Escape

The arrows were coming even more freely now and the skeleton he'd pushed was up and close to reaching him, he'd already turned back and was running with everything he had while hearing the heavy footfalls of the amalgam behind him.

Before he reached the hilltop he heard the shattering of bone and knew without looking that the unlucky skeleton he'd fought previously had been flattened by the amalgam's furious charge. With his increased agility he was sprinting up the hill quickly and as he reached the top he looked back again. The slope had saved him without doubt as the bone monster was struggling to charge forward up the incline, using its stump-like hands to support itself and half climb the slope as it roared with rage.

Cresting the hill he regretted his continual peeks as another arrow made contact embedding itself into his right forearm; he screamed out at the pain as he continued to run, the blood running freely from both wounds and soaking his rough clothing. Stealth no longer an option for the return trip he continued to run as his vision blurred and his heart pounded in his ears.

He could barely hear the sound of the zombies approaching as his ears were filled with his own heartbeat and the imagined sound of pursuit. When he was first able to snap back to his surroundings the first of the things was upon him.

Clearly the scream and the constant smell of blood had attracted them and as he used another burst of flame to break through this first attacker he was forced to continue running forward by more approaching.

A continual effort of running, dodging, side stepping and shoulder barging lasted for the next 20 minutes as he finally broke through the fog bank and was able to get his first sight of the distant dome, he kept running only stopping after being far enough from the horde which followed him out to look back at them safely and witness their momentum disperse. Not wanting to stay too long he withdrew some water from his storage and drank while watching the crowd and the fog beyond.

When the bone monster failed to appear he pressed on back towards the dome. The zombies could have their fill of slimes for now. His magic was spent and his weapon hand was useless with the barbed arrow piercing through his arm. After some distance he sat and managed to snap the arrow shaft in his forearm to remove both ends of the arrow; a less than pleasant process. The arrow on his back he had no idea what to do about. Looking at the vicious barbing on the broken one he couldn't imagine how he would remove it without losing consciousness. He considered transferring to Earth now and looking for a hospital but didn't know where he'd end up. Better to get to his home first and call Melissa for help. He didn't have the time to wait if he was hospitalised and the police took an interest in him.

The pain in his arm was easing with time but his shoulder hurt more with every step, the arrow head scraping against bone with every jolt.

When he finally got back to the base he stored all his items and returned the quest not wanting anything to be lost from his inventory when he transferred.

[Quest complete: Retrieve the Map]

[Inventory updated:]

Treasure Map x 1

[200 exp]

[Congratulations Hermes, you are now level 6]

As the last notification sounded he felt the arrow in his shoulder dislodging itself and all his pain and exhaustion dissipate. Blood covered and dumbfounded he started to laugh manically.

"I almost left! I would have been in hospital for weeks if I'd gone! It even did the surgery for me!"

Relief and tension spilling over he was no longer sure how to feel and so forced himself to get dressed and equipped before he went into his house. Laying on the bed he opened his Status interface and focused on the new figures.

Hermes: Level 6

Exp: 22/600

HP: 215/215

MP: 45/45

Strength - 7

Endurance - 7

Agility - 7

Intelligence - 9

Wisdom – 9

Free Attribute points: 2

Free Skill points: 2

*Transfer energy – 298

Skills:

Dimensional Transfer LV 4

Storage space LV 1

Flame LV 1

Grim touch LV1

"Hmmm? It's doubled the points I get for attributes and skills? How come?"

Delighted by this new development he realised he only needed to get to level 8 to upgrade Dimensional transfer again and even then he'd have a point left over.

"This will be all the easier with higher attributes too, but that spare skill point, I'd upgrade Flame if I could but it costs 2 and I need transfer ASAP. Maybe one of the others? "

He looked through the level 1 skills again and as tempted as he was for an all-rounder he now knew how far the undead territory stretched, in the end he decided he needed a better method to deal with them.

"Flames work well against the zombies but that one skeleton took more than half my MP to take down"

{Radiance – lv 1}

[Causes Holy damage on contact with undead and a faint light]

[Can be cast on items, friend or foe]

[Duration 5 minutes, MP cost 30]

"It's got wider possibilities than my other spells but it is pricy to cast, better be prepared for the hit"

Intelligence – 11

MP: 55/55

Saving his final skill point he looked at the sky and wished he still had his phone.

"About 2pm?"

He rolled off his bed and had some food and drink.

"If I want my stew tonight I have to go back out there, it feels like such a waste going all that way again after coming back here"

At his current agility level the closest edge of the fog bank was less than an hour's jog from him; before leaving he checked the mission board again and was pleasantly surprised by the refreshed list.

- Clear the Zombies (Active)

- Retrieve the Bandoleer

- Destroy the Skebble nest

- Collect the Honey

- Hunt the Bats

- Clear the River

"Honey? I can't imagine it would be in the same direction as the Zombies though…but the bats might be"

He accepted both quests and was disappointed to see the bat quest gave no marker, the honey however highlighted an area in the goblins forest, however tempted he might be he would not be going near those goblins until he was ready.

"No more arrows"

He decided there was no reason not to take the other missions and watched the map icons pop up.

"River and Skebbles, Honey and Bandoleer,is it really worth going for the Zombies when there's nothing near them…oh wait, the treasure map!"

Entering the Colony inventory he retrieved the treasure map and looked at it, as soon as he focused on the specifics it melted into light and his map was updated, as he'd suspected the treasure was located deep inside the fog bank, though on the opposite end where the mountain range began.

"It's doable… but if I were to meet a group of those skeletons again….screw it, I can always run"

Orienting himself and stretching he set off at a full run towards the fog bank, the slimes nothing more than breaks in the routine as he jumped them without changing course. When he reached the fog bank he stopped and caught his breath, once he went in he wouldn't be coming back out without the treasure.