A metal pipe swung out and cracked LJ on the mouth. His head wrenched with the blow and he fell over spitting teeth.

A two by four wielded as a lance caught Jason square in the shoulder and threw him off his feet.

A pair of hooves met Steve’s chest and shattered his sternum and ribs. The force behind the kick knocked him to the ground. When he landed his head connected with a harsh crack against the road.

From behind his tree, Edwin watched the brutal scene play out. All three of them, Jason, LJ, and Steve were big guys. Each one was built like a linebacker, so seeing them run over in an instant unnerved Edwin. The centaurs—for the creatures that charged out were decidedly centaurs—stampeded right over the trio. Each one took a nasty blow and Edwin was almost certain that Steve was dead. If the first blows had not sealed his fate, the centaurs' continued charge did. They strode right over Steve and trampled him into a bloody mess. Somehow LJ and Jason’s prone figures were spared from that fate.

The centaurs varied in appearance. Their human halves had a variety of skin tones which ran the spectrum of human skin tone. Their horse halves were furred and their coats resembled those of several different breeds of horses. Each one’s human torso was bare, no clothing, and resembled a hairy human male. Most of them carried some sort of makeshift weapon. Metal pipes, pieces of wood, rocks and one held a rusty metal shovel.

Edwin took this all in before he was forced to raise his shield and duck behind the tree. More rocks coming from the—probably centaur—accomplices in the windows pelted his position.

A metallic twang rang out to be followed by a braying shout a moment later. A steel bolt sprouted from the horse chest of one of the charging centaurs. It continued to scream and veered out of the haphazard assault formation. His comrades shouting increased in intensity and they began to wildly swing their weapons. They split up and moved to engage Edwin’s scattered group.

Edwin wanted to watch what would happen next but the situation demanded action. He moved out from behind the tree and held his shield just below eye level, he readied his spear and steeled himself to meet the two centaurs that changed course towards him.

He saw movement in his periphery and quickly glanced to see Zoey standing almost shoulder to shoulder with him. She held her shield so that it covered her upper chest and reached halfway up his own. Any higher and she would be blocking her vision. She nodded and they turned to see the centaurs who were nearly on top of them. She braced her spear against the ground.

One of the two held a metal pipe while the second centaur came with nothing but its fists and hooves. The metal pipe one charged at Edwin with reckless abandon and Edwin held back a gulp as he watched the massive frame barrel towards him.

At the last second, the centaur veered away and swung the pipe. He moved his shield to meet it and the blow deflected off the boss with a resounding clang.

Edwin absorbed the blow and managed to keep his shield in place for the follow-up blow that the centaur came back with. With a grunt, he swung his shield out to meet the blow. Acting on instinct he jabbed out over his shield with his spear. The bladed tip scored a small cut on the centaur’s shoulder.

It bellowed and reared up to kick him away. Edwin dodged back in time however and the centaur’s legs buckled against the ground as it stomped.

Next to him, Zoey and her centaur were trading blows. Her opponent seemed to fancy himself a boxer as he jabbed out repeatedly only for his fists to meet her shield each time. But Edwin did not have time to tell who was winning as his opponent recovered and stepped closer. The metal pipe came from overhead this time and Edwin raised his shield to meet it..

As he blocked he snuck his spear out from below. He struck the creature in the chest. His strike hit a rib and lost its strength. Once again he only managed to deal superficial damage. The creature reared up and squealed. Edwin moved away to avoid it’s flailing hooves.

Zoey’s muffled shout drew Edwin’s gaze to her. Her opponent shoved her away as he moved to his injured comrade. The boxing centaur appeared to be trying to calm down his fellow as Zoey regained herself and ran towards the two. She dropped her shield and bearing her spear with both hands thrust up from low to the ground.

The distraught centaur did not react in time and Zoey skewered it through it’s horse chest. It’s eyes flared and it squealed far louder than before. It thrashed and leaped. A hoof caught it’s friend in the horse half. Zoey leapt backwards, abandoning her spear and recovered her shield.

Edwin watched wide eyed, rooted to the spot as the centaurs lived out it’s final death throes. Her entire attack had been silent, except for the heavy breaths she drew. Edwin was used to seeing such movements accompanied by dramatic yelling, he supposed Zoey’s silent attack was much more practical.

The boxing centaur growled, a very human sound of anger, and started to advance towards them as the other finally collapsed. Edwin closed his eyes for a moment to focus himself. They snapped open a moment later as he exerted his will into the concrete sidewalk behind him. Two pencil sized pieces of concrete answered his summons and he launched them into the upper human torso of his foe.

One punched entirely through while the other lodged itself deep inside. The creature spasmed and collapsed to the ground. It was not dead yet, as evidenced by the shudders that continued to wrack it. The centaur vomited a huge wad of blood and grass and the spray ended up covering its face. Several seconds later it stilled and passed.

Edwin stared in silence while Zoey went forward and put her back to work trying to remove her spear. It was lodged deep. She worked it back and forth and managed to get it free. The blade came out cloaked in crimson and more blood frothed up from the open wound. She turned to survey the ongoing battle. Which jolted Edwin to do the same.

Only now did he notice the constant screams and shouts. Towards the classroom building, Jason had regained his feet but with his injured shoulder he was no match for the large centaur that was pushing him around. LJ and Steve were still where they had fallen before.

Further down the road, a centaur lay dead with a crossbow bolt through its neck. Past the corpse, Shaun and Nick were close together trying to keep a single centaur away. It must have doubled back to pick up the axe from Steve’s body as it was slashing with abandon. They had their backs to a car and were hunkered down behind their shields. Their spears provided little deterrent.

On the other side of the car, four centaurs ringed Austin as he prowled around the downed form of his girlfriend. He moved with a limp and blood caked the side of his head, but Austin lashed out when they tried to close in. Striking with his shield and spear Austin disregarded his own defence to give Haley space. A fifth centaur sat away from the fight, clenching a nasty wound on one of its legs.

Felix was nowhere to be seen. While Teresa was up in the branches of a tree. From her vantage point she appeared to be struggling to reload her crossbow. A centaur was cantering in a circle around her tree and screaming at her. The fletched end of a bolt protruded from the horse back of that centaur.

“Let’s help him,” Edwin gestured towards Austin. Zoey nodded sharply.

The fighting was not that spread out so they hurried over to reinforce Austin quickly. The centaur fighting Shaun and Nick noticed their approach and left the two it was playing with to their own devices. This centaur turned to face him and Edwin hefted his shield once more as he prepared to fight. Zoey matched his movement but she left some room between them as they sped up and charged the centaur.

Edwin took its first strike on his shield and the bladed head of the ax left a deep mark on his shield. He tried the same tactic of stabbing out from below his shield, but this one danced to the side.

Zoey made to circle around but the centaur caught her movement and kicked backwards. She was lifted off her feet as her shield caught the hooves and tossed her away.

Edwin pressed forward and jabbed towards its human chest. The hatchet struck out and parried the strike. It’s free left hand punched toward him and Edwin ducked.

The centaur then sent several strikes that Edwin managed to block as he gave ground before the beast's onslaught. The centaur was too focused on battering Edwin down and did not notice Zoey the second time as she plunged her spear into one of its hind legs.

It went down with a shout and the two of them descended on it, Edwin delivered a quick thrust into its human lungs.

Blood slithered down his blade when he retracted it. The dead centaur’s eyes gazed blankly into space before him. Edwin felt surprisingly little about the dead beast before him. He found himself meeting the blank gaze.

Zoey interrupted his staring when she spoke, “Austin still needs our help.” She pointed her bloody spear towards the struggling figure as he lashed out again and again in desperation.

He nodded and shook his head as he refocused on the task at hand. “Let’s go,” he said before they moved.

The centaurs around Austin seemed to be wary of him. His berserk offense to shield Haley had left marks on each of them.

Before they could get around the car someone's scream of fear stilled the fight. Nick was screeching like a banshee and Edwin followed the guy's pointed finger. From the same door the centaurs had charged out of earlier came another five centaurs.

Laughter erupted from the five reinforcing centaurs. Their laughter was harsh and grating. The creatures were braying with abandon as they came onwards.

Austin roared in response and drove his spear through the eye socket of one of his distracted opponents. The thin bone behind the eye failed to stop his blade and he wrenched it free a moment later with a spray of viscera. The centaur collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

The reinforcing centaurs quit laughing and bellowed. They were incensed to see their comrade killed in their moment of glory. Hateful rage filled their expressions as they switched from a casual cantering pace to racing all out towards Austin.

Those five centaurs could turn the tide of the fight that Edwin and Zoey had been about to turn in their favor. Edwin needed to stop the angry momentum they were relying on before they overwhelmed Austin. He dropped his spear and clenched his hand as if he were holding a ball. Five thin chunks of concrete flew to hover pointing vertically above his fingers. Each one looked like a dagger’s blade, an inch thick and nearly as long as Edwin’s forearm. They were roughly textured, with ridges and sharp lines across their surfaces. Each one ended in a point, designed to be driven through soft flesh.

Edwin pushed his hand forward and the projectiles flew to intercept the charging centaurs. They balked mid charge and skidded to a halt before the hovering concrete. Edwin shot one of the missiles towards the largest of the centaurs. It pierced the creature’s collarbone and it squealed as bone snapped and skin shredded before the unyielding concrete.

He called the other four back to float around him as he strode forward dramatically. The centaurs stared at him with wide eyes as he theatrically sent the darts whirling around him in a dizzying display of speed. Edwin continued towards them and they backed up as the big one turned tail and fled. Before he could get too close the others started to break off and flee.

The fight appeared to be over but as their foes fled Edwin sent his concrete after the slowest one and took its legs out. It had been the one playing around with Jason during the fight. It collapsed mid sprint and slid across the road. Jason’s exhausted face twisted into a sneer as he recognized it. He ran towards it and drove his spear tip through it’s human torso. Again and again, he struck it and eventually it died.

As the centaurs ran away, Austin all but collapsed to the ground and started to check on Haley. Edwin could hear him talking to her.

“Haley,” Austin said between pained breaths. “Haley I got ‘em, get up. It’s time to go. Let’s get you to Dan.”

But Haley did not react. Blood pooled around her head and when he noticed it Austin groaned with anguish.

“No!” Austin started to yell. His rejection grew in intensity and he staggered back to his feet. He couldn’t imagine that she was actually dead.

Edwin walked towards Austin. He intended to see if Austin had missed something, If Haley could still be saved. Austin hadn’t checked her vitals. He had only shaken her and called out to her after all. She might still be alive, just unconscious.

As he approached Austin a grunt of pain caused the guy to whirl on its source. A centaur lay there, unable to flee as it clutched its wounded leg in its human hands. It’s defiant gaze met Austin’s as he zeroed in on the source of the sound. Austin picked his spear up from where he had dropped it to check on Haley.

Austin set upon the downed centaur with abject fury. His spear ruined the creature. While he went to town Edwin kneeled down next to Haley and felt for a pulse on her wrist. Feeling nothing he reached for one in her neck and after trying several times he still found nothing. Edwin rolled her onto her back and checked for breathing, of which there was none. Haley was dead. If he tried to keep her body alive using CPR it would amount to nothing but false hope.

Suddenly a pillar of light consumed Edwin. He froze in place as he was momentarily blinded by the phenomenon. Around him, four other light plumes illuminated the street.

When the light passed Edwin read the blue panel that informed him he had leveled up twice. As always the panel vanished the moment he read the entire thing. Next, his character screen appeared updated to match his new level. Besides an increase in HP, psych, and unspent stat points it remained unchanged. The screen vanished when he glanced away from it.

Looking around he noted who else had just leveled up. Zoey, Jason, Austin, and Teresa each were still illuminated in the fading remnants of sparkling light. For a moment it was calm, everyone was reading their screens, staring in confusion or nursing their wounds. Lj had sat up and was cradling his jaw. Steve was still limp on the ground.

Without warning Austin collapsed to the ground and writhed, Teresa joined him a moment later as she fell from her tree branch. They convulsed and screamed without sound as their entire body underwent whatever it was that this process did.

Edwin looked at Haley once more. But she was dead, he knew it. There were other people who might still be alive, people who maybe he could help. So he got up and moved to check on LJ.

LJ was groaning, his eyes were unfocused. His jaw was definitely broken. Blood trickled from his mouth and the missing teeth would be a sore spot later but LJ should live, especially if Dan could help him.

Moving to Steve, he walked up to an obvious corpse. His ribs were caved in and likely pierced his lungs and heart in multiple places. Edwin could do nothing but lower his head and frown as he moved on towards Jason.

Jason did not go through the torturous experience that Teresa and Austin had just suffered. Edwin wondered if it was related to level five, the system announced that level five unlocked a dormant racial trait. This might be the unlocking process and perhaps Jason had not yet reached level five. But he seemed to be in good health, he waved Edwin off and Edwin noted a distinct lack of obvious injuries. Considering the first blow that knocked him to the ground had been at full speed, Jason’s shoulder had probably been dislocated if it hadn't been broken. Another example of leveling up healing people. Edwin turned back to look at the others.

Teresa and Austin were recovered. And Austin was looking over his girlfriend again. Teresa clawed herself up and moved to speak to Edwin. Nick and Shaun trailed after her with wide eyes. Jason pulled LJ to his feet and they converged towards Edwin. Zoey moved to stand beside him as they gathered.

Edwin did not want to waste time talking about what had just happened as the centaurs might come back with more in tow. They needed to go back to the dorms and prepare for a possible assault. So when Teresa looked as if she was about to speak he started before her, “Gather up the weapons and let’s grab the two who went down. We shouldn’t leave them behind. Right now we need to be quick and get back to the dorms in case there are more of those uh, those centaurs or whatever around.”

Teresa faltered and grudgingly moved to collect the fallen gear. She would be having words with Edwin later. Austin resisted moving his girlfriend for a while, but as the others worked around him and moved Steve over he relented and Edwin helped him carry her corpse back with the group. The group was tense, worried about another attack. They travelled the short distance back to the dorm in silence.

Ava greeted them at the door and behind her huddled a bunch of people who were apparently anticipating an attack. “Heard the noise, saw the commotion,” she answered succinctly before he could greet her. “Dan,” she called the healer out from the group.

Dan started to move to see LJ, but Austin cut in front of him. He brandished his spear threateningly and everyone tensed around him. “Fix Haley,” he demanded.

Dan smiled, it looked awkward to Edwin. “I’ll see what I can do,” Dan acquiesced.

As Dan got to work chewing, Tony came running up the stairs from the basement. “Are you guys alright?” He hollered. Behind him a resident exited the door after him.

“We got ambushed,” Edwin answered. Everyone looked at him when he spoke. Edwin focused on a stain on the ground. “It didn’t go well.”

“God damnit!” Tony swore and clenched his fist. “Ok, ok,” Tony said to reassure himself. “You already have Dan on it. Most of you look alright. Where’s uh, where’s Felix?” Tony looked confused as he counted them. Edwin shrugged.

Teresa spoke up, “He ran away.”

Austin wheeled around when he heard that.

“That little fucking coward,” Austin seethed.

Tony walked over to try and calm Austin down. Ava directed the scavenged weapons to be piled up so they could be distributed. With that done, she asked Roy to watch the pile before she slunk over towards Edwin.

“Ed,” she greeted him. “We need to talk.”