《Life in the Aftermath》


 The Beginning

    "It all started one day in the summer of 2012. Fanatics were losing their minds all the while spouting off at every street corner about the end of the world. Me and my mom and dad were going to the movies and to spend the day together since my dad finally had a day off after a week of working and being called in. I forget what movie we were going to see.... Not like it mattered anymore after what happened."


    A man said while sitting in a semi comfortable chair that had been sat on by a few too many people to really be tip top. His brown hair short but not too short and combed back, his beard braided with what look like beads and separated into three strands. He sat in the chair for a few seconds in silence as the memories of what happened 10 years ago pass through his mind like a shattered mirror.


    "And what happened exactly Mr. James .... Frough? Anyways just to remind you we need this information to continue your processing." Said a woman in a white lab coat as she sat across from the man, now known as James, with her legs crossed and a pen tapping impatiently against a clipboard in her hands. She kept her eyes trained on James but her eyes held a look of boredom as this was not the last participant she had to interview today and she was just wanting to finish this and take her break.


    "We never made it to the movies.... I was playing a game in the backseat and wasn''t paying attention to what was going on outside but it sounded like glass breaking almost, That''s what made me look in front of us and out towards a weird looking hole that was just in mid-air. It wasn''t attached to anything, just... Just floating there. Mom slammed on the brakes and we came to a screeching halt right in front of the thing. I heard the same screeching sound all around us as the other cars on the road did the same."


    "Dad told my mom to back up and turn around because he had a bad feeling but we were blocked in by the cars around us. He had us leave the car and start running away from it but when we got a few feet away that''s when IT came out....."


    "IT? Mr. Frough the reports from that city listed a class 1 at best that appeared on D-Day. The strongest Monster that appeared was an Ogre General in the heart of L.A., Your cities government only reported a few class 1 ''IDP'' that appeared. With those only spawning at most a few hordes of Goblins and Trolls, So what exactly was IT Mr. Frough?" The woman''s tapping became even more rapid as her patience was running thin.


    "Well I don''t know about anywhere else but what came out of that ''IDP'' as you call it, was a nightmare! I started to hear screaming and turned around only to see a huge red eyed that looked like a lizards looking through the damn portal! Then a giant clawed hand came through and with a swipe it destroyed everything within a dozen feet of the portal with ease. Like-Like it was fucking paper!!"


    "Calm down sir or I will call security."


    The man instantly started to try and breathe and calm down as he placed his hand to his chest and felt his heart beating just remembering that dreadful experience.


    "I''m sorry, Ahem, My mom screamed and my dad picked me up and threw me over his shoulder as they started running faster away from the thing. But my dad threw me so that I was watching the portal the whole time. I know he wasn''t thinking about it but I saw as people died bloddy and screaming.... Cars were sent flying with every swipe..... Then smaller things started to appear from the portal. They looked like red bipedal lizards and... and they were laughing as they appeared..."


    "Laughing? You mean you saw Lizardmen? But they only come in Blues and Greens... I''ve never heard of a red species before." This time the woman spoke with a subtle tone of excitement as she jotted this down.


    "Continue."


    "Like I said they were laughing as they appeared. they were even pointing at the people who were smashed or the cars that were torn apart. They were laughing up until some kind of rumble came through the portal and it was like a switch for the things. They went from laughing to serious and started to search what cars weren''t destroyed or out of reach of the massive hand with weapons like spears and swords that glowed different colors. Anytime they found a person still alive they would kill it and then throw the body back into the portal... Most of them anyways.... Some of them they would devour in a group like some kind of afternoon snack before resuming the search."


    "We never stopped running but that only brought the attention of the creatures to us and I watched as the monsters started running after us. We got to a convenience store with people running inside and we got inside just as the doors were being shut and locked and the people that worked inside closed the security gates aswell. The Lizardmen stopped and looked at the glass doors and the iron security gate for a few seconds before they started laughing again...."


    "All it took was for one of the Lizardmen to punch the glass and it shattered, then a slash of a sword later and the iron gate melted away into a pool of hot metal on the floor. Then a ear piercing sound rang out as a couple of the people apparently had guns and they shot at the monsters."


    "If it was the blue or green variants than that would only piss them off while dealing minimal damage at most."


    "That''s exactly what happened, the monsters yelled and started killing everyone infront of them in a frenzy. By this time me and my family had made our way into the back of the store while my dad, mom and me were all gathering some supplies and throwing it into a hand baskets. The building had a secondary exit and we left through there just as the killing started. We were able to get away from the monsters and made it a few blocks away before we ran into trouble again."


    The woman only looked at the man with a look that said to keep talking. She was interested but her interest was starting to dwindle again.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "This time we ran into Goblins. They were fighting against a squad of soldiers. Thankfully the guns were effective against the little green bastards, We hid in a nearby car as the soldiers killed every last one before we got out and went up to them. My dad had us stay behind and he went up to talk to a man that met him as the others started looking around for more monsters. After a few minutes of talking he waved us over and they let us stay with them in exchange for sharing some of the supplies we got from the store. We stayed with them for a few months after that, hiding from the monsters and taking our chances with supply runs when we could. It wasn''t until after a few of the soldiers died that we heard of people fighting back with strange powers when we were trading with a passing group one day."


    "Ah, the ¡°Gifted¡±, reports shown that the earliest Gifted appeared the very same day. I wonder how you or anyone in your group lasted so long without one of you developing powers? Did none of you encounter one of the corpses that was killed? During the early days that was the only way that a person could have gained a power and become a Gifted."


    "There were some of the soldiers that wanted to, but the head guy called Hector forbid it, stating that they couldn''t know if it was toxic or not. But that lasted only so long especially after hearing about people fighting with powers, My dad sneaked off one night with a machete he found and he was able to kill a lone goblin... He didn''t win without injuries and came back without his left arm... He got into a fight with Hector after he was dressed up and had a chance to rest but Hector stopped when dad pulled out a small white stone from his pocket. By then they had completely run out of ammo and were fighting with whatever they could find, so to find something like this made Hector nervous but at the same time he wanted to find more to strengthen his men."


    "So he was able to get a Magic stone on his first kill? That is some luck your father has."


    "Had...."


    "Oh.... I''m sorry."


    "It''s fine. He gained the power to control a small flame almost overnight and that helped for a few more weeks and we started to gather more and more supplies, but nobody was encountering anymore monsters. It was like they invaded us for a few months and then suddenly disappeared, if only we could have known that they were just biding their time to make sure the portals were stabilized...."


    James leaned his head down and covered his eyes with his hands as a silent sob wracked his body. After a minute he gathered his wits and breathed out shakily.


    "We were out on a supply run when it happened. We ran out of places to find food and were searching damn near any building that seemed like it would have supplies by this point, and while crossing a street a rumble shook the ground, and we ran to hide and waited to see what it was. Later I found out that a goblin portal had stabilized in the basement of the building we had decided to hide in and in our hurry to hide nobody thought to look around or make sure the building was safe.... We didn''t realize how screwed we were until one of the soldiers was stabbed through the back with a knife and another was shot in the neck with some kind of needle. The basement door was close to where we hunkered down, and we didn''t even see it coming until it was too late."


    "My mom and me were shoved into a supply closet by dad as they fought the goblins but soon it got quiet. Mom opened the door slowly and gasped with her hands covering her mouth, She didn''t stop me as I looked out but I wish I hadn''t..... The soldiers were all dead except Hector and my dad. There had to be at least 10 goblins all gathered around Dad and Hector as they were on their knees bleeding heavily. A larger goblin appeared from the basement and the smaller ones knelt down like an important figure just arrived. That goblin walked up to the two of them and started speaking in some weird language before chuckling and stabbing my dad in the shoulder with some kind of jagged knife out of nowhere, He did the same to Hector as my dad was yelling in pain and then it tasted their blood.... Me and mom were both so scared that we couldn''t move or do anything, I tried to move, tried to do anything to help my dad but my body just wouldn''t listen to me....."


    "M-my.... My mom was the one to move, and she ran towards the goblins with a broken broom stick... Haha, she even managed to stab one in the back of the neck. But that was it before the big one grabbed her and threw her down at my dad..... This time it didn''t stab the shoulder, but instead I watched as this FUCKING THING Stabbed MY MOM IN THE HEART!...... After that I just remember a bright red flash as I was thrown back into the room and slammed against the back wall and passed out. I woke up some time later and left the room only to find remains left of the goblins, and my parents..."


    "What about Hector? Did he survive?" The woman was now enthralled by this story and was leaning forward as she was sucked into the story.


    "He did, my dad had pushed him out of the way and he had actually fallen down the stairs to the basement before I guess my dad blew himself up and everything else with him. Hector found me in the center of ashes holding onto a piece of fabric I recognized as my moms... I don''t know how it survived the fire but I held onto that piece for dear life.... Ahem. After Hector bandaged himself up I helped him limp along till we were far away from that place, and that''s when we were picked up by a roving military group that had orders to rescue any possible survivors while on supply runs. Since then Me and Hector have traveled together for 5 years then he found a wife and had a baby, She should actually be turning 5 sometime today and I was hoping to surprise them with my Hunters certification at the party."


    James wiped away the tears in his eyes and his cheeks as he stared at the woman. For a moment all she did was stare back before she wiped away a tear that had gotten loose.


    "Thank you for telling your story, and I''m sorry for your loss. However, I would consider this part of the procedure a success on your part and now we can move onto the next part. If you follow me to the next room, we will get you setup on the machine that will stimulate your energy pathways and grant you the power to hunt."


    In the next room James lay down on a medical bed that was attached to a circular chamber with a large glowing blue stone in the center of it. After a few moments of making sure everything was good and connected, the woman left the room and appeared behind a glass window and after pressing a few keys on a keyboard the machine came to life and James was enclosed while the power radiating from the stone was absorbed by his body.


    At first it was fine, and he didn''t feel anything but a slight tingle. But as seconds turned to minutes that tingle worsened and became an excruciating stab into every nerve in his body. Inside the room, the woman was rushing to stop the procedure as blaring sound rang out and on the screen was a big Exclamation mark and the vital signs of James was reaching a critical point! She stopped it in time and with the help of a few people that came rushing into the procedure room, they pulled James out and wheeled him into a recovery room nearby.


    "This is horrible! This man gave me a story that sounded like the makings of a hero.... but come to find out he can barely pass as a porter for low class IDP.... Such a disappointment, go ahead and print out his registration card... He at least passed with enough power to classify as a Gifted from now on..." The woman sighed before walking out and back to trudging through her long list of applicants for the day.

 Waking up

    I woke up groggy and with a headache that felt like it could split the earth in half, I could see the sun shining even with my eyes fully closed and that did not help whatsoever... I groaned as I turned over and was welcomed with a body wide ache that a person would only get after working out hardcore for a couple hours, I felt sore and hungover but I couldn''t remember drinking at all last night? I remembered going to take my Gifted test to finally become one after so long as a normal human....... !!!!!!


    I jolted up with eyes wide dispite the pain it caused me as I looked myself over with excitement! Only to slouch when nothing new changed about me... I''ve seen some Gifted with wings like dragons or some with angel wings, some had taken on the appearance of animals aswell as demons. I remember it caused a huge clusterfuck when the first guy came out with a different appearance, he came out with red skin the was cracked and looked like it flowed with lava, he had horns that shot up like lightning bolts from his forehead and batlike wings.... I mean full on demon lord type shit.


    Since that happened the Gifted were classified into 2 branches. First being the Gifted plain and simple, but the second is referred to as the Altered Gifted. Those are the ones that have absorbed so much of the energy from the IDP or Interdimensional Portals, that their bodies had to transform in order to fully utilize the energy that was welling up within them.


    I looked around and realized that I wasn''t at home in my bed. Where the hell was I? I remember passing the psych eval and then was led to the machine that is the standard for becoming Gifted. Did I pass out? Oh shit does that mean I failed in becoming Gifted!? Wait no... I feel the soreness that everybody says happens the day after they go through it and succeed. But then why did I pass out?


    About that time I heard the door open and saw as the woman from yesterday walk in. She was still carrying that clipboard but she didn''t look happy to see me or atleast she was happy that I was awake..... Maybe?


    "How are you feeling Mr. Frough? I was surprised when you passed out mid procedure and was worried that you would die from the exposure.... This unfortunately is not that uncommon... But it looks like you came through just fine." She said with a barely passable smile.


    "Ughhh... Hey doc, listen I feel like I just got ran over by a 18-wheeler so let''s go ahead and skip the formalities and half assed pleasantries. I know I passed because I feel like shit, but why did I pass out? I''ve never heard of that happening before."


    The doctor looked a bit annoyed but she sighed and sat down on a nearby chair and gave me a copper color plastic card.....


    I looked at her with eyes that didn''t believe what was happening. This color was only for the lowest of the low... E rank. I looked between the card she handed me and her looking for any signs that this might be a joke, but no such luck.


    "I''m sorry, But your body just couldn''t handle a bigger dose of the radiation required for a higher grade. If I left you in that machine that you could have very well have died from over exposure."


    "... I understand... Can I go home now?" I was defeated. I was hoping to get a high grade and start working for huge guild and make enough money to repay Hector and his family for everything they did for me up until this point... I was the only one without any powers in the family, Hell even little Julie was showing signs of developing a power and she was only 5! Ofcourse what do you expect when your the child of a rank B Father and a rank C mother....


    "Yes you can but first we need to make sure your system is in working order, if you could just call it up for me please?" The Doctor asked and she readied her clipboard.


    Oh yea! I forgot, around the time that the scientists had discovered how to utilize the Energy produced from the IDP stones and came up with the machine that helped make more Gifted, they also were able to tweak it too. See the older generation of Gifted were only granted powers, but with the addition of the machine todays Gifted are able to call up a system screen to better get a read of what they can do. It''s all thanks to the research and rapid advancement that the stones gave to our society.


    [Welcome new user: James Frough]


    [Status: Groggy/Weakened]


    [Rank: E]


    [Abilities: Tame]Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Yup it says E ranked.... Dammit. But hey I got the Taming skill! I heard a ton of Tamers who made it big even with a low rank aslong as they got lucky with the monsters they tamed!" I yelled but quickly reined myself in when the doctor chuckled at me. But this was still awesome! I didn''t have to give up my dream anymore but I just had to train and get strong enough to tame a badass monster.


    "Everything looks good on my end, I suggest you make it to where only you can see the screen so others can''t, But other then that I still congratulate you on joining the fight against the IDP. I suggest you come and see me in a few months just to make sure nothing odd is happening because of the procedure, I would say we are good to go!" She genuinely smiles and I couldn''t tell if it was because I was leaving or if she was actually happy for me.


    After stopping by the front desk and making a follow up appointment I left quickly and headed off towards home. On the way I passed by a park with a group of kids and parents playing around and I spotted who I call my Adoptive mom named Jasmine. Hector met her a few years after that incident and she immediately took a shine to me and started treating me as her own son.... I guess in a way she saw me like that since her own son had died on the first day and I looked similar enough that her heart could be fooled....


    But After that we actually started feeling like a family and shortly after that was when little Julie came around! Oh Hector was over the moon when he found out and went around all over the tent city we were living at at the time and yelling out how he was going to be a daddy! Haha man that was a night.


    "Ooooo look mommy Jimmy is done, Jimmy! Come play with me!" I heard the little voice of an angel and looked over as Julie was waving at me from the top of the jungle gym. I smiled and walked over to her and she jumped from where she was and I had to rush to catch her!


    "Holy hell Julie what was that!? You could have gotten hurt you know?"


    "Nuh uh Big brother wouldn''t let me get hurt. But will you stop squeezing me it hurts."


    I placed her down and let go as Jasmine came rushing over and picked her up to look her over for any signs of her being hurt.


    "I''m sorry little angel, I didn''t mean to squeeze you too tightly, I was just scared." I said as I backed up for a second, then Jasmine rose up and turned around and gave me a huge hug.


    "My little Jimmy is finally a Gifted! I could tell instantly from the way you moved to save Julie just now, you got a little faster...." She let go and looked at me with a concerned look in her eyes.


    "It seems like you hadn''t gained that much power though? What rank did you get? The hospital called and told us you passed out during the procedure but wouldn''t let us come up there for some reason and assured us that you were being taken care of. Did something go wrong? What happened?" She peppered me with questions but when she eventually stopped to take a breath I asked if we could just go home and when Hector got home I would explain as much as I knew. They agreed while looking concerned at me but soon that look disappeared when Julie spotted an icecream stand and she grabbed my hand and bolted towards it.


    After having a cone of Chocolate chip cookie dough and watching her trip and lose hers and then ending up give her the rest of mine after rolling a Nat 1 to resist those big blue eyes and wavering lip as she looked up at my icecream cone..... I swear I think this little girl might be just an evil genius in disguise...... Anyways, afterwards we got back home in time to see Hector coming home from his latest excursion into a nearby IDP.


    "Anything good drop today honey?" Jasmine asked with a chuckle as we watched Hector go from walking normally to a walking slouch and a deep sigh.


    "No, only thing I got was some bullshit ring that helped Tamers succeed..... Only tamer in town is an asshole so to hell with him getting this!" Hector raised a fist in the air as he said this. To be fair the resident Tamer was a total asshat that lorded over the plebians or so he calls the rest of us while showing off the Elder Salamander he managed to tame, and that got him basically the job of mayor of the town and control of the IDP that is used by the guild.


    I laughed so hard at how lucky I was right now and it took everything I had to catch my breath. The three of them just stood there and looked at me in confusion but I just told them to follow me inside where I showed them the system and what it said about me. The looks of pity were a bit harsh to recieve but I didn''t let it bother me too much as I waved those away.


    "Look here, see what ability I got? Hahaha you just got a huge buff for me to start out with, if you want to give that away anyways... I''m sure the price for something like that would catch a pretty penny that our family could use anyways...." I caught myself from being too excited since I realized I was basically saying give me that  instead of asking for something so huge as a drop like that. Especially when I had not earned it.


    "Haaa, boy you have been with us for so long that I think of you like a son. Here, as a gift on joining me and Jasmine in the fight against the IDP I would be happy to help you catch something for your first tame. Why don''t I take you to the guild office tomorrow and we can get you squared away and if we are lucky maybe even get us signed up for a patrol that day? Until then how about we celebrate with a nice steak and maybe if the ladies feel up to it they could bake a cake or something?"


    Hector looked over at Jasmine with pleading eyes and a huge puppy dog act. Everyone who knows these two know that Jasmine is an amazing cook and at every chance he gets Hector will damn near beg for her cooking... Everyone thinks he just fell in love with the cooking.


    Jasmine just sighed and smacked the top of his head before she smiled and they kissed and then she lifted Julie up and they entered the kitchen to start on the cake. Me and Hector went outside where he had a grill set up and a few steaks already out and marinating.


    "Were you expecting me to pass today? What''s all this?"


    "Haha, boy we knew you would. Even after the hospital called and told us something went wrong I knew without a shadow of a doubt that you would become a Gifted... I''m sorry that you only got E rank Jimmy, all this time we survived and you only got E rank just doesn''t feel right to me. But atleast you have the Taming ability so maybe you can tame a super strong monster to help you, I believe in you and if you need help with anything just let me know."


    He gave me a quick hug as I smiled but then we got to cooking the steaks and that night was filled with laughter and joy even despite my low rank. I knew they weren''t going to be upset with my rank no matter what I got, not like some stories I heard about from some of the higher ups when their kids got a lesser grade then what they expected... In the end I got lucky.


    After stuffing myself on steak and cake I went to lay down in bed and rest up for tomorrow when I would officially be apart of the Gifted that go through the IDP and fight the monsters within.

 Registering as a tamer pt. 1

    Registering as a Tamer pt. 1


    Hector woke me up bright and early and after a quick breakfast that was eggs thrown on some toast as we ran out the door we were on our way to the Guild''s HQ. We lived not far from the building and the resident portal, while that led to a cheaper house, it also led to a serious downfall if the Portal were to ever break and the monsters were to escape. Nobody wanted to be anywhere near the portal unless they just didn''t have any other options despite the protection that the Guild offered. But hey good news for me and mine right?


    "Here we are boy, The Guild Headquarters for the southern region of Beacon. You know why it''s called that right?" Hector asked as if I was a child first learning the history of this new world.


    "Ugh, Hector do we really have to go through this? Don''t we have to hurry up and get me registered?"


    "Hey it''s never too late to learn this stuff man, plus what if they have a test and this was one of the questions huh? Better safe than sorry." He smiled and pounded his chest while reciting that same old motto that he spewed over the past 10 years. That simple phrase has kept us safe from everything from bandits all the way to roaming monsters.


    "Fine, Beacon is named because after the world fell apart, Beacon was the only country of the old world to successfully repel the invaders. Afterwards the leaders came together and renamed it Beacon to signify a light that shines through the darkness."


    "Fantastic, now what about the other ones?"


    "Really? Dammit, The other regions are named Sactuary, named to represent a place of safety and peace. Then there is Bastion, this place was called that because even to this day they still fight against endless waves of monsters that had broken free from the portals."


    "There are two more boy what about them?"


    I laughed nervously at that and scratched the back of my neck. "Ehhh, well I can''t really remember what those ones are." I kicked the ground a little but Hector just sighed at me while shaking his head.


    "Well, I guess that''s good enough for now, Let''s just hope you don''t get quizzed. I don''t know about Tamers but us fighters only had to fight monsters. But seeing as how a Tamer is closer to a magical class they may have you try some other stuff." He said as we walked in through a set of huge heavy doors that opened up into a huge auditorium style room that had a bar on one side and a reception desk and a job board set up on the other. The whole room was packed with people coming and going either to the bar to eat and drink after a job well done, or to the notice board to pick one up for the day.


    We finally make it through the crowd and up to the receptionist that smiled at Hector and waved as she spotted us.


    "Hey Hector, I thought you were going to take a few days off from jobs?" A tall Brunette with light blue eyes said before she noticed me. "Oh? Is this the famous Jimmy that you have been yelling about everytime you get drunk? Is today the day?"


    "Hahaha, That''s right Missy, This here is Jimmy or officially he is called James. But as of yesterday, he is officially among the Gifted!" He yelled out towards the crowd, and everyone cheered and clapped.


    "We are here to get him set up and registered and if we are lucky maybe a short expedition to get him started."


    "Hmm, well I don''t know about getting to go into the IDP but I can certainly get him registered! If you could sign these papers Jimmy, we will get you squared away, and I will take you to our Newbie class that is just about to begin."


    "Newbie class? When did the guild start doing that?" Hector asked with a confused look on his face.


    "Actually it just started this week, Guild master finally got the approval from Central and this will be the test group to see if we can successfully hold classes and take them through training courses into the IDPs. We only have one teacher right now since it''s a test run but we hope that it will go off without a hitch!" Missy the receptionist says excitedly as I finish up the paperwork and with a quick goodbye to Hector as he leaves to go back to the house.  I follow Missy through a hallway that led out into an outdoor training area where a group of 7 people were already standing. 6 were standing in a line with the last in front which I assumed was the trainer. They stopped walking and looked back at us.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Hold on Mr. Roderick! We have one more last addition that just came in!" She yelled as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along which surprised me and made me yell at how fast she took off. When she stopped to be in front of Mr. Roderick I was still pulled along by the force and I ended up sliding and rolling to a stop a few feet away from everyone. I groaned as I got up and dusted myself off to the sound of laughter coming from the other students.


    "Oh gosh I am so sorry Jimmy. I wasn''t thinking when I did that and just wanted to get you caught up with the others." Missy said with an embarrassed look on her face. I just waved it off as I rolled my shoulder to work out the knot the rush of adrenaline and the fall caused in it. I walked up to Mr. Roderick and smiled while holding out my hand.


    "Hi! My name is Jimmy and I just became a Gifted today. I will do my very best as a part of your class sir!"


    He didn''t say anything back but instead looked me up and down and scoffed. "What''s your rank and ability boy?" It was all he said as a look of slight disgust crossed his eyes as he looked down at my still outstretched hand. I quickly took it back and chuckled nervously.


    "Haha, um E rank sir... and my ability is Tame."


    "My god he is an E rank and he thinks he can be in the same group as us? What kind of joke is this? Sir Roderick are we really going to let an E rank weakling come with us? what if it gets us all killed while holding us back? What if some powerful monster senses how weak it is and decides to attack us?"


    I looked at who said that to see a guy that just oozed pompous asshat, He had green colored hair styled with one side pulled back and the other to hang down slightly over his left eye as if to try and look edgy. He was wearing a set of blue armor that covered his chest and arms aswell as most of his legs. Over that was a large black cloak with what looked like a family crest on the shoulders.


    "That was kind of hurtful, what did I do to you man?" I asked as I looked him over but soon another of the students raced towards me with a quick glint off of some kind of metal as they laid it against my neck.


    "Do not speak to Master Roy like that ever again peasant. Show your respect for his noble presence and bow." A feminine voice said from behind me and I felt the metal against my neck press a little harder. I looked over at Roderick with pleading eyes but all he did was smirk. Missy was just standing there with her hands over her mouth and wide eyed.


    "I told you to bow peasant!" The girl behind me shouted and soon I felt a sharp pain in the back of my legs and they crumpled to where I was on my knees.


    "Penelope that''s enough, I believe this thing, has learned its proper place." Roy the pompous dick said as the metal against my neck left and I felt as a trail of warmth went down my neck, I checked, and I had been nicked and was bleeding slightly.


    "Brother that was just cruel, did you have to sick Penelope on him like that? Shouldn''t Nobility be better than this?" Another voice spoke up and it was another girl that was by this guys side. She had Green hair just like Roy did but she didn''t ooze that same air like he did, instead it felt like she was more of a worrier than anything.


    "Bah, nonsense dear sister, There are times where the masses are to be reminded why nobility exists once again. We are just stronger than the lesser and as such we deserve to stand on a higher pedestal and be treated as such! Now if you don''t mind Mr. Roderick I believe we were just about to begin our lessons?" Roy turned and spoke towards the teacher like an employer would an employee and I saw as Roderick nodded his head and started walking away with the others following along. Missy came up to me and wiped the now drying blood off my neck before helping me up.


    "I''m sorry about that Jimmy, I didn''t know that we were this corrupted as an institution. I will talk to the Guild master and see what we can do. You can either suffer with this group or maybe I could see if the Guild master has set up another class for you to join?"


    "Yea, if you can please do that. I don''t think I could learn much while being harassed at every breath."


    "Great, Just come back inside and I will call him right away."


    A few minutes go by as Missy is talking to somebody through a bright pink phone and she hangs up and gives me a thumbs up before returning to her duties. I sit there on a bench along the walls of the huge room and just wait as time slowly ticks by.


    "Those damn nobles man... I didn''t think I would get treated like that right off the bat. It''s only been ten years give or take since this whole bullshit started but already theres nobles acting like they are above the rest and everything. I heard about pigs becoming feral shortly after being released into the wild but I didn''t think humans would do the same thing. It''s like we were sent back to the medieval times when the IDP appeared."


    "Ya know, you¡¯re not entirely wrong about that Jim." A man spoke up and shook me out of my thoughts as he sat down next to me.


    "Sorry about that, my name''s Alex and I am the Guild master here. I heard from Missy how you were treated just now, and I came personally to apologize about that. Had I known that was going to happen I would have picked somebody else to oversee the class, Bill is one of our finest Hunters and I thought he would do a great job but I should have done a little background work before I guess... Anyways, I have set up another class that you could join, But this one is more of a freebie for the ones that are not so well off like the ones before. Think more like an outreach program than anything."


    "Like the poor and stuff? I get that I''m not exactly rich or anything but I''m not that bad."


    "Ha, yea I know, I''ve known Hector for a few years so I''ve heard about your years of survival. I think this group could be more your speed and with people that get your... ''Unique'' upbringing. I have the class to meet up tomorrow and I will go ahead and pick a new teacher to oversee that one. Roderick is a lost cause, but he is still ranked pretty high on the list of reliable Hunters that I know.... Still a shame but nonetheless these things happen in this new world of ours. But what do ya say? Sound good? I can add you to the roster right now if you want?" Alex asked me with a resolute look in his eye that told me I was already on the list to meet up. So I just sighed and nodded and he chuckled before pulling out a tablet of some sort and with a few swipes and taps he smiled at me and patted my shoulder before he got up and walked away.


    I said goodbye to Missy and headed home to get ready for tomorrow and to also explain the whole bullshit story about why I have a cut on my neck that Jasmine immediately noticed when I got home.


    Man I hope tomorrow is better.

 Registering as a tamer pt. 2

    I woke up early again today and followed Hector to HQ. He waved me goodbye but this time he handed me the ring before he left to go back home. It would only fit on my middle finger without sliding off or being to tight but it shined when it was firmly in place as a stone as red as a ruby sat in place on a black ring. It looked cool and I always though red and black as a color scheme always looked cool so I wasn''t complaining. What was even better was the slight energy that ran through my body as the shine went away and I felt a sense of luckiness wash over me for a moment.


    I was giddy about what this could mean and was excited to get into a portal and look for an awesome monster to tame. I took some time yesterday and studied a little about Tamers and come to find out that Tamers when they get to higher skill levels can actually use the powers of their tames and some rumors say that the top tamers of the world can even merge with their tamed monsters and become super powerful! After reading about that combined with getting the ring there was no way I wasn''t excited to get today started!


    ''Umm, What?''


    "My name is Allison Page, I am a Rank B Hunter and at the request of the Guild Master I am now in charge of this group and will be teaching you how to survive when it is your turn to take on the monsters and creatures that live beyond this portal. I heard that a few of you were accepted into the first test group but due to some... Complications... The few of you that were originally apart of that group have been assigned to this one instead. From now one we will be classified as group B. Where as the other group will be group A. We will begin first with introductions, you there at the end." She pointed towards a girl with blonde hair and a family crest on her coat.


    "H-Hello, M-my name is Mary F-Forester. I''m R-rank C and can control Nature, Pleasure to m-make your aquaintance." Mary spoke up but she stuttered some of her words, I couldn''t tell if that was a issue of hers or maybe if she was just nervous. Either way I didn''t mind and was shocked that she was Rank C.


    "My name is Johnathan Laney, I am a Rank D Earth user I have trained to use swords and axes and will serve as the frontline!" He pounded his chest and yelled with confidence.... That was until the girl with similar hair that stood next to him smacked his head.


    "Hello, my name is Penny and like my idiot brother here, I too have trained with a sword. But I prefer to use my magic aswell. Think of me as a magic swordswoman hehe." She raised her hands up in the air and flashed a V sign while giggling. "OH I also am a Rank C and can control Water." She quickly added.


    "And you? What is your name boy?" Allison turned and asked me. I looked at the others but they looked down to avoid my gaze but I felt pity coming off of them in waves.


    "Names James... Rank E Tamer."


    "Ah, your the boy I heard about from the Guild Master. I expect great things from you James. Just because you are Ranked lower than the rest does not mean you are any less of a warrior. It just means you have to put in more effort and work. Now I have gotten permission to take you into the portal and show you around the beginning area that we have secured. Make no mistake, the other side is dangerous no matter where you are or where you go so always be alert and ready. Just because it is called the beginning area does not mean it is safe, it only means that it is at a level where you can gain some experience fighting for your lives with the least amount of actually dying as possible.... But if you mess around and make a mistake, the cost could very well be your life."


    With a resounding gulp from how serious the mood changed we all were given a backpack that had a few days worth rations and water just in case something happened. We walked up to the portal and 2 guards were in front of it checking badges before we walked up.


    "Allison Page, leading Group B to safety Zone Alpha." She then flashed a badge and the guards waved us through. I closed my eyes as I stepped up to the portal that was as wide as 10 people side by side, It was glowing a blue color that reminded me of a clear pond, It even rippled with each person that entered. Taking that final step was like a huge shift, my body felt weightless for a moment and I felt nauseous as my brain was trying to comprehend what was going on but before it had time I felt solid ground under me and the hustling sound of a market place all around me. It was all so sudden and too much all at once that my body just shut down and I felt whatever I had eaten lurch up into my throat and out onto the ground.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "HAHAHAHAHA" The sound of laughter erupted as everyone watched the newbies experience their first jump into a portal.


    "Ah Alice, I see you were put in charge of some new hatchlings, I thought you said you wouldn''t do something so boring? Hmm oh! You must have been ordered to by the guildmaster because my darling baby girl is in your group right? That must be it!" An older man with blonde hair and beard said as he walked up to Alice with a smile as he ran up to Mary and started hugging her. He had a group of hunters behind him that were hauling a huge beast that was banging against a metal cage. Whatever that cage was made of was amazing since not even a small dent could be seen but it would still bend at the monsters weight but would revert back to normal almost instantly. Wiping my mouth from the vomit I was awestruck not only at the huge beast but also at how strong that metal is.


    "Ahem, ma''am? What is that metal made of?" I asked after finally getting on my feet albeit I was still a little shaky and grabbed onto the nearby wall to keep me steady. I wanted to find out about this metal and if it''s easily obtainable. I know it might sound stupid but if I am a tamer than capturing monsters using those metal cages could help me out.


    "Don''t worry bout that shrimp, you couldn''t afford it and only master level smiths working with an enchanter and a alchemist can produce this kind of alloy." The man said with a arrogant attitude after he let go of Mary and resumed his arrogant attitude that he started with.


    "Jasper, this is James Frough Rank E tamer and adopted son of Hector Galderez."


    "Ha, that guy again? well atleast his son is a useless trash. But for now I have to go so please take care of my baby... Mary if they give you any trouble just come find me ok? Love you honey."


    "Bye Dad! See you at home!" Mary said as she waved to him.


    As he was walking away I heard as Jasper clicked his tongue when he heard who my adopted father was and I heard him mumble something about how every turn he has to deal with Hectors bullshit. I didn''t know what the deal was but I got a vibe that was telling me to stay away from this dude. He left in a hurry after ordering his men to hurry up and Alice turned to us and sighed.


    "Ok, is everyone done puking their breakfast? It''s going to be hard training on an empty stomach so let''s go refill it. I''ll buy your first otherworld meal but after that your on your own." We looked at eachother and everyone was still green with sickness but we followed her nonetheless and after a short walk through a maze of people that chuckled at us as they walked by, we eventually came upon a storefront that read ''Bertha''s Butchery and Eatery''.


    Walking in alerted everyone as a doorbell rang out and the mood shifted from happy and rambuctious to silent and heavy.


    "Um, Teacher? Why is everyone looking at us like that?" Mary said as she started to cower behind Alice. Alice only sighed and continued to walk towards a door that said ''First timers eat in here.''


    "Hey Alice you bring in some newbies I hear? Give me a minute to set it up and I''ll get started. Do you have any C''s or above today?" A woman built like a worlds strongest competitor walked out from a backroom with a cleaver in one hand and blood splattered all over a black apron that was covering up a red shirt and..... skirt? Bulging muscles rippled as she walked and my masculinity shrank deeper and deeper into my soul as she got closer.


    "Hey Bertha, yea I''ve got 2 but I have a D and an E aswell. Just give them all the same and I will deal with the aftermath."


    A round of gasps went through the place as she said this and even Bertha was shocked and a look of pity was cast towards my group. For what reason I still didn''t know but I had a feeling I wasn''t going to be enjoying a free meal. Bertha went back into the backroom and Alice led us through the door and into a room that was made up of many metal cages with a seat and a table inside. The metal was the same as the one from the cage from earlier and that was sounding off warning bells in my head as Alice opened up 4 of the cells and had us enter 1 each.


    "This is a precaution for if something happens."


    "Exactly what is supposed to happen ma''am? This is starting to feel a little shady to me." I spoke up and said but she just nodded at my question without saying anything else and she walked back to a control panel that was at the back of the room. She hit a button and a light show of blues, reds, and yellows lit up around each occupied cell as a circle of symbols formed and snapped into place around us.


    "These are to help you absorb as much as you can." She then tapped another button and from the ceiling a plate covered up started to be lowered and settled onto the table. The cover was removed and on it was an amazing spread of food! Bacon, sausage, even some egss that were cooked an all different styles. But the main thing that stood out was a slab of ham that covered the bottom of the plate. It smelt so delicious that something inside me was screaming out to devour it all, even the sickness from earlier was a distant thought compared to the wonderful smells now.


    "Go ahead and dig in, but I should warn you now. Whatever your goal for becoming a hunter, cement that goal in your mind and bear through this."


    "Huh? What did you say Ma''am?" I asked after swallowing a huge bite of the ham covered in eggs but after that I felt like a shockwave ran through my entire body and it was followed by an endless gnawing at each and every nerve like something was trying to devour me from the inside out. Everything was dark and quiet but I still felt the pain as it washed over me. Something started to happen first at my feet but then slowly it crept up my body until I was taken over entirely by the a new pain, it felt like my bones were breaking and healing only to rebreak again in a never ending cycle of torment.


    "....ENDURE! YOU .... .. ENDURE IT! FOCUS .. YOUR ....!"


    Words were becoming clearer now but I couldn''t understand everything, only a couple words here and there but the voice was familiar.... Jasmine? I tried to force an eye open but all I saw was darkness and felt like someone tried to stab my brain directly.


    "Don''t try and move or open your eyes! It will only make it worse!"


    It is! It''s Jasmine, but why is she hear? Wasn''t I in the Eatery? Wasn''t I eating that delicious ham and eggs? AGGHHH THIS PAIN IS GETTING SO DAMN UNBEARABLE IT''S ALL I CAN FEEL DAMMIT! SOMEONE HELP ME!


    I felt more of that bone breaking torment for a second time but this time a sudden wave of nothingness overtook everything. No pain. No sounds. Nothing.

 Another unexpected wake up

    I groaned and started to massage my forehead as a killer of a headache was already causing chaos in my head. I didn''t want to move or even breath, anything that would help ease this pain even a little bit would be worth it.


    "Thank god he''s awake!" Someone said with a sigh and like a switch other sounds became apparent. I heard beeping from what sounded like a machine while I could feel something in my arm that reminded me of having an IV..... Was I in the hospital? I thought about opening my eyes but as soon as I did, I felt a warm hand cover them.


    "Don''t open your eyes sweetie. Like I said before it would only make things worse."


    "J-Jasmine?" I forced out through what felt like a gravel tunnel. I needed a drink and badly.


    "Yes honey, it''s me. The guild sent out for us as soon as possible after you ate the otherworld food and had a reaction to the over stimulation of your bodies awakening.... I''m so sorry honey, I didn''t think Alice was going to be so nonchalant with your first meal and risk your life this badly." One of her hands was still over my eyes that I could now feel had something like cloth over them that wrapped around my head. I''m guessing some kind of gauze?


    "Where....Hector? Julie?" I forced the question out before I started coughing which just led to more pain throughout my whole body. Something had gone horribly wrong to end me up in the hospital and in this much pain.


    "They are here baby. They are just in the lobby right now since Julie was having a hard time seeing you like this. Do you want me to go and get them now that you''re awake?"


    I nodded and smiled at the direction her voice was coming from. I heard as she left the room and everything was silent for a minute before the door opened again but this time it was a doctor.


    "Well, well, I didn''t really expect to see you again so soon Mr. Frough. But I''m glad you''re awake. How are you feeling?" The voice sounded familiar and a couple seconds later I realized why. That''s because just a couple days ago she was the one that had given me my psych eval and treatment to become a Gifted!


    I decided not to speak again until I could get a drink and just nodded my head.


    "Good. I saw your mother.. I mean adoptive mother leaving the room and assumed you would be awake. Is there any pain?"


    I nodded again as I waved a hand all over my body.


    "Gotcha, that sounds about right with cases involving Overloads. What about your system? Have your tried checking it yet?"


    I shook my head as I pointed to the bandage around my eyes. with a gesture that I meant to show, Fucking how?


    "Haha, I understand but Gifted do not have to open their eyes to see their system, if you concentrate you can view it with your eyes closed. Just imagine your system window appearing and it should appear in a few moments."


    I sighed but did as she asked, It took a minute to concentrate on anything but the massive death rumbling that was pounding through my brain but just like she said poof there it was.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    [James Frough]


    [Rank D - Tamer]


    [Gained new ability - Apprentice Farmer (0/10)]


    I gasped as the flashing green letters of new ability and Apprentice Farmer lit up infront of me. I raised my fist up into the air and smiled which made the doc chuckle.


    "I see it worked and I''m guessing you gained something new? That would be the upside to surviving through an overload. The Gifted always stumbles away with a new ability. You just have to get through the hell first."


    About that time I heard the door open again and I heard as the voice of an angel quivered as she spoke out and I felt as her little hand grabbed onto mine.


    "Jimmy.... ''Sniff'' Are you ok?"


    I turned my head to the side where her voice came from and smiled real big as I nodded and squeezed her hand slightly aswell.


    "He can''t talk right now dear, he hasn''t had anything to drink in a while and his body went through something that shouldn''t have happened. But good news is that your big brother came out the otherside with a stronger body and even a new ability." The doctor said as I heard her voice shift from one side of the room to the other.


    "I still want him to stay in the hospital for a few days just to be on the safe side but after that he should be perfectly fine to go back home and start his new life as a Gifted."


    Hector grabbed my hand that was still being vice gripped by Julie. "Did ya hear that son, a few days being pampered by cute nurses and then back to the grindstone. You''d better enjoy it while you can." Hector said with a chuckle that only earned him a slap from Jasmine.


    "When does his eye cover come off Doctor? Will there be any permanent damage? I''ve never seen an overload close up before so I don''t know if that is something we should worry about."


    "That''s understandable but no ma''am there won''t be any permanent damage, we only keep the eye cover on because right now his brain is still basically undergoing a reboot. We cover the eyes to help clear up the processing power so to speak. The less senses the brain has to register the faster it can boot back up to working condition."


    That sounded plausible because even now I was feeling the headache slowly lessen the more I was staying awake. Before when I first woke up it was excrutiating but now its little more than a nuisance.


    "Unfortunately it is about time for visiting hours to end. One of you can stay up here if you would like but it is limited to only one person." The doc spoke up after I heard a few beeps from a machine being messed with.


    "Hmm, do you want to stay up here hon while I take Julie home for the night then we can switch tomorrow? I already told the guild I was going to take a few days off from jumping in so I have the time?" Hector said towards Jasmine but I grunted towards them and waved my hand back and forth before patting Julies hand and waving towards the door.


    "I''ll.... Be.... fine.... Alone." I grumbled out.


    "Are you sure Jimmy? We could stay with you incase you need something or if an emergency happens?" Jasmine asked with worry as her natural tone through this whole thing but I just smiled as I waved her off.


    "I''m.... Gifted.... Now." I thumped my chest with each word. They all chuckled at me before saying fine and giving their goodbyes and after the doc checked a few things and making sure the call button for a nurse was in reach she led the others out of the room. The silence that followed was a bit unnerving as the beep of the medical machine slowly faded into the background and I was left with my thoughts that soon turned to the new ability as a sense of excitement rushed through me. Yea it was just an auxiliary skill but to get an extra ability without fighting badass monsters? Oh yea, I''m super stoked.


    [Apprentice Farmer (0/10) - The Gifted is able to grow anything they want with an increased speed of maturation. Only applicable in worlds with abundant energy atmosphere. Conditions for ability upgrade - 10 different objects harvested.}


    Not a whole lot to glean from this as the description was short... that was until I noticed a few things that got me even more excited. The first was the description said I could grow ANYTHING... I would only be able to test this out once I get back across the IDP since it said I could only use it in worlds with abundant energy and I don''t think Earth has that just yet. But another thing was the conditions for the ability upgrade! I have only heard of this type of ability a few times and those people are tippy top of todays society! Like for instance there was one guy who started off with an ability that let him talk to objects. But what he did was used that ability in addition to crafting skills like blacksmithing and carpentry, and before long he was now the worlds most renowned crafter of any specialty!


    Come to think of it? The other abilities that grow stronger like this are all Auxiliary? I''ve heard of the above mentioned guy aswell as another couple of people that had abilities related to everyday life. But I haven''t heard of any growth type abilities that related to helping with fighting against the monsters of the IDP.... I wonder why?


    But shaking that thought out of my head I turned towards the conditions for upgrade. I just had to harvest 10 ''objects'' to upgrade... I would have thought since the ability is called farmer maybe it would strictly be about crops and stuff? I sighed as yet another thing for me to only be able to find out once I''m healthy again.... But I smiled as wild images of growing crazy things like the limited and extremely rare stuff like Ability books that disappear upon use or growing weapons of crazy power flowed through my head... Hahaha, man that would be crazy if it could happen.


    I tried to calm my heart down as I rolled over and tried to relax enough to go back to sleep..... I can''t wait to go back through.

 Time to farm

    A few days had passed by in the blink of an eye with my family coming up and visiting me for a couple hours while the rest of the time I spent either sleeping or watching some old reruns on the tv that was mounted in every hospital room you could imagine. Ya know, thinking about how much destruction and change occured over the last ten years.... We as a species really bounced back and even took a huge step forward! I mean even now I can start to sense and even see a faint blue pulse that would constantly travel between the outlet in the wall and the machine monitoring my vitals. I mean it''s a little insane once you think about it.... But nevermind that, I''m just rambling....


    Anyways, the day of my release is finally here and Hector came to pick me up saying Jasmine and Julie were back at home cooking up some food to welcome me back. Upon getting home and opening up the door I am welcomed by a rocket blast of a hug as Julie comes sailing through the air at mach 5K right at my lungs and we both go bowling backwards as I try and instinctively keep her from getting hurt to badly.


    "Dammit Julie are you ok? I knew you were already getting your powers but this is crazy! We are going to have to start getting serious with your training honey." Hector ran over and looked her over than seeing as she was ok and just looked embarrassed at what she''d done then he helped me up and saw as I got a few cuts from tumbling off some concrete and as I lifted up my shirt he winced as I saw a nice bruise already starting to show around my ribs.... This little girl is a fucking beast already and she hasn''t even trained properly!


    "That is not a good looking bruise Jim, You feel dizzy or nauseaus? Anything like that? I know we just got back from the hospital but if that gets any worse you might have to go back." Jasmine said as she got a good look at it, She looked worried but besides a little pain whenever I moved, I felt fine and dandy. Hell even a little starving if I was honest.


    "I''m fine, But I am starving so let''s go inside and eat. We can check up on it later if that''ll ease your worries." I smiled and started to shoo Julie inside while leaving Hector and Jasmine outside.


    "That don''t look good babe, Julie really launched herself at him.... Did you catch those little whiffs of flame that puffed out as she jumped?" Hector said with a worried look towards Jasmine.


    "I did but I don''t think she consciously did it on purpose. What I''m confused about is how Jimmy just got up and started walking away when a bruise that already shows up like that is usually from something broken or internal bleeding. But he just acted like it was nothing and I mean just look even now he is wolfing down food like he hasn''t eaten in days."


    "You don''t think.... I mean it''s not unheard of but...."


    "What? That she gained both of our powers? Your flame control and my healing? So your saying she unconciously burst forth like a rocket and then healed Jimmy afterwards?"Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Yea... But that hasn''t been heard of outside of those pompous A rankers kids. Even the oldest is only what 9? maybe coming up on ten?"


    "Hector when are you gonna learn that nothing is gonna be normal for a while in this world. We are still discovering new things every day. But nevermind that and let''s go inside and eat ok? We can figure this out later when we start training her. Don''t you and Jimmy have something to do here in a couple hours?"


    "Shit your right let''s go!" Hector said with wide eyes as he realized he had set up a two man expedition, just him and Jimmy starting in a few hours. He thought it would be best to get Jimmy up and going as soon as possible even though it might be a bit hard on the boys system, but this life wasn''t an easy one anymore and this is what was required. Yea you could spend a few days in the hospital getting treated and making sure your fit for duty, but after that you gotta get your ass in gear and get rolling......


    After eating Me and Hector went to the HQ building and after a few medical checkups from the docs in house, I was marked as fit for duty and was allowed back through the portal. Seeing the portal again made my breath hitch as the memory of the intense pain I experienced last time came to the surface, but after a few deep breaths I remembered the awesome ability that lied in wait for me just across the boundary of this world and the next, so with a big grin and a heart full of excitement I took the plunge yet again.


    HUUUUURGGGHGHHGHGH


    "Oh god! Will I get used to this Hector?"  HUUURRGHGHGHGHGH


    "Hahahahaha, yea boy you will, just takes a few jumps first. That is just your brain getting used to the change of scenery that''s all."


    Hector patted me on the back as I puked my awesome lunch that didn''t taste so awesome now. But after wiping my mouth and steadying myself on a nearby wall I took in a deep breath as I could feel the essence of this new world for the first time.


    "That is what should have happened after you ate the food from this side. You should have been immediately able to breath in the essence and energy of this side of the portal... I''m sorry that happened to you buddy... BUT! Now is the time to move past that and start getting stronger and go out there and become the best you can be! I signed us up for a little expedition to a nearby nest of creatures that are fairly docile and even farmed for their amazing fur and eggs and milk."


    "Excuse me? One animal produces all of that? Is it a giant furry chicken cow? What the hell?"


    "Ha, yea the first of us to discover it was pretty amazed and also confused by it aswell. But the things this one animal provides is actually what you ate a few days ago. Its fur is used as even insulation for the harshest of cold climates in some of the portals while the skin is tanned and can make excellent leather armor for newbies. Trust me if we hadn''t lucked out and found this animal first, I doubt we would have survived long enough to explore half of what we had."


    "Ok..... But what exactly are we going to be doing there? If they are farmed doesn''t that mean they have like farmers or ranchers that take care of em?"


    "Yea but around this time of year is breeding season, and some of the males can get a little....... Rambunctious so to speak. The Rancher in charge of this farm we''re going to is a good buddy of mine and he agreed to let us be the one to take care of his this time as a favor to me. All we have to do is get the males that are being rough away from the girls and then shhck we kill em, easy peasy." He laughed while making a slice across his neck with his thumb.


    I went wide eyed as the realization that this was going to be my first combat... And against a furry chicken... I just shook my head since everyone had to start somewhere and I have Hector here with me to help out if things go wrong.... Wait.


    "Hey! How the hell am I supposed to kill them if I don''t have a weapon?" Hector stopped as he turned to look at me with a wide eyed expression as he just realized I had nothing but normal clothes on.


    "Hehe, yea that''s true, Well let''s go grab something for you real quick and then after the job is done we can come back for the daily essentials."


    Great, there goes the grand start I was hoping for.... But hey atleast I made that first step. That''s all that counts.

 The first quest is a..... Chicken Farm!?

    After grabbing a bite to eat and grabbing some essentials for regular hunters like camping gear and nonperishibles, we set off towards Hector''s friend''s farm. It took us a few hours to walk there and by then the sun was starting to get lower in the horizon and the sparse trees and low brush around us were starting to cast shadows and the nighttime creatures were starting to stir from their sleep.


    The sight of a huge red barn came into view as around it in a wide square of atleast a few miles were nothing but huge metal fencing atleast 7ft. high that were keeping in bird like creatures that were just barely inches below that height.... Wait what!


    I stopped fully in my tracks as I got a good sight at what I had in my head as just some special species of freaking chickens! But these things.... These were fucking CHOCO....  Ahem I mean these looked like large flightless birds that were apart of a very popular game series.... Granted they looked slightly different as the beaks were more pointed and longer with a dangerous looking hook at the end, while also having more subdued colors of feathering like gray or brown..... But these things were definitely what close to what I thought they were!!!!!


    "Hector... You know what these things look like don''t you?" I asked Hector as he turned to look at the big birds with a smile and chuckled.


    "Why do you think my friend started to raise em and farm em? When we first started and came across these things he jumped for joy and instantly started to build a farm to raise them screaming about how he could finally live his dream or something. But yes I know what they look like but don''t let that fool you boy, they are just as mean as any monster you could find in the wild."


    My heart started beating faster than a jackrabbit as we started to get near the fence where a man was standing there with a big smile on his face as he looked at Hector and me walking up.


    "Welcome boys to the Kweh Forest Ranch!" He said with a wave of his arms out towards the herd of roaming creatures that he raised.


    "Haha, Jimmy, this is my good friend Alex Bower. Alex, this is my adopted son James Frough. It''s his first mission in the IDPs and he''s here to help you out." Hector patted me on the back and pushed me forwards a little.


    "Great to meet ya Jimbo. Why don''t we head inside and I''ll fill ya''ll in on what needs to be done round here. I''m sure the wife already has supper almost done and any minute now she will be a yelling for us."


    We followed Alex inside and off to the left of the entrance way was on open doorway that led to the kitchen and from it wafted such a delicious smell that damn near lifted me off my feet like a cartoon character. Alex went in gave the woman that was in there over a big pot of boiling stew a bear hug from behind and lifted her into the air. She gave a short yelp but than chuckled as she realized who it was.


    "Fucking hell babe you scared me! I damn near knocked over the food!" She yelled at him once he put her down but even though she yelled I could tell she wasn''t that serious as she still had a smile on her face as she turned towards us.


    "And who do we have here? I see our friend Hector has deigned to pay us humble farmers a visit, and ooh is this Little Jimmy that He''s told us so much about? I can see you finally got your powers and joined us over here. I''m glad to finally see that Hector dear, I know you were worried about that for so long."


    Hector smiled and nodded his head. "Yea, I was worried there for a bit but Jim pulled through and even got the tamer skill just like you Alex. Unfortunately he got dealt a bad hand and only got E rank on his grading and even had to go through the first meal that was only meant for higher ranks.... But dammit if this boy did not survive that and even got a higher grade as a reward haha, this kid is a survivor and a badass I tell ya! One day soon don''t be surprised if this guy is someone we look up to as we keep exploring these IDP." Hector smacked in on my back a few times and laughed as I got red in the face from all this praise.


    "I''m not really that confident that I''ll be that good but I can only do the best I can." I raised my fist up as a light of confidence shone in my eyes.


    They looked at me with smiles, 2 were of happiness at the prospect of my future while Hectors was of pride.


    "Anyways Hector why don''t yall sit down at the table and start your business. The stews almost ready."


    "Thanks baby I can''t wait, smells great. Let''s go boys I got a map set up and a couple contracts all ready to sign." Alex said as he waved us to follow and sit at a big square table that had a big map of the surrounding farm with a couple of circles and big X''s in a couple of spots aswell as two pieces of paper with our names on it.


    "So as you can see fellas, I have a few issues around the farm. I''ve got some spots over here in the north where monsters keep trying to get through the fence, and over here in far acres of grazing lands I''ve got a couple Males that are running amok and tearing up everything in sight since it''s Mating season." His voice got a little bit louder as he directed his next words at the woman cooking. "I told someone that it would be a good idea to get rid of the males except one but SOMEONE decided oh nooooo we couldn''t do that! All because someone Freaking named em after they hatched!"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Hector and me laughed as from the kitchen she yelled back. "Boy don''t you blame this on me! You got just as attached when those puff balls looked up at you and squeaked! I distinctly remembering you saying awwww as they popped out of the shells so don''t even! Now come get a bowl!"


    After getting our food and sitting back down with the woman this time joining us at the table Alex continued. "So like I was saying." As he pointed a direct gaze at his wife before chuckling and turning back to us. "Like I was saying, the males are causing problems that unfortunately despite how we feel about the bastards, they have to go. I can''t sell em because the only other Kweh farmer is having the same issue except his is mostly monsters trying to get at his hens that are all starting to lay, and therefore defenseless. His one and only Rooster is a damn beast of a protector and even survived a scuffle or two with some grade D beasts that managed to get through a year ago, but he is getting on in age and the fights are taking their toll.... But the damn thing is so stubborn that the last male I sold the guy wound up dead first day from being introduced to the flock!"


    "Yea we got word only a couple hours after we dropped the poor guy off. We told him we could bring another one right away but he said he could just wait till the old bird croaks then he will come by to grab one."


    "That''s insane! Are all the Choco... I mean the Kweh.... Like that? Are they just as mean as I imagined they would be? What about the plumage and differences that I am thinking of from the game? Are they the same or is that just the hopefulness of a newbie?" I asked with a raised tone as I imagined myself owning a farm with a flock of these badass looking birds grazing and being the farms protector aswell as giving me a means of money.


    "Hahaha, they do have some similarities yes, but the ones that are used for mounts and combat are very rare. I''d say the amount that we sold to the adventures to be used like that are... Oh damn idk? Maybe 3 or 4 the entire time we been doing this? Maybe one a year? But granted we raise the livestock variety and breed them towards better serving that purpose. The other farmer Kyle, now that guy is fully invested in raising fighter breeds. I mean he even started building an arena that he put up against his fence that would let in monsters and he would pit the birds against em so that they gain experience and get stronger! Dudes nuts but man his birds are gorgeous.... Anyways the variety you see here are the normal greys and browns but he has some that fit the more yellow plumage and he even pumped out a blue last batch of hatchlings. That little guy went on to sell for quite a good bit from what Kyle said."


    Alex started to peter off into his own little world as his wife took over. "You''ll have to excuse Alex hon, he starts getting lost in his own world when it comes to his prized birds haha, By the way my name is Kelly." She put out her hand and I shook it with a smile.


    "Back to business, We need you to go ahead and either scare the males out of the farm, or kill em. It sucks but they are starting to hurt the gals and we can''t have that. Alex wanted to set off after dinner to go check out the parts of the fences that the monsters are trying to break through so be prepared for a fight as we heard news of a couple grade D''s in the area but so far it''s all been E''s and F''s that are bugging us. They don''t do so much as make scratches on the fences but so many of them have shown up lately that the damage has started to add up."


    "Ah gotcha, sounds good to me what about you Jimmy? You ready for this? I know nighttime isn''t exactly the best for a first fight but you''d have me and Alex there and knowing Alex, he has a good setup of lights that flood the area with light." Hector looked over at me and reassured me. I knew nothing too bad would happen so I nodded and agreed. By this time Alex had reentered our world and caught the end of the conversation.


    "Great! Let''s finish up and then we can set out. Do you have a weapon Jimbo? I know Hector here isn''t the greatest at remembering stuff like making sure a newbie is properly fixed up with the necessities as the camping gear and stuff you brought still had the same day tag still hanging from em haha. But I got a couple of old weapons that I wouldn''t mind giving ya for starters, wanna go take a look? We gotta go by the shed anyways for me to grab my gear so it won''t be any trouble."


    I thanked him as we headed out to the shed that was not a damn shed whatsoever! It was the damn barn that he was talking about that we headed to, he slid open the giant sliding door that was made of some kind of steel and inside were numerous stalls that held what I assumed were the females Kwehs... or hens I guess as they called em. But in the very far back was another door....... on a little shed that was inside the damn barn! This guy had a freaking shed inside of his barn!


    But he opened up that door and inside was a big enough room that held a bunch of farm tools and on one wall was hanging weapons that Alex went over and picked up off the wall. He handed me a knife for skinning with a belt loop for easy access. I added that to my other knife Hector gave me so I had two, one on each side. Then he asked me which one I preferred, either a shortsword, or an axe. Obviously I went with the axe as it had one sharp side and a blunt one but the handle was short as to be wielded in one hand but also had another handle near the blade that could be used for very close range uses. It looked pretty nice.


    "Ok, now that we are ready let''s get out there. Oh wait let me turn on the lights real quick first." Alex turned and flipped up a cover that hid a big handle that when he flipped it up I could hear a short buzzing sound and then saw as light erupted out to cover almost every inch of the fencing that surrounded his farm.


    "This must be expensive upkeep Alex, how do you handle it?" I asked as I was actually taking mental notes for ideas when I get my own farm in the future.


    "This is actually all connected by underground wires that are fed by a magistone generator that I got hooked up in my basement. I worked for a while digging trenches to handle all the cables and such but in the end it more than pays for itself since the biggest issue with fighting at night is taking care of."


    "It''s actually a good idea Jimmy, granted Alex must pay a fortune for magistones but fighting at night is super dangerous even if the monsters are just E''s or F''s."


    Again I just nodded since this was all lessons for me as a newbie that I''m sure the others had to experience for themselves, this way I could atleast try to mentally prepare...


    As we got closer to one of the fence areas I started to hear growls and aggressive sounding barks and snarls. I could see that at the very edge of the light that flooded past the fence and to a treeline, I saw as blood red eyes and almost glowing yellow eyes reflected out back towards me and every so often I would see a paw in the light that looked like a mix of canine and like some kind of scythe as the paws had 5 toes and each had a claw at the end of it but in the middle of the paw was a blade like protrusion that bent in an arch and looked very sharp.


    "These we just call [E Grade] Cutter wolves. They generally have greenish grey fur and have a knack for wind magic and can shoot out wind blades that do a good chunk of damage to anybody not using proper protection on this side of the portal. I''ve seen countless people back in the day almost taken out by one of these just because they weren''t wearing the proper gear. But since they are ranked E I suggest we be cautious since they usually travel in a pack upwards of a couple dozen at the least. That is if they aren''t led by an Alpha."

 First fight

    We started to approach the fence line while the whole time we could hear growls and yips and every once in a while I would see the fence line shake from a glowing green arc of wind that clashed against it. Thankfully the metal only bent a little before returning to its place but still the fact that even an [E Grade] could bend it enough that I''m sure something could jump over it was worrisome.


    "That was a test and a threat, they want us to know that they are there... As if the howls weren''t a good enough indicator.... But also they are testing the fence line for a weakness. Damn things learned that they can''t break my fence, but they sure as hell can bend it for a second, they just need that perfect moment to have a couple of their pack jump over and all hell breaks loose."


    "Why don''t they just lay down on top of it and bend it down that way?"


    "Hahaha, oh that''s a good question... This is why." Alex tore off a branch from a nearby tree and then threw it at the fence..... As soon as the green leaves barely touched the fence it was like 4th of July! Everything lit up in sparks and the branch instantly burst into flames. The pack of wolves on the other side yelped from surprise and I heard the sounds of rushing footsteps away from us.


    "Hmm, well damn I shoulda just done that from the beginning shouldn''t I? Hahahahah man that''s great but the cost of electrifying this whole fence isn''t exactly cheap mind. But damn if the sound of those little bastards running away and yelping ain''t music to my ears." Alex slapped me on my back as he laughed.


    Me and Hector chuckled to until we heard a door slamming open and Kelly coming out with what looked like freaking shotgun.


    "What the FUCK was that! Did something get through!?" She yelled as she started looking around as she ran over to us.


    "Dammit babe! Nothing got through now put that damn thing away, you know that don''t do shit to these beasts anyways, hell it did anything to the poachers we had last year."


    "Poachers?" Hector raised an eyebrow but Alex just waved him off.


    "Ain''t nothing to it, just some punks looking to take a couple of our girls for themselves. They got tore up by the leader of our flock but they packed his gut full of steel in exchanged.... Damn shame. I liked Bert to."


    By the time I was going to open my mouth and say something about the fact he named one of his birds Bert I heard howling and yipping coming from the woodline again.


    "Dammit! Those things already grew their balls back? looks like they might be more than a little hungry? Hey hon go give kyle a call, now that I''m thinking about it the amount of yips and howls I''m hearing is way more than the normal pack that roams around here... I''m thinking we might have a new Alpha taking over."


    Kelly nods and runs back to the house while Alex gets a more serious look on his face. "If it''s what I''m thinking than that just spells bad news for us farmers, hell even the ones that just grow crops around here are gonna be in for a shit show."


    Hector sighs before he pulls out a sword and shield before he speaks. "Are you suggesting that there might be a migration taking place here Alex? You know what that means don''t you?"Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "Yea.... Something big just moved in and started forcing em out of their spot. Only thing is I can''t think of anything that might be strong enough to force these guys to move? I mean these packs are damn near strong enough to take on a [D Grade] when they all ambush it."


    Hector just looked at me and shook his head. "I''ll need to call it in then. This is a sorta big deal on this side of the gate Jim so if you hear anything, and I mean anything about this kind of activity it is always a good idea to call it in to have HQ send out a team to investigate."


    He pulled out some kind of cellphone looking device but I could see as mana was powering it and before long I heard a female voice come through.


    "HQ hotline, name and rank?"


    "Hector Galderez, Rank B."


    "Gotcha, now what can I do for you Hector?"


    "Yea I''m over here at Kwee farms ran by Alex Bower and There seems to be a more than average amount of [Grade E] Cutter wolves currently attacking his fence line. According to him this is unusual and it sounds like Migration activity."


    There was silence on the other end of the line except for the sound of the clacking of a keyboard. Moments later the voice speaks back up.


    "Understood, are you currently in danger?"


    "No, but I would like a team to be a little quicker just in case if that''s alright?"


    "No problem Hector, I sent out the call and there should be a team arriving shortly, estimated time is within 10 minutes according to your location."


    "Thank you goodbye." Hector hung up and smiled at me before turning to Alex who was in a serious mood while looking at the woodline and watching as there were now multiple slashes of wind colliding with the fence.


    "Team should be here in a few minutes, all we gotta do is hold out for 10 minutes."


    "Good. Cuz it looks like they are getting ready to send over a few to get the party started."


    I wasn''t paying attention to the fence since I was listening in on the coversation between Hector and HQ (Yea rookie mistake I know) but looking back at the fence my eyes opened wide as I saw the fence line that stood easily 7ft. was now bending down at an angle that was lower than my waist before springing back up. Another thing I noticed was that each time the metal was bent, it would take longer and longer for it to straighten out again. At first it was quick as not even a single second passed before it was right back up again.... But now after a few more times of being bent, it was taking more than 5 seconds to straighten out.


    "How long before they attack?" I asked while pulling out a knife and I started to feel a rush of adrenaline as I prepared myself.


    "Once it hits ten seconds for the fence to fix itself. That''s when they pounce. At first it''ll only be a couple of wolves as a test but each wave after will be more and more." Alex soon whistled and a few seconds later a Kweh came over that was covered in grey feathers and had a long scratch down one side of its beak.


    "This is my current pack leader Bjornson. He is the brother of those two males over in the grazing area but this guy is way more combat oriented.... hahaha even though he is a total lover." Alex patted Bjornson on his side and in return Bjornson leaned over and started to nuzzle Alex''s cheek.


    "Wow!!! That is amazing! I am totally getting one of those." I couldn''t help but say in amazement at seeing one of these majestic guys up close.


    "Haha, boy you do a good job here tonight and I''ll give you first pick of the new batch we got brewing."


    "Are you serious! Hell yea let''s gooo!"


    AWOOOOOOOO


    As if to answer my enthusiasm the wolves howled all together like a warcry before 2 wolf like monsters jumped over the fence and stood in an aggressive stance while snarling at us. They looked like coyotes from earth but more lethal looking with the claws and the scythe like extra claw in the middle of their paws. But these ones also looked gaunt and almost emaciated? Like they were starving.


    "Get ready boy here we go! GO get em BJORNSON! BOOST!" Alex yelled as he raised his hand and a yellow circle appeared on his palm and seconds after as Bjornson ran towards the monsters he glowed yellow and I could feel as his very presence got bigger, he got faster, I could see as his very steps themselves pushed further into the ground. Bjornson jumped and extended out a his clawed foot towards one of the wolves and upon impact it was like a confetti cannon as pieces of gore sprayed out the opposite side from the point of impact and a spray of red poured over the grass.


    "Holy shit!" I yelled


    "I did that to hopefully scare the rest away, sometimes it works but sometimes it just pisses them off more." Alex said with a smile but his face turned as an aggressive and deep roar came from the woods. "Looks like I lost the gamble this time, and this time we are unfortunate enough to have got an Alpha tonight."


    I turned back to the remaining wolf but it was already shredded by Bjornson as not even a whimper escaped it before dying. Soon after a few more wolves jumped over but this time instead of looking like they were starving, these ones looked bigger and more muscular but with a look that didn''t look like hunger in their eyes... It looked like rage. It looked like this monster was angry at us instead of just trying to follow a basic survival instinct.

 First fight pt. 2

    Looking at these new wolves was like looking at a brand new species, I mean the 2 before were scrawny while showing a couple ribs, but these 3? These ones were packed with muscle to the point I could see them condense and move under the skin as the wolves lowered down to the ground in preparation to pounce... Wait what!


    "Get down!" Hector yelled before he dove at me and dragged me to the ground while one of the wolves flew over top of me through the air. I heard a pained Kweh and looked to see another had latched ontop of Bjornson and was violently ripping feathers and spraying blood. The last one was lashing out against Alex while he was just barely able to dodge. To his credit he had courage as he would try to counter everytime but the damn thing was just to fast as it would return to its previous position outside of his attack range before lunging again.


    Hector jumped up as fast as he could in time to just barely block claws that were inches away from his face. He was able to push the beast away but immediately grasped his side as I saw a tinge of red start to spread from under his hand.


    "Shit Hector your bleeding!" I raced to get up and to his side but he just pushed me away with a shake of his head all the while keeping his eyes focused on the wolf that was slowly strafing in front of us.


    "Just stay back Jimmy. I''ll try and kill this thing but it needs to be fast. I need you to find something to throw against the fence to set off the electricity. We need time." He was taking a short breath with each sentence like something was causing him pain while breathing. I looked down and saw as the blood was now starting to flow down his leg.... This wasn''t good. I started to look around for anything, anything that could set off the fence to give us time. I first looked towards the trees to see if I could quickly grab a branch and throw it but the only close tree was the one that the wolf was somehow right in front of.


    ''Shit, now what?'' I thought as I quickly scanned around before setting my sights on the dead wolfs....


    ''Alex said anything living would work right? but trees aren''t exactly a living thing so maybe?'' I didn''t have time to think about the intracies of life as I ran towards a huge chunk of dead wolf that still had a leg attached to it and picked it up before started to twirl around like the tasmanian devil before throwing it towards the fence line.....


    BZZZZZZZZZZ


    The carcas landed on the fence just as a couple more wolves were jumping over and the electricity arced straight through them as they were instantly dead and just in time the fence erected itself again but this time it acted like a catapult that flung the dead wolves far away, back in the direction of the pack in the treeline where seconds later the loud yelps of pain were heard as small flashes of arcing electricity were seen in the darkness of the treeline.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Here''s hoping that saved us a few minutes of leeway. Unfortunately the next moment was filled with the angry deep howls of something that vibrated deep inside my chest, Even the wolves that were currently fighting against us stopped and jumped over the fence... Well tried should be in that sentence atleast when it came to the two that fought against Hector and Bjornson. The one that fought Alex was able to leap over using it''s dead comrades bodies as steps.


    I ran over to Hector to try and see what I could do for him but Alex was already next to him helping him to sit down against a tree.


    "That was good thinking using that dead wolf to set off the fence Jimbo. I think without that we could have been done for..." Alex said as he was literally stuffing some kind of goo into a deep gash across Hectors side. For a second I thought I saw something white but shook that image out of my head.


    "What''s that your putting in the wound? Is it some kind of healing thing?"


    "Yea in a way I guess. It''s a mush that we make around here that''s used for basic scratches and stuff. It wasn''t meant for this type of injury but in this case it''s gonna have to make do. I just hope the team comes with a healer or else Hector might need to be rushed to town."


    Hector grabbed Alex''s arm and shook his head. By this point his skin was pale white and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open but he forced himself to talk.


    "Not.... Going to happen.... Team won''t be long now." He shakily said with a raspy breath.


    "Phew, well if he can talk than he can heal. Just need to give him time... HEY BABAY! COME GRAB HECTOR AND BRING HIM INSIDE!" Alex yelled at the top of his lungs and seconds later Kelly ran out and stopped and gasped when she saw the shape Hector was in.


    "Oh my god! Hector honey you don''t look so good. Come Jimmy help me get him inside." She said as me and her helped him up and with some effort we were able to get him into the house and laying down on the couch.


    "Now I''ll take over from here Jimmy, go help Alex stand watch. Something ain''t right with this pack of mongrels and I got a bad feeling that this won''t get any easier in the next few minutes.... Do whatever you need to survive darling. I know Jasmine will skin our hide if we didn''t do everything in our power to help you."


    "Thank you Kelly." I smiled at her before rushing out the door and towards Alex that was applying the same gooey mush to Bjornsons wounds while also whistling and another couple of Kweh came up and stood near us.


    "How is he?" I asked as I slowly approached not really sure how the new ones would react.


    "Ah, he will be fine, this boy is a tough somabitch, a little bit of this here mush and a couple days rest and he will be right as rain no doubt about it." He stood up with his hands on his hips as pat Bjornson on the back and shooed him off towards the barn. Bjornson looked over to the fenceline where the wolves were yipping and growling again then looked back at Alex with clear worry in his eyes.


    "Now don''t you look at me like that boy, Who trained you? You think some mangy mutts gonna get me? Now go on and go make sure your hens are ok." He pat Bjornson again who... I swear to everything holy... Sighed before shaking his head and turned around and limped off to the barn....


    "Did.... Did he just sigh? Are they all that intelligent!?" I was baffled at how expressive that was.


    "Nah, most of em are just as dumb as a fucking pigeon. But Bjornson was the first born of his batch and after using Tame on him he stuck to me like glue. So ofcourse I trained him up a bit and now he''s the cock of the walk round here. But these guys over here? Meet Bubba and Bobba, haha yea stupid name I know but they are a close second to Bjornson and just as reliable.... Just hope the damn team gets here quick cuz something is not right.... I just know it."

 First fight pt. 3

    Me and Alex stood there watching out for the wolves to attack again and every so often Alex would grab something from his pockets and throw it towards the two Kweh that replaced Bjornson. I looked at him in confusion and he chuckled before he handed me some, they were pellets of some kind, well except that they weighed atleast a good pound each and he handed me 5 of em at once.


    "These are the special treats I use for the more.... Combat oriented Kwehs I have around here."


    "I thought you said you only raised the ones that were better suited for farming and things like that?"


    "Wellllll, I mean on paper that''s true. But I mean comeon you really think a farmer out here in the wildness of an alien world really only raises cattle without something to help him keep away the coyotes? well wolves in this case but same thing. Officialy I only have one combat Kweh and the rest are cattle, but I do have a few that can fight and every so often when I get a small pack of those Cutter wolves that get lucky enough to cross over I have Bjornson lead them in defending my farm."


    "Then the ones that are causing trouble over in the grazing acreage?"


    Alex chuckled before he pointed at the two that were standing watch and gazing around the fenceline. "Your looking at em. See Hector told me that you were starting out as a tamer and that he''d be bringing you along on an expedition. So as my way of showing congrats to my best friends Kid, I''d figure I''d give ya one of my Kwehs to start you out as your first tame. I''ve been training em real good the last few weeks..... But now that I''m thinking about it that''s about when the increase in pack attacks started???? Godsdammit! Boy get inside and tell Kelly to call up HQ and tell them to send a team over to Kevs place. If these bastards are this persistent into gettin at my girls than I can only imagine how much trouble he''s having with him having a damn hole in his fence that he made himself... Damn bastard practically opened the doors for the bastards!"


    I was confused but ran inside since Alex started mumbling to himself again. Once inside I saw Kelly tending to Hector and he was looking slightly better as the color that was drained from his face was now slowly coming back.


    "Alex said to have you call HQ and have them send a team over to Kevs." I said but Kelly just chuckled along with Hector albeit afterwards he winced in pain.


    "See I told you he woulda thought of it sooner or later." Kelly said as she patted Hector''s arm and brought up a glass of water for him to drink.


    "I''m sorry what? Did I miss something?" I looked at the both of them wiht confusion but Kelly just waved at me as she kept chuckling.


    "I knew Kev would probably have some trouble so I went ahead and gave a call to HQ myself. They had already recieved a call from him and the team is already there taking care of it."


    I sighed as an unknown weight lifted from my shoulders. I didn''t know Kevin at all but if what Alex and Kelly were saying about this being unusual than I guess unconciously I was worried about his farm aswell? After checking up on Hector and seeing as he was starting to feel better I turned to go back out to Alex, but before I could Kelly spoke up again.


    "Oh by the  way tell Alex that the team should be arriving within the next 5 minutes. They hurried up because of the request from Kevin so they beefed up the extermination teams and sent them out."


    "He will like the sound of that thank you." I walked out and Alex was in the same spot still mumbling to himself about what this could mean while also feeding and petting the two Kwehs he had come over to replace Bjornson.


    "Hey Alex, Kelly told me to let you know the team that is on their way should be here within the next 5 minutes or so. She also had already called and requested a team head over to Kevs before I went insdide."


    He snapped back to reality as I started talking and chuckled at me. "Boy let me tell ya what. If you ever find a woman that can balance out your quirks.... Marry her on the spot! My Kelly is the best damn thing I ever had happen to me. Did you know that we actually quit and gave up everything on earth to start up our farm here? Yea, just up and said fuck it. She didn''t even know what the hell a Kweh even looked like nor why I was so excited about it but she supported me all the way."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Wow, that''s crazy, Usually people nowadays are more wrapped up with either fighting the monsters or crawling up the nobility ladder."


    Alex shook his head at the mention of the so called nobility. "Man that chaps my ass so much... Some damn idiot took advantage that the apocolypse brought and started acting all high and mighty... Damn near as bad as religious zealots I swear. But anyways enough about all that, I hear an engine coming down the road and hopefully that''s our backup."


    With that Alex and me took off to the gate and watched as an armored vehicle with what looked like a damn plasma gun attached at the top rolled up and stopped just at the gate. A man came out and shook hands with Alex with a smile on his face.


    "Damn Alex, if I didn''t know any better I''d say you were throwing out fireworks left and right. I mean damn we could hear that damn electric fence blasting off from miles away."


    "Haha, yea but hey it helped us last this long." Alex laughed then opened the gate for the vehicle to roll through and after parking 3 more members joined us near the back fenceline that was now being attacked again.


    "Woo, good thing we got here as soon as we did. How many made it over?" The leader asked as he saw the fence starting to bend down enough for wolves to jump over again.


    "a few made it over but then the last wave a couple jumped back over but we gave them a shocking farewell haha. Anyways Jack... I think we have an Alpha grade C." Alex spoke to the guy now known as Jack.


    He and the other members of his team instantly turned serious at the mention of a Grade C Alpha. I raised my hand and asked. "Um, I''m sorry but I''m a newbie, could someone explain what''s going on? I get what an Alpha could mean for regular wolves back on earth but what does that mean here?"


    A woman that was holding onto a sniper rifle atleast a foot or two taller than her started to chuckle. "Ah, so we got a newbie in our midst? Well little man let me explain. An Alpha is bad news all around as it has the ability to lead and also passively strengthen the monsters it has under its control. To make it worse however... The higher up in the grade scale it is, the tougher and meaner it is aswell as how powerful it can make its subordinates. Thankfully we''ve discovered that there is a limit to the grade that the subordinates could reach while under an Alpha and that''s always the grade underneath, otherwise there would be a fight for dominance."


    I was shocked and reminded just how dangerous this side of the portal could be. But to think that just a single monster could cause such a change in others that it led was a big deal. I turned back to Alex with wide eyes.


    "So, you think that an Alpha is involved here?"


    "Yea I do Jimbo. It would explain just the sheer coordination in the attacks aswell as....."


    About that time I noticed the fenceline was low and that 4 wolves were in the air. One was aiming directly for Alex''s back but I was close enough to push him out of the way. Unfortunately I wasn''t thinking it through all the way and as a result I was the one that was immediately pinned underneath the monsters body. I was doing all I could as I held it''s jaws from closing down onto my head. Fear was running through me like a hurricane but I knew this couldn''t be the way I go out, not this early into my journey, not like this.


    "CLOSE YOUR EYES KID!" Someone yelled and next thing I feel is warmth spread over me as some kind of liquid was splashed all over my face aswell as feeling the weight fall off of me.


    "Don''t open your eyes kid you have monster blood all over you. It can be poisonous to some people so just to be on the safe side keep them closed, we can handle it from here." The womans voice spoke again but this time much closer as if she was right in front of my face as she helped me up and walked me over to sit down by something. I heard her footsteps rapidly go away and that''s when the noises of my surroundings came rushing back.


    I heard grunts of exertion from a guy followed by yelps from a wolf. I heard gunshots or more like felt them as the sheer power behind them rattled my chest. I heard what sounded like someone saying a poem followed by a quick flash of heat then a blast.


    "Kweh?" I heard as I suddenly jumped as I felt something brush against me. It felt like it was pushing me slightly and knew that one of the Cho.... Kwehs, had came over and checked on me. I raised my hand and fumbled in the air for a second until I felt a feathered head come into contact with it.


    "Haa, I''m ok but thank you for checking on me. I can''t see right now so can you tell me if everything is going ok? I don''t hear anything anymore."


    "That''s because we finished the wolves Jimbo. Thanks to Jack and his crew that is we dealt with the mutts in record time... Well the ones that jumped over that is." He had to correct himself as another wind slash collided against the fence.


    "Don''t worry Jimbo, Claire here is a healer and can help you get into tip top shape." The voice of Jack said off to my left while I suddenly felt a presence in front of me.


    "Like Jack said hon, I''m Claire and a Healer... Wait? Are you not hurt?" The woman asked in surprise.


    "Ummm, am I supposed to be?" confusion thick in my question. I know I was covered in monster blood and the other chick said that it could be poisonous to humans. But I wasn''t feeling sick or anything like that? Although.... Maybe I was feeling a little better than normal? Nah nevermind.


    Claire spoke up again after a few seconds of wiping away some of the blood and checking if I had any wounds. She said it was ok for me to open my eyes an after she made sure I was fine she stood back up. "Yea, the kids fine. I didn''t see anything wrong an my abilities are saying he''s healthy."


    "Good job Claire thanks, but now''s not the time to relax Jimbo.." Jack was saying but I had to interupt him since he kept calling me Jimbo after Alex.


    "I''m sorry Jack sir, but my name is actually just Jim or James, haha Alex calls me Jimbo just cuz but it''s not my real name But ahem... It''s fine if you want to call me that I''m sorry for interupting." I got a little meek after realizing I might have offended the guy whose team saved me and so I backpedalled a little.


    "Nah, it''s fine Jimbo or well I guess I''ll call you Jim. Also don''t worry about offending me or anything like that, if anything I''m sorry if I offended you by calling you the wrong name... Ahem, anyways team? It''s time to set up a perimeter check and make sure that these wolves aren''t just trying to keep us in this one spot. Claire and Hannah, go inside and meet up with Kelly and help out Hector, Then go ahead and find a place to setup a snipers nest so we can start taking out the ones who are hiding out in the tree line. Paul, you and me will run around and do a quick check of the fenceline. Is that ok with you Alex?"


    "Ha, no problems here bud, you do what you need to while I stay here with Jimbo."


    "Sounds great, Everyone ready? Let''s go."

 First fight pt. 4

    The extermination team had been gone for a few minutes by now and me and Alex along with the two Kwehs were just sitting around on a couple lawn chairs he had brought out. Honestly this whole thing was surprising me, just the sheer nonchalant actions of everyone even though there is a huge pack of wind throwing wolves that are still, to this very moment, attacking the fence.


    However everytime even a small windblade made contact with the fence a loud BOOM would rattle my chest and the next second a yelp would sound off from the treeline.


    "That is Hannah right? The sniper? She is super accurate with those shots. But I gotta ask Alex.... Why is everyone so calm even though theres something so dangerous just on the other side of that fence?" I couldn''t help but ask as I started to pet Bubba, the Kweh that I learned had come over to make sure I was ok while I was blinded, or well had my eyes closed.


    "Well Jimbo, it''s simple. Ever single gifted that has taken up the mantle of adventure, hunter, whatever you want to call the crazy bastards that decide to explore the new worlds that opened up to us. Every single one learns this lesson sooner or later..... Death is inevitable in this world, just like on Earth. Yea, it''s true that in the other worlds there''s more dangerous things than what we have on Earth but the concepts the same. Everyone dies, It''s just a matter of how you die, So why waste time being scared? Enjoy your time alive and face each challenge this new world presents with courage and determination."


    Not expecting such a philosophical answer I was truthfully a little stunned. Even with all the howls and yips and growls that seemed to surround us right now, this man was still smiling like he just won the lottery and is living his best life. After having a few seconds to digest what he said I realized that the mindset to continue surviving on this side of the portals had to be a strong one. The mindset to face death but still smile and have fun doing it was something nobody from the past world could have ever achieved. Only through the hardships the human race suffered through this last decade could have pushed our minds to this level.


    "That is an amazing view on life Alex. Thank you.... On a happier note though, Um, which Kweh is this that''s currently rubbing it''s scent all over me?" Despite the deepness of the situation I was still being covered by the scent of a Kweh at the moment, to the point where it couldn''t be ignored anymore.... That and also because whichever Kweh it was, was getting more and more forceful with its headbutts since I stopped giving it attention.


    Alex looked over at me and laughed. "That would be Bubba. She gets a little aggressive when she doesn''t get what she wants."


    "She? Who the hell named a girl Bubba?"


    "Boy your talking to em. Plus I don''t really mind seeing as how I used to know a chick named Roscoe. She was a bad bitch every single day of the week and twice on sundays, boy let me tell ya what I wouldn''t fuck with her even if I was suited up in highclass armor made from the baddest monster around... But that''s all in the past." Alex said that last sentence with a look of melancholy as he looked down at the ground, but not two seconds pass when he perks right back up.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Anyways, I''m surprised we haven''t seen hide nor hair of that Alpha. I mean the rate Hannah is blasting off those rounds I would''ve assumed that the pack was cut down enough to piss it off and reveal itself."


    About that time like a signal was given in the universe a loud deep guttural roar rang out over the farm and moments later the only sound that was heard was a massive amount of running steps away from the farm. I looked at Alex but he only shrugged with a shake of his head as he was just as confused as I was.


    "Looks like this one''s a little smarter than what we are used to around here Alex. If it''s alright with you and Kelly I was thinking it would be a good idea to set up shop around here and maybe use your farm as a base of operations for a week or so? We have our own camping gear but we just need a place to rest for a moment inbetween expeditions into the nearby woods."


    Jack Laney said as he walked up with the man named Paul right behind him. Paul looked a little haggard as he had one arm that was cut and still bleeding but otherwise he still looked around with vigilance.


    Alex nodded and stuck his hand out towards the barn. "Ya''ll don''t need bring out the gear. I''ve got an office set up in a corner of the barn next to weapons shed that could easily be cleaned up with a few cots put in. That''ll keep ya out of the weather and with all those Kweh in there it gets pretty warm at night. Let''s go on inside so we can see how the rest are doing."


    That sounded like a good idea since this whole time I was still worried about Hector and how he was doing.


    Upon walking into the house I see Hannah and Claire on the phone with HQ and Kelly is giving Hector a glass of water. Jack and Paul go over to the girls while me and Alex head over to Kelly and Hector.


    "How''s it hanging Hector? You feel any better?" Alex asked as he took a seat on a big recliner next to the window so he could keep an eye out.


    "Meh, low and to the left, but I do feel a little better. Thankfully the wolves aren''t poisonous so I should heal up just fine by tomorrow. After that Me and Jim should probably head back home."


    "WHat? But, but what about the Alpha around here? I was thinking we could stay and help out Jack and his team." I blurted out with excitment but Hector only looked at me with a serious glance.


    "Jim, you''ve barely stepped a foot into the world of adventuring, You maybe killed one of those wolves? And only using the electric fence at that. What Jack and them are going after is something that a newbie like you couldn''t handle right now. Hell I''m sure even Jack himself is doubting if his whole team together could handle that thing without coming away with a a limb missing or worse. I should have prepared better Jim, this wasn''t supposed to be like this for your first mission and I''m sorry but we need to head back and get you some better stuff before we come back." Hector was adamant about us leaving but I knew the only way I was going to get stronger was if I stayed on this side and struggled and strived to become stronger.


    "Hector.... I need to stay over here. If I turn back now after facing this kind of situation and being able to survive.... I just can''t. I was scared yes, but at the same time I felt alive! I felt more alive here than I ever did in the 10 years we struggled and crawled back on earth. I chose to be here and I need to follow this choice and see it through!" I looked back at Hector with the same look he gave me. A look of determination, A determination to fight for this new life.


    "Haaaa, Jimmy....." He looked at me for a few seconds before he turned to Alex. "Can he stay here for the time being? I''m sure that Jasmine will want to come take a look at him but I can''t just let him wonder off by himself."


    Alex and Kelly looked at eachother before chuckling. "This boy made an impression on me the moment one of my Kweh took the initiative and started rubbing her scent on him. It''s not everyday that a Kweh acts like that... So yea, the boy can stay here with us. But, only on the terms that I can teach him a thing or two and he helps out around the farm. You agree to that Jimbo, and I will take care of ya while you''re here." Alex stuck his hand out at me and I looked at Hector and Kelly and they both smiled at me and Hector gave me a slight nod, I turned to Alex with a huge smile on my face as I took his hand in mine and gave it a good hard shake.


    "I won''t let you down Alex. You neither Hector, I won''t let this opportunity go to waste!"

 Working on a farm

    It has been a month since I started working on Alex''s farm and let me tell you that it is not easy. He started me off slowly with some basic feeding of the Kwehs then started moving me up until I knew everything that needed to be done from day to day. I even got to sell off some of the Kwehs to Kevin whenever he came over to meet the new farm hand Alex ''hired'' quote unquote.


    He was a nice guy and I was able to get him to tell me a little bit about how he goes about training his Kwehs to be mostly battle oriented. He said that up until recently he was just letting the wolves come through and into his arena that he built up, but with the risen danger recently and the mysterious stop to the wolf attacks, he isn''t as keen to leave that area open anymore so he sealed it off for the time being. He took some losses a month ago when the wolf packs attacked but that was only because he was training up some of the Kwehs that had gotten big enough to be trained and so that was their first fight.... Poor things.


    He left after a bit with some of the hens to bump up his egg supply since now he needed another stream of revenue and everyone always needed food. After he left I got back to work and finished up my daily chores of cleaning out the coops and gathering any eggs I was able to find... The problem is that the Kwehs are more dangerous than normal eggs so what ya have to do is bribe them with food and while they are munching down they don''t really care about what you''re doing.


    Once that was all done and I took a shower to wash off atleast a little of the stink that now permeated my existence, I walked over to Bubba''s coop and let the girl out. She was excited to see me and I gave her a head a quick pat as we were leaving the coop.


    "Hey girl how are ya tonight? You ready to train some more?" I asked Bubba and she gave me a short Kweh! as a response. Oh that''s right! After a week of working under Alex he taught me how to use my ability to tame monsters and I was able to create a bond with Bubba. So from now on me and her will always have a connection. I''m able to slightly comprehend what she is feeling and Alex said the longer we bond, the more I''ll be able to comprehend what she is feeling to the point of it almost being telepathy.


    We trained for a couple of hours, mostly just me getting used to riding on her back, but other times Alex would come out and teach me a little about using the axe that I got and I even had he even taught me some basics on harvesting useful materials from monsters. Ofcourse he only gave me some verbal tips and nothing hands on, but still to know some things to keep in mind for the future is better than nothing.


    Another week passed in an blink of an eye but still no sign of the wolves coming back. Jack and his team still used Alex''s farm as a base and went into the woods everyday but to no avail. I was sititng down at the dinner table while staring outside at another beautiful nightsky and was about to eat when the team came inside with a crash and Jack was carrying Paul by the shoulders. Claire and Hannah were already sitting down against the walls, panting and covered in blood.


    "CLOSE THE DOOR! ALEX WE FOUND THEM!" He yelled and it was like time stopped as the sight of a puddle of blood oozed out from under Paul and that''s when It registered in my head.... There was a giant hole through his torso!


    "HOLY FUCK!?" I yelled as I ran over along with Kelly that was carrying a bowl full of ''Mush'' but she slowed down as she neared...


    "I''m sorry Jack." She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. I looked at her and then back at Paul.... He wasn''t breathing. I should have known that, It''s common sense that a person with a hole through their body ofcourse would be dead... But... Seeing all that blood, seeing that gaping hole, how could something like that be real? My mind didn''t want to accept it at first but slowly it came to understand and realize what was going on. This was a real death in front of me, A reminder of how vicious and wild this new world was.


    "What happened Jack?" Alex said quietly as he stood near the windows looking out. He was looking out vigilantly but he saw nothing outside. The only movement outside was the wind moving the leaves up in the trees.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "We.... We were doing a routine sea...Search.... But all of a sudden the wind picked up and next thing I know Paul had a hole in his stomach and if felt like we were getting slashed by a thousand swords! Thanks to Claire we were able to get back here... unfortunately Paul was already gone before he even hit the ground... BUT I WASN''T GOING TO JUST LEAVE HIM THERE!!!!" Jack cried out as tears rolled down his face. He was still hanging on tight to Pauls Shoulders as if by some miracle him holding on was what was going to bring him back.


    "Jimmy, help me." Kelly quietly said as she knelt down and placed her hands over Jacks. "Honey, we need to get Paul cleaned up ok darlin? the blood will attract monsters." Kelly quietly tried to get Jacks hands off Paul but Jack just shrugged her off.


    "I don''t care! Let them come, I''ll kill them all!" Jack yelled at Kelly as she just knelt there quietly and took it. She knew he was hurting.


    BAAAM


    "You dipshit! Whose house you think you''re in! Fuck your dead friend and get that corpse outa my house! You aint gonna risk my family you got that." Alex however, did not care if he was hurting because as soon as Jack raised his voice at Kelly it was like a switch flipped and the caring man I lived with the past month traded places with someone that gave no shits.


    Gasps were heard from Claire and Hannah and I saw as they got visibly irritated and tried to stand up, but Jack just raised his hand at them before he placed it onto his jaw that was starting to turn red and swell.


    Jack took a deep breath and controlled his emotions before speaking. He looked up at Alex with anger in his eyes but it was a cold anger, rational. "Thanks for that.... But you didn''t have to call my friend a corpse, have some respect for the dead." He breathed in again and let it out after a couple of seconds. However Alex was calm from the get go but after a moment he too shook his head and let out a sigh.


    "I''m sorry I disrespected Paul, I lost it a little. But Kelly is right that the blood will attract more monster other than just the wolves. Take him into the bathroom and put him in the tub. It''s not the best but atleast the blood will be in one spot." He turned to me and pointed towards the barn.


    "Go turn on the fence and see how Bjornson and the girls are doing. Don''t go out without Bubba by your side and have your axe ready understood?"


    I nodded and ran out the door while using my link with Bubba to let her know something dangerous was around and to let Bjornson know I''m coming to check up on them. Last time I came in unannounced I got a nice swift kick to the chest that sent me flying a few dozen feet. I learned from that and vowed to never surprise Bjornson.


    Once I''m inside I take the time to get Bubba out of her coop and I see out of the corner of my eye that Bjornson is at the entrance of the barn staring out towards the treeline. I quickly run over to the switch for the fences and flip it on before running out of the barn and looking off towards the treeline aswell. Nothing except a few strands of moonlight reached through the canopy of trees but I could swear that in those brief moments I thought I could see something move quickly from between the trees. I didn''t hear anything, not a rustle of the bushes or anything and that is why I thought that maybe the shadows were just playing tricks on me... Until I looked over at Bubba and Bjornson and they both had their eyes glued towards that direction and nothing else. Their feathers on the back of their necks were raised and I could see them flexing their muscles in anticipation for.... something.


    "What''s wrong girl? Is something over there?" I asked Bubba while trying to calm her down but all I got in return was a slight head nod and a soft Kweh.


    "I want you to go get your brother and stay here with Bjornson. watch over the others while I go get Alex ok? Can you do that for me aswell Bjornson?" I looked over at the big cock o'' the walk around here and all I got was a side eye and a snort as if to say ''No shit, I was gonna do that anyways.''...... Dick


    But after that I ran inside the house and told Alex about how the animals were acting. He nodded with a severe glance back towards the wood line. Something was coming, or was already here, because even a newbie like me could feel it in the air and see the level of readiness for action that were deep in everyone''s eyes. Even the grief stricken Jack and his team were still at the ready for whatever would come our way.


    "What should I do Alex?" I was worried about what was going on but at the same time I knew that if it was something that would cause these experienced hunters to be cautious, what the hell was someone like me going to be able to do? Logically, bait lol.


    "You turned on the fence right? Then Your job is that when shit gets real, I want you to throw whatever you can and activate that fence. I don''t care about the cost but even if you have to take a dead body again like last time, I want you in charge of making that baby light up like the 4th whenever I say so. Hey Jack? Why don''t you have Hannah set up in the loft on the barn, that way she can have a vantage point and I can have Jimbo here out of harms way but still doing something essential."


    Jack nodded as he looked over at Hannah and waved his hand towards her. She gave a quick nod before hoisting her large sniper rifle and left the house with me following close behind. When we got up to the loft she had to knock out a good chuck of the wall as the only window was facing the wrong direction.


    "I''ll pay Alex for this later." She mumbled as she setup a tripod to stabilize her cannon of a rifle and with a flick of a switch her lens went from normal to heat sensing... And that was when her breath hitched and she whispered in a fearful tone. "Oh god."


    Before her eyes was a tree line filled with a mass of 4 legged bodies that covered every inch past the line. In the front were smaller wolf like creatures but the further back she looked, 6 of the biggest and most vicious looking wolves were sitting there just staring.... Right at her!

 A group of Alphas appear!

    Hannah put down the rifle and backed away slowly in disbelief before running back to inform the rest. I just stood there wondering what was going on and why she went so pale before running off, So like any curious idiot I picked up the rifle and looked through the scope...... Ah, I understand now.... I set the rifle down and I exited the barn as calmly as possible, but as soon as the outside air hit me so too did the immediate rumbling deep howls of the wolves and like a hurricane multiple slashes of wind were heard clashing against the fence.


    I was already mentally a little broken after seeing 6 pairs of eyes looking right at me through the scope but to add the sound of the combined howls, then the attacks on the fence? To say I was close to relieving myself from the fear of what was going to happen wouldn''t necessarily be out of the question. The fear of what was to come and what could happen to me was starting to take hold and my body ran cold and a shiver ran down my spine.


    "JIMB--" Alex yelled at me as he started running towards me but my attention was cutoff and tuned in somewhere else by a low guttural growl coming from behind me. I turned slowly to see a pair of yellow eyes staring back at me as a grey fur covered body slinked from behind the barn to reveal itself. It came out into full view and started to circle around me. My body wanted to turn away and run but I knew that if I did that I was as good as dead, Plus I needed to face this creature head on and use this as a chance to get stronger. If I didn''t how was I supposed to survive? I slowly reached my hand towards the hand axe that was strapped to my waist but stopped as the wolf growled again in order to threaten me.


    "If you''re going to try and kill me wolf, I''m going to do the same." I said in response as I continued reaching for the axe. What I said must have upset it because it stopped circling and launched itself at me! I was barely able to pull the axe out and take a desperate swipe at it before it impacted me head on in the stomach and knocked me to the ground winded.


    I laid there trying to gasp for air as my brain was screaming for me to get back up, but soon I saw Alex knelt down beside me with a worried look in his eyes. "Jimbo are you hurt!? I didn''t expect to see that wolf, much less for it to appear from around the barn...." He had a worried tone in his voice but as he helped me up he nodded his head towards a now still and lifeless wolf corpse with an axe lodged in the side of its head, directly bisecting its left eye.


    "Not the smoothest kill I''ve seen but at the end of the day? Haha all that matters is that you continue breathing." He patted me on the back before reaching down and with a swift pull followed by a the sound of the axe being freed from flesh, he handed it to me while it was still covered in the gore of the wolf with a smile.


    "It''s not a pretty job Jimbo, so my advice is get used to what this axe looks like now and prepare to get dirtier as the jobs get tougher."


    "Oh gods Jimmy I''m so sorry! I was so shocked by the Alphas that I completely forgot about you!" Hannah came running up to me and gave me a hug that proceeded to force my face into a deep valley of oxygen depravation that I was.... well all too happy to be in.


    "AHEM! Hannah? I think you''re suffocating him." Claire said as everyone chuckled around us.


    "You see that face? I don''t think he really minds it." Jack said as they caught up to us and Hannah released me with a blush on her face. I wasn''t really focused on women in that respect seeing as how my focus so far had always been getting to this side of the portals and then getting stronger, but now that it was quite literally shoved in my face I was taking a second look at Hannah.... And then immediately looking away as our eyes locked and I got embarassed.


    "Hey guys? Are you not hearing the fence getting attacked? It was quite lovely seeing the little interaction of a potential love interest but can we get back to the fact that MY FARM IS UNDER ATTACK!" Alex yelled and pointed at the now 90 degree angle fence that soon had a few wolves jumping over it.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "OH Great! And now there are wolves!" He raised his hands in exasperation as he pulled out his own axe and charged at the creatures. Jack followed close behind while still chuckling but was serious enough to pull out a sword and through the tip I saw as he thrust his hand forward as if throwing something and in seconds I saw as a sliver of wood started to appear and get bigger and bigger before impaling one of the wolves like some kind of ragdoll in some game. I mean it didn''t even have the time to yelp in pain before it was all over.


    My mouth hung in amazement but Hannah pushed it up with a finger. "That was his wood control, he takes toothpicks or pieces of sharp wood and after throwing them he uses his control over wood to make them big like spears."


    "You''ll have to excuse Hannah, she has a fascination with magic since she only has the power to control technology." Claire said with a smile before she laid her hand on my shoulder and afterwards a rush of energy ran through my body and made the pain in my stomach fade away as a sense of renewed energy and confidence took its place. I looked at Claire confused since I knew she was a healer but where did this confidence come from?


    "I figured since you were going to be apart of the fighting that you should get a little buff. It''s nothing much since my focus is in healing but I do know a couple spells to boost a persons physical abilities."


    I nodded with a smile as I tightened my grip on the handle of my axe and with a determined gleam in my eye I raced off towards Alex that was fighting against two wolves at once.


    "HAAAAAAAAAA!" I yelled as I swung my axe over head at a wolf just before it lunged at Alex and I surprisingly caught it off guard with my strike as my axe sunk into it''s back and causing it to yelp in pain before spinning around to snarl at me and try and take a chunk out of my leg. I moved back quickly out of its attack before moving in and swinging my axe yet again but this time horizontally towards its face in the hope for a replay of the last wolf.


    Unfortunately I aimed a little too high and my attack soared over its head as it hunkered down to dodge it effortlessly and it lunged to pin me down on the ground.... Something about this was feeling way to familiar but this time I felt stronger and confident that I could kill it. It had me pinned by the shoulders and was about to snap its jaws around my face when I raised my feet and kicked it off me and rolled away in an awkward fashion, thankfully when I rose back up I saw as it was still slumped on the ground but as it was snarling at me I noticed the puddle of blood that was pooling under it. That was when I noticed the wound I gave it earlier that was now free flowing blood down its side. It was at the end of its life but still refused to give up the fight as it tried again and again to raise up onto its feet to fight me.


    Seeing this my heart faltered for a moment as I saw the pain I inflicted on it.... But I shook my head and renewed my resolve, It tried to kill me and as the law of the jungle dictates since I was the stronger one I was the one owed its life. I walked up to it and dodged out of the poor attempt at a lunge before swinging my axe down and ending it''s suffering... I still felt a little bad at seeing it like that but I knew this was what was required.


    I looked up to see how Jack and Alex were doing but only saw as they were all looking at me and watching me dispatch the poor creature.


    "Good job Jim, Even a hardened Veteran like myself couldn''t stand by to see that thing suffer like that." Jack nodded approvingly and so did the others. I barely smiled but still felt a tang of guilt. But it soon faded as the threat of more attacks came rushing back now that the adrenaline had wore off.... But weird thing was that even in the fight, no other wolves joined in? Were we being tested for weaknesses and tired out?


    It wasn''t long before the sounds of sniper fire were heard as Hannah took up her post and started taking out some of the weaker ones. Jack told her to leave the big ones alone and only focus on the weaker ones in the hopes that it would cause the big ones to finally act.


    "Why do we want to attract the big ones? Shouldn''t Hannah just take em out right now so we don''t have to deal with it?" I asked confused but Alex chuckled as he placed a hand on my shoulder.


    "That''s because if they are Rank C or above, even though it would be a bit of a tougher fight, they have a chance for loot drops. And I mean it exactly the way you think, Something otherworldly happens when a monster that had gained enough strength is killed by one of us. Besides the corpse sometimes spawns things if you''re lucky, and that''s not counting what the actual corpse has as materials that can be harvested."


    What he said made me wide eyed! Was that really true? I seen weapons and armor back in the portal town but just chalked it up to some really inventive and amazing craftsmen.


    "Ok, but that still doesn''t answer why Hannah couldn''t just take em out now and we go gather the drops after we''re done?"


    Claire was the one that answered that. "It''s because whatever causes the loot to spawn also has a timer on it. It''s like whatever energy was used to create the loot will just evaporate into the aether. That''s why we have to make sure that if loot does spawn, we are nearby to collect it."


    That was weird? I''d never heard of that but hey who can argue with LOOOOOT!!!!!


    I just nodded with a loot of anticipation of what could drop but at the same time..... I was just a Rank D and about to face off against 6 potentially Rank C or higher Alpha monsters..... This wasn''t going to be easy.

 A group of Alphas appear! pt. 2

    We stood there as a group with Hannah taking shots at the weaker wolves and the rest of us mentally preparing for the next wave to attack. I was getting antsy as it had already been a few minutes since the attacks against the fence had forced it to bend to almost a 90 Degree angle, which was when the wolves were supposed to jump over. But for some reason they kept up the attacks only to keep the fence bent. Until something odd stood out to me and I turned to Alex.


    "Hey so I got a question? Why don''t the wolves use their magic attacks like artillery strikes? I mean they learned to bend the fence and that''s the strategy they stuck with this whole time? Something isn''t adding up when they can control wind, why don''t they summon like mini tornados or something?"


    The group look at each other as if that idea just clicked in their head at which point they looked even more seriously towards the woods. We couldn''t really take the offense to them as the only long range attacker was Hannah and she was doing all she could even now.


    "Hey Alex? Do you have any long range weapons around here? Maybe I could help Hannah take out some more of the wolves and thin the horde quicker."


    "I''m sorry Jimbo, I''m not a long range guy, I mean hell the only gun we have on the property is..... Hey now that you mention it... Hold on." Alex smiled as he ran off back to the house and came back a few seconds later carrying the shotgun that Kelly always had handy just in case. Even though Alex said it would barely knock the dust off an E ranked wolves fur...


    "Take this up to Hannah real quick and see what she can do with it. She''s a pretty good Technomancer and this should have everything she needs to make you a rifle." Alex said as he handed it over to me.


    "But... I can''t just take Kelly''s gun and have it turned into something else! I''d feel horrible if something happened and she could have used this!"


    "Bah, take it boy, Our anniversaries'' coming up and I was gonna take her shopping for something new that would actually work anyways. Plus we could use it now versus maybe not ever in the future." Alex said as he smiled before pushing me off in the direction of the barn.


    As quickly as I could I got up to Hannah and filled her in before handing her the shotgun. "Hmmm, I don''t know exactly what I could make that would be good for long range out of a shotgun? The shells still wouldn''t be good for long range, maybe if I added something that would keep the shells intact like a mini grenade? Hmmmmmm." Hannah seemed to get lost in thought but she blinked before handing me her sniper rifle and pointed at the woods.


    "While I''m busy with this, you take over shooting." She said without even looking up at me.


    "Wha-What the hell did you say! You want me to take over shooting!? But I''ve never shot a sniper rifle before, let alone this monster of one! This thing is taller than me and I could only imagine the kickback this thing does." I was shocked at how nonchalantly she just gave me the gun and told me to take over just like that! No thinking about it, no hesitation. Just here start blasting away.


    "Oh, yea don''t worry about that, I made it to where the rifle doesn''t recoil or do anything like that. I remodeled it to be entirely dependent on energy and magnets. Basically just a railgun. But yea like I said no kickback. No recoil. Just aim and shoot." She waved her hand at like she was shooing a fly as she started to mumble something while picking up the shotgun and started examining it like some lost artifact and she was Indianapolis Jones.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I tried to get her attention again but nothing worked.... I looked down at the rifle than towards the woodline.... Ok, let''s give this a go.


    I laid down and aimed the barrel towards the wolves before looking into the scope. I was stunned at just how many of the bodies were laying down while some were being eaten by the survivors. I looked and saw as the same 6 Alphas Hannah had told us about were still just sitting there and looking towards the fence area... That was until they all simultaneously turned their heads and looked right at me!


    "Oh Fuck that! I about shit my pants just from the pressure I felt from their piercing gaze alone, You mean to tell me those things are Ranked C! Was there really such a power gap between D and C that I felt like my heart was going to explode?!" I yelled out as I started to stumble back from the rifle that had dropped from my hands. I knew I was new to this whole thing but holy hell this was a slap in the face of the reality I knew!


    "Calm down James! It''s fine, I''m right here and Alex and Jack and Claire are nearby. We can do this, I just need you to continue taking shots at the weaker wolves while I make up the new gun ok? Please can you do that for me?" Hannah said as she stopped me from falling off from the loft and then sat me down with her hands on mine to help steady me. It worked surprisingly as her warm hands covered mine. Her smiling face showed concern but that smile made me feel better even still......


    "Huhhhh.... Ok, I got this.... Thank you Hannah. I''ll try my best." I sighed heavily again before turning around and picking up the rifle and aiming down the scope. I did my best to avoid looking in the area I knew the Alphas would be in and instead focused my attention to the very wood line and after a few deep breaths I slowly pulled the trigger.


    BOOOOM


    The a bullet exploded out of the barrel but like Hannah said there was no recoil, nothing.... Unfortunately after I looked back through the scope after flinching in expectation, I saw as a giant hole was gouged out of the earth where I had hit nothing but dirt....


    "It''s alright, try again. You got the breathing part down and the trigger pull. Just keep your eyes focused." Hannah said but she was still looking down at the gun that was now disassembled and floating in the air with some kind of static electricity sparking between the pieces.


    I nodded before breathing deeply again and after locking onto a wolf that was sitting there I slowly pulled the trigger again.


    BOOOOM


    Another bullet sent flying and I was rewarded the sight of a headless wolf that also lacked a good portion of their upper body..... I felt like hurling slightly but I kept it in and kept aiming for targets.


    It was after my tenth kill that I felt some kind of weird energy surge through me that made me stop and start to shiver. It was almost like I was in the middle of having a fever and had the chills as every cell in my body was in overdrive.


    "Ah I see you just reached your first milestone as a Gifted, The tenth kill is when our system fully becomes operational as you show your commitment to actually hunting and not just trying to take advantage of being stronger than your average human." Hannah got up with a smile as she handed me a gun that looked like a cross between a pump shotgun and a single shot rifle.


    "I made this with your taming ability in mind. The pump is actually the switch that changes ammunition to a net for capturing animals." Before I could ask how I was supposed to get the bullets and nets for it she stopped me with by putting up her hand. "Before you ask, It has an internal micro printer that generates the ammunition for you." She then pointed towards a slide along the base of the gun that could be pulled back like any ammunition slot would look like.


    "This here is where you would put in normal ammo, but for this gun, all you have to do is this." She then smiles as she leans over and picks up a handful of hay before placing the hay into the slot. "The micro printer runs off of biological material, so grass or hay or even leftover monster parts that are small enough could easily be fed into the gun and voila! New ammunition ready for any occasion. Now word of warning. This is a first model prototype just for you, I don''t know the ends of what it can do nor if there is any hidden properties. This was an on the fly kind of deal."


    She gave me a few more tips on how to use it but mostly it acted as a rifle for most situations unless I was using the net and then it would be like a shotgun. By now I was just to excited by the mix of the still overdriven cells and now a huge gift like this? Oh man I was feeling awesome. I smiled at Hannah as me and her both started taking shots at the wolves. She mentions something about taking a look at my system when I had a chance but not right now since we were in the middle of something important.


    It took us another 30 minutes worth of pot shots and destroyed wolves before Hannah stopped me and told me to run to Alex.


    "They are moving. Get ready." She muttered before she returned to shooting but this time she didn''t take her time for each shot and I got to see just how skilled she was as every second was another boom as bullets exploded out of the barrel and each one I''m positive was the end for a wolf or two. I ran down to Alex and told him and the others that the Alphas were making a move and the mood went from calm to serious and on edge in .2 seconds flat.


    Alex had already called over Bjornson and Bobba, The twin to my Bubba, and now everyone was getting ready and prepared as the energy of the place was shifting..... Here''s hoping my luck continues....

 A group of Alphas appear! pt. 3

    Thanks to Hannah taking potshots the rate of wind slashes to the fence were cut down severely but now that the Alphas were making a move that number had increased and returned with a passion. Each strike against the fence reverberated along the ground that made me feel a little unstable, that was in no way a wind slash from a regular Cutter Wolf.... And in seconds the fence was bent to the point it was bending back and digging itself into the ground.


    The attacks stopped for a moment but that was when the realization hit us hard in the face... The fence didn''t fix itself and stand up straight as it was now embedded into the ground and allowed a huge gap for anything to jump over.


    "GET READY!" Jack yelled just as 6 massive wolves fully jumped over the fence with enough height that even if the fence was fixed, they could have sailed right over it with ease. They had enough intelligence that the attacks on the fence were just to catch us off guard. The Alphas landed in front of the 7 of us that stood there. 4 humans and 3 Kwehs. But even Bjornson who was a good neck and head above the humans in height merely came up to the shoulders of wolves as the stood there on their 4 legs.


    The air became deathly still for what felt like an eternity as the rage in the wolves eyes seemed to form a physical pressure over me that blocked out everything else. That was until a loud BOOM rang out and a yelp from one of the slightly smaller Alphas disrupted the silence and from there chaos ensued as the rest of them leapt toward us with snarls and growls. One leapt towards me but Bjornson jumped towards it to intercept it in midair and with a kick it flung the huge beast a few feet away.... But the poor Kweh didn''t come away unscathed as in the act, one of the claws of the Alpha had managed to catch onto his upper shoulder and ripped out a few feathers along with leaving behind a big gash.


    But just to show off how much of a badass he is, he didn''t runaway and instead stood his ground even with his blood running down his feathers and dripping down to the ground. His eyes were fully focused on that Alpha in pure defiance and an attitude that screamed how dare it hurt him! Bubba was near me ready for action as I snapped out of the force that was weighing on me from the sheer aura of the Alphas and I readied my new gun and aimed it at the wolf just as it was standing back up.


    With a POP that sounded like it came from a cap gun, A net shot out and fully covered the wolf..... ''The Fuck? I was trying to kill it?'' I immediately looked down and remembered that to switch the ammunition I had to ''pump'' it. What a weird design, but screw it now was not the time to think about useless shit.


    I pumped the gun and could feel an internal switch that rumbled as something clicked into place inside the gun. I aimed and pulled the trigger and was met with a Bang as I saw nothing but a spot of red start to form from the leg of the Alpha still struggling with the net. It dropped to the ground as it started to favor its injured leg, but shortly I noticed the blood had stopped from the wound and it slowly stood upright even with the net over it to look directly at me. I swear If looks could kill this whole farm would have already been nuked.


    But knowing if I didn''t kill it, it would kill me was enough motivation to aim and fire a few more times. Thankfully the net was enough of a hindrance to it that I was able to land 2 out of the three and with body shot and another leg shot, it was on the ground while wheezing. I noticed that the blood from the body shot was filled with what looked like... Air bubbles? Wait didn''t that mean something??? OH SHIT! That means I hit it''s lungs right? Hell yea! I got excited until I noticed that the blood had stopped freely pouring from the beast and its breathing was starting to stabilize.


    "You have got to be shitting me! This thing got shot in the lungs but still recovered? Where''s the admin cuz something ain''t right here!" I yelled as I took aim and fired a few more times. This time I aimed for the head, Which yes I know I should have done from the start but let''s just chalk this up to rookie mistake ok? Let''s leave me with a little bit of pride..... But this time the shots that did hit bled a little bit longer before they healed up, this time the net had wrapped completely around it and the monster could only stare at me in pure defiance. It would''ve loved more than anything to escape and tear me apart, but tough shit cuz I wanted loot!!!


    I fired multiple times and each time I got a little bit better in aiming as I hit one of it''s eyes and the next shot was able to go deep enough to hit the brain. With little more than a yip it dropped and a shimmer of light, almost like a mirage appeared next to the fallen body in the net as 2 objects appeared. I got so excited that I wanted to go get them immediately but I took a deep breath as I forced myself to turn my attention to the other Alphas. Alex and Bjornson and Bobba were in the middle of fighting off 2, while Jack and Claire were struggling to fight off the other 2. I looked around for the last one but soon saw as one of the Alphas was dead on the ground with a huge hole in its head along with big missing chunks from its body that looked like the other wolves that got hit by me when I was using Hannah''s sniper.


    "Let''s go Bubba! Let''s help Jack and Claire and take one of the Alphas. We can use the same tactic we just did and have it easy." I smiled as I pumped my gun to switch back to the net ammo and took aim towards an Alpha that was just about to jump towards Jack as he was in the middle of defending form a paw that was covered in wind magic. I shot the net and it was able to hit the lower body of the Alpha in mid air and it was knocked off course and hit the one Jack was busy dealing with. They were both forced into a roll a few feet away, It took them a second to stand up but even then I could see they were slightly dazed from the unexpected impact. One of the Alphas snarled and snapped at the one that I caught with the net in anger and the other one bowed slightly before they both snapped their heads towards me in anger.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    They both snarled and got low to pounce but only the one not caught in my net successfully leapt at me as the one with the net wrapped around its lower body ended up tumbling and sprawling out. I switched ammo quickly as Jack took over fighting the one that leapt and I was in charge of taking shots at the one I caught before eventually I was able to kill that one as well. The same shimmer appeared but I was already switching focus to the one Jack was preoccupied with and with the combination of our attacks it was killed as well and we were off to finish off the 2 that were fighting Alex and the Kwehs.


    After a short but intense fight with those 2 we were all either bent over breathing heavy or sitting down. The only one not resting was Alex as he was applying the Mush to Bobba and Bjornson to help them recover from the various scratches and wounds. Some looked bad, especially that first wound on Bjornsons shoulder area but the rest weren''t as bad as that. I didn''t want to get Bubba hurt so I only had her intervene if it looked like I couldn''t kill the monster in time, which thankfully never came to pass because of Hannah and her addition of the net ammo.... I really should try and pay her back for that....


    "Good... Job. Fwooooo Man that sucked for a moment. I really appreciate the help Jimmy." Jack said after a big deep breath as he went around and finished picking up the dropped loot and bringing it over for Claire to keep ahold of as he pulled out a sharp looking knife and started to skin and dress down the carcasses.


    "Mind if I help? Or at least watch, I could use the lesson whenever I get around to doing it myself." I got up and stood next to Jack and asked and he was more than happy to give me some lessons on the right way to skin and take out the organs, what to avoid, or where to be more gentle so as not to puncture and ruin the meat, Things like that. Before I knew it I was finishing up the last carcass and setting up the hides to dry over a line that was already covered in 5 other sets of bloody hides. The ground near us and my hands and clothes were covered in the blood of the Alphas but after that system update or whatever happened, I didn''t feel as queasy when looking at the gore as much as before, almost like the system helped me to get over that in preparation for the future that was to be filled with instances like this.


    Next to the hides hanging up was a tarp that was laid down and on it were several big chunks of meat and what looked like some kind of jagged crystals? Orbs? Imagine a circular object but it had spikes coming out of two sides of it. Next to those were some long canine teeth and claws that looked as long as my fingers!


    "Now that the Alphas are dealt with the rest of the wolves moved on and we can finally end this mission." Jack said with a sigh of relief. He had been saying how he missed his bed for the past few days now. His face then drooped before speaking in a saddened tone. "We also need to give Paul a proper funeral and inform his family..."


    Claire went over and gave him a reassuring hug as they both sniffled and stood there for a moment in silence. We all did in fact, But afterwards the mood lightened up as Claire went and brought over the loot that had dropped and then laid it out in front of us so that we can examine and see just what they were. In total about 11 items dropped so it was a 1-2 ratio per Alpha, not bad for the chances of loot dropping, and this was the lowest Grade monsters that started to actually drop the loot! Just imagining what an A grade or higher would drop was getting me excited but Those kinds of thoughts quickly died out when I remembered what Grade I was.....


    "Let''s see here, Looks like some weapons of Rank C, a sword with wind magic enchantments, and a couple daggers with the same, Then we got some Ranked C Wind stones. That would be good for Enchanting weapons and armor, or some of the Alchemists like to use em for experiments. Oh what''s this?" Claire held up a cube that looked like it was made up of 4 smaller cubes and some kind of weird static like energy connecting them. She turned it this way and that way but she couldn''t figure it out.


    "My system isn''t responding to it so this is something completely new. What do you think Jack, should we take it back to HQ for research?" Claire held the object out but just as Jack reached for it my hand burst forward to grab it. Something inside me was screaming at me to take it and without warning my hand moved on its own.


    "What the hell Jim?" Jack said as he looked at me in confusion. "Things like this shouldn''t be mishandled, what if it exploded or did something to cause mass destruction? We need experts to handle this, not some newbie fresh off his first kills." He put his hand out again but this time the look on his face was serious. "Give it boy, While I''m being nice."


    [System Update successful]


    [User James Frough has acquired the [Cube of Growth]]


    [Abilities include - Enhanced growth of user, Portal access to [Personal Dimension]]


    [Warning: Loss of [Cube of Growth] will result in loss of above mentioned abilities.]


    A window popped up that startled me but after reading it I was more excited than ever and now knew why my body reacted on its own, maybe it was destiny? Either way I couldn''t hand this over.


    "I''m sorry Jack but if Claire couldn''t figure out what this was then that means it was made for me. The system just popped up and I know what this thing is and what it does, and I''m damn sure not going to let this go. It''s vital to my future!" I stood firm even when he took a step forward in aggression with his hand still out.


    "Boy this is not something to play around with, You can have anything else from the drops and even some of the material, but that thing IS coming with us to HQ." Jack placed his other hand onto the hilt of his sword as he looked me dead in the eyes while speaking. I knew this was something out of the ordinary... But was this really something to act this way over? His aggression towards me and why am I feeling like he wants to hurt me now? This wasn''t right.


    I looked over at Alex with a raised eyebrow. "What is going on Alex, isn''t there something about the loot drops and rules over who gets them? I killed a few of them so shouldn''t I get a choice? I choose this and you all can have everything else." I turned back to Jack and said but he wasn''t listening as he immediately drew his sword and held it towards me.


    "Don''t make me do this James Frough! Hand over the relic NOW!"

 Escaping

    "James Frought, Give. Me. The Relic. NOW!" Jack took another step towards me with one hand towards me, while his other held out his sword ready to swing. I could see his eyes darting from my face and down towards the cube. Something wasn''t right here, Why is he so adamant about getting this back to the Headquarters that he would so easily switch his attitude to kill me over it?


    "I can''t do that Jack, This thing is something I need for my future. My system showed me what it is and this is exactly what I need to get stronger. Why are you acting like this Jack? I thought we were friends? Why is this so important to you or better yet why is it so important that you take it back to headquarters?"


    "Jimmy, it''s because Relics like that have the power to alter the very life we know. If HQ could harness that power, it could increase our survival as a species tenfold. Just hand it over and I promise we can pay you back. How does a million credit sound? I can even transfer it over to you right now through the system." Claire spoke up as she too stepped forward towards me but to the left of me. Almost as if she was cutting off a route for me to escape from.


    I looked over at Alex but he slowly shook his head while taking a slow step towards Jack. He was slowly inching his way towards Jack while slowly reaching for his weapon until the barrel of a gun was pressed against his skull.


    "Don''t move Alex. I don''t want to do this but I will if need be." It was Hannah.... She had come down and saw what was happening and instantly took Alex hostage with a pistol I never knew she had.


    "Hand it over Jimmy. Please? This doesn''t have to end badly.... We could..... I mean.... Haaaa, we could become something Jimmy. I know you felt it these past few weeks. Please Jimmy." Hannah looked at me with pleading eyes to give the Cube over but the whole time I couldn''t help but notice her finger never moved from just barely above the trigger. Her arms were steady and finger control was still as impeccable even as she begged me to hand it over...


    "Oh good lord what is happening out here! Jack what is going on!" Kelly yelled out as she ran out. She skid to a halt as Hannah pulled out a second pistol and aimed it at her.


    "Do not move Kelly. Things are heated right now and we don''t need any unnecessary casualties, understand?" Jack said without taking his eyes off of me.


    "B-B-But what is happening? Why are you surrounding Jimmy like that? He didn''t do anything wrong!?"


    "Kelly he took something that rightly belongs in the hands of the people to improve everyone''s life, but instead he is being selfish." Claire said with a hint of aggression as she looked back at me and took a step forward. I saw out of the corner of my eye as Bubba, who had been by my side this whole time. Took action and stood in front of me defensively. She squawked at Claire threateningly and Claire jumped back.


    "Keep your bird under control Jimmy, I don''t want to have to kill it." Jack said with a serious warning.. but by now I was getting fed up with all this bullshit. This last month they have been acting all nice but once I get something that they want they turn into this? Saying it''s for the greater good but even a blind man could see the pure greed these bastards had in their eyes. And the way Hannah held those guns towards Alex and Kelly solidified that she had done this more than once. These bastards were all to comfortable killing to get what they want.


    [System has identified hostile intention towards user. Will now transfer user to safe zone.]


    A system pop-up appeared and a second later a low hum started from the Cube in my hand as well as a purple light that glowed brighter and brighter as seconds passed. Bubba squawked in surprise before sensing how confused I was but I just waved her back to stand by me just incase.


    "Hey! What the hell are you doing!? Stop that right now James and hand over the fucking artifact, are you willing to risk the life of Alex and Kelly for a silly little trinket!?" Jack shouted just as the light was starting to blind everyone but the light was only aimed towards them and I saw as just when Hannah instinctively moved her arms to block the light, Alex turned and slammed her to the ground while Bjornson jumped towards Jack and Bobba slammed into Claire. By this point a small windstorm had kicked up with the ramping energy that this cube was emitting and I could barely hear Kelly when she yelled.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "JIMMY RUN AWAY! WE WILL BE OK HONEY I PROMISE!" Kelly yelled as she ran towards Hannah and kicked her face like she was making a field goal.


    I tried to take a step towards them but Bubba stopped me as the cube in my hand lifted and the four smaller cubes split apart to form what I could only assume was a doorway. I couldn''t see anything but a purplish mist that shifted like a psychedelic lava lamp. I looked towards Bubba and with a resolute look I took a step into the misty doorway... Maybe with my eyes closed just in case.


    [User has entered personal Dimension. Safety has been assured, closing portal now.]


    I opened my eyes to the system message, along with a view of an acre of dirt... Nothing but dirt for an acre. It was just one huge square of land. I got to the end of one side but was met with some kind of barrier but all around the side and above looked like I was just floating in the sky. I was happy that there was a barrier because I swear I could feel my balls withdrawing into my body at the thought of looking over the side and down into nothingness. I wiped the cold sweat that formed on my forehead as I sat down on the ground followed by Bubba sitting behind me. I leaned back into her soft, but musty feathers and mentally replayed what just happened.


    For weeks I had worked around and interacted with Jack and his team, but to think that in the face of something as amazing as this cube they would turn to murdering me so easily..... How long had they been like that? And if they were a squad sent out from HQ, what sort of interactions could I expect from them? If I ever interacted with them that is...


    "Kweh?" Bubba nudged me as she looked up and around the square plot of land that was around us and then back towards the now closing doorway that then turned back into a cube and instantly flew back into my hands.


    "Well that''s a cool feature." I mused as I took a look around me before sighing. "What the hell am I going to do now? What about Alex and Kelly? What about my family? Where the fuck am I!?" These questions started rattling around me but I shook my head before panic started to settle in.


    "That''s right! My system updated didn''t it? That should give me something to move forward with hopefully." I focused on pulling up my system screen and in front of me appeared a blue screen with my stats and my skills so far. It also had a few menu selections as well.


    [James Frough]


    [Rank D Tamer/Farmer]          [Abilities(4)]    [Creatures(1)]


    [Species: Human]


    [Land owned: 1 Acre]


    [Str-5]


    [Dex-11]


    [Con-10]


    [InT-10]


    [WiS-15]


    [Cha-12]


    [System updated: Statistics for User [James Frough] will now be shown and updated with future endeavors. Statistics are based off of human anatomy where baseline is 1.]


    The menu options were self explanatory since I only had Bubba and I still remember what my abilities did. I was happy that now I could see my own stats but..... Why was my Str so low compared to the others that were in the double digits!? I know I''m not the strongest man in the world but come-on really?


    "Haaaaaa, well at least it says that I''m 4 above what a normal human is so I guess that''s fine? I wonder what that equals out to be though? Does that mean I could pick up a car with my bare hands, or just lift a little bit more than usual?"


    Not getting any answer of what the difference between the numbers meant I closed the screen and looked around the plot of land again.... Yup nothing but dirt....


    Sighing I held up the cube Infront of me and examined it again, I was hoping it had changed or looked different at the very least but nope nothing. "Hey! You damn cube how the hell am I supposed to get out of here? What even can I do here?"


    Still holding the cube in my hand I looked around again thinking uselessly that by holding it something around me would change, only for the cube itself to rumble before the 4 lesser cubes split up to form a screen of its own. Purplish mist appeared and sprawled over the screen of what looked like some kind of sci-fi energy barrier before fading away and leaving words behind.


    [The User [James Frough] has been given permission to utilize the Cube of Growth to grow stronger and increase survivability.]


    [The land has been blessed to grow anything that the User needs for survival.]


    After I read that the cubes fell back together again and I was left with a few more questions.... 1. Who the hell gave me permission? 2. What the fuck am I supposed to grow around here when I have nothing!?


    "Kweh.. Kweh." Bubba then nudged me to draw my attention before she reached down and with her beak plucked out a feather and then placed it in my hand. As soon as she did my system appeared automatically with a picture of the brown Choco.... I mean Kweh feather.


    [Kweh feather(Contour)]


    [Plant ability: Yes]


    [Potential grown items percentage: Kweh feather-90%, Kweh Egg-.05%, Kweh stat increase(Con,Dex,Str)-9.95%]


    What the hell? I stood there with my mouth wide open as what I was reading was just.... Well, just outright insane! Was this really telling me that I could plant this single feather with the chance of growing something that could increase my stats!


    Oh shit did the HQ know what this thing was and what it could do? Is that why they were so eager to get this from me?


    "Hey Cube, how long can I stay in here? What about food and water?"


    With the same rumble and misty letters the cube screen appeared.


    [Only what is grown can appear here. The user can leave after the required cooldown of (2 hrs remaining) has passed.]


    "Well that''s not bad, but am I going to just end up in the same place I left? That could be bad if I popped up infront of Jack again."


    [Safety feature designated safest possible point of exit to be......[Home]]


    "Home? Do you mean back on earth? How can you transport me from this world to earth?"


    [Dimensional portal...]


    Okay...... so besides the faint hint of intelligence right there that I''m clearly going to ignore, I guess I''ll just wait for the 2 hrs. to be up and then head home.

 Learning to plant

    Since I had a little over an hour left before I had to prepare to either fight or figure out my next move, I decided to try planting Bubba''s feather. my system said that I could grow this and gain something but even knowing that it was qualified as something plant able, and then actually planting said item... were two completely different things. Like if I came up to you and said "Hey, I can grow Kwehs just by Planting one of their feathers in my own personal dimension." Wouldn''t you think that person was more than a little off their rocker? Like their deck was missing more than just a few cards? Exactly and that is the issue I''m dealing with.... Because that is my reality at this moment!


    I looked at Bubba with a raised eyebrow but all she did nudge my arm before she lifted one of her legs and dug a hole for me to plant the feather. It was shallow so the whole feather wouldn''t fit so I just laid it down vertically like I was transplanting an already grown plant, as soon as I did that a pop up saying that it was successful showed up and even that within 30 minutes it would be ready for harvest.


    Being a little confused I examined the feather and saw as at ground level I saw what looked like roots growing from the feather and burrowing down into the soil.... There''s just no way this is real. Like I''ve heard some crazy stuff, but seeing a feather grow roots? What the hell is this?


    "Kweh?" Bubba nudged me as she felt my stress through our bond. "Haaa, I''m sorry girl, it''s just that this? All this, it''s all a little much for someone just starting out as an adventurer. I expected to tame some monsters and grow stronger through surviving harrowing adventures and near-death battles. But to find out I have my own personal dimension that I could grow... Well, everything!? That is just so outside of what I imagined. Hell, nobody could''ve imagined this."


    I sighed again as I sat down a bit away from the ''Feather'' and tried to relax my mind and just accept it. I closed my eyes since I could feel a headache coming and thankfully Bubba had laid down behind me as an amazing spot to lay against.


    "Ya girl, you may be a little on the stinky side, but damn are you comforta... Hey! Don''t poke me! I''m sorry hahaha." She gave me a tap on the head with her beak as she seemed to huff at me calling her stinky. After I gave her a quick pat down and apologized, she seemed to forgive me.


    "What are we going to do if this portal thing just spits us right back out where Jack and them were? I mean I am worried about Alex and Kelly but.... Ah it just makes me sound selfish.... But I''m worried about what I could even be able to do in that situation?" I just started rambling about what could happen and before I knew it 30 minutes had gone and passed.


    "Ugh, all those thoughts aren''t going to help us Bubba.... I should really rename you, Bubba doesn''t sound like much of a girl¡¯s name does it? Would you like a new name?"


    "Kweh!" She squawked happily as she jumped up and seemed to prance a little around me. "Hahaha, alright, alright. Hmmmmmmm what do you call a giant bird that can kick your head off your shoulders with ease but also a girl? Oh, I know! How about Rhonda? That''s the name of a female fighter back before earth turned to shit and I enjoyed watching her on tv back then."


    "Kweh?" She turned her head to the side in confusion but after a few moments of mulling it over she nodded her head, and a wave of happiness flooded our connection.


    "Alright, Rhonda it is! Now that that is settled, let''s go see how the crop turned out." I walked over and saw as the Feather had lost a lot of color and seemed to be wilting but when I looked at the ground around it I saw something bulging up from underneath. With some light brushing and a solid tug I pulled it out and underneath was..... More feathers? I mean from each end of a ''root'' was an upside down brown feather, but not just the kind that I had planted. But other types like some longer tail feathers and some that looked like pieces of fluff, and even a few that looked just like straight spines and nothing else. Taking a look at the way they grew reminded me of how potatoes grew..... So were these technically Tuber feathers? Ugh this is going to give me even more headaches.


    But after snapping one of the tail feathers off and held it up to the ones on Rhonda, they matched damn near perfectly! Except the small part at the end where the connection to the root was. But that was where the feather would be attached to Rhonda so besides that it looked just the same. I pulled up my system to see if it had any information and I smiled when it showed that it did.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    [Kweh Feather (Tail)]


    [Plant ability: Yes]


    [Potential Grown Items: Kweh feather-90%, Kweh Egg-.05%, Kweh stat increase (Con,Dex,Str)-9.95%]


    Ah, so nothing changed except just what type of feather it was, that¡¯s not bad, not what I was expecting but still not bad. And from that one feather I got 3 Tail feathers and a couple down feathers and the barbs, so I wasn''t complaining much. Hahaha, what if one of the feathers was glowing red wouldn''t that be hilarious? Anyways, I took the feathers and with holes dug by Rhonda, I planted them again. Each of the Tail feathers said harvesting was available after 30 minutes as well as one of the downs but one of them showed that it could only be harvested after an hour? Was this like a double harvest kind of deal? Like I got 10 feathers instead of the 5? Meh, the only way to find out is to stick it out in here for a bit longer than I expected and find out. What''s just an extra 30 minutes?


    Quick answer? Boring, that¡¯s what an extra 30 minutes is. I got only feathers from the other 4 that I planted and ended with more tail feathers and downs and some more of the barb looking ones, I didn''t know what to do with the barbs since it looked more like something to be launched out of a crossbow than an actual feather but after taking a look more closely at Rhonda, I found similar ones that were sticking out around her feet and legs, only they were pointed downwards so they didn''t show and unless you got a face full of her foot you wouldn''t even notice them... So, these things are like thorns? Just something extra for offense? Welp why wait and guess when I''ve got the handy dandy Note... I mean system! SYSTEM-SAN GO!!!


    [Kweh Feather(Bristle)]


    [Plant ability: Yes]


    [Potential Grown Items: Kweh Bristle-100%]


    Oh, so these only made more Bristles. Not barbs? Well whatever, whatever they are called, it looks like they maybe have only one usage, so I''ll just plant a couple and then pocket the rest. If need be, I could always hold a few in between my knuckles and punch someone. They feel durable for that at least.


    After the hour was up, I noticed that underneath the feather, it looked different than what I thought, instead of doubling the amount of feathers, it looked more like.... A core? A dull brown marble-like object that once in my hand seemed to glow a little before crumbling to dust. But as it crumbled, I felt the dust settle and then be absorbed into my skin followed by a small burst of energy spreading before settling down in the area where my heart is.


    [Users Con has been increased by 2]


    Huh? My Con increased? but how? I looked down at my hand as the realization that the thing crumbled and was absorbed was the thing that increased it. That was why it took an hour to grow! It was growing a stat increase, I saw the percentage chance it could grow but to actually see it appear was crazy!


    I went ahead and planted some more feathers since besides the bristles, they would all give me more feathers and maybe some more cores if I''m lucky. I was still kinda skeptical about getting an egg but who knows. After I finished planting the feathers I realized something.... I wasn''t watering them, was this soil so great that it didn''t need water or was this just something special to the feathers?


    Meh I''ll figure it out and once I''m back out I''ll go ahead and pick up something that can produce water... I heard about items that could produce some water, but those are a bit more on the uncommon to rare side of drops and I don''t even know what could drop them. I just shrugged that problem away and mentally prepared as I held up the cube forward and after way shorter startup compared to the first time, The same purple mist doorway appeared, and me and Rhonda jumped through with my eyes closed of course.


    I felt the solid ground underneath me but what immediately made me more tense was the familiar scent of Alexs farm. Opening up my eyes wide I saw as I landed back to where I left but instead of Jack, Claire and Hannah..... I saw Kelly, over a lifeless Alex with blood covering them both.


    It took me a few minutes as I looked around the farm. There was spots of blood here and there but most of it was concentrated on the couple that I had grown to like over the past weeks¡­.. Just what happened?


    "Kelly.... I-I''m sorry." I muttered as I walked up to her, and I was worried that she was going to hate me. But within seconds she was up and grabbed me into a bear hug as she sniffled, and I felt tears soak my shoulder.


    It took a few minutes for her to cry before she stepped back and wiped her eyes. "Honey, we knew what was going to happen. Alex knew something was going on the moment Jack showed up."


    "Jack? But he was sent by the HQ right? Why was that suspicious? Why didn''t you let me know, instead of letting me get closer to them?"


    "Jimmy.... We wanted to, but haven''t you noticed that every time me and Alex tried to get you alone even if it was for a single second. Either Hannah or Claire would come up with some excuse to come with you? We couldn''t tell you anything that would be thought of as insulting to HQ."


    "But, But why? Why were they following me like that? It makes no sense, plus I''m just a lowly D rank that''s it."


    "Exactly You¡¯re D rank. But were you always a D rank?"


    That''s when it hit me what she was insinuating. I raised my eyebrows as I understood, and she nodded. "That''s right, you raised a Rank from surviving something that nobody I know of had done before. The amount of energy that was forced through you should have ripped you apart to a fine paste, but here you stand, alive and even stronger. HQ had probably kept an eye on you from the moment you woke up till now. Alex and Hector knew something was different about you and made plans for when the time came.... But nobody could''ve anticipated that you would''ve gained a Relic! That puts you on a list that very few people stay alive on, and for an extended period at that.


    "Thankfully the HQ only has power on this side of the portal whereas the government is still in power on Earth, they can''t just follow you over without causing a huge incident. I have already called Hector and Jasmine. They should be here the next day to come pick you up."


    I looked at her for a moment as what she said finally settled and my brain was able to catch up. I looked over at Alex as he lay there with a smile on his face even though I could see multiple slashes across his body and the tatters that his clothes were in.


    "So.... So, I''m the reason that Alex died?"

 Resolve

    Kelly looked at me as tears welled up in her eyes. "Jimmy, I-I don''t blame you for this. I blame those worthless, piece of shit Hunters! We took you in and this last month me and Alex have never been happier.... We loved having you here Jimmy. I haven''t seen Alex that happy in a long time... Baby I promise I don''t hate or blame you...." She sniffled again as she came up to give me a hug. By this time I realized that I was crying myself as I felt the tears roll down my cheek.


    I wiped them away and stepped back from Kelly. "I can''t leave Kelly. This world is where I belong, I vowed to get stronger and now, now I have another reason to get stronger. If the HQ is after me because I have this relic, then I will get so strong that they will have to send the world to pry it from me! I loved being here with you guys too. I woke up everyday filled to the brim with happiness because you and Alex gave me a chance. So the least I can do is return that favor and give those bastards who took your husband away one hell of a tough time!"


    Kelly looked at me with shock. "No Jimmy you can''t! They only just left minutes before you came back, if they knew that you had stayed on this side they would hunt you down every step of your life you can''t stay here!" She grabbed me by my shoulders and squeezed enough that it hurt but I didn''t let it effect me.


    "I''m sorry Kelly... I promised Alex, you, Hector, everyone I cherished that I would become strong. This is my chance, with this cube here I gained an opportunity that no matter what I can''t pass up. I''ll help you with Alex, but after that I''ll leave into the woods." I stared into her eyes with determination that I hope would get through to her. Thankfully after a moment she sighed deeply before nodding her head.


    "I understand Jimmy, Alex was like that too when we first discovered the Kweh. He just wouldn''t take no for an answer.... Haaaaaa, Ok just help me bury him and I''ll get you straightened out and send a message to Hector and Jasmine after you leave."


    "Thank you Kelly."


    ....


    A couple days have passed since then after we buried Alex and I left Kelly... I felt bad doing that but if me being there put her in danger then the choice of what to do was obvious. She was amazing enough that she gave me some food for the road as well as enough food to last Rhonda for a couple weeks as we set out on our new life. I realized shortly after everything calmed down that I no longer had that awesome gun Hannah gave me.... But thinking about it. That made sense, She was a technomancer and I just chalked it up to she took it from me without me knowing it because I didn''t want to think of the alternative.......


    BUT!!! I learned a couple more things that I could plant so that was good. Kelly gave me some jerky and a container of water so of course I tried to plant them. The jerky was a bit weird because it wouldn''t grow, but I was able to grow the feed that was for Rhonda so at least she had a stable supply.


    [Cutter wolf(Jerky)


    [Plant ability: No]


    [Can only plant raw materials]


    [GIshaal greens]


    [Plant ability: Yes]


    [Potential Grown Items: GIshaal Greens: 95%, Grigios Worm: 5%]


    I was happy that the feed had the potential to grow other things but what was odd was the water container. It didn''t grow anything but instead the ground spit the container back out, empty, and the crops around it had a decreased grow time. So like the feathers, instead of 30 minutes It was 15. For the one other lucky time I got another core for stats it lowered it down to 45 minutes. After that one grew I was able to get an increase in my STR by 1. It wasn''t much but hey a free increase isn''t something I''m gonna complain about.


    Main thing I needed to definitely find was a way to get water in here. That was first on the list even if I had to just get a barrel and fill it up with a stream or hell any water source whatsoever. Just the fact that watering could reduce the grow time was an awesome discovery! If I was able to find an item with water creation or something like that would be super sweet but I highly doubt I was going to get that lucky so soon after such an life changing find like the Cube.


    After finishing with some planting I left the dimension just as the morning light was starting to shine through the trees. Me and Rhonda started walking along a game trail that we had found that was used often enough that it cut a swathe through the otherwise dense brush and trees that were around us. A few hours ago I decided that maybe continuing to walk along a road might not be such a good idea and so we started walking through the woods. It was such a different experience to be in this forest compared to the forests of Earth, Yea of course you could hear the usual insect noises and the chirping of some kind of birds, but the overall feeling that a person would get when they stopped and just admired the pure nature around them was monumentally more powerful on this planet. It felt like the very breeze that brushed along my skin was alive as my eyes started to take in the vibrant colors around me.


    The deep brown of the trees that were topped with leaves that looked almost like pure Jade in the parts without sun shining through but in others they looked like a dazzling Emerald as it seemed to shine. I took in a deep breath and could smell the earth around me, the dew of the morning catching the sunlight and looked like diamonds as they covered the bushes around us. I was getting lost in the moment as I admired the beauty of the nature around me, until a rustle in a nearby bush caused me to remember exactly where I was and what had been in these woods just days ago.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Kweh." Rhonda chirped as she braced herself in case she needed to swiftly take action. I brushed her side before pulling out an axe in one hand and my butchering knife in the other. After a few seconds nothing happened but I could still feel like something was watching us, so I put away my knife and bent down slowly to pick up a small rock near my foot. I gripped the handle of the axe and with a small inhale I tossed the rock into the bush while raising my axe above my head ready to swing down!


    What came out was a bit different than what I expected.... I mean it was a wolf, per se.... But what really came out was a pup. I could tell it was a Cutter Wolf because it had that same blade-like claw in the middle of its paws, It looked at me and Rhonda aggressively which was super cute because it acted like it was the biggest thing in the world and was yapping and trying to bark at us. Rhonda didn''t give a shit about the cuteness and was already about to throw a kick to smash the little guy when I quickly jumped out and grabbed the little guy and pulled him away.


    GRRRRRRR! The little pup growled at me before it bit down with all the force it could muster and broke the skin on my arm and drew blood. Rhonda squawked in anger but I looked at her and sent a mental order for her to stop. She didn''t like it but she stepped back while still keeping an eye on the puppy in my arms. I was gritting my teeth at the pain but the little guy wasn''t eating me, it only bit down like a warning and just didn''t expect me to keep holding him. Usually I would have already dropped the thing but Something felt off about the little guy, I didn''t expect something that was big enough to bite my arm... To be this light.


    It let go of me and started to squirm in my arms but after a few seconds it just gave up... "Are you hungry little guy?" I asked it before I reached and pulled out one of the last pieces of jerky. I had been saving these for the very last until my hunger got to be too much but after being able to see the ribs on the pup I didn''t care about my hunger, Hell If it came down to it I''d eat some of Rhonda''s greens, It wouldn''t taste good whatsoever but for now hunger sounded like a better option if I had to go off of just the smell...


    "Here eat up buddy, I don''t mind." I placed the pup down on the ground and slowly placed the jerky down in front of it to show it that I wasn''t meaning it harm. After a series of looking back and forth between me and jerky, it finally lashed out at the jerky and started to tear it apart before gobbling it all down. I ripped off a bit of my shirt to wrap around my arm to help stop the bleeding as I took in more of its appearance now that I wasn''t on alert and had the time.


    It''s fur was definitely not healthy looking as I noticed some bald spots across it''s black fur covered body as well as a couple claw like scars across one of it''s legs. It didn''t look terrible so maybe a fight with another pup? I couldn''t imagine an adult leaving it alive if it went as far as to scratch it deep enough to leave a scar. Looking at it''s head I noticed a small notch cut into both of its ears that reminded me of what a pig at a farm would have to indicate the litter and which one of the litter it was..... I couldn''t remember everything about it as I only remember having taken a field trip waaaay back in the day to a pig farm and the farmer showing us something like it. Wasn''t it something like the right ear how many were in a litter, and then the left showed which one that particular pig was in the litter?


    AH dammit that''s gonna bug me, where is a computer when ya need one. But either way if this was anything like what I thought it was..... Does that mean this little guy was somehow able to escape a farm? But I hadn''t heard of anyone raising Cutter Wolves the whole time I was with Alex and Kelly. Hell I don''t think anyone had been brave enough to raise them... But then again Alex and Kelly along with Kevin, were brave enough to tame and raise up Kwehs, so I guess there was a possibility.


    If it escaped and managed to survive this long then I couldn''t imagine just leaving it here to die or perhaps be found by the ones it escaped from and be taken back. I brought out another piece of jerky and held it out for the pup to take, this time I kept it in my hand and slowly reached out towards it hoping that I could pet it and show it some affection. I didn''t know the ins and outs of taming but I''ve encountered some dogs before and just did what I did then since it worked out back then, I didn''t know how well it would work with a wolf pup though.


    It sniffed the air but it was keeping a close eye on me as it slowly inched forward towards the jerky, It didn''t want to get close to me but the smell of the food was just too much for it''s stomach to resist. Eventually it gave in and latched onto the food and I reached out with my hand to softly pet it. At first it stiffened up instantly but as I kept petting, slowly it loosened up and continued to chew on the jerky, this time it took longer and enjoyed the food instead of wolfing it all down as fast as possible now that it knew I wasn''t a threat to it.


    "That''s it.... Boy, I don''t mean any harm. If you''re still hungry I think I got a couple more pieces for you." I stroked it''s fur and said as soothingly as possible, I didn''t make any sudden moves and stayed calm, even after it would growl a couple times when I got to close to its head while petting. After it was done with that piece it turned around and looked up at me with misty grey eyes that held such a clarity that I was almost startled, I expected them to be glossy as the the poor thing was almost done for but after a quick meal those eyes almost burned with life.


    "Do you want more?" I asked and without skipping a beat it barked at me and if I wasn''t imagining things I would say I saw it nod it''s head. "Haha, well here ya go." I pulled out another piece but this time I ripped it in half before handing one of the halves to it. It looked up at me in confusion and barked again. "Hahaha you had 2 whole pieces and with this it should be enough for a little bit. We don''t want you to get sick from overeating after being hungry for so long do we? I promise I won''t let you starve, but we do have to go find some more food ok? Do you know where some water is?"


    It looked at me with some confusion since I didn''t have anything to help get the point across so I left it be and got up and prepared to head out. The pup stayed where it was as I walked a couple steps, I couldn''t tell if it was going to come with me or not so I stopped and knelt down and held my hand out. "Would you like to come with us? I promise you won''t ever go hungry again. Granted for the moment you might not enjoy what else we have to eat, but I promise you won''t ever feel like this again." I chuckled but amazingly it took a few nervous steps towards me and I could see the gears working in it''s head as it tried to figure out whether to follow me or if it would be better to take off.


    I waited a seconds longer but no more as it started to jog up to me and licked my hand and barked. "Yay! Hear that Rhonda, we just got a new member!" I picked the pup up and held him as I gave him a few pets. "Now we just got to figure out a name for you little guy, Hmmmm..... You have grey eyes, but black fur..... You''re a Cutter wolf that is supposed to have an affinity for wind magic so maybe something like Midnight?"


    The pup shook his head and barked. "No huh? Ok, ummmm I guess Spot?"


    RUFF


    "Tempest?"


    RUFF


    "Shadow?"


    ...........Ruff Ruff


    "You like Shadow?" he nodded and barked at me again and gave my hand a lick. "Hell yea! Shadow it is. Now just to make this official little buddy." I placed a finger on it''s forehead and concentrated on forming a connection just like I did with Rhonda. At first Shadow didn''t know what was happening and was on guard but as the connection started and he could feel that it wasn''t anything dangerous he calmed down and let the process complete.


    [New Tame acquired: Shadow[Rank D Cutter wolf]

 Finding water

    After I and Shadow formed the connection between a Tamer and his pets, the next thing on the list of to-dos was to find a reliable source of water. I knew there had to be a stream or something nearby but just not in what direction. Thankfully I could smell rain coming so after I found a decent spot to camp for the night, I gathered up some leaves that were huge and ended with a point. I used the system to check it out first and see if it was poisonous and thankfully it came up as just a regular leaf, I was hoping that maybe it had some latent power that only the heroes of stories would stumble upon and turn it into some kind of enormous power up.... But I kept that in the back of my mind and had to admit that I''ve read too many stories haha.


    I was able to throw together a few sticks overhead and used the big leaves as shingles, that way when the rain came in it would minimize how wet I got as well as directing the rain to pour in a certain direction. I wasn''t the best at bushcraft, but I had always been interested and watched a lot of videos about people just going off into the woods and building shelters and making fires... You know just real caveman type shit.


    Unfortunately, I wasn''t that talented or experienced so when I tried my hand at rubbing two sticks together all I came up with was some blisters on my hands. But at least I had something covering my head and a couple animals to help keep warm at night. It wasn''t a few hours after finding the campsite when the first raindrops came splattering onto the leaves. At first it was soft and made a noise that was pleasant to the ears, however soon it turned into a downpour as if someone opened up a dam! The weight of it all coming down was even starting to bend the sticks and leaves over me. Shadow had already tried to hide under me as the thunder and lightning around us was scaring him, Rhonda was a little scared, but she was handling it well and she was even trying to reassure me by sending the feeling of safety through our link and rubbing her head on my arm.


    "Haha, thank you Rhonda. I appreciate it but I know you¡¯re scared too. OH! Dammit I''m so stupid.... Let''s do this while we wait." I slapped my forehead as I pulled out the cube and opened the portal. I ducked my head inside and like I thought, it was dry.... "Come on you two let''s head inside. But first let''s grab as much water as possible."


    I filled up my canteen and after a quick second decision I stepped out and made sure I was soaked from head to toe. It was a stupid risk but I had two sources of heat so I knew I wouldn''t die, and the reward was enough to balance it out. After I stepped through and got undressed, I looked at what was ready for harvesting, The feathers and the bristles were ready along with another stat boost. The greens for Rhonda still had a few minutes left for most of them except for one, instead of looking like a cabbage, it was a single stalk with a leaf but where the stalk entered the ground.... It looked like it was wriggling. This must be the other option that could be grown from them, right? What was it again?


    That''s when my face drooped a little and I felt grossed out thinking I would have to touch worms. Bleh! I shuddered a little but knowing it would be another food source had me swallowing down that gross feeling and with a tug I pulled up the stalk. BLAH! The damn roots were all worms! As soon as I pulled it up the whole bunch of worms just fell onto the ground, and some had wiggled onto my arm. I instinctively started flailing my arm around while using my other hand to brush them off. Rhonda on the other hand couldn''t have been more ecstatic as she squawked and started snapping her beak at the worms that were thrown her way. She loved it as every snap was another big juicy worm down the gullet.


    After shuddering in disgust, I looked at the worms with the system and saw what I could do with them.


    [Grigios worms]


    [Plan table: No]


    [Will help fertilize ground.]


    Well, that''s fine too, I guess. I mean that does make sense considering that it''s a worm. But going from the bird and how similar it is to something from a game, and even now the types of things I can plant and grow... They came from a very popular game series on Earth, but why are they here in reality? Did something overlooking this reality just copy and paste? If so, what else did they bring over from the game? But that brings up the question of the Cutter wolves, they weren''t in the games, but there were a lot of different wolf species If I remember right.... Ugh dammit this is getting all too confusing!!!


    "Ugh never mind that. I''ll just replant some of the greens and I''ll suffer through a dry salad and Shadow can have the last piece of jerky, how does that sound guys? Then afterwards we can head back out and look for something better tasting." Rhonda pecked me as I said that, and I got the sense that she huffed at me.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Hahaha, ok so better tasting for me and Shadow I mean. I know how you just love this stuff, and I promise you will have your fill. But me and Shadow can''t survive off this stuff girl." I gave her a quick pat and explained. Thankfully she understood and left to go pick some more of the worms off the ground, and soon the link was filled with nothing but happiness on her end as she pigged out.


    A couple hours later and after a few harvests of the feathers and greens, it was time to head out. I gathered up a bunch of the bristles and was still trying to figure out how I could use these things effectively but for now I just stashed em away. The only bummer was that it was still raining when we left the dimension, but the need for food was a bit higher on the urgency scale than staying dry so we pushed forward for what felt like hours under the downpour but eventually I was able to hear rushing water, and we headed in that direction in a hurry. By now the 3 of us were fatigued and I could tell Shadow was at his limit, a few yards away from the river was a rock overhang with enough room for us to huddle underneath it and rest.


    The ground was damp, but it was still better than being under the constant rain and as soon as I could I peeled off my wet clothes and laid them out on the driest part of ground I could find. It was cold yes, it was wet yes, but right now there was nothing I could do about the situation even If I used the cube again. I would just have to suffer for the moment and then hope for the best afterwards. At least now I had a reliable source of water and with any luck maybe I could find some way to catch a fish or two if there were any.


    .....


    It was half a day before the rain finally let up enough for us to leave out from under the overhang. My clothes were still wet, but it was time to move, Following the current was always what the survival guys did so I just followed that same logic, and I found a few interesting things that got washed up from the raised water level. Well, I say interesting, but it was mostly trash like empty bottles, some kind of tarp with a hole ripped in it and some other stuff like that, you know the normal ''humans leaving their mark'' kinda deal. But some of the things like the bottles could be used for containers and the tarp will come in handy for either a makeshift poncho using the hole as opening for my head or using it to provide some cover. Hahaha man I never thought I would be using up what I thought would just be useless knowledge.


    After following the river for a few miles, we came up onto a campsite that was until recently being used. I didn''t know who it could be, it might just be some other random adventurer, or if I''m unlucky it might be those bastards from HQ trying to find me... I crouched down and had Rhonda and Shadow wait behind some bushes while I crept up and had a look around. I saw some traces of people here like a firepit filled with wet ashes, some cut up firewood and some leftover trash. Other than that, though I didn''t see anything, I didn''t see footprints in the mud, so I guess that they had left before the rain came in or just after it started. If I could somehow dry up this firepit and figure out a way to make at least an ember, I could totally use this campsite for a little while. It sucks that this is a known area to somebody but with survival being a necessity, I''ll gladly deal with them when they come back.


    "Ok guys it''s safe to come out now. Rhonda, do you mind doing a quick lap around the area and make sure that there isn''t anybody around? Then I need you Shadow to go find the driest sticks that you can. I''ll stay here and work on getting a fire started."


    With a quick nod they left and I started on the firepit, It was still drizzling so no matter what I did I wasn''t going to get a dry pit, but what I could do is take a few sticks and that tarp and make a covering over it and as for the hole I just grabbed a few of the big leaves and used those to help with the drizzle and also help direct the water, instead of just letting it sit and build up. I didn''t have anything that could be used as kindling except my clothes but they were soaked again...... I took a look at some of the trash left behind in the hopes of maybe some cardboard or at least something decently flammable.... No go on that. Just wrappers for some kind of packaged meal.


    It took me for Fucking ever to get the tarp and leaves set up where the rain wasn''t constantly filling up the pit at the same rate I was draining it. By that time Rhonda and Shadow had come back, Rhonda gave the all clear for anything being around us and Shadow had been bringing sticks to lay out under the tarp. Nothing was going to get dry at any point in the near future but he did bring back a stick that had some kind of berries on it.


    "How did you find this Shadow?" I asked as I grabbed one of the berries, they were small and had a color somewhere in between green and yellow.


    [Rousing berry]


    [Plant ability: Yes]


    [Potential Grown Items: Rousing Berry: 99.9%, Rousing Berry Bush: 0.1%]


    [These berries contain a liquid that helps stave off exhaustion and sleepiness, But beware, If used too much can result in Increased symptoms.]


    Hmmmmm, well that''s a pretty nice find. As long as I don''t overdo it essentially this can help me accomplish more things in a day. "Good job boy this was an awesome find! It''s not something we can use as a food source, but it definitely has its uses." Shadow yipped and wagged his tail while I gave him some pets, I put aside the branch after I grabbed the handful of berries I saw. It wasn''t a lot but since I could plant them it wouldn''t take long before I had more than I knew what to do with.


    After a couple more hours of working on trying to dry out this firepit I lucked out as the rain finally stopped pissing down on us. That would make things a lot easier on us and I went ahead and took off my clothes but this time I hung them up over branch to get them to air dry, it won''t be quick but it''s better than nothing. The firepit was finally somewhat decently dry and after laying down some of the sticks and branches Shadow had brought as a base, I then started building up a pyramid of the sticks that were decently dried enough to the touch and shaved off kindling and added that into the center of the pile. Rubbing two sticks together didn''t work out so I had to try something else.... But what could I do? I didn''t know enough to make a bow drill and of course I didn''t have flint and steel..... Dammit, looks like it''s back to two sticks, I swear I''m going to get this right!!!!!!

 Meeting Big Joe

    I had been rubbing these damn sticks together forever but each time I would get a little bit better, at first I couldn''t even get an ember, then once I could get one I couldn''t get it to light up the bundle of twigs and fluff I was able to somewhat decently dry out. Don''t know if it was because I suck at this or if the tinder bundle was still too damp, but I kept at it and after a few more tries I was able to finally get a small flame!!!!


    "Hell Yea! SUCK IT WORLD I GOT FIRE!!!!!!!" I yelled out before starting to slowly build up the fire. The heat from it was just simply divine after spending that long in the rain and we were all just huddled around it and soaking it up. I didn''t want to snuff it out by piling a bunch of logs onto it so it was nothing more than a little wisp at the moment, but it was enough to start drying out everything. While that was going, I was taking a look around now that the severity of the situation had decreased a little and found a bit more, underneath a nearby tree was a small pole jammed into the ground with a cut off remains of a piece of rope, it looked like a tent anchor, but I couldn''t understand why it would still be here? Another question was the rope wasn''t frayed like it snapped on its own but instead it was cut.... That meant somebody had to of been in a hurry if they couldn''t even take the time to pull it up. Just what the hell happened?


    But if it''s here then I can use it for myself. I gave it a small pull thinking it would come out easily only to end up putting more force than I thought, before long it had come out and it wasn''t as small as I thought, well lengthwise anyways, It was about as round as a what you''d imagine a tent anchor to be but lengthwise it had to be over two feet long! who the hell would use something so long for just a simple anchor? But thanks to it being longer than I thought I got a way better idea of what to use it for, after a quick wash in the stream that was still rapid from the abundance of rain, I plan on using this as my meat stick... I mean I will stick the meat on this and hold it over the fire to cook, as soon as I can find some that is....


    I also found some strings that had gotten caught on a bush further back in the tree line, I guess that wind had thrown it around but that gave me the idea of making a fishing pole! I mean there has to be something living in the stream, right? If I''m lucky it''ll be super yummy and delicious. With a smile on my face and hope in my heart I gathered up the string and looked for a decently sized branch to use as a pole, It took a minute and I had to chop one off a tree but I found one that had a sort of nock at one end that I could feed the string through and an offshoot further down that I could loop the rest of the string around. Honestly it was a little weird to have found something so perfect for what I needed at the moment....... Meh whatever.


    I didn''t have anything for the hook so for now fishing was on the back burner but I''m sure I''ll find something soon that''ll fit the bill. For now I was checking up on something that had slipped my mind until now....


    Apprentice Farmer (6/10) - The Gifted is able to grow anything they want with an increased speed of maturation. Only applicable in worlds with abundant energy atmosphere. Conditions for ability upgrade - 10 different objects harvested.


    I remembered about this skill and how I could upgrade it but looking at it now I was a little confused? It said I needed to harvest 10 objects to upgrade it but by now I had already harvested so many things from the feathers and bristles to the bird food and now the berries.... Why wasn''t it counting all of these harvests?


    [Attention: User has only harvested 6 different types of objects. 4 more are required for upgrade.]


    Now this just confused me more? 4 more types? Does that mean that this whole time it''s only counted the first harvest, and that I''ve only grown 6 things? But what about the possible alternative harvestable items? Like the feathers that grew other feathers? Or the greens that grew worms? Or what about the status point harvests? I thought this was a simple skill that could be easy to grow but I''m thinking otherwise now....Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Should I just grab whatever and see if they can be grown? I mean the prospect of growing a tarp would be kinda nice and I could use more tarp to create more covering... But something tells me that''s not gonna work. I looked over at the trees and bushes nearby and thought about just looking for maybe some seeds but I didn''t want to grow just mundane normal things, I wanted to grow something cool, something that is at least uncommon.


    I know that anything biological can be grown, but it has to be fresh and not cooked or processed like the jerky was, Would a leaf work? what about a fingernail? Could I grow another me!? Nah that''d be too OP, Thinking about what I need at this moment was what I needed to be concerned about so I needed something metallic in somewhat of a hook shape.... Or, maybe it doesn''t have to be metallic, maybe it could just be sharp at least? I remembered the bristles and they were fairly sharp so maybe that could work? but they weren''t hooked so that could be a problem.....


    I didn''t know enough about making a net to make one effectively and the same was said about making a funnel trap. Hmmmm, maybe if I tried to make it an inverted prong that might work? Could I cut down the bristles and tie them together?


    After a few attempts with different styles of prongs using the bristles I finally found one that semi fit what I had in mind. I gathered some sap from a nearby tree and using some of the charcoal I mixed together what I hoped would be a good enough glue that would hold them together. If it didn''t then whatever bites that will have a very bad day... But after that I grabbed a small stick that had a spot in between three offshoots that I nestled the bristle hook into and used more of the sap glue after that than used a bit of the string to tie it all together. It looked like a wooden bobber after I was done but hopefully it will catch me a fish or two.


    After letting it dry and harden up I got the fishing pole all set up and walked over to the stream, by now the sun was setting but as it had been cloudy and raining all day nothing really changed light-wise. I hooked on one of the greens I still had after promising Rhonda I will get her more since she pouted after seeing what I was going to use it for, I cast out and waited.... And waited..... And waited some more...... By now it was completely dark and I was going off the light from the campfire to see. Before I left I made sure to put some logs next to it and had Shadow or Rhonda just knock one into the fire to keep it going.


    I was about to give up when I suddenly felt the pole in my hands almost yanked out by a sudden force! I pulled as hard as I could but whatever was on the end of my line was something strong which I hope meant big. Since I had no way to reel in I just started to slowly walk backwards and would pull whenever I felt some slack, it took a while as every so often I would stumble forward whenever the thing would pull the line hard, but as time went on and I fought against it the stumbling and pulls lessened until I could finally see what looked like a scaled back with ridges down the spine start to crest the surface.... Are those teeth? Oh shit! Those are teeth!


    With a giant splash the thing launched from the water onto land and I could now make out 4 legs and a HUGE scaly body that had to be at least 8 ft. long. "That''s a damn alligator! What the hell!" I screamed as I panicked and dropped my fishing pole while trying to pull out my axe. Rhonda and Shadow had already joined me in a staring contest with this monstrosity. Its eyes were yellowish green and seemed to glow in the low light from the campfire. I knew fighting in the darkness was a bad idea but right now I don''t really think I was going to be given a choice in the matter.


    The alligator monster was still staring at us for a long time before it suddenly huffed and turned around and slid back into the water.... "Ummm ok? What the hell was that all about?"


    "Looks like you passed Big Joes test." A voice spoke up from behind us. I quickly turned around and saw as a man wearing what looked like fishing gear was sitting around my campfire and he had just put a couple decently sized fish over the fire to cook.


    "Uhh well that''s nice and all but who are you and Why the hell is that monster called Big Joe?" I asked while I still had my axe in hand at the ready. I sent a command to Rhonda and Shadow to stay at the ready as well just in case things went sideways.


    "Ah where are my manners." The man got up from the ground and wiped his hands of dirt before walking over to me with one held out for a handshake. "My name''s Rob, I used to camp around here, but it looks like none of my things are here and it looks like you¡¯re settling in for the long haul. Hey, don''t get me wrong, I gave it up so I''m not upset, Also Big Joe there likes to test the people who cast into the stream. It''s his home and that''s just his way of having fun. As long as you didn''t attack him, he wouldn''t attack you."


    I shook his hand and nodded. "Wait, if this is your old camp, why was there nothing here when we got here? All I found was some left behind trash stuff and a tent pole with a cut line attached to it."


    "Shit, really? Dammit that means someone ran off with my stuff. See I had to run into town for safety after I had a run in with some cutter wolves that almost chopped me in half but thought it would be fine to leave my stuff here, granted all it was just a 2 man tent so I had room to lay out, and some provisions in case the fish weren''t biting one day. But it looks like you can never be too careful out here.... However this is the other side so maybe that wasn''t as smart of an idea as I first thought.... Anyways back on track, what''s y¡¯all¡¯s names? I see you¡¯re a tamer and even got a Kweh and a.... Cutter pup? Wow got pretty lucky considering what''s going on recently."

 Every good game has this

    "What do you mean ''what''s been happening recently'', Are you talking about the surge in Cutter Wolves? My friend Alex and his wife were almost overrun by them a few days back but with the help of the..... HQ extermination squad.... we were able to fend them off, Thing was there were actually 6 Alphas there that were controlling the whole horde."


    Rob just looked at me in shock as I said this. "You mean to tell me you were there!? Did you get anything good out of it? I know Cutter Wolf Alphas have to at least be Rank C and that''s when items and stuff can start appearing!"


    I sighed and put on an act, I didn''t know this guy and there was no way in hell I was going to just blurt out Yea I got a Relic and almost died because the extermination squad wanted it.


    "Ahem, nah... It sucks but all I got out of the deal was just a couple monster cores. The extermination squad took the majority of the good stuff and only left my friends a few of the items, but they were nice enough to give them the bodies so there''s that."


    "Ahh man that sucks I''m sorry to hear that. Normally from what I hear the squads usually split the loot with the landowners of the property the fight takes place on, did you all participate in the battle or was it just the squad fighting?"


    "Oh, we all participated, I mean one member of the squad was killed slightly before the horde attacked, but yea me and the owners were a part of the battle.... Why do you ask?" I was kind of getting an off vibe about this guy and his questions. I know it might just be that he''s a stranger and I don''t know him but the way he''s talking sounds like he knows how these things are supposed to go down....


    Rob looks at me for a few seconds before he just shrugs and pulls a backpack, I hadn''t seen till just now towards him and puts his hand in, the next second he pulls out a fishing pole and a standing light, and I''m talking about an actual standing light like what you would find at a construction site for overnight work. I was super shocked when I saw the fishing pole but when he went back in and put two hands in and pulled that thing out my jaw dropped to the ground.


    "WHAT THE HELL! HOW DID YOU DO THAT!" I yelled in shock and Rob just looked at me with a ''Your joking, right?'' look as if what he just did was the most common thing in the world.


    "Have you never seen a Dimensional bag before? Ah it must be because it''s a backpack and not the usual pouch everyone carries at their sides... This is special ordered from a friend I know so don''t worry it''s just a little bit bigger than normal." He waved it off after coming up with what he thought I was shocked about.


    "No that''s not it! I''ve never seen a person pull out a whole construction light before! WHO the hell just keeps something like that!?" I was absolutely baffled at what I was seeing and then he just flicked the damn thing on and I swear it was like looking at the sun but a million times brighter..... No warning, just flick and now I''m blind.


    "AAAAAAHHHHHH MOTHERFUCKER YOU ASSHOLE! I''M BLIND DAMMIT!" I started thrashing around covering my eyes but was soon grabbed by the shoulders and had some kind of liquid thrown onto my face. Next I felt a soothing sensation spread across it and the pain I felt in my eyes faded away after a few seconds.


    "That was my way of apology.... It''s a Rank B healing potion. Usually, I don''t have anyone around when I fish so I just habitually flip the lights on...." Rob said with a tone of embarrassment.


    I was still pissed off and it took me a few minutes before I could even open my eyes again even after he healed them but that didn''t mean I''d forgive him that easily. But he still helped me sit down and even handed me one of the fish he had cooked and fed the others he had been cooking too Rhonda and Shadow. Well, I mean I guess he''s not horrible.... Considering I was making my pets suffer while trying to survive out here....This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "I''m... Thanks for giving us your food. We were suffering there for a minute and without you coming along I don''t know how long my friends here would''ve been able to keep up their strength. I have some last resort rations but unless it''s Rhonda here, it''s the same as eating smelly garbage to me and Shadow."


    Rhonda pecked me when I said her food was smelly garbage, but I just smiled at her. Rob just waved my thanks off with a muttered "It''s not a big deal." and he walked over to the edge of the water and cast out. I jumped up in shock as he did because I was afraid of that monster appearing again. "Wait, don''t do that! Won''t that piss off that monster and make him appear again?"


    "Big Joe? Nah, me and him got a bit of understanding. I give him some of my catch for the day and he just goes about his business guarding his streams and rivers. He should be long gone anyways, you¡¯re actually pretty lucky to have caught him at all. He must of thought you were interesting in some way, he usually either eats the people he finds fishing in his territory or ignores them entirely." Rob chuckled as he suddenly jerked his fishing rod back and within a few motions he pulled out a fish that was covered in yellow stripes that seemed to throw off sparks where the hook was attached to it?


    "The hell is that? Is that fish electric!?" I took a step back, but Rob just sighed before reaching down with his bare hand and after a soft grunt upon touching the fish, he pulled it loose and threw it back into the water.


    "Yea, that''s a sparky, best we can guess is that it''s kind of like Earths version of the Crappie. There are a few different breeds, but they all have the same electric abilities, just different strengths depending on where you catch em. That little guy was nothing but a guppy compared to some of the others I''ve gotten so I left him free to grow a bit."


    ?????? The look on my face said it all as he started laughing. "Hahaha oh boy you really are a noobie when it comes to the other side aren''t you? Well I don''t know everything but I do know a lot about fishing and it never hurts to learn something to help with surviving. I just so happen to have a spare rod that I can loan you if you¡¯re up for it?" He grabbed his pack and pulled out a fishing rod that was a little skinnier than the one he had. Comparing the two was like comparing a tree branch to the trunk it grew off. But it was an actual Bonafide fishing rod and not something I tried to slap together.


    "This is a regular fishing pole meant for rivers, lakes, things like that. The one I use is meant for big ocean fish, I mean I''m talking HUGE! Like this one time me and a buddy of mine fought against this monster for over 4 hours only to have something even bigger come up and snatch it right off the line just as we were getting it to crest over the water!! GAH that still pisses me off too today!" He yelled and shook his fist in the air.


    "But never mind that, I don''t think you''ll be heading out to the ocean anytime soon right? So let''s just focus on the small fry here and work our way up. I heard some of the fish here have been used in medicine and things like that so it can be a good way to make some cash as well. Why don''t we go ahead and cast out and see what we can grab?"


    Rhonda and Shadow gave me a reaffirming nod and bark as I smiled and turned to cast my line... Before I did though I remembered that nothing was hooked on as bait....


    "Oh yea, the bait..... Unfortunately, I don''t have anything for you to use as bait. I have a custom lure that I use and to be honest I haven''t used that rod in quite a long time.... You said you had something that was like smelly garbage? That could work, especially since there are some bottom feeders in this river that just love the smelly stuff."


    "Hmmm, what about worms? I know worms are a standard back on Earth."


    "Of course, they would work just as good over here on this side. But the thing is that the worms are a favorite food for some of the more hostile and aggressive fish...."


    "What do you mean? Aren''t all the fish worm lovers?"


    "I mean yea, but the aggressive bastards smell the worm like a southerner smells rain and damn near has tunnel vision just to get at it. I think they are the ones that are more carnivorous than the others."


    "You mean like a barracuda? Or shark?" I got a little worried now because after Big Joe made an appearance the last thing I wanted was to reel in a shark! I wasn''t going to put anything past this world and what it could throw at me randomly.


    "Nah nothing like that around here. I''d say closer to maybe a piranha. OH, maybe you''ll get lucky and catch what I call Vacuum Bass!" Rob got super excited when he said that name and judging by the name it wasn''t going to be a fun catch.


    "I''m guessing it has some kind of wind power? Or just that it''s so big it just sucks everything up."


    "Yup pretty much. But holy hell if that fish doesn¡¯t taste just divine after a good thorough cook, Plus it has a knack for sucking up shiny stuff so we could get lucky and fine something awesome! But it''s mostly like shiny rocks or some kind of low-level gem."


    Hmmmmmm so it was like a lottery fish that also tasted good? I mean I''m not opposed to the idea if that was really what they were, and I could use the worms to more efficiently bait it.


    "Sweet sounds good, let''s do it!" I hooked up one of the worms and with a huff I cast it out into the river and sat down to wait. Hopefully I will catch that lottery fish and find something amazing!

 Under pressure

    "WHAT THE FUCK! WHY CAN''T I CATCH ANYTHING!!!!" I screamed out into the void of night as for the 20th time in the last few hours Something has come and ripped the bait right off the hook and escaped.


    "Screw this I''m going to sleep." I went to throw the fishing rod down but remembered that this wasn''t mine and instead I laid it gently up against a nearby tree and went to lay up against Rhonda''s side. As soon as I did Shadow came over and laid down over my lap and within moments he passed out. I chuckled as I heard the soft puppy snores and relaxed while feeling the comfort of Rhonda¡¯s breathing against my back, I felt my mind start to go hazy as I fell asleep.


    ....


    "That boy is the one with the Cube?  Were you just testing him earlier Big Joe?" Rob turned away from watching James and looked towards the river as two giant yellow eyes glowed beneath the surface. A long scaly snout broke the surface before opening and a guttural voice echoed within Robs mind.


    "The Creators have chosen him along with others of your kind, it is up to you to guide him as MY Chosen until he is strong enough to fulfill his role."


    Rob winced as the voice threatened to collapse his mind just from the sheer force behind each word. He had to take a moment to recover himself before nodding at his master and taking another look at the sleeping James, otherwise known to the Guardians as.... The Avatar of Growth.


    "When am I supposed to know when he is strong enough? ........ Master?" Rob turned back to the river, but the eyes had disappeared. "Ugh bastard, always giving me commands but never around when I start asking questions..... Whatever, I''ll just do what I can for the next couple days and then pawn off the boy to one of my trusted subordinates." Rob sighed before he sat down under a tree and stared off into the night sky.


    "I wonder what this one will do before he dies."


    ....


    I woke up startled as Rob shook me awake. "Wake up boy you been snoring for long enough, If your going to learn how to fish then it''s best to start early." He pushed the fishing rod into my hands and hoisted me off the ground and onto my feet.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Wha-What?" That was all I could think to say as my brain wasn''t fully conscious yet and didn''t understand what was happening.


    "It''s time for you to fish boy, don''t you remember? Last night I told you I''d teach ya how to fish so you can better survive out here by yourself. Well First lesson. Fish are easier to catch in the hours of dawn and dusk, while some of them are active around noon, those are the fish that you couldn''t handle as you are now so we will take a break and eat lunch then. So let''s get at it."


    By this time I realized that it was still slightly dark and the sky was turning deep purple as the sun was slowly rising. I wanted to go lay back down and sleep but I was already at the river so I just sighed and grabbed another worm.... Until I couldn''t feel anymore. Shit! What was I going to do.....


    "I ran out of bait." I said as I looked at Rob sheepishly. He sighed as he turned to me.


    "Lesson 2. Always be prepared, this is actually a life lesson as you should always be prepared for most situations so you¡¯re not caught with your pants down. Haaaa, but I guess for now it''ll be ok if you hop into your cube for a couple hours."


    !!!!!!! I looked at him in shock but instantly I had my hand around my axe and sent the command for Rhonda and Shadow to get ready. "How did you know?" I asked in a low voice as I tightened the grip on the axe.


    "I guess I should probably explain, shouldn''t I? Well first let''s do introductions. My name is Rob Donser, Fisherman Extraordinaire but also, I have a hobby of being the Head Inquisitor for the HQ Extermination squads. I take on the more...... Unique cases that the normies shouldn''t be involved in. But the main thing is that as soon as you connected to the Cube, we knew about you instantly James, This world has things you couldn''t imagine with the view you have now. But I was tasked with guiding you until you gained the strength to survive."


    We looked at each other for a while longer until Rob sighed again. "Listen I ge..."


    "How did you know about me and the Cube? How did you know where I was, and why are you the one to guide me?" I interrupted him and asked.


    "1, Like I said as soon as you connected to the cube we knew all about you. 2, the same answer as number 1. and 3, I can''t say." He held up 1 finger for every question. "Now if we are done here, hurry up and go to your little dimension and go grab some bait, you¡¯re wasting valuable fishing time." Rob turned away and started to fish.


    I didn''t know what to do, I didn''t know if I could trust this guy or not..... "How do I..."


    "Hurry up while I still have patience boy." Rob didn''t even turn to look at me while he spoke. "You can trust that I won''t kill you for that Cube, it¡¯s soul bound to you and you alone. Now hurry up!"


    An aura of pure pressure crashed down onto me and paralyzed me as he turned his head back to look at me. His eyes were stern and uncompromising. "Go. Now." Then like nothing ever happened the pressure left me and I gasped as I realized I wasn''t breathing. I quickly took out the cube and the 3 of us jumped in as soon as the portal appeared and started taking deep breaths to calm myself as Shadow and Rhonda were trying to help by sending calming sensations through the link. Rhonda started to pull up the grown crops with her beak while Shadow started making more holes with his claws to replant. It took more than a couple minutes for me to finally calm down enough after just a few moments under that ridiculous pressure.....


    "To think that was just his aura.... How strong does someone have to be to dominate someone with something like that?"


    Just thinking about the amount of time or the amount of blood that this guy had to spill to become that powerful.... Could I be like that? Could I get that powerful to where a single look from me can paralyze someone?

 Stony Viper

    I had to wait out the 2-hour cooldown before I could leave my dimension so I figured I might as well replant some things and hope for a stat boost or two. This time around I wasn''t as lucky as I was hoping and didn''t get any stat boosters, but I was able to get a Rousing berry bush to grow so now I had a reliable supply of them for the foreseeable future. I had more of the worms grown so I grabbed half of those to take with me and left the other half to help fertilize the fields. I still couldn''t figure out what fertilizing did for the crops since the time didn''t decrease but I was hoping that in the future it would mean a bigger harvest or something like that.


    After the cooldown was finished, I left with a pouch of the worms and got ready to start my training with this mysterious guy that claims he was chosen as the person to keep watch over me and train me.... To be honest I am a little hesitant to believe much of what he tells me, but I vowed to get stronger and right now this monster of a guy is offering to give me what I want so I can''t exactly look a gift horse in the mouth now can I?


    But as soon as I arrived, he immediately started to tell me about what kind of fish lived in this part of the river and what bait would be best as well. I was thinking that this was all a bit much when thinking that each fish had a preference, and I was thinking about how this could benefit me or my new farm but at the end of the day me and my pets still needed food.


    After getting set up at the bank along the stream with pole in hand and hook baited, we cast out and started our days training...... (I don¡¯t understand how sitting here waiting for fish to bite is training though....)


    A few minutes went by until suddenly I feel a hard tug on my line and my fishing pole was ripped out of my hands! Thankfully Rob managed to catch it and gave it back to me all with one hand.


    "Fishing requires you to be vigilant and focused at all times, especially on this side of the portal. The weakest guppy here, depending on what species it belongs to, can kill with a single one of its spines if it were to even slightly pierce your skin. Let this be a lesson." Rob stared at me with intensity as he said this and all I could do was just nod as I struggled to reel in whatever was on the other end of my line. I tried to reel in, but it was like trying to move a stone boulder and I was only able to make a half turn before the line was forcefully ripped and broke.


    "And that right there is another lesson. Don''t try and force reel when you¡¯re having that big of a fight. In that situation you must get the fish to tire itself out and slowly reel it in whenever the line goes slack. When you go fishing where the real big guys are this is going to be your only method to get em.... Come to think of it why were you struggling so much with a fish from this area?" Rob started tapping a finger against his chin as he seemed to space out in thought.


    "It could be a variant of some local? Or maybe one of the bigger ones from the lakes that this stream exits into that made its way up here? But that wouldn''t be the case because usually Big Joe would just munch on it if that were the case... Maybe we can get lucky and hook it again, go ahead and try boy."


    I cast out again but almost as soon as the worm dunked below the water, I felt that same hard pull. This time though I was ready and held on tight! I felt like I was going to topple over as my balance was being thrown off with every tug that was of course until Rob came over and grabbed the rod from my hands and he yanked overhead like it was nothing and from the water burst out a body that was long and serpentine, It was wriggling in the air as it sailed overhead and landed right in front of Rhonda. The impact with the ground must have stunned it because it laid still while me and Rob came over to look at it.


    "It looks like a snake. But what''s up with the jagged parts? It almost looks like it''s made of rocks." I said as I knelt to get a better look. I knew it was still alive so I made sure to keep at least a few feet between me and it. Rob on the other hand went right up to it and grabbed the thing right under its head and brought it close to his face, and like all cliches go it''s eyes snapped open and tried to lunge at Rob with it''s mouth wide open.... And that was the terrifying part. Inside its mouth was not what a normal snake''s mouth looked, Inside it was a basically just a cheese grater full of teeth that all pointed backwards that would prevent it''s prey from being able to escape once it was in this things mouth. At the front were the characteristic fangs that popped out but besides that it was all like an Iron maiden.


    "Holy fuck! What the hell is that thing!" I yelled as I jumped up and backed away. I sent the order for Shadow and Rhonda to do the same.


    "Calm down James it''s just a harmless Stony Viper. These things usually hang out near the lakes downstream but guessing from the length I''d say this little guy was born maybe a few months ago?"


    "A few months ago! That thing is at least 4 ft. long, how the fuck can you call that thing a newborn!?"


    "Didn''t I say to calm down? Especially stop yelling you''re starting to annoy me, also this guy is a newborn because the full-grown ones easily reach upwards of 15 to 20 ft and have the ability to not only poison but also to burrow. You see the jagged scales here? Those can be used like fins for this thing to quite literally ''Swim'' through the soft lake floor soil, then it will spring out and bite down with these two front fangs. If those did the job then it would proceed with swallowing its prey whole, but if it didn''t then it would use this same jagged scale to turn itself into a chainsaw to rip whatever survived apart." Rob was sounding happier and happier as he explained some of the facts about this creature but while he was happy, I on the other hand was getting scared.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "This thing lives in the lakes that I''m supposed to be fishing out of. How the hell is there anything other than those living there? And if they grow to be 20 ft long then how the hell isn''t anything close to water just overrun with them?"


    "That''s where Big Joe comes in. That and some bounties posted at HQ, these scales once fully grown are damn durable when used as armor and deadly when turned into a weapon. It''s also one of the tasks a Hunter has to do to level up through the ranks as well." Rob said as still this whole time he was still holding the Stoney Viper by the neck and was turning it this way and that as if he didn''t care that he was manhandling something dangerous.


    "Wait.... You said the scales are useful when grown? What about this one?" I asked as a sudden idea came to mind.


    "Huh? I mean it''s a little abnormal but yea the scales on this one aren''t horrible.... I''d say it could be good enough to make an F rank armor? Maybe a good enough dagger or short sword? Why do you ask?"


    "Well since you already know about me I might as well tell you, but I can grow basically anything that is biological in nature. Like the worms for example or even Rhonda''s feathers. If I could get a couple of these things scales, then maybe I could get a head start on a survival advantage?"


    Rob seemed surprised at that and looked at the creature before nodding his head. "Yea, yea that could be good. Didn''t know you could do that but if that''s possible then that would totally up your chances of getting stronger. Sure, I say let''s do it.... But you have to kill it first."


    "Great if you can just give me some........ What was that last part?" I started to speak but soon stopped as the rest of what he said finally clicked.


    "You. Have. To. Kill. It. First. You do that and I have no issues with what you do afterwards. Just let me know when you¡¯re ready. Oh, and you can''t have help from your pets." Rob smiled an evil smile as he said that.


    "Fine just hold on." I grimaced but agreed since this could be a huge jump for me. I needed the armor and having a weapon besides the axe I have now would be a great addition. Before I could grab my axe and get ready, Rob threw the Viper at me like a dart and within seconds I had the sight of a tunnel full of fangs blocking my eyesight. I freaked out and closed my eyes and not thinking I swung wildly with my fist and I felt my left hand connect but just as soon I felt an intense pain deep in my hand. I opened my eyes and saw as the Viper had bit into my hand and was now in the process of wrapping around my arm.


    "AHHH! What the hell!" I screamed as I tried to shake the snake off, but its grasp was so strong that if I hadn''t seen it actually wrapping around me, I would have thought my arm was made of stone in the first place. I could feel it getting tighter and tighter as its fangs were still attached deep in my fist, but I was panicking and couldn''t think of what to do!


    "USE YOUR AXE YOU MORON!" Rob yelled and was able to break me out of my panicked state and so with quickness I was able to grab my axe and swung it down onto the creatures head.


    PING


    What sounded like a clash of metal resounded out as vibrations ran up my arm and the axe was bounced back. My eyes widened as where my hit landed had bust through the outer layer of what looked like stony scales only to reveal something like metal? It had a metallic sheen on it that shone in the firelight, but my thoughts were quickly shaken loose as it started to move back in forth and its scales started to dig into my flesh. I screamed as blood started to flow and I could feel every nerve get bit by the now living chainsaw on my arm.


    "HELP ME!" I looked at Rob and pleaded but he still just stood there with a firm look in his eyes.


    "You wanted to use this creature for your own gain, it''s the law of survival. It''s only right that this creature would use you for its own gain. Dig deep and awaken your survival instincts." Rob said with a serious tone as I was still trying to flail my arm in the hopes that he would loosen the damn thing from me. The pain was mounting to an untold level as I felt blood flow down me and splatter all around with every swing until finally it felt like someone plucked a string inside my soul at the same time I felt the Viper strike its scales against my very bones.


    "RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" I yelled a primal scream and without thinking I threw away my axe and grabbed the Viper by the head and squeezed with everything I had. My brain was sending me signals that I was about to reach the limit it had placed on my muscles, but the pain was overwhelming and I was able to bypass it and with that I squeezed even harder! I felt my muscles flex so hard that every bone in my hand was breaking but my one and only thought was to destroy this creature with my own hands and to feel its death. It dared to eat me, so I was going to destroy it and use its very soul.


    Everything went quiet as a final crunch was heard coming from between my fingers and the tight chainsaw grip was loosened and started to unwind as the Viper slumped from my now exposed bone of an arm. The pieces of my flesh had been ripped and flung around us like some kind of macabre painting with me and it in the center. My right hand was nothing but odd angled digits attached to a lumpy piece of flesh but I was smiling as I looked down at the Viper beneath my foot.


    "Good, good, THIS is what it means to survive in this world. This right here, to devour or be devoured is the one and absolute law of this new world of ours. Here." Rob strolled up to me without care for where he stepped and with a single motion, he tilted my head and poured a vial of liquid down my throat as I stared wildly at him. I recognized his voice, but the primitive rage of survival was only now starting to pull back into the recesses of my mind.


    "This will help to quell the control of what you¡¯re feeling right now. We true veterans know this only as, The Rush, the rush of rage against the world and its attempt to take our life from us. But for the cost of attaining that power, The Rush attempts to turn you into the animal all Humans were created to be at the beginning."


    As the liquid settled in my body, I was able to hear his words more clearly but also I felt a burning come from my hand and a slight tingle at my shoulder where the snakes body had ended. I looked down and gasped as my fingers that were bent and broken just moments ago were now being corrected and the burning sensation was the sensation of that recovery. I glanced at my shoulder to see tiny strands of some kind of viscous slime ooze from my mauled flesh and cover my cracked and chipped bone. I couldn''t feel anything because all my nerves had been flayed and ripped apart but now this slime was starting to take shape as first it filled in the cracks and then started to slowly solidify over a few minutes into a solid mass of what looked like my arm before the snake.


    I looked at Rob in amazement but was confused when he had a look that bordered on.... Pity?


    "Wha.. RAAAAAAAAA!" I wanted to ask why he was looking at me like that but all at once it was like a million wasps landed on my arm and started to repeatedly stab me. I was paralyzed by the excruciating pain until darkness surrounded me and I passed out.


    I woke up some time later judging by how small the fire had gotten, I started to look around for Rhonda and Shadow and found them lying next to me cuddled up.


    "It''s been a couple hours since you passed out, honestly I''m surprised you even woke up this soon. Other guys that have been given that medicine was out for days and even then their lost limb didn''t look that good." Rob startled me when he talked but he pointed at my arm which was almost like new. Well Except for an odd feeling every time I touched it, almost like it was mine but at the same time it wasn''t? It was a bit of an odd feeling, however I was just happy to have my arm back! I was super worried I was going to be a one armed Farmer for the rest of my life.


    "Oh, shit the Snake! Where is it?" I looked around in a hurry but the only thing I could find was just the traces of my flesh and blood on the ground. I looked at Rob with a suspicious look since he was the only one around here that could do something with it.


    "I didn''t take it boy so don''t look at me like that. I don''t need that weak shit anyways, here I threw it into this bag that''ll keep it from rotting. Now hurry up and do what you need, there is still a couple days till the lottery fish leaves this area and I want to catch at least a couple of em before it''s too late."