From where Larkin was standing on the hill it was as though Jorg’s challenge had been answered by the entirety of their surroundings.

  Firestingers burst into the air; lifting up from seemingly every branch in sight. There was a deep whoosh of air as the swarm revealed itself, accompanied by a heavy and disorientating droning; a cascade coming from all directions.

  At the same time, the ground around them began to heave. Scores of Hive Moles clawed themselves out of where they’d been hiding; and many of these ones were covered in clearly thicker carapaces than the adolescent ones they’d previously seen. Their bulky frontal claws snapped together menacingly, adding an additional timbre to the deafening noise.

  Worse than all of that though was the terrifying screech that came from a giant creature as it raised itself from the ground over to the north of them. Its grey carapace looked as thick as the protection of a tank, and even as its four legs started moving the thing towards the Classbearers the creature waved its two spiky arms in their direction.

  And after a brief moment the monster’s cry was echoed by another two - thankfully smaller - creatures that appeared to the east and the south.

  “Enforcers.” Jorg grunted, confirming Larkin’s suspicions.

  But there wasn’t any time for more words than that; Jasset was already sending arrows into the closest group of flying Stingers and so Larkin readied himself. He shot down a handful of flyers before hurriedly ditching his bow in favour of the spear and turning towards a rapidly approaching group of Hive Moles.

  A quick slash of the spear against the flank of the nearest one confirmed Jorg’s prediction of the strength of their armour - a barely visible mark was left on the scales.

  So instead, letting himself be guided by his Fighter Class instincts, Larkin sent the spear forward in a full thrust that hit the Hive Mole at the juncture of its neck and what passed for its head. The thinner scales there gave way and the spearhead plunged into softer flesh. Larkin ripped the weapon out with a wet tearing sound as the creature shuddered and collapsed.

  Larkin was able to start darting in and out of the scuttling monsters, dodging the occasional attack which came his way. A task that was made infinitely easier when there was a wordless cry from behind him and a rush of light that rippled outward, encompassing the whole field.

  In response to Jorg’s Wild Challenge, the Hive Moles began to entirely ignore Larkin, even as he remained in their midst killing them. Instead they started clawing past each other in an attempt to get to where Jorg was standing.

  For his part the Shieldbearer was once again shrouded in pale blue light, with Robiery cowering behind the Dwarf’s expanded shield. But Jorg was being more active now, his right hand flashing out in arcs to catch frenzied Firestingers with his axe.

  “Larkin! Pay attention, you idiot!”

  At Jasset’s cry he turned around and then swore as one of the Enforcers moved towards him. He’d been so focused on the Hive Moles that he’d lost track of the much more dangerous threat - which was apparently immune to Jorg’s Skill.

  He got that much by the way the thing was hustling towards him, its four hind legs moving in a blur and both of those heavy forelimbs raised threateningly.

  Larkin spun to the side and - almost - dodged the attack. But one of those bulky claws went into, and straight through his shield, and clipped against his left shoulder. Larkin hissed a curse as his limb immediately went numb.

  Gritting his teeth, Larkin shifted his grip on his spear and struck the Enforcer in its neck with just his right arm. There was an audible crack and the monster flinched as it gave a startled screech.

  But even as Larkin dodged around the Enforcer’s limbs as it started moving again he could tell that he hadn’t delivered a mortal blow. Far from it. A quick glance down at the tip of his spear showed only a few flecks of monster ichor.

  He’d cracked the thing’s shell but hadn’t been able to break through.

  And I can’t property lift my left arm, he realised with belated dismay. The damn thing must be dislocated.

  Having made some distance from the Enforcer, Larkin awkwardly reached down to untangle the shield from his now useless arm. The thing had cracked almost in two, hanging only loosely together.

  The stupid thing is just weighing me down.

  Managing to ditch the remains of the shield, he then glanced around to see what else was happening.

  Jorg - and Robiery - was still being swarmed. And so many of the Firestingers and Hive Moles were now swirling around the top of the hill that the slope was no longer accessible. That first, much larger Enforcer, seemed to be making its way towards the Shieldbearer.

  Jasset, meanwhile, was engaged with the final of the Enforcers. The Scout was easily keeping out of the range of the pursuing monster but her arrows seemed to be pinging ineffectively off its scales.

  That glimpse was all that Larkin could spare before he turned back to his own foe. Now moving more cautiously, the Enforcer approached him at a steady but not reckless pace. One of its heavy claws lashed out at Larkin but it kept the other raised in a protective guard position.

  Larkin frowned even as he pirouetted away from the attack. He needed to get close enough to the Enforcer to land a strong attack but the monster clearly knew that too. And Larkin didn’t think that he needed his Fighter Class instincts to tell him that he was out of his league.

  The Enforcer had already demonstrated that any one of its attacks could cripple Larkin, while its armour was strong enough that the quick counters Larkin could deliver were useless.

  Which meant, he decided, that he’d have to rely on his strange ability again.

  This is really stupid, he thought as he mentally prepared himself. The damn thing didn’t even activate just now.

  And his left arm gave a pang of pain at that moment, as though bemoaning the absence of his Null Mage ability. But Larkin had a hunch that he knew why that was so.

  Well, maybe an educated guess.

  At the monster’s next attack Larkin gave a deliberately wild one handed swing of his spear then darted under the Enforcer’s follow up attack and rushed straight towards the beast. Which the monster had clearly been waiting for as it sent its other arm crashing down towards Larkin’s skull.

  It was intended to make literal mincemeat out of his head. But rather than attempt to dodge or block the blow, Larkin did his best to ignore it as he readied his own attack.

  The Enforcer’s claw came to a sudden stop a scant few centimetres aboveLarkin’s helmet just as he launched his spear in another full bodied thrust aimed where he’d previously hit the monster’s neck. There was another crack, but this one was more sustained as Larkin felt the chitin give way to the heavy spearhead.

  The screech that came from the Enforcer was satisfying, even as Larkin continued pushing with the spear, the weapon digging further into the monster’s innards. The Enforcer continued to scream and then rolled to the side, ripping Larkin’s spear out of his hand.

  The monster thrashed on its side, twitching. Larkin smoothly drew his sword as he examined the Enforcer but, after it remained still for a long moment, he turned around to survey the area again.

  Jasset was still engaged in her chase with one of the Enforcers. The girl’s face was covered in a sheen of sweat but he could also see the fletching of an arrow that the Scout had managed to send right into the monster’s right eye.

  The Enforcer wasn’t showing any sign of slowing down but at least it was evidence that Jasset could hurt it.

  Larkin took a step towards that fight when a sudden bellow had him turning in the other direction, towards Jorg and Robiery.

  There were so many monsters pressed against the pair now that all he could actually see of them was the blue light that protected them and the occasional flash of the Dwarf’s axe as it swung.

  But he could definitely see the huge Enforcer that was now charging up the hill towards the Shieldbearer. This one was much bigger than the other two; large enough compared to the one that Larkin had killed for him to consider it an adult up against an adolescent.

  And its thick carapace was crisscrossed with dozens, maybe hundreds, of deep scratches. This thing had clearly seen a lot of fighting in its lifetime.

  The Enforcer barreled right through the smaller monsters surrounding Jorg, squishing Hive Moles under its limbs as it closed with the Classbearer. And when it was within range it bought both of its heavy limbs crashing down onto the Dwarf’s protective shield.

  A crackling, almost electrical, sound went off in Larkin’s ears even as a flash of light went out across the battlefield and a concussive wave threatened to send him to his knees. Somehow, both Jorg and Robiery remained on their feet.

  The Dwarf had his shield now raised over his head, his eyes narrowed as he stared up at the Enforcer.

  And, Larkin saw with a sinking feeling, the light that had surrounded the Shieldbearer was much thinner. As soon as he had that thought, he noticed a Hive Mole nearby turn towards him and give a growl.

  In a heartbeat, Larkin was the focus of a dozen of the monsters. Even as he cut down the first charging beast a pair of flying Firestingers were jabbing at his head. He managed to spin around so that only one struck, and it skidded off his helmet. And in return he cut one of them out of the air.

  But then another Hive Mole was charging towards him and he had to quickly fall back, even as he hacked at another flying monster.

  He found himself continually retreating before the rushing monsters. There seemed no end to them and, inevitably, some of them managed to land their attacks. He pretty quickly took cuts to his legs, chest, and arms.

  Larkin did his best to ignore the burning sensation that built up, seeming to grow in ferocity with every new wound. Threatening to dull his movements and distract him as the monsters continued to try and surround him.

  And then, he suddenly found his vision narrowing and felt like he was watching himself as if from afar.

  The Fighter cut a Stinger out of the air and then leapt back to avoid a Hive Mole’s swipe and prepare himself for the next strike. A swing of the sword and another Firestinger fell, even as two more descended on the Fighter’s head.

  He dodged between them and cut them down, even as the Hive Mole charged again. The Fighter let it get close and then took a half step forward, allowing it to get a glancing blow on his right thigh as he ripped his sword in and out of the foul thing’s gaping mouth.

  The flying monsters kept stinging his upper back and neck, and the Fighter felt a few of the stings get through. Ignoring the burning sensation, he sent his sword in sweeping arcs that cut them down.

  The Fighter leapt back again as more monsters appeared, easily catching his balance as he descended a steep edge covered in loose soil and sliding rocks.

  The Hive Moles started staggering and slipping, but the flying Stingers continued to pursue him like buzzing clouds. The Fighter kept cutting them down, feeling a roar emerge from his mouth even as he felt like his blood had caught fire.

  But then one of the Firestingers fell from the sky, pierced by an arrow. And the rest started to fall too. A quick look back showed the Fighter that the Scout was there. He could feel a strong desire to test himself against an opponent that might prove a challenge, but instead forced himself to focus on the Hive Moles that were rushing towards him.

  Clumsy things, the Fighter sneered, as it danced up the slope and started laying waste to them. The press of bodies eventually forced the Fighter back, but the slope was littered with the bodies of the Hive Moles by the time he reached the bottom.

  And then he realised that no more were coming, and it was just corpses that surrounded him. That and the Scout, and the Fighter turned towards her feeling a rush of anticipation…

  Larkin came back to himself with a start, blinking his eyes and then swearing as he’d realised what had happened.

  I lost control again, he thought grimly. Before hissing in pain as he felt the pain from the stings. What his Fighter sense had felt suddenly increased by multiple orders of magnitude.

  God, that hurts!

  Larkin took a deep breath, doing all he could not to fall into a shuddering ball on the ground. The approach of Jasset proved a welcome distraction, for once.

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  He forced himself to listen to her, ignoring the pain.

  “It’s done.” He heard from behind him. “They’re scattering.”

  The Scout had a triumphant smile on her face.

  “The plan must have worked. Cezar’s killed the Queen.”

  In too much pain to speak, Larkin found that he could only stare silently at the girl. Her dark hair fluttered in the wind from where strands had come loose, both it and her skin glistening with sweat, her chest rising and falling in deep breaths.

  She’s really pretty when she’s not scowling at me.

  But after that errant thought, he found that the pain from the burning was claiming all of his attention.

  My bones feel like they're starting to melt.

  It was easily the worst agony that Larkin could recall having.

  No, that time I was in between the portals was easily as bad as this. He told himself, feeling his vision starting to shake.

  He could feel himself swaying, and was distantly aware of Jasset talking to him, turning in his direction. But he had no energy to focus on that, as every breath seemed to bring a growing feeling of heat into him.

  Will I end up catching fire?

  But no sooner did he have the thought that there was a sudden pane of soft blue light filling his vision.

  YOU HAVE ACQUIRED A LEVEL INCREASE IN FIGHTER CLASS. STRENGTH, ENDURANCE, AND SPEED HAVE INCREASED.

  The words were accompanied by a rush of energy that cascaded through his body. It acted like a mixture of cooling balm as well as a surge of adrenaline cutting through him.

  He took a shuddering breath as he felt all the various injuries he’d suffered starting to heal. There was a sudden twitch in his left arm and he felt a muted jolt as his shoulder pulled itself back into its socket.

  Larkin blinked away tears as that terrible all-encompasing burning sensation vanished. The lack of pain seemed so freeing that he felt a delighted laugh escape him. Only to hear it echoed nearby.

  “Yes! About time.”

  He glanced over at Jasset upon hearing her shout, to see her looking somehow even more enthused than him.

  “I’m finally at Level Ten.”

  The girl said that with such a delighted air that Larkin could tell it was significant in some way. Even as the Scout seemed to remember him and turn in his direction.

  “Let’s find Jorg.”

  He could only nod in the face of that eager voice. He bent down to recover his sword - now thoroughly drenched in ichor.

  I don’t even remember dropping it.

  Glancing up the slope he tried to count the number of monster corpses strewn about before giving it up as a lost cause. They were scattered so heavily that he could only see the occasional patch of grass and earth beneath them.

  The Scout started jogging up the slope and, after a moment, Larkin himself did the same.

  I feel great again. He realised as he moved. Not a hundred percent maybe, but far and above how I ever felt back on Earth.

  It was more than just the absence of the burning pain of the Firestinger’s poison, too. He felt energised; his muscles apparently eager to exert themselves.

  Though that sensation did take a hit as they went over the rise and he could see the hill that they’d originally been standing on. And caught sight of the body of the huge Enforcer. There was a huge cut going vertically through its head, almost bisecting the beast.

  How the Shieldbearer had done that he couldn’t even begin to guess.

  The Dwarf in question was still standing on the and quickly caught sight of them approaching. He raised a hand in greeting as Larkin looked his way.

  “By Timberlaine’s Tits, that’s amazing Jorg!” Jasset exclaimed, echoing Larkin’s thoughts. “That ugly bastard is huge.”

  There was no arguing with that, and the Dwarf visibly puffed up even as he kept a nonchalant tone.

  “Size isn’t everything, lass. You still clearly have a lot to learn.”

  To which Jasset eagerly nodded.

  “You’re damn right I do.” She proclaimed. “I leveled up, so I need to pick my next Skill.”

  Larkin raised an eyebrow at that, but then a thought had him peered around looking for… there he was. He left the other two Classbearers to their chatter as he walked over to where Robiery was kneeling on the side of the slope.

  “Are you okay?” He asked as he got close.

  The man turned to give him a weak smile, which combined with his pasty skin just served to make him look even more sick.

  “Y…Yeah.” He replied, not very convincingly. “It’s just… a lot, y’know.”

  Robiery gave an all-encompassing gesture around the hillside and Larkin could only nod in understanding. There were hundreds of bodies of monsters littering the ground, as well as the three huge bodies of the Enforcers. The one that Jasset had killed was lying face down, so it was difficult from this angle for him to tell how the Scout had finally managed to slay it.

  Seeing all of the death surrounding them caused mixed feelings for him. Larkin knew full well that these beasts were dangerous - they’d already caused chaos as it was. And yet the sight of all the bodies cut through the exhilaration that his level increase had given him.

  “You’re looking well, lad.”

  Larkin blinked and then turned around as he saw Jorg approaching. Behind the Dwarf he caught sight of Jasset standing looking into space.

  Or reading some notifications. He suddenly understood. Interesting to know that other Classbearer’s can’t see those panes of light..

  “Did you level up too, then?” Jorg asked.

  Larkin nodded.

  “Yeah, thankfully.” He said, remembering the pain from all those stings.

  And then he frowned as a thought belatedly came to him.

  “There was a delay though.” He told the Shieldbearer. “I don’t know how long exactly, but the monsters all scattered and then there was at least a brief period before I got the notification.”

  From the limited experience that Larkin had, he’d gotten a level increase as soon as the initial conflict was resolved.

  “Levels can be funny like that.” Jorg said with an understanding nod. “Most likely, I’d guess that the System was treating our fight here as a continuation of the one Cezar had in the Hive. The swarm against us scattered once I killed that old Enforcer. So I’d say that the delay means that she killed the Queen a short time later.”

  The Dwarf shrugged.

  “Weird things like that happen all the time in bigger battles.” He added.

  And then he gave a gimlet-gaze over to Larkin.

  “That’s also why you shouldn’t rely on getting level-ups after a fight.” He continued. “Even when you’re low levelled.”

  The Dwarf pursed his lips, a hand stroking his beard - apparently unaware of the ichor that he was spreading - as he gazed at him.

  “How badly stung were you, lad?”

  Larkin frowned, resisting the urge to wriggle self-consciously.

  “A few times…” He said evasively.

  In truth he knew what Jorg was getting at, but didn’t want to think about what would have happened if the level up had come just a few minutes later. Or if it hadn’t happened at all.

  I can think about that later, he told himself weakly.

  And then glanced over at Robiery. "Shouldn't we head over to the Hive?”

  He knew that the chances of the villager getting any good news was minimal, but figured that it beat standing around a field of corpses. Jorg gave him a long look before nodding.

  “A good idea.” He agreed. “But get your stuff first.”

  That reminded Larkin to look for his other weapons and equipment. His bow was easy enough to find, though it had been covered by the bodies of a couple of Firestingers. He didn’t bother looking for the few arrows he’d shot.

  His shield was close by, and after a moment he gathered up the pieces.

  Maybe someone in Gavlim can fix it, he thought, feeling doubtful.

  But recovering his spear was another matter.

  Not getting that out. He thought as he stared at the remnant of the weapon. The Enforcer had shattered the haft in its death throes, and the metal head could only just be seen, deeply embedded in the monster’s throat.

  So he left that behind as he returned to Jorg. And then the Dwarf nodded to the Scout.

  “Jasset, lead the way.”

  The girl was happy to do so, even keeping an easy pace that Robiery could keep up.

  Though this was likely because she quickly fell into animated conversation with Jorg. She was enthusiastically questioning the Shieldbearer about his opinions of various Skills. Which the Dwarf was happy to help with, demonstrating an encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject in the process.

  Meanwhile, walking side by side with Robiery, Larkin kept an awkward silence.

  Partly that was because he had no idea how to even begin talking to the villager. Asking him about his family was definitely not on, but it wasn’t like he could just start talking about the weather either.

  Silence was his answer and so he found his thoughts going back to the fight just gone.

  It occurred belatedly to Larkin that he’d used Null Mage abilities fully on display for Jorg and Jasset to see. And Robiery too, but he figured that the villager would just have attributed that to some strange Skill.

  I used it against the Enforcer, he thought, but I have no idea if it activated when I was in that … state.

  He didn’t know how to refer to that sensation of having his Class control his actions. Beyond really not liking it.

  I don’t think that I deliberately fell into that state. But the whole thing is honestly a bit of a blur…

  Neither of the other Classbearers had said anything though and he couldn’t imagine them - especially Jasset - keeping quiet about it if they had seen anything really odd.

  So he managed to convince himself that he’d gotten away with it; and instead turned to his performance today. Trying to compare himself to what he’d seen of Jasset’s activities. And the answers he found weren’t entirely to his liking.

  He’d only defeated the Enforcer by relying on the ability that he could neither properly control or understand. And, moreover, was something that he was sure had some kind of limitation that he didn’t know of. And he’d lost himself to that horrible state of having his movements controlled by his Class.

  But even setting those two aside Larkin didn’t think that he’d done as well as he could have - or should have - done. He’d hesitated multiple times around which weapon to use, and who to use it against, and had kept getting swamped by monsters. Having the Enforcer of all the monsters getting the drop on him was just the worst example.

  Beside him, Robiery suddenly gave a gasp and staggered to a halt.

  Larkin realised that he’d gotten completely wrapped up in his thoughts. They’d walked through the landscape and had come across a wooded hillside. Which had a deep hole that looked like it had carved out of the rock. Where a group of bedraggled people were now clustered.

  He saw Cezar standing with them, but it wasn’t towards the Ranger that Robiery was staring at.

  “Maeve?” He heard the man whisper, and then it became a ragged shout. “Meave!”

  The village took off in a scrambling run, his feet slipping and sliding on the rough ground as he headed towards the group. And a small figure left that huddle to move towards him from the other direction. The man and girl collided in a tight embrace.

  It was enough of an emotional display that Larkin found himself looking away.

  “I can’t believe that there are actual survivors.” Jasset muttered from beside Jorg. “I thought you were just making it up.”

  The Dwarf gave a soft snort but didn’t reply. And Larkin stayed near to the adventurers as Cezar made her way towards them.

  “Glad you all made it through.” Cezar told them, including Larkin in that smiling look. “The Queen was stronger than I expected, it took me a while to put her down.”

  Larkin glanced past at the villagers still standing around in awe as they blinked up at the sky. Some of them were looking at Robiery and Maeve while others stared at the Classbearers. And some stared at nothing.

  But apart from the man and daughter there wasn’t a smiling or relieved face in sight. Just the stunned expressions of those that had thought themselves dead and now didn’t know how to process the universe deciding otherwise.

  “What will happen to them?” He asked, turning back to the adventurers.

  Cezar looked up from where she’d been listening to Jasset’s excited chatter before following his gaze.

  “We’ll take them back to Fari.” She said. “When Captain Davort arrives, they’ll be given help to resettle or relocate.”

  The Classbearer paused for a moment.

  “What help Gavlim can spare, anyway.” She said. “Fari falls outside of the city’s authority, so it should be the Baroness Woyld that offers them aid. But…”

  A slight grimace passed over the woman’s face before Cezar shook her head and changed the topic.

  “The Hive had more monsters than I expected. A number of them escaped after I killed their Queen.” She glanced over at Jorg. “I expect you saw something similar?”

  At the Shieldbearer’s nod, Cezar grimaced.

  “The local lords won’t have the manpower to deal with them all. Or the willingness even if they did.” She groaned. “And the mayor won’t let it go if I allow her soldiers to waste the next three months trying to track all of them down. Especially with her issues with all the gentry here.”

  “Jasset and I will hunt them.” She swiftly announced. “Once we get the poor folk here over to Fari.”

  Larkin felt relief that the villagers wouldn’t just be abandoned here. Though he didn’t know how they’d fare after their ordeal - did the people here even know anything about therapy? Or would they just be expected to get over the nightmares of being taken by those monsters and kept underground waiting to be eaten.

  But he turned back to the adventurers when Cezar looked at Jorg.

  “We can’t leave the guild in Gavlim empty for too long, though. You should head back.”

  The Dwarf nodded amicably even as he cracked a muscle in one bulky shoulder.

  “I’ll head over straightaway.” He responded, then glanced up at Larkin. “You want to come along, lad?”

  Larkin blinked, his eyes going back to the villagers.

  “You can’t do anything more for them.”

  He glanced over at Cezar, surprised at her words. The Ranger’s voice was neutral as she continued.

  “They need warmth, food, and safety.” She told him. “And time. Besides, you were surely travelling to Gavlim for a reason, no?”

  Larkin blinked slowly at that question and then a surprised nod. That was right, although he’d forgotten all about Krystan’s request given everything that had been happening.

  Besides, Cezar’s right. He thought. I wouldn't be doing anything useful here anyway.

  And so when Jorg headed back towards Fari, Larkin was right beside him.