Umber’s First Darksday of Harvestfall, 1442, Boulderfall Pass, Stonereach.


    Leoric crouched behind a cluster of jagged rocks, the cold, uneven surface pressing into his knees as he scanned the field ahead. The smell of damp earth and saltwater drifted on the air, mixing with the faint musk of animal sweat carried from the beasts grazing in the distance. His keen eyes narrowed, focusing on the hulking, boar-like creatures rooting through the tall grass, their snorts and grunts filling the otherwise still night. Their tusks gleamed faintly in the starlight, glinting like curved daggers. Oblivious to the danger, they rummaged through the field, kicking up loose soil with each ponderous step.


    Behind him, Elyssia leaned casually against a boulder, arms crossed, her green hair reflecting the light of the stars in soft glimmers. She kept her sapphire eyes fixed on him, one eyebrow arched with that ever-so-slightly mischievous expression she seemed to wear effortlessly.


    “Alright,” Leoric said, whispering barely louder than the rustling leaves. He turned, meeting her gaze. “I’ll go pull.”


    The smile on Elyssia’s freckled face widened, a flicker of excitement dancing in her eyes. “Sure, sure. Go for it.”


    Leoric exhaled slowly, his breath misting in the cool night air. His fingers tightened around his bow, the familiar weight grounding him as he nocked an arrow. The string creaked softly as he pulled it back, feeling the tension build under his fingers. He aimed carefully at the nearest boar; the world narrowing to the single moment of release. The wind stilled, and for a heartbeat, everything was silent.


    The arrow flew, cutting through the air with a sharp hiss before embedding itself deep into the creature’s shoulder. The impact was solid, the satisfying thunk! reverberating through his hands. The beast let out a guttural growl, its eyes snapping wide in pain and fury. It kicked up dirt in a frenzied charge, snorting wildly as it barrelled toward them.


    Leoric grinned, his pulse quickening. Perfect shot! He turned back toward Elyssia, expecting her to be ready to jump in. “Got it! Let’s take this one d—”


    But she was gone.


    A thunderous roar of hooves echoed behind him, and Leoric’s eyes widened. He whipped around just in time to see Elyssia mid-air; her form a blur as she twisted into a spinning kick, her feet glowing faintly with that familiar ochre energy. Her movements were so fast, the wind seemed to ripple around her.


    The blow landed with a resounding crack against the boar’s head, sending it flying back with a startled squeal. The beast tumbled through the air, crashing into the herd of its friends. Dirt and debris scattered across the field as the other boars’ attention shifted from their peaceful grazing. Many pairs of red eyes locked onto Elyssia with fury.


    Before Leoric could react, the entire herd was on the move. One by one, the boars snorted and pawed at the ground, kicking up clouds of dust as they charged toward them in a wave of horns, muscle, and hooves. The low rumble of their approach grew louder, a stampede shaking the very ground beneath them.


    Leoric’s breath caught in his throat. What the hell?


    Elyssia landed gracefully, barely winded, and glanced over her shoulder at him, her grin wide with exhilaration.


    “That was a perfect pull. What did you just do?” Leoric shouted over the din of the charging boars.


    She looked at him first, and then at the stampeding boars, unimpressed. “That was an Earth Kick, in my tanking stance. It lowers my damage. But now that I hit all of them, that should lock aggro on me for the whole fight.”


    That girl…! I don’t care what ability you just used, that’s not what I meant! But Leoric saw the way she smirked, and he knew. She was well aware of what he had meant; she just did not care.


    Leoric’s eyes widened as his focused returned to the problem at hand. The entire herd—at least seven massive boars—was now thundering toward them. His instincts screamed at him to move, to react, and he quickly nocked another arrow, his hands fumbling slightly in his haste.


    It’s a little late for this fight, but we need to have a chat about how to handle pulls, or I’m bound to go crazy…


    “… And that’s how you pull, bunny boy,” Elyssia said, laughing. She stood there, perfectly still, totally ignoring the threat the stampede bearing down on them represented.


    Does she have a death wish or something?


    “Move! Why are you just standing still? They’re going to trample you to death!” Leoric’s voice rose with panic as the ground shook beneath his feet.


    But she just rolled her shoulders, her posture loose, as if this was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “Relax. They’re just boars”, she said, her voice teasing but calm. “You’re overthinking again. Classic bunny boy.”


    Leoric’s pulse thundered in his ears as he fired an arrow into the closest boar, but the creature barely slowed, its eyes locked in rage. They were coming too fast. His heart hammered as he turned toward Elyssia, ready to shout another warning, but she was already moving.


    In a blur of speed, Elyssia darted forward. Forward? Who meets a stampeded head-on?


    But there she was, weaving between two charging beasts with impossible agility. The air seemed to part around her, her movements like wind slicing through a storm. She leapt into the air, her body twisting as she brought her glowing foot down on the back of one boar’s head with a sickening crunch, using the momentum to springboard into another.


    Her fists pulsed with energy as she struck out, every blow precise and devastating. Leoric could only stare in disbelief. She was not just dodging the stampede—she was dismantling it, one strike at a time.


    “Cover me, would you?” Elyssia called out, her tone as light as if they were on a leisurely stroll, not in the middle of a chaotic fight. She turned her head, looking at him in the eyes as she did so. How is she able to fight, to avoid all those attacks, when she wasn’t even looking at her opponents? Is she just fighting by ear?!


    Leoric blinked, snapping out of his daze. He fired another arrow, this one hitting a boar that had tried to flank Elyssia. The beast snarled, but before it could make a move toward him, the sylvani slid in with breathtaking speed, delivering a palm strike that sent it crashing into a nearby tree.


    Leoric’s jaw went slack. How is she even doing this?


    Within moments, fallen bodies of boars littered the field, their massive forms steaming in the cool night air. The last living member of the herd looked afraid, and it hesitated. Its hooves pawing nervously at the ground. It let out a tentative snort, unsure whether to flee or continue the fight.


    Leoric, his breath coming in short bursts, raised his bow, ready to put an end to the battle. But Elyssia was faster. She flipped forward with effortless grace, landing in front of the last boar. She stomped a foot on the ground; the impact projected a loud, thudding sound. Even at this distance, Leoric felt the ground quake beneath his feet. Then, in a swift twisting motion, she rotated her hips, slamming her entire body against the boar’s. Her twisting motion brought her thigh crashing directly into the creature’s snout, and a bone-grinding crunch soon followed. The impact effortlessly lifted the boar off the ground and sent it flying backwards. It landed a few feet further, skidding across the dirt with a pained squeal before collapsing in a heap.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    That was not a shoulder or elbow strike, but a full-body tackle. What kind of martial art is this?


    The sudden silence that followed was almost surreal. Leoric lowered his bow, his arms trembling slightly from the adrenaline. The only sound now was the soft rustling of the wind through the trees, mingling with the fading echoes of the fight.


    Elyssia strolled back toward him, her expression smug. “There. Now we’re done.”


    Leoric, still struggling to process what had just happened, shook his head. “I see that... I expected we’d pull and kill them one or two at a time...”


    Elyssia laughed, clapping him on the back with a force that made him wince. “Oh, come on. Where’s the fun in that?”


    Leoric rubbed his shoulder, wincing. “Fun? We could have died!”


    “Nah,” Elyssia said with a wink, her grin never fading. “You need to loosen up. Trust me, you’ll never get better if you play it safe all the time.”


    Leoric glanced around at the scattered bodies of the boars, the steam rising from their still-warm forms. He let out a long, weary sigh. “And you did all that. In your tanking stance. The one lowering your damage?”


    Elyssia shrugged playfully. “I dropped it after the first kick, actually. Didn’t need it to keep aggro off you. Gotta go fast! You’re not expecting me to slow down my kill speed, are you?”


    <hr>


    Leoric and Elyssia strolled down the dirt path that would ultimately take them to Luminara, the City of Lights. The stars shimmered above them, scattered across the dark sky, but the wind howling the maze of canyons they travelled through dominated the night’s quiet. The tension from their earlier battle had long since ebbed away, though Leoric’s mind remained stuck on what he had just witnessed.


    The cool night air clung to his skin, a steady reminder of the chill creeping in, bringing with it the dusty scent of the arid soil. Each step crunched softly beneath his boots on the uneven terrain, forcing him to focus on every footfall to avoid stumbling. His breath was visible in the air, tiny clouds that dispersed into the night as he exhaled.


    Only the distant sounds of rocks tumbling down cliffs and the occasional howl of unseen creatures interrupted the stillness. Leoric stole a glance at Elyssia, her green hair catching the starlight like faint, shimmering threads. His curiosity gnawed at him until, finally, he broke the silence.


    “So, I’ve been meaning to ask…” His voice cut through the stillness, each word careful, as if testing the ground. “I notice you don’t have any weapons.”


    Elyssia grinned, flexing her fingers as if she could still feel the energy coursing through them, as though she had not just used those bare hands to obliterate a pack of boars. “Nope. Don’t need ‘em.”


    Leoric blinked, surprised by her nonchalance. The crisp air bit at his exposed skin, and a puff of disbelief escaped with his breath. “Right. But... you’re a martial artist, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you have gauntlets, fist weapons, tonfa, or... something?”


    She shrugged, the motion as light as the wind that brushed past them, her casual tone making it appear such concerns were irrelevant. “Yeah, eventually. You trade speed for damage with those. But hey, do you really think I need to do more damage?” She smirked, her sapphire-blue eyes glinting with amusement in the starlight. “In any case, I haven’t really bothered gearing up yet.”


    Leoric stopped dead in his tracks, the cool wind brushing against his face as he stared at her, utterly flabbergasted. “You don’t have any gear? Like... nothing?”


    Elyssia turned to face him, her grin widening. The stars’ soft glow caught in her eyes, making her expression even more mischievous. “Nope. This,” she gestured to her simple, starter outfit—a white cotton tunic, its fabric already showing signs of wear—“is still my level 1 starter gear. Straight out of Altansuun.”


    Leoric’s jaw dropped. His entire world seemed to freeze, the wind momentarily lost to the sheer absurdity of what she was saying. “You’ve been fighting like this—with no gear—the entire time?!”


    She nodded as if his shock were amusing, completely unfazed by the disbelief radiating off him. A sudden gust of wind picked up, rustling the tall grass along the edge of the path. “Yep. Took a direct route here after I left the starting zone. Haven’t even done any questing yet. Just... fought my way through whatever got in my way.”


    Leoric ran a hand through his hair, making his bunny ears twitch from the contact. He tried to wrap his head around her words. “But... but the enemies out here are at least a few levels higher than me—and I’ve been questing and levelling all day. You’re telling me you’ve been punching your way through them... with no gear? No quests? Nothing?!”


    Elyssia chuckled, her laugh light and playful in the otherwise silent night. “Pretty much. It doesn’t look like much when you look at the individual gains, but it’s surprising how fast you can level up if you just grind non-stop. It’s all about the XP per hour. Chasing the big numbers is rarely the most efficient path. There’s a reason we call it a syndrome.”


    Leoric had heard the expression before. Big number syndrome. How some players would chase things like highest spike damage from critical attacks and stacked buffs, just to see how high the numbers can go. Was Elyssia comparing experience points per kill to the experience points earned from questing, the same way most people would compare damage per second to burst damage?


    “Grind?!” Leoric’s voice cracked slightly, his disbelief cutting through the quiet. His boots scuffed the dirt as he stopped walking altogether, his mind buzzing with confusion. “You’ve just been grinding your way here, no gear, no help, just bare-handed fighting?”


    Elyssia shrugged again, clearly enjoying his reaction. “Well, not exactly by choice, you know? Boars and wolves don’t exactly drop cloth armour. Unless you know something I don’t?”


    Leoric gaped at her, his mind swirling. A sharp howl of wind echoed through the canyon, almost drowning out his disbelief as he ran both hands through his hair. Both ears twitched in displeasure. “I... HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS WITH NO GEAR?!”


    Elyssia turned to him. The starlight illuminating her features, a cosmic mirror to the freckles visible all over her skin. She grinned wider, fully aware of how ludicrous she sounded. “Easy. I’ve been playing this game since I was nine. I know exactly what I’m doing. The real trick is knowing your class inside and out. Martial artists are all about timing. You pull enough enemies, and your counters do more damage than you’ll ever need. As long as you know how to weave through attacks, you don’t need fancy armour. Or weapons, even. At least for a while.”


    Leoric stared at her as though she had just revealed some forbidden knowledge of the game’s inner workings. The soft whistle of wind through the rocks became background noise as he fixated on her calm, almost cocky demeanour. “But... but that’s insane! You need gear to progress! How do you do well with no bonus stats? How will you even handle bosses or elites?”


    Elyssia tilted her head, considering his question. “Same tip I gave you before. Don’t get hit. Plus, with a few well-placed strikes, even elite mobs go down before they can do any serious damage. Worst case? Pop a cooldown.”


    Leoric shook his head, still struggling to comprehend how she could be so... nonchalant about it all. The stars seemed brighter now, illuminating the path ahead, though the road to Luminara still stretched far into the distance. He was proud of his careful strategy, his methodical approach to levelling, upgrading his gear—but Elyssia made it seem like everything he had meticulously planned was just an afterthought.


    “I’ve spent hours tweaking my build,” he said, muttering to himself. “Upgrading my gear, planning my fights, setting traps, upgrading my bow, adjusting my stats... And she just... runs in?”


    Elyssia burst out laughing, her voice light and free in the stillness. She gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance. “Your way is entirely valid, too! Got you here so far, no? But hey, to each their own? Those early levels aren’t hard enough to challenge me unless I give myself some additional restrictions. No gear runs are a popular thing on streaming sites. How are you so surprised by this?”


    Leoric’s shoulders slumped, the weight of her words sinking in. He thought he was doing well—hell; he was doing well, and even Elyssia seemed to agree. But compared to her? He was nothing—she was in a whole other league.


    The stars’ silver light bathed them both as they walked, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the canyons. Elyssia had not just been playing the game today—she had been mastering it for years.


    He stared at her as they continued walking, shaking his head in disbelief. “Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath. “No gear...”


    Elyssia flashed him a grin, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “Don’t worry, I’m going to gear up soon. Once I hit level fifteen. Once we unlock crafting classes, you’ll see the difference between your quest freebies or store-bought items, and the ones an actual artisan can make. You think the difference between my level one gear and your current stuff matters? Wait till you see the gap between normal and high quality.”


    Leoric stared at her, his thoughts spinning. He had not planned on picking up a crafting profession. That had never been an aspect he had been interested in. But now? That may have to change.


    Knowing Elyssia’s opinion of crafted gear. How she had not bothered gearing up at all, but still felt it worth her time to stop and make her own stuff?


    I need to look up crafting. Otherwise, she’ll just put me in the dust.


    A shudder ran down his spine at the thought of letting Elyssia get another edge over him. He was already struggling to keep up.


    You won’t get rid of me that easily. I’m going to keep up with you, no matter what.