2 One Lone Creature

Everything blanked white for a moment. My eyes adjusted as I rubbed them. The cavern's walls warped like a crumpled brown bag. The pools of water glowed a bright cyan. Some of the cavern lit up from the water's light, revealing bats and some creepy crawlers. Ew.

Around me was a circle of light. I tapped the edge of the white light before a message popped up in front of me.

Schema fully functional. Distribute stats before finalizing starting position in [BloodHollow Caves]

I tapped my chin. Micheal was nowhere to be seen, and now I was in the BloodHollow Caves. Using unparalleled intuition, I guessed that this was a shit place to be. I know, I know, hold your applause. I squinted at the screen before glancing around. As I glanced closer, the stone walls were a tinge of purple. Of course. The cyan was bouncing off red stone, making them seem purple.

Gazing around, it didn't seem much different from before. I raised an eyebrow as another box opened.

Open Attribute menu using thought commands. Distribute the attribute point then finalize selection before selecting a tree point.

I nodded as another screen appeared.

Level 1 Attribute Totals(1)

Strength - Increases carrying weight, maximum speed, and physical power 6

Constitution - Increases hardness, density, and weight of your body 5

Endurance - Increases regeneration of stamina, health, and their totals 7

Dexterity - Increases ease of movement, flexibility, and reflexes 4

Willpower - Increases internal motivation, mana regen, and Mental Resistance 8

Intelligence - Increases memory, critical thinking, and total mana pool 4

Charisma - Increases likeability, persuasion, and decreases prices at shops 4

Luck - Increases money found, odds in your favor, and chance of rare events 3

Perception - Increases comprehension, the five senses, and awareness 4

Well, at least the totals made sense. I've been boxing since middle school. After taking more punches than I should, I may have slowed down. Slightly. I mean, I'm assuming 5's was average though. That may not have been the case. No need to dwell on it.

As I investigated closer, another box appeared beside it.

Character Screen Total Regen Level Up!

Health 70/70 0.70/minute 1 Attribute Point

Mana 40/40 0.80/minute 1 Perk

Stamina 70/70 7.00/minute 0 Tree Point

General Resistance - [5%](Const bonus)X[1.00](Multiplier)= 5%

They both couldn't be blocked from my sight, like the other screens. Screens with all these stats were bolded too, maybe for easy viewing. With a little thought, I decided on putting a point in endurance. Having more health and stamina would help keep me alive, regardless of the circumstances. As I did so, a voice spoke out in my mind.

'He who laughs last, laughs loudest.'

Hmmm. Sounded like a mixture of an old british narrator and Morgan Freeman. Pretty badass.

Perk Selection. Choose one.

[Body of Iron - Gives a permanent 10% bonus for endurance, constitution, and strength attribute bonuses]

[Mind of Iron - Gives a permanent 10% bonus to intelligence, perception, and dexterity attribute bonuses]

[Spirit of Iron - Gives a permanent 10% bonus to luck, charisma, and willpower]

Of course, I could've tried juggling which cocktail of attributes was most valuable. I didn't. I let math make my decision.

18 total attributes in body of iron, 12 for Mind of Iron, and 15 for Spirit of Iron. Alright I thought, Mind of Iron's out. Too few attribute points. I doubted that charisma would be helpful in the Bloodhollow Caves either, so that bonus would be wasted. I selected Body of Iron.

Immediately, a rush of strength filled me. My body restructured, becoming denser, better, and more powerful. I cracked my neck and clasped my hands into fists. My fingers clamped with a quick, satisfying snap. My bones were harder, my skin thicker. Awesome.

The circle of light disappeared. I neared the glowing pool, my only source of light. A flapping sounded above me. Glancing up, a giant, faceless bat glided towards me. Above it was a message.

BloodHollow Bat

Level 34

BloodHollow Bat's are a generic fodder within the caves. They act as the bottom of the food chain here. You would have to suck to die to one. Like really...

Oh fuckin fuck. I jumped sideways as it collided into the ground. Stone splintered beneath it. This thing was as strong as steel. It's large, white ears twitched before its mouth turned towards me. Flapping its wings, the creature cleaned off the broken rock. One of the wings looked chewed on, like something cut one of the ligaments in it. That's probably why I didn't die the second I saw it.

[Dodging(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]

I picked up a rock before tossing it away from me. Bats used echolocation or some shit. I prayed this would confuse the damn thing. Luckily enough, it did. The bat dove towards the small rock I threw. Another heavy collision echoed. Its mouth chomped onto the rock.

Cracks formed on the red stone. A loud crack resounded as it crumbled in the bat's mouth. Oh man.

I ran towards my backpack, alerting the bat of my presence. It didn't even squeal. These bat's didn't use echolocation. They used plain sound. I zipped open the pack, pulling out some Jerky. I ran from the backpack right as the bat chomped into the peppered jerky. As it chewed, I analyzed the bat.

White skin with no facial features. Sleek limbs and muscled wings. The membranes of its wings, black as night, pulsed as the thing's heart beat. Scratches coated the wings, creating drips of liquid red flowing from them, especially its left wing. An idea popped into my head at the sight.

In a mad dash, I charged towards the bat. It turned towards me and roared like thunder. As its mouth closed, I kicked the injured wing on its left side into its closing mouth. The teeth gashed it, slicing through skin and membranes. The small gashes gushed blood, far more than I'd imagined. It lashed its right wing out, slapping my leg.

[Hail Mary(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]

Like a wall of stone, the wing shattered my legs on contact. Bones splintered. My mind went black and red with pain. Like a sack of flour, I flopped onto the rocky ground. I scratched my face and hands as I landed. I hardly noticed them. The fire charging up my legs was agony. Once it reached my head, I was agony.

[Pain Tolerance(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]

The torment lessened. My vision flashed before I spotted the creature coming towards me. With what little strength I had left, I rolled sideways. The bat flapped its wings, streaking crimson blood from its left wing. The injured limb threw it off balance, causing the bat to crash against the ground, inches from me.

[Desperation(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]

Oh fuck off screens. I crawled away. Everything was hazy, besides for the vibrant, crisp pain in my leg. I didn't look at it. I'd vomit if I did.

I turned around. The bat's left wing was broken in three odd angles now. Blood squirted from open arteries. It must have crashed from trying to dash forward so fast. Perfect. Still, nausea grows in my stomach, but I swallowed the disgust. This thing had to die. Either that, or I would.

I smashed my hands into the stone, breaking fingernails as I desperately crawled away. The monster chomped towards me. The bat's teeth clamped inches from my butchered foot. I grimaced. The bat inched closer and closer. Inches turn to centimeters, then millimeters. I felt the rancid breath. I could smell the blood.

My own blood dripped from my hands as I dragged myself. Sweat poured from my forehead. My teeth grit hard, hard as the stone I was on. Goddamn I didn't want to die. This bat wasn't going to get me. With a last jerk of effort, I pulled a foot away then collapsed. My limbs stopped responding. My face grinded against the hard floor. Thoughts flashed through my mind. Fuck. I'm gonna die.

[Death's Dance(lvl 1) skill unlocked]

The bat's chomps echoed in my ears, but faintly, like the bat's in another room. I glanced back, watching it near me. The alien creature's blood squirted without the vitality it had before. The monster's strength worked against it as its heart bled it to death.

The head fell on my shattered leg. Agony roared up the leg once more. I couldn't move, but I sure as hell could feel pain. A screen popped up in front of me.

Level up! [340 exp](BloodHollow Bat exp)X[2.2](Underleveled Bonus) + 340 exp for first kill bonus = 1122 exp gained. 12 level up!

Notifications pass by my eyes as the narrator's voice appeared again.

'No one shall cross a thousand miles in a single step. You have started your journey.'

Another message appeared.

Open Attribute menu using thought. Distribute the attribute(s) point then finalize selection before selecting your perk(s)

In desperation, I opened my attribute points before placing ten points into endurance. I remembered the message about moving faster with strength, so I put two points into strength before finalizing the decision. The relief was palpable.

The pain disappeared from my legs. I flexed my toes, relishing the newfound function of them. Man it was nice to have feet that worked again. My mind cleared, though the memory of the pain lingered like a new scar. My breathing grew steady and my heart beat strong once more. I could've run a marathon. I could've climbed Mount Everest. At the same time, I gained a firmer awareness of my own strength. The narrator's voice appeared again, saying,

'Those that are immortal stood the test of time.'

A moment passed before another voice spoke aloud,

'A mage tried to trick me with big words. Too bad he didn't have big bones.'

I guessed the quotes were selected based on the attributes I chose. The first saying was for endurance, and the second for strength. Despite the ridiculousness of it all, I had to admit this was pretty cool. Opening my character screen, I inspected my stats.

Character Screen Total Regen New Skill(s)!

Health 120/198 1.98/minute 0 Attribute points

Mana 40/40 0.80/minute 3 Perk points

Stamina 119/198 19.8/minute 27 Tree points

General Resistance - [5.5%](Const bonus)X[1.00](Multiplier)= 5.5%

120 hp out of 198. That meant I had two hp left before finishing that level up. If not for that 1 point in endurance at the begginning, I'd have died already. Wow.

I didn't even understand what was going on anymore. All this happened so fast, faster than I expected. Plus facing enemies of such a higher level was total bullshit. If that bat wasn't dumb as a rock, I would've been a corpse. I shivered as I realized just how close to death I'd come.

So close that I vomited onto the ground beside me. I glanced back at the bat behind me. The corpse had a huge stalactite jutting out of its back. Damn I'm lucky. Glancing closer, I noticed arteries jutting out from the torn wing. The mouth reeked of rotten meat. I keeled over and discharged what little I have left in my stomach.

It was a terrible, awful experience. Truly just horrendous. Another flap of wings echoed in the distance, so I wiped my mouth and limped towards a large cluster of rocks. Hiding behind them, I reasoned for a moment.

I had 19.8 endurance and 8.8 strength. Not bad, I thought. Now that I was safe, another selection appeared, this time for perks.

Perk selection. Choose one(3). Requirements met. New perks Unlocked.

[Tireless(Endurance over 10) - Your endurance is good. Doubles Stamina regeneration.]

[Unyielding(Endurance over 15) - Your endurance is admirable. Doubles health regeneration.]

[Agony(Death's dance, pain tolerance, and desperation unlocked) - Aura effect draining hp of anything in the effective radius, including the caster. Causes intense pain.]

[Fledgling(Reach level 5) - You've just started learning. +10% to experience.]

[Beginner(Reach level 10) - Now you know a little. You can step out of the tutorial zone now.]

The fledgling and beginner perks looked like total garbage. Extra exp meant nothing if you died before you could get it, and I'm not stuck in a tutorial. The outside world must have been having a better time than I am. At least I hoped so. Otherwise I wouldn't have anything to come back to once I escaped this hellhole.

Without a second thought, I selected tireless, unyielding, and agony since the other perks seemed useless for survival. Once I selected them, I made my character screen reappear.

Character Screen Total Regen New Skill(s)!

Health 198/198 3.96/minute 0 Attribute points

Mana 40/40 0.80/minute 0 Perk points

Stamina 198/198 39.6/minute 27 Tree points

General Resistance - [5.5%](Const bonus)X[1.00](Multiplier)= 5.5%

Looking at the numbers, it explained why I couldn't seem to get tired. The stamina regeneration was crazy at forty a minute. As I wondered about the extra tree points, a message popped up.

Select Talent tree for distributing points. Requirements met. Additional trees unlocked.

| I Fledgling[0/5], I Beginner[0/5], I Fighter(Kill a creature 20 levels above you)[0/25], I Determinator(Unyielding and Tireless unlocked and character is below level 20)[0/25]|

I reasoned that if the tree paths for fledgling and beginner were as useless as the damn perks, I'd rather avoid those. Fighter seemed useful, but determinator had a level requirement. If I got over level 20, it may disappear. Fighter would remain. That thought made my choice for me.

I put a point into determinator. Nothing happened. I frowned before putting in another. I put three more points in before a notification greeted me.

Those that are determined do not stop. They do not relent. They do not yield. +5% to regeneration stats.

The tree points came from gaining skills. The determinator was all about regenerating through combat or extended conflicts. Hell, by the time I finished putting points into this tree, who knows how much regen I could gain.

I smiled without thinking. The grin appeared for one reason. I had a way to fight in this cave, though it would be a slow and excruciating one. I would kill my enemy before I killed myself.