Ray woke with his jaw clenched and his hand already on his dagger, like his body still hadn’t accepted that sleep was allowed. The cave was cold, the air stale, and the world outside was quiet in the way that made him distrust it.
Miu was awake too. She sat near the mouth of the cave, tail flicking, ears turning at every distant sound like she was trying to prove she belonged on guard duty. When Ray moved, she didn’t flinch. She just looked back at him with a stubborn kind of focus.
They ate breakfast in silence at first. Not because either of them had nothing to say, but because both of them knew the next few days would decide whether they lived long enough to get comfortable.
Ray chewed on bacon and tried not to think about how ridiculous that was. New world. Fantasy monsters. Magic. And he was still sitting there like a bloke on a camping trip, living off meat and stubbornness.
Miu watched him like she was waiting to be judged.
“You good?” Ray asked finally, more tired than gentle.
I’m fine, Miu replied instantly, voice too bright in his head. Not slowing you down.
“Didn’t ask if you were slowing me down,” Ray muttered. “I asked if you’re good.”
Miu’s ears twitched. She looked away like she’d suddenly found the cave wall very interesting.
Ray sighed, wiped his fingers on his pants, and stood. “Alright. We level fast. We don’t get cocky. We don’t do stupid hero stuff.”
Miu puffed up like she’d been insulted. I don’t do stupid hero stuff.
Ray gave her a look.
Miu’s tail flicked harder. …I do effective scouting.
“Yeah,” Ray said. “Sure you do.”
Despite the words, he couldn’t help the small smile that slipped through. It was stupid comfort, but it was comfort all the same.
They left the cave and headed towards the stream. By this point it was only about an hour’s walk, and Miu clearly knew the route. She led him through the trees without hesitation, weaving between rocks and brush like she’d done it a thousand times.
Ray kept scanning anyway. Old habits. New paranoia.
When the stream finally came into sight, he felt that same pull he’d felt the first time. It looked harmless. A thin ribbon of water in a clearing. Nothing special.
Nothing special that could put you on your back in seconds.
Ray set up a fire a safe distance from the water, far enough that he wouldn’t accidentally drink death again, close enough that he could fill his pot without trekking back and forth like an idiot. He started boiling and filtering, separating the fresh water from the siltvelt.
He wasn’t sure what he was doing. He wasn’t a botanist. He wasn’t a chemist. He was an accountant who used to argue with people about spreadsheets and deadlines.
But the principle was simple. Poison was poison. The trick was making it stick.
He tried a few things. Too thin and it ran right off the blade. Too thick and it clumped, useless. One batch separated into watery sludge that smelled like sour metal and made his eyes sting. Another left his fingers numb for ten minutes, which was a fun reminder that he was one bad decision away from poisoning himself.
“Alright,” Ray muttered, glaring at the paste like it had personally offended him. “You’re either going to work or I’m going to throw you into the bush and pretend this never happened.”
Miu circled the clearing, nose low, ears twitching. She kept glancing back at Ray like she wanted him to notice her effort.
Ray did. He just didn’t say it out loud.
By late afternoon he finally found something that worked—fern-like leaves with a thick, clear goo inside. It mixed with the filtered siltvelt and held together into a slick, sticky paste that clung to metal instead of sliding off.
He made enough to coat his dagger twenty times, maybe more, if he didn’t waste it. He had no clue how long it would last on the blade, or whether it would do anything to a monster that wasn’t a low-level idiot. But trying something was better than swinging naked steel and hoping for miracles.
Ray coated the dagger carefully, then held it up and watched the paste glint in the firelight.
“Alright,” he whispered. “You better be worth it.”
Miu came back as the sun was dropping.
At first, Ray didn’t recognise her.
Something small and red-streaked burst out of the brush and stumbled into the clearing like it was drunk. Only when it lifted its head did Ray see her eyes—wide, frantic, and furious.
Miu was covered in blood.
Not just splattered. Soaked. Her fur was matted in places, and thin darts stuck out of her side like ugly needles. She took two more steps, then wobbled.
Could you not hear me? her voice snapped into his mind, strained and sharp. We need to run. Now.
Ray’s brain stalled for half a second. Then it kicked back into motion.
“FUCK—are you ok?” he blurted out, voice loud in the clearing.
He shoved what he could into his inventory without thinking and moved for her. As he reached, Miu shrank abruptly, body going limp in his hands. Ray scooped her up against his chest before she could hit the ground.
Leave me and run, she said, voice suddenly small. I’m as good as done for.
“No.” Ray’s answer came out hard. “Shut up.”
He shifted her onto his shoulder, trying not to press her wounds, and that’s when he saw the cuts under the blood. Not claws. Not teeth. Clean slices. Weapon work.
Ray’s vision narrowed. “Someone did this.”
A dart hissed through the air and thudded into the ground beside him.
Another zipped past his ear.
Ray snapped his head up.
“FUCK OFF!” he roared. “THAT’S MY CAT YOU’RE ATTACKING!”
The only response was more darts.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
One hit his thigh.
[You are poisoned… Taking 1 health point of damage every 10 seconds]
Ray’s leg went hot, then cold. He swore and ran anyway, crashing through brush, trying to keep Miu steady while his heart hammered like it wanted out.
It took less than a minute for him to realise he wasn’t outrunning anyone. Whoever was chasing them was faster. A lot faster.
Ray ducked behind a tree and forced himself to breathe. He peeked around the trunk just enough to get eyes on them.
Three dark elves.
His stomach twisted. For a split second, raw betrayal flared so hard it made him dizzy.
Then he saw their posture, their gear, the way they moved.
Not soldiers. Not wardens. Scavengers.
Bandits.
One of them spat on the ground, voice carrying through the trees. “Princess dogs. Aliri soft as bread. Leaving their borders open like they own the world.”
So. Rebels.
Not his friends. Not Arj. Not Ilaria.
Just bastards wearing the same skin.
Ray forced Identify through the panic.
— — — — — — — —
Identify: Dark Elf – Rebel (F)
— — — — — — — —
Level: 10
— — — — — — — —
— — — — — — — —
Identify: Dark Elf – Rebel (F)
— — — — — — — —
Level: 7
— — — — — — — —
— — — — — — — —
Identify: Dark Elf – Rebel Assassin (F)
— — — — — — — —
Level: 15
— — — — — — — —
[Congratulations, Skill: Identify has levelled to 4]
“Shit” Ray muttered under his breath. He stood almost no chance here. The only thing he had going for him was a poisoned dagger. Nothing for it now.
The worst part wasn’t the numbers. It was the way the pop-ups kept trying to take over his vision like they were competing for attention. Corners blinking. Text sliding in. Little icons pulsing red like they were more urgent than the three armed elves trying to turn him into a dartboard.
Ray felt his foot slip on loose dirt because he glanced at the wrong thing for half a second.
“FUCK OFF SYSTEM BOXES!” he barked, then immediately regretted wasting breath. He couldn’t afford to be distracted like this. If he survived, he was learning how to shut this shit down mid-fight. He didn’t care if he had to bite the System itself to do it.
“Who the fuck are you and why are you attacking me” Ray yelled out.
The elves stopped for a second when they realised Ray was speaking their language.
One of the rebels barked out a laugh. “Hear that? The princess’ pet learned to talk.”
The other spat again. “Aliri council got soft. Letting outsiders walk around like they own the place. We’ll clean up their mess and get paid for it.”
“Why should we talk to a filthy human corpse?”.
Another dart flew at Rays head. The assassin was using a blowgun. Ray managed to dodge back behind the tree. He pulled his dagger out and waited, listening for any movement. He probably only had one shot at this.
He could hear them shifting positions… clearly careless, confident. Not disciplined. That gave him a chance. They weren’t hunting him like professionals. They were circling him like bullies, and bullies always wanted the last word.
He knew it was unlikely he could match these elves in direct combat; however, his hope was that the poison was as potent as when he drank directly from the stream. If he can get a single decent stab, it would likely debilitate or kill the elf hit.
Ray heard some hushed talking. He knew magic was a thing but at this point he wasn’t sure how potent it was. He was paranoid that even the talking was some kind of illusion magic. He further believed this was an illusion when he heard a small twig snap to his left. Ray sidled slightly to the right of the tree.
On pure instinct, Ray quickly stepped out the right side of the tree and stabbed forward. He was rewarded with the feeling of soft flesh being penetrated. Somehow, Ray had managed to stab one of the elves directly in the shoulder. Not a fatal wound, but definitely debilitating.
The elf screamed and stumbled back, hand clamping down on the wound. The assassin actually sounded annoyed now, like Ray had broken the rules of a game only he knew they were playing.
“You little—” the assassin hissed, then laughed again, forcing the confidence back into his voice. “Okay. Okay. You got one. That’s cute.”
Ray removed the dagger and rushed forward. No point sticking in one spot while there were two enemies right on him. He knew he couldn’t get away but what he hoped for was a moment of hesitation or mistake for the other elves.
Ray heard a twang. He tried to dodge out of the way, but he couldn’t roll in case Miu fell off his shoulder. A bolt hit Ray smack in his butt cheek. The crossbow bolt wasn’t poisoned by hurt like all hell.
“Ahh FUCK… WHAT THE SHIT!”
His whole leg almost gave out, pain shooting up his spine. Miu’s weight shifted on his shoulder and he had to grab her with one arm while keeping the dagger ready with the other. The fact he didn’t drop her felt like a miracle. The fact he was still upright felt like pure stubbornness.
The snickering from the elves quickly died when the one who that was stabbed collapsed and was having seizures. Since the other elves had stopped paying attention to him, he ran. If he didn’t use this chance, he wouldn’t make it back alive.
Ray didn’t know where to go. He wasn’t going to be able to go far. His butt was bleeding profusely. There was also no way that he’d be able to get the arrow out himself. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the enemy caught up to him.
Behind him, the assassin started talking again, too loud, too cocky, like he wanted Ray to hear it.
“Run, corpse! Run! The Aliri can’t protect you out here! Princess’ pets die the same as everyone else!”
Ray kept moving as far as he could go. Miu wasn’t doing well. He knew that she wouldn’t last much longer. In the end, even though he couldn’t trust the elves of the village anymore. He eventually found an extremely thick bush and covered Miu.
Ray snapped off the end of the bolt in his butt and placed it near the bush. He then smeared blood over the branches. He didn’t feel good about this but using Miu as bait to potentially finish the other 2 elves was his only remaining option. Ray took place in a different nearby bush and waited.
Waiting hurt worse than running. His thigh burned from poison, his ear rang from near misses, and every time he swallowed he could taste iron. He wanted to rip the System overlays out of his vision with his bare hands. He wanted to scream. Instead, he sat in a bush and listened to footsteps like his life depended on it… because it did.
Even though it was only a short time, Ray felt like it had been forever. The 2 elves eventually appeared and slowly crept towards the bush that held Miu. He noticed the rebel raise their crossbow. It was now or never. Ray charged out of the bush. He charged straight at the rebel holding the crossbow.
The dark elf turned and let loose the bolt. TWANG! The bolt ripped straight through Ray’s ear. Blood now pouring out of Rays head. He wouldn’t be denied, however. Ray was in melee range at this point. He slashed the dagger across the elf’s throat.
The elf had managed to move back enough that the cut was a shallow wound. Seemingly though, the Siltvelt poison did its job quickly. It seemed there wasn’t enough left on the dagger to kill the elf, however, there was definitely enough to knock him out.
Ray didn’t have time to deal a final blow as the assassin hit him in the side with his blowgun.
[You are poisoned, taking 3 health damage every 10 seconds]
“Normally I like to play with my opponents before finishing them off. But that blade of yours is dangerous. I’ll just make you a pincushion”
“Go to hell” Ray responded
Ray tried to raise his dagger again, but his arm felt heavy. The poison wasn’t just pain, it was drag. Like the world had thickened around him and he was moving through syrup.
Ray had no choice at this point. He charged straight at the assassin. Before he could even make it halfway, the assassins head came off. It was like watching a decapitation in a movie. The man that appeared behind the assassin was using two giant swords. They must have been almost as big as Ray himself.
Ray knew this man was no joke. Ray turned to try and run but the man simply appeared right in front of him and held out a vial of red liquid. Ray tried to turn but the man was constantly in his line of sight.
“Drink this if you want to live” the man said
“My cat first. If you’re really here to help, help her. She’s almost dead”
The man disappeared and a moment later he was carrying the unconscious cat. He grabbed a different vial and poured it over Miu, her wounds immediately closed. She didn’t regain consciousness but clearly looked a lot better.
“Now, drink”
Ray hesitantly grabbed the vial and drank its contents. As the liquid washed down his throat, he could feel the healing effects. He could even feel his ear slowly growing back. He even felt the bolt in his butt cheek come either disintegrate or be forcefully removed. He wasn’t sure but it hurt like hell while it was happening.
The pain came in waves… sharp, then warm, then a deep ache as things stitched back together. Ray actually had to bite down on his own sleeve to stop himself from making a noise that would’ve sounded pathetic. Healing shouldn’t hurt like this. Or maybe it should. Maybe the world demanded payment either way.
“Well, that’s convenient” Ray said once he was fully healed.
The mysterious stranger dropped Miu onto Ray’s shoulder, turned around and started walking away.
“Follow me” he said.
Ray was hesitant at first.
“That wasn’t a request” the mysterious stranger said.
Ray followed, but while doing so, opened his character sheet.
[Congratulations, your regeneration has worked overtime. You’re becoming more of a masochist… Vitality + 1]
[Congratulations, your ingenuity helped lead you to victory. Your cowardly stealth gave you the advantage… Agility, Dexterity and Intelligence +1]
Ray’s eye twitched. He nearly tripped again because the notifications stacked one over the other, chewing up the edge of his vision like they owned it.
“Seriously?” he muttered. “I’m getting roasted while I’m bleeding out. Great system. Love your work.”
Without thinking, Ray quickly pumped four points into Vitality. He wanted to recover slightly quicker and liked the idea of having a round twenty as a base figure.
[For bringing your first BASE stat to level 20, you have gained the skill: Lifeline (Common)]
— — — — — — — —
Skill: Lifeline (Common)
— — — — — — — —
Passive Ability:
- Upon reaching 10% health, instantly double your current health.
— — — — — — — —
The two walked first, to the body of each fallen elf. The mysterious stranger looted two of them whilst Ray looted the initial one he had killed, Ray even took the body, though he was grossed out to do so.
It turned out his looting and inventory worked a little bit differently to the ones on Arkus. He could store anything inside it without weight complications, though there was a maximum slot limit of 24. Items of the same effect, such as the bacon he was carrying would stack up to 24 single pieces as well, only taking a single slot. There was a size limit for about 30cm x 30cm to items but that didn’t seem to apply to corpses or weapons.
They then continued a fair distance before the mysterious man turned around and looked at Ray. This was the first time Ray had gotten a decent look at the man.
The mysterious stranger looked human. He was extremely tall, around 7 feet tall, looked to be somewhere in his late 50’s, with a rugged face, grey hair, and an extremely muscled frame. The man was wearing an outfit that made him look like an Australian biker gangster. In fact, now that Ray looked closely, his jacket had the word Comanchero written on it, though it was extremely faded.
“What the hell! Are you from earth?”
The mysterious stranger suddenly appeared in front of Ray and forcefully lifted him from the neck, choking him.
“What the hell do you know about earth?”