Visit my Patreon for up to 10 more chapters: patreon.com/bloodjam
NSFW Images on patreon
Every little bit helps!
Thank you :)
Jax's eyes snapped open to a world that assaulted his senses without mercy. Shafts of sunlight pierced the dense canopy above, casting erratic patterns on the forest floor where he lay sprawled amid tangled roots and damp leaves. His head throbbed with a relentless ache, as if someone had driven a spike through his skull and left it there to twist. Every inch of his body protested as he tried to move, muscles screaming from exertion he couldn't remember. The air hung heavy with the earthy tang of moss and the faint, underlying rot of decaying wood, while distant calls of unseen creatures echoed through the trees like warnings he couldn't decipher.
He pushed himself up on elbows that trembled under his weight, dirt caking his palms and smearing across his forearms. Fragments of thought flickered in his mind—flashes of pain, darkness, a sense of falling—but nothing solid took shape. His name surfaced like a buoy in fog: Jax. That was all he had, a single word amid the void. No faces, no places, no purpose. Just this wild expanse stretching endlessly around him, trees towering like ancient sentinels with bark rough and scarred, vines snaking between them in lazy coils. He wore rags that clung to his skin, a tunic frayed at the edges and pants torn at the knees, offering scant protection against the chill seeping from the ground.
Breath came in ragged bursts as Jax scanned his surroundings, heart pounding against his ribs. The forest felt alive, watchful, its shadows shifting with subtle movements that set his nerves on edge. He stood slowly, legs wobbling like a fawn's, and steadied himself against a nearby trunk. The wood felt unnaturally warm under his touch, pulsing faintly as if blood coursed beneath its surface. Thirst clawed at his throat, dry and insistent, pulling his gaze toward the soft gurgle of water nearby. A stream wound through the underbrush, its surface glittering invitingly over smooth pebbles.
He staggered toward it, knees sinking into the soft bank as he knelt and scooped handfuls of the cool liquid to his lips. It tasted pure, almost sweet, washing away the dust in his mouth and easing the burn. But as he drank, a rustle from the opposite bank made him freeze, water dripping from his chin. Eyes wide, he watched as bushes parted, revealing a hulking shape emerging into the light. A boar, massive and brutish, with tusks curving upward like wicked hooks and a hide matted with mud and bristles. Its small eyes fixed on him, red-rimmed and feral, nostrils flaring as it scented the air.
Time slowed. Jax's mind raced, instincts overriding the fog of amnesia. No weapons, no allies—just him against this beast in a place that seemed designed to devour the weak. The boar pawed the ground, hooves churning up wet earth, and then it charged, splashing through the shallow stream with a bellow that shook the leaves overhead. Jax lunged to the side, his body moving on pure reflex, rolling across the bank as the tusk sliced through the air where his leg had been. Pain flared in his side from the rough landing, but he scrambled up, grabbing a sturdy branch from the litter of fallen debris. It was thick, about the length of his arm, with a natural crook at one end that he gripped tightly.
The boar didn't pause, wheeling around with surprising agility for its bulk and charging again. Jax swung the branch low, aiming for its foreleg, the impact sending a jolt up his arms as wood met bone. The creature grunted, stumbling slightly, but pressed on, its shoulder slamming into Jax's thigh and knocking him off balance. He hit the ground hard, breath exploding from his lungs, the boar looming over him with tusks glinting. Desperation fueled him; he thrust the branch upward, jamming it into the soft flesh under the boar's jaw. Blood sprayed, hot and coppery, as the beast reared back with a piercing squeal.
Jax rolled away, gaining his feet as the boar thrashed, the branch lodged deep. Seizing the moment, he circled, picking up a sharp rock from the stream bed. The animal recovered, shaking its head to dislodge the weapon, blood streaming down its neck. It lunged once more, slower now, and Jax dodged, bringing the rock down on its temple with a crack that reverberated through his hand. The boar staggered, eyes glazing, and Jax struck again, then again, until it collapsed in a heap, chest heaving once before stilling.
Panting, Jax dropped the bloodied rock, his hands shaking from the rush. The forest seemed to hold its breath around him, the only sound his own labored breathing and the trickle of the stream. A soft chime resonated in his skull, unbidden and ethereal, drawing his attention inward. He focused, and a panel materialized before his eyes, translucent and glowing with bold white text that burned into his vision.
**
Status Screen
Name: Jax
Race: Human
Level: 1
Class: None
Affinity: Gravity (Latent - 0% Awakened)
Health: 75/100
Mana: 50/50
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 7
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 6
Charisma: 5
Skills: None
Inventory: Empty
Experience: 25/100
**
The display faded as he willed it away, leaving him staring at the boar's corpse in stunned silence. A system? Some kind of interface etched into his mind, tracking his every attribute like a ledger from a forgotten tale. It confirmed his fragility—low stats, no skills, barely a quarter toward the next level. But the kill had granted experience, and loot notifications flickered briefly in his periphery: Boar Hide (1), Boar Tusk (1), Raw Boar Meat (3 portions). He knelt beside the body, prying at the tough hide with numb fingers until a patch tore free, the system acknowledging it with a subtle warmth in his palm. The tusk came loose with a yank, its weight reassuring, and he carved out portions of meat, wrapping them in the hide scrap for later.
Hunger gnawed deeper now, but raw meat turned his stomach. Fire—he needed fire. Jax gathered dry twigs and leaves, piling them in a small clearing away from the stream's dampness. Striking flint-like stones together yielded sparks after several frustrating attempts, and soon a modest flame crackled to life. He skewered a portion of meat on the tusk and held it over the heat, watching juices sizzle and drip. The aroma filled the air, savory and primal, and when it charred to edibility, he ate ravenously, the warmth spreading through his belly and easing the tremor in his limbs.
As the sun climbed higher, casting warmer light through the branches, Jax felt a shift within. The status screen's mention of gravity affinity tugged at him, a faint pull like an itch he couldn't scratch. He experimented, focusing on the sensation, willing the air around a loose stone to... change. Nothing happened at first, but persistence paid off; the pebble trembled, then lifted an inch off the ground before dropping. Mana dipped slightly on the mental display—48/50 now—and a thrill coursed through him. Basic manipulation, crude and draining, but real. He practiced, lifting leaves, then the stone higher, each success building confidence amid the isolation.
The forest didn't grant peace for long. As afternoon shadows lengthened, a low growl rumbled from the underbrush, distinct from the boar's grunt. Jax snatched his tusk-dagger, crouching low as three shapes slunk into view: wolves, lean and gray-furred, with eyes gleaming yellow and fangs bared in silent threat. They circled the clearing, sniffing at the remnants of his fire, their movements coordinated like a pack honed by hunger. The largest, alpha by its scarred muzzle, stepped forward, hackles raised.
Jax's pulse quickened, the earlier fight's adrenaline surging back. He backed toward a tree, using it for cover, but the wolves fanned out, cutting off escape. The alpha lunged first, jaws snapping, and Jax sidestepped, thrusting the tusk into its flank. It yelped, blood welling, but the others closed in. One clamped onto his calf, teeth sinking deep, pain exploding up his leg as he kicked free, tearing flesh in the process. He swung wildly, the tusk glancing off a second wolf's shoulder, drawing a snarl.
Drawing on his nascent gravity sense, Jax focused mana into the ground beneath the alpha, willing it heavier. The wolf staggered as if weighed down, paws sinking unnaturally into the earth, giving Jax an opening to drive the tusk into its throat. Hot blood gushed over his hand as it collapsed, gurgling. The remaining two hesitated, then attacked in unison—one from the front, the other flanking. Jax dodged the frontal assault, but the flanker raked claws across his arm, shallow gashes burning like acid.
He channeled again, lifting a fallen log with shaky control and hurling it at the flanking wolf. It connected with a thud, bones crunching, sending the beast tumbling whimpering into the bushes. The last wolf circled warily, but Jax pressed, feinting with the tusk before grabbing its scruff and slamming its head against the tree trunk. It went limp, neck twisting at an odd angle. Silence fell, broken only by Jax's heaving breaths and the drip of blood from his wounds.
The chime returned, status updating in his mind.
**
Status Screen Update
Health: 55/100
Mana: 30/50
Experience: 75/100
Skills Unlocked: Gravity Pull (Basic) - Manipulate weight of small objects (Cost: 2 Mana per use)
Loot Acquired: Wolf Pelt (2), Wolf Fang (3), Raw Wolf Meat (4 portions)
**
Wounds throbbed, health dropping further as he bandaged his calf with strips from his tunic, the system's numbers a stark reminder of his limits. He harvested the pelts carefully, their fur softer than the boar's hide, and added fangs to his growing collection. Fire reignited, he roasted more meat, eating until fullness dulled the edges of pain. Night approached, stars pricking the darkening sky, and Jax built a lean-to from branches and pelts, the gravity skill aiding in securing it without nails.
Sleep came fitfully, dreams fragmented with echoes of combat and that persistent void in his memory. Dawn broke with birdsong, and Jax rose, testing his injuries. The calf wound had scabbed, constitution aiding recovery, health creeping to 60/100 overnight. He pressed on, following the stream upstream, seeking higher ground or signs of civilization. The forest thickened, vines denser, but he spotted glints amid the roots—odd markings etched into stones, runes glowing faintly when he brushed them.
Curiosity drew him closer to one, a spiral symbol pulsing under his touch. Mana flowed unbidden, and knowledge bloomed in his mind: Rune of Binding, used to reinforce tools or traps. He traced it onto a strip of boar hide, wrapping it around the tusk to fashion a crude knife, the edge sharpening subtly. Another rune nearby, jagged lines, revealed itself as Rune of Swiftness, but attempting to copy it drained mana without success—too advanced for his level.
Hours passed in exploration, Jax evading smaller threats like darting lizards and thorny snares, his gravity pull saving him from a pitfall by lightening his step over unstable ground. By midday, experience ticked to 85/100 from minor encounters—crushing insects that swarmed or toppling a bird's nest for eggs. Hunger sated with foraged berries that the system flagged as safe, he climbed a ridge, the stream widening into a pool fed by a small waterfall.
There, amid rocks at the pool's edge, he found a cache: weathered bones and scraps of metal, remnants of some past traveler. A rusted dagger, its blade nicked but serviceable, and a leather pouch with flint and tinder. Inventory updated, items vanishing into ethereal storage he accessed mentally. Emboldened, Jax delved deeper, the ridge leading to a crevice in the cliff face—a narrow cave mouth veiled by ivy.
Caution urged retreat, but the pull of discovery won. He entered, torch fashioned from bound twigs and wolf fat, the flame casting flickering shadows on walls etched with more runes. Deeper in, a chamber opened, floor littered with skeletal remains clutching a stone pedestal. Atop it sat a crystal, dark and veined, humming with energy. As Jax approached, it shattered, shards dissolving into his skin, mana surging.
**
Status Screen Update
Level Up! Level 2
Health: 80/120
Mana: 60/70
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 8
New Skill: Gravity Crush (Novice) - Compress small targets (Cost: 5 Mana)
Affinity: Gravity (Latent - 5% Awakened)
Experience: 0/200
**
Power thrummed through him, the latent affinity stirring like a waking beast. The cave held no further treasures, but as he emerged into twilight, Jax felt changed—stronger, sharper. The wilds remained hostile, but he had tools, skills, a foothold. Isolation weighed heavy, yet adaptation burned brighter. He would endure, grind through the threats, and uncover what this world demanded of him, one bloody step forward.