As the sharp blade approached my neck, my mind raced for options. Parry or dodge? I did not think that a stone dagger would even manage to block the iron sword. Also, I was still a beginner with holding a blade. There was little chance that I could outfight this experienced goblin leader. I would have to dodge. The barrier was too mana intensive. I did not have enough mana to even initialize it. Flame vision would feel like a mosquito bite to this opponent. My spear was too far away from the incoming strike. If only I could move quicker. I imagined it in my mind. I was reappearing behind my adversary, striking him with my spear. I felt the last bit of my mana drain and my surroundings blur.
Suddenly, I was in the exact position that I had imagined! Behind the goblin leader holding my spear, I thrust it through the creature's chest without any hesitation. My sensitive hearing picked up a whistling sound. I reacted as quickly as I could, leaping backwards away from the goblin leader's body. One arrow landed directly in the spot where I had been standing. The other arrow pierced my foot. I didn't quite manage to avoid it. Looking forward, I saw two archers with ugly scowls on their faces. Their leader had been taken down and they were angry. Looking a few steps to my left, I noticed the pile of arrows the group had been using. Opening my Storage Vision, I deposited the arrows and then picked up a bow. I had never touched a bow in my life. When I pulled the string back and tried to hold the single arrow I held onto steady, I was not expecting to strike either of the goblins. This was a complete bluff. If I released the string, I imagined it would have had a very lackluster drop to the ground. But they didn't need to know that! The goblins glared at me and pointed at my stolen bow. They were distracted long enough for a couple of vines to wrap them up and hoist them up into the air.
"Great job, Bliss!" I shouted to my companion. She was proving to be an incredible partner. I peered around the battle area and noted that the remaining goblins had been tied up and dispatched. I leaned down and picked up the scimitar. The goblin leader growled at me as he saw me take his weapon. He was not dead yet but would not last long. I might have felt bad if not for the fact that these creatures were bandits. They survived by catching travelers by surprise. How many groups had died to the hands of these fiends? I did not have mercy for such creatures. It didn't mean that I liked my situation. Killing any kind of creature felt inhumane and harsh. Even the thought reminded me of a story that Val used to tell me at the tavern. She grew up outside the city with a small chicken farm. Killing the chickens and defeathering them was apparently a rite of passage for the kids in her household. She recalled vividly, many years later, how taking the life of an animal was gruesome and made her cry. I pretended to understand her feelings on the matter but honestly had no idea…until now.
As I finished the life of the goblin leader with my spear, Midnight finished off the remaining goblins that had been restrained. In checking with the rest of the group, I noticed that the carriage was wrapped with vines. What a versatile skill! I started to wonder about the new ability that allowed me to dodge the incoming striker earlier. It was time to read all the updates.
Skill Level Increase: Presence Detection Lv. 2
Skill Acquired: Projectile Dodge Lv. 1
Skill Acquired: Agility Lv. 1
Title Awarded: Fearless Fighter
Level Up! You are now Level 5!
You have acquired a new Vision Master perk – acquired skill: Teleport Vision Lv. 1
Level Up! You are now Level 6!
You have acquired a new Vision Master perk – Strength and Dexterity permanently boosted by 10%
Level Up! You are now Level 7!
You have acquired a new Vision Master perk – acquired skill: Engineer Vision Lv. 1
Skill Acquired: Archery Lv. 1
Skill Level Increase: Rock Throw Lv. 2
Skill Level Increase: Spear Fighting Lv. 2
Strength increased by 6!
Constitution increased by 6!
Mental increased by 6!
Dexterity increased by 6!
Intelligence increased by 6!
Wisdom increased by 6!
Charisma increased by 2!
I quickly reviewed the different skill changes. The "Fearless Fighter" title would decrease my fear of combat by 25%. Perhaps that is what helped me approach the battle with more courage today. My new skill, Teleport Vision obviously was the culprit for allowing me to teleport out of danger. This was incredible! Actual teleport! I reviewed the details on the skill. Apparently, it was currently limited to destinations that I could make out by eyesight. Anything beyond my direct vision did not seem to be possible at level 1 of this skill. The amount of mana expended would depend on the distance I traveled. I also determined that I should be able to carry others with me. The mana expenditure would increase quite a bit, however. Engineer Vision seemed to give me intrinsic knowledge towards manufactured structures or products. When I stared at the iron scimitar, I now knew how I could create one and what tools I would need to develop it. This skill was again limited by its level. I would need to keep using the skill to improve upon it. My updated stats were starting to look impressive.
Updated Stats:
Strength: 53
Constitution: 59
Mental: 110
Dexterity: 107
Intelligence: 93
Wisdom: 92
Charisma: 66
Total Mana: 18/460
My mana was slowly trickling back up towards its total. My pool of 460 would evaporate quickly when I used my Barrier skill. I guess it would be quite overpowered if I could use it indefinitely! As it was, it sustained a lot of hits and kept the attention of most bandits away from Midnight. I turned to the black wolfkin and I nodded in thanks. Uncharacteristically, a small smile rose on the edge of Midnight's lips. He approached me with much more warmth than I had ever received from him. After days of traveling, this was the first time I had seen him with his defences down. He continued to grin as he reached out to my shoulder.
"You have proven to me that you are a true warrior. We owe you our lives again. If you let me, I wish to remain to battle by your side."
I considered the beastkin's offer. It was evident that I had impressed him with my skills. This was only my 7th day in this world, yet it seemed like I had already earned two companions: Bliss and Midnight. I gratefully nodded to Midnight.
"It would be an honor to have you with us. You were quite impressive in that battle. I could not have succeeded without you. And you too, Bliss!"
Twiiii!
Bliss seemed happy with the praise. I could see that she had leveled up to Level 6. Midnight was still at level 19. The discrepancy in our levels would likely not last long, as lower levels were a lot easier to climb. I tried to show some interest in our new companion.
"So Midnight, where did you train to get yourself to level 19?"
The black wolfkin's eyes widened. "How did you know I was level 19?"
Oops!