Chapter 3
The first sighting
As the hell cat breathed its last Xane onto his ass with a grunt of pain. Breathing heavily as he tried to stanch the flow of blood from the wound on his side. Taking slow, deep breaths help to calm and refocus his mind as the adrenalin that flooded his body during the fight left him.
“Fuck, that hurts!” He said through gritted teeth. Unable to stop the blood flowing out of his small body, as darkness crept up at the edges of his vision. Desperate, he opened his character sheet, his eyes landing on the list of skills. Reading through the description of his healing skill, growling in frustration. Closing the screen, Xane tried to stand until a wave of dizziness from blood loss leaving him on his knees. Doing the only thing he could think of, Xane silently prayed as he imagined light flowing from his hand into his side. His vision was little more than pinpricks of light, when he felt a warm heat move into the bleeding wound.
The pain that had threatened to make him pass out began to fade as the darkness in his vision receded. Sucking in a gasping breath cleared the fog from his mind, allowing him to concentrate on what was happening. Looking down, he saw a soft white light being emitted from his hand. Xane sat in stunned silence as he watched the deep gashes from the hell cat’s claws pull themselves closed. As the wound finished healing, another wave of lightheadedness robbed him of his strength, making him crumple to the ground.
Flopping onto his back, Xane sucked in a few more lungfuls of air, waiting for the lightheadedness to pass. Opening his character sheet once more, he quickly found the problem. His mana had bottomed out and had just ticked up from 10 to 55. Feeling clearheaded, he sat up about to close out the screen when the flashing prompt drew his attention. Mentally clicking the flashing icon brought up an unexpected system message.
You have slain a level 5 hell cat. 500 experience gained.
Because you struck the creature’s weak spot with a non-combat weapon, you are awarded the following +1 to luck.
Congratulations, you have leveled up!
You receive +1 to all stats and +2 skill points.
Congratulations, you have leveled up!
You receive +1 to all stats and +2 skill points.
Congratulations, you have leveled up!
You receive + 1 to all stats and +2 skill points.
Experience to required 0/400
New skill
Small blades lvl 1
Closing out the notifications, he opened his sheet to see the changes.
<table width="423">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Name
</td>
<td width="141">
Xane
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Age
</td>
<td width="141">
6
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Level
</td>
<td width="141">
3
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141"> </td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Hp
</td>
<td width="141">
6600
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Strength
</td>
<td width="141">
36
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Agility
</td>
<td width="141">
36
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Dex
</td>
<td width="141">
52
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Intelligence
</td>
<td width="141">
52
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Wisdom
</td>
<td width="141">
36
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Constitution
</td>
<td width="141">
36
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Defense
</td>
<td width="141">
4
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Luck
</td>
<td width="141">
11
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141"> </td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Mana
</td>
<td width="141">
520
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Mana regeneration
</td>
<td colspan="2" width="212">
52pts per sec
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141"> </td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
skill points
</td>
<td width="141">
6
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141"> </td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Skills
</td>
<td width="141"> </td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141">
Archery lvl 1
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141">
Compacted Mass
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141">
Crafting
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141">
Double Dip
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141">
Healing lvl1
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141">
Identify lvl1
Small blades lvl1
</td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td width="141"> </td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211">
Boons/Blessings
</td>
<td width="141"> </td>
<td width="71"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="211"> </td>
<td colspan="2" width="212">
Amora''s enhanced blessing
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Xane let out a low whistle as took in the changes to his stats. “Damn, that double dip is no joke. Especially with the Goddess’s blessing.” He said, obviously excited. Even his luck had gotten boosted to 11, which he was certain the three points he had before is what helped him to take down the hell cat. Hell, the fight netted him the small blades skill to boot.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Suddenly he shot to his feet, his hands balled into tiny fists held high overhead. Xane let out a wordless shout of triumph that changed into a fit of laughter. Though he almost died a second time, something about the whole situation was just funny to him. Somewhere in his mind he had equated the hell cat’s attack to the one that ended his life as Alex. Angie was a feral bitch who killed him when he thought he was safe. Only difference was this feral bitch had four legs and failed. Xane thought. He knew it was a fucked up way of thinking, but to him in that moment it made sense.
Letting out a last laugh, Xane picked himself up and looked over at the dead beast. Shrugging, he thought. I wonder what hell cat tastes like? Getting to his feet, he brushed off the dirt from his pants and grimaced when he saw the deep tears in his tunic. Maybe I can find a needle and some thread stashed away somewhere in the cave. Xane hoped as he moved over to store the corpse in his inventory. Searching around for his broken bow, he found it tangled up in a small bush a short distance away. A frown crossed his lips as he looked down at the now useless weapon. Sighing, he dropped it into his inventory to deal with later. Turning to head back to his cave, he saw a ray of sunlight glint off something metallic stuck under a tree root that stuck out of the ground. On hands and knees he reached into the small hole under the root, Xane’s hand grasped onto something that felt like stiff leather. Giving the unknown item a sharp tug, tore it free of its confines. In his hands he held onto a dirt covered satchel, secured closed with a brass buckle. Wiping the dirt away, he could see the dark leather looked near pristine underneath. Undoing the closure, Xane opened the satchel and smiled as his inner loot monkey stirred awake.
Looking inside the bag caused said loot monkey to throw up its hands in frustration when he found the bag to be empty. Letting out a sigh, Xane could only shrug, figuring he could always try to sell it as he dropped it into inventory. Getting to his turned back to the pond to clean off the blood the caked his skin.
Sitting just outside the mouth of his cave, Xane sat on a rock, using a piece of cloth he found to dry his hands. Over the fire that he stoked with some wood, he gathered on his way back sat the rabbit carcass slowly roasting on a spit. When he had finished skinning the large hare, he was surprised to have gotten the skinning skill. The smile he had on his face from getting the skill only grew wider with the smell of the cooking meat.
Pulling the dirty bag from his inventory, Xane used the damp cloth to clean off the dirt coating. He had just finished wiping the front of the satchel down when his identification triggered.
Traveler’s Satchel of Holding
This satchel, while unassuming, has a carrying capacity of 200 pounds. The only restriction is the item must fit in the satchel’s opening. This item is a magic item and is unbound.
Would you like to bind this item to you?
Yes/no?
Bond items can be unbound by penalty of losing access to the items'' magical properties. Can not be rebounded for 24 hours.
Figuring what the hell, he could still sell it later. Xane mentally clicked yes. When he did, he felt a bit of the same energy he used to heal his wound flow into the bag as it glowed briefly. When the glow faded, a new screen filled his vision, similar to his inventory, but much smaller. As his eyes took in the items stored inside, Xane could only wonder if this bag had belonged to the cave’s original occupant, was dropped by some random passerby, or perhaps a small gift from the Goddess. Either way, he was sure he never would have found it if not for the luck stat he now had. From what he could tell, the contents seemed to be the basic gear anyone traveler would need when setting out. An axe, shovel, something like a sleeping bag, a strange lantern, and a dagger big enough to be a sword in his small hands were some of the items contained within. But the thing that made him smile the most was the bow.
Pulling the bow from the satchel was more surreal than using his inventory. With the skill, things just vanished and reappeared at will. But with the satchel, the items didn’t just appear out of thin air. He had to reach inside while thinking of the item, then pull it out. He felt like a stage magician pulling a rabbit from a hat as he extracted the bow.
Made of lacquered wood reinforced with polished antler strips, the limbs swept back towards him before curving back out to the front. Leather wrapped grip, with strange runes engraved along its five-foot length. Activating identify brought up the weapons information.
Reenforced stag horn recurve bow of the stalking hunter
Quality excellent
Durability 200/200
Item type, crafted
Required 30 str. Archery skill, lvl 1.
Equipping this bow will give you the following:
Plus 5 to stealth
Plus 5 to Precise shot
Adds 25 damage plus 50% of strength stat, on successful attack
This item is unbound. Do you wish to bind this item to you?
Yes/No?
Mentally clicking yes, Xane felt some of his mana leave him and flow into the weapon. After a moment, it glowed briefly before shrinking down to fit his small body. Letting out a small whoop, Xane danced around happily with his find. Even his inner loot monkey, that had come alive when he first identified the bag. After a few moments, he settled down when the scent of roasting meat tickled his nose.
Dusk was approaching when Xane had finished gathering the wood he would need for the night. While he was out, he had his identification skill going nonstop the entire time. Xane collected the herbs his skill that told him would be useful or safe to eat. Taking a detour, he stumbled upon a small grove of trees bearing apple-sized fruits.
Ragar fruit
Edible
Condition ripe
Jumping up, he snatched a fruit from one of the lowest branches. Somewhat surprised by the height of the jump he just made, he could only shrug, as he assumed it had to do with the strength stat he now owned. Buffing the fruit against the cleanest part of his tunic and taking a bite. He tasted a mix of apple and strawberry with a hint of citrus. Soft yet crisp, it was probably the tastiest thing he had ever eaten in either of his lives. Letting out a groan of pure pleasure, he quickly scarfed down the rest before looking hungrily at the tree. Now he sat outside the cave snaking on another of the ragar fruits, as he watched the setting sun.
For the next few weeks, Xane spent his days exploring the forest surrounding his cave, and his nights reading through the books that were left behind. At first he was surprised finding he could understand the strange letting like it was English. Figuring it had to be the whole auto translation that most stories gave their characters, he let it go. He learned the previous owner was interested in the system that governed their world and strove to learn as much as he could. Using the man’s journal, Xane learned how to navigate the numerous menus that came with accessing his character sheet. Now he had a hut like a video game with a pair of colored bars in the upper left depicting health and mana.
Along with the character sheet, he found he had party tab for use when working in teams. He even figured how to access the skill list to spend his skill points on. Calling it a list was a bit of misnomer. What came up was more like a tree with intersecting branches of varying skills. After much consideration, he had dropped the remaining points in the fletching, herbalism, trapping, mining and lastly earth manipulation.
Fletching lvl1
Grants user the ability to craft arrows and bolts from common materials.
Herbalism lvl1
Grants user the ability to successfully to collect common and uncommon herbs. Herbalism will also mark all gatherable herbs on the user’s map within a radius of 50 meters.
Trapping lvl1
Grants user the ability to create and deploy simple traps to ensnare small game.
Mining lvl1
Grants user the ability to extract common ores and gems.
Earth Manipulation lvl1
Grants user the spells Harden Earth and Soften Earth.
Spell: Harden Earth
Hardens 5 cubic foot of earth and stone.
Spell: Soften Earth
Softens 5 cubic feet of earth and stone.
While the first three seemed like obvious choices if he was going to survive for the foreseeable future. Xane had chosen the latter two because he planned to improve his home. Besides allowing him to gather materials, the skill also gave him a sense of how the stone was formed. While the earth manipulation spells would make it easier to expand his home.
Finishing off the fruit, Xane pulled a bundle of leather from his inventory. Activating his leatherworking, his hands moved by themselves as they worked the leather. While they did their thing, he stared off over the trees at the small town, where lights slowly became visible. He wondered what type of people lived there; surely in a world with magic there would be more than just humans. Xane’s musings came to a stop when a system message popped into view.
You have crafted the following.
Hell cat leather pants
Item typed: crafted
Item quality: common
Durability 100/100
+10 to defense
A wide smile crossed Xane’s lips as he inspected his first piece of clothing. The soft grayish brown leather that came from the six-legged forest cat hid the flaws of his work. At least he had something better than the rough linen pants he woke up. Giving a quick look around to make sure nobody saw him; he changed into his new pair. Xane shook his head and laughed when he realized what he did.
Pulling out the last of the hell cat hide, he reactivated his leather working and let the skill take over. This time, his thoughts drifted towards his plans for his cave. After he had gotten both the mining and earth manipulation skills, he did a more thorough inspection of his home. He got the vague impression of a hollow behind one wall. Using the soften earth spell, he began excavating a tunnel. He figured at the rate he was going using the spell and the small shovel, he should break through in the next day or two. Another system notification brought him out of his thoughts. Before he could check the notification, a feeling of dread fell over him.
Confused as to what was going on, Xane closed the lantern’s cover, dropping him into darkness. Seconds passed in silence as the feeling grew, much like when he knew his mother was angry and looking to vent. Xane was on the verge of hyperventilating when he saw it. Feelings of terror and excitement, mixed with wonder, overcame him as he watched the giant fly overhead.
Wings large enough to blot out the sun kept the four-legged behemoth aloft as it glided through the air. The moonlight glittered off dark scales that looked to be made of crystal. Behind it trailed a sinuous tail, capable of leveling vast swaths of trees with a mere swing. The dragon rolled to the side as it turned in the air. The pale light of the moons’ revealing the dragon had something clutched to its chest with its two front legs. As he watched it glide, the feeling of dread and fear receded, leaving only awe and wonder. The creature’s mass was so great that when it landed miles away, he could feel the vibrations where he sat. Grabbing the lantern and the leather piece he dropped, Xane ducked back inside his cave, deciding to call it a night.