Blake patiently waited on the thick tree branch, over forty feet in the air. By now, his scent had wafted down to the level three Lupus, and it was only a matter of time before they investigated in the morning light.
Let’s see what these arrows can do.
Initially, Blake was tempted to increase the difficulty of his current scenario to level four, as he had done the day before. However, before he risked his life to that degree, he needed to see how well his new arrows performed. Of course, his mother’s frown that morning may have also factored into his decision.
Blake absently slid his fingers along the bow’s string.
He considered the weapon he received as a reward almost a week before. When he chose the item originally, none of the scenario rewards were upgrades. He decided to add it to their growing armory, as he held no real interest in the item until he received the enhanced quiver.
The bow was level three, with a draw weight of three hundred and twenty pounds. Like most nano-infused equipment, it was far more durable than anything produced by humans, and given time, was able to self-repair. In addition to the standard enhancements, it also granted the user a single point of Physical Power.
It was a good weapon, but without a large supply of nano-enhanced arrows, it was useless. His faction did not yet have a fletcher, and even if they did, they could not have produced arrows potent enough to kill level four Lupus.
Blake eyed the special projectile in his left hand.
A standard arrow was hardened by nano until it was capable of penetrating the hardened skin or hide of level one enemies. If it was coupled with a bow of the same rank, it was capable of eliminating a level one enemy in just two or three hits. One, if you were especially lucky or skilled, and struck a critically weak area.
Each new level of arrow required a higher mastery by the fletcher, along with a greater infusion of nanomachines. Even then, it required multiple hits to take down an equal level enemy, and a quiver could only hold so many arrows.
However, the arrow in his hand could be infused with chi, which allowed it to eliminate an enemy in a single strike. Unfortunately, when the chi exploded within his target, the projectile would be destroyed along with it. Eventually, a fletcher and an enchanter could work together to produce arrows similar to the ones in his quiver, but that process was both time-consuming and expensive.
Blake’s quiver bypassed all of that, and fed on his mana to produce a new enchanted arrow every five minutes.
Such a cheat.
A sudden snap of a branch to his left pulled Blake from his thoughts to the present. He used his Mind Sense to detect the patrol, and grinned when the ping returned the location of four mental signatures. They were not bunched together tightly. Instead, they cast about the forest floor for his scent.
Perfect.
Just as a lone Lupus entered his line of sight, Blake began to channel Adjustable Dampen Sound. He placed his enchanted arrow on the bow’s shelf with the fletching lightly between his fingers, infused it with his chi, and then pulled back on the string. Blake easily maintained the over three hundred pounds of draw, as he lined up his shot.
Now!
He released the arrow and watched as it sped toward the lone Lupus at close to the speed of sound. His channeled aether spell hid the twang of his bow, but could do nothing to hide the sudden explosion that took place within the monster’s rib cage. The bones could not contain the blast and destroyed its precious hide after they were turned into shrapnel.
Well shit. Oh well, Elan’s still busy with yesterday’s hide anyway.
The sudden explosion startled the rest of the patrol, and they quickly investigated. They slowly approached their dead comrade as they searched for its cause of death, wary of a trap. That was when the next Lupus exploded.
Two down, two to go.
Its pack mates immediately recoiled. When they could not immediately find the source of their companion’s death, they howled and fled. Blake fired his next arrow and completely obliterated another Lupus.
That’s three.
Unfortunately, the final pack member used Alacrity to speed its retreat, and his next arrow missed.
Oh no you don’t!
There was no doubt in Blake’s mind that it would gather reinforcements. He disabled his aether spell, leapt off the sturdy branch, and plummeted to the ground. Fifteen feet from impact, he used a Charged Guided Spatial Step to eliminate his momentum and suddenly appeared safe on the ground. He sprinted after the fleeing monster and activated Alacrity to double his speed.
This is so much easier when I can see.
Blake sped through the open forest at over a hundred miles an hour. The last time he had done so was in the dark, where he could barely see and was in constant danger of tripping over a dead tree.
This time, however, the act was exhilarating.
With his high Physical Power, he quickly gained ground on the Lupus. He used a Directed Mind Blast to stun the beast as it galloped at breakneck speeds. The monster’s high speed gallop immediately transformed to a tumble until it slammed into a tree.
It lay, stunned, as Blake slowed to approach. He looped his bow through his arm, and retrieved his spear from his back. Blake charged the tip with chi, and pierced the monster’s exposed underside with its tip. An instant later, it died.
This is even easier than I thought.
Blake had no doubt that the level four Lupus would present a greater challenge if he had chosen the higher level scenario. They had higher attributes, and a greater selection of spells from which to choose. However, the ease in which he eliminated a pack of Lupus a full level above him was ridiculous.
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He recalled how in his past life, it required months of fighting with Montgomery, Jeff, and Rajesh before they gained enough confidence to increase the difficulty the first time. When they eventually did so, Jeff almost lost his leg, and they were forced to remain on the sidelines until he recovered. It was almost a year before they completed scenarios a level above them without injury.
As Blake pulled his spear from the corpse, he heard the crunch of leaves behind him. He instinctively dove to the side, but his movements were slowed. Blake felt a burning pain along his ribs as a Lupus raced past him.
Shit! It must have teleported!
Blake immediately activated Mind Sense, and winced as a spike of pain shot up his brain stem. The ping revealed that a pack of five surrounded him, and Blake was able to use the knowledge to his advantage.
With his bow looped through his shoulder, and his spear in his left hand, he whirled and cast Gale. Two Lupus were caught in the blast of wind, and tumbled away. Suddenly, his movements returned to normal speed. He grasped his weapon with both hands, channeled chi through into its tip, and immediately thrust it into the chest of the next closest Lupus.
I wonder if this will work.
While his spear remained lodged within the corpse, he cast a Charged Guided Spatial Step. Blake suddenly appeared behind the teleporting Lupus and thrust his empowered weapon deep into its flank.
It works!
Unfortunately, he was out of charges, and according to his interface, could not teleport for another minute and a half. He abandoned his spear lodged within the dying beast and retrieved an enchanted arrow from his quiver.
Blake ignored the two Lupus that had yet to recover from his Gale, and loosed an arrow at a chi user. The projectile pierced through its Hardened Shell, and the subsequent explosion liquified its insides.
Yes!
Unfortunately, by the time he drew another arrow, the aether user had recovered and cast a Blinding Light. The spell somehow bypassed his high Magic Resistance and destroyed his vision. Blake immediately used Focused Regeneration on his poor eyes, and in a snap decision decided to use Mind Sense once again.
Blake struggled against the sudden, intense pain that flooded his head as the location of the final two Lupus were revealed. He blindly released an arrow and grunted in satisfaction when he heard the beast yelp. An instant later, it exploded.
Just one left.
He absently wiped the blood from beneath his nose and listened intently for any sign of his last enemy. When he could not immediately hear the rustle of leaves or the snap of branches, he grew alarmed. Blake would have heard it flee, and there was no chance it remained still.
It must be using Dampen Sound!
Blake braced himself before he cast one last Mind Sense. The intense agony brought him to his knees, but the location of his final enemy was revealed to him. Before the ping faded from his mind, he drew back his arrow and released it.
Unfortunately, with the monster’s spell active, he could not hear if his shot had successfully landed. He quickly opened his interface and searched through the log. When a final entry appeared, he sighed in relief.
Once he was certain he was safe, Blake slumped to the ground frozen in pain. Blood dripped from both his ears and nose, and his thoughts turned cloudy.
I need to fix this.
Blake changed the target of his regeneration to his pounding head and remained prone on the ground until the agony finally receded. When his thoughts finally cleared, he realized that his vision had also returned.
He gingerly sat up and glanced at his blood filled hands. A quick inspection of the rest of his body revealed that he was completely covered in the sanguine liquid. He imagined his parents' reaction to his current state.
That’s a lot of blood. Definitely need to clean off before I get back.
Luckily, when he traveled back to Earth, he would be immediately immersed within the water filled gravel pit. It would do an amazing job of clearing away any dried blood and entrails. Unfortunately, he would have to remain unclean until he finished the scenario and retrieved his reward.
What I wouldn’t give for a Cleanse right about now.
The mana-based spell conjured roiling water to quickly scrub its target clean of filth. It was not a commonly chosen ability, as it had no use in direct combat. However, the utility it provided could not be denied. The spell was something both he and Rajesh begged Montgomery to take, but the man had refused. Instead, he had chosen yet another fire based ability.
Hopefully Oliver finishes the scent potion soon.
Unlike most alchemy creations, the user did not consume it. Instead, it came in a much larger vial, and was poured directly over their head. The nano-infused liquid detected all nearby scents and produced its own to negate them. This meant that it would not just hide his body’s natural odor, but would hide the smell of his leather armor, blood soaked spear, and anything else that would give his position away.
I should probably wait until he makes me a batch before I take on a level four scenario again.
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Hours later, he finally returned home, and was met at the cookhouse with a large group of natives. Over thirty people crowded inside the packed room, and every chair was taken. When someone noticed his entrance, they alerted the others and all conversation ended.
He was immediately bombarded with questions. One even asked about his odd odor.
I guess the bath didn’t get everything.
Blake raised a hand into the air and shouted, “Everyone, hold up! Wait till my mother gets here to take notes.” After a moment, he added, “And let me get something to eat real quick, I’ve been fighting all day, and I’m starving.”
He received a few knowing chuckles, and they allowed him the time he needed to recover. Blake contacted his mother so she would be present and then walked into the kitchen. He found his father in front of a stove top. The man stirred spices into a boiling pot of stew as he hummed to himself, happily.
“Oh, hey Blake. How’s it going?” Peter asked when he noticed his son’s presence.
“It’s going fine,” he answered evasively.
His father snorted. “Really? Because it looks like you came in here to avoid that crowd outside. And you need a bath.”
Blake glanced at his wet clothes and shrugged. “Maybe, a little, but I AM hungry. I figured I’d go straight to the source.”
“Well, you’re in luck. This is the new, improved level four Lupus stew. It’s almost finished, and you can tell me how it turned out.”
“Sure thing,” Blake agreed. “It can’t be worse than answering all those questions.”
“You know, you should probably make it a regular thing. Every evening after supper, you stick around to answer questions for an hour. I’m sure people would appreciate it.”
“Yeah, I was thinking I should, too,” Blake sighed. “Plus, it would help me learn everyone’s names. I didn’t even realize Debra was our enchanter this morning until I used Analyze on her.”
“She’s a lucky woman,” Peter said. “That’s a sought after class, and she got the only slot. At least until we upgrade the enchanting hall, anyway.”
Blake nodded. “Yeah, after Invasion day, most people are going to be stuck with a general laborer class.”
“That’s an actual class?” his father asked as he ground pepper into the stew.
“Yeah. It allows you to assist people like enchanters and alchemists. You can even replicate their abilities. Unfortunately, you won’t get mastery from any of it or level on your own.”
“That’s rough,” Peter remarked.
Blake nodded. “Yeah, but when a slot opens up, they can change classes.”
“I don’t remember reading any of this in that guide you and your mother made. Was it added in the latest update?”
Blake sighed and rubbed his temples. “No, it wasn’t. I guess that’s another thing I need to add. Maybe I should have Metal make a guide.”
His father chuckled. “The job never ends, does it?”
“No it doesn’t,” Blake agreed.