The choice wasn’t really a choice.

  Trying to go somewhere else in the tunnels would get me killed, for sure. The explosions were only growing louder. I’d set something off with the chain wraiths. I just had to hope the giant alligators would stop them.

  That left the tunnel at the end of the water room and the right of it that seemed to lead to a supersized version of the sewers. A whole vast area that seemed to be endlessly covered in a thin sheet of clean water.

  The problem was that nothing was there.

  Everything was everywhere. There were rats, alligators, horrible meat monstrosities, toad men, and chain wraiths. The sewers were many things but not desolate. A giant, wide, empty area? Unlikely. Considering I never saw any creatures running through there, it really meant only one thing.

  Something down that way was strong.

  I hadn’t noticed it at first, but the closer I had gotten to the chain wraiths, the less rats I saw. The answer was obvious, it was the same reason almost none were near the alligators. Things didn’t go near apex predators if they didn’t have to.

  Caution had been quite literally exploded back into me. I cringed at the past. I’d been so carefree, it was amazing I hadn’t died when meeting something at power level [15]. Even if it wouldn’t have helped… I could have taken far more time to train up, been far more cautious, been quieter. I’d approached it like I was ready for a fight when I should’ve approached it like a terrified mouse ready to bolt. And in stealth. Even just backing up a few tunnels to get a better view of it from afar.

  I’d messed up and now I had to leave.

  I wasn’t even shocked when I saw the same toad man standing there at the entrance of the tunnel. What did bother me was that in the moment before it noticed me, it had been looking down the water room tunnels with a worried expression. That put a few different things and pieces in my mind together.

  This was a guard and there was definitely something dangerous down that way.

  He was worried something was going to come this way. Time was more limited than I thought.

  But all of that fell away as its eyes gazed at me. The explosions, the rats, the sewer, the chain wraiths, my injuries, all of it fell away. I took in its power level.

  [8]

  Still the same.

  The toad man looked shocked to see me and for my part… I was ready.

  This thing had nearly killed me. It had permanently broken my face. My nose hadn’t healed right and breathing was harder now. My front teeth were broken and I still sometimes cut my lips or tongue on them. It hurt. Everything hurt all the time and I’d gotten used to it, but it still hurt.

  And that gut punch… it had been the single most debilitating and shocking thing I had ever felt in my life. It had practically knocked the soul and air out of me all in one go. I limbered up, stretching. There was going to be no ambush. There couldn’t be or I’d have taken it. Idly, I’d hoped I could just sneak by and avoid this fight, but it had been a long time coming.

  I was stronger now. Not as strong as it… but stronger.

  I told myself I’d avoid it but I needed to know the gap. I had used my Vambrace’s power function before the fight. I strongly doubted it would make me confident but I needed to know what I was dealing with.

  The answer had shocked me.

  [6.12]

  I’d shot all the way past normal human. I’d skipped a power level. Or at least, I hadn’t paid any attention to it while I was at it. Utter insanity. I was now around as strong as a human that actually worked out decently. It felt like too much and too little all at once. But given the environment, my rough health, and even my diet… it was more than I could ask for. A lot more.

  But it would still be impossibly difficult. It was about the equivalent of a fit human versus one that went to the gym and pounded at weights every single day. Hell, I had a gut feeling it wasn’t exactly at the low part of an [8] either.

  “It doesn’t have to be like this you know.” I said. “You could just let me go. I just want out of the sewer.”

  If it understood any of my words, it showed no sign of it. Well, besides an increasingly angry glare. What did it have to be angry about? That it hadn’t killed me last time? I frowned, remembering how it had spit on me. It might not understand my language but it most certainly had human intelligence.

  It got into a pose built for power and a part of me… sighed in relief.

  “Thank god. I really wanted to beat your ass.”

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  It rushed me, a fist the size of my head inches away from my face. I moved, letting out a scream as I launched my own fist at his. A toady croak mixed with a grunt was the only response as it dodged. For a brief moment, both our fists were extended past each other's heads, eyes locking.

  It tried to throw a gut punch in that moment, a fist coming from my blind spot but I’d been waiting for it. A quick side step and I smashed my elbow across its face. If it was mad before it looked pissed now. I didn’t stop, raining blow after blow into it. It crossed its arms, blocking my punches, before surging forth and ignoring a jab to its face to land one across my chest.

  My chest creaked but my eyes blazed.

  Punch after punch was exchanged, blocking forgotten. Punches like cannonballs rained down on me. My face, my chest, my stomach, blow after blow after blow slammed into me. My stomach hurt, my arm cried out in agony, my lip cracked and my head felt rattled but I didn’t stop. I pushed, raining just as many blows onto this damn toad! My punches had less effect but they weren’t doing nothing.

  If you want a battle of endurance, I’m not going to lose you bastard!

  With a mighty croak, the toad man threw a punch aiming to knock me out. But it might as well have been shouted from the rooftops. All power, no technique! I ducked down, feeling the wind blast over my head and came up in a rising uppercut, slamming the damn thing in the jaw.

  It stumbled back and I felt a grin stretch across me, blood leaking from the corners of my mouth. Take that you bastard.

  It stared at me, murder in its eyes, and let out a loud warcry. It ran in and no longer was I given the luxury of returning blows. Every punch felt just as strong as that one to the gut it had once given me and I didn’t dare let any touch me. I ducked, weaved, and frantically dove out of the way. I couldn’t afford to be hit by these, I knew. They were too strong.

  Then the toad did something I wasn’t expecting.

  A leg came up, slamming into my side like a wrecking ball. I grit my teeth as I felt something break and was launched across the water. I frantically got up, narrowly missing a follow up leg drop that nearly saw a webbed heel breaking my head open. The toad was done playing around and I’d severely underestimated its leg strength.

  At least one of my ribs was broken and breathing had suddenly become a pained, awful affair.

  And the fight had only just begun. It launched itself at me, its feet slamming into the ground and practically causing it to fire itself at me like a gun. It leapt, soaring over my head and I turned up just in time to realize it had one palm out and the other arm was cocked back for a punch.

  My eyes widened and I dropped, letting my legs collapse under me, as a fist came within centimeters of breaking my skull. I felt the wind from that punch blow back my hair as the toad man finished his leap. He must’ve been rusty or really playing with me before because suddenly I was having to deal with a monster of movement.

  It pushed down again as soon as it landed and leapt at me, right leg fully sideways and prepared for a bone shattering kick. I didn’t think, there wasn’t time. I simply moved.

  It wasn’t the only one that could jump.

  The quickest jump of my life narrowly had me dodging the leg, yet before I could even land, he did, throwing out a kick with the other leg that slammed into my chest. I winced as I felt my sternum nearly crack. This thing was a monster.

  Explosions rippled the chamber as it stared at me, one leg still extended. I breathed heavy, exhaustion clawing at me, one rib broken, and a mess of bruises forming on the rest of me. In all ways that mattered, I hadn’t won any of that exchange. It was simply too fast, too strong, and too smart. It may look like an action figure toad made real but it was a monster with the mind of a person and far too much power for me.

  But I’d win. I didn’t know how, it may not even be possible, but I was going to figure out a way. Because not doing so meant death.

  I took a pained breath, feeling the way my body radiated and cried out to me. Every painful breath, every painful bruise, the beat of my heart, the air out my lungs, the blood pumping in my veins. Sweat poured down and my eyes locked on my target. I needed to win and I was going to give it all I had to make sure that was possible.

  I ran at him, feeling the water and stone beneath my feet. The putrid air and the humidity of the water. The squeaks of rats and the roars of alligators and the explosives of the chains. I took it all in and breathed it all out. It was only me and him and I was going to win.

  A blow came for my face that I ducked, feeling the air blow past my ear. Another came for me, and I turned, feeling my muscles stretch taunt, pulling me away from the inevitable. My own punch pushed through, burnt and black, wounded, infected, but with all the force I could muster anyway. It slammed into the side of its face and it croaked.

  More punches came for me but I didn’t block or take them this time. I stared, my focus going into overtime as I dodged each and every one. They got faster and faster, but I forced myself to go farther. If I could see them, if I could see them! I could dodge them!

  Blow after blow after blow, dodge after dodge after dodge. I felt my bones crack against his face, his head, and his neck. He guarded, I aimed for his chest and sides, he moved, I followed. A rising knee came for me, I thrust one palm down meeting it and forcing myself above him for a split second. My elbow came down, cracking into his face.

  And for the first time, he bled. Purplish blood came out near the front of its face, slightly dribbling down. The first sign that it had taken any damage.

  It reacted with rage. The punches were harder to see, almost impossible to dodge. My head was moving so fast that it hurt and tracking every kick was nearly an impossible task. I couldn’t see them, the punches too fast. When I felt a knee slam into my gut this time, it felt inevitable.

  A spinning kick from the toad was the follow up, cracking my jaw with its heel and sending me spinning away across the water.

  I struggled to get up. My vision was going dark and I couldn’t breathe. There was no air. I dry heaved and gagged, blood pouring out my mouth. I was on my hands and knees, palms splayed out, trying to get back up. I turned, sweat clouding my vision as I struggled to pull in a breath. The toad man was approaching.

  This time, I knew. He wasn’t going to let me leave alive if he caught me.

  Am I… going to die here? After all this? After all this suffering, was this going to be it?

  No.

  I smiled, catching the toad man by surprise before-

  My fist punched into the ground. Again and again and again. A primal roar forced its way out of me as I screamed and felt my knuckles crack against the stone. As I forced air to come into me faster and faster, breathing faster and faster.

  With a roar I slammed my fists down and forced myself up.

  No more thought. No more worries.

  Only the fight!

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