Advancing

Freezing cold washed over his hand as it let out a hiss of surprised pain. Alex dug around its head and found purchase on a chilly orb the size of his palm suspended in something liquid. He wrapped his fingers around the orb and braced his good leg against the monster's chest, ripping it free with a snarl. 

Blue matter splattered across the ground. The Wight released his leg with a pained cry and he staggered back. Before it could try to attack him again, Glint jumped onto the shadowy monster's neck and dug into its throat with reckless abandon. 

The Wight's final wail was lost in a gargle as it crumpled to the ground. The shadows swirled away from its body and left behind a gaunt, mostly featureless form. Glint continued ripping it apart even as they hit the street, not stopping until it was nothing but a shredded pile of flesh. 

A wisp of black energy rose up from the Wight's mouth and pushed through the ravaged remains of its lips to float above its head. Adrenaline thumped in Alex's body with such intensity that his feet shook beneath him with every step he took. 

Energy flooded into his body and he stiffened as it ran its course through him. It was several seconds before the rush came to a stop. 

That definitely confirms what Claire said. I got more energy for that fight than I did for any of the others. Challenge is the way to go.  

He summoned Glint's card to his hand and scooped the black flame off the ground, pushing it into the mirror. 

Spatial Mirror 

Stored Energy:  

Low Novice Grade (Shaded Hauntling) – 1  

Low Novice Grade (Wight) - 1 

Low-Mid Novice Grade (Shade) - 1 

Bonded Creature: Shardwalker (Novice 1) 

Alex blew out a breath, doing his best to gather himself before turning back to Claire with a grin. "See? Had it handled." 

"You're definitely insane," Claire said. "Aren't you an Evoker?" 

"Yeah. And?" 

"I nearly bleeding choked when you threw yourself at the Wight. What's wrong with you? You realize you're not meant to get close to your enemies, right?" Claire kept her voice to a muted hiss to avoid drawing too much attention to them. 

"We can't play things safe," Alex replied. He straightened his clothes and brushed himself off. "And I'm not strong enough to just let Glint do all the work for me. You can't get strong without a few risks, right?" 

Claire shook her head, letting a smile play across her lips. "I guess I can't argue with you there. You weren't pulling my leg about Earth being new to the System, were you? I'm going to be pissed if you were." 

"Swear on my heart," Alex said, pressing his hand to his chest. He nodded over his shoulder to the mountain. "And I'm more than happy to talk more on our way, but we should really get out of here before something finds us." 

Claire paled and gave him a hurried nod, suddenly reminded that there could be more than one monster on a street. The two of them set back off toward the mountain at a brisk pace with Glint as their guide. 

Minutes stretched on. Alex lost track of time, though he was pretty sure it hadn't been more than an hour. Several times they slowed and ducked to the shadows to avoid a monster as it flew overhead. 

The skies weren't the only thing they had to be wary of. Alex and Claire both froze in place as they turned a corner to find a massive, shambling mound of limbs and mouths covering the street before them. 

??? (???) 

Mutely, Alex beckoned Glint back and they crept over to the next street over. It quickly became apparent that there were a whole lot more threats than just the ones in the sky, and the vast majority of them were just masses of question marks in the eyes of the System. 

Their only saving grace was that the enormous ??? monsters didn't appear to have any real interest in them. They didn't get close enough to one to test his theory out, nor did he have any plans to. 

He and Claire managed to make their way through the town streets without getting into another fight over the course of another hour or two. They both slowed as they drew up to the end of the buildings. 

A large, gaping canyon had split the ground at the edge of the town. Thick bridges of curling roots connected the two halves of the ground. Beyond the canyon, leading all the way up to the base of the mountain was a forest of sparse, towering trees. 

They were the same ones that had ripped apart Alex's old apartment. Huge trunks of black wood laden with screaming visages that definitely hadn't been put there by any natural means. The trees were taller than some of the buildings behind them and some were easily as wide. 

"That gives me the creeps," Claire muttered, her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword. "Whoever made those things has to be messed in the head." 

Alex nodded in mute agreement. He glanced up at the sky. They'd be fully exposed while they were running across the roots and into the trees. There weren't as many centipedes in this area as there had been near the center of town, but it only took one. 

I still don't know if they'd even bother trying to kill us, but I really don't want to try and take the risk. 

The idea of having to run made his body groan in displeasure. Weariness had already started to wrap itself around him like a cloak. It had been a long day, and adrenaline could only keep him going for so long. 

"I think our best shot here is speed," Alex said, shaking his head to clear it. "We'll have to run across the roots and get to the trees for cover as fast as possible. How are you doing on energy?" 

"Not the best," Claire said, giving him a small smile that quickly faltered. "I'm running on fumes here. I haven't eaten or drank anything in a long time, and I've been up for longer than I care to remember." 

/Author's Note///

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