[Alchemy]

Upon thinking about his predicament Grimble realized that with the enemies he would face, [Traps] might not be his best option. Sure trapping was great for [Feral] enemies but his chosen enemies were smart, perceptive, and loud, catching an [Enlightened would likely be noticed especially if they were able to alert others before he slaughtered them. Poison on the other hand could be subtler.

1 year ago he had stalked a Mother [Jungle Hind] back to her den after she ate from a toxic shrub he had been harvesting flowers from, hours later Grimble had followed her back to her den and watched with curiosity as she fed her 2 fawns from her teats, the young fawns sucking with **** hunger.

They lasted 3 hours before the poisoned milk they drank slew them, their mother succumbing not long after. Grimble had led the rest of his tribe to the den and watched as they slaughtered the [Iron-Crowned Stag] that returned to the den, as a reward for bringing so much meat to the tribe he was allowed to take a piece of the beast’s antler as his weapon, the wide sharp iron antler prong being the perfect shape for a knife’s blade. In a cruel flourish, Grimble used the leather made from the stag's fawns as the grip for his new knife, and their mother's hide became its sheath.

Yes [Alchemy] was the way forward for Grimble. He pondered the best way for him to level his alchemy, while also performing a feat worthy of a potent class. He sat there for a long while considering what ingredients he already had, 3 jars of [Pará Tree] milk, 1 jar of [Moonstone Lichen], 7 dried [Dream Blossoms], 1 jar of [Blood Tuber] paste, half a jar of [Healing Unguent], and lastly his prized [Douse Lily] solution his best chance of surviving fire. After going over all the tools at his disposal, a wicked smile broke out across his striped face, a devious plan formed rapidly in his mind and he set upon his task.

Grimble climbed down from the tree, making sure to mark the base with his knife in case he needed to use it again, after that he looked around, quietly watching the movement of the foliage around him, smelling the fresh scent of sprouting vines, and feeling the warm touch of the wind upon his green skin. Hoisting his pack onto his back, Grimble began to walk cautiously deeper into the Jungle, periodically stopping to check his surroundings, he was going farther than he normally went in search of potent herbs, but he knew this was his best chance at breaking through to level 5 in [Alchemy].

After traveling several hours he arrived at his destination: The lair of the [Verdant Breathstealer]. The stealthy snake was a well-known threat in Grimbles part of the [ViperVine Jungle], the snake was a nocturnal hunter and struck from the floor of the jungle, hiding among the shadows that the trees, and vines cast beneath the moonlight, the species was 4 meters long and killed by striking its victim's necks, injecting its venom from its long fangs before detaching itself and retreating before its victims realized they were under attack. only the lucky ones were killed by the initial bite; however, the extremely potent venom of the [Verdant Breathstealer] caused the victim’s throat to constrict upon itself causing the victim to suffocate within minutes.

The snake's lair was a hole at the base of a [Pentandra] tree. The long snake-like roots flowed out from the tree like the legs of a giant spider. A mix of green and brown seed pods is scattered on the jungle floor, along with the bleached bones of my quarry’s previous meals. Looking up to the top of the [Pentandra] Grimble noticed 2 things: a multitude of useful seed pods for his alchemy, and no way of scaling the nearly 20-meter-high tree straight, smooth trunk.

Ignoring for the moment the seed pods above, Grimble focused on his task. He carefully mixed the contents of 1 of his jars of [Pará Tree] milk with the sap from several of the green seed pods lying around him. Once he was satisfied with the mixture he spread a layer of the mixture across the opening to the [Verdant Breathstealer]’s den. As he did so he heard the almost imperceptible sound of rhythmic breathing deeper in the den, Grimble let out a relieved breath. He had been confident the nocturnal predator would be asleep for a few more hours but nothing was certain. His [Stealth 3] skill muffled the noise he made and [Traps 4] combined with [Alchemy 4] helped him to determine how much of the mixture he needed to apply, and how long the mixture would be effective.

After completing his delicate task Grimble coated 3 of his long darts in [Blood Tuber] paste, using up a quarter of the clay jar's contents. The paste would prevent any wounds made by the darts from clotting causing increased damage and duration from the [Bleed] ailment, which was further boosted by his [Poison affinity] Trait. Grimble finished his preparations by positioning himself several meters away from the opening to the den lining himself up to the rough trail he had cut through the dense shrubbery. On the off chance, his plan failed Grimble needed a good path to take full advantage of his [Speedy Retreat] trait.

Taking one last deep breath he raised a large cracked rock from the ground, his thin arm straining under the weight, but his high [Strength] stat got the job done, he hurled the rock through the air, and it flew right on target, going straight down the hole where it smashed on contact with the back end of the den, waking up the [Verdant Breathstealer] immediately.

Grimble heard the snake before he saw it, a hiss reached his ears, he immediately drew out his Blowpipe and loaded his first dart, putting it to his lips just as the [Verdant Breathstealer] emerged from its den. Its scales were the color of [Monstera] leaves after a rainstorm: dark green, and glistening in the light. It extended its face towards Grimble, its emerald-slitted eyes staring at him with a hungry focus. It bared its fangs at him, the Level 6 [Feral] Fearing nothing from this young [Goblin]. It began to slither out of the den towards him… Only to fall flat on its head, stuck to the ground.

Grimble permitted himself a small smile seeing the proud ambush predator stuck like an [Mosquito] in a web unable to free itself, its thrashing attempts to struggle free only causing it to stick more of the [Rubber Glue] to its long body. By ensnaring it he had stopped it from immediately slaughtering him with its superior speed and nimble body. He wasn't out of danger yet though so he fired his blowdart right at its heart. The dart hit the target right next to its heart but the supple scales prevented the dart from going fully in and piercing the vital organ. The dart fell out of the large hole it made in the snake's body, blood spilling out like a hole in a waterskin.

[Your target has been pierced by your projectile. Target Health -22]

[Your target is inflicted with the [Rapid Bleeding] ailment. Target Health -15 per second for 30 seconds(25+20%)]

“Now that was a good shot,” Grimble thought to himself. “With a few more darts I should be able to utterly slaughter that snake without taking a single point of damage”. This thought lasted until the snake fired a bolt of dark green energy from its mouth directly at Grimble's legs. Upon realizing it would take more time to break free from its bindings the snake opted to use one of its few non-physical skills from its race [Verdant Bolt 2] it was much less damaging than its physical skills such as [Leaping Bite 5], [Paralyzing Grip 3], or [Siphon Life 3], mainly due to its low [Intelligence] but the skill did give it a ranged option and it did have another effect besides just damage.

[You have been hit with: [Verdant Bolt 2]. Health -46]

[You have been inflicted with: [Weak 2] for 22 seconds. [Strength] stat and [Agility] stat -25% effectiveness for the duration]

Grimble cried out in pain as he felt his strength and speed diminish from ailment, and cursed his lack of awareness, with the blow dart in his field of vision, he had entirely missed the snake rearing back for a magic attack, luckily he was able to sluggishly roll away from the snakes next shot, the [Verdant Bolt 2] narrowly missing his chest, he feared what would happen if he was hit dead-on with an attack like that, he may lack the strength to finish off the snake before it freed itself from its bindings.

Chancing a look up Grimble noticed the snake had managed to free its upper body from the glue. Grimble managed to load another dart and fired it at the snake aiming for its head. The snake was ready this time though, it nimbly angled its body so the dart flew right past its body and into the hard-packed earth below it.

Deciding on a different, riskier approach, Grimble loaded his third poisoned dart into his blowgun, but Grimble didn’t fire. He watched and waited for several seconds, his ailment vanishing as the duration elapsed, the same was true for the snake's [Rapid Bleeding] ailment.

He focused on his surroundings, the coppery smell of fresh blood, the pulsing pain in his legs, the sound of the snakes hissing matched with his pained breaths, and most importantly the way the [Verdant Breathstealer]’s body jerked against its bindings.

Inevitably the snake finally managed to free itself from the glue, a small cloud of dirt flying with it as its body flipped onto the ground outside the patch of glue. But that was exactly what Grimble was waiting for. He fired just as the snake realized it was free to attack that nasty green thing that had trapped it, it turned to look at Grimble right as the dart went straight through its exposed mouth and into its brain.

[Your target has taken a [Critical] hit from your projectile. Target Health -220]

[Your target is inflicted with the ailment [Brain bleed] Target Health -41 per second for 160 seconds (12+20%)]

Warily approaching the snake Grimble felt the savage rush of victory flow through him. He drew his prized Knife and held it up to the fading sunlight. “With this first battle, my quest for vengeance begins” He slashed the vicious [Verdant Breathstealer] across its throat and in an ironic fashion, stole its last breath.

[Your target has suffered a deep slash to its throat. Target Health -126]

[You have killed a [Verdant Breathstealer level:6]

[Level up]

[Level up]

[Congratulations your Racial level has gone from 1 to 3(12%)]

[You have gained 2 points to your [Agility] stat and 2 points to your [Vitality] stat]

[You have 8 stat points to distribute.]

[You have 1 [Racial Skill] to choose}

[Your Skill [Alchemy] has reached level 5]

[Your Skill [Stealth] has reached level 4]

[Your Skill [Blowgun] has reached level 3]

[Your skill [Daggers] has reached level 2]

[Congratulations for raising a skill to level 5 as a [Monstrous] You may select your first [Class]

[To undergo [Class selection] simply think the words [Class up] and select [Yes]

[Warning you may reselect your Class at any time but all gained [Class levels] and [Class Skills] will be lost.]

Grimble was speechless. He had expected to gain a level from the battle but not 2! That damned snake had been level 6?! He’d thought it was level 4?! He was glad his [Fortune] had pulled through and he scored that [Critical] or else he would have surely been laid low by the snake's deadly attacks. Shuddering at how close he had come to **** Grimple shook his head and finally allowed himself to laugh at how much stronger he would soon become, not only could he now gain a class but he also earned his first [Racial skill] choice! Just like [Class choices] the options were random but they would all be beneficial in some way, not only that but 3 of his other skills had also gained levels, and he was slightly miffed [Traps] had not gone up to level 5 but he supposed he didn't kill the snake with a trap, he used an alchemical mixture, his weapons, and the element of surprise.

Grimble supposed it would level soon regardless. He crawled into the dead snake's den, past his glue patch, brushed aside some greasy bones, and tried to ignore the foul smell. Finally, he said the 3 words he had been dying to say: “[Class Up]!”