Neil remembered back to what his father had said to him while he was deciding what he wanted to study in college.
“People have been horrible to each other throughout all of human history, and that’s not going to stop just because robots are going to take over the workforce. Mark my words, those robofetishists who think automation is going to usher in a new utopia of human freedom, peace and happiness have got it wrong. All it’s going to do is give more people more time to think about better ways to do horrible things to each other,” his father said. “Become a lawyer, and you can make money from the inevitable outcomes of human nature. You will never be out of work.”
Neil’s father was right, as usual. Neil had never been out of work, although the amount of money the lower class had to defend themselves with these days was becoming less and less. So, Neil’s days were spent defending rich people from other rich people and taking a minuscule slice of their fortunes to add to his own.
When he’d taken that rare holiday three years ago, Neil went back to the Lonely Mountain Lodge his father took him to when he was young. He spent a week walking the trails, sitting on the balcony of his cabin drinking coffee and smoky whiskey to stave off the cold. He’d even done some reading for fun for a change.
Neil spent most days poring over paperwork relating to his cases, so opening up a god-damned book with a bent-up spine and dog-eared pages was almost like going back in time.
Back to when things were better.
“I love the mountains because everything moves at its own pace,” Neil said. “I like the way that mountains make me feel small, and all of my big problems seem to melt away. I love the song of the loon, the crackle of hoarfrost underfoot, and the smell of fallen pine needles.”
He missed all of those things with a sudden intensity, then realized that all of those things were around him right now. Well, near enough anyway. They were all digital, but they didn’t feel that way. The Everwood felt as real as the mountain lodge he thought about so fondly.
Malphis grinned at this. “You do have the old blood running through your veins. What’s your name, young Skinwalker?”
“Neil Cash,” he replied.
Malphis stopped in front of a thick bramble and waved his hand across it. The thorny bramble parted, revealing a hidden entrance to a clearing. “Welcome to my home, Neil Cash.”
Chapter Three - The Crooked Stump
New area discovered: The Crooked Stump
Malphis’s home reminded Neil of a stupid cartoon his kids watched when they were younger called Shrek. There was a massive tree stump in the clearing with a door right in the center. A couple of windows let the light into the house.
The stump was as crooked as the name of the location implied.
There was a vegetable garden to one side of the clearing, and a wide rock pool on the other. There was nothing swamp-like about this cozy little slice of the forest though. Malphis lived comfortably.
“I do hope the squirrels haven’t moved back in,” Malphis said. “Last time I wandered the forest for more than a month, I came back to absolute anarchy. Nuts hidden everywhere!”
“How long do you normally stay in your moose form?” Neil asked.
“Oh, until I need to switch back to human. Which has been less and less as the years stretch on,” Malphis said.
“Being a moose would be pretty awesome,” Neil said.
“Ah, you won’t be ready to shift into a large creature like that for some time. We’ll start with something a little smaller.”
“Like what?”
“Well, that leads us to my next question. What type of animal do you have an affinity with?”
Neil shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve always loved dogs.”
It had been years since he’d had a dog. Even since his kids moved out of home and started their own lives, he’d had nobody to take care of any pets while he was at work. The long hours robbed him of any time he might have been able to spare taking them for walks.
Malphis lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled. “A fine choice.”
An enormous wolf came bounding out of the forest behind Malphis and stopped by his side. It growled at Neil.
“That’s a big wolf.” Neil gulped.
“This is Grayfang. Grayfang, this is Neil Cash. He’s a friend of the Everwood.” Malphis put his hand on the wolf’s head and ran it down his back. Grayfang stopped growling.
“So how do I do the thing? How do I skinwalk?” Neil asked.
“It is not as simple as reaching out and touching the creature you want to take for your Wild Aspect. You must reach out to them with your soul. You must bond with them to take on their aspect. But physical touch is a good way to start.”
Neil walked towards Grayfang with his hand outstretched. His legs shook with every step he took towards the wolf.
“Your old blood will know how to make the connection, even if you don’t,” Malphis said.
Neil reached a hand out and touched the wolf’s gray fur. “Hey Grayfang,” Neil said. “Thank you for coming here and-”
Neil felt Grayfang’s soul reach out to him, and his own soul reached back to Grayfang. His mind became filled with thoughts of running free through the forest, the feeling of hot blood spilling over his muzzle as his teeth sunk into the jugular of a fleeing hare, and the camaraderie of the pack as they howled at the moon.
Neil opened his eyes and felt the change begin.
It started as a tingling in his gums, his fingernails, and his toenails. It spread from the edges of his extremities towards his core. The hair on every inch of his body rose like someone just walked over his grave. Then the pain came.
A tooth fell to the ground.
A human tooth.
Neil raised a hand to his mouth and felt the sharp canine pushing through the gums where the other tooth was only a moment ago. Teeth fell like hail as more savage fangs pushed into his mouth. His skull ached as it stretched into a muzzle. His ears shifted further back on his head as the transformation forced him forwards onto all fours.
He spat out the rest of his teeth and watched in horror as claws pushed his fingernails out of their nailbeds. Patches of gray fur burst through his pale skin as his skeleton popped and crunched itself into wolf form.
“Nooo-aarrooooooo!” Neil tried to protest as his vocal cords completed their transition to wolf. His howl echoed throughout the clearing.
New Wild Aspect learned: Wolf
Grayfang stepped forward and sniffed Neil. He whuffed in acknowledgment. A message appeared at the bottom of Neil’s view.
Your equipment will automatically be unequipped when you shift into a Wild Aspect. You will not gain the benefits of your human equipment when not in human form. You will automatically re-equip your last equipped set of gear when you shift out of Wild Aspect.
Your equipment will be stored in a visible backpack when you are in your Wild Aspect. This means that other players will be able to identify you as a player when you are in animal form.
Just as the notification said, there was a harness around Neil’s shoulders which held a small pack in place.
“Very good,” Malphis said. “The first change is always the hardest and most painful. Each subsequent change will come easier. Would you like to return to your human form or explore your new abilities as a wolf?”
Neil tried to speak, but a stream of unintelligible wolf-noises came out instead.
“You cannot speak to humans while you skinwalk. As your powers grow, you may find that you can communicate with aspects of nature while you skinwalk. Only the most powerful Skinwalkers can talk in their animal forms. If you wish to return to your human form, do it now. If not, we shall continue your wolf training.”
Neil opened his abilities screen to see what abilities he had access to as a wolf. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and his tail automatically wagged with happiness as he looked them over.
Bite
Rank: Novice
15 damage
> Single Target
Bite your enemy for moderate damage.
Go For The Throat
Rank: Novice
30 damage
Single Target
Sink your teeth into the target’s throat for a killing blow. Only usable on grievously wounded targets.
Challenging Bark
Rank: Novice
Radius – 10 yards
Causes all enemies within a 10-yard radius to focus their attacks on you for 3 seconds.
Rake
Rank: Novice
30 Bleeding damage over 5 seconds
Area of Effect: Frontal Cone
Swipe all enemies in front of you and cause them to bleed for 5 seconds.
Neil’s tail wagged at his new damage-dealing tool kit. Then he noticed another pane on his inventory that wasn’t there when he’d checked it earlier. It was marked as Wild Aspects.
He opened that pane to find there was only one entry listed: Wolf.
So this was where any new Wild Aspects he learned would appear. He focused on the wolf icon, and further information appeared.
Wild Aspect: Wolf
This damage-dealing beast form is good at solo adventuring, as well as working as part of a team. As this Wild Aspect grows stronger, the Skinwalker will be able to track prey and command wild wolves.
Level 1
‘Okay, that’s pretty damned cool,’ Neil thought. Even though he couldn’t form human words with his canine mouth, he could still hear his inner monologue just fine.
“Do you wish to hunt with Grayfang?” Malphis asked.
Neil nodded.
“Very well.”
Quest Complete: Learning to Skinwalk
You have gained 150 experience points!
You have reached Level 2!
You have received one primary attribute point to distribute!
You now have six primary attribute points to distribute.
You have gained the ability Wild Aspect!
Having six primary attribute points was great and all, but Neil hadn’t actually been able to try his class out yet. He decided to wait to see how his class handled combat before investing his points.
“Oh, here, let me recharge your Wild Aspect ability,” Malphis said. He extended his hands towards Neil and a mist of scented petals wrapped around him. “If you find another animal more suited to you, you may change your Wild Aspect. However, you may only do this once per day. If you change your Wild Aspect before you’ve mastered it, you’ll need to re-learn it before you can change back to it.”
Neil cocked his head to the side in confusion.
“It simply means that until your body has gotten used to the form of a wolf, you cannot go and turn yourself into a bird and expect your body to remember what it is like to be a wolf.”
Neil figured that the level associated with his Wild Aspects had something to do with it. Maybe once he hit a certain level, he would be able to change to that form at will. That was something he’d need to figure out.
“Oh, and one more thing. Until your bond with nature grows deeper, your animal form will contain the same mass as your human form. Ergo, if you take on the Wild Aspect of a squirrel, you’d turn into a man-sized squirrel. This means that almost all birds are out of the question for you at the moment, as you’d simply be too heavy to fly.”
Neil whined in disappointment. He was looking forward to being able to fly.
“Anyway, go and learn how to hunt with Grayfang. I can tell he’s itching to show you,” Malphis said.
Neil whuffed in acknowledgment. A quest notification appeared and auto-accepted itself into his quest log.
New Quest: Learning to Hunt
Accompany Grayfang deeper into the Everwood and learn how to hunt.
Rewards: 250 experience points + 50 Wolf Wild Aspect experience points
Then Grayfang took off. He bounded away into the Everwood. Neil turned after him and ran.
Chapter Four - The Hunt
The forest streaked past Neil as he ran faster than he’d ever run before. Four paws were better than two feet any day of the week. From his new perspective, the ancient trees of the Everwood loomed above like skyscrapers.
Grayfang slowed and sniffed the air. Neil fell into step behind him and sniffed at the air too. He was almost overwhelmed by the amount of information contained within the scents of the world around him.
Images of prey passing along this game trail flashed in his mind. The ghosts of the prey were formless, and he couldn’t be sure of exactly what it was he followed. The smell of fresh water came from somewhere to the south. The sharp smell of fallen pine needles was stronger in that direction too. There was another foul scent on the air that made Neil’s hackles raise. It smelled like danger.
A message appeared at the bottom of Neil’s view.
You have discovered the scent of fresh prey. Do you wish to set this trail as your target?
Yes, Neil decided. A trail hung in the air in the direction that the prey had fled.
Neil sniffed in that direction and followed the trail until it disappeared, then sniffed the air to pick up the trail again.
Your Hunting skill has increased!
Your Tracking skill has increased!
Those were secondary skills, and it looked like those leveled up by performing the associated actions. That was pretty cool, Neil thought. He followed the trail and refreshed the scent whenever it dissipated. Grayfang followed after him and snorted pleasantly at Neil’s progress.
Something in the brush ahead of them moved. Whatever it was, it was small, gray, and hopped away like a bolt of lightning. Grayfang pursued without hesitation, and Neil followed. He followed the scent as much as he followed the prey’s lightning-quick movements.
At one point, the scent trail broke off into two different directions. So there was more than one target! Grayfang peeled away to the left, and Neil wheeled to the right. The scent trail was stronger this way, which meant the prey was closer!
Then Neil caught sight of it. A fat rabbit-like creature bounded through the forest in a zigzag pattern. It looked strange, though. There were a pair of horns growing out of the rabbit’s head!
It was a jackalope!
They didn’t exist in the real world. It was just an urban legend started by an inventive taxidermist. But the jackalope here in the game was real enough, and it didn’t want to be eaten. Neil’s Hunting and Tracking skills ticked upwards as he ran.
The distance between predator and prey became less and less until Neil was salivating at the thought of sinking his teeth into the soft fur of the jackalope’s neck. It looked back at him, eyes wide with terror, a moment before Neil surged forward and seized the jackalope’s back leg in his mouth.
The jackalope’s other leg kicked back towards Neil’s eyes, which he closed on instinct. His prey was at his mercy now. He pinned the jackalope to the ground with his mouth, then held it with his front paws as he delivered the killing blow.
The coppery tang of blood washed over his teeth and tongue, and his inner wolf took over. He ate the jackalope while it was still alive.
You have defeated a jackalope!
You have gained 50 experience points
You have gained 50 wolf Wild Aspect experience points
Quest completed: Learning to Hunt
You have gained 250 experience points
You have gained 50 Wolf Wild Aspect experience points
You have reached Wild Aspect: Wolf Level 2!
You have gained the ability Wild Speech.
Wild Speech
Rank: Novice
Passive
With a Wild Aspect selected, you can speak to animals of that species.
Unlocked by reaching Level 2 with any Wild Aspect.
Grayfang found him shortly after he’d stripped the flesh from the bones.
‘Well done, oldblood,’ Grayfang said.
‘Thank you,’ Neil replied. He thought the words, and somehow Grayfang heard him.
‘Only the fastest wolves can chase down a jackalope. You have a keen nose for prey.’
‘Oh, I just followed the trail. Nothing special,’ Neil said.
‘Many pups could learn from you. It does not look like you need my tutelage. Do you have any questions before I return to my pack?’ Grayfang asked.
‘Can I join your pack?’
Grayfang snorted disdainfully. ‘No. You are oldblood, not wolf, even though you wear our shape. You must find your own pack.’
‘Oh. Well, is there anything I should know about being a wolf?’
‘The people of the forest respect us, but those who travel the roads to the south will only see you as a threat. If you wear our skin beyond the southern reaches of the Everwood, your life is at risk from farmers and hunters that think you want to eat their animals. But these lands are not safe for you either. There is a man from the south who has built himself a den nearby. He seeks to tame the forest and is no stranger to spilling our blood. You would be doing the forest a favor if you were to kill him.’
‘Why would I kill him?’ Neil asked. ‘What has he done to me?’
‘Nothing yet,’ Grayfang replied. ‘But a predator’s place is at the top of their food chain. I’ve seen you hunt. You are a predator, and he is above you on the food chain. I’m sure that if you met him, you would agree that something needs to be done.’
New quest available: Top of the Food Chain
Find the house in the forest nearby and speak to the man who owns it.
Reward: 100 experience points.
Well, there was no harm in taking this quest.
‘Which direction is this house in?’ Neil asked.
‘That way,’ Grayfang said and pointed to the east with his nose. ‘He has angered the forest. Be careful if you choose to seek him out.’
Thirty to Fifty Feral Hogs Page 2
