I shoved the dead lizard off me, the smell of its guts thick and cloying in the air. I got to my feet, my legs shaking with a mixture of adrenaline and exhaustion, and spat out a foul, metallic taste. What a fucking mess.

  The man stood there, leaning on his axe as if it were a walking stick, that same insane grin on his face.

  “You new to this?” he boomed, his voice like rocks grinding together. “You move fast, but you almost got yourself turned into paste.” He nodded at the corpse. “Name's Logan.”

  He extended a thick hand the size of a dinner plate. I took it. His grip was like a vise, and for a second, I was genuinely worried he was going to crush my hand into powder without even trying. Green slime squished between our fingers. Gross but I shook it anyway.

  “Elias,” I said. “And thanks. I owe you one.”

  “Just try not to die so I can collect,” he laughed. His gaze shifted past me. I followed it to the third player, the lone survivor of his team. His red hair was flopped over his eyes with his head bent. I could see the same North District SWAT patch on his sleeve as the one on Logan's. He was still standing frozen, staring at the spot where his partner—his teammate—had been disassembled.

  “Trent’s dead and Charlie’s out of commission,” Logan said, his voice flat, devoid of sympathy. He was already writing his teammate off. It was brutal, but I understood the battlefield math. He grunted in disgust. “Useless.”

  He turned his attention to the SWAT officers taking cover behind a wrecked cruiser, pointing his axe at a wounded lizard crawling near them. “Hey! You two!” he bellowed. “Get over here and punch your ticket! Freebie!”

  A pair of SWAT officers looked at each other, then ran over and ended the creature's suffering with a quick burst from their rifles. We watched as they both froze, their eyes going wide. Two more Players had just been born.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  A noise from beside us caused me to turn, it was a low crunch but my senses were on fire as I was still on high alert. I watched as another lizard shimmered into existence at the edge of the gate. Logan's grin widened. “Another one. Fancy a go?” he asked, hefting his axe.

  I looked at the monster, then at the broad-shouldered, battle-crazed lunatic beside me. A slow, weary smile touched my lips. “Might as well,” I said retrieving the sword and shield a foot away. I let the shield fade into my inventory with a thought as I gripped my sword tightly in my hand.

  We charged, dirt erupting under our feet as we launched ourselves forward at superhuman speed. Logan went in first, a bellowing, unstoppable force of nature. He met the lizard’s snapping jaws with the flat of his blade, the impact echoing with a deafening CLANG. He absorbed the charge, his boots skidding back a foot on the stone, but he held the beast's attention.

  That was all I needed. I darted in from his left, my blade a blur. I sliced through the tendons on both of its rear legs. The Rare blade, impossibly sharp, parted the tough hide with a wet, tearing sound. The lizard’s back half collapsed as it roared in frustrated agony.

  New Skill Unlocked:

  Fracture Point

  The screen disappeared as Logan shoved the crippled beast away with his axe toward another waiting SWAT officer.

  Just as we were prepping for the next creature to spawn, a new blue screen popped into view.

  Congratulations!

  Next dungeon break in: 01:00:00

  Dungeon Stabilization in: 159:36:00

  Logan let out a booming laugh. “A break! The game master is giving us a fucking coffee break!”

  Dungeon break? Stabilization? The terminology was absurd, but the meaning was clear. We had one hour. I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, the tension draining out of me so fast I almost stumbled. A break.

  My stomach chose that exact moment to let out a loud, pathetic growl. I was starving. Suddenly, all I could think about was my half-eaten sandwich back at the diner. The one from this morning. A lifetime ago. Turkey and swiss on rye. God, that sounded good. And pie. They had a mountain-berry crumble…

  Focus, Stormson. The System had just given us a time-out, not a dinner reservation.

  The blinking notification in the corner of my vision demanded attention.

  Congratulations on leveling up! Accept rewards?

  I thought Yes without hesitation. A twinge of excitement coursing through me as I wondered how strong I would be after this level up.