2 One Lone Creature (1/2)

Everything blanked white for a moment. My eyes adjusted as I rubbed them. The cavern's walls warped like a crumpled brown bag. The pools of water glowed a bright cyan. Some of the cavern lit up from the water's light, revealing bats and some creepy crawlers. Ew.

Around me was a circle of light. I tapped the edge of the white light before a message popped up in front of me.

Schema fully functional. Distribute stats before finalizing starting position in [BloodHollow Caves]

I tapped my chin. Micheal was nowhere to be seen, and now I was in the BloodHollow Caves. Using unparalleled intuition, I guessed that this was a shit place to be. I know, I know, hold your applause. I squinted at the screen before glancing around. As I glanced closer, the stone walls were a tinge of purple. Of course. The cyan was bouncing off red stone, making them seem purple.

Gazing around, it didn't seem much different from before. I raised an eyebrow as another box opened.

Open Attribute menu using thought commands. Distribute the attribute point then finalize selection before selecting a tree point.

I nodded as another screen appeared.

Level 1 Attribute Totals(1)

Strength - Increases carrying weight, maximum speed, and physical power 6

Constitution - Increases hardness, density, and weight of your body 5

Endurance - Increases regeneration of stamina, health, and their totals 7

Dexterity - Increases ease of movement, flexibility, and reflexes 4

Willpower - Increases internal motivation, mana regen, and Mental Resistance 8

Intelligence - Increases memory, critical thinking, and total mana pool 4

Charisma - Increases likeability, persuasion, and decreases prices at shops 4

Luck - Increases money found, odds in your favor, and chance of rare events 3

Perception - Increases comprehension, the five senses, and awareness 4

Well, at least the totals made sense. I've been boxing since middle school. After taking more punches than I should, I may have slowed down. Slightly. I mean, I'm assuming 5's was average though. That may not have been the case. No need to dwell on it.

As I investigated closer, another box appeared beside it.

Character Screen Total Regen Level Up!

Health 70/70 0.70/minute 1 Attribute Point

Mana 40/40 0.80/minute 1 Perk

Stamina 70/70 7.00/minute 0 Tree Point

General Resistance - [5%](Const bonus)X[1.00](Multiplier)= 5%

They both couldn't be blocked from my sight, like the other screens. Screens with all these stats were bolded too, maybe for easy viewing. With a little thought, I decided on putting a point in endurance. Having more health and stamina would help keep me alive, regardless of the circumstances. As I did so, a voice spoke out in my mind.

'He who laughs last, laughs loudest.'

Hmmm. Sounded like a mixture of an old british narrator and Morgan Freeman. Pretty badass.

Perk Selection. Choose one.

[Body of Iron - Gives a permanent 10% bonus for endurance, constitution, and strength attribute bonuses]

[Mind of Iron - Gives a permanent 10% bonus to intelligence, perception, and dexterity attribute bonuses]

[Spirit of Iron - Gives a permanent 10% bonus to luck, charisma, and willpower]

Of course, I could've tried juggling which cocktail of attributes was most valuable. I didn't. I let math make my decision.

18 total attributes in body of iron, 12 for Mind of Iron, and 15 for Spirit of Iron. Alright I thought, Mind of Iron's out. Too few attribute points. I doubted that charisma would be helpful in the Bloodhollow Caves either, so that bonus would be wasted. I selected Body of Iron.

Immediately, a rush of strength filled me. My body restructured, becoming denser, better, and more powerful. I cracked my neck and clasped my hands into fists. My fingers clamped with a quick, satisfying snap. My bones were harder, my skin thicker. Awesome.

The circle of light disappeared. I neared the glowing pool, my only source of light. A flapping sounded above me. Glancing up, a giant, faceless bat glided towards me. Above it was a message.

BloodHollow Bat

Level 34

BloodHollow Bat's are a generic fodder within the caves. They act as the bottom of the food chain here. You would have to suck to die to one. Like really...

Oh fuckin fuck. I jumped sideways as it collided into the ground. Stone splintered beneath it. This thing was as strong as steel. It's large, white ears twitched before its mouth turned towards me. Flapping its wings, the creature cleaned off the broken rock. One of the wings looked chewed on, like something cut one of the ligaments in it. That's probably why I didn't die the second I saw it.

[Dodging(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]

I picked up a rock before tossing it away from me. Bats used echolocation or some shit. I prayed this would confuse the damn thing. Luckily enough, it did. The bat dove towards the small rock I threw. Another heavy collision echoed. Its mouth chomped onto the rock.

Cracks formed on the red stone. A loud crack resounded as it crumbled in the bat's mouth. Oh man.

I ran towards my backpack, alerting the bat of my presence. It didn't even squeal. These bat's didn't use echolocation. They used plain sound. I zipped open the pack, pulling out some Jerky. I ran from the backpack right as the bat chomped into the peppered jerky. As it chewed, I analyzed the bat.

White skin with no facial features. Sleek limbs and muscled wings. The membranes of its wings, black as night, pulsed as the thing's heart beat. Scratches coated the wings, creating drips of liquid red flowing from them, especially its left wing. An idea popped into my head at the sight.

In a mad dash, I charged towards the bat. It turned towards me and roared like thunder. As its mouth closed, I kicked the injured wing on its left side into its closing mouth. The teeth gashed it, slicing through skin and membranes. The small gashes gushed blood, far more than I'd imagined. It lashed its right wing out, slapping my leg.

[Hail Mary(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]

Like a wall of stone, the wing shattered my legs on contact. Bones splintered. My mind went black and red with pain. Like a sack of flour, I flopped onto the rocky ground. I scratched my face and hands as I landed. I hardly noticed them. The fire charging up my legs was agony. Once it reached my head, I was agony.

[Pain Tolerance(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]

The torment lessened. My vision flashed before I spotted the creature coming towards me. With what little strength I had left, I rolled sideways. The bat flapped its wings, streaking crimson blood from its left wing. The injured limb threw it off balance, causing the bat to crash against the ground, inches from me.

[Desperation(lvl 1) - skill unlocked]