The main horde approaches. I slash down at some kind of beetle. The knife goes through its shell thing as the guts explode outward and it dies. I slide the corpse off my blade as I look at the new notification.

[ You have killed a level 5 "Bad Beetle" x 1. 20 experience point(s) gained. ]

In the same amount of time that it took for me to kill one beetle, Rose has killed twenty and counting. I look over her flashing form as she wields her sword in two hands, arched forward. With a flash, she goes from one side of a bug and appearing on the opposite side, just to do so again. Similar to how a checkers piece can do multiple jumps in one turn, she can chain her attacks together.

Her jumps create an arc around me as all nearby bugs cease to exist. "Ugh, didn't even level up from that," she complains. "Uhh, how much experience do you need to level up?" I fear the answer I might receive. "Hmm. About 3 million. I have had five thresholds and my original experience gain was 50 so…" Ugh, that completely seems out of my league. Though if what she says is true, then she, and probably, all heroes near here are at a ridiculous level. Like fifty to the power of five. So, 2500 times 2500 times 50 is 312,500,500 meaning relatively she's actually pretty close to a level up.

She seems to read my mood as she says, "Hey, cheer up. We were all weak at some point. You'll get there too." A voice shouts from behind us, "Not me! I was always strong!" Hyper Thunder shouts across the rooftop within a dome of electricity he seems to have made, but then he gets hit with a solid, yellow brick. "Shut up, and get back to work, you idiot!" Midas turns some rubble into gold and chucks it at the bugs and Hyper Thunder, the metal penetrating his shield.

Then Midas gives an audible sigh as he pulls out a golden gun and starts shooting some roaches. I look to Rose, "Guns can harm monsters?" She looks at Midas then back to me. "Of course, they can even harm heroes, up to a point. People have to have an absurd Endurance to completely block the force and penetration of a bullet. That's why some villains like CyberKnight use heavy weaponry in their ensemble, though he may be a bad example since he uses magic-powered guns as well." I give Rose an inspecting eye as she casually mentions Thomas, though I don't know if she actually knows his identity. She flies away back towards some beetles.

Some pillbugs roll towards me, except for the fact that they are the size of tires. Three of them to be exact. They sit in front of me in their rolled up form. Kinda makes me feel bad for having to kill them if they don't attack.

I still need to get stronger though, so people won't end up like Natalie.

My knife bounces uselessly off of the shells of the bug. I turn the bug around to try and find a chink where the bug rolls up at. I find it after a few seconds and shove my knife into the little crack and apply pressure. I keep pulling and pulling until…the knife goes flying.

"ARGH! Just unroll!" I don't notice everyone's nervous glances as I activate my Beast Transformation.

I feel my body shift as I turn into my changed, nine foot tall form. My chrome fur glistens under the sun. My eyes turn from their brown with a tinge of red into a more yellowed slit. My reflection on a nearby window shows that my eyes still have red as my black pupils show red pupils instead.

"AWOOOO!" I release a howl as I lean down, pick up the pillbugs and Bite.

*Crunch!*

[ You have killed a level 13 "Cowardly Pillbug" x 3. 120 experience points gained. ]

I smell others nearby. They smell…afraid. I slowly stomp on the street towards my prey. The rubble on the street goes flying at my feet. The ground gives a little due to my size and weight. Drool drips from the edges of my mouth, marking the asphalt in its path.

They're afraid. Afraid of me. I crush them beneath my paws.

[ You have killed a level 14 "Cowardly Pillbug" x 5. 225 experience points gained. ]

Before I can continue, something lands on my face. It's bugging me. Up close it smells different. Defiant, brave, arachnid. Sophia.

"Now, are you on a rampage, trying for the Intimidation skill, or attempting a Berserker skill cause if it's any of those, I will have to take responsibility and stop you." Her voice is commanding, authoritative, and full of conviction. Her eyes peer into mine. Such…pretty eyes. They just want you to…

Wait. What have I been doing? I whirl around at my surroundings. Nothing looks too broken. Sophia looks kinda pissed though. I should transform back.

My body melds back into its humanoid form, wolf ears and tails included. I can't meet Sophia's eyes, not due to hypnosis because I'm sure she isn't using that anymore, but I just don't want to see the disappointment.

She steps forward. Here it comes. Punishment, any second now.

Her arms reach up. I deserve this.

And wrap around me.

"It's okay now," she whispers into where human ears would be, "Everything is okay now." I look up and don't see disappointment. It's something sad. Something…understanding. "I'm sorry." My voice cracks at little. "It's fine. No one got hurt and any damage is negligible. All that matters is that you're okay."

She continues, "Do you know why you became like that though?" Her gaze is full of warmth. Her eight eyes stare into you blankly, but her eyebrows tell you everything. I nod in response. "I…remembered Natalie." She looks confused for a moment before a flash of understanding appears. "You blame yourself for her death don't you?"

A nod.

"You think you weren't strong enough to protect her."

Another nod.

"You pushed yourself past what your mind could take."

I don't have the energy to nod anymore. Just stare.

She sighs, "I have some blame for this too. I shouldn't have pushed you out here while you were still emotionally unstable, but you need to realize something."

A deep breath. "You won't be able to save everyone. No matter how strong you are. I was there too. Her death also falls onto me if you blame yourself."

She's right. I just don't want to accept it. I don't want to accept my weakness. My inability. I don't want to accept-

That she is dead.

"Will you be fine?" Her voice laced with care rings about. "I…think so. I just need rest." She nods this time.

I look around at our surroundings and notice a surprising lack of bugs. Also the heroes have gathered together in a group with Rose holding Hyper Thunder at sword point and Midas holding him at gunpoint.

"Ahh, is she well?" Midas asks either of us. A nod from both of us causes him to visibly relax and put his gun away. "All for the best. After that transformation, I mean, I've never seen a horde flee so fast." Flee? I mean, I was scary, but I thought that was the crazy talking.

"Luckily, they ran back towards the dungeon, so our job is done." Rose is still holding Hyper Thunder hostage. "All thanks to- Ack!" Hyper Thunder attempts to inflate his ego, but Rose just holds her sword closer, a small stream of blood trailing from the point.

"Well, I think we'll head back early. We need some rest," Sophia states to which the other two that I respect nod. Hyper Thunder tries to complain, but uses his brain and looks at the sword near his neck.

Sophia warps us back to her penthouse. I guess I'll be staying here overnight.