...
Aurelian awoke to a faint rustling of leaves, the damp earth still clinging to his body. He stretched his body, the warmth of the blood of his kills still lingering in his mouth. The familiar darkness of the night but could see a faint glow clung to the edges of the sky, hinting at the approaching dawn. He flicked his tongue, activated Nocthermal Vision, gathering information about his surroundings. He coiled lazily, disappointed to see no worthy prey.
He slithered up a low-hanging branch, gaining a better view point of the forest around him. The nocthermal vision he'd mastered revealed some heat signatures of small creatures scurrying through underbrush, birds nestled in their nests, insects crawling along bark.
"I've been observing the patterns here and yesterday I've found something surprising. A path, that leads to who knows where? And why i am so happy to fint it, is because I've been struck in this dammed forest where there's nothing useful for me now, no strong creatures, no lead to anything useful, so I've been wanting to get out of here and know more about the world."
He descended from the branch, his sleek body moving with practiced grace. The muscles beneath his thin scales had grown stronger with each hunt, each meal.
Aurelian's body tensed with anticipation.
"Today I'll follow it. If there are intelligent beings in this forest, I need to know what I'm dealing with. Knowledge is power, after all in this world, I need every advantage I can get."
With renewed purpose, Aurelian began slithering alongside the crude path, careful to stay hidden within the underbrush. His thermal vision activated, he scanned continuously for any signs of life larger than the forest dwellers.
"These past days have been productive, at least. My [ Venomous Bite] has improved to level 2, and my [Tail whip] is now at level 3. The venom has been particularly useful, even creatures that might outmatch me in strength think twice when their muscles begin to seize and their vision blurs."
His progress in leveling had been steady, if not spectacular.
"I'm level 5 now, nearly halfway to what I assume is an important threshold at level 10. The problem is that the smaller creatures barely provide any experience anymore. It's like being a master chess player practicing against beginners, you might win easily, but you don't improve much."
The logical conclusion was obvious.
"I need stronger opponents. Creatures at my level or higher. Only then will I see significant growth. And I've got another free point at level 5 so i think I'll probably get more than 1 free points at multiples of 5 like 5, 10, 15 and so on."
Level Increased: 4 → 5
Free Point Gained: 2
Attributes:
[STR: 6 → 7]
[AGI: 7 → 8]
[END: 7→ 8]
[CON: 8 → 9]
For hours, Aurelian followed the path, the hints of dawn slowly transitioned into the morning. And then a disturbance. Aurelian paused, heat signatures. Faint, but distinct. Four humanoids. One beast. The shapes shifted erratically, like a dance of battle. His instincts sharpened.
"Conflict?" His black eyes gleamed. Aurelian immediately slowed his approach, every muscle tensed for either attack or retreat.
As he drew closer, hidden within the shadows of large tree roots, he could make out their forms clearly. Four bipedal figures, humanoid but definitely not human. Their skin was a light green hue that seemed to blend partially with the forest. They had short, pointed ears that twitched occasionally, listening for danger. Three had black hair, while one probably their leader had light blond hairs that caught what little moonlight filtered through the canopy.
"They're not goblins, at least not like the ones from stories. These creatures have a certain.. dignity to them. Almost elven, but more rugged."
Their clothing reminded Aurelian of historical fantasy, leather jerkins reinforced with metal studs, boots that rose to mid-calf, belts laden with pouches and tools. They carried weapons: one with a gleaming steel sword, another with a bow strung and ready, the third wielding a spear with practiced ease, and the fourth, the largest one carrying a heavy shield emblazoned with a symbol Aurelian couldn't recognize.
They were speaking to each other, their voices low but intense. Aurelian couldn't understand a word, but their body language told him that they were discussing strategy for what was ahead them.
The creature emerged, a monstrous figure with blue scales and a grotesque, fish-like maw. It was massive, easily more than two meters tall, and its movements were primal, driven by instinct rather than intelligence. "Now that's what I'm talking about," Aurelian thought, the thrill of the hunt coursing through him. Aurelian analysed the situation somewhat excited to see some humanoid talking individuals and a somewhat different creature from those weaklings. He thought,
"Some kind of amphibious monster. A river guardian, perhaps? Or just a territorial predator?"
The green-skinned warriors reacted instantly. The shield-bearer moved to the front, bracing for impact. The archer loosed three arrows in quick succession, two finding their mark in the creature's shoulder, seemingly doing little but enraging it further. The spearman circled to the side, looking for an opening.
The blonde swordsman shouted something most likely a command, judging by how the others responded, and then they engaged in earnest.
The battle was brutal and efficient. The monster's first swing caught the shield with enough force to drive the bearer backward several steps, wood splintering under the impact. The spearman darted in, driving his weapon into the creature's flank, drawing a roar of pain and fury.
The monster pivoted with shocking speed, its clawed hand lashing out and catching the spearman across the chest. Fabric and flesh tore in equal measure, and the warrior went down, blood pooling beneath him almost instantly.
"First blood to the monster. I can't have them all die, i need someone alive to get information about the world."
The creature howled, black ichor spraying from the wound. It grabbed the swordsman by the throat, lifting him off the ground. The shield-bearer rushed to help, but the monster's tail, which Aurelian hadn't noticed until now whipped around, catching him in the abdomen with enough force to rupture organs. The warrior crumpled, his shield clattering uselessly to the ground.
The monster then lunged, claws ripping into green flesh. Blood sprayed. The warrior stumbled, clutching his abdomen.
"And then there were two."
Another struck desperately with a spear, but the beast twisted, the archer continued loosing arrows, trying to find a vulnerable spot, but the creature's scales seemed to deflect most of them. When it charged toward the archer, the swordsman intercepted, his blade slicing deep into the monster's abdomen.
The archer dropped his bow, drawing a pair of daggers, but he never got the chance to use them. The monster hurled the spearman directly at him, and both went down in a tangle of limbs. Before the archer could rise, the creature was upon him, tearing into his throat with those needle teeth.
Only the blonde swordsman remained, scrambling to retrieve his weapon which had been knocked away in the fall. The monster, sensing victory, moved more slowly now, savoring the moment. Blood both its own and that of its victims dripped from its claws and maw.
The swordsman reached his blade, spinning to face the creature with determination in his eyes. He was clearly the most skilled of the group, but even he looked outmatched against this rampaging beast.
As the monster lunged for what would surely be a killing blow, something unexpected happened a small white blur of motion, barely visible in the dim light.
Aurelian struck.
...