**Edited on 8/27/18**

“Yes, more candied mint," Darren murmured as he knelt down and stripped the bush of its pink-colored leaves.

The teenager's satchel was already bursting with every herb that he could carry. He had spent most of his evenings gathering and killing the smallest of mobs that he could find in Tandanbok Valley and in Black's Forest. Wolves, panthers, and bear cubs had all fallen at his feet and their hides had been sold in the Haminval market. He had even leveled up to level 5 off of killing the random mobs. And every night, he stayed up and made potions in his room in the inn. And every day, as soon as school was over, he was back in the game, settled behind his wooden booth, and selling.

But the evenings? The evenings were his. They were his time for quiet, for peace. He would lose himself in Rimnir as he learned about the zones around Veneah. He had roamed over the hills of Tandanbok Valley and had learned about the faction battle that happened daily between Creekside Vineyard on the east and the Mountain Vineyard on the western part of the zone. The gold-clad Coalition players would gather at the Creekside Vineyard while the Silver Syndicate members gathered at Mountain Vineyard, each group playing a daily game to see who could push players back the farthest. Darren had spent one evening watching this long, drawn-out battle while picking herbs on the nearby hillside.

He had also started venturing into the Dragonmire more. When he had strength potions coursing through his character's veins, Darren felt confident enough to venture into the dangerous zone with a sword in hand, ready to defend himself against any that may want to attack.

But for the last few hours, Darren had been toying with the idea of traveling eastward to the Taltik Plains. There were two herbs that only grew where the grasses were tall and the ground was golden. And those were the lands of the Coalition, so the herbs were sought after by Syndicate members and would sell easily.

Mostly, Darren wanted them for the potions that they could make. Golden sage was a key ingredient in speed potions, and the peach daylily could make both dodge and invisibility potions, depending on if the potion was made during the day or at night.

Working his way across the valley, Darren stopped at the edge and stood for just a moment. He looked out over the golden plains of Taltik and his heart leaped. He had been here before. The introduction to the game had brought him here. The land was just as beautiful as before. The plains were covered in waist-high grasses that grew a golden yellow. Trees jutted out near a small stream that flowed through the plains, but for the most part, it was nothing but emptiness. Darren suddenly felt very small in a very big world.

He wanted to go. He wanted to see and to explore.

But he was afraid. He only had a few potions on him. What if something attacked?

A glint out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to it and saw the shimmering gold of golden sage jutting out from the regular, plain grasses. It stood tall and thick like a reed. Darren took off running to it, his worries and concerns suddenly the farthest thing from his mind.

"Perfect!" Darren exclaimed as he plucked the herb from the ground, the long, hollow reed snapping in his hand easily.

The alchemist tucked the herb away in his bag and started working his way through the plains. He was not on a road, but rather he was making his own path over the flat, dry land. The longer he looked, the more golden sage he saw just about everywhere around him. He broke into a run through the plains, sword in hand, and he picked every golden sage that he saw. His mind whirled, thinking with glee about the speed potions he would make and how much they would sell for.

Darren quickly made his way to the stream that he had seen in the distance, desperate for peach daylily. Two separate potions could be made from the hard to find plant, and he knew that it would wither away once the sunset in game. The teen glanced up at the sky and he saw the brilliant hues of the sunset starting to form above.

"Come on," Darren murmured to himself as he looked around the base of the few trees that grew, running as fast as Alakir's legs could go.

But nothing. No peach daylily could be seen. He sighed, circling each tree over and over and feeling exasperated. Darren glanced up again and the sun had sunk behind the horizon.

It was too late. He would just have to try again tomorrow.

Darren set off back toward Veneah, the orange and pinks of the sunset lighting his way, and his eyes searching for herbs and his ears pricked for enemies. He crossed back over from the plains to the Tandenbok Valley, and the world around him changed from golden yellow to lush and green. And as he moved, the sky darkened as stars and moons came into view.

The teen was walking alone, which was a strange occurrence in the valley. But he did not mind. The solitude was nice. The only thing that he could hear was the singing of crickets and cicadas in the trees...

Suddenly, soft, light footsteps and a growl to just behind him and to his left caught his attention. He turned and looked at the small wolf cub that had set its sights on Alakir. It was small, no bigger than waist high, and it bared its tiny, white teeth at Darren in an attempt to look menacing.

If it wasn't aggressive, Darren would find the creature adorable.

Darren pulled his sword and combat began.

Alakir 100/100 Young Wolf Cub 30/30

The wolf cub snapped its jaws at Darren but missed the alchemist. Darren was able to cleanly and swiftly swing his sword at the young pup, catching it across the torso. The creature cried out as its health dropped by 16 points, bringing the small beast to 14/100.

Darren chuckled to himself and thought, What an easy kill this will be...

The pup snapped and bit at Alakir's shin, but quick as a flash, the long sword came down again, critically hitting the wolf by 18 and killing the pup with one swift, final blow.

Darren took a breath as the lifeless cub fell to the forest floor, dead. It quickly disintegrated into a light, leaving behind a light wolf pelt and 1 aethys.

The teen sighed as he gathered the little bit of bounty. "What a waste of time..."

Another growl from behind him caught his attention. He turned, and when he saw what was drawing near, he gasped and immediately began to retreat. This was a wolf, but it was unlike any wolf that he had ever seen. It was tall, at least 15 feet tall, and it towered over Darren menacingly. It growled deeply and Darren could almost feel the sound reverberate through him. It was so loud that he reached up to grab his ears from under his helmet. Slowly, the great creature revealed its teeth to Darren, and he stared at the massive fangs dripped and shined in the looming darkness. Darren looked over its body. The fur on the wolf was dark, mahogany brown and glistened. The creature's muscles rippled underneath its skin with every movement. And it's eyes... its eyes glowed red and black as they focused on Alakir.

"Oh my god," Darren whispered to himself as he looked up at the killer beast.

The great wolf opened its jaws and let out a roar that shook Darren down to his very bones.

Alakir 100/100 Fengrinmar 5000/5000

Darren could not believe his eyes as he stared up at Fengrinmar, the legendary wolf. He had read something about him before on a forum that covered the beta version of Ruins of Rimnir. He was one of three legendary creatures that players could encounter. Darren knew that he roamed the world at random on nights when a full moon appeared overhead, but he had never expected to encounter the beast.

"Good boy," Darren said as he pulled his sword from his side, "Nice doggy."

But this only seemed to aggravate the beast. Fengrinmar roared, the sound echoing through the glen. The birds ceased with their songs and all was still as Fengrinmar's growl replaced them all.

"Okay... okay..." Darren held his sword in front of him, but he knew that he could do little to defend himself.

The beast lunged forward, its great jaws snapping as it moved. Darren was barely able to dodge the attack, sliding to the side just in time to avoid being eaten. Alakir brought the longsword down on the muzzle of the wolf, but it did very, very little damage, only hitting for 7. Fengrinmar’s health dropped to 4993/5000.

Darren stared at the damage meter in shock. He could not believe that the blow that had just taken down a wolf cub without breaking a sweat would do such little damage.

"No..." He said in disbelief. His heart began to race as Fengrinmar reared back for another attack.

The great beast lunged again, this time hitting his mark. He knocked Alakir to the ground, flat on his back, and the great beast pressed a paw to Darren's chest. Darren gasped as he watched his health get knocked down by 39 hp. Alakir’s health was down to 61/100.

"No! No!" Darren screamed as Alakir slashed wildly at the leg of the legendary wolf, all the while struggling to release himself. But the blows to the beast's leg only hit for 4 damage total. The beast’s health was down to 4989/5000. Darren felt like he had barely scratched him.

The beast stepped back, bringing its great paw off of Alakir. Darren struggled to stand, so thankful that the beast had relented.

But just before he was able to find his footing, Fengrinmar lunged again with open jaw and bared teeth.

Darren ducked and Alakir hit the ground. Fengrinmar's blow mostly missed, but the creature managed to catch Alakir on the back, draining 21 hp from the alchemist. Darren cried out with pain as he watched his health drain even more. He sat at 40/100.

The alchemist's mind flew. He had not brought any healing potions with him, only strength and stamina. And he had consumed most of those with smaller fights from earlier in the afternoon. He reached for his satchel, desperate to drink at least a strength potion, but he was knocked to the ground with a bat of Fengrinmar's paw. 16 more hp trickled away from his meter, and Darren began to panic. His health was down to 24/100, and all the while, Fengrinmar sat at 4989/5000.

The creature opened its jaws and roared at Alakir, still flat on his back. Darren winced against it, his eyes glued to the mouth. My god, would this be the last thing he ever saw in Rimnir? Darren could feel the great paw pressing into his chest, the claws of the beast digging into Alakir's skin. 15 more hp were gone.

Alakir 9/100 Fengrinmar 4989/5000

Alakir would be gone soon, too.

Darren held his sword aloft and caught the great beast in the mouth, the sword holding the creature's grew jaw apart. He let go of the hilt, leaving the sword in place.

The wolf began to snort and grunt as it struggled to free itself from the long sword. Darren scrambled to his feet and ran, leaving the beast to deal with the sword stuck in its jaw. For a second, he turned to look, and he watched as Fengrinmar snapped the solid steel of his sword, the gift from Ursao what seemed like ages ago. Darren watched with wide eyes and a terrified look as the remains of the sword shattered, its durability spent.

Darren ran as fast as he could, Alakir's legs flying fast over the lush green hills of Tandanbok Valley. He knew this world, and he knew that he could not run all the way to the safety of Veneah. It was too far. Fear seized him, and for the first time since running into Mark, Darren was terrified that he would be taken from the game.

He could not make it to Veneah.

He couldn't.

Darren looked around for a place to hide. Behind him, he could hear the snarling from the great beast and the heavy fall of feet on the forest floor. Fengrinmar was coming for him, seeking him. The vineyard towns of Tandanbok were too far. Alakir would be exhausted before he could reach them. And there were no caves to hide in. He could hear the wolf's huge paws pounding against the valley floor, his growl getting louder the closer he drew to the alchemist.

Darren's eyes looked around wildly as he ran. And finally, he saw where he needed to go.

The border to Black's Forest.

Without thinking or considering, Alakir took off at full force, running wildly to the tree line that bordered the two zones. He eyed a tree that stood there, tall and proud, and just perfect enough to climb. A silver pine tree. When he reached it, Darren leaped, his hands grabbing on to the lowest branch of the tree. Quickly, he hoisted himself up, climbing higher and higher as his chest heaved with breath. The beast was drawing closer and it was rabid with rage. Darren glanced down for just a moment, and through the thick branches of the silverpine, he saw the creature. Fengrinmar's eyes were ride and red, its fur standing on the edge, and drool dripping in long strings from its open mouth.

Higher and higher, Darren climbed, the sap from the silverpine tree coating him. But he did not care. All he wanted was to live. When he reached the tallest branch, he looked down at the wolf. Fengrinmar was pacing, sniffing the air and looking. The creature had lost him, Alakir's scent covered by the sap from the tree. And soon, the great legendary wolf gave up, slinking off back into Tandanbok Valley, his visage softening as the rage left him.

Darren breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the creature walk off into the distance. He sat on the highest branch of the tree and pressed his back to the trunk as he sighed, relaxing only for a brief moment. The night was falling over Rimnir and he was alone, weaponless, and almost dead with nothing to bring his health back up from 9/100.

He turned to climb back down. He couldn't very well stay in this tree all night. Slowly, he began to make his way back down.

But something... Something caught his eye. Deep inside of a knothole in the silver pine tree was a small, golden glimmer. It flashed at him just once, then faded into the darkness. It was not like the warm, soft glow of herbs when they were ready to be picked. No... This was a hard flash of golden light. And it called to him.

Darren stopped climbing. He looked on curiously, his head cocked as he waited.

"What was that?" he whispered to himself. He waited silently, then, after a minute, it flashed again for just the briefest of moments.

Darren could not stop himself. He reached into the knothole and grabbed whatever glimmered in there. And when he pulled his hand out, he was shocked to see a small vial in his hand, filled with a shimmering golden liquid. It was very much like the vials that were used in potion making, but smaller, more compact. And it just felt... different. He gasped and tipped the vial from side to side, watching the liquid swirl as he did. The cork on top was strong, solid, and not a drop was spilled.

Suddenly, he heard a whisper in his ear.

"Drink me.”

"What? Hello?" Darren looked around, but he was still alone, still at the top of the tree. "Is someone there?"

Only silence was around him.

He looked at the vial again. It was unlike any potion that he had read about in his alchemy book. In fact, it was unlike anything he had ever come across in his research into the game. The teen had never heard of a strange, glowing potion hidden in the knot of a tree.

"Drink me.”

The whisper was back. Darren listened hard. There was so much at stake. Maybe it was a healing potion, or perhaps something to give him strength enough to get back to Veneah.

Or maybe it would kill him.

"Drink me.”

Darren fought the urge no longer. Without thinking, he followed the whispers. In one solid motion, he popped the cork off of the top of the vial. His stomach was filled with nerves as he told Alakir to drink the contents of the glittering vial.

Alakir drank quickly, swiftly. Darren looked to his health meter and saw no change...

Suddenly, a brilliant gold light burst forth from Alakir, moving out like a wave as a burst of sound rang in Darren's ears. He felt it rock him and he grabbed tightly to the tree trunk, desperate not to fall.

He looked around as the birds began to sing a beautiful song.

And in the center of his screen, a brilliant golden scroll appeared. It unrolled itself and Darren read the words:

World Perk Unlocked: Mad Scientist

**You can find the rest of the story at RuinsofRimnir.com**