by Aaron Oster
“Hopps! Hit it!”
Mitten was momentarily surprised when the person who’d been attacking him so furiously, suddenly turned around and ran. And as such, it took a few seconds to follow. Hopps’s Water Bomb slammed into him, bringing his HP down to 20%, and the Boss froze.
Throwing a glance over his shoulder, Arthur saw the white glow signaling the AOE attack and poured on as much speed as he could. He hoped he was right and that the AOE didn’t hit everything it the room.
The Boss roared, and the white light exploded outward, rushing toward him at an alarming speed. Arthur dived forward as the light reached him, tucking into a ball and hitting the far side of the cave.
He flinched, expecting the attack to hit. But when it didn’t, he cracked his eyes open. Mitten was charging him once more. But it had worked! His HP was down to 20%, and if the pattern held true, he wouldn’t be using the AOE again.
“Let’s take the furry bastard down!” Arthur yelled, jumping to his feet and charging the furry mountain.
“Right on, mate! Let’s kill the wanker!” Hopps echoed from across the cavern.
The rest of the fight was bloody and short as Arthur carved into the Boss with a fury only previously matched when he’d attacked the human poachers.
He was so close, 10%…5%…2%…
Arthur leaped high into the air using Spring. His entire body was coated in blood, and Mitten’s once white fur was stained red as well. The Boss roared at him one last time before Arthur plunged his dagger into his eye.
The massive Boss gave a final shudder as Arthur landed, then collapsed onto its side. As soon as it fell, the message he’d been waiting for finally flashed across his vision.
Boss Defeated!
+3,240 XP!
11
Arthur slumped to the ground, his entire body trembling as the notifications continued flooding in.
Level Up!
Congratulations, you have reached level 8. You now have 5 new Attribute Points to allocate.
Ability Available!
Due to your repeated actions, a new ability has become available to you.
Savage Strike
Skill Available!
Due to your repeated actions, new skills have become available to you.
Critical Strike
Acrobatics
Feat Earned!
Boss Killer: +1 Level, +1 to all Attributes
Feats
Feats are one-time bonuses given when a player performs a feat judged as extraordinary by the gods of the Animal Kingdom.
Level Up!
Congratulations, you have reached level 9. You now have 5 new Attribute Points to allocate.
Arthur dismissed the notifications, hardly believing his good fortune. The Feats thing was entirely new, but he was glad to have earned one. An entire level and a boost to his attributes as a bonus, to boot! He imagined that something like this could come in handy at the higher levels when gaining experience would be more difficult. Then again, it said that the Feat was a one-time bonus but didn’t specify what type.
Clearly, what he’d just accomplished was viewed as worthy of such an amazing prize. But this could only be the tip of the iceberg. He wondered what would happen if he defeated a Black-Crown Boss ten levels above him and did it solo.
It was then that he realized that the Feats system could be a danger as much as an incentive. People might push themselves to try to accomplish greater and greater feats to earn a bonus. If there were indeed others in the Animal Kingdom, and they all only had a single life, a lot of them would die trying to get these bonuses.
That put an immediate damper on his spirits, and he turned his head to look at the dead boss instead. He was just in time to watch Mitten’s body vanish, only to be replaced immediately by a large wooden chest.
“I can’t believe we won,” he said, staring at the chest, half in shock and half amazement at what they’d just accomplished.
They’d gone up against a Boss in a Dungeon enhanced by a Predator Zone and won. Just the two of them.
“Tell me about it, mate. It’s crazy,” Hopps said, leaping over and landing next to him.
Arthur’s eyes flicked to his companion, noting that he’d grown once more. He was now level 9 and roughly sixteen inches long, versus the twelve he’d been before leveling up. He was also a bit taller, as well.
“Should we go check out the chest?” Arthur asked, not willing to get up just yet.
“Nah, mate. Let’s take a few. I need a breather after that one, if you know what I mean.”
“I do,” Arthur replied, lying down and staring up at the ceiling.
He needed a break but knew he couldn’t take too long. His fight with the Boss had taken a full twenty minutes, and he was still on the clock to save the scouts. So, instead of closing his eyes and just lying there, he opened the descriptions of his new skills to see if any caught his interest.
Savage Strike
No hitting below the belt? Well, there’s no referee, so go ahead.
Ability Level: 1
Cost: 60 Stamina
Cooldown: 5 Minutes
Damage: 28 - 36
Effect: Use your stamina to deliver a savage strike to an opponent’s weak point
Critical Strike
You’re very good at hitting someone in just the right spot.
Skill Type: Combat
Skill Level: 1
Effect: +200% Damage when striking critical points
Acrobatics
Aren’t Monkeys supposed to be good at this?
Skill Type: Movement
Skill Level: 1
Effect: +10% Agility when performing acrobatic feats
Arthur inwardly cringed at the explanation for the ability. How could he have possibly earned that? He didn’t remember hitting the cat ‘below the belt,’ so to speak. Was the game mocking him now?
Critical Strike and Acrobatics could be very useful skills, but he wasn’t sure how much use he could get out of an ability that focused on groin shots. Then again, there was no such thing as dirty fighting when your life was on the line.
In the end, he decided to pick up the two skills but left Savage Strike. Arthur would have 24 hours to make his decision, but with level 10 coming up and a potential Class, he wanted to save his ability slots for his class abilities, which would likely be a lot more specialized.
He then pulled up his status to assign his attribute points, which was harder than he thought it would be. He wasn’t sure where to place them now. Ultimately, he decided to leave them for the time being. He could always assign them if he found himself in a tight spot. Besides, he had yet to look at the items in the chest. He decided to check that before he did anything else.
“Ready to check the box now?” Hopps asked as he opened his eyes and rose into a sitting position.
“Yeah,” Arthur replied with a sigh.
In truth, he was exhausted. He’d only had a couple of hours of sleep before he’d gotten woken up. And, now that the fight was over, he wanted to do nothing less than go back to sleep. But he was on a timed mission. The scouts, at least those who were still alive, were counting on him. Every moment he delayed could mean their deaths.
Rising to his feet, Arthur walked over to the wooden chest and pulled the lid back. There were several items inside. He saw that there were five bottles of Health, Mana, and Stamina, each. He was glad for these, as he’d used all his Health potions in his last fight.
There was also a small brown satchel, which turned out to be a five-slot bag. It was tiny and would have no use whatsoever to Arthur if he completed this quest. But for now, he was glad to have it and stored his potions inside. Once those were out of the way, he turned his attention to the items that had caught his interest.
The first item was a small ring, so small, in fact, that it could only be for Hopps. There was also a pair of tiny matching…greaves?
“Here,” Arthur said, laying the items on the ground for his companion to inspect
, before going back to the two items left for him.
The next thing he picked up was some sort of cape. It would cover his back, and strap across his chest with a series of leather straps. The fur was the same color as Mitten’s was, white with small flecks of black running throughout. The other item, interestingly enough, was another dagger handle, though this one looked to be of even higher quality than the one he’d received before.
Item Found!
Name: Mitten’s Cloak
Durability: 50/50
Rarity: Rare
Armor Type: Back
Armor Rating: 6
Item Found!
Name: Onyx Dagger Handle
Durability: 70/70
Rarity: Epic
Item Type: Crafting Material
Effect: Adds +6 - 10 Force damage to any weapon material used
Uses: Attach to any material that can be used as a dagger
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Arthur exclaimed, immediately equipping the Cloak.
He stored the Dagger Handle in his bag, sure that it would come in handy very soon. Fighting with only a single weapon had made him feel oddly unbalanced. When he found a suitable material, he’d have another awesome dagger. Better yet, it would be Epic quality.
“Looking badass, mate. Love the cloak.”
Arthur flashed Hopps a grin.
“Not looking too bad yourself,” he replied.
Hopps had slid the two metallic pieces over his forelegs and the small ring over the second finger of his right foreleg.
“Yeah, I look pretty great, don’t I? I bet all the frog ladies back home will be all over me when I get back.”
Arthur chuckled as his throat puffed up, making the frog look extremely smug.
“Definitely. You’ll be the envy of them all,” Arthur answered, turning to face the back wall. It had slid aside to reveal the staircase to the second level when they’d killed the Boss.
“You ready to head down?” Hopps asked, leaping up to land on his shoulder.
Arthur stumbled a bit as the frog’s weight landed on him. It seemed he’d have to tell the frog that he could no longer hold him in the coming levels, if not already the next one.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Arthur said, staring towards the open tunnel.
Now that he had armor, he could feel more confident in assigning his attribute points and figured he could do it along the way. Then again…
“Hey, Hopps, how do Classes work here?” Arthur asked as he started down the winding staircase.
He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought to ask his companion earlier instead of just making assumptions and resolved himself to ask in the future.
“Ah, Classes. I never really thought about them since I didn’t think I’d be leveling so quickly. When you reach level 10 you should be offered your first classes, but if I were you, I wouldn’t take them when they’re offered.”
“Really? Why not?” Arthur asked, curious.
“Because they’re only Tier 1 Classes. In the Animal Kingdom, there are 5 Class Tiers, and the better classes are normally in the higher ones. You’ll be offered Tier 2 Classes at level 12, Tier 3 at 15, Tier 4 at 18, and Tier 5 at 21. A class will normally also trigger a physical evolution, adding to your power.”
“Really?” Arthur asked, intrigued. “What are the differences between a Tier 1 and Tier 5 Class? Can you give me an example?”
“I don’t know specifics, but I can give you the example that my parents used when they were explaining it to me. Think of a typical Warrior. They tend to have high Strength and Constitution, but that’s it. At Tier 1, they’ll get a small boost to each and maybe a single Class ability.
“At Tier 2, the same Warrior would become a bit more specialized, and therefore, they’d receive a bigger boost. The power only continues to grow as you go through the Tiers.”
“Why would anyone choose a Tier 1 Class, then?” Arthur wondered.
“Wouldn’t you take your best chances of survival when it was offered to you?” Hopps answered his question with a question. “Gaining a class automatically increases your survivability and adds additional attribute points with each level gained. Points that you’d be missing until you chose a Class.
“Sure, you’ll get more from a higher Tiered Class. But what are the chances you’ll survive another 11 levels to make it to 21?”
Arthur nodded slowly, understanding what Hopps was getting at.
“There’s also the fact that a Tier 1 Class will have a lot more options when choosing skills and abilities, giving them a much wider range of attacks, while a Tier 5 will be extremely specialized, greatly limiting your arsenal.”
“What would you recommend, then?” Arthur asked.
He was still intrigued by the idea of only choosing the highest Tier of Class, but he wasn’t sure if the risk would even be worth it.
“I’d recommend waiting until at least level 15. The Tier 3 Classes offer a good variety of power and flexibility. That’s where I’ll be looking. It wouldn’t hurt to check your Class options when you reach level 10, though. It’ll give you a better understanding of how they work so you can decide for yourself.”
Arthur nodded as Hopps finished his explanation and pulled up his status. He already knew he’d be going down the Agility route and that his character would never have great Strength or Constitution. He knew that some Races would have natural armor, but he wasn’t designed for that.
His fights had shown him the benefits of mobility and speed. That was the type of character he’d be building. Likewise, his damage came from his Agility attribute, rather than strength, so the more he put into it, the stronger he would be. Arthur made a bold choice and dumped all 10 AP from his last two levels into Agility.
The Feat he’d earned had boosted all his attributes by 1 point each, and he now had armor in case he got hit. He wouldn’t have to use it much, because as long as he was the fastest in a fight, he should be able to avoid hits that would damage him. He then looked over his status, as he could see the bottom of the staircase up ahead.
Character Status
Name: Arthur
Race: Humanoid - Poison Frog
Class: None
Level: 9
XP: 0/5,300
AP: 0
Survivability
HP: 140/140
MP: 80/80
STA: 220/220
Armor Rating: 6
Attributes
Strength - 5
Constitution - 14
Endurance - 22
Agility - 34
Intelligence - 8
Wisdom - 8
Charisma - 9
Luck - 6
Skills
5/8
Unarmed Frog-Bat: Level 6
Perception: Level 8
Knife Wielding: Level 6
Acrobatics: Level 1
Critical Strike: Level 1
Abilities
3/8
Tae-Frog-Do: Level 4
Frog Slicer: Level 3
Parry: Level 1
Racial Bonus
Poison Touch: Tier 1
Spring: Tier 1
He checked on the progress of his Poison Touch and Spring once again and noted that Poison Touch was only 12 uses away from reaching the next Tier. Spring still had another 88 uses before it would upgrade.
They were both easily his most useful skills. Spring had saved his life on multiple occasions, and it was only because of Poison Touch that he’d been able to win as many fights as he had.
“Looks like we’ve made it to the second level. Wasn’t expecting this, though,” Hopps said as he closed his status and looked around.
Arthur had to agree with the frog on that count. The tunnel in which they were currently standing looked less like that of a random cave and more like a corridor in a castle. The walls were made of large stone blocks, and flickering torches sat in sconces, throwing strange shadows across them.
“Well, forward and onward,”
Arthur muttered.
They had just over seven hours left, and judging by the size of the tunnel, they’d need all the time they could get.
12
Arthur’s feet scuffed lightly over the stone floor of the corridor. They could hear guards’ voices up ahead, and he was nervous that they would be the same high-level guards as before.
He was confident that he and Hopps could take a single level 11. Two of the high levels, not so much.
The two of them had been wandering through the maze of hallways for the better part of an hour already but had yet to run into any mobs or find anything of interest.
His Perception skill hadn’t been picking anything up, but he’d been keeping it going the entire time. It was getting close to level 11, which meant it would be upgrading soon.
Hopps hopped along beside him – he’d been forced to ask the frog to walk on his own after about fifteen minutes. Due to the frog’s ever-increasing size, carrying him had begun sapping his Stamina. Thankfully, the frog didn’t seem to mind and had no trouble keeping up with him.
Arthur slowed his walk as they approached an intersection. He pressed his back to the wall and peeked around the corner.
Two guards were slowly making their way towards them, more occupied with their conversation than looking for threats. They were both Feline, though a different Race than the Ocelots he’d seen earlier. Their fur was a bit longer, though the guards themselves were a good half-foot shorter, and their coats were a dark tan, as opposed to the multicolored Ocelots.
Their armor was leather, instead of the gleaming steel the others had been wearing. Arthur wondered if the differences meant that the others had been elite
Narrowing his eyes, Arthur examined the two of them.
Name: Jaguarundi Guard (Humanoid)
Level: 8
HP: 160/160
