Monster is an unformal term used for creatures with noticeable skills.

  From animals to plant and fungi, the gods certainly weren’t stingy when showering their gifts upon the world. What’s more, compared to other species whose bodies are adapted for specialized skill use; humans had taken to the god’s gifts rather poorly, and are generally weaker than monsters of the same tier.

  Take for example the Harpsburg incident, where around thirty skilled creatures broke into the town out of an illegal laboratory.

  Scared, confused and famished some of them went into a rampage, attacking civilians and even managing to kill or maim nearly fifty people, including four silver tiers, two of them combat specialized, before the alarm was raised.

  Only one of the creatures in the lab had been silver tier, and it had not attacked anyone after its scape. All the rest where bronze predators, like the creature now hissing at Nate and Zoly from the shadows of a building.

  “What the fuck is that!?” Nate was trying to stand back up when Zoly yank him to her just in time to miss a whirling weal of dark fur and churning spikes.

  It bounced twice on the floor, leaving furrows on its path, then, in the middle of its third bounce, it gracefully uncurled into a dark fur creature. It had the size and build of a chimpanzee, but it had cat like features and a line of dangerous spines running down it’s back. These last ones contracted back into its fur, just as cat claws would.

  “A Saw-imp!”

  “A what?!”

  This time the kids jumped to the side to evade the wheel of death rolling between them.

  “Did that fucking thing just pulled a spin attack?!”

  “Is coming back! Left…! Now right!” Zoly flared her skill as hard as she could trying to predict, but at the last moment it switched trajectory.

  They managed to evade the deadly spines, but the passing Saw-imp nicked Zoly on the back of her leg, and throw her down. The monster immediately unfurled itself and jump on her, fang and claws flashing.

  Zoly closed her eyes to the monster’s fetid breath, sure she was done for, but her end didn’t come… In fact, the growls of the beast were growing distant.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  *Ding*

  -New Skill Available-

  -Do you want to learn

  [LASSO]? -

  -Y/N-

  “Not now dammit!” floating words on your face can be pretty distracting when you are playing tug of war against an angry ape-cat to save a brat from being eaten.

  Zoly hadn’t undone the noose at the end of the rope, and she had dropped it earlier when evading the beast first charge. Nate had grabbed at it in desperation and managed to lassoed one of the thing spikes at its base, more out of luck than anything.

  And lucky he was in did, because it appeared that much as with cat-claws, the retractable spines could be very sensible when they got stuck.

  -You have rejected

  [LASSO] –

  “Fine! Be that way, you useless system!” he cursed, as the monster growl and jerked this way and that, “Brat! Run! I can’t hold this thing forever! Go to the bridge!”

  “I-I…”

  “Go dammit!”

  She finally obeyed and scattered away as told. That was the good news, the bad news was that the dumb beast had finally noticed him at the other end of the lasso and was putting two and two together.

  It charged with its spin attack, yanking the rope out of his hands, but also tangling itself in it, tripping in the process and missing its mark. This time the monster rolled jerkily to the side, cutting a couple iron bars but ultimately stopping against the riverside railing.

  “Is my chance!” Nate lunch running behind Zoly and passed the struggling tangled creature.

  He hoped the small bridge would limit the monster’s angles of attack. A flimsy protection for sure but something was better than nothing. Sadly, the Imp’s claws and spikes were no joke. The rope was turned to shreds far before they could reach the bridge.

  Nate only managed to dodge the spinning creature because he saw Zoly in front of him ducking to the side. But now was his turn to be jumped by an angry ape-cat with a saw complex.

  The monster went for his lower half, clawing a deep wound on the side of his calf. Nate went down immediately. He screamed, reflexively covering his face with his arms just in time for catching the beast fangs.

  He took a good close up look to the monster’s reflective eyes as it gnawed at his forearm, and understood he was dying here… at the end he was a helpless child, just as mother Dana had said… Well, at least he was going out saving the brat from a vicious monster.

  “H-how is t-that for a s-spineless w-worthless man-child!” he grinned madly at the beast, half a sneer of pain.

  Then he saw a silver streak descending from the sky, and Nate had a front row seat as the light banished from the monster’s eyes. A sword had materialized through its gut and then its wielder threw the creature away with a disdainful kick.

  “I made it in time!?” Ordzag gasp, looking around franticly, “Who are you?! Where is Zolydane…?! Don’t tell me she…”

  “Brother!”

  “A, thank the gods! I came running as soon as I heard about the monsters! I should never had sent you off alone like that…! What was I thinking!? No matter how powerful your skill is I should have…”

  “Brother stop! We have to help Nut… We have to help Nathan! He is my friend…!”

  Nate’s ears felt stuffed with cotton and he wasn’t able to hear the rest. He would pass out shortly after.