"Whatever!" I barked back at Tybalt, my voice cracking slightly.
The wagon wheels hit a patch of thick, black sludge at the bottom of the pass, and the whole vehicle gave a sickening lurch. I tried to brace myself against the wooden frame, but my muscles felt like overcooked noodles. Being Level 10 sucked. It wasn't just that I was weaker; it was like the very air had become thicker, heavier, pushing against my chest with every breath. My vision was a little blurrier at the edges, and the constant, low-level hum of the "System" in the back of my head had turned into a dull, throbbing headache.
"You okay, Ren? You look like you're about to hurl," Red said, hopping down from the tailgate and walking alongside the slow-moving wagon. She looked at me with a tilted head, her daggers twirling idly in her hands. "You're all pale. And you're sweating. It's like forty degrees out here, man."
