The checkpoint oozed warmth in a circle around it, enough for Theron to find some semblance of comfort within the cold night. Unlike the Tutorial zone, the temperature dropped a few degrees further than he liked, so, until the sun rose, and with nothing else to do at the moment, he stayed.
Approaching the warm checkpoint, he gazed upon the interface, opening the [quests] menu.
[Defeat 10 Ghostwood treants(10/10), reward: 500 essences.]
Sweet… another 500 essences. A quick check on his status page told him he had north of 2000 essences waiting to be used. An amount he didn’t anticipate reaching so quickly after a day of traversing this area; well, not that he was complaining, any progress toward an elite aspect core, he’d welcome with open arms.
His calm halted when the north side of the checkpoint rustled, indicating the movements of other creatures mantled by the night, which Theron requested his bear to inspect.
None of their eyes spotted anything amiss. Perhaps it’s just the wind. Theron thought, yet, a part of him feared the possible other monsters lurking within the darkness, and he kept a close eye around that part as he roused from his spot, raising his shield.
A group of things emerged from the pillars of the forest. Tall, lanky individuals, each clad in the same armor as he was—people from other parts of the zone. Theron’s eyes snapped wide open, uncertain of the intentions of this group, raising his shield high. The thick blackness barred his eyes from detecting their expressions, but from their wobbling silhouettes and Theron’s general experience with these situations, he knew none meant well. Four… five people? No, Four… He rounded their numbers based on the shadows, grimacing.
“So you’re the owner of this checkpoint?” One of them spoke, his voice deep and grumbling. On his head was a lengthy and wavy mane, “You don’t have to be so wary, we’re only here to talk.” Beside him stood the figure of a massive bison, and from a glance, it was certain that his aspect was evolved, unlike the other ones. “We’re here on the behalf of Hubert, our boss. He extends his greeting and is happy to welcome you under his wing. How about that? We have a massive connection of powerful individuals who can ensure your safety, and if you work well with us, we’ll even grant you a zone to control.”
The bright moon revealed four shifty figures emerging from the forest, and none showed any semblance of pleasant eyes. Each of them came with different aspects, a rank-1 Hyena, a rank-1 bear, and another wolf, similar to Lux. One rank two… the rest are rank ones...
If a fight were to happen, could he survive it? His eyes ran across their aspects, the massive bison being the centerpiece of their numbers. With Lux and Berys, the odds of him winning here would be a coin flip; his necrotic aura wouldn’t do a single thing against their aspects—it stated it didn’t work on them—and its low range meant it would never reach the owners even further behind. Sure, he could order Borys to hunt the owners down, but then Lux had to contend with at least three aspects looking to rip his face apart, each stronger and faster than he was, maybe twice, three times over—a shield would do little against the onslaught of multiple combatants. This hadn’t entertained the myriad of skills those men possessed. What if they had offensive magic skills? What if they had support skills?
Think! The clock ticked as Theron formulated a plan. It’s okay if I can’t kill them, just as long as I send a good message, it’s enough.
“What do you want?” He asked curtly, his tone filled with contempt. Can’t show weakness here, from his experience, the moment he displayed a dearth of weakness, these folks would pounce, “I’m not interested in working for anyone.” Theron continued, his tone petulant. “And, as far as I know, I already controlled my own zone. So, get off my spot.”
Their figures stiffened. “Both of those… no way you can command two rank-2 aspects at once, so… where are the others? Look, Think about it, it’ll be best if we work together.” One of their eyes landed on Borys’ almighty figure, unable to glance away, yelping whenever his bear snapped its jaws. Borys and Lux snarled at their darkened silhouettes, shooting warnings with every howl. “And even with two strong aspects, you can’t fight every one of us on your own.”
“You’d be surprised at how much I can do,” Theron answered with a surge of fake confidence. Their eyes faltered a little when Borys’ sable figure approached, its coated fur blended well with the night, and the harsh light from above clad it in a guise of terror, matching its scarlet eyes. And also… since it was night, its hunter-of-the-night ability was active. “I’ll give you five seconds to make your decision. Leave me be, or else.” Borys, give them a little push, will you?
Borys acquiesced with a massive roar, shaking the trees and the sward beneath them. The four men tightened their stance, preparing for a fight, but ultimately decided to retreat. “He will remember this. The boss won’t take kindly to a no, friend.”
Fine. I’ll start. Borys, Charge.
His bear heeded his will by roaring and charging toward the cowering figures. The long-haired one turned tail and blared retreat, casting some kind of a spell between the palm of his hand. A ball of fire flared, followed by other spells used by the other drifters.
Fireballs?
Two shot outward, one sizzled into smoke by Lux’s horn pulse, the other blocked by Theron’s shield. He winced from the heat, steel was a good conductor, after all, almost yelling from the sudden influx of pain. Don’t scream! Don’t show weakness.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Borys’ charge was met by the rank-2 bison. Trees shook as their figures collided, each refusing to give way before other aspects began to encroach on Borys. Go back! He yelled within, and it acquiesced, retreating before the maws of the other aspects reached its figure.
“We won’t forget about this!” One of them spoke as they ran away while Theron gave chase. Lux’s icicles paled in numbers compared to their fireballs, resulting in some fireballs slipping past its projectiles, burning Theron’s shield arm even further. Their silhouettes melded with the darkness, the distance between them growing. Only Borys could catch up to them, but again, it stopped when four highly leveled aspects stopped its advance. Not possible, not right now. As much as he wished to continue, Borys’ life was simply too valuable compared to theirs.
He panted under the veil of the forest, listening to the cadence of their steps as he knew his efforts would end in futility. Well, at least I scared them off. It’s something.
They returned to the quietness of the checkpoint.
###
He refused to budge from his spot, unable to move his feet until he was certain those men wouldn’t be back. Theron poured the remainder of his first potion on his burned skin as he pondered about his encounter. What do I do? These men meant business, and should the time come where he had to contend with those people for real…
Too much risk. Not now. I needed something stronger before facing them head-on.
In his mind, there were two possible paths; first, to reach rank three before them—ideally earning an elite aspect(or better) at the same time—hence dispelling any myths in their heads that they could take him on without a massive consequence. The second would be to have allies of his own, and that led to that three-party squad he met earlier today. He did say they were welcome to visit his checkpoint if they wished to. A sigh left his lips, these… human problems irked him the most out of all possible issues peppering his mind.
The new issue meant his timeline was moved a few days quicker; doubtless, those cronies would come to visit him again within the span of days, and the next time they came, blood would be spilled. He gave his cheek a gentle slap, then rose. With a hopeful gaze, he drifted to the crafting field. His eyes read through the entire list, stopping once he found the field regarding the treant’s materias.
[Skill stone: R-2 Ghostwood Treant. Vine whip. Channels 10 mana. Conjures the arms of the treant to swipe the immediate area around you. The strength of skill is dependent on your might. Requirement: 3x R-2 Ghostwood Treant Materia, 1x R-2 Ghostwood Treant(Elite) materia. Ghostwood treant progress needs to be completed for this skill to work. Costs 1000 essences.]
[Ghostwood arm wraps +5 toughness. Reduces any physical damage to your arms by a value of max: 10. Requirements: 3x R-2 Ghostwood Treant materias. 1x Ghostwood Treant (elite) materia. Costs 1000 essences.]
I can’t craft any of these, and I don’t think it’s worth it... not for the price and the mana cost it demanded. he muttered to himself as he turned the interface off. It appeared every crafting option required an elite materia, save for the weaker, and ultimately, useless ones.
Theron braved the darkness, heading in the opposite direction where those men departed, a constant train of thoughts running in his mind. More essences for an elite stone and experience for level-ups… and I’ll go back to the tutorial zone after to finish up quests.
With their gray, ghastly barks, branches gaunt and bony fingers, Ghostwood was an apt description of the trees. They swayed with the wind, rigid enough to maintain their form, stretchy enough to lurch and wobble, moving as apparitions wreathed in gray visages. Theron and his party scoured the forest floor with careful eyes, wary of the possible entities skulking behind the wall of blackness. The cold bothered him little; Theron found an express need for strength, and the boiling motivation warmed his very core. His aspects felt it, too, their eyes beamed with more life than usual.
Under the guise of moonlight, they came upon a sight so bizarre neither spared a breath at its appearance. A four-limbed creature, pale and pallid as the moon, limbered across an empty field, its body clad in thick, bristly white fur with a hunched back, and a face the mix of beast and men. It stood as tall as Borys, with wider shoulders, and long, lanky arms the length of its body. Its claws were the size of two times his head. The thing paced about with languor in its steps, its hunger evident, and its eyes burning with the will to hunt.
Theron urged the party to pause. He watched its lazy movements as the night resumed. At a first glance, this creature appeared to be another type that relied on its physical might, like most other monsters he’d met, yet, a part of his mind refused to let that notion stick. It looked too different just to be another typical monster, and while it lacked the sheer aura the spike bear exuded, it had the vibes of an elite, despite Theron thinking otherwise. Its head turned when the trees rustled on its right—away from them, thankfully—and bolted the moment a head peeked out from the shadows.
A humongous beetle, garbed with the sheen of its sturdy exoskeleton, sprung from the pillars of trees and bushes. Its arrival was promptly greeted by a massive slam by the other, stronger, larger monster. Its arms savaged its body in a single crash, bursting the contents of its body into pieces, its entrails and gut juices drenching the immediate area below it. Particles of yellow goo clung to the other monstrosity, its strength far surpassing Theron’s initial assessment. He doubted Borys could contend with that thing by the merits of its might alone.
Yet, with two aspects working in tandem, he regarded the odds of them winning this fight with a slight hint of confidence. He navigated a way around to the white monster’s back, hoping a preemptive strike would grant them a better start, feeling the burn in his knees. First, he used necrotic touch on Borys as it activated emboldened claws, then ordered Lux to cast its horn pulse to begin their fight. A chill seeped through its horns as Borys rushed toward the feasting monster, earning its ire as it turned and roared.
A bolt flashed, slicing the air as it collided against its left shoulder, punching it backward slightly. Borys’ claw made contact with its chest in the next beat, painting a claw mark across its pecs, sending wisps of white fur drifting in the air after its initial assault. The thing proved too sturdy for their sneak attack to do much, evident from the steel glare it shot at Borys while delivering a nasty horizontal swing against its face. Theron used his shield’s active, creating a bubble around Borys’ figure that shattered instantly as its fist sundered through the protective shell.
Not enough, Brace!, Borys put its arms high to defend against the swing.
Its swipe crashed Borys’ sturdy side, both their figures shuddering from the recoil. Borys skidded atop the dirt from the impact, drawing a straight line where its feet traveled. From that hit alone, Theron knew how much damage this monster packed, and no matter how strong or tough his bear was, it wouldn’t last more than five or six of those haymakers. Urgency rang within his heart as Lux continued its icicle barrages, praying the cubes of ice would slow it down.
He willed Borys to sidestep and grant Lux a clean shot, which ended up working as two horn pulses pelted that thing’s right shoulder twice, denying the troll its quick hook. It recoiled backward from Lux’s incessant annoyance, growling with an ugly frown.
Be defensive, He pushed Borys to play it safe—to dodge if it could—and abused Lux’s ranged attacks to wear this thing down. His strategy glimpsed them a chance at winning, the monster faltering from the battle of attrition and poison, a lot of poison. Every time it wished to strike at Lux and Theron’s position, Borys made sure to block its path with a quick swipe, planting another few strikes at its back and abdomen. The combined poison and Lux’s magic inched them toward a triumph with every passing second.
There were a few instances where things went hairy. One of its charges smashed the tree on Theron’s left side, snapping the poor bark in half as he rebounded behind. Borys came soon after, shoving it hard on its back and pushing it off-balance, then using its weight to grapple the monster while Lux fired straight at its face. That heralded the end of the fight.
[You gained 120 experience points!]
I need to get stronger.