Eyeing the dark hole before him suspiciously, Dominic instinctively sniffed at the air. Lifting his lips and wrinkling his nose, he drew air through his teeth and into his nasal cavity where it was evaluated by sensitive olfactory detectors.
Musty, he thought to himself after a moment, and something else…. It was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place the smell. It was pretty strong, though. Straining his ears, he couldn’t hear anything move below. Not even the hi...
2023-11-04 19:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Dominic reached the main atrium without finding any indication of a secret door in the wall of the corridor. Of course, there could be some sort of magical illusion – with dungeons, level ups, and extra-dimensional spaces, magic was bound to feature in some way.
Dominic thought it unlikely, though. That would be unfair in a way that the dungeon had not proven to be – yet. There’s always the first time, he thought darkly to himself. It would be a good strategy, he had to a...
2023-11-03 19:00:02 +0000 UTC
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At first glance, Dominic was disappointed. He’d been half-hoping for some new piece of equipment, now that he knew how awesome it could be. It wasn’t equipment. Then again, what could he have enhanced? His claws? His teeth? Ooh, I know – something I could attach to my tail and make it into a morning-star. Actually, that sounds kind of cool…. Well, maybe next time.
In this box were instead a round glassy marble with veins of colour running through it and a glass vial con...
2023-11-02 19:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Padding towards the revealed pillar with eagerness running through him, it was only when he reached the altar itself that he realised he was leaving a bloody trail of footprints behind him.
I’ve got to clean myself up, he decided. Opening his status screen, he would have crossed his fingers if he’d still had them. All in the hope that the meerkat massacre would have earned him the Prey Points to level up.
A forlorn hope as it turned out.
Progress to Evol...
2023-11-01 19:00:04 +0000 UTC
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If this isn’t what the rhyme meant, I swear I’m going to do my best to destroy this dungeon, Dominic thought to himself as he missed his target for the nth time. He frustration ticked up another notch. If he had to contain it much longer while still upping the heat, it would probably reach volcanic levels soon.
This task was a nightmare. He was pretty sure that the idea of getting the coloured meerkats into the matching coloured cages was correct – in the time si...
2023-10-31 19:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Snare sprung; prize not found.
Danger awaits when you turn around.
Cages empty; occupants left;
Solve this puzzle or face your death.
This dungeon needs to take poetry classes,Dominic grumbled mentally to himself as he read the words now carven on the stone of the altar slab. Who rhymes ‘left’ with ‘death’ anyway? And does it need to be quite so ominous?
He sighed as he managed to answer his own questi...
2023-10-28 18:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Travelling back along the corridor was a painstaking affair. Dominic wasn’t going to assume that the traps had been deactivated just because he’d already been along there once. In fact, there was more evidence of them being reactivated than deactivated – the pit was no longer in evidence.
The young lion suspiciously eyed the innocent-looking area of stone tiles where so recently there had been a gaping hole with razor-sharp spikes at the bottom. He still couldn’t ...
2023-10-28 18:04:00 +0000 UTC
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Of course, getting the chest open was once more made difficult with paws instead of hands. Still Dominic was determined; a mere lock would not stymie him for long.
Eventually, he managed to delicately use a single claw to flip the latch and then the rest was just a matter of time. With anticipation, he pushed the lid open and stared at the bounty revealed within.
Immediately, confusion took over the anticipation. What is that? Dominic hooked out the strangely-shaped piece...
2023-10-28 18:03:01 +0000 UTC
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This would be a lot easier if I had hands rather than paws,Dominic grumbled to himself as he struggled to work out a way to lift the candle from its stone holder. If he had hands, the main challenge would be in merely avoiding the six stone statues while he ran around lighting each of the torches. As it was, he was failing at the first hurdle.
An arrow came at him and he dodged it but this time wasn’t fast enough to avoid the follow-up. It thunked right into his shoulder and ...
2023-10-28 18:02:01 +0000 UTC
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The last ten feet of the corridor took about three times as much time to traverse as the first twenty-five feet had. Whenever Dominic found himself getting restless, though, he reminded himself of just how close he had come to death because he had missed the trigger to that pit trap. The memory never failed to send a shiver from his head to his tail and quelled any sense of restlessness.
He stepped carefully over suspicious-looking floor tiles, making sure to place his back feet exactly...
2023-10-28 18:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Author's Note:
If you're interested in getting 5 more chapters (so +10 compared to Royal Road), I've opened up a new tier. It's called Nomad in reference to what male lions usually become after being kicked out of their birth pride (and also what Leo is at the moment).
Enjoy the chapter :)
*****
Dominic let out a short snarl of fright as a void suddenly opened up below him with a loud grinding sound. Fortunately, he reacted faster than his brain ...
2023-10-28 18:00:04 +0000 UTC
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The young lion was very cautious as he padded towards the gaping doorway. With its hexagonal shape, it looked like a half-open maw, waiting to bite down on him. Or maybe he was just projecting: his own mouth was his greatest weapon, after all.
It always has been, he thought humorously to himself, though not a little ruefully too. His mouth had got him into trouble almost as often as it had got him out of it. Focus, he remonstrated himself as his nose crossed the thresh...
2023-10-26 18:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Author's note:
Just to let you know, after having had some feedback, I've decided to reverse the Hunger and Thirst meters. Now, instead of increasing as he gets hungry and thirsty, they will decrease, like they would in a game. Sorry for any confusion!
*****
Status of Dominic Martin Cole / Leo
Species: Lion (body) / human (mind), Two-Souled
Level: Half-step Evolved Beast Level 8 (Path of Evolutio...
2023-10-24 18:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The trodil growled back at Dominic, meeting his challenge with its own baring of teeth. He was glad to see, however, that it hadn’t engaged Rage – apparently the incapacitation of its minions was not the same thing as killing them. He was glad of that – he’d been worried that, despite his best efforts, he’d gone too far with the two remaining guards.
Padding over, Dominic decided not to charge this time: the trodil was aware and ready. An attack which missed would put him in m...
2023-10-20 19:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Unfortunately, after consuming the other four Cores, nothing else interesting had turned up. Still, his Quick Strike had already got to 93% progress towards its next level. Dominic was curious as to how it would change the ability. More speed? Less stamina cost? I guess I’ll find out.
After levelling up, the only other important change to his status sheet related to his choice of enhancement.
- Carnivore Constitution level 2 (350HP) +20% regeneration
2023-10-20 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Dominic stalked through the waist-high savannah grass. Well, it would have been waist-high on his old body; on his new one, it was almost to his shoulders if he stood properly. Actually… am I bigger than I used to be? the human-turned-lion wondered. A moment later, he pushed the thought away – this was no time to consider such things.
As it was, he wasn’t walking properly, rather slinking forward sinuously in the way lions do when they’ve spotted prey and are trying to ...
2023-10-20 15:00:04 +0000 UTC
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The level 5 trodil lay dead at his feet, its blood seeping into the dry earth underneath its body. Dominic was panting and his health was down to under a hundred points, but it was OK. He was alive; he’d survived.
Not unscathed, though. Not uninjured. His front right leg was hurt enough that he wasn’t putting any weight on it. Blood was trickling through his fur uncomfortably in multiple places. A nasty bite to his flank had ripped away the skin and part of the muscle. Now, even bre...
2023-10-20 13:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Getting to level 6 was immediately different from the ones before.
<Congratulations! You have reached your first half-step tier. As a reward for reaching this first milestone, you may choose an extra option to enhance. Reach further milestones to gain greater rewards. Which two aspects of yourself would you like to enhance?>
Excellent,Dominic said to himself, delighted at this luck. Reach further milestones for greater gains, eh…?He looke...
2023-10-19 19:00:02 +0000 UTC
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It wasn’t even a challenge. The trodil was taken completely unawares and a message was floating up in front of Dominic’s eyes before it could even fight back.
<You have dealt 112 damage (Piercing+Tearing+Crushing)>
<You have killed Trodil (Basic Beast level 3)>
<You have earned 27 PP>
That was the more powerful one? Dominic thought to himself, surprised. Yes, actually the body lying on th...
2023-10-19 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
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The three trodils required to bring Quick Strike up to 100% were gratifyingly easy to kill. Finding them was actually the most difficult part as it seemed like Dominic was close to clearing this area of the roving trodils – had maybe achieved it already. The last one actually must have taken him more than an hour to find: he actually had to use some tracking skills Leo nudged towards him to find it.
Dominic still didn’t know why his leonine passenger was helping him, but he wasn’t...
2023-10-19 15:00:04 +0000 UTC
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The young lion stared around himself disbelievingly. Dominic had been walking through a pitch-black tunnel when suddenly...he wasn’t. Instead of darkness, it was bright daylight – impossible when he knew it was nighttime. Instead of tunnels, he was out in the open air.
Or at least, he seemed to be – closer inspection revealed him to be instead in a massive cavern which only appeared to be open sky. It was realistic to the extent of having something bright enough to seem l...
2023-10-19 13:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Level up, Dominic thought and a System message appeared before his eyes.
<Congratulations! You have earned enough PP to level up. You can choose 1 aspect of yourself to enhance via Evolution. See options?>
Only one? Dominic thought with dismay. Last time I chose two!Unfortunately, however reactive the System might be, his complaints weren’t reacted to and the difference wasn’t explained. At least I might be able to level up...
2023-10-18 19:35:01 +0000 UTC
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The hyenas lunged; Dominic ran for his life.
Perhaps it was a bit cowardly of him, but he was determined not to throw away this second chance the way he had his first. As his paws pounded the earth below them, he heard the whoops and growls of hyenas on the hunt. They were after him.
His eyes scanned the dark landscape around him. The moonlight was more than enough for his night-vision to cope and he ran surely over the rocky terrain. There were only four of them. If he could find...
2023-10-18 19:34:00 +0000 UTC
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As Dominic leaped, the kangaroo leant forwards once more. About to fly over the ‘roo’s head rather than catching it in the neck, Dominic panicked and his paws reacted automatically. Clamping together, his claws caught the marsupial’s skull.
Bolting upright in panic, the kangaroo even half-turned to run, but it was too late.
Dominic’s weight dragged the kangaroo’s head down and to the side.
As he landed heavily, there was a snapping sound and the large marsupial wen...
2023-10-18 19:33:01 +0000 UTC
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Dominic jogged lightly across the surface of the savannah, marvelling at the difference from only a short time ago. His paws fell softly on the earth, only a faint swishing from the grass around causing any noise at all. Perhaps this is a reason to make paws softer, he wondered, thinking back to one of his enhancement options. It hadn’t made much sense at the time to do that, but if it could improve stealth capacity, then fair enough.
His claws were sheathed, but he’d final...
2023-10-18 19:32:00 +0000 UTC
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Out of the three, Evolution felt at first to be the weakest. Compared to gaining what made other members of the cat family great in the present or the past, basically sticking with his current body seemed to be like just settling. However… Something in Dominic kept going back to the third option. A little bit of experimentation revealed that if he focused on the word of each choice, he could see the explanation again.
Sabretooths were great, but there’s a reason they died out
2023-10-18 19:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Before he tried to activate the levelling-up process, Dominic checked himself. The lion in the back of his mind felt wary. Given that he’d just thought that maybe he should lean into the instincts of the lion a bit more, he tried to pay attention to what it was saying.
Danger, it seemed to tell him. Competition, was the next feeling. Ah. That’s right – there are loads of scavengers in the savannah,Dominic remembered. Hyenas, wild dogs...just mak...
2023-10-18 19:30:01 +0000 UTC
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One of the dog-things darted towards Dominic’s front legs and he lifted a paw to swipe at it. Even if the blow had connected, he doubted it would have done much damage because his claws were still sheathed, but that was irrelevant since he missed by a mile.
A sharp pain from one of his back legs revealed that the attack to his front had never been intended to connect anyway.
<You have taken 3 damage (tearing)>
The message flashed up briefly before hi...
2023-10-18 17:30:01 +0000 UTC
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A sense of outrage, desperation, and pure fury hit Dominic. It was a wild beast’s pure insanity at being caged, proof that the lion wasn’t gone. The emotions were so powerful that Dominic feared being swept up in their undertow. Fortunately for him, that’s not what happened.
For all that the emotions appeared like a tsunami to Dominic’s senses, when they actually hit him, they were more like a rather strong wave. Something was there which muted them, prevented them from washing ...
2023-10-18 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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A lion was eating his guts. A lion was eating his guts. While he was still alive! Dominic’s eyes fell on his phone. It had clearly been knocked out of his hand when the lion had jumped him from behind and knocked his head against a rock. The cracked, black screen was rather symbolic of his life right now: without hope.
If he’d thought it would help at all, he’d grab the thing, but the battery had been completely dead even before all of this. That, plus breaking d...
2023-10-18 14:09:25 +0000 UTC
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