I immediately responded, trating on my aether and shifting the course of the oning arrow so that it would miss me. I felt aether flow from me, and then I felt searing cold pain as the arrow impacted low in my chest, hammering into a rib.

  Damn, not fast enough. It seemed my thoughts weren’t quiough to outpa arrow. The giant rode loose a dirty chuckle and began stringing another shaft. I had to act fast or else I'd be overwhelmed. Moving towards the archer rodent I trated aether down to my feet, trying to accelerate. The world seemed to blur and I felt a pain in my legs, matched only by the feeling of aether draining from me. I was then right in the face of the rodent, watg surprise form in its eyes as it tried to raise the bow it held.

  “Too te…” I croaked, stabbing down with the kit knife in my hand, jamming it into its eye socket and wreng it about until the rodent fell with a pained gruher escaped its corpse, quite an amount, more than a standard zombie was giving, and I quickly processed it into aether to stem my losses. The arrow tumbled free as aether expelled it, hitting the ground with a thump.

  As I turned away, exhausted, my heart sank. Two more of the giant rodents were ing from the other dire, and one had picked up the iron fence railing I had left against the wall of my apartment block, and was swinging it with pleased vigour.

  Damn, what a blunder. Gng down at the bow that remained after the rodent had turo ether, I briefly sidered it before shaking my head. I wasn’t an archer, and my sister had told me how hard it was to accurately hit targets when she was just beginning, so I had no ce.

  Clutg the now bloody knife, I sidered my options. I only really o hang on until the Anchor was finished, and then hopefully the power of the Territory would be enough to repel them. Still, at the noticeable rate my aether was draining I might not be able to st long enough without defeating a few more for their ether.

  “Take-take him down.” One of the rge rodents chittered, thrashing his tail impatiently. “A new-hreat to our princess we ot allow, our troubles are already too great.”

  “Oh well, no choice then.” I muttered. At least if I wasn’t instantly killed then Exposition-san would step in. I’d have failed at the st hurdle, but at least I’d still have my life. I raced towards the unarmed rodent, spending a little aether to arrive there faster, leaping off the ground.

  The rodent seemed surprised as I came flying down at him, but still mao dodge the thrust of my knife. I kicked out but his tail smmed into my leg as a ter, numbing it. I barely mao avoid his jaws as he tried to bite out my throat iurn. Bag up I used the extra reach the knife gave me to ssh at his arms, until his fur was matted with blood, silver aeaming.

  The efforts seemed futile, but as the sed giant rodent came up behind me and swung down the iron bar I was already moving, ign the wreng pain in my head and the sick feeling in my guts. Sidestepping the blow I watched as it smmed down onto the upraised arms of the other rodent, shattering his already bloodied limbs.

  There ained, i scream. “Why-why did you do that?” the rodent chittered in agony. Before his panion could answer I had already darted past and sshed out his throat, aaggered, blood p from his slit neck. Grabbing the falling iron railing I swung it, and it ected with the e rodent's skull with a satisfying ch, bending a little. As the rodent fell I thrust down with the knife, pierg flesh. Both rodents fred into a surge of ether and I absorbed it, replenishing my aether supply, the warmth dampening down my nausea.

  “Very clever. You widened yle of vision so that you could observe the approach of the enemy from behind you and make your move with perfect timing.”

  “That’s Exposition-san for you, always on the money.” I managed a smile as the nausea and headache faded away. Even so, despite all the aether I had absorbed from the fallen rodents, I was still feeling like my supply was running away, faster and faster. “I don’t think the human mind is supposed to process such expanded views, it really hurt!”

  “Even so, it was ingenious. Such smaller uses of aether often overper, more destructive ones. I am pleased you have learhis lesson early. Of course, there are also many times when sheer destructive force is the only way to achieve victory.”

  Wiping blood off the knife I winced as the sharp edge nicked my finger. It was a good ko still be so sharp after all the hard use I had put it through. Still, I really wanted something with a bit me… hang on a minute… I suddenly turned and spriowards the fallen bow that the first giant rodent had left behind ih. Just as I reached it ane rodent came around the wall on all fours, eyeing the bow. My foot sailed up and hammered into its jaw, sending shards of broken fangs flying.

  I nearly made the same mistake again. I’m not taking another arrow, those things hurt. As the rodent scrambled away I chased it down, kriking again and again until it y still. Panting from the effort, I agairacted the ether and verted it. The rate of drain was still increasing, and I estimated that I had perhaps only half of my capacity judging by the warmth I felt within. Surely it 't take much longer for the Anchor to form?

  Pig up the bow and a tattered quiver of arrows taining a half-dozen shafts, I sed the surroundings cautiously. There was no-one in sight as far as I could tell. Popping the bow over my shoulder and making sure I had a tight grip on my knife, I made ready to move when suddenly a great weight knocked me to the ground. Frozen pain savaged my shoulder as fangs chewed away at it, and cws were gouging into my ls.

  Another mistake. I didn’t think of cheg above me. These giant humanoid rodents were definitely smarter than the lesser spirits and zombies, only the female zombie whom I had taken the knife from seemed parable. I tried to direct my aether to create a solution to my woes but the pain of being chewed and cwed caused me to lose tration and the aether scattered away, wasted. The knife had skittered away from my grasp, and it was lying just out of reach.

  “Damn… is this it?” I whispered. I could see Exposition-san out of the er of my eye, head tilted in an expet manner. Waiting for me to throw iowel I expect. I probably should, this really hurts. I think I’m dying…

  I strained with all my might trying to throw off the foe and mao raise myself a few inches. It was then I saw the bent fe below me. With o desperate surge I grabbed it and hammered the pointed end into the mouth of the rodent that had jumped on top of me from the nearby building. It squealed in pain as metal peed its jaw, and as it rocked back I levered it up and thrust hard, watg as the spike tore through flesh and bone. As it rolled away I retrieved the knife once more and fi off, taking the ether just as my stock was about to run dry.

  “Are we not do?” I pined, as the glowing lights around my apartment building had intensified, spreading out onto the street around it.

  “I fear not.” Exposition-saured. I followed the motion and saw three more of the giant rodents ing, the middle er thaopping six feet tall, with sleeker bck fur. His cws were wickedly sharp, glinting silver in the light.

  “Damn, and I’m just about done…” My legs wobbled, fatigue flooding me. I had certainly done my best, far more than I thought I would be able to do. Luckily they hadn’t all attacked at once, or I’d have been overwhelmed and torn to pieces in seds.

  “I estimate it is only a few minutes until the Territory is plete. If you marshal your will and hold on, you will be victorious!” Exposition-san stated.

  Easier said than done. I am at my limit… Gathering up the bow that had spilled from my grasp I retreated bay apartment building, hiding within the radiant aura of light surrounding it. Raising the bow I fitted an arrow to it, causing the rodents to slow.

  I guess they don’t know I have no idea how to shoot this thing… I dragged out the motion as long as I could and then loosed the arrow, watg in dismay as it went a few yards to the left before hitting the ground. Shit, my sister makes this look so easy.

  At my me attempt at an attack, the three rodents burst out ughing, the big be snickering in a very annoying fashion. “Kill-kill him for the princess and our sin-sihren.” It said, raising one of his cwed hands and lig the talons suggestively. They then charged, ing towards me armingly quickly. I hastily loosed another arrow, and this o least went in the right dire, but it cked power and was swatted aside.

  If I only have a minute or so left before pletio doesn’t matter if I run dry of aether and am kicked back to the Material pne. If I stall them enough then I win! it would really gall me to lose now. There had been times I had almost given up, but at the st minute had pulled through, so surely I could do it o time?

  trating, I released a k of the little aether I had left and the arrow that was swatted aside suddenly sprang off the ground a for the eye of the bck-furred rodent. At the st mi ducked aside so I expended just a bit more and the arrow ged dire once again, plunging into the neck of another behind him. It staggered and fell, gore spilling from its shredded throat. As it died ether spilled out and I quickly absorbed it, straining to pull it in at a distance.

  You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Two to Three.

  A wele notice scrolled into my vision, but it was not important right now. Taking the st of my aether I trated as hard as I could on the image of an explosion throwing back the approag rodents. The heat within me died down to mere embers, but a r burst of pale red fmes fred iend a wave of explosive force threw them back. It was all sound and fury, my aether too low to make it actually amount to any damage, but they were shaken by the noise and fmes, halting for a moment. This gave me time to put another arrow to my bow, pointing it at them with what I hoped was a fident expression. For a long moment there was a stalemate, but then they began to move, splitting up to fnk me. I loosed an arrow at the big bck-furred one, causing him to duck back, wary of it ging dire once more.

  Dropping the bow from my exhausted hands I elled the st of my aether at the smaller oriking his legs with a small explosion, knog him down. As I did so, the bck rodent covered the st of the distand reached out for me, mali its beady eyes.

  It was at this moment when there was a blinding fsh of prismatic light and a message began to run through my vision, which was already starting to fade. I could feel my sciousness leaving my Astral form, returning down to the Material. As my visio dark I could faintly see the rodent scuttling backwards, annoyan its face…

  The Territory Anchor has finished solidifying yrasp on this Territory. Your Territory has reached Rank 1. Basic defence wards have now beeablished. Due to your ownership level…

  The words faded from my vision. As the st of my vision failed, pitch darkness all I could see, I could hear several sets of words overpping in my ears.

  “Damn-damn. Another enemy has arrived. The princess will not be pleased, not at all.”

  “Well dohis is farewell for now. You will have te your owiny from here, without my assistance. Learn and grow strong, and if you do we shall meet again iure. Many fall here at the first hurdle, and your hurdle will be t indeed, but the sed is just as high…”

  I felt some warmth towards Exposition-san. They had helped me to reach this point, but it to me to see how far I could go iure. With that my sciousness cut off, and I knew no more…