The deep breath was barely enough to contain the tension. It did not prepare her for the extra ton of weight suddenly thrust on her. She groaned louder and saw that another wolf had jumped onto its fallen brother, growling and snarling. She wanted to scream just then, feeling her heart pound faster against her chest.
No, no, I won't die. Not just yet.
Screaming at the top of her voice, she yanked out the knife with all of her remaining strength and threw it strong and true.
HeadStab: Medium
Instant Kill
[+50 XP]
LEVEL UP!
+1 Strength
The wolf collapsed to the side. She exhaled deep, feeling relieved at the extra weight being lifted off her. With her HP now fully replenished, her wounds automatically healed, and with the added Strength Attribute she pushed up against the wolf corpse. It moved about an inch, just enough to help her get her legs dislodged so that she could shimmy out of her predicament. The moment she freed herself from the corpse, she launched over to the other fallen wolf and retrieved her embedded knife out of its eye socket.
She turned to faced two more opponents, each snarling but keeping back at a wary pace. To them she was an easy target, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Adrenaline rushing through her, she decided to retake her offensive stance. She took advantage of the opportunity to quickly reload another .308 caliber round, raised the Remington and fired without a moment’s hesitation.
HeadShot: Easy
Instant Kill
+50 XP
She dropped the gun and rushed forward with the hunting knife, throwing her full force into the blade as she jammed it into the wolf’s ear as it tried to turn and flee.
HeadStab: Difficult
Instant Kill
[+70 XP]
A naughty smile made her lips curl.
Yanking the knife out and jumping over the fallen wolf, she and made her way towards the next one and slashed at its stomach. The knife cut through its brown furry hide, spilling the contents inside on the ground.
GutSlash: Difficult
Instant Kill
[+70 XP]
Skill Unlocked: GutSlash
Delivers an Instant Kill when you gut an opponent. Chances of Instant Kill are 35%. Greater chances for Instant Kill increase with higher levels. Requirements: Level > 7, Strength > 9, Agility > 4, Stamina > 5
Brittany retrieved her Remington and quickly loaded another round. There were four other monstrous wolves, one of them bigger than all of the other ones she had already dealt with.
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Threat Detected: Level 15 Alpha Saber Wolf
HP| 1,500 / 1,500
Strengths: Long, saber tooth fangs, bone-crushing jaws, an can weigh up to 600 pounds. Will hunt down and tear apart their unfortunate victims.
Weaknesses: [LOCKED]
She sighed. She was already feeling tired from the battle. Though doubting she could last much longer, she moved forward towards the four wolves now huddled close together.
“Let me pass!” she spat at them.
The four didn’t budge.
Taking quick aim, she fired at the biggest of the three, whom she suspected was the Alpha Leader.
[-300 HP]
That didn’t work!
An almost imperceptible trail of smoke rose from the small hole in the wolf’s forehead. How the HeadShot hadn’t killed him, she had no idea. But there was clearly a bullet embedded in the beast’s brain. It howled in extreme pain, and rolled in the underbrush yelping like a wounded puppy. The other three snarled and pounced in rage.
Yelling, she jumped ahead to attack them, waving her knife in the air as she would a sword. One slash, a second slash, a third stab, Brittany came to a halt near a tree.
GutSlash: Difficult
Instant Kill
[+70 XP]
ChestSlash: Difficult
Instant Kill
[+70 XP]
HeadStab: Difficult
Instant Kill
[+70 XP]
Looking around, she sighed at the sight of all the dead wolves, and approached the whimpering Alpha Leader. Without mercy, she embedded the blade of her hunting knife into its forehead.
HeadStab: Difficult
Instant Kill
[+70 XP]
Congratulations!
You have subdued a Level 15 opponent. In addition to your gained XP, for your bravery and prowess you will be rewarded with the following:
+1 Agility
+1 Intelligence
+1 Willpower
She had no intention of staying a moment here any longer. The Lost Zone certainly had more than one pack of wolves and many other unnamed monsters. And that loathsome creature that called itself the Leviathan likely wasn’t far away, lured in by the fetid odor of death.
Taking another deep breath, she made her way eastward. She ran as swiftly as her legs could allow, ignoring the painful call of her bones. She was eager to get out of the Lost Zone again from which few players ever came out alive.
But I will. This isn’t my first rodeo.
She reminded herself about how she had succeeded in-game challenges and quests that were designed in such a way that ninety-nine percent of the players would fail. She had become a one-per-center in Conquest as the unstoppable Iron Vixen.
Well… at least until the game reset, and all her victories and high accolades had been stripped away from her. Now, she didn’t even have a Warrior class. She was a Ballistics Expert, and that was a crap designation after everything that had happened. She believed her skills to supersede that of this base level.
Sheathing the hunting knife, she carried forward, hoping she would soon find the edge of this dark forest. But the trees never gave way, neither did an open field appear. The way ahead looked like an endless swathe, but she held on to hope.
Hope.
Hope was the only way she could get through this abominable forest. And she was going to stick on to it like a symbiotic parasite does to a living host.
Behind her, a loud screech sounded.
I know that sound!
The Leviathan. It had finally reached the site of battle. It must have followed the reek of death, and it would reach her within a few minutes. Despite running, she had not gotten far from its presence.
How could Sam just let himself get taken by that… that… thing?
Through the darkness, there was seemingly nowhere to turn. The sounds came from everywhere and nowhere, throwing off her perception at an alarming rate.
I can’t keep track of where I’m going, but I at least I’m getting far away from there!
Brittany kept running, backtracking and running different directions. She knew that even through her ignorance, the Leviathan’s power had to be somewhere.
As she kept up her pace, she felt that familiar ringing in her ears again. “You shall not have strength to run from me forever! I hath claimed thy friend Sam, and I shall come for thee no matter where thou art!”
As if she were taking an ice-cold shower, her body tensed. She went rigid for a moment before her brain caught up and she started in motion again.
Focus, Brittany! Focus! This thing is coming for you, but it let itself slip. It doesn’t know where you are! It’s not omniscient!
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