Don sat in the tree’s upper branches. Then he sat some more. His pools were fully restored and the sky peeking from behind the leaves had taken on a shade of light blue Don hadn’t seen before. He savored the last of his berries as his worry grew. Kat was ether late or he wasn’t coming back. Both possibilities held their own set of problems to worry about.

Either way, Don was out of food and he had to head back or risk being stuck in the forest, weakened and alone. He was sure the little scout could handle himself. He focused on his hearing with the idea of listening for the stream. He knew it was nearby. Wind ruffled the leaves of his tree and its neighbors. The soft sound surrounded Don well enough to effectively block out the similar sounds of rushing water. As he strained his ears he picked up on something else. A scrape, then a pause, followed by another. the short rasp of dry leaves standing out from the cascade of soft sounds from overhead. He continued listening for a time as the sounds drew closer, and more distinct. Eventually, a tiny black nose poked out from under a bush only feet from Don’s perch. Something was following the game trail. The nose was followed by a thin snout, widening to fit two black beads of eyes. It came fully into view. It was small and roughly the same shape as a rabbit but it lacked the large ears of Don’s prey of choice.

Shadows crept, reluctantly from under Don’s feet and leaked from a hollow in the tree. they moved more slowly, resisting his commands in the increased light but they found their place soon enough. The small animal paused to investigate the disturbed earth from Don’s last ambush but didn’t exude fear and alertness like the rabbit did. It moved under Don in seconds and seeing a lucky second chance at bringing food to his tribe, he pounced.

Falling through the air, time seemed to slow. Don angled one of his feet to land directly in the center of the animals back and moved the other so it would land on a open patch of earth. Time sped back up and Don came to regret his actions. Don’s vision was hampered from the side effect of focus senses. What looked like long hairs covering the animal bristled at the last second and many pierced his foot. He yelped and pulled back instinctively. He couldn’t stop his momentum completely but it took a lot out of his attack and the little critter survived. He tried to take a step back and cried out in pain when the quills stuck in his foot were forced even deeper. He fell to the ground and watched as the clearly injured animal scurried away.

A small flame bloomed into existence inside of Don. He was angry. Partly at the animal who looked so weak, partly at himself for getting so embarrassed by it. With the practice of three days of immobility, he crawled after the small animal. It was a pretty even race, if entirely undignified but the little rodent was more suited to navigating the brambles of the forest. It was going to get away. Don couldn’t have that. “Manipulate”

Behind Don, dead leaves swirled as if caught in a wind, they collected into a ball and a fox head pushed out from it’s center, teeth bared and eyes glaring in an expression Don wasn’t likely to forget. When the rodent dove into another bush, Don sent his construct in through the opposite side. The animals terrified state coupled with the gloom under the bush made the rough duplicate look real enough. When it came face to face with the glaring predator, it squeaked and bolted back towards Don. He was waiting for it and brought a stone down on it’s head.

You have defeated ‘Hedgehog’

You gain 5 exp

Would you like to collect the loot?

Dismissing the chance to loot the animal this time, he pulled his injured foot into his lap and inspected it’s bottom. Four striped quills pierced deep into the flesh. A quick check of his status told him that it didn’t take much of his HP but it did impart a ‘hobbled’ status. He blew out a relieved breath. He didn’t want to go through being crippled again. After using diagnose he pulled the quills out one by one. Each time he did there was a jolt of pain and he lost another HP but when he was done the hobbled effect faded from his status.

Cradling his bloody foot, he once again wished for shoes. Running all but naked through the forest was bad enough but his short fight with the fox and now this tiny rodent had made it clear that he was going to need more protection.

If his hearing wasn’t still enhanced he may have missed the pronounced rustling of leaves Don only heard when he made a clumsy move through the trees. It was the sound of a branch bending under a heavy burden and flapping all of it’s leaves at once. Something big was coming. Fear spiked in Don. He was in the open and had just made one hell of a track. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the fresh pain and sprinted out of the path of the unknown animal. He vaulted over low bushes, rebounded from trunks and swung from the stout branches which could support his weight to get past the larger obstacles. His mad dash only lasted seconds but he got a dozen yards away from the scene of his latest struggle and lay prone under a bush with particularly broad leaves. He got as far as he dared before hiding and could only hope that he was quiet enough.

His heart hammered in the still forest but he could still hear a heavy animal approaching through the trees. His first visual sign was a disturbance in the canopy. Great bunches of leaves dipped as one, revealing wide swatches of baby blue, letting columns of Blazing light momentarily infiltrate the shadowy forest. The sounds of movement came to a halt uncomfortably close to Don. He preemptively cast his shadow cloak spell. The shadows responded more quickly this time, washing over him like a wave in his dark hiding place. A set of heavy impacts later, and Don could see his new neighbor.

Vaguely humanoid, the beast stood on two stubby legs, it’s broad back extended upwards at a forward slant and ended in a hunch, along with shoulders as large as Don’s head. Pendulous, too long arms sprouted from the shoulders and reached all the way to the ground where wrinkled knuckles pushed at the hedgehog. Don had forgotten all about the corpse in his mad dash. The monster’s rich black fur rippled as it bent forward and sniffed the rodent. It found the discarded quills, still wet with Don’s blood and started following the trail Don had left. Don’s blood turned to ice. If this monster could smell as well as Kat, he would never be safe behind shadows. He had to do something soon. He watched as the new threat kept its broad, flat red nose inches off of the ground, pausing at each spot Don touched with his bleeding foot. A single tusk protruded from the left side of its jaw, lifting it’s upper lip slightly and showcasing even more dangerous looking teeth. Ridges ran across the bridge of its snout and ended under deep set eyes rimmed with bright blue skin, contrasting the unhealthy yellow of its eyes. The pupils were as black as coal and filled with a cunning that told Don he couldn’t just scare it off with a simple trick like the one he used on the hedgehog. He thought of leading it off with an illusion but with his range limited to three meters he would only draw the monster closer.

He was out of options. He took a dose of healing potion, moving as slowly and quietly as he could. It healed most of the damage he took from the hedgehog but more importantly, it closed the wounds on his feet. If he kept bleeding, there was no chance he could get away.

While Don treated his wounds, the monster moved ever closer. It stopped at each foothold Don used on the way to sniff at his blood-trail. The thing was huge. It loomed even when bent close to the ground, its blood-red muzzle jutting from its dark face. This was the first time Don had to face something larger than himself and he didn’t like the change. It was much nicer when he could pounce on a small and unaware enemy. Being hunted wasn’t nearly as enjoyable.

A flash of light snuck past the layers of plant life and struck Don in the eye. He winced away from the light and blinked until the small afterimage faded. The beast was nearly on top of him now but Don’s mouth stretched into a grin. He had a dumb idea.

He cast manipulate and drew light from every source he could reach within his measly range. Dapples of light shifting on a nearby tree distorted, then paused, then rushed like a school of glittering fish towards Don’s hiding place. He had given up any hope of hiding. His shadows only worked on vision and this thing clearly had his scent. Without any retreat available, it was time to go on the attack.

A three-meter section of the woods around Don darkened as he drew in all the light he could manage. The light strained against Don’s control. It wanted to be free, to illuminate, to spread until there was nowhere left to go. He gritted his teeth and imposed his will on the illusion.

The monster zeroed in on his hiding place immediately, nostrils flaring and pupils smoldering. Don burst from the darkened underbrush with a shout. The monster responded in kind. Its bellow sent a shower of birds into the air, their wings slapping frantically, adding their alarmed voices to the sudden racket. Don and the monster charged, the short distance between them evaporating. It ran on all fours, pounding its knuckles into the forest floor, scattering the ever-present debris and swinging its body forward, covering the equivalent of three of Don’s steps in a single loping stride. Just before he stepped within reach of the monsters clublike arms, Don thrust his fist forward and opened his hand. All the light concentrated in Don’s palm flashed out at once. Even with his hand blocking the worst of the blast, don was partially blinded. He had a brief impression of his hand becoming partially translucent before his vision swam with spots.

Manipulation beginner 3 --> 4

Manipulate light to make intangible constructs

Cost: 1 mana / duration: 25 seconds / range: 4 meters

+ WIS

The monster had an entirely different experience. It howled in a mixture of rage and pain. One hand covered its eyes while the other swung out in retaliation. Don tried to back away but the monster’s arms reached even farther than he anticipated and the fist drove into his shoulder knocking him to the ground.

The thing hit hard. Don’s HP dropped by more than a fifth. His more immediate concern was that the thing, having touched him, had a general idea of where Don was. It lifted both it’s massive leathery fists into the air preparing to bring them down on Don. He decided the time for attack was over and he rolled to the side just before the fists smashed into the ground. Leaves and dust blasted out from the impact site. If Don stuck around he might have had time to appreciate the neat little craters the blow made. As it was, he was trying to get as far away from the thing as possible before its vision returned. He ended up running back towards the scene of his fight with the hedgehog and spent the half a second it took to loot the small critter.

You gain 'Hedgehog Hide' x1

He wasn’t about to leave empty-handed after all the trouble it caused and he didn’t want to try and run with it. It was hard enough with both his hands free. He didn’t need to cradle a ball of spikes as he ran through the forest. After a solid minute of running, the monsters pained howls receded into the forest, after a few more, he couldn’t hear the monster anymore and Don took stock.

Vitals:

HP

77/105

STA

52/65

MANA

37/60

EXP

25/50

Status Effects:

Tired (-20% WIS)

He wasn’t in good shape. He downed his last dose of healing potion. It hardly made a difference. When the cards were down, his potions really were trash. He wasn’t hungry yet but he had a new negative effect. He looked up, past the canopy at the bright sky. He had to get back to the cave but he still didn’t know which way to go. He opened his senses, listening for the stream. Nothing. He shifted to smell and caught a whiff of something he recognized.

Moving stealthily again, Don wound his way around the underbrush, taking his time as he tracked his quarry. He found them, sitting in a clearing made by a collapsed tree. The tree was burnt and twisted. The bottom half ended in a charred spear and the top half lay dry as a bone next to a bush, heavy with berries. He recognized it from his first day in the forest. He refilled his inventory with berries before striking off towards where he thought the stream would be. He shifted his senses back to hearing to hone in on his target. The smells of the forest shrank into the background as birdsong and rustling filled his ears. As he walked, he finally heard rushing water. He angled toward the stream and broke into an easy jog. He broke through the ferns lining the stream, taken by surprise, and fell down into the water. He splashed around for a bit before regaining his bearings. The cool water washed over him and for once, Don was grateful. He started his slog back towards his cave when his enhanced hearing picked up a telltale creaking sound, barely audible over the noise of the stream.

Goosebumps broke out over Don as he recognized that creaking. He scrambled out of the small valley carved by the stream, slipping into the dirt and getting caked in a fresh layer of leaves. He rolled to his feet and moved quickly into the shadow of a tree, putting himself on the opposite side from the sound. As the creaking drew close he cast Shadow Cloak. The creaking drew closer until the tree Don was sheltering under groaned under the large monster's weight. Don didn’t look up, he tried not to breathe. He could hear the monster’s sniffing and the tree’s protests as it tried to pick up the trail again. He had to recast his shadow cloak and a headache set in. It wasn’t too much to bear but it did remind Don that he couldn’t keep hiding in the shadows forever. The large animal swung into another tree, it’s long arms easily bridging the gap. The new tree bent and creaked as it came to terms with this new weight. It sniffed around again briefly before dropping to the ground. As it inspected the far bank of the stream and then the disturbed patch of dirt on Don’s side, its sniffs became more like huffs and Don was forced to cast his concealment spell again. The pressure at his temples ratcheted up and his vision went a little blurry.

Shadow Cloak beginner 1 --> 2

17% increased concealment in darkness

cost: 10 mana / duration 2 minutes

He was still able to see it when the monster tilted it’s head back, howled in fury and ripped a limb from the nearest tree. The popping, tearing sound transmitted clearly through Don’s enhanced hearing and he knew the monster was imagining that branch was one of Don’s own appendages. His throat was suddenly dry. The monster smashed the branch into the tree he took it from before hurling it into the air, screaming all the while.

Don recast his shadow cloak. Down to just seven mana, his vision narrowed, growing black around the edges. He squeezed his eyes shut. His head felt like a grape someone was trying to turn into wine. He held onto the tree behind him for physical support, clinging to a single thought for mental support ‘stay still, stay quiet, be the forest’. He repeated it in his head like a mantra.

He heard when the monster swung off through the trees. It had apparently wasted enough time chasing the slippery demon. The shadows sloughed off of his skin like oil shortly after and Don followed them to the ground.

Don had no Idea how it found him again and the troop of drummers inside his pounding head wasn’t helping him puzzle it out.

Congratulations!

Becoming one with the forest has unlocked a skill!

Forest Walk beginner 1

5% increase to movement speed and concealment in forests

Stealth 2 --> 3

7% bonus to sneak and sneak attack

Training Dummy Apprentice 1 --> 2

19% increased chance of a skill being aquired when used on you

19% increased progression of skills used on you

condition: you must not resist the skill being trained

He didn’t care about the skills now and dismissed the prompts with a grimace. Even that small effort sent a fresh spike of pain through his head. He had to get to safety. He continued on, squinting against the light. Every small sunbeam was a spotlight, colliding directly with his brain like a punch. He shielded his sensitive eyes as best he could and tumbled back down the bank, unable to keep his balance. The frigid water sluicing over him brought him a fraction closer to alertness but the reflected sunlight playing off the water jabbed at his poor eyes. He looked away from the water, stumbling from time to time but a stubbed toe didn’t come close to the pain in his head.

+ END

He eventually spotted the tree Kat had taunted him from the previous day. It felt like so long ago. He clawed his way up the bank, staggered to the familiar boulder, slid inside the cave, and fell asleep right then and there.

Spoiler: Don's stats and skills Stats: Vitals: regen: 1 point regen time STR 12 HP 70/105 mana wis per hour 5.00 AGI 13 STA 43/70 stamina (Con * 2) per hour 1.43 DEX 14 MANA 9/60 INT 12 EXP 25/50 WIS 12 (15) Status Effects: CON 21 Tired (-20% WIS) END 14 skill Rank Level Effect cost range duration Punching Bag Apprentice 1 17% unarmed resistance Training Dummy Apprentice 2 19% training increase Alchemy Apprentice 4 13% potion effectiveness Goblin Language Special 6 Moderate complexity Night Vision Beginner 5 9% increased light Diagnose Beginner 4 assess the targets visible injuries 1 mana touch instant Focus Senses Beginner 6 10% increase and derease 1 stamina self 1 minute Forage Beginner 3 7% ease and effectivness of resources Stealth Beginner 3 7% sneak and sneak attack Forest Walk Beginner 1 5% movement and concealment in forests Illusion Magic Manipulation Beginner 4 Manipulate light to form intangible constructs 1 mana 4 meters 25 seconds Shadow Cloak Beginner 2 17% increased visual concealment in darkness 10 mana touch 2 minutes