The odd sensation of stepping through the Rift washed over Jonathan. As soon as gravity returned to him and his borrowed winter clothes settled around his body, a frigid blast of air met his cheeks. His injuries throbbed from the sudden return of gravity, and Jonathan braced his feet to keep himself upright as they touched down on the snow.

A blue window materialized in front of his face, and he swatted it away with his right hand, grimacing.

Not now. Damn, pop-ups.

The clearing he’d emerged in was eerily still. Two moons hung in the night sky. One of them cast a soft golden light, and the other threw shadows of the trees across the clearing with a pale white light. The towering pines circled around the clearing, almost like nature’s version of a fenced-in pasture.

Jonathan’s breath clouded in front of his face as he took in his surroundings, grateful for the gear that the sergeant had brought him. Snow lazily drifted down from the sky, signaling the lighter portion of the weather. According to the report, there were two phases of weather within the constant night-time Rift. Either there was a light snow fall or an almost complete black out blizzard.

Something about the clearing felt wrong. The pines stretched to be impossibly tall, and their needles carried a slight sheen. He squinted, unsure from this distance if the needles were actually glowing or if they were reflecting the moons above. Patches of moss clung to the trees, glowing and pulsing with a faint blue glow that seemed to ripple in waves through the forest.

Even though it was dark and technically night, there wasn’t a shortage of natural light. The snow at the edge of the forest reflected the moss’s blue glow, and the trees and snow in the clearing reflected that of the brighter moon. The effect was both beautiful and unsettling.

Jonathan regripped his new greataxe and ensured that his pack was slung high on his shoulder before shuffling through the snow toward the forest edge. He left a rut in the snow that was clearly visible from where he started and where he would reach the forest. Once arriving at the more sheltered area within the trees, he looked back while panting and feeling a sweat begin to rise. What he saw made him frown. He was displeased by the clear evidence of his passing, though he knew that if a previous blizzard had filled in the Army team’s tracks, the next one would fill his in as well.

He leaned against a tree, finally allowing himself to acknowledge the pain he’d been masking. His broken right hand throbbed inside its tight bandages, and the freshly glued cuts along his side pulled with every deep breath. A quiet grunt escaped him as he shifted his weight and set down the pack.

There was less snow beneath the trees, so he was thankful that moving through the forested area would be easier than pushing through the deep snow of the exposed field.

He took a deep breath and despite the stitch in his side, Jonathan felt good. The stats seemed to be affecting him more by the minute, steadily increasing his feelings of strength and vigor since he’d put them in. Looking around the forest, he let the breath out and thought about the prospect of combat.

It won’t get done until you start doing it.

He slung his pack before beginning to move deeper into the woods. Unbidden, a memory of Marcus came to mind from the last time they’d gone hiking together on one of the many Washington National Park trails.

“Getting too old for this, Dad?”

The memory stung worse than his injuries.

He began a methodical sweep of the area, moving as quietly as his injuries would allow. The snow was shallow under the trees, just enough to crunch beneath his boots and make tracking easier. Jonathan adjusted the greataxe in his left hand as he moved, testing different grips. The weapon's weight felt natural despite being forced to use his off-hand. The red sheen on its blade caught the moonlight, making it look like it was already stained with blood.

After fifteen minutes of careful observation, he spotted what he was looking for.

Boot prints.

He wasn’t sure which direction was which, but he would assume, for the sake of consistent reference, that North was the general direction he’d entered facing. South would be back toward the Rift exit. He was surprised to note that the moment he thought of the exit, he felt a gentle tugging sensation in his stomach as if it were trying to lead him back home.

Jonathan stood still, considering his options. The tracks meant the government team was ahead of him, but following them would mean potential complications. He wasn't here to play rescue squad, and he needed to find something to fight, something strong enough to trigger {Rage}.

A gust of wind sent snow swirling through the trees, and Jonathan hunched his shoulders against the cold. The movement pulled at his glued wounds, drawing another quiet grunt of pain. In the distance, something howled.

Perfect.

Jonathan turned away from the boot prints, heading east into deeper forest. The bioluminescent moss created patches of ghostly blue light among the trees, pulsing like a heartbeat as he passed. He moved with purpose now that there was a target for him to find. His left hand tightened on the greataxe's grip, ignoring the protests from his injuries.

He moved for a time in the direction that he’d heard the howls. To Jonathan, it didn’t much matter if he found them or if they found him. After a few hundred meters he heard movement ahead which caused him to move slower and duck from tree to tree as he closed in on the sound of breaking branches. His boots crunched softly in the snow.

The noise grew louder until he reached another clearing, about a third the size of the one he’d been in when entering the Rift. The dual moons cast enough light for him to see the monster clearly.

The bear was massive. It was far larger than any he’d seen or heard about back home. Its shoulder would have reached Jonathan’s chest, and its head was the size of his torso. Dark fur rippled as it moved, fat and muscles easily seen beneath the skin.

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Well, I know I wanted something to fight, but…

He wanted to wipe his palm but didn’t dare set down the weapon he held. He shifted his grip once more before the bear lifted his head, sniffing the air. Jonathan cursed himself as he realized that he was upwind of the beast and knew that it had noticed his scent. The bear noticed him, rising to its full height with a deep growl that he could swear he felt through the ground.

His pulse quickened, and the bear dropped to its front paws, which caused the surrounding snow to billow out around it. The beast charged, and Jonathan took a step back into the trees, positioning the thick pine branches between them.

The bear crashed through the branches, showering Jonathan with snow and needles. He pivoted left and let his military training take over. The beast's momentum carried it past him, giving him the opening he needed. He swung the greataxe in a wide arc, and he almost forgot to use his skill as the blade connected with the bear's flank.

The weapon bit far deeper than he'd expected. The blade sliced through fur and muscle like paper, drawing a roar of pain from the creature. Blood sprayed across the snow, steaming in the cold air.

Something stirred in Jonathan's chest at the sight of blood, and he could feel the {Rage} beginning to rise. Without thinking, he launched himself forward, surprised by his own explosive movement. His enhanced strength carried him across the snow in a single bound, injuries momentarily forgotten in the rush of combat.

The bear was still reeling from the first strike when Jonathan brought the axe down in an overhead swing.

The blow nearly split the creature’s head in two.

Jonathan stood there, breathing heavily as the massive body slumped into the bloodstained snow. The fight had lasted less than thirty seconds. He stared as blue lights began to drift up from the corpse. They seemed to fall lazily upward, mirroring the large snowflakes in the Rift. After a few heartbeats, they rushed at Jonathan and disappeared into his body.

You have slain Twilight Grizzly - Level 6

That was... disappointing.

He could feel {Rage} simmering just beneath the surface, but the fight had ended too quickly to trigger it fully. His injuries throbbed, reminding him why he needed a real challenge. While the bear had looked impressive, it hadn't been nearly enough.

He bent and used the axe to crack open the bears chest cavity. It was gruesome work, but nothing compared to the aftermath he'd seen during his time in the rock troll Rift. Both the sergeant and Elijah had stressed to Jonathan how important the Mana Stones were to gather, though he really didn't care for them all that much. He would check the corpses as he felt like it, but the thought of trying to do this with his exhaustion debuff after a fight, felt like an unnecessary torture.

This isn't what I'm here for. No stone anyway.

A burst of gunfire echoed through the trees, followed by several howls—deeper and more numerous than before.

Now, that sounds more promising.

He wiped the blade clean on the bear's fur. Without a backward glance at the bear, he moved toward the sound of combat.

Jonathan moved through the trees, pushing his legs through their odd gait that came from favoring his right side. As he closed the distance, he could hear the gunfire become more sporadic and he could hear the mix of snarls and howls mixed in.

Cresting the small rise, he saw a team of humans in the clearing below. Eight soldiers in winter gear had formed a rough circle, firing at massive wolves that circled in the trees beyond.

The beasts were easily twice the size of normal wolves, their fur a deep grey that seemed to absorb the dual moons’ light. Even from his current distance, Jonathan could see their eyes glowing with an unnatural green light.

Several shadows seemed to move among the trees, though glimpses could be seen from the glowing moss. One of the wolves lunged forward, shrugging off a burst of fire. A soldier barely managed to dodge, scrambling back into the group’s half circle.

Though there was a small spattering of red from the wolf, it didn’t seem to be bothered by the damage it took, easily moving back into the cover of the trees. The pack moved around the semicircle of trees at the base of the small hill and the humans kept their half circle and tried to retreat up the hill.

From his vantage point, Jonathan could tell that the wolves were hunting the soldiers. They’re testing strikes and herding the soldier’s movements. His tactical mind worked, and it wouldn’t make sense for the wolves to push the humans up the hill.

Unless they intended to tire their prey or set an ambush…

The thought made his hair stand up on end, and he quickly looked within the trees to his left and right. Gunfire and screams continued below as the humans tried to coordinate the retreat up the slope while maintaining cover for their comrades. Jonathan tuned it all out as he looked beyond the outer three rows of trees, looking for any sign of movement.

There was none that he could see, but he expected that the wolves would cut off the retreat as soon as they reached the top of the hill.

Time to move.

He stood and moved around the tree. He ran down the hill, which turned into something of a hop. Wincing, he called out ahead of himself.

“Hey! Get up the hill, come on!”

Several of the soldiers looked back at Jonathan as he came down the hill, and it was clear that others didn’t hear him over the gunfire.

Almost slipping twice, Jonathan was surprised that he could maintain his footing as he jumped, hopped, and slid down the hill on one good leg. Twice he used his axe to stabilize himself as if it were a walking stick. As he got closer to the group’s rear, he called out again.

“You need to get up the hill. I’ll fight the group, just go.”

Several of the soldiers ignored Jonathan, but one got up from his position in a knee and yelled, “Moving!” He crossed a distance toward Jonathan, who was standing near the rear of the group. “Who are you? You look injured-”

“I am here to relieve you,” Jonathan looked at the man’s rank, “Sergeant, get your men moving in pairs and get up that hill. Only shoot if something makes it past me or tries to flank your men. Do you understand?”

The soldier’s eyes were wide, not from fright, but Jonathan knew the feeling of a life and death fight and the sergeant’s adrenaline was likely rolling through his veins like thunder. His eyes were wide and dilated in the night to absorb as much information as possible, his helmet was slightly to the side and his eye protection was fogging from the hot breaths of air he was releasing with each panting breath.

“Sir, we can help-”

“This is your last warning, Sergeant.” Jonathan used a tone that he knew would get a response from the seasoned soldier. Direct authoritative command. “Get your men moving, now.” He could feel the {Rage} begin to build within his chest as his heart began to hammer. He caught more movement in the trees from his peripheral vision.

To his credit, the squad leader only hesitated for another moment before turning to his men and issuing orders for a hasty retreat up the hill.

Jonathan let his pack fall to the ground and let the greataxe slide through his fingers so that his left hand was holding the shaft closer to the bottom. The winged blades pulled behind him in the snow as he walked forward, in front of the soldiers’ formation. He looked left and right as he came to a stop, knowing that the wolves were watching.

He felt the {Rage} rising slowly, and while he felt that he could wait for the fight to fully start to pull him deeper in, he embraced the feelings of sadness. He fueled the feelings of anger he’d been harboring since he had the chaplain arrive at the door of his house. The anger at the beasts who took his son, and were trying to take more sons from the world.

Thick red began to bleed into his vision and Jonathan smiled as he embraced the darkness.