Twisting I tossed another rock to the ground behind me, I’d already been at this for hours and I could feel my muscles complaining each time I grabbed another heavy stone. After checking my other options again I found that it was either start hauling rocks or venture into the dark unknown. With one more rock thrown to the growing pile behind me before I flopped to the ground, pulling out my water and ripping a hunk of the stale bread free. My stomach grumbled in anticipation as I shoved the torn loaf into my mouth, taking a long drink of water to help soften it. Chewing slowly I leaned back to look at the rocks behind me, I’d slowly gained ground that has been inspiringly uphill the whole way. Shoving the last piece of my sparing meal into my mouth I took one last swig before standing up with a groan. Back to the grind

At this point I’d resorted to chanting a mantra to myself with each rock “One year, just one year. Keep moving, one year.” Not very inspiring but it was doing the trick as hour twelve ticked by. My hand were bleeding at this point, it seemed as far as I could figure that health stopped regenerating after going lower than twenty-five percent stamina. Food helped a bit, but I didn’t have enough to keep eating for the small boost. I needed to rest, but I knew I could still go further. With the help of my dagger I cut strips from the bottom of my shirt, wrapping them around my throbbing hands. “One year, just one year.”

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I must have fallen asleep sometime after wrapping my hands, lying with my back against the rough stone wall. But something had woken me up from my exhausted slumber, taking a deep breath I cracked my eyes open looking around for what could have woken me up. I heard them first, that high pitched chittering sound coming from outside my tunnel, that’s when I saw them. Climbing up over the lip of the tunnel, were three small furry shapes about the size of a house cat. Exhaustion forgotten I popped to my feet snatching the dagger from my belt. That excited them as the chittering intensified and all at once they darted towards me, spreading out like a pack of wolves.

They were hard to keep track of against the dark stone, as the first darted past I swiftly tried to kick it, missing horribly. That’s when I felt, that unnerving cold feeling of flesh parting along my calf seconds before the searing pain. Sucking in a breath through my teeth I whipped around trying to deliver a brutal kick to my tiny assailants. Another miss, this time rewarded with a second searing line of pain across my legs. Backing myself to the collapsed tunnel I managed to limit them to my front as I got my first good look at my attackers. Large rodent bodies with what looked to be rooster feet for their front paws, spurs included, and two of them were sporting fresh blood on them. As we squared off, one hissed at me, flashing a dizzying array of wicked teeth. I faked a kick at the hissing rodent, only to watch as it hopped away and the other two zipped forward without hesitation, only to realize I hadn’t committed like the other kicks. This was my moment to strike, but they were too low to the ground for me to hit with the knife, which left one very ungraceful move. Stomping on the right most rodent I could feel its furry body twist under foot as I’m rewarded with a sickening crunch and a new series of cuts along my foot and ankle. Lifting my foot I repeated the process again this time it laid still under the blow. Sucking in a labored breath I jumped back to the safety of the rock wall a moment too slow as another large spur opened a long gash long the outside of my knee before I could remount my defensive position.

With blood flowing down my legs freely and two more opponents in front of me I could feel a chill running through my body. I needed to finish it fast, and I didn’t think stomping on them was going to be an option. Trying to keep one eye on the remaining pair I spotted what I was looking for, just to my left a large flat rock that I’d pulled from the rubble earlier. Now if I could just get to it before they were back on top of me, faking a lunge at the left most creature I threw my knife at the other as I scrambled for the rock. It was barely one large step before I had my fingers wrapped around my new weapon, I could hear my knife clattering against the stone behind me as I turned quickly raising the rock over my head with a guttural snarl. Just in time as the larger of the two was almost on top of me, throwing down the rock with all my might I let out a loud desperate battle cry. The rock crashed to the floor like a meteor, smashing the furry body underneath with a nauseating very wet sound. This seemed to be too much for the last chitterer as it turned tail and scrambled back over the lip of the cliff.

Picking up my mighty new weapon I raised it over head in victory. “I dub thee smashbringer! Rock of great destruction, and bringer of pain and suffering to all who would oppose me.”

It was about then that the adrenaline left my body and I was forced to drop smashbringer before dropping to my butt. Taking a deep breath I pulled up my sheet.

Gideon / Ulcragg

Level 1(102/500) / Status: (Bleeding) (Exhausted)

Strength: 14

Health 86/180

Agility: 6

Mana 150/150

Endurance: 18

Stamina: 18%

Willpower: 15

Lowlight Vision: lvl 50 - 100%

Intelligence: 10

Climbing: lvl 1 – 28%

Charisma: 8

Unarmed lvl 2 – 4%

Improvised Weapons lvl 2 – 16%

Well new skills were great, and a level two one after a single fight for whatever good that did. But my health and stamina left a lot to be desired. Cutting more strips from my shirt I managed to bind the worst of the cuts along my legs. But now I needed to get my stamina up if I was ever going to heal. Looking at my excavation I found a crevasse that might just fit me, with my body and legs aching in protest I pulled myself over, slowly worming into the small gap in the rocks. Curling into a small ball and with the help of smashbringer I was able to mostly conceal myself, leaving a small foot gap for me to see out of into the tunnel and very little room to maneuver. Wiggling around till I was able to free my bag from under me I start shoving my last whole loaf of bread into my mouth in large handfuls. The other half would have to do till I get out of here, washing it all down before I forced myself to get some more sleep in my little hovel.

When I woke back up again I found my stamina meter mostly a little over eighty percent and my health restored, though my body was one mass of knots and aches as I freed myself from my cubby and crawled back out into the tunnel proper. Stretching slowly I could feel my back popping in relief, as I pulled up my combat log.

[Chitterer] hits you for 23 damage inflicting bleed effect

[Chitterer] hits you for 20 damage inflicting bleed effect

Skipping ahead through the combat I log I found what I’m looking for at the bottom of the log.

You hit [Chitterer] for 128 critical crushing damage! Chitterer is dead, 48 exp awarded!

Huh, seems like smashbringer really did a number on the little bugger. Bending down I pick up my rock weapon and inspect it.

Smashbringer DMG: 2-4 Durability 49/50

Must have been something with the size difference or something else, because despite the name the rock was just that a rock, I reached over to grab another same sized rock from the pile finding the stats similar to mine. Setting smashbringer to the side I got one last stretch in before starting back on my excavation.