Pain exploded throughout my back as hundreds of splinters tore into me. My ears rang, preventing me from hearing anything as I looked around in a daze.

  The door was a heap of destroyed wood, but there was no flame. But that wasn’t what I was worried about. Whoever caused the explosion was outside. I needed to deal with them before they could endanger Val any further.

  Grunting in pain, I pushed myself up and pulled out my pistol, aiming it through the shattered doorframe.

  There was no fire and smoke like I expected. Instead, the air shimmered in front of me.

  It was a rift, set dead center in the middle of the street.

  Unlike the pale blue from yesterday, this tear in reality pulsed a violent red. It shook and flickered, obviously unstable.

  “Damn. Those bastards coulda warned me it’d be a corrupted rift!”

  My ears picked up an angry mutter barely audible over the loud hum of the rift. My gaze flicked in the direction of the sound, picking out a lone male orc standing less than sixty feet from the rift.

  I didn’t have time to focus on him though, numerous creatures were starting to climb out of the rift. They were a disgusting mix of oily tentacles and bony protrusions. A white, human skull sat in the center of the sickening mass, their empty eye sockets seemed to lock onto me as they collectively let out an ear-piercing screech that made me shudder instinctively.

  I didn’t wait for them to attack first.

  Firing three shots at the closest one, I moved outside the Kitty Corner to draw them away from Valerie.

  The shots impacted into the creatures, blasting the black tentacles into inky splatters, only for them to reform moments later, completely unharmed.

  “Shit.” I muttered as they charged, quickly firing more blasts. They had to have a weakness of some kind, I just had to find it.

  They were far faster than me, easily closing the distance in less than a few seconds. I ducked low to avoid a barbed tentacle whip, only to cry out in pain as another barely brushed across my left arm, leaving a bubbling red mark behind.

  Luckily it wasn’t too severe.

  Rolling to the side to dodge another attack, I changed targets, firing another three shots. The violet blast of energy impacted the pale white skull, shattering them into a dozen pieces.

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

  The writhing tentacles instantly liquefied, hissing as the caustic substance burned its way through the concrete.

  Its kin swarmed forward, seemingly unaffected by the loss.

  I stumbled back, continuing to fire as I maneuvered myself further away from the Kitty Corner. My shots took out two more, but the rest rushed to overwhelm me. Scoring glancing hits to my thigh and side.

  Searing pain exploded into me as I struggled to maintain focus, managing to drop a few more.

  I had taken out about half, but I was quickly running out of steam. The longer the fight dragged on, the more danger I was in.

  I hadn’t forgotten about the orc either. Luckily he seemed content to watch for now. He was muttering something under his breath, but the constant screeching was masking his words.

  The remaining creatures surged forward in a mess of oily limbs and chattering bone, urged on by the death of their kin.

  The nearest one lunged at my chest, its empty maw open in a blood-curdling screech. I dropped low, letting its barbed tendril whip past my face, and jammed my pistol into its open mouth.

  The blast exploded through its cranium, sending bone fragments across the empty street. Quickly dodging the caustic sludge now falling towards me, I fired again, swiftly taking out two more.

  Two left. I could do this.

  My breath caught in my throat as I felt that familiar tug magic on my heart. It was coming from the orc.

  A jagged arc of blue lightning suddenly flashed across the street, hitting me square in the chest, sending white hot pain surging through every nerve in my body.

  I screamed in pain, falling to the ground, my muscles and joints spasming uncontrollably. I could barely put together what happened as I fought against the urge to pass out.

  The orc had made his move, revealing himself to be some kind of mage, and he was here for me.

  This wasn’t just chance, it was a deliberate attack on me and Valerie.

  Blinking away the pain, I barely got myself under control in time to take out the last two creatures as they charged. The screeching ceasing almost instantly, leaving the streets silent save for the subtle hum of the rift.

  And the orc chanting another spell.

  I rolled to the side, avoiding another bolt of lightning that scorched the ground where I’d fallen, then scrambled to my feet.

  I raised my pistol and blasted a few rounds at the orc.

  He cursed and dodged one violet beam, only for the second to impact his left arm, causing it to go limp. He clenched his jaw in pain and drew a pistol of his own.

  I didn’t give him the chance to fire, blowing a clean hole through his hand and another through his leg.

  He cried out and fell, his pistol flying from his mangled fingers and clattering to the pavement.

  I rushed in as he collapsed, keeping my weapon trained on him the entire time.

  He quickly realized I was closing in, his eyes going wide with shock and fear, his cold demeanor now completely gone.

  “Wait!” he shouted, desperately holding out his bloodied hand in surrender, “Don’t shoo—”

  I flinched back as his head suddenly exploded into bloody chunks.

  ...But I hadn’t pulled the trigger.

  I quickly scanned the buildings for an enemy sniper, but found no trace of one. After a tense moment, I looked back to the orc’s body.

  Upon closer inspection, his head looked like it exploded from the inside.

  “Standard OpSec Chip,” Valerie’s hesitant voice came from behind me as she approached with cautious steps, “Ordon used them quite extensively to prevent leaks. It will automatically explode to prevent the capture of an ‘asset’.”

  “…Right.” I sighed, letting my shoulders relax. My injuries were starting to ache and sting as the adrenaline wore off.

  “Nyxia?” Valerie looked tense, scared even, as she looked at me. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”