Now, this escort mission felt so much more real. She was clearly vulnerable, and it didn’t require a huge boss to blast past them to cause a failure. One simple person with a dagger or a jar of acid could suffice just as easily.

  They had made it twenty-four of the thirty hours now. At first, there had been numerous farms within a couple hours of New Rome. Then further out the signs of civilization became sparse. Now, there was a small town ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand people at least once an hour. The sun was setting again, and the most likely time for an attack was coming up.

  Tim saw a wolf staring at them from the side of the road, just far enough back to make it too much trouble to chase after him. But his skill didn’t need to chase the animal to snare it. He sent out his mind through Night’s Eye Domination, and after a brief struggle, he took over the wolf. It put up a greater fight, and he learned pretty quickly that its mind was far more advanced than the owl.

  It lacked the range and bird's-eye view that the owl had provided, but it offered instead a keen sense of smell. That, of course, took a great deal of time for Tim to master. He didn’t understand why the world felt so different. It wasn’t how it felt.

  The difference was twofold. When his mind was riding in the wolf, he could feel its heart beating as it ran, and he could feel the ground reaching up to him with each bounding step. More than that, everything sounded different. He was often less concerned with what he saw than what he heard. At least, if he allowed the enhanced sounds to mean something. He often had to stop to process those sounds.

  He could smell the fear and annoyance coming out of the wagon, and the tang of sweat mixed with perfumes. All around him the world came to life, and the wolf he was controlling was more than a hundred feet from the wagon.

  He ran free now with the wolf, scouting out ahead of his team. The wolf was a stronger runner, but Tim was quickly using his endurance up. It was okay—as soon as he reached full mana he could switch to another less tired wolf. And so, it went until a couple hours after dark.

  They were likely within three or four hours of their destination, and Tim’s nerves were on edge. He had just shed his fourth wolf and was preparing to draw another when he felt a powerful mind at the edge of his search. It wasn’t an intelligent mind, but it differed from the other animals.

  It clearly had night vision, but whereas he sensed basic drives in all the other creatures, this one had different motivations. It was not thinking of the hunt, hiding, or mating. Its mind was on one thing: destruction. Whatever creature this was wanted to kill. Not for the sake of food, but because this was its purpose. It killed for fun.

  “Armon, there is something up ahead. It isn’t like any of the animals. It wants to destroy everything around it. Actually, I think there are three of them,” Tim said.

  Armon made a whistling sound and then started to slow the carriage down. All the house guards clearly tensed up with the whistle, and Reggie started to fall back, guiding his horse to the carriage, all while scanning his surroundings.

  Now that Tim wasn’t using mana to dominate a creature, he could feel just the passive effect of the dark vision. The surrounding area had grown silent, as though all the animals were hiding. In fact, as he reached out with his mind, he sensed that very thought from animal after animal.

  “Whatever it is, it’s scaring all the local animals. They are all terrified and trying to hide,” Tim added.

  When Reggie reached the carriage, Lacinia stuck her head out the window, and Armon explained what Tim had told him. That prompted some questions, but once again, Tim could only explain in general terms.

  “If it has night-vision, can’t you just take control of one of these creatures?” Lacinia asked.

  The other team members looked at him, awaiting an answer. “I can try, but something feels off about this creature.”

  “It’s worth the risk. Better to know what we are facing,” Reggie declared.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Tim went along with it. After all, these people knew a lot more about being a sojourner and living in Iocusinte than he did.

  As he closed his eyes and pushed his mind out to dominate one of the creatures, he was surprised to learn that they were slowly prowling towards the carriage. Before they had been a mile away, and now they were less than half that. “They are on their way here,” he said while trying to focus.

  “All the more reason to hurry then,” Lacinia said.

  Tim wasn’t able to hear Armon try to shush her or to see the glare that she gave to him for his trouble. That was because his mind was locked in a struggle for dominance. Before, with the other creatures, success had been automatic, as it would be with any creature with a sagacity of six or less. Oh sure, the first couple of times it had been a struggle to adapt, but he had gotten the hang of it fairly quickly.

  Now, though, this creature was fighting back. Tim put his hands to his head; it felt like a railroad spike had just been driven through his temple. He let out a brief cry of pain before clamping his teeth shut. His actions put everyone on edge. Bows were strung, swords were drawn, and Lacinia started stripping off her toga until she was down to what would be called rather skimpy undergarments.

  Armon whistled softly at her appreciatively, and she barked back at him. “Oh grow up. I can’t fight as well in this thing, and there’s no time to get my armor on.”

  “You are just sad that Tim is too out of it to appreciate this.”

  “Cut it out, you two. Focus on the job.”

  Inside Tim’s head, he could hear their banter, but it didn’t really register with him. He felt as though he were being sucked into a cold whirlpool. The creature’s mind was dark and foreboding. In some way that Tim couldn’t explain, it just wasn’t right. And then he was cast out with a flashing notification.

  Knight’s Eye Domination: 70% chance-

  Failed to dominate dir’ursi.

  He gasped to catch his breath as he shuddered. The psychic blowback was far worse than a hang-over but crammed into just a few seconds. As he shook his head, trying to recover, he felt a sense of calm come over him.

  Reggie was glowing slightly with a golden aura, and suddenly it seemed like everything was going to be alright. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing at the guardian.

  “Oh, that’s just a buff that I have. It negates pretty much any fear or depression-type aura and most anything short of a direct charm. It also adds a small boost to damage, accuracy, and mana regeneration. It is one thing that guardians are known for.”

  “So, you are like a paladin,” Tim exclaimed.

  “A pala-what?” Armon asked. Then he stopped and said, “Never mind. What happened to you there.”

  Tim explained the message he had gotten, and grim expressions passed over the face of the other three.

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  “Nah, but those are monsters from the Untamed Lands. They shouldn’t be here,” Reggie said.

  “Monsters… not animals… that explains things. I was wondering how I could fail. Based on my notice, they must have a Sagacity stat of 12. So, are they intelligent monsters?” Tim asked.

  “They don’t speak if that is what you are asking, but they are damn cunning,” Armon said.

  “And cruel,” Lacinia added under her breath.

  “We’ve only ever seen them once. They can be a fearsome foe, but this is more than five hundred miles from the Untamed Land.” Reggie paused as he stared off at the sky. “This just shouldn’t be possible.”

  “Can we take them?” Tim asked.

  “How many did you say there were?” Armon asked.

  “Three that I can detect, and I think I would know if there were any more around. I seem to sense any creature within range that has night vision. It just gets harder the farther away they are,” Tim replied.

  “And what’s your range?”

  “Sixteen miles.”

  Armon whistled. “Overpowered unique skill. Well, I’m glad you’re on our side. Three may be a hard fight. Two and I would say go for it.”

  “He is level nineteen. Let him prove his worth,” Lacinia said.

  “Level nineteen for what? A week? That isn’t realistic. He is doing surprisingly well so far, but let’s not try our luck,” Reggie replied.

  “It isn’t like they are just gonna go away,” the assassin retorted.

  Tim jumped in. “They definitely seemed evil, like they wanted to kill stuff just for the fun of it. It’s hard to say, but when I sense them, I can get some idea of what is motivating them—the primal drives and all that jazz.”

  “Sounds like dir’ursi. Well, that and half the creatures from the Abyss,” Armon said.

  “What? The abyss? You mean like they are demons or something?”

  “Nah, demons are way worse. The Abyss is the name of the dungeon at the center of the Untamed Lands. It is threatening the four nations,” Armon said in his teacher's voice.

  “You can tutor him later. Right now we need a plan,” Lacinia said.

  “I have to agree. They are getting much closer. Less than a quarter-mile now,” Tim said.

  “Are they all grouped together?” Reggie asked.

  “They are all spread out in a V-shaped formation about fifty feet apart. Coming up on the road from the east,” Tim answered.

  “Okay, probably too close to get the carriage past them. Lacinia, you are gonna have to stay in the carriage. The three of us will engage them to buy you time to get away. Then once you are almost clear, we will make a break for it. Hopefully, one of us will get away,” Reggie said.

  “That sucks as far as plans go,” Armon said. Tim had to agree with him but kept silent.

  “I don’t care about succeeding at the mission if it means that I lose you two. Not gonna go through that again. I say we use Tim’s ability and flank them. Hit one of them with everything we have and then maybe you can tank one of them long enough for the rest of us to take the last one down,” Lacinia said. The look in her eyes said she wasn’t gonna be dissuaded.

  “Fine, we’ll do it your way,” Reggie said. Then they made last-minute plans and instructed the house guards on how to wait for them to engage the monsters before making a run for it.

  CHAPTER 19

  BIG BAD BEAR

  Tim’s first look at the dir’ursi showed just how ugly they were. He had his fire-resistant shield on his back and wished for more. The other adventurers had put on any fire resistance gear they had and had urged him to do the same. That was easy since he only had one piece.

  For now, he had his crossbow in hand. He had yet to fire it, but it seemed to be a suitable weapon. Some simple math looking at his skills told him that despite his sword skill being higher, this crossbow still had higher damage per hit. That was before he added the bonuses from his bracers. That would make it truly impressive.

  His range was far enough to get a second shot off, but he couldn’t attack from too far out. The plan called for them to all hit the beast at once. They wanted a quick kill. He had been warned that the creature probably had over five hundred health, and that told him it was going to take a bit of work to take it out. He just had to accept that his team had better gear and skills for dealing damage than he did.

  As for the monsters themselves, they looked like massive naked mole rats—if such creatures had skin of a deep, burnished copper color. Beneath that skin danced a fire that was deep inside them. They resembled bears somewhat, but their front legs were twice as long as their back legs, and so they moved like gorillas along the ground.

  The skin on their face was pulled back to the point that you could see white bone beneath it. This made for a rather gruesome appearance. Combined with jagged teeth and six-inch-long claws tipping their foot wide front paws, these beasts were intimidating.

  He also learned something about the nomenclature of monsters in Iocusinte. Any creature with the ‘dir’ surname gave off an aura of despair and fear. It was one of these monsters’ greatest powers because it weakened and demoralized their prey before an attack had even been made. Thankfully, as long as they stayed within fifty feet of Reggie, they were protected by his aura.

  Reggie gave the signal, and Tim fired his crossbow. Despite never having held such a weapon on Earth, the combination of his skill and bracers made it feel perfectly natural. He was immediately in love with the weapon as his first bolt struck his target in the neck, and he got a critical notification.

  You have shot dir’ursi for (61). Critical Strike

  Poison Damage: 9/4 seconds for one minute.

  He screamed, “Woot!” as he pulled his sword and triggered Explosive Leap. Not only had his first strike against a monster hit, but it had been critical, and apparently, his skill and the critical also influenced the amount of damage caused by the poison. That one shot was gonna deal almost two hundred damage by the time the DOT ran its course.

  His team might have wondered what had excited him so much, but if so, they didn’t say a word or even look askance at him. Reggie was slashing at the beast. Lacinia had disappeared, but he knew she was waiting for the moment to make a sneak attack. He had never enjoyed playing a rogue, but he loved having them on his team—at least, if they knew how to do their job.

  All that thought left his mind as Tim flew through the air, powered by his skill. He had aimed to land on the back of the monster. That hadn’t been the original plan, but he was so hyped up from the critical that he was going Leroy Jenkins.

  The height of his jump took him thirty feet above the dir’ursi. It was so distracted fighting with Reggie that it didn’t even notice him. He saw a lightning bolt hit it, courtesy of Armon. As he dropped on it, he shouted out, “Yippee-ki-yay!” landing on its shoulders and driving his sword into the back of its neck.

  For the second time in a row, he got a critical notification, and he felt like a gamer god, but for real.

  You have landed a devastating critical base damage quadrupled. Damage further augmented by velocity of the fall. (144) Target gains Staggered debuff.

  Impact damage sustained: (12)

  An instant later, Lacinia appeared and slid under the monster, opening its throat yet moving so quickly that she wasn’t even hit by the arterial spray.

  The beast was dead, and another notification popped up, but Tim had to ignore it. That might have gone well, but there were two angry monsters charging at them seeking blood. Tim slid off the back of the dead monster quickly. The plan called for him, Armon, and Lacinia to engage with one monster while Reggie held the other at bay.

  The guardian shouted a taunt that caused both monsters to veer directly towards him, but Armon was ready, and bolts of ice shot from his hands to strike the ground at the feet of the monster in the rear. It was temporarily trapped against the ground, and Tim wanted to make the most of that.

  Feeling his Leroy Jenkins still, he triggered Explosive Leap and slammed into the second beast. His shield was extended, and he turned it to execute a shield bash attack in midair. He felt the impact through the shield into his arm, and it rattled up, making his teeth chatter. Another notification popped up, telling him he had taken damage from sudden deceleration, but he didn’t pay that any attention.

  Instead, he was delighted that his strategy had worked, and the monster had been stunned. It fell over on its side with a tongue that was far too long to be natural lolling out of its mouth. Lacinia flawlessly executed her same throat-cutting attack, but the monster only twitched as it lay there stunned.

  Tim landed a trio of blows in quick succession and jumped back as another lightning bolt blasted into the beast. The combined attacks killed the second beast in just seconds and freed them up to look at Reggie.

  The guardian was not faring as well as he was battered backward by the powerful blows of the dir’ursi’s garishly long front paws as it stood up on its rear legs. It towered over the guardian at a full twelve feet in height. Reggie, for his part, could only hold his shield up, trying to absorb the blows. Each impact flashed with flame as the creature's elemental nature came into evidence.

  Adrenaline was controlling Tim by this time. He felt invincible. Fire or not, he executed another Explosive Leap. Once again, because the monster was completely focused on battering Reggie’s shield, it didn’t even notice him until he hit sword-first. The force of the leap drove the blow all the way through the creature's spine and out its throat, applying the staggered and bleeding conditions.

  As it staggered forward, Tim jumped off of it and went to town, hacking away at it. Reggie’s words earlier that a magical creature could live even headless until its HP were completely deleted rang in his ears. Soon the others joined in, and they made quick work of the beast.

  When it was dead, the rest of the party whooped. It was like the specter of death had been lifted off of them, and they celebrated the very fact of their continued life. Even Lacinia was dancing with the others. The way they so seamlessly connected with one another drove home the point that he wasn’t really part of their group except in a temporary fashion.

  The weight of loneliness settled onto him, but Reggie looked at him with a wide smile on his face. “Great job, man. You are one scary beast. Guess you really are level nineteen.

  “Thanks. I’m learning.”

  Lacinia said, “I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. Not saying I’m ready to permanently accept you onto the team, but that was badass. Glad to have you here now.”

  It just got awkward at that point, and Tim said, “Um, yeah, well, we better catch up with the carriage. We do wanna get paid for all of this.”

  “Yeah, but gotta check on XP and loot these guys. I haven’t fought anything that could give XP since… well, you know,” Reggie said. Tim knew they were talking about the death of their healer, but he also saw once again in that moment how outside of their clique he was.