The Boar gently meandered through a clearing in the forest, trotting through broken, trampled greenery as he marched along. Leaving the gentle crackle of broken twigs in his wake, as his hard, cloven hoofs trampled all beneath his steady gait. The huffing of his long snout was the loudest sound for a hundred feet, as stillness filled the air.

The Boar poked his head upwards, two brief snorts ripping from its nose as it took in the fresh scents. Behind him, two dozen others trotted along. Always behind him, always lesser. He had built his Drift from nothing. A month of fierce battle, challenging rival males as he sort to take their mates for his own. Ripping through the innards of the few who had resisted, and barely restraining himself from tearing through those who had begrudgingly submitted to his might.

A shrill squeal sounded behind him. He twisted his head to look; one of the females he had taken for himself, she'd stepped wrong walking down the slope. He bared his teeth in a savage grin, turning to face her. He lowered his great tusks and charged, piercing through her skull with a great slam of his sharp, wicked instruments. Her blood seeped into the dirt as she crumpled lifelessly to the floor; giving a mournful gasp, puttering out with her last breath. He gave the corpse a cruel, disdainful glance, before moving on, his uncomfortable lessers following, knowing defiance meant only death.

He sniffed the warm air again, this time not so very rudely interrupted; he gave a blood-filled grin.

Blood was in the air.

Prey.

XOX

Alex sat atop what he now considered his tree. Perched some thirty feet off the floor, balanced over a thick branch as he stared into the clearing below. Some animals passed - a smattering of small prey animals and the occasional hunting fox - but from this morning's activities he now knew that they carried little experience, and they were not worth the risk of scaring off bigger, worthy foes.

His right hand loosely gripped his new weapon. Holding it - even if it likely wouldn't be needed for some time - made him feel confident. Secure. The added Attributes in both Strength and Agility brought a comfort he had been missing since the last night, after his tussle with the bear.

Tussle, he snorted. It had been a little more than that.

It was a frightful feeling. The death match, where he knew that one of them would inevitably perish. Especially when he knew that he'd gotten more than a little lucky, and it should have been his carcass; beginning to rot and smell and be riddled with parasites.

Frightful more, he knew, that I'd enjoyed it.

It was not normal. Not in any way. The duel - more like a gladiator match - had brought a primal love, a thrill, that he knew should never have surfaced. He had been raised as a civil man in a civil world his entire life, and except for boxing (and even that had been organised, and so very painstakingly regulated), he had not been a violent man. Not even aggressive, nor even particularly outspoken. Introverted; known to carefully measure out his words before his lips let slip the thoughts rummaging around his head, he hadn't expected to enjoy this at all. Never mind to such a degree.

Alex never imagined that he would one day ache for combat; breathlessly fidgeting in expectation. Waiting for the adrenaline to wash away his woes, all in preparation for glorious single combat.

He hadn't enjoyed the death - not even of the bear that had wished for his own - though neither had he shied away from it; in truth, he didn't much care one way nor the other. The thrill, however, was lying next to the dying beast, knowing that it had been him alone to vanquish it...

That had been an experience. A moment of divine-fuelled joy. One he knew he would risk something - anything - to return to.

A loud snort tickled his consciousness, breaking the monotony that had filled his morning - for there was hardly much to do in a forest - as he saw a boar, just outside his range. He could not attack it, not yet, without alerting it to his presence and responding with what could well be a killing blow from a twist of its head, driving sharply to rip Alex apart.

Alex stood - slowly - creeping to ensure he would make no sudden movement, and alert the boar. He shifted his grip on his spear, allowing him to easier traverse down the tree he now knew as home, temporary though it may be.

He reached the bottom, took a slow, deep breath to ready himself, and struck.

He missed his target by inches. Sliding between two upper rips on the boar's left slide, rather than sliding straight into the boar's heart as he would have preferred. The boar had twitched, not much, likely not even knowing of its hunter's presence.

It certainly knew now.

Alex ripped the spear back, preparing to throw himself sidewards, to avoid the inevitable retaliation. The boar turned its head towards him, beady eyes glaring, preparing to attack. Alex straightened himself up, ensuring no minute tilt to his body would tell the boar which way he would dive, and result in him getting caught by a prepared turn of the boar's head, goring him. Alex stood still, tension coiled in his lean muscles as the beautiful adrenaline filled his veins.

The boar's front legs were strained. Alex prepared his spear, wanting to at least graze it in the dodge. The boar released the tension, it moved.

It ran.

What?

This... had never happened before. All the creatures he had faced so far had either died almost immediately from some form of ambush, or had been the aggressor, charging and chasing Alex as prey.

He shook himself out of his momentary stupor and ran after the beast. He knew he could not catch it immediately, even with his improved Agility, such a strong, hulking mass would be too fast in a straight line, and have too much momentum. Yet the boar was injured, not immediately fatal, regrettably, but it would not take long before blood- loss forced it to slow, and Alex had the Stamina to maintain a steady pace for more than long enough.

It took near-on half-an-hour before the boar began to slow, swerving to the right. Alex was no longer fresh, but he had half his Stamina remaining, and he could fight a battle against a weakened foe; chance a protracted one, even if that wasn't likely smart.

A rush filled him. Not adrenaline, though not entirely dissimilar, but a weight, as if he carried the world on his shoulders.

Danger Sense.

He threw himself desperately backward, praying he hadn't walked straight into the jaws of a beast. Quicker than he could perceive, a deadly blur flew into the space he'd occupied only moments before.

It had tusks, with brown fur, and glinting black eyes, but they were the only similarities to the boar he'd just been chasing. Taller than Alex himself was, no measly height, with thick, powerful muscles that strained and pulsed under the weight of its huge mass. It weighed at least a half-ton; with dirty fur, corded muscles, and a great tusk.

Adrenaline raised his perception to new heights. He itched to fight, to feel the battlejoy enter his veins as he swept aside all earthly concerns in divine-like conquest, but he knew giving into those desires would leave only to an inglorious finish. The likelihood of a boar bringing him to another, and possibly saving its own life by chance was low. Nearly zero. Additionally, the odds of there being only two boars were low as well, for where two walked, it was likely there were many.

Yet running is hardly an option. He knew. The speed of that creature. I cannot outrun it.

Fear turned to hope, as he realised another, last chance. He had been mistaken with the bear, believing it could not climb, for its size was too large, but its great strength and sharp claws had nevertheless given it the traction to throw itself upwards.

The boar would not be the same. It had no hands, no arms. Its limbs were inflexible, meant only for stumbling straight along.

Alex raced to the nearest tree and sent his spear flying upwards with a mighty throw, digging in the trunk, awaiting retrieval.

He raced desperately, halfway ascended when the tree shook. Nearly ripping him from its trunk as his hands slipped from their precarious handholds, only clutching himself on by his nails, clawing at the brittle bark.

He raised himself to a branch, before chancing a look towards the base, where the great boar had already pulled himself away, preparing itself for another demolition.

Alex caught its face. Cruel eyes were raised above a bloody snout, a vicious grin somehow stretched within gloating orbs.

Alex reached the top, on time by a mere second; leaped to another tree before the beast could swing again, and slipped away under the thick cover of leaves.

XOX

The wiry prey ran away, and he grew mad. The boar turned towards his subject, wounded from its battle with the Monkey-Who-Ran, took a moment of thought, and lunged forward. Splattering the lesser boar across the dirt. Dead.

To lose to prey.

Weakling.

XOX

Alex ran. His half-speed pursuit of the original boar was long gone, now a full-on sprint.

Escape.

He stopped only when safely secured in his tree. Burying himself in cooked meat and day-old berries to regain what he could of his mostly depleted Stamina.

A series of heavy breaths forced themselves through him, as he quickly grasped as much oxygen as he could, ripping it through his lungs and into his body. His heart rate slowly lowered, as a small, unconscious, and uncontrollable smile stretched across his lips.

Alex had been saving up free-points, unsure where he would need to place them, unsure where to prioritise. He had twelve now, enough to raise a single stat a more than significant amount. The only question was which. The large boar was fast, faster than he thought possible, faster than the bear he had somehow beaten the day before. Yet, it was giant. Without a significantly raised Strength attribute, it was likely that he would not be able to do significant enough damage, not without irredeemably harming himself.

He ignored the other attributes. Mental stats, likely related to magic, would not help him - he did not know any - and any situation where Vitality was the deciding factor meant he was likely already dead.

Strength it was.

Status Name: Alexander Aeotos Level: 6 Health: 272/290 Stamina: 207/455 Mana: 320/320 Strength: 47 (+12) Agility: 44 Vitality: 29 Intelligence: 32 Wisdom: 21 Charisma: 22 General Skills: Danger Sense 1: Level 3 (+1) - Creates a small possibility to detect imminent or possible danger, even when otherwise unknowable. Possibility will both increase and grow more accurate with levels. Primary Class: None Primary Class Skills: Secondary Class: None Secondary Class Skills: Tertiary Class: None Tertiary Class Skills: Traits: Fates Favour - Chance-based events are slightly more likely to go in your favour. Whether that be increased Rewards, or a lesser chance to pull the wrong card at a Blackjack table, it matters not. Titles: Forerunner: Gained only by those at the epoch of their race, they strive forwards, as masters of their destiny. +3 All Attributes. Free Points: 0

He considered hunting other creatures, pursuing levels and greater attributes before taking the creature on, but decided that he did not feel comfortable or in any way prepared to roam the forest whilst the boar was still alive. It had proven it was somewhat stealthy, managing a surprise attack he had only just survived due to his Danger Sense.

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No. It dies today. Else I wake up on a fallen, broken tree, dead.

The great boar was not alone. He had seen at least a dozen more - though all smaller - in his tree-top flight, and Alex knew he would not be able to dedicate his full attention to their battle if distracted. Considering the likely attribute disparity shown already, that would undoubtedly be certain death.

So he would pick them off. A series of skirmish attacks. He could not afford a full-scale encounter, not when it would limit his maneuverability; slow his escape, give time for the large boar to engage, and create the scenario Alex wanted to avoid.

XOX

They were not as difficult to find as Alex feared. They could be stealthy when they wanted to be, but for large, Drift-sized movements they stumbled along together, the large boar at the lead. Trampling through the greenery in the way. Not so loud as Alex would suppose that animals as large as those should be, but messy nevertheless.

He positioned himself to the side of what seemed their route, a straight line to god-knows-where. Hidden amid the canopy of the thickest tree, he began to wait.

Wait.

Wait.

He shot down from the tree, his increased Strength flinging him close enough to engage with the backmost boar immediately. Sinking his spear into a single rear leg, to disable its movements, before unleashing a series of deep, merciless attacks at the boar's chest, stepping away from the boar's tusks as it tried to turn and gouge him. The sound of the notification alerted him to its death, as he ripped his spear out a final time; launching himself up the closest tree and once again retreating.

He did not return to his camp tree. He knew - from last time's experience - that they would not bother to pursue him. He went only some two hundred feet, perching beneath the leaves for cover. This time he positioned himself on the opposite side. It would not do for the boars to begin to expect - and prepare for - an ambush from a specific direction. He began to wait for the Drift to once again move on, so he could launch another offensive.

Congratulations, you have killed a Level 5 Elysian Boar. You have gained experience.

XOX

Alex began his guerrilla campaign in earnest. Though clever - for beasts - the boars had neither the coordination nor the individual vigour to resist him. They could not stop him from picking off enemies at his carefully calculated whim, and by the end of the next half-day, the only boars left were the formidable leader, and another, final, lesser creature.

Congratulations, you have killed a Level 4 Elysian Boar (X4). You have gained experience.

Congratulations, you have killed a Level 5 Elysian Boar (X9). You have gained experience.

Congratulations, you have killed a Level 6 Elysian Boar (X7). You have gained experience.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up.

You are now Level 8.

He dumped all of his free-points into Agility and checked his status to see if he had missed any significant status changes. Apart from his levels, and Agility, nothing had changed. He was ready.

Status Name: Alexander Aeotos Level: 8 (+2) Health: 290/290 Stamina: 382/455 Mana: 320/320 Strength: 47 Agility: 50 (+6) Vitality: 29 Intelligence: 32 Wisdom: 21 Charisma: 22 General Skills: Danger Sense 1: Level 3 - Creates a small possibility to detect imminent or possible danger, even when otherwise unknowable. Possibility will both increase and grow more accurate with levels. Primary Class: None Primary Class Skills: Secondary Class: None Secondary Class Skills: Tertiary Class: None Tertiary Class Skills: Traits: Fates Favour - Chance-based events are slightly more likely to go in your favour. Whether that be increased Rewards, or a lesser chance to pull the wrong card at a Blackjack table, it matters not. Titles: Forerunner: Gained only by those at the epoch of their race, they strive forwards, as masters of their destiny. +3 All Attributes. Free Points: 0

He gripped his Rare spear in tightly wound hands; pale and slightly shaking as adrenaline rushed into him. Preparing for what he knew would likely be the final confrontation, if he were not able to gain a simple escape.

It had been progressively harder as he continued his ambush'. The huge boar had been able to keep an ever greater eye on his Drift - now of only two - as it had shrunk. Now positioned behind the only other remaining boar.

Female, Alex guessed, A Sow.

He would not be able to attack it from behind, the greater boar would strike him down, so a frontal attack seemed his only possibility. Hope the leader would care enough for its final subject to not trample her for vengeance over him.

He launched himself down. Swinging his spear over his head, in hopes that he would be able to splatter her dead across the grass, and not see a drawn-out encounter that would allow the boar behind to throw a riposte back.

It was perfect.

Perfect.

Sliding behind the thick, dense skull and slipping through the muscle of her neck. Dead on impact. When he yanked his spear free, rolling backward to avoid the other boar's inevitable backlash, the tugging nearly tore her head from its body. A notification rang in his ear, confirming what Alex already knew. The sow was dead.

The boar was not.

His desperate backward roll was enough to avoid the mere twist of the boar's head, but it did nothing to dodge the charge that followed. He stumbled to the side, catching a tusk to the chest, that slashed through and opened a long, shallow wound. Quickly soaking his thin t-shirt, till it was so drenched in red it could not hold any more of the scarlet liquid and began to drip to the floor.

His attention was drawn back to the boar; quickly swinging around to meet Alex, attempting to catch his head, shearing it clean off.

Alex ducked underneath. Twisting outwards and straightening up, before racing his spear, not towards the creature's chest, holding all the major organs that Alex would need to pierce eventually, but rather its left hind leg.

He'd thought - hours before engaging the beast - about a strategy for engagement. It was far stronger than him, far tougher, and in a war of attrition the creature would win every time.

So Alex had, in all his marvellous wisdom, decided to cheat.

Target its mobility, cripple it such that, even if it were to beat Alex, it would never walk again. Then, poke it full of holes from behind and watch it bleed into the dirt. Not the most complicated of plans, but then again, complications only made things worse.

He cut to the bone. The boar's leg was the only part not covered in a hideous amount of tough, strong muscle. As the boar squealed and turned to follow him, it stumbled, its leg giving out as Alex prepared for another below behind.

He lashed out at the other back leg. Carving through muscle and bone alike as the bottom half came off at the joint. He managed two deep blows into the fatty rear before he was forced to dance away. The boar somehow managing to drag itself around with only its two front legs.

Alex danced around in a wide circle; just out of range for a retaliatory blow, before once again entering the fray, this time thudding his spear into the beast's chest.

It glanced off the boar's ribs. The power of the deflection nearly jolted the spear out of Alex's hand as he fought to remain in possession of it.

The distraction cost him precious seconds. Forcing him to retreat rather than try for a second blow, in order to avoid the boar's still mighty tusks.

This time he approached from underneath. Coming in crouched; avoiding another sideward swing of the boar, before exploding upwards, driving his spear beneath the ribs with a powerful thrust. The spearhead entered, before quickly disappearing into the guts of the animal. The shaft followed until eventually, nearly three-feet had lodged in. Alex rotated the spear in his hand; ripping outwards at a slight angle, attempting to cause a killing blow, or sufficient blood loss to behave as such anyway.

The boar froze. Stunned by pain to perfect stillness. The ding of the notification sounded and Alex knew he had done it.

Congratulations, you have killed a Level 15 Elysian Slaughter Boar. For killing a Beast above your level, you have gained bonus experience.

You have levelled up.

You are now Level 9.

Congratulations, for being within the Top 10 Competitors to vanquish an enemy at least Level 15. You have been awarded the Title: Forerunner 2 - Gained only by those at the epoch of their race, they strive forwards, as masters of their destiny.

+5 All Attributes.

This Title has overridden Title - Forerunner.

Congratulations, for defeating a significant enemy, you have been granted the Reward: Cloak of the Warlord - Uncommon.

Cloak of the Warlord - Uncommon: Stitched from the furs of defeated foes, only the Warlord is so bold as to show his conquests.

+3 Vitality. +2 Charisma.

Alex returned to his camp, and gorged on flesh.

Status Name: Alexander Aeotos Level: 9 (+1) Health: 178/310 Stamina: 136/505 Mana: 340/340 Strength: 49 (+2) Agility: 52 (+2) Vitality: 31 (+2) Intelligence: 34 (+2) Wisdom: 23 (+2) Charisma: 24 (+2) General Skills: Danger Sense 1: Level 3 - Creates a small possibility to detect imminent or possible danger, even when otherwise unknowable. Possibility will both increase and grow more accurate with levels. Primary Class: None Primary Class Skills: Secondary Class: None Secondary Class Skills: Tertiary Class: None Tertiary Class Skills: Traits: Fates Favour - Chance-based events are slightly more likely to go in your favour. Whether that be increased Rewards, or a lesser chance to pull the wrong card at a Blackjack table, it matters not. Titles: Forerunner 2: Gained only by those at the epoch of their race, they strive forwards, as masters of their destiny. +5 All Attributes. Free Points: 3