“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Hannah pleaded.

  “I’m better off staying here,” Harvey confirmed, pulling her into a hug. “Elena and I are in a good rhythm right now, and you can’t deny the new armor we’ve been making is helping everyone.”

  “I know, but that means we won’t see you for over a week,” Hannah complained.

  “They have their job to do, and we have ours.” Julian placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “The armor is great, Harvey. Thanks for rushing to get ours done so fast. Keep up production and see if you guys can’t do anything to reinforce the wall.”

  “Will do. Let us know if you have any problems with the inscriptions when you get back. Elena is still figuring out which works best.” Harvey said.

  Julian looked down at the breastplate covering his chest. A tower matching his own Defender of Veil’s End mark had been drawn in the middle in ink made from Iron Elemental Cores. It naturally boosted the durability of his armor, and he could feed it more essence if he wanted to increase the effect. Hannah wore a new set of armor herself, but instead of full plate armor like Julian’s, she had asked them to add plates in strategic spots over the leather armor provided by The System.

  It had been 4 days since Harvey finished his first shield, and he’d become a wrought iron machine ever since. The forge ran almost all hours of the day. Whenever he had to wait for something to cool or for his next batch of ore to melt, he sprinted down into the cave, killed enough elementals to replenish his stock, and got back to work. Julian could see the wear and tear his body was suffering, but stopped asking him to slow down after Harvey rejected the notion for the sixth time.

  He’d used the skill tattooed around his eyes to take Julian’s full body measurements, and over the course of a few days forged a full set of armor. He needed a lot of help from the leatherworkers to make everything fit and it wasn’t exactly comfortable, but add in the kite shield and Julian felt like a true juggernaut. With all the extra strength and dexterity of a level 20 warrior, he could move just as effortlessly in the plate as he could 6 levels ago.

  They had all taken massive steps forward over the last few days, each finding their stride in both class and profession. Except for Elena, she was still at level 5 in her class, but a feverish dedication to inscriptions proved she wouldn’t be far behind with her profession for long. Each had gotten new skills and stats that would be vital for Veils End, but it was time to get back to the goal Julian had since the beginning.

  Finding more survivors.

  Julian hated sitting around Veils End, knowing there might still be people starving out in the cold. He knew that spending time on his profession was important, but he only got more anxious to leave as each day passed. Now that they’d blazed through the early profession levels, he and Hannah were on the hunt for any survivors or outposts deeper in the living forest.

  The duo set out again, Hannah perched high on Buttercup’s saddle while Julian jogged alongside.

  “Do people normally ride deer? I keep worrying that you're gonna hurt his back.” Julian asked.

  “Excuse you, I’m not that fat.” Hannah quipped. “I don’t know if they ever did back on Earth, but it feels just like riding a horse.”

  “Are you sure you’re ok, Buttercup? I can push her off if you want.” Julian crooned, patting the buck’s neck.

  “He’s fine, I’m talking to him right now.” Hannah groaned.

  They kept their jogging pace well into the evening, only a few encounters with hungry beasts foolish enough to try and sink their teeth into them slowing them down. Buttercup took a hit when they accidentally ran over the top of a porcupine with metal spikes, but Hannah made short work of the wound. A short barrage of arrows took the porcupine’s life, and a vibrant green glow shone from her hands. The spines clattered to the ground one by one as the healing ability she’d gotten with her level 10 profession skill repaired Buttercup’s flesh. It worked much faster than Doctor Silva’s, but had the drawback of only healing animals.

  Hannah’s essence hawk made its rounds all day, but didn’t find a single hint of essence being used around them.

  “Where is everyone?” She asked, pulling a carrot from her slipsack for Buttercup.

  “Hopefully, sitting in an outpost somewhere. If not, everyone’s dead.” Julian cursed.

  It took them two days of travel to find a single living soul, and Hannah was shocked to discover that the bird had found dozens of skills being used recently. It was a similar mix to what she’d felt testing the hawk around Veils End.

  “That’s gotta be an outpost, right?” She asked.

  “Let’s go find out.” Julian cheered, sprinting after the bird.

  It wasn’t long before they started seeing signs of civilization, but it wasn’t what Julian expected. Massive treehouses sat nestled among the leaves high above them, with rope bridges stretching from tree to tree. Smoke rose from chimneys running alongside the trunk, making it look like the forest had caught fire. Instead of building walls to protect themselves from the various beasts roaming the forest floor below, they pulled up the ladders so nothing could reach them.

  Piles of beast carcasses littered the ground just outside the city, rotting wolves, bears, elk, snakes, and birds all left to fester. The air reeked of rotting flesh, and buzzing flies made it sound like someone was running a weed whacker.

  It was a feast of decay that attracted even more beasts who snacked on the freshest carrion in between naps. In any other circumstance, they would be at each other’s throats, but the Veilstriders here seemed to be keeping them fed well enough to overcome their base instincts.

  “Are we taking them out?” Hannah whispered, an arrow aimed through a gap in Buttercup’s antlers.

  “Yep. Start shooting and I’ll handle any that get too close.” Julian confirmed.

  The buck stood completely still as arrows flew over its head, the tangle of bony antlers acting like a fortress turret for Hannah to hide behind. The first shots got the beasts' attention, while the infused arrows that followed ended their lives. Julian counted 6 timber wolves, 3 snakes, and a massive brown bear. She was aiming for the wolves first, letting her build up her Steady Draw for the bigger beasts.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Julian took his normal spot in the front and readied himself. The snake coiled up before shooting towards him like a ballista bolt. He’d yet to fight this species, and guessed their level 10 adaptation was this lightning-fast strike. It had leafy green scales spotted with black diamonds, and its muscular body was at least as thick as Julian’s neck. Its tactics pegged it as more of a constrictor than relying on venom to incapacitate him, which was just fine with Julian.

  Flooding his Heroic Leap sigil, he lunged to meet the charge head-on. His sword came crashing down, meeting the skull with a heavy crack. Blood sprayed forward as the head got pushed to the ground, the back half of its body barreling into his chest. The weight of the body alone would have toppled most men, but Julian stood firm. Holding the beast upside down, he stomped on its head and scored his blade down its side. A kill notification confirmed its demise, and he let the corpse flop to the side.

  Hannah’s arrows hit like a log shot from a cannon, the force of her essence infusion knocking away the wolves as they got close. Their bodies were still incredibly resilient, and losing blood only fueled the rage in their eyes. Deafening howls filled the trees, so loud the leaves above their heads shook like a hurricane. Buttercup stood resolute, trusting her to keep the beasts that had terrorized him just days earlier at bay.

  The duo worked with practiced efficiency, dispatching the gaggle of weaker beasts until only the bear remained. Hannah had reached the upper limit of her Steady Draw after landing 10 shots in a row and aimed the SUV-sized hunk of muscle ambling their way. With a snicker, she let the arrow loose. The air hissed as feathers sliced through it, whistling until the steel arrowhead met flesh. She expected the shaft to nearly disappear, embedded deep into the beast’s body, but was stunned to see it penetrate less than that first haphazard shot she’d sent towards her first Bloodrunn.

  “That’s some thick skin!” She yelled.

  “Just keep shooting, and warn me before you shoot your ace!” Julian shouted back, taking a defensive stance.

  Hannah nodded, sending essence towards her newest class skill. All the potential she’d built up with repeated use of her steady draw gathered into a single shot. Where her first skill imbued an arrow, her newest skill created one of its own. Pure essence condensed into a crystalline weapon humming with barely constrained power. Her weave ached as it struggled to fuel the most powerful attack she was capable of producing, leaving her arms shaking as she struggled to draw the bow.

  She’d joked with Harvey and Elena about a skill that let her shoot nuclear bombs. They’d laughed and written her off, saying she’d never be able to accomplish something like that in G Grade. It might not be a nuke, but she’d found her bomb.

  Turns out, the Loom could use her existing skill as the basis for her next one, creating a sigil that layered on top of her steady draw. The tattoo itself was an addendum to the original, superimposing the crystalline arrow over the normal one that only lit up when she’d reached the full potential of her essence infusion. Only then could she activate her latest skill, Critical Mass.

  Her body slumped forward as she released the arrow, almost as if the gravity of the power held within tried to pull her with it. Her bow tangled in Buttercup’s antlers, and he huffed nervously as she rested on him.

  Time seemed to stand still for the brief moment the arrow flew, until the crystalline head broke through the bear’s skin. It only penetrated a few inches farther than her last shot, but that wasn’t all the arrow accomplished.

  A crack of thunder joined blinding blue light, pure destructive essence erupting from the now gaping hole in the bear’s front shoulder. Globs of flesh and blood splattered all around the clearing, dying the verdant greenery blood red. Julian had to hide his face behind the shield to avoid the spray, his black armor now speckled crimson.

  “Hot damn, Hannah!” Julian yelled, plugging his ears.

  All he heard in response was a tired laugh.

  He knew she was a spent force for now, the skill taking almost everything she had. The bear was heavily injured, but didn’t look ready to give up yet. Its front paw held limply to its side, but it was fast enough with three legs. He assumed its massive size and thick skin were its main mutations and decided he didn’t like being so much smaller than his opponent. Luckily, he’d gotten a new skill of his own to change that.

  Essence pooled at his back, entering a new sigil seated where his neck met his spine. It devoured nearly a quarter of his reserves, but the effects were worth it. Bones elongated and muscles swelled as his body grew nearly 50% larger than normal. His suave Italian accent took on a guttural tone as his voice grew deeper, heaving breaths sounding like the huffing of the massive boars they fought almost daily.

  Hannah had made fun of him the first time he used the skill, saying his longsword looked more like a toothpick in his engorged hands, but he loved it anyway. If this were a video game, a warrior like him would have an ability that taunted his enemies. Made them focus on killing him even when there were softer targets all around. In real life, he wouldn’t be so lucky. Even if a skill like that were possible, it would take some serious mental magic that he didn’t have the stats to use properly. Maybe Nigel, the stage magician, could do it, but Julian definitely couldn’t. The best he could do was make himself a bigger target, and he’d been pleased to find the skill boosted his stats along with his size. The entire thing lasted less than a minute, but an extra 20% to his strength and 10% to his endurance gave him the titanic strength he needed to finish fights fast.

  The bear was undeterred, pain and fury pushing it to maintain its charge. Dozens of Veilstriders appeared in windows and doorways of the treehouses above, looking down like they were watching a cage match. Deciding to meet the charge head-on, he squatted down with his shield held tight to his side. It reminded him of his days playing American Football back in High School, and he heaved to stand the bear up.

  It was strong, but he was stronger.

  Knocking the bear on its side, it landed on its destroyed arm with a sickening crunch. Wails of pain escaped its toothy maw as Julian went in for the kill. Thrusting down, half his blade drove through its flesh before his momentum ran out. The beast howled in pain, but in the end, it was only a flesh wound. Seeing the blade wasn’t enough, he decided to test his second new skill.

  At level 20, he’d created Shield Slam. He didn’t need a skill to punch someone with a shield, but imbuing it with essence did something he couldn’t do on his own. Slamming his kite shield into the bear's head, a resonating shockwave exploded out. The vibrations were strong enough to cause internal bleeding, and after two more slams, its brain had been turned to mush.

  You have slain Level 22 - Ironhide Ursus (Variant) - Major Essence Gained. 3017 Merit Earned

  He willed the notification away, climbing to his feet as he returned to normal size. The fight had been gruesome. Gutted snakes and pincushioned wolves lay all around, but it was just another drop in the ocean of corpses already piled high in the clearing.

  A man’s voice cut through the silence from a catwalk above, dripping with fury. “Who the hell do you think you are! Those beasts were mine to kill!”