Jason stood over the fallen Harrower, breath ragged. Kneeling down, Jason looked over everything. The one thing he had learned from the stupid amount of time he spent playing video games was to loot as much as possible.

  These just look like torn rags. Jason thought, as he picked up the tattered clothes of the Harrower. “Wish I could figure out what is useful, and what’s not…”

  He slapped his hand to his forehead. “I’m an idiot, I literally have a skill for this.”

  Jason used his Identify skill:

  Hood of the Harrower (Common)

  Pierce the Veil – See through minor illusions.

  Protection from the Mist of Umbraxis.

  Everything else was worthless — the System even mocked him for checking.

  Junk! Why are you sill looking at this…

  Jason put the hood on. The fabric felt both weightless and suffocating at once, like wearing the last whispers of the dead. A chill ran down his spine as a faint sense of detachment settled over him, the world’s noise now only a distant murmur.

  As he walked along the overgrown path, movement flickered at the edges of his vision. A wolf-like creature formed from the same blackened vines that coated the ground. Jason used Identify.

  Brierhound: Pack hunters born from the creeping darkness. Its sinewy vines coil like living chains, wrapping around prey to strangle and ensnare.

  Race: RootSpawn

  Level: 2

  Grade: F

  Jason’s pulse quickened. He didn't see other Brierhounds, was this one a scout? If so he needed to avoid it for now he was not equipped to fight a pack of anything.

  He started to back away.

  Crack.

  Jason looked down at the branch under his foot. Looking back up, as the Brierhound spun snarling.

  This is how I'm going to die… Jason thought, as the Brierhound Charged him.

  Jason dove, letting it race past him. Scrambling to his feet, he came up with a large stone in his hands. The Brierhound turned and charged again. This time, Jason was ready. With a heave, he swung the rock, catching the Brierhound in the snout.

  It let out a pitiful howl.

  “Shit… don't be so loud.” Jason muttered, swinging the stone again, catching it on its head.

  A vine whipped out aiming for his head, Jason dropped to the ground. “This thing just loves to see me in the dirt…”

  Hopefully, I've done enough damage. Jason thought, as he rolled back to his feet and activated Capture.

  Warning: No gesture assigned.

  Jason stood in surprise. How had he forgotten to assign a gesture? Ah shit, he thought as he tried to dive out of the way. The Brierhound missed biting him, but its body slammed into Jason, sending him sprawling.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Coughing, Jason shook his head, trying to clear it. He assigned pointing.

  Not an accepted gesture.

  "What do you mean ‘not accepted’? You didn't make any rules regarding a gesture!" Jason took a deep breath. "Well, how about this?" He flipped the Brierhound off.

  Gesture not accepted.

  "Okay," Jason breathed through his nose.

  The OK gesture assigned.

  "What? The OK gesture?" Jason placed his index finger against his thumb, creating a circle. “Like this?”

  Target must remain inside of the circle for the duration of the skill.

  Even bracing for it, the drain alarmed him. A sense of dread washed over him. He could feel his body getting colder, less responsive. As the world around him began to fade, the sensation stopped.

  The Brierhound started to break down, piece by piece, turning into a black liquid. The liquid flowed from where the Brierhound had stood, straight toward Jason.

  His eyes widened as the liquid formed into a tattoo so detailed, it looked alive. Capture success: 1/5

  Brierhound’s highest stat Strength: Plus 1%.

  “I actually did it,” Jason whispered, half in awe, half in disbelief. "Oh shit," he added, nearly falling down. "It’s moving—holy crap."

  He reached for the tattoo, but it pulled away, vines rising like hackles. "Huh. If the guys back home saw this... They’d lose their minds.”

  “That really wasn't all that bad.” He said, rolling his shoulders.

  Crack.

  A snapping branch saved Jason’s life as a second Brierhound charged, mouth agape. Jason barely had time to react. He attempted to roll, but the vines lashed out, wrapping around his ankles and locking him in place. The creature sank its fangs into his left shoulder, and pain exploded through his body. His vision swam as a wave of white-hot agony coursed through him.

  Panic surged. He lashed out wildly, landing desperate blows with his fists, but the Brierhound held firm.

  Thump. Thump.

  A deep pulse resonated inside him. His mind cleared.

  He cast Tattoo Summoning. Jason felt the ink ripple under his skin as inky black liquid flowed from his free arm, forming into the Brierhound he had just captured.

  Fangs bared, it sank its teeth deep into the neck of the other Brierhound, yanking it off Jason.

  Pain once again tore through Jason as part of his shoulder was ripped open.

  His ink Brierhound thrashed side to side, reminding Jason of how a dog played with one of its toys. It continued like this until a chunk of vine broke free and the Brierhound fell limp.

  Level up! 2 to 3. Unused stat points 15.

  A long, mournful howl echoed through the valley.

  Jason looked up, eyes narrowing.

  At the top of the hill stood another Brierhound. This one was twice the size of the others. Dark vines coiled and shifted across its massive frame like serpents waiting to strike.Jason’s gut twisted, as he used Identify.

  Alpha Brierhound: The relentless ruler of the pack. Larger, faster, and far more cunning than its kin. Its coiling vines move like living chains, striking before prey can react.

  Race: RootSpawn

  Level: 10

  Grade: F

  Jason clenched his fists, his shoulder throbbing— a painful reminder of how narrowly he had survived the last fight.

  I need to run. I don’t think I can take this thing. “Sorry, buddy—but you’ve gotta buy me some time.”

  Jason sent a silent command. The Ink Brierhound charged the Alpha. He turned, running away, holding his throbbing shoulder. He had to lose this thing. Hopefully, his Brierhound could buy him some time.

  One of the Alphas vines whipped out, crashing into the ink-bound summon and sending it howling.

  Jason glanced back. The Alpha was closing the gap.

  “Come on, Jason, you need to run faster.” He was not nearly fast enough. Another lashed out like a whip.

  The impact sent him flying. He soared back fifty feet, crashing into an obsidian pillar. The stone cracked upon impact.

  Pain exploded through his body. His vision blurred.

  Jason groaned, trying to push himself up, but his body refused to cooperate. Every muscle screamed in protest.

  Darkness curled at the edges of his vision. He forced his fingers to move, his breath ragged. Not yet.

  Then…

  A figure stepped into his fading sight.

  His mind screamed at him to move, to react, but his body was already shutting down. Everything went black.