Wincing as he walked, the bruise from his collision with the baby deer not yet fully healed, Alex read over his post-battle notifications.
***
You have defeated Cervas (Level 33, 35). Bonus experience awarded for killing an enemy above your level.
You have defeated Cervaskit (Level 25*).
+5 Gold
Your skill [Mana Manipulation] has advanced to Level Eight.
Your skill [Mana Manipulation] has advanced to Level Nine.
Your skill [Dodge] has advanced to Level Seventeen.
Your skill [Dagger Mastery] has advanced to Level Eleven.
For gaining a fundamental understanding of the axe through bloodshed, you have received the following skill: Axe Mastery (Common)
Perfect Synergy Detected - Would you like to combine Axe Mastery (Common), Dagger Mastery (Common), and Sword Mastery (Common)? Due to perfect synergy, combined skill will result in a rise in rarity and combination of skill levels.
Potential Skill -
Name: Bladed Weapons Mastery
Rating: Uncommon
Grade: F
Level: 16
Accept (Y/N)
***
The skill upgrades were good, and while Alex wished he’d leveled from the encounter, the burgeoning explorer was content with how things had turned out by the final two notifications. He’d been a bit unsure how the lack of a sword for his dominant hand would morph his fighting style, and even considered switching his dagger from his weaker left. Ultimately, he decided against the change, trusting that his mastery skill would help even the odds some, a tactic that’d been working well so far. The constant switching between the hammer and axe, had been in the hopes that he’d receive a skill for either of the weapon types sooner or later, though he hadn’t expected this outcome. A combination mastery skill was much better, and it helped explain the connection he’d sensed between the two skills.
Rather than a perfect synergy, which seemed to instantly prompt combinations, Dagger Mastery and Sword Mastery must have only held a partial synergy or something of the like. He’d also felt a similar connection between his resistance skills, though Alex had no idea how he was meant to figure out the third skill the two would need to combine. For that matter how much worse was a skill combination without a perfect synergy, it was still likely to beat the base version of skills. A load of new questions forming, Alex tried to sort them into a set of theories he could try on his way. Tonight before he found somewhere to sleep, he would need to create a better method of doing all this, but for the moment he considered what he knew.
Weapon mastery skills worked by using weapons in combat; if three bladed weapons had resulted in a combination skill, then his hammer and two other blunt weapons should result in a blunt weapons mastery skill. Could he then combine those into a higher mastery skill, or would he need to get a third set of weapon skills, maybe a ranged weapons mastery? Knowing he was getting ahead of himself, Alex backtracked to the blunt weapons. He only had the hammer for blunt weapons, but it was a start, he was in a forest after all, there was plenty of potential for improvisation. Perhaps he could carve a tree branch or two into a pair of bastons and unlock an arnis skill. They would be rough estimations of the weapon at best, but he hoped that just using the stances in combat would be enough for the system to label it as the proper ability. That still left one weapon domain, but he let the matter rest for the moment.
Flipping back to the present, Alex reread his potential skill. Not only would the new ability grant him a ton of weapons knowledge like his other mastery skills had, it would increase rarity and shoot the skill past the halfway mark of F-Grade; upgrading skills was definitely the way to go. Rather than get further lost in thought on hypotheticals, Alex accepted the skill and read over the confirmed changes.
***
Skills Successfully Combined into: Bladed Weapons Mastery (Uncommon)
Description: The goal when undertaking any action is not simply to be sufficient, but to excel. That is to say, the purpose of wielding a blade is not simply to perform violence, but to master its every capability. Gain an intrinsic understanding of the blade, your every thought a soliloquy of its sharpness, your every movement a commemoration of its ceaseless capabilities. From a Macuahuitl to a Bian, use any blade as if it were an extension of your body. Become one with any blade of choice, making all in your way regret the path that led them to you.
***
The next moment a thought crossed his mind and he regretted his hastiness. What if he’d held off on combining the skills until he leveled Axe Mastery a bit more. Would those new levels have been included in the combination skill? If so, it could lower the amount of experience he needed to reach the peak of the grade by an exponential degree due to the leveling curve. Before he could follow that line of logic any further, he found his body grounding to a halt. He’d been walking around rather aimlessly for the last half an hour, hoping to stumble upon somewhere he could clean up.
He was yet to run into any more beast since his fight with the herd but hadn’t acted on his plan to climb a tree yet due to the lingering pain in his ribs, and his refusal to use a health potion for such a small injury. It had been slowly healing over the course of his walk, and he didn’t want to waste the precious elixirs. Alex had debated getting his new mat a bit dirty if it meant he didn’t need to keep roaming the forest smelling like an unprepared kabob, but just as he started on another set of stretches, something sent a chill down his spine.
Immediately he tried to discern what was happening, the suddenness of the situation so abrupt, Alex found himself defaulting to manually looking around rather than his skills. Slowly, after his analog search failed to find anything, he began to move, trying to get his back against a tree and limit the directions he could be attacked from. From there he began increasing Sixth Sense’s range rapidly in case there was a creature who could detect his skill and was trying to avoid it. When he was still unable to find anything even after expanding his skill to a forty mana per second draw, he worried the thing might have an aura concealing ability like Janet’s.
Doing his best to keep calm through the flood of emotions, especially since he’d only be able to rely on his mundane senses in that case, Alex tried to think of anything else that could be causing the sudden panic. Had he, or his ability, entered an area he was meant to stay away from? Deciding to start with that, he continued to watch for danger as he contracted his bubble back below the fifty-foot mark, then thirty, then even ten, until the skill was only about two meters in diameter, the smallest he could make it. The moment he did the feeling disappeared and Alex added another point of mana back just to verify, to which the impression of danger returned.
He felt a bit naked without the skill active at a proper range but pushed that down so he could focus on the mystery in front of him. There was nothing particularly odd about the bit of forest ahead, so Alex moved around a bit to triple check that it was the source. Steeling himself for a potential fight, Alex approached the spot, and found something completely unexpected. The warning of danger had not originated from a creature or anything of the like, but instead an imprint in the ground.
“What the fuck?” Alex asked no one in particular, the words coming out in an involuntary whisper.
He wasn’t sure the exact type of beast but based on the impact he’d have guessed a four legged mammal of some kind, though a pretty big one by Earth standards. It wasn’t until he accepted his deduction as reasonable that Alex realized what was happening. He’d literally had zero forestry experience back on Earth, the fact that he now felt comfortable enough to assume anything off a single paw print was unreasonable. At least it was without a skill to account for the knowledge. Now more curious than alarmed, he did a quick read of his list, eventually landing on one he’d received less than twenty-four hours after arriving in Endor, Tracker. The skill must have activated on the paw print, though he had no clue why the activation had felt so violently uncomfortable.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
The call of danger having muffled after he identified its source, Alex edged closer to the print while resetting Sixth Sense to the default bounds. Crouching down to get a better look like he was Indiana Jones, he spotted another step nearby, then an additional set a bit ahead. Definitely a four legged creature, a type of wolf if the indent was a true representation of its padding, and one that’d been running based on the space between landings. It was… heading west if Alex was remembering correctly, since the canopy above made the sun’s exact position difficult to see. Without actively meaning to do so, he began searching for more of the path the beast had traversed, the story behind the prints unfolding as he walked.
There was clearly only a single set of steps, but both Tracker and common sense told him there was no reason for it to be sprinting full tilt like that if it wasn’t either chasing, or being chased by, something. He’d backtracked in the direction it’d come from initially to see if there was a reason it’d run, but found nothing but the singular set of paw marks. Though the skill did tell him the beast had only started sprinting a couple of minutes’ walk from Alex’s original position.
***
Your skill [Tracker] has advanced to Level Three.
***
Making his way back to the original set of prints, Alex debated further exploration. If it really was a wolf, then the beast’s sense of smell might notice him following, but the single set of prints intrigued him, and it wasn’t like he had a better direction in mind. Curiosity and a desire to gain skill levels winning over caution, Alex slipped into Stealth. He could only hope the ability would do something to hide his odor along with the rest of his physical form as he set off in the direction of the massive mysterious beast.
It was another few minutes before the trail became more obvious, or as he would have put it, more violent. One set of wolf prints became two, and the deeper impressions along with damage to the surroundings spoke of the start of a battle. He could see where the first blow had been landed, though not which of the beasts the resulting blood originated from. Those few drops created a trail of their own, one that told of the injured wolf retreating, while the other laid chase. Alex marveled at the active use of his skill, the sudden understanding both fascinating and strange, though not unwelcome. It was basically a gift when compared to the hours upon hours he’d needed to study just to pass some of his classes.
Finally, after around ten minutes of careful scouting, he felt a shift in the air. His walk had been entirely clear of creatures, but none of it compared to the quiet that currently encompassed his surroundings. Not in relation to the beast, their commotion was quite loud in fact, rather the section of forest lacked the chirping birds and buzzing insects that signaled a normal, alive, piece of land. Even the trees seemed to hold their leaves in place, though as he got closer and Sixth Sense finally picked up the creatures directly, Alex understood the power that had silenced the land.
***
Your skill [Tracker] has advanced to Level Four.
***
Gauging exact levels without a direct line of sight was still impossible, especially with the auras combatting one another, but he knew strength when he felt it. Neither beast was as strong as Janet, but at least one was definitely stronger than Greyson had been during their fight. Expanding Sixth Sense without moving, so that both beasts were entirely in view, Alex got his first good look at the creatures. He was still unsure which he’d been initially following, though Alex found that his previous assumption of their species to be correct. As was his guess on their size, both beasts closer in to elephants in height and weight than any wolf Earth had to offer.
One looked to be younger with a bluish black coat that ran matte, but healthy in the morning sun. Its fur had the occasional open wound or section matted with blood, but the beast stood strong and clearly far from the breaking point. On the contrary, the other wolf looked to be in much worse shape. Its coat looked to have originally been a pearlescent blue, though the white that much of it had faded into belied the obvious age difference. While the canine still looked prepared to fight, the two currently circling one another as they waited for the other to pounce, it clearly favored one of its hind legs, and their once pure coat was littered in cuts and in its own spilled blood. The beast on the losing end of the battle was obvious.
He wanted to get closer but forced himself not too, the obvious power radiating off the creatures cowing his curiosity some. Who was to say they wouldn’t put a temporary truce on their qualms to deal with the wayward human? Thinking it over as he watched the younger beast’s hind leg twitch, the intent to strike its combatant obvious, Alex did a slight stretch. His abdomen was nearly entirely healed. If he climbed one of the nearby trees and stayed at a reasonable distance, he might be able to create a situation similar to that of the heatray, and finish the last beast after it killed the other.
The younger wolf attacked then, charging in for what looked to be a swipe of its claws. The older one showed its years of battle experience, narrowly dodging to the side before unhinging its jaw as if to roar, just before the younger wolf flew back. His own mouth opening in astonishment at the invisible breath attack, Alex picked a nearby tree and began to climb. The tree reminded him of an oak, based on its makeup, though the shorter than average height of around thirty feet, and completely different leaf shape spoke of the differences. Alex wasn’t anything close to a master climber, but his high dexterity allowed him to maneuver upwards easily, and his Fortitude attribute seemed to fend off any wayward splinters.
Stopping about twenty feet in the air, his stomach doing a bit of a flip, Alex balanced his way across the branch before he was just outside the partial clearing the pair was using for their fight. The idea of jumping from such a height made Alex very nervous, but logically he knew it wouldn’t be enough to hurt him. Still, he didn’t plan on finding out what would. The younger beast recovered while Alex was making his way to the vantage, and it launched another attack just as he situated himself. The beast darted to one side before leaping once more, the older wolf taking advantage of the opening to launch another breath attack.
The tactic made sense to Alex, if the younger beast wanted to continue voluntarily relinquishing its ability to dodge and repeatedly get hit by what he could now tell was a wind based attack, there was no reason not to let it. Except it didn’t turn out like it had the first time, the younger wolf creating a platform of wind in midair and dodging to the side. Alex winced as the two collided, the attacking canine landing a claw slash, while the other managed to hook its jaws on a bit of flesh before it pulled away. Taking their separation as a queue, he activated Advanced Analyze. The younger beast returning a level of forty-five, while the older beast was ten levels higher at fifty-seven.
He continued to watch from his perch as he wondered how the all-around better beast had ended up on the losing side of the clash, whilst making sure to keep an eye out for any surprises. The fight was honestly a bit boring from a bystander point of view, mostly just spurts of violence before each retreated to their respective corners. It was obvious that the older beast didn’t want to fight anymore, if it had ever wanted to in the first place, but with its injuries running was now out of the question. Alex felt a bit bad for the creature, not even able to enjoy its twilight years the way it wanted. Though not so bad he’d pass up on the extra experience if it came his way.
It was then, in the middle of one of the beast’s clashes, something interesting happened. Alex thought he’d been safe from detection; Stealth seemed to be doing its job, and he figured since neither beast was reacting to his presence, the concealment skill had been enough. But none of his preparations had accounted for the sudden appearance of words in his mind. It took everything he had not to scream and fall out of the tree at the interruption in his monotonous observation, but he managed.
The voice was gruff with age and Alex looked both in Sixth Sense and his general surroundings to find the sender. He spent a panicked moment wondering if his mind had been hacked or something equally terrifying, but before he was able to process that possibility, the being repeated its words.
“Can you understand me? Hurry, I need to save my energy.”
This time Alex was able to verify they weren’t in his head, but rather brushed up against his ear. He tried to focus on an energy signature through Sixth Sense, but the words ended before he could get a lock. A suspicion of whom, or what, was speaking formed and Alex nodded, figuring a nonverbal response would help him verify.
“Listen child, you know who I am, yes?”
He’d made sure to keep an eye on both wolves as he waited for a response, but it came instantly, with neither beast seeming to glance in his direction. Back at square one in terms of theories, Alex remained still as he expanded Sixth Sense.
“Speak child, I have no time for games.”
Deciding to go with the truth since either way was a fifty-fifty, he shook his head in the negative, only to find the older wolf’s sole good eye staring back up at him. It was in the middle of a clash with the other beast, but the fierceness behind its gaze sent shivers down his spine. Alex knew it couldn’t reach him faster than he could activate Echo Relocation, but he found himself mentally ready to press the skill like it was a parachute, and he was a thousand feet off the ground. Then the beast sent more words up on the wind, and they intrigued the Planestrider enough to make him stop.
“Never mind that then, if you are not determined to be my enemy, I ask am asking for your aid. Fight with me and I shall excuse your auspicious presence-” he whined then as an attack from the other beast connected and Alex was certain it had been the beast’s voice being transmitted, “I’ll also allow you to ask of me a favor. If it is in my power, I shall grant it.”
Alex had plenty of questions but after a week of these shit situations being thrown at him, he managed to assess the situation faster than most he’d been in. There were three main concerns: Could he trust the beast? Could they together kill the young wolf? And whether the older beast would actually fulfil its end of the deal, or just try to betray him later on. If there was ever a time he wished he had a quest it was now, that would at least assure the terms of his agreement. But of course, the moment he wanted one there was none to be found, and Alex found himself trying to decide on his own as the canine’s next words reached him.
“Make your choice. I do ask, but I will not beg.”
Sending out a silent prayer to any deity that hadn’t betrayed his trust by letting him end up in the tutorial in the first place. Alex pulled out his weapons and, making sure he had waiting until he had the best angle on the beast, dropped from the tree.