“You accepted terms. Thank you!” These last two words, the elder woman nearly shouted, and almost immediately, Tyken flew open the curtain. In one fell swoop, he grabbed Cedric by the armpits and threw him over his shoulder. Cedric tried to protest, but the grip over his back was far too strong.

“You tricked me!” he shouted at the old woman, still trying to weasel himself out of the steel vice.

“You took bite from offer. Obvious, no? Now you fight bear.”

Cedric's heart beat like a drum against his ribs, his breathing quickening. “At—at least give me a weapon, or…something!”

“Yes. You will be given weapon. If defeat, then you have feast,” she said, smiling and nodding vigorously.

At this point, Cedric caved in. Honestly, it isn't a terrible deal…as long as I survive, that is. The drapes slapped him in the face as they left the tent.

Back in the sunlight, the crowd had grown, nearly forty people encroaching onto the doorstep of the hut. They parted, letting Tyken through. Without anywhere to look, Cedric caught the eyes of a few of them before he managed to close his eyes. Hope. That's what he saw. Yet hopelessness. Like a farmer holding his last seed, the rest of his crops destroyed.

Cedric sighed as Tyken placed him on the ground in front of the gate. With an impassive nod, Tyken grabbed a sword from a nearby hut and handed it to Cedric. He stared at it like someone would look at a loaded gun. The air felt heavy and the steel reflected sunlight into his eyes.

What's supposed to stop me from just running away? The question seemed dangerous. What if this was the only town for tens of kilometers? What if they chased him through the woods? Actually…if Tyken is level seven, it would probably be safe to assume the other soldiers were at least, like, level three or four, right? How am I supposed to defeat it? His idea of running away was beginning to sound more and more preferable, even if they did give chase. Behind him, the other two men started unraveling the rope. Cedric watched as the wood parted, the flush of green growing as the gap widened. After a moment, the gate reunited with the ground, a cloud of dust billowing from underneath. Cedric stared at the first line of trees, a giant bear huffing in his mind, blood dripping from its teeth and fur.

Tyken stared down at the shaking boy, and exhaled. He still couldn't understand how such an…impotent creature ended up here. A shame, he thought, that such a lamb must be sacrificed. With that, Tyken nudged the boy forward until his feet traversed the wooden planks. He raised his fist to signal the men to raise the gate. Even if it only gave the village one more day, this had to be done. He didn't like it.

Back in the elder's hut, the old woman raised her hand again, but this time, spun it counter clockwise. Instantly, a young girl appeared, kneeling down, blue hair draped over her shoulders. A deep purple sat within her eyes, glimmering from the lame light of the room.

“Yes, Elder Shion?

“I've sent boy into woods. Watch him. Make sure he doesn't run.”

Stellia raised her eyebrows. “A boy?”

“Yes. He stumbled across village. Hopeful he will keep bear busy for while. Maybe we can get water while distracted,” the elder said, nodding, a wicked smile traced across her face.

Stellia nodded apprehensively, swallowing the questions that remained in her head. Without another word, she left, leaving the nearly quiet room, a small chortle emanating from within. Her stomach grumbled and she clenched her fists. With a huff, she jumped high into the air and grabbed onto a hanging branch before disappearing into the treetops.

With one final thump, the door finished its ascension, leaving Cedric alone, the already eerie sounds of the forest turning violent in his mind. The sword, dangling from his right hand, felt heavy, unruly. It was obviously too big for him, but having anything sharp was better than not.

Now…how do I get away? Cedric gave a quick three sixty. So, I know I came from the front, so maybe I should go the other way. But. What if I managed to avoid the monster in the first place because I was on this side? He scratched his head. For now, going the way he came seemed pointless. He walked the better part of half a day. If there had been anything to see, he would have seen it. Even if it meant potentially being in more danger, he felt the opposite way had more to offer.

Cedric rounded to the backside of the village and gave one last look at it as he trudged into the thicket. His breath felt loud in his ears and his leg felt even more fatigued than it had before he'd entered the village. He had to stop every couple hundred feet to catch his breath. There was little hope that he'd be able to scale a tree if it was necessary. Somehow, he felt like crying.

The sword grew heavier with each step, siphoning the strength from his limbs. Planting the tip into the ground, he rested again, placing his back against a sturdy looking tree. What does a guy have to do around here for a map? He sighed, putting his head between his knees and pressing them against his temples.

Actually, he hadn’t thought of it until now, but…

Do I have stats?

He wasn’t sure how it took him so long to think about it. Of course he would, right? Only one way to find out. Closing his eyes, Cedric imagined the same gray box above his head, and then he imagined it unveiling as it had for the other creatures. Sure enough, a small box grew in his mind. [Cedric: Lvl 1] Cedric chuckled to himself. It’s what he had been expecting, but it was still amusing to actually see. He focused on it again. The box expanded.

Name: Cedric

Race: Human

Level: 1 (4/10)

— —

Pow: 10

Fin: 8

Int: 13

Gua: 10

Aeg: 12

Vit: 7

Wis: 11

Allocatable Points: 0

– –

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Titles:

Slayer(Neophyte)

Well…somehow, it knew his name, which was a little scary, and human, too. That meant that it either updated the racial pool as soon as the transportation happened, or some form of non-earth humans already existed here. Anything at this point was speculation, so he tossed the idea away for now.

Stats. It still felt weird, saying it unironically, or not under the pretense of sitting at home on his couch. So, pow of ten, huh? He didn’t really have a good point of reference, but comparing it against his other stats, it seemed pretty average. His fin was low, comparatively. What would that affect, though? He felt fairly nimble. He ran pretty fast from that first groglee, but maybe that was because he was still thinking of Earth standards. Then, his int of thirteen. That was comfortably his highest offensive stat, but, doesn’t int usually accompany, like, magic and spells? If hell-spawn raccoons, rabbit people, and giant man-killing bears exist, then why not magic? He threw his hand forward, imagining bolts of lightning arcing from his fingertips. He usually leaned towards archer or rogue in his games, but with a fin of eight, he doubted that was the smartest decision. But, then the question was: How would he acquire ‘magic’?

That left the defensive stats and wisdom. Again, gua sounds like guard, so he would just assume that was for physical armor until told otherwise. That would mean that aeg was for magical defense, which would make sense given that int was his highest offensive stat. Vit usually stands for vitality, but the only application he could imagine is like healing, right? Like naturally body healing? Then wisdom. Like, mana, maybe? I don’t know, man.

All he knew was that he was tired. At this point, he'd be happy to find anything. Something to tell him he was headed in the right direction. He couldn't imagine anything that would suffice for such a landmark, but nevertheless, he wished. As if listening to his thoughts, a groglee burst from the bushes a few meters away, making Cedric jump to his feet. Raising his sword, he waited, anticipating the leap, but it never came. The raccoon didn't stop, didn't even look at him. It just kept on going, scurrying back into the thicket to his left. Cedric gulped. He wasn't stupid enough to not know what that meant. Should I run now? Try to gain distance? No, he would be too slow, and he'd just end up exhausting himself. With a deep breath, he skirted around his tree, his back facing the way the groglee had come from, and prayed.

A small thumping. Cedric felt it grow louder, climbing his legs through the ground. It was big. Crouching to make himself smaller, he heard it as it barreled past. A yelp erupted from somewhere beyond his hedge of shrubs, followed by the sound of spilling liquid and bone crunching. A violent shiver sprinted up Cedric's back. The sound of snapping and the rustling of leaves slowed, before stopping entirely. What's it doing? Is it done? Why isn't it leaving? It must be eating…but there wasn't that much to eat…

Why isn't it leaving!?

The shrubs shook again and Cedric flinched, crawling backwards around the tree again. Then he heard it. The sniffing. And then a huff.

Cedric scrambled to his feet and leapt to the side as a thirty centimeter wide claw sliced the air where he'd just been standing. His foot screamed, but he ignored it. And there it is. In all it's bloody glory. A three meter long bear with a deep mahogany coat, splattered with a darker red. Around its neck, a collar of bone spiked outwards. Surrounding its maw, a similarly osseous muzzle reflected the light streaming through the trees. Its name was fitting. [Grizleo: Lvl.4] It huffed again, charging at Cedric.

Readying his weight on his right leg, he jumped backwards. A brush of wind ruffled his shirt as its claws pummeled the dirt. Pivoting, he swung his blade and connected with its right ankle, earning a muffled howl. Cedric tried to gain some distance.

Shaking off the pain, the beast charged again, its eyes locked. Cedric dove out of the way again, but he wouldn't be allowed to avoid it this time. An excruciating pain erupted from his left thigh like a hot skillet against his skin. Cedric gritted his teeth and followed through with his dive, rolling back onto his feet. He stabbed forward, hoping to make contact, but his sword deflected off its muzzle. He tsked.

It swiped. He dodged.

He was doing well. Better than he probably could have hoped for. He had managed to land a few strikes, as thick, coagulant liquid dribbled down its brown fur. Cedric's legs hadn't caused him too much trouble yet, but he knew that it was more than likely due to adrenaline. He had to finish this quickly.

Something bothered him, though. Why hasn't it opened its mouth? Not once had it snapped at me. How does it eat if it can’t open its mouth? Regardless, its claws had been the only weapon it had used so far. He'd be a fool to assume that this would continue going as smoothly as it had been.

As if on cue, a guttural roar erupted from the bear's throat. Simultaneously, a tsunami of terror crashed over Cedric as his legs nearly caved in. He twisted his head around.

Multiple rows of silver fangs lined its jaws, a blackened tongue residing behind them. His instincts screamed to run and hide, but no matter how loudly they yelled, his common sense held him firm.

A pulsing sound emanated from its maw and something deep within him, some primal urge for survival, told him he should be very, very afraid. Staring into its abyssal chasm, he watched in horror as a small translucent orb appeared between its three rows of teeth. It pulsed again, growing in size. And again. And again, until it, finally, with one last pulse, locked into place. Instantly, it turned crimson as if painted with blood. I leaned back, ready to run, but it didn't matter.

The grizleo’s body recoiled backwards with enough force to crack the ground beneath it as the orb blasted forward like a cannonball. The human head sized bullet whistled, the small area around it twisting and contorting. Cedric threw himself to the ground, his leg protesting as roots dug into his hip. He slammed his eyes shut as the blast ripped above him, soaring straight into a large trunk and, after lodging itself deep into the wood, detonated. The tree didn't stand a chance as it creaked and groaned before toppling to the ground.

What the HELL!?!

If one of those hit him, he wouldn't stand a chance. Not even a shred of a chance. Across the glade, the bear didn't move, still posturing like a cannon ready to fire. This is brutal. How did it go from pretty much a normal bear to…this?

Cedric’s left leg, from just above his knee, was soaked in red. He needed something; some form of attack to finish it off.

It fired again.

He dove to the right, roots and broken twigs rolling up his back. He sprung back to his feet with an idea. Moving quickly, he stood on a short stump for some extra height. The monster's unlatched jaw followed him around. Then he waited, watching as the orb grew larger and larger, until finally, it turned red.

That's my cue.

Just as the bear buffered again, an eruption of dirt around it, Cedric kicked off from his stump. He stayed low, sprinting. His leg screamed, but he pushed. The orb passed over his right shoulder, the back of his shirt lifting and twisting into the air pocket as the cloth disintegrated. It didn't matter. Cedric rapidly approached.

Grabbing the hilt of the sword with both hands, he held the blade tip forward. The grizleo latched its jaw, trying to reconnect the pieces and return to combat mode. It was too late. He ran up the side, his right leg finally giving out. He fell to a knee, but he was close enough. Cedric thrust forward with both his leg and blade, plunging it deep into its side. From there, he ripped down, flipped his grip, and carved up at an angle.

The bear roared again, another wave of terror telling him to run, but he wasn't done yet. Leaning his body in, he pressed his shoulder onto the pommel as the rest of the blade slid into its body. Its ribs fractured. The bear bucked, having finally returned to fighting form. It tossed Cedric away and he flew through the air, landing on a rather spindly, but cushioned brush. The brush had him now, holding him hostage. His leg was useless.

[48 exp] rose from the head of the corpse and a huge surge of energy coursed into his body, energizing his body. It felt warm, comforting, like an evening by the fire. He didn’t get to bask in the serenity for long, though, as his mind went black, his head falling against the shrub beneath him.

Above, hidden in the canopy, a whistle could be heard. A blur of blue fell, landing between the two unmoving bodies. The puddle of blood around the bear continued to encroach upon the nearby grass. “That was one hell of a fight,” she said, approaching the boy. He was pretty. Long eyelashes, dark brown hair, and pink lips. Lady Elder had made it sound like it was a child. She sighed. Something wasn’t adding up though. The bear had only been level four. For it to have taken out the other soldiers, and even Trynek, it should have been closer to level eight or nine. Are there others? No… As far as she knew, it was just the one. She stared down at the boy again. He had a fairly deep gash on his leg. Vasha would have to take a look at that later. For now, she picked up the boy and threw him over her shoulder. He was heavier than he looked. Exhaling as she repositioned him on her shoulder, a smile parted her lips. She had to get him back to the village.

A feast awaited.