Two days passed, and I fell into a small routine: I woke up, boiled water, checked the traps, and head to a nearby tree to cut off a chunk of bark to make twine. Afterward, I fetch another bucket of water, soak my bandage, and wait for it to boil. Once it's done, I dry the bandage enough to put it back on and repeat the process. I eat meat whenever I manage to catch an animal in the traps, but lately, it feels like the animals are avoiding my house or at least the traps nearby.
Around midday, as I was making twine, it hit me: even with a broken arm, I needed to explore the area. There could be something valuable nearby, and I just didn't know it yet. Before leaving, I decided to craft a makeshift coat from the wolf pelts I'd gathered. Using the twine I'd made over the past two days, I managed to stitch together a crude coat in about three hours. Without the wolf's teeth being sharp enough to pierce the pelts, stitching them together might've been impossible. For some reason, ever since I got injured, i could feel the cold felt even more.
Surprisingly, the wolf coat fit well despite its rough appearance. After gathering my things, I started to explore. My plan was simple: walk an hour in one direction, then return to the house and repeat in another direction.
As I made my way through the forest—uphill and downhill, dodging bits of slush—I noticed something in the distance. I climbed a small hill, and from the top, I saw it: a mountain, partially hidden by snow. As the wind cleared the snow at the peak, I realized that the mountain formed a near-perfect circle around me. In the middle of that circle stood a smaller mountain, towering ominously over the landscape.
While I stood there, taking in the eerie sight, I heard the crunch of snow behind me. It was fast, almost like someone or something was rushing toward me. By the time I turned, a claw was already swiping at me. I barely managed to jump back in time, but as I landed, I slipped and fell on my back. When I looked up, I saw it—a Wendigo.
Rolling over, I pushed myself up with my good arm and started running down the hill. But the Wendigo wasn't about to let me escape. It darted toward me with terrifying speed. As I fled, luck struck—pure chance, or perhaps instinct—I tripped, just barely dodging another attack.
Now, instead of running, I was tumbling down the hill. When I finally stopped rolling, I tried to get up, but I was too late. The Wendigo grabbed my good arm and raked its claws across my chest, slashing from my left shoulder to my right waist.
It laughed at me. I swear it laughed at my helplessness. Then it tossed me into the snow. Warm blood coated my chest, and my heartbeat, which had been racing, began to slow. Despite the cold, I felt strangely calm.
My vision blurred, my arms grew numb, and my legs felt frozen. My breathing slowed. As my consciousness faded, the last thing I saw was the Wendigo looming over me.
Then, a notification appeared before my eyes, asking if I wanted to unlock a new ability: Dead Man's Fury. I accepted.
Suddenly, warmth surged through my body—like fire. My eyes shot open, and everything seemed slower. I reached out with my left arm, grabbed my crude spear, propped myself up with my right arm, and thrust the spear toward the Wendigo's chest. The weapon pierced straight through its body and out its back.
But the Wendigo looked barely fazed. It swung its right arm at me, and I raised my left arm to block it. The force sent me flying to the side, but I managed to roll as I landed, minimizing the damage.
I grabbed my crude axe from my side and held it in my right hand. The Wendigo, now enraged, pulled the spear from its chest and tossed it aside. It hunched over, planted its claws in the snow, and charged at me, moving like lightning.
Its antlers pierced my body, but it didn't stop there—it slammed me into a tree. The pain was unbearable, but all I could think about was killing this monster. I swung my axe with my right hand, slashing at its back, while punching and kicking wherever I could land a hit.
The Wendigo ripped its antlers out of my chest and clawed at me again, lifting me into the air. I hit several branches on the way up, snapping them as I ascended. As I fell, I grabbed onto one of the branches to slow my descent, but it broke under my weight. With the branch in one hand and my axe in the other, I swung them both down as I fell, aiming for the Wendigo's head.
Cracks appeared along its face, running from its eyes to the back of its skull. The impact sent a jolt of pain through my arms, but I didn't care. The Wendigo grabbed my head and slammed it against the tree. Pain exploded in my skull, but I refused to stop. I flailed both the branch and the axe at its chest, determined to end the fight—no matter the cost.