"Thank you, Delen," I said as he helped me to my feet. "You saved my life."

  "I wasn't sure it would work," Delen said as he ran a hand through his messy hair. "I've never actually used the accumulator on anyone before. Well, besides myself, I mean."

  I grabbed him by the shoulders. "You're a genius, Delen. I owe you one."

  "Get me out of here alive, and we'll call it even."

  When I turned to Kitz, the blood-soaked child launched himself at me and gripped me in a hug. I had to put a hand back on Delen's shoulder to steady myself.

  Kitz let go of me and quickly stepped back, eyes on his feet.

  "You okay?" I asked.

  He wrung his hands. They were still wet with Kurskin blood. "I'm fine. Is Ersabet okay?"

  The kid was strong, but I had my doubts he was just 'fine.' He should have been at home playing video games with his friends, not stuck in this fucked up world, killing lizards for me while living a cursed and bloody life.

  I went to check on Ersabet. The green dagger had faded into a dull grey, but she was still unconscious. I found her pulse and confirmed it was beating strongly.

  "I think she's going to be out for a little longer," I said. "I'll have to carry her."

  'Absolutely not,' Val said. 'Your guts are on the verge of spilling out or have you forgotten?'

  I had forgotten. Whatever Val had done to dull the pain was still working. My guts weren't actually about to spill out, but the wound was still serious, and I was in no condition to be lifting anything.

  'Sorry, you're right. I can barely feel the wound.'

  'I will reactivate your pain receptors slowly over time. Until then, be careful.'

  I pulled out a moderately clean shirt from my inventory and had Delen wrap it around my stomach. It wasn't much but was better than walking around with an open wound.

  "You need a doctor," Delen said.

  "There's no time," I said. "You can stitch me up when we get out of here. Can you and Kitz carry Ersabet for me?"

  It took some effort and creativity on their part, but they managed to hoist the Dalari over Delen's shoulder in a fireman's carry. Kitz followed behind Delen and threw one of Ersabet's dangling arms over his shoulder to help out.

  Before we left, I picked up Bhatri's sword and sent it into my inventory. I'd inspect it later.

  We made slow progress, but thankfully most of the Players had migrated to the east side of the city, along with the dragon, which still continued to wreak havok. Val told me that Prajio was in the area around Delen's but was thankfully heading away from us.

  We were safe from the other Players, but multiple fires still raged throughout the town, and we had to alter our path a few times to avoid the worst of the conflagration.

  I began to feel pain again after a while, and as the minutes passed, the discomfort increased with each new pain receptor that Val reactivated.

  There were a few shell-shocked passersby as we made our way to the south wall, but by this point, most people had fled from the area or stayed locked in their homes, praying they wouldn't be caught in an inferno.

  As we walked, I finally noticed my experience bar. I had gained two more levels on top of the one I had yet to activate. I wondered just how high a level Bhatri was because his death netted me a massive amount of experience. I counted myself lucky that I was awarded credit for it since Kitz was technically the one to kill him.

  I also received a notification for a new achievement, along with a few other notifications I had yet to notice.

  I asked Val if it was safe, and she assured me we were in no immediate danger, so I activated my level up.

  My pain lessened for a moment as the pleasant wave of power washed through me. It was a shame level-ups didn't fully heal me like in some games I had played back in my real life.

  CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYER. YOU HAVE LEVELLED UP. YOU ARE NOW LEVEL SEVEN.

  YOU MAY SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SKILLS AND ABILITIES, OR YOU MAY ENHANCE ONE OF YOUR CURRENT SKILLS OR ABILITIES.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  HAYMAKER: Who needs swords with guns like yours? HAYMAKER substantially increases the power of your punches, allowing your wimpy self to take on stronger foes mano-a-mano.

  QUICK-TO-RECOVER: You didn't really earn this one, but I'm worried you might die on me, and if that happens, I won't exist anymore, so pick this one, okay? This passive ability moderately decreases the time it takes for your body to heal from all injury types. Does not include illnesses or poisons.

  FIREPROOF: Is it hot in here or it just you? Once a day, you can become immune to fire for ten seconds. This skill can be used manually or set to trigger when coming into contact with fire.

  Each of those skills was useful to me, but there was really only one option. I followed my personal sub-mind's advice and selected QUICK-TO-RECOVER.

  There was no indication it was in effect, and I didn't feel any different. I guessed I'd find out in a few days if it was working.

  My other two level-ups could be handled later when I had more time to focus on them.

  The wall was in view but still a few blocks away, so I quickly inspected Bhatri's sword.

  Redoubters Blade: A rare relic from the Nevaran empire. After the Ancients vanished from Erda, mankind rose to form their first empire – Nevara. They ruled this land for thousands of years until their inevitable collapse. Nearly all of their wonderous relics have been lost to time and nature. This weapon draws out the wielder's inner strength, extending the limits of their power. While wielding this sword in your hand, all abilities that can be cast a set number of times per day can be cast one additional time.

  Now that was what I was talking about. I could see this sword coming in handy, especially in higher levels when I had more skills to utilize.

  Next, I opened up my achievement notification.

  NEW ACHIEVEMENT: UNDERDOG

  You defeated an opponent that was over twenty levels higher than you in single combat. Even I'm impressed by that one. Here's something we haven't done before: Have some gold!

  One hundred gold pieces have been deposited into your inventory.

  One hundred gold was more money than I had ever seen in my life. The first thing I was going to buy was a pair of fitted shoes. I had a feeling that wouldn't be anytime soon, sadly.

  Lastly, I checked my final notification and discovered that I had earned my first point in Tier 2 of the Brawler Competency. Once I reached this additional tear, punching a lizard would no longer bring tears to my eyes. Hopefully. Even at Tier 1, my knuckles still ached from my punches.

  Delen yelped behind me, and I turned just in time to see him drop Ersabet to the ground.

  "I'm sorry, she moved!" he said, pointing at her. "She frightened me."

  Ersabet rolled onto her back and groaned. We gave her space as she slowly regained control of her body. She raised a hand and wiggled her fingers, and then did the same with her other hand. Her head turned to the right, and she noticed Delen and Kitz standing there.

  "We live?" she asked them. She sounded like a drunkard who had just been woken up from a nap. "How?"

  "John defeated the Kurskin!" Delen said enthusiastically.

  "I had help," I said.

  Ersabet sat up and turned to me. "Not from me. I'm sorry, John."

  "Help us get out of here, and all is forgiven." I reached out my hand to help her up. "I'm glad you're okay."

  It was slow going at first, but her motor skills returned quickly, and by the time we reached the wooden wall of Danver, Ersabet was almost fully recovered.

  The wall was comprised of massive logs shaped from the trunks of the countless cedar trees in the area. A narrow walkway laced the top of the wall, allowing the city watch to circumnavigate the town. It was at least twenty feet tall, and while that wasn't a daunting height, it was still unclimbable.

  I winced as the pain in my abdomen increased. We needed to get to safety soon, so that my wound could be properly treated.

  "What's your plan for getting us over?" I asked Ersabet.

  She smiled. "I never said we had to go over."

  Ersabet pointed forward and drew a circle in the air with her finger. As she did, a yellow light traced a circle on the wall before us, and when the path was completed, the section of wall inside the circle shimmered and evaporated into thin air, revealing the scenic landscape beyond.

  "You've been holding out on me," I said.

  "Secrets make us more interesting," she said. "You should know."

  I laughed. It hurt. "Let's get the hell out of here."

  Ersabet was the first through the wall. Kitz hopped through next, eager to be out of the city. Delen took his time, inspecting the hole in the wall with scientific curiosity. I pushed him through and followed after.

  Outside, the first thing I noticed was other people fleeing in the distance. It wasn't a mass exodus, but we weren't the only ones who had found our way out of town. Humans were spread out in small groups, heading in all directions, but it looked like the majority were heading east, further away from the lands where the Kurskin and the Dalari warred. The kingdom of Vedra ended about a hundred miles east of Danver, where the land transformed into a vast, inhospitable rocky desert. There were sparse recesses of civilization there, but they were under constant threat from the savages that ruled the land. Throughout history, the kings of Vedra had never once shown any desire to bring that harsh land into their kingdom.

  'Where should we go?' I asked Val.

  'Anywhere but here. Just continue south for now and find a safe place to rest and treat your wound.'

  We headed for the trees. Now that most of the feeling in my body had returned, my wound ached something fierce, but Ersabet stayed by my side to help me along.

  The pain punctuated my failure. The scars that would form would be a permanent reminder of the lives that had been lost because of me. Thousands were dead or dying, and God only knew what would happen to the rest. I had a feeling that those who failed to escape would either be killed or never be allowed to leave Danver again, lest they spread the truth.

  It had been foolish of me to believe that we could fight back against the Triarchy, but when we had driven the Kurskins out of Danver, I let myself believe we had a chance. Then, with minimal effort, they showed me just how wrong I was.

  The price for my failure was higher than I could have ever imagined. It didn't seem right that I got to live while Tara and so many other innocents died. Tara had been brave in the end. Far braver than I.

  I wished that I could teleport like Bhatri and be far away from this place. Unfortunately, I had to run away from my problems like everyone else. My entire body hurt, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other while Danver burned behind me.