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“Lux,” Theron called upon his companion as he found a safe refuge atop a slight incline, with a shield of vines and barks walling the otherwise plain space on its center. “Come here.”
His wolf responded with a growl, whining once he gave it another pat. Two hours passed since the last encounter with the tigers, long enough for his Mana to regenerate close to full, and his wounds… festering still. Not just that, he fully expected things to go worse, judging from how deep its fangs pierced his soft skin. Hints of his white bone peeked through the column of torn flesh, a dire tale of his current state.
Lux was, otherwise, back to full health, evident from its status page.
Status - Horned Gray Brute Dire wolf | Health : 10/10 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 2 | Next 40 xp
Rank: 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 3 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Wolf | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 8 (+2/level)
Speed: 8 (+2/level)
Magic: 0
Toughness: 5 (+1/level)
Resistance: 2
-Abilities-
Two more of those tigers, and it’ll level up again. He pondered about re-entering the wilderness outside, fearful of his mortality, yet, to defend his life, Lux needed to be as strong as possible. He commanded it to hunt outside independently, provided it should take precautions to avoid fights involving more than one enemy, yet it didn’t respond. A message then appeared, telling him of his folly.
[Any kills beyond your sight range will not grant experience or any rewards unless you have the skills or are beyond a certain level.]
While the message discouraged his initial idea, it didn’t stop him from coming up with another. In his quiet little spot, he could hide while his wolf scoured their immediate vicinity, killing any stray tigers peering their curious heads in.
And that was what he did.
The first few minutes proved to be a waste of his time. His eyes observed around him, hoping at least one would be dumb enough to show itself. Still, only the breeze and the wobbling of undergrowths resounded, followed by the occasional cries of other animals far in the distance. That lasted a short while until he was reminded of the existence of others. A man’s throes of help shattered the ambiance, his guttural cries silenced by the crashing of trees. A momentary silence tailed what Theron assumed to be his death.
Occasions like these were unfortunately common back on earth, so he paid it little mind.
Lux raised its head when something entered the fray right behind him. Theron turned around, peeking through the columns of trees, noting the presence of another tiger sniffing the soil. My scent, he cursed to himself as he glimpsed at their immediate area in case another showed up. When he confirmed the tiger was on its own, he willed Lux to strike. Not that a command was necessary; it blitzed the moment the thought came to him.
A rush of air blasted from its momentum, forming a line of blurry gray as it pounced on the unsuspecting tiger. Their growls clashed as it narrowly avoided Lux’s initial charge, retreating with a leap. It then delivered its own strike, its claws scraping off a hand full of thick fur as Lux swerved sideways. Lux kicked the floor, propelling itself high to avoid the tiger’s attempts to bite, landing behind its back, lurching with a vicious snarl. Theron eyed their interaction, providing help with additional information and steering his friend toward a better avenue of attack. Lux was fast, it was strong, but its attacks were always predictable—a problem Theron could solve.
Two claws ravaged empty air as he willed Lux to shift sideways, then followed up with a quick bite on its right shoulder. He felt its teeth sinking deep enough to fracture its bones, earning him a satisfying cry as the tiger thrashed about, scratching at Lux’s insistent figure to release it from its clutches. Their figures clawed at one another as they tumbled, rolling away, then crashing against a pillar of trees, and Lux finished the fight with a swift crushing of the tiger’s windpipes.
[You gained 20 exp. Points]
One more…
He recalled his companion, instructing Lux to scout around that area as he approached their most recent victim.
[Rank 1: Green Forest tiger Aspect learned. Progress: 40%]
“Haa…”
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Clutching his arm, he turned back toward his hiding spot, with Lux tailing close. Not much could be said about the next hour; the forest grew to another bout of silence, shattered from the rare yet bone-chilling screams emanating from god-knows-where.
Red skies scoured when another beast made its presence known. Theron’s wounds weren’t improving; no, on the contrary, the radiating pain pulsated further and deeper. A flush of gray hid under the light coating of sweat, and the once light, lively shade of pastel faded from his agony. Despair crept like a snake, coiling his chest tight, refusing to let go as he was reminded of his condition in the past. Not gonna die this way. Not again, He bared his teeth upon finding his resolve.
Another tiger roamed about near his abode. Lux steeled its eyes toward that poor thing, and no words were spared before it bounded. Another bloody fight ended with a jingle in the form of a message screen, telling him that his dearest friend had grown even stronger. To that, he smiled weakly.
[You gained 20 exp. Points]
[You leveled up! You gained +1 Might, +1 Speed, and +1 Toughness. +1 Free attribute point]
He added one point to his magic immediately, then focused on Lux. Toughness didn’t heal, but his magic could change his future, and he elected to focus on it.
Theron Gray | Class: Novice | Rank: Unranked
Class: Novice| Level: 3 | Next 200 xp
Mana: 12 / 12
Summon slots : 0/1
Essence: 300
-Attributes | Free points: 0 (+1/level) -
Might: 4 (+1/level)
Speed: 3 (+1/level)
Magic: 7
Toughness: 4 (+1/level)
Resistance: 10
Abilities - Active
Abilities - Passive
Necrotic aura - lvl 1 | Summon Aspect
Extract Aspect | Unsummon Aspect
-
[Your aspect core - Horned Gray Brute Dire Wolf leveled up! It gains +2 might, +2 speed, and +1 toughness. +2 free attribute points.]
[Aspect - Horned Gray Brute Dire Wolf learns a new ability!]
[Crushing bite[Melee]: Channels the wolf’s inner might, performing the next bite with added damage based on 100[120]% of its might. Cooldown: 1 minute.]
Status - Horned Gray Brute Dire wolf | Health : 13/13 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 3 | Next 200 xp
Rank: 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 3 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Wolf | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: 2 (+2/level)
Might: 10 (+2/level)
Speed: 10 (+2/level)
Magic: 0
Toughness: 6 (+1/level)
Resistance: 2
-Abilities-
Crushing bite
Crushing… bite? Theron’s addled mind ruminated about the new ability as he shambled his way to the dead tiger. Blood drowned the scene as he hunched over and extracted its aspect fragment, pondering if he should focus on its might stat to bolster the strength of its skill further or to split one of the free points to its speed. The bonuses listed by the affinity appeared to have applied here; 120% came from its original amount, 100%.
Lux’s eyes darted about the scene, anxious, an act Theron dutifully regarded when a dark silhouette slid into their view, clad in the encapsulating darkness.
He strengthened his gaze, turning to the incoming assailant with a measuring look, expecting another tiger. Yet, what he saw wasn’t another tiger, no, this one… This one was brown. Brown and brawny. It paled in size compared to the bear he had seen before, but this one was a bear nonetheless. He put both points into Lux’s might, hoping it would boost its damage a few points higher. The bear roared, answered by a raucous howl from Lux as it stood before him. Theron shifted slowly to the side, with Lux following close. In his current state, it was a miracle he could walk, let alone evade or contend with a freaking bear, of all things.
Heavy steps battered the ground as it paddled toward their position. The smell of stale breath pounded his senses upon its approach, beginning its assault with a nasty horizontal swipe off of its shining, metallic… claws? What? Adrenaline surged as he vaulted to the side, crashing the dirt as he fell, using his healthy shoulder to dampen the impact. A buzz ran through his skin as he scrambled away, with Lux protecting his rear with an ardent cry. Get up… get up… Theron thanked the fact that while the bear came packing with incredulous might, its speed was, otherwise, slower than he expected. His companion ran circles around it as he willed Lux to play it carefully, any careless strike might put Lux in danger, and if it perished, Theron would soon follow.
The bear swerved and swung at the blurred figure of his summon, wisps of its dark hair drifting about in their aftermath. Rays of orange glimmer brushed the pair’s dark coating, tiny hints of sunlight bouncing off their glossy coat, Lux’s wet with blood. The first contact came from Lux after it ducked below an overhead swipe, then bit at its abdomen, pulling off a handful strand of its fur along with its motion. Ropes of blood followed, the result of a light abrasion from the contact. No reaction, Theron surmised from their exchange; Lux needed to pierce deeper to illicit any meaningful damage from its attacks.
In this fight, stepping anywhere close to the bear spelled his doom, so he kept to the trees, unable to use his necrotic aura to its full potential, and opted to keep his mana supply topped for the ensuing night.
A dance of swipes and bites played beneath the sinking sun. Trees swayed as Theron waited for a critical opportunity, Lux’s ability kept hidden all this time. As their battle extended, the bear had to contend with its creeping exhaustion, brooding over its slumped, panting shoulders, weighing its movement. On its shoulders was an invisible moor fastened to the soft floor. Speckles of dirt dotted the sheen of their coats. Before the bear retracted its metallic claw, Theron willed a simple command for Lux to clamber up its left flank, using every ounce of focus remaining in his mind to use its crushing bite. Dark, scarlet gloom emanated from its fangs, mantling their circumference, forming a red line trailing its motion. Perhaps the line was his imagination—his sight had muddled from his injuries, and the scarlet sky didn’t make seeing things any better either. Still, he felt a sense of elation when its fangs sank into the bear’s neck, crushing its gullet with a decisive crunch.
Blood rained on Lux’s maw as its momentum dragged the mighty beast down, pooling where their figures landed.
[You gained 50 experience points!]
Theron peeked through the trees, eyes widening at their victory. Waddling through the red-shaded thicket, his shadow loomed over the dead bear as he extracted its aspect fragment, doing his best to ignore the throb pounding his left arm. Even gripping his fingers caused a sharp pain now, and he dared not move it. Lux circled his position, eyes concerned about his state. He gave it a gentle pat and turned toward his hiding spot, preparing for the cradle of the night soon approaching.
[Rank 1: Metal-clawed Bear learned. Progress: 20%]