We first encounter some old friends, or at least, their stronger forms….
{Rogue Racoons, Lv. 17, 17, 18}
Although their tags show no name change, these Beasts are much, much more camouflaged, even to our enhanced senses, than their earlier iterations were.
We only notice them due to Artemis’ enhanced hearing catching the sound of a breaking stick just as the racoons launch their attacks from ambush.
The split-second warning through our bond is enough for me to deflect a pair of claws aiming for my back with my hatchet blade while grabbing at the overextended paw I can just barely detect in the dim light of the forest floor as it hurtles at my face!
As I hear Artemis growl and lay into her attacker, I swing the racoon I grabbed around me in a wild motion, neatly knocking its counterpart behind me off of its paws.
Swinging it around once more, I slam it up and over my shoulder in a pro wrestling slam with a thud that I feel in my chest accompanied by the liberal splintering of bone.
Leaving that dying Beast to wheeze out its final breath, I spin swiftly around, earning only a scratch from the recently recovered other racoon before managing to split the little bastard’s head in twain with my blade, brain matter exploding out of its skull.
A quick look sees Artemis standing over the broken corpse of her opponent and a moment later, a System notification helpfully confirms our victory!
Congratulations! You have defeated an assortment of Rogue Racoons for a total of 6000 XP!
Hmmm, maybe I spoke too soon regarding the grind needed to level up…
At this rate, it will only take a couple similar engagements to reach that, hopefully rewarding, level 10 milestone.
After taking a moment to loot the camouflaged forms with but dismal returns, we continue to trek deeper into the forest, deeper into the unknown.
Sometime later, we encounter something new!
{Speedy Swift, Lv.18}
The little Beast, roughly half the size of our new hawk friend, attacks despite the size disparity, but it is far from disadvantaged…
Its form blurs from spot to spot, its wings beating faster than any pre-System hummingbird’s as it pecks at us again and again!
Wiping droplets of blood from my eyes after another small scratch appears, both of us are at our wit’s end after only a few moments, Artemis growling in annoyance every time we lose sight of the annoying little fella.
I let my Style out to play, my strikes embodying a tornado as I strike in great sweeping spins and a rockslide as I chop overhead with enough might to crack the earth under our feet.
But to no avail once more!
We are far from in danger, our HP only down a dozen or so points after nearly a half hour of scratches accumulating but our attacks just whiff, time and time again.
It is utterly infuriating.
So, we decide to move on from the area and hope the blasted thing gets bored of us or stays within its territory.
…
No such luck.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
We run over what feels like miles and it still attacks us!
Time to change up tactics, enough is enough.
As we continue to run, I have Artemis keep her nose out for something special, which she catches a whiff of not even ten minutes later!
Looping toward our target, I keep an eye out for our pursuer, spotting it preparing to dive-bomb us once more.
Just before it does, I cast Natural Reinforcement on a liquid dripping from the nearly car-sized object hanging from one of the massive redwoods.
As the bird disappears from our sight in its attack, it pecks at me once more, only to be held firm when it goes to pull away again, its feet stuck fast to my skin, skin that is excreting large amounts of the aforementioned liquid.
With a savage smile of delight, I grab the flighty little shit from the honey pooling over my body and snap its neck with a deliberate twist of the wrist.
Congratulations! You have killed a {Speedy Swift, Lv.18} for a total of 2500 XP!
As I toss the bird to the ground with a disappointed grunt at only earning that much XP after nearly an hour of tedium, I groan aloud at another realization.
Now, I have to try and get this damn honey off.
And it is everywhere.
………
Yes, there too…
After using the special perk of my Wilderness Survival, the one to locate a nearby shelter, but focusing my needs on water access while using it, I am able to find a small stream which, after copious scrubbing, allows me to get un-honeyed at last.
Winnie the Pooh moment over, Artemis laughing through it all over our bond as I can only grumble, we continue our exploration of the Great Forest.
By nightfall, we have racked up a decent kill count but we let many lower-leveled Beasts and even the occasional non-rabid Beast go, therefore we don’t have quite enough to level…
Congratulations! You have killed an assortment of Beasts for a total of 8,000 XP!
As a consolation, almost all of my abilities have advanced at least!
Wilderness Survival(J):21--22
Animal Companion(J): 21--22
Huntsman’s Athleticism(App): 15--17
Wild Rampage(App):8--10 Tier Up!
Natural Reinforcement(J): 20--21
Blood-Fueled(App): 13--15
Eco-Missile(App): 10--12
Environmental Clean(B): 1--3
Wild Rampage(App): Apprentice Bonus: May now combine Mana and the Basic sacrifice of HP to double up power of strike. May only be used once per engagement.
Some very nice progress there although the slog through the Journeyman ranks is going to draggg, I can already tell.
As the sun sinks below the horizon, we chance upon the perfect spot to stop!
And as we make camp for the night in the truly massive hollow of a Mana redwood’s carcass, its trunk marked by great fractures and white zig-zagging scars in evidence of a truly fantastic lightning strike, I ponder the very nature of nature in action to create such a place for us to stay.
First, a normal tree which then gets mutated by Mana, grows stronger and stronger, only for the very heavens to take offense and strike down this one small piece out of millions of others just like it.
I muse on why was this one singled out, realizing it was simply its time in its cycle.
I am much more familiar than a layman now in regards to the cycle of life and death that is the very core of the natural world and all of its trappings.
But this drives home to me, both for myself and my people, that no matter our place in the System, our society or the Universe at large, it can all be taken away in one second by something far more powerful, merely on a whim.
Here and now, in this empty shell of what was once a vibrant and growing being, I vow to myself, to my Companion, and to my race, that I will not stop growing, stop advancing, stop chasing power, in any shape or form, until I am above even the judgement of the heavens that rained down their punishment on this unassuming tree and could very well do the same to me and mine at any moment.
I refuse to accept it, refuse to allow random chance to rip anything else from humanity, from me.
And the Universe, or at least our new overlord, responds to my vow…
You have made a vow that aligns closely with the core concepts of your Soul! For staying true to yourself and your path, you have been awarded a title: Soul Power. Beware: The System now places great expectations upon you. You have drawn its notice multiple times now, the only member of your iteration to do so more than once.
Soul Power: Grants +1 to Soul attribute.
Well, that is certainly nice. A free point for merely doing what I would have done anyway?
Why not!
Although I am growing curious if there is something more to be done with my Soul attribute besides its effect on my Mana total but I will need to learn more to figure it out, I think.
Letting such heavy matters rest for now, I curl up with my warm, fluffy companion and doze off, the sound of the forest better than any lullaby.