Alex had run at, or at least near, full sprint for minutes. He still heard the bear behind him, breaking through the undergrowth. The youth had tried the clone distraction two more times, but either they were immediately smashed, or the beast ignored them, following only Alex' scent.

The youth crossed paths with more than a few animals, but the beast couldn't care less. It had found a new quarry and it was determined to get it. Alex reconsidered going to the camp. At least the others could help him bringing the bear down. Even if he was exiled forever afterwards.

The youth was running on fumes. He had lost all feeling in his legs. They went from burning pain to a sudden relieving numbness, and for the first time since the apocalypse, the youth felt terror.

Every time before, he had friends, or Jones' team with him. During his fight with the wolves, he had his gun, at least most of the time. At the moment he was alone, had no superior weapon and didn't know a way out.

Alex finally gave up running. He stood at the edge of the forest. A kilometre or two further west than when he entered it two days ago. So much had happened during those days, but now it would end. Alex prepared to sell his life for as much as possible.

He made sure his dagger was easy to pull out and wouldn't catch in the sheath. He braced the spear, ready to stop the bears charge. He probably would be overrun and his stick would be mostly useless, but every bit of damage he could inflict, counted.

Alex slowed his breathing. 'I should have refined my essence before. That much would surely level me up.' But time had run out and regret left an ashen taste behind. Alex' nerves settled. There was much he still wanted to do. Much to explore, a new world with its new rules.

He thought about his friends. Lin and Janine. Hopefully they wouldn't find his body. He didn't want them to remember him as the mangled corpse he would soon become. He wished them the best. Jones would probably continue with his suppression, but both would pull through. They were strong and they had each other.

Alex' racing mind quieted. He needed every scrap of his being, concentrated on the enemy before him. His last, but his most important fight. If he could wound the bear enough, maybe something else could end this threat and give his friends time to grow stronger.

The youth strained his ears, listening for the beast. But the forest was silent. No cracking or creaking wood, no enraged roar or trampling paws. Had the beast given up? Had he left its territory or did it lose his scent?

Alex didn't care either way. He got to live another day, and he would make sure the beast would regret it. Quickly the youth left the forests edge for the city. He needed a secure but quiet place to refine his essence and afterwards Gatex' shop called. He had plans to make and bears to kill.

The teenager soon found an abandoned cellar. While the building looked like it would crumble to dust at any moment, Alex still entered. Sitting in a corner of the cellar, he concentrated and soon saw his essence strands in his inner eye.

He quickly went through the motions and his anger and fear, helped him through the pain. This time, the youth was able to collect nine strands and that got him 630 refined essence. Immediately he put it into his level and the new notification said:

Name: Alex Braff

Essence: Shadow (M)

Class: Shadowblade

Level: 3

Coins: 44

Attributes:

Free: 2

Constitution: 5

Strength: 7

Dexterity: 9

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 6

Willpower: 4

Alex put both free points into Constitution. He hoped he wouldn't need the extra Health it awarded him, but if the fight against the bear went awry, he had more HP and a higher chance of survival.

The teenager left the cellar after his level up, and made his way to Gatex, the Fauns, shop.

"Alex, good to see you. How have you been?" Gatex asked, as soon as the teenager came into view. "So, so. I have a bit of a problem, Gatex. There is this huge bear in the forest, and normally I wouldn't care, but I live there for the moment, and I need it to be gone."

"Hmm, what about that camp? Did you leave them?" Alex made a grimace, but was interrupted before he could answer. "Sorry, I shouldn't pry...Do you have a plan against that bear? Do you know its level?"

Alex told the Faun everything he knew, and they both had different ideas, but finally Gatex offered the teenager a book. "This book right here, contains many different concepts of and for traps. It discusses the pro and contra and has blueprints for many different kinds of prey."

Alex wanted to grab it at once, but the Faun pulled it back. "It isn't a skillbook, so it won't teach you anything. You have to work through it by yourself. Therefore it costs just 35 coins. I could make you a deal if you don't have them yet," Gatex went on.

But Alex opened his hand, showing the Faun exactly 35 coins. "Here you are," the teenager grinned. They exchanged their goods and Gatex wanted to continue his sales pitch with another item, but Alex had already left. "I hope he comes through," the Faun sighed.

Alex was facinated by the book. Gatex hadn't promised too much. It was 400 pages of traps, how to build them, where to build them, ideas for different kinds and sizes of beasts, how to lure them and everything. The teenager searched for any bear sized ideas, and was awarded four blueprints.

He carefully read through them and decided to use two of them. The other two needed items he didn't have or couldn't easily get. Gatex may have them in his shop, but Alex wasn't made out of money, and his 9 measily coins, probably weren't enough.

He searched the forests edge and quickly found what he needed. Slowly and always prepared to run, Alex snuck through the forest, looking for the optimal place to build the traps.

The work was tedious, hard and the teenager despaired more than once. But after hours, the first trap was ready and elated, he began to build the second trap. Luckily he neither saw or heard the beast, and Alex could finish his work undisturbed.

Night soon broke and this time, Alex left the forest. He had needed the rope for his traps and wasn't keen on stumbling on the bears hideout, while searching for a place to sleep. The teenager went back to the cellar, in which he had advanced his level and hoped the house would hold one more night.

The youth awoke more than once throughout the night, as rustling, howling and growling went by the ruine, but nothing came down the stairs into the cellar, and while the teenager was tired as hell, he stood up and began his day.

He needed a lure, to get the bear into his prepared traps, and while his book didn't mention anything bearlike, big predators seemed common enough to warant a few pages.

Of course optimal would be a selection of captured animals, deers, birds and so on, but Alex' rope was already in use and he didn't want to be needlessly brutal and break legs or wings.

He had the idea to put the lures into a pit, but the bear might get suspicious and secondly, Alex didn't want to dig another one. So out of options, the teenager decided to play the lure himself. At least he was already experienced.

With everything prepared, the lightning seed stashed and warmed up and limber, Alex began his search. Sometimes he called the bear loudly, hoping it would remember his voice and come looking, but it only worked for curious snakes, a fox and some birds he couldn't identify.

The teenager decided against hunting them. He had to be in peak condition to fight the bear. After some time, he finally heard loud rustling, some fifty meters away. Alex slowed his march and called for the bear.

Carefully the teenager crept to the bushes. Before he could make sure he found his quarry, the enormous beast jumped out. Alex immediately turned and ran for his traps. He deliberately ran the most overgrown and heavily thicket covered path.

The bear was faster than him and this way, it would be slowed down. A few minutes later, Alex had finally reached his prepared place. He positioned himself, so the beast had no choice but to trip the first trap.

The youth had already pulled out his spear, determined that whatever happened, he would make his final stand here in this trap riddled glade.

The bear slowed its run and carefully, with deliberate steps, approached the teenager. Alex goaded it, by waving his spear and dancing for- and backward. The beast, determined to show, who is boss in this forest, jumped forward. Claws raised to rend the corageous but probably stupid idiot, that challenged its might.

The tight rope, crossing the bears path, ripped apart and a young, but strong tree snapped into his body. Several sharp, wooden tips punctured its thick hide and first blood in the epic fight for the forest, or Alex' wellbeing was achieved.

The bear stepped back, tearing the tips back out. Two still stuck fast and it tried to grab them, but the youths hollering distracted it. Enraged, the beast sprinted forward. Meanwhile, Alex had repositioned himself and stood just in front of his pit trap.

The teenager hoped, that the sharpened wooden spears would be enough to end this fight. And fortunately the animal jumped at the boy, falling right through the thin layer of twigs and leaves. Loud cracking accompanied the beasts fall down the pit.

'Damn, I spent hours finding the right branches and sharpening them...' Alex sighed, at least the beast was in the pit. He braced his spear and began stabbing at the unprotected head and neck of his foe. Blood was freely pouring down the animal, but Alex had severly miscalculated the bears size.

Instead of being trapped and impaled in the pit, the powerful beast began climbing. The hole wasn't that deep, so it soon began cresting its edge. Alex continued his stabfest and deep wounds scoured the beasts hide.

But as it got out of the pit, the teenager withdrew. His spear wasn't long enough to hold it at distance and the bears reach was a tiny bit farther then the youth could safely hit. Alex took a few steps back and had trees in his back again. He jabbed the butt of his spear under a root took another two steps back and waited for his enemy.

After a final push, the gigantic animal left the pit. It was freely bleeding from several deep holes in its front and back. A big puddle quickly formed beneath it, but the bear didn't care. Enraged it attacked the teenager.

Alex still somewhat safe behind his spear, grabbed his dagger tighter, summoned two shadowclones, to distract the bear, cast shadowcloak to look more similar to his clones and waited.

With a mighty swipe, the bear swatted the spear to the side and clawed at the shadowclones. Alex meanwhile took a few quick steps to the side, and jumped on the bears back. The real dagger dug deep and the youth hang on with his dear life. Hoping his mana would last, he summoned a shadowdagger and repeatedly burried it in the bears back.

The beast growled in a deep basso, quickly killed the second shadowclone and tried to reach the youth. A wild rodeo ensued, but Alex still held on. But with a quick turn, the dagger slid from the bears back and the teenager flew through the air.

Alex rolled a few times and came to a sudden rest, as his back hit the trunk of a tree. His head snapped back and the youth saw only stars.

A burning pain on his legs, soon brought him back to the moment. The beast had shredded his left leg and probably would have continued with the rest of his body, but its deep and heavily bleeding wounds had finally brought it down.

One paw resting on Alex, the youth was trapped beneath his huge enemy. But that was a blessing in disguise, as the pressure, kept his blood were it belonged, and his shadowdrinker had time to close the wounds, before he bled out.

Still, as the adrenaline and the blood pressure left him, he grew ever more tired and soon fell asleep under the animal. Alex didn't even see the system message, which said.

You have slain: Grizzlybear (Lvl 12)

You have earned: 2500 unrefined Essence.

ERROR: Essencecap at 2000. 500 URE lost.

You have earned 95 coins.

Alex was roughly awoken, when someone pulled the carcass away. The deep rends in his legs began to bleed again, and a cracking voice greeted him:

"Oh Alex, you're still alive. We didn't really expect you to last three days, and maybe you won't with that leg. But thanks for the bear, the Faun will love it. Greetings from Jones, he'll probably pardon you, once we bring him the coins from Gatex."

Alex grew cold, he knew that voice. But before he could react, or answer a quick blow to his head sent him to sleep again.