Chapter 8: The Prey and the Hunter

Chapter 8: The Prey and the Hunter

AHHHHHHHH!!!

Priam would have wanted to scream with rage. Just before his death, as his fingers grazed the rabhorn, he had been so proud of himself. The environment of Elysium was unforgiving, but through hard work, dedication, planning, and effort, he had progressed. That was the impression he had gotten when his skills had risen to a higher level, when he had finally touched the rabhorn - and thus his goal.

Priam calmed down and thought about his situation. In this new world, he was alone. For a human, this was difficult. Humans are social creatures. It was most apparent in extroverts. True, most introverts - like Priam - were comforted by knowing they could be alone in their homes. But they were still happy to visit a few friends, call their parents, or find someone to share their life with.

Except that here, Priam was alone. He knew he had chosen the Royal Way himself, but he felt a little abandoned by humanity. There were so many exceptional men and women. Why hadn't they joined Elysium yet? Deep down, Priam knew: this was no place for humans.

But even if it was ridiculous or illogical, Priam felt abandoned by his fellow men. More than pain, more than thirst, more than fear, it was loneliness that tortured him.

"Will I ever see my loved ones again? I chose the Royal Way to become the strongest, protect my family, and be free. For now, I have reaped only death and distress..."

Taking a deep breath, Priam calmed himself. Life was sometimes cruel, and he hadn't had much to be happy about. But he wasn't going to give up now. I'd rather die than be killed again by a fucking rabbit.

Some men were broken by life and hardship. Not Priam. The injustices he suffered enraged him. He turned that rage into energy.

"This energy I will use to destroy anything that stands between me and my freedom."

With his mind clear again and his spirits restored, Priam took stock of what had just happened. This new world was relentless. Without tearing it away with all his might, no victory would be granted to him. He understood now. The rabhorn and its cute appearance had taught him a lesson that he intended to imprint in letters of fire in his head.

"I don't have the luxury of underestimating the other inhabitants of this world. I would have died in the first few seconds if I were not immortal. To get back to the ones I love, to get back my life and my freedom, I have to become stronger."

It was a thought Priam had had before, of course, but there was a difference between dying annihilated by an alien or burned and surrounded by ants, and dying at the hands of a rabbit. He was at the very end of the food chain, and being lucky enough to get Log-a-rhythm didn't change that.

Priam shivered slightly. Thinking about his death made him reflect on the moment before it.

At first, he felt like insulting himself: he had not thought of absorbing the kinetic energy of the rabhorn's attack. He felt that he had the opportunity. The attack was clearly not entirely projectile-related but partially so. He might have been able to survive by absorbing some of the kinetic energy of the attack.

But what really gave Priam pause was the cool sensation in his head. The attack had pierced his forehead and destroyed his brain. Despite the destruction of his brain, he had survived for a few moments. His resurrection power was handy, but surviving and feeling things after his brain was destroyed was what Priam called magical.

"I am in a new world. I have to realize this and open my mind. Physics and fundamental laws are similar, but rabbits can kill me here. Everything is potentially dangerous, but all dreams are attainable in exchange..."

Priam admonished himself. To lose himself in thought here was to invite death. He refocused and observed the changes his death had brought.

Your perk [He who eludes Death] brings you back to life once a day.

Number of deaths: 5

Synergy detected with your perk [Humans adapt]. Your body is rebuilt and will be more resistant to what killed it:

CONST +8

PERC + 4

FOR + 2

[Touched by aether] - Adaptation time: 11 days (previously 14 days)

Lvl Up: [Art of movement] lvl 4

AGI +1

PERC +1

DEXT +1

You have gained the skill: [Perforation Resistance].

[Perforation Resistance] - The finger penetrates the butter, and the iron penetrates the finger. You fight more against the iron than against the butter; now, the iron will penetrate you less. The arrangement of your body's molecules is optimized to give you better protection against puncture.Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

There will be no jokes about penetration. But stop.

CONST +1

Lvl Up: [Perforation Resistance] lvl 2

CONST +1

Your title [Brainless - Bronze] shows up. You see a possibility of evolution.

[He Who Eludes Death] Charge: 0. Recharge in 10 hours at 0h.

New Quest: Revenge

VIVA + 2

DEXT + 3

META (FOCUS) +4

"To cut a caper serves a purpose..."

Priam got up and ran into the woods. A second later, the tree behind him exploded, a spear flying through it. The champion had picked up his spear, and Priam was trying hard not to be in the warrior's line of fire.

While the suns were still high in the sky, Priam began to recognize the terrain. Closer to the gate, the vegetation was... Less hostile. I'm almost there! Every second brought him closer to his refuge, and he knew he could enter it from any tree within a hundred meters. It was the perfect time to use Secret Passage.

Secret passage.

All the plants are linked within a giant web. You can open a portal to the Log-a-rhythm from any tree within a hundred meters.

Just a few more seconds and I'll be safe!

He could feel the champion coming closer, but there was nothing he could do but run and hope. Hiding from his opponent by trying to lose him in the thicket was impossible. Too much blood flowed from his open stump, and his feet left enough tracks for a blind man to track. Priam knew Log-a-rhythm's location would be compromised, but he had no choice.

There! The fugitive recognized a looping tree about two hundred meters from his base. He was so close to his goal, so happy that he almost didn't react. A kind of presentiment, born of his intimate knowledge of death, told him of a lethal danger. [Kinetic Control]! Priam used the charge stolen from the warrior's initial attack to throw himself sideways. He slammed into a shrub and broke it in his fall. The spear had whistled in his ears despite his instant reaction. Without his awareness, he would have died.

Straightening up with difficulty, the injured man let out a grunt of pain. The loss of blood, the frantic race, and now the violence of the shock left him without stamina. The flow of adrenaline had dried up. With a colossal effort of will, Priam stood up. He wanted to live. The hoplite champion was approaching him quietly. He had not yet retrieved his spear, sure of his victory.

Priam turned and limped toward Log-a-rhythm. 180 meters. The champion was still closing in. 150 meters. Priam thought he could feel his breath on his neck. If breath could pass through armor. 130 meters. The warrior had passed Priam and was standing in his way. Between him and his base. Between him and life.

Priam opened his eyes defiantly and walked around the warrior. He thought he heard him laugh.

"Athat ujuk. Ujok."

110 meters. Priam felt himself grabbed by his right shoulder. The champion lifted him like a kitten and turned him to face him. His armor was integral, and Priam couldn't even make out the hoplite's eyes. In a way, this helped him. Death had no face. Death did not even have hatred. The warrior saw him as a defeated opponent. There was no cruelty in his attitude, just automatisms. He had a duty, and his prey would die.

After a second of silence, Priam spat in the hoplite's face. The gesture was universal, and he would not beg for his life. He knew it was useless; the hoplite was a killer. A murderous aura crystallized around the hoplite, and Priam felt a monstrous kick hit him in the chest. [Kinetic Control]!

A tree stopped Priam's glide. He felt a sharp pain in his ribs as he absorbed part of the blow. Stunned, he crawled two meters away from the tree. The warrior was already on him. Priam turned around, lying on the ground, and sat up as best he could as the warrior glared at him.

Wounded, his body covered in blood, Priam held out his one hand to the champion. As the enemy bent to finish him off, their hands touched, and Priam smiled. The tree behind the armored warrior glinted slightly.

"Adios fucker. [KINETIC CONTROL]!"

Status : (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Force 26

Constitution 45

Agility 38

Vitality 53

Perception 33

MENTAL:

Vivacity 64

Dexterity 26

Memory 29

Willpower 44

Charisma 36

META:

Meta-affinity 8

Meta-focus 8

Potential: 53