As the sun rose above the peaks, the light hit Malik’s face at a perfect angle. Much to his regret, he cracked his eyes open and was blinded by the morning light. He shielded his eyes with a clawed hand as he sat up and broke into a smile. Waking up in the cave proved that it hadn’t been a dream. His growling stomach was further evidence. Malik stretched his arms and wings, then stepped out of the cave to the sounds of birds and a gentle breeze. It was time to hunt.

Malik walked around the calm, clear water and began to follow the small stream trickling toward the trees, activating Camouflage. He was excited to explore this new territory, but a tasty treat was his main goal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small furry creature scurry up a tree.

Squirrel: Level 1

There were no stats accompanying the text and he worried about what that might mean. Malik narrowed his eyes and crept toward the tree, ready for a fight. The furry critter was sitting on its haunches, stuffing some sort of berry in its mouth, rapidly chewing. It hadn’t noticed Malik in his camouflaged state and he could only hope the noises his stomach made wouldn’t tip it off.

Slowly, he pressed his claws into the bark of the tree, pleased that they sank in enough to give him a solid grip. As Malik crept up the tree, the little critter abruptly stopped chewing. Malik froze and watched as the critter’s nose twitched in the air.

Malik decided to pounce and kicked off the trunk towards the branch. The small creature was too fast and sailed away, deftly landing on another. Malik flailed in the air, missing the branch completely, and fell to the ground. From his back, the air knocked from his lungs, Malik watched as the small creature hopped from branch to branch with a little squeak until it was out of sight. He briefly wondered how much Dexterity the escaped snack might have.

A rustling noise made Malik scramble back to his feet. A beetle emerged from a hole beneath a layer of fallen leaves and forest debris.

Race: Beetle

Class: Soldier

Level: 2

Vitality: 2

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 1

Energy: 1

It had the same stats as the first beetle. This time, however, he didn’t have the element of surprise. The beetle skittered toward him, forcing him to retreat. Malik was about to scramble up the tree but stopped himself. He was not prey. He was also stronger and more nimble since facing the last beetle.

Malik whipped back around with a kick, knocking the beetle’s mandibles to the side then darted in, finding the soft body between the break in its shell with his claws. The beetle swiped out with its serrated forelegs, slicing open Malik’s shin.

Rage washed over Malik as the pain shot through his nerves. Another beetle emerged from the hole and began to skitter toward him. With a roar, he plunged his clawed hands into the beetle that had injured him, punching through the armored shell and tearing the creature in half. His bloodlust wasn’t satisfied as he lunged forward, meeting the second beetle head-on, clawing open the small face between the mandibles before they could shut, quickly dispatching it.

Malik watched the hole they had come out of, waiting for more, but none came. His heartbeat and breathing slowed as he realized the threat was over for the time being. Malik looked down at his shin — he had lost a lot of blood, but the wound was already beginning to scab over. Closing his eyes, he read the messages awaiting him.

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Racial Skills Unlocked:

Stone Skin I:

50% faster skin regeneration, 5% piercing damage resistance

Rake I:

5% piercing damage with claws

Name

Malik

Race

Gargoyle

Class

Founder

Level Up & Skill Upgrade

Level:

3

Free Points:

5

Vitality:

2

Strength:

2

Dexterity:

3

Energy:

2

Malik bared his fangs in a grin. He wondered what other perks there were for simply being a gargoyle. Looking over the free points, he thought that he shouldn’t make any decisions until he had a full stomach. After all, he didn’t want the beetles to spoil or become overrun by bugs. He briefly wished he had some way to save them for later.

As Malik feasted, he pulled out two more Junk Tier Beast Cores from the beetles’ skulls. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he decided to put four points into dexterity and one into strength. Time seemed to slow for Malik immediately after boosting his dexterity, bringing it to 7 total. Almost feeling weightless, he jumped into the air and buffeted his wings. Elation came over him as he hovered in place for two full seconds before falling back to the ground. Flying wouldn’t be just a memory for much longer if he kept this pace up.

The strength point was as intoxicating as the first time he boosted it. He felt his muscles harden once more. His shin was still in quite a bit of pain. Pondering how to prevent being so exposed next time, he eventually rested his eyes on the beetle’s bodies. Malik tapped the tough shells, producing a clacking sound. He was only able to get through them when his claws were upgraded by the Rake skill. He pulled the back shell off one of the beetles and pushed it together, bending it slightly. They were more pliable than he had first thought. Perhaps he could wrap them around his legs for a little extra protection?

With his whole 3 strength, Malik tried to bend the shell without cracking it around his uninjured shin. Although it had a little give, it wasn’t enough to completely wrap his leg. Instead, Malik used the claw on his index finger, dragging it down the shell, pressing down hard. He repeated this process making two pieces just large enough for his shins. Then, he whittled small holes in the sides of them.

Scanning the greenery around him, he found a small sapling and shaved off thin strands to use as string. It worked perfectly to lace the beetle’s shell around his legs, over his loose trousers, making him feel just a little bit safer. He wondered what he would do with the shell from the other beetle when he was rewarded with a new notification.

Crude Beetle Shell Greaves

Armor:

2

With a full belly, increased stats, and a new piece of gear, Malik carried his loot and made his way back to the small valley atop the mountain to build a shelter, or at the very least, spruce up his cave.