you can sell.”

"I know about the spines stuff, but for some reason it didn't pop up in my head to extract their spines."

Jennifer mimicked his movements, her cuts clumsy but functional. “You do this every time?”

“Technically it's my second time. Newbie, remember?”

"Right..."

James threw Jennifer a bag since he had quite a bit on him.

---

They finished collecting the spines and packed them away in their individual bags. Jennifer stood, stretching her arms as she glanced around the rocky expanse. “How much is a spine going to bank us?"

"For something like these...? Maybe a bronze coin for 5 spines."