Samara scowled. “Child, go back to your tent. You are no match for me, even if you are a [Hero].”

Daniel took a gentle step forward and nudged Orrin behind him. “We’ll see. You had to use poison to take me down last time. What, were you scared of me?”

Daniel darted forward and hit Samara with his sword.

Or at least he tried. She dodged under his swing and punched him twice in rapid succession. One fist went into the chest and the second lifted him from the stomach. He staggered back quickly.

Orrin checked his friend’s HP.

HP: 250/300

Two hits and she knocked off a sixth of his health. Orrin grabbed his Regen potion and downed it in a shot. He reached forward and grabbed Daniel’s shoulder, pulling him further back.

“Maybe we work together on this one?” Orrin asked.

Orrin couldn’t see his friend smile but he knew it was there. Daniel nodded. “Oh, you are in trouble now."

Orrin cast his highest [Increase Dexterity] and [Increase Strength] on Daniel. He felt a sudden lightheadedness and checked his status.

MP: 28-29/530

He watched the numbers ticking up, but he was dangerously low on mana. Fuck, [Remetabolize] costs a lot!

Orrin checked Daniel’s stats. His Dexterity had gone up by 85 points. His Strength...

Daniel

Hero Level 12

HP: 250/300

MP: 80/80

Strength: 100

Constitution: 15

Dexterity: 98

Willpower: 8

Intelligence 10

Is there a cap at a hundred?

“Hey, O. I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier because some assholes decided to drug and kidnap me,” Daniel said, cutting into Orrin’s thought and loud enough for the woman in front of them to hear. “I got another level while you were sick and some cool new skills that stack. Want to see?”

Orrin didn’t have time to answer. Daniel simply disappeared and reappeared a step past Samara. The woman herself was flying through the air away from them. Gertrude was lightly vibrating.

“Holy shit!” Daniel cheered and looked at his sword. “How high did you... One hundred freaking Strength? Way to go, Orrin!”

Samara hit the ground twenty yards away and rolled backward twice. She stood up and snapped her whips out with a flick of her wrists. “You little fucker. How did you do that?”

Daniel threw a smile over his shoulder at Orrin, “[White Dwarf] lets me increase my mass, so I hit things like a truck. Couple that with [Gravity Strike] and...”

Daniel laughed and lifted his foot. He appeared behind Samara. She had time to turn halfway around. Daniel swung Gerty like a bat and bunted her into the air with the flat of the sword. Somehow, she kept hold of her weapons.

“[Shooting Star] isn’t quite as good as your [Teleport] but I only have to activate it once and I can hop all over the battlefield,” Daniel said loudly.

The other kidnapper with the ax was running at Daniel. Orrin checked his mana but didn’t have enough to do more than a single debuff or two. He yelled, “Daniel, watch out for the other one.”

Daniel turned and did his hovering foot thing again. As he stepped, he launched at the man. The only problem was Daniel hadn’t quite gotten used to his new strength yet.

His sword cut cleanly through the ax first and then continued through the man’s chest. Daniel was moving fast enough that the spray forward didn’t hit him but the part of the man’s body that Gertrude had ripped out flew up in an arc.

The battlefield rained blood and gore.

“Oh, shit. That’s fucking gross,” Daniel stuck his sword in the ground and tried to wipe something meaty from his eyes. “He’s dead right?”

Orrin didn’t respond but heard a scream from where Samara had landed.

“You bastards! We didn’t kill anyone!” Samar pushed herself from the ground. “I’ll kill you!”

Orrin watched as Samara’s face went wild with anger. She snapped her whips out in an increasing cadence. With every flick, the whips grew longer, and Orrin could just make out spikes beginning to grow out of the weapons.

“You kidnap me and attack everyone trying to rescue me...” Daniel started as he wiped his hands on his pants. He picked up his sword. “You threaten Orrin...and you’re mad when we fight back?”

Samara charged at Daniel, bent on taking her revenge. Orrin scanned her again but still couldn’t see her health.

The entire fight hadn’t been a minute. Orrin felt useless to do anything.

Samara ran at Daniel. Daniel lifted a foot.

“Stop!” Jude’s voice rang out.

Samara looked beyond Daniel and smiled evilly. She slowed her charge. Daniel stopped himself from checking over his shoulder and glanced at Orrin.

Orrin tried to process what he was seeing.

Jude was dragging an unconscious Madi from behind a tree with one hand. His hammer was strapped to his back and he held a knife. “The deal was nobody died.”

“He killed Argyle,” Samara spat. “He at least needs to learn a lesson.”

Jude shook his head. “I may not be a match for you but if you attack Daniel, I won’t stand by.”

Samara threw her head back and laughed. “This is when you grow a spine? You realize I’ll kill your family. You’ll throw away all the goodwill you’ve gained. Why would you even lead them here?”

Jude let go of Madi’s foot and sheathed his knife. He pulled his hammer from his back. “I didn’t. They found out somehow and luckily I was able to join. I was able to take out Quiet Anthony for you or did you think you won this fight on your own?”

“Jude? What the hell are you talking about?” Daniel yelled and turned so he could see both Samara and Jude. “This is a bad joke.”

Jude’s usually playful face was twisted in a sorrowful grimace. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I really like you. They found out Silas had a [Hero] under his roof and took my family. My sister-in-law and niece are all I have.”

“And they’ll be dead if you don’t help. Tell me how he’s so strong? My Constitution is too high to be knocked around so easily by someone under level thirty.” Samara held her whips to the side and Orrin could see them more clearly. The vine protrusions had sharp spikes every few feet that pulsed with a life of their own. The tip of the weapons had a small mouth-like appendage that reminded him of a Venus-fly trap.

Orrin was shaken when Jude said he’d taken out Tony. He checked his [Map] and saw an unmoving dot in the woods where Jude had come from. Would a dead body still register as part of my team?

Daniel shook his head. “Jude, don’t. We’ll help find your family. You’re our friend.”

Jude watched his feet as he answered. “I know where they are, Daniel. They’re locked up in Lord Wendeln’s dungeon. He promised to release them once you were captured.”

“I was captured. Did he release them? I’m guessing not, because you’re here,” Daniel argued. “The three of us can take her. Help us.”

Orrin checked his mana.

MP: 103/530

I’m going to have to cycle.

The faintest whisper entered his mind. “No.”

Tony?

There was no response.

Orrin looked around at all the unconscious members of the guard. Samara had told the truth. They all were knocked out and low on health but nobody was dead. Small puncture wounds on each of them appeared to be from her whips.

I wonder...

Orrin began to cast spells at Brandt.

“I’m dead either way. But if I don’t help her, they are too. Please understand.” Orrin watched in horror as Jude lifted his hammer into a readied position and turned his feet toward Daniel. “The other one, Samara. He casts magic that increases Strength or Dexterity.”

“So that’s what he was doing to me. It’s been years since a spell got through and did something,” she said, turning her gaze on Orrin. “What an interesting ability. It’s too bad I have to kill you to teach the little [Hero] a lesson.”

“Samara, no. Just knock him out. We can take Daniel away and still-“

“Don’t give me orders, traitor,” Samara cut him off.

Orrin and Daniel waited.

What are they waiting for?

“Hey, O? I’m going to need your help. My quick runner skill is almost up. Did you get anything else that can help here?”

They’re running out the clock on his skills. Fuck. Orrin tried one more time on Brandt.

The man moaned low.

Yes!

Orrin had first tried a [Heal Small Wounds] but that hadn’t done much. Brandt’s health wasn’t even that low. His new spell [Remetabolize] had been the key. But it had taken three attempts to neutralize whatever was in those spikes.

“Brandt, Jude sold us out. Get up,” Orrin yelled.

“All your guards are down for at least an hour. My attacks aren’t so easy to shrug...What?” Samara stepped back as Brandt pushed himself to his feet.

The man turned and surveyed the area. He was between Orrin and Jude. His face darkened as he saw Madi’s limp body behind his coworker and friend. His eyes closed tight and a single tear rolled down his cheek. “Daniel, you take her. I’ll stop Jude and then join you. Leave a piece for me.”

Brandt opened his eyes and his crystal gaze pierced Jude. The hammer-wielding friend-turned-foe shook and tried to avert his eyes.

That’s when Brandt attacked.

Orrin remembered watching the two duel before. They were evenly matched, with Brandt focusing mostly on defensive fighting and Jude on offensive styles. The spars usually ended when one of them tired.

This fight was over in seconds.

Brandt ducked under a wild last-minute swing and stabbed his sword through Jude’s side. His hand moved fluidly, releasing the handle from his striking stance and reversing his grip. He punched his sword to the side, ripping the blade through Jude’s armor and stomach.

Jude whispered something and fell to the side.

“Useless,” Samara muttered and brought her hand up over her head. She sent her right whip down at Brandt’s back, still kneeling over his downed friend.

Orrin jumped forward and used an overhand chop with his own sword to throw the whip off course. It kicked up dust next to the two guards.

Samara’s left arm was already coming down with the second attack. But she’d taken her eyes off of Daniel.

He must have had a few seconds left in his dash attack because Daniel appeared where Samara had just stood. He launched her back into a tree that Orrin would be hard pressed to wrap his arms around. She hit with a glancing blow and her body broke the base of the tree. It slowly toppled to the side, catching on a few limbs around it and hanging precariously over the woman.

Orrin stood by helplessly as the fight unfolded around him. The quickness with which Samara stood showed she was still in the fight and Brandt’s small stumble as he stood indicated how hurt he still was. Daniel’s skill was over. He was stomping his foot repeatedly until he realized nothing was going to happen. He held up Gerty at a side-angle. Brandt fell into place next to him.

Orrin’s mana was not coming in as fast as he needed. He needed to stop Samara. His debuff spells didn’t do much, but he could shave something off. She’d implied enough that just a little might happen. Or should he [Ward] both Daniel and Brandt.

What he really needed was some way to knock out Samara’s Constitution. She was taking hits from a 100 Strength sword strike and still walking. If only he had some ability that could take out her Constitution then maybe he could-

Administrator Access Engaged:

Reset Target Constitution.

Yes or No?