16 mana- ‘That’s enough for three casts.’ Marco calculated. Adding on the mana potion, that gave Marco four shurikens to deal with the three remaining skeletons in the courtyard. ‘I could just spam them but…’ Marco’s thoughts trailed off as he thought about everything that could go wrong if he ran out of mana. ‘Let’s try something different.’ Marco decided, the beginnings of a new plan in his mind.

Marco’s eyes scanned the ground before settling on a small rock the size of a golf ball, ‘That’ll work.’ Marco thought as he picked it up from the ground. After straightening up Marco took aim at the nearest skeleton before tossing the stone at it, ‘Now, let’s see how much damage you do.’ Marco thought as the stone whizzed through the air.

-1 HP

‘Success!’ Marco grinned as the damage value appeared in his vision. ‘That confirms my suspicion,’ Marco thought, ‘stones deal blunt damage… or maybe they just hurt more than I think they do.’ he added as an afterthought.

The skeleton mimicked all those before it by running directly towards Marco, who acted on his new plan by running to meet the skeleton. ‘A little more… ok, now!’ Marco thought as he came to an abrupt stop. The skeleton, however, wasn’t able to stop from launching itself through the air at where Marco would have been had he kept running.

With a thud Marco’s disoriented enemy landed at his feet before finding itself suffering a barrage of staff strikes.

-1 HP -4 HP -4 HP -4 HP

After the third strike the skeleton managed to roll out the way of the next strike, which Marco stopped before his staff could hit the ground. “Only one health left little guy.” Marco said with a predatory smile as he chased his victim down.

Marco approached the skeleton with careful steps. Having failed in its previous attack the skeleton assumed an odd position that made Marco think, ‘ It almost looks like its trying to defend itself.’ Once Marco reached the edge of his staff’s range he stopped in preparation to strike. With prepared motions Marco swung his staff at the skeleton’s right side, causing it to back up in order to avoid the strike.

Marco smiled as he eyes flashed. Taking a step forward Marco used the other end of his staff to hit the incompetent skeleton in the head.

-1 HP

“Hahahaha.” Marco laughed out loud between deep breaths, ‘First time I managed to kill one without taking damage.’ But before Marco could celebrate he felt a pain in the back of his left leg. Turning around instinctually Marco’s staff whirled through the air before passing by the extended claw of a kobold skeleton.

-4 HP

‘Shit.’ Marco thought, eyes darting around furiously in an examination of the courtyard before focusing on the two skeletons that had surrounded him. ‘Guess I didn’t plan for everything.’ Marco thought as he winced at his airheadedness. Marco knew he had failed to judge just how far he could move forward before attracting the other two skeletons, ‘I didn’t even consider it.’ Marco berated.

‘Not very far.’ Marco observed dryly while trying to keep his eyes on both skeletons as they exhibited never before seen intelligence, circling him in an attempt to get behind him. ‘No choice.’ Marco told himself before spinning to face one of the skeletons as he bellowed, “Shadow Shuriken!”

While the magic flew through the air Marco could hear the other skeleton behind him, the distinct sound of claws pushing off the ground in an attempt to get on his back. Having anticipated this Marco already had his staff sailing through the air to meet the kobold.

-4 HP -4 HP

Before the kobold could recover from its position on the ground Marco shoved his staff through one of its eye sockets before exclaiming, “Shadow Shuriken!” causing darkness to explode out of the kobold’s other eye and mouth.

-12 HP

With his spare mana point Marco cast his robe’s built in ability, “Bandage!” as a damage value popped up in sync with the sensation of someone grabbing his hair for leverage and then slamming his head against the ground.

-2 HP +1 HP You are disoriented

Marco lay on the ground, vaguely able to make out a yellowish figure above him, claws outstretched as if it was about to feast on something… “FUCK!” Marco screamed before rolling out of the reach of the predatory claws.

Rising to his feet Marco placed his staff in front of him, using his other hand to press against his throbbing head. But pressing against his head caused Marco to hiss as he intincturally closed his eyes from the pain before immediately forcing them open again- too late.

The kobold was already flying through the air ready to latch onto Marco and tear his throat out. With a desperate reaction Marco fell to the ground before casting a spell where he’d just been, “SHADOW SHURIKEN!”

-2 HP

The damage came in as the spell glanced off the skeletons clawed foot, knocking a few toes loose in the process.

[Kobold Skeleton] is crippled [Kobold Skeleton] is slowed

Landing awkwardly the kobold began to recover as best it could with its now crippled foot. Taking advantage of the respite Marco fumbled the mana potion after summoning it from his inventory, quickly sucking down all the liquid as fast as possible before tossing the empty glass bottle away.

+5 MP

Marco’s left eye was closed now, though the blood from the side of his head still somehow managed to get into his eye and send an irritating stinging sensation to Marco’s head. With adrenaline fueled focus Marco raised his staff, casting his last spell of the fight with a panted, “Shadow… Shuriken…”

The projectile flew exactly where Marco’s staff had aimed it; the skeleton’s eyes.

-4 HP

With what little strength remained Marco rushed up to the blinded skeleton before swatting the damned thing’s neck. As he did the skeleton’s eyes cleared, allowing it to send it’s hand racing towards Marco’s heart.

-3 HP -3 HP

Marco collapsed onto the ground as the system warned him for the second time in his life:

EMERGENCY: Health at 1

That was the last thing Marco saw before his vision went black, his mind fading with the echoing thunder of his heartbeat roaring in his ears.

…

‘Everything hurts.’ Marco thought as he groaned to the empty courtyard. ‘I better get back to-’ Marco’s train of thought was interrupted as he sat up and retched onto the ground in front of him. In his exhausted state the only thing Marco could think was, ‘I thought I was past this.’

Straining to get himself on his feet Marco berated himself, “Stupid. Stupid! STUPID! Didn’t think. Walked right into it… fucking invited them to kill me… suicide by skeleton… dumbass…” before hobbling out through the gate.

The stairs were even more of a challenge than they had been after his first fight, each step sending sharp pain through Marco’s left calf and causing the throbbing pain in his head to give an extra special shock to his skull.

After 15 minutes Marco had almost made it to the shop before he collapsed onto the stairs, “SteelBreaker!” he yelled up the stairs, “Health potion!” he begged as he prayed to whatever god would listen that SteelBreaker wasn’t taking another nap.

Marco heard a torrent of, “Uppity lil’ shit! Ye think I’m yer dog? Eh, boy?” which caused a tiny smile to escape his lips as he sent a trade offer to the shadowy figure on the top of the stairs. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?!” SteelBreaker questioned as he ran down the stairs.

“Accept… the trade…” Marco whispered as he tried to block out the dwarf’s words of concern, “Ye look like ye were jumped by a couple of tunnel crawlers!” The potion appeared in Marco’s inventory, quickly appeared in Marco’s hand, and then disappeared down Marco’s throat as he downed it before, once again, passing out.

...

Marco awoke to find himself on the floor of the shop room, SteelBreaker sitting on the stairs behind him. While Marco’s mind pushed through the fog that seemed to be clouding it he wondered what SteelBreaker was looking at with his distant gaze…

“Ah,” SteelBreaker said as his eyes returned to Marco, “Yer finally awake. What’d ye get yerself into?” Marco sat up and rubbed his now healed head, “I made a mistake. Had to fight two of those fuckers at once. Almost died.”

SteelBreaker nodded in agreement with Marco’s first statement, “Aye, yer lucky to be alive. Ey, listen to old SteelBreaker a moment.” he said as Marco stood up, “Yer movin’ pretty damn fast boy, and there’s nothing wrong with going fast. But yer setting a sprinter’s pace when yer running a marathon. If ye don’t stop I’m afraid ye’ll realize too late that ye overestimated yerself.”

Marco nodded saying, “I already overestimated myself.” before SteelBreaker stopped him, “No, ye didn’t. Ye made a mistake. But yer mistake almost cost ye yer little life cause you moved so quickly.”

SteelBreaker hesitated before saying, “I’m not supposed to tell ye anythin’ but… most players won’t enter the dungeon without at least enough potions to bring ‘em back to full health and mana. Yer runnin’ in there without shit and it’ll get ye killed sooner or later.”

Marco sighed as he thanked SteelBreaker, “I’ll make sure I do that from now on. I appreciate the advice.” SteelBreaker grunted, walked back behind the shop counter and yelled, “Now get yer ass outta here before I have to throw ye through that blasted door meself!”

With a final smile Marco climbed the stairs going up, slower than he needed to, before crossing the threshold that would send him back to his world.