Orange goop seeped from the giant amphibian’s mouth. A small dollop dripped onto the small barrier of water in front of my face. The droplet rolled off the solid watery surface and onto my forearm, stinging like a bitch.

I grunted in pain. “Anytime now Tawny, ugh, would be much, ow, appreciated!” I yelled out through the side of my mouth, unable to turn away from the big bastard. I was holding the giant acidic amphibian up, my frozen claws firmly lodged in its chest. An Orange Salamandra, that’s what Hait and Tawny called it. I called it an asshole.

“Give me a second!”

“My bad, oof. Sorry, ow, for rushing you.” Another droplet of monster mucus burnt through the last of Ursa’s arm hair. “Damn it.” I wrenched my claws, trying to rip through this thing's chest. Yet my claws couldn’t move. They were completely stuck, frozen solid on its torso. The salamander’s disturbingly moist skin was tougher than it looked and very susceptible to cold. Extremely effective. Too effective even.

All of my nerd knowledge told me that my current elemental affinity should be the perfect counter. That each slash from my claws would tear right through the overgrown lizard, leaving nothing but the shattered remains of an amphibian popsicle in my wake. Yet reality insisted on a different and quite pathetic story.

Nope. The very second I found an opening in the salamander's guard and shoved my chilly claws into the beast’s chest, its secretions splashed all over the place before freezing over, covering my claws, hands, and even wrists. Which I also found out are not even remotely as resistant to the cold as my hands were. Which made me really wish the ability was called Elemental Arms. But no, apparently the affinity applied to my hands and claws alone. A useful bit of knowledge to be sure, just a really shitty time to learn it.

I was completely and thoroughly stuck, unable to break free from my own icy grasp. It was wildly embarrassing, and that wasn’t even the best part. The best news came next. The salamanders were very resistant to (insert sarcastic drum roll) lightning.

Tawny had already shocked it a few times now, barely slowing it down. And Hait's water powers sat right next to his twin sister's powers in the metaphorical useless corner. He was relegated to umbrella duty, keeping the monster goo off of me.

The salamander reared up on its hind legs, trying to free itself as much as I was. But I knew that we needed to get free on my terms. So I held it down, pulling down with as much might as I could muster. That was the most I could do at the moment. The beast ended up being a lot bigger than I first realized. It seemed so much smaller far away. Especially as I watched Sloppy’s brother get cut down by eight or so legionnaires just a little while ago. The thing must have been at least eight feet long and five feet high.

I tried to slam the monster on its side, but I just didn’t have good leverage where my arms were, its center of gravity was further down, near its tummy.

A few more once-impressive bolts of yellow showered the lizard’s back, making my neck hair stand on end. The monster roared out of what I imagined wasn’t pain but sheer annoyance, like a bee buzzing around your face. Its cheeks bulged, filling with more of its disgusting spit. It aimed toward the source of its minor annoyance.

“No, you don’t!” I pulled to the left, throwing its aim off.

“Other way, you dolt!” A protest came from Rashith who was apparently to the left.

“Damn it!” I swung my hips in the other direction, ignoring the worrying pop, just enough so the monster didn’t melt my comrades in its bodily fluids. The hasty and panicked maneuver did however result in some more goop landing on my arms. More than a few drops this time. Hait couldn’t move the water fast enough to stop it.

Neon orange saliva poured all over my hands and forearms, sizzling against the ice. Then a single crack appeared on the patch covering my right hand. Taking the initiative, I yanked and flexed my right arm as hard as I could. The crack grew and grew, then finally broke, freeing my hand.

I slammed my newly liberated claws down on the frozen block covering my left arm. It shattered. It was my turn to rear back. I slammed my shoulder and back into the monster, to open up some space between the two of us. Then, out of pure instinct, I slashed out toward the monster, activating Elemental Discharge.

Sharp, pointed icicles flung out of my claws with each swipe, flying into the side of the monster, each one freezing a separate part of the salamander's body. My vision started going red again, until a voice called out.

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“Liam, chill out!”

It brought me back. I looked at the salamander. It was probably better described as a slushy and spiky pile of blood and orange mucus. I took a step toward it, and then exhaustion hit the side of my head like a ton of bricks, forcing me to my knees.

I looked at my stamina. It sat at concerning twelve percent. Shit. I almost did it again.

Soothing energy suffused my body before I got up. I turned to see Rashith standing over me, his hands glowing green. Basic Healing’s gentle light healed the frostbite that I hadn’t noticed crawling up my arms, mingling with the acid burns from the Salamandra’s spit.

“Pray tell why, oh why, did you not attack with the icicles in the first place?” Rashith asked. “We could have killed that thing in mere moments had you opened up with that.”

I forgot. That was the truth. All of today’s action and excitement had gotten to me so much that I totally forgot about my secondary ability. That it was a purely primitive impulse that had me use it at all. But he didn’t need to know that. So I came up with an excuse.

“It uses a lot of stamina, as you can see,” I said, gesturing to myself. “I didn’t think my claws would have such a volatile reaction to its skin.”

“And yet that debacle more than likely wasted far more stamina than if you had just used the icicles. Amateurs.” He said under his breath, thinking I wouldn’t catch it. Part of me really wanted to argue with him, but he wasn’t wrong. We were in fact amateurs and it showed.

Since we joined the second wave proper, we have only managed to take down a few monsters. Stragglers from the main horde that broke off to flank the other squads. Those orders came as soon as I stepped into our designated area.

Sadly, our squad let a few through. Nobody died from what little I could tell, but the curses streaming from the squad closest to us let me know all I needed. We were failing.

Only thanks to Tawny and Hait’s powers have we managed to hold any monsters back. We managed our attack strategy well enough, I roared and blocked each monster's advance, with some assistance from Hait’s water barriers, and Tawny bolted the bunch. But it only worked on small fry. Karibuu, Tusxics, and even a few groups of Gremlins all fell to our squad. A dark part of me relished wetting my claws with their dark blood once again.

It was the larger and faster threats that ground our squad to a halt. Wolf types would run right past us, not perceiving us as a target for some unspoken reason. Not enough meat on our bones maybe.

I tried to rise to my feet, but Rashith stopped me, firmly placing his hand on my shoulder. “Sit. We have a brief respite. Do not waste it. We are extremely fortunate to have taken part in such a tame Raid. At least on our front.”

I looked up and saw Tawny and Hait standing in front of me. Yellow arcs of electricity periodically ran along her arms. Hait kept a ball of water at his side. They watched the battlefield, eyes unwavering, searching for the next threat. I envied them. Neither seemed to have the same hesitancy I struggled with. The results of growing up in the might-makes-right death world that is Kniyas. Crazy how these kids were so much younger than me and handled themselves so much better. Maybe not younger than my Kniyan body, but definitely younger than my Earth one was. I shook my head. I didn’t need to think about that crap.

We sat on a hill, giving us a decent look at the battlefield. The Eastern section held the monsters back well, not moving an inch back from where they initially collided. A good thing considering behind them sat the holes created at the start of the wave.

But the same couldn’t be said for the other fronts. I couldn’t gather much on the far eastern side, but the troops in the middle had fallen back to behind the holes, using them as a sort of blockade against the horde. A good idea from a tactical standpoint. But I didn’t trust the holes. They gave me a really bad feeling. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible.

“Check your notifications!”

“What was that?” I asked.

“I did not say anything,” Rashith responded.

Tutor? Haven’t heard from her in a while. Now isn’t a good time to talk with Rashith literally standing above me.

I heeded the advice and focused on the small notification resting just outside of my peripheral.

You Leveled Up! Nice Going! You are now Level 5!

Mimicry (Creature) Capacity Raised to 10.

Go Get’em, Tiger! -Tutor

Are you kidding me? ONE! I was only one monster kill away! Seriously?!

“What?” Rashith asked, moving from my healed left arm to my right.

“Nothing just leveled up,” I told him.

“Good for you. Unfortunately, I do not currently possess a cookie, else I’d give you a treat.”

“Dick,” I said with a scoff.

But before I could relish in the amazing news, Tawny and Hait stiffened at the same time. “A group of three Reptans are making their way here,” Hait announced.

I rose to my feet, feeling much better. Didn’t love his attitude, but I had to admit, Rashith’s skills were top notch.

“Alright, form up!”