I saw some deers and rabbits cross my path, but they’re no good. They run away the second I get near, leaving me standing there, bloody dagger in hand, nothing to stab... just like an idiot.
After what feels like decades, luck finally turn towards me.
A sharp scream cut through the silence, through the trees.
A happy grin spreads across my face.
I pick up my pace, speeding up toward the scream. If I’m lucky, I’ll make it in time to get some levels and enjoy some fun.
***
When the sounds seem to be close I switch to sprinting, weaving between trees. A moment later, I burst into a clearing.
Twigs whip at my face as I dash through the bushes, a wild giggle coming up from my chest. Two women stand there, facing off against five growling silver wolves. Blood spreads across the grass, and a body lies between the wolves. The fight freeze. All eyes on me.
At full speed, I dash toward the nearest wolf. There is no time for him to react. I am too sudden, too fast.
With no momentum lost, I plunge my dagger into his neck, rolling over his back and tearing his throat wide open. Blood paints the grass red, with yet a still standing corpse, its neck transformed into a gaping, pulpy mess.
The moment my feet touch the ground again, other wolves snap out from my unexpected appearance and react, their growls rising in volume.
My next target is already chosen, its jaws snapping for my face. I switch the dagger to my left hand mid-step, changing my hold of the dagger to rear grip. He jumps at me – bad idea. I thrust the dagger forcefully into his skull. His dynamics serves me great to throw him behind me and simultaneously yank the dagger free.
“Three left.“
All wolves are now completely focused on me.
Two of them charge me at once.
The first leaps high, its jaws aiming “unexpectedly” for my head. So predictable. I duck low, thrusting the dagger upward, adding the strength of my legs as I am raising up, ripping his belly & piercing him all the way up to the handle of the dagger and throwing him away.
The second wolf is faster. His teeth sink into my forearm, as I try to defend myself and a white pain explodes in it. It hurts like hell but adrenaline numbs the pain and I drive my dagger through his eye right into his brain.
?One left.“
The last wolf catch me off guard, already in the middle of the jump for... my head, yeah. Seems like their favourite attack.
I try to sidestep, but not fast enough. His jaws sink into my left shoulder, causing extreme pain. I growl at him in pain. But my grip on the dagger won't loosen. In one smooth motion I bring the blade up and slash his neck, leaving him fall on the ground, where he can now suffocate in peace.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL UP
New mastery learned – [ Movement mastery ]
You have rea...
“Who are you?!” Shaky voice interrupt my little date with the system message.
I frowned.
I ignore the system message as well as the pain from my injuries, though it is hard. Fortunately as I got the levels, the pain dulls a little bit. These upgraded stats are nice, thanks System.
Little bit confused, turning around just to see there are no women as I thought. Only three long haired men, who look like...
“HUH?! Elves?” I murmur in disbelief.
The one in front speaks – a silver-haired guy whose age is hard to tell...
“Who are you and why are you in our forest?! If you don’t answer, we will... We will attack!” He points his stick-like-finger on me.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I blink at him in disbelief, not sure if he’s too scared to think right, or if he’s simply stupid.
“ You’re stupid? I say with a pale voice, then throw a glance at the havoc I made on the clearing. “You want to attack... Me? Are you sure?” I ask him in amused disbelief.
He opens and closes his mouth like a fish, but no sound comes out. His blonde companions, both looking even more useless than him, are fidgeting behind him, both barehanded.
“Did you learn that in the tutorial?” One of them nods towards the wolves.
“What? No... Wait... you chose to skip the tutorial?” Disbelief dribble from my voice.
“Yes, we don’t need it and also, who could have known that it will be that hard.” Silver hair says with indignation and helplessness in one.
The elves look still arrogant, but now also embarrassed and throwing helpless glances at me. “So... What are you going to do now?” Silver hair asks.
I sight. “Not babysitting you, if that’s what you’re asking. Good luck not dying, ladies.”
I turn around and walk in the opposite direction then they are, there’s no way I would be losing with someone like this. They chose their own destiny when they decided not to attend the tutorial.
***
My pyjama shirt is a lost cause – torn apart and soaked in blood. I take it off and tie what remains around my waist.
“Sooo... there are elves and goblins...” I think aloud as I weave through the trees.
The forest feels calmer now that I’m alone again. Peaceful, even. Dealing with people is truly exhausting.
“Good thing those elves weren’t too friendly,” I say to myself. “I would feel guilty, leaving them alone to die, if they were.”
“And why the hell were they so scared? I saved them, didn’t I?” My voice echoes between the trees, but the silence that follows feels more accusing than comforting. With a shrug, I push the thought aside and keep walking.
Well, I do not keep walking for too long. A lost though comes to my mind...
You have reached level 5, you can now choose new skill
I am gonna sit down for this – it would be no good to fuck up there, right?
Fleet of Foot [common] [passive]Increases overall movement speed by 10%, allowing for quicker dodges and rapid positioning in battle.
Swift recovery [common] [passive]Reduces stamina recovery time.
Piercing Strike [common] [active]A focused thrust that bypasses armor, dealing 25% more damage to the target. Perfect for exploiting weaknesses in defense.
Oh man, I love passives. It makes me wonder, how many of them I can stack… Can I have a build with dozens of passives, few active skills and just outperform the opponent? That would be badass.
With that in mind, I put out of the consideration the only active skill there. Although it sounds like very useful skill, I don’t feel like I need it right now. Only monsters I met there were one goblin and few wolfs. I don’t think that there will be much armoured monsters in the forest, or at least nothing suggests it.
Swift recovery
Now, moving to the last skill Fleet of footPiercing strikeFleet of foot
I have been mostly speed walking through the forest until now. If I run, I could get into the fight exhausted and I really don’t want that. So, if I can run, I can find monsters faster, I can level up faster AND have more fun... faster.
That been said, I choose Swift recovery
Kade Huxley
Title: none
Level 5
Affinity: reach level 10 to unlock
Abilities:
- Multilanguages [ / ]
- Idetify [basic]
- Dagger mastery [basic]
- Movement mastery [basic]
- Idetify [basic]
Skills:
- Swift recovery [common] [passive]
I take off running, no destination in mind, just testing my new skill. Branches whip at my face and arms, forest blurring out. I can just barely feel the strain in my legs.
After about twenty minutes of sprinting, I burst into a clearing. A herd of deer grazes quietly in the tall grass, their heads already up as they heard me crashing through.
At the center of the group stands a massive white stag, its antlers gleaming like polished silver. It doesn’t flinch like the others. Instead, it turns to face me fully, his unbothered gaze locking onto mine.
Lunatic Deer – lvl 56
At that time, even through the new passive, some exhaustion is there, but regardless, I speed up, running as fast as I can to get out of this clearing.
The air becomes heavy. His aura is monstrous. He stares at me, unfazed... My instincts scream at me – to get the fuck away, fast! If he wants to, I can be erased from the Earth in an instant, for sure.
The stag doesn’t chase. He doesn’t need to. Fortunately, his pride seems big enough, to let go a small fry like me. I might not have the same luck next time though.
Come to think about it...
As usually, I got easily distracted, not giving enough attention to where I run, I trip over a root that is hidden in undergrowth. I wrap my fall in a roll and slow down to a walk until I finally stop.
Only when I’m deep into the forest again do I slow to a stop, panting.
“Okay, no deer hunting in the near future. Noted.”
After my frantic run, it doesn't even take me long to catch my breath, and after a few minutes, I’m at full strength again. My new passive works as it should, confirming that my choice was right.
I run out again and pick a few berries along the way, hoping they're not poisonous.
It's getting dark and cold, and I have no clothes on except my pyjama shorts and the rest of my t-shirt. Sleep is therefore out of the question and although my legs are bruised, it would be best if I keep running. That way, I can stay warm.
wink*