Jax had been walking for a few hours now. A handy new thing he could do was to summon a sort of bubble around himself with pure mana, which nearly eliminated the wind. Still, he was cold.

Jax was positive that the storm was getting worse the closer to the center he got. In fact, that was how Jax was navigating towards it now. The snow and wind were so bad he couldn’t hardly see in front of him, so he just walked in the direction of the storm getting worse.

Now, others might ask Jax why he was still going onwards. Clearly nobody in their right mind would just assume that everybody would willingly go into the worst of the storm to regroup, right? Well, Jax was tired of the cold. He figured that something had to be responsible for it, and everything in the Battleground was supposed to be designed for them to handle.

So, Jax was making a detour of sorts. Really it had been his goal the entire time, but he called it that because it was no longer his goal of finding other people that drove him onward.

Suddenly, Jax lurched to the left, dodging a feral little creature. As it passed, Jax swiped his longsword at it, cleaving it in two.

[Snow-kobold(lvl - 12)] slain. Exp gained.

Jax just kept moving, having already done this a few times. Jax didn’t know too much about fantasy and stuff, but he did know a little bit. Aren’t kobolds supposed to be dog-like humanoids? He asked himself. The creatures more reminded him of squirrels than anything else. Well, squirrels with claws sharp enough to tear through his armor, proven by a tear in his armor at his chest.

Jax shivered when he thought about that. A little deeper and he would be dead. But it was ok. He lived, with nothing but a scratch.

Jax took a moment to admire his sword. He hadn’t thought it would be that much better, but boy was he wrong. It was sharper than reason and that enchantment was honestly scary as hell.

As he walked, Jax experimented with his magic too. Bolts, barriers, constructs, and objects. Jax couldn’t make them quickly, and they also didn’t last too long. The only two spells he had made so far were the wind barrier and the bolt. They both had a clear purpose, which made them pretty simple.

Jax was drawn short on his magic experiments when he saw a roiling mass. He couldn’t tell exactly how far it was from him, but he guessed somewhere between three-hundred to four-hundred meters. Pausing his steps, Jax squinted.

It was a ball of churning snow, hovering in the air. There were no trees around, and Jax had a feeling there hadn’t been any in the last couple minutes of his walk. He couldn’t see into the ball, and Jax couldn’t use Identify on whatever was in it.

Jax felt wary. There was little doubt that what was causing the worsening storms was the ball in the distance, but it also seemed a little bit… far-fetched for Jax to deal with something that big. But, the System had yet to lie, so Jax pressed on, hoping that the ball was just some effect of a machine or something.

After only a few minutes, stats having made it much easier, Jax walked into what could only be called an eerily calm area. Very obviously magical, the wind and snow literally vanished in a wall when Jax was within one-hundred meters of the ball. It was strange, looking behind himself and seeing a literal wall of storm, just sitting there perfectly contained.

Jax looked up, into the ball, hoping to maybe see what was within. Still, nothing could be seen. He looked beneath it, and only a very slight crater existed, with some powdery snow being blown out of it by a faint breeze Jax couldn’t detect from the edge of the bubble.

There was nothing in the bubble except for Jax, the ball, and stark, beautiful snow. Jax looked around, hoping that maybe something would pop up if he looked hard enough, but he wasn’t kept waiting long.

“Are you satisfied?” a deep, rumbling voice sounded almost echoingly in Jax’s mind. He flinched, somehow feeling the voice coming from within the ball.

Jax turned to face the voice, “I don’t know what you mean?”

A vortex began to form in the ball, the snow within parting. “You came here, expecting something. Have I met your expectations?”

Jax didn’t really know how to answer, “Well, I didn’t know what was in here at all… so yes? Who, or what, are you? Are you responsible for the worsening snow storm?”

“Hm. Yes, I am. It is to process this into a proper meditation environment. It will be greatly beneficial to me once it is complete.” the booming voice said, sounding pleased. “Do you dislike it?... Perhaps, it is why you came. If that is the case… I ask what you intend to do about it?”

Jax felt fear begin to grip him when those last words were spoken. “I came to discover the source of the snow… Can I at least know what you’re called?”

The vortex fully parted, revealing what Jax was certain, even through his lack of fantastical knowledge, was a dragon. Well, it had no wings, which was probably the reason for its differing name.

[Frost-Wyrm Rimerapax(lvl - ??)]

“I am called Lord by lesser beings. Now you must leave. Thank this “System” for your continued existence.” the wyrm spoke with what was clearly an almost-comical level of disdain. Except it wasn’t funny at all to Jax, who was trying not to shit his pants being threatened by a dragon.

Jax swallowed, “Will you stop making the snow worse?” He would feel like this had all been for nothing if he came here just to get turned back. He was afraid, but Jax didn’t want fear to rule him.

The wyrm paused, almost uncomprehending. “Did you fail to understand my order, luminare? I commanded you to leave.” The last words were spoken in a dangerous tone, and Jax felt some rage fight back the fear that filled him.

“I came all this way to stop this storm, I can’t leave without at least an answer from the being that caused it.” He said, stepping forward. Jax was under no illusion that the wyrm would not kill him easily, but it seemed pretty limited. It didn’t seem to be able to move from the ball of snow.

“Yes. You can. Now leave… This is your last warning…” Jax was about to high-tail it out of there when a System message came to save the day.

A Frost-Wyrm has been granted future dominion of the Battleground. But, it has yet to claim it and is not the only inhabitant. Here, the threats of the lesser mean more than they otherwise would. The Frost-Wyrm is bound to the small domain he resides within right now, and the domain surrounding it grants you the power to make promises in exchange for immediate results. Promises must be fulfilled, or you will certainly die and the Wyrm’s desires are compensated in full by your death.

Jax looked at the message, feeling unsure. He wasn’t sure about how this worked. Well, he was pretty sure, but when the possibility of being wrong meant facing down an angry wyrm without any protection, Jax felt a lore less certain.

“Damnable System!... Make your declaration, worm, and know that I plan to kill you!” the Frost Wyrm growled, and Jax clenched his teeth.

“Stop the storm as best you can…” Jax said, dearly hoping his interpretation of the message was correct. He was at least sure that the wyrm was trapped in there.

“Or what? It was made clear in the message that there must be a consequence to failure. This will apply to both of us.” the wyrm rumbled angrily, and Jax cringed.

“Or die.” Jax said, but it felt like a joke, coming from his mouth while being spoken to the wyrm. Jax had begun to feel pretty superhuman, his stats making him so, but staring down a wyrm and having the same done by it… well, it made it seem very far-fetched.

The Frost Wyrm rumbled an angry laugh, “Good, it is bold. I will see you at the conclusion of your time inside this sacred ground. Then, this cursed System will bring your life to me, and grant me my recompense. In the meantime, I would like you to ponder how I will kill you. It will be gruesome.”

Jax gritted his teeth, nodded, and turned. He tried to hide his surprise when the wall of snow-storm behind him no longer existed, with there now being nothing but calm, slow snowfall. Jax just walked out into it and… paused. Where should he go next?

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Jax, stupid as it sounded, didn’t want to show that kind of attitude in front of the wyrm, so he just picked a direction and headed that way.

…

As she stood in one of the furthest reaches of the Battleground, where no snow or wind dominated the area, Domino smiled in a mellow, disconnected way while rolling some dice.

“Perfect!...” She muttered in glee as she saw the perfect thirty-six she had rolled. There was a bear about fifty meters in front of her, running straight at her. Domino glanced upward at the bear, and she pointed one hand at the dice, the other at the bear. “My fortune is your fall.” she said, her voice resonating.

Without drama or flashiness, the bear seemed to trip, its high speed making it fall onto its neck. A breaking sound echoed through the small wooded copse Domino stood within, and the bear slumped when it stopped sliding forward.

[Wood-Claw Ursine(lvl - 21)] slain. Exp gained.

Congratulations! You have reached level 15 in [Hex-Warden] class.

Congratulations! You have reached level 15 in [Gambler] profession.

Domino smiled wider. A man drew up beside her, wearing the healer robes assigned at the beginning. “Do you think we can stop him now?” The man asked, calmly eyeing Domino.

The woman sighed, brushing her robes of the leaves that had been kicked up in the bear’s slide. She raised her head after an awkward moment of doing that, then gave the man a sleepy-eyed smile, “Almost. I can take care of the boss, but asking me to take care of them all is a tall order. I don’t like those odds… once the average level in the group has risen, we’ll go and take care of them then.”

The man nodded, not pleased, but not too angry. He turned and walked back to a group of over thirty people. Domino ignored him, turning gleefully to her status, where she put all her free points into the one stat that mattered. The stat that would make her life worth living again.

Luck: 212

…

Oliver held the lizard over his head, head in one hand, chest in the other. It still struggled in his grip, thrashing and squawking as it tried to get free. Its tail kept whipping Oliver’s back and chest, meaty thumps marking each one.

Oliver, unbothered, turned to look at his group, and he smiled while twisting and pulling. The crowd muttered as Oliver was bathed in the blood of the creature that had slain ten of his group.

[Flurry Monitor(lvl - 17)] offered in sacrifice to your patron. Exp gained. Favor gained.

[Blessing of Broxis] has been strengthened to [Greater Blessing of Broxis] “Keep raving, boy. I enjoy your novel primacy.”

Oliver laughed boisterously, his inner circle smiling and laughing too. The crowd, though, just stared at the ground. They were huddled together, trying to keep warm in the cold. It had been hard before, but after Oliver’s goons stripped everyone of their armor and clothes, it had become even harder.

Oliver hadn’t had a hand in it, at least not directly, but everyone still blamed him. After all, none of his followers would have gained the courage to be so horrible without him.

Oliver breathed deeply from his nose, eyes closed, then paused. He turned his head, sniffing this way and that, then he looked straight at the center of the Battleground. Baring his teeth and opening his eyes, Oliver spoke to his closest subordinate, the only one he actually bothered interacting with personally, “The snowstorm is gone.”

The subordinate, also naked except for a loin cloth and a wolf-pelt hood, frowned, “It still snows, and the wind still howls. How do you know this?”

Oliver snorted, “I sense it, Vyke. These winds and flakes, they are nothing but vestiges of the storm that was. Soon, it will fade, and the cold will mellow.”

Vyke nodded, “If that is the case, what caused it? Why would a snowstorm suddenly cease?”

Oliver laughed energetically, “Because whoever was causing it was stopped by someone even stronger! Oh, I can’t hardly wait! We march there! Gather the flock, we leave shortly.”

Vyke nodded, turning to obey. Oliver squinted as he looked through the already-thinning snows. His grin wouldn’t stop growing, his teeth hurting from the cold that was invited onto his exposed teeth. Something to truly fight me. Not just a slaughter…

…

Marcella was glassy-eyed as she was jostled in the center of the mass. She was one of the first of Oliver’s slaves, and the only one who still lived from those times. Aside from the man himself and his close followers, of course.

She wasn’t in the Battleground, though. Her body was, but not her mind. She was a storm. Thunder. Wind. Lightning. Rain. She doomed one ship on the sea after another, laughing in accordance with the thunder, her breaths creating tornadoes and cyclones that ripped apart villages, cities, and forests. Nothing was spared her wanton, lucid wrath. She felt slightly disconnected with it all, and it bothered her.

Marcella groaned awake in the crowd when the lizard died.

Become Wrath? YES/NO

Marcella didn’t need to answer. Not really. The prompt disappeared, and her status changed completely.

[Status]:

Name: Marcella’s Wrath

Class: N/A

Race: N/A

Profession:N/A

Wrath:194

Skills: [Return to Tormenter(unique)]

…

Jax smiled relaxedly as he walked, the sun somehow in the sky. He tried studying it while walking and found it to be relatively mundane. It didn’t make sense, but the sun seemed completely identical to the one on Earth. Maybe it was an effect to remind the inhabitants of the Battleground of home?

Well, the dome was full of mysteries, which was a surprise that was getting old to Jax. He was also finding it easier and easier to navigate the landscape. Jax was back in a wooded area, pretty far from the center. The woods were thicker than what he had started in, and Jax was happy about it for one reason that he hadn’t thought he would ever be happy about: monsters.

More accurately, the experience monsters gave. Jax was currently circled by wolves, four of them, and was in a ready stance. Shield up, sword held horizontal, crouched low, Jax turned in circles, eyeing all of them.

Jax wasn’t worried. Forming one of his bolts, it only took a few seconds, gracefully provided by the wolves, for it to begin dangerously gyrating over his shoulder. Jax tucked into the back of the shield and charged the wolf that looked slightly bigger than the others.

It slobbered and snarled as it lunged, and Jax knocked it into the dirt headfirst, simultaneously deploying the mana bolt. Jax ignored both the notification and the warm shower that hit his back as he turned and blocked one wolf with the shield while skewering the other.

Jax grunted as he pulled the sword out and kicked the wolf that he had first disabled, getting jumped on by the wolf he had only just blocked. Jax ignored the pain that ignited in his calf as he slashed the wolf across its face, the unnaturally sharp sword making cutting a skull in two disturbingly easy.

Jax yelled as he smashed the pommel of the longsword into the wolf. For the first time, Jax noticed a faint energy siphon from the wolf to the sword. Jax figured this was probably the vitality drain effect, only he couldn’t see it when he cut things because of the blood and depth.

The wolf whimpered and tried to lunge again, but Jax spun aside and lashed it again with the sword.

4 x [Whispering-Wolves] slain. Exp gained.

Congratulations! You’ve reached level 11 in both class and race. Stats distributed.

Jax nodded, regaining the breath he had barely lost, reading over his message. He decided to just keep hawking back his free points, so there wasn’t much to do. He looked up, through the trees and into the rocky dome that was his world.

Jax blinked, his thoughts pausing. “Whispering?...” he muttered as he remembered the encounter. At no point had the wolves been hidden or quiet… And there was only one reason to have stealth like that if the entire pack didn’t use it.

Jax popped his shield up and reached for his sword, only a brief pause marking him as correct when two wolves jumped at him from seemingly-thin air. Jax couldn’t draw in time and was knocked onto his stomach. Jax made sure to crush the wolf in front of him on the way down, but that didn’t help him with the wolf that was standing on his sword arm and savaging his left shoulder.

Yelling, Jax tried to roll or shake free, but to no avail. The wolf relented on the shoulder and lunged for Jax’s neck, so he used his last resort.

[Adrenaline Rush] activated.

Jax rolled, this time to great effect. His sense of hearing began to wither, a faint coursing sound taking over, in tune with his heart beat. Vision narrowed, muscles tingled, and Jax felt every vein in his body gain a feeling of lightning as he rolled over the wolf and to his feet.

Jax was more conscious this time. He was now aware that recklessly assaulting his foe with no regard was a good way to cripple himself, and no King was here to let him learn the lesson with no real drawbacks.

Still, Jax couldn’t get control of his vocal cords, evidenced by him screaming barbarically while tackling the wolf around its upper legs, driving his skull into the bottom of the wolf’s head, pinning it to the ground.

Jax faintly felt a rapid pawing sensation on his chest, but he ignored it and kept squeezing tighter and tighter. Eventually, Jax felt the body in his arms stop resisting, and in the moment he was squeezing without resistance, the body warped.

Jax ignored it as he flopped over, laying on his back as he breathed raggedly. “I need something for that…” He muttered. Jax was learning something new everyday, especially since the changeling attack. Jax had begun to try and get into the mindset of a warrior, trying to stay ready for combat all the time and prepare for any eventuality. Well, that was all fine and good, but its major shortcoming was that there were a great many things he both didn’t know to prepare for, and even if he could, he had no way to combat.

These wolves were both. Jax both didn’t even think about creature’s becoming completely invisible. It just wasn’t something his human common sense brought to his mind. Also, even if he did, invisible enemies weren’t something Jax knew how to even begin to thwart. More perception would help, but that’s just brute-forcing it…

Jax shook his head. If he continued on that track, he would just become a warrior of unmatched breadth and inconsequential depth. Jax sat up, hoping that more wolves weren’t lurking somewhere.

“Now I’m gonna be jumping at shadows…” Jax muttered while grimacing. He had multiple gashes along his front, but it wasn’t too serious. Luckily. Also, while he hadn’t driven his body to oblivion like the last time, the skill left him sore as hell and feeling stiff.

Jax was about to continue the hunt he had just started when he saw a small figure about 60 meters ahead, head peeking from behind a tree. A man. Jax perked up, “Hey. Hey! Hello!” He shouted while smiling and waving. The man just stepped out from behind the tree, warily approaching while holding an axe.