As more of the pack emerge from the trees, Zyneth stirs behind me.

“I see we’ve some company. I would advise you to not make any sudden movements.” Eyes on the predators, he slowly curls a hand into a fist, light spilling between the gaps in his fingers.

More nightbanes step into the clearing, moving silently between the trees. Only their skulls stand out in the moonlight, the rest of their bodies melting into the surrounding dark.

“I suppose this is my fault,” Zyneth murmurs, eyes flitting between each of the nightbanes. I only count five, but I know better than to be optimistic. “I thought we were far enough away from their territory to not risk an encounter. But they’re attracted to large sources of magic, and I suspect my lightning display yesterday was enough for them to catch our scent.”

Great—at least they’ll target him, and not me.

Okay, I know that’s kind of an asshole thing to think, but the dude’s got two dozen levels on me. He can handle a dog bite somewhat better than I can.

I mean, I hope he can, at least.

One of the nightbanes steps forward.

“Close your eyes,” Zyneth says.

Are you kidding me? I don’t have any fucking—

The clearing explodes in a burst of light.

[Status Effect: Blinded]

The nightbanes snarl. There’s a gust of movement behind me. The ground pounds with footsteps. I stumble to the side, panic swelling up in me as the clash of a battle rings out and I still can’t see anything. I pull my glass protectively back toward me—and the little bit of surroundings within my glass’s range pop into my head like a movie still. Right. I’m not totally blind: I still have my glass radar.

And not only that…

Echo, Check on my surroundings. Species and Level.

[Level 18 Nightbane,] Echo says, the words appearing to my left. [Level 21 Nightbane.] The words are in front of me. [Level 19 Nightbane. Level 22 Nightbane. Level 31 Cambion. Level 17 Nightbane.]

The words track with the movement of each creature, at least giving me some sense of where they are. Most of the nightbanes seem clustered around Zyneth, though thankfully not on top of him. The labels dart forward and back in an unseen dance of battle.

I use my glass to feel out a path of retreat, backing up over Zyneth’s bedroll and huddling against the tree behind it. One less direction to worry about. Which is a good thing now that I can tell exactly what we’re up against.

There’s eight nightbanes, and while most of them are fighting or circling Zyneth, two others are closer to my general vicinity. I hold perfectly still as one lopes around behind our camp. I should be fine. Like Zyneth said: They were drawn to his magic, not me.

[Status Effect Blinded timing out.]

Finally, my vision starts to clear. At first, I think a spot has been permanently burned into my vision, until I realize Zyneth’s attack wasn’t all just for show: A fire blazes in the middle of the clearing, illuminating the rest of the scene in stuttering shadows and orange light.

Zyneth is a blur of motion, daggers crackling with lightning in each hand. A nightbane already lays at his feet, but more still surround him. He ducks away from one of the monsters as they leap for him, burying his blade in their skull and stabbing them into the ground. Another springs forward, teeth bared, and he wrenches the knife buried in the downed nightbane to fling at the other assailant. It snaps through the air with a crack of thunder, flashing with electricity when it strikes home.

I’m impressed—and a little terrified. This guy clearly knows his way around stabby things. Glad he’s on my side—which is exactly how I’d like to keep it.

A growl far too close for comfort draws my attention away from Zyneth. One of the nightbanes steps around my tree—only feet away—and its burning eyes have narrowed in on me.

I hold perfectly still. Nice undead dog. I promise I’m not tasty! I’ll shatter in your teeth and get in your—er—I guess you don’t have gums, do you. Well, it won’t be pleasant for either of us, at any rate.

My silent pleas are shockingly disregarded. The creature steps closer, its nose lowered to the ground, and despite lacking the organs to be able to do so, a sickly warm puff of air brushes over me as it snuffs about. I mean, I guess I also lack the organs to be able to feel that, so who am I to judge?

It’s taking all my willpower to stay still. Surely with all the magic Zyneth’s throwing around, it should move on soon. But it’s not turning away. Come on, come on! There’s plenty of other magic about. Why are you coming after me?

But in my heart of hearts, I know why. I’ve performed plenty of magic in the past—and each time the predator has been released, I’m sure its stench has hung around. At least enough that this creature can tell I’m no inanimate object. I Check the beast.

[Level 18 Nightbane]

Panic threatens to bubble up, but I force it back down: Now is not the moment to lose my cool. It’s only almost 3 times my level—no big deal. I have some spells in my back pocket—all of them pretty useless for battle. That’s fine. Got some glass and books in my inventory. None of them really big enough to make a dent on this guy. Not a problem. I can still… uh…

My glass tinks as the tip of the nightbane’s skull taps against me. It snorts a warm wind over me and opens its jaws.

My composure cracks. I make a run for it, stabbing two pieces of glass into its eye holes as I dive backward.

[0 points of Piercing damage dealt]

Fucking awesome.

The nightbane pounces after me, completely unfazed. I dart around the side of the tree, knowing outmaneuvering the thing is the only chance I stand at escaping it—’cause I sure as hell won’t be able to outrun it.

It crashes through the brush in pursuit, and I skitter back around the other side of the tree toward the fire, like some kind of fucking cartoon. But without a mousehole for me to dive into, this chase scene will not end with the underdog securing the upper hand. On the other side of the fire, Zyneth is still fighting off the majority of the pack—and good for him on that—but I don’t have time to worry about how he’s faring when just one of these hounds is more than I can handle. Another flash of lightning sparks from Zyneth’s attacks, illuminating the nightbane still hot on my tail. It glances his way for a moment, drawn by the light—

That’s it!

Lightbeam, I mentally call, reaching for the magic. Straight into that fucker’s eyes!

My glass snaps into place, bouncing a focused beam of firelight right into the nightbane’s face. The creature shakes its head, trying to duck out of the blinding light, but my glass stays honed in on its eyes, illuminating the inside of its skull.

Hah! Finally someone else who understands the plight of not having eyelids. The nightbane snarls, batting blindly at the reflection, and I duck my glass away from its claws, still keeping the light focused on its eyes. No time for me to savor my victory, however; it could still take me out with one lucky swipe. Now is the time for a tactical retreat. And if I can’t outrun it…

I stick one of my limbs into the side of the tree, wedging it into a gap between two pieces of bark. It feels steady. I hook my next leg in, and then the next. I’m definitely top-heavy, but now that my vial is strapped securely to the rest of my get-up, I at least know I won’t fall out.

As long as my legs don’t slip.

But as I climb the side of the tree, I find it easier than I expected. Better than trying to climb up that sandy ravine when my vial hadn’t been secured—and the bark provides more grip than Trenevalt’s wooden desk. Maybe that climbing skill is doing something for me after all. Dare I say… this is pretty easy?

I know, I know. Something in this world not costing me a herculean effort? I’m surprised, too.

As I climb the tree, I have to take my glass with me so it doesn’t fall out of range. It’s still pointed on the nightbane’s eyes, but given my glass can only move a couple feet away from me, it’s unfortunately also giving the nightbane a general indication of where I’m headed. Hopefully it’s not smart enough to put that together.

It is, at least, smart enough to know where the obnoxious light is coming from. The nightbane snarls, jumping at my glass. I yank it to the side as the nightbane flies past my tree, and the Lightbeam is broken. Damn. I keep heading up as I wait for the skelewolf to circle back around and into view, so I can try blinding it again. It appears from the other side of the trunk, and I point my glass at it once more—but not before it catches sight of me climbing up the tree.

Oh sh—

I hastily scamper to the side as it leaps, paw slamming against the trunk just inches away. The tree shakes beneath the impact, and one of my legs slips. My soul drops as I scramble to regain my foothold. Holy shit. If I fall from this height, no amount of Fall Damage Resistance will save me.

Maybe I should have thought of that before I started climbing.

Too late now. The nightbane’s skeletal claws tear grooves down the bark as it slips back to the ground. I take the opportunity to retreat a little higher, restarting my Lightbeam. The nightbane snarls, turning its head away, but it leaps back at me nevertheless.

This time its blow lands high. I lurch to the side as its paw drags down the tree, but I’m not fast enough; one of its claws nicks my back leg as I’m scrambling to get out of the way, instantly snapping the glass off. My leg falls to the ground below, shattering on a root.

[3 points of Bludgeoning damage sustained.]

Crap! A phantom ache pulses on the side of my glass, where the leg was snapped off, but that’s the least of my worries as I struggle to keep from falling. I dig my other legs in, pressing back against the tree. I’m stuck. I can’t risk moving, or I’ll fall. But if I don’t move, its next swipe will take me out.

I can’t run. I have no defense. I need to attack—do something offensive—anything that can deal some damage—

The nightbane crouches, getting ready to spring again.

Summon a spell book, Echo!

The tome drops on top of the nightbanes head with a satisfyingly solid thump, and the animal lets out a startled cry, backing up a few feet.

[6 points of Bludgeoning damage dealt.]

That’s something. But it’s a one-time trick. I’ve got a second book in there, but if I chuck that at the nightbane, I’ll be left empty handed. I have glass—broken shards and Attuned—but will it be enough to dissuade the animal? No, it would only buy me time. A few seconds at most. The nightbane shakes its head, padding back over, its gaze fixed on me despite the light I have shining in its eyes. It’s not enough.

I hate it. I hated even using my inventory for the spell books—that’s another 2% Void to put them back—but if I’m dead, none of it will matter, and there’s nothing else I can think of.

The nightbane crouches as my reluctance crumbles into fear. Lightbeam! I call, this time activating it as a spell. Now. Hurry!

[Spell activated.]

A warmth spreads through me as my glass snaps into a new orientation, clustering around me instead of reflecting the firelight. The nightbane jumps, and with a flash of heat, the Lightbeam fires.

The creature recoils as white light sears into its face, crying out with an unearthly yip of pain. It falls to the ground, missing a step and crumpling, then scrambles to escape me, twisting in pain.

—I see the felis looking up at me in horror, dread filling his eyes as I spear him through the chest—

Stop! I cry. The Lightbeam vanishes as shadows fall back over the scene. Images of the felis dissipate, and it’s only the nightbane lying beneath me.

[20 points of Light damage dealt.]

And the Void stat? I ask, trembling. The nightbane staggers to its feet, a black mark on the side of its skull. Instead of turning toward me, however, it limps off into the dark.

[Void: 29%]

I don’t even feel anything when she says it. I’m just numb. Full of static. I guess I should feel relieved, at least. I’m not dead. I won. But it doesn’t feel like winning. I stare at a black scorch mark on the ground.

Gradually, I become aware of sound on the other side of the camp, as if I’d forgotten how to register noise and I’m only now starting to process it again. Zyneth is still fighting the pack of nightbanes. Several of the creatures lay scattered around him and there are only two left in the fight, but he’s slower, breathing heavily.

It takes me a moment to realize Zyneth’s only focused on one of them. The second nightbane has circled around behind, and I can only see it in the shadows due to the label Echo stuck over its head. It’s going to catch him unaware. Even with this realization I don’t feel any form of alarm—just resignation. I turn my glass on the nightbane that’s creeping up behind him.

Lightbeam.

The laser of light strikes the animal in its jaw, sending it staggering to its side and into a tree. The creature howls in pain, and Zyneth glances back, face lifted in surprise. Then he sees the beam—traces it to me—and whirls back into the fight, striking the last nightbane before him with his sparking electric dagger.

[Mana extinguished,] Echo reports. The Lightbeam vanishes. The nightbane I’d been attacking doesn’t get up.

[21 points of Light damage dealt.]

[9 points of Bludgeoning damage dealt.]

[Level Up!]

Oh. Great.

[Name: Kanin]

[Species: N/A]

[Class: Wizard]

[Level: 8]

[HP: 10/10]

[Bonus HP: 20]

[Mana: 50/50]

[Void: 50%]

[Role: Homunculus]

The scene is abruptly quiet. With the nightbanes all dead or fled, it feels unnervingly still. A stick pops in the firepit, and I flinch.

Zyneth sags, and the lightning licking up the sides of his blades flicker out. He glances around the forest, rubbing his shoulder, then slowly heads back toward the firelight. He sags against a tree across from me, holding his right arm.

“Well,” he says, catching his breath. His gaze dances over me, though all the previous hints of faint amusement are gone. His eyes are harder now. Looking at me with a more serious calculation. “Any more surprises you’d like to tell me?”