The proud owner of a great deal of new equipment and three more [Broken] codes, Atlas strode downhill along the dirt track whistling a jaunty tune from something he didn’t remember. Flower speckled moors stretched into the distance, colours muted by the grey clouds overhead but dancing all the same in the cool breeze coming in from behind him. Large birds, too far for his scanner to reach - he’d tried - flew high overhead, black silhouettes against the grey expanse.

At first, he’d shared the road with the men of the village, a solemn procession of bearded faces that gazed at him with naked interest as they passed by, but as time, and he, marched on - though how much of either he had no way of telling - people grew scarce while nature grew thick. Large “rabbits” with dull red eyes and a single black horn on their forehead darted between tangled thickets of heather that dotted the hillside, scattering when he drew too near.

Looked like he wasn’t going to be recovering any new codes today. Atlas kept walking, following the winding path as moors and scrubland gradually gave way to a carpet of crimson leaves that threatened to obscure the path. He scooped a few leaves into his inventory to idle away the time, identifying the trees from the descriptions.

Were all adventures like this? His time on the beach had given him more of a… “violent” impression of the place, with hostile wildlife and eldritch abominations at every turn. Where were the bandits? The rampaging beasts? He’d half expected some “forest slimes” if nothing else, but if anything the woodlands were curiously quiet, birdsong filtering through the trees, the occasional rabbit watching him from the distance..

Not that he was complaining. Despite his good mood the message from that morning was still nagging at the back of his mind, its meaning as needlessly opaque as everything else about his bracers. The faster he got to the city the sooner he could try and find some answers.

But eventually the birdsong faded, a few trees showed deep furrows in their bark where something had carved into the wood. Atlas wasn’t sure when, exactly, the atmosphere of the forest changed, sometime after the last signpost, perhaps? But he found himself almost creeping along the path, unwilling to break the oppressive stillness of the forest floor.

At least the rabbits were still around, their dull brown coats blending with the trees, their red eyes tracking his every move as they scurried between bushes. Atlas raised his bracer, scanning one before it scurried behind a tree.

SCAN SUCCESSFUL

NEW CODE ACQUIRED [Beast]

The yellow bar crept up to a third, the first it had increased since the Scylla so long ago. Atlas scanned another as it bounded into view, but the bar remained static. Was it once per species? He should have scanned an otter while he’d had the chance.

Apparently the rabbit didn’t care much for the flash of his scanner. It stood its ground and hissed, staying in his field of vision long enough for the description to flash up in his vision, its black horn flashing the same way the giant slime’s had.

HORNED LAGOMORPH

THREAT LEVEL: 2

PEST THAT STEALS FARMERS CROPS AND LIVESTOCK.

USES SUPERIOR NUMBERS AGAINST LARGER PREY.

FUR CHANGES COLOUR IN WINTER.

A predator? Then were they stalking him? Atlas glanced around, over a dozen more rabbits had emerged from the undergrowth around the one he’d scanned. Did they even reach his knees?

Atlas poked at his status screen. The dive knife’s blunt tip made it a poor choice if they attacked, and it wasn’t too sharp, either. He’d been hoping to sharpen it when he’d stopped for lunch, but his bracers had identified the whetstone as a “tool” as well, meaning he couldn’t actually hold both at the same time. He tapped the next line down on the screen, eyes locked on the pack of bunnies fanning out in front of him.

[Axe Mattock]

HANDHELD TOOL WITH AN AXE BLADE AND A FLAT BLADE FOR DIGGING.

GOOD FOR DIGGING INTO HARD SOIL.

NOT WELL SUITED FOR COMBAT.

He equipped it and summoned it to his hand, snatching the odd bladed weapon from midair. It was unwieldy, but as long as his forearm and reassuringly heavy. Atlas spun it with borrowed expertise and raised it ready as the lagomorphs crept closer, unblinking red eyes fixed on him.

Something slammed into his knee from behind. Atlas yelled in surprise as his leg gave way and he fell down on top of it. Tiny claws and teeth tore into his leg. An ambush. The pack charged. More pounced from behind, their sharp horns slamming into his body. Atlas grabbed the first rabbit and swung it into a tree with a crunch, swinging his mattock into the throat of another.

MATERIAL LOGGED

The body in his hand vanished. He backhanded another as it leapt for his throat. Kicking his feet to dislodge two more he pushed back and the tree to protect his back, making sweeping slices at the pursuing lagomorphs. One clamped its needle sharp teeth into his arm, dangling as he swung, another three scrabbled at his boots. Everything was a blur of pain and blood as he fought to protect his vitals from their endless wave of attacks. His health bar was dropping fast, practically glowing from the constant abuse, his hands slick with viscera as he tried to get back to his feet.

A thunderous squeal tore through the trees. and Atlas suddenly found himself swinging at air. The surviving rabbits, their coats and muzzles dripping red, stared at him from the edge of the trees. Still more than half were left. Atlas took the opportunity to force himself up, his injured knee throbbing.

Was this a hunting tactic? Stinging wounds covered him from head to ankle, soaking into his clothes. Atlas rubbed his cheek with his hand, leaving a sticky smear. Were they trying to bleed him out? Was blood loss something that would actually work on him? His HP bar was down to a third, but it seemed stable

The thunderous squeal resounded out again, more like a jet engine than a creature of flesh and blood. The lagomorphs scattered. Atlas turned towards the source of the noise, coming from the curved path up ahead. Already he could see the bristly flank of some massive beast through the trees. Atlas raised his bracer and scanned it.

SCAN SUCCESSFUL

His blue bar and his yellow one shot in opposite directions, his MP stabilising at barely above a quarter.

SCAN LEVEL UP

LEVEL 6

PHYSICAL CHASSIS UPGRADED: LEVEL 3

GRID EFFICIENCY INCREASED

CORE FUNCTION RESTORED: CODE GRID (H’MAN, LEAST)

NEW CODE ACQUIRED [Wild]

The XP bar stabilised at two thirds of a bar. Atlas swallowed. If the Scylla had been any indication over a full bar of experience at once meant trouble. The description flashed up a moment later.

CALYDONIAN BOAR

THREAT LEVEL: 7

LARGE ENOUGH TO BE CALLED A CALAMITY.

FOUND IN THE DEEPEST WOODS.

HIGHLY TERRITORIAL.

GOES BERSERK WHEN WOUNDED.

The boar rounded the corner.