Crimson light flaring so brightly highlighted both Eric’s desperate peril, and the possibility of his own salvation.

“Morlekai! Do you spot three reds!?”

“Yes! My murder is ready to strike!”

“Don’t!” Eric urged, jolted by a sudden panicked certainty that if Morlekai dared that… he might lose his friend forever. “Just one scout over the head of whoever’s holding the magic wand or blaster!”

His heart was pounding.

It was all he could do to keep cartwheeling and tumbling through the knee-high grass with his weaponry and gear not flying all over as the air flared with the promise of superheated death.

Even so, he couldn’t completely wipe the smile off his face, not even he certain if it was exhilaration or terror he felt.

Probably both, as he sensed Morlekai’s acknowledgment. “Central red is exactly 6 O’clock: Five degrees left!” The crow cawed. “All three are visibly panting! Leftmost one wielding a doubleshot crossbow ten degrees to central’s left. Rightmost one equipped with saber and gladius fifteen degrees to central’s… what the fuck!? Eric!”

But Eric was no longer paying attention, all his focus on regripping his weapons and spinning around as the air flashed with fire.

Releasing death’s promise as he was struck dead on by a sneering assassin’s blaster fire.

Center mass. Just inches away from his heart.

Earning a triumpant snarl and hiss. “For Squiglepuse’s honor! The maggot is—“

Words that were cut off in a surprised gurgle as Eric’s throwing spear blasted completely through the would-be assassin’s throat.

A confident killer’s sneer turned to a look of surprised disbelief… before evolving into absolute terror, eyes bulging with panicked confusion as the creature slowly stumbled back, crashing to the ground as his blood sprayed forth like a geyser, trembling limbs unable to staunch the lethal flow as additional pilum tore through the air. Eric took advantage of the moment of shocked disbelief coming over the remaining pair of assassins as the crossbowman stumbled back, gazing down in surprise at the six and a half foot long javelin that had just torn through its stomach, punching right through whatever lightweight flexible armor it had been wearing.

The third javelin had gone wide when Eric stumbled with a hiss, the crossbowman having managed to snap fire a bolt that cracked right against his knee.

Not breaking it, by some miracle, but Eric’s surprised gasp was all the sword-wielding assassin needed to hear to squeal his goblinoid war cry and charge in for the kill.

Only to find himself stumbling back when he was suddenly covered in a murder of crows, swarming over him as he screeched and howled his fury.

“Morlekai, get the hell away! They could be warded!”

“When I know you’re not a cripple, Eric!” came his friend’s stubborn reply in their party interface. “Now grab that blaster, and take him down!”

Eric’s eyes were watering with pain as one second slowly melded to the next, using his bardiche as a walking stick as he hopped forward to glare down at the goblin spitting blood and groaning over his gut wound. “Please, spare me, and the Snicklit tribe— No!”

You have critically struck your foe!

Successful Decapitation counter’s all Feign Death Perks!

Congratulations! You have slain a Level 27 Goblin Assassin!

Eric wasted no time as his interface message dinged with notice of his joint and forty health being fully restored, pretending he didn’t feel a sickening pop as everything wrenched back into place, merely embracing the smoother movement as he positioned himself behind a wildly slashing master fencer who Eric was chilled to realize that, were he to face him without armor in a dueling ring, he probably wouldn’t last ten seconds.

As it was… Eric felt his limbs tremble with coiled power, ruthlessly crushing his growing horror as one crimson crow after another fell to the ground in unmoving heaps, before his screeching furious opponent stumbled back in his range after gloating at tearing two more precious crows with a double crosscut even Eric couldn’t hope to pull off.

Then terror turned to furious action when his foe took a final crucial step back.

“You dare to cross the Snicklit tribe, crow? You and the rest of you Terran Bloodmages will rule the day you AAIGH!—“

Find weakness skillcheck made! You spot arcane vest of Blade-Catching! You note Resilient Pantaloons of the Goblin’s Last Resort! Your opponent is suffering from Severe Distraction! Both artifacts have been avoided!

You have successfully bisected Level 29 Goblin Blademaster!

And between one second and the next, the furious din of battle turned to painful silence as the air grew ripe with the stink of blood and ruptured organs, the bisected goblin in too much shock to do anything but gulp like a wide-eyed fish as he gazed down at the bloody stream of entrails and organs spewing across the ground from his legless waist, limbs spasming and twitching just a few feet away.

And Eric almost thought he was doing an enemy a favor when his warbalde sheered completely through his enemy’s skull, right between the reinforced steel half-helm and the raised collar of his enchanted vest.

You have slain Level 29 Goblin Blademaster.

Experience Earned!

You have already earned maximum experience for Level 9 Conscript. All additional potency is now enhancing Core Saturation!

“Morlekai. Morlekai!” Eric’s eyes widened with dread, not a one of the surviving crows responding, until finally one did.

“Eric, I need to go back. I… I’m in trouble.”

“Morlekai, wait, take one of the healing potions Grim left me. Drink it now!”

The birds froze, all of them taking ragged breaths. “Eric, they’re for you and Samuel, in case...”

“Shut up and drink,” Eric said with a desperate smile, uncorking one of the bottles and holding it out to a trembling crow who nonetheless didn’t hesitate to dip his beak inside and drink deep of the nectar before shivering with what Eric hoped was healing.

It was all Eric could do not to sink to his still throbbing knees with relief when three of the fallen crows stumbled back upright, nodding to each other. “That’s better.” All of them turned to Eric, bobbing their heads. “Be well, brother. And thank you.”

Eric flashed a relieved smile. “Go home already, Morlekai. Tell you-know-who I said good luck with what’s to come. And don’t be surprised if there’s some serious hardware guarding your clan’s manor.”

The crows cawed in acknowledgement as they spiraled in circles above Eric’s head before all of them launched themselves back to Free Town.

“Take care, Eric. And don’t lose count!”

Eric flashed a relieved parting smile, deciding that it was a good thing when the fallen crows seemed to melt into the ground. Hopefully that meant his friend had reclaimed himself.

But what did he mean by keep track of the count?

He furrowed his brow, quickly going over his pair of kills, almost stumbling over the soil depression THAT WAS TRYING TO STAB HIM BETWEEN THE LEGS!

Quickness check successful!

Fatal femoral thrust has been mitigated to critical injury!

You have critically struck Level 26 Goblin Assassin!

The goblin he thought he had taken out with a single javelin to the throat before forgetting completely was gazing up at Eric in stupefied disbelief as his eyes blinked oddly out of sink. Which wasn’t surprising, considering that the corpus callosum had just been cut in half.

Alone with the rest of the now most definitely dying goblin’s skull.

The creature had time for a final look that was equal parts furious hate on his right side and frightened confusion on his left before all expression faded as massive trauma took its toll, Eric tearing his bardiche free of his foe’s ruptured skull, frowning down at a neck wound that had indeed clipped his enemy, but only on the side of the neck. A wound that might have and should have still proven fatal on anyone who wasn’t a high level player with multiple perks to restore himself or conserve strength, or in this goblin’s case, an arcane flesh patch the goblin had managed to put on quickly enough to buy himself some time. Yet his final a desperate stab for Eric’s crotch had ultimately cost the would-be assassin his life.

Only then did Eric note the crimson spray shooting from his own crotch, realizing that the glittering blade of darkness had indeed found its mark.

No matter Eric’s essence infused scales that had partially mitigated the blow, … it had still struck true.

Warning! You have been critically injured by Bleeding Blade! This Elite tier assassins blade cuts through most White Tier defenses! Arcane anticoagulants will additionally minimize the effects of most healing spells!

Eric’s mind screamed sudden alarm as he stumbled to the ground, suddenly shaking hands desperately scrabbling for potions he couldn’t pull straight from the ether, sobbing with relief when he gulped one down, feeling the warm flood of rejuvenating energies course through him.

Before gazing down with horror at a still spurting wound.

He was momentarily frozen with shock, realizing that his luck had finally run out.

Because despite all his miraculous saves, all it had taken was one furious thrust by a goblin thrice his level to spell his doom, no matter that the bastard’s head had just been cracked open like a rotten fruit.

Willpower check succesful!

It was more the words blaring across his interface than anything he did that had him pull himself together.

Willpower check indeed.

Because all he could do was snarl at his own rapidly approaching demise as a knicked femoral enchanted to gush kept pouring awayhis lifeblood faster than a rapidly waning healing potion could repair it…

before he finally woke up to his own potential, realizing what an idiot he was being.

“Seal!” He screamed, no longer looking down at his own dying self like an outsider, forcing himself to take control, battling the hardest contest of his life, grit and bitter determination roaring against an eldritch curse for him to bleed and bleed until he was no more.

Until he visualized strangling the mocking hiss with his own bloody hands.

Bloody hands presently smacked over his naked legs, soul bound scale leggings forced into a tortured ES Space that immediately spat it back out. But the headache was worth a chance at life as his hands burned with a combination of heat and sticky resolve, screaming for his own blood to clot and seal… until, much to his own desperate amazement, it actually did.

You have successfully overcome Adept Tier Curse!

You have lost over 60% of maximum health reserves!

Your current state is: Exhausted.

Your have depleted your Soul Reserves.

Congratulations! Blood Mastery is now Rank 21!

Dominion’s Command is now Rank 3!

Dominion’s Command is now Rank 4!

Because nothing enhances your ultimate potential quite like the peril of certain death!

An utterly drained and depleted Eric shook his head at the remaining healing potions, having thought it would be more than enough. But as much as he wanted to save the remaining three, in case a certain disciple needed them far more than Eric did, he was painfully aware of just how perilous his situation was.

He needed to move.

Now.

To stay here exhausted and depleted, at minus 60% of his full health, too sore even to put his armored leggings back on, was tantamount to a death sentence.

So he forced himself to drink a second healing potion which immediately filled him with a feeling of relief that was almost euphoric, before struggling back into his leggings and boots once more. Only then did he rise to his feet, glaring down at the gladius that had come so close to killing him.

Before carefully cleaning and resheathing it, and claiming it for himself.

Because there was no way in hell he was letting such a deadly weapon back into the hands of his foes.

Eric smiled fiercely as he redid the head count. “One headless fucker. Two headless fuckers. And now… Three headless fuckers!” He roared, not holding back from chopping even mangled heads free of the stumps of their necks, so no illusion or suspended animation perk would deny him his kills.

A feat even his interface acknowledged.

You have successfully taken out Advanced Goblin Strike Force!

Experience Earned!

Core Saturation is now at 96.7%!

Congratulations! Your surviving foes are more terrified of you than ever!