The electric blue map lay open before me, crowded with what felt like hundreds of red dots scattered across the field. They shifted, never resting, some clustered in tight groups while others loomed larger than the rest.

  Around us stretched endless purple-tinted sand. Above, the oversized sun radiated a hot, sticky heat that pressed down on the three of us, making Sparks and me more irritable and prone to lashing out.

  Sparks had stripped off her green vest and tied it around her waist, while Nefa seemed unaffected by the heat altogether.

  As for me, my clothes clung to my skin like a second layer, sweat dripping down my face.

  Ironically, my feet, thanks to the Sand Slippers I had bought, felt as cool as night.

  Our destination was only two days away, yet it now seemed much farther, with the sickening heat bearing down on us.

  Reaching it alive would be no easy task, but I welcomed the challenge. With Nefa here, I had even more reason to prove myself and show her I was not someone to take lightly after all the condescending remarks she had made.

  “You’re not cut out to be out here,” she said. “All you will do is complain and groan.”

  Well, since we began our journey, I had yet to complain, not even once.

  At the moment, Nefa was crouched behind a jagged stone formation, her mask pulled up over her face, eyes sharp and focused toward the east.

  I was a short distance away behind a large, withered tree, out of sight. In my hand, Black Tusk circled. With each rotation of the chain, more minuscule tendrils of darkness danced around the blade.

  When I looked down and then back up, parts of my vision were just as dark as the tendrils. In that moment, I knew I held a powerful weapon.

  I glanced in Nefa’s direction, and her hand pointed toward a group of enemies I had not encountered before, hulking bodies covered in green, leathery skin, with jagged teeth glinting in the light. Unlike the others we had seen, these creatures moved on all fours, rising onto their hind legs like begging dogs whenever a sound caught their attention.

  There were three of them.

  Two circled the area in wide arcs while the one in the center stooped low, mouth hanging open in a steady growl that revealed a full set of serrated fangs.

  A thick broken chain hung from each of their necks, dragging through the sand with a hissing sound.

  I pored over their descriptions:

  Gutterhowls — Level 33

  My mind raced, wondering what their weakness could be. Did Nefa know some secret about taking them down, or was I the only one without that knowledge.

  With her all the way over there, I couldn’t ask until we were closer together. But before I could waste any more time pondering it, my thoughts were shattered.

  Nefa waved her hands to catch my eye, gave a sharp nod, and let out a mighty yell before charging at the monstrosities.

  I followed, chains of hell swinging.

  The Gutterhowl reared up on its hind legs, spotted Nefa, and barreled toward her, spit flying from its snarling mouth.

  She twitched her wrist, and her scythe appeared, swinging with the grace of a killer. The beast pivoted and lunged, its jaws snapping for her neck.

  Nefa twisted mid-stride and sliced across its abdomen. The beast roared even louder and pressed its attack.

  Was the heifer smiling, like she was enjoying herself?

  Insane.

  On my shoulder, Sparks fired her missiles at the other two creatures. Each hit released a tendril of smoke into the air, only enraging them further.

  [-45]

  [-48]

  I ran forward, careful not to shake Sparks from her perch, then slid low across the sand, gripping the short blade by its chain. Sparks burst into flight, unleashing missile after screeching missile, her body glowing bright under the afternoon sun.

  Inches away from the two beasts, I hurled the sky-blackened sword. The chain wrapped tight and cut across one creature’s legs while the other lunged, snapping for my midsection.

  [Critical Hit]

  I slid farther on my knees, out of reach, then rose and gave the chain a sharp, powerful yank.

  The beast lost its footing and stumbled into the other.

  “Let’s see what you can do,” I muttered, spinning the weapon around my body like Bruce Lee with a pair of nunchucks.

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  They both shook their heads, then came toward me, closing the distance fast.

  I swung the chain under my arm, the blade darkening the space between us. With a twist of my waist, I let it fly into the nearest one.

  It yelped as a cloud of darkness swallowed its head.

  [Blind]

  While it staggered, I gripped the blade’s handle and drove it in again and again, triggering Chain Lightning. I danced across the battlefield, striking my enemies with ease.

  [-97]

  [-89]

  [-101]

  [-88]

  Blood spilled in a fountain of red.

  The beasts, now blinded and bleeding, were enraged. Shaking its head, one lunged, snapping its teeth around my arm. Agony tore through me as flesh ripped from bone.

  [-599]

  I roared and pulled myself free from its jaws.

  Then a sudden wave of relief washed over me. Sparks had used a potion on me. I looked at the bloody wound and saw it knitting itself back together again. Before the beast could finish its attack, she fired a missile straight into its eye, forcing it to claw at its face in pain.

  [Direct Hit] [-200]

  Beside me, Nefa had already slain the beast she was fighting and darted to my side like some sort of ninja, blood dripping from her scythe.

  “You’re being too gentle with them,” she snarled.

  I shot her a grin. “Oh yeah? I’ll show you gentle.”

  I rushed the beast, my fingers closing around the thick, cold links of its chain. The world seemed to freeze for a split second as glowing, pixelated text materialized before my eyes:

  [Exchange]

  What the hell is this? I thought as the creature flickered through different shades of color before settling in the sand at my feet.

  Nefa staggered back, eyes wide. “I don’t believe it,” she stuttered. “You’ve gained control of a Gutterhowl.”

  I looked down at the beast.

  It stared back at me, mouth spread in a goofy grin, tongue lolling out the side.

  The other dog had finished clawing at its eye from Sparks’ assault and charged straight at me.

  The Gutterhowl at my feet leapt into the air, its jaws locking around the creature’s neck. A sharp snap echoed as the beast’s head twisted at an unnatural angle.

  Both bodies hit the ground with a thud.

  Nefa darted in, her scythe flashing once, and drove the blade into the green canine’s side, ending its life.

  [Instant Kill]

  I froze, staring at her. “Why’d you do that?”

  She pulled her weapon free and snarled. “There’s no telling how long you had control of that thing, so I acted.”

  “God damn, babygirl,” I said, my face full of surprise. “Give a brother a warning next time, will you?”

  Nefa flicked blood from her scythe and gave me a side-eye. “Next time, don’t play with monsters you don’t understand.”

  I handed her a potion, which she drank.

  “Satisfying,” she said, dropping the vial in the sand and wiping her mouth. “There’s another group of Gutterhowls ahead. If you can grab one of their chains again, it’ll make killing these beasts much easier.”

  The bulky, linked chains around their necks were the weakness the description had hinted at for defeating the Gutterhowls. The problem was getting your hands on one without losing an arm in the process.

  I held everyone back, trying to form a plan. I stuck my fingertip in my mouth and bit my nail, running through the options. I could shoot an arrow at the chain, but without a rope to pull it back, that would be useless. The boomerang only dazed enemies and fetched items from a distance. Maybe, just maybe, it could snag the chain and trigger the Exchange, giving me control of the green beasts.

  When I repeated it to Nefa, I caught her grin. “Only one way to see,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  The damn woman didn’t even give me a chance to finish. Just an impatient hothead, that’s what she was.

  I liked to plan things through. Her? Jump into battle and hope for the best.

  When your life was on the line, you couldn’t do things like that.

  Forget it, though. Time to see if the half-baked plan worked.

  I equipped the boomerang in my off-hand and sprinted toward the Gutterhowls. Black Tusk hung on my belt, the chain coiling on its own like it was magnetic.

  No time to mess with that, I just had to get close enough to throw the damn boomerang.

  This pack had five Gutterhowls. Two were standing on their hind legs while the other three snoozed in the sand. Tiny little white z’s floated over their heads.

  The moment the animals’ eyes locked on us, the other beasts shook themselves awake and charged. Nefa engaged the one closest to her, bouncing all over it like a deranged acrobat. The other four barreled straight at me.

  I stopped and pulled up the aiming reticle. No auto-aim like with the bow, so to land the hit, I’d have to line it up using my eyes.

  Blood pounding in my ears, I held the weapon with a steady hand.

  With my vision zoomed in, every growl, every twitch of muscle, every drop of spit was shown in high definition.

  If I couldn’t line up a toss, I’d have to fight them and try to grab the chain during the scuffle. I planted both feet in the hot sand, tracking the one in the lead. Clump, clump, clump, they charged, now only feet away. Muscles tensed, I stepped forward and raised my arm, my heartbeat pounding against my chest.

  “Shit,” I cried.

  Just when I was about to give up, my aim locked, and I let it go. The boomerang whistled through the air, clipped the chain, and dragged it right into my grip.

  [Exchange]

  The creature’s skin flickered through colors, then fell under my control.

  I pulled Black Tusk free and went after the remaining three while my new pet turned on its former packmates.

  Numbers sprayed across the screen as we stabbed, bit, and tore through the beasts.

  Sparks maintained her support duty, unleashing screeching blasts of missiles between my strikes.

  When it was done, five dead Gutterhowls lay at our feet. In terms of XP, I hit level 30.

  All my base stats increased by one, and I gained five extra points to distribute, along with two new abilities to choose from.

  The abilities would come later, but for now, I added the points and reviewed them.

  Level 30

  HP: 12,800

  MP: 4,500

  Strength: 75 (+21.5)

  Vitality: 56

  Magic: 54

  Defense: 74 (+21.5)

  Perception: 56

  Speed: 56

  Wisdom: 55

  Knowledge: 56

  Then I went over a plan on how to take down any Gutterhowls, with Nefa listening and nodding along.

  “No running off anymore,” I said. “I want you to wait until I give you the signal, then try to lead one from the pack in my direction. I’ll throw the boomerang, seize control of the Gutterhowl, and kill it. Do that for as many as you can. That’s how we’ll exterminate these animals.”

  “But—” she started.

  “Please don’t fight me on this. Besides, you’re the one who suggested it in the first place, sort of. I just want to make sure no one gets any unnecessary injuries. And tossing the boomerang takes fifteen mana per throw. Having a system will save potions and prevent us from overexerting ourselves.”

  Nefa sunk as I detailed the plan.

  “I’m the leader here,” she fought back, hitting her scythe against the sand. “I know the desert and its enemies like basic arithmetic, but I’ll admit, gripping their chains is a wonderful development.”

  She lifted her weapon with a kick, sent it flipping through the air, then caught it in her grip.

  “For this area, I’ll follow your lead, Lamont. But after this, I’m taking control again,” she huffed.

  “Okay, Nefa. Now let’s find the next pack to kill.”

  She dug her feet into the sand, ready to dart off again, but realization froze her in place. Sparks laughed. Nefa shot her a hard stare, then broke into a smile.

  “Habits are like steel,” she admitted. “Hard to shatter, but with enough heat, even they will melt.”

  “Makes sense,” I nodded, looking at the map. “If we walk in that direction, we’ll find more Gutterhowls. Let’s get to it and then find somewhere to set up base and eat dinner.”