Uther had originally intended to skulk about the forest to avoid interacting with the numerous violent fauna that called the rainforest home. With what he’d experienced from leveling, something had awakened inside him. While on one hand, he wanted to get to the coast in order to find a boat, on the other, he wanted to hunt. Possessing a pact and a profession had given him stats a bonded or simple unbound could only dream of all in a moment by leveling up.
Uther wanted to test his powers out more, to push himself and see what he and Damemnos could really do. The little kraken was growing on Uther too. The doomed still had mixed feelings about the monster, but he couldn’t deny the boons he attained from Damemnos. Also, the young creature had a genuine curiosity about Uther and his profession. It was an intrigue that Uther himself had when he was an apprentice. Due to that, he began to also teach the kraken some of what he knew.
They first went about hunting the rest of the raptors’ pack. There were five more in total, all lazing about or chewing at a half-eaten carcass of some bull-like beast at their home, a small moss-covered cave. “First thing after we spot our prey,” he whispered to Damemnos. “Is to make sure they can’t detect us,” he said and backed up slowly before starting to circle around.
“How do y-“
“Shh!” Uther quickly interrupted the kraken, raising a finger to his mouth. Damemnos hadn’t tried to whisper at all.
The five raptors snapped their heads towards their direction.
Uther pressed his body behind a tree to keep himself from their line of sight.
The little kraken’s body went rigid, frightened by the sudden turn of events. Uther couldn’t see if the raptors were coming any closer or not, but he had an idea to distract them. “Ebyssian Grasp,” he whispered and summoned a magic blank tentacle twenty feet away from them, in the opposite direction they had been heading. The conjured tentacle flailed and struck various nearby trees, making a racket. Uther heard all five of the raptors hiss in anger and rush in that direction. Quickly, he began to stealth about in the opposite direction.
Unlike before, he didn’t give the tentacle any clear orders aside from swing wildly, just hoping it would serve as an adequate distraction. By the sudden squeak of pain and the notification that one of the raptors had died, Uther thought it was doing a very adequate job.
Damemnos was silent, just looking about side to side with his one eye, making sure to be quiet. When they made it behind the large boulder that the cave was made from, Uther began to speak once more. “There are three big ways to avoid detection,” he whispered as he began to crawl up the stone. “Keep out of line of sight, keep quiet, and keep downwind.”
“I see,” Damemnos whispered back. “So that’s why we are whispering. I admit I am confused as to the last part and why we are climbing up this stone.”
“Many animals will have one sense greater than another. For some, they rely on smell above all else. If we keep downwind, they shouldn’t pickup our scent. Being in this humid jungle though, we don’t need to really worry about that since there’s no significant breeze. As for the last part,” Uther said as he crested to the top of the stone, “Getting the high-ground allows you to better take in the area and avoid surprises.”
The doomed carefully crawled over to get a look at their opponents. The tentacle faded and the four remaining raptors were frantically scanning the area for any more intruders. There was a loose rock beside Uther, so he grabbed it and threw it over to the side, striking a nearby tree. The raptors, on edge, immediately rushed over.
Uther quickly used Mark Prey on one then summoned another tentacle behind the group. “Mind Spike,” he uttered, and a bolt of eldritch magic shot from his head and struck one of the reptiles. It screeched in pain and fell to the ground. Its companions snapped their heads to it in surprise, momentarily lowering their guard. Uther used that moment to lash out with his tentacle. The conjured spellform whipped out and wrapped around the neck of one of the raptors. With a sickening crunch the beast’s neck broke, and it fell lifeless to the ground.
The two remaining uninjured raptors, refocused back on Uther’s spell and began to attack it. That’s when Uther joined the fray. He leaped off the cave top and struck one of them with his Hysteric Hemogorger. It was the one he’d marked with his Mark Prey ability, and it worked in tandem with the trident’s enchantment. The reptile only was able to let out a sharp grunt before its spine was broken and its body ripped in two.
The one Uther had hit with his Mind Spike earlier got up on wobbly feet, but it was clearly near death itself. Taking advantage of this, Uther used his Sweep subskill knocking the beast off its feet before piercing its abdomen with his trident, ending its life.
The one remaining raptor dodged a slam attack by the tentacle and hopped to have both it and Uther before the creature. The raptor’s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the bloody corpses of its allies. It turned to run, but the Hunter was ready.
Uther sent another Mind Spike. It wasn’t enough to kill the uninjured raptor, but it did cause it to stumble and allow Uther to catch up. He ran forward and thrusted his weapon straight into the raptor’s chest. The weapon drank the beast’s lifeblood, greedily taking it in for itself. There was no damage to it, but it imbibed the blood as if there was all the same.
Tier 0 Jungle Raptor defeated x5!
You gain 166 Experience (175 – 9 experience sent to your patron)
Level Up!
You’ve reached Level 2! (Experience to next level: 14/200)
As a doomed, you gain 1 in Agility, 1 in Discernment, 1 in Dexterity, 1 in Perception, 1 in Will, and 1 in Luck.
As an Occultist, you gain 5 in Intellect, 2 in Discernment, and 2 in Will
As a Hunter, you gain 3 in Perception and 3 in Fortitude
Sanguine Progenitor Activated
-Jungle Raptor (+1 Strength, +1 Vitality)
Trident has reached Level 2!
Sweep has reached Level 8!
Polearms has reached Level 14!
Eldritch Magic has reached Level 2!
“That was an effective hunt, Uther.” Damemnos said with a hint of joy despite his naturally strange tone of voice.
“Indeed it was,” Uther affirmed. The sound of some branches breaking of a nearby tree got his attention, and he looked up to see a horned leopard staring directly at him. Uther reasoned the sound of their fighting and the scent of fresh blood drew the beast’s attention to them. Its teeth were bared slightly as it sized the doomed up. The jungle cat was a predator, but in Uther’s eyes, one normal and the other monstrous, the beast saw another predator looking right back. Uther smiled slightly and he pulled his trident out of the dead raptor, “And it isn’t done yet.”
The leopard leaped down at them with its claws out and its jaws open wide.
Time seemed to slow for Uther as he watched it come at them. “Mark Prey,” he said. Then, on instinct, he reversed the grip on his trident and hurled it at the cat. It was the first time he’d thrown the weapon, and the increased weight was abnormal for him since he’d trained with a spear most of his life. So, his aim was slightly off as he tried to compensate for the weight difference. Hysteric Hemogorger flew forward, but with Uther’s aim being slightly off, the beast deflected it with its small horns. Uther gave a sharp inhale before rolling out of the way.
He reached over to grab his weapon when Damemnos cried out, “Uther, to your left!”
Trusting his patron, the doomed abrupt dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a second leopard that had been lying in wait. Uther turned to face the two jungle cats. Without his trident he raised his fists in the air. Wanting to get a better understanding of his new opponents, he used Eye of the Kraken.
Name: Juvenile Horned Leopard
Tier: 0.25
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Race: Beast Type: Feline
Pact Status: None
Pools & Resistances
Health: 75/75
Mana: 10/10
Stamina: 140/150
Your eye has revealed to you the truth of this being. These beasts are ambush predators and like most felines, are solitary creatures. However, you reason that the youth of these two has led them to rely on each other to make up for their inexperience.
“These opponents are stronger, Uther. Should we run?” Damemnos asked.
“No,” Uther calmly replied.
“But you don’t have your weapon, and they have you outnumbered.”
Uther clicked his tongue, “You’re young, Damemnos, like these leopards here. So, you don’t realize that you’re wrong,” he said then activated Summon Trident. The weapon embedded in the ground beside one of the cats disappeared in an instant and re-appeared in Uther’s right hand. “Also, last I checked, you’re with me. So, it’s two-against-two.”
The small kraken wriggled his tentacles from side-to-side, in a gesture that Uther was picking up meant that he was happy.
Startled by the sudden display of Uther’s weapon summons, the two juvenile leopards eyed Uther warily, unsure if he was worth the fight. The growled and started to spread out in two different directions, hoping to flank the hunter. Uther just let them and cast Ebyssian Grasp once more, putting it right beside him to cover his blind spot. With only one leopard that he needed to focus on at the moment, Uther seized the initiative and leaped forward.
The feline was ready and leaped away to the side to avoid the attack. With the gap in distance closed, the leopard attempted to bite Uther’s left arm.
There was more than one way to attack with the trident though, and the doomed struck the cat in the temple with the but of his weapon. The cat was knocked back a foot or so and shook its head.
The other juvenile horned leopard jumped back from a tentacle strike and ran over to its compatriot out of reach from the spellform. It kept its focus straight on Uther, so it didn’t notice the mad look in the other’s eyes.
Uther received a notification that the Hysteria debuff had triggered from his weapon.
Hysteria Activated!
Target affected by this debuff is afflicted by temporary madness. Those affected by Hysteria are said to be unable to tell friend from foe, right from wrong, and truth from lie. Most often, the affected are hostile to all around them. Be warned.
The afflicted leopard’s pupils constricted to fine points, and it turned its focus to its compatriot. Before the other leopard could realize what happened, the maddened beast attacked. It jumped and bit down onto the other’s neck. It tackled the other leopard to the ground, it’s yellow and black fur getting coated in a liberal spray of blood.
The injured leopard growled in a mix of pain and surprise before it frantically clawed at the other cat. It managed to swipe and kick at the afflicted leopard’s face with enough force to make the hysteric cat back off.
The hysteric leopard snarled and was about to lunge back on the other feline again, when Uther intervened. First, his Ebyssian Grasp was still active. He mentally ordered the tentacle to lash out on the hysteric leopard. The seven foot tall black spell construct whipped out and slammed into the afflicted cat’s back with a sickening crunch.
At the same time, the unafflicted but heavily injured leopard managed to get back up. It was on death’s door, but adrenaline was overriding its awareness to that fact was managed to kill it. On shaky feet, it turned and began to bolt into the jungle.
Wanting to redeem himself for the failed throw earlier, Uther was determined not to let the leopard escape. Once more, he spun his weapon and hurled his trident forward. After getting his “practice throw” out of the way, the hunter was more confident as to how the trident would fly. Hysteric Hemogorger flew true, and the weapon struck the beast right in the chest where it’s heart was killing it instantly.
Uther pumped a fist in victory then sighed in relief. Two fights back-to-back was a lot, especially when one of them was being ambushed by jungle cats. “That was a close one,” Uther said. He then turned to the one-eyed kraken on his shoulder. “Are you okay, Damemnos?”
“I am okay, Uther,” the small creature said. “Are you unharmed as well?”
“I am,” the doomed replied. After scanning around and seeing they were safe at least for the moment, Uther opened his notifications icon.
Tier 0.25 Juvenile Horned Leopard defeated x2!
You gain 190 Experience (200-10 experience sent to your patron)
Level Up!
You’ve reached Level 3! (Experience to next level: 170/400)
As a doomed, you gain 1 in Agility, 1 in Discernment, 1 in Dexterity, 1 in Perception, 1 in Will, and 1 in Luck.
As an Occultist, you gain 5 in Intellect, 2 in Discernment, and 2 in Will
As a Hunter, you gain 3 in Perception and 3 in Fortitude
New Polearms Subskill Gained:
Airborne Polearm Precision Level 1
Description: +n% chance of success in thrown polearm attacks where n = Perception, +1% damage to successful thrown polearm attacks
Uther had a dumb grin on his from what he saw. He’d already gained another level. In just around an hour’s time, he’d gone from being unable to level, to be a pact-wielder and already at level three. It was euphoric. It made him consider if he should just not bother with going back to the Fettore. Uther shook off those feelings though. Skjoldheim was his home. The people there were family and had taken him in when he was all alone. They didn’t abandon him. He would not abandon them.
I can still enjoy the perks of this until I clear my name though, He thought. One of those perks was his new ranged subskill. Gungnir possessed a ranged subskill that the jarl would grant those loyal and high-ranking Fettore, but aside from that, if one took the Fettore specialization of the Lancer class, there was no other ranged option. Magical attacks were a different story, but a specific ranged thrown attack, there was only one: Odin’s True Strike.
From talking with other Fettore during his time on Skjoldheim, Uther learned it was a thrown subskill that would always hit no matter what. It required line of sight and an investment in both the health and stamina of the user, so it was a perfect thing and could only be used so many times before one could accidentally drain all their health. It also didn’t guarantee how much damage would be done, only that it would hit. The rumor was that the jarl, being the divine spear’s pact wielder, didn’t even need to have line of sight to use it. No one had ever confirmed it though.
Shrugging off thinking about the jarl, Uther realized something was amiss. “Hmm?”
“What is it, Uther?” Damemnos asked.
“How come the trident’s enchantment didn’t activate?” Uther asked.
The kraken cocked his head sideways at the doomed, indicating his confusion.
Uther gave a small sigh before willing this trident’s information to Damemnos via their pact.
After only a few seconds, the intelligent little kraken’s body perked up, “Oh, that is simple, Uther.”
“Really? Why?” He asked.
“The enchantment states that you have to be holding the weapon at time of death for it to transfer the target’s vital energy to you. Your spell killed one of the leopards, and you threw your trident to kill the other,” Damemnos explained.
Uther smacked himself in the forehead. Of course that’s why! He thought in frustration. “Thank you,” he said, embarrassed by such an obvious mistake on his end.
Damemnos wiggled his tentacles side-to-side happily.
Uther then recalled his trident back into the pocket of storage space he naturally possessed with his Summon Spear ability. He realized he would have to be a lot more intentional with use of his trident. Based on his race, class, and profession stat point allocations, Uther gained no points in Strength, Vitality, or Insight. He didn’t have any good way to increase Insight at the moment, but with the trident’s bonuses, he could at least make up for the some of the deficits for Strength and Vitality.
Vitality in particular, was the sole contributor to his health pool and health regeneration. It was by far his lowest stat at fourteen, and it showed by comparing his health pools. He pulled up his health pool information in his vision.
Pools & Resistances
Health: 140
Mana: 230
Stamina: 340
Now, one-hundred and forty health wasn’t anything to scoff at, especially when one would compare it to unbound or bond wielders. With the goals and level of threats Uther knew he was going to experience however, that value was just too low. If he wasn’t careful, he would run the risk of being a “glass-canon,” meaning he could deal a lot of damage, but would break only after taking a little. The hunter quickly realized that he was going to either have to change up how he fought completely, or make sure he physically dealt the finishing blows to as many different types of opponents as possible.
Uther pondered about that as he went about removing the large toe claws from the raptors and horns from the leopards. He knew those items were sought after by crafters and alchemists, and the doomed knew he could trade them for money or other goods in the future.
His thoughts were interrupted when Damemnos started speaking, “I am sorry I could not be of much aid to you in the previous fights, Uther. I..just don’t…” he trailed off
“Oh, you’re good.” Uther said. “Listen, you don’t have to fight. Gods know you’ve been through a lot. I’ll do the fighting, and I’ll continue to teach you about hunting okay?”
“But how can I help? Our pact involves us keeping each other safe. If you insist on engaging in dangerous fights to get stronger, how can I keep my promise to keep you safe too? I don’t like fighting, but I must help you, Uther.” Damemnos said with his typical strange cadence.
Uther pondered on that. It was a valid line of questioning. After a minute of silence, the answer struck Uther, “You already have. For one, the power of our pact has already strengthened me so much. Two, you’re watching my back. I would’ve been cat food had you not warned me about the sneak attack from that other leopard.”
“That is accurate,” The little kraken said as his tentacles went side-to-side happily.
Uther patted Damemnos on the head. “There’s way more to you than meets the eye.”
“Will I ever have to fight, Uther?”
“I will never make you fight, Damemnos,” he answered. “I’m more than happy to do the fighting, but sometimes we’re forced to make a choice. There may come a time where fighting is the best option.”
The little kraken gave a small grunt of confusion, “The best option? Why would I ever want to fight? Violence took away my mother and my brother.”
Uther nodded in understanding and exhaled, “The same reason as to why your mother fought in the first place, to protect what’s important to her.”
The one-eyed kraken looked away from the doomed and stared off in the distance, his tentacles moving about in different directions as an internal dilemma was playing out.
Uther stood there quietly. He didn’t want to disturb his patron.
Eventually, Damemnos settled and looked back to Uther, “I understand. Thank you, Uther. I will continue to have your back and keep an eye out for any potential threats. Will you continue to teach me how to hunt? I wish to learn in order to help you overcome our foes.”
Uther gave a warm smile, “Gladly.”