The creature – I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest this was the Kohë-therës, or at least a fragment of it – was a thing made of displaced shadow and too many joints unfolding itself into the space. It was all teeth and shifting mass, and my notifications were suddenly screaming unhelpfully at me.

[System Alert: Hostile Entity Detected]

Disposition: Invasive | Corrupted

[Warning: Encounter difficulty exceeds standard bounds...]

[Error: You should not be seeing this]

"You should not be seeing this" was right. Even just standing before it now, I knew this thing was way out of my tier. And I'd told an actual god where to go. I went to speak, but heard myself do a stepped-on-squeaky toy sound. As war cries go, this was one of pure, uncut panic. The shadow-thing's head—if I could really call it that. It was giving 'maw' to be honest—snapped and bobbed at the sound. I think it was keying off the emotion.

"You really don't want to do this…" I tried.

I didn't have the time, though, to properly shape the field. But at least I still had enough about me to pop the one ability that had defined my entire second life. I reached inside, to that cold, magnetic core the System had bolted into my soul, and pulled.

Aggro Magnetism – Lvl 5 (Active Aura)

Enemies within range are now afflicted with: [Debuff Applied: Rage – Level 4]

The noise that reverberated out from me wasn't a sound, but it was definitely a vibe. A deep, thrumming, echoing gong of pure, weaponised 'what're you looking at!' intent.

The Kohë-therës' multifaceted eyes - or whatever they were – considered me up and down, but I could tell that the Rage debuff had hit it like the sweetest pull on a long-anticipated cigarette. Its whole posture shifted. It wanted to kick my arse before, but now that had been replaced by an almost architectural hatred. It didn't just want to fight me now. It wanted to tear my face off and wear it as a pretty floral bonnet.

Weridly, even at this moment, I felt a bit of residual care for my old boss. Considering the Kohë-therës was about to smash this entire place up to murder me, I sensed he was about to become wallpaper and, for some reason, I didn't think we were quite done. So I grabbed the front of his shirt, planting my boot in his stomach and shoving him – far harder than was truly necessary - behind the heavy oak desk. He landed in a heap, eyes wide.

Then the creature's hand… claw… dagger-hand? scythed through the air where I'd just been, gouging foot-deep furrows in the floorboards.

Fine. In for a penny, I guess…

Tactical Provocation – Lvl 2 (Active)

Select enemy is forced to target you for 10s

Target receives -15% Accuracy

I watched as, even on top of the Rage debuff I'd already tagged this pretty thing with, the Kohë-therës focus narrowed until it was a pinprick of malice aimed exclusively at my centre mass. Worryingly, there was no rush, though. I was used to things wearing that combination losing their minds in their efforts to kill me. Instead, this thing just leaned in towards me, sniffing the air and ignoring everything else in the room.

Behind it, the room groaned. The Veil, already thin in the place it had come through, began to pucker. The plaster of the wall cracked. The smell of the pub downstairs was replaced by something else. Something I'd only come across in the places where the Threshold was at its weakest.

The boss coiled and sprang.

I met it head-on, not even trying for any finesse. I was an Iron Provocateur, not ballet dancer. I'd either have the chops for this or I wouldn't. Time to find out.

Crash Tackle – Lvl 4

I dropped my shoulder and drove forward, bringing every last one of my 10 Strength and 16 Endurance into the impact. I wasn't stupid enough to think I could actually hurt this thing, but right now, this wasn't about doing damage. It was about getting some momentum going. About testing the rules of physics that would apply in this confrontation.

We collided.

There was a wet, solid thud, and I was pleased to see that a bunch of effects landed on it. The Kohë-therës might be impossibly heavy, but my tackle made it stutter, and its lunge stopped cold. Even more so, a Stun window popped up with a three seconds.

The floorboards under us collision though didn't stop to admire my work. They shattered and a dark, cold void yawned beneath the splintered wood. That didn't look like the downstairs of the pub… I gritted my teeth, this whole room was seconds from collapsing into whatever hell the Kohë-therës had just emerged from.

Nope. I wasn't having this. "This is my world," I grunted, "and we don't do things like that here."

Zone of Authority – Lvl 2 (Active)

Radius: 5m

Enemies inside suffer -12% Speed, -15% Defence

You gain +12% Damage Mitigation...

A heavy ring of pressure dropped into the room, forcing reality to reassert itself. The space through which I had seen through the Veil was gone, and the air inside the 5m bubble grew thick, soupy. Even as it shook off the stun, the Kohë-therës movements turned sluggish. I imagined it felt like it was trying to swat an insignificant fly while being encased in tar. Or at least I hoped it did. Then my Mitigation spiked and I felt the solid click of the defensive buff.

The Zone held, the floorboards resealed but the lights exploded in a shower of sparks, plunging the room into the near-total darkness.

Whch, naturally, was the moment when Mooney chose to arrive.

He appeared in the doorway, silhouetted against the dim red emergency light of the pub hallway. "Undershaft? What the hell is…"

His voice cut off. He saw the Kohë-therës and his panic was a floodlight all of its own. It was raw, terrified, and apparently a thousand times more enticing for death than me.

The shadow creature twitched towards him and, although my Tactical Provocation was still technically active, the Kohë-therës was clearly keying off all that panic. I think this would have been the sort of thing Scar would have described as a "high-priority taunt response." I missed that old boy right about now. And Lia. I could definitely be doing with the back up of the Dark Wren right about now.

But hopeful mopping wasn't going to change things. The Kohë-therës was turning. It was ignoring me for the new, undefended rather dirty and easily killable target.

"Mooney, out!" I roared.

But he was frozen.

Damn it. I slammed Aggro Magnetism on again. The cooldown wasn't up, but I didn't care. I forced it. I had no idea that was the sort of thing I could do, but the System let me. I mean, sure, it shrieked at the override and the stamina cost was crippling, but the effect was immediate. The Rage debuff re-applied, an echo of what I was shouting in my head.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

LOOK. AT. ME.

The Kohë-therës, almost unwillingly, turned back to face me. Barely. Its head was angled at me, but its whole body was still coiled toward the doorway. It was fighting the taunt. And it was still moving towards Mooney.

Yeah. I was pretty damn outclassed here, wasn't I?

Then it swiped a massive, lazy-looking backhand that I knew was anything but. It was a "get rid of the distraction" move. And would be beyond a lethal blow to my erstwhile friend.

I knew I was too far away to block it. So I took it instead.

Unwelcome Mat – Lvl 3 (Active)

Redirect lethal damage from an ally within 5m

The things we do not to have the death of an Arsenal fan on our consciences, eh?

Mooney saw the claw coming and raised his hands, and then the attack passed right through his flickering, terrified form without touching him.

And the impact hit me.

I don't really have words for what that felt like. And, as context, remember that – in this world – I'd been shot to death less than twenty-four hours ago. A white-hot, catastrophic explosion of pain in my chest ruptured through my chest. My Health evaporated, bottoming out to almost zero. My vision went white. I felt my ribs splinter, my lungs collapse. That was almost a one-shot.

...Almost being the operative word.

If you survive, recover 20% Health and Stamina

The pain-spike of the return of those stats was so intense I almost blacked out then and there. But my Stubborn Constitution trait held and, as I was, technically, alive a surge of green, healing energy flooded my core.

I spat blood on the ruined floor. Mooney was staring, his face a mask of disbelief. "What was that, Undershaft?""

"Another. One. You. Owe. Me. " I wheezed.

I couldn't go mano a mano with this thing. I needed an exit. But then the Kohë-therës was on me, furious that its swipe had been denied it's first kill of the afternoon. It was crowding me, hammering at my guard with little blows, shrieks and faints. I needed to do something.

Weighted Argument – Lvl 6

I didn't have room to draw and swing my morningstar, but my hand fortunately closed around the base of Griff's heavy, bronze eagle statue which I ripped it from the desk. I always hated that damn statue. Glad to put it to some good use.

Heavy Rebuttal: First hit interrupts and generates +10 Threat

I swung it like a club, with all my remaining strength behind it. It connected with the creature's side and an Interrupt fired, stopping whatever it had been planning to do to me. Which was probably good as the creature's next extract blew half of the wall away. The statue cracked as I swung it a second time, its bronze splintering. I knew it wasn't doing real damage, but it was buying me a second to… do something.

And I'd figure out what that was any moment now.

The windows were across the room. Yeah, sold. This was going to hurt.

Controlled Catastrophe – Lvl 2 (Active)

Cost: 30% Health and Stamina

To be honest, 30% of the little I had left – from one redirected blow! -was almost a bargain. My world went grey, and I felt the agonising rip as the ability tore the energy from me. A chaotic, uncontrolled burst of energy erupted from my body.

The room flashed in a lottery of Blind, Stun, Disorient and Slow.

The Kohë-therës reeled, a Stun icon flashing above its head. It was blinded, clawing at its own face. Then it missed with its next attack as a huge, blind whiff tore through the air beside me.

Opportunistic Counter – Lvl 2 (Passive)

My Sidestep trait moved me automatically, and the counter-strike was pure instinct. I dropped the statue and my Morningstar was suddenly in my hand. I hammered it into the creature's staggered flank. Rage was active, so the hit applied –10% Defence.

The sound it made back didn't make me think I'd suddenly been added to its Christmas card list.

Time to go.

"Mooney," I called. "Get out of here!"

Crash Tackle – Lvl 4

I aimed at the creature. To be fair, I aimed through it and at the window on the other side. I hit it low, wrapping my arms around its torso as I went, and drove onwards. My Reposition Chain fired, and we were suddenly a single, tumbling mass of violence. I reckon I crossed the five feet to the other side of the room in an instant.

We hit the sash window. Sadly, all that old wood, brittle glass, and Victorian brickwork didn't stand much of a chance.

We went out.

We were airborne, two storeys up. The cold air was a slap in the face, and then we hit the canvas awning below, which ripped with a sound like a sail tearing in a gale. Improbably, it actually slowed us, but it didn't exactly stop the momentum. We tumbled off the edge and crashed into the alley below.

I landed first, of course, the Kohë-therës landing on top of me. The air blasted from my lungs as it crushed down on me and my health, already beyond critical, flickered out.

HP < 25% Signet of the Anchor's Claim: Hold the Line

Nearby enemies slowed (-10% Speed)

I knew I was getting lucky here. Pretty much every single combination of my gear and skill set was coming in clutch. So much so, I wondered if a certain dotty Aunt wasn't pressing her thumb on the scale a little. I suddenly Immune to forced movement, and I shoved it off me, rolling, scrambling to my feet on the wet cobblestones.

Improbably, Mooney at the mouth of the alley. He'd, apparently, taken the stairs. Good for him. He had some sort of ancient pistol in his hand, and he was firing, the paps of the rounds comically small as they sparked off the creature's hide. On the one hand, I appreciated the sentiment, but on the other he was a liability.

I refreshed the taunt. Tactical Provocation. Stay on me, Big Guy. All eyes on me.

The boss ignored the pinpricks of Mooney's gun, and it came for me. It was too fast. Even slowed down with everything I had, it was much too fast. In a moment, it had pinned me against the brick wall of the pub, its claws digging in and through my armour. I was trapped. Its maw opened.

HP < 10% Trigger: Anvil Break – Lvl 3

A 10-metre radius shockwave of pure force erupted from my body. It made a deeply satisfying, resonant GONG that shook the bins and rattled the windows. The Kohë-therës was thrown several feet backwards.

Restore 20% Max Stamina. Immunity to interrupts for 3s.

Oh good. I had no idea what I was going to do with that, but I needed to make it count. I had to put damage where it mattered. Rage was still up. Its Defence was down. I went for it.

My Morningstar was a blur.

Threshold-Warped Morningstar

Rage Strike: Applies [Unbalance]

I hammered the ball of iron into the thing's knee and saw the joint buckle. Unbalance for the win! Then I swung for the shoulder and did slightly less damage. However, as it tried to hit back, the weapon's passive, Anvil Echo, flared, and a minor shockwave staggered it again.

It was bleeding. It was hurt. And now it was sloughing mass. Which, for a moment, I thought was good news, but then I saw that the shadow itself was reforming. The minor wounds I'd caused were closing. It wasn't healing; it was regenerating.

For goodness sake, couldn't I catch a break?

Then Mooney shot it again and began fumbling with a reload. It broke free of my taunt and leapt, a twenty-foot bound aimed straight at Mooney.

No time. No cooldowns. My hand snagged a length of rusted rebar from a pile of rubble.

Improvised Javelin – Lvl 3

Bonus vs Distracted targets

I didn't aim. I threw. My Strategic Instinct calculated the arc and the rusted spike flew true to take the Kohë-therës in the back. A shriek. Static and hate. It skewed, crashing into a pile of metal bins instead of Mooney. It landed ugly and then re-angled on me.

Good.

The sirens were close now. Two streets over.

I planted my feet between Mooney and the thing. "Run, mate," I growled.

Mooney dithered. "But—"

"RUN!"

I popped Aggro Magnetism for the third and final time. My gear, my Mask, extended the duration. It was locked in on me. Then Lineholder's Instinct kicked in. +15% Mitigation. The Kohë-therës's Attack Speed dropped, which was nice, but I didn't think was likely to prove game changing.

It was absolutely furious, but it was just me and it now.

Mooney finally turned and scrambled away down the alley.

The Kohë-therës reared back. This was it.

My Zone of Authority dropped. The heavy air vanished. I was out of stamina. My health was a single red pixel.

I had one swing of Weighted Argument left in me. I gripped my Morningstar with both hands and swung for the fences. This wasn't any sort of combo. Not a Skill. Just a final, desperate smash aimed at its reaching, killing hand.

It wasn't anything near enough.

I connected, crushing its claws, but its momentum was too much. The follow-through, a solid shoulder of pure shadow, hit me square in, on, around and through my chest.

I didn't feel the Unwelcome Mat save this time. I didn't feel the Anvil Break pulse.

I just felt... empty.

The brickwork of the alley was cold against my back as my knees buckled. I slid down the wall, leaving a streak of red behind me as the world folded.

The last thing I heard before the black took me was the sound of sirens, and the faint, persistent chime of the System.

[Quest Update: Survive the day. (Complete)]

[Rewards Pending...]

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.