[ The longer I live, the wider the gap gets. Circles get smaller. I've had to start looking off-world just to find people strong enough to spar with. People stop pushing themselves, or they get comfortable. I feel the opposite. My mission still drives me, but so does the challenge. The fight and the contest. It would've been nice to spar with you. Anyway, happy father's day, dad. I remembered this time. ]

+ Reid +

He'd kept a low profile while moving towards the next beast lord, but hadn't run into any of Belar's goons. Something about being in the enclosed area of the tutorial had set him thinking in the wrong way about space and distance. In reality, a single square mile was a large tract of land. People had gotten lost in that much space alone, pre-awakening. Unless he was actively looking for them, or Belar were actively looking for him, Reid doubted he'd end up running into the faction anytime soon.

And he didn't want to run into them.

His head still swam with nausea, throbbed with pain, and cut each day of travel shorter than he would've liked. He'd forgotten, a bit, how poor his health had been before the awakening. But the days of trekking through the area had finally led him to his next target. As he surveyed the area, Reid took a moment to stare at his status and quest.

STATUS

Name: Lord Ser Reid Oliver Calderwall [Serroc] Affiliation: "Earth" [Hidden] Race: Human [Vuxarinan] Grade: F Level: 25 [Hidden] Health: 1255 / 1300 Experience: 1 / 50

STATS: Constitution: 130 Dexterity: 130 Intelligence: 130 Perception: 130 Power: 130 Control: 150 Stat Upgrade Points: ERROR

SKILLS: Strengthening [Basic] Identify [Basic] Hardening [Common] Darkvision [Common] Calcification [Uncommon] Accelerated Growth [Undefined] (.17) Skill Upgrade Points: ERROR

ENHANCEMENTS: Osteal Smithing Journeyman (Calcification)

RESISTANCES: Substances - Sedatives Active Skill Effects - (Negative) Identify - (Partial + Falsification)

ACCOLADES:

Titles: [Lord, Honorary Knight] Achievements: [Pesticide, Regicide, Mercy Kill, Challenger, Lone Agent, Magnanimous Leader, Grade Jumper, Early Founder, Venator II, Invulnerable, True Balance, True Arcana, True Prowess, Perfect Evolution]

RESTRICTED:

???: UNAVAILABLE

Questline Stage: The Beast Lords - (Stage 3 of 10) NOTICE: You are the only faction that can currently access this questline. Beast lords are the unquestionable rulers of their domain. You have bested two of their numbers. Your quest to prove your power continues. Stage 3: Defeat the Beast Lord of the Dark Pond. (Level 32). Secret Challenge: Complete Stage 3 in less than 20 days. (12d 1h 05m Remaining) Secret Challenge: Complete Stage 3 without taking any losses

Reid blinked away the system text, and peered out at the murky water before him.

The fight against the big pig had gone... well, it was easy. The one before that, against the bird, had been even more of a cakewalk. But the thing he had to remind himself of, he knew, was that both of those beasts had been in G grade. The only thing he'd killed in F grade so far was a half-dead King that wanted him to end its life. It didn't even count as a fight.

But now, here, Reid was tasked with defeating something inside that pond - where he couldn't see below the surface, and he wasn't going to be able to breathe underwater. If his history had taught him anything, it was that underwater fights were the devil's work. Underwater, he wouldn't be able to throw his rocks, nor would he be able to wield Requiem effectively. There was also a question he hadn't answered on whether his bone armor would sink him, or make him float. The uncertainty won out over his drive for action, and Reid posted himself on the shore. Every few minutes, he tossed stones, grass, and other debris into the center of the pond to try and make something appear.

It was a nearly fifteen minutes later that he finally got a reaction. Motion just under the murky surface caught his attention as a form as wide as a car tire made its way towards shore. As it emerged, Reid was surprised to see the thing was an almost-entirely-normal looking snapping turtle. Sure, it was a bit larger and even more dinosaur-like than the normal ones, but compared to the Tamrids and purple eggs and everything else here, this turtle was the closest thing to 'normal' that Reid had seen in a while. It didn't seem to pay him any mind, and started chewing on grass.

Reid took the opportunity to activate a skill he was critically underutilizing.

-

Identify Successful!

Name: Beast Lord of the Dark Pond Level: 32 Further information unavailable. Improve skill to reveal.

-

While he'd suspected that the thing was the beast lord, it still felt a bit odd that something this small was a level 32 creature.

Beast lords and any sort of boss monster, up until this point, had all been absurdly large. Larger sizes seemed to come with the territory of higher levels - but apparently that wasn't a universal rule. It begged the question of just how size and power interacted in the system's scheme of evolutions and growth.

Shortly after Reid used identify, the turtle started glowing with silver light.

It was another suspicion he'd had - that Reid wasn't the only one able to 'feel' it when someone used a skill on him. But he'd forgotten it in the moment he used identify on the turtle. In a flash of motion, the silver light intensified as the turtle rose straight off the ground and into the air. It spun to face Reid, then flew towards him with its jaws open.

Reid dropped himself into a defensive stance, and sidestepped the turtle's path. It was fast, but didn't adjust its flight to meet his new location. That meant the thing was more of a charging bull than a true flying menace. And that meant it would be easier to-

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Reid's thought was interrupted by an incredibly sharp beak severing the tips of two fingers on his left hand. Reid groaned in pain as the turtle shot by him and spun itself for another pass.

Snapping turtles weren't just dangerous because of their mouths - they were dangerous because of their reach. The things could extend their necks just about as long as their bodies, and the Lord of the Dark Pond was not an exception there. More than that, the neck had flown out with a speed that Reid had a hard time dealing with. Alright - maybe not such an easy fight after all.

Reid stopped the bleeding on his severed fingers and grinned. The sense of nausea he carried with him since the system empowered his cancer faded as he focused on the fight. The moment. The challenge. Reid cracked his neck, and shifted a stone into his left palm.

Then he watched the turtle swallow the tips of his fingers. His grin flattened, but the focus stayed.

"You goddamn koopa reject, I'm going to get you back for that."

On its next charge, Reid threw a stone straight for the turtle's head. Rather than slow itself, the turtle shifted so its shell took the blow. It hurtled in towards Reid like a massive, spiky dinnerplate. Reid shoved Requiem forward like a spear and braced himself for the impact. The hard, dark shell and the tip of his mace fought each other for an instant, as the force of the flying turtle pushed Reid's heels back in the dirt. He pushed power into his arms and legs, using everything he could muster to shove Requiem and the turtle back.

Requiem won out against the shell.

The turtle vocalized as a crack the size of Reid's fist spidered out from the point of impact. Its leftover momentum sent the turtle spinning down - straight into the dirt. It half-buried its front right side into the ground, and Reid jumped in to pile on the damage. He used the tip of his mace like an oyster fork, stabbing and scooping at the exposed leg facing him. The flesh didn't resist as well as the shell.

By the time the beast lord had freed itself and gotten back into the air, most of a leg and what Reid guessed were some of its bowels lay on the ground. Blood dripped from the wound, and it seemed unbalanced in the air. It charged again - and Reid threw another rock. This time, the turtle took the blow, and Reid's once-supreme thrown stone bounced ineffectively off the creature.

With his single, overly simple tactic countered, Reid readied himself in a baseball-swing stance, and swiped out with Requiem as the turtle got in close. It would've been a great hit if the thing kept moving.

Instead, Reid's mace whistled through empty air as the turtle shined silver.

The same magic that let it fly in mostly-straight lines wasn't just for acceleration - it was also an effective way to stop midair. Reid lost a chunk of flesh off his abdomen for that miscalculation, and his anger flared when he saw the thing swallow the chunk. He was supposed to eat the turtle, not the other way around.

His next move was more reactionary than thoughtful.

Reid grabbed the turtle by the tail, and when it tore a chunk from his forearm in retaliation, he dropped Requiem to grab it by its throat. The turtle couldn't bite him if he was holding it, right? Losing a bit more flesh he could regrow felt like a small price to pay for that.

As the turtle thrashed against his grip, Reid managed to bring it to the ground with his right hand. He straddled the shell, and punched down at the exposed limb of the beast with his free hand. The motion sent shocks up his stubby fingers and past the missing chunk in his forearm that he pointedly ignored. Seven blows crushed the front left leg. He couldn't reach the right side well enough for a punch, so Reid grabbed onto the right front leg with his left hand and flooded his arm with explosive power. The turtle shook as he tore its leg clean away from its body.

It was working. Reid was dealing damage. He'd - unintentionally but effectively - used his size and weight to his advantage over the beast, and he was clearly winning the fight now. Their bout had taken the two of them a fair distance from the pond, and the turtle was staring back at its home turf.

The beast glowed silver, and tried to float the two of them into the air, but failed. Then it glowed again, and Reid found himself taken for a ride.

The same force that was no longer able to get the turtle airborne was effective at pushing it along the ground- even with Reid on its back. Like a rocket sled, Reid found himself hurtling towards the body of water be absolutely did not want to be fighting in. He squeezed his right hand around the turtle's throat and put power into his grip - but it wasn't working. The neck was far tougher than the turtle's limbs had been. He wouldn't be able to choke it to death - nor rip the thing's head off - before it plunged them both into the dark water.

Reid had two options. He could pause the fight by falling off and releasing the turtle. He'd be able to recover - and he wasn't sure what the turtle would do. Maybe it could stay underwater indefinitely. He didn't have indefinite waiting time.

That meant option two. Deal as much damage as possible and hope he didn't get into an underwater fight.

Reid's left hand plunged into the hole where the turtle's leg had been, fishing for and grabbing anything semi-solid he could feel. Silver light pulsed as the beast dropped its skill and lost focus in the pain. Bits of the turtle's innards splattered up Reid's forearm as he crushed fistfuls of something inside the creature.

They were close to the water now. Too close.

Reid grasped and ripped. His arm was buried nearly up to the elbow. The beast's silver light sputtered, but still kept them moving forward.

They skidded past the tall grass and onto the wet shoreline. Bits of organs squished in Reid's fingers

He was so close to winning. Too close to give up.

So Reid hung on, even as he and the turtle plunged into the dark water.

#

Five minutes later, the surface of the water broke as Reid, covered in small cuts and without his armor, emerged.

He stumbled out of the water, and dropped a mangled, muddy turtle corpse on the ground.

"So, I know a few ways to cook turtle meat, but I think you should wash that thing out, first."

Reid groaned. "Nyx, that SUCKED. My armor caught the water and I couldn't move right. It took my attention away from the thing for too long when I stored it in my ring, and I got mouthfuls of silt because I was doing it. I lost another several pounds of flesh, my thumb, and even my big toe on my left foot! I feel like I have mud fused to me. And, that magic shouldn't have worked underwater! It was supposed to use it to fly!"

"Mhm. Except it wasn't flight, it was force and acceleration. That's why it only went straight up or straight forward. And why it could stop so fast. If it could fly, then it would've been able to steer in the air. There are creatures with flying magic, though. So you should come up with a better response."

Reid pinched his nose - and was reminded that the tips of his fingers were still missing. "Well, the fast turtle is dead, it's time to do some celebrating, and I'm hungry. Let's find some clean water to wash it off."

"Your best bet is to head Northwest. There should be a stream there. And Reid?"

"Yeah?"

"Congrats on passing the first hurdle."

"Thanks, Nyx."

Reid smiled. His state, post-cancer-powerup - which felt really weird to think about - hadn't been the best. It had honestly made him a bit concerned about getting to level 27, but the gains he'd received from the turbo turtle were enough to put all worry completely out of his mind. It was a tough fight, certainly, but he'd won. He was well past where he needed to be to meet Nyx's initial window - and now he just needed to make it the rest of the way to E grade within the 20 month timeframe she'd established. Plus, he needed to find time to actually realize the potential of his new level. That part... might take a bit.

As Reid trekked towards the promise of fresh water and food, he reviewed his notifications - and smiled. He flexed his damaged arm and pressed the stubs of his fingers against his palm.

He could use another challenge.

You have defeated Beast Lord of The Dark Pond - lvl 32. Experience Awarded (+50,000 xp)

Questline Stage Completed: The Beast Lords - (Stage 3 of 10) Secret Challenge Completed: Took No Losses in Stage 3 Secret Challenge Completed: Finished Stage 3 in less than 20 days

Bonus Experience awarded for completing secret challenges!

Achievement Upgraded! Venator II -> Venator III (Earned for engaging and defeating beast lords in solo combat)

New Achievement Earned! Swamp Fiend (Earned for defeating a mud or swampwater-based beast while underwater in its natural habitat)

Swamp Fiend

You see more clearly when underwater, regardless of dirt, silt, or debris. Slightly improves underwater mobility.

Final Experience Awarded: 1,000,000 xp (F) Accelerated Growth Experience (.19) Awarded: 190,000 xp

Experience: 1 / 50 -> 1,240,001 / 1,638,400 Level: 25 -> 40 Control: 150 -> 450

Questline Stage Unlocked: The Beast Lords - (Stage 4 of 10) NOTICE: You are the only faction that can currently access this questline.

You bested the Lord of the Dark Pond in its own habitat, where its magics and endurance are the strongest. Continue your conquest and end the scourge of Snug Valley. Stage 4: Defeat the Rumblestrut Twins and Destroy their Troop. (Level 41). Secret Challenge: Complete Stage 4 in less than 30 days. (29d 23h 54m Remaining) Secret Challenge: Complete Stage 4 without taking any losses

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