The Wolves Ch. 002

Earth

Gatineau Park Dungeon, Quebec

August 12, 2019

08:04 EDT

"Time dilation active..."

"Initializing: Stage 1..."

"Beginning scan of Jonathan Stevens..."

Beams of light shot from everywhere, seemingly scanning me from from every angle. After a minute or so, the beams of light disappeared. A display of its findings appeared as a hologram in front of me, and it started speaking again.

"Jonathan Stevens..."

"Sex: Male..."

"Age: 18 years, 6 hours, 14 minutes, 23 seconds..."

"Race: Scyftar..."

"Height: 6'5¼..."

It took a moment for what it told me my race was to sink in. I was reading the holographic display as the voice was listing everything but I have no idea what a Scyftar is.

"Wait, what is a Scyftar, and why am I listed as being one?" I yelled to the voice.

*****

The voice stopped listing things off and answered my question.

"Your DNA was examined during the scan. The scan ran your DNA through the Adventurer's Guild database and found that it is consistent with other Scyftar DNA samples. The scan determined that your DNA is Scyftar DNA with 99.99% accuracy," the voice said.

"What is a Scyftar?" I asked.

"A Scyftar is a being not native to Earth. It is not known where they originate from, but there are many spread out on Earth. Scyftars have the ability to alter their DNA, allowing them to take the form of other lifeforms."

"If you say I'm a Scyftar, why can't I change my form like you say I should be able to?"

"You could not change your form until 6 hours, 18 minutes and 12 seconds ago. At that time, protein markers in your DNA that were preventing you from transforming degraded and no longer exist. You are once again able to change your form."

I stood there for a couple minutes with my mind going crazy. The thing I kept coming back to is that apparently I'm an alien. An alien that can take on other forms. I wondered what the limits were on the transformation. Could I make myself as small as an ant, or as big as a dragon? I would have to find out. The voice broke me out of my thought process.

"Do you wish to continue with your evaluation?" it asked.

"Sure. Please continue."

"Continuing evaluation..." it said.

"Weight: 258.2 pounds..."

"Hair color: black..."

"Eye color: blue...'

"Stage 1: complete. Are you ready to start Stage 2?" it asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Initializing: Stage 2..."

Everything went dark. After a few seconds, it started getting brighter. When my eyes adjusted, I scanned my surroundings and realized that I was standing on the race track at my school. I looked down at my clothing and saw that my leather armor was gone, and I only had on shorts and running shoes. The voice then spoke up.

"Stage 2, Round 1: Speed test. At the sound of the horn, run as quickly as you can, as long as you can," it said.

I got ready and waited for the horn. As soon as I heard it, I started sprinting as fast as I could. Less than fifteen seconds later, I could feel my body slowing down but I kept going as long as I could. I don't know how much longer I ran, but I couldn't go any longer and slowed down. When I stopped, I moved over to the grass and collapsed, laying on my back.

"Stage 2, Round 1: Speed test complete. Top speed 34.28 km/h. Average speed, 22.88 km/h."

I was teleported back to the starting line and found that I was no longer out of breath, and my legs didn't feel like jello. I actually felt great.

"Stage 2, Round 2: Endurance test. At the sound of the horn, run around the track maintaining at least 15 km/h as long as you can. There will be a light in front of you while you run. It will show green if you are running at 15km/h or higher, and show red if you are running at under 15km/h. If you remain under 15km/h for more than 5 seconds, the test will end."

I readied myself again, waiting for the horn. When it sounded, I started running. It was pretty easy to hold the 15 km/h pace for the first 20 minutes or so, and then it got harder and harder. At around the 32 minute mark, I couldn't handle the pace anymore and fell under 15 km/h, ending the test.

"Stage 2, Round 2: Endurance test complete. You maintained 15 km/h for 32 minutes and 12 seconds, covering 8.230 kilometers."

I was once again teleported, this time to the school gym. I saw the pylons set up and almost groaned out loud at what was coming. At least my body was refreshed, so I shouldn't have much trouble.

"Stage 2, Round 3: Agility and Endurance test. There are five pylons set up in front of you that are 5.5 meters apart. At the sound of the horn, do as many suicide sprint sets as you can within 20 minutes. You may take a short break between sets, but try to do as many as you can, as quickly as you can."

I got ready on the starting line and waited for the horn. As soon as it went, I quickly sprinted to the first line, touched it and went back to the beginning. I did my first five sets before walking around to regain my breath. When I was ready, I started again. I got through three more sprints before having to take another break. After a while, I had to take a break between every other set. Eventually, the horn sounded while I was in the middle of a set. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, and I lost track of how many sets I completed.

"Stage 2, Round 3: Agility and Endurance test complete. You spent 11 minutes and 1 second running, and 8 minutes and 59 seconds resting. You completed 22.6 suicide sprint sets. Your fastest set was in 21.3 seconds, and your slowest set was in 34.9 seconds. You had one partial set that you would have completed in 36.1 seconds had you not run out of time. Stage 2 is complete."

"Initializing Stage 3..."

I was teleported to yet another room, this time it being a weight room.

"Stage 3, Round 1: Grip strength test. Pick up one of the small balls in front of you with your left hand. At the sound of the horn, squeeze the ball as hard as you can and hold it until you hear a tone. After 5 seconds, the horn will sound again and you will repeat the process an additional 4 times before switching hands and doing the test again."

I grabbed one of the balls and closed my hand on it. When the horn sounded, I squeezed as hard as I could until I heard the chime. I repeated the process a total of 5 times with each hand.

"Stage 3, Round 1: Grip strength test complete. Your left hand had an average of 174 pounds of force, and your right hand had an average of 188 pounds of force.

I was teleported again. It looks like it's bench press time.

"Stage 3, Round 2: Upper body strength test. The barbell currently weighs 125 pounds. Your objective is to complete ten reps with the weight. Once completed, 10 pounds will be added to the barbell and you will repeat the process. This will continue until you can no longer complete ten reps, at which point part one of the test will end, and part two of the test will begin. In part two, you will start off at the maximum weight in which you completed 10 reps, and will need to complete one rep. Each time you complete one rep, 10 pounds will be added to the barbell until you can no longer lift it. Your body will be refreshed between each set. Lay down on the bench. When you are ready, simply being your first ten reps.

I laid down on the bench and situated myself. I lifted the bar and easily completed my first set of reps, breathing in as I lowered the bar toward my chest, and breathing out as I pushed it away. As soon as I was done, additional weight appeared on the bar and I repeated the process. I didn't have any problems completing 10 reps until I got to 375 pounds. I was able to lift 375 pounds 8 times, but couldn't quite get the last two, meaning my max was 365 pounds. Next, it was time for the single reps. 10 pounds was removed, and I easily did my one rep of 365 pounds. I was able to do one rep every time 10 pounds were added until I got to 445 pounds. I couldn't lift it all the way up, and thankfully the computer or whatever recognized that, and it gently raised the barbell up and allowed me to slide it back on it's stand.

"Stage 3, Round 2: Upper body strength test complete. You lifted a maximum of 365 pounds 10 times, and a maximum of 435 pounds one time."

The next time I was teleported, I was standing in front of a squat rack.

"Stage 3, Round 3: Lower body strength test. This test has the same rules as the upper body strength test, however the starting weight is 260 pounds, which has been rounded up from your current body weight. When you are ready, take your position and begin your first ten reps."

I did as the voice commanded and completed my ten reps. I was able to do my ten reps at 340 pounds, but couldn't do it at 390. For single reps, I topped out at 540 pounds.

"Stage 3, Round 2: Lower body strength test complete. You lifted a maximum of 380 pounds 10 times, and a maximum of 540 pounds one time. Stage 3 is complete."

"Initializing Stage 4..."

I was teleported once again, this time into a room with a circle painted in white on the floor. I was once again wearing my armor, and had my spear in my right hand, and my shield fastened to my left arm. Opposite of me there was a man who looked like a roman soldier. He was armed similarly to the way I was armed, with a shorter spear called a Hasta, a rectangular shield called a Scutum, and a sword called a Gladius.

"Stage 4: Combat. You have been given the equipment you were wearing when you entered the evaluation room. This is a duel between yourself and a similarly equipped opponent. There will be three rounds, each lasting 3 minutes. To win a round, you need to earn more points than your opponent, force them out of the ring, or kill them.. You will gain one point for striking your opponents body, and lose one point if your body is struck. You will gain three points if you manage to disarm your opponent, and lose three points if you get disarmed. Win at least two of the three rounds to continue on to the next stage. When you are ready, step just inside the ring. You may begin when the horn sounds."

I took a moment to look over my opponent before stepping in the ring. His shield would provide more coverage than mine would, but wasn't as durable. The man was also quite a bit smaller than me which would give me a nice advantage. I came up with a plan for the first round and stepped inside the ring. When I entered the ring, my opponent got into position. His shield was covering all of his body except for his head which was protected by a helmet. His spear was protruding out in front of him ready for an attack.

I positioned myself in my own defensive stance and waited for the horn to sound. As soon as it did, I dropped my spear and used both hands to hold my shield out in front of me and sprinted as fast as I could at my opponent. He wasn't expecting this at all and there was nothing he could do about it. His spear glanced off my shield and our shields connected. I pushed with all my strength and knocked him out of the ring, winning the first round. The horn sounded and we were sent back to our starting positions.

I walked back into the ring and my opponent readied himself again. This time, he was in a more relaxed stance, and I knew what I did in the previous round wouldn't work. I positioned myself again and waited for the horn to sound. When it did, both of us began to circle the ring, looking for any opening. I knew my spear had more reach than his did, so I aimed a quick thrust at his head. He blocked it with his shield and countered with his own spear. My shield easily blocked it, and we continued to circle each other. We tested each other's defenses a couple times, but neither of us could land a hit before the horn sounded, ending the round in a draw.

I walked back into the ring and waited for the horn to sound. I formulated a plan during the second round, but didn't want to use it right away, as it could be quite risky. In the second round, everytime I thrusted my spear at him, he would counter with his own spear. If he did the same thing in the third round, I would go with my plan.

The horn sounded and we started off circling the ring again. We traded a pair of spear thrusts but they were easily blocked. I confirmed that my opponent was still countering my spear thrusts with his own, however. It was time to go with my plan. I quickly aimed another thrust towards my opponent's head. He went to block it and return his own thrust, but I had already let go of my spear and was reaching for the haft of my opponents. I grabbed onto it, and my opponent held on, letting me pull him towards me. As soon as I pulled on my opponent's spear, I punched with the edge of my shield and hit my opponent in the head. He let go of his spear and fell down, dazed. I changed my grip on his spear, battered his shield out of the way, and impaled him through the heart, winning the round.

"Stage 4: Combat completed. You won two rounds and drew one round."

"Initializing Stage 5..."

I was teleported into a room with a small orb on a pedestal. I recognized what it was, and knew this would be an easy test.

"On the table in front of you is an uncharged mana crystal. Channel your mana into it and charge it up as much as you can. You will not suffer mana exhaustion here, so you are free to channel all your mana into it. Begin when you are ready."

I walked up to the mana crystal, placed my hand on it and began channeling my mana into it. After about 10 seconds, it was full so I stopped.

"Interesting.. You have filled the mana crystal and still have sizable mana reserves left over. That mana crystal is usually large enough to contain all of a young Scyftar's mana and have room for more. In fact, you have more mana than a Scyftar twice your age. Stage 5 is complete."

"Evaluation complete. Calculating base attributes."

"Calculation complete. Your base attributes are as follows: Strength: 8, Agility: 7, Intellect: 46, Constitution: 0, Endurance: 8."

I was impressed with my base attributes, particularly the 46 Intellect, but I frowned when I heard that my base Constitution was 0. I learned what all the attributes do in school, and Constitution is very important for melee fighters. Each point of Constitution gives 10 health and a small amount of physical damage reduction, as well as increasing health by 1%. For example, if my base health is 100, and I have 5 Constitution, then my health would be (100 + 50) + 5% = 157.5 health, which would be rounded up to 158 health.

"Why is my base Constitution at 0?" I asked.

"You did not take any damage during the combat portion of the evaluation, so your base Constitution could not be calculated. Because of this, your base Constitution is 0. Every time you visit a new dungeon, you will be required to undergo an evaluation. At that time, your base Constitution may be calculated, should you take damage during your duel."

Well that sucks. Without any base Constitution, I'll have to invest a bunch of attribute points into the stat for the first few levels so I'll be able to take some hits. If I was a mage or used some type of ranged weapon, I wouldn't really have to worry about it.

"There is one last thing to complete before your evaluation is over," the computerized voice said as I was teleported again. In front of me were 5 huge lottery draw type machines. Each one looked to have hundreds of small balls swirling within them, and were named A, B, C, D, and E.

"You may press the button on each machine one time. When you press the button on a machine, a numbered ball will float up. The number will determine which skill or perk you are awarded. After you leave the evaluation room, you can check the app on your phone to see your stats, attributes and your skills/perks. You may begin when ready."

I walked over to each of the machines and hit the button to cause a ball to float up. When I was done, the voice spoke, "You have drawn 726A, 962B, 348C, 421D and 157E. Please retrieve your phone and exit the evaluation room."

When he was done speaking, the room reverted back to how it appeared when I entered. I unplugged my phone from the socket and left the room to meet up with my friends. I guess I was the first one out, since I didn't see any of them waiting. I checked my phone and saw that it was 08:56, so only 52 minutes had gone by. There were a bunch of benches along the walls of the room, so I sat down to wait. I accessed the Adventurer's Guild app and looked at my profile.

Right away, I was able to see that my health was a lowly 100. Most people would probably finish their evaluations with 150, or so, if not more. My mana on the other hand, was insanely high for my level at 964, with very good mana regeneration to accompany it.

Scrolling down further, I saw my weapon damage, physical damage reduction, and attributes. My weapon damage wasn't that high, but was definitely respectable at 15.6. Most abilities have their damage modified by weapon damage, which makes it a very important stat. My physical damage reduction was non-existent, as a result of not currently having any base constitution. I tapped the plus symbol next to Constitution multiple times to spend all my attribute points on increasing my health and damage reduction. After spending all seven points, I scrolled back up and saw that my health was at a much more respectable 182, and my physical damage reduction was now at 7%.

I scrolled back down to take a look at my skills. First up was Barbed Spear, so I tapped on it, which brought up a small window with a description. Apparently the ability will extend the length of my spear, impaling my target when I activate it. Provided I'm within range of the target, of course. The interesting part is that when it lands, it will either pull me to my target, or pull my target to me, depending on which of us weighs more. That will require me to be pretty careful when using it.

The ability also had the effect of causing my target to bleed until they die, or heal the wound. The latter part would be tricky, since the the bleed carries a 50% health regeneration reduction, for the duration.

I was pretty happy with Barbed Spear and knew I would be using it a lot, especially against boss monsters. While the bleed damage is nice, boss monsters often had health regeneration that can easily outpace the damage over time. I would definitely need to test it out to see what kind of range it has. Closing up text window, I tapped on Shield Bash next.

Shield Bash does exactly what you think it would, based off the name. It would allow me to be offensive with both hands, and also stun my target for a short time when used. Stuns are always handy, so it's another good skill. Closing the window, I scrolled down to my perks.

Perks are different from skills, in that a skill is an active ability, while a perk provides a passive effect. The majority of skills can also rank up, where perks do not. I tapped on my first perk, Insight, to see what it does.

Upon reading the perk, I realized that it was both good and bad. Good in that it would allow me to level 50% faster, but bad in that I would rapidly outpace my friends, if they didn't get a similar ability. I wished there was an option to reroll skills or perks, but I would have to make do. I closed the window and tapped the next perk, Lesser Attributes.

While I wasn't happy with Insight, I was very happy with Lesser Attributes. This perk had the effect of allowing me to gain 2 additional attributes per level, applying retroactively. I was wondering why I had 7 attribute points available, since I knew the base was 5 attribute points per level. I now had my answer.

Also, another thing I forgot to mention about perks, is that they have their own ranking system, so to speak. There are 6 versions of each perk, one in each tier. They are differentiated from each other by their prefix, in this case Lesser. It goes Minor at tier E, Lesser at tier D, Greater at tier B, Major at tier A, and Legendary at tier S. Tier C perks don't have a prefix. Some perks stack, and some don't. Lesser Attributes does stack, so if I got Minor Attributes as well, then I would gain a total of 3 additional attribute points per level. Lastly, I closed the window and tapped on Minor Constitution.