The man carried with him a foreboding and intimidating presence. As he turned, his nameplate became fully visible, confirming him to be the Hunter we were looking for, Adom the Savage. His strikingly athletic and muscular figure gave credence to the man’s strength. He wore a short-sleeved tan tunic with an exposed midriff and bulging biceps. With each movement, his corded muscles flexed and twitched, hinting at his body’s explosive potential. His eyes though, carried nothing but confidence in those dark orbs. A white fur cloak that looked to have been torn and ripped away from a beast’s corpse wrapped his broad shoulders. Soft-soled shoes and earth-toned shorts finished the Hunter’s ensemble.
Adom was a predator. His gait, the way he carried himself, everything about the man shouting at the universe around him to be on guard lest he strike out with practiced ease. His obsidian eyes appraised me in turn. Not a hint of concern or shock showed on his face. It was as if everything gazed upon by those merciless eyes was nothing more than prey.
No words were spoken as I took a took a moment to Inspect him. My worry spiked when I spied his high level, not to mention the fact that he was a tier two Hunter.
Adom the Savage, Kyusho Monk (Level 12 Human Hunter)
Health 1430/1430, Mana 50/50, Stamina 715/750
Active Abilities – Blazing Reflexes, Devastating Counter, Extreme Conditioning, Amplified Pain – Kyusho Jitsu, One Hundred Blows
The amount of health this man had was staggering. It was nearly three times my own. It took me a split moment to realize the system was actually providing that information as it never had before with regular monsters. Adom had nearly nonexistent mana as opposed to me as it was my highest resource pool. Based on the abilities listed and his high stamina count, this Hunter was one hundred percent a melee class. That didn’t bode well for me as I was mainly a caster class.
Even as those thoughts flittered in my mind in milliseconds, the realization that I needed more information about Adom’s abilities crashed over me like a raging rapid. Thankfully, as the thought occurred to me, the System obliged and additional information filtered into me. This time, the knowledge poured into me differently. Other than when I read something like a spell book, the information gained from Inspect was displayed in my vision to be read. Now though, the information was downloaded into my mind instantly. I knew the basics of what his active abilities did, the knowledge implanted to such a degree it was as if I always knew what this man’s abilities were capable of.
Blinding Reflexes – Your foresight to evade blows and attacks approaches perfection as long as you can see your target.
Devastating Counter – You can turn your enemy’s strength against them, countering an attack with dreadful force.
Extreme Conditioning – You have begun to transcend your mortal coil. All health points from attributes are effectively doubled.
Amplified Pain: Kyusho Jitsu – Any pressure points struck by Ki-empowered strikes cause an extreme amount of pain and have a significantly higher chance to stun an opponent.
One Hundred Blows – You focus all of your Ki to deliver a rapid series of attacks capable of reducing the health of any standing opponent to zero.
In the back of my mind, the reason this ability information was downloaded directly into my mind was considered. Perhaps, I supposed to myself, the System recognized the significance of two Hunters finding each other so it sped up the process of analyzing a potential opponent. Those were thoughts for another time, so were quickly dismissed to the furthest recesses of my consciousness.
Beyond the man’s amazing abilities, Adom was also four levels higher than me meaning at level ten he had selected his tier two class. It was easy to deduce from the physical prowess that ‘Monk’ was his tier one class and then evolved into ‘Kyusho Monk’ when he leveled up. Remembering the advantages I had gained when I reached level five and became a necromancer, I could only guess at the jump in power such a tier two class could bring with it.
Adom’s eyes narrowed and, somehow, I knew that had finished inspecting me at the same moment. “A fellow Hunter, how interesting. Who are you and why should I bother giving you a second thought?” His voice was deep, carrying with it the potential to cause those who heard it to tremble in fear. A wicked gleam passed across Adom’s face as he spied my eyes glancing to the person curled at his feet. Whoever it was had taken a defensive fetal position, doing everything to protect their body, as if about to be attacked by a rabid animal. “Better yet, do you want to participate in the fun?”
Before I could respond, Adom twisted around with such staggering speed that I had difficulty tracking his movement. Like a viper, he dove a pair of stiff fingers into the cowering person's ribs eliciting a feminine cry of pain. Who I had already suspected was the mayor’s daughter, Lailah did her best to curl into an even smaller target, bringing her dirt-covered legs closer to her chest. Anger flashed through my eyes, “No. Release her… now!”
Adom chortled as he faced me once more, “Now why would I do that? This bitch is mine.” His tone had turned even more dangerous and possessive as if he didn’t view his victim as anything more than a plaything for his own enjoyment. It heated the blood in my veins.
Like a dog rutting, Adom’s foot scrapped against the earth beneath him to shower Lailah with loose stones and grass. Never taking his eyes off of me, Adom gave me such a leer that I feared it would have frozen the blood of many a man in my place. My rising anger melted away any chance that it would affect me in such a way. Adom tilted his head slightly to the side and continued, his voice grating on my senses like nails across a chalkboard. “Such is my right. I earned this plunder. Why would you even think to challenge me? You and I are both looking for the same enjoyment, so I give you this one chance, Hunter to Hunter, leave now and find your own fun.”
My blood was pounding behind my ears, urging me to sprint forward and tear this man apart. Stella sensed what I was feeling and subtly held a paw out in my direction, realization dawned on me and I took a deep breath, calming my nerves. Anger would not help me here against a clearly skilled opponent. “We are nothing alike and did you not hear me? I told you to release her.”
The confidence in Adom’s eyes faltered at my words. A hint of surprise and a modicum of confusion flashed across his features. It was almost as if he was astonished that I had not immediately followed his command. To me, this man reeked of being a bully who relied solely on his ability to intimidate others to get what he wanted. Well, at least he had before he joined this world as a Hunter. He now had the power to back himself up.
“What the hell,” Adom spat before pausing a moment to collect his thoughts. “Oh, I think I see what’s going on. You’re one of those Hunters looking for PVP, is that it? I’ve heard that killing another Hunter is quite rewarding, though never had the pleasure as of yet. Unless you want her for yourself. Well, let me tell you, she’s all mine, and nothing you do can change that fact.”
There it was. This man was beyond redeeming. With that last statement, it was clear that he couldn’t comprehend that another Hunter was in this world to help those around him. He only existed for his own satisfaction and to bring pain to those around him. My mind was made up, one of us wouldn’t be leaving this encounter alive. If I did nothing, Lailah would suffer a horrific death at the hands of this fiend.
Adom must have seen something in my eyes that communicated my intent. He reached a hand to his belt and unhooked a dark mace that I hadn’t noticed before. “Looks like I’ll be having twice as much fun today.” He idly passed the weapon from hand to hand, the ease of which showed his familiarity with its use. It was as long as my forearm with blunted knobs adorning the weapon’s head. A dark emerald glow began emanating from the weapon in gentle waves. It was a weapon to crush bones to splinters.
Shaking my head side to side, I gripped my weapon tighter knowing that we were on the precipice. “You speak of your right to do what you want, but what of her rights? Lailah is no less than you or me.” Unknown to me, my own weapon took on a frosted look, as if overcome by an arctic chill. The weapon remained firm and warm in my hand. I found its weight reassuring.
“I do this,” Adom pointed his mace back over his shoulder. “… because I can. Because I want to. We both joined this Game to do just that; anything we want.”
My eyes were locked onto this crazed man, my resolve firm. “I didn’t join this world willingly like you. It found me and has given me the opportunity to make a difference.”
“I see, you’re one of those doomed types. This world was made for us and people like me,” Adom made a grand sweeping gesture, as if to everything around him. “Why pay the millions of credits to do anything less?”
A calm came over me at that moment. My mind was made up. By his admission, this man, this Hunter, would not live another day to suffer anyone else. Not if I had anything to say about it.
Seeing the commitment and resolve no doubt etched on my face, Adom spoke out of the side of his mouth to what I assumed was his unseen accelerator. “Midge, be sure to record this. I want to be able to play this back, over and over.”
It was settled and there was no going back. Only one of us would be walking away alive. With a mental command, I ordered Ripley to attack. She burst out of the tree line to Adom’s right, heading straight for the man with her great sword held high. Adom whirled at the noise and took a defensive stance. That was what I was hoping for, I had my opening. Ripley’s aggressive action stole Adom’s attention and, in that split second, he decided to fight the towering Ripley first.
My fingers danced and weaved in intricate patterns as I cast my new spell, Scent of Decay, for the first time. Arcane syllables tumbled from my lips, sounding much like a hissing snake. My mind went back, remembering the advice I received from Afrazz the merchant after purchasing the spell. He had said that the spell was especially useful in boss fights. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe what it would be like to fight another Hunter. Who knew what defenses or magical resistances the man had? His gear was no doubt enchanted, so I was going to need all the help I could to land my spells on him while he fought Ripley. This was even more important as I once more considered his excessively high health pool.
Adom hesitated at the sound of my spell casting, coming to a stop as his face turned in my direction. It was clear he had not expected to be attacked on two fronts. Ripley’s sudden appearance, coupled with her menacing skeletal physique, had grabbed all of his attention. Yet, at the sound of my voice, Adom was reconsidering who his first target needed to be. Everyone knew, well at least I assumed they knew, that you always went after casters first. His decision was stolen away though as Ripley reached him, her great sword descending with tremendous power. She was too close to be ignored so Adom moved to deflect the downwards attack. That meant I was free to cast my spells. Yet, I also knew Adom’s mace would cause devastation on Ripley’s body if any of his attacks landed as she had lowered resistance to blunt attacks.
As Adom’s mace pushed Ripley’s attack wide, my spell completed. While casting this spell, my focus was entirely on Adom so I hadn’t seen the malignant aura that had been growing on my hands during the three-second cast time. With the final mystical word spoken aloud, my will thrust the magical energy toward Adom. Dark power shot across the distance, impacting the side of his chest. It exploded against his torso like it was a rotten grapefruit. A pungent smell permeated the air and Adom stumbled from the impact. The dark sludge curled around his body as if alive. Spreading down to his legs and up his neck, the powerful magic moved like clawing fingers seeking purchase. In the next moment, the dark energy rose an inch from his skin before slamming downwards. The magic pierced his body and disappeared within as if down a whirlpool.
Notice! Adom the Savage has been afflicted with the Scent of Decay! All resistances to fire, poison, acid, and disease have been reduced by 14%.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Adom coughed and his skin turned visibly darker with raised splotches of black marks all over his skin. It looked almost like he now had mold growing beneath those dark patches. The cough alone nearly cost him his life as Ripley’s great sword came back in, aiming to take off his head. Adom proved to be no novice fighter though. He recovered quickly and, with surprising grace, bent backward to avoid the blow entirely. In the same motion, his body horizontal to the ground, he lashed out with a foot catching Ripley in the solar plexus. Had she been alive, that strike would have no doubt been excruciating, even so strong as to have possibly blown the air from her lungs. As it was, it cost only a few health points thanks to her breastplate and the fact she had no lungs.
With no time to spare, I began casting Boil Blood knowing it was vital to get my most powerful DoT on the man as soon as possible. Adom gave a quick glance my way before returning to his full height, bending with such ease as if he was nothing more than a reed bending in the wind. As Ripley swung again, this time an overhead attack. Adom’s mace flared with power, shining a brilliant white, an instant before her weapon connected. In two lightning-quick motions, he deflected her great sword and then used the rebounding momentum to crash the weapon effortlessly into Ripley’s chest. The speed and power of the attack were staggering as Ripley’s health pool dropped significantly and she nearly fell to a knee, looking to almost lose her balance from the single attack.
Stella: That was his Devastating Counter ability! The flash signals its activation. Keep that in mind!
Good to know, I thought. That information would prove helpful if Adom got within melee range with me, though the reaction speed needed to respond to the warning flash seemed unlikely. Coming after me seemed to be Adom’s intention suddenly, as he backflipped away from the staggered Ripley, before sprinting in my direction. He must have finally realized his error in going after Ripley first. Too seemed to be late though as my Boil Blood completed. The spell’s energy zipped across the space between us, its overwhelming heat sizzling the air as the magic arced toward him.
Backpedaling to keep as much distance between us, my next spell was already underway. I nearly faltered in casting through as I witnessed Adom sidestepping with blinding speed. He was trying to avoid the magic that even now raced towards him at the speed of an arrow. Thankfully, the spell landed despite his attempt to dodge. I wasn’t even sure if a person could dodge my spells and I wasn’t keen to find out. Despite my shock, my concentration held and I finished casting acidic bolt as a message appeared in my vision.
Damage dealt 151! The Hunter’s blood begins to boil! (Some of the target’s resistance has been overcome!)
After reading the newest addition to the damage notification, I mentally thanked Afrazz and my decision to start the battle with Scent of Decay. If Adom resisted my spells entirely… I shuddered to think how difficult it would be to defeat him without them. Resisting spells would be the same if I was able to dodge his attacks, a feat that looked highly unlikely given his melee prowess. Another thought tugged at my mind, the damage from boil blood should have been higher considering my attributes and the spell’s level. I would have to find a way to work with that, though I was hoping this single spell would be able to destroy most of his extensive health pool.
My newest spell landed even as Adom once again tried futilely to dodge to the side. Perhaps if the distance between us was far greater he could, but Adom was nearly on top of me now. I would need to ask Stella about the ability to dodge spells if we made it out of this alive that is. The acidic spell slammed into the Hunter’s right arm and immediately caused blisters to form wherever the sticky liquid touched.
Damage dealt 101. The Hunter’s skin begins to sizzle. (Some of the target’s resistances have been overcome!)
Since Adom opted to try to dodge my spell, it gave me a brief moment of respite to determine my best course of action. He was too close and would be on me within a pair of seconds so casting another spell would be dangerous. So, with a thought an item appeared in my hand, a bottle containing a brackish fluid that reeked of sweat and bile. Ignoring the smell, I tore off the cork with my teeth and gulped down the potion. It was like trying to swallow down gritty bile. My eyes instantly began to water from the disgusting sensations, and it was all I could do to not gag on the foul stuff. The bottle crashed at my feet as Adom’s mace barreled towards me in a flurry of blows.
You have imbibed Gnoll Brew of Adrenaline.
Notice! You have received a temporary increase in Strength (plus 5) and Constitution (plus 5) for 5 minutes. Additionally, you are immune to all mind-altering effects for the duration.
The message disappeared as Adom’s attacks slammed into me. Thankfully, I was able to raise my axe defensively, though my skill with the weapon was nothing compared with the onslaught before me. I could only give ground under the punishing assault and my health began to drop with each swing of the mace I was not quick enough to push wide or parry. Even with my battle axe waving to fend off his attacks, Adom attacked flawlessly with his mace, fist, and even the occasional foot with such practiced ease that I doubted my chances of staying upright would last more than a few moments. In seconds, I had lost a hundred health points without any indication from Adom that he was about to let up.
My mind screamed out for support from Ripley. I couldn’t withstand more alone.
“I will take your head off!” Adom spoke with such fury that my heart skipped a beat.
As the man’s crushing blows continued to land, pain swelled in my arms and chest. He was able to bypass most of my feeble attempts to defend, though thankfully most of his connecting hits were glancing blows. My eyes spied damage notifications as my damage over time spells continued to work on my enemy’s health pool. I could only hope that my spells would finish him off before his withering blows crushed my skull. Sadly, even knowing how powerful my spells were, a significant part of my consciousness feared I would be long dead before they made a difference in this fight.
Relief came when a gleaming great sword nearly took Adom off his feet. The strength and weight of the blow was incredible. Adom had either forgotten or ignored Ripley in favor of killing me as quickly as he could. It cost the man dearly, but it also cost Ripley.
In what looked to be an impossible motion, Adom’s foot flared white even as he was blown to the side from Ripley’s sweeping attack. His foot snapped upwards, connecting solidly with Ripley’s face. The blow cracked into her jaw with incredible force and, in horror, I watched as her head spun completely around before she fell forward to the ground motionless. In a panic, my eyes flew up to health. She was still alive, though barely. Adom crashed heavily several feet away on the hard-packed ground, tumbling and rolling over himself. Dirt and debris were thrown from the impact, such was the strength of Ripley’s attack.
With the reprieve afforded by Ripley’s sacrifice, I stored my axe before dual casting my little-used minor healing wave. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had used the spell, but it restored over one hundred seventy health in an instant. The ache from the crushing blows against my arms and ribs waned. In another instant, my axe was back in my hand. Being able to store and retrieve it was helpful in instances like this where every second mattered. Contemplating my next action, a message flew across my screen from Stella.
Stella: Don’t forget Regen and your Deflecting Spell!
I couldn’t finish reading the message as Adom had returned to his feet, though I did mentally thank Stella for the reminder. I backpedaled as quickly as I could before casting cast minor regen on myself with my left hand. In quick order, I would be restored to full health with even a little extra health from the constitution bonus from the gnoll brew. Before Ripley’s intervention, Adom’s attacks had me down to very low health. With the initial heal of regeneration, it shot up by one hundred thirty points and would continue to heal me every six seconds for half a minute. The spell repaired several cracked ribs I hadn’t had the presence of mind to notice beforehand. Deep bruises on my arms faded to only a distant memory.
I knew the regeneration effect of the spell wouldn’t be able to overcome all the damage that Adom could inflict, but anything helped in this frantic battle. Adom reached his feet, tilting forward in another attempt to sprint back into the fray. Ripley was barely moving next to me, her hands blindly trying to reorientate in the right direction.
Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to match Adom blow for blow in my current state, I had only one option. My awareness reached down my arm to the ring sitting on my right index finger. For the first time, I triggered the magic held within my Ring of Blind Rage. Even as ruby power coursed up into my body, as my vision began to tint red, I could only pray that its mind-altering effects would be nullified by the gnoll brew imbibed earlier. Calling up the ring’s description, my jaw clenched of its own accord, and a powerful bellow built in my lungs, moments away from releasing a scream of utter hatred.
{Ring of Blind Rage}. Quality: Superb. Rarity: Rare. Slot: Finger. Durability: 1000/1000. Effect(s): Upon activation, this ring causes the user to receive the ‘Blind Rage’ effect. While under this condition, Strength and Constitution are doubled for the duration. Unfortunately, an undesirable side effect comes with this effect. When under ‘Blind Rage’ the user feels a violent, uncontrollable wrath, and is only able to focus on a single target. Until the effect wears off, nothing else matters but the rage; pain, conscious thought, all else is sent to the dim recesses of the mind. That target must be eliminated as quickly and violently as possible. If the target of your rage is defeated, a nearby target is automatically selected. Note – This effect does not distinguish between friend and foe! You have been warned. This effect lasts 120 seconds. Cooldown: 30 minutes.
My vision shifted to shades of red as a primal scream tore out of my lungs. It felt as if all the fury, wrath, and hatred in the world had welled up into a singular moment, and it needed to be released with overwhelming violence. Not of my conscious bidding, my face arched to the sky and I roared to the death of everything. My gaze lowered and locked onto Adom who was staring at me dumbfounded. The urge to destroy the man overcame all other thoughts, nothing else mattered. His blood needed to shower the world around us. My glare promised death. In this state of mind, the man was already dead, he just didn’t know it. The familiar weight of the axe held in my seething hands would be the instrument of my fury.
Warning! You have been affected by an all-consuming “Blind Rage,” all voluntary control of your actions is removed while under these effects.
Notice! Your strength has doubled.
Notice! Your constitution has doubled.
Unbeknownst to me, my nameplate flashed red and a debuff icon momentarily flashed next to it. Adom spotted it, read the description before it vanished, and laughed as I charged at him.
“Fool. Uncontrollable anger will not win you this fight. You’re already dead, you just don’t know it.” Adom took a ready stance, preparing to meet my charge. He no doubt intended to sidestep or counter my next attack, but such thoughts escaped me at that moment. Ripley was still struggling at my side, so wouldn’t be of help in what came next. Though, that cared little to me as my pounding feet closed the distance between me and Adom.
The last system message had been beyond my reasoning, all I could see was red. Red and my enemy. Even as Adom bobbed gently on the balls of his feet as if facing nothing more dangerous than a mouse, reasoning and sanity came back to me in a rush. It took every ounce of my will to not let anything but rage show on my face as my mind registered the next message that displayed across my vision. It heralded victory.
Notice! You are now IMMUNE to the mind-altering effects of “Blind Rage”.
Even as I reached Adom’s position, my weapon swinging with all the force I could muster, I mentally typed out a simple message to my friend.
Xaz: Time to end this, Stell.
Over the course of the next minute, I intentionally ignored all of Adom’s attacks and skillful counterattacks. My total health had skyrocketed with the constitution buff gained from my ring’s magic, so I could endure his blows well beyond what I had been able to before. It was important that I continued my ruse that I had no conscious control of my actions.
My axe never ceased moving as I rained attack after attack at the man. Adom was able to avoid many of them, but not all. As our attacks landed on the other, our health pools plummeted. It wouldn’t be until well after the fight that realization would dawn that another thing keeping me standing was the small absorption shield that my necromancer’s bone ring provided. Each time my damaging over time spells tore chunks away from Adom’s health, ten percent of the amount created a magical barrier that absorbed some of my enemy’s attacks. Coupled with the last dregs of my regeneration spell, I was able to stand toe to toe with the monk and maintain my ruse.
Adom backpedaled a moment and pulled a tiny vial off his belt, chugging it down quickly as red liquid splashed against his lips. It was no doubt a health potion, though I again gave no outward sign I comprehended the action. I spied the final seconds of my Blind Rage debuff as it counted down to zero. My moment was fast approaching. It was now or never.
With an incoherent scream, I reared back for a wide attack that was aimed to slam into Adom’s chest. Adom took the bait and as my weapon hurtled forward his mace flashed white signaling his usage of his devastating counterattack. With my health dangerously low, there was no way I would not survive his counterattack. If my blow landed, neither would he.
Adom wouldn’t get the chance to connect his weapon with my epic rarity battle axe. As my axe began its horizontal movement, I shouted, “Roaring Sweep!”
The words exploded from my mouth with the force of a hurricane. The speed of my swing doubled and, at the last moment, I adjusted the angle of the attack. To Adom’s utter surprise, his mace was nowhere near in the correct position as my blade bit cleanly into the side of his neck with the speed of a lightning strike. The flare white from his weapon stuttered and died, his counter hitting nothing but air.
Adom was motionless, not only from the stunned effect of my skill, but also from the shock at what I had done. My axe head had torn cleanly through the exposed flesh of his neck. Within seconds, blood began to geyser and pop like bubbles from the air escaping from his destroyed windpipe. Adom’s mace fell to the ground, slipping from his unfeeling fingers. Disbelief and shock warred on his face even as his fingers attempted vainly to stop the flow of his lifeblood. His mouth opened, but no words could make their way past his obliterated trachea. No more air would reach his now-burning lungs. A questioning look reached his eyes in his final moments. It showed incomprehension and terror. It was a feeling that had been undoubtedly cast upon the cruel man’s countless victims, but never again.
Before his eyes glazed over in death, I spoke. “Never underestimate a prepared opponent.” Adom collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Wide eyes of shock and disbelief were permanently etched into his features forever more.