The Sesarman Curator was entirely unmoving. Still.

  Must use the marsh water to find prey, I guessed. Keeping myself still for too long will make it suspicious, though from its Mind Stat, I don’t think I have to worry too much.

  I glanced around for hard ground, as per its Weakness, but couldn’t see anything that stood out. With a swift and vivifying dip into my inner eye, I clasped [Battle Tactics : Metavision] and looked around again. Squares like a blueprint spread over the immediate surroundings. They did not reach through the mist — that ability was limited to the World-breaking Analysis Card, it seemed — but gave me a good idea of the lay of the land, and I found what I was looking for; patches of grid that rose up past or almost to the water’s surface.

  Breathing out slowly, imagining the massive razor-sharp and vice-like pincers that must be at the end of the body of the giant crab before me, I decided to take a pretend clumsy step in the direction I had been going.

  Nothing.

  I slid my other foot forwards, again, as if I was tramping blindly through the marsh, and sloshed it back down into the water, finding soft, salty earth giving slightly beneath.

  Suddenly, there was an explosion of noise, a massive upwards splash of water at my side, and another mound that I had presumed safe started to frantic movement. I yelped and tried to leap away, but the mud clung to the soles of my sandals and I couldn’t move fast enough.

  The Analysis Card finally let me down!

  The Sesarman shot out an enormous claw, long and thin pincer like a raptor’s talon, and it CLAMPED hard around my shin.

  Fiery pain shot up as panic screamed my mind into numbness for a moment, which gave the other fiend a moment to emerge with a rush of black water and start skittering at full speed towards me on eerily long, powerful, skeletal legs.

  As the pain still rushed through my limb and blood disappeared into the black water, I shoved the haft of my spear down beside my leg and with [Vigour] wrenched the claw open, giving me enough time to leap away. With the full Skill still pumping through my muscles, my thighs gave me yards of distance, even with the sucking bottom of the swamp.

  I landed heavily on uneven ground, and snapped my spear to a low guard as the fiends moved with wild coordination. The fiend with my blood dripping off its massive left claw surged forwards, spindly legs lifting it a few inches above the water and swiftly dragging its armoured, demonic face plates across the marsh. Its other claw, smaller and flatter, swept out in a low arc, carving through the muck.

  Barely pivoting in time, my injured leg jerked and each pulse of energy sent a fresh lance of agony up my side. I gasped and gritted my teeth, and thrust the spearhead into the water to balance myself, pulling myself out of the way. Then I jabbed at the fiend’s eye stalk, which looked a bit like a massive, thin black eyed pea. The bronze seemed to strike true, but at the last moment a rush of thick grey fog billowed out from beneath the crab and the head of the spear glanced off the tough chitin just shy of the soft tissue.

  The enchantment came through, though. I saw the crab’s eyes cloud to a dull yellow.

  It threw its large claw out wildly but I stepped aside just in time for the second sesarma to lunge from the opposite side, long legs punching through the water like daggers. I wheeled back, but its claw lashed out, extended like a blade, and caught me across the ribs.

  Serrated thorns scraped against the Linothorax, tearing linen and into the skin beneath. For a moment my vision blurred and I remembered the damage taken in the Glass Flats, and the insanity that followed, but peering down through the darkness I saw the damage was minimal.

  I roared pain and twisted with the strike, staying on my feet and dropping low, throwing myself forwards with a desperate roll. The swamp swallowed me briefly, water splashed my face as I emerged with electric tension and thrust upwards half-blind. The spear’s point drove into the softer underbelly of the blinded Sesarman fiend, and a sickening CRACK followed.

  Ichor gushed as the creature reeled back, chittering furiously.

  The first demon crab lunged again, but I had time to anticipate the movement. With a combined rush of [Battle Tactics] and [Weapon Mastery], I slipped the Wooden Shield off my shoulder and the crab’s claw crashed against the bronze boss. My entire frame shuddered, but using the fervour, I spun, spear slicing through the air like a whip, and smashed the butt into one of the fiend’s exposed leg joints, snapping it backwards.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Blood dripped into the water as I steadied myself, bringing my breath from ragged gasps to controlled, enlivening sucks through my teeth.

  The second fiend, black blood spattering the wet reeds, studded desperately towards me. The Skills gave me the foresight I needed, if only I threw caution to the wind. . . . And that was what I did. Instead of retreating, I stepped inside its reach and drove the spear deep into its exposed maw. A chittering, sharp shriek erupted, but faltered into a bubbling gurgle as the spear pierced deep through soft flesh to its heart.

  At that, the first fiend faltered, teetering on its broken foreleg, for just a moment. The chance was enough. Spear above me, I rose a knee and stamped down HARD, shattering another leg. The demon crab toppled fully into the water, helpless, and without hesitation, I flipped the spear, burst another [Vigour] through my body, and drove it hard down onto the bone demon’s face on its back, parting chitinous plates and stopped it dead.

  The marsh fell silent once more, save for my panting breaths, the slow, bubbling seep of ichor into the dark water, and the rising and falling distant choir of the song of the marshlights. I wanted to scream out a war-cry, but enough noise had been made already.

  Keeping the energy flowing, eyes seeing full red, I touched the Analysis Card as I started a run, head on a swivel.

  Through the fog, Lenya’s name popped up again for a moment before disappearing. I made full sprint towards it, keeping my fist clenched around the card, out of the bandoleer pouch, pressed against the haft of the Bronze Spear of Blinding. As I moved, the small bronze orb appeared next to my head with a bzz.

  // SYS : You have upgraded the [Survivalism] Skill to Level 1. //

  Just as She finished speaking, my foot disappeared beneath me through open water and I went careening forwards with a yelp, splashing suddenly down into deep water. Shooting a hand out, I managed to grab a handful of narrow reeds which gave a half inch in the soft earth but kept me afloat, and I managed to pull myself out.

  Coming back to my senses, drenched through, freezing cold, I lay back, covered black in mud, and panted. I shouted into the still night air, and struggled up and over onto my knees.

  // SYS : You gained 48 XP for defeating the two Sesarman Curators. You now have 166 and need 137 total for the next Level. //

  Let’s deal with that now. . . . I feel strong — very strong. I pulled the carapace free from the armadillo, I held onto the raging elephant thing, I could block the crabs with my shield, and . . . I can stab through flesh and bone. I’m strong enough for now. The cold hardly touches me, I heal fine, I don’t need more Constitution.

  I breathed out heavily.

  So it’s between Dexterity and Mind. I’m still getting hit a bunch, and I’m still thinking too slowly. It was too intoxicating. . . . Mind. Level me up!

  // SYS : Congratulations and welcome to Level 11. Your Mind Stat is now 6. You have 29 XP remaining and need 144 total for the next Level. //

  Peering through the fog, Lenya’s name was still there, moving fast in one direction, then turning and moving the other, disappearing for a moment, then coming back.

  “She’s not far,” I grunted through chattering teeth. I wiped my face and pulled myself to my feet, steadying myself with my spear. I burst a [Vigour: Endurance] off through my bones and felt the chill dissipate somewhat as my body heated up, and set off again more cautiously at a light limp, using the pole again to feel out a safe way.

  After a few minutes, I felt a severe drag from the Analysis Card clutched against the haft of the spear, a swift dizziness had me stumble and almost fall, and I had to put it back in the pouch.

  I could fashion a pocket somewhere to keep it safe and always to hand, but it would be difficult to ensure its safety. Damaging this unbelievable cheat boon is not an option!

  The fog seemed to thicken as I continued — pressed closer. A result of the marshlight, I thought. Indeed, as soon as I thought that, the song grew louder. I could almost make out words within the undulating choirsong, but they were inaudible or gobbledegook. My probing spear’s tip struck against stone, then sloshed into water again. A wind picked up from the west in front of me and blew the fog in thick tendrils along the water, between broken, moss-thick trees and whipping around tall reeds.

  Intermittently, I stopped, centred myself, held it until I saw Lenya’s name, which trembled before veering sharply to the left, then put it away again. I followed, my breath tight and measured, the thrill of victory and mortal resolve meeting a creeping, old-fashioned fear of the unknown.

  The song of the marshlight rose again, intensified, like that film where they found an obelisk on the moon. It caused a full body shudder.

  At the same time, a shadow shifted ahead and single, bobbing, cold yellow light glimmered into existence. Then, faint but unmistakable: Lenya’s silhouette, facing away towards the light.

  “Lenya!” I rasped, rushing forwards. She did not react as I approached. I covered the distance, feet wet and blistering cold, and grabbed her arm. It was frighteningly cold to the touch, her robes were soaked through, her hair plastered wet down her face and neck. I turned her round to me and saw her grey eyes, normally bright grey and sharply alert, vacant and half-focused on something ahead.

  I turned to the small, yellow bobbing light and the shadow, which grew in size as I looked at it. It neared, and grew, and grew.