“That one,” Reya whispered. She pointed at a lone wolfchameleon.
As was usual for the beasts of the forest, the creature took the main form of the second part of its name, while taking plenty of features from the first. This one in particular looked, at a glance, like a very large, colorful chameleon. A chameleon which stood as tall as any wolf.
Other differences were quite easy to spot, though. The wolfchameleon had claws, because for some reason, everything in this forest did. And while its mouth wasn’t open, I was sure there were some nasty teeth in there as well. The beast also had thicker legs, relative to a normal chameleon, and an even longer tail, that would likely be three times longer than its body when it wasn’t curled up.
I had my target, though. I went through my mental checklist of things to do when hunting. Something Reya herself used, before she got so powerful.
First, find a target and scan the area for threats. Check. Usually, that part was much easier said than done, but Reya was here. She’d found me a lone wolfchameleon. And while she was close, it was really only the wolfchameleon and I.
Second, Identify the target.
(WolfChameleon - Level 88)
(The WolfChameleon is a species unique to the Forest of Beasts. They usually travel alone, but are also known to travel in small packs. WolfChameleons utilize their innate camouflage ability and agility to strike quick blows against their targets. Though they lack in power, they are hard to kill, and even harder to flee from.)
I probably wouldn’t last in a prolonged fight, which meant I needed to take out the wolfchameleon quickly. Preferably with a single arrow. Anyway, check.
Third, get as much of a terrain advantage as possible. Check. As terrible as they were to sleep in, trees were a great place. They provided a high ground for me, as well as some cover in case I needed to hide. Plus, there was no shortage of them, so trees were pretty reliable.
Fourth, look for any injuries or weak spots. There was no reason not to target them, when both lives were on the line here. But, as far as I could see, the wolfchameleon was entirely healthy. Check.
Fifth and finally, go for the kill. All that was left now was to hunt.
I drew back my bowstring, conjuring a Mana Arrow. I was aiming right for the wolfchameleon’s head. Then, I activated Focus. My breathing and hand completely stilled, and the rest of the world faded away. All that mattered was making sure that my shot would connect.
As soon as I was sure my shot would hit, I loosed the arrow, and let go of Focus. With my explosive mana growth, I could now easily use the entire allotted time, but conserving as much as possible was a better idea than not.
It didn’t even take a full heartbeat for the projectile to reach its target. The wolfchameleon was struck right in the skull, but the arrow didn’t kill. The wolfchameleon was dazed though, so I quickly fired off another Mana Arrow, aiming for the same place. The beast leapt out of the way, completely avoiding another strike. By the time it landed, it was invisible to my eyes.
Leaves rustled. A twig snapped. The wolfchameleon relied too much on its ability to become unseen. It wasn’t far enough away to escape me completely.
I fired off an arrow as soon as I heard the wolfchameleon step on the twig. It hadn’t been a loud snap. Hardly even audible, really. But I’d been paying attention. The shot connected this time, as the wolfchameleon let out a pained howl which echoed through the forest.
Hybrid bird species flew from their nests in the trees, and a hummingbirdmouse crashed right into my face, making me lose vision of my quarry. It was gone within a moment, but the wolfchameleon was nowhere to be seen. It wouldn’t be able to run far with the wound I gave it, but the beast had no doubt used the time given to run for its life. And while giving chase was an option, I’d pretty much be running around looking for something practically invisible to my eyes.
“You did better this time,” Reya said from beside me. She was really only there to spectate.
“Yeah, but at this rate, we’ll get to Gisea before I even get a single level,” I retorted.
Reya had been kind enough to give me some lessons on hunting. In exchange, I had to follow some guidelines. Technically, I could do whatever I wanted, but Reya had made it clear that she just wouldn’t help me if I wasn’t willing to cooperate.
So long as she wasn’t breaking every bone in my body over and over, I was happy to follow some instructions, especially since they were optional. She wasn’t forcing me to do anything. If anything, I’d been the one begging her to make me a better hunter at the beginning.
Regardless, one of the rules was that I couldn’t just go on a killing spree for levels. At my level, and with a rare Class, it was all too easy to just go out and hunt a bunch of small fry that were around my level or higher, but still weaker than me. Reya had said that many people, even those in the forest, took that route, but ended up weaker because of it, because they’d never really learn how to do anything other than use a ton of stats and their underleveled Class Skills.
Reya, on the other hand, had done the opposite. She progressed much slower than those who took the fast route, but in exchange, was much stronger when she eventually caught up to them in levels. According to her, she was one of the strongest beings to even live in the forest, but I wasn’t sure how much of that was her usual boasting, and how much of it was actually true.
At the very least, I knew she was strong. Much stronger than anyone I’d had any memories of, including everyone from Victor’s legion, Victor himself, and Acelina, which I technically had fought. Just, before losing my memories, rather than after.
So, with that in mind, I was more than willing to listen to Reya so long as she didn’t mind teaching me. It was just annoying. I knew that if I targeted creatures I could easily kill, I’d likely level up quickly enough to have my hand back by the next day.
“Well, how are your Skills doing? Considering how low most of them were, I imagine you must have gained quite a few levels,” Reya eventually said in response.
I mentally willed the System to show me my status.
STATUS
Name: Luna Maret
Age: 15
Race: Human
Mana: 2030/2030
CLASSES
Class 1: Calamity Amnesiac (Rare) (Lvl 38)
- Mana Arrow (Lvl 9)
- Mana Prosthetic (Lvl 1)
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
Class 2: [Locked]
Class 3: [Locked]
STATS
Strength: 75
Dexterity: 175 (233)
Speed: 142
Vitality: 75
Perception: 76
Mana: 203
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Magic Power: 75
Free Stats: 0
COMBAT SKILLS
- Archery (2nd Stage, Lvl 2)
GENERAL SKILLS
- Identify (Lvl 9)
- Perfect Memory (Lvl 4)
- Animal Lore (Lvl 11)
- Focus (Lvl 10)
- Dextrous Body (Lvl 15)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Cheater of Death: You have been allowed a second chance at life, at the expense of your personal memories. Over time, they will slowly come back, but there is no going back. You will never be the same again. At the same time, this opportunity gives you the chance to become your ideal self. Use it wisely.
- Archer: You have learned of the powers that a bow can bring. Rather than relying on your own skill to fire arrows at your enemies, rely on a Skill instead! (Granted Skill: Archery)
Only Mana Prosthetic, Dextrous Body, and Perfect Memory were unchanged. Every other Skill had gotten at least one level within the several days that Reya and I had been together. Our pace for Gisea had slowed in favor of Reya training me to become a better hunter.
She, much like Victor, knew exactly what to do to get my Skills leveled up. Thankfully, her methods didn’t cause a whole lot of pain on my end. Still, it was similar, to an extent. Skills would level up much faster when used against targets that were a much higher level than you. Just like how a Class would level up more if you killed one highly leveled creature, as opposed to many that were around your own level or lower. Higher risks gave higher rewards.
In our short time together, Animal Lore had reached level 11. It was incredibly useful, especially in a place where I knew nothing about the local life. And while that Skill had been brought up the most, the others weren’t lacking. In fact, the only Skill that didn’t level up at least four times was Archery. Considering it was the only Skill I currently had in its second stage, that was fine. It was expected to level slowly.
That all said, most of my Class Skills were still locked, which was apparently unheard of for someone of my level.
“Usually, you get your first two Skills at level one, another at ten, one more at twenty, and the last at thirty. It is not uncommon for Skills to change as you upgrade your Class, but I have never heard of someone like you, with only two Class Skills at level 38,” Reya had once said.
I suspected my lack of Class Skills had something to do with the fact that the first two had become completely new ones. But that was just a guess. In reality, I barely even knew anything about the System. I didn’t even know what it was, just that it existed, and gave pretty much anything with a brain a way to get stronger.
I hopped down from the tree, a bit annoyed that my latest attempt at a hunt was unsuccessful. The Wolfchameleon hadn’t been the first creature that Reya had told me to kill. Far from it. But, due to my failures, I’d yet to actually secure a dinner for the two of us. And, in turn, get my Class any levels either.
Reya was next to me soon enough. “You seem upset,” she remarked. “Why?”
“Because I keep failing,” I responded with a bit more bite than I wanted to add.
Thankfully, Reya was surprisingly patient. “It is only to be expected. You are weak. But that’s why you are doing this, isn’t it?” She patted my shoulder. “Eventually, you will not have the same problems. And, with a Rare Class at such a young age, I do not think you will need to wait very long.”
As much as I wanted it to, Reya’s encouragement didn’t cheer me up. And although we’d never really talked about it, I knew my time with Reya wouldn’t last forever. After she and I eventually separated, I’d be on my own again. And if someone with actual power came along, I’d be helpless. Just like I was against Victor.
“Fine,” was all I said. I was grateful to Reya for helping me, and knew that her way was probably better than just leveling up as quickly as I could, but it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to anyway. Now that I knew my way around the forest a bit more, getting levels wouldn’t be hard. I’d only need to slip away for a while, kill as many creatures around my level as I could, and come back with an actual hand, and not some weathered hook glove.
“I guess I’ll retrieve a meal. I’ll return soon,” Reya ran off to go on a hunt of her own.
I sat down on a tree root. It would be easy to get levels, but I needed to truly defend myself. If someone ever tried to hurt me again, it was a bad idea to rely on stats alone to stop them.
“Patience,” I told myself. “Just be patient.”
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A meal of more raw meat later, and Reya and I were getting ready to sleep for the night. It was a bit early in the night, with the evening having just begun, but we preferred to start traveling early on in the day as well.
“How much longer until we reach Gisea?”
“Tomorrow, if we rush. At our current pace, three more days,” Reya said.
While I’d been making progress, it didn’t feel like it. I was only very slightly less vulnerable than I was when I first stepped foot inside the forest. And while the objective hadn’t been to improve myself at first, that was what it was now. And yet, for all of my efforts, I knew I could still only barely survive a fight with that same wounded mongoosebear, if it were still alive and wanted to kill me.
I turned to my side, getting as comfortable as I could on the uneven ground.
“I could use a break. Can we just go straight there?”
Reya was silent for a while. “We can.”
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The next day rolled around, and Reya and I were off. Unlike other days, we took no detours, and Reya didn’t stop to teach me anything. We traveled, simply enough.
“What brings you to Gisea in the first place?” Reya asked as we stopped for a break. Even with all my stats in vitality and speed, we couldn’t run all day.
Or I couldn’t, at least. Reya seemed perfectly fine, even as I caught my breath and took the time to stretch my limbs a bit.
“Nothing, really. I kinda just wanted to see what the glowing trees were about,” I admitted. I was pretty much aimlessly wandering around before Reya had found me.
The tigerwoman, as they were called, laughed. “You’ll get yourself killed if you visit every place that interests you,” Reya warned. Despite her grim words, her tone had been light.
“Of all places, though, Gisea may have been one of the worst for you to go to alone,” her voice suddenly had a dark edge to it.
“Why’s that?”
“It may be best for you to simply see… But telling you won’t hurt,” Reya sighed, and leaned against a tree. “Gisea is the only city in the forest. There are villages and tribes, but none of them interact with the rest of the forest in the same way that Gisea does. Whoever controls Gisea controls, well, everything. Or the lands, if not the people.”
I could already see what was coming. The same problem with Victor, and whoever was responsible for the wars that seemed to never end. Greed.
“There has been a natural order to things for a very long time. Foxkin have long since ruled over the rabbitfolk. When Gisea was founded centuries ago, rabbitfolk and foxkin alike migrated to the city. Others followed of course, but it has become rare to see either of the two living outside of the city.
“Those glowing trees you refer to act as a barrier. It is enchanted so that most can not enter, unless allowed inside. Because of them, Gisea was once the only place in the forest that was truly safe for any beastman. Until the rabbitfolk decided that the natural order was no longer necessary. They were under the impression that since they no longer needed the protection of the foxkin, they deserved to be treated as equals.”
I was beginning to have a bad feeling about it all. Especially with the way Reya was talking. It was easy enough for me to guess that she didn’t side with the rabbitfolk on this issue.
“Justifiably, the foxkin refused to acknowledge those from a lesser lineage as equals. The rabbitfolk then decided to leave, but found that the barrier around the city would not let them pass. I left before I could see what would happen next, but it seemed to me that the rabbitfolk were preparing to fight.”
“That’s terrible,” I said. There was something magical about the forest. Literally. There were unique hybrid species that could be found nowhere else but here. I hoped war would not destroy any of it. Not like it had destroyed so much of Belias.
“Well, I would not worry. I doubt the rabbitfolk could put up much of a fight against the foxkin, even if they have superiority in number,” Reya confidently tried to reassure me.
“That’s not what I meant,” I corrected her. “And I’m not sure how you can even support the foxkin here! The rabbitfolk don’t want someone else controlling them and telling them how to live. They were even going to peacefully leave, until the foxkin decided to force them to stay!”
Reya shook her head. “This is not the same as your human lands. This is the forest. The Forest of Beasts! The strong rule here, and the weak must obey.”
“The foxkin are clearly taking that too far, though! They won’t even let the rabbitfolk leave!”
“And what of it? They have utilized the rabbitkin for as long as our peoples have existed. You do not know enough to decide who is wrong here,” Reya almost yelled at me. Her tone had made it clear that our conversation was also being cut short. “We must go. If we are to make it to Gisea by nightfall, then we do not have more time to sit around.”
Reya was already off before I could even say anything. I was following her soon enough, keeping silent as I tried to organize my thoughts. Perhaps Reya was right, and I just didn’t know enough. Or perhaps she was wrong, and the rabbitfolk deserved to be treated equally, or, at least, given freedom.
But first, I needed to know more. I needed information from both sides, and then, maybe, I could find a way to help whoever needed it. Maybe, I could finally start doing some good in exchange for all the bad that I’d done in my life.
Soon, the time would come. The gigantic trees that surrounded Gisea were in view.
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Vauna watched Luna and the huntress from afar. She would not follow them into the city that night. It would be too risky. Too soon.
She sighed, leaving her perch, and finding a secluded place where she was sure no eyes would be on her. Gisea was unlikely to welcome a lone human. But a lone beastwoman? Another of their kind?
She activated one of her Skills. The Class that gave it was entirely dedicated to disguises. There was a reason Victor had chosen her for this mission. Vauna wouldn’t fail.
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