"Bad dog! No people food for you," I threaten while grinning. Even after backing up a few steps, the grey wolf is still less than fifteen feet away from me. "And people not food either…er…that wasn't very good…"

With a frustrated smile I ready for an attack. Now, all the FIVR fighting tournaments I've won, were mostly due to my mental reflexes and knowledge of particular movement combinations that were used to active abilities. As far as real combat abilities…

[Grey Wolf claws you for 3 damage!]

God! That hurts! (13/16HP) I tried to side step it like the boars, but its right paw manages to rake my dagger arm on the way by. Not only did it deal a good chunk of damage, it stopped me from counter stabbing. The sharpness of the initial pain dulls, but doesn't completely go away. My dagger still glows yellow, ready for me to strike. The wolf lowers it's head, preparing an attack and I squat in response, dagger out front. It leaps into the air at me, claws outstretched. I lunge forward, jabbing the dagger as I scream.

[You deal 20 pierce damage!]

[Grey Wolf tackles you for 1 damage!]

[Grey Wolf bites you for 5 damage!]

[Grey Wolf claws you for 2 damage!]

This is not a welcome home love tackle one would get from a beloved pet. (5/16HP) I bring my knees up to my chest and kick as hard as I can, the wolf catching a bit of air drifting over to my right.

[You deal 1 unarmed damage!]

Stupid low Strength. As soon as it lands, the wolf bites down at my head, barely missing as I fold my ear to my shoulder. Reacting in an instant, I reach over with my free hand I grab some fur and pull myself up while pulling the wolf down, forcing it to swap places with me. I stab down into it's neck in a flurry of panic and rage.

[You deal 10 pierce damage!]

[You deal 10 pierce damage!]

[You deal 10 pierce damage!]

[You defeated Grey Wolf!]

[Received: 4XP]

My left shoulder and both arms are burning with pain and the wolf's body evaporates. Since the last time my HP dropped, at least eight seconds had past and my HP is starting its slow climb. The memory of the pain fades, too, as my wounds stitch together. I'm taking deep, ragged breaths and my right hand is trembling. And yet, a smile gradually finds its way on my lips.

After all that, I live and feel very alive. Regardless of how immortal we are as players, not many of us enjoy the act of dying, especially in FIVR games. I shudder at the thought of what Ele-Quince imagined dying would feel like. Everything leading up to dying can sometimes be too much to bear, making some people beg for the final moment of release no matter how gruesome it might be.

(16/16HP) (13/13SP)

Another one of those and I'll be half way to level 2. Another one of those and I might not be so lucky. I ready some more boar meat with some salt and access the loot bag.

[Received: 1* wolf pelt

[2* wolf meat

[1* wolf fang]

[Warning: Storage at 99%, dropped wolf pelt]

I pick up the wolf pelt, cut an opening near the top middle. I pop my head through like a poncho and feel a mental click.

[Equipped: Shoulders: Grey Wolf Pelt

[Durability: 60/60

[Armor: 1]

That brings my Defense up to 4 and right now every little bit helps! The durability is low, but I can probably use another pelt if I can defeat another wolf. So far, I didn't have to use my only health potion, but that last fight was a close call. Mika's right, if I had to take two wolves I might've been kibble. I finally get to my dinner and start eating.

[Buff gained! +1 Def for the next 45 minutes!]

[Recipe Learned: Grilled Boar]

[Level up! Cook +1]

Are you kidding me? I could've used that earlier and… wait… the wolf ate the meat earlier and got my buff! That sneaky pup! Also, with that, both of my artisan classes are now at 2. After picking about forty six Red Herbs it leveled up one more time.

Anyway, I toss the used sticks into the fire and leave it to cast a soft glow. There's very little chance it will set the forest on fire the way I set it into the dirt and removed anything nearby that could catch fire. I can see the sun finally setting, the moon barely visible in the sky.

I summon some rope and climb a good sized tree, it's lowest branch looking strong enough to hold my weight. I summon my bedroll and flap it open. I climb into the sleeping bag like bedroll and tie myself to the tree around my waist. With all these creatures roaming around this is not a safe place to be on the ground unprotected.

The campfire, though partially hidden in the ground, did nothing to deter the previous wolf, so I didn't want to take any chances. It's been a long day with a lot of excitement, so sleep didn't long. That, and having spent many a night sleeping in a hospital chair I can practically sleep anywhere. It's not a defined skill in the game, but IRL its an envied feat. Instead of reading a book to knock me out, I read the contents of my storage bracelet.

[Inventory: boar hide* 11, boar meat* 18, boar tusk* 3, wolf meat* 2, wolf fang* 2, Minor Health Potion* 1, Red Herb* 46, Potion Crate* 1, Plain Ration* 3, Travel Cook's Kit]

A howl startles me awake and I groggily withdraw my dagger. Unintelligeable threats spill out of my mouth as I look around. I check the in game clock and it's only been six hours since I fell asleep. The sun is already chasing away the darkness but not truly peaking over the horizon yet. I untie the rope and dismiss the bedroll, the pelt continuing to keep me warm.

I work my way down using the rope, dismissing it when I hit the dirt, and rekindle the fire pit.

Today's plan: slowly work my way to the green point on the map and kill some stuff along the way.

This time, I make a skewer each of boar and wolf, learning the Grilled Wolf recipe. Getting both bonuses and the extra point in Defense from the pelt and I feel like I can take on the world!

Several hours and multiple boars and wolves later I stumble upon a small, disheveled settlement. The wooden skeletons of the structures are all that's left of what looked previously to be tents. I didn't see any bodies, the game's cleanup system taking care of the mess long ago. I did spot one loot bag and access it. My storage bracelet is full, so everything just hits the ground. Earlier, I even swapped out some of the boar hides and meat for wolf pelts.

[Received: Rusty Goblin Shortsword, Spoiled Meat* 2, Minor Leather Vest* 1, Copper* 7]

Looks like there used to be goblins here, but something wiped them out and it leaves me wondering. Hobgoblins would’ve swarmed the camp, enslaving as many as they can without killing any, and razing the settlement to the ground. Another goblin pack wouldn't leave any loot behind. This place only looks bad from long term disuse. I activate Survival Craft, purify the meat, and drop them on the ground in shock.

I don't know if throwing up would cause me to lose my buffs, but I was hoping I wouldn't find out as I try to calm myself down. I take a drink from my waterskin and move forward away from the camp.

[You purified Halfling meat* 2]

[You dropped Halfling meat* 2]

I get the camp far behind me, and with enough foliage to partially conceal me, I equip the vest and shortsword and check out my stats.

[Equipped: Body Over: Minor Leather Vest

[Durability: 65/80

[Armor: 2]

[Equipped: Main Hand: Rusty Goblin Shortsword

[Durability: 55/55

[Dex/Melee, Throwable/1

[Base/Mod: 3/13]

[Equipped: Off Hand: Simple Iron Dagger

[Durabilty: 80/80

[Dex/Melee, Throwable/1

[Base/Mod: 2/7]

It looks like the off hand weapon cuts the bonus in half. Even with that and all the bad durability every piece of equipment is an advantage I can't ignore. So my damage output increases by 8 and, including the pelt, my Armor increases by 3. I'm pretty sure I can find one or two more loot bags, but the vibes in that camp are bad. The piece of Frodo I found creeped me out too much. Before I could take another step, I look down. It looks like the Red Herb, but a deep blue. I withdraw my dagger, "Let me guess..."

[Received: Blue Herb* 2]

Well, it beats trying to find a hundred specific kinds of herbs. Or maybe I can't identify the difference quite yet. My limited knowledge informed me that they are intended for mana potions. I'm going to keep an eye out for yellows and purples and any other odd color plant lying around.

I'm already at (86/100XP) but I feel like the closer I get to leveling, the more aggressive the creatures get. Even the boars seem angrier about it. I was already forced to run from a pack of about four wolves and more than a few pairs of boars. I didn't want to risk a death debuff just yet. The compass leads me to what I think is a clearing, but its actually a dirt trail on a wide slope dropping deep into the forest.

The trail is wide enough for five people to walk side by side, or maybe a small wagon? The trees are taller than the rest, but because they're on the slope they appear to be the same height as the others. This must be why the map makes it look like this place is normal forest. I decide to not enter just yet, and get my level first. If I find something I can't handle at least I'll know where to run.

Since loot apparently doesn't disappear over time (though it seems good still spoils), I find a large bush and keep all the hides and pelts in it, freeing quite a bit of space. I withdraw some precooked skewers from the bracelet and it suprises me how hot they still are. A few hours, a skewer break or two, and some very helpful woodland critters later…

[Level up! You have reached Level 2!]

[You have five stat points to allocate!]

I decided some time ago that I would rank up Arcane next so I assigned 3 to it and 2 to Dex. That way, I can increase both melee damage and Agility in case I don't get anything good from Arcane. Also, it looks like HP goes up by 4 and both MP and SP go up by 2. I'm pretty sure that's just the standard increase that everyone gets.

[DecaStat Reached: +1 Arcane Spell]

I opened up the player menu by accessing the up arrow notification under my three bars. It brings me directly to the list of available spells. The list is long, like the one offered to me for Dexterity. My idea is that in the beginning we really don't know how we're going to play, so if we had a large pool to choose from, then we can slowly specialize as we level up. I filter the choices to ranged bolt spells and find an element that's as neutral as possible.

[You learned: Arcane Bolt I (8MP+1sec) 50feet/ Fire a bolt of energy that deals Arcane_Total arcane damage]

Nice, now I have ranged attacks! It'll deal 10 arcane with the distance of a throwable, but it looks like I have to charge it.

The command word appears in my mind as if surfacing from under water, "Bolt!"

My hand glows a ghostly violet and a second later a small, glowing, purple orb the size of an apple appears in my palm. A boar walks into my field of vision, blissfully unaware of my presence. I grin, releasing the orb towards the creature and it streaks at it in a straight line. The orb "splashes" on the boar's flank, releasing crackling purple energy.

[You deal 10 arcane damage!]

No resistance to arcane is good news! An idea pops into my head and I sign the letters for bolt. My hand glows as the boar turns to me, angry as hell. A squeal echoes in the forest and I'm pretty sure it's me as I fire another bolt, dealing another 10 damage before the boar can reach me. I side step it and this time I try to think the word Bolt.

Nothing happens.

I draw both weapons and stab deep into the boar's injured side, smoldering purple energy still smoking from the fur.

[You deal 18 pierce damage!]

I jump back and stow the dagger, trying to sign with my left as deftly as I can. It works! I release the purple energy into the boar's face and take a full tackle head on.

[You deal 10 arcane damage!]

[Wild Boar tackles you for 1 damage!]

It's a dull pain, like getting hit in football gear. I land on my feet and scramble away. I stow the shortsword and try signing with both hands. Only the right glows. I finish up the battle, kill the boar, and take all the loot. Even though I just leveled, the last fight was definitely the most informative. It looks like the system recognizes ASL as a real language and reads the intention in it. We'll see how long I can get away with it, after they post the show, that is. Alright, let's complete this minor quest and see if we can get another.