Stick and Poke

The first thing I did when I stepped through the portal was to put my leather chest piece on. I slid it over like a regular vest and looped the leather straps on the sides through the buckles. Then pulled them the opposite direction to tighten them.

Next I felt the weight of the spear in my hand. It was surprisingly heavy although it wasn't a normal spear. I practiced swinging it around a couple times on a tree before switching to practicing my stab.

The swipe motion really didn't do much. It was sharp enough to cut but it wasn't insanely sharp that I should rely on the cutting motion. So I tested the various types of stabs I could do. Basic short stabs with both hands, single arm stabs, and using different body parts to hold the spear to allow for a quick stab in different directions.

I felt more comfortable now so I decided it was about time for me to start walking forward to look for wolves, but that was when I heard a rustling coming from the bushes nearby. I turned to look but before I could remember to raise my guard a wolf jumped straight over the bush.

It's mouth was open and the razor sharp teeth were coming straight at me. I was caught off guard so my stance was off but I managed to at least throw myself to the left out of the path of the wolf.

As I had managed to get out of the way I thought I had managed to perfectly evade the ambush, but when I looked down I saw three long claw marks streaked across the front of the leather armor.

'Thank you shop clerk!'

Focusing back on the fight I raised the spear and crouched low. By being lower it was easier to generate the strength to throw myself to the side. The wolf slowly circled me, as I turned in place to face it as it did, when it suddenly sped up to the right. I turned quickly to prepare for an attack from that direction.

But when I finished turning the wolf was no longer there.

My eyes moved faster than my head, and I looked back to the left.

There, out of the corner of my eye, was the wolf. It was already in the air with it's jaws wide open. Twisting my body sharply I swung the spear as I tried to avoid the attack, but I still received a sharp pain in my left forearm as a small chunk was ripped out by the wolf's teeth.

I didn't know what it was, but there was some strange phenomenon that changed me on a subconscious level, I wasn't feeling scared right now.

Even with a piece of my arm missing, I was purely focused on the fight. Yes, it hurt, but surviving the fight was the most important thing.

I inspected the wolf and saw that it's front leg was slightly raised. It looked like it was putting it's weight onto it, but I saw that was just a trick it was trying to pull.

'It's injured. I don't see blood but that leg is definitely injured... Front left leg.. My right. Let's see if it likes a taste of it's own medicine.'

I took the initiative and started quickly circling around the left of the wolf, before I pivoted to the right.

Dropping myself as low as I could I let my legs act like springs that shot me to the weak side of the wolf's.

It tried to turn in time but it couldn't keep up entirely. I made it around to it's flank, and before it could catch up I drove the short spear forward. Less of a stab and more of a desperate dive forward with the pointy end first, but the spear found it's mark in the nape of the wolf's neck.

The wolf's body stiffened immediately, and like a puppet that lost it's strings that tension disappeared without a trace. Unmoving I stared at it while my arm was still extended as if I were still holding the spear.

During the fight my brain was only able to focus on the act, but now that it was over all I could think about was the result.

I had killed something. Ended a life.

My hands trembled and I was afraid to move. I stared blankly at the body of the wolf, hoping for it to move, but at the same time fearing that if it did I would be taken over by the primal urge to defend myself.

While I was shaken I heard a growl from ahead of me and I realized then the harsh truth of the situation:

Morals were thrown out of the window when I didn't have the strength to have a say in it.

I dashed towards the corpse and roughly pulled my spear from it's body. I immediately pivoted and spun around, raising my short spear while aiming it with my left arm. By the time I turned around the wolf was already rushing at me but I was ready.

When it came at me with it's mouth open my short spear found it's way into the roof of the wolf's mouth, piercing all the way through and grabbing the shaft with my other hand I twisted the spear sharply to pull the wolf to the ground.

It wasn't dead yet, so I slammed my knee down onto it's exposed throat. It started choking and gasping for air. I stayed there until the wolf stopped moving. Once it was most likely knocked out, I ripped my spear out and stabbed it down on it's head one last time.

I stared down at the two dead wolves and breathed heavily.

As much as I wanted to be remorseful about my actions I couldn't. It really was a situation where one of us will die, and neither of us is in the wrong for fighting for our survival.

Breathing heavily I calmed the chaos in my mind and accepted my new reality. Exhaling deeply one final time I stood up and looked forward with determination. I pulled my spear from the head of the wolf and squatted down to check if there were any items dropped.

Since there were none I stepped back and chose a random direction to go. There was no boss in this dungeon so I could hunt until I wanted to leave.

To make sure I didn't get lost I took my spear and began marking the trees from the direction of the portal. It was a few more minutes of walking before I ran into another wolf. This one I approached with a different mindset.

'There are things I want in my life that require me to get stronger... I'm sorry but that's the life we all have to accept.'

The previous two wolves I fought while having to deal with a mental burden, but this wolf...

I attacked it with the intention to kill rather than just defend myself. Taking advantage of the fact it hadn't seen me yet I rushed forwards, hoping to catch it off guard but then it turned it's head to look at me. Realizing it was going to move I lunged forward to close the little bit of distance while stabbing forward with my spear.

It was a desperate attempt to get a single attack in but the wolf moved just in time to avoid the stab. I pivoted and spun to face the wolf. It had landed and was about to start circling me to look for a weakness.

The pattern was incredibly simple and just like the other wolves. The biggest weakness of four legs was that it was slow on back pedaling at a moment's notice. So the moment it took a step and shifted it's weight to it's front legs I dashed forward but didn't stab out yet. I waited for it to try jumping to its side and when I saw this I lunged forward.

I stabbed out and caught the wolf before it landed. The spear was deeply embedded into the wolf's side. When it landed on the ground it turned to run.

"Wait!"

However the moment it took a step to try and run away it fell to the ground with a whimper. I froze in place for a moment surprised by the sight, but when I looked carefully at the placement of the spear I noticed it was placed just behind the joint of the front leg.

Embedded deeply in between the wolf's ribs and the leg joint, the spear was completely stopping any movement. Also it must have punctured it's lung as it was wheezing roughly with blood coming out it's mouth with every breath.

I walked over and stood over the dying wolf. It looked up at me with an aggrieved expression.

"Even when you're dying you're not going to beg are you? It's not right to leave you to die slowly and painfully."

I reached down and ripped the spear out of the side of the wolf before plunging it into it's head. The wolf twitched for a moment before it stopped moving completely.

I looked down blankly at the wolf, another experience that further solidified the mindset that killing was something that happened and you just had to accept it.

"I'm getting better with the short spear, but if I go to a dungeon where monsters can use weapons I might struggle."

I glanced down at my arm since I had more time now to relax. There was a small chunk missing from my forearm that made moving my left arm incredibly painful now that the adrenaline had worn off. My fingers on my left arm trembled and I was still bleeding.

"Shit.. I haven't made enough to pay for a healer or a potion."

I took my shirt off from under my hoodie and wrapped it around the wound. Taking two ends on either side of the wound I wrapped them very tightly to reduce the blood flow to that area. I hoped I could find something valuable otherwise I would have to leave here and take on a debt just to continue to be able to hunt.

With a new element of desperation I walked forward looking for wolves.

I had just finished killing my eighth wolf when something fell to the ground next to the wolf.

"Skill book!"

I walked over excitedly and picked up the book.

[Lesser Bleed Enchantment][F-Rank]

[Applies Bleed (I) to your weapon. Causing wounds created by the enchanted weapon to bleed a little more and not close naturally. Regeneration (II) or higher will close the wound.]

Immediately I used the skill book.

[Lesser Bleed Enchantment learned.]

Smiling I used the enchantment immediately on my spear, which now glowed a soft red hue. This wouldn't help much right now, but it could definitely become helpful later.

Feeling alright still I decided to keep going. It would have been nice to sell the skill book, but at the end of the day skills were the key to getting stronger. I would have to leave sooner or later though, I just hoped I could get lucky one more time. 

After a bit of walking I ran into another wolf. This time I decided to take the fight slowly, and see the effects of my new skill in action.

I let the wolf know I was there by tapping a tree loudly with my spear. It spun it's body towards me and lowered it's body as it growled at me. I let it begin to feel me out. One thing I have learned about wolves is they are absolute cowards if they think you're stronger than them, but if you seem weak they will recklessly charge at you.

So I pretended to slip. I fell to the ground on one knee, and the moment I did the wolf dashed to my side then pounced. I simply stood up and stabbed out. It wasn't a serious wound, but that was what I was going for. Since it wasn't a life threatening wound the wolf didn't even bother dodging it.

A long shallow wound opened up on the left side of the wolf. I immediately backed away from the wolf and stood without any semblance of a defensive posture. I simply stared at the wolf and the wolf kept it's distance while glaring at me.

I was just watching the wound though. It was indeed bleeding a lot more than I think it should have been. A simple shallow cut was bleeding like a deep cut. The wolf eventually began to sway and that was when it realized it was bleeding to death from the minor wound.

"I guess that's enough testing. You're probably thinking of running away... I can't let you do that."

I lowered my body and charged at the wolf. The rest of the fight was nothing special. The wolf eventually slipped up and I drove my spear into it's heart to end it's life. Still no drop however, so I would have to keep fighting.

****

Picking up a small crystal from the ground I raised it up in the air and looked at it closely.

"This little thing is $1,000... Insane."

I held in my hand an F-Rank mana crystal. Turning around with an exhausted body I made my way back to the entrance. After leaving I walked to the nearby shop and traded the crystal to the clerk.

The shop was owned by the government so I was going to get the best prices I could here.

"Okay, F-Rank mana crystals are worth $2,000, but with the 50% tax since you're a freelance individual you'll only get $1,000."

Surprised I asked.

"It's actually worth $2,000? I was expecting to get $500."

Smiling the clerk started typing something on the computer before her.

"Yeah, the tax on them is really high but if you were to join a guild or the Honor Corps you get better tax breaks with the added commitments. Okay, I just finished transferring the $1,000 to your account, and you're all set to go."

"Thank you, I'll be back tomorrow or later today maybe."

Smiling I bid goodbye to the clerk and left the store. I really needed to head to the hospital. I unstrapped my leather armor and lifted it over my head. Draping it over the spear I hopped onto the bus and sat down towards the back.

I took a deep breath and laid my head back. It would be a little bit before I got back to the center of the city so I tried my best to relax and rest.

The feeling of being on edge was slowly wearing off and I finally started to relax. While sitting quietly I listened to a mother talking to her child.

"How was school today? Did you play with your one new friend you told me about?"

"Micky! He's the new kid, he was kinda mean but he is funny!"

I smiled as I listened to their exchange. I opened my eyes to look at the mother and child duo however when I opened my eyes I saw a strange man standing in the middle of the bus.

"Mommy... Why is that man standing?"

"Shh, its not polite to talk about people... He might be trying to move towards the back of the bu-"

However a shout interrupted her sentence.

"COVER YOUR DAUGHTER!"

The scream was mine.

I was already running forward with my spear in hand, but I made it too late. I watched in horror as two magic circles appeared in front of his hands and subsequently two fireballs flew into each side of the bus.

The bus was torn in half while the inside of the bus was flooded with a wave of fire and heat.

Blasted back I flew backwards into the back end of the bus. The half of the bus I was in flipped several times, and I did what I could to try to protect my head with my arms. I finally stopped bouncing around like a pinball and finally landed on my side.

"Ugh!"

I let out a pained groan as I slowly uncovered my head. I was still dizzy from the bus flipping so my vision was still blurry and my ears were ringing from the sound of the explosion. I tried sitting up but I continued to sway even though the bus was not moving.

It felt like whenever I was close to getting used to the world spinning it would spin in the opposite direction. Eventually it was all too much and I threw up. Wiping my mouth I closed my eyes and held my head to keep it still.

After what felt like a few minutes sound began returning to my ears and I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was normal again and I looked around to try to gain my bearings.

'That asshole fucking blew up the bus, why? Is it some terrorist or some random psychopath? Wait, the kid!'

The bus was on it's side but using the seats I was able to lift myself to my feet. Glass crunched under my shoes as I stood up but I ignored it. Looking around I found my spear and leather armor.

The attacker was able to use a fireball skill, so unfortunately my leather armor wouldn't do me much good in a fight against him so I left it on the ground. Taking careful steps ahead I looked for any survivors. The bus was pretty empty but there were still a handful of people.

I saw a head sticking out from one of the rows ahead of me, but when I got there I found a man with his neck snapped in an unnatural angle.

I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and resisted the urge to throw up. A little ended up in my mouth but I swallowed it down. I breathed heavily through my nose until I was sure I wasn't going to throw up, then I began breathing frantically through my mouth.

I was hyperventilating. I knew what it was, I knew I was panicking, but I didn't stop it. I let myself fully experience the disgust and horror. Finally I closed my eyes and started breathing regularly.

'People die... I couldn't save him but I need to look for others. Someone might be able to be saved.'

I gave the man a silent prayer and continued forward. I could see through the giant opening that the front of the bus had flipped as well and was currently on fire. Anyone inside would have probably died.

I stepped forwards about to head out of the bus when I heard a weak voice nearby. I stuck my head out and saw the mother sitting against the bottom of the bus. I hurried over and touched her shoulders gently.

"Are you okay?! Where is your chi-"

"Pl-please... Take her away from here.. D- COUGH!"

The woman coughed painfully and blood splattered my face, however I didn't care about it because I had just now noticed the large glass shard sticking through her side. Trembling I brought my hand down to touch the glass but it was showing no signs of moving easily.

The woman weakly raised her hand to my face and although blood smeared my cheek I tightly grabbed it. I looked her in the eye and I understood what she wanted to convey.

'She's dying.'

I looked at her as tears welled in my eyes and blocked my vision partially. Wiping them away frantically, so as not to miss this woman's last moments, I heard her soft voice.

"I'm sorry... There is no one else."

Everything else in the surrounding was blurry except for her crying face.

"Pr-promise me."

I froze as I held her hand. Her grip was getting weaker and weaker by the moment. I nodded my head and looked her directly in the eyes.

"I promise! I'll keep her safe!"

Smiling with blood dripping down the side of her mouth she looked past me and spoke with her eyes glossing over.

"Mommy's going to go to sleep now... You be good, okay?"

I froze and turned my head to see a child tightly covering her mouth with her hands while tears streamed down her face endlessly.

I was going to motion for her to come say goodbye to her mom one last time when I heard the sound of boots hitting the pavement.

"What's this? A couple survivors?"

I slowly turned my head and saw a man walking towards us. Behind him the front of the bus exploded in flames as he approached us.

I saw clear burns all over his body, but horror began to seep through me as I watched his wounds visibly healing.

I made eye contact with him and my instincts told me one thing:

He's going to kill me.

Without waiting for him to reach us I immediately let go of the woman's hand and sprinted into the alley. I grabbed the child and ran as hard as I could. I reached the end of the alley and when I turned around I saw the woman looking at us smiling.

She raised her hand for a weak wave, but then a hand appeared right next to her head. A fireball was fired straight into her face.

I stared in horror before I quickly covered the child's face and continued running. I quickly made my way through the back alleys but we were currently in a particularly run down part of the city. There were not many people who lived here so there was no one to ask for help.

I turned a corner and found myself at a dead end. I looked around frantically but there was no where to run, so I turned back to the corner I just turned to go another direction.

Looking back the way I came I saw the shirtless man running at us.

I sprinted in the other direction but the realization that I wasn't going to out run him began seeping in. It was then that I looked down at the child and a chilling thought entered my mind.

'How badly do I want to live?'