Chương 10: Chapter 9- Battle Trophies, and A Well Earned Rest

As the day pressed on to the early afternoon, Eli finally made it back to his little glen, and after wearily hauling the carcasses back up the slope, he turned to setting up camp for the night. Given that he didn't want to announce his presence to anyone or anything lurking in the woods, and given the fairly dire need to preserve as much meat as he could, Eli set to rigging up a smoke pit instead of an open fire.

He dug a fire pit, collected some wood and brush for tinder, and pulled some cord from his waist to rig up a firebow. Eli cut a small notch in a piece of soft, dry wood, placed some tinder underneath, and grabbed another notched segment to use as a palm guard. An hour or two and more than a couple smashed digits later a resigned sigh escaped Eli's lips he muttered, "I really hate trying to light a fire with friction."

As he wound the cord around a wooden spindle for what felt like the twentieth time and went back to spinning the drill rod he found himself drifting off into a fugue state as he worked. Ding Eli snapped into focus from the unexpected sound, but quickly brushed it aside in his excitement as he noticed a small stream of smoke slowly drifting up from the tinder pile under the notch.

Carefully blowing on the ember until the tinder lit, he transferred it to a larger pile that he had set into his fire pit and with genuine joy started feeding some wood into the construction. Within minutes Eli had a roaring fire that he covered with some loose brush to start building a bed of coals, and set to finally skinning and butchering his kills.

The hatchet wasn't the greatest tool for detailed work, but quickly proved its worth as he was able to remove and clean the skins mostly intact and render down the carcasses into workable pieces. He strung a few larger pieces over the fire to cook on spits while reducing what was left to as many strips to smoke as he thought he could manage to cram into the firepit.

If only I had something to catch the fat as it renders out, I would be able to make some pemmican, Eli lamented to himself, I doubt I'll be able to finish all this before it spoils without any salt to cure it. As the heavenly scent of the roasting meat wafted in his direction from the fire, Eli slowly smiled and looked to the sky as it slowly turned golden in the evening light, Still could be worse.

As Eli waited for his meal to finish, he finally was able to take some time to wash off in the pond, and with a heat source he didn't have to worry about hypothermia. Hopping in the icy water Eli stripped down, only giving his tunic and pants a quick rinse to avoid removing the grass stains he had worked into the material, trying to only remove the blood left from the fight and the butchering.

After setting his clothes to dry by the fire, Eli returned to finish cleaning himself, and as he washed the bulk of the dried blood and gore from his arm Eli made a startling discovery. The gash that was torn by the larger boar had been shallow despite itching like hell on the hike afterwards I was hoping to avoid an infection and subsequently needing to figure out how to stitch it shut with just sticks and stones, but it looks like I won't have to worry.

"What the hell is this?" Eli gasped in wonder as he ran his fingers down his forearm in disbelief, his wound was not only not infected, it's practically already healed! He ran his fingers down the jagged purple flesh rippling down his forearm, expecting an open wound or at least some oozing scabs, not scar tissue. If I didn't know better I would think this is two weeks old, not two hours old! Eli rubbed the tender skin in disbelief, Ok this is totally unexpected, was this the effect of the health attribute?!

Snapping open his status screen Eli checked his Health pool. [Health: 72/90] As he watched it ticked up another point, [Health: 73/90] Holy shit, when it said it helped with healing I had no idea it was this quick! Eli racked his brain trying to remember if he noticed the wound closing, before realizing he had no idea. The healing could have been instant or over the last five or so hours, but either way the effect was nearly beyond belief.

Looking up at the blue arc crossing the sky slowly becoming visible as the color began to differentiate itself from the darkening sky Eli pondered out loud, "Just where the hell am I?" Stumbling back to the fire and plopping down, Eli gazed into the flames in disbelief. A drop of fat popped and hissed as it dropped into the flames and startling Elias back into focus, and he realized the sun had nearly set while he dissociated from reality for a while.

With a silent curse Eli rushed to start setting up for the night before he lost the last of the daylight. He threw on his clothes, and started ferrying supplies up into the tree as there was no way he was sleeping on the ground.

He draped the washed skins over a branch to dry, set his dinner of roasted boar to cool on some stones, pocketed a few sturdy leg bones and the boar tusks, threw some ash on the coals to bank them, draped the remainder of the meat on a jury rigged rack over the coals, and covered it with brush to smoke throughout the night. Before retreating to what was becoming his normal sleeping arrangement, Eli realized after dressing the boars he needed for tools for more detailed work.

He figured he could probably rig some small daggers from the tusks and a bit of wood, bone, cord, and leather. They'll need a little sharpening if he wanted them to be able to cut hide instead of tearing, but they should do great for a piercing weapon in a pinch if he found himself empty handed again. This thought brought a grin to his face as Eli remembered the skill description. Hopefully the crafting skill should help. Damn, I forgot to check my notices in my rush to get dinner ready.

Eli popped open his notice window, whistling quietly under his breath. Ding [Congratulations! [Observant] has reached Lv 2] Ding [Congratulations! [Observant] has reached Lv 3] Ding [Congratulations! [Stealth] has reached Lv 5] Ding [Congratulations! [Stealth] has reached Lv 6] Ding [Congratulations! You have unlocked the general skill [Basic weapon proficiency - Polearms]] Ding [Congratulations! You have learned the general skill [Basic weapon proficiency - Polearms] Lv 1] Ding [Congratulations! [Stealth] has reached Lv 7] Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Ding [Congratulations! [Basic weapon proficiency - Polearms] has reached Lv 2] Ding [Congratulations! Your party has defeated a Viridian Boar (Nature, Lv 3)] Ding [Congratulations! Your party has defeated a Viridian Boar (Nature, Lv 11)] Ding [Congratulations! [Child of the Void] has leveled up to level 3! +7 free points from your class] Ding [Congratulations! [Child of the Void] has leveled up to level 4! +7 free points from your class] Ding [Congratulations! [Child of the Void] has leveled up to level 5! +7 free points from your class] Ding [Congratulations! You have unlocked the general skill [Dismantling]] Ding [Congratulations! You have learned the general skill [Dismantling] Lv 1] Ding [Congratulations! [Dismantling] has reached Lv 2] A grin cracked Eli's face as he checked his gains. I can see this getting addicting, let's see what we picked up…

Ding [Basic weapon proficiency - Polearms: Lv 2 - Getting hit in the face sucks, knowing that fighting without getting hit is fighting smart, you wield weapons with reach. The workhorses of war, learning to wield polearms are a rite of passage for a prospective warrior and while not familiar you have demonstrated proficiency with these tools. This skill passively improves your weapon skill by providing intuitive guidance to correct form and increase proprioception of weapon placement. Increased guidance and proprioception per level.] Ding [Dismantling: Lv 2 - We've all got to eat, sometimes that means harvesting the meat, and sometimes selling the skin and bones. Any prospective hunter knows that the kill is only the beginning, and the right quarry can produce a cornucopia of valuable goods if processed correctly. This skill passively improves your harvesting skill by drawing your attention to which materials may provide the most value and providing intuitive guidance on how to correctly harvest the materials. Increased contextual inference and guidance per level.] I bet the weapon proficiency was why my strikes were more effective than I expected. Dismantling is pretty straightforward. Eli's eyes drifted back up to the level up notification. Was that what the heat I felt was?

I could feel some kind of energy flowing into me after the kill, that was absolutely wild. A shiver ran down his spine and a grin split his face as he remembered the thrill of staring the boar in the eye earlier. What a rush, Eli thought as he tore into the cut of haunch he roasted for dinner.

With a groan of pleasure he leaned back and settled in for the night, gripping his short spear in one hand and while enjoying the spoils of victory with the other keeping one eye on his gently smoking covered pit and the other on the majestic sight of sun setting into ringlit night.

Under the bright glow of the ring above with a warm meal lulling him into a comfortable doze, Eli's thoughts drifted to the future. I'll need to try and find civilization if it exists, it would be best to stick to a water source if I can. If I can rig myself up a bag in the morning, some replacement weapons, maybe I'll set off down river and see what I can find.

Elias's sight drifted along the river tracing its winding path along the foothills where it wound through the outskirts of the forest, before bolting upright. As his sight traced along the distance he felt a glimmer of hope rise in his chest as he saw what looked like a faint glow of red light twinkling through the treeline far in the distance, on the very edge of what he could see Is that a campfire?! Eli grinned, wriggling to a perch a little farther up the branch in excitement.

It's definitely too small to be a settlement of any size, but maybe I'll be in luck and find someone who can give me some answers! Eli took a couple deep breaths and tried to calm himself, and take a more measured approach. There's no guarantee that it's intelligent life, those creatures from before definitely had thumbs and could possibly make a fire, and even if it is other people there I can't be sure they are friendly, or that I can even communicate with them.

Eli looked down at his slightly blood splattered and stained but definitely not-stealthy clothing and frowned a bit. I need to be careful, and there is no way I'll be able to approach a camp unseen like this. Eli sighed, There goes feeling clean I guess, still a man can dream. If they're friendly I don't care if I have to break it down to hand signals and grunting like a caveman if it will get me some answers and maybe a little help.

With a gentle smile Eli sighed and settled into the trunk a bit, crossing his arms, and closing his eyes to get what rest he could as the distant sound of hooting birds and chirping insects of the forest lull me to sleep.

Elias's POV For a while I drift on the current, and I reflect on my life. While I had found satisfaction in most things I found myself wishing I had done more. Everyone wishes to live a fulfilling life and they all find it in different ways, most often wanting a comfortable, slow life, a couple of kids and a yard, in a quiet neighborhood, maybe taking a trip to the beach on the weekend.

As I think back I find myself dwelling on the few moments of comfortable camaraderie with friends and family, dinner out with my parents and siblings, beers at sunset on the beach with my friends. Wait, what the fuck? Since when do I cherish quiet moments with family? Also most of my family is dead. Except for my sister, my family was just a couple estranged Uncles and a handful of cousins. Who were those people I was seeing? That's not me, if anything I'm known for being an adrenaline junkie.

Ever since I was tall enough as a kid I would ride rollercoasters, bungee jump, rock climb. When I was old enough I would mountain bike, ski, and snowboard flinging myself down the steepest hills and off the farthest jumps, I literally joined the military because they would actually pay me to jump out of planes. I never felt more alive in my life than when I had adrenaline roaring through my veins, my heart pounding as I scrambled through a hail of gunfire. That was the real me, what the hell is going on?

I shook off the calming stupor I found myself in, and felt a creeping chill of apprehension run through me as I realized whatever river-like medium I was submerged in was altering my emotions and mental state. Whenever I focused on my identity, to retain my sense of self, I felt the warmth creep in again and attempt to soothe and calm me. As it would drag me down back into its comforting embrace I would with an effort harden my will and struggle back to wakefulness.

I steeled my resolve, there wasn't much I could do in my current state, but I surely was not going quietly into the dark. The fact that I could struggle against it was proof enough that I can do something, anything, and that gently fading was not in the cards if I had anything to say about it. Despite having no discernable form I felt a beat, a thump, reverberate through my form, and with a desperate focus I searched for the source with my senses.

Lost in the darkness I sought for anything to help me, a tool, a weapon, an edge to cut through the warmth that once felt comforting but now felt stifling and wrong. As the warmth crept in and I felt the edges of form soften and relax once again, and the smothering calm washed over me in a wave like I had been subsumed in the river. In my panic I reached inwards, deep inside my form, and as I dove I found a kernel of warmth inside, similar to what I sensed outside my form on occasion.

Frantic to save myself from being dragged below my creeping lack of sensation I grasped with an edge of desperation and willed what waning strength I had into that ember, and as I found myself on the edge of panic, I blew on the ember yearning for anything to push back the calming waters. As my mind dwindled and faded I pushed with whatever will I had, and in the dark void I felt a small crack as some ethereal barrier surrounded this ember, so thin to be almost imperceptible, seemed to splinter.

With one last herculean push, the shattering barrier fell away, as a roaring wave of heat spread through my form the ember stoked into a roaring furnace blast of heat. Small in form, but like a blazing inferno I heard another thump, this time sending ripples outwards through my form. As the wave of heat spread outwards I could feel my sense of self come rushing back to me, and as the thumps continued in a pulsing rhythm reminiscent of a heartbeat I felt my sense of self returning.

It was a beat I recognized, a familiar feeling as life flooded through me. It was the rush, the siren song of adrenaline in my veins, the pounding of my heart like the beat of a drum, a defiant battle cry railing against the void, and to me, in that moment, the sweetest sound I have ever heard.