I awoke to mumbles. Mia stood up in front of them all, holding her hands in the air trying to calm the crowd. "Listen, he is right. We have to find a way to work together, or these things will just keep coming. I think he can bring one down. If he can bring one down and we kill it, then we can take them all out one by one. You will die, either way, might as well use your death to some advantage and fight for freedom."

I stood to my feet and the murmuring stopped. My arms and legs were getting larger, and I took a moment to look them over. Veins were starting to protrude from my already oversized forearms.

"You like what I've done?" Tootsie gloated.

"Funny I don't remember you getting chewed on like a seared steak. I didn't see you roasting in the oven either."

"I suffer vicariously." Tootsie clutched her chest in mock pain. "I felt horrible watching you get bested by such a magnificent beast. Drove me to tears to watch you cuss like a child in the flames too. I'm all tore up about it."

"Can you tell me how to use the phantom cloak?" I asked after Tootsie finished a sadistic laugh.

"Draw a circle on the ground then take some sand from the center of the circle and toss it straight up in the air. Everything in the circle will be invisible for the duration of the spell. The bigger the circle the less stability and duration though. It won't help you much though as soon as you attack, they will know where you are."

I paced off the arena. I had Mia watch the stars overhead. Then I drew a circle three meters in diameter. Everyone squeezed in. The strong held the weaker on their shoulders. I grabbed a handful of sand from the ground inside the circle.

"Over there." Mia pointed at the sky. "The stars went out."

Everyone tightened up in the circle. I threw the sand in the air above them and felt cool mana run down my arms. Then everyone was gone.

Seconds later a very angry Shade child landed. He tipped his face up to the sky and let out a bellow that rippled the muscles in his throat. I ran straight for him and leaped through the air with a sidekick right in his jugular.

Mia dove across his back and dug her sharp claws across his shoulder blades. I dropped and spun around to grab his forearm bone once again and slammed his face into the dirt as I twisted his arm out of the socket. Mia ran in and kicked him across the face, and I rolled across his back still clutching his arm. With a pop, the arm dangled limp in my hands.

My back burned like I had rolled on steel grating, and I looked back to see his spine was like an oversized chainsaw blade. His tail whipped up to slap me across the face and I latched onto it like a psychotic pit-bull. I dug my heels into his lower back and stretched pulling his tail tight.

He pivoted his head around and screamed in my ear and Mia landed another kick on his face. I held the hook of his tail between two fists and plunged it into his throat. He bucked me like a wild horse, but I wrapped my legs around his waist and kept plunging the serrated edge. Cups full of slimy hot blood splattered me in the face. I jabbed and twisted and jabbed again. I spat the salty rotten blood from my mouth and plunged the blade again. When his tail went limp, I stood and pulled with all my strength. It was like pulling a root from the ground. I ripped his spine from his back inch by inch.

3260 exp. Earned

Level up!

Level up!

Level up!

You have defeated level 10 Kinder Shade!

You have reached level 13

"Pug." Mia called.

That name burned right through me. I pulled with greater effort. I was halfway up his back separating his spine from his ribs. The sounds his spine made as it popped free and tore from flesh gave me goosebumps up my arms.

"Pug." Mia sounded horrified. It had to be the first time she had ever seen a spine pulled out of something's back. I imagined it was difficult for her to watch but I was determined.

I ripped the last of his spine free and stood on his head to break it free from his skull. Finally. I growled in pleasure and shook my head flinging the blood from my face and tusks.

"Pig Face!" Tootsie yelled and I looked up in rage to see my victim's family gathered around me and Mia. Mom, Dad, and three siblings, and all had just watched me mutilate their kin.

Orc

Pug

Pig Face

Level 13

Strength: 22

Dexterity: 10

Charisma: 5

Intelligence: 18

Manna: 0

Constitution: 14

Perception: 14

Exp: 13,760

Soul Points: 9

Skills: Furious Feline: cost 2 mana,

Dex: +3, Claws, time: 1 hour

Carapace Skin: +4 Constitution,

Cost: 2 Mana, time: 1 hour

Phantom Cloak: Cover a target area of three-square meters for 7 minutes (Stage 2)

Cost: 2 Mana

Coin:

$0

Gear: Shade Tail and Spine.