What did he just say? That he could hear the instructions of the Hive Mind? If that was true…then maybe we had a chance.

  "Hey, you serious? Don’t screw with me now, buddy. Is that true?”Hope bloomed inside my chest, and I felt a surge of energy. “Mhm. I’m not…screwing with you.”

  "What is it planning?”

  The siege monster hammered into the gate, and the sound that the gate made was a terrifying, resonant crack worse than anything I’d heard in Pa's forge. The steelhusk gates shook along with the entire battlement above, but they held.

  An explosion hit the huge monster’s chest, burning away at the branches outside, and showing the metalli-like hard bark plates covering the monsters’s insides. Unfortunately, the attack didn’t go through.

  "Planning?" Roq snarled. "I have no idea! I can only hear the commands, not its thoughts. It feels like hot spikes are pressing into my brain! But yes, it's useful."

  "What does it want?"

  "Same as always—to get me back and to kill every human here," Roq spat bitterly in my mind. "Be specific!"

  I glanced along the wall to my right. Guards fought desperately as more monsters popped up, scaling the walls and climbing up onto the battlements.

  "Ohh! Got more info! Run right," Roq instructed sharply. “If you won’t jump down and help Edwin, you can at least keep the walls clear and grind yourself some experience!”

  Ignoring Roq’s jab, I just listened and broke into a run, my hammer ready as Roq shouted directions.

  "Bonepicker coming up right now! Ruptureborn climbing, too. Will be somewhere behind us in a moment.! Two Shimmerscales are about to hop up next to that guard!"

  With Roq's guidance, it became much easier to move between the spots where monsters would appear, giving me a real chance to save people’s lives. I struck on his command, crushing skulls, breaking limbs, and sending monsters tumbling lifeless from the walls. It became an exhilarating, brutal dance—me the instrument, Roq the conductor.

  My arms arched, and my stamina was mostly spent, but we cleared the wall to the ballista, where Richard’s party held their section grimly, their faces pale with exertion. They didn’t have Roq, nor his ability to predict where the monster would be, and that took a toll on people. The ‘not knowing’ part.

  "Thanks bud, I owe you for this. Maybe I can ask Ma to bake you a full pie once this is over?”

  I breathed heavily from the exertion, but kept my shield and hammer up.

  "Don't get cocky," Roq warned. "I can't keep this up forever. It's like trying to forge with the strikes of a dozen blacksmiths all at once!"

  "Understood. What next?”

  “Back to the gate," Roq said. "Edwin is in trouble."

  I ran back the way I'd come, drawing curious glances, but no one bothered to stop or question me as they’d seen what I’d done over the last minutes alone.

  "I'm not sure what I can do to help, even if you can hear commands."

  "Begrudgingly, I agree. There might be too many for you.”

  I looked down to see Edwin being slowly overwhelmed. He fought hard, each strike slashing multiple monsters and his shield holding a dozen at bay—but the horde pressed him back step by step, and away from the siege monster. Even his flaming sword couldn’t overcome their sheer numbers.

  "This is what happens when you're overconfident and refuse to let people help you," Roq commented. "You get overwhelmed and then you die."

  A sudden explosion erupted in front of Edwin, blowing apart a group of monsters, and I realised Isaac was using his ranged skills to support the commander.

  "Edwin knows what he's doing," I insisted, though doubt twisted my gut. “And even if he were to fall, I’m sure that he won’t have any regrets, Roq. He’s doing it to protect people.”

  "Even the best steel shatters if struck too often," Roq countered. “And his shield is being battered.”

  The siege monster punched the gate again, and the steelhusk groaned beneath the strike. Even dust fell from above, and I could swear I heard a cracking sound.

  "You're the most overconfident entity I've ever met," I pointed out. "How can you be accusing Edwin of the same?"

  "True," Roq admitted smugly. "But I know I'm the best. Edwin merely thinks he is."

  Below us, a Glimmerscale managed to jump onto Edwin’s back. It swiftly died to the fiery blade, but he paid for the strike with a step back, and soon another.

  "I know you want to jump down and help.”

  "I can’t. It’s suicide.”

  Though every instinct screamed at me to do exactly that. I turned desperately to Alex, who was in deep concentration and didn’t even seem to focus on anything but Edwin.

  "What can we do?"

  Alex shook his head, face grim.

  "Too many monsters. Rowan would die if he jumped down. Ming is supporting Edwin, but it isn’t nearly enough. We have to find a way to stop the siege beast, or we’re all dead.”

  On cue, the monster struck the gate again, and this time I heard the distinct sound of wood splitting.

  Splitting.

  To stop the monster we had to split its plates and get at its insides, just like we had done for the Ironroot Golems. A wild thought struck me. But it'd be suicide. Unless...

  I checked where I was at level-wise and my eyebrows rose at the climb.

  LEVEL: 11 (8/12)

  At level twelve I'd get a new skill. With Roq's abilities off the table, could this possibly do anything to help me kill or at least push back the siege monster?"Alex! Do you have four mind gems?" I asked.

  The healer stared at me as if I’d asked him to resurrect the dead.

  "No—why?"

  “Blasted monster balls.”

  “Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  I scanned the chaos around us.

  With the adventurers on the walls, they would hold for now. They had to.

  “I’ll be back,” I said, making a swift decision and grabbing a rope, sliding rapidly down from the walkway and into Sentinel Station.

  My heart hammered as I raced toward the medical tent, desperately hoping Eryn and Knut were still there.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  I burst inside, removing my helmet as I entered. Nabeeh stood arguing with Eryn, who was helping one of Doctor Ridley's assistants triage the wounded. Knut was in the middle of helping an injured guard settle into a cot. Enar sat inside the tent, half his face bandaged, his one good eye resolute.

  “Why didn’t you come to the wall?” I said, staring at Nabeeh.

  She left Eryn to join me at the entrance. “Plenty of people for the walls. Nobody thought of guarding the wounded. There might be a royal feast's worth of flying enemies waiting to descend and rip these people apart. Knut and Eryn refused to leave, and now that I’ve found a good party, I'm going to do my best to keep them alive."

  “Fine,” I said, deflating a little bit. "I need four mind gems. Immediately.”

  “One second,” Eryn said.

  “I need a Glowcap as well,” I added. “Anyone know where they are stored?"

  "Now this sounds promising!" Roq cackled gleefully. “We can blow up Edwin by accident and loot his gear!"

  “Not funny.”

  "It's just a joke!" he protested. "Unless you're up for it, of course. I’m pretty sure we’d hit level 20 at least."

  Enar spoke up.

  "Captain Cooper might still have a few.”

  "I need one," I said. "Where is Walt? Is he still alive?"

  Enar pushed himself up with a grimace.

  "I'll go find the captain. I fought near him earlier."

  "You don't need to," I said. "Just tell me where he is."

  “I need to do this," Enar said. "If I don't dare step out there while the walls still stand, will I ever be able to look these people in the eye again?"

  The sound of the siege monster punching into the gate echoed through the camp, and Enar flinched.

  I nodded.

  “Hurry. Go find him.”

  Enar grabbed a spear, and just as he was about to step out, Nabeeh touched his shoulder and suddenly the spear's tip burst into flame.

  Enar nearly dropped the weapon in shock.

  "What did you do?" he asked.

  "Fire buff," Nabeeh said with a shrug. "Makes pointy things pointier and burny-er, but be careful around the glowcap or you will go boom and splat at the same time."

  Enar stared at the flaming spear for a moment, then nodded.

  "I could get used to working with mages,” he said and rushed out into the chaos.

  "Nabeeh!" Doctor Ridley called from across the tent. “Get moving and disinfect the next batch!"

  She pointed at a tray of bloody instruments. Nabeeh grabbed it and headed outside while Eryn made her way to me, wiping blood from her hands on a cloth. I glanced at her recently reattached fingers, and she noticed my concern.

  "I'm being careful," she assured me. "No heavy lifting. Promise."

  I nodded and pulled her into a quick hug, kissing the top of her head. When I released her, she poured four mind gems into my palm without comment.

  I popped one into my mouth despite knowing there would be a backlash of power if I absorbed another one too quickly after..

  "What are you doing?" Eryn asked.

  “I’m leveling up," I said, low enough for only her to hear. "I'm only four mind gems away from level twelve, and I want to see what skill I’ll get. If it’s anything good, I might hurt the siege monster. It’s coming in one way or another if we don’t stop it."

  She looked up at me for a moment and then nodded.

  "Just be careful. Don't damage yourself with the mind gems, or it won’t matter if you stop that thing."

  “Of course,” I said, though I already felt uncomfortably full of energy as I swallowed the second mind gem right after. "Roq, is there anything you can do about the mind gem energy? To speed things up?"

  Roq was silent for a moment.

  "I might be able to speed up the absorption into your cells. Might hurt, though."

  I chuckled grimly.

  “Can't be worse than the breakthrough."

  “Probably not, but I’ll try to in any case. For science and all that stuff.”

  The sound of the siege monster punching the gate crashed through the camp yet again, and everyone inside the tent winced.

  Thinking of what Edwin must be facing, I decided to go for it. Hell or high water."Do it.”

  Pain lanced through my entire body right away. I stumbled, momentarily losing my sight as every nerve ending seemed to ignite simultaneously. With the loss of my sight, I could suddenly hear every sound in the entire camp all at once – conversations, clashing weapons, moans of the wounded, all amplified to an unbearable degree.

  Then it blessedly passed, my sight and hearing returned to normal, leaving me gasping for air.

  Eryn grabbed my arm, steadying me.

  I tried to push her away, but she held on, pressing her fingers to my neck to check my pulse.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Quiet,” I said, not wanting the attention. “I’m fine. Just… hammer stuff.”

  She scowled, but let go.

  "That was surprisingly easy! Maybe I can make it hurt even more next time," Roq declared cheerfully. "Eat more. Let's do the last one this time!"

  "No way. That was horrible!"

  I ate the third mind gem next.

  "Just digest this one."

  Roq grumbled but complied.

  "You're no fun. Gem-eating is a science, and we need to study it so other people know what not to do."

  The sensation was different this time – I became hyper-aware of every inch of my skin, feeling the weight of my armor, the pressure of my boots against the soles of my feet, and even the feel of air on my nostrils as I inhaled.

  Eryn pulled me into a kiss, and I savored the sensation.

  “Too much tenderness. There are monsters to slay! And gems to absorb. DO IT!”

  "Focus on your work and then berate me.”

  “Eat more gems then!”

  "Be careful," Eryn whispered. "I need you alive.”

  I nodded and swallowed the last gem, my fourth.

  Just then, Enar came rushing back, his flaming spear held high, nearly catching the tent.

  "I got one Glowcap carcass!" he said.

  I felt my eye twitch as I realized the potential danger of sending someone with a fire-buffed weapon to retrieve a highly explosive fungal carcass.

  Enar followed my gaze and quickly added, "I stored the spear before accepting the carcass."

  "That's... good thinking," I said, relieved that he’d heeded Nabeeh’s word earlier.

  I stepped outside the tent with Enar to avoid the spores contaminating the medical area. He stored his spear before swiping out the Glowcap carcass, which I immediately stored in my own spatial.

  "Be careful, all of you," I said and equipped my helmet.

  “I love you,” Eryn called after me as I ran back toward the gate just as the siege monster hit it again. Time was running out.

  “Ready?” Roq asked.

  “Do it.”

  The energy that was overflowing my entire body coalesced as he gathered it in one point, making my skin tingle and my vision sharpen.

  "This is really interesting," Roq mused as I ran. "It IS a bit like the breakthrough, but also completely different. I wonder what happens if I do… this.”

  Suddenly, my body locked up completely and I face-planted onto the ground.

  "Fascinating!" Roq exclaimed. "I was incorrect earlier. I CAN impact your abilities!"

  "Stop!”

  Agony surged through me as he did, well, whatever he was doing.

  "I'll work fast," Roq promised. "I'm trying to figure this out. Ooh! What does this button do?”

  The pain intensified in my legs, making them feel like they were on fire.

  "That'll be a boring skill for sure," Roq commented dismissively.

  "What in the rift-rotting monster balls are you doing!?”

  “Maybe this would be more interesting.”

  My sight vanished completely, and I screamed silently in my head.

  "Whoops! Sorry about that," Roq apologized.

  "Narrate what you're doing!" I commanded. "Remember how we did it with the breakthrough? Do it that way or I'll store you in the spatial storage forever!"

  Roq laughed.

  "That's such a funny joke. As if you'd be willing to give up the power now. But you have a point – the breakthrough did go well."

  “Don’t push your luck!”

  His voice became more focused after that.

  "I'm trying to figure out how to design and control the skill creation. I think I've almost got it. I've figured out the mind and body part. Now I just need to figure out the classed part. Hold on."

  "Wait—" I began, but Roq was already doing... something, because I felt strange. As if I was falling asleep and slowly descending into darkness.

  When I came to with a start, I realized I must have fainted. I still couldn't move, and nausea washed over me in waves.

  “Ash! ASH!”

  "What happened?"

  My thoughts were sluggish.

  “I… I’m sorry," Roq said, sounding genuinely contrite. "I was working on figuring out your internal workings, the mana part, and I kind of... stopped your heart for a little bit."

  "You what!?”

  "I restarted it almost immediately!" Roq defended himself. "No harm done!"

  "No harm? You stopped my heart, you monster!"

  "Don't call me names," Roq said. "That's rude and hurtful. Besides, now I know how to give you awesome skills. Do you want it or not?"

  The sound of the siege monster hitting the gate again made my decision for me. There’s no way the gate was going to hold much longer.

  "Fine.”

  I pushed down my rage.

  He is just a child. A stupid and impulsive child, but one that also means well. Don’t hate him for doing what he does best.

  “I want the skill."

  "Excellent! We’ve got two options. Area of effect, or single target higher damage?"

  "Area of effect," I said without hesitation, as my worst weakness was getting swamped and bogged down by large numbers of weaker monsters. It would also be especially useful for the current battle.

  "Good choice," Roq agreed. "More damage or more targets?"

  "A balance?”

  "Range versus damage?"

  "Damage. We fight best in close combat anyway."

  "Alright then," Roq said. "Hold onto your helmet, boys and girls, and watch me create magic!"

  “How? I can’t move!”

  He laughed.

  "Oh wait, yeah, that’s right. Sorry!"

  More energy surged through me, starting from the center of my chest and rushing up to my head. My eyes felt like they would pop out from their sockets. Then the energy flowed down to my feet before rushing to my right hand and back near my heart once again. Finally, the energy dissipated, taking the pain with it, and I could move once more, letting out gasp of relief.

  The siege monster hit the gate again, and I heard the steelhusk warping under the strain.

  That put the fire back under me, and I scrambled to my feet while throwing a glance toward the gate. Not good. It was dented inwards at the very spot the monster had been hitting.I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and ran for the wall while bringing up my stat sheet to check my new skill.