“Uhh… guys? Plan?” Benji called, nervously.

  “Get behind me!” Dane shouted and cast Shield Wall.

  Shield Wall [Active] [Defensive Spell] [Domain: Tactician] Cast a large, indomitable shield blocking slashing, piercing, and blunt damage. Minor resistance to elemental spells. Deals blunt damage on hit if you have a physical shield equipped (Mana cost: low).

  We crowded behind Dane’s shield as the Bloodthirsty Flittermice began a concentric dance in the sky, screeching as they flew. Benji was visibly sweating and starting to shake. He clung tight to Dane’s right shoulder, as if trying to borrow the big man’s stoicism in the face of danger. Maleena touched a hand to Dane, as well, casting Bolster.

  Bolster: [Active] [Defensive/Healing Spell] [Domain: Enhancement] Improve or fortify a physical aspect of target ally. (ex: bolstered low health will be brought back to stability) (mana cost: varies).

  I couldn’t see a visible change in our shield bearer, but my HUD told me she targeted his strength. The swarm of Bloodthirsty Flittermice began to screech in one shared rhythm, instead of a cacophony of noise. It was only a matter of seconds before they’d come crashing down on us. I dug in my inventory and produced two of Cyn’s bombs and lit them. Maleena looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

  “Trust me,” I said, and then did something I’d never tried before.

  I cast Mirror Door in the sky, right above the swarm of winged horrors.

  Mirror Door: [Active] [Conjuration/Escape Spell] [Domain: Mirror] Conjure two 12 ft tall mirrors that you can jump through. (Mana cost: low). see character sheet for full description

  With nothing for the door to affix to, it was subject to gravity and began its descent to the ground reaching maximum velocity in seconds. The fuse of the two bombs was nearly to the tube of the contraptions, and Maleena was watching with wide eyes.

  “Greg what the fu—”

  I tossed the bombs through the door, just as my Mirror reached center mass of the Flittermice. The explosions shook the sky as the chemical compound ripped through the beasts. Blood and gore and tiny Flittermouse bones splattered in the air, and a putrid rain fell upon us. I got a ding of several dozen notifications but dismissed them. The blast had taken out a big chunk of tiny monsters.

  But there was a major downside to my experimental attack. I wasn’t fast enough to dismiss my spell, and the Mirror Door shattered. As a magical conjuration and physical manifestation of my will, there wasn’t a hail of glass like one would expect. But there was a blue-black tidal wave of power that came crashing out from the destroyed Door.

  I clutched my head in unadulterated pain and anguish, feeling like a hot poker was slowly and methodically easing into me hind brain. The sharp sting of intensity was quickly followed by a cool, numb, uncomfortable sensation as my body went limp. I fell to the ground, still behind Dane’s shield.

  “So that was dumb…” I said weakly.

  The rest of the horde of Bloodthirsty Flittermice descended on us, enraged by the violence wrought upon them. From my vantage point on the forest floor, I couldn’t see how many were coming. But judging by the screeches, it was still more than we’d ever fought before. Benji, seeing me down, shook himself out of his terror and came to my side.

  “Drink…” he said, forcing a Mana Potion down my throat.

  I shivered and spluttered as it went down, but swallowed most of it just as the first wave splashed against Dane’s shield. With minimal health and nominal body density, their crash into The Informant and the enhanced Shield Wall caused an explosion of blood. The first of the beasts were all but flattened by the charge, the rows behind veering away from the shield as best they could.

  I was up now; my Mana recovered from my Mirror Door bomb trick. I’d have to dig deeper into what happened, later. Maleena hit me with a Bolster spell, and I felt the stamina in my body return to a more acceptable range. Restoration of my health would have to wait, as taking another thirty seconds to drink a whole potion would be catastrophic. The sky was still littered with Bloodthirsty Flittermice and they were circling to make another run at Dane’s shield.

  “I can take another hit, maybe two. But sooner or later, this is gonna break!” Dane shouted.

  “If we can draw some away… maybe that’ll give us some time to—” Maleena started to say, and then another swarm hit the shield.

  More Flittermice fell dead on impact, and a dozen or more dings pinged in my HUD. There were still far too many to count in the air. Dane’s strength, even enhanced by Maleena, was waning. Unfortunately, Bolster didn’t stack, at least at this power level. The next wave was sure to break the Shield Wall.

  “I’ve got an idea,” I mumbled.

  “Greg…” Benji said, worriedly.

  “It’ll be fine,” I said, with a wink.

  I side rolled away from the Shield Wall and cast Spirit Avatar and Furnace shortly after becoming a glimmering white gazelle.

  Spirit Avatar: [Active] [Transmogrification Spell] [Domain: Fauna] Transform into your spirit animal for a short time. Your avatar has its own health pool and if destroyed, you automatically revert to your original form (Mana cost: moderate). see character sheet for full description

  Furnace: [Active] [Elemental Spell] [Domain: Metallurgy] Engulf your body in flames as hot as your forge (Mana cost: moderate).

  I rushed towards the nests, intent on smashing and burning them if any Flittermice remained inside. They did not. But I still got notification of their destruction.

  Nests Destroyed: 18/18

  Congratulations! You have—

  I minimized the notifications and kept on running. Dane’s Shield Wall took another wave of kamikaze monsters, and I was splattered by their squelching assault. A group of the winged beasts veered off, tracking me through the clearing. Those that came too close immediately burned to a stinking crisp. The smell of burning blood was not a pleasant one. But, it was my best AOE option.

  The trio behind Dane’s wall were struggling. Though enough of the horde had peeled off to chase me, they were still getting hit by wave after wave of monsters. The flock was dwindling, however. Benji and Maleena had found a synergy what worked well.

  Maleena cast Windsheer to blow back the winged terrors and freeze the front line while Benji utilized his passive Focal Point to find the best point of impact for his Lightning Bolt.

  Windsheer: [Active] [Elemental Spell] [Domain: Frost] Emit a freezing gust of wind, Knock back and cold damage (Mana cost: low).

  Focal Point: [Passive] [Domain: Light] Enhances targeting ability, guaranteed critical hits with 20% of ranged attacks (Mana cost: none).

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Lightning Bolt: [Active] [Elemental/Destruction Spell] [Domain: Shock] Hurl a bolt of lightning at a target. Shock damage. Increased damage to targets that are wet or wearing Armor (Mana cost: Low).

  The combo worked well. The Bloodthirsty Flittermice in the front of the charge took frost damage and an impediment to their forward trajectory as Benji electrocuted those affected by the frozen, wet condition from Maleena’s spell. Dozens dropped and morale behind the Shield Wall seemed to improve as I saw smiles on faces during my next loop around the clearing. Unfortunately, the kamikaze behavior of the monsters was not due to some simple need for blood. We didn’t realize there was a point to their tactic until too late.

  Maleena let out a horrified scream as several winged beasts dragged her into the air. A flock had subverted the Shield Wall and gone around to attack from behind. The Bloodthirsty Flittermice flapped their collective wings hard, taking her further and further aloft as Benji and Dane screamed below.

  A whole cloud of the monsters was on her, teeth all sunken deep into her flesh. But a few let go, giving off a frustrated screech before biting into her again. Her Circulate Passive was keeping the beasts at bay… not able to suck her blood, they did not get stronger.

  Circulate: [Passive] [Domain: Cycle] Control all aspects of your circulatory system. You cannot bleed out, be the target of any blood loss spells or abilities, and have increased health regeneration.

  Maleena screamed, still. Now fifty feet in the air, if she fell it would be a broken bone or three. Below, another charge of monsters hit Dane’s Shield Wall, and it broke. Six got through and peppered him with attacks, latching on and doing their best to drag him aloft. He smacked them away with a crunch. Each hit with his bare fists, increased by his Bolstered strength and each bite from the monsters made irrelevant by his Tough Skin passive.

  Tough Skin: [Passive] [Domain: Wrath] Your durability is greatly improved. Resistant to piercing, slashing damage from a similar power level. Your bones cannot be broken by non-magical means. (Mana cost: none).

  Benji was picking off shots with Dane’s crossbow, utilizing his Focal Point passive. But the handcrank style of the bow was too slow for the much weaker man. So, he only managed to hit two that had their teeth sunken into Maleena’s neck.

  Meanwhile I was running around frantically, doing my best to keep a cloud of twenty or so Bloodthirsty Flittermice off the group. The ones that got close burnt up in a fizzle, but not many were still making that mistake. They were getting smarter.

  Maleena, now nearly one-hundred feet in the air erupted in a roar. I didn’t quite see what happened until she crashed down in the middle of the clearing in a superhero landing. She was now a foot taller with rippling muscles and a bit of a glimmer to her, looking like an Amazon.

  Heroic Stature: [Active] [Transmogrification Spell] [Domain: Enhancement] Grow in size and strength. All attributes improved. Durability is greatly improved. Resistant to piercing, slashing damage from a similar power level. Your bones cannot be broken by non-magical means. Mana regeneration and Health regeneration greatly improved. Lasts a short time (Mana cost: high) (Cooldown: one day).

  The Flittermice that had previously held Maleena aloft, came careening down in a splat. Her tough skin ejected their teeth and her quick reflexes seemed to have given her time to crush the majority of them with her strength enhanced hands. Though I didn’t see it when she was up in the air, I caught another example of the feat as more crashed into her… and she tore them apart. She was like a godly barbarian, swinging her fists around faster than I could see.

  One more charge of Bloodthirsty Flittermice headed straight for the now shield-less Dane, but he was ready with his mace out. He swung hard, casting Wrathful Strike as he did and catching six in a big arch of power. Blood and wings flew as the last of the beasts fell, the group victorious.

  “Don’t say quiet…” Benji said, rubbing his face, “Got it…”

  I dismissed my Spirit Avatar form and walked over to Maleena, who was standing in the middle of the clearing.

  “You… are fucking awesome,” I said, slapping a bicep.

  “I know,” she said with a grin.

  Then the ground below us erupted, flinging dirt and bloody Flittermice corpses everywhere. At the periphery of the emergence, I rolled backward towards the forest. Maleena, however, flew into the air with a leap and landed next to Dane.

  We all watched in horror as we realized our fight was far from over.

  What rose from beneath was nothing like I’d ever seen. Which wasn’t entirely surprising, given my short stay in this world. But, even in my experience as a gamer… nothing could have prepared me for the stink the thing gave off.

  “Another fucking phase?!” I yelled as my eyes took in the beast.

  It was roughly the size of a tank, covered in patchy looking black and red skin and oozing blood. It was primarily one gigantic mouth with two sail sized leathery wings. At the end of each wing point were massive golden talons, larger than a chainsaw blade and twice as thick. The face had razor sharp teeth, but no eyes. It let out an angry but mournful screech that shook the trees and sent bloody phlegm in all directions.

  “What the fuck is that?!” Dane screamed.

  I cast Summon Sledgehammer and sent it hurdling towards the beast, hoping to silence its scream with a hammer to the mouth.

  Summon Sledgehammer: [Active] [Conjuration Spell] [Domain: Metallurgy] Conjure a 3 lbs high-carbon steel hammer that swings like a war hammer. (Mana cost: low).

  The beast just knocked my attack away with a wing, sensing the projectile before it got anywhere close to its mouth. At least I got a notification on what the thing was.

  You have engaged a Greater Flittermouse Horror

  “Oh fuck,” I muttered under my breath.

  The others had seen the notification too, understanding that the monster was a level above us. As an Initiate, uncommon monsters were about our power equals. This thing was the equivalent of an Acolyte. With a lot of our spells cast, and mana low across the board… we were kind of boned.

  “Group up!” Dane yelled.

  We fell in line in seconds, not too far from each other to obey the call. Dane cast Shield Wall again, and Benji and I rolled behind it. Maleena, still basically a warrior goddess, stood in front of the shield. She cast Ice Lance, over and over at the thing’s face. But it just took the hits like they were pesky mosquito bites.

  Ice Lance [Active] [Conjuration/Elemental Spell] [Domain: Frost] Conjure and shoot a hunk of ice, shaped to your will, at a target. Piercing, Frost damage. Ignores invulnerability (Mana cost: low).

  “Hold its attention! I’ve got an idea!” I yelled from behind the shield.

  “What do you think I’m doing?!” Maleena roared back, still peppering it with attacks as it flailed around still working its way out from the hole in the ground.

  At the same time, Benji asked incredulously, “Another one?”

  I dug in my inventory for the remainder of Cyn’s bombs, smirked, and said, “Another one.”

  With my Mirror Door still on cool down after I had destroyed it from the last bomb attack, I didn’t have many options.

  But I did have a new spell I hadn’t used yet.

  I fished in my inventory and pulled out a slimy, bloody Flittermouse wing. Holding it in my hand, I stared intently at it like it owed me lunch money. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing, as usual.

  “Any time now!” Maleena yelled, as the Greater Flittermouse Horror finally dug its way out of the hole.

  Benji was looking at me with confusion and… was that admiration? No, probably concern. I took the wing, slapped it on my back and cast Transgenesis.

  Transgenesis [Active] [Transmogrification Spell] [Domain: Fauna] While in human form, apply any physical traits from your Spirit Avatar or from a compatible Fauna Sample. Cannot acquire physical traits from other planar beings, other humans, or innately magical beings (Mana cost: variable)

  Wings sprouted from my spine. They were big, black, scaly, and dripping blood… which was disgusting. There was no trial run, no tutorial mode… I just knew how to fly. I flapped into the sky, faltering a little as I gained altitude. The Greater Flittermouse Horror looked at me, and I could have sworn I saw its head tilt in confusion.

  Which was weird, considering it didn’t have any eyes.

  But up I flew as Maleena kept slapping it with Ice Lances. Benji had joined in with Lightning Bolts, and the Horror stopped looking at me and refocused on the group. With it thoroughly distracted, I crested over the Shield Wall and started flying towards the beast.

  I faltered in the sky, not getting the rhythm of moving up and forward right. Mimic had activated after battling so many bats, but I was nervous. Even if I’d seen adequate flying, the very act of doing something for the first time with bombs in your hands was beyond new.

  Fortunately, the Horror did not look up, focused on the rest of the party.

  I was now fifty feet up in the air and nervous as hell. My hands were getting sweaty and the bombs felt heavy in my grip. It was now or never. I lit the remaining bombs and careened straight at the massive beast.

  When I got a few feet from the open, screeching maw of the monster… I tossed the bombs in. It looked surprised at first, not meaning to swallow anything at that moment.

  And then it exploded.

  We were absolutely slimed in gore and viscera.

  Congratulations! You have defeated a Greater Flittermouse Horror.

  Congratulations! Your party has defeated a monster one power level above your own. Reward base upgraded by one quality.

  Reward deposited into your inventory.

  Reward deposited into Danforth Black’s dimensional party inventory.

  Reward deposited into Maleena Soli’s dimensional party inventory.

  Reward deposited into Benji Travato’s dimensional party inventory.

  Would you like to loot the body? Yes/no

  Yes.