You have arrived in Crownfall a returning continent of Pandora. Having chosen [The Cssics] from out of the [Starting Scenario]s your story will begin where many others would end; in Fairshore, a quiet and peaceful vilge, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan centers.
Wolves have always roamed the forests around Fairshore. But of te a pack has grown bold attacking loggers and outlying farmers. While the damage has been minimal, the community of the small vilge have been put on edge and they have been looking for a way to remove these animals.You are a Hunter who is passing through Fairshore. When the vilger hears of your profession they pool their wealth to put a bounty on the wolf pack. Eager for work you accept the task and head into the forest to drive off the wolf pack.
The following are your tasks.Away! Away! Foul Beast [Scenario][Primary][Quest]: Drive out or destroy the wolf pack that is harassing the forest.Rewards: Increased reputation in Fairshore, 1000 UPs, Css selection, Initiation Phase restrictions lifted, Additional rewards depending on performance.Progress: {0/1}Down Ye Damn Dog [Scenario][Secondary][Repeatable][Quest]: Kill or capture a wolf.Rewards: 100 UPs per wolf, 1 SPs per wolf, Additional rewards depending on total progress.Progress: {0}
From this moment on you will be recorded and can be seen by the wider world. Remember, your actions may inspire both admiration and ire among the viewers. Of those above, some may make Cims against you or grant Boons to you.
The majority of the message just a simple repetition of what I had heard before; the only difference was the final section. There were two new quests that expanded on the scenario giving a clearer direction. But what troubled me was the very st block of text I had already seen what a Cim could do, taking away some of my opportunities.
I looked at the singur knife on the stone ptform in contemption. With only this am I expected to drive out a pack of wolves? How about a bow or a sling, maybe some rope or poisons? Forget killing a wolf how would I even find one in the first pce?
I picked up the belt, a thin ft strip of leather upon which the sheath and bde sat. As there was no buckle I simply tied the belt so that is sat snugly around my waist. Drawing the knife to inspect it I found a simple and sturdy bde; from pommel to tip, the knife was about a span and half, in total a little shorter that my forearm. The knight had a single edge and a straight and ft spine. The metal was a smooth metal polished so fine that I could see my own reflection through it. Testing it on my arm hairs I found that it was razor sharp, able to shave my arm bare.
Alert!: Weapon detected. Register your weapon for rewards.
Should I?.. Nothing ventured nothing gained I suppose. I called out to Octavia. "Register my knife."
Octavia responded, her voice sounding in my head. "You got it boss! Try not to be disappointed though."
Registering weapon...
Item registered:Survival Knife Type: [Weapon] Grade: [Iron] Condition: Pristine Value: 100 UPs Ranking: 11851st PceA standard issue knife for many pyers. Both a tool and a weapon, this pattern has killed and saved more lives than the totality of many worlds. May this bde serve you well.
You have unlocked [Equipment]You have unlocked [Equipment Leaderboards]
Achievement Unlocked: Register a WeaponRewards: 100 UPs, 1 SPs
That's a lot of information. Mostly unimportant but it's good to know where I stand in comparison to others. Though most people probably haven't registered their weapons yet.
My focus shifted to the unlocked features. "Octavia can you show me..." I trailed off in the midst of asking Octavia to navigate the system.
I saw something in the abyssal depths of the surrounding forest that made my blood run cold.
From the dense undergrowth I saw a shining pair of eyes that were locked onto me. Out crept a dire wolf, silent and majestic, a predator ready to kill. Its thick fur was a mix of gray and white with a swirling pattern marking its face. Its full length excluding its tail was slightly longer than I was tall, a behemoth in size to its mundane gray wolf counter part.
With bared teeth and a low growl, it slowly stalked towards me slowly, its intent clear.
My eyes frantically scanned the clearing for any advantages, but found nothing. The ground was even and unblemished with a low grass that provided easy visibility. Its almost as if this location was made to force a melee.
With no positional advantages on hand and no other tools to work with, I would either have to kill the wolf with the knife and my hands or I would be killed.
I had no idea what to do, while I had retained much of my knowledge from my life before the same could not be said for any martial or athletic skills. I didn't know whether this was due to the memory loss or me never having had the skills to begin with. My rational mind could only come up with a simple idea of what I should do. Keep the pointy end of the knife towards the wolf, try not to get hit, especially in the head, and don't drop the knife.
In this crisis my body felt somewhat ungainly like a set ill fitting clothes. My knife sat in a white knuckled forward grip and my body formed an awkward and unwieldy southpaw stance.
My world tunneled, until all that was left in my sights was the wolf.
When the wolf was a dozen paces from me it's speed surged as it rushed me. It closed the remaining distance in a single breath and unched it self at me. Jaws open and cws extended its body formed a cage of death as it descended.
Fortunately, my instincts screamed for me to get out of the way as the massive body of the wolf sprung at me.
I flung my self to the left side of the beast, right before I collided with the beast.
Lashing out blindly with the knife in my right hand, I struck at the wolf. It connected with a jarring force like I had hit a rock and not an animal. The surprise of the impact almost cost me my knife, but I retained enough presence of mind not to let go and instead enduring the shock as it traveled through my arm.
However, before I could even rejoice at the grim satisfaction of nding a blow, the heavy paw of the wolf smmed into me. The weight of the wolf sent me spinning away, the cws tore my shirt to ribbon with long bloody gashes marking the right side of my body. I felt no pain though the sensation of warmth could be felt on my side. There was also a weird pinching feeling as well as a sudden loss of mobility primarily in my torso and a stiffness in my entire right side.
The wolf was not the slightest bit discouraged by the exchange. Sensing victory, it turned on the spot to face me, before rushing at me again.
Assessing the situation I came to a grim realization. If I get hit one or two more times I'm going to be dead. I need to get out of range of those cws. I can make distance. Or. With how big the wolf is compared to me, I could close the distance and stay on it.
I would only have one chance.
I switched the bde to my uninjured left and reversed the grip so that the bde was pointing in the opposite direction as my thumb.
As the wolf neared me I feinted to the left. At the st moment when it lunged, I sidestepped to the right and struck down. The bde caught the wolf right behind its left forelimb sinking into its thick fur and dense muscle. With my free right hand I grabbed the fur on the wolf's side and jumped trying to mount the wolf.
As the wolf's body continued forward the force transferred to me through my hands. The forward lurch added to my motion unching me up its side. I got one foot firmly on the back of the wolf and immediately began dragging myself up the back of the wolf.
When the dire wolf realized what I was doing it began to frantically dislodge me. Shaking and rearing up on its hindlegs it moved erratically trying to unbance me and to loosen my grip.
I held on doggedly and finally made it far enough up the wolf's back to reach its neck. With a death grip on its fur and my right foot hooked over its back I pulled my knife free. I struck frantically at its neck trying to bring it down before I lost my hold.
It was an ironic inverse of a wolf and its prey. When wolves went for kills on hooved creatures, which were often as rge if not slightly rger than themselves, they would go for the neck seeking to sever the carotid artery. It would not be uncommon to see a wolf hanging on the back or side of a prey animal biting at the neck repeatedly as they sought to bring it down. And here I was hunting a wolf in the same manner.
Fortunately the bde finally struck true. Sliding against its neck bones, the knife sunk all the way through, severing corded muscles and major blood vessels. The wolf stumbled, its movement weakening rapidly. In a moment it came to a rest.
Laying upon its back I felt its st shuddering breaths. Its life slowly drained out of its body.
And then all was still and silent again.
The quiet that had once been a tranquil and idyllic forest had transformed. Now it was a fleeting peace, a moment of calm and a promise of more.
I rose. In my eyes now smoldered the embers of war.