A deep breath escaped my lips as my eyes turned to Adom’s broken form lying before me. The battle was far too close, with either one of us falling at the end to a single attack from the other. Thankfully, my ruse of pretending to be overwhelmed by blood lust had been successful, giving me the edge needed to be victorious. My pounding heart was only beginning to slow when, suddenly, a slew of notifications absolutely bombarded my vision. One after another, the messages kept coming and stacking over each other. I hesitated to read them though, my mind was elsewhere. The realization that I had killed a Hunter was at the forefront of my thoughts. The System must have read my intentions for, without my bidding, all of the messages apart from one minimized.
Congratulations! You have come out victorious against Adom the Savage, level 12 Kyusho Monk. You have conquered his Accelerator (Uncommon)!
As my eyes lingered on Adom’s body, a small metallic orb the size of an orange, lifted off his body and flew towards us. I got no sense of it being a threat as it approached, its speed akin to a slow walk. Stella was next to me and made no reaction as the gray sphere floated in front of her face before vanishing. It had been Adom’s Accelerator, what had it called it earlier? Stella looked at me; her head tilted as if to ask if I wanted to know what had just happened. My lack of eye contact answered that unspoken question, for my eyes and my mind had returned to the body at my feet.
A part of me was curious if taking Adom’s life was truly a necessity. “Yes, it was… necessary,” my words came out weakly at first but gained true conviction at the end. Adom was a person who dedicated his new life as a Hunter to bring pain and suffering to the innocents around him. Still, taking the life of another was not something that could be dismissed or ignored.
My eyes looked at the torn-up earth around the man’s bloody and torn form. A copious amount of blood was littered around our battlefield, the ground soaking the life-giving liquid hungrily. “It was necessary,” I reaffirmed once more, cementing the words with the truth of it. Adom meant to kill, maim, or worse. Stella and I had promised to bring true justice to people like him. I had done that. My vision sharpened and raised to look Stella in the eyes. She nodded to me, her face a mask of stone. It needed to be done, and we would do it again. Together.
My attention was pulled to the huddled form of Lailah, who was beginning to stir from her defensive fetal position. Her earthen-colored dress was torn and fraying in places, grass and mud stains covering the areas around her knees and elbows. Adom had not been gentle to her. That was clear from the numerous dark bruises showing over most of her exposed skin. The man had been a monster and, as far as I could tell from my short interaction with him, had no redeeming quality in his life.
Kneeling beside Lailah, I spoke in an as soothing and gentle voice as I could manage, “Hello Lailah, my name is Xaz. Your father sent me to rescue you. Are you alright?”
Lailah didn’t respond at first, instead trying to curl herself into an even smaller ball. She must not have been aware that her tormentor had been defeated, thinking I was about to inflict some punishment regardless of the words in my voice. Once more eyeing the deep bruises, like a handprint of her slim arm, I incanted my regeneration spell to help ease any lingering pain she was feeling. The words flowed like a gentle stream from my lips as pristinely white magical energy grew within my fingertips before flowing toward her body at the spell’s completion. Gliding swiftly through the air between us, the radiant energy flowed soothingly into Lailah’s skin. The effect of the spell took only a dozen seconds, the bruises fading and leaving behind completely unmarred flesh.
“What?” Lailah whispered in a surprised tone as the comforting magic brought her back to full health. It occurred to me that she may have turned all of her awareness inside her as Adom stood over her before we entered the makeshift camp. I was right, Lailah didn’t even know that the evil man who had so roughly handled her had been defeated.
“You’re alright now,” I said again as I backed away a pace, giving her plenty of room. I didn’t want to appear threatening in any way. “Adom can never hurt you again.”
Laying on her side, Lailah’s arms moved away from covering her head, her wet eyes peeking out to ascertain the truth of my words. She turned her head enough for her hazel eyes to look up into mine. I saw worry etched in those orbs, but as several seconds passed, relief replaced that concern. The tenseness in her body relaxed ever so slightly.
“Hi, Lailah. My name is Xaz and I’m here to help you. Are you alright?” I asked, repeating some of what I had said before. I wanted to take this as slowly as she needed. In my former life, I had known some of what it felt like to be at the complete mercy of another, fearful of a blow raining down on your head or body. She needed time to come to terms with what happened, and its sudden and swift end.
Lailah finally uncurled from her fetal position, an arm propping her up. Her eyes moved to Adom’s broken and bloody form. An angry scowl descended on her face as she looked at the man’s body. It passed in seconds as she understood he was no longer capable of hurting her. Lailah righted herself fully, coming to a seated position, her knees tucked up against her chest. “What… how did you find me?” she asked.
“Your father sent us to find you,” I replied, our eyes holding the other's gaze. “He’s worried sick about you. When you’re ready, I would like to return you home, if that’s alright with you.”
“I thought I was dead,” Lailah said after pausing to gulp down several breaths. Her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, looking to me as if she was replaying some last moments of Adom striking her. “He said he was going to kill me, but only after making me beg…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, closing her eyes as tears welled up once more to cascade down her cheeks.
“He can’t hurt you anymore,” Stella said from my shoulder, her voice soft and comforting.
When her body stopped shuddering from falling tears, I tilted my head as I spoke, “Are you still hurt anywhere? I have more healing magic that can help if you’d permit me.”
Lailah looked down at her arms, shaking them as if to test for any lingering pain before shaking her head, “No, I’m quite alright, now. Thanks… Xaz, and to your friends as well.”
Stella glided closer, lowering her head to meet the girl’s glistening eyes. “You are very welcome. Hi, my name is Stella. I’m Xaz’s friend. The big one to your right is Ripley, she’s our friend too. We’ll protect you until we bring you back to your father. As far as I am concerned, no one will hurt you again while you’re near us.”
Lailah held her arms tighter around the knees against her chest, seeking comfort no doubt from the motion. “Thank you, all of you,” Lailah paused to rest her head against her knees, muffled sobs sounding as her shoulders bobbed. We waited patiently for her, moving at her pace.
Lailah’s gaze moved to Ripley, who was standing powerfully once more nearby, her face and gaze turning this way and that, looking for any possible threat. Ripley gave no indication she saw Lailah. Thinking her presence may be intimidating to the frightened girl, I spoke to our protector, “Ripley, please move to the center of this clearing and keep an eye out for anything of danger around us. Protect Lailah above all else. Let no harm come to her.”
At my words, Ripley moved away from Lailah, coming into the exact center of the camp before turning away to face the trees ringing around us. Her body turned slowly as her steadfast gaze moved to take in everything at once. Confident we were secured, my attention returned to Lailah. She took a deep breath, looking to center and ground herself. I knew what she was doing, having learned similar anxiety-reducing tools from my life on Earth. Lailah looked at me, her voice now holding an elegant and regal tone. “Thank you, Xaz and Stella. You saved me.”
“You’re very welcome,” I replied and motioned for Lailah to sit down upon a nearby log Adom must have moved to act as a chair. I moved to another sitting opposite it. When I repositioned myself, I became aware that I had still been holding my battle axe, so stored it away with a thought.
“Are you a Hunter, like he was?” Lailah said when she got comfortable, though she winced at the word ‘Hunter.’ I could guess that, in her mind, all Hunters were people to fear. I hoped to be able to dispel that concern for at least one Hunter she would come to know.
“I am, though I am nothing like the last one you met,” I replied as I tried to impart honesty in my words.
Stella spoke up, doing her best to support my words, “Xaz is not like any other Hunter you may have met. He, we, are here to help those like you against the bad Hunters in the world. You have nothing to fear from him, I can assure you of that.”
“I believe you, though the stories I’ve heard of what Hunters can do are trying to make me not believe you,” Lailah replied as she nodded her head, though I sensed a little trepidation there. Who knew what she had heard of Hunters before today, her interaction with Adom had certainly tainted that further.
“Something I’ve learned is to look at a person’s actions to judge the truth of their words,” I said after pausing to consider my words. “I hope I can show you that not all Hunters are here to bring harm.”
“Xaz is right,” Stella added as she rested on my shoulder, her weight comforting me. “We can take this as slow as you would like, we’re in no rush here. Whatever you need, you need simply ask for it.”
Lailah weighed our words before nodding her head once more, “Thank you. I would like to get back home to my dad, but if it would be alright, I would like a little time to myself to gather myself.”
“Of course,” I replied. “You’ve gone through an ordeal. Ripley will keep watch from there, Stella and I will give you some space. If you need anything, just let us know. We’re ready to head out as soon as you’re ready.” With that, I stood and moved toward Adom’s corpse. We could leave right now, as far as I was concerned, but whatever the man had carried with him on his path of destruction would instead aid Stella and my course moving forward.
Placing a hand on his body, I took anything magical or interesting, not putting much thought into what he had on him. I made sure to not take his underclothes, recognizing that may not be a wise course of action with a worried Lailah nearby. When I was done, I withdrew a hemp blanket and covered the man’s body. Standing once more, my eyes caught the blinking icons at the corner of my vision, apparently wanting to be reviewed sooner rather than later. With a glance in Lailah’s direction, who had turned to face outwards from the campsite and was holding her head in her hands, I mentally clicked on my waiting messages. Though, I was grateful to see that she was no longer crying.
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“She’ll be alright,” Stella whispered to me from her customary position on my shoulder. “She just needs a little time to come to terms with everything that happened. You go ahead and read your System messages, I’ll keep an eye on her and will let you know if something comes up.”
“Thanks, Stell,” I said as I mentally clicked on the blinking icon. My vision exploded with information.
As this is your first Player versus Player victory, you will receive additional information regarding your rewards and available options. Further questions can be directed to your Accelerator.
You have earned a new achievement, ‘Player vs. Player.’ You have successfully defeated another Hunter in single combat and lived to tell the tale. May future Hunters fear your approach and fade to dust in your wake.
System Notification: You have been granted a new title, ‘Hunter-Killer.’
Hunter-Killer - You have taken a stand against any Hunter who would seek to plunder and bring destruction to those around them. You acted as a shield against that pain and suffering. You have cried out in a firm voice, for all to hear; not here, not now, and not on my watch! You will now be known as Xazorus the Hunter Killer.
New Title Benefits: Permanently increases all damage against aggressive Hunters by 10%. All spells, skills, and abilities are 5% more likely to land against other Hunters.
Congratulations! Having defeated another Hunter, your view count and follower count have been significantly increased. Anyone watching Adom the Savage during your battle has automatically been added to your overview. Additionally, all of his followers will automatically be transferred to you. Do note that some viewers may decide to cease following your feed, but will be required to do so manually.
Congratulations! You have received an additional 69,946 views. You have received an additional 10,491 followers.
Congratulations! Reputation Achievement: You have reached the 10,000, 25,000, 50,000, and 75,000 viewer achievement tiers (Message condensed).
System reward is based on the contributing factor that increased your viewership. Please note that these achievements were all within your first 24 hours; so, rewards have been increased based on the rarity of this type of achievement (Rare Rarity).
Congratulations! You have received: +5 to all of your attributes, Minor Restless Bones has increased by 3 levels, Axes has increased by 3 levels, and Roaring Sweep has increased by 3 levels!
Intelligence Threshold Reached (50). Benefits: Each new point into intelligence now grants 30 mana (up from 25).
Congratulations! [Minor Restless Bones] has increased to level 4.
Congratulations! [Axes] has increased to level 7.
Congratulations! [Roaring Sweep] has increased to level 4.
Reputation Achievement: (Notice – Message condensed.) You have reached the 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 follower achievement tiers.
System reward is based on the contributing factor that increased your follower count. Please note that these achievements were all within your first 24 hours; so, rewards have been increased based on the rarity of this type of achievement (Rare Rarity).
Congratulations! You have received: Charisma has been increased by plus 5. Charisma has been permanently increased by 100%. Additionally, voting has been enabled for all of your current followers to present you with a new skills, spells, or abilities. Good luck!
Charisma Threshold Reached (30). Benefits: Non-hostile creatures and people are 10% more likely to offer a hidden quest or divulge additional information during interactions (up from 5%). You are also 10% more likely to persuade someone during those conversations (up from 5%).
Charisma Threshold Reached (50). Benefits: Non-hostile creatures and people are 15% more likely to offer a hidden quest or divulge additional information during interactions (up from 10%). You are also 15% more likely to persuade someone during those conversations (up from 10%)
The rewards were truly staggering and a part of me would end up rereading those messages several times to understand all that I had earned. My mind focused on the message about my followers being able to give me a new skill, spell, or ability as three empty bars appeared in my vision. They were shaped similar to an empty healing vial. One was tinted orange, another violet and the last was a deep shade of red. Each was steadily filling up as I watched.
Comprehension dawned upon me after only a moment. These vials represented my followers voting on this reward. The orange bar represented people voting for a new skill. The violet represented the spell and the red bar represented the votes for a new ability. As I watched, the red bar was filling noticeably faster than the others, with the violet bar lagging a little behind. It looked like my followers, the majority anyway, were voting to have a new ability to be granted. In less than a minute, the voting process ended with an ability the clear winner. I had no idea what the best choice would have been, but a cool sensation of exhilaration flowed into me as the voting ended. The sensation glided up my spine before settling like a globe of spring water at the base of my skull.
Congratulations! You have received a new ability, Clear-Headed. This new ability was selected randomly based on the conditions that precipitated your significant increase in followers.
Clear-Headed – You are immune to all but epic-tier mind-altering effects, spells, and abilities. Your mind is yours and yours alone.
“Wow, you’re quite fortunate. You have some pretty nice fans,” Stella said with a surprised look on her face.
“Why do you say that?” I asked as the awareness of the ability settling in my mind gradually diminished. When it was gone, I was more than I was before. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it felt like my focus and perception had been honed to a keen edge. It was like I had finally awoken after a blissful night’s sleep. “That cool-headed ability rocks and matches with the tactic that won us the fight, but is there more to it? To be honest, I would have been all alright with a new skill or spell just as much.
“I’m quite surprised because the choice was determined by your followers. Many, well really all of them, had just been watching Adom. They were his followers. Honestly, I grimaced inwards when that reward came up because I thought it more likely they wouldn’t give you the best choice of the three. I had thought most would be pissed that you killed a favorited Hunter and would have chosen the weakest option as a way to punish you. Obviously, that didn’t happen here.” Stella gave a short laugh before continuing. “They also came to a decision very quickly. Actually, come to think of it, maybe your new fans didn’t want to you ever drink that disgusting gnoll brew ever again.”
Stella was happily gliding in the air in front of me as she continued to ramble on, “I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but people who favorite a Hunter have the ability to either watch from a third person point of view or if they pay a large enough fee, they can see through the Hunter’s eyes. And trust me, there are more than enough people across the galaxy that pay for that privilege. I’m just surprised that you got the best of the three options with such a new group of followers, that’s all.”
Stella finally slowed her animated movements and gestures, she was clearly excited, before resting once more on my shoulder. “Anyway, being granted a new ability can be huge for a Hunter; they are generally considered the best choice if you ever get the option to pick. So, again, consider yourself lucky.”
“Maybe a good percentage of his followers were hoping for his downfall. The guy was kind of an asshole, at least from the little that I knew of him.” I rubbed the back of my neck, “Either way, I’m happy for that new ability. The thought of losing control over myself is far from appealing.” I was certain I would be losing a large swath of Adom’s followers, but a part of me hoped some would remain. Those who didn’t care for Hunters like he was, those hoping for something better. Only time will tell.
A thought occurred to me at that moment, so I asked it. “What is the end goal of being a Hunter. Do they, I mean, can they retire? Or does this game continue on until death?”
“Yes, many Hunters do play the game long enough to retire, but only a small minority actually reach the point when they are given the option.” Stella had a thoughtful expression on her face, she turned to look me in the eyes. “If a Hunter ascends from a World they are given a choice; either they can retire and keep everything they have collected, or they can advance to a higher-tiered world. Trust me, if you are a popular Hunter, the system gives you a significant incentive to advance.”
“Do you think Duke would retire or is he trying to ascend?”
Stella responded after only a quick second, “All Hunters work towards it, though many never figure out how to do it, let alone gain enough power to do so. For Duke, my guess is he wants to ascend to a higher-tiered world. He is ruthless, as we have seen, and wants to acquire as much power as possible. With how popular he is, the System would likely go a long way in incentivizing him to stay. Still, there is a possibility that he would retire and, if that were to happen, it would be near impossible to find him ever again.”
“So, exactly how does a Hunter ascend?” I asked.
“There are clues left in each starter world and many different ways to force that to happen. No one actually knows how to do that, not even me. From what I’ve learned, it varies from world to world. It’s quite rare but something that only the most powerful Hunters will eventually come across. Right now, I couldn’t even guess what the steps are, but… We can bet that Duke is progressing towards that. Ascending to a new world provides huge rewards and the next tier world has items, spells, and loot that even its weakest one would put nearly any items on our World to shame.”
That was a lot to take in. Everything Stella shared had given me a lot to think about and I’d probably need to come back to this with Stella at some point in the future. Right now, though, given our current status, it would be best to keep moving forward with our current goal of taking down Duke. In the here and now, we needed to get Lailah back home.
As a Hunter who has successfully defeated another, you will receive significant rewards commensurate to the challenge faced.
Calculating…
Difficulties Noted: Defeating a Hunter one tier above your class (high difficulty); defeating a hunter four levels higher (moderate difficulty); surviving combat with less than 20% of your original HP (medium difficulty).
Calculating…
Congratulations! Your Hunter Rewards have been upgraded to tier 3 (Rare)!
Reward #1 - Experience extracted from Accelerator (uncommon). Note - upgraded to rare tier!
Note – Experience extracted from defeated hunter & accelerator is dependent on rarity, as follows: Common Accelerator – 25% total experience acquired, Uncommon Accelerator – 35% total experience acquired, Rare Accelerator – 40% total experience acquired, Epic Accelerator – 45% total experience acquired, Legendary Accelerator – 50% total experience acquired, & Unique – 70% total experience acquired.
Congratulations! You have extracted 27,565 experience points from Adom the Savage’s accelerator.
Level Up! You have earned enough experience to advance to levels 9, 10, and 11. Tier 1 class characteristic attributes have been applied. You have 21 attribute points to distribute.
Reward #2 - Attribute points extracted from Accelerator (uncommon). Note - upgraded to rare tier!
Adom the Savage’s Highest Attribute was Strength. Congratulations, you have extracted 18 Strength!
Strength Threshold Reached (30). Effect(s): Plus 15% increased damage from all melee-based attacks, skills, and abilities (up from 10). Maximum carrying capacity increased by 75 pounds before suffering movement penalties (up from 50).
Reward #3 (rare) Attribute/Skill/Spell extracted from Accelerator (uncommon). Note - upgraded to rare tier!
Based on Adom the Savage’s status, you have a 60% chance to acquire a new skill, a 30% chance to acquire a new spell, and a 10% chance to acquire a new ability.
Congratulations! You will receive one of Adom the Savage’s spells! Available Options: Force Bolt (level 1), Disarming Charm (level 5), Healing Tonic (level 7) or Selomund's Song of Travel (Level 8).
Note – You may manually choose one of the available spells, however the spell’s level will automatically be lowered by 50%, rounded down (minimum level 1). Or, you may have the system randomly assign you a spell and its level will remain intact.
Choose. {Manual Selection} or {Random}?
“Well, that’s simply incredible,” I said with much enthusiasm.