Chapter 14 - Apex (Part 1)
The young survivalist sat beside his camp fire in an almost meditative position. Eyes closed, senses heightened. *Chew..* His eyes twitched at the sound as he tried to block out any and all distractions. *Chew* The howling of beasts and wrath of elements that was Mandragore's voice, echoed throughout Berto's mind.*Chew*
Mandragore: User Alberto Fe*Chew*lli..
"Oh my God will you give it a rest!?" said Berto, finally exploding outwards. Just a few meters to his left sat the Koto Nhori, paws locked on the severed leg of some beast, gnawed to a bloody bone. The leopard however was still chewing and licking its former meal gleefully and had now stoped to take in Berto wide eyed, tongue still sticking out. Berto laughed at the big cat and it went back to doing what it was doing.
Mandragore: User Alberto Ferantelli.. You have pleased me once more on this day. Allow me to take charge of your "Bonus Mission" and award you accordingly for your actions. As I have said before.. you now have my attention. Don't disappoint me..
Mariah: Bonus Mission parameters altered. Bonus Mission parameters satisfied! You have successfully "defeated" the Koto Nhori and will be given a Rare Skill of your choice amongst three preselected ones.
Extra Parameters satisfied "Guerrilla Fighter" you stormed the Temple of the Golden Light on your own and reached its sacred beast, while besting its guardians, unharmed! You are awarded 5 free Attribute Points!
Extra Parameters satisfied "Protector" despite your Mission you protected the sacred beast from its tormentors, healed its wounds and ultimately gained its trust. You are awarded a new Mutation, Leap (C) Lv.1: As a survivalist, traversal is a big part of your struggle. The Collective has decided to award you with this mutation which allows the User to nearly double their jumping height and distance, with Mana empowered leg muscles. The higher the level of this mutation the bigger your bounds will be, also taking less damage when landing from great heights. One Mutation Point is required to level up this mutation.
"Wow.. that.. that is a lot.." thought Berto excitedly! He had hoped that this side quest would being about growth but this was on a whole other level! He had a new useful mutation, 6 unused attribute points and 2 mutation points. Not to mention the plethora of new Skills he could now upgrade quickly if needed, with his free Skill Points! And speaking of skills..
Mariah: Are you ready User Berto? The three Skills the Collective has chosen to present you with are the following..
Blade Master (A): As the User has shown great effort to master the use of bladed weapons we present him with a skill that should cover any and all needs of using bladed weapons in combat. Daggers, swords, spears.. any sharp edge is a deadly weapon or an instrument of art in the hands of a Blade Master.
Mana Manipulation (S): The User has free control of the Magic energies flowing inside and around his person. The greater the level of this Skill the greater your control over bigger amounts of energy. Be free to manipulate Mana into new formulas and enchantments, constrained only by your will and imagination.
Invisibility (A): Magic Skill, Invisibility consumes 3 Mana per minute of use but makes the User completely undetectable to the naked eye. Only through detection spells, anti-magic or counter spells can your enemies hope to find you.
The Mariner's jaw almost dropped while going through his options. He could only choose one of these? That was simply cruel! They all seemed so useful and their possible applications were exciting just to think about! Especially Invisibility and Blade Master. Would he become an invisible assassin or an unyielding weapons master? He read the descriptions again and surprisingly found himself going through Mana Manipulation the most. He wasn't a wizard and neither wanted to be one.. However this was the one and only skill he had witnessed with the S ranking! Was it truly so valuable? The description was a little vague and didn't promise immediate gains like the other two did.
In the end he decided to finish distributing his stats before making a final call on the rare skill. "Status Screen.." he commanded mentally and after a 20 minute session and a roasted meal, he was done.
* User : Alberto Ferantelli - Level: 10 *
Available Attribute Points: 0
Available Mutation Points: 2
Available Skill Points: 3
Health: 69/69
Mana: 16/16
Brawn: 22 (+4)
Agility: 18
Vitality: 16
Intellect: 22 (+1)
Charisma: 17 (+1)
Spirit: 16
* Status update complete *
The youth had focused heavily on his Brawn this time even though he always tried to spread his growth in statistics evenly, even when playing RPGs. The reason behind this however was an experiment. A test of sorts. Mariah had once told him that his stats represented the human average as a 9 or 10. The human peak was closer to 19 or 20. He had just gone over that benchmark in both strength and intelligence.
He took a peak under his coveralls and was amazed to find that his, slightly better looking body, had undergone a drastic metamorphosis these past three days. He now had the body of a superhuman athlete. Rippling, well proportioned muscles, a slim build and he was quite sure he had gotten even taller! As for his mind.. he started doing advanced calculus internally while openly reciting the principles of thermodynamics and found that he could do so while also petting his tamed leopard and giving it loving scratches behind the ears. "Ok.. I know what I have to pick. There's only one choice really. I can be sneaky AND effective with weapons without those skills, I've already proven that. But Mana Manipulation.. I feel like the System is giving me a once in a lifetime opportunity to access its potential. Our world is suffering from Mana and capitalizing on it at the same time. Mana controls the market and by definition the world.. Sooo if I could control Manaaa.. Maybe I'd.. stop talking to big cats?" he said, finishing his statement while awkwardly staring into the eyes of his curious new pet. "I am in dire need of friends..".
Berto made his bedding beside the warm body of his companion and stared into the flickering camp fire. He accepted the skill Mana Manipulation as his reward and fumbled with the Skill's mechanics until his eyes grew heavy. It felt as if his body was a cup and Mana was the water inside. He was now aware of the water's presence and had a very basic control over it. He could swirl it around, compress it or even eject some of it outwardly. But non of that seemed to have any effect on him or his surroundings. The youth yawned intensely while entertaining the idea of investing his skill points into Mana Manipulation in an attempt to better understand it while also increasing its potency. He ultimately decided against it as he found it unwise to invest in it heavily before even understanding what it could do.
The Survivor finally dragged the boar's hide over his body and shut his eyes, his head resting on the Koto Nhori's body. The big cat's breathing was like distant roaring engine, it's heart like a drum very much like those infernal ones Berto had been following through the jungle all day. Those vile jungle drums with their malicious marching tune. The Mariner knew where they were leading him and he was fully prepared to stop their music once and for all. He never could have imagined himself as a killer or bloodthirsty a week ago. But here.. right now.. he was the Apex and predators rarely concerned themselves with the morality of prey.
• • •
The tribe was in tatters. The chieftain had ordered a complete abandonment of camp and homeland. As the Lizardmen of the Green Scale Clan trekked through the dense jungle they could only wonder what kind of scourge had befallen their people. Their primitive imagination gave birth to fantastical ideas of plagues and enemies of monstrous shapes and sizes, that were out for their people. After a day's travel they finally reached the clearing near the great Portal. There they would raise defenses and hope for the best. If the worst came to pass then they would at least have a place to run and escape whatever evil pursued them, even if that would lead them in another world.
Only eight of them remained now including their mighty Chieftain, leader of their clan and capturer of the Sun Hunter! Their wooden barriers were flimsy, provisions scarce and moral was at an all time low. They had lost their home, temple and even their sacred beast. If only their warriors had managed to capture a new campsite in the world outside the Portal, they would have a new home awaiting them now! But.. the evil of this other world had instead come to take theirs.
A patrolling Forager hunted down anything that moved as it combed the surrounding area with one of his sisters. It spotted a strange footprint, smaller than its own, more narrow as well with no distinct claw or hoove marks. Not even the strangest of primates could leave a print like this one, it thought. The answer to its puzzlement would present itself a moment later in an unorthodox way, as a human, a member of the old lost race would step out into the open. Berto stepped directly in front of the Guana, hands raised in readiness but grasping no weapons. The Forager hissed and slammed its powerful tail on the ground in an intimidating display.
The young man was unarmed because his sword was broken and his shield bent. The weapons of the Temple Guardians' where too big and unwieldy while the lesser Guana's broke easily. He had chosen to approach unarmed mostly to goad this Forager in attacking what seemed like easy prey. This would be his final experiment.
Guana Forager Lv.7, exactly like the first one he ever faced, just outside this Rift. The Guana gauging the human by its lean body and lesser size, lunged forward with its spear leading the charge. The Mariner, sidestepping the attack, grabbed the spear shaft with both hands and after twisting it around, pulled it under the Lizardman! The Guana's feet were swept off the ground as it tumbled with a yelp and crunch of bones. The spear was yanked out if its hands by a smiling Berto who couldn't stop admiring his increased strength and senses.
The rising Forager was met with a strong right cross to its face, causing blood and a few loose teeth to fly in the other direction.
Mariah: Hit delt! 8 points of damage caused!
Berto felt the itch of the Guana's rough scales on his knuckles but their was no pain this time. After delivering a powerful kick to its head, the Forager was rendered almost helpless and Berto finished their bout with a stab from the creature's own weapon. The survivor then immediately spotted a leaner Guana Forager watching his fight. Once spotted, the female began running towards its camp, seeing that it was obviously no match for the strange human. She didn't get far however, as a set of jaws, coming seemingly from nowhere, clamped down around her throat. The Nhori having successfully ambushed the hidden Forager was now choking it with its powerful jaws, until the unfortunate reptilian drowned in its own blood.
Berto readjusted his grip on the rickity spear and started jogging towards the camp. The closer he got the more his speed increased until he was finally, full on running! The magical leopard ran besides him growling at their faraway targets, its wings rattling ominously! The two Hunters standing guard at a 'gate of sorts' were entirely unprepared for the vicious assault. First came a volley of feather-shaped, glass daggers, that tore their flesh apart. Next up was Berto, who threw his spear with enough force to pierce the first hunter though the chest and then vaulted over a barricade with ease, to deliver a devastating punch kick to the second one's abdomen. Grabbing the creature's stone axe from the ground, he finished it off as it was struggling to get up.
Mariah: 26/30 Green Scale Clan slain. A Rift node can be sensed nearby. The Guana are attempting to reopen the Rift into your world User Berto.
With a look of determination and after picking up speed, Berto jumped almost two meters high and grabbed onto the wooden wall's edge. The Koto Nhori jumped over the wall entirely with the use of its strong hind legs and a flap of its crystalline wings. The majestic beast didn't seem able to fly but the young man had witnessed his companion glide and make greater jumps with the assistance of its extra limbs. Landing behind the wall, Berto witnessed the remaining Guana of the Green Scale Clan, ready to throw themselves at their enemy in order to protect their leader. Two Temple Guardians and a lone Hunter was all that remained now. Behind them stood an even larger and imposing figure with its back turned.
