by Troy Osgood
Walking outside the boulder pile, Hall removed the rabbit carcass and threw it as far into the woods as he could. Having it in the boulders with him would have just attracted scavengers. He didn’t need visitors in the middle of the night.
Grabbing a couple more sticks, he headed back inside the rocks and stocked the fire high. Smoothing out ground as best he could, removing some more sticks and small rocks, he laid down on his side wishing he had a cloak to use as a pillow, or better a blanket. Even with the fire and the somewhat enclosed walls of the boulders, it was still cold.
With the spear within easy reach, Hall closed his eyes and settled in for what he was sure would be a miserable night.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was.
Hall woke cold, hungry, and tired.
He had tossed and turned all night, never comfortable. The smallest noise would wake him. And there was a lot of noise. He had gone camping as a kid and had forgotten how much ambient sound there was at night. The meager fire had died down, giving off no warmth. He had no blanket, nothing. At least when he had gone camping, there had been sleeping bags and a tent.
Status Update!
You did not have a restful night.
Vitality - 2 for 12 hours
Grumbling, Hall sat up and rubbed his hands together, trying to get some warmth back into his fingers. The sun was just barely creeping up on the distant horizon. He hoped it would bring some warmth to the cold morning.
There was no way he could spend another night like that. He didn’t want to go back to town. Not yet, at least. He had some items to sell for money and could buy some supplies, but that would be almost a day wasted and another just getting back.
He had quests to complete.
No need to make the decision right away, he decided as he struggled to stand up. His body was stiff, aching. He stretched to work out the kinks, yawning.
A couple minutes of movement and he wasn’t feeling as stiff.
Picking up the spear, he left his little shelter between the boulders.
The day promised to be a good one. The sky, what he could see of it, was clear. Concentrating, he pulled up the map, studying where he was now to where he had been. He had not come that far off course last night when looking for shelter.
Good way to start off the day, he thought as he headed back to his end point.
Once there, he searched the ground looking for the tracks. He knew they wouldn’t be as fresh, might even be gone with the new day.
He spotted a decent track, a large wolf, to the side.
Success!
You have discovered a track: Wolf
Skill Gain!
Tracking Rank 1 +.1
Knowing it was pure luck, his tracking skill was not that high yet, he followed the first track and quickly found the other, and another after that.
An hour later, he came to the end of the trail.
A hill rose above him, grass covered sides with exposed rock faces at the top. Boulders grew out of the sides with a few trees. Around the side, where the tracks led, he could see the mouth of a large cave. A slight crack in the face of the hill, one needed to approach from the right side to find it. He never would have seen it if he hadn’t been following the wolf tracks.
Bones and bits of hide littered the ground outside the entrance.
He couldn’t hear anything. No noises of any kind. No way of knowing how many wolves, if any, were inside.
Hall found a small clump of bushes growing at the base of a wide oak. He crouched down behind them and studied the cave entrance. A new message flashed across his vision, startling him.
Success!
You have successfully hidden yourself.
Skill Gain!
Camouflage Rank 1 +.5
A handy skill to have and another without training, he thought as he shifted his weight to a better position.
He waited a couple of minutes and still nothing happened.
Can’t wait all day, Hall told himself as he stood up holding a large rock.
Pulling his arm back, he threw the makeshift projectile as hard as he could. It slammed against the stone face of the cave before clattering inside the cave itself. Crouching back down, he could hear a stirring coming from inside. Multiple growls and barks.
Two large wolves walked wearily outside. They growled low in their throats, barking at each other as they spread out around the opening. Both had the name AGGRESSIVE GREEN FLOW FOREST WOLF floating above their heads, the names in blue. Both circled the immediate area, none coming close to Hall, who breathed a sigh of relief.
Satisfied that there was no threat, one of the wolves went back inside. The other followed but stopped, sniffing at a bone laying on the ground. That wolf grabbed the bone in its jaws and laid down. It gnawed on the bone, eating what little meat and marrow remained.
Shifting to the side, Hall pulled the javelin from the holder. He held it loosely in his right hand, waiting for the right moment. The wolf turned away from Hall, growling contentedly. Standing as quietly as he could, Hall let the javelin fly.
The small spear arced into the sky before falling back down to the ground. The wolf, its instincts telling it something was wrong, had turned and faced Hall. Blood was matted around its muzzle, a large piece of fur missing from a shoulder. A worn-out and mad animal.
It yelped as the javelin caught it in the upper shoulder. The wolf fell to the ground, whimpering softy. The green health bar above it dropped almost all the way down. Hall advanced, spear in hand with the tip down.
SNEAK ATTACK!!!
You have scored a critical hit!
The wolf tried to snap at Hall as he walked by. Looking down on the creature, pity and sadness in his eyes, Hall jabbed down with the spear. The weapon pierced the wolf’s sharp eyes, blood gushing out before turning into a small stream rolling down the animal’s sides. He pulled the javelin free of the wolf’s shoulder causing more blood to leak out.
SLAIN: Aggressive Wolf
+30 Experience
Skill Gain!
Throwing Rank 2 +.1
WOLVES OUTSIDE THE HOLD
Kill Green Flow Wolf 2/8
Moving to the entrance of the cave quietly, Hall strained to listen. There was some slight stirring but nothing that indicated the other wolf, or wolves, were awake. He knew he had gotten lucky with that first wolf, the critical hit doing most of the damage. Creeping slowly, he stepped into the cave.
The opening was parallel to the rock, cutting a slice into the face before turning into a wider chamber. He paused and let his eyes adjust, getting used to the shadows upon shadows aspect of his Racial Ability. Standing against the back wall, he could see three sleeping forms. With no details evident, he had to assume there were more wolves. Quickly scanning the cave, he couldn’t see anything else. No more wolves, no other openings.
Taking a step forward, javelin in hand, he aimed for the closest lump of darker shadows on the ground. The range was close, he was unable to put the full strength of his arm into the throw, but it still struck the wolf. The javelin penetrated the animal’s tough hide, embedding itself in the wolf’s chest.
The animal howled, waking the other two. It turned toward Hall and tried to move but failed. The wolf fell to the ground, alternating between growls and whines. Trying to crawl toward Hall, the wolf gave up and just laid on the ground, unmoving and uncaring.
The other two wolves did care.
Waking up, taking a minute to understand what was happening, the two wolves got up and turned toward Hall. They sniffed at the air, tasting it, walking toward him. There didn’t seem to be any urgency to the wolves.
Hall waited until the first one was ten feet away.
He lunged at it with his spear, the six-foot length being perfectly balanced for him. The wolf sensed the attack and veered to the side. Instead of the chest below the neck, the spear struck a glancing blow as the wolf moved out of the way. The wolf growled at him, stalking. Blood dripped from the wound. Its health bar
lowered a little bit.
The second one charged at him, and he swung the spear toward it, using the weapon like a staff. He smacked the wolf in the side, causing it to turn and snap at the weapon. There was barely any movement to its health bar.
Stupid, he thought as he used the spear to jab at the wolves and keep them away from him. So stupid. He had let himself get trapped against a wall with two wolves snapping at him and just his spear and dagger. Not the best weapons to use in this situation.
Jab at one, jab at the other, hoping to get the spear brought back again in time to push the first back. He knew it was only a matter of time before he faltered, and one got through his defenses.
It was a game, but he had no desire to die. Time to be daring.
Crouching down as much as he could, Hall activated his Leap ability and jumped over the heads of the wolves. The ceiling was low so he did not get that high. Coming back down, point of his spear leading, he landed on one of the wolves. He heard a sharp crack as his weight broke its spine. There was a loud yelp from the wolf before it fell to the side, taking Hall with it.
He had landed with his feet on the wolf, attempting to use it as a springboard to attack the other. It fell as he was jumping, causing him to fall to the ground. Luckily, he fell backward, away from the last wolf.
The dead wolf lay between him and the other. He could hear it padding through the dark, working to come at him from the side. Jumping up quickly, Hall moved the opposite way. He jabbed out with his spear, using the long reach, and was rewarded with a couple of yelps. The wolf’s health bar drained some more.
A couple more jabs, some more yelps and more draining of the health bar, Hall waited for his Energy bar to refill. Being so low level, he didn’t have much and Leap took most of it. When it got high enough, he leapt into the air and stabbed down at the last wolf.
He caught it as the wolf tried to jump at him. The spear stabbed into the wolf’s chest, his momentum stronger than the animals. It fell backward, taking his spear with it. The wolf landed heavily on the ground, skidding to a stop against the wall where it did not move.
Hall landed and ran to the wolf’s corpse. He pulled his spear out and surveyed the dark inside of the cave, waiting for another attack. He could hear the whimpering of the wounded wolf. Stepping carefully over to it, he jabbed down with the spear, putting it out of its misery.
There was nothing, and he relaxed.
SLAIN: Aggressive Wolf (3)
+90 Experience
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank 2 +.5
WOLVES OUTSIDE THE HOLD
Kill Green Flow Wolf 5/8
Leaving the corpses for now, Hall walked the perimeter of the cave. He examined every surface and nook, looking for anything special. Bones were scattered everywhere, animal excrement that caused him to cringe as he stepped in. Shifting through the bones he found nothing special in any of them. Just animal bones. No hidden pouches or coins laying around.
He glanced at the piles of animal crap and shook his head. It was bad enough stepping in the stuff, and he was not that desperate yet.
Moving over to the corpses, he wished there was some daylight leaking through the entrance. The night vision was nice but it didn’t make tasks like skinning easier. He crouched down and took out his dagger.
Success!
You have skinned: Tattered Wolf Fur
Failure!
You have skinned: Useless Pieces of Wolf Fur (2)
Skill Gain!
Skinning Rank 2 +.3
One hide was better than none, he decided as he stood up and made his way out of the cave. The sun was high in the sky, a beautiful day out. The bloody remains of the wolf outside was still visible, flies gathering and buzzing in the air.
Holding his breath as the corpse was already starting to smell, he ran back into the forest trying to decide his next move. He still needed three more wolves as well as finding Scout Jacobs. That last part would be easy enough; hike back to the road and follow it to the bridge. He’d probably find three more wolves along the way.
He heard a loud growling and snarling to the side.
A wolf had found him.
CHAPTER SIX
He looked to that side, not moving too quickly, and saw the large wolf step out from the concealing shadows between the trees and the hill. It was larger than the others he had encountered so far. The fur was pitch black with streaks of gray.
With a howl, the wolf jumped.
It moved too quickly for Hall to avoid completely. He fell to the side, dropping his spear, and felt the claws of the creature slice across his back. The pain was intense, the worse thing he had ever felt. He could feel each of the tears in his flesh. The leather armor had helped but not enough; the tips had still gotten through. Hall shut his eyes, trying to will away the pain.
He had never felt pain in the game before. There had been minor jolts when hits were scored against him but never real pain.
Aggressive Wolf Attacked with Slash.
-6 Health
-2 Vitality
-1 Health every 6 seconds
Glancing at his health bar, he saw that he was down to just 75%. The new Vitality bar had dropped a little.
The wolf landed with a thud. Hall heard its feet kicking up dirt and sticks as it skidded to a stop. Slowly, confidently, the wolf turned and started padding toward Hall.
He tried to stand but could not. The pain was too intense.
Growling, the wolf came closer. It started to circle around, watching Hall warily, waiting for the man to do something besides writhe on the ground in pain.
I’m going to die, Hall thought. He had died hundreds of times in Sky Realms before but never while experiencing pain. What would it be like? Would he feel every blow, his life leaving bit by bit?
No, he growled to himself. Not like this.
If he was going to die, he’d go down fighting.
Moving his hand slowly, he drew the dagger from his belt. Blood leaked down his back, the wounds burning, each movement an agony.
Health didn’t regenerate during combat, and he had no potions. He had to kill the wolf soon to get out of combat and get his health back. The damage over time of the wolf’s Slash attack was going to add up quickly.
Trying to be patient, knowing he had to time it right, he waited for the creature to come closer. Each second felt like an eternity. The wolf should have just charged him. They didn’t use tactics, but this one did. It stalked him, showing caution.
It must have been satisfied that he wasn’t a threat because it came closer. Hall could feel the hot breath, the saliva dripping onto his neck as the wolf leaned over him. He rolled to the side, drawing the dagger and slashing upward.
The attack was weak but enough to make the wolf jump backward. He had connected, feeling the wolf blood drip onto his arm. He was on his side, the creature watching him with anger, blood dripping from the shallow wound on its throat.
Hall struggled up, dagger in his right hand. His spear was behind the wolf and he didn’t think the creature would give him enough time draw the javelin and throw it. He had a greater reach than the wolf but only one weapon while the wolf had three, two paws with claws and teeth.
He realized how lucky he had been with the other encounters.
The wolf growled and charged. Hall leapt into the air, not as high. Without a spear, he wouldn’t get the full benefit of the Leap ability, the bonus damage from the attack of opportunity upon landing given to him by the ability, but it was the only move he could make.
He went up only five feet or so, just over the reaching jaws of the wolf. Not high enough to roll and spin to face the other direction, he landed on the wolf’s back facing away from the head. The impact hurt his wounds. He grunted in pain, and fought to keep from falling.
Falling to the ground with the force, Hall heard a satisfying crack of bones. He leapt off, and the wolf rolled onto its back. It snapped at him, trying to follow but unable. Hall struggled up and moved
behind the wolf.
The animal’s health bar was down to almost nothing. It struggled to roll over again, trying to turn to face Hall. He moved slowly, leaning at an awkward angle as his wounds continued to bleed. His health was down to half, his Vitality at 75%, dropping a little with his Health.
Bending over, biting back a scream as he felt the tears in his back ripping more, he picked up the spear. Walking slowly over to the wolf, he pointed the tip down at the creature. It was looking over its shoulder at him, growling and snapping.
Hall stabbed down, ending the wolf’s life.
SLAIN: Aggressive Wolf
+40 Experience
Skill Gain!
Light Armor Rank 2 +.3
WOLVES OUTSIDE THE HOLD
Kill Green Flow Wolf 6/8
LEATHER CHEST
Protection +1
Durability 3/6
Weight 5 lbs.
He leaned against his spear, butt end in the dirt to hold himself up. He waited for the pain to stop, the wounds to heal. A minute. Two. The pain had lessened, the damage over time effect no longer active, but he was not regaining his health.
Turning slowly, weakly, he looked around searching for more enemies. Could he still be in combat? He didn’t think so. Any other wolves would have attacked by now, sensing a weakened enemy. So why wasn’t his health regenerating like it should?
Another thing that was apparently different. And not in a good way.