Joe, having retrieved his weapons decided to leave the bodies alone. They weren’t human, so he wouldn’t bury them, but he would not loot them either. He needed to find Bixby. And with that thought, a notification appeared.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companion [Bixby] has earned the skill, Claw Tier 1.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companion [Bixby] has earned the ability, Shred. When using a Claw attack, Shred adds 10% to damage and causes 5 points of bleeding per second for five seconds. Shred will gain an extra 3% to damage and add 3 points of bleeding every five levels. Maximum damage bonus 50%. Maximum Bleed damage 50 points per second.
That perked Joe up immediately. He’s alive! Joe took off like a shot across the rocks. If he’s alive, I can find him, but he’s also obviously in a fight! “I’m coming buddy!” Joe shouted. He decided that he needed some elevation to see further, so he scrambled up the scree and blinked from rock to rock. He landed on an outcrop that had a decent view of the river and valley below. He strained his eyes but could not see any sign of Bixby. He stood there for a long time, then heard a long howl.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companion [Bixby] has earned the ability, Howl. Howl gives a 10% chance for all nearby enemies to be frightened and either stand in fear for five seconds or run away. For every level below you that your enemy is, Howl has a bonus 5% chance to cause fear. Howl will gain an extra 3% chance to frighten every five levels. Maximum bonus is 50%.
There! Joe figured the approximate location of the sound and bolted down the mountainside. He made it to the river but could not see any signs or hear anything over the sounds of the river. He paced the shore for a bit, then faintly heard barks from across the river, back in the forest. Aw, crap! I have to cross the river again? Joe quickly checked his Mana pool and was glad to see he was at his maximum. He focused on where he heard the barks and in two quick blinks, he was across the river and running into the forest.
As he moved further from the river the trees muffled its noise and he heard the distinct sounds of barks and snarls from up ahead. He dashed through the trees and into a clearing beyond, heedless of whatever danger he was about to face. Just as he pulled his axe from his hip, something large slammed into him from the side sending him careening into a tree. He bounced off of the tree and rolled to his feet, his axe at the ready and he activated his mantle spell.
Getting to its feet was a solid black wolf, maybe a bit smaller than Bixby. Its flanks and muzzle were loody, and it lowered its head and growled at Joe.
Alpha Void Wolf (5)
HP: 525/900
Status: Bleeding
Status: Frenzied
“Looks like Bixby took a chunk out of you huh?” Joe raised his axe and gestured to the wolf, “Come get some.” The wolf charged, its jaws slavering and spitting blood. It leaped and Joe stood his ground swinging his axe as hard as he could. He hit the wolf directly between the eyes and his axe just kept going as it passed harmlessly through the beast. The unexpected lack of resistance caused Joe to stumble forward and hit the ground on one knee. Before he could react, the monster had a hold of his leg and was doing its best to savage it. Joes mantle spell gave off a continuous glow around his leg but held firm and the thing did no actual harm to him.
On his butt, Joe swung his axe again and the wolf let go just as his axe once again passed through it like it was a ghost. A notification popped up, but Joe shut it down before reading it. Joe managed to get into a crouch as he felt the weird tingling in the back of his mind. He ignored the feeling and faced the wolf who was pacing around growling and looking for an opening to attack. It bolted forward and Joe shot it point blank with a Void bolt. The impact of the bolt knocked the wolf to the ground with a yelp, but it did not do the kind of damage that Joe had expected. The wolf backed up and regarded Joe with calculating, blood red eyes. Joe backed up to line up another shot, putting about twenty feet between them.
Keeping up the mantle spell was going to chew through Joe’s Mana quickly, especially if he had to fire any more Void bolts. I need to figure out how to end this thing fast. The wolf crouched low and leapt as Joe fired another bolt. This time the wolf managed to twist in midair to avoid some of the bolt which scored across its side, but there was no way for Joe to avoid getting hit again. He braced himself in a split second but then the beast was knocked away as something fast blasted into it.
The wolf and Bixby crashed to the earth together. Bixby’s teeth firmly lodged in the wolfs throat. A deep growl emanated from Bixby as he held the wolf in place, however he just stood there.
Joe stood up, confused. “Just kill it, man.” Joe urged. He took a step forward with his axe in hand and Bixby’s growl changed and he glanced at Joe as if to warn him to back off. Joe held up his hands, “Ok, you got it covered.” Joe stepped back and was instantly aware that several more wolves were prowling around at the edges of the clearing. “Bix, we have company.” Joe began slowly spinning in place to try and see as many wolves as he could. He counted at least four, but he knew there were probably more.
Bixby’s growl changed as the first wolf padded warily into the clearing. It stopped and the wolf in Bixby’s teeth began to whimper. Bixby let go of its throat and the wolf stayed down on the ground. It rolled over and whimpered again. The other wolves slowly came into the clearing and each one came carefully up to Bixby and sniffed him then lowered themselves to the ground around him.
Joe stood, mouth agape as he counted nine wolves. Bixby gave a series of growls and the wolves got to their feet and surrounded Joe. “Bixby?” Joe stretched the name out with a tone of alarm in his voice. He stood defensively watching as many as he could. Bixby snorted and looked at Joe with a slight tail wag. One of the wolves came up and sniffed Joe, then got a bit braver and stepped in really close and gave another sniff. Tentatively, Joe reached out and patted the wolf’s head. Its tail began to wag and as if that was a signal that they were all waiting for, the rest crowded around Joe and wagged their tails and sniffed him all over.
After a few minutes, Joe laughed out loud and began giving head rubs and ear scritches. It was like he was surrounded by a litter of adorably happy demon puppies. They all parted as Bixby came over and headbutted Joe in the thigh. Joe dropped to his knees and hugged Bixby tight. “Did you just become the King of the Wolves?” Joe asked as he ignored the blood on Bixby’s muzzle and hugged him tighter. “Man, I thought I had lost you.” He looked Bixby in the eyes as his friend gave Joes face a lick. Joe spent a few minutes checking Bixby for wounds and was finally satisfied that the ones he had were already healing. Once he was done, he sat on the ground gazing at the pack of wolves that were docilly licking themselves and grooming each other. Bixby gave a short bark and the wolves melted back into the forest.
“Just like that huh?” Joe asked as he checked his notifications.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companions’ [Bixby] ability, Rend, has increased to 24% to damage and 15 points of bleeding.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companions’ [Bixby] ability, Shred, has increased to 13% to damage and 8 points of bleeding.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Title Unlocked! Alpha Prime! Your Soulbound Companion [Bixby] has earned the Alpha Prime title for his courageous stand against and defeat of an Alpha Void Wolf at least five levels above his own. [Bixby] is truly the Alpha of all Alphas! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Willpower and [Bixby] has gained the ability, [Leader of the Pack]. Exp earned, 10,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companion [Bixby] has earned the ability, [Leader of the Pack]. When in Void Wolf territory, [Bixby] may call upon any Void Wolves within range to fight by his side until the fight is over or he releases the wolves from his call. Exp earned, 3,000 (Banked).
Achievement Unlocked! First Companion Title. Your Soulbound Companion [Bixby] has earned his first Title. Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain +1 Willpower, +1 Constitution, and +1 Charisma. Exp earned, 10,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
“Dude, you are a badass!” Joe exclaimed, giving Bixby another head rub. Sitting there in the clearing, Joe broke down. “Bix, this is all too much. How do I get through this? Did you know I had to kill some harpies that looked like people? And I think I feel worse about not feeling bad about killing them, than I do about killing them.” Bixby leaned heavily into Joe and licked his face again while Joe hugged him and cried. “This System is evil man. I know it’s basically given us superpowers, but it also feels like its forcing us to fight all the time and I don’t understand why. I don’t want to live my life almost dying every day. There has to be a way to find safety if not sanity.” Joe held onto Bixby for a few more minutes and then he heard Bixby’s stomach rumble. “Oh, Bix, you must be starving. You mind eating these raw?” Joe dropped a handful of worm steaks onto the ground which Bixby ate with gusto, giving out little growls of appreciation the entire time. When Bixby was done the two made their way back to the river and found a less turbulent area for him to drink. “I think we need to get higher up onto the mountain side. If we follow it west, I think we can eventually find the coast.” Joe explained as they walked along the riverside. “Assuming the ocean is still there and hasn’t been replaced with a desert or something.”
A few blink steps and the duo were making their way into the mountain proper. At this point, there were coniferous trees and more undergrowth, lending the mountainside a more forested look, but the trees were still a bit sparse, and Joe had no idea what kind they were. A few hours of walking along a series of game trails brought them to a bit rockier terrain and Bixby stopped. Joe, primed for this kind of behavior now, stopped as well and strained his senses. This time Joe smelled wood smoke and heard the low singing that he had heard last night. It sounded deep and not at all like the singing of the harpies. This too was in a language that Joe did not recognize, but it sounded vaguely Russian. Not that he knew any Russian. He shrugged it off and motioned Bixby to keep moving, but carefully.
As they approached what was a few larger boulders jutting from the side of the mountain, the singing grew much louder. Joe crouched and eased a look around the rocks. His eyes went wide as he took in the scene before him.
The rock that Joe was peering around was the side of a large open space. The mountain curved back and away, creating a small oasis of dirt and grass with an enormous cave opening at the back of the curve. There was a small waterfall coming down the mountain face at the far side of the clearing that formed a small pool before cascading over the edge and down the rest of the rocks. Out in the clearing was a large fire with a makeshift spit which had an entire deer skewered on it. The smell was divine. This was obviously an encampment as there were hides from various animals sitting out to dry and a few large logs sitting around the fire. Back next to the cave, covered in hides was a huge pile of chopped firewood. The singing was a deep baritone voice, and it was coming from the cave. I hate caves. That thought was cut off as the singer emerged from the cave. It was a man, but he was gigantic, at least twenty feet tall.
Mountain Giant (??)
HP: ????
Status: Content
Again, with the question marks? Does that mean that it’s so high a level that my skill can’t even see it? The giant was clothed in hides and as Joe got a closer look, he saw that his gray tinged skin was thick like a rhino’s or maybe an elephant’s. The face was a bit longer than a normal human and he had a thick gray beard along with long stringy gray hair. He sung low to himself as he set about tending to his roasting deer. Aside from the impossibly sized man, Joe thought this would be the idyllic scene of a hermit making his lunch.
Joe backed away not wanting to draw the giant’s attention and he and Bixby quietly made their way back down the mountainside and away from the giant’s lair. They found a flat area near the river in a small clearing. “We do not want to antagonize that guy.” Joe said while letting out a breath. “I think going back to the keep is no longer a viable plan. I have no idea where it is any more. I still think West is the way to go.” Joe stretched and heard his stomach rumble. The smell of the roasting deer still lingered in his mind, reminding him he needed to eat. “Let’s get some more distance between us the Jolly Green Giant before we make a fire.” He checked that he had all of his gear and stood up.
Something fell from the sky into the middle of the clearing with a loud whomp. Joe and Bixby jumped backwards and by reflex both blinked into the forest’s edge. Joe risked a look and saw the smoking haunch of a deer laying in the clearing. What the fuck? Where did that come from? Joe was about to step out to investigate when a couple of large hides flopped into the clearing. This time, Joe had seen that they had arced in from the direction of the giant. Is that thing giving us food and hides? Why? Joe put a hand on Bixby’s ruff and the two waited for a long time, maybe half an hour, but nothing else came hurtling into the clearing. Figuring that it was relatively safe, Joe ventured out with Bixby by his side. He kept one eye on the sky as he had no desire to see a log, or something come flying in. Bixby sniffed the hides and the deer meat.
Joe picked up one of the hides and was surprised to see that they both had fur on them. Well, this will keep us warm tonight. He dragged the large hides, which he guessed were bear, to the edge of the forest and began making an a-frame shelter from tree limbs and brush. He placed the furs inside for bedding and pulled the roasted haunch over. He carved off a large piece for Bixby, who quickly tore into it while cutting smaller sections for himself. It was the best thing he’d eaten in days. “Oh, man, this totally beats worm any day.” Around a mouthful of meat he added, “Thank you Mr. Giant.”
Joe made a fire and made the decision to stay there the rest of the day. If the giant was being friendly, then chances were they were safe, and he bet that no other creatures would dare enter its domain. He utilized the rest of the day to clean his clothing and himself. He coaxed Bixby to the river and washed what he could from his fur and muzzle. Joe spent the rest of the day cleaning up his clothing and taking it relatively easy. Night seemed to come swiftly. They ate more of the deer, then Joe tied the rest up in a tree as high as he could get it. The campfire was stoked and warm and the shelter gave Joe a sense of normalcy. The shelter was something he knew and the familiarity of sitting in it allowed him to be a bit at peace.
They woke before sunup the next morning feeling more refreshed than they had in the last couple of days. Joe stoked up the fire and then had an idea. He spent the early dark hours unravelling a length of paracord to get a lot of lengths of thin cord. He scavenged some likely twigs and branches and made a few makeshift fishing poles and hooks. Using the worm meat, he carved up a nice pile of bait and went down to the river’s edge and tried his hand at fishing. He was in fishing Nirvana. Every line he cast got a bite and he felt almost like he could simply scoop the fish right out of the river. Maybe this is a magic river? Or did I accidentally create magic fishing lines? He didn’t want to jinx it, so he kept his mouth shut.
Bixby profited from Joe’s exertions and happily ate a few fish while Joe continued catching them hand over fist. After he had five sitting on the shore, he realized that for his plan to work, he needed a way to carry the fish. I wonder… he thought as he placed a fish in his inventory. “Hot damn!” He exclaimed, startling Bixby. “Sorry, buddy, but this is exciting.” He placed the rest of the fish in his inventory and continued. As long as they were dead, he could keep adding to his inventory. He fished for hours and by the time he thought he was ready, he had almost fifty fish. He stowed his fishing gear and headed up the mountain.
It took about ten minutes to get to the giant’s encampment. Joe carefully made his way around the rocks until he could see the entire area and he waited, and he listened. After a few minutes, he turned to Bixby, “Is he here?”
Bixby cocked his head and his ears perked up. In a moment, he shook his head no.
“Perfect.” Joe crept quietly into the camp and looked about. Now that he had some time, he saw that there were dozens of hides in a pile along with some crude tables made from logs and stone as well as a few hand-woven baskets. Bingo! Joe pulled a basket about the size of a washing machine over to the entry of the cave. No way he can miss this. Then he emptied his entire inventory of fish into the basket. A few slipped out and he quickly grabbed them and tossed them in. Smiling to himself, he returned to Bixby and the two of them made their way back to camp.
Back at camp, Joe gutted and cleaned a few fish and then cooked them on the fire. It was a great addition to and change from the venison and worms. He then spent some time looking for greens but had no luck finding anything he recognized. The day ended with Joe happy that he spent one whole day not fighting for his life.