, Sam thought as they ran. He knew they were not going to escape. He could hear the beast behind them, and his hands began to cramp from carrying the boy. He thought of an alternative, but there was nothing he could do. He had to keep running. He stopped abruptly, cursing himself for the decision he was making. He put Kieran down and shoved him forward. Veena stopped, staring at him with a worried look, shaking her head.

  “Go! I will get back to you on my own,” Sam yelled. He wasn’t sure what the plan was yet, but he needed them gone. Veena hesitated, but Sam waved for them to go while he waited for the beast to get close. His breath caught in his chest when he saw it approaching. He went through his options. This time he had distance and time. He aimed, squinting his left eye so he had focus on the right. It moved fast, the dim light of the forest almost hiding it from view. But a lot about Sam had changed. He could see through its semi-camouflage. He waited, easing the panic telling him to shoot it already. He needed it close enough for the first shot to be enough to kill it. He didn’t have bullet rounds to waste.

  Sam timed it, his breathing settling, waiting. He waited for the movement he’d expected and squeezed the trigger. The shot roared, and so did the beast just as its head shattered. The force of the blast pushed back the bulk of the creature. Sam staggered back. His heart rattled wildly in his chest, a mix of excitement and dread. He fell to his knees, calming his breath. Veena and Kieran were far gone now, but that was good, even though the threat was gone. He let himself stay down for a moment, to catch his breath. He pulled out the ammo chamber and cursed. He was almost out. I’ll have to go there again, Sam thought. A shudder ran through him. He pushed the plan away. He’d worry about that when he got there. For now, he had to leave the forest. He had to be so far from this place. The whole colony was trying to kill him, and that heightened his dread.

  . The thought didn’t help much, but it helped him focus. He stood up wobbly. His legs were rubber under him. Once he was stable, he walked over to the creature’s carcass, picking his bullet shell. He wasn’t sure it was still useful, but he had to try. He stared down at the blown head of the beast’s corpse. Its insides looked just like what he’d seen before. Nothing new. But its size made up for all the weirdness Sam felt.

  [Achievement log]

   —You have slain a wild Lix

   — +1 WIS, +1 DEX

  He heard a snap to his left and swiftly turned with his gun. Only to see the empty forest staring back at him.

  Something moved to his left. Sam stayed still, frozen. He wasn’t sure if it was another beast like the creature he just killed or something else, but he was sure it was there. He waited, feet frozen. If he moved it would pounce. He waited, trying to mark where it was. The moment seemed to stretch endlessly until it came out. This lix was smaller than the first but still just as intimidating. Its strides were slow and measured. Sam watched it, sweat warm on his back and neck.

  He couldn’t flee. Unlike the first beast he’d killed, this one wasn’t wounded. It was cautious too. It snarled, jaw wide and baring sharp fangs and rows of teeth. Sam took one careful step back, and it snapped its neck back at him. Sam froze. It continued its walk to the body of the fallen beast. It sniffed the corpse, growled, and sniffed again. It nudged the dead body with its head and then turned ice-blue eyes on Sam. His brain worked slowly, even when he knew what was coming.

  It charged at him, and at the same time, Sam fidgeted with the gun, his hands shaking. It fell just as the beast shot forward, jaw open. Sam swerved left in an attempt to avoid it, but the beast stretched its paws, and its claws dug into his arm, tearing flesh. Sam fell to his side, the pain quickly fading to a dull ache he could ignore. The bleeding wasn’t much either. But he had a new problem as the beast rolled onto its paws. It roared, eyes blazing with an instinctual need for revenge. Sam looked past it for a moment, swearing at his stupidity. He should have run immediately after he killed the first lix. Now he was going to die. Think, think, think. His mind was blank. No idea coming. He watched it pace, a long furry tail hanging up behind it. It snarled again, taunting Sam. There was nothing else he could do except run. He turned sharply and ran right, moving to where there were fewer trees and more light. There he could try to— his thoughts vanished as he fell forward. Something slammed into him suddenly, dragging him down with it. Pain rushed through him like venom, and Sam screamed. The robe helped, but not by much. Sam flailed at first, but as he rolled, he shoved the lix off him, punching with all the force he could muster. He heard the creature whimper, and a new resolve filled him. Somehow, he’d forgotten that he didn’t have to always use his gun. The moment his gun fell, he’d felt hopeless. , Sam thought. He’d learned a bit of Judo, but he knew that wouldn’t help him here, not by much anyway. The lix’s fur rose, and it doubled in size. Its eyes bulged, and when it placed one paw forward, Sam saw the claw, thick and sharp like small scythes.

  Sam lowered himself, a few months of training guiding his every motion. He hated the training, but he’d gone religiously. It was one of the things that took his mind off how much living was a waste of time. Now, he recalled the instructions, his mind recalling the pitiless voice of his instructors.

  Sam watched for the lix’s movement. He checked its size, imagining his arm wrapped around its neck. Could he strangle it with his new strength? Was that possible? How about slamming it down again? Suddenly, it moved. It was faster this time, like a whip flicked at him. It drove into Sam. He felt pain in his gut, but he sucked in air and grabbed the lix. Much of its bulk was fur, but it had just enough weight to crush him. Sam staggered back and bit through the pain of claws digging into him. He squeezed, his arms choking the beast with all the strength he could summon. A spark ignited in him, and Sam tossed the beast just before it could sink fangs into his neck. He stumbled back, almost falling back. His breath came short and raspy. His vision dimmed. Was he going to pass out? He felt the claw marks on his back. Uncomfortable, but bearable. He sucked in air through his mouth. His chest hurt every time he inhaled, but there was something reassuring about the pain.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Sam grinned, laughing at how dumb that was. Of course, he was in a fantasy world. One where people could appraise people, and there were monsters like the one in front of him. His chest eased a little, and he chuckled. The lix was limping. One of its hind legs was dragging.

  “That probably stings, doesn’t it?” Sam asked, still in form. His heart was racing harshly, but this time it was more excitement than anything else. He felt it flow through him. Pride that he could do this much with his bare hands. The beast moved cautiously, but Sam could see the rage in its eyes. It bared its teeth, the growl low and menacing. Sam laughed this time. He’d finally gotten his plan. He didn’t have to kill it at once. He’d get more scars, but it didn’t matter. He had to finish this and get out of the forest. He charged at it. It didn’t dodge. If he was fighting another human, he’d make a feint to distract them from his real attack. But this was an animal, and his reach was longer. He punched it, heard it whine, and quickly caught the first limb he could reach. The lix fought back, snarling and scratching at his arm. His robe saved him from most of the scratches but not all. His endurance points held the pain at bay, giving him time to fold the limb underarm and through blinding pain, he snapped it. The lix roared. The pain made it desperate, but Sam was done. He let it go, staggered away from its reach. It tried to scamper after him, but it couldn’t move. It was too big for just two limbs. It crouched low, roaring. There was not much of the old fight in it anymore. Its roar devolved into low whimpers. It tried to move again but only fell back down, whining. Sam let himself fall to his knees. His breathing hurt his chest, but he couldn’t stop it. Pain. Soon, he’d be used to it. He stared at the crippled beast. He had to finish it. He pushed himself up, walking to it slowly. The lix tried to creep away, but it was too slow. Sam loomed over it, suddenly the hunter. He didn’t want to punish it, but he was tired of being scratched. If he bled too much, he’d definitely die here in this cursed forest. He walked over to where its good forelimb was folded under its massive fur. Without thinking, Sam kicked it. The lix whined, snarling. Sam kicked it again. Fast enough to avoid its snapping jaw and fangs. He kept kicking its sides until he noticed it wasn’t moving much anymore. Then he stomped on its head, crushing its skull with his heel. The lix moved one last time, its whimper barely audible. Sam leaped up slightly and landed on it with as much force as he could muster.

  [Achievement log]

   —You have slain a wild Lix

   — +1 STR, +1 END

  Finally, he thought, leaning back against a tree for support. He was tired. Too tired to move, but he wasn’t going to stay in the forest. He dragged the lix, taking the route he had taken when he ran from it before. The journey back to where his gun fell was slow and grueling, but he did it. The pain in his chest had dulled, but he felt something there, as though the air was going through a hollow space. He cursed. All that fight only to die later. He didn’t like the thought. He dragged the lix after recovering the Glock. Slowly he made his way out of the forest.

  The sun was dipping down when he came out. He scoffed when he saw Veena. She raced down to him, her face pinched in a worried frown. Kieran was nowhere to be seen. That worried Sam. If the boy had been killed, then all that fighting had been a waste.

  “Where is Kieran? Where is that—”

  “I sent him to get an Elder. They are not strong, but they can handle a Lix,” she said, taking a bulk of his weight. She looked at the lix at his feet. “I heard a blast and I worried that you’d met one of the Forgers.”

  Sam shook his head. “Me. Blasted the head of the first one. This one came after it.”

  “Two wild Lix? This close? That is strange,” she said, then peered at the lix again. “Why are you taking this one?”

  Sam grinned, leaning down to take a grip on the black fur. “I am eating it,” he said. “It gave me a hard time, no use in letting good meat waste away after all that struggle.” He adjusted his grip and let her guide him back. Every step brought more pain, but he didn’t complain. He’d realized something as he fought the lix. He’d been half-wrong. There were things these Scavengers could teach him, but there were things he needed to learn for himself. Staying hidden wasn’t going to help him learn those things. It was just like playing video games. He had to go through the boiler to get stronger. More battles like the ones he just had and he’d get strong enough to not find himself threatened when he faced a lix.

  His vision blurred at one point in the journey, and he collapsed from the pain. His endurance wasn’t as helpful as he’d hoped. He woke up again to voices. Veena was telling him not to worry. There was wind on his bare skin. And blood, so much blood. He felt cold.

  “The lix,” he muttered, but no one answered. He dipped back into the darkness of his subconscious. He must have stayed there long because when he woke up again he was in Veena’s room. His body stung from the many scratches, but much of the pain was from his head and chest. The throbbing in his head was intense. It spiked when he opened his eyes to the light. Then he adjusted to the brightness. He groaned, trying to sit up, half expecting Veena to warn him to stay put. Instead, his gaze fell on Hendal. She gave him a thin smile, which told him something was wrong.

  “What happened?” Sam asked. He felt older than he was, bone weary. Somehow, during his fight with the lix, he’d felt the most excitement he’d ever experienced in his life. That sobered him.

  “The Elders have agreed your presence in Saheruta is… stirring things,” Hendal said. Her smile was sad, apologetic. Sam nodded. He hadn’t expected this, but it didn’t matter. He could imagine Naruth fuming to send him away, yet he felt a fondness for them all. They’d helped him. That was enough.

  “I will leave immediately if I am able to,” Sam said. “I suppose tomorrow should be good enough?”

  “Veena said the same,” Hendal said, amused. “And don’t think we don’t appreciate you for protecting them. We do. That is why we will provide you with as much of what we can spare. I am sorry we can’t do more, Samuel Ayer. I wish you safety and luck in your journey.”

  She stood up, gave him a quick bow, and left. Sam let the silence hold him for a while after she left. He wondered how he’d let himself be pulled into liking these people. Was it fear? Or had he been alone for so long that their warmth had been too overwhelming a temptation to overcome? He slept to the resolve that it didn’t matter what it had been. He’d be on his own soon again. And this time, there was only himself to count on, just like it’d always been.