The animal growled, its dark fur now shining with wet blood. Tess kept her spear pointed at the creature. Her wounded arm held the others, ready for use in a moment. Tess’s torn muscles screamed in protest, but the adrenaline kept her steady.

There would be time to rest once danger passed.

The two enemies faced off, neither moving as the light of the moon wafted through the trees.

Tess knew she had a disadvantage. The catlike creature seemed to have an unlimited number of blinks. Tess only had a minute of stoneskin.

Tess jerked her spear arm back in a throw, knowing that she had to take the initiative while she could. The weapon flew toward the animal, once again making it blink away. Tess quickly grabbed another spear and pulled her arm back. Footfalls came from behind.

Tess whirled and whipped the spear, not bothering to look as she grabbed for another. She heard a yowl of pain.

Tess looked up to see the spear poking out of the large cat’s shoulder. It wasn’t a deep wound, the animal’s muscle had stopped the spear from fatally wounding.

That didn’t matter. A few more spears and the creature wouldn’t be able to stand from blood loss.

The animal knew it too, but instead of retreating, it growled and pressed forward.

Tess threw her spear, but the animal made a short blink to the side, dodging. It leaped at Tess, claws aiming for her chest.

The woman reacted instinctively, kicking up at the animal’s face. Her heavy boot connected with the animal’s jaw, eliciting a yelp of pain.

However, it didn’t stop the animal’s momentum. The full weight of a large cat pressed down, squeezing Tess between it and the ground. The spears scattered across the floor, her wounded arm unable to hold on.

Tess coughed as the wind was knocked out of her. Luckily, the claws hadn’t pierced through stoneskin, but it seemed the skill did nothing against blunt trauma.

Tess prepared to kick out, but the animal had already blinked away. It leaped again, giving Tess little time to react. By some dumb luck, a few spears had pierced the cat creature, but again not deeply. The fell away as the cat leaped.

Tess rolled to the side, feeling something whip across her back and shred her shirt. She turned, pulling out her knife, to see the creature’s tails shaking off bits of cloth.

“I needed that shirt!” Tess roared.

The woman charged, keeping her wounded arm up to block preemptive blows. The cat blinked out of her vision.

Tess gambled, spinning in place and readying her knife. Sure enough, the creature had blinked to Tess’s blind spot. She screamed a wordless battle cry, bringing her knife down into the animal’s skull.

Something cracked, and Tess watched as the life left the animal’s eyes. It fell to the ground a moment later, the knife still stuck in its skull.

Tess took a gasping breath, falling to the ground.

“Ow,” she moaned.

That!! Was!! Totally!! Wicked!!

 

Tess groaned.

You were all like, ‘haha I’m totally asleep,’ and then you were all like, ‘surprise mothafucka!’ and then you were all like, ‘come and get me you son of a bitch!’ and then you killed it!

 

“Can you keep it down?” Tess asked weakly. “Things hurt.”

Wait wait wait! First I gotta get you your experience!

 

Tess watched as another box appeared.

You are just the coolest, beating a blink panther alone of all things! Have 300 xp you champ!

Tess rolled her eyes. She looked at her arm. Three long, serrated, gashes ran up her forearm like lightning bolts. Red blood flowed freely.

“Gotta staunch the flow,” she mumbled.

The woman raised her arm high, slowing the blood flow. With nothing else around, Tess pulled her ripped shirt off, tore off the midriff, and wound it around her wounded arm. She made a square knot, placing a stick under the loop and twisted. She performed the action until there was enough pressure to stop the blood. Tess wrapped another piece of cloth around her arm to secure the stick.

The woman then turned to the dead beast and grabbed her knife. It came free with a slight squelching noise. Tess made a face and wiped the gore off before sheathing.

“Now I really need to find a town,” she said.

A tourniquet was a patch job, and could easily lead to disease if she didn’t properly care for it.

You aren’t going to roll for skills first? You could get something super cool!

 

Tess blinked the box away and started walking downstream.

Don’t be like that! Some of the skills might be useful for healing!

 

“I don’t have the time to manage a skill list at the moment!” Tess shouted.

Tess stomped down the riverbed, grumbling as more boxes appeared.

You can just give them a quick look! You don’t even have to do anything unless it’s something that can heal you! Come onnnn… do it for me?

 

“Are you going to offer anything in return?”

My undying love and support!

 

“Doesn’t sound much different than now,” Tess said.

Right now you only have my love and support! Huge difference.

 

“I’m sure,” Tess grumbled.

Pleeeeasssse? I’ll even shorten things so you only see the names!

 

Tess stomped on a wayward branch, cracking it. “Fine. If it will get you to shut up.”

Woo!! You won’t regret this!

 

Tess sighed and opened the skill menu, pressing the roll button repeatedly until she used up the experience.

Skill Name	Star Level
Archery	1
Animism	2
Emergency Line	4
Extra Air	1
Spirit into Mind	3
Spirit Regen	1
Puzzle Master	1
Super Smell	1
Spotlight	2
Dolumancy	2
Mana Reserves	1
Two-Weapon Fighting	1
Deflect Missiles	3
Qi reserves	1
Great Weapon Fighting	1
Abjury	2
Linguist Fanatic	2
Recipe Site	3
Protein Powder	1
Health Reserves	1
Stoneskin	2
Defensive Fighting	1
Metamancy	2
Unarmed Fighting	1
Onomonopia	1
Fireball	3
Bold as Brass	1
Reflex training	1
Long Jump	1
Two-Weapon Fighting	1

 

Oh! Oh! Bold as Brass! That one! That one will help!

 

Tess focused on the skill.

 

Tess looked at the skill, a question instantly coming to mind. “Does this stack?”

Oooh. I hadn’t thought about that! One second.

 

Tess continued walking.

Back! Okay, I made it so you can equip multiple of the same skill and use them independently. Now you can have two Bold as Brass going at once! Well, if you had two.

 

“Good to know,” Tess said. She opened her status.

 

Tess equipped Bold as Brass and used it. Instantly, she felt something drain from inside her, this time near her heart. Her body grew a bit stronger as the skill took effect. She also felt her arm gain a bit of movement back.

Pretty great, right? Look at me, giving you a hand!

 

Tess rolled her eyes.