The Fool's Freedom

The silence of the forest that had been bothering him since the first night was suddenly gone. There was a loud roar somewhere in the distance, far away from them. It made them break out in cold sweat. The wolf’s ears moved, but it mercifully remained asleep.

Ashlyn gestured for them to go and they retreated back the way they had come from. As soon as they were far enough Alan stopped.

“Let’s kill it,” he said.

The others looked at him like had one of the wolves’ tumors for a brain.

“Are you fucking insane?” Ashlyn asked, her eyes wide. “Did you not see that thing? It’s nothing like the boar, and you got lucky with it! Please, don’t tell me you’ve gone insane. I know we joke about it but-“

“Ash, relax. Take a breath. Look, we need levels and we need them fast. We need skills. This is a bag of sleeping experience ready for the picking.”

“It’s a giant fucking wolf, man,” Walter said.

“Yes, one that is obviously hurting,” Alan replied. “All we have to do is be smart about it. We have our spears and we have Davis’s fists. And, I bet that fur is very flammable.”

“I cannot believe we are even talking about this.” Ashlyn ran her hand through her hair and exhaled sharply. “If this goes wrong, someone will die… and you call this a spear?!” she waved the sharpened stick.

“I know Ash, but we can’t play it safe. It’s a literal jungle out here, and we have barely scratched the surface of what awaits us. I imagine the System put us here so we could adapt and grow, not lay down and wait to die. This is an opportunity. A challenge. I, for one, don’t want to be one of many nameless victims of whatever this is. We are fairly safe for now, but that will change.”

“Safe?! Didn’t you see what happened to Joey and Fran?” Emerson blurted out. The big man seemed content to listen until now and Alan was surprised at the outburst. He still went on rants from time to time, but he mostly kept to himself. There was change in him and it was happening fast.

“I did, and that’s why we need to become stronger. We cannot sit and wait. No one is coming,” Alan said.

Davis finally joined the conversation. “You think it’s giving us an opportunity? The System?”

“Fuck, man, I don’t know. But have you heard any nightlife? Crickets? Birds? This place is as silent as a tomb. I feel like we are isolated. Like it’s a tutorial of sorts, as the name of the imps each one of us had to fight implied. It’s us and the monsters. And come on, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how weird it all is, Ash. But maybe I am wrong, I am just guessing here.”

A slapping sound startled them. Everyone turned towards Davis, who had his palm with his fist, his eyes shining. “I’m in! Screw it! Boss lady, we gotta do this.”

“Me too. My family needs me.” Walter added. Alan liked the man’s energy. At least he realized he needed power to stand a chance.

Emerson sighed and silently nodded. Sorry big man, no playing it safe.

“Well, fuck…” Ashlyn relented. “Let’s kill a wolf.”

Alan grinned.

-

It took them a while to devise a plan. Alan figured the wolf was almost deaf considering it had no ears left, but it was still a risk. The building’s remains offered a good terrain for taking cover and hiding, so he was not that worried if things went wrong. It was a single wolf if a bit on the bigger side.

Sadly, no one had any idea how to make actual, functional traps and they would probably only give experience to whoever made them, but they sharpened some sturdied branches with Ashlyn’s knife and set them around the nearby bushes, half burying them so whatever was charging had a chance to impale itself. No one knew if such a thing would work. Probably not.

By the time they were ready, the sun was high up in the sky and Alan worried the wolf would awaken. Thankfully, that didn’t seem the case. Its breathing had gotten even shallower. As they circled it from afar, they saw multiple wounds on its other side. There was one that was deep enough they could see its ribs. Worst of all, the tumorous growths seemed to be crawling towards the open wounds, as thin fleshy worm-like protrusions ever so slowly made their way towards the exposed flesh.

The fight went surprisingly easy. If one could call it a fight. Davis climbed one of the stone blocks nearest to the wolf and jumped with his spear aimed at the beast's back. The man seemed to hold little fear, and even that move was probably enough to finish the weakened animal, but the rest charged with their own ‘spears’ and stabbed its body at various points. Everyone needed levels so everyone had to contribute.

Alan almost puked when the sharpened piece of wood in his hand penetrated the wolf’s flesh with almost zero resistance, pushing out some disgusting jelly-like substance filled with maggots. How the wolf was still alive was a wonder. They had been extra careful not to touch any of the infected areas, for good measure.

The beast itself barely let out a whimper. It tried baring its teeth and moving, but its condition was much worse than they had anticipated. It was free levels. Alan felt sorry for the animal, but at least they were saving it from whatever ailment was afflicting it.

Finally, Walter used [Spark] and the ensuing ball of fire had nearly singed their eyebrows. Who knew sick and dying alien wolves were so flammable? They moved away and watched the horrifying bonfire for a few seconds until everyone got the message.

You have slain Plagued Dusk Wolf. (8)

Level up!

You have reached level 6!

+6 Attribute Points

Alan grinned. The next message made him want to laugh out loud.

Congratulations! You can choose a skill.

Featherweight

You can make your body lighter. Cannot go below 25% of your weight.

Stamina Burst

You gain a burst of stamina that lasts for one minute.

Mind Jab

Deal damage directly to the mind, dazing and confusing.

Manage Emotions (Rare)

You have minor control over emotions. You retain clarity of thought even when you are overwhelmed by volatile emotions.

Basic Stealth

You instinctively know how to choose a good hiding spot. You are harder to notice.

Reinforce Weapon

You can make anything you are using as a weapon more durable.

Finally! A second skill. The title did mention level 5 as the next skill and he had been impatient to get it. Alan looked around and saw everyone grinning and staring at one spot, probably concentrating on their own system pop-ups.

The system had given him [Manage Emotions] and [Basic Stealth] options again. His gaze hovered over [Manage Emotions], but it still looked out of place. A self-help skill that had almost no value unless someone was literally falling apart due to his situation. It would be good if Florence got it. The girl had done nothing but sit around and stare creepily into the void.

[Featherweight] was certainly interesting. Alan sadly didn’t know much about physics, but if his physical capabilities remained the same, while his weight decreased… that might solve a lot of his issues. Today had been quite a good day for his body. They had walked for more than two hours; he had expertly performed a spear charge with his pointy stick like some modern folk song hero and he felt only a bit fatigued. Maybe his trait wasn’t that big of an obstacle, now that he had some stats.

Due to that, he dismissed [Stamina Burst]. Interesting, but not worth it.

It was between [Reinforce Weapon] and [Mind Jab] and the choice was obvious. One was good, especially considering the glaring lack of proper weapons. The other was actual badass magic. Maybe not as flashy as he would have liked, but certainly great.

You have gained a new Skill: Mind Jab!

Mind Jab

Deal damage directly to the mind, dazing and confusing.

Alan looked around, praying for some enemy to test his skill on. Sadly, all he saw was the charred, stinking corpse of the wolf.

Ashlyn turned to him with a smile.

“New skill?” he asked.

She nodded. They would have to talk later. He certainly didn’t want to make his second skill known. It was like a hidden knife and could turn out to be a game-changer in certain situations.

“Whoooooooooo!” Davis yelled. He threw jabs, ducked, jumped, and threw himself to the ground only to jump up again. “This is awesome!”

Alan looked on with envy. While his performance today had been miraculous… Davis was almost superhuman with how fluidly he moved.

“This efficient movement stuff is insane! I feel like I am Batman!” the man laughed. Alan blanked.

“What did you say? [Efficient Basic Movement]?”

“Yeah, man. It just feels so good. I can feel my body in ways I never have. Goddamn, I love it.”

What the fuck System? This was pure bullshit. The skill was capable of that?! Was Alan stupid or did his condition hold him back that much? One way to find out. Stupid pride could go fuck itself this one time.

“I have the same skill. It was my first one,” he said.

Davis stopped and looked at him with doubt. “Really? I saw you trip earlier.”

“I have a… thing with my muscles. The skill is kind of helping me keep up with you guys.” Alan paused. The next few words would take some therapy to get over. “Do you think… you can teach me a bit? Later? At the camp?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Sure thing, man! I would love that. I’m no trainer but I’ve competed and I know my stuff.” Davis replied. If it continued this way, he would owe way too many people way too much. But he needed the help.

There was a huge crash and some dust rose up, making them cough and move further. They turned to see Emerson next to a big piece of concrete, with some rusted wiring sticking out of it. He had just lifted the thing.

“Holy shit, Em,” Ashlyn exclaimed.

“Yeah, what the fuck.” Alan helpfully added.

“Sorry guys, I got a skill that can double my strength for a short period of time. And since I have over 30 now…” Emerson’s face lit up, reminding Alan of the person the big man had been every day in the office. “It felt amazing. Did you see me lift that thing? It was hard, but with some more levels, I could probably carry a car or something. Fuck, this is insane! Can you believe it? What other skills are out there, waiting for us? And what about classes? Eldon said nothing starts before we get classes. It was a good thing, killing that wolf. I felt sorry for it, but it was probably suffering. I-“

“It’s amazing Em, good choice.” Ashlyn interrupted.

“Well, since we’re doing this.” Something on fire flew towards one of the bigger pieces of ruin and burst into tiny flames, leaving a scorch mark. Alan, once again, felt like his mind had taken a hit. F-Fireball? “It’s called [Ember]. It’s an upgrade of [Spark]. I got it after I lit that mutt on fire.”

Alan looked at Walter. The man had a dark button-up shirt on and its buttons were doing some serious work as his belly was on the heftier side. He was short, balding, and probably the coolest person in the world at this very moment.

“Does that mean you have a second skill?” Emerson asked.

It does, doesn’t it? Lucky.

Walter nodded and took a step backward. Only, instead of moving just a single step, he covered more than a meter of distance in an instant. It was a short distance, but it was amazing. A movement skill that helped one keep their distance combined with the ability to throw fiery pebbles at things was a massive starting point. The man was probably scarier than Davis and Emerson in a fight. Provided he could hit with his skill.

“Well, I feel bad letting you guys have all the fun, but mine is a bit underwhelming,” Ashlyn said. She picked a rock from the ground and threw it towards the charred corpse, hitting it straight into the eye socket. She picked another and did the same thing, each time hitting the same spot.

It was indeed underwhelming, compared to the rest. Alan couldn’t hold himself back. “Why pick that?”

“I figured I should stick to a theme. I did have some rather interesting choices but I am not one for flashy magic. If I find a gun or a bow at some point the skill will shine.”

Alan could follow her logic. She probably wanted to be a hunter, ranger, or any sort of long-distance fighter. Practical.

He realized everyone was looking at him.

“Well… I actually cannot use my skill as it requires a target. And even if I did there is nothing to see but the effect, I guess.”

“Oh, oh! I know. You blind them, no! You give them a headache!” Davis said. The man had been doing cartwheels and headstands the whole time. Alan didn’t like him as much anymore.

“Close, I guess. Actually, I am not quite sure.”

A howl startled them. They stood in silence for a few seconds, then a second howl, much closer, announced the arrival of a proper target for Alan’s skill.

He quickly distributed 5 of his 6 attribute points, leaving one for magic, just in case. He now had a spell yet the attribute stubbornly refused to accept his attempts to increase it. He put 3 points in dexterity and 2 in strength and with a final look at his status screen prepared for a proper fight.

INFORMATION:

Name:

Alan Morgan

Race:

Human

Class:

Adult

Level:

6

Titles:

Pioneer

ATTRIBUTES:

Strength

14

Dexterity

15

Vitality

6

Will

26 (+1)

Mind

19

Magic

0

TRAITS:

Severe Weakness; Tongues of the four corners; Limited Vitality; Strong-willed

SKILLS:

Efficient Basic Movement; Mind Jab