Rhonda was a minute into her search when she took a turn at a split in the hallway. The sound of her own footsteps echoing up and down the passaged unnerved her now. Her meaty thuds could draw an attack at any moment.

With every step, she strained to listen for the tell-tale raspy moans of the draugrs. She was uncertain if she was glad or sad to hear none the further she walked. But as time waned, her grumbling stomach serving as her only company became more unbearable.

As if things couldn’t get hard enough, she was starting to feel drained. She wondered how long she had been involved with this foolishness and how long it would take until it ended. This place seemed impossibly big with hallways that went on so long she couldn’t help but drag her feet or kick debris out of her way.

After rounding another corner, her toes caught something thin. She didn’t think to stop. She dragged it along under her shuffle, grinding it against the sole of her foot and the stone floor. When she did stop, she raised her leg, slightly annoyed by whatever was under her. Then she stomped down and⁠—crunch!

Whatever it was, Rhonda figured it wouldn’t be worth her attention. Her mind changed when she felt light taps against her foot and ankle. She looked down. 

Right beneath her foot was a petite and female lvl 4 draugr, its ragged, soiled shirt caught on Rhonda’s toe. Its torso was crushed, but there was still life within its glowing eyes.

Its free arm smacked at her foot.

Huh, I should’ve noticed that earlier.

The Draugr made a noise like a strangled cry despite Rhonda’s foot crushing its lungs.

Rhonda grimaced, wondering if this was okay. The creature was being crushed by all, if not most, of Rhonda’s weight. Then she gave it a second thought and concluded that there was nothing wrong. Why should she feel guilty? It was the enemy, just like the System said, even if they had been former servants.

She quickly dismissed the sentiment for her enemy, raised her foot again, and slammed it down with gusto.

She obliterated the draugr’s already crushed torso with a mighty thoom! Its limbs flew off, and its head rolled away while bundled in silvery hair.

 

Less experience is earned for a lesser enemy. 1/10 draugrs.

 

“Huh, that was easier than I⁠—”

“Hwuuuughaa!”

From under a knocked-over drawer, another draugr (⁠lvl 5) scrambled out of the rotten splinters. It was not alone.

Two more draugrs (lvl 3 and lvl 4) clambered up over the debris. The three grouped up, rasped angrily together, then entered a haphazard run at Rhonda’s front.

Rhonda retreated, her breath stolen away from the sight of multiple foes ganging against her. Just like before, she could not walk backward fast enough against the enemy. They easily closed the distance while two waved their swords and the third held hefted a wicked-looking ax. 

I don’t want to be hurt again! Rhonda halted and cocked her fist back. It shook around a lot; it was just as rattled as her nerves. She aimed as they neared. Then she shoved it forward, pushing her fist like a thrust more than a punch.

The draugrs weaved around her fist⁠—oh no. One draugr went so far as to duck right under it. She had put her all into the punch, compromising her balance. She had to step forward to stop from falling, which gave the draugrs the advantage to counterattack.

They seized it ruthlessly.

Ow! Ow! Ow! Owwww!

They beat on her. They swung their swords to lash the side of her thighs and knees. The one with the ax swung with heavy overhead chops to beat higher up her legs. Rhonda stumbled as they bruised up her lower body and started drawing blood. Seeing the thin trickles flow down her legs shocked her.

The draugrs rasped even louder. Their eyes glimmered; they ramped up the speed and the ferocity of their swings and thrusts. Their weapons bit deeper with each vigorous attack, hurting Rhonda so badly she had to clench her teeth from screaming.

Until finally, enough was enough. “UGH!”

Rhonda swung down, half like a slap, half like a hammer. The back of her palm busted the shoulder of the sword draugr to her left. She slap-hammered again and snapped the ax draugr’s weapon in half.

The ax draugr stare at its broken weapon. It tossed it aside, raised its fists, and rasped at her defiantly.

“Come here you!”

Rhonda reached down and snatched the ax draugr by waist with one hand. Icky fleshy and putrid guts oozed between her fingers since she had to dig for a hold⁠—her hand wasn’t big enough to reach all the way around.

The ax draugr thrashed around, its desperate rasps raising in volume. It didn’t even want to run away. It kept attacking her. If this had been a servant once, they were certainly long gone.

“Stay dead!” Rhonda hoisted the draugr above her head. Then she swung it down on top of the other sword draugr that was still hacking away at her.

She body-slammed the one in her hand on top of its companion, putting her weight into it. Both draugrs burst under her palm. They flung across the floor in splashes of flesh and bones.

With labored breaths, Rhonda raised a little only to hear the last draugr behind her. It was striking at the back of her calf with its bony fist.

“This is such a drag,” Rhonda grunted, looking down between her legs. “So I’m taking a seat if that’s okay with you? Yeah? Cool.”

She rolled back on her heels and fell rear first. She felt more of her butt thumping the stone floor, sending a hard jolt up her spine and a ripple through her jiggly parts, and less of the draugr caught beneath her. Once she settled into her seat with a wriggle followed by a staccato of bones crunching, Rhonda stilled.

She strained to listen for more enemies barreling down her way. When all she found was the tranquil noise of silence, she flopped backward, arms spread. She released a great huff and sucked in air desperately.

That… that was exhausting! Her legs stung even more now. It hurt from the middle of her thighs down to the upper side of her calves. The draugrs had seemed way more savage when they were grouped up together.

I wonder how much damage did I take?

 

You’ve taken 19% damage. You’ve absorbed 84% fatigue. Your health is good but strained. It would be best if you rested up to recover. Hint 1: More endurance reduces fatigue build-up. Hint 2: Perception heightens awareness. With that said, you’ve defeated your first pack of enemies! Hooray! You’ve earned high experience! You’re now level 4! You’re now level 5! You have 6 more draugrs to kill.

 

“Ugggggh,” Rhonda moaned. She would love to rest. That was everything she wanted to do right now.

But as she laid spread-eagle on the floor, her stomach tore at her to get going again. She needed food. She needed to feast. She was HUNGRY. “Ugggh!”

Quickly, Rhonda opened up the attributes page. She hesitated, reconsidering her earlier plan to pump up her really good attributes.

Fatigue sucks so much.

Thus, a new plan was made on the fly. She quickly, perhaps even rashly, dumped all [16] points into Endurance without thinking twice.

 

Attribute Points Total [115] and Attribute Points Unspent [0]-- Strength: 44 ⁠ Vitality: 42 ⁠ Endurance: 2+[16]—>18 Agility: 2⁠ Perception: 2⁠ Intellect: 2⁠ Charisma: 2⁠ Faith: 1

 

Rhonda dragged in her next breath slower and deeper. The next after that was the crisp cold air that flowed through her body with more ease. She was still tired, but she noticed she was much better than before.

Her fatigue build-up was dropping steadily.  She, however, couldn't wait until she was fully recovered.

“Kill draugrs. Feed stomach.” Rhonda staggered to her feet, her fatigue still a burden. “Feed draugrs. Kill stomach.”

She paused to rethink that last statement, shifting her weight from one leg to another. Something rubbed around within a place where the sun wouldn’t shine much.

Absentmindedly, Rhonda reached behind her. She dug out a rib and flicked it away. Then she swiped bone chips and sticky flesh off her backside and returned to the hunt for food... err... draugrs. 

 

Less experience is earned for a lesser enemy⁠—5/10 draugrs. Less experience is earned for a lesser enemy⁠—6/10 draugrs. Moderate experience is earned for defeating a pack⁠—9/10 draugrs.

 

Rhonda was breathing heavily. Her vision was shaky. Her hunger was too much. Her fatigue had built up close to 100%. She wanted to drop and give up. She wanted to close her eyes and never open them again.

But she had one more draugr to defeat. This one was the strongest yet⁠—lvl 8.  Like the others, it charged her as soon as she entered its range. Unlike the others, it wielded a great two-handed sword that it raised menacingly.

Rhonda sensed it would do the most damage than any of its predecessors. It might actually cripple her and head to her death.

 But Rhonda’s desperation to make things easier for herself had driven her to strike back a little smarter this time around.

Held above her head was a wide piece of the rafters above that had fallen. The sturdy beam of wood was heavier than any draugr.

Before the draugr got in place to chop her down, she hurled her makeshift missile. She did it just before crossing that 100% fatigue threshold.

A small smile crossed her face while her improvised missile smashed the last draugr to smithereens. Its parts scattered across the hallway.

Then she flopped onto the floor, breathing heavily once again. Her fatigue was nearly as terrible as hunger. With the two combined… all Rhonda could do was moan, giving voice to her suffering.

If I had missed the throw, that draugr could’ve hurt me really bad. Or it could’ve killed her. 

But what if… that would’ve been for the best.

If she died, she might even return to the void. At the same time, a death at the rotten hands of a draugr would’ve been way too painful and slow.

Dying like that is way too hard.

Meanwhile, the System hoopla.

 

You’ve earned good experience for defeating a greater enemy. You’re now level 6! You’ve completed A Ghostly Father’s Woes questline. You’ve earned high experience for completing your first questline. You’re now level 7! Sleeping Giant Origin Story (2/3) A Ghostly Father’s Woes Of Mice & Mother (locked) Start questline? Yes or no?

 

Rhonda flipped open her attributes. She took a moment to consider if she was going to pump all her points into Endurance again.

She had told herself that Strength and Vitality went up easier. She reasoned those were the attributes that made her stronger and tougher than the draugrs. She worried if she ignored those for too long, she would lose her advantage.

Rhonda put [8] in Endurance. She put [3] in Strength and [3] in Vitality. Then she raised her Perceptions by [2] believing that it would help her sense things easier. The enemy liked to get under her blindspot, annoying her.

 

Attribute Points Total [137] and Attribute Points Unspent [0]-- Strength: 44+[3] ⁠⁠—>50 Vitality: 42+[3] ⁠⁠—>48 Endurance: 18+[8]—>26 Agility: 2⁠ Perception: 2⁠+[2]—>4 Intellect: 2⁠ Charisma: 2⁠ Faith: 1

 

Rhonda’s mind sputtered out before she got to enjoy the small relief of added Endurance. Her hunger and the next questline be damned, it was time for her to take a well-deserved nap.