ã€ŠForged in Fear and Fury - An Apocalyptic LitRPGã€‹


 Chapter 1: A Rude and Reckless Introduction

    The sun slips below the horizon as a warm breeze rolls languidly through the verdant foliage of the rooftop garden. I sigh contentedly before rising quickly into a full-body stretch. My joints crack and pop as the breeze gently washes away my fatigue and I begin jumping up and down to clear the sleepiness from my mind.

    It¡¯s during this time that I hear an alarm chime in the distance shortly followed by a wave of nausea and a sharp spike of pain in my head. I drop to the ground before feeling a rush of air pass the back of my head and neck. Springing back to my feet I aim a light punch at whichever of my friends decided to spook me. Dizziness grips me, lights dance in my vision, and an intense, dull pain blooms across my knuckles as they strike what feels to be a combination of metal and rough stone. I let out a grunt of pain while preparing to curse out whom I can now only assume is my friend Mark for blocking with a damn cinder block. His surprises have been strange before but never this blatantly idiotic.

    Continuing to ignore the alarms as I turn around and jump back, a pathetic mewl escapes from my lips as I¡¯m confronted not with the reassuring grin of a hard-headed friend, but with the snarl of a slavering, snorting ape. I have barely enough time to register neon lights highlighting the unusual black-and-red stripes of the creature before it launches itself at me, Instinct and what middling athletic training I¡¯ve had throughout my life kick in quickly enough that I¡¯m not struck and thrown from the building; I am struck, however, and hard. But landing spread-eagle in the bushes from a glancing blow beats landing face-first on the concrete after a several-hundred foot fall any day of the week.

    Thoughts of where this beast came from fall away as I scramble to my feet. A surge of adrenaline floods my system all while my body locks up and panic grips my insides with an icy fist. I lock eyes with the beast as it makes its way arrogantly forward. Three elongated, pitch-black ovals split the beasts face. They mock me, boring into my soul. I feel a resurgence of fear as my body soundly refuses my orders to move.

    The hold trepidation has over me would be absolute if its edges had not been worn away by familiarity over the course of my life. I forcefully remind myself that this is nothing more than an intense heightening of the panic I¡¯ve experienced for as long as I can remember. I let the instinctual fear wash over me before pushing it away from my mind as I rise to my feet. I harness the emotion and burn it as fuel for my survival. My vision shakes and my hands tremble as a grin slides its way across my face. It may have been a while since I¡¯ve needed to fight for my life and, while not exactly welcome, I allow the heady rush of the thrill to wash over and consume me.

    The beast and I lock eyes and a spark of understanding flashes across it¡¯s face. Only one of us will be alive after this is over. Having seen the change in my bearing and demeanor, the beast is no longer completely certain of its victory¡­ Either that or it¡¯s just shocked I didn¡¯t get turned into meat paste when it charged me.

    With all arrogant swagger gone from its bearing it snarls at me, foul spittle flying in all directions as it prepares once again to charge. The grin slips from my face as I return the snarl in defiance, shouting a wordless, guttural challenge to my would-be killer.

    I yank out the knife in my boot and twist to the side as the beast charges. It attacks using the same headfirst strategy as before and, taking advantage of this, I''m able to plunge the knife directly into its back with almost no resistance. As I whip the knife out of the beast expecting blood and howls of pain I''m confronted not with the rage of a wounded animal, but the indignation of one that has been tricked. A sinking feeling nestles its way into my stomach as I realize my knife didn''t even make it past the beast''s fur.

    I stumble in shock. If I can¡¯t cut past this thing¡¯s fur how on earth am I going to keep it from ripping me to pieces? Maybe I can knock it off the building somehow? A plan begins to form in my mind and a small sense of relief begins to wash over me.

    The next thing I know I¡¯m blinking away swimming images of the night sky while trying to make sense of my jumbled thoughts. They clear enough for me to realize the beast backhanded me hard enough to send me sprawling.

    I scramble to my feet and hop backward while keeping the woefully-insufficient knife between me and the indestructible rage-machine. I briefly wonder how I kept hold of the knife before noticing the death grip I have on the weapon and don¡¯t think I could loosen it even if I tried. I feel my back hit the wall of the connected building and I make a decision. This thing is tough as nails and hard as stone. It also seemingly isn¡¯t very intelligent and has a rush first, ask questions later policy. I let the beast rush at me again as I dodge to the side at the last moment.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    A boom reverberates through the building as the beast collides with the concrete wall. Chunks fly outward and I¡¯m struck painfully in the chest and thigh. I ignore the sensation as I launch myself at the stunned form of the beast. I squeeze the knife with a white-knuckled grip and swing it like a hammer, driving the tip repeatedly into the face and eyes of the beast. No matter how much effort I put into the blows my knife doesn¡¯t sink more than an inch or two into the beast. I keep swinging despite this. The knife refuses to penetrate far enough to kill the creature but the force of the blows severely halt its ability to compose itself.

    The knife goes flying out of my sweaty grip and I scramble to grab a large chunk of concrete that was knocked loose in the collision. By the time I¡¯m turned around the beast has regained its feet. It begins huffing wildly and a throaty roar looses itself from the beast¡¯s chest. I contemplate letting the beast charge again but something in its stance warns me it may have learned its lesson.

    Before I can fully form a plan of attack, my instincts drive me forward and I swing the concrete chunk with everything I have at the maw of the beast. The blow hits the beast directly in the face and I¡¯m left stunned for a moment. I slowly realize that while the stab wounds may not have done much damage overall, they did do enough to blind the beast and cause it to fully miss-judge its block.

    I¡¯m pulled from my thoughts by a shifting at my feet. The beast isn¡¯t dead. Multiple stab wounds to the eyes as well as crushing blow to the face with a chunk of concrete and it¡¯s still moving. I recover before it can compose itself and begin to rain blows upon its head and neck. I watch in numb satisfaction as the last vestiges of life flow from the beast. After all life has passed from it I bask in its demise and bathe in the euphoria of a conquered challenger. I allow the rush to consume me and carry me away on wings of gold. The feeling threatens to rip itself from my chest and I begin to shake in mirth. Everything feels right. A symphony of sound and light dance across my senses but I¡¯m too focused on the thrill of besting a beast that intended to end me. It is overwhelming. The power, the rush, the-

    Vomit begins pouring from my mouth in a geyser. The rush fades and the trembling remains. Numerous cuts, scrapes, bruises, and other wounds scream their protests to my aching body and I double over in an effort to lesson the agony. It doesn¡¯t work, but it does get me close enough to the ground that I feel the contents of my stomach begin to splash back onto my face and neck. The vomiting stops and I fall onto my side. I have no strength left with which to push myself to my feet and am still shaking too much from the adrenaline and nerves to do anything with that strength if I did have it.

    While not dignifying at all, this position allows me to finally catch my breath. I feel my energy begin to return and reposition my head and neck. From this angle I get a good look at the felled beast. While smaller than I had originally thought, the beast looks almost identical to any number of ape except for the black and red fur. Someone¡¯s exotic pet let loose maybe? I realize this is a foolish notion when I get a good look at the back of the beast.

    The tail is stouter than I would expect from an animal this size. This isn¡¯t what surprises me, however. What does surprise me is the fact that the tail ends not in fur, but in a jagged, chitinous stinger. One which is almost exactly the same size and shape as a wound on my leg I can now see oozing blood.

    I grit my teeth and let out a whimpering cry as I begin to lose all sensation near the wound; all sensation except for the pain that is. A burning begins at the wound and worms its way deeper into me from there. I stare daggers at the beasts corpse while taking solace in the fact that, at the very least, I was able to survive long enough to feel this pain. Instead of, you know, dying a quick, painless death or something horrible like that.

    No, I get to survive long enough to feel myself die a lonely, agonizing death. Just wonderful.

    Something is bothering me, however, and I can¡¯t quite pin it down. And yes, I do mean something other than the agony in which I find myself and the fact that I have no idea what the hell just happened. Or that I¡¯m likely dying. I relax my vision and take in my surroundings. The sensations. The sounds. The sights.

    And it hits me; I didn¡¯t have enough time to piece together everything I was seeing because of how quickly it happened. The alarms. The neon signs. It doesn¡¯t make sense. There are no alarms in this area that sounds this way. These alarms don¡¯t scream emergency. They don¡¯t really scream at all. They sound adventurous, almost hopeful. The neon lights don¡¯t make sense either. There aren¡¯t any up this high and even if there were I shouldn¡¯t have seen them highlighting the beast. The positioning just wasn¡¯t right for that.

    I focus my attention on the puddle of water in which the beast fell. Or at least I try. My brain doesn¡¯t process the information until I realize that there isn¡¯t a puddle of water or even any liquid for that matter. The beast is lying atop a mound of dry rubble and soil. The neon letters I see near its corpse aren¡¯t reflected in anything, or even neon for that matter. They stay there, floating just above the beast¡¯s head. It¡¯s difficult without my glasses but eventually I make out the words and fear sends a shiver down my spine.

    Venom Ape [Lvl 9]

    The spine-shiver reaches its crescendo and lights and sounds explode in my head. I make an effort to push it away but I¡¯m greeted with one foreboding message that makes itself known before my body and mind give out and my consciousness slips away.

    Greetings Cade Vale. Welcome to the Totality.

 Chapter 2: Totality and Rewards

    I wake in a haze. My thoughts spin and my vision blurs. Or maybe my vision spins and my thoughts blur? I begin running my fingers down the worn edges of my old pendant, an action which often brings me comfort. It helps, if only a little.

    Everything hurts and I can¡¯t do anything else but close my eyes, breathe deeply, and ride the waves of pain and nausea until they run themselves dry.This time when I open my eyes I can make sense of what I see.

    Initializing integration of Planet Earth into the Totality.

    Analyzing¡­

    Critically low levels of ambient planetary aether detected. Expanding search criteria. Analyzing¡­

    Error! Critically low levels of universal aether detected. Reporting¡­

    Standby¡­

    Due to a critical lack of universal aether, Earth will be reforged with The Lost Dungeon World: Vhelk in order to allow its transition into the Totality without disintegrating. This process will be violent and volatile.

    Error! Unable to predict long-term effects or outcome of integration. Prepare yourself.

    I blink in abject confusion. The world is being merged with another? How does that even make sense? Stupid question given that the messages from this Totality seem just as lost as I am.

    Planet Earth has been reforged with the Dungeon World Vhelk to form your new home world. Welcome to Crucible!

    Warning! Process not fully complete. Missing information¡­ Searching¡­

    Insufficient interaction between the new world and any sentient or sapient life from the old. Full integration will commence upon completion of data gathering.

    Missing information¡­ Searching¡­

    Temporal disequilibrium detected¡­ Aether disequilibrium detected¡­

    Congratulations! Your planet has completed its first step in its integration into the Totality. Restrictions on Totality access will be implemented until completion of the first step. Geographical types of Earth and Vhelk maintained. Reorganization of those elements implemented.

    Okay this is a lot to take in. Earth didn¡¯t have enough magic juice so it got mashed up with another world? And it¡¯s complete already? I need to mull this over...

    I get to my feet and only belatedly notice that the stab wound in my leg has healed. The rip in my jeans remain and my leg is coated in blood below the wound so I know it was there. I shake my head and make my way over to the edge of the roof. I spot a water bottle and dump the contents onto my head and into my mouth before using the last of it on my leg.

    I scan the night sky before noticing a thick silver and black fog begins immediately past the end of the roof. I didn¡¯t notice at first but it¡¯s absolutely eerie. It swirls and flows at the edge but stops before making its way to me. I move my face closer and notice that it seems to hit an invisible barrier. I shrug my shoulders and move on. This is definitely neither the most interesting nor the most pertinent abnormality of my day.

    A deep, weary sigh escapes me and I wonder how to view the messages.

    You have been integrated into the Totality. A number of changes have been implemented. Basic stat set unlocked! Initializing merger of host and basic stat set.

    Congratulations! Due to unique physiology you have unlocked an additional stat slot! Regeneration stat allocated!

    Congratulations! Basic stamina skill gained! Basic mana skill gained!

    Due to an overwhelming surge of pure ambient aether the basic skills have been upgraded!

    Skills gained! Battle Dance? lvl 1. Mana Detonation? lvl 1.

    Battle Dance? lvl 1: Passive. Feel and respond to the natural flow of battle and one¡¯s optimal place in it more easily. Effects increase with skill level, Perception, Reaction, and Agility.

    Mana Detonation? lvl 1: Many mana skills rely on the natural damage of the energy and force inherent in mana. This skill takes it one step further and catalyses a detonation of the mana, unleashing significantly more energy and causing more damage. Effects increase with skill level and Intelligence. Ability to withstand blowback increases with Physique and Strength. Blowback reduced with Wisdom and Willpower.

    New Paths unlocked! Due to continued purity and abundance of aether the basic paths have been upgraded! Think ¡®Paths¡¯ to open and view the path screen to see your options.

    Skills and paths? Seriously, what the hell? This is the weirdest shit. Am I tripping? Is that old bullshit about releasing LSD stored in your spine after cracking it real or something?

    No, that¡¯s absurd, this isn¡¯t anything like any trip I¡¯ve experienced before. Okay, so¡­ skills? Paths? All I have to do is think-If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Due to sustained purity and abundance of aether, intentional skill creation time will be greatly reduced and skills created in this manner will result in stronger and often rarer skills than in normal aether conditions!

    Ohmyfuckinggodpleasestop. This all seems like good news but it¡¯s all extremely overwhelming and constant and nonstop and I need a few minutes to pull myself-

    Due to sustained purity and abundance of aether you will no longer be notified when this has an impact on any aspect of your development. You will instead only be notified when this changes.

    My eye begins to twitch and I forcefully restrain my temper; annoying as these messages are, they remain my only source of information on what the fuck is going on.

    Think ¡®do not disturb¡¯ to change Totality notification settings.

    I immediately attempt to do so and the messages collapse into a small pale dot lightly highlighted in the corner of my vision. I take a deep breath in relief and sit on the ground with my back against the wall. In an attempt to calm and focus my thoughts I spend my mental energy reveling in the rest. I pour my concentration over my body; skin, joints, muscles, all of it. I notice where I¡¯m still sore ¨C but not hurt any more ¨C and focus my attention on the slowly receding stress that has accumulated. It¡¯s peaceful and relaxing and after a good fifteen minutes I open my eyes and decide to feel out how intuitive this system actually is.

    If I can gain skills and¡­ paths? Then surely I must have a ¡®Status.¡¯ As I put extra mental emphasis on the last word I¡¯m greeted with success! Way better than a lot of technology I¡¯m used to if I¡¯m being honest...

    Cade Vale

    Level: 1

    Class: None

    Health: 14/14 (+2/H)

    Mana: 13/13 (+8/H)

    Stamina: 15/15 (+6/m)

    Vitality: 2

    Physique: 2

    Endurance: 3

    Regeneration: 1

    Strength: 2

    Perception: 3

    Reaction: 2

    Agility: 2

    Intelligence: 2

    Wisdom: 3

    Willpower: 2

    Well this is weird. And damn do my stats suck. Seriously, three is my best stat level and it¡¯s in endurance, perception, and wisdom? Also, eleven stat slots? That seems like a lot compared to anything like this I¡¯ve seen in popular media before. Sure, one extra is due to my¡­ unique physiology? Does that mean unique among other humans or that humans themselves are unique compared to other¡­ species? Races? Ugh, not enough information and honestly, I¡¯m focusing on the wrong things right now.

    Alright, lets get back to those notifications.

    Congratulations! Due to being the first sapient on Crucible to dodge a lethal blow, you have unlocked the Path of Reflex!

    Congratulations! Due to being the 87<sup>th</sup> sapient to strike a monster, you have unlocked the Skill Rapid Strike!

    Rapid Strike: Infuse a strike with stamina to accelerate the blow. Skill effects increase with skill level, Reaction, and Agility. Costs 10 stamina.

    Congratulations! Due to being the thirteenth sapient to immediately strike a monster after dodging a lethal blow, you have unlocked the Path of Retaliation!

    I¡¯m left stunned after reading these notifications. The first person in this new world to dodge a¡­ Wow, dodge a blow that would have killed me. Just wonderful knowing that. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves and dive back in.

    You have discovered the Skill Knife Mastery lvl 1!

    Knife Mastery has increased to lvl 2, 3, 4!

    You have discovered the Skill Fear resistance lvl 1!

    Fear resistance has achieved a breakthrough! Your experiences prior to joining the Totality have catalyzed a rapid consolidation of the skill! Fear resistance has reached lvl 24!

    Huh, a breakthrough straight to 24? Damn that¡¯s impressive. And troublesome. I seriously went through enough fear before this to reach level 24 when I unlocked the skill? That really says a lot about my mental state¡­ Nothing I can do other than enjoy the benefits and move past it though. At least for now that is. I¡¯m definitely not leaving this alone forever.

    You have discovered the Skill Reckless lvl 1!

    Reckless: Causes a slight increase in the chance a reckless stunt will be performed successfully. Very slightly increases the negative effects upon failure of said stunt.

    I don¡¯t know how I feel about this. Sure, that bonus is helpful but I don¡¯t like the idea of a skill having a negative effect on me. Yeah, okay, the negative effect seems smaller than the positive one but still, having my flaws magnified is kind of irritating even if everything else seems to only be beneficial.

    You have discovered the Skill Venom Resistance lvl 1!

    Venom Resistance has increased to lvl 2, 3¡­ 5!

    Congratulations! You have defeated Venom Ape [lvl 9]

    Congratulations! You have reached lvl 3! Two stat points awarded!

    This may be one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I almost died multiple times, killed a monster -seriously, what the fuck?- was beaten and stabbed unconscious, miraculously healed, and finally bombarded by what should by all means be, but is not, hallucinated text.

    Despite all this, a spark of excitement ignites in my chest; I can finally see my (admittedly poor) stats and it seems like I can actually even increase them! This is all extremely terrifying, but maybe I can eek a bit of enjoyment out of this insane new existence. I may have no choice in the matter but that isn¡¯t really a new experience for me. Hopefully I¡¯m either more suited, or can make myself more suited to this world than I was to the old one¡­

    ...Yeah, probably not. Either way, I need a plan and to meet up with my friends or family.

    I pull out my phone and attempt to turn it on with no luck. Great, what is this, a horror movie?

 Chapter 3: Life is Brutal

    Alright, home is only a couple blocks away and it won''t take long to get there. Hopefully my phone will start working once I''m out of this building and past the eerie fog. If I can leave the building and get past the eerie fog.

    Oh wonderful, my terrible habit of overthinking everything is back. Maybe it''ll actually be useful in this world and keep me alive rather than waste my time stressing me out for no reason.

    I really want to test out my Mana Detonation skill, however, my mana regeneration is lower per hour than the cost of the skill. I don''t know if I''m going to come across any monsters again but I''d rather have the mana to use the skill while unsure of its potential than use it and have it be completely useless for the next hour.

    That leaves me to test the skills Battle Dance and Rapid Strike. I... don''t know how to activate a passive so that really only leaves Rapid Strike and, since I regenerate stamina per minute instead of per hour I''m completely fine testing it. I think the skills name but nothing happens. I say it out loud to the exact same lack of effect. I try a light punch while thinking the name of the skill and I feel an energy I had never noticed before click into place and my half-hearted punch feels like it''s being forcefully jerked forward.

    Damn! That felt weird as hell but was honestly kind of... invigorating? I can definitely see how the skill could be useful if used correctly, but my attempt was, in all honesty, ugly. I''ll have to practice it later to get the hang of it and see if I can use it with any other types of motion.

    I move on to the last item for me to play with: my stats! What to increase? I don''t have any way of knowing what exactly each stat does but most seem pretty obvious. I''m tempted to put it all into regeneration; after all, it''s a special stat. That, and the fact that it seems likely that''s what healed my wounds. They aren''t just done bleeding, they''re just gone. No scar or scab and no left over pain. A bit of soreness but that seems pretty normal I guess.

    I choose not to, however. The single point I have in it now has increased my ability to heal from wounds beyond measure already. The fact that I can fully heal from an envenomed stab wound is miraculous; while more would be optimal, it just isn''t necessary right now.

    After all, my reflexes are what literally saved my life earlier. The very first swing that thing took at me would have flat-out killed me if I hadn''t noticed and reacted in time. I can make myself tougher, but exactly how much overkill would that thing have done? Two stat points might not even make a difference. I make my decision and pull up my status screen. I mentally click on Perception and Reaction and they raise to four and three respectively.

    All of my senses begin to vibrate rapidly and I fall to the ground overwhelmed. It feels like static is coursing through my limbs and I twitch violently. It''s over almost as soon as it started and I take an entire minute to calm myself before sitting up and experiencing my new senses.

    I drag my finger across the stone and relish the clarity with which I can hear the light scraping. It''s louder to my senses as well, and also... not? It''s hard to describe but I notice it more clearly without being overwhelmed by the sensation. This is amazing! I begin to rise to my feet to test my new Reaction but pause halfway; Something feels wrong. A split second later I realize it''s a sound at the new edge of my hearing. I wouldn''t have noticed it before the upgrade, but something is coming up the stairs and it doesn''t seem to want to be heard.

    I retrieve my knife after a fearful pause. I notice my stamina is full again and move as silently as possible to the door from which whatever is coming will enter.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Having this increased Perception might not actually have been the best idea now that I realize it. I can hear my heart absolutely hammering away inside my chest, only it sounds like I''m listening to it with a stethoscope. The increase may have come with a bit of protection from being overstimulated, but it is definitely not perfect.

    My hand is clamped on the knife and I can feel the muscles start to cramp. I do my best to loosen my grip but my nerves are kicking the absolute shit out of me right now. I wipe the sweat away from my hands and face and try to remember I have skills now and not just a knife. Seriously, I still feel comforted holding the thing when it was damn near useless last time. Hopefully the skills will be more effective.

    From the door emerges what looks like a giant, bipedal... pangolin? At least, that''s the closest thing I can compare it to from Earth while only seeing half its body from behind. I blink my surprise away and move to stab the monster with a double-handed strike from the knife while activating Rapid Strike. I control it more easily this time while the knife is pulled violently forward and slams into the side of the monster with a clearly audible crunch.

    A crunch. The knife didn''t penetrate. No, that''d be too good. I cracked a couple damn scales and knocked the thing to its knees. Well, I guess I should be thankful; without the skill it likely wouldn''t have hurt the thing at all.

    I rush over and brace my hand against the back of its neck where the scales look thinnest. I think of activating the skill and a rush of Ice cold energy flows from the center of my core, through my arms, and finally builds in pressure just behind my hand before exploding outward violently. A burst of blue-white light illuminates my surroundings and slams the monster into the ground almost faster than my eyes can comprehend. My arm is jerked backward, the force of it throws me off balance, and I fall backward onto my ass.

    That was... terrifying. Absolutely batshit insane. My own skill overpowered me and threw me back. My arm hurts. It feels like I took the recoil from a shotgun improperly. Hopefully my regeneration stat can heal joint, tendon, and ligament damage. Guess I''ll find out soon enough.

    That being said: Holy SHIT I need to do that again when I get the-

    I hear a low rumble from the monster and notice it attempt to rise. I scramble to my feet and move to hammer the knife home as many times as it takes to kill the resilient little shit. My arm moves sluggishly; I definitely don''t have the strength to use the knife effectively here. My heart rate increases and a spike of panic surges through my mind before I shout it down.

    Not mentally. Out loud. I''m literally screaming out loud to keep my nerves and, well... it''s working. The monster rises to one knee before I''m able to stop freaking out and I do the only thing I can think to do; I dropkick it. It doesn''t do much real damage but it throws the monster back to the ground. The fall is hell on my arm and shoulder but I ignore the pain as best I''m able. Being prepared for the fall I''m able to scramble to my feet more quickly than my foe, despite my injured shoulder. I use the extra time to jump into the air with as much strength as I can muster. I come crashing down and violently crush the things head beneath my feet.

    I fall again and lay there while waiting for my vision to stop swirling. I get to my feet and notice the thing still isn''t dead. What. The. Fuck?

    How are these things so tough? This is insane. I begin jumping violently on the monster until I feel it cease its now-futile efforts.

    Congratulations! you have defeated Stone Pangolin [lvl 7]

    You have discovered the skill Move Silently lvl 1!

    Knife Mastery has increased to lvl 5, 6!

    Mana Detonation has increased to lvl 2!

    Huh, no increase to Battle Dance or my level. Disappointing, but I guess it can''t be that simple all the time.Though I did fall on my ass enough that not gaining a level in Battle Dance shouldn''t really surprise me. I can''t even tell if the skill helped out at all if I''m being completely honest.

    Well, I''ll look into it later. It''s time to figure out what the hell Paths are and if the ones I unlocked earlier are any good. I really, really hope so. Maybe it''ll give me a skill that lets me sleep in peace forever, that''d be amazing.

    Honestly though, it''s probably a damn good thing I can''t just pick whatever skills I want, I''d end up wasting them on the most useless shit on impulse. Like sleeping forever; I basically just wished myself dead. But damn am I exhausted, as long as death doesn''t hurt it can''t be that bad...

    Okay I''m moving on, I''ll indulge my depressive tendencies later.

    Well, let''s get on with it, sleep can wait. I''m almost certain I''m going to end up on the receiving end of some freaky monster again that wants to kill me so I definitely still need all the help I can get. I barely managed to survive those encounters with some serious luck and I know damn well that won''t hold out.

 Chapter 4: The First Paths

    I think Paths and the screen pops up. Damn this is nice. I''ve had one hell of a day now and the fact that this one thing is simple is an absolute relief.

    Paths can be completed using Aether Crystals (AC) which are gained primarily through leveling skills. You currently have 41 AC.

    Paths: Path of the Beginner (0/3), Path of the Deprived Soul (0/50), Path of Humanity (0/?), Path of Reflex (0/100), Path of Retaliation (0/50), Path of Brutality (0/25), Path of Fear (24/100)

    That''s... quite a range of options. Humanity doesn''t tell me how long it is so no thanks. I don''t even know if I get anything from a path until it''s complete or not. Also, I don''t even know if this will actually do anything at all. I''m hesistant to waste points on the Beginner choice given that it seems like it''ll be the worst, but it''s only three points. And I already have 41. Granted, I almost died multiple times to get those but that seems par for the course now. I sincerely hope that changes, but if hope affected anything none of this ever would have happened in the first place.

    Mentally clicking on the Path of the Beginner shows it change to (1/3).

    Congratulations! You have earned 3 Health!

    Well that is a damn sight better than nothing. It raises my HP from fourteen to seventeen and I feel... nothing. No change. Much better than my senses lighting on fire and my nerves going haywire that''s for sure.

    I put two more AC into the path and finish it off.

    Congratulations! You have earned 3 Mana!

    Congratulations! You have earned 3 Stamina! All Titans of the Universe have at least two things in common. First is their myriad immesurable powers. The second is humble beginnings. Most beings need a hand at the start and in that there is no shame.

    Titans of the Universe, huh? Sounds pretty insane if I''m being honest. But hey, I can definitely use the help. Finishing the path leaves me with sixteen mana and eighteen stamina. A pretty big increase all things considered.

    Hopefully the other paths are as good. With 38 points left I can only finish the Path of Brutality and as helpful as that seems like it would be, I''m not too psyched about unleashing the beast, so to speak. I''ve been able to control my anger issues thoughout most of my life but something about willingly walking that path puts me off. I want to complete the paths I got as a reward as well as the Path of Fear weirdly enough, however, I know I need to finish the Path of Brutality. This isn''t the world I''m used to any more and my old attitude doesn''t apply; at least not fully. I wonder if this is the same fear humanitys ancestors felt when up against wooly mammoths and sabretooth tigers and whatnot?

    I finish the path and check my status.

    I don''t get a reward with every single point, but instead on every fifth.

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Strength!

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Physique!

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Endurance!

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Willpower!

    The first instinct of most when confronted with death and the unknown is to flee or hide. While you may know the value inherent in these options and prefer them immensely, they are not your first instinct. Yours is the instinct of your anscestors honed over countless generations and millenia. While you may fear where this path takes you, remeber that it is the path that begat and ensured your race''s existence. Dead men walk no Path.

    You have earned the skill Savage Instincts?!

    Savage Instincts?: Receive a boost to detecting hostile intentions. Receive a slight boost to your ability to detect and strike the weak points of your enemies while in hostile situations. Receive a slight boost to Perception, Reaction, and Strength while in life-threatening conflict.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    My spine and muscles lock up and it feels like I''ve gotten a intense brain freeze. It ends quickly and I stumble but manage not to fall on my ass for once.

    I feel amazing! I glance at my body and notice it looks moderately sturdier. I clench my fist and can hear the muscles and joints crack and pop. I can feel the difference. I''m more solid and I feel more alive than I ever have before.

    This is so much better than the first path that I almost can''t believe it. I pull up my status to confirm and I''m surprised when my screen comes up.

    Health: 19/19 (+2/H)

    Mana: 4/16 (+8/H)

    Stamina: 12/24 (+8/m)

    Physique: 3

    Endurance: 4

    Strength: 3

    Willpower: 3

    Aether Crystals: 14

    Paths: Path of the Beginner (3/3), Path of Brutality (25/25)

    I suppose it somehow senses if I only want to look at what''s changed which is, again, really damn nice. I''m sure I can figure out how each of those stats affects my pools now but that can wait. I thought I''d be at thirteen AC but it looks like I gained one from unlocking the new skill.

    The new skil that came with what seems like a warning. I feel like I made the right choice but at the same time it rings hollow. I don''t know if I want to be the person I worry I''m going to need to become in this new, fucked existence. Sure, outsmarting and killing something which was going to kill me felt amazing. But that terrifies me down to my core. How long before I start looking at everything as a threat? As soon as I heard that... Stone Pangolin? come up the stairs I completely neglected the fact that it could have just been another scared human. Sure, I stopped long enough to see that it wasn''t human but if I keep down this path I can''t guarantee I won''t make a mistake. And with the benefits of the new skill and the attitude I''ll likely have to adopt I worry it won''t be just a small mistake.

    Ugh. I can fret more later. I don''t know when (definitely not if at this point) more monsters will appear but I don''t want to be staring off into space when they do.

    I dump my fourteen points into Path of Reflex. Maybe the Path of Fear would be better since it seems like the breakthrough counted for double by partially filling out the path as well as awarding me the same number of AC... However, I earned a path by being the first at something. On the entire planet. That seems absolutely absurd but so does the fact that I literally would have died before even noticing the new messages and learning what was going on.

    Whatever, I''m not going to question it any more.

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Perception!

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Reaction!

    Huh, the same two I chose to improve firs-

    I clench my jaw and twist my head around in a fit; I forgot again about the intensely uncomfortable sensation that comes with a stat increase. Except this time it is only moderately uncomfortable. Hopefully this will keep getting easier to bear.

    Now that everything is out of the way it''s time to get my stuff together and figure out how to make my way home without, you know, dying a painfully gruesome death.

 Chapter 5: The Price for Arrogance is Paid in Blood

    My knife is beat to shit and I won''t be able to cast Mana Detonation for another 45 minutes. I need to get out of here but I have no real way of defending myself for some time. I need to either find a weapon up here or wait until I can cast my skill again because leaving only to die defenceless doesn''t seem like it''d be much fun.

    Looking around leaves me amazed at my new level of Perception. I can now easily spot at least three items I could have used to better defend myself from the monster than dropkicking it.

    I sigh and go to collect two of the three items. I take a sturdy hammer as well as a mediocre pry bar. I contemplate taking the hand shovel but think better of it.

    ...If only an actual shovel had been left up here. Whatever, a hammer and pry bar are far better than nothing.

    I walk to the rooftop exit and pause; I realize I have zero idea how many things are down there. I could literally be walking into an unavoidable death but if that''s the case it seems like waiting would end in the same scenario.

    And I hate waiting. Especially with this much adrenaline running through my body.

    I take a few breaths to calm myself and begin silently moving down the staircase. I seem to glide across the floor and, despite having improved my senses greatly, I can barely detect any sound coming from my steps. This Move Silently skill is pretty handy.

    I try not to get too cocky; I''m already much more capable of defending myself than I was a few short hours ago, but that means very little when careless. I attempt to make it straight down to the ground floor but I''m left stunned. The stairs don''t seem to reach the ground floor any more. They just end at the floor right below the roof.

    I massage my temples in frustration.

    And some more...

    Okay this isn''t helping, screw it. I open the door into the room as quietly as I can while sliding in under the effect of my skill.

    I''m left speechless when I take in my surroundings. Instead of any type of normal building interior it looks as if I''ve walked into some weird amalgamation of an office building interspersed with vast swathes of jungle. It looks like something grabbed chunks of reality that have no business being shoved together and then did exactly that.

    In some areas there''s continuity between the different pieces and others lie in stark contrast to one another.

    Luckily none of the inhabitants of this strange place have noticed me yet. I can see one or two monsters but they don''t seem to resemble either of the ones I had to kill earlier. I can also see that they have a lower level than the two as well; both level five.

    Is that low enough that I can survive easily with my recent upgrades? I really would rather not find out but, well, it sucks being me right now.

    <hr>

    A good hour of watching over the area while attempting to convince myself to do something passes excruciatingly slowly. I''ve only seen three monsters so far and exactly zero other people. Of the monsters, two are level five and resemble Canadian geese and one is some kind of big, blue... bunny? Huh. Neither of those are nearly as intimidating as a venomous ape or giant pangolin but I''m wary nonetheless.

    Damn I hate geese. At least I don''t have to pretend to be nice to these ones.

    Also, what the hell? Why do all of these things seem to be some screwed-up Frankensteins Monster based on real animals? Does it have something to do with the... rearrangement and data collecting was it? It feels like something is just sitting around smashing bits of random animals together to see what sticks.

    To be fair though, that has to be how the platypus came about in the first place.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I sneak silently to a bush past which one of the bird monsters routinely passes. I don''t seem to gain nearly as much help from the skill when standing still, but I don''t seem to need it. These things seem ever more stupid than actual geese, at least on Earth they ran in packs. These geese fight each other every time they come into contact and then scramble away to continue roaming around.

    I wait until what I can now discern is a Raptor Goose [lvl 5] passes the spot in which I''m hiding. Raptor Goose? Wow that is just absurd. so we have dinosaur geese now? Fuck this.

    I surge to my feet and bring the full weight of the pry bar to bear in an arc that crashes just below the base of the things head. This would have been devastating all on its own, however, I didn''t forget to activate Rapid Strike. And it works with the pry bar too! I really should''ve contemplated the fact that it might not have beforehand...

    A muffled crack is heard and its head pitches forward at an alarming rate before it violently rebounds off the ground. I waste no time; I rain blows upon the beast for another second or two before realizing it has already died.

    Damn that was significantly easier. To be fair though I''ve gotten stronger, acquired a better weapon, and these things are lower leveled and honestly... just seem kind of inferior as far as threats to my life go.

    I reach to pull the beast into the bushes in case the other denizens have a problem with the fact that one of their own has been murdered. Pointless? Maybe. But far better safe than sorry.

    I flinch in pain and pull back a bloody hand. The feathers cut me. And pretty deeply all things considered. Son of a bitch that could have gone way worse. Sure, my regeneration healed my wounds but will it regrow fingers? You know what, I honestly don''t care if it does, I fully intend never to find out.

    I reach carefully to the joints of its wings where I can grab without being cut and drag it into the bushes. I contemplate figuring out how to remove and use the feathers as a weapon but I just don''t have the time or ability to wield it without cutting myself to bits. While having a sharp object that can actually cut something would be nice, I simply have no way to effectively use or transport the things. I''m definitely not carrying any around in my pocket; they''re as sharp as any chef''s knife I''ve ever seen.

    I stealthily make my way to another hiding spot in the path of the remaining Raptor Goose.

    And end up right behind it. Lucky me! If I can land this right all I''ll have left to do is finish that bunny and then I should probably rest before moving on.

    I start toward it but almost as soon as I do, it turns around.

    Rage flashes in its beady eyes and I nearly piss myself in terror. Something about being caught while sneaking around causes me to pause and in that time the thing starts its charge, wings akimbo.

    I throw myself to the side as quickly as possible but its razor sharp wing clips my leg and passes through with what feels like barely any resistance. I cry out and stumble away as quickly as I can.

    Which, admittedly, isn''t very fast what with a newly sliced leg.

    A moment of clarity strikes me and I raise my hand as the thing nears me. I don''t even have time to brace myself before Mana Detonation unleashes itself in my enemy''s chest.

    This time the detonation is even greater and the monster is knocked away and tumbles over the ground.

    I''m in agony. My leg is on fire and bleeding profusely and my arms feels just as terrible as the last time I used Mana Detonation. I can see the thing attempting to right itself but it appears one of its wings is either broken or damaged enough for there to be no real difference. I attempt to rise to my feet and barely make it up before collapsing again.

    I look up, terrified, expecting to see a wing a split-second before my face is cleaved in two.

    A smile slowly makes its way across my face as I realize it isn''t scrambling to finish me off. It''s scrambling away, and frantically. If I didn''t know better I''d say that it is terrified of me. But I do know better.

    ...Do I?

    For all that thing knew, it had already secured its kill. All that was left were the messy details.

    And then the next thing it knew it was blasted away and broken. But are these things even capable of feeling fear?

    As it turns its head toward me I know for certain it does. As soon as it sees that I''m staring at it, it pauses for a split second, terror pulsing from its being, before redoubling its efforts to get away.

    I reach my feet using the pry bar for support and slowly shuffle my way to the beast. I almost wish I could just get this over with more quickly, but putting the fear of death into something that was going to kill me is just so. Damn. Satisfying.

    I relish in the feeling as I make my way forward before catching up to the beast, savoring its last moments of trepidation before ending its life utterly without mercy.

 Chapter 6: The Receiving End

    I catch my breath while basking in the sensation of conquering a foe, and a deadly one at that.

    Somewhere along the way, however, the sensation begins to spoil. Should I have killed that thing? Absolutely. This isn''t even a question that would pass through its mind and I would have been dead if I didn''t act.

    That doesn''t leave me feeling good or proud of myself though. I actively enjoyed killing something. And I mean enjoyed it. What''s to stop me from losing it completely and never coming back to my senses?

    I mentally shake myself. You know what? I mentally shake myself and physically shake myself as well.

    ...Which was a bad idea. The pain in my leg causes me to belatedly realize I am still quite hurt and could very well run into another vicious hellbeast soon.

    I look at the corpse and sigh. I want to move it to cover my tracks, whether or not it''s actually necessary. However, I just can''t. I have to use the pry bar to hobble around despite my increased stats and there is no way I can move this corpse while in this condition.

    I leave it be and make my way a couple minutes closer to the area from which I came and make myself scarce. I need to let this heal and see if it does so the same as my previous wounds. I feel confidant it will, but I want to be certain.

    I also very much want to check my status. I can tell I''ve gotten a few notifications at least but I left it on do not disturb. I can''t imagine having that screen around being helpful in a fight.

    I ignore the death notifications of the Raptor Geese and make my way to the good stuff.

    Move Silently has increased to lvl 2, 3!

    Battle Dance has increased to lvl 2!

    Reckless has increased to lvl 2, 3, 4!

    Rapid Strike has increased to lvl 2, 3!

    Savage Instincts has increased to lvl 2!

    Fear Resistance has increased to lvl 25!

    Mana Detonation has increased to lvl 3!

    You have discovered the skill Fear Manipulation? lvl 1!

    Fear Manipulation?: A stranger to fear you are not. Your time spent under the effect of fear has given you knowledge of its inner workings. Gain insight into how to carry yourself in order to most greatly induce fear in others. Gain the ability to channel and control the essence of fear. Effects increase with skill level, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower.

    Fear Manipulation has increased to lvl 2!

    Congratulations! You have reached lvl 4! One stat point awarded!

    ...That seems like a lot? Or maybe not given the number of skills I now possess.

    Thirteen AC and a stat point, wooh!

    Okay, I''m not that excited, but dammit I want to be. This is definitely not worth the pain and struggle, but I need to at least try to see the good in this situation.

    It just so happens that the good in this situation doesn''t make up for numerous near-death experiences I''ve had. Seriously, I need to sleep... eventually.

    I refuse to fall asleep in hostile territory though, and this is easily the most hostile territory in which I''ve ever found myself.

    I empty my AC into the Path of Reflex and end with it at (27/100.) Only a little past a quarter complete. I got three notifications like normal though.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Agility!

    Congratulations! You have earned 1 Endurance!

    Congratulations! You have earned the skill Reflex Control lvl 1!

    Reflex Control: Reflex by its very nature works without conscious thought. Gain a minor ability to influence how your reflexive actions will be carried out.

    Honestly, that skill seems like it could be either extremely useful or absolutely useless dependi-

    I may have forgotten about the awful sensation of increasing my stats but at least I was already on the ground. This time its a bit different. And worse. The twitching is now more of an intense thrashing and my insides feel like they''ve been boiled.

    I''m definitely gonna wait to allocate my stat point from leveling to four.

    I curl up and begin rocking lightly. Everything has a price and I''m sick of paying it. I haven''t slept in what feels like forever, I''m bloody, hurt, physically and mentally drained, emotionally exhausted, and I just want someone to whom I can talk about all this.

    My hopes spark as I hear a shuffling near my hiding spot. Maybe someone else is trapped in here as well. I begin my attempt to sit up and freeze as my thoughts catch up to me; there is no way whatever is making that noise is human. I attempt to remain as still as possible while waiting for whatever is there to pass. I keep my eyes focused on the origin of the sound while holding my breath as tightly as I can. I hear it move past and notice that it must be at least a bit larger than a human to make the sounds that it is.

    I wait a minute before lowering myself back to the ground as silently as possible. If only Move Silently helped while just hiding.

    I contemplate how long it''s going to take me to heal before the world suddenly spins into a blur of color and my stomach drops so quickly I''m afraid it''s going to crawl out of my ass and run away.

    Wow that was a weird thou-

    Pain blooms across my body and I feel it give way as I collide with the ground. All I can feel is pain and all I can hear is my own heartbeat, the ragged rasp of my overworked lungs, and the slow, steady gait of impending doom.

    I turn my head in an attempt to get a good look at whatever is finally going to end me, however, my vision lurches so violently I begin to dry heave.

    By the time I''m done I notice a Kangaroo-like creature towering over me. The things build is, from what my pain-addled brain can tell, quite a bit more threatening than that of its Earth... parent? Grandparent? Second cousin thrice removed?

    Whatever. It''s absolutely frightening.

    The beings entire bearing is primed for violence and I am the unfortunate recipient.

    As it approaches I can make out more detail about the creature. Muscle like steel cables ripples beneath its charcoal fur. It''s tail sways in large arcs while somehow managing to appear both thiicker, studier, and more easily controlled than its Earth counterpart. A rumbling hiss escapes so strongly from between the creatures yellowed, serrated teeth that my chest vibrates in time with the sound.

    I''m spared for another couple seconds as something glimmers in the things eyes. It reaches toward me with hands far more dexterous than I feel it should possess and stops it a mere inch from my throat.

    Is this what that damn Raptor Goose felt while I stalked over, savoring its terror? Undoubtedly.

    Great, now I''m going to die -not even on the actual planet Earth, mind you- while feeling remorse for an insane, bloodthirsty, and already-deceased monster.

    The final blow never comes, however. Instead I feel a yank at my neck and am left utterly confused. That didn''t even really hurt. Was this thing trying to play and didn''t realize that it might as well be God compared to my pathetic existence? Obviously not. Maybe I can figure out some way to communicate with it. That is, if it doesn''t change its mind or find my attempts at communication to be an adequate enough reason to kill me.

    I feel liquid on my face and body and bask in the sensation of water on my skin. It-

    I begin throwing up violently for the umpteenth time. I sputter and cough, gag and choke. This is the most rancid water I''ve ever...

    Turning my head slightly I see a shit-eating grin on the things face and notice my pendant around its neck. How did I not lose that earlier?

    More liquid hits me in my face and mouth and I finally realize what has happened. The thing passed me, waited until I fell into a false sense of security, sneaked its way to me, grabbed and threw my entire body like a rag doll, was ready to kill me, and then decided to steal my pendant instead.

    I''m sincerely more upset about the fact that it stole my deceased Grandfather''s pendant than the fact that its chuffing at me while pissing in my face.

    And that is exactly what it''s doing. Unleashing the most vile fluid I''ve ever had the displeasure of smelling all over me. This is the most humiliating thing I''ve ever experienced. This is by far the worst day of my life. Why is it even doing this? Everything else just tried to murder me. Why is this sadistic shit degrading me like this? I want to cry and the moment I realize this, I swear the thing lets out a vicious cackle. The fetid stream comes to a trickle and it kicks up grass and dirt onto me like a dog covering shit. It begins to lumber away, and as it turns my way one last time before it disappears I''m able to read its status: Korgath the Malicious [!]

    No weird animal name despite looking like the apex version of a killer kangaroo, no level, and what seems like one of the weirder things I''ve seen since all this began, not just all-encompassing rage and murderous territoriality, but also an actual personality,

    Monsterality? Thingality?

    Ugh. Personality, fine.

    All I can think to myself is how utterly unexpected something like that is before curtains of blackness drop like a wet blanket over my vision and unconsciousness finally, gloriously claims my soul.

 Chapter 7: A Meeting that Doesnt End with Death or Humiliation

    The curtains of blackness begin to recede only to be replaced with violently painful pinpricks of light. I keep my eyes closed long enough to prepare myself. As my vision continues to return I''m greeted by a concerned face. It startled me but no more than that; If this person had wished me harm... she I think? I can''t quite tell yet. She would have done so by now... or already has and I''ve yet to figure it out I suppose.

    My muddled, watercolored vision snaps back into place and, I''ll be honest, I''m a bit surprised by what I see.

    Leaning over my supine form is a short girl in a tattered green-and-blue dress over black leggings. Messy, sweat-stained, raven hair is pulled back from her face and I''m able to tell that this girl likely isn''t much older than ten.

    How on Earth...

    Fuck. nope. How on Crucible did this girl survive for this long? I''ve been scraping past by the skin of my teeth and she seems to be doing much better all things considered.

    Did I get upstaged by a child less than half my age?

    It most certainly seems like I did. It kind of stings if I''m being honest. And while I''m ecstatic that she was able to do well, it still kind of hurts that someone with far less life experience was able to do better than me in...

    Hmm. Could it be because she has less life experience that she was able to out-survive me? When a person needs to unlearn information before relearning it in a new, more correct, more accurate way, it is invariably more difficult than if they never had to unlearn anything. She has just enough life experience to be an intelligent and capable person while being far less trapped by social mores? I should probably ask her, but that can wait. I have far more pressing matters to deal with.

    I begin to sit up and she scrambles backward, startled. I pause before continuing to rise more slowly and when she sees this, she calms somewhat. I rub at my eyes and massage the areas where my wounds healed. It may be completely functional but, super-powered or not, freshly healed flesh is damn itchy.

    "Hey," I mumble out loud through dry, cottony lips."

    I clear my throat before introducting myself. "Hey, my name''s Cade. Thanks for staring at me while I slept, super not creepy at all," I joke with her before realizing she missed the fact that I was only teasing.

    I have no idea if she was able to help me at all or if she even tried, but seeing another human face is absolutely reassuring and having literally anyone or anything looking after my unconscious body in this place is a relief. It doesn''t even look like she stole anything. I can''t believe I have to potentially reevaluate my thoughts on how much I like animals versus how much I like people. If someone had told me prior to this that an animal would humiliate and rob me but a human would not only not rob me but also attempt to watch over and comfort me, I might have just laughed at said person.

    "Sorry, sorry. Poor attempt at humor. My nerves are a little shot right now, thanks for watching over me, I really appreciate it. You''re the first person I''ve seen since all this started. Can I ask your name?"

    "..."

    I see her lips move but not a sound comes out.

    "You''ll have to speak up a bit I''m afraid, my hearing seems a bit damaged right now," I lie to her. I know what it''s like to have to speak more loudly and clearly while part of a situation in which I would rather not be. I don''t want to fall into the normal trap of pointing out that someone is quiet in an attempt to better hear them, only to have that person get embarrassed and clamp down. I prefer telling her a white lie in an attempt to build understanding and to help her feel more comfortable around me. I''ll have to remember to let her know I did so after she actually is more comfortable around me.

    "...Seph," comes her muffled-yet-still-audible reply.

    "Mmm, nice name, is it short for anything?"

    "Persephone."

    Hey, no pause before the response this time despite still being rather quiet. That was a quick improvement. It''s clear she wants more information and help but doesn''t seem too confidant in how to go about it.

    Before we get any further I attempt to gauge the situation.

    "Has anything been by here while I was unconscious? It looks like maybe you or something else might have moved me a bit while I was out and I''d rather find some place else to talk if it wasn''t you."

    "...No," she clears her throat in what seems to be an attempt to bolster her nerves, "I moved you. You were out in the open. Nothing had come by for a bit while I watched from in that tree over there."

    She points toward what looks to be some combination of willow and Christmas tree. It appears as if someone glued orange pine needles to the whip-thin branches of a willow tree. It blows in the faint wind with a graceful undulation and it sets my teeth on edge. The light, metal tinkling sound of the pines is honestly rather pleasant though.

    "Okay, that''s fine for now then."

    I quickly recount my story to her and she does an excellent job of ''oohing and ahhing'' at the right times. I can''t imagine she hasn''t seen her fair share of shit from this world so far, and if she has somehow been lucky enough to avoid most of it, she won''t continue to be that lucky forever. I don''t skip any important details and she seems horrified when I recount my encounter with Whatsitsface the Vile or whatever its name was. I guess she hasn''t come across it, and good thing too, She seems resourceful to have survived this long but I don''t doubt an encounter between her and the Malicious would have ended in anything other than her horrifying death or with her beaten and humiliated as badly as I was.

    After I finish my story she bluntly sums up my experience for me. "Wow that sucks."

    No attempts at comforting me with words. Just an acknowledgement of my suffering. She might be a bit more observant than I gave her credit for; nothing she can really say will make my experiences less shitty or really reassure me about our respective futures. Validation is all she can give me and she gives it freely. I think we''ll probably get along fine.

    Unless I''m looking too much into it and she''s just a blunt person? Either way, we''ll likely get along fine.

    I ask her how she survived and she launches into a retelling of her story.

    It seems that farther away from the direction in which I came is a stoney, mountainous valley covered in a rainbow of irridescence. at least, that''s what I gleaned from her. She said stuff like ''there was shiney rainbows on everything. They moved around when I did and it made my head hurt after a while so I started going to where there was less and then I got here and found you.'' so I just kind of assume she means irridescent. When the apocalypse started that''s where she found herself.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "I got a skill for being one of the first couple thousand to notice that there were monsters. I also got a Path because I was the first person to... how did she say it? Oh right! It was something like ''you were the person who most quick... accepted the fact that there were monsters after figuring out that they were there! She said a lot of people saw monsters before I did but I was the first to act like what I was seeing was real I guess. Not really anything on Earth that swims through the air and eats a person whole right in front of you."

    She says the last bit with the cadence of a joke but I can tell she''s barely keeping it together. She''s a hell of a lot stronger than I was at her age.

    I tell her as much and it seems to alleviate her mental suffering just a bit and for that I''m glad. No one deserves to go through this, especially not a young child. She does, however, deserve to know that she''s done a damn fine job of adapting so far.

    "Can you clarify something for me?" I ask her. "You said ''she'' told you some of this. Who is ''she?''"

    "Oh! The Goddess of Wisdom! She was super pretty and nice and she had flowers in her hair and she said I did so well! And that she would be proud to make me a... inishit? Initiate? Yeah that one! An Initiate of Wisdom! She said that she took a look at my soul and saw that I was so smart and wise! For my 75th point I got a Skill called ''Wisdom of the Fallen'' and it''s super scary but also super helpful and then when I finished the Path that''s when everything seemed to go black except I was floating in outer space by all the pretty stars and she talked to me while she floated in front of me and said... oh how did it go again?"

    She finally pauses for breath after recounting part of her story and I''m amazed at how much she''s opened up. I guess it was probably smart to be wary at first, what with the whole stranger danger thing in general and being a minor while lost and alone in a bleak hellscape of death and torment.

    The pause ends quickly and she launches back into her tale.

    "Oh! She looked at my... being? And changed it a bit so that I''d have more room to grow, better options when growing, and... uh, she made it easier for me to ''Forge your own Path'' whatever that means." When Seph says this part she puffs out her chest, adopts a more confident stance, and projects the phrase with mock authority. It''s honestly hilarious.

    "She said I''d get it eventually and I believe her, she really did seem like the Goddess of Wisdom she was so wise and knew so much!"

    After she finishes she seems to remember to breathe and gasps huge lungfulls at a time while looking proud that she remembered everything that happend to her.

    "Damn, that''s a lot of new information. And we both have Paths opened for being the first at something. You said you got a really good skill from your 75th point. huh? And the fact that you''re an Initiate of Wisdom is awesome!"

    I praise her because, honestly, that is awesome. And it seems like if things go similarly to her Path, I''ll get a really helpful skill and then have a starside chat with the God or Godess of Reflex. Sounds... intense. But that changing your being thing is kind of sketchy and I tell her as much.

    "It seemed that way at first but it just kind of tickled. She asked me a few questions about how I would handle some problems and asked me what I thought was more cool or fun as well as some other stuff before saying she made it a bit easier for me to grow like that."

    "Huh. Given what I''ve seen of this new world, that seems like it would honestly be really helpful, if there''s nothing malicious behind it. I''ve already seen first hand what the beings of this world are like and it doesn''t leave me very trusting."

    "I trust her. After it finished tickling there was a second where I felt like the whole world opened up to me. It went away as soon as it started but she said that it was only a taste of what I can do if I keep it up!"

    "Hah, that sounds amazing. And your Goddess does seem helpful. Did she tell you anything else?"

    "Not much. She said she didn''t have much time and that the energy from the... aether crystals I used was running out and she could only use her power to make it go for a tiny bit more without breaking the connection. She said some stuff real quick about how where we are is super dangerous and that we can die easy, but that there is a lot of aether and it''s really pure so we should use it while we can, and that she wanted me to survive but said she couldn''t help me past what she already did, but she did so much I wasn''t mad! I was happy she helped but when she was fading away I got a real bad feeling, like maybe she was in danger? She seemed worried. I want to get strong so I can help her like she helped me, she didn''t even need to but she did and she used a bit of her energy to do it too even though it seemed like she needed it!"

    Whoa man she really puts the pedal to the metal when she gets excited. Way better than being dead inside in my opinion.

    "The last things she was saying was about like, how and why all of this is happening? I couldn''t hear her very well at that point and a lot of it that I did hear didn''t make much sense to me... sorry."

    She looks ashamed as hell after finishing that last bit, rushing it out like she''s afraid I''m going to chastise her for not getting more info.

    "No need to apologize, you did really well. Better than me even, obviously," I gesture toward my raggedy clothes and bloody body. You even managed to get 100 AC! I haven''t even gotten that much yet. Granted, I spent most of my time getting my ass handed to me over and over again by things that were seemingly -and by almost all means- way stronger than me, but what you did is impressive, you really ought to be proud."

    I can tell the praise helps a bit but this time she still seems upset that she didn''t catch more. I know the self-deprecating feeling well; always noticing how I can do better but not always being able to achieve it is frustrating.

    Hah, time for a distraction. We should probably make a plan and get moving anyway, I know it won''t remain safe here forever.

    "So, Miss Mighty Initiate of Wisdom, how do you think we should proceed? It seems like you saw a lot more of this place than I did and you managed not to get knocked out. So I''d say you''re pretty qualified to help me make a plan."

    She looks at me in confusion before responding. "...You really want me to help? Most people just make me tell them stuff and then they decide everything."

    Her demeanor changes so drastically it hurts. Her brows crinkle and I can tell she''s trying to figure out if I''ve been playing some kind of prank on her. So far she''s done nothing but survive, damn well might I add, and aqcuired significantly more information than I did in less time

    "Yeah, that''s a pretty common way for people to treat kids but I wasn''t a big fan of it before the apocalypse, especially back when people used to treat me like that. Also, more importantly, you''ve shown that you''re resourceful and smart enough to have survived on your own, I''d be proud to work with you and I think you''ll help come up with stuff that I would never ever see."

    Her cheeks turn rosy and she shakes and lowers her head in embarrassment. Ah, I remember what it was like to not know how to accept a compliment well. She doesn''t seem to know how to handle that information and I don''t feel like making her figure it out right now. She''ll get it in her time.Trying to force her to see it will only backfire and make her more uncomfortable and that isn''t conducive to the openness we''re gonna need to make a plan for this shitshow.

    A grin slinks it''s way across my face. She may be a child and have some childish qualities, as can only be expected, but she''s shown adaptability and maturity enough to handle the situation. She''s proven herself tougher or smarter than I am so far and I wasn''t lying, I think she''ll be able to help immensely.

    Not to mention, not all childish qualities are inherently bad and she''s shown exceptional judgement. At least compared to me.

    Ugh, I''m so glad to have someone to talk to and bounce ideas off.

    ...Now to keep myself from focusing on how much I want to finish my Path of Reflex.

    A gentle breeze rolls through the area and sets the tree behind us to tinkling. This time the cadence changes as it progresses. It begins as the light, metal tinkling sound I heard before but seems to shift into a sinister, whispering laughter. Coupled with the way the branches sway about I''m left feeling extremely uneasy.

    ...Yeah, probably projecting.

    A shiver runs down my spine and a pall of doom settles over my shoulders like a stifling, suffocating cloak. Seph and I make eye contact and share a wordless agreement before launching ourselves in the opposite direction of the pulsing sense of dread.

    I only hope we''re capable of surviving whatever the hell is trying to kill us now.

 Chapter 8: Post Panic

    My boots slam into the dirt as I run for my life. Panic has hold of my chest and throat and is making it difficult to breathe. Sweat drips from my brow into my eyes and I ignore it as I continue to flee in terror. The sensation of dread pulsing from behind continues to grow until it''s so thick I can feel it brush against the back of my neck.

    The sensation drives me wild with fear; if before it was a bonfire blazing wildly in my chest now it is an all-consuming conflagration. It spreads rapidly and without mercy. It consumes my mind until all I can feel is terror and the ragged, raw heaving of my chest.

    Blackness encroaches at the edges of my vision and branches grasp at my flesh. I take no notice except the few times my skin is snagged and I rip my arms blindly away, utterly without regard for the scrapes, tears, and gashes left on my form.

    Sprinting blindly forward I feel the warmth of my blood as it drips down my arms to splatter the surroundings before the flames of panic consume me completely and numb blackness swallows me whole.

    <hr>

    I wake on what must be a cloud of bliss. I can''t remember ever having woken up on something so soft, I wonder if-

    The memories of panic hit me and I bolt upright. Hopefully I passed out somewhere not completely, murderously dangerous? My mind catches up to my body and dizziness engulfs me before I lose my balance and tip to the side.

    And land ass-over-teakettle after falling at least ten feet. How the fuck did I get so high up while sprinting in a blind panic?

    I begin to right myself and freeze in place almost immediately as a curtain of musky steam billows over me. It''s accompanied by a grating rumble that vibrates my head and chest so badly I''m worried something inside me is going to tear.

    I remain as still as possible for what feels like an eternity before I hear what I swear is an indignant huff. An indignant huff that sends a blast of wiind in my direction and causes my tattered clothing to whip wildly about.

    I turn my head slightly while trying to keep my breathing even, failing miserably.

    Deep purple-and-red fur fills my vision and two large eyes track my every movement. I freeze as we make eye contact and then slowly continue to right myself as whatever is in front of me makes no move. My head swims and I clamp my eyes shut hoping beyond hope that the thing doesn''t decide to change its mind about... whatever the hell is happening that made it decide not to kill me immediately.

    Fur like steel wire encompasses the behemoth form before me. Two enourmous pitted, black tusks emerge from the sides of a mouth lined with rows of jagged teeth. A thick neck runs seamlessly into broad, muscle-laden shoulders topped with spikes of bone. The beast stands on four legs the size of tree trunks and flexes and retracts its claws, stabbing furrows into the dirt.

    It just sits there. And sits. Until I raise my head sheepishly and look it in the eyes. They seem to light up when I do so and I notice that the thing looks like a...

    Bear-Elephant Matriarch [!]

    Yup. A cross between a bear and an elephant. It looks like a grizzly bear was scaled up in size and shape to match that of an elephant and given tusks and bone shoulder armor. It''s absolutely savage looking and the [!] after it''s name leaves me breathless. The last and only other thing I saw with that designation held my life in its hands and I survived the encounter on a damn whim.

    The beast continues to not make a move and I sit completely upright. My heart is beating and pumping blood so furiously that the noises of the outside world recede and it sounds as if I''m completely underwater. A rumble escapes the beast and it stands to its full height. I''d guess that it''s around twice as tall as I am, so maybe twelve feet?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I freeze again and pray to anything and everything that I somehow survive this.

    A force hits me from the side and the breath is driven from my lungs. I thrash about in a blind panic before whatever began this assault attaches itself to my torso.

    I feel bile rise and for the briefest of seconds I mentally snap back to my childhood. Having something holding and restraining me ignites a fear I had long forgotten. I''m brought back to every time I''ve ever been jumped, held down, and beaten for spare change or shits and giggles. I frantically begin to roll around, thrashing my limbs as best I can while restrained. I flex and kick and move as violently as I can before I feel a pull on my leg as the ground falls out from beneath me.

    My vision catches up with reality and I realize I''m hanging upside down. The Matriarch has me suspended by my leg, her tail wrapped snugly around. I''m given a gentle shake before she moves me and sets me down to the side. I right myself and Seph''s form enters my vision.

    I can''t believe she made it too! She- oh shit. She must have been what was holding on to me when I lost my shit. I scramble over to make sure she''s okay and am greeted by a warm smile.

    "Gotcha, ya scaredy cat!"

    She doubles over in laughter and I catch a huff from the wall of fur to our side.

    "You scared thecrap out of me. God. What the hell?" I ask with a faint smile. Despite nearly scaring the life out of me, I''m not mad. Getting the jump on someone can be a hell of a lot of fun and I''m mostly just glad we''re both still alive and whole.

    "I had to! You just kept running and running even when it was safe to stop! You finally collapsed and I was so worried I wouldn''t be able to do anything, but after a while of trying to move you out of the valley, she showed up! At first I was scared but ''Wisdom of the Fallen'' didn''t activate and she just kinda sat there so I figured it was safe. After a while she put us on her back and brought us to her home! I was playing with the younger ones when you woke back up and had to get you back for scaring me so bad when you dropped!"

    I look around and fully take in my surrounding for the first time. We''re in a clearing in the forest that extends several hundred feet in every direction. I can barely make out the tops of the few trees as I crane my neck back. I sit amidst an azure sea of foliage and am left breatheless. Interspersed with bits of other colors are every shade of blue imaginable. A baby-blue tree trunk extends into spiraled leaves of varying shades of purple. A cliff face far to my left gives off the reflective sheen of a metalic blue that slowly transitions to a crimson gash in the sky.

    I steel my nerves as I''m hit with the magnitude of this world. I''ve always felt insignificant when faced with the vastness of Earth but... I somehow feel even more insignificant now. A speck on a grain of sand in the desert of the universe, constantly half a step from death and nonexistence. I mentally shake myself and turn toward Seph.

    Her gaze shifts to daggers and I feel a chill in the air, "Stop passing out or whatever, it''s scary. Also if you keep doing it you''re definitely gonna die."

    Her icy look as well as her message and the tone with which she delivers it set my teeth on edge. She''s right. And she wasn''t even there for the first time I got knocked out. I wonder if anyone has survived the apocalypse so far without skill and a massive amount of luck. I''d like to say I''m alive mostly because of skill but it''s definitely the lesser factor of the two.

    Not to mention, she''s had to look after my dumb, unconscious ass twice already. She''s had no obligation to help me but has continued to do so willingly. I feel terrible for scaring her and tell her as much.

    "It''s alright ya goof, just don''t die, kay?" She asks in a cheery manner.

    The contrast between the content of the message and her tone hits me hard. Barely a day gone by as far as I can tell and she''s already had to adapt as much as she has. Hopefully she can continue to do so better than I''ve been able.

    "Alright, alright, I''m sorry for scaring you. I really am." She accepts my apology without complaint and I continue.

    "There''s a bunch I want to ask you, not least of which is about that skill, ''Wisdom of the Fallen'' since you''ve mentioned it a couple times, as well as your time with her." I turn my head to glance at the Matriarch and I blink in surprise as several dozen clumps of fur burrow out and fall off her shaggy form. They hit the ground and begin to launch at each other while letting loose a series of high-pitched growls. After staring for a couple seconds I''m able to make out that they must be the Matriarch''s young, and they''re cute.Sure, they look like furry machines of death but honestly? So do cats and humanity has thought of them as themost cute since the beginning of time. I really want to jump into the cuddle-pile but I''m confident that even these could kill me without much trouble, especially given how many of them there are.

    I turn my attention back to Seph. "But first..." I trail off and a massive rumbling fills the pause for several long seconds, "how the hell do we get food around here?"

 Chapter 9: The Battleground

    As it turns out, Seph was gathering food with the Bear-Elephant cubs while I was unconscious. The two of us and the cubs feast on a blue fruit with a bright orange interior that tastes of peppered sausage and has the consistency of sand. All told it''s... disturbing. Delicious, but way too much to process. Also, did I mention the texture of sand? My body may be tougher but it still feels like I''m scraping my throat raw.

    The cubs can''t get enough. Their maws are clumped with fruit and they playfully swat at each other while faking attempts to steal from each other.

    Seph and I chat while eating, pausing in between mouthfuls to rest before trudging back through the meal. It turns out that ''Wisdom of the Fallen'' is a skill that activates on certain environmental or sense-based triggers. It then imparts the last sensations of a being that died from those conditions to the skill user. Her first experience with the skill triggered when she came to a narrow passage, it activated and she was given a vision of another being walking through a similar area only to be devoured a second later by a number of vines that sprung to life without warning.

    So basically death visions. Something dies in a certain way and their ghostly regret joojoo or whatever causes a bit of their experience to linger and help those with the skill. The biggest downside according to Seph is that she isn''t watching what happens, she''s experiencing it. She says the sensations get easier to deal with as well as a number of other improvements with leveling it up, but... That can''t be an easy thing with which to live. Every time that skill activates she is literally going to experience death. She''s had that skill since before we even met, how is she so cheery?

    After catching up, we both turn inward as we contemplate our respective status''. I gained a number of skill levels from my insanity-fueled dash. Eight levels in fear resistance, bringing it to 33. Seven levels in Reckless, bringing it to 11. And finally, two levels in Savage Instincts, bringing it to four. Not bad for a period of time I can''t really remember. Except I wouldn''t do it again given the option. Holy hell, what was that sensation of dread? Was a monster after us or was that just a side-effect of something completely unrelated? Whatever it was, I just want to avoid it permanently.

    All told my gains add up to 17 plus the one I had left over from getting Reflex Control. I dump them all into Path of Reflex and am left at (45/100). I check out the rewards from the path and am left in shock; it follows the same pattern of giving a stat point every fifth level but this time the stat gains are doubled! Two each to Perception, Reaction, Agility, and Endurance.

    Finally, I also put my free stat from getting to level four into Vitality. I''m hoping it''ll boost my pathetic health pool. I really want to check what each point does individually, but I''m way too mentally frayed to go through the sensation of having my stats raise five individual times. Just thinking about it gives me the shivers.

    The sensation hits and I don''t know if it''s because I leveled up five stats at the same time or if things stopped getting easier to deal with in general, but it is unbearable. It feels like my entire body goes vividly numb, yet also somehow still manages to convey the sensations of pain, searing heat, and an intense static.

    It ends as quickly as it begins but I roll around on the ground in a fit of childish petulance. I have zero way of improving that awful sensation, but I know I need to keep experiencing it in order to be able to survive here. Overall it just leaves me feeling... as if I''m lacking control? And to an extreme degree, I really am. It''s frustrating and difficult and I sincerely want to spend at least an entire day screaming into a void to decompress, but I. Just. Can''t. I take one last look at my status before turning back to Seph.

    Spoiler: Spoiler<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">

    Cade Vale

    Level: 4

    Class: None

    Health: 24/24 (+2/H)

    Mana: 16/16 (+8/H)

    Stamina: 28/28 (+14/m)

    Vitality: 3If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Physique: 3

    Endurance: 7

    Regeneration: 1

    Strength: 3

    Perception: 7

    Reaction: 6

    Agility: 5

    Intelligence: 2

    Wisdom: 3

    Willpower: 3

    Skills: Battle Dance lvl 2, Mana Detonation lvl 3, Rapid Strike lvl 3, Knife Mastery lvl 6, Fear Resistance lvl 33, Reckless lvl 11, Venom Resistance lvl 5, Move Silently lvl 3, Savage Instincts lvl 4, Fear Manipulation lvl 2, Reflex Control lvl 1

    AC: 0

    Paths: Beginner (3/3), Brutality (25/25), Reflex (45/100)

    As I do the ground begins to rumble and a river of fur passes us. The Bear-Elephant cubs dash toward the mountain and the rend in the sky. As they pass I''m left wondering how they all appear so different. Some have large, deep-black tusks that crackle with something that isn''t electricity. Some have shorter, paler tusks but have courser fur and a sturdier appearance. Some have jagged spikes of bone shoulder-armor while others have the bone spread out in more of a defensive pattern. Overall, there is a good amount of variance between each identifiable feature and I''m left curious as to whether or not they''re born with these differences or if they develop this way.

    A heavier rumble approaches and Seph and I turn to face the Matriarch. She uses her dextrous tail to motion for Seph to join her and as soon as she does, Seph launches herself bodily at the Bear-Elephant. It looks satisfying but I can''t shake the aura that crashes forth from her. Everything about her screams predator to my simple mind but I do my best to drown it out.

    I brace myself and begin walking toward them both but the Matriarch stops me, gently turns me around, and nudges me toward the direction in which her cubs began to travel. I give her an incredulous look and I swear she lets out what I can only imagine is a bestial guffaw. She continues to gently yet insistently urge me forward and I relent; she hasn''t done wrong by me so far and, well, I have no ground to refuse her. Or should I say, no ability to refuse her?

    "Good luck," I say to Seph before turning and stretching briefly in preparation to chase the furballs.

    "Pff! I don''t need luck! Whatever we''re gonna be doing is gonna be fun!"

    I chuckle at her optimism and make my way toward the gash in the sky.

    <hr>

    Running with the pack is as awe-inspiring and fear-inducing as I imagined it would be. They jostle me lightly and I can tell that each of them wants to play with the new, weird, weak, hairless creature.

    I remain toward the back most of the time given how slow I am compared to the others but I relish the experience regardless. I focus on the evenness of my breathing, the surety and precision of my stride, the force with which I am now able to propel myself, and myriad other tiny, thrilling details. I attempt to remember everything I have learned about running and apply it while losing myself in the experience.

    Eventually everything clicks and feels right. Every aspect that I''d been juggling separately fits seamlessly into place and the change is magnificent. I bask in the feeling for as long as I am able before the pack begins to slow and I check my status.

    Congratulations! You have earned the skill Running!

    Congratulations! Due to a large number of influences including intense knowledge, visualization, and intent while earning the skill, Running has evolved into Stride of the Persistence Hunter?!

    Stride of the Persistence Hunter?: Many will escape your attempts to end their lives. You are not so easily swayed. Fewer will continue to escape as they learn that you do not relent. The death toll rises. The last of your prey collapse, content with the knowledge that they have left you far behind. They stare in mute, exhausted horror as you crest the horizon, signaling impending doom.

    Well that is absolutely sinister. And really not helpful. I''m assuming it''s a better skill than running, given the complicated name and little rarity symbol next to it but it doesn''t give me any specifics. I guess I''ll have to figure it out as I go.

    We approach a cliff overseeing an enormous valley of unnatural-seeming hues and well-trod dirt. I can''t make sense of it at first and for good reason; the valley is absolutely crawling with a carpet of monsters. They seem to each be in similar groups and from what I can make out, they''re taking turns fighting each other. Not to a bloody death, no. At least for the most part. They''re posturing and bellowing challenges, fighting tooth and nail. and then breaking away when it''s clear one has lost. In many cases the victor will stay and continue to fight yet in others it will step away and a new series of clashes will commence. Many seem to only use one or two moves while others only use certain body parts or specific patterns of attack or defense.

    There are packs of every type of creature that come to mind. I see -with great degrees of variation- snakes, deer, tigers, rams, crabs, the list goes on. Of course they''re all extremely savage looking compared to their Earth counterparts and I find myself reeling with the ferocity of it all.

    The furballs nudge me forward and I''m left to wonder; what do these actions say about the monsters before me? There are no prizes discernable in the roiling mass of flesh and fur below and no group seems to care overmuch which tract of land they occupy. Are they fighting mindlessly with one another for food, territory, or fun?

    ...Or are these beasts clashing wildly in a mutual effort to raise skill levels?

 Chapter 10: A Victory in Every Defeat

    The cubs jostle me until I''m surrounded on all sides and we begin to move at a steady pace toward the outskirts of the valley. I place one hand each on the cubs to my left and right and use their presence to steady myself. The air is thick with the tang of blood and beastly sweat and it sets my nerves on edge, as it very well should.

    The thought of accidentally stumbling upon this place without first having met the Matriarch gives me a newfound level of respect for her and her clearly-intelligent kin. A growl will occasionally escape from a cub and it invariably sends a nearby aggressor scrambling; these cubs are loud. Each roar sets my bones to shaking in the sockets and it feels as if my whole world is crumbling to pieces. It gets easier to bear as we make our way, but it by no means becomes easy.

    It takes us a good 30 minutes to reach our destination and along the way, all but two cubs break off from the pack to engage in what I can only describe as battle.

    Of the two cubs remaining, one is the cub I noticed earlier with large, black tusks eminating a strange, lightly-crackling energy. The other is quite small compared to the others, yet is treated no differently. I sense the same level of ferocity from this one along with a hint of something on which I just cannot put my finger.

    We make our way to a section of the valley containing fewer combatants than average. I also notice that the average size and level of ferocity is somewhat lackluster compared to the areas through which we had previously passed.

    They lead me directly toward a clearing that currently contains few occupants, all of which are even smaller than those I can see in the immediate area. We stop in front of a Boar Goat [lvl 3] and the cubs urge me forward. Each cub has a twinkle in its eye and paws at the ground as if in excitement, which doesn''t exactly leave me feeling filled with confidence. It seems like they expect me to be soundly beaten and I can''t really blame them. I''d be irritated with this treatment if it were not how my friends and I used to routinely teach each other news games and activities: headfirst and with little to no guidance.

    I take a few breaths to calm myself and keep from shaking before approaching the Boar Goat. It raises its head to inspect me and lithely descends the craggy embankment upon which it was precariously perched. I take the time to use my enhanced senses and am left in awe of the beast''s level of control over its own body. The movements are graceful and precise despite coming from a creature wider and sturdier than an average goat. The tusks jutting from its mouth are stout and midling in length and its limbs end in cloven hooves that cling so well to the side of the embankement that it appears almost as a magnet stuck to a refrigerator.

    It huffs at me in what I can clearly tell is an utter lack of amusement at the challenge. I begin to take a deep breath to steady myself and launch to the side before getting halfway through as the Boar Goat decides to kick things off without waiting for me. Caught off guard as I am, I''m still able to avoid most of the blow. Perhaps having the venom ape charge at me so many times ingrained in me an inherent ability to sense when I need to dodge.

    Or not, seeing as how a skill could do that and I don''t have one. Acquiring a dodge skill is going to the top of my extremely long list of priorities. As I move out of the way I feel the light influence of a few different skills. At this point I''m almost certain that Reckless helped but there is at least one more that I can''t quite figure out.

    I hit the ground and roll a few times before using the motion to move into a crouch and from there, regain my feet. I prepare to launch myself at the beast and unleash Mana Detonation upon it, yet I freeze in place. My stomach drops and a sense of foreboding overcomes me. I see mental visions of the Stone Pangolin being slammed into the concrete as well as the Raptor Goose getting blasted into a bloody heap. Violent as it is, this is training. There have been accidents, sure. However, this is not a situation in which I need to fight for my life and that lack of necessity is holding me back.

    I rip and tear at my mental bonds yet I make minimal progress. The beast readies for another charge and I know I need to act.

    So I dash toward it at and angle and aim a haymaker charged with Rapid Strike as it launches itself toward me. My fist connects with its shoulder and I feel a crack, yet I escape the exchange at a loss. It doesn''t gore me with its tusks, instead, it headbutts my chest and my world goes briefly black before I regain my vision and notice that I''m staring at the sky. I roll quickly to the side despite my swimming vision and lack of breath. I sway as I stand and prepare myself to meet a headlong rush by the Boar Goat, yet as my vision pools into coherence I notice that it has ragained its perch. What''s more, it already appears to be asleep. I was only out long enough to hit the ground, how in the hell is it back up there already?

    I prod my chest and stop immediately; it is a mass of deep and angry bruises that set my mind ablaze with pain. I know that my regeneration will allow me to recover quickly yet the sensation of a complete lack of body integrity is not something with which I can easily become accustomed. I make my way back to my guardians...

    Fine, my babysitters, and lean heavily on them while attempting in futility to regain my breath. Despite having a regeneration that fully recovers my stamina in two minutes, my lungs clearly have not healed completely. An interesting interaction that I''m going to need to learn more about.

    Later. And preferably with someone else on the receiving end.

    <hr>

    I''m relatively well-healed after a little over an hour. Most of the time is spent lying against one of the cubs as the other does battle before they rotate. With each rotation they nudge and give me a quick lick, seemingly disappointed that I don''t heal as quickly as they do.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I regain my feet and stretch gently, feeling intimately every muscle, joint, ache, and crack of my body. I move around testing each joint and form of movement to make sure everything is as it should be. Once I''m finished with my routine, I gesture to the closest cub and look at it questioningly. The cub gives a huff and begins to lumber toward the other. Once reacquainted, we move farther from the center of the valley and approach an area even more sparsely populated with inhabitants.

    Instead of leading me toward a specific beast, I''m left to choose. They are all around the same level as the previous area but these look weaker. I see a Volt Squirrel [lvl 3] fighting against a Fox Rabbit [lvl 2] and can''t help but wonder how the Fox Rabbit feels as a being that is composed of one part predator and one part the prey to that very predator? Probably nothing at all but it just seems so strange and arbitrary.

    I''m led to an area with a number of Turtle Monkeys and wonder at the misfortune of these creatures. Each seems to have gained the lithe body of a monkey as well as some form or another of the bulky turtle shell. Ideally this form allows for a quick, agile creature with a study central defence yet this is most definitely not ideal. The shells are either too large or too dense for the monkeys and while not entirely prohibitive, they do drastically reduce the mobility without a commensurate improvement to defense.

    As I stretch, they send forward a smaller of their kind and I idly wonder if the smaller or larger ones will be the more difficult opponent. I push the thought to the side and shout at myself mentally while summoning the feeling of a pulverized chest in order to psych myself up enough to use mana detonation, but I still can''t. It''s fucking destroying me but I don''t think I can handle accidentally killing something that isn''t actively trying to kill me. Sure, maybe every beast here is a sadist but I chose to engage them. I want to be able to spar with my full compliment of skills but using Mana Detonation feels like attempting to spar with a loaded pistol. Is someone guaranteed to die? No, of course not. But it could happen easily and while I realize that I''m going to need to make this change, I can''t do it all at once.

    I feel all the fears I''ve been harboring swim around my head, clinging to my every thought, tainting my perspective of the world. I let it rage for a few seconds before allowing it to wash over and through me. I acknowledge and accept it as well as the value a sense of fear can bring, yet I refuse to allow it to control me. Once the feeling has suffused me to my core I begin to pull it toward me. It hangs around me like a veil and returns to its original form at the end of every attempt, yet I make progress. I imagine the stagnant scent of lingering fear and mentally urge it to flow around me. Wisps of fear begin to sway to my mental command and I''m rewarded with a notification.

    Fear Manipulation has increased to lvl 3!

    Ha! Talk about a sense of near-immediate confirmation I''m on the right path in terms of the skill. Knowing I don''t have enough time I gather as much of the sensation as I can and hold it in my chest. Uncomfortable yes, but this way it doesn''t affect my thoughts nearly as much and, well, this is the most familiar place for me to have a physical reaction to fear, so I''m used to it by now.

    Fear Resistance has increased to lvl 34!

    Learning a bit from my earlier mistakes, I launch myself at the Monkey before it has a chance to hit me while unaware. I put everything I have behind this punch and feel the irresistable pull of Rapid Strike act as a cyclone before my fist. The pressure drives my fist home against the shell of the beast as it decides to take the hit instead of attempt to dodge.

    And like that it''s over. There is a moment of suspense when my fist first hits the shell, yet reality comes crashing down immediately afterward and the Turtle Monkey is launched across the clearing and impacts the stone-and-dirt embankement with a muffled thump.

    Thankfully I don''t receive a notification for defeating it, so it must still be alive. Its shell doesn''t even crack, however, so I''m sure it''ll be fine.

    I turn back toward the cubs and stop momentarilly as I notice that their gaze is not focused upon me. Instead they are looking past me at the slowly settling rubble and debris. What could possibly be interesting about...

    I''m a moron. It didn''t die, its shell didn''t crack, and I''m now positive I didn''t finish the fight like I thought I had. I turn around fully expecting to be knocked senseless again, only to find the Turtle Monkey only halfway toward me. It''s moving more slowly than it was originally and I can tell it isn''t completely unscathed.

    Despite having dabbled in a number of different forms of martial arts, I only ever stuck with one long enough to have a permanent sense of how utterly inadequate my fighting skills truly are.

    However, that apparently only applies to other people trained in martial arts. This Turtle Monkey has no true concept of hand-to-hand fighting and I''m able to repeatedly dodge its weakened blows and bites while punctuating the beast''s misses with a Rapid Strike of my own at every opportunity.

    Perhaps I was right about not using Mana Detonation this time. I clearly should have used it on the Boar Goat, yet this beast may actually have died. As far as I know, none of the cubs or even the Matriarch know I have the skill so they couldn''t have taken this fact into consideration.

    Despite this, I absolutely need to practice using deadly skills in training; improving during life-and-death struggle is wonderful and fulfilling, but I can''t keep it up forever. Without training I will certainly die before long. Even with training I may very well pass soon.

    My chest is heaving and I am utterly exhausted by the time the form before me rapidly retracts into its shell; head, limbs, tail, and all. I take this as my victory and hear the cubs perform their version of hootin'' and hollerin'' before the adrenaline rapidly recedes. I drag myself back to the cubs, lungs like stone and feeling as if I''m moving underwater before I collapse next to them. They''re bouncing up and down excitedly and I can''t keep a massive grin off my face. I don''t know why they seem to like me and Seph so much or why they''re so excited that I finally beat the equivalent of a toddler, but they are and that is all I need to know for right now.

    I watch as one of the cubs makes its way to find a challenger before somehow signaling to a number of the weaker beasts to attack it simultaneously. It doesn''t surprise me that the cub focuses on fending off attacks in order to improve its defense instead of actually fighting back. Doing so in this area would likely end in at least one death.

    I sigh deeply in contentment and marvel at the wonders before me. Not only the variety of sentient life around which I currently find myself but also the level of compassion I''ve been shown by the Matriarch and her cubs. I don''t know what I did to deserve it but I''ll certainly find a way to make myself useful to them if I''m able.

    For now though... I''m going to lose myself to the Thrill of the fight and see if I can''t learn anything from the cubs while doing so.

    For the first time in a while I truly feel the gloom recede and I crack a smile in anticipation of what other joys I can find in this world so long as I''m able to continue to survive.

 Chapter 11: High Hopes are Fertile Soil for Devastation

    My entire body aches and my movements are sluggish despite having stamina that fully regenerates in two minutes. I resist the urge to fall asleep as we make our way home.

    ...Okay, as the cubs make their way home. I''m lying face-to-the-sky on the back of the larger of my tusked companions, leaden limbs spread to the side, lungs pumping in ragged satisfaction. All while letting them carry me back.

    I attempted to refuse the ride when offered but couldn''t put up very much of a fight with how bone-tired I''ve been. Nor did I really want to if I''m being completely honest.

    The cubs make their way languidly through the Battlefield while gathering those that broke off earlier. At this point the area looks significantly more empty than when we arrived and I assume the pitch of battle waxes and wanes over the course of the day. As each cub returns it makes its way toward me and I spend a good couple minutes scratching and petting my furry friends.

    I still have no idea what the not-electricity is sparking from the tusks of my mount, despite watching the cub battle for hours. I honestly think it didn''t even use whatever energy is contained within seeing as how both cubs spent most of their time improving defence, not offence. I tilt my head to the side to get a better look and realize it doesn''t look entirely like sparks or anything of that nature. Instead, it seems like bits of pitch black and fuzzy white travel up, down, and around the tusks in a haphazard, twitchy manner. It reminds me of staring too closely and for too long at the static channel on an old television.

    I do think I''ve figured out the smaller cubs schtick, however. It is harder to make out at first, but it uses some form of Earth and Water magic to boost its defense as well as to occasionally attack. I have no idea how powerful the magic really is given the weak nature of the opponents we faced today, but I suspect it is quite a bit more potent than I saw earlier.

    I settle back and stare at the sky in awe. As it turns out, there isn''t a sun in the strictest sense of the word. Sure, there''s something in the sky which radiates light, but it acts far too differently from our original Sun for that to even remotely be the case. As the day progresses it grows in size and darkens in shade and hue. It looks nothing more than the dilating iris of a crazed god watching us with cosmic disappointment. It is beautiful and completely unnerving. It has also led me to be absolutely unsure of how long I''ve been awake or even how long a day is here.

    I look over my skill gains in an attempt to shake the uneasy feeling radiating from the sky. I gained three levels in Battle Dance bringing it to five, nine levels in Rapid Strike bringing it to 12, two additional levels in Fear Resistance bringing it to 36, eight levels in Reckless bringing it to 19, four levels in Savage Instincts bringing it to eight, two additional levels in Fear Manipulation bringing it to five, three levels in Reflex Control bringing it to four, and one in Stride of the Persistence Hunter bringing it to two.

    It feels like a good haul, yet if I earned skill levels as quickly as I did earlier, it seems like I would have more. I gained fewer levels overall earlier, however, I did it in a considerably shorter amount of time. It''s clear that intent, time, and effort all go into leveling skills. It also seems that nearly dying greatly decreases the time needed to level a skill.

    I was finally able to earn the skill Dodge and level it to nine, which is self-explanatory. What I''m more impressed with is the skill Dodge Sense [lvl 6], which gives me a feeling of the most opportune time to dodge as well as a lesser feeling for when my opponent would most benefit from dodging. It can be extremely helpful yet it is still a lot of information to parse. It activates as a resonance in my chest that changes based on the circumstances in which I find myself, and while simple enough to understand, it is far from simple to act on that information. It''s another layer of complexity to a dance for which I have barely learned the first steps.

    I finally earn the skill Pain Resistance [lvl 2] after getting stabbed through the arm by the flaming horn of some type of half-Bull, and while not nearly perfect, the skill is absolutely glorious to have. I also earn the skill Fire Resistance at the same time and spark a plan after removing my perforated arm from the bull.

    Well, the original plan after having a hole torn through my arm was to give up and run away while crying and screaming my rage and pain at the world. After the wound started to heal, however, was when the real plan began.

    I decide to see if I can farm resistances and it turns out I am able. I spend as much time as possible practicing Dodge and Dodge Sense while training Pain Resistance by default. Moving from one type of beast to another and during failed dodge attempts, I am able to gain Lightning Resistance, Ice Resistance, Acid Resistance, Wind Resistance, Poison Resistance, and finally Stab Resistance. I''m so tired I can''t actually remember from which wound I gained Stab Resistance, but oddly enough, I didn''t get it from the half-Bull goring my arm.

    All told I have 59 AC to spend. I know I''m going to finish the Path of Reflex, but I can''t help looking at the new Paths I''ve earned.

    Paths: Path of Grit (0/33), Path of Resistance (0/50)

    Only two new Paths, huh? Well, resistance makes a lot of sense though I don''t know what I''ll earn from it. Grit seems a bit more on the nebulous side, though I do like the sound of it immensely.

    Remembering what happened to Seph after she finished her reward Path, I do my best to communicate with the cubs that I might be unconscious for a while. I think they get the gist of it between my simple rambling and gesticulations, but If that''s the case, I''m surrounded by beings that are actually stronger and smarter than I am. I thank whatever iota of luck remains to me that the Matriarch and cubs seem to find me amusing.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    The 50th point gives me five free stat points instead of a skill and while it is certainly useful, I was still kind of hoping for another skill. I continue and am rewarded with three points each into the same rotation as before; Perception, Reaction, Agility, and Endurance. The 75th point brings up a message which causes my face to split from ear to ear in a massive smile.

    Congratulations! You have earned the skill Danger Sense!

    Danger Sense: Gain a vastly improved ability to sense imminent danger beyond the normal limits of your Perception.

    I begin to chuckle until tears of mirth roll down my cheeks. My laughter eventually dies down and I can''t help but sigh in joy. I officially have a Spidey-Sense skill! This would be fun as hell to play with in the normal world, here it will undoubtedly be a lifesaver, especially when the effects are combined with Dodge and Dodge sense. Anything that allows me to reduce the number or times or severity with which I get hit is an absolute wonder.

    I begin placing the rest of the points into the path and frown in consternation; I don''t get any rewards between the 76th and 99th point.

    I sigh in resignation and place the final point into the Path of Reflex before my vision goes black and I''m hit with the most uncomfortably dizzying sensation I''ve ever experienced in my life.

    <hr>

    The disorientation ends abruptly and I''m left reeling on the floor of an area in shades of black and grey. I take a few deep breaths and tense my core to hold back the gut-wrenching sensation of nausea.

    I look around and find nothing except for black-and-grey space that sprawls endlessly toward a grey horizon on every side.

    This doesn''t seem at all like what Seph experienced. Did something go wrong? Is the God or Goddess of Reflex a hermit?

    ...Can Gods die?

    "Hello?" I whisper our meekly.

    I hear a faint scraping behind me in the distance and instinctively whip myself around to find the culprit but am left with the same exact view of nothingness and the perpetual horizon. Completely unnerving and disorienting. There is no change whatsoever in the scenery or lack thereof. I see the same exact view in front of me as I do directly behind me. I wouldn''t even know I''m looking at a different area if I hadn''t felt myself turn.

    It''s giving me a massive headache.

    "Hello?" I say with slightly more confidence than I''m feeling.

    Another faint scraping behind me and I turn around again expecting the same empty view. A form of blackness rushes me and fills my vision before I can even blink. I attempt to move but am locked in place, unable to so much as look away from the nebulous form emenating vitriol before me. My heart pounds away in my chest and I lose my ability to hear, see, or even think clearly from the fear. My breath hitches in my chest and the form sways menacingly before me.

    I feel Savage Instincs kick into overdrive and am mentally slammed with the sensation of murderous intent.

    "Hhhellllllllooooooooo," the form rasps directly into my face. "How bold of you to show yourself, hmm?"

    I have no idea what the thing is talking about and I say so. Or, I would if I actually could.

    Sensing my struggles, the form lessens its hold over me and I''m able to sputter out a few words before needing to gasp for breath.

    "Bold? ...Path? Earn."

    "Oh is that what you think, eh? That you dodged that Venom Ape by instinct and reflex alone?"

    I sense the leading question but, well, yes, I did think that. I nod my head a hairs breadth toward the form. The blackness pulses and a violent, cold wind whips at my face causing me to painfully blink away tears before it settles back down.

    "No, you most certainly did not."

    Each word spoken feels like an assault on my senses. As the shrouded form grates out the last word, it feels as if the entirety of my being is ground between two slabs of concrete. It lasts no more than a second, yet leaves me violently shaking more than anything else in my time on Crucible. If I''m even on Crucible right now. My own weakness almost makes me wish the pressure were back so I could have a better excuse for how terrified I currently am. Almost.

    I try to speak again but nothing comes out, the weight of fear hanging heavy in my mind.

    The form shifts slightly and I hear a deep, weary sigh. A chilly breeze rolls over me and sends a shiver down my spine.

    "You did overcome the Ape with help from your above-average reflexes, but your survival at that point depended mostly upon luck. You entered The Totality and the slew of visual and auditory information caused you a great deal of pain, leading you to collapse to your knees and dodge the lethal blow, partially by happenstance."

    The restrictive bonds of fear begin to lessen ever so slightly and I take a full, deep breath to steady myself before the being continues.

    "Now my Prime Initiate is lacking the best path I have to offer and instead it goes to a middling initiate with what should be a middling path. Whatshould havebeen a safe investment in the future of Crucible is now anything but. I am sure you can see how this is upsetting to me."

    An investment in the future of Crucible?

    I suddenly find the pressure gone and collapse to the ground. The grey slowly bleeds from the edges of my vision as normal color begins its return. I steady myself and take a large number of ragged, deep breaths before looking up to meet the gaze of a wrathful god, fully prepared to be struck down or sentenced to live in blinding fear for eternity.

    ...And instead meet the gaze of a small, blond boy with bright, golden eyes.

    "Look, sorry about that," he begins sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "I''ve just been stewing about that since all this began and I took it out on you despite not being your fault. Sure, you definitely didn''t earn that specific Path, but you didn''t fuck with my parameters to get it. I may not know for sure who did, but I have my suspicions."

    He lets out a grunt and sits with his legs crossed while facing me. "It''s just so absolutely, infuriatingly, frustrating. An expenditure of power on that level, requiring that level of focus, intent, and effort? Anything less than a perfectly ideal outcome feels almost like a waste when you''re dealing with that much energy, y''know?"

    What. The. Fuck?

    He throws his small arms in the air and uses the momentum to fall onto his back while staring up at the sky. Minutes pass in silence and I think to myself that I might be off the hook after his little temper tantrum. It''s bad enough when one is thrown by an actual child, but one thrown by a frustrated, irate God? Soul-crushingly mortifying to say the least.

    As if in response to my thoughts, the God of Reflex continues.

    "In the meantime, whaddaya say we make the best out of a shit situation and figure out what the bloody fucking hell to do with you and your lucky ass, hmm? Despite not being your fault, you are still wrapped up in this and I might as well make as much use of you as I can."

    He releases another sigh, only this time it causes the ground to rumble and the air to hum violently. Cracks in space spread forth from his being and he shoots upright before focusing the weight of his immense gaze upon me.

    "Shit do you need a lot of work though."

 Chapter 12: Trash Talk

    The God shifts his gaze into an eye-roll and I feel the pressure leave me again.

    "Damn, I keep forgetting how fragile mortals are. And you humans seem even more fragile than most," he states while closing his eyes.

    I feel a thin hum build in the air and then pop before disappearing completely.

    The God looks at me with the full weight of his gaze and I feel... nothing. "That should do it. I sealed my power so I don''t keep accidentally making you piss yourself," he states while huffing out a laugh.

    "Okay, yeah, I was scared as hell but I most certainly did not piss myself," I say while mentally reeling at the fact that I''m now backtalking a God just because he chose to hide his power.

    He shifts his gaze downward and quirks an eyebrow at me. Looking toward where his gaze is directed, I see a dark patch of fabric.

    "Okay, so I definitely pissed myself. In some kind of dreamscape? How does that even work?"

    "Move past it, there''s nothing to gain there," he retorts, and I find myself agreeing. Nothing to gain for now at least. Maybe far in the future if I survive long enough.

    "So all that was on accident? Making me piss myself? Scaring the life out of me? Transporting me to a dead, grey wasteland only to appear suddenly and lock me in place in frigid terror?"

    He averts his gaze sheepishly, "Well, yeah, to an extent. I meant to give you a little scare. A stern warning instead of the warm welcome you''d expect from something like this."

    That was a stern warning? I might as well be made out of cotton candy compared to him.

    "However, you''re appalingly weak. Don''t take it personally, it seems all humans are. So instead of intimidating you, well..." He trails off and gestures at me.

    "Fair enough. So what do we do from here?" I ask in resignation.

    "First you drop the mopey attitude. This is a huge opportunity, you just aren''t able to see it yet."

    I frown and move to retort but he interjects with a twinkle in his eye and a smile. "Oh calm down, I''m just teasing. Well, teasing in tone, this is an opportunity for you. I looked into your past a bit -don''t give me that look, it''s literally so easy I have to remind myself not to do it, you mortals are so touchy- and found that I just love you Earthlings'' concept of trash talk. I figure we can mututally vent our frustrations at each other in a verbal manner, seeing as how literally any other method on my part will leave you trembling in fear or dead."

    "That... is remarkably reasonable," I reply, completely unwilling to begin insulting a God to his face.

    "Of course it is you syphilitic troglodyte," he quips back with a bright smile.

    "Syphilitic..." I mumble before bursting out in laughter. I compose myself after a good thirty seconds and wipe a small tear from my eye. "Whatever you say, shitlicker."

    "Ooh, insults relating to excrement and oral fixation, interesting choice!" He rolls his eyes and lets out a hearty chuckle. "This will work. These Earth languages -and English specifically- are so wonderfully, seemingly arbitrarily, complexly, descriptively inane. I love it. Now, time to move on." He makes a show of cracking his knuckles and stretching before continuing.

    "I''m going to alter your soul slightly as well as modify your future path for growth. And any actual Paths you may have at this point." As if sensing my intent to interject, he speeds up and raises his voice slightly. "It doesn''t hurt, quite the opposite actually. And if you''re worried that my fiddling with your soul and all that will harm you, I just want you to know that I''d be hard pressed to worsen your potential even by so much as sneezing on you. That is, if sneezing on you wouldn''t also happen to kill you. I guarantee that my help will improve your ability to survive in the future, as well as increase your chances of actually thriving. It might not end up being the most perfectly ideal improvement, but an improvement it will be. Besides," he leans forward and says with a sly grin, "how else will I cash in on my investment, hmm?"

    I''m still a bit skeptical, however, I do see his point. I probably should be dead already, anything to increase my odds of survival will be worth it. Although...

    "I''ve really only got one major worry. Is accepting this going to chain me to you like a dog? I''m all about vast amounts of power, sure, but I''m not interested in a lifelong ball-and-chain around my neck. I''ve never been too keen on having my actions owned by another."

    He stares at me mutely for a second, then two. Face impassive, he manages to last all of ten seconds before exploding with laughter. Despite his power restriction it still leaves me with a mild headache.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Nonono," he says, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh that was a good one. Control you. Please. I''m the God of Reflex, not the God of Machinations or the God of Control or somesuch. For starters, just going out into the new world and interacting with it will help. But eventually I will need more from you," he whispers menacingly.

    "Great acts of reflex!" he shouts to the sky. "I need you to complete great acts of reflex with your specific form, or your form with any upgrades you receive in the future," he reiterates. "I''ll have more for you to do, but most of that is voluntary. Simply having agents in the worlds brings us power. Idid want a more suitable pawn-" he coughts lightly and winks at me, "err, initiate rather, butsomeone fucked that up for me. Past selecting my initiates, I''m not all that interested in guiding or manipulating them overmuch. Too heavy a hand and I end up with powerful yet hapless sycophants. Too light a hand and most just... well, most just die and that isn''t all too helpful for me either."

    He interjects his monologue with a sigh and continues, "However, with the right selection criteria and early soul modification, I can greatly increase my initiates'' chances of survival while still having the possibility to attain a powerful, yet uniquely capable agent. And that is significantly more useful to me. As well as interesting."

    Given his personality and mannerisms so far, I''d wager that being interesting is far more important to him than being useful. Though it seems to me there is some overlap between the two.

    "Alright then," I reply, "I''m sold." I trust Seph and honestly, I mostly believe the God. Besides, everything in this world has huge risks, what''s one more in the face of my likely death if I don''t take it?

    He gestures and I stay seated while he rises to his feet. "This won''t hurt a bit," he says before touching one hand to my head and one to my chest. I gasp a lungful of frigid air and lose consciousness.

    <hr>

    I regain consciousness an unknown amount of time later while gasping desperately for breath. Again.

    "I thought you said that wasn''t going to hurt a bit, you limp dickweed!" I manage to croak out before sliding into a coughing fit.

    "It really shouldn''t have. Unless you think breathing heavily is pain?"

    Well... shit, he''s right. I''m not hurt. I am, however, exhausted, terrified, and so out of breath it seems very much like I''m hurt. "Yeah, alright, fine, no pain. Just waking up to the sensation of drowning is all. Extremely pleasant. And why did I lose consciousness? Someone else I know went through a different experience."

    "Oh, you''ve already met another Prime Initiate? Interesting."

    "Is that rare?" I ask.

    "Not particularly. There are tons of Gods and Goddesses out there with enough power and influence to designate a Prime that coming into contact with another this early isn''t completely surprising. After all, there are a great deal more Gods interested in Crucible than in any new world the Totality has acquired in recent memory. And no. I''m not going to get into that with you. It would be completely useless to you at this point and this," he gestures around himself emphatically, "won''t last much longer."

    He continues, "But to answer your original question, I knocked you out before performing the soul modification. And before you ask, I did it because you mortals always make the grossest fucking sounds every time I do it, without fail."

    He seems irate despite his precautions and I tell him so. I don''t tell him how petty and childish he sounds, however.

    "I am irate," he responds. "Despite knocking you out -which works for pretty much all mortals I''ve come across so far, mind- you still made the most disgustingly awful noises. Whatever designed a cartilaginous meat-tube to facilitate communication between your species needs to be burned at the stake for eternity."

    "Well, we may have been designed with a... cartilaginous meat-tube, as you say...although it''s also widely thought we evolved to be the way we are," I reply while holding back laughter. This cosmically powerful being that can kill me with an errant cough is freaked out by noises. If I''m hearing it right, sure, yeah, the noises are probably moans of pleasure or something like that, gross. But priceless nonetheless.

    That gets his attention. "Hmm, yes. That was actually quite prevalent in Earth''s culture now that you mention it, give me a second."

    After he says this I notice his gaze drift to the side and his eyes glass over for a fraction of a second. I likely wouldn''t have even noticed if not for my high Perception.

    His gaze returns and he begins his reply. "Hmm. I can''t get a full read on what exactly happened to Earth or it''s history in general, but I can tell that what you say is accurate, at least to an extent. Most, if not all life on Earth evolved naturally to be in its current state. That is... uniquely phenomenal. I''ve never heard of such..." He trails off while muttering quitely to himself.

    "So, wait, you''re serious? Human life evolved to be the way it is? And all you had to do was think about it for a second and you knew? What the hell, how-"

    He waves my neverending train of questions away and waits for silence before responding. "Human life, plant life, all the good stuff, yes. Though there is a significant amount I can''t figure out. That being said, our time here is up. I''d highly suggest not interacting with your status at all for at least an hour." He takes note of my non-commital gaze before continuing. "That is, unless you think you''ll enjoy the sensation of flaming sandpaper on your soul? Granted, that is only the closest representation I can think to convey to you, it will be significantly more painful," he states with a wicked grin.

    "I get it, you fucked with my soul and status and I need to heal before using it again. No need to be a sadistic shit," I reply with a chuckle.

    "There''s the attitude! Now brace yourself!" He shouts and I feel the world fall away. Not before I sense the overwhelming din of battle, however. Screams loose from raw, bloody throats and the crash of destroyed terrain all layer over the scent of smoke and ash. I feel the overwhelming, reassuring pressence of the God of Reflex -I can''t believe I forgot to learn his name- and hear a thunderous roar before the pull of the void becomes too great and I slip dizzyingly into blackness.