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'Huh… I'm not even sweating yet. Neat.'
I kept my gaze forward for the most part, occasionally flicking them backwards. The Beowolf Pup in front of me glared back, its lips peeled back in a snarl.
'Then again, it takes them 75 regular attacks to bring me down to zero. I guess a single level really does make all the difference this early in the game.'
What the pup behind me was doing, on the other hand, largely remained a mystery, save for how I knew it wasn't trying to attack me yet. Well, until I heard the growl.
{Predator Lunge}
These clowns still hadn't learned that the only thing I needed to do to avoid a mid-range leap was jump to the side, which was exactly what I did then. The thing sailed past me, landing before the other one, who…
{Predator Lunge}
...proceeded to do the exact same thing. I mean, I understand that basic noob-cave enemies have basic noob-cave A.I. and attack patterns, but… come on. Having only two offensive skills and a string of regular attacks was no excuse for being as predictable as they were.
Another thing they hadn't learned was that skills could be interrupted by certain external stimuli. Such as the liberal application of enemy offensive skills, as I demonstrated then.
[Powerslash]
Of course, the timing window in this particular circumstance, that being stopping a lunging skill with a short-range melee skill, wasn't very forgiving. After being informed that this was possible via tutorial notification, I had attempted to try it out for myself, only to whiff the trigger timing twice in a row - one time too early, the other too late. Both occasions had resulted in ravenous punishment, though the effects were diminished by the fact that their standard attacks only did 2 damage per hit.
This would be my third try at skill countering, and to my immense satisfaction, the glowing short sword slammed right into the Beowolf's face in a downward diagonal arc, smashing it into the ground beside me.
[Daze inflicted.]
It was left stunned and unable to get up, eliminating its threat potential for the time being. This allowed me to focus on the other wolf, who was now charging me with a skill of its own.
{Feral Scissor}
Unfortunately for it, I still had another face card up my sleeve.
[Heavy Cross]
I stepped inside the wolf's guard before its shining red claws could tear at my flesh and delivered a hard-hitting punch with my offhand directly into its chest, the skill trigger causing a few extra-flashy particle effects to accompany the blow. If I didn't know better, I'd say the wind was knocked right out of its lungs as it stumbled back, trying to keep its legs under it.
[Stagger inflicted.]
I took the offered chance, rushing the creature and shoving my blade through its chest. However, that wasn't quite enough to kill it, only bringing its HP bar down to 24. So I decided to deck it in the schnoz, which actually forced a pained yelp out of it, before I spartan-kicked it off the sword for good measure. It hit the ground back-first, the bar above its head losing its last remnants of red and going completely gray.
I watched it begin to dissolve before its companion attracted my attention again, having ridden itself of the debilitating effects of Stun. It tried to take me by surprise, but the noises that came out of its mouth before it did so alerted me to its plan. I was able to lift my sword up an instant before a claw would have scored a hit on one of my shoulder blades, redirecting it just enough to send it passing harmlessly by. Funnily enough, the damage reduction caused by the system-interpreted 'block' was enough to turn what would have been a '2' into an absurdly impotent '0.' I had to consciously resist showing a nonplussed smile when the number bounced out of my health bar.
I used the opening left by the deflection to grab its head with my free hand and shove its snout right into a knee strike. And I kid you not, it actually howled in pain as it lost its footing and fell down. That was arguably the high point of the tutorial thus far - basically beating a Grimm so hard it all but told me to 'make it stop!'
Sadly for the wolf, I had no intentions of doing so. Conveniently, the Powerslash icon flashed right then, signaling that its cooldown period was over and it was now ready for use again.
This time, I didn't stop the smile from stretching across my expression.
[Powerslash]
The activation heralded its end, as the rusted sword was plunged straight through its breast and into the dirt below it. When the information above its head fizzled out of existence, along with its body, a musing crossed my mind.
'Wow, that… wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I guess once the stat gap is gone, they really don't have much left to fall back on.'
Even with a numbers advantage, they weren't able to make full use of it due to their lacking strategy. Having the exact same stats as the Stray Beowolf Pup that I'd drawn first blood on didn't do them any favors, either.
The fanfare started up again as the results screen appeared along with a plethora of notifications for me to sort through.
[Track Cue: Victory! Cloud (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)]
[YOU WON!]
Battle Rewards:
100 EXP
20 Lien
Potion x2
["Beowolf Pup" added to Bestiary.]
[(Sword) weapon rank increased to E+.]
[Weapon skill "Sword Flurry" received.]
[(Unarmed) weapon rank increased to E+.]
[Weapon skill "Vulcan Combo" received.]
And if all that wasn't enough, the experience was enough to push me over the edge again.
[LEVEL UP!]
[You are now level 3!]
[Skill "Armorcrash" received.]
"Most rewarding double kill I've ever scored," I muttered before sorting through everything.
[Track Cut]
Sword Flurry and Vulcan Combo were definitely multi-hits going by their names and icons. Three swords pointing left, the one in the middle farther along for Sword Flurry, and the exact same pattern but with fists instead for Vulcan Combo. They took their spots next to Powerslash and Heavy Cross in the red area.
Armorcrash's icon was a spike (or ray) going straight through a broken shield. A quick description check told me that it primarily functioned as a guard-breaker, since it left its target helpless if they happened to block it, with the added bonus of damaging and even shattering armored plates under the right circumstances. In short, an invaluable tool against more patient, defense-oriented opponents. Interestingly, its color was orange, and it filled in a new section of what I now knew to be called the "Skill Ring," found after I had experimented with command phrases and discovered the Guide feature.
Unsurprisingly, much of the manual was blank, and while I was never fond of being withheld important information, I also wasn't much of a fan of being frontloaded. Introducing features one-by-one and giving me time to focus on them individually and commit them to memory was, in my opinion, likely the best way to teach me about the ins and outs of the system.
But some of the stuff I'd found in the guide was actually pretty useful since it went over mechanics I'd already seen that the tutorials hadn't covered, like how critical hits had a flat trigger chance of 10% for every attack unless stated otherwise by equipment or skills. I found that to be shockingly high, since from what I remembered, most RPGs and JRPGs had a base crit rate that was at least half that. But, I supposed, truth did always have a penchant for being stranger than fiction.
In any case, I was a little curious as to what exactly the two pups had just dropped as spoils. I was no stranger to healing items, but it felt like the formula for how they worked always changed every three games or so. Sometimes they restored fixed amounts of HP, others had them heal percentages of the receiver's max HP, and sometimes even both. I called up my inventory with a thought, and tapped the little vial icon to inspect it.
[Potion]
Restores either 100 HP or 15% of target's max HP, depending on which is higher. Cooldown period is determined by percentage of max HP restored to target.
I pumped my fist with a supremely validated "yessssss." I'd always hated having restorative items that became useless as the increasing character HP caps stripped them of their utility. Finding out that low-powered items like these could still be a viable resource no matter how high-leveled I became was a great relief.
But with that, my business here was done, and I continued onward.
I focused on the minimap in the upper left corner of my vision after a few more minutes. A quick mental command brought it to the center and enlarged it, giving me a better view of Patch's big picture. The majority of the screen was still covered in the black ink of unexplored territory, leaving the path I'd taken across the island thus far as a stark light gray contrast. The small peninsula I'd stopped at bore the label of "Summer's Grave," as it apparently was an important enough location for the system to mark.
'Probably means it's using some kind of landmark system...' I huffed. 'Shame I didn't get any extra experience for discovering it like I did in Xenoblade. Then again, the idea of buffing your biceps by taking up cartography does seem a little ridiculous.' Admittedly, the argument made a lot less sense in hindsight since 'ridiculous' was basically par for the course on this planet, but it would take a bit of time for that to really sink in.
I stared at the map a little more. "Haven't circled around yet," slipped out of my mouth. "That's… good, right? Yeah." It stood to reason that I was more likely to find something useful if I just kept walking in a straight line than wander around, changing directions at random. Not to mention it would probably save me time.
I noticed that compared to my drop-off point, I was much further inland now. "Hmf. I'd say that I hope I didn't land on the exact opposite coast from the island's port or town or whatever human and/or Faunus residence, but that'd just be tempting fate. So instead, I'll saaaaay… fuck whoever decided to start me off there."
My mind continued to wander while I walked. "...the hell am I even gonna do if I make it outta here?" The question was probably better saved for after I was out of the forest, but I was starting to become a little tired of the constant outside silence. Being kept on edge for hours because of the almost-nonexistent ambient animal noises telling me to never drop my guard wasn't really doing my mental state any favors, either. "Mmm... first stop might be the Xiao-Log Cabin, heh. Building bridges with main characters is never a bad idea." Another dot was connected, and a small smile crept across my face at the realization. "And, if I can get their age... that'll tell me where I am in the timeline. Two birds with one stone, hell yeah."
Though, that also brought up another concern, and the smile disappeared. "Wait, that's right. For all I know, their first school year at Beacon's already started… or worse, the school's already been sacked." A frown took its place on my mug next. "Man, that'd suck. Locked out of a free who-knows-how-long fraternization period just because whatever asshat's behind my being sent here decided they hate my guts more than Adam Smith."
I flashed a cross between a glance and a glare at the clouds above, then flipped them the bird for good measure. "Piss off, bastard. You already turned my life into a living nightmare, and now you wanna rob me of what little bright spots it might have? First chance I get, I'm trashing your place and shoving this piece of rust up whatever you have that passes for a rear end." I paused, then added "maybe it'll finally push out that rod you've had stuck in there since forever."
Let it be known that I fully expected some form of karma for shit-talking the powers that be. What I didn't know was whether or not it would come immediately, or wait a few hours (or days, or weeks, or months) to cash itself in. In a paradoxical sense, you could say I was just digging my own grave of paranoia deeper the more I tried to distract myself from it.
The sky was beginning to gain a slight orange tint when I finally happened upon another structure. "What… the hell?"
It was old, no doubt about that. Pretty run-down looking, too. There were medium-sized holes all over the front, and what little was visible inside generally appeared worse for wear.
'I know I said I'd prefer a log cabin, but I also expected it to not be… well, in this condition,' went my brain as I folded my arms. 'Place looks freakin' ancient, and not in a good way.'
All of a sudden, my ears picked up a noise that gave me the distinct impression that something was coming, and it wasn't carrying friendly intentions. A moment later, a pair of blood red eyes appeared in the centermost hole in the structure, staring me down with noticeably greater force than my last three foes.
Two seconds passed, and I was forced to throw my body to the side in order to dodge a lunging swipe from the creature when it flew out of the hole, widening it considerably in the process.
[Track Cue: For Redemption (Octopath Traveler)]
The monochrome beast slowly stood up and recovered from the whiffed attack, turning slightly to give me a sideways glare as it emitted low growling noises. This one, if I had to guess, likely had at least a few inches on me.
The sudden sense of deja vu was pushed aside in favor of readying my blade while sizing up my opponent, who was also sporting a more visually distinct and detailed-looking tag above its head, compared to the other three pups I'd killed.
[Stray Adult Beowolf]
Level: 5
HP: 600
VIT: 30
STR: 28
DEX: 27
AGI: 29
Condition: Healthy
I stopped upon comparing its vitality score to its HP pool. 'The fuck? Last I checked, it was ten HP per point of vitality, not twenty…' I figured it was probably related to why its little nametag was different, and was proven correct by the next tutorial screen.
[BOSS BATTLES]
Over the course of your story, you will encounter certain foes who stand head and shoulders above the rest of their brethren, be they human, Faunus, Grimm, or otherwise. These opponents are known as Bosses. They are marked with unique name plates, and take much more time and effort to bring down than other enemies, owing to how the status of 'Boss' doubles the effects of their vitality stat.
They serve as tests towards your progress, and will challenge you to make the most of your available resources in order to successfully bring them down (or, in specific circumstances, escape them) without dying. As a result, the rewards for emerging victorious over these titans are very much worthwhile.
Unfortunately, I wasn't given any more time to dwell on anything else that stuck out like a sore thumb on the monster's sheet once the window disappeared.
[ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE]
A roar from my opponent signified that the fight was on.
[Track Cue: Decisive Battle I (Octopath Traveler)]
The adult wasted no time, starting things off by charging straight at me. A sidestep to the left let me dodge the first swipe, and another to the right got me away from the second. The third and fourth, however, I was forced to block. Then the big guy started whipping out his skills.
{Feral Scissor}
Its superior agility forced my hands to stay where they were and hold the block, causing an impromptu light show composed of countless sparks that jumped off the claws' point of impact on the sword. What happened next, however, caught me completely flat-footed.
{Predator Lunge}
I was given barely enough time to register that yes, skills could in fact cancel into each other before I attempted to jerk myself away in hopes of avoiding the grab. Thankfully, I did manage to escape being carried off and subsequently pinned, but I wasn't quite fast enough to get out unscathed. It managed to score a clean hit on me with one of its claws as the skill sent it catapulting away, and a red '17' flew off my health bar along with it.
I hit the ground hard, scrambling to get a solid foothold before the boss came back. When I did, it was already barreling towards me on all fours for another assault, glaring red eyes locked onto my form.
It then promptly froze along with time as another tutorial appeared.
[SKILL COMBOS]
Much like how regular attack strings can be canceled into skills, skills can also be canceled into other skills. Pulling this off grants you all the bonuses that would come with a normal skill cancel, i.e. Powerslash's damage boost.
However, keep in mind that each individual skill can only combo into certain other skills. Trying to cancel into a skill that does not fit that criteria will usually result in either a block, or a miss. You can check which skills can cancel into each other by inspecting them in the skills page.
Note that some select skills (such as Heavy Cross) can also be canceled back into regular attack strings, essentially acting as combo extenders - or starters.
I began working on how to use this information as the wolf raised a hand to strike again. Recalling how the last clash had ended, I decided to shift things up and swung at the appendage. When the attacks connected, negating each others' force and counting as blocks on both sides, I made my move.
[Heavy Cross]
My free hand snapped out and buried itself in the thing's chest, hitting with greater force than I anticipated.
CRITICAL!
A white, larger-than-normal '58' flew off, preceding a string of retaliatory attacks. Three quick slashes, followed by a punch, and then my first test of an actual skill combo.
[Powerslash]
An amazing stroke of luck heralded another critical hit on my end, giving me an even wider window of opportunity for my next trick than I would've already had.
[Sword Flurry]
I mentally sputtered as my arms blurred and delivered four stabs to my enemy, scoring a third critical hit on the first strike. 'If I make it out of this alive, I'm never trash-talking RNJesus again!'
And if that wasn't enough, yet another notification popped out.
[Bleed inflicted.]
'Fucking BULLSHIT! Wasn't the trigger chance for that only 10 percent per hit?! Christ!'
If the status effect's descriptor wasn't lying, and there was no reason to believe it was, then the big guy would steadily lose a tiny percentage of his max HP over a fairly long period of time. Pretty standard fare for the more "slow and steady" effects of its type. Although, I was very intrigued by the idea that it was actually possible to stack Bleed instances, which both multiplied the damage dealt and reset the effect's timer when applied.
'Now, that… that sounds very easy to exploit. If I could find a way to reliably inflict lots of Bleed stacks in a short time frame, that could potentially trivialize any big damage sponge encounters I have in the future.'
Before I could think on that further, I was drawn back into the fight and once again forced into a guard. One, two, three, four attacks hit my sword one after the other, giving me no time to breathe as it continued its assault. It was slightly slower on prepping the fifth hit, and I seized the opportunity to move away and avoid the attack. Unfortunately, this move turned out to be a feint, and the real strike dug into my side, leaving me open for severe punishment.
{Feral Scissor}
The universe also decided to correct its earlier slip-up concerning my luck and tipped the scales.
CRITICAL!
I grimaced inside and out with a brief cry of pain as a large '40' left my gauge. 'Okay, I rescind my earlier statement about trash-talking RNJesus. You blew it, asshat!'
But it didn't end there.
{Predator Lunge}
There was no escaping the grab this time.
However, I had also learned from my previous experience. When I hit the ground, I was already preparing my escape plan, legs bunched up and ready to fire. A split-second decision also helped me dish out a 'fuck you' with a little more sticking power.
[Armorcrash]
The Grimm had no choice but to take the double-barreled kick right in its chest. Also, unlike my previous usage of that move, it packed enough force to lift the Beowolf clear off the ground for a moment before it crashed to the floor in a heap. I used the time bought by the knockdown to stand up and recover.
[Imbue]
My body emitted a translucent, low-powered flash of purple, and a green '23' brought my HP bar up to a slightly less dangerous total of 126.
When the monster finally got up, it broadcast its opinion on the current situation in a very loud fashion.
"RAAWRRRGH!"
A foreboding red aura surrounded it, and a notification popped up.
{Enraged inflicted.}
'Uh-oh. Turns Red, indeed. Am I fucked?'
A quick info-dump about the status effect told me everything I needed to know to answer the question. 'Flat 30% damage reduction from all attacks, damage dealt increased by half, and access to more combat skills. Yep, I think I might be fucked.'
{Rabid Rave}
The boss was all too eager to put its new toys to use and charged me, letting loose with five blazing-fast swipes from glowing claws. I was able to block the first, but the other four slipped right past my guard, striking me directly. This left me vulnerable to a sequence of four slashes, each one shaving off a worrying '21' from my health bar.
When it was over, I was left in a pretty crappy state.
[DANGER! HEALTH CRITICAL!]
HP: 18 / 200
Even worse, the wolf, still very much pissed off, was packing more heat.
{Feral Scissor}
Now, this was a problem. If I blocked this attack, it would leave me open for the subsequent lunge that was sure to follow, and with my current health value, that was basically guaranteed to kill me. I could try to dodge, but after witnessing how fast it had been able to snap out the lunge the last time it played this card, I didn't think I would be able to avoid the attack.
Which left me with only one viable option in that split-second.
[Heavy Cross]
That being 'stuff the bastard.'
My fist shot forward, impacting against its jaw with a satisfying crack an instant before its claws hit my skin.
[Stagger inflicted.]
The interruption knocked it off-balance, and you better believe I took the offered beatdown chance with gusto. One, two, three, four, five slashes rained down on its hide, followed by a heavy-hitter.
[Powerslash]
I made the decision to leave the blade in when I saw how deep it cut into the Beowolf's shoulder. Well, that, and it freed my hands up for my next trick.
[Vulcan Combo]
My left hand flashed out five different times, battering the boss's chest, before I twisted around and once again socked it in the face with my right, cracking its natural pale white mask in the process. While I was left reeling, I decided to shoot for some extra style points, and dashed forward. Hopping up, I planted a foot into its torso while simultaneously grabbing my sword, then delivered a somersault kick that would've made Tifa Lockhart flash me a thumbs-up. The momentum tore the blade out, leaving the wolf to smash into the ground on its back.
I took the opportunity to open up my inventory and down a potion, bringing me back from the brink of death as my foe struggled to get up, managing to get back up on all fours by the time the vial was empty. It screamed out another roar, then pounced.
{Predator Lunge}
Unfortunately, this would be the last mistake it would ever make.
[Armorcrash]
By the time it realized what was going to happen, it was too late. The blade slammed into its splintering bone mask, shattering it completely and sending the fiend to the ground, where it proceeded to slide across the grass until it burned off the rest of its momentum.
[Track Cut]
I slowly walked up to it, taking in all the damage I'd done. It was still slowly losing health thanks to the bleed effect, and at this point, any attack dealt by my hand would kill it.
I hefted my sword up, idly noticing that my last hit had destroyed one of its eyes, then paused. 'One-liner, maybe…? Eh, don't see why not.'
I then whipped out my off-hand, catching the wrist of the claw it'd tried to throw at me while I was momentarily distracted and stopping it cold. The action, funnily enough, gave me some inspiration.
"Take the L and just stay down, mutt."
I stabbed it through the other eye.
The Beowolf's final action was to let out a defeated whimper before it began to disintegrate like its brethren before it. Soon enough, there was nothing left in the area save for a larger-than-normal hole in the nearby rundown cabin to suggest that it had ever existed.
I took a few steps back, then breathed out a sigh. 'Another close call. I get the feeling this won't be the last I'll see of them. Not by a long shot.'
[Track Cue: Victory - OST (Final Fantasy I)]
'Oh, special boss knockout theme. Nice.'
[YOU WON!]
Battle Rewards:
600 EXP
100 Lien
Beowolf Fur x2
Sport Hunter
I found my attention drawn by the second item, disregarding the bar at the bottom of my vision filling up all the way, resetting, then filling up again by a sizable amount. I did take a moment to note the notification, though.
[LEVEL UP!]
[You are now level 4!]
[Skill "Squad Solidarity" received.]
'Huh, sounds like a passive skill. I'll check it later. First…'
Sport Hunter
A zipper jacket and long pants combo that aims to cover up as much as possible without the use of anything like gloves or a mask. Proper insulation ensures a perfect, comfy temperature no matter the climate or weather.
I nodded in appreciation. That exact combination had been my go-to option for years now. 'Normally I wouldn't be too happy if the only thing I got for beating a boss was clothes, but… well, it is only the first one, and I like the set. Not to mention that all my hours in Team Fortress 2 have conditioned me to treat cosmetic items like they're a commodity in and of themselves.'
[Track Cut]
Yet another tutorial popped up.
[CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES]
Equippable clothing pieces and trinkets can be found all over the world, in both stores and enemy drops. To equip them, navigate to your inventory and check the equipment tab. If possible, you can also select a design and color scheme for each individual item. They will provide no bonuses of any kind unless stated otherwise.
Certain clothing options come as sets, which consist of multiple items. Whether or not you want to wear every part or just a select few pieces is entirely up to you. However, rarely, you may find clothing pieces that are part of an incomplete set. Finding the rest of the items and completing the set can sometimes yield unique rewards, so keep your eyes peeled.
You can also create your own custom clothing sets and save them to quick-select slots for fast and easy changing if you so desire.
The reminder of apparel had me finally glancing down at myself with the intent of checking what I had actually been wearing these last hours. Apparently, I had been walking around and fighting in a t-shirt and shorts, with an unremarkable pair of shoes to complete the look. Interestingly, all of them bore a unique design that somehow perfectly integrated the color combination of red and purple. It almost made me want to keep them on.
Almost.
["Sport Hunter" set equipped.]
A brief flash of pixels over my body ranging from the neck to the legs signified the swap.
I gave the full-3D model of myself in the menu a once-over, spinning it around and admiring the fit. A small, content "nice" paired with a nod was the verdict I had for it. Once I was done with that, I moved on to picking a pre-set design to fit with the same red and purple color scheme the last outfit had.
~HALF AN HOUR LATER~
"NRAAAAH, FINE!" I threw my hands up in frustrated rage, then flung my arm down and finally smashed my selection with a fist. "Fuck it, that's the one. No going back. I'm done."
I ignored the wave of pixels that reconfigured my clothing's pigmentation and stormed off, thoroughly fed up with how much time I'd wasted on such a stupid detail. A satisfying outward appearance was all well and good, but dragging my feet for as long as I did simply because I couldn't pick between two cosmetic options of all things was inexcusable.
'Bloody hell… if I don't get a move on, I won't be able to find a safe spot before the sun goes down. And if survival games have taught me anything, it's that it's never a good idea to go outside at night.'
The sky was completely orange by now, and the big ball of space gas was inching closer to the horizon every second. I probably didn't have more than an hour or two before it sunk below the sea, so it would be in my best interests to get my rear in gear sooner rather than later.
I elected not to search the abandoned cabin, as I was burning daylight and recent events had shown that it was in no way a suitable rest area. The possibility of items to be found was tempting, but in the end, not worth the risk of running down the clock. Besides, I had a map, and I could always return at a later date when the enemies around here didn't pose as much of a threat as they did now.
I wouldn't notice that my map had marked the cabin as "Raven's Favorite Place" until much later.
Remember when I said I was probably going to get some laser-guided karma for bashing whatever being decided to send me to this place?
Well, here it was.
[Adult Ursa]
Level: 10
HP: 1,500 / 1,500
VIT: 75
STR: 68
DEX: 47
AGI: 39
Condition: Asleep
Another fucking boss. Six levels above me this time, instead of two, and with stats to match. Exactly three times my vitality, nearly the same way with strength, almost twice my dexterity, and a large lead in agility. In other words: a death sentence for my little level 4 ass.
Thankfully, at the moment, it was catching up on some early Zs. I had no idea Grimm even needed to sleep, but I wasn't going to question it if it meant causing the giant grizzly's status effect to vanish in a puff of logic. Instead, I occupied myself with trying to sneak around it.
Looking back, a better course of action probably would've been to back away until the Ursa was out of sight before attempting to go around it, but I was starting to get a little impatient and paranoid about how much time I had left before the moon rose. So, I went and tried to circle around the knocked out bear as fast as I could without compromising my safety.
But, evidently, I wasn't careful enough.
SNAP!
I didn't bother freezing, and just flat-out started sprinting as soon as I registered that I'd stepped on a twig.
[Track Cue: Speedy Comet in Orbit (Super Mario Galaxy)]
The resulting head start may or may not have saved my life. Within five seconds, I had a very large and very angry Ursa hot on my heels, who was also catching up at a slow, but alarming pace.
Thank god for all the trees. They may not have been able to outright stop the thing, but they certainly did bog it down a fair bit, enough that I was able to stay ahead by a considerable amount. For a while, at least.
I tried my best, but eventually, its higher agility score got it to the point where there was a negligible distance between the two of us. Meaning it could take a swing at me. And that's exactly what it did.
By sheer luck, my foot was caught by some underbrush right when I broke through into a clearing and I dropped to the floor, the large clawed paw nearly giving me a close shave as it cut through the air a fraction of an inch above my head. A second stroke of fortune saved me from being trampled by the oversized black bear, and it skidded to a stop while I frantically tried to get back up.
Once I managed to get my feet under me and rise up to assume a combat stance, it took the opportunity to roar. And this roar was very different compared to the ones I'd heard before. Whereas the Beowolves obviously had more wolf-like vocal cords, limiting their battle cries to simply very loud barks or growls, the Ursa had no such inhibitors.
[Track Cut]
Therefore, it tried its best to blow out my eardrums with the most reverberating, oppressive noise they'd ever received - and came uncomfortably close to doing so.
"GrrROOOOAAAAAAR!"
[Track Cue: An Obstacle in Our Path (Xenoblade Chronicles)]
It was also powerful enough to kick up a weirdly strong gust, and I had to lift an arm up to shield my eyes from being buffeted like the rest of my clothes. When it was over, I squared myself up in hopes of facing my fate with dignity.
'Can't run, can't hide… no other option than to hold out as long as I can. And, if it comes to it... go down swinging.'
[ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE]
All signs pointed to attacking being a waste of energy. It would kill me in only five clean hits, whereas I needed ten times that to bring it down to zero. Considering its superior agility and dexterity, there was no way I'd be able to land fifty unblocked strikes before it gave me a game over, so it would likely be a better idea to not bother and focus solely on defending until either something bailed me out or I died anyway.
Of course, I wouldn't say no to a free shot if I happened to see a convenient chance to take one, but I doubted I'd get the opportunity.
The Ursa's first strike was heavily telegraphed by virtue of it mainly serving to close the distance. It rushed forward, claws out and intentions clear, and was avoided simply by running to the side.
The second strike was blocked, and sent me back quite a few feet from just how much force was behind it.
'Okay, good. He can only hit me once before he has to approach again thanks to knockback. I can take advantage of this.'
I had to dash out of the way of another charge before I could ponder that further. Another leap let me clear the anticipated follow-up before I was once again forced to block a hopping swipe that blew me further back as a minuscule '5' was chipped off my gauge.
This predictable pattern continued for a while longer than I expected. The Ursa showed no indication of taking a hint, doing nothing but charging me and attacking when it got into range. It was fast, sure, but never able to really catch me sleeping, only ever hitting the flat of my blade. However, the constant blocks still did damage, eventually whittling my health down to 185. Despite that, I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to stall for help. (Even if it was overly optimistic of me to hope that help was on the way.)
'I could very well last into the night at this rate. I guess even adult Grimm still aren't old enough to really learn how to fight.'
That would be the last time I tempted fate for a while.
It seemed like the Ursa would perform the same action again, so I repeated my strategy and ran from the initial charge, before raising my sword up to the point where I predicted it would attack from next.
Only to be caught completely flat-footed when I saw the paw stop an inch before it hit my sword. An instant later, a gut-crushing hook sent me flying away.
CRITICAL!
An audible crack rang out as I smashed back-first into a tree. An excruciating shell of pain briefly encased my body, though my shell-shock-induced silence prevented me from making it known to the world. When it passed and I summoned the willpower to open my eyes again, I immediately forced my arms to snap up into a defensive position.
{Hivewrecker}
A fur-coated fist surrounded by stereotypical angry red particles drilled into my guard. And in the blink of an eye, straight through.
SNAP!
[Track Cut]
I only had a fraction of a second to realize that my rusted weapon had finally given up the ghost before I knew only pain once more.
CRITICAL!
The tree couldn't stop my flight this time. What remained of the wood from my previous impact was obliterated by my ragdolling form as it careened away, skipping off the grass a few times before rolling and sliding to a stop.
When my awareness returned, everything was washed-out and blurry. The red outline along my vision was back, and I could hear my deafening heartbeat thumping away. I felt my right hand death-gripping something, and began trying to force myself to get up.
My HUD was also left victim to my flagging state, as evidenced by how parts of it occasionally fizzled and glitched out, or flickered into TV static. One notification was still crystal clear, however.
[DANGER! HEALTH CRITICAL!]
HP: 5 / 250
'Not… again…' I found myself sluggishly complaining as I pushed my upper body off the ground. 'Can't I go… five hours… without almost dying…?'
My subconscious noted that something within me was starting to bubble up.
I was just getting my knees under me when I saw the huge black blob slowly approaching me. 'Oh, hell…' Absently, I noted that the thing my right hand was holding onto was the hilt half of my sword, now having very little of the actual blade left.
The something began steaming, its temperature rising higher.
At last, I stood, swaying slightly and facing the monstrosity that was bearing down on me at a glacial pace, a drive beginning to fill my mind.
It was now full-on boiling, and yet still growing hotter.
'Can't… give up. Can't die… on day one.' My right hand came up and defiantly pointed the broken instrument at the Ursa. 'Not going down… on the fucking tutorial… no matter what.'
The feeling bubbled over, and I unknowingly registered two separate bars filling up.
My vision snapped into focus all of a sudden, and a notice appeared.
[Aura unlocked. HP refilled.]
The next thing I knew, a vibrant purple sheen washed over my body, and any semblance of fatigue that remained was cleared away. At the same time, bright red spikes of translucent energy erupted from the ground at my feet, before ebbing outwards and shrinking back into the dirt.
I was given enough time to notice a new, full gauge emitting a muted rainbow of colors next to the Skill Ring before I realized that I was full of rage. And that all of it was directed at the overgrown bear standing right in front of me.
'...huh. So this is what it's like to be inside the mind of the Doom Slayer.'
The instant after, I was in motion.
[Chain Slash]
The Ursa did not react in time to stop the first hit.
It was too preoccupied with registering the first hit to avoid the second hit.
The third hit was gouged in as I dodged its first and only counter-swipe, landing on its other arm in the process.
I dug the fourth hit in while leaping off the arm and soaring above the Grimm.
And finally, it could do nothing but roar as I came down and plunged what little remained of my short sword directly into its right eye for the final hit.
I would only realize that I had been screaming my throat raw all the while until after the fact.
Obviously, my would-be killer did not take that very well. While I was blowing off the excess steam from my system, I felt my midsection nearly get crushed by two large paws. About a second later, I was gaining even more air-time, and about to crash into another tree.
Thankfully, by some miracle, I landed feet-first on the trunk and was able to minimize the damage to a degree. Even then, the sheer force caused chips to splinter off and the surface to give slightly, and I had to count myself lucky that I hadn't hit it hard enough to get my feet stuck inside it as I dropped to the grass.
Oh, and I should probably mention that I was still holding on to my broken sword. By which I mean that the Ursa had also ended up tearing it out of its eye, which while better for its overall health in the future, was also likely unimaginably painful.
I say that because it was now covering the destroyed socket with both paws and yet again trying to blow out my eardrums with another earth-shaking roar. Whether it came closer to actually doing so as compared to last time, I can't say. All of the noises the Grimm made to indicate their fury were already starting to bleed together. (Which certainly said something, since I hadn't even been on Remnant for a full 24 hours yet.)
Although, it did also force my eyes shut since I hadn't yet gotten that annoying reflex under control. Granted, I probably never would, but there was nothing stopping me from blaming unrelated bodily functions for what happened next.
When my brain finally determined that my lids were free to peel back, I was met with the sight of a paw on a trajectory of impact into my side. Of which I was nowhere near fast enough to stop.
A fifth of my health bar was cleaved off, and a sizable '51' went along with it.
'I'm starting to think that Monty Python's Flying Circus would've been a better option for flying lessons,' went my thoughts as I sped towards another waiting tree. 'Right now, I just feel like I'm being tossed around.'
My third crash of the day arrived, and I was starting to become concerned. A quip left my mouth once the pain wore off. "Sheesh. Something tells me that naturalists wouldn't be very big fans of all this forest abuse."
The Ursa, being in as much agony as it was, couldn't really be bothered to give a fuck about deforestation and reverted back to its old strategy of 'charge and attack until it dies.' Seeing this, I also reverted to the counter-strategy I'd employed at the beginning of the fight, ran from the projected path, and lifted my hands up in a guarding position to brace for the follow-up.
Only for my brain to remind me of how my sword was now half the weapon it used to be, and dope-slap me for forgetting that crucial fact.
"...well, shit."
And goodbye went another '51'.
'DAMN YOUUU, MUSCLE MEMORYYYYYYY-!' Crash number four cut off my mental villain curse and replaced it with a choked noise as the remaining air molecules left in my lungs decided to take a one-way trip back to the outside world. This led to my get-up speed taking a hit, and left me scrambling to stand again in order to prepare for the next hit.
Unfortunately, I wasn't quite fast enough.
{Hivewrecker}
'Oh, piss o-'
{Concussed inflicted.}
The silver lining on this one was that I ended up not hitting any trees. Albeit, on second thought, maybe having something to prematurely stop me would be better, especially since I wouldn't have to deal with uncomfortably bouncing off the ground several times before bleeding off enough momentum to stop on my own. Alas, there was nothing I could do about it now.
A more immediate concern was how the purple sheen from earlier flickered back into existence around my body before it broke apart (mirroring how my HP bar, having been reduced to zero, cracked and blew apart itself), and the notification that appeared right after.
{Shatter inflicted.}
Said notification was apparently enough to warrant its own tutorial.
[CRISIS MODE]
Crisis Mode takes effect whenever your HP drops to zero at any point after unlocking your Aura. Instead of dying, your Aura will break, leaving your body vulnerable to potentially fatal injury. While your stats will remain unaffected, continuing to fight while in this state is not recommended, as the risk of true death is likely very high if you have already been pushed to this point.
Crisis Mode will remain in effect until the Shatter status effect wears off.
When the window disappeared, the familiar grayscale filter, red edges, and blur came right back, along with the audible heartbeat and failing HUD. Only this time, every time a beat thudded in my ears, the red turned black and briefly covered more of my vision before retreating back and regaining its color. I figured it probably had something to do with the whole 'Concussed' thing I was hit with earlier.
'This isn't… even funny anymore…' The sluggish thoughts also made a return. 'It's just… sad now.' Even unlocking my very own Aura, and the quote-unquote 'hard way' at that, still had me coming up short against the sheer difference in level and stats.
I'd been knocked pretty far away, but the Ursa was still big enough to be seen as it slowly lumbered towards me, repeating history again. Not that I could make out any details due to my impaired vision.
'Well…' I doubted that I had anything left up my sleeve at this point, known or unknown. It was honestly pretty pathetic how I hadn't even managed to last a single day, even after everything I'd managed to scrape past, but I supposed my beginner's luck had to run out at some point. 'Let it never be said… that I didn't try…'
All I could do now was get my feet under me, stand up straight, and face the end like a man. My tired right arm came up for what was likely the last time, pointing the last of my resolve at the unstoppable monster.
"C'mon… you Rotbart rip-off. Get your ass over here and… finish it already."
And yet, it seemed that fate or some other sick bastard didn't want my story to end just yet.
"-ey!"
At long last, I heard a human's voice that wasn't my own. Turning my head to its source, all I could make out was another featureless blob. "Oh… look at that. An audience." I forced out a laugh. "At least… someone'll know I died at all."
It came closer, arriving next to me in no time. "Nobody's dying today on my watch! C'mon!" A hand wrapped itself around my left arm, and I was yanked in the opposite direction of the Ursa.
Damaged as I was, it was a challenge just to not fall over. This was compounded by the fact that whoever had found me was a great deal faster than I was. "Hey… hey! Do you… want me to trip?!"
We didn't stop. "Well, we can't let it catch us, can we!?"
Eventually, unable to keep up the pace, I ended up stumbling and eating dirt. My would-be rescuer wasn't too pleased about that. "Ohh, come on! Get up!"
"Too… slow," I shook my head. "It'll catch up… if I hold you back."
"I'm not leaving you behind!" For some reason, my brain decided to take this moment to inform me that the voice was somewhere on the higher end of the pitch scale, and most likely feminine.
The darkness was getting closer to completely covering my vision. "Then… think of something… before we both die."
A few moments passed, and I chanced a look behind us. The Ursa was making pretty good time, closing the distance at a rapid pace with what I could only assume were big, long strides. Or maybe not, because regular bear legs were kinda short… but did Ursai follow that convention?
Suddenly, I was broken out of my musings when two skinny arms wrapped themselves around my body and threw me up to sling me over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"...huh." I slowly blinked. "Good idea."
And we were off. The speed difference was now extremely noticeable, as the pursuing Grimm's shape started to get smaller.
'Must have… one hell of an agility stat…'
Alas, it was only a matter of time until the Concussed effect caught up with me. The darkness crept in and didn't stop until my vision was completely covered, and my consciousness slipped away. My only comfort was that by the time it did, we were all but guaranteed to have escaped the threat.
'Hope… she sticks around…' was my last thought before blacking out. 'Would suck… if I never… got to thank… her…'
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A/N: Near-Death Count: 4. Three of which were in this chapter alone. On day one. Talk about a gauntlet, huh?
...I should probably give the poor guy a break.
Sorry this took so long, by the way. School, quarantine, yadda-yadda-yadda. Moving on.
New content! How 'bout that adult wolf, eh? Of course, compared to the first battle of the fic, he didn't quite manage to get Zeiss on the ropes as much, but he did have a few surprises in store. Inspiration for that was taken from the images shown during Yang's backstory dump, since if Grimm happened to take up shelter there at that point, then I doubt anyone was actually keeping that place up to code.
Readers of the original story… probably won't remember the Ursa boss since he was very forgettable due to how I wrote the early Patch chapters. So, because this is a rewrite, I've decided to give him a little upgrade. Rest assured, this will not be the last we'll see of him.
Three guesses as to who pulled Zeiss' ass out of the fire. I don't think I made it too terribly obvious, but most people are sharper than the media gives them credit for. I'm sure most of you will come close, if not outright call it.
No omake this time because I just want to get this out there and I don't have any ideas for one.
Bye.
