There was nothing left between me and Sturm. His guards were unconscious; neither would be getting up any time soon. It was down to just me and Sturm. Now I had all the time in the world to make him answer whatever questions I had before he met his end.

  “Who’d you sell your stock to Sturm?” I ground out while I towered over the man.

  Sturm's eyes darted wildly, searching for an escape that wasn't there. Sweat beaded on his forehead, glistening in the dim light of the dingy apartment. His breath came in ragged gasps, fear etched across his face.

  "I... I didn't sell most of it," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

  I leaned in closer, my fists clenched at my sides. "What do you mean, you didn't sell it? Where did it go, Sturm?"

  He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I... I dosed people. At parties. High-end gatherings, you know? I'd slip it into their drinks when they weren't looking."

  My stomach churned with disgust, but I pressed on. "And the latest batch? The one that my brother ended up getting a dose of?"

  Sturm's eyes widened, fear etched into every line of his face. "That was... different. They made me do it."

  "Who?" I demanded, The thin sliver of patience I had left for dealing with this piece of slime was wearing thinner by the moment. He was hanging by his last thread.

  "People from above," he whimpered. "The kind you can't say no to. They wanted the whole party dosed. Everyone. Said it was some kind of test."

  I grabbed his collar, yanking him closer. "Names, Sturm. I need names."

  He shook his head frantically. "I can't! They'll kill me!" Fortunately for Sturm, it seemed he wasn't going to have to speak on the matter. My aura senses flared at the approach of a pair of auras, ones that were significantly stronger than Sturm and his goons. That was interesting. Either Sturm had somehow called for backup, or he was being watched. It could be either or, but my gut told me it was the latter. It was likely that Sturm and everyone he dealt with were being watched as closely as the Vish could arrange. What mattered right now was that I had two goons coming my way, goons that felt less like goons and more like proper enforcers.

  I released Sturm's collar, shoving him back against the wall. My mind raced, evaluating options. These newcomers were trouble - their auras radiated power far beyond what I'd dealt with so far.

  "Looks like your friends are here," I growled at Sturm. "Better hope they're in a good mood."

  His eyes widened in panic. "No, no, you don't understand. If they're coming, it's not to help me. They'll-"

  The door exploded inward, the heavy steel door crashing to the ground. Two figures strode through the open doorway - a tall, lean man with a shock of white hair carrying a long black cane, and a stocky woman with tribal tattoos covering her exposed arms. Both exuded an aura of barely contained violence.

  "Well, well," drawled the man, his eyes darting between me and Sturm. "What do we have here?"

  I stepped away from Sturm, turning to face the newcomers. “Just having a friendly chat," I said, forcing a calm I didn't feel into my voice. "Who are you two?" My sense tingled, my instincts didn’t scream danger at the sight of the two enforcers, but that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. Just not as dangerous by comparison.

  The woman's lips curled into a predatory smile. A look I knew well, I’d worn it often enough. "We're the cleanup crew, sugar. And it looks like we've got quite a mess to sort out."

  Sturm whimpered behind me. I could feel the waves of terror rolling across his aura. Whatever these two were here for, it wasn't going to end well for anyone in this room. They terrified Sturm on a level that was reserved for people who had held your life in their hands at at least one point in time.

  “That so, you might want to think twice. This might be too much of a mess for you.” I forced a smirk to my face as I readied myself to fight. There was no way these two were leaving without spilling blood. I could feel their auras easily, a mess of violence and aggression in the case of the woman, and a dispassionate chill from the man. The woman's smile vanished, replaced by an icy glare.

  "You're in no position to threaten us, little man," she hissed, crackling energy forming around her fists. The pressure in the room seemed to constrict, as if their very presence was enough to suffocate the air itself. I grinned as adrenaline surged in my veins. Deep down in places I tried not to examine too closely. I wanted this fight just as much as the people across from me.

  "Perhaps, but are you so sure you're in a position to threaten me?" I asked as I reached into my [Inventory], withdrawing my [Sentinel Root Blade]. I settled the blade firmly into my grip. My eyes never left the duo across from me. Whatever Skill the woman had activated to wreathe her hand in that energy didn't feel overly threatening, but looks could be deceiving. That was fine. If they wanted to bring Skills into this, then I had Skills of my own to use.

  The white-haired man chuckled, but there was no mirth in his voice. "Boy, do you have any idea who you're dealing with?" His gaze swept over me disdainfully, as if I were no more than an annoying bug to be swatted away. Sturm cowered further back against the wall, muttering under his breath as if trying to become invisible. I could only view the man as pathetic. A person who preyed upon others, but cowered in fear when it was his turn to be on the other side of the equation.

  "Sure, I can take a stab," I drawled, mentally pushing my will towards [Auric Armour]. "Some low-level thugs sent to clean up a mess because your bosses are too cowardly to do their own dirty work?" The translucent plates of [Auric Armour] covered my body in an instant, forming over top of my clothes. At the same time, I flared my own aura, pressing down on the two Vish enforcers. The look of surprise on their faces was amusing.

  The woman's fist flew towards me in a blur, her enhanced strength behind it. I ducked low, letting her fist pass over me harmlessly as I triggered [Analyze].

  Well, her Class and Skills seemed interesting if nothing else. It seemed odd to me that I kept running into unusual classes, though. Where were all the basic fighters, the archers and the mages? Why was every Class so different? I had no way of knowing whether it was some quirk of the system or if it was predicated on the person. It didn't matter; the woman was a threat, she was a match for me in Strength, but otherwise fell behind nearly across the board. It was unlikely I'd be able to overpower her with raw strength, but speed might work, however.

  I flicked my gaze over to the man and triggered [Analyze] again.

  That was not good. Neither one of them was a problem on their own. The issue was that I'd have to deal with both of them at the same time. The other issue was one of attributes. Presumably, they'd been levelling their Class since level 1, while I'd been stuck in the Soul-Sheer. Which meant they each had 20 levels of full growth in their Class's primary stat that I didn't have. The only reason I wasn't at a huge disadvantage in this fight was, once again, thanks to my Bloodline. The man exceeded my Dexterity by a fair margin, while the woman could match me in Strength, and I was certain they were at least somewhat used to working together. Well, all of that assumed I'd take this fight as a human. Part of me wanted to immediately change into the nightmare fuel that was my spider form, to end the imminent threat in blood and death with overwhelming force. Yet another part wanted to see if I could face this challenge and win, as just a man.

  I hopped backwards, the toes of my boots skimming across the floor of the house as I tried to gain some distance. “Ah, I seem to have touched a nerve.” I grinned as I danced away from the woman’s swinging fists.

  The woman, Stefanie, snarled, her fists crackling with energy as she advanced. "You're gonna regret that, smart-ass."

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  I kept my distance, blade at the ready. "I doubt that. I've got a lot of regrets, but this won't be one of them."

  The man, Kyler, twirled his cane, a malicious glint in his eye. "Oh, I think it will be. Stefanie, dear, why don't we show our guest what real power looks like?"

  Kyler vanished in a blur of motion only to reappear behind me. I barely had time to raise my blade before his cane, or rather the slender blade he'd withdrawn from it, clashed against my own. The impact sent shock waves rattling up my arm and into my shoulder. Thankfully, the man was all speed; if he could hit like Stefanie, I would be in deep trouble.

  "[Blade Dance]," he whispered, a cruel smile playing on his lips. The glint in his pale blue eyes was hauntingly familiar. I had seen it often enough to be more than familiar with it. It was the same look that stared back at me whenever I looked too deeply into a mirror. The lifeless stare of someone who looked at other people as if they were little more than meat to be butchered. The look of someone who lacked the depth of connection that other people shared.

  I grunted, pushing back against his blade. "Cute. Got anything else?"

  As if in answer, Stefanie's voice boomed from my left. "[Thunder Fist]!"

  I twisted, bringing up my leg to smash into Kyler's ribs as I moved out of the way of the fist, crackling with lightning that was on a collision course with my head. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get completely out of the way. Stefanie's fist crashed into my shoulder with a crack that sounded like thunder in the confined space of the main room we were in. It felt like I'd been struck with a hammer, but thankfully, my [Auric Armour] took most of the impact. It still hurt like hell, though.

  I staggered back, my shoulder throbbing from Stefanie's strike. The air crackled with ozone, and I could feel my hair standing on end from the residual electricity. At least I wasn’t on the floor in spasms. Kyler had already recovered from my kick, his blade flashing as he darted in for another attack.

  "[Quickstep Sonata]," he murmured, his form blurring as he moved with inhuman speed. I grit my teeth, forcing my body to react faster than it should. My [Sentinel Root Blade] met his in a flurry of strikes, the clash of metal ringing out in the cramped space. The ringing of our blades clashing echoed through the room as I leaned on every point of Dexterity and Strength I had to match the man's Skill. I darted away, and he followed every time. Whatever his Skill did, it definitely made him faster. I was only just barely able to keep track of him with my eyes. If I had any less Dexterity than I did, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep track of him at all.

  "Not bad," Kyler sneered, as his Skill came to an end, his pale eyes gleaming. We'd exchanged blows several times across the length and breadth of the room, neither of us able to find an opening. "But not good enough." Stefanie circled around, looking for an opening. I could feel the buildup of energy as she prepared another [Thunder Fist]; her aura was a raw surge of barely checked aggression. She wanted to end this fight as quickly and savagely as possible. It made her easy to follow with my aura senses, while I tracked Kyler with my eyes. Even if I could keep track of them, fighting them both at once was pushing me to my limits. I was almost completely on the defensive, relying entirely on my stats to get me through. My blood was singing, and I couldn't help the mad grin that spread across my face.

  This was Fun.

  It was something that had only just begun to truly crystallize in my psyche when my time in the Soul-Sheer was coming to an end. It had begun falling into place, like a piece that had been missing all my life. I had suspected for a long time now. That my bloodline had messed with my mind somehow, forcing me to acclimate to the savagery and violence of the Soul-Sheer in order to survive. With every fight I pushed through, every fresh wound, both taken and inflicted, I had to admit - It wasn't just my bloodline. It was me too. The same part of me I had struggled with all my life, the part that struggled to form meaningful connections with anyone, because it only saw meat and prey. Instead of pulling away, trying to lock it away in the dark, I leaned into it.

  I whirled around with my blade leading as I twisted away from Kyler, my gaze locked onto Stefanie. Web lines fired from my [Reach of webs], zipping past Stefanie on either side. I yanked on the lines, pulling myself into a headlong rush towards the woman whose eyes had gone wide.

  "[Rolling Thunder]!" Stefanie roared, her entire body crackling with electricity as she rushed to meet my charge. I twisted at the last second, slamming my feet into the floor and using my momentum to vault over her electrified form. As I sailed past, I twisted my hand, tangling the web lines around her. As it turned out, the acrobatics that I'd watched in TV shows and video games for years were not so impractical when you were physically superhuman.

  My web lines became a rather effective net as they twisted through the air. The strands of webbing fell all over Stefanie, adhering rapidly to her skin, clothes and hair. Stefanie spewed profanity as he tried to free herself from my webs.

  Landing in a crouch, I spun to face both of them again, yanking hard on the web lines, which sent Stefanie crashing to the floor. My aura senses were my only warning. Kyler was already moving, his blade a silver blur as he closed the distance.

  "[Triplicate]," he intoned, his arm blurred into three different potions, as if two new arms had sprouted from his shoulder. Each seemed to hold the exact same blade as well.

  My eyes widened as I desperately tried to track all three arms, their blades coming in at completely different angles. Two blades slid off my [Auric Armour], but the third found a gap, slicing deeply along my right hip, where the cuirass I wore under my shirt didn't cover. I hissed in pain, realizing too late which was the real arm. Or perhaps they were all real? There was no way of knowing at this moment.

  "First blood," he smirked, the duplicates fading away. "How long before we spill the rest?"

  I gritted my teeth, ignoring the stinging pain. "You'll have to do better than that. A hell of a lot better." Active combat Skills jumped another few places on my list of priorities. The example right in front of me was too poignant to be ignored. Combined, my foes roughly equalled my stats, but the real difference maker for them were the Skills. Skills were unpredictable and could apparently do a large number of different things. I couldn't help but wonder how differently this fight would have played out if I had even just one or two Skills of my own that were battle-oriented.

  Turning my attention away from my internal musing and back to the ongoing fight, I grinned at Kyler in return.

  "As a friend of mine would say, This isn't even my final form." I'd tried to take this fight as a man, and it turned out to be a little too much for my current self. Sure, I had stat points in reserve I could use to boost me, probably even enough to win here. I couldn't address the real gap here right away, though. Active combat Skills. That was a problem for me. I had precious few Skills that were directly effective in a fight. Hell, the one I relied on most, [Venomous Strikes], wasn't even mine; it was my Familiar's. This fight had made it apparent that I needed to have solid combat Skills going forward.

  Kyler's eyes narrowed, a flicker of uncertainty passing across his face. "What are you talking about?" Kyler's voice brought me back to the fight. I grinned. It was time to bring this to a close.

  I didn't answer, instead focusing inward. The familiar sensation of my body shifting and changing washed over me as [Hollow Web Metamorphosis] activated. Bones cracked and reshaped, extra limbs sprouted, and my skin hardened into a chitinous exoskeleton. Sensations flared and vanished as fast as they appeared. I had transformed into my monstrous spider form, towering over both Kyler and Stefanie. As always, the transformation didn't even take a second; it was, for all intents and purposes, instantaneous. Which was something I appreciated. I couldn't imagine trying to switch forms in the middle of a fight if it took seconds, let alone minutes.

  The look of shock on their faces was almost comical. Stefanie had finally freed herself from my webbing, but now she stood frozen, her mouth agape. Kyler took an involuntary step back, his blade wavering slightly. Their fear was plain as daylight in their auras, in the way they trembled, like a pond with a rock dropped in.

  "What... what the hell are you?" Stefanie whispered, her voice trembling.

  I clicked my mandibles, my multiple eyes focusing on them both. "I'm the thing that goes bump in the night," I rasped, my voice distorted by my new form. "Still want to play?"

  Kyler was the first to recover, his face settling into a mask of determination. "It doesn't matter what you are," he snarled. "You're still going to-" I didn't give him the chance to finish. A flicker of thought showed me my character sheet so I could confirm my attributes, and another flex modified it to show my Stats as a spider separately. Something I should have done a long time ago. My brain enjoyed having it more neatly organized, plus, ya know. Number go up, make brain feel good. Not everything had to have a complicated reason behind it. At the end of the day, we were all animals ruled by the lizard brain, and I was no exception.

  That was much better. I hadn't completely closed the gap with Kyler when it came to our Dexterity, but I was much closer than previously. Being in this form with its doubled bonuses was an enormous boost to my ability to fight these two. Not just in Stats, either, there are both tangible and intangible benefits to fighting in this form. I was already on the move, charging towards Kyler. Each of my legs fired off web lines that forced Stefanie to move away, or risk getting caught in them. Thankfully, the main room of the home that had become our battleground was fairly large; it was a little cramped for my massive spider body, but I could still move freely.

  I barreled towards Kyler, my eight legs propelling me forward with terrifying speed. His eyes widened as he realized just how much faster I'd become. "[Quickstep Sonata]!" he shouted, desperately trying to evade my charge. Yet even with his enhanced speed, he couldn't match my raw power and reach. My front legs lashed out even as he began to blur away with Skill fueled speed, swiping at him with razor-sharp edges. He managed to deflect one with his blade, but the other caught him across the chest, leaving deep gashes in his flesh.

  Kyler stumbled back, blood seeping through his torn shirt. "Stefanie!" he called out, his voice tight with pain and barely controlled panic.

  "I'm trying!" she yelled back, electricity crackling around her fists as she tried to navigate through the wreckage of the room that had once been fairly well pointed. Now it was just a room that held an assortment of furniture that had been smashed into kindling. "[Thunder Fist]!"

  I lashed out with a rear leg, catching Kyler in the chest once again, this time with the broad side rather than the edge. His body rocketed away to slam into the far wall as I spun to face Stefanie. I tracked her movements easily. She was fast when moving in a straight line to be sure, but it made her more predictable; the difference between Strength and Dexterity was on prominent display here. When it came to moving fast, in my experience, Strength offered explosive speed without much control. Sure, one could substitute experience or other means to help, but in the end, when it came to controlled movement at high speed, Dexterity was King.

  As her electrified fist came hurtling towards me, I raised two of my legs, catching her arm between them. The shock of the impact reverberated through my exoskeleton, but my chitinous armour held, and her lightning fizzled against my carapace.

  A simple flex of my arachnid limbs, a sickening crunch, I felt Stefanie's arm snap between my legs. Her agonized scream echoed through the room as the electricity surrounding her fist sputtered and died. I could feel the bones grinding together, the vibrations travelling up through my exoskeleton. Her face contorted in a mask of pain and shock, her eyes wide with disbelief as she began to realize just how outmatched she truly was.

  Without hesitation, I lifted her writhing form off the ground, her feet dangling uselessly in the air. She thrashed and kicked, but it was like watching a fly struggle in a spider's web - futile and ultimately doomed. A casual flick of my forelegs sent her hurtling across the room. She sailed through the air, a ragged scream tearing from her throat, before slamming into the far wall with a sickening thud. The impact left a spiderweb of cracks in the drywall, dust and debris raining down around her crumpled form.

  But I wasn't done with her just yet. Before she could even attempt to rise, I unleashed a barrage of webbing. Thick ropes of web flew across the room in the blink of an eye. In less than a second, she was covered nearly from head to toe and securely anchored to the wall and floor. She wasn't an issue anymore with a broken arm and stuck in place as she was.

  My bulk shifted easily as I spun back to face Kyler, my attention falling squarely on the last threat in the room. He was charging at me again, though this time, he looked much worse for wear. I whirled as lines of webbing flew from my forelegs, latching onto the wreckage of what might have been a sofa earlier in the night. It must have been destroyed by one of Stefanie's thunder punches. Or at least that's what I would be blaming most of the damage in this place on. After all, I was a good boy; wanton destruction and excessive property damage were beneath me.

  At least that’s what I’d be telling Uncle Wolf when he inevitably showed up.

  The sofa wreckage flew through the air, swung in a wide arc by my spider limbs on a crash course with Kyler. A split second, and the wreckage made contact, blowing apart with a great crash that sent splinters flying all over the room. Kyler's limp form was sent careening into the far wall, to move no more.

  I hadn't been expecting that. Then again, his Endurance wasn't all that high. It might not have been enough to stop him from snapping his neck on impact. I made a mental note to myself to see if the banner had a better understanding of Stats in general; my own understanding was woefully lacking by this point. For instance, at what point did a Ranker's Stats pass beyond human? If I had enough Endurance, could I become bulletproof? Was I already? As always, too many questions and not nearly enough answers.

  I let out a heavy sigh that came out of my spider mouth as a sibilant hiss.

  The room fell silent, save for Stefanie's muffled whimpers and the creaking of settling debris. I turned my attention to Sturm, who had pressed himself into a corner, eyes wide with terror. His aura was a chaotic mess of fear, shock, and desperation.

  "Please," he whimpered, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'll tell you everything. Just... just don't kill me."

  I clicked my mandibles, considering. Part of me wanted to end him right there, to crush him beneath my legs like the insignificant insect he was. But information was power, and Sturm might still have value.

  "Start talking," I rasped, my voice a guttural growl in this form. "And make it good."

  Sturm nodded frantically, words spilling out in a panicked rush. "The Vish, they're into something. I don't know what, I'm just a little fish to them." I loomed over him, playing up the menace by placing the tip of one of my forelegs against his chest. His eyes went wide, and his voice shot up several octaves, while his aura rattled with terror. "They're trying to raise the world's mana levels, trying to bring more people into the System. I don't know all the details, I swear!" The man was covered in sweat, and he was shaking badly. I couldn't detect any trace of a lie in his words or his aura. In the end, he was just a peon; he didn't know anything of actual significance because he'd never been trusted with anything that mattered.

  All that was left was to dispose of this piece of human refuse.

  Perhaps a weapons test of sorts was in order. I hadn't been able to really test what my [Aura Manipulation] Skill was capable of yet. Perhaps it was time I remedied that issue. Sturm would make a perfect test subject before the Banner showed up. Besides, I still wanted my pound of flesh for what he'd nearly done to Sean. I flexed my will, bending my aura towards Sturm, who went stiff as a board as soon as my aura brushed his. He was pale as a sheet, sweating profusely, as if he'd just run a few miles. I spent several long minutes, poking and prodding at Sturm's aura with my own and watching the results. They were nothing spectacular, at least at first. As I tested and retested, I found I could do a few things quite easily, induce a fear response? Simple. Take that fear straight to panic? Also fairly simple. Cause pain if I pushed hard enough? Also check.

  By the time ten minutes had elapsed, Sturm was a whimpering wreck of a man huddled on the floor. He was completely unwilling to even look in my direction; he huddled in the fetal position, with his arms wrapped around his head. He rapidly became less useful as his mental state deteriorated.

  "One last thing then," I muttered to myself. I had to know, could I truly weaponize this Skill, could I kill with it? MY aura followed my will, bearing down on Bradley Sturm's as if he were nothing more than an insect beneath my boot. His own aura fought back, pushing for all it was worth, battling for every inch. There was no discipline to it; however, no control. It was like a wild animal in its death throes, resisting with everything it had and in wild abandon. After a single moment of contemplation, I bore down on Sturm's aura with the full weight of my own, and he fell still as I felt his aura give way and recede before my own.

  Sturm lay still on the floor. His heart had given out by all appearances. Unable to handle the strain. My experiment wasn't an absolute confirmation, but it did tell me enough to know that I had to be careful going forward. If I lashed out in a moment of frustration or anger, I might cause some real damage to the people I cared for. Particularly, the ones not system-initiated.

  I stared down at the body of Bradley Sturm for a long time. His limbs had flopped to the ground, limp. His eyes stared sightlessly at the far wall.

  Cold, empty.

  I felt empty staring down at the body of the man I'd killed; the rage was long gone. Even the embers had burned down to nothing, leaving only ash in their wake. I could sense there was a weight to the moment. A weight that I would have to take the time to unpack and examine later, but not now. There would be time enough to deal with those thoughts later, even the little information I'd dragged out of Sturm about the Vish could be dealt with later on. For now, as I felt several auras approaching from outside, one of them familiar, accompanied by the occasional blip of sirens, there was only one question rattling around in the back of my mind.

  Does this make me a monster, or is this what it means to be a person?

  I wasn’t sure which answer worried me more.