The embers of the campfire crackled in the small pit in the ground. Grayson leaned against a tree, eating the last pieces of the small rabbit-like creature he had hunted earlier. He had never eaten rabbits at home, but this meat was relatively dense and greasy, leaving him feeling full after only one. He sighed contently and went to his pack to unroll his bedroll. While it was well past sundown, thanks to his new Eyes of the Void, the world around him had only taken on a monotone gray hue but remained as bright as a cloudy day. It was only a few days since he had left Telas. While there, he found the system kept track of his gold, making it easy to produce the amount he wanted at any time. He had bought himself some new clothes and supplies to travel with. After setting out his bedroll, he pulled out the map of Avallone, which he had also purchased. If he was following the road correctly, he would only have a few more days' travel short of making it to a village, Awerth, which would be his final stop before heading to Harbortown, the largest port city in the kingdom. He hoped to charter a boat there to take him to The Southern Lands to begin his search for his father again.
Grayson’s head snapped up from his map as a snap could be heard in the woods. His Void Blade appeared in his hand instantly as Stewart dropped down from the tree branches above him, sensing the tension in Grayson.
“Come out,” Grayson called out to the trees around him.
Rustling and more sticks breaking could be heard as figures appeared around the trunks. Grayson counted five people as a well-equipped group walked toward him. The one closest to him, clearly the leader, was a man wearing a metal breastplate, arm guards, and greaves over an uncomfortable-looking leather shirt and pants. He had a heavy, two-handed sword strapped to his belt. Behind him, Grayson guessed, were two more front-line fighters, one mage, and one skirmisher-type melee fighter.
“Hello, friend, sorry to disturb your evening,” the lead man said, a heavy accent clipping his words.
Grayson let his blade dissipate, knowing he could call it back instantly.
“Can I help you with something?” Grayson demanded.
The man laughed and waved his companions forward. Grayson stood to his feet and summoned the larger version of his Void Blade.
“We are also looking for a place to camp for the evening. I am Mikhail,” the armored man said, raising his hands in surrender.
“Adam,” Grayson replied, lowering his sword but not letting it disappear again.
“Well met, Adam. We are going to move on, if that is alright. I can clearly see that this spot is already taken.”
“What’s your level?”
“Well, I am only in the low forties at this time. We’re all around the same.”
Grayson nodded and moved towards his pack again, not turning his back on the armored man.
“And your level?” Mikhail asked.
“Thirty-five.”
“Very good,” Mikhail said with an inviting smile, “You are welcome to travel with us if you’d like. We are trying to level up as quickly as possible. Looking to reach seventy-five before The Trial.”
“I’m good, thanks,” Grayson said as he finished tucking his items in his pack.
“We could help you with your full inventory problem.”
“Full inventory?”
“Yes, I am assuming it is full if you are carrying a pack around, or are you not a Traveler and I am mistaken?”
“No, I am. I just prefer my things where I can keep an eye on them.”
“Hmm.”
Mikhail raised an eyebrow at his statement but did not ask further questions. They exchanged their goodbyes, and Grayson waited until he could no longer see the armored man or any of his companions before activating Void Call to jump through the trees. This method of travel was much quicker than walking; however, it would leave Grayson exhausted after too long. Once he was sure he had changed direction a few times and made it a reasonable distance away from his previous camp, he stopped again in the upper branches of a large tree. He waited for a long few minutes before his legs began to scream in agony from their crouched position, and he dropped down to the ground. He had no intention of sleeping, still feeling too close to the unknown group, as he rested, preparing to move again. Stewart floated lazily down beside him.
“Am I really such an idiot that I couldn’t figure out there was an ‘inventory?’” Grayson asked the squidling.
As soon as he said the word, a screen appeared before him.
INVENTORY (2%)
GOBLIN EAR x3
WEREWOLF PELT
GOLD: 1,408
Grayson felt like slapping himself. With all the video games he had played back home, it had never even occurred to him to check if he had an inventory space. The entire system worked based on mental and verbal commands, and the inventory was no different. Grayson could take things out or place them in his inventory with a thought, but it only worked when he had the inventory screen open. The process itself was not subtle; each time something was added or removed, it would glow slightly, meaning anytime someone used their inventory, others around them would know. He stowed everything from his pack into his inventory and debated sticking the bag in there but decided to keep it on his person. He hoped that if someone decided to rob him, they would take the empty pack instead of trying to wait for him to take something out of his inventory.
INVENTORY (17%)
BASIC PANTS
BASIC SOCKS
BASIC TUNIC x2
BED ROLL
DRIED RATIONS x8
FIRESTARTER
GOBLIN EAR x3
MAP OF THE KINGDOM OF AVALLONE
ROPE (25FT)
WEREWOLF PELT
GOLD: 1,408
“I’m guessing that means that I still have eighty-three percent space left in my inventory,” Grayson thought out loud.
That would mean that he had plenty of space left for other items. He also could assume that monster drops would automatically be added to his inventory when they disappeared since he had not cut the ears off of the goblins he killed and had not taken the time to skin the werewolf after he killed it. After its death, there was not enough time as the monster’s bodies only remained for roughly half a minute.
Then, as Grayson slung his pack back on, the night sky lit up as a torrent of flame shot into the sky from where the other group had been heading.
----------------------------------------
Grayson charged through the woods, dodging around trees and activating Void Call occasionally, towards the sounds of battle he could now hear echoing off the trunks. In a split second, the treeline receded to reveal a large clearing, where Grayson stopped at the edge. He watched Mikhail and his companions attacking a massive boar, larger than a city bus, with enormous bone spikes protruding from its back. Its dark brown, almost black, fur bristled as it bellowed out a raged-filled squeal and swung its massive head like a hammer to slam into one of the warriors. Grayson could see one of the tusks from the two massive sets on the boar’s snout dig into the warrior’s side as he was flung into a tree, impacting before sliding down the trunk to lay on the ground. Mikhail and the other warrior still desperately tried to hold the monster off as the mage knelt over the downed form of the skirmisher on the far side of the clearing, her head desperately snapping between the two down party members. Mikhail threw his arm up, bracing his sword against his forearm. A glowing shield appeared before him, and the boar shattered it in an instant. Grayson knew then that he and his group would not defeat this monster.
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Summoning his Void Blade in its shorter sword form, he barreled forward. The boar remained focused on the threat directly in front of him as Grayson summoned a Dark Bolt in his offhand and threw it at the massive flank of the beast. It impacted and sunk into the hide as the boar squealed in pain before shattering like black glass. The monster swung its body with impressive speed to face Grayson before charging at him, no longer paying attention to the other fighters. An ice shard came flying in to hit its exposed rear but seemed to bounce off harmlessly. Grayson ran headfirst towards the boar as it charged him before using his Void Call to jump into the air behind it, launching another Dark Bolt into its back.
YOU HAVE ATTACKED A BEAST - MONSTROUS
AFFINITY EFFECT: EXTRA DAMAGE
Grayson dropped to the ground, and Stewart shot out of the woods like an arrow, dragging his two long tentacles across the monster, the hooks digging into its side. Grayson followed Stewart’s lead, using Void Call to get it close and slashing with his Void Blade before dodging back and teleporting away. Stewart flew along the creature's side to slash again, but the boar was too quick for the cephalopod as it twisted its massive head to spear him with one of its four massive tusks. The squidling dropped to the ground before turning to liquid and disappearing. Grayson roared with rage and charged forward, forgetting any strategy or battle tactic. He slashed wildly at the boar and used Void Call to jump on top of the creature, driving his blade hilt deep into the monster’s back. He summoned another blade and was preparing to repeat his attack when the bone spines along the boar’s spine suddenly lengthened as one pierced into Grayson’s side. Grayson activated Void Call to launch himself as far away from the boar as possible, dropping to one knee in the grass as blood dripped from his wound.
“Focus,” Grayson muttered to himself, “Or you’re going to die here to this stupid pig.”
Grayson summoned his Void Blade as a dagger and let his mind go blank. He allowed The Sword Dance of the Void to take control of his body as he hurled his dagger at the beast’s throat as it turned back towards him. It impacted with a dull thud, the entire blade sinking into the massive neck of the monster. Grayson summoned his Void Blade again as it disappeared from the beast and reformed in his hand. The Sword Dance pushed him forward as he continued to dodge around with Void Call, hurling Dark Bolts and Void Blade daggers at the boar, pushing in where he saw an opportunity for more direct strikes. Still, those were not without consequence, as the boar managed to graze him with a tusk or slam its body into him. It bellowed and squealed before Grayson jumped back to land next to Mikhail, the beast stopping in place as the onslaught of attacks ceased, heaving great breaths. Grayson panted heavily, wounds dripping and bruises already forming on his body.
“Get your people out,” Grayson commanded.
“I will not leave you to fight that thing alone,” Mikhail insisted.
“You aren’t even fighting it now,” Grayson shot back.
Mikhail hung his head before nodding. He called his mage over as he picked up his fallen companion, the other fighter grabbing the skirmisher.
“Cast anything you have left on this man,” he told her.
She nodded and held her hands over Grayson, muttering under her breath. Magic glowed from her hands as symbols appeared in the air, and Grayson could feel his body swelling with energy.
“And, Adam,” Mikhail said, making eye contact with him again, “Thank you.”
Grayson nodded to him, feeling slightly wrong that he had lied about his name. He turned back towards the boar, red smoke curling off its hide as its body bulged, muscles tensing underneath his dark hair. Grayson smirked at the beast and rushed forward.
His vision was sharper, his speed increased, and his attacks seemed to hit harder as whatever the mage had cast on him pushed him well into his prime form. He danced around the boar with near blinding speed as his energy and stamina had been renewed, hurling daggers and bolts with pinpoint precision, peppering the sides and head of the boar relentlessly. The monster charged and dug divots into the ground as it tried to turn its vast body, finding momentum unwilling to let it change directions quickly. Dark ichor ran down the boar's hide, gashes scarring its skin as its breathing grew more ragged and heavy. Grayson pulled back again as he was confident; now, all he needed to do was wait for the boar to bleed out.
The boar stopped moving. Grayson watched it with confusion as it stood in the middle of the clearing and heaved. Then, the red smoke around the boar darkened to a deep blood red, and it whipped its head around even faster than before to face Grayson. A screen suddenly blinks into existence in front of Grayson.
A ONE-SIDED BATTLE
AN ENEMY OF A HIGHER TIER THAN RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR LEVEL HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE POINT OF DEATH AND HAS ACTIVATED A BUFF IN BATTLE AGAINST YOU. YOUR SURVIVAL IS NOW AT RISK. ESCAPE OR DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY FOR ADDITIONAL REWARDS.
SURVIVAL BONUS: ADDITIONAL REWARD
VICTORY BONUS: ADDITIONAL REWARD x2
DEFEAT PENALTY: DEATH
Grayson smiled as he had finally received his first quest, but the description gave him pause. He looked up to see the now solid black eyes of the boar focused solely on him as the blood-red smoke around it began to curl around its body, wrapping it in red energy as it seemed to be charging an attack. He was now facing a higher-tier enemy that was buffed and solely focused on killing him, but he felt the power of the buffs in his own body and charged forward to meet the challenge. The boar responded in kind, lowering its head to point its four tusks forward, its hooves tearing gouges into the ground as it kicked up dirt with the immense speed it threw itself forward. Grayson no longer had the advantage as whatever skill the boar had just activated seemed to cause its charge to increase tenfold in speed. It slammed into Grayson and threw him backward across the clearing before he had time to react.
HP: 2,489/4,350
“Over five hundred damage from that hit,” Grayson muttered as he spat blood onto the grass, “I'm going to enjoy making pork chops from you.”
As he pushed himself back to his feet, the boar bellowed again. It charged again, but this time, Grayson was ready. He positioned himself in front of one of the more giant trees and waited for the beast to get closer before activating Void Call and disappearing farther back into the trees. The boar slammed into the tree, which shattered into splinters and dust as it plowed through the trunk. Grayson weaved through the trees, throwing Dark Bolts at the beast. The boar could fit through the space of most of the trees, but there was no longer enough room for it to build up the speed for a charge. Grayson continued to throw Dark Bolts, each impacting the boar to leave more and more wounds on the monster. In its fury, the boar swung its head to uproot whole trees wildly, but the heavier and older tree simply took the blows, unmoving, with great, cracking groans.
Grayson could feel fatigue setting in now as he continued using Void Call to dodge through the trees. It had become a battle of attrition as Grayson slowed, and the boar’s wounds bled ever heavier. His muscles ached and screamed for relief as he pushed himself harder and harder to keep out of the reach of the massive swine. He heard a faint ding from behind him and hesitated to look at the boar, but it was not dead and the hesitation cost him a second, but a second was all the monster needed as it slammed into a tree and its trunk hurled towards Grayson. It slammed into him, pinning him against another trunk before dropping down to a sickening crunch as it landed on his leg.
HP: 426/4,350
Grayson cried out in agony as burning pain screamed through his leg and up his body. His vision swam as he struggled not to pass out at this moment, knowing it would seal the warrant on his death. He could see something moving through the woods to his right but had no time to focus as he tried to pry the trunk off his body that weighed more than a truck. As the boar began to make its way towards him, not seeing any reason to rush now that its prey was trapped, Mikhail burst out from behind a tree, a large shield on his arm as he slammed into the side of the boar with enough force to let out a thunderclap. The blow through the boar on its side as it squealed in surprise and anger. Mikhail ran to Grayson and slammed the shield under the tree to give him leverage to pull Grayson out.
“I told you to get your people out,” Grayson mumbled.
“My people are safe because of you,” Mikhail said as the glow of an inventory opened, “I am just paying a debt now.”
Grayson could feel the man place a bottle near his lips and drank instinctively. A gentle warmth spread down his throat and through his body. The pain subsided in seconds as his vision cleared and his mind grew sharp again. He looked down to see his torn and mangled pants, but his legs looked normal except for some new scars on them.
“Improved healing potion. Expensive, so don't expect another,” Mikhail answered Grayson’s question before he even asked it.
HP: 2,426/4,350
Grayson pushed himself back to his feet with Mikhail's help, and they both turned back to see the boar righting itself.
“It should be close,” Grayson said, “You still want to help?”
“Till the end,” Mikhail grinned.
“Can you hit again like that?”
“No. I get one Battle Charge a day. Besides, I don’t think I can even hurt it. Too high of a tier.”
“Well, keep smacking it and I’ll keep slicing.”
Mikhail nodded and hefted his shield as Grayson used his Void Call to jump behind the boar. He landed farther than planned, but as Mikhail drew the monster's attention, he collected himself and dashed forward. Mikhail batted at the creature’s head with his shield as it continued to rage before it finally overpowered him and threw its head back, launching Mikhail backward but also leaving the underside of his neck wholly exposed as Grayson used Void Call to appear underneath the beast and slam his Void Blade up into the boar’s throat. He called a Dark Bolt into his hand and drove it up through his Void Blade, which shattered, leaving a hole for the bolt to tear into the exposed organ. The beast heaved and collapsed to one side before dissolving moments later as Grayson fell to the ground on his back, panting heavily.
TIER 5 RAZORBACK BOAR OF KRATHIK KILLED
EXP REWARDED: 375 XP
GOLD REWARDED: 3,000
A POWERFUL ENTITY HAS TAKEN NOTICE OF YOU
Grayson stared at the second notification for a moment before dismissing it. He was sure he did not want a powerful entity noticing him, but he could not stop it now. After catching his breath, Grayson pushed himself back up and made his way over to Mikhail. He had propped himself against a tree and drank a small glass vial with a burgundy red liquid inside before he tucked it away. Grayson watched his forearm, twisted at an unnatural angle, shift and crunch back into place as Mikhail grunted.
“Small potion. Won’t do much, but it will make it easier for the healer I hire which will save me gold,” Mikhail declared.
He offered a hand to Grayson, who helped pull him to his feet.
“I told my party to make for Awerth,” Mikhail continued, “I assume you are going there as well.”
Grayson nodded.
“And I am assuming you are not level thirty-five.”
Grayson nodded again.
“It is a good thing you were not. I, and my companions, would be dead. We had hoped to hunt these woods and there was supposed to be nothing stronger than a tier three here. Thank you, Adam.”
“Grayson.”
“I’m sorry?”
“That’s my name. Grayson.”
Mikhail looked at him for a long moment before he burst out in a deep, bellowing laugh and slapped a hand on Grayson’s shoulder.