"We need a game plan," Mike stated as they headed toward the trees. They were nearly out of the clearing, and they hadn't seen any more beasts.
Dry leaves crunched under their feet as they scanned the area for threats. They had no idea what they needed to do. Drake wanted to test out his new skill, but was unsure how to do it. The system didn't give any information or instructions. He couldn't even figure out how to bring his system up so he could check his stats.
Drake looked towards his two friends. "See if guys can activate a system. After that beast, I heard a voice giving me a skill and a mana point, but I couldn't figure out how to bring it up to look at stats or even attempt to use my skill."
Mike and Chad were silent as they walked. It looked like they were trying to inwardly focus on something. After a while, they looked at Drake and shook their head. Both looked disappointed. They were unable to activate anything.
They kept walking, scanning the area. They heard a sound coming from the side. Heavy footfalls hit the ground with loud thuds. The sound of leaves being crushed as the loud thuds grew closer. When they looked, Chad's face went pale, Mike was tense, and Drake inwardly begged his system to activate so he could use his new skill. He had no idea how to activate it.
Chad notched his bow, pulling the string tightly. Mike held his arrow like a knife. Drake tried to activate his fireball.
In front of them was another beast. This one was twice the size. It looked like a tree. Red eyes narrowed in on Drake. He was the main target. The sinister-looking tree moved forward; Sharp teeth that resembled a shark grinned back at him. A sap-like substance was dripping out of its wide mouth. Twisted vines wrapped around its limbs with sickly flowers blooming around thick clusters of thorns. Drake knew what the beast was; he had similar beasts in some of his games. They called it a dryad.
Chad let his arrow loose. It bounced off the dryad's tough bark. Making the beast grin wider. Chad had shot at trees before; the arrows always pierced through. Wood was soft. Not this beast, which made the situation worse. If it can't be pierced, you can't kill it.
"Aim for the eyes!" Drake yelled. He was watching Chad's arrows bounce off the hard bark. There wasn't even a scratch to show it had been hit at all.
Chad notched another arrow, pulling the string tight, and he let the arrow fly. The arrow flew through the air, hitting the tree in the eye. It was a perfect shot. The dryad screamed in pain, then roared in rage.
Mike backed away, knowing he could do nothing. All he had was an arrow. If Chad couldn't piece it, neither could he.
In panic, without thinking, Drake lifted his hand and shouted, His eyes focused on the beast's wide chest, "Fireball!" he shouted. Immediately, a ball of fire formed in his hand and was sent flying at the dryad. Hitting the beast in the chest, the beast caught fire. Hot flames ignited, turning the beast into a pillar of fire. The beast roared. The fire didn't seem to stop it, though. It only pissed it off. Chad shot another arrow, aiming for the eyes, knowing it couldn't penetrate the tough bark of the beast.
The arrow found its mark, but turned to ash. The fire melted the arrow's shaft. "Don't waste your arrows!" Mike called.
Gritting his teeth, Chad yelled back. "I have no fucking choice!" Notching another, he let another fly, hitting the mark again. Chad spent long hours practicing his aim. He was a perfect shot. It was rare that he missed his mark.
The dryad screamed in pain. The arrows were adding up.
Drake tried to throw another fireball in the same manner he did before. Holding out his hand, he focused on the beast's chest. "Fireball!" he screamed again.
Fire formed in his hand, but much smaller. Throwing it anyway, it landed in the same spot as before. The dryad roared. Chad continued to pull his bow, arrows flying in quick succession. He was quickly running out of arrows.
Mike couldn't do anything. There was nothing for him to fight with. He felt useless as he watched his friends attempt to take down the large dryad.
Drake put his hand up again. "Fireball!" Fire formed in his hand, too small to do anything. It was the size of a marble. He through it anyway, not wanting to waste it. By the size of it, he knew he wouldn't be able to produce any more.
The dryad suddenly fell to one knee, then burst into a cloud of light particles before disappearing completely. Chad's arrowheads and a strange-looking bow were on the ground where the dryad once stood.
{A member of your cohort has killed a Level 1 beast; your cohort grows stronger.}
{A magic bow has been rewarded}
{You have received +1 mana}
Drake smiled, then walked to the magic bow, still on the ground where it had been dropped. He picked it up and handed it to Chad. "You killed it. It was a level 1 beast. This is yours. It's a magic bow," he informed his friend.
Chad's eyes sparkled as he looked at the bow. Grinning, he put his bow over his shoulder, then took the magic bow from Drake. It was a beautiful bow with runic carvings covering it. He pulled the string. An arrow formed made of wispy white energy. letting the arrow fly, he hit a nearby tree. There was a loud bang, and a hole was seen where the magic arrow hit. Chad smiled widely. "I can definitely use this."
Drake picked the arrowheads up off the ground from Chad's arrows and handed them to him. "You need to keep these. If you need to make arrows, you can reuse the tips."
Chad took them, placing them in his pack. Looking up at his friend, a question in his eyes. He sighed. "How did you know that I made the kill and not you with your fireballs?"
Drake smiled. "First, I have a question. Did you receive a system message?" Drake hoped that the answer was yes.
Chad shook his head. Mike was standing nearby, looking left out. Drake smiled. "I received one. It said that a member of my cohort killed a level 1 beast and that my cohort grows stronger. I received a mana point, and you received the bow. I think it paid you back for your lost arrows."
Drake looked over at Mike. "I have a skill. A weak one, but a cool one. Chad has a bow that won't run out of arrows. Now we need to try and make sure you make the next kill. Hopefully, it will give you a weapon. If I'm seeing this correctly, it will give you something that is suited for you." Drake's smile grew wider. "I think I figured out our game plan. Our first order of business should be to make sure you get a weapon, too."
Mike frowned. "Sounds great and all, but shouldn't our game plane be figuring out how to get back home?"
Drake smiled. "Remember, I told you what the box said. I think we get to take up everything we collect here." Drake pointed at Chad's new bow. "That bow, my fireball skill. Whatever we find, I think we get to keep. First, we don't know how to get home. Second, we might as well get stronger, collect cool shit while we're looking for the way home." He looked between his two friends. "What do you say we take advantage of this place while we're looking for the way out of here?"
Chad grinned, eyes gleaming as he looked at the magic bow. "I'm in."
Mike frowned. "I'd better get something really good. Even better than that," he said, pointing at Chad's bow.
Chad walked over to Mike and handed him his bow and quiver. "Take care of my girl." Chad was attached to his bow. He had won a lot of competitions with it. It was more like an extension of him. To let Mike use it said a lot. The situation was dire, and Mike didn't have anything to protect himself with.
Mike didn't hesitate; With a look of relief on his face, he took the quiver first and put the arrow he was holding inside, then took the bow from Chad's hand. "Thanks, man, I know how much she means to you. I'll take good care of her for you."
Drake still had an arrow, not willing to give it up. He didn't like only having a fireball. He could tell that he could only throw a few. Since he gained another mana point, he was praying he could throw more if he needed to. Next time he needed to use the skill, he wanted to make it count. This time, he knew that he had thrown his limit. He only threw three, and only one of them was strong enough to do damage.
With everyone in agreement, the three boys headed through the thick trees.