Hmm… I’m a bit worried about what I might find deeper in the woods, but I’m sure I’ll be fine if I’m prepared, cautious, and vigilant. I reach back to the halberd and pull it over my shoulder, then I inspect it for a moment. It looks pretty good quality, but I’m not really a mastersmith. My other cold weapons are all of the same quality, so I should be fine for the foreseeable future.
I turn my attention back to the forest and sweep through the forest. I can’t let these things distract me. I keep going through the forest, looking for signs of water. Water sources typically lead to food, shelter, and potable water.
Damn, it’s been probably an hour since I set off, when am I gonna find some damn water!? I’m about to continue my rant when I hear a little sound. Like a small, steady roar. My ears perk up, and my eyes become filled with energy.
Yes!!! Finally! I look to the source of the sound and begin making my way over, still being vigilant. I can’t let my guard down now. Animals are almost always around water sources. I carefully move through the forest, and for the first time in a while, I’m thankful for the harsh training I received in the military. I’m able to efficiently scan the surroundings while being quiet.
After a while, I start to get annoyed. What the hell?! I heard it pretty clearly earlier, but I’m still not there yet! The sound has definitely gotten louder, but I’m still not there. It must be my enhanced senses. Curious about the amount of daylight left, I look around, then put the halberd on my back while walking towards the nearest tree. I jump as hard as I can, trying to reach a low branch I can begin climbing on, when I realize just a moment too late that I’m incomparably stronger than before.
“AHHH” I crash head-first into the solid tree branch. God, it hurts. I lay on my back, and I regret my actions. I get up, but I’m going to be careful this time. It wouldn’t be a great way to die, from self-inflicted head trauma. I’m curious now. How high can I jump? I walk over to a small clearing and jump straight up as hard as I can. Immediately, I soar past the world record high jump immediately, and I only crescendo at just a few feet below the top of the trees. I feel so good!!! I feel the wind in my clothes, and I smile. I look down just before I begin to descend, and my gut twists just a little.
When I hit the ground, I roll. I probably don’t need to, what, with my super-bones, but I do it anyway. I’m not going to risk anything for something as stupid as this. I walk up to a tall tree, and this time, I’m going to jump to the top.
I ready myself, aim at a branch near the top, and then I explode off the ground. I reach for my chosen branch and grab hold of its underside. My fingers dig into the wood about an inch, and I cling to the branch. The feeling of strength is still super pleasurable. I pull myself up onto the branch as thick as an elephant's leg. I then hop up a few branches and look out over the forest.
The sun looks like it’s going to go down in about an hour… I need to hurry to the water. There might be a cave nearby if I’m lucky, and hopefully said cave is not inhabited by a powerful creature.
I jump down and roll along the mossy ground. I don’t have much time left in the day, and I saw the waterfall in the distance from the tree. I can probably make it in time at my current pace, but I won’t have much time to find and make a good shelter. I have to rush.
I begin to run towards the waterfall, then immediately faceplant. My foot went faster than I expected and I tripped on a bigger root. I groan and rub the dirt off my face. I stand up and begin a slow jog again, this time vigilant of my surroundings. This sucks! I hope it gets easier to get used to stats.
After a moment of jogging, I think I’m ready to run. Let’s do that! I speed up and begin to speed up exponentially. I dodge left, right, up, down. I weave through trees, branches, and roots like a ghost. I feel so cool right now!!! I’m running about 30 miles per hour, but if I sprint I can probably reach the 40’s.
Soon, I burst through a wall of bushes and branches into a small clearing with a waterfall. And I didn’t expect it to appear so suddenly. Before I can stop, I’m already running atop the surface of the water. I make it about three feet in until I make a slightly slow footfall and crash into the water.
*Ding, gained skill [Water Walking(lv.1)]
I stand in the water, it was pretty shallow, and I’ve gotta say, that was pretty awesome! I ran across the water for a second! I don’t know why the hell it’s called water “walking,” because I was certainly not walking, but hey, I’ll take a new skill any day.
Suddenly, my attention is pulled to my surroundings. And I notice three things. One, this waterfall is pretty small, and it even has a little cave, perfect for a base of operations. Two, there are many small creatures at the edge of the basin, but they are warily retreating after my disturbing arrival. Three, there is a horse. An ordinary looking horse. It was drinking water, unperturbed by my presence.
The other animals are all backing away, scared of me. Not the horse though. I’m curious now, what the hell is up with this horse? Is it stupid, or is it strong? Maybe it just doesn’t care? Let’s see what’s up with this horse.
I walk up to the equine, and it raises its head, then it snorts and begins drinking again. The horse is ignoring me? I don’t know a lot about horses, but I’m pretty sure wild horses are pretty easily spooked. Why is this one so calm? Hmm, it would be nice if I could have a horse. I won’t have as much trouble with stamina and travel speed. I mean, a horse in a world with stat points has to be fast, right?
I don’t know a lot about horse taming, but I don’t need to, I think. I’m a Druid, and I have the Druidic bond, and the Beast bond skill. As a matter of fact, what’s the difference between them?
“Inquiry, beast bond. Inquiry, Druidic bond.”
*Ding, inquiry answerable. Beast bond: You possess an affinity that beasts find attractive with a certain level of intelligence. You are able to form a bond between yourself and the beast, making it anything from your slave, to your master.
*Ding, inquiry answerable. Druidic bond: Only Druids can have this skill, as they are the envoys of Nature. You can only have one Druidic bond, and it makes you able to summon the PIP, otherwise known as the pet influence panel. You are able to distribute the stat points and influence the skills of your Druidic Familiar. Note that any beast under this skill has no limit to their growth other than how strong the Druid is.
That seems handy. So Beast bond is just making a small servant bond, while Druidic bond is basically making the beast your own personal tool. This horse seems pretty normal, so I probably shouldn’t waste my Druidic Bond on it, but then again, horses can make excellent war companions. They are fast, strong, and incredibly loyal. If I can make the horse a purely fast and strong companion, I can focus less on those attributes. And I don’t really have any idea what else I would use the skill on.
I think I’ll use it on the horse. It might be a bad decision, but I’m not going to rest all of my battle ability in another entity, so making a support is probably a good idea.
I think about using the skill, and it cooperates with me. I feel it reach towards the horse, and the horse raises it’s head again, the odd equine eyes staring at him. Then a notification blares in front of me.
*Ding, you have made a preliminary Druidic Bond. Would you like to solidify the bond with the [Infantile Warhorse]? Note, evolutions will be available down the line, you can redistribute all stat points, and it will level with you.
Yes. And I can redistribute the Warhorses stats? That’s better than I hoped.
*Ding, Druidic Bond established. Give your Familiar a name to gain access to the PIP.
A name, huh. Well, he’s already pretty big, and he’s called infantile, not even young, so he’s probably going to get pretty big. And he’s a Warhorse. I think I’ll name him Ares. Yeah, a gigantic horse charging around the battlefield, crushing the rocks and bones beneath it, it only feels right to call it Ares.
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*Ding, [Infantile Warhorse] has been given the name Ares. You now have access to the PIP.
Cool, that’s done. Ares is now standing next to me, and he’s surprisingly okay with what is happening. I wonder why? Anyway, Ares nudges my right arm, wanting something. What does it need? The PIP?
*Initializing PIP… Ready for operation.
Name: Ares
Alias: Not yet Chosen
Race: Infantile Warhorse
Sub-race: Not Yet Evolved
HP:60/60
MP:30/30
SP:60/60
Stats:9
Physical:6
Strength:2
Speed:2
Coordination:2
Mental:3
Mental Strength:1
Cognition:1
Mental Capacity:1
Free points: 140
Titles: [Warmonger]
Skills: Charge, Stampede, 3 other skills available for choosing.
Whoa, it has some pretty small stats. But before I distribute its stats, let’s see its skills.
*Ding, you can choose 3 skills from the skill list below:
Warpath
Hurdle
Silent hoof
Basic speed boost
…
There are a lot of skills, and I can only pick three. I need to think about both our paths. I don’t really know what I want to specialize in, but I know what I don’t. I don’t want to be a ranged fighter, as safe as the option is. I’m not strategic enough, and that just isn’t how I roll. I also don’t want to roll down the path of making others fight for me. It decentralizes my strength and makes my entire life a weak point in a battle. I want to keep at mid-range, like with a spear, halberd, lance, or greatsword. I want to be proficient in close combat, too.
But a mid-range fighter is pretty good for horse-back combat. I want Ares to be strong, fast, and durable. So I’m going to forgo magic skills like warpath, which basically makes Ares like a Tron bike of elements. He would leave a path of destructive elemental energy, but I want Ares to focus on Physical Stats.
For his skills, I think I’ll pick Basic Speed Boost, Silent Hoof, and Hurdle. There are others to choose from, but those caught my eye. They are all pretty self-explanatory, except maybe Hurdle. It allows Ares to jump an incredible distance and height. It has a long cooldown, but it will be useful in both battle and travel.
For stats, I’ll stick to an even distribution between the Physical Stats and Cognition. It would make Ares more reactive and is necessary for making him a war mount.
But, now that I think about it, the measly three in the Mental Stats explains Ares' stupidity. But hopefully Cognition will fix that. After I distribute the Stats, the PIP looks like this:
Name: Ares
Alias: Not yet Chosen
Race: Infantile Warhorse
Sub-race: Not Yet Evolved
HP:1110/1110
MP:380/380
SP:1110/1110
Stats:149
Physical:111
Strength:37
Speed:37
Coordination:37
Mental:38
Mental Strength:1
Cognition:36
Mental Capacity:1
Free points: 0
Titles: [Warmonger]
Skills: Charge, Stampede, Basic Speed Boost, Hurdle, Silent Hoof
Overall, I’m happy with it. Ares should serve me well in this new world, hopefully.
Ares jumps on his hind hooves and neighs in pleasure. I guess the stat pleasure is a universal thing.
When Ares calms down, I reach over and pet his head, and he likes it. “Okay, Ares, let’s see if riding a horse is as difficult as they say.” I’ve never ridden a horse before, so let's find out how hard it is. I jump on Ares back, and immediately notice that it’s going to be very difficult to ride like this and stay stable. I squeeze my legs around Ares ribs, making sure I only squeeze hard enough to stay atop him. I lightly tap Ares on the side, and he begins to trot.
Oh, boy, this is going to take a while to get used to…
----------------------------------------
After 2 more hours of riding around the waterfall basin, I can safely say that I can ride a horse bare-back without looking like an idiot. It took blood, sweat and tears, but I learned a new skill.
*Ding, you have gained the [Horse Riding] skill
I sit atop Ares and nudge him towards the cave beside the waterfall. I need shelter for the night, water and food taken care of already. The cave is pretty tall, so I ride Ares in. I can’t see any creatures in here, and the cave is quite shallow. I dismount Ares and look around. I throw my duffle to the ground and open it up. I take out my sleeping bag and the bolster that came with it, then lay it in a corner of the cave. I begin taking things out of my bag and finding homes for them. I plan on making this place my home for the foreseeable future, after all.
I had been thinking about it while practicing riding Ares in the clearing. This place had plenty of water, plenty of game, it wasn’t too far from the edge of the forest, and the cave was perfect. I’m going to be living on this planet for the foreseeable future, so I need a home or base. This place fits the bill almost perfectly.
I finish putting all my things down around the cave, then I plop down in a corner and finally begin to explore the wip, in depth.
Name: Mark Plymouth
Alias: N/A
Race: Druid
Class: Not Yet Named
HP: 640/640
MP: 670/670
SP: 636/640
Stats:131
Physical: 64
Strength: 22
Speed: 21
Coordination: 21
Mental: 67
Mind Strength: 22
Cognition: 23
Mental Capacity: 22
Free Points: 18
Titles: [Pathfinder], [Shepherd]
Skills: [Grappling(lv.1)], [Druidic Bond(lv.1)], [Beast Bond(lv.1)], [Call to Nature(lv.1)], [Infinite Paths], [Horse Riding(lv.1)]
This is also going to take a while.
……………
After a long study session, this is my summary. Alias is just what appears when someone attempts to identify you. And you can make it anything you want. I made mine Soldier, because I want people to know that I’m a fighter for the people. My class is still not named, but I did that on purpose. I can name it anything, anytime I want, but I only have one chance to name it, and I want the name to be appropriate.
Next up, I figured out how to edit my wip, and I reconfigured the whole thing into a more coherent form.
Name: Mark Plymouth
Class: TBD
Level: 14
Race: Druid
Race Level: 28
Profession: N/A
Profession Level:N/A
HP: 640/640
MP: 670/670
SP: 433/640
Stats:131
Physical: 64
Strength: 22
Speed: 21
Coordination: 21
Mental: 67
Mind Strength: 22
Cognition: 23
Mental Capacity: 22
Free Points: 18
Titles: [Pathfinder], [Shepherd]
Skills: [Grappling(lv.1)], [Druidic Bond], [Beast Bond], [Call to Nature(lv.1)], [Infinite Paths)], [Horse Riding(lv.1)]
It now has my level, class level, and profession related bits on it. I’m starting to notice that the wip and the gods didn’t explain very well what was up. Maybe they want us to figure it out, but I don’t know why. Anyway, I also figured out that my total level is just the average of my class and profession levels. Since I don’t have a profession, my class level is double my total level.
Now, my skills are different. I was wondering why I only had a few skills, and then I noticed it. I had a notification in my vision that I hadn’t thought about. It told me that I could pick more skills. I get skill points every level, only one, but I can spend them in the Skill Store. I have 28 skill points, so I get one skill point every class level. Maybe every profession level too, but I don’t know about that yet.
And that’s all. It took me 2 hours, and it’s well past dark outside. I now know everything about the wip, at least everything available to me now. Oh! That’s right, and I also figured out the description of my skills. Call to Nature let me manipulate the unintelligent life in the surrounding. Things like roots, vines, small bugs and creatures, branches, anything. It took MP and was overall pretty awesome.
Actually, that gives me an idea. Curious, I stand and walk to the entrance of the cave. I focus on the vines around the cave mouth, and activate the skill. The vines begin growing, wriggling, and shifting about until the vines grow over the entrance. I make it so that I can push a little on a flap, and it will swing open, like a door.
After that, I focus on the grass outside, and force is to spread into the cave, only letting the soft grass enter. After I’m done, I’ll have a nice grassy carpet in the cave. Tired, I walk over to my sleeping bag and lay down. It’s been a long day, I’m going to sleep well.
I start unwinding while recounting today's achievements. I accomplished a lot, in my opinion. I acquired an obedient and strong horse, I found some excellent shelter and made it mine, I learned more about the wip and pip, and I gave myself an alias. What a productive day.