"Ok well we run now or fight" Aaron said quickly "We probably won't outrun that thing though so I think we should attack first while we can"
"Are you craz…"
"Ok" Scylla cut Ben off. At the worst case they still had their guard there and while he seemed concerned, he wasn't terrified. So, if he was sure he could keep them safe then there was nothing to be afraid of.
Scylla stood up as the Raging Ash Bear slowly lumbered in their direction. It was still a good 40 metres away, but it was slowly getting closer. Spreading her hands wide, not one but several Rock Spears suddenly jutted up from beneath the monster. One of them pierced through its heavy left forepaw, the rest stabbed deep into its stomach.
Aaron also stood, aiming both hands like finger guns and firing two Water Bullets at once. Both crashed into the right side of the Bears face as it bit and scratched at the earthy spears stuck in its body. One of the Water Bullets exploded right in the eye, causing a splash of water and blood that cascaded down its face. The beast roared in pain and then fixed its one remaining eye on the group, exuding an aura of hate.
In its aura Aaron saw its Hostility. Comparing it to the lynx they'd fought a week prior was like comparing a candle to a bonfire. It made fear run through him and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Ripping its' pinned claw from the ground and snapping the Rock Spears. The beast's roar turned to almost a scream as it charged at them insanely.
Status: Berserk
Firing off another two at the Bear's head he missed, and they exploded on its shoulder. Gouging out chunks of its flesh but not appearing to do any serious damage. That was the last of his mana, so he pulled his sword out from his inventory and stood ahead of Scylla with Ben who had his spear already levelled in its direction.
It was incredibly fast and by the time he took up his position the hulking tank of a bear had already reached them. Instantly it swung out backhandedly catching Aaron in the ribs. He was sent flying for several metres before crashing into a nearby tree
-10 HP
That was a much as most of his peers starting HP in one swing? He could take maybe one more hit like that, but Scylla was a caster mainly, he didn't know if she could take one at all. Ben had stepped up on the furious bears blind side and using his skill thrust his spear deep into its throat. A look of relief crossed his face that quickly dissipated as despite the angle the bear had so much meat and fat that while enraged it barely felt the blow.
Another wild swing flung Ben and his spear flying to fall on the ground, unmoving. Scylla cast a Rock Bullet right in the creature's face tearing off its lower jaw and part of its snout. But even that wasn't enough to put the beast down as a bizarre cry came from what was left of its face, left eye full of madness.
It was going to kill her, Aaron could see it, and in her face, he saw his sister Shauna, eyes full of fear as that car approached. Not again. Not this time. As the beast raised its paw to cut Scylla down, Aaron got up and dashed forward, sword raised, bracing himself to take the blow.
The strike made his whole body numb and his wrists felt like they were about to break. Had he fully extended both arms they would have no doubt snapped like twigs. Instead, he and Scylla were both knocked staggering back, shaking and barely able to move. Despite all the damage they had dealt, the monster didn't seem phased, howling in fury through what remained of its face.
This wasn't like the creatures they had 'played with' according to Hallgrim. This was a proper beast, infected by the Demonic plague that spread throughout the continent thanks to their influence. Slobber and blood dripped from its face as it slowly approached, looking pleased that its prey was trapped in a corner, eager to return the suffering it had faced so far several fold.
Aaron for a moment looked into that eye and forgot his surroundings. Looking at the monster craving his flesh, he felt nothing but fear and despair. Darkness surrounded and filled him. The look in its eye said one thing. He was going to die. Right here. Right now.
Ding.
A voice spoke into Aaron's mind.
Despair reached critical levels. Despair system, unlocked.
Before Aaron could process this, their guard finally made his move. Seeing the kids had no more fight in them, he dashed forward from the bear's blind side. In a single move he unsheathed his sword, slashed, then sheathed it again. The bear staggered forward another step before crashing to the ground, its head lopped clean off.
Looking at the group, with one unconscious, one barely able to lift his sword and none of them having a drop of mana left, he made an executive decision and said to the group.
"Time to go back"
..........
They were one of only two groups to not complete the assignment. The other owing to the fact they had accidently traced the path the bear had come from without being unfortunate enough to run into it. This scared any monsters or other game away, leading to them wandering around for hours on end until eventually giving up.
"You alright?" Jarred asked, coming over to sit next to Aaron as he was squatting down beside a tree.
"….." Aaron didn't have anything to say. He nearly died. He almost got everyone else killed too. Had the guard not been there, all of them would have been slaughtered and eaten, no more than excrement by now.
"Hey there" The guard from earlier said approaching.
"You guys did well. Not many kids your age could fight an Infected monster like that and survive"
Aaron felt terrible as he realized he hadn't even asked his savior's name. Yet asking now seemed… Rude.
"Thanks. And thanks for all your help"
"Anytime" The guard smiled amiably, then went along his way.
Inspect.
Anselet the Kind.
Level 36
Anselet. Even the system says he's a good man. I'll remember him.
Speaking of which Aaron checked his system. He'd heard a number of notifications at the end when the bear was attacking but the whole thing felt like a blur.
Name: Aaron
Title- None
Class: Swordsman
Level: 3
Experience: 20/40 to level up.
HP: 28/28
MP: 8/8
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 12
Endurance: 14
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 8
Perception: 10
Stat points available: 10
Passive Skills:
Despair System- Level ∞
Language Comprehension- Level 10 (Inherited)
Sense Hostility- Level 2
Resistances:
Lynx: 2%, Clawing: 0.6%, Bear: 4%, Blunt force: 0.4%
Active Skills:
Inspect- Level 3
Meditation- Level 2
Magic:
Water Magic- Level 2
Spells:
Water Bullet- Level 3
Wind Blade- Level 1
Aaron was surprised by the level up, most likely shared exp from when Anselet killed the bear. But that surprise turned into his jaw dropping when a cool female voice spoke up in his mind.
Welcome to the Despair System.
..........
Scylla sat quietly in a corner. Despite her hard work she hadn't been able to stop that raging monster. She had kept to herself for the last week, focusing on doing what she could do now. She missed her family desperately, her siblings, her dad. So, she worked hard. She practiced her magic daily, funnily enough it actually came really easily to her.
The magic circles and runes were like reading in italics, not hieroglyphs. Perhaps marginally harder but that was it. Each curve of the brush or change in a runes pose was intended to change the spells effect in a different way. Despite hating the video gamey feel of the status screen, it made it seem like the whole thing was a game so no one would take it seriously, she too checked hers in order to find out what had changed since their fight with the bear.
Name: Scylla
Title- None
Class: Apprentice
Level: 3
Experience: 20/40 to level up.
HP: 14
MP: 18
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 10
Endurance: 14
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 10
Perception: 8
Status points available: 10
Passive Skills:
Language Comprehension- Level 2 (Inherited)
Mana Recovery: Level 2
Spell Comprehension- Level 1
Mana Channeling- Level 1
Active Skills:
Inspect- Level 1
Spells:
Rock Spear- Level 2, Rock Bullet- Level 3, Fireball- Level 1
Available spells to learn: Water Bullet. Do you wish to learn Water Bullet Yes/No?
Every time she saw a spell cast a few times she was able to copy it with her system. So far, she hadn't run into any limitations although since nothing appeared when Aedir used his teleportation for example she assumed that they existed, most likely she could only learn spells at roughly her level. Pressing Yes, she copied Aaron's Water Bullet then went back to thinking about the fight.
Yes, she dealt the most damage, but when that creature got close there was nothing she could do. Ben was knocked out and Aaron had to save her from being sliced in half. Even if that guard would have stepped in before that happened it was still not good enough to rely on everyone else to keep her safe. Anger and shame flushed her cheeks. What happened today would not happen again.
"Alright get up! All of you!" Hallgrim bellowed, waving his arms at the motley crew. Many were resting or just arriving back.
"Two groups failed! Now who here can tell me if they'd had an acceptable reason for it?" He paused for a moment. A couple hands were raised here and there which were promptly ignored.
"The answer… is no! You lot! If you didn't find any game, that is your own fault. Once you saw tracks of a bigger beast in the area you should've either left or chased it down! And you! You might've injured that bear but having the guard finish it off for you is an instant disqualification! Get strong enough you don't need another man to change your bloody underwear for you! You're all dismissed! We'll try again tomorrow!"
The group trudged back with their armed escorts to the castle. Most of which feeling happy with their work for the day, chattering about this fight or that, discussing monsters and levelling up. Others like Aarons group, walked heads down, dejected.
..........
As night fell, back at the palace, a black robed individual snuck out a quiet side passage. Taking great pains not to be noticed, they flitted in and out amongst the shadows over to the palace walls. Pausing for a moment, they stopped and sank into the shadows and vines against the walls as a patrol walked past.
Once their torch light had faded the individual darted up the steps and without a moment's hesitation, jumped over the walls and landed lightly on his feet. Once they were far enough from the palace walls, they relaxed and followed the road down into the city.
Making it down without notice, they turned and headed inside a quiet tavern by the far entrance of the city walls. Giving the tavern keeper a barest nod and getting one in return, the robed human went down a flight of stairs behind the bar into a wine cellar. Knocking three times gently on a large keg, a door was opened by a dazed looking man, barely comprehending where he was. The robe individual strode past into a room with several other hooded individuals.
Pulling down his hood, Anselet showed his face to the light, his eyes pitch black and spoke.
"Tell our masters, I have succeeded in my task"