The forest was getting dark.
Daniel found a small, dry spot under the roots of a giant tree. He cleared away the sharp rocks and wet leaves to make a safe place for them to rest.
Bran sat on a log nearby. He held his knees to his chest and stared at the ground. He looked small and hopeless.
Daniel looked at him and felt a sharp pain in his chest, guilt. He saw Bran, but in his mind, it was Sophie and Ragnar. He had failed them. He had walked away, and now they were dead. He promised he wouldn't fail again.
Suddenly, a loud chime rang out. It came from Daniel's wrist. Then, it came from Bran's wrist.
DING!
It wasn't the sound of a monster. It was the Databand. A bright blue light flashed on their arms.
A voice spoke. It was loud and clear. It was the voice of Chief Instructor Yara Baldwin.
"Aspirants," she said. "Listen closely."
Daniel stopped what he was doing. Bran looked up, his eyes wide with fear.
"You have 72 hours remaining in the Aurora Vale," the Instructor announced. "Three days. At the end of this time, the extraction portal will open. If you want to go home, you must be there."
There was a short pause.
"However," the voice continued, "we do not take failures back to the Academy. Those who have not reached Level 2 will be left behind.
You have three days to prove you are strong. Finish your hunts."
The message ended with a soft click. The blue light faded. Bran started to shake. He looked at his wristband. It showed his status: Level 1. "I'm going to die," Bran whispered.
Tears filled his eyes again. "I'm not Level 2. I can't fight. I can't kill anything. They are going to leave me here with the monsters."
He buried his face in his hands and started to cry. "I'm dead. I'm just dead." Daniel walked over and crouched in front of him.
He put a hand on Bran's shoulder. "No," Daniel said firmly. "You are not going to die." Bran looked up.
"But the time limit... 72 hours... I can't do it, Daniel. I'm too weak."
"I am not weak," Daniel said. He looked Bran right in the eyes. "I am Level 2. I am strong enough for both of us. We will get you that experience. We will get you to the portal."
Bran sniffed. "You... you would help me? Even after I slowed you down?"
"You aren't slowing me down," Daniel lied gently. "You are my team. Now, let's get ready. We have work to do."
- - - - - - -
The next few hours were filled with violence.
Daniel decided they couldn't just hide. To get to the extraction point, they had to move through the forest.
And the forest was full of things that wanted to eat them. Daniel took the lead. He walked tall, making noise on purpose. He wanted the monsters to look at him, not at Bran.
Bran walked behind him, limping slightly. He held onto a small, rusty knife that Daniel had given him.
He looked like a scared rabbit. But inside, Bran was bored.
"This is taking forever," Bran thought to himself as he watched Daniel's back. "He is so noble. It's disgusting."
Suddenly, Daniel stopped. His [Omnivision] pinged in his head. It wasn't a small creature. It was big.
Two large signatures were rushing towards them. "Bran, get back!" Daniel shouted.
"Hide behind that tree!" The bushes in front of them exploded.
Two massive beasts jumped out. They looked like wolves, but they were the size of small cars.
Their fur was the color of burnt wood, dark grey and black. Their eyes glowed with a hateful red light.
Daniel raised his left arm. He quickly scanned the beasts with his Databand.
[Ashpelt Ravager - Level 4]
Stats: High Strength, Very High Agility, High Vitality.
Threat Assessment: Pack hunters. Coats release choking ash. Extremely dangerous.
"Level 4," Daniel gritted his teeth. These were stronger than anything he had fought before.
They were two levels above him.
ZOOM!
The first Ravager didn't wait. It leaped at Daniel, its claws tearing up the ground. It was fast. Much faster than the snakes.
Daniel barely reacted in time.
"[Shadowsteps]!" His agility tripled. He jumped to the side, dodging the massive paw that would have crushed his skull.
"Stay away from him!" Daniel roared. He drew his D-Grade Vibro-Knife. The second Ravager tried to run past him to get to Bran.
Daniel couldn't let that happen. He activated [Forceburst].
A shockwave of kinetic energy blasted out from his hand.
BOOM!
The blast hit the second Ravager in the ribs. The huge beast yelped and was knocked sideways, rolling in the dirt.
It didn't kill it, but it got its attention. Now both monsters were looking at Daniel. "That's right," Daniel said, sweating.
"Eyes on me." The fight was intense. It wasn't a quick kill. It was a dance of death. The first Ravager snapped its jaws at Daniel's leg.
Daniel jumped, doing a backflip over the beast.
As he was in the air, he slashed down with his knife.
SLASH!
The blade cut deep into the monster's shoulder, but the thick, ashy fur stopped it from going too deep.
The beast shook itself, releasing a cloud of grey dust. Daniel coughed. The dust burned his throat. It was hard to breathe.
The second Ravager recovered and charged. It rammed into Daniel from behind.
THUD!
Daniel flew forward and hit a tree. His D-Grade Deflector Vest glowed, absorbing most of the damage, but his ribs ached.
He tasted blood in his mouth. "Daniel!" Bran screamed from his hiding spot. His fear looked very real. "I'm fine!" Daniel yelled back, spitting blood.
He stood up. He was angry now. He focused on his D-Grade skill, [Venomous Strike].
A green glow covered his knife. "Come on!" he shouted. Both Ravagers attacked at the same time.
One went high, one went low. It was a perfect pack attack. Daniel didn't dodge.
He activated [Shadowsteps].
The world slowed down. He saw the drool flying from their mouths. He saw the hate in their eyes. He slid under the first wolf, thrusting his knife upward into its soft stomach.
The venom entered the beast instantly. Then, he spun around. He put all his strength into a punch aimed at the second wolf's nose.
[Power Strike]!
CRACK!
His fist connected with a sound like a gunshot. The wolf's head snapped back. It stumbled, dizzy.
[You have slain: Ashpelt Ravager (Level 4)]
[EXP Gained: 180 EXP]
[+50% High-level Kill bonus : 90 EXP]
[Total EXP Gained: 270 EXP]
[Level 2: 320/450 EXP]
The first wolf, the one he stabbed, fell over. It was foaming at the mouth, the venom working fast.
Daniel jumped on the back of the second wolf. He grabbed its fur with one hand and drove his knife into its neck with the other.
He stabbed again and again until the massive beast stopped moving. Daniel fell off the carcass, landing in the mud.
[You have slain: Ashpelt Ravager (Level 4)]
[EXP Gained: 180 EXP]
[+50% High-level Kill bonus : 90 EXP]
[Total EXP Gained: 270 EXP]
[Level 2: 590/450 EXP]
Then, another notification came in immediately.
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 3!]
[Level Up Bonus: All Stats +12. Assimilation Charges Restored (15/15).]
He was gasping for air. His body hurt everywhere. "Daniel?" Bran whispered. Daniel gave a thumbs up.
He was too tired to speak. He quickly placed his hand on the dead beasts. He couldn't let the souls go to waste.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Ashpelt Ravager (Level 4)]
[Gain: Strength +6]
[Gain: Agility +6]
[Gain: Vitality +4]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (14/15 Remaining).]
He did the same for the second one. The power rushed into him, healing his bruises and giving him energy.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Ashpelt Ravager (Level 4)]
[Gain: Strength +6]
[Gain: Agility +6]
[Gain: Vitality +4]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (13/15 Remaining).]
Bran was also able to level up to level 2. Lowkey, he joined the fight at one point, even though he didn't do much.
Daniel stood up, wiping the blood and ash from his face. "Are you okay?" Bran asked, running over to him.
"I am now," Daniel said. "Let's keep moving. That noise might attract more."
- - - - - -
Night fell over the Aurora Vale. They set up a small camp near a stream. Daniel made a fire.
He used the last of the snake meat to make a stew. It smelled good. They sat by the fire, eating in silence.
The flames danced in the darkness. Bran put down his empty bowl. He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. He looked into the fire with a sad expression.
"My mom used to make stew like this," Bran said softly. Daniel looked up. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Bran said. He paused, letting a tear roll down his cheek. "We didn't have much money. My dad left us when I was little. It was just me and my mom. She worked two jobs to feed me." Daniel stopped eating.
This sounded familiar. "She was always tired," Bran continued, his voice shaking. "But she always smiled for me. She told me I was going to be special. She told me I was going to be the one who will save the family from poverty."
Bran wiped his eyes. "But then the invasion happened. The monsters came. We were hiding in our apartment. I was so scared, Daniel. I hid under the bed." Bran looked at Daniel.
"The monsters broke in. My mom... she screamed at me to stay hidden. She ran at them with a kitchen knife. She tried to fight them so they wouldn't find me."
He sobbed. "I just watched. I watched from under the bed while they... while they took her. I didn't do anything. I was too weak."
Daniel felt a lump in his throat. It was like looking in a mirror. Bran's story was almost exactly like his own. The hiding. The guilt.
The mother sacrificing herself. Of course, Bran's story was entirely a lie. It was a perfectly crafted story designed to manipulate Daniel.
Bran had actually killed his own parents the day the invasion started because they were annoying. But Daniel didn't know that.
"I'm sorry, Bran," Daniel said. His voice was thick with emotion. "That's why I joined the Academy," Bran whispered.
"I wanted to be strong. I wanted to make sure no one else had to die for me. But look at me. Sophie and Ragnar died for me. My mom died for me. I'm just a curse."
"No," Daniel said sharply. He moved to sit closer to Bran. "You are not a curse. You survived. That is the hardest part."
Daniel threw a stick into the fire. Sparks flew up into the night air.
"I know how you feel," Daniel said. "I really do." Bran looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "How could you know? You're strong, Daniel.
You're a hero. You saved me." "I'm not a hero," Daniel said bitterly. "I hid too. When the invasion started, I hid in a wardrobe with my little sister. And when they found us... I couldn't stop them. They took her."
"Oh, Daniel," Bran said. "I didn't know."
"And my parents," Daniel continued. "I watched my father get beheaded. I saw my mother in chains. I couldn't save them. I was weak."
He looked at his hands.
"That's why I fight so hard now. That's why I need power. To get them back." Bran nodded slowly.
"We are the same, then. Two broken people trying to fix things."
"Yes," Daniel said. "We are brothers in this." The fire crackled. The bond between them felt strong.
Daniel felt a deep sense of responsibility for Bran. He felt that he could trust this boy. Bran had shared his deepest pain. It was only fair that Daniel did the same.