<>(Zack)<>

The Turkey Patriarch opens its beak, sucking in air.

"No, you don't!" I throw my new knife.

It flies much faster than any throw I've done before, speeding through the air and slamming into the beast's throat.

Target -217 Health! Appraisal Resistance Target -48 Health per second

Not enough to really do anything to something that powerful, as it'll probably recover and stop the bleed before I kill it, but that all depends on how fast I am. Because of its status as a Special Monster, it'll likely have some resistance to my weapons, but probably not too much.

I charge forward, jumping to the side to avoid its peck, slicing at it. My blade cuts through air, and the Turkey Patriarch rears back, extending its wings. Time for it to summon gales, based off what Nik told me.

With as much strength as I have, I crouch, then jump into the air.

"Jump!" I yell, hoping such a Skill exists, grinning at the window that appears in my vision.

New Skill! Jump Active Increases the power of your jump; you can jump an addition ten yards of height for every Level of this Skill Cost 100 Mana

It's a Tier IV Skill… this is my highest-Tier Skill. What makes it so high? And why was it so easy to gain, then?

I reach the peak of my jump as the Turkey Patriarch flaps its wings at where I had been, powerful winds blasting forward, pushing back the random Monsters that were in the path.

Adjusting my trajectory, I spin, coming down with my sword slicing at the right wing. It manages to pull back, but I still cut a pretty good gash into the wing. I land in a crouch, then roll, avoiding a spinning turkey feather that cuts into the ground after passing through where I had been.

I run forward, triggering Jump again, this time managing to pull my knife from the Monster's throat while throwing out five Fireballs to the Turkey Slimes nearby, killing all of them.

Then, I wrap my legs around the Monster's throat, driving my sword deep into its eye. It shrieks, making a series of noises that shake my body and being. Damn. If it can do this much while damaged in its voice, I definitely don't want to be affected by the full power of its paralyzing yell.

Even with my sword all the way into its face, I don't manage to kill it, only take out around 10,000 Health.

Damn, this thing is tough. How can it survive a sword scrambling its brain?

I pull my sword out and allow myself to drop, slicing through its neck as I do. As I fall, I notice something behind the Turkey Patriarch, so as soon as I hit the ground, I Dash forward.

I catch the arrow in its flight, continuing forward until I reach the woods, the Adventurer scrambling back when he realizes I'm after him, his hand severed from his wrist the moment I'm there.

He screams, falling back as his bow – now broken – hits the ground, still gripped by the hand I removed. I point my sword at his throat, staring at him intimidatingly, and his screams end as he pales in an instant.

"This is my kill," I snarl. "Next time, it's more than your hand you're losing."

I turn and return to the Turkey Patriarch, slicing off a full wing before it realizes I've returned. It flaps its remaining wing, summoning up powerful winds as it tries pecking at me, only to find its beak severed, then a leg. The damn thing still lives, but not for long. I perform another Jump, landing on its back and driving my sword into it all the way to the hilt.

Then, I slice down the length of its back, reaching the tail before feeling like a moron as it runs around, dying. I could've probably just beheaded it. Not much I know of that could survive that.

With another Dash from me, the Turkey Patriarch loses its head. I Jump off, landing a few yards away as it falls, collapsing to the ground.

Confirmed: I killed it alone.

Turkey Patriarch Slain! Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +5 Turkey Ingots, +5 Golden Cornucopias, +5 Whole Turkeys

Erm… why the fuck did it give me Whole Turkeys as a reward for killing that?

Turkey Patriarch Slain with Less Than Five attackers! Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +15 Turkey Ingots, +15 Golden Cornucopias, +15 Whole Turkeys

I got another fifteen of those…

Guess I'm eating Turkey for awhile, Bryce.

I pull out one of the Golden Cornucopias and examine it. Much like with the other Holiday Boss Rewards, I cannot get a read on it, so I'll ask Nik.

"Nik!" I yell, and he appears beside me. "Oh, there you are."

"That," he says. "Is probably the fastest I've ever seen a Special Boss get taken down by a small party. Was it necessary to sever his hand?"

"He tried to steal from me," I say. "Thieves lose their hands. Who the hell is he, and why did he try to steal from me?"

"An Adventurer who came to town a few days ago," Nik informs me. "We gained a few more, over the last few weeks."

Likely because of word of that horde.

"Send them back."

"What?"

"They're here to maintain the forest's Monster levels, right?" I ask. "Send them back. Those fuckers are mine. And when I'm done with the forest, I'm taking care of Talorn. Then once I restore its City Barrier, I'm dealing with Praevar, then the mines. If I can kill the Demonic Kobold King and the Fallen Adventurers with it, I can handle that fucker in Kaelmar. So send them back. They're stealing my Experience."

Nik sighs, then suggests we return to town. I start walking, asking what the Golden Cornucopia does. It's huge, and can easily fit two or three Whole Turkeys in it.

"It generates food," he explains. "Put food inside of it, and it'll produce thirty more of it. It has twenty uses. You gained twenty?"

"Yeah," I answer. "I managed to catch that arrow before it hit. Why the fuck did it give me Whole Turkeys?"

"It is a turkey."

I shake my head, sighing as I send the Golden Cornucopia into my Inventory.

"If you don't want to keep them," he tells me. "The Golden Cornucopias, I mean, then you can sell them. They sell for fifty gold apiece. The Turkey Ingots you got sell for twenty apiece."

I nod, and we pass through the gates. I split off from Nik, heading home. I don't want to, but I need to go back there, even though it'll make me think of Bryce more.

Once home, I stare around the place, looking at Bryce's bed, the bath, the spot on the floor we slept, the kitchen, the table in the yard…

"Hey, kid," a voice says tauntingly from the street, and I look over to see a quintet of people standing there. "Did your daddy buy you that armor? How much did it cost him?"

I don't recognize them, which means they likely aren't from around here. Their tone suggests that, too.

Four of them are human – three men, one woman, all of them looking arrogant and mean. The fifth one, however…

He has golden-blond hair… and matching triangular ears atop his head, as well as a bushy tail. His eyes are a deep brown, and he's avoiding looking at me, staring straight down. I'd estimate his age around mine, and he's skinny as fuck. He's wearing nothing more than a collar around his neck, a leather band that glows with runes.

So this must be a beastborn. Judging by his characteristics, I'd say he's got some golden retriever in him.

"So what are you doing?" The man taunting me asks. "Renting a cheap little temp quarters 'cause daddy won't pay you enough to get a nice little home?"

The others laugh as I contemplate whether or not it's worth gutting them, though the woman pauses for a moment, then scrutinizes me, before her eyes widen and she stares at me in shock and horror.

"What?" The taunting Adventurer asks. "Cat got your tongue? If-"

"Sam," the woman says.

"Hush, Andrea," he says without taking his gaze off of me. "So who's your daddy? I'm sure I could make a deal with him, for a price."

You're not getting my sword.

"Sam," the woman starts.

"Hush, Andrea," he quiets her again. "I'll even let you be my Squire, if you want. It's a prestigious spot, highly sought after, once I announced I was going to take one one."

"Squire?" I ask, walking towards him, my voice and expression darkening. "You think you could make a Dark Knight demote down to a mere Squire for some asshole?"

With one fluid motion, I draw my sword, my Rage-fueled speed enabling me to cut right through his armor before he can react, stumbling back. I aim my sword at him before he manages to grab his, my glare freezing him in place.

"This is my home," I tell him. "Where I woke upon arrival in the Boundary. I communicate with His Awesomeness regularly. I have performed a solo kill on two Holiday Bosses. I have survived an encounter with an Avatar of the Shadow of life and killed thousands of Monsters with a single attack! Do not think a mere novice like you could ever be my superior!"

I'm roaring at this point, feeling a rage unlike any other burning through me, a new power welling up within me, wanting to break loose. And then… it does.

New Skill! Aura of Blood Active/Passive While active, you are cloaked in a crimson aura that enhances your powers and intimidates your foes. For blood, by the blood, with the blood, your enemies will know fear and death.

A crimson light glows around me, and the three men stumble back, the beastborn looking at me curiously as the woman does her best to remain where she is.

"I tried warning you," she says, pale. "Samuel Hollins, when the only person in your party able to read past his Appraisal Resistance tries to warn you of something, please listen. Zack, please forgive my ally's incompetence, we were unaware we were dealing with you."

"You laughed as well," I turn my sword to her, and she begins to speak. "Silence, bitch! We are meant to work together to fight the Shadow of Life, and you four want to alienate others instead for your own amusement! You are not worthy of having access to the System! You are not worthy of working for a better tomorrow! Be grateful I'm letting you live! You are a disgrace to Adventurers!

Rage is Now Level 10!

"Now get out of my sight," I snarl to the four of them. "Before I get really mad."

The warrior I cut the armor of scrambles back to his feet, then throws a large fireball at me. It draws into my armor, which absorbs the entire thing, leaving them staring at me.

"This is pure Spook Ore," I snarl at him. "Your pathetic attacks are useless! You made an attempt on my life, and now, you owe me a life! Your Beastborn is now mine!"

"You can't-! He protests, cutting off when he finds me standing right in front of him, my knife pricking his throat. "He-he's yours!"

"Good," I say, taking a step back. "Now get out of here, you four, before I do kill you."

The four of them leave in haste, and I take several deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down. The Beastborn is terrified nearly shitless, and my anger is only making it worse, especially since I'm now his 'master'.

Once I have some semblance of calmness, my rage tightly contained, I sheathe my sword, then walk over to the Beastborn, who remains firmly where he is, eyes down, body trembling. I flip my knife around, then cut through the collar around his throat.

"Do you have a name?" I ask, and he doesn't respond. I sheathe my knife. "Alright. Your name's now 'Gold'. Come on, you're filthy, and probably cold."

For a person with dog traits, he's surprisingly hairless, his only hair being on his head and eyebrows, and his ears and tail. I know he's more human than people make his kind out to be, though. He should be treated a bit more appropriately.

I don't want another person living here, but…

I couldn't let him continue to live with cruel masters like them.