Step, step, shudder, step, rustle, crouch, step, crack!

“Alexander! Can you keep sneak a little better please, next time instead of getting a silly breathing skill how about learning how to travel silently instead, huh?” Andra furiously whispers at him from her leading position. She lifts her fist into the air to signal for everyone to hold while she checks on their prey.

Yep, its nervous, looks around and flicking those ears, at least this one is female, so none of those rather deadly antlers… Now how to get closer without spooking her? Is it worth just rushing out instead? No, they need to get Vale just a little bit closer, at least he can be quiet for light’s sake…

She creeps back to the waiting group and points at the other 3 apart from Alex and tells them to follow her. She tells Alex to wait and be their rear guard while the rest initiate on the doe.

As the others follow Andra, Alexander is doing his best not to activate Breath of mana and waste stamina right before combat begins, he will get his chance soon enough! But she is right, I need to learn to move more quietly, maybe I can get Reiva or Andra to give me some pointers, what to look out for. A city boy in the wild is still a city boy so he didn’t expect much more from himself but being made a “rear guard” rankles.

From a little bit further voices are suddenly heard, and above them all there is “Father’s Disappointment! Is that all you can do?! What a wimp!” That must be vale, things must be heating up right about now. He gets out of his crouch and starts pushing through the shrubbery. I need to get in there and help!

As Alexander runs out of the bushes he sees that the doe already with a broken joint, Reiva is stabbing it in the neck trying to bleed it to death, Stefan is trying to break another joint but his normal momentum is missing without his Winds of Battle active. Andra is using the doe’s vulnerable points to train her accuracy on and Vale is doing his best to keep his new defensive active.

“Huh, I guess you don’t even need my help, kind of makes me feel useless” Alex comments from the side.

It’s been 3 days since their skill creation day and they have been hunting the whole time. One their first day they found that having skills doesn’t mean you automatically win. Yes, they had skills before that but the 1st deer’s resilience was such a surprise that everything was a mess anyway.

Now, coordinating those skills too longer to learn. One of the most dangerous events was when Stefan charged past Andra just as she was letting go of her Trueshot arrow. THAT was the last straw, it almost came to blows right there until Reiva, the quiet one, cooled everything down by pointing out that the deer was about to kill Vale while they argued.

Since then, the timing, coordination and positioning has improved by leaps and bounds. Skills were hitting within seconds of each other and more importantly, they were concentrating on the vulnerabilities. Andra and Stefan would one-two a joint, done enough timed it would weaken it and slow down the deer. Reiva and Vale did their best to bleed it with small cuts and keep its attention away from the others. Alex ended up delivering the killing blow but severing the head when the time was right, otherwise he was severing tendons and muscles.

“Not this time, we have it under control, and you finished the last one too quickly that we couldn’t practice our skills on it anyway.” Stefan replies. “Now go sit over there, on that rock and watch us do our thing.”

Alex glanced at the rock to the side of the fight and huffed. I guess I can continue getting used to my breathing. I always thought that it would be easy to change over the new breathing style for everything but seems my image was a little too strong… for now the vacuum is still hurting my lungs.

Alex sat down on the appointed rock and started practicing his Breath of Mana. It was tier 5 now and looking at the skill description, the first Rank is not going to be much of an improvement overall either.

Breathg of Mana (Uncommon)

User uses the vacuum of their lunges to draw mana from the surroundings at an increased rate.

+0.1 mana Regeneration per minute

Used: 4.95 points of Stamina per minute

With each minute used, mana regeneration rises by 0.1 to a maximum of 0.5

At higher tiers stamina decreases, Stamina expenditure resets with each Rank. Each Rank increases the base regeneration and the bonus regeneration.

That 0.01 decrease in stamina used is abysmal but I guess that relates to the Rank of the skill… I wonder if I can learn to use it full time eventually?

Alex glances to the sides of the clearing they chose and freezes, to the right and on the other side of the combat there seems to be something nosing through the bushes. Its low and sleek with a muzzle and some kind of canines… Must be some kind of predator, but without more information there was no telling what it could be.

Alex looks away from the area and starts to stand again, his body thrumming with adrenaline. They are about to be ambushed, and he can’t warn the rest of his team otherwise it will strike and take out at least one of his team. He stood up slowly and turned his eyes away from the exact spot of the ambusher.

Walking directly at it is a no go, that could spook it into attacking so he will need to walk with an arc, and he should probably pass by Reiva too to recruit her for his counter strike. Hopefully whatever it is, won’t be able to smell the girl. Alex started slowly, oh so slowly to edge around the near side of the fight to position himself between the ambusher and his team, at the same time he could pass Reiva the signal to follow him in stealth

Everything was going smoothly until suddenly it wasn’t! The bear? It sure was as big as a bear, maybe bigger suddenly stood up from its crouch and charged at the team. Maybe Alexander spooked it, maybe it realised that it was the perfect time to attack right after a Trueshot x Winds of Battle combination from our heavy hitters but whatever it was no longer mattered. It was coming and it was HUGE!

The rest of his team were just then facing away from the bear but saw Alexander start sprinting at them as if the world was about to end, “Stefan I need a boost! Throw me!” Alex yells at a bewildered Stefan. After 3 days of constant combat, he however, does not ask why but instead cups his hands and starts counting down “Two…. One…”

Alex steps on Stefan’s cupped hands and jumps while simultaneously shouting “JUMP” with Stefan. It was a perfect throw! Alex had activated his sword effect even before he started sprinting, he did it as soon as the height of the thing grew larger at the shoulder than he thought anything around here would be!

He sailed through the air with his sword raised about his head for the most momentum his tiny frame could generate! The thing tried to dodge but it never considered Alex to be a threat as it never saw this cub attack. It thought the thing was useless or it would be in the middle of the combat not sitting on the side.

It thought wrong.

Just as Alex starts his downwards swing, the thing suddenly felt a twinge of self-protection and attempted to meet the cub by standing on its hind paws and blocking with its armoured arms. It worked, but not how the thing expected.

Alex saw the thing start to rise onto its rear paws and stand up to block his attack, and probably slash him right after with those wicked claws! He was all that coming in his mind but was already committed this attack.

Maybe it was foolhardy, he remembered all his instructors ridiculing aerial based skills. That once you were in mid-air, you were predictable and could only go in an act to your destination. Sure, mages could change their direction but the concentration required was too high to do anything in such a short amount of time. But he was no mage.

“FFFFUUUUCCCCKKKKKK!!!” He screamed as his hit connected with the beasts left arm(?)/paw(?)/appendage(?) and started skidding off the fur until finally cutting through enough of the fur near its armpit and severing the main pectoral tendon connecting the chest the to shoulder! There is blood everywhere but on Alexander’s sword, the wind sheath blew it all away from the blade and ruptured more blood vessels with pressure blow out alone.

Alexander is only 6, he is now muscular for a child but does not have the amazing mass of an adult or the grip of an adult. If he was a teenager or in his 20s then he would probably have been able to force the blade further down the front of the thing and maybe made it run away from the difference in size after it was injured. For now, it’s a 2.5-meter monster against a 115 cm boy. The cub obviously got lucky and it could crush him, the other cubs and take the kill of the it sought after prey from them afterwards too!

Alex gets dragged up after his sword gets lodged in the monster and is then pulled up with it as the thing grabs onto the side of the blade and pulls it out. He manages to hold onto his sword when its thrown to the side like some rubbish but that is all he can do, he lands on the ground poorly and is stunned momentarily.

He can hear Andra shouting something in the background, smoothly giving orders to the rest of his party, I hope I gave them enough time to stop playing with the deer and reorganise against this monster.

He passed out right there and then.

Uhh, what’s going on, why is my head on fire? What happened? I must have gotten drunk and had some weird ass dream… It was nice though, now time to get up.

Alex starts to struggle to get up from the ground while people are fighting around him.

Hey! Don’t you see a drunk trying get up here! What are you doing in my hou… Why is there dirt under my hands? I must still be dreaming…

“A..x…nder! S…p …t … i… Al…der!”

What? What are you trying to say? I can’t hear you properly… My name isn’t Axnder either its ….. What was my name again? In the dream I was Alexander but … was it not a dream?

“Stefan get his back leg! While he is doing that, Reiva I need you to try aiming for its spinal cord, we need to slow it down more or this will be the end! TRUESHOT!!!”

Ahhh, more voices… Though Stefan … Reiva… Trueshot? I know all those words… what is going on. C’mon Alex get your head together!

Hold on! Alex? As in my dream self? No… I died … I remember my mother like she was more than a dream… that means ….

“Vale how are you doing with that deer? Can you go on any more?”

“Yes, I can keep going, this thing was slowed and crippled by you all already but I am afraid its will be mobile again soon! We can’t fight both of these things!”

“Just a little more! Alex will be back with us soon I can see his eyes coming back to life!”

“GET BACK REIVA!!! IT’S AIMING FOR YOU! YOU MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING REALLY SENSITIVE BACK THERE!!! OOOFFFFFF”

“Thank you, Stefan, for blocking it off, I almost didn’t make it. I think I found something that is akin to a tail back there though! Must be really sensitive for that reaction!”

Reiva? Stefan? Vale and … ANDRA! I seem to remember something… we were hunting food for the camp and training our coordination when …. Something huge attacked right? Did we kill it? Is that what they are fighting now without me?

C’mon Alex! Get your head together! They need you!

TALENT CLEAR MIND ACTIVATED Clear Mind talent will resuce all stun affects by 10% and increases recovery speed from them by 50% (Tier 0 Dot)

“Urgh… I am up! Stop shouting at me!” Alex tries to yell at Andra but is hit by a splitting headache. He must have hit his head worse than he thought he did. “Where do you want me?”

“Help Vale finish that thing off, we need him to recover some stamina and then the both of you need to come and help us here. We are holding it off but its not coming cheap!” she replies

“Aye, Aye captain!” Alex stumbles over to Vale who is still trying to end the deer. Its fast recovery speed and his low attacking power seems to be matched. If Vale stops hitting it then it will recover its mobility and they will all be dead soon after.

“Alex! Good to see you! How is your mana? You have been out of almost 5 minutes! I hope you can end this thing fast so I can rest for longer…” Vale says while trying to back the brains of the doe in with his mace.

“No, I can’t use it for another 5 minutes but even if I could, I would save it anyway.” Alex replies while getting into position and acquiring his stance.

It has been 4 days since the first time he used this action to almost sever the head of a deer. He had changed much but this time he didn’t have the mana to use his wind sheath or the time to wait for it. But it has been 4 days and his whole approach to the move has changed. The first time he just used his arms to swing the sword. Now he was rotating from the toes in his boots all the way to his wrists! All those joints acting as a pulley, doubling the power provided with every joint.

This time the blade went all the way through the neck without stopping. The head flew over Vale who ended up covered in the gushing blood of the deer but that was the life of a vanguard.

“Pheeewww, give me a few minutes to rest up. You should go ahead and help the others, I will join you shortly….” Vale said while trying to catch his breath, “I think I need to come up with a breathing technique too… though for stamina…”

Alex looked around and made sure there were no more enemies in the bushes, waiting for ambush them again. When he does not see any more hostiles, he moves on to circle the monster.

He sees Reiva trying to stab her daggers through the back of the monster with little effect so he decides to join her.

The improved movement for the slash should also work with a thrust right? Well there is no time like the present to find out I guess…. 2 more minutes left for my mana to recover enough though ….

“Rei! I am coming up behind you, please don’t stab me!” Alex warns the camouflaged girl who shrugs and goes back to her fruitless task of dealing serious damage without getting attention from the monster again.

Alex gets into his low posture again and starts his thrust, the movement starts in his toes again and moves through his ankles, up through the knees and the pelvis, to the shoulders and finally to the elbows. The thrusting action and the rotation of his arms makes the sword rotate as it was thrust at the monster’s back.

The tip of the blade moves the fur away from the up coming blade and acted like a drill through the outer protective zone. Once it hit the skin at the back it slowed down, but not enough that the motion stopped completely, until that is the blade hit the spine and slid around it into the monster!

“RRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH” it suddenly roared from the pain! Must have hit something vital there! It suddenly turned around and aimed a slash with its massive claws at Alex. The sword gets ripped out of his hands when the thing rotates and the motion of it being tugged out of his hands also makes it possible to dodge such a swift counter attack. Dodge by getting thrown 2 meters to the side that is!

“Reiva! Hide! Its pissed and I am not in reach of it at the moment after Stefan got done with its right knee! Retreat for now and let it concentrate on me!” Alex orders the girl! There is no reply from her and after a while Andra feels a tap on her shoulder to tell her where Reiva is currently.

Andra sees how the monster reorients on Alex and starts to lumber towards him, Stefan is spent, his stamina is almost non-existent. He can hardly move no less try to hit more joints of this juggernaut! Especially when it’s so pissed!

C’mon mana! Almost there! Just 32 seconds more! Alex gets up and goes into a crouch, trying to be ready to evade. The monster comes to rest In front of Alex and raises it’s right paw in the air while keeping its left paw to the side to stop Alex’s preferred escape direction to his sword.

“TRUESHOT!” Andra shouts and uses the last of her stamina to hit the Monster in the back of the head, trying to make it stumble, or come to attack them instead, waste some more of its time to let her team recover just a little bit more!

BANG!!!

The force of the arrow makes the monster’s head sway forward slightly, its turns its upper body to look behind it and starts to growl, then turns its head back towards Alex and prepares to end this cub.

“FATHER’S DISAPPOINTMENT! IS THAT ALL YOU CAN DO? WHAT A WIMP!” Vale shouts as he comes running from behind Andra. Everyone forgot about him once Alex got caught but now he was ready to fight again. His stamina regenerated a little and even if he couldn’t deal much damage, he could take a great beating! His Vitality was naturally insane for his age, all due to his father’s “training” regiment.

The Monster’s head turns again when it hear’s that call and tries to turn back but something is stopping it. It growls again but starts to move towards Vale. Vale continued to run at the monster however instead of making it chase him.

Andra recognises this first and shouts “Vale! What are you doing? You can’t take a straight on hit from it!”

“It’s a requirement of my skill! I have to hit it once now within 15 seconds or any effect my skill had will be nullified!” she hears in response

Five… four… three… two… oooonnnneeeee….

Okay just enough mana now for this! And with Vale’s help, looks like I can do a final thing! Thank you, Vale!

As the monster turned to face Vale, Alex’s sword is suddenly within reach again, its still set to activation mode as he never had time to disable that. Alex takes the handle of his sword in both hands and pours his mana into it!

The wind sheath activates inside the monster and does crippling damage! Once Alex feels that the blade is unstuck again the rotates the blade to point the blade towards the heart of the monster and thrusts his sword up!

The sword cuts up from behind the monster going through all its unprotected internal organs until the blade finally reaches its heart! The nick on the heart is tiny but it is enough to create extreme internal bleeding for the thing!

It eventually bleeds out with the blade still doing more damage to the heart from the after effects of the wind sheath.

CONGRATULATIONS For defeating an Adolescent Forest Yeti that was more than 30 levels higher than the average of your party you gain double ability growth For defeating an Adolescent Forest Yeti while everyone in the party was Citizen class gain the title: "First Citizen" - First Citizen increases the speed skills gain Tiers and Ranks by 25%

“30 levels ahead? And that title! But more importantly… what do we do now? Can we drag this thing back with us? Everyone sit down, we need to rest whatever happens” Andra takes charge again .

Phew! I am just glad that worked! I wasn’t sure if I would be able to activate the effect while inside another animal’s magic field. This makes explosive bullets a possibility … but for now…. Stone grenades? Could I create 2 separate ones and tie them together to make a flash bang of some kind?

“Hey! ALEX! Get out of your head and help us cook this deer! We are going to need all the strength possible to drag that thing back! It’s way too big!” Stefan says after slapping Alex’s back with all his might!