The tree he had passed earlier had long since been left behind. The forest grew as he walked. He noticed the sounds of the forest. Or rather, the lack of them. He could hear no birds, only the wind passing through the leaves of countless giant trees, older than all. The forest was dark, though the sun was high in the sky. Almost no sunlight could reach the soil. A chill passed into the depths of his center. He was feeling a sudden cold.

In the midst of the quiet, he found himself growing tired. Every tree looked the same here. A thick blanket of fog began to cover the ground. His tall build made sure he could still see, but everything below his waist was white.

In his foggy mind, words were beginning to form. Maybe I should lie down and rest a bit… Yes.. That would help…

As his roots touched the hardened earth, he noticed something was different, the grass in the ground below him was frozen. Little droplets of ice were covering the surface. This isn’t right, what’s going on?!

Fighting his urge to rest, the corner of his fiery eyes sensed a movement. This isn’t a normal fog! He readied himself in a combat stance, fists up and ready..

I can’t see anything! I need to clear this fog somehow. He felt whatever was hunting him was getting closer. The fog touching the corners of his mind. Maybe I should retreat, Oberon thought. No, I can’t do this anymore. No backing down. I will find a way to deal with this head-on!

A plan started to form. That’s it! I can’t let this creature strike first. I won’t stand here waiting for its attack.

Let's make its life more difficult, shall we?

He stopped moving, rooting himself in the earth. Now, let’s find where you are…

He sensed the earth. A flash of movement.

There!

As the creature almost struck him, jumping at his wooden neck, he threw a flaming punch directly into its underbelly, sending the beast flying. Not wasting more time thinking, he let his instincts of survival take over. A sudden urge of speed took over his legs as he followed the flying creature.

When he heard a thump against the bark of a fallen tree, he knew where to strike next. Delivering a kick with all the strength he could muster, he shattered the dead oak. The beast dodged his strike in the last second.The surprise he delivered to the monster caused it to break the illusion. The fog began to dissipate. He could clearly see the large animal now.

Its fur was white as snow, great and long icicles as its fangs. Small dots of black adorned the creature's face, making its eyes look like a small blue lake between a scorched landscape.

Analyze.

Young Illusory Frostfang

A territorial subspecies of the great frostfang cat, that uses its Illusion skills to make its prey confused and unaware before striking

Level 4 Race Frostfang HP 120/220

Now the real battle begins.

The Frostfang wasted no time and used its strong legs to jump for his neck. He tried dodging, but the creature was too fast. Giant Ice fangs punctured his bark, digging deep. Using his hands to grab the beast, he tried to throw it at another tree, but the creature didn’t wave a bit, still with its fangs stuck in his neck.

My bark isn’t enough to protect me against this! I need to do something!

His HP was dangerously low now.

The cold was spreading fast. When it almost reached his core, the memory of the dancing fire inside him flooded his mind. That's it!

Fire-Shaping!

Using his ability, he took control of the fire in his fists, and began to spread it to every corner of his body, forming a cloak of flame. The Frostfang feeling the heat tried to avoid the fire.

“Wanting to get away now? That won't do, just when we started to get along!”

He hugged the beast, not letting it go.

Before long, just cinders remained in his arms.

You’ve defeated an enemy with a higher level than you! +500 XP

XP - 605/1000

Congratulations! You've learned the skill Fire-Coat!

Fire Coat By using your skill to shape all fire around, you created a coat of fire, dealing damage to every entity that comes close

Congratulations! You’ve earned the achievement “Brawler I”

Brawler I

By defeating multiple higher leveled enemies unarmed, you proved you fear no one. Damage inflicted while unarmed increased

Before looking at the screens that popped up, he rooted himself again. I need to be sure that this was the only one Frostfang in the area. He sensed every living thing in the surrounding area, every ant working, every leaf shifting, every spider spinning its web. Hum, it seems clear to me.

Oberon glanced over at the screens. A smile formed on his wooden face. It appears I can create my own skills! He thought excitedly. This opens a new window of possibilities! I just need to be creative enough to design new ways of using my fire. This is going to be fun! But before I mess with that, I need to see what this Fire Coat really is about.