Luke

The woods were quiet. Luke’s team were scattered about him, frozen as the ground around them. Breath frosted in the air before their faces, the only signs of life of the five men. Luke mentally approved of the silence, finally, after more than a week of traveling together they had managed to keep their mouths shut. It had taken more than one lesson at the nights camp for them to understand he was serious about this, that it wasn’t a game for them to play about. The mass of bruises they all suffered from could have been fermenting discontent, but in truth, Luke didn’t care. They weren’t strong enough to compare to him.

From the clearing in front of them, the bugs were busy at work. The small keep they had filled was covered in viscous webbing. A real arachnophobes worst nightmare. The bugs were spider-like, eight legs and round stomachs that spit out webbing that their nimble limbs worked to build a wall around the keep. Stretched around a series of fallen trees, corpses, and pillars made of mud mixed with a secretion that the bugs worked diligently. Eight of the man sized bugs they had counted so far, all of them scurrying around as they reinforced the defenses. Luke had a feeling there was more inside of the keep though.

The sun was just now beginning its drift towards the horizon, a few hours left until nightfall. If this was to happen, if battle was to be joined, it would have to be soon. Luke felt the itch. The itch to spatter those bugs, to wet his spear on his foes blood. For that delicious heat to suffuse him. The men around him were handpicked by Dan, given to him after they had decided to push out of their region to explore to the South. All of them were fighters, but onlyTony was a former soldier. They would follow him. If they didn’t, well that would just mean more for him.

He rose from his crouch at the base of a tree and started forward. His recent additional points spent on dexterity showed their worth, as he was able to weave his way through the underbrush with little trouble. He still reveled in these moments, when his growing stats, the superhuman power he was building. His small gut had disappeared, his muscles were like corded strands of titanium, even the softest sounds were easily discerned. The increase to intelligence allowed him to process things faster than ever before, a different type of strength that he appreciated more than physical strength.

Behind him, he heard the rest of his squad following him. He had led them in several fights already. Beasts and monsters falling to his spear. He could feel the bonds wrapping around them to himself, chains of blood and sweat that would not break easily. Even the taciturn Tony, his minder, had begun to follow him without question. This would be the first fight where it wasn’t something spawned by the tutorial though. These were a faction, he had no doubt of that, and that implied intelligence. Even if they looked like bugs.

He broke into a trot, crossing the ground quickly. Spear held loosely down by his side. Along the ground, woven amongst the long sparse grass of the plains, were strands of that silk. Luke felt the silk break against his shins, the momentary resistance that yielded almost instantly. The bugs reacted when the first of the strands broke, scuttling up their new wall to perch atop of it to stare at them as they crossed the distance. Their beady cluster of eyes watched without apparent thought or emotion, the simple waiting patience of a merciless predator.

With only yards separating them, Luke broke into a hard sprint. The sudden surge of speed tore divots into the frozen grass. The distance disappeared instantly. With only feet separating them, he leapt straight at the center most of the bugs, his spear flashing forward in a blur of speed. The infused spear punched through the bugs body like it was tissue paper. He crashed into the spider, the bug already dead as they tumbled to the ground together.

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Landing atop of it, he pulled his spear free, spinning around to face the remaining monsters. Two spun and leapt at him, while the remaining five were charging the rest of his squad. A pang of regret that more hadn’t decided to fight him. The flush of kill energy energized him, as he spun his spear to slash one of the spiders in mid air.

It died, body bisected in an explosion of gore that coated Luke. The second bug crashed into him, fangs scraping against his breastplate, failing to punch through as they rolled on the ground. Luke let his spear go, grabbing at the hard chitinous shell with clawed fingers trying to find purpose. The bug fought without uttering a sound, it’s fangs snapping at him as they fought on the ground.

The bug was heavy, several hundred pounds. Luke took a moment to observe it, the threat to him minimal as he grasped its fangs in his hands and held them from his face. The increased constitution prevented the fangs from even piercing his skin. Even being on of his lower stats, these bugs were so far below him, they weren’t a true challenge.

Fat bodied, the torso was dark as night and gleamed in the sunlight. It lacked any type of markings on its body. Its head was a small oval with only the cluster of black eyes to decorate it. Its maw was underneath, a gaping black hole that the dexterous fangs would shovel its food into. Luke snapped a fang off with a flex of his hand. The creature screamed. High pitched, hardly in the realm of natural hearing, as it redoubled its attempt to kill him. Legs stamped down on him, though its strength was lacking.

Luke began to rip it apart. Limb from limb with his bare hands. Aside from the first scream, the bug died without another sound. Dripping head to toe in bodily fluids, Luke picked up his spear and looked at the webbed keep. White silk strands covered the stone building, every inch of it covered in the film. From the field behind him, he could hear the sounds of fighting, the lower leveled squad taking time to kill their opponents.

There was something else in that keep. There had to be. His blood was thundering, his heart a pneumatic hammer in his chest, his hands trembled with bloodlust. There had to be more.

He was awarded as it emerged from the top of the keep. Wings blurring it floated above the top, looking down at them with the same look of indifference the spiders had had. Build more like a wasp, its six foot long body was crimson with black markings patterned across its body. Its two black eyes locked onto Luke’s and then it dove at him. It flashed across the distance in a blink of an eye, mandibles shearing the air where Luke had previously occupied. The burst of speed the two of them exhibited was superhuman, both moving in a blur.

The wasp was floating over the ground, legs slashing the air in front of it as it advanced on Luke. He should have had the reach advantage with his spear, but the wasps speed was superior enough that it managed to stay inside of his guard. Luke felt the beginnings of a smile on his face, as they danced around each other. Blood flowed from one of its many legs slashed his arm, its legs sharp enough to actually pierce his skin. Instead of growing enraged, he smiled wider. The thrill of death was there now, a specter waiting in the wings. The moment was growing heavier, the fight finally satisfying.

Luke attacked, his spear slashing and stabbing in a blur of movement. The wasp floated on the air, dodging and weaving, though some of the blows landed. Chitin was scored, yellow pus like blood flowing out of it. Finally, one of his blows pierced a wing. They froze for a second, and then Luke twisted, the spear ripping through the thin wing. The wasp hit the ground, never hesitating as it kept up the attack. Jaws threatening to take his legs as Luke maneuvered around it. Without its wings, the fight was over. It took another few minutes as Luke bled it to death, a death by a thousand cuts.

Chest heaving Luke peered down on his fallen foe smiling. It had been a good fight, a true challenge to him. Something he hadn’t had in a few days as his levels had increased to high for the monsters to truly challenge him. He would go inside in a moment and claim the keep for their faction, a faction owed by William, that little shit hadn’t mentioned that. There was a growing discontent amongst the other fighters that their faction was owned by a man who hadn’t contributed anything. Dan was being careful to stir that pot, Luke didn’t care who owned the faction though. He was just wondering if Will would be able to give him a good fight. Luke could feel the confrontation brewing, the discontent of the soldiers, the absentee nature of the owner. Luke was the champion of the army so far, and it would fall on him to wrest control from the big man.

Luke Johnson

Lvl. 17

Perception: 15

Intelligence: 10

Strength: 14

Constitution: 9

Vitality: 8

Endurance: 12

Dexterity: 14

Mana: 0