《Passive Fist》 Chapter 1: As We Know It Tick, tick, tick, tick. The clock on the wall loomed over Benjamin¡¯s shoulder. Another day, seemingly wasted. Benjamin was 21 years old, nearing the end of his college career studying God knows what. He had dark brown hair that hung on his head in a slightly disheveled shag, bright green eyes and sharp facial features he¡¯d inherited from his mother, or so he¡¯d heard. He had swapped his major as many times as the school would allow, always interested in the next subject after he had learned ¡°enough¡± about the previous. He¡¯d always taken the extra courses, Summer/Winter semesters and anything else he could find to learn a new something another. Definitely not excited for work today¡­ Benjamin¡¯s current employment boiled down to fast food, as he hopped between several fast food facilities to maintain steady work, and therefore disposable income flow. The life of a college brat I guess, it¡¯s my own fault. He mused. Some said he had commitment issues, Ben felt he had interest issues. He had managed to gain a tidy scholarship and other financial assistance due to his lot in life that allowed him some level of freedom in his choice of path. This all meant that he had worked up enough credits in enough subjects to essentially finish off his next year or so in just about any subject he could finally commit to, and receive a Bachelors for all his troubles. He was leaning into some type of engineering. Currently he was in one of the dreaded in between periods of his courses. When classes would line up with a 2 hour, or sometimes even larger, gap between them. Ben usually spent this time in a quiet place on his University¡¯s campus studying or reading his webnovels and trying to relax. You cannot be serious. He thought as he read through the 336th chapter of the most recent Isekai randomness he could find to keep his stream of consciousness occupied. The plot armor in some of this stuff is so over the top this guy couldn¡¯t lose a fight if he was blind and deaf. He closed the web novel to start looking for another one when he felt it. A pervasive wrongness, like walking down a hallway in the pitch black of night. Something primordial shook in Ben¡¯s mind. What the hell was that? Ben thought as he forced down a sudden urge to vomit, and laid down his head on the cool concrete table he was sitting at in seclusion and slid his phone into his pocket. Hm, maybe it was just something I- Ben¡¯s thought was interrupted by another feeling, an abrupt brightness, like the saturation to life got dialed to 100, on a 10 option scale. What the hell did I eat! Ben¡¯s thoughts were running amok, fearful he may have consumed some kind of narcotic accidentally he decided to try to make for the campus infirmary. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. He stepped around the corner from the secluded nook he usually haunted on warmer days of the year, only to find people bunching up in the open quad of the campus he attended, all looking concerned or sick. Suddenly there was a wave of force that blasted across the quad, Ben didn¡¯t even have the chance to think to run before he was struck by it. Ben¡¯s world became pain in an instant. He fell to his knees and could barely make out others doing the same through squinted eyes. This pain felt like it went on forever, moments ticking by like days. Then suddenly it was gone, and all that was left in its place was a sleek of sweat and the memory of the pain. Ben began staggering to his feet. What is going on¡­ The only emotion he could feel was fear. It felt existential, like an inexorable reality that couldn¡¯t be stopped. Like death. Time: 3:17 (Localized) Day: April 22nd 2023 (Localized) Activation imminent, initial wave contained. Local populus cleared for entry. Integration beginning for local populus. Integration complete (0.46% lost). Higher than average loss detected, report filed. Excess energy condensation beginning. Planet boom begins shortly. Temporary suspension of suitably conscious beings initialized. Ben barely had time to read through the sprawling screen of text in his mind and sight before suddenly there was nothingness, like a heavy sleep. Ben woke with a start, feeling cold and slightly damp, and was immediately faced with another wall of mental text. First contact initiating¡­ Natovians identified as the ideal first contact race. Allowing proper time for message construction before suspension disbursement. Ben tried to mentally dismiss the popup, only for it to be immediately replaced by another. Greetings people of Earth, this is emperor Justias the 11th, from the Empire of Natovia. We were identified as a race with a similar overall mindset and justification for life. We extend the warmest welcome to the Grand Schema, as we call it. Following this message will be another that we devised in the ¡®month¡¯ we were given to prepare a so-called ¡°First Steps Guide¡± for your race. Know that we are limited in the length that the guide can be, so it may seem lacking at first. Some of you may have lost loved ones, please know that your world is not over, it¡¯s just simply no longer as you knew it. Chapter 2: First Contact Greetings people of Earth, this is emperor Justias the 11th, from the Empire of Natovia. We were identified as a race with a similar overall mindset and justification for life. We extend the warmest welcome to the Grand Schema, as we call it. Following this message will be another that we devised in the ¡®month¡¯ we were given to prepare a so-called ¡°First Steps Guide¡± for your race. Know that we are limited in the length that the guide can be, so it may seem lacking at first. Some of you may have lost loved ones, please know that your world is not over, it¡¯s just simply no longer as you knew it. Carefully, Ben dismissed the notification, his breath coming out ragged from being overwhelmed. Below we will list what we deem are the top 5 Need to Knows: 1. Every individual deemed sentient by the Grand Schema has their Core Talent revealed upon being integrated, it should be given as soon as you dismiss this prompt. 2. Now that you are integrated your existence will be subject to the Grand Schema, thereby you will be pursuing greatness by developing Levels, Stats, Skills, Talents, and Grades. Levels increase Health and Mana passively, as well as grant free stat points. Skills can be either actives or passives that enable you to do things to varying degrees of success. Talents are similar to skills but usually more unique and powerful. Finally Grades are similar to Levels but upgrade your entire existence, typically by an order of magnitude. An average level 100 grade 1 is about as powerful as an average level 10 grade 2. Levels in any one grade are infinite as far as anyone can tell, but will become exponentially harder to attain while staying within a grade. You can investigate these further by viewing your ¡°status¡±. 3. Your world has changed, dramatically. Earth has grown to be over 20 times larger than it was previously. Approximately one Earth month has passed since Earth¡¯s integration, humanity was held in stasis while your bodies and planet became accustomed to the influx of mana that you were all subject to. Excess pockets of mana condensed into dungeons and monsters, while some may have been absorbed by your native flora and fauna, causing it to mutate in unknown ways. Tread carefully but move forward boldly nonetheless, your survival will depend on it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. 4. The Grand Schema is a force of benevolence, its purpose is manifold, but mostly boils down to the maintenance of mana in the universe. You may have felt a sense of power, elation, or explosiveness, followed by an overwhelming explosion. The Grand Schema precedes the wave of Mana exploding out from the center of the universe, and you felt them respectively on their arrival. Mana unmanaged completely corrupts and mutates things in unforeseeable ways, the Grand Schema seeks to prevent it from happening to sentient and conscious beings. Know this: the Grand Schema is not all powerful, it only enables us all to fight for our right to existence. 5. Following this, you will now have access to The Weave. This operates as an extension of the Grand Schema, where points earned through hardship can be exchanged for Levels, Skills, Talents, and much, much more. Skills and talents can be earned through various means other than The Weave, but in the beginning you will receive 100 points. It is advised to use those points for a weapon or skill that can be used to defend yourself initially, as early on after integration, your world will be in its most dangerous state. Land has been remade, cities no longer exist as they were, most will be stranded far from any help. Move carefully and with purpose, Earthlings, we wish you the best. Our envoys are on their way. With a heavy, shuddering sigh Ben dismissed the message, only to be met with a breathtaking site. Standing atop a cliff, Ben overlooked a massive sprawling valley, with other cliffs and hills leading down into it. In the basin of the valley lay a wide river that pooled in some areas. Vast greenery carpeted much of the valley, and Ben could make out a few animals and birds with his gaze. Ben had only the time to hit his knees before the next prompt took precedence. Core Talent: The Passivist Pacifist? No! You are uniquely inclined to only develop passive skills. You will be unable to attain or develop active skills, but passives you acquire are twice as powerful, and grow twice as fast. Prerequisites to acquire passive skills are much lower for you. I¡¯m¡­ In a shitty novel? Ben thought. Chapter 3: Not Quite a Radioactive Spider Bite Core Talent: The Passivist Pacifist? No! You are uniquely inclined to only develop passive skills. You will be unable to attain or develop active skills, but passives you acquire are twice as powerful, and grow twice as fast. Prerequisites to acquire passive skills are much lower for you. The disbelief gave Ben pause for awhile before he dismissed the intrusive popup. After doing so a smaller popup appeared in the bottom left of his vision, this time not taking up his entire minds eye. 100 Points awarded for integration. Advised to spend in The Weave to establish Starter build. Ben remained on his knees, body shaking slightly as he looked out over the valley below him. Slowly, he leaned backward to lay himself flat, back to the hard stone and dirt that made up the cliff. Staring up at the sky, it appeared to be midafternoon, around 2 or 3 by his estimates. Luckily the weather was decent, not to hot or cold, so shelter and sustenance weren¡¯t such a pressing need as they could have been. Shaking his head, Ben felt a tear roll down his face. ¡°What the actual fuck¡­¡±, he muttered to himself. ¡°Status¡±, he whispered. Still not believing his situation. First use of status detected! Stat breakdown: Strength: A measure of the body¡¯s capacity to exert energy. Fortitude: A measure of the body¡¯s capacity to endure harm, as well as regenerate from it. Dexterity: A measure of the body¡¯s ability to exert energy explosively and in a coordinated manner. Wisdom: A measure of the mind/soul¡¯s capacity to store knowledge/energy Intelligence: A measure of the mind/soul¡¯s ability to exert knowledge/energy Willpower: A measure of the mind/soul¡¯s ability to maintain equilibrium (Note: Stat evolutions, and hidden stats exist. Stats are not universal, as some races have fewer or more than others by default. Stats are also relative, a titan with 10 strength will be significantly stronger than a human with 10 strength. 10 is the starting average for the race in each stat, previous life events will impact starting values for individuals.) With a small nod of understanding Ben dismissed the prompt. Status Name: Benjamin October Core Talent: The Passivist Level: 1 Grade: 1 Points: 100 HP: 100/100 Mana: 100/100 Strength: 8 Fortitude: 12 Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 11 Willpower: 15 Skills Actives: N/A Passives: N/A That¡¯s life I guess¡­ All that school amounted to 1 point over the average in intelligence¡­ But all the crap in life added up to 15 Willpower. Great, I¡¯m perfectly prepped for more crap-sandwiches¡­ Ben couldn¡¯t help but smile a little at the thought, the tears flowing down his face tasting of salt on his lips. Right as I was getting my life together, and things started looking up. Shit. Well¡­ No time like the present. Ben thought as he pulled himself together, and to his feet, as he had many times before. ¡°Right! ¡®The Weave¡¯¡± Ben said out loud to no one. The Weave Items Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Skills Talents Level Up (10 Points) Skills. Ben thought, thinking to test whether intention was enough for the system to accept it as input. Sure enough another window followed. Skills Passives Actives Right. Gimped build already, Passives. Ben thought with a mental shrug. Passives Hardened Skin (40 Points) Reinforced Fists (40 Points) Unarmed Combat (70 points) Swordsmanship (90 points) Keen Sight (110 points) Keen Smell (130 points) (Note: These are recommended skills from a pseudo-infinite list. Specific skills can be searched with intent.) On viewing each of the skills in the list Ben got a basic understanding instinctively of what each would do. Hardened Skin increased skin¡¯s toughness marginally and scaled with Fortitude. Reinforced Fists did something similar but worked on the skin, bones, and muscles in the fists. Unarmed Combat was a general instinct enhancer for unarmed combat, imbuing fighting ability into the soul of the recipient. Swordsmanship did something similar for sword fighting. Keen Sight and Keen Smell were general sense enhancements for their respective senses. Hm, Items. Ben thought. It was only right to evaluate all his possibilities, or so he believed. Weapons Degraded Dagger(10 Points) Degraded Sword (20 Points) Degraded Mace (30 Points) Rough Iron Dagger (25 Points) Rough Iron Sword (50 Points) Rough Mace (50 Points) Armor Degraded Iron Chestplate (40 Points) Degraded Leather Jerkin (40 Points) Rough Iron Chestplate (80 Points) Rough Leather Jerkin (80 Points) Consumables Minor Health Potion (50 points) Minor Mana Potion (50 points) (Note: These are recommended items from a pseudo-infinite list. Specific items can be searched with intent.) Instinctively Ben understood the implications of the varying descriptors. Degraded implied a weapon was a little use away from breaking. Rough meant that an item wasn¡¯t made well, dull or dented, but functional. Search: Passive skill that allows the absorption of other entities skills. Ben had to try one of the old novel staples. Query Soul Eater (10,000,000 Points; Grade 5 Required) Gluttonous One (200,000,000,000 Points; Grade 7 Required) Right¡­ So not happening, at least anytime soon. Ben though. Soul Eater modified the users soul, editing in parts of the consumed bits, causing unforeseeable mutations. Gluttonous One was closer to what Ben thought of as the overpowered novel ability with no downsides, but took the consumption of multiple holders of a skill to attain a level 1 version of an ability. Time was ticking by, the sun slowly creeping overhead, and Ben could hear a myriad of noises coming from the forested area around him and lower in the valley. Right. Purchase Hardened Skin, Purchase Reinforced Fists, Purchase level up. He mentally issued the command to the interface. Skill Hardened Skin Level 1 Acquired Skill Reinforced Fists Level 1 Acquired Level 2 Acquired (2 Stat Points Awarded) A sudden itching feeling blanketed Ben¡¯s body, especially concentrating in his hands. Ben immediately drew a pocket knife he kept attached to his keys from his pocket. Drawing a breath he slashed at the back of his hand, and then higher on his forearm. The slash on the back of his hand left a small raised red streak. The slash on his forearm left a cut less than an inch wide that bled a small amount. That was all I had¡­ Ben considered in wonder. He quickly deposited his 2 Stat Points into Strength, instantly being overwhelmed by an intoxicating pulse. I guess increasing my physical power by 25% will do that, I¡¯ll need to consider things before making massive boosts, I¡¯d hate to get addicted. He thought to himself, the addict parents he never knew coming to mind. With that Ben looked around for a way down into the valley, and quickly spotted a wash that could lead him down into it. Soon he found himself at the bottom of the wash, body beginning to sleek with sweat and the sun a bit lower in the sky for his effort. Right, the water was this way. He thought to himself as he continued on with purpose. He made it about 15 feet into the tree line near the wash he¡¯d climbed down before he heard a low rumbling growl. Turning slowly toward where he heard the noise emanating from he saw a hunched form half jutting from a nearby bush. What appeared to be a large, Koala like animal with sharp needle-like teeth peered back at him, large eyes seemingly glowing in the dim light filtering through the canopy above. Chapter 4: First Encounter Peering into the eyes of the gremlin-esque monster, Ben felt frozen in time. As soon as the reality of the situation set in Ben quickly spun on his heel and began running back the way he had come. Stomping through the thin underbrush as fast as his legs could carry him, Ben began hyperventilating. It was one thing to read about the first encounters in his web novels, but it was an entirely different prospect to live through one. Looking back over his shoulder as he rushed through the forested area, Ben''s eyes widened as he saw the monster chasing after him, and gaining on him. Shit! I don''t think I can outrun this thing as I am! The worry of failure to escape began setting in, before all at once Ben''s reality became abundantly clear as he barged out of the tree line and was once again faced with the cliff he had slid down from. Ben had just enough time to consider what an idiot he was before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his calf, just below his knee. He howled in shock and pain, reflexively twisting at his trunk to assess his situation only to find the demonic koala crouching beneath him, ready to spring toward his face. Pure instinct through Ben''s hands up in front of him, protecting his face like a boxer, or a frightened child confronted with a bully. A sudden impact into his arms nearly sent him sprawling on his back, the weight of the monster gnawing vigorously on his left fist and gripping on his arms with jagged claws was the only thing that kept him on his feet. Ben stared dumbly into the creatures eyes, stuck frozen in shock, as it tried, and failed, to devour his hand. The monster grew impatient as it clawed at the inside of his forearms, leaving thin scratches across it, much like a common housecat could. Suddenly his situation clicked again, just before the monster shifted it''s focus to Ben''s torso and neck, causing Ben to lift his arms in front of himself and physically slam the monster into the stony ground beneath him with all his might. Ben heard a loud pop emanate from the monster, but it didn''t stop struggling beneath him. In a panic Ben pinned his left forearm beneath the being''s neck, just barely having enough strength to keep it beneath him singlehandedly. Lifting his right fist high in the air he began slamming it down into the creature''s ugly head. *Slam! Slam! Slam!* Ben''s fist slammed down over and over again, his fists reinforced physique the only thing keeping them from turning to hamburger meat against the creature''s facial bones and teeth. At some point Ben''s eyes squeezed shut and he began screaming, fear driving him forward to destroy like only an adrenaline filled human could. All at once Ben collapsed atop the still monster beneath him. His body tapped of all he had, ragged sobs slipping from his lips. "I didn''t even make it to the fucking water yet!", he screamed into the matted fur beneath him. Deep down he knew as soon as he awakened on the cliffside what lay before him, violence, pain, and death, either his or those that faced him, but he hadn''t expected to face it so soon. As soon as he opened his eyes a prompt appeared to him at the edge of his vision. Congratulations! First mana beast (Corrupted Koala) killed! 10 Points rewarded for kill, bonus 50 points for first kill! Hardened Skin > Level 2 Rolling from atop the confirmed koala, Ben sat up to sit beside it. Looking down he saw the mashed head, like a stomped on tomato, and thought to check the damage he''d undergone. His arms were covered in shallow cuts from the Koala, and he couldn''t see any visible damage to his fists, of course they were covered in quickly darkening blood though, and he could feel they were likely going to be bruised. His calf had an entire chunk missing from it, blood seeping into his khakis, making his eyes go wide. "Status" he said. Status Name: Benjamin October Core Talent: The Passivist Level: 2 Grade: 1 Points: 70 Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. HP: 85/110 Mana: 110/110 Strength: 10 Fortitude: 12 Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 11 Willpower: 15 Skills Actives: N/A Passives: Hardened Skin 2; Reinforced Fists 1 As he looked at his status Ben saw his HP tick down by a point to 84. Shit I really need to do something to get this under control. He deduced. He began by taking off his white, stained shirt and ripping the bottom half from it. He then tore it into strips and began wrapping it around his calf where the chunk was missing. It seeped up some blood but didn''t seem to turn bright red too quickly, Ben hoped that meant he wouldn''t bleed out within the hour. Right I''ve gotta figure out some way to heal, and fast. Ben thought. After a few minutes he found himself debating between buying a health potion, and trying to buy the only decent regeneration passive he could find for the points he could muster currently. The cost of leveling up had climbed to 20 points, and he didn''t have enough data yet to deduce the scaling for it. The skill he had found costed 55 points and was called Poor Bovine Regeneration, and he could feel that it would have implications on his physique, causing excess bristly hair to grow across his body, but would boost his regeneration by about 10% at level 1 counting The Passivist''s doubling of the value. Luckily his health hadn''t ticked down yet when he checked his status about 10 minutes later, yet he was still feeling frozen from indecision and the sun continued to droop in the sky. Here we go, all or nothing I guess! He thought as he confirmed another level up. Level 3 Acquired (2 Stat Points Awarded) Quickly Ben checked the points requirement for the next level up, and on seeing it now costed 30 points, confirmed another level. Level 4 Acquired (2 Stat Points Awarded) I really hope I don''t regret this... He thought as he dumped all 4 points he''d just acquired into Fortitude. Immediately he felt a heat echo through his body several times. An itching spreading across the back of his calf, his forearms, and his fists. Status. He thought. Status Name: Benjamin October Core Talent: The Passivist Level: 4 Grade: 1 Points: 20 HP: 105/130 Mana: 130/130 Strength: 10 Fortitude: 16 Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 11 Willpower: 15 Skills Actives: N/A Passives: Hardened Skin 2; Reinforced Fists 1 Ben sighed with relief. His HP had gone up to 105, confirming a theory he''d had; leveling up seemed to increase max health and mana by 10 each time, but increased the current values by 10 with them. He felt farther from death, and he had even seemed to regenerate a point of HP since he''d last checked, but had no way of telling if it was the extra Fortitude that put him over the edge to outpace the bleeding on his calf. He also noted that the level up cost was now 40 points. So the level up formula seems to be (current level)*10 points. That honestly doesn''t seem very expensive. He considered. Looking around he realized it was now around 5 o''clock in the evening, and the sun was rapidly falling. Ben briefly considered trying to transport the corpse of the corrupted koala for potential food, but dismissed it, considering he was injured and would have a hard enough time carrying himself along to somewhere passably safe for the night. Sighing to himself and the forest before him, Ben once again began trudging into the forest, a slight shuffle to his gait, hoping to make it to water to slake a growing thirst. Chapter 5: Water, and Worry Ben moved as swiftly as he could through the woods. It had been about an hour of walking so far, and he''d come across no more corrupted entities, or any entities for that matter. The forest was eerily quiet as night approached. Ben was beginning to feel the itch of paranoia crawling across his back as he moved through the forest that was growing in density. There must not have been enough time yet for game trails to be formed. He thought to himself. He had concluded this must be a completely net new area on Earth. Considering the Natovian Empire''s words that the Earth had grown over 20 times its original size, it only followed that most of the land he''d come across would be something no human had seen before. Luckily for Ben, he could swear he heard running water very close nearby at this point. What originally started as a whisper of sound, had now gained to a dull static nearby. Status, he thought for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour. Status Name: Benjamin October Core Talent: The Passivist Level: 4 Grade: 1 Points: 20 HP: 116/130 Mana: 130/130 Strength: 10 Fortitude: 16 Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 11 Willpower: 15 Skills Actives: N/A Passives: Hardened Skin 2; Reinforced Fists 1 From what he could tell his HP was regenerating around 1 point every 4 or 5 minutes so far. At least it''s regenerating at all. He thought with a wince, as fresh, taught skin pulled on the back of his damaged calf. It still wasn''t fully healed, but felt as though it was doing much better, he still hadn''t checked since he''d begun walking, afraid of what he may find.
The sun had quickly sunk below the nearby cliff faces, shading the valley in a twilight of light. Looking up, Ben could already see the moon in the sky and some stars breaking through the remainder of the light of day. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. It looks so much more massive than I remember it. Ben pondered staring up at the sky as he walked. As he paced through the woods growing closer to the now much louder sound of water, suddenly he broke free of the dense forest and found himself standing on the bank of a fast flowing creek. Moss blanketed much of the nearby woodland, creating a serene feeling in the fading light. This would be quite the sight if it weren''t for the pressing feeling of doubt and worry. Ben thought, with a small, defeated smile. Guess I''d better try to wash my wounds at least... Would hate to get an infection this early into this, who knows when I''ll find supplies or people again. He considered. Sitting carefully near the flowing water, on a small rock outcropping, Ben began to peel the shredded shirt from his wounds. The matted blood had caused it to stick, but removing it didn''t sting nearly as badly as he''d expected. Getting it all peeled away, he gently washed his arms and hands first in the water, watching the dark blood sleek away, revealing completely healed arms and unbruised hands. Huh. He thought to himself, moving on to his leg. After getting the blood cleared off his leg he found that it had healed up for the most part, leaving a scar that looked like a dog bite, surrounding a small scabbed over wound about the size of a quarter. Well, I guess I know that Fortitude definitely does SOMETHING at least. He thought with a smirk. Ben understood his position. In so many words, he was fucked. But, he also couldn''t shake the fact that he felt like a super hero. It would''ve taken weeks, likely months before he would''ve healed from the same level of damage prior to the system, and mana it self''s, arrival. Right, on that note, I guess I''ll just drink this water raw and unfiltered, and bank on Fortitude keeping me healthy. Ben affirmed to himself, scooping the water hand after hand into his mouth and drinking deep. He had worked up a sweat with all the fighting and hiking, and didn''t have the time or luxury to filter or boil the water before consuming it. After quenching his thirst he looked around the creek, trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. Taking out his cell phone from his pocket, he tried the lock button, but got only a black screen in response. Hm, I had hoped I''d be able to use the flash light, but either it''s got a dead battery or the mana fried the electronics like in so many of those books. He thought to himself. Shrugging he stood up and began walking along the creek, it being much easier than tromping through the wooded areas.
After another 20 or so minutes of walking, he''d made much better distance. With water in his system he felt invigorated, and the walking was much easier over the rocky creek banks than over the wooded underbrush. Finally he had found something he considered promising. About 10 yards away from the creek rested a massive oak tree, and Ben felt he''d found his resting spot for the night. It wasn''t perfect but it was already completely dark, nothing but the bright, full moon in the sky and the stars lighting his way. Pulling himself up into the tree proved much easier than he''d expected. Ben hadn''t had many reasons in life to climb trees, but his extra points in strength showed themselves in his ability to lift his own body weight. It''s weird but I almost feel like I''m heavier too. He thought to himself as he climbed the tree, the branches bowing heavily as he hung from it. Settling into the nook of the tree, Ben stared up at the stars, and kept his ears alert. After a few minutes of lying still and appreciating the view, he began to hear the noises of the forest again. Owls hooting, and small critters running through the brush farther into the woods. Slowly, Ben drifted off to sleep. He''d always been a light sleeper, a product of his upbringing he''d wager, and he was once again betting on his safety by hoping he''d wake up quickly enough in the event of an attack.
Ben awoke several times in the night, sleep coming with some difficulty due to every noise nearby waking him from his fitful slumber. He was dreaming again. The same ones as always. Vague rumblings of parents he couldn''t remember the faces of, screaming and fighting, and what he believed was his mother hitting the floor. Dashes of the foster home, bullies on playgrounds, and in the shared bunkrooms. Foster parents that couldn''t really be bothered past collecting a pay check, and his own self hatred not even blaming them for it. Finally dawn arrived, and Ben awoke a final time. Well. Anything is better than that I guess. At least now I can do something. He thought, rousing himself to jump down from the tree. Ben landed with a heavy thud, and peered around at the surroundings. Today''s agenda: Find food, and hopefully make some progress toward other people. This time, if there''s a fight, I need to just face it head on. He affirmed to himself. After he began walking along the bank for about 5 minutes he received a popup. Skill Hiking Level 1 Acquired Instantly Ben felt his gait change, and his body adjusting the way he was walking, some comfort settling into his aching muscles and bones. My first passive I didn''t have to buy from The Weave. I wonder how long that would''ve taken without The Passivist. He considered. As he walked on he inspected the nearby plant life, kneeling and eating things he recognized as edible from school and personal study. Burdock, watercress and a few dandelions made of a vast majority of what he found. He also notices a massive amount of flora he couldn''t recognize at all. He attributed some of it to ignorance, but there were so many varying species he deduced there must be a lot of mutated or additional flora and fauna on Earth now.
After a few hours of walking, stopping to snack and drink on occasion, Ben got another happy surprise. Skill Identify Level 1 Acquired He received it after closely analyzing one of the unknown species of plant, a bright blue flower with a long stem, and several thin long petals. A window popped up immediately after he received it. Manora Gensis: A plant used for it''s mana regeneration properties. Caution when consuming, many races physiological makeups cause a nausea response on ingestion. Hm, my first sorta useful new plant discovery... Ben thought, as he left the plant unperturbed on the bank of the creek. He figured there was no sense in picking something he had no means of storing for later use. Wiping his brow Ben peered up to see where the sun was in the sky. What he found there marked the 3rd major surprise of the day: A pillar of smoke about a mile in the distance, from his estimates. Chapter 6: Monsters May Be Easier Ben was excited. He wouldn''t consider himself a social butterfly, but he definitely enjoyed the company of others. Growing up he''d always liked when there were other kids to play with in the foster homes he''d lived in before he''d landed on his grandma''s couch at 15, then he''d enjoyed meeting people in the high school he attended. Many kids in his situation retreated into a shell away from the world, but he''d refused to let his situation ruin his perspective on others, determined not to let the bad turn worse. Despite this he was also nervous, given it was the first person he''d be meeting since the end of the world, so some slack should be cut, or so he thought. As he hiked his way through the woods toward he looked deeply at all the passing trees and bushes, testing the new Identify skill. It was a bit different than he recalled from the books he''d read and games he''d played. Trees he didn''t really recognize as anything other than trees readout "Tree", in the interface, but the ones he could pinpoint readout more fully. Fir Tree: A common coniferous tree found throughout much of Old Earth. Leaves are small and needle shaped, seeds are contained in cone like pods that fall from the main tree body... The interface went on for a long time about Firs. Well, I did do that report on Fir Trees for that Botany class. I guess it''s giving me what I already know in a tighter clearly laid out interface. But it just gave me the info on Manora Gensis though. Ben thought more about it as he continued onward, staring at passing "Rocks" and "Bushes" as he went. About 30 minutes later Ben arrived at the top of a small hill overlooking the area the smoke was rising from. He pegged it at about 200 yards into the woods beyond. If I yell, whoever is over there would probably hear me. He considered, then reconsidered, thinking about potentially malicious humans, or particularly intelligent monsters that may be lurking ahead. With that in mind he began slowly making his way down the hill toward the smoking, minding where he placed his feet, and carefully side stepping behind trees between him and his target. About halfway down the hill he got another notification. Skill Sneak Level 1 Acquired With that under his belt, stepping quietly got much easier, and he noted he barely needed to pay attention to where he was placing his feet to reduce his noise down to a barely audible level. Suddenly avoiding twigs and the crunchier leaves blanketing the forest floor became much easier. I''m never going to get used to this. He considered, the increase in ability playing at his mind again. A few minutes later he found himself behind a wide pine like tree that simply read "Tree" to his Identify, so must not be a pine at all for all he knew. Ben could smell the fire clearly now, as well as the distinct smell of cooking meat. Ben knew he was only about 15 yards from the fire now, and he could see that it was in a clearing in the trees. Right as he peered around the wide trunk he hid behind he felt it. Placed just below the base of his skull, was a sharp point. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want?", snarled a distinctly feminine voice at the other end of the point behind him. "I''m Ben. I swear I mean you know harm. I''m really glad you speak English, that''s kind of a crazy coincidence considering-", Ben''s shaky voice was cutoff by the point pressing a slight bit further into his skin, but still not quite breaking it. "That''s enough ''Ben''. I''m going to be straight with you, I don''t know you and I don''t trust you. You can either turn around and take your happy ass out the way you came, or you can die where you stand.", said the voice. "Hm. Well I think I would take the first option, but first is there any chance I could ask you a few questions, maybe sit down and we can share what we''ve noticed so far. I don''t know about you, but I haven''t seen or heard from anyone since this whole thing started. My phone is dead or broken, I''m not sure which. I''d really like to try to work together, at least for a bit.", Ben spoke quickly, trying to seem non-threatening to this obviously on edge individual. "Tell me your Core Talent, you have 2 seconds go!", the woman said in a rush. Stolen story; please report. "The Passivist: I can''t use actives, but my passives are amped up and I get them faster! Was that two sec-", Ben wasn''t able to finish his sentence before he was hooked from his side and spun around. What he found shook him. A woman, in ripped up blue jeans and flannel, both soaked with blood. She had a heavy gash in her leg, and several lighter wound on her arms. She appeared to be around his age, or maybe a bit older, had tanned dark skin, black hair, and sharp features on her face, much like his own. What concerned him most was the obviously used spear she held in her hands, pointed near his stomach and groin. "Well Ben, lucky for you I think I could kill you in less than a second in that case. Walk slowly backward into the clearing, there are a few logs there we can sit on and keep an eye on each other.", she said, motioning him to move backward with tip of the spear. "Right away ma''am.", he quickly responded with a nod. "Call me ma''am again and our talk will be cut short, along with other things.", she motioned suggestively with the spear. Ben felt his eyes widen with shock at that notion and quickly backed into the clearing, stumbling to a seat on a stump she guided him to. "Wh-what is your name?", he asked as she sighed and sat back on stump opposite him. Ben looked over the clearing once she sat, noting a distinctly human shaped monster (or what he hoped was a monster) roasting over a low fire. "Mari", she said curtly, eyes staying on Ben. "Well Mari, can I ask about your Core Talent since you know mine?", he asked, voice getting quieter as he remembered their situation. "No, only an idiot would give out their core talent so easily." She said dismissively. "Well." Ben chewed on his next words. "How about how all those wounds happened?" "Well. I got dropped into a cave, and happened to exit out the side that was surrounded by some kind of monster camp. A bunch of tiny guys, kind of like goblins from games, but they came in all different colors.", she said nodding toward the monster on the fire. "And you''re... Eating them?", Ben asked, slightly concerned for his safety suddenly. "Well, there isn''t shit else to eat. I only know a few of the plants out here, and none that are edible. To top it off I got really hurt fighting my way out, and it took eating and getting a bit of shitty sleep last night just to stop my HP ticking down.", she said quietly, hissing the first part in disgust. Ben hadn''t considered that. I guess I''d probably do the same if I were in her situation, you have to do what you have to do I guess. "Can I ask what your health is at?", he asked carefully. "60. Out of 100." She said back quietly. "Have you not levelled up? Why not?!" he asked sitting forward. "No points. I dropped all my initial points on this spear.", she said hefting the spear. "Then the points I got from the initial kill bonus and the 6 kills I got after on skills. If it hadn''t been for the giant red dude I would''ve made it out fine with a spear and 3 skills to boot." "Oh. Was it some kind of boss or something?" Ben asked, considering that this lady must be some badass martial artist or something. He''d nearly died to a methed up Koala, meanwhile she''d been fighting gangs of goblinoids at level 1. "Something like that. It could coat it''s axe in fire. Luckily it only hit me with a few glancing blows before I high tailed it out of there.", she responded head falling to look at the grassy floor. She must be starting to trust me. He considered her drooping head. Time to double down. Send 10 points to Mari. He issued the thought to the system. 10 points sent to Mari "Use those to buy a level. You should put it in Fortitude. If you''ll gamble on me I''ll keep you safe for a bit while you catch some sleep and try to heal up. After that we can head back the way I came if you''re willing to stick together. I can''t guarantee I can protect you, but I can at least wake you up if it hits the fan.", he said, leaning toward her, elbows on his knees. Skill Persuasion Level 1 Acquired Status Name: Benjamin October Core Talent: The Passivist Level: 4 Grade: 1 Points: 10 HP: 130/130 Mana: 130/130 Strength: 10 Fortitude: 16 Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 11 Willpower: 15 Skills Actives: N/A Passives: Hardened Skin 2; Reinforced Fists 1; Hiking 1; Identify 1; Sneak 1; Persuasion 1 Chapter 7: Boss on the Horizon Mari sat across from Ben, her teeth grit in what looked to be frustration. Ben felt a little awkward in the silence. "Why the hell did you send me those points. I didn''t ask for them.", she muttered through a clenched jaw. "Woah woah. Chill out. Really you can think of it as me being greedy if it helps. I''m banking on you helping me. Of course you don''t have to, you can still tell me to take a hike, and I wouldn''t really have much choice in the matter.", Ben replied with a shrug. "Honestly you could probably kill me in one clash." "That''s besides the point. You''ve put me in a spot where I feel indebted to you. You''re trying to manipulate me. You''re- you''re trying to USE me.", she whispered at first, her voice slowly rising. "That''s partially true.", Ben confirmed, nodding slowly. Mari was clearly exhausted, and very worked up. He couldn''t imagine the night she''d had, he had simply gambled his life on not being found and dealt with the usual nightmares. Meanwhile she had been gravely injured, and was likely looking over her shoulder constantly, if her catching his approach was anything to go on. "Look. I really want to help you, and I want you to help me. I''d be lying if I told you I didn''t want, sorry, NEED your help out here.", he said, looking her dead in the eyes. Persuasion > Level 2 Ben struggled to keep a smile off his face when the notification appeared. He really did feel he was being honest after all. I guess it''s indicative that the skill is called Persuasion, not Manipulation. He mused internally. With a groan Mari wiped her hands down her face. "Look. I''m sorry. It''s just. It''s just been a long couple of days. But I guess I''m probably preaching to the choir there.", she said with a dark chuckle. "Fine. I''ll accept. I''ll use your points, hell I''ll use em where you suggest. My fortitude started at 9, and if I plan on staying in the thick of things, I may as well boost it up now. I''m sick of being beat up.", she muttered, "But! We won''t be going straight back the way you came. I''ll only accept if we go back to kill that damn red giant who did this to me. I think with the two of us, we could probably do it. Honestly if I had the time to get in a good attack I could probably do some serious damage in one thrust." Ben considered it for a moment, then asked, "Sure. But I need to know what we''re working with. What is your Core Talent?" This was one of Ben''s strongest points, or so he thought. Drawing out information, mirroring people, and making lasting, and typically useful, friendships. Some might say he viewed people the wrong way, but he had always seen things this way, and always considered what he brought to others as a principle value as well. After a brief pause Mari seemed to nod to herself, "The Plunge. It basically doubles the attack force of thrusting weapons, hence the spear. I was trained with it, among other weapons, in the past." It makes sense I suppose, what are the chances a total novice, like myself, would have any shot at fighting a group of goblins within the first day otherwise. Fictitious novels are one thing, but reality is an entirely different story. Ben thought. "Right, so what would the plan be?" Ben asked. "Well. Do you think you could keep it''s attention for awhile? It''s slow, but does have the fiery axe thing.", she said. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Hm. Maybe? I nearly died to a doped up Koala creature, but I''m pretty good at running and have a few skills that make me quite a bit tankier, especially in my fists.", Ben relayed his abilities. "Sounds like a plan. Most don''t survive conflict anyways, best to have a basic plan of action and adapt on the fly. That''s what my instructor used to say anyways.", Mari said, a slight tinge of embarrassment in her face. She briefly seemed to lose focus, then suddenly smiled. "Ah. I should''ve leveled up before. That felt fucking great. Oh! And it gave me the 10 points to current HP as well as max!" Ben smiled, he had found someone competent, if luck was a stat he felt like his would be pretty high in that moment. "Now get some rest. I''ll watch the clearing and wake you in a few hours. We can go try to take this red dude down, and figure things out from there." Ben said. Nodding Mari laid on a pile of bunched up pine needles and shrubbery, and with one last look closed her eyes. "Oh! And Mari?", Ben said causing her to open her eyes again, "Thanks for taking me up on the offer. I look forward to figuring this shit out together.", he said, looking her in the eyes. She just nodded slightly in return, seemingly not knowing what to say back, rolled over, and within minutes was asleep. Man... She must''ve been really out of gas. Ben thought with a grin.
An few hours passed quickly. Mari was already looking significantly better, but still not quite fully healed. Ben had spent the time analyzing the nearby pine like tree he had hidden behind before initially meeting Mari. He had gotten a lot more information from his Identify skill, mostly by peeling away the bark, smelling and touching the sap and resin, and finally slight licking the underside of a peeled away bark piece after rubbing it against his skin to test it''s effects. Mana Infused "Pine" Tree: A tree similar to Old Earth pines, but very different practically. The sap can be used as a food source, the thick mana present in it acting to revitalize the body slightly. The resin can be used as a binder for tool production. (Note: Not a perfect record. May not contain all relevant information, and may be missing crucial aspects.) Ben considered the last sentence in the display. It seemed as though the Identify skill acted as a souped-up version of his own intuition, saving things he found or elaborating them more completely than he would''ve been able to otherwise in the same amount of time. Still that left him wondering why Manora Gensis was so fully identified on the initial skill gain. About that time Mari stirred awake. It was about midday. Slowly Mari stumbled to her feet, and walked over to the slowly roasting goblinoid over her coals. She began pulling off chunks of cooked flesh from the monster before looking over her shoulder and motioning for Ben to join her. "Well. Waste not want not I guess." Ben said, mostly to himself as he walked over to partake in his first true post apocalypse meal. Ben had known true hunger in his life, and he knew not to blow off a full belly over stupid social norms. Better this than eating out of fast food dumpsters. He noted to himself. After eating a bit more Mari yawned loudly, announced she''d need another hour or so for a bit more HP before they set out, and crashed to her makeshift bed again.
A few more hours passed before Ben shook her awake, Mari''s hand immediately shooting for the shaft of her spear when his touched her shoulder. "Sorry!", Ben winced as he apologized. "If you want to get this done today we should probably move soon.", he said motioning to the sun dipping slowly toward the horizon overhead. "Right. No. You''re right. I''m sorry." Mari said as she stood slowly, bracing against her spear as she stood. "I''m pretty much fully healed up now anyways, lets go put this monster in the dirt." After a bit of cleanup, and a few more bites of goblinoid the two set off with Mari in the lead. They trudged through the wooded area for about 2 and a half hours, before arriving near a massive mound around 600 yards across with no trees around it. "On the other side of this hill is the entrance to the cave, as well as their camp. I say we sneak up on them and get as advantageous of an attack as we can before fully engaging. With any luck they''re still in some disarray over the lost members from my last fight, and this will be a cake walk.", Mari whispered stepping out of the tree line and beginning the track up the hill, moving slowly. Right. With any luck... Ben thought to himself, but kept his mouth shut. Chapter 8: Boss Battle The first thing Ben saw after they finally crested the hill was bones. Bones piled on bones, bones hewn together to form makeshift fences, and bones crowning a smattering of small huts. It was a wonder to Ben that the creatures had even managed to gather that number of bones in the small amount of time since the Earth had turned bad, but then he reconsidered. Just because I just woke up doesn''t mean everything just did. He gently chided himself. He considered it of the utmost importance that he not assume anything in this changed world. After the bones he noticed the small movements of a few shapes of varying colors between the huts. Small figures of varying shades of the rainbow moving between the impromptu village. Beneath Mari and Ben was the cave entrance, and just off that was the largest hut of all, with two large entrances, one toward the mouth of the cave, the other on the opposite side. Inside the large hut Ben could just make out a slumbering form, much larger than the other goblinoids in the area. "I say we post here and try to evaluate the number of targets." Mari whispered to him, the noise barely leaving her throat. Ben simply nodded in response. They were currently positioned in a small outcropping of boulders above the cave entrance, the overhang masking their presence to the creatures below. With that settled, Ben shifted slightly and got comfortable amongst the rocks around him. It would be bad if I cramped up prior to the fight.
After about 45 minutes of observation, Ben got a notification. Sneak > Level 2 He took that as a sign and motioned Mari closer. After she shifted over he held his hands up and indicated 7. He had counted 7 smaller goblins from his perspective. Mari returned his count with a nod, and motioned down to the larger hut, then began moving toward it. Guess we''re starting with the Big Guy. He slowly moved behind her toward the large hut. It was only about 40 yards from their position, they just had to move carefully down the rest of the hill around the cave mouth. Once they got to the bottom problem free, Mari glanced around the corner of the cave deeper within, and after pausing there for a few moments nodded back at him and continued toward the large hut. As Ben passed the cave mouth he glanced inside and saw that it turned off and nothing was resting inside as far as was viewable from the outside. They made it to the entrance way to the large hut, and nervousness was welling up inside Ben. Mari held up her fingers counting, 3, 2, 1... before rushing into the hut, Ben following close behind. Inside was a sleeping form, slowly rousing to wakefulness from the noise of them moving into the hut, due to the foliage that made up the flooring. The large red Ogre-like creature was emerging from a slew of pelts of several different creatures, blinking bleariness from its large eyes. Upon seeing the intruders the large creature stood quickly, preparing to roar, when suddenly Mari seemingly disappeared from her location next to Ben about 15 feet away from the creature, zipping quickly across the distance, and planted her spear in the creature left leg. It''s roar turned into a stunted grunt, as it flung Mari, and her spear, away by slinging its leg in a kicking motion. Mari slammed into the wall of the hut with a thud, the entire structure shifting at the disturbance, and suddenly the red giant''s gaze rested on Ben, thick blood dripping down its leg and anger in its eyes. It looked to its right and grabbed an axe resting near its bedding, hefting it and waving its hand over the blade, causing it to burst into flames. "Care-ful...", Mari wheezed out, slowly trying to work herself to her feet. Meanwhile Ben felt frozen in place. He watched as the whole interaction took place up until then, Mari''s sudden acceleration taking him off guard, and the fight starting so abruptly throwing him for a loop. He didn''t feel ready for this. Ready or not, the giant rushed forward, its steps thudding heavily. One, two strides, and it had already closed two thirds the distance to Ben, and had begun to lift its axe overhead. Suddenly a clarity covered Ben''s psyche, a notification popping up, but immediately being dismissed in the heat of the moment. Throwing his arms up in front of him in a boxer''s stance, Ben rushed forward toward the ogre, trying to throw off its swing by closing the distance. The ogre''s eyes went wide, as the momentum of its swing had already taken hold, Ben rushed just inside its guard, and his fist approached its face. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Ben felt the heat of the axe singing his exposed skin, but nonetheless braced himself to throw an uppercut into the quickly descending ogre''s head. As the monster''s head and his fist connected with each other, Ben felt as if he had been hit by a truck, his legs buckling beneath the weight of the ogre''s swing, followed by an explosion of heat behind him as the axe''s head kissed the floor of the hut. He felt the bones in his arm creak beneath the force of his own blow, and the ogre''s head flew back word, it''s own momentum doing a majority of the work. Another notification blipped through Ben''s mind. The ogre stumbled away, leaving its axe planted slightly behind Ben as he collapsed, his legs shaking violently. The ogre reeled for a moment, before seemingly regaining itself and moving to approach Ben again, fury in its eyes and flames licking amongst its four fingered hands. Just as the behemoth stood before him and began reaching toward Ben, an ear piercing blast caught Ben''s attention. Mari''s spear shot forward, slamming into the ogre''s gut, and proceeding up into chest cavity. Immediately the flames spreading across the creature''s arms tapered out, and it began falling backward, the force of the blow causing it to slide off the spear, a squelching noise resounding through the camp beyond. The creatures collapse sounded out loud and clear, a momentous boom echoing in the enclosed space, causing the walls to shake around them. Red Ogre Killed > 80 points awarded Loud screeches resounded from all around them, and creatures began barreling toward the opening in the hut facing the camp. Ben climbed to his feet and limped his way toward the cave entrance, while Mari faced the approaching creatures. Health. Ben thought, and was immediately returned 82/130. A single hit had taken nearly 50 of his health, and it was his own attack. Still he felt he could assist in the approaching fight with that much health remaining. With some resolve he steadied himself and turned back toward the fray, aching hands griping into fists, blood dripping down the one he''d used to deliver the blow to the ogre, as his knuckles had split from the force. The first goblins rushed in as a pair, and with quick thrusts Mari disposed of them. In the time it took her to do so another had rushed past her toward Ben, attempting to encircle her. Ben met this one readily. His hands nearly felt as they were moving on their own. A sureness to his movements guided him, as he lifted the pint sized creature over head and used its momentum to plant its head into the hard dirt below, a loud crunch followed by a loud gurgling let him know he likely was done with this enemy. He turned to face Mari and her opponents again to find she had disemboweled a third goblin that rushed in alone. Before her 3 more monsters holding small shivs slowly began to circle. With a firm decision to distract and help his comrade, Ben barreled forward into them. He felt a shiv glance off his forehead above his right eye, and one off his left thigh, as he body slammed the middle goblin to the ground. He dug his forearm into the yellow goblinoids neck and pushed, hard, against the ground below. He felt one more stab into his right side penetrate about an inch as he pressed, trusting Mari to take advantage of the distraction to eliminate the threats surrounding him. Slowly the light faded from the eyes of the screeching yellow creature below him, and suddenly there was silence. His sweat dripping down into the face of the monster. 4 Goblinoids Killed > 40 points awarded Skill Cool-Headed Level 1 Acquired Skill Unarmed Combat Level 1 Acquired Unarmed Combat > Level 2 Reinforced Fists > Level 3 Hardened Skin > Level 3 Status Name: Benjamin October Core Talent: The Passivist Level: 4 Grade: 1 Points: 130 HP: 58/130 Mana: 130/130 Strength: 10 Fortitude: 16 Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 11 Willpower: 15 Skills Actives: N/A Passives: Hardened Skin 3; Reinforced Fists 3; Hiking 1; Identify 1; Sneak 2; Persuasion 2; Cool-Headed 1; Unarmed Combat 2 Chapter 9: Loot Ben collapsed to the side of the goblin monster he had just felled, breathe heaving out of him in ragged bursts, the reality of what they''d just done settling into him. "Are you alright? Dying?", Mari said, her eyes looking a bit glossy, clearly in shock. Why am I not losing it? Ben wondered, looking at the changes to his status. Status Name: Benjamin October Core Talent: The Passivist Level: 4 Grade: 1 Points: 130 HP: 59/130 Mana: 130/130 Strength: 10 Fortitude: 16 Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 11 Willpower: 15 Skills Actives: N/A Passives: Hardened Skin 3; Reinforced Fists 3; Hiking 1; Identify 1; Sneak 2; Persuasion 2; Cool-Headed 1; Unarmed Combat 2 Hm, must be the new Cool-Headed passive. I feel much... Cooler I guess. He thought, slightly shaking his head at his inability to think straight. "Yeah I think I''m fine, not actively losing health at least.", he responded. Slowly he took stock of himself, patting his body and checking for breaks. His arm that he''d swung with was definitely in a lot of pain, but no clear breaks could be felt, seeming to be fractures and bruising at most. Looking around the hut they''d fought the ogre in, he found a place to rest as he inspected the room closer. There was a wooden crate in the corner, which upon closer inspection looked to be a chest with the top ripped off. There were also skins stretched out in the hut with various nuts, fruits, and dried meats available. Ben grabbed some nuts and motioned for Mari to approach the chest with him. Laying inside were a few treated furs and clothes that looked to be stained with blood. Oh no... Ben thought as he picked through them slowly. It looked like two outfits total, both appearing to be in men''s sizes.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Looks like they weren''t as lucky as us.", Mari muttered quietly before turning to pickup the axe from the crater in the floor it had caused. Immediately she began swinging it around, small puffs of flame emanating off of it with each pass. "Well at least we got something out of this I guess.", she said as she slung her spear over her shoulder setting herself up to carry both weapons. "We still have the cave to look through.", Ben said quietly, "There could be more enemies about so don''t get too comfortable.", he finished as he threw the clothing back in the chest and turned toward the cave entrance.
The duo had made it about 30 yards into the cave before it began smelling musty, the lack of airflow being apparent, despite that there were still torches regularly on the wall, so they pressed a bit deeper. Finally they encountered a single goblin, seemingly in a prayer stance at the bottom of the cave. It was sitting before a small mound, light emanating from within it. The temperature in the cavern feeling slightly higher where they were. After motioning to Mari, quietly, Ben snuck up behind the shaman, easily slipping behind it due to it''s trance like state. Swiftly he grabbed its chin and the other side of it''s head and twisted viciously, feeling a pop indicating tearing in its neck as well as dislocation of its bones. The duo watched wide-eyed as the goblinoid violently flopped on the ground, before finally falling still after around 30 seconds. Goblin Shaman Killed > 30 points rewarded "That was nothing like the movies.", Mari muttered, disgust in her voice. "Yeah. I almost feel bad. That was... Rough. I think he may have been some kind of mini-boss or something, I wonder what he was doing down here.", Ben said, before turning and kneeling next to the mound. Reaching out slowly, Ben touched the mound with his uninjured hand. Natural Fire Mana Spring found! Would you like to attempt to absorb it? Y/N The system flashed in his mind. "Ooo. Looks like this is why they were here. Maybe it has something to do with the axe?", he motioned for Mari to touch it too, seeing the flash of recognition when she did. "Maybe? What do you want to do? Do you want to try or what should we do?", she responded. "I don''t know, I don''t know if I can, it seems we can fail if it''s specifically saying attempt. Also I don''t want to just hog this if it''s a potentially valuable resource.", he said weakly, knowing he wanted to take it for himself despite his words. It was quickly becoming clear that power was the new currency in the world, without it he would quickly cease to exist. "No, you should take it. You came here with me to exact revenge, plus I''ve got this axe to do... Something, with. You''ve done me plenty of solids, plus there will be more coming with any luck.", she told him. Here goes nothing. Ben thought, confirming the notification in his mind. Immediately a searing sensation shot through his arm, causing a scream to erupt from him. His skin quickly bubbled up to his elbow, clear severe burns appearing, before all at once it stopped and another notification appeared as the mound faded to regular earth. Skill Flame Touched Level 1 Acquired SHIT! Ben thought quickly summoning his health. HP: 32/130 Idiot! I should''ve healed more before I tried something that could clearly fail. He could only shake his head and watch to see if it ticked down any more. And after a minute or so of Mari pacing behind him, unsure of what to do, it did. HP: 31/130 "Shit. I think my body is under too much stress. I''m losing health steadily now when I had been gaining it after the fight. Give me a second I''m going to try to get something from the Weave so I don''t die.", he muttered concern pushing him to act. Points: 160 Query for healing or health regeneration passives that I can afford. He thought, hoping it would work, and it seemingly did, a gargantuan list scrolling in his mind. Frantically he searched through the list, his eyes catching something for 150 points that he instantly bought. Skill Minor HP Regeneration Enhancement Level 1 Acquired He then peered back at his health, after about 30 seconds it once again ticked up. HP: 32/130 "OH THANK GOD! I''m so freaking stressed out in this stupid reality!", Ben yelled as he let himself fall backward to lay flat again the cool earthy floor of the cave. "So no dying today?", Mari questioned, nervously chewing at her thumb. "No, well, hopefully not.", Ben considered. "I got some kind of passive called Flame Touched from the mound. It feels like it''s making me more resistant to flames and something else? I don''t know it''s not like when I''ve acquired skills before from the Weave or learning them, it''s like something foreign was just stitched onto me.", he squeezed through gritted teeth, the pain in his body and arms almost too much to bear. "Well. It must be acting through some other mechanism or something." Mari considered staring off, "Anyways, lets head back up and we can take a rest in one of the unoccupied huts. They had plenty of non-meat that we can snack on, maybe we should just camp out?" "Nah, I''d hate to be sleeping and a roaming band of the pests came back to bed down, just to find us.", Ben replied, feeling the cave begin to cool down, now that the power had sapped out of the mound. "Good point. C''mon, I can help you back to the campsite, I''m not feeling too worn-out, well, not as bad as you look anyways.", she half-chuckled, awkward about the damage her new impromptu teammate had undergone. Carefully they began the exhausted walk back to the clearing Ben had found Mari in originally.