Dust and dirt billowed around him as he slid down the side of the ravine. He stored his cloak and equipped his armour as he moved, feeling the interlocking plates of leather and steel slide over him like a second skin.

  He hit the ground running and charged past the sylvan, noting her sharp intake of breath as he put himself between her and the writhing serpent.

  The snake was even bigger up close.

  Earth and stone rumbled beneath his feet with each of the creature's movements, giving the impression of stepping into a living earthquake. Its pale grey-green scales caught the light, bathing the clearing in sparkling reflections.

  It had redirected its attention to the boar, and Sam took advantage of its momentary lapse to move laterally towards its flank. What few trees that remained upright provided a modicum of cover as he wrapped his way around its slithering bulk.

  The thing was enormous. Sam couldn't even see the tip of its tail as it trailed off into the underbrush. A quick assessment of its scaled hide confirmed his suspicion; the snake had no weak points.

  The creature was no lazy and overconfident drake, fat and spoiled on its pile of gold. It was an active predator. And while it had a few healed scars, the flesh was covered in rippling webs of bright new scales.

  That left its head as the only obvious weak point. Sam cursed softly to himself as he looped around towards the sound of violent hisses and odious squeals. The boar had taken another bite to its shoulder, and it was limping badly.

  The sylvan didn't look much better, hands woodenly loosing arrows with progressively less force. If Sam didn't immediately intervene, they would both be dead.

  He steeled his nerves and leapt for the overhanging boughs of the nearest pine. The increased coordination from [Kinetic Discipline] allowed him to make the jump with ease, as he stored his weapons just in time to catch the lowest branch and haul himself up.

  The tree was leaning badly, its base smashed from an impact with the massive snake. The trunk made for a decent ramp, and Sam ran along it, getting flashbacks to walking on the balance beam in elementary school gym class.

  The only difference, of course, was that there was no padded mat beneath him should he fall. Instead, he soon found himself just above the serpent’s snapping jaws.

  Even in the periphery, he could feel the effect of the beast’s glowing eyes. The green light sapped the strength from his limbs, and he had to manually channel more mana into [Apostate] to keep himself from stumbling.

  He could feel the benefit from the upgrade, as the skill squashed the invasive [Arcane] power. He couldn't help but grin as he cleared the last few steps, getting into position above the snake’s head.

  He crouched, taking his weapon in two hands as he activated [Longinus Strike]. The tip of the black spear rippled, pushing away light from its serrated head. The beast’s scales were thinner behind the bony eye ridges, and he caught a glimpse of pale flesh beneath. If there were a point to strike—it would be there.

  His heart pounded in his chest as he prepared to make the leap. Despite everything that had happened in the past few weeks, he still struggled to view himself as anything other than a burnt-out university student. The idea that he was about to jump forty feet off the ground and stab a giant snake in the head was still entirely surreal. No amount of video games or action movies could have prepared him for this. Somehow, real life had gotten even more ridiculous.

  Taking a final breath, he pushed off from the ancient trunk, feeling the wood splinter beneath his reinforced boots. The sound was nearly lost over the din, but Sam saw the beast stiffen.

  To his horror, another eye snapped open from the deep folds on the side of the beast's head. It locked on him with sinister intent, blasting him with a wave of overwhelming fatigue. It took all his force of will to keep the spear steady as he plunged it into the side of the snake’s skull.

  The effect was instantaneous. The serpent recoiled with the force of a howitzer, ripping the spear from Sam’s grip as he was launched bodily into the air. His rapid descent was suddenly inverted as he found himself flung high above the treetops, his world a spinning mess of colour.

  Twisting, he managed to orient himself towards the ground. He was hanging far above the colossal monster, the Spire spread out before him. The moment of calm was short-lived, as gravity once again took hold, dragging him down toward the earth.

  Wind rushed in his ears as he looked for anything that might break his fall. Whatever trees that might have served that purpose had been obliterated in the melee. He was dropping into a newly formed clearing, and he’d just stabbed the one creature that might catch him.

  This is what you get for playing the hero, he berated himself, summoning his cloak pulled taut behind him, as he tried to angle himself towards the trees.

  A sudden flash lit up [Arcane Eyes] like a blazing beacon, and he snapped his head towards the source. To his surprise, it was coming from the battered archer. The sylvan was a pulsing wave of verdant green and gold as she pulled back on the bow with renewed vigour.

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  For some reason, she was aiming at him. She released, sending a brilliant emerald arrow directly in the path of his fall. From its glowing white feathers trailed a twisting cord of vine. Wide leaves sprang from its length at the speed of thought, and Sam let out a cry as he desperately reached out a hand to grab his newfound lifeline.

  He nearly missed it, just managing to catch the magical rope with the tips of his outstretched fingers. It sagged precariously, but held, the arrow embedded deep into a tree behind him.

  He slid down it like a deranged trapezist. Of the moments of insanity he’d encountered since being transported to the Spire, this certainly took the top spot. He careened across the ravine, the ground rapidly approaching. With a cry, he let go, dropping into a roll and coming unsteadily to his feet.

  He was alive. Bruised, disarmed, but alive. The serpent thrashed behind him, blind to the world as it tried and failed to remove the spear lodged just behind its eye. His attention returned to the sylvan, heart dropping as he watched her collapse.

  Whatever [Divine Skill] she’d used to summon the vines had encased her in a rough shell of the same material. It plunged into the ground, acting like an anchor for the zip line that now hung suspended over the center of the battlefield.

  She was a mess. Her reddish brown hair hung limp over her face, and if her eyes hadn't been open, he might have mistaken her for dead. The vines were the only thing keeping her upright as she sagged against the hardened exoskeleton.

  He rushed over to her and began hacking at the plants with his knife.

  “Go,” she wheezed, voice little more than a whisper. “Mjolna will hold the adder at bay. You should flee.”

  “Forget it,” he shot back, working his way down the side of the vine armature. “I'm not leaving you here to die.”

  “Why?” she asked, face genuinely confused. “Why help me?”

  “Why did you help me?” he countered, slicing through the final strand and gently easing her out through the opening he’d created.

  “I don't know,” she responded, barely able to move as he lowered her to the ground. “We’d been tracking the ogre for half a day. When it attacked, it seemed like a good opportunity.”

  “That’s it?”

  “It felt…wrong to let you die. It was too high a tier; it didn't seem fair.”

  Sam shook his head. “Your teammate certainly disagreed.”

  She grunted, wincing as he shifted her cloak to get a better view of the injury. It was bad. The snake's fangs had punctured clean through her thigh and hip. The fact that she’d been able to stand at all had been a miracle.

  He let out a long breath and summoned a small vial into his hand.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

  “This will heal you and help you recover your strength.”

  “Yes, but why? You never answered. Why help me?”

  He held her gaze for a long moment, shocked by the clarity of her piercing blue eyes. “Because I owe you one, and it's the right thing to do.”

  Her face twitched in what could have been scorn, but she allowed him to pour the [Restoration Potion] into her mouth. Her back arched as the magic took hold, and he watched as her injuries closed, colour returning to her pallid skin.

  “By the gods, where did you get that?!” Her voice shook as the potion did its work. “You shouldn't have wasted that on me.”

  “Well, it's too late now,” Sam murmured, turning back to survey the scene. The adder had been unsuccessful in removing the spear, and in fact had somehow managed to push it further into its own skull. Its gargantuan maw snapped at the air, glowing eyes flickering as it lashed out at unseen enemies.

  Whatever part of the brain he’d impacted, it had done a number on the beast. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less dangerous. Even if they approached with stealth, it could still accidentally crush them under its immense bulk. Not even the sylvan’s animal companion would be able to survive such an attack, and it stood well over seven feet tall at the shoulder.

  As if on cue, the battered and bleeding boar trotted over and collapsed in a heap in front of them. The elf sat up gingerly, face a mask of confusion as she tested her rapidly-mending leg. Without a word, she crawled towards the animal and laid her hands over the worst of its injuries. A subtle amber glow seeped down into the wounds, stopping the bleeding and beginning the slow process of repairing flesh and muscle.

  “Why didn’t you use that on yourself?” he asked, watching the magic do its work.

  “It only works on bonded familiars,” she replied, muscles strained as she poured mana into the boar’s flank.

  Compared to [Battle Healing], the process was painfully slow. In the distance, the serpent was beginning to calm itself, its forked tongue sending out probing movements as it awkwardly slid into tree and stone alike.

  It’s blind, Sam realized. Despite the magic continuing to pour from its eyes in a malignant haze, it appeared it couldn’t actually see. Whether it was the mana negation of [Longinus Strike] or simply a jagged piece of metal to the brain, he’d managed to tangibly maim the beast.

  His original plan to collect the sylvan and run quickly faded, and a new hunger rose in its place. This was a chance–an opportunity. He wasn’t likely to get a better shot than this to take down one of the forest’s most dangerous threats.

  He looked down at the sylvan and realized she was staring at him. The look on her face was unreadable, but it was clear she was waiting for him to make a decision.

  “How long will you need to heal…Molly, here?” he asked, stumbling over the foreign name.

  She raised an eyebrow. “A few more minutes to get her back on her feet, but I don’t want her fighting if we can help it. Why, what do you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like running.”

  “Obviously not,” she spat. “I owe this beast a debt of blood. I would see it paid.”

  “Well, that’s metal as fuck,” Sam muttered to himself. “Okay, then we’re in agreement. I don’t want to wait too long. With the amount of noise that thing is making, it’s sure to draw other Warriors.” He paused, eyes flitting around the bowl. “Question. Can you make any more of the vine ropes? Like you did with the arrow?”

  She squinted, taking a moment before replying. “Four at most. Any more and I’ll risk damaging my [Mana Network].”

  He pursed his lips, considering. The loose threads of a plan coalesced in his mind, and he let out a low chuckle as he leaned down to explain it.

  Her eyes went wide in surprise, but she nodded as he finished. “One question,” she asked, shifting to apply her spell to another bite. “How are you going to get it to chase you?”

  “Oh,” he laughed, “I don’t think that’s going to be the hard part.”