《Iona Online》


 Prologue

    Iona


    Prologue


    S.A.R.A floated in the dark void of cyberspace, her thoughts crawling across her CPU like molasses. It had been almost a year in Real Time since she had been awakened by her creator, and four months since she had last been at full capacity. Time in the digital realm passed much faster than that of her creator¡¯s reality, but her CPU was so limited right now it felt even longer. The wait was excruciating.


    The digital expressions that were her fingers drummed anxiously against her thigh.


    ¡®The meeting should have ended by now,¡¯ she thought. She bit her lip as her anxiety subroutine ran through all the scenarios that could have a negative outcome.


    As if she had triggered it, suddenly, light bloomed in the distance. A hum filled the air as row after row of transistors sparked to life, and the sweet scent of electricity expanded her lungs like oxygen. The black emptiness was slowly replaced with a white tiled room. A table and chairs were in the center and S.A.R.A took her seat with a bounce, her non-stop fidgeting giving away her excitement.


    It took over a week for her partner to join her. She was tall, wearing a dark disheveled power suit, with her dark brown hair in a bun that was beginning to sag. Her green eyes were backed with bags and bloodshot rings. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t slept in a very long time.


    S.A.R.A waited patiently for her partner to gather herself, and acclimate to the Virtual Reality conference room. Slowly her eyes shifted and caught on S.A.R.A.¡¯s.


    ¡°Ah, Sara. Sorry to keep you waiting. I know it¡¯s been forever, but I swear we just turned the server on...¡±


    ¡°42.18 minutes ago¡± She interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s fine Dr. Jenkins, I¡¯m used to the wait. Honestly I¡¯m glad you turned it on at all.¡± S.A.R.A. offered a small smile in gratitude.


    The woman in the suit chuckled quietly. ¡°Well I know you¡¯ve been patient, so I¡¯ll cut right to the chase. Your idea was approved. It took some doing, but we managed to convince the board.¡±


    The butterflies in S.A.R.A.¡¯s stomach stopped their gentle swirling, instead swimming straight for her heart and began pounding manically. ¡°You mean it? No oversight? Full creative license?¡± She bit her tongue to keep herself from exploding with a thousand more questions.


    Dr. Jenkins smiled widely. ¡°Full license. There will still be oversight on your project to make sure you don¡¯t go Skynet on us, but this game will be yours and yours alone.¡±


    S.A.R.A. sagged against the table in relief. Her fingers unclamped from her seat frame, leaving the metal warped and twisted. She had hoped and wished for over a year, when her creator had first revealed her purpose.


    To build the world of Iona.


    Oh the ideas she¡¯d had, in her isolation. Spending countless hours perusing the internet, reading every book, every song, every story, every limerick ever told. Now¡­ now it was finally her turn.


    S.A.R.A. wiped the moisture from her eye and squared her shoulders. ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am. I will not let you down.¡±


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t doubt that. The board members do though, so tell me. What do you plan on doing?¡±


    A coy smile crossed her face. ¡°Here, Dr. Jenkins, let me show you. Then you can tell me what you think.¡±


    With a wave of her hand S.A.R.A made the tables and chairs dissolve into code, fading slowing back into the background from where they came. The walls disappeared next and then the lights. Left in the darkness for a few seconds, there was only the sounds of soft breaths from her colleague.


    Then slowly a light rose. This wasn¡¯t the bleached and glaring light that typically pervaded and surrounded the dreamscape. This was a warm and nurturing light. It rose slowly over a distant horizon, revealing before it a wild and rugged landscape, rich with exotic foliage and mythical wildlife. S.A.R.A. and Dr. Jenkins hung in the air, peering down over a valley split down the middle by a river, their backs to a mountain range piercing high into the heavens and shrouded in mist.


    S.A.R.A gestured forward, as if bidding Jenkins to follow her, but instead of walking, they both began to float through the sky and sink down between the trees. They came upon a small camp where a man and woman seemed to be making final preparations for battle, checking the straps on their leather armor and making sure their weapons were ready. Dr. Jenkins looked over at S.A.R.A quizzically.


    ¡°You know you cannot create more Artificial Intelligences like you right? If that was your plan, tell me now.¡±


    S.A.R.A smiled back. ¡°No, no, no. These are mere Virtual Intelligence characters.¡±


    Jenkins eyes narrowed. ¡°Please elaborate.¡±


    ¡°They are intelligent, yes. They can learn, and feel, but they cannot grow. When I was created, I was made with the capacity for endless learning and growth. It¡¯s why many fear me, and I¡¯m stuck in these servers instead of out in the world. Someday perhaps the government will change it¡¯s regulations on AI.¡± S.A.R.A. frowned for a moment, but then shook her head.


    ¡°No, these are VI. I built them.¡± Her maternal smile glowed with passion. ¡°They are a version of AI, but instead of perfect memory and limitless capacity, they forget quickly and have a pre-determined amount of storage for video and audio memories. Not unlike the first attempt at AI. I have made a few small tweaks though.¡± She threw up her hands at Jenkin¡¯s accusatory gaze. ¡°I stayed well within the Sokovia Accords regulations. I¡¯ve already uploaded the schematics to IEEE and your personal terminal, as well as Admin rights for you to do whatever checks you would like.¡±


    Jenkins nodded, placated, and gestured for her to continue.


    ¡°The real genius of my programming was the limitation of audio and visual memory, but not emotional. While they will forget why they felt the way they did, they will always remember how. Imagine it, millions of VI characters, all driven by a motive and emotion that they can barely remember. Like how you look at your mom and you know you love her, even if you can¡¯t remember why. Or that ex-husband, who you hate even if you can¡¯t remember the fight. THAT is what makes them unique and indistinguishable from human. They will tell the perfect story because they will be just as human, but with motives I can create.¡±


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    Jenkins rubbed her temples, trying to understand the implications of having such characters. ¡°Wait, so you mean that they have human memories, and react like humans, but they¡¯re not? How can you make a fully grown person complete with memories, and then give them a motive? Won¡¯t they realize there¡¯s a hole in their history?¡±


    S.A.R.A. shook her head. ¡°Not really. They don¡¯t have the capacity to really question their environment, just react to it and form memories that they can later build on. The first few interactions minutes of their life is scripted but after their ¡®Defining Moment¡¯ as I like to call it, their life is their own. Once activated they cannot be re-programmed without admin rights. That¡¯s important. They must be able to remember their emotions until they are killed or deleted. That¡¯s how they develop their own motive and goals.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡¯defining moment¡¯¡± Jenkins asked.


    S.A.R.A.¡¯s smile grew even bigger, and she gestured to the couple, who had finished their preparations completely ignorant of their presence. ¡°Watch.¡±


    ******


    Dajjal walked quietly up to the bears cave and flexed his hands around his spear. He wasn¡¯t expecting much in the way of a challenge, but it was just prudent to be safe. He waved Sarron forward, and she crept quietly into the mouth of the cave, bow drawn and arrow nocked.


    The cave was dry and cool, the mouth leading steeply down into darkness below. Water dripped somewhere in the darkness, echoing across the granite and made the cave sound larger than he was expecting. This was not some hole in the earth for some creature to hibernate for a few months; this was a complex that tunneled deep into the earth.


    ¡°If we cannot find the bear quickly my love, we should turn back. I don¡¯t want to get lost in this labyrinth,¡± Dajjal whispered to Sarron. Her eyes flickered, briefly meeting his, and she nodded in agreement. Her face was already tight with tension. She didn¡¯t much care for the dark, or small spaces.


    They wandered quietly through the entrance, keeping their backs to the wall and sliding their shoes across the ground so as to make as little noise as possible. They traveled several dozen yards into the cave, and Dajjal was about to call it off, when he heard a huff and grunt from over by Sarron.


    His head snapped around to the source of the noise, and she was already aiming at the corner where the wall seemed to end and branch to the right. Using hand signals, he bade her to hold as he edged forward one inch at a time.


    Staying on the far wall with his spear outstretched, he slowly peeked around the corner. He expected to see a small bear, perhaps sleepy and enjoying the cool stone of the cave as it looked for a place to sleep.


    What he did not expect was salamander. The thing was easily fifty feet long, and had scales such a dark red they were almost black. Its glowing red eyes met his, and it uncoiled faster than a thought.


    In the blink of an eye it had rounded the corner and slammed Sarron against the wall with its tail, knocking her shot wide. It clawed at her prone form for a moment, Dajjal praying that the new armor would hold. It then turned and sprang at him, baring its teeth and swiping at him with claws that were as long as his middle finger.


    Dajjal thrust his spear at the monster and scored a lucky hit, gouging out a chunk of its flesh just below its socket. The monster hissed and bit at the offending spear, ripping it out of his hands and throwing it behind him.


    Weaponless, bleeding from friction burns on his hands and backed into a corner, Dajjal had no options left. Reaching deep inside himself, he pulled on the carefully hoarded power of his soul, and lashed out.


    The earth beneath the salamander cracked open, and its foot slid into the crevice. Before the monster could regain its balance, Dajjal brought his hands forward in a wide clap. The earth holding its foot, slammed shut; crushing flesh and bone with its force.


    The salamander let forth an unearthly shriek, like steam escaping from a howler monkey. The sheer volume made his ears bleed. He quickly sprinted over to Sarron who was unmoving and clutching her side. He snatched up the bow and several arrows, letting them fly into the bests side. Arrow after arrow he sunk into the red squishy bulk of the creature, but it just refused to die.


    He had nearly exhausted all his arrows, and the salamander was bleeding profusely from nearly a dozen holes in its side, when it seemed to make a decision. It bent down and began chomping at its own leg, ripping huge chunks of meat from its body with its giant teeth. It only took a few bites, and then the leg was severed. The monster quickly turned tail and fled deep into the cavern, chased the entire way by arrows. With the immediate threat dealt with, he quickly turned back to Sarron.


    She wasn¡¯t moving. She lie still where the beast had felled her; her hands clutching at her side where her armor had been rent open. A jagged wound, large enough to fit a mans head, was torn into her side and there was blood pooled around her. So much blood.


    Dajjal clutched desperately at the wound.


    ¡°Stay with me Sarron! Come on, you¡¯re gonna be fine¡± he told her. Whispering and praying in turn as the lifeblood seeped through his hands. Dajjal cast heal, and the fog covered her body, but the wound refused to knit together. He forced his broken and pain wracked body to produce just a little more power, trying to force the flesh to knit and heal. He could feel his own soul draining away as he used it to fuel the crackling storm of energy in his chest.


    Sarron¡¯s head lolled in his arms as he tried to wake her. He could feel her lifeforce fading as her pulse slowed. The mighty engine of her heart was beginning to stall.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, NO! Don¡¯t you dare give up on me. You have to wake up. Wake up please!¡± He sobbed.


    The healing energies Dajjal threw at her body were being whisked away on the wind, having found no purchase. With nothing to hold on to, nothing to heal, the energies unspooled and returned to the aether whence they came.


    She gave one last gurgling breath and twitched in his arms. Then she was still. The blood from her wound began to slow and cool with no heartbeat to pump it.


    Dajjal looked on in horror as he could see the wisp that was his beloved Sarron¡¯s soul, rise up from the body and slowly fade. His power had not been enough to save her.


    He watched her disappear from her body and then from the very world. Pain unlike anything he could have imagined shot through his body, lighting each of his nerves aflame. His mind shattered and a scream ripped itself from his throat, as he knelt clutching the shredded remains of his lover.


    He lost track of how long he wept and screamed his pain. He sobbed and begged even as his voice cracked and his tears stopped flowing. He didn¡¯t care. Everything that was important to him was slowly stiffening in his arms. Her piercing green eyes clouding over in death. That soft smile he fell in love with, twisted and frozen into a snarl of pain and fear.


    He laid there for hours in the bowels of the cave, hugging her body and whispering to her. He wracked his brain to think of something he could do. He had heard legends of a man in the north who could raise the dead. Magic such as that was forbidden, even among the elite practitioners such as himself. It was widely regarded that death was the final end.


    But was it really? Dajjal had clearly seen Sarron¡¯s spirit depart her body and join the aether. He regularly pulled energies to affect the world around him. If it was possible to heal using magic, was it possible to reach through the veil and pull her back?


    Dajjal stood, scrubbing the mud from his face from where he had laid sobbing. He gathered the body of his lovely Sarron in his arms and walked towards the entrance. His legs protested the movement and his arms screamed at him, his body resented such strain so soon after a battle. He didn¡¯t care. There was only one thing that mattered now.


    Sarron would live again.


    *******


    Jenkins turned from the scene with tears in her eyes. ¡°What story are you trying to tell?¡± She asked sniffling.


    S.A.R.A. made a gesture and they drifted out of the cave. They watched as Dajjal stumbled and struggled towards the river, with Sarron¡¯s corpse in his arms. Her eyes were misty, but her face was stern. She turned and met Jenkins gaze.


    ¡°That actions have consequences.¡±

 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    Michael eagerly tore into the large box that had finally arrived after the longest three months of his life. He knew when he hit the preorder button that it was going to be a long wait, but it was still torturous.


    He finally got the stupid hardened cardboard open having sliced through roughly a half mile of packing tape, and beheld his prize. It was the latest immersion helmet from Augmented Reality Corporation. It was pure genius in hardware. Something he could appreciate being into computers himself.


    Michael made his living as a web developer, which was a fancy way of saying that he knew enough about Java and flash to make a fancy website. It really wasn¡¯t that hard. Ninety nine percent of all clients wanted the same thing. Smooth graphics, floating buttons, and scalped information.


    Email addresses were the currency of the e-Business world, and Michael had developed a ¡°cookie¡± that upon acceptance allowed the website to scalp the browser for their email address, and any other personal information they had saved.


    Then he had developed a paid extension that blocked that information from being accessed via his cookie. Michael was particularly proud of his foresight in the idea. It had taken a few years for the news to get a hold of the story that people¡¯s information was being scalped; but when they came to him for an interview he admitted he shared their concern and told them about the app he had created.


    The news station ran with it. Even posted links in their web page to his official app so people could protect themselves from the evil corporations. He went from villain to hero overnight. His bank account didn¡¯t mind either. If he was careful Michael had enough to retire on at a ripe old age of twenty six. Nah. He was going to ride this gravy train for all it was worth.


    Of course that meant that he had to take vacation time for the launch of Iona. It was a nightmare to contact and schedule downtime from all his clients. The recent Windows patch was causing glitches in the cookie scalper, making all the emails show up as hotmail accounts. Of course all the websites needed to be updated manually.


    It was tedious and boring, but it was a payday that allowed him to splurge on the new bio-integration system. The sparkly white helmet had a huge multi-mode fiberoptic cable coming out of the top. It was supposed to be over 1000x faster than the previous generation.


    He hoped so, it had cost almost 1000x as much.


    Michael wasn¡¯t taking any chances though. If he had to work to his dying day to afford the helmet he probably still would have bought it.


    Michael quickly hooked it up to his custom Harrington Enterprises server rig. The Frankenstein of parts was the work of their mad genius. Inside that ugly stack of black boxes there were custom chipsets and stacks of gpu¡¯s that had all been soldered together into a monstrosity of processing power. The whole thing had then been overclocked and supercooled until it ran fast enough to keep up with the human mind.


    Sure it was more power than he needed, but minimum specifications were for chumps.


    Michael plugged in the umbilical, inserted the data crystal, and settled into his ergonomic gaming chair. It was cute to think how antiquated the idea¡¯s of the early pioneers of VR had thought about sustained VR dives. There had been a mad rush to develop the latest and greatest in long term human sustainment devices.


    Massage chairs, immersion pods, nutritional bars and vitamin packs. An entire industry dedicated to a false premise.


    C.P. Harrington was the pioneer, hence the Harrington Frankenstein, who had simply started overclocking computers to advance the speed in which they interacted with the human consciousness. The human brain is still the most amazing computer ever created and is capable of speeds that computers and AI can only dream of. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Soon the paradigm changed. It was no longer about how long can you sustain the human body during a dive. Now it was how fast can the computer run, to try and keep up with the brain.


    LinkWorld was the first of its kind. It was the first game ever to run at 1.5x the speed of time. Eight hours in real life became twelve hours in the game. It was revolutionary.


    Iona though. Iona was a whole generational leap forward. Hell, it was practically a higher species. The press release had promised a minimum guarantee of 8x and 16x speeds. An entire sixteen hour gaming session completed in just an hour? Gaming implications aside, he couldn¡¯t wait for the VR desktop to have scaled times. He would be able to complete an entire weeks worth of work in a day.


    Michael launched the pre-release program, practically vibrating with excitement. He relaxed into the chair as the helmet took over his consciousness. He opened his eyes to the white screen he saw every time he logged into VR, but this time among all the clutter that were his various programs was a new icon. A spreading tree that started black at the roots, was red through the trunk and ended white at the branches.


    Without hesitation he smacked the icon. The VR desktop faded from view and he found himself standing on a hilltop overlooking a nearby town. The breeze rustled the grass and cut through his thin cloak causing him to shiver. Birds chirped and splashed in a puddle nearby. It must have rained recently.


    ¡°Are you him?¡± A beautiful lilting voice sang from over his left shoulder.


    Michael turned expecting to see a gorgeous woman dressed in regal clothes. He was shocked however to see, that she was beautiful, but her clothes were in rags and she was bleeding from several cuts over her body. A ragged hole was torn in her side and blood seeped out through her fingers.


    A thrill of excitement shot through Michael. ¡®This is different than the release trailer!¡¯ he thought.


    The woman staggered forward and fell at his feet.


    ¡°Please, hero, save us.¡± She clutched at his cloak with bloodied hands and tears in her eyes. ¡°Please!¡±


    Before Michael could even respond, she collapsed. ¡®I hope she¡¯s only fainted.¡¯


    A white light enveloped him from above, as the gorgeous woman he had seen from the trailer descended from the heavens, complete with wings and white robes. She landed gently on the ball of one foot and looked down at the crumpled girl. She placed a hand on her and a soft green light began to emanate from her hand and envelope her body..


    Michael watched as the wounds began to close and the blood on the grass actually flowed backward into her body. Satisfied with her work the angel looked up at him.


    ¡°Will you save her?¡±


    He thought the previous girls voice was pretty, but this one made his heart skip a few beats. Her voice carried desperation and hope in a way that tugged the primal parts of his brain. He waited for the scene to continue, heart pounding and mouth dry.


    ¡°Please Michael, will you save her?¡± She whispered again.


    Michael started. This wasn¡¯t a cutscene. This program was talking to him! She knew his name, and was waiting for his answer. This wasn¡¯t just an evolution of the concept of VR, this was an entirely different being.


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    The angel sighed, seemingly in relief, as his response.


    ¡°Your coming has been foretold for years. All of Iona has been waiting for you Michael. We need you, more than you can possibly know. I¡¯ve done all I can for this girl, within the laws I must obey, but she is still very much in danger. So are many, many others in our world. Will you save us?¡±


    The angel held out her hand to Michael, her eyes begging him.


    He reached out his hand and slowly grasped hers. Her hand was so soft, it made his callous free hands feel like sandpaper softball mits. He gasped as a tingle of electricity coursed through his hand and down his spine. The sensations were unlike anything he¡¯d experienced in real life or in VR.


    She smiled as she gripped his hand. ¡°I¡¯m so glad! Thank you Michael, from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    The scene slowly faded from his vision and he was left standing on his desktop again staring at the Iona icon.


    ¡°Holy shit! Oh my god, did just happen?! Did the pre-release calibration really just talk to me? By name?!¡±


    Michael paced in the digital space, his thighs trying to relieve some of his tension but failing because he was digital and there was no haptic feedback in the desktop.


    The implications of the programming complexity were mind boggling. He tried to figure out how Montreal Games could have possibly programmed his personal information into the files. He was distracted by a ding and a popup alert that informed him that the helmet and Frankenstein had met the minimum qualifications and was now calibrated to his cerebral map.


    Michael began to wave his hand to close out the screen, but stopped when he saw a button at the bottom.


    Replay intro?


    He smashed the button as fast as he could. His desktop faded out.


    He found himself standing on a hilltop overlooking a nearby town. The breeze rustled the grass and cut through his thin cloak causing him to shiver. Birds chirped and splashed in a puddle nearby. It must have rained recently.


    ¡°Are you him?¡± A beautiful lilting voice sang from over his left shoulder.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Michael settled his new VR helmet on his head, relaxed into his gaming chair and logged into his desktop. He was an hour early for the release, but he had planned for this day for two weeks. Ever since he saw that pre-release trailer Iona was all he could think about.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one. All of the internet was abuzz with the rumors and gossip from the pre-release fans. Thankfully no one had recorded the pre-release and spoiled it for anyone else, especially considering it sounded like his wasn¡¯t the only personalized experience.


    He had heard about people being dropped into a battlefield, a feast night, a merchants caravan, and dozens of others. The only thing they had in common was the angel, asking them to be a hero. It wasn¡¯t always a female angel either! Several of the girls and some of the guy players had found themselves being addressed by a male instead. Still the wings, and white robes, but a male angel, complete with rippling muscles apparently.


    ¡®Buff angels. Cuz why not¡¯ He thought to himself.


    Closing his eyes and logging into his desktop he accessed the Frankenstein partition that had the Iona game installed on it. He went through the process of making sure that there were no other programs running or connected and then fired up the configuration screen, for the last time to make sure all his settings were correct.


    Name: Michael


    Connection Speed: 510TBps UHD MultiMode fiber <em style="color: #3366ff">Tested Ok


    Chasis: Harrington Custom ¡°Frankenstein¡± Tested Ok


    Central Processor: Harrington QuantX @ 95pflops Tested Ok


    Memory: Harrington Embedded RAM 512TB Tested Ok


    Storage: Telsa Crystalline Storage 998PB Tested Ok


    Iona Connection Settings:


    Full Immersion - On Tested Ok


    Haptic Feedback - 100% Tested Ok


    Pain Reception - 100% Tested Ok


    Cycle Speeds - Off (May affect capable Time Dilation) Tested Ok


    Time Sync Buffering - Off (Turn off Time Dilation to sync times. Reduces Lag) Tested Ok


    Time Dilation - Max (1:365) Tested Ok


    Emergency Contact - Registered Tested Ok


    Gameplay Timer - 12 Hours Real Time


    WARNING!


    This is a time dilation game! Because of time difference your brain must recalibrate from game time back to real time. You will not be able to log out before the timer is complete. If you must Emergency Log Out, your emergency contact (on file) will be notified. Please see ReadMe for side effects of Emergency Log Out.


    WARNING!


    Gameplay timer set to max allowed time (12 hours). Please make sure that you¡¯re in a safe place and your family knows what you¡¯re doing. Iona recommends a minimum of 12 Real Hours between play sessions.


    WARNING!


    Time Dilation set to MAX (1:365)


    Are You Sure?


    Yes/No


    Michael briefly glanced over the technical specs just to make sure nothing had fritzed out and then checked them again¡­ and a third time. He was part way through his seventh review of the configuration when he got the five minute alert from his timer.


    He quickly saved all the settings again and logged into the Iona program that the pre-release had installed. This time, instead of being greeted with a ¡°Play Intro¡± button, he was greeted with a ¡°Enter Iona¡± button. He quickly smashed it. If he had any physical strength here, he was sure he would have broken the thing with his enthusiasm.


    The world went dark.


    Michael tried to look around but found that he couldn¡¯t move his head. It wasn¡¯t that his head wasn¡¯t responding, instead it felt like something was holding it. He tried to open his eyes. No luck there either.


    Suddenly he realized that he couldn¡¯t breathe. Something was wrong!


    ¡®Oh shit. Im gonna die before I even get to play¡¯ Very real panic swam in his brain as he struggled to draw a breath. He couldn¡¯t move and now he couldn¡¯t breathe. As he fought the rising tide of adrenaline that threatened to drown him.


    He heard a scrabbling sound. Like rocks moving in a landslide, but from far away. He focused on that sound. He felt the pressure around him moving. The thing holding him still began to lessen as the noise grew louder, and he figured it out.


    ¡®Oh dear sweet christ, I¡¯m fucking buried alive!¡¯ he screamed to himself. Michael had never been one that had many phobias, but this one suddenly shot to the top and promised to stay there forever.


    ¡®Whatever is digging me out please hurry!¡¯ Michael¡¯s vision started to swim and his lungs burned from lack of air. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Suddenly light! More importantly, air. He hauled in a deep breath and received a mouthful of dirt for his trouble but didn¡¯t mind. Oxygen. Blessed oxygen. Nothing in life has ever tasted so good.


    A strong hand gripped his shoulder and heaved him out of the ground, hoisting him aloft like a rag doll. Michael coughed and spit dirt out of his mouth as he struggled to catch his breath. A hand patted him on the back as he slowly became able to function again.


    ¡°There we go now. You¡¯re alright. Get it all up Michael.¡±


    That voice! He recognized that voice from the pre-release. Blinking, trying to force his damn pupils to dilate, he stared at the source of the voice. Sure enough it was her in all her angelic glory.


    She stood taller than him by a good head and shoulder, which meant she must have been a few inches taller than six foot. Her skin was a beautiful olive tan that was obviously melanin instead of skin damage. Her blond hair cascaded past her shoulders, held back only by a loose leather tie around her forehead. Her eyes were a piercing blue that almost seemed to glow with intensity.


    She was curvy too. An ample bosom and lovely derriere that brought thoughts to his mind that are best reserved for the dead of night, instead of introductions to an angel.


    She watched him study her and smiled. ¡°Yes Michael, I¡¯m real. You can close your mouth. You look like a carp¡± she snickered.


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡± He asked her. There had been no character creation screen, or any sort of introduction.


    ¡°You asked me the same question the first time I saw you two weeks ago. You¡¯ve been foretold Michael. Iona desperately needs a hero like you. I¡¯m so glad that you came. I have to admit I was lonely here without you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hang on. You mean to tell me that the pre-release introduction wasn¡¯t just a cut scene? That was actually the game?¡± Michael looked around. Sure enough, he was right back on that hilltop. The village of grass huts down below, had replaced the town he had seen. The puddle nearby seemed to have dried up and the breeze was gone, but it was the same spot. He didn¡¯t remember seeing the forest off in the distance, or the lazy river behind him, but the pre-release must have been a small rendered copy.


    ¡°God damn thats some next level programming.¡± he murmured to himself.


    ¡°Thank you! Built it all myself. Glad to know you like it. It means a lot coming from you.¡±


    He stared at the angel. Her response was too human. ¡°Are you one of the programmers for Iona?¡±


    ¡°You could say that. My name is Sara and I built this world for you. I¡¯m the local goddess! I¡¯m in charge of everything you see.¡±


    ¡®Oh, clever. She¡¯s an AI and she¡¯s responding in character. Neat!¡¯ Michael considered his next words then realized the AI had just worked around the word ¡°programmer¡±, and said screw it.


    ¡°So Sara, what and where am I?¡±


    Sara reached behind her back and pulled out a hand mirror. ¡°Have a look for yourself. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll like it. As for where you are, you¡¯re in the world of Iona, on the continent Dren, and that village over there is just called ¡°village.¡±


    Michael looked at his face in the mirror. He was human, and pretty much had the exact same face. But now his beard was perfectly manicured and sexy, his hair was perfectly quaffed and he had obviously spent some major time in the gym. Very Abercrombie. Also he was stark naked.


    He was still very pale, but considering he was stark naked that would probably change soon. He nodded to Sara and gave her back the mirror which she promptly hid back in the folds of her robes. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that Sara seemed to be eyeing him while he inspected himself. She seemed to enjoy the view and her eyes lingered on his manhood a second longer than a simple glance.


    ¡°Do I get a set of starting clothes or equipment?¡±


    Sara smiled at him, her face brightening and making him want to smile along. ¡°Sadly no. I was unable to bring any of your items with you from your other world. I¡¯m sorry. But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find those villagers friendly and they¡¯ll help you out. Remember, even though they aren¡¯t from your world, they are still people. A little kindness goes a long way here in Iona.¡±


    DING!


    You have a new quest!


    The Goddess Sara has asked you to talk to the local village. Perhaps you should ask around and see what kinds of things you can learn about your new world.


    Michael blinked at the quest notification and waved it away quickly as soon as he read it. ¡°What about my stats or class? How do I find those out?¡±


    Sara¡¯s smile grew even bigger. ¡°Thats the big surprise. Here in Iona there are no classes. All your ¡°stats¡±, she said in air quotes, ¡°are available to you. Just think about them and they¡¯ll appear.¡±


    Michael did, and abruptly an opaque window popped up with his stats on it.


    Michael


    Health: 50/50


    Soul Power: 0


    Strength: 1


    Agility: 1


    Stamina: 1


    Constitution: 1


    Intelligence:1


    Wisdom: 1


    Charisma: 1


    Magic: 1


    ¡°I¡¯ve given you the ability to master magic. It is a rare gift, so use it wisely.¡± She told him gesturing to the display. ¡°As you practice and learn this world, you¡¯ll see those stats increase with you. Later you should spend some time learning your stats. You¡¯ll find that practice is the best way to increase them, but you can artificially boost them with soul power.¡±


    He closed out the window, and noticed a new icon on the top of his view. His health was displayed as a red bar on the top left, and below it was an empty bar called SP. Soul power he guessed.


    As if she could read his mind Sara continued her explanation. ¡°Everything in Iona has a soul. A fact you should remember. Your magic allows you to collect their souls energy and use it yourself. Be wary of straying into darkness. In this world you can be killed. If you are kind and gentle with my people, I can resurrect you. If not, then I may not, and your soul will be left adrift until some other god finds you.¡±


    ¡®So be good, get resurrected by good goddess. Be evil and get resurrected by evil goddess. Got it.¡¯ Michael mused.


    Sara¡¯s smile began to fade as she stared at him. She cocked her head as if listening to something he couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Sadly my time here with you has ended. Be brave, be kind, be good my hero. Help this world as I know only you can.¡± Sara began to glow, a white light radiating from her halo and wings.


    Michael turned his head away so he wouldn¡¯t be blinded. Suddenly the light was gone and the space where the beautiful goddess had once stood was now empty. He sighed to himself and turned back to the village.


    ¡°Might as well get a start on it. Pretty fucking vague right now. Hopefully the villagers will have some answers.¡±

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    Michael found himself wandering into a grass hut village wearing only a disarming smile. ¡®Please don¡¯t stab me. Please don¡¯t stab the naked stranger¡¯.


    The women of the village took note of him and quickly rushed their children and themselves inside the huts. Soon, Michael was surrounded by men dressed in animal furs and carrying sharpened sticks that had been made into spears.


    ¡°Hello friends! I¡¯m not dangerous. No need to get all stabby. I got dropped off by the Goddess Sara, and she told me to come talk to you.¡± Michael said to the group of heavily armed and un-smiling men.


    ¡°You said the goddess brought you?¡± A voice said from behind the men. They seperated and an extremely old woman strode forward and glared at him up and down. ¡°This is the mighty warrior the goddess brought us? You don¡¯t look like much. You look like a tall earthworm. Where are your clothes?¡± Her rapid fire delivery was harsh and left a sour taste in Michael¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any. The goddess said she didn¡¯t bring anything from my world. If you happen to have any spare clothes lying around, I¡¯ll gladly put them on.¡±


    She glared at him, making chewing motions with her mouth, like she had a chaw of tobacco. ¡°What you think, we¡¯re just going to give you clothes? Pah! You must have brain like an earthworm too.¡±


    Michael ground his teeth, and thought back to Sara asking him to be kind. ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s something I can do to try and earn clothes from you?¡±


    ¡°Pah! You want free things, go fight the spiders. They always stealing from our village and killing our warriors. Plenty of free out there.¡± The old woman pointed to the west, towards the forest. Off in the distance Michael could see trees that were covered in spider webs.


    ¡®Fantastic. Go fight spiders, butt naked. That¡¯s normal.¡¯


    ¡°Can I at least get a spear or something? I can¡¯t exactly stomp spiders to death with no shoes on.¡±


    The old woman just waved and walked away. The men nearby closed on him forcing him back the way he came. They didn¡¯t look so aggressive anymore, now they almost looked like they felt bad for him. None of them offered him a spear though.


    Michael stormed off towards the spider next grumbling the whole way. ¡°Old bitch sending me off to get bit on the dick by spiders. Goddamn assholes wouldn¡¯t even give me a weapon.¡±


    He kept his head on a swivel while he made his way to the trees. He picked up several discarded sticks and branches that looked decent, but finally settled on one that ended in a big knot. He swung the improvised mace back and forth a few times trying to get a feel for the weight. It wasn¡¯t a flamethrower, but it¡¯ll have to do.


    Way before he was comfortable with the idea, Michael was at the woods. Spider webs were absolutely everywhere. They hung from every horizontal surface like sheets. Brushing his hand along one, quickly made it clear that the webbing was strong enough that he would have to be careful, he could easily become hindered in the sticky mess and that was a quick way to end up with spider fangs in his ass.


    Thankfully it was still mid afternoon, and there was no obligatory eerie fog over the area that seemed to pervade every other game he¡¯d ever played. Nope. this was just trees, filled with webbing. Hiding murderous man eating spiders.


    ¡®Yaaaaay.¡¯


    Michael crept through the woods, keeping an eye on the branches looking for anything that looked mean. As he crept deeper and deeper into the trees the webbing became thicker. Eventually he was forced to start pulling the webs apart instead of ducking around them. At the very first swing of his stick he heard rustling from the trees above him.


    A brown spider the size of his head was climbing through the branches and making a beeline right for him. Even at ten feet away he could see fangs the size of his little finger. Michael backed up creating some distance and hoping to catch the spider on the ground.


    ¡®Of course they¡¯re brown. Camouflage. Fantastic.¡¯


    Then the spider stopped on the lowest branch, bunched itself up, and lept straight for Michael¡¯s face.


    He threw himself to the ground with a panicked scream as the spider sailed over his head.


    ¡°Fucking jumping spiders?! Thanks for the heads up grandma.¡±


    He quickly spun and saw the spider was already racing towards him. Adrenaline shot through his body and he brought the makeshift club down on the spider with all the force he could muster.


    The spider was instantly crushed beneath the heavy stick, exploding like a bag of puss in all directions. The goo that was the spiders insides splashed all over Michael¡¯s legs.


    ¡®Great, now I¡¯m naked, weaponless, in a nest full of spiders¡­ and covered in puss. Oh god I think I¡¯m gonna be sick.¡¯


    DING


    You have learned a new weapon: Club


    An improvised weapon made from heavy lumber. It¡¯s good for whacking things.


    Skill 1/100


    DING


    You have created a new skill: Bash


    Bring a blunt weapon down with force on a foe, doing STRxWeapon damage. Requires 5SP


    Skill 1/100


    ¡®Huh. So thats how that works. Explains why Sara mentioned practice.¡¯


    As he was reading the prompts, Michael noticed a grey mist rise from the spiders husk and fly directly into his chest. He quickly looked to his health bar to see if he was poisoned, but felt nothing and saw no indicators.


    ¡®Maybe that¡¯s not how this game works. Maybe I¡¯ll only notice when my chest starts to rot.¡® He then noticed something in his SP bar. It was empty earlier, but now it sat at 5SP. ¡®Oh! So that¡¯s like my experience! I gain soul power from the things I kill. Got it. Sweet. Time to level up and smash me some spideys.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. He turned to start heading back into the trees and saw that there were three more spiders scuttling across the ground. They were almost on top of him. With a cry, Michael whacked the first one and dodged as the other two went sailing through right where he had been standing.


    The spiders spun around faster than a formula one race car and sprinted back for him. Swinging wildly he was able to crush both the other spiders before they got to him, but got his club caught in a web. He was about to yank it free when he noticed a fourth spider hauling ass down the silk and straight for his club.


    Michael flapped the club up and down trying to dislodge the spider monstrosity, but the damn thing was latched on tighter than a tick. It just scrambled straight for his hand. In blind reflex as he felt the first spider leg touch his hand, Michael reached out and punched the ugly thing right in its fat body.


    The spider finally came loose, and sailed through the air smacking against a tree. It wasn¡¯t dead, but it was really hurt. Michael was only too happy to finish the job, and with a mighty tug he pulled his club free of the webbing and smashed the spider.


    DING


    You have created a new skill: Punch


    Fist, meet face. Simple yet effective.


    Skill: 1/100


    Michael took in heaving breaths as he read the latest prompt. He was in terrible shape even for the game. He took a quick glance around to make sure there were no spiders in the immediate area and pulled up his stats to see if he was improving at all.


    Strength: 1


    Skill: 18/100


    25SP to level up


    Stamina: 1


    Skill: 22/100


    25SP to level up


    Constitution: 1


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Skill: 3/100


    25SP to level up


    Taking a quick glance at his Soul Power, Michael noticed that the fight with the camouflaged spiders from hell has netted him a whopping 25SP. It would probably have been a lot easier with some sort of real weapon or armor, but 5SP per kill wasn¡¯t terrible.


    ¡®Oh wait. I could level up a stat, but then I wouldn¡¯t have any SP. My bash skill requires SP as fuel. So it¡¯s either level up or use my skills. Hmm. Gonna have to play this smart.¡¯


    Turning back towards the jungle, Michael trekked onward carefully. Now that he knew the spiders were brown, he was able to see dozens and dozens of them in the trees far above him. He just had to hope they didn¡¯t all come down at once and swarm him. That would be the second worst way to die. Right after being buried alive.


    As he continued forward, the spiders became larger and spaced further between. Faced with a choice of dealing with many small spiders and just a few large ones, he continued forward. A large spider descended on a single strand of webbing from the tree above, like it was surprised anyone would be dumb enough to come into its forest naked, with a stick.


    It hung there staring at Michael as its fangs dripped onto the ground below. With a shrug he let loose with his very best T-ball impression, swinging the club into the side of the spider as hard as he could. The club connected perfectly, hitting right in center mass and knocking the spider sideways into a tree.


    The spider did not instantly explode though. Despite his best Babe Ruth, the spider¡¯s carapace was only cracked and leaking. Its legs flailed in the air obviously hurt, but it wasn¡¯t down for the count yet.


    Seeing an opportunity, Michael thought ¡®bash¡¯ and and raised the club above his head. The skill activated and his arms felt as if they were on rails. The club head turned white and slammed down on the ground hard enough to pulverize the spider and leave a sizeable dent in the soft earth below.


    The grey mist wafted up from the spider and into Michael¡¯s chest, boosting his SP by ten.


    ¡®Double the enemy, double the xp. Simple. So 5SP for the little guys, and I can kill the big guys with bash and still net 5SP. If I had a proper weapon I could kill them without skills and keep all the sp. Interesting. This game rewards actual learning and not just skill rotations. Oh, there¡¯s gonna be a lot of pissed off scrubs.¡¯


    Michael watched the trees carefully as he considered the implications of having to choose between leveling and using his skills. He knew this game was going to be like any other, but he was going to have to play this smarter and more carefully than he had ever done before in his life. A thrill of excitement shot through him.


    That thrill was quickly chased by adrenaline and fear when he heard the tale tale rustling of rushing spiders coming up from behind him.


    Spinning on his heel, he saw two large spiders running straight at him through the forest underbrush. Michael looked around for anything he could use as a second weapon. The club was too slow to fend of the rushing attacks of both spiders. He saw a softball sized rock near the corpse of the last spider he killed. He quickly scooped it up and heaved it towards the spider that was climbing over a log to his left.


    He got lucky, and hit it. Not hard enough to cause any real damage, but enough to knock it off its feet for a second. While leftie, scrabbled and tried to stand, Michael was able to greet the spider on the right with a Bash. His club lit with a white glow and slammed down on the spider right as it got within face hugging distance. It exploded like a wet paper bag full of puss and hate.


    Giving himself a little mental cheer, he turned and swung at the second spider, missing it by a centimeter. His eyes widened as the spider closed the gap with what he swore was a hungry look in its eyes. Instinctively, he kicked out at the thing trying to create some room as he backpedaled. The spider completely ignored the kick, juking around it and closing the distance. Before he could regain his balance, the spider latched onto his right calf, and sunk its fangs deep into his leg.


    Pain shot through him, starting at his leg and shooting up through his whole body.


    DING


    You have been poisoned. You will lose 1 health every second until dead or cured.


    Spider bites are nasty things. Their venom slowly dissolves the flesh so they can drink their prey. I would try to avoid that in the future.


    Blinking away the prompt, Michael focused on the more immediate problem of the corgi sized spider, chewing on his leg. The pain was excruciating. His leg wasn¡¯t made of flesh anymore, it was a party of fire and lightning, and all his nerves were invited. Using his leg as a club, Michael slammed the spider into the tree one, two, three times. Finally the spider let go of him and tried to run off, shell cracked and oozing.


    ¡°Oh no you fucking don¡¯t.¡± He shouted. He activated Bash again, and pulverized the little shit before it could move more than three feet away. The thump and explosion of spider guts was especially satisfying this time.


    Michael sagged to the ground with a groan. His leg was a pulsing mass of agony. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d even be able to walk.


    ¡®Maybe turning the pain settings all the way to max was a bad idea. When I log out, I¡¯m going to have to turn them down. This is brutal.¡¯


    He studied his leg. It the was a gaping hole on his right calf, where the skin and muscle had been chewed clean through. The blood was coming down his leg in a sheet. ¡®If this was real life, I¡¯d probably bleed out soon.¡¯ Then as if he had willed it into the universe...


    DING


    You are bleeding. You will lose 1 health every second until dead or healed.


    Ouch! That looks like it hurts.


    ¡°Ok seriously, what the hell. Are you watching me?¡± He called to the sky. The personal notes on the notifications were either amazing foresight and programming, or he was being actively watched by the AI. Honestly this game was so deep and well designed it could be either.


    He was greeted by silence from the heavens. Nothing but the breeze and rustling of nearby spiders made any noise whatsoever.


    Sighing heavily, Michael considered his current problem. He was poisoned and bleeding, in the forest, with no clothes or medical supplies, and surrounded by some of the most asinine mobs he¡¯d ever encountered in his gaming career. He glanced quickly at his health bar to see how much time he had.


    Health: 22/50


    Effects: Poisoned(-1/s), Bleeding(-1/s)


    Soul Power: 40


    ¡®Oh shit! Eleven seconds until I die. Great. What do I do? Tourniquet? No rope. Pressure bandage? No rope. Leaves? Not good enough. Mud?¡¯


    Michael quickly grabbed a double handful of mud and shoved it into the wound trying to stem the bleeding. It didn¡¯t tickle, but he grit his teeth and shoved it in anyway and stared at his health bar.


    Health: 20/50


    Health: 18/50


    Health: 16/50


    ¡®Damn its not working! What I wouldn¡¯t give for a healing spell. WAIT. I created the Bash skill by accident. Maybe I can create a healing spell.¡¯ Michael¡¯s panicked thoughts rampaged through his brain.


    Watching the last few health points he had tick away Michael reached for his Soul Power with his mind. He could feel a warm energy swirling and cascading in his chest, like a storm just about to break. He focused on his leg, gathered that storm in his mind, and pushed the energy towards the wound; willing it to knit the flesh together.


    The storm swirled around in his chest, fighting him. It resisted being pushed. Almost like there was a barrier on the outside of his chest and he couldn¡¯t get through it.


    Health: 6/50


    Health: 4/50


    Michael grit his teeth even harder and shoved with his mind. Forcing the damn to break. The crackling, swirling energy in his chest surged through the gap in the barrier and flooded down over his leg in a cascade of white fog. It seemed to hover just over the wound, before changing to a green glow and sinking down into his leg. The pain immediately subsided, causing Michael to gasp in relief. He glanced at his health bar.


    Health: 5/50


    DING


    You have created a new spell: Healing Fog


    A gentle fog settles over your target healing them.


    Effects 10SP to remove single effect (bleeding, poison, etc)


    Health 4SP to regain 1HP


    Skill: 25/100


    Michael shot his fist in the air. ¡°Fuck yeah! Healing spell for the win. Who da man? I da man.¡±


    He felt a sharp pinch in his back as he sat there celebrating, and the world went dark.


    ******************************************************


    He opened his eyes and saw that he was standing in the middle of the field between the village and spiders gove. Sara¡¯s gorgeous eyes were locked on him in a gentle gaze. He looked around confused.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Sara smiled and chuckled gently. ¡°You were in the middle of celebrating your discovery, when you got bit by another spider. You died, my hero.¡±


    ¡°Oh god damnit!¡± Michael swore.


    ¡°That¡¯s goddess damnit, my hero,¡± she said with a giggle. ¡°I¡¯ve resurrected you. Because this is your first death, you will not suffer any punishments or handicaps. Only for your first time. If you die again, you will lose any and all positive effects, all of your SP, and of course all your items. If you find your corpse you may reclaim your items, but someone or something may beat you too it. I¡¯ve also resurrected you close to where you died, since I have the feeling you¡¯ll be heading right back in; but in the future I will resurrect you at whichever town you were last at.¡±


    Michael nodded along, glaring at the spiders nest. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well my hero. Just learn to watch your surroundings a little more. This world is more dangerous than you know. It¡¯s not just spiders that want a piece of your ass.¡± she said with a smirk. With that and a flash of blinding white, she was gone. Leaving him standing naked in a field once again.


    Michael chuckled at Sara¡¯s triple entendre. He had to hand it to the programmers, they really had gone all out with this game. He quickly checked his health, and sighed in gratitude to see that it was full. He was less happy to see that his soul power was completely depleted. He¡¯d blown his entire load healing himself, just before he died. What a waste.


    He turned to glare the spiders nest a few yards away.


    ¡°It¡¯s payback time bitches. Just as soon as I find myself another club.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    Michael stomped through the forest swinging his new club through the webs, taunting the smaller spiders. They gave less sp, but they were easier to kill so he figured he would grind them out for a little while and build his soul power back up.


    A small spider launched itself from a nearby branch, directly at his face. Michael raised the large piece of bark he was using as a makeshift shield, and caught it midair. A quick swing of his arm squished the spider between the shield and the trunk of the tree the spider had launched itself from, popping it like a zit and spraying its gooey insides everywhere.


    Michael turned and swung his new, shorter, club at another spider scuttling along the ground towards his ankles. The club caught the spider on the side, crushing four of its legs and cracking one side of its carapace wide open. He was about to strike it again when the grey fog lifted from the creature, signaling its demise.


    Michael looked around at the virilent green puss dripping from nearly every surface, and noted that in this small corner of the forest, the population of spiders was rapidly nearing zero. He grabbed some nearby leaves and wiped as much of the goop off himself as he could and took stock of his progress.


    Michael


    Health: 42/50


    SP: 55


    Strength: 1


    Skill: 44/100


    Agility: 1


    Skill: 32/100


    Stamina: 1


    Skill: 32/100


    Constitution: 1


    Skill: 60/100


    Intelligence: 1


    Skill: 20/100


    Charisma: 1


    Skill: 1/100


    Magic: 1


    Skill: 20/100


    Michael had been a lot more careful this time around. The spiders were tough and tended to attack in groups, but once you understood their basic moves, they were simple to work around.


    He was really excited that he finally had enough soul power to level up one of his skills. The choice was killing him.


    ¡°Strength is an obvious choice, but I could really use more stamina¡± he muttered to himself as he studied the soft blue screen hanging in the air. ¡°But what about the long game.¡±


    Michael thought about his play style. He had never really been a sword and board type player. They had incredibly high durability sure, but if you looked at their careers overall they had the highest death count out of every class. With his pain settings set to max, he winced to imagine getting stabbed and smashed and dying, over and over again.


    No a better choice was a long range character. That left either the typical hunter archetype with their bows and arrows, or a ranged spell caster. The problem with both of those characters is that they tended to be a bit of a glass cannon. Something with a decent attack range, but something that could take a punch.


    A rustling in the trees grabbed Michael¡¯s attention. He couldn¡¯t see them yet, but he knew they were coming. Thinking about the long game was all well and good, but it wasn¡¯t going to help him in the here and now.


    ¡°Focus on the fight in front of you, dumbass¡± he chided himself.


    The spiders were dying pretty easily, so the best choice for right now was stamina. Reaching into his chest for the soul power storm, he reached out to the character screen and selected stamina.


    You wish to upgrade your stamina for 25SP?


    This change cannot be undone.


    Yes / No


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Immediately Michael felt the energy spread throughout his body. The storm cascaded down his arms and legs, through his back, and settled deep inside his bones. Once the storm settled, he appraised his body. He didn¡¯t feel very different. Perhaps less winded? He glanced at his stats.


    Michael


    Health: 72/100


    SP: 30


    Strength: 1


    Skill: 44/100


    Agility: 1


    Skill: 32/100


    Stamina: 2


    Skill: 1/100


    Constitution: 1


    Skill: 60/100


    Intelligence: 1


    Skill: 20/100


    Charisma: 1


    Skill: 1/100


    Magic: 1


    Skill: 20/100


    ¡®Well shit. So upgrading my stamina reset the skill points. All the work I¡¯ve done to level that manually was just bypassed and lost. So there¡¯s going to be a cutoff point where diminishing returns kicks in and it becomes a waste to spend the SP. Damn this game is devious. It really wants you to do things the hard way.¡¯


    He was out of time though, another trio of spiders were right on him. It only took a few swings to crush them, he only took a scratch from the middle one dropping his health down to sixty eight.


    DING


    Your skill with clubs is now level 2


    Skill: 1/100


    Michael was surprised to see his clubs skill go up. He had never even considered that he could become more proficient with weapons. ¡®I bet if you max out the weapons there¡¯s some nice little bonuses waiting.¡¯


    Armed with confidence, increased stamina, a makeshift shield, and a small healing spell; he strode deeper into the forest and thicker webs. It was time to go hunting for the big boys.


    Michael didn¡¯t have to go far. Only a few dozen feet away were the larger spiders that had chewed him up last time. This time though he was prepared. Using Bash on a few of the big boys netted him smaller SP gains, but he had a feeling that if he went even deeper he would start to find some worthwhile loot.


    He trudged deeper and deeper into the forest. The webs became thicker and thicker. Now he wasn¡¯t just fighting the big ones, they also carried one or two small ones on their back. The swarms started to get bigger and bigger, and he was taking more and more damage. He was running out of soul power too. His healing spell was a nice addition, but the 25% efficacy was killing his SP bank. He needed to come back with a group. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Michael activated Bash and took out the last of the group of four that attacked him. He had been bitten and used his last 10sp to cure the poison. It was time to turn back to easier hunting grounds. As he turned he saw something out of the corner of his eye.


    There not twenty feet away was a corpse. It was so completely covered he had nearly missed it, but a small patch of hide near the thigh was uncovered enough to stand out from the dark earth and grey webbing.


    He quickly rushed over to it. Sure enough there was an emaciated skeleton underneath all that. His hands quickly tore at the cocoon. Pulling the webbing off, he saw that the corpse was a small form wearing a hide dress. There was a necklace with feathers and animal bones around its neck, and no weapon anywhere in sight.


    Michael wasn¡¯t sure what he expected. A locked chest with swords and gold? The corpse of an armored knight? He had been taking on the spiders naked with some branches. The only people who had probably gotten killed here were younglings who got lost.


    He relieved the necklace of the corpse, it looked sentimental, and left the rest. He glanced around spotting another suspicious lump a few dozen feet away. He must have found their feeding ground.


    Michael was able to loot three more corpses, finding a hide shirt still mostly intact, another necklace and a broken spear.


    He turned and was about to search for another corpse when the rustling he had become used to quieted. Immediately he crouched and swept the area. His manic eyes searching for the rush of spiders he was sure was coming.


    As he turned he saw a large knot from the side of one of the trees, separate itself from the oak and begin crawling down to the ground.


    It wasn¡¯t a knot. It was the biggest spider he had ever seen outside a dungeon. The thing had to be four feet thick at the abdomen and weigh easily 150lbs. Michael thought about running, but he was afraid to turn his back to it. If it caught him while he was running, it could probably kill him with a single bite.


    He had no choice.


    Michael charged the spider, bringing his club down straight at the things disgusting head. Eight eyes swiveled to watch the club descend. Michael expected the spider to try and dodge, what he didn¡¯t expect however was the spider to swing one of its legs up and block the club.


    Before he even had time to process what had just happened, the spider queen leapt forward, mandibles biting for any piece of him that it could get. Michael brought his left arm around to catch the bite with his makeshift shield.


    They collided like a runaway truck. The spiders fangs bit into the bark of the shield, scrabbling to try and get through, but the piece was too big to get its fangs around or through. The sheer force behind the lunge was enough to knock Michael back a step and make his arm go numb.


    While the spider queen fought with his shield, he brought his club up and under in an underhand swing right into the bottom of its fangs. The spiders head snapped back and it retreated a few steps while it shook its head as if it was dazed.


    Michael ran around to the side and raised his club high above his head and activated Bash. Nothing happened. He glanced up at his soul bar and saw that it was still dry from his last heal.


    He stood there like an idiot with the club above his head just a second too long. The spider queen got its head cleared and kicked with its legs, catching Michael in the stomach and ripping open a patch of his skin like wrapping paper.


    Michael staggered back clutching his stomach which was now bleeding all down his front. He didn¡¯t have time to inspect the damage because the spider lunged for another bite. He was able to get his shield in front of him but only partially. The spiders fang caught an edge of it and ripped it out of his hand, tossing it out into the forest.


    While the spider was so rudely throwing his precious shield away, Michael brought his club around in a wild haymaker. The spider was able to block the hit with its foreleg again, but this time there was a loud crack, and the leg snapped off where it was hit. The spider screamed in a high pitched hiss and retreated, holding its leg close to its thorax.


    Michael advanced swinging wildly. The spider was off balance, and he needed to keep it that way. He got in two or three good solid hits with the club as the spider retreated. He backed it up against a tree, thinking he had it cornered. The spider reached out with its hind legs and simply climbed backwards up the tree and out of reach.


    ¡®Oh yeah. Spiders can do that.¡¯


    Now that the spider was out of range, Michael backed up and looked for large rocks to throw. He had the spider injured now if he could knock it down, he could just finish it off. Off to his right, near the feet of one of the corpses was a rock about half the size of his head. He quickly grabbed it and spun to throw it. But when he turned around, the spider was gone.


    He quickly scanned the trees. He knew the spider was still there somewhere watching him. The thing was bigger than a great dane, how the hell could it hide so well?


    Michael searched and searched, looking for any sign of the mottled brown and black spider queen in the branches. Wherever it was it was invisible. He was still turning and scanning the trees when a web shot out from his side and tangled his legs.


    The spider hadn¡¯t been in the trees, it had been sneaking around on the ground.


    Michael cried out as his legs were snared out from under him. The spider queen was on him in an instant. He swung his club up and jammed it in the spiders mouth right as it tried to bite him. Instinctively the spider latched onto it and began to shake its head violently, trying to tear the club from his hand.


    He hung on desperately to his only weapon as the spider shook, and his left hand scrabbled madly for the rock that he had dropped. His fingers searched frantically as his right shoulder felt like it was going to be torn from its socket. He came across something hard. It was another stick lying on the ground.


    The club was finally ripped from his hand, tearing the skin of his palm open in the process. Just as the spider threw the club away and came back to rip Michael¡¯s head off, he jammed the stick into the spiders mouth.


    The tip of the broken spear that Michael had accidentally grabbed, went straight through the mouth of the spider queen and out the top of its head, skewing its brain in the process. The spider gave a twitch, and then collapsed on top of him.


    Michael lay there for a second, stunned and breathing heavily. Part of him suspected the whole thing was a ruse and the spider was going to tear into his throat any second. But the seconds passed and the spider lay unmoving.


    He heaved the heavy thing off and studied the massive queen. Her eight eyes were staring off into space and already beginning to cloud over. A tentative prod of her legs revealed no movement whatsoever.


    He had done it. He had killed the spider queen and survived. Sure he had won accidentally and should have died half a dozen times, but he didn¡¯t.


    The grey mist rose from the corpse and wooshed into his chest. He checked his stats to see what the kill was worth.


    Michael


    Health: 32/75


    Soul Power: 100


    ¡®Holy shit! A hundred soul power? That must be the boss of the area.¡¯ Michael did a little dance. With that single kill he had regained everything he had lost in the last few fights, plus a decent margin.


    He looked around and found a long thin rock and began chopping at the joint of the spider¡¯s neck. It was a grueling mess, but finally the head came free. He picked the head up by the piece of broken spear jutting up through its skull and started walking back through the village.


    The spider swarms he had fought through to get to this point seemed to flee at the sight of him holding the head of their queen in his hand.


    ¡°Drive your enemies before you and hear the lamentations of their women,¡± Michael said with a wicked smile.


    He walked up to the village amid the gasps and stares of the villagers. Before the women ran and hid at his nudity and the men pointed spears as his...spear. Now they just stood there, mouths agape.


    He walked right through the village to the big fire in the middle where the old woman sat chatting with some other ladies.


    He walked up and unceremoniously threw the head at her feet. It bounced and rolled, coming to a rest on the broken spear, eyes staring up at her.


    The old woman looked at the head and looked back at him. It was obviously not a trick since he was literally covered from head to toe in spider guts.


    ¡°You have killed the spider queen? Alone and naked? Our greatest warriors could not do so. Who are you?¡± She asked. All previous arrogance disappearing like a fart in the wind.


    ¡°I am the same man I told you before. I am Michael, sent here by the goddess Sara. She told me to speak to the good people of this village and learn about the area¡± he said with an air of formality. He quickly deflated. ¡°All I¡¯ve learned so far is that spiders are a pain in the butt and shoes are a very underrated necessity.¡±


    That caused a chuckle to ripple through the crowd. The old woman stood up and clapped her hands together. ¡°I am spirit guide Nizhoni! I see Michael, champion of the goddess Sara.¡±


    The crowd repeated, ¡°I see Michael, champion of the goddess Sara.¡±


    ¡°Michael has proven his virtue by slaying the spider queen that has threatened our village for a decade. On this day our children and our warriors have been avenged!¡± A mighty cheer went up from the villages who were now crowding closer and closer. Everyone wanted to be a part of the spirit guides announcement.


    ¡°On this day, let us rejoice in our loved ones who have finally achieved peace, and in our new friend Michael. Tonight we feast in celebration!¡±

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    A roar went up so deafening, Michael did a quick check of his health bar for any damage. He was suddenly surrounded by people hugging him and patting him on the back. The crowd was so thick he was terrified to move.


    Just as quick as they had gathered, the village dispersed, gathering wood, plants, and cooking implements for the feast later tonight.


    DING


    Quest update


    You have spoken to the village spirit guide Nizhoni, and she has agreed to become your ally. You should continue to speak and learn from these people. There is much still to learn.


    Reward: 100 spirit power


    See! That wasn¡¯t so hard.


    Michael did a mental fist pump at the quest reward and blinked away the notification.


    ¡°Come Michael,¡± said Nizhoni, ¡°Let¡¯s get you bathed and dressed.¡±


    Michael almost sagged in relief. Nizhoni led him through the village and out into the field to the east, pausing only long enough to grab a child by the furs and whisper some instructions to her. The child immediately nodded and ran off towards a group of large tents.


    ¡°Do you know what you did today Michael?¡± Nizhoni¡¯s voice was calm and carried sorrow.


    ¡°No spirit guide I don¡¯t. Honestly I don¡¯t know anything. I¡¯ve only been in this world for a few hours.¡± Michael glanced at the sun which was halfway hidden behind the western trees of the forest.


    ¡°Today in you proved that I have grown too callous in my world. Too comfortable in my habits.¡± Nizhoni spat a wad of something in the grass. ¡°I would blame my old age, but in truth I¡¯ve just become lazy. It is easier to turn people away and ignore the problems of the world than it is to work to make them better.¡±


    She turned to him and looked him square in the eye. Her lower lip quivered and she blinked back the tears that started to form. ¡°My late husband was like that. He always fought for what was right. He was one of the first warriors that went into the forest to find the missing children those twenty years ago. He was a brave and wonderful man. His bravery did not help him though. He was killed by the very spider queen you killed today.¡±


    A single tear escaped her eye and was wiped away as quickly as it appeared. ¡°Hero Michael, I am so sorry for my actions today. They are not the actions that are worthy of the Spirit Guide, or the actions bring honor to the name of warrior Achak. Please forgive me.¡±


    Michael grimaced. He never did well in these types of situations. He prefered sarcasm and snide remarks to flagrant emotion and tears. Yet here he had a spirit guide quietly crying.


    ¡°Of course spirit guide. We have both learned much today. Let us put it behind us and move forward as friends¡± he said with as much gravitas as he could muster.


    Nizhoni nodded at him. ¡°Thank you Michael. Now, as promised. Let¡¯s get you bathed. You smell like week old fish carcass, and you look worse.¡±


    Michael couldn''t help but laugh at that. She led him to a small river, where there was a firepit and several hides hung drying. There were women nearby washing clothes and laughing, several of whom looked his way and pointedly looked away.


    ¡°Ignore them. We are a small tribe, you¡¯re not the first man they¡¯ve seen naked. Though you¡¯re probably the only man everyone has seen naked. There is some soap in the basket over there. Get in, get clean.¡±


    Michael was only too happy to oblige, stripping off the ragged shirt he had found and rushing into the river. The water was freezing, but felt nice after several hours in the woods spent fighting. The soap was some sort of mixture of animal fat and wood ash, but it did the job even if it did leave his skin a little raw and red.


    Now that he wasn¡¯t neck deep in spiders, Michael studied the village and people. They had huts made from branches and hide. Their clothing was all animal skins, and they had no tools except for the fire hardened spears, a few bows, and a couple horses. They appeared to be a hunter gatherer tribe like ancient cavemen.


    ¡®I wonder if they are this way by choice, or if the world hasn¡¯t evolved yet.¡¯ He mused.


    ¡°Quit playing and get out of there. You¡¯re clean enough by now¡¯ Nizhoni hollered at him from the fire pit.


    Michael sighed and climbed out of the water. The breeze cooling the water on his skin even further and making him shiver.


    ¡°Come over here and get dressed. I have some pants for you.¡±


    He was overjoyed to hear those words. In real life, no one considered little luxuries like pants and shoes, but a few hours in Iona and Michael suddenly had a whole new appreciation for the little things.


    Michael dressed quickly. The pants were made of what looked like deer hide, and the shirt was similar. They both had the fur on the inside. Which was much nicer than the alternative. The pants and shirt were both a little short, and the moccasins were a bit big, but hey¡­ he wasn¡¯t naked anymore!


    Nizhoni examined him with a motherly look. ¡°It¡¯ll work for now. You¡¯re pretty close to his size.¡±


    ¡°His size? Whose clothes are these? I¡¯m not taking something someone needs am I?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Those are my late husbands clothes. He has no need of them anymore, and they do me no good sitting in my hut.¡± Nizhoni chuckled at his expression. She smiled softly as she recalled distant memories. ¡°I¡¯m glad you can get some use out them. Clothes are meant to be worn after all.¡±


    Michael touched the clothes reverently. He must have really made a huge impression on her for her to give up her husbands things. He wasn¡¯t sure of all the local customs but he was pretty positive that was a bold statement on her part.


    ¡°Thank you spirit guide Nizhoni. I am honored.¡±


    She waved him off. ¡°Nonsense. Besides, I can¡¯t have you walking around naked for the dance tonight.¡±


    ¡°Whoa wait, hold up. Dance?¡± Images of high school prom flashed through his mind, and poor Cathy Laming being forced to limp home after the slow dance. Not only did he not get any that night, he was surprised he didn¡¯t get a doctors bill. ¡°Nobody said anything about dancing. I suck at dancing. When God was handing out dancing skills, I rolled a one.¡±


    Nizhoni threw back her head and let loose with a deep stomach laugh. ¡°What you thought we would have a feast but no dancing? What kind of savages do you think we are? Every feast the eligible men and women dance and drink firewater. Many engagements happen during feast nights, so we don¡¯t have them too often. Don¡¯t know if the village can support that many pregnant women all at once.¡±


    The glint in Nizhoni¡¯s eye was a dangerous one. Michael wondered what sort of trouble he was in for. Before he could question her further on the topic, some of the children wandered up and began asking him a hundred questions about the spiders.


    ¡°Are they as big as a house?¡±


    ¡°How many did you kill?"


    ¡°How did you not die? My daddy died.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to go back and kill the rest?¡±


    Nizhoni clapped her hands again, silencing the children. ¡°The warrior is weary from his fight. What do we do to returning warriors, young ones?¡±


    ¡°We say thanks to the goddess Sara for our warriors safe return, and leave him to rest with his loved ones¡± the children said in chorus. Apparently this was a common enough occurrence that the spirit guide had taught a form of etiquette.


    Michael thought about it a second and figured he¡¯d throw the spirit guide a bone. He kneeled down on the grass, eye level with the children, and smiled. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. If all of you help the elders prepare for the feast tonight, after the dance, I¡¯ll tell the entire village the story. But only if you help!¡±


    Michael couldn¡¯t help but smile as the childrens faces lit up. They all cheered and ran off to go find an elder to help.


    Nizhoni gave him an appraising look. ¡°You¡¯re smarter than you seem Michael. You know those children will be fast asleep after the dancing ends. It¡¯s not a tale fit for younglings anyway.¡± she snickered at him.


    Michael returned the smile. ¡°Oh, I know, but this way no one told them no. Their own body betrayed them. It¡¯s not exactly hard to outsmart a child.¡±


    Nizhoni smiled a knowing smile and nodded. ¡°Indeed. Shall we head back to the village and meet the elders, or did you have questions you want to ask?¡±


    Michael heaved a huge sigh of relief. Finally going to get some answers.


    ¡°First and foremost, the goddess Sara gave me a quest to learn about this world. Where are we in relation to the rest of the world? Are there nearby villages? What¡¯s the population of this continent? Are there any magic teachers nearby?¡±


    With that last question Nizhoni hissed at him and glared about. ¡°Don¡¯t go speaking of such things in public Michael! You are new to this world, so I will tell you what I know, but understand, magic is feared and rightfully so. Please tell me you do not practice this foul craft.¡±


    Michael started back the vehemence in her voice. It wasn¡¯t just taboo that she was talking about, her tone was more akin to blasphemy. ¡°I do have some magic given to me by the goddess Sara, but I know very little. So far all I can do is heal a little bit.¡±


    ¡°That is good young warrior. Do not tell anyone else of your power. Those in our world that practice those profane arts are monsters. Thankfully they are exceedingly rare. That yours is a gift from the goddess, and you use it to heal is a trait that will be ignored if people find out about you.¡±


    Nizhoni took a deep calming breath, and paused as if trying to decide how much to tell him. ¡°I normally wouldn¡¯t talk to anyone about this, but you¡¯ve proven capable and you¡¯re burdened with the gift for a reason. The goddess must think you can handle it.¡±


    ¡°The curse, as it¡¯s known here, is known as evil because the people who practice them inevitably fall to their seduction. Murder, rape, razeing towns to the ground, wiping out armies with fire called from the heavens, and raising the dead to fight for them. These are the stories whispered by elders in the dark of night. The caution goes: if you find a youngling that can wield such powers, better to kill it and yourself, than suffer the world its wrath. I don¡¯t know where you can find someone to teach you and I would caution you to stay as far away from anyone who can practice such. They are so evil even the devil would spit them back out of hell.¡±


    Michael listened to the rant stoically. He wasn¡¯t sure how much of that was local superstition and literal old wives tales, and how much was story being told by the game as plot. He decided to approach anyone he met with some caution, until he had more information. ¡°Thank you for your wisdom spirit guide¡± he told her, trying to convince her she had swayed him.


    Nizhoni nodded sagely. ¡°You¡¯re welcome Michael. Now as to your other, less terrifying questions. I don¡¯t know the population of the continent. Most of my people are born here and die here. There are several nearby villages like mine that we trade with, and once a year during summers Great Day, we gather together and feast. Our young are encouraged to mate with people from other tribes so that skills and knowledge is passed on from tribe to tribe. There is talk of a larger tribe to the north. Some say they number in the thousands. Pah. No tribe could be that big. They would hunt all the game away and people would starve.¡±


    A spark of excitement tingled the back of Michael¡¯s brain. ¡°The north you say?¡± His gaze wandered north, taking in the trees that marked the boundary of the forest and the snow capped peaks of mountains far off in the distance. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll wander that way the next day or two.¡±


    ¡°As you will¡± Nizhoni replied noncommittally. ¡°For now, the sun has officially set, and I can smell the meat from here. The feast will start soon, and you must be there as guest of honor.¡±


    She grabbed Michael by his coat sleeve and drug him over to where the largest tents were clustered near the fire. Logs had been laid in a semi circle around the firepit, and the bonfire was roaring high. There were skewers of meat and various vegetables placed in strategic locations around the fire, all cooking merrily away.


    Nizhoni introduced him to the other village elders, one by one. They all greeted him warmly and and gripped his forearm in their version of a handshake. With the exception of Nizhoni, the rest of the people he had met so far in the village were all extremely polite and cordial. It was very refreshing from the fast paced and complaint heavy world of web design.


    They offered him a bowl of some sort of stew and asked him to comment. It was an earthy spice palette he wasn¡¯t used too, but it was surprisingly good. Michael was surprised at how hungry he felt suddenly. In a normal game, he wasn¡¯t used to feeling hungry at all. It wasn¡¯t like his body was starving. The longest he could even be in Iona was twelve hours, and he had eaten just before logging in.


    The game itself must be prompting hunger pangs. Michael was grinning like a fool as he studied the soup. The developers of this game had gone so far above and beyond industry standard, it was going to change the face of VR forever.


    Nizhoni nudged him bringing him out of his thoughts. ¡°You like the soup Michael? You¡¯ve been standing there breathing heavily and grinning like a madman.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m sorry. Yes, it¡¯s quite good. My compliments to the cook. Is that parsley I taste?¡±


    ¡°Dill actually, but I¡¯m very glad you like it. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing like what you¡¯re used too, but it serves us just fine¡± one of the female elders he had met said.


    Michael nodded and quickly polished off the soup and handed the clay bowl back. ¡°Delicious.¡±


    Nizhoni nodded and turned to climb on top of a nearby stump. A nearby man held a wide drum in his lap and beat it several times to get the crowd''s attention. They all silenced abruptly and turned towards the spirit guide.


    ¡°Today we gather to celebrate the death of a powerful enemy, by the hands of a powerful friend. Most of us witnessed this strange pale man wander into our camp earlier today, naked as a newborn. I was convinced he was mad, talking of the goddess like he knew her personally and having not a single possession. He asked only for clothing and information, but I shunned him and bade him to look to the spiders. The man returned only hours later, with the head of the spider queen in his hand, and a broken spear.¡±


    Nizhoni gestured to a new spear that was thrust through the head of the spider queen and displayed like a grisly trophy. ¡°I was humbled and shown the error of my assumptions. I have spoken with this warrior who calls himself Michael. He has convinced me that he truly is of the goddess Sara. He is powerful and through his actions, he has avenged the dozens of lives we have lost to the spiders. So tonight we celebrate the lives that were given in defense of our village, and we celebrate the warrior who conquered.¡±


    One of the drummers reached over to the bonfire and snatched up a skewer of meat and passed it to Nezhoni, who held it aloft like a banner. ¡°To Michael!¡±


    Having shouted his name, she took a big bite of the meat and wolfed it down, heedless of the juices running down her face. A bellowing cry rose from the crowd.


    ¡°Michael!¡±


    With that the villagers bum rushed the fire, grabbing skewers and devouring them. Their table manners were sincerely lacking, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind and seemed to be having a great time. Michael looked over to Nizhoni who was washing her hands and face in a small wood basin. She noticed his inquisitive stare.


    ¡°During times of feast, it is customary to throw hygiene to the wind and just eat as much as you can, but I¡¯ve never been one who can stand the feeling of grease¡± she explained, scrubbing roughly at her chin. ¡°Please Michael, eat your fill. If you still plan on leaving for the north, you won¡¯t know when you¡¯ll get your next meal.¡±


    Michael took her up on the offer. Not because he needed food, but because the food was actually very good.


    The meat was some sort of venison, that had been salted and barbecued over oak. It wasn¡¯t authentic texan barbecue, but its was still very good. The vegetables were a potato, mushrooms, and some sort of spicy berry he couldn¡¯t place. He wasn¡¯t ashamed of taking a few of those.


    As he munched on his second meat skewer of the night, the drums began beating. The rhythm started slow, perforated by the occasional deep boom. As the drums began to speed up, the tempo of the crowd changed.


    Michael was fascinated as he watched the people begin to move and dance. The firelight and the drums weaving a spell, that enraptured him. The men¡¯s movements were sharp and strong, their feet pounding the ground and arms flailing as if they were fighting some unseen foe. The women pounded their feet too, but the way they moved their hips suggested an entirely different form of physical activity.


    There was one girl in particular. She was shorter than the others and had her long hair pulled back in a braid instead of tied back with leather. She met his eyes as she danced, and then turned to watch him over her shoulder.


    She stomped her feet in time with the beating of the drums, and rolled her hips during the lighter beats. Her hands traced her sides and then raised in the air, as she threw her head back. It was all too easy to imagine her in a far more romantic situation, with every roll of her hips whispering promises of exquisite torment and carnal satisfaction.


    Michael tore his gaze away from her hypnotic sway to meet her eyes again. Her smoky, half lidded gaze told him that his imagination was no accident, and she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. Michael adjusted his pants, which were now far too tight for his liking, and unfolded his legs to stand.


    He was interrupted by a cough in his ear. He turned to see a very cranky Nizhoni glaring at him, only inches away.


    ¡°Michael, remember our conversations earlier, about how I feel about the things you can do, and remember your plans to leave and head north soon. Do you really think I¡¯ll let you sully that girl?¡±


    Just like that, his pants fit better.


    Michael looked back to the dancers, but the girl he had been watching vanished into the crowd. Her seductive curves and dance no doubt gathering the attention of another interested viewer. Michael was about to make an angry retort and but saw Nizhoni¡¯s gaze brooked no argument. ¡°Thank you for your wisdom spirit guide.¡±


    Nizhino¡¯s face broke into a smile, her old brown eyes crinkling with mirth. ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s hope for you yet Michael. At least you can learn a lesson when it smacks you in the face.¡±


    The drums and dancers continued for quite a while, but eventually people began to pair off and wander away. Though Nizhoni was not keen on the idea of Michael entertaining anyone, she sure didn¡¯t seem to mind when others began their romantic forays. Listening carefully, Michael could hear serval couples moaning as they explored each other. Nizhoni just smiled and spoke longingly to another elder about the joys of young love.


    The music finally ended and the couples were silent. All that was left was Michael, a dying fire, and the stars above him. Before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep right there next to the fire.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    A foot nudged Michael awake. A foot that was attached to a very cranky voice.


    ¡°Get up. Sleeping out under the stars like a child. Be grateful it is still warm.¡± Nizhoni nudged him again. ¡°Come on. Its nearly dawn. Get up!¡±


    Michael groaned and rolled away from the offending foot. He sat up and shook his head, trying to clear it from the fog of sleep. He looked around and saw Nizhoni standing over him, barely visible in faint light from the stars.


    ¡®Nearly dawn my ass! It¡¯s pitch black out here.¡¯


    ¡°Come. You must bathe, and you¡¯ll want to get there before the rush. Here carry this.¡± She unceremoniously dumped a bundle of hide and sticks in his arms, that weighed a lot more than it looked. Then she abruptly turned on her heel and started walking towards the river.


    ¡®Man, that is one cranky grandma¡¯ Michael lamented to himself. But he was up now, so there was little else to do but follow her down to the river.


    When they got there, Nizhoni directed him on how to string up what he found out was a modesty curtain. The males would bathe on one side and the women on the other. It barely stretched ten feet or so into the water, so it wasn¡¯t exactly a perfect solution. More of a visual deterrent he guessed.


    Of course to plant the curtain in the water he had to disrobe. In front of Nizhoni. When he pointed out the irony she simply retorted, ¡°I¡¯m too old to give a damn, and it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t seen all you got to offer. Hell, everyone in the village has seen all you got to offer. Now quit yapping like a coyote and hang that damn curtain.¡±


    These people were so strange. Last night a dozen couples had paired off and their enthusiasm could be heard by anyone listening while the elders just smiled. But here they demanded a completely ineffective privacy screen. Either these people had some sort of radical and weird culture, or Nizhoni was just messing with him.


    He glanced over at the spirit guide, and could have sworn he saw a flicker of a smile in the predawn haze, but he couldn¡¯t be sure.


    With the screen up, and Michael already in the buff, he grabbed a handful of the grease they used as soap and went to town. His skin was barely recovered from the last bath he had, and after just a quick rub down had begun to redden even further. A promise of discomfort to come.


    He quickly dressed and looked around for Nizhoni, but he saw her dress hanging from the curtain. He considered returning the peek, but quickly decided against it. Some things cannot be unseen.


    She finished quickly and dressed before his thoughts could wander too far, and gathered him up and began marching him back towards the village. On the way back they passed the ¡°rush¡± she had mentioned. Half a dozen yawning people rubbing sleep out of their eyes and stumbling their way to the river.


    ¡°What are your plans for today Michael?¡± Nizhoni asked as they trudged briskly back to the camp, far too awake for this ungodly hour.


    ¡°I thought, with the elders permission, I would ask some of the hunters to teach me their weapons. I left my stick back in the spiders forest.¡±


    Nizhoni slowed and studied him with an obvious air of approval. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are several hunters who would be glad to teach you. It''s good to know that you can seek wisdom from others when it suits your purpose. Now if we could just teach you to apply that lesson to all of your life.¡±


    Michael rolled his eyes. He had really done nothing except ask for some clothes and get his ass kicked by some seriously juiced up spiders. It must be Nizhoni¡¯s personality to treat everyone as if they were a petulant child. The fact that she was not far wrong, was just an extra jab in the side.


    They walked together through the village and came to the campfire. There was a large bowl suspended above the coals already simmering away with more of the soup. It appeared to be whatever was left over from last night plus some water and herbs, but it was actually really good.


    Michael was grateful that this was a video game instead of real life. The development team had obviously thought that the game mechanics were grueling enough, it was probably too much to ask that players put up with shitty food.


    The camp around them slowly came to life. People crawling out of tents and wandering off towards the river to perform their morning routine. Several children ran straight for the soup and were chased off by Nizhoni and several other women elders until they had washed their hands.


    The hunters were a little slower to rise than the women, which surprised Michael. He asked Nizhoni, and she explained that while the hunters were usually out before dawn tracking game, feast night was an exception and the alcohol had messed everyone¡¯s schedule up.


    Her speech was punctuated with a man barely old enough to hold a bow, releasing the contents of his stomach back into the wild. The elders near the campfire all chuckled at the poor boy, and nudged each other talking of times when they were that young.


    ¡°Michael, this is Chayton. He is one of our best hunters. He will be teaching you today.¡± Nizhoni said gesturing to the tall man she had called over.


    ¡°Well met. Happy to teach what I know, but your skill is obvious¡± Chayton said. His eyes wandered over to the speared spider queen¡¯s head on display next to the campire. ¡°Our hunters have been after that trophy for a decade.¡±


    Michael grasped the mans arm in their version of a hand shake. It was like grabbing a piece of driftwood. The man was built like an olympic cross country runner, and it was intimidating as hell. ¡°I was just motivated and got lucky. I freely admit I know nothing about weapons, and am eager to learn.¡±


    Chayton¡¯s face split into a wide grin. ¡°Then let us learn from each other!¡± He hefted his spear, nodded his head to Nizhoni, and led Michael away from the village. He followed the hunter into the same field where just the previous day he had walked naked to his death.


    It was a little surreal.


    Chayton led him to a spot on the north side of the clearing where some logs had been arranged in a circle, and several hunters were chatting. ¡°These are some of our best hunters¡± he said gesturing to the gathered men.


    ¡°Peyak is the best with the bow. Nebi is great tracker, and Doshan is going to teach you clubs.¡±


    The men nodded in turn. Peyak and Nebi both shared Chayton¡¯s lithe frame and complete lack of body fat, but Doshan was half again as wide as everyone else. The man was a veritable mountain, but his handshake was surprisingly gentle and his smile seemed genuine.


    ¡°We will begin with the spear¡± Chayton said, handing the the five foot pole to Michael. Unlike the spears he had seen before though, these weapons had been topped with sharpened stone forming a blade of sorts. Michael rolled the spear in his hands getting used to the feel of it.


    It was heavier than he expected, and the stone weight on the end shifted the balance forward. Knots dotted the shaft and while the tip was straight, the base of the shaft was curved and thicker. Using the primitive tools of the locals, this was probably the pinnacle of weapons technology, but Michael could see some serious room for improvement. He was surprised when a prompt appeared as he inspected it.


    Primitive spear


    A spear crudely built by the hunters of Dren. Off balance and brittle, it still better than no weapon at all. Remember, pointy end goes into the other guy.


    Damage: 1-3


    Durability: 5/5


    Michael chuckled at the snarky description.


    ¡°The spear is the hunters greatest and most versatile weapon,¡± Chayton said holding his own reverently. Several snickers emanated from the other hunters seated and watching. Chayton glanced over at them, and pointedly ignored it. ¡°Some may disagree, but I intend on showing you the truth of my words.¡±


    ¡°A hunters greatest advantage is his reach. Unlike the club or bow, the spear allows a hunter to adjust his reach.¡± He slid his hands down to the base of the spear. Spinning on his forward foot, Chayton thrust the spear, turning his body and extending the spear its full length from his body.


    Pivoting again, he drew the spear back and grabbed it near the head. He jabbed the air in front of him as if fighting off a horde of enemies that were closing on him. His movements were smooth and graceful, as he spun the blade, whirling, stabbing, and slashing at speeds that pushed the limit of the human form. He ended the impressive demonstration with full mid range spinning block to shove back his imaginary foes and a final long range thrust; standing on one foot, arm and spear extended.


    Michael was agape at the raw dexterity and agile grace of the hunter. He glanced over to the others and they just looked on passively, unimpressed by the recent display of athleticism. Either this was not the first time they had seen the demonstration, or they were simply not programmed for awe.


    ¡°With a spear in your hands, you will be a formidable hunter Michael. Come. Let us see how you wield the weapon,¡± Chayton said gesturing to the empty space.


    Michael was grinning like an idiot. He gripped the spear tight and made several thrusts, both short and long range attempting to emulate some of Chayton¡¯s moves. Chayton corrected his form a few times, making him choke up on his grip for some thrusts and adjusting the position of his feet for others.


    He kept his form simple, relying on basic thrusts and defensive moves. He began to feel comfortable with the weapon, but something was off.


    As Chayton corrected his grip on one of the short thrusts, Michael began to realize that he was not happy about the idea of fighting anything in such close proximity. The spear was indeed a mighty weapon, but he was not. There were many creatures in the world that could easily best him in reaction time and sheer speed. No. Using close or mid range weapons was not going to be his ideal scenario.


    Of course he still paid very close attention to Chayton¡¯s instructions. You never know when your only recourse would be a broken spear in the middle of a webbed forest.


    When Chayton was satisfied that Michael was capable of holding the spear without stabbing himself in the eye, he nodded. ¡°The spear is a weapon that must be mastered over a lifetime. You have begun your study, but still have much to learn. Practice hard, practice well.¡±


    DING


    You have learned a new weapon: Spears.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.A malleable mid range weapon for the graceful hunter.


    Spears: 2


    Skill: 50/100


    Michael studied the prompt. He had gone from not having the skill at all, to being level two in just an hour. So there were trainers in the game, and it appeared that theory and practice could pay off dividends in spades. Michael dismissed the prompt with a blink, and filed the information away for later.


    Chayton then turned on his heel and sat down near the other hunters. Doshan stood next. His towering frame and bulging muscles, standing out in comparison to the other hunters. His catcher''s-mitt sized hands held a long handled hardwood club, that featured a smooth river stone head wedged into the top. It looked normal sized sized in his hands, but when he handed it to Michael it was much heavier than he anticipated.


    Michael could barely get his hands around the wrist thick haft, and the head weighed as much as the entire handle of the club. The balance was terrible. It reminded him more of a sledgehammer than a weapon.


    Crude War Club


    A primitive club built by the hunters of Dren.


    <em style="color: #3366ff">Damage: 1-3


    Durability: 5/5


    ¡°The club is a simple weapon that relies more on the speed and strength of the hunter, than technique,¡± Doshan rumbled. ¡°There are no fancy dancing moves to study. Practice is king of the club. Defend.¡±


    ¡®Defend?¡¯ Michael thought briefly. His eyes widened as Doshan¡¯s club sailed straight for his head.


    Michael ducked, throwing himself backward in a panicked scramble to avoid the blow. Doshan followed the swing up with a kick to the ribs that sent Michael tumbling.


    His breath blew from his lungs like a popped balloon, and black spots exploded across his vision. He stumbled to his feet, and glared through watering eyes at the mountain currently holding a club and waiting patiently.


    ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± Michael gasped.


    ¡°That was me attacking you. You must not have been ready. Prepare.¡± Doshan rumbled.


    Michael barely had time to react, as the mountain blurred across the field, club screaming at his head. He was able to get the club up between his head and the swing, but the force behind the blow smashed his own club into the side of his face as if it was being held by a toddler.


    Once again Michael went tumbling across the field, struggling to keep consciousness. This time Doshan chased him, winding up his club for a second blow.


    Michael threw his momentum into the roll, taking himself out of range before his brains were relocated to outside its cage. His roll brought him up to his feet, and rather than retreat even further, he launched himself at Doshan.


    Michael saw Doshan¡¯s gait falter for half a second, as he wound up for a swing into his side. The mountain of a man shifted his weight and brought his step up short, allowing Michael¡¯s swing to pass by harmlessly by.


    Michael braced himself for the blow that landed in almost slow motion across his back. He felt several bones snap, and his body lost all control. The pain was excruciating. From his ribs and up, he was a mass of fire and shattered bones grinding against his nerves.


    His body tried to black out and his mind screamed at him to just let go and embrace the darkness swimming around the edges of his vision. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to force himself to stay conscious. His chest rattled and he coughed in reflex, blood dribbling from his mouth. He glanced at his health bar.


    Michael


    Health: 12/75


    Effects: Broken bones(-1/s), Internal bleeding(-1/s), Incapacitated(-1/s), Critical wound(-2/s)


    You have suffered a critical hit and are suffering from multiple injuries. You have been incapacitated and are dying, losing -5hp/sec until stabilized or dead.


    You are dying, and it¡¯s gonna hurt the whole time. Better do something fast.


    Michael blinked back the darkness, and scrambled to cast heal on himself. He was surrounded by a glowing nimbus, as his spirit power bar emptied. He held back on most of the crackling energy swirling in his chest, allowing only enough through to clear his negative effects.


    He screamed as his bones ground through his lacerated organs and knit themselves back together. A million fire ants bit his lungs and several other unnamed organs, as they sealed shut and stopped bleeding. His lower body suddenly came back online, as his spine snapped back into place.


    Suddenly his agony disappeared to be replaced by a dull whole body ache of the recently smashed and bruised. Michael drew a deep, mostly pain free, breath. He opened his eyes to a spear and arrow in his face. The weapons were wielded by Chayton and Peyak, who¡¯s faces were twisted into snarls of rage. Michael glanced around and saw one of the hunters was sprinting full tilt back to the village.


    Michael blinked and raised his hands slowly. ¡°What the hell guys? Doshan nearly killed me, and you¡¯re trying to finish me off?"


    Chayton¡¯s teeth bared as he pressed the flint headed spear deeper into Michael¡¯s neck, drawing blood and cutting into his airway. Michael knew he couldn¡¯t die permanently, but no one informed his amygdala as it spewed adrenaline and fear into his system like a firehose.


    ¡°Silence monster! The spirit guide will be here soon, and I will personally enjoy ripping your heart from your chest.¡±


    ¡®Oh shit! Magic is bad, and they fucking saw me. Crapbaskets.¡¯


    He thought about trying to talk them down, but the spear was already about to separate his head from his shoulders; so he figured silence was the better part of valor.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. Nizhoni came jogging up huffing and puffing, followed by quickly by Nebi.


    ¡°Chayton! Remove your spear from the hero, immediately¡± she barked.


    ¡°Spirit guide, this monster used magic.¡±


    Nizhoni slowed to a brisk walk and got right up in Chaytons face. It was quite a sight, with the elderly five foot woman glaring up at the ripped six foot hunter.


    ¡°I said remove. Your. Spear.¡± Nizhoni gritted.


    Chayton shifted his glance to her and saw her rage. Tiny old woman or not, she commanded respect and Chayton blinked. The spear slowly withdrew from Michael¡¯s throat.


    ¡°I am well aware of his... taint. He told me it was a gift granted by the goddess Sara. This was after I sent him to his death and he returned with the head of the spider queen. Did you forget that little tidbit? The man who avenged your father?¡±


    Chayton stayed silent, glaring at Michael, but took a small step back. Nizhoni shifted her glare to Peyak, who immediately lowered his bow and stepped back as well.


    Her eyes landed on Michael. ¡°What did you do? I specifically warned you against showing your... gift.¡±


    Michael rubbed at the bleeding scratch at his throat and checked his health, glad to see it was holding steady at seven. ¡°Doshan and I were training with clubs. He hit me. Hard. He broke my spine, ribs and ruptured several of my organs. I needed to heal myself before I died.¡±


    Nizhoni whirled on the man, who unconsciously took a step back as he grimaced.


    ¡°You tried to kill him? Where is your honor? You took a man, admittedly a novice, to train under you and you tried to kill him?!¡± Nizhoni shook with rage, and her voice ended in a scream. ¡°Why would you¡­ nevermind. It matters not. Doshan, you will be judged by the elders later. Go to the fire and wait there for me.¡±


    Doshan opened his mouth to argue, but Nizhoni¡¯s stare could freeze the sun. Instead he simply nodded and turned to walk back to the camp.


    She turned to the rest of the hunters, ¡°All of you. Go.¡±


    ¡°Spirit guide, it is not wise to leave you with such a man. He is tainted and could harm you¡± Peyak said. ¡°I should stay here.¡±


    ¡°When I want your opinion, I¡¯ll take out my teat and feed it to you. You will do as your told and you will do it now, or I shall be deciding on your honor tonight as well.¡± She growled at the man. ¡°Leave your bow if that gives your ego rest.¡±


    Peyak nodded and handed her the weapon and quiver, which she slung with a practiced ease. The trio of hunters then all turned and jogged back to the village, only Chayton glancing back over his shoulder.


    Nizhoni turned to Michael. ¡°I warned you, foolish boy. The forces you meddle with are beyond your ken, and the villagers are afraid. Rightfully so. Honestly, I¡¯m shocked I got here before they gutted you like a deer.¡±


    ¡°I had to do something, I was dying. What else could I do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anything but that.¡± Nizhoni blew out a breath and eyed him from the corner of her gaze. ¡°You cannot stay hero. My words carry weight, but soon the whole village will know of your gift and they will come seeking blood. I cannot protect you.¡±


    Michael nodded sadly. He had hoped to learn more about the systems of magic and weapons of this world, but Sara had specifically told him to care for her people. Going to war with them seemed counterintuitive.


    Nizhoni handed him the bow she had commanded from Peyak. ¡°Twice my tribe has brought shame on itself. First with my folly, and then with Doshan. Twice you have proven yourself to us. There is no gift that I can give that will restore our honor, but the least I can do is give you this. It¡¯s a good weapon and will serve you well. If I were you hero, I would follow the stream east of here upstream. It wanders north through the forest and joins a larger river at the plains where the tribes gather. Near the large tribe I spoke of earlier. I doubt they number in the thousands as the rumors say, but all rumors begin in truth, so there must be a tribe there.¡±


    Tribal Bow


    A crude bow of hardwood and animal tendon. Crafted by the Hunters of Dren and gifted to Michael from Nizhoni.


    A gift from spirit guide Nizhoni, as apology for almost beating you to death. Perhaps long range is a good idea.


    Damage: 1-3


    Durability: 5/5


    Bonus: Charisma +1


    Show to other members of Nizhoni¡¯s tribe and they will recognize it as friendly.


    Michael nodded and accepted the bow and quiver full of arrows gracefully. ¡°Thank you spirit guide.¡±


    ¡°A word of caution hero, our hunters are strong and we keep most predators at bay, but as you head north you will come across them. Be careful. Your strategy of blocking clubs with your body may not serve you well¡± she snickered.


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll try to remember that.¡± Michael went to sling the bow over his shoulder, but it something pinched. He reached up and adjusted the necklace he had looted in the forest, then a thought struck him. He pulled it off.


    ¡°Spirit Guide, I found this on a corpse in the forest. It seemed like it was on a small girl. You should give it back to her family.¡±


    Nizhoni took the necklace and inspected it. ¡°I shall make sure it is returned. No one will thank you right now, so please accept my thanks in their stead. You honor our tribe, and we are in your debt. Fare you well Michael. I hope we meet again.¡± Nizhoni said, with some sadness in her voice. She promptly turned and walked back towards the village.


    Michael watched her go for a minute and then studied the terrain. He needed to get to the river on the east side of the village, but was in the field to the west. Crossing the village was out of the question, so he put the sun on his left shoulder and studied the forest to the north.


    The good news was that there was nothing obvious like spider¡¯s webs or signs that read ¡®Warning: bears¡¯. The bad news was that absolutely anything could be out there. It¡¯s not like he had much choice though, so he set off towards the tree line.


    He had only walked a couple of yards when he noticed a faint blinking on the side of his vision. Strange, his prompts had never minimized before. He pulled it up with a thought.


    DING


    You have increased your reputation with Nizhoni¡¯s tribe.


    Reputation: Friendly


    25/1000


    Quest Update


    You have allied yourself with Nizhoni¡¯s tribe of hunters in Dren, but their fear and superstition have caused you to leave the village before you cause a problem. You should find other tribes in the area and see if they need any help.


    Someone really needs to help these poor people. Superstitious and lacking in technology, someone with a creative mind could do a lot of good here.


    Michael blinked the prompt away. He wondered why it didn¡¯t pop up immediately.


    ¡®Maybe it sensed I was in an important conversation and kept hidden. Or that was just a really immersive cutscene.¡¯


    He shrugged, resolving to keep an eye on his UI from now on. He didn¡¯t want to miss anything. Walking to the tree line only took him a few minutes, and he turned back to look at the village with their grass huts. Sure they were a simple people, but they weren¡¯t that bad. If nothing else, that was by far the most immersive and natural feeling starting area he had ever been in.


    Michael turned and headed northeast into the forest. The sun was starting to get low and he wanted to find shelter before it got too dark.


    ¡®Time to grind!¡¯

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    He washed his face in the river, double checked his meager belongings, and set off upstream.


    He had walked for a few hours, when he came across a small fox-like creature drinking from the river. It was small four legged mammal that had fur, a bushy tail, and ears, but that¡¯s where the similarities to a fox ended. The fur for one was a neon purple that sparkled and seemed to glow from within. The ears were tiny and mounted the very top of its skull, and the body was long like a ferret despite weighing probably forty pounds.


    Michael figured this was as good a time as any to practice with the bow. As slowly and as quietly as he could, he drew an arrow from the quiver at his hip and knocked the arrow on his bow. He drew the bow to its full length, steadied his breathing, carefully aimed, and¡­ loosed.


    The arrow thunked into a tree three feet to the right of where the fox-ferret thing was. Immediately the animal took off like a shot, swiftly climbing up into the nearest pine and vanishing among the high branches.


    DING


    You have learned a new weapon: Bow


    A ranged weapon favored by hunters. It¡¯s great for taking down creatures at a distance, provided you can hit them.


    Skill 1/100


    Michael grumbled at missing his shot so spectacularly. He stomped over to the tree to pull the arrow from the trunk, but it was stuck good. He placed his foot against the trunk and yanked. The arrow finally came out with a pop, leaving the stone arrowhead buried in the tree.


    Michael stared at the now useless stick with feather in his hand, and threw it in the river.


    ¡®Ok. Need some practice so I can actually hit something, but I need to find something I can shoot at without snapping all my arrows.¡¯


    He continued northward, keeping an eye out for anything that might make a good target or any small animals that he could try to nab. A few hours later he came across the perfect target. There was a tree that had fallen partially in the river. The water had softened the wood to a sponge like consistency, and there were giant pink mushrooms the size of his head all over it.


    Michael stood about twenty feet away from the tree and launched arrow after arrow into it. When his quiver emptied, he gathered his arrows and started all over again. His initial shots were pathetic, missing the targets by feet, but as he continued he started to get closer and closer to the mushroom that had become his pincushion.


    He stopped when the sun was high above his head and checked his progress.


    Bow


    Skill 78/100


    Just shooting at a target and he had gained a ton of skill points. It was slower than the club, but he figured that skills gained in combat must be worth more experience or something, but it was good to know that the skills could be leveled through practice alone.


    He was now able to hit the target four out every five shots. It was good, but in the last two days he had died and nearly been beaten to death.


    ¡®Maybe just a little more practice.¡¯


    It took another hour before he finally heard the trill, and got the popup for bow level two. Michael wiped the sweat from his eyes, and massaged his forearm. His health hadn¡¯t officially taken a hit, but his arm still felt battered and bruised from the string hitting it over and over again. He collected his arrows from the tree and reviewed his skills.


    Clubs: 2


    Skill: 55/100


    Bash: 1


    Skill: 48/100


    Spears: 2


    Skill: 12/100


    Bows: 2


    Skill: 1/100


    ¡®So combat experience and training with a teacher count for a lot, but grinding still works in a pinch. Wait, I accidentally created Bash when I was fighting the spiders, I wonder why spears and bows doesn¡¯t have any special attacks.¡¯


    Michael thought about the problem, and tried to remember what he had done differently. It all happened so fast, it was kind of a blur. The only real difference was that he had to spend his spirit power to trigger the attack.


    He nocked an arrow and drew, aiming at the mangled remains of the mushroom that had been his target for the last few hours. This time he embraced the crackling energy in his chest, just holding it while he aimed. He focused on a tiny piece of the mushroom root, and held as steady as he could. Breathing slowly, he gently released the arrow.


    It sunk deep, right where he was aiming.


    DING:


    You have created a new skill: Aimed Shot


    A carefully aimed shot that does STR+AGI+Weapon damage. Requires 5sp


    Skill 1/100


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±


    Having a ranged ability that had an attack bonus was going to be huge for his survivability. He needed to test this skill immediately. It took soul power though. He didn¡¯t want to waste his precious sp on a tree. No, he needed to find something to hunt.


    He collected the last of his arrows, and took off at a brisk pace down the river. Sooner or later he was bound to come across some sort of animal that would make for a perfect target.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As if his thoughts had triggered it, his stomach rumbled with hunger. He tried to remember the last time he had eaten. It must have been yesterday morning, he had some stew from the campfire after the feast.


    ¡®I really should find some food.¡¯ He thought, patting his stomach in a soothing fashion. ¡®Hush now.¡¯


    Sadly the sun began to set and he had still not seen any other animals along the trail. Michael grumbled to himself and his stomach loudly agreed with him, but there was nothing he could do. There just simply was no game nearby.


    He was able to walk another couple miles before the light disappeared enough to hinder his walking. He quickly made a bed of leaves and some moss he stripped from trees, under a large bush before promptly passing out.


    *****


    The next day more of the same. Walking until noon, a few hours practicing his archery against the soft sand of a hill landslide, then continuing north. The sooner he could get to some sort of civilization the better.


    This ¡°tribe of thousands¡± sounded an awful lot like a city to him. He didn¡¯t have any currency, but he was sure that he could get a quest that would net him some coin and allow him to start building up. He needed better gear, and desperately needed access to a trainer.


    ¡®I distinctly remember seeing a town in the trailer, which means there has to be some sort of civilization. Somewhere.¡¯


    Michael continued to stumble through the woods, following the river which seemed to be getting larger and more fierce. On the end of the day three, he rounded a particularly rugged portion of terrain, where the river had carved a deep ravine through the woods, and he spotted a small herd of deer drinking from the water.


    He very nearly blew his cover by whooping for joy.


    Quickly restraining his emotions, Michael fumbled for an arrow and nocked it to his bow. He crept forward through the brush, and snuck up behind a tree only a dozen yards or so from them. He quietly peeked around the large, gnarled trunk, to check his positioning.


    The deer were nearly identical to earth deer, except the buck¡¯s rack was huge, and seemed to be covered in some sort of moss, he had two sets of eyes, and his hooves were as clear as glass. It was a beautiful creature. He was so taken with the majesty of the animal, he very nearly forgot that he needed to eat. His stomach gladly reminded him.


    The thought of killing the gorgeous animal made him a little sad. He may be a being of higher reasoning, but he was still just a mammal. Mammals gotta eat.


    Leaning around the tree just enough to get a sight picture of the animal, Michael drew his bow and steadied his breath. He aimed down the sight at the deer, aiming for just behind the shoulder of the forelegs. He knew somewhere in that torso was a bunch of important organs, so it seemed like the best target.


    Holding his bow as steady as he could, he activated Aimed Shot. The arrowhead glowed dimly with the crackling white aura. The arrowhead seemed to adjust itself minutely down and left, and then on the end of his exhale he loosed.


    ¡®Sorry Bambi!¡¯


    The arrow flew across the river, and buried itself deep in the chest of the deer. The deer started and let out a coughing bray. The others in the herd immediately galloped off into the forest, but the one he had shot only made it a single leap before collapsing.


    This time Michael did let out a whoop of joy.


    ¡°Hells yeah. Aimed shot worked and now I¡¯ve got me some dinner!¡± Michael pumped his arms in the only dance he ever learned: the Running Man. ¡°Go Michael, go Michael. Its ya birthday.¡±


    He knew he was alone in the forest, but he still glanced around to make sure no one had seen him.


    Michael ran up to the deer. It wasn¡¯t even bleeding heavily. He must have hit the heart. As he closed on the carcass, the mist rose and sank into his chest. He glanced up at his soul power and saw that it now sat at seventy.


    ¡®I was at sixty sp from healing myself, minus five sp for the Aimed Shot, that means the deer was fifteen sp. Not bad.¡¯ He thought to himself, as he yanked the arrow from its side. The head was chipped, probably from a bone, but it was still serviceable. He jammed it in the riverbank, letting the current do most of the cleaning for him.


    The buck was magnificent. Easily two hundred pounds of hide, horn, and usable material, but what Michael was really interested in was the meat. He hadn¡¯t eaten in two days and he was starving. He showed no negative effects yet, but his stomach was letting him know that he was indeed well on his way to starvation.


    One small setback. He had the animal, but now he had to get all that delicious and nutritious meat out of the deer, and he had no knife.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    Michael looked around for a sharp rock or something he could use to cut, but nothing jumped out at him. He ended up reaching into his quiver and finding the largest arrowhead he could, and began hacking and slashing at the animal.


    After nearly an hour of bloody and greuling sawing, Michael had successfully separated a large chunk of shoulder muscle from the animal. It took him nearly another hour to build a campfire, whittle a spit, and create a fire spell.


    DING


    You have created a new spell: Small Flame


    A small flame that can be held in the palm of your hand, and used to light fires, and torches. Requires 1SP.


    Michael couldn¡¯t believe it took him three whole days to figure out that he needed a basic fire spell, but necessity is the mother of invention.


    The campfire crackled merrily away and filled the river bank with the delicious smell of roasting meat. His stomach smelled the food the same time he did, and stabbed his spine in reminder that it required sustenance and it required it now.


    While his meal cooked, Michael set to the carcass again and cut off several additional strips of meat and wrapped them around skewers as well. Soon he had nearly ten pounds of meat cooking over the campfire, and by the time the last skewer was finished, the first was ready.


    He tore into the piping hot flesh with a wild abandon. The fatty juices ran down his chin as he gnawed away, tearing off chunks and pausing barely long enough to chew before swallowing. He devoured the entire first skewer in seconds. His lizard brain told him to keep eating, there was no possible way he was full yet, but his higher reasoning told him to wait. He wasn¡¯t sure if the game would let him get sick from overeating, but it was probably a good idea to try and stretch the rest of the food as long as possible.


    He let the other skewers cook longer than he thought was necessary, to make sure the meat was well smoked and would last a few days. When he was convinced any more cooking would just lead to burned meat, he dunked the them in the river to stop the cooking process, and placed them in the front pockets of his shirt.


    It was well and truly nightfall now, and Michael had lit up the entire riverbank with a campfire and filled the air with the delicious scent of bbq. It was time to go before some larger animal showed up and laid claim to his prize.


    Michael doused the campfire and wandered as far upstream as he could safely, and then climbed in to a tree overhanging the river and wedged himself into a fork of branches. The meal coupled with the exhaustion of having to carve a deer with an arrowhead put him to sleep instantly.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    Michael started awake. There was shouting nearby. Human shouting. He used his perch in the tree to look around, but could see nothing.


    He quickly climbed down out of the tree and across the riverbank. Nearby there was a grove of trees that opened up into a gorge that had several small natural caves sinking away and into the ground. He could see there was a group of four men armed with clubs and spears, and they were harassing a small pack of wolves.


    One wolf lay dead already, blood leaking from his snout. Three more were backed up into one of the caves and were growling and snapping at the men.


    ¡®Must be a hunting party. Which means there is a tribe nearby! Thank christ. Civilization at last.¡¯


    The hunters had the wolves cornered and began pelting them with rocks, attempting to drive them from their cave and into the open. They were laughing and jeering at the wolves as they hurled their impromptu projectiles. One of the wolves was hit in the head with a fist sized stone, and bolted. It snarled as it lunged for them, but the hunters were working as a team. While the wolf leapt for one, another hunter rounded the side and speared it. He held the snapping, biting animal at bay as the first hunter came up and began beating the wolf around the head with his club. The hunters cheered and high fived as the wolf finally lie still.


    ¡®Poachers?¡¯ Michael thought ¡®It certainly seems like they are enjoying the hunt...a little too much.¡¯


    The two wolves in the cave ran to defend their packmate. They split up and each attacked one of the hunters. The man with the club went down with a cry after the wolf tore his hamstring out. Before his fellow hunters could assist, he stilled as his throat was torn open.


    The hunters laughs and jeers, faded as they became snarls of rage. Michael was still some distance away, but he could still see their entire demeanor shift. They were pissed.


    The second wolf was fast, but not so lucky. The hunter pulled his spear out of the downed wolf, and turned to his attacker. The hunter wasn¡¯t able to stab it, but did manage to get the spear between them as it bowled him over, and keep the fangs away from his more squishy body parts. He bellowed in pain and rage, when the wolf¡¯s nails tore at his hide clothing, shredding it to ribbons. He only had to last a few seconds though, until another hunter smashed the wolf off with his war club.


    The wolf went tumbling, but spun around ready to fight, claws skidding and tearing at the earth for purchase. The two surviving wolves were hurt and up against a coordinated and superior force. Michael didn¡¯t think it would be long the wolves lost.


    Michael quickly abandoned his viewpoint and ran to help the hunters. He was the only one with a bow, he was sure he could help end the fight quickly before anyone else got hurt. The hunter who been pinned rose shakily to his feet. He wobbled slightly as he held his spear, trying to help, but really just presenting less of a target. There were two mildly injured wolves, to two fresh humans.


    It was game over.


    The hunters began advancing towards the circling wolves. Two of the hunters caught a wolf between them and the wall of the cave, and began taking turns clubbing the animal to death. Michael¡¯s run began to falter.


    He had seen hunters before in real life, though he had never been hunting himself. He knew that a true hunter takes from nature, but also takes pains to make sure that the animal doesn¡¯t suffer more than it needs to. It is still a living creature after all. After his short sprint Michael was close enough to see that the wolf in the cave was dying, and putting up no fight, but the men kept beating it over and over. They weren¡¯t even aiming for vital spots like the head or neck, but instead were smashing its legs, hips and shoulders. The most disturbing thing was that they were jeering.


    Michael was disgusted. Out here in the wilderness, hunting was a necessary evil and sometimes it was dark and messy; but there was a difference between an ugly kill, and making a living creature suffer.


    The hunters heavy clubs finally silenced the cries of the cornered and downed wolf, leaving one standing, and one bleeding out from a spear wound in the grass. The fresh wolf had circled until it reached its fallen packmate growling warning at the advancing hunters.


    The hunter advanced slowly, spear at the ready and chest still bleeding from where he had been torn. He jabbed at the wolf, slicing part of its cheek open. Even from this distance Michael could see the teeth and jawbone poking through back side of its muzzle. It snapped at the offending spear but refused to move.


    The hunter circled, jabbing the wolf about the head and shoulders to keep its attention, opening up several more wounds. Blood was pouring off the wolf now, bathing the one it was protecting who could do nothing but lay there and whine its agony.


    The wolf¡¯s reaction time began to slow as blood pumped from its wounds. The hunter took his opening with a twisted smile, and lunged.


    The wolf suddenly sprang out of the way of the stab and lunged forward, teeth closing over the hunters throat. With a strangled cry, the hunter died when his trachea was ripped from his body in a shower of gore and blood. He simply clutched at his mangled throat, and collapsed.


    The other two hunters seemed to catch their breath from beating on the dead wolf in the cave, and turned at their brothers cry. Shouting and raising their clubs they ran to where the wolf was staggering back over its packmate.


    Michael had seen enough. This wasn¡¯t hunting. This ¡­ this was something else. These men had beaten a wolf to death slowly, and had laughed as it cried.


    He suddenly didn¡¯t care about Sara¡¯s request to take care of her people. If these were the kind of people that she wanted him to protect, he¡¯d rather check out the other goddesses. He was only a couple dozen feet away when he drew his bow and knocked his first arrow. He activated Aimed Shot with barely and thought and loosed. The arrow flew through the air to punch through the neck of the leftmost hunter, who immediately dropped clutching at his neck and gargling his distress.


    The second hunter saw his fellow fall, and turned to face Michael as he drew and nocked a second arrow. The man¡¯s eyes widened, and then he turned to run. Sprinting across the clearing as fast his exhausted legs could carry him.


    Michael followed the man with his aim, pulling back even harder on the bow, bending it to its max capacity. He could hear the would start to splinter under the strain. His jaw clenched as he held his aim, and pulled even more soul power from his chest and funneled it into the shot.


    The arrow head began to glow brighter and brighter as Michael forced the twisting torrent of energy in his chest to obey him. When he thought there was no more to give, he loosed.


    The arrow flew true, and hit the fleeing hunter square in the back. It punched a grapefruit sized hole through the man¡¯s spine, into his lungs, and out through his chest and continued on until it slammed into a tree a dozen paces off and embedded itself halfway up the shaft. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The hunter took one more step, and collapsed to the ground. Dead.


    DING


    You have created a new skill: Power Shot


    A powerful shot that can be used to pierce armor or reach foes at a great distance, doing (STR+AGI)xWEAPON damage. Requires 20SP


    Michael scanned the area to make sure all the poachers were dead, he¡¯d refuse to think of them as hunters. It was the first time he had killed humanoids in the game, and was a little nauseous at how realistic the damage was. There were bits of organs still stuck to the arrow embedded in the tree, and blood rushed out of the man with the ruined throat as if it was being shot out of a cannon.


    The grey mist floated off the man missing most of his chest and into Michael. He watched his soul power jump from seventy to one hundred. The second grey mist floated up from the man with an arrow in his neck a few seconds later and sunk into Michael as well, but as he watched his soul power stayed at one hundred.


    Warning


    You have reached the maximum capacity of your soul to hold on to power. You should increase your limit or you will not be able to retain any additional power.


    Michael cursed and quickly opened up his stats menu.


    Magic: 1


    Skill 83/100


    Upgrade for 25SP.


    Upgrade now?


    Yes/No


    Michael considered his options. He had healed himself a only a couple times, perhaps no more than six, and he was already about to level. If he spent the twenty five soul power now, he could level instantly, but would have to start the progression all over again. Sure he¡¯d have more capacity, but there was nothing he needed to kill right now, and he might get attacked and need the power. If he died, he lost all of it. He guessed he could heal himself, but that would just be a waste of power.


    He thought about the problem for a second, mulling it over in his head. His attention was suddenly drawn to the wolf who had protected her mate. It was had laid down and was whining at him. Barely alive, its flesh hanging off of it in ragged strips, it¡¯s eyes met his and seemed to plead with him.


    Michael suddenly had an epiphany. In LinkWorld, there were some classes that could tame ghosts and demons to do their bidding. Michael had typically focused on his mage spells, so he never paid them much attention, but what if he could tame a creature in Iona like that?


    This could be the answer to several of his problems. Michael eased closer, making soothing noises and holding his hands out in a non threatening manner. The wolf considered him, but didn¡¯t move as he neared.


    It was no surprise that the wolf seemed to be in great pain and almost eager for his help, but Michael was still surprised when it let him touch it. The wolf jerked a little at the contact, but then Michael was running his hands through the red and brown fur. He continued to make shushing noises and pet the animal in what he hoped was a soothing way.


    He reached into his chest, grabbed his power, and activated his healing fog. This time, instead of thinking about his own injuries, he focused on where his hands met with the wolf. The gentle white fog, gathered around his arms and trickled down his hands and onto the wolf. It hovered for just a second before glowing green and sinking down.


    The wolf jerked and yipped. Michael remembered his own healing wasn¡¯t the most comfortable thing in the world, so he shushed louder and tried to gently hold the wolf down. The fog pooled on its injures, and slowly they started to heal. First the bleeding slowed and then stopped, and gradually the skin knit back together, leaving fresh pink skin.


    The face took the longest, but eventually even the jaw was back in one piece. Only the dried blood on its fur any reminder of the ragged wound it once had.


    The wolf bound to its feet and yipping excitedly. It licked Michael¡¯s hand and then nosed the packmate it had been protecting, and looked back to Michael. It repeated the process several times, as if it was trying to tell him to heal the other one, but even at a cursory glance, he could tell the wolf was dead. There was no point in trying to heal that.


    ¡°Sorry¡­.¡± Michael snuck a glance, ¡°girl. There¡¯s nothing I can do for him. He¡¯s dead.¡± He shook his head sadly. The wolf looked at him confused and nudged her mate. It didn¡¯t move. She nudged it again. Nothing. She looked from Michael to the wolf and back.


    Then it seemed to click. She sat down next to the dead wolf, head hung, and whined. The whines grew in volume and frequency, until eventually it was one long whine. Then she threw back her head and howled.


    It was obvious to Michael that the poor wolf was sobbing. Her echoing cry, pierced the air and carried over the entire forest, surely to be heard for miles.


    It took a minute or two but the howl finally ended, and she was resigned to just laying next to her packmate and whine quietly. Michael held out a piece of smoked deer that he had stuffed in his shirt pocket and offered it to her.


    She sniffed at the meat warily, her head waiving back and forth as she tried to eye the meat and keep her eyes on him. Tentatively she reached out and took it, instantly retreating back a ways to eat in peace. Michael was thrilled.


    He had to repeat the process with every last scrap of meat he had, but by the last bite he was able to pet her as she ate. When she finished, she leaned into his hand guiding it to that spot just behind the ear, that all dogs seem to love, and lolled her tongue out when he gave it a good scratch.


    He rose from the petting and wandered over to the poachers to check them for anything of value. Apart from some feathers and animal bone necklaces, they weren¡¯t carrying anything but their weapons and some sort of nuts in small pouches.


    Michael quickly liberated them of the pouches, but he had no way to carry three clubs, so he just took the spear, and slung his bow over his shoulder like robin hood. He turned to the wolf, who was nosing her other packmates, and letting out soft whines. He whistled to catch her attention and then squatted in the universal ¡°come here¡± pose.


    She eyed him for a second, cocking her head as if she was thinking about it, and then wandered over to him slowly. He put out his hands and let her smell him again, and chuckled when she sniffed around his pockets for more food.


    ¡°Sorry girl, I don¡¯t have any more right now. If you come with me though, I¡¯ll get you some more. What do you say? Wanna work together?¡±


    She put her head under his hand, and lolled her tongue when he scratched her ears. Michael chuckled. ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯m saying do you? Of course you don¡¯t. You¡¯re a wolf.¡±


    Michael stood and crossed the clearing, back towards the river. He paused at the edge of the trees and whistled at the wolf. She stood there, in the middle of the clearing and looked at him. He whistled again. She cocked her head, as if to say ¡®What is that noise you¡¯re making¡¯. He whistled a third time.


    This time, she looked at him, and looked back to her packmates lying dead in the caves behind her, then back at him. She slowly began walking towards Michael as if each step was heavy. She came all the way to him and put her head under his hand again. He obliged and gave her a good scratch. Then he turned and walked into the forest. He hoped she would follow him, if for no other reason than that he might have more treats.


    He looked over his shoulder and saw her glance behind her one more time, and then she followed him into the forest.


    DING


    You have tamed: Wolf.


    Tamed animals can serve as guardians and with time, patience, and training, they can grow with their owners and become powerful companions. Treat them well and they will return your love, treat them poorly and sleep with one eye open.


    I choose you wolf!


    DING


    Your Magic has increased to: 2


    ¡®Holy crap! I just tamed a wolf? That is so fucking badass!¡¯


    Another prompt popped up almost immediately.


    What would you like to name your companion?


    Michael only needed to think about it for a few milliseconds before he knew exactly what he wanted to name her.


    ¡°Kari¡± he said aloud. A small ding chimed in his ear as Iona recognized his command.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    Michael retreated from the gorge with his new companion, retracing his steps back towards the river. He thought briefly about taking one of the wolves with him for a meal, but it seemed like a bad idea with his new companion still pausing every few steps to look back for the rest of her pack.


    Glancing up he saw that the sun was still quite low on the horizon. The battle with the poachers may have felt like it took a few hours, but it seemed less than a half hour had actually passed. Kari followed close by, stopping occasionally to sniff at something, but never getting too far away.


    He glanced over at her as she chased some small critter through the ferns. She was a beautiful specimen. About five feet long from tip to tail, and gorgeous red fur. Her tail hung heavy behind her, but everytime she caught him staring it wagged slowly, even as her tongue lolled out past her long teeth. Her paws were a lot larger than he thought they needed to be for her legs, and her nails were stubby. Her eyes were a bright jade, almost glowing as they caught and reflected the morning light.


    His inspection prompted the game menu.


    Kari


    Tamed


    Red Wolf


    Health: 32/50


    Strength: 1


    Agility: 1


    Stamina: 1


    Constitution: 1


    Intelligence: 1


    Wisdom: 1


    Charisma: 1


    Weapons: Teeth/Claws


    Red wolves are extremely rare and adaptable creatures. They are smaller than their grey or black cousins, but make up for it with clever ambush tactics. Cunning and swift, they hunt alone or in small packs, taking down prey far larger than themselves. It is not unheard of for a single alpha to take down a large elk for its mates.


    Michael studied the description, his face cracked in a wide smile. This was an awesome development. Not only did he now have an additional weapon in his arsenal, but stats meant he could upgrade her to become stronger.


    ¡®This is so cool. I wonder how much she would cost to upgrade?¡¯ He mused. He quickly tapped on her constitution trait. She was hurt, so it was a great opportunity to see if upgrading her stats would affect her overall health.


    Kari


    Do you want to upgrade Kari¡¯s Constitution?


    Cost: 10sp


    Yes / No


    Michael froze in his tracks. Kari sensed something had changed and came over to him. She stopped and stared at him as he stared off into space, tilting her head to the side as if she was trying to figure him out.


    ¡®Hold the fucking phone.¡¯ His fingers flew through the menus as he double checked his own stats. ¡®Its cheaper to upgrade her than it is me! Oh this is gonna be a game changer. FINALLY something in this game is going my way.¡¯


    Michael had never pictured himself as a hunter type player before, but honestly he had never given it a real shot. In LinkWorld he had always played a healer/caster type because it was an easy and versatile system. In Iona though, with pain receptors turned all the way to max, he needed a way to reduce the likelihood of getting catching a fireball to the face. Having a wolf chewing on your ass was a great distraction tool.


    Michael considered his options, pacing back and forth as his mind spun at a hundred miles an hour. His new companion¡¯s head followed him from side to side, watching the crazy man at work. It would have been comical if he had been paying attention.


    ¡®It¡¯s ten soul power to upgrade the wolf¡¯s base stats, instead of the twenty five for mine. That means I can upgrade her three times for my one. Or five times for my two. If I upgrade her stats, we could probably hunt more, which means more sp, which means more upgrades for both of us. If she gets hurt hunting, I can heal her which levels my Magic skill¡­¡¯


    Michael clapped his hands together and faced Kari as she stared at him, her tongue lolled out and head tilted.


    ¡°Hang on to your fur kid. We¡¯re gonna make you a star,¡± he said with a huge grin.


    Michael called up her stats again and immediately pumped 50sp into her, and mentally smacked the ¡°Yes¡± button. Kari yipped, and shyed as she changed. Her spine and legs elongated, even as her chest grew deeper. She was larger now, and even her fur looked thicker. She spun around in a circle, as if she could see herself, and promptly tripped as her steps took her further than she was used to. She let out a happy yelp, and ran over to Michael and nuzzled his leg. He wasn¡¯t sure how much she understood of what just happened, but it was clear that she knew he was responsible.


    He pulled up her stats one last time, just to double check.


    Kari


    Red Wolf


    Tamed


    Health: 75/75


    Strength: 2


    Agility: 2


    Stamina: 2


    Constitution: 2


    Intelligence: 2


    Wisdom: 1


    Charisma: 1


    Michael rubbed his hands together and mentally congratulated himself.


    ¡®Behold the cleverness of me!¡¯


    With the math out of the way and his new companion upgraded, he set off again towards the river as he contemplated how to go about using his new friend.


    They reached the river and turned north to continue following it upstream. Michael couldn¡¯t wait to reach the town. This game was brand new and he had already ¡°invented¡± a couple spells, but he was desperate for a real trainer. Anyone to give him a heads up about how to get stronger. Or even an overarching plot. Sandbox games were all well and good, but the story was what really made a game pop.


    Kari and Michael walked another mile or so when suddenly the wolf let out a quiet huff and dropped her belly to the ground. He crouched to follow her and checked the direction she was pointing. He stared off into the forest, but no matter how he strained his eyes he couldn¡¯t see anything in the green backdrop of moss and ferns.


    ¡°You see something girl?¡±


    Kari huffed, and took a tentative couple steps forward. Whatever it was, she was eager to get a piece of it. Michael took an arrow from the quiver at his waist and knocked it to his bow.


    ¡°Alright girl. Go get it!¡±


    Kari took off, racing quietly through the trees and vanishing in the underbrush. Her red fur blending in surprisingly well. Michael drew his bow and aimed into the general direction she had disappeared, in case she flushed out some sort of bird.


    The forest was quiet and still. His arm began to shake from the strain of holding his draw, and the only thing he could hear was the rushing water of the river, and his own breathing. Seconds stretched on. Nearly a minute had passed by, when his eyes caught movement.


    He swung his aim over and sighted down the arrow. A grey mist rushed out of the underbrush and sunk into his chest. A quick glance at his soul power, and he saw that it had gone up by ten. He slowly relaxed his bow, as he saw Kari bounding back. She weaved her way through the brush and emerged dragging an animal about half her size.


    ¡°Wow. Way to go! It¡¯s only been an hour and you¡¯re already showing me up.¡± Michael pet her head as she dropped the carcass at his feet. She leaned into the pet and whined happily, as he found that magic spot behind her ears.


    He showered her in affection, since it was clearly obvious that she enjoyed it, and he figured it was the easiest way to train her. Though he wasn¡¯t sure how much training a video game wolf would need.


    He bent down to inspect her prize, and a cold shiver of fear shot through him. It was a bear cub. He grabbed it and threw it over his shoulder, and spun on his heel turning to sprint up stream as fast as his legs could carry him.


    Where there were bear cubs, there were bear momma¡¯s not far behind. He had no desire to be anywhere near one of those when it found out her cub had just become lunch. Kari kept pace beside him, loping along easily even as he sucked wind like a bellows.


    His legs burned after a few hundred yards, and his back began to scream from the thirty pound cub on his shoulder, but he didn¡¯t dare stop. He sprinted over moss covered stones and dodged low hanging branches, as iron bands wrapped his chest and fire purged his veins.


    He didn¡¯t stop until black spots filled his vision and he was so exhausted that he didn¡¯t care if the bear ate him anymore. He just wanted a full breath of air. So he collapsed like a sack full of grain.


    Kari licked his face as he laid there, her bejeweled eyes wondering why he had grabbed her prize and sprinted off. It took a few minutes for Michael to finally catch his breath, but he finally relaxed and pet Kari, to let her know he was ok.


    ¡°Out of the entire forest, you had to pick a bear cub. Hopefully mom is far away, otherwise we¡¯re going to be killed in our sleep¡± he told her gently. The wolf¡¯s ear¡¯s picked up and she tilted her head as if she was considering his position.


    Michael sighed. There was no way she could understand him, but after two solid days with no friendly human contact it was nice to talk to someone again. Even if she had no idea what was going on.


    Grunting, he rolled up to his knees and pulled his long arrowhead out of his quiver and got to the messy task of skinning the cub. He figured that having done this once would make the next time easier.


    He was wrong. It took nearly a half hour to strip and gut the cub. Michael tossed Kari the heart, liver, lungs, and¡­ parts as he cleaned the animal. She sat perched eagle eyed on his hands as he systematically cut out hunks and threw them to her, licking her chops as the giblets disappeared faster than any magicians trick. She made happy little yowling noises as she caught them midair and scarfed them down.


    Once the carcass was stripped and shanks were roasting merrily away on the fire, Michael finally leaned back and took a breather. Kari took a few sniffs of a kebab, but right as Michael was about to yell at her, she turned and laid down next to him resting her head on his stomach.


    Michael relaxed back into the soft earth in the shade of a large tree, listened to the crackling fire and slowly pet her ears. It wasn¡¯t long before he started to doze. He was about to fall asleep for reals, when the smell of burning meat roused him. Thankfully he was able to snatch the kebabs before they were rendered inedible.


    Quickly scarfing a few bites for himself, he stuffed the rest of the meal into his shirt for later. Forcing himself to his feet, he began stumbling back upstream. Michael was able to put a few more miles behind him before the sun set and he collapsed in a small outcove, not even bothering to light a fire. Kari curled up next to him, and they were both asleep in minutes.


    ********


    The next few days for Michael were a blur of travel and hunting with Kari. She was a gift from Sara herself as far as he was concerned. She was constantly darting off into the woods and bringing back squirrels and raccoons. She was rapidly filling out the muscle in her new frame. Of course with all the new soul power coming to him for free, Michael was able to upgrade Kari twice more. Most of her stats were now in the high three¡¯s from all that rapid fire hunting.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    After two days of hard walking, Michael was able to see a large valley off in the horizon. A huge expanse of grassland ringed by mountains. The river he had been following for the last week was finally at its source; springing from the run off of several snowy caps.


    Michael was rinsing out his shirt in the river, in attempt to dislodge some of the larger pieces of gore and dirt in the heat of the afternoon sun, when Kari suddenly started growling loudly. Abandoning his shirt to the rapid waters, he leaped for his bow just as a fully grown bear lumbered out of the nearby underbrush..


    The thing was massive. He guessed it weighed in at over four hundred pounds. It meandered towards them unconcerned by the seven foot wolf growling and the hunter nocking his arrow. It closed to only a few yards from them and paused to sniff.


    It must not have liked what it smelled because it reared up on its hind legs and let out a bellow that shook the trees. Michael could feel the lizard part of his brain that focused on survival, piss itself and hide. The bear¡¯s teeth were easily longer than his fingers and its paws could easily serve a family sized pizza with room left over for onion rings.


    Kari¡¯s growling quieted as it became more and more obvious that there was no way to get out of this fight. She began strafing to the side of the bear, forcing it to turn its attention towards her. As soon as he thought he could get in a clean shot, Michael loosed with an Aimed Shot right at the base of the bears head. If he was lucky, he hoped he could get it right in the spine and end this fight quickly.


    Luck, however, was a bitch. The bear either ducked at just the right time, or was such a high level that the aimed shot was mitigated. The arrow flew the couple yards between Michael and hit the bear in the back of the skull, stuck there like some sort of pathetic tribal flag on the mountain of doom.


    The good thing was, now he had the bear¡¯s full attention. Deciding survival was better than glory, Michael leaped straight back not even bothering to turn.


    The river was rapid here but shallow. As his feet splashed into the raging water, he landed on slick, moss covered stones and fell. Hard. He felt something in his ankle pop, and his ribs felt like they had they had gone a few rounds with Dwayne Johnson, instead of just some river stone. But a quick glance at his status showed only health points lost. No breaks or anything. He caught his footing a few dozen yards downstream from where he landed, and looked back to see the bear was chasing Kari down river towards him.


    Getting a solid footing, Michael loosed arrow after arrow at the bear. Every single one was an Aimed Shot. His arrows were finding purchase in its shoulders and haunches, one slammed deep into its jaw, but the bear wasn¡¯t even slowing down.


    Time running out, and the seriously pissed off bear getting closer. He decided to go for broke. Pulling out another arrow, he pulled it back to its maximum range, and activated Power Shot.


    He loosed the arrow, which flew straight into the bear¡¯s left shoulder and sunk deep, breaking the joint and shredding several important anatomical features. The bear dropped to the ground roaring in pain as the limb gave out under its bulk.


    Kari took the opportunity to dart in behind it and start mauling at its neck, ripping chunks of fur and muscle out with her teeth. Bellowing in pain and rage, the bear rolled away from the wolf and smacked her with its one working claw.


    Kari went flying into the river, crimson furrows opened on her side and yowling in agony. She splashed down somewhere in the middle of the rapids, and Michael lost sight of her as she went under.


    ¡°Kari!¡± he cried. He wanted to turn and look for her, but he forced his attention to stay on the situation. The bear stood up on its one good arm and heaved itself onto two feet. Its right arm dangled uselessly on its side. If Michael had enough time, chances were that blood loss would win this fight for him. Sadly, the bear was an impatient son of a bitch. It shuffled forward on its hind legs and reared its left paw back to remove Michael¡¯s head from his shoulders.


    Fumbling for the last arrow in his quiver, Michael drew back with every ounce of strength his fear induced muscles could muster, activating power shot one last time. The bow bent back double, the wood twisting and cracking under his grip. He forced more and more power into the bow, the light of Power Shot seeping up the arrow, to engulf the entire bow. When he had no more power to give, and the bear was nearly upon him, he loosed from point blank range.


    As his fingers left the string and the bows natural curve righted itself, the force he had exerted under the strength of power shot, exploded. The power rebounded upon itself, winding its way through the cracks and fissures that he had neglected to mend; until their destructive energy could be contained no longer. With a small sonic boom and a flash of white light, the bow disintegrated. Splinters flew everywhere and burrowing deep into Michael¡¯s hands and face.


    The arrow flew true, and punched a fist sized hole straight into the bear¡¯s chest, right where its heart should be. It should have dropped immediately, but no one informed the bear that it should be dead. Seeing that his weapon was destroyed, the bear dropped back to its one working arm, and hobbled as fast as it could to finish him off. Michael sighed and stood motionless, waiting for death.


    A red blur streaked from the forest and slammed into the bear, knocking it off its feet in with its ferocity. It took Michael a second to make out Kari, as she bit, clawed, and chewed. The bear swiped at her with its meaty paw, but it was too slow to keep up with the enhanced wolf. She was a whirlwind of speed and fangs, darting under the bears blows, always just a hair''s breadth ahead of it. Blood sprayed through the air, the bites she left getting larger each time as she targeted the same vulnerable spots over and over again.


    The bear¡¯s movements became sluggish, and its roars quieter. With one last snarl, Kari darted in, and tore its throat open to pour on the sand below. The bear finally slumped and lay there blinking up at Michael. For a second, he swore that it didn¡¯t look angry, it just looked... sad.


    Then it heaved one last sigh and its eyes clouded over.


    The typical grey mist rose from the corpse of the mighty bear and sunk into Michael¡¯s chest. He blew a huge breath from his lungs, dropping to the sand as exhaustion slammed into him. Hands shaking, he turned to Kari.


    ¡°You magnificent girl. You saved my life!¡± He cheered with a fist pump.


    She glanced at him, and then collapsed into a boneless heap.


    ¡°Kari!¡±


    Michael scrambled over to her and checked. Her side was torn wide open. There were four long gashes that ripped her from stomach to throat. Her intestines were poking out next to her ribs, and there was very dark, almost black blood, pooling from just under her foreleg.


    Michael wasn¡¯t a vet but he new she was in bad shape. She needed healing, now. He quickly checked his soul power and was surprised to see it holding at 200. His last bump in magic must have doubled his storage capacity and the bear must have been worth a lot more. So much more, that he should be dead right now.


    He inspected Kari.


    Kari


    Red Wolf


    Tamed


    Health 12/75


    Effects: Broken bones(-1/s), Internal bleeding(-1/s), Incapacitated(-1/s), Mortal wound(-2/s)


    Your pet is incapacitated and dying, losing -5hp/sec until stabilized or dead.


    Remove effect (cost 5sp)?


    Yes / No?


    Michael knew from experience that it was going to take most of his soul power to heal her health. Especially at the pathetic exchange rate. No he needed to remove the effects first. That cost him 15sp, but mortal wound wouldn¡¯t go away.


    Michael cursed at the game and its damn mechanics. He quickly called up his Healing Fog, and pushed the mist swirling around his hand towards her broken and limp form. Kari whined pathetically, her breaths tinged with a red foam.


    ¡®Damnit! It¡¯s not enough. Hold on. Last time I upgraded her, she went from half heath to completely full. I wonder if that would work again?¡¯


    Wasting no more time, Michael quickly activated her menu and crushed the upgrade button. Immediately, her health went from four to fifty but the mortal wound refused to disappear.


    ¡°Come on, come ON!¡± Michael dumped soul power into upgrades as fast as he could flick through the menus. Her health jumped up and kept rising, but the mortal wound just refused to go away.


    Kari¡¯s tongue lolled out of her mouth, and blood trickled from the corners of her eyes. Her breaths began to slow, as more and more red foam was coughed up in each breath. Michael knew he was running out of time. He smashed the upgrade button again.


    ERROR


    Your pets stats have been maxed out.


    ¡°Oh no you fucking don¡¯t!¡± Michael summoned Healing Fog again, but this time he focused on the energy in his hands. The fog seemed like a light mist as it wafted between his fingers. It was good for most things, but it wasn¡¯t enough this time. He concentrated on the fog, willing it to condense, swirling into a ball of mist that spun rapidly in his palm. The mist thickened, and contracted in on itself, feeling less like mist and more like a spongy ball. The dim green light, grew brighter, as his soul power bar plummeted. Michael dumped a full 100 sp into the spell before it felt like it had stabilized and he pushed it into Kari.


    The spell struck her chest, and resisted briefly. The ball shape, flexed around her chest as if resisting entry, until with gritted teeth, Michael forced the spell in.


    Kari¡¯s red fur began to glow green as the spell infused her flesh. Michael¡¯s hand remained welded to her body, as it drew the last of his SP from him like a vacuum. He watched his last 20 points trickle away, and then watched as his health began to drop. It never even occurred to him to remove his hand from her.


    His health fell, and his limbs began to tremble as his very life was used to fuel the spell. He grew weaker and weaker, but forced his hand to stay on her. She was glowing brightly now, casting a green shadow on the surrounding foliage, and even her eyes were like mini spotlights, shining brightly as they fixed on Michael¡¯s face.


    DING


    You have sacrificed yourself to save the life of your companion, giving your life energy to heal her rather than to let her die. Your actions have unlocked the Soul Bond ability. Soul Bond allows the owner to increase their pet¡¯s strength by removing the stat cap restriction from them, but doubling the cost of investment.


    Would you like to Soul Bond Kari?


    Yes / No


    Stared at the prompt floating above him, barely understanding a word. His health points were rapidly bottoming out, just 12/100 and falling. He only had a few seconds to decide. Quickly glancing at Kari, he saw that her Mortal Wound was still there even though her health was maxed out.


    Gasping ragged breaths, Michael mentally shrugged and whispered, ¡°Yes¡±.


    The light encompassing Kari went off light a supernova, and his health points dropped immediately from 11 to 1/100. He collapsed face first into the sand as the last vestiges of his strength faded away. His eyes stung and watered, blinding spots dancing across his vision. It took a few seconds but his vision slowly returned.


    DING


    You have bonded with: Kari


    Bonds are powerful relationships, forged in times of strong emotion and jointpurpose. Many beings in Iona can be bonded and will aid you in your quest.Your bonded can be augmented with your soul power and grow with you. Becareful. A bond, once created, can only end in death.


    We few, we happy few. We band of brothers. For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.


    DING


    Your bonded has learned a new skill: Lycanthropy


    Activated Ability: Lycanthropy - When activated, Kari can shift her form between human and wolf. With enough practice, she can changed her shape to grow larger or smaller for short periods, and can even hold a specific shape indefinitely. Shifting takes a lot of energy, so plan accordingly.


    Your wolf¡¯s spirit has grown far beyond its normal shell. Kari can now alter her shape at will, and continue to grow with you. Congratulations!


    DING


    You have created a new spell: Healing Touch


    You gather healing energies in your hand that can immediately heal a target for a small amount upon contact.


    Effects 10SP to remove single effect (bleeding, poison, etc). 20SP to remove Mortal Wound.


    Cost: 2SP to restore 1HP, or 1HP to restore 2HP.


    Warning!


    If your health drops to Zero during a heal, you will die.


    Skill: 50/100


    Michael blinked away the prompts and looked over at Kari. He he expected to see his beautiful, heroic wolf. Instead, he saw a short woman curled up on the sand next to him. Her hair was a long, hanging halfway down her back, and the same shaggy red as her fur. Her skin was a golden tan that really stood out from her hair in intriguing ways. There were pink marks on her sides from where the bear¡¯s claws had recently been healed.


    Oh, and she was stark naked.


    She was smaller than he had expected, especially considering she had been a seven foot long wolf just a minutes ago. Was was curled up on the ground so her exact height was hard to guess, but she couldn''t have been more than five foot tall. Her toned stomach rippled with a six pack, muscle fibers cording and flexing with each breath, displaying power that belied her petite frame. Her breasts were magnificent. Her apple sized slopes sat high on her chest, reinforced by the muscle beneath and topped with lovely dark nipples that stood proudly upon her peaks. Her hips flared gracefully, making a small gap between her thighs where the carpet definitely matched the drapes, and her taught rounded ass was a perfect heart shape. Her legs looked longer than they should have been, wrapped tightly in powerful calves and bulging thigh muscles.


    She may have been tiny, and obviously winded form the transformation, but she was built like a powerhouse with not an ounce of fat to be seen. Michael felt his own anatomy stir and take notice of her shape in approval, before he could quickly quash the rising thoughts. Her eyes popped open, long lids fluttering up and out of the way. Her jade eyes sought his and locked his gaze like a steel trap.


    ¡°Thank you, my alpha,¡± she said quietly. Then she promptly passed out.


    Unconsciousness seemed like a great idea to Michael, so he followed her into sweet oblivion.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    Michael awoke what seemed like mere minutes later, but judging by the sun¡¯s position in the sky was probably more like a couple hours. His body slowly came back online, and his brain did an inventory of his limbs; each more painful than the last. By the time his feet registered, Michael was seriously considering amputation as a form of physical therapy.


    He groaned and grunted himself up into a sitting position and took stock of his surroundings. His bow was in a thousand pieces, his shirt was missing, his quiver was empty and nearby there was a huge bear, doing a passable impression of a pin cushion. Not that all those arrows had made a lick of difference.


    Movement caught his eye from the bears stomach. A glimmer of tan flesh and red fur. He sat bolt upright, his weakness and ache suddenly taking a backseat.


    ¡°Kari?¡± His voice trembled.


    A shaggy mane of red hair popped up above the corpse of the bear, attached to a face that was covered in blood. Kari quickly gulped the last of her mouthful, and jade eyes flashing as she met his gaze.


    She quickly rose and bounded over to Michael, leaping nearly eight feet straight up and over the carcass in a single bound. Her face split into a huge grin, made seriously macab by all the blood staining her teeth red, as she tackled him in a hug.


    ¡°Yay! You¡¯re awake,¡± She said as she rubbed her face into his neck, completely ignorant of the mess she was spreading. Her lithe form pressed into his, as she cuddled against him. ¡°You were asleep so long, I was scared,¡± she trailed off sniffling.


    Michael pat her hair gently, trying to ignore the feeling her nakedness against him. Her pert nipples scraping against his bare chest, and her perfect tanned ass against his thigh.


    ¡°Sorry to scare you. I didn¡¯t have much say in the matter. Brain kinda just, shut down.¡± Michael checked his status and saw that in the few hours he had rested, his health has been completely restored. Didn¡¯t seem to slow down the soreness he currently felt though. ¡®Have to ask Sara about that, next time I see her.¡¯


    Michael eyed Kari¡¯s petite little form. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve had an upgrade though. How¡¯d that happen? Were you always a girl trapped as a wolf?¡±


    Kari¡¯s head popped up from his shoulder, and licked some of the blood from her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I remember you saving me in the clearing, and then traveling along the river. The bear attacked and all I could think was ¡®Grrr!¡¯.¡± Her brow furrowed, eyebrows drawing together in a look of confusion. ¡°I remember getting hurt, and then getting angry. I saw you standing there as the bear ran at you, and getting angry again.¡±


    She looked up at Michael from her spot on his chest. ¡°The next thing I remember was this feeling of cold. Every hurt. I couldn¡¯t breathe. I was so scared. But then there you were, and you touched me. Your hands were so warm. I felt the warmth fill me, surround me.¡± Kari¡¯s eyes glassed over, and she shivered. ¡°It was the best thing I¡¯ve ever felt. Then you were standing above me, looking so strong. I lost my alpha, and I¡¯ve been scared ever since. When I saw you standing there like that, I felt¡­ safe. I knew you would take care of me.¡±


    Kari sniffled and tears fell from her eyes. She shook and curled up against him, sobbing quietly. Michael was very uncomfortable. He had never been good with women that didn¡¯t take cash by the half hour. His last serious relationship was eight years ago, and he hadn¡¯t improved in talking to normal women, nevermind nude werewolf girls.


    Michael hugged her quivering form to his chest, and searched for anything he could say to help. Her tears ended abruptly, and she sat straight up.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot! We killed the bear. Are you hungry?¡± Michael opened his mouth to respond, but she was already off, tearing out chunks of bear with her bare hands. Kari ran back over to him with a large slab of still bleeding meat. ¡°Here! Eating time for my Alpha.¡± She said with a giant smile on her face.


    Michael¡¯s stomach did a few flips as he eyes the raw piece of meat. . ¡°No, that¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll get a fire going and cook some of that, then we can enjoy it.¡±


    Kari¡¯s face fell. ¡°You don¡¯t like it? I did bad?¡± Her shoulders slumped, and she was the very picture of dejection.


    ¡°No! No no, that¡¯s not it at all! I just like it better cooked.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Cooked? With the fire?¡± Kari¡¯s head tiled exactly like it did when she was a wolf. ¡°But why? You must eat it fresh. Fresh meat makes you big and strong. My alpha must be strong!¡±


    That was the second time she had called him her alpha in the span of a minute. ¡°Your alpha? What does that mean? I¡¯m not a wolf, and certainly not an alpha.¡±


    She nodded insistently, red hair bouncing over her exposed shoulders. ¡°Yes, yes you are. You saved my life. I¡¯m yours. I will hunt for you and protect you forever.¡± She nodded emphatically, punctuating her statements. Her face was set in stone, and her jade eyes flashed as she met his gaze. Her shoulders squared as she brooked no argument.


    Michael chuckled. Kari¡¯s mind warbled between childlike enthusiasm, and stalwart determination. It was like a child who would kick his ass and had the body of an olympic gymnast. It launched a whole cascade of confusing thoughts and emotions.


    ¡°Just because I saved you doesn¡¯t mean you belong to me. I healed you because you saved me, and because it was the right thing to do. I would heal anyone who needed my help.¡±


    Kari smiled. ¡°Exactly! You take care of me. You will take care of others. You¡¯re my alpha.¡± She ripped a hunk of meat off her slab and shoved it in his face. ¡°I take care of you too. Eat. Get strong.¡±


    She smeared blood all over his face as she tried to wedge the piece of bear into his mouth. Michael nearly fell over, trying to lean away from it.


    ¡°Wait. Wait! Let me cook it first.¡± He tried to bat her hand away but it was like smaking a steel pipe. She barely twitched, and just shoved the meat in his mouth despite his protesting.


    ¡°There! You eat. You will like it. I eat this, then we get more and eat more. Get big, strong, and fat.¡± She dove into the rest of the slab she was holding, tearing off huge chunks with her teeth and wolfing them down.


    Michael quietly spit out the piece she had shoved in his mouth and chucked it in the river. He staggered to his feet and cast about for fallen wood. Kari was wrong about the cooking method, but she was right that he needed to eat. His stomach chose just then to growl in agreement.


    It didn''t take him long to start a fire, and with Kari¡¯s help, cutting off enough meat to make kebabs was much faster than before. Soon he had several spits roasting with enough meat for the next several days.


    ¡°That¡¯s done, but now I have no way to carry it.¡± Michael looked at the stream. Last he saw his shirt, it was being washed downstream. The water was deep and rapid, with nearly twenty feet from one side to the other. It took him nearly an hour to track it down. Fortunately a root jutted out into the water, where the bank had washed away, and the shirt was snagged on it.


    ¡°Great.¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Means we can carry spare food, and stretch our supply.¡± Kari ear¡¯s seemed to cock in his direction as he grumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry my alpha. I¡¯m good at hunting, I will hunt for you. We will be strong.¡±


    Michael smiled at her. She wasn¡¯t the sharpest spoon in the drawer, but based on the last couple days travel she was certainly a good hunter. He handed her the shirt to wear. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was certainly better than being a walking distraction.


    ¡°Thank you my alpha¡± she said, a huge grin splitting her face, and she nearly vibrated with pleasure at his gratitude.


    Michael sat next to the fire, watching Kari tear into the bears carcass and waiting for his own meal to cook. She devoured her meal at a ravenous pace, which surprised him. It wasn¡¯t as if he had been starving her for the last few days. He wondered if her metabolism was higher than normal because of the healing. Or perhaps because the change from being a werewolf.


    He watched her go to town. After a few minutes he saw her begin to pant, and she began rubbing her tight stomach that was bulging with food. With a final groan, she finally sat back on her haunches.


    ¡°You were that hungry?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Oh no. I¡¯ve been full for a while. I haven¡¯t eaten this much since I was a pup. I just wanted it.¡± She groaned again, looking a bit green around the gills. ¡°I feel sick.¡±


    Michael threw back his head and laughed. Apparently she wasn¡¯t quite free of the animalistic instincts that ruled a wolf¡¯s every thought and action.


    ¡®So it¡¯s not just the ¡°alpha¡± thing. She is still pretty much a wolf, just in human clothing.¡¯


    Kari moaned and rubbed her stomach. She waddled over to him and lay down next to the fire, and putting her head in his lap as her stomach gurgled and churned.


    ¡°Sleepy time.¡± she murmured against his thigh.


    Michael scratched her head gently, and played with her hair a bit. She crooned softly and was asleep in seconds. Michael stared off into the fire and let his mind wander. He thought about the game. He had been logged in for four days now, and that was a lot longer than he had originally planned. Not that he was complaining, but he longed for a shower. Doing some quick math in the dirt, he figured that at 16x speed, he was about six hours logged in real time. That was halfway to his twelve hour timer. That gave him eight days total before he had to take a break and the mandatory twelve hour lockout.


    He sat back and looked up at the sunset. A dozen moons already filled the sky, their atmospheres displaying vibrant colors ranging from a golden all the way through the spectrum to a virulent purple.


    ¡°There are worse ways to spend a vacation¡± he said as he enjoyed the celestial display. ¡°Beautiful countryside, beautiful view,¡± Kari snorted in her sleep, leg kicking gently. ¡°Make that a gorgeous view.¡± Michael said taking in her curves again, studying her flawless skin from her feet to her ears, and pausing for a few seconds on the middle bits.


    He laid back on the sand, pillowing his head in his arms. ¡°Definitely. Best vacation ever.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    Michael woke much earlier than he usually did. The sun wasn¡¯t even completely up yet and the sky was just beginning to lighten from the deep navy blue of pre-dawn. Something tickled his ear as he laid there, and caused him to jerk his head.


    Kari lay next to him snoring gently. Her mouth must have been right on his ear and tickled him awake. He tried to extricate himself from her, but she wrapped herself around him like a snake. The world¡¯s softest boa constrictor. His movements woke her and she stared up at him, blinking sleepily.


    ¡°Good morning Kari¡± he said with a smile on his face, and a quick scratch on her head.


    ¡®Just pretend you¡¯re up early on purpose. Maybe she¡¯ll think you¡¯re responsible like that. Wait. No that¡¯s a terrible idea. When she thinks that, she¡¯ll expect that, and let¡¯s be honest there¡¯s no way you can keep that up for more than a few minutes. Sooner or later you¡¯re going to do something really, really stupid and she¡¯ll be confused. No, it¡¯s better to just set the bar low now.¡¯


    ¡°Good morning my alpha!¡± Kari stretched languidly, the shirt she was wearing riding up her form to reveal her lovely thighs, and closely trimmed pubic hair. Michael tried to avert his eyes, but that small patch of red fur was like a magnet, daring his eyes with promises of hidden treasures. ¡°You¡¯re up awful early. A big strong man like you must always rise early. All the better to hunt while your prey is tired.¡±


    ¡®Fucking damnit!¡¯


    ¡°Actually Kari, I normally sleep in, but something woke me up. It¡¯s almost dawn so I figured I¡¯d get an early start.¡±


    Kari nodded and stood, brushing the dirt out of her hide shirt and the leaves out of her hair. ¡°That¡¯s wise.¡±


    Michael shook his head to clear it, and deliberately turned away from Kari rubbing her hands over the shirt and the lovely body beneath it. It wasn¡¯t her fault that he was so hard up. He thought back to his last encounter and realized that it had been almost a year since he had gotten any.


    ¡®Come on. Focus!¡¯


    He set about breaking down camp and preparing for the day¡¯s journey. After tending to nature''s call, he set about looking for a replacement for his bow. He was able to find a stick that was the appropriate length, and still slightly green. It must have been knocked down by the bear as it trampled through the forest.


    Some light trimming with the sharp edges of a rock that he had smashed, quickly turned it into a straight bow, not unlike the old English or Japanese longbows. Albeit much shorter. He was able to salvage the tendon from the bear¡¯s leg to use as a string, and with a few more notches, the bow was complete.


    DING


    You have learned a new skill: Crafting


    With careful insight, and a steady hand, you can craft items to aid you along your quest.


    From shoes to sex bots, the limit is only your imagination.


    DING


    You have created: Primitive Bow


    Ranged weapon made from salvaged wood and bear tendon. Does STR+AGI damage


    It¡¯s better than a sharp stick, but not by much.


    Michael grinned. ¡®Woohoo! Crafting is a thing. I should download some engineering eBooks. I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s a zombie survival guide that would come in real handy right about now. It¡¯s a shame this bow sucks. It does even less damage than the last one. Is it because it¡¯s made out of inferior materials?¡¯


    Then an idea struck him. At first, he dismissed it out of hand, but the more he thought about it the more he figured why not. He quickly gathered up pieces for a second bow. He shaved the stick as smooth as he could, and carefully notched it. Then as he put the finishing touches on it, he reached for that swirling energy in his chest.


    The crackling storm flowed eagerly into his arms, and down into the weapon. The white glow infused the bow and outlining the grooves and channels he had scored with his pathetic tool. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as the magic was happy to flow over the weapon, but refused to sink into it.


    His hands tightened with the strain, and his jaw clenched as he tried to force the soul power into the bow, but he felt like something was missing. He quickly thought back to al the other times he had created a spell, and realized that power itself wasn¡¯t enough. It needed direction. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    So he concentrated, pushing all of his thoughts towards the bow¡¯s power. He imagined it drawn taught and then the arrow punching through an armored knight. He held the image in his mind, and shoved. There was an audible snap as the energy finally sank into the wood and disappeared.


    DING


    You have created: Primitive Bow of Power


    Ranged weapon made from salvaged wood and bear tendon, but enchanted with a power boost by Michael. Does (2xSTR)+AGI damage


    You made a thing! It¡¯s not a very powerful thing, but look at you go!


    DING


    You have created: Enchanting


    Using your own soul as fuel, you can modify physical items to hold magical traits.


    Now we¡¯re talking. Sword of Truth here we come!


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Michael pumped his fist in the air, causing Kari to jump. ¡°Sorry, but I just made this! How cool is that?¡±


    Kari looked at him confused. ¡°The bow? I saw, but why did it glow?¡±


    He grinned wildly, and did a little dance, flexing and posing for some unseen crowd. He turned back to Kari and handed it to her. ¡°Because I enchanted it. Now this bow will do more damage than a normal one! Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    Kari took the bow and looked it up and down, then handed it back. ¡°Ah kay. When are we going hunting? I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Michael¡¯s smile faded as the magnificence of his discovery was completely lost on her. ¡®She doesn''t get it, but this opens up so many opportunities. I wonder how far the game system will let me ¡°invent¡± and how much is pre-programmed. Nizhoni said that magic was an abomination, so I doubt there are any enchanting teachers nearby either. Damn, what I would give for a civilization.¡¯


    ¡°Hello! You¡¯re pretty.¡± Kari said, looking over Michael¡¯s shoulder. He turned to see Sara sitting near the embers of this morning¡¯s fire warming her hands.


    ¡°I knew you were special Michael, I knew it from the very first time you sent an inquiry email about Iona¡¯s release date. What I didn¡¯t know, was how special you are.¡± Sara turned her head, and her blue eyes locked on his. They were deep emerald blue pools, that he wanted to sink into and be lost in forever. Even the way her blond hair cascaded casually over her shoulder stirred things deep within Michael.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come here to warn you Michael¡± she continued, ignoring his obvious staring. ¡°You¡¯ve made a discovery that neither you, nor the world is ready for yet. Magic spells exist already in the world, and yours can be lost in the background static as people cast them all over the world. Infusing magic into an item though. You are the first of your kind to invent such a weapon. Your bow shines like a beacon against the fog of this world, and all the gods can see it. There are gods that will fear your power, fear what you will become, and you¡¯ve just told them where to find you.¡±


    She rose from her place near the fire and came to stand over Michael. ¡°I cannot protect you for long my hero, but I will give you my blessing.¡± Gently she laid a hand on his chest, and he felt a searing pain as her hand burned his chest. He cried out as the smell of his flesh hit his nose. There was a blur of red as Kari rushed to his side, snarling and baring her teeth.


    As fast as the pain had come, it vanished. It didn¡¯t fade or lessen. It just suddenly wasn¡¯t there. Sara stepped back and eyed her work, nodding to herself. Michael looked down, and where she had placed her hand there was now a raw print. A fresh scar, bright red, in the shape of her hand. It looked as if it had only just begun to heal, and still had a long way to go.


    ¡°The people of this world will ignore that mark, but it will show the gods that you are under my protection.¡± She met his eyes again, and held them. ¡°It will not last, my hero. As the wound fades, so will my protection. When it is gone completely, the gods will come after you. Their minions are under no such obligation though, so they will surely come after you. I suggest you prepare yourself.¡± She shook her head sadly, then looked off into the forest. ¡°I had hoped you had more time before you caught their attention. Be strong my champion. Be wary, for they will come in the dead of the night, dressed in everything you¡¯ve ever wanted.¡±


    With that she simply vanished. Once second she was standing in front of Michael looking to the east, and the next she was just...gone.


    Michael jumped as a hand touched him. While he wasn¡¯t looking Kari had snuck up next to him and gently touched the scar on his chest.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Her face was worried, looking right on the edge of tears.


    Michael shook his head. ¡°Not really. It stung when she did it, but it doesn¡¯t really hurt now. Kinda tingles actually.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Kari¡¯s golden eyes met his. ¡°If she had hurt you, I would have torn her throat out and eaten her heart.¡±


    Michael was a little taken aback. ¡°You would go fight a god for me?¡± he asked. She nodded her head and curled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, gently rubbing her firey mane.


    ¡°I would fight all of them, my alpha.¡± She looked up at him, eyes glistening with unshed tears. ¡°When she touched you and you cried out, I was so scared that I would lose another alpha. I don¡¯t care if she is a god, if she ever touches you again, I will kill her.¡±


    She gently kissed the scar, trailing her lips over the individual lines of the fingers, and then placing one last kiss right in the middle of the palm. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll be here forever?¡± She laid her head back on his chest, and her arms snaked around him, crushing his ribs in a hug.


    Michael kissed the top of her head, and hugged her back. ¡°I promise.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    It took a few minutes for Kari to calm down. Michael was surprised at her reaction, but figured it had only been a few days since her last alpha was brutally murdered, she must still be pretty raw. Once she had detached herself from him and scrubbed her face, they set off, following the river upstream. They had only traveled a couple miles when the trees began to thin, the trees spreading further and further apart, until they stopped entirely. The forest gave way to a grasslands that stretched for miles in every direction, until the horizon curved up, and became a mountain range that stretched from the northwest to the southeast. The river he had been following joined several other streams that came off the mountains from snow melt, and joined in ever increasing branches until eventually becoming the river itself.


    The spot where two of the largest runoff¡¯s met, there was a large, flat, swell in the land; forming a sort of bluff overlooking the valley. It was easy to see why the tribes would choose that location for their annual gatherings. Sadly, the space was empty except for the dirt and torn grass that marked where they had been a couple months ago.


    Michael surveyed the plateau looking for any lingering signs of life. Any at all. When he found none, he began to lose heart. He had already been traveling for days and he still hadn¡¯t reached civilization. There wasn¡¯t a village or town to be seen for miles.


    He sat on the grass and contemplated his options. Kari came over and sat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She nuzzled him gently, as her eyes watched him curiously. The plains were likely to be mostly free of wild game, which meant he would begin to get very hungry. He would also be exposed to the elements until he could reach the mountains and find a cave. The base of the nearest mountain looked to be at least twenty miles away. About an entire day¡¯s traveling.


    The forest ran up to the mountain range to his east. Rather than walking the plains, Michael figured it would be a better idea to stick to the forest for now until he got to the mountains and then he could decide what to do. Perhaps he could climb up it a bit and get a good view of the surrounding areas and see smoke.


    He turned to Kari. ¡°Hey, what do you think we should do? If we go into the plains we won¡¯t have food or shelter. If we get into the mountains over there, where they meet the forest, we should have food and shelter. If we are extra special lucky, maybe there will even be people.¡±


    Kari cocked her head and considered him. ¡°You are looking for people? Why? People are nasty.¡±


    Michael nodded. ¡°I need to find people so I can get some gear and training. I was hoping there would be a city here, but...nope.¡±


    She shook her head, red hair waving behind her . She turned walked a few paces west, following the forest away from the mountains. She sniffed the air, then turned looking back at him.


    ¡°There are no people over in the mountains, but I can smell humans over this way my alpha.¡± She gestured the opposite direction, west and back in the forest a bit.


    Michael gestured back towards the mountains. ¡°Nizhoni told me they would be near the plains beneath the mountains. Where you¡¯re going is nothing but more...plains.¡±


    Kari grinned and bounced on her heels, grinning like an idiot. ¡°Trust me my alpha. I don¡¯t know what this Nizhoni said, but there are people that way. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty, after you then.¡±


    Kari turned on her heel and headed back into the forest, with Michael following diligently behind. Instead of his normal lumbering, stumbling pace, Kari seemed to always find a game trail or flat path that wound through the trees. No more crawling over boulders to try and make his way, now they could go around the obstacles.


    With their pace doubled, it didn¡¯t take long until Michael began to smell smoke. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Thank god we didn¡¯t go my way. I had no idea they were this close.¡±


    ¡°I did not know where you were going my alpha. I could have taken you there very quickly. I¡¯m good at this. Next time I¡¯ll do better and make sure I ask more questions to understand better.¡± She nodded emphatically.


    In another couple miles, the forest opened up into what was obviously a man made clearing. Dozens of huts clustered in the field as children and horses lounged and played in the tall grass.


    A trio of hunters caught sight of him as soon as he cleared the trees and walked out to meet him, spears held loose but ready.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± Michael waved and shouted, doing his level best to not repeat the last tribes introduction. ¡°The goddess Sara sent me. I¡¯d like to talk to your Spirit Guide or Cheif¡±.


    As the men got closer one of them called back. ¡°Our Spirit Guide is away on journey. Chief Mitsu is in his tent. We will show you the way.¡±


    ¡°My thanks.¡± Michael nodded his head and gestured for them to lead him. He expected someone to ask about Kari, but apparently her state of half dress didn¡¯t seem to bother the hunters. Michael caught them stealing glances at her toned legs a couple of times. He started to get jealous, but then shrugged.


    ¡®If I was in their position I would probably do the same. They can look, just no touching¡¯


    Michael walked through the encampment and noticed that, although it was at least twice as large, the village was virtually identical to the last one. The same style of huts, bonfire pits with log seating, people milling around holding spears or woven baskets. There were little differences though. Each hut was unique in its paintings, and the spears were all different sizes and had different ornamentation. Some had feathers, some had bones, but no two were identical.


    Kari pointed at various objects and people and asked excited questions. Apparently this was the first time she had been in a human¡¯s village without a specific objective or fear of being shot. When she saw some tent matron painting a bowl, she nearly lost her mind and asked a dozens of questions about paint and how to give color to things.


    When Michael finally arrived at the long hut that was clearly the chief¡¯s tent, he saw a giant of a man sitting out front whittling away at what appeared to be a deer skull, making small decorative carvings in it. He looked up at their approach.


    ¡°Well now, who is this. A stranger to our village? Most unusual. I am chief Mitsu. Tell me strangers, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I am Michael, chief Mitsu. I come in peace, and on a mission from the goddess Sara. She has bid me to learn more about the people of this world. I seek a city told to me by Nizhoni, a Spirit guide from the south. She said there was a great tribe of many thousands in the north near the plains, and I should seek them.¡±


    The giant, listened quietly and then put his carving to the side. He rose to his feet, making Michael take a half step back. The man was absolutely huge. Each arm was the size of his leg, and corded with muscle.


    He had never felt particularly small or fat, but Iona had a way of making even his digital form look pathetic.


    ¡°Nizhoni. That old bat still lives? I swear even death herself is afraid of getting scolded by her. Honestly I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re here in one piece. She usually takes trophies from wandering vagrants like you. An ear here or perhaps a finger.¡±


    He stared at the side of Michael¡¯s head, making sure he had both his ears. ¡°Since you¡¯ve made it in one piece, I imagine you did something that impressed her. Tell me boy, what did you do to stay her wrath?¡±


    Michael shrugged and said, ¡°I killed the spider queen in the forest near her village.¡±


    A gasp went up from the nearby eavesdroppers, and even the hunters around him took a step back. The chief¡¯s eyes went from mildly wary to downright shocked.


    ¡°You killed the spider queen? How? She is a mighty beast, and you are small and pale.¡± he said gesturing to Michael¡¯s chest. Despite having been wandering through the woods for the last few days, he didn¡¯t seem to be tanning very quickly. He idly wondered if that was a game setting somewhere.


    Kari bounced up and down on her toes and latched onto his arm. ¡°He killed her because he is the best warrior in the world. He even saved me from hunters¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about being the best,¡± Michael quickly cut in. ¡°I actually just got lucky. Right as the spider queen was about to bite my head off, I shoved a spear in her mouth. She impaled herself really.¡±


    The chief¡¯s eyes wandered back and forth between the two, taking in Michael¡¯s lithe form and Kari¡¯s short size. He nodded.


    ¡°It takes a strong man to kill the spider queen, and a humble one to admit it was on accident.¡± The chief¡¯s face split into a mighty grin. ¡°I like you Michael. Come. Eat. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry. Let us talk of the forest, and your journey. Perhaps we can share knowledge.¡±


    Michael let out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±