Adil chased Swift, the light of his torch flickering as he ran. He went across the rocky paths, climbing higher and jumping over the obstacles in the way.

“Wait!.” Adil shouted, having finally caught up to the panting Swift.

“Let’s... not just run around right now,” Adil added trying to regain some of his senses.

A howl echoed again and around them, the night sky drew an ominous presence, yellow eyes glinted in the dark.

The eyes approached closer, the steadily moving outline of wolf-like figures became visible in the torchlight. The stick of fire was still held firmly in Swift's right hand, his night vision not accustomed to the surroundings. It was obvious that the wolves could see a lot more than they could. They would have stood out like a lighthouse in a fogless night.

“Look at them,” Swift said as one of the wolves steadily moved closer. The wolves' eyes seemed to have white pupils instead of black, visible in the pronounced yellows that started steadily increasing in number. The other eye glints spread further around Adil and Swift, jumping occasionally over rocks as they could surround them in their pathway.

The wolf that approached was now visible, he was patched with brown and red fur. It looked almost like a large feral fox, rugged patchy fur and bright yellow eyes. As the wolf's fur became visible Swift could see a stark black morbid writhing infection spread across the side of its face leading into its back. An infection that seemed like a living disease.

The wolf came closer and so Swift decided to lean in, placing his hand out as if to show he didn’t mean any danger. Trying to get the wolf to sniff. “It’s alright pup,” He said.

The wolf didn’t seem to take notice, its focused eyes began to shine in the fire. It began to growl its teeth showing as it stared daggers at them, then suddenly it dove.

Swift let out a scream of pain as he braced the dogs locked jaw around his arm. “Aaaaagh,” He shouted.

“Shit!” Adil called out in alarm. He drew his sword, having left the bow by camp and charged tackling the dog off Swift and to the floor. Its growls grew more vicious, Adil could not see any life left in the beast, just a deep feral instinct.

He could do little to hold the beast down and to prevent it from jumping up at his neck. Angling the beast away he stabbed his sword into the dog’s side. The beast struggled for just a moment longer before it collapsed. Two notifications appeared in Adil’s eyes.

Notification (2)

Learned Skill

Medium blades

Your blade can now feel like an extension to your arm, as you intuitively know its length and sharpness.

Slain creature experience gained

Feral taint wolf 20

Getting up from the assault Adil looked around and saw they were trapped. Swift turned to face the ones that had surrounded them, and they stood there, back to back. The other wolves were making choking growling sounds.

Swift dropped the torch, bringing out his sword to face the horde. The approaching wolves took steps closer, now growling more menacingly.

Adil felt different, moving his weapon felt more refined, as though he had the muscle memory of a practised swordsman.

“Bad dog, bad dog,” Swift said, swatting his sword from side to side. Unsure about how to deal with the approaching danger. He looked down at the collapsed wolf and to his arm, glad the teeth hadn’t dug past his armour. He could only stand next to Adil and hold out his sword in wait for the beasts to make a move.

Two wolves charged Adil whilst another went for Swift. Swift flailed his arm out and slashed the wolf across the face. The wolf flew past and landed sprawled out on the ground. A trail of corrupted black blood spew after it. Its nose cut clean through.

Adil had the other two charge towards him. He plunged his sword deep into the first dog's skull, but its corpse momentum dragged the sword, tearing it out of his hand. He could only brace as the other one attacked.

He collapsed on the floor trying to push the wolf away, its gnashing teeth pressing towards him. It seemed like he wasn't that good at swordsmanship after all.

He batted at the wolf pushing it down. It stopped trying to get at his face and bit into his leg. Adil only just managed to kick the wolf off having been scratched and bitten enough to pierce his armour. A trail of blood leaking from multiple lacerations.

Adil was now on the floor staring down the wolf. He had just enough time to see more eyes appear in the shadows, their choking growls sounding like distorted laughter. The wolf dove again. This time it didn’t get far before a sword smashed into the side of its head. Swift having thrown it.

"Shit," Swift said now swordless. *why didn't he just stab it* he thought.

An army of wolves seemed to jump in at that moment, but Swift in blind instinct shot out a gout of fire catching all eight, the wolves collapsed to the floor and began to wreath in agony, the flames igniting their fur.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?!?!" Adil shouted in exasperation.

Swift just looked at him with his arms up in the air. "I'm really high!" He said.

Adil spun his feet flicked his body up and pulled out his sword from the side of the wolfs head he had stabbed.

Two wolves remained, they fiercely growled and charged towards them. Adil picked up the other sword Swift had thrown and then duel wielding he ran in. Swift shot a bolt at one of them catching it and causing it to shake as it further caught alight. The last one managed just a small move forward before Adil slashed across its side, enough force to instantly put it down.

Panting Adil looked around, seeing piles of taint ridden wolf carcasses spread along the floor. He collapsed to one knee. Then the air around the two began to swirl as tendrils of energy spew from the dogs corpses. Adil let out an arrrgh and Swift gasped as energy accumulated around and into them. They felt like they were overloaded with energy, then it eased in and a feeling of strength and power rushed in.

Notification (14)

Learnt skill

Medium blades

Your blade can now feel like an extension to your arm, as you intuitively know tis length and sharpness.

Slain creature experience gained

Feral taint wolf 20 x12

Level up! Level 2

Congratulations, you have achieved essence level %$. You may spend your collected essence through your integrated essence management system. &

The great feelings after eating the fruit had disappeared, instead replaced by an adrenaline rushed misery. As though their mental energy had been sapped from them, as though everything was an effort and life itself seemed like a crippling mess.

“The.. Fuck.. is... this.” Swift said softly, looking around at the carnage and still shaking with adrenaline.

Adil started feeling intense pain, his leg thrummed in agony around the area he was scratched and he collapsed into the fetal position, rocking side to side as his arm burned in pain. Swift noticed something was wrong and ran over, inspecting the wound.

Status: Diseased (taint)

effect: Agonizing pain until the taint takes control.

Duration: 73 min until the next stage

Swift quickly gathered some herbs and brought them to Adil hoping he could eat them and maybe feel a bit better. The berries only made him feel worse as it increased his focus on the pain.

Adil pressed into his wound and screamed more in pain, a black ooze coming from the parts where the wolfs claws had broken the skin. He pulled his hand back not wanting it to spread into any slight grazes there and left the leg alone, clenching his teeth.

“Aaaaah, it's alive, it's fucking alive!”

“Cut it off.” he insisted. The infection looked like it was whiling under his skin.

“Either that or kill me,” he was now breathing through his teeth, closing his eyes and trying to do all he could to cope.

Swift rushed to find something, anything that could solve this. He looked down at the infection and tried to focus on it.

Status: Diseased (taint)

effect: Agonizing pain until the taint takes control.

Duration: 72 min until the next stage

“Oh god no,” Swift said frantically pacing around taking glances towards Adil in his pain.

“There has to be something else.”

He looked at one of the wolves and saw the cursed disease still over them, wreathing through their skin and even protruding out of their wounds. Other's burnt though didn't appear to have any of the taint left on them.

He took some of it on a sword and saw the black gunk coat the top.

Acquired item State Effects

Tainted blood corrupt unknown

On a whim Swift shot fire across the taint on his sword and saw it wretch before burning away.

“ Hold still” Swift commanded. Adil’s eyes bulged as he saw him approach.

“No no, wait what are you gunna- Aaaaarghh!”

Swift started a minute jet of fire into Adil’s leg, catching the ooze like a minor explosion and spreading inside.

Adil screamed and passed out.

Learnt skill

Cleansing flame

Your power of fire is pure and focused, with intense control it can be used to burn away the bad so the good might regrow.

Swift left Adil to lie there and began on his new-found task. He burnt away all the taint in the area. Spreading and intoxicating smell of burning dog flesh, he would stop for moments and run away gagging before bracing, trying to accept the smell and diving back in. That level of quantization could put a person into shock, probably killing them in the real world. swift wasn't sure if he made the right decision.

Then he carried Adil back to camp. Keeping guard until morning whilst burning away anything he saw as tainted. In the wait, he tried to figure out what it meant to level up.

Swift sat in a meditative position in front of the fire and started focusing on the ability interface.

Skills

Points available (3?)

Point allocation choices

Focus agility Swords

fire control Strength Fury

meditation taste Poisons

*unknown* ma%*$^taition fishing

poison resistance Stealth memory

vision mental resistance Endurance

Slovak dancing cooking intuition

He dove into a rabbit hole of information, trying to understand every detail, reading into any minor bit of information, assessing and reassessing. If he refreshed it the options would change, as he tried to see more, the logic became jumbled and the words nonsensical. It was like an amateur web developer had made his first website on his thesis of 'if inception had time travel', without finishing. There was something that made sense in there, somewhere, he just had to spend the time to find it.

Each change altered the options very slightly, and he found out, sometimes it depended on what he was doing. He stopped and refreshed his mind, he focused on the fire and saw the options change again, a few icons of heat control and resistance emerged.

As he kept working around the options he found one that occasionally popped up flashing brightly and changing, but without any words, it would only say “unknown” or come out as a mix of different text symbols. Even this, he decided was probably worth the time to investigate.

He tried standing and sitting to see if it was different, exercising, stretching, spinning his fire and then trying again. He then tripped walking around whilst he was in the interface and the unknown one became more visible.

Curious, he thought. He tried again walking around and tried to trip but nothing happened. Trying it as though he was not aware, he tripped but fell this time and again nothing happened. He picked up his sword and sat there on the ground. Suddenly a blur of growling gnashing teeth came out of nowhere, but he just braced lifted his sword defensively and skewered the beast almost completely by chance.

He was still on the interface; the icon came right to the top and began to take shape.

“Luck” it said for a moment before letters began to disappear. Quickly he chose it before it disappeared. The information explaining the choice seemed non-sensible for the most part, but the words influence, desire and strangely, bullshit. Came through.

A feeling of anxiety rushed over him as things began to feel like his body was rejecting itself. Then as though the essence of his body began correcting itself he started to feel pieces coming together.

He came back, stronger with some sort of connection to the things around him. Swift thought to himself it might not have been the best choice, to pick the unknown glitchy choice most likely to go wrong. Thinking he was like a mad scientist experimenting with his very being regardless of any certain benefit at the first chance he got. Knew options emerged and he investigated them. Instead of doing it again, he went through the choices he picked out that seemed like they could be useful, or he possibly just liked.

Piano: All the muscle memory of a professional, you can effortlessly recreate any sound you had once heard no matter the speed or complexity to the best your fingers can move.

Flame control: greater power over your flame element, you can shape the fire into unnatural forms and direct it more easily

Poison crafting: The deadly nature of each herb and material can be felt through its touch and a focus of its presence. For all that you see, you can know the damage it can do to all that you have seen.

Enhanced memory: To collect knowledge with ease, a simple thought can recall the real reason that the argument started and be able to go. 'Oh yeah, that’s where I left my keys'.

Agility I: Strengthen your bones and muscles to allow for fast reactions, flexibility, and bursts of strength. (not to be confused with strength I)

With cleansing flame and the screams of Adil still reverberating in his head, he picked flame control. It was something that fascinated him to no comparison, that is apart from the memory one.