The following days pass by at an excruciatingly slow pace. You spend more time waiting to replenish your mana than you actually do using it. You've found a river nearby with water that is safe enough to drink and have managed to fill up several of the animal pouches so you're ready to leave at any time.

After using Power Strike a couple of thousands of times you’ve finally managed to reach level eight.

Power Strike (Level 8, 0%):

Deliver a blow that deals 255% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.

Your Power Strike is now strong enough to put a significant mark in any surface you strike and you’re feeling much more confident in your abilities. It’s time to set out.

You give the goblin campsite one last look in case you’ve forgotten anything before you set off.

You travel through the forest with only a vague plan of finding civilization. Every night you spend in the forest is one fraught with peril and danger, forcing you to sleep with one eye open lest you be taken by surprise.

You’ve encountered several animals and creatures over the past few days, some hostile like the Gicko Squirrels and others not. Any that have attacked you, you've put down with ease, your speed and reflex completely supressing any of the beasts. You can't help but thank your ever increasing Agility for that.

However raising the level of your Power Strike has proven troublesome ever since it increased to level ten.

STATUS

Level: 7 (34%)

Title(s): NA

Health: 150/150

Mana: 100/100

Attributes

Strength: 15

Agility: 24

Vitality: 15

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 10

Perception: 10

Charisma: 10

Luck: 10

Skills

The Perfect Body:

Increase Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 50%. Cannot be upgraded

Power Strike (Level 10, 22.91%):

Deliver a blow that deals 300% physical damage. Costs 15 Mana.

While Power Strike did provide you with an extra thirty percent increase to damage instead of the regular fifteen at level ten, it also seems to have reached some kind of milestone as each use now costs fifteen Mana instead of ten. It also feels as if its rate of progression has slowed significantly, requiring at least four times the amount of effort to raise it than the last level.

Still, that’s not enough to deter you from using it as you walk. You’ll need any extra strength you can get if you run into something with a shell as hard as those spiders.

The forest begins to darken as the sun sets and you once again begin to look for a safe place for the night. You can still feel a cold shiver run through you whenever you remember the sight of the eyeless beast that ate Derrick. You have no desire to run into it again.

You finally spot a safe place, a tree with several large branches close enough together to ensure you won't accidentally fall in your sleep.

You climb up and make yourself as comfortable as possible, resting your spear on an adjacent branch before you begin to drift off. The creepy echoing of animals in the night registers in your ears, but somehow you’ve become used to it and you’re able to ignore it, much the same way you ignore the rough tree bark digging uncomfortably into your back. Humans are nothing if not adaptable.

You wake to the sound of squawking coming from below you. Opening your eyes and peering down, you see three Gicko Goblins bickering over something. On each of their backs is a crude spear much like your own.

You watch them for a moment as they crowd around something on the forest floor before you slide a hand into one of your pockets, realizing you’re missing one of your water pouches. It must have fallen out in the night.

The three goblins continue to squawk, seemingly about where the pouch came from.

You hesitate for a moment, thinking that they might head off in search of the culprit, but then you realize that line of thought is naïve. If the creatures look up and manage to spot you in the tree, they’ll be on guard. If you act now, however, you can take them by surprise. You’re faster than your last encounter with the goblins and this time you won't be at the disadvantage of being tied up.

You can do this.

Slowly you stand up and reach your hand to the right, picking up your spear as you move carefully, not daring to make a sound and waste your opportunity at an ambush.

You tense your legs before you jump towards the goblins, your spear at the ready. You land with a thud as you use your skill, your shout catching the goblins unaware.

“Power Strike!”

The spear makes a whistling noise as it pierces through the air before it goes straight through one of the goblin's head.

You already know it will take you too long to pull it out, so you let go, turning to your next target as the first goblin collapses.

“Power Strike!” You throw out a punch towards the second goblin, striking it in the chest and you feel its sternum cave underneath your hand as blood begins to gurgle out of its mouth.

The last goblin finally begins to react, scrambling for its own spear, but you’re faster.

One more strike is all it takes before it too crumples to the ground.

You’re surprised. The fight was much easier than you expected, but you’re still happy to see that you earned a little over two thousand experience from the goblins.

You dismiss the notifications that appeared in front of you and are just about to check your Status to see how far you are from the next level up when the bushes ahead of you part and a creature emerges.

It seems as startled to see you as you are to see it and the two of you stare at each other for a moment.

The creature has dark grey-green skin, sharp ears, and a messy head of short black hair above a narrow face. Unlike the goblins, this creature is clothed in a leather shirt and pants, both of which appear to have seen better days. Strapped to its waist is a sword, fastened to the creature’s belt with a few vines.

It looks from you to the three goblins on the ground before it bares its fangs and lets out a hiss of anger. Its hand goes to its waist and it draws its sword with a wild ferocity, breaking the vines holding it in place, before it charges towards you.

The creature is fast, almost as fast as you, and it’s all you can do to spin to the side as it slashes at you.

Missing you with its swing, the creature howls in anger and continues to press you with its sword, its swings are wild and dangerous.

You dodge left and right, the sword only a hair’s breadth from your skin.

With no weapon of your own you have no way to overcome the creatures reach. Any misstep here can cost you dearly.

The game of tag continues, you have no idea for how long, but slowly you’re getting worn out. The creature is as well, but despite its rapidly tiring swings, you can see that you’ll be the first to wear yourself out. Sweat drips down your face, soaking into your tattered shirt. It’s only a matter of time until you make a fatal error.

You need to do something, and fast, but the creature is giving you no chance. It’s relentless in its pursuit, giving you no opportunity to grab your weapon.

Finally one of its slashes connects with your side and you let out a sharp gasp as the blade leaves a long, clean gash.

The creature grins triumphantly and attacks with a renewed fervor.

You suffer several more wounds across your body as you try desperately to think of a way to overcome the creature. But again you come up empty. There’s no way you can get close enough to it without being run through on the end of its sword.

You barely dodge once more when an idea strikes you. It’s crazy, even insane, but it might be the only chance you have. You need to do it. You have no choice.

The creature swings at you again, but this time you don’t attempt to dodge. Instead you take a step forward, towards the creature raising your fist as you meet the blade head on with your flesh.

You cry out in pain as it bites into your side, cutting several inches deep as the creature lets out a guttural roar of satisfaction.

You let out a choked scream as you swing your fist at the creature.

Despite the vagueness of your scream, your skill activates and your fist connects cleanly with the creatures head. It reels backwards in a daze from the heavy blow, letting go of its sword which remains embedded deeply in your side.

You begin to feel woozy from blood loss and a red flashing bar appears in the top left corner of your vision.

You ignore it as you swing your fist again, determined to end the creature. You can only hope that killing it will give you enough experience to level up and that, by doing so, you’ll be able to heal the wounds its given you.

You fist connects once more with the creature’s head before it falls to the ground with a pained screech.

You mount on top of the creature and let loose a flurry of punches. No longer having enough Mana to use your ability, you’re only able to hit the creature with your regular attacks, but your first two blows were effective enough that the creature is only able to put up a meager resistance before it soon goes still.

A familiar light engulfs you and you begin to smile, your plan worked.

Your smile fades, however, as the light disappears. You still feel an intense pain in your side and, looking down, you are shocked to see the creatures sword still embedded in you.

The light, while seemingly possessing healing properties, was unable to eject the foreign material in your body and simply healed around the blade.

You get to your feet with a ragged pant. The blade shifts and you let out a cry of pain as blood begins to flow from the wound.

The flashing blue box in front of your eyes is distracting and you hastily dismiss the notification telling you of your level up as you try to figure out what to do now.

What do you do?

1) Pull the sword out quickly. You can’t very well walk around with a sword in you.

2) Pull the sword out slowly. You don’t want to cause any more damage than necessary.

3) Leave the sword in there. You don’t know what you’re doing.