Chapter 9 · Rust and Relic - Chapter 9: A Target in the Sky

"You just painted a target on both of us."

Liv's hand closed around my collar before I could get my legs under me. The red beam was still fading from the sky, and she was already hauling me up.

"I didn't—"

"Save it." She shoved me toward the tree line. "Every clan within fifty miles saw that. How long you think we've got?"

"An hour?" I said. "Maybe two if they're on foot."

"Twenty minutes if Bonewalker's got scouts out." She snatched the shard from my hand. It was still hot, pulsing faint red under the soot. "What did you unlock?"

I pulled up the interface. New skill glowing in the corner. "Fire resistance. Level two."

"Fire resistance." She laughed, sharp and bitter. "We're about to get speared in open snow and you got fire resistance."

"It's random," I said. "I don't pick—"

"I know you don't pick." She threw the shard back at me. I caught it against my chest. "You don't pick, you don't plan, you just stumble forward and light up the sky."

"I'm trying to stay alive."

"Yeah?" She stepped in close. Her breath misted between us.