PvP Dungeon Hunter

Level Up

There was nothing but darkness around him and his body would not move.

A voice spoke in Akuji’s mind, “you have leveled up, I am happy that you survived those wolves. It would have been a nasty way to die.”

“Who are you?”

“Your guide, your consciousness, and your only real friend. If you die, I die as well. Each time you level up you will be brought here once you sleep. They are many choices for you to choose and you may have an idea of what you want to be but I can also guide you with that if you want. There is no going back once you make a choice your options are sealed.”

“In my consciousness? What do you know about the things that I just witness, is that me? It felt real like I was the one there.”

“Yes, it is who you use to be. You forgot you gave up your former life for this one.”

“I gave up my former life, my mother?”

“What about her? It isn’t like you truly loved her from what I saw.”

“Why can’t I remember anything else about her? Why can’t remember anything else about myself.”

“You’re the one that sealed away your own memories.”

The answer caught Akuji by surprise.

 “I sealed them away?”

“Yes.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Don’t think about it too much after all when you wake up you will forget everything that I say.”

“I will forget everything here?”

 “Yeah for now it’s for the best. It isn’t like I can tell you much besides what I know, only from the time you made the contract that I was reborn. Although this was nothing like I expected. I guess it’s still better than the alternative.

 It happened the time you entered this world. I don’t know what you did, but your memories seemed to have been wiped in the process it is strange but I know things about you.”

“Do I have more family, where exactly do I live and how did I end up here?”

“You have a family, but it’s not like you care about them. The way they care about you with your memories gone you’re like a whole new person. It’s not like I can control what you see, that is all up to you.”

What I can tell you is that you made a deal, you wanted to be a hero remember? You are from Earth obviously.”

“Earth is that why I have that armour and sword?”

“An armour and sword? I told you it was a waste of time.” Akuji heard the voice sighed. “Let’s get this level up done with and be on our way.”

“Okay.”

“Strength this affects how much you can carry and how much damage you do with certain weapons that rely on strength to use.

Dexterity this primary deals with agility, reflex, and balance. It affects your ability to dodge an attack and how much damage you do with ranged weapons or small blades.”

“Is this the tutorial and if so, do I get my weapons and armour now?”

The voice chuckled. “I am just getting you up to speed. Now listen, your Constitution represents your health when it goes to 0 we both die. Intelligence determines how your character learns and reasons. It also determines how much experience that your character gains. Still with me?”

“Yes.”

“Wisdom determines how in tune you are with your surroundings. Noticing things that others cannot, your knowledge, and good common sense. Charisma is how good you are at swaying people and how you are perceived by others.

These are your base stats when you reached level 5 you will be able to choose a class or a vocation where you would be locked into but for now, you’re on training wheels.”

“What are my current stats?”

“Can’t you see them? Think about them and it shall appear, envision it like the inventory.”

Akuji envisioned himself looking at his own Stats and there it appeared before him.

It was awful.

Strength 3

Dexterity 2

Constitution 4

Intelligence 4

Wisdom 1

Charisma 1

Armour 0

Weapon equipped: none

Equipped: Plain clothes

Initiative: 3

“What is the Initiative?”

“It determines who goes first.”

“The attack order?”

“Yes, in time you will be able to see the stats of others around you and the creatures and animals that you meet. If you hear good information or read about them you will learn of their attacks and abilities. For now, choose which stat you want to level up.”

“I don’t know which one to choose with the limited points that I have.”

“Then why don’t you put one in constitution and another in strength. You can’t go wrong doing that.”

Akuji weighed it in his mind before looking at his low charisma and wisdom. He pulled from his thoughts anything he could remember about gaming and it seemed almost as if he was gearing himself to be a tank and he didn’t want to be that. He put the two points in strength instead.

“So much for my opinion,” the voice said, “well then we will see if it was a good choice in the end. Try not to die.”

                                                                                         #

The light woke him as Akuji opened his eyes to find himself hanging off the ground. His hands were bounded and there was something placed in his mouth that stopped him from talking. He frantically scanned around him, he was at the camp site, but the fire had been put out. Canta was in a similar position to him bounded and tied and even the wolf had a similar treatment.

Canta’s bar had changed above it read ~~~Level 2 65HP~~~

He tried to recall what happened to him. He remembered them sneaking into the camp and the outline of a man that spoke to him, he had probably knocked him out.

“Ah, so you’re awake. I didn’t want either one of you to kill yourself by accident.”

Akuji’s eyes turned to the sight of who had addressed him. It was a pale middle aged man, with long black hair falling down his face that covered his ears. He was rugged and his face was stoic with three aligned scars on his left cheek.

He wore a combination of fur and what looked like leather. A quiver was on his back filled with arrows along with a bow and in his left hand he held two rabbits.

He looked at Akuji with sharp amber eyes. “Hungry?”

 He strung up the rabbit near the middle of the camp and took the knife that was in the ground and walked over to Akuji. He untied his arms and held him so he wouldn’t fall upon the ground. He then removed the gag from his mouth.

Akuji straightened himself up as he looked up at the taller man noticing that his right ear seemed as if half had been nibbled off. “Who are you?”

He covered back his ear. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? I wasn’t the one sneaking around in the forest late at night with a young girl and a wolf. What were you thinking you both could have died? The forest can be dangerous for those who don’t understand its ways.”

“It was not by choice, we were in danger. My name is Akuji.”

“Fowler.”

“Can you please untie her too? We weren’t sneaking up on you. We were unsure about approaching the camp directly and that may have caused confusion.”

He scratched his beard for a moment as he walked to the centre of the camp. “What village are you from?”

Akuji thought for a moment should he lie?

“I don’t remember, Canta is from Rusvaer, she found me and I lost most of my memories about my past. Then after we went to the village, we were… we ended up here.”

“I see, yes, I do remember her face from going there a few times, those people have turned rather strange quite recently. Never saw yours before and I know these woods and villages in the area well. From your clothes to your face and your delicate hands it’s quite easy to tell. I know you’re not native here or to Ceventia, so I believe you.”

“If you knew that, then, why did you ask where are you from?”

“To see what you would say, anyway, let’s get her up. She won’t be able to eat like that.” He walked across to Canta and untied her. It seemed she too was also awake.

Canta thanked him before she walked across to me and sat down. Fowler turned his gaze finally towards the wolf and untied him, but left the binder on its mouth. The bar above it still read friendly wolf.

Why was that? He wondered, Canta had said the effects wore off in a few hours for the birds. The wolf took up a spot next to her leg.

In the light now the effects from last night were more pronounced. Canta’s clothes were torn around her arms and dirt was also upon them. He himself had a combination of grass on his arms and dirt. Akuji eyes were moving from Canta, to Fowler.

Fowler started to create a fire. “So, did you both get kicked out of the village?” his face turned to Canta as he finished what he was doing.

She clenched her hands that lay on her dress. “Yes.”

Akuji saw him looking at her hand for a while, but didn’t say anything in return. He still felt a level of uneasiness around him. The bar on his head was still two skulls, but the question marks were gone. Still, he could not see his HP, he knew this man was strong, stronger than the wolf he had seen last night.

They all sat quietly in front of the fire while the birds chirped in the trees. Fowler prepared the food in what looked like an assortment of wooden bowls and a pot.

“Rabbit stew,” he said.

“Thank you, Canta said again, “we don’t mean to intrude any further, we have our own food as well.”

“Nonsense, I can’t have two children wandering lost in the forest and not knowing how good rabbit stew taste.”

Akuji grabbed a bowl, and as he was about to eat, Fowler stopped him with a touch.

He laughed. “We all eat together, okay? How do you know it’s not poison?”

Akuji nodded. “I saw you make it.”

“The first lesson of survival, you shouldn’t believe everything your eyes see, but you have nothing to fear.”

 Fowler handed Canta a bowl before he placed a hand on the two of them. He said something under breath, it sounded to Akuji like a prayer.

 “Cernunnos lord of the hunt, thank you for safeguarding these children,” he muttered under breath before smiling. “Let’s eat.”

Fowler withdrew himself and sat on the opposite side of them. When everyone had begun to eat the wolf whimpered, it looked at Canta with sad eyes. Akuji watched her remove the bind around its mouth before she took a part of her food and threw it for him.

“Hey, don’t feed it,” Akuji said.

“But he’s hungry too,” Canta responded.

“He might eat us next.”

The man chuckled. “I don’t think that the wolf will trouble you.”

“Why do you say that?” Akuji asked.

“It sees you both as friends or members of its pack.”

The wolf quickly gobbled the food that Canta placed for it on the ground. Its HP Bar was slowly increasing back to full. It went up by 1 but it seemed to show the area in which it would fill which would be the entire bar.

After they had finished eating the pair sat next to each other wondering what to do next. They both didn’t think they would survive another night from the expressions on their face but they said nothing.

Fowler looked at them both as he tidied up what was there. “You might as well stick with me. I know you don’t know me, but if you stay out here by yourself you will die. I have seen many things in my lifetime. Villagers normally send children out here to die when there isn’t much food in the village.”

“That is a normal thing?” Akuji asked.

“Superstition, birth defects are just a few, each village is slightly a bit different, but most people lack the knowledge to understand any better.”

Akuji’s head dipped down. “Hmm, what do you think we should do Canta?”

“I think we should stick with Fowler, we won’t survive on our own.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry, I will teach you both how to survive after all I am a professional hunter. My skills have served me well for years, but there is a reason I am here, it’s to hunt an alpha wolf that I am tracking.”

“Alpha wolf?” Akuji questioned, he thought about it and remembered last night the wolf with the one skull above its head. That howl caused his hairs to stand up.

“We might have seen it, last night. It was black like night and had piercing eyes,” Canta said she paused as she looked at his cheek. “Why are you hunting it and did it do that to you?”

“Yes, it managed to wound me while I was distracted by the others, I hesitated for a moment.” Fowler scratched his beard before shifting his eyes to the fire. “I have been told of an offer of payment to hunt it. It killed a villager’s wife and the whole village put together the coins for it’s death and its pelt. That’s the only way to collect the coins. I might not be the only one either, but others who have tried, well, I found some of their bones.”

 “Is the wolf really that dangerous, and are wolves that scary? I wouldn’t want to hunt the wolf knowing it did all of that. You must be really brave,” Canta said.

The man was silent for a while, he seemed deep in thoughts. “I don’t think I am the right person for this, it’s complicated and I rather not share it, but I don’t plan to kill the animal.”

“Then what is your plan?” Canta inquired.

“To capture her and we will see from there.”

“Her?” Akuji blurted.

“Yes, the wolf is a she but… it’s very complicated and the trees have ears.”

“What?” Canta asked.

Fowler’s eyes darted around as he stood up briefly looking off in the distance. “You’ve finished eating, go take Canta and gather some water there is a river down the hill.” He pointed with his hand which held the knife in the left direction without looking at them. “Hurry and go now!”

Akuji looked at him, something was wrong, but he did not know what. Canta seemed to sense it too as she got up and headed in the direction, the wolf trailed behind. They initially walked, but then broke out into a run over the small hill as they ran passed the trees and shrubbery. Fowler voice had continued to urge them to leave again.

“What’s going on? Is he going to be okay?” Canta asked.

“I am not sure, but he has two skulls above his head. I think he should be fine.”

“What? Akuji you still keep saying the strangest of things.”

Was it really safer down here? He did not know, but it seemed Fowler was able to sense something they could not. Is that to do with his level or maybe the fact that he is a hunter? They heard the gushing of the stream before they reached the river it had a calming effect and for the first time Akuji saw a smooth oval face looking back at him. He placed a hand on his face. Is this who I am?

Above his head was his level.

~~~Level 2 HP 80~~~

He waved his hand over his head, but he felt nothing as it seemed to go through the bar.

“Only level two?” he muttered.

“What are you doing now?” Canta asked.

He turned to face her noticing the wolf drinking the water from the river. “Nothing, I thought I had something on my head.”

Canta peered at his head. “No, there is nothing there. I think we should give him a name.” She pointed at the wolf. “I was thinking Ranger, maybe Moonlight?”

Akuji sat down in the patch of grass next to the river, he examined the wolf for the first time noticing that it was a boy. “Moonlight?”

“Yes, because that’s when we first met him.”

“I don’t have any names in mind, and besides, I think he likes you more anyway.”

“So Moonlight then,” she said, her face lighting up.

“Yes, sure. How did you gather water from the river?”

“I place them in the water skin.” Canta produced one to show me. “This one, I have three. I will fill them up now since we used them earlier when we were eating, hand me yours too.”

She hummed to herself as she filled the water skin with water and they disappeared again back into what Akuji assumed to be her inventory.

“Akuji, do you think there is someone that misses you right now?” she asked.

He thought about it for a while, “I don’t know, maybe.”

“I see,” she looked to the ground for a moment and stop what she was doing.

 “Right now the only persons I know are you, that man and the wolf.”

“Maybe we can ask Fowler if he knows someone that can help with that and help you regain your memories.”

“I don’t trust him, that man Fowler. We are at a disadvantage here, he’s stronger than us. By the way do you feel any different than before? Do you feel anything strange about yourself?”

She moved from the river to the patch of grass Akuji was seated at and sat next to him. The wolf followed and sat near them as well.

“Strange?”

“Yes, do you feel any stronger, or perhaps any other changes in your body. With your level… nothing…”

“I feel quite normal and the same.”

Akuji wondered how Canta and him had leveled up, he assumed he had to be level one at first as well. Was it because of surviving last night or was it when she tamed this wolf? What were the conditions for them to get stronger and did he need to put stats into something? He tried to think about stuff about his past, but nothing came. He didn’t remember a single person, but he had knowledge of other things he couldn’t explain how, like knowing that this world has game like settings.

Maybe Canta was right and someone was out there searching for him right now his family or even friends, but as he was now without memories he would be nothing more than a shell to them. Think he said to himself, but the harder he tried the more his head hurt, causing him to have to stop.

“We’ve filled up on water. Do you think we should go back now? I believe he was trying to protect us from something.”

“Yeah, I got that feeling from how he was responding, but he seems pretty strong so I assume he’s fine. We will sneak back just to be safe.”

“Okay.”

They made their way back slower than before taking as much caution as possible. It was almost like the first time they had sneaked up on the camp in the night.

Tied up and seated in the middle of the camp were two men. Both of their faces were covered with cloth and they wore brown leather. From his position, Akuji saw Fowler standing above them with the blade in his hand gripped tight. He was muttering something to them, but he could not make it out.

~~~Bandit???? Level 3 Afflicted~~~

~~~Bandit Stalker???? Level 4 ~~~

Fowler then move and sat in the same position they had left him in. “You can come out Canta and Akuji, I know you’re there.”

 They were both caught by surprise they thought they had been silent the entire time.

Akuji and Canta both emerged from the bushes and cautiously walked across to where Fowler was seated his eyes still fixated on the two men.

“How did you know that we were there?” one of the men asked.

“Instinct, I have been in the forest a long time, I can detect anything around me in a certain radius. You thought it would be easy to sneak up on me, to get the best of me, you should have probably brought more men.”

“Who are they?” Canta asked.

“A bunch of fools. They saw the reward probably planned to kill me after capturing it and snatch it off my dead body. It would be a lot easier than to have to track it down themselves just follow me and wait for an opportunity when I am off guard.”

“Fowler, we would never do such a thing to the famous hunter,” one of the men said, “you have got it all wrong, all we wanted to do was hunt the wolf on the poster we got a bit lost and ended up here. Tell him, children, to let us go you don’t want any innocent men on your conscious.”

“Yeah,” the other man replied, “we are hardworking, honest men that do our best to take care of the village. You might even need our help with this wolf and we share the reward. We don’t want half or nothing, just enough for our contribution.”

Fowler laughed. “You know how many times I heard that same thing before someone tried to kill me or take something from me. Damn, there is a reason why I am a lone wolf. People can’t be trusted and all that spills from most men’s mouths are lies and trickery. More than anything else in this world I hate goddamn lies.”

“What do you plan to do with us?”

He got up with the gags in his hand. “Honestly, I should kill the both of you now, and I had planned too but that would be unsightly for these children. My options are limited if I release you. It will probably be that you hunt us down again or you hurt someone else. I think the better option is to leave you like this, you won’t escape those binds.”

“Wh---.”

Fowler placed the gag in his mouth and then the next one as well before looking at the weapons that lay assorted on the ground. He picked up a dagger and handed it to Akuji.

“Here,” he said, “you might need this later.”

Akuji held it in his hand, Rusty Dagger it read.

Rusty Dagger low durability Attack 3

He scanned the rest that was on the ground, some were broken others stat wise were far lower. It seemed this was the better weapon out of the bunch.

“Is it really okay for you to leave them like this? It seems kind of harsh,” Canta said.

“There is not much choice in the matter.”

She said nothing further about it and nodded her head.

“They are both bandits,” Akuji responded.

“Yes, they pretty much are.” Fowler looked at Akuji for a while. “How did you know that?”

“A gut feeling that I had.”

“I knew they were bandits because of the telltale signs, but for you to know that, do you have some sort of gift?”

 “Don’t I get one too?” Canta interjected.

It caught Fowler by surprise and he shifted his focus. “What do you mean?”

“A weapon.”

Not for now, I will teach you something else.”

“What will you teach me?”

“We will discuss this later, for now, let’s pack up and leave okay,” Fowler said, while he placed a bag on his back.

“Fine,” she said.

It was a while before they had the whole camp broken down and as they left Akuji looked back at the men in the open still seated, tied up, and bounded to each other. Their eyes already telling him the fate that they knew would happen.

The wolves might get them but they would kill them if they were free. He turned his face and took the first step forward. Don't think about it.