The Enforcer’s eyes were wide with madness as he charged. Devin waited, then punched him in the throat. The man fell back with a choking sound.

  More men poured into the room. The pair in the lead held halberds and wore chain mail shirts with the symbol of a bird etched into the chest.

  Devin’s Ability ‘Identify Opponent’ identified Patriarchal soldier.

  Patriarchal soldier (Human, Unenhanced, Hostile)

  A Tethian soldier. Also known as cannon fodder.

  The first soldier thrust his halberd at Devin. The strike was so slow that it seemed more like the man was handing the weapon to Devin. He grabbed the end of the halberd and punched the handle into the man’s chest. Ribs cracked and the man flew back into his companion.

  Two more Enforcers shoved their way into the room. They also wielded halberds. Devin danced back, snatched the light globe off the wall, and hurled it at the first Enforcer’s head like he was throwing a baseball to first base.

  The globe crashed into the man’s face, knocking him to the floor with a clanging of mail, then rolled into the hall to reveal a mob of Enforcers and soldiers, all with labels above their heads.

  The other Enforcer rammed his halberd into Devin’s leg. It pierced his flesh but didn’t go deep. The back of Devin’s knees banged up against the couch.

  The healer threw a glass jar at the halberdier’s feet. It smashed, coating the floor with a pool of dark liquid. The Enforcer slipped and fell against the table. Devin stepped forward, grabbed the man’s head, and broke his neck.

  Two more Enforcers tossed their weapons aside and charged in from the hall. They avoided the dark spot on the floor as one of them dove for his legs and the other came in high.

  Devin danced out of the way like a ninja. One sailed past him and smashed head-first into the far wall. A few vials fell from the cabinet at the impact. Devin picked the other one up by the head and swung him around in a circle. His neck broke with a loud crack. Devin slung him at an Enforcer charging into the room. Both men sailed backwards and crunched into the wall.

  Devin glanced behind him. The Enforcer who’d crashed into the cabinet was pushing himself to his hands and knees. The healer lifted the ornate mask off its hook and took a careful stance above him. She smashed it down onto the back of his head. She swung it a second time and caved in the man’s skull.

  Devin turned around in time to see another pair of Enforcers charging him. He picked up one of the dropped halberds and reversed it to slam the handle into the first Enforcer’s face. The second one slipped under Devin’s backstroke and stabbed him in the side with a short sword.

  It hurt, but after what he’d been through with the Tree Rot, it was nothing. Devin dropped the halberd and grabbed the man’s wrist with both hands. He swung the Enforcer in an arc over his head and brought him down like a hammer onto the giant table. Table and man both shattered under the blow.

  Devin snatched up the short sword. He turned back to the door in time to see something flash towards his face. He caught it in his free hand without thinking.

  It was a wicked-looking dagger. He flipped it over to hold the hilt in his left hand and faced the enormous man stepping through the door.

  This Enforcer wore robes like the others, but the trim around his collar and wrists was silver. Devin could see the gleam of solid metal under his robes as he advanced with a katana in his right hand. He moved faster than anyone Devin had seen on this world.

  “You must be the head of this welcoming committee,” Devin said. “I’d like to lodge a complaint about the …”

  The katana flicked out. Devin parried it with his short sword.

  “Rude,” Devin said. The katana struck again. Devin dodged it and punched the Enforcer in the face with his dagger hilt. The Enforcer staggered back, and the red text of a combat alert flashed in Devin’s vision.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Devin’s Ability ‘Identify Opponent’ identified Senior Enforcer.

  Senior Enforcer (Human, Silver, Hostile)

  An enhanced follower of the Order of the Caduceus.

  Devin took a step towards him. An Enforcer he hadn’t noticed crashed into him. The momentum drove him one step to the side, where he slipped in the pool of dark liquid.

  Devin’s knife and sword clattered to the ground. He managed to squirm around enough to land on his back with the Enforcer on top of him. The man grabbed Devin’s throat and squeezed. Devin reached up for his wrists, but another Enforcer kicked his wounded side. Pain blurred his vision for a moment.

  The Enforcer kicked again. Devin caught the man’s foot and twisted. The ankle broke with a snap. Devin shoved the man away and punched the Enforcer on top of him in the throat. The man gurgled and fell to the side.

  The Senior Enforcer’s katana thrust down at his chest. Devin caught the blade between his hands. Blood coursed down his arms, but he yanked the katana away from the man and broke it in half. The Senior Enforcer cursed and drew a long dagger.

  Devin rolled to his feet. Two crossbow-wielding Patriarchal soldiers pushed their way into the room. He cursed. The Enforcers were the threat, but these damned soldiers kept getting in his way. He feinted at the soldiers, then launched himself at an Enforcer who was sneaking around the room to get to the healer.

  Crossbows twanged. One missed and the other bounced off Devin’s side with a sharp sting. Devin grabbed the Enforcer, broke his arm and took his mace. He turned around and knocked aside a dagger thrust from the Senior Enforcer.

  Devin swung his mace. It smacked into the Senior Enforcer’s arm, and the man retreated.

  The Enforcer behind Devin punched him in the base of his neck with his good arm. Devin’s vision blurred and he stumbled forward a few steps. The Enforcer drew back his fist to punch again but staggered when the healer’s mask crashed into his spine. The healer hit the Enforcer a few more times with the mask, then looked up at Devin and shrugged.

  Another pair of Enforcers were on Devin as he turned around. He parried one blow, but the other one stabbed him in the shoulder. A pain hit him in the side, and he saw another sword sticking out of him. He didn’t even know where it had come from. The pain was intense, but Devin kept his feet.

  He ignored the weapons embedded in him and pushed forward. He grabbed two Enforcers’ heads and smashed them together, then kicked another in the chest. Ribs cracked and the man fell.

  The Senior Enforcer stabbed him in the stomach. The dagger went deep. It hurt just as much as Devin imagined getting stabbed through the gut would.

  Devin grabbed the Senior Enforcer’s wrist with both his hands, locking it in place. He slammed his forehead into man’s face. Once, twice … on the third hit, the Enforcer’s grip on his dagger loosened. Devin shoved him back – right into the pool of slipper liquid.

  The Senior Enforcer slipped, caught his balance, then went down with Devin on top of him. Devin ripped the knife from his own stomach and slammed it into the man’s chest.

  The dagger snapped on something. Devin cursed and cut the Senior Enforcer’s throat with the broken dagger. His opponent’s skin was tough, and it took three tries. Blood spurted everywhere.

  Devin lifted his head to glare at a pair of soldiers who’d frozen halfway through the door. They took in the carnage with wide eyes, then got tangled up trying to get out of the door at the same time. They cursed and elbowed each other for a moment as Devin got to his feet, then they slipped back through the door. He heard the thud of footsteps outside moving away.

  Devin didn’t chase them. He’d had his fill of slaughter. He went to the door and picked up the light globe. Aside from a few blood spots, it was undamaged. He realized it was the same size and weight as a baseball. He turned it over in his hand and tried to figure out what it was. White text appeared overlapping the item.

  Light Globe

  An unbreakable crystal globe approximately 7 centimeters in diameter that constantly emits light.

  Shouts in the hallway grew more distant. Then it was quiet except for the groans of one wounded Enforcer.

  Devin blew out his breath and looked at the healer. He squeezed the wound on his stomach closed with his hand as he limped over to her.

  “I guess that’s all of them,” he said.

  A scream sounded from somewhere in the building, then cut off. Devin’s head whipped towards the door.

  “What was that?” he said.

  The healer shrugged. She handed Devin a small vial. He only hesitated for a second before he drank it. He sighed in relief as all his pain went away. Then she touched the wound on his stomach. Green light expanded around his wound. When it retreated, he was healed.

  “Wow!” he said. “That was …”

  His eyes went wide as the healer gripped the swords sticking out of him. She held up three fingers, then two, then pointed at him.

  “You want me to count down?” he said. She nodded.

  “Three,” he said. “Two …”

  She yanked both the swords out. He flinched, but he didn’t feel a thing. The green light flared again. In a few seconds, she’d healed his shoulder, his sliced hand, and a few other cuts he hadn’t even noticed.

  A scraping sound caught Devin’s attention. A wounded Enforcer crawled towards the door. His mangled legs dragged behind him.

  The healer grabbed him by the hair and plunged a dagger into his eye. With a look of hate that made Devin step back, she twisted the dagger until he stopped convulsing.

  Devin wasn’t sure what to say, so he bent over the nearest body. It was one of the Enforcers. He felt like a ghoul rooting around on a bloody corpse. It wasn’t the same as clicking to loot in a game, but he knew it was something he’d have to get used to if he wanted to survive.

  The only item of interest was an empty bag tied to the Enforcer’s belt. Devin took it, tied it to his own belt, and put the light globe in it.

  Devin started towards the next body when he heard the padding of feet from the hallway. He turned to the door and balled up his fists.

  “Back for more?” he said in a raspy voice.

  “Not at all,” a familiar voice said.

  Milo trotted into the room. The fur around his muzzle was stained red, as were several patches of fur on his right side.

  “They won’t be back,” he said.