The Dreki did not have to wait long for the prey to arrive. The small creature looked pitiful, like a small malnourished Vitr runt, yet carried a bow similar to a Dreki. The sight made it furious. It did not want its birthright, its very existence, sullied by this wretch of a creature. It felt the call of the System to rid the universe of this abomination and it wholeheartedly agreed, with both its hearts. It did not lose focus however, this ormr would not get the satisfaction of making it lose control.

The Dreki waited until the prey had reached the ambush point where the fake trail led between two trees before it fired its arrow, aiming for the creatures lower back. The target would be unable to dodge to either side, nor would it be able to duck. The only avenue of escape would be into the air, but the odds of the prey even being able to react to an arrow from behind was slim at best and if it did it would react instinctively, dodging n the most natural manner. The Dreki may not have existed for long but even it knew that a land based creatures natural instinct would not be to leap to the sky.

The Dreki was prepared for a great many things, it was not prepared for a wall of earth to spring up in front of the arrow. It was definitely not prepared for the arrow to actually be stopped by the wall. The first Ability a Dreki gains is a passive ability that adds a 50% Armor and Magic Penetration effect to every ranged attack the Dreki makes. The fact that the arrow was stopped by a Tier 2 barrier spell means that the creature was not a hunter like itself but was instead a mage, and an exceptional one at that as the barrier spell would have to be at least level 9 to stop one of its arrows. To reach level 9 of a tier 2 skill whilst still in the second tier requires copious amounts of training and practice. To release the spell within a second as it did ment that it either had at least 25 Perception or it already knew that the Dreki was there. Either option, combined with the powerful barrier, meant that the Dreki had made a mistake.

The Dreki was not going to hang around to see the results of its mistake. As soon as it saw the arrow being stopped by the barrier it moved, a stroke of fortune as a thin bolt of lightning burst through the barrier and pierced its chest, or would have if it had not moved. Instead the bolt just barely missed its arm, a line being cut across its bicep from the passage of the bolt. Inn the brief moment the bolt of lightning passed through its vision the Dreki could have sworn it contained an arrow but it dismissed the thought; it had more important things to worry about. If the creature could produce a level 9 barrier spell and unleash a bolt of lightning powerful enough to pierce through that barrier all in the space of a second then it had severely underestimated the strength of this mage, and the cunning. To carry around a bow purely as a distraction, this creature was diabolical.

Michael was annoyed. The first part of his plan had worked perfectly, the Earthen Wall spell that he had swapped the Fireball spell with stopped the Drekis arrow perfectly. The second part, where he fired a Thunder Shot to take down the Dreki before it could escape, failed. Some blue blood showed that he had at least nicked the Monster but the tiny amount proved that it was no more than a nick. He looked around for signs of the Dreki but only found a single footprint leading away from the sight. Hoping that the Dreki hadn't somehow manage to make a false trial he sprinted after the Dreki.

The trail was proven true when an arrow came flying from the front. As soon as he saw the arrow Michael dodged the arrow, leaning over just enough to miss it without the motion disrupting his movement too much, and snapped off an arrow of his own. The arrow failed to find its mark and the game of cat and mouse continued.

After several back and forths Michael had gained a sense for the Dreki. Through a combination of his Mana sight an high Perception he had somehow learnt to sense the Dreki, or rather the Drekis Mana, without actually seeing it. Some notifications appeared, likely about a skill increases, but Michael was too focused on the Dreki to take note of what the Notifications said.

The two beings continued their deadly dance across the forest. Michael had managed to tag the Dreki with an Executioners Mark early on, letting him know exactly where the Dreki was and allowing him to fire shots at where the Dreki was about to be. He made those shots count, infused arrows dealing hundreds of points of damage. He had even managed to hit the Monster with a Poison Spores arrow, but either the monsters Health Regen was keeping it in the fight or it had a lot more Health than he had expected.

The fight hadn't been entirely one sided, not by a long shot (pun intended). Michael did his best to dodge the arrows the Dreki peppered him with but he couldn't dodge them all. So far he'd had multiple chunks taken out of him, one arrow even ripping through both his buttcheeks. By now he was down to 300 Mana and 500 Health. His Regen was was helping but Michael was walking, or rather running, on a knife's edge. The injuries he had sustained so far where only from glancing blows, he hadn't taken a full on hit yet. If a single arrow hit him dead on then he would be, well, dead.

Despite the danger, and the lingering pain in his nether regions, Michael was feeling exhilarated. Most of his battles lasted seconds, especially the ones he prepared for, but this fight had been going on for over ten minutes now. He'd had to push his skills to the limit just to stay alive and the thrill was intoxicating. He almost wished it wouldn't end.

It had to end though, all things do. Michael managed to catch sight of the Dreki once again and, like he did near the start of the chase, applied an Executioners Mark on the Dreki. Just as before he could sense the Drekis body to an almost supernatural degree, allowing him to know exactly where it was and where it would be in the next few moments. The sense was so strong that Michael was beginning to wonder if the true use of the skill was related more towards the sense rather than the increased damage.

Whatever the point of the skill, it did not matter as this fight was over. Unlike the last time Michael had the skill active he now had access to his strongest skill; Thunder Shot. Michael paused, taking a proper stance and keeping his aim locked on the Vitr Dreki. A second later he activated the skill and fired the arrow, a line of brilliant white light appearing in the air before a thunderous rack followed. The line of light travelled from Michael bow past and through a dozen trees, coming so close to some of them it seemed as if the line had always existed and the trees simply grew around it. The gap in the trees when viewed from Michaels end was no bigger than an apple, ironic as that was the size of the tunnel that now appeared in the Drekis head.

The Dreki collapsed to the ground, blood and grey matter splattering onto the snow as it landed. Michael slowly lowered the bow and breathed out, the tension in his body dissipating as he did so. Finally able to pay attention, a slew of Notifications popped up.

Skill Increase!

Beginner Tracking Level 9 -> 10

Novice Dodge Level 4 -> 6

Spell Arsenal Level 2 -> 3

Wizard Arrow Level 3 -> 4

Beginner Mana Manipulation Level 7 -> 8

Poison Spores Level 2 -> 3

Skill Gained!

Beginner Mana Sense!

Tier 1, Level 1, Uncommon Utility Skill

100 Meter Range, -5 Mana Regen Cost while active.

Sense Mana in the surroundings with enhanced precision. Distance and Strength increased per level.

Skill Increase!

Mana Vision Trait has boosted Beginner Mana Sense Level 1 -> 4

Skill Evolution!

Novice Heal has evolved into Intermediate Regeneration

Intermediate Regeneration

Tier 2, Level 1, Healing Spell

150 Mana Cost, 10 Meter Range, Restores 2 Health Per Second, 1 Minute Duration. Heals Minor Injuries.

Use Mana to enhance the bodies natural regenerative capabilities beyond the norm. Increased Health Restored per Level.

Tier 3 Level 4 Vitr Dreki Killed!

Participation: 100%

Modifiers for Perks: 100%

Ranger Experience Gained: 2000

Bonus: x24 Frostbite Arrows

Treasure Hunter Experience Gained: 2400

Michael had no words to describe the joy he as feeling. The skill levels were amazing, especially gaining two levels in dodge at once. Mana Sense was a nice skill to have, and explained why he sometimes lost track of the Drekis Mana; it moved more than a hundred meters away. The skill evolution was a welcome sight, the Heal over Time (HoT) would come in handy in prolonged fights. As soon as he discovered the arrows he pulled the out of his inventory and identified them.

Frostbite Arrow

Tier 3, Uncommon Quality

30 Damage, 15/15 Durability

Frostbite Arrows deal an additional 10 Ice Damage and carry a 2% chance of freezing the target.

Michael looked over the arrows information and was a bit disappointed. He'd been hoping for something more powerful, or at least interesting, from the Tier 3 arrows but it was a bit lackluster. Still, for ammunition they were definitely worthwhile and beat out his current arrows by 20 points of damage. The Endless Quiver made sure that he would never run out of arrows but the arrows it made were always common ones with no special effects.

Despite the lackluster effects the arrows themselves lacked zero luster. The arrows were made from a pale blue metal, a tri-barbed head with an immaculate shaft and fletching that looked like silver yet was soft like a feather. Michael used Analyse Treasure, hoping to find out more about the materials they were made from, but the skill came back with the same non-specific information about their origins.

Putting the arrow away Michael turned to arguably the most interesting thing in the room, the brutally murdered corpse of his victim. Most of the monster Michael had faced had been armed with nothing more than what nature gave them. The Vitr Dreki was the first monster Michael had faced that had weapons and armor. The first one had been so brutally destroyed all the armor and weapons it possessed had been frozen and shattered along with it. This was the first time that Michael would be able to enjoy a bandits third favorite past time, looting a corpse.

Michael went to the most important part first, the bow. The weapon had a few scratches on it but was otherwise in perfect condition. The bow was over 100 inches tip to tip, a recurve bow made from a pale white wood with a beautiful finish. The string was some sort of braided sinew that was so white it was almost invisible in the snow. The bow was far too big for Michael, or any human, but he figured it would be the perfect size for a ballista. Picking it up he identified the bow, the information popping up in his mind.

Vitr Dreki Bow

Tier 3, Rare Quality

250 Damage, 217/300 Durability

Passive Effect: Arrows gain +20 Frost Damage

Passive Effect: Wielder is 25% less likely to be noticed

Passive Effect: Damage is increased by 50% against all Non-Vitr enemies.

Bound to Vitr Heimr Dungeon.

The more Michael read, the more he liked. Then he read the last line and his happiness walked out the door, got in its car and drove away. Michael quickly checked the rest of the Vitr Drekis things but all of them had the exact same tag; Bound to Vitr Heimr Dungeon. After a short session of mouthing obscenities Michael stripped the Dreki anyways, leaving the pants as killing a guy and then leaving him butt naked was going too far. There were some lines Michael wasn't willing to cross and pantsing dead guys was one of them.

Michael tried on each piece of armor but sadly none of them fit him. The loot that came as killing bonuses were always sized to fit him perfectly but this loot was sized for a giant. Even the arrows were unusable as anything other than spears. Keeping a few of the arrows, along with the bow, Michael threw the rest away with the hope that the Extravagant Wastrel achievement would convert them into some credits.

Once he was done he returned to the rooms door, an to a very upset Hazel. A few seconds after Michael entered the room the door had slammed shut as usual and refused to open. Michael had kept in mental contact with Hazel up until the fight had started, at which point he needed to keep his attention focused. By the time he could talk to her again the bear had gone through worried, passed hysteria, skipped over anger and settled in silence. The silence worried Michael far more than the anger, at least with anger he knew what to expect.

When he walked out of the room he found Hazel standing outside looking calm. Having expected some sort of fury he was unsure what to say. As he got closer Hazel reared up and stood on her hind legs, her full height towering over him. Michael opened his mouth to say something but couldn't get out more than a squeak when Hazel suddenly crashed onto him, her full weight crushing him and smothering him completely.

Michael was momentarily stunned but managed to send a mental query to Hazel. [Aggk! Hazel! What are you doing?]

The reply came several seconds later, filled with anger and worry that made Michael feel ashamed. [Never again]

Michael could feel Hazel trembling slightly, making him feel even worse. Patting Hazel as much as he could from his cramped position Michael he assured her [Never again].

Skill Increase!

Soul Bond Level 1 -> 2

They eventually got up and, after Michael apologised to Hazel for putting her through that and to Jelly for Hazel, continued with the dungeon. Several rooms later they found another forest room containing a Dreki. As soon as the door opened and revealed a forest Hazel leapt through before turning around and staring at Michael suspiciously.

Michael walked in and gave Hazel a look as if he was curious as to why she reacted in such a way. The bear huffed, annoyed at the human, but did not retaliate. They were after all, in dangerous territory.

The fight with the Dreki was a surprisingly calm affair. Michaels new Mana Sense skill let him pick out the unique Mana of the Dreki before it got close enough to fire but, rather than use one of his more deadly skills like Thunder Shot and end the battle quickly, they chose to take this as an opportunity to practise their skills. The Dreki shot arrows at them for several minutes, Michael and Jelly dodging the projectiles and Hazel simply tanking the hits with her various shields. Hazel and Michael would occasionally fire a spell back at the Dreki though most of the time they missed as the Monster used the trees for cover. The Dreki grew angry, the System driving it to keep attacking even though it knew it was no use, until eventually it gave up using ranged attack and charged at them with its knives. When that happened Hazel took the initiative and charged to meet the Giant Hunter.

The Vitr Dreki, unlike the Vitr Jötunn, did not have exceptional strength for its size though it did count as a 'Large' creature and gained a natural modifier to its strength. Despite its strength it was unable to budge Hazel, nor was it able to go around the bear. Over two dozen fights with Giants had helped Hazel to train her skills, increasing her barriers strength and even netting her Steady Feet, a must have skill for any half-decent tank. She had also worked on her positioning, reacting to the enemy's movements and preventing them from getting to her team members. She still had a long way to go but she felt she could finally pull her weight. What she failed to realise is that she was already an amazing Tank for her Tier. Very few Tier 2 Tanks could take a single hit from a Large Tier 3 Monster, never mind continuously tanking against one that wielded actual weapons.

They continued 'fighting' the Dreki until Hazel started to get low on Mana. Michael imbued an arrow with Vine Trap and, thanks to his Maglavin Archery, managed to hit the Drekis legs. With the Vitr Dreki momentarily indisposed Michael fired a Thunder Shot at its head, ending the fight.

After that they continued with the seemingly endless rooms. At one point Michael, curious to see how far the hallway went, had run to the end. He never found the end though, at some point he had apparently teleported since he found himself approaching Hazel and Jelly from behind. His first thought had been that the hallway curved and went round in a circle but after putting a cheek against a wall and staring down the wall ha was sure that the wall was straight. Naturally, he spent the next thirty minutes playing around with the infinity hallway and getting a good run in at the same time. Eventually he stopped messing around and continued with the dungeon.

They went through the rooms rather slowly, sometimes spending an entire day on a handful of rooms. Now that Hazel had gotten a high enough level to properly tank they had decided to level their skills as much as possible. After the fights started becoming boring they started to challenge themselves, fighting the monsters in pairs or on their own. They'd discovered that the more life difficult the fight was the more their skills levelled, like how Michael levelled multiple skills when he fought the Dreki on his own.

It wasn't until the 53rd room that they encountered the next Puzzle room.