Allan and Marcy stood before the gym doors. The entrance wasn't just frozen; it was guarded by jagged ice spikes that jutted out like a row of teeth.

  "This has to be a deterrent for attackers," Allan muttered, raising an eyebrow. "I wonder if there’s something guarding the gym from the inside?"

  He pressed his hand against the frozen surface. Steam hissed as his draconic heat caused the ice to melt and bubble away. They stepped through the slush, but as the doors groaned open, the structural ice nearby let out a sharp, echoing CRACK.

  Inside, the gym was a cavern of frost. A small, flickering fire burned in the center of the basketball court, surrounded by shivering survivors. Every head turned toward them, but one pair of eyes made Allan’s heart stop.

  It was Lina.

  She stood at the front of the group, but instead of the warm embrace Allan expected, she leveled a makeshift spear at his chest. Her hands were steady, and unlike the other survivors who were wrapped in heavy coats and shivering, Lina wore light gym clothes. She wasn't even breathing mist; the sub-zero air seemed to suit her perfectly.

  "Lina?" Allan called out softly.

  She froze, her cerulean eyes widening in horror. "No... Allan?! Y-you’re a..."

  "Half-Dragon!" Marcy chirped, poking her pink head out from behind Allan’s leg. Allan had instinctively pulled her into his shadow the moment the weapons came out.

  Lina’s hands began to shake. "Allan, what happened to you?"

  Allan’s slitted eyes narrowed, focusing on the way the frost seemed to dance around Lina's fingers. "Wait, Lina, you—"

  He didn't get to finish. The ice outside shattered with the force of an explosion. A Level 15 Golem, a massive juggernaut of twisted metal and jagged stone, crashed through the gym wall. It let out a mechanical groan that vibrated in Marcy’s teeth.

  Lina’s group sprang into action. Allan lunged forward, his claws scraping against the Golem’s metal hide, but he was barely leaving a dent. Lina started to raise her hand, a glow forming in her palm, but she caught the eye of one of her teammates and stopped.

  "Quick!" she shouted, her voice strained. "Lead it away!"

  Marcy watched from the sidelines, her whiskers twitching. She's hiding something, Marcy thought. She's holding back.

  Then, the horror peaked. One of the survivors didn't move fast enough. With a sickening crunch, the Golem’s massive stone fist flattened him against the court.

  Something inside Lina snapped.

  A guttural scream tore from her throat as a blinding blue light erupted from her skin. The transformation looked agonizing—her bones cracked and shifted at high speed, her skin turning into shimmering permafrost. Within seconds, the "sweet girlfriend" was gone, replaced by a feral, breathing frost-beast.

  A snarky message window flickered into existence right in front of Marcy and Allan’s shocked faces.

  Well well well, LOOKS LIKE THE RABBIT'S LUCK FINALLY RAN OUT! ~

  "Shut up!" Marcy and Allan yelled in perfect unison.

  Lina didn’t waste a second. In her feral draconic form, she lunged at the Golem, her jaws locking onto its massive stone arm. Frost spread instantly, encasing the limb in a block of ice. But the Golem didn't feel pain. It swung its free arm with the force of a wrecking ball, slamming into Lina’s side.

  She hissed, bouncing off the hardwood floor, and scrambled back up to flash-freeze the Golem's legs.

  The gym was pure chaos. Survivors were fleeing for their lives as the two titans clashed. Allan felt... useless. He grabbed heavy dumbbells and exercise benches, hurling them at the Golem’s head. They sparked against the metal hide, but the Golem barely flinched.

  Marcy watched from the shadows, her heart hammering against her ribs. What if the dragon can't beat this thing? she thought, looking at the wild, unhinged look in Lina's eyes. She’s not right in the head! Even if she wins, are we safe?

  As if Marcy had jinxed it, the Golem connected with a massive, overhead punch. The blow caught Lina squarely on the head. Her eyes rolled back, her icy scales flickered, and she collapsed, hitting the floor unconscious.

  Allan and Marcy froze. The Golem let out a low, grinding sound—a metallic laugh—as it shattered its icy shackles and stood upright.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Stay back!" Allan roared, lunging forward for one last desperate strike. But the Golem was faster. With a casual backhand, it swiped Allan across the room. He smashed through a massive glass window, disappearing into the darkness outside.

  Marcy stared at the shattered window in horror. Then, she slowly turned her head. The Golem was staring at her. Its eyes pulsed a deep, triumphant red.

  "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

  Marcy didn't think; she just ran. The Golem didn't run—it power walked. It was a terrifying, steady stride that gained ground with every second. Marcy dodged a swinging fist, then weaved through a row of lockers.

  NOTICE: PASSIVE [PREY REFLEXES] ACTIVATED!

  She was moving like a blur, her body automatically twisting out of the way of certain death. For a second, she felt a spark of hope—until she saw her status bar.

  Her stamina was already at 50% and dropping fast. Between the sprinting and the auto-dodging, she was burning out. Her life flashed before her eyes. Suddenly, a window popped up in front of her face, showing an animated emoji of the System eating a bucket of popcorn?? FINALLY!! ACCEPT IT, PINK FLUFF YOU'RE DONE!

  Marcy was beyond terrified. She was vibrating at a frequency usually reserved for hummingbird wings and caffeine overdoses. Her "Fight or Flight" had finally chosen "Fight," mostly because she was too dizzy to find the exit.

  "MARCY!" Allan's voice roared from the entrance. He had dragged himself back inside, covered in glass and blood, his eyes widening in horror as the Golem loomed over her.

  But Marcy didn't need a savior. She needed airtime.

  Driven by pure, unadulterated panic, Marcy used [Jump]. Then, while still in mid-air, she used it again. And again. She was a pink blur, bouncing off the walls and the ceiling, gathering a terrifying amount of momentum. With a final, desperate kick-off from a basketball hoop, she slammed into the Golem's shoulder.

  CRACK.

  The Golem's massive stone arm sheared off, crashing to the floor with a deafening thud. Marcy tumbled to the hardwood, her vision swimming. She saw three Golems in her blurry vision, but she couldn't focus on one.

  Allan stood speechless. He, a half-dragon, and Lina, a frost dragon, couldn't even dent the thing-and yet Marcy had just taken its arm off. Then it hit him: Physics. Velocity plus even a small amount of mass equaled explosive kinetic energy. But how was she sturdy enough to survive the impact?

  A message window flickered, the text appearing to stutter as if the System was glitching.

  THERE IS NO ACTUAL WAY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT, YOU PINK LITTLE MONSTER!

  Marcy scoffed, wiping sweat from her fur. "If I take this thing down... you owe me a gift box!" she joked, her voice shaky.

  The System displayed a thinking emoji.

  FINE. IF YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT DESTROYING ITS CORE... I'LL GIVE YOU A RANDOM SPIN ON THE ITEM WHEEL, LITTLE PINK MENACE! DEAL?

  "Fine by me, Window Troll," Marcy smirked.

  A trickle of blood escaped her nose-the strain of the movement was hitting her hard. She stood up swaying, but her eyes were locked on her target. The Golem, now enraged, swung its remaining fist. Marcy launched.

  She was a pinball of doom. She bounced off the bleachers for speed, grabbing a 20lb weight disc from the floor as she flew. Using her momentum, she hurled the disc like a frisbee. It sliced through the air, shattering the Golem's other arm.

  This wasn't without cost she messed up her left arm in the process.

  She was getting sick to her stomach from the constant, high-speed movement. Her vision was tunneling. Spotting a heavy metal bar on the floor, she snatched it up mid-sprint and took one final, massive leap.

  She aimed for the head.

  BOOM.

  The Golem's head didn't just break-it exploded into gravel. The massive metal body swayed for a moment before collapsing in a heap of junk.

  Marcy's momentum died instantly. She fell from the air like a stone. Allan screamed her name, lunging across the court and catching her just before she hit the floor. She was alive, but she was pale, and her left arm was twisted at a sickening, broken angle.