Callum quickly set his feet into a warrior's stance, grabbed his hatchet, and raised it into a defensive position. It was a flurry of carefully orchestrated moves designed to ward off threats. Or at least that's what he planned on doing.
Instead, he stepped back and tripped over a log buried in the snow. Windmilling arms failed to stop his fall and only succeeded in sending his hatchet careening into the 3ft (1m) snow. Peaceful farming was no preparation for combat encounters.
"Ahhh!" Yelled out Callum as he planted his backside into the deep snow.
"Yrrowl!" Replied an unseen creature.
Padding footsteps soon followed. Their rapid frequency hinted that his foe was sallying out to meet him. Soon a nebulous shape resolved itself in the dark gloom as it streaked towards the valiant but combat inept farmer.
Callum had just started to stand back up when a 40lb (18kg) fur missile launched itself at him. He was driven back into the snow as he finally glimpsed his attacker. A flurry of damage notifications followed him to the ground.
Snow Lynx (Lvl 15)
HP:(300/300)
- 26 HP lost to
- 5 HP lost to cold
- 12 HP lost to
Callum tried to grab the lynx in order to throw it off of him. Anyone who has tried to corral a domestic 10-15lb (4.5-7m) housecat will know the futility of trying that with a 40lb wildcat. Another flurry of damage notifications popped up in his vision.
- 11 HP lost to
- 20 HP lost to
- 13 HP lost to
Callum finally turned off all notifications as they blinded him to the lynx's actions. He jammed his fist into the lynx's jaw in order to protect his neck from bites. Ineffectual strikes with his left arm seemed to have little effect on the lynx.
His knife was in his bag and his hatchet was buried in the snow somewhere to his left. Callum didn't need the notifications to tell him he was bleeding and continuing to take damage. He was losing the fight, badly.
He regretted not sparring more as he grew up. He didn't have the instincts for combat and his horrible starting position dictated the direction of the fight. Maybe some more combat skills could've made a difference.
He might not have skills, but he did have some cantrips. And he used one now. He spammed it continuously as soon as it came off cooldown.
"
"Yrrryowl!"
"Fuck you!"
"
"Yowl!"
"Bad kitty!"
"I'm not your damn chew toy!"
"
"Grrr yowl!"
Callum tried throwing in some punches and kicks into the fray. Neither were actual skills he had and the lynx wasn't large enough for his kicks to have any effect. The smell of burning flesh and singed fur evidence his cantrip was at least having some effect.
Callum instinctively knew his HP had dropped to half and that it continued to plummet. He also doubted that his unskilled strikes or cantrips had dropped the lynx to half its health. He needed to do something else!
He set off a cantrip in its mouth via his jammed fist. As the lynx reflexively jerked back, Callum rolled them both towards his hatchet. He needed to bring more damage to the fight or he'd soon be lynx shit.
He continually used his jaw trapped fist to cast
The lynx was going to win. His blood was flowing freely from multiple cuts. He was cold and alone in some desolate mountain valley. He wasn't cut out for fighting. A voice whispered in his brain to just give up.
He'd tried and failed. His free arm stopped searching for the missing hatchet. His cantrip spam slowed down. He failed to keep the farm running. Eight generations of Murrays and he was the failure that broke the chain.
He was tired of struggling. He had struggled for six long months to save both the farm and his reputation. Abandoned by all his friends and family, he stood alone against the world and had been crushed down. What could one man do alone?
Instead of acknowledgement or support, his actions were met with derision and ridicule. He was called every name under the sun. Stolen from and attacked. His every action was met with resistance from former friends, employees and neighbors alike.
Darkness seemed to be closing in on him as his health continued to fall. A brief flare of magic and fire illuminating two blood soaked opponents locked in mortal struggle. Witnesses would have seen a human and a crazed wildcat tearing at each other.
'I'm sorry father and mother, you didn't deserve such a failure of a son.'
Even his own brother had worked against him . . .
Realization set in. Even his own brother had worked against him! His own brother had taken part in a plot to see him defeated! He hadn't failed, they had worked to make him fail. Why should he feel sorry for himself?
He hadn't even known that some had actively worked against him until the very end. How could he succeed when he was in the dark about their actions? His own brother knew every stratagem and avenue he pursued! With that knowledge, they countered his every ploy.
They had even killed an innocent woman to set him up. And they likely killed his parents as well! He didn't know the reason for their plots. But the why wasn't important. Not right now. He just knew he would see every single one of them dead!
He leveraged his hand in his opponent's jaw to jack the lynx's head back. He felt an animalistic need to go for the jugular! He bit the vulnerable neck. Crazed eyes looked on with savage glee as he tore at the lynx's neck.
His savagery caught the lynx off guard. A once tentative opponent was now ruthlessly attacking it. While rolling in the ground, his free arm had grazed a familiar shape. Callum had found the hatchet handle!
Hatchet (Common) (Durability: 19/20)
Deals damage equal to ¼ user's strength stat
Allows user to use
He quickly grasped the handle and raised it up overhead. He moved his head back out of the way and started to rain blows down on the exposed neck. Striking vulnerable areas was sure to deal critical damage.
With every swing, Callum pictured a different face. The mayor, Caldwaters, Caldwaters' guards, and his own brother flashed in his mind. Eight vicious
"Die!"
"I'll kill you!"
"You're next!
"Die fat man!"
A shout followed every fall of the axe. Each shout a promise to the one he pictured as he swung. In the end a bloodied man knelt triumphantly over his nearless headless foe. Low on stamina and HP but still he lived.
Suddenly his rage cut out. It was still there, but muted. His strength fled him as he suddenly felt much weaker. He was suddenly capable of conscious thought once more.
"Did I really bite the lynx? What came over me?"
Callum Murray | Lvl 19 Human Farmer (XP: 69%)
HP:(39/450) Stamina:(28/360) Mana:(67/100)
ST:45 (-15) | Con:45(-15) | Dex:20 | Int:10 | Will:15(+5) | Cha:12 | Luck:16
He quickly pulled up his stats to see how much time he had left. Instead his stats left him puzzled. He definitely needed to look at his notifications soon. He saw his HP drop while he had his page up.
- 11 HP lost to bleeding.
"If I survive."