I didn't die? [1]

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Marcus cursed as the Alpha burst from its hiding spot. "Why didn't we see that thing?!"

CLANG!

Gareth's shield absorbed the Alpha's next charge, but the force sent him sliding backward. "This bastard hits like a damn battering ram!"

"Fall back to formation!" Marcus yelled, but it was too late. The Alpha's coordinated attack had shattered their careful positioning.

The smaller rats swarmed forward, no longer the mindless creatures from before. They moved with purpose now, cutting off escape routes and isolating targets.

"Marcus!" Lila shouted as three rats circled her position. Her arrows flew rapid-fire, but she was being pushed away from the group. "I can't get a clean shot on the Alpha!"

Marcus tried to reach her but found himself surrounded. "Damn it!" His sword work was getting sloppy as he fought defensively, trying to watch multiple angles at once.

Gareth was locked in a brutal dance with the Alpha, his shield arm already trembling from repeated impacts. "Elena! Stay behind me!" But protecting both her and keeping the Alpha at bay was stretching him thin.

That's when one of the regular rats had broken free from the main fight and was making a beeline straight for me.

"Behind you!" my echo screamed.

Instinctively, I threw myself sideways just as razor-sharp claws whistled through the air where my head had been. 

My shoulder hit the warehouse floor hard, and I rolled until my back smacked against a wooden crate.

Then the rat crouched low, yellow teeth bared, blocking my only escape route. Its eyes held that same unsettling intelligence as the Alpha.

I scrambled back, looking anything that could pass for a weapon. 

The rat coiled its muscles and launched itself at me, claws extended and jaw gaping wide.

'This is it. I'm dead.'

Though, then something clicked in my mind and in pure desperation, I mentally called up my status window. The translucent panel flickered to life just as the rat's shadow fell over me.

{STATUS WINDOW}

Name: Kaito Kurokawa
Level: 1
Health: 100/100
Mana: 50/50
Stats:
STR: 11
AGI: 13
VIT: 10
LUK: 10
INT: 10
Free Stat Points: 0
Class: Tethered
Sub-Class: Skirmisher
Abilities:
Active: Dash, Evasion, Quick Strike
Passive: Death Echo, Mirror Step
Echo 1: Unnamed
Echo Stats:
Level: 1
STR: 8
AGI: 8
VIT: 8
LUK: 8
INT: 8
Energy: 20/20
Available Slots: 6

DASH: Instantly move 3 meters in chosen direction. Grants brief immunity to attacks during movement. Cost: 8 MP | Cooldown: 15 seconds

'ACTIVATE!'

The world blurred. One moment I was pinned against the crate with death inches from my face, the next I was rolling across the warehouse floor three meters away. The rat's claws scraped harmlessly through empty air where I'd been.

'Holy shit, it actually worked.'

I scrambled to my feet and spotted something glinting near a pile of supplies, one of Lila's backup weapons, a short sword she'd dropped when the chaos started. I dove for it just as the rat recovered from its missed attack.

The blade felt awkward in my hand, heavier than I'd expected, but it was better than nothing.

SCREECH!

The rat came at me again, but this time I was ready as I activated another skill.

EVASION: Increases dodge chance by 30% for 10 seconds. Enhanced reaction time and spatial awareness. Cost: 5 MP | Cooldown: 20 seconds

Suddenly everything felt... sharper. The rat's movements seemed slightly slower, more predictable. I could see the telltale signs of where it would strike, the way its weight shifted, how its muscles tensed.

I sidestepped its lunge by inches, the creature's claws whistling past my ribs. 

'Damn it hurts...'

But as it landed, I noticed something, dark stains matting its fur, a slight limp in its hind leg. It had already taken damage from the earlier fight.

'That's my chance.'

The rat spun around for another attack, but I was already moving. 

QUICK STRIKE: Lightning-fast attack with 150% weapon damage. Targets weak points automatically. Cost: 10 MP | Cooldown: 30 seconds

My body moved on pure instinct, the sword finding the gap between the rat's ribs with surgical precision. 

SCREEECH!

The blade sank deep, and the creature let out a strangled squeak before collapsing.

THUD!

I stood there panting, staring at the dead rat with my sword still buried in its side. 

[DING!] [DING!] [DING!] 

[Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!]

Multiple notification windows popped up in my vision, but I barely registered them as I collapsed onto my ass.

I stared at the dead rat, then down at my hands. They were shaking so badly I could barely keep them still. The reality of what just happened was crashing over me like a tidal wave.

"I did it," I whispered, voice barely audible over the sounds of fighting around me. "I actually killed a monster."

CRASH!

Then the sound of Gareth's shield taking another brutal hit snapped me back to reality. The Alpha had pushed him back against the wall, and the big man's movements were getting slower, more desperate. 

His shield arm was trembling from exhaustion.

Marcus had managed to drop all but one of his rats, but he was breathing hard and had taken a nasty gash across his forearm.

Lila was in real trouble though. She'd backed herself into a corner, out of arrows, with one rat circling her like a predator playing with its food.

My legs felt like jelly as I forced myself to stand and stumbled back to the corpse. The sword came free with a wet squelch that made my stomach lurch.

'She needs help. Now.'

I aimed the blade toward the rat stalking Lila.

My mana showing 27/50. But enough for one combo.

"Dash! Evasion! Quick Strike!" I shouted.

"Activate!"

WHOOSH!

The world blurred as I rocketed across the warehouse floor. The rat stalking Lila didn't even see me coming, one moment it was preparing to pounce, the next my blade was carving through its side.

THUNK!

The creature dropped instantly, and I collapsed right beside it. My vision swam, and my legs gave out completely as my mana bottomed out.

[DING!] [DING!]

More notifications flooded my view....

[Level Up!] [Level Up!] 

'New Skill Unlocked: Slash!'

SLASH? Wide arc attack hitting multiple enemies. 120% weapon damage. Cost: 12 MP | Cooldown: 25 seconds.

Mana: 4/50

I swayed on my feet and... fell forward.

"Kaito!"