Hunter sat up, waking with a clarity he hadn't felt in days.

  “Why do I feel... normal?” His stomach growled. “And starving?”

  Walking out of his room and down the hall, Hunter saw Derick eating alone at the table. A plate was sitting across from him, so he walked over and sat across from Derick.

  Derick looked up, surprised. “You're finally up! Thought you'd sleep forever.”

  This confused Hunter; he woke up late but only by maybe half an hour.

  Derick continued laughing a little, "I was getting concerned. You slept for a full day."

  "A day?" Hunter asked, freezing in place. Dread filled him at losing so much time with the impending possibility of an invasion. Hunter's utensil hung in midair when he felt a pang of hunger again. "That explains why I'm feeling better," Hunter mumbled, continuing to eat.

  "What happened?" Derick asked, the jokiness dropping.

  Hunter thought back to being pinballed by the gorilla alligator and said, "I fought a gorilla alligator." The name finally came back to him: "I think it was a Salager."

  It was Derick's turn to freeze. He paused, unsure how to respond, and then started laughing. "Good one," he said. "If you had fought one th…" he trailed off.

  "Then I would have been hurt so bad I would be asleep for an extra day?" Hunter added helpfully.

  Sitting up in his chair, Derick leaned in. "Why and who would have you do that? That monster is mostly reserved for people nearing the end of tier one; I could defeat one, but to have trainees try? Absurd."

  Hunter nodded. He shoveled in a few more bites as Derick processed the information and said, "Yeah, right now, Jerry seemed really concerned about the blitz; he thinks this town will be overrun."

  Derick sat back, rubbing his bald head a few times. "He might be right. I was talking to some other merchants between my courses, and they have been told that travel outside the city is halted for now."

  Derick continued, looking off at the wall. "That would also explain the movement of resources and gear. I knew my mind wasn't playing tricks on me."

  Derick paused, tallying something on his fingers.

  Hunter felt the pit in his stomach grow at the confirmation. "What can we do?"

  Derick's tone lost its joviality. "We can prepare for war. Today, I am going to prepare some provisions in case this lasts a long time."

  Placing his hands down on the table, he steepled his fingers. "Hunter," he said in a serious tone. "Unlike you, I am at my limit, so getting supplies is all I can do. I need you to focus on getting stronger."

  A little grin inched his face as he copied Derick's hand steepling. Hunter said, "We aren't training for the next few days. Would you mind picking me up a mace? I want to fight with one of them."

  "Why a mace?" Derick asked.

  Hunter thought back to his fights with it and explained, "I've been training with the short mace. So far, it feels like a weapon I could do serious damage with over a sword. Maybe I will change my mind in the future, but as I am right now with my current strength and stamina, I think this is my best choice."

  Derick nodded his affirmation with a smile. "I see you have thought this out. I'll make sure I get one."

  "Thanks," Hunter said, putting his dishes in the sink and walking outside.

  The air outside was crisp. Hunter wanted to increase his level, but it was even more impossible to do that with the gates closed. "If there are more monsters like the Salager," he shuddered at the thought.

  Focusing on what he could do, Hunter took off in a light jog to the outside of the wall. This time, he paid attention to his rhythm, using the spiraling towers on top of the wall as checkpoints so he knew when to take breaks. Eventually, he made it around the whole wall.

  Sitting down against the wall, Hunter estimated his pace was slower than before. His only reference to time was the brightness of the neon pink-purplish day, so he was unsure how long it took him.

  Surprised, Hunter looked up again, but the sky was definitely taking on a tinge of purple. The purple was stretching like tentacles from above the center of the city.

  The pit of worry growing in his stomach was washed away for an instant. "This world never ceases to amaze me," Hunter said, looking at the beautiful sky,

  After resting for a few more moments, he got up and made his way back to the house.

  Upon returning, Hunter first noticed the pile of crates in the corner. They were stacked three high and three across; Derick was in front of them, doing some calculations with his tablet.

  Derick looked busy, so Hunter walked past to his room and took a quick shower. Upon returning to the living room, most boxes had been moved except for two. Derick was taking a break at the table, so Hunter joined him.

  "I did it," Hunter said.

  Derick stared off into the distance but was surprised by another person around him. He said the wise words, "Huh? What?"

  Hunter laughed, "I was able to jog around the outside of the wall. I'm seeing easier and quicker improvements in this world than my last."

  Nodding, Derick said. "That's good to hear," He smiled, leaning in. "I was able to find a mace for you."

  Hunter sat up expectantly.

  Derick didn't make him wait. He pulled out a cloth-wrapped item and placed it on the table, the weight making a light thud.

  Hunter eagerly stood up and unwrapped it.

  Unlike the training mace's all-metal hilt, this one had a black leather grip stitched with silver thread. The thread complemented the silver metal with intricate designs going up the shaft to the sharp flange head.

  Hunter hefted the mace; it was heavier, longer, and far more dangerous than his training one. Just holding it made him giddy.

  Seeing Hunter's smile, Derick grinned, "That right there is a quality weapon; it even has a personal touch of my own."

  Hunter, raising his eyebrows, looked at the bald man.

  "You see those designs on the hilt?" Derick asked. "I inscribed those, making that into a mana weapon. One of my teachers guided me through the process. The inscription is relatively low-level but makes it more durable now. The mace shouldn't dent or break if you hit a monster with a defensive ability or thicker skin."

  Hunter looked at the fine weaves in the metal. They looked to be for decoration and were oddly beautiful. "Th-that is so cool!" Hunter sputtered. Do I have to activate it?"

  Derick shook his head. "Unlike your abilities, inscriptions draw mana from the surroundings to power themselves."

  "Thanks; I can't wait to go test it!" Hunter said, then asked, "Do the guards defend the city with weapons like this?"

  Derick's grin widened. "Even better, have you seen those towers that stretch above the walls?"

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Hunter nodded.

  "Those are mana devices. They can be used to shoot off fire and lightning."

  Hunter felt the inexplicable need to see the towers shoot off lightning, but couldn't wait to test his new weapon. He thanked Derick again and went outside to test it.

  The street was bustling with activity; the ordinarily steady, calm pace had almost transformed into panic.

  Most people were rushing around, and Hunter could hear a few arguments around him.

  Staying on the edges of the street, Hunter made his way to the training side of the city. The people thinned as he went farther, and a piercing silence took form.

  Those around all looked to be Adventurers or mercenaries. Some were moving around the street or practicing with their weapons. Even so, the only sound was the occasional scuffle of feet.

  Hunter spotted the pillars of the training area. He pulled out his mace and walked towards it with what must have been a wild grin on his face.

  He paused. Someone was already there, her pale skin contrasting with the red flame-like hair. "Indy?" he wondered, walking over.

  Indy started walking down to the underground training area; confused, he followed.

  As he took the last few steps, he saw Indy about to walk onto the mat; a Salager was already there.

  Hunter's chest hurt. He felt for the pain but only felt a dull soreness; his palms grew wet.

  Indy tied up her hair, put on leather fingerless gloves, and stepped onto the mat.

  Jumping from foot to foot, Indy waited for the beast to attack.

  The Salager pushed off its hind legs, leaping forward.

  It missed her by inches.

  She shook her head.

  Hunter saw Indy's arms glow a faint red and her legs green.

  "What abilities are those?" Hunter asked himself, watching intently.

  A beautiful purple spark appeared before Indy, then erupted like a firework. The sparks flowed to her fists.

  Hopping back and forth again, she waited for another attack.

  The monster charged, and she almost glided around it this time, hitting a fist into the monster's side.

  Growling, it flailed its arms toward her.

  Almost like a feather, she flowed around each attack.

  Indy struck its hind leg, making a loud snap.

  The monster hobbled backward.

  Beating its fists on the ground in anger, the Salager growled.

  It waited.

  Indy stared it down.

  Hunter saw a predatory grin on her face, "She's enjoying this."

  Indy rushed in.

  The beast threw out a punch.

  She met its punch with her own.

  Purple sparks on her fist exploded outwards on contact.

  The monster howled in pain.

  The Salager's arm was shriveled, and it growled at Indy, but smoke poured from open wounds on its arms.

  Indy stepped closer.

  The beast backed up, its back hitting the invisible wall.

  She struck at its head, a reverberating thud precursing a loud crack.

  The Salager's head exploded, dark smoke flying out before slowly drifting to the ground.

  Indy walked off the mat, and a towel appeared in her hand. She wiped her forehead with it.

  Hunter was shell-shocked, "The brutality, the crack, the way Indy walked off like nothing happened. But that power."

  She saw him, those same eyes that looked at the Salager like prey, meeting his own.

  Fear drenched him as his mind flooded with fear that he'd be next.

  Hunter regained himself somewhat and looked away, slightly ashamed that he may have seen her use power that she may not have wanted to show. He stammered, "S-Sorry. I saw you going down here and was curious what you were doing."

  Surprising him, Indy shrugged. "Just training. I'm assuming they also told you there would be no courses for a few days."

  A weight lifted off his shoulders. "That was an amazing fight," he said, looking at Indy's arms, which had lost their glow. What was that ability?"

  This time, she looked slightly less comfortable. Rubbing her left arm, she said. "I don't have any... real abilities. Just the inscriptions."

  "Inscriptions?" Hunter thought. "Like my weapon?" he asked. "Are they on those gloves?"

  Indy looked down at his weapon, "That looks pretty new. Did you just get it?"

  Knowing she was trying to avoid the question, he let it go. "Yeah," he said, grinning as he held it up for her to see. Derick even made it so it doesn't wear out."

  To Hunter's surprise, she seemed genuinely interested.

  He held it out to her. She took down her hair before grabbing it gingerly, then looked it over. "It's beautiful. Have you gotten the chance to test it out yet?"

  Shaking his head, Hunter said. "Just got it today, I actually came here to do just that."

  She handed it back, bringing out a tablet. Clicking on it, the familiar colors of blue and amber washed on the mat, and a Porolf appeared.

  "Now's your time then." She said with a smile that didn't meet her eyes.

  Feeling a mix of excitement and caution, he stepped forward. "I can do this," he said to himself. He looked down to ensure he had removed his strength bracelet and stepped inside.

  The beast started circling,

  Hunter did the same, swinging his mace a few times, trying to get used to the weight.

  Stopping, the Porolf howled.

  Hunter, stuck, activated his ability. "Here we go," he said.

  The beast dashed around him.

  This time, he stayed close to the invisible wall so the monster couldn't get behind him.

  The beast hit its nose on the wall, making a yelping sound.

  This brought Hunter a small amount of joy, and he felt his own grin stretch across his face.

  Shaking its wolf-like head, the Porolf snarled at him.

  It sprinted at him,

  Hunter swung his mace early, winding up for a second strike.

  The first strike grazed its nose.

  Smoke spouted from its head as the Porolf's head snapped back at him.

  Unstuck, Hunter used the weapon's momentum to step forward and strike the mid-section of the monster.

  Momentum on its side, the mace crunched the monster's chest and continued through to the mat.

  Smoke oozed as the Porolf drew limp.

  Spinning, Hunter tried to swing his mace onto his shoulder like a bat. He said, "How was th-" The heavy mace pulled him off-kilter, and he fell on his back.

  Laughing came from a few feet away, and Indy doubled over, laughing at the sight. "What was that?" she asked, wiping her eyes, a genuine smile on her face for the first time.

  "Ow," Hunter said. It wasn't intentional, but he was happy to make someone's day better, especially now.

  Indy walked up, giving him a hand up before saying, still stifling laughter. "For your first time with that weapon, you did well. Obviously…" she chuckled. "You may need to get used to the weight and length of this new weapon."

  He stashed his weapon away, brushing himself off as he asked. "Can we use this area to train whenever we want?"

  "Kind of?" she said, more of a question. "Usually, they say no, but I made my case that if they aren't going to train us, we should be able to use it to train ourselves, and they agreed." She mumbled. "Eventually."

  For the next few days, Hunter trained against monsters, each stronger than the last. Apparently, each monster had a range of strength, and he had been fighting the weakest version of the Porolf; in comparison, the Salager he fought was also its weakest version.

  After a few days, he had gotten to the point where he had fought the Porolf enough to take on the most difficult one without needing to stand close to the wall.

  "Nice job," Indy said as he finished fighting the most difficult Porolf. "I think you may be able to take on the next monster tomorrow."

  Hunter had been going for another slow jog around the city after training and sat down, stretching to do that.

  "You really are determined," Indy said, watching him.

  Hunter reached for his toes, stretching his hamstrings. "Derick told me that increasing my stamina and strength will complement my skill gain when I get levels."

  Every time Hunter mentioned levels or skill points, he noticed Indy's shoulders sag, and this time was no different. "You could join me if you like," Hunter said.

  "I should," Indy said, sounding melancholy.

  Hunter got up. "Then do," He said, a little too much annoyance in his voice from hearing that in his past life.

  Before he could apologize, Indy sighed. "I'll join you today."

  Setting off, Hunter set the pace as they ran.

  A frown grew on Hunter's face as they started jogging to the closest wall. The city had changed almost unrecognizably over the last few days.

  Metal covered all the house's windows, most with curving inscriptions on them that increased their strength.

  Closer to the wall, the houses looked half-abandoned, with thin wood planks nailed over windows, rusted hinges, and no inscriptions. Hunter's gut twisted. These people didn't have extra defenses, just hope.

  When he reached the wall, Hunter realized he hadn't been watching his pace and had pushed too far. He stammered, “W-wait,” he gasped, doubling over.

  Indy slowed, running in place as she waited.

  Looking up, Hunter saw the now mostly purple sky. The purple tendrils had stretched wide, now covering most of the sky.

  After catching his breath, Hunter started jogging again, this time watching the pace he asked. "Have you always lived here?"

  Indy looked surprised but answered. "No, I have been told that I lived in another city before this."

  "You've been told?" Hunter asked.

  She looked uncomfortable, so he changed the subject. "What about family? Are they around?"

  "Can't remember," Indy said quickly, her voice rough.

  Hunter opened his mouth to ask more, but something in her tone stopped him. That wasn't a topic she wanted opened.

  A silence spread between them as they continued running.

  A loud buzzing came from above them, and each of them stopped.

  An electric crackling split the silence as lightning shot from the tower on the wall.

  The sound was deafening. A loud hum decreasing in pitch came from the tower. A new hum appeared at the next tower, a few octaves different.

  The humming spread, each tower making an eerie harmony as they buzzed with electricity.

  Silence.

  Everything was silent for a few seconds.

  More silence.

  A splintering-cracking sound above them moved to each tower like dominoes.

  From each tower yellow lightning with fire riding its edges burst hundreds of feet in each direction, illuminating the city in heat and light.

  A shock wave hit Hunter like a wall, stumbling back his ears rang as dust blew around him his eyes wide with fear.

  Rock from the tower shot in all directions.

  Hunter felt a shock of pain as he was slammed back a few feet, blue flashing in his vision.

  A rock had shattered on his shield.

  Looking behind him, he saw shattered rocks littering the city. Large chunks of the towers had hit some nearby buildings, flattening them.

  Hunter's heart dropped at the sight. He turned his eyes to Indy, who looked just as scared as he felt.

  A high-pitched whine echoed from the city center. Explosions thundered from the walls as a scream pierced the air like a blade. “We are being attacked!”