> Jack of all trades, but master of none. It took me quite some time to find the answers, but there is a definite cap on the amount of essence I can consume. My skills are still developing as time goes on, but the essence that I absorb from defeated opponents only fuels the skills I currently possess. It no longer adds new abilities. I can communicate with nature because I absorbed those Woodlings, but it makes me sour to the core... knowing that I can't replace that useless ability with something more powerful.
>
> The key to this is building a solid foundation. I found the texts of a former Hero that documented some of their own findings. For some reason, the Kingdom had redacted quite a lot of the text, but that's not the important part. That Hero suggested that there is a way to combine certain abilities, which would make one skill more powerful and free up some space to learn something new! If there's a way to do it, I'm going to find it!
Ralph closed the journal and placed it back on the ground. David's priorities were miles apart from what Ralph was currently experiencing. Proof of that was the rabbit hole of information that Ralph had to stop himself from falling into. That passage did not differ from the others, in that it had the same etchings at the side, prompting Ralph to go to another entry to find out more information.
Shaking his head and rotating his shoulder-blades, Ralph attempted to relieve some of the tension that had built up in his body. He just needed to stop being so reactionary and instead be proactive. He wouldn't be able to help David if all he did was stand in a field and get attacked by everything that encountered him.
"Solid foundation. Let's start with that."
Ralph muttered out loud as he ripped his bloodied jumpsuit at the arms and torso. The wet fabric was prohibiting his movement, so he wanted to get rid of that first. He kept the lower body part of the jumpsuit intact and tied it at the waist for convenience. Ralph tore the torso fabric into strips of material that he wrapped around his hands. It was pitiful armour, but would at least offer him more flexibility and range of movement.
Suddenly, a sensation tickled at the back of his mind. It was more distinct than last time, and Ralph knew exactly what it meant. There was another Stalker attempting to ambush him.
Instead of waiting until the last moment and flailing attacks at the creature, Ralph tried to keep his composure this time as he turned to face the Stalker. When his eyes found the creature, it surprised him to find that he could see the creature clearly. It was a massive relief to not have to face an invisible assassin, and now that he had a clear opponent, it allowed him to remain calm.
The Stalker's long limbs hung in midair as it floated closer to where Ralph was waiting, when suddenly it stopped. One of its limbs had brushed against the corpse of a defeated Stalker, and it was as though it suddenly understood the situation. Its hesitation to proceed was a clear sign of the creature's intelligence, but Ralph didn't want to give it any time to adapt to the situation. He burst forward with his left arm extended to maintain a sense of range, whilst simultaneously pulling back his right fist to deliver a crushing blow. The Stalker didn't move at all until Ralph was inches away, but by then it was too late. Ralph's fist connected with what he hoped was its head, and a loud snap echoed through the night. The Stalker slumped to the ground in a quivering heap, stunned in one hit.
Ralph finally understood why they became defenseless after being knocked out of the air. The Stalker's long limbs struggled to find purchase on the ground while its wings fluttered uselessly against the grass. It genuinely looked like a monstrous version of Bambi, trying to navigate the ice. Instead of slaughtering it in a hail of fists and kicks, Ralph took a step back and studied the creature in a bit more detail. It was only a coincidence that he had discovered the head was a weak spot, and he didn't want to rely on chance when his life was on the line.
One limb that flailed around uselessly suddenly swiped viciously at Ralph, but he had the sense to keep his distance from it. A pale blue glow that surrounded the underside of the limb caught his attention, and Ralph instinctively knew that it was dangerous. As if to clarify his suspicions, the glowing limb flailed against the grass, shearing it cleanly and scorching the surrounding area.
If the Stalker's had used that attack on him first, he knew that he probably would have died immediately. Ralph continued to keep his distance as he watched the dying throes of the creature. The blue light flickered away, as the thrashing of the limbs grew weaker and weaker. He couldn't be sure, but he thought the creature was in a state of panic because it had just received an attack. He was sure that it could self-right itself if it wasn't under severe duress.
A few moments later, a familiar ball of essence emerged from the Stalker's corpse and Ralph happily activated it. There was a bigger difference this time, since his body didn't need to be healed. There were no aches to address or cuts on his hands, so it completely funneled the essence into strengthening his burgeoning skills. Of those skills, Ralph was only aware of the detection ability that was growing in range with each successful kill. No matter what David had said about building a solid foundation, Ralph was positive that having a threat detector was an invaluable asset in a world filled with monsters.
Instead of immediately returning to the book at his feet, Ralph closed his eyes and explored his senses. He wanted to see if he could push the boundaries of his detection ability or at least discover its range. Not only was he able to sense a few more Stalkers in the area, he could feel how strong they were. It was difficult for him to understand how or why he knew how difficult they would be to kill, but he just... knew. Ralph kept his eyes closed as he swept the area, imagining his mind like sonar on how he pushed his consciousness outward to feel his surroundings. The pings he got back to his mind felt like GPS coordinates on exactly how far they were from him.
Ralph exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes and looked around himself at the open fields. There were dozens of Stalkers within his range, none of them were aware of his presence either, which meant he could hunt them down with relative ease. He had discovered something that made him feel quite uneasy. There were only two areas that weren't currently populated with Stalkers. Where Ralph was sitting, and a wide area to his two o'clock. His senses were telling him that the Stalkers were actively avoiding that area, but he couldn't be sure why. His common sense was telling him that there was likely a more powerful enemy there. Fear was one of the greatest motivators in avoiding an area, and Ralph had already created his plan.
"Sorry David, but you can't come along for this part."
Ralph apologised to the journal as he wrapped it in a large section of cloth from his torn jumpsuit. He was especially careful to not let the bloodied parts of it touch the edges of the pages. After he was sure that it was secure, he dug at the soil with his hands, making a shallow enough hole in the ground.
In an open field, there weren't many hiding spaces for the journal, and Ralph knew that holding onto it would be a handicap while going into battle. A splash of blue blood would be all it would take to render the item useless. He needed to fight with no distractions, and that's what the journal currently was to him.
After a few minutes, he was back on his feet and dusting his hands off. The journal was safely hidden, and Ralph pushed it out of his mind. There was no point in worrying about its safety when he was literally surrounded by monsters. David had survived on his own, so there was literally no reason Ralph wouldn't be able to do the same. If he second-guessed all of his decisions and had to check with what David had done, he'd end up as a clone of David's experiences.
Ralph knew what he needed to do. His detection ability was getting stronger with each kill, so he just needed to kill more Stalkers to finally sense what was in that area of dead space. Before he set off in search of more Stalkers, Ralph knelt beside his most recent kill and started pulling at its limbs. He had no idea if he'd be able to fashion a useful weapon out of the carcass, but it was worth a try. A few tugs and twists later, Ralph held the curved limb that had tried to kill him. When he attempted a few cutting motions in the air, the limb snapped and practically disintegrated in his hands.
"Punching it is."
Ralph muttered to himself as he dusted his hands and closed his eyes to focus on his surroundings. He guessed that he'd probably be able to do it with his eyes opened, but having them closed for now helped him concentrate. Very little had changed since he had last checked, which strangely put him at ease. He had this gnawing feeling that his detection ability was going to pick up way more enemies this time around, but thankfully it wasn't the case.
Clenching his fists, Ralph opened his eyes and set off towards the nearest Stalker. This was going to be a change of pace but it still comforted him. He was no longer the one being hunted. He was the hunter. That clarity and purpose was great for keeping the torrent of conflicting thoughts out of his head. He didn't have the luxury to sit around and read about this world when there were so many things trying to kill him. His first point of business was to get stronger. Build his foundation to a point where he didn't feel anxious or weak. That area that he couldn't sense was making him anxious, so it was going to be the first milestone to overcome.
After a few moments, Ralph's long strides slowed to a halt. Two Stalkers were close, and he hesitated only for a second before rushing forward into an attack. He had killed one of them with a single attack, so he replicated that attack on the nearest of the two. Just like the previous encounter, the Stalker's could not detect his approach until the last moment... but an additional problem quickly became apparent as his fist connected with the creature's head.
The other Stalker immediately retaliated when its kin was attacked, which would have been fine if he the first one had went down in one hit.
Ralph gritted his teeth as he pivoted on his heel and tried to bring his momentum around to kick the approaching Stalker. His first strike had only dazed the Stalker, which left its floating frame dangerously close to his body. Ralph put all of his strength into his kick while he looked at the first Stalker anxiously. If it had a fast recovery time, then Ralph would be a sitting duck in this situation. He knew he couldn't only half commit to the attacks in a life or death situation. He just needed to trust in his first punch. It was strong enough to daze the Stalker.
The kick connected with the second Stalker and definitely killed it. The clue for its instant death was when it exploded in a shower of blue blood on impact.
Unfortunately, the momentum of the kick was dragging Ralph further from his first target and he couldn't position himself correctly. It meant he couldn't put any power behind a follow-up attack.
As if understanding the opportunity, the first Stalker pressed forward with its skewer like face poised for attack.
Desperation welled up in Ralph, and he reverted to attacks he hadn't used in years. In a fraction of a second, he had unclenched his fist and drawn his hand back.
The Stalker didn't even register the movement until it was too late.
Ralph chopped his hand at the Stalker's side, knowing that it was likely going to be ineffective, but he had to try.
A surge of energy whipped through Ralph's body and channelled through his left arm and fingertips.
Blue light flashed and solidified into a small ethereal blade that protruded from his outstretched hand.
Ralph could only gape at the unfamiliar sensation, but that shock quickly turned to amazement as the blade cleanly sliced through the Stalker.
"What the fuck... What the fuck... What the fuck..."
Ralph repeated as he fell to his knees and looked at the pulsating energy that was covering his hand. It released some type of smokey vapour into the air as it fizzled and crackled with energy.
Before he could make any sense of it, the two balls of essence were pulled towards Ralph's body, but he didn't even notice until the power surged through him.
The blue blade instantly reacted to the consumed essence and grew longer, wider and more vibrant.
Ralph held his breath as he extended his other hand and mirrored the outstretched palm. A part of him expected it to create another blade, but he was both disappointed and relieved to see that it didn't change at all.
"Okay, second test."
Ralph said aloud, hoping to calm his thundering heart.
He wiggled his fingers on the hand that was relieved to see that the blade disappeared.
Despite the glow disappearing from his hand, he could still feel a buildup of energy that was pulsating throughout his arm. The sensation was getting stronger and stronger in his arm, and Ralph recalled the faint blue glow that the Stalker's limb had shown before he killed it. Was this blue blade one of their attacks? Well, obviously it had to be... since it was impossible for him to have learned it by himself. The essence that he absorbed had strengthened the blade in front of his own eyes, so there really was no denying it.
Ralph looked over his shoulder to where the exploded corpse of the second Stalker lay. He had somehow pulled their essence into his body... which was a new anomaly compared to the first few times that he had to poke the essence with his finger. Was it another ability? There were so many questions and Ralph pushed out the single solution that kept popping into his head.
Check the book.
Shaking his head, Ralph dismissed the idea. He couldn't run to the book for every little discovery, otherwise he'd end up depending on it. Instead, he focused on what he could do right now. Which meant understanding what the hell he just did.
Ralph opened his palm in a reconstruction of what he did earlier and nothing happened. If he wanted to use this ability in the future, he needed to control it. He didn't know if he needed to be amid battle to use it. One thing he was certain of was the fact that David never had to deal with this situation. He had never actually killed a Stalker, so the odds of him having absorbed their signature abilities were quite low.
When nothing happened to Ralph's hand, he instead focused his attention on the energy sensation that was built up in his arm. It was like the numbing tingle he had experienced before with the cuts from the silver grass, but the building tension in his arm felt... good?
Ralph couldn't really explain what was happening and instead tried to coax the energy forward by first flexing his bicep. When that didn't work, he clenched his forearm and felt the energy move forward. It suddenly struck him.
He had been clenching his fist before he moved to an open palm.
"So if we do this?"
Ralph tensed his arm and clenched his fist for a moment before finally releasing the tension and opening his palm outward.
Instead of a small blue blade that appeared above his fingertips, an ethereal sleeve covered Ralph's entire palm and wrist. It was shaped like the tip of a sword, and it extended at least three inches above his fingers.
"What... the fuck?"
Ralph just stared in shock at his hand.
He repeated the process with his other arm, and it surprised him to see that it worked perfectly. The only difference was that the blade on his left arm shrank to match the modest blade on his right arm. It was like the power had divided equally between his two palms.
Ralph's exasperated expression eventually transformed into a grin as he realised how much destructive power he had just gained.
Activating his detection ability, Ralph moved onto his next group of Stalker targets.
What surprised him the most was how excited he was to try his new abilities.