The blacksmith creature raised its hammer-arm. Heart pounding, I raised New Arm. It swung the hammer down–faster than I anticipated. The impact sent a shockwave through my body and buried my feet a few more inches into the ground.

  Teeth bared, jaw clenched, I pressed my right hand against my left and pushed back.

  “Even with my Levels… This would be hard!” I yelled, forcing a grin under the strain.

  “This will be a blade you’d be proud to own.”

  “Yeah, I bet!”

  I exhaled and quickly slipped out from underneath, letting the hammer-arm slam into the ground. It was so powerful that I bounced from the impact, a cloud of dust erupting around me.

  I smashed my feet back into the ground and lined up with the creature’s side. “Call it intuition, but I think I can actually take you.”

  I delivered a series of punches with New Arm, proving myself right. The moment I saw the arm twitch, I moved. The creature swung again, this time horizontally, and I ducked under the blow, the hammer whistling just inches above my head. I sidestepped and drove New Arm into its stomach, but the impact barely seemed to register.

  I wasn’t aiming to stagger—just to keep striking, eyes fixed on the outstretched arm. It came back and I ducked, dodging again–

  “Damn–”

  The creature slapped me with its free arm, effortlessly lifting me off the ground and sending me across the village center. Good thing I received the slap with New Arm. I landed on my feet, sliding across the dusty ground until I slowed myself down with my knees.

  The creature lumbered toward me silently. Its hammer-arm scraped behind it, gouging a deep trench through the dirt.

  “Yeah. You’re slow,” I said, standing up. “I can’t go back the way I came. But maybe I can beat you and make some peace for myself over here.”

  A thought had occurred to me. So far, the types of grey beasts stuck to their own. The “climber” was alone. The “hunter” came in a pair. The “big mouths” only coordinated with themselves. The “female” didn’t follow. And now the “blacksmith.” These guys might all have their own territories.

  The crater and the hole at the base of the obelisk were to my left. I’d need to have this duel on the perimeter of this crater.

  I approached the monster. “I need to get better with New Arm. I could run from you right now, but will I get a monster that’s as slow as you again? The female was too fast and erratic, but you’re straightforward…” I was in front of it again, the relative giant looking down at me. “As straightforward as a blacksmith beating a metal into shape.”

  I struck first, jabbing three times with New Arm. Once more, he lifted the hammer-arm and brought it down. This time, I counter-attacked, punching the hammer.

  The moment my metal fist connected with the hammer, a deafening clang reverberated through the air, the force of the impact causing a minor shockwave. The creature didn’t flinch, but the hammer’s trajectory shifted slightly, slamming into the ground just beside me instead of crushing me outright. Dust and debris exploded into the air, and I hopped back, my arm buzzing from the sheer force of the blow.

  “Must have hit it off-center,” I muttered, shaking out New Arm. “‘Attacking’ felt different than just guarding… I wonder if there’s a recognition of parrying.”

  “This will be a blade you’d be proud to own.”

  I lunged forward again, this time aiming for the creature’s midsection. My first jab landed solidly, the metal fist sinking into its sagging flesh. The creature grunted, a low, breathy sound expelled through its face holes, but it didn’t stagger. I followed up with two more quick jabs, each one driving deeper into its torso.

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  Then it swung.

  The hammer came at me horizontally this time–looked like it had a pattern. This time, I put up a guard and received the blow with a grunt. I went sliding into a wall from the sheer force behind that blow.

  “Yeah, take away New Arm, and I would have nothing,” I muttered, thankful for New Arm’s natural Defense stats.

  The creature was lumbering toward me again. I pushed myself off the wall and approached it again.

  I knew that in this world, “Guarding” was recognized by the mechanics. Some cores boosted guarding efficiency. I didn’t see anything about “Parrying.”

  Another thing I got a sense of was that New Arm could handle physical damage more than it could something like that ichor jet stream.

  I was up close again and attacked multiple times with New Arm. It went with its downward swing again. I dodged and slapped the hammer repeatedly. It went for its horizontal swing and I struck back. The lock lasted for a few seconds, our weapons scraping against each other as we followed through.

  I quickly hopped back, wary of the free arm.

  “Alright.” I grabbed New Arm’s wrist. “It’d be real swell if I got a Level for this.”

  Arms in front of me, my grip tightened. The three plates on New Arm’s forearm detached and flew off. From just below the shoulder joint to the wrist, it liquefied, becoming a vortex of swirling metal.

  I pulled it and swung my right hand out, the vortex settling into the shape of a mechanical greatsword. The Gimmick Meter in my vision ignited right as a beam of white formed at the weapon’s edge, becoming the new edge of this weapon.

  “This is a blade I’m proud to own.” I brandished the sword as the three blade bits floated around me. “I’m just going to call it New Sword.”

  “This will be a blade you’d be proud to own.”

  “Yeah, I already said that.”

  The three blade bits fired energy projectiles at the monster, each blast causing it to stagger.

  “You can’t handle energy-based attacks well either, huh?”

  I raced toward it, the bits following me and firing, all while I noted how heavy the sword was for my right hand. The mechanical greatsword hummed with energy as I swung it in a wide arc. The blade’s white edge carved through the air, leaving a faint trail of light, and connected with the creature’s side. It tore across its body, purple ichor spraying into the air.

  Finally, the attack got the response I wanted. Finally, the creature roared in pain, its massive body staggering from the blow.

  With my fingers directing the attack, I sent the blade bits forward. They slashed through the body, and as soon as they were clear of the monster, I slashed again, leaving an ‘X’ shaped wound on its torso, ichor pouring out.

  The three blade bits circled around me, firing at the creature’s torso. Each blast struck with pinpoint accuracy, the energy searing through its gray flesh and leaving behind smoldering holes ichor poured from. The creature writhed, its hollow eyes wide with what must have been pain.

  I raised the greatsword high. The monster roared, slamming its hammer into the ground. Cracks spread. The ground under my feet splintered, and I lost my footing.

  Suddenly, the monster’s other hand was flying toward me. I raised New Sword. A terrible vision of the future unfolded in my head. The blade bits reacted instantly, flying in to form a makeshift shield to further support my defense.

  The impact was brutal, even with the makeshift shield. My wrist felt like it was on fire, the greatsword’s weight and the creature’s strength threatening to snap it. Without Levels, this was miserable.

  The monster pulled its hand back suddenly, and then it flew again. It slapped me on my right, the bits moving in just in time to shield me. The force of the desperate strike was too much! The bits still pressed against me, knocking me off balance.

  It roared. “This will be a blade you’d be proud to own.”

  The monster took a step back and spun, showing me its back as it swung the hammer all the way around until it finally made contact with my makeshift shield and sword.

  “Shit!”

  My wrist gave out. My arm crumpled inward. The blade bits shielded me, but the force pressed them—and me—back with brutal intensity. The force won out. I went flying into the obelisk.

  Roaring in frustration, I commanded the bits to fire mid-flight. They struck the wailing monster as I hit the obelisk, the air expelled from my lungs. My vision flickered. New Arm disappeared. I felt myself falling–ahh, I fell through the hole. My vision was still going in and out. I reached out with my right hand.

  I caught something–barely. I was hanging. I couldn’t hold on.

  Steeling myself, I let go and fell again. I tried to keep my eyes open. I caught a glimpse of something–something faintly radiating light.

  A stone monument?

  I hit water, further disorienting myself as the sheer cold soothed my body. Eternal rest had never made a more cruel invitation.

  ***

  ? Discover a Trial Terminal.

  +1 Level.

  ***